Analysis of insoluble fiber components in common Indian foods and habitual diets

Dietary fiber components e.g. cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are estimated in 53 commonly consumed Indian foods, with an objective to get an estimate of habitual level of intakes in Indians. Results indicate that there is a wide range of variation in Indian foods in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin content for all the classes of Indian foods. This is useful to modify the diets with varying proportions of fiber but giving the same level of calories. When our values were compared with fifteen values obtained by Kamat and Belavady (1) and nine values of Anuradhaet al (7) the values were found to be comparable (P>.01). However they were significantly different (P<.01) when compared with eleven values of Premakumari (8). A computer program FIBER. INT based on cooked factors is developed for the calculation of habitual level of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin for Indian diets. Total NDF is in the range 20.5–47.6 grams per day for 28 adult males and 15.2–26.1 grams per day for 6 females. However fiber expressed as gram per 1000 calories is 13.1 in females as compared to 11.9 in males. Diets with combination of wheat and sorghum were highest in fiber content (12.5 gram per 1000 K calories).     

Evolution,fruit flies and gerontology

In the past decade or so, genetic theories of the evolution of ageing and studies on populations of fruit flies (Drosophila spp.) in the laboratory have provided a new perspective on the phenomenon of ageing. These recent advances, very different in approach and methodology from traditional gerontological studies, have provided a wealth of knowledge about the mechanisms of ageing, as well as some answers to deeper, more philosophical questions, such as “why do organisms age at all?”.     

Becoming literate in Chinese: a comparison of native‐speaking and non‐native‐speaking children

How do native Chinese‐speaking (CS) and non‐Chinese‐speaking (NCS) children learn to read and write in Chinese? In the present study, 29 CS and 34 NCS second and third graders aged 76 to 122 months (M = 93.65) participated in an experiment where they were taught 16 new Chinese characters in one of four conditions – copy, radical, phonological and look–say. Results showed that the copying condition best facilitated writing of Chinese characters for both groups, whereas radical knowledge facilitated only CS children's writing. NCS children benefited more from the phonological condition than from the look–say condition in learning to read Chinese. These results highlight the effectiveness of copying practice for all children learning to write Chinese. However, approaches to reading and writing Chinese may differ somewhat depending on the Chinese background knowledge of the children as well. Teaching children Chinese should be geared towards the strengths of different groups for learning.     

Teaching reading in an inner city school through a multisensory teaching approach

The purpose of the present study was to examine the efficacy of the multisensory teaching approach to improve reading skills at the first-grade level. The control group was taught by the Houghton-Mifflin Basal Reading Program while the treatment group was taught by the Language Basics: Elementary, which incorporates the Orton-Gillingham-based Alphabetic Phonics Method. The results showed that the treatment group made statistically significant gains in phonological awareness, decoding, and reading comprehension while the control group made gains only on reading comprehension.     

The anatomy of anatomy: A review for its modernization

Anatomy has historically been a cornerstone in medical education regardless of nation or specialty. Until recently, dissection and didactic lectures were its sole pedagogy. Teaching methodology has been revolutionized with more reliance on models, imaging, simulation, and the Internet to further consolidate and enhance the learning experience. Moreover, modern medical curricula are giving less importance to anatomy education and to the acknowledged value of dissection. Universities have even abandoned dissection completely in favor of user‐friendly multimedia, alternative teaching approaches, and newly defined priorities in clinical practice. Anatomy curriculum is undergoing international reformation but the current framework lacks uniformity among institutions. Optimal learning content can be categorized into the following modalities: (1) dissection/prosection, (2) interactive multimedia, (3) procedural anatomy, (4) surface and clinical anatomy, and (5) imaging. The importance of multimodal teaching, with examples suggested in this article, has been widely recognized and assessed. Nevertheless, there are still ongoing limitations in anatomy teaching. Substantial problems consist of diminished allotted dissection time and the number of qualified anatomy instructors, which will eventually deteriorate the quality of education. Alternative resources and strategies are discussed in an attempt to tackle these genuine concerns. The challenges are to reinstate more effective teaching and learning tools while maintaining the beneficial values of orthodox dissection. The UK has a reputable medical education but its quality could be improved by observing international frameworks. The heavy penalty of not concentrating on sufficient anatomy education will inevitably lead to incompetent anatomists and healthcare professionals, leaving patients to face dire repercussions. Anat Sci Educ 3: 83–93, 2010. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

Virtually there: Cricket,community, and commerce on the internet

This essay records a recent history of how dedicated and public-spirited lovers of a sport created a virtual community of cricket fans using what was then a new medium called the internet. The website “Cricinfo” was initially a product of this community. The essay then shows how commercial concerns came to override those of the virtual community, as Cricinfo was transformed from a community-based enterprise to a commercial entity. All of this happened at a time when the sport and the internet itself was being transformed by new technologies, and entrepreneurs were taking advantage of these changes to create new economic opportunities. The recent acquisition of Cricinfo by the media giant ESPN (itself owned by The Walt Disney Company) merely continues the trajectory outlined in this essay.