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ABSTRACTThe size distribution of iron ore sinter is critical to efficient blast furnace operation and is an optimised variable in sinter plants globally. Prompt process control response to discrepancies in sinter size is essential, and the standard sieve measurement test introduces significant delay in data acquisition. We introduce a networked optical sensor system that is shown to accurately measure size distribution within 5 s, collect data continuously at 0.5 Hz, and is well correlated to sieving measurements. This system is deployed at the end of a sinter plant, providing real-time process control data with digital image analysis performed on an integrated microprocessor. The systems performance was assessed with a 12-week validation period, showing excellent correlation with sieve data. Systems such as ours can be widely implemented in sinter plants, and in similar steelmaking applications, due to its cost-effective implementation of continuous data acquisition and the systems versatility to be adapted.

IMPORTANCE: Robust contemporary epidemiologic evidence for the population-wide efficacy of reticulated community water fluoridation is required. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether community water fluoridation is associated with the national rates of severe caries among 4-year-old children in New Zealand after accounting for key sociodemographic characteristics. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a near whole population–level, natural, geospatial cross-sectional study of 4-year-old children who had a health and development assessment as part of the nationwide B4 School Check screening program conducted in New Zealand between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2016. The extracted database included 391 677 children. However, geospatial information was missing for 18 558 children, another 32 939 children were unable to be geospatially matched, 5551 children resided in areas with changing fluoridation status, and 58 786 children had no oral health screen recorded, leaving 275 843 (70.4%) eligible children. Data were released in August 2019; statistical analysis was performed from September 2019 to December 2019. EXPOSURES: Community water fluoridation status from 2011 through 2016. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Severe caries experience derived from the “lift the lip” oral health screening. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, area-level deprivation, and residential location differences. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models were used. Sensitivity analyses based on multiple imputed data were undertaken to measure any differential influence of missing data. RESULTS: In the eligible sample of 275 843 children, the median age was 4.3 years (interquartile range, 4.1-4.6 years), 141 451 children (51.3%) were boys, and 153 670 children (55.7%) resided within fluoridated areas. Severe caries were identified for 24 226 children (15.8%) in fluoridated and 17 135 children (14.0%) in unfluoridated areas, yielding an unadjusted odds ratio of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.90-0.95). However, in the adjusted analyses, children residing in areas without fluoridation had higher odds of severe caries compared with those within fluoridated areas (odds ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.17-1.24). The population attributional fraction associated with unfluoridated community water was 5.6% (95% CI, 4.7%-6.6%) in a complete case analysis. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study finds that community water fluoridation continues to be associated with reduced prevalence of severe caries in the primary dentition of New Zealand’s 4-year-old children.

IntroductionDespite improvements in oral health outcomes in New Zealand over the last number of decades, there are still high levels of preventable tooth decay in adults and children. We investigate the prevalence and spatial variation of non-fluoride toothpaste use in a nationally representative sample of adults and children in New Zealand.

To investigate risk factors for women with obesity of childbearing age. A cross-sectional survey of New Zealand women (15–49 years) with measured height and weight was used [unweighted (n= 3625) and weighted analytical sample (n= 1,098,372)] alongside sociodemographic-, behavioural- and environmental-level predictors. Multilevel logistic regression weighted for non-response of height and weight data was used. Meeting physical activity guidelines (AOR (adjusted odds ratio) 0.66, 95% CI 0.54–0.80), Asian (AOR 0.15, 95% CI 0.10–0.23) and European/other ethnicity (AOR 0.46, 95% CI 0.36–0.58) and an increased availability of public greenspace (Q4 AOR 0.55, 95% CI 0.41–0.75) were related to decreased obesity risk. Older age (45–49 years AOR 3.01, 95% CI 2.17–4.16), Pacific ethnicity (AOR 2.81, 95% CI 1.87–4.22), residing in deprived areas (AOR 1.65, 95% CI 1.16–2.35) or secondary urban areas (AOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.03–2.18) were related to increased obesity risk. When examined by rural/urban classification, private greenspace was only related to increased obesity risk in main urban areas. This study highlights factors including but not limited to public greenspace, which inform obesity interventions for women of childbearing age in New Zealand.

