bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial Lighting as an Effective Aid to Architecture
Authors: Bellchambers H. E. , Mills R. V. , Ruff H. R.
Published: November 2015

From an analysis of that part of the architect's task, the lighting of buildings, a method is developed whereby the architect and lighting engineer can co-operate to solve the problems involved in the translation of an artistic conception into a satisfying installateon.

The method of deducing the required brightness pattern, and of achieving This. is illustrated by following its practical applacation, using, as a simple example, the lighting of an entrance hall.
Lighting in Finland
Authors: Päivärinne E.
Published: November 2015

The first part of this paper reviews the general course of lighting development in Finland during the last few years and the influence thereon of local conditions. More detailed information is given on the principles which have led to practical solutions in particular fields such as the lighting of schools, offices, streets, hospitals, etc. Details of installations and lighting fittings are given and special reference is made to decorative fittings and to those which have been designed to give a controlled light distribution.
Character and Compromise in Hotel Lighting
Authors: Brown C. Dykes , Stevens W. R.
Published: November 2015

The hotel industry is important not only for its size and the vast sums of money involved but also for the peculiar nature of its service, since a visitor's impression of a distrct or a country is greatly influenced by the hotels he visits. It is important that each hotel should establish a distinctive and attractive character and in this lighting takes a significant place.

However, there are many limits to the lighting installation. Costs must be kept within a budget, which is often small, and careful thought must be given to maintenance, particularly in a large hotel. The main problem of compromise arises, however, from the wide variety of users of a hotel and the fact that the decor can only receive a major overhaul at long intervals. This is a severe restriction on the designer.

The areas of a hotel used primarily by the staff are working places in which the lighting can follow well established practice. The areas used by guests present much more difficulty because the requirements are often nebulous and the possible methods of lighting are many and varied. The paper, therefore, gives some specific recommendations for staff areas, but for guest areas the broad requirements are stated, some lighting principles discussed and typical solutions illustrated both for interiors and exteriors. An appendix suggests a simple approach to design based on the apparent brightness technique.
The Permanent Supplementary Artificial Lighting of Interiors
Authors: Hopkinson R. G. , Longmore J.
Published: November 2015

Since the opening of the half-century, new ideas on building have been visible everywhere. These visible changes are the expression of a revolution in building construction methods and in the economic picture of building. Rising costs demand a more efficient use to be made of available space, which in turn means deeper rooms with lower ceilings. Daylight is not free, it must be paid for in terms of cubic feet of space, square feet of glass, and loss of heat. In fact the provision of adequate daylight to the back of a deep room in the quantity now considered adequate by modern standards would lead to such an amount of glazing that not only would the cost be prohibitive, but the discomfort from sky glare would be unacceptable.

It is shown that permanent supplementary lighting can be used to overcome these difficulties. The cost of installing, running and maintaining such lighting is offset by the reduced costs of building and maintenance and by a more efficient use of the available site.

Experimental studies have been made to determine the levels of supplementary lighting that are necessary for a good integration of daylight and artificial light. The results of these studies are applied to a new technical college and to an agricultural research laboratory.
The Role of Models and Artificial Skies in Daylighting Design
Authors: Longmore J.
Published: November 2015

Much has been done in recent years to improve the standard of daylighting design and to establish daylighting technology on a sound basis. The paper discusses the special part which experiments in model rooms under artificial skies have played in this work; the techniques of model construction are discussed in some detail and reference is made both to models for photometric examination of lighting quantity and for subjective appraisal of lighting quality. It is concluded that, although the natural sky must be used for some subjective appraisals in models, the instability of the luminance pattern of the natural sky, often accompanied by inclement weather, renders it unsuitable for detailed photometric analysis. The luminance and luminance pattern of an artificial sky can be chosen to suit the particular experiment, and the conditions remain stable over long periods enabling the effects of changes in the model to be examined in detail. The basic principles of the design of artificial skies are discussed. Some instruments used in daylighting studies are described.
Lighting Education in Great Britain
Authors: Padgham C. A.
Published: November 2015

The work of the City and Guilds of London Institute and the Institution of Electrical Engineers in providing examinations in Illuminating Engineering is reviewed, and that of the Technical Colleges and a correspondence school providing courses for these examinations. The teaching of the subject and research undertaken in it at Universities and Colleges of Advanced Technology are also described. It is pointed out that most of the university teaching of lighting is done in the Schools of Architecture. The contributions of the IES and of the Colour Group are reviewed. The part played by the Lighting Industry in training is treated in detail, and the professional qualifications in lighting are explained. In conclusion it is emphasised that the training in lighting which is carried out in this country is inadequate to meet the present situation.
An Experimental Study of the Glare from a Luminous Ceiling
Authors: Hopkinson R. G. , Collins Wendy M.
Published: November 2015

A model-scale study of glare has been made in order to investigate the tolerable levels of luminance of a luminous ceiling. The model represented an unfurnished room with a diffusing luminous ceiling; the reflection factors of the walls and floor could be altered to give a series of room surfaces from all white to all black. The observers viewed the model from one end, and made their glare assessments by adjusting the ceiling luminance to specified glare levels while looking towards the opposite wall.

