Tuesday, September 06, 2022

Orphanhood and Caregiver Loss Among Children Based on New Global Excess COVID-19 Death Estimates

 Research Letter

September 6, 2022
JAMA Pediatr. Published online September 6, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.3157

The availability of new excess mortality data enables us to update global minimum estimates of COVID-19 orphanhood and caregiver death among children.1-4 Consequences for children can be devastating, including institutionalization, abuse, traumatic grief, mental health problems, adolescent pregnancy, poor educational outcomes, and chronic and infectious diseases.4,5 Global totals and country comparisons were previously hampered by inconsistencies in COVID-19 testing and incomplete death reporting. The new orphanhood estimates derived here based on excess deaths provide a comprehensive measure of COVID-19’s long-term impact on orphanhood and caregiver loss.

Methods

Using previous methodology for combining age-specific death and fertility rates,4 we use Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER) reporting guideline for this epidemiologic modeling study to update COVID-19 estimates of parent and caregiver loss. We computed excess mortality-derived estimates for bereft children in every country, using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), The Economist, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).1-3,6 We replaced COVID-19 deaths in previous logistic models with excess deaths (except when excess deaths were negative) to generate composite deaths for January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021, and for January 1, 2020, through May 1, 2022 (eMethods in the SupplementTable). We used bootstrapping to calculate uncertainty around estimates from fertility and death data. We present regional and national estimates using WHO-based mortality methods.

Results

Using WHO excess mortality (more conservative than findings from IHME and The Economist), we estimate that 10 500 000 children lost parents or caregivers (Table), and 7 500 000 children experienced COVID-19–associated orphanhood through May 1, 2022. Greater numbers affected by orphanhood by primary and/or secondary caregiver loss were found in the Africa (24.3% [95% credible interval [CI], 19.3%-27.6%]) and Southeast Asia (40.6% [95% CI, 35.3%-46.2%]) WHO regions, compared with the Americas (14.0% [95% CI, 12.6%-15.8%]), Eastern Mediterranean (14.6% [95% CI, 12.9%-16.2%]), European (4.7% [95% CI, 4.4%-5.3%]) and Western Pacific (1.8% [95% CI, 1.7%-1.9%]) regions through May 1, 2022 (Figure A). Similarly, variation in estimates arises at national levels, with India (3 490 000 [95% CI, 2 430 000-4 730 000]), Indonesia (660 000 [95% CI, 390 000-1 020 000]), Egypt (450 000 [95% CI, 360 000-540 000]), Nigeria (430 000 [95% CI, 40 000-900 000]), and Pakistan (410 000 [95% CI, 80 000-770 000]) worst affected through May 1, 2022 (Figure B). Among the WHO regions most affected, countries with the highest numbers of bereaved children in Southeast Asia included Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Nepal and in Africa included Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Our updated Orphanhood Calculator6 provides these new numbers for every country.

Discussion

COVID-19–associated orphanhood and caregiver death has left an estimated 10.5 million children bereaved of their parents and caregivers. While billions of dollars are invested in preventing COVID-19–associated deaths, little is being done to care for children left behind. However, billions of dollars invested in supporting AIDS-orphaned children showcase successful solutions ready for replication.4 Only 2 countries, Peru and the US, have made national commitments to address COVID-19–associated orphanhood. At the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit (May 12, 2022), President Biden emphasized the urgency of caring for the millions of children orphaned. Urgently needed pandemic responses can combine equitable vaccination with life-changing programs for bereaved children. An important limitation is that modeling estimates cannot measure actual numbers of children affected by caregiver death; future pandemic surveillance should include such children. Given the magnitude and lifelong consequences of orphanhood, integration into every national pandemic response plan of timely care for these children will help mitigate lasting adverse consequences. Evidence highlights 3 essential components: (1) prevent death of caregivers by accelerating vaccines, containment, and treatment; (2) prepare families to provide safe and nurturing alternative care; and (3) protect orphaned children through economic support, violence prevention, parenting support, and ensuring school access. Effective, caring action to protect children from immediate and long-term harms of COVID-19 is an investment in the future and a public health imperative.

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Article Information

Accepted for Publication: June 28, 2022.

