Poor diet quality is associated with low CD4 count and anemia and predicts mortality among antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV-positive adults in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the association between dietary diversity and CD4 count, moderate anemia, and mortality among 876 antiretroviral therapy-naive people living with HIV/AIDS infection (PLHIV) in Uganda. METHODS: Participants were interviewed and followed for an average of 21.6 months. Dietary diversity was measured using the Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS) (range, 0-12) and summarized into an overall measure and disaggregated into nutrient-rich food groups (range, 0-7), cereals, roots, and tubers (range, 0\x{2013} 2); and oils, fats, sugars, and condiments (range, 0\x{2013} 3). We determined the cross-sectional associations between dietary diversity and (1) immunosuppression (CD4 count ≤ 350 cells/μL) and (2) moderate anemia (hemoglobin 350 CD4 cells per microliter, but not those with CD4 count ≤350 cells per microliter, consumption of nutrient-rich food groups was associated with a lower odds of moderate anemia (adjusted odds ratio, 0.57; 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.96). During follow-up, 48 participants (5.6%) died (mortality rate of 3.1 per 100 person-years). IDDS was inversely associated with mortality [adjusted hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.91]. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that diet quality is an important determinant of HIV disease severity and mortality in antiretroviral therapy-naive PLHIV

Information Flow and Influence during Collective Search, Discussion, and Choice

If decision-relevant information is distributed among team members, the group is inclined to focus on shared information and to neglect unshared information, resulting often in suboptimal decisions. This classical finding is robust in experimental settings, in which the distribution of information is created artificially by an experimenter. The current paper looks at information sharing effects when access to information is not restricted, and decision makers are very familiar with the decision task. We analyzed archival search and discussion data obtained from business executives completing a personnel selection exercise. Information popularity in the population from which groups were composed predicted number of group members accessing items during information searches and whether the group discussed the items. The number of group members who accessed an item predicted whether information was repeated during discussion, and repetition predicted which items were included on an executive summary. Moreover, cognitively central group members were more influential than cognitively peripheral members. One implication is that collective decision making amplifies what is commonly known at the expense of disseminating what is not.Information Sharing, Cognitive Centrality, Group Decision Making, Collective Choice, Archival Data

Search for Squeezed-Pair Correlations at RHIC

Squeezed correlations of particle-antiparticle pairs, also called Back-to-Back Correlations, are predicted to appear if the hadron masses are modified in the hot and dense hadronic medium formed in high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. Although well-established theoretically, the squeezed-particle correlations have not yet been searched for experimentally in high energy hadronic or heavy ion collisions, clearly requiring optimized forms to experimentally search for this effect. Within a non-relativistic treatment developed earlier we show that one promising way to search for the BBC signal is to look into the squeezed correlation function of pairs of phi-mesons at RHIC energies, plotted in terms of the average momentum of the pair, K12=(k1+k2)/2. This variable's modulus, 2|K12|, is the non-relativistic limit of the variable Q_bbc, introduced herewith. The squeezing effects on the HBT correlation function are also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. To be published in the Proceedings of Quark Matter 2008, Jaipur, Indi

The Effect of Maternal Traumatic Life Events and Social Support on Maternal-Child Interaction at Child Age 3 Years

Introduction: Becoming a parent is a very important role and responsibility in people’s lives and knowing the role traumatic life events (TLEs) may play on a mother-child relationship is a very important area to explore. TLEs are known to have adverse effect on individuals; however, little is known regarding the effect of maternal TLEs on maternal-child interaction. Social support has been known to positively affect the overall wellbeing of individuals, but little is known about the effect of social support on mothers who experienced TLEs and interaction with their children thus the need for this study. This study examines the effect of maternal TLEs and social support on maternal-child interaction. The Child Health Assessment Model and the Barnard Model will be used in this study. This study will examine the occurrence and severity of maternal TLEs and levels of social support and their relationship with sociodemographic factors of mothers and their 3-year-olds. It will examine the relationship between maternal TLEs, and maternal-child interaction measured by the NCAST Parent-Child Interaction (PCI) Teaching scale at child age 3 years; maternal social support and maternal-child interaction at child age 3 years; maternal TLEs and social support with maternal-child interaction at child age 3 years. Method: This study was a secondary analysis of data from the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) study, a longitudinal cohort study designed to improve the health, development, and well-being of children in Shelby County, Tennessee. Researchers recruited 1503 women in their second trimester of pregnancy. Data were collected at the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, at the child\u27s birth, and from mother-child dyads at different points through child age three years. Nine hundred and eighty-six mother-child dyads were included in this analysis. Data analysis was performed using R version 4.0.3 (2020-10-10). The CANDLE Study Publications and Presentations Committee approved a Manuscript Analysis Plan Proposal prior to conducting this study. Results: Children and mothers were largely Black/African American (65.2%), and 34.8% were White. TLEs were associated with sociodemographic variables such as age, education, race, marital status, and child sex—with increased TLEs among Black/African American mothers, divorced/separated/widowed mothers, and mothers without college/professional degree, older mothers reported a lower number of ACEs than younger mothers. Mothers of male children reported fewer events associated with fear and helplessness than mothers of female children. Mother Total score and Contingency score were associated with several sociodemographic variables. Mothers with private health insurance for children ages 2- and 3-years had higher PCI Teaching scale scores. Mothers with at least a college degree at enrollment, child age 2, and child age 3 had higher PCI Teaching scale scores than mothers with no college degree. In the univariate analysis, we did not observe a significant association between maternal TLEs in the third trimester and maternal-child interaction at child age 3 years. When both maternal traumatic life events at the third trimester and social support are included, both were significantly associated with maternal-child interaction at child age 3 years. Although the associations between TLEs and PCI Teaching scale scores were non-significant the number of individuals providing social support was associated with PCI Teaching scale scores. More individuals providing social support was associated with increased PCI Teaching scale Mother-child Total (p \u3c 0.0001) and Mother-child Contingency scores (p \u3c 0.0001). Health insurance was associated with PCI Teaching scale scores — having private insurance was associated with increased Child Total scores at ages 2 (p = 0.037 and 3 (p = 0.004) years. Conclusion: The association between the number of individuals providing social support and mother-child interaction reinforces the need to provide resources such as home visitation programs to mothers and their young children. Each additional person providing social support in the third trimester was associated with increased PCI Teaching scale scores on both the Mother Total scores and Mother-child Total scores. This points to the relationship between support during the third trimester and the long-term outcome related to maternal-child interaction. The lack of association between TLEs and PCI Teaching scale scores before and after controlling for sociodemographic variables may reflect mothers\u27 resilience. The interaction effect between TLEs and social support on maternal child interaction is notable and shows the need for an upstream approach to prevent TLEs since its interaction with social support diminishes the effect of support on maternal-child interaction

