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Background/Objectives: The purpose of diet-quality indices is to assess and guide individual dietary intake for the promotion of health and prevention of disease, and food based dietary-quality indices need to be applied by using each country's own unique diet. We assessed the relationships between relatively simple dietary quality scores modified for a Korean diet, such as the Recommended Food Score (RFS) and alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMDS), and oxidative stress biomarkers in Korean adults. Subjects/Methods: A total of 976 adults were recruited for the Biomarker Monitoring for Environmental Health Study between April and December 2005 in Seoul and Incheon, Korea. RFS and aMDS were calculated by using a food-frequency questionnaire. We used regression analyses to assess the associations between diet quality scores and urinary malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Results: RFS and aMDS were negatively associated with urinary MDA concentrations (P = 0.032 for RFS, P = 0.043 for aMDS), but not with 8-OHdG after adjusted for potential covariates. After stratified analyses by sex, negative associations between the both scores and urinary MDA concentrations were not significant in both men and women. There were no significant associations of RFS and aMDS with urinary 8-OHdG concentrations. Conclusions: Higher RFS and aMDS scores were related to lower oxidative stress. Therefore, good quality of diet may be useful in reducing oxidative stress. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011) 65, 1271 -1278; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.120; published online 29 June 2011 Keywords: diet quality score; oxidative stress; Recommended Food Score; alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, Introduction Valid estimation of habitual food and nutrient intakes is fundamental to study of relationships between diet and health status. Since diets are usually consumed in combinations of foods, a [...]

We present the magnetoresistance and magnetization behavior in melt-spun [Cu.sub.80][Ni.sub.16][Fe.sub.4 ribbons. The as-spun ribbon exhibits magnetoresistance (MR) ratios of 13% and 0.1% at 5 K and room temperature, respectively. The MR behavior of the ribbon is found to be mostly related to the magnetic fluctuation scattering at temperatures well above the blocking temperature and the spin-dependent scattering at lower temperatures. The latter mechanism can be understood in terms of the blocking of small magnetic particles and paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transformation at lower temperatures, as supported by the magnetization data. When the microstructure is modified by proper heat treatment, the ribbon exhibits significant giant magnetoresistance behavior both at room temperature and 5 K.

A model is designed for describing the shape of the spontaneous emission spectrum from a quantum-well structure and it is applied to the spectra of AlGaInP light-emitting diodes. The studies have shown that the probability distribution functions are almost Gaussian and the emission spectra is described by an analytical expression with fitted parameters.

Obesity has become one of the most significant public health problems facing the world today. However, the pathogenesis of obesity is multifactorial and involves the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. There is a pressing need to better understand the biochemical pathways that control energy intake and expenditure. In the last few years, a number of important signalling molecules have been identified that play important roles in obesity. One family of these molecules is the melanocortin system, which consists of several components: (1) melanocortin peptides; (2) the five seven-transmembrane G-protein coupled melanocortin receptors (MCRs); (3) the endogenous MCR antagonists, agouti and agouti-related protein; (4) the endogenous melanocortin mediators, mahogany, and syndecan. This system plays a key role in the central nervous system control of feeding behaviour and energy expenditure. This article will provide an overview of the anatomy, physiology, and molecular biology of the melanocortin system, and recent developments in our understanding of this system in obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The PbTe films were grown on Si(111) substrate by hot wall epitaxy (HWE). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the films. The results show that the PbTe films are twinned ones with preferred 〈100〉 orientation. The angles of normal direction of PbTe(100) facets which are perpendicular to the surface of Si substrate are 30° or 60°. The interface energy is calculated by CASTEP module of materials studio and the reason for this phenomenon is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]