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OBJECTIVES: Both mental health and eating disorders are increasing health concerns for college students. This study aimed to examine associative links between psychological distress, eating disorder risk, food addiction, and weight related concerns among first semester college students. METHODS: Freshman students 18 years or older in all majors in a southeastern university were invited to take an online survey. The measures included demographic characteristics, psychological behaviors and eating disorder risks. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to assess associations. RESULTS: Ninety-two students (79.3% female, 61.5% white) completed the survey. Psychological distress significantly correlated with higher eating disorder risk (stress r = 0.28, anxiety r = 0.28, depression r = 0.42; P's

To realize superior electrostatic control, a gate oxide bilayer for carbon nanotubes (CNT) is employed consisting of a 0.35 nm interfacial dielectric (k=7.8) and 2.5 nm high-k ALD dielectric (k=24). Using experimentally measured dielectric constants on sp2 carbon and minimum oxide thickness on CNT, a COX on CNT of 2.94×10-10 F/m is calculated for top-gate geometry. Gate leakage sub-1 pA/CNT is measured at 0.7V, better than the sub-5 nm node technology target. Top-gated carbon nanotube field effect transistors in this paper have 65 mV/dec subthreshold slope and DIBL as low as 20 mV/V at 15 nm gate length. Negligible hysteresis and no degradation in drive current from the top-gate process is observed. TCAD modeling predicts this approach will enable 68 mV/dec for top-gate CNFET with 10 nm L G , 1 nm CNT diameter and 250 CNT/μm, revealing a path to energy and performance gains from a CNT transistor technology.

Background: There has been increasing interest in using videoconferencing in health care, but limited research was conducted in Binge Eating Disorder (BED) patients. This 3-month pilot study aimed ...

OBJECTIVES: Orthorexia nervosa (ON), a term describing the obsession with healthy eating, has been coined since 1997 but no study has been reported in people following weight loss diets. This study aimed to assess the association between ON and weight loss diet in a university student population. METHODS: Students 18 years or older in all majors and at all education levels in a southeastern university were invited to take an online survey. Survey questions include Bratman Orthorexia Test (BOT), Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) and participant characteristics. RESULTS: 411 students (ages 18–65, BMI 15.1–55.5, female 75.2%, white 75.6%, graduate students 16.1%) have completed the survey. Among them, 117 have followed weight loss diet(s) for more than 3 months. Comparing to non-diet followers, diet followers were older (26.2 vs. 23.9), had higher BMI (26.5 vs. 24.9), reported higher BOT scores (5.9 vs. 3.9) and had a higher percentage being a health fanatic or orthorexic (BOT > 5: 76.1% vs. 38.8%). Diet followers also reported higher EAT scores (16.9 vs. 9.0) and had a higher percentage of students at high eating disorder risk (EAT ≥ 20: 32.5% vs. 12.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Following weight loss diets is associated with high ON tendencies among university students. This association needs to be tested in other populations. Prevention and treatment strategies for ON and eating disorders should take following weight loss diets into consideration. FUNDING SOURCES: None.

Traditional imaging examinations have difficulty in identifying benign and malignant changes in renal masses. This difficulty may be solved by ultrasound molecular imaging based on targeted nanobubbles, which could specifically enhance the ultrasound imaging of renal cell carcinomas (RCC) so as to discriminate benign and malignant renal masses. In this study, we aimed to prepare anti-G250 nanobody-functionalized targeted nanobubbles (anti-G250 NTNs) by coupling anti-G250 nanobodies to lipid nanobubbles and to verify their target specificity and binding ability to RCC cells that express G250 antigen and their capacity to enhance ultrasound imaging of RCC xenografts. Anti-G250 nanobodies were coupled to the lipid nanobubbles using the biotin-streptavidin bridge method. The average particle diameter of the prepared anti-G250 NTNs was 446 nm. Immunofluorescence confirmed that anti-G250 nanobodies were uniformly distributed on the surfaces of nanobubbles. In vitro experiments showed that the anti-G250 NTNs specifically bound to G250-positive 786-O cells and HeLa cells with affinities of 88.13% ± 4.37% and 71.8% ± 5.7%, respectively, and that they did not bind to G250-negative ACHN cells. The anti-G250 NTNs could significantly enhance the ultrasound imaging of xenograft tumors arising from 786-O cells and HeLa cells compared with blank nanobubbles, while the enhancement was not significant for xenograft tumors arising from ACHN cells. Immunofluorescence of tumor tissue slices confirmed that the anti-G250 NTNs could enter the tissue space through tumor blood vessels and bind to tumor cells specifically. In conclusion, anti-G250 nanobody-functionalized targeted nanobubbles could specifically bind to G250-positive RCC cells and enhance the ultrasound imaging of G250-positive RCC xenografts. This study has high-potential clinical application value for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of renal tumors.

