Journal of Plasma Physics (1)
Microscopy Today (1)
Recent Canadian efforts to develop population-level pregnancy intervention studies to mitigate effects of natural disasters and other tragedies
D. M. Olson, S. Brémault-Phillips, S. King, G. A.S. Metz, S. Montesanti, J. K. Olson, A. Hyde, A. Pike, T. Hoover, R. Linder, B. Joggerst, R. Watts
Journal: Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease / Volume 10 / Issue 1 / February 2019
The preconception, pregnancy and immediate postpartum and newborn periods are times for mothers and their offspring when they are especially vulnerable to major stressors – those that are sudden and unexpected and those that are chronic. Their adverse effects can transcend generations. Stressors can include natural disasters or political stressors such as conflict and/or migration. Considerable evidence has accumulated demonstrating the adverse effects of natural disasters on pregnancy outcomes and developmental trajectories. However, beyond tracking outcomes, the time has arrived for gathering more information related to identifying mechanisms, predicting risk and developing stress-reducing and resilience-building interventions to improve outcomes. Further, we need to learn how to encapsulate both the quantitative and qualitative information available and share it with communities and authorities to mitigate the adverse developmental effects of future disasters, conflicts and migrations. This article briefly reviews prenatal maternal stress and identifies three contemporary situations (wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada; hurricane Harvey in Houston, USA and transgenerational and migrant stress in Pforzheim, Germany) where current studies are being established by Canadian investigators to test an intervention. The experiences from these efforts are related along with attempts to involve communities in the studies and share the new knowledge to plan for future disasters or tragedies.
Genetic Etiologies of Comorbidity and Stability for Reading Difficulties and ADHD: A Replication Study
Sally J. Wadsworth, John C. DeFries, Erik G. Willcutt, Bruce F. Pennington, Richard K. Olson
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 19 / Issue 6 / December 2016
Because of recent concerns about the replication of published results in the behavioral and biomedical sciences (Ioannidis, PLoS Medicine, Vol. 2, 2005, p. e124; Open Science Collaboration, Science, Vol. 349, 2015, p. 943; Pashler & Wagenmakers, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. 7, 2012, pp. 528–530), we have conducted a replication of our recently published analyses of longitudinal reading performance and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder data from twin pairs selected for reading difficulties (Wadsworth et al., Twin Research and Human Genetics, Vol. 18, 2015, pp. 755–761). Results obtained from univariate and bivariate (DeFries & Fulker, Behavior Genetics, Vol. 15, 1985, pp. 467–473; Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae: Twin Research, Vol. 37, 1988, pp. 205–216) analyses of data from a subset of twin pairs tested in the International Longitudinal Twin Study of Early Reading Development at post-4th grade, and its continuation into high school at post-9th grade, were compared to those from our previous report. Similar measures of reading performance, the same measures of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, and similar selection criteria were used in the two studies. In general, the patterns of results obtained from these two independent studies were highly similar. Thus, these results clearly illustrate the principle that findings from studies in quantitative behavioral genetics often replicate (Plomin et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. 11, 2016, pp. 3–23).
Outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to a pasteurized ice cream product served to hospitalized patients
K. RIETBERG, J. LLOYD, B. MELIUS, P. WYMAN, R. TREADWELL, G. OLSON, M.-G. KANG, J. S. DUCHIN
Two cases of hospital-acquired listeriosis were linked to a commercially produced, pasteurized ice cream mix. Manufacturers should implement safety measures from the Food Safety Modernization Act to minimize the risk of Listeria contamination. Dietary guidelines for persons at high risk of listeriosis may need revision to recognize the potential risk from pasteurized products.
