Mental health and the jilted generation: Using age-period-cohort analysis to assess differential trends in young people’s mental health following the great recession and austerity in England

Those born in the United Kingdom post-1979 have been described as a ‘jilted generation’, materially disadvantaged by economic and social policy; however, it is unclear whether this resulted in their experiencing poorer mental health than previous cohorts. Following the 2008 recession, UK austerity reforms associated with worsening mental health also disproportionately impacted those of younger working-age. This study aimed to identify any historic cohort changes in population mental health, and whether austerity widened generational inequalities. Repeat cross-sectional data from the Health Survey for England (1991-2014) was used to calculate prevalence of psychopathology for those of younger and older working-age (16-30 and 31-64 years) and retirement-age (65+ years), measured by General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ) score ≥ 4 (caseness). Descriptive age-period-cohort analysis was performed for 15-year birth cohorts, including the jilted generation (born 1976-90). Logistic regression tested differences in outcome between groups. Age-specific GHQ caseness between successive birth cohorts did not significantly change for men, and significantly improved between 2.8% (95% CI 0.1%-5.5%) and 4.4% (95% CI 2.2%-6.7%) for women. Secondary analysis adjusting for education partially explained this improvement. Following the recession, GHQ caseness worsened in men of younger and older working-age by 3.7% (95% CI 1.2%-6.2%) and 3.5% (95% CI 2.1%-5.0%) respectively before returning to baseline during austerity. All women experienced non-significant increases post-recession, but trends diverged during austerity with caseness worsening by 2.3% (95% CI 1.0%-3.6%) for older working-age women versus 3.7% (95% CI 1.3%-6.2%) for younger working-age women. Those of retirement-age experienced little change throughout. In summary, mental health has historically improved between successive cohorts, including for the jilted generation. However, the 2008 recession and subsequent austerity could be most impacting those of younger working-age, particularly women, to create a new cohort effect. Policymakers should consider the differential impact economic and social policy may have across society by age

Trends in gender and socioeconomic inequalities in mental health following the Great Recession and subsequent austerity policies: a repeat cross-sectional analysis of the Health Surveys for England

No abstract available

An outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul in a Scottish childcare facility: the influence of parental under-reporting

Background: Salmonella outbreaks in childcare facilities are relatively rare, most often occurring secondary to contaminated food products or poor infection control practices. We report an outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul at a pre-school facility in Ayrshire, Scotland with atypical clinical and epidemiological features. Methods: Following notification of the initial two cases, the multi-disciplinary Incident Management Team initiated enhanced active case finding and two environmental inspections of the site, including food preparation areas. Parent and staff interviews were conducted by the Public Health department covering attendance, symptomatology and risk factors for all probable and confirmed cases. Microbiological testing of stool samples and the facility water tank was conducted. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) was performed for positive stool samples at the national reference laboratory. Infection control measures were introduced iteratively due to the atypical progression of the outbreak. Results: There were 15 confirmed cases and 3 children admitted to hospital during the outbreak. However, 35.7% of cases reported extremely mild symptoms. The attack rate was 15.2%, and age of affected children ranged from 18 to 58 months (mean 35 months). All cases were the same Multilocus Sequence Type (MLST50). Epidemiological investigation strongly suggested person-to-person spread within the facility. Existing infection control practices were found to be of a high standard, but introduction of additional evidence-based control measures was inadequate in halting transmission. Facility staff reported concerns about lack of parental disclosure of gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly where these were mild, with 50.0% of cases having attended while symptomatic against public health advice. Voluntary two-week closure of the facility was implemented to halt transmission, following which there were no new cases. WGS results were unavailable until after the decision was taken to close the facility. Conclusions: This is the first reported instance of a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak at a childcare facility, or where person-to-person transmission is indicated. Clinicians should consider the influence of parental under-reporting on gastrointestinal outbreaks in childcare settings, particularly where perceived severity is low and financial or social pressures to attend work may reduce compliance. WGS cannot yet replace conventional microbiological techniques during short, localised outbreaks due to delays receiving results

Microstructural analysis of IN617 and IN625 oxidised in the presence of steam for use in ultra-supercritical power plant

The nickel based alloys IN617 and IN625 that have been selected for their candidacy in the construction of the hottest regions of the supercritical steam cycle have been oxidised under isothermal conditions at 750 °C and atmospheric pressure in atmospheres of 100 % steam, 50/50 % steam/argon and air for up to 4,200 h. Both alloys developed a thin protective oxide under each condition. Scale thickness measurements using SEM micrographs were performed and showed that exposures in steam exhibited a higher rate of scale formation than exposures in air in both alloys. IN617 developed an extensive internal network of alumina which resulted in the formation of alloy protrusions into the scale altering scale growth kinetics, IN625 also formed alumina to a lesser extent. Voids formed in the matrix below the scale in both alloys in each environment. The extent of alumina formation alters the void morphology which eventually impacts the scale growth rate as inward scale growth occurred into the voids in IN625 but not in IN617

Microstructural analysis of steam oxidation of IN617 for use in ultra-supercritical steam plants