E-cigarettes are widely advertised, while the potential risks of e-cigarette use have been reported among adolescents. This study assessed online e-cigarette information exposure and its association with adolescents’ e-cigarette use in Shanghai, China. A total of 12,470 students aged 13–18 years participated. A questionnaire collected information on students’ sociodemographic factors, e-cigarette information exposure, cigarette use, e-cigarette use, and e-cigarette use intention. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess correlates of exposure to e-cigarette information and the association between e-cigarette information exposure and e-cigarette use. Overall, 73.9% of students knew about e-cigarettes and the primary sources of information were the internet (42.4%), movies/TV (36.4%), bulletin boards in retail stores or supermarkets (34.9%), advertising flyers (33.9%), and friends (13.8%). Students who had friends using e-cigarettes were curious about e-cigarettes and showed a greater monthly allowance; smokers and females were at a higher risk of social media and website exposure. Moreover, online information exposure (social media exposure, website exposure, and total internet exposure) was significantly associated with the intention to use e-cigarettes. The enforcement of regulations on online e-cigarette content should be implemented. Moreover, efforts to prevent young people from using e-cigarettes may benefit from targeting students at a higher risk of online e-cigarette information exposure.

In this paper, the long-term reliability of commercial 1.2-kV 4H-SiC mofset s under repetitive unclamped inductive switching stresses is evaluated experimentally. The degradation of device characteristics, including the threshold voltage $V_{{\rm{th}}}$ , drain leakage current $I_{{\rm{dss}}}$ , and on-state resistance $R_{{\rm{on}}}$ , is observed after 80k avalanche cycles. The regular charge pumping (CP) measurements reveal that the failure mechanism characterized by the hot holes injection and trapping into the gate oxide above the channel and JFET region may occur during the aging experiments, which is further ascertained by the succeeding electrothermal simulations and should be responsible for the degradation of $V_{{\rm{th}}}$ and $I_{{\rm{dss}}}$ . After decapping the failed devices, the bond wires lift off due to thermal fatigue is discovered and regarded as the main reason for the degradation of $R_{{\rm{on}}}$ . The poststress high-temperature treatment is also carried out as an approach to indirectly corroborate the aforementioned failure mechanisms. Moreover, the impact of different test conditions on the degradation rate of electrical characteristics is discussed to thereby find ways to relieve these degeneration phenomena.

Two inductorless low-power differential low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) are designed for multiband wireless communication applications. Both LNAs are based on the combination of common-gate (CG) and shunt feedback topologies. In the first LNA, the cross-coupled push-pull structure with separated bias for nMOS and pMOS CG transistors is utilized to realize $g_{m}$ enhancement, partial noise cancellation, and bandwidth extension. In the second LNA, cascode transistors are utilized on the basis of the first topology to alleviate the Miller effect and to construct current steering structures, so as to extend the bandwidth. For both LNAs, in-depth analysis is given, and methods for sizing and biasing optimization under power constraint are proposed to obtain good overall performance tradeoffs while maintaining low-power consumption. The prototypes are implemented in 65-nm low-power CMOS technology. The first LNA achieves a gain of 21.2 dB, a noise figure (NF) of 3–3.5 dB over the 3-dB bandwidth of 200 MHz to 2.7 GHz and an IIP3 of −2 dBm at 1.1 GHz. It consumes 0.96 mW from 1.2-V supply. The second LNA exhibits a gain of 21.2 dB, an NF of 2.8–4 dB over the 3-dB bandwidth of 100 MHz to 4.3 GHz. It consumes 2 mW from 1.2-V supply. Each LNA occupies an area of 0.05 mm2.

