Life Consumption Research Articles

The impact of alcohol consumption on the quality of life of college students: a study from three Slovak universities

Alcohol consumption can influence an individual's quality of life, with the impact varying based on several factors such as the amount of alcohol consumed, frequency of consumption, individual tolerance, and overall health. Slovakia is among the countries with the highest incidence of liver cirrhosis in the world, with alcohol representing a significant risk factor. Therefore, it is important to identify at-risk groups and the potential impact of various factors. The primary objective of this study is to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and quality of life among college students in the Slovak Universities. A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2021 and January 2022. The study included college students with an average age of 22.3 years. Participants were surveyed about their alcohol consumption and quality of life using the standardized Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) questionnaires. These questionnaires were distributed through online school systems. In the study, 88.7% of the students reported drinking alcohol. A low AUDIT score was recorded for 67.1% of the total participants (2573 students). A medium score was found in 23.3% of the participants (893 students). High scores were identified in 2.4% of the participants (92 students), and very high scores were found in 2.2% of the total participants (86 students). Mild pain was reported in 33.8% of cases, while moderate pain was reported in 5.2% of cases. Mild depression and anxiety were reported in 31.1% of the cases, and moderate depression and anxiety were reported in 13.5% of the cases. There is a statistically significant relationship between AUDIT and EuroQOL variables (p < 0.001). This suggests that the association between alcohol use (measured by AUDIT) and health-related quality of life (measured by EuroQOL) is unlikely to be due to chance. Higher alcohol consumption was associated with a poorer quality of life in Slovak college students. Our results suggest a meaningful connection between alcohol consumption behaviors and overall quality of life, highlighting the potential impact of alcohol use on health outcomes. Further research is warranted to explore the nature and causality of this relationship, which could inform interventions aimed at improving health-related quality of life through alcohol use reduction strategies. The association between higher alcohol consumption and poorer quality of life in Slovak college students raises important questions about causality and the complex interplay between alcohol consumption and one’s overall well-being. The significant relationship between higher alcohol consumption and poorer quality of life suggests the need for targeted public health interventions aimed at reducing alcohol consumption among college students. Programs focusing on awareness and education about the negative impacts of excessive drinking could be implemented to promote healthier lifestyles.

Microstructural Evolution of P92 Steel with Different Creep Life Consumptions After Long-Term Service

P92 steel is widely used in ultra-supercritical units due to its excellent high-temperature performance. This paper studies the microstructure of P92 steel steam pipes in three conditions: as-supplied, after 80,000 h of service at 67.06 MPa stress, and after 100,000 h of service at 80.28 MPa stress. After prolonged service, the P92 steel retains its martensitic structure, but the lath width increases and the dislocation density decreases. In addition to M23C6, MX, and Laves phases, Z phase was also observed among the precipitates. The results indicate that the sizes of M23C6 and Laves phases increase with the progression of creep life consumption, with the coarsening rate of Laves phase being significantly higher than that of M23C6. However, the coarsening of MX phase is not evident. Compared to the Laves phase, the formation of the Z phase requires a longer period of time. The precipitation of the Z phase consumes MX carbonitrides, and it has been observed that the Z phase precipitates from the MX phase, with the two phases exhibiting a coexisting state.

Study on Mechanical and Microstructural Evolution of P92 Pipes During Long-Time Operation

