Inspecting the teaching of singing in the teacher training colleges of England, Wales and Scotland 1883-1899

This paper investigates the links between the teaching of singing, training and inspection during the late Victorian era. It utilises as a primary source the annual inspection reports of the music inspector, Sir John Stainer. More specifically it focuses upon the musical background of the students in the training colleges of England, Wales and Scotland, the methods employed to teach sight singing and voice production, the vocal repertoire and preparation for the teaching of singing in schools. Finally, some comparison is made with the present day and the relationship between the teaching of singing, training and inspection.

Expression of SOD1 G93A or wild-type SOD1 in primary cultures of astrocytes down-regulates the glutamate transporter GLT-1: lack of involvement of oxidative stress

Glutamate excitotoxicity is implicated in the aetiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with impairment of glutamate transport into astrocytes a possible cause of glutamate-induced injury to motor neurons. It is possible that mutations of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), responsible for about 20% of familial ALS, down-regulates glutamate transporters via oxidative stress. We transfected primary mouse astrocytes to investigate the effect of the FALS-linked mutant hSOD1(G93A) and wild-type SOD1 (hSOD1(wt)) on the glutamate uptake system. Using western blotting, immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR it was shown that expression of either hSOD1(G93A) or hSOD1(wt) in astrocytes produced down-regulation of the levels of a glutamate transporter GLT-1, without alterations in its mRNA level. hSOD1(G93A) or hSOD1(wt) expression caused a decrease of the monomeric form of GLT-1 without increasing oxidative multimers of GLT-1. The effects were selective to GLT-1, since another glutamate transporter GLAST protein and mRNA levels were not altered. Reflecting the decrease in GLT-1 protein, [H-3]D-aspartate uptake was reduced in cultures expressing hSOD1(G93A) or hSOD1(wt). The hSOD1-induced decline in GLT-1 protein and [H-3]D-aspartate uptake was not blocked by the antioxidant Trolox nor potentiated by antioxidant depletion using catalase and glutathione peroxidase inhibitors. Measurement of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF)-induced fluorescence revealed that expression of hSOD1(G93A) or hSOD1(wt) in astrocytes does not lead to detectable increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species. This study suggests that levels of GLT-1 protein in astrocytes are reduced rapidly by overexpression of hSOD1, and is due to a property shared between the wild-type and G93A mutant form, but does not involve the production of intracellular oxidative stress.

Supplementation with fruit and vegetable soups and beverages increases plasma carotenoid concentrations but does not alter markers of oxidative stress or cardiovascular risk factors

This study was aimed at determining whether an increase of 5 portions of fruits and vegetables in the form of soups and beverages has a beneficial effect on markers of oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease risk factors. The study was a single blind, randomized, controlled, crossover dietary intervention study. After a 2-wk run-in period with fish oil supplementation, which continued throughout the dietary intervention to increase oxidative stress, the volunteers consumed carotenoid-rich or control vegetable soups and beverages for 4 wk. After a 10-wk wash-out period, the volunteers repeated the above protocol, consuming the other intervention foods. Both test and control interventions significantly increased the % energy from carbohydrates and decreased dietary protein and vitamin B-12 intakes. Compared with the control treatment, consumption of the carotenoid-rich soups and beverages increased dietary carotenoids, vitamin C, alpha-tocopherol, potassium, and folate, and the plasma concentrations of alpha-carotene (362%), beta-carotene (250%) and lycopene (31%) (P < 0.01) and decreased the plasma homocysteine concentration by 8.8% (P < 0.01). The reduction in plasma homocysteine correlated weakly with the increase in dietary folate during the test intervention (r = -0.35, P = 0.04). The plasma antioxidant status and markers of oxidative stress were not affected by treatment. Consumption of fruit and vegetable soups and beverages makes a useful contribution to meeting dietary recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption.

