English history teachers’ views on what substantive content young people should be taught

Public and policy discourse about the content of history curricula is frequently contested, but the voice of history teachers is often absent from such debate. Drawing on a large scale on-line survey of history teachers in England, this paper explores their responses to major curriculum reforms proposed by the Coalition government in February 2013. In particular it examines teachers' responses to government plans to prescribe a list of topics, events and individuals to be taught chronologically that all students would be expected to study. Nearly 550 teachers responded to the survey, and more than two-thirds of them provided additional written comments on the curriculum proposals. This paper examines these comments, with reference to a range of curriculum models. The study reveals a deep antagonism towards the proposals for various reasons, including concerns about the extent and nature of the substantive content proposed and the way in which it should be sequenced. Analysis of these reactions provides an illuminating insight into history teachers’ perspectives. While the rationales that underpin their thinking seem to have connections to a variety of different theoretical models, the analysis suggests that more attention could usefully be devoted to the idea of developing frameworks of reference.

The lives and deaths of young medieval women: the osteological evidence

Written sources from the medieval period focus mainly on the activities of adults, particularly males and often those from the wealthier sections of society. Recent scholarship has attempted to redress this balance by giving attention to medieval women and children, but we are still limited by what we can learn about the daily lives of all members of medieval English society. Osteology, the study of human skeletal remains, suffers from no such bias and can provide substantial and detailed information on growth, health and daily life of the general population. This paper presents the results of a new analysis of the skeletal remains of over 300 medieval girls and young women aged at between 14 and 25 years from a number of English cemetery sites. We incorporate data from the published archaeological literature as well as documentary evidence to provide new insights into the lives and deaths of young medieval women.

Protocol for a feasibility study of a self help cognitive behavioural therapy resource for the reduction of dental anxiety in young people

Background Childhood dental anxiety is very common, with 10–20 % of children and young people reporting high levels of dental anxiety. It is distressing and has a negative impact on the quality of life of young people and their parents as well as being associated with poor oral health. Affected individuals may develop a lifelong reliance on general anaesthetic or sedation for necessary dental treatment thus requiring the support of specialist dental services. Children and young people with dental anxiety therefore require additional clinical time and can be costly to treat in the long term. The reduction of dental anxiety through the use of effective psychological techniques is, therefore, of high importance. However, there is a lack of high-quality research investigating the impact of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approaches when applied to young people’s dental anxiety. Methods/design The first part of the study will develop a profile of dentally anxious young people using a prospective questionnaire sent to a consecutive sample of 100 young people referred to the Paediatric Dentistry Department, Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, in Sheffield. The second part will involve interviewing a purposive sample of 15–20 dental team members on their perceptions of a CBT self-help resource for dental anxiety, their opinions on whether they might use such a resource with patients, and their willingness to recruit participants to a future randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the resource. The third part of the study will investigate the most appropriate outcome measures to include in a trial, the acceptability of the resource, and retention and completion rates of treatment with a sample of 60 dentally anxious young people using the CBT resource. Discussion This study will provide information on the profile of dentally anxious young people who could potentially be helped by a guided self-help CBT resource. It will gain the perceptions of dental care team members of guided self-help CBT for dental anxiety in young people and their willingness to recruit participants to a trial. Acceptability of the resource to participants and retention and completion rates will also be investigated to inform a future RCT.

Dying young: a palaeopathological analysis of child health in Roman Britain

Children represent the most vulnerable members of society, and as such provide valuable insight into past lifeways. Adverse environmental conditions translate more readily into the osteological record of children, making them primary evidence for the investigation of ill-health in the past. To date, most information on growing up in Roman Britain has been based on the Classical literature, or discussed in palaeopathological studies with a regional focus, e.g. Dorset or Durnovaria. Thus, the lifestyles and everyday realities of children throughout Britannia remained largely unknown. This study sets out to fill this gap by providing the first large scale analysis of Romano-British children from town and country. The palaeopathological analysis of 1643 non-adult (0-17 years) skeletons, compiled from the literature (N=690) and primary osteological analysis (N=953), from 27 urban and rural settlements has highlighted diverse patterns in non-adult mortality and morbidity. The distribution of ages-at-death suggest that older children and adolescents migrated from country to town, possibly for commencing their working lives. True prevalence rates suggest that caries (1.8%) and enamel hypoplasia (11.4%) were more common in children from major urban towns, whereas children in the countryside displayed higher frequencies of scurvy (6.9%), cribra orbitalia (27.7%), porotic hyperostosis (6.2%) and endocranial lesions (10.9%). Social inequality in late Roman Britain may have been the driving force behind these urban-rural dichotomies. The results may point to exploitation of the peasantry on the one hand, and higher status of the urban population as a more ‘Romanised’ group on the other. Comparison with Iron Age and post-medieval non-adults also demonstrated a decline in health in the Roman period, with some levels of ill-health, particularly in the rural children, similar to those from post-medieval London. This research provides the most comprehensive study of non-adult morbidity and mortality in Roman Britain to date. It has provided new insights into Romano-British lifeways and presents suggestions for further work.

