bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence and quality of vertigo symptoms after cochlear implantation
Authors: Krause E , Louza J P R , Wechtenbruch J , Hempel J-M , Rader T , Gürkov R
Published: June 2008

Objectives:

To assess the incidence of vestibular disturbance in patients after cochlear implantation, and to evaluate the quality of vertigo symptoms.

Study design:

Prospective, observational study.

Setting:

Cochlear implant centre at a tertiary referral university hospital, Munich, Germany.

Patients:

Forty-seven adult patients undergoing unilateral cochlear implantation between 2003 and 2007.

Methods:

Patients were interviewed post-operatively about vertigo symptoms, using a specifically designed questionnaire. Questionnaire data were used to define patient subgroups based on probable vertigo aetiology. Cochlear implantation was performed via a retroauricular, transmastoidal approach. Thirty-six implants were Cochlear Nucleus 24 devices and 11 were MedEl devices.

Results:

Twenty-one (45 per cent) patients reported vertigo symptoms following cochlear implantation. The time of onset was directly post-operatively in the majority of patients. In 90 per cent, the symptoms suggested an otogenic origin. The majority of patients reported paroxysmal vertigo with a duration of seconds to minutes. Typical concomitant symptoms were tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss and vegetative reactions. Serious disablement by vertigo was rare.

Conclusion:

Exposing patients to the risk of possible balance disorders associated with cochlear implantation is justified in view of the hearing rehabilitation achieved, even with today's broader indications for cochlear implantation. However, patients should in any case be informed about the possibility and quality of post-operative vertigo symptoms.
What makes one person paranoid and another person anxious? The differential prediction of social anxiety and persecutory ideation in an experimental situation
Authors: Freeman D. , Gittins M. , Pugh K. , Antley A. , Slater M. , Dunn G.
Published: June 2008

Background

In recent years a close association between anxiety and persecutory ideation has been established, contrary to the traditional division of neurosis and psychosis. Nonetheless, the two experiences are distinct. The aim of this study was to identify factors that distinguish the occurrence of social anxiety and paranoid thoughts in an experimental situation.

Method

Two hundred non-clinical individuals broadly representative of the UK general population were assessed on a range of psychological factors, experienced a neutral virtual reality social environment, and then completed state measures of paranoia and social anxiety. Clustered bivariate logistic regressions were carried out, testing interactions between potential predictors and the type of reaction in virtual reality.

Results

The strongest finding was that the presence of perceptual anomalies increased the risk of paranoid reactions but decreased the risk of social anxiety. Anxiety, depression, worry and interpersonal sensitivity all had similar associations with paranoia and social anxiety.

Conclusions

The study shows that social anxiety and persecutory ideation share many of the same predictive factors. Non-clinical paranoia may be a type of anxious fear. However, perceptual anomalies are a distinct predictor of paranoia. In the context of an individual feeling anxious, the occurrence of odd internal feelings in social situations may lead to delusional ideas through a sense of ‘things not seeming right’. The study illustrates the approach of focusing on experiences such as paranoid thinking rather than diagnoses such as schizophrenia.
The relationship between cognitive function and clinical and functional outcomes in major depressive disorder
Authors: Withall A. , Harris L. M. , Cumming S. R.
Published: June 2008

Background

Although cognitive variables have been shown to be useful in predicting outcomes in late-life depression, there has not yet been a comprehensive study in younger persons with depression.

Method

The clinical symptoms and cognitive performance of participants were evaluated at admission to one of two university teaching hospitals and again at 3 months after remission and discharge. A total of 52 participants with a DSM-IV diagnosis of major depressive disorder, aged between 20 and 60 years and with a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score ⩾17 entered the study. The sample for this paper comprises the 48 subjects (mean age 37.9 years,s.d.=10.7) who received admission and follow-up assessments; an attrition rate of 7.7%.

Results

More perseverative errors on the shortened Wisconsin Card Sorting Test at admission predicted a worse clinical outcome at follow-up. Poor event-based prospective memory and more perseverative errors on the shortened Wisconsin Card Sorting Test at admission predicted worse social and occupational outcome at follow-up.