To investigate the mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of P92 steel during long-term service, the operated P92 main steam pipes from the first ultra-supercritical units in China were sectioned into samples representing various service durations and stresses (0# (as-received state, 1# (82,000 h, 67.3 MPa), 2# (85,000 h, 78.0 MPa), and 3# (100,000 h, 80.3 MPa)). Thereafter, a comprehensive assessment of their mechanical properties, including tensile strength, impact, hardness, and creep resistance, as well as a detailed microstructure analysis, was carried out. The effect of stress on the aging of material properties during operation is discussed. The results show that the circumferential stress caused by the increase in the internal steam pressure can significantly promote the creep life consumption of P92 steel, resulting in the degradation of mechanical properties and the expedited aging of the microstructure. The Rp0.2 and Rm of the P92 main steam pipe at room temperature and 605 °C decreased with the service time increase, reflecting the influence of stress in operation, which is expected to be used for the residual life evaluation of P92 steel. The relationship between the impact absorption energy (FATT50), Brinell hardness, and the operating time of P92 operating pipes is non-monotonic, indicating that these parameters are not sensitive indicators of material aging due to stress. The evaluation of performance degradation in P92 operating pipes due to stress-induced aging is not reliably discernible through optical metallography alone. To achieve a thorough assessment, the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is essential.

Shorter Telomere Length is Associated with Food Insecurity in Older People: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Telomere length has been investigated as a biomarker of biological aging and is associated with several diseases, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors. This study aimed to verify whether food insecurity is associated with shorter telomere length in older people. This is a cross-sectional study carried out in a municipality in the interior of Brazil, with a sample of 440 older people from the community. For telomere length analysis, a blood sample was obtained from each participant, followed by real-time qPCR, and sociodemographic and health information was collected through interviews. Food security/insecurity was measured using the reduced version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression were performed to analyze the factors associated with shorter telomere length, adopting a significance level of 5%. We found that food insecurity was significantly associated with shorter telomere length, regardless of age group, skin color, tabagism, physical activity, milk and dairy consumption, living arrangement, and basic activities of daily life. The findings show the importance of ensuring full access to adequate nutrition for the older population, who are physiologically and socially vulnerable.

Association of cardiovascular health with anthropometric markers, cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life of university workers

Objective: To evaluate cardiovascular health (CVH) in university workers at a higher education institution in relation to other health-related factors. Methods: Cross-sectional study consisting of 121 workers. CVH was assessed by seven measures [food consumption, physical activity level (PAL), smoking, total cholesterol, blood glucose, systemic blood pressure (BP), and body mass index (BMI)]. The independent variables waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), HDL-c, LDL-c, triglycerides, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), workload, and health related quality of life (HRQoL) were assessed. Results: Overall, 25% of the sample had poor CVH. The ideal CVH group had lower WC (p&lt;0.001) and WHR (p&lt;0.001), and higher VO2max (p=0.041). The physical component score was higher in the groups with intermediate (p=0.036) and ideal (p=0.002) CVH. Daily workload was higher in the poor CVH group (p=0.05). CVH score was directly related to VO2max (p=0.001) and physical component (p=0.020), and inversely related to WC (p&lt;0.001), WHR (p&lt;0.001), LDL-c (p&lt;0.001), and triglycerides (p&lt; 0.001). Conclusion: Implementation of educational practices, and promotion of physical activity, adequate dietary intake, and other lifestyle habits can help to improve CVH and the physical component of HRQoL.

Consumption in the economy

This article aims to analyze and understand the aspects of consumption of a society, in economics and sociology, which indicate which direction it is heading in quality, but obeys instinct in its animality. The methodology used was readings of books, articles and other forms of knowledge about individual and family consumption. Hence, the summaries were analyzed in soliloquy, confronting with reality, put forward to understand the consumer's daily life. Some objectives are important in the consumption function, such as: the concept, the historical issue, time and the internet in inducing it to implement it. Thus, it is expected an aggregation of discussions in Universities, to understand how social consumption is conducted, which pleases at first glance and enters into line of use.