Evaluation of the inclusion of a mixture of organic acids or lactulose into the feed of pigs experimentally challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium

A mixture of organic acids and lactulose for preventing or reducing colonization of the gut by Salmonella Typhimurium was evaluated in pigs. A total of 63 4-week-old commercial piglets were randomly distributed into three different experimental dietary groups: a plain diet without additives (PD) and the same diet supplemented with either 0.4% (w/v) formic acid and 0.4% lactic acid (w/v) (AC) or 1% (w/v) lactulose (LC). After 7 days of adaptation, two-thirds of the pigs (14 from each diet) were challenged with a 2-mL oral dose of 10(8) CFU/mL of Salmonella Typhimurium, leaving the remaining animals unchallenged (UC). After 4 and 10 days post-challenge, pigs were euthanized and the ileum and caecum content were aseptically sampled to (a) quantify lactic, formic, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), (b) quantify bacterial populations and Salmonella by fluorescence in situ hybridization and (c) qualitatively analyse bacterial populations through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Modification of fermentation products and counts of some of the bacterial groups analysed in the challenged pigs receiving the treatments AC and LC were minimal. Treatments only influenced the bacterial diversity after 10 days post-challenge, with AC generating a lower number of DGGE bands than UC(P < 0.05). Neither the inclusion of a mixture of 0.4% (w/v) formic and 0.4% (w/v) lactic acids nor of 1% (w/v) lactulose in the feed influenced numbers of Salmonella in the ileum and caecum of experimentally challenged pigs. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Water-soluble precursors of beef flavour I: effect of diet and breed

The effects of diet and breed on the concentration of water-soluble flavour precursors, namely sugars, free amino acids, ribonucleotides, creatinine, carnosine and creatine, were studied in beef longissimus hanborum muscle. Diet had a significant effect on the concentration of free amino acids, with animals fed on grass silage having higher free amino acid levels than animals fed on a concentrate diet, whereas animals fed concentrates had a higher total reducing sugar content. Differences between a beef breed (Aberdeen Angus x Holstein-Friesian) and a dairy breed (Holstein-Friesian) were generally small. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of priming cooperation or individualism on a collective and interdependent task: changeover speed in the 4 x 100-meter relay race

Priming effects of cooperation vs. individualism were investigated on changeover speed within a 4 x 100-m relay race. Ten teams of four adult beginner athletes ran two relays, a pretest race and an experimental race 3 weeks later. Just before the experimental race, athletes were primed with either cooperation or individualism through a scrambled-sentence task. Comparing to the pretest performance, cooperation priming improved baton speed in the exchange zone (+30 cm/s). Individualism priming did not impair changeover performance. The boundary conditions of priming effects applied to collective and interdependent tasks are discussed within the implicit coordination framework.

Effect of feeding fat or intrajugular infusion of glucagon-like peptide-1 and cholecystokinin on dry matter intake, digestibility, and digesta rate of passage in growing wethers

A cause and effect relationship between glucagon-like peptide 1 (7, 36) amide (GLP-1) and cholecystokinin (CCK) and DMI regulation has not been established in ruminants. Three randomized complete block experiments were conducted to determine the effect of feeding fat or infusing GLP-1 or CCK intravenously on DMI, nutrient digestibility, and Cr rate of passage (using Cr(2)O(3) as a marker) in wethers. A total of 18 Targhee × Hampshire wethers (36.5 ± 2.5 kg of BW) were used, and each experiment consisted of four 21-d periods (14 d for adaptation and 7 d for infusion and sampling). Wethers allotted to the control treatments served as the controls for all 3 experiments; experiments were performed simultaneously. The basal diet was 60% concentrate and 40% forage. In Exp. 1, treatments were the control (0% added fat) and addition of 4 or 6% Ca salts of palm oil fatty acids (DM basis). Treatments in Exp. 2 and 3 were the control and 3 jugular vein infusion dosages of GLP-1 (0.052, 0.103, or 0.155 µg•kg of BW(-1)•d(-1)) or CCK (0.069, 0.138, or 0.207 µg•kg of BW(-1)•d(-1)), respectively. Increases in plasma GLP-1 and CCK concentrations during hormone infusions were comparable with increases observed when increasing amounts of fat were fed. Feeding fat and infusion of GLP-1 tended (linear, P = 0.12; quadratic, P = 0.13) to decrease DMI. Infusion of CCK did not affect (P > 0.21) DMI. Retention time of Cr in the total gastrointestinal tract decreased (linear, P < 0.01) when fat was fed, but was not affected by GLP-1 or CCK infusion. In conclusion, jugular vein infusion produced similar plasma CCK and GLP-1 concentrations as observed when fat was fed. The effects of feeding fat on DMI may be partially regulated by plasma concentration of GLP-1, but are not likely due solely to changes in a single hormone concentration.