Junior Recital

List of performers and performances

Burmese amber fossils bridge the gap in the Cretaceous record of polypod ferns

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Burmese amber fossils bridge the gap in the Cretaceous record of polypod ferns journaltitle: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2016.01.003 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. This document is the authors' final accepted version of the journal article. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it

Assessment of the ozone sensitivity of 22 native plant species from mediterranean annual pastures based on visible injury

Ozone (O3) phytototoxicity has been reported on a wide range of plantspecies, inducing the appearance of specific foliar injury or increasing leaf senescence. No information regarding the sensitivity of plantspecies from dehesa Mediterranean grasslands has been provided in spite of their great biological diversity. A screening study was carried out in open-top chambers (OTCs) to assess the O3-sensitivity of 22 representative therophytes of these ecosystems based on the appearance and extent of foliar injury. A distinction was made between specific O3injury and non-specific discolorations. Three O3 treatments (charcoal-filtered air, non-filtered air and non-filtered air supplemented with 40 nl l−1 O3 during 5 days per week) and three OTCs per treatment were used. The Papilionaceae species were more sensitive to O3 than the Poaceae species involved in the experiment since ambient levels induced foliar symptoms in 67% and 27%, respectively, of both plant families. An O3-sensitivity ranking of the species involved in the assessment is provided, which could be useful for bioindication programmes in Mediterranean areas. The assessed Trifoliumspecies were particularly sensitive since foliar symptoms were apparent in association with O3 accumulated exposures well below the current critical level for the prevention of this kind of effect. The exposure indices involving lower cut-off values (i.e. 30 nl l−1) were best related with the extent of O3-induced injury on these species

Beneficial effects of replacing diet beverages with water on type 2 diabetic obese women following a hypo-energetic diet: a randomized, 24-week clinical trial

Abstract AIMS: To compare the effect of replacing diet beverages (DBs) with water or continuing to drink DBs in patients with type 2 diabetes during a 24-week weight loss program. The primary endpoint was the effect of intervention on weight over a 24-week period. The main secondary endpoints included anthropometric measurement and glucose and fat metabolism during the 24-week period. METHODS: A total of 81 overweight and obese women with type 2 diabetes, who usually consumed DBs in their diet, were asked to either substitute water for DBs or continue drinking DBs five times per week after lunch for 24 weeks (DBs group) during a weight loss program. RESULTS: Compared with the DBs group, the water group had a greater decrease in weight (water, -6.40 ± 2.42 kg; DBs, -5.25 ± 1.60 kg; P = .006), in BMI (water, -2.49 ± 0.92 kg/m2 ; DBs, -2.06 ± 0.62 kg/m2 ; P = .006), in FPG (water, -1.63 ± 0.54 mmol/L; DBs, -1.29 ± 0.48 mmol/L, P = .005), in fasting insulin (water, -5.71 ± 2.30 m lU/mL; DBs, -4.16 ± 1.74 m lU/mL, P = .011), in HOMA IR (water, -3.20 ± 1.17; DBs, -2.48 ± 0.99, P = 003) and in 2 hour postprandial glucose (water, -1.67 ± 0.62 mmol/L; DBs, -1.35 ± 0.39 mmol/L; P = 0.027) over the 24-week period. However, there was no significant time × group interaction for waist circumference, lipid profiles and HbA1c within both groups over the 24-week period. CONCLUSION: Replacement of DBs with water after the main meal in obese adult women with type 2 diabetes may lead to more weight reduction during a weight loss program

A cross-sectional observational study of the nutritional intake of UK primary school children from deprived and non-deprived backgrounds: implications for school breakfast schemes

BACKGROUND: This study examined the nutritional intake of 9-11 year old children in Wales, UK, to assess the rationale for, and potential of, school breakfast initiatives. It also examined the possible unintended consequence of over consumption. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional observational design within a randomized controlled trial of a free school breakfast programme. A total of 111 primary schools were randomly assigned to an intervention condition (in which a free school breakfast programme was implemented) or a control condition (in which implementation of the scheme was delayed). Sub-samples of children completed multiple-pass 24-hr dietary recall interviews at baseline (n = 581), and 12 months later (n = 582). Deprivation was assessed for each child in terms of whether or not they were entitled to free school meals. RESULTS: Prior to the introduction of the programme, rates of breakfast skipping were low and there was little evidence of widespread nutritional deficiency. However, there was a subset of children who consumed inadequate levels of a range of vitamins and minerals and 29 % of children ate very little for breakfast (less than 100 kcal). Children that ate larger breakfasts, had higher daily intakes of all nutrients that were examined. Children from deprived backgrounds consumed significantly lower levels of several vitamins and minerals at breakfast. Following the introduction of the breakfast scheme in intervention schools, there was little difference in the nutritional quality of school versus home breakfasts (n = 35 and 211 respectively). Where children ate breakfast at both school and home (n = 33), their overall energy intake was higher, but not significantly so. CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall diet of this group of children was generally good prior to the breakfast scheme, the results suggest that such schemes could be beneficial for a subset of children who are poorly nourished and for those children who consume very little for breakfast. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN18336527

