We have found a class of circular radio objects in the Evolutionary Map of the Universe Pilot Survey, using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope. The objects appear in radio images as circular edge-brightened discs, about one arcmin diameter, that are unlike other objects previously reported in the literature. We explore several possible mechanisms that might cause these objects, but none seems to be a compelling explanation.

Amygdala functions and reactivity have been identified to play a major role in mood disorders and anxiety. A polymorphism of the human serotonin transporter gene (SCL6A4) has been associated with serotonin transporter expression and with processing of aversive stimuli in the amygdala. There is converging evidence that SCL6A4 genotype accounts for about 30% of the total variance in amygdala response during the presentation of aversive but not affectively positive visual stimuli, which were equally salient. S-allele carriers also showed stronger prefrontal-amygdala connectivity. This suggests that increased amygdala responses in s-allele carriers are related to altered serotonergic modulation of prefrontal afferents within the amygdala. In patients with major depression amygdala activation to aversive stimuli and prefrontal connectivity may be dysfunctional. This hypothesis was tested in 20 patients with major depression and 20 age-matched healthy controls.

Results will be discussed with respect to genotype effects on limbic activation and connectivity.

Stigma and social exclusion related to mental health are of substantial public health importance for Europe. As part of ROAMER (ROAdmap for MEntal health Research in Europe), we used systematic mapping techniques to describe the current state of research on stigma and social exclusion across Europe. Findings demonstrate growing interest in this field between 2007 and 2012. Most studies were descriptive (60%), focused on adults of working age (60%) and were performed in Northwest Europe—primarily in the UK (32%), Finland (8%), Sweden (8%) and Germany (7%). In terms of mental health characteristics, the largest proportion of studies investigated general mental health (20%), common mental disorders (16%), schizophrenia (16%) or depression (14%). There is a paucity of research looking at mechanisms to reduce stigma and promote social inclusion, or at factors that might promote resilience or protect against stigma/social exclusion across the life course. Evidence is also limited in relation to evaluations of interventions. Increasing incentives for cross-country research collaborations, especially with new EU Member States and collaboration across European professional organizations and disciplines, could improve understanding of the range of underpinning social and cultural factors which promote inclusion or contribute toward lower levels of stigma, especially during times of hardship.

As part of the ongoing effort to improve the Northern Hemisphere radiocarbon (14C) calibration curve, this study investigates the period of 856 BC to 626 BC (2805–2575 yr BP) with a total of 403 single-year 14C measurements. In this age range, IntCal13 was constructed largely from German and Irish oak as well as Californian bristlecone pine 14C dates, with most samples measured with a 10-yr resolution. The new data presented here is the first atmospheric 14C single-year record of the older end of the Hallstatt plateau based on an absolutely dated tree-ring chronology. The data helped reveal a major solar proton event (SPE) which caused a spike in the production rate of cosmogenic radionuclides around 2610/2609 BP. This production event is thought to have reached a magnitude similar to the 774/775 AD production event but has remained undetected due to averaging effects in the decadal calibration data. The record leading up to the 2610/2609 BP event reveals a 11-yr solar cycle with varying cyclicity. Features of the new data and the benefits of higher resolution calibration are discussed.

The COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) project is a large international collaborative effort to analyze individual-level phenotype data from twins in multiple cohorts from different environments. The main objective is to study factors that modify genetic and environmental variation of height, body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and size at birth, and additionally to address other research questions such as long-term consequences of birth size. The project started in 2013 and is open to all twin projects in the world having height and weight measures on twins with information on zygosity. Thus far, 54 twin projects from 24 countries have provided individual-level data. The CODATwins database includes 489,981 twin individuals (228,635 complete twin pairs). Since many twin cohorts have collected longitudinal data, there is a total of 1,049,785 height and weight observations. For many cohorts, we also have information on birth weight and length, own smoking behavior and own or parental education. We found that the heritability estimates of height and BMI systematically changed from infancy to old age. Remarkably, only minor differences in the heritability estimates were found across cultural–geographic regions, measurement time and birth cohort for height and BMI. In addition to genetic epidemiological studies, we looked at associations of height and BMI with education, birth weight and smoking status. Within-family analyses examined differences within same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins in birth size and later development. The CODATwins project demonstrates the feasibility and value of international collaboration to address gene-by-exposure interactions that require large sample sizes and address the effects of different exposures across time, geographical regions and socioeconomic status.

