Improving Vitamin D Intake in Young Children—Can an Infographic Help Parents and Carers Understand the Recommendations?

Vitamin D deficiency is a serious public health issue in the United Kingdom. Those at increased risk, such as pregnant women, children under 5 years and people from ethnic groups with dark skin, are not all achieving their recommended vitamin D. Effective vitamin D education is warranted. A qualitative study was undertaken to evaluate the acceptability and understanding of a vitamin D infographic, developed using recommendations from previous research. Fifteen parents/carers, recruited through local playgroups and adverts on popular parent websites, participated in focus groups and telephone interviews. The majority were female, White British and educated to degree level. A thematic analysis methodology was applied. The findings indicated that understanding and acceptability of the infographic were satisfactory, but improvements were recommended to aid interpretation and create more accessible information. These included additional content (what vitamin D is; other sources; its health benefits; methods/doses for administration and scientific symbols used) and improved presentation (eye-catching, less text, simpler language, more images and a logo). Once finalized, the infographic could be a useful tool to educate families around vitamin D supplementation guidelines, support the UK Healthy Start vitamins scheme and help improve vitamin D status for pregnant and lactating women and young children

Multiwavelength observations of the supernova remnant G349.7+02 interacting with a molecular cloud

We present molecular-line observations at millimetre, centimetre and infrared wavelengths of the region containing OH(1720 MHz) masers in the supernova remnant (SNR) G349.7+0.2, using the Australia Telescope (AT) Mopra antenna, the Swedish-ESO Submillimeter Telescope, the AT Compact Array and the UNSW Infrared Fabry-Perot narrow-band filter installed on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Several molecular transitions were observed between 1.6 and 3 mm to constrain the physical parameters of the molecular cloud interacting with the SNR and to investigate the effects of the SNR shock on the gas chemistry. We detected shock-excited near-infrared H2 emission towards the centre of the SNR, revealing highly clumped molecular gas and a good correlation with published mid-infrared images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. An excellent correlation between the H2 clumps and OH(1720 MHz) maser positions supports the shock excitation of the OH(1720 MHz) maser emission. Furthermore, we detected OH absorption at 1665 and 1667 MHz which shows a good correlation with the shocked H2 emission and the masers. We found maser emission at 1665 MHz near the OH(1720 MHz) masers in this SNR, which is found to be associated with a GLIMPSE source SSTGLMC G349.7294+00.1747. We also detected 1665 and 1667 MHz OH masers, and weak 4.8 GHz H2CO absorption towards the ultracompact HII region IRAS 17147-3725 located to the southeast of the SNR. We found no 4.7- or 6-GHz excited-state OH masers or 6-GHz CH3OH maser towards either the SNR or the HII region.Comment: 25 pages, 13 figures, published in MNRA

12mm line survey of the dense molecular gas towards the W28 field TeV gamma-ray sources

We present 12mm Mopra observations of dense molecular gas towards the W28 supernova remnant (SNR) field. The focus is on the dense molecular gas towards the TeV gamma-ray sources detected by the H.E.S.S. telescopes, which likely trace the cosmic-rays from W28 and possibly other sources in the region. Using the NH3 inversion transitions we reveal several dense cores inside the molecular clouds, the majority of which coincide with high-mass star formation and HII regions, including the energetic ultra-compact HII region G5.89-0.39. A key exception to this is the cloud north east of W28, which is well-known to be disrupted as evidenced by clusters of 1720MHz OH masers and broad CO line emission. Here we detect broad NH3, up to the (9,9) transition, with linewidths up to 16 km/s. This broad NH3 emission spatially matches well with the TeV source HESS J1801-233 and CO emission, and its velocity dispersion distribution suggests external disruption from the W28 SNR direction. Other lines are detected, such as HC3N and HC5N, H2O masers, and many radio recombination lines, all of which are primarily found towards the southern high-mass star formation regions. These observations provide a new view onto the internal structures and dynamics of the dense molecular gas towards the W28 SNR field, and in tandem with future higher resolution TeV gamma-ray observations will offer the chance to probe the transport of cosmic-rays into molecular clouds.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Online appendices containing additional molecular line: fit parameters, maps, PV plots & spectra, will be available through MNRA