Conclusions

These results suggest that a brief cognitive screen at hospital admission, focusing on executive function, would have a useful prognostic value in depression. Determining early predictors of individuals at risk of poorer outcomes is important for identifying those who may need altered or additional treatment approaches.
American Sign Language syntactic and narrative comprehension in skilled and less skilled readers: Bilingual and bimodal evidence for the linguistic basis of reading
Authors: CHAMBERLAIN CHARLENE , MAYBERRY RACHEL I.
Published: June 2008

We tested the hypothesis that syntactic and narrative comprehension of a natural sign language can serve as the linguistic basis for skilled reading. Thirty-one adults who were deaf from birth and used American Sign Language (ASL) were classified as skilled or less skilled readers using an eighth-grade criterion. Proficiency with ASL syntax, and narrative comprehension of ASL and Manually Coded English (MCE) were measured in conjunction with variables including exposure to print, nonverbal IQ, and hearing and speech ability. Skilled readers showed high levels of ASL syntatic ability and narrative comprehension whereas less skilled readers did not. Regression analyses showed ASL syntactic ability to contribute unique variance in English reading performance when the effects of nonverbal IQ, exposure to print, and MCE comprehension were controlled. A reciprocal relationship between print exposure and sign language proficiency was further found. The results indicate that the linguistic basis of reading, and the reciprocal relationship between print exposure and “through the air” language, can be bimodal, as in being a sign language or a spoken language, and bilingual, as in being ASL and English.
What's in a word? Morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in three languages
Authors: MCBRIDE-CHANG CATHERINE , TARDIF TWILA , CHO JEUNG-RYEUL , SHU HUA , FLETCHER PAUL , STOKES STEPHANIE F. , WONG ANITA , LEUNG KAWAI
Published: June 2008

Understanding how words are created is potentially a key component to being able to learn and understand new vocabulary words. However, research on morphological awareness is relatively rare. In this study, over 660 preschool-aged children from three language groups (Cantonese, Mandarin, and Korean speakers) in which compounding morphology is highly prevalent were tested on their abilities to manipulate familiar morphemes to create novel compound words as well as on a variety of early language and reasoning measures twice over the span of 9 months to 1 year. With Time 1 vocabulary knowledge, phonological processing, and reasoning skills controlled, morphological awareness predicted unique variance in Time 2 vocabulary knowledge across languages. Across languages, vocabulary knowledge also predicted unique variance in subsequent morphological awareness, with Time 1 morphological awareness controlled. Findings underscore the bidirectional bootstrapping of morphological awareness and vocabulary acquisition for languages in which lexical compounding is prominent, and suggest that morphological awareness may be practically important in predicting and fostering children's early vocabulary learning.
Lifetime alcohol consumption and breast cancer: a case–control study in Finland
Authors: Männistö Satu , Virtanen Mikko , Kataja Vesa , Uusitupa Matti , Pietinen Pirjo
Published: June 2008

Objective

To study the association between lifetime alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer.

Design and setting

A case–control study carried out in eastern Finland. Information about alcohol consumption was obtained by two methods: a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) including alcohol consumption during the previous 12 months, and a lifetime alcohol consumption questionnaire (AQ) which was administered by the study nurse.

Subjects

The study consisted of 301 breast cancer cases (25–75 years old) and 443 population controls.

Results

The subjects reported higher current alcohol consumption in the AQ compared to the FFQ. According to the AQ, premenopausal cases consumed on average 28 g and controls 24 g alcohol week−1; in postmenopausal women the values were 15 and 14 g, respectively. About 30% of premenopausal and 60% of postmenopausal women were classified as non-drinkers. The correlation for current alcohol consumption between the FFQ and the AQ was 0.80 in premenopausal women but only 0.40 in postmenopausal women. Current alcohol consumption seemed to influence the reporting of total lifetime alcohol consumption. Current alcohol consumption was not associated with the risk of breast cancer either in premenopausal or postmenopausal women; neither were associations found between alcohol consumption at age of first use, use before the age of 30, or total lifetime alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer.

Conclusions

On average, one to three drinks per week did not increase the risk of breast cancer in this study. Consumption levels were, however, too low to exclude increased risk with high regular consumption. Further research is necessary on lifetime alcohol consumption.
Nutrition policy in the Chilean transition
Authors: Vio Fernando , Albala Cecilia
Published: June 2008

Objective

This paper examines socioeconomic, demographic, epidemiological and nutrition changes that have occurred in Chile in the last decades using concepts of epidemiological and nutrition transition, and discusses policies related to nutrition.

Design and setting

This is a descriptive, population-based study to analyse changes in the Chilean diet and nutrition situation including some of the main demographic, socioeconomic and epidemiological variables. Data came from the FAO, the National Institute of Statistics, the Ministry of Health and national surveys.

Results and policy implications

In Chile, the epidemiological and nutrition situation shifted from a pretransition stage with high rates of undernutrition to a post-transition stage with increasing rates of obesity in all groups aged less than 20 years. However, changes were not accompanied by modifications in nutrition policy, which had been successful in reducing undernutrition. Despite changes in diet to a ‘western’ diet and in nutritional status of the population from undernutrition to obesity, food and nutrition programmes have been maintained unaltered. Governmental and university organizations were created in 1994 and 1995 to address the current food and nutrition problems. The accomplishments of these institutions have been the elaboration of dietary guidelines, reformulating the food and nutrition programmes and the promulgation of the Food Sanitary Regulations for Chile.

