Greater Frequency of Sorority Meal Consumption Results in Higher Food Group Intake and Lower Body Mass Indices in Sorority Members

College women are at increased risk of developing poor eating habits and disorders due to a higher frequency of dieting and obesity; therefore, due to the large number of women who are active in college sororities, these subgroups warrant significant attention concerning their nutritional knowledge and behaviors. Research points to a need to study sorority women’s eating patterns and diets in relationship to MyPyramid national recommendations for daily food consumption. The purpose of this study was to determine sorority members\u27 frequency of meal consumption versus meals offered at University of Mississippi sorority houses and to identify resulting health outcomes in sorority members compared to their frequency of meal consumption at their sorority houses. Another objective of the study was to identify the main barrier to meal consumption at sorority houses as reported by sorority members. A 24-hour dietary recall and questionnaire about eating behaviors and meal patterns associated with membership in a sorority was given to 72 University of Mississippi Panhellenic Sorority Women ages 18-22 at the time of participation. Next, subjects were weighed and their heights recorded. Using Nutrient Data System for Research software, number of servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, dairy, and fat intake were recorded for each subject. The majority of sorority members studied reported eating six or more meals at their sorority house during the week. Most subjects did not believe their nutritional needs were met through the meals provided at their sorority houses; however, the most frequently reported barrier to meals consumption was “I do not like what is being served at that meal.” Regardless of members’ food preferences and other barriers to consumption, subjects who reported consuming six or more meals during the week did not eat a balanced diet according to the Food Guide Pyramid. Subjects who reported consuming six or more meals per week at their sorority house reported inadequate consumption of fruit, dairy, protein, and fats; however, subjects who consumed fewer than six meals per week at their sorority house reported lower consumption of all food groups analyzed. No statistically significant differences in intake were found between subjects who ate six or more meals per week and those who ate less than six meals per week at their sorority houses. Sorority members who reported consumption of six or meals had higher levels of intake and a lower mean Body Mass Index than those who reported consuming fewer than six meals per week at their sorority houses. The meals served at the sorority houses may not be completely balanced; however, they are likely better than the alternatives. Additional research is needed to determine whether or not sorority houses are offering all components of balanced meals according to MyPyramid Guidelines. It is possible that balanced meals are offered, yet sorority members do not choose to consume each component. Such information may aid in determining the prevalence of the barrier of health-related issues to sorority meal more consumption

Objectively measured physical activity and fat mass in a large cohort of children

Background Previous studies have been unable to characterise the association between physical activity and obesity, possibly because most relied on inaccurate measures of physical activity and obesity. Methods and Findings We carried out a cross sectional analysis on 5,500 12-year-old children enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Total physical activity and minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured using the Actigraph accelerometer. Fat mass and obesity (defined as the top decile of fat mass) were measured using the Lunar Prodigy dual x-ray emission absorptiometry scanner. We found strong negative associations between MVPA and fat mass that were unaltered after adjustment for total physical activity. We found a strong negative dose-response association between MVPA and obesity. The odds ratio for obesity in adjusted models between top and the bottom quintiles of minutes of MVPA was 0.03 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01-0.13, p-value for trend < 0.0001) in boys and 0.36 (95% CI 0.17-0.74, p-value for trend = 0.006) in girls. Conclusions We demonstrated a strong graded inverse association between physical activity and obesity that was stronger in boys. Our data suggest that higher intensity physical activity may be more important than total activity

A systems approach to evaluating rail life

Corus Rail Technologies (CRT) has undertaken a major project involving track studies of Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF), with support from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). The work takes a systems approach and involves the development and application of a suite of numerical models used to investigate the in-service conditions of track components with particular emphasis on RCF. The suite of models, called the Track System Model (TSM), comprises of vehicle dynamics models, developed by MMU, a Global Track model and a rail-wheel Contact model, developed by CRT. The modelling is being complemented through the monitoring of a number of RCF affected sites on the UK network to provide essential empirical data. A total of seven vehicle models have been developed using ADAMS/Rail, including two locomotives, two DMUs, two passenger coaches, and a freight wagon. Vehicle simulations were conducted for a range of UK sites and provided results such as wheel-rail contact forces and contact patch positions. The vehicle models have been validated using track measurements. The results were then used as inputs for the CRT Global Track and Contact models. The Global Track model is a finite element (FE) model that represents a length of railway track and includes the rails, sleepers and ballast. Forces from the vehicle simulations were applied to the Global model in order to predict the bending stresses in the rail head. This was conducted for a number of vehicles at seven sites and the predicted values showed good comparison with track measurements. The Contact FE model is a 3 dimensional (3D) representation of a wheel section rolling on a short length of rail. Wheel loads calculated from the vehicle dynamics simulations were applied to the contact model in order to predict surface and subsurface stresses, including directional and shear, in the rail head. Subsurface stress distribution is of primary importance for understanding the development of RCF and crack growth. The TSM successfully integrates the vehicle and track aspects of the railway system and provides an accurate method of predicting stresses in rails. When used in conjunction with the practical understanding of RCF, through site monitoring, it will enable the development of analytical fatigue life models that can be used by the track engineer to support future decision making for an optimum rail grinding strategy and rail renewal programme