The Colorado Longitudinal Twin Study of Reading Difficulties and ADHD: Etiologies of Comorbidity and Stability
Approximately 60% of children with reading difficulties (RD) meet criteria for at least one co-occurring disorder. The most common of these, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), occurs in 20–40% of individuals with RD. Recent studies have suggested that genetic influences are responsible. To assess the genetic etiologies of RD and the comorbidity of RD and two ADHD symptom dimensions –– inattention (IN) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (H/I) –– we are conducting the first longitudinal twin study of RD and ADHD. Data from twin pairs in which at least one member of the pair met criteria for proband status for RD at initial assessment, and were reassessed 5 years later, were subjected to DeFries-Fulker (DF) analysis. Analyses of reading composite data indicated that over 60% of the proband deficit at initial assessment was due to genetic influences, and that reading deficits at follow-up were due substantially to the same genetic influences. When a bivariate DF model was fitted to reading performance and IN data, genetic influences accounted for 60% of contemporaneous comorbidity and over 60% of the longitudinal relationship. In contrast, analysis of the comorbidity between reading performance and H/I indicated that common genetic influences accounted for only about 20% of the contemporaneous and about 10% of the longitudinal relationships. Results indicate that (1) genetic influences on RD are substantial and highly stable; (2) the comorbidity between RD and IN is due largely to genetic influences, both contemporaneously and longitudinally; and (3) genetic influences contribute significantly less to the comorbidity between RD and H/I.
The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory
Experiments Fundamental Plasma Physics
C. B. Forest, K. Flanagan, M. Brookhart, M. Clark, C. M. Cooper, V. Désangles, J. Egedal, D. Endrizzi, I. V. Khalzov, H. Li, M. Miesch, J. Milhone, M. Nornberg, J. Olson, E. Peterson, F. Roesler, A. Schekochihin, O. Schmitz, R. Siller, A. Spitkovsky, A. Stemo, J. Wallace, D. Weisberg, E. Zweibel
Journal: Journal of Plasma Physics / Volume 81 / Issue 5 / October 2015
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 August 2015, 345810501
The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory (WiPAL) is a flexible user facility designed to study a range of astrophysically relevant plasma processes as well as novel geometries that mimic astrophysical systems. A multi-cusp magnetic bucket constructed from strong samarium cobalt permanent magnets now confines a $10~\text{m}^{3}$ , fully ionized, magnetic-field-free plasma in a spherical geometry. Plasma parameters of $T_{e}\approx 5$ to $20~\text{eV}$ and $n_{e}\approx 10^{11}$ to $5\times 10^{12}~\text{cm}^{-3}$ provide an ideal testbed for a range of astrophysical experiments, including self-exciting dynamos, collisionless magnetic reconnection, jet stability, stellar winds and more. This article describes the capabilities of WiPAL, along with several experiments, in both operating and planning stages, that illustrate the range of possibilities for future users.
Landscape influence on spatial patterns of meningeal worm and liver fluke infection in white-tailed deer
KIMBERLY L. VANDERWAAL, STEVE K. WINDELS, BRYCE T. OLSON, J. TREVOR VANNATTA, RON MOEN
Parasites that primarily infect white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), such as liver flukes (Fascioloides magna) and meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), can cause morbidity and mortality when incidentally infecting moose (Alces alces). Ecological factors are expected to influence spatial variation in infection risk by affecting the survival of free-living life stages outside the host and the abundance of intermediate gastropod hosts. Here, we investigate how ecology influenced the fine-scale distribution of these parasites in deer in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. Deer pellet groups (N = 295) were sampled for the presence of P. tenuis larvae and F. magna eggs. We found that deer were significantly more likely to be infected with P. tenuis in habitats with less upland deciduous forest and more upland mixed conifer forest and shrub, a pattern that mirrored microhabitat differences in gastropod abundances. Deer were also more likely to be infected with F. magna in areas with more marshland, specifically rooted-floating aquatic marshes (RFAMs). The environment played a larger role than deer density in determining spatial patterns of infection for both parasites, highlighting the importance of considering ecological factors on all stages of a parasite's life cycle in order to understand its occurrence within the definitive host.