Conclusions

Education for the prevention of nutrition excess problems should be a main food and nutrition policy in developing countries.
Fruits and vegetables in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease
Authors: van't Veer Pieter , Jansen Margje CJF , Klerk Mariska , Kok Frans J
Published: June 2008

Objective

We quantified the public health benefit of fruits and vegetables on the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD), using currently available human data.

Design

We reviewed over 250 observational studies on cancer and CVD. Relative risks (RRs) for high versus low intake of fruits and vegetables were obtained. The preventable proportion of chronic diseases, i.e. the per cent of cases attributable to low consumption of fruits and vegetables, was estimated using three scenarios: best guess, optimistic (using stronger RRs) and conservative (using weaker RRs and eliminating the contribution of smoking and/or drinking). The preventable proportion was calculated for increasing average intake from the current 250 g day−1 to the recommended 400 g day among the general Dutch population.

Results

It is estimated that in the Netherlands cancer incidence could be reduced by 19% (12 000 cases annually, best guess), ranging from 6% (conservative) to 28% (optimistic). Cardiovascular deaths could be reduced by 16% (8000 deaths annually, best guess), ranging from 6% to 22%. Evidence is most abundant for gastrointestinal cancers, followed by hormone-related cancers, but limited for other sites and CVD.

Conclusions

Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables carries a large public health potential. Population trials and biological mechanisms should eventually provide scientific proof of their efficacy. The available evidence is sufficient to justify public health education and promotion aimed at a substantial increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Breakfast cereal consumption in young children: associations with non-milk extrinsic sugars and caries experience: further analysis of data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey of children aged 1.5–4.5 years
Authors: Gibson Sigrid A
Published: June 2008

Objective

This study examined the relationship between breakfast cereal consumption and non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) intake and the possible implications of this for caries in preschool children.

Methods

Data from the 1995 UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) of children aged 1.5–4.5 years were reanalysed. Four-day weighed food records and dental examinations were available on 1450 children living in private households in Britain. Children were classified by tertiles (age-adjusted) according to the proportion of energy derived from breakfast cereals, and the amount of NME sugar from cereals. There were no significant differences in social class background between any of the groups.

Results

Children with diets high in breakfast cereals as a proportion of total energy (top third) had lower proportional intakes of NMES, compared with low consumers of cereals (lowest third). Consumption of sweetened cereals was positively associated with NMES intake. However, caries experience was unrelated to breakfast cereal consumption, whether presweetened or not.

Conclusions

Although presweetened cereals are relatively high in NMES, their cariogenic potential is probably minimal in the circumstances in which they are normally consumed.
Socioenvironmental influences on children's fruit, juice and vegetable consumption as reported by parents: reliability and validity of measures
Authors: Cullen Karen Weber , Baranowski Tom , Rittenberry Latroy , Cosart Chris , Owens Emiel , Hebert David , de Moor Carl
Published: June 2008

Objective

To pilot test theory-based questionnaires to measure socioenvironmental influences on children's fruit, juice and vegetable (FJV) consumption as reported by parents.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Parents of fourth to sixth grade students completed socioenvironmental questionnaires. The students completed food records (FRs) for 2 days in the classroom.

Subjects

Interviews were completed by 109 parents (17% African-American, 32% Hispanic-American and 51 Euro-American).

Results

Student mean daily FJV intake was 2.1 servings. Principal components analyses revealed subscales measuring positive and negative parenting practices; self-efficacy for modelling and planning/encouraging FJV consumption, and making FJV available; encouraging, consequences and discouraging food socialization practices; negative home, cost and canned/frozen food barriers; meal planning; child shopping; mother food preparation; and child lunch and dinner FJV preparation practices. Internal consistencies were adequate to high. Negative parent practices and negative home FJV barriers were significantly negatively correlated with child FJV consumption variables. Planning/encouraging self-efficacy was positively associated with fruit consumption, and child dinner FJV preparation was significantly negatively correlated with child juice consumption.

Conclusions

These questionnaires may provide important insights about the relationship between parent-reported socioenvironmental influences and children's FJV consumption. Future work should test these questionnaires with larger groups of parents and youths, with more reliable estimates of usual FJV intake, e.g. 7-day food records, to obtain a detailed understanding of how parents influence what children eat. Tests of models of relationships among these variables are warranted, but should control for possible confounding variables, e.g. socioeconomic status, gender of the child, etc
The choice of a diet quality indicator to evaluate the nutritional health of populations
Authors: Dubois Lise , Girard Manon , Bergeron Nathalie
Published: June 2008

Background

The USA and Canada both want to reduce social health inequalities in their population. These two countries have recently begun a process of harmonization of their nutrient recommendations.

Objective

To develop a standardized indicator to measure the impact of these recommendations on the health of different social groups in North America. The authors have compared three of the methods currently used for measuring overall diet quality for a population.

