Reducing “Screen-Time” and Promoting Self Care Activities among Overweight and Obese Pre-Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric obesity has been considered as one of the most serious public health challenges in the world. AIM: To reduce “Screen-time” and promoting self care activities among overweight and obese pre-adolescents (aged 10-12 years) in India through proper intervention measures. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Designed as a two-armed randomized controlled trial, 537 pre-adolescents aged 10-12 years were enrolled in this online study. Data was collected through a questionnaire (containing close-ended 26 questions). Pre- adolescents, whose BMI was classified as “overweight” and “obese” were enrolled and randomly assigned (flip of coin) to the intervention group and control group. The intervention group were then given monthly online one-on-one sessions (to maintain confidentiality) by five standardized instructors. The study lasted for four months and a total of four individual sessions were provided to each child in the intervention group. Data was transferred into Excel for descriptive statistics, and analysed using SPSS version 22.0 using the paired t-test and multi variate logistic regression was applied keeping the significance value of p as 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 537 pre- adolescents met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 270(50.3%) belonged to the intervention group and 267 (49.7%) belonged to the control group. Majority of the pre- adolescents were males (59.4%). In the intervention group, there were 61.8% overweight pre-adolescents, which reduced to 42.9%, while in the control group, there were 89.5% overweight pre-adolescents, which reduced 9.8% and the difference between both the groups was observed to be significant (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Techniques used in the intervention group led to positive outcomes like weight loss and reduced screen time among the pre-adolescents which in turn, helped reduce the global burden of disease

Comparison of fibre optical measurements and discrete element simulations for the study of granulation in a spout fluidized bed

Spout fluidized beds are frequently used for the production of granules or particles through granulation. The products find application in a large variety of applications, for example detergents, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and food. Spout fluidized beds have a number of advantageous properties, such as a high mobility of the particles, which prevents undesired agglomeration and yields excellent heat transfer properties. The particle growth mechanism in a spout fluidized bed as function of particle-droplet interaction has a profound influence on the particle morphology and thus on the product quality. Nevertheless, little is known about the details of the granulation process. This is mainly due to the fact that the granulation process is not visually accessible. In this work we use fundamental, deterministic models to enable the detailed investigation of granulation behaviour in a spout fluidized bed. A discrete element model is used describing the dynamics of the continuous gas-phase and the discrete droplets and particles. For each element momentum balances are solved. The momentum transfer among each of the three phases is described in detail at the level of individual elements. The results from the discrete element model simulations are compared with local measurements of particle volume fractions as well as particle velocities by using a novel fibre optical probe in a fluidized bed of 400 mm I.D. Simulations and experiments were carried out for three different cases using Geldart B type aluminium oxide particles: a freely bubbling fluidized bed; a spout fluidized bed without the presence of droplets and a spout fluidized bed with the presence of droplets. It is demonstrated how the discrete element model can be used to obtain information about the interaction of the discrete phases, i.e. the growth zone in a spout fluidized bed. Eventually this kind of information can be used to obtain closure information required in more coarse grained models

Measuring coordination between women's self-help groups and local health systems in rural India:A social network analysis

Objectives: To assess how the health coordination and emergency referral networks between women\u27s self-help groups (SHGs) and local health systems have changed over the course of a 2-year learning phase of the Uttar Pradesh Community Mobilization Project, India. Design: A pretest, post-test programme evaluation using social network survey to analyse changes in network structure and connectivity between key individuals and groups. Setting: The study was conducted in 18 villages located in three districts in Uttar Pradesh, India. Intervention: To improve linkages and coordination between SHGs and government health providers by building capacity in leadership, management and community mobilisation skills of the SHG federation. Participants: A purposeful sampling that met inclusion criteria. 316 respondents at baseline and 280 respondents at endline, including SHG members, village-level and block-level government health workers, and other key members of the community (traditional birth attendants, drug sellers, unqualified rural medical providers, pradhans or elected village heads, and religious leaders). Main outcome measures: Social network analysis measured degree centrality, density and centralisation to assess changes in health services coordination networks at the village and block levels. Results: The health services coordination and emergency referral networks increased in density and the number of connections between respondents as measured by average degree centrality have increased, along with more diversity of interaction between groups. The network expanded relationships at the village and block levels, reflecting the rise of bridging social capital. The accredited social health activist, a village health worker, occupied the central position in the network, and her role expanded to sharing information and coordinating services with the SHG members. Conclusions: The creation of new partnerships between traditionally under-represented communities and local government can serve as vehicle for building social capital that can lead to a more accountable and accessible community health delivery system

Lens connexins α3Cx46 and α8Cx50 interact with zonula occludens protein-1 (ZO-1)

Connexin α1Cx43 has previously been shown to bind to the PDZ domain–containing protein ZO-1. The similarity of the carboxyl termini of this connexin and the lens fiber connexins α3Cx46 and α8Cx50 suggested that these connexins may also interact with ZO-1. ZO-1 was shown to be highly expressed in mouse lenses. Colocalization of ZO-1 with α3Cx46 and α8Cx50 connexins in fiber cells was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and by fracture-labeling electron microscopy but showed regional variations throughout the lens. ZO-1 was found to coimmunoprecipitate with α3Cx46 and α8Cx50, and pull-down experiments showed that the second PDZ domain of ZO-1 was involved in this interaction. Transiently expressed α3Cx46 and α8Cx50 connexins lacking the COOH-terminal residues did not bind to the second PDZ domain but still formed structures resembling gap junctions by immunofluorescence. These results indicate that ZO-1 interacts with lens fiber connexins α3Cx46 and α8Cx50 in a manner similar to that previously described for α1Cx43. The spatial variation in the interaction of ZO-1 with lens gap junctions is intriguing and is suggestive of multiple dynamic roles for this association

