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Variability in nitrate-reducing oral bacteria and nitric oxide metabolites in biological fluids following dietary nitrate administration: an assessment of the critical difference
No full textThere is conflicting evidence on whether dietary nitrate supplementation can improve exercise performance. This may arise from the complex nature of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism which causes substantial inter-individual variability, within-person biological variation (CVB), and analytical imprecision (CVA) in experimental endpoints. However, no study has quantified the CVA and CVB of NO metabolites or the factors that influence their production. These data are important to calculate the critical difference (CD), defined as the smallest difference between sequential measurements required to signify a true change. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the CVB, CVA and CD for markers of NO availability (nitrate and nitrite) in plasma and saliva before and after the ingestion of nitrate-rich beetroot juice (BR). We also assessed the CVB of nitrate-reducing bacteria from the dorsal surface of the tongue. It was hypothesised that there would be substantial CVB in markers of NO availability and the abundance of nitrate-reducing bacteria. Ten healthy male participants (age 25 ± 5 years) completed three identical trials at least 6 days apart. Blood and saliva were collected before and after (2, 2.5 and 3 h) ingestion of 140 ml of BR (∼12.4 mmol nitrate) and analysed for [nitrate] and [nitrite]. The tongue was scraped and the abundance of nitrate-reducing bacterial species were analysed using 16S rRNA next generation sequencing. There was substantial CVB for baseline concentrations of plasma (nitrate 11.9%, nitrite 9.0%) and salivary (nitrate 15.3%, nitrite 32.5%) NO markers. Following BR ingestion, the CVB for nitrate (plasma 3.8%, saliva 12.0%) and salivary nitrite (24.5%) were lower than baseline, but higher for plasma nitrite (18.6%). The CD thresholds that need to be exceeded to ensure a meaningful change from baseline are 25, 19, 37, and 87% for plasma nitrate, plasma nitrite, salivary nitrate, and salivary nitrite, respectively. The CVB for selected nitrate-reducing bacteria detected were: Prevotella melaninogenica (37%), Veillonella dispar (35%), Haemophilus parainfluenzae (79%), Neisseria subflava (70%), Veillonella parvula (43%), Rothia mucilaginosa (60%), and Rothia dentocariosa (132%). There is profound CVB in the abundance of nitrate-reducing bacteria on the tongue and the concentration of NO markers in human saliva and plasma. Where these parameters are of interest following experimental intervention, the CD values presented in this study will allow researchers to interpret the meaningfulness of the magnitude of the change from baseline
A riotous assembly - some contemporary British painting
No full textExhibition at Deda, Derby. Curated David Manley. Featuring seven current British painters, Laine Tomkinson, Lois Gardner Sabet, Stuart Reid, Gordon Dalton, Wendy McLean, John Rimmer, Liza Lee Jowse
Paint pot washers or pedagogues? Is gender an issue for Teaching Assistants?
No full textThis paper considers the evolution of the teaching assistant (TA) role in English primary schools, from the once pejorative description of them as paint pot washers to current conceptualisations of them as pedagogues. How the TA role has evolved and the issues associated with the changes to their deployment in mainstream primary schools will be discussed. Questions will be raised in relation to the type of research undertaken on TAs and whether the overwhelmingly female population of English TAs has influenced the studies conducted. The paper will conclude by sharing the methodology and findings from a recently conducted feminist research project investigating TAs’ perceptions of their role
Household energy usage, indoor air pollution and health
No full textIt seems likely that households have used energy for cooking for as long as there have been households. Globally, until the industrial revolution, this would have been principally woodfuel, agricultural waste (e.g. straw), dried dung and charcoal, with some regions relying on coal and peat. Archaeological evidence suggests the use of oil lamps for lighting appears to also stretch towards the beginnings of households, with ceramic decorated lamps dating from a few thousand years BC (Cam, 2014).
Today, although difficult to estimate because traditional biomass energy use (for cooking and heating) is not accurately captured in energy statistics, bioenergy sources currently supply around 10-13% (1365 to 1775 million tonnes of oil equivalent annually) of the world's primary energy making biomass the world's fourth largest energy source (Hemstock & Singh, 2015; International Energy Agency, 2017). Around 70% (955 to 1242 million tonnes of oil equivalent annually) of this bioenergy use is in developing countries. It is used in the form of traditional woodfuel (fuelwood and charcoal), agricultural residues and dung to provide domestic energy services, mostly for cooking, by burning on open fires in 41% (Bonjour et at., 2013) of households in the world. These energy sources, along with coal and peat in some areas, are often inefficiently used and can be environmentally detrimental. They are deleterious to health when used traditionally and in inefficient domestic appliances in poorly ventilated cooking areas. Gender is also an issue as women are usually customarily responsible for cooking, meaning that women and children are at greater risk of exposure to high levels of indoor air pollution. In some least developed countries and in lower income households of developed countries, biomass provides more than 90% of total energy consumption for the populations who live in rural areas (Hemstock & Singh, 2015).
