The role of the vasculature in iron allocation and sensing in plants

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nga Thu Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Fe Deficiency ◽  
Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
The University

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Most of the human population rely on plant-based products as the major dietary source for nutrients including iron (Fe). In terms of food security, and besides struggling to solve the problem of producing enough food for the rapidly growing population, we are also in need of finding solutions to fight the so-called "hidden hunger" or micronutrient deficiencies. Among the different micronutrient deficiencies, Fe is the most studied one in both plants and humans (1). This is because Fe serves as a cofactor in many critical biological processes and cellular redox reactions. Plants also require Fe for the synthesis of chlorophyll. Thus, Fe deficiency can lead to plant chlorosis and reduction in yield as a result of a decreased photosynthetic capacity. In crop plants like soybean, Fe deficiency chlorosis can cause up to 30% reduction in yield (2-4). In humans, Fe is required for hemoglobin molecules to transport oxygen. Lack of Fe in humans leads to anemia and it is a major cause for birth defects and many physical and mental illnesses. This is true not only in developing countries, where people mostly rely on plant-based food. In developed countries, Fe-deficiency anemia can also affect people whose diets heavily rely on highly processed foods, which are energy dense and micronutrient-poor. By number, moderate to severe anemia in the U.S. population increased from 1.0% to 1.9%, comparing data of 2003-2004 to 2011-2012 census (5). Because Fe is essential for both plants and humans and importantly, humans rely on dietary Fe from crop plants, understanding the mechanisms controlling Fe uptake, accumulation and Fe-deficiency response in plants may have a positive impact on both plants and human health. For this long-term goal, it is necessary to develop and establish different approaches to unravel the mechanisms that plants use to control iron uptake and allocation. By filling the gap in our knowledge of plant responses to Fe-deficiency, we will be one step closer to enhance the Fe concentration in crop plants and perhaps, we will make them more resilient to Fe-limiting conditions.

scholarly journals Mobile Teaching Kitchen Project – eradicating and preventing malnutrition through nutrition education

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Ray
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Urban Slum ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Diet Diversity ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Slum Dwellers ◽  
Education Tool

Abstract Background Global malnutrition, affecting over 2.6 billion people globally, represents a triple burden to health in the form of micronutrient deficiencies, under-and over-nutrition. Malnutrition reaches all parts of society, with those undernourished and deficient in vitamins and minerals often thought to be the poorer in society, whilst overnourished those wealthier. NNEdPro, an international think-tank working to develop nutrition capacity, performed a landscaping activity in Kolkata, India and noted significant undernutrition within the slum dwelling population and overnutrition among the inner-city workers. Results NNEdPro' s Mobile Teaching Kitchen (MTK) project was developed as a nutritional education tool to improve awareness of diet diversity and disease prevention amongst marginalised communities by using locally sourced foods and cooking skills. Local volunteers trained in healthy cooking transfers core principles through cooking demonstrations of sustainable, nutritional, and affordable meals. They follow a 'See One, Do One, Teach One' (S1D1T1) model to transfer knowledge to their peers. This model aims to create a sustainable solution that will enable the rural-urban slum dwellers across regions of the world to challenge food insecurity and malnutrition. Conclusions The potential of the Teaching Kitchen can extend beyond creating powerful behavior change for improved health and nutrition within local communities of both developing and developed countries. In addition to improving the wellbeing of the community, the project can also potentially create livelihood opportunities through empowering women with catering skills and having a positive impact on the health and nutritional status of the wider community. After successful impacts in India, the Mobile Teaching Kitchen model has been proposed to other 8 existing regional networks of NNEdPro such as Australia & New Zealand, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Switzerland, USA, and UK.

scholarly journals Employees’ Occupational Health and Safety Awareness in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baraa Alghalyini ◽  
Tasnim Elgazzar ◽  
Abubakr Bajaber ◽  
Muaz Wahed ◽  
Ayesha Ambia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
First Aid Training