A longitudinal prospective study investigating cognitive function in patients with high grade glioma
M Parkinson, R, K Burrus, A Madani, R Olson, M McKenzie, J Yao, J Stephen
Journal: Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Volume 41 / Issue s2 / October 2014
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 October 2014, p. S9
By Michael H. Allen, Leora Amira, Victoria Arango, David W. Ayer, Helene Bach, Christopher R. Bailey, Ross J. Baldessarini, Kelsey Ball, Alan L. Berman, Marian E. Betz, Emily A. Biggs, R. Warwick Blood, Kathleen T. Brady, David A. Brent, Jeffrey A. Bridge, Gregory K. Brown, Anat Brunstein Klomek, A. Jacqueline Buchanan, Michelle J. Chandley, Tim Coffey, Jessica Coker, Yeates Conwell, Scott J. Crow, Collin L. Davidson, Yogesh Dwivedi, Stacey Espaillat, Jan Fawcett, Steven J. Garlow, Robert D. Gibbons, Catherine R. Glenn, Deborah Goebert, Erica Goldstein, Tina R. Goldstein, Madelyn S. Gould, Kelly L. Green, Alison M. Greene, Philip D. Harvey, Robert M. A. Hirschfeld, Donna Holland Barnes, Andres M. Kanner, Gary J. Kennedy, Stephen H. Koslow, Benoit Labonté, Alison M. Lake, William B. Lawson, Steve Leifman, Adam Lesser, Timothy W. Lineberry, Amanda L. McMillan, Herbert Y. Meltzer, Michael Craig Miller, Michael J. Miller, James A. Naifeh, Katharine J. Nelson, Charles B. Nemeroff, Alexander Neumeister, Matthew K. Nock, Jennifer H. Olson-Madden, Gregory A. Ordway, Michael W. Otto, Ghanshyam N. Pandey, Giampaolo Perna, Jane Pirkis, Kelly Posner, Anne Rohs, Pedro Ruiz, Molly Ryan, Alan F. Schatzberg, S. Charles Schulz, M. Katherine Shear, Morton M. Silverman, April R. Smith, Marcus Sokolowski, Barbara Stanley, Zachary N. Stowe, Sarah A. Struthers, Leonardo Tondo, Gustavo Turecki, Robert J. Ursano, Kimberly Van Orden, Anne C. Ward, Danuta Wasserman, Jerzy Wasserman, Melinda K. Westlund, Tracy K. Witte, Kseniya Yershova, Alexandra Zagoloff, Sidney Zisook
Edited by Stephen H. Koslow, University of Miami, Pedro Ruiz, University of Miami, Charles B. Nemeroff, University of Miami
Book: A Concise Guide to Understanding Suicide
Print publication: 18 September 2014, pp vii-x
On the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability evolving from a deterministic multimode planar interface
V. K. Tritschler, B. J. Olson, S. K. Lele, S. Hickel, X. Y. Hu, N. A. Adams
Journal: Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 755 / 25 September 2014
We investigate the shock-induced turbulent mixing between a light and a heavy gas, where a Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) is initiated by a shock wave with Mach number $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\mathit{Ma}= 1.5$ . The prescribed initial conditions define a deterministic multimode interface perturbation between the gases, which can be imposed exactly for different simulation codes and resolutions to allow for quantitative comparison. Well-resolved large-eddy simulations are performed using two different and independently developed numerical methods with the objective of assessing turbulence structures, prediction uncertainties and convergence behaviour. The two numerical methods differ fundamentally with respect to the employed subgrid-scale regularisation, each representing state-of-the-art approaches to RMI. Unlike previous studies, the focus of the present investigation is to quantify the uncertainties introduced by the numerical method, as there is strong evidence that subgrid-scale regularisation and truncation errors may have a significant effect on the linear and nonlinear stages of the RMI evolution. Fourier diagnostics reveal that the larger energy-containing scales converge rapidly with increasing mesh resolution and thus are in excellent agreement for the two numerical methods. Spectra of gradient-dependent quantities, such as enstrophy and scalar dissipation rate, show stronger dependences on the small-scale flow field structures as a consequence of truncation error effects, which for one numerical method are dominantly dissipative and for the other dominantly dispersive. Additionally, the study reveals details of various stages of RMI, as the flow transitions from large-scale nonlinear entrainment to fully developed turbulent mixing. The growth rates of the mixing zone widths as obtained by the two numerical methods are ${\sim } t^{7/12}$ before re-shock and ${\sim } (t-t_0)^{2/7}$ long after re-shock. The decay rate of turbulence kinetic energy is consistently ${\sim } (t-t_0)^{-10/7}$ at late times, where the molecular mixing fraction approaches an asymptotic limit $\varTheta \approx 0.85$ . The anisotropy measure $\langle a \rangle _{xyz}$ approaches an asymptotic limit of ${\approx }0.04$ , implying that no full recovery of isotropy within the mixing zone is obtained, even after re-shock. Spectra of density, turbulence kinetic energy, scalar dissipation rate and enstrophy are presented and show excellent agreement for the resolved scales. The probability density function of the heavy-gas mass fraction and vorticity reveal that the light–heavy gas composition within the mixing zone is accurately predicted, whereas it is more difficult to capture the long-term behaviour of the vorticity.