Design and setting

The three methods, adjusted to the 1990 Canadian nutrition recommendations, were used to analyse the Québec Nutrition Survey data collected by Santé Québec in 1990.

Results

The authors found that the indicator developed by Kennedy and collaborators works best for analysing the Québec data. Moreover, it allows comparisons with the USA. Some questions, such as whether or not to add calories from alcohol consumption to the model and whether the indicators should be adjusted to the different cultures and specific population groups remain unanswered.

Conclusions

In order to determine the role of nutrition in social health inequalities, it is important to develop standard indicators that are suitable for monitoring the relationship between dietary recommendations and eating habits.
The public's response to the obesity epidemic in Australia: weight concerns and weight control practices of men and women
Authors: Timperio Anna , Cameron-Smith David , Burns Catherine , Crawford David
Published: June 2008

Objective

To assess weight perceptions, weight concerns and weight control behaviours and related beliefs in a representative sample of adults.

Design

Cross-sectional postal survey.

Setting

The survey was conducted between October and December 1997 in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Subjects

A total of 2500 subjects were selected at random from the Australian electoral roll; 900 provided usable responses.

Results

At the time of the survey, 2.7% of respondents were trying to gain weight, 26.6% were trying to avoid gaining weight, 22.9% were trying to lose weight and 47.9% were not doing anything for their weight. Men (47.2%) were less likely than women (55.3%) to be attempting any form of weight control. Watching the type of food eaten (95.6%), reducing dietary fat intake (87.3%) and engaging in physical activity or exercise (84.4%) were the most common weight control strategies used. Potentially harmful strategies, such as self-induced vomiting and smoking, were used by relatively few respondents. Many adults believed that vigorous activity (26.8%) and total omission of fat from the diet (35.3%) are necessary in order to lose weight.

Conclusions

Attempts at weight control are common in the community. However, many men, including men who are already overweight, appear to be unconcerned about their weight. Obesity prevention initiatives should attempt to influence individuals' weight-related beliefs and behaviours, as well as seeking to change policies and environments to better support weight control.
Regional, demographic and national influences on attitudes and beliefs with regard to physical activity, body weight and health in a nationally representative sample in the European Union
Authors: Kafatos Anthony , Manios Yannis , Markatji Irini , Giachetti Ismene , Vaz de Almeida Maria Daniel , Engstrom Lars Magnus
Published: June 2008

Introduction

Although the benefits of physical activity regarding body-weight gain and health in general are now widely accepted, physical activity levels remain low among citizens in the western world. This could be attributed to certain attitudes and beliefs about physical activity. Identifying and understanding these parameters would be the first step in an attempt to increase the levels of physical activity in populations generally characterized as having a sedentary lifestyle.

Objective

The aim of the present study was to identify the attitudes and beliefs regarding physical activity, body weight and health in a nationally representative sample in the EU and in particular to explore the demographic and national (cultural) influences on attitudes towards physical activity.

Design

In each member state of the EU, approximately 1000 adults aged 15 years and over, were selected to complete an interviewer-assisted face-to-face questionnaire. Overall, a sample of 15 239 individuals in the EU participated in the study. Subject selection was quota-controlled to ensure samples in each country were nationally representative.

Results

On a European level wide variations were observed regarding the levels, beliefs and attitudes towards physical activity. More positive beliefs were observed among Finns, while less positive beliefs were observed among southern Europeans. A similar pattern was observed for attitudes, with the Portuguese having the highest percentage feeling that they do not need to be more physically active than they already are. However, most southern Europeans felt that a campaign would encourage them to become more active than they already are. On a demographic level, the youngest, more educated and most physically active subjects had more positive attitudes and beliefs towards physical activity and the health benefits derived from it; while for the overweight, beliefs and attitudes toward physical activity were related primarily to the benefits related to weight control.

Conclusions

Lower levels of physical activity, an unwillingness to become active among non-participants and confusion regarding the weight gain benefits and general health benefits of exercise were reported more frequently among southern Europeans and older and less educated subjects. The Finns scored highest in all these parameters, possibly due to the programmes implemented and the beliefs and behaviour changes observed in this country during the last few years. The actions taken in Finland and their benefits could be employed appropriately in the other European states.
Variables independently associated with self-reported obesity in the European Union
Authors: Martínez JA , Kearney JM , Kafatos A , Paquet S , Martínez-Gonzélez MA
Published: June 2008

Objective

The rapid increase in obesity rates over recent years suggest that cultural and societal influences are affecting the adjustment in the energy balance equation in addition to other physiopathological or genetic determinants. Therefore, a pan-EU study was carried out to explore the influence of sociodemographic factors as well as some attitudes (smoking and exercise) on the prevalence of obesity in the adult population of all 15 member states of the EU.

Design

Overall, a sample of 15 239 individuals aged 15 years and upwards in the EU completed the questionnaire. Subject selection was quota-controlled to make the sample nationally representative following a multistage stratified cluster sampling. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate body mass index (BMI).