The association between ultra-processed food consumption and health-related quality of life differs across lifestyle and socioeconomic strata

BackgroundIn this prospective study, we aimed to examine the association between ultra-processed foods and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to evaluate the effect of lifestyle and socioeconomic factors on this association.MethodsThis study included 1766 adults (aged 18 to 78, 54.3% women), who took part in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose study. The Short-Form 12-Item Health Survey version 2 was used to determine HRQoL, which includes the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores. Ultra-processed food consumption was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Lifestyle (physical activity and smoking status) and socioeconomic factors (education level and employment status) were also determined. General linear models (GLM) were applied to estimate the mean (95% confidence interval) for MCS and PCS scores across the ultra-processed foods tertiles. Additionally, the effect of lifestyle and socioeconomic factors on the relationship between ultra-processed foods and HRQoL was examined using GLM.ResultsThe median consumption of ultra-processed foods was 11.9% (IQR: 8.2 to 16.8) of total energy intake. There was a significant inverse association between ultra-processed foods consumption and PCS, but not MCS, after adjustment for confounding factors. Significant interactions were observed between ultra-processed food consumption, sex, and occupation on PCS score (all P values < 0.001). The interaction test tended to be significant for smoking status, education levels, and physical activity levels. As ultra-processed food consumption increased, the PCS score significantly decreased in women (P = 0.043), low physical active subjects (P = 0.014), smokers (P = 0.015), and lower-educated individuals (P = 0.022). Non-employed individuals with higher ultra-processed food intake showed a decline in their PCS and MCS scores. While there was no significant difference in MCS score among different strata of lifestyle and socioeconomic status across tertiles of ultra-processed foods.ConclusionsHigher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with poorer physical health, particularly among women, those with unhealthy lifestyles, and low socioeconomic conditions.

Environmental Health Risk of Microplastics Due to Consumption of Fish and Shellfish in the Coastal Area.

The increasing accumulation of plastic waste is the most serious threat to the marine ecosystem. People who still have the habit of disposing of solid waste, especially plastic-type waste, in the marine environment have led to the discovery of microplastic content in various marine biota such as fish and shellfish. We aimed to assess the environmental health risks of microplastics due to consumption of marine life in the coastal area. We used an observational method with the Environmental Health Risk Assessment (EHRA) design to analyze the health risks of humans consuming fish and shellfish containing microplastics. This research was conducted in the coastal area of Takalar Regency, Indonesia in 2022. The samples used consisted of human (n = 30) and marine biota (fish, n=20; shellfish, n=20) samples. The data were obtained from observations, physical measurements of biota, laboratory tests, polymer type identification by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and microscopy. The average concentration of microplastics containing styrene compounds in shellfish was 2.01 mg/kg. The abundance of MPs in the fish and shellfish samples was 0.01 particles/g or 10 particles/kg in fish and 7 particles/individual in shellfish. The MPs were found in line, fragment, film, and pellet forms, with different size and color variations. The average MPs exposure risk level (RQ value) for both fish and shellfish was 0.02. All samples had RQ values < 1, which means that the microplastic-containing tofu shellfish were still safe for consumption by people living in the Takalar coastal area.

A preliminary investigation of the inverse Finite Element Method applied to bridge structures

Deflection monitoring plays a key role in bridge Structural Health Monitoring, as deflection data may offer valuable insights into potential structural issues, such as cracks and corrosion. However, monitoring bridge deflections under operative loads presents challenges, particularly in scenarios where establishing a fixed reference point for displacement sensors is impractical, such as when a bridge spans a waterway or the sensors may be vulnerable to vandalism. In recent years, the inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM) has emerged as a possible solution. This method provides a load- and material-independent means of computing structural displacements from strain measurements, in real time at a minimal computational cost. Additionally, the iFEM can serve as a virtual sensing approach to monitor strains at locations lacking sensors, enabling the assessment of the fatigue life consumption at virtually any point in the structure. Despite its potential, applications of the iFEM in the civil engineering field are very limited, with no validation on full scale bridges has been performed to date. This study addresses this gap by investingating the application of the iFEM for bridge deflection monitoring through distributed strain measurements. The proposed approach is tested on experimental case studies, involving cross-validatiion of reference-free deflections inferred by the iFEM with those obtained from displacement sensors. This work contributes to the advancements of structural health monitoring methodologies in civil engineering, demonstrating the practicality and reliability of iFEM in bridge applications.

