Exclusive Measurements Research Articles

Studies of hyperon production in HADES at FAIR-Phase0 — the case of an inclusive Σ(1385)+ measurement in pp reaction

In this proceedings first results of an inclusive measurement of the Σ(1385) + resonance produced in the proton-proton reaction at the beam kinetic energy of 3.5 GeV are presented. Mass of the Σ(1385)+ resonance extracted from a fit with the Breit-Wigner function is found to be M0 = 1380.02 MeV with a fixed width of Γ = 40MeV resulting from the previous exclusive measurements done by HADES. The presented analysis is a first trial to obtain the inclusive cross section for the production of the first-excited state of the Σ hyperon in elementary collisions at SIS energy range. The inclusive cross section is important for studies of the hyperon electromagnetic decays, which are one of the main fields of interest of the HADES experimental program during the FAIR-Phase0.

The associations between loneliness, social exclusion and pain in the general population: A N=502,528 cross-sectional UK Biobank study

Chronic pain presents a huge burden for individuals and society and evidence suggests intrinsic links with loneliness, social exclusion and sleep. Research examining how these factors interact is warranted. We aimed to explore the relationships between social exclusion, loneliness, acute and chronic pain, and the influence of poor sleep, in the general UK population. A cross-sectional analysis of UKBiobank participants with baseline data for acute and chronic pain, loneliness and sleep. Principal components analysis (PCA) used data relating to social isolation and deprivation to establish a composite measure of social exclusion. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed. 502,528 UKBiobank participants (mean age = 56.6years, 54.4%female, 94.6%white) were included in the analysis. PCA suggested three social exclusion factors “social participation”, “individual deprivation” and “area deprivation”. Loneliness significantly predicted acute (OR:1.887; 95%CI1.857–1.917) and chronic pain (OR:1.843; 95%CI1.816–1.870). Each social exclusion factor alone and in combination significantly predicted pain with largest effects for individuals scoring high on all social exclusion factors, for acute (OR:2.087; 95%CI2.026–2.150) and chronic (OR:2.314; 95%CI2.249–2.380) pain. Coefficients remained statistically significant when models were adjusted for demographics and sleep. Social exclusion (as a multifaceted construct) and loneliness are associated with an increased prevalence of acute and chronic pain. Poor sleep has a potential mediating effect on these associations. Exploration of the incidence of pain in loneliness and social exclusion in the general population is warranted. From a public health perspective these findings could be used to design social interventions to prevent or manage pain and mitigate social exclusion.

Ex Ante Assessment of Returns on Research Investments to Address the Impact of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 on Global Banana Production.

The spread of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4), causal agent of Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), has been projected to reach 17% of the global banana-growing area by 2040 equaling 36 million tons of production worth over US$10 billion. This potential loss has fueled (inter)national discussions about the best responses to protect production and small-scale growers’ livelihoods. As part of a multi-crop ex ante assessment of returns on research investments conducted by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers, and Bananas (RTB) from 2012 to 2016, four FWB research options were assessed: (i) improved exclusion, surveillance, eradication, and containment (ESEC) measures to reduce Foc TR4 spread, (ii) integrated crop and disease management (ICDM) to facilitate production of partially FWB resistant cultivars on Foc-infested soils, (iii) conventional breeding of FWB-resistant cultivars (CBRC), and (iv) genetically modified (GM) FWB-resistant cultivars (GMRC). Building on a risk index (Foc scale) predicting the initial occurrence and internal spread of Foc TR4 in 29 countries, an economic surplus (ES) model, cost-benefit analysis, and poverty impact simulations were used to assess impact under two adoption scenarios. All options yield positive net present values (NPVs) and internal rates of return (IRRs) above the standard 10% rate. For the conservative scenario with 50% reduced adoption, IRRs were still 30% for ICDM, 20% for CBRC, and 28% for GMRC. ESEC has IRRs between 11 and 14%, due to higher costs of capacity strengthening, on-going surveillance, farmer awareness campaigns, and implementation of farm biosecurity practices, which could be effective for other diseases and benefit multiple crops. The research investments would reach between 2.7 million (GMRC) and 14 million (ESEC) small-scale beneficiaries across Asia/Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America/Caribbean. The options varied in their potential to reduce poverty, with the largest poverty reduction resulting from CBRC with 850,000 and ESEC with 807,000 persons lifted out of poverty (higher adoption scenario). In the discussion, we address the data needs for more fine-grained calculations to better guide research investment decisions. Our results show the potential of public investments in concerted research addressing the spread of Foc TR4 to yield high returns and substantially slow down disease spread.

