Biomechanical Relationships in Astragalus and Oxytropis (Fabaceae)

The results of a biomechanical study of the generic relationships of Astragalus and Oxytropis are presented. Dried plant materials was hydrolyzed in 2 N hydrocholoric acid, the hydrolysates were extracted with n-amyl alchol, and chromatographed in two dimenstions using thin layer chromatography (TLC). The patterns and the RF values of the spots separated were recorded and analysed. The flavonoid patterns for all the plant organs studied were similar and no definite relationships between the flavonoid patterns and morphological characters could be ascertained. The flavonoid patterns exhibited by the members of both taxa indicate that the present means of morphological separation of this plant complex into two genera may not be valid

Dose Dependent Effects of Caffeine on Cognitive Performance and Neuronal Activation

Many students assume that the more caffeine you drink, the better your cognitive performance. Over-consumption of caffeine has many negative effects, so if there are no dose related cognitive benefits to large amounts of caffeine, then college students should limit their intake. This study looked at whether ingesting a medium dose (200 mg) versus a lower dose (100 mg) of caffeine improved short term memory as measured by Flanker and n-back tests, compared to a control group. In addition, we looked at whether larger doses of caffeine produced a difference in neuronal activation during these tests as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIR). There were no differences in cognitive performance observed between the treatment groups, although the 200 mg caffeine group did have significantly more neuronal activation during higher cognitive load tasks. If increased neuronal activation does not correlate to increased performance, it may not reflect an actual benefit of increased caffeine consumption

Farming for Health: Aspects from Germany

Until now, the term ‘Farming for Health’ is unknown in Germany but it would cover a wide spectrum of different kinds of social agriculture already existing in Germany, such as farms that integrate disabled people or drug therapy into their farming system, or farms that integrate children, pupils or older people. Relevant work in Germany is done in ‘Sheltered Workshops’, where supporting and healing powers of farming and gardening are used for disabled people with a diversity of work possibilities. Relevant activities also take place in work-therapy departments using horticultural therapy and in animalassisted therapy. There are an estimated number of 1000 different projects for mentally ill, disabled and elderly people in hospitals, Sheltered Workshops, on farms and other projects in Germany with a multitude of individual work places. The upcoming idea of Farming for Health may be met by the term ‘multifunctionality’ as one of the future goals of agriculture: to combine the production of cash crops with social functions, like providing space for recreation, care for landscapes and care for disabled people. Research showed that farms that work together with clients in their farming system have more time and financial support to integrate aims like caring for biotopes and landscape measures into their work schedule