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This paper describes the kinetic and microstructural mechanism of electromigration (EM) failure found in low-profile solder joints where EM and intermetallic phase formation compete for the same volume of Sn. The low-profile solder joint used in our study was made of 20-25um thick solder situated in between a Cu pillar and a Ni coated Cu lead frame (LF). The samples were EM tested in a temperature range of 140-170oC with the current densities varying between 35-45 KA/cm2 in an oil bath to induce failure without Joule Heat induced artifacts. Our studies on EM failure kinetics and microstructural mechanism have produced two key findings. The first finding suggests that the EM diffusivity (Z*D) of diffusing species (Sn, Ni, Cu) in the solder matrix can be uniquely ranked from microstructural analysis, and it is estimated to be (Z*D) Cu> (Z*D) Sn>(Z*D) Ni. This difference in EM diffusivity causes Cu-Sn and Ni-Sn intermetallic compounds (IMC) to develop in distinctively different manners under EM, leading to different EM failure mechanisms. The second finding is that EM in low-profile solder joints consists of multiple failure stages: a) with EM-related voiding in Sn dominating at lower temperatures; while b) thermally-induced IMC growth and invasion competes with EM-induced Sn voiding at high temperatures leading to the complete failure of each joint.

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is historically associated with perturbations of the hypothalamic-pituitary ovarian axis, leading to hypogonadism, amenorrhea and infertility. Given modern therapies and aims for tighter glycaemic control, such reproductive disturbances may be ameliorated; however, few studies have evaluated this in women with T1D in a contemporary setting. Aims: To assess menstrual disturbance, contraceptive use, and reproductive outcomes in women of reproductive age with T1D, compared to age-matched women without T1D. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, a large community-based study. Women from two cohorts were included in this study: those aged 18-23 years old who participated in Survey 1 (2013) from the cohort born between 1989-1995, and those aged 34-39 years old who responded to Survey 6 (2012) from the cohort born between 1973-1978. Univariate analyses were performed to explore associations with menstrual disturbance, followed by multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusting for significant and clinically relevant covariates. Results: A total of 23,752 women were included, comprising 162 women with self-reported T1D and 23,590 non-diabetic, age-matched controls. There were no differences in mean age (25.3±7.7 vs. 25.8±7.8 years, p=0.37), body mass index (BMI) [25.9±6.3 vs. 25.0±5.9 kg/m2, p=0.06], although a significant proportion of women in both groups had a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 (43.0% vs 38.3%, p=0.25). Delay in menarche was not observed (12.8±1.9 vs. 12.8±1.5 years, p=0.59), however menstrual irregularity (47.2% vs. 34.6%, p=0.001) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) [14.2% vs. 5.2%, p

BackgroundThe relation between fermented dairy consumption and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in an Australian population remains to be established.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the association between fermented dairy consumption and T2DM and CVD risk.MethodsThe Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health included Australian women (aged 45–50 y) at baseline in 2001, who were followed up through 5 surveys until 2016. Dietary intake was assessed through the use of a validated 101-item FFQ at baseline. Main study outcomes were self-reported physician-diagnosed T2DM and CVD. Logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were used to estimate the association between dairy intake and T2DM and CVD risk.ResultsOf 7633 women free of diabetes at baseline, 701 (9.2%) developed T2DM during a maximum 15-y follow-up period. Women in the highest tertile of yogurt intake had lower adjusted odds of T2DM than those in the lowest tertile (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.67, 0.99; P = 0.041). This relation became nonsignificant after adjustment for dietary variables and total energy intake (OR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.71, 1.08; P = 0.21). Of 7679 women free of CVD at baseline, 835 (10.9%) cases of CVD were reported during follow-up. High intake of yogurt and total fermented dairy was associated with lower CVD risk (OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.70, 1.00; P = 0.05, 0.80; 0.67, 0.96; 0.017, respectively) than observed in the lowest tertile of dairy product intake. Additional adjustment attenuated the relation (OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.72, 1.04; P = 0.13, 0.83; 0.69, 1.00; 0.048, for yogurt and total fermented dairy, respectively). No associations were found with other dairy groups.ConclusionThe findings from this population-based study of Australian women suggest an inverse association between total fermented dairy intake and CVD risk, which may partly be accounted for by other dietary components.

Introduction: Evidence has shown that early menopause is linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. A prevailing view is that endogenous estrogen may confer protection against heart disease, so the reduction of endogenous estrogen at menopause triggers vascular ageing and accelerate the progression of coronary heart disease (CHD). Hypothesis: If estrogen protection against coronary heart disease is true, we hypothesized that earlier menopause might also lead to earlier onset of CVD, and years of exposure to low estrogen level after menopause may play a role. The higher risk of CVD with early menopause might be driven by a longer duration experienced after menopause. Methods: A total of 151 951 naturally postmenopausal women without experiencing CVD and had no use of menopause hormone therapy (MHT) before menopause were included. We used logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between age at natural menopause and subsequent incident CVD events (binominal model), as well as age at onset of CVD (multinomial model). Age at menopause was categorized as Results: There were 6042 CVD events reported, including 4232 CHD and 2075 strokes. 1.7% and 6.5% of women experienced premature and early menopause respectively. Women who experienced premature or early menopause or menopause at 45-49 years had increased odds of experiencing incident CVD events compared with menopause at 50-51 years, with adjusted ORs (95% CI) of 1.86 (1.26, 2.75), 1.62 (1.31, 2.00) and 1.25 (1.10, 1.41) respectively. Women with early menopause ( Conclusions: Premature and early menopause were significantly associated with higher odds of experiencing incident CVD, and were strongly associated with early-onset CVD before the age of 60 years. The elevated odds of incident CVD in women with early menopause did not appear until 15 years after menopause.

Background: Play equipment at home could be targeted in interventions to increase children’s physical activity (PA), but evidence is mixed, potentially because current methods do not reflect children’s lived experience. This study investigated associations between combinations of equipment and PA. Methods: Data were from the Mothers and their Children’s Health study and the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Mothers (n = 2409) indicated the types of fixed active (eg, trampolines), portable active (eg, bicycles), and electronic (eg, computers) equipment at home, and the number of days children (n = 4092, aged 5–12 y, 51% boys) met PA guidelines. Latent class analysis was used to identify combinations of equipment, and linear regressions were used to investigate associations with PA. Results: Compared with children with high active (fixed and portable) and medium electronic equipment, children with portable active and medium (B = −0.53; 95% confidence interval, −0.72 to −0.34) or high (B = −0.58; 95% confidence interval, −0.83 to −0.33) electronic equipment met the guidelines on fewer days. Children with similar active equipment (but more electronic equipment) met the PA guidelines on fewer days (mean difference = −0.51, SE = 0.14, P = .002). Conclusion: Having the right combination of play equipment at home may be important for children’s PA.