The Trouble with Ed Schools: A Book Review

American schools of education, whose two primary objectives are to prepare highly qualified teachers and to conduct valid and reliable education research, are often decried as “weak institutions” by many in academia and society in general. American schools of education are very often scorned by scholars and academia as intellectually inferior, referred to by teachers in the field as the “ivory tower” and considered to be out of touch and completely unrelated to what really transpires in schools, perceived by political leaders at all levels to be a primary contributing factor to the substandard state of contemporary public education. These are the observations and assertions of David Labaree, a professor in the school of education at Stanford University, who in The Trouble with Ed Schools employs critical sociological and historical analyses to analyze and examine the factors that have directly contributed to the lowly status of education schools in general, and the contemporary assumptions and perceptions that perpetuate this lowly status. If we as educators (and a society for that matter) are to achieve excellence in education we must be willing to engage in critical self reflection and analysis about the means by which we prepare teachers and engage in educational research and policy making. The Trouble with Ed Schools serves well as an impetus for such reflection and analysis

Phospholipids and sports performance

Phospholipids are essential components of all biological membranes. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and Phosphatidylserine (PS) are Phosphatidyl-phospholipids that are required for normal cellular structure and function. The participation in physical activity often challenges a variety of physiological systems; consequently, the ability to maintain normal cellular function during activity can determine sporting performance. The participation in prolonged intense exercise has been shown to reduce circulatory choline concentrations in some individuals. As choline is a pre-cursor to the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine, this finding has encouraged researchers to investigate the hypothesis that supplementation with PC (or choline salts) could enhance sporting performance. Although the available data that evaluates the effects of PC supplementation on performance are equivocal, acute oral supplementation with PC (~0.2 g PC per kg body mass) has been demonstrated to improve performance in a variety of sporting activities where exercise has depleted circulatory choline concentrations. Short term oral supplementation with soy-derived PS (S-PS) has been reported to attenuate circulating cortisol concentrations, improve perceived well-being, and reduce perceived muscle soreness after exercise. More recently, short term oral supplementation (750 mg per day of S-PS for 10 days) has been demonstrated to improve exercise capacity during high intensity cycling and tended to increase performance during intermittent running. Although more research is warranted to determine minimum dietary Phospholipid requirements for optimal sporting performance, these findings suggest that some participants might benefit from dietary interventions that increase the intakes of PC and PS

Free breakfasts in schools: design and conduct of a cluster randomised controlled trial of the Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative in Wales [ISRCTN18336527]

Background: School-based breakfast provision is increasingly being seen as a means of improving educational performance and dietary behaviour amongst children. Furthermore, recognition is growing that breakfast provision offers potential as a means of addressing social inequalities in these outcomes. At present however, the evidence base on the effectiveness of breakfast provision in bringing about these improvements is limited. Methods/Design: This paper describes the research design of a large scale evaluation of the effectiveness of the Welsh Assembly Government's Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative. A cluster randomised trial, with school as the unit of randomisation was used for the outcome evaluation, with a nested qualitative process evaluation. Quantitative outcome measures included dietary habits, attitudes, cognitive function, classroom behaviour, and school attendance. The study recruited 111 primary schools in Wales, of which 56 were randomly assigned to control condition and 55 to intervention. Participants were Year 5 and 6 students (aged 9–11 years) in these schools. Data were collected for all 111 schools at each of three time points: baseline, 4 month and 12 month follow-up. This was achieved through a repeated cross-sectional survey of approximately 4350 students on each of these occasions. Of those students in Year 5 at baseline, 1975 provided data at one or both of the follow-ups, forming a nested cohort. The evaluation also included a nested process evaluation, using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and case studies with students, school staff, and local authority scheme coordinators as key informants. Discussion: An overview of the methods used for the evaluation is presented, providing an example of the feasibility of conducting robust evaluations of policy initiatives using a randomised trial design with nested process evaluation. Details are provided of response rates and the flow of participants. Reflection is offered on methodological issues encountered at various stages through the course of the study, focusing upon issues associated with conducting a randomised trial of a government policy initiative, and with conducting research in school settings. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN1833652