Reducing Friday alcohol consumption among moderate, women drinkers: evaluation of a brief evidence-based intervention

Aims: A randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate a brief research-based intervention designed to promote drinking within recommended limits on Fridays and Saturdays among moderate drinkers. Methods: The two-page, leaflet-like intervention included persuasive communication targeting motivational and volitional antecedents of behaviour as specified by an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and implementation intention theory. Participants were randomly allocated to a control group (TPB questionnaire only) or to a group receiving the TPB questionnaire plus leaflet-like intervention. Cognitions and drinking behaviour were measured immediately before the intervention and at 8-weeks follow-up. The pre-intervention questionnaire was distributed to 573 participants of whom 347 (61%) responded at follow-up. Results: Significantly greater reduction in risky drinking on Fridays was observed among women (but not men) in the intervention group at 8-weeks follow-up. No other post-intervention differences were found. Conclusions: A low-cost, readily-produced, written intervention focusing on recommended daily limits reduced risky drinking amongst women on Fridays. Further work on similar interventions is warranted

Parabolic resonances and instabilities in near-integrable two degrees of freedom Hamiltonian flows

When an integrable two-degrees-of-freedom Hamiltonian system possessing a circle of parabolic fixed points is perturbed, a parabolic resonance occurs. It is proved that its occurrence is generic for one parameter families (co-dimension one phenomenon) of near-integrable, t.d.o. systems. Numerical experiments indicate that the motion near a parabolic resonance exhibits new type of chaotic behavior which includes instabilities in some directions and long trapping times in others. Moreover, in a degenerate case, near a {\it flat parabolic resonance}, large scale instabilities appear. A model arising from an atmospherical study is shown to exhibit flat parabolic resonance. This supplies a simple mechanism for the transport of particles with {\it small} (i.e. atmospherically relevant) initial velocities from the vicinity of the equator to high latitudes. A modification of the model which allows the development of atmospherical jets unfolds the degeneracy, yet traces of the flat instabilities are clearly observed

Complexity of the Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD-1 cellulosome reflects an expansion of family-related protein-protein interactions

This work was supported in part by the European Union, Area NMP.2013.1.1–2: Self-assembly of naturally occurring nanosystems: CellulosomePlus Project number: 604530, and by the EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007–2013) under the WallTraC project (Grant Agreement no 263916), and BioStruct-X (grant agreement no 283570). This paper reflects the author’s views only. The European Community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein. CMGAF is also supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Lisbon, Portugal) through grants PTDC/BIA-PRO/103980/2008 and EXPL/BIA-MIC/1176/2012. EAB is also funded by a grant (No. 1349/13) from the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), Jerusalem, Israel and by a grant (No. 2013284) from the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF). E.A.B. is the incumbent of The Maynard I. and Elaine Wishner Chair of Bio-organic Chemistry.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Whole Genome Amplification of DNA for Genotyping Pharmacogenetics Candidate Genes

Whole genome amplification (WGA) technologies can be used to amplify genomic DNA when only small amounts of DNA are available. The Multiple Displacement Amplification Phi polymerase based amplification has been shown to accurately amplify DNA for a variety of genotyping assays; however, it has not been tested for genotyping many of the clinically relevant genes important for pharmacogenetic studies, such as the cytochrome P450 genes, that are typically difficult to genotype due to multiple pseudogenes, copy number variations, and high similarity to other related genes. We evaluated whole genome amplified samples for Taqman™ genotyping of SNPs in a variety of pharmacogenetic genes. In 24 DNA samples from the Coriell human diversity panel, the call rates, and concordance between amplified (∼200-fold amplification) and unamplified samples was 100% for two SNPs in CYP2D6 and one in ESR1. In samples from a breast cancer clinical trial (Trial 1), we compared the genotyping results in samples before and after WGA for three SNPs in CYP2D6, one SNP in CYP2C19, one SNP in CYP19A1, two SNPs in ESR1, and two SNPs in ESR2. The concordance rates were all >97%. Finally, we compared the allele frequencies of 143 SNPs determined in Trial 1 (whole genome amplified DNA) to the allele frequencies determined in unamplified DNA samples from a separate trial (Trial 2) that enrolled a similar population. The call rates and allele frequencies between the two trials were 98 and 99.7%, respectively. We conclude that the whole genome amplified DNA is suitable for Taqman™ genotyping for a wide variety of pharmacogenetically relevant SNPs