Introduction: Early menopause has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but few studies have examined the converse, i.e., whether CVD events that occurred before menopause were linked to early natural menopause. Methods: Pooled participant-level data (177 131 women) from nine studies that contributed to the International collaboration for a Life course Approach to reproductive health and Chronic disease Events (InterLACE) consortium were included. We used multinomial logistic regression models to estimate multivariable relative risk ratios (RRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between age at onset of non-fatal premenopausal CVD events (including coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke events) and age at natural menopause. Age at menopause was categorised as Results: Overall, there were 1561 (0.9%) non-fatal premenopausal CVD events (including 1130 CHD and 469 stroke events). The mean age at onset of premenopausal CVD was 41.3 years (standard deviation: 8.2 years, median 44.0 years). Compared with women without experiencing any premenopausal CVD events, women who experienced premenopausal CVD, CHD or stroke before age 35 years had 2-fold increased risk of experiencing early menopause ( Conclusions: In conclusion, women with premenopausal CVD events that occurred before age 35 years had twice the risk of having early menopause. Shared genetic and environmental factors, as well as compromised vasculature after CVD events may play a role.

Background Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting women of reproductive age and is associated with multiple health burdens. Yet, findings regarding its ‘developmental origins’ are inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the associations of birth characteristics with endometriosis. We also explored potential mediation by adult social and reproductive factors. Methods This cohort study consisted of 3406 women born in Uppsala, Sweden, between 1933 and 1972. We used data from archived birth records and endometriosis diagnoses at ages 15–50 recorded in the national patient registers. Socioeconomic and reproductive characteristics were obtained from routine registers. HRs were estimated from Cox regression. Results During the follow-up, 111 women have been diagnosed with endometriosis, and most cases are external endometriosis (ie, outside the uterus, n=91). Lower standardised birth weight for gestational age was associated with increased rate of endometriosis (HR 1.35 per standard deviation decrease; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.67). This increased rate was also detected among women with fewer number of live births (HR 2.38; 95% CI 1.40 to 4.07 for one child vs ≥2 children; HR 6.09; 95% CI 3.88 to 9.57 for no child vs ≥2 children) and diagnosed infertility problem (HR 2.00; 95% CI 1.10 to 3.61) prior to endometriosis diagnosis. All the observed associations were stronger for external endometriosis. However, no evidence was found that number of births was the mediator of the inverse association between standardised birth weight and endometriosis. Conclusion This study supports the developmental origins theory and suggests that exposure to growth restriction during the fetal period is associated with increased risk of endometriosis during reproductive years.

In this study we have determined for first time the magnetic anisotropy field (HA) of Strontium Ferrite (SFO, SrFe12O19) nanoparticles of different morphologies using the Singular Point Detection (SPD) technique.

We present a study of the magnetic properties and of the reversal process of magnetic-hard Strontium Hexaferrite (SFO) particles with sizes below and above the single-domain size.

Accumulation of interfacial charge creates local field distortion during insulation response measurement. Furthermore, such localized field enhancement affects the interaction between polar compounds present within oil-paper insulation and in turn affects its aging process. By getting sufficient trap energy (normally by thermal oscillation) these trapped charges dislocate from their locations and contribute in depolarization current. These interfacial charges include charges dislocated from shallow and deep sites at interfacial region. The charge residing at deep locations takes more time to dislodge themselves compared to charge residing at shallow sites. As dipole present in cellulose has large relaxation time, there might be some relation between deep charge and paper insulation sensitive parameters. In this work, effects of temperature on deep traps are analyzed. Results reported in this paper shows that magnitude of charge freed from deep locations maintains a correlation with measurement temperature and paper conductivity.

Background The developmental origins of ischemic heart disease (IHD) have been widely documented but little is known about their persistence across more than one generation. This study aimed to investigate whether the effects of early life disadvantages on adult IHD have changed between generations and are mediated by adult socioeconomic circumstances, and further explore the transgenerational effects of grandparental and parental exposures to disadvantaged circumstances on adult offspring's IHD. Methods We used register-based data from the Uppsala Multigenerational Study, Sweden. The study populations were the parents born 1915–1929 and their offspring born 1932–1972 with available obstetric data. The offspring were further linked to grandparents who had their socioeconomic and demographic data recorded. The outcome was incident IHD assessed at ages 32–75 during a follow-up from January 1, 1964 till December 31, 2008. The exposures included birthweight standardized-for-gestational age, ponderal index, gestational length, and parental socioeconomic position (SEP). Education and income were analyzed as mediators. Potential transgenerational associations were explored by linking offspring IHD to parents' standardized birthweight and gestational length, grandparental SEP, and to grandmothers’ age, parity, and marital status at parental birth. All associations were examined in Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results Lower standardized birthweight and lower parental SEP were found to be associated with higher IHD rates in both generations, with no evidence of effect modification by generation. Education and income did not mediate the association between standardized birthweight and IHD. Disadvantaged grandparental SEP, younger and older childbearing ages of grandmothers, and paternal preterm birth affected offspring's IHD independent of parental education, income, or IHD history. Conclusions The findings point to similar magnitudes of IHD inequalities by early life disadvantages across two historical periods and the existence of transgenerational effects on IHD. Epigenetic dysregulation involving the germline is a plausible candidate mechanism underlying the transgenerational associations that warrant further research.

Larger workspace volume is one of the most important objectives in the optimum design of robot manipulator. In the present study, the workspace volume of a 3R manipulator has been maximised. The nonlinear constrained optimisation problem has been solved using the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) and a hybrid PSO and gravitational search algorithm (GSA). The proposed algorithm combines the search method of PSO and GSA with enhanced exploration ability to achieve higher workspace volume as compared to the established available results. Further, the total void cross section area has been estimated and a quantitative analysis of the results has been made to identify the key influencing kinematic parameters and prioritise the constraints. Applications of the hybrid algorithm on two industrial manipulators are presented as case studies. An important implication of this article is that the proposed hybrid algorithm provides encouraging result in terms of objective function values and CPU time.

Understanding the origin of magnetic ordering in an undoped semiconductor with native defects is an open question, which is being explored actively in research. In this investigation, the interplay between magnetic ordering and excess induced native defects in undoped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles is explained using an experimental and theoretical approach. It is demonstrated that structurally disordered TiO2 nanoparticles with a high concentration of native defects such as titanium interstitials and oxygen vacancies are synthesized using controlled atmospheric rapid cooling (i.e. quenching) process. The structural disorders in the lattice have been examined using various spectroscopic and microscopic analyses revealed the existence of Ti deficiency in both pristine and quenched TiO2 nanoparticles. A possible origin of magnetic ordering in titanium deficient anatase TiO2 system is elucidated based on first-principle calculations. It was found that the overall magnetic moment of Ti deficient TiO2 system is determined by the distance between Ti interstitials and its neighboring vacancies (i.e. either V Ti or V Os). However, quenched TiO2 nanoparticles possess excess Ti interstitials, Ti and O vacancies and therefore the net magnetic moment of the system is reduced due to anti-ferromagnetically coupled neighboring Tilattice ions.

