Evaluation of short dietary questions from the 1995 National Nutrition Survey

Six of the short dietary questions used in the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (see box below) were evaluated for relative validity both directly and indirectly and for consistency, by documenting the differences in mean intakes of foods and nutrients as measured on the 24-hour recall, between groups with different responses to the short questions. 1. Including snacks, how many times do you usually have something to eat in a day including evenings? 2. How many days per week do you usually have something to eat for breakfast? 3. In the last 12 months, were there any times that you ran out of food and couldn’t afford to buy more? 4. What type of milk do you usually consume? 5. How many serves of vegetables do you usually eat each day? (a serve = 1/2 cup cooked vegetables or 1 cup of salad vegetables) 6. How many serves of fruit do you usually eat each day? (a serve = 1 medium piece or 2 small pieces of fruit or 1 cup of diced pieces) These comparisons were made for males and females overall and for population sub-groups of interest including: age, socio-economic disadvantage, region of residence, country of birth, and BMI category. Several limitations to this evaluation of the short questions, as discussed in the report, need to be kept in mind including: · The method for comparison available (24-hour recall) was not ideal (gold standard); as it measures yesterday’s intake. This limitation was overcome by examining only mean differences between groups of respondents, since mean intake for a group can provide a reasonable approximation for ‘usual’ intake. · The need to define and identify, post-hoc, from the 24-hour recall the number of eating occasions, and occasions identified by the respondents as breakfast. · Predetermined response categories for some of the questions effectively limited the number of categories available for evaluation. · Other foods and nutrients, not selected for this evaluation, may have an indirect relationship with the question, and might have shown stronger and more consistent responses. · The number of responses in some categories of the short questions eg for food security may have been too small to detect significant differences between population sub-groups. · No information was available to examine the validity of these questions for detecting differences over time (establishing trends) in food habits and indicators of selected nutrient intakes. By contrast, the strength of this evaluation was its very large sample size, (atypical of most validation studies of dietary assessment) and thus, the opportunity to investigate question performance in a range of broad population sub-groups compared with a well-conducted, quantified survey of intakes. The results of the evaluation are summarised below for each of the questions and specific recommendations for future testing, modifications and use provided for each question. The report concludes with some general recommendations for the further development and evaluation of short dietary questions.

Free-radical bulk polymerization of styrene: ESR and near-infrared spectroscopic study of the entire conversion range

The free radical polymerization of styrene in bulk was monitored by ESR and FT near-infrared spectroscopy at 70°C for a series of concentrations of the initiator, dimethyl 2,2′-azobis(isobutyrate). In order to obtain detailed kinetic information over the intire conversion range, and the gel effect range in particular, conversion and free radical concentration data points were accumulated with exceptionally short time intervals. The polystyrene radical concentration ([St•]) went through a sharp maximum at the gel effect, a feature that has hitherto escaped observation due to the rapid concentration changes in the gel effect range relative to the data point time intervals of previous studies. Temperature measurements throughout the polymerization were employed to calculate that a temperature increase was not the cause of the [St•] maximum, which thus appeares to be a genuine feature of the gel effect of this system under isothermal conditions. The propagation rate constant (kp) as a function of monomer conversion exhibited a marked dependence on initiator concentration at high monomer conversion; the sharp decrease in kp with increasing conversion was shifted to higher conversions with increasing initiator concentration.

Short-term beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate supplementation does not reduce symptoms of eccentric muscle damage

Purpose: We examined the effects of short-term beta -hydroxy-beta -methylbutyrate (HIM) supplementation on symptoms of muscle damage following an acute bout of eccentric exercise. Methods: Non-resistance trained subjects were randomly assigned to a HMB supplement group (HMB, 40mg/kg bodyweight/day, n = 8) or placebo group (CON, n = 9). Supplementation commenced 6 days prior to a bout of 24 maximal isokinetic eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors and continued throughout post-testing. Muscle soreness, upper arm girth, and torque measures were assessed pre-exercise, 15 min post-exercise, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10 days post-exercise. Results: No pre-test differences between HMB and CON groups were identified, and both performed a similar amount of eccentric work during the main eccentric exercise bout (p > .05). HMB supplementation had no effect on swelling, muscle soreness, or torque following the damaging eccentric exercise bout (p > .05). Conclusion: Compared to a placebo condition, short-term supplementation with 40mg/kg bodyweight/day of HMB had no beneficial effect on a range of symptoms associated with eccentric muscle damage. If HMB can produce an ergogenic response, a longer pre-exercise supplementation period may be necessary.

