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Background & Aim Metabolic and cardiovascular health outcomes are strongly influenced by diet. Dietary habits established in early childhood may persist into adulthood. This study aimed to examine the association between dietary patterns at both 2 and 8 years of age, explaining the maximum variability of high- and low-quality fats, sugars, and fibre, and cardiometabolic markers at age 8 years. Methods This was a secondary analysis of the European Childhood Obesity Project, formerly a randomized clinical trial across five European countries performed in healthy term newborns. Children in the study were categorized at ages 2 and 8 years into two groups based on cluster analysis of dietary patterns (DP) derived from Reduction Rank Regression (RRR). A cross-sectional and prospective analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations between these DPs and cardiometabolic outcomes, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), and biochemical markers. Triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were also categorized as altered versus normal values. Asociations between dietary patterns and health outcomes were assessed using linear and logistic regression models, adjusting for covariates based on a step-wise approach. Results A total of 336 children were classified based on quality of nutrient intakes into either a “Poor-Quality dietary pattern” (PQ-DP) (48% and 66% of infants at 2 and 8 years, respectively) or the “Health-Conscious dietary pattern” (HC-DP) (52% and 34% of infants at 2 and 8 years, respectively). Following a PQ-DP at both ages 2 and 8 was associated with higher triglycerides (β = 0.061, p = 0.049), systolic and diastolic BP (β = 13.019, p < 0.001 & β = 7.612, p = 0.014, respectively) and altered levels of HOMA-IR (OR = 3.1, p = 0.037, 95% CI = 1.1–9.1) at 8 years, compared to children with an HC-DP at both ages, after adjusting for confounders. Conclusion Adherence to a dietary pattern with a poorer nutritional profile in early childhood and school age is associated with worse cardiometabolic risk markers at 8 years old.

Background Maternal perception of child weight status in children with overweight or obesity has received a lot of attention but data on paternal perception of children from presumably healthy cohorts are lacking. Objective We aimed to investigate paternal and maternal perception of child weight status at the age of 8 years in a cohort of 591 children from 5 European countries. Material and Methods Included were 8-year-old children and their parents participating in the European Childhood Obesity Project (EU CHOP). Weight and height of children and parents were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m ² ) was calculated. Both parents were asked to assess their perception of child weight status using Eckstein scales and their concern about child overweight. The agreement between mother and father perceptions was assessed by Cohen kappa coefficient and their relationship was analyzed by linear mixed effects models based on ordinal logistic regression, accounting for country, child gender and BMI, parental BMI, level of education, concern and type of feeding during first year of life. Results Data from children and both parents were available for 432 girls and boys. Mean BMI was comparable in boys and girls (16.7 ± 2.31 vs. 16.9 ± 2.87 kg/m ² , P = 0.55). In total, 172 children (29.3%) were overweight or obese. There was a high degree of agreement between mother and father perceptions of their child’s weight status (Cohen kappa 0.77). Multivariate modelling showed that perception levels significantly increased with child BMI but were globally lower than assessed. They differed between countries, gender and types of feeding during first year of life, were influenced by education level of the father but were not related to parental BMI and concern about childhood overweight. Conclusions The study showed no overall differences between mothers and fathers in rating their child’s weight status but both parents had a propensity to underestimate their child’s actual weight, particularly in boys. The EU CHOP trial registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00338689.

We present the case of a middle-aged man who developed an infective endocarditis of the tricuspid valve caused by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and associated with a very large vegetation (nearly 5 cm). Besides the quite unusual size of the vegetation, this report highlights that severe right-sided endocarditis can occur in the absence of classical risk factors (intravenous drug abuse, presence of a cardiac implantable electronic device or other intravascular device, and underlying right-sided cardiac anomaly) and that some cases of severe tricuspid endocarditis can be successfully treated by partial excision and patch repair.

Objectives Current evidence indicates that the pharmacokinetic profile of rivaroxaban is not significantly impacted by body weight. However, real-world data are needed to better assess the potential clinical benefits and risks associated with rivaroxaban in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients with obesity. Thus, our objectives were to assess the real-world effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban versus warfarin among NVAF patients with obesity in a US nationally representative commercially-insured population. Methods Health insurance claims data from the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus database (01/2010–09/2019) were used to identify NVAF patients with obesity (based on diagnosis codes) initiated on rivaroxaban or warfarin. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to adjust for imbalances between groups. Study outcomes of interest were evaluated up to 36 months post-treatment initiation and included the composite of stroke or systemic embolism (stroke/SE) and major bleeding. Outcomes were compared using Cox proportional hazards regression models with hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results A total of 10,555 patients were initiated on rivaroxaban and 5,080 patients on warfarin. Following IPTW, the risk of stroke/SE was 26% lower among patients prescribed rivaroxaban relative to warfarin (HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.91, p = 0.004) at 36 months. Rivaroxaban-initiated patients had a risk of major bleeding similar to that of warfarin-initiated patients (HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.71, 1.02, p = 0.085). Conclusions These results suggest that rivaroxaban is an effective and safe treatment option among NVAF patients with obesity in a commercially-insured US population.

