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Although weight loss is recommended to manage knee osteoarthritis (KOA), adults tend to gain weight with age which may affect KOA symptoms and progression. We conducted a systematic review and data synthesis to investigate the association between weight gain and KOA, defined by clinical features, structural progression, and total knee replacement (TKR).MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched for controlled trials and cohort studies of participants with (or at risk of) KOA examining the relationship between weight gain and KOA clinical features (pain, function, quality of life), structural progression, and TKR. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. Results were organised by outcome, with meta-analyses performed where appropriate.Twenty-three studies were included. Results showed significant detrimental effects of weight gain on pain (4 of 7 studies), stiffness (2 of 2 studies), function (5 of 6 studies), and the single studies examining quality of life, and clinical and radiographic KOA. Weight gain adversely affected cartilage (6 of 9 studies), bone marrow lesions (1 of 4 studies), meniscal damage (1 of 3 studies) and effusion/synovitis (1 of 1 study). Weight gain significantly increased TKR (3 of 6 studies): meta-analysis of 2 with available data demonstrated significant increases in TKR/5 kg weight gain in women, HR 1.34 (95% CI 1.18-1.51), and in men, HR 1.25 (95% CI 1.16-1.34).Weight gain in adults is associated with increased clinical and structural KOA and TKR. Prevention of weight gain should be considered to improve outcomes in KOA.

A flexible design procedure is presented for the recently synthesized microstrip planar disk 3-dB quadrature hybrid. The design approach adopted uses external two-port matching networks connected at each of the device coupling ports. It is shown that a four-port device having a given disk radius and the necessary hybrid symmetry can be designed to operate as a 3-dB quadrature hybrid over a wide range of frequencies simply by an appropriate positioning of the coupling ports and an appropriate choice of matching network. The design procedure has been verified experimentally by the successful synthesis of two new 3-dB quadrature hybrid devices. >

An analysis technique is presented which allows the performance of a multiport microstrip planar disk device with an arbitrarily located internal short circuit (S/C) post of arbitrary radius to be predicted. The analysis approach does not rely on the determination of eigenvalues and yields analytical expressions which are ideal for CAD implementation. The technique allows the electromagnetic fields at the periphery of the disk to be dramatically altered by an appropriate choice of post size and offset. Since the operation of N-port devices is dependent on the peripheral fields, this technique offers a potentially very powerful design tool for the production of planar disk devices. >

disaster compensation claims, landholders were required to estimate the amount of landslide damage to pasture. This damage was to be further categorised as either temporary or permanent. As part of the compensation programme, an independent damage assessment was also undertaken for more than 100 properties throughout the region. The assessment obtained total bare ground area from classified panchromatic SPOT imagery. However, the landslide scar and debris-tail components (equating to long-term and temporary damage to pasture respectively) could not be resolved on the basis of radiance levels. These components were instead determined for representative landforms in the region by a combination of photo­ interpretation and digitisationicla ssification, of 1:5000 scale aerial photographs. An estimate of the average ratio of scar to debris-tail area for an individual farm was then obtained by intersection of a regional landform map and a farm boundary overlay, using a geographic information system.

A 3 dB quadrature hybrid has been successfully designed in planar disk form. Using this simple multiport planar disk approach, a device has been produced which operates at 7.2 GHz and exhibits a bandwidth of 6.8%. Experimental results verifying the junction design are given. >

An analysis technique is presented and used to predict the performance of an n-port microstrip planar disk device with an arbitrarily located internal short-circuit post of arbitrary radius. The approach yields analytical expressions ideal for CAD implementation. The post may be of any radius providing it does not extend beyond the periphery of the disk. The technique allows the electromagnetic fields at the periphery of the disk to be altered by the appropriate choice of post size and offset. The experimental results are in very good agreement with the theoretical predictions. >

We present preliminary results on the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre medium sensitivity survey (XMS), with 0.5-4.5 keV flux limit 2 10^{-14} erg/cm2/s. At present, 19 fields have been examined with a total of 239 X-ray sources. Identifications for about 2/3 of these reveal that type 1 AGN dominate, but type 2 AGN, absorption-line galaxies and clusters as well as stars are also present. We also discuss on a few X-ray selected Broad-Absorption-Line QSOs found in this survey., Comment: Proceedings of the "X-ray surveys, in the light of the new observatories" workshop, Astronomische Nachrichten, in the press (4 pages, 5 eps figures, uses an.cls)

The regulation of mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) RNA by glucocorticoid hormones is well-established and has provided much information on how steroid hormones work. However, we have shown that androgens can also control MMTV RNA accumulation in S115 mouse mammary tumour cells. This novel androgen action could be explained on the basis that the MMTV long terminal repeat (LTR) can respond to several classes of steroid if appropriate receptors are present in the cells. We have used transfection experiments to demonstrate that androgens can act directly on the LTR in S115 cells. Hormonal regulation of transfected chimaeric genes into these cells was effected by androgen and glucocorticoid but not by oestrogen or progesterone, corresponding to the receptor status of the cells. Furthermore, hormonal control was also conferred by the LTR on expression of an independent cotransfected adjacent gene under its own separate promoter, suggesting that effects of an LTR can stretch to neighbouring genes in a type of hormone-enhancer insertion mechanism.

SUMMARYHybrid proteins containing selected regions of the major surface antigens of the sporozoite and merozoite stages of Plasmodium falciparum were expressed in insect cells using baculovirus vectors. A recombinant protein containing the signal peptide from the precursor to the major merozoite surface antigens (PMMSA) fused to a fragment from the carboxy (C) terminus of the same gene was recognized by monoclonal antibodies specific for reduction-sensitive conformational epitopes within the C-terminal fragment, suggesting that correct disulphide cross-linking of cysteine residues within this region had occurred. Addition of 26 copies of the tetrapeptide repeat from the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) resulted in a protein recognized by anti-CSP antiserum as well as the conformation specific inonoclonal antibodies. Deletion of the C-terminal putative anchor sequence from both proteins resulted in secretion of protein in a fully soluble form antigenically indistinguishable from the anchor containing products. Correct conformation was not observed when the proteins were expressed as polyhedrin fusions without the signal peptide. These data indicate that the PMMSA signal peptide is recognized in insect cells and that correct assembly of disulphide cross-links is dependent upon targeting the protein to the endoplasmic reticulum.

We study the dust properties of galaxies in the redshift range 0.10.5 with L_IR>5x10^{10} L_\odot, appears to be 2-5 K colder than that of AKARI-selected local galaxies with similar luminosities; and the dispersion in T_dust for high-z galaxies increases with L_IR due to the existence of cold galaxies that are not seen among local galaxies. We show that this large dispersion of the L_IR-T_dust relation can bridge the gap between local star-forming galaxies and high-z submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). We also find that three SMGs with very low T_dust (, Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, To appear in MNRAS