A phylogeny for the genus Isoodon and a range extension for I-obesulus peninsulae based on mtDNA control region and morphology

Short-nosed bandicoots, Isoodon, have undergone marked range contractions since European colonisation of Australia and are currently divided into many subspecies, the validity of which is debated. Discriminant function analysis of morphology and a phylogeny of Isoodon based on mtDNA control region sequences indicate a clear split between two of the three recognised species, I. macrourus and I. obesulus/auratus. However, while all previously recognised taxa within the I. obesulus/auratus group are morphologically distinct, I. auratus and I. obesulus are not phylogenetically distinct for mtDNA. The genetic divergence between I. obesulus and I. auratus (2.6%) is similar to that found among geographic isolates of the former (I. o. obesulus and I. o. peninsulae: 2.7%). Further, the divergence between geographically close populations of two different species (I. o. obesulus from Western Australia and I. a. barrowensis: 1.2%) is smaller than that among subspecies within I. auratus (I. a. barrowensis and I. auratus from northern Western Australia: 1.7%). A newly discovered population of Isoodon in the Lamb Range, far north Queensland, sympatric with a population of I. m. torosus, is shown to represent a range extension of I. o. peninsulae (350 km). It seems plausible that what is currently considered as two species, I. obesulus and I. auratus, was once one continuous species now represented by isolated populations that have diverged morphologically as a consequence of adaptation to the diverse environments that occur throughout their range. The taxonomy of these populations is discussed in relation to their morphological distinctiveness and genetic similarity.

Metal-insulator transition and charge ordering in the extended Hubbard model at one-quarter filling

We study, with exact diagonalization, the zero temperature properties of the quarter-filled extended Hubbard model on a square lattice. We find that increasing the ratio of the intersite Coulomb repulsion, V, to the bandwidth drives the system from a metal to a charge ordered insulator. The evolution of the optical conductivity spectrum with increasing V is in agreement with the observed optical conductivity of several layered molecular crystals with the theta and beta crystal structures.

Structural ordering of coal char during heat treatment and its impact on reactivity

The effect of heat treatment on the structure of an Australian semi-anthracite char was studied in detail in the 850-1150degreesC temperature range using XRD, HRTEM, and electrical resistivity techniques. It was found that the carbon crystallite size in the char does not change significantly during heat treatment in the temperature range studied, for both the raw coal and its ash-free derivative obtained by acid treatment. However, the fraction of the organized carbon in the raw coal chars, determined by XRD, increased with increase of heat treatment time and temperature, while that for the ash-free coal chars remained almost unchanged. This suggests the occurrence of catalytic ordering during heat treatment, supported by the observation that the electrical resistivity of the raw coal chars decreased with heat treatment, while that of the ash-free coal chars did not vary significantly. Further confirmatory evidence was provided by high resolution transmission electron micrographs depicting well-organized carbon layers surrounding iron particles. It is also found that the fraction of organized carbon does not reach unity, but attains an apparent equilibrium value that increases with increase in temperature, providing an apparent heat of ordering of 71.7 kJ mol(-1) in the temperature range studied. Good temperature-independent correlation was found between the electrical resistivity and the organized carbon fraction, indicating that electrical resistivity is indeed structure sensitive. Good correlation was also found between the electrical resistivity and the reactivity of coal char. All these results strongly suggest that the thermal deactivation is the result of a crystallite-perfecting process, which is effectively catalyzed by the inorganic matter in the coal char. Based on kinetic interpretation of the data it is concluded that the process is diffusion controlled, most likely involving transport of iron in the inter-crystallite nanospaces in the temperature range studied. The activation energy of this transport process is found to be very low, at about 11.8 kJ mol(-1), which is corroborated by model-free correlation of the temporal variation of organized carbon fraction as well as electrical resistivity data using the superposition method, and is suggestive of surface transport of iron. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the robustness of short-term interest rate models

