Obesity Prevalence and Dietary Intake of Antioxidants in Native American Adolescents

Antioxidants are well known for possessing anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce the risk of chronic disease and obesity. However, very little research has been done to examine antioxidant intake among adolescent minority populations such as Native American adolescents. Our study examined the significance of antioxidant intake among Native American adolescents at an urban residential high school in Southern California. Our study population consisted of 183 male and female Native American adolescents, 14-18 years of age, representing 43 tribes from across the United States. Students' primary source of meals was provided by the school food service. Based on the BMI calculations, the rate of obesity within our population was 38% for males and 40% for females, more than two-fold the national rate indicated by NHANESIII data. We used the Harvard School of Public Health Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire (HSPH YAQ), a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, to examine antioxidant nutrient intake and evaluate the differences in the intake between normal and obese weight students. Statistical analysis of the results showed that intakes of vitamins C, E, and lycopene were the antioxidant nutrients found to be significantly different between normal and obese weight students and intakes of these nutrients were found to be higher among normal weight students (p-values = 0.02451, 0.00847, and 0.04928, respectively). These results suggest that dietary intake of antioxidants could be increased among Native American adolescents. Further research is needed to confirm our findings and identify effective ways for school food service to incorporate antioxidant rich foods into school menus

Estudio faunístico del macizo de Quinto Real. I. Acaros Oribátidos (Acari, Oribatei)

Se han estudiado 3.995 ejemplares de ácaros oribátidos (Acari, Òribatei) de 65 muestras pertenecientes a dos hayedos de Quinto Real (Pirineos Occidentales), correspondientes a 69 especies de 43 géneros. Diez especies son nuevas para la Fauna de España Damaeus verticillipes (Nicolet) , Cepheus tuberoulosus Strenzke, Liaoarus tremella (Linneo), Cara bodes femoralis (Nicolet) , Carabodes retioulatus Berlese, Oppia translamellata~ (Willmann) , Oribella paolii Oudemans, Phauloppia luoorum (Linneo) , Bdwardzetes edwardsii (Nicolet) y Ophidiotrichus aonexus borussica (Sellnick) . Se dan las características climatológicas, geológicas, edafológicas y florísticas del biotopo

Microgrids Views From a Geographic Information System

Currently, Ecuador advocates a change in the energy matrix, academic centers should develop a strategy that allows them to short and medium-term training specialists give technical responses to this proposal it must create the conditions in college so that future generations be able to link the processes of investment in energy with the territorial space. The Technical University of Manabí (UTM) has proposed a research project funded by the National Secretary of Planning and Development of Ecuador (Senplades), aimed at boosting sustainable energy solutions that are based on the technical philosophy of microgrids with the use of renewable energy sources (RES). In this paper the spatial information related to solar energy potential of the province of Manabí, Ecuador\u27s, managed by a geographic information system (GIS) as an integration tool that provides information on objectives that interact with microgrids shown, also the importance of its use as a management tool projects related to the use of RES and instrumentation aimed at ensuring innovative solutions to support the change of energy matrix from a territorial perspective is exposed

Changes in whole body bone mineral composition in a community-based pilot study designed for Mexican-American women at risk for type II diabetes

Changes in whole body bone mineral composition in a community-based pilot study designed for Mexican-American women at risk for type II diabetes David C. Castillo, B.S., Maria G. Placeres, B.S., Arely Perez, M.S., Danielle M. Bravo, B.S., Donovan L. Fogt, Ph.D., Zenong Yin, Ph.D. Mobile Health Laboratory, Department of Health and Kinesiology The University of Texas at San Antonio Classification of First Author (Master’s) Background: Osteoporosis is a serious public health concern in the United States that is expected to increase over the next several years, especially in women. The US Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health states that individuals can decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis with proper combinations of nutrition and physical activity. Diet and exercise are two important factors that have been shown to prevent or delay the onset of type II diabetes, another national top health concern. Intensive lifestyle interventions, such as The Diabetes Prevention Program have shown that type II diabetes can be delayed or prevented by losing moderate amounts of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity. It is not clear if a lifestyle intervention can impact bone health. Purpose: This pilot study examined the effects of lifestyle intervention (dietary and physical activity behavior modification) on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC). The intervention was a 14-week community-based pilot study, based on The Diabetes Prevention Program, designed to reduce risk for type II diabetes in high-risk Mexican American women. The research questions were: Did the lifestyle intervention affect the outcome measures (BMC and BMD)? Were there differences in BMC and BMD between age groups (low-age ≤45 yrs. vs. high-age \u3e45 yrs.)? Were there differences in BMC and BMD between body weight groups (≤78 kg vs. \u3e78.1 kg)? Methods: The study used a one-group pre- and post-test design. Twenty-five non-diabetic Mexican-American females (average age = 45, SD = 10.9; BMI 25-40) participated in a 14-week lifestyle intervention pilot study. Changes in BMD (g/cm2) and BMC (g) were measured at baseline and 14 weeks after baseline using whole body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Results: results of paired t-test showed a significant increase in whole body BMC (p\u3c .0001) and a marginally significant increase in whole body BMD (p\u3c .06). Results of Analysis of Covariance revealed no significant difference in BMC between age groups and a marginally significant increase of BMD (p\u3c .07) in younger participants compared to older participants, after controlling pretest measure. There was a significant increase in BMC (p\u3c .01) and a marginally significant increase in BMD (p\u3c .08) in the high-body weight group compared to the low weight group after controlling for pretest measure. Conclusions: A lifestyle intervention that utilized a combination of physical activity and dietary modification showed great promise toward preventing the onset of osteoporosis, especially in heavier Mexican-American women

