Local School Wellness Policies: How Are Schools Implementing the Congressional Mandate?

Summarizes research on school policies to reduce childhood obesity, with a focus on their quality, evaluation, and funding; nutritional standards and nutrition education requirements; and physical education requirements. Identifies remaining challenges

Actical Accelerometry Cut-points for Quantifying Levels of Exertion: Comparing Normal and Overweight Adults

Int J Exerc Sci 5(2) : 170-182, 2012. Weight, body fatness and ambulatory pattern all have the potential to affect accelerometer output and cause differences in output between overweight and normal-weight adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if Actical (Philips Respironics, Bend, OR) activity count cut-points for moderate and vigorous intensity exercise are different for overweight adults compared to normal-weight adults. Overweight adults with BMI \u3e25 kg/m² (n=29) and Normal-Weight adults (n=25) walked at 3.2 and 4.8 km∙h-1 and ran at 6.4 km∙h-1 on a treadmill while simultaneously wearing an Actical accelerometer and obtaining measurements of oxygen uptake. Counts per minute (counts∙min-1) were determined at 3 METS (moderate) and 6 METS (vigorous) using ROC curves. The counts∙min-1 at 3 METs was 1726 and 1923 counts∙min-1 for Overweight and Normal-Weight groups, respectively. The cut-points at 6 METs were 4117 and 4032 counts∙min-1 for Overweight and Normal-Weight groups, respectively. The differences between groups were not statistically significant (p\u3e0.73 for both). Correlations between BMI and counts∙min-1 were not significant (p\u3e0.05) at any speed for the Normal-Weight group but were significant at 3.2 and 4.8 km∙h-1 for the Overweight group. Although there appears to be some relationship between activity counts∙min-1 and BMI, the results suggest that similar cut-points may be used for normal weight and overweight adults. However, the greater variability in counts at each speed and lower ROC curve areas for overweight adults suggest that it is harder to classify the activity intensity of overweight subjects compared to normal weight subjects

Self-Esteem and the Acute Effect of Anxiety on Ambulatory Blood Pressure

Objectives: Recent research suggests that self-esteem may be associated with improved parasympathetic nervous system functioning. This study tested whether high self-esteem is associated with decreased ambulatory systolic blood pressure (ASBP) reactivity to anxiety in healthy adults during the waking hours of a normal day. Methods: Each of 858 participants completed a short version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and then wore an ABP monitor that took two blood pressure readings per hour for 24 hours. Immediately after each blood pressure reading, participants completed an electronic diary report that included an anxiety rating on a 100-point visual analog scale. Using multilevel models, we assessed the association of momentary anxiety, high trait self-esteem, and their interaction on momentary ASBP, with adjustment for age, sex, race, ethnicity, and body mass index. Sensitivity analyses were conducted examining psychological factors associated with self-esteem: sense of mastery, optimism, social support, and depressive symptoms. Results: On average, a 1-point increase in cube root–transformed anxiety was associated with a 0.80-mm Hg (standard error = 0.09, p < .001) increase in ASBP, and the interaction of high self-esteem and momentary anxiety was significant, such that this effect was 0.48 (standard error = 0.20, p = .015) less in individuals with high self-esteem compared with all others. Results for self-esteem remained significant when adjusting for sex and psychological factors. Conclusions: Momentary increases in anxiety are associated with acute increases in ASBP, and high self-esteem buffers the effect of momentary anxiety on blood pressure. Thus, high self-esteem may confer cardiovascular benefit by reducing the acute effects of anxiety on systolic blood pressure

The why, when, and how of computing in biology classrooms [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Many biologists are interested in teaching computing skills or using computing in the classroom, despite not being formally trained in these skills themselves. Thus biologists may find themselves researching how to teach these skills, and therefore many individuals are individually attempting to discover resources and methods to do so. Recent years have seen an expansion of new technologies to assist in delivering course content interactively. Educational research provides insights into how learners absorb and process information during interactive learning. In this review, we discuss the value of teaching foundational computing skills to biologists, and strategies and tools to do so. Additionally, we review the literature on teaching practices to support the development of these skills. We pay special attention to meeting the needs of diverse learners, and consider how different ways of delivering course content can be leveraged to provide a more inclusive classroom experience. Our goal is to enable biologists to teach computational skills and use computing in the classroom successfully

