Relative Body Research Articles

Relationship between Meeting Physical Activity Guideline Parameters and Body Mass Index (BMI) in Adults

Background: Physical activity (PA) and risk of obesity are inversely related in adult populations. However, the extent to which meeting different PA guidelines influence body mass index (BMI) is less known. The aim of this research was to examine how different PA guideline parameters affect BMI in adults. Methods: The Montana Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS, 2019) was used for this study. Four different PA guideline variables were used and included 1) 2-level aerobic PA (APA) (met APA or did not meet APA), 2) 2-level muscle strengthening activity (MSA) (met MSA or did not meet MSA), 3) 4-level PA (met both APA and MSA, met APA only, met MSA only, or met neither), and 4) 3-level APA categories (active, insufficiently active, or inactive). BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight (kg/m2). Multiple linear regression was used to examine the effect of each PA guideline parameter on BMI while controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: Findings showed that meeting the 2-level APA (slope (b) = -0.74 kg/m2, p < .0001) or the 2-level MSA (b = -0.75 kg/m2, p < .0001) guideline was associated with lower mean BMI. In the 4-level PA model, as compared to meeting neither guideline, meeting APA only (b = -0.58 kg/m2, p = .0119) or meeting both APA and MSA (b = -1.32 kg/m2, p < .0001) was associated with lower mean BMI. Meeting MSA only did not show significantly (p = .1748) different BMI from those meeting neither guideline. In the 3-level APA model, as compared to those categorized as inactive, those categorized as active (b = -0.91 kg/m2, p < .0001) had lower mean BMI. Those categorized as insufficiently active did not have significantly (p = .1748) different BMI from those categorized as inactive. Furthermore, the 4-level PA guidelines × sex interaction was significant (p = .030) and indicated lower mean BMI for females meeting either MSA only (b = -1.05 kg/m2, p = .0215), APA only (b = -1.14 kg/m2, p = .0014), or both APA and MSA (b = -1.84 kg/m2, p < .0001) guideline (p for trend < .0001). Whereas for males, only meeting both APA and MSA was associated with lower mean BMI (b = -0.77 kg/m2, p = .0077). Conclusion: This study found that meeting either APA or MSA guideline is associated with lower BMI in adults. However, sex-specific analyses indicate that this is true for females only and in dose-response fashion. Lower BMI in males is only associated with meeting both APA and MSA guidelines. Health promotion specialists concerned with obesity should understand the influence that each PA guideline has on relative body weight. Physical activity programming should promote both APA and MSA among adults in Montana.

Phenotypic convergence in a natural Daphnia population acclimated to low temperature.

Fluidity of a given membrane decreases at lower ambient temperatures, whereas it rises at increasing temperatures, which is achieved through changes in membrane lipid composition. In consistence with homeoviscous adaptation theory, lower temperatures result in increased tissue concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in Daphnia magna, suggesting a higher PUFA requirement at lower temperatures. However, so far homeoviscous adaptation has been suggested for single or geographically separated Daphnia genotypes only. Here, we investigated changes in relative fatty acid (FA) tissue concentrations in response to a lower temperature (15°C) within a D. magna population. We determined juvenile growth rates (JGR) and FA patterns of 14 genotypes that were grown on Chlamydomonas klinobasis at 15°C and 20°C. We report significant differences of JGR and the relative body content of various FAs between genotypes at either temperature and between temperatures. Based on slopes of reaction norms, we found genotype‐specific changes in FA profiles between temperatures suggesting that genotypes have different strategies to cope with changing temperatures. In a hierarchical clustering analysis, we grouped genotypes according to differences in direction and magnitude of changes in relative FA content, which resulted in three clusters of genotypes following different patterns of changes in FA composition. These patterns suggest a lower importance of the PUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5ω3) than previously assumed. We calculated an unsaturation index (UI) as a proxy for membrane fluidity at 15°C, and we neither found significant differences for this UI nor for fitness, measured as JGR, between the three genotype clusters. We conclude that these three genotype clusters represent different physiological solutions to temperature changes by altering the relative share of different FAs, but that their phenotypes converge with respect to membrane fluidity and JGR. These clusters will be subjected to different degrees of PUFA limitation when sharing the same diet.

Grooming site preferences in black capuchin monkeys: Hygienic vs. social functions revisited.