External gas accretion provides a fresh gas supply to the active S0 galaxy NGC 5077

In early type galaxies, externally accreted gas is thought to be the main source of gas replenishment at late times. We use MUSE integral field spectroscopy data to study the active S0 galaxy NGC 5077, known to have disturbed dynamics, indicative of a past external interaction. We confirm the presence of a stellar kinematically distinct core with a diameter of 2.8 kpc, counter-rotating with respect to the main stellar body of the galaxy. We find that the counter-rotating core consists of an old stellar population, not significantly different from the rest of the galaxy. The ionised gas is strongly warped and extends out to 6.5 kpc in the polar direction and in a filamentary structure. The gas dynamics is complex, with significant changes in the position angle as a function of radius. The ionised gas line ratios are consistent with LINER excitation by the AGN both in the nucleus and at kiloparsec scales. We discover a nuclear outflow with projected velocity V ~ 400 km/s, consistent with a hollow outflow cone intersecting the plan of the sky. The properties of the misaligned gas match predictions from numerical simulations of misaligned gas infall after a gas-rich merger. The warp and change in the gas orientation as a function of radius are consistent with gas relaxation due to stellar torques, that are stronger at small radii where the gas aligns faster than in the outer regions, driving gas to the nucleus. The stellar and gas dynamics indicate that NGC 5077 has had at least two external interactions, one that resulted in the formation of the counter-rotating core followed by late time external gas accretion. NGC 5077 illustrates the importance of external interactions in the replenishment of the galaxy gas reservoir and the nuclear gas content available for black hole fuelling.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

The Impact of Project Adventure on the Self Concept of Adolescents

High-risk adventure courses are a new and dynamic part of physical education programs in many parts of the country. Many studies have been completed to assess the effect of physical activities on the integration of the personality. An initial course, Outward Bound, was an outgrowth of stringent programs developed by the British Navy during World War II. Because the Navy had found their men not well prepared to handle crises or stressful situations, a solution to this problem was sought by establishing the first Outward Bound School. The specific purpose was to introduce physical challenge in its training of young men as means of developing their character. By being pushed to their physical limits within the safety of a program, the men improved greatly in their physical stamina and their determination to survive. Subsequent wartime experience established a greater survival rate for graduates of the Outward Bound School. Project Adventure, the focus of this study, is an outgrowth of Outward Bound Schools. Project Adventure was originated in Massachusetts in 1970-71. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of participation in an advanced Project Adventure Class on the self-concept of high school students. Twelve subscales of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale were compared before and after the class and the mean differences were evaluated statistically to ascertain whether there was a significant change in: Self-Criticism, Net Conflict, Total Conflict, Total Positivity, Positive Identity, Self-Satisfaction, Behavior, Physical Self, Moral-Ethical Self, Personal Self, Family Self, and Social Self. This study was conducted at a high school during the 1979-1980 school year. Data were collected from Project Adventure classes held in the spring semester. Ninety-nine students, 36 female and 63 males from the five advanced classes served as subjects for the study. Each student had participated in a beginning Project Adventure Class, which was a prerequisite for the advanced class. Each class met five days a week for 12 days and lasted approximately 45 minutes. The classes were held at the Project Adventure area at the high school. The day before students started activities for the class, May 1, the Tennessee Self Concept Scale was given. This test was also given on May 20 after the students finished the course

Teaching science and technology at primary school level: theoretical and practical considerations for primary school teachers' professional training.

This paper focuses on the importance of starting science and technology education at a young age and at the consequential importance of providing primary school teachers with enough professional background to be able to effectively incorporate science and technology into their teaching. We will discuss a large-scale program in The Netherlands that is aimed at the professionalization of elementary school teachers in the field of science and technology. Theoretical and practical considerations will be provided for the three pillars that ideally should be included in teacher training programs in this domain: (1) Primary school teachers’ knowledge of and competency in scientific concepts and scientific reasoning; (2) Primary school teachers’ attitude towards science (in terms of cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions of attitude); and (3) Primary school teachers’ pedagogical competency to enhance inquiry-based learning