Prenatal vitamin D deficiency is widely reported and may affect perinatal outcomes. In this secondary analysis of the UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial, we examined vitamin D status and its relationship with selected pregnancy outcomes in women with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) from multi-ethnic inner-city settings in the UK. Determinants of vitamin D status at a mean of 17 ± 1 weeks’ gestation were assessed using multivariable linear regression and reported as percent differences in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Associations between 25(OH)D and clinical outcomes were examined using logistic regression. Among 1089 participants, 67 % had 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l and 26 % had concentrations < 25 nmol/l. In fully adjusted models accounting for socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, 25(OH)D was lower among women of Black (% difference = −33; 95 % CI: −39, −27), Asian (% difference = −43; 95 % CI: −51, −35) and other non-White (% difference = −26; 95 % CI: −35, −14) ethnicity compared with women of White ethnicity (n 1086; P < 0·001 for all). In unadjusted analysis, risk of gestational diabetes was greater in women with 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l compared with ≥ 50 nmol/l (OR = 1·58; 95 % CI: 1·09, 2·31), but the magnitude of effect estimates was attenuated in the multivariable model (OR = 1·33; 95 % CI: 0·88, 2·00). There were no associations between 25(OH)D and risk of preeclampsia, preterm birth or small for gestational age or large-for-gestational-age delivery. These findings demonstrate low 25(OH)D among pregnant women with obesity and highlight ethnic disparities in vitamin D status in the UK. However, evidence for a greater risk of adverse perinatal outcomes among women with vitamin D deficiency was limited.

The ASACUSA (atomic spectroscopy and collisions using slow antiprotons) Cusp experiment requires the production of dense positron plasmas with a high repetition rate to produce a beam of antihydrogen. In this work, details of the positron production apparatus used for the first observation of the antihydrogen beam, and subsequent measurements, are described in detail. This apparatus replaced the previous compact trap design resulting in an improvement in the positron accumulation rate by a factor of $52\pm 3$.

Methods for reducing the radius, temperature and space charge of a non-neutral plasma are usually reported for conditions which approximate an ideal Penning Malmberg trap. Here, we show that (i) similar methods are still effective under surprisingly adverse circumstances: we perform strong drive regime (SDR) compression and SDREVC in a strong magnetic mirror field using only 3 out of 4 rotating wall petals. In addition, we demonstrate (ii) an alternative to SDREVC, using e-kick instead of evaporative cooling (EVC) and (iii) an upper limit for how much plasma can be cooled to $T<20\ \mathrm {K}$ using EVC. This limit depends on the space charge, not on the number of particles or the plasma density.

Supermassive stars have been proposed as the solution to a number of longstanding problems in globular cluster formation. The hypothetical stars have been suggested as potential polluters responsible for the observed chemical peculiarities within those clusters. In recent hydrodynamic simulations, we have demonstrated that accretion discs around such stars are stable even with large stellar accretion and flyby rates and produce H2O kilomasers. We propose that the W1 kilomaser, associated with a super star cluster in the starburst galaxy NGC 253, may arise in an accretion disc around a supermassive star with a mass of around 4000 Mʘ.

Four experiments examine how lack of awareness of inequality affect behaviour towards the rich and poor. In Experiment 1, participants who became aware that wealthy individuals donated a smaller percentage of their income switched from rewarding the wealthy to rewarding the poor. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants who played a public goods game – and were assigned incomes reflective of the US income distribution either at random or on merit – punished the poor (for small absolute contributions) and rewarded the rich (for large absolute contributions) when incomes were unknown; when incomes were revealed, participants punished the rich (for their low percentage of income contributed) and rewarded the poor (for their high percentage of income contributed). In Experiment 4, participants provided with public education contributions for five New York school districts levied additional taxes on mostly poorer school districts when incomes were unknown, but targeted wealthier districts when incomes were revealed. These results shed light on how income transparency shapes preferences for equity and redistribution. We discuss implications for policy-makers.

Several application modes and methods (schemes) of using herbicides are available to control undesirable vegetation on electric transmission line rights-of-way (ROW). Preferential use of a management scheme can be based on its cost effectiveness, i.e., degree of vegetation control and treatment cost. A treatment that increases/maintains desirable plants, decreases/maintains undesirable plants, and has relatively low cost, can be considered cost effective. Three common herbicides, 2,4-D, picloram and triclopyr, were applied in the field to test treatment mode (selective and nonselective) and method (cut stump, basal, and stem-foliar) effects on cost effectiveness during initial clearing and first and second conversion cycles on one electric transmission line ROW in Upstate New York. Clear or selective cutting with no herbicide was most cost effective during initial clearing. Nonselective and selective stem-foliar schemes were most cost effective during the first and second conversion cycles, respectively.

