Assessing factorial and convergent validity and reliability of a food behaviour checklist for Spanish-speaking participants in US Department of Agriculture nutrition education programmes

Objective—To assess convergent validity, factorial validity, test–retest reliability and internal consistency of a diet quality food behaviour checklist (FBC) for low-literate, low-income Spanish speakers. Design—Participants (n 90) completed three dietary recalls, the Spanish-language version of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and the Spanish-language FBC. Factor structure was examined using principal component analysis. Spearman correlation coefficients between FBC item responses and nutrient intakes from 24 h recalls were used to estimate convergent validity. Correlation coefficients were also calculated between FBC item responses at two time points in another group of participants (n 71) to examine test–retest reliability. Cronbach's α coefficient was determined for items within each sub-scale. Setting—Non-profit community agencies serving low-income clients, migrant farm worker camps and low-income housing sites in four California counties. Subjects—Spanish-speaking women (n 161) who met income eligibility for the SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education). Results—Factor analysis resulted in six sub-scales. Responses to nineteen food behaviour items were significantly correlated with hypothesized 24 h recall data (with a maximum correlation of 0·44 for drinking milk and calcium) or the USDA HFSSM (0·42 with the food security item). Coefficients for test–retest reliability ranged from 0·35 to 0·79. Cronbach's α ranged from 0·49 for the diet quality sub-scale to 0·80 for the fruit and vegetable sub-scale. Conclusions—The twenty-two-item FBC and instruction guide will be used to evaluate USDA community nutrition education interventions with low-literate Spanish speakers. This research contributes to the body of knowledge about this at-risk population in California

A Study of Epiphytic and Epipelic Algae in Al-Dora Site/Tigris River in Bagdad Province- Iraq

There is a scarcity of data regarding algal flora of Tigris River in the territory of Baghdad. The present study deals with Tigris River in Al-Dora site in Baghdad province from November 2014 to June 2015 in order to shed light on its epiphytic Algae on (Phragmites australis) and epipelic algae. An amount of 183 and 154 species of epiphytic and epipelic algae are identified respectfully. The Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) are the dominant algal group followed by Cyanophyceae and Chlorophyceae. Moreover, 90 species are shared between two groups of algae (epiphytic and epipelic) and identified at the study site. Additionally, the seasonal variations and diversity of algal species are noticed. The highest number of epiphytic algae is 772.05 x 104 (cell/gm) in winter and the lowest number is 161.13 x 104 (cell/gm) in Summer; where as the highest number of epipelic algae is 20.07 x 104 (cell/ cm²) in Winter and the lowest number is 6.53 x 104 (cell/ cm²) in Summer

Unleashing the Power of Deep Attention Networks: A Comprehensive Approach for Enhanced Artificial Intelligence

Deep learning has revolutionized the field of artificial intelligence by achieving state-of-the-art performance on a variety of complex tasks. Attention mechanisms have emerged as a powerful tool to enhance the capabilities of deep neural networks by enabling them to selectively focus on relevant information. In this article, we propose a novel artificial intelligence algorithm called Deep Attention Networks (DANs), which associate multiple attention mechanisms to improve performance on interesting tasks. We evaluate DANs on benchmark datasets in natural language processing, computer vision, and speech recognition and demonstrate superior results compared to existing state-of-the-art approaches. Our approach opens up new possibilities for advancing the field of artificial intelligence and holds promise for various real-world applications. Overall, our results demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of DANs for various AI applications, and highlight the power of combining deep neural networks with attention mechanisms

Screening of Epiphytic Algae on the Aquatic Plant Phragmites australis inhabiting Tigris River in Al-Jadria Site, Baghdad, Iraq

The present work included qualitative study of epiphytic algae on dead and living stems, leaves of the aquatic plant Phragmitesaustralis Trin ex Stand, in Tigris River in AL- Jadria Site in Baghdad during Autumn 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, and Summer 2015. The physical and chemical parameters of River’s water were studied (water temperature, pH, electric conductivity, Salinity, TSS, TDS, turbidity, light intensity, dissolve oxygen, BOD5, alkalinity, total hardness, calcium, magnesium and plant nutrient). A total of 142 isolates of epiphytic algae were identified. Diatoms were dominant by 117 isolates followed by Cyanobacteria (13isolates), Chlorophyta (11 isolates) and Rhodophyta (1 isolate), Variations in the isolates number were recorded on different parts of macrophyte host as well as, indifferent seasons. Eight new algal isolates (Achnanthesexigue var. heterovalvata Krasske, Navicula exilissima Grunow, Navicula falaisiensis var lanceola Grunow, Navicula microcephalo Grunow, Pleurosigma obscurum W. Smith, Stauroneis amphioxys var. amphioxys Gregory, Stenopterobia intermedia Lewis and Audouinella hermannii Roth).were identified as new records

Assessing Face Validity of a Physical Activity Questionnaire for Spanish-Speaking Women in California

