Potential economic impacts from improving breastfeeding rates in the UK

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.RATIONALE: Studies suggest that increased breastfeeding rates can provide substantial financial savings, but the scale of such savings in the UK is not known. OBJECTIVE: To calculate potential cost savings attributable to increases in breastfeeding rates from the National Health Service perspective. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Cost savings focussed on where evidence of health benefit is strongest: reductions in gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections, acute otitis media in infants, necrotising enterocolitis in preterm babies and breast cancer (BC) in women. Savings were estimated using a seven-step framework in which an incidence-based disease model determined the number of cases that could have been avoided if breastfeeding rates were increased. Point estimates of cost savings were subject to a deterministic sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Treating the four acute diseases in children costs the UK at least £89 million annually. The 2009-2010 value of lifetime costs of treating maternal BC is estimated at £959 million. Supporting mothers who are exclusively breast feeding at 1 week to continue breast feeding until 4 months can be expected to reduce the incidence of three childhood infectious diseases and save at least £11 million annually. Doubling the proportion of mothers currently breast feeding for 7-18 months in their lifetime is likely to reduce the incidence of maternal BC and save at least £31 million at 2009-2010 value. CONCLUSIONS: The economic impact of low breastfeeding rates is substantial. Investing in services that support women who want to breast feed for longer is potentially cost saving

Adaptive Path Planning for Depth Constrained Bathymetric Mapping with an Autonomous Surface Vessel

This paper describes the design, implementation and testing of a suite of algorithms to enable depth constrained autonomous bathymetric (underwater topography) mapping by an Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV). Given a target depth and a bounding polygon, the ASV will find and follow the intersection of the bounding polygon and the depth contour as modeled online with a Gaussian Process (GP). This intersection, once mapped, will then be used as a boundary within which a path will be planned for coverage to build a map of the Bathymetry. Methods for sequential updates to GP's are described allowing online fitting, prediction and hyper-parameter optimisation on a small embedded PC. New algorithms are introduced for the partitioning of convex polygons to allow efficient path planning for coverage. These algorithms are tested both in simulation and in the field with a small twin hull differential thrust vessel built for the task.Comment: 21 pages, 9 Figures, 1 Table. Submitted to The Journal of Field Robotic

Weaning and supplementation increase liveweight gain of Bali (Bos javanicus) cattle of small-holder farmers in Central Lombok, Indonesia

One of the constraints for improving productivity of Bali cattle in west Nusa Tenggara Province is the low growth rate of weaned calves. Results of on-station experiments showed that Sesbania grandiflora (sesbania) supplementation can significantly increase live weight gain of weaned calves. The objective of this experiment was to investigate whether sesbania supplementation can increase live weight gain of weaned calves and improve farmer income. This experiment was carried out in Tandek, Labulia Village (treatment village) and in Kelebuh and Sukaraja villages (control villages) central Lombok District from April to October 2008. A total of 21 calves (9 males and 12 females) aged 237±7 days with initial live weight of 122.3±4.5 kg were monitored in Kelebuh and Sukaraja villages (control villages). During the same period, 25 calves (13 males and 12 females) aged 237±6 days with initial weight of 108.8±4.1 kg were monitored in Tandek Village (treatment village) and fed fresh sesbania at 1% dry matter of live weight. To ensure that sesbania was fed at the recommended level, regular weighing of sesbania offered by each farmer was conducted 2-3 times per week. All calves were weighed every month to determine live weight gain. Farmers from the control villages and other villages were invited to a field day conducted in the treatment village at the end of the experiment. The results showed that sesbania supplementation significantly increased live weight gain (0.36±0.01 kg/day for calves in the treatment village compared to 0.22±0.01 kg/day for those in the control villages), increased body condition and health of the calves and improved farmer income. Weaning management and supplementation with sesbania was very easy to implement so most of the farmers participated in this study stated that they were willing to continue this feeding management

Novel Branches of (0,2) Theories

We show that recently proposed linear sigma models with torsion can be obtained from unconventional branches of conventional gauge theories. This observation puts models with log interactions on firm footing. If non-anomalous multiplets are integrated out, the resulting low-energy theory involves log interactions of neutral fields. For these cases, we find a sigma model geometry which is both non-toric and includes brane sources. These are heterotic sigma models with branes. Surprisingly, there are massive models with compact complex non-Kahler target spaces, which include brane/anti-brane sources. The simplest conformal models describe wrapped heterotic NS5-branes. We present examples of both types.Comment: 36 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures; typo in Appendix fixed; references added and additional minor change

