Fetal growth trajectories and measures of insulin resistance in young adults

Context: Events during gestation greatly influence the risk of cardiometabolic diseases including diabetes in offspring during later life. Objective: This study aimed to investigate relationships between serial ultrasound-derived fetal growth trajectories and markers of insulin resistance in young adults in the Raine Study, an Australian pregnancy cohort. Methods: Linear mixed modeling examined the relationship between fetal growth trajectory groups, constructed using serial ultrasound-based abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), and head circumference (HC) from 1333 mother-fetal pairs, and offspring Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), as a marker of diabetes risk, at 20 (n = 414), 22 (n = 385), and 27 (n = 431) years. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, adult lifestyle factors, and maternal factors during pregnancy. Results: The study identified 7 AC, 5 FL, and 5 HC growth trajectory groups. Compared to the average-stable (reference) group, a low-falling AC growth trajectory (26%; P = .005) and 2 low HC growth trajectories (20%; P = .006% and 8%; P = .021) were associated with higher adult HOMA-IR. Trajectories representing a high-stable FL and a rising HC were associated with 12% (P = .002) and 9% (P = .021) lower adult HOMA-IR, respectively, compared to the reference group. Conclusion: Restricted fetal HC and AC from early pregnancy are associated with higher relative insulin resistance in the offspring during adulthood. These data strengthen our understanding of the importance of the intrauterine environment and its effect on the risk of predisposition to adult diabetes and related metabolic disorders

Relationships between intrauterine fetal growth trajectories and markers of adiposity and inflammation in young adults

Background: There is now good evidence that events during gestation significantly influence the developmental well-being of an individual in later life. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between intrauterine growth trajectories determined by serial ultrasound and subsequent markers of adiposity and inflammation in the 27-year-old adult offspring from the Raine Study, an Australian longitudinal pregnancy cohort. Methods: Ultrasound fetal biometric measurements including abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), and head circumference (HC) from 1333 mother-fetal pairs (Gen1–Gen2) in the Raine Study were used to develop fetal growth trajectories using group-based trajectory modeling. Linear mixed modeling investigated the relationship between adult body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) of Gen2 at 20 (n = 485), 22 (n = 421) and 27 (n = 437) years and the fetal growth trajectory groups, adjusting for age, sex, adult lifestyle factors, and maternal factors during pregnancy. Results: Seven AC, five FL and five HC growth trajectory groups were identified. Compared to the average-stable (reference) group, a lower adult BMI was observed in two falling AC trajectories: (β = −1.45 kg/m2, 95% CI: −2.43 to −0.46, P = 0.004) and (β = −1.01 kg/m2, 95% CI: −1.96 to −0.05, P = 0.038). Conversely, higher adult BMI (2.58 kg/m2, 95% CI: 0.98 to 4.18, P = 0.002) and hs-CRP (37%, 95% CI: 9–73%, P = 0.008) were observed in a rising FL trajectory compared to the reference group. A high-stable HC trajectory associated with 20% lower adult hs-CRP (95% CI: 5–33%, P = 0.011). Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of understanding causes of the unique patterns of intrauterine growth. Different fetal growth trajectories from early pregnancy associate with subsequent adult adiposity and inflammation, which predispose to the risk of diabetes and cardiometabolic disease

Inlet Flow Control and Prediction Technologies for Embedded Propulsion Systems

Fail-safe, hybrid, flow control (HFC) is a promising technology for meeting high-speed cruise efficiency, low-noise signature, and reduced fuel-burn goals for future, Hybrid-Wing-Body (HWB) aircraft with embedded engines. This report details the development of HFC technology that enables improved inlet performance in HWB vehicles with highly integrated inlets and embedded engines without adversely affecting vehicle performance. In addition, new test techniques for evaluating Boundary-Layer-Ingesting (BLI)-inlet flow-control technologies developed and demonstrated through this program are documented, including the ability to generate a BLI-like inlet-entrance flow in a direct-connect, wind-tunnel facility, as well as, the use of D-optimal, statistically designed experiments to optimize test efficiency and enable interpretation of results. Validated improvements in numerical analysis tools and methods accomplished through this program are also documented, including Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes CFD simulations of steady-state flow physics for baseline, BLI-inlet diffuser flow, as well as, that created by flow-control devices. Finally, numerical methods were employed in a ground-breaking attempt to directly simulate dynamic distortion. The advances in inlet technologies and prediction tools will help to meet and exceed "N+2" project goals for future HWB aircraft