Changes in Right Ventricular Function After Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is associated with poor outcomes after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to assess RV systolic and diastolic function in the perioperative period after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). Prospective observational study. Tertiary care hospital. Thirty adult patients undergoing OPCAB. None. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed twice: first preoperatively and second postoperatively, when patients were moved to wards. The following five parameters of RV systolic function were used: tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), systolic tissue Doppler imaging of lateral tricuspid annulus (S'), fractional area change (FAC), RV myocardial performance index (RIMP), and isovolumic acceleration (IVA). Grading of RV diastolic function (RVDD) was done as per guidelines. Paired t test was used for comparing means and χ2 test was used for categorical and ordinal data. The parameters of RV longitudinal function (TAPSE and S') reduced significantly (preoperative 21.93 ± 2.80 mm and 13.24 ± 2.24 cm/s to postoperative 11.67 ± 1.91 mm and 10.31 ± 1.56 cm/s, respectively, p < 0.001), whereas parameters of RV global function (FAC, RIMP, and IVA) remained preserved (preoperative 46.75 ± 6.80%, 0.34 ± 0.06, and 4.66 ± 0.87 m/s2 to postoperative 46.21 ± 6.44%, 0.36 ± 0.06, and 4.37 ± 0.83 m/s2; p values of 0.76, 0.13, and 0.11, respectively). The median grade of RVDD worsened from normal in the preoperative period to pseudo-normal in the postoperative period (p < 0.001). The changes in both RV systolic and diastolic function were similar in patients with normal and reduced left ventricular systolic function. RV function can be assessed in perioperative settings with two-dimensional and tissue Doppler imaging. For systolic function assessment, exclusive measurement of longitudinal parameters might be inadequate; use of complementary global parameters like FAC, RIMP, and IVA is essential to complete the RV assessment after OPCAB. RVDD worsened significantly after OPCABG.

Measurement of the photon beam asymmetry in γ⃗p→K+Σ0 at Eγ=8.5 GeV

We report measurements of the photon beam asymmetry $\Sigma$ for the reaction $\vec{\gamma} p\to K^+\Sigma^0$(1193) using the GlueX spectrometer in Hall D at Jefferson Lab. Data were collected using a linearly polarized photon beam in the energy range of 8.2-8.8 GeV incident on a liquid hydrogen target. The beam asymmetry $\Sigma$ was measured as a function of the Mandelstam variable $t$, and a single value of $\Sigma$ was extracted for events produced in the $u$-channel. These are the first exclusive measurements of the photon beam asymmetry $\Sigma$ for the reaction in this energy range. For the $t$-channel, the measured beam asymmetry is close to unity over the $t$-range studied, $-t=(0.1-1.4)~$(GeV/$c$)$^{2}$, with an average value of $\Sigma = 1.00\pm 0.05$. This agrees with theoretical models that describe the reaction via the natural-parity exchange of the $K^{*}$(892) Regge trajectory. A value of $\Sigma = 0.41 \pm 0.09$ is obtained for the $u$-channel integrated up to $-u=2.0$~(GeV/$c$)$^{2}$.

Double-differential inclusive charged-current νμ cross sections on hydrocarbon in MINERvA at ⟨Eν⟩∼3.5 GeV

MINERvA reports inclusive charged-current cross sections for muon neutrinos on hydrocarbon in the NuMI beamline. We measured the double-differential cross section in terms of the longitudinal and transverse muon momenta, as well as the single-differential cross sections in those variables. The data used in this analysis correspond to an exposure of $3.34 \times 10^{20}$ protons on target with a peak neutrino energy of approximately 3.5 GeV. Measurements are compared to the GENIE, NuWro and GiBUU neutrino cross-section predictions, as well as a version of GENIE modified to produce better agreement with prior exclusive MINERvA measurements. None of the models or variants were able to successfully reproduce the data across the entire phase space, which includes areas dominated by each interaction channel.