Results

From the EU average results, it can be seen that only about half of the EU population (48%) is within the normal weight range, while the obesity (BMI > ≥ 30 kg m−2) prevalence was about 10% in the EU and the overweight prevalence was 36.6% and 25.6% among men and women, respectively. UK subjects had the highest prevalence of obesity (12%), while Italians, French and Swedes had the lowest levels of obesity (about 7%). Concerning age and social class interactions, logistic regression analysis showed that high social class and younger individuals in all groups had a lower odds ratio for obesity prevalence. People with a higher level of education are less likely to be obese, while the interaction between educational levels and obesity was different for men and women. A low participation in various leisure-time physical activities, the lack of interest (precontemplation) in being involved in exercise/physical activity and the increasing number of hours sitting down at work appear to be predictors of obesity. Single individuals were less prone to become obese than couples or widowed/divorced people. Finally, smoking status was statistically linked to the prevalence of obesity, since non-smokers or ex-smokers for more than 1 year presented a higher tendency for a BMI > 30.

Conclusions

This survey confirms that a priority area for health intervention aimed at preventing the development of obesity should be to increase levels of physical activity, although the approach will depend on the population, especially with respect to educational and socioeconomic aspects.
Food choice, appetite and physical activity
Authors: Bellisle France
Published: June 2008

Food choices and diet composition have been studied less often than energy intake in subjects with varying levels of physical activity. The reported effects of exercise on food choices are not fully consistent, especially on the short term. Type of exercise, intensity, duration can affect the results as well as subjects' characteristics (gender, age, previous training and fitness). A crucial role could also be played by psychological (chronic dieting, attitudes toward health and food, long-established food habits and preferences) and social (traditions, food availability, appropriate times and places) factors. In short-term intervention studies, where a meal is ingested a few minutes following a bout of exercise of varying duration and intensity, an increase in CHO intake is most often reported, while increased protein intake is an occasional observation. In long-term (several weeks) training interventions, intake is assessed from dietary records. Again CHO intake is augmented in exercised subjects as compared to controls, while that of saturated fats and cholesterol may also be affected. Epidemiological studies (without dietary or exercise intervention) often report that habitually active persons eat more and ingest more fruits and vegetables than less active peers. It is not known to what extent such food choices are driven by biological needs (e.g. replacement of glycogen) or elicited by social and psychological factors.
Physical activity, diet and skeletal health
Authors: Branca Francesco
Published: June 2008

Diet and physical exercise concur in the determination of skeletal mass at the end of adolescence and in the conservation of it during adult life. The functional demand imposed on bone is a major determinant of its structural characteristics. Stress applied to a skeletal segment affects the geometry of the bone, the microarchitecture and the composition of the matrix. The stimulatory effect occurs when the skeleton is subjected to strains exceeding habitual skeletal loads, and the intensity of load is more important than the duration of the stimulus.

Physical activity leads to greater bone density in children and adolescents and, to a minor extent, in adults. Weight bearing activities, such as walking, have a greater effect than non weight bearing activities, such as cycling and swimming. Reduction of loads as in bed resting or in space flights leads to bone loss. Intense training may cause damage, promptly repaired, as in stress fractures observed in army recruits. Female athletes may experience oligo-amenorrhea, though they still have a positive bone balance.

There is an important interaction between the mechanical demands and the availability of nutrients to manufacture bone tissue. The increase in bone density in post-menopausal women is positively related to calcium intake when calcium supplementation is accompanied by exercise. When mechanical demands are low, such as during immobilisation, the intestinal calcium absorption is reduced. Calcium intake should also be analysed in the light of other dietary factors affecting the balance between absorption and excretion, and in combination with a number of other minerals, trace elements and bioactive substances with an impact on bone metabolism.
Effective promotion of healthy nutrition and physical activity in Europe requires skilled and competent people; European Master's Programme in Public Health Nutrition
Authors: Yngve Agneta , Sjöström Michael , Warm Daniel , Margetts Barrie , Rodrigo Carmen Pérez , Nissinen Aulikki
Published: June 2008

Scientists in basic research and epidemiology deliver messages to policy makers. Effective population based strategies then require people trained and competent in the discipline of Public Health Nutrition (PHN). Since 1997, a European Master's Programme in PHN has been undergoing planning and implementation with the aid of funding from the European Commission (DGV). PHN is used as a broad term covering Nutrition and Physical Activity as well as Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.

The partners in this project are academic departments from 17 countries. The students will undertake core modules and electives for a year and a half, followed by a research project for six months. In order to set up formalised procedures for the evaluation of the quality assurance of individual modules from across Europe, a quality assurance system has been set up.

