Diet, Overweight, Elevated Blood Pressure, and Acanthosis Nigricans Among K-9th Grade Native American Students

Childhood overweight is associated with increased rates of hypertension (HTN) and acanthosis nigricans (AN), a known risk factor for diabetes. This cross-sectional study of predominantly Native American students examined relationships between diet and overweight, AN, and HTN among K-9th grade students. Eighty-six students completed a questionnaire regarding fruit and vegetable (F/V) consumption and physical activity (PA) behaviors. Anthropometric data, blood pressure (BP), and presence of AN were determined by trained screeners. Fifty-three percent of the Native American study participants were overweight or at-risk-for-overweight (BMI ≥85th percentile), while 35% of the non-Native American participants were overweight or at risk for overweight. At 60% vs. 35% respectively, the percentage of students either overweight or at risk for overweight was significantly higher (p=.02) among fourth through ninth graders compared with students in kindergarten through third grades. Fourteen percent were positive for AN, and 33% had either Pre-HTN or HTN (≥ 90th percentile) based on the first blood pressure reading. Analysis of variance results indicated that students with either pre-HTN or HTN had a significantly higher mean BMI (24.1 ± 8.0) vs. those with normal BP (20.4 ± 5.1; P=.012). BMI was positively correlated with AN (r=0.433, p=.01) such that all students positive for AN had a BMI ≥ 85th percentile (p=.001). Students who agreed with the Likert statement that they usually eat ≥5 F/V a day had a significantly lower mean systolic BP (107mmHg ± 17) vs. those who did not (123mmHg ± 17, P=.001). Regression results indicate that BMI and attitude toward the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption are independent predictors of systolic BP (p=.001). Results suggest that significant numbers of students in this sample are positive for AN, are overweight, and are at risk for hypertension and that more positive attitudes toward fruit and vegetable consumption are associated with lower blood pressure levels. Prevention programs to address these health problems are discussed

Editorial for Special Issue “Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in Cities and Their Interactions with Urban Land, Ecosystems, Built Environments and People: Debating Societal Implications”

Peer Reviewe

Aspectos del comportamiento de los triatominos (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), vectores de la enfermedad de Chagas

The article presents an updated review of triatomines, Chagas disease vectors, with respect to the taxonomy of presently known species, as well as those located in dwellings in Colombia, and the group's life cycle, including population size, theirspreading mechanisms, and anthropicfactors which are forcing domiciliation habits among them. We also cal1 attention on the epidemioloqical consequences resulting from such changes. Trypanosoma cruziin Colombia affects 3.3% of thépopulation, from which around 10% is in risk of qettinq infected. Three bioloqical components act in this infectious disease: the protozoa T. cruzi, the tryatomine Reduviidae vectoránd the vertebrate reservoir. Although the Triatomine is originally a sylvatic insect, the alteration of its natural habitat, including forest devastation, housing construction with palm leaves and indiscriminate hunting, has changed substantially their behaviour. Thus, Triatomines are invading households and there are already signs of domiciliation which are forcing important changes in the vector-host-parasite behaviour and, consequently, in the disease itself.Se presenta una revisión actualizada sobre los triatominos, vectores de la enfermedad de Chagas, en aspectos como la ubicación taxonómica de las especies actualmente reconocidas, asi como de las especies encontradas en los domicilios en Colombia y del ciclo de vida del grupo en general, todo lo cual involucra el tamaño de las poblaciones, su dispersión y situaciones antrópicas que las están llevando a procesos de domiciliación. Igualmente, se hace un llamado de atención sobre las consecuencias epidemiológicas que pueden derivarse de dichas alteraciones. En Colombia, el Trypanosoma cruziafecta el 3,3% de la población y, aproximadamente, el 10% se encuentra en riesgo de adquirir la infección. En esta parasitosis intervienen tres componentes biológicos: el protozoo T.cruzi, el vector triatomino Reduviidae y el reservorio vertebrado. Debido a la alteración de los ecótopos naturales a la acción devastadora de la tala de bosques, a la construcción de viviendas con hojas de palmas y a la cacería indiscriminada de animales silvestres, entre otros, la conducta de los triatominos, insectos originalmente silvestres, ha sufrido cambios con el resultado de invasiones esporádicas o permanentes a las viviendas, lo cual está originando un cambio sustancial del comportamiento de la triada vector-huésped-parásito y, consecuentemente. de la enfermedad

