Need for recovery from work: evaluating short-term effects of working hours,patterns and schedules

In this paper working hours, patterns and work schedules of employees were evaluated in terms of need for recovery from work. Self-administered questionnaire data from employees of the Maastricht Cohort Study on Fatigue at Work (n = 12,095) were used. Poisson regression analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that higher working hours a day and working hours a week generally went together with more need for recovery from work. Overtime work was particularly associated with higher need for recovery from work in both genders. Both male and female three-shift or irregular shift workers had higher odds of elevated need for recovery compared to day workers. When additionally controlling for work-related factors, need for recovery levels among shift workers substantially lowered. This study clearly showed that working hours and schedules are associated with need for recovery from work, with different associations for men and women. Especially the associations between work schedules and need for recovery from work were very interrelated with other work-related factors. Future studies could further investigate the possibility that shift work might function as a proxy of other work-related factors that explain the different levels in need for recovery from work, or that job demands are perceived higher among shift workers and may therefore lead to more need for recovery from work.     

Oxidative stress complex syndrome: The dark side of the malnutrition‐inflammation complex syndrome

Patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD) have a high prevalence of protein‐energy malnutrition and inflammation. As these 2 conditions often occur concomitantly in HD patients, they have been referred to together as the ‘malnutrition‐inflammation complex syndrome’ (MICS) or ‘malnutrition‐inflammation atherosclerosis’ (MIA) syndrome to emphasize its important association with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress, which results from an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidant defense mechanisms, is well established in HD subjects and could contribute to the poor clinical outcome of these patients. The aim of the present review is to discuss in more detail the common consequences of MICS and oxidative stress and their possible relationships with the long‐term complications of HD patients, leading to the conclusion that a complex syndrome similar to the MICS or MIA is the oxidative stress‐inflammation association, which may be called the “oxidative stress complex syndrome.”     

Behavioural models for distributed Fractal components

This paper presents a formal behavioural specification framework for specifying and verifying the correct behaviour of distributed Fractal components. The first contribution is a parameterised and hierarchical behavioural model called pNets that serves as a low-level semantic framework for expressing the behaviour of various classes of distributed languages and as a common internal format for our tools. Then, we use this model to define the generation of behavioural models for applications ranging from sequential Fractal components, to distributed objects, and finally to distributed components. Our models are able to characterise both functional and non-functional behaviours and the interaction between the two concerns. Finally, this work has resulted in the development of tools allowing the non-expert programmer to specify the behaviour of his components and (semi)automatically verify properties of his application.     

A versatile access to new halogenated 7-azidocoumarins for photoaffinity labeling: Synthesis and photophysical properties

A versatile methodology for the synthesis of 6/8-halogenated 7-aminocoumarins from the corresponding 7-hydroxy analogs using Pd-catalyzed amination reaction as the key step is presented. Further readily conversion into 7-azidocoumarins was performed and the resulting aryl azides proved higher stability and reactivity than the corresponding non-halogenated parent compound. These new compounds may thus constitute attractive scaffolds for designing novel photoaffinity reagents for various challenging bio-labeling applications.     

Potential of ionic liquids for VOC absorption and biodegradation in multiphase systems

This work aims to evaluate the feasibility of using imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) in the design of multiphase bioreactors for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The IL affinity for three model VOCs (dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide and toluene) was evaluated by means of the dimensionless partition coefficient (K). It was observed that ILs showed K values comparable to typical liquid solvents used in multiphase bioreactors for VOC biodegradation (K values ranged from 0.009 to 0.011, 0.0012 to 0.0013 and 0.00061 to 0.00096 for dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide and toluene, respectively). Toxicity tests showed that both ILs at concentrations of 5% and 10% (v/v) inhibited the glucose uptake of an activated sludge during approximately 24 h. After such lag period, the microorganisms were able to recover its metabolic activity. However, VOC biodegradation experiments showed that ILs at 5% (v/v) were toxic for the activated sludge and a toxic synergistic effect of the IL–VOC combination likely occurred. After acclimation to the target VOCs, only the toluene biodegradation capacity was significantly increased in the presence of ILs. These toxic effects represent a key drawback for the potential of IL-based multiphase systems devoted to VOC biodegradation. Therefore, this study suggests that microbial acclimation only to the VOCs is not enough to get an efficient biodegradation in multiphase systems including ILs as non-aqueous phases.     