The microstructural evolution of IN617 subjected to oxidising atmospheres of 100% steam, 50% steam/argon and air in the temperature range 700-750oC for exposures times up to 4,000 h at atmospheric pressure has been investigated using a range of analytical electron microscopy techniques. It has been found that for this alloy the presence of steam in the atmosphere has an effect on the oxidation kinetics, and influences the nature of the scale. It has also been shown that there are differences in the volume and nature of voids formed, and that the voids are often associated with an internal structure of alumina. Significant internal oxidation was observed, particularly in the presence of steam, and a 3D reconstruction of the microstructure using FIBSEM techniques showed that this comprised of interconnected alumina plates which followed the grain boundaries into the substrate

Culture-independent detection of nontuberculous mycobacteria in clinical respiratory samples

Culture-based detection of nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) in respiratory samples is time consuming and can be subject to overgrowth by nonmycobacterial bacteria. We describe a single-reaction TaqMan quantitative PCR assay for the direct detection of NTM species in clinical samples that is specific, sensitive, and robust

Dissemination of Mycobacterium abscessus via global transmission networks.

Mycobacterium abscessus, a multidrug-resistant nontuberculous mycobacterium, has emerged as a major pathogen affecting people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Although originally thought to be acquired independently from the environment, most individuals are infected with one of several dominant circulating clones (DCCs), indicating the presence of global transmission networks of M. abscessus. How and when these clones emerged and spread globally is unclear. Here, we use evolutionary analyses of isolates from individuals both with and without CF to reconstruct the population history, spatiotemporal spread and recent transmission networks of the DCCs. We demonstrate synchronous expansion of six unrelated DCCs in the 1960s, a period associated with major changes in CF care and survival. Each of these clones has spread globally as a result of rare intercontinental transmission events. We show that the DCCs, but not environmentally acquired isolates, exhibit a specific smoking-associated mutational signature and that current transmission networks include individuals both with and without CF. We therefore propose that the DCCs initially emerged in non-CF populations but were then amplified and spread through the CF community. While individuals with CF are probably the most permissive host, non-CF individuals continue to play a key role in transmission networks and may facilitate long-distance transmission.Funding for this work was provided by The Wellcome Trust (investigator award no. 107032/Z/15/Z to R.A.F.), Fondation Botnar (Programme grant no. 6063) and the UK CF Trust (Innovation Hub award no. 001; Strategic Research Centre award no. 010). M.S., N.A.H. and R.M.D. acknowledge the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for funding

Spectacles of intimacy? Mapping the moral landscape of teenage social media

This paper explores young people's expressed concerns about privacy in the context of a highly mediated cultural environment, mapping social media practices against axes of visibility and participation. Drawing on interdisciplinary conceptual resources from both the humanities and social sciences, we use ‘spectacles of intimacy’ to conceptualise breaches of privacy, mapping an emergent moral landscape for young people that moves beyond concerns with e-safety to engage with the production and circulation of audiences and value. The paper draws on data from a methodological innovation project using multi-media and mixed methods to capture lived temporalities for children and young people. We present a model that captures a moral landscape shaped by emotional concerns about social media, the affordances of those media and affective discourses emerging from young people's use of the media

Anomalies in T cell function are associated with individuals at risk of mycobacterium abscessus complex infection

The increasing global incidence and prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection is of growing concern. New evidence of person-to-person transmission of multidrug-resistant NTM adds to the global concern. The reason why certain individuals are at risk of NTM infections is unknown. Using high definition flow cytometry, we studied the immune profiles of two groups that are at risk of Mycobacterium abscessus complex infection and matched controls. The first group was cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and the second group was elderly individuals. CF individuals with active M. abscessus complex infection or a history of M. abscessus complex infection exhibited a unique surface T cell phenotype with a marked global deficiency in TNFa production during mitogen stimulation. Importantly, immune-based signatures were identified that appeared to predict at baseline the subset of CF individuals who were at risk of M. abscessus complex infection. In contrast, elderly individuals with M. abscessus complex infection exhibited a separate T cell phenotype underlined by the presence of exhaustion markers and dysregulation in type 1 cytokine release during mitogen stimulation. Collectively, these data suggest an association between T cell signatures and individuals at risk of M. abscessus complex infection, however, validation of these immune anomalies as robust biomarkers will require analysis on larger patient cohorts

A new spallation mechanism of thermal barrier coatings and a generalized mechanical model

Multilayer thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems typically consist of three layers of materials: A thermal barrier top coat (TC), a thermally-grown oxide (TGO), and a bond coat (BC) in addition to the substrate. Local strain energy concentrations, called ‘pockets of energy concentration (PECs)’ in this work, often occur around the interface between the TGO and the BC. They have various causes, including local phase changes, and non-uniform creep and plastic relaxation. It is discovered that both PECs and buckling drive the spallation of a TBC in a new spallation mechanism. A PEC-based mechanical model is developed that describes, explains and predicts how blisters nucleate in a TBC under constant biaxial compressive residual stress, steadily and then unsteadily grow, and finally spall off. Two conditions are established for the occurrence of TBC spallation, which depend on the compressive residual strain energy density in the TC and the TGO, and the interface fracture toughness. Experimental validation of the model was performed using aircraft jet engine turbine blades with electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) TBCs. The predictions from the developed PEC-based mechanical model for the radii of spallation in the TBC are in a good agreement with experiment results