Diffusion of particles moving with constant speed

The propagation of light in a scattering medium is described as the motion of a special kind of a Brownian particle on which the fluctuating forces act only perpendicular to its velocity. This enforces strictly and dynamically the constraint of constant speed of the photon in the medium. A Fokker-Planck equation is derived for the probability distribution in the phase space assuming the transverse fluctuating force to be a white noise. Analytic expressions for the moments of the displacement $$ along with an approximate expression for the marginal probability distribution function $P(x,t)$ are obtained. Exact numerical solutions for the phase space probability distribution for various geometries are presented. The results show that the velocity distribution randomizes in a time of about eight times the mean free time ($8t^*$) only after which the diffusion approximation becomes valid. This factor of eight is a well known experimental fact. A persistence exponent of $0.435 \pm 0.005$ is calculated for this process in two dimensions by studying the survival probability of the particle in a semi-infinite medium. The case of a stochastic amplifying medium is also discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures(Submitted to Phys. Rev. E

Invisible decays of Higgs and other mesons in models with singlet neutrinos in large extra dimensions

In light of current atmospheric neutrino oscillation data, we revisit the invisible decay of the standard model Higgs boson and other pseudoscalar mesons which can be enhanced because of large number of KK modes in models with right handed singlet neutrinos in large extra dimensions. We find that the invisible decay rate of Higgs can be as large as $H\to b \bar b$ decay rate only for a very restricted region of parameter space. This parameter space is even further restricted if one demands that the dimensionless neutrino Yukawa coupling \l is O(1). We have also studied the scenarios where singlet neutrino propagate in a sub-space, which lowers the string scale $M_{\ast}$ and keeps neutrino Yukawa coupling O(1). We have also considered decays of other spin-0 mesons to $\nu \bar\nu$ and found the rates to be too small for measurement.Comment: 14 pages, Latex, 4 postscript figures. Includes further discussions of invisible decay of Higgs and other mesons in the asymmetric scenario, where singlet neutrinos propagate in extra-dimensions with the largest size. Final conclusion remain unchanged. More references added, version to appear in PL

Analytical and numerical investigation of escape rate for a noise driven bath

We consider a system-reservoir model where the reservoir is modulated by an external noise. Both the internal noise of the reservoir and the external noise are stationary, Gaussian and are characterized by arbitrary decaying correlation functions. Based on a relation between the dissipation of the system and the response function of the reservoir driven by external noise we numerically examine the model using a full bistable potential to show that one can recover the turn-over features of the usual Kramers' dynamics when the external noise modulates the reservoir rather than the system directly. We derive the generalized Kramers' rate for this nonequilibrium open system. The theoretical results are verified by numerical simulation.Comment: Revtex, 25 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Flavor and CP violating Z exchange and the rate asymmetry in B --> phi K_S

Recent measurements of time dependent CP asymmetry in B --> phi K_S, if confirmed, would indicate a new source of CP violation. We examine flavor violating tree-level Z currents in models with extra down-type quark singlets that arise naturally in string compactified gauge groups like E_6. We evaluate the new operators at the scale mu = m_b in NLO, and using QCD improved factorization to describe B --> phi K_S, find the allowed range of parameters for rho and psi, the magnitude and phase of the flavor violating parameter U_{bs}. This allowed range does satisfy the constraint from flavor changing process b --> s l+ l- . However, further improvement in measurement of these rates could severely constrain the model.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, 2 postscript figures. Sections 2 and 3 are reordered. More references are added. Version to be published in PL

Ecological health and water quality of village ponds in the subtropics limiting their use for water supply and groundwater recharge

Ponds are a typical feature of many villages in the subtropics, and have been widely used as important sources of water for agriculture, aquaculture and groundwater recharge, as well as enhancing village resilience to floods and drought. Currently many village ponds are in a very poor state and in dire need of rejuvenation. This paper assesses the current water quality status and ecological health of twelve sub-tropical village ponds, situated in western Uttar Pradesh, India. This assessment is used to evaluate their wastewater treatment needs in relation to potential village uses of the water. Physico-chemical (Secchi depth, Total phosphorus and Total nitrogen) and biological (Phytoplankton chlorophyll-a) indicators highlight hypertrophic conditions in all the ponds. The study indicates that the status of village ponds requires significant investments in wastewater treatment to restore their use for many purposes, including aquaculture, although some may still be acceptable for irrigation purposes, as long as pathogenic bacteria are not abundant. We propose increased implementation of decentralised systems for wastewater treatment, such as septic tanks and constructed wetlands, to reduce the organic and nutrient loads entering village ponds and allow their use for a wider range of purposes

Massively parallel simulations for disordered systems

Simulations of systems with quenched disorder are extremely demanding, suffering from the combined effect of slow relaxation and the need of performing the disorder average. As a consequence, new algorithms, improved implementations, and alternative and even purpose-built hardware are often instrumental for conducting meaningful studies of such systems. The ensuing demands regarding hardware availability and code complexity are substantial and sometimes prohibitive. We demonstrate how with a moderate coding effort leaving the overall structure of the simulation code unaltered as compared to a CPU implementation, very significant speed-ups can be achieved from a parallel code on GPU by mainly exploiting the trivial parallelism of the disorder samples and the near-trivial parallelism of the parallel tempering replicas. A combination of this massively parallel implementation with a careful choice of the temperature protocol for parallel tempering as well as efficient cluster updates allows us to equilibrate comparatively large systems with moderate computational resources.Comment: accepted for publication in EPJB, Topical issue - Recent advances in the theory of disordered system