A single meal has the potential to alter brain oxylipin content.

Our objective was to determine whether consumption of a single meal has the potential to alter brain oxylipin content. We examined the cerebrum of mice fed a single high-fat/high-sucrose Western meal or a low-fat/low-sucrose control meal, as well as fasted mice. We found no changes in fatty acid composition of cerebrum across the groups. The cerebral oxylipin profile of mice fed a Western meal is distinct from the profile of mice fed a low-fat/low-sucrose meal. Cerebral gene expression of cyclooxygenase 1, cyclooxygenase 2, and epoxide hydrolase 1 were elevated in Western meal-fed mice compared to low-fat/low-sucrose meal-fed mice. Mice that consumed either meal had lower gene expression of cytochrome P450, family 2, subfamily j, polypeptide 12 than fasted mice. Our data in this hypothesis-generating study indicates that the composition of a single meal has the potential to alter brain oxylipins and the gene expression of the enzymes responsible for their production

Written versus verbal consent: a qualitative study of stakeholder views of consent procedures used at the time of recruitment into a peripartum trial conducted in an emergency setting.

BACKGROUND: Obtaining prospective written consent from women to participate in trials when they are experiencing an obstetric emergency is challenging. Alternative consent pathways, such as gaining verbal consent at enrolment followed, later, by obtaining written consent, have been advocated by some clinicians and bioethicists but have received little empirical attention. We explored women's and staff views about the consent procedures used during the internal pilot of a trial (GOT-IT), where the protocol permitted staff to gain verbal consent at recruitment. METHODS: Interviews with staff (n = 27) and participating women (n = 22). Data were analysed thematically and interviews were cross-compared to identify differences and similarities in participants' views about the consent procedures used. RESULTS: Women and some staff highlighted benefits to obtaining verbal consent at trial enrolment, including expediting recruitment and reducing the burden on those left exhausted by their births. However, most staff with direct responsibility for taking consent expressed extreme reluctance to proceed with enrolment until they had obtained written consent, despite being comfortable using verbal procedures in their clinical practice. To account for this resistance, staff drew a strong distinction between research and clinical care and suggested that a higher level of consent was needed when recruiting into trials. In doing so, staff emphasised the need to engage women in reflexive decision-making and highlighted the role that completing the consent form could play in enabling and evidencing this process. While most staff cited their ethical responsibilities to women, they also voiced concerns that the absence of a signed consent form at recruitment could expose them to greater risk of litigation were an individual to experience a complication during the trial. Inexperience of recruiting into peripartum trials and limited availability of staff trained to take consent also reinforced preferences for obtaining written consent at recruitment. CONCLUSIONS: While alternative consent pathways have an important role to play in advancing emergency medicine research, and may be appreciated by potential recruits, they may give rise to unintended ethical and logistical challenges for staff. Staff would benefit from training and support to increase their confidence and willingness to recruit into trials using alternative consent pathways. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This qualitative research was undertaken as part of the GOT-IT Trial (trial registration number: ISCRTN 88609453 ). Date of registration 26/03/2014

Friction factor and heat transfer correlation for irradiated organic coolants

"September 1965."Series statement handwritten on cover"MIT-334-23 Chemistry."Also written as an M.S. theses written by the first author and advised by the second author, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1966Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-165)M.I.T. DSR Project no. 9819Work performed for the Savannah River Operations Office, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission under contract no. AT(38-1)-33

Australian utility weights for the EORTC QLU-C10D, a multi-attribute utility instrument derived from the cancer-specific quality of life questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-C30

Background: The EORTC QLU-C10D is a new multi-attribute utility instrument derived from the widely-used cancer-specific quality of life questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-C30. The QLU-C10D contains ten dimensions (Physical, Role, Social and Emotional Functioning; Pain, Fatigue, Sleep, Appetite, Nausea, Bowel Problems), each with 4 levels. To be used in cost-utility analysis, country-specific valuation sets are required. Objective: To provide Australian utility weights for the QLU-C10D. Methods: An Australian online panel was quota sampled to ensure population representativeness by sex and age (≥18y). Participants completed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) consisting of 16 choice-pairs. Each pair comprised two QLU-C10D health states plus life expectancy. Data were analysed using conditional logistic regression, parameterised to fit the quality-adjusted life-year framework. Utility weights were calculated as the ratio of each QOL dimension-level coefficient to the coefficient on life expectancy. Results: 1979 panel members opted-in, 1904 (96%) completed at least one choice-pair, and 1846 (93%) completed all 16 choice-pairs. Dimension weights were generally monotonic: poorer levels within each dimension were generally associated with greater utility decrements. The dimensions that impacted most on choice were, in order, Physical Functioning, Pain, Role Functioning and Emotional Functioning. Oncology-relevant dimensions with moderate impact were Nausea and Bowel Problems. Fatigue, Trouble Sleeping and Appetite had relatively small impact. The value of the worst health state was -0.096, somewhat worse than death. Conclusions: This study provides the first country-specific value set for the QLU-C10D, which can facilitate cost-utility analyses when applied to data collected with the EORTC QLQ-C30, prospectively and retrospectively

Geographic variation in the treatment of non-ST-segment myocardial infarction in the English National Health Service: a cohort study