The results indicate that, under the experimental conditions, the ceiling luminance for the level of glare equal to the mean of the criteria ‘just acceptable’ and ‘just uncomfortable’ is of the order of 150 ft-L with room surfaces of normal reflectances. The modifying effect of room surface reflectances is complex, because light surfaces receiving high illumination themselves act as secondary sources of glare.
Colour-Rendering Preferences for Lighting the Face
Authors: Einhorn H. D. , Naudé D. E. H.
Published: November 2015

The optimum spectral distribution of warm white lighting for social purposes was investigated in a mass test; 1,300 observers compared metameric sources for lighting girls' faces. The results indicate that a lamp with enhanced red and green at the expense of yellow spectral content would be widely preferred to a metameric Planckian radiator.
The Visibility of Vehicle Number Plates
Authors: Marsden A. M. , Packer A. L.
Published: November 2015

Despite the legibility of a vehicle registration plate being both a legal requirement for the vehicle owner and a test for the eyesight of a potential driver, no published experimental work on the visibility of number plates has appeared in this country. Moreover, a seven-character registration plate with smaller characters has recently been authorised by the Ministry of Transport. This paper describes two sets of experiments which form the first stage of a general experimental study on the day-time and night-time visibility of the new registration plates. The first series of tests was designed to discover the most common mistakes made in reading number plates. The results are shown in a table of ‘character confusion’ and indicate, inter alia, that differences in the central portion of two characters are less likely to be recognised than are peripheral differences. The second series of tests was designed to compare the frequency of mistakes in reading a number plate in good daylight with the visual acuity of the observer. This showed that virtually no mistakes are made by an observer of acuity 6/7.5 or better in reading a clean plate at 25 yards. The effect of reversing the contrast of a number plate is to make inaccurate seeing even less accurate.
Yellow and White Headlamp Glare and Age
Authors: Reading Veronica
Published: November 2015

The re-adaptation times of observers subjected to white or yellow headlamp glare has been measured in a scaled laboratory representation of highway conditions. Some eighty-three observers have taken part within an age range of 18–66 years. There is found to be a positive correlation between re-adaptation time and age in both illuminants. Furthermore, the speed of re-adaptation is greater, and the percentage of accuracy higher, in white than in yellow filtered tungsten light of equal luminance.
The Spectral Power Distribution of Daylight
Authors: Tarrant A. W. S.
Published: November 2015

The factors controlling the spectral distribution of power of daylight at ground level are described and their effects are discussed. A résumé is given of recent experimental studies of the subject. The author's recent work is described in outline: a large number of measurements have been made in higher resolution than previous studies, and measurements have also been made in London and the country to investigate the effect of atmospheric pollution. Attempts were made to correlate the results with the prevailing sky conditions.

The results of all the recent studies are compared, and over the visible range they are in reasonable agreement: this is not the case in the near ultra-violet range. Conclusions are put forward which it is hoped will be of value to the lighting engineer and architect.
The Effect of Lantern Light Distribution on Subjective Assessments in a Street Lighting Installation
Authors: Mainwaring G. , Stainsby A. G.
Published: November 2015

The paper describes subjective appraisals by 20 observers of lanterns with widely different light distributions, both in wet and dry conditions.

The tests were made in a single street at fixed lantern positions for a single light source-the new 400 watt high-pressure sodium lamp. It is emphasised that the results obtained apply strictly to the conditions of test only.

The following principal conclusions may be drawn:

Similar appraisals were obtained on the wet and dry nights for the same installations, suggesting that observers accommodate themselves to the weather conditions; appraisals of brightness, glare and uniformity are strongly correlated; the appraisal of overall impression is associated with a weighted sum of the appraisals of brightness, glare and uniformity; for a given degree of non-axiality there is strong correlation between brightness, glare and uniformity and the elevation, above the peak of 1/2 the maximum intensity (or some similar criterion) in the plane containing the street axis; There is no evidence of correlation between brightness or uniformity and the intensity in the 0–30° zone. There was no significant difference between the assessments of trained and untrained observers.