Gac is a dioecious tropical and perennial climber. The fruit is a rich source of carotenoids and is used in traditional cuisine and medicine. Improving propagation methods using simple techniques would increase production and improve conservation in regional areas. This study evaluated temperature requirements for seed germination, the use of rooting hormones to strike female cuttings and the grafting of female scions onto seedling rootstock. Seed germination was optimised between 25 and 35 °C, with a maximum germination percentage of 91% at 30 °C. However, increasing storage time from 6 to 18 months under laboratory conditions (21 ± 1°C and 60% relative humidity) reduced germination and this was associated with seed weight loss, highlighting the need to develop storage guidelines, particularly for the higher temperature and humidity conditions where Gac is grown. Survival of softwood cuttings was improved from 53 to 77% with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (3–5 g/L) and semi-hardwood cuttings did not require IBA treatment. Both splice and wedge grafting techniques achieved a survival rate > 53% and with the youngest rootstock (4 and 8 weeks) this increased to > 85%. Further work could investigate the production potential of crops using cuttings and grafted plants.

This study evaluated the annual prevalence of anogenital warts (AGW) caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) and analysed the trend in annual per cent changes (APC) by using national claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment of Korea, 2007–2015. We also estimated the socio-economic burden and co-morbidities of AGW. All analyses were performed based on data for primary A63.0, the specific diagnosis code for AGW. The socio-economic cost of AGW was calculated based on the direct medical cost, direct non-medical cost and indirect cost. The overall AGW prevalence and socio-economic burden has increased during the last 9 years. However, the prevalence of AGW differed significantly by sex. The female prevalence increased until 2012, and decreased thereafter (APC + 3·6%). It would fall after the introduction of routine HPV vaccination, principally for females, in Korea. The male prevalence increased continuously over time (APC + 11·6%), especially in those aged 20–49 years. Referring to the increasing AGW prevalence and its disease burden, active HPV infection control surveillance and prevention in males are worth consideration.

This study aimed to examine the association between vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12 biomarkers and plasma fatty acids in European adolescents. A subsample from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study with valid data on B-vitamins and fatty acid blood parameters, and all the other covariates used in the analyses such as BMI, Diet Quality Index, education of the mother and physical activity assessed by a questionnaire, was selected resulting in 674 cases (43 % males). B-vitamin biomarkers were measured by chromatography and immunoassay and fatty acids by enzymatic analyses. Linear mixed models elucidated the association between B-vitamins and fatty acid blood parameters (changes in fatty acid profiles according to change in 10 units of vitamin B biomarkers). DHA, EPA) and n-3 fatty acids showed positive associations with B-vitamin biomarkers, mainly with those corresponding to folate and vitamin B12. Contrarily, negative associations were found with n-6:n-3 ratio, trans-fatty acids and oleic:stearic ratio. With total homocysteine (tHcy), all the associations found with these parameters were opposite (for instance, an increase of 10 nmol/l in red blood cell folate or holotranscobalamin in females produces an increase of 15·85 µmol/l of EPA (P value <0·01), whereas an increase of 10 nmol/l of tHcy in males produces a decrease of 2·06 µmol/l of DHA (P value <0·05). Positive associations between B-vitamins and specific fatty acids might suggest underlying mechanisms between B-vitamins and CVD and it is worth the attention of public health policies.