The operating efficiency of a container terminal is largely determined by the number of vehicles available for internal transportation. This article presents a discrete event simulation model, combined with scenario analysis, to help determine the adequate number of vehicles to satisfy the demand for internal container movements at a port in the city of Barranquilla. The model assesses the container movements performed by Straddle Carriers (SC) between the container loading/unloading dock and the storage and inspection yards. The results of the experiments performed indicate that when demand increases by more than 10%, the number of vehicles currently available may be insufficient to cover operating requirements in an efficient manner. The simulation model tests the effectiveness of a set of strategies that may be implemented at the studied terminal.

Workers can be exposed to solid airborne particles in some occupational environments, and they might be required to wear chemical protective clothing to prevent skin exposure. Dedicated standards exist to certify the protective value of such clothing, but they are not informative enough to identify the main pathways of entry for solid particles nor to compare performances between different chemical protective clothing. In this work, 20 non-woven fabrics used to make chemical protective clothing for solid particle protection were selected to be examined for both filtration and comfort performances. Nine were microporous fabrics (MP), 10 were multilayered nonwoven fibrous media (SMS) and one was a flash spun material (FS). To assess their filtration performances, fabrics were challenged in a benchtop wind tunnel with a 20–3,000 nm diameter sodium chloride aerosol at three low fabric face velocities (0.05, 0.15, 0.3 cm/sec). Airflow resistance and water vapor transmission rate were also measured to provide indications of comfort for the wearer. The penetration results led to the classification of the 20 fabrics into distinct groups of filtration efficiency. The data were analysed based on the porous media characteristics (thickness, fiber diameter, porosity, etc.). MPs were the most efficient fabrics, and SMSs showed a wide range of performances, mostly due to variations in the thickness of the filtering layer as well as to the fabric treatment. Measurements of airflow resistance and water vapor transmission rates revealed major differences between MPs and FSs and SMSs. This highlights the potential of some SMS fabrics to meet a compromise between protection and comfort.

In order to improve the efficiency of their interventions, Canadian NGOs – relying on the knowledge-based approach to cooperation – have privileged the establishment of genuine North–South partnerships and relationships between their partners within networks as a strategy for building and sustaining local capacities. Although the networks are associated with development, the mechanisms that enable partners to learn and build their capacities within networks remain unclear. Based on field research carried out with Oxfam-Québec and three of its West African partners, this article examines these mechanisms. The results demonstrate the importance of Oxfam-Québec’s knowledge-management practices in the development of its partners’ absorptive capacity on which their learning within the network is based. As a result, this article contributes to a better understanding of the processes and mechanisms leading to the development of absorptive capacity as well as the conditions associated with the effective use of networks as tools for development.

Hydraulic transmissivity is the most important design parameter of geocomposites used for in-plane drainage applications. This paper presents an in-depth investigation of the hydraulic behaviour of drain-tube planar geocomposites (DTPGs) and characterises the locations and causes of head losses based on a multiscale experimental approach using three different apparatus. In particular, a transmissivity rig that accommodates specimens up to 1 m(2) was developed to define the minimum representative surface area required to characterise DTPGs. The experimental data acquired in this study support a theoretical relationship linking head losses that occur within DPTGs to flow rate. This relationship is used to analyse the results obtained with other transmissivity rigs and to identify the key locations where head losses develop. In addition, evidence that Colebrook's equation can be applied to corrugated tubes is presented. Based on this study, it is concluded that the measured DTPG transmissivity is significantly affected by specimen length and by the experimental device used to make the measurement. For example, the DTPG transmissivity measured in accordance with ASTM D4716-08 was found to be 14% lower than the actual DTPG transmissivity.

In industrialized countries, prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking (PEMCS) is the most common environmental insult to the fetus. Here, we tested the hypothesis that PEMCS amplifies accumulation of abdominal fat during the accelerated weight gain occurring in late puberty. This hypothesis was tested in 508 adolescents (12-18 years, 237 exposed prenatally to maternal cigarette smoking) in whom subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat were quantified with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We found that, in early puberty, exposed and nonexposed adolescents did not differ in MRI-based measures of adiposity. In late puberty, on the other hand, exposed compared with nonexposed adolescents demonstrated markedly higher quantities of both subcutaneous fat (by 26%, P = 0.004) and intra-abdominal fat (by 33%, P = 0.001). These group differences remained virtually unchanged after adjusting for sex and potential confounders, including birth weight and breastfeeding. As such, our results suggest that PEMCS may represent a major risk factor for the development of abdominal obesity at the later stages of puberty.