MHV Lagrangian for N=4 Super Yang-Mills

Here we formulate two field redefinitions for N=4 Super Yang-Mills in light cone superspace that generates only MHV vertices in the new Lagrangian. After careful consideration of the S-matrix equivalence theorem, we see that only the canonical transformation gives the MHV Lagrangian that would correspond to the CSW expansion. Being in superspace, it is easier to analyse the equivalence theorem at loop level. We calculate the on shell amplitude for 4pt $(\bar{\Lambda}\bar{{\rm A}}\Lambda {\rm A})$ MHV in the new lagrangian and show that it reproduces the previously known form. We also briefly discuss the relationship with the off-shell continuation prescription of CSW.Comment: 17 pages 4 figures, 2 sections and several references added typo correcte

Responses to various protein and energy supplements by steers fed low-quality tropical hay. 2. Effect of stage of maturity of steers

Dose response curves to various supplements were established in two pen-feeding experiments (Exp1 and Exp2) with Bos indicus crossbred steers of two age groups (Young, 10–12 months; Old, 33–36 months) fed low-quality tropical grass hays ad libitum. Diets included supplements based on (Exp1) cottonseed meal (CSM; intake (as fed) 0–10 g/kg liveweight (W).day) and a barley mix (Bar; 0–20 g/kg W.day) and (Exp2) a molasses mix (MUP) and a Bar mix, both fed at 0–20 g/kg W.day. Urea was provided with the Bar mixes and urea/copra meal with the MUP mix. Growth rates of Young steers increased linearly with Bar and MUP supplements but asymptotically with CSM whereas those of Old steers increased asymptotically with all supplement types. With supplement intake expressed on a liveweight basis (g/kg W.day), responses were greater for both steer age groups with CSM compared with Bar (Young, P < 0.001; Old, P < 0.01) and Bar compared with MUP treatments (Young, P < 0.01; Old, P < 0.05). Furthermore, Old steers outperformed their Young counterparts with both CSM (P < 0.05) and Bar (P < 0.001) supplements fed in Exp1 and with Bar and MUP supplements (P < 0.01) fed in Exp2. When supplement intake was expressed in absolute terms (kg/day), growth responses were not different between age groups for different supplements except that Old steers had a higher daily W gain on Bar than their Young counterparts (P < 0.05). Intake of hay (W-corrected) was higher for Young compared with Old steers without supplement but was variably reduced for both steer groups with increasing supplement intake. The results of these experiments have implications for supplement formulation for steers at different stages of maturity grazing low-quality forages

AN ENZYMATIC FUNCTION ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSFORMATION OF FIBROBLASTS BY ONCOGENIC VIRUSES : I. CHICK EMBRYO FIBROBLAST CULTURES TRANSFORMED BY AVIAN RNA TUMOR VIRUSES

Chick embryo fibroblast cultures develop fibrinolytic activity after transformation by Rous sarcoma virus (RSV). This fibrinolytic activity is not present in normal cultures, and it does not appear after infection with either nontransforming strains of avian leukosis viruses or cytocidal RNA and DNA viruses. In cultures infected with a temperature sensitive mutant of RSV the onset of fibrinolysis appears after exposure to permissive temperatures and precedes by a short interval the appearance of morphological evidence of transformation. See PDF for Structure The rate of fibrinolysis in transformed cultures depends on the nature of the serum that is present in the growth medium: some sera (e.g., monkey or chicken serum) promote high enzymatic activity, while others (calf, fetal bovine) do not. Some sera contain inhibitors of the fibrinolysin. Based on the effect of a small number of known inhibitors, at least one step of the fibrinolytic process shows specificity resembling that of trypsin. The sera of sarcoma-bearing chickens contain an inhibitor of the fibrinolysin, whereas normal chicken sera do not. For general discussion, conclusions, and summary see the accompanying paper, part II, (J. Exp. Med. 137:112)