Quasiphasematched frequency doubling in a waveguide of a 1560 nm diode laser and locking to the rubidium D absorption lines

An external-cavity 1560-nm diode laser was frequency doubled in a 3-cm-long periodically poled LiNbO 3 waveguide doubler with 120% W 21 conversion efficiency. The 780-nm light was used to detect the D 2 transitions of Rb, and the laser frequency was locked to Doppler-broadened lines of Rb. Furthermore, the ϳ1 mW of second-harmonic power was sufficient for detecting the sub-Doppler lines of Rb, and the laser was locked to a 87 Rb crossover line. © 1996 Optical Society of America Lasers operating at f ixed and known frequencies near the 1550-nm transmission window of optical fibers are required for densely packed multiwavelength communication systems. 1 Such lasers may also be required for coherent optical communication systems to ease the acquisition and locking of a local oscillator laser to a transmitter laser and for achieving coldstart communication. 2 In addition, absolutely stabilized sources may be applicable to fiber-optic sensors and as frequency standards for high-resolution spectroscopy. Optical frequency standards can be realized by locking to atomic or molecular transitions. Molecular absorptions in the 1550-nm wavelength range, e.g., ammonia, 3 acetylene, 4,5 and hydrogen iodide, 6 are usually weak overtone or combination bands. Lasers at 1550 nm were locked to Doppler-broadened transitions of these molecules. 5 Atomic transitions that can be used as frequency references, e.g., transitions between excited states in noble gases (Ar, Kr, etc.) 2 and transitions between upper levels in Rb, 7 do not originate from the ground state. Hence additional excitation, electrical (with a discharge lamp 2 ) or optical (with another laser 7 ), is required for populating one of these upper levels. An alternative approach that may overcome the difficulties associated with frequency references near 1550 nm is second-harmonic generation (SHG) and locking to absorption lines near 780 nm. A thoroughly characterized reference at 780.25 nm is the atomicRb D 2 line. 8 This reference was already used to stabilize 1560-nm laser diodes with the internally generated second harmonic of diode lasers, 9 but the SHG power was only 2 pW. Recently bulk external SHG in KNbO 3 crystal with a second-harmonic power of 2.2 nW was employed for the same goal. 10 Locking to a Doppler-broadened line was possible, but the power level was not sufficient to saturate the absorption for locking to sub-Doppler lines. Frequency doubling in KNbO 3 was also used to lock to K at 770 nm, 11 with a second-harmonic power of 20 nW. Because the power levels of diode lasers near 1550 nm are quite low (typically a few milliwatts), higher-eff iciency frequency conversion is required for detection and locking to sub-Doppler lines as well as to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for locking to Dopplerbroadened lines. A technique that may achieve this goal is quasi-phase-matched 12 (QPM) frequency conversion in a waveguide. In QPM doubling, a periodic modulation of the material nonlinear coefficient compensates for the phase velocity mismatch between the fundamental and the second-harmonic waves. This technique permits the use of large nonlinear coefficients, e.g., d 33 , in LiNbO 3 that are not accessible by birefringent phase matching. In LiNbO 3 the improvement in conversion eff iciency compared with birefringent phase matching is ͑2d 33 ͞pd 31 ͒ 2 ϳ 20, where 2͞p is the QPM reduction factor and d 31 is the effective nonlinear coeff icient for birefringent phase matching. Further improvement in conversion efficiency is obtained by waveguide confinement. Furthermore, room-temperature operation, as well as relaxed temperature and wavelength tolerances, is possible. The use of QPM waveguides for optical frequency standards at the 1300-nm fiber-optic transmission window has already been demonstrated 13 : the second harmonic of a 1319-nm Nd:YAG laser was locked to I 2 transitions near 660 nm. We applied the technique of waveguide QPM frequency conversion for efficient single-pass doubling of a 1560-nm external-cavity diode laser. The second-harmonic power was sufficiently high that we could detect sub-Doppler lines, and the laser was locked to Doppler-broadened lines as well as to subDoppler lines of Rb near 780 nm. The experimental setup for locking to Doppler-broadened lines of Rb is shown i

