Comprehensiveness of infant formula and bottle feeding resources: A review of information from Australian healthcare organisations.

The use of infant formula is widespread internationally. In Australia, 55% of infants receive formula before 6 months of age, with higher rates among disadvantaged communities. Infant formula use can contribute to childhood overweight and obesity, through formula composition and feeding behaviours, such as adding cereal to bottles and parental feeding style. While information abounds to promote and support breastfeeding, formula-feeding parents report a paucity of advice and support; many rely on formula packaging for information. This study systematically searched and reviewed online resources for infant formula and bottle feeding from Australian governments, health services, hospitals, and not-for-profit parenting organisations. A comprehensive search strategy located 74 current resources, mostly for parents. Researchers evaluated the resources against best practice criteria derived from Australian government and UNICEF guidelines on six topics. They assessed how comprehensively the resources addressed each topic and whether the resources provided all the information necessary for parents to understand each topic. The mean 'comprehensiveness' rating for topics across all resources was 54.36%. However, some topics were addressed more fully than others. Information on 'discussing infant formula with health workers' and on 'preparing infant formula' was more frequently accurate and comprehensive. However, there was much less comprehensive information on 'using infant formula', including amounts of formula to feed, use of bottle teats, appropriate bottle-feeding practice and responsiveness to infant satiety cues. Over half the resources were written at an acceptable reading level

Addressing obesity in the first 1000 days in high risk infants: Systematic review.

Early intervention is critical for addressing the challenge of childhood obesity. Yet many preventive interventions do not target infants most at risk of future overweight or obesity. This systematic review examines interventions delivered before 2 years that aim to ameliorate excess weight gain among infants at high risk of overweight or obesity, due to sociodemographic characteristics, parental weight or health status, infant feeding or health behaviours. We searched six databases for interventions: (a) delivered before age two, (b) specifically aimed at infants at high risk of childhood obesity and (c) that reported outcomes by weight status beyond 28 days. The search identified over 27,000 titles, and 49 papers from 38 studies met inclusion criteria: 10 antenatal interventions, 16 postnatal and 12 conducted both before and after birth. Nearly all targeted infant and/or maternal nutrition. Studies varied widely in design, obesity risk factors, outcomes and quality. Overall, nine interventions of varying quality reported some evidence of significantly improved child weight trajectory, although effects tended to diminish over time. Interventions that improved weight outcomes tended to engage parents for a longer period, and most offered health professional input and support. Two studies of limited quality reported significantly worse weight outcomes in the intervention group

Light flash phenomenon seen by astronauts

The results from experiments conducted to characterize and elucidate light flashes seen by astronauts on Apollo 11, 12, 13, and 14 during transluna or transearth orbit are presented. The data show cosmic nuclei interacting with the visual apparatus causes the light flash phenomenon. The data also suggest that slow protons and helium ions with a stopping power greater than 10 KeV/micron will cause light flashes and streaks in the partially dark adapted eye. The effects of galactic cosmic nuclei interacting with man during long term missions are discussed

A Revised Broad-Line Region Radius and Black Hole Mass for the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 NGC 4051

We present the first results from a high sampling rate, multi-month reverberation mapping campaign undertaken primarily at MDM Observatory with supporting observations from telescopes around the world. The primary goal of this campaign was to obtain either new or improved Hbeta reverberation lag measurements for several relatively low luminosity AGNs. We feature results for NGC 4051 here because, until now, this object has been a significant outlier from AGN scaling relationships, e.g., it was previously a ~2-3sigma outlier on the relationship between the broad-line region (BLR) radius and the optical continuum luminosity - the R_BLR-L relationship. Our new measurements of the lag time between variations in the continuum and Hbeta emission line made from spectroscopic monitoring of NGC 4051 lead to a measured BLR radius of R_BLR = 1.87 (+0.54 -0.50) light days and black hole mass of M_BH = 1.73 (+0.55 -0.52) x 10^6 M_sun. This radius is consistent with that expected from the R_BLR-L relationship, based on the present luminosity of NGC 4051 and the most current calibration of the relation by Bentz et al. (2009a). We also present a preliminary look at velocity-resolved Hbeta light curves and time delay measurements, although we are unable to reconstruct an unambiguous velocity-resolved reverberation signal.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, changes from v1 reflect suggestions from anonymous refere

A programming and a modelling perspective on the evaluation of Java card implementations

Java Card Technology has provided a huge step forward in programming smart cards: from assembler to using a high level Object Oriented language. However, the authors have found some differences between the current Java Card version (2.1) and main stream Java that may restrict the benefits of using Java achievable in smartcard programming. In particular, efforts towards evaluating Java Card implementations at a high level of assurance may be hampered by the presence of these differences as well as by the complexity of the Java Card VM and API. The goal of the present paper is to detail the differences from a programming and a modelling point of view

Gravitational Microlensing of a Reverberating Quasar Broad Line Region - I. Method and Qualitative Results

