Transitional Stage Research Articles

Isekai as a Reflection of College Student Transition Theory

AbstractIn the isekai genre, characters are transported to another world where they must learn new cultural norms, create new relationships, and work through the changes that come with who they are in this new world. The transition of characters in isekai from their world to a new one mirrors the transition college students experience as they move from high school to college, albeit one with less magic. As anime continues to gain high school and college‐aged fans, the narrative of how isekai characters move through their transition could be highly impactful to fans who are experiencing their own transition into the new world of higher education. By incorporating case studies and using the theoretical frameworks of Schlossberg's transition theory (1981) and marginality and mattering (1989), readers of this article can understand and explain how isekai characters can be powerful examples of role modeling positive transitional approaches and act as a guide through transitional stages for fans experiencing their transition from the world of high school to the world of higher education.

Adolescents’ dietary patterns, their drivers and association with double burden of malnutrition in adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Kenya’s urban slums

BackgroundThe double burden of malnutrition (DBM) during adolescence is associated with growth and developmental impairment and risk of non-communicable diseases. There is limited evidence on adolescent’s dietary patterns (DPs), and how they contribute to DBM in urban low income contexts in sub Saharan Africa. This study assessed DPs of adolescents, their drivers and association with DBM in Kenya’s urban slums.MethodsAnthropometric, socio-demographic and dietary-intake data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 621 adolescents from three major urban slums in Nairobi, Kenya. DPs were derived using principal component analysis. Multinomial-logistic-regression was used to assess the association between the DPs, individual and environmental factors and DBM.ResultsTwo DPs were identified: traditional DP (whole grains/cereals, rice, fruits, legumes/nuts, and water) and transitioning DP (refined cereals (maize/wheat), vegetables, meat, tea/coffee, sweet ultra-processed/deep fried snacks). Adolescents from Mathare (the largest slum) were more likely to adhere to the traditional DP (RRR = 3.43; 95% CI 1.85–6.37). Cultural background (Luo) had a positive association (RRR = 4.28; 95% CI 1.97–9.32), while longer residency in the slum (> 10 years) had a negative association (RRR = 0.47; 95% CI 0.25–0.90) with transitioning DP. The transitioning DP had a positive (non-linear) association with overweight/obesity in girls (RRR = 2.79; 95% CI 1.16–6.71). The DPs were not associated with thinness or stunting.ConclusionThe DPs indicate various stages of nutrition transition of adolescent diets, which are influenced by cultural background, neighbourhood and duration of stay in the slum. Transitioning DP may expose adolescents to the risks of overweight/obesity in the long-term.

Improvement in photosynthesis under different light intensities is highly linked to domestication stages in cotton.

Domestication has dramatically increased crop size and biomass, reflecting the enhanced accumulation of photosynthates. However, we still lack solid empirical data on the impacts of domestication on photosynthetic rates at different light intensities and on leaf anatomy, and of the relationships of photosynthesis with aboveground biomass. In this study, we measured the photosynthetic rate at three photosynthetic photon flux densities of 2000 (high), 1000 (moderate) and 400 μmol m-2 sec-1 (low light intensity), dark respiration, relative chlorophyll content (SPAD), leaf morphology, and aboveground biomass in 40 wild, 91 semiwild, and 42 domesticated cotton genotypes. The study was replicated for two years (growing years 2018 and 2019). During the first domestication stage (transition from wild to semiwild genotypes), domestication led to higher photosynthetic rates measured under high light intensity, higher SPAD, larger leaf area (LA), and lower leaf mass per unit area (LMA), contributing to greater aboveground biomass accumulation in both study years. During the second domestication stage (transition from semiwild to domesticated genotypes), domestication significantly enhanced photosynthesis under low light intensity and reduced LMA, which were associated with increased aboveground biomass in both study years. In conclusion, photosynthesis improvement at different light intensities has been a gradual domestication phase specific process with the rate of photosynthesis enhanced under high light during the first domestication stage, and under low light during the second domestication stage. We argue that these differences reflect a higher proportion of LA photosynthesizing under low light due to enhanced canopy expansion at the second domestication stage.