BackgroundInternationally, the prevalence of adults with obesity is a major public health concern. Few studies investigate the explanatory pathways between fast-food outlets and body mass index (BMI). We use structural equation modelling to explore an alternative hypothesis to existing research using area-level deprivation as the predictor of BMI and fast-food outlets and diet quality as mediators.MethodsAdults (n=7544) from wave II of the Yorkshire Health Study provided self-reported diet, height and weight (used to calculate BMI). Diet quality was based on sugary drinks, wholemeal (wholegrain) bread and portions of fruit and vegetables. Fast-food outlets were mapped using the Ordnance Survey Points of Interest within 2 km radial buffers around home postcode which were summed to indicate availability. Age (years), gender (female/male) and long-standing health conditions (yes/no) were included as covariates.ResultsThere was little evidence linking fast-food outlets to diet or BMI. An independent association between fast-food outlet availability and BMI operated counterintuitively and was small in effect. There was also little evidence of mediation between fast-food outlet availability and BMI. However, there was more evidence that area-level deprivation was associated with increased BMI, both as an independent effect and through poorer diet quality.ConclusionThis exploratory study offers a first step for considering complexity and pathways linking fast-food outlets, area-level deprivation, diet quality and BMI. Research should respond to and build on the hypothesised pathways and our simple framework presented within our study.

We present a wide field of view (FOV) infrared scanning system, designed for single-pixel near-infrared thermal imaging. The scanning system consisted of a two-axis micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) mirror that was incorporated within the lens. The optical system consisted of two groups of lenses and a silicon avalanche photodiode. The system was designed for both the production of thermal images and also to utilize the techniques of radiation thermometry to measure the absolute temperature of targets from 500°C to 1100°C. Our system has the potential for real-time image acquisition, with improved data acquisition electronics. The FOV of our scanning system was ±30° when fully utilizing the MEMS mirror’s scanning angle of ±5°. The pixel FOV (calculated from the distance to target size ratio) was 100:1. The image quality was analyzed, including the modulation transfer function, spot diagrams, ray fan plots, lateral chromatic aberrations, distortion, relative illumination, and size-of-source effect. The instrument was fabricated in our laboratory, and one of the thermal images, which was taken with the new lens, is presented as an example of the instrument optical performance.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has asked unprecedented questions of governments around the world. Policy responses have disrupted usual patterns of movement in society, locally and globally, with resultant impacts on national economies and human well-being. These interventions have primarily centred on enforcing lockdowns and introducing social distancing recommendations, leading to questions of trust and competency around the role of institutions and the administrative apparatus of state. This study demonstrates the unequal societal impacts in population movement during a national ‘lockdown’.MethodsWe use nationwide mobile phone movement data to quantify the effect of an enforced lockdown on population mobility by neighbourhood deprivation using an ecological study design. We then derive a mobility index using anonymised aggregated population counts for each neighbourhood (2253 Census Statistical Areas; mean population n=2086) of national hourly mobile phone location data (7.45 million records, 1 March 2020–20 July 2020) for New Zealand (NZ).ResultsCurtailing movement has highlighted and exacerbated underlying social and spatial inequalities. Our analysis reveals the unequal movements during ‘lockdown’ by neighbourhood socioeconomic status in NZ.ConclusionIn understanding inequalities in neighbourhood movements, we are contributing critical new evidence to the policy debate about the impact(s) and efficacy of national, regional or local lockdowns which have sparked such controversy.

The koala, the only extant species of the marsupial family Phascolarctidae, is classified as ‘vulnerable’ due to habitat loss and widespread disease. We sequenced the koala genome, producing a complete and contiguous marsupial reference genome, including centromeres. We reveal that the koala’s ability to detoxify eucalypt foliage may be due to expansions within a cytochrome P450 gene family, and its ability to smell, taste and moderate ingestion of plant secondary metabolites may be due to expansions in the vomeronasal and taste receptors. We characterized novel lactation proteins that protect young in the pouch and annotated immune genes important for response to chlamydial disease. Historical demography showed a substantial population crash coincident with the decline of Australian megafauna, while contemporary populations had biogeographic boundaries and increased inbreeding in populations affected by historic translocations. We identified genetically diverse populations that require habitat corridors and instituting of translocation programs to aid the koala’s survival in the wild.

This study aimed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of population-based, expanded reproductive carrier screening (RCS) for a 300 recessive gene panel from health service and societal perspectives.