This paper investigates the robustness of a range of short–term interest rate models. We examine the robustness of these models over different data sets, time periods, sampling frequencies, and estimation techniques. We examine a range of popular one–factor models that allow the conditional mean (drift) and conditional variance (diffusion) to be functions of the current short rate. We find that parameter estimates are highly sensitive to all of these factors in the eight countries that we examine. Since parameter estimates are not robust, these models should be used with caution in practice.

The condensation and ordering of models of empty liquids

We consider a simple model consisting of particles with four bonding sites ("patches"), two of type A and two of type B, on the square lattice, and investigate its global phase behavior by simulations and theory. We set the interaction between B patches to zero and calculate the phase diagram as the ratio between the AB and the AA interactions, epsilon(AB)*, varies. In line with previous work, on three-dimensional off-lattice models, we show that the liquid-vapor phase diagram exhibits a re-entrant or "pinched" shape for the same range of epsilon(AB)*, suggesting that the ratio of the energy scales - and the corresponding empty fluid regime - is independent of the dimensionality of the system and of the lattice structure. In addition, the model exhibits an order-disorder transition that is ferromagnetic in the re-entrant regime. The use of low-dimensional lattice models allows the simulation of sufficiently large systems to establish the nature of the liquid-vapor critical points and to describe the structure of the liquid phase in the empty fluid regime, where the size of the "voids" increases as the temperature decreases. We have found that the liquid-vapor critical point is in the 2D Ising universality class, with a scaling region that decreases rapidly as the temperature decreases. The results of simulations and theoretical analysis suggest that the line of order-disorder transitions intersects the condensation line at a multi-critical point at zero temperature and density, for patchy particle models with a re-entrant, empty fluid, regime. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3657406]

A short-term risk management tool applied to OMEL electricity market using particle swarm optimization

Short-term risk management is highly dependent on long-term contractual decisions previously established; risk aversion factor of the agent and short-term price forecast accuracy. Trying to give answers to that problem, this paper provides a different approach for short-term risk management on electricity markets. Based on long-term contractual decisions and making use of a price range forecast method developed by the authors, the short-term risk management tool presented here has as main concern to find the optimal spot market strategies that a producer should have for a specific day in function of his risk aversion factor, with the objective to maximize the profits and simultaneously to practice the hedge against price market volatility. Due to the complexity of the optimization problem, the authors make use of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to find the optimal solution. Results from realistic data, namely from OMEL electricity market, are presented and discussed in detail.

The computational role of short-term plasticity and the balance of excitation and inhibition in neural microcircuits: experimental and theoretical analysis

The computations performed by the brain ultimately rely on the functional connectivity between neurons embedded in complex networks. It is well known that the neuronal connections, the synapses, are plastic, i.e. the contribution of each presynaptic neuron to the firing of a postsynaptic neuron can be independently adjusted. The modulation of effective synaptic strength can occur on time scales that range from tens or hundreds of milliseconds, to tens of minutes or hours, to days, and may involve pre- and/or post-synaptic modifications. The collection of these mechanisms is generally believed to underlie learning and memory and, hence, it is fundamental to understand their consequences in the behavior of neurons.(...)