The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO), which will be launched onboard the Lomonosov spacecraft, contains two crucial instruments: UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT) for detection and localization of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and the fast-response Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) designed for the observation of the prompt optical/UV counterparts. Here we discuss the in-space calibrations of the UBAT detector and SMT telescope. After the launch, the observations of the standard X-ray sources such as pulsar in Crab nebula will provide data for necessary calibrations of UBAT. Several standard stars will be used for the photometric calibration of SMT. The celestial X-ray sources, e.g. X-ray binaries with bright optical sources in their close angular vicinity will serve for the cross-calibration of UBAT and SMT.

3D integration enabled by through-silicon-via (TSV) allows continued performance enhancement and power reduction for semiconductor devices, even without further scaling. For TSV wafers with all Applied Materials unit processes, we evaluate the integrity of oxide liner and copper barrier by capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) measurements, from which oxide capacitance, minimum TSV capacitance, and leakage current are extracted. The capacitance values match well with model predictions. The leakage data also demonstrate good wafer-scale uniformity. The liner and barrier quality are further verified with microanalysis techniques.

The UFFO (Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory) is a GRB detector on board the Lomonosov satellite, to be launched in 2013. The GRB trigger is provided by an X-ray detector, called UBAT (UFFO Burst Alarm & Trigger Telescope), which detects X-rays from the GRB and then triggers to determine the direction of the GRB and then alerts the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) to turn in the direction of the GRB and record the optical photon fluxes. This report details the calibration of the two components: the MAPMTs and the YSO crystals and simulations of the UBAT. The results shows that this design can observe a GRB within a field of view of ±35° and can trigger in a time scale as short as 0.2 – 1.0 s after the appearance of a GRB X-ray spike.

Δ14C values of leaves of deciduous trees provide a means to map the regional-scale fossil fuel ratio in the atmosphere. We collected a batch of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba Linnaeus, a deciduous tree) leaf samples from across Korea in the month of July in both 2010 and 2011 to obtain the regional distribution of Δ14C. The Δ14C values of the samples were measured using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). The average of the Δ14C values from clean air sites in Korea in 2011 measured slightly lower than the average of Δ14C values in 2010. Distribution maps of Δ14C of 2011 and 2010 in Korea were made based on a series of Δ14C values of ginkgo leaf samples from Korea using the Geostatistical and Spatial analyst tools in ESRI's ArcMap software. The distribution maps of Δ14C showed that Δ14C values in the western part of Korea are lower than those in the eastern part of Korea. This is because the western part of Korea is densely populated and contains many industrial complexes, and also because westerly winds from China, containing CO2 from fossil fuel use, blow into Korea. We compared the distribution maps of 2010 and 2011 and tried to find traces of the Fukushima power plant accident in Japan.

Greater cultivation of the underutilised Gac fruit, Momordica cochinchinensis, by poorly resourced householders and farmers would potentially improve livelihoods, and, on a larger scale, meet the increasing demand for Gac as a health product. Cultivation methods need to be developed to suit small- and large-scale production and must consider the unpredictable ratio of male to female plants grown from seed, and slow growth induced by cool temperatures. In this study, we examined the responses of Gac to propagation and protected cropping techniques to identify potential methods for increasing production. Plants germinated from seed in seed-raising mix under warm and humid conditions were grown hydroponically to maturity in a climate-controlled greenhouse during a temperate winter, producing fruits that were harvested ripe, from 44 weeks after sowing. Cuttings taken from female plants were dipped in indole-3-butyric rooting hormone powder or gel, or were left untreated, and then placed in rock wool, potting mix, water or closed media sachet. All treatment combinations, with the exception of the untreated potting mix, permitted the development of healthy plants in a second greenhouse crop. Growing plants from seed, then vegetatively increasing the number of productive female plants by cuttings is a means to increase Gac production with limited resources. Gac production using greenhouse technology, as described here for the first time, is relevant to other temperate regions. The finding that larger fruits have a higher percentage of edible aril than smaller fruits provides a new area of investigation towards enhancing production.