BackgroundMenopausal vasomotor symptoms (ie, hot flashes and night sweats) have been associated with unfavorable risk factors and surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease, but their association with clinical cardiovascular disease events is unclear.ObjectiveTo examine the associations between different components of vasomotor symptoms, timing of vasomotor symptoms, and risk of cardiovascular disease.Study designWe harmonized and pooled individual-level data from 23,365 women in 6 prospective studies that contributed to the International Collaboration for a Life Course Approach to Women's Reproductive Health and Chronic Disease Events consortium. Women who experienced cardiovascular disease events before baseline were excluded. The associations between frequency (never, rarely, sometimes, and often), severity (never, mild, moderate, and severe), and timing (before or after age of menopause; ie, early or late onset) of vasomotor symptoms and incident cardiovascular disease were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals.ResultsIn the adjusted model, no evidence of association was found between the frequency of hot flashes and incident cardiovascular disease, whereas women who reported night sweats "sometimes" (hazard ratio, 1.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.45) or "often" (hazard ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.58) had higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Increased severity of either hot flashes or night sweats was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The hazards ratios of cardiovascular disease in women with severe hot flashes, night sweats, and any vasomotor symptoms were 1.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.22-2.73), 1.59 (95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.37), and 2.11 (95% confidence interval, 1.62-2.76), respectively. Women who reported severity of both hot flashes and night sweats had a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-1.94) than those with hot flashes alone (hazard ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.94-1.88) and night sweats alone (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-2.07). Women with either early-onset (hazard ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.75) or late-onset (hazard ratio, 1.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.32-2.16) vasomotor symptoms had an increased risk for incident cardiovascular disease compared with women who did not experience vasomotor symptoms.ConclusionSeverity rather than frequency of vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Vasomotor symptoms with onset before or after menopause were also associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Tungsten and its alloys find critical applications in several important sectors, such as defence, aerospace, mining, manufacturing, telecommunications etc., which are key to economic development and national security. Global tungsten deposits are limited (~3.3 million tonnes) and highly localized; China dominates the supply with more than 84% share. India doesn’t have any economic tungsten ore deposits, and produces meagre quantities of tungsten in comparison to its demand of ~1500 tonne/year. In order to lessen the import burden and supply risk to the country’s defence programmes, India is required to focus on producing this important metal from various available secondary and lean grade resources such as scraps and tailings. This article presents some of the recently developed and commercialized tungsten recycling technologies by CSIR-NML, which include: (1) recycling of tungsten carbide (WC) hard metal scraps for production of high pure yellow tungsten oxide (WO3) and W-metal powder; and (2) production of high pure sodium tungstate (Na2WO4·2H2O) from spent hydro-refining catalysts. Besides describing the process flow-sheets and product specifications, the paper highlights the advantages of CSIR-NML technologies over the presently practiced technologies.

Lightweight is one of the most important criterion in the optimum design of gear set for motorsport and aerospace application. A tradeoff between optimum weight and failure modes of gear is a subject of interest for researchers and the industry. In the present work weight of a single-stage spur gear set is optimized. This nonlinear constrained optimization formulation has been solved by using differential evolution algorithm. A total of six design variables corresponding to gear geometry and material property are considered. The results obtained are compared with those of published heuristics like genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, and particle swarm optimization algorithm, respectively. The optimization is performed in such a way that the design variables satisfy all constraints at optimum solution. Apart from this, several constraints related to scoring are included in the optimization. The constraint violation study is performed to prioritize the constraints. The sensitivity analysis is carried out to see the effect of manufacturing tolerances of design variables on weight of the gear set. The optimality of the solution has been ensured through the convergence study. The optimization reveals that the reported results are also encouraging in terms of objective function values and CPU time. In addition, the optimum design variables obtained through the weight optimization of spur gear set are used for preparation of a CAD model. Then the stress analysis using finite element analysis is performed on the gear set to identify the critical stress region in the optimized gear set.

Background and purpose — There are concerns that mental health (MH) may influence outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA). We examined effects of poor MH before surgery on long-term outcomes of osteoarthritis-related TKA or THA in women. Patients and methods — The data were from 9,737 middle-aged participants (47–52 years) and 9,292 older participants (73–78 years) in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health who completed surveys between 1998 and 2013. Dates of arthroplasties were obtained from the Australian Orthopaedics Association National Joint Replacement Registry. Participants without procedures were matched with participants with procedures. Trajectories of the Short-Form 36 scores for physical functioning, bodily pain, social functioning, and mental health based on mixed modeling were plotted for participants with and without surgery (stratified according to mental health, separately for TKA and THA, and for middle-aged and older participants). Results — In middle-aged women with poor and good MH, TKA improved physical function and reduced bodily pain, with improvements sustained up to 10 years after surgery. TKA contributed to restoration of social function in women with good MH, but this was less clear in women with poor MH. In both MH groups, mental health appeared to be unaffected by TKA. Similar patterns were observed after THA, and in older women. Interpretation — Recovery of physical and social function and reductions in pain were sustained for up to 10 years after surgery. Improvements in physical function and pain were also observed in women with poor mental health. Thus, in our view poor mental health should not be a contraindication for arthroplasty.

Decline in physical function is common in older age, with important consequences for health-related quality of life, health care utilisation, and mortality. This study aimed to identify patterns of change in physical functioning (PF) for women in later life. PF was measured longitudinally using the ten-item subscale of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey, for 10 515 participants of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, who completed at least two surveys between 1999 (aged 73–78 years) and 2011 (aged 85–90 years). Conditional and unconditional latent profile analysis was conducted separately for deceased and surviving subgroups of women to uncover latent patterns of change in PF scores over time. Four patterns of change were identified for women who were still alive in 2011 (N = 5928), and four similar classes for deceased women (N = 4587): (1) ‘poor PF’ representing women with low PF scores, (2) ‘moderate PF’, (3) ‘high PF’, and (4) ‘very high PF’, where scores remained very high. All patterns exhibited a decrease in PF over time. Factors which predict low PF included sedentary levels of exercise, obese and overweight BMI, difficulty managing on income, and lower education. The results provided evidence for a gradual decrease in PF for all women with age; however, there was no evidence for an increased rate of decline prior to death.

Background : Foreign labor migration has over the years, become major features of Nepal’s economy and society. In seek of opportunities; many of people of reproductive age group migrate to destination countries where they are exposed to risky behaviors. This study aimed to study HIV related knowledge and vulnerability of these women. Methods : The cross-sectional study was carried out among 150 spouses of migrant workers in Dhanauri VDC of Dang District. Semi-structured questionnaire was designed to collect the information from the respondents to meet objectives of the study. Data was analyzed by using SPSS(15.0). Ethical permission was obtained by Institutional Ethics Committee. Results : Almost all respondents had heard of HIV and AIDS and 55% had poor comprehensive knowledge on HIV prevention; 32% perceived HIV could transmit through mosquito bite; sharing meal of infection person (59.3%). The women ever discussed about sex with their husbands were 25.3%, among them 77.1 percent of spouse of male migrants doesn’t use condom during sexual intercourse during husband’s last visit at home. Major reason was they didn’t think it is necessary (88.1 percent) to use. Conclusion : The study revealed, despite great attention to HIV/AIDS program by Government and other agencies the knowledge on HIV prevention is below 50%. Comprehensive education program is needed to increase the level of correct knowledge on HIV prevention among wives of migrant workers. Targeted intervention among wives of migrant workers is important to make them able to negotiate for safe sexual practices with their husbands for HIV prevention and disclose their status for accessing services. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Vol. 2 2016 p.7-13