Seven Years SHM of Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations: Review, Experiences and Outlook

Wölfel Engineering is a leading expert on the design and provision of SHM systems for offshore wind turbines, as well as the assessment of their structural integrity based on the implementation of sophisticated data evaluation algorithms. This contribution aims to provide an insight into the SHM results of offshore wind turbine foundations in numerous wind farms over the last seven years, focusing on presenting an overview of the evolution of SHM concepts, monitoring goals and features monitored for structural assessment – alternatively referred to as key performance indicators (KPIs). Over the years, design approaches have become more accurate, alongside with the continuous increase of the size of the structures. Examples from offshore wind farms are used in order to show the effect of these evolutions to KPIs, such as the natural frequencies and the fatigue life consumption. The challenges met in industrial SHM applications for offshore foundations are discussed. A novel approach to SHM, the agile SHM concept, is Wölfel’s answer to the future requirements on monitoring accuracy and reliability. The proposed concept enables the efficient exchange of information between the results of the SHM system and the design process, so that the design model is at all times an accurate representation of the real structures.

Tobacco consumption and quality of life among teachers: a bidirectional problem.

This study aimed to assess a bidirectional relationship between tobacco consumption and quality of life among Chilean teachers. A total sample of 647 Chilean teachers was included in a cross-sectional study (71.8% female). Teachers completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, tobacco consumption habits, and the SF-36 questionnaire to assess quality of life. Logistic regression models were employed for statistical analysis of quality of life (physical component summary; mental component summary), and tobacco consumption habits, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics. A total of 34.2% of teachers were smokers, with the majority (68.7%) being under 45 years old. Smoking teachers demonstrated lower quality of life scores, particularly mental health and emotional problems dimensions, and mental component summary (p < 0.05) versus nonsmoking teachers. Teachers with tobacco consumption had a higher risk of low mental component summary (OR: 1.74; p < 0.001), and those with low mental component summary were more likely to be smokers (OR: 1.77; p < 0.002). These findings indicate that tobacco consumption adversely affects the quality of life of Chilean teachers, especially their mental health. Psychological support should be provided to help teachers cope with work stress and tobacco consumption.

Early life consumption of a "processed" diet high in advanced glycation end products impairs memory function and alters the gut microbiome in rats