When primates groom each other, they tend to concentrate on those parts of the body they cannot efficiently self-groom (i.e., not visually accessible), and prefer to intensify grooming in areas with high hair density, thus suggesting a hygienic function. However, preferences for some body sites over others during social grooming may also result from different degrees of social bonding and relative dominance. To assess the relative importance of physical (hygienic) and social factors, we examined grooming interactions in two groups of wild black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus) during 15 nonconsecutive months. We evaluated the distribution of social grooming across body sites according to their accessibility by self-grooming and hair density. At the same time, we assessed whether the degree of dyadic social bonding affects the relative body orientation between groomer and groomee and the access to vulnerable body sites (e.g., face, throat, groin) during grooming. As expected, capuchins preferentially groomed inaccessible body sites (e.g., back and head), with a disproportionate effort directed to the tufts of their partners. We found that dyadic social bond strength, together with rank distance, significantly affected the proportion of grooming in ventro-ventral body relative orientation only in dominant-subordinate groomer-groomee dyads. This may indicate that, when two individuals differ in rank but are strongly bonded, the level of uncertainty related to the social context is already resolved and thus grooming per se is no longer perceived by the subordinate as an uncertain/risky situation. We found no effect of social bonding on grooming vulnerable body sites for any type of dyad. Our findings suggest that grooming site preferences in black capuchin monkeys simultaneously reflect hygienic and social functions.

The squirrel is in the detail: Anatomy and morphometry of the tail in Sciuromorpha (Rodentia, Mammalia).

In mammals, the caudal vertebrae are certainly among the least studied elements of their skeleton. However, the tail plays an important role in locomotion (e.g., balance, prehensility) and behavior (e.g., signaling). Previous studies largely focused on prehensile tails in Primates and Carnivora, in which certain osteological features were selected and used to define tail regions (proximal, transitional, distal). Interestingly, the distribution pattern of these anatomical characters and the relative proportions of the tail regions were similar in both orders. In order to test if such tail regionalization can be applied to Rodentia, we investigated the caudal vertebrae of 20 Sciuridae and six Gliridae species. Furthermore, we examined relationships between tail anatomy/morphometry and locomotion. The position of selected characters along the tail was recorded and their distribution was compared statistically using Spearman rank correlation. Vertebral body length (VBL) was measured to calculate the proportions of each tail region and to perform procrustes analysis on the shape of relative vertebral body length (rVBL) progressions. Our results show that tail regionalization, as defined for Primates and Carnivora, can be applied to almost all investigated squirrels, regardless of their locomotor category. Moreover, major locomotor categories can be distinguished by rVBL progression and tail region proportions. In particular, the small flying squirrels Glaucomys volans and Hylopetes sagitta show an extremely short transitional region. Likewise, several semifossorial taxa can be distinguished by their short distal region. Moreover, among flying squirrels, Petaurista petaurista shows differences with the small flying squirrels, mirroring previous observations on locomotory adaptations based on their inner ear morphometry. Our results show furthermore that the tail region proportions of P. petaurista, phylogenetically more basal than the small flying squirrels, are similar to those of bauplan-conservative arboreal squirrels.

Bilateral finance organizations and stranded asset risk in coal: the case of Japan

ABSTRACT We evaluate the treatment of climate-related financial risk by bilateral finance organizations and related policymaking bodies involved in the design and implementation of thermal coal power generation technology financing. Our empirical focus is Japanese bilateral financing of thermal coal power generation in the Asia-Pacific. We differentiate between three approaches that organizations can adopt to assess climate change risk. In the first, the organization assesses climate risk and includes consideration of stranded asset risk. In the second, the organization assesses climate risk but does not take into account stranded asset risk. In the third, an organization does not explicitly consider climate risk although it may use alternative criteria for deciding whether to support an investment, such as the broader environmental implications of a proposed project. We review publicly available documents from nine organizations, supplemented by interviews, and find that while some Japanese lending and policy-setting bodies take climate risk into account, none are required to consider the risk that infrastructure investments may become stranded. Our paper contributes to the study of stranded asset risk in two ways. First, while export finance plays a crucial role in thermal coal power plant investments in the Asia-Pacific region, lending by bilateral finance institutions has not been a focus of such research to date. Second, we extend research into stranded asset risk to bilateral finance organizations and related policy bodies. Our approach can be adopted to understand how finance decision-making bodies in other geographic contexts and technology-types assess the risk that assets may become stranded. Key policy insights Bilateral finance organizations are important in infrastructure exports for thermal coal power plant technologies. Japanese bilateral finance organizations and policy bodies take climate risk into account when making lending decisions for thermal coal power plant technologies, but until recently have not explicitly addressed stranded asset risk. Impairments to the asset value may be incurred by the asset holders or the government. This risk should be taken into consideration in investment decisions.

Predictors of Arterial Stiffness in Law Enforcement Officers.

Background: Compare arterial stiffness among law enforcement officers (LEOs) versus general population normative values and identify predictors of arterial stiffness in LEOs. Methods: Seventy male LEOs (age: 24–54 years) completed body composition, blood pressures, physical activity level, and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) measurements. T-tests and regression analyses were utilized to compare LEO data to normative data and predict cfPWV, respectively. Results: Compared to similar age strata within the general population, cfPWV was lower among LEO’s under 30-years (mean difference = −0.6 m·s−1), but higher among LEOs 50–55-years (mean difference = 1.1 m·s−1). Utilizing regression, age, relative body fat, and diastolic blood pressure explained the greatest variance in LEO’s cfPWV (adj. R2 = 0.56, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated that arterial stiffness may progress more rapidly in LEOs and LEOs’ relative body fat and blood pressure may primarily affect arterial stiffness and risk of CVD.

A New Perspective on Human Rights in the Use of Physical Restraint on Psychiatric Patients-Based on Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of the Body.

(1) Background: Physical restraint in psychiatric settings must be determined by health care professionals for ensuring their patients’ safety. However, when a patient cannot participate in the process of deciding what occurs in their own body, can they even be considered as a personal self who lives in and experiences the lifeworld? The purpose of this study is to review the existential capability of the body from Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology to explore ways of promoting human rights in physical restraint. (2) Methods: A philosophical reflection was contemplated regarding notions of the body’s phenomenology. (3) Results: Merleau-Ponty’s body phenomenology can explain bodily phenomena as a source of the personal subject, who perceives and acts in the world, and not as a body alienated from the subject in health and illness. Patients, when they are physically restrained, cannot be the self as a subject because their body loses its subjecthood. They are entirely objectified, becoming objects of diagnosis, protection, and control, according to the treatment principles of health care professionals. (4) Conclusions: The foundation of human rights, human being’s dignity lies in the health professionals’ genuine understanding and response to the existential crisis of the patient’s body in relation to its surrounding environment.

The benefits of being a multi-capital: The economic impact of the international and European institutions and interest groups

Brussels is known worldwide for hosting (most of) the European institutions as well as several other international organisations like North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Besides the symbolic political value, their presence has an economic impact because of their administrative activities and staff remunerations. Estimating the economic impact poses two main challenges. First, the supranational nature of these organisations makes it challenging to quantify the size of these institutions and related bodies because country-based statistical systems hardly account for transnational organisations. Second, as these institutions and organisations mainly rely on taxpayers’ funding, policymakers need transparent estimates to assess the implications of their decisions as well as for a matter of accountability. For these purposes, a meticulous data collection is carried out, and transparent assumptions are used to estimate the local economic multiplier effect of these activities accounting for operational expenditures, employees’ consumption as well as (Belgian) taxes and saving. The results show that the economic impact for the Brussels-Capital Region lies between 23% and 26% of regional turnover and 19% and 20% of employment, while interregional spillovers are estimated being around 1.5% to 1.7% of regional turnover and 0.6% to 0.7% of employment for both Flemish and Walloon regions.

Prediction of body fat in adolescents: validity of the methods relative fat mass, body adiposity index and body fat index.

To verify the validity of anthropometric methods body adiposity index (BAI), relative fat mass (RFM) and body fat index (BFI) to estimate body fat percentage (%BF) in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 420 Brazilian adolescents aged 15-19years, stratified by age (< 18years, n = 356; ≥ 18years, n = 64) and sex (boys, n = 216; girls, n = 204). The Anthropometric measurements height, body weight, hip circumference and waist circumference were collected to calculate the %BF by BAI, RFM, BFI methods. Subsequently, %BF was measured by dual emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), adopted as a reference method. In the statistical analysis of the data, the Pearson correlation test and the paired t test between %BF obtained by the equations and by the DXA were performed. The method validation criterion was that 68% of individuals should be within an acceptable error range of ± 3.5% of BF and Cohen's Kappa index ≥ 0.61. Additionally, the Bland-Altman graphical analysis was performed. All methods showed a high correlation with DXA. For the Kappa index, only the RFM reached the criterion in the total sample (0.67) and in the sample < 18years (0.68). None of the methods reached the criterion of 68% of the sample within the error range of ± 3.5% of BF. The BAI, RFM and BFI equations were not valid for predicting BF in the studied sample according to the criteria adopted regardless of sex or age. Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Managing Body Image Dissatisfaction

The aim of study wasto test effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT)in managing body image dissatisfaction(BID). The sample of N=16 participants (Woman:n=10 &amp; Man:n= 6)was selected (M=20.0, SD=2.5) and divided into two groups;anexperimental group and a waiting list control group, having8 participants in each group. A baseline score was taken by using Body Dissatisfaction Scale (BDS; Tariq &amp; Ijaz, 2015). Eight sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT), adapted from CBT manual for depression (Naee, &amp; Ayub, 2013), were conducted inanindividual setting on a weekly basis. The results suggested asignificant contribution of CBT in decreasing the level ofdissatisfaction related tobody image. The scores of pre and posttesting (p&lt;.05)of experimental group verified the efficacy of CBT in treatingdissatisfaction associated withbody image.Thus, it can be concluded that CBT is effective in treating dissatisfaction related to the body image among adolescents and adults. The study helped in drawing attention towards treatment of body image dissatisfaction (BID) in the Pakistani population and contributed tothe empirical basis of effectiveness of CBT in managing body image anxiety.

The effects of relative body weight on socioemotional and schooling outcomes among female adolescents in the United States

RationaleAn extensive literature has shown that individuals, especially women, with higher body mass index (BMI) face a range of negative life outcomes. Most previous studies rely on absolute measures of body weight, such as BMI and obesity status, to estimate the social impact of body weight. Using absolute measures of body weight, however, is inconsistent with social-psychological theories that explain the effects of body weight because they conflate the social effects of body weight with biological processes of body weight. ObjectiveThis study extends the literature by utilizing a relative measure of body weight, or a student's BMI rank within her relevant peer group, to examine the impact of body weight on youth outcomes. MethodsUsing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and leveraging a quasi-experimental research design, this study examines the association between relative BMI and socioemotional and schooling outcomes among female adolescents in the United States. ResultsResults show that female students with high relative BMI are more likely to experience a decrease in self-esteem and an increase in depressive symptoms, even after adjusting for absolute BMI and weight perceptions. These effects are partially explained by lower levels of school attachment (∼26% for self-esteem and ∼15% for depressive symptoms). This study also finds that relative BMI is associated with an increased risk of high school dropout, but not college attainment and completed years of schooling. The association between relative BMI and high school dropout is partially explained by a combination of lowered self-esteem (∼7%), increased depressive symptoms (∼12%), as well as a decline in academic achievement (∼33%) and aspirations (∼12%). ConclusionWe argue that to better understand how body weight affects one’ life outcomes, it is essential to take into consideration the social contexts in which one is embedded.

COPING WITH COVID; UNDERSTANDING AND MITIGATING DISADVANTAGES EXPERIENCED BY FIRST GENERATION SCHOLARS STUDYING ONLINE

ABSTRACT This article examines the implications of the transition to online or blended learning for first generation scholars (FGS) brought about by Covid-19. We present the findings of a mixed methods project that draws data from both in-depth qualitative interviews and a large quantitative survey of students at Durham University. We offer a comparative analysis of how FGS contrast to the general student body in relation to a range of key challenges that Covid-19 and the consequent ‘online pivot’ posed to university life including technological, social and resource based issues. Our findings demonstrate that FGS were particularly affected by this shift to online or blended learning. The final substantive section discusses a range of potential mitigation strategies adopted by the School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, with the assumption that some, at least, of these, and our data, will be of wider relevance in the sector.

Nexus between Internal Controls System and Effectiveness in Revenue Collection in Energy Utilities in Tanzania

This research examined the nexus between internal controls system and revenue collection effectiveness in energy utilities in Tanzania. Multiple regression analysis was applied to the collected data from respondents. It was revealed that, control environments and control activities have insignificant and positive association with revenue collection effectiveness while risk assessment and monitoring of controls had significant and positive influence to effectiveness in revenue collection. In order to improve revenue collection efficiency in energy utilities and other related public authorities in Tanzania, it is indispensable to support and improve internal controls system like segregation of duties, reconciliations and physical controls so as to bring efficiency in revenue collection. Also, assessment of risk is another control which needs to be undertaken in order to encourage revenue collection effectiveness. For all these controls to be active, monitoring of controls should be highly undertaken on periodic basis. Since our research considered energy sector as the study area particularly at TANESCO in Morogoro region, it is recommended that next studies should take into consideration other sectors and related public bodies.