Published Online: September 6, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.3157

Corresponding Authors: Joel-Pascal Ntwali N’konzi, MSc, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, KN 3 Rd, Kigali, Rwanda (joelpascal.ntwali@aims.ac.rw); Susan Hillis, PhD, University of Oxford, 32 Wellington Square, OX1 1NF, Oxford, United Kingdom (susanhillis12@gmail.com).

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License. © 2022 Hillis S et al. JAMA Pediatrics.

Author Contributions: Dr Unwin and Mr Ntwali N’konzi had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Hillis, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Hillis, Ntwali N’konzi, Msemburi, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Drafting of the manuscript: Hillis, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Hillis, Ntwali N’konzi, Msemburi, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Statistical analysis: Hillis, Ntwali N’konzi, Flaxman, Unwin.

Obtained funding: Flaxman.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Hillis, Msemburi, Villaveces.

Supervision: Unwin.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Cluver reports grants from UK Research and Innovation, Oak Foundation, and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Funding/Support: We acknowledge the following sources of funding support: UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund (L.C. and J.-P.N.N.), Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (L.C.), Oak Foundation (L.C.), and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (S.F.). Dr Unwin acknowledges funding from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis (grant MR/R015600/1), jointly funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), under the MRC/FCDO concordant agreement and is also part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union and acknowledges funding by Community Jameel. Dr Cluver thanks an anonymous family foundation for their support for the University of Oxford.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or of the World Health Organization.

Additional Contributions: We acknowledge Jon Wakefield, PhD, University of Washington, with permission, for his help with accessing data and comments on the manuscript. Dr Wakefield did not receive compensation.

References
1.
Wong H. Estimation of total mortality due to COVID-19. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Published October 15, 2021. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.healthdata.org/special-analysis/estimation-excess-mortality-due-covid-19-and-scalars-reported-covid-19-deaths
2.
Tracking covid-19 excess deaths across countries. The Economist. Published October 20, 2021. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker
3.
World Health Organization. 14.9 Million excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 [press release]. World Health Organization. May 5, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021
4.
Unwin  HJT, Hillis  S, Cluver  L,  et al.  Global, regional, and national minimum estimates of children affected by COVID-19-associated orphanhood and caregiver death, by age and family circumstance up to Oct 31, 2021: an updated modelling study.   Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2022;6(4):249-259. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00005-0PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
5.
Thomas  T, Tan  M, Ahmed  Y, Grigorenko  EL.  A Systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.   Ann Behav Med. 2020;54(11):853-866. doi:10.1093/abm/kaaa022PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
6.
Global Orphanhood estimates real time calculator. Imperial College London. Published February 14, 2022. Accessed May 6, 2022. https://imperialcollegelondon.github.io/orphanhood_calculator/#/country/Global

THIRD WORLD U$A

Women with disabilities more likely to report poor diet, food insecurity

CDC data reveal health disparities in diet quality and access to food

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Women with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to rate their diet as poor and are more likely to experience food insecurity compared to women without disabilities, according to a new study led by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health. The findings are published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Nearly one in five U.S. women ages 18 to 44 reports having at least one disability related to hearing, vision, cognition, mobility, self-care, or independent living. However, there has been limited research on the diets of women with disabilities.

“Eating a nutritious diet is central to preventing many chronic diseases. For women of reproductive age, a healthy diet can also support good outcomes during and after pregnancy,” said Andrea Deierlein, associate professor of public health nutrition at NYU School of Global Public Health and the study’s lead author. “But a healthy diet requires access to healthy foods and the resources or ability to prepare them, and women with disabilities may face obstacles due to medical conditions or physical limitations.”

To better understand the diets of women with disabilities, the researchers analyzed data from the 2013 through 2018 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 3,579 women, ages 18 to 44, were asked about their food intake on a given day (which was calculated into diet quality scores) and other diet-related factors, including food security and participation in food assistance programs.

Women were also asked if they have a disability, which was defined as serious difficulty hearing, seeing, concentrating, walking, dressing, and/or running errands due to physical, mental, or emotional conditions. Sixteen percent of respondents reported having a disability and six percent reported having two or more types of disabilities.