We have recently identified a young, very red (J − Ks = 2.47 mag) late L-type companion at 8.06” ± 0.03” (~102 AU) from a previously unrecognized M dwarf. We determined the parallactic distance of the system to be 12.7±1.0 pc. Non-detection of lithium and the kinematics of the primary allowed us to constrain the age of the system in the range of 150–300 Myr. By comparison with theoretical evolutionary models we derived a mass of 73+20−15MJup for the primary, at around the substellar mass regime and 11.2+9.7−1.8MJup for the secondary, near the deuterium burning mass limit.

Over the past two decades Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has appeared as a major public health threat. We performed a retrospective study based on the records of patients hospitalized for CDI at the University Hospital in Krakow, Poland, between 2008 and 2014. In the study period, CDI occurred in 1009 individuals. There were 790 (78%) individuals who developed infection only once, whereas 219 (22%) developed infection more than once. The percentage of deaths within 14 days of CDI confirmation was 2·4%, with a mean age of 74·2 ± 15·9 years. Crude mortality was 12·9% in medical wards, 5·6% for surgical wards and 27·7% in the ICU setting. The time span between diagnosis and death was 5·1 days on average. Between 2008 and 2012 a 6·5-fold increase of CDI frequency with a posterior stabilization and even reduction in 2013 and 2014 was observed. According to the data analysed, 2/3 patients in our population developed CDI during their hospitalization even though they were admitted for different reasons. Medical wards pose a significantly higher risk of CDI than the surgical ones. Age is a risk factor for CDI recurrence. In the case of patients who died, death occurred shortly after diagnosis. The first CDI episode poses much higher risk of mortality than the consecutive ones.

Amniotic fluid (AF) is important for the establishment of maternal behaviour in inexperienced ewes, but its role in experienced mothers remains to be studied. Here, the maintenance of post-partum maternal responsiveness and the establishment of exclusive bonding was investigated in multiparous ewes when AF was removed from the neonate or/and physical contact with the young was precluded for the first 4 h post partum. Maintenance of maternal responsiveness and establishment of exclusive bonding were measured by the proportion of mothers accepting their own lamb and alien lambs that had been either washed or not washed, and by comparing an acceptance score for each type of lamb. The acceptance score was computed by summing standardised variables of acceptance (low bleats, acceptance at udder, nursing and licking time) and subtracting standardised variables of rejection (high-pitched bleats, rejection at the udder and aggressive behaviour). Washing the neonate reduced its acceptance score, but the proportion of mothers rejecting their own lamb was reduced only when washing the neonate and prevention of physical contact for 4 h were combined (7/15 v. 0/10 in controls, P = 0.02). In addition, washing the neonate increased the acceptance score of the washed alien lamb, but not of the unwashed alien. However, washing and privation of physical contact did not increase significantly the proportion of mothers accepting an alien lamb at 4 h post partum. We conclude that AF is important in experienced ewes for the establishment of maternal responsiveness, as already found in primiparous mothers. In addition, our results indicate that AF also carries some chemosensory information facilitating exclusive bonding.

Searches for planets around massive stars are essential for developing general understanding of planet formation and evolution of planetary systems. The main objective of the PSU-TCfA Search for Planets around Evolved Stars is detection of planets around G-K subgiants and giants through highly accurate radial velocity (RV) measurements using an iodine absorption cell on the HET HRS spectrograph. However, the long-period radial velocity variations of red giants may also have other causes than planets (e.g. non-radial pulsations or rotational modulation in the presence of starspots). In this work, for the second red giant with planets found in our survey, HD 102272, we present bisector analysis of cross-correlation functions (CCF) constructed from the spectra used for radial velocity determination but cleaned from the iodine lines.

We present a method for the analysis of radial velocity (RV) measurements, in the context of searching for planets around chromospherically active stars. We assume that the observed RV signal is induced by the reflex motion of the star as well as by distortions of spectral line profiles, measured by the Bisector Velocity Span (BVS). The RVs are fitted with a Keplerian planetary model complemented by a correction term that is linearly dependent on the BVS. The BVS represents the stellar activity contribution to the observed RV. The coefficient of this linear dependence is an additional free parameter of the model. This approach differs from methods in the literature, which make usage of the BVS measurements before or after fitting the planetary model. We test the method on a simulated data set of a 1-planet configuration. The results are compared with the outcomes of algorithms found in the literature.

We analyze simultaneous radio-X-ray data of Cygnus X-l from the Ryle telescope (RT) and RXTE over more than 4 a. We show that apparent correlations on short time scales in the lightcurves of Cyg X-l are probably the coincidental outcome of white noise statistics.