A skill-based reporting system for parents of young hearing-impaired children

This paper reviews a skill-based reporting system for parents of young hearing impaired children.

Effects of Mate Tea (Ilex paraguariensis) Ingestion on mRNA Expression of Antioxidant Enzymes, Lipid Peroxidation, and Total Antioxidant Status in Healthy Young Women

The antioxidant activity of mate tea, the roasted product derived from yerba mate (Ilex paraguarienis), was observed in vitro and in animal models, but studies in humans are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mate tea supplementation on plasma susceptibility to oxidation and on antioxidant enzyme gene expression in healthy nonsmoking women, after acute or prolonged ingestion. We evaluated plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), the kinetics of diene conjugate generation, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) contents in plasma, as well as mRNA levels of antioxidant gluthatione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT). After the supplementation period with mate tea, lipid peroxidation was acutely lowered, an effect that was maintained after prolonged administration. Total antioxidant status and the level of antioxidant enzyme gene expression were also demonstrated after prolonged consumption. These results suggest that regular consumption of mate tea may increase antioxidant defense of the body by multiple mechanisms.

Intra-strain variations of baroreflex sensitivity in young Wistar-Kyoto rats

Purpose: To compare baroreflex sensitivity among conscious rats of the same strain. Methods: Male WKY rats (eight weeks old) were studied. Cannulas were inserted into the abdominal aortic artery through the right femoral artery to measure mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR). Baroreflex gain was calculated as the ratio between variation of HR in function of the MAP variation (Delta HR/Delta MAP) tested with a depressor dose of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 50 mu g/kg, iv) and with a pressor dose of phenylephrine (PE, 8 mu g/kg, iv). We divided the rats into four groups: 1) Low bradycardic baroreflex (LB), BG between -1 and -2 bpm/mmHg tested with PE; 2) High bradycardic baroreflex (HB), BG < -2 bpm/mmHg tested with PE; 3) Low tachycardic baroreflex (LT), BG between -1 and -2 bpm/mmHg tested with SNP and; 4) High tachycardic baroreflex (HT), BG < -2 bpm/mmHg tested with SNP. Significant differences were considered for p<0.05. Results: Approximately 82% of the rats presented reduced bradycardic reflex while 22 showed attenuated tachycardic reflex. No alterations were noted regarding basal MAP and HR, tachycardic and bradycardic peak and HR range. Conclusions: There was alteration in baroreflex sensitivity among rats of the same strain. Care should be taken when interpreting studies employing WKY as a control for the SHR.

Use of extensible internal device in the femur of young dogs

An extensible internal device (EID) was developed to preserve growth plate during the treatment of fracture complications or segmental bone loss from tumour resection in children. Since this type of extensible, trans-physeal, internal fixation device has only been used in a few paediatric cases; the aim of this study was to evaluate an in vivo canine study, a surgical application of this device, and its interference with longitudinal growth of the non-fractured distal femur. Ton clinically healthy two- to three-month-old poodles weighing 1.5-2.3 kg were used. Following a medial approach to the right distal femur, one extremity of the EID, similar to a T-plate, was fixed in the femoral condyle with two cortical screws placed below the growth plate. The other extremity, consisting of an adaptable brim with two screw holes and a plate guide, was fixed in the third distal of the femoral diaphysis with two cortical screws. The EID was removed 180 days after application. All of the dogs demonstrated full weight-bearing after surgery. The values of thigh and stifle circumferences, and stifle joint motion range did not show any difference between operated and control hindlimbs. The plate slid in the device according to longitudinal bone growth, in all but one dog. In this dog, a 10.5% shortening of the femoral shaft was observed due to a lack of EID sliding. The other dogs had the some longitudinal lengths in both femurs. The EID permits longitudinal bone growth without blocking the distal femur growth plate if appropriately placed.