In this brief, a concise compensation technique to obtain constant insertion loss (IL) among different phase shifting states of an millimeter-wave switch-type phase shifter (PS) is developed. The main idea is to introduce switches into the PS to align ILs of all phase states to the maximum, which hardly introduces additional phase variation, degrades IL flatness, or deteriorates maximum IL. A 60-GHz 360° 5-bit switch-type PS is designed with the proposed technique in a 65-nm CMOS technology. Measured results show that the IL variation among all 32 phase shifting states is within ±0.8 dB over 57–66 GHz, with a maximum root-mean-square (rms) phase error of 8°, a gain tuning range of 8 dB and an input 1-dB power compression point (IP−1dB) of 13 dBm. The proposed PS followed by a 60-GHz normal amplifier with invariable gain is also designed and verified. A maximum gain of 4 dB is achieved with a gain variation within ±1 dB over a 9-GHz bandwidth, an output 1-dB power compression point (OP−1dB) of 0.6 dBm, a maximum rms phase error of 11.3°, and a dc power consumption of 30 mW.

In this brief, a dual AC boosting compensation (DACBC) scheme is presented for multistage amplifiers with low power and a large capacitive load. Dual AC boosting paths are introduced to move the zero from the right-half-plane to the left-half-plane as compared with conventional AC boosting compensation (ACBC) scheme, which helps to improve the phase margin and gain bandwidth (GBW) product of the amplifier. Two three-stage amplifiers with DACBC and ACBC, respectively, are both fabricated in 65-nm CMOS technology for comparison. The amplifier with proposed DACBC drives a 3200 pF||25 $\text{k}\boldsymbol {\Omega }$ load and achieves a GBW of 0.52 MHz with 58° phase margin, consuming only $60~\boldsymbol {\mu }\text{W}$ of power from a ±0.8 V supply, while ACBC achieves 0.26 MHz GBW with the same load, power consumption, and phase margin. These results imply a doubled figure of merit of DACBC versus its ACBC counterpart without an extra power penalty, while the core chip area of DACBC is reduced by a half of that of ACBC due to a smaller compensation capacitance.

A novel small-signal model for bulk FinFETs is presented. A parallel combination of resistance-inductance networks originated from the self-heating is obtained. A new transfer gain model is developed. An analytical method to extract the model parameters is proposed. The model is validated using silicon Multi-Fin MOSFET manufactured in SMICs 14 nm bulk FinFET technology. Excellent agreements are achieved between measured and model simulated Y-parameters in the range over 100 to 50.2 GHz.

As a specific inhibitor of neutrophil elastase, sivelestat sodium hydrate has primarily been used in the treatment of acute lung injury caused by various factors since its approval in 2002. Sivelestat sodium hydrate also improves post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA), although its underlying mechanisms of action have yet to be elucidated. The aim of the current study was to determine if sivelestat sodium hydrate improves post-traumatic KOA through nuclear factor (NF)-κB in a rat model. Treatment with sivelestat sodium hydrate significantly inhibited the induction of structural changes and significantly increased the vertical episode count and ipsilateral static weight bearing of the joint in KOA rats (all P

Hearing dysfunction has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in humans, but there is little data on the auditory function of mouse models of AD. Furthermore, characterization of hearing ability in mouse models is needed to ensure that tests of cognition that use auditory stimuli are not confounded by hearing dysfunction. Therefore, we assessed acoustic startle response and pre-pulse inhibition in the double transgenic 5xFAD mouse model of AD from 3-4 to 16 months of age. The 5xFAD mice showed an age-related decline in acoustic startle as early as 3-4 months of age. We subsequently tested auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds at 4 and 13-14 months of age using tone bursts at frequencies of 2-32 kHz. The 5xFAD mice showed increased ABR thresholds for tone bursts between 8 and 32 kHz at 13-14 months of age. Finally, cochleae were extracted and basilar membranes were dissected to count hair cell loss across the cochlea. The 5xFAD mice showed significantly greater loss of both inner and outer hair cells at the apical and basal ends of the basilar membrane than wild-type mice at 15-16 months of age. These results indicate that the 5xFAD mouse model of AD shows age-related decreases in acoustic startle responses, which are at least partially due to age-related peripheral hearing loss. Therefore, we caution against the use of cognitive tests that rely on audition in 5xFAD mice over 3-4 months of age, without first confirming that performance is not confounded by hearing dysfunction.