Deep brain stimulation for obsessive–compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
S. Kisely, K. Hall, D. Siskind, J. Frater, S. Olson, D. Crompton
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is increasingly being applied to psychiatric conditions such as obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), major depression and anorexia nervosa. Double-blind, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of active versus sham treatment have been limited to small numbers. We therefore undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of DBS in psychiatric conditions to maximize study power.
We conducted a systematic literature search for double-blind, RCTs of active versus sham treatment using Pubmed/Medline and EMBASE up to April 2013. Where possible, we combined results from studies in a meta-analysis. We assessed differences in final values between the active and sham treatments for parallel-group studies and compared changes from baseline score for cross-over designs.
Inclusion criteria were met by five studies, all of which were of OCD. Forty-four subjects provided data for the meta-analysis. The main outcome was a reduction in obsessive symptoms as measured by the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). Patients on active, as opposed to sham, treatment had a significantly lower mean score [mean difference (MD) −8.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) −13.35 to −5.76, p < 0.001], representing partial remission. However, one-third of patients experienced significant adverse effects (n = 16). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of other outcomes.
DBS may show promise for treatment-resistant OCD but there are insufficient randomized controlled data for other psychiatric conditions. DBS remains an experimental treatment in adults for severe, medically refractory conditions until further data are available.
Risk factors for susceptibility to varicella in newly arrived adult migrants in Canada
C. GREENAWAY, J. F. BOIVIN, S. CNOSSEN, C. ROSSI, B. TAPIERO, K. SCHWARTZMAN, S. OLSON, M. MILLER
Varicella occurs at an older age in tropical compared to cold climates. Migrants from tropical countries provide the opportunity to gain insights into observed global differences in varicella epidemiology. Severity of varicella increases with age thus, description of risk factors for varicella susceptibility will identify those who would benefit most from vaccination. A total of 1480 migrants, with a mean age of 32 years, were recruited in the pre-vaccination period (2002–2004) in Montreal, Canada. A questionnaire was administered and serum varicella antibodies were measured. Overall 6% were susceptible and ranged from 0·8% to 14·1% in subgroups. Risk factors for susceptibility were younger age, recent arrival, and originating from a tropical country. This could be modified by conditions that increased the probability of person-to-person spread of varicella through direct contact in source countries such as larger community size or household crowding. Many new young adult migrants would benefit from targeted varicella vaccination programmes.