For those concerned about the public health impacts of alcohol,the government's recent policy announcement was perhaps alittle "glass half empty" to be cause for outright celebration. It's time to change marketing rules Alcohol sponsorship is a small part of revenue Opponents commonly suggest that sponsorship restrictions willdestroy community sport and affect the financial viability ofprofessional sport. [Extracted from the article]

A series of rhodium complexes, [Rh(cod)(NHC‐Fx)(OH2)] (cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene; NHC=N‐heterocyclic carbene), incorporating anionic N‐heterocyclic carbenes with 2‐tert‐butylmalonyl backbones and 2,6‐dimethylphenyl (x=0), 2,6‐difluorophenyl (x=4), 2,4,6‐trifluorophenyl (x=6), and pentafluorophenyl (x=10) N,N′‐substituents, respectively, has been prepared by deprotonation of the corresponding zwitterionic precursors with potassium hexamethyldisilazide, followed by immediate reaction of the resulting potassium salts with [{RhCl(cod)}2]. These complexes could be converted to the related carbonyl derivatives [Rh(CO)2(NHC‐Fx)(OH2)] by displacement of the COD ligand with CO. IR and NMR spectroscopy demonstrated that the degree of fluorination of the N‐aryl substituents has a considerable influence on the σ‐donating and π‐accepting properties of the carbene ligands and could be effectively used to tune the electronic properties of the metal center. The carbonyl groups on the carbene ligand backbone provided a particularly sensitive probe for the assessment of the metal‐to‐ligand π donation. The ortho‐fluorine substituents on the N‐aryl groups in the carbene ligands interacted with the other ligands on rhodium, determining the conformation of the complexes and creating a pocket suitable for the coordination of water to the metal center. Computational studies were used to explain the influence of the fluorinated N‐substituents on the electronic properties of the ligand and evaluate the relative contribution of the σ‐ and π‐interactions to the ligand–metal interaction.

The introduction of phosphorus-containing moieties into π-conjugated thiophene materials has been found to provide materials with strongly optimized and highly tunable optoelectronic features compared to their native thiophene counterparts. 2,5-Diaryl- and 2,5-bis(heteroaryl)phospholes as well as fused tricyclic dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]phospholes represent two very valuable building blocks for organic electronics as their intriguing features can be altered systematically by several, in part unique, methodologies. The potential scope of these modifications has been determined by comprehensive investigations of their structure–property relationships via suitable molecular model compounds. Onseveral occasions, these observations could successfully be transposed to corresponding polymers that are often difficult to characterize independently. The same is true for the first organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on a phosphole scaffold, whose properties could also be predicted successfully. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)

A morbidly obese man is sacked from his job because of his weight. Illegal discrimination or reasonable decision? Is obesity self-inflicted or can it not be helped? Does it even matter? Nick Jones and Matthew Hobbs eye the legal implications of a test case in Denmark

The raceaway popularity of tattoos and piercings has left legislation struggling to keep up. But while much depends on discretion and individual cases, argue Nick Jones and Matthew Hobbs, having a clearly communicated policy is crucial

Background Cattle are important agriculturally and relevant as a model organism. Previously described genetic and radiation hybrid (RH) maps of the bovine genome have been used to identify genomic regions and genes affecting specific traits. Application of these maps to identify influential genetic polymorphisms will be enhanced by integration with each other and with bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries. The BAC libraries and clone maps are essential for the hybrid clone-by-clone/whole-genome shotgun sequencing approach taken by the bovine genome sequencing project.Results A bovine BAC map was constructed with HindIII restriction digest fragments of 290,797 BAC clones from animals of three different breeds. Comparative mapping of 422,522 BAC end sequences assisted with BAC map ordering and assembly. Genotypes and pedigree from two genetic maps and marker scores from three whole-genome RH panels were consolidated on a 17,254-marker composite map. Sequence similarity allowed integrating the BAC and composite maps with the bovine draft assembly (Btau3.1), establishing a comprehensive resource describing the bovine genome. Agreement between the marker and BAC maps and the draft assembly is high, although discrepancies exist. The composite and BAC maps are more similar than either is to the draft assembly.Conclusion Further refinement of the maps and greater integration into the genome assembly process may contribute to a high quality assembly. The maps provide resources to associate phenotypic variation with underlying genomic variation, and are crucial resources for understanding the biology underpinning this important ruminant species so closely associated with humans.