Prior studies suggest brick workers in Nepal may be chronically exposed to hazardous levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from ambient, occupational, and household sources. However, findings ...from these studies were based on stationary monitoring data, and thus may not reflect a worker’s individual exposures. In this study, we used RTI International’s MicroPEMs to collect 24 h PM2.5 personal breathing zone (PBZ) samples among brick workers (n = 48) to estimate daily exposures from ambient, occupational, and household air pollution sources. Participants were sampled from five job categories at one kiln. The geometric mean (GM) PM2.5 exposure across all participants was 116 µg/m3 (95% confidence interval CI: 94.03, 143.42). Job category was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with PBZ PM2.5 concentrations. There were significant pairwise differences in geometric mean (GM) PBZ PM2.5 concentrations among workers in administration (GM: 47.92, 95% CI: 29.81, 77.03 µg/m3) vs. firemen (GM: 163.46, 95 CI: 108.36, 246.58 µg/m3, p = 0.003), administration vs. green brick hand molder (GM: 163.35, 95% CI: 122.15, 218.46 µg/m3, p < 0.001), administration vs. top loader (GM: 158.94, 95% CI: 102.42, 246.66 µg/m3, p = 0.005), firemen vs. green brick machine molder (GM: 73.18, 95% CI: 51.54, 103.90 µg/m3, p = 0.03), and green brick hand molder vs. green brick machine molder (p = 0.008). Temporal exposure trends suggested workers had chronic exposure to hazardous levels of PM2.5 with little to no recovery period during non-working hours. Multi-faceted interventions should focus on the control of ambient and household air pollution and tailored job-specific exposure controls.
Algae are at the base of the aquatic food chain, producing the food resources that fish are adapted to consume. Previous studies have proven that the inclusion of small amounts (<10% of the diet) of ...algae in fish feed (aquafeed) resulted in positive effects in growth performance and feed utilisation efficiency. Marine algae have also been shown to possess functional activities, helping in the mediation of lipid metabolism, and therefore are increasingly studied in human and animal nutrition. The aim of this study was to assess the potentials of two commercially available algae derived products (dry algae meal), Verdemin (derived from Ulva ohnoi) and Rosamin (derived from diatom Entomoneis spp.) for their possible inclusion into diet of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar). Fish performances, feed efficiency, lipid metabolism and final product quality were assessed to investigated the potential of the two algae products (in isolation at two inclusion levels, 2.5% and 5%, or in combination), in experimental diets specifically formulated with low fish meal and fish oil content. The results indicate that inclusion of algae product Verdemin and Rosamin at level of 2.5 and 5.0% did not cause any major positive, nor negative, effect in Atlantic Salmon growth and feed efficiency. An increase in the omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) content in whole body of fish fed 5% Rosamin was observed.
Solar photoconversion in semiconductors is driven by charge separation at the interface of the semiconductor and contacting layers. Here we demonstrate that time-resolved photoinduced reflectance ...from a semiconductor captures interfacial carrier dynamics. We applied this transient photoreflectance method to study charge transfer at p-type gallium-indium phosphide (p-GaInP₂) interfaces critically important to solar-driven water splitting. We monitored the formation and decay of transient electric fields that form upon photoexcitation within bare p-GaInP₂, p-GaInP₂/platinum (Pt), and p-GaInP₂/amorphous titania (TiO₂) interfaces. The data show that a field at both the p-GaInP₂/Pt and p-GaInP₂/TiO₂ interfaces drives charge separation. Additionally, the charge recombination rate at the p-GaInP₂/TiO₂ interface is greatly reduced owing to its p-n nature, compared with the Schottky nature of the p-GaInP₂/Pt interface.
Highly sensitive broadband ultrasound detectors are needed to expand the capabilities of biomedical ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging and industrial ultrasonic non-destructive testing techniques. ...Here, a generic optical ultrasound sensing concept based on a novel plano-concave polymer microresonator is described. This achieves strong optical confinement (Q-factors > 105) resulting in very high sensitivity with excellent broadband acoustic frequency response and wide directivity. The concept is highly scalable in terms of bandwidth and sensitivity. To illustrate this, a family of microresonator sensors with broadband acoustic responses up to 40 MHz and noise-equivalent pressures as low as 1.6 mPa per √Hz have been fabricated and comprehensively characterized in terms of their acoustic performance. In addition, their practical application to high-resolution photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging is demonstrated. The favourable acoustic performance and design flexibility of the technology offers new opportunities to advance biomedical and industrial ultrasound-based techniques. An optical-based scheme for ultrasound sensing provides very high sensitivity with excellent broadband acoustic frequency response and wide directivity.