Zhiping Yu,1 Yixuan Wang,2 Dan Xu,3 Lianhua Zhu,3 Ming Hu,1 Qiuli Liu,1 Weihua Lan,1 Jun Jiang,1 Luofu Wang1 1Department of Urology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2The First Clinical College, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ultrasound, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Luofu WangDepartment of Urology, Daping Hospital, No. 10 Changjiangzhilu Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400042, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-13320350708Fax +86-23-68757947Email wangluofu@aliyun.comPurpose: We intended to design G250 antigen-targeting temsirolimus-loaded nanobubbles (G250-TNBs) based on the targeted drug delivery system and to combine G250-TNBs with ultrasound targeted nanobubble destruction (UTND) to achieve a synergistic treatment for renal cell carcinoma (RCC).Methods: The filming-rehydration method was combined with mechanical shock and electrostatic interactions to prepare temsirolimus-loaded nanobubbles (TNBs). G250-TNBs were prepared by attaching anti-G250 nanobodies to the surface of TNBs using the biotin-streptavidin-bridge method. The ability of G250-TNBs to target the G250 antigen of RCC cells and the synergistic efficacy of G250-TNBs and UTND in the treatment of RCC were assessed.Results: The average diameter of the prepared G250-TNBs was 368.7 ± 43.4 nm, the encapsulation efficiency was 68.59% ± 5.43%, and the loading efficiency was 5.23% ± 0.91%. In vitro experiments showed that the affinity of G250-TNBs to the human RCC 786-O cells was significantly higher than that of TNBs (P

Background: Obesity has been reported to be an important contributing factor for precocious puberty in girls. Green tea polyphenols showed the effect on weight reduction in obese adults. This study was to examine the effectiveness and safety of decaffeinated green tea polyphenols (DGTP) on ameliorating obesity and early sexual development in obese girls. Methods: This is a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Overweight or obese girls aged 6-10 years old were recruited and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 400mg/d DGTP or isodose placebo orally for 12 weeks. During this period, all participants received the same instruction on diet and exercise from trained dietitians. Anthropometric measurement, secondary sexual characteristics, B-scan ultrasonography of uterus, ovaries and breast tissues, and related biochemical parameters were examined and assessed at pre- and post-treatment. Findings: Between August 2018 to January 2020, 62 obese girls (DGTP group n=31, control group n=31) completed the intervention and were included in analysis. After the intervention, the fat mass, percentage of body fat (PBF), serum uric acid (UA), and the volumes of ovaries decreased significantly in the DGTP group, and no such differences were observed in the control group. The body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio significantly decreased within both groups, but no significant differences were found between groups. After controlling confounding factors, DGTP showed a significantly decreased effect on ΔPBF, ΔUA, and Δovarian volumes in obese girls. The levels of sex hormones increased in both groups but overall remained far from the standards of girls’ sexual development initiation. No significant changes were found in serum trace elements, hepatic and renal function, and complete blood count post treatment, and no side effect was reported during the whole period. Interpretation: Decaffeinated green tea polyphenols have beneficial effects on ameliorating obesity and postponing early sexual development in obese girls without any adverse effects. Trial Registration: This trial is registered with Clinical Trials.gov, NCT03628937. Funding Statement: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81773407). Declaration of Interests: We declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xinhua Hospital (Shanghai, China).

