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The original version of this Article omitted from the author list the 212th author Patrizia Mecocci, who is from the Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. Consequently, the “Sample Contribution” section of Author Contributions was updated to add “P.M” between “P.D.” and “R.C.”. Additionally, the original version of this Article contained the incorrect affiliation for author Patrick Gavin Kehoe, which incorrectly read “German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany”. The correct version replaces this affiliation with “Bristol Medical School (THS), University of Bristol, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK”. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article. CA extern

Funding: UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - EP/S019359/1; China Scholarship Council. The isothiourea-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition of C(1)-alkyl and C(1)-unsubstituted ammonium enolates with β- and α,β-substituted trifluoromethylenones has been developed. In all cases, preferential [2 + 2]-cycloaddition over the alternative [4 + 2]-cycloaddition is observed, giving β-lactones with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity (34 examples, up to >95:5 dr, >99:1 er). The regioselectivity of the process was dictated by the nature of the substituents on both reaction components. Solely [2 + 2] cycloaddition products are observed when using α,β-substituted trifluoromethylenones or α-trialkylsilyl acetic acid derivatives; both [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] cycloaddition products are observed when using β-substituted trifluoromethylenones and α-alkyl-α-trialkylsilyl acetic acids as reactants, with the [2 + 2] cycloaddition as the major reaction product. The beneficial role of the α-silyl substituent within the acid component in this protocol has been demonstrated by control experiments. Publisher PDF

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that is not made by plants; consequently, unfortified plant-based foods are not a reliable supply. Recent estimates suggest high rates of vitamin B12 deficiency among the vegetarian and vegan populations, particularly in pregnant women or women of child-bearing age who, for ethical and health reasons, are shifting towards higher consumption of plant-based foods in ever-increasing numbers. Vitamin B12 plays crucial metabolic roles across the life-course and in particular during pregnancy and in early development (first 1000days of life). Evidence now implicates vitamin B12 deficiency with increased risk to a range of neuro, vascular, immune, and inflammatory disorders. However, the current UK recommended nutrient intake for vitamin B12 does not adequately consider the vitamin B12 deficit for those choosing a plant-based diet, including vegetarianism and in particular veganism, representing a hidden hunger. We provide a cautionary note on the importance of preventing vitamin B12 deficits for those individuals choosing a plant-based diet and the health professionals advising them.

Sustainability transitions require changing many behaviours embedded in production and consumption systems. Simultaneously, behavioural public policy is now a significant site of research-policy translation globally. Links between behaviour and system change are underdeveloped in both fields. Systematic review of current transitions literature found ~4% of papers focused on behaviour. Two prominent perspectives on behaviour (labelled: ���everyday��� and ���strategic���) are critical of a focus on individuals, preferencing broader analysis. Two additional perspectives were identified - ���automatic��� and ���reflective��� - which highlight immediate and local influences on behaviour but underemphasise context. All four perspectives on behaviour draw on different conceptualisations, causality, methods and disciplinary foundations, and yet all have value and application to transitions. We argue that a complimentary and flexible approach to behaviour would benefit the field, considering the diversity of phases, scales and contexts of sustainability transitions. Transitions��� own behavioural perspectives could also help address behavioural public policy���s challenges.

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

Spatial and temporal variation in stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of animals contains ecological information that we are just beginning to understand. In both field and lab studies, stoichiometric or isotopic ratios are related to physiological mechanisms underlying nutrition or stress. Conservation and ecosystem ecology may be informed by isotopic data that can be rapidly and non-lethally collected from wild animals, especially where human activity leaves an isotopic signature (e.g. via introduction of chemical fertilizers, ornamental or other non-native plants or organic detritus). We examined spatial and temporal variation in stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of the toes of Uta stansburiana (side-blotched lizards) living in urban and rural areas in and around St. George, Utah. We found substantial spatial and temporal variation as well as context-dependent co-variation with reproductive physiological parameters, although certain key predictions such as the relationship between δ15N and body condition were not supported. We suggest that landscape change through urbanization can have profound effects on wild animal physiology and that stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios can provide unique insights into the mechanisms underlying these processes.