Comparing tooth development timing between ethnic groups, excluding nutritional and environmental influences.

The timing of dental development in ethnic Finns and Somalis, who were born and living in Finland, was compared, with efforts to minimize environmental bias. The developmental status of seven lower left permanent teeth were staged according to Demirjian et al., using panoramic radiographs from 2,100 Finnish and 808 Somali females and males, aged 2 to 23 years. For each tooth, a continuation-ratio model was constructed to analyze the allocated stages as a function of sex and ethnic origin. Several statistically significant differences in mean age of certain tooth developmental stage transitions were revealed. While Somalis generally displayed stage transitions at younger age, none of the seven teeth consistently showed earlier stage transitions in Somalis compared to Finns. Within each tooth, the lowest (or highest) mean age of stage transition varied without any discernible pattern between the two ethnic groups. Overall, the observed differences in mean age of stage transition between the groups was minimal, suggesting a low impact on clinical and forensic age assessment practice. In conclusion, the studied ethnic Finn and Somali groups with equal nutritional and /or environmental conditions exhibit similar timing in the development of all lower left permanent teeth.

The vortex structure and enstrophy of the mixing transition induced by Rayleigh–Taylor instability

The mixing induced by the Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability occurs widely in various natural phenomena and engineering applications, such as inertial confinement fusion. The mixing transition in the RT mixing process is the key process affecting the mixing evolution. At present, research in RT mixing transition mainly involves mixing transition criteria based on global quantities, statistical analysis of mixedness parameters and kinetic energy, and so on. A few studies have paid attention to the evolution of vorticity and its intensity, enstrophy, during mixing transition process. However, previous studies have inferred that vorticity and enstrophy play important roles in mixing transition. In this paper, implicit large-eddy simulation for RT mixing is carried out to analyze the evolution of vorticity and enstrophy in mixing transition. First, the vortical motions throughout the whole mixing process are investigated by comparing the contours of mass fraction and vorticity. Then, for revealing the mechanism of vortical motions in transition stage, the vortex structures are extracted and the relationship between vortex structures and enstrophy in mixing transition is investigated. Finally, in order to quantify the vortical motions in the mixing transition, the probability density function (PDF) of enstrophy is introduced and analyzed. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The evolution of vortical motions is closely related to the RT mixing transition process. Enstrophy can reflect the vortical motions in the mixing transition process. When the growth rate of averaged enstrophy reaches its maximum value, the transition occurs; (2) the PDFs of enstrophy can quantify the evolution of vortex structures during mixing transition and characterize the mixing transition process. The mixing transition begins when the PDF of enstrophy appears double peaks. The process of PDF right peak movement corresponds to the transition process, and the transition ends when the position of the right peak is no longer moving. Since the enstrophy studied in this paper is a local field quantity, the above results are expected to be used to construct local mixing transition criterion.

The lifetime risk of maternal near miss morbidity in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America: a cross-country systematic analysis

