The nutrition transition in Jordan: the political, economic and food consumption contexts.

This paper describes and analyzes the nutrition transition in Jordan. The nutrition transition is shifting from undernutrition of a population to a diet high in fat, sugar, and refined carbohydrates (overnutrition) and corresponding premature morbidity and mortality from ensuing chronic diseases. The paper reviews and examines secondary data on demographic, epidemiological, economic, social, and dietary changes in the region.

Current smoking practices among Jordanian college students: a pilot study.

This pilot study gauges the smoking rates among college students in Jordan, attitudes toward tobacco policies, knowledge of smoking hazards, and identifies methods of quitting for former smokers. The sample (n=296) was taken from students attending a General Education course at the University of Jordan. Results show that the majority of respondents (70.

Validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 among a random sample of Jordanian women.

Measuring the impact of westernization on body image is an important element in understanding body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in countries undergoing cultural transitions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3, a measure of societal and media impacts on body image, in a non-western population. Factor analyses identified the same four subscales found in the original validation with high Cronbach's alpha coefficients and Guttman split-half coefficients, and low item cross-loadings.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese leadership practices inventory.

There is little evidence of psychometric properties of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) when used with Taiwan's nursing faculty. The purpose of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the Chinese LPI and provide a culturally appropriate instrument for use in Taiwan's nursing. Thirteen bachelor and nine associate degree nursing programs were eligible for participation.

The impact of body mass index and Western advertising and media on eating style, body image and nutrition transition among Jordanian women.

Objectives: To identify the impact of body mass index (BMI) and Western advertising and media on the stage of the nutrition transition among Jordanian women, and to evaluate their impact on eating styles and body image.

Design: A randomised cross-sectional survey that included a variety of culturally measured Likert-type scales and body size images. In addition, BMI was calculated based on measured height and weight.

Motivational factors and stages of change for physical activity among college students in Amman, Jordan.

The purpose of this study was to investigate physical activity levels across the five stages of change for physical activity and to identify motivational factors for physical activity according to these stages of change among college students in Amman, Jordan. Analyses were based on a cross-sectional survey of 431 students, with a mean age of 21.1 (SD=0.

A comparison of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among Filipino and American college students.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of eating disordered attitudes and behaviors among college students in the United States and the Philippines.

Design: A convenience-based cross-sectional survey.

Setting: General education classes in one college in Manila and another in the Western US.

Nursing directors' leadership styles and faculty members' job satisfaction in Taiwan.

Nursing leaders in Taiwan seldom receive the leadership training necessary to lead an academic organization. As a result, leaders may experience burn out, and dissatisfaction among faculty may increase. This study examined nursing faculty members' perceptions of nursing directors' leadership and their job satisfaction levels to understand how perceptions of leadership styles related to job satisfaction in Taiwan.

Differential detection of phospholipid fluidity, order, and spacing by fluorescence spectroscopy of bis-pyrene, prodan, nystatin, and merocyanine 540.

The properties of liquid-ordered, solid-ordered, and liquid-disordered phases were investigated by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy in liposomes composed of mixtures of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol (0-40 mol %) as a function of temperature (24-51 degrees C). The fluorescent probes used (bis-pyrene, nystatin, prodan, and merocyanine) were chosen because they differ in the location they occupy in the membrane and in the types of properties they sense. Comparison of phase diagrams with contour plots of the fluorescence data suggested that bis-pyrene is sensitive primarily to lipid order.

Knowledge of the effects of indoor air quality on health among women in Jordan.

Objective: To assess the extent of knowledge about symptoms relating to respiratory illnesses and home environments among a random sample of 200 urban Jordanian women.

Method: This customized, validated, cross-sectional questionnaire evaluated the knowledge of these women about the association between the indoor environment and health, the presence or absence of indoor discomforts, symptoms of respiratory illnesses, and behaviors related to the home environment such as cleaning practices.

Results: Results showed an alarming rate of smoking in the homes; the extent of knowledge was moderate but higher among those exhibiting symptoms and those with children.

Leadership styles and nursing faculty job satisfaction in Taiwan.

Purpose: To examine nursing faculty job satisfaction and their perceptions of nursing deans' and directors' leadership styles, and to explore how the perceptions of leadership styles relate to faculty job satisfaction in Taiwan.

Methods: Descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study with self-administered questionnaires. The sample was recruited from 18 nursing programs, and 286 questionnaires were returned.

Sizing the Jurassic theropod dinosaur Allosaurus: assessing growth strategy and evolution of ontogenetic scaling of limbs.

Allosaurus is one of the most common Mesozoic theropod dinosaurs. We present a histological analysis to assess its growth strategy and ontogenetic limb bone scaling. Based on an ontogenetic series of humeral, ulnar, femoral, and tibial sections of fibrolamellar bone, we estimate the ages of the largest individuals in the sample to be between 13-19 years.

Formation of transient non-protein calcium pores by lysophospholipids in S49 Lymphoma cells.

Palmitoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine promotes a transient calcium influx in lymphoma cells. Previously, it was observed that this influx was accompanied by a temporary increase in propidium iodide permeability that appeared linked to calcium entry. Those studies demonstrated that cobalt or nickel could block the response to lysophosphatidylcholine and raised the question of whether the calcium conductance involved specific channels.