Atomic Resonance and Scattering

Contains reports on three research projects.U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR-76-2972)National Science Foundation (Grant CHE79-02967)National Science Foundation (Grant PHY79-09743

Estudo eletroforético da dinâmica de variação genética em três taxa ribeirinhos ao longo do rio Solimões, América do Sul

An electrophoretic study was undertaken to determine the extent of genetic variability in three taxa of legumes (Aeschynomene sensitiva Sw. var. sensitiva, Aeschynomene sensitiva Sw. var. amazonica Rudd, Papilionoideae: Mimosa pigra L , Mimosoideae) along a 2,174 Km reach of the Amazon River from Iquitos, Peru, to Manaus, Brazil. Genetic variability was expressed in terms of: 1) degree of enzyme polymorphism (P, and 2) average populational heterozygosity (H. Five enzyme systems were examined: leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), phosphoglucomutase (PGM), phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI). and acid phosphotase (AcPH). Riverine taxa provide a unique system for the experimental study of population biology and evolution. The origin, perpetuation, and dynamics of genic variation within and among populations is used as an indicator of evolutionary change. Gene flow in these entomophilous, water dispersed legumes is undirectional and linear, with minor blackflow by pollen vectors. Of the enzymes examined, LAP was a monomer for all three taxa with low polymorphic values. AcPH, also a codominant monomer, had no detectable isoenzyme fraction; a situation also found in PGM systems. PGI is a very complex system controlled by several loci. GDH is monomorphic with one resolvable band. Mean polymorphism for the two Aeschynomene taxa is 21.3% (P' = 0.213), and for the Mimosa is 24.5% (P' = 0.245). Average populational heterozygosity (Nei statistic, H varied between 0.10 to 0.43 for Aeschynomene. This value was significantly higher for the Mimosa, which ranged between 0.33 and 0.50. Heterozygosity index, genetic similarity index, demographic patterns, and biology show a concise correlation between genetic variability and adaptative strategy. Populations with a high extinction probability are more homozygous than populations with greater survival probability. Homozygosity is favored in perturbed populations along the Rio Amazonas.", 'enAo longo de um trecho de 2.174 km do rio Solimões, partindo de Iquitos. Peru, a Manaus, Brasil, foi realizado um estudo eletroforético para determinação da quantidade de variação genética em três taxa de leguminosas (Aeschynomene sensitiva Sw. var. amazonica Rudd, Papilionoideae; Mimosa Pigra L., Mimosoideae). A variabilidade genética foi expressa em termos de1) grau de polimorfismo enzimático (P, e 2) heterozigosidade populacional média (H. Foram examinados cinco sistemas enzimáticosleucina-aminopeptidase (LAP), glutamato-dehidrogenase (GDH). fosfoglucomutase (PGM), fosfoglucoisomerase (PGI), e fosfatase ácida (AcPH). Os taxa ribeirinhos apresentam condições excepcionais para estudos experimentais sobre biologia de população e evolução. A origem, perpetuação e dinâmica de variação gênica intra e interpopulacional são usadas como indicadores de mudança evolutiva. O fluxo gênico entre essas leguminosas entomolfílicas e dispersas na água é unidirecional e linear, com fluxo regressivo mínimo por vetores de pólen. Entre as enzimas examinadas, LAP foi um monômero para todos os três taxa, com valores polimórficos baixos. AcPH, outro monômero codominante, não apresentou fração isoenzimática detectável, situação semelhante à encontrada em sistemas PGM. PGI é um sistema muito complexo controlado por diversos loci. GDH é monomórfico, com uma faixa detectável. O polimorfismo médio para os dois taxa de Aeschynomene é 21.3% (P' = 0.213). e para Mimosa é 24.% (P' = 0.245). A heterozigosidade populacional média (estatística Nei H variou entre 0.10 e 0.43 para Aeschynomene Esse valor foi significativamente maior para Mimosa, variando entre 0.33 e 0.50. Os índices de heterozigosidade e de similaridade genética, os padrões demográficos e a biologia, indicam uma estreita correlação entre a variabilidade genética e a estratégia adaptativa. As populações com alta probabilidade de extinção são mais homozigóticas do que aquelas com maior probabilidade de sobrevivência. A homozigosidade é favorecida em populações que sofrem perturbações ao longo do rio Solimões