Comparative drought resistances of 11 perennial warm-season turfgrasses were evaluated in the field after withholding irrigation for 48 days in summer I and 57 days in summer II. There were ...significant variations among the grasses in their drought resistances. From two years study of field shoot recovery from drought stress, the relative rankings among the 11 warm-season turfgrasses was as follows. 'Arizona Common' and 'Texturf 10' bermudagrasses Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., 'Tifgreen' hybrid bermudagrass C. dactylon (L.) Pers. ${\times}$ C. transvaalensis Davy, and 'Georgia Common' centipedegrass Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro.) Mack. possessed good drought resistances, whereas 'Texas Common' St. Augustinegrass Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze and 'Tifway' hybrid bermudagrass Cyndon dactylon (L.) Pers ${\times}$ C. transvaalensis Davy possessed poor drought resistances. 'Texas Common' buffalograss Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm., 'Pensacola' bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge.), and 'Adalayd' seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Swartz), 'Meyer' zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.), 'Emerald' zoysiagrass (Z. japonica Steud. ${\times}$ Z. tenuifolia Willd. ex Trin.) were found to rank intermediate. Visual leaf firing showed the highest correlation (r=-0.84) to shoot recovery from drought stress. Visual leaf rolling (r=-0.59) and canopy-air temperature differential (r=-0.64) also showed very significant correlations, whereas leaf water potential (r=0.54) showed relatively lower correlation.
Late-stage isolated medial knee osteoarthritis can be treated with total knee replacement (TKR) or partial knee replacement (PKR). There is high variation in treatment choice and little robust ...evidence to guide selection. The Total or Partial Knee Arthroplasty Trial (TOPKAT) therefore aims to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of TKR versus PKR in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee, and this represents an analysis of the main endpoints at 5 years.
Our multicentre, pragmatic randomised controlled trial was done at 27 UK sites. We used a combined expertise-based and equipoise-based approach, in which patients with isolated osteoarthritis of the medial compartment of the knee and who satisfied general requirements for a medial PKR were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive PKR or TKR by surgeons who were either expert in and willing to perform both surgeries or by a surgeon with particular expertise in the allocated procedure. The primary endpoint was the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) 5 years after randomisation in all patients assigned to groups. Health-care costs (in UK 2017 prices) and cost-effectiveness were also assessed. This trial is registered with ISRCTN (ISRCTN03013488) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01352247).
Between Jan 18, 2010, and Sept 30, 2013, we assessed 962 patients for their eligibility, of whom 431 (45%) patients were excluded (121 13% patients did not meet the inclusion criteria and 310 32% patients declined to participate) and 528 (55%) patients were randomly assigned to groups. 94% of participants responded to the follow-up survey 5 years after their operation. At the 5-year follow-up, we found no difference in OKS between groups (mean difference 1·04, 95% CI −0·42 to 2·50; p=0·159). In our within-trial cost-effectiveness analysis, we found that PKR was more effective (0·240 additional quality-adjusted life-years, 95% CI 0·046 to 0·434) and less expensive (−£910, 95% CI −1503 to −317) than TKR during the 5 years of follow-up. This finding was a result of slightly better outcomes, lower costs of surgery, and lower follow-up health-care costs with PKR than TKR.
Both TKR and PKR are effective, offer similar clinical outcomes, and result in a similar incidence of re-operations and complications. Based on our clinical findings, and results regarding the lower costs and better cost-effectiveness with PKR during the 5-year study period, we suggest that PKR should be considered the first choice for patients with late-stage isolated medial compartment osteoarthritis.
National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme.
Understanding of the patterns and predictors of intra-household food allocation could enable nutrition programmes to better target nutritionally vulnerable individuals. This study aims to ...characterise the status and determinants of intra-household food and nutrient allocation in Nepal.
Pregnant women, their mothers-in-law and male household heads from Dhanusha and Mahottari districts in Nepal responded to 24-h dietary recalls, thrice repeated on non-consecutive days (n = 150 households; 1278 individual recalls). Intra-household inequity was measured using ratios between household members in food intakes (food shares); food-energy intake proportions ('food shares-to-energy shares', FS:ES); calorie-requirement proportions ('relative dietary energy adequacy ratios', RDEARs) and mean probability of adequacy for 11 micronutrients (MPA ratios). Hypothesised determinants were collected during the recalls, and their associations with the outcomes were tested using multivariable mixed-effects linear regression models.
Women's diets (pregnant women and mothers-in-law) consisted of larger FS:ES of starchy foods, pulses, fruits and vegetables than male household heads, whereas men had larger FS:ES of animal-source foods. Pregnant women had the lowest MPA (37%) followed by their mothers-in-law (52%), and male household heads (57%). RDEARs between pregnant women and household heads were 31% higher (log-RDEAR coeff=0.27 (95% CI 0.12, 0.42), P < 0.001) when pregnant women earned more or the same as their spouse, and log-MPA ratios between pregnant women and mothers-in-law were positively associated with household-level calorie intakes (coeff=0.43 (0.23, 0.63), P < 0.001, per 1000 kcal).
Pregnant women receive inequitably lower shares of food and nutrients, but this could be improved by increasing pregnant women's cash earnings and household food security.
Undernutrition during pregnancy leads to low birthweight, poor growth and inter-generational undernutrition. We did a non-blinded cluster-randomised controlled trial in the plains districts of ...Dhanusha and Mahottari, Nepal to assess the impact on birthweight and weight-for-age z-scores among children aged 0-16 months of community-based participatory learning and action (PLA) women's groups, with and without food or cash transfers to pregnant women.