The kinematics and morphology of the broad emission line region (BELR) of quasars are the subject of significant debate. The two leading methods for constraining BELR properties are microlensing and reverberation mapping. Here we combine these two methods with a study of the microlensing behaviour of the BELR in Q2237+0305, as a change in continuum emission (a "flare") passes through it. Beginning with some generic models of the BELR - sphere, bicones, disk - we slice in velocity and time to produce brightness profiles of the BELR over the duration of the flare. These are numerically microlensed to determine whether microlensing of reverberation mapping provides new information about the properties of BELRs. We describe our method and show images of the models as they are flaring, and the unlensed and lensed spectra that are produced. Qualitative results and a discussion of the spectra are given in this paper, highlighting some effects that could be observed. Our conclusion is that the influence of microlensing, while not strong, can produce significant observable effects that will help in differentiating the properties of BELRs.Comment: 17 pages, 14 low resolution figures, 1 table, accepted for MNRAS. v2: Corrected velocities p16, 8 to 0.08, 9 to 0.0

Olive phenology as a sensitive indicator of future climatic warming in the Mediterranean

Experimental and modelling work suggests a strong dependence of olive flowering date on spring temperatures. Since airborne pollen concentrations reflect the flowering phenology of olive populations within a radius of 50 km, they may be a sensitive regional indicator of climatic warming. We assessed this potential sensitivity with phenology models fitted to flowering dates inferred from maximum airborne pollen data. Of four models tested, a thermal time model gave the best fit for Montpellier, France, and was the most effective at the regional scale, providing reasonable predictions for 10 sites in the western Mediterranean. This model was forced with replicated future temperature simulations for the western Mediterranean from a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). The GCM temperatures rose by 4·5 °C between 1990 and 2099 with a 1% per year increase in greenhouse gases, and modelled flowering date advanced at a rate of 6·2 d per °C. The results indicated that this long-term regional trend in phenology might be statistically significant as early as 2030, but with marked spatial variation in magnitude, with the calculated flowering date between the 1990s and 2030s advancing by 3–23 d. Future monitoring of airborne olive pollen may therefore provide an early biological indicator of climatic warming in the Mediterranean

Promoting healthy weight for all young children: a mixed methods study of child and family health nurses' perceptions of barriers and how to overcome them.

Background:Childhood obesity is a global health concern. Early intervention to help parents adopt best practice for infant feeding and physical activity is critical for maintaining healthy weight. Australian governments provide universal free primary healthcare from child and family health nurses (CFHNs) to support families with children aged up to five years and to provide evidence-based advice to parents. This paper aims to examine factors influencing the child obesity prevention practices of CFHNs and to identify opportunities to support them in promoting healthy infant growth. Methods:This mixed methods study used a survey (n = 90) and semi-structured interviews (n = 20) with CFHNs working in two local health districts in Sydney, Australia. Survey data were analysed descriptively; interview transcripts were coded and analysed iteratively. Survey and interview questions examined how CFHNs addressed healthy infant feeding practices, healthy eating, active play and limiting sedentary behaviour during routine consultations; factors influencing such practices; and how CFHNs could be best supported. Results:CFHNs frequently advised parents on breastfeeding, introducing solid foods, and techniques for settling infants. They spent less time providing advice on evidence-based formula feeding practices or encouraging physical activity in young children. Although nurses frequently weighed and measured children, they did not always use growth charts to identify those at risk of becoming overweight or obese. Nurses identified several barriers to promoting healthy weight gain in infants and young children, including limited parental recognition of overweight in their children or motivation to change diet or lifestyle; socioeconomic factors (such as the cost of healthy food); and beliefs and attitudes about infant weight and the importance of breastfeeding and physical activity amongst parents and family members. Conclusions:CFHNs require further education and support for their role in promoting optimal child growth and development, especially training in behaviour change techniques to increase parents' understanding of healthy infant weight gain. Parent information resources should be accessible and address cultural diversity. Resources should highlight the health effects of childhood overweight and obesity and emphasise the benefits of breastfeeding, appropriate formula feeding, suitable first foods, responsiveness to infant feeding cues, active play and limiting screen time

Resolving the dynamical mass of a z~1.3 QSO host galaxy using SINFONI and Laser Guide Star assisted Adaptive Optics

Recent studies of the tight scaling relations between the masses of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies have suggested that in the past black holes constituted a larger fraction of their host galaxies' mass. However, these arguments are limited by selection effects and difficulties in determining robust host galaxy masses at high redshifts. Here we report the first results of a new, complementary diagnostic route: we directly determine a dynamical host galaxy mass for the z=1.3 luminous quasar J090543.56+043347.3 through high-spatial-resolution (0.47", 4kpc FWHM) observations of the host galaxy gas kinematics over 30x40 kpc using ESO/VLT/SINFONI with LGS/AO. Combining our result of M_dyn = 2.05+1.68_0.74 x 10^11 M_sun (within a radius 5.25 +- 1.05 kpc) with M_BH,MgII = 9.02 \pm 1.43 x 10^8 M_sun, M_BH,Halpha = 2.83 +1.93-1.13 x 10^8 M_sun, we find that the ratio of black hole mass to host galaxy dynamical mass for J090543.56+043347.3 matches the present-day relation for M_BH vs. M_Bulge,Dyn, well within the IR scatter, deviating at most a factor of two from the mean. J090543.56+043347.3 displays clear signs of an ongoing tidal interaction and of spatially extended star formation at a rate of 50-100 M_sun/yr, above the cosmic average for a galaxy of this mass and redshift. We argue that its subsequent evolution may move J090543.56+043347.3 even closer to the z=0 relation for M_BH vs. M_Bulge,Dyn. Our results support the picture where any substantive evolution in these relations must occur prior to z~1.3. Having demonstrated the power of this modelling approach we are currently analyzing similar data on seven further objects to better constrain such evolution.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 14 pages, 10 Figure