Food neophobia and mealtime food consumption in 4-5 year old children.

Background: Previous research has documented a negative association between maternal report of child food neophobia and reported frequency of consumption of fruit, vegetables, and meat. This study aimed to establish whether neophobia is associated with lower intake of these food types in naturalistic mealtime situations. Methods: One hundred and nine parents of 4–5 year olds completed questionnaires which included a six-item version of the Child Food Neophobia Scale (CFNS). The children took part in a series of 3 test lunch meals at weekly intervals at school at which they were presented with: chicken, cheese, bread, cheese crackers, chocolate biscuits, grapes and tomatoes or carrot sticks. Food items served to each child were weighed before and after the meal to assess total intake of items in four categories: Fruit and vegetables, Protein foods, Starchy foods and Snack foods. Pearson Product Moment Correlations and independent t tests were performed to examine associations between scores on the CFNS and consumption during lunches. Results: Neophobia was associated with lower consumption of fruit and vegetables, protein foods and total calories, but there was no association with intake of starch or snack foods. Conclusion: These results support previous research that has suggested that neophobia impacts differentially on consumption of different food types. Specifically it appears that children who score highly on the CFNS eat less fruit, vegetables and protein foods than their less neophobic peers. Attempts to increase intake of fruit, vegetables and protein might usefully incorporate strategies known to reduce the neophobic response

The Gravitational Lensing in the QSO 1208+10 from the Proximity Effect in its Lyman alpha Forest

The quasar Q1208+1011 (z_{em}=3.8) is the second highest redshift double quasar ever detected. Several indications point toward it being a gravitational lensed system, although a definitive proof is still lacking. We present new evidence of its lensed nature based on the weakness of the ``proximity effect'' measured in the high resolution Lyman absorption spectrum of the QSO. A luminosity amplification as large as 22 has been derived from this analysis. Indications on the redshift of the lensing galaxy can be obtained from the analysis of the intervening heavy element absorption systems discovered in the QSO high resolution spectrum. On statistical and dynamical grounds a MgII system present at z=1.13 appears as the most likely candidate for the lensing galaxy. We compare the observed parameters with a simple isothermal model for the lens to derive the properties of the lensing galaxy. The resulting magnification factor is smaller, although marginally consistent with that derived by the analysis of the proximity effect.Comment: 11 pages, 2 Postscript figures, ApJ in pres

Composting paper and grass clippings with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the composting performance of anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME) mixed with paper and grass clippings. Methods Composting was conducted using a laboratory scale system for 40 days. Several parameters were determined: temperature, mass reduction, pH, electrical conductivity, colour, zeta potential, phytotoxicity and final compost nutrients. Results The moisture content and compost mass were reduced by 24 and 18 %, respectively. Both final compost pH value and electrical conductivity were found to increase in value. Colour (measured as PtCo) was not suitable as a maturity indicator. The negative zeta potential values decreased from −12.25 to −21.80 mV. The phytotoxicity of the compost mixture was found to decrease in value during the process and the final nutrient value of the compost indicates its suitability as a soil conditioner. Conclusions From this study, we conclude that the addition of paper and grass clippings can be a potential substrate to be composted with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME). The final compost produced is suitable for soil conditioner

The prevalence, influential factors and mechanisms of relative age effects in UK Rugby League.

Relative age effects (RAEs), reflecting observed inequalities in participation and attainment as a result of annual age-grouping policies in youth sport, are common in most team sports. The aims of this study were to determine if and when RAEs become apparent in Rugby League, determine how influential variables (e.g., gender) lead and clarify whether player retention at junior representative levels can explain persistent RAEs. Player data were collected for the male and female community games ranging from Under 7s to Senior (N=15,060) levels, junior representative selections (i.e., Regional) and professional players (N=298). Chi-square analyses found significant (P<0.05) uneven birth date distributions beginning at the earliest stages of the game and throughout into senior professionals. In junior representative selections, 47.0% of Regional and 55.7% of National representative players were born in Quartile 1, with RAE risk increasing with performance level. Gender and nationality were also found to moderate RAE risk. When tracking representative juniors, over 50% were retained for similar competition the following season. Findings clearly demonstrate that RAEs exist throughout Rugby League with early selection, performance level and retention processes, appearing to be key contributing factors responsible for RAE persistence