As a measure of correlation between radio and X-ray emission, we calculate the maximum cross-correlation coefficient, ccf, of simultaneous radio and X-ray lightcurves, which are rebinned to a resolution of 32 s and smoothed. Every single X-ray lightcurve segment is cross-correlated with the corresponding radio lightcurve, up to a maximum shift Δt = ±10 h.

We used single crystals of GaN, obtained from high-pressure synthesis, as substrates for Metalorganics Vapor Phase Epitaxy growth of violet and UV laser diodes. The use of high-quality bulk GaN leads to the decrease of the dislocation density to the low level of 105 cm−2, i.e. two orders of magnitude better than typical for the Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth laser structures fabricated on sapphire. The low density and homogeneous distribution of defects in our structures enables the realization of broad stripe laser diodes. We demonstrate that our laser diodes, having 15 μm wide stripes, are able to emit 1.3-1.9 W per facet (50% reflectivity) in 30 ns long pulses. This result, which is among the best ever reported for nitride lasers, opens the path for the development of a new generation of high power laser diodes.

Summary

Background and objective: Remifentanil has unique pharmacokinetics that might allow faster recovery after neurosurgery. We investigated the effects of a propofol/sufentanil versus a remifentanil/propofol regimen on the primary end-point tracheal extubation time.

Methods: In the Neurosurgery Department of a University Hospital, 36 patients awaiting craniotomy for supratentorial tumour resection were randomly assigned to one of two study groups. In the sufentanil/propofol group, anaesthesia was induced with 0.5 μg kg−1 sufentanil and 1–2 mg kg−1 propofol. Propofol infusion and boluses of sufentanil were administered for maintenance. In the remifentanil/propofol group, anaesthesia was started with an infusion of remifentanil (0.2–0.35 μg kg−1 min−1) and a bolus of propofol (1.5–2 mg kg−1). Patients received a propofol infusion and a remifentanil infusion for maintenance of anaesthesia. Recovery times were taken from cessation of the propofol infusion. In addition, data about self-reported nausea and vomiting, pain and analgesic requirements were collected.

Results: Patients in the remifentanil/propofol group were extubated earlier (mean times 6.4 (±SD 4.7) versus 14.3 (±9.2) min; P = 0.003). The two groups were similar with respect to postoperative nausea and vomiting, and patient-reported pain scores. Fifty per cent of the remifentanil/propofol patients and 88% of the sufentanil/propofol patients required no analgesics within 1 h after operation (P= 0.03).

Conclusions: The remifentanil/propofol regimen provided quicker recovery. The two regimens were similar in terms of postoperative nausea and vomiting and patient-reported pain scores, but patients in the remifentanil/propofol group required more analgesics within 1 h postoperatively.

Time-variant filters based on Calderón and Gabor reproducing formulas are important tools in time-frequency analysis. The paper studies the behavior of the eigenvalues of these filters. Optimal two-sided estimates of the number of eigenvalues contained in the interval $(\delta_1,\delta_2)$ , where $0<\delta_1<\delta_2<1$ , are obtained. The estimates cover large classes of localization domains and generating functions.

Many studies with fin fish have demonstrated the potential to use alternative dietary protein sources to fish meal based on growth responses, although these trials mostly neglect to determine if such protein sources affect immune function. This study investigated the effect of fish meal replacement with dehulled lupin meal (LPN) or hydrolysed poultry feather meal (FTH). Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) parr were supplied isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets with 40% of the dietary protein provided by LPN or FTH, or 400 g/kg of the dietary protein provided equally by LPN and FTH (MIX). A diet mainly containing fish-meal protein acted as a control (CON). Growth, immune function, blood chemistry and disease resistance were assessed after 56 days. Significant differences (P < 0·05) in weight gain were detected between Atlantic salmon given the CON and FTH diets, whilst those salmon given LPN and MIX did not differ from any other. Productive protein values were significantly lower (P < 0·01) for salmon on FTH compared with those on CON and MIX. Immune function (as assessed by lysozyme, antiprotease, neutrophil oxygen radical production and plasma total immunoglobulin) and blood chemistry (as assessed by plasma total protein and glucose) were not significantly (P > 0·05) affected by any diet. Mortality rates of Atlantic salmon challenged with Vibrio anguillarum were not influenced by diet. These data suggest Atlantic salmon could be supplied diets with the fish meal component reduced to supply approximately 600 g/kg of the total protein, with the remaining 400 g/kg supplied by dehulled lupin meal or a combined dehulled lupin and hydrolysed poultry feather meal without any adverse effects on growth, immune function or blood chemistry.