DATA REPORT

INTRODUCTION Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 116 cored the distal part of the Bengal Fan at three closely spaced sites (717-719). The recovered sediments consisted dominantly of turbidites that varied in thickness between a few centimeters and 2 m or more. A number of different facies have been identified in the sequence and are described by Stow et al. (this volume). Representative examples of these facies types were selected and sampled for grain-size analysis. The results of these analyses are tabulated in this data report. METHODS Sediment samples of approximately 2-g dry weight were placed in 50-cm 3 beakers and disaggregated in a solution of 10% Calgon. To assist in complete disaggregation of the sediment, an ultrasonic probe was used for approximately 2 min. on each sample. Suspended sample concentrations were of the order of 20 g/L. The prepared suspensions were stored in 150-cm 3 plastic bottles. The grain-size analyses were performed by laser diffraction using Malvern particle sizers, models 35OOD and 2600C. The principles of particle-size analysis by laser diffraction are described by The Malvern laser-sizers consist of a laser source, beam expander, sample chamber, focusing lens, ring detector, and a microcomputer. In this study each analysis used a 100-mm focal length focusing lens yielding data consisting of 15 size classes between 1.9 and 188 µm. A percentage of sample outside of this range above and below these limits is also given. The grain-size distribution was computed using the model-independent program option. The sample suspension is introduced into a small ultrasonic tank from which the suspension is continuously pumped through the sample chamber in the path of the laser. The main attraction of laser diffraction analysis for this study was the relatively small sample size required for analysis. Only 2-5 cm 3 of the prepared suspensions are required for each analysis. Several repeat analyses can therefore be performed even on very small original samples. An additional advantage is the speed with which analyses can be performed, generally about 10 min per sample. For many of the samples, duplicate or triplicate analyses were performed to test the reproducibility of the results. 1 Cochran, J. R., Stow, D.A.V., et al., 1990. Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 116: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program)

Pharmacokinetics of the SABRE agent 4,6-d2-Nicotinamide and also Nicotinamide in rats following oral and intravenous administration

To prepare the way for using the isotopically labelled SABRE hyperpolarised 4,6-d2-nicotinamide as an MRI agent in humans we have performed an in-vivo study to measure its pharmacokinetics in the plasma of healthy rats after intravenous and oral administration. Male Han Wistar rats were dosed with either 4,6-d2-nicotinamide or the corresponding control, non-labelled nicotinamide, and plasma samples were obtained at eight time points for up to 24 hours after administration. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined from agent concentration-versus-time data for both 4,6-d2-nicotinamide and nicotinamide. 4,6-d2-nicotinamide proved to be well tolerated regardless of route of administration at the concentrations used (20, 80 and 120 mg/kg). Pharmacokinetic parameters were similar after oral and intravenous administration and similar to those obtained for nicotinamide. Analysis of nicotinamide plasma concentrations after dosing 4,6-d2-nicotinamide intravenously demonstrates a reversible exchange of endogenous nicotinamide by this labelled agent over the time-course of our assays. Supported by a large body of evidence for the safety of nicotinamide when dosed orally in humans, we conclude that 4,6-d2-nicotinamide can also be safely administered intravenously, which will provide significant benefit when using this agent for planned imaging studies in humans

Social Complexity and Nesting Habits Are Factors in the Evolution of Antimicrobial Defences in Wasps

Microbial diseases are important selective agents in social insects and one major defense mechanism is the secretion of cuticular antimicrobial compounds. We hypothesized that given differences in group size, social complexity, and nest type the secretions of these antimicrobials will be under different selective pressures. To test this we extracted secretions from nine wasp species of varying social complexity and nesting habits and assayed their antimicrobial compounds against cultures of Staphylococcus aureus. These data were then combined with phylogenetic data to provide an evolutionary context. Social species showed significantly higher (18x) antimicrobial activity than solitary species and species with paper nests showed significantly higher (11x) antimicrobial activity than those which excavated burrows. Mud-nest species showed no antimicrobial activity. Solitary, burrow-provisioning wasps diverged at more basal nodes of the phylogenetic trees, while social wasps diverged from the most recent nodes. These data suggest that antimicrobial defences may have evolved in response to ground-dwelling pathogens but the most important variable leading to increased antimicrobial strength was increase in group size and social complexity

Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: An observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform

Background: Obesity and rapid weight gain are established risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and have emerged as independent risk factors for severe disease following Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Restrictions imposed to reduce COVID-19 transmission resulted in profound societal changes that impacted many health behaviours, including physical activity and nutrition, associated with rate of weight gain. We investigated which clinical and sociodemographic characteristics were associated with rapid weight gain and the greatest acceleration in rate of weight gain during the pandemic among adults registered with an English National Health Service (NHS) general practitioner (GP) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and findings: With the approval of NHS England, we used the OpenSAFELY platform inside TPP to conduct an observational cohort study of routinely collected electronic healthcare records. We investigated changes in body mass index (BMI) values recorded in English primary care between March 2015 and March 2022. We extracted data on 17,742,365 adults aged 18 to 90 years old (50.1% female, 76.1% white British) registered with an English primary care practice. We estimated individual rates of weight gain before (δ-prepandemic) and during (δ-pandemic) the pandemic and identified individuals with rapid weight gain (>0.5 kg/m2/year) in each period. We also estimated the change in rate of weight gain between the prepandemic and pandemic period (δ-change = δ-pandemic—δ-prepandemic) and defined extreme accelerators as the 10% of individuals with the greatest increase in their rate of weight gain (δ-change ≥1.84 kg/m2/year) between these periods. We estimated associations with these outcomes using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, index of multiple deprivation (IMD), and ethnicity. P-values were generated in regression models. The median BMI of our study population was 27.8 kg/m2, interquartile range (IQR) [24.3, 32.1] in 2019 (March 2019 to February 2020) and 28.0 kg/m2, IQR [24.4, 32.6] in 2021. Rapid pandemic weight gain was associated with sex, age, and IMD. Male sex (male versus female: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.76, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) [0.76, 0.76], p < 0.001), older age (e.g., 50 to 59 years versus 18 to 29 years: aOR 0.60, 95% CI [0.60, 0.61], p < 0.001]); and living in less deprived areas (least-deprived-IMD-quintile versus most-deprived: aOR 0.77, 95% CI [0.77, 0.78] p < 0.001) reduced the odds of rapid weight gain. Compared to white British individuals, all other ethnicities had lower odds of rapid pandemic weight gain (e.g., Indian versus white British: aOR 0.69, 95% CI [0.68, 0.70], p < 0.001). Long-term conditions (LTCs) increased the odds, with mental health conditions having the greatest effect (e.g., depression (aOR 1.18, 95% CI [1.17, 1.18], p < 0.001)). Similar characteristics increased odds of extreme acceleration in the rate of weight gain between the prepandemic and pandemic periods. However, changes in healthcare activity during the pandemic may have introduced new bias to the data. Conclusions: We found female sex, younger age, deprivation, white British ethnicity, and mental health conditions were associated with rapid pandemic weight gain and extreme acceleration in rate of weight gain between the prepandemic and pandemic periods. Our findings highlight the need to incorporate sociodemographic, physical, and mental health characteristics when formulating research, policies, and interventions targeting BMI in the period of post pandemic service restoration and in future pandemic planning

Evaluating the effectiveness of a tailored multifaceted performance feedback intervention to improve the quality of care: protocol for a cluster randomized trial in intensive care

Contains fulltext : 95871.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Feedback is potentially effective in improving the quality of care. However, merely sending reports is no guarantee that performance data are used as input for systematic quality improvement (QI). Therefore, we developed a multifaceted intervention tailored to prospectively analyzed barriers to using indicators: the Information Feedback on Quality Indicators (InFoQI) program. This program aims to promote the use of performance indicator data as input for local systematic QI. We will conduct a study to assess the impact of the InFoQI program on patient outcome and organizational process measures of care, and to gain insight into barriers and success factors that affected the program's impact. The study will be executed in the context of intensive care. This paper presents the study's protocol. METHODS/DESIGN: We will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial with intensive care units (ICUs) in the Netherlands. We will include ICUs that submit indicator data to the Dutch National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) quality registry and that agree to allocate at least one intensivist and one ICU nurse for implementation of the intervention. Eligible ICUs (clusters) will be randomized to receive basic NICE registry feedback (control arm) or to participate in the InFoQI program (intervention arm). The InFoQI program consists of comprehensive feedback, establishing a local, multidisciplinary QI team, and educational outreach visits. The primary outcome measures will be length of ICU stay and the proportion of shifts with a bed occupancy rate above 80%. We will also conduct a process evaluation involving ICUs in the intervention arm to investigate their actual exposure to and experiences with the InFoQI program. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will inform those involved in providing ICU care on the feasibility of a tailored multifaceted performance feedback intervention and its ability to accelerate systematic and local quality improvement. Although our study will be conducted within the domain of intensive care, we believe our conclusions will be generalizable to other settings that have a quality registry including an indicator set available. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN50542146

The influence of refuge sharing on social behaviour in the lizard Tiliqua rugosa

Refuge sharing by otherwise solitary individuals during periods of inactivity is an integral part of social behaviour and has been suggested to be the precursor to more complex social behaviour. We compared social association patterns of active versus inactive sheltering individuals in the social Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa, to empirically test the hypothesis that refuge sharing facilitates social associations while individuals are active. We fitted 18 neighbouring lizards with Global Positioning System (GPS) recorders to continuously monitor social associations among all individuals, based on location records taken every 10 min for 3 months. Based on these spatial data, we constructed three weighted, undirected social networks. Two networks were based on empirical association data (one for active and one for inactive lizards in their refuges), and a third null model network was based on hypothetical random refuge sharing. We found patterns opposite to the predictions of our hypothesis. Most importantly, association strength was higher in active than in inactive sheltering lizards. That is, individual lizards were more likely to associate with other lizards while active than while inactive and in shelters. Thus, refuge sharing did not lead to increased frequencies of social associations while lizards were active, and we did not find any evidence that refuge sharing was a precursor to sleepy lizard social behaviour. Our study of an unusually social reptile provides both quantitative data on the relationship between refuge sharing and social associations during periods of activity and further insights into the evolution of social behaviour in vertebrates

The impact and measurement of social dysfunction in latelife depression: an evaluation of current methods with a focus on wearable technology

Depression is known to negatively impact social functioning, with patients commonly reporting difficulties maintaining social relationships. Moreover, a large body of evidence suggests poor social functioning is not only present in depression but that social functioning is an important factor in illness course and outcome. In addition, good social relationships can play a protective role against the onset of depressive symptoms, particularly in late-life depression. However, the majority of research in this area has employed self-report measures of social function. This approach is problematic, as due to their reliance on memory, such measures are prone to error from the neurocognitive impairments of depression, as well as mood-congruent biases

Grain size analyses of ODP Leg 116 holes

Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 116 cored the distal part of the Bengal Fan at three closely spaced sites (717-719). The recovered sediments consisted dominantly of turbidites that varied in thickness between a few centimeters and 2 m or more. A number of different facies have been identified in the sequence and are described by Stow et al. (1990, doi:10.2973/odp.proc.sr.116.110.1990). Representative examples of these facies types were selected and sampled for grain-size analysis. The results of these analyses are tabulated in this data report