Messing with nature? Exploring public perceptions of geoengineering in the UK

Anthropogenic influence on the climate – and possible societal responses to it – offers a unique window through which to examine the way people think about and relate to the natural world. This paper reports data from four, one-day deliberative workshops conducted with members of the UK public during early 2012. The workshops focused on geoengineering – the deliberate, large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment – as one of three possible responses to climate change (alongside mitigation and adaptation). Here, we explore one of the most pervasive and wide-ranging themes to emerge from the workshops: whether geoengineering represented an unprecedented human intervention into ‘nature’, and what the moral consequences of this might be. Using the concept of ‘messing with nature’ as an analytical lens, we explore public perceptions of geoengineering. We also reflect on why ‘messing with nature’ was such a focal point for debate and disagreement, and whether the prospect of geoengineering may reveal new dimensions to the way that people think about the natural world, and their relationship to it

An assessment of intermediary roles in payments for ecosystem services schemes in the context of catchment management: An example from South West England

Payments for Ecosystems Services (PES) schemes are an underdeveloped component of the policy mix for catchment management in many countries. The importance of intermediaries to such schemes is acknowledged in the literature but few studies go beyond theory to evaluate practice. This paper analyses generic intermediary functions for PES. It then evaluates an innovative example from southwest England that provides illustrations, and some lessons regarding necessary capabilities and characteristics for intermediaries, and understanding of their form, functions and modalities. The ‘UpStream Thinking’ project was co-developed by a private water company and an environmental charity. The former translated effective demand from shareholders and water customers for improved raw water quality into finance, whilst the latter had capabilities for catchment-scale on-farm delivery and trusted acceptance as an intermediary. While any sector can potentially provide a PES intermediary, the value driven, not-for-profit and politically neutral voluntary sector proves to be a good fit. Such ‘boundary organisations’ are also well placed for horizontal coordination of catchment management authorities and actions

High-Tc Superconductivity and Antiferromagnetism in Multilayered Copper Oxides - A New Paradigm of Superconducting Mechanism -

High-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) in copper oxides emerges on a layered CuO2 plane when an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator is doped with mobile hole carriers. We review extensive studies of multilayered copper oxides by site-selective nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which have uncovered the intrinsic phase diagram of antiferromagnetism (AFM) and HTSC for a disorder-free CuO2 plane with hole carriers. We present our experimental findings such as the existence of the AFM metallic state in doped Mott insulators, the uniformly mixed phase of AFM and HTSC, and the emergence of d-wave SC with a maximum Tc just outside a critical carrier density, at which the AFM moment on a CuO2 plane disappears. These results can be accounted for by the Mott physics based on the t-J model. The superexchange interaction J_in among spins plays a vital role as a glue for Cooper pairs or mobile spin-singlet pairs, in contrast to the phonon-mediated attractive interaction among electrons established in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. We remark that the attractive interaction for raising the $T_c$ of HTSC up to temperatures as high as 160 K is the large J_in (~0.12 eV), which binds electrons of opposite spins to be on neighboring sites, and that there are no bosonic glues. It is the Coulomb repulsive interaction U(> 6 eV) among Cu-3d electrons that plays a central role in the physics behind high-Tc phenomena. A new paradigm of the SC mechanism opens to strongly correlated electron matter.Comment: 20 pages, 25 figures, Special topics "Recent Developments in Superconductivity" in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., Published December 26, 201