Carnosine in health and disease

Abstract

Carnosine was originally discovered in skeletal muscle, where it exists in larger amounts than in other tissues. The majority of research into the physiological roles of carnosine have been conducted on skeletal muscle. Given this and the potential for muscle carnosine content to be increased with supplementation, there is now a large body of research examining the ergogenic effects (or otherwise) of carnosine. More recent research, however, points towards a potential for carnosine to exert a wider range of physiological effects in other tissues, including the brain, heart, pancreas, kidney and cancer cells. Taken together, this is suggestive of a potential for carnosine to have therapeutic benefits in health and disease, although this is by no means without complication. Herein, we will provide a review of the current literature relating to the potential therapeutic effects of carnosine in health and disease.     

The Representation of Altruistic and Egoistic Motivations in Children’s TV Programming

A content analysis of children’s television examined the frequency with which behaviors were (a) driven by altruistic versus egoistic motivations, (b) performed by affable/surly characters, (c) rewarded/punished, and (d) present in content popular among different age groups (2–5, 6–11, and 12–17 years old). We found that portrayal patterns stressed the importance of egoistic motivations (particularly competence, autonomy, and relatedness) for older children. The findings are interpreted in line with logic underlying the model of intuitive morality and exemplars (MIME; Tamborini, 2013), suggesting that media representations can influence the motivations of their viewers.     

Evaluation of the benefits of laboratory research and information services

The authors examine the problems of ex-post evaluation of the benefits deriving from services provided by Government Laboratories. They concentrate on the difficulties of conducting meaningful ex-post studies since they feel that too many claims are made on the basis of inadequate, incomplete economic assessments using data that would not be substantiated if probed deeply. Their views are based on a review of nine years' practical evaluation experience.The paper defines three ways in which services/information sources can link up with intended recipients, and discusses the practical problems associated with assessing the impact of services in each case. These problems range from sampling errors and sample bias in questionnaire approaches, to limited respondent knowledge and perspective. Critical probing can overcome these difficulties in some, though not all, instances, since there are issues of principle that prohibit unique attribution of benefits to specific initiatives in many ex-post analyses. The use of cost recovery as a proxy measure of worth is reviewed.The authors point out that ex-ante appraisal of profits is not subject to the same constraints and avoids many of the pitfalls of ex-post evaluation.     

“We Do It,but They Don't”: Multiple Categorizations and Work Team Communication

The present study adopted an intergroup approach to information sharing and ratings of work team communication in a public hospital (N?=?142) undergoing large-scale restructuring. Consistent with predictions, ratings of communication followed a double ingroup serving bias: while team members reported sending about the same levels of information to double ingroup members (same work team/same occupational group) as they did to partial ingroup members (same work team/different occupational group), they reported receiving less information from partial ingroup members than from double ingroup members and rated the communication that they received from partial ingroup members as less effective. We discuss the implication of these results for the management of information sharing and organizational communication.     

Early Head Start and African American families: Impacts and mechanisms of child outcomes

Persistent disparities exist between African American children and their European American counterparts across developmental domains. Early childhood intervention may serve to promote more positive outcomes among African American children. The current study examined whether and how the Early Head Start (EHS) program benefited African American children at the end of the program, when they were 36 months of age, as well as the parenting these children experienced and how this affected their developmental outcomes. The data show a wide and strong pattern of impacts of EHS for African American children and families. Path analysis yielded findings that suggested a direct effect of EHS on specific child outcomes and parenting processes within this group of African American families. Parental supportiveness and cognitive stimulation emerged as important direct influences on African American children's outcomes and as pathways through which Early Head Start benefits these children. These findings are discussed in the context of early childhood intervention practice.     

Action Learning for Citizenship Education

The paper examines how the author has used what he calls action learning to encourage pupils to learn about citizenship in a secondary school. The paper argues that citizenship can be learnt by engaging young people in projects and other activities, which encourage them to develop an understanding of the responsibilities and skills needed to become citizens in society. The paper goes on to describe a small-scale research project which sought to assess the pupils' reactions to action learning. The young people's responses bring to life what they have learnt from their involvement in the action learning projects and how it has helped them to develop as citizens.