Do early-life exposures explain why more advantaged children get eczema? Findings from the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study

Background: Atopic dermatitis (eczema) in childhood is socially patterned, with higher incidence in more advantaged populations. However, it is unclear what factors explain the social differences. Objectives: To identify early-life risk factors for eczema, and to explore how early-life risk factors explain any differences in eczema. Methods: We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for ever having had eczema by age 5 years in 14 499 children from the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), with a focus on maternal, antenatal and early-life risk factors and socioeconomic circumstances (SECs). Risk factors were explored to assess whether they attenuated associations between SECs and eczema. Results: Overall 35·1% of children had ever had eczema by age 5 years. Children of mothers with degree-level qualifications vs. no educational qualifications were more likely to have eczema (OR 1·52, 95% confidence interval 1·31–1·76), and there was a gradient across the socioeconomic spectrum. Maternal atopy, breastfeeding (1–6 weeks and ≥ 6 months), introduction of solids under 4 months or cow's milk under 9 months, antibiotic exposure in the first year of life and grime exposure were associated with an increased odds of having eczema. Female sex, Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnicity, smoking during pregnancy, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and having more siblings were associated with reduced odds for eczema. Controlling for maternal, antenatal and early-life characteristics (particularly maternal smoking during pregnancy, breastfeeding and number of siblings) reduced the OR for eczema to 1·26 (95% confidence interval 1·03–1·50) in the group with the highest educational qualifications compared with the least. Conclusions: In a representative U.K. child cohort, eczema was more common in more advantaged children. This was explained partially by early-life factors including not smoking during pregnancy, breastfeeding and having fewer siblings

Experiences, causes, and measures to tackle institutional incongruence and informal economic activity in South-East Europe

To explain the prevalence and persistence of informal economic activity globally, scholars have recently advanced an institutional incongruence perspective. Institutional incongruence exists where there is a misalignment between what is considered legitimate by a society’s formal institutions (e.g. its laws and regulations) and its informal institutions (e.g. norms, values and beliefs). Reporting findings from a series of qualitative focus groups in Bulgaria, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this paper explores relationships between such institutional incongruence and informal economic activity. In particular, it sheds light on how informality and institutional incongruence are experienced by individuals in South-East Europe. It furthermore provides insights on the causes of such incongruence, and how it can lead to informal economic activity. Finally, it reports on individuals’ perceptions towards different measures to tackle institutional incongruence and informal economic activity, with implications for policy makers in South-East Europe and more widely

Precalving Distribution and Abundance of Barren-Ground Caribou on the Northeastern Mainland of the Northwest Territories

An aerial survey with about 5% coverage of the northeastern mainland, Northwest Territories (342,000 sq. km.) was conducted 5-10 May 1983. We estimated there were 120,000 ± 13,900 caribou (0.35 ± 0.041 caribou/sq km) in the study area. Mean caribou group size ranged from 6 to 11 among nine strata and was correlated (r = 0.81) with stratum caribou density. We found four regions of high caribou density. Three regions coincided with the calving grounds of previously defined herds, the Melville, Wager, and Lorillard, and the fourth suggests a discrete population in the previously unsurveyed area south of the Queen Maud Gulf.Key words: caribou, aerial survey, Rangifer, distribution, abundance, northeastern Northwest TerritoriesMots clés: caribou, inventaire aérien, Rangifer, distribution, abondance, nord-est des Territoires du Nord-Oues

Emerging perspectives on environmental burden minimisation initiatives from anaerobic digestion technologies for community scale biomass valorisation

This paper provides an extensive review of anaerobic digestion (AD) systems, with a specific focus on community scale digesters for urban applications, processing either municipal organic waste exclusively or as mix feed. Emphasis is placed on reducing the systems scale environmental impact of AD technologies, including pre- and post-treatment stages, alongside biogas production. Developments to-date in AD system research in Europe and in the Asia region have been compared, providing a comprehensive evaluation of current practice, elucidating the areas of further potentials. The scope of this review is two-fold – one, covering AD technologies including a cohort of simple and integrated wet and dry systems, which can be operated as continuous flow designs in single- or multi-stages. Two, focusing more on practices in digestate handling that minimise environmental impacts arising from their storage and land application. From an environmental perspective, we note the following trends emerging in the literature for processing urban waste that need further exploitation: dry AD (60-85% moisture) is suitable for low organic loads, mainly owing to resource savings in terms of water usage; co-digestion has shown better buffering capability, especially for two-stage digestion of food-based feed stocks; separating the digestate into liquid/solid fractions is effective for handling post-digestion emissions, mainly for mitigating ammonia volatilisation to air and phosphate leaching to soil. We report responses to a survey, conducted for this review, highlighting the contemporary issues and challenges - with particular focus on the operational, social and management issues from an Indian perspective. There is need for follow-up of running plants to ensure their environmental performance. Such initiatives will have to consider managing of pollution footprints from AD, alongside the current drive for its widespread implementation for two incentives: greenhouse gas mitigation and fossil-fuel independence

Method for analysing phosphate 18O/16O ratios for waters with high C:P ratios

In this report we outline a method to isolate phosphate as pure Ag3PO4 for waters with high C:P ratios for 18O analysis. This report details a method that can be used to minimise residual organic contamination of the final Ag3PO4, therefore significantly reducing uncertainties in the final interpretation of 18O results. This includes the use of column resins in series to (i) remove the majority of dissolved organic carbon and (ii) isolate/pre-concentrate PO4. This is followed by the use of a modified McLaughlin et al (2004) method for PO4 precipitation, with an additional final hydrogen peroxide clean-up step to remove residual organic matter following precipitation of Ag3PO4. The reagents required for this method are first listed, and then a step-by-step account of the process is outlined. Importantly, it contains adequate detail to be used by other researchers in this field or modified to suit their particular research objectives

The response to high magnetic fields of the vacuum phototriodes for the compact muon solenoid endcap electromagnetic calorimeter

The endcap electromagnetic calorimeter of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detects particles with the dense fast scintillator lead tungstate (PbWO4). Due to the low light yield of this scintillator photodetectors with internal gain are required. Silicon avalanche photodiodes cannot be used in the endcap region due to the intense neutron flux. Following an extensive R&D programme 26 mm diameter single-stage photomultipliers (vacuum phototriodes) have been chosen as the photodetector in the endcap region. The first 1400 production devices are currently being evaluated following recent tests of a pre-production batch of 500 tubes. Tubes passing our acceptance tests have responses, averaged over the angular acceptance of the endcap calorimeter, corresponding to the range 20 to 55 electrons per MeV deposited in PbWO4. These phototriodes operate, with a typical gain of 10, in magnetic fields up to 4T.PPARC, EC(INTAS-CERN scheme 99-424

The role of science in physical natural hazard assessment : report to the UK Government by the Natural Hazard Working Group

Following the tragic Asian tsunami on 26 December 2004, the Prime Minister asked the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King, to convene a group of experts (the Natural Hazard Working Group) to advise on the mechanisms that could and should be established for the detection and early warning of global physical natural hazards. 2. The Group was asked to examine physical hazards which have high global or regional impact and for which an appropriate early warning system could be put in place. It was also asked to consider the global natural hazard frameworks currently in place and under development and their effectiveness in using scientific evidence; to consider whether there is an existing appropriate international body to pull together the international science community to advise governments on the systems that need to be put in place, and to advise on research needed to fill current gaps in knowledge. The Group was asked to make recommendations on whether a new body was needed, or whether other arrangements would be more effective