This population-based cohort study examines the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in South Carolina via aggregated pharmacy claims data matched with diagnosis codes from medical claims. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing decreased from 30.2% in 2012 to 22.6% in 2017 (P < 0.001) and was more common in adults >40 years old.

The ESA/KU Leuven CubeSpec mission is specifically designed to provide low-cost space-based high-resolution optical spectroscopy. Here we highlight the science requirements and capabilities of CubeSpec. The primary science goal is to perform pulsation mode identification from spectroscopic line profile variability and empower asteroseismology of massive stars.

In this cross-sectional population-based study, women had significantly higher crude incidence rates of both community-associated Clostridioides difficile infection (CA-CDI) and ambulatory antibiotic prescriptions compared to men in South Carolina in 2015. After adjustments for antibiotic prescription rates, there was no difference in the incidence rates of CA-CDI between the genders.

Brominated flame retardants (BFR) are primarily used as flame retardant additives in insulating materials. These lipophilic compounds can bioaccumulate in animal tissues, leading to human exposure via food ingestion. Although their concentration in food is not yet regulated, several of these products are recognised as persistent organic pollutants; they are thought to act as endocrine disruptors. The present study aimed to characterise the occurrence of two families of BFRs (hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)) in hen eggs and broiler or pig meat in relation to their rearing environments. Epidemiological studies were carried out on 60 hen egg farms (34 without an open-air range, 26 free-range), 57 broiler farms (27 without an open-air range, 30 free-range) and 42 pig farms without an open-air range in France from 2013 to 2015. For each farm, composite samples from either 12 eggs, five broiler pectoral muscles or three pig tenderloins were obtained. Eight PBDE congeners and three HBCDD stereoisomers were quantified in product fat using gas chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry, or high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. The frequencies of PBDE detection were 28% for eggs (median concentration 0.278 ng/g fat), 72% for broiler muscle (0.392 ng/g fat) and 49% for pig muscle (0.403 ng/g fat). At least one HBCDD stereoisomer was detected in 17% of eggs (0.526 ng/g fat), 46% of broiler muscle (0.799 ng/g fat) and 36% of pig muscle (0.616 ng/g fat). Results were similar in concentration to those obtained in French surveillance surveys from 2012 to 2016. Nevertheless, the contamination of free-range eggs and broilers was found to be more frequent than that of conventional ones, suggesting that access to an open-air range could be an additional source of exposure to BFRs for animals. However, the concentration of BFRs in all products remained generally very low. No direct relationship could be established between the occurrence of BFRs in eggs and meat and the characteristics of farm buildings (age, building materials). The potential presence of BFRs in insulating materials is not likely to constitute a significant source of animal exposure as long as the animals do not have direct access to these materials.

The Belgian Repository of fundamental Atomic data and Stellar Spectra (BRASS) aims to provide one of the largest systematic and homogeneous quality assessment to date of literature atomic data required for stellar spectroscopy. By comparing state-of-the-art synthetic spectrum calculations with extremely high-quality observed benchmark spectra, we have critically evaluated fundamental atomic data, such as line wavelengths and oscillator strengths, for thousands of astrophysically-relevant transitions found in the literature and across several major atomic data repositories. These proceedings provide a short overview of the BRASS project to date, highlighting our recent efforts to investigate and quality-assess the atomic literature data pertaining to over a thousand atomic transitions present in FGK-type stellar spectra. BRASS provides all quality assessed data, theoretical spectra, and observed spectra in a new interactive database under development at brass.sdf.org.

We present ALMA band 7 data of the extreme OH/IR star, OH 26.5+0.6. In addition to lines of CO and its isotopologues, the circumstellar envelope also exhibits a number of emission lines due to metal-containing molecules, e.g., NaCl and KCl. A lack of C18O is expected, but a non-detection of C17O is puzzling given the strengths of H217O in Herschel spectra of the star. However, a line associated with Si17O is detected. We also report a tentative detection of a gas-phase emission line of MgS. The ALMA spectrum of this object reveals intriguing features which may be used to investigate chemical processes and dust formation during a high mass-loss phase.