Objectives There is limited research on hot flushes and night sweats in women with a hysterectomy with ovarian conservation. We aimed to describe the patterns of these symptoms in a cohort of Australian women and to investigate the relationship between distinct symptom patterns and hysterectomy status. Study design and outcome measures Repeated-measures latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify hot flushes and night sweats symptom patterns across seven surveys (over 17 years) in the mid-cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women⿿s Health. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the associations of the symptom patterns in women with a hysterectomy with ovarian conservation (n = 1129) versus women without a hysterectomy (n = 4977). Results A higher proportion of women with a hysterectomy than of those without experienced a constant pattern of hot flushes (15% versus 30%) and night sweats (9% versus 19%). Women with a hysterectomy had higher odds of constant hot flushes versus minimal hot flushes (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.64, 2.35) and constant versus minimal night sweats (OR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.70, 2.55). Smoking, a ⿿lower level of education to non-professional occupation⿿ pathway and body mass index (BMI) patterns of ⿿always obese⿿ and ⿿increasingly obese⿿ were also associated with a higher risk of constant symptoms. Conclusions Women who have a hysterectomy (with ovarian conservation) have a higher risk of hot flushes and night sweats that persist over an extended period.

Azimuthal correlations of charged hadrons with direct-photon ( γ d i r ) and neutral-pion ( π 0 ) trigger particles are analyzed in central Au+Au and minimum-bias p + p collisions at s N N = 200 GeV in the STAR experiment. The charged-hadron per-trigger yields at mid-rapidity from central Au+Au collisions are compared with p + p collisions to quantify the suppression in Au+Au collisions. The suppression of the away-side associated-particle yields per γ d i r trigger is independent of the transverse momentum of the trigger particle ( p T trig ), whereas the suppression is smaller at low transverse momentum of the associated charged hadrons ( p T assoc ). Within uncertainty, similar levels of suppression are observed for γ d i r and π 0 triggers as a function of z T ( ≡ p T assoc / p T trig ). The results are compared with energy-loss-inspired theoretical model predictions. Our studies support previous conclusions that the lost energy reappears predominantly at low transverse momentum, regardless of the trigger energy.

The thirty seven inbreds of quality protein maize of diverse origin, evaluated in RBD showed significant difference among the inbreds in respect of grain yield and its component traits. The characters like days to 50 % tasseling, days to 50 % silking and days to 75% dry husk were less influenced by the environmental factors because of lower differences in magnitudes between GCV and PCV. On the contrary, the characters like cob girth, number of kernels per row, number of kernel rows per cob and grain yield per plant were much influenced by the environmental factors as evidenced from higher differences in magnitude of PCV and GCV. High heritability with low genetic advances for characters like days to 50% tasseling, days to 50 % silking and days to 75 % dry husk indicated the predominance of non-additive gene action whereas high heritability with high genetic advance was reported for cob weight indicating the role of additive gene action. The characters viz., cob weight, 100- kernel weight, plant height, ear height, and no. of kernels per row were highly and positively correlated with grain yield per plant at genotypic and phenotypic levels. Ear height (0.837), days to 50 % silking (0.526) and number of kernels/rows per cob (0.455) in that order had large positive direct effect on grain yield per plant at genotypic level. Similar trend was also observed at phenotypic level. The indirect effects were generally small with only a few exceptions. A close examination of all the direct and indirect effects of the components traits on yield indicated the presence of enough scope for yield improvement through selection for no of leaves per plant, cob length, no. of kernels per row, cob weight and 100-kernel weight. Based on 14 quantitative characters, the 37 quality protein maize inbreds were grouped into13 clusters following D 2 analysis and Tocher™s method of grouping. Among the yield traits, days to 50 % silking, days to 50% tasseling, days to 75% dry husk, cob weight, 100 kernel weight and grain yield per plant were found to be the major contributor towards genetic divergence. The overall clustering pattern indicated that QPM 3-7, QPM 9-18, and QPM 1110-7-2 were much divergent from rest of the inbreds in the experiment. Similarly, the inbreds of cluster III and XI and inbreds of clusters IX, III and X were distantly and distinctly related to each other. The pattern of clustering as stated above further indicated that there was no strict association between inbreds developed from diverse base populations.

To investigate the combined effect of education and reproductive history on weight trajectory.The association of education with weight trajectory (1996-2012) in relation to reproductive history was analyzed among 9,336 women (born 1973-1978) from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health using random effects models.Compared with women with a university degree/higher, lower-educated women were 2 kg heavier at baseline and gained an additional 0.24 kg/year. Giving birth was associated with an increase in weight which was more pronounced among women having their first birth26 years of age (2.1 kg, 95% CI: 1.5-2.7), compared with 26 to 32 years or32 years. While younger first-time mothers had a steeper weight trajectory (∼+0.16 kg/year, 95% CI: 0.1-0.3), this was less steep among lower-educated women. High-educated women with a second birth between 26 and 32 years had 0.9 kg decreased weight after this birth, while low-educated women gained 0.9 kg.While the effect of having children on weight in young adulthood was minimal, women having their first birth26 years of age had increased risk of weight gain, particularly primiparous women. Educational differences in weight persisted after accounting for reproductive history, suggesting a need to explore alternative mechanisms through which social differences in weight are generated.

Maternal obesity, usually associated with the adverse birth outcomes, has been a serious public health concern. Studies examining its effect on the physical and cognitive development of children have only recently emerged and the findings are inconsistent. This review aimed to systematically examine the role of maternal obesity on children's physical and cognitive development using the available evidence.The CINAHL, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, PUBMED and SCOPUS databases were searched. Studies addressing children's (⩽12 years) physical and cognitive development as outcome and maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index as an exposure were included. Data were extracted and evaluated for quality by two independent reviewers.A total of 17 articles were eligible for this systematic review; 10 of them were birth cohorts from the USA. Nine of the 14 studies supported an adverse association between maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and childhood cognitive development. A few studies also demonstrated a negative association between the maternal obesity and gross motor function in children (5 of 10), but not with fine motor function (none out of five studies). Whether the observed negative association between the maternal obesity and children's cognitive and gross motor abilities is casual or due to residual confounding effects is unclear. The current evidence is based on a limited number of studies with heterogeneous measurement scales and obesity definition.From the available evidence, it seems that exposure to maternal pre-pregnancy obesity in the intrauterine environment has a detrimental effect on children's cognitive development. However, evidence of the association between the maternal obesity and physical development of children is too scarce to offer a conclusion. More research work is required to delineate the intrauterine effect of the maternal obesity from the residual confounding effects.