First Study of a HEXITEC Detector for Secondary Particle Characterisation during Proton Beam Therapy

Online proton range verification is a rapidly emerging field characterised by its ability to reduce the error margins during proton beam therapy, as it is patient-specific and in vivo. In particular, secondary prompt gamma detection is a promising tool to monitor the dose delivery. The present research evaluates the capability of a HEXITEC detector to identify the prompt gammas produced during proton beam therapy, and assesses its potential for online range verification. To achieve this, the detector is placed at one side of a water phantom, which is irradiated at different proton energies in the University College London Hospital Proton Centre. For further analysis, Monte Carlo simulations are performed using Geant4 and the same geometry as the experiment. The results show that HEXITEC has the potential to be part of a detection system that could identify secondary prompt gammas within the secondary field produced inside the target, allowing for the in-detector discrimination of these particles via cluster size analysis. The comparison between data sets shows that there is a high level of accuracy between the model and the experimental measurements in terms of secondary flux and charge diffusion inside the detector, which poses the model as a fundamental tool for future optimisation studies

Diet modulates cecum bacterial diversity and physiological phenotypes across the BXD mouse genetic reference population.

The BXD family has become one of the preeminent genetic reference populations to understand the genetic and environmental control of phenotypic variation. Here we evaluate the responses to different levels of fat in the diet using both chow diet (CD, 13-18% fat) and a high-fat diet (HFD, 45-60% fat). We studied cohorts of BXD strains, both inbred parents C57BL/6J and DBA/2J (commonly known as B6 and D2, respectively), as well as B6D2 and D2B6 reciprocal F1 hybrids. The comparative impact of genetic and dietary factors was analyzed by profiling a range of phenotypes, most prominently their cecum bacterial composition. The parents of the BXDs and F1 hybrids express limited differences in terms of weight and body fat gain on CD. In contrast, the strain differences on HFD are substantial for percent body fat, with DBA/2J accumulating 12.5% more fat than C57BL/6J (P < 0.0001). The F1 hybrids born to DBA/2J dams (D2B6F1) have 10.6% more body fat (P < 0.001) than those born to C57BL/6J dams. Sequence analysis of the cecum microbiota reveals important differences in bacterial composition among BXD family members with a substantial shift in composition caused by HFD. Relative to CD, the HFD induces a decline in diversity at the phylum level with a substantial increase in Firmicutes (+13.8%) and a reduction in Actinobacteria (-7.9%). In the majority of BXD strains, the HFD also increases cecal sIgA (P < 0.0001)-an important component of the adaptive immunity response against microbial pathogens. Host genetics modulates variation in cecum bacterial composition at the genus level in CD, with significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for Oscillibacter mapped to Chr 3 (18.7-19.2 Mb, LRS = 21.4) and for Bifidobacterium mapped to Chr 6 (89.21-89.37 Mb, LRS = 19.4). Introduction of HFD served as an environmental suppressor of these QTLs due to a reduction in the contribution of both genera (P < 0.001). Relations among liver metabolites and cecum bacterial composition were predominant in CD cohort, but these correlations do not persist following the shift to HFD. Overall, these findings demonstrate the important impact of environmental/dietary manipulation on the relationships between host genetics, gastrointestinal bacterial composition, immunological parameters, and metabolites-knowledge that will help in the understanding of the causal sources of metabolic disorders

Multiwavelength study of the starburst galaxy NGC7714. I: Ultraviolet-Optical spectroscopy

We have studied the physical conditions in the central 300 pc of the proto-typical starburst galaxy NGC 7714. Our analysis is based on ultraviolet spectroscopy with the HST+GHRS and ground-based optical observations.The data are interpreted using evolutionary models optimized for young starburst regions. The massive stellar population is derived in a self-consistent way using the continuum and stellar absorption lines in the ultraviolet and the nebular emission line optical spectrum. The central starburst has an age of about 4.5 Myr, with little evidence for an age spread. Wolf-Rayet features at the ultraviolet indicates a stellar population of $\sim$ 2000 Wolf-Rayet stars. The overall properties of the newly formed stars are quite similar to those derived, e.g., in 30 Doradus. A standard Salpeter IMF is consistent with all observational constraints. We find evidence for spatial structure within the central 300 pc sampled. Therefore it is unlikely that the nucleus of NGC 7714 hosts a single star cluster exceeding the properties of other known clusters. Contrary to previous suggestions, we find no evidence for a nuclear supernova rate that would significantly exceed the total disk-integrated rate. About one supernova event per century is predicted.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures in a tar file. Accepted for publication in ApJ, 1999, March, issue 51

The zDHHC family of S-acyltransferases

The discovery of the zDHHC family of S-acyltransferase enzymes has been one of the major breakthroughs in the S-acylation field. Now, more than a decade since their discovery, major questions centre on profiling the substrates of individual zDHHC enzymes (there are 24 ZDHHC genes and several hundred S-acylated proteins), defining the mechanisms of enzyme-substrate specificity and unravelling the importance of this enzyme family for cellular physiology and pathology