Objectives: To investigate geographic variation in guideline-indicated treatments for NSTEMI in the English National Health Service (NHS). Design: Cohort study using registry data from the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project. Setting: All Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) (n=211) in the English NHS. Participants: 357,228 patients with NSTEMI between 1st January, 2003 and 30th June, 2013. Main outcome measure: Proportion of eligible NSTEMI who received all eligible guideline-indicated treatments (optimal care) according to the date of guideline publication. Results: The proportion of NSTEMI who received optimal care was low (48,257/357,228; 13.5%) and varied between CCGs (median 12.8%, interquartile range 0.7 to 18.1%). The greatest geographic variation was for aldosterone antagonists (16.7%, 0.0 to 40.0%) and least for use of an electrocardiogram (96.7%, 92.5 to 98.7%). The highest rates of care were for acute aspirin (median 92.8%, interquartile range 88.6 to 97.1%), and aspirin (90.1%, 85.1 to 93.3%) and statins (86.4%, 82.3 to 91.2%) at hospital discharge. The lowest rates were for smoking cessation advice (median 11.6%, interquartile range 8.7 to 16.6%), dietary advice (32.4%, 23.9 to 41.7%) and the prescription of P2Y12 inhibitors (39.7%, 32.4 to 46.9%). After adjustment for case mix, nearly all (99.6%) of the variation was due to between hospitals differences (median 64.7%, interquartile range 57.4% to 70.0%; between hospital variance: 1.92, 95% confidence interval 1.51 to 2.44; interclass correlation 0.996, 0.976 to 0.999). Conclusions: Across the English NHS, the optimal use of guideline-indicated treatments for NSTEMI was low. Variation in the use of specific treatments for NSTEMI was mostly explained by between-hospital differences in care. Performance-based commissioning may increase the use of NSTEMI treatments and, therefore, reduce premature cardiovascular deaths

Trial protocol OPPTIMUM : does progesterone prophylaxis for the prevention of preterm labour improve outcome?

Background Preterm birth is a global problem, with a prevalence of 8 to 12% depending on location. Several large trials and systematic reviews have shown progestogens to be effective in preventing or delaying preterm birth in selected high risk women with a singleton pregnancy (including those with a short cervix or previous preterm birth). Although an improvement in short term neonatal outcomes has been shown in some trials these have not consistently been confirmed in meta-analyses. Additionally data on longer term outcomes is limited to a single trial where no difference in outcomes was demonstrated at four years of age of the child, despite those in the “progesterone” group having a lower incidence of preterm birth. Methods/Design The OPPTIMUM study is a double blind randomized placebo controlled trial to determine whether progesterone prophylaxis to prevent preterm birth has long term neonatal or infant benefit. Specifically it will study whether, in women with singleton pregnancy and at high risk of preterm labour, prophylactic vaginal natural progesterone, 200 mg daily from 22 – 34 weeks gestation, compared to placebo, improves obstetric outcome by lengthening pregnancy thus reducing the incidence of preterm delivery (before 34 weeks), improves neonatal outcome by reducing a composite of death and major morbidity, and leads to improved childhood cognitive and neurosensory outcomes at two years of age. Recruitment began in 2009 and is scheduled to close in Spring 2013. As of May 2012, over 800 women had been randomized in 60 sites. Discussion OPPTIMUM will provide further evidence on the effectiveness of vaginal progesterone for prevention of preterm birth and improvement of neonatal outcomes in selected groups of women with singleton pregnancy at high risk of preterm birth. Additionally it will determine whether any reduction in the incidence of preterm birth is accompanied by improved childhood outcome

In-pile loop irradiation studies of organic coolant materials : progress report, October 1, 1963 - December 31, 1964,

Statement of responsibility on title page reads: Report prepared by: E. A. Mason, Project Supervisor; Contributors: W.N. Bley, J.C. Kim, T.H. Timmins, J.F. Terrien, A.H. Swan"Issued: February 1, 1965.""AEC Research and Development Report"--Cover"MIT-334-12."Includes bibliographical references (leaves 21-22)Progress report; October 1, 1963 - December 31, 1964M.I.T. Project no. DSR 9819U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Savannah River Operations Office contract no. AT(38-1)-33

The pseudogap: friend or foe of high Tc?

Although nineteen years have passed since the discovery of high temperature superconductivity, there is still no consensus on its physical origin. This is in large part because of a lack of understanding of the state of matter out of which the superconductivity arises. In optimally and underdoped materials, this state exhibits a pseudogap at temperatures large compared to the superconducting transition temperature. Although discovered only three years after the pioneering work of Bednorz and Muller, the physical origin of this pseudogap behavior and whether it constitutes a distinct phase of matter is still shrouded in mystery. In the summer of 2004, a band of physicists gathered for five weeks at the Aspen Center for Physics to discuss the pseudogap. In this perspective, we would like to summarize some of the results presented there and discuss its importance in the context of strongly correlated electron systems.Comment: expanded version, 20 pages, 11 figures, to be published, Advances in Physic

Virtual Assistants for End-User Development in the Internet of Things

The spread of Virtual Assistants (software and hardware) on the consumer market deeply changed the way Internet of Things (IoT) is implemented and used today. Such devices, and related applications, are becoming more and more integrated within smart environments and this might pave the way to potential new approaches to End-User Development activities, which can be performed in IoT environments. This paper discusses the evolution of the IoT ecosystem definition that has been studied by the authors in the last years