SummarySeveral proteins have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs), but their molecular function is not completely understood. Here, we used quantitative interaction proteomics to identify binding partners of Amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) and Presenilin-1 (PSEN1) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Huntingtin (HTT) for Huntington’s disease, Parkin (PARK2) for Parkinson’s disease, and Ataxin-1 (ATXN1) for spinocerebellar ataxia type 1. Our network reveals common signatures of protein degradation and misfolding and recapitulates known biology. Toxicity modifier screens and comparison to genome-wide association studies show that interaction partners are significantly linked to disease phenotypes in vivo. Direct comparison of wild-type proteins and disease-associated variants identified binders involved in pathogenesis, highlighting the value of differential interactome mapping. Finally, we show that the mitochondrial protein LRPPRC interacts preferentially with an early-onset AD variant of APP. This interaction appears to induce mitochondrial dysfunction, which is an early phenotype of AD.

Supplemental material, DS_10.1177_0363546518810711 for It’s Not All About Redislocation: A Systematic Review of Complications After Anterior Shoulder Stabilization Surgery by Huw Lloyd Morgan Williams, Jonathan Peter Evans, Nicholas Duncan Furness and Christopher David Smith in The American Journal of Sports Medicine

The optimization of submodular functions on the integer lattice has received much attention recently, but the objective functions of many applications are non-submodular. We provide two approximation algorithms for maximizing a non-submodular function on the integer lattice subject to a cardinality constraint; these are the first algorithms for this purpose that have polynomial query complexity. We propose a general framework for influence maximization on the integer lattice that generalizes prior works on this topic, and we demonstrate the efficiency of our algorithms in this context.

The identification of subjects at high risk for Alzheimer's disease is important for prognosis and early intervention. We investigated the polygenic architecture of Alzheimer's disease and the accuracy of Alzheimer's disease prediction models, including and excluding the polygenic component in the model. This study used genotype data from the powerful dataset comprising 17 008 cases and 37 154 controls obtained from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP). Polygenic score analysis tested whether the alleles identified to associate with disease in one sample set were significantly enriched in the cases relative to the controls in an independent sample. The disease prediction accuracy was investigated in a subset of the IGAP data, a sample of 3049 cases and 1554 controls (for whom APOE genotype data were available) by means of sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and positive and negative predictive values. We observed significant evidence for a polygenic component enriched in Alzheimer's disease (P = 4.9 × 10(-26)). This enrichment remained significant after APOE and other genome-wide associated regions were excluded (P = 3.4 × 10(-19)). The best prediction accuracy AUC = 78.2% (95% confidence interval 77-80%) was achieved by a logistic regression model with APOE, the polygenic score, sex and age as predictors. In conclusion, Alzheimer's disease has a significant polygenic component, which has predictive utility for Alzheimer's disease risk and could be a valuable research tool complementing experimental designs, including preventative clinical trials, stem cell selection and high/low risk clinical studies. In modelling a range of sample disease prevalences, we found that polygenic scores almost doubles case prediction from chance with increased prediction at polygenic extremes.