There were few differences in women’s diet quality scores by their disability status, with the exception that women with two or more types of disabilities had slightly lower diet quality scores related to their intake of fruit and protein-rich foods like meat, nuts, and seafood.

Compared to women without disabilities, women with disabilities were more likely to rate their diet as poor and report their food security as low or very low. They were also more likely to consume frozen foods and participate in food assistance programs.

Women with disabilities were also less likely to be the main person in their households responsible for meal planning, preparing, and food shopping.

The researchers note that more studies are needed—particularly research that examines the intersection of disability status and social determinants of health like neighborhood food environment, housing conditions, and social support that affect food storage and preparation—to identify potential areas for intervention among all individuals with disabilities.

“Learning more about the diets of women with disabilities will help us to better assess this population’s diet quality and nutrient intake, identify barriers to improving diet, and develop tailored nutrition programs and policies, with the goal of reducing health disparities,” said Deierlein.

Additional authors include Jacqueline Litvak of NYU School of Global Public Health and Cheryl R. Stein of NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The research was funded by the New York University Research Challenge Fund Program.

About the NYU School of Global Public Health

At the NYU School of Global Public Health (NYU GPH), we are preparing the next generation of public health pioneers with the critical thinking skills, acumen, and entrepreneurial approaches necessary to reinvent the public health paradigm. Devoted to employing a nontraditional, interdisciplinary model, NYU GPH aims to improve health worldwide through a unique blend of global public health studies, research, and practice. The School is located in the heart of New York City and extends to NYU's global network on six continents. Innovation is at the core of our ambitious approach, thinking and teaching. For more, visit: publichealth.nyu.edu

Discovery of new types of microfossils may answer an age-old scientific question

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

Figure 1 

IMAGE: A MASSIVE OUTCROP OF STROMATOLITIC CHERT FROM THE GUNFLINT FORMATION. view more 

CREDIT: SASAKI ET AL.

Scientists have long pondered how and when the evolution of prokaryotes to eukaryotes occurred. A collaborative research team from Tohoku University and the University of Tokyo may have provided some answers after discovering new types of microfossils dating 1.9 billion years.

Details of their findings were published in the journal Precambrian Research on August 19, 2022.

The Gunflint Formation traverses the northern part of Minnesota into Ontario, along the northwestern shores of Lake Superior. The first bacterial microfossils were discovered there in 1954, with Gunflint microfossils now recognized as a 'benchmark' in the field of life evolution.

Yet, since the 1970s, little research on the diversity of Gunflint microfossils has been conducted, and no conclusive evidence of eukaryotic microfossils has been reported.

Seeking to reassess the microfossils, the research team carried out a geological survey of the Gunflint Formation and collected microfossil-containing rocks. After investigating the microfossils' three-dimensional shape and size distribution, they unearthed five types of microfossils: colonial, ellipsoidal, intracellular inclusion-bearing (ICI), spinous and tail-bearing types.

"The newly found ones are more functional," said the leader of the team Kohei Sasaki, a research fellow at Tohoku University. "The ellipsoidal microfossils resemble modern cyanobacteria, which evolved to improve their tolerance to harsh environments; whereas chemical analysis showed that the ICI microfossils were packed with nutrients."

This evidences that the microorganisms evolved to store nutrients that could weather environmental stress.

Meanwhile, the spinous and tail-bearing types demonstrated features advantageous for motility and nutrient transfer among cells, a typical morphological feature of eukaryotes.

"Although the size of cells is prokaryote by definition, they had already developed eukaryotic functions," added Sasaki. This indicates that prokaryotes may have begun diversifying their functions and preparing for evolution before the emergence of eukaryotes 1.8 - 1.6 billion years ago.

The team speculates that the unique environment at the time facilitated the divergent expansion of microbial forms. The collision of land masses accelerated oxidative weathering from the fresh continent to the ocean. This increased the nutrient supplies and raised seawater temperatures, making the marine environment unstable.

"Under such conditions, microorganisms probably diversified their morphology as a survival strategy, paving the way for eukaryotes to evolve," continued Sasaki.

Sasaki and his team's landmark discovery will help scientists pinpoint the timing and factors that ushered in the evolution of prokaryotes to eukaryotes, providing not only geological significance, but aiding the fields of life sciences and evolutionary biology as well.