Socioeconomic deprivation has long been recognized as a prominent feature of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), but studies performed before the discovery of the mutation causing DM1 may have suffered an ascertainment bias towards the more severe forms of the disease. We have sought to clarify the relationship between CTG repeats, muscular impairment, and socioeconomic characteristics of 200 patients with DM1. Patients with DM1 reported lower educational attainment, lower employment rate, lower family income, and higher reliance on social assistance than the reference population. Logistic regression showed, on one hand, that CTG repeats and marital status were significant predictors of social assistance recipiency and, on the other hand, that CTG repeats and gender were significant predictors of low social support from family, after adjustment for age, gender, degree of muscular impairment, CTG repeats, educational level, and marital status. For example, each additional 100 CTG repeats was found to increase the odds of relying on social assistance by about 35% and having low social support by about 22%. The chances of experiencing socioeconomic deprivation are loaded heavily against patients with DM1. The relationship between increased CTG repeat length and higher risk of material and social deprivation must be acknowledged in the clinical management of DM1.

A smart geotextile for hydraulic end-use applications, such as filtration and drainage, has been manufactured. For filtration applications, biodegradable prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) were fabricated using special conditioned geotextile filter and plastic cores to improve their degradability. Aliphatic polyester-based PVDs showed higher tensile strengths than starch-based PVDs. Biodegradable PVDs showed lower hydraulic properties than normal PVDs, however, the magnitude of the difference was not large. In terms of their chemical resistance and biodegradation, the biodegrad- able PVDs were better than typical PVDs. Compared to geonet composites, smart geotextiles could be the ideal geosyn- thetics for drainage applications on side sloping areas and for the protection of geomembranes in waste landfills.  2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

A great market has opened for ultraviolet protective clothing which can block much more ultraviolet radiation (UVR), because people are aware that reducing exposure to UVR may reduce the risk of skin cancer. Based on a brief review of the effect of fabric characterization on ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) and transmittance of UVR, the authors propose the way to analyze fibre selection which should consider the same cover factor and compare the UPF/thickness and UPF/weight. In addition, the effect of fabric layers, UV absorbers, dyes and moisture content on UPF of fabrics were measured and discussed.

Chitosan was reacted with 2-formylbenzene sodium sulfonate and 4-formylbenzene sodium disulfonate in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride to yield N-benzyl derivatives. One-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy were used for the characterization of both products. This study allowed us to assign all proton and carbon signals and confirmed the structure. 1H NMR spectra showed that the parent polymer is 22% acetylated and that the overall degree of substitution is 83% and 47% for the monosulfonic and disulfonic derivatives, respectively.

We reared American Black Duck (Anas rubripes Brewster) and Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula Linnaeus) ducklings on two Quebec laurentian lakes in which we manipulated brook trout populations (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill), lake acidity and lake productivity to relate waterfowl foraging to trophic status of lakes. We developed a preliminary model to assess the effects of lake acidity and productivity, fish predation and interspecific fish/duck competition in relation to available food (aquatic invertebrates). We then validated the model using a factorial analysis of the relationships between the variables pertaining to the diet of the fish and ducklings, and the environmental characteristics of the lakes (acidity, biological production and fish predation).The first factorial axis can be interpreted in terms of biological productivity, while the second axis illustrates the effect that fish have on the quantity and type of food available to ducklings. Two different trends appear to occur depending on whether the carrying capacity of the lake is reduced by acidification of the water or increase through liming or fertilization. In the first case, fish predation appears to have a marked effect on available food, whereas in the second case, interspecific fish/duck competition is apparently to blame for changes in the diet of ducklings. In both instances, but to a lesser extent, fish compete increasingly (exploitation and/or interference) with the ducklings, forcing them to feed to a greater extent in riparian sites that are less accessible to fish.

As part of a study of milkweed fibers, various blends of cotton and milkweed were created and the physical fiber and yam properties analyzed. The study included a unique investigation of transverse properties of wall thickness and linear density. Spin ning trials of blends with very high percentages of milkweed fibers revealed new data on specific problems with milkweed because of its smoothness and brittleness. These particular problems also prevented the manufacture of a pure milkweed yarn.

Geotextiles made from synthetic fibres are used in drainage applications. The textiles must allow the passage of water while retaining soil particles in place. This function can be assumed for many years if no alteration or change of their structure results from chemical attack, mechanical deterioration, mineral and bacterial clogging and accumulation of particles, or organic matter between or upstream of the fibres.In this paper, the mechanisms involved with particle migration, soil stabilization and sediment retention are presented to give an understanding of filter performance. The degradation of fibres from mechanical, biological, chemical and environmental attacks are briefly examined. Mineral, bacterial and organic clogging, blinding and blocking of geotextiles are discussed in detail.From the knowledge of these mechanisms, the critical aspects of geotextile durability on design criteria are presented to take into account hydraulic property changes, allowable clogging level, filter selection and installation procedures.