The categories of plant products which directly affect human life

The categories of plant products which directly affect human life: submitted for the Anderson-Henry Prize in Botany, 1936It has been impossible in the short space of an essay to mention all the plant products which directly affect human life, but, without any claim to completeness, it may be said that almost every species of really first -rate importance has been mentioned. When it is remembered that there are something like 250,000 known species of flowering plants, it is realised that man utilises intensively a mere handful of the available flora.It would seem that man, early in his history, exploited the cream of the world's useful plants, and that they have sufficed him ever since. Civilisation has tended to spread already utilised species rather than develop new ones. This is not to say that no others can be used, but that, as is natural enough, the line of least resistance has been pursued. While the products of one species suffice there is little inducement to develop others, but if the source of raw material is cut off, additional species formerly ignored are soon pressed into use. This was strikingly illustrated during the Great War. The plants which can be thus utilised when need arises constitute, as it were, a reserve for future exploitation.While little has been done as yet by modern science in the direction of developing entirely new cultivated species from natural wild plants, much has been done in the way of improving existing varieties of valuable cultivated plants, and in increasing crop yield by manuring and rotation.Until about half a century ago, the only methods known of improving plant breeds were selection and hybridisation, but a far more valuable method is now available, thanks to the researches of Mendel. It is impossible to discuss the vast subject of Mendelism here, but expressed shortly its value lies in that, by following certain well defined laws, it is possible to vary the constitution of a race very much, and to eliminate many undesirable characters.In the control and prevention of plant diseases scientific investigation again has been of the greatest possible value. Some diseases have been eradicated almost completely, and others brought under some degree of control.The trend of modern agriculture then appears to be in the direction of the improvement of existing species of cultivated plants, and in increasing the yield per acre of cultivated land.Finally might I emphasise just once again the dependence of man on the plant world. The most fundamental fact about the human race is that, biologically, man is an animal, and is in the most fundamental respects little different from the other members of that class. It is true that man has, by the development of reason, risen to a position of dominance over other living things, but the high level of culture which he has attained has increased rather than lowered his dependence on plant products. He is indeed a parasite on the green leaf

The influence of competitive co-action on kata performance

Social facilitation is a phenomenon that can help explain performance outcomes in competitive sports. Previous research has shown that performing in the presence of others may increase physiological arousal and that performance can be either facilitated or inhibited depending on the skill level of the performers and the complexity of the skill performed. Although extensive research on this phenomenon has been reported in the sport psychology and related literature, previous findings have not focused on individual differences in terms of how social facilitation influences performance, and very little research has focused on martial arts. To bridge these gaps in knowledge, we investigated how a co-action situation would affect performance among 17 participants performing karate kata routines at a regional competition in SE England, comparing outcomes across age and sex variables. Expert judges awarded scores to each participant in both solo and co-action settings. Results showed higher performance scores in the co-action setting across the entire sample, with female karateka and older performers appearing to benefit the most. We argue that more research is required to explain this phenomenon, specifically with respect to understanding the apparent effects of age and sex on social facilitation

Perspectives on teacher leadership for evidence-informed improvement in England

With a national policy emphasis in England on evidence-based teaching within a self-improving school system, teachers need to create and use knowledge to best effect. It is also imperative that they collaborate within and across schools to develop and deepen their practice. In this context, middle and other teacher leaders can play an important role in enhancing improvement. In this article we will first set out the national context for teacher leadership and improvement, signposting key shifts over the last 10 years. We will then describe three national projects and some key findings: a middle leader knowledge exchange project with Challenge Partners, a national network of schools, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Research Learning Communities, a research use randomized control trial project, in its first of two years, funded by the Educational Endowment Foundation; and a National College for Teaching and Leadership funded network enquiry project. Finally, we will discuss issues and challenges and implications for teacher leadership of improvement