CAPTION

Common types of Gunflint microfossils, with white scale bars at a scale of 0.01mm.

CREDIT

Sasaki et al.



CAPTION

Images of the newly discovered microfossils, with white scale bars at a scale of 0.01mm.

CREDIT

Sasaki et al.


Fervent fans keep faith with heroes even after ‘immoral acts’, study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

The more that people express admiration for a public figure, the more likely they are to forgive and defend them after a “moral violation”, according to a new study analysing the posts from 36,464 YouTube followers of a famous online prankster.

The findings suggest that we “resist updating our beliefs” about those we publicly support – even when they commit acts that might appall us, say researchers. 

Psychologists from Cambridge University investigated fan reactions to online celebrity Logan Paul’s videos before and after a notorious incident in which he filmed the dead body of a man in Japan’s Aokigahara forest – tragically known as a ‘suicide site’ – and shared it with his followers.

In the video, Paul and friends make highly inappropriate jokes. At the time, the final day of 2017, he had over 15 million YouTube subscribers. The “suicide forest scandal” led to a major backlash against Paul and indeed YouTube, despite a public apology from him 48 hours later.

In a study published in the journal Social Psychological Bulletin, researchers used language-processing algorithms to assess the level of “moral emotions” – from anger and disgust to adoration – displayed in comments by some of Paul’s army of YouTube followers over the course of the scandal.

The psychologists deployed a “concept dictionary” – lists of words associated with, for example, notions of love or forgiveness – to scan user commentary on seven Logan Paul videos prior to the scandal, and posts from those same followers on his apology video in the wake of the scandal.

The researchers say that this approach allowed them to account for specific slang in their sentiment analyses, such as “logang4life”: a phrase used by Paul’s more devoted fans to demonstrate commitment.

“Imagine a celebrity or a politician you greatly admire does something you consider deeply immoral and repugnant. Would you stand by them?” said lead author Simon Karg, who conducted the work while at the Cambridge Body, Mind and Behaviour Laboratory.

“We can see that people often keep holding on to a positive character evaluation even when the admired person commits a severe transgression. The more important the person has been to us, the less likely we are willing to change our favourable opinion,” Karg said.

Cambridge social psychologist Prof Simone Schnall, the study’s senior author, said: “People often use celebrities in the construction of their social identity. A threat to the standing of a public figure can be perceived by fans as a threat to their own self-identity – something we may feel compelled to defend.”

Previous studies on how people judge moral character have been limited by small participant groups, often lab-based, as well as hypothetical scenarios. By scraping and analysing YouTube comments, the Cambridge team were able to investigate thousands of reactions to a “real life” scandal of moral transgression.

Overall, 77% of the YouTube users who had left comments on a Logan Paul video before the scandal continued to support him afterwards, with only 16% expressing anger, and 4% disgust, after Paul mocked the suicide victim.

Psychologists were able to examine the link between pre-scandal attitudes and post-scandal messages of support among individual social media users.

YouTube users who commented often and positively on Logan Paul videos prior to the scandal were 12% more likely to continue to voice support for him once he had publicly disgraced himself.

Those who posted positively using Logan Paul fan language – an expression of “social identity” – were 10% more likely to back Paul after the Aokigahara forest video. 

Online behavior predicted fan reactions beyond merely support for Logan Paul. For each one of his videos a user had commented on, their likelihood to display “adoration” for Paul after the scandal increased by 4%.

Conversely, each pre-scandal Logan Paul video commented on by a YouTube user left them 5% less likely to express anger, and 9% less likely to express disgust, at his transgressive behaviour in Japan. 

“High levels of online approval only led to the entrenchment of support when fans were suddenly faced with extremely negative information about their hero,” said Karg, who is now at Aarhus University. 

“There are numerous examples of celebrities and politicians acting in less than ideal ways without much backlash from devoted partisans. It seems that fervent supporters will readily excuse deplorable actions by their heroes. The question is whether anything can break this spell of commitment,” Karg said.

Shining light on why plastics turn yellow

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

If you own a retro gaming console or have an old roll of packing tape, you’ve seen how plastics turn yellow as they age. Though the cause of this color change has long been attributed to the formation of molecules that act as dyes — the actual chemical changes that take place remained unexplained. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials have identified surface-based chiral nanostructures as the potential culprit.