Survival is a prerequisite for successful reproduction, and is thus intertwined with fitness. Some physiological systems can improve survival, like the immune system, but compete with other processes for resources. Because animals evolved with resource limitation, it is important to understand how these resource-allocation decisions are made. To meet this end, I performed four investigations addressing how life-history characteristics shift in side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) using laboratory studies and multi-year field sampling. First, I measured metabolic rates in response to different immune challenges and different energy states in male lizards. I found that, surprisingly, cutaneous biopsies were associated with a downregulation of metabolic rate, lipopolysaccharide injection did not affect metabolic rate, and the fastest-healing individuals had the largest decrease in metabolic rate, regardless of feeding treatment. In my second experiment, female lizards were challenged with a cutaneous biopsy and follicle-stimulating hormone to force a trade-off between the reproductive and immune systems. I learned that follicle-stimulating hormone increased metabolic rates and cutaneous biopsies decreased them, and that a combination of both treatments reduced metabolic rate the most. In my third experiment, I sampled wild lizards from northern populations in eastern Oregon and southern populations in southern Utah. In the first year, longer-lived northern lizards had higher circulating corticosterone concentration, decreased reproductive investment, and increased microbiocidal ability, but the subsequent year did not hold to these trends. A subsequent common-garden experiment revealed that southern lizards were faster at healing cutaneous wounds, but lost much more body mass than the northern individuals, which healed more slowly but maintained body mass. Finally, I have conducted a 5-year field investigation addressing the life-history trade-offs associated with urbanization, which reveals interesting effects of precipitation on survival and reproductive effort at urban and rural sites.

While greedy algorithms have long been observed to perform well on a wide variety of problems, up to now approximation ratios have only been known for their application to problems having submodular objective functions $f$. Since many practical problems have non-submodular $f$, there is a critical need to devise new techniques to bound the performance of greedy algorithms in the case of non-submodularity. Our primary contribution is the introduction of a novel technique for estimating the approximation ratio of the greedy algorithm for maximization of monotone non-decreasing functions based on the curvature of $f$ without relying on the submodularity constraint. We show that this technique reduces to the classical $(1 - 1/e)$ ratio for submodular functions. Furthermore, we develop an extension of this ratio to the adaptive greedy algorithm, which allows applications to non-submodular stochastic maximization problems. This notably extends support to applications modeling incomplete data with uncertainty., revised version -- removes incorrect sampling method

The effects of nutrient overloading have been well identified in areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, where agricultural drainage from the Midwest is considered a main contributor to the hypoxic zone. Amongst the suite of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), managed wetlands may present a more cost effective approach to assimilate pollutants and improve water quality at the scale of small watersheds. However, previous research has yielded varying results. Mathematical models have become a tool used to characterize components and predict behaviors of a given process. Model results can then be used to analyze multiple management options, improve decision making, and potentially reduce costs. This research evaluates multiple management options at a natural wetland by developing and implementing a wetland water quality algorithm within the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model.

GRB-associated binding protein 2 (GAB2) represents a compelling genome-wide association signal for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) with reported odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 0.75-0.85. We tested eight GAB2 variants in four North American Caucasian case-control series (2,316 LOAD, 2,538 controls) for association with LOAD. Meta-analyses revealed ORs ranging from (0.61-1.20) with no significant association (all p>0.32). Four variants were hetergeneous across the populations (all p

This fluid dynamics video is an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion of the 65th Annual Meeting of the APS-DFD. This video shows behavior of condensing droplets on a lubricant impregnated surface and a comparison with a superhydrophobic surface. On impregnated surfaces, drops appear like UFOs hovering over a surface. The videos were recorded in an Environmental SEM and a specially built condensation rig., Comment: Videos are included for Gallery of Fluid Motion, APS DFD 2012

Since 1990, the world wide web has evolved from a static collection of reference pages to a dynamic programming and application-hosting environment. At the core of this evolution is the programming language JavaScript and the XML update library "DOM". Every modern web browser contains a DOM implementation which allows JavaScript programs to read and alter the web page that the user is currently viewing. JavaScript and DOM are extremely successful, and this success may be in part due to their highly dynamic and tightly integrated nature. However, this very nature hinders formal program analysis and tool development. Even the implementation independent specification that defines DOM is largely written in the English language, and not using any formal system. While client-side web programming was once a simple discipline of form validation and interface trickery, it is fast becoming a far more serious business encompassing application development for the emerging ubiquitous "cloud". As this evolution gains pace there is an increasing demand for client-side tool support of the sort commonly enjoyed by "enterprise" programmers, working in more easily analysed languages such as Java. This thesis makes use of recent developments in program reasoning using context logic to provide the first formal, compositional specification for the Fundamental Interfaces of DOM Core Level 1. It presents both a big-step operational semantics for the necessary operations of the library and a context logic for reasoning about programs which use the library. Finally, it presents example programs that use the library and shows how context logic can be used to prove useful properties of those programs.