The present method of specifying the lantern photometric performance in terms of intensity ratio gives results no better than the old system of specifying the vertical beam shape by reference to the fraction of the maximum intensity. To return to the old system would greatly simplify the testing procedure for compliance with the specification, without losing any measure of control.
A Justice's Surprise That Has Stood Its Ground: The Enduring Value of the Commercial Speech Doctrine's Powellian Balance
Authors: Kerr Robert L.
Published: November 2015

One of the most important concepts of modern commercial speech related to advertising, characterized as the “Powellian balance,” resulted in a compromise between those who thought commercial expression should receive little or no First Amendment protection and those who argued that it receive the same expansive protection accorded to political expression. The private papers of Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. reveal the remarkable degree to which he maintained a deep commitment to balancing competing interests in shaping the commercial speech doctrine. The central argument of this monograph is that Powell's “middle way” can be employed to best promote today's vital and complex societal interests.
Teacher Preparation in the 21st Century: Meeting Diverse Needs
Authors: Christensen Kathee M. , Luckner John
Published: November 2015

This article summarizes changes that have occurred during the past decade, describes the current state of the field of education of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (i.e., whom we teach, where we teach, how we teach, and what we teach), and poses action needed in the future. It addresses these topics through a review of pertinent literature and through the presentation of information gathered from a set of teachers from diverse settings who work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
A Descriptive Study of Communicative Intentions Used by Hearing Teachers and Preschool Children with Hearing Loses
Authors: Beattie R. G. , Kysela G. M.
Published: November 2015

This study investigated the range of Communicative Intentions (CIs) used by three hearing teachers and eleven preschool children with hearing losses in a Lesson context. The participant's use of the CI categories of Conversational Devices, Descriptions, Performatives, Requests, Responses, Statements, and Uninterpretables is described and discussed. The teachers' were found to demonstrate all of the range categories considered with similar rank orders for category use. Unlike previous research, where data were collected from several contexts and for longer periods of time, only seven of the 11 children used all of the range categories in the 20 minute samples. The data, in conjunction with the process of collection and analysis, suggested that some teaching styles and restricted contexts may not support the use a wide range of CIs by all participants. The findings are used to discuss implications for teaching.
Review Article: Neuroimaging of Recovery of Function after Stroke: Implications for Rehabilitation
Authors: Ances Beau M. , D'Esposito Mark
Published: November 2015

Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals. Many patients have good functional recovery after stroke. The mechanisms of recovery remain largely unknown. Neuroimaging of patients recovering from stroke may provide important insight into the mechanisms of recovery as well as assist in the development of new rehabilitation techniques. The first part of this article reviews previous neuroimaging studies that have monitored the reorganization within the motor and language areas after stroke. In the second section, a unifying theory based on John Hughlings Jackson's “Principles of Compensation” is presented as a possible theory for recovery of function. In the final portion of the article, possible implications and future applications of neuroimaging studies for rehabilitation are presented.
The Effects of Ipsilateral Forearm Movement and Contralateral Hand Grasp on the Spastic Hand Opened by Electrical Stimulation
Authors: Lin Chou-Ching
Published: November 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ipsilateral arm movement and contralateral hand grasp on the spastic hand opened by open-loop electrical stimulation. The major problem of applying proper electrical stimulation is variable spasticity, the intensity of which changes with posture and movements of other parts of the body. Electrical stimulation was applied to extensor digitorum communis and ulnar nerve to open the affected hand. Different procedures were then used to assess the effects of moving the ipsilateral forearm and contracting the contralateral normal hand. Electrical stimulation opened the spastic hand in more than 95% of trials in all subjects, whether stimulation was applied before or after the movement of the forearm. Moving the ipsilateral forearm did have an effect on opening the hand, and making adjustment of stimulation intensities was necessary in all subjects. The stimulation opened the spastic hand during the contraction of the contralateral normal hand. Electrical stimulation could open the spastic hands most of the time, in the presence of ipsilateral forearm movement and contralateral normal hand contraction. If electrical stimulation was applied before the ipsilateral forearm was moved toward the target, stimulation intensities needed to be adjusted.
Recovery Rates after Stroke and Their Impact on Outcome Prediction
Authors: Ween Jon Erik , Mernoff Stephen T. , Alexander Michael P.
Published: November 2015