Life-threatening maternal near miss (MNM) morbidity can have long-term consequences for the physical, psychological, sexual, social, and economic wellbeing of female individuals. The lifetime risk of MNM (LTR-MNM) quantifies the probability that a female individual aged 15 years will have an MNM before age 50 years, given current mortality and fertility rates. We compare the LTR-MNM globally to reveal inequities in the cumulative burden of severe maternal morbidity across the reproductive life course. We estimated the LTR-MNM for 40 countries with multifacility, regional, or national data on the prevalence of MNM morbidity measured using WHO or modified WHO criteria of organ dysfunction from 2010 onwards (Central and Southern Asia=6, Eastern and Southeastern Asia=9, Latin America and the Caribbean=10, Northern Africa and Western Asia=2, sub-Saharan Africa=13). We also calculated the lifetime risk of severe maternal outcome (LTR-SMO) as the lifetime risk of maternal death or MNM. The LTR-MNM ranges from a 1 in 269 risk in Viet Nam (2010) to 1 in 6 in Guatemala (2016), whereas the LTR-SMO ranges from a 1 in 201 risk in Malaysia (2014) to 1 in 5 in Guatemala (2016). The LTR-MNM is a 1 in 20 risk or higher in nine countries, seven of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. The LTR-SMO is a 1 in 20 risk or higher in 11 countries, eight of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. The relative contribution of the LTR-MNM to the LTR-SMO ranges from 42% in Angola to 99% in Japan. There exist substantial global and regional disparities in the cumulative burden of severe maternal morbidity across the reproductive life course. The LTR-MNM is an important indicator to highlight the magnitude of inequalities in MNM morbidity, once accounting for obstetric risk, fertility rates, and mortality rates. The LTR-SMO can be used to highlight variation in the relative importance of morbidity to the overall burden of maternal ill-health across the female reproductive life course, given countries' stage in the obstetric transition. Both the LTR-MNM and LTR-SMO can serve as important indicators to advocate for further global commitment to end preventable maternal morbidity and mortality. UK Economic and Social Research Council, EU Horizon 2020 Marie Curie Fellowship, and Leverhulme Trust Large Centre Grant.

Single-Channel Sleep EEG Classification Method Based on LSTM and Hidden Markov Model

Background: The single-channel sleep EEG has the advantages of convenient collection, high-cost performance, and easy daily use, and it has been widely used in the classification of sleep stages. Methods: This paper proposes a single-channel sleep EEG classification method based on long short-term memory and a hidden Markov model (LSTM-HMM). First, the single-channel EEG is decomposed using wavelet transform (WT), and multi-domain features are extracted from the component signals to characterize the EEG characteristics fully. Considering the temporal nature of sleep stage changes, this paper uses a multi-step time series as the input for the model. After that, the multi-step time series features are input into the LSTM. Finally, the HMM improves the classification results, and the final prediction results are obtained. Results: A complete experiment was conducted on the Sleep-EDFx dataset. The results show that the proposed method can extract deep information from EEG and make full use of the sleep stage transition rule. The proposed method shows the best performance in single-channel sleep EEG classification; the accuracy, macro average F1 score, and kappa are 82.71%, 0.75, and 0.76, respectively. Conclusions: The proposed method can realize single-channel sleep EEG classification and provide a reference for other EEG classifications.

Beginning Teachers Navigating Identity Development Transitions: Identity Motives and Commitment to Teaching

Beginning teachers (preservice and novice) must develop a resilient professional identity, yet high early attrition rates indicate the need for additional support in this process. Many attrition studies focus on external factors; few address teacher identity. According to developmental psychologists, identity commitments are concretized in a stepwise process, first by tentatively making them, and then by evaluating them. Most preservice and novice teachers are in a transitional stage, as they explore whether tentative commitments fit their sense of self. Our research tests the proposition that such exploration is often focused on determining whether a teaching career will satisfy their identity motives. We interviewed and collected self-reported written stories from 154 interns and novice teachers. Participants discussed their career choice in an initial interview and in a questionnaire focusing on recent, identity-relevant significant events administered at three points in time over a year. These career choice and written, field-based significant event stories underwent content analysis for the presence of identity motives, guided by a codebook developed for this research. This paper describes two central and innovative findings. First, identity motives are, indeed, present and highly salient in teachers’ career deliberations. Secondly, we found that beginning teachers express motives differentially, vary in the salience they accord the motives, and explore motives differently according to situational context. This differentiation in focus may indicate important shifting priorities and challenges as participants navigate the transition to the field. Taken together, these findings suggest that understanding and addressing identity motives in teacher development may enable more personalized and responsive tools that support teacher retention.

