Measuring diet in primary school children aged 8-11 years: validation of the Child and Diet Evaluation Tool (CADET) with an emphasis on fruit and vegetable intake.

Background/Objectives:The Child And Diet Evaluation Tool (CADET) is a 24-h food diary that measures the nutrition intake of children aged 3-7 years, with a focus on fruit and vegetable consumption. Until now CADET has not been used to measure nutrient intake of children aged 8-11 years. To ensure that newly assigned portion sizes for this older age group were valid, participants were asked to complete the CADET diary (the school and home food diary) concurrently with a 1-day weighed record. Subjects/Methods:A total of 67 children with a mean age of 9.3 years (s.d.: ± 1.4, 51% girls) participated in the study. Total fruit and vegetable intake in grams and other nutrients were extracted to compare the mean intakes from the CADET diary and Weighed record using t-tests and Pearson's r correlations. Bland-Altman analysis was also conducted to assess the agreement between the two methods. Results: Correlations comparing the CADET diary to the weighed record were high for fruit, vegetables and combined fruit and vegetables (r=0.7). The results from the Bland-Altman plots revealed a mean difference of 54 g (95% confidence interval: -88, 152) for combined fruit and vegetables intake. CADET is the only tool recommended by the National Obesity Observatory that has been validated in a UK population and provides nutrient level data on children's diets. Conclusions:The results from this study conclude that CADET can provide high-quality nutrient data suitable for evaluating intervention studies now for children aged 3-11 years with a focus on fruit and vegetable intake

Dietary value for money? Investigating how the monetary value of diets in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) relate to dietary energy density

Estimating the monetary value of individuals’ diets allows investigation into how costs relate to dietary quality. A number of studies(1–2), including one in Scotland(3), have reported a strong negative relationship between diet costs and energy density. Most studies of this type neglect to address the issue of mathematical coupling, where energy is both the numerator in the energy density variable (kJ/g) and the denominator in energy-adjusted diet cost (e.g. E/10 MJ). As a result, the findings could be reflecting a mathematical relationship(4). This study investigated how estimated diet costs of NDNS adults relate to dietary energy density using the ‘residuals’ regressionmethod to account for energy. Diet diary information from 2008–2010 was matched to an in-house database of national average (2004) food prices (the DANTE cost database) to assign a cost to each food and non-alcoholic beverage consumed. Mean daily diet costs and costs per 10 MJ were calculated for each participant. Energy density (g/kJ) was derived from foods and milk. The sample median diet cost was £2.84 per day (IQR £2.27, £3.64), or £4.05 per 10MJ (£3.45, £4.82). Values for energy density, food energy, and diet costs by quintiles of dietary energy density (1 = least energy dense) are presented in the table. Adjusted linear regression found a strong negative relationship: additional standard deviation above the diet cost expected for a given energy intake (the residual), there was an associated decrease in energy density of 0.46kJ/g (95% CI - 0.53, - 0.38, p<0.001). This is the first time individual-level diet costs have been characterized for a representative British population. These diet costs represent the inherent value of the diet, and are not comparable to UK expenditure data. The analyses confirm a diet cost-energy density link that is not due to mathematical artefact, and suggest that those consuming more energy-dense diets are achieving more kilojoules for their money

Maternal iron status in early pregnancy and birth outcomes : insights from the Baby's Vascular health and Iron in Pregnancy study

Date of Acceptance: 16/03/2015 Acknowledgements N. A. A. was funded by a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship (WT87789). H. J. M. and H. E. H. are supported by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services. N. A. B. S. is supported by Cerebra. The authors’ contributions are as follows: N. A. A. was responsible for organising the study conduct, data collection and database management, performed the statistical analysis, interpreted the results and drafted the paper. N. A. A., N. A. B. S., J. E. C., H. J. M. and D. C. G. contributed to the study concept and design, and interpretation of results. H. J. M. and H. E. H. analysed the laboratory samples. J. E. C. and D. C. G. provided advice on statistical strategy and analysis. All authors have fully participated in the reporting stage and have critically reviewed and approved the final draft of the paper. The authors declare no conflict of interestPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Longitudinal photocurrent spectroscopy of a single GaAs/AlGaAs v-groove quantum wire

Modulation-doped GaAs v-groove quantum wires (QWRs) have been fabricated with novel electrical contacts made to two-dimensional electron-gas (2DEG) reservoirs. Here, we present longitudinal photocurrent (photoconductivity/PC) spectroscopy measurements of a single QWR. We clearly observe conductance in the ground-state one-dimensional subbands; in addition, a highly temperature-dependent response is seen from other structures within the v-groove. The latter phenomenon is attributed to the effects of structural topography and localization on carrier relaxation. The results of power-dependent PC measurements suggest that the QWR behaves as a series of weakly interacting localized states, at low temperatures

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Their Polyphenol Content Are Inversely Associated with Sleep Duration: Prospective Associations from the UK Women’s Cohort Study

This study aims to investigate the prospective associations between fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes and their polyphenol content with subsequent sleep duration in UK women. In this study, 13,958 women with ~4 years of follow-up in the UK Women’s Cohort Study were included in the analyses. FV intakes were assessed at baseline using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and average hours of sleep per day were self-reported in follow-up. Polyphenol intake was calculated by matching FV items from the FFQ with the Phenol-Explorer database. Linear regression models, adjusting for confounders, were used for the analyses. Consuming an additional portion of apples, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, and 100% pure juice were associated with shorter sleep. Similarly, an additional portion of cabbage, celery, aubergine, olives, and peppers were inversely associated with sleep duration. An additional gram of total polyphenols was associated with shorter sleep by 18 min (99% CI −31 to −4, p < 0.001). FV consumption and total polyphenol content were inversely associated with sleep duration; however, effect sizes were small, and polyphenol classes from FV intakes were not associated with sleep duration. Future intervention studies considering the time of FV consumption in relation to sleep are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms

Semi-Phenomenological Analysis of Dynamics of Nonlinear Excitations in One-Dimensional Electron-Phonon System

The structure of moving nonlinear excitations in one-dimensional electron-phonon systems is studied semi-phenomenologically by using an effective action in which the width of the nonlinear excitation is treated as a dynamical variable. The effective action can be derived from Su, Schrieffer and Heeger's model or its continuum version proposed by Takayama, Lin-Liu and Maki with an assumption that the nonlinear excitation moves uniformly without any deformation except the change of its width. The form of the action is essentially the same as that discussed by Bishop and coworkers in studying the dynamics of the soliton in polyacetylene, though some details are different. For the moving excitation with a velocity $v$, the width is determined by minimizing the effective action. A requirement that there must be a minimum in the action as a function of its width provides a maximum velocity. The velocity dependence of the width and energy can be determined. The motions of a soliton in p olyacetylene and an acoustic polaron in polydiacetylene are studied within this formulation. The obtained results are in good agreement with those of numerical simulations.Comment: 19 pages, LaTeX, 7 Postscript figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. vol.65 (1996) No.

An automatic and quantitative approach to the detection and tracking of acoustic scattering layers

Acoustic scattering layers are ubiquitous, horizontally extensive aggregations of both vertebrate and invertebrate organisms that play key roles in oceanic ecosystems. However, currently there are no conventions or widely adaptable automatic methods for identifying these often dynamic, spatially complex features, so it is difficult to consistently and efficiently describe and compare results. We developed an automatic scattering layer detection method that can be used to monitor changes in layer depth, width, and internal structure over time. Extensive, contiguous regions of the water column that have echo strengths above a threshold were identified as “background layers.” They correspond to regions of the water column that contain scattering from diffusely distributed organisms. Often, background layers contained contiguous, horizontally extensive features of concentrated acoustic scattering we identified as “strata.” These features were identified by fitting Gaussian curves to the echo envelope of each vertical profile of scattering, and their boundaries were identified as the endpoints of the region containing 95% of the area under the fitted curves. These endpoints were linked horizontally to make continuous tracks. Bottom and top tracks were paired to identify features that sometimes extended horizontally for tens of kilometers. This approach was effective in three disparate ecosystems (the Gulf of California, Monterey Bay, and the Bering Sea), and a sensitivity analysis showed its robustness to changes in input parameters. By allowing a comparable, automated approach to be used across environments, this method promotes the improved classification and characterization of acoustic scattering layers necessary for examining their role in oceanic ecosystems.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc. and can be found at: http://www.aslo.org/lomethods/

Exercise training reduces central adiposity and improves metabolic indices in HAART-treated HIV-positive subjects in Rwanda: A randomized controlled trial

As HAART becomes more accessible in sub-Saharan Africa, metabolic syndromes, body fat redistribution (BFR), and cardiovascular disease may become more prevalent. We conducted a 6-month, randomized controlled trial to test whether cardiorespiratory exercise training (CET), improves metabolic, body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness parameters in HAART-treated HIV(+) African subjects with BFR. Six months of CET reduced waist circumference (−7.13 ± 4.4 cm, p < 0.0001), WHR (−0.10 ± 0.1, p < 0.0001), sum skinfold thickness (−6.15 ± 8.2 mm, p < 0.0001) and % body fat mass (−1.5 ± 3.3, p < 0.0001) in HIV(+)BFR(+)EXS. Hip circumference was unchanged in non-exercise control groups. CET reduced fasting total cholesterol (−0.03 ± 1.11 mM, p < 0.05), triglycerides (−0.22 ± 0.48 mM, p < 0.05) and glucose levels (−0.21 ± 0.71 mM, p < 0.05) (p < 0.0001). HDL-, LDL-cholesterol and HOMA values were unchanged after CET. Interestingly, HIV(+) subjects randomized to non-exercising groups experienced increases in fasting plasma glucose levels, whereas HIV seronegative controls did not (p < 0.001). Predicted VO(2) peak increased more in the HIV(+)BFR(+)EXS than in all other groups (4.7 ± 3.9 ml/kg/min, p < 0.0001). Exercise training positively modulated body composition and metabolic profiles, and improved cardiorespiratory fitness in HAART-treated HIV(+) Africans. These beneficial adaptations imply that exercise training is a safe, inexpensive, practical, and effective treatment for evolving metabolic and cardiovascular syndromes associated with HIV and HAART exposure in resource-limited sub-Saharan countries, where treatment is improving, morbidity and mortality rates are declining, but where minimal resources are available to manage HIV- and HAART-associated cardiovascular and metabolic syndromes

Positron and positronium affinities in the work-formalism Hartree-Fock approximation

Positron binding to anions is investigated within the work formalism proposed by Harbola and Sahni for the halide anions and the systems Li^- through O^- excluding Be^- and N^-. The toal ground-state energies of the anion-positron bound systems are empirically found to be an upper bound to the Hartree-Fock energies. The computed expectation values as well as positron and positronium affinities are in good agreement with their restricted Hartree-Fock counterparts. Binding of a positron to neutral species is also investigated using an iterative method.Comment: 12 pages, to appear in Physical Review