•Long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against pain in experimental animal and human studies.•The association between dietary intake of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ...and headache is unknown in the general population.•We found dose dependent inverse associations between EPA and DHA intake and prevalence of severe migraine or headache in a representative sample of the U.S. adult population.•C-reactive protein did not account for the inverse association between long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and headache.•The strength of association between long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and headache and headache varied according to ethnicity.
The objective of this study was to assess whether dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is associated with lower prevalence of headache in the U.S. population. This cross-sectional study used data for a nationally representative sample of 12,317 men and women aged ≥ 20 years participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys of 1999–2004. Interviewers recorded self-report of severe headache or migraine in the past three months. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were quantified from 24-hour dietary recall using the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database. Serum concentration of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation and potential mediator of PUFA's analgesic properties, was quantified by latex-enhanced nephelometry. Multivariable generalized linear models estimated prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence limits (CL) for severe headache or migraine adjusting for NHANES cycle, sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index and total energy intake. The unadjusted prevalence of severe headache or migraine was 22.0% (females 28.2%, males 15.5%). In multivariable analysis, greater intake of omega-3 PUFAs was associated with lower prevalence of severe headache or migraine: PR 0.94 (95% CL: 0.88, 0.99, p = 0.035) per log unit increase in EPA, and PR 0.94 (95% CL: 0.90, 0.99, p = 0.023) per log unit increase in DHA. The strength of association was greater for non-Mexican Hispanics than for other racial/ethnic groups but was not attenuated after adjustment for C-reactive protein. In conclusion, higher dietary intakes of EPA and DHA were associated with lower prevalence of headache supporting the hypothesis that omega-3 PUFAs may prevent or reduce headache.
To determine whether recommendations of infectious diseases specialists affect outcome for patients, we evaluated 244 hospitalized patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. We offered our ...management recommendations to each patient's physicians and then assessed the clinical outcome for both patients for whom our consultative advice was followed and those for whom our advice was not heeded. All patients were followed up for 12 weeks after their first positive blood culture. Our management advice was followed for 112 patients (45.9%) and partially or completely ignored for 132 patients (54.1%). Patients for whom our recommendations were followed were more likely to be cured of their S. aureus infection and less likely to relapse (P < .01), despite having significantly more metastatic infections (P < .01) at the outset of therapy, than were those for whom our recommendations were not followed. Failure to follow recommendations to remove an infected intravascular device was the most important risk for treatment failure. After controlling for other factors, logistic regression analysis revealed that patients whose intravascular device was not removed were 6.5 times more likely to relapse or die of their infection than were those whose device was removed. Our findings suggest that patient-specific management advice by infectious diseases consultants can improve the clinical outcome for patients with S. aureus bacteremia.
Resistance switching in metal–insulator–metal structures has been extensively studied in recent years for use as synaptic elements for neuromorphic computing and as nonvolatile memory elements. ...However, high switching power requirements, device variabilities, and considerable trade-offs between low operating voltages, high on/off ratios, and low leakage have limited their utility. In this work, we have addressed these issues by demonstrating the use of ultraporous dielectrics as a pathway for high-performance resistive memory devices. Using a modified atomic layer deposition based technique known as sequential infiltration synthesis, which was developed originally for improving polymer properties such as enhanced etch resistance of electron-beam resists and for the creation of films for filtration and oleophilic applications, we are able to create ∼15 nm thick ultraporous (pore size ∼5 nm) oxide dielectrics with up to 73% porosity as the medium for filament formation. We show, using the Ag/Al2O3 system, that the ultraporous films result in ultrahigh on/off ratio (>109) at ultralow switching voltages (∼±600 mV) that are 10× smaller than those for the bulk case. In addition, the devices demonstrate fast switching, pulsed endurance up to 1 million cycles. and high temperature (125 °C) retention up to 104 s, making this approach highly promising for large-scale neuromorphic and memory applications. Additionally, this synthesis methodology provides a compatible, inexpensive route that is scalable and compatible with existing semiconductor nanofabrication methods and materials.
The main objective of this work is to predict the mixing of two different miscible oils in a very long channel. The background to this problem relates to the mixing of heavy and light oil in a ...pipeline. As a first step, a 2D channel with an aspect ratio of 250 is considered. The batch-mixing of two miscible crude oils with different viscosities and densities is modeled using an unsteady laminar model and unsteady RANS model available in the commercial CFD solver ANSYS-Fluent. For a comparison, a LES model was used for a 3D version of the 2D channel. The distinguishing feature of this work is the Lagrangian coordinate system utilized to set no-slip wall boundary conditions. The global CFD model has been validated against classical analytical solutions. Excellent agreement has been achieved. Simulations were carried out for a Reynolds number of 6300 (calculated using light oil properties) and a Schmidt number of
10
4
. The results show that, in contrast to the unsteady RANS model, the LES and unsteady laminar models produce comparable mixing dynamics for two oils in the channel. Analysis of simulations also shows that, for a channel length of 100 m and a height of 0.4 m, the complete mixing of two oils across the channel has not been achieved. We showed that the mixing zone consists of the three different mixing sub-zones, which have been identified using the averaged mass fraction of the heavy oil along the flow direction. The first sub-zone corresponds to the main front propagation area with a length of several heights of the channel. The second and third sub-zones are characterized by so-called shear-flow-driven mixing due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices occurring between oils in the axial direction. It was observed that the third sub-zone has a steeper mass fraction gradient of the heavy oil in the axial direction in comparison with the second sub-zone, which corresponds to the flow-averaged mass fraction of 0.5 for the heavy oil.
