Association between prenatal maternal infection and disordered eating behaviours in adolescence: A UK population-based prospective birth cohort study

Background Prenatal infections have been proposed as a putative risk factor for a number of psychiatric outcomes across a continuum of severity. Evidence on eating disorders is scarce. We investigated whether exposure to prenatal maternal infections is associated with an increased risk of disordered eating and weight and shape concerns in adolescence in a large UK birth cohort.Methods We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The primary exposure was maternal experience of infections at any time in pregnancy. Study outcomes were presence of any, monthly or weekly disordered eating at 14 and 16 years of age, and weight and shape concerns at 14 years. We defined the causal effect of the exposure on these outcomes using a counterfactual framework adjusting our analyses for a number of hypothesised confounders, and imputing missing confounder data using multiple imputation.Results In total, 4884 children had complete exposure and outcome data at age 14 years, and 4124 at 16 years. Exposed children had a greater risk of reporting weekly disordered eating at both age 14 [risk difference (RD) 0.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI)-0.01 to 1.9, p = 0.08] and 16 (RD 2.3%, 95% CI 0.6-3.9, p < 0.01), though evidence of an association was weak at age 14 years. Exposed children also had greater weight and shape concerns at age 14 years (mean difference 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.26, p < 0.01).Conclusions Exposure to prenatal maternal infection is associated with greater risk of disordered eating in adolescence. This association could be explained by in utero processes leading to impaired neurodevelopment or altered immunological profiles. Residual confounding cannot be excluded

Dynamics of the 16^{16}O(e,e'p) cross section at high missing energies

We measured the cross section and response functions (R_L, R_T, and R_LT) for the 16O(e,e'p) reaction in quasielastic kinematics for missing energies 25 60 MeV and P_miss > 200 MeV/c, the cross section is relatively constant. Calculations which include contributions from pion exchange currents, isobar currents and short-range correlations account for the shape and the transversity but only for half of the magnitude of the measured cross section

Cotton spinning waste as useful compost for organic Indian Spinach (Basella alba ) production in Bangladesh

Purpose This study aims to ascertain the physiochemical characteristics of the compost made from recycled cotton spinning waste (CSW) for Indian Spinach cultivation in Bangladesh.Method The physiochemical characteristics of the compost made of fresh cotton spinning waste (CSW), cotton spinning waste ash (CSWA), rice husk (RH), rice husk ash (RHA) with varying ratios following open air composting method was determined. The utility of the resulting compost was justified by applying it to Indian Spinach cultivation compared with chemical fertilizer and control (no-compost) treatments.Results Among the several composting options, the compost prepared by mixing 87% CSW + 13% CSW ash (C3) and 87% CSW + 13% rice husk (C4) was found to be the quality compost with a higher C/N ratio, P, K, S and a lower Pb content. The vegetative growth, yield and nutritional qualities were significantly affected by the compost characteristics compared to chemical fertilizer because of increased nutrient uptake and biostimulation functions. Moreover, Indian Spinach cultivated with CSW compost provided 64 BDTk. profits compared to 28 BDTk. in case of control that indicates 128% increase in profit for the compost than that of control.Conclusion The compost derived from the mixture of CSW+CSWA+RH+RHA substrates possesses an optimum moisture content (31.2%), pH (7.5), C/N ratio (16.8:1), macronutrients, and micronutrients that enable it to act as an alternative to chemical fertilizer. When it comes to yield and nutrition quality of the grown Indian Spinach, CSW based compost fared much better than chemical fertilizer in field test

Polygenic risk for immuno-metabolic markers and specific depressive symptoms: A multi-sample network analysis study.

BACKGROUND: About every fourth patient with major depressive disorder (MDD) shows evidence of systemic inflammation. Previous studies have shown inflammation-depression associations of multiple serum inflammatory markers and multiple specific depressive symptoms. It remains unclear, however, if these associations extend to genetic/lifetime predisposition to higher inflammatory marker levels and what role metabolic factors such as Body Mass Index (BMI) play. It is also unclear whether inflammation-symptom associations reflect direct or indirect associations, which can be disentangled using network analysis. METHODS: This study examined associations of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for immuno-metabolic markers (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin [IL]-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor [TNF]-α, BMI) with seven depressive symptoms in one general population sample, the UK Biobank study (n=110,010), and two patient samples, the Munich Antidepressant Response Signature (MARS, n=1,058) and Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D, n=1,143) studies. Network analysis was applied jointly for these samples using fused graphical least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (FGL) estimation as primary analysis and, individually, using unregularized model search estimation. Stability of results was assessed using bootstrapping and three consistency criteria were defined to appraise robustness and replicability of results across estimation methods, network bootstrapping, and samples. RESULTS: Network analysis results displayed to-be-expected PRS-PRS and symptom-symptom associations (termed edges), respectively, that were mostly positive. Using FGL estimation, results further suggested 28, 29, and six PRS-symptom edges in MARS, STAR*D, and UK Biobank samples, respectively. Unregularized model search estimation suggested three PRS-symptom edges in the UK Biobank sample. Applying our consistency criteria to these associations indicated that only the association of higher CRP PRS with greater changes in appetite fulfilled all three criteria. Four additional associations fulfilled at least two consistency criteria; specifically, higher CRP PRS was associated with greater fatigue and reduced anhedonia, higher TNF-α PRS was associated with greater fatigue, and higher BMI PRS with greater changes in appetite and anhedonia. Associations of the BMI PRS with anhedonia, however, showed an inconsistent valence across estimation methods. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic predisposition to higher systemic inflammatory markers are primarily associated with somatic/neurovegetative symptoms of depression such as changes in appetite and fatigue, consistent with previous studies based on circulating levels of inflammatory markers. We extend these findings by providing evidence that associations are direct (using network analysis) and extend to genetic predisposition to immuno-metabolic markers (using PRSs). Our findings can inform selection of patients with inflammation-related symptoms into clinical trials of immune-modulating drugs for MDD

