Inequalities in body mass index, diet and physical activity in the UK: Longitudinal evidence across childhood and adolescence

We use longitudinal data across a key developmental period, spanning much of childhood and adolescence (age 5 to 17, years 2006–2018) from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative study with an initial sample of just over 19,000. We first examine the extent to which inequalities in overweight, obesity, BMI and body fat over this period are consistent with the evolution of inequalities in health behaviours, including exercise and healthy diet markers (i.e., skipping breakfast) (n = 7,220). We next study the links between SES, health behaviours and adiposity (BMI, body fat), using rich models that account for the influence of a range of unobserved factors that are fixed over time. In this way, we improve on existing estimates measuring the relationship between SES and health behaviours on the one hand and adiposity on the other. The advantage of the individual fixed effects models is that they exploit within-individual changes over time to help mitigate biases due to unobserved fixed characteristics (n = 6,883). We observe stark income inequalities in BMI and body fat in childhood (age 5), which have further widened by age 17. Inequalities in obesity, physical activity, and skipping breakfast are observed to widen from age 7 onwards. Ordinary Least Square estimates reveal the previously documented SES gradient in adiposity, which is reduced slightly once health behaviours including breakfast consumption and physical activity are accounted for. The main substantive change in estimates comes from the fixed effects specification. Here we observe mixed findings on the SES associations, with a positive association between income and adiposity and a negative association with wealth. The role of health behaviours is attenuated but they remain important, particularly for body fat

The mass of the very massive binary WR21a

We present multi-epoch spectroscopic observations of the massive binary system WR21a, which include the January 2011 periastron passage. Our spectra reveal multiple SB2 lines and facilitate an accurate determination of the orbit and the spectral types of the components. We obtain minimum masses of $64.4\pm4.8 \ M_{\odot}$ and $36.3\pm1.7 \ M_{\odot}$ for the two components of WR21a. Using disentangled spectra of the individual components, we derive spectral types of O3/WN5ha and O3Vz~((f*)) for the primary and secondary, respectively. Using the spectral type of the secondary as an indication for its mass, we estimate an orbital inclination of $i=58.8\pm2.5^{\mathrm{o}}$ and absolute masses of $103.6\pm10.2 \ M_{\odot}$ and $58.3\pm3.7 \ M_{\odot}$, in agreement with the luminosity of the system. The spectral types of the WR21a components indicate that the stars are very young (1$-$2 Myr), similar to the age of the nearby Westerlund 2 cluster. We use evolutionary tracks to determine the mass-luminosity relation for the total system mass. We find that for a distance of 8 kpc and an age of 1.5 Myr, the derived absolute masses are in good agreement with those from evolutionary predictions.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA

Investigating mechanisms of social support effectiveness: The case of locomotion motivation

Although social support can entail costs, individuals with a higher locomotion orientation, who are motivated to move and take action, benefit from support. In two dyadic studies, we tested whether perceived movement towards important goals would mediate the effect of recipients’ locomotion motivation on positive outcomes in support contexts. In Study 1, couples completed a 10-day diary and then recalled support interactions with their partner after the diary period. In Study 2, couples engaged in laboratory support interactions for important goals. Perceived goal movement mediated the effect of higher (vs. lower) locomotion on self-reported ratings and coder ratings of support outcomes. Higher locomotion recipients may benefit in support contexts because they perceive they can move smoothly towards their goals

Role of Lactobacilli in Flavour Development of Cheddar Cheese.

