Youth obesity : putting a price on life

Youth obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and influenced by a number of factors. The rising costs of obesity include related illness such as diabetes, eating disorders, depression, and eventual disability or worse, death, can be avoided. This is possible by working together as individuals, part of a greater system to change our lives. We found out why the media has only chosen to focus on the issue now, in 2007. The obesity epidemic is a problem for all ages, and we felt that it was most important to educate children on the negative effects that advertising can have on youth obesity in order to get them off of their couches and on the run, fixing one of the many causes of youth obesity, sedentary behavior. Since the media is a powerful tool for or against children, the media has a responsibility of aiding in prevention rather than helping cause the epidemic

Concert recording 2022-02-06

[Track 1]. Ch’io mi scordi di te?…Non temer amato bene, K.505 / W.F. Mozart -- [Track 2]. Excerpts from Sieben frühe Lieder. Nacht ; Die Nachtigall ; Im Zimmer / Alban Berg -- [Track 3]. -- Poema en forma de canciones. Dedicatoria ; Nunca olvida ; Cantares ; Los dos miedos ; Las locas por amor / Joaquín Turina -- [Track 4]. At last, to be identified! / Richard Pearson Thomas -- [Track 5]. There are fairies (encore)

Malaysian private university students’ perception of online discussion forums: A qualitative enquiry

The continuous advancement in technology has transformed physical learning platforms into digital spaces in higher education. In Malaysia, instructors and students are gradually adopting the e-learning or blended-learning approach by using online discussion forums (e.g. BlackBoard) or social networking sites (e.g. Facebook groups) to engage students’ participation in courses and encourage self-directed learning. This study presents a qualitative view of students’ perception of engaging in online discussion forums in a synchronous learning environment, and their views on the positive and negative aspects of using online discussion forums for learning. Results indicate that students perceive autonomy and sense of belongingness in the online community as main factors that influence their voluntary and active participation in the online discussion forums. Technical challenges remain as a key factor in determining students’ interests to utilize online discussion forums for learning. While future research is needed to assess the sentiments of Malaysian students in online learning, this study was intended to provide Malaysian instructors and higher education institutions a preview on the sentiments of students towards online learning to better improve the aspects of technical, pedagogical methods and policies for online learning as the nation moves towards Education 4.0

Ranking the risk of CO2 emissions from seagrass soil carbon stocks under global change threats

Seagrass meadows are natural carbon storage hotspots at risk from global change threats, and their loss can result in the remineralization of soil carbon stocks and CO2 emissions fueling climate change. Here we used expert elicitation and empirical evidence to assess the risk of CO2 emissions from seagrass soils caused by multiple human-induced, biological and climate change threats. Judgments from 41 experts were synthesized into a seagrass CO2 emission risk score based on vulnerability factors (i.e., spatial scale, frequency, magnitude, resistance and recovery) to seagrass soil organic carbon stocks. Experts perceived that climate change threats (e.g., gradual ocean warming and increased storminess) have the highest risk for CO2 emissions at global spatial scales, while direct threats (i.e., dredging and building of a marina or jetty) have the largest CO2 emission risks at local spatial scales. A review of existing peer-reviewed literature showed a scarcity of studies assessing CO2 emissions following seagrass disturbance, but the limited empirical evidence partly confirmed the opinion of experts. The literature review indicated that direct and long-term disturbances have the greatest negative impact on soil carbon stocks per unit area, highlighting that immediate management actions after disturbances to recover the seagrass canopy can significantly reduce soil CO2 emissions. We conclude that further empirical evidence assessing global change threats on the seagrass carbon sink capacity is required to aid broader uptake of seagrass into blue carbon policy frameworks. The preliminary findings from this study can be used to estimate the potential risk of CO2 emissions from seagrass habitats under threat and guide nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation

Changes in quality of life and functional capacity after lung transplantation: A single-center experience