Current assessments do not provide reliable factors predictive of outcome from stroke for stroke survivors of intermediate age and severity of deficit. We sought to investigate whether early rate of functional improvement can facilitate prediction of functional outcome, length of stay, and disposition beyond that afforded by age and initial severity of deficit. Prospective study of consecutive admissions to acute rehabilitation (N = 244) with diagnosis of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Independent measures were age, marital status, living situation, social situation, lag from symptom onset to rehabilitation, stroke type, admission score on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), rate of FIM change (ROFC) as assessed by the best weekly FIM change in the first 3 weeks of rehabilitation. Dependent measures were functional status on discharge as assessed by a modification of Steinman's method, length of stay, and discharge disposition. Logistic regression analyses on each of the dependent measures identified significant factors, and interactions of significant factors were assessed by analysis of variance on continuous dependent variables. Cross-tabulations using significant factors from the logistic regression analyses were performed to identify groups with homogeneous outcomes. Groups with >80% homogeneity were considered likely to have predictive value. Discharge functional status: Admission FIM (AFIM) again fractionated the population into groups with poor outcome (AFIM <50 remained dependent), good outcome (AFIM >70 achieved nondependence), and an intermediate group with unpredictable outcome. In this intermediate group, ROFC had significant effect only for a small number of patients (n = 9) with rapid improvement (ROFC >25) who achieved nondependence. LOS: AFIM >70 had less than average LOS, ROFC = 10–15 FIM/week had longer than average LOS. LOS was significantly prolonged in patients with poor outcomes. Disposition: AFIM >70 and age <60 were strongly associated with home discharge. Patients not living at home before admission were not discharged home. Married patients had a greater tendency to home discharge than did those not married. ROFC had no bearing on disposition. ROFC has an independent influence on outcome but was sufficiently powerful in our sample to identify reliably only a very small subset of patients with otherwise indeterminate prognosis. LOS seems inordinately prolonged in patients with poor outcomes. Both of these results can guide efficient rehabilitation management.
Activation of Supplementary Motor Area during Imaginary Movement of Phantom Toes
Authors: Maruno Noriko , Kaminaga Tatsuro , Mikami Masahiro , Furui Shigeru
Published: November 2015

To evaluate changes in the human cerebral cortex after lower limb amputation, we studied repetitive toe movements using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The subject did not experience any phantom pain but had a vivid sensation of the phantom limb's presence and was able to imagine the movement of her phantom toes and ankle. Actual movement of her normal limb activated the contralateral supplementary motor area (SMA), the primary motor cortex (M1), and the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Movement of her phantom limb activated the contralateral SMA and the M1. Imaginary movement of her normal toes without actual movement activated the contralateral SMA. The slice level that was activated by the movement of the phantom limb was shifted 8 mm caudally, suggesting that cortical reorganization had occurred after the lower limb amputation.
Human Sleep EEG Analysis Using the Correlation Dimension
Authors: Kobayashi Toshio , Madokoro Shigeki , Wada Yuji , Misaki Kiwamu , Nakagawa Hiroki
Published: November 2015

Sleep electroencephalograms (EEG) were analyzed by non-linear analysis. Polysomnography (PSG) of nine healthy male subjects was analyzed and the correlation dimension (D2) was calculated. The D2 characterizes the dynamics of the sleep EEG, estimates the degrees of freedom, and describes the complexity of the signal. The mean D2 decreased from the awake stage to stages 1,2,3 and 4 and increased during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The D2 during each REM sleep stage were high and those during each slow wave sleep stage were low, respectively, for each sleep cycle. The mean D2 of the sleep EEG in the second half of the night was significantly higher than those in the first half of the night. Significant changes were also observed during sleep stage 2, but were not seen during REM sleep and sleep stages 3 and 4. The D2 may be a useful method in the analysis of the entire sleep EEG.
Auditory Evoked Responses to Similar Words with Phonemic Difference: Comparison between Children with Good and Poor Reading Scores
Authors: Valencia Ignacio , McAnulty Gloria B. , Waber Deborah P. , Duffy Frank H.
Published: November 2015

Our previous study demonstrated a physiologic deficit in two-tone discrimination in poor readers. 1 This was specific to the left parietal area suggesting that poor readers handled rapid tones differently. The current paper extends this finding in the same population, demonstrating that poor readers also have difficulty with phonemic discrimination.

Long latency auditory evoked potentials (AEP) were formed using a phonemic discrimination task in a group of children with reading disabilities and controls. Measuring peak-to-peak amplitude of the waveforms, we found reduced N1-P2 amplitude in the Poor Reader group.

Using the t-statistic significance probability map (SPM) technique, we also found a group difference, maximal over the mid-parietal area, from 584 msec to 626 msec after the stimulus onset. This difference was due to a lower amplitude on the Poor Reader group. We hypothesized that this late difference constitutes a P3 response and that the Poor Reader group generated smaller P3 waves.

These auditory evoked response (AER) data support a discrimination deficit for close phonemes in the Poor Reader group as they had smaller N1-P2 absolute amplitude and developed smaller P3 waves.

Based on these data we should be able to differentiate between Good and Poor readers based on long latency potentials created from phonemic stimuli.
Infant EEG Spectral Coherence Data during Quiet Sleep: Unrestricted Principal Components Analysis — Relation of Factors to Gestational Age, Medical Risk, and Neurobehavioral Status
Authors: Duffy Frank H. , Als Heidelise , McAnulty Gloria B.
Published: November 2015

