Ascophyllum nodosum enriched bread reduces subsequent energy intake with no effect on post-prandial glucose and cholesterol in healthy, overweight males. A pilot study.

The consumption of seaweed isolates (such as alginate) has been shown to successfully reduce energy intake and modulate glycaemic and cholesterolaemic responses. To date, the effect of adding whole seaweed to bread has not been widely investigated. This study aims to investigate the acceptability of Ascophyllum nodosum enriched bread, and measure its effect on energy intake and nutrient absorption in overweight, healthy males. Results from the acceptability study, (79 untrained sensory panellists) indicated that it is acceptable to incorporate seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) into a staple food such as bread when up to 20g are added to a 400g wholemeal loaf. A single blind cross over trial (n=12 males, aged 40.1±12.5 years; BMI 30.8±4.4 kg/m2) was used to compare energy intake and nutrient uptake after a breakfast meal using the enriched bread against the control bread. Consumption of the enriched bread led to a significant reduction (16.4%) in energy intake at a test meal 4 hours after breakfast. Differences between treatment arms for area under the curve, peak values, and time of peak for blood glucose and cholesterol were not significant. Further investigation of potential mechanisms of action is warranted

The potential health benefits of seaweed and seaweed extract

Edible seaweeds have historically been consumed by coastal populations across the globe. Today, seaweed is still part of the habitual diet in many Asian countries. Seaweed consumption also appears to be growing in popularity in Western cultures, due both to the influx of Asian cuisine as well as notional health benefits associated with consumption. Isolates of seaweeds (particularly viscous polysaccharides) are used in an increasing number of food applications in order to improve product acceptability and extend shelf-life. Epidemiological evidence suggests regular seaweed consumption may protect against a range of diseases of modernity. The addition of seaweed and seaweed isolates to foods has already shown potential to enhance satiety and reduce the postprandial absorption rates of glucose and lipids in acute human feeding studies, highlighting their potential use in the development of anti-obesity foods. As seaweeds and seaweed isolates have the potential to both benefit health and improve food acceptability, seaweeds and seaweed isolates offer exciting potential as ingredients in the development of new food products. This review will outline the evidence from human and experimental studies that suggests consumption of seaweeds and seaweed isolates may impact on health (both positively and negatively). Finally, this review will highlight current gaps in knowledge in this area and what future strategies should be adopted for maximising seaweed's potential food uses

Dietary seaweed and human health

Seaweed as an ingredient is growing in popularity largely due to its perceived health-giving properties supported by findings from epidemiological studies. Increased seaweed consumption has been linked to reduced risk of various diseases however there is a paucity of evidence for health benefits derived from robust randomised controlled trials (RCT). Emerging data from short-term RCT involving seaweed isolates are promising. Further investigation of seaweed as a wholefood ingredient is warranted. This review aims to highlight the food uses and potential health benefits of seaweeds

Weight loss is coupled with improvements to affective state in obese participants engaged in behavior change therapy based on incremental, self-selected “Small Changes”

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a group behavior change intervention involving self-selected, contextualized, and mediated goal setting on anthropometric, affective, and dietary markers of health. It was hypothesized that the intervention would elicit changes consistent with accepted health recommendations for obese individuals. A rolling program of 12-week “Small Changes” interventions during 24 months recruited 71 participants; each program accommodated 10 to 13 adults (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2). Fifty-eight participants completed Small Changes. Repeated measures were made at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. Anthropometric measures included height and weight (to calculate BMI), body composition, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Affective state was monitored using relevant validated questionnaires. Dietary assessment used 3-day household measures food diaries with Schofield equations to monitor underreporting. Relevant blood measures were recorded throughout. Across the measurement period, Small Changes elicited a significant reduction in body weight (baseline, 102.95 ± 15.47 vs 12 weeks 100.09 ± 16.01 kg, P < .0005), coupled with associated significant improvements in BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference measures. There were additional significant positive changes in measures of affective state including general well-being (baseline, 58.92 ± 21.22 vs 12 weeks 78.04 ± 14.60, P < .0005) and total mood disturbance (baseline, 31.19 ± 34.03 vs 12 weeks 2.67 ± 24.96, P < .0005). Dietary changes that occurred were largely consistent with evidenced-based recommendations for weight management and included significant reductions in total energy intake and in fat and saturated fat as a proportion of energy. The Small Changes approach can elicit a range of health-orientated benefits for obese participants, and although further work is needed to ascertain the longevity of such effects, the outcomes from Small Changes are likely to help inform health professionals when framing the future of weight management. Long-term follow-up of Small Changes is warranted

Passion: Engine of Creative Teaching in an English University?

