Resource allocation, health mobility and adaptation to illness

The increased availability of panel data has made it possible to estimate and measure health mobility for population subgroups who may have systematically different levels of mobility. The objective of this paper is to stimulate discussion on what estimated differences across subgroups may mean for resource allocation. We use a straightforward hypothetical example to investigate the implications of different levels of health mobility on health outcomes, considering in addition the effects of adaptation to illness over time. We also discuss some of the ethical and political implications of health mobility

The effect of diatomaceous earth in live, attenuated infectious bronchitis vaccine, immune responses, and protection against challenge.

Live virus vaccines are commonly used in poultry production, particularly in broilers. Massive application and generation of a protective local mucosal and humoral immunity with no adverse effects is the main goal for this strategy. Live virus vaccines can be improved by adding adjuvants to boost mucosal innate and adaptive responses. In a previous study we showed that diatomaceous earth (DE) can be used as adjuvant in inactivated vaccines. The aim of this study was to test DE as adjuvant in an Ark-DPI live infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccine after ocular or spray application. Titrating the virus alone or after addition of DE showed that DE had no detrimental effect on the vaccine virus. However, adding DE to the vaccine did not induce higher IgG titers in the serum and IgA titers in tears. It also did not affect the frequency of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and monocytes/macrophages in the blood and the spleen determined by flow cytometry. In addition, protection generated against IBV homologous challenges, measured by viral load in tears, respiratory signs and histopathology in tracheas, did not vary when DE was present in the vaccine formulation. Finally, we confirmed through our observations that Ark vaccines administered by hatchery spray cabinet elicit weaker immune responses and protection against an IBV homologous challenge compared to the same vaccine delivered via ocular route

Possible Stellar Metallicity Enhancements from the Accretion of Planets

A number of recently discovered extrasolar planet candidates have surprisingly small orbits, which may indicate that considerable orbital migration takes place in protoplanetary systems. A natural consequence of orbital migration is for a series of planets to be accreted, destroyed, and then thoroughly mixed into the convective envelope of the central star. We study the ramifications of planet accretion for the final main sequence metallicity of the star. If maximum disk lifetimes are on the order of 10 Myr, stars with masses near 1 solar mass are predicted to have virtually no metallicity enhancement. On the other hand, early F and late A type stars with masses of 1.5--2.0 solar masses can experience significant metallicity enhancements due to their considerably smaller convection zones during the first 10 Myr of pre-main-sequence evolution. We show that the metallicities of an aggregate of unevolved F stars are consistent with an average star accreting about 2 Jupiter-mass planets from a protoplanetary disk having a 10 Myr dispersal time.Comment: 14 pages, AAS LaTeX, 3 figures, accepted to ApJ Letter

Ring-Pattern Dynamics in Smectic-C* and Smectic-C_A* Freely Suspended Liquid Crystal Films

Ring patterns of concentric 2pi-solitons in molecular orientation, form in freely suspended chiral smectic-C films in response to an in-plane rotating electric field. We present measurements of the zero-field relaxation of ring patterns and of the driven dynamics of ring formation under conditions of synchronous winding, and a simple model which enables their quantitative description in low polarization DOBAMBC. In smectic C_A* TFMHPOBC we observe an odd-even layer number effect, with odd number layer films exhibiting order of magnitude slower relaxation rates than even layer films. We show that this rate difference is due to much larger spontaneous polarization in odd number layer films.Comment: 4 RevTeX pgs, 4 eps figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Binaries with total eclipses in the LMC: potential targets for spectroscopy

35 Eclipsing binaries presenting unambiguous total eclipses were selected from a subsample of the list of Wyrzykowski et al. (2003). The photometric elements are given for the I curve in DiA photometry, as well as approximate Teff and masses of the components. The interest of these systems is stressed in view of future spectroscopic observations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; poster presented at the conference "Close binaries in the 21st Century: new opportunities and challenges", Syros, 27-30 June 200

Midwives\u27 knowledge, attitudes and learning needs regarding antenatal vaccination

Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and learning needs of midwives regarding antenatal vaccination. Design & Setting: A cross-sectional, paper-based survey of midwives employed at the only public tertiary maternity hospital in the Australian state of XX between November 2015 and July 2016. Participants: 252 midwives providing care in antepartum, intrapartum, and/or postpartum settings. Measurements: Self-reported responses to a 41-item survey. Findings: The vast majority of midwives supported influenza and pertussis vaccination for pregnant women, with 90.0% and 71.7% reporting they would recommend pertussis and influenza vaccine, respectively, to a pregnant friend or family member, and almost all stating that midwives should administer vaccines to pregnant patients (94.8%). Seven out of ten midwives (68.1%) responded correctly to all knowledge items regarding vaccines recommended during pregnancy; 52.8% demonstrated correct knowledge regarding vaccine administration despite only 36.6% having attended an education session on antenatal vaccination in the previous two years. Nearly all midwives (97.3%) expressed a need for more education on vaccine administration. The most commonly reported barrier to administering influenza (61.3%) and pertussis (59.0%) vaccination was having staff available with the certification required to administer vaccines. Key Conclusions: Midwives view antenatal vaccination as their responsibility and are interested and receptive to education. Implications for Practice: There is an unmet need and demand among midwives for professional development that would enable them to recommend and administer vaccines to pregnant women in accordance with national immunisation guidelines and integrate vaccination into routine antenatal care

Secondary metabolite profiling of the model legume Lotus japonicus during its symbiotic interaction with Mesorhizobium loti

Plant secondary metabolites, particularly flavonoids, are key components in the early stages of nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. Despite their importance, the endogenous secondary metabolites involved in symbiosis have not yet been identified in the model legume Lotus japonicus. We therefore determined changes in the secondary metabolic profile of Lotus japonicus roots in response to its symbiont. Analysis of the root secondary metabolite profiles 1 week after inoculation with Mesorhizobium loti revealed quantitative changes in the level of 14 phenolic peaks when compared with non-inoculated control plants. These changes affected compounds from most phenolic classes, possibly resulting from interconversion between classes since the total phenolic level remained constant. In addition, the use of 2 M. loti strains differing only in their capacity to synthesise Nod factor revealed that, although Nod factor signalling induced accumulation of a specific subset of 4 phenolic peaks, most changes were induced in response to both rhizobial strains.NR was supported by a Training Network funded by the European Training Network EU-RTN-LOTUS-HPRN-CT-2000-00086. KJW was supported by core funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC), UK.Peer Reviewe

Standard Clocks, Orbital Precession and the Cosmological Constant

We discuss the influence of the cosmological constant on the gravitomagnetic clock effect and the gravitational time delay of electromagnetic rays. Moreover, we consider the relative motion of a binary system to linear order in the cosmological constant $\Lambda$. The general expression for the effect of $\Lambda$ on pericenter precession is given for arbitrary orbital eccentricity

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families: Connecting Local Libraries with NASA Scientists and Education Programs to Engage Girls in STEM

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families (NS4G) partners NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education programs with public libraries to provide hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities and career information for girls and their families, along with training for librarians, in conjunction with Women's History Month (March). NS4G is a collaboration among education teams within the four NASA SMD education and public outreach (E/PO) Forums: Planetary, Earth, Astrophysics, and Heliophysics. It began in 2012 as an Astrophysics-led program (Astro4Girls) with 9 events around the country. Upon expanding among the four Forums, over 73 events were held in Spring 2013 (Fig. 1), with preparations underway for events in Spring 2014. All events are individually evaluated by both the student participants and participating librarians to assess their effectiveness in addressing audience needs