There are few scientific approaches to human identification that are more effective than a well-trained forensic dentist armed with a set of high-quality dental records and radiographs. Fingerprinting is probably the only other technique used with greater frequency, but as we know, the soft tissue of the extremities does not resist the ravages of time and environment like the enamel and dentin of human teeth. So, in terms of rapidity, degree of certainty, cost-effectiveness, and applicability to a wide range of intact, decomposing, or skeletonized remains, forensic odontology has been the identification method of choice.1

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is suspected to be currently under-diagnosed in India, thus the need for a brief, effective screening test for the condition.We aimed to test the Malayalam translation of the 7-Minute Screen (7MS) for detecting those at high risk for AD and to report on the subscores used to derive the Alzheimer's risk score.This study was performed in Kerala State amongst young university students and elders in residential care homes.Two hundred and eighty-two volunteers were tested, 178 young controls (aged 20-29) and 104 literate elders, (55-92 years). None were clinically diagnosed with AD.Elders and controls were assessed as High or Low AD Risk with the published 7MS algorithm. Performance was compared between groups with ANOVA.The algorithm estimated high (n=61/104) or low (n=40/104) AD risk in the elderly. Significant differences were found between controls, low- and high-risk groups on all four components of the screen (Orientation: F=131.1, Enhanced Cued Recall: F=23.4, Clock Drawing: F=65.1, Verbal Fluency: F=15.7, P0.0001 for all) and in the risk scores (F=144.7, P0.0001). Age and gender affected verbal fluency, orientation and clock drawing performance. The high-risk group had worse scores for orientation and better scores for memory than previously reported for AD cases in other populations.The 7MS may be a useful screening test for cognitive impairment in India. Suggestions are given for revising the 'risk algorithm' for more appropriate AD risk assessment in this population.

We explore the nature of variations in dust emission within an individual galaxy using 3.6 - 160 micron Spitzer Space Telescope observations and 450 and 850 micron James Clerk Maxwell Telescope observations of the edge-on Sd spiral galaxy NGC 4631 with the goals of understanding the relation between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and dust emission, studying the variations in the colors of the dust emission, and searching for possible excess submillimeter emission compared to what is anticipated based on dust models applied to the mid- and far-infrared data. PAH emission at 8 micron is found to correlate best with hot dust emission at 24 micron on kiloparsec scales, although the relation breaks down on scales equal to hundreds of parsecs, possibly because of differences in the mean free paths between the photons that excite the PAHs and heat the dust and possibly because the PAHs are destroyed by the hard radiation fields in the centers of some star formation regions. The ratio of 8 micron PAH emission to 160 micron cool dust emission appears to be a function of radius. The 70/160 and 160/450 micron flux density ratios are remarkably constant even though the surface brightness varies by a factor of 25 in each wave band, which suggests that the emission is from dust heated by a nearly-uniform radiation field. Globally, we find an excess of 850 micron emission relative to what would be predicted by dust models. The 850 micron excess is highest in regions with low 160 micron surface brightness, although the strength and statistical significance of this result depends on the model fit to the data. We rule out variable emissivity functions or ~4 K dust as the possible origins of this 850 micron emission, but we do discuss the other possible mechanisms that could produce the emission., Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal

Consuming locally produced foods offers many benefits to consumers, producers and the environment. As a result, local food economies are gaining attention as a means for boosting agriculture and food production in New York State. Concurrent with this interest in local agriculture is a national concern over the health effects of American food consumption patterns and the capacity of agriculture to support nutritious diets. This study merges these areas of inquiry in the context of a nutritionally and economically important agricultural sector, namely New York State fruit production. Three questions are examined in this research. 1) How does New York State fruit production compare with fruit consumption by New Yorkers? 2) How do production and consumption of fruit compare with the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture food guide pyramid? 3) What implications do these comparisons have for New York State agriculture? These questions were addressed using existing national and state data and valuable methods borrowed from recent USDA Economic Research Service analyses. Annual per capita consumption estimates for the Northeast suggest that New Yorkers consume approximately 180 pounds of fruit per person per year. Based on population estimates, this level of consumption indicates that New Yorkers ate 3.2 billion pounds of fruit in calendar year 1999. In contrast, New York State agriculture harvested an average of 1.5 billion pounds of fruit annually during 1994-1998. After adjusting for processing conversions, post-harvest losses, and inedible portions, the consumable equivalent of this production is 816 million pounds. Furthermore, a commodity-by-commodity comparison indicates that New York produces three products (e.g. fresh apples, processed apples, and processed cherries) in quantities that exceed the estimated in-state demand. As a result, New York produces enough fruit to provide 18 percent of the total fruit consumption plus 256 million pounds of “surplus” of the aforementioned three commodities. Comparisons with the Food Guide Pyramid demonstrate that though fruit consumption in the Northeast is higher than the national average, intake is still well below the recommendations. At 1.9 servings per person per day, fruit consumption would need to increase by 63% to reach the average recommended per capita intake for New York State. The disposition of current consumption is consistent with the Pyramid recommendation that intake be split evenly between the Vitamin C-rich “citrus, melons and berries” and the catch-all category “other fruit”. However, current dietary preferences may not satisfy the ii Pyramid suggestion that consumers choose whole fruits most often since juices comprise more than a third of all fruit servings. New York growers harvest enough fruit to provide 20% of this recommended intake, but production is not evenly distributed between the two subgroups. Almost all in-state production lies in the “other fruits” category (e.g. apples, grapes, and pears) while the production of melons and berries is insignificant relative to the recommended intake. The results of this research suggest both opportunities and challenges for New York State fruit growers and consumers. For most fruits, the in-state market is large relative to current production. In addition, consumption of fruit needs to increase substantially to meet national nutritional goals. Taken together, these findings suggest potential for marketing more fruit, and more New York grown fruit, to New Yorkers. However, the length of the growing season and the predominance of just two crops, apples and grapes, bring into question the ability of New York’s fruit sector to provide the diversity needed to supply a more significant share of the state’s consumption. Moreover, current food preferences may limit sales of in-state produced fruit as over 60% of consumption comes from crops that cannot be grown in New York’s temperate climate. Despite these conflicting patterns, potential exists for growers to target local and regional markets, particularly if they can entice the palates of nutritionally conscious consumers.

