Accuracy of adults’ recall of childhood social class: findings from the Aberdeen children of the 1950s study

<b>Background</b>: Although adult reported childhood socioeconomic position has been related to health outcomes in many studies, little is known about the validity of such distantly recalled information. This study evaluated the validity of adults’ reports of childhood paternal social class. <b>Methods</b>: Data are drawn from the Aberdeen children of the 1950s study, a cohort of 12 150 people born in Aberdeen (Scotland) who took part in a school based survey in 1962. In this survey, two indices of early life socioeconomic position were collected: occupational social class at birth (abstracted from maternity records) and occupational social class in childhood (reported during the 1962 survey by the study participants). Between 2000 and 2003, a questionnaire was mailed to traced middle aged cohort members in which inquiries were made about their fathers’ occupation when they were aged 12 years. The level of agreement between these reports and prospectively collected data on occupational social class was assessed. <b>Results</b>: In total, 7183 (63.7%) persons responded to the mid-life questionnaire. Agreement was moderate between social class of father recalled in adulthood and that measured in early life ( statistics were 0.47 for social class measured at birth, and 0.56 for social class reported by the child). The relation of occupational social class to birth weight and childhood intelligence was in the expected directions, although weaker for adults’ reports in comparison with prospectively gathered data. <b>Conclusions</b>: In studies of adult disease aetiology, associations between childhood social class based on adult recall of parental occupation and health outcomes are likely to underestimate real effects

Children’s social experiences with peers and friends during primary school mealtimes

Mealtimes have rarely been considered outside a healthy eating agenda yet may be important social contexts for children’s social, emotional and moral development. Little research has examined the social value of time spent in the school lunch room. This study examined the nature of children’s interactions, activities and experiences of mealtimes and their perceptions of the value of social experiences during these times. A total of 316 9-10-year-old pupils (53% girls) from 11 classes in 4 schools completed closed response questionnaires and 16 children were subsequently interviewed to provide detailed information about the nature of their mealtime experiences, interactions and activities with peers and how these relate to feelings about school. Findings indicate that most children enjoy mealtimes because of the opportunity they provide to be with and converse with friends and other peers about the issues that are significant to them. These social occasions overlap with playground life but are distinctive and afford children different social opportunities and activities. The relative freedom offered in these settings make them important sites for peer relations processes and co-construction of peer culture. Findings are discussed in the light of suggestions that mealtimes should be managed for social and educational purposes

The sustainability of public health interventions in schools: a systematic review

Background: The sustainability of school-based health interventions after external funds and/or other resources end has been relatively unexplored in comparison to health care. If effective interventions discontinue, new practices cannot reach wider student populations and investment in implementation is wasted. This review asked: What evidence exists about the sustainability of school-based public health interventions? Do schools sustain public health interventions once start-up funds end? What are the barriers and facilitators affecting the sustainability of public health interventions in schools in high-income countries? Methods: Seven bibliographic databases and 15 websites were searched. References and citations of included studies were searched, and experts and authors were contacted to identify relevant studies. We included reports published from 1996 onwards. References were screened on title/abstract, and those included were screened on full report. We conducted data extraction and appraisal using an existing tool. Extracted data were qualitatively synthesised for common themes, using May's General Theory of Implementation (2013) as a conceptual framework. Results: Of the 9677 unique references identified through database searching and other search strategies, 24 studies of 18 interventions were included in the review. No interventions were sustained in their entirety; all had some components that were sustained by some schools or staff, bar one that was completely discontinued. No discernible relationship was found between evidence of effectiveness and sustainability. Key facilitators included commitment/support from senior leaders, staff observing a positive impact on students' engagement and wellbeing, and staff confidence in delivering health promotion and belief in its value. Important contextual barriers emerged: the norm of prioritising educational outcomes under time and resource constraints, insufficient funding/resources, staff turnover and a lack of ongoing training. Adaptation of the intervention to existing routines and changing contexts appeared to be part of the sustainability process. Conclusions: Existing evidence suggests that sustainability depends upon schools developing and retaining senior leaders and staff that are knowledgeable, skilled and motivated to continue delivering health promotion through ever-changing circumstances. Evidence of effectiveness did not appear to be an influential factor. However, methodologically stronger primary research, informed by theory, is needed. Trial registration: The review was registered on PROSPERO: CRD42017076320, Sep. 2017

180nm metal gate, high-k dielectric, implant-free III--V MOSFETs with transconductance of over 425 μS/μm

Abstract: Data is reported from 180 nm gate length GaAs n-MOSFETs with drive current (Ids,sat) of 386 μA/μm (Vg=Vd =1.5 V), extrinsic transconductance (gm) of 426 μS/μm, gate leakage ( jg,limit) of 44 nA/cm2, and on resistance (Ron) of 1640 Ω μm. The gm and Ron metrics are the best values reported to date for III-V MOSFETs, and indicate their potential for scaling to deca-nanometre dimensions

Groundwater Nutrient Discharge to the Chesapeake Bay: Effects of Near-Shore Land Use Practices