The academic year 1999–2000 will allow an opportunity for Universities and Institutes to start new modules, to develop other modules, assess the movement of students between modules, tackle funding issues and allow further marketing of the programme. Future activities include strengthening of the European Network for Public Health Nutrition (ENPHN), the establishment of a consortium with universities, the co-ordination of programme activities with other European Master's Programmes in Public Health, and the incorporation of new Member States from Eastern Europe.

We can look forward to a new brand of professionals, who are truly European in their training, but who also have an integrated view of nutrition and physical activity, health promotion and disease prevention and who are prepared for policy making, action planning, implementation and evaluation.
Dietary questions as determinants of mortality: the OXCHECK experience
Authors: Whiteman David , Muir John , Jones Lesley , Murphy Mike , Key Tim
Published: June 2008

Objective:

To determine whether responses to simple dietary questions are associated with specific causes of death.

Design:

Self-reported frequency intakes of various classes of foods and data on confounding factors were collected at the baseline survey. Death notifications up to 31 December 1997 were ascertained from the Office for National Statistics. Relative risk (RR) of death and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with baseline dietary factors were calculated by Cox regression.

Setting:

Prospective follow-up study based on five UK general practices.

Subjects:

Data were used from 11 090 men and women aged 35–64 years (81% of the eligible patient population) who responded to a postal questionnaire in 1989.

Results:

After 9 years of follow-up, 598 deaths were recorded, 514 of these among the 10 522 subjects with no previous history of angina. All-cause mortality was positively associated with age, smoking and low social class, as expected. Among the dietary variables, all-cause mortality was significantly reduced in participants who reported relatively high consumption of vegetables, puddings, cakes, biscuits and sweets, fresh or frozen red meat (but not processed meat), among those who reported using polyunsaturated spreads and among moderate alcohol drinkers. These associations were broadly similar for deaths from ischaemic heart disease (IHD), cancer and all other causes combined, and were not greatly attenuated by adjusting for potential confounding factors including social class.

Conclusions:

Responses to simple questions about nutrition were associated with mortality. These findings must be interpreted with caution since residual confounding by dietary and lifestyle factors may underlie the associations.
Costs of a healthy diet: analysis from the UK Women's Cohort Study
Authors: Cade Janet , Upmeier Hendrike , Calvert Claire , Greenwood Darren
Published: June 2008

Objective:

To investigate the direct and indirect cost differences associated with eating a ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ diet.

Design:

Analysis of data from a baseline postal questionnaire for the UK Women's Cohort Study, including a detailed food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), supplemented by a telephone interview on a sub-sample.

Subjects:

The first 15 191 women who responded to the questionnaire, aged 35–69 years with similar numbers of meat eaters, fish eaters and vegetarians.

Results:

A healthy diet indicator (hdi), with values from 0 (lowest) to 8 (highest) was developed based on the WHO dietary recommendations. Direct monetary cost of the diet was calculated using prices from the 1995 National Food Survey and the Tesco home shopping catalogue. Women in the healthy diet group were almost four times as likely to be vegetarian and have a higher educational level. For direct costs, the difference between the most extreme hdi groups was £1.48 day−1 (equivalent to £540 year−1), with fruit and vegetable expenditure being the main items making a healthy diet more expensive. Forty-nine per cent of the food budget was spent on fruit and vegetables in hdi group 8 compared to 29% in hdi group 0. Interestingly, 52% of those questioned in both extreme hdi groups did not think that it was difficult to eat healthily.

Conclusions:

To achieve a particularly healthy diet independent predictive factors were spending more money, being a vegetarian, having a higher energy intake, having a lower body mass index (BMI) and being older.
Evaluation of a bar-code system for nutrient analysis in dietary surveys
Authors: Anderson Annie S , Maher Linda , Ha Tom K , Cooney Josephine , Eley Susan , Martin Marilyn , Vespasiani Giacomo , Bruni Mauro , Lean Michael EJ
Published: June 2008

Objective:

A novel system for nutrient analysis has been developed and tested over 5 years. Its key features are a nutrient database of 600 commonly eaten foods (95% of foods eaten in 7-day surveys); a booklet identifying each food with a bar code, bar codes for gram weight and for portion sizes (small, medium, large) and a bar-code reader with dietary analysis software for PCs. In the present study the bar-code system has been evaluated by comparison with a commonly used manual entry nutrient analysis software for dietitians' use.

Design:

Cross-sectional.

Setting:

Glasgow city district.

Subjects:

One hundred and sixty adults aged 18–65 years old.