Testicular traits as selection criteria for young Nellore bulls

The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible use of biometric testicular traits as selection criteria for young Nellore bulls using Bayesian inference to estimate heritability coefficients and genetic correlations. Multitrait analysis was performed including 17,211 records of scrotal circumference obtained during andrological assessment (SCAND) and 15,313 records of testicular volume and shape. In addition, 50,809 records of scrotal circumference at 18 mo (SC18), used as an anchor trait, were analyzed. The (co) variance components and breeding values were estimated by Gibbs sampling using the Gibbs2F90 program under an animal model that included contemporary groups as fixed effects, age of the animal as a linear covariate, and direct additive genetic effects as random effects. Heritabilities of 0.42, 0.43, 0.31, 0.20, 0.04, 0.16, 0.15, and 0.10 were obtained for SC18, SCAND, testicular volume, testicular shape, minor defects, major defects, total defects, and satisfactory andrological evaluation, respectively. The genetic correlations between SC18 and the other traits were 0.84 (SCAND), 0.75 (testicular shape), 0.44 (testicular volume), -0.23 (minor defects), -0.16 (major defects), -0.24 (total defects), and 0.56 (satisfactory andrological evaluation). Genetic correlations of 0.94 and 0.52 were obtained between SCAND and testicular volume and shape, respectively, and of 0.52 between testicular volume and testicular shape. In addition to favorable genetic parameter estimates, SC18 was found to be the most advantageous testicular trait due to its easy measurement before andrological assessment of the animals, even though the utilization of biometric testicular traits as selection criteria was also found to be possible. In conclusion, SC18 and biometric testicular traits can be adopted as a selection criterion to improve the fertility of young Nellore bulls.

Microbiological Shelf Life of Pasteurized Milk in Bottle and Pouch

Shelf life of pasteurized milk in Brazil ranges from 3 to 8 d, mainly due to poor cold chain conditions that prevail throughout the country and subject the product to repeated and/or severe temperature abuse. This study evaluated the influence of storage temperature on the microbiological stability of homogenized whole pasteurized milk (75 degrees C/15 s) packaged in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottle and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) pouch, both monolayer materials pigmented with titanium dioxide (TiO(2)). The storage temperatures investigated were 2, 4, 9, 14, and 16 degrees C. Microbiological evaluation was based on mesophilic and psychrotrophic counts with 7 log CFU/mL and 6 log CFU/mL, respectively, set as upper limits of acceptability for maintaining the quality of milk. The microbiological stability for pasteurized milk packaged in HDPE bottle and stored at 2, 4, 9, 14, and 16 degrees C was estimated at 43, 36, 8, 5, and 3 d, respectively. For milk samples packaged in LDPE pouch, shelf life was estimated at 37, 35, 7, 3, and 2 d, respectively. The determination of Q(10) and z values demonstrated that storage temperature has a greater influence on microbiological shelf life of pasteurized milk packaged in LDPE pouch compared to HDPE bottle. Based on the results of this study, HDPE bottle was better for storing pasteurized milk as compared to LDPE pouch.

THE GEMINI NICI PLANET-FINDING CAMPAIGN: DISCOVERY OF A SUBSTELLAR L DWARF COMPANION TO THE NEARBY YOUNG M DWARF CD-35 2722

We present the discovery of a wide (67 AU) substellar companion to the nearby (21 pc) young solar-metallicity M1 dwarf CD-35 2722, a member of the approximate to 100 Myr AB Doradus association. Two epochs of astrometry from the NICI Planet-Finding Campaign confirm that CD-35 2722 B is physically associated with the primary star. Near-IR spectra indicate a spectral type of L4 +/- 1 with a moderately low surface gravity, making it one of the coolest young companions found to date. The absorption lines and near-IR continuum shape of CD-35 2722 B agree especially well the dusty field L4.5 dwarf 2MASS J22244381-0158521, while the near-IR colors and absolute magnitudes match those of the 5 Myr old L4 planetary-mass companion, 1RXS J160929.1-210524 b. Overall, CD-35 2722 B appears to be an intermediate-age benchmark for L dwarfs, with a less peaked H-band continuum than the youngest objects and near-IR absorption lines comparable to field objects. We fit Ames-Dusty model atmospheres to the near-IR spectra and find T(eff) = 1700-1900 K and log(g) = 4.5 +/- 0.5. The spectra also show that the radial velocities of components A and B agree to within +/- 10 km s(-1), further confirming their physical association. Using the age and bolometric luminosity of CD-35 2722 B, we derive a mass of 31 +/- 8 M(Jup) from the Lyon/Dusty evolutionary models. Altogether, young late-M to mid-L type companions appear to be overluminous for their near-IR spectral type compared with field objects, in contrast to the underluminosity of young late-L and early-T dwarfs.

