An English Source for a Latin Text? Wind Prognostication in Oxford, Bodleian MSS Hatton 115 and Ashmole 345

This article focuses on a type of prognostication that bases its predictions on the behavior of the wind during the twelve nights of Christmas and in particular on the relationship between the Old English version in Oxford, Bodleian, Hatton 115, and a fourteenth/fifteenth-century English text in Latin of the same prognostication, which appears in Oxford, Bodleian, Ashmole 345, fol. 69r. The wind prognostication in Ashmole 345 is remarkably similar to the twelfth-century OE version in Hatton 115, fol. 149v, to the extent that one might be tempted to argue for direct transmission, if it were not for the large temporal gap between the two manuscripts and for the fact that the two texts are being transmitted in two different languages. Interestingly the Latin text in A contains an Old English word that may make us reconsider the relationship between the two manuscripts and may shed light on the reception and transmission of Old English and prognostication by the wind between the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries in English monastic centers.

Mendelssohn and The Schübler Chorales (BWV 645-650):A New Source found in the Riemenschneider Bach Institute Collection

This article discusses a hitherto-unknown printed edition of Bach's Schübler Chorales edited by Mendelssohn, and considers its meaning and significance for Bach-Mendelssohn scholarship. Facsimile of the edition is also included.

Predicting critical source areas of sediment in headwater catchments

Mitigation of diffuse nutrient and sediment delivery to streams requires successful identification andmanagement of critical source areas within catchments. Approaches to predicting high risk areas forsediment loss have typically relied on structural drivers of connectivity and risk, with little considera-tion given to process driven water quality responses. To assess the applicability of structural metrics topredict critical source areas, geochemical tracing of land use sources was conducted in three headwateragricultural catchments in Co. Down and Co. Louth, Ireland, within a Monte Carlo framework. Outputswere applied to the inverse optimisation of a connectivity model, based on LiDAR DEM data, to assess theefficacy of land use risk weightings to predict sediment source contributions over the 18 month studyperiod in the Louth Upper, Louth Lower and Down catchments. Results of the study indicated sedimentproportions over the study period varied from 6 to 10%, 84 to 87%, 4%, and 2 to 3% for the Down Catch-ment, 79 to 85%, 9 to 17%, 1 to 3% and 2 to 3% in the Louth Upper and 2 to 3%, 79 to 85%, 10 to 17%and 2 to 3% in the Louth Lower for arable, channel bank, grassland, and woodland sources, respectively.Optimised land use risk weightings for each sampling period showed that at the larger catchment scale,no variation in median land use weightings were required to predict land use contributions. However,for the two smaller study catchments, variation in median risk weightings was considerable, which mayindicate the importance of functional connectivity processes at this spatial scale. In all instances, arableland consistently generated the highest risk of sediment loss across all catchments and sampling times.This study documents some of the first data on sediment provenance in Ireland and indicates the needfor cautious consideration of land use as a tool to predict critical source areas at the headwater scale

Halophilic microorganisms as a source of novel antibiofilm compounds

Objectives: There is great urgency for alternate sources of antibiotics to be identified. One relatively untapped source of novel bioproducts, including antimicrobials, is organisms derived from extreme environments. Halophiles (which require high salt concentrations) are one such group which is being increasingly explored for their biotechnological potential. The aim of this study was to identify halophilic environmental isolates which possessed in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities. Methods: 73 halophilic bacteria and archaea were isolated from Kilroot salt mine in Northern Ireland. Culture extracts of each isolate were screened for antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against numerous pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both model strains and clinical isolates. The methods used included disc diffusion assays of crude extracts, MIC screening, the MBEC assay, and an in vivo model based on the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella). Results: The assays indicated >50% of extracts displayed antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against at least one pathogen, the majority being Staphylococcus species, but also E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Biofilms were either reduced or eradicated by halophile extracts when tested with the MBEC device. Further experiments demonstrated that these effects could be replicated in vivo, with extracts reducing the severity of infections and enhancing the survival of infected G. mellonella. Conclusions: The importance of extremophiles to pharmaceutical research should not be underestimated. While not yet fully characterised, based on the data obtained, the halophiles isolated during this study may provide a promising reservoir of novel antimicrobial and antibiofilm compounds.

Power allocation strategies across N orthogonal channels for single-relay networks at both source and relay

We consider a wireless relay network with one source, one relay and one destination, where communications between nodes are preformed over N orthogonal channels. This, for example, is the case when orthogonal frequency division multiplexing is employed for data communications. Since the power available at the source and relay is limited, we study optimal power allocation strategies at the source and relay in order to maximize the overall source-destination capacity. Depending on the availability of the channel state information at both the source and relay or only at the relay, power allocation is performed at both the source and relay or only at the relay. Considering different setups for the problem, various optimization problems are formulated and solved. Some properties of the optimal solution are also proved.

Physical and numerical constraints in source modeling for finite difference simulation of room acoustics

In finite difference time domain simulation of room acoustics, source functions are subject to various constraints. These depend on the way sources are injected into the grid and on the chosen parameters of the numerical scheme being used. This paper addresses the issue of selecting and designing sources for finite difference simulation, by first reviewing associated aims and constraints, and evaluating existing source models against these criteria. The process of exciting a model is generalized by introducing a system of three cascaded filters, respectively, characterizing the driving pulse, the source mechanics, and the injection of the resulting source function into the grid. It is shown that hard, soft, and transparent sources can be seen as special cases within this unified approach. Starting from the mechanics of a small pulsating sphere, a parametric source model is formulated by specifying suitable filters. This physically constrained source model is numerically consistent, does not scatter incoming waves, and is free from zero- and low-frequency artifacts. Simulation results are employed for comparison with existing source formulations in terms of meeting the spectral and temporal requirements on the outward propagating wave.

Table-Top Laser-Based Source of Femtosecond, Collimated, Ultrarelativistic Positron Beams

The generation of ultrarelativistic positron beams with short duration (τ_e⁺≃30 fs), small divergence (θ_e⁺≃3 mrad), and high density (n _e⁺≃1014-1015 cm^-3) from a fully optical setup is reported. The detected positron beam propagates with a high-density electron beam and γ rays of similar spectral shape and peak energy, thus closely resembling the structure of an astrophysical leptonic jet. It is envisaged that this experimental evidence, besides the intrinsic relevance to laser-driven particle acceleration, may open the pathway for the small-scale study of astrophysical leptonic jets in the laboratory.