bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Food Insecurity and Associated Factors in the Portuguese Population
Authors: Álvares Luísa , Amaral Teresa F. 
Published: November 2015

Background The burden of food insecurity in Portugal, and the socioeconomic and demographic factors that are related to this condition, are unknown. Objective To evaluate the frequency of food insecurity and to identify its associated characteristics in the Portuguese population. Methods Data from 3,552 heads of family respondents of the 2005/06 Portuguese National Health Survey were analyzed in a cross-sectional study. Food insecurity was evaluated with the use of the US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module 6-Item Short Form. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression models were conducted. Significance was indicated at p < .05. Results Among the respondents, 16.5% were food insecure and 3.5% had very low food security. The odds of being food insecure were highest for women (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.91), smokers (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.20 to 2.02), younger people (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.69 to 3.80), unemployed people (OR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.01 to 4.60), those with lower education (OR, 7.98; 95% CI, 4.73 to 13.49), and those with lower income (OR, 6.27; 95% CI, 4.23 to 9.30). Conclusions The present study explored for the first time the burden of food insecurity in Portugal, revealing that it was highly prevalent, affecting one in six Portuguese citizens. Low education and low income were the main factors associated with food insecurity.
Information-Sharing to Improve Learning about Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) and its Impact
Authors: Dent Nicky , Deconinck Hedwig , Golden Kate , Brown Rebecca , Walsh Anne 
Published: November 2015

Background Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects 19 million children worldwide annually. The community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) approach was first piloted in 2000. Endorsed by the United Nations in 2007, the approach has been introduced in over 60 countries. Current coverage and quality of services need further strengthening and key stakeholders have expressed the need for improved information-sharing. Objective To report on an information-sharing initiative that was established to support scale-up of quality services for CMAM by collecting existing technical guidance, evidence, and learning. Methods Routine website monitoring, country case studies, and surveys were used to assess the profiles of CMAM Forum users and the reach and use of information for improved health outcomes. Results The number of information products and services and their use have steadily increased. Country case studies have identified ways to adapt information better to the needs of those involved in managing acute malnutrition, particularly at the country level. An urgent need has been identified for more resources in additional languages, especially French and Arabic, and expanded production and use of audiovisual material and social media. Conclusions Improved information-sharing can have an impact on health outcomes, but further innovation and support are needed to improve access to, and use of, the information.
Mondelēz Hope Kitchen Program, China: A Program Impact Pathways (PIP) Analysis
Authors: Li Yanran , Yao Xiaoxun , Gu Lan 
Published: November 2015

Background Mondelēz Hope Kitchen is a community program initiated jointly in 2009 by Mondelēz International and the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF). In response to the urgent needs of students, parents, and teachers at primary and middle schools in poverty-stricken rural areas of China, the program addresses the complex and intertwined issues of under-nutrition and obesity. By funding both kitchen equipment and teacher training in health and nutrition, the Mondelēz Hope Kitchen Program improves the capacity of schools to supply healthy meals, helping students to access safe and nutritious foods and, ultimately, to improve their nutritional status and health. In 2011, the Mondelēz International Foundation awarded CYDF a grant to formally assess the impact of the original program design. The Mondelēz International Foundation encouraged CYDF and six other healthy lifestyles-focused community partners around the world to participate in this program evaluation workshop. Objective The goals of this study were to describe the logic model of the Mondelēz Hope Kitchen Program, summarize a recent evaluation of the Mondelēz Hope Kitchen Program, and conduct a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis to identify Critical Quality Control Points (CCPs) and a suite of impact indicators. The findings were presented at the Healthy Lifestyles Program Evaluation Workshop held in Granada, Spain, 13–14 September 2013, under the auspices of the Mondelēz International Foundation. Methods The authors developed the program's PIP diagram based on deliberations involving the program managers and Director and consulting the “Hope Kitchen Management Rules” and “Hope Kitchen Inspection and Acceptance Report”. Results The PIP analyses identified three CCPs: buy-in from schools, kitchen infrastructure, and changes in teachers' knowledge of nutrition after training. In addition, changes in children's knowledge of nutrition will be added to the core suite of impact evaluation indicators that also includes children's dietary behaviors. Conclusions Participation in this program evaluation workshop provided the Mondelēz Hope Kitchen team with the tools to improve the program using a sound monitoring system.
Ready, Steady, Go! Program, Italy: A Program Impact Pathways (PIP) Analysis
Authors: Veracini Giordana , Leonardi Elisabetta , Girotti Rita , Thrasher Erika Willumsen 
Published: November 2015