Dynamical relativistic effects in quasielastic 1p-shell proton knockout from 16^{16}O

We have measured the cross section for quasielastic 1p-shell proton knockout in the 16O(e,e′p) reaction at ω=0.439GeV and Q2=0.8(GeV/c)2 for missing momentum Pmiss≤355MeV/c. We have extracted the response functions RL+TT, RT, RLT, and the left-right asymmetry, ALT, for the 1p1/2 and the 1p3/2 states. The data are well described by relativistic distorted wave impulse approximation calculations. At large Pmiss, the structure observed in ALT indicates the existence of dynamical relativistic effects. (APS

Polarization transfer in the 16O{16}O (e⃗,e′p⃗\vec{e},e'\vec{p}) 15^{15}N reaction.

The first (e,e'p) polarization transfer measurements on a nucleus heavier than deuterium have been carried out at Jefferson Laboratory. Transverse and longitudinal components of the polarization of protons ejected in the reaction 16O(e,e'p) were measured in quasielastic perpendicular kinematics at a Q^2 of 0.8 (GeV/c)^2. The data are in good agreement with state of the art calculations, but do not exclude possible changes in the ratio of the electric to magnetic form factors of the nucleon in the nuclear medium at the level of recent theoretical predictions

Polarization Transfer Observables in Elastic Electron Proton Scattering at Q2=Q^2 = 2.5, 5.2, 6.8, and 8.5 GeV2^2

International audienceBackground: Interest in the behavior of nucleon electromagnetic form factors at large momentum transfers has steadily increased since the discovery, using polarization observables, of the rapid decrease of the ratio GEp/GMp of the proton's electric and magnetic form factors for momentum transfers Q2≳1 GeV2, in strong disagreement with previous extractions of this ratio using the traditional Rosenbluth separation technique. Purpose: The GEp-III and GEp-2γ experiments were carried out in Jefferson Laboratory's (JLab's) Hall C from 2007 to 2008, to extend the knowledge of GEp/GMp to the highest practically achievable Q2 given the maximum beam energy of 6 GeV and to search for effects beyond the Born approximation in polarization transfer observables of elastic e⃗p scattering. This article provides an expanded description of the common experimental apparatus and data analysis procedures, and reports the results of a final reanalysis of the data from both experiments, including the previously unpublished results of the full-acceptance dataset of the GEp-2γ experiment. Methods: Polarization transfer observables in elastic e⃗p→ep⃗ scattering were measured at central Q2 values of 2.5, 5.2, 6.8, and 8.54 GeV2. At Q2=2.5GeV2, data were obtained for central values of the virtual photon polarization parameter ε of 0.149, 0.632, and 0.783. The Hall C High Momentum Spectrometer detected and measured the polarization of protons recoiling elastically from collisions of JLab's polarized electron beam with a liquid hydrogen target. A large-acceptance electromagnetic calorimeter detected the elastically scattered electrons in coincidence to suppress inelastic backgrounds. Results: The final GEp-III data are largely unchanged relative to the originally published results. The statistical uncertainties of the final GEp-2γ data are significantly reduced at ε=0.632 and 0.783 relative to the original publication. Conclusions: The final GEp-III results show that the decrease with Q2 of GEp/GMp continues to Q2=8.5GeV2, but at a slowing rate relative to the approximately linear decrease observed in earlier Hall A measurements. At Q2=8.5GeV2, GEp/GMp remains positive but is consistent with zero. At Q2=2.5GeV2, GEp/GMp derived from the polarization component ratio R∝Pt/Pℓ shows no statistically significant ε dependence, as expected in the Born approximation. On the other hand, the ratio Pℓ/PℓBorn of the longitudinal polarization transfer component to its Born value shows an enhancement of roughly 1.7% at ε=0.783 relative to ε=0.149, with ≈2.2σ significance based on the total uncertainty, implying a similar effect in the transverse component Pt that cancels in the ratio R

Technical Supplement to "Polarization Transfer Observables in Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering at Q2^2 = 2.5, 5.2, 6.8, and 8.5 GeV2^2"

International audienceThe GEp-III and GEp-2 γ experiments, carried out in Jefferson Lab’s Hall C from 2007–2008, consisted of measurements of polarization transfer in elastic electron–proton scattering at momentum transfers of Q2=2.5,5.2,6.8, and 8.54 GeV 2 . These measurements were carried out to improve knowledge of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio R=μpGEp∕GMp at large values of Q2 and to search for effects beyond the Born approximation in polarization transfer observables at Q2=2.5GeV2 . The final results of both experiments were reported in a recent archival publication. A full reanalysis of the data from both experiments was carried out in order to reduce the systematic and, for the GEp-2 γ experiment, statistical uncertainties. This technical note provides additional details of the final analysis omitted from the main publication, including the final evaluation of the systematic uncertainties