Radio emission from Supernova Remnants

The explosion of a supernova releases almost instantaneously about 10^51 ergs of mechanic energy, changing irreversibly the physical and chemical properties of large regions in the galaxies. The stellar ejecta, the nebula resulting from the powerful shock waves, and sometimes a compact stellar remnant, constitute a supernova remnant (SNR). They can radiate their energy across the whole electromagnetic spectrum, but the great majority are radio sources. Almost 70 years after the first detection of radio emission coming from a SNR, great progress has been achieved in the comprehension of their physical characteristics and evolution. We review the present knowledge of different aspects of radio remnants, focusing on sources of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds, where the SNRs can be spatially resolved. We present a brief overview of theoretical background, analyze morphology and polarization properties, and review and critical discuss different methods applied to determine the radio spectrum and distances. The consequences of the interaction between the SNR shocks and the surrounding medium are examined, including the question of whether SNRs can trigger the formation of new stars. Cases of multispectral comparison are presented. A section is devoted to reviewing recent results of radio SNRs in the Magellanic Clouds, with particular emphasis on the radio properties of SN 1987A, an ideal laboratory to investigate dynamical evolution of an SNR in near real time. The review concludes with a summary of issues on radio SNRs that deserve further study, and analyzing the prospects for future research with the latest generation radio telescopes.Comment: Revised version. 48 pages, 15 figure

Constitutively active Lyn kinase causes a cutaneous small vessel vasculitis and liver fibrosis syndrome

Neutrophilic inflammation is a hallmark of many monogenic autoinflammatory diseases; pathomechanisms that regulate extravasation of damaging immune cells into surrounding tissues are poorly understood. Here we identified three unrelated boys with perinatal-onset of neutrophilic cutaneous small vessel vasculitis and systemic inflammation. Two patients developed liver fibrosis in their first year of life. Next-generation sequencing identified two de novo truncating variants in the Src-family tyrosine kinase, LYN, p.Y508*, p.Q507* and a de novo missense variant, p.Y508F, that result in constitutive activation of Lyn kinase. Functional studies revealed increased expression of ICAM-1 on induced patient-derived endothelial cells (iECs) and of β2-integrins on patient neutrophils that increase neutrophil adhesion and vascular transendothelial migration (TEM). Treatment with TNF inhibition improved systemic inflammation; and liver fibrosis resolved on treatment with the Src kinase inhibitor dasatinib. Our findings reveal a critical role for Lyn kinase in modulating inflammatory signals, regulating microvascular permeability and neutrophil recruitment, and in promoting hepatic fibrosis

Whiteness in the glare of war: soldiers, migrants and citizenship

The figure of the soldier-migrant demonstrates why it is important to bring the question of military service into contemporary sociological debates about citizenship, belonging and racism. The essay draws on an understanding of whiteness as a fundamental component of historical and gendered notions of citizenship underpinning the 'hypnotic ideals' of national identity. Because of academic specialism and disciplinary boundaries, however, the intersections between civil and military spheres are often neglected as a locus for exploring racialised terms of belonging and exclusion, particularly in times of war. The essay discusses key questions raised by the campaign for Gurkha settlement rights and the employment of thousands of personnel from Commonwealth countries in the British Army, bringing the notion of whiteness as 'fitness for citizenship' into dialogue with recent work on the soldier-citizen developed in Canada and the USA. Recent BNP propaganda demonstrates the perils of leaving the link between military service and the indigenous 'deserving' Brit undisturbed, and the concept of postcolonial melancholia remains a vital way to approach the mobilisation of war memories as a way of defining the terms of UK citizenship today

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease