Aspects of dietary carbohydrate intake are not related to risk of colorectal polyps in the Tennessee Colorectal Polyp Study

Purpose: High digestible carbohydrate intakes can induce hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia and collectively have been implicated in colorectal tumor development. Our aim was to explore the association between aspects of dietary carbohydrate intake and risk of colorectal adenomas and hyperplastic polyps in a large case–control study.

Methods: Colorectal polyp cases (n = 1,315 adenomas only, n = 566 hyperplastic polyps only and n = 394 both) and controls (n = 3,184) undergoing colonoscopy were recruited between 2003 and 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Dietary intakes were estimated by a 108-item food frequency questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was applied to determine odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for colorectal polyps according to dietary carbohydrate intakes, after adjustment for potential confounders.

Results: No significant associations were detected for risk of colorectal adenomas when comparing the highest versus lowest quartiles of intake for total sugars (OR 1.03; 95 % CI 0.84–1.26), starch (OR 1.01; 95 % CI 0.81–1.26), total or available carbohydrate intakes. Similar null associations were observed between dietary carbohydrate intakes and risk of hyperplastic polyps, or concurrent adenomas and hyperplastic polyps.

Conclusion: In this US population, digestible carbohydrate intakes were not associated with risk of colorectal polyps, suggesting that dietary carbohydrate does not have an etiological role in the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis.

Synthesis, thermal characterization and rheological properties of a homologous series of polymethacrylate-based side-chain liquid crystal polymers

A new homologous series of side-chain liquid crystal polymers, the poly[omega-(4-cyanoazobenzene-4'-oxy)alkyl methacrylate]s, have been prepared in which the length of the flexible alkyl spacer is varied from 3 to 12 methylene units. All the polymers exhibit liquid crystalline behaviour; specifically, crystal E, smectic A and nematic phases are observed. The glass transition temperatures decrease on increasing spacer length before reaching a limiting value at ca. 30 degrees C. The clearing temperatures exhibit an odd-even effect on varying the length and parity of the spacer. This is attributed to the change in the average shape of the side chain as the parity of the spacer is varied. This rationalization also accounts for the observed alternation in the entropy change associated with the clearing transition. A weak relaxation is observed theologically for several members of this polymer series at temperatures above their respective glass transition temperatures. This is attributed either to specific motions of the smectic layers or to 180 degrees reorientational jumps of the long axis of the mesogenic unit about the polymer backbone. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lattice-based Encryption Over Standard Lattices in Hardware

Lattice-based cryptography has gained credence recently as a replacement for current public-key cryptosystems, due to its quantum-resilience, versatility, and relatively low key sizes. To date, encryption based on the learning with errors (LWE) problem has only been investigated from an ideal lattice standpoint, due to its computation and size efficiencies. However, a thorough investigation of standard lattices in practice has yet to be considered. Standard lattices may be preferred to ideal lattices due to their stronger security assumptions and less restrictive parameter selection process. In this paper, an area-optimised hardware architecture of a standard lattice-based cryptographic scheme is proposed. The design is implemented on a FPGA and it is found that both encryption and decryption fit comfortably on a Spartan-6 FPGA. This is the first hardware architecture for standard lattice-based cryptography reported in the literature to date, and thus is a benchmark for future implementations.
Additionally, a revised discrete Gaussian sampler is proposed which is the fastest of its type to date, and also is the first to investigate the cost savings of implementing with lamda_2-bits of precision. Performance results are promising in comparison to the hardware designs of the equivalent ring-LWE scheme, which in addition to providing a stronger security proof; generate 1272 encryptions per second and 4395 decryptions per second.

Containing precious metals: hallmarking, minting and the materiality of gold and silver in medieval and modern England.

This book chapter extends the argument constructed by Oakley in his conference paper ‘Containing gold: Institutional attempts to define and constrict the values of precious metal objects’ presented at ‘Itineraries of the Material’, a conference held at Goethe Universitaet, Frankfurt am Main in 2011. Oakley’s chapter investigates the social forces that define the identities, social pathways and physical movement of objects made of precious metal. It presents a case study in which constitutive substance rather than the conceptual object is the key driver behind the social trajectories of numerous artefacts and their reception by contemporary audiences. This supports the main contention of the book as a whole: the need to reconsider, and when necessary challenge, the dominance of the social biography of objects in the study of material culture. Oakley’s research used historical and ethnographic approaches, including three years’ of ethnographic field research in the jewellery industry. This included training as a precious metal assayer at the Birmingham Assay Office and observing the industry and public response to government proposals to abolish the hallmarking legislation. This fieldwork was augmented by archive, library and object collection research on the histories of assaying and goldsmithing. Oakley presents an analysis of the historical development and contemporary social relevance of hallmarking, a technological process that has never previously been subject to ethnographic study, yet is fundamental to one of the UK’s creative industries.

Alguns romances da tradição oral de Aljezur

As versões de romances que a seguir apresento foram recolhidas no concelho de Aljezur, distrito de Faro, no ano de 1989, quando frequentei a disciplina de Romanceiro Tradicional sob a orientação do Prof. Pere Ferré. Para esta pequena recolha foram preciosos os ensinamentos do Prof. Ferré, e algumas notas sobre a tradição algarvia dadas pela Profª. Vanda Anastácio.

Redução das emissões de CO2 em redes ópticas

Num mundo em que as redes de telecomunicações estão em constante evolução e crescimento, o consumo energético destas também aumenta. Com a evolução tanto por parte das redes como dos seus equipamentos, o custo de implementação de uma rede tem-se reduzido até ao ponto em que o maior obstáculo para o crescimento das redes é já o seu custo de manutenção e funcionamento. Nas últimas décadas têm sido criados esforços para tornar as redes cada fez mais eficientes ao nível energético, reduzindo-se assim os seus custos operacionais, como também a redução dos problemas relacionados com as fontes de energia que alimentam estas redes. Neste sentido, este trabalho tem como objectivo principal o estudo do consumo energético de redes IP sobre WDM, designadamente o estudo de métodos de encaminhamento que sejam eficientes do ponto de vista energético. Neste trabalho formalizámos um modelo de optimização que foi avaliado usando diferentes topologias de rede. O resultado da análise mostrou que na maioria dos casos é possível obter uma redução do consumo na ordem dos 25%.

An artificial neural network approach for short-term wind power forecasting in Portugal

This paper presents an artificial neural network approach for short-term wind power forecasting in Portugal. The increased integration of wind power into the electric grid, as nowadays occurs in Portugal, poses new challenges due to its intermittency and volatility. Hence, good forecasting tools play a key role in tackling these challenges. The accuracy of the wind power forecasting attained with the proposed approach is evaluated against persistence and ARIMA approaches, reporting the numerical results from a real-world case study.

Male mutation bias and possible long-term effects of human activities.

The ability of a population to adapt to changing environments depends critically on the amount and kind of genetic variability it possesses. Mutations are an important source of new genetic variability and may lead to new adaptations, especially if the population size is large. Mutation rates are extremely variable between and within species, and males usually have higher mutation rates as a result of elevated rates of male germ cell division. This male bias affects the overall mutation rate. We examined the factors that influence male mutation bias, and focused on the effects of classical life-history parameters, such as the average age at reproduction and elevated rates of sperm production in response to sexual selection and sperm competition. We argue that human-induced changes in age at reproduction or in sexual selection will affect male mutation biases and hence overall mutation rates. Depending on the effective population size, these changes are likely to influence the long-term persistence of a population.

L'Écho de Paris

1887/06/27 (Numéro 1197).

L'Écho de Paris

1887/09/11 (Numéro 1272).

Philippi Gualteri de Castellione Alexandreis, ad Guillelmum, Archiepiscopum Remensem ; sive de rebus gestis Alexandri magni libri decem ; versibus heroïcis : accedunt anonymi glossae.

Mazarinaeus

Recueil de chartes originales de diverses églises et abbayes des diocèses de Soissons, Noyon et Senlis (1015-1297).

Cathédrale de Soissons, etc. (1139-1315). — Abbayes du Charme-aux-Nonnains (1184-1290), — de Saint-Jean-des-Vignes (XIIe et XIIIe s.), — Val-Secret (1144-1290), — la Barre (1249-1287), — Clairefontaine (XIIIe s.), — Saint-Yved-de-Braine (1213-1283), — Longpont (1273-1280), — Notre-Dame de Soissons (1215-1277), — Saint-Crépin-le-Grand de Soissons (1287-1297), — Saint-Médard de Soissons (1228-1258), — Hôpitaux de Braine, de N.-D.-aux-Nonnains et de Saint-Vaast de Soissons (1205-1296). Diocèse de Noyon. — Église de Saint-Quentin (1015-1295), — abbayes de Biache (1272), — Fervaques (1255-1294), — SaintÉloi-Fontaine (1251), — Saint-Quentin-en-Vermandois (1186), — Saint-Quentin-en-l'Ile (1273), — Trinitaires de Saint-Quentin (1258), — prieuré de Vendeuil (1272). Chapitre et abbaye de Saint-Rémi de Senlis (1232-1285).

Breviarium ad usum Fratrum Minorum, pars hiemalis.

F. 1-198 Temporal : « Ordo breviarii Fratrum Minorum secundum consuetudinem romane curie... » F. 200 Calendrier franciscain, avec saints du diocèse de Ratisbonne, addition d'obits et la date de 1272 (f. 201). F. 206 Psautier. F. 293v Hymnes. F. 298 Ordo officii. F. 301v-362v Sanctoral : s. Saturnin (301v) ; — s. Georges (362v). F. 366v Commun des saints. F. 406v Petit office de la Vierge. F. 408 Office des morts. F. 412 Prescriptions liturgiques pour l'Avent et Noël.

Tables alphabétiques des matières contenues dans différents traités de paix ; pièces historiques diverses. (1270-1598).

Contient : « Table [alphabétique] des [matières contenues dans les] traictez de paix ou de confédération et alliance entre Charles VII, Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII et François premier, roys de France, d'une part, et Philippes-le-Bon et Charles[-le-Téméraire], ducs de Bourgongne, l'empereur Maximilian I, Philippes I, roys de Castille, et Charles, roy d'Espagne, qui fut cinquiesme du nom, empereur, d'autre, depuis l'an 1435 jusques en l'an 1517 ; comme aussy des traictez entre les roys sainct Louis et Charles 5 et desdicts roys Charles VIII et Louis XII, d'une part, et Jacques I, roy d'Arragon, Henry II, roy de Castille, et Ferdinand et Isabelle, roys d'Espagne, d'autre, depuis l'an 1258 jusques en l'an 1513 » [cf. ms. français 17887, f. 49] ; Pièces relatives au château de La Motte en Lorraine, 1272-1514 ; « Table généalogique des roys de France, comtes de Champagne, descendus de Henri I, roy de Navarre, l'an 1270 » ; « Table [alphabétique] des [matières contenues dans les] traictez de paix, confédération et alliance entre l'empereur Charles cinq et Philippes 2, roys d'Espagne, d'une part, et François premier, Henry 2 et Henry quatre, d'autre, depuis l'an 1514 jusques à 1598 » [cf. mss français 17887, f. 1, et 17908, f. 112], par Denys GODEFROY [cf. Lelong, Bibliothèque historique de la France, t. III, n° 29225]