1,251 research outputs found
Understanding Eating Behaviors of New Dehli\u27s Youth
This qualitative study documents perceived benefits of and barriers to engaging in healthy eating behaviors among adolescents in New Delhi, India. Researchers explored factors that influenced the consumption of breakfast, fruits and vegetables, and soft drinks in this population and adolescentsâ ideas about how to intervene to encourage or discourage, respectively, these behaviors. Students (n=151 6th and 8th graders) from five private schools participated in focus group discussions. Findings showed that the majority of youth eat breakfast that may consist of traditional and Western choices. Despite sound knowledge of the benefits of fruits and vegetables consumption, adolescents do not eat the recommended daily servings due to flavor preferences. Soft drink consumption was, reportedly, universal. Several factors influenced these decisions and details are herein provided. The paucity of studies on this subject provides researchers with the opportunity to explore how eating patterns of Indian youth might be shaping the health and disease landscape of India in the upcoming decades. The study adds to the slim body of literature on the subject and could be used to inform future nutrition interventions in India
Perturbation expansions for a class of singular potentials
Harrell's modified perturbation theory [Ann. Phys. 105, 379-406 (1977)] is
applied and extended to obtain non-power perturbation expansions for a class of
singular Hamiltonians H = -D^2 + x^2 + A/x^2 + lambda/x^alpha, (A\geq 0, alpha
> 2), known as generalized spiked harmonic oscillators. The perturbation
expansions developed here are valid for small values of the coupling lambda >
0, and they extend the results which Harrell obtained for the spiked harmonic
oscillator A = 0. Formulas for the the excited-states are also developed.Comment: 23 page
The influence of âwesternizationâ on nutrition and physical activity behaviors of adolescents in New Delhi, India: Are we exporting an epidemic of obesity?
Purpose. To examine the relationships between âwesternizationâ and nutrition and physical activity behaviors among older adolescents in Delhi, India. These relations have not been explored, despite increasingly strong and pervasive socio-cultural influences from the West.
Methods. Students (n=1818) in 8th and 10th grades in 4 Private (higher SES) and 4 Government (lower SES) schools in Delhi, India participated in a cross-sectional study. Height and weight were measured to determine weight status. Information on âwesternizationâ and nutrition, physical activity, sedentary, and dieting behaviors was collected in a survey. The measure of âwesternizationâ assessed 4 domains of culture on a bi-dimensional scale that focused on these young peopleâs identification with Indian (α=0.86) and Western (α=0.81) ways of living. Mixed-effects regression models were used to investigate the association between âwesternization,â weight status, and health behaviors. Gender, school type (SES), and grade were evaluated as effect modifiers. Results. âWesternizationâ was not directly associated with weight status or BMI (p\u3e0.500). However, adolescentsâ identification with Western ways of living was consistently related to both unhealthy (e.g., fast food consumption, pppConclusions. The influence of âwesternizationâ on nutrition and physical activity behaviors of older adolescents in Delhi, India is complex and not wholly negative, as might be hypothesized
Asymptotic iteration method for eigenvalue problems
An asymptotic interation method for solving second-order homogeneous linear
differential equations of the form y'' = lambda(x) y' + s(x) y is introduced,
where lambda(x) \neq 0 and s(x) are C-infinity functions. Applications to
Schroedinger type problems, including some with highly singular potentials, are
presented.Comment: 14 page
Bender-Wu Formula and the Stark Effect in Hydrogen
We discuss a close connection between the formula of Banks, Bender, and Wu for the asymptotics of the Rayleigh-Schrödinger coefficients of the two-dimensional rotationally symmetric anharmonic oscillator and the behavior of resonances of the hydrogen Stark problem in two regimes: small field (Oppenheimer's formula) and large field (where we obtain the new results arg E â âÏ/3, âŁE⣠âŒÎ±[F(lnF)^(2/3) for F, the electric field strength, going to infinity). We also announce a rigorous proof of Bender-Wu-type formulas
Preparing Postbaccalaureates for Entry and Success in Biomedical PhD Programs
Certain racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds remain underrepresented (UR) in the biomedical sciences. This underrepresentation becomes more extreme at each higher education stage. To support UR scholars during the critical transition from baccalaureate to PhD, we established an intensive, 1-yr postbaccalaureate training program. We hypothesized that this intervention would strengthen each participantâs competitiveness for leading PhD programs and build a foundation of skills and self-efficacy important for success during and after graduate school. Scholar critical analysis skills, lab technique knowledge, and Graduate Record Examination scores all improved significantly during the program. Scholars reported significant confidence growth in 21 of 24 categories related to success in research careers. In 5 yr, 91% (41/45) of scholars transitioned directly into PhD programs. Importantly, 40% (18/45) of participating postbaccalaureate scholars had previously been declined acceptance into graduate school; however, 17/18 of these scholars directly entered competitive PhD programs following our training program. Alumni reported they were âextremely wellâ prepared for graduate school, and 95% (39/41) are currently making progress to graduation with a PhD. In conclusion, we report a model for postbaccalaureate training that could be replicated to increase participation and success among UR scholars in the biomedical sciences
Roots of reciprocity: Gratitude and reputation in generalized exchange systems
Social scientists often study the flow of material and social support as generalized exchange systems. These systems are associated with an array of benefits to groups and communities, but their existence is problematic, because individuals may be motivated to take from the system without giving back to it. Researchers have identified two broad processes governing prosociality in generalized exchange systems: generalized reciprocity (a person who receives help from someone pays it forward by helping a third person) and indirect reciprocity (a person who helps another establishes a prosocial reputation and, as a consequence, later receives help from a third person). Although generalized exchange systems can be based on either process, generalized and indirect reciprocity are based on different mechanisms and, with few exceptions, have been investigated independently. Here we present an integrated approach to generalized exchange that (1) specifies when each process is most likely to promote prosocial behavior, (2) details the implications for resource inequalities in generalized exchange systems, and (3) describes how generalized and indirect reciprocity jointly influence prosocial behavior. Results from four new experiments strongly support the theoretical arguments.Sociolog
PT-symetrically regularized Eckart,Poeschl-Teller and Hulthen potentials
Version 1: The well known Eckart's singular s-wave potential is
PT-symmetrically regularized and continued to the whole real line. The new
model remains exactly solvable and its bound states remain proportional to
Jacobi polynomials. Its real and discrete spectrum exhibits several unusual
features.
Version 2: Parity times time-reversal symmetry of complex Hamiltonians with
real spectra is usually interpreted as a weaker mathematical substitute for
Hermiticity. Perhaps an equally important role is played by the related
strengthened analyticity assumptions. In a constructive illustration we
complexify a few potentials solvable only in s-wave. Then we continue their
domain from semi-axis to the whole axis and get the new exactly solvable
models. Their energies come out real as expected. The new one-dimensional
spectra themselves differ quite significantly from their s-wave predecessors.Comment: Original 10-page letter ``PT-symmetrized exact solution of the
singular Eckart oscillator" is extended to a full pape
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