Recent evidence indicates that “ultra-processed” foods constitute ~65% of total energy intake among children in the U.S. The impacts of excessive processed food consumption during development are poorly understood, in part because there are neither clear definitions of, nor a robust classification system accounting for, the complexity of food processing variables and how they interrelate in final food products. Heat treatment, a common form of food processing, can induce the chemical Maillard reaction and lead to foods rich in advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The neurocognitive implications of high levels of AGE consumption, particularly during early life, are unknown. Here, we used a rat model to evaluate the effects of adolescent consumption of a heat-treated diet high in AGEs on cognition and the gut microbiome in adulthood. In a series of studies, rats received either an otherwise healthy AGE-rich diet (AGE rats; AIN-93G diet heated at 160ºC for 60min) or a non-AGE-rich diet (CTL rats; AIN-93G diet without heat treatment) during adolescence (postnatal days 26-60). Metabolic, behavioral, and gut microbiome assessments were performed in adulthood. Results revealed that AGE rats exhibited hippocampal (HPC)-dependent memory deficits relative to CTL rats in the absence of altered body weight, body composition, glucose tolerance, and behavioral measures of anxiety. Administering a drug to break down AGEs (alagebrium; 1mg/kg/day) concomitantly with the heat-treated diet prevented memory impairments, supporting a causal role of AGEs in early life diet-induced HPC dysfunction. Microbiome sequencing analyses revealed that AGE rats had substantially reduced abundance of the bacterial genus Lactococcus relative to controls, and Lactococcus abundance was strongly correlated with memory performance. Administration of Lactococcus lactis by oral gavage (109 colony forming units/day) from PN 26-40 during exposure to the heat-treated diet rescued the AGE diet-induced memory impairments. Collective findings from this work identify a connection between a specific food processing variable (i.e., increased dietary AGEs through heat treatment), the gut microbiome, and impaired neurocognition. This work was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases under grant DK123423 (awarded to SEK and AAF); the National Institute on Aging through a Postdoctoral Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award under grant F32AG077932 (awarded to AMRH); and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (awarded to LT). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Ultra-processed food consumption and quality of life: a cross-sectional study in Iranian women.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been associated with a higher intake of added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats; however, the relationship between UPFs and quality of life (QoL) is not well understood. The present cross-sectional study included 193 Iranian women aged 18-48 years with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 kg/m2. UPFs were identified using the NOVA classification. QoL was evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements and body composition were assessed using an appropriate method. The mean BMI and fat-free mass (FFM) of the subjects were 30.90 kg/m2 and 46.69 kg, respectively. At first, a significant difference was observed in the height of women across tertiles of UPF consumption. The mean score of the total QoL scale was 66.90. Women who were in the tertile 3 of UPFs intake had 23.59 units lower the scale of limitation in physical capabilities and activity (score of role-physical) (β = -23.59, 95% CI: -37.77-9.40, p = 0.001). Among those with the highest adherence to UPF intake, there was an 8.76 unit reduction in addressing feelings of energy and fatigue (vitality domain) in model 2 (β = -8.76, 95% CI: -16.42-1.11, p = 0.02). Finally, a reduction of 15.78 units was observed in the mental health scale, specifically in the mental states of anxiety and depression, among participants in the third tertile of UPF intake (β = -15.78, 95% CI: -24.11-7.45, p < 0.001). Increased UPF consumption was associated with lower QoL in Iranian women. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and develop effective strategies to promote healthy food choices.

Laparoscopic nerve lysis for deep endometriosis improves quality of life and chronic pain levels: A pilot study

ObjectivesTo assess the benefit of surgical management of patients with endometriosis infiltrating pelvic nerves in terms of pain, analgesic consumption, and quality of life (QOL). MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study In an Endometriosis referral center at a tertiary care university affiliated medical center. Patients diagnosed with endometriosis that underwent laparoscopic neurolysis for chronic pain were included. Patients rated their pain before and after surgery and differentiated between chronic pain and acute crises. Patients were requested to maintain a record of analgesic consumption and to evaluate their quality-of-life (QOL). ResultsOf the 21 patients in our study 15 (71.5 %) had obturator nerve involvement, 2 (9.5 %) had pudendal nerve involvement and 4 (19 %) had other pelvic nerve involvement. Median postoperative follow – up was of 8 months. All but 2 patients (9.6 %) had significant chronic pain improvement with a mean decrease of VAS of 3.05 (±2.5). Analgesic habits changed postoperatively with a significant decrease of 66 % of patients' daily consumption of any analgesics. Surgery improved QOL in 12 cases (57.1 %) and two patients (9.6 %) completely recovered with a high QOL. ConclusionNeurolysis and excision of endometriosis of pelvic nerves could results in significant improvement of quality of life.

Pull and push factors of Koreans' sustainable consumption behaviours from plant-based meat products