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleLiterature suggests that whilst creativity is frequently seen as ubiquitous and taken for granted (Dawson, Tan, & McWilliam, 2011; Livingston, 2010) there is evidence that creative approaches in higher education can be seen as unnecessary work (Chao, 2009; Clouder et al., 2008; Gibson, 2010; McWilliam et al., 2008), and creative teaching is not always recognised or valued (Clouder et al., 2008; Dawson et al., 2011; Gibson, 2010). Forming part of a cross-cultural study of creative teaching (although reporting on only one part of it), the research explored student and lecturer perspectives in four universities in England, Malaysia and Thailand, using mixed methods within an interpretive frame. This paper reports on findings from the English University site. Key elements of creative teaching in this site were having a passion for the subject and for using sensitised pedagogical strategies, driven by an awareness of student perspective and relationship. Crucial goals were fostering independent thinking; striving for equality through conversation and collaboration; and orchestrating for knowledge-building. The lecturers’ passion for the subject was a powerful engine for creative teaching across all academic disciplines spanning the arts, the humanities, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects

Management of strawberry blossom weevil and European tarnished plant bug in organic strawberry and raspberry using semiochemical traps

The strawberry blossom weevil (Anthonomus rubi) and the European tarnished plant bug (Lygus rugulipennis) cause large (10 - >80%) losses in yield and quality in organically grown berries. A consortium with 6 European countries has been created to work on the management of those pests. The pheromones of A. rubi and L. rugulipennis have been characterized in England by NRI/EMR. For the attraction of A. rubi the importance of host plant volatiles in combination with the pheromones has also been documented. The natural semiochemical mechanisms of sexual attraction and host plant finding of A. rubi and L. rugulipennis will be further studied and exploited to develop effective semiochemical traps for their management through mass trapping. Attractive lures for these two species will then be combined into a single multitrap with the aim of managing two pests simultaneously in each crop. This will be one of the first approaches to pest management of non-lepidopteran insect pests of horticultural crops using semiochemicals in the EU, and probably the first to target multiple species from different insect orders. The project will be organized in the following work packages; 1) Chemical analysis of plant volatiles, 2) Pest insects in strawberry, 3) Pest insects in raspberry and 4) Trap design and lure development. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this project provided by the CORE Organic II Funding Bodies, being partners of the FP7 ERA-Net project, CORE Organic II (Coordination of European Transnational Research in Organic Food and Farming systems, project no. 249667)

The relationship between zinc intake and serum/plasma zinc concentration in adults: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis by the EURRECA Network

Dietary zinc recommendations vary widely across Europe due to the heterogeneity of pproaches used by expert panels. Under the EURRECA consortium a protocol was designed to systematically review and undertake meta-analyses of research data to create a database that includes “best practice” guidelines which can be used as a resource by future panels when setting micronutrient recommendations. As part of this process, the objective of the present study was to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of previously published data describing the relationship between zinc intake and status in adults. Searches were performed of literature published up to February 2010 using MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Data extracted included population characteristics, dose of zinc, duration of study, dietary intake of zinc, and mean concentration of zinc in plasma or serum at the end of the intervention period. An intake-status regression coefficient was estimated for each individual study, and pooled meta-analysis undertaken. The overall pooled for zinc supplementation on serum/plasma zinc concentrations from RCTs and observational studies was 0.08 (95% CI 0.05, 0.11; p<0.0001; I2 84.5%). An overall of 0.08 means that for every doubling in zinc intake, the difference in zinc serum or plasma concentration is (20.08 = 1.06), which is 6%. Whether the dose-response relationship, as provided in this paper, could be used as either qualitative or quantitative evidence to substantiate the daily zinc intake dose necessary to achieve normal or optimal levels of biomarkers for zinc status, remains a matter of discussion

Characterizing Ground Motions That Collapse Steel Special Moment-Resisting Frames or Make Them Unrepairable

This work applies 64,765 simulated seismic ground motions to four models each of 6- or 20-story, steel special moment-resisting frame buildings. We consider two vector intensity measures and categorize the building response as “collapsed,” “unrepairable,” or “repairable.” We then propose regression models to predict the building responses from the intensity measures. The best models for “collapse” or “unrepairable” use peak ground displacement and velocity as intensity measures, and the best models predicting peak interstory drift ratio, given that the frame model is “repairable,” use spectral acceleration and epsilon (ϵ) as intensity measures. The more flexible frame is always more likely than the stiffer frame to “collapse” or be “unrepairable.” A frame with fracture-prone welds is substantially more susceptible to “collapse” or “unrepairable” damage than the equivalent frame with sound welds. The 20-story frames with fracture-prone welds are more vulnerable to P-delta instability and have a much higher probability of collapse than do any of the 6-story frames

Nanopore direct RNA sequencing maps the complexity of Arabidopsis mRNA processing and m6A modification

Understanding genome organization and gene regulation requires insight into RNA transcription, processing and modification. We adapted nanopore direct RNA sequencing to examine RNA from a wild-type accession of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and a mutant defective in mRNA methylation (m6A). Here we show that m6A can be mapped in full-length mRNAs transcriptome-wide and reveal the combinatorial diversity of cap-associated transcription start sites, splicing events, poly(A) site choice and poly(A) tail length. Loss of m6A from 3’ untranslated regions is associated with decreased relative transcript abundance and defective RNA 30 end formation. A functional consequence of disrupted m6A is a lengthening of the circadian period. We conclude that nanopore direct RNA sequencing can reveal the complexity of mRNA processing and modification in full-length single molecule reads. These findings can refine Arabidopsis genome annotation. Further, applying this approach to less well-studied species could transform our understanding of what their genomes encode