We randomly allocated 20 clusters per arm to four arms (average population/cluster = 6150). All consenting married women aged 10-49 years, who had not had tubal ligation and whose husbands had not had vasectomy, were monitored for missed menses. Between 29 Dec 2013 and 28 Feb 2015 we recruited 25,092 pregnant women to surveillance and interventions: PLA alone (n = 5626); PLA plus food (10 kg/month of fortified wheat-soya 'Super Cereal', n = 6884); PLA plus cash (NPR750≈US$7.5/month, n = 7272); control (existing government programmes, n = 5310). 539 PLA groups discussed and implemented strategies to improve low birthweight, nutrition in pregnancy and hand washing. Primary outcomes were birthweight within 72 hours of delivery and weight-for-age z-scores at endline (age 0-16 months). Only children born to permanent residents between 4 June 2014 and 20 June 2015 were eligible for intention to treat analyses (n = 10936), while in-migrating women and children born before interventions had been running for 16 weeks were excluded. Trial status: completed.
In PLA plus food/cash arms, 94-97% of pregnant women attended groups and received a mean of four transfers over their pregnancies. In the PLA only arm, 49% of pregnant women attended groups. Due to unrest, the response rate for birthweight was low at 22% (n = 2087), but response rate for endline nutritional and dietary measures exceeded 83% (n = 9242). Compared to the control arm (n = 464), mean birthweight was significantly higher in the PLA plus food arm by 78·0 g (95% CI 13·9, 142·0; n = 626) and not significantly higher in PLA only and PLA plus cash arms by 28·9 g (95% CI -37·7, 95·4; n = 488) and 50·5 g (95% CI -15·0, 116·1; n = 509) respectively. Mean weight-for-age z-scores of children aged 0-16 months (average age 9 months) sampled cross-sectionally at endpoint, were not significantly different from those in the control arm (n = 2091). Differences in weight for-age z-score were as follows: PLA only -0·026 (95% CI -0·117, 0·065; n = 2095); PLA plus cash -0·045 (95% CI -0·133, 0·044; n = 2545); PLA plus food -0·033 (95% CI -0·121, 0·056; n = 2507). Amongst many secondary outcomes tested, compared with control, more institutional deliveries (OR: 1.46 95% CI 1.03, 2.06; n = 2651) and less colostrum discarding (OR:0.71 95% CI 0.54, 0.93; n = 2548) were found in the PLA plus food arm but not in PLA alone or in PLA plus cash arms.
Food supplements in pregnancy with PLA women's groups increased birthweight more than PLA plus cash or PLA alone but differences were not sustained. Nutrition interventions throughout the thousand-day period are recommended.
ISRCTN75964374.
High-U hydrothermal apatite with complex UPb systematics is closely spatially associated with mineralization at the Coles Hill deposit, the largest unmined uranium deposit known in the United States. ...The deposit is hosted in metasomatized rocks of the 450- to 430-Ma-old Martinsville Intrusive Complex in south-central Virginia. Direct dating of metamict uranium-ore minerals, mostly coffinite, is not possible due to open-system radon loss. Instead, UPb isotopes in cogenetic apatite were investigated as a means of evaluating the age of mineralization. Here we report in situ electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) of coffinite, isotope-dilution thermal-ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) UPb data for mineralized whole rock samples, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) UPb isotope data for apatite in both unmineralized and U-mineralized host rocks.
Massive deficits in radiogenic Pb preclude reliable UPb “chemical ages” calculated from EPMA data obtained from coffinite. In contrast, LA-ICPMS data for secondary apatite in unmineralized rocks indicate low-U concentrations (100–102 ppm), “normal” (consistent with models of terrestrial Pb isotopic evolution) initial Pb isotope compositions, and UPb age estimates of ~330 Ma, which is consistent with dates previously proposed for the regional Paleozoic shear zone that hosts the deposit. Ore-stage apatite associated with coffinite has high-U concentrations (typically 102–103 ppm but up to 2.4 wt% U) and large excesses of 206Pb (207Pb/206Pb < 0.01) unsupported by in situ U decay. Data show that initial Pb had variable isotopic compositions including both “normal” Pb derived from host rocks and 206Pb-enriched Pb introduced by secondary metasomatic fluids. Evaluation of the complex evolution and mixing of Pb sources has broader implications for UPb dating of hydrothermal apatite.
Excess 206Pb in apatite is derived from decay products of 222Rn lost from coffinite and mobilized by Na-, P-, and U-enriched metasomatic fluids during the main mineralizing event at ~230 Ma. Ore-stage alteration did not uniformly reset the UPb systematics in host rocks precluding a well-constrained whole-rock isochron age. However, whole-rock isotope data imply U mobility at ~200–220 Ma and support a Triassic age for the final stages of mineralization. Results also indicate that apatite with up to several weight percent uranium is able to retain U and its decay products for hundreds of millions of years; an important consideration when assessing this mineral as a potential matrix for long-term storage of radioactive waste.
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