Storage stability of whole and nibbed, conventional and high oleic peanuts (<i>Arachis hypogeae </i>L.)

Peanuts are increasingly being used as nibbed ingredients in cereal bars, confectionery and breakfast cereals. However, studies on their oxidative stability in this format are limited. Storage trials to determine the stability to oxidation were carried out on whole and nibbed kernels of conventional (CP) and high oleic (HOP) peanuts, with respect to temperature and modified atmosphere packaging. HOP exhibited the highest oxidative stability, with a lag phase in whole kernels of 12–15 weeks before significant oxidation occurred. HOP also showed higher levels of intrinsic antioxidants, a trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) of 70 mMol equivalence and radical scavenging percentage (RSP) of 99.8 % at the beginning of storage trials, whereas CP showed values of 40 mMol and 81.2 %, respectively. The intrinsic antioxidants at the beginning of these storage trials were shown to affect the peroxide value (PV), where RSP and TEAC decreased, and PV increased. Therefore, in peanuts the processing format (nibbed or whole) had the highest influence on susceptibility of lipid oxidation, highest to lowest importance: processing format &gt; temperature &gt; atmospheric conditions

'I just want a job' : what do we really know about young people in jobs without training?

Over recent years, a central concern of policy has been to drive up post-16 participation rates in full-time education and address the needs of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). As a result, young people who enter work which is classified as 'without training' at 16/17 have largely been ignored. However, the decision to Raise the Participation Age (RPA) for continuing in learning for all 17-year olds from 2013 and for all 18-year olds from 2015 in England, together with a growing unease about the impact of the current recession on youth unemployment rates, have revived interest in the 'jobs without training' (JWT) group. This paper draws on the findings from two studies: first, a qualitative study in two contrasting local labour markets, of young people in JWT, together with their employers and parents; and second, an evaluation of the Learning Agreement Pilots (LAP), which was the first policy initiative in England targeted at the JWT group. Both studies reveal a dearth of understanding about early labour market entrants and a lack of policy intervention and infrastructure to support the needs of the JWT group throughout the UK. From this, it is concluded that questionable assumptions have been made about the composition and the aspirations of young people in JWT, and their employers, on the basis of little or no evidence. As a consequence, a policy 'quick fix' to satisfy the RPA agenda will not easily be achieved. If the decision to raise the participation age is adopted also by the Welsh and Scottish parliaments, similar challenges may have to be faced

Species-habitat associations in a Sri Lankan dipterocarp forest

Forest structure and species distribution patterns were examined among eight topographically defined habitats for the 205 species with stems ≥ 1 cm dbh inhabiting a 25-ha plot in the Sinharaja rain forest, Sri Lanka. The habitats were steep spurs, less-steep spurs, steep gullies and less-steep gullies, all at either lower or upper elevations. Mean stem density was significantly greater on the upper spurs than in the lower, less-steep gullies. Stem density was also higher on spurs than in gullies within each elevation category and in each upper-elevation habitat than in its corresponding lower-elevation habitat. Basal area varied less among habitats, but followed similar trends to stem density. Species richness and Fisher\u27s alpha were lower in the upper-elevation habitats than in the lower-elevation habitats. These differences appeared to be related to the abundances of the dominant species. Of the 125 species subjected to torus-translation tests, 99 species (abundant and less abundant and those in different strata) showed at least one positive or negative association to one or more of the habitats. Species associations were relatively more frequent with the lower-elevation gullies. These and the previous findings on seedling ecophysiology, morphology and anatomy of some of the habitat specialists suggest that edaphic and hydrological variation related to topography, accompanied by canopy disturbances of varying intensity, type and extent along the catenal landscape, plays a major role in habitat partitioning in this forest. Copyright © 2006 Cambridge University Press

Culturing and Mating of Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen, capable of causing invasive aspergillosis in patients with compromised immune systems. The fungus was long considered a purely asexual organism. However, a sexual cycle was reported in 2009, with methods described to induce mating under laboratory conditions. The presence of a sexual cycle now offers a valuable tool for classical genetic analysis of the fungus, such as allowing determination of whether traits of interest are mono- or poly-genic in nature. For example, the sexual cycle is currently being exploited to determine the genetic basis of traits of medical importance such as resistance to azole antifungals and virulence, and to characterise the genes involved. The sexual cycle can also be used to assess the possibility of gene flow between isolates.This unit describes protocols for culturing of A. fumigatus and for inducing sexual reproduction between compatible MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 isolates of the species. The unit also provides working methods for harvesting sexual structures, isolating single-spore progeny and confirming whether sexual recombination has occurred

Continuous Hydrothermal Synthesis of Metal Germanates (M₂GeO₄; M=Co, Mn, Zn) for High-Capacity Negative Electrodes in Li-Ion Batteries