7.X.1. Providing BoD estimates on a regional level – necessity in assessing health inequalities

Abstract Burden of disease indicators, such as Disability-adjusted life years (DALY), Years lost due to disability (YLD) and Years lost due to death (YLL) have become standard indicators in public health reporting systems. Due to the combination of morbidity and mortality, the DALY provides valuable information on the burden due to specific diseases. These tools are employed by policymakers to devise intervention programs with the objective of enhancing the collective health of the population. Studies at the subnational level offer a greater added value to the public health information systems. Identifying variations in health outcomes and disease burden across different regions is a key factor when introducing targeted interventions and allocating resources. Health inequalities persist also in countries with good health systems and well-developed welfare state. There are notable contrasts in the political, economic and social environments across Europe. Moreover, the European countries are at different stages of the epidemiological transition, which encompasses a range of factors influencing health and modifiable risk behaviours. These differences are determined by socioeconomic inequalities at national and sub-national level, such as municipalities, counties and others. It is therefore imperative to provide BoD indicators at the most possible detailed regional-level and to link this information with further indicators such as deprivation indexes or Gini coefficients. Obtaining regional-level data for BoD analysis and health inequalities is not straightforward and can pose many challenges. Data availability is usually scarce and may involve significant resources in collecting it. Data quality and data completeness can also pose challenges in the reporting systems, which can result in under-reporting of certain diseases and overlooking health problems in the population. Also, countries with smaller populations are confronted with the challenge of a limited number of cases, which poses difficulties in obtaining regional estimates. The following workshop presents examples from European BoD studies, that have analysed health inequalities at regional level. The first presentation shows a country comparison study of the overall YLL and their association with socioeconomic and geographical inequalities. The second is from an Estonian study, representing a country with a small population that has developed its own methodology for assessing regional health issues. The third presentation from the German BoD study presents results on 96 spatial planning regions, which have been combined with the German index of socioeconomic deprivation. The final presentation brings example from Norway, where the association between YLL and education and income is examined at municipality level. Key messages • By comparing BoD estimates at the regional level, policymakers and public health officials can identify areas with higher disease burdens, indicating potential health inequalities. • Linking information on BoD indicators with data on regional and socioeconomic inequalities is essential when monitoring developments and tailoring strategies in public health outcomes.

A conserved Plasmodium nuclear protein is critical for late liver stage development

Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, imposes a significant health burden and live-attenuated parasites are being pursued as vaccines. Here, we report on the creation of a genetically attenuated parasite by the deletion of Plasmodium LINUP, encoding a liver stage nuclear protein. In the rodent parasite Plasmodium yoelii, LINUP expression was restricted to liver stage nuclei after the onset of liver stage schizogony. Compared to wildtype P. yoelii, P. yoelii LINUP gene deletion parasites (linup—) exhibited no phenotype in blood stages and mosquito stages but suffered developmental arrest late in liver stage schizogony with a pronounced defect in exo-erythrocytic merozoite formation. This defect caused severe attenuation of the liver stage-to-blood stage transition and immunization of mice with linup— parasites conferred robust protection against infectious sporozoite challenge. LINUP gene deletion in the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum also caused a severe defect in late liver stage differentiation. Importantly, P. falciparum linup— liver stages completely failed to transition from the liver stage to a viable blood stage infection in a humanized mouse model. These results suggest that P. falciparum LINUP is an ideal target for late liver stage attenuation that can be incorporated into a late liver stage-arresting replication competent whole parasite vaccine.

Health Coaching Impacts Stage-Specific Transitions in Multiple Health Behaviors for Patients at High Risk for Coronary Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes: A Multigroup Latent Transition Analysis.

Multiple behavior change interventions have gained traction in the behavioral health space. Yet, previous studies on health coaching (HC) focused on testing its effect on stages of change for individual health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of HC on stages of change across multiple health behavior domains among patients at high risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial included 200 primary care patients (mean age of 47.7 years, 49.0% women, 60.5% Whites) who completed transtheoretical model-based questionnaires related to weight reduction, exercise, healthier eating, and stress management. Multigroup latent transition analysis was used to compare the stage of change distributions and transitions over time between HC and controls at baseline, midpoint of the intervention (3 months), and postintervention (6 months). Three distinct categories of behavior change were identified ("Contemplation," "Preparation to Action," and "Action"), and membership in these categories changed over time as a function of intervention exposure. Both groups exhibited positive transitions through stages of change from baseline to 3 months. Pronounced intervention effects emerged from 3 to 6 months, revealing larger differences in transition probabilities between the groups. In particular, HC increased patients' likelihood of transitioning from "Contemplation" to both "Preparation for Action" and "Action," as well as from "Preparation for Action" to "Action." The control group remained stagnant during the same period. Although HC produces changes across multiple behavioral domains, it was most effective for patients who were reluctant or ambivalent about changing their behaviors.