Understanding how and why polymers degrade with age is key to designing alternatives that can avoid these pathways, allowing plastic products to have a longer lifespan. For one of the most commonly used plastics, polyethylene, it’s long been suggested that ultraviolet (UV) light — the same light that gives us sunburns — initiates reactions in the backbone of the polymer’s structure that cause the yellow color change. However, though chemical changes to polyethylene’s polymeric backbone have been observed after exposure to UV light, those new structures cannot account for polyethylene’s yellowing. One emerging way to intentionally modify the color and the ways that plastics interact with light is to create nano-sized “supramolecular” structures on their surfaces that impact plastics’ properties in a controllable way. Inspired by these surface-based technologies, Margaret M. Elmer-Dixon, Melissa A. Maurer-Jones and colleagues wanted to see if such nanostructures formed unintentionally by UV light could be the cause of polyethylene yellowing.

The researchers first investigated if potential structures formed on yellowed polyethylene films’ surfaces interacted with circularly polarized light, a type of light whose waves travel with a right- or left-handed rotation. The amount of circularly polarized light absorbed by the film in these experiments changed depending on the film’s orientation, suggesting that the yellowed plastic contains new chemical structures that are chiral, that is, they are directional and aren’t identical to their mirror images. Additional experiments showed that most of the degradation during film yellowing occurred on the surface of the films. The team concluded that chiral chemical structures on the surfaces of the polyethylene films are formed during exposure to UV light and are a potential cause for the yellow color of old plastics. They say that these insights could help researchers design plastic products that last longer before becoming unsightly or unusable.  

The authors acknowledge funding from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, the University of Minnesota McKnight Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Turning over a new leaf: Local mountain climate is affected by leaf area ratio

A research group led by the University of Tsukuba finds that the leaf area index of mixed-forests influences seasonal changes in the formation of a nocturnal cold-air pool at a small mountain basin in central Japan

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA

forest tower 

IMAGE: IMAGE view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA

Tsukuba, Japan—The changing seasons tell us much about the workings of nature. Now, a research group from Japan has discovered that the seasonal changes of tree leaf growth and shedding can have a big influence on climate even on small, local scales.

Forests act as intermediaries between the atmosphere and land, reducing surface wind speeds and controlling surface heat budgets, as well as indirectly affecting cloud formation and the energy-water cycle. The forest canopy protects the forest floor from sunlight and reduces diurnal variations in surface air temperature. These effects may alter not only forest ecology, but also the surrounding microclimate. For mountain forests, the effects of global climate change on phenology (periodic biological events, e.g., flowering, in relation to climatic conditions) have been shown, such as an extended growing season for deciduous forests. Changes in forest phenology could also alter local circulation and heat budgets of the low-level atmosphere in surrounding environments.

"However, previous studies have not fully considered the contribution of mountain forests to the nocturnal local climate in downstream areas," says senior author of the study, Professor Kenichi Ueno. "This is what we set out to investigate."

Specifically, the researchers sought to clarify the effects of leaf expansion (the stage in deciduous plant phenology where leaves expand from buds to mature leaves) on nocturnal temperature inversion (NTI) in mountain basins. NTI is a key factor that characterizes the local climate in mountainous areas, and much of the mountain slopes in central Japan are covered by deciduous forests.

The research team conducted a three-year study of leaf area index (LAI) at a mixed-forest mountain slope site in a small basin. They observed sudden shifts in the development of the nighttime cold-air pool over the basin that were related to leaf expansion and leaf fall. Specifically, they found weakening of the NTI related to leaf expansion, and strengthening after leaf fall. On the basis of these relationships, the researchers concluded that changes in LAI influenced seasonal changes in the development of the nighttime cold-air pool.

"Our results indicated that changeability in daytime forest heat storage can offset nighttime radiative cooling from the forest canopy," says Professor Ueno. "In short, our research has revealed that the cycle of tree leaf growth and leaf shedding in mountain forests has an observable effect on the local climate."