EEG spectral coherence data in quiet sleep of 312 infants were evaluated, at 42 weeks post-menstrual age. All were medically healthy and living at home by time of evaluation. The sample consisted of prematurely born infants with a wide spectrum of underlying risk factors, as well as healthy fullterm infants. Initial 3040 coherence variables were reduced by principal components analysis in an unrestricted manner, which avoided the folding of spectral and spatial information into among-subject variance. One hundred fifty factors explained 90% of the total variance; 40 Varimax rotated factors explained 65% of the variance yielding a 50:1 data reduction. Factor loading patterns ranged from multiple spectral bands for a single electrode pair to multiple electrode pairs for a single spectral band and all intermediate possibilities. Simple left-right and anterior-posterior pairings were not observed within the factor loadings. By multiple regression analysis, the 40 factors significantly predicted gestational age at birth. By canonical correlation, significant relationships were demonstrated between the coherence factors and medical risk factors as well as neurobehavioral factors. Using discriminant analysis, the coherence factors successfully discriminated between infants with high and low medical risk status and between those with the best and worst neurobehavioral status. The two factors accounting for the most variance, and chosen across several analyses, indicated increased left central-temporal coherence from 6–24 Hz, and increased frontal-occipital coherence at 10 Hz, for the infants born closest to term with lowest medical risk factors and best neurobehavioral performance.
Generalized Spike-Wave Discharges with Focal Onset in a Patient with Head Trauma and Diffuse Cerebral Lesions: A Case Report with EEG and Cranial MRI Findings
Authors: Tezer F. Irsel , Dericioglu Nese , Saygi Serap
Published: November 2015

The role of cerebral lesions associated with absence seizures, outside the frontal lobe, has not been demonstrated by both electroencephalography and neuroimaging techniques until now, to our knowledge. We present a case with absence seizures and EEGs with generalized 3 Hz spike-wave patterns that were preceded by a burst of spike-waves on the right parieto-occipital region. The patient had a history of head trauma, and cranial MRI revealed lesions that might be responsible for the seizures. The patient's lateralized and localized EEG findings were probably a representation of secondary bilateral synchrony (SBS). The mechanism of SBS is considerably more complex than a simple triggering of generalized spike-wave complexes from a single cortical focus.
Postoperative Hemodynamic Index Measurement With Miniaturized Dynamic Light Scattering Predicts Colorectal Anastomotic Healing
Authors: Wu Zhouqiao , Boersema Geesien S. A. , Taha Diman , Fine Ilya , Menon Anand , Kleinrensink Gert-Jan , Jeekel Johannes , Lange Johan F.
Published: November 2015

Introduction. Perioperative bowel perfusion (local hemodynamic index [LHI]) was measured with a miniaturized dynamic light scattering (mDLS) device, aiming to determine whether anastomotic perfusion correlates with the anastomotic healing process and whether LHI measurement assists in the detection of anastomotic leakage (AL) in colorectal surgery. Methods. A partial colectomy was performed in 21 male Wistar rats. Colonic and anastomotic LHIs were recorded during operation. On postoperative day (POD) 3, the rats were examined for AL manifestations. Anastomotic LHI was recorded before determining the anastomotic bursting pressure (ABP). The postoperative LHI measurements were repeated in 15 other rats with experimental colitis. Clinical manifestations and anastomotic LHI were also determined on POD3. Diagnostic value of LHI measurement was analyzed with the combined data from both experiments. Results. Intraoperative LHI measurement showed no correlation with the ABP on POD3. Postoperative anastomotic LHI on POD3 was significantly correlated with ABP in the normal rats ( R2 = 0.52; P < .001) and in the rats with colitis ( R2 = 0.63; P = .0012). Anastomotic LHI on POD3 had high accuracy for identifying ABP <50 mm Hg (Area under the curve = 0.86; standard error = 0.065; P < .001). A cutoff point of 1236 yielded a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 65%. On POD3, rats with LHIs <1236 had significantly higher dehiscence rates (40% vs 0%), more weight loss, higher abscess severity, and lower ABPs ( P < .05); worse anastomotic inflammation and collagen deposition were also found in the histological examination. Conclusion. Our data suggest that postoperative evaluation of anastomotic microcirculation with the mDLS device assists in the detection of AL in colorectal surgery.
Experience with Complementary Feeding in the Foncodes Project
Authors: de Romaña Guillermo López
Published: November 2015

Alli Alimentu, a processed complementary food, is currently consumed by 50,000 children per day in Peru. The food, developed by the Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, is produced and distributed by the private sector in programmes funded by the government. In this paper, the development of the food is described, and issues related to financing, cost, production, and distribution are discussed. Monitoring and evaluation has focused on three activities: operational processes, communication and training, and impact. The impact evaluation showed that the consumption of energy, protein, iron, vitamin A, and calcium increased and the prevalence of anaemia and vitamin A deficiency decreased among targeted children. Surprisingly, the project did not affect child growth, suggesting that stunting is associated with multiple factors (genetic, environmental, and infectious) that the project did not modify.
Improving Young Child Feeding with Processed Complementary Cereals and Behavioural Change in Urban Kenya
Authors: Huffman Sandra L. , Oniang'o Ruth , Quinn Victoria
Published: November 2015