The feasibility of using a parenting programme for the prevention of unintentional home injuries in the under-fives: A cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Unintentional injury is the leading cause of preventable death of children over the age of 1 year in the UK and a major cause of attendance at emergency departments. Children having one injury are at increased risk of further injuries. Parenting programmes can reduce injuries in preschool children if delivered in the home and on a one-to-one basis. It is not known if group-based programmes delivered outside the home are effective. Objectives: To develop (1) a parenting programme to prevent recurrent unintentional home injuries in preschool children and (2) a tool for parents to report unintentional home injuries occurring to their preschool children. To assess the feasibility of delivering and evaluating the parenting programme through a cluster randomised controlled trial, specifically to (1) assess methods for the recruitment and retention of parents; (2) determine the training, equipment and facilities needed for the delivery of the programme; (3) establish appropriate primary and secondary outcome measures and methods for their collection; (4) determine how 'normal care' in a comparison arm should be defined; and (5) determine the resource utilisation and costing data that would need to be collected for the cost-effectiveness component of a future trial; and (6) produce estimates of effect sizes to inform sample size estimation for a main trial. Design: Feasibility multicentre, cluster, randomised, unblinded trial. Setting: Eight children's centres in Bristol and Nottingham, UK. Participants: Ninety-six parents of preschool children who had sustained an unintentional injury requiring medical attention in the previous 12 months. Interventions: The First-aid Advice and Safety Training (FAST) parent programme, comprising parenting support and skills combined with first aid and home safety advice. Main outcome measures: Parent-reported medically attended injuries in the index child and any preschool siblings sustained during a 6-month period of observation. Results: An 8-week parenting programme was produced, designed with participant-friendly, incrementally progressive content. A slimline, month-to-a-view injury calendar, spiral bound and suitable for hanging on a wall, was designed for parents to record injuries occurring to their preschool children during the 6-month period of observed time. Fifty-one parents were recruited (40 meeting eligibility criteria plus 11 following 'open invite' to participate); 15 parents completed the FAST parent programme and 49 provided data at baseline and during follow-up. Completion of the programme was significantly greater for participants using the 'open invite' approach (85%) than for those recruited using the original eligibility criteria (31%). Prototype resource use checklists, unit costs and total costs were developed for phases 0, 1 and 2 of the study for use in a future trial. Conclusions: This feasibility study has developed an innovative injury prevention intervention and a tool to record parent-reported injuries in preschool children. It was not feasible to recruit parents of children who had sustained a recent injury, or to ask health visitor teams to identify potential participants and to deliver the programme. A trial should target all families attending children's centres in disadvantaged areas. The intervention could be delivered by a health professional supported by a member of the children's centre team in a community setting. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN03605270. Source of funding: This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 18, No. 3. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. © Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO 2014

Space Vehicle Terrestrial Environment Design Requirements Guidelines

The terrestrial environment is an important driver of space vehicle structural, control, and thermal system design. NASA is currently in the process of producing an update to an earlier Terrestrial Environment Guidelines for Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Handbook. This paper addresses the contents of this updated handbook, with special emphasis on new material being included in the areas of atmospheric thermodynamic models, wind dynamics, atmospheric composition, atmospheric electricity, cloud phenomena, atmospheric extremes, and sea state. In addition, the respective engineering design elements are discussed relative to terrestrial environment inputs that require consideration. Specific lessons learned that have contributed to the advancements made in the application and awareness of terrestrial environment inputs for aerospace engineering applications are presented