Background Ready, Steady, Go! promotes proper nutrition and physical activity among people of all ages in targeted neighborhoods and encourages social integration and children's participation in decisions that affect their lives. It also seeks to involve parents in activities so that they can influence their children's attitudes toward lifestyles and personal development. This partnership has reached 70,000 Italian children and adults with new opportunities for physical activities and social experiences that help them improve nutritional behaviors while having fun with their peers. Objective To assess the Ready, Steady, Go! Program logic and to identify Critical Quality Control Points (CCPs) and a core suite of impact indicators based on a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis. Methods The PIP analysis team reviewed the key activities and processes that form Ready, Steady, Go! and then identified key CCPs for the project. The findings were presented at the Healthy Lifestyles Program Evaluation Workshop held in Granada, Spain, 13–14 September 2013, under the auspices of the Mondelēz International Foundation. Results The PIP analysis confirmed that Ready, Steady, Go! has a structure that is likely to support the primary aims of the program. The CCPs identified are training of teachers in healthy lifestyles, teachers' active participation in the program, access to remodeled and well-equipped sports and recreational centers, participation of parents and grandparents, and involvement of local institutions and networks. A suite of impact indicators for changes in healthy lifestyle knowledge, attitudes, and behavior was identified. Conclusions Project staff are now more aware of the importance of carefully monitoring the CCPs and have decided to conduct quarterly PIP-informed quality control evaluations.
Fish-Enhanced and Soybean-Enhanced Supplemental Snacks are Acceptable among Pregnant Women in Rural Kenya
Authors: Gewa Constance A. , Frankenfeld Cara L. , Slavin Margaret , Omondi Milton 
Published: November 2015

Background. Although animal-source foods provide a rich source of complete protein and a variety of micronutrients, a majority of these foods are not accessible to a large proportion of populations in low-income nations. Locally available and affordable nutrient-dense dietary solutions that are accessible all year round can provide the most viable solution to improving food and nutrition security for these vulnerable populations. However, their potential to improve nutritional status among pregnant women has not been documented. Objective. The study was conducted to help guide the development of fish-enhanced and soybean-enhanced supplemental snacks and evaluate their acceptability among pregnant women in rural Kenya. Methods. We developed fish-enhanced and soybean-enhanced snacks using the small local lake fish omena ( Rastrineobola argentea) and soybean flour. A cross-sectional study design was used to assess snack acceptance levels among HIV-infected and -noninfected pregnant women, two high-risk groups for nutrient deficiencies. Results. Overall, 96%, 80%, and 81% of participants, indicated that they liked the taste, odor, texture, and color of wheat, fish-enhanced, or soybean-enhanced snacks, respectively. No significant differences were noted across participants' HIV status. Focus group discussions with the women further supported results from the quantitative ratings. Conclusions. Our analysis demonstrates the feasibility of developing acceptable, nutrient-dense food supplements using locally available foods in rural Kenya and contributes culturally acceptable, affordable, and sustainable solutions to the problem of undernutrition among pregnant women in low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Community Interventions for Dietary Improvement in Ghana
Authors: Marquis Grace S. , Colecraft Esi K. 
Published: November 2015

Background. Low caregiver income and poor nutrition knowledge and skills are important barriers to achieving optimal child feeding in rural Ghana. Objective. An integrated microcredit and nutrition education intervention was implemented to address these barriers. Methods. Using a quasi-experimental design, 134 caregivers of children 2 to 5 years of age in six intervention communities were enrolled into self-selected savings and loan groups. They received small individual loans over four 16-week cycles to support their income-generating activities. Nutrition and entrepreneurial education was provided during weekly loan repayment meetings. Another 261 caregivers in six comparison communities did not receive the intervention. Data on household sociodemographic and economic characteristics, perception of income-generating activity profits, and children's consumption of animal-source foods in the previous week were collected at baseline and at four additional time points. Differences according to group (intervention vs. control) and time (baseline vs. endline) were analyzed with chi-square and Student's t-tests. Results. The intervention and comparison groups did not differ by caregivers' age and formal education; few (35) had previous experience with microcredit loans. At endline, more intervention than comparison caregivers perceived that their business profits had increased (59% vs. 23%, p < .001). In contrast to comparison children, after 16 months of intervention children consumed more livestock meat (p = .001), organ meat (p = .04), eggs (p = .001), and milk and milk products (p < .0001) in the previous week in comparison with baseline. Conclusions. Integrated food-centered strategies can improve children's diets, which will enhance their nutritional status, health, and cognitive outcomes.
Effect of Animal-Source Food Supplement Prior to and during Pregnancy on Birthweight and Prematurity in Rural Vietnam: A Brief Study Description
Authors: Tu Ngu , King Janet C. , Dirren Henri , Thu Nga Hoang , Ngoc Quyen Phi , Diep Anh Nguyen Thi 
Published: November 2015