Text Classification is done mainly through classifiers proposed over the years, Naive Bayes and Maximum Entropy being the most popular of all. However, the individual classifiers show limited applicability according to their respective domains and scopes. Recent research works evaluated that the combination of classifiers when used for classification showed better performance than the individual ones. This work introduces a modified Maximum Entropy-based classifier. Maximum Entropy classifiers provide a great deal of flexibility for parameter definitions and follow assumptions closer to real world scenario. This classifier is then combined with a Naive Bayes classifier. Naive Bayes Classification is a very simple and fast technique. The assumption model is opposite to that of Maximum Entropy. The combination of classifiers is done through operators that linearly combine the results of two classifiers to predict class of documents in query. Proper validation of the 7 proposed modifications (4 modifications of Maximum Entropy, 3 combined classifiers) are demonstrated through implementation and experimenting on real life datasets.

In this paper, an algorithm is proposed for generation of snow depth maps. The efficacy of the algorithm has been established through a case study in lower and middle Himalayas, India. The algorithm is a modified version of the spatial interpolation method proposed earlier in Swiss Alps. The method uses discrete point data supplemented with remotely sensed derived information data to create snow depth maps at spatial resolution of 0.5 km. In situ snow depth observations from 14 locations, automatic weather station (AWS) recorded snow depth from 9 locations, moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) images and shuttle radar topographic mission (SRTM) DEM form the database. The algorithm is based on the dependency of snow depth on elevation above mean sea level, which is later adjusted through the in situ snow depth observations to represent the local and regional characteristics of the snow distribution. The algorithm has been validated for different days of the winter season 2012–2013 using leave-one-out station cross-validation method. The mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) in estimation of snow depth have been observed as ~ 34 cm and ~ 42 cm respectively during the season. The snow depth maps generated from the proposed algorithm may be useful in assessment of snow avalanche hazards as well as in various hydrological and glaciological studies in the inaccessible cryospheric region of the Western Himalaya.

The present investigation deals with response of the particle size of titanium on the reactive sintering of Ti–Al intermetallics and subsequently on their reaction kinetics and densification behavior. Titanium powders of the initial average particle size of 44 μm were milled for various durations in a planetary ball mill to produce average particle sizes of 100, 28 and 7 μm. These titanium powders of various particle sizes, i.e. 100, 28, and 7 μm were mixed with titanium powder of average particle size range of 40–44 μm in the ratio of 1:1 corresponding to the Ti–Al intermetallic composition. The reactive sintering temperatures of the mixtures were determined by DTA and the effect of change in Al particle size was determined for the activation energy of the self propagating reaction. The mixtures of Ti and Al blends of various Ti particle size were compacted and subsequently sintered at reaction sintering temperatures for 1 h in argon atmosphere. The porosity levels as well as the microstructure studies were carried out to determine the influence of the particle size of aluminium on the reactive sintering of Ti–Al. The compacts were further characterized by X-ray diffraction to determine the extent of phase formation.

ObjectiveBreast-feeding is associated with positive maternal and infant health and development outcomes. To assist identifying women less likely to meet infant nutritional guidelines, we investigated the role of socio-economic position and parity on initiation of and sustaining breast-feeding for at least 6 months.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingAustralia.SubjectsParous women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (born 1973–78), with self-reported reproductive and breast-feeding history (N4777).ResultsWhile 89 % of women (83 % of infants) had ever breast-fed, only 60 % of infants were breast-fed for at least 6 months. Multiparous women were more likely to breast-feed their first child (~90 %v. ~71 % of primiparous women), and women who breast-fed their first child were more likely to breast-feed subsequent children. Women with a low education (adjusted OR (95 % CI): 2·09 (1·67, 2·62)) or a very low-educated parent (1·47 (1·16, 1·88)) had increased odds of not initiating breast-feeding with their first or subsequent children. While fewer women initiated breast-feeding with their youngest child, this was most pronounced among high-educated women. While ~60 % of women breast-fed their first, second and third child for at least 6 months, low-educated women (first child, adjusted OR (95 % CI): 2·19 (1·79, 2·68)) and women with a very low (1·82 (1·49, 2·22)) or low-educated parent (1·69 (1·33, 2·14)) had increased odds of not breast-feeding for at least 6 months.ConclusionsA greater understanding of barriers to initiating and sustaining breast-feeding, some of which are socio-economic-specific, may assist in reducing inequalities in infant breast-feeding.

Background: The contribution of body mass index (BMI) to the observed associations between dietary patterns and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) remains unclear. Objective: The objective of this study was to formally quantify the mediating effect of prepregnancy BMI in these associations. Design: Women (aged 25-30 y) participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were not pregnant at baseline in 2003 and reported $1 pregnancy up to 2012. GDM and HDP diagnoses were self-reported for each pregnancy and validated in a subset. A Mediterranean diet score was created by use of a baseline-validated food-frequency questionnaire and dichotomized to reflect low adherence (,25th percentile) and higher adherence ($25th percentile). A causal inference framework for mediation analysis was used to estimate total, natural direct, and natural indirect effects of the prepregnancy Mediterranean diet on incident GDM and HDP and proportions mediated through prepregnancy BMI. Results: In 3378 women without a history of diabetes, 240 (7.1%) developed GDM. HDP was reported in 273 (8.6%) of 3167 women with no history of hypertension. Low adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with higher risk of GDM (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.60) and HDP (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.56), after adjustment for education, parity, polycystic ovary syndrome, energy intake, and physical activity. Proportions mediated through prepregnancy BMI (per 1-kg/m2 increase) were 32% and 22% for GDMand HDP, respectively. Conclusion: These findings suggest that prepregnancy BMI as a single mediator contributes substantially to the total effects of the prepregnancy Mediterranean diet on GDM and HDP risk. Am J Clin Nutr 2016;104:638-45.

Diet and lifestyle advice for type 1 diabetes (T1DM) patients is based on little evidence and putative effects on glycaemic control. Therefore, we investigated the longitudinal relation between dietary and lifestyle variables and HbA1c levels in patients with type 1 diabetes.A 7-year prospective cohort analysis was performed in 1659 T1DM patients (52% males, mean age 32.5 years) participating in the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study. Baseline dietary intake was assessed by 3- day records and physical activity, smoking status and alcohol intake by questionnaires. HbA1c during follow-up was centrally assessed by immunoassay. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and restricted cubic spline regression analyses were performed to assess dose-response associations between diet and lifestyle variables and HbA1c levels, adjusted for age, sex, lifestyle and body composition measures, baseline HbA1c, medication use and severe hypoglycaemic attacks.Mean follow-up of our study population was 6.8 (s.d. 0.6) years. Mean HbA1c level was 8.25% (s.d. 1.85) (or 66.6 mmol/mol) at baseline and 8.27% (s.d. 1.44) at follow-up. Physical activity, smoking status and alcohol intake were not associated with HbA1c at follow-up in multivariable ANOVA models. Baseline intake below the median of vegetable protein (29 g/day) and dietary fibre (18 g/day) was associated with higher HbA1c levels. Restricted cubic splines showed nonlinear associations with HbA1c levels for vegetable protein (P (nonlinear)=0.008) and total dietary fibre (P (nonlinear)=0.0009).This study suggests that low intake of vegetable protein and dietary fibre are associated with worse glycaemic control in type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Diet may influence the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but inconsistent findings have been reported. The purpose of this study was to synthesize evidence from observational studies on the associations between dietary factors and GDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Medline and Embase were searched for articles published until January 2015. We included observational studies of reproductive-aged women that reported on associations of maternal dietary intake before or during pregnancy, including energy, nutrients, foods, and dietary patterns, with GDM. All relevant results were extracted from each article. The number of comparable studies that adjusted for confounders was insufficient to perform a meta-analysis. RESULTS The systematic review included 34 articles comprising 21 individual studies (10 prospective cohort, 6 cross-sectional, and 5 case-control). A limited number of prospective cohort studies adjusting for confounders indicated associations with a higher risk of GDM for replacing 1–5% of energy from carbohydrates with fat and for high consumption of cholesterol (≥300 mg/day), heme iron (≥1.1 mg/day), red and processed meat (increment of 1 serving/day), and eggs (≥7 per week). A dietary pattern rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fish and low in red and processed meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy was found to be beneficial. The current evidence is based on a limited number of studies that are heterogeneous in design, exposure, and outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS The findings support current dietary guidelines to limit consumption of foods containing saturated fat and cholesterol, such as processed meat and eggs, as part of an overall balanced diet. Further large prospective studies are warranted.