This paper deals with settling solid–liquid (slurry) flows of coarse particles with particle sizes of 150μm or larger. The specific energy consumption (SEC), which is a measure of transport ...efficiency, was used to find the optimum operating condition. The effect of different parameters on SEC is determined by using the near-wall lift model. The analysis shows that the minimum SEC occurs at a solids concentration of approximately 30% by volume. The accuracy of the near-wall lift model is investigated by comparing the model predictions with the results of a number of experimental works. The comparisons show good agreement between model prediction and experimental data in the literature.
The desirable operating condition for coarse-particle slurries is obtained by implementing near-wall lift model to optimize the specific energy consumption (SEC). The model predictions are also compared with the experimental data. Display omitted
•Using near-wall lift model to optimize the specific energy consumption (SEC)•Predicting the optimum operating condition for coarse-particle slurry flows•Study the effect of particle size, pipe size and concentration on optimum condition•The comparison of the model predictions to experimental data
Backgrounds
Although metered‐dose inhalers (pMDI) therapy is convenient and widely prescribed, its use usually results in repetitive inhalation technique errors.
One of the most repetitive errors is ...inhaling too fast through the pMDI. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Clip‐tone® along with smartphone visual feedback application on the subject's inhalation time.
Methods
Two hundred subjects were included in the study. They were randomised into four groups. Group 1 received only verbal counselling; group 2 received verbal counselling with resistance (a modified Clip‐tone® that does not produce whistle attached to their pMDI); group 3 received verbal counselling plus whistle (as audio feedback) from ordinary Clip‐tone® and group 4 received verbal counselling plus audio feedback (whistle) from Clip‐tone® and visual feedback (smartphone application). Inhalation time through the pMDI for each subject was recorded three times and inter and intra‐subjects variations were calculated.
Results
Verbal counselling plus audio feedback and verbal counselling plus audio and visual feedbacks groups had 45/50 (90%) and 37/50 (74%) subjects respectively, having correct inhalation flow (inhaling at between 3 to 7 seconds). Verbal counselling plus audio feedback and verbal counselling plus audio and visual feedbacks groups' inter and intra‐subjects variations were lower than that of verbal counselling and verbal counselling with resistance groups which had 28/50 (52%) and 20/50 (40%) subjects respectively, with inhalation time between 3 and 7 seconds.
Conclusions
Providing audio feedback by the Clip‐tone® along with smartphone visual feedback application maintained the deep and slow inhalation through pMDI much better compared to verbal counselling only. We recommend the patients to take all their inhaled doses using pMDI attached to a training device like Clip‐tone® along with a smartphone visual feedback application for optimisation of the aerosol delivery from the pMDI.
Endurance exercise training promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle and enhances muscle oxidative capacity, but the signaling mechanisms involved are poorly understood. To investigate ...this adaptive process, we generated transgenic mice that selectively express in skeletal muscle a constitutively active form of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV*). Skeletal muscles from these mice showed augmented mitochondrial DNA replication and mitochondrial biogenesis, up-regulation of mitochondrial enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism and electron transport, and reduced susceptibility to fatigue during repetitive contractions. CaMK induced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1 (PGC-1), a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis in vivo, and activated the PGC-1 gene promoter in cultured myocytes. Thus, a calcium-regulated signaling pathway controls mitochondrial biogenesis in mammalian cells.
In water-lubricated pipeline transportation of heavy oil and bitumen, a thin oil film typically coats the pipe wall. A detailed study of the hydrodynamic effects of this fouling layer is critical to ...the design and operation of oil-water pipelines, as it can increase the pipeline pressure loss （and pumping power requirements） by 15 times or more. In this study, a parametric investigation of the hydrodynamic effects caused by the wall coating of viscous oil was conducted. A custom-built rectangular flow cell was used. A validated CFD-based procedure was used to determine the hydrodynamic roughness from the measured pressure losses. A similar procedure was followed for a set of pipe loop tests. The effects of the thickness of the oil coating layer, the oil viscosity, and water flow rate on the hydrodynamic roughness were evaluated. Oil viscosities from 3 to 21300 Pa s were tested. The results show that the equivalent hydrodynamic roughness produced by a wall coating layer of viscous oil is dependent on the coating thickness but essentially independent of oil viscosity. A new correlation was developed using these data to predict the hydrodynamic roughness for flow conditions in which a viscous oil coating is produced on the pipe wall.
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