Feeling unsafe in Italy’s biggest cities

Crime and fear of crime are key challenges for civic coexistence in contemporary cities, specifically because of the unequal relationship between the two phenomena. In the case of Italy, for instance, even though crime has been trending downward over the past few decades, people are increasingly concerned about their safety. Based on survey data ( N = 6002) collected in Milan, Naples, Rome, and Turin, this research provides a cross-city comparison of the factors that influence individuals’ feelings of unsafety. The results of a multi-group structural equation model endorse the prior literature by revealing that being the victim of a crime predicts higher levels of subjective unsafety. On the other hand, perceived disorder in the neighbourhood, community disaffection, and objective and subjective measures of social exclusion are also consistent predictors of residents’ fears in all four cities. All in all, the model outputs indicate that non-criminal factors have a higher explanatory power than victimization for perceived unsafety. The implications of these findings for urban safety management are discussed.

Instytucjonalne wykluczenie emerytalne w wąskim ujęciu jako rodzaj wykluczenia finansowego w Polsce

Problematyka wykluczenia finansowego stanowi istotny obszar badań we współczesnej nauce finansów głownie ze względu na poważne skutki jakie zjawisko to implikuje zarówno w makro (dla gospodarki, sektora finansowego), jak i mikro skali (dla konsumentów usług finansowych). Obserwując zmiany w demografii (wydłużanie się życia, starzenie społeczeństw) oraz spadek prognozowanych stóp zastąpienia w bazowych systemach emerytalnych szczególnego znaczenia nabiera kategoria wykluczenia emerytalnego, polegająca na ograniczonym dostępie jednostek do produktów emerytalnych. Celem artykułu jest określenie istoty i miary wykluczenia emerytalnego oraz próba kwantyfikacji tego zjawiska w Polsce w latach 2006-2017. O oryginalności opracowania stanowi autorska definicja instytucjonalnego wykluczenia emerytalnego w szerokim i wąskim ujęciu, a także podjęta próba pomiaru instytucjonalnego wykluczenia emerytalnego w wąskim ujęciu obejmująca analizę zmian liczby uczestników dobrowolnych programów emerytalnych, wskaźników penetracji poszczególnych programów emerytalnych, oraz odsetka osób aktywnych ekonomicznie, nie korzystających z produktów emerytalnych.

Halo Structure of the Neutron-Dripline Nucleus ^{19}B.

The heaviest bound isotope of boron ^{19}B has been investigated using exclusive measurements of its Coulomb dissociation, into ^{17}B and two neutrons, in collisions with Pb at 220 MeV/nucleon. Enhanced electric dipole (E1) strength is observed just above the two-neutron decay threshold with an integrated E1 strength of B(E1)=1.64±0.06(stat)±0.12(sys) e^{2} fm^{2} for relative energies below 6MeV. This feature, known as a soft E1 excitation, provides the first firm evidence that ^{19}B has a prominent two-neutron halo. Three-body calculations that reproduce the energy spectrum indicate that the valence neutrons have a significant s-wave configuration and exhibit a dineutronlike correlation.

High-Throughput and Sensitive Analysis of Free and Total 8-Isoprostane in Urine with Isotope-Dilution Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Oxidative stress (OS) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of various diseases in humans. OS is a result of an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the biologically available antioxidants that prevent or repair damage that ROS inflict on the host cells. ROS are naturally generated during normal mitochondrial respiration and by oxidative burst during the immune response. Many factors may influence OS, including genetics, diet, exercise, and exposure to environmental toxicants (e.g., tobacco smoke). A nonenzymatic peroxidation product of arachidonic acid (AA), 8-iso-PGF2α (8-isoprostane), is a validated biomarker of OS that is present in urine as both glucuronide conjugate and free acid. Previous studies report that the conjugated forms of 8-isoprostane can vary between 30 and 80% of the total 8-isoprostane levels. By hydrolyzing the conjugated forms, it is possible to obtain a total (free + conjugated) measurement of 8-isoprostane in urine samples. Here, we describe a robust, automated, and high-throughput method for measuring total urinary 8-isoprostane using a polymeric weak anion-exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) and isotope-dilution ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). This method, using a 96-well plate platform, showed good sensitivity (8.8 pg/mL LOD) and used only 400 μL of the sample volume with a cycle time of 11 min. The inter- and intraday precision, calculated from 20 repeated measurements of two quality control pools, varied from 4 to 10%. Accuracy, calculated from the recovery percentage at three spiking levels, ranged from 92.7 to 106.7%. We modified this method to allow for the exclusive measurement of free 8-isoprostane by removing the hydrolysis step. We measured both free and total 8-isoprostane in urine collected from 30 cigarette smokers (free: 460 ± 78.8 pg/mL; total: 704 ± 108 pg/mL) and 30 nonusers of tobacco products (free: 110 ± 24.2 pg/mL; total: 161 ± 38.7 pg/mL). This method is robust, accurate, and easily adaptable for large population studies.

Credit constraint and intra-country production reorganization – Evidence from the unorganized textile industry in Maharashtra

PurposeEvidence suggests that unorganized manufacturing units are extremely credit-starved. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of such credit unavailability for small firms, and to see if it has altered the erstwhile production organization in a way which has led to the withdrawal of the small firms from both input and output market, leading to increased production outsourcing between the formal and informal firms.Design/methodology/approachBased on data collected from two textile clusters in Maharashtra, India, the study shows that credit unavailability has led small firms to increasingly work for bigger firms as outsourced units. The paper uses a measure of technology and productivity to undertake logistic regression and sub-sample regressions to confirm production reorganization resulting from credit unavailability. This would provide additional insights for standard measures of intra-country intra-industry tradeFindingsThe exclusion of the unorganized production units from the formal lending process has, over the years, led to a reorganization of the existing production structure, whereby the small firms are forced to work for bigger formal firms on piece-rate basis. To circumvent their credit issues, the small unorganized sector firms have increasingly started to work for bigger firms as outsourced units.Originality/valueThis is an original research work. The paper fulfils the identified need of addressing how the plaguing social issue of financial exclusion of unorganized firms has led to production reorganization.

Lepton-nucleus cross section measurements for DUNE with the LDMX detector

We point out that the LDMX (Light Dark Matter eXperiment) detector design, conceived to search for sub-GeV dark matter, will also have very advantageous characteristics to pursue electron-nucleus scattering measurements of direct relevance to the neutrino program at DUNE and elsewhere. These characteristics include a 4-GeV electron beam, a precision tracker, electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters with near 2$\pi$ azimuthal acceptance from the forward beam axis out to $\sim$40$^\circ$ angle, and low reconstruction energy threshold. LDMX thus could provide (semi)exclusive cross section measurements, with detailed information about final-state electrons, pions, protons, and neutrons. We compare the predictions of two widely used neutrino generators (GENIE, GiBUU) in the LDMX region of acceptance to illustrate the large modeling discrepancies in electron-nucleus interactions at DUNE-like kinematics. We argue that discriminating between these predictions is well within the capabilities of the LDMX detector.

Importance of Antixenosis and Antibiosis Resistance to the Cabbage Whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) in Brussels Sprout Cultivars.

The cabbage whitefly Aleyrodes proletella (L.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an important pest of a wide range of vegetable Brassicas. Since the control of this pest is still challenging, new approaches such as the use of resistant cultivars are required. For this, we screened 16 commercialised Brussels sprout cultivars for resistance against this species. Antibiosis was tested with no-choice experiments in a climate chamber, using reproduction, mortality, longevity, developmental time and weight as parameters. Antixenosis was screened in three choice experiments with circular design in a greenhouse to detect cultivar preferences. A field trial with both antibiosis and antixenosis tests was done to verify results under natural conditions. Finally, for several cultivars, also the leaf glucosinolate concentrations were analysed. Cabbage whiteflies showed on certain cultivars significantly increased mortality, prolonged developmental times and reduced weights. Besides, some cultivars were significantly less infested. However, the incidence of antibiosis and antixenosis as well as the glucosinolate patterns were partly inconsistent. Although a number of moderately resistant cultivars could be identified, the detected resistance is certainly not strong and consistent enough as an exclusive measure of a plant protection strategy but might become a component of a multi-layered strategy against cabbage whiteflies.

Measures of Workplace Inclusion: A Systematic Review Using the COSMIN Methodology.

Purpose To systematically assess the measurement properties and the quality of the evidence for measures of inclusion or exclusion at work. Methods Comprehensive searches of five electronic databases were conducted up to February 2019. Eligible studies aimed to develop a measure of workplace inclusion or exclusion or assessed at least one measurement property. Pairs of reviewers independently screened articles and assessed risk of bias. Methodological quality was appraised with the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. A best-evidence synthesis approach guided the analysis. For each measurement property, evidence quality was rated as high, moderate, low, or very low and results were classified as sufficient, insufficient, or inconsistent. Results The titles and abstracts of 14,380 articles were screened, with 151 full-text articles reviewed for eligibility. Of these, 27 studies were identified, 10 of which were measure development studies. Included measures were the Workplace Ostracism Scale, Ostracism Interventionary Behaviour Scale, Workplace Culture Survey, Workplace Exclusion Scale, Perceived Group Inclusion Scale, Organizational Cultural Intelligence Scale, Inclusion-Exclusion Scale, Climate for Inclusion Scale, Workplace Social Inclusion Scale and the Inclusion-Diversity Scale. Most workplace inclusion instruments were not examined for some form of validity or reliability and evidence for responsiveness was absent. The quality of the evidence for content validity was low for 30% of studies and very low for 70% of studies. Conclusion Future research should focus on comprehensive evaluations of the psychometric properties of existing measures, with an emphasis on content validity, measurement error, reliability and responsiveness.

Evaluation of air-free glassware using the ketyl test.

Air-free glassware and techniques are used in most organometallic research laboratories, but their relative effectiveness has not been well studied. We report a method for quantitatively comparing air and moisture exclusion by air-free glassware. Samples of benzophenone dianion in various glassware are monitored by video as their purple color is quenched. Numerical values for time until colorless are extracted from the video data and interpreted as a relative measure of air and moisture exclusion. Low pressure/vacuum (LPV) NMR tubes demonstrated by far the best performance, compared to a variety of Schlenk flasks and standard NMR tubes. The findings are of immediate practical use for synthetic chemists, and the evaluation methods can be used by individual laboratories to assess other conditions for air and moisture exclusion.

Analysis of Bovine Spermatozoa CSP-Gene Expression using qPCR and Relative Quantification Method as Biodiagnostic Tool for Fertilizing Capacity

Gene expression studies enable for real-time relative quantification of expressed genes. However, the incorporation of a primary discerning tool before amplification for specific sequences of genes of interest is yet to be implemented. The amplification of gene sequences from discriminate sample groups further enhances the results following qPCR and provides an absolute exclusive measurement for the defined sample. Cryopreserved spermatozoa have characteristics of compromised sperm quality as the cells are exposed to a rapid temperature downshift not normally encountered by such cells in vivo. Thus, the use of a separation system before cryopreservation produces a refined outcome in gene expression studies. The proliferation of Cold Shock Protein (CSP) can relatively be quantified by conducting qPCR following sperm selection and cryopreservation. CSPs are indicators of cells adapting to the decrease in temperature and indirectly acts as an intracellular protective mechanism for the cell. The current study compares the effects of sperm selection system in isolating a homogeneous population of spermatozoa for cryopreservation followed by quantification of CSP gene. Method of molecular assessment involved quantifying the amplified sequences via qPCR and gene expression following sperm isolation was significant in increasing spermatozoa viability by 26.2% (P&lt; 0.05). The relative fold expression of CSP gene for treatment group increased from 1.00 fold to 1.38 fold. The Cq values for treatment group had recorded an earlier point of amplification (Cq= 24.87) as compared to control Cq= 25.83. Our findings suggest that the use of a sperm isolation system before cryopreservation would increase the probability of obtaining higher amplifications of CSP genes that would confer protection against extremely low temperatures during cryopreservation. This would increase the likelihood of in vitro fertilization using cryopreserved spermatozoa by implementing qPCR as a potential biomolecular diagnostic tool to ascertain the fertilizing potential of the spermatozoa.

Prevalence and correlates of the composite index of anthropometric failure among children under 5years old in Bangladesh.

The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight are reported separately. However, the data of the multiple anthropometric failures combinations of these conventional indicators are scant. This study attempted to estimate the overall burden of undernutrition among children under 5 years old, using the composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF), and to explore the correlates. The study used secondary data from the Bangladesh demographic and health surveys (BDHS), undertaken in 2014. CIAF provides an overall prevalence of undernutrition, which gives six mutually exclusive anthropometric measurements of height‐for‐ age, height‐for‐weight, and weight‐for‐age. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the correlates of CIAF. The overall prevalence of undernutrition using the CIAF was 48.3% (95% CI [47.1%, 49.5%]) among the children under 5 years old. The prevalence of anthropometric failure due to a combination of both stunting and underweight was 18.2%, wasting and underweight was 5.5%, and wasting, underweight, and stunting was 5.7%. The odds of CIAF were higher among young maternal age, having the poorest socio‐economic status, living in rural areas, higher order of birth, and received no vaccination compared with other counterparts. In Bangladesh, one out of two children has undernutrition, which is preventing the potential of the millions of children. Mothers who gave birth before age 20 living in the rural areas with belonging to lower socio‐economic status and whose children had a higher order of birth and receive no vaccination were observed as the main determinants of undernutrition. Nutrition sensitive interventions along with social protection programmes are crucial to deal the underlying causes of undernutrition.

