12CO and 13CO J=3-2 observations toward N11 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

After 30 Doradus, N11 is the second largest and brightest nebula in the LMC. This large nebula has several OB associations with bright nebulae at its surroundings. N11 was previously mapped at the lowest rotational transitions of $^{12}$CO (J=1--0 and 2--1), and in some particular regions pointings of the $^{13}$CO J=1--0 and 2--1 lines were also performed. Using ASTE we mapped the whole extension of the N11 nebula in the $^{12}$CO J=3--2 line, and three sub-regions in the $^{13}$CO J=3--2 line. The regions mapped in the $^{13}$CO J=3--2 were selected based on that they may be exposed to the radiation at different ways: a region lying over the nebula related to the OB association LH10 (N11B), another one that it is associated with the southern part of the nebula related to the OB association LH13 (N11D), and finally a farther area at the southwest without any embedded OB association (N11I). We found that the morphology of the molecular clouds lying in each region shows some signatures that could be explained by the expansion of the nebulae and the action of the radiation. Fragmentation generated in a molecular shell due to the expansion of the N11 nebula is suggested. The integrated line ratios $^{12}$CO/$^{13}$CO show evidences of selective photodissociation of the $^{13}$CO, and probably other mechanisms such as chemical fractionation. The CO contribution to the continuum at 870 $\mu$m was directly derived. The distribution of the integrated line ratios $^{12}$CO J=3--2/2--1 show hints of stellar feedback in N11B and N11D. The ratio between the virial and LTE mass (M$_{\rm vir}$/M$_{\rm LTE}$) is higher than unity in all analyzed molecular clumps, which suggests that the clumps are not gravitationally bounded and may be supported by external pressure. A non-LTE analysis suggests that we are mapping gas with densities about a few 10$^{3}$ cm$^{-3}$.Comment: Accepted to be published in A&A. Figures were degrade

Dietary elimination of children with food protein induced gastrointestinal allergy – micronutrient adequacy with and without a hypoallergenic formula?

Background: The cornerstone for management of Food protein-induced gastrointestinal allergy (FPGIA) is dietary exclusion; however the micronutrient intake of this population has been poorly studied. We set out to determine the dietary intake of children on an elimination diet for this food allergy and hypothesised that the type of elimination diet and the presence of a hypoallergenic formula (HF) significantly impacts on micronutrient intake. Method: A prospective observational study was conducted on children diagnosed with FPIGA on an exclusion diet who completed a 3 day semi-quantitative food diary 4 weeks after commencing the diet. Nutritional intake where HF was used was compared to those without HF, with or without a vitamin and mineral supplement (VMS). Results: One-hundred-and-five food diaries were included in the data analysis: 70 boys (66.7%) with median age of 21.8 months [IQR: 10 - 67.7]. Fifty-three children (50.5%) consumed a HF and the volume of consumption was correlated to micronutrient intake. Significantly (p <0.05) more children reached their micronutrient requirements if a HF was consumed. In those without a HF, some continued not to achieve requirements in particular for vitamin D and zinc, in spite of VMS. Conclusion: This study points towards the important micronutrient contribution of a HF in children with FPIGA. Children, who are not on a HF and without a VMS, are at increased risk of low intakes in particular vitamin D and zinc. Further studies need to be performed, to assess whether dietary intake translates into actual biological deficiencies

PPAK Wide-field Integral Field Spectroscopy of NGC 628: I. The largest spectroscopic mosaic on a single galaxy

We present a wide-field IFS survey on the nearby face-on Sbc galaxy NGC 628, comprising 11094 individual spectra, covering a nearly circular field-of-view of ~6 arcmin in diameter, with a sampling of ~2.7 arcsec per spectrum in the optical wavelength range (3700--7000 AA). This galaxy is part of the PPAK IFS Nearby Galaxies Survey, (PINGS, Rosales-Ortega et al. 2009). To our knowledge, this is the widest spectroscopic survey ever made in a single nearby galaxy. A detailed flux calibration was applied, granting a spectrophotometric accuracy of $\sim$\,0.2 mag. The age of the stellar populations shows a negative gradient from the inner (older) to the outer (younger) regions. We found an inversion of this gradient in the central ~1 kpc region, where a somewhat younger stellar population is present within a ring at this radius. This structure is associated with a circumnuclear star-forming region at ~ 500 pc, also found in similar spiral galaxies. From the study of the integrated and spatially resolved ionized gas we found a moderate SFR of ~ 2.4 Msun yr$^{-1}$. The oxygen abundance shows a a clear gradient of higher metallicity values from the inner part to the outer part of the galaxy, with a mean value of 12~+~log(O/H) ~ 8.7. At some specific regions of the galaxy, the spatially resolved distribution of the physical properties show some level of structure, suggesting real point-to-point variations within an individual \hh region. Our results are consistent with an inside-out growth scheme, with stronger star formation at the outer regions, and with evolved stellar populations in the inner ones.Comment: 31 pages, 22 Figuras, Accepted for Publishing in MNRAS (corrected PDF

Looking for evidence of high-mass star formation at core scale in a massive molecular clump