Results:

Comparing mean intakes for macro- and micronutrients, using the Bland and Altman method1, the bias between the two methods was small, ranging from 0.93 to 1.03. The bar-code system took significantly less professional time in data entry and nutrient analysis than the widely used manual system (29 min per 7-day diary vs. 47 min per 7-day diary, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

It is suggested that the bar-code system offers greater speed with a saving of professional time needed for nutrient analysis of dietary surveys. This system is commended for maintaining accuracy while promoting economy.
Can Informal e-learning and Peer Support Help Bridge the Digital Divide?
Authors: Lindsay Sally , Smith Simon , Bellaby Paul
Published: June 2008

The project that we report here provided free home computers and a one-year broadband subscription to a sample of 108 older people diagnosed with coronary heart disease. The sample was divided at random and the experimental group had ‘facilitated learning’, based on access to a dedicated website, while controls did not. The results suggest that many participants needed to overcome their fear of new technology before they could learn how to use it effectively. Significant differences in computer skills were found between the experimental and control groups after six months of being involved in the project.
Activation Policies, New Modes of Governance and the Issue of Responsibility
Authors: Bonvin Jean-Michel
Published: June 2008

Most activation policies are based on a simplistic conception of responsibility: behaving responsibly coincides with quickly reintegrating the labour market. Local welfare agents are called to push beneficiaries to actively endorse this goal. But the issue of responsibility is much more complex. Drawing on Sen's capability approach, this article suggests that responsibilisation of recipients requires both empowerment and granting them more real freedom of choice on the labour market. Against the present trend toward hypertrophying individual responsibility, it calls for a more equilibrated balance between individual and social responsibility. The objective is not to define an impracticable ideal of responsibility, but to provide a yardstick for assessing activation programmes.
Some Useful Sources
Authors: van Berkel Rik , Borghi Vando
Published: June 2008

There is a large variety of journals, from various disciplines or sub-disciplines that have published articles on the issue of the governance of activation.
Study of near‐Earth reconnection events with Cluster and Double Star
Authors: Sergeev V. , Kubyshkina M. , Alexeev I. , Fazakerley A. , Owen C. , Baumjohann W. , Nakamura R. , Runov A. , Vörös Z. , Zhang T. L. , Angelopoulos V. , Sauvaud J.‐A. , Daly P. , Cao J. B. , Lucek E.
Published: June 2008

Observations made by a unique constellation of Cluster (at 14–16 RE), TC2, Goes10, and LANL spacecraft (near 6.6 RE) have allowed us to study the details of three reconnection events in the middle of a thick plasma sheet with the reconnection X‐line located unusually close to Earth (10–12 RE). We use mapping along field lines with magnetospheric models adapted to magnetic field observations to confirm that the reconnection region mapped onto localized auroral brightenings. Using simultaneous observations in the inflow and outflow regions, we describe an encounter with a localized tailward Alfvénic jet produced by a short isolated reconnection pulse. A good correlation between intense E and ion [BV] indicates that the concurrent strong turbulence could not destroy the frozen‐in ion behavior in the reconnection outflow. We find that a steady quadrupole‐like distribution of the magnetic By component in the turbulent reconnection outflow extended far beyond the ion diffusion region and existed for several minutes. We demonstrate an apparent Vx flow reversal, formed owing to the reappearance (switch‐on) of reconnection at another location, rather than to a continuous motion of the active X‐line. Using the Liouville mapping technique, we show that the acceleration of outflow electrons, after the particles passed a potential drop of 180 V, is consistent with Fermi/betatron acceleration. We also suggest another interpretation of the energetic particle bursts at the onsets, to emphasize the role of seed population and explain the sudden burst as a consequence of changing magnetic topology.
The circulation in the upper and middle layers of the Luzon Strait during spring 2002
Authors: Yuan Yaochu , Liao Guang‐hong , Guan Weibing , Wang Huiqun , Lou Ruyun , Chen Hong
Published: June 2008

On the basis of current measurements at the mooring station and hydrographic and wind data obtained in the Luzon Strait during spring 2002, the numerical calculation and comparison of circulation were implemented by the aid of a diagnostic model with a modified inverse method. During the observation period, the directions of subtidal current at the mooring station are mostly northwestward or northward at depths of 200 and 500 m, different from those at a depth of 800 m. At depths above 400 m, most of the Kuroshio bypasses the South China Sea (SCS) near the Luzon Strait. However, both the observed and modeled results show part of the Kuroshio flows westward to intrude into the area around the continental slope south of China, and the net westward volume transport across the longitudinal section of 120°33′E is about 0.82 × 106 m3 s−1 in the upper layers from the sea surface to 400 m level. At depths below 400 m, the directions of flow east of 120°57′E are mostly eastward, and the net eastward volume transport across the longitudinal sections of 121°09′E and 121°15′E both are about 2.4 × 106 m3 s−1 in the middle layers between 500 m and 1200 m. This indicates the SCS water with a higher oxygen concentration flows eastward into the eastern side of the Luzon Strait in the middle layer. Comparison between the observed and modeled results shows they agree basically with each other.
Jigsaw: Supporting Investigative Analysis through Interactive Visualization
Authors: Stasko John , Görg Carsten , Liu Zhicheng
Published: June 2008