In urban Kenya the rates of exclusive breastfeeding are low, and complementary feeding practices result in inadequate intake of energy and nutrients by young children. Although information on appropriate feeding of young children has been widely promoted through the health system for years, and mothers are knowledgeable about recommendations, inadequate feeding practices still result in high rates of malnutrition. Processed cereal blends are used by some urban mothers for infant feeding, and their cost is similar to that of porridges enriched in the home by the addition of milk, margarine, or soya flour. However, little has been done to ensure that these products are nutritionally adequate or to ensure that labelling instructions are appropriate and that they promote exclusive breastfeeding from four to six months of age. Social marketing to low-income families of fortified cereal blends that would address these concerns could be a sustainable means of improving infant-feeding practices.
Potential Use of Red Palm Oil in Combating Vitamin A Deficiency in India
Authors: Rao B. S. Narasinga
Published: November 2015

Vitamin A deficiency is widespread among pre-school children in India. Severe forms of vitamin A deficiency lead to nutritional blindness. Massive-dose vitamin A prophylaxis has been in operation in India since the early 1970s to prevent nutritional blindness. with a decline in the severe forms of vitamin A deficiency, the emphasis has shifted to a food-based approach to control the still widespread mild to moderate forms of vitamin A deficiency by promoting consumption of carotene-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables. Compared with these sources, red palm oil is a richer source of carotenes, with 500–600 μg of carotenes per gram of oil. Further, the carotenes in red palm oil may be better absorbed than carotenes from other plant sources because they are in an oil medium. the value of red palm oil as a rich source of carotenes to cure and prevent vitamin A deficiency was recognized and studied in India as far back as the mid-1930s. Later, during the 1980s, systematic studies in both animals and humans established the safety, acceptability, and nutritional potential of crude red palm oil as a rich source of provitamin A. During the early 1990s, community studies were carried out with edible-grade crude palm oil to improve the vitamin A status of children and mothers. with the current availability of highly refined edible-grade red palm oil, its use as a source of provitamin A at home and in feeding programmes for children should pose no problem, because it is more acceptable than crude palm oil. It can indeed prove to be a potential source of carotene to eradicate vitamin A deficiency in the country.
Evaluation of Nutrition Education for Improving Iron Status in Combination with Daily Iron Supplementation
Authors: Lanerolle Pulani , Atukorala Sunethra , De Silva Geethanjali , Samarasinghe Swarnamali , Dharmawardena Lakshmi
Published: November 2015

The effectiveness of nutrition education and unsupervised daily iron supplementation on iron status was studied in adolescent schoolgirls of low socio-economic status. Baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to nutrition and iron status were assessed in 915 girls attending schools in an urban and a rural area of Sri Lanka. Girls in intervention schools received nutrition education and ferrous sulphate or a placebo and were requested to take one tablet per day. Subjects in control schools did not receive any intervention. All subjects were reassessed after 10 weeks. Educational intervention resulted in significant increases in knowledge of nutrition and in iron status among girls in both areas. Good compliance was noted with both iron supplements and the placebo. Iron status was more improved in the groups receiving iron supplementation than in the groups receiving education only, indicating the effectiveness of unsupervised supplementation when combined with nutrition education. The short-term sustainability of intervention was higher in the rural area than in the urban area.
Breeding for Trace Mineral Density in Rice
Authors: Gregorio Glenn B. , Senadhira Dharmawansa , Htut H. , Graham Robin D.
Published: November 2015

In 1992 the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) began to examine the effect of certain soil characteristics on the iron content of rice grains. As part of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Micronutrients Project, this effort was expanded in 1995 to include analysis of both iron and zinc, in collaboration with the University of Adelaide in Australia. Since then, germplasm screening has shown large genetic variation for iron and zinc concentrations in brown rice. Common cultivars contain about 12 mg of iron and 25 mg of zinc per kilogram. Some traditional varieties have double these amounts. Genetic-by-environmental interactions are sufficiently moderate that breeding for higher iron and zinc content is considered worthwhile. The next major research step will be to further study the genetics of trace mineral accumulation in the grain to determine the best selection techniques for use in breeding. High iron and zinc traits can be combined with improved agronomic traits. This has already been demonstrated in the serendipitous discovery in the IRRI testing programme of an aromatic variety (IR68144-3B-2-2-3) that has a high concentration of grain iron, about 21 mg/kg in brown rice. This elite line has good tolerance to rice tungro virus and to mineral-deficient soils and has excellent grain qualities. The yields are about 10% below those of IR72, but in partial compensation, maturity is earlier. After 15 minutes of polishing, IR68144-4B-2-2-3 had about 80% more iron than IR64, a widely grown commercial variety. It remains to be shown that this extra iron can improve the iron status of iron-deficient human subjects. A human feeding trial is being planned.
Commercial Vegetable and Polyculture Fish Production in Bangladesh: Their Impacts on Household Income and Dietary Quality
Authors: Bouis Howarth E.
Published: November 2015