Abstract Background: Occupational hazards are extremely pervasive and preventive community-related incidents occurring in occupations all over the world. In fact, the majority of developed countries impose national policies to provide their employees with Occupational Health and Safety (OHAS) guidelines and recommendations to avoid these hazards. Maintaining and monitoring employee health through following (OHAS) laws in turn has a positive impact on the economic status of the country. Our study was conducted in Riyadh, KSA to fill a research gap on OHAS in the country, and to collect evidence-based OHAS recommendations by focusing on three main occupational health domains: stress, musculoskeletal and respiratory symptoms.Methods: A validated structured questionnaire was administered on a cross-section of 319 randomly selected employees aged 18 - 64 years in Riyadh for two weeks in Oct 2018. The survey was conducted on site of 11 locations for different occupations. Information was sought on their socio-demographic characteristics, first aid training and their awareness of major occupational illnesses; stress, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders. Factors such as underlying diseases and confounding factors such as smoking were also taken into consideration.Results: A total of 319 employees were surveyed from eleven occupational backgrounds. Among all the involved workplaces only 51.3% of them offered First Aid training for the employees. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was 24.1% for weakness followed by 16% for pain. Around 70% of respondents denied suffering from stress at work, neither experiencing stress- related symptoms such as headache, sleeplessness or anxiety attacks as a result of their work.Conclusion: This student-led community engaging study aimed to evaluate employees’ awareness of illnesses related to their occupations and their practices to prevent them. Under the supervision of College of Medicine faculty members at Alfaisal University,1st and 3rd year medical students visited different worksites including schools, dental clinics, car shops, airport terminals, and others to present a brief presentation to promote occupational health and safety proceeded by the distribution of a brief survey. Although musculoskeletal, respiratory and mental illnesses are commonly observed occupation- related complaints, yet this wasn’t evident in our study. This could be explained by employees’ lack of awareness or fear of reporting their health concerns. This observed gap in our study will help in recommending national guidelines to promote occupational health and safety across different occupations.

Structuring asynchronous online discussion groups : the impact of role-supported student facilitation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Yemin Huang
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Sequential Analysis ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Student Facilitation

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The purpose of the current study was to explore the effectiveness of a role-supported, student-facilitation strategy on online discussions from multiple dimensions: participation, interaction, levels of knowledge construction and cognition, as well as the impact of each role. All 13 graduate students who enrolled in a master's-level online course participated in this study. First, an unfacilitated discussion was implemented, followed by three student-facilitated discussions, in which four volunteers were assigned different facilitator roles (Devil?s advocate, Questioner, Information provider, and Summarizer). At the end of the class, 10 out of 13 students completed an online survey about their experience in the student-facilitated online discussions. Transcripts of the four online discussions were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, social network analysis, content analysis, sequential analysis, and qualitative analysis. Results indicated that student-facilitated and unfacilitated online discussions were similar in respect to participation, but student-facilitated discussions demonstrated significantly improved interaction patterns and levels of knowledge construction and different levels of cognition. The Devil?s Advocate role had a positive impact and the Summarizer?s role had limited effects on levels of knowledge construction. None of the four roles consistently demonstrated a positive impact on participants? cognitive levels. Responses to the survey showed that the student-facilitation strategy was valuable in both group and individual levels.

Supplemental Instruction and the Enhancement of Student Performance in Economics Principles

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony L. Loviscek ◽  
Norman R. Cloutier
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Supplemental Instruction ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Program Participation ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
The University

This paper presents an empirical evaluation of Supplemental Instruction, a formal review/lab session program developed at the University of Missouri, designed to improve student learning in courses that have typically exhibited poor student performance. Using a two-equation model and student transcript data readily available to instructors and academic researchers, we evaluate the effectiveness of the program in economics principles. The analysis explicitly considers the confounding factor of self-selection in program participation. We find that ordinary least squares significantly underestimates the positive impact of Supplemental Instruction. The results suggest that formal programs designed to increase the intensity of instruction can have a demonstrable payoff in the form of increased student learning.

TEM study of boron additions to cobalt aluminide

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 546-547
Author(s):  
Gerald B. Feldewerth
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Turbine Engines ◽  
Major Drawback ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Specific Strength ◽  
Aerospace Applications ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ordered Alloys ◽  
The University ◽  
Very High

In recent years an increasing emphasis has been placed on the study of high temperature intermetallic compounds for possible aerospace applications. One group of interest is the B2 aiuminides. This group of intermetaliics has a very high melting temperature, good high temperature, and excellent specific strength. These qualities make it a candidate for applications such as turbine engines. The B2 aiuminides exist over a wide range of compositions and also have a large solubility for third element substitutional additions, which may allow alloying additions to overcome their major drawback, their brittle nature.One B2 aluminide currently being studied is cobalt aluminide. Optical microscopy of CoAl alloys produced at the University of Missouri-Rolla showed a dramatic decrease in the grain size which affects the yield strength and flow stress of long range ordered alloys, and a change in the grain shape with the addition of 0.5 % boron.

Emerging Nutrition Gaps in a World of Affluence - Micronutrient Intake and Status Globally

2011 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Eggersdorfer ◽  
Paul Walter
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
New Science ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Micronutrient Intake

Nutrition is important for human health in all stages of life - from conception to old age. Today we know much more about the molecular basis of nutrition. Most importantly, we have learnt that micronutrients, among other factors, interact with genes, and new science is increasingly providing more tools to clarify this interrelation between health and nutrition. Sufficient intake of vitamins is essential to achieve maximum health benefit. It is well established that in developing countries, millions of people still suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. However, it is far less recognized that we face micronutrient insufficiencies also in developed countries.