End of Project ReportCheddar cheese is a complex microbial ecosystem. The internal cheese environment, in particular of hard and semi-hard cheeses, is not conducive to the growth of many microorganisms. At the beginning of ripening the dominant microorganisms are the starter bacteria which are present at high levels (~109/g). However, during ripening, non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) grow from relatively low levels (<103/g) at the beginning of ripening, to 108/g within 6 - 8 weeks. Other bacteria, e.g. enterococci and staphylococci, may also be present but in much lower numbers. In a previous study of mature and extra mature Cheddar cheeses from different manufacturers (see End of Project Report No. 1), it was found that the NSLAB population was dominated by strains of Lb. paracasei. However, their contribution to cheese flavour and their source(s) are still unclear, nor is it known if the NSLAB flora is unique to each plant. Hence, understanding the growth of this group of organisms in cheese is a key to defining their role in flavour development. The biochemistry of flavour development in cheese is poorly understood. For most cheese varieties, including Cheddar, proteolysis, which results in the accumulation of free amino acids, is of vital importance for flavour development. Increasing evidence suggests that the main contribution of amino acids is as substrates for the development of more complex flavour and aroma compounds. The manner by which such compounds are generated in cheese is currently the focus of much research. Starter bacteria have been shown to contain a range of enzymes capable of facilitating the conversion of amino acids to potential flavour compounds. However, the potential of lactobacilli (NSLAB) to produce similar enzymes has only recently been investigated. Hence, although, it is generally accepted that the cheese starter flora is the primary defining influence on flavour development, the contribution of NSLAB is also considered significant. The objectives of these studies were: - to develop a greater understanding of the behaviour of NSLAB in cheese, and - to identify suitable strains, and other cheese bacteria, to be used as starter adjuncts for flavour improvement.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Prevalence and severity of patient harm in a sample of UK-hospitalised children detected by the Paediatric Trigger Tool

The measurement and examination of adverse events (AEs) that occur in children during hospital admissions is essential if we are to prevent, reduce or ameliorate the harm experienced. The UK Paediatric Trigger Tool (UKPTT) is a method of retrospective case note review that measures harm in hospitalised children. Objectives: To examine the harm resulting from the processes of healthcare in hospitalised children from centres providing data to the National Health Service (NHS) Institute UKPTT data portal, to understand the positive predictive values of triggers and to make recommendations for the further development of the trigger tool. Setting: 25 hospitals across the UK, including secondary, tertiary and quaternary paediatric centres. Participants: Randomly selected children who were admitted to hospital for longer than 24 h. Outcome measures: The primary outcome measure was the rate of harm (the percentage of children experiencing one or more AEs during a hospital admission). Secondary measures were the severity of harm and performance of triggers. Results: Data from 3992 patient admissions were reviewed across the hospitals and submitted to the trigger tool portal from February 2008 to November 2011. At least one AE was reported for 567 (14.2%) patients, with 211 (5.3%) experiencing more than one event. There were 1001 AEs identified. Where harm occurred, it was considered temporary for 923 (92.2%) AEs; however, 43 (4.3%) AEs resulted in the need for life-sustaining interventions, 18 (1.8%) AEs led to permanent harm and for 17 children (1.7% of AEs) the AE was believed to have contributed to death. Conclusions: There is a significant, measurable level of harm experienced by children admitted to hospitals in the UK. While most of this harm is temporary, some of it is serious. The UKPTT offers organisations the means to measure and examine the AEs occurring in their hospital in order to reduce harm

Context-Dependencies of Reactance Motivation in Underage Alcohol Consumption

We examine how chronic reactance (a motivation to maintain decision freedom) can facilitate susceptibility to peer influences. Features of social environments such as a friend&apos;s implied decision control (Study 1), chronic drinking tendencies (Study 2), or one&apos;s relationship closeness with that person (Study 3) all may lead to increases in alcohol consumption. Results suggest that under low social pressure, another&apos;s implied desire to drink was relatively more contagious to highly reactant individuals, which begins to resolve a paradox in existing research that links underage alcohol consumption to both reactance against social forces as well as acquiescence to peer contagion processes

Carbon export from mountain forests enhanced by earthquake-triggered landslides over millennia

Rapid ground accelerations during earthquakes can trigger landslides that disturb mountain forests and harvest carbon from soils and vegetation. Although infrequent over human timescales, these co-seismic landslides can set the rates of geomorphic processes over centuries to millennia. However, the long-term impacts of earthquakes and landslides on carbon export from the biosphere remain poorly constrained. Here, we examine the sedimentary fill of Lake Paringa, New Zealand, which is fed by a river draining steep mountains proximal to the Alpine Fault. Carbon isotopes reveal enhanced accumulation rates of biospheric carbon after four large earthquakes over the past ~1,100 years, probably reflecting delivery of soil-derived carbon eroded by deep-seated landslides. Cumulatively these pulses of earthquake-mobilized carbon represent 23 ± 5% of the record length, but account for 43 ± 5% of the biospheric carbon in the core. Landslide simulations suggest that 14 ± 5 million tonnes of carbon (MtC) could be eroded in each earthquake. Our findings support a link between active tectonics and the surface carbon cycle and suggest that large earthquakes can significantly contribute to carbon export from mountain forests over millennia