The results of this study will be applicable to research on the effects of mountain forest processes on nearby areas, such as downwind locations in which human activities are focused, which has important implications for how agricultural areas are designed, and on long-term mountain meteorological records. Future studies are expected to assess the effects of forest phenology of mountain areas on inland nocturnal climates.

###
Funding: Field research project (2018-2019), Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba

Original Paper

The article, "Development of a nocturnal temperature inversion in a small basin associated with leaf area ratio changes on the mountain slopes in central Japan," was published in the Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan at DOI: 10.2151/jmsj.2022-047

Correspondence

Associate Professor UENO Kenichi
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba

Related Link

Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences

Large, tasty popcorn kernels with infrared cooking


Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

No movie experience is complete without popcorn, whether plain, buttered, or coated with sweet or savory toppings. Microwaves and counter-top air poppers are common appliances for making this tasty snack at home, but now, a study in ACS Food Science & Technology reports that infrared cooking is yet another way people can make the treat. Using a pilot infrared popping system, the researchers were able to produce a version of the snack that taste-testers liked.

Infrared cooking has been gaining steam in home-sized pizza ovens and outdoor grills because it heats food quickly and evenly, without needing as much energy as other techniques. Previously, Majid Javanmard and colleagues showed that this cooking method is successful at making popcorn. So, to optimize the method for this snack, the team developed a pilot infrared popping system with a rotating chamber that held corn kernels close to two infrared lamps. They tested the new system with three different levels of heat power (600, 700 and 800 W) and found that 700 W produced the highest amount of fully or semi-popped kernels, as well as the largest kernels. Then a sensory panel also determined that the popcorn from 700 W lamps had the best color, taste and firmness, scoring over four on a five-point scale for overall acceptability. Based on their results, the researchers say that their infrared system can make tasty popcorn in a more energy-efficient way than traditional methods. 

The authors acknowledge funding from the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST).

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Machine learning shows links between bacterial population growth and environment

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba find via machine learning that the differentiation in decision-making components for the lag, growth, and saturation phases of bacterial population growth protects the population against extinction

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA

Tsukuba, Japan—Microbial populations may be small but they are surprisingly complex, making interactions with their surrounding environment difficult to study. But now, researchers from Japan have discovered that machine learning can provide the tools to do just that. In a study published this month in eLife, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have revealed that machine learning can be applied to bacterial population growth to discover how it relates to variations in their environment.

The dynamics of microbe populations are usually represented by growth curves. Typically, three parameters taken from these curves are used to evaluate how microbial populations fit with their environment: lag time, growth rate, and saturated population size (or carrying capacity). These three parameters are probably linked; trade-offs have been observed between the growth rate and either the lag time or population size within species, and with related changes in the saturated population size and growth rate among genetically diverse strains.

"Two questions remained: are these three parameters affected by environmental diversity, and if so, how?" says senior author of the study, Professor Bei-Wen Ying. "To answer these, we used data-driven approaches to investigate the growth strategy of bacteria."

The researchers built a large dataset that reflected the dynamics of Escherichia coli populations under a wide variety of environmental conditions, using almost a thousand combinations of growth media composed from 44 chemical compounds under controlled lab conditions. They then analyzed the big data for the relationships between the growth parameters and the combinations of media using machine learning (ML). ML algorithms built a model based on sample data to make predictions or decisions without being specifically programmed to do so.

The analysis revealed that for bacterial growth, the decision-making components were distinct among different growth phases, e.g., serine, sulfate, and glucose for growth delay (lag), growth rate, and maximum growth (saturation), respectively. The results of additional simulations and analyses showed that branched-chain amino acids likely act as ubiquitous coordinators for bacterial population growth conditions.

"Our results also revealed a common and simple strategy of risk diversification in conditions where the bacteria experienced excess resources or starvation, which makes sense in both an evolutionary and ecological context," says Professor Ying.

The results of this study have revealed that exploring the world of microorganisms with data-driven approaches can provide new insights that were previously unattainable via traditional biological experiments. This research shows that the ML-assisted approach, although still an emerging technology that will need to be developed in terms of its biological reliability and accessibility, could open new avenues for applications in the life sciences, especially microbiology and ecology.