PurposeThis study examines the pull and push aspects of Koreans' sustainable consumption behaviors and their impact on their well-being since Koreans have recently shifted their consumption values toward healthier food, such as plant-based meat products. MethodologyTo analyze the interrelationships, the study uses two different models: the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Pull-Push Model (PPM). PLS-SEM was used to analyze the primary data collected from 159 vegans and vegetarians in Korea who responded to an online survey. FindingsThe findings indicate that pull factors have considerable beneficial impacts on the consumption behavior of consumers about plant-based meat products, whereas push factors do not have significant negative effects, except meat attachment. A consumer's personal life and the product itself significantly influence the consumer's level of well-being. By analyzing both pull and push factors, this study significantly contributes to the expanding research on consumers' environmentally responsible consumption practices. The study's findings could assist government officials and politicians in developing regulations that encourage people to consume more food that is produced sustainably. Promoting a company's wares can be accomplished by utilizing crucial aspects of businesses. ImplicationsThis study attempts to fill a gap in the literature by focusing on the push and pull factors of plant-based meat products on consumers' sustainable consumption behaviors, explored through the lens of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Pull-Push Model (PPM).

Energy-efficient regeneration routing in satellite optical networks under translucent optical payload architectures.

The translucent optical payload architecture is most economical and feasible for optical switching in the satellite optical network (SON) using laser inter-satellite links (LISLs), where the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology enables lightpaths to transparently pass through relay satellites, minimizing on-board processing. For the long-distance lightpath in SONs, lightpath regeneration is necessary to ensure the acceptable quality of transmission (QoT), where optical-electrical-optical (OEO) conversion causes non-negligible energy consumption. The rechargeable battery is an important component for low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, and unrestrained use batteries at a deep depth of discharge (DOD) will accelerate battery aging and shorten satellite lifetime, causing extremely high expenditure costs. How to improve energy efficiency in lightpath regeneration is a key problem in SONs, which has no related studies. This paper proposes energy-efficient regeneration routing (EE-RR) in SONs under translucent optical payload architectures, which is to reduce the battery life consumption of lightpath regeneration. We define the maximum bypass hops (MBH) to ensure the bit error rate (BER) requirement of lightpaths in SONs, considering the noise accumulation of amplifier spontaneous emission (ASE) and Doppler shift (DS) crosstalk. Two greedy baselines are proposed for EE-RR, which are the regeneration routing scheme minimizing the number of regeneration nodes (RRS-MRN) and the regeneration routing scheme minimizing single satellite's battery life consumption (RRS-MBL), respectively. Based on two greedy baselines, the regeneration routing scheme using genetic algorithms (RRSGA) is developed to improve the optimization ability of EE-RR. To our knowledge, this is the first study to propose taking battery aging into account in lightpath regeneration in SONs. Through numerical simulation, we find that blindly reducing the number of regeneration nodes in lightpaths may not reduce overall battery life consumption, and RRSGA can effectively reduce battery life consumption of lightpath regeneration in SONs.

Exploring the Impact of Contemporary Consumerism on Young People

Today's college students as a special consumer group in society, and their life consumption has a certain scientific rationality, but part of consumer behavior and consumer psychology also shows an irrational tendency. Contemporary college students' consumption has its reasonableness and particularity, and at the same time, there are obvious misunderstandings in consumption behavior and consumption psychology, which need influence and help from school, family, and society. This paper uses the research method of literature review to conclude by analyzing the theory of consumerism, the characteristics of contemporary college students' consumption, and the problems caused by college students' overconsumption. First, consumerism also sows the seeds of money anxiety among young people. Young people are often at the beginning of their careers and face the challenge of financial autonomy. However, an excessive consumer culture may tempt them into high consumption and debt, increasing uncertainty in money management, which in turn causes anxiety and burden. However, research also shows that consumerism is not entirely negative for young people. In a way, this culture also stimulates creativity and innovation. Young people may contribute to the development and progress of society through the pursuit of novel experiences and products. In summary, the impact of contemporary consumerism on young people is a complex and multifaceted topic. The paper will dig deeper into the various dimensions of this phenomenon and explore the challenges and opportunities involved, to provide useful perspectives for better understanding and responding to this social phenomenon.