To create a culturally appropriate assessment, the study reported here developed and evaluated the face validity of a visually enhanced Spanish-language physical activity questionnaire. A professional translated the English version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and an expert panel subsequently reviewed it. Photos of individuals engaged in physical activity behaviors were added. Cognitive interviews were completed with low-income Spanish-speaking women in California (n=20). Questionnaire text was modified and then reviewed by translation experts (n=7). With a high readability score of 98, the questionnaire demonstrates adequate face validity and is ready for further validation

Determine the most important factors affecting breast cancer in Iraq

Today cancer is one of the diseases leading to death in the world in general and in the Middle East in particular, according to the reports of the World Health Organization. In spite of this, early detection through the availability of the necessary data on the disease in patients and the variety of variables studied helps in the large percentage of treatment, and that Increasing awareness among members of the Iraqi community, especially women, about breast cancer, proves its ability to recover from this disease through early and periodic examination and self-examination, and it was found that the number of injuries in terms of ages was for the second category (70-40), and this indicates that menstruation or what is known as the stage of hope is the stage that females must do early and periodic examination of this disease, and that the diagnosis of the disease was a clinical test or tissue culture, and therefore it was recommended to spread awareness for early and self-examination to detect the disease early and this greatly helps for treatment, with changing the data registration form for this type of disease to include more important variables, especially the genetic factor variable

Misreporting of Dietary Intake Affects Estimated Nutrient Intakes in Low-Income Spanish-Speaking Women

Misreporting of dietary intake affects the validity of data collected and conclusions drawn in studies exploring diet and health outcomes. One consequence of misreporting is biological implausibility. Little is known regarding how accounting for biological implausibility of reported intake affects nutrient intake estimates in Hispanics, a rapidly growing demographic in the United States. Our study explores the effect of accounting for plausibility on nutrient intake estimates in a sample of Mexican-American women in northern California in 2008. Nutrient intakes are compared with Dietary Reference Intake recommendations, and intakes of Mexican-American women in a national survey are presented as a reference. Eighty-two women provided three 24-hour recalls. Reported energy intakes were classified as biologically plausible or implausible using the reported energy intakes to total energy expenditure cutoff of 1.24, with low-active physical activity levels used to estimate total energy expenditure. Differences in the means of nutrient intakes between implausible (n=36) and plausible (n=46) reporters of energy intake were examined by bivariate linear regression. Estimated energy, protein, cholesterol, dietary fiber, and vitamin E intakes were significantly higher in plausible reporters than implausible. There was a significant difference between the proportions of plausible vs implausible reporters meeting recommendations for several nutrients, with a larger proportion of plausible reporters meeting recommendations. Further research related to misreporting in Hispanic populations is warranted to explore the causes and effects of misreporting in studies measuring dietary intake, as well as actions to be taken to prevent or account for this issue

A First Order Non-Stationary Seasonal Autoregressive Model With a Random Coefficient Parameter

This research aims to study a first-order seasonal autoregressive model with a random parameter taking different formulas and following the effect of the season on this parameter, assuming that the random errors of the model follows a standard normal distribution. Samples were selected (30, 60, 150, 240) and season lengths (4, 12) and the experiment was repeated 5000 times. One of the main findings is that the value of MSE decreases when increases in sample size and length of the season. Also, it is possible to estimate the parameter value of the model by traditional methods, even if it is a random coefficient. It is also noticed that the model (6) has the lowest MSE value for all sample sizes and different season lengths. Keywords: Non-Stationary, Autoregressive Model, Seasonal, Random Coefficient,  Exact Likelihood Metho

Acculturation, physical activity and television viewing in Hispanic women: findings from the 2005 California Women's Health Survey

Objective—To assess the relationship of acculturation with physical activity and sedentary behaviours among Hispanic women in California. Design—Data from the 2005 California Women's Health Survey (CWHS) – a cross-sectional telephonic survey of health indicators and health-related behaviours and attitudes – were used. Setting—Using a random-digit dialling process, data were collected monthly from January to December 2005. Subjects—A total of 1298 women aged ≥18 years in California who self-identified as Hispanic. Results—Of the participants included in the analysis, 49% were adherent to physical activity recommendations (with 150 min of weekly activity signifying adherence). There was no significant association between language acculturation and moderate or vigorous physical activity after controlling for potential confounders such as smoking, age and employment status. There was also no association between duration of residence in the USA and moderate or vigorous physical activity. Language acculturation was positively associated with television (TV) viewing, with highly acculturated women reporting more hours of TV viewing compared with women with an intermediate acculturation score (P=0.0001), and those with an intermediate score reporting more hours of TV viewing compared with those with a low score (P=0.003). This relationship persisted after inclusion of smoking, employment status, age and education in the model. Conclusions—Higher levels of language acculturation may be associated with increased sedentary behaviours because of the influence of US culture on those women who have assimilated to the culture. Acculturation is an important factor to be taken into account when designing health education interventions for the Hispanic female population