GEMINI near-infrared spectroscopic observations of young massive stars embedded in molecular clouds

K-band spectra of young stellar candidates in four Southern hemisphere clusters have been obtained with the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph in Gemini South. The clusters are associated with IRAS sources that have colours characteristic of ultracompact H II regions. Spectral types were obtained by comparison of the observed spectra with those of a near-infrared (NIR) library; the results include the spectral classification of nine massive stars and seven objects confirmed as background late-type stars. Two of the studied sources have K-band spectra compatible with those characteristic of very hot stars, as inferred from the presence of C IV, N III and N V emission lines at 2.078, 2.116 and 2.100 mu m, respectively. One of them, I16177_IRS1, has a K-band spectrum similar to that of Cyg OB2 7, an O3If* supergiant star. The nebular K-band spectrum of the associated Ultra-Compact (UC) H II region shows the s-process [Kr III] and [Se IV] high excitation emission lines, previously identified only in planetary nebula. One young stellar object was found in each cluster, associated with either the main IRAS source or a nearby resolved Midecourse Space eXperiment (MSX) component, confirming the results obtained from previous NIR photometric surveys. The distances to the stars were derived from their spectral types and previously determined JHK magnitudes; they agree well with the values obtained from the kinematic method, except in the case of IRAS 15408-5356, for which the spectroscopic distance is about a factor of 2 smaller than the kinematic value.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibition attenuates blood pressure rising in young spontaneously hypertensive rats

Objectives The present study aimed to assess the effect of the specific dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) inhibitor sitagliptin on blood pressure and renal function in young prehypertensive (5-week-old) and adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs; 14-week-old). Methods Sitagliptin (40 mg/kg twice daily) was given by oral gavage to young (Y-SHR + IDPPIV) and adult (A-SHR R IDPPIV) SHRs for 8 days. Kidney function was assessed daily and compared with age-matched vehicle-treated SHR (Y-SHR and A-SHR) and with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (Y-WKY and A-WKY). Arterial blood pressure was measured in these animals at the end of the experimental protocol. Additionally, Na(+)/H(+) exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3) function and expression in microvilli membrane vesicles were assessed in young animals. Results Mean arterial blood pressure of Y-SHR + IDPPIV was significantly lower than that of Y-SHR (104 +/- 3 vs. 123 +/- 5 mmHg, P < 0.01) and was similar to Y-WKY (94 +/- 4 mmHg, P > 0.05). Compared to Y-SHR, Y-SHR + IDPPIV exhibited enhanced cumulative urinary flow and sodium excretion and decreased NHE3 activity and expression in proximal tubule microvilli. In the A-SHR, sitagliptin treatment had no significant effect on either renal function or arterial blood pressure. Conclusion Our data suggest that DPPIV inhibition attenuates blood pressure rising in young prehypertensive SHRs, partially by inhibiting NHE3 activity in renal proximal tubule. J Hypertens 29:520-528 (C) 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Effect of Short-term High-Dose Creatine Supplementation on Measured GFR in a Young Man With a Single Kidney

It currently is unknown whether creatine supplementation is safe for people with or at risk of kidney disease. We report on the short-term effects of creatine supplementation on kidney function in a young man with a single kidney and mildly decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A 20-year-old man who had undergone unilateral nephrectomy and presented with mildly decreased GFR without kidney damage underwent a trial with 35 days of creatine supplementation (20 g/d for 5 days followed by 5 g/d for the next 30 days) and had his kidney function monitored. After the intervention, (51)Cr-EDTA clearance (pre, 81.6 mL/min/1.73 m(2); post, 82.0 mL/min/1.73 m(2)), proteinuria (protein excretion: pre, 130 mg/d; post, 120 mg/d), and electrolyte levels were unchanged. Albuminuria, serum urea level, and estimated creatinine clearance were decreased (pre, 4.6 mg/d; post, 2.9 mg/d; pre, 37 mg/d; post, 28 mg/dL; and pre, 88 mL/min/1.73 m(2); post, 71 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively), whereas serum creatinine level was slightly increased (pre, 1.03 mg/dL; post, 1.27 mg/dL), falsely suggesting kidney function impairment. This prospective report suggests that short-term creatine supplementation may not affect kidney function in an individual with a single kidney, mild decreased GFR, and ingesting a high-protein diet (ie, 2.8 g/kg/d). This finding has great relevance considering that creatine-induced kidney disease has been a growing concern, even for healthy people. Am J Kidney Dis 55: e7-e9. (C) 2010 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.