Gyrotron experiments employing a field emission array cathode

The design and operation of a field emission array (FEA) cathode and the subsequent demonstration of the first FEA gyrotron are presented. Up to 10 mA from 30 000 tips was achieved reproducibly from each of ten chips in a gyrotron environment, namely, a vacuum 1 x 10(-8) mbar, -50 kV potential with multiple chip operation, The design parameters of the FEA gun were similar to those of a magnetron injection gun with an achievable electron beam current of 50-100 mA and measured power 720 W cw. Coherent microwave radiation was detected in both TE(02) at 30.1 GHz and TE(03) at 43.6 GHz, with a starting current of 1 mA

Reduced healthcare utilisation following successful HCV treatment in HIV co-infected patients with mild liver disease

New direct-acting antivirals (DAA) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have achieved high cure rates in many patient groups previously considered difficult-to-treat, including those HIV/HCV co-infected. The high price of these medications is likely to limit access to treatment, at least in the short term. Early treatment priority is likely to be given to those with advanced disease, but a more detailed understanding of the potential benefits in treating those with mild disease is needed. We hypothesized that successful HCV treatment within a co-infected population with mild liver disease would lead to a reduction in the use and costs of healthcare services in the 5 years following treatment completion. We performed a retrospective cohort study of HIV/HCV-co-infected patients without evidence of fibrosis/cirrhosis who received a course of HCV therapy between 2004 and 2013. Detailed analysis of healthcare utilization up to 5 years following treatment for each patient using clinical and electronic records was used to estimate healthcare costs. Sixty-three patients were investigated, of whom 48 of 63 (76.2%) achieved sustained virological response 12 weeks following completion of therapy (SVR12). Individuals achieving SVR12 incurred lower health utilization costs (£5000 per-patient) compared to (£10 775 per-patient) non-SVR patients in the 5 years after treatment. Healthcare utilization rates and costs in the immediate 5 years following treatment were significantly higher in co-infected patients with mild disease that failed to achieve SVR12. These data suggest additional value to achieving cure beyond the prevention of complications of disease

Balancing ion parameters and fluorocarbon chemical reactants for SiO2 pattern transfer control using fluorocarbon-based atomic layer etching

In manufacturing, etch profiles play a significant role in device patterning. Here, the authors present a study of the evolution of etch profiles of nanopatterned silicon oxide using a chromium hard mask and a CHF3/Ar atomic layer etching in a conventional inductively coupled plasma tool. The authors show the effect of substrate electrode temperature, chamber pressure, and electrode forward power on the etch profile evolution of nanopatterned silicon oxide. Chamber pressure has an especially significant role, with lower pressure leading to lower etch rates and higher pattern fidelity. The authors also find that at higher electrode forward power, the physical component of etching increases and more anisotropic etching is achieved. By carefully tuning the process parameters, the authors are able to find the best conditions to achieve aspect-ratio independent etching and high fidelity patterning, with an average sidewall angle of 87° ± 1.5° and undercut values as low as 3.7 ± 0.5% for five trench sizes ranging from 150 to 30 nm. Furthermore, they provide some guidelines to understand the impact of plasma parameters on plasma ion distribution and thus on the atomic layer etching process

Ras/Raf-1/MAPK pathway mediates response to tamoxifen but not chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

&lt;b&gt;Purpose&lt;/b&gt;: The expression and activation of the Ras/Raf-1/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway plays an important role in the development and progression of cancer, and may influence response to treatments such as tamoxifen and chemotherapy. In this study we investigated whether the expression and activation of the key components of this pathway influenced clinical outcome, to test the hypothesis that activation of the MAPK pathway drives resistance to tamoxifen and chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. &lt;b&gt;Experimental Design&lt;/b&gt;: Breast tumors from patients at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and others treated within the BR9601 trial were analyzed for expression of the three Ras isoforms, total Raf-1, active and inactive forms of Raf-1 [pRaf(ser338) and pRaf(ser259), respectively], MAPK, and phospho-MAPK using an immunohistochemical approach. Analyses were done with respect to disease free-survival and overall survival. &lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt;: Expression and activation of the Ras pathway was associated with loss of benefit from treatment with tamoxifen but not chemotherapy. Overexpression of pRaf(ser338) was associated with shortened disease-free and overall survival time in univariate analyses. Multivariate analysis suggested pRaf(ser338) was independent of known prognostic markers in predicting outcome following tamoxifen treatment (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt;=0.03). &lt;b&gt;Conclusion&lt;/b&gt;: This study suggests that activation of the Ras pathway predicts for poor outcome on tamoxifen but not chemotherapy, and identifies pRaf(ser338) as a potential marker of resistance to estrogen receptor–targeted therapy. In addition, it suggests that expression of pRaf(ser338) could identify patients for whom tamoxifen alone is insufficient adjuvant systemic therapy, but for whom the addition of chemotherapy may be of benefit