A common issue affecting biomass, solid fossil fuel, and oil use for domestic energy services is that the products of combustion (smoke) are harmful to health if inhaled in substantial amounts over long periods of time, often leading to a range of illnesses such as pneumonia and significant impacts on increasing rates of mortality (WHO 2018; cf. Poddar and Chakrabarti 2016).
Tragically, indoor air pollution is a key causal factor child pneumonia - a leading cause of death in children under five in many least developed countries, accounting for the deaths of around half a million children under the age of 5 years annually (Mortimer, 2017). This is clearly contrary to SDG3 Good Health and Wellbeing (UN 2015). Issues surrounding indoor air pollution and health are also directly linked to SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy, which is related to fuel and technology choices available for domestic energy services; which are in turn linked to SDGs 1, 2, 4-6 and 8-13
Plastic debris on pacific islands: ecological and health implications
No full textPlastic debris is a worldwide problem. This is particularly acute in the Pacific region, where its scale is a reason for serious concerns. There is an obvious need for studies to assess the extent to which plastic debris affects the Pacific. Therefore, this research aims to address this need by undertaking a systematic assessment of the ecological and health impacts of plastic debris on Pacific islands. Using pertinent historical qualitative and quantitative data of the distribution of plastic debris in the region, this study identified pollution and contamination trends and risks to ecosystems, and suggests some measures which may be deployed to address the identified problems. The study illustrates the fact that Pacific Island States are being disproportionately affected by plastic, and reiterates that further studies and integrated strategies are needed, involving public education and empowerment, governmental action, as well as ecologically sustainable industry leadership. It is also clear that more research is needed in respect of developing alternatives to conventional plastic, by the production of bio-plastic, i.e. plastic which is produced from natural (e.g. non-fossil fuel-based sources) materials, and which can be fully biodegradable
Supporting vulnerable children in the early years
No full textThis book provides early years practitioners with clear strategies for supporting vulnerable children. Tackling topics such as inequality, poverty and the attainment gap, experienced practitioners from the field set out practical advice for ensuring all children are given a positive foundation for their future lives
Stories to explore theory of mind for children with autism spectrum disorders: understanding points of view
No full textHelp children with ASD learn to manage anger and frustration through decoding social situations. Children with ASD live with a great deal of frustration as the world around them can seem unfair. Often this is due to an inability to decode social situations and the motivation of others. Carefully structured stories feature frustrating or confusing events that befall Bryn leading to meltdown. Each story is then told again from another viewpoint. Each night, Wise Dog talks to Bryn and helps him understand what has happened. Includes a CDRom containing printable masters
‘Under the existing rules’: Anne Lister and the Halifax Literary and Philosophical Society
No full textAnne Lister’s membership in the Halifax Literary and Philosophical Society is considered here as an early example of a woman admitted to such a society. Lister’s membership in this Society, and the Society’s decision to admit her, illuminates much about women’s participation in civic and intellectual life in this period, and more particularly about Lister’s particular status in her hometown of Halifax. This essay investigates the extent to which Lister’s membership in the Society constituted true participation and how it intersected with, and compared to, other formal and informal kinds of intellectual and associational activities available to women in the period. It also explores the ways in which such institutions themselves imagined their role in society extending beyond their membership through largely patriarchal models of diffusion
Psychological treatment of problematic sexual interests: cross-country comparison
No full textThis paper reviews the use of psychotherapeutic approaches to treat individuals who have committed sex crimes and/or have problematic sexual interests (PSI); including types of psychotherapy used, descriptions of preventive and reintegration programs and highlighting specific theoretical controversies. In the second part, experts from Canada, Czech Republic, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States, who participated in an International Consensus Meeting held in Prague (2017), summarize treatment programs in their countries. The comparison revealed some general findings: each country has variability between its own programs; most countries have different programs for people who are in custody and who are in the community; the state-directed treatment programs are primarily focused on criminal individuals while non-criminal individuals are treated in preventive programs and/or in special clinics or are non-treated; the presence of PSI in patients/clients is acknowledged in most programs, although specific programs exclusively for individuals with PSI rarely exist. Studies on effectiveness are difficult to compare due to methodologic, political and cultural differences. Further communication between more countries to share knowledge about successful treatments and preventive approaches is needed, especially enhanced international collaboration between researchers and clinicians to verify the effectiveness of current clinical and experimental programs