This paper is devoted to dimensional reductions via the norm-resolvent convergence. We derive explicit bounds on the resolvent difference as well as spectral asymptotics. The efficiency of our abstract tool is demonstrated by its application on seemingly different partial differential equation problems from various areas of mathematical physics; all are analysed in a unified manner, known results are recovered and new ones established.

Snow grain-size characterization, its vertical and temporal evolution is a key parameter for the improvement and validation of snow and radiative transfer models (optical and microwave) as well as for remote-sensing retrieval methods. We describe two optical methods, one active and one passive shortwave infrared, for field determination of the specific surface area (SSA) of snow grains. We present a new shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera approach. This new method is compared with a SWIR laser- based system measuring snow albedo with an integrating sphere (InfraRed Integrating Sphere (IRIS)). Good accuracy (10%) and reproducibility in SSA measurements are obtained using the IRIS system on snow samples having densities greater than 200 kg m-3, validated against X-ray microtomography measurements. The SWIRcam approach shows improved sensitivity to snow SSA when compared to a near-infrared camera, giving a better contrast of the snow stratigraphy in a snow pit.

Polar deciduous forests were an important biome during much of the Mesozoic and Paleogene, occupying upwards of 40% of the total land surface. Little is known about their physiological ecology, however, because these types of forests do not exist for study today. Furthermore, the role of high atmospheric CO2 levels in modulating the physiological response of ancient polar forests is poorly known. Here we report detailed measurements of whole-tree net carbon uptake over a full annual cycle for five tree species whose close ancestors were components of Cretaceous and Paleogene polar forests. Measurements were made on both evergreen and deciduous species after two years growth in a simulated Mesozoic polar (69°N) environment at either ambient (400 ppmv) or elevated (800 ppmv) levels of CO2. The deciduous species exhibited a significant pulse in carbon uptake during the late summer and early autumn (August to mid-October) that enabled them to achieve annual carbon budgets similar to those of evergreen trees, despite incurring higher carbon losses through annual leaf shedding. Area-based photosynthetic rates dropped progressively in all species during the polar summer (June to mid-July), resulting in decreases in whole-tree carbon uptake late in the polar summer. The high-CO2-grown trees were more strongly affected by this polar summer depression than the low-CO2-grown trees. Our results indicate that, from a carbon balance perspective, deciduous taxa have no clear advantage over evergreens. Moreover, the seasonal patterns reported here suggest that at latitudes poleward of 69°, evergreens will be even more strongly favored. The consideration of factors not directly related to carbon budgeting is probably therefore required to fully understand the adaptive significance of the deciduous leaf habit in ancient polar forests.

Validation-study data were analysed to investigate retention interval (RI) and prompt effects on the accuracy of fourth-grade children’s reports of school-breakfast and school-lunch (in 24-h recalls), and the accuracy of school-breakfast reports by breakfast location (classroom; cafeteria). Randomly selected fourth-grade children at ten schools in four districts were observed eating school-provided breakfast and lunch, and were interviewed under one of eight conditions created by crossing two RIs (‘short’ – prior-24-hour recall obtained in the afternoon and ‘long’ – previous-day recall obtained in the morning) with four prompts (‘forward’ – distant to recent, ‘meal name’ – breakfast, etc., ‘open’ – no instructions, and ‘reverse’ – recent to distant). Each condition had sixty children (half were girls). Of 480 children, 355 and 409 reported meals satisfying criteria for reports of school-breakfast and school-lunch, respectively. For breakfast and lunch separately, a conventional measure – report rate – and reporting-error-sensitive measures – correspondence rate and inflation ratio – were calculated for energy per meal-reporting child. Correspondence rate and inflation ratio – but not report rate – showed better accuracy for school-breakfast and school-lunch reports with the short RI than with the long RI; this pattern was not found for some prompts for each sex. Correspondence rate and inflation ratio showed better school-breakfast report accuracy for the classroom than for cafeteria location for each prompt, but report rate showed the opposite. For each RI, correspondence rate and inflation ratio showed better accuracy for lunch than for breakfast, but report rate showed the opposite. When choosing RI and prompts for recalls, researchers and practitioners should select a short RI to maximise accuracy. Recommendations for prompt selections are less clear. As report rates distort validation-study accuracy conclusions, reporting-error-sensitive measures are recommended.

It is yet well understood how mass-loss rates from evolved stars depend on metallicities. With a half of the solar metallicity and the distance of only 50 kpc, the evolved stars of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are an ideal target for studying mass loss at low metallicity. We have obtained spectra of red-supergiants in the LMC, using the Hershel Space Observatory, detecting CO thermal lines fro J=6–5 up to 15–14 lines. Modelling CO lines with non-LTE Radiative transfer code suggests that CO lines intensities can be well explained with high gas-to-dust ratio, with no obvious reduction in mass-loss rate at the LMC. We conclude that the luminosities of the stars are primary factors on mass-loss rates, rather than the metallicity.

Aberrant serotonin (5-HT) signalling and exposure to early life stress have both been suggested to play a role in anxiety- and impulsivity-related behaviours. However, whether congenital 5-HT deficiency × early life stress interactions influence the development of anxiety- or impulsivity-like behaviour has not been established. Here, we examined the effects of early life maternal separation (MS) stress on anxiety-like behaviour and behavioural disinhibition, a type of impulsivity-like behaviour, in wild-type (WT) and tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2) knock-in (Tph2KI) mice, which exhibit ∼60–80% reductions in the levels of brain 5-HT due to a R439H mutation in Tph2. We also investigated the effects of 5-HT deficiency and early life stress on adult hippocampal neurogenesis, plasma corticosterone levels and several signal transduction pathways in the amygdala. We demonstrate that MS slightly increases anxiety-like behaviour in WT mice and induces behavioural disinhibition in Tph2KI animals. We also demonstrate that MS leads to a slight decrease in cell proliferation within the hippocampus and potentiates corticosterone responses to acute stress, but these effects are not affected by brain 5-HT deficiency. However, we show that 5-HT deficiency leads to significant alterations in SGK-1 and GSK3β signalling and NMDA receptor expression in the amygdala in response to MS. Together, these findings support a potential role for 5-HT-dependent signalling in the amygdala in regulating the long-term effects of early life stress on anxiety-like behaviour and behavioural disinhibition.

The interaction between stellar winds and the interstellar medium (ISM) can create complex bow shocks. We have studied the bow shock region around Betelgeuse using Herschel PACS images at 70, 100, and 160 μm and SPIRE images at 250, 350, and 500 μm. These data were complemented with ultraviolet GALEX data, near-infrared WISE data, and radio 21 cm GALFA-HI data.

The infrared Herschel images of the environment around Betelgeuse are spectacular, showing the occurrence of multiple arcs at  ~6–7′ from the central target and the presence of a linear bar at  ~9′. Remarkably, no large-scale instabilities are seen in the outer arcs and linear bar. The dust temperature in the outer arcs varies between 40 and 140 K, with the linear bar having the same colour temperature as the arcs. The inner envelope shows clear evidence of a non-homogeneous clumpy structure (beyond 15′′). The non-homogeneous distribution of the material even persists until the collision with the ISM. A strong variation in brightness of the inner clumps at a radius of  ~2′ suggests a drastic change in mean gas and dust density  ~32 000 yr ago. Using hydrodynamical simulations (see van Marle & Decin, these proceedings), we try to explain the observed morphology of the bow shock around Betelgeuse.

Different hypotheses, based on observational and theoretical constraints, are formulated to explain the origin of the multiple arcs and the linear bar and the fact that no large-scale instabilities are visible in the bow shock region. We infer that the two main ingredients for explaining these phenomena are a non-homogeneous mass-loss process and the influence of the Galactic magnetic field. The linear bar is probably an interstellar structure illuminated by Betelgeuse itself.

This paper shows that natural materials such as barks can successfully replace syntheticresins for industrial purposes. Evaluated in batch conditions, biosorption of uranium onsuitably prepared Douglas fir barks took place in less than 10 min and appeared to beoptimum at pH>4. The biosorption process of uranium (uranyl formUO\hbox{$_{\mathrm{\mathbf{2}}}^{\mathrm{\mathbf{2+}}}$}$\begin{array}{}{2}\mathrm{+}\\ {2}\end{array}$)was characterized in the optimal physico-chemical conditions and could be mathematicallymodeled as a Langmuir isotherm. With a maximum uranium specific uptakeqmaxvalue of 1.16 meq.g-1 (138mgU.g-1) it was found that the sorption capability of Douglas fir barks wasat least five times higher for uranium than for other heavy metals such as lead.Adsorption of uranium contained in water leached from a former uranium mine was thenmonitored over a one-month period in a laboratory-scale chromatography column. Thefixation capacity remained fairly constant throughout the whole testing period. Waterradioactivity decreased from 1500 mBq.L-1 (0.12 mgU.L-1) to <5 mBq.L-1(0.4 μ gU.L-1) at the columnexit. This technology was successfully transferred and tested through a pilot projectunder industrial conditions with the support of AREVA NC.

We have chosen the name of GYES, one of the mythological giants with one hundred arms,offspring of Gaia and Uranus, for our instrument study of a multifibre spectrograph forthe prime focus of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Such an instrument could provide anexcellent ground-based complement for the Gaia mission and a northern complement to theHERMES project on the AAT. The CFHT is well known for providing a stable prime focusenvironment, with a large field of view, which has hosted several imaging instruments, buthas never hosted a multifibre spectrograph. Building upon the experience gained at GÉPIwith FLAMES-Giraffe and X-Shooter, we are investigating the feasibility of a highmultiplex spectrograph (about 500 fibres) over a field of view one degree in diameter. Weare investigating an instrument with resolution in the range 15 000 to 30 000, whichshould provide accurate chemical abundances for stars down to 16th magnitude and radialvelocities, accurate to 1 km s-1 for fainter stars. The study is led byGÉPI-Observatoire de Paris with a contribution from Oxford for the study of thepositioner. The financing for the study comes from INSU CSAA and Observatoire de Paris.The conceptual study will be delivered to CFHT for review by October 1st 2010.

During the five years of the mission, the Gaia spectrograph, the Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) will repeatedly survey the celestial sphere down to magnitude V ~ 17–18. This talk presents: (i) the system which is currently developed within the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) to reduce and calibrate the spectra and to derive the radial and rotational velocities, (ii) the RVS expected performances and (iii) scientific returns.

The calibration of the Radial Velocity Zero-Point (RVZP) of the Radial VelocitySpectrometer (RVS) will be performed with the help of Radial Velocity (RV) standard starsand asteroids. A full-sky list of RV standard stars candidates has been built for thispurpose within the Development Unit (DU) 640 of the Gaia DPAC Consortium. A ground-basedcampaign of RV observations has been initiated to eliminate unsuitable candidates.Simulations have also been performed in order to estimate in advance the number of RVstandard stars and asteroids crossing the RVS field of view. These standard stars andasteroids will also be very helpful for controlling any harmful effect (especially the CCDradiation damage) on calibration and RVZP during the lifetime of the Gaia project.Kinematic RV are expected to be published at the end of the project for the brighteststars, taking into account gravitational redshift and convective shifts for the linespresent in the RVS spectral wavelength range.