School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity

In light of the recent rise in childhood obesity, the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) have received renewed attention, despite the fact that they have existed for decades. The SBP, in particular, is viewed as a potentially important component of any policy reform designed to combat the increased prevalence of overweight children given the importance attributed to a nutritious breakfast. Using panel data on over 13,500 students from kindergarten through third grade, we assess the relationship between SBP and NSLP participation on (relatively) long-run measures of child weight. While we find more mixed evidence on the association between NSLP participation and child weight, we obtain a relatively robust positive association between SBP participation and child weight, particularly for white children, entering kindergarten in the `normal' weight range, with mothers of moderate education.

Human Identification Model Considering Biometrics Features

In the medical field, brain classification is an effective technique for identifying a person through his brain print based on the hidden biometrics of high specificity included in the magnetic resonance images(MRI) of the brain, as this privacy strongly contributes to the issue of verification and identification of the person. In this paper, the brain print is extracted from the MRI obtained from 50 healthy people, which were passed through several pre-processing techniques in order to be used in the classification stage through convolutional neural network model, among those pre-classification stages, data collection after extracting the influential features for each image, which was based on linear discrimination analysis (LDA). The experimental results showed the importance of using LDA for feature extraction and adoption as input for K-NN and CNN classifiers. The classifiers proved successful in the classification if the features extracted with the help of LDA were adopted. Where CNN had the ability to classify with an accuracy of 99%, 82% for K-NN. The final stage in identifying a person through a brain fingerprint relied mainly on the model's success in classifying and predicting the remaining data in the testing stage

Evaluation of 4-Aminoquinoline Hydrazone Analogues as Potential Leads for Drug-Resistant Malaria

The emergence of resistance to first-line antimalarial drugs calls for the development of new therapies for drug-resistant malaria. The efficacy of quinoline-based antimalarial drugs has prompted the development of novel quinolines. A panel of 4-aminoquinoline hydrazone analogues were tested on the multidrug-resistant K1 strain of Plasmodium falciparum: IC50 values after a 48 h cycle ranged from 0.60 to 49 µM, while the 72 h cycle ranged from 0.026 to 0.219 μM. Time-course assays were carried out to define the activity of the lead compounds, which inhibited over 50% growth in 24 h and 90% growth in 72 h. Cytotoxicity assays with HepG2 cells showed IC50 values of 0.87–11.1 μM, whereas in MDBK cells, IC50 values ranged from 1.66 to 11.7 μM. High selectivity indices were observed for the lead compounds screened at 72 h on P. falciparum. Analyses of stage specificity revealed that the ring stages of the parasite life cycle were most affected. Based on antimalarial efficacy and in vitro safety profiles, lead compound 4-(2-benzylidenehydrazinyl)-6-methoxy-2-methylquinoline 2 was progressed to drug combination studies for the detection of synergism, with a combinatory index of 0.599 at IC90 for the combination with artemether, indicating a synergistic antimalarial activity. Compound 2 was screened on different strains of P. falciparum (3D7, Dd2), which maintained similar activity to K1, suggesting no cross-resistance between multidrug resistance and sensitive parasite strains. In vivo analysis with 2 showed the suppression of parasitaemia with P. yoelii NL (non-lethal)-treated mice (20 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg)

Applications of Compound Nanotechnology and Twisted Inserts for Enhanced Heat Transfer

Nanoadditives are a type of heat transfer enhancement techniques adopted in heat exchangers to improve the performance of industrial plants through improvement of the thermal properties of base fluids. Recently, various types of inserts with nanofluids are adopted to enhance the thermal performance of double pipe heat exchangers. In the current article, TiO2/water nanofluid with multiple twisted tape inserts was investigated as a hybrid enhancement technique of heat transfer in straight pipes. The investigations were carried out experimentally and numerically at Reynolds numbers varied from 5000 to 20,000. Using nanofluid with 0.1% TiO2 nanoparticles volume fraction demonstrated enhanced heat transfer with slight increase in pressure drop. Results are showing a maximum increase of 110.8% in Nusselt number in a tube fitted with quintuple twisted tape inserts with 25.2% increase in the pressure drop. However, as the article is representing a part of specified book on heat exchangers, the literature has been extended to provide sufficient background to the reader on the use of nanotech, twisted inserts, and hybrid of compound nanofluids and inserts to enhance heat transfer processes

Predictors of First-Year Sultan Qaboos University Students’ Grade Point Average

This study investigated predictors of first-year university grade point average (GPA) using academic and non-academic variables. Data were collected from 1511 Omani students selected conveniently from the population of students entering Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Fall 2010. Variables considered in the analysis were general education diploma average score, university readiness, critical thinking skills, motivational traits, learning strategies, gender, type of school education, type of first admitted college, and overall performance on the foundation placement tests. Results of the stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the final full model included general education diploma average score, gender, overall performance on the foundation placement tests, type of college, extrinsic goal orientation, university readiness, and critical thinking as collectively statistically significant predictors of the grade point average; accounting for 26.8% of the variance in the grade point average. Research and practical implications for the study of university student success are discussed. Keywords: first-year university, academic achievement, university GPA, motivation, learning strategies, predictive validit

Sexuality, rights and personhood: tensions in a transnational world

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This article discusses what happens when normative ‘global’ discourses of rights and individuated sexual identity confront the messiness of ‘local’ realities. It considers the tensions that emerge when the relationship between sexual and social identities is not obvious and the implications of such tensions for public health and sexual rights activism. These questions are addressed through debates over the naming of male-to-male sexualities and desires in the context of globalization and the growth of a large NGO (non-governmental organization) sector in urban Bangladesh.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The material in the paper draws on a research project undertaken in 2008-9 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A fundamental objective was to produce a contextualized understanding of sexuality in Dhaka city. Methods used included structured interviews, focus group discussions and informal conversations with a range of participants (students, factory workers, public health professionals and sexual minorities). The aim was to generate a conceptual and analytical framework around sexuality and rights rather than to undertake an empirical survey of any one population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>As descriptors, globalized identity categories such as Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), used by public health providers, the state and donors; and gay/lesbian, invoked by human rights activists and transnational NGOs, are too narrow to capture the fluid and highly context-specific ways in which gender and sexually nonconforming persons understand themselves in Bangladesh. Further, class position mediates to a significant degree the reception, appropriation or rejection of transnational categories such as MSM and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT). The tension is reflected in the sometimes fraught relations between service providers to MSM, the people they serve and an emerging group who identify as LGBT.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A simple politics of recognition will be inadequate to the task of promoting health and human rights for all; such a strategy would effectively exclude individuals who do not necessarily connect their sexual practices with a specific sexual or social identity.</p

Evaluating the effectiveness of spaced practice using computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in teaching and learning English vocabulary in the classroom: the case of Oman

This study aimed to investigate the impact of time distribution (i.e. spacing between practice sessions; intensive versus spaced) on vocabulary learning and retention in low-ability learners of L2 English using a Computer-assisted Language Learning tool (Quizlet), applied in actual practice at an Omani College of Technology. It also explored teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the use and implementation of Quizlet, in terms of its perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU) and behavioural intention (BI). A quasi-experimental design was adopted. The sample was drawn from six intact Level 1 classes from the English Language Center (ELC) at the College, comprising four teachers and 96 students. Students were allocated to three groups: intensive (1 day between practice sessions); spaced (7 days between practice sessions); and a test-only control group. The Experimental Groups (Intensive and Spaced) received four practice sessions (of 20 minutes each) to rehearse the target words. Baseline tests (the 2,000-5,000 vocabulary level test, a background questionnaire and working memory test) and three performance tests (pre-, immediate post- and delayed post-tests) were completed by all three groups. To investigate the participants’ perceptions of using Quizlet, interviews were conducted with the teachers, and the questionnaire was administered to students from both Experimental Groups. Both Experimental Groups demonstrated significant improvement in the immediate post-test, which they maintained in the delayed post-tests. Both groups scored significantly higher than the Control Group, who did not demonstrate any change over the three performance tests. Moreover, no significant differences were found between the Experimental Groups. Therefore, the findings suggest that there is no optimal spacing for better retention. In addition, both the teachers and students generally considered Quizlet to be easy to use and beneficial for vocabulary learning and expressed their willingness to use it in future

Histological study on the beneficial effect of Spirulina for aorta from damage induced by D-galactose

Spirulinal powder supplementation is being studied to see if it can help slow the progression of aging in the heart. As a control group, twenty male rabbits were randomly and equally divided into four groups, each receiving 150 mg/kg BW of d-galactose S/C daily as Group II; 500 mg/kg BW of Spirulinal orally as Group III; and 150 mg/kg BW daily S/C administration of d-galactose with 500 mg/kg BW orally as Group IV for four weeks. Using the specific stain Masson's Trichrome, stained sections of the aorta from the D-gal group (GII) and the combination group (CII) exhibit histological changes in the tissue (GIV). Tissue slices stained with Masson's Trichrome stain reveal the location of collagen and muscle fiber accumulation, which appears as a red keratin and muscle fiber accumulation area. Our findings show that Spirulinal powder, a feed supplement, has a protective effect against heart aging

Evaluating the impact of spaced practice using computer-assisted language learning (CALL) on vocabulary learning in the classroom

This study investigated the influence of practice distribution (i.e. spacing between practice sessions) on successful vocabulary learning by examining two different time distributions, i.e. 1-day spacing (1-DS) versus 7-day spacing (7-DS) using a freely available computer-assisted language learning programme (Quizlet). The study achieved high ecological validity through a classroom-based study with low proficiency L2 English language learners at an Omani college of technology. The sample consisted of 96 participants in Control (n=33), 1-DS (n=34) and 7-DS (n=29) Groups. The Control Group was a test-only group with no explicit practice activities for the target words (34 nouns). Meanwhile, the 1-DS Group (one day spacing between each practice session) and 7-DS Group (seven day spacing between each practice session) received four 20-minute practice sessions using Quizlet to learn the target words. The participants completed baseline tests, including vocabulary level tests (VLTs), and working memory tests (WMTs), alongside performance tests at three time points (pre-, immediate post-, delayed post-test). The results revealed that the two experimental Groups (1-DS, 7-DS) both scored significantly and equally higher than the Control Group at post-test, indicating that the spacing of practice sessions did not mediate learning success through this computer-based vocabulary practice. The technique feature analysis (TFA) model by Nation and Webb (2011) was applied to identify the key features of Quizlet activities, which may contribute to its effectiveness for vocabulary learning. The results revealed that the activities met a high percentage of the TFA criteria, which may account for the significant learning gains achieved by both the 1-DS and 7-DS groups

Preventive role of spirulina on the some biomarkers in heart aging induced by D- galactose on the male rabbits

The aim of this study is to investigate the preventive role of food supplementation with Spirulina powder in the heart aging. Twenty male rabbits randomly and equally divided into four groups, normal as control group GI, animals received 150 mg/kg BW S/C daily of D-galactos as GII, animals were received 500mg/kg BW orally of Spirulina as GIII while GIV group was recived 150 mg/kg BW daily S/C administration of D-galactos with 500mg/kg BW orally of Spirulina for four weeks. The results of the study showed a significant decrease in Cardiac troponin I and Peroxynitrate with a significant increase in Nitric oxide and Glutathione in group received Spirulina compared with aging group GII. Conclusion, our result indicate the feed supplement of Spirulina powder caused preventive role against heart aging