OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Patients with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) will often present to an otolaryngologist with symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Differentiating CRS from OSA may help obviate unnecessary and costly work-up for CRS. This study analyzes symptom profiles of such patients to help identify which require polysomnography. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This is a three-year retrospective analysis of adult patients seen in an academic practice with a rhinologic chief complaint. The 22-Item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22) survey, which is a validated patient-reported outcome measure widely adopted for CRS featuring a symptom scale of 1 (least severe) to 5 (most severe), was completed by patients with untreated OSA confirmed on polysomnography without CRS (OSA group) and a control group of CRS patients (CRS group). Results were compared using Chi-square test (categorical) and Wilcoxon rank-sum test (continuous) with Bonferroni correction, and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: 43 patients were included in the OSA group [mean apnea-hypopnea index: 27.9 (SD: 21.2)] and 124 patients were included in the CRS group. The CRS group demonstrated significantly higher scores in nasal (p < 0.001), extra-nasal (p < 0.001) and ear/facial symptom domains (p = 0.001) while the OSA group reported higher psychological (p = 0.028) and sleep symptom domain scores (p = 0.052). As for the cardinal symptoms of CRS, nasal discharge and loss of smell were significantly higher in the CRS group (both p < 0.001), whereas facial pain (p = 0.117) and nasal obstruction (p = 0.198) were not significantly different between the two groups. After adjustment, for every 1-point increase in a patient’s score for ear pain, thick nasal discharge and loss of smell or taste, their odds of having CRS increased by a factor of 3.18 [(95% CI 1.61-6.29), p = 0.001], 1.60 [(95% CI 1.22-2.10], p = 0.001] and 1.36 [(95% CI 1.04-1.78), p = 0.025], respectively, compared to having OSA. OSA patients were more likely to choose a sleep-related symptom as a “most important complaint” (MIC) (p < 0.001). Facial pain and nasal obstruction were the most common MIC in the rhinologic domain for OSA patients, whereas thick nasal discharge and post-nasal discharge were the most common MIC for CRS patients. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: For patients presenting with rhinologic symptoms, the SNOT-22 can help identify those with undiagnosed OSA. OSA should be suspected in patients with sleep and psychological dysfunction as their primary complaints without the significant nasal drainage and anosmia that characterizes CRS.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) beef grading system plays an important role in marketing and promoting beef. USDA graders inspect beef carcasses and determine a quality grade within a few seconds. Although the graders are well trained, the nature of this grading process may lead to grading errors. Significant differences in the USDA graders’ “called” and “camera-graded” quality grades were observed, as well as variations in quality grades across seasons and years. Under grid pricing, producers gained financially from grades called by USDA graders rather than grades measured by cameras.

A trend toward greater body size in dizygotic (DZ) than in monozygotic (MZ) twins has been suggested by some but not all studies, and this difference may also vary by age. We analyzed zygosity differences in mean values and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) among male and female twins from infancy to old age. Data were derived from an international database of 54 twin cohorts participating in the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins), and included 842,951 height and BMI measurements from twins aged 1 to 102 years. The results showed that DZ twins were consistently taller than MZ twins, with differences of up to 2.0 cm in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.9 cm in adulthood. Similarly, a greater mean BMI of up to 0.3 kg/m2 in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.2 kg/m2 in adulthood was observed in DZ twins, although the pattern was less consistent. DZ twins presented up to 1.7% greater height and 1.9% greater BMI than MZ twins; these percentage differences were largest in middle and late childhood and decreased with age in both sexes. The variance of height was similar in MZ and DZ twins at most ages. In contrast, the variance of BMI was significantly higher in DZ than in MZ twins, particularly in childhood. In conclusion, DZ twins were generally taller and had greater BMI than MZ twins, but the differences decreased with age in both sexes.

For over 100 years, the genetics of human anthropometric traits has attracted scientific interest. In particular, height and body mass index (BMI, calculated as kg/m2) have been under intensive genetic research. However, it is still largely unknown whether and how heritability estimates vary between human populations. Opportunities to address this question have increased recently because of the establishment of many new twin cohorts and the increasing accumulation of data in established twin cohorts. We started a new research project to analyze systematically (1) the variation of heritability estimates of height, BMI and their trajectories over the life course between birth cohorts, ethnicities and countries, and (2) to study the effects of birth-related factors, education and smoking on these anthropometric traits and whether these effects vary between twin cohorts. We identified 67 twin projects, including both monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, using various sources. We asked for individual level data on height and weight including repeated measurements, birth related traits, background variables, education and smoking. By the end of 2014, 48 projects participated. Together, we have 893,458 height and weight measures (52% females) from 434,723 twin individuals, including 201,192 complete twin pairs (40% monozygotic, 40% same-sex dizygotic and 20% opposite-sex dizygotic) representing 22 countries. This project demonstrates that large-scale international twin studies are feasible and can promote the use of existing data for novel research purposes.

Band contrast (BC) is a qualitative measure of electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), which is derived from the intensity of the Kikuchi bands. The BC is dependent upon several factors including scanning electron microscope measurement parameters, EBSD camera setup, and the specimen itself (lattice defect and grain orientation). In this study, the effective factors for BC variations and the feasibility of using BC variations for the quantification of microstructure evolutions have been investigated. In addition, the effects of the lattice defect and the grain orientation on the BC variations are studied. Next, a shear-deformed microstructure of 316L stainless steel, which contains nanosized grains and a large portion of twin boundaries, is revealed by BC map and histogram. Recovery and recrystallization of shear-deformed 316L stainless steel are displayed by BC variations during isothermal annealing at 700 and 800°C, respectively. It is observed that the BC turns bright as the shear-deformed crystal structure is recovered or recrystallized.

Background: We performed a meta-analysis in order to determine which neuropsychological domains and tasks would be most sensitive for discriminating between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls.

Methods: Relevant articles were identified through a literature search of the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for the period between January 1997 and May 2011. A meta-analysis was conducted using the standardized means of individual cognitive tests in each domain. The heterogeneity was assessed, and subgroup analyses according to age and medication status were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity.

Results: A total of 22 trials involving 955 MDD patients and 7,664 healthy participants were selected for our meta-analysis. MDD patients showed significantly impaired results compared with healthy participants on the Digit Span and Continuous Performance Test in the attention domain; the Trail Making Test A (TMT-A) and the Digit Symbol Test in the processing speed domain; the Stroop Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Verbal Fluency in the executive function domain; and immediate verbal memory in the memory domain. The Finger Tapping Task, TMT-B, delayed verbal memory, and immediate and delayed visual memory failed to separate MDD patients from healthy controls. The results of subgroup analysis showed that performance of Verbal Fluency was significantly impaired in younger depressed patients (<60 years), and immediate visual memory was significantly reduced in depressed patients using antidepressants.

Conclusions: Our findings have inevitable limitations arising from methodological issues inherent in the meta-analysis and we could not explain high heterogeneity between studies. Despite such limitations, current study has the strength of being the first meta-analysis which tried to specify cognitive function of depressed patients compared with healthy participants. And our findings may provide clinicians with further evidences that some cognitive tests in specific cognitive domains have sensitivity to discriminate MDD patients from healthy controls.

The Clostridium-related poultry disease, necrotic enteritis (NE), causes substantial economic losses on a global scale. In the present study, a mixture of two plant-derived phytonutrients, Capsicum oleoresin and turmeric oleoresin (XT), was evaluated for its effects on local and systemic immune responses using a co-infection model of experimental NE in commercial broilers. Chickens were fed from hatch with a diet supplemented with XT, or with a non-supplemented control diet, and either uninfected or orally challenged with virulent Eimeria maxima oocysts at 14 d and Clostridium perfringens at 18 d of age. Parameters of protective immunity were as follows: (1) body weight; (2) gut lesions; (3) serum levels of C. perfringens α-toxin and NE B-like (NetB) toxin; (4) serum levels of antibodies to α-toxin and NetB toxin; (5) levels of gene transcripts encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the intestine and spleen. Infected chickens fed the XT-supplemented diet had increased body weight and reduced gut lesion scores compared with infected birds given the non-supplemented diet. The XT-fed group also displayed decreased serum α-toxin levels and reduced intestinal IL-8, lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α factor (LITAF), IL-17A and IL-17F mRNA levels, while cytokine/chemokine levels in splenocytes increased in the XT-fed group, compared with the animals fed the control diet. In conclusion, the present study documents the molecular and cellular immune changes following dietary supplementation with extracts of Capsicum and turmeric that may be relevant to protective immunity against avian NE.

The effects of cinnamaldehyde (CINN) on in vitro parameters of immunity and in vivo protection against avian coccidiosis were evaluated. In vitro stimulation of chicken spleen lymphocytes with CINN (25–400 ng/ml) induced greater cell proliferation compared with the medium control (P < 0·001). CINN activated cultured macrophages to produce higher levels of NO at 1·2–5·0 μg/ml (P < 0·001), inhibited the growth of chicken tumour cells at 0·6–2·5 μg/ml (P < 0·001) and reduced the viability of Eimeriatenella parasites at 10 and 100 μg/ml (P < 0·05 and P < 0·001, respectively), compared with media controls. In chickens fed a diet supplemented with CINN at 14·4 mg/kg, the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-15 and interferon-γ transcripts in intestinal lymphocytes were 2- to 47-fold higher (P < 0·001) compared with chickens given a non-supplemented diet. To determine the effect of CINN diets on avian coccidiosis, chickens were fed diets supplemented with CINN at 14·4 mg/kg (E. maxima or E. tenella) or 125 mg/kg (E. acervulina) from hatch for 24 d, and orally infected with 2·0 × 104 sporulated oocysts at age 14 d. CINN-fed chickens showed 16·5 and 41·6 % increased body-weight gains between 0–9 d post-infection (DPI) with E. acervulina or E. maxima, reduced E. acervulina oocyst shedding between 5–9 DPI and increased E. tenella-stimulated parasite antibody responses at 9 DPI compared with controls.

The thermal relaxation process for a spatially uniform two-dimensional plasma in a uniform d.c. magnetic field is simulated numerically. Thermal relaxation times are defined in terms of the time necessary for the numerically computed Boltzmann H function to decrease through a given part of the distance to its minimum value. Dependence of relaxation time on two parameters is studied: number of particles per Debye square n0 λ2D and ratio of gyrofrequency to plasma frequency Ω/ωp. When Ω2/ω2p becomes ≫[ln (L/2πλD)]−½, where L is the linear dimension of the system, it is found that the relaxation time varies to a good approximation as (n0 λ2D)½ and Ω/ωp.

A theory is presented for the rate of thermal relaxation of a two-dimensional plasma in a strong uniform d.c. magnetic field. The Vahala—Montgomery kinetic description is completed by providing a cut-off time for the time of interaction of two particles which contribute to the collision term. The kinetic equation preclicts that thermal relaxation occurs as a function of the dimensionless time (ωpt) (ωp/Ω) (n0λ2D)−½, where ωp, is the plasma frequency, Ω is the gyrofrequency, and n0 λ2D is the number of particles per Debye square. By contrast, in the absence of an external magnetic field, a two-dimensional plasma relaxes as a function of (ωpt) (n0λ2D)−1.

Nutrigenomics is the study of how constituents of the diet interact with genes, and their products, to alter phenotype and, conversely, how genes and their products metabolise these constituents into nutrients, antinutrients, and bioactive compounds. Results from molecular and genetic epidemiological studies indicate that dietary unbalance can alter gene–nutrient interactions in ways that increase the risk of developing chronic disease. The interplay of human genetic variation and environmental factors will make identifying causative genes and nutrients a formidable, but not intractable, challenge. We provide specific recommendations for how to best meet this challenge and discuss the need for new methodologies and the use of comprehensive analyses of nutrient–genotype interactions involving large and diverse populations. The objective of the present paper is to stimulate discourse and collaboration among nutrigenomic researchers and stakeholders, a process that will lead to an increase in global health and wellness by reducing health disparities in developed and developing countries.

A holomorphic function defined in the unit disk $\Delta = \{z: |z|<1\}$ belongs to the MacLane class ${\cal A}$ if each point $\zeta$ of a dense subset of $\p \Delta$ is the endpoint of a curve $\gamma_{\zeta}$ (with

$\gamma_{\zeta}\setminus \zeta \subset \Delta)$ such that $f(z)$ tends to a limit (perhaps $\infty$) as $z \to \zeta$ on $\gamma_\zeta$. The classical Fatou theorem ensures that $f \in {\cal A}$ when $f$ is bounded. G. R. MacLane introduced ${\cal A}$ in [5], where he proved that $f \in {\cal A}$ if there is a set $E$ dense in $\p \Delta$ with \begin{equation}\int^1_0 (1-r) \log^+|f(re^{i\theta})| \, dr<\infty\qquad(\theta \in E).\end{equation}

For example, if $f$ is the modular function and $M(r)=\max_{|z|=r}|f(z)|$ its maximum modulus, then

$$\log M(r)\leq \log\frac{1}{1-r} +O(1),$$

so that (1.1) applies. An ample discussion of ${\cal A}$ is in [4, Chapter 10].

Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) (1, 2) is a useful tool to pre-screen metal barrier integrity for Si-based porous low-k dielectrics. Pore size of low-k, thickness of metal barrier Ta, positronium (Ps) leakage from PALS, trench sidewall morphology, electrical test from one level metal (1LM) pattern wafer and Cu diffusion analysis were all correlated. Macro-porous low-k (pore size >= 200A) and large scale meso-porous low-k (>50∼200A) encounter both Ps leakage and Cu diffusion into low-k dielectric in the 0.25μmL/0.3μmS structures when using SEMATECH in-house PVD Ta 250A as barrier layer. For small scale meso-porous (>20∼50A) and micro-porous (<=20A) low-k, no Ps leakage and no Cu diffusion into low-k were observed even with PVD Ta 50A, which is proved also owing to sidewall densification to seal all sidewall pores due to plasma etch and ash. For future technology, smaller pore size of porous Si-based low-k (=< 50A) will be preferential for dense low-k like trench sidewall to avoid metal barrier integrity due to coverage problems from sidewall pores.