Background. Maternal nutritional status is an important predictor of infant birthweight. Most previous attempts to improve birthweight through multiple micronutrient supplementation have been initiated after women are pregnant. Interventions to improve maternal nutritional status prior to conception may be more effective in preventing low birthweight and improving other infant health outcomes. Objective. To compare the effects of maternal supplementation with animal-source food from preconception to term or from mid-gestation to term with routine prenatal care on birthweight, the prevalence of preterm births, intrauterine growth restriction, and infant growth during the first 12 months of life and on maternal nutrient status and the incidence of maternal and infant infections. Methods. Young women from 29 rural communes in northwestern Vietnam were recruited when they registered to marry and were randomized to one of three interventions: animal-source food supplement 5 days per week from marriage to term (approximately 13 months), animal-source food supplement 5 days per week from 16 weeks of gestation to term (approximately 5 months), or routine prenatal care without supplemental feeding. Data on infant birthweight and gestational age, maternal and infant anthropometry, micronutrient status, and infections in the infant and mother were collected at various time points. Results. In a preliminary study of women of reproductive age in this area of Vietnam, 40% of the women were underweight (body mass index < 18.5) and anemic. About 50% had infections. Rice was the dietary staple, and nutrient-rich, animal-source foods were rarely consumed by women. Iron, zinc, vitamin A, folate, and vitamin B12 intakes were inadequate in about 40% of the women. The study is still ongoing, and further data are not yet available. Conclusions. The results of this study will provide important data regarding whether improved intake of micronutrient-rich animal-source foods that are locally available and affordable before and during pregnancy improves maternal and infant health and development. This food-based approach may have global implications regarding how and when to initiate sustainable nutritional interventions to improve maternal and infant health.
Context for Food-Based Approaches for Improved Feeding of Infants and Children in Ethiopia
Authors: Stoecker Barbara J. , Abebe Yewelsew 
Published: November 2015

Background. Regardless of efforts by the health sector and partner organizations, maternal and child malnutrition is still a challenge in Ethiopia. Objective. To describe the context of current infant and child feeding patterns in Ethiopia. Methods. Feeding patterns, diet content and quality, and nutritional outcomes and feeding practices of mothers of young children are described from literature review of a number of field studies. Results. Protein and energy deficiencies and multiple micronutrient deficiencies are common. Breastfeeding is often prolonged until 2 years of age, with introduction of small amounts of poor-quality complementary foods. Vitamin A and iodine deficiencies have also been problems. Focus group discussions showed that mothers did not believe that animal-source foods are needed by young children or schoolchildren. However, the Health Extension Program led by the Federal Ministry of Health promotes optimal child feeding as one of the health extension packages. Conclusions. Continued use of germination and fermentation of cereals should be encouraged to increase bioavailability of trace elements. Use of fat in the diet would increase energy density. To improve the situation, extension education, including nutrition and agricultural expertise delivered in a format understandable to mothers about appropriate complementary feeding, including animal-source foods, is urgently needed, with expansion of governmental and nongovernmental resources.
Policy for the Identification of Students for Gifted Programs
Authors: Evans Karen 
Published: November 2015