ocal food economies where local producers respond to regional consumers’ needs are gaining attention as a means for boosting agriculture and food production in New York State. Concurrent with this interest in local agriculture is a national concern over the health effects of American food consumption patterns and the capacity of agriculture to support nutritious diets. This study merges these areas of inquiry in the context of a nutritionally and economically important agricultural sector, namely New York State vegetable production. Three questions are examined in this research. 1) How does New York State vegetable production compare with the vegetable consumption by New Yorkers? 2) How do production and consumption of vegetables compare with the recommendations in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid? 3) What implications do these comparisons have for New York State agriculture? These questions were addressed using existing national and state data to estimate vegetable production and vegetable consumption in New York State. Then, in-state agricultural production and food consumption were compared with the Food Pyramid recommendations. Annual per capita consumption estimates for the Northeast suggest that New Yorkers consume approximately 160 pounds of vegetables per person per year. Based on population estimates, this level of per capita consumption indicates that New Yorkers consumed 2.9 billion pounds of vegetables in calendar year 1999. In contrast, New York State agriculture harvested an average of 3.3 billion pounds of vegetables annually during 1994-1998. After adjusting for post-harvest losses and inedible portions, the consumable equivalent of this farmgate production is 1.6 billion pounds. Based on a crop by crop comparison, New York produces a handful of vegetable crops (e.g., beets, cabbage, onions, pumpkins, snap beans, and sweet corn) in quantities that exceed the estimated in-state demand. As a result, New York produces enough vegetables to provide 38 percent of the total vegetable consumption plus 500 million pounds of “surplus” of the aforementioned crops. Comparisons with the Food Guide Pyramid demonstrate that both vegetable consumption and production in New York State mirror national trends, featuring lesser amounts of nutritionally important vegetable groups. Consumption of the “dark green leafy & deep yellow vegetables” and the “dry legumes” are only 41 percent and 19 percent, respectively, of the recommended amounts. Though New York State harvests enough dry edible beans to match the current level of consumption, it is well below the recommended amount. Furthermore, New York is a minor producer of the dark green leafy and deep yellow vegetables, producing only 12 percent of the recommended number of servings. This research could have favorable implications for New York State vegetable growers and consumers. Agricultural census data suggests that New York’s vegetable sector has historically been robust. It has maintained a consistent quantity of land in vegetable production for the last 50 years, despite shifts in crops, and has proven to be adaptable. Though New York State is among the nation’s top six vegetable producing states, this research suggests that the local market is still large relative to state output. Though more geographically specific information would be helpful for growers to put this information into practice, it is clear that much potential exists for some growers to target local and regional markets and nutritionally conscious consumers.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is suspected to be currently under-diagnosed in India, thus the need for a brief, effective screening test for the condition. Aims: We aimed to test the Malayalam translation of the 7-Minute Screen (7MS) for detecting those at high risk for AD and to report on the subscores used to derive the Alzheimer's risk score. Setting and Design: This study was performed in Kerala State amongst young university students and elders in residential care homes. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and eighty-two volunteers were tested, 178 young controls (aged 20-29) and 104 literate elders, (55-92 years). None were clinically diagnosed with AD. Statistical Analyses: Elders and controls were assessed as High or Low AD Risk with the published 7MS algorithm. Performance was compared between groups with ANOVA. Results: The algorithm estimated high (n = 61/104) or low (n = 40/104) AD risk in the elderly. Significant differences were found between controls, low- and high-risk groups on all four components of the screen (Orientation: F = 131.1, Enhanced Cued Recall: F = 23.4, Clock Drawing: F = 65.1, Verbal Fluency: F = 15.7, P < 0.0001 for all) and in the risk scores (F = 144.7, P < 0.0001). Age and gender affected verbal fluency, orientation and clock drawing performance. The high-risk group had worse scores for orientation and better scores for memory than previously reported for AD cases in other populations. Conclusions: The 7MS may be a useful screening test for cognitive impairment in India. Suggestions are given for revising the 'risk algorithm' for more appropriate AD risk assessment in this population.

Data from dietary intervention studies suggest that intake of (-)-epicatechin mediates beneficial vascular effects in humans. However, population-based investigations are required to evaluate associations between habitual intake and health and these studies rely on accurate estimates of intake, which nutritional biomarkers can provide. Here, we evaluate a series of structurally related (-)-epicatechin metabolites (SREM), particularly (-)-epicatechin-3'-glucuronide, (-)-epicatechin-3'-sulfate and 3'-O-methyl-(-)-epicatechin-5-sulfate (SREMB), as flavan-3-ol and (-)-epicatechin intake. SREMB in urine proved to be a specific indicator of (-)-epicatechin intake, showing also a strong correlation with the amount of (-)-epicatechin ingested (R2: 0.86 (95% CI 0.8l; 0.92). The median recovery of (-)-epicatechin as SREMB in 24 h urine was 10% (IQR 7-13%) and we found SREMB in the majority of participants of EPIC Norfolk (83% of 24,341) with a mean concentration of 2.4 ± 3.2 µmol/L. Our results show that SREMB are suitable as biomarker of (-)-epicatechin intake. According to evaluation criteria from IARC and the Institute of Medicine, the results obtained support use of SREMB as a recovery biomarker to estimate actual intake of (-)-epicatechin.