The bioaccessibility and bioavailability of subsoil phosphorus from P-33-labeled hydroxyapatite

Phosphorus (P) is an essential but often limiting macronutrient in ecosystems. In soil, free phosphorus is rapidly immobilized by sorption onto hydrous oxides or minerals containing Fe, Mn and Al. Therefore plants have the need to increase the availability of P from other sources e.g. solubilizing P from mineral apatite. Apatite can be found in mineral and biological forms, such as residues from bones and dentin, in soil. This Ca-phosphate mineral occurs in trace amounts in practically all metamorphic and igneous rocks and is often found as small mineral inclusions associated to weathering-resistant silicate minerals. Yet, there is not much information on the bioavailability of P from mineral apatite. Numerous papers have been published on hydroxyapatite synthesis, mostly focusing on its use as a bioceramic for biomedical applications that often differ in their physic-chemical properties from mineral apatite. In framework of the DFG-SPP 1685 on ecosystem nutrients the aim of this work was to implement a chemical synthesis for P-33-labeled hydroxyapatite (Ca/P ratio = 1.67) in order to get more information on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of subsoil P from minerals. A wet-chemical synthesis based on Wang et al. (2010), has been modified and extended, to create a procedure that allows the fast preparation (ca. 30 h) of hydroxyl-apatite labeled with P-33. The products were analyzed with IR-RAMAN and XRD. The reactions were performed under different reaction temperatures which resulted in four forms of hydroxyapatite with different degrees of crystallinity (amorphous high crystalline). Solubility tests were performed with all forms to investigate their pH-dependency, stating that the amorphous and high crystalline forms behave similar but differ from the intermediate forms. Rhizotrone experiments (60 days) will be performed using summer wheat as model organisms and the amorphous apatite form as point sources in soil. Two different subsoils (P-deficient/non-deficient) with two different water scenarios will be used to investigate the differences in root growth and the effects on the bioaccessibility and –availability of P from apatite. Radioactive imaging will be used to get information on the time that the roots need to grow to the apatite source, the amount that is taken up into the plant and to locate the areas of P-storage. High resolution pictures will be taken to investigate the growth of the root system for modeling purposes

The Aesthetic Responsiveness Assessment (AReA): A screening tool to assess individual differences in responsiveness to art in English and German

People differ in how they respond to artworks. Measuring such individual differences is helpful for explaining response variability and selecting particularly responsive subsamples. On the basis of a sample of items indicating relevant behavior and experience, we exploratively constructed the Aesthetic Responsiveness Assessment (AReA), a screening tool for the assessment of individual differences in responsiveness to art in English and German. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested three first-order factors labeled aesthetic appreciation, intense aesthetic experience, and creative behavior, and a second-order factor aesthetic responsiveness. Aesthetic responsiveness was assessed in N= 781 participants from the United States and Germany, and measurement invariance analysis demonstrated full metric and partial scalar invariance across language versions. AReA scale scores yielded good reliability estimates. Validation studies confirmed expected associations between AReA scale scores and measures of related constructs, as well as continuously and retrospectively recorded responses to music, visual art, and poetry. In summary, the AReA is a promising, psychometrically evaluated instrument to assess aesthetic responsiveness built on a mixture of exploratory and confirmatory construction strategies. It can be used as a screening tool both in English and German speaking samples

Congenital Transmission of Chagas Disease in Latin American Immigrants in Switzerland

International migration has changed the epidemiologic patterns of Chagas disease. Recently, 2 cases of Chagas disease transmitted from Latin American women to their newborns were diagnosed in Geneva, Switzerland. A retrospective study to detect Chagas disease showed a prevalence of 9.7% among 72 Latin American women tested during pregnancy in Switzerland

Spectral and Timing Analysis of the accretion-powered pulsar 4U 1626-67 observed with Suzaku and NuSTAR