33⅓ rpm

33⅓ rpm

Senses of Place: An Architectural Historian Before and During COVID-19

Senses of Place: An Architectural Historian Before and During COVID-19

The usual bowel care regimes of people living in the community with spinal cord injury and factors important for integrating bowel care into everyday life

Purpose To describe the usual bowel care regimes of people living in the community with spinal cord injury and factors important for integrating bowel care into everyday life. Methods and materials Descriptive and interpretive thematic analysis of transcribed semi-structured interviews with 11 men living with spinal cord injury, aged 23–77 years, 8–45 years post injury. Results Participants had different levels and types of injuries. While there were common aspects of the bowel care routines of study participants, none was exactly the same as any other. Each had developed a routine in accordance with the needs of their own body, preferences, and convenience in relation to availability of carers and work commitments. Personal factors in the person with SCI were important for successful integration of bowel care into their everyday life. Conclusion An appropriate and consistent bowel care routine was found to be significant in enabling people with spinal cord injury to experience wellness and quality in their everyday lives. Characteristics and actions of the person with SCI enabled the person to actively drive the process of integrating bowel care into their everyday life. How best to foster the development of these personal factors warrant further investigation. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Support for the ongoing development of self-management of bowel dysfunction expertise by people living with spinal cord injury needs to continue after discharge from hospital. Characteristics of the person with spinal cord injury, such as a state of mind indicating acceptance of their situation, motivation to avoid bowel accidents and constipation, and willingness to take responsibility, are important factors influencing the integration of bowel care into everyday life. Actions undertaken by the person with spinal cord injury, such as discipline to establish, refine and maintain a bowel care regime, and proactive self-management are important factors influencing the integration of bowel care into everyday life. This small study suggests the role of personal factors in the development of self-management expertise, for example the development of a self-management mindset and the acquisition of skills to drive that process, should be considered during rehabilitation.

TWO CUTTING TURNING OF BODIES OF REVOLUTION

The technology of two-cut rough and rough turning of rotation bodies in relation to lathes is considered. Dynamics of part working surfaces formation by longitudinal oscillations of cutters with phase delay of finishing cutter from rough one is shown. Dynamics of finishing cutter in function of damping coefficient is considered. The mathematical model of two-cut turning process is given.

Relational bodies: affordances, substances and embodiment in Chinchorro funerary practices c. 7000–3250 BP

Funerary art has the body as its main material component, expresses responses to death and offers insight into relationships between the living and the dead. Chinchorro hunter-gatherer-fisher societies along the Atacama Desert coast provide a key example of such connections, having developed one of the world's oldest-known systems of post-mortem body transformation (c. 7000–3250 BP). A study of 162 modified Chinchorro bodies identifies diachronic changes in these practices, including a decrease in internal stuffing—adding invisible contents that created corporeal volume—and an increase in external body treatment that created visible features. The authors propose that such manipulation was a meaningful form of social embodiment designed to construct a collective identity.

The Body in Relation to the Other

The Body in Relation to the Other

PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF SOYBEAN OIL ON MICE LUNG TISSUE INJURY AND ALVEOLAR HEMORRHAGE INDUCED BY BISPHENOL A

Objective: To evaluate histomorphological effects of Soybean oil supplementation on lung tissue injury and alveolar hemorrhage induced by Bisphenol A (BPA).&#x0D; Study Design: Laboratory-based experimental study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Anatomy department, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi and National Institute of Health, Islamabad, from Nov 2015 to Nov 2016.&#x0D; Methodology: Forty (40) healthy BALB/c mice of 9-11 weeks of age, weighing between 30-37gm were housed in a controlled environment at National Institute of Health. Group 1 (10) was control group. Group 2 (10) was given a daily dose of 50 milligram/kilogram body weight of Bisphenol A and group 3 (10) was given a daily dose of 500 milligram of Soybean oil and group 4 (10) was concurrently given Bisphenol A and Soybean oil with daily doses of 50 milligram/kilogram body weight and 500 milligrams. After a period of 8 weeks, animals were dissected 24 hours after receiving the last dosage. Lung wet weight, animal weight and relative body tissue weight index (RTBWI) were calculated. Tissue processing &amp; staining was done. Alveolar hemorrhage was histomorphologically and statistically analysed using SPSS-21.&#x0D; Results: On microscopic examination, alveolar hemorrhage (AH) was observed in 10 (100%) group 2 specimens with increase in RTBWI and whereas only 5 (50%) of group 4 specimens had alveolar hemorrhage with slight improvement in relative body tissue weight index (RTBWI).&#x0D; Conclusion: Bisphenol A (BPA) induced lung injury as evident by intraalveolar hemorrhage, blood vessel congestion and increased RTBWI ratio were ameliorated by concomitant administration of Soybean oil.