The purpose of this investigation into local level implementation of state policy for the identification of gifted students was to gain insight into how local school districts interpret the state department of education policy. Using the mutual adaptation model (Berman, 1980; McLaughlin, 1987, 1991), data from school districts were analyzed to determine the relative degree to which school districts were programmed in their implementation of state guidelines and to develop a beginning understanding of how state policy and guidelines for the identification of gifted students are understood at the local level. School districts are in compliance with state department of education guidelines and use a programmed approach to implementation when identifying students for gifted programs. They understand them as a defined format which must be followed with mandated and prescribed guidelines. These are not viewed as a framework but as a prescription. Implemented as a prescription, policy translation across districts is very uniform in consideration of individual school district differences. Implications for the field of gifted education include constructing identification processes at the local level that take into account the inherently subjective nature of determining who and what is “gifted”; implementing an identification process which acknowledges differences and diversity of school districts; and moving forward to a multi-dimensional process of assessment and identification to select students based on need.
Crystal structure, thermal behaviour and parageneses of koninckite, FePO4·2.75H2O
Authors: Plášil J. , Majzlan J. , Wierzbicka-Wieczorek M. , Kiefer B. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe crystal structure of the mineral koninckite was solved from synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data and refined using density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. Koninckite is tetragonal, with the space group P41212, a = 11.9800(5) Å, c = 14.618(1) Å, V = 2097.9(2) Å3, Z = 8. Its structure is a heteropolyhedral framework with zeolite-like tunnels along [001]. Owing to the severe peak overlap in the powder XRD data and the probable intergrowth of enantiomorphic domains in koninckite, the DFT calculations were applied to provide precise atomic positions (including hydrogen). Additionally, the DFT calculations suggest strongly that koninckite is an antiferromagnetic semiconductor, at least at low temperatures. The DFT computations were used to locate H2O molecules in the channels and to complete the structural description. Thermogravimetric analysis and powder XRD data at variable temperatures show that the structure of koninckite dehydrates and eventually collapses between 160–180°C. Negative thermal expansion was observed between 80 and 150°C. A list of the known occurrences of koninckite suggests that this mineral is not as rare as assumed previously; koninckite is often fine-grained, inconspicuous, and thereby easy to overlook. Koninckite is yet another natural example of an Fe-phosphate zeolitic material.
Indicative Design Technology Competence of the Organizers of Pedagogical Activity in the System of Qualification Improvement and Professional Retraining
Authors: �������  , Strikun N. , �������  , Kibakin M. , ������  , Meychik Galina 
Published: November 2015

In the article the conditions of application indicative technologies for designing competencies required in the professional activities of the organizers of
pedagogical activity in educational as well as design and implement appropriate programs of additional education are considered. The article presents
the algorithm design, the characteristic of each phase. By decomposing the Federal state educational standards of postgraduate training conducted
substantiation of introduction in educational process designed on the basis of the indicative approach of meta-competences: &#34;professional awareness&#34;,
&#34;management skills&#34;, &#34;teaching skills&#34;, &#34;research skills&#34;. Organizational and technological approaches to the interpretation and operationalization of the
normative set of competencies are presented. On the basis of research, the analysis of programs of further education for educators and substantiated proposals
on the possibilities to improve them on the basis of indicative design technologies competence of the organizers of educational activities is made.
Retinoic Acid Signaling Mediates Hair Cell Regeneration by Repressingp27kip andsox2in Supporting Cells
Authors: Rubbini Davide , Robert-Moreno Àlex , Hoijman Esteban , Alsina Berta 
Published: November 2015

During development, otic sensory progenitors give rise to hair cells and supporting cells. In mammalian adults, differentiated and quiescent sensory cells are unable to generate new hair cells when these are lost due to various insults, leading to irreversible hearing loss. Retinoic acid (RA) has strong regenerative capacity in several organs, but its role in hair cell regeneration is unknown. Here, we use genetic and pharmacological inhibition to show that the RA pathway is required for hair cell regeneration in zebrafish. When regeneration is induced by laser ablation in the inner ear or by neomycin treatment in the lateral line, we observe rapid activation of several components of the RA pathway, with dynamics that position RA signaling upstream of other signaling pathways. We demonstrate that blockade of the RA pathway impairs cell proliferation of supporting cells in the inner ear and lateral line. Moreover, in neuromast, RA pathway regulates the transcription ofp27kipandsox2in supporting cells but notfgf3. Finally, genetic cell-lineage tracing using Kaede photoconversion demonstrates thatde novohair cells derive from FGF-active supporting cells. Our findings reveal that RA has a pivotal role in zebrafish hair cell regeneration by inducing supporting cell proliferation, and shed light on the underlying transcriptional mechanisms involved. This signaling pathway might be a promising approach for hearing recovery.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTHair cells are the specialized mechanosensory cells of the inner ear that capture auditory and balance sensory input. Hair cells die after acoustic trauma, ototoxic drugs or aging diseases, leading to progressive hearing loss. Mammals, in contrast to zebrafish, lack the ability to regenerate hair cells. Here, we find that retinoic acid (RA) pathway is required for hair cell regenerationin vivoin the zebrafish inner ear and lateral line. RA pathway is activated very early upon hair cell loss, promotes cell proliferation of progenitor cells, and regulates two key genes,p27kipandsox2. Our results position RA as an essential signal for hair cell regeneration with relevance in future regenerative strategies in mammals.