Data from dietary intervention studies suggest that intake of (−)-epicatechin mediates beneficial vascular effects in humans. However, population-based investigations are required to evaluate associations between habitual intake and health and these studies rely on accurate estimates of intake, which nutritional biomarkers can provide. Here, we evaluate a series of structurally related (−)-epicatechin metabolites (SREM), particularly (−)-epicatechin-3′-glucuronide, (−)-epicatechin-3′-sulfate and 3′-O-methyl-(−)-epicatechin-5-sulfate (SREMB), as flavan-3-ol and (−)-epicatechin intake. SREMB in urine proved to be a specific indicator of (−)-epicatechin intake, showing also a strong correlation with the amount of (−)-epicatechin ingested (R2: 0.86 (95% CI 0.8l; 0.92). The median recovery of (−)-epicatechin as SREMB in 24 h urine was 10% (IQR 7–13%) and we found SREMB in the majority of participants of EPIC Norfolk (83% of 24,341) with a mean concentration of 2.4 ± 3.2 µmol/L. Our results show that SREMB are suitable as biomarker of (−)-epicatechin intake. According to evaluation criteria from IARC and the Institute of Medicine, the results obtained support use of SREMB as a recovery biomarker to estimate actual intake of (−)-epicatechin.

A system for determining a timing offset between a first clock and a second clock at respective first and second points in a communications network. A series of request signals is transmitted from the first point in the network to the second point in the network. A series of reply signals is transmitted from the second point in the network to the first point in the network. Each reply signal and a corresponding reply signal having a minimum round trip delay time are identified and a minimum single leg delay time is determined from the minimum round trip delay time. A timing offset between the clock values of the first clock and the second clock at a first instance is estimated, the estimation being based upon the minimum single leg delay time, and a transmission time and a reception time of one of the identified request signal and the corresponding reply signal, as given by the respective clocks at the transmission and reception points of the signal.

This study investigates risk-taking behaviours of young male offenders from the perspective of their stress and coping strategies. Risk-taking behaviors are not to be seen as mere antisocial acts of adolescents; rather they need to be understood as adolescents' efforts in trying to manage certain external and/or internal demands that they find to be stressful or that exceeding their resources. A sample of 29 young offenders residing at a boys" hostel in Singapore participated in this study, 9 of whom were interviewed. Master of Arts (Applied Psychology)

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and academic performance in Economics among junior college students. Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capabilities in performing a specific task. According to the theory of self-efficacy, the relationship between self-efficacy and self-regulated learning is a positive one, but the relationship between self-efficacy and anxiety is a negative one. Highly self-regulated learners generally have high self-efficacy which causes them to have low test anxiety, and hence are usually high academic performers. Master of Education

Clathrate hydrate formation and subsequent plugging of deep-sea oil and gas pipelines represent a significant bottleneck for deep-sea oil and gas operations. Current methods for hydrate mitigation are expensive and energy intensive, comprising chemical, thermal, or flow management techniques. In this paper, we present an alternate approach of using functionalized coatings to reduce hydrate adhesion to surfaces, ideally to a low enough level that hydrodynamic shear stresses can detach deposits and prevent plug formation. Systematic and quantitative studies of hydrate adhesion on smooth substrates with varying solid surface energies reveal a linear trend between hydrate adhesion strength and the practical work of adhesion (γ[superscript total][1 + cos θ[subscript rec]]) of a suitable probe liquid, that is, one with similar surface energy properties to those of the hydrate. A reduction in hydrate adhesion strength by more than a factor of four when compared to bare steel is achieved on surfaces characterized by low Lewis acid, Lewis base, and van der Waals contributions to surface free energy such that the practical work of adhesion is minimized. These fundamental studies provide a framework for the development of hydrate-phobic surfaces, and could lead to passive enhancement of flow assurance and prevention of blockages in deep-sea oil and gas operations., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Energy Initiative (Chevron Corporation), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, National Research Council (U.S.) (Postdoctoral Fellowship)