The Effects of Photovoice as a Comprehensive School Health Intervention in Grade 5 Classrooms

Objective: The primary goal of the study was to explore the effects of a photovoice intervention within a Comprehensive School Health (CSH) framework. The objectives of the study were to: understand the context of each case with respect to school readiness; understand healthy eating and physical activity influences (facilitators and barriers) within a school, from the perspective of a participating students; determine if photovoice enhanced students understanding of healthy school environments and CSH pillars; and determine key factors for success of a CSH facilitator to enhance school environments. Methods: This study employed an embedded and descriptive case study approach. One grade 5 and one 5/6 class from different schools were selected to participate in the PV intervention. Schools were purposively selected from a broader facilitated school health intervention. The study used a mixed methods approach that included both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis. Quantitative data sources included the Healthy School Planner survey to assess school readiness. Qualitative data sources included facilitator interviews and email exchanges with the researcher, and photovoice data (pictures and discussion transcripts). The study utilized a framework analysis approach to manage the large amounts of qualitative data. Results: Quantitative analyses showed that School 1 scored higher across all indicator scores, suggesting greater readiness for a CSH intervention. Of the 345 photovoice pictures submitted, 220 were analysed using NVivo 10. Also analysed were 3 facilitator interview transcripts, 4 photovoice non-verbatim discussion transcripts and email exchanges between the facilitator and researcher. The final analytical framework identified three overarching themes: CSH Pillars (what is happening in schools to support healthy environments); how to create healthy school environments; and barriers. Facilitator data identified key factors for successful facilitation, which included creating action plans, enhancing buy-in, communicating, enhancing engagement and supporting sustainability. At the student-level, participating photovoice students demonstrated an increase in references to CSH pillars from time 1 to time 2, suggesting an increase in engagement and understanding of CSH pillars. Finally, time and dose were identified as large barriers to successful facilitation for a school health program. Conclusion: This study suggests that student engagement interventions can enhance students’ understanding of the theoretical grounding driving a school health program (i.e., CSH Pillars). This may result in increased engagement in policy and individual-level behaviour outcomes. Furthermore, key factors for successful facilitation were identified and should be considered for future CSH facilitation. Recommendations of smaller facilitator to school doses, longer interventions and more touch points may enhance CSH results and should also be considered in future research. Finally, this study also identified lessons learned for implementing photovoice as a student engagement intervention within a CSH context

The convergence of budding reckoning Soft computing technologies

Soft Computing methodologies represents the amalgamation of promising problem - solving technologies such as Neural Networks (NNs), Fuzzy Logic (FL), Probabilistic Reasoning (PR) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) . We present a collection of tools and methods that can be used to perform diagnostics, estimation, and control. These tools are an enormous match for real - world applications that are characterized by imprecise, uncertain data and incomplete domain knowledge. Each of these technologies offer us with complementary reasoning and sear ching methods to solve complex problems. In this paper after a brief description of each of these technologies, we will analyze some of their most useful combinations, such as the use of FL to control GAs and NNs parameters; the application of GAs to evolv e NNs or to tune FL controllers; and the implementation of FL controllers as NNs tuned by back propagation - type algorithms . We summarize the recompense of SC techniques and in particular the synergy derived from the use of hybrid SC system

Effect of process parameters on the antioxidant activities of bioactive compounds from Harad (Terminalia chebula retz.) Shilpa Soni, H.K. Sharma*, Pragati Kaushal and C. Singh Food Engineering & Technology Department, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineeri

Terminalia chebula retz (T.Chebula) is a herb known as king of medicinal plants in ayurvedic world. Presence of large number of phytoconstituents makes T.Chebula a potential source of nutraceuticals and can become cynosure of modern nutraceutical world. The objective of this study was to optimize the extraction conditions for bioactive constituents from T.Chebula fruits using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A central composite face centered design (CCD) was employed. The extraction conditions for bioactive constituents from T. Chebula fruits were optimized by using three independent process variables i.e. methanol concentration, 50-90%, extraction temperature, 50-70°C and extraction time, 30-60 min. Effect of extraction parameters was found to be significant. The optimum extraction conditions were identified as 90% methanol concentration, 70°C temperature and 59.94 minutes for maximum total phenolic content(TPC), 3.87 GAE mg/g, total flavonoid content (TFC), 361.37 CE mg/g, total antioxidant activity(TAA), 0.158 AAE mM/g and α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (DSA), 86.28 %. Experimental values for response variables under the optimum conditions were found reasonably close to the predicted value. GC–MS analysis of methanol extract of T.Chebula fruits under the optimum conditions led to the identification of 7 major bioactive compounds. Keywords: T.Chebula, Extraction, Total Phenolic compound (TPC), Total flavonoid compound (TFC), Total antioxidant activity (TAA), α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (DSA), Response surface methodology (RSM), GC-MS

Francisella Tularensis Blue–Gray Phase Variation Involves Structural Modifications of Lipopolysaccharide O-Antigen, Core and Lipid A and Affects Intramacrophage Survival and Vaccine Efficacy

Francisella tularensis is a CDC Category A biological agent and a potential bioterrorist threat. There is no licensed vaccine against tularemia in the United States. A long-standing issue with potential Francisella vaccines is strain phase variation to a gray form that lacks protective capability in animal models. Comparisons of the parental strain (LVS) and a gray variant (LVSG) have identified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) alterations as a primary change. The LPS of the F. tularensis variant strain gains reactivity to F. novicida anti-LPS antibodies, suggesting structural alterations to the O-antigen. However, biochemical and structural analysis of the F. tularensis LVSG and LVS LPS demonstrated that LVSG has less O-antigen but no major O-antigen structural alterations. Additionally, LVSG possesses structural differences in both the core and lipid A regions, the latter being decreased galactosamine modification. Recent work has identified two genes important in adding galactosamine (flmF2 and flmK) to the lipid A. Quantitative real-time PCR showed reduced transcripts of both of these genes in the gray variant when compared to LVS. Loss of flmF2 or flmK caused less frequent phase conversion but did not alter intramacrophage survival or colony morphology. The LVSG strain demonstrated an intramacrophage survival defect in human and rat but not mouse macrophages. Consistent with this result, the LVSG variant demonstrated little change in LD50 in the mouse model of infection. Furthermore, the LVSG strain lacks the protective capacity of F. tularensis LVS against virulent Type A challenge. These data suggest that the LPS of the F. tularensis LVSG phase variant is dramatically altered. Understanding the mechanism of blue to gray phase variation may lead to a way to inhibit this variation, thus making future F. tularensis vaccines more stable and efficacious

Eradication of intracellular Francisella tularensis in THP-1 human macrophages with a novel autophagy inducing agent

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

A Rapid Evidence Review of Clinical Risk Factors for Poor Perinatal Mental Health in Women's Prisons in England

Pregnancy and the first year after childbirth are a high-risk period of a woman's life, and research shows that women in prison are at heightened risk for poor mental health, self-harm and suicide. Whilst there has been a recent focus on studies into the health care for women in prison, research looking into the specific risk factors for poor perinatal mental health in women's prisons is sparse, with the majority having been conducted within a U.S. context that will have different provisions available and population need. This rapid evidence review explored academic literature published to identify clinical risk factors of poor perinatal mental health for women in prison in England. Following the initial search, 21 documents were identified which were then thematically analysed resulting in the identification of 72 clinical risk factors. Meta-themes identified included ‘individual’, ‘relationships’, ‘prison context’, ‘provision ’and ‘processes’. The recognition and mitigation of identified clinical risk factors is critical to ensuring quality care for women in prison and reduction of poor perinatal mental health