‘Deliberate Preparation’ as an evidence-based focus for primary physical education

There is substantial scientific research suggesting the physical and psychological health benefits of a physically active lifestyle. Consequently, governments worldwide prioritize policies, finances, and resources in healthcare, education, and sports sectors to increase mass participation in physical activity. However, practices in physical activity promotion are often not underpinned by evidence-based standardization that is requisite in other domains of epidemiology. The aim of this article is to examine critically the available scientific research on promoting life-long physical activity participation and to propose an evidence-based model for implementation in school physical education. Reasons are discussed as to why programs that integrate physical, psychological, and behavioral skills have been long acknowledged in physical education and physical activity domains but remain lacking in empirical validation. Finally, future directions are suggested that are required to examine the application of this approach to practice in primary-level physical education

Freeze-drying of Aegyptianella pullorum

Heparinized whole blood, parasitized with Aegyptianella pullorum, was collected from 2 fowls. Buffered lactose peptone (BLP) was added v/v as a stabilizer and the mixture lyophilized in 2ml aliquots after rapid or slow freezing. At different stages during the freeze-drying process, as well as after lyophilization and reconstitution with I ,8 ml of sterile water, samples were taken and injected into pullets. Infectivity was maintained throughout. However, the prepatent period was lengthened after freezing and particularly after lyophilization when there was some loss of viability.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

Effects of in vitro polyploidization on agronomic characteristics and fruit carotenoid content; implications for banana genetic improvement

Open Access JournalBananas (Musa spp.), native to South East Asia, have spread worldwide and are integrated into the diets of millions of people in tropical regions. Carotenoid content varies dramatically between different banana genotypes, providing an opportunity for vitamin A biofortification. Polyploidization is a useful tool for crop improvement with potential to generate new diversity, especially in a polyploid crop like bananas. Ten induced tetraploids generated from six diploid banana genotypes were evaluated for their agronomic attributes and fruit carotenoid content in comparison to their diploid progenitors. Tetraploids had distinct plant morphology, but generally displayed inferior vegetative and yield characteristics with 20% lower bunch weights than their original diploids. Similarly, a 50% decrease in fruit provitamin A carotenoids (α-carotene, 13-cis β-carotene, 9-cis β-carotene, trans-β-carotene) accompanied by a corresponding increase in lutein was recorded in induced tetraploids in comparison to their original diploids. Additionally, all lines were subjected to pollen viability tests to assess their fertility. Pollen viability tests indicated over 70% viability for induced tetraploids and diploid controls, suggesting their possible use in crosses. These findings provide a basis for the application of induced polyploidization in bananas to generate useful genetic material for integration in hybridization programmes aiming to produce vitamin A enriched triploids valuable to malnourished populations

Recent advances in banana (Musa spp.) biofortification to alleviate vitamin A deficiency

Open Access Article; Published online: 04 Oct 2018Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies that disproportionately affects low income populations in developing countries. Traditional breeding and modern biotechnology have significant potential to enhance micronutrient bioavailability in crops through biofortification. Bananas (Musa spp.) are economically important fruit crops grown throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world where VAD is most prevalent. Some banana genotypes are rich in provitamin A carotenoids (pVACs), providing an opportunity to use bananas as a readily available vehicle for provitamin A delivery. This review summarizes the progress made in carotenoid research in bananas relative to banana diversity and the use of conventional breeding and transgenic approaches aimed at banana biofortification to address vitamin A deficiency. Existing reports on sampling strategies, pVAC retention and bioavailability are also evaluated as essential components for a successful banana biofortification effort. The wide variability of pVACs reported in banana cultivars coupled with recent advances in unravelling the diversity and genetic improvement of this globally important but often-neglected staple fruit crop underscores their importance in biofortification schemes

Variability of carotenoids in a Musa germplasm collection and implications for provitamin A biofortification

Open Access Article; Published online: 8 April 2019Bananas are important staples in tropical and sub-tropical regions and their potential as a source of provitamin A has recently attracted attention for biofortification. A collection of 189 banana genotypes (AAB-plantains, M. acuminata cultivars and bred hybrids) was screened to determine variability in fruit pulp provitamin A carotenoid (pVAC) content using high performance liquid chromatography. Total carotenoid content in tested genotypes varied from 1.45 µg/g for hybrid 25447-S7 R2P8 to 36.21 µg/g for M. acuminata cultivar ITC.0601 Hung Tu with a mean of 8.00 µg/g fresh weight. Predominant carotenoids identified were α-carotene (38.67%), trans-β-carotene (22.08%), lutein (22.08%), 13-cis-β-carotene (14.45%) and 9-cis-β-carotene (2.92%), indicating that about 78% of the carotenoids in bananas are pVAC. High pVAC genotypes were identified for integration into biofortification strategies to combat vitamin A deficiency in developing countries

Potent Plasmodium falciparum gametocytocidal compounds identified by exploring the kinase inhibitor chemical space for dual active antimalarials

OBJECTIVES : Novel chemical tools to eliminate malaria should ideally target both the asexual parasites and transmissible gametocytes. Several imidazopyridazines (IMPs) and 2-aminopyridines (2-APs) have been described as potent antimalarial candidates targeting lipid kinases. However, these have not been extensively explored for stage-specific inhibition of gametocytes in Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Here we provide an in-depth evaluation of the gametocytocidal activity of compounds from these chemotypes and identify novel starting points for dual-acting antimalarials. METHODS : We evaluated compounds against P. falciparum gametocytes using several assay platforms for cross-validation and stringently identified hits that were further profiled for stage specificity, speed of action and ex vivo efficacy. Physicochemical feature extraction and chemogenomic fingerprinting were applied to explore the kinase inhibition susceptibility profile. RESULTS : We identified 34 compounds with submicromolar activity against late stage gametocytes, validated across several assay platforms. Of these, 12 were potent at 1000-fold selectivity towards the parasite over mammalian cells. Front-runner compounds targeted mature gametocytes within 48 h and blocked transmission to mosquitoes. The resultant chemogenomic fingerprint of parasites treated with the lead compounds revealed the importance of targeting kinases in asexual parasites and gametocytes. CONCLUSIONS : This study encompasses an in-depth evaluation of the kinase inhibitor space for gametocytocidal activity. Potent lead compounds have enticing dual activities and highlight the importance of targeting the kinase superfamily in malaria elimination strategies.The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Self-initiated Research (to JN) and Strategic Health Initiatives Partnerships (MRC-SHIP) programmes to L.B., T.C., D.M. K.C. further acknowledges the SAMRC for funding of the extramural Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit at UCT. The SAMRC is acknowledged for funding of the UP ISMC (LMB) and WRIM (TLC) as Collaborating Centres for Malaria Research. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the 3R Foundation (project 118–10) to D.M. We thank the Medicines for Malaria Venture and South African Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) for funding to K.C. (Project MMV09/0002). The University of Cape Town, University of Pretoria, and South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, administered through the South African National Research Foundation are gratefully acknowledged for support to K.C. and L.B. (UID84627). JN was supported through an International Society for Infectious Diseases grant.https://academic.oup.com/jac2019-05-01hj2018Biochemistr

Usability of Pay-as-you-go Cell Phones

The goal of the current study was to assess the usability of pay-as-you-go cell phones across specific cultures-one cell phone model from Honduras and one model from the United States. Bilingual participants completed three basic tasks with both cell phones while performing the think-aloud protocol and then completed surveys evaluating their user experience. Findings revealed that participants had more difficulty and were less satisfied when using the Honduran phone to complete the tasks. Universal and cross-cultural usability heuristics are used to evaluate performance issues with the phones and provide basic design recommendations to optimize user performance with the cell phones across the two cultures