Rosemont College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1921 as a women's college by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, the undergraduate program opened to male students beginning in fall 2009. Rosemont is a member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE) and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Rosemont also offers a range of master's degrees through its School of Graduate Studies and School of Professional Studies.
Background When assessing current nutritional status (CNS) in children and adults, commonly used weight- and length/height-based indices – such as weight-for-length/height, body mass index (BMI), BMI-for-age, tri-ponderal mass index (TMI), and ponderal index (PI) – have shown clear limitations regarding sex, age, shortness and/or tallness. Therefore, this study attempted to propose a novel index capable of assessing CNS while countering these specific limitations. Methods According to the literature, for individuals of the same sex and age, children with ideal CNS (ICNS) and malnutrition remain associated with weights and lengths/heights of same ranks and discordant ranks, respectively. Thus, for children with weights and lengths/heights of the same SD scores (SDSs), ICNS can be indicated mathematically by a weight-length SDS differenc (WLSDS-d) or weight-height SDS difference (WHSDS-d) of ‘0’ (zero). Similarly, for children with weights-lengths/heights of different SDSs, WLSDS-ds/WHSDS-ds (i.e., SDSs of weights relative to associated lengths/heights) of < − 3, < − 2, − 2 to + 1, > + 1, > + 2 and > + 3 indicate the conditions of severe wasting/thinness/underweight, moderate wasting/thinness/underweight, normal CNS, risk of overweight (overweight for children above 5 years), overweight (obesity for children above 5 years), and obesity, respectively. Furthermore, for adults with weights and heights of the same or different SDSs for the same sex (with respect to the oldest reference children), conditions of ICNS, severe thinness/underweight, moderate thinness/underweight, mild thinness/underweight, normal CNS, overweight, obesity class I, obesity class II and obesity class III can be indicated by WHSDS-ds of 0, < − 3, < − 2, − 1 to + 1, > + 1, > + 2, > + 3 and > + 4, respectively. Therefore, WLSDS-d/WHSDS-d was (1) proposed as an index of CNS, (2) used to assess the CNS of select children and adults (using exemplary weight and length/height data), and (3) compared with the aforementioned indices regarding the assessed CNS. Results The study demonstrated that WLSDS-d/WHSDS-d, weight-for-length/height, and BMI-for-age all successfully indicated ICNS for children whose weights and lengths/heights matched the standard/reference medians for their same sex and age. Furthermore, the study revealed the following regarding body index inaccuracies: (a) weight-for-length/height, BMI and BMI-for-age (i) underestimated ICNS in both shorter-cum-lighter and lengthier/taller-cum-heavier individuals, (ii) overestimated wasting/thinness/underweight status while underestimating overweight and obesity in shortercum-lighter individuals, and (iii) underestimated wasting/thinness/underweight status while overestimating overweight and obesity in lengthier/taller-cum-heavier individuals; and (b) TMI and PI overestimated overweight and obesity in shorter-cum-lighter individuals and underestimated them in lengthier/taller-cum-heavier individuals. The study also showed a high correlation of WLSDS-d/WHSDS-d with BMI, BMI-for-age, TMI and PI in both children and adults. Conclusion The proposed WLSDS-d/WHSDS-d index assessed CNS continuously from children to adults, reflecting sex- and age-based variations in body fat and relative weight status, countering the age, sex, shortness-cum-lightness and/or lengthiness/tallness-cum-heaviness related limitations of weight-for-length/height, BMI, BMI-for-age, TMI, and/or PI.
Functional foods, because they offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition, have become a viable method for the prevention and control of chronic diseases. This review examines the integration of nutritional science and biotechnology in the creation of functional foods that address serious chronic illnesses like cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and neurological problems. It highlights the significance of key bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, dietary fibers, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, peptides, vitamins and minerals, which contribute to disease prevention through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and metabolic regulatory mechanisms. The review further explores biotechnological approaches, including genetic engineering, fermentation biotechnology, enzyme technology, metabolic engineering and CRISPR-based genome editing, which have enhanced the nutritional quality and functional efficacy of food products. Emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, encapsulation systems, omics tools and artificial intelligence are also discussed for their role in improving nutrient delivery, bioavailability and precision nutrition. In addition, the review addresses safety, regulatory and ethical considerations, along with current challenges related to stability, bioavailability, production scalability and market translation. Overall, the convergence of nutrition and biotechnology offers substantial potential for developing next-generation functional foods for sustainable chronic disease prevention and health promotion.
The Vertical Electrical Sounding method is used in this study to discover the subsurface hydrogeology of Sagar Island. The major goal is to interpret the sub-surface formation and to identify aquifer features of this Island. The geophysical investigation that has involved the electrical resistivity method, indicates that all the major subsurface formations occur throughout the Island are extensive. In general, five major subsurface formations are interpreted. These are the top highly unconsolidated sediments underlain by a saline water zone comprising clay, silt and sand lenses continuing to a depth of 21–34 m. Below this, a brackish water zone occurs within 21–150 m depth, which is underlain by thick impermeable clay layer. Further down, fresh water aquifer occurs within fine and medium sand layers. To circumscribe the brackish water-fresh water zones and to illustrate the groundwater potential zones, Dar-Zarrouk parameters are estimated such as longitudinal conductance, transverse resistance, average longitudinal resistivity, average transverse resistivity, coefficient of anisotropy. It is also found that the southern section of the region has extremely high transverse resistance and more promise than that of northern part in this study region. The analysed data of coastal aquifer characteristics like hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity is found as 5.619–15.493 m/day and 1571.44–4555 m 2 /day respectively. Spatial variation maps of aquifer parameters are also prepared using geospatial software.
