Development and Validation of Physical Education Awareness Instrument (Pea-I)

Research Background: The importance of physical education in the development of young children has long been recognized. Despite this, there is a lack of a standardized instrument to accurately measure awareness of physical education among this demographic. The absence of such a tool hampers our understanding of children's perceptions and the impact of physical education on their overall well-being. Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to develop and validate the Physical Education Awareness Instrument (PEA-I) to assess young children's awareness of physical education. Through rigorous statistical techniques, including factor analysis and reliability assessment, the study seeks to establish the validity and reliability of the newly developed instrument. Materials and Methodology: The study involved 817 participants, randomly divided into two groups. The researchers utilized the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to handle potential missing values, although none were found in the collected responses. The first half of the sample (N = 317) underwent exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using IBM SPSS 26 for Windows. Latent root criteria and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index determined the optimal number of factors, indicating significant adequacy for principal component analysis (PCA). The EFA revealed a one-factor scale, with nine items demonstrating strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.740 to 0.796). Statistical Procedure: Following the EFA, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on the second half of the sample using AMOS 23. All items in the CFA met the standard criterion, confirming the instrument's acceptable factor validity. The (PEA-I) exhibited good reliability and validity, establishing it as a robust tool to assess young children's awareness of physical education.  Results: The results solidify the PEA-I as a valid and reliable measure of physical education awareness among young children. Its factor loadings, internal consistency, and factor validity indicate its effectiveness in assessing individuals' perceived awareness of physical education accurately. Conclusion and practical implication: The (PEA-I) has practical implications, serving as a valuable tool for identifying individuals' awareness of physical education and evaluating the effectiveness of physical education programs. Its potential to aid policymakers, physical educators, and health professionals is significant, as it emphasizes the importance of physical education in overall well-being and advocates for its inclusion as a compulsory subject in schools. This study contributes substantially to the field, underscoring the significance of physical education in fostering healthier lifestyles and well-rounded individuals. The findings highlight the need for increased awareness and the positive impact of physical education on youth development, shaping the discourse on its promotion among policymakers, educators, and health professionals

Synthesis and Structural Properties of Nanocrystalline (Pb1-xBix)S Thin Films

Nanocrystalline (Pb1-xBix)S thin films were successfully deposited on suitably cleaned glass substrate at constant room temperature, using the chemical bath deposition technique. After deposition the films were also annealed at 4000C for 1 hour in air. The crystal structures of the films were determined by X-ray diffraction studies. The films are adherent to the substrate and well crystallized according to cubic structure with the preferential orientation (200). The crystallite size of the pure PbS thin films at optimized deposition time 30 min was found to be 40.4 nm, which increased with Bi content in pure nanocrystalline PbS thin films. The surface roughness of the films was measured by AFM studies. Experiments showed that the growth parameters, doping and annealing influenced the crystal structure of the films. Key word: A. Thin films, B. Chemical synthesis C. Atomic force microscopy, D. X-ray diffraction Corresponding author. Tel: +91 788 2323997; Fax: +91 788 2210163 Email address: [email protected]

Impact of Shodhana on <em>Semecarpus anacardium</em> Nuts

Semecarpus anacardium is classified in Ayurveda under the category of toxic plants. However, this toxic plant is reported to possess anti-inflammatory activity, anti-arthritic effect, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, anti- carcinogenic activity, hypoglycemic activity, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and hypolipidemic activity etc. All these activities are attributed to its various constituents like phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carbohydrates, alkaloids, steroids, etc. In Ayurveda, a series of pharmaceutical procedures which converts a poisonous drug into a safe and therapeutically effective medicine is termed as Shodhana. Shodhana improves the yield, decreases the phenolic and flavonoid content; and converts toxic urushiol into nontoxic anacardol derivative thereby reducing toxicity of nuts of Semecarpus anacardium. There are reports of alteration in pharmacology and phytochemistry of nuts of Semecarpus anacardium due to Shodhana

EvoCut : A new Generalization of Albert-Barab\'asi Model for Evolution of Complex Networks

With the evolution of social networks, the network structure shows dynamic nature in which nodes and edges appear as well as disappear for various reasons. The role of a node in the network is presented as the number of interactions it has with the other nodes. For this purpose a network is modeled as a graph where nodes represent network members and edges represent a relationship among them. Several models for evolution of social networks has been proposed till date, most widely accepted being the Barab\'asi-Albert \cite{Network science} model that is based on \emph{preferential attachment} of nodes according to the degree distribution. This model leads to generation of graphs that are called \emph{Scale Free} and the degree distribution of such graphs follow the \emph{power law}. Several generalizations of this model has also been proposed. In this paper we present a new generalization of the model and attempt to bring out its implications in real life