We present a comprehensive physical and chemical study of the fragmentation and star formation activity towards the massive clump AGAL G338.9188+0.5494 harbouring the extended green object EGO 338.92+0.55(b). The presence of an EGO embedded in a massive clump, suggests, at clump scale, that high-mass star formation is occurring. The main goal of this work is to find evidence of such high-mass star formation, but at core scale. Using mm observations of continuum and lines obtained from the ALMA database at Bands 6 and 7, we study the substructure of the massive clump. The angular resolution of the data is about 0.5'', which allow us to resolve structures of about 0.01pc ($\sim$ 2000 au) at the distance of 4.4 kpc. The continuum emission at 340 GHz reveals that the molecular clump is fragmented in five cores, labeled from C1 to C5. The $^{12}$CO J=3--2 emission shows the presence of molecular outflows related to three of them. The analysis of the CH$_3$CN and CH$_3$CCH emissions suggests temperatures of about 340 and 72~K, respectively, for C1, showing that the methyl cyanide would trace a gas layer closer to the protostar than the methyl acetylene. The obtained mass of core C1 ranges from 3 to 10 M$_{\odot}$. We found that the discovered molecular outflow arising from core C1 should be the main responsible for the 4.5 $\mu$m extended emission. The average mass and energy of such a molecular outflow is about 0.5 M$_{\odot}$~and $10^{46}$~erg, respectively, which suggest that 10 M$_{\odot}$ is the most likely mass value for core C1. Additionally we found that the region is chemically very rich with several complex molecular species. Particularly, from the analysis of the CN emission we found strong evidence that such a radical is indirectly tracing the molecular outflows, more precisely the border of the cavity walls carved out by such outflows.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (July 5, 2023

Clinical signs of pneumonia in children: association with and prediction of diagnosis by fuzzy sets theory

The present study compares the performance of stochastic and fuzzy models for the analysis of the relationship between clinical signs and diagnosis. Data obtained for 153 children concerning diagnosis (pneumonia, other non-pneumonia diseases, absence of disease) and seven clinical signs were divided into two samples, one for analysis and other for validation. The former was used to derive relations by multi-discriminant analysis (MDA) and by fuzzy max-min compositions (fuzzy), and the latter was used to assess the predictions drawn from each type of relation. MDA and fuzzy were closely similar in terms of prediction, with correct allocation of 75.7 to 78.3% of patients in the validation sample, and displaying only a single instance of disagreement: a patient with low level of toxemia was mistaken as not diseased by MDA and correctly taken as somehow ill by fuzzy. Concerning relations, each method provided different information, each revealing different aspects of the relations between clinical signs and diagnoses. Both methods agreed on pointing X-ray, dyspnea, and auscultation as better related with pneumonia, but only fuzzy was able to detect relations of heart rate, body temperature, toxemia and respiratory rate with pneumonia. Moreover, only fuzzy was able to detect a relationship between heart rate and absence of disease, which allowed the detection of six malnourished children whose diagnoses as healthy are, indeed, disputable. The conclusion is that even though fuzzy sets theory might not improve prediction, it certainly does enhance clinical knowledge since it detects relationships not visible to stochastic models.The present study compares the performance of stochastic and fuzzy models for the analysis of the relationship between clinical signs and diagnosis. Data obtained for 153 children concerning diagnosis (pneumonia, other non-pneumonia diseases, absence of d375701709FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO01/04905-

Access to Care and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Cross-Sectional Study in 2 Latino Communities.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading killer of Americans. CVD is understudied among Latinos, who have high levels of CVD risk factors. This study aimed to determine whether access to health care (ie, insurance status and having a usual source of care) is associated with 4 CVD prevention factors (ie, health care utilization, CVD screening, information received from health care providers, and lifestyle factors) among Latino adults and to evaluate whether the associations depended on CVD clinical risk/disease.Data were collected as part of a community-engaged food environment intervention study in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, CA. Logistic regressions were fitted with insurance status and usual source of care as predictors of the 4 CVD prevention factors while controlling for demographics. Analyses were repeated with interactions between self-reported CVD clinical risk/disease and access to care measures.Access to health care significantly increased the odds of CVD prevention. Having a usual source of care was associated with all factors of prevention, whereas being insured was only associated with some factors of prevention. CVD clinical risk/disease did not moderate any associations.Although efforts to reduce CVD risk among Latinos through the Affordable Care Act could be impactful, they might have limited impact in curbing CVD among Latinos, via the law's expansion of insurance coverage. CVD prevention efforts must expand beyond the provision of insurance to effectively lower CVD rates

Substantial improvements not seen in health behaviors following corner store conversions in two Latino food swamps.

BackgroundThe effectiveness of food retail interventions is largely undetermined, yet substantial investments have been made to improve access to healthy foods in food deserts and swamps via grocery and corner store interventions. This study evaluated the effects of corner store conversions in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, California on perceived accessibility of healthy foods, perceptions of corner stores, store patronage, food purchasing, and eating behaviors.MethodsHousehold data (n = 1686) were collected at baseline and 12- to 24-months post-intervention among residents surrounding eight stores, three of which implemented a multi-faceted intervention and five of which were comparisons. Bivariate analyses and logistic and linear regressions were employed to assess differences in time, treatment, and the interaction between time and treatment to determine the effectiveness of this intervention.ResultsImprovements were found in perceived healthy food accessibility and perceptions of corner stores. No changes were found, however, in store patronage, purchasing, or consumption of fruits and vegetables.ConclusionsResults suggest limited effectiveness of food retail interventions on improving health behaviors. Future research should focus on other strategies to reduce community-level obesity