We present an analysis of the spectral shape and pulse profile of the accretion-powered pulsar 4U 1626-67 observed with Suzaku and NuSTAR during a spin-up state. The pulsar, which experienced a torque reversal to spin-up in 2008, has a spin period of 7.7 s. Comparing the phase-averaged spectra obtained with Suzaku in 2010 and with NuSTAR in 2015, we find that the spectral shape changed between the two observations: the 3-10 keV flux increased by 5% while the 30-60 keV flux decreased significantly by 35%. Phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectral analysis shows that the continuum spectrum observed by NuSTAR is well described by an empirical NPEX continuum with an added broad Gaussian emission component around the spectral peak at 20 keV. Taken together with the observed Pdot value obtained from Fermi/GBM, we conclude that the spectral change between the Suzaku and NuSTAR observations was likely caused by an increase of the accretion rate. We also report the possible detection of asymmetry in the profile of the fundamental cyclotron line. Furthermore, we present a study of the energy-resolved pulse profiles using a new relativistic ray tracing code, where we perform a simultaneous fit to the pulse profiles assuming a two-column geometry with a mixed pencil- and fan-beam emission pattern. The resulting pulse profile decompositions enable us to obtain geometrical parameters of accretion columns (inclination, azimuthal and polar angles) and a fiducial set of beam patterns. This information is important to validate the theoretical predictions from radiation transfer in a strong magnetic field.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ on May 5, 201

"Wie kann ich dich unterstützen?". Chatbot-basierte Lernunterstützung für Studienanfänger:innen

Im Initiativprogramm BayernMINT fördert der Freistaat Bayern Maßnahmen zur Senkung der Studienabbruchquoten. An der Technischen Hochschule Nürnberg wird ein regelgeleiteter Chatbot als niedrigschwellige Kommunikationstechnologie zur Lernunterstützung konzipiert und implementiert. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse eines testpsychologisch fundierten Allgemeinen Studierfähigkeitstests unterstützt dieser Chatbot Studieninteressierte und vor allem Studienanfänger:innen individuell bei ihren Lernaktivitäten. Winkler und Söllner (2018) zeigen, dass der Einsatz von Chatbots einen signifikant positiven Einfluss auf den Lernerfolg verspricht. Nach erfolgreicher Pilotphase soll die Lehrinnovation in den Regelbetrieb an der Technischen Hochschule Nürnberg übernommen werden. Im aktuellen Chatbot werden KI-Technologien zum Verstehen natürlicher Sprache verwendet. Darüber hinaus bietet der Einsatz von KI weitere Potenziale für die Hochschulbildung, wie z.B. KI-basierte Analysen der Kompetenzen von Studieninteressierten als Grundlage für Empfehlungen für die Studiengangspassung. (DIPF/Orig.)With the BayernMINT program, the Free State of Bavaria supports measures to reduce dropout rates. As part of this project, a rule-based chatbot is being designed and implemented at the Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences as a low-threshold communication technology to support learning. Based on the results of a psychologically based general aptitude test, the chatbot is intended to provide support to individual prospective students and, in particular, first-term students in their learning activities. Winkler and Söllner (2018) show that the use of chatbots promises a significantly positive influence on learning success. After a successful pilot phase, the teaching innovation will be used in regular operation at the University of Applied Sciences, Nuremberg. In the current chatbot, AI technologies are used to understand natural language. In addition, the use of AI offers further potential for higher education, such as AI-based analyses of prospective studentsʼ competencies as a basis for recommendations for the choice of studies. (DIPF/Orig.

ÉTICA Y GÉNERO EN LA OBRA DE PIONEROS Y PIONERAS DE LA PSICOLOGÍA EN ESTADOS UNIDOS DE NORTEAMÉRICA Y CHILE

Presentamos los resultados de una investigación que indaga la presencia de contenidos de género y de ética en la obra de 12 pioneros/as de la psicología, estadounidenses y chilenos: William James, Stanley Hall, James Baldwin, Mary Calkins, Margaret Washburn, Helen Thompson, Hernán Larraín, Salvador Cifuentes, Sergio Yulis, Lola Hoffmann, Héliettè Saint Jean y Leyla Holmberg. Confirmamos la hipótesis central que postula la prevalencia de una ética de la justicia en los varones y de una ética del cuidado en las mujeres, para el caso estadounidense; y se rechaza para el caso chileno. Características del desarrollo de la disciplina, así como elementos del contexto sociohistórico en cada país, más que el género de los autores, parecieran influir en el abordaje de las dimensiones estudiadas