Nanosized metal germanates (M2GeO4; M = Co, Mn, Zn) are synthesized using a continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis process for the first time. The electrochemical properties of all samples as active materials for negative electrodes in Li‐ion half cells are explored. The galvanostatic and potentiodynamic testing is conducted in the potential range of 3.00–0.05 V versus Li/Li+. The results suggest that both alloying and conversion reactions associated with Ge contribute to the stored charge capacity; Zn2GeO4 shows a high specific capacity of 600 mAh g−1 (ten cycles at 0.1 A g−1) due to alloying and conversion reactions for both Ge and Zn. Mn2GeO4 is studied for the first time as a potential negative electrode material in a Li‐ion half cell; an excellent specific charge capacity of 510 mAh g−1 (10 cycles per 0.1 A g−1) is obtained with a significant contribution to charge arising from the conversion reaction of Mn to MnO upon delithiation. In contrast, Co2GeO4 only shows a specific capacity of 240 mAh g−1, after ten cycles at the same current rate, which suggests that cobalt has little or no benefit for enhancing stored charge in germanate

Fabrication of One-Dimensional Programmable-Height Nanostructures via Dynamic Stencil Deposition

Dynamic stencil deposition (DSD) techniques offer a variety of fabrication advantages not possible with traditional lithographic processing, such as the the ability to directly deposit nanostructures with programmable height profiles. However, DSD systems have not enjoyed widespread usage due to their complexity. We demonstrate a simple, low-profile, portable, one-dimensional nanotranslation system that facilitates access to nanoscale DSD abilities. Furthermore we show a variety of fabricated programmable-height nanostructures, including parallel arrays of such structures, and suggest other applications that exploit the unique capabilities of DSD fabrication methods.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

The effects of active classroom breaks on moderate to vigorous physical activity, behaviour and performance in a Northern NSW primary school: A quasi-experimental study

Issue Addressed: Approximately 77% of NSW children aged 5 to 15 years do not meet physical activity guidelines and many spend a considerable amount of time sitting. Active breaks at primary school are feasible, may increase daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and decrease off-task behaviour without adversely affecting cognitive function and learning. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 101 primary school children in six intervention classrooms participated in three 10-minute active breaks per day for six-weeks during class time, while five control classrooms were run as usual (n = 89). Physical activity levels were measured using wrist-worn Actigraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers and analysed using a random forest model. Students' off-task behaviour, wellbeing, cognitive function and maths performance were also measured. School staff completed a brief feedback survey. Results: Children in the intervention group engaged in 15.4 and 10.9 minutes more MVPA per day at 3 and 6 weeks respectively (P <.001). Participation significantly increased the proportion of children who met the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (P <.001). At pre, middle and end of intervention, 44.4%, 60.8% and 55.1% of intervention children and 46.5%, 45.9% and 45.8% of controls met the guidelines. Significantly fewer students engaged in off-task behaviour in the intervention classes at mid and final weeks of intervention (−1.4 students, P =.003). No significant intervention effects were found for wellbeing, cognitive and maths performance. Conclusions: Active classroom breaks are an effective way to increase physical activity among primary school children while reducing off-task classroom behaviour. So What?: Primary school students' health would benefit from active breaks with no detrimental effects on wellbeing, maths and cognitive performance

Excavations at the Lower Palaeolithic Site at Elveden, Suffolk

The Lower Palaeolithic site at Elveden, Suffolk, was the subject of new excavations from 1995–1999. Excavations around the edge and in the centre of the former clay-pit revealed sediments infilling a lake basin that had formed in Lowestoft till, overlying Chalk, the till being attributed to the Anglian glaciation (MIS 12). The lake sediments contain pollen that can be assigned to pollen zones HoI and HoIIa of the early Hoxnian (MIS 11). Overlying grey clays contain ostracods, molluscs, vertebrates, and carbonate concretions. Together they are indicative of a fluvial environment in a temperate climate. AAR ratios (amino acid racemisation) on the molluscs also suggest correlation with MIS 11. Further indications of a fluvial context are indicated by thin spreads of lag gravel along opposite sides of the clay-pit, marking the edges of a channel. The gravel forms the raw material for the human industries which consist of handaxes, flake tools, flakes, and cores. Further artefacts are found in the overlying black clay, which is interpreted as a palaeosol that formed with the silting-up of the channel. The basin was further infilled with colluvial ‘brickearths’, which also contain artefacts that are probably derived from the underlying gravel. Further evidence of soil formation was identified in the ‘brickearth’. Coversands with periglacial involutions overlie the ‘brickearth’ at the top of the sequence. These probably formed in the last cold stage, the Devensian

Heat shock proteins and regulatory T cells

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are important molecules required for ideal protein function. Extensive research on the functional properties of HSPs indicates that HSPs may be implicated in a wide range of physiological functions including immune function. In the immune system, HSPs are involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, cytokine release, and apoptosis. Therefore, the ability of the immune system, in particular immune cells, to function optimally and in unison with other physiological systems is in part dependent on signaling transduction processes, including bidirectional communication with HSPs. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important T cells with suppressive functions and impairments in their function have been associated with a number of autoimmune disorders. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between HSPs and Tregs. The interrelationship between cells and proteins may be important in cellular functions necessary for cell survival and expansion during diseased state