Risk factors for cholera transmission in Haiti during inter-peak periods: insights to improve current control strategies from two case-control studies
F. GRANDESSO, M. ALLAN, P. S. J. JEAN-SIMON, J. BONCY, A. BLAKE, R. PIERRE, K. P. ALBERTI, A. MUNGER, G. ELDER, D. OLSON, K. PORTEN, F. J. LUQUERO
Two community-based density case-control studies were performed to assess risk factors for cholera transmission during inter-peak periods of the ongoing epidemic in two Haitian urban settings, Gonaives and Carrefour. The strongest associations were: close contact with cholera patients (sharing latrines, visiting cholera patients, helping someone with diarrhoea), eating food from street vendors and washing dishes with untreated water. Protective factors were: drinking chlorinated water, receiving prevention messages via television, church or training sessions, and high household socioeconomic level. These findings suggest that, in addition to contaminated water, factors related to direct and indirect inter-human contact play an important role in cholera transmission during inter-peak periods. In order to reduce cholera transmission in Haiti intensive preventive measures such as hygiene promotion and awareness campaigns should be implemented during inter-peak lulls, when prevention activities are typically scaled back.
Photovoltaic properties of multi walled carbon nanotubes - poly(3-octathiophene) conducting polymer blends structures
Punya A. Basnayaka, Pedro Villalba, Manoj K. Ram, Lee Stefanakos, Ashok Kumar
In the present study, we have studied photoelectrochemical properties of poly(3-octathiophene) (P3OT), blending with multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). P3OT blended with MWCNTs was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Raman spectroscope, and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) techniques, respectively. The photoelectrochemical current of the MWCNs-P3OT based cell under illumination was investigated by applying a voltage. The blend consisting of 10% MWCNTs in P3OT gave the promising photocurrent in 0.2 M tetra-butyl-ammonium-tetrafluoroborate (TBATFB), electrolyte. Experimental results indicate that photocurrent obtained from MWCNT-P3OT was three times higher than simple P3OT-based conducting polymer. The electrochemical responses of MWCNT-P3OT films in different electrolytes such as 0.2M TBATFB, 0.2 M LiClO4, 1 M H2SO4 and 0.2 M LiBF6 were investigated for comparative photocurrent properties of the photoelectrochemical cell.
Exfoliated ∼25μm Si Foil for Solar Cells with Improved Light-Trapping
S. Saha, E. U. Onyegam, D. Sarkar, M. M. Hilali, R. A. Rao, L. Mathew, D. Jawarani, D. Xu, R. S. Smith, U. K. Das, J. G. Fossum, S. K. Banerjee
Investigation of optical absorption in ∼25μm thick, monocrystalline silicon (Si) substrates obtained from a novel exfoliation technique is done by fabricating solar cells with single heterojunction architecture (without using intrinsic amorphous silicon layer) with diffused back junction and local back contact. The ease of process flow and the rugged and flexible nature of the substrates due to thick metal backing enables use of various light-trapping and optical absorption enhancement schemes traditionally practiced in the industry for thicker (>120μm) substrates. Optical measurement of solar cells using antireflective coating, texturing on both surfaces, and back surface dielectric/metal stack as mirror to reflect the long wavelength light from the back surface show a very low front surface reflectance of 4.6% in the broadband spectrum (300nm-1200nm). The illuminated current voltage (IV) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurement of such solar cell shows a high integrated current density of 34.4mA/cm2, which implies significant internal photon reflection. Our best cell with intrinsic amorphous silicon (i-a-Si) layer with only rear surface textured shows an efficiency of 14.9%. EQE data shows improved blue response and current density due to better front surface passivation. Simulations suggest that with optimized light trapping and surface passivation, such thin c-Si cells can reach efficiencies >20%.
Nanostructured Transparent Conductive Oxides for Photovoltaic Applications
Roger E. Welser, Adam W. Sood, Jaehee Cho, E. Fred Schubert, Jennifer L. Harvey, Nibir K. Dhar, Ashok K. Sood
Oblique-angle deposition is used to fabricate indium tin oxide (ITO) optical coatings with a porous, columnar nanostructure. Nanostructured ITO layers with a reduced refractive index are then incorporated into antireflection coating (ARC) structures with a step-graded refractive index design, enabling increased transmittance into an underlying semiconductor over a wide range of wavelengths of interest for photovoltaic applications. Low-refractive index nanostructured ITO coatings can also be combined with metal films to form an omnidirectional reflector (ODR) structure capable of achieving high internal reflectivity over a broad spectrum of wavelengths and a wide range of angles. Such conductive high-performance ODR structures on the back surface of a thin-film solar cell can potentially increase both the current and voltage output by scattering unabsorbed and emitted photons back into the active region of the device.