The visual image in Epiphanic Short History

The visual image is a fundamental component of epiphany, stressing its immediacy and vividness, corresponding to the enargeia of the traditional ekphrasis and also playing with cultural and social meanings. Morris Beja in his seminal book Epiphany in the Modern Novel, draws our attention to the distinction made by Joyce between the epiphany originated in a common object, in a discourse or gesture and the one arising in “a memorable phase of the mind itself”. This type materializes in the “dream-epiphany” and in the epiphany based in memory. On the other hand, Robert Langbaum in his study of the epiphanic mode, suggests that the category of “visionary epiphany” could account for the modern effect of an internally glowing vision like Blake’s “The Tyger”, which projects the vitality of a real tyger. The short story, whose length renders it a fitting genre for the use of different types of epiphany, has dealt with the impact of the visual image in this technique, to convey different effects and different aesthetic aims. This paper will present some examples of this occurrence in short stories of authors in whose work epiphany is a fundamental concept and literary technique: Walter Pater, Joseph Conrad, K. Mansfield, Clarice Lispector. Pater’s “imaginary portraits” concentrate on “priviledged moments” of the lives of the characters depicting their impressions through pictorial language; Conrad tries to show “moments of awakening” that can be remembered by the eye; Mansfield suggests that epiphany, the “glimpse”, should replace plot as an internal ordering principle of her impressionist short-stories; in C. Lispector the visualization of some situations is so aggressive that it causes nausea and a radical revelation on the protagonist’s.

Short-Circuit Impedance of Power Transformers: the Fractional Order Calculus Approach

First IFAC Workshop on Fractional Differentiation and Its Application - 19-21 July 2004, Enseirb, Bordeaux, France - FDA'04

On the Estimation of the Short-Circuit Impedance of Power Transformers Using Fractional Order Calculus

This paper reports investigation on the estimation of the short circuit impedance of power transformers, using fractional order calculus to analytically study the influence of the diffusion phenomena in the windings. The aim is to better characterize the medium frequency range behavior of leakage inductances of power transformer models, which include terms to represent the magnetic field diffusion process in the windings. Comparisons between calculated and measured values are shown and discussed.

Embolisation of Prostatic Arteries as Treatment of Moderate to Severe Lower Urinary Symptoms (LUTS) Secondary to Benign Hyperplasia: Results of Short- and Mid-Term Follow-Up

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the short- and medium-term results of prostatic arterial embolisation (PAE) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: This was a prospective non-randomised study including 255 patients diagnosed with BPH and moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms after failure of medical treatment for at least 6 months. The patients underwent PAE between March 2009 and April 2012. Technical success is when selective prostatic arterial embolisation is completed in at least one pelvic side. Clinical success was defined as improving symptoms and quality of life. Evaluation was performed before PAE and at 1, 3, 6 and every 6 months thereafter with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), uroflowmetry, prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and volume. Non-spherical polyvinyl alcohol particles were used. RESULTS: PAE was technically successful in 250 patients (97.9 %). Mean follow-up, in 238 patients, was 10 months (range 1-36). Cumulative rates of clinical success were 81.9 %, 80.7 %, 77.9 %, 75.2 %, 72.0 %, 72.0 %, 72.0 % and 72.0 % at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months, respectively. There was one major complication. CONCLUSIONS: PAE is a procedure with good results for BPH patients with moderate to severe LUTS after failure of medical therapy. KEY POINTS: • Prostatic artery embolisation offers minimally invasive therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. • Prostatic artery embolisation is a challenging procedure because of vascular anatomical variations. • PAE is a promising new technique that has shown good results.

Risky behavior regarding drug use and HIV infection: an Internet questionnaire coupled with short education texts for Portuguese speakers

Surveys of risky behavior relating to HIV/AIDS are generally made for groups at risk of infection, for which HIV/AIDS prevalence is usually expected to be higher than in the general population. Therefore, an educational homepage in Portuguese was created on the Internet to inform/ask internauts regarding knowledge and behavior. The internauts were classified as adolescents (13 to 25 years) and adults (>25 years). The number of STDs was reported as 1. 8 ± 2. 6 infections (range: 1 to 20 infections); 43% used condoms during sexual intercourse. Alcohol consumption was reported by 63% and illicit drug use by 32% (marijuana 24% and inhalants 15%). Among the adolescents, 31% did not classified alcohol as a drug. The adults more frequently reported homosexuality, anal intercourse and STDs, although the adolescents also presented high rates of risky behavior. These results show the need to reach out to internauts through better control strategies. Different types of strategies must be encouraged, in order to reach people that use this means of communication and entertainment.