Groundwater discharge supplies a significant portion of the inorganic nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay. This discharge increases nutrient concentration in surface waters, which may result in increased macrophyte growth, reductions in· submerged aquatic vegetation and alteration of habitat. Human activities adjacent to the shoreline greatly increase nutrient concentration in the underlying groundwater, and so affect the overall nutrient input by groundwater seepage. In order to quantify the effect of land use on groundwater nutrient loading in the Virginia coastal plain we have installed monitoring wells in a variety of near shore environments adjacent to the James and York Rivers. Since the Spring of 1988, groundwater nitrogen species concentrations have been monitored beneath agricultural fields planted with corn and soy beans, woodlands, vineyards, and suburban development with septic drain fields. (...)https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1180/thumbnail.jp

Actinomycosis

Actinomycosis is generally looked upon as a rare disease, but, in the experience of many who are constantly on the look out for this condition, this would appear to be by no means the case. It seems probable that many are mistaken for another of the infective granuloata, namely - Tuberculosis - which this disease resembles in many respects; or again for malignant disease. Early writers described conditions which were identical with actinomycosis, but classed them as Tuberculous or Cancerous affection. In France in 1826, Leblanc described a disease in cattle characterised by swelling of the jaw. In England in 1833, Professor Dick described a condition of swelling of the jaws in cattle called "clyers"; and, in 1841, stated that the disease was known to affect man in the jaw. In 1845 Langenbeck reported a case of vertebral caries, with yellow grains in the pus. In 1850, Davaine described a case of tumour of the jaw in an ox, in the discharge from which there were yellow granules, which under the microscope had neither the characters of tubercle nor of pus. In 1868, Rivolta discovered rod shaped bodies in pus from tumours of jaws of oxen, which rods he compared to rods of the retina. He attepted innoculation, but failed. Bollinger, in 1878, proved that the granules from the tumours of jaws of oxen had a casual relation to the disease: these same granules were examined by Harz, the botanist of Munich, who recognised their parasitic nature, and gave the name "Actinomycosis Bovis". Israel, in 1878, published in "Virchow's Archives" two cases of Mycosis in man, describing and making drawings of the fungus. In 1879, Ponfick suggested the identity of the disease in man and the lower animals. Then Johne succeeded in producing the disease in the ox by inoculation

Development of In Situ Hybridisation for Cytokines in Rejecting and Tolerant Cardiac Allografts

An In situ Hybridisation method was developed and utilised to evaluate and pinpoint the cellular presence of IL2 and IL4 mRNA transcripts produced by Th 1 and Th2 subsets respectively of activated T cells in frozen tissue sections of Lewis heart allografts from rejecting DA recipients and from recipients tolerised by Cyclosporin, Blood Transfusion and Antibody therapy regimens. A panel of monoclonal antibodies was used on the tissue sections initially and confirmed the presence of the activated T cells known to express the cytokines being studied. The Polymerase Chain Reaction was used next on tissue homogenates from the same samples to establish the presence of IL2 and IL4 mRNA transcripts and showed that IL2 mRNA sequences were present in all rejecting samples, but not in all tolerised samples, whereas with the exception of some day 2 grafts, IL4 transcripts were present in all other rejecting grafts, and also in CsA and Transfused grafts but not in all Antibody treated grafts. As the presence of cytokine transcripts had been established by PCR, the ISH method was utilised to attempt to pinpoint specific cellular production of the IL2 and IL4 transcripts in the frozen sections of the tissue. All rejecting grafts and grafts from Transfused recipients were found to be positive for IL2 transcripts whereas CsA treated recipients grafts were negative, and Antibody treated recipients grafts found to be variable. IL4 transcripts were found in 50% of the rejecting grafts only, suggesting that ISH is not sensitive enough to record low levels of mRNA expression and that the use of both the ISH and PCR methods in tandem would be more beneficial in intragraft cytokine transcription detection

Cross-sectional survey of changes in knowledge, attitudes and practice of mask use in Sydney and Melbourne during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives Since mask uptake and the timing of mask use has the potential to influence the control of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aimed to assess the changes in knowledge toward mask use in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Design An observational study, using a cross-sectional survey, was distributed to adults in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, during July-August 2020 (survey 1) and September 2020 (survey 2), during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Setting and participants Participants aged 18 years or older and living in either Sydney or Melbourne. Primary and secondary outcome measures Demographics, risk measures, COVID-19 severity and perception, mask attitude and uptake were determined in this study. Results A total of 700 participants completed the survey. In both Sydney and Melbourne, a consistent decrease was reported in almost all risk-mitigation behaviours between March 2020 and July 2020 and again between March 2020 and September 2020. However, mask use and personal protective equipment use increased in both Sydney and Melbourne from March 2020 to September 2020. There was no significant difference in mask use during the pandemic between the two cities across both timepoints (1.24 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.22; p=0.072)). Perceived severity and perceived susceptibility of COVID-19 infection were significantly associated with mask uptake. Trust in information on COVID-19 from both national (1.77 (95% CI 1.29 to 2.44); p<0.000)) and state (1.62 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.22); p=0.003)) government was a predictor of mask use across both surveys. Conclusion Sydney and Melbourne both had high levels of reported mask wearing during July 2020 and September 2020, consistent with the second wave and mask mandates in Victoria, and cluster outbreaks in Sydney at the time. High rates of mask compliance may be explained by high trust levels in information from national and state government, mask mandates, risk perceptions, current outbreaks and the perceived level of risk of COVID-19 infection at the time