Temperature Dependence of Electrical Characterization in n+ - CdS/ p - CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells – Study of Shallow/Deep Defects
Poonam Rani Kharangarh, George E Georgiou, Ken K Chin
For CdTe there is no real distinction between defects and impurities exists when non-shallow dopants are used. These dopants act as beneficial impurities or detrimental carrier trapping centers. Unlike Si, the common assumption that the trap energy level Et is around the middle of the band-gap Ei, is not valid for thin film CdTe. Trap energy levels in CdTe band-gap can distributed with wide range of energy levels above EF. To identify the real role of traps and dopants that limit the solar cell efficiency, a series of samples were investigated in thin film n+-CdS/p-CdTe solar cell, made with evaporated Cu as a primary back contact. It is well known that process temperatures and defect distribution are highly related. This work investigates these shallow level impurities by using temperature dependent current-voltage (I-V-T) and temperature dependent capacitance-voltage (C-V-T) measurements. I-V-T and C-V-T measurements indicate that a large concentration of defects is located in the depletion region. It further suggests that while modest amounts of Cu enhance the cell performance by improving the back contact to CdTe, the high temperature (greater than ∼100°C) process condition degrade device quality and reduce the solar cell efficiency. This is possibly because of the well-established Cu diffusion from the back contact into CdTe. Hence, measurements were performed at lower temperatures (T = 150K to 350K). The observed traps are due to the thermal ionization of impurity centers located in the depletion region of p-CdTe/n+-CdS junction. For our n+-CdS/p-CdTe thin film solar cells, hole traps were observed that are verified by both the measurement techniques. These levels are identical to the observed trap levels by other characterization techniques.
The Effect of Annealing Treatments on Close Spaced Sublimated Cadmium Telluride Thin Film Solar Cells
J.M. Walls, A. Abbas, G. D. West, J.W. Bowers, P.J.M. Isherwood, P. M. Kaminski, B. Maniscalco, W.S. Sampath, K. L. Barth
It is well known that the cadmium chloride annealing treatment is an essential step in the manufacture of efficient thin film cadmium telluride solar cells. It has been recognized that the combination of annealing at ∼4000C together with the addition of cadmium chloride at the surface induces re-crystallisation of the cadmium telluride layer and also affects the n-type cadmium sulfide. We have applied advanced micro-structural characterization techniques to distinguish the effect of the annealing and the cadmium chloride treatments on the properties of the cadmium telluride deposited via close space sublimation (CSS) and relate these observations to device performance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has shown a variation in stacking fault density with annealing temperature and annealing time. Stacking faults observed within the cadmium telluride grains in TEM were partially removed post annealing; these findings show that temperature alone has a role in the reduction of stacking faults. However, since we have previously observed almost complete removal of stacking faults with annealing in combination with cadmium chloride, the cadmium chloride is essential to defect removal and high efficiency cells.
Multiple Regression Analysis of Reading Performance Data from Twin Pairs with Reading Difficulties and Nontwin Siblings: The Augmented Model
Sally J. Wadsworth, Richard K. Olson, Erik G. Willcutt, John C. DeFries
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 15 / Issue 1 / February 2012
The augmented multiple regression model for the analysis of data from selected twin pairs was extended to facilitate analyses of data from twin pairs and nontwin siblings. Fitting this extended model to data from both selected twin pairs and siblings yields direct estimates of heritability (h2) and the difference between environmental influences shared by members of twin pairs and those of sib or twin–sib pairs (i.e., c2(t) – c2 (s)). When this model was fitted to reading performance data from 293 monozygotic and 436 dizygotic pairs selected for reading difficulties, and 291 of their nontwin siblings, h2 = .48 ± .22, p = .03, and c2 (t) – c2 (s) = .22 ± .12, p = .06. Although the test for differential shared environmental influences is only marginally significant, the results of this analysis suggest that environmental influences on reading performance that are shared by members of twin pairs (.36) may be substantially greater than those for less contemporaneous twin–sibling pairs (.14).