The STAR Collaboration presents for the first time two-dimensional di-hadron correlations with identified leading hadrons in 200 GeV central Au+Au and minimum-bias d+Au collisions to explore hadronization mechanisms in the quark gluon plasma. The enhancement of the jet-like yield for leading pions in Au + Au data with respect to the d + Au reference and the absence of such an enhancement for leading non-pions (protons and kaons) are discussed within the context of a quark recombination scenario. The correlated yield at large angles, specifically in the ridge region, is found to be significantly higher for leading non-pions than pions. The consistencies of the constituent quark scaling, azimuthal harmonic model and a mini-jet modification model description of the data are tested, providing further constraints on hadronization. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Long fatigue life is the most important objective in the optimum design of rolling element bearing. In the present study the fatigue life of a radial ball bearing is maximized. The nonlinear constrained optimization problem has been solved using particle swarm optimization algorithm and a hybrid PSO and Teaching Learning based Optimization algorithm. The algorithm uses a ranking method of constraint handling and contact stress has been introduced as a new constraint. The results have been compared with the established available results. A constraint violation study has been carried out to prioritize the constraints. A convergence study has been performed to identify the key design variables. Encouraging results in terms of objective function values and CPU time have been reported in this study.

The synthesized Mn2FeAl alloys crystallize in a geometrically frustrated cubic β-Mn structure (space group: P4132) with an antiferromagnetic ordering whereas the previous theoretical findings suggest for a Heusler structure (L21: regular and X: inverse). The experimental stability of the structure is verified by electronic structure calculations performed for various arrangements of Mn, Fe and Al atoms in the β-Mn-type crystal structure. When compared the energy of the β-Mn structure with the energy of L21 and X type structures, it is found that for an expansion of the lattice volume β-Mn structure becomes more preferable in total energy than L21 and X-type structures. The calculated theoretical equilibrium lattice parameter value for the β-Mn2FeAl is within the accuracy of the experimental value obtained in this work. Additional DFT + U calculations for the optimized crystal structure of the β-Mn2FeAl revealed that the electronic correlations in the Mn ions result in the increased total magnetic moment. In the X type structure, Mn2FeAl is a half metal, whereas the disordered arrangement of atoms in the β-Mn structure leads to the closure of the semiconductor gap. The β- Mn2FeAl alloys exhibit antiferromagnetic ordering (TN ≈ 42 K), which is in excellent agreement with our electronic structure calculations. The detailed analysis of the magnetic and heat capacity measurements suggests a short-range magnetic ordering in the Mn2FeAl alloys. Owing to the strong antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation caused by the geometric frustration in β-Mn, a large enhancement in the electronic heat capacity is noticed. Mn2FeAl shows the characteristic features of spin glass as verified from the frequency dependent AC susceptibility analysis using critical power law and Vogel-Fulcher law. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever report on the theoretically predicted lowest ground state configuration for Mn2FeAl with a β-Mn structure and the experimental realization of spin glass features in this geometrically frustrated antiferromagnet. © 2020 Elsevier B.V. Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, डीएसटी: - SB-FTP/PS097/2014, no-INT/ RUS / RFBR /379; University Grants Committee, UGC: F.30-49/2014; Science and Engineering Research Board, SERB; Russian Foundation for Basic Research, РФФИ: 19-52-45008, 20-02-00234; Inter-University Accelerator Centre, IUAC: UFR 57318; AAAA-A18-118020190098-5 This work is financially supported by SERB -DST, New Delhi, India (Grant no - SB-FTP/PS097/2014 ) and DST New Delhi, India (Grant no-INT/ RUS / RFBR /379). The financial assistance provided by IUAC, New Delhi, India through Grant No. UFR 57318 and UGC, India Grant No. F. 30-49/2014 (BSR) is also acknowledged. Theoretical studies of β-Mn 2 FeAl are supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 19-52-45008 and 20-02-00234 ), theoretical studies of L2 1 , X-Mn 2 FeAl are supported by the state assignment of Minobrnauki of Russia (theme “Electron” No. AAAA-A18-118020190098-5). This work is financially supported by SERB-DST, New Delhi, India (Grant no- SB-FTP/PS097/2014) and DST New Delhi, India (Grant no-INT/RUS/RFBR/379). The financial assistance provided by IUAC, New Delhi, India through Grant No. UFR 57318 and UGC, India Grant No. F.30-49/2014(BSR) is also acknowledged. Theoretical studies of ?-Mn2FeAl are supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 19-52-45008 and 20-02-00234), theoretical studies of L21, X-Mn2FeAl are supported by the state assignment of Minobrnauki of Russia (theme ?Electron? No. AAAA-A18-118020190098-5).

In this study, a wide overview has been presented for the active solar distillation technology. This article covers the modifications by which a distillation system becomes an active one and gives its ultimate performance in terms of yield and system efficiency at economical distillate cost. The active system has enough possibility to associate with the variety of identical elements and corresponding applications for the considerable increment in the overall performance of the system. So, a well-justified approach is being attempted in this work and developed a hypothesis accordingly that dignifies the necessity and role of active solar distillation systems and technology. ETCs are better to approach for the least thermal losses. The association of additional collectors and concentrators make the system much efficient to serve the large population effectively for a long period of time at a competitive price. Moreover, based on the entire work, it has been verified and recommended as well that one should follow active solar distillation technology for the efficient and economic production of potable water in a sustainable manner.