Yanli Peng,1,2,* Lianhua Zhu,1,* Luofu Wang,3 Yu Liu,1 Kejing Fang,1 Minmin Lan,1,2 Daijia Shen,1 Deng Liu,1 Zhiping Yu,3 Yanli Guo1 1Department of Ultrasound, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Urology, Army Featured Medicine Center, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yanli GuoDepartment of Ultrasound, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), No 30 Gaotanyan Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 236 876 5439Fax +86 236 876 5439Email guoyanli71@aliyun.comPurpose: To construct nanobubbles (PTX-AMD070 NBs) for targeted delivery of paclitaxel (PTX) and AMD070, examine their performance in ultrasound molecular imaging of breast cancer and cervical cancer and their therapeutic effect combined with ultrasound targeted nanobubble destruction (UTND).Materials and methods: PTX-AMD070 NBs were prepared via an amide reaction, and the particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation rate and drug loading efficiency were examined. Laser confocal microscopy and flow cytometry were used to analyze the targeted binding ability of PTX-AMD070 NBs to CXCR4+ MCF-7 cells and C33a cells. The effect of PTX-AMD070 NBs combined with UTND on cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction was detected by CCK-8 assays and flow cytometry. The contrast-enhanced imaging features of PTX-AMD070 NBs and paclitaxel-loaded nanobubbles were compared in xenograft tumors. The penetration ability of PTX-AMD070 NBs in xenograft tissues was evaluated by immunofluorescence. The therapeutic effect of PTX-AMD070 NBs combined with UTND on xenograft tumors was assessed.Results: PTX-AMD070 NBs showed a particle size of 494.3±61.2 nm, a zeta potential of −22.4±1.75 mV, an encapsulation rate with PTX of 53.73±7.87%, and a drug loading efficiency with PTX of 4.48±0.66%. PTX-AMD070 NBs displayed significantly higher targeted binding to MCF-7 cells and C33a cells than that of PTX NBs (P

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to compare incoming college freshman from 2019 to incoming college freshman from 2020. Due to the pandemic, it was expected that incoming college freshman in 2020, relative to those in 2019, would demonstrate poorer functioning in terms of psychological well-being, sleep quality, physical activity, and eating disorders. METHODS: Prior to starting college at a mid-sized university, incoming college freshman were invited to complete surveys related to health and well-being (2019 n = 32; 2020 n = 64). Participants completed the following measures: Beck Depression Inventory II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Exercise Dependence Scale, Modifiable Physical Activity Questionnaire, Yale Food Addiction Scale, and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. RESULTS: T-tests were used to compare mean differences between the cohorts. Cohen's d is reported as an index of effect size. The 2020 cohort reported greater depression (d = .44, P = .045), anxiety (d = .48, P = .036), and perceived stress (d = .44, P = .05), but did not differ on social support (P = .84). Although differences were in the expected direction, the cohorts did not significantly differ in sleep quality, moderate and vigorous physical activity per week, exercise dependence, eating disorders symptoms, or food addiction (p's > .20). CONCLUSIONS: Incoming college freshman in 2020, compared to their counterparts in 2019, reported worse psychological well-being in terms of perceived stress, depression, and anxiety. Observed differences did not extend to disturbances in sleep, physical activity, or eating. FUNDING SOURCES: Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida

An efficient method is proposed in this paper to mitigate computational burden in resistive random access memory (RRAM) array simulation. In the worst case scenario, a 4 Mb RRAM array with line resistance is greatly reduced using this method. For 1S1R-RRAM array structures, static and statistical parameters in both reading and writing processes are simulated. Error analysis is performed to prove the reliability of the algorithm when line resistance is extremely small compared with the junction resistance. Results show that high precision is maintained even if the size of RRAM array is reduced by one thousand times, which indicates significant improvements in both computational efficiency and memory requirements.

Objective Weight losses between a group of participants assigned to a weight loss program based in the community [i.e., specifically the methodology used by Weight Watchers (WW)] and a Nutrition Education (NE) control group were compared in this study. Methods In this 6-month trial, 300 participants with overweight or obesity were recruited from Beijing city, China, and randomly assigned to the WW or NE group. Weight, waist circumference, and biochemical parameters were assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results At 6 months, the majority of participants (79% for WW; 89% for NE) completed the study. WW participants lost significantly more weight than the NE group (−4.2 ± 5.6 kg vs. −0.6 ± 3.6 kg). More WW participants lost 5% or 10% of their starting weight [≥5%: 52.0% of WW participants vs. 11.3% of NE participants (odds ratio 8.15, 95% CI: 4.43–14.97)]; [≥10%: 26.0% of WW vs. 3.3% of NE participants (odds ratio 9.39, 95% CI: 3.55–24.83)]. In addition, WW participants reduced waist circumference by 3.9 ± 6.3 cm, while the NE group increased waist circumference by 0.6 ± 5.5 cm. Conclusions The WW program was associated with clinically significant weight loss, demonstrating its potential value as an intervention strategy, based in the community, for the treatment of obesity in China.