Given the low access that women in rural Bangladesh have to productive assets, their crucial role as caretakers, and their high vulnerability to micronutrient deficiencies, numerous non-governmental organizations target women for food-based income-generating activities. Three such programmes were examined, which promote adoption of polyculture fish production (two sites) and commercial vegetable production (one site). The programmes evaluated had income generation—and not better nutrition—as their primary objective. The fish and vegetable technologies were found to be more profitable than rice production, although rice production provided a higher share of total income. On the basis of the evidence collected, there is little reason to believe that adoption of the two technologies has improved the micronutrient status of members of adopting households through better dietary quality. There was no finding of disproportionately high own-consumption of fish and vegetables by adopting households. The impacts on overall household income, although positive, were not strong. The effects of adoption on women's status and time allocation do not change this conclusion.

It is consumers in general who benefit from research, extension, and credit programmes to increase the market supply of vegetables and fish. All other things being equal, increased market supply will lower prices for these foods. Although inflation-adjusted cereal prices in Bangladesh have fallen by 40% over the last 25 years (a remarkable achievement), real prices of lentils, vegetables, and animal products have increased by 25% to 50%. Real fish prices have perhaps doubled. Dietary quality for the poor may be declining over time due to these price effects.
Improving the Nutritional Quality and Yield Potential of Grasspea (Lathyrus Sativus L.)
Authors: El-Moneim Ali M. Abd , van Dorrestein B. , Baum M. , Mulugeta W.
Published: November 2015

Lathyrus sativus (grasspea or chickling pea) is a popular food and feed crop in certain Asian and African countries, such as Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, because of its resistance to drought, flood, and moderate salinity and because of its low input requirements. When other crops fail under adverse climatic conditions, L. sativus can become the only available food source for the poor and sometimes is a survival food during famine. Although seeds of L. sativus are tasty and protein rich, overconsumption can cause an upper-neurone disease known as neurolathyrism, an irreversible paralysis of the lower limbs. The level of this compound in the dry seeds varies widely, depending on genetic factors and environmental conditions.

The ability of L. sativus to provide an economic yield under most adverse conditions has made it a popular crop in subsistence farming in many developing countries, and it offers a great potential for use in other parts of the world. In the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region, under low-rainfall conditions there is a tendency for increasing monoculture of cereals, such as barley. The incorporation of grasspea in the rotation can make the production system more sustainable by improving soil fertility and breaking disease and pest cycles.

The objectives of the crop improvement programme of International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) for this species are to improve its yield potential and nutritional quality through the reduction of its content of the neurotoxin 3-(N -oxalyl)-L-2,3-diaminopropionic acid (β-ODAP). Low-neurotoxin lines having 0.07% to 0.02% β-ODAP were developed by using conventional breeding methods and by developing somaclonal variants.
The Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition: An Overview
Authors: Barba Corazon
Published: November 2015

The Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) is the blueprint for an integrated programme of nutrition interventions, formulated under the leadership of the National Nutrition Council (NNC), which serves as the coordinating body for the implementation of nutrition-related programmes and projects and has responsibility for monitoring and evaluation. The Governing Board of the NNC is chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture and nine cabinet Secretaries, and the heads of three private-sector institutions sit as members. The PPAN goals are consistent with the global call to eradicate malnutrition made during the 1992 International Conference on Nutrition. The PPAN also falls within the framework of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan. The PPAN aims to reduce protein– energy malnutrition among children, chronic energy deficiency among adults, and micronutrient deficiencies among all population groups, with specific targets to be reached by the year 2004. Iron-deficiency anaemia, vitamin A deficiency, and iodine-deficiency disorders remain serious public health concerns.

PPAN programmes are implemented in the following areas: home, school, and community food production; micronutrient supplementation; food fortification; food assistance; livelihood assistance; and nutrition education. To support the implementation of the above programmes, various enabling mechanisms have been or will be institutionalized: human resource development; advocacy; research and standards; overall planning, coordination, management, and surveillance; and resource generation and mobilization. The paper provides brief descriptions of all these programmes and enabling mechanisms.
Food Fortification in the Philippines: Policies, Programmes, Issues, and Prospects
Authors: Solon Florentino S.
Published: November 2015

Fortification is an important component of the Philippine Plan for Action on Nutrition. Several programmes are described for the fortification of commonly consumed foods, such as rice, margarine, sugar, salt, oil, and wheat flour, with essential micronutrients, especially vitamin A, iron, and iodine, to satisfy dietary gaps for these nutrients. The overall programme is designed to be spearheaded and implemented by the food industry, while the government is to provide necessary support through policy, technology development and transfer, and incentives to encourage the participation of food manufacturers.