Is disability exclusion associated with experiencing an unmet need for health care?

To examine the association between disability exclusion and experiencing an unmet need for health care. The 2015 Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers was used to measure the prevalence of unmet needs for health care stratified by measures of exclusion. Log-Poisson models were fitted to examine the association between discrimination, avoidance and unmet needs for health care. Approximately 10% of respondents reported an unmet need to attend a GP, specialist or hospital and 25% reported an unmet need to obtain dental treatment. For those reporting an instance of discrimination in the last 12months, the rates of experiencing unmet needs for health care were significantly higher (GP 29%, specialist 26%, dental 46%, hospital 18%). With controls included, discrimination or avoidance significantly increased the probability of reporting an unmet need for health care regardless of the context of previous experiences of exclusion. Disability discrimination or avoidance is strongly associated with experiencing an unmet need for health care among older people with disabilities.

Level of Knowledge and Adherence to Vitamin D Supplementation among Infants Attending Well-Baby Clinic in Al Nawariyah Primary Health Care Center in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, 2018: A Cross-sectional Study

Background Vitamin D is known to have essential roles in the human body. However, the case of vitamin deficiency is reported to increase in many infants worldwide, especially in Saudi Arabia. Mothers, having adequate knowledge about vitamin D and its supplementation, may lead to possible lowering of the cases of vitamin D deficiency and its complications. Aim of the study: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, level of knowledge and determinants of adherence to Vitamin D supplementation among infants attending the well-baby clinic in Al Nawariyah PHCC at Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 125 mothers of infants attending the well-baby clinic in Al Nawariyah PHCC at Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Male and female infants of any nationalities was considered as the inclusion criteria, while the exclusion measure was set as infants who are non-arabic (or English-speaking), not accompanied by their mothers and has medical disease. Validated questionnaires concerning demographic data and knowledge scores on Vitamin D and its supplementation were given in Arabic version. Results: Results revealed that high prevalence (76.0%) of low level of adherence to vitamin D supplementation of the mothers was due to limited information about it regardless of how they feed their children. In terms of knowledge of mothers towards Vitamin D, most (96.0%) were not informed that there are recommendations on how to use vitamin D supplements for children. Family is the major reported source (60.0%) of information concerning Vitamin D, followed by doctor (20.0%) and media (20.0%). Using Chi-square test, the educational qualification of mothers (p = 0.038) and the manner of infant feeding (p = 0.041) were found to be significant characteristics that affected the decision of the respondents to negatively practice supplementation of Vitamin D, leading to reported low adherence. Conclusion: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence, level of knowledge on vitamin D and adherence to supplementation of the mothers of infants. Most of the respondents was found to have limited information about vitamin D deficiency, and the high prevalence of low level of adherence to vitamin D supplementation of the participants, whether under breast-, artificial or mix- type of infant feeding, was mainly due to limited information about this matter. Overall, the mothers of infants under study had poor knowledge and adherence to vitamin D supplementation, suggesting that all mothers, regardless of the educational attainment and the manner of infant feeding, must be exposed to health care and educational program in order for them to increase their knowledge about the importance of micronutrients – its function and supplementation - towards infants, especially the vitamin D.

Components of disability exclusion: Discrimination, avoidance and accessibility in later life.

To examine the prevalence and context of disability exclusion reported by people with disability, with and without communication and mobility problems. The 2015 Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers was used to measure the prevalence of reported exclusion. Tests of proportions were used to examine differences in prevalence rates. Proportional Venn diagrams were used to examine the intersection of measures of exclusion. Approximately 53% of those with a communication or mobility difficulty reported at least one measure of exclusion. Among this group, 7% reported an instance of discrimination, 44% reported avoidance, and 29% reported an accessibility problem. The levels of discrimination and avoidance for those without communication or mobility difficulties were approximately half this level (16% avoidance and 3% discrimination). Avoidance and discrimination reduced with age, but accessibility was age-invariant. Exclusion measures intersected and occurred in a variety of contexts. Despite protections provided in Australian law, disability exclusion persists and is high among those with communication and mobility difficulties.