Background:Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a potentially fatal complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).(1) Overlapping clinical features of SLE activity with MA makes it a clinical diagnosis. There is limited data from developing countries like India.Objectives:To study the clinical features, treatment, and outcomes in SLE-MAS.Methods:This single-centre, retrospective study included patients fulfilling SLICC 2011 criteria for SLE, admitted from January 2017 to November 2019, and diagnosed as MAS by a team of attending physicians. Their demographic and clinical data, treatment, and outcomes were recorded. H score and SLEDAI were calculated. Patients were assessed for HLH classification criteria (2004) and preliminary diagnostic criteria for MAS in childhood SLE (cSLE).Results:Sixteen patients (median age – 26 years, 15 females) were included. Twelve patients (75%) had MAS as the initial presentation of SLE. The common clinical features were fever (100%) and cytopenias (100%). The mean duration of symptoms was 60 days. The most frequent biochemical abnormalities were high ferritin (>500 ng/ml, 100%) and elevated transaminases (100%, aspartate transaminase > alanine transaminase). Common complications were renal (43.8%), neurological (43.8%), and coagulopathy (43.8%). Seven and 16 patients fulfilled the HLH 2004 and cSLE – MAS preliminary criteria, respectively. The median H score was 222, giving a cumulative probability of 96%. All the patients received high-dose steroids. Cyclophosphamide pulse and cyclosporine were administered to 8 (50%) and 6 (37.5%) patients respectively. There were four (25%) in-hospital mortalities.CharacteristicN=16Age (years)26 (19.5 – 30)Duration of symptoms (days)60 (18.7 – 90)Fever16 (100)Pancreatitis1 (6.3)Renal7 (43.8)Neurological7 (43.8)Myocarditis6 (37.5)Hepatomegaly7 (43.8)Splenomegaly3 (18.8)Lymphadenopathy12 (75)Anaemia16 (100)Leukopenia13 (82)Thrombocytopenia14 (88.2)Coagulopathy7 (43.8)Concomitant infection3 (18.8)H score222 (193 – 254)cSLE-MAS diagnostic criteria16 (100%)HLH 2004 (≥5)7 (43.8)Corticosteroids16 (100%)Cyclophosphamide8 (50%)Intravenous immunoglobulin2 (12.5%)Cyclosporine6 (37.5%)Death4 (25%)All data presented as n (%) and median (IQR)cSLE-MAS – Childhood systemic lupus erythematosus – Macrophage activation syndrome, HLH – Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosisParameterN = 16Haemoglobin (g/dL)6.9 (5.7 – 7.8)Total leucocyte count (cells/mm3)1400 (1025 -3175)3 (18.8)1000 – 25009 (56.3)2500 - 40001 (6.3)Platelet (cells/mm3)57500 (23500 – 95250)3 (18.8)20000 – 500003 (18.8)50000 – 1 lac8 (50)Serum ferritin > 500 ng/ml16 (100%)Fibrinogen2.48 (1.6 – 4)Triglycerides (mg/dL)375 (294 -470)AST/ALT (U/L)153 (113 – 234) / 90 (68 – 170)Procalcitonin (pg/mL)0.8 (0.3 – 1.4)Lactate dehydrogenase (U/L)1674 (1081 – 2184)Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (mm in 1sthour)61 (44 – 69)C- reactive protein (mg/L)36 (6.3 – 52)Bone marrow examination14 (87.5)Increased histiocytes with hemophagocytosis5 (32.5)All data presented as n (%) and median (IQR)ALT – Alanine transaminase, AST – Aspartate transaminaseConclusion:Fever, cytopenia, high ferritin, and elevation of transaminases were the commonest features in this series of SLE-MAS. SLE-MAS carried a high mortality (25%) despite aggressive treatment.References:[1]Gavand P-E, Serio I, Arnaud L, Costedoat-Chalumeau N, Carvelli J, Dossier A, et al. Clinical spectrum and therapeutic management of systemic lupus erythematosus-associated macrophage activation syndrome: A study of 103 episodes in 89 adult patients. Autoimmun Rev. 2017;16(7):743–9.Acknowledgments:NONEDisclosure of Interests:None declared

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between pre-pregnancy diet quality and offspring behavioral problems among children aged 5–12 years. METHODS: 1554 mother-child dyads with mothers from the Australian longitudinal study on women's health (ALSWH) and children from the mothers and their children's health Study (MatCH). The healthy eating index (HEI-2015) score was used to explore maternal diet quality before pregnancy. Childhood total behavioral difficulties, internalizing (emotional and peer) and externalizing problems (hyperactivity and conduct) were assessed using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between maternal diet quality and offspring behavioral problems. RESULTS: 211 children experienced a greater score on total behavioral difficulties (13.6%) among the 1554 children. Better pre-pregnancy diet quality was associated with lower odds of offspring total behavioral difficulties after adjustment for potential confounders, highest vs lowest tertile (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.85) at P = 0.009. Greater adherence to the HEI-2015 score before pregnancy was also inversely associated with odds of offspring externalizing problems (AOR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.94). Among the four subscales, hyperactivity and peer problems were negatively associated with better diet quality, (AOR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.96) and (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.96), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found that mothers who recorded the better quality of diets before pregnancy had children with a lower risk of behavioral disorders in childhood. Further well-powered prospective studies are warranted to confirm the findings. FUNDING SOURCES: The research on which this paper is based was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health by the University of Queensland and The University of Newcastle. We are grateful to the Australian Government Department of Health for funding and to the women who provided the survey data. Gete is supported by the UQ Research Training Scholarship. Mishra holds the Australian Health and Medical Research Council Principal Research Fellowship APP1121844.

Although previous studies have provided evidence on the effect of age at menarche and at menopause on mortality and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), little is known about the role of oestrogen exposure during reproductive years, and age at menarche and at menopause when they were both considered in

The main objectives of this study were to i) derive oestrogen exposure indices, and ii) examine their relationship with stroke events, and compare model accuracy. This study included 5,632 post-menopausal women without a prior history of stroke from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s

Most galaxies in clusters have supermassive black holes at their center, and a fraction of those supermassive black holes show strong activity. These active galactic nuclei(AGNs) are an important probe of environmental dependence of galaxy evolution, intra-cluster medium, and cluster-scale feedback. We investigated AGN fraction in one of the largest samples of X-ray selected clusters from the ROSAT and their immediate surrounding field regions below z < 0.5. We found lower average AGN fraction in clusters, (2.37+-0.39)% than for the fields (5.12+-0.16)%. The lower AGN fractions in clusters were measured, after dividing the clusters into five redshift intervals between 0.0 and 0.5, in each redshift interval, and we found an increase in the fraction for both cluster and field galaxies with redshift below z < 0.5, which clearly indicates an environment and redshift dependence. We further divided the clusters into low-mass and high-mass objects using a mass cut at log(M500/Msun) = 13.5, finding comparable AGN fractions for both classifications, while a significantly higher AGN fraction in field. We also measured increasing AGN fractions with clustercentric distance for all redshift bins, further confirming the environmental dependence of AGN activities. In addition, we did not find an obvious trend between AGN fraction and SDSS-R absolute magnitudes among different redshift bins. We conclude that the lower AGN fraction in clusters relative to fields indicate that factors, such as inefficient galaxy mergers and ram pressure stripping cause a deficit of cold gas available in high density regions to fuel the central super-massive black hole. Clusters and fields in present universe have lost more gas relative to their high redshift counterparts resulting in a lower AGN fraction observed today., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, accepted in AJ