The objective of the government's Sangkap Pinoy seal programme is to encourage food manufacturers to market high-quality fortified food products. The seal is awarded to manufacturers who are able to meet standards for fortifying products with vitamin A, iron, or iodine. The seal makes the general public aware of the availability of fortified foods with assurance of quality and, thus, encourages consumption of fortified products.

The prerequisites for a successful food-fortification intervention include advocacy, technology development and testing, stability studies, market testing, and field trials. Most fortification efforts have fulfilled these requirements, with the exception of a field trial to determine the efficacy of a fortified food in improving the nutrient status of a target group. Simple, rapid, and low-cost assessment methods to determine fortification levels must be developed to assist food manufacturers in their quality assurance monitoring activities. Moreover, the skills and abilities of village nutrition workers must be harnessed for monitoring fortified foods at the village or household level.
Iraqi National Survey Data on Malnutrition and Breastfeeding Practices among Children under Five Years of Age
Authors: Tawfeek Haifa I. , Salom Amer H.
Published: November 2015

In a national nutrition survey conducted in Iraq during 1992 to 1994, anthropometric measurements were obtained from 3,616 children under five years of age. Wasting was found in 10.8% and stunting in 21%. The nutritional status of children was worse in southern Iraq than in Baghdad. Although classical nutritional diseases disappeared from the country many years ago, the survey found signs of marasmus in 17.5% of the children and kwashiorkor in 0.3%. Iodine-deficiency disorders and anemia were also public health problems. Information on infant feeding practices was gained from mothers by direct interview. Wasting was much more frequent among formula-fed children than among breastfed children (49.3% vs 28.9%, p < . 01). Less than 60% of the latter were exclusively breastfed during the first four months of life. Iraqi women are in great need of breastfeeding-promotion programs. Well-planned health and nutritional intervention programs for children under five years of age are also essential.
Assessment of Bias in National Growth-monitoring Data: A Case Study in Zimbabwe
Authors: Wright James , Gundry Stephen , Ferro-Luzzi A. , Mucavele P. , Russell G. , Nyatsanza J.
Published: November 2015

This study assesses the extent to which children under five years of age attending a growth-monitoring program are representative of the population as a whole. Bias in the prevalence of underweight estimated through growth-monitoring is assessed by comparing data from the program with prevalence estimates from the community-based Demographic and Health Surveys of 1988 and 1994. Geographic patterns of attendance at growth-monitoring are also examined through a comparison with census data, and trends in growth-monitoring data are also assessed. Provincial and national estimates of the prevalence of underweight from the two sources were not significantly different in 1988, but significant differences in prevalence estimates were identified in 1994. This suggests that growth-monitoring attendees were less representative of the general population in 1994 than at the start of the study period. The methodology used is transferable elsewhere, since the same data sets exist for many other African countries.
Breastfeeding and Weaning Practices of Mothers and Infants in Uzbekistan
Authors: Semenova Gulnara , Scrimshaw Nevin S.
Published: November 2015

Qualitative data on infant-feeding practices were collected in four urban and four suburban sites in Uzbekistan. The qualitative interviews combined with observation were conducted with 209 women at their households and with 118 health professionals at health-care facilities. Despite finding a high rate of early breastfeeding, the study revealed a series of practices that make it more difficult for mothers to initiate and maintain breastfeeding adequately. These include separation of the mother and child at birth, “prelacteal” feeding of infants, and lack of prenatal instruction in breastfeeding management. In addition, the rigid day feeding schedule required in the hospital, with no night feedings, and the lack of access of the mother to the child for breastfeeding on demand, decreed by former Soviet Union policy, were serious obstacles. Most serious in its ultimate consequences, however, was the large number of mainly subjective indicators used by doctors to conclude that a mother should not breastfeed her infant. Almost none of these were consistent with WHO recommendations or with currently accepted medical practices. Despite these obstacles, nearly all mothers in Uzbekistan successfully breastfeed their infants for at least four to six months and most for much longer. Contrary to local medical beliefs, the mothers are not undernourished. Weight gain during pregnancy and the birthweights of their infants were in the normal range.
A Review of the Evidence for the Benefits and Safety of Adding Vitamin A to the Treatment of Six Common Health Problems in Children
Authors: McNally Lisa , Tomkins andrew
Published: November 2015

It has been more than 70 years since vitamin A was first reported to play a role in the treatment of measles. the addition of vitamin A to the treatment of other common childhood illnesses remains controversial, with differing guidelines. This review analyzes the strength of the evidence for the role of vitamin A in six common childhood illnesses. We found no published papers on the use of vitamin A in chickenpox or malaria. There is strong published evidence for the use of adjuvant vitamin A in children requiring hospital admission for measles and some evidence for its use in acute shigellosis. the available evidence does not support a role for adjuvant vitamin A in acute lower respiratory tract infections or acute watery diarrhea. There is insufficient evidence on the role of vitamin A in the treatment of persistent diarrhea, acute measles not requiring admission, and protein-energy malnutrition to guide policy