An ecological role for assortative mating under infection?

ReviewThis is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.Wildlife diseases are emerging at a higher rate than ever before meaning that understanding their potential impacts is essential, especially for those species and populations that may already be of conservation concern. The link between population genetic structure and the resistance of populations to disease is well understood: high genetic diversity allows populations to better cope with environmental changes, including the outbreak of novel diseases. Perhaps following this common wisdom, numerous empirical and theoretical studies have investigated the link between disease and disassortative mating patterns, which can increase genetic diversity. Few however have looked at the possible link between disease and the establishment of assortative mating patterns. Given that assortative mating can reduce genetic variation within a population thus reducing the adaptive potential and long-term viability of populations, we suggest that this link deserves greater attention, particularly in those species already threatened by a lack of genetic diversity. Here, we summarise the potential broad scale genetic implications of assortative mating patterns and outline how infection by pathogens or parasites might bring them about. We include a review of the empirical literature pertaining to disease-induced assortative mating. We also suggest future directions and methodological improvements that could advance our understanding of how the link between disease and mating patterns influences genetic variation and long-term population viability.Funding was provided by Marie Curie Fellowship and NERC PhD Studentship

Technical report on the enhancement of Millennium Cohort Study data with linked electronic health records; derivation of consent weights

This document applies to the preparation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Wellcome Trust Data Linkage Project regarding the definition of consent weights for linkage to electronic health records between routinely collected data and data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS)

Biofilm Origin of Clay-Coated Sand Grains

The presence of clay-sized particles and clay minerals in modern sands and ancient sandstones has long presented an interesting problem, because primary depositional processes tend to lead to physical separation of fine- and coarse-grained materials. Numerous processes have been invoked to explain the common presence of clay minerals in sandstones, including infiltration, the codeposition of flocculated muds, and bioturbation-induced sediment mixing. How and why clay minerals form as grain coats at the site of deposition remains uncertain, despite clay-coated sand grains being of paramount importance for subsequent diagenetic sandstone properties. We have identified a new biofilm mechanism that explains clay material attachment to sand grain surfaces that leads to the production of detrital clay coats. This study focuses on a modern estuary using a combination of field work, scanning electron microscopy, petrography, biomarker analysis, and Raman spectroscopy to provide evidence of the pivotal role that biofilms play in the formation of clay-coated sand grains. This study shows that within modern marginal marine systems, clay coats primarily result from adhesive biofilms. This bio-mineral interaction potentially revolutionizes the understanding of clay-coated sand grains and offers a first step to enhanced reservoir quality prediction in ancient and deeply buried sandstones

Engaging Families in Weight Management

Purpose: Approximately 50% of families who initiate a weight management programme (WMP) will not complete. It is fundamental to understand why participants initiate and complete a programme, and to ensure that programmes are effectively designed and delivered. This study examined the reasoning for family (young person and parent) engagement in three different and diverse WMPs. Methods: A multiple instrumental case study approach was employed. Three community-based WMPs participated: MoreLife, SHINE, and Weigh to Go. Clear design and implementation differences existed between WMPs. Multiple WMPs were recruited to examine the generalisability of research findings, and extract key features associated with participant engagement. Thirty families took part (~10 per programme). Data were collected early in the programme (0-2 weeks) and immediately after completion or dropout (within two weeks). Young people took part in a Participatory Action Research (PAR) session (interactive activities to generate meaningful information), and parents completed semi-structured interviews. A deductive line of inquiry was used; questions were based upon participant characteristics, environmental interactions, psychological processes and programme interactions. Interview data was transcribed verbatim and analysed alongside the PAR data using content and thematic analysis (themes presented in italics). Results: Preliminary findings indicate that families often engage in a WMP for non-weight related reasons. Such reasons include: management of mental health, to improve self -esteem, and to create friendships. Families remain in a WMP when: the programme suits their needs, they fit in amongst other participants, strong relationships are fostered with staff, and have strong support networks. Numerous families completing programmes prioritised WMP attendance above other leisure activities, and had plans in place to ensure they could attend each session. Low engagement was due to situational factors (e.g. logistic barriers [transport, timing…]) rather than programme dissatisfaction. Conclusions: Families attend community-based WMPs for reasons beyond weight management. Additionally, the families identified unique WMP features (e.g. maintenance programmes and non-clinical staff) which encourage programme attendance. Such features can be replicated in multiple, diverse settings. Understanding participant engagement is critical to designing and implementing efficacious WMPs

Using functional data analysis to understand daily activity levels and patterns in primary school-aged children: Cross-sectional analysis of a UK-wide study

Temporal characterisation of physical activity in children is require df oreffectivs strategie sto increase physical activity(PA)