BackgroundMany women experience both vasomotor menopausal symptoms (VMS) and depressed mood at midlife, but little is known regarding the prospective bi-directional relationships between VMS and depressed mood and the role of sleep difficulties in both directions.MethodsA pooled analysis was conducted using data from 21 312 women (median: 50 years, interquartile range 49−51) in eight studies from the InterLACE consortium. The degree of VMS, sleep difficulties, and depressed mood was self-reported and categorised as never, rarely, sometimes, and often (if reporting frequency) or never, mild, moderate, and severe (if reporting severity). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the bi-directional associations adjusted for within-study correlation.ResultsAt baseline, the prevalence of VMS (40%, range 13–62%) and depressed mood (26%, 8–41%) varied substantially across studies, and a strong dose-dependent association between VMS and likelihood of depressed mood was found. Over 3 years of follow-up, women with often/severe VMS at baseline were more likely to have subsequent depressed mood compared with those without VMS (odds ratios (OR) 1.56, 1.27–1.92). Women with often/severe depressed mood at baseline were also more likely to have subsequent VMS than those without depressed mood (OR 1.89, 1.47–2.44). With further adjustment for the degree of sleep difficulties at baseline, the OR of having a subsequent depressed mood associated with often/severe VMS was attenuated and no longer significant (OR 1.13, 0.90–1.40). Conversely, often/severe depressed mood remained significantly associated with subsequent VMS (OR 1.80, 1.38–2.34).ConclusionsDifficulty in sleeping largely explained the relationship between VMS and subsequent depressed mood, but it had little impact on the relationship between depressed mood and subsequent VMS.

Background Use of generalized linear models with continuous, non-linear functions for age, period and cohort makes it possible to estimate these effects so they are interpretable, reliable and easily displayed graphically. To demonstrate the methods we use data on the prevalence of obesity among Australian women from two independent data sources obtained using different study designs. Methods We used data from two long-running nationally representative studies: seven cross-sectional Australian National Health Surveys conducted between 1995 and 2017–18, each involving 6000–8000 women; and the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health which started in 1996 and involves more than 57,000 women in four age cohorts who are re-surveyed at three-yearly intervals or annually. Age-period-cohort analysis was conducted using generalized linear models with splines to describe non-linear continuous effects. Results When analysed in the same way both data sets showed similar patterns. Prevalence of obesity increased with age until late middle age and then declined; increased only slightly across surveys; but increased steadily with birth year until the 1960s and then accelerated. Conclusions The methods illustrated here make the estimation and visualisation of age, period and cohort effects accessible and interpretable. Regardless of how the data are collected (from repeated cross-sectional surveys or longitudinal cohort studies), it is clear that younger generations of Australian women are becoming heavier at younger ages. Analyses of trends in obesity should include cohort, in addition to age and period, effects in order to focus preventive strategies appropriately.

Background Mental health symptoms are highly prevalent and dynamic among young people. Little is known about the trajectories of these symptoms and subsequent development of chronic conditions. This study examines whether (1) mental health trajectories can predict the onset of chronic conditions in young women and (2) trajectories are stronger predictors of the incidence of these conditions than mental health status measured at single time point. Methods 6013 young Australian women were followed every 3-year for 20 years. The mental health trajectories in their 20s and mental health status 3-year before the onset of chronic conditions were used to predict the incidence of six chronic conditions in their 30s. Mental health trajectories were identified using latent mixture modelling of five-item Mental Health Index. Results Five mental health trajectories were identified: maintaining a high score (high-stable); starting low then steadily increasing (improving); moderately high score, declining, then increasing (declining-improving); starting high then steadily decreasing (declining), and maintaining a low score (low-stable). In their 30s, 1015 (16.9%) women developed one or more conditions. The low-stable and declining groups were associated with increased odds of developing one or more conditions by 45% (odds ratio [OR] 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.94) and 48% (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.10–1.98), respectively, compared with the high-stable group. These are not so clearly distinguished by only considering mental health status at single time. Limitation Self-reported chronic conditions. Conclusion Mental health symptom trajectories in women's 20s are associated with the onset of chronic physical conditions in their 30s.

Background The interplay between mental and physical health remains poorly understood. We investigated whether psychological distress is associated with risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in a population-based prospective study. Methods and Results We included participants without prior stroke/MI from the New South Wales 45 and Up Study. We categorized baseline psychological distress as low, medium, and high/very high on the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress scale and identified stroke and MI through linkage to hospital admission and mortality records. We obtained sex and age-stratified adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios for the association between psychological distress and MI and stroke. We investigated for interaction between psychological distress and each of age and sex. Among 221 677 participants, 16.2% and 7.3% had moderate and high/very high psychological distress at recruitment, respectively. During 4.7 (±0.98 SD) years of follow-up, 4573 MIs and 2421 strokes occurred. Absolute risk of MI and stroke increased with increasing psychological distress level. In men aged 45 to 79 years, high/very high versus low psychological distress was associated with a 30% increased risk of MI (fully adjusted hazard ratios, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.12-1.51), with weaker estimates in those aged ≥80 years. Among women, high/very high psychological distress was associated with an 18% increased risk of MI (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.99-1.42) with similar findings across age groups. In the age group of participants aged 45 to 79 years, high/very high psychological distress and male sex had a supra-additive effect on MI risk. Similar estimates were observed for stroke, with high/very high psychological distress associated with a 24% and 44% increased stroke risk in men and women, respectively, with no evidence of interaction with age or sex. Conclusions Psychological distress has a strong, dose-dependent, positive association with MI and stroke in men and women, despite adjustment for a wide range of confounders.

Introduction The influence of women's childhood psychosocial environment and subsequent preconception mental health on risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus is unclear. This study examines this relationship. Methods Data from a population-based cohort study, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, were used. A total of 6,317 women with no pre-existing diabetes were followed from 1996 (aged 18–23 years) until 2015. Gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis was self-reported. Exposures to eight subcategories of adverse childhood experiences were recalled. Individual subcategories and total number of adverse childhood experiences were examined. Log-binomial regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to estimate RRs and 95% CIs. Analyses were adjusted for early life, preconception, and antenatal gestational diabetes mellitus risk factors. Effect modification by preconception mental health was tested using cross-product terms. Analyses were conducted in 2018. Results Among 11,556 pregnancies, 4.7% were complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus. Compared with women not exposed to adverse childhood experiences, exposure to any three adverse childhood experiences (6% of women, adjusted RR=1.73, 95% CI=1.02, 3.01) or four or more adverse childhood experiences (7%, adjusted RR=1.76, 95% CI=1.04, 2.99) was associated with elevated gestational diabetes mellitus risk in women with preconception depressive symptoms. Among the subcategories of adverse childhood experiences, physical abuse, and household substance abuse were associated with higher gestational diabetes mellitus risk. Adverse childhood experiences were not associated with gestational diabetes mellitus in women without depressive symptoms before pregnancy (p=0.01, for interaction). Conclusions These findings suggest that, in addition to primary prevention of childhood adversity, strategies to curb poor mental health trajectories among women exposed to adverse childhood experiences may contribute to prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus.