Peculiar Multimodality on the Horizontal Branch of the Globular Cluster NGC 2808

We present distributions of colors of stars along the horizontal branch of the globular cluster NGC 2808, from Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 imaging in B, V, and an ultraviolet filter (F218W). This cluster's HB is already known to be strongly bimodal, with approximately equal-sized HB populations widely separated in the color-magnitude diagram. Our images reveal a long blue tail with two gaps, for a total of four nearly distinct HB groups. These gaps are very narrow, corresponding to envelope-mass differences of only \sim 0.01 Msun. This remarkable multimodality may be a signature of mass-loss processes, subtle composition variations, or dynamical effects; we briefly summarize the possibilities. The existence of narrow gaps between distinct clumps on the HB presents a challenge for models that attempt to explain HB bimodality or other peculiar HB structures.Comment: LaTeX, including compressed figures. To appear in ApJL. Larger (851k) PostScript version, including high-quality figures, available from http://astro.berkeley.edu/~csosin/pub

Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of parent-of-origin allelic transmission of outcross pathology and sperm epimutations

Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance potentially impacts disease etiology, phenotypic variation, and evolution. An increasing number of environmental factors from nutrition to toxicants have been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. Previous observations have demonstrated that the agricultural fungicide vinclozolin and pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) induce transgenerational sperm epimutations involving DNA methylation, ncRNA, and histone modifications or retention. These two environmental toxicants were used to investigate the impacts of parent-of-origin outcross on the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. Male and female rats were collected from a paternal outcross (POC) or a maternal outcross (MOC) F4 generation control and exposure lineages for pathology and epigenetic analysis. This model allows the parental allelic transmission of disease and epimutations to be investigated. There was increased pathology incidence in the MOC F4 generation male prostate, kidney, obesity, and multiple diseases through a maternal allelic transmission. The POC F4 generation female offspring had increased pathology incidence for kidney, obesity and multiple types of diseases through the paternal allelic transmission. Some disease such as testis or ovarian pathology appear to be transmitted through the combined actions of both male and female alleles. Analysis of the F4 generation sperm epigenomes identified differential DNA methylated regions (DMRs) in a genome-wide analysis. Observations demonstrate that DDT and vinclozolin have the potential to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and sperm epimutations to the outcross F4 generation in a sex specific and exposure specific manner. The parent-of-origin allelic transmission observed appears similar to the process involved with imprinted-like genes

Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Lipoprotein Profile and Particle Size in Hispanic Women

The effect of increased Ω3 fatty acids on lipoprotein sub-fractions has not been well studied in Hispanic women, a group with a high prevalence of dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this randomized, placebo-controlled trial was to examine the effect of a 90-day (90D) combined EPA+DHA supplementation on lipoprotein profiles of Hispanic women. Twenty-seven non-diabetic women were randomly assigned to the Ω3 group (n=17, 1.9 g/day EPA+DHA) or the placebo group (n=10, 2 g/day oleic acid). At baseline (0D) and 90D a fasting blood sample was drawn for determination of lipoprotein profile and lipoprotein particle sub-fractions. For the Ω3 group, total cholesterol increased 6.5%, triglycerides were reduced 14.8%, LDL concentration increased 5.6%, and total LDL particle size concentration increased 8.2% (P \u3c 0.05). Large LDL particle size concentration increased 16% from 0D to 90D, this change was not significant (P = 0.051). At 90D, total cholesterol, LDLs, and LDL particle concentration were higher in the Ω3 group compared to placebo (P \u3c 0.05). Omega-3 supplementation resulted in reduced plasma TGs and an increase in large LDL particle size concentration, yet had no effect on HDL particle size or concentration. Further research is necessary to examine the effects of increased Ω3 fatty acid intake in Hispanic women on dyslipidemia and related co-morbidities

"Food company sponsors are kind, generous and cool": (Mis)conceptions of junior sports players

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing influences their food knowledge, preferences and consumption. Sport sponsorship by food companies is widespread and industry investment in this marketing is increasing. This study aimed to assess children's awareness of sport sponsors and their brand-related attitudes and purchasing intentions in response to this marketing.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sports clubs known to have food sponsors and representing the most popular sports for Australian children across a range of demographic areas were recruited. Interview-based questionnaires were conducted at clubs with children aged 10-14 years (n = 103) to examine their recall of local sports club and elite sport sponsors, and their attitudes towards sponsors and sponsorship activities.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most children (68%) could recall sponsors of their sports club, naming a median of two sponsors, including a median of one food company sponsor each. Almost half (47%) of children could recall any sponsors of their favourite elite sporting team. Children aged 10-11 years were more likely than older children to report that they thought about sponsors when buying something to eat or drink (P < 0.01); that they liked to return the favour to sponsors by buying their products (P < 0.01); and that sponsors were 'cool' (P = 0.02). Most children had received a voucher or certificate from a food or beverage company to reward sport performance (86% and 76%, respectively). Around one-third of children reported liking the company more after receiving these rewards.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Children's high recall of food and beverage company sport sponsors and their positive attitudes towards these sponsors and their promotions is concerning as this is likely to be linked to children's food preferences and consumption. Limiting children's exposure to this marketing is an important initiative to improve children's nutrition.</p

Comparison of techniques for identification of peripheral vestibular nystagmus.

To determine the best clinical method for identifying peripheral vestibular nystagmus, by comparing eye movement examination with optic fixation, and with fixation removed using Frenzel's glasses, infra-red video-Frenzel's goggles or an ophthalmoscope, with results of electronystagmography

Discovery of Extended Blue Horizontal Branches in Two Metal-Rich Globular Clusters

We have used WFPC2 to construct B, V color-magnitude diagrams of four metal-rich globular clusters, NGC 104 (47 Tuc), NGC 5927, NGC 6388, and NGC 6441. All four clusters have well populated red horizontal branches (RHB), as expected for their metallicity. However, NGC 6388 and 6441 also exhibit a prominent blue HB (BHB) extension, including stars reaching as faint in V as the turnoff luminosity. This discovery demonstrates directly for the first time that a major population of hot HB stars can exist in old, metal-rich systems. This may have important implications for the interpretation of the integrated spectra of elliptical galaxies. The cause of the phenomenon remains uncertain. We examine the possibility that NGC 6388 and 6441 are older than the other clusters, but a simple difference in age may not be sufficient to produce the observed distributions along the HB. The high central densities in NGC 6388 and 6441 suggest that the existence of the blue HB (BHB) tails might be caused by stellar interactions in the dense cores of these clusters, which we calculate to have two of the highest collision rates among globular clusters in the Galaxy. Tidal collisions might act in various ways to enhance loss of envelope mass, and therefore populate the blue side of the HB. However, the relative frequency of tidal collisions does not seem large enough (compared to that of the clusters with pure RHBs) to account for such a drastic difference in HB morphology. While a combination of an age difference and dynamical interactions may help, prima facie the lack of a radial gradient in the BHB/RHB star ratio seems to argue against dynamical effects playing a role.Comment: LaTeX, includes one Postscript figure. To appear in ApJ

‘They Called Them Communists Then … What D'You Call ‘Em Now? … Insurgents?’. Narratives of British Military Expatriates in the Context of the New Imperialism

This paper addresses the question of the extent to which the colonial past provides material for contemporary actors' understanding of difference. The research from which the paper is drawn involved interview and ethnographic work in three largely white working-class estates in an English provincial city. For this paper we focus on ten life-history interviews with older participants who had spent some time abroad in the British military. Our analysis adopts a postcolonial framework because research participants' current constructions of an amorphous 'Other' (labelled variously as black people, immigrants, foreigners, asylum-seekers or Muslims) reveal strong continuities with discourses deployed by the same individuals to narrate their past experiences of living and working as either military expatriates or spouses during British colonial rule. Theoretically, the paper engages with the work of Frantz Fanon and Edward Said. In keeping with a postcolonial approach, we work against essentialised notions of identity based on 'race' or class. Although we establish continuity between white working-class military emigration in the past and contemporary racialised discourses, we argue that the latter are not class-specific, being as much the creations of the middle-class media and political elite