Butea monosperma Reduces Haloperidol and Sulpiride Induced Hyperprolactinemia in Rats

Background: Prolonged administration of neuroleptic drugs cause disrupted D dopamine receptor which leads to increased prolactin level, causes gyanaecomastia. Presently, dopamine receptor agonist is the choice of treatment for hyperprolactinemia. Aim and Objectives: The study aims to determine the antihyperprolactinemic effect of methanolic extract of Butea monosperma (MEBM) against haloperidol (HPL) and sulpiride (SPD) induced hyperprolactinemia and to correlate with its active constituents. Material and Methods: To induce hyperprolactinemia HPL 5 mg/kg for 16 continuous days and SPD 20 mg/kg for 28 continuous days was administred. MEBM 200 mg/kg/day and 400 mg/kg/day were administered for 16 and 28 days respectively half an hour before administration of HPL and SPD. The serum prolactin (PRL) level, dopamine (DA) level and antioxidant status in the rat brain, hematological parameters were measured and histological examination of the anterior pituitary gland, adrenal gland and spleen were done. In addition, antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were also estimated. Results: MEBM decreases serum PRL level and increased DA level in brain significantly. Further, MEBM also restored SOD and CAT status significantly. The inflammatory markers induced by HPL and SPD were suppressed by MEBM. Discussion: Neuronal DA inhibition by neuroleptic drugs decreases the release of DA which leads to hyperprolactinemia. MEBM (butrin) may activate DA neurones to ameliorate hyperprolactinaemia. The dopaminergic, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of MEBM may be attributed to its anti-hyperprolactinemic effect. Conclusion: Butea monosperma possesses anti-hyperprolactinemic effect which may be attributed to its marker constituent like Butrin

EvoCut: A new Generalization of Albert-Barabasi Model for Evolution of Complex Networks

With the evolution of social networks, the network structure shows dynamic nature in which nodes and edges appear as well as disappear for various reasons. The role of a node in the network is presented as the number of interactions it has with the other nodes. For this purpose a network is modeled as a graph where nodes represent network members and edges represent a relationship among them. Several models for evolution of social networks has been proposed till date, most widely accepted being the Barabasi-Albert [1] model that is based on preferential attachment of nodes according to the degree distribution. This model leads to generation of graphs that are called Scale Free and the degree distribution of such graphs follow the power law. Several generalizations of this model has also been proposed. In this paper we present a new generalization of the model and attempt to bring out its implications in real life

Biosorption Potential of Alkali Pretreated Fungal Biomass for the Removal and Detoxification of Lead Metal Ions

636-639Nowadays biosorption technology is primarily used as a potent tool for solving the environmental pollution, as compared to conventional methods because of its low cost, and environmental safety. It is not associated with secondary pollutions during its operation. The present study is based on checking the capacity of live and pretreated biomass of Aspergillus species for the biosorption of lead metal ions. Among the five species tested, the best results were obtained for A. niger. While the minimum and maximum removals of lead metal ion by live A. niger biomass were 3.84 and 16.42 mg/g at 2 mM and 9 mM concentration respectively, it was increased to 31.25 and 48.44 mg/g respectively at same base concentration for pretreated biomass. Overall, it was observed that pretreated alkali biomass of test fungal species is a potent biosorbent for the metal ions

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p&lt;0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (&lt;1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (&lt;1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Combined searches for the production of supersymmetric top quark partners in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A combination of searches for top squark pair production using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1) collected by the CMS experiment, is presented. Signatures with at least 2 jets and large missing transverse momentum are categorized into events with 0, 1, or 2 leptons. New results for regions of parameter space where the kinematical properties of top squark pair production and top quark pair production are very similar are presented. Depending on themodel, the combined result excludes a top squarkmass up to 1325 GeV for amassless neutralino, and a neutralinomass up to 700 GeV for a top squarkmass of 1150 GeV. Top squarks with masses from 145 to 295 GeV, for neutralino masses from 0 to 100 GeV, with a mass difference between the top squark and the neutralino in a window of 30 GeV around the mass of the top quark, are excluded for the first time with CMS data. The results of theses searches are also interpreted in an alternative signal model of dark matter production via a spin-0 mediator in association with a top quark pair. Upper limits are set on the cross section for mediator particle masses of up to 420 GeV