Lung transplantation (LT) increases the life expectancy of patients affected by end stage pulmonary disease; specifically, its ultimate aims are to improve survival and health related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of the present longitudinal study was to determine the HRQoL trajectory and changes in functional capacity from time of entry in the waiting list for LT to 2 year after LT. The study included sixty-nine outpatients enrolled in a single medical center when they entered the waiting list for LT and who subsequently received it. They were then followed up over 2 years after LT. HRQoL was assessed by the physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS) scores of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Psychological distress was evaluated with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and functional capacity was investigated using the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and forced expiratory volume (FEV1). Patients showed low SF-36 PCS (30.5±7.8) and SGRQ total (61.8±17.5) scores at entry in the waiting list, but exhibited significant changes over time after LT (p<0.001). Furthermore, patients who showed an increase of at least 50% in SF36 PCS and SGRQ scores at 6 months survived longer. Both FEV1 and 6MWT distance as well as GHQ scores significantly changed over time, with improvements occurring in the first 6 months after LT but no major changes thereafter. Out of the 69 patients enrolled, 32 died over a median follow-up of 51 months. Although mortality tended to be slightly higher for patients with lower HRQoL at the baseline assessment, this difference was not statistically significant. HRQoL evaluations appear critical in the follow-up of LT candidates, in particularly SGRQ, because of its specificity in targeting respiratory symptoms and functional wellbeing

Brushing the surface: cascade reactions between immobilized nanoreactors

Functionalization of hard or soft surfaces with, for example, ligands, enzymes or proteins, is an effective and practical methodology for the development of new applications. We report the assembly of two types of nanoreactors based upon poly(dimethylsiloxane)-block-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PDMS-b-PMOXA) diblock copolymers as scaffold, uricase and lactoperoxidase as bio-catalysts located within the nanoreactors, and melittin as the biopores inserted into the hydrophobic shell. The nanoreactors were immobilized on poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-co-poly(2-aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride) (PHEMA-co-P(2-AEMA·HCl) brushes-grafted wafer surfaces by utilizing the strong supramolecular interactions between biotin and streptavidin. The (PHEMA-co-P(2-AEMA·HCl) brushes on silicon surfaces were prepared by a surface initiating atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) "graft-from" technique. Cascade reactions between different surface-anchored nanoreactors were demonstrated by converting Amplex Red to the fluorescent probe resorufin by using the H2O2 produced from uric acid and H2O. The detailed properties of the nanoreactors on the functionalized surface including the binding behaviours and cascade reactions were investigated using emission spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), light scattering (LS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D). The results are proof-of-principle for the preparation of catalytically functional engineered surface materials and lay the foundation for applying this advanced functional surface material in biosensing, implanting and antimicrobial materials preparation

ESHRE certification of ART centres for good laboratory and clinical practice

STUDY QUESTION: Three years after the start of the ESHRE ART Centre Certification (ARTCC) programme, what is the current state of the system, in terms of the interest expressed in it and experiences during the assessment of ART services? SUMMARY ANSWER: As of 1 December 2021, 25 European ART centres have been involved in the various stages of certification and the most common recommendations from inspectors were the need for documented training, verification of competencies for all staff members, verification of laboratory and clinical performance indicators, implementation of a quality management system and avoidance of overusing ICSI and add-ons. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: European Union (EU) legislation has included ART activities in the EU Tissue and Cells Directives (EUTCDs). Following inspections by national EUTCD authorities, many details regarding documentation, laboratory environment, handling of reproductive cells and tissues, traceability, coding and patient testing have become standardized. However, the EUTCDs do not cover all ART-specific aspects. For this reason, the ARTCC was established to focus on peculiar areas, including relevant staff qualifications, training, continuing professional development, workload, equipment suitability, (non)-evidence-based laboratory and clinical methods used, treatment approaches according to ESHRE guidelines, recommendations and laboratory and clinical key performance indicators. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: The article reviews the state-of-the-art of the ESHRE certification of ART centres for good clinical and laboratory practice over an initial 3-year period of operation, including the number of ART centres involved in the different stages of certification and the most common recommendations by inspectors. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: In 2016, the ARTCC working group began to establish a new ESHRE ARTCC programme. Since then, the working group has organized 4 preparatory courses and appointed 37 inspectors (19 clinicians, 17 embryologists and one paramedical). A tool to verify compliance with ESHRE recommendations for good laboratory and clinical practice was developed. The ARTCC has been open for applications since September 2018. In Step 1, the applicant enters basic information about the ART centre, staff and ART activities into the application platform. After review and approval, the applicant is given the opportunity to enter Step 2 and provide detailed online checklists on general, laboratory, clinical services and clinical outcomes. Two inspectors (one clinician and one embryologist) independently evaluate the submitted checklists. The condition to proceed to evaluation is a positive mean score (at least 66%) from each of the four checklists. In Step 3, a live site visit (or virtual owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic) is organized and the inspectors prepare a final report with appropriate recommendations. The application may be rejected at any time if the criteria required to advance to the next stage are not met. The ARTCC programme is currently available for European countries listed in ESHRE internal rules, available on the ESHRE website. The certificate is valid for 3 years, after which an application for renewal can be submitted. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Over a 3-year period (until 1 December 2021), 63 ART centres from 25 countries started applying through an online platform. So far, 38 applications did not progress owing to lack of completion of the initial application within a 1-year period or because applications came from non-European countries. Of the remaining 25 applications, 8 centres have been inspected and 7 centres have been certified. The most common recommendations given by inspectors to assessed centres were the need for documented training, verification of competencies, skills and continuing professional development for all staff members, verification of laboratory and clinical performance indicators and implementation of a quality management system. The inspectors identified some recurring areas of medically assisted reproduction that deviate from good practice: the overuse of ICSI, preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies, freeze-all and other add-ons. They often reported that the clinical outcomes could not be objectively assessed because of noninclusion of the started cycles or the frequent use of freeze-all cycles. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: No major modifications have been made to the application platform and checklists since the early stages of the certification programme. However, in this short time, quite a few changes in clinical practice have occurred, especially concerning the more frequent use of the 'freeze-all' strategy. As a result, problems arose in the evaluation of clinical outcomes. In addition, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, site visits were substituted by the implementation of virtual visits. While this enabled the certification programme to continue, it is possible that certain critical details that would have been noticed during a traditional site visit may have been overlooked. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Regular monitoring of the observations of ARTCC inspectors and analysis of their reports is certainly useful to harmonize inspectors' criteria in the assessment process and to identify chronic deficiencies in clinical and laboratory practice. Non-conformities can be addressed by ESHRE through guidelines and recommendations, as well as through discussion with EU institutions and competent authorities

Prognostic role of atrial fibrillation in acute coronary syndromes: a real-life, contemporary analysis

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Job satisfaction and mental wellbeing among high school teachers in Malaysia

Job satisfaction plays an important role in regard to teachers’ continuation in the teaching profession. School-based factors such as relations with colleagues, parents, and student behavior are important factors that contribute to teachers’ fulfillment in their workplace. This study examined the relationship between job satisfaction and wellbeing among high school teachers in Malaysia. A total of 111 full-time high school teachers (99 females, 12 males) from two schools located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, completed measures of the Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficient and regression analysis. The results indicated significant positive correlation between teachers’ job satisfaction and wellbeing. More specifically, teachers’ satisfaction with students’ behavior and students’ parents were significant predictors of mental wellbeing. This study highlighted job satisfaction that teachers themselves may have for positive personal relationship with co-workers, students, and student’s parents, providing further understanding of the contribution of job satisfaction to teachers’ mental wellbeing. This study helps complement previous studies by providing a further understanding on the contribution of job satisfaction to teachers’ wellbeing in the Malaysian context