National Diet and Nutrition Survey: fat and fatty acid intake from the first year of the rolling programme and comparison with previous surveys
Gerda K. Pot, Celia J. Prynne, Caireen Roberts, Ashley Olson, Sonja K. Nicholson, Clare Whitton, Birgit Teucher, Beverley Bates, Helen Henderson, Sarah Pigott, Gillian Swan, Alison M. Stephen
Journal: British Journal of Nutrition / Volume 107 / Issue 3 / 14 February 2012
Print publication: 14 February 2012
High saturated fat intake is an established risk factor for several chronic diseases. The objective of the present study is to report dietary intakes and main food sources of fat and fatty acids (FA) from the first year of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) rolling programme in the UK. Dietary data were collected using 4 d estimated food diaries (n 896) and compared with dietary reference values (DRV) and previous NDNS results. Total fat provided 34–36 % food energy (FE) across all age groups, which was similar to previous surveys for adults. Men (19–64 years) and older girls (11–18 years) had mean intakes just above the DRV, while all other groups had mean total fat intakes of < 35 % FE. SFA intakes were lower compared with previous surveys, ranging from 13 to 15 % FE, but still above the DRV. Mean MUFA intakes were 12·5 % FE for adults and children aged 4–18 years and all were below the DRV. Mean n-3 PUFA intake represented 0·7–1·1 % FE. Compared with previous survey data, the direction of change for n-3 PUFA was upwards for all age groups, although the differences in absolute terms were very small. Trans-FA intakes were lower than in previous NDNS and were less than 2 g/d for all age groups, representing 0·8 % FE and lower than the DRV in all age groups. In conclusion, dietary intake of fat and FA is moving towards recommended levels for the UK population. However, there remains room for considerable further improvement.
National Diet and Nutrition Survey: UK food consumption and nutrient intakes from the first year of the rolling programme and comparisons with previous surveys
Clare Whitton, Sonja K. Nicholson, Caireen Roberts, Celia J. Prynne, Gerda K. Pot, Ashley Olson, Emily Fitt, Darren Cole, Birgit Teucher, Beverley Bates, Helen Henderson, Sarah Pigott, Claire Deverill, Gillian Swan, Alison M. Stephen
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) is a cross-sectional survey designed to gather data representative of the UK population on food consumption, nutrient intakes and nutritional status. The objectives of the present paper were to identify and describe food consumption and nutrient intakes in the UK from the first year of the NDNS rolling programme (2008–09) and compare these with the 2000–01 NDNS of adults aged 19–64 years and the 1997 NDNS of young people aged 4–18 years. Differences in median daily food consumption and nutrient intakes between the surveys were compared by sex and age group (4–10 years, 11–18 years and 19–64 years). There were no changes in energy, total fat or carbohydrate intakes between the surveys. Children aged 4–10 years had significantly lower consumption of soft drinks (not low calorie), crisps and savoury snacks and chocolate confectionery in 2008–09 than in 1997 (all P < 0·0001). The percentage contribution of non-milk extrinsic sugars to food energy was also significantly lower than in 1997 in children aged 4–10 years (P < 0·0001), contributing 13·7–14·6 % in 2008–09 compared with 16·8 % in 1997. These changes were not as marked in older children and there were no changes in these foods and nutrients in adults. There was still a substantial proportion (46 %) of girls aged 11–18 years and women aged 19–64 years (21 %) with mean daily Fe intakes below the lower reference nutrient intake. Since previous surveys there have been some positive changes in intakes especially in younger children. However, further attention is required in other groups, in particular adolescent girls.