Association between breakfast consumption, breakfast quality, mental health and quality of life in Turkish adolescents: A high school-based cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to determine the frequency of breakfast consumption and breakfast quality among adolescents and to evaluate the relationships between breakfast consumption, breakfast quality, mental health, and health-related quality of life. This cross-sectional study included 449 students from 17 high schools between December 2022 and May 2023. A face-to-face questionnaire measuring the frequency of breakfast consumption, Mediterranean diet quality index (KIDMED), health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN), and depression, anxiety and stress scales (DASS-21) was performed. Of the students, 54.1% skipped breakfast 2 or more times a week and 75.9% had poor breakfast quality. There were significant differences in breakfast quality classification according to the frequency of breakfast consumption (p = 0.003). Breakfast consumption ≤1 time/week or 2-5 times/week was associated with depression, anxiety and low adherence to the Mediterranean diet. No relationship was observed between breakfast quality and stress, depression or anxiety (p = 0.620, p = 0.586, p = 0.539, respectively) or between breakfast quality and the KIDSCREEN-27 subscales (p > 0.05). However, those eating poor-quality breakfasts had better results in physical wellbeing (p = 0.022), psychological wellbeing (p = 0.024), autonomy and parent relations (p = 0.017) than breakfast-skippers and also scored lower for depression, stress and anxiety (all p < 0.001). In conclusion, the frequency of breakfast consumption had a stronger association with reduced symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety, as well as improvements in all dimensions of health-related quality of life, compared to the quality of breakfast consumed. Given the association of breakfast consumption with mental health outcomes in adolescents, our findings are of great importance, especially to parents, clinicians and nutritional educators.

Thrust Rebalance to Extend Engine Time On-Wing With Consideration of Engine Degradation and Creep Life Consumption

Abstract Over the years, airlines have consistently attempted to lower their operational costs and improve aircraft availability by applying various technologies. Engine maintenance expenses are one of the most substantial costs for aircraft operations, accounting for around 30% of overall aircraft operational costs. So, maximizing aircraft time between overhaul (TBO) is crucial to lowering the costs. The engine time on-wing is often limited due to the expiration of Life Limiting Parts, performance deterioration, etc. This paper presents a novel method of rebalancing the thrust of engines of an aircraft to maximize the time between overhaul of the aircraft considering the performance degradation and creep life consumption of the engines. The method is applied to a model aircraft fitted with two model engines similar to GE90-115B to test the feasibility of the method with one engine degraded and the other engine undergraded. The obtained results demonstrate that for the aircraft flying between London and Toronto with 5000 nominal flight cycles given to the engines, the time on-wing of the degraded engine could drop from 5000 to 2460 flight days due to its high-pressure (HP) turbine degradation (1% efficiency degradation and 3% flow capacity degradation), causing the same level of drop of time between overhaul of the aircraft. The time on-wing of the degraded engine could increase from 2460 flight days without thrust rebalance to 3410 flight days with thrust rebalance, i. e. around 38.6% potential improvement for the time between overhaul of the aircraft at the expenses of increased creep life consumption rate of the clean engine. The proposed method could be applied to other aircraft and engines.

Metaphors of Extractive Capitalism and Fabulation in Nope

This essay argues that Jordan Peele’s Nope (2022) offers metaphor and fabulation as a critique of extractive capitalism and its detrimental consequences on sentient life. Peele visualizes the outcomes of capitalist extraction and accumulation as exemplified in racialized labor exploitation and anthropogenic catastrophe. I examine how the film mobilizes fabulation to explore cinema’s erasure of Blackness from its history as an example of racial extraction. My analysis of extraction extends to the shapeshifting sentient “alien,” nicknamed Jean Jacket, who I contend embodies extractive capitalism via its consumption and expulsion of carbon-based life and indigestible objects. I maintain that Peele uses the trope of the alien-monster as a metaphor to comment on the threat of ecological collapse. I then proceed to study how Nope makes a pointed critique of human misuse of media technologies due to an insatiable avarice for notoriety. Finally, I conclude with a reading of how extractive capitalism forecloses the possibility for humans to establish multispecies empathy and cohabitation.