Sensitive and Specific Detection of the Non-Human Sialic Acid N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid In Human Tissues and Biotherapeutic Products

Humans are genetically defective in synthesizing the common mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), but can metabolically incorporate it from dietary sources (particularly red meat and milk) into glycoproteins and glycolipids of human tumors, fetuses and some normal tissues. Metabolic incorporation of Neu5Gc from animal-derived cells and medium components also results in variable contamination of molecules and cells intended for human therapies. These Neu5Gc-incorporation phenomena are practically significant, because normal humans can have high levels of circulating anti-Neu5Gc antibodies. Thus, there is need for the sensitive and specific detection of Neu5Gc in human tissues and biotherapeutic products. Unlike monoclonal antibodies that recognize Neu5Gc only in the context of underlying structures, chicken immunoglobulin Y (IgY) polyclonal antibodies can recognize Neu5Gc in broader contexts. However, prior preparations of such antibodies (including our own) suffered from some non-specificity, as well as some cross-reactivity with the human sialic acid N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac).We have developed a novel affinity method utilizing sequential columns of immobilized human and chimpanzee serum sialoglycoproteins, followed by specific elution from the latter column by free Neu5Gc. The resulting mono-specific antibody shows no staining in tissues or cells from mice with a human-like defect in Neu5Gc production. It allows sensitive and specific detection of Neu5Gc in all underlying glycan structural contexts studied, and is applicable to immunohistochemical, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot and flow cytometry analyses. Non-immune chicken IgY is used as a reliable negative control. We show that these approaches allow sensitive detection of Neu5Gc in human tissue samples and in some biotherapeutic products, and finally show an example of how Neu5Gc might be eliminated from such products, by using a human cell line grown under defined conditions.We report a reliable antibody-based method for highly sensitive and specific detection of the non-human sialic acid Neu5Gc in human tissues and biotherapeutic products that has not been previously described

Migrant African women: tales of agency and belonging

This paper explores issues of belonging and agency among asylum seekers and refugee women of African origin in the UK. It discusses the ways these women engendered resistance in their everyday life to destitution, lack of cultural recognition, and gender inequality through the foundation of their own non-governmental organization, African Women’s Empowerment Forum, AWEF, a collective ‘home’ space. The focus of this account is on migrant women’s agency and self-determination for the exercise of choice to be active actors in society. It points to what might be an important phenomenon on how local grassroots movements are challenging the invisibility of asylum seekers’ and refugees’ lives and expanding the notion of politics to embrace a wider notion of community politics with solidarity. AWEF is the embodiment of a social space that resonates the ‘in-between’ experience of migrant life providing stability to the women members regarding political and community identification

Symmetry breaking perturbations and strange attractors

The asymmetrically forced, damped Duffing oscillator is introduced as a prototype model for analyzing the homoclinic tangle of symmetric dissipative systems with \textit{symmetry breaking} disturbances. Even a slight fixed asymmetry in the perturbation may cause a substantial change in the asymptotic behavior of the system, e.g. transitions from two sided to one sided strange attractors as the other parameters are varied. Moreover, slight asymmetries may cause substantial asymmetries in the relative size of the basins of attraction of the unforced nearly symmetric attracting regions. These changes seems to be associated with homoclinic bifurcations. Numerical evidence indicates that \textit{strange attractors} appear near curves corresponding to specific secondary homoclinic bifurcations. These curves are found using analytical perturbational tools