Eighteenth Year of the Gulf of Maine Environmental Monitoring Program

This report summarizes the metals and organic contaminant data associated with the collection and analyses of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) tissue from selected sites along the Gulf of Maine coast during the 2008 sampling season. Contaminant monitoring is conducted by the Gulfwatch Program for the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment (GOMC). A subset of these data is compared with analytical results from earlier Gulfwatch monitoring (2001-2007). Statistical analyses are limited to descriptive measures of replicates from selected sampling sites and include: arithmetic means, and appropriate measures of variance. The primary purpose of this report is to present the current annual results, present graphical representation of spatial and temporal trends and identify potential outliers in order to provide investigators and other interested persons with contemporary information concerning water quality in the Gulf of Maine, as reflected by uptake into resident shellfish (mussels and clams)

The effects of temperature and light intensity on pollination frequency of Prunus serotina at Waldron Fen.

General EcologyBlack cherry (Prunus serotina) is pollinated by many different species of insects. The objective of this experiment was to understand what factors influence the frequency of pollination of flowers on Prunus serotina. We selected three individuals ofPrunus serotina located within Waldron Fen in Emmet County, Michigan, and observed each twice throughout the day. The experiment looked into pollination as a function of sunlight and temperature at the time of observation. In our final analysis, there was some indication of a correlation between the amount of sunlight flowers receive and the number of pollinators. There was, however, no correlation found between temperature and the number of pollinators a flower receives.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/101749/1/Bastian_Baweja_Clowney_Schwartz_2013.pd

Ochratoxin A: In Utero Exposure in Mice Induces Adducts in Testicular DNA

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxin and carcinogen that is associated with Balkan endemic nephropathy and urinary tract tumors. OTA crosses the placenta and causes adducts in the liver and kidney DNA of newborns. Because the testis and kidney develop from the same embryonic tissue, we reasoned that OTA also may cause adducts transplacentally in the testis. We tested the hypothesis that acute exposure to OTA, via food and via exposure in utero, causes adducts in testicular DNA and that these lesions are identical to those that can be produced in the kidney and testis by the consumption of OTA. Adult mice received a single dose of OTA (from 0–1,056 µg/kg) by gavage. Pregnant mice received a single i.p. injection of OTA (2.5 mg/kg) at gestation day 17. DNA adducts were determined by 32P-postlabeling. Gavage-fed animals sacrificed after 48 hours accumulated OTA in kidney and testis and showed DNA adducts in kidney and testis. Some OTA metabolites isolated from the tissues were similar in both organs (kidney and testis). The litters of mice exposed prenatally to OTA showed no signs of overt toxicity. However, newborn and 1-month old males had DNA adducts in kidney and testis that were chromatographically similar to DNA adducts observed in the kidney and testis of gavage-fed adults. One adduct was identified previously as C8-dG-OTA adduct by LC MS/MS. No adducts were observed in males from dams not exposed to OTA. Our findings that in utero exposure to OTA causes adducts in the testicular DNA of male offspring support a possible role for OTA in testicular cancer

Variability in Shelf Sedimentation in Response to Fluvial Sediment Supply and Coastal Erosion Over the Past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States

Continental shelf environments are uniquely situated to capture some of the most dynamic processes on Earth including climatic variability and anthropogenic modifications to coastal systems. Understanding how these processes have affected sediment delivery and accumulation on the shelf in the past may provide insight into potential changes in the future. To address this, we investigated shelf sedimentation within Monterey Bay, California. Sediment cores were collected from four locations throughout the bay to capture both the modern and late Holocene sedimentological record using grain size analysis, and sediment chronologies determined from 210Pb, 137Cs, and 14C. From the grain size results we focused on the total percent sand, and established a Littoral Sand Fraction (LSF) index to assess sediment contribution from the littoral zone as a result coastal erosion. Grain size results from the multicores consistently showed an increase in sand over the past several decades (post 1970s). For the cores located within the bay proximal to three major rivers, the increase in sand corresponded to a general increase in the LSF over the same period. We attributed these trends to increased sediment contributions to the shelf due to accelerated coastal erosion in the region. This accelerated coastal erosion was likely the combined result of dam construction in the mid-twentieth century that limited fluvial supply to the coast, and a shift in climate toward wetter, stormier period. Applying these sediment characteristics back over the past ∼1,000 years we found that dry climatic periods resulted in deposits that were limited in total sand but enriched in littoral material suggesting elevated coastal erosion. During wet periods deposits were enriched in total sand but limited in littoral sand suggesting elevated fluvial supply and low erosion. Compared to the late Holocene record, the previous several decades represent a shift to a new regime, uncharacteristic of deposits over the past millennia, highlighting the impact humans have had on shelf sedimentation