Rayleigh-like instability in the ion-shaping of Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles embedded within a silica matrix

We have studied how spherical 23 ± 3 nm Au(45)Ag(55) nanoparticles embedded within a silica matrix transform into prolate nanorods and nanowires by irradiating them with swift heavy ions. Samples were irradiated at room temperature and normal incidence with 74 MeV Kr and 36 MeV S ions for fluences up to 1.0 × 10(15) cm(-2). We demonstrate the existence of two regimes: (i) below a critical fluence, ～ 2.0 × 10(14) cm(-2), the transformation of the spherical nanoparticle into a nanorod is an individual process, i.e. each nanoparticle transforms into a single nanorod; (ii) for larger fluences the transformation from nanorod to nanowire becomes a collective process, i.e. the break up and dissolution of unstable nanorods contribute to the growth of long nanowires. The passage from the first to the second regime can be interpreted in terms of a Rayleigh-like instability under irradiation. The latter becomes active when the diameter of the nanowire approaches its saturation width under irradiation. Furthermore, we show that the composition of the alloy is only slightly modified during the ion-shaping process. Finally, the energy and the fluence thresholds for deformation and the deformation strain-rate are estimated.     

Live‐Cell Imaging with Water‐Soluble Aminophenoxazinone Dyes Synthesised through Laccase Biocatalysis

Aminophenoxazinone dyes with variable water solubilities were assayed for the first time in a live‐cell imaging application. Among a library of ten sulfonylated chromophores, one compound gave excellent results as an endocytic marker, showing a precise subcellular distribution. The compound was compared to four commercial vital tracers, including Lucifer Yellow. The first laccase‐mediated regioselective synthesis of a diphosphorylated 2‐aminophenoxazinone dye was also described. This compound, water‐soluble at 10^?2 M , displayed modest fluorescence properties and the ability to complex Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ cations, therefore giving fluorescence quenching.     

Feedback consistency effects in visual and auditory word recognition: Where do we stand after more than a decade?

The role of phonology-to-spelling consistency (i.e., feedback consistency) was investigated in 3 lexical decision experiments in both the visual and auditory modalities in French and English. No evidence for a feedback consistency effect was found in the visual modality, either in English or in French, despite the fact that consistency was manipulated for different kinds of units (onsets and rimes). In contrast, robust feedback consistency effects were obtained in the auditory lexical decision task in both English and French when exactly the same items that produced a null effect in the visual modality were used. Neural network simulations are presented to show that previous demonstrations of feedback consistency effects in the visual modality can be simulated with a model that is not sensitive to feedback consistency, suggesting that these effects might have come from various confounds. These simulations, together with the authors' results, suggest that there are no feedback consistency effects in the visual modality. In contrast, such effects are clearly present in the auditory modality. Given that orthographic information is absent from current models of spoken word recognition, the present findings present a major challenge to these models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of glycemic index of spelt and wheat bread in human volunteers

The assessment of the glycemic index (GI) seems to be an important parameter to take into account in order to better understand the physiologic effects of foods with high carbohydrate levels. Among cereals, which are major sources of carbohydrates, spelt (Triticum spelta L.) has been considered as particularly interesting from a nutritional point of view. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vivo the GI of white spelt bread in healthy subjects. The wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) white bread was used as reference food. To avoid differences in the production of both breads, spelt and wheat breads were baked under the same controlled conditions. Results showed that the glycemic profile of spelt white bread was not different from that of wheat white bread (GI of 93 ± 9). The area under the glycemic curve significantly and negatively correlated to fasting glycemia and carbohydrate intake during evening meals preceding the test. In conclusion, the glycemic response to spelt bread was similar to that of wheat bread. However, in order to avoid more inter-individual variability, our data supports the importance to propose standardised carbohydrate content for the last meal before evaluating the GI of food.     

Effect of gate length in InAs/AlSb HEMTs biased for low power or high gain

The effect of gate-length variation on DC and RF performance of InAs/AlSb HEMTs, biased for low DC power consumption or high gain, is reported. Simultaneously fabricated devices, with gate lengths between 225 nm and 335 nm, have been compared. DC measurements revealed higher output conductance g_ds and slightly increased impact ionization with reduced gate length. When reducing the gate length from 335 nm to 225 nm, the DC power consumption was reduced by approximately 80% at an f_T of 120 GHz. Furthermore, a 225 nm gate-length HEMT biased for high gain exhibited an extrinsic f_T of 165 GHz and an extrinsic f_max of 115 GHz, at a DC power consumption of 100 mW/mm. When biased for low DC power consumption of 20 mW/mm the same HEMT exhibited an extrinsic f_T and f_max of 120 GHz and 110 GHz, respectively.