Effects of Parent Role Modeling Behaviors in Correlation to Child Overweight and Obesity in Preschool-aged Children

OBJECTIVE: Parents have been proven to shape their children’s health through their growing years.1-6 Extensive research has been done on the correlation between adolescent’s health status and parent’s role modeling behaviors. However, little research has been done in preschool-aged children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if parenting style with food and meal behaviors was associated with body mass index (BMI) and weight status in preschool-aged children (3-5 years).METHODS: This study is a part of South Dakota State University’s iGrow Readers study. For this study, a total of 229 child/parent dyads participated from 14 recruited daycare centers across the Midwest. All heights and weights were recorded at pre-, post-, and follow-up data collection points. At pre-assessment, parents were given the Parent Survey, which contained information regarding their demographic and nutrition lifestyle.RESULTS: A total of 194 parents completed section I, which contained information regarding nutrition-related parent role modeling behaviors, in the Parent Survey. The average child age was 3.6 years. Characteristics of parents included predominantly mothers (83.5%) with an average age of 34.27 years with an Associate’s/Bachelor’s degree (51.2%) making over $60,00 a year (76.1%). No significance was found between parent role modeling behaviors and child weight status. However, few positive role modeling behaviors were reported by parents within the survey. Three of the most commonly reported negative behaviors include eating while angry (86.5%), eating from the pan (86.5%), and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (75%).CONCLUSION: Although no significant association was found between parent role modeling nutrition behaviors and preschool-aged child’s weight status, this study does show the most frequently modeled nutrition behaviors that may have a negative influence on their child’s health. Further research is needed upon this topic and the long-term implications of these modeling behaviors

Prospects for Nuclear Microreactors: A Review of the Technology, Economics, and Regulatory Considerations

The nuclear energy sector is actively developing a new class of very small advanced reactors, called microreactors. This technology has disruptive potential as an alternative to carbon-intensive energy technologies based on its mobility and transportability, resilience, and independence from the grid, as well as its capacity for long refueling intervals and low-carbon emissions. Microreactors may extend nuclear energy to a new set of international customers, many of which are located where energy is at a price premium and/or limited to fossil sources. Developers are creating designs geared toward factory production where quality and costs may be optimized. This paper reviews the existing literature on the technology, potential markets, economic viability, and regulatory and institutional challenges of nuclear microreactors. The technological characteristics are reviewed to describe the wide range of microreactor designs and to distinguish them from large nuclear power plants and small modular reactor (SMR) designs. The expanding literature on the cost competitiveness of SMRs relative to other nuclear and nonnuclear technologies is also reviewed, with an emphasis on understanding the challenges of making microreactors economically viable. A major part of this study focuses on the deployment potential of microreactors across global markets. Previous work on SMR market assessment is reviewed, and the adaptation of these studies to the deployment of microreactors is more fully examined. Characteristics that differentiate microreactors from SMRs and other energy technologies may make microreactors suitable for unique and localized applications if they can be economically competitive with other energy technologies, as well as meet regulatory and other societal requirements. Recent research on global markets for microreactors is evaluated and extended in this paper to a previously unevaluated use case in which microreactors can play a role in grid resiliency and integration with renewables. Further challenges associated with the commercialization of microreactors, in addition to cost competitiveness, are explored by examining the regulatory and safety challenges of microreactor deployment

Interdisciplinary perspectives on privacy awareness in lifelogging technology development

Population aging resulting from demographic changes requires some challenging decisions and necessary steps to be taken by different stakeholders to manage current and future demand for assistance and support. The consequences of population aging can be mitigated to some extent by assisting technologies that can support the autonomous living of older individuals and persons in need of care in their private environments as long as possible. A variety of technical solutions are already available on the market, but privacy protection is a serious, often neglected, issue when using such (assisting) technology. Thus, privacy needs to be thoroughly taken under consideration in this context. In a three-year project PAAL (‘Privacy-Aware and Acceptable Lifelogging Services for Older and Frail People’), researchers from different disciplines, such as law, rehabilitation, human-computer interaction, and computer science, investigated the phenomenon of privacy when using assistive lifelogging technologies. In concrete terms, the concept of Privacy by Design was realized using two exemplary lifelogging applications in private and professional environments. A user-centered empirical approach was applied to the lifelogging technologies, investigating the perceptions and attitudes of (older) users with different health-related and biographical profiles. The knowledge gained through the interdisciplinary collaboration can improve the implementation and optimization of assistive applications. In this paper, partners of the PAAL project present insights gained from their cross-national, interdisciplinary work regarding privacy-aware and acceptable lifelogging technologies.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work is part of the PAAL-project (“Privacy-Aware and Acceptable Lifelogging services for older and frail people”). The support of the Joint Programme Initiative “More Years, Better Lives” (award number: PAAL_JTC2017), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant no: 16SV7955), the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare (grant no: 2017–02302), the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (PCIN-2017-114), the Italian Ministero dell’Istruzione dell’Universitá e della Ricerca, (CUP: I36G17000380001), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is gratefully acknowledged

In vivo and ex vivo regulation of visfatin production by leptin in human and murine adipose tissue : role of mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathways

Visfatin is an adipogenic adipokine with increased levels in obesity, properties common to leptin. Thus, leptin may modulate visfatin production in adipose tissue (AT). Therefore, we investigated the effects of leptin on visfatin levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and human/murine AT, with or without a leptin antagonist. The potential signaling pathways and mechanisms regulating visfatin production in AT was also studied. Real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to assess the relative mRNA and protein expression of visfatin. ELISA was performed to measure visfatin levels in conditioned media of AT explants, and small interfering RNA technology was used to reduce leptin receptor expression. Leptin significantly (P < 0.01) increased visfatin levels in human and murine AT with a maximal response at leptin 10–9 M, returning to baseline at leptin 10–7 M. Importantly, ip leptin administration to C57BL/6 ob/ob mice further supported leptin-induced visfatin protein production in omental AT (P < 0.05). Additionally, soluble leptin receptor levels rose with concentration dependency to a maximal response at leptin 10–7 M (P < 0.01). The use of a leptin antagonist negated the induction of visfatin and soluble leptin receptor by leptin. Furthermore, leptin-induced visfatin production was significantly decreased in the presence of MAPK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors. Also, when the leptin receptor gene was knocked down using small interfering RNA, leptin-induced visfatin expression was significantly decreased. Thus, leptin increases visfatin production in AT in vivo and ex vivo via pathways involving MAPK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling. The pleiotropic effects of leptin may be partially mediated by visfatin

Exploring good practice in life story work with people with dementia : the findings of a qualitative study looking at the multiple views of stakeholders

Introduction: Despite growing international interest in life story work as a tool for person-centred dementia care, there is little agreement on what constitutes good practice and little evidence from the perspectives of people with dementia or their family carers. Design and methods: This paper reports the findings from the qualitative element of a larger study looking at the feasibility of evaluating life story work. Ten focus groups were held with 73 participants: four groups of people with dementia (25 participants), three with family carers (21 participants), and three with staff, professionals and volunteers with experience of life story work (27 participants). Findings: It became apparent through our focus groups that, when people talk about ‘life story work’, different people mean different things. This related to both process and outcomes. In particular, a person with dementia may have very different views from others about what life story work is for and how their life story products should be used. There was general agreement that a good practice approach would be tailored to the individual needs and preferences of the person with dementia. However, in practice many settings used templates and the process was led by staff or completed by family carers. Conclusion: We produced nine key features of good practice which could be used to guide the life story work process. Key elements include: the recognition that not everyone will want to take part in life story work and that some people may even find it distressing; the importance of being led by the person with dementia themselves; the need for training and support for staff, carers and volunteers; and the potential for life story work to celebrate the person’s life today and look to the future

The Social Acceptance of Carbon Dioxide Utilisation: A Review and Research Agenda

CO2 utilisation technologies—also called carbon dioxide utilisation (CDU) and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU)—convert CO2 via physical, chemical, or biological processes into carbon-based products. CO2 utilisation technologies are viewed as a means of helping to address climate change and broadening the raw material base for commodities that can be sold to generate economic revenue. However, while technical research and development into the feasibility of CO2 utilisation options are accelerating rapidly; at present, there has been limited research into the social acceptance of the technology and CO2-derived products. This review article outlines and explores three key dimensions of social acceptance (i.e., socio-political, market, and community acceptance) pertaining to innovation within CO2 utilisation. The article highlights the importance of considering issues of social acceptance as an aspect of the research, development, demonstration, and deployment process for CO2 utilisation and explores how key stakeholders operating on each dimension might affect the innovation pathways, investment, and siting decisions relating to CO2 utilisation facilities and CO2-derived products. Beyond providing a state-of-the-art review of current research into the social acceptance of CO2 utilisation, this article also outlines an agenda for future research in the field

Coal and plastic waste co-pyrolysis by thermal analysis–mass spectrometry

Simultaneous thermogravimetry–mass spectrometry studies of a pyrolytic decomposition of mixtures of different plastic wastes/coking coal were carried out. The investigation was performed at temperatures up to 1000 °C in a helium atmosphere under dynamic conditions at a heating rate of 25 °C/min. Five thermoplastics, commonly found in municipal wastes: low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a plastic mixture rich in polyolefins were selected. Thermogravimetric parameters, together with different characteristic ion fragments from selected libraries of evolving products during the co-pyrolysis process were monitored, such as hydrogen, CO2 and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Based on the results obtained, a synergistic effect between coal and individual residues has been found. The maximum interaction occurs at temperatures close to the maximum release of volatile matter of the plastic waste. There is a delay in the decomposition of the plastics that together with the changes in the composition of the volatile matter evolved, promote interactions between the components and have negative effects on coal fluidity. The polyolefinic wastes (HDPE, LDPE and PP) degrade at temperatures close to that of maximum coal degradation, modifying the thermal behaviour of the coal to a lesser degree. However, PS and PET, that release their volatile matter mostly in the early stage of the coal decomposition, show a more pronounced influence on the thermal behaviour. Moreover, the kinetic data demonstrates that the addition of polyolefins increases the energy required to initiate pyrolysis compared to PS and PET. All of these results agree with the fact that polyolefins reduce coal fluidity in a more moderate way than PET and PS