Most cheeses can be considered as solid emulsions of milk fat in a matrix of water and proteins. Regions of each of the phases can be liquid during processing and maturation. Identifying these ...regions and monitoring changes in them is important as a prelude to controlling the structure of the final cheese. We concentrate on the behavior of water in the vicinity of proteins as a function of cheese aging. Our method utilizes nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) associated with the frequency dependence of water spin-lattice relaxation rates using the field cycling NMR technique. This method provides insight into the dynamical behavior of water molecules on a very large time scale. Moreover, we can distinguish between molecular motion in bulk and motion in the vicinity of a source of relaxation, such as proteins. A fit of our dispersion data using a theory developed by J.-P. Korb and R.G. Bryant (J. Chem. Phys. 115 (2001) 23) allowed us to determine the degree of hydration of proteins as a function of aging. In particular, we find that protein hydration increases with ripening.
The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which structural damage, clinical disease activity, demographic and social factors are associated with work disability (WD) in PsA.
Four hundred ...patients fulfilling CASPAR (Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis) criteria for PsA were recruited from 23 hospitals across the UK. Demographic, socio-economic, work, clinical and radiographic data were collected. WD was assessed with the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SHP) questionnaire reporting WD as a percentage of absenteeism (work time missed), presenteeism (impairment at work/reduced effectiveness) and work productivity loss (overall work impairment/absenteeism plus presenteeism). Logistic and linear regressions were conducted to investigate associations with WD.
Two hundred and thirty-six participants of any age were in work. Absenteeism, presenteeism and productivity loss rates were 14% (s.d. 29.0), 39% (s.d. 27.2) and 46% (s.d. 30.4), respectively. Ninety-two (26%) participants of working age were unemployed. Greater age, disease duration of 2-5 years and worse physical function were associated with unemployment. Patients reported that employer awareness and helpfulness exerted a strongly positive influence on remaining in employment. Higher levels of global and joint-specific disease activity and worse physical function were associated with greater levels of presenteeism and productivity loss among those who remained in work.
Reduced effectiveness at work was associated with measures of disease activity, whereas unemployment, considered the endpoint of WD, was associated with employer factors, age and disease duration. A longitudinal study is under way to determine whether treatment to reduce disease activity ameliorates WD in the real-world setting.
Although recent veterans have been found to be at increased risk of psychiatric disorders, limited research has focused on alcohol or substance use disorders. This systematic review and meta-analysis ...examined whether alcohol or substance use disorders were more common in Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq War veterans compared with military comparison groups nondeployed to the corresponding conflict, including never deployed personnel. Literature was searched (1990-2014) in multiple electronic databases. Studies were assessed for eligibility and quality, including risk of bias. Eighteen studies (1997-2014) met inclusion criteria. Pooled analysis based on a random-effects model yielded a summary odds ratio of 1.33 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22, 1.46) for alcohol (7 studies) and 2.13 (95% CI: 0.96, 4.72) for substance use (3 studies) disorders among Gulf War veterans, as well as 1.36 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.66) for alcohol (7 studies) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.25) for substance use (4 studies) disorders among Iraq/Afghanistan veterans; meta-regressions found no statistically significant association between theater of war and alcohol use or substance use disorders. Our findings indicate that Gulf and Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans are at higher alcohol use disorder risk than nondeployed veterans, but further studies with increased power are needed to assess substance use disorder risk in Gulf War veteran populations.
Questions remain about the long-term health impacts of the 1991 Gulf War on its veterans.
To measure psychological disorders in Australian Gulf War veterans and a military comparison group and to ...explore any association with exposure to Gulf War-related psychological stressors.
Prevalences of DSM-IV psychological disorders were measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Gulf War-related psychological stressors were measured using a service experience questionnaire.
A total of 31% of male Gulf War veterans and 21% of the comparison group met criteria for a DSM-IV disorder first present in the post-Gulf War period. The veterans were at greater risk of developing post-Gulf War anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, affective disorders and substance use disorders. The prevalence of such disorders remained elevated a decade after deployment. The findings can be explained partly as a 'war-deployment effect'. There was a strong dose-response relationship between psychological disorders and number of reported Gulf War-related psychological stressors.
Service in the 1991 Gulf War is associated with increased risk of psychological disorders and these are related to stressful experiences.
We have developed 0.1-μm gate-length InAlN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) for millimeterwave (MMW) power applications, particularly at 71-76 and 81-86 GHz bands. The impacts of depth ...and width of the gate recess groove on electrical performance have been analyzed and compared. Competing passivation technologies, atomic layer deposition (ALD) aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiN, have also been assessed in terms of dc, pulsed-IV, and high-frequency characteristics. It has been found that while PECVD SiN-passivated HEMTs and the monolithic microwave integrated circuits slightly underperform their ALD Al 2 O 3 -passivated counterparts, their MMW power performance can be further boosted with the gate recess due to the improved aspect ratio and scaling characteristics. When biased at a drain voltage of 10 V, a first-pass two-stage power amplifier design based on recessed PECVD SiN-passivated 0.1-μm depletion-mode devices has demonstrated an output power of 1.63 W with a 15% power-added efficiency at 86 GHz.
We have developed 0.1-Formula Omitted gate-length InAlN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) for millimeter-wave (MMW) power applications, particularly at 71-76 and 81-86 GHz bands. The ...impacts of depth and width of the gate recess groove on electrical performance have been analyzed and compared. Competing passivation technologies, atomic layer deposition (ALD) aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiN, have also been assessed in terms of dc, pulsed-Formula Omitted, and high-frequency characteristics. It has been found that while PECVD SiN-passivated HEMTs and the monolithic microwave integrated circuits slightly underperform their ALD Al2O3-passivated counterparts, their MMW power performance can be further boosted with the gate recess due to the improved aspect ratio and scaling characteristics. When biased at a drain voltage of 10 V, a first-pass two-stage power amplifier design based on recessed PECVD SiN-passivated 0.1-Formula Omitted depletion-mode devices has demonstrated an output power of 1.63 W with a 15% power-added efficiency at 86 GHz.
Elevated rates of psychological morbidity and symptomatology have been widely reported in 1991 Gulf War veterans. The present study used brief self-report instruments to compare the psychological ...health of Australian Gulf War veterans with that of a randomly sampled military comparison group.
The 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist--Specific (PCL-S) and Military Service Experience (MSE) questionnaire were administered to 1424 male Australian Gulf War veterans and 1548 male Australian Defence Force members who were operational at the time of the Gulf War conflict, but were not deployed there.
The Gulf War veterans exhibited poorer psychological health, as measured by the above three instruments, than the comparison group members. For Gulf War veterans, the number of stressful experiences, as measured by the MSE questionnaire, was correlated with scores on the three instruments. SF-12 mental health component summary scores and PCL-S caseness, but not GHQ-12 caseness, differed significantly between Gulf War veterans and comparison group members who had been on at least one active deployment.
More than a decade after the 1991 Gulf War, Australian Gulf War veterans are exhibiting higher levels of current (past month) psychological ill-health, as measured using the GHQ-12 and PCL-S, as well as lower mental health status, as measured by the SF-12, than the comparison group. Although not a replacement for formal psychiatric diagnosis, instruments such as those above may aid in the assessment of veterans' psychological health.
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