Obstructive sleep apnoea, positive airway pressure treatment and postoperative delirium: Protocol for a retrospective observational study

INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is common among older surgical patients, and delirium is a frequent and serious postoperative complication. Emerging evidence suggests that OSA increases the risk for postoperative delirium. We hypothesise that OSA is an independent risk factor for postoperative delirium, and that in patients with OSA, perioperative adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy decreases the incidence of postoperative delirium and its sequelae. The proposed retrospective cohort analysis study will use existing datasets to: (i) describe and compare the incidence of postoperative delirium in surgical patients based on OSA diagnosis and treatment with PAP; (ii) assess whether preoperatively untreated OSA is independently associated with postoperative delirium; and (iii) explore whether preoperatively untreated OSA is independently associated with worse postoperative quality of life (QoL). The findings of this study will inform on the potential utility and approach of an interventional trial aimed at preventing postoperative delirium in patients with diagnosed and undiagnosed OSA. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Observational data from existing electronic databases will be used, including over 100 000 surgical patients and ~10 000 intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. We will obtain the incidence of postoperative delirium in adults admitted postoperatively to the ICU who underwent structured preoperative assessment, including OSA diagnosis and screening. We will use doubly robust propensity score methods to assess whether untreated OSA independently predicts postoperative delirium. Using similar methodology, we will assess if untreated OSA independently predicts worse postoperative QoL. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Human Research Protection Office at Washington University School of Medicine. We will publish the results in a peer-reviewed venue. Because the data are secondary and high risk for reidentification, we will not publicly share the data. Data will be destroyed after 1 year of completion of active Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved projects

Spectral Typing of Late Type Stellar Companions to Young Stars from Low Dispersion Near-Infrared Integral Field Unit Data

We used the Project 1640 near-infrared coronagraph and integral field spectrograph to observe 19 young solar type stars. Five of these stars are known binary stars and we detected the late-type secondaries and were able to measure their JH spectra with a resolution of R\sim30. The reduced, extracted, and calibrated spectra were compared to template spectra from the IRTF spectral library. With this comparison we test the accuracy and consistency of spectral type determination with the low-resolution near-infrared spectra from P1640. Additionally, we determine effective temperature and surface gravity of the companions by fitting synthetic spectra calculated with the PHOENIX model atmosphere code. We also present several new epochs of astrometry of each of the systems. Together these data increase our knowledge and understanding of the stellar make up of these systems. In addition to the astronomical results, the analysis presented helps validate the Project 1640 data reduction and spectral extraction processes and the utility of low-resolution, near-infrared spectra for characterizing late-type companions in multiple systems.Comment: Accepted to Astronomical Journal, 25 pages, 8 figure

Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships During COVID-19: Providing Virtual Field Opportunities for Student Learners and Addressing Social Isolation in Older Adults

While preventive and management measures are important to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, strategies like social distancing can have devastating effects on older adults who are already at risk for social isolation and loneliness. In response, two Colleges of Health Professions (Social Work and Nursing) at a large public University leveraged a partnership with a national health and wellbeing company to address social isolation and loneliness in Houston area older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This intergenerational linkage initiative involved 707 older adults and 177 graduate social work and nursing students. This study describes the process of developing a virtual educational opportunity for students while also meeting the needs of vulnerable older adults in Houston, the third largest, and one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. Findings include student/learner outcomes, as well as self-reported improvements in loneliness scores, and unhealthy physical and mental health days among enrolled older adults