###
The study was funded by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 21K19815 and 19H03215.

Original Paper

The article, "Machine learning-assisted discovery of growth decision elements by relating bacterial population dynamics to environmental diversity," was published in eLife at DOI: 10.7554/eLife.76846

Correspondence

Associate Professor YING BEIWEN
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba

Related Link

Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences

 

Children with autism benefit when parents are trained to provide at-home interventions

Study shows that after parents receive specialized training, children with autism spectrum disorder markedly improve their social and communication skills.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

Home Interventions 1 

IMAGE: A SUMMARY OF 50 STUDIES FOUND THAT WHEN PARENTS WERE EDUCATED IN WAYS TO OFFER INTERVENTIONS AT HOME, CHILDREN SAW MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN SOCIAL SKILLS AS WELL AS LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS. view more 

CREDIT: NATE EDWARDS

Training and empowering parents to offer at-home interventions to children with autism spectrum disorder helps children improve in positive behaviors and language communication skills says a new study from BYU.

“We’ve known for a long time that early interventions for children with autism improve learning and social skills at a greater rate than if interventions are offered later,” said Timothy B. Smith, BYU counseling psychology professor. “The problem lies in the bottleneck between the small number of practitioners available and the large numbers of children with symptoms who aren’t receiving treatment. Many can spend months on a waitlist before meeting a clinician.”

Utilizing at-home interventions in conjunction with professional clinical treatment is one way to expand treatment services. The study, recently published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, found that when parents were educated in ways to offer interventions at home, children saw marked improvement in social skills as well as language and communication skills when compared to children receiving no specialized home interventions.

Parents could be taught strategies that they can use to help their child develop social, communication, and play skills. For instance, they would be trained on how to help a child focus on desired tasks, or how to take turns when interacting with others. Parents would be empowered to implement these tactics throughout the course of the day.

“There is no scientific justification to not train parents,” said Smith. “A parent can constantly reinforce social behaviors if they know what to look for and how to do it. It’s about meeting the kids where they’re at. It has a potentially remarkable impact on child outcomes.”

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of over 50 different studies to understand the impact of parent-led interventions. In total, the studies included 2,895 child participants with an average age of five and a half. On average, parents received about 90 minutes of intervention training each week. Impact on child development was measured using direct observation by a professional as well as parent and observer ratings. No differences were observed when the mother, father, or both implemented interventions.

Moderate gains in development while they’re young crescendo over time, said Smith. Children with autism spectrum disorder who benefit from home interventions will enter preschool more prepared and they’ll leave preschool feeling more equipped for kindergarten.

“They’ll get more out of first grade and then second grade, and the effect continues to multiply,” he said. “That trajectory then continues to widen the path where the child will end up across their lifetime.”

When considered with lifelong costs associated with education, social programs and eventually welfare programs that take care of adults with disabilities, Smith estimates that parent-led interventions are a procedure that could save billions of dollars.

Researchers say they’re hopeful that such findings can be used by lawmakers to introduce legislation to add parent training as a covered benefit of insurance policies, like recent changes in federal legislation that offered insurance coverage of professional treatment for children with developmental delays.

“Kids diagnosed with ASD are higher functioning today than even twenty years ago because they’re getting interventions when they’re one or two years old,” said Dr. Tina Taylor, associate dean in the David O. McKay School of Education, and co-author of the study. “We need continued resources to help equip parents help their children. Parents are able and willing to help their children build the skills they need to be successful and make huge contributions to the world.”

Additionally, when pediatricians find symptoms of developmental delays in well child visits, they could immediately make the recommendation for parent training programs, while simultaneously making referrals for professional services.

“Intensive interventions can require 25 hours or more per week, and it’s unrealistic to expect that solely from a professional provider. Parents can have the knowledge and skills to help their children develop,” said Linda Cheng, lead author of the paper and current doctoral student studying educational inquiry, measurement and evaluation in the McKay School. “If we only stay with the traditional methods of treatments, we’re missing an opportunity to help those in need.”

For parents interested in learning more about strategies of parent led interventions, Smith suggests exploring the online resources offered by Project-Impact.

CAPTION

Parents could be trained on how to help a child focus on desired tasks, or how to take turns when interacting with others.

CREDIT

Nate Edwards