MARS — Its Tenth Anniversary of Operation and its Future

1980 ◽  
Vol 19 (03) ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
G. S. Lodwick ◽  
C. R. Wickizer ◽  
E. Dickhaus
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Administrative Support ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Computer Scientist ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Complete Bibliography ◽  
The University ◽  
Economic Considerations

The Missouri Automated Radiology System recently passed its tenth year of clinical operation at the University of Missouri. This article presents the views of a radiologist who has been instrumental in the conceptual development and administrative support of MARS for most of this period, an economist who evaluated MARS from 1972 to 1974 as part of her doctoral dissertation, and a computer scientist who has worked for two years in the development of a Standard MUMPS version of MARS. The first section provides a historical perspective. The second deals with economic considerations of the present MARS system, and suggests those improvements which offer the greatest economic benefits. The final section discusses the new approaches employed in the latest version of MARS, as well as areas for further application in the overall radiology and hospital environment. A complete bibliography on MARS is provided for further reading.

scholarly journals Are Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region on Track towards Meeting the World Health Assembly Target for Anemia? A Review of Evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2449
Author(s):  
Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh ◽  
Mandy Taktouk ◽  
Radhouene Doggui ◽  
Zahra Abdollahi ◽  
Baseer Achakzai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
World Health ◽  
Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
World Health Assembly ◽  
The World

Anemia is a multifactorial condition, with a complex etiology that involves nutritional and non-nutritional factors. The misconception that iron deficiency is equivalent to anemia may mask the need to address other potential causative factors. This review paper aims to (1) assess the burden of anemia vs. iron deficiency anemia (IDA) amongst women of reproductive age (WRA), pregnant women (PW), and children under five years old (underfive children, U5C) in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR); (2) evaluate trends in anemia prevalence and whether countries are on track towards meeting the World Health Assembly (WHA) target for 2025; and (3) characterize anemia reduction efforts and provide a road map for future programs. A search of pertinent literature and databases was conducted. Anemia prevalence in the EMR ranged between 22.6% and 63% amongst PW, 27% and 69.6% amongst WRA, and 23.8% and 83.5% amongst U5C. Data showed that the EMR is not on course towards meeting the WHA target. The contribution of IDA to anemia was found to be less than half. Other potential contributors to anemia in the region were identified, including micronutrient deficiencies, parasitic infestations, and poor sanitation. A framework of action was proposed as a roadmap to meet the targets set by the WHA.

scholarly journals Diabetic Retinopathy Prediction by Ensemble Learning Based on Biochemical and Physical Data

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3663
Author(s):  
Zun Shen ◽  
Qingfeng Wu ◽  
Zhi Wang ◽  
Guoyi Chen ◽  
Bin Lin
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Prediction Model ◽  
Ensemble Learning ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Reduction Rate ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Feature Reduction ◽  
Physical Data ◽  
Diabetes Retinopathy

(1) Background: Diabetic retinopathy, one of the most serious complications of diabetes, is the primary cause of blindness in developed countries. Therefore, the prediction of diabetic retinopathy has a positive impact on its early detection and treatment. The prediction of diabetic retinopathy based on high-dimensional and small-sample-structured datasets (such as biochemical data and physical data) was the problem to be solved in this study. (2) Methods: This study proposed the XGB-Stacking model with the foundation of XGBoost and stacking. First, a wrapped feature selection algorithm, XGBIBS (Improved Backward Search Based on XGBoost), was used to reduce data feature redundancy and improve the effect of a single ensemble learning classifier. Second, in view of the slight limitation of a single classifier, a stacking model fusion method, Sel-Stacking (Select-Stacking), which keeps Label-Proba as the input matrix of meta-classifier and determines the optimal combination of learners by a global search, was used in the XGB-Stacking model. (3) Results: XGBIBS greatly improved the prediction accuracy and the feature reduction rate of a single classifier. Compared to a single classifier, the accuracy of the Sel-Stacking model was improved to varying degrees. Experiments proved that the prediction model of XGB-Stacking based on the XGBIBS algorithm and the Sel-Stacking method made effective predictions on diabetes retinopathy. (4) Conclusion: The XGB-Stacking prediction model of diabetic retinopathy based on biochemical and physical data had outstanding performance. This is highly significant to improve the screening efficiency of diabetes retinopathy and reduce the cost of diagnosis.

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