Physical activity and sedentary behaviors (screen time and homework) among overweight or obese adolescents: a cross-sectional observational study in Yazd, Iran

Background The growing number of adolescents who are overweight or obese (OW / OB) is a public concern. The present study was aimed to evaluate physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) (screen time (ST) and homework time (HT)) among Yazd OW/OB adolescents. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed among 510 students aged 12-16 in Yazd, Iran. The general information, PA, and SB (ST and HT) were collected by interview based on the WHO standard questionnaire. Anthropometric data were assessed by precise instruments. Daily energy intake (Energy) was obtained from a 7-day food record. Nutritionist 4 software (version I) was run to estimate the energy. Results There was a high prevalence of SB > 2h/day (97.6), ST > 2h/day (70.3%), overweight or obesity (40%), abdominal obesity (36.9%), physical inactivity (29.8%) among the students. The younger age (p = 0.014), energy (p < 0.001), no access to the yard (p < 0.001), family size ≤ 2 (p = 0.023), passive transportation, (p = 0.001), the highest school days’ HT (p = 0.033) and SB (p = 0.021), and the highest weekends’ HT among the students were the risk factors for OW/OB. The highest PA level was associated with a lower risk of OW/OB (p < 0.001). The findings were not the same in both sexes. Compared to the normal weight students, OW / OB spent more time on school days and weekdays for ST (P <0.001), HT (P <0.001, P = 0.005) and SB (P <0.001), respectively. OW/OB students showed a higher weekends’ ST (p < 0.001) and lower HT (p = 0.048) than normal-weight students. Conclusion The prevalence of SB, ST, OW/OB, and physical inactivity were common. The school days and weekends’ HT, the school days’ SB and HT, age, energy, PA, and access to the yard, family size, and passive transportation were related to the greater chances of OW/OB students. Given that the expansion of online education and self-isolation in a new situation with COVID-19, it seems we will meet the worrying results.

Systematic review of active transportation to school in youth – an update from Brazil’s Report Card

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to update a systematic review on the use of active transportation to school in Brazilian children and adolescents. All studies were extracted from the LILACS; BIREME; SCIELO and MEDLINE. The search was carried out on manuscripts published in the period 2018-2019. The descriptors were used in Portuguese, English and Spanish. In overall, 8 manuscripts were included in this systematic review, with 1 presenting data from three periods (2009, 2012 and 2015). The study data were obtained between 2009 and 2015 and the age group found between 7 to 19 years old. Of the selected articles, 2 presented national data, 1 from the north, 2 from the northeast, 1 from the southeast and 2 from the south of Brazil. The use of active transportation was superior to passive transportation on 6 occasions and its use was common in boys than in girls (4 of 6 articles). The use of active transportation is still more common than passive transportation in most Brazilian regions, although some cities have the opposite. The results suggest that the prevalence of active transportation is higher in boys than girls. Public policies must be created to favor the use of active transportation among Brazilian youth.

Quantification of Sources of Variability of Air Pollutant Exposure Concentrations among Selected Transportation Microenvironments

The National Research Council has identified the lack of sufficient microenvironmental air pollution exposure data as a significant barrier to quantification of human exposure to air pollution. Transportation microenvironments, including pedestrian, transit bus, car, and bicycle, can be associated with higher exposure concentrations than many other microenvironments. Data are lacking that provide a systematic basis for comparing exposure concentrations in these transportation modes that account for key sources of variability, such as time of day, season, and types of location along a route such as bus stops and intersections. The objectives of this work are: to quantify and compare particulate matter (PM2.5), CO, and O3 exposure concentrations in selected active and passive transportation microenvironments; and to quantify the effect of season, time of day, and location with respect to variability in transportation mode exposure concentrations. Measurements were made with an instrumented backpack and were repeated for multiple days in each season to account for the effect of inter-run variability. Results include mean trends, spatial variability, and contribution to variance. Pedestrian and cycle mode exposure concentrations were approximately similar to each other and were substantially higher than for bus and car cabins for both PM2.5 and O3. Based on over 30 days of field measurements conducted over three seasons and for two times of day on weekdays, transportation mode and season were the largest contributors to variability in exposure for PM2.5 and O3, whereas location type alone and in combination with transport mode helped explain variability in CO exposures.

Anisotropy-induced directional self-transportation of low surface tension liquids: a review

The passive transportation of liquids is comprehensively reviewed specifically for low surface tension fluids.

DAPSA GEMINA AUDISIO & DE BIASE, 1996, A NEW SPECIES OF THE EUROPEAN FAUNA (Coleoptera, Endomychidae)

During entomological research carried out in the Pontine Islands (central Italy, Latium, Latina province), <em>Dapsa gemina</em> Audisio &amp; De Biase, 1996 (Coleoptera, Endomychidae), previously known only from coastal areas of NE Algeria, has been recorded in Italy and in Europe for the first time. This new record suggested the authors to shortly discuss the possible scenario of a relatively recent, late Pleistocene passive transportation of <em>Dapsa gemina</em> and of the related <em>D. obscurissima</em> Pic, 1904 (sharing a very similar disjunct geographic distribution) by marine drift of masses of vegetal debris from North Africa.

An overview of the evolution of overproduced esterases in the mosquito Culex pipiens

Insecticide resistance genes have developed in a wide variety of insects in response to heavy chemical application. Few of these examples of adaptation in response to rapid environmental change have been studied both at the population level and at the gene level. One of these is the evolution of the overproduced esterases that are involved in resistance to organophosphate insecticides in the mosquito Culex pipiens . At the gene level, two genetic mechanisms are involved in esterase overproduction, namely gene amplification and gene regulation. At the population level, the co–occurrence of the same amplified allele in distinct geographic areas is best explained by the importance of passive transportation at the worldwide scale. The long–term monitoring of a population of mosquitoes in southern France has enabled a detailed study to be made of the evolution of resistance genes on a local scale, and has shown that a resistance gene with a lower cost has replaced a former resistance allele with a higher cost.

Prevalence and Correlates of Susceptibility to Motion Sickness

Data on susceptibility to motion sickness were collected on a sample of 535 individuals divided into eight groups. The prevalence of motion sickness among Tibetans and Northeast Indians (28%) was slightly higher than Northwest Indians (26%). Generally speaking, females (27.3%) were more susceptible than males (16.8%). Among different groups, the highest incidence of susceptibility to motion sickness (SMS) was recorded in schizophrenic patients (30%), while the lowest in rowers (zero percent). Ears and eyes are the most potent receptors of provocative motion that causes sickness. Individuals with greater spatial and motor control, reflected in sports like rowing, athletics and professions like armed and paramilitary forces, were less susceptible to motion sickness.The SMS was significantly higher in individuals who suffered from spatial disorientation (35.05%), migraine (26.31%), gastrointestinal disorders (26.82%) and those who were more sensitive to unpleasant odours (24.64%) and preferred sweet flavours (24.48%) than their counterparts. These correlates have been utilized to explain the genesis of sickness using threshold model. Genetic and environmental pathways are strongly advocated. Past episodes of motion sickness acted as a strong psychological attribute in determining further episodes. The roadway buses and trucks proved more effective passive transportation types that caused sickness. The voluntary stabilization of the head and neck movements and gaze control proved very effective natural measures adopted by 38% subjects to avoid or limit motion sickness. About 50% of susceptible individuals became less susceptible or fully acclimatized to motion sickness due to habituation. The mean age at acclimatization was 21.98 ± 5.93 years.