Evaluation of nutritional status among school-aged children in rural Kwahu-eastern region, Ghana; anthropometric measures and environmental influences

School-age children in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to undernutrition as the priority of nutritional interventions focus on fetal development and the first years of life. This study examines anthropometric indices of school-age children in five communities located in rural Kwahu-Eastern Region, Ghana, West Africa and discusses environmental influences that contribute to their nutritional and growth status. Anthropometric indices of heights and weights were obtained from 411 school- aged children, (5-12 years old) in 5 villages (Asakraka, Awiseasu, Miaso, Oframase and Oworobong) during June 2012. Anthropometric parameters and influences that contributed to nutritional status (environmental, health facilities, availability of markets and gender) were assessed. Factorial ANOVAs were conducted with age, gender and village as factors for the z-score for ‘BMI-for-age’ and the z-score for ‘height-for-age’. The z-score of ‘BMI-for-age’ showed a significant two-way interaction effect between ‘Age’ and ‘Village’, F (4, 391) = 6.06, p-value < 0.001, η2 = 0.06. The mean z-score for ‘BMI- for-age’ was significantly lower for older children in Oframase. The z-score of ‘Height-for-age’ showed a small but significant three-way interaction effect among ‘Age’, ‘Gender’, and ‘Village’, F (4, 391) = 3.79, p-value = 0.005, η2 = 0.04. The mean z-score for ‘Height-for-age’ was significantly lower in older children (ages 10-12 years) in all villages except Asakraka. Lower mean z-score for ‘Height-for-age’ in older children (ages 10-12 years) remains to be significant in boys in villages of Awiseasu and Oworobong and in girls in villages of Awiseasu, Miaso and Oframase. Children in isolated communities are at increased risk for lower z-scores in ‘Height-for-age’ and ‘BMI-for-age’. Communities with a clinic, paved road and established infrastructure did not demonstrate evidence of chronic malnutrition. Acute malnutrition in the form of lower z-scores was demonstrated in older children in Oframase. Gender disparities are present and increased awareness of the nutritional status of girls needs to be addressed.Keywords: Nutrition, School children, Ghana, Environmen

Elliptic integral solutions of spatial elastica of a thin straight rod bent under concentrated terminal forces

In this article we solve in closed form a system of nonlinear differential equations modelling the elastica in space of a thin, flexible, straight rod, loaded by a constant thrust at its free end. Common linearizations of strength of materials are of course not applicable any way, because we analyze great deformations, even if not so large to go off the linear elasticity range. By passing to cylindrical coordinates ρ, θ, z, we earn a more tractable differential system evaluating ρ as elliptic function of polar anomaly θ and also providing z through elliptic integrals of I and III kind. Deformed rod’s centerline is then completely described under both tensile or compressive load. Finally, the planar case comes out as a degeneracy, where the Bernoulli lemniscatic integral appears

Influência do intervalo de tempo entre as sessões de alongamento no ganho de flexibilidade dos isquiotibiais Influence of the time interval between stretching sessions on increased hamstring flexibility

CONTEXTO: A otimização do treino de flexibilidade está relacionada com o uso de parâmetros adequados de alongamento. Entretanto, o intervalo de tempo adequado entre as sessões de alongamento tem sido pouco investigado. OBJETIVO: Verificar se a variação no intervalo de tempo entre sessões de alongamento influencia no ganho de flexibilidade. MÉTODOS: 28 mulheres, com idade de 22,5 ± 1,8 anos, foram distribuídas aleatoriamente em três grupos. Aplicaram-se 10 sessões de alongamento nos isquiotibiais do membro direito. O grupo 0X (n = 8) foi o controle e não recebeu alongamento. O grupo 3X (n = 10) alongou três vezes por semana (intervalo de 48 horas) e o grupo 5X (n = 10), cinco vezes (intervalo de 24 horas). Aplicaram-se 10 sessões de alongamento (sustentar-relaxar) nos isquiotibiais direitos. As medidas foram tomadas por análise fotométrica no programa AutoCad® 2000. A análise estatística foi realizada com ANOVA e teste post hoc de Newman-Keuls adotando um p-valor referencial de 0,05. RESULTADOS: Após 10 sessões, identificou-se aumento da flexibilidade nos grupos experimentais, porém sem diferença entre estes. O grupo 3X aumentou significativamente a partir do 10º dia do programa (quinta sessão) e o grupo 5X, a partir do terceiro (terceira sessão). CONCLUSÕES: O alongamento aumenta a flexibilidade dos isquiotibiais, independente do tempo entre as sessões (24 ou 48 horas); e a variável tempo não influencia o ganho de flexibilidade total. Porém, com cinco sessões semanais, ganha-se flexibilidade mais rapidamente. Isso sugere que o ganho de flexibilidade é sessão-dependente.<br>CONTEXT: The optimization of flexibility training is related to the use of ideal stretching parameters. However, the time interval between sessions has been little investigated. OBJECTIVE: To verify if the variation in time interval between stretching sessions influences in flexibility gain. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-eight women, average age of 22.5 ± 1.8 years, were randomly distributed into three groups. Group 0X was the control and performed no stretching. Group 3X (n = 10) took part in three sessions per week (interval = 48 hours) and group 5X (n = 10) in five times (interval = 24 hours). Ten stretching sessions were applied (hold-relax) to the right hamstring. The measurement of active knee extension was performed using photometric analyses on AutoCAD® 2000 software. Statistical analysis was carried out with ANOVA and Newman-Keuls post hoc test for a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: After 10 sessions, increased flexibility was identified in the experimental groups (p < 0.01), but with no difference between them. Group 3X significantly increased flexibility from the tenth day of the program (fifth session) and group 5X from the third day (third session). CONCLUSIONS: Stretching increases hamstring flexibility, regardless of the time between sessions (24 or 48 hours). Moreover, the interval between the sessions does not influence total flexibility gain. However, with five weekly stretching sessions, flexibility increases more rapidly than it does with three, suggesting that flexibility gain is session-dependent

Taxonomy and DNA phylogeny of Diatrypaceae associated with Vitis vinifera and other woody plants in Australia

The Diatrypaceae occur worldwide and comprise a number of pathogens of woody crops, forest and ornamental tree species. Despite the taxonomic difficulties within this family, interest in the Diatrypaceae has increased recently, mainly due to the recent detection of these fungi in the premium grape growing regions of California. In the present study, we investigated the diversity and host range of diatrypaceous fungi from prominent wine grape growing regions in South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia. Approximately 100 isolates were collected from grapevine and other woody plants and compared with reference collections from the United States and Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of the complete sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA and partial sequence of the β-tubulin gene, combined with morphological analyses separated 12 species. These included the previously described species Cryptovalsa ampelina, C. rabenhorstii, Diatrype brunneospora, Eutypa lata, E. leptoplaca, Eutypella australiensis, E. citricola, a Cryptosphaeria sp. and a Diatrype sp., whereas Diatrypella vulgaris, Eutypella cryptovalsoidea and E. microtheca are described as new. Seven species were isolated from grapevine but the prevalence of Diatrypaceae in grapevine cankers varied among the regions surveyed. In many instances in WA and NSW, these newly reported fungi were more widespread and abundant than E. lata. This study provides new information to assist with diagnosis of the causal agents of dieback and canker diseases in Australia and development of management strategies. Further studies to characterize the pathogenicity of diatrypaceous species to grapevines and to elucidate the biology of these fungi are underway.Trouillas Florent P., Pitt Wayne M., Sosnowski Mark R., Huang Rujuan, Peduto Francesca, Loschiavo Adrian, Savocchia Sandra, Scott Eileen S. and Gubler Walter D