Investigative analysts who work with collections of text documents connect embedded threads of evidence in order to formulate hypotheses about plans and activities of potential interest. As the number of documents and the corresponding number of concepts and entities within the documents grow larger, sense-making processes become more and more difficult for the analysts. We have developed a visual analytic system called Jigsaw that represents documents and their entities visually in order to help analysts examine them more efficiently and develop theories about potential actions more quickly. Jigsaw provides multiple coordinated views of document entities with a special emphasis on visually illustrating connections between entities across the different documents.
The use of symmetry to correct Larmor phase aberrations in spin echo scattering angle measurement
Authors: Pynn Roger , Lee W. T. , Stonaha P. , Shah V. R. , Washington A. L. , Kirby B. J. , Majkrzak C. F. , Maranville B. B.
Published: June 2008

Spin echo scattering angle measurement (SESAME) is a sensitive interference technique for measuring neutron diffraction. The method uses waveplates or birefringent prisms to produce a phase separation (the Larmor phase) between the “up” and “down” spin components of a neutron wavefunction that is initially prepared in a state that is a linear combination of in-phase up and down components. For neutrons, uniformly birefringent optical elements can be constructed from closed solenoids with appropriately shaped cross sections. Such elements are inconvenient in practice, however, both because of the precision they demand in the control of magnetic fields outside the elements and because of the amount of material required in the neutron beam. In this paper, we explore a different option in which triangular-cross-section solenoids used to create magnetic fields for SESAME have gaps in one face, allowing the lines of magnetic flux to “leak out” of the solenoid. Although the resulting field inhomogeneity produces aberrations in the Larmor phase, the symmetry of the solenoid gaps causes the aberrations produced by neighboring pairs of triangular solenoids to cancel to a significant extent. The overall symmetry of the SESAME apparatus leads to further cancellations of aberrations, providing an architecture that is easy to construct and robust in performance.
Phase transformation and resistivity of dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals under high pressure
Authors: Yu Cuiling , Yu Qingjiang , Gao Chunxiao , Yang Haibin , Liu Bao , Peng Gang , Han Yonghao , Zhang Dongmei , Cui Xiaoyan , Liu Cailong , Wang Yue , Wu Baojia , He Chunyuan , Huang Xiaowei , Zou Guangtian
Published: June 2008

High-pressure Raman spectra and in situ electrical resistivity measurement of the dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals have been investigated by using the diamond-anvil-cell technique at room temperature. The dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals were synthesized via a facile solution method under mild conditions. In terms of the Raman results, the dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals underwent a transition from wurtzite to rock-salt structure with increasing pressure and the phase-transition pressure was about 11.13 GPa. In situ electrical resistivity measurement of the dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals was performed on a designed diamond anvil cell. The change in electrical resistivity related to the phase structure for the ZnO microcrystals was observed with the applied pressure of up to 34.86 GPa. Moreover, the pressure dependence of the electrical resistivity for the dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals annealed at different conditions was also investigated.
Ab initio molecular dynamics using hybrid density functionals
Authors: Guidon Manuel , Schiffmann Florian , Hutter Jürg , VandeVondele Joost
Published: June 2008

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations with hybrid density functionals have so far found little application due to their computational cost. In this work, an implementation of the Hartree–Fock exchange is presented that is specifically targeted at ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of medium sized systems. We demonstrate that our implementation, which is available as part of the CP2K/Quickstep program, is robust and efficient. Several prescreening techniques lead to a linear scaling cost for integral evaluation and storage. Integral compression techniques allow for in-core calculations on systems containing several thousand basis functions. The massively parallel implementation respects integral symmetry and scales up to hundreds of CPUs using a dynamic load balancing scheme. A time-reversible multiple time step scheme, exploiting the difference in computational efficiency between hybrid and local functionals, brings further time savings. With extensive simulations of liquid water, we demonstrate the ability to perform, for several tens of picoseconds, ab initio molecular dynamics based on hybrid functionals of systems in the condensed phase containing a few thousand Gaussian basis functions.
Threshold switching and phase transition numerical models for phase change memory simulations
Authors: Redaelli A. , Pirovano A. , Benvenuti A. , Lacaita A. L.
Published: June 2008

A comprehensive numerical model for chalcogenide glasses is presented, coupling a physically based electrical model able to reproduce the threshold switching with a local nucleation and growth algorithm to account for the phase transition dynamics. The main ingredients of the chalcogenide physics are reviewed and analyzed through simplified analytical models, providing a deeper insight on the origin of the threshold switching mechanism in chalcogenide glasses. A semiconductorlike three-dimensional full-coupled numerical implementation of the proposed model is finally presented and its capabilities to quantitatively reproduce the key elements of the Ge2Sb2Te5 chalcogenide physics are demonstrated in the framework of phase change memory device simulations.