Time–frequency ridge characterisation of sleep stage transitions: Towards improving electroencephalogram annotations using an advanced visualisation technique

Manual sleep stage scoring of polysomnography recordings is an expensive and time-consuming process, further complicated by inconsistent sleep stage agreement among sleep experts (clinicians and sleep technologists). Hence, development of automated sleep scoring algorithms are an emerging topic of interest. Automation typically mimics the clinical decision path by implementing a series of predefined rules, such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s (AASM) scoring manual. Recently, data driven methods have emerged using machine or deep learning. Both manual and automated methods of scoring have known limitations; primarily, unacceptable variation in agreement between different scorers and algorithms. Within the literature, electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency is an important feature considered by both sleep experts and automated approaches for classifying sleep stages.This study presents a novel approach to sleep stage analysis, by developing a methodology to precisely determine the temporal location of sleep stage transitions. The current gold standard fails to identify such transitional changes, which leads to poor inter-scorer reliability. Therefore, development and implementation of such methodologies is a crucial, but overlooked, step in improving the consistency of scoring within sleep studies. In this work, EEG time–frequency ridge analysis was used to characterise the dominant frequency component of EEG signals in time, at the point of sleep stage transition. An in-depth analysis of N3 → N2 and N2 → N3 transitions in the 2018 PhysioNet challenge “You Snooze, You Win” and the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort (WSC) datasets (n = 994, n = 742; approximately 13,888 h of sleep data) showed consistent time–frequency patterns at the point of transition, from one sleep stage to another. This methodology allows simple and ‘interpretable’ features to be generated in future work, to precisely identify the temporal location of sleep stage transitions with the aim of improving inter-scorer reliability.

First-principles molecular dynamics of exciton-driven initial stage of plasma phase transition in warm dense molecular nitrogen.

Understanding the properties of molecular nitrogen N2 at extreme conditions is the fundamental problem for atomistic theory and the important benchmark for the capabilities of first-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) methods. In this work, we focus on the connection between the dynamics of ions and electronic excitations in warm dense N2. The restricted open-shell Kohn-Sham method gives us the possibility to reach relevant time and length scales for FPMD modeling of an isolated exciton dynamics in warm dense N2. Wannier localization sheds light on the corresponding mechanisms of covalent bond network rearrangements that stand behind polymerization kinetics. FPMD results suggest a concept of energy transfer from the thermal energy of ions into the internal energy of polymeric structures that form in warm dense N2 at extreme conditions. Our findings agree with the thermobaric conditions for the onset of absorption in the optical spectroscopy study of Jiang et al. [Nat. Commun. 9, 2624 (2018)].

Essential Oils and Mindfulness Exercises in Influencing Gene Expression Involved in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): A Systematic Review

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) represents a transitional stage between normal cognitive function and dementia, affecting memory and other cognitive abilities. This systematic review explores the impact of essential oils and mindfulness exercises on gene expression involved in MCI. Despite the prevalence of pharmacological treatments, they offer limited prevention of MCI progression to dementia. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as mindfulness exercises, have demonstrated cognitive benefits, albeit with moderate efficacy. Essential oils, used in aromatherapy, show promise in supporting cognitive improvement through their impact on amyloid-beta and cholinesterase pathways. This review synthesizes findings from multiple studies between 2017 and 2024, highlighting that combining essential oils and mindfulness exercises may offer enhanced therapeutic outcomes for individuals with MCI. Further research is needed to establish the efficacy of this integrative approach, which could slow the progression of MCI and improve patients' quality of life.