The quantum information as expressed by the spin-state of qubits in quantum computers needs to be transferred among qubits reliably with fidelity. This work examines the robustness of quantum state transfer (QST) via a one-dimensional spin-chain in the diamond formed by implanted nitrogen (N) atoms between qubits (or quantum registers) realized by N-V (nitrogen-vacancy) centers. The effect on QST fidelity of both uneven-ness in spin sites along the spin-chain and the lack of rotational symmetry of the chain is examined by numerical simulation.The theoretical approach for the analysis of spin chain is through the Jordan-Wignar transformation from the spin entities to fermions to simplify the mathematical complexity and to give a clear physical picture.The conclusions from this investigation are: 1) the QST via spin-chain is insensitive to the deviation of spin-location from their uniform spacing; 2) the broken rotational symmetry has big impact on the fidelity of QST.SWAP quantum gates for swapping bit information on two qubits linked by the spin-chain is used as an example for the analysis.The prospect and progress of using N-V centers in diamond for the realization of room-temperature quantum computers are finally reviewed in this talk.

The clinical therapeutic effect and safety of celecoxib in treating knee osteoarthritis were observed. 180 patients who have been confirmed with knee osteoarthritis in our hospital were selected as research objects. They were randomly divided into research group and control group, each containing 90 patients. The control group was given with diclofenac sodium therapy, while the research group was subjected to celecoxib therapy. The total therapeutic response rates between the two groups were observed and compared. The total therapeutic response rate of research groups was relatively higher, P0.05. There was no significant difference in pain score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), quality of life score (QLS) between two groups before treatment, P0.05. However, these indexes of research group were superior then the control group after treatment，P0.05. In addition, the rate of adverse reaction of research group was also lower than that of control group, P0.05. Using celecoxib to treat knee osteoarthritis can significantly improve the total therapeutic rate and reduce the rate of adverse effect.

A 4-bits programmable metamaterial with metasurface, vanadium oxide (VO 2 ) medium, and metal substrate is designed, simulated, and analyzed in this paper. The encoding operation is executed by the thermally triggered insulator-metal phase transition (IMPT) of VO 2 , conductivity of which is changed as a function of temperature. The resonance is reconfigured and addressed by heating the coded resonator. The proposed meta material provides not only resonance tenability but also polarization insensitivity. The simulation results show that different codes generate different resonance. The tuning frequency range, and modulated absorptivity amplitude is 68.05 GHz, 73.94% respectively. The presented programmable metamaterial provides inspirations for the design of tunable and digital meta materials because of its flexible design, size adaptation, and high adjustment capacity.

This paper presents an accurate dB-linear programmable-gain amplifier with temperature-robust characteristic. A novel Gm-cell feedback topology is proposed to provide linear gain control as well as bandwidth extension without any extra power consumption. Moreover, a PTAT bias is employed to further promote the temperature robustness while AC coupling stages are embedded in the adjacent stages for DC-offset cancellation. Implemented in TSMC 65-nm CMOS technology, the proposed PGA exhibits a programmable gain range of 0 dB to 42 dB with 1 dB per step and 0.17 dB error. The gain variation across −40∼125 °C is lower than 0.3 dB at all gain settings. The core circuit consumes a DC power of 3.8mV from a 1.2 V supply and occupies a layout area of 0.048 mm2.