Small differences in biohydrogenation resulted from the similar retention times of fluid in the rumen of cattle grazing wet season C3 and C4 forage species

The effects of forage type and season on retention time (RT) and the fatty acid (FA) profile of the rumen fluid (RF) of steers grazing a range of grasses and a legume/grass mix were evaluated. Four rumen cannulated steers (790 +/- 17 kg body weight (BW) grazed individual wet season pastures (herbage mass 2600-6200 kg DM/ha of C3 ryegrass Lolium perenne and C4 grasses pangola Digitaria eriantha, signal grass Brachiaria decumbens, star grass Cynodon dactylon, kikuyu Penniseturn clandestinum, and speargrass Heteropogon contortus in both seasons, and a mixture of leucaena Leucaena leucocephala and green panic Panicum maximum in the dry season. Each grazing period consisted of at least 21 d, followed by a 3 d collection period. On d 22 CrEDTA was used to estimate RT (182 mg Cr/100 kg BW via the cannula) and RF samples were collected at 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 28, 32 and 48 h after dosing for Cr analysis. Diet crude protein (CP) and dry matter digestibility (DMD) were estimated by faecal NIBS. Concentration of NH3N and volatile fatty acids (VFA) in RF was determined at 0, 8 and 16 h after dosing. Dry season speargrass had the lowest CP (18 and 39 g/kg DM in plucked sample (PS) and estimated by faecal NIRS, respectively) and DMD (49%), which was associated with a low NH3N (9 mg NH3N/L) and VFA concentration (70 mM) in RF, and much longer RT of Cr (20 h) than the other grasses. The RT of Cr of the other wet season grasses was similar across all forage species (8- to 11 hours). Total VFA in RF was lowest for steers grazing dry season grass, intermediate for grasses in the wet season and highest for steers grazing the legume/grass mix. Speargrass had the highest non-glucogenic:glucogenic VFA. Ryegrass had higher CP (190 g/kg DM) and DMD (68%), but steers grazing this pasture had similar NH3N concentration in RF to steers grazing kikuyu and leaucaena/grass mix (above 100 mg NH3N/L). Palmitic and stearic acid in RF were much higher than in plucked samples, but all grasses had similar total saturated FA in RF with a greater degree of saturation for ryegrass. A higher CLA c9,t11 in RF of steers grazing ryegrass most likely resulted from the linoleic content in the forage and the higher intake of ryegrass resulting in accumulation in RF. Total unsaturated FA (TUFA) content of RF was reduced markedly compared to forage samples with some small differences between species indicating an extensive biohydrogenation despite the grass type and season. It was concluded that RT of Cr in the rumen of cattle grazing wet season grasses was similar across all forage species (8 to 11 hours) and would not result in different times for biohydrogenation within the rumen

Factors Influencing Optical Coherence Tomography Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness: A Multicenter Study.

Purpose:To quantify peripapillary choroidal thickness (PCT) and the factors that influence it in healthy participants who represent the racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. population. Methods:A total of 362 healthy participants underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) enhanced depth imaging of the optic nerve head with a 24 radial B-scan pattern aligned to the fovea to Bruch's membrane opening axis. Bruch's membrane, anterior scleral canal opening (ASCO), and the anterior scleral surface were manually segmented. PCT was measured at 100, 300, 500, 700, 900, and 1100 μm from the ASCO globally and within 12 clock-hour sectors. The effects of age, axial length, intraocular pressure, ethnicity, sex, sector, and ASCO area on PCT were assessed by ANOVA and univariable and multivariable regressions. Results:Globally, PCT was thicker further from the ASCO border and thinner with older age, longer axial length, larger ASCO area, European descent, and female sex. Among these effectors, age and axial length explained the greatest proportion of variance. The rate of age-related decline increased further from the ASCO border. Sectorally, the inferior-temporal sectors were thinnest (10.7%-20.0% thinner than the thickest sector) and demonstrated a higher rate of age-related loss (from 15.6% to 20.7% faster) at each ASCO distance. Conclusions:In healthy eyes, PCT was thinnest in the inferior temporal sectors and thinner PCT was associated with older age, European descent, longer axial length, larger ASCO area, and female sex. Among these associations, age had the strongest influence, and its effect was greatest within the inferior temporal sectors