Student perspectives on student-led family medicine clinics in Qatar: a descriptive qualitative study

BackgroundStudent-led clinic is an educational-professional training environment where students are leading the care of patients under the supervision of licensed health care professionals. This study aims to explore medical students’ experiences in leading family medicine clinics in Qatar.MethodsThe study used a qualitative descriptive method. To collect the data, the researchers have used semi-structured interviews. To recruit students, a convenience sampling strategy was used by sending a call to participate to all students who completed the rotation and met the inclusion criteria. An inductive thematic analysis was employed to data analysis.ResultsTen students participated in the study. Data analysis revealed six themes. These are: Student led clinic as transitional and transformative stage, Challenges faced by students, coping strategies, protective factors, implications of the experience and students’ reflections for future rotations. The study revealed that students experienced a mixture of anxiety and excitement during the transition to leading clinics. Challenges included patient-related challenges such as language barriers, challenges related to personal skills such as time and knowledge, and institutional challenges that included limited supervisor availability and balancing academic responsibilities with clinic duties. Coping strategies included continuous knowledge revision, seeking advice from colleagues, and employing creative tools to overcome language barriers.ConclusionLeading family medicine clinics has an impact on students such as enhancing their time management, diagnostic abilities, communication skills, and confidence. Support from supervisors, team members, patients, and colleagues play a crucial role in students’ experiences. This transitional experience supports the shift from self-perception as students perceiving themselves as physicians.

Numerical simulation of boiling dynamics in liquid Lead-Bismuth injected with multi-rupture high-pressure water jets

Once a steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) accident occurs in a lead-based fast reactor, it can trigger a domino effect of heat transfer tube ruptures, leading to a loss-of-flow accident involving multiple ruptures. This paper employs numerical methods to investigate the jet boiling phenomenon associated with the injection of sub-cooled water into high-temperature lead‑bismuth eutectic (LBE) through multiple nozzles. It explores how nozzle spacing, number, and diameter impact jet characteristics. Additionally, it analyzes flow characteristics and heat transfer mechanisms from the perspective of jet interaction. The study identifies critical areas within the multi-nozzle jet, specifically the three-phase mixing region, LBE entrainment region, water core region, and steam plume region. In scenarios where nozzle spacing is narrow or nozzle diameters differ significantly, the jet's base may undergo fragmentation. The jet process is categorized into two stages: the transition stage and the stable stage. During the stable stage, the mass flow rate of sub-cooled water remains relatively constant, with nozzle spacing exerting minimal influence on it. When considering the cross-sectional area of a single nozzle, an increase in nozzle diameter elevates the normalized mass flow rate, whereas the number and diameter of nozzles have little effect on it. Jet penetration depth is inversely related to nozzle spacing. As the number and diameter of nozzles increase, penetration depth initially rises and then decreases. Nozzle spacing has a minor influence on the jet's steam volume, while the number and diameter of nozzles are positively correlated with steam volume. Conversely, the number and diameter of nozzles negatively correlate with normalized steam volume.

HPV Vaccination Stages and Associated Factors Among Children of Immigrant Women.

This study aimed to identify key determinants by stage of implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among children of immigrant women in South Korea. Cross-sectional descriptive study. The sample comprised 262 Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean-Chinese women with children living in South Korea. The survey was conducted using self-report questionnaires. The HPV vaccination levels in children were classified into four transition stages. Sequential logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors affecting the transition of HPV vaccination status. Social norms had the greatest influence on the intention to vaccinate. Perceived barriers were a significant factor associated with intention or initiation of vaccination, whereas perceived severity and susceptibility were associated with the intention and initiation stages, respectively. Upon the initiation of HPV vaccination, low perception of discrimination in healthcare was associated with continued vaccination. Given the importance of completing multiple doses of the HPV vaccine within a given timeframe, it is important to provide culturally appropriate interventions in stages to prevent dropouts.