A dietitian has qualifications in nutrition and dietetics and applies the science of food and nutrition to improve the health of individuals, groups, and communities. The Registered Dietitian (RD) credential has gained recognition over the years for its expertise. The accreditation systems were developed and have been used to ensure quality of this profession. Accreditation systems set standards for academic and professional training in nutrition and dietetics and reflect current research-based information. The purpose of this paper is to review a few countries that have a RD accreditation system including China and several other countries, e.g. the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The aims are to introduce the newly established RD system in China and to compare the differences among the countries' systems.

O BESITY IS A PUBLIC HEALTH burden associated with a number of adverse health conditions and high health care costs. As an integral part of standard behavior-based therapy, selfmonitoring has been used in many lifestyle intervention programs to address the obesity epidemic. In weight management, self-monitoring usually consists of tracking dietary intake, physical activity, body weight, and/ or other health measurements. Previous research examined the efficacy of dietary self-monitoring on weight management. However, most of those studies addressed self-monitoring using traditional paper methods. The subsequent development and use of advanced technology-based self-monitoring approaches shows promising effects inweight loss.We evaluated the emerging evidence on the efficacy and adherence to different types of dietary self-monitoring, including traditional paper methods, web-based self-monitoring, and the use of mobile devices such as personal digital assistants, wearables, and tablets/mobile smartphones. Motivations and barriers to dietary selfmonitoring are described and strategies to improve adherence are identified. A discussion on future directions of dietary self-monitoring approaches in research and practice is also provided.

Recently, ribbon synapses to the hair cells (HCs) in the cochlea have become a novel site of interest in the investigation of noise-induced cochlear lesions in adult rodents (Kujawa and Liberman, 2009; Lin et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2012; Shi et al., 2013). Permanent noise-induced damage to this type of synapse can result in subsequent degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the absence of permanent changes to hearing sensitivity. To verify whether noise exposure during an early developmental period produces a similar impact on ribbon synapses, the present study examined the damaging effects of noise exposure in neonatal Kunming mice. The animals received exposure to broadband noise at 105-decibel (dB) sound pressure level (SPL) for 2h on either postnatal day 10 (P10d) or postnatal day 14 (P14d), and then hearing function (based on the auditory brainstem response (ABR)) and cochlear morphology were evaluated during either postnatal weeks 3–4 (P4w) or postnatal weeks 7–8 (P8w). There were no significant differences in the hearing threshold between noise-exposed and control animals, which suggests that noise did not cause permanent loss of hearing sensitivity. However, noise exposure did produce a significant loss of ribbon synapses, particularly in P14d mice, which continued to increase from P4w to P8w. Additionally, a corresponding reduction in the amplitude of compound action potential (CAP) was observed in the noise-exposed groups at P4w and P8w, and the CAP latency was elongated, indicating a change in synaptic function.

Selecting appropriate assessment measures that identify children at risk for overweight and obesity can be challenging. Practitioners and clinicians have used various anthropometric measures for decades, but evidence on which measure is most accurate needs to be elucidated. Data on the use of body mass index alone are inconclusive. Evidence on other simple and practical measures including waist and neck circumferences and waist-to-height ratio is gaining recognition and has been shown to have advantages over body mass index for identifying overweight and obese risk in children. Practitioners may need to use a combination of measures to obtain desirable outcomes.

We have previously demonstrated that both age-related and noise-induced hearing loss are reduced in transgenic mice that ubiquitously overexpress X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). In view of the therapeutic implications of these findings, we have developed a minimally invasive surgical method to deliver adenoid-associated virus (AAV) across the round window membrane (RWM) of the cochlea, enabling efficient gene transfer to hair cells and sensory neurons in this enclosed structure. This RWM approach was used in the present study to evaluate the effectiveness of AAV-mediated XIAP overexpression in protecting against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Two weeks following surgery, AAV-derived XIAP was detected in the majority of inner and outer hair cells, resulting in a threefold elevation of this antiapoptotic protein in the cochlea. The protection of AAV-mediated XIAP overexpression was evaluated in animals treated with cisplatin at a dose of 4 mg kg(-1) per day for 4-7 consecutive days. The XIAP overexpression was found to attenuate cisplatin-induced hearing loss by ~22 dB. This was accompanied by a reduction of the loss of vulnerable hair cells and sensory neurons in the cochlea by 13%.