The impact of maternal employment on breast-feeding duration in the UK Millennium Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of maternal employment characteristics, day care arrangements and the type of maternity leave pay to breast-feeding for at least 4 months. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Babies aged 9 months in the Millennium Cohort Study, born between September 2000 and January 2002. SUBJECTS: A total of 6917 British/Irish white employed mothers with singleton babies. RESULTS: Mothers employed part-time or self-employed were more likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months than those employed full-time (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30 (1.17-1.44) and 1.74 (1.46-2.07), respectively). The longer a mother delayed her return to work postpartum, the more likely she was to breast-feed for at least 4 months (P for trend < 0.001). Mothers were less likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months if they returned to work for financial reasons (aRR 0.86, 95% CI 0.80-0.93) or used informal day care arrangements rather than care by themselves or their partner (aRR 0.81, 95% CI 0.71-0.91). Mothers were more likely to breastfeed for at least 4 months if their employer offered family-friendly (aRR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02-1.27) or flexible work arrangements (aRR 1.24, 95% CI 1.00-1.55), or they received Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) plus additional pay during their maternity leave rather than SMP alone (aRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.26). These findings were independent of confounding factors, such as socio-economic status and maternal education. CONCLUSIONS: Current policies may encourage mothers to enter or return to employment postpartum, but this may result in widening inequalities in breast-feeding and persistence of low rates. Policies should aim to increase financial support and incentives for employers to offer supportive work arrangements

Seasonal variation in accelerometer-determined sedentary behaviour and physical activity in children: a review

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Wellcome Trust (grant 084686/Z/08/A).CR was funded by this grant.The Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics is supported in part by the Medical Research Council in its capacity as the MRC Centre of Epidemiology for Child Health.Research at the UCL, Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children receives a proportion of the funding from the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme

Environmental influences on children’s physical activity

This paper aims to assess whether7-year-olds’physical activity is associated with familyand area-level measures of the physical andsocioeconomic environments.MethodsWe analysed the association of environmentswith physical activity in 6497 singleton children from theUK Millennium Cohort Study with reliable accelerometerdata (≥2 days and≥10 h/day). Activity levels wereassessed as counts per minute; minutes of moderate tovigorous activity (MVPA); and whether meetingrecommended guidelines (≥60 min/day MVPA).ResultsHigher levels of children’s physical activity wereassociated with households without use of a car andwith having a television in a child’s bedroom (for countsper minute only). Aspects of the home socioeconomicenvironment that were associated with more children’sphysical activity were lone motherhood, lower maternalsocioeconomic position and education, family incomebelow 60% national median, and not owning the home.Children’s activity levels were higher when parentsperceived their neighbourhood as poor for bringing upchildren and also when families were living in the mostdeprived areas. Relationships were independent ofcharacteristics such as child’s body mass index andethnic group. When adjusted for physical andsocioeconomic correlates, the factors remainingsignificant in all outcomes were: household car usageand maternal education.ConclusionsAlthough physical and socioeconomicenvironments are associated with children’s physicalactivity, much of the variation appears to be determinedby the child’s home socioeconomic circumstances ratherthan the wider environment where they live

Clay coated sand grains in petroleum reservoirs: understanding their distribution via a modern analogue

Clay-coated grains can inhibit ubiquitous, porosity-occluding quartz cement in deeply buried sandstones and thus lead to anomalously high porosity. A moderate amount of clay that is distributed as grain coats is good for reservoir quality in deeply buried sandstones. Being able to predict the distribution of clay-coated sand grains in petroleum reservoirs is thus important to help find and exploit anomalously good reservoir quality. Here we have adopted a high-resolution, analogue approach, using the Ravenglass Estuary marginal-shallow marine system, in NW England, U.K. Extensive geomorphic mapping, grain-size analysis, and bioturbation-intensity counts were linked to a range of scanning electron microscopy techniques to characterize the distribution and origin of clay-coated sand grains in surface sediment. Our work shows that grain coats are common in this marginal–shallow marine system, but they are heterogeneously distributed as a function of grain size, clay fraction, and depositional facies. The distribution and characteristics of detrital-clay-coated grains can be predicted with knowledge of specific depositional environment, clay fraction percentage, and grain size. The most extensive detrital-clay-coated grains are found in sediment composed of fine-grained sand containing 3.5 to 13.0% clay fraction, associated with inner-estuary tidal-flat facies. Thus, against common convention, the work presented here suggests that, in deeply buried prospects, the best porosity might be found in fine-grained, clay-bearing inner-tidal-flat-facies sands and not in coarse, clean channel-fill and bar facies

Estrogens and aspects of prostate disease

Estrogens have long been associated with the processes involved in prostate carcinogenesis, particularly in cancer suppression. However, the synergistic influence of low concentrations of estrogens, together with androgens, in promoting aberrant growth of the gland has also been recognized. As new insights into the complex molecular events implicated in growth regulation of the prostate are revealed, the role of the estrogens has become clearer. The present review considers this role in relation to the pathogenesis of prostate cancer and the potential cancer-repressive influence of the dietary estrogens