Analysis of policy changes for Yangtze River Basin governance from 1980 to 2022—based on semantic analysis method and punctuated equilibrium theory

The governance policies have a prominent impact on the development and regional planning of the Yangtze River Basin, a key region for China to achieve modernization. Taking the public policy documents issued by China’s central government for the Yangtze River Basin from 1980 to 2022 as the research object, this paper introduces the NLP (Natural Language Processing) technology and semantic analysis methods to carry out quantitative research on policies. This study first examines the textual connotations of the policies and the characteristics of the policy changes based on the LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) model to determine how policy changes occur for the governance of the Yangtze River Basin. Using the punctuated equilibrium theory, it then conducts two case studies in which the implications of specific major events are analyzed in depth. Research has shown that the changes in governance policies for the Yangtze River Basin are characterized by gradual changes and intermittent mutation, roughly divided into three stages: the stage of reform and development, the stage of transition, and the stage of prioritizing ecological conservation and green development. Moreover, such changes jointly result from three factors: the major events, the focus of public opinions, and the care of the central government.

A study to evaluate the effectiveness of planned recreational activities on self esteem among physically handicapped adolescents in selected physically handicapped institutions, Hyderabad

Self-esteem is the evaluation we make of ourselves or the degree to which weperceive ourselves positively or negatively, our overall attitudes in thedirection of ourselves. It can be calculated clearly or absolutely. Teachers,parents, therapists, and others have focused efforts on boosting self-esteem,on the assumption that high self-esteem will cause many positive outcomesand benefits. It is integral to an individual’s sense of their own value, aprincipal component of mental health, a strong indicator of a healthy lifestyleand an important indicator of well-being. Adolescence is the stage of most ofthe individual developmental changes and life challenges are associated. It isa kind of transitional stage where all the psychological and bodilydevelopment occurs, that can influence emotional skills as well as physicaland psychological ability.Physical disability is a person’s limitation to function a particular action ineveryday life. The inability to use arms, legs, or the body trunk effectivelybecause of paralysis, stiffness, pain or other impairment’s is common. It canbe due to the result of birth defects, disease, age or accidents.This study serves as an initial investigation of how planned recreationalactivities can improve self-esteem among physically handicappedadolescents. To approach the problem a quantitative evaluative researchapproach with a quasi experimental research design with non-randomizedpre-test-post-test- only design.

Caffeine Intake Alters Recovery Sleep after Sleep Deprivation.

Caffeine is a well-known psychostimulant reputed to alleviate the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation. Nevertheless, caffeine can alter sleep duration and quality, particularly during recovery sleep. We evaluated the effects of acute caffeine intake on the duration and quality of recovery sleep following total sleep deprivation (TSD), taking into account daily caffeine consumption. Forty-one participants performed a double-blind, crossover TSD protocol (38 h of continuous wakefulness) with acute caffeine or placebo. Caffeine (2.5 mg/kg) or placebo was administered twice during continuous wakefulness (last treatment 6.5 h before bedtime for the recovery night). Polysomnographic measurements were recorded using a connected headband. TSD was associated with a rebound in total sleep time (TST) on the recovery night (+110.2 ± 23.2 min, p < 0.001). Caffeine intake decreased this recovery TST (-30.2 ± 8.2 min p = 0.02) and the N3 sleep stage duration (-35.6 ± 23.2 min, p < 0.01). Caffeine intake altered recovery sleep continuity (increased number of long awakenings), stability (higher stage transition frequency), and organization (less time spent in complete sleep cycle) and decreased the delta power spectral density during NREM sleep. On the recovery night, habitual daily caffeine consumption was negatively correlated with TST in caffeine and placebo conditions and positively correlated with wake after sleep onset (WASO) duration and with the frequency of long (>2 min) awakenings in the caffeine condition only. Acute caffeine intake during TSD affects nighttime recovery sleep, with an interaction with daily consumption. These results may influence advice on caffeine intake for night-shift workers. (NCT03859882).