Nutrition and diet in athletes

The value of different articles of food as sources of energy to athletes is discussed. Carbohydrates are the chief and best sources to be preferred to fats and proteins. The diet of an athlete must be well-balanced to contain essential elements in sufficient proportional quantities to supply required calories. Regular weighing of athletes is important to ascertain that the input is equal to the output. Nutrition and dieting are one of the cardinal mainstones on which depends maximum performance. Proper nutrition of an athlete is as important as the intense training he undergoes. A sound dietary regime is absolutely essential to guarantee maximum physical fitness and consequently performance.peer-reviewe

The impact of site-visits on the development of biological cognitive knowledge

Classroom-based science teaching tends to be dominated by teaching that stifles the students’ natural curiosity and eagerness to discover their surroundings. Knowledge makes sense to students particularly when it is learned within the context of an authentic experience. Thus classroom-based science needs to be complimented by out-of-classroom activities which offer direct and relevant information that influences students’ learning. Students build new knowledge on already existing schema, thus it is important for both teacher and students to question and evaluate their knowledge to be able to build on solid grounds. This paper illustrates examples of meta-cognitive tools (i.e. Vee diagrams and concept maps) used before and after site-visits to explore the contribution of out-of-classroom activities to the students’ biological cognitive development. This research shows that site-visits are a necessary part of science learning because they help students develop observational and reasoning skills, link biology to personal life experiences and contextualise inert classroom knowledge, making it more meaningful and easier to remember.peer-reviewe

High-pressure phases of FeTiO3 from first principles

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Theoretical study of the mechanism of dry oxidation of 4H-SiC

Possible defect structures, arising from the interaction of O-2 molecules with an ideal portion of the SiC/SiO2 interface, have been investigated systematically using density functional theory. Based on the calculated total energies and assuming thermal quasiequilibrium during oxidation, the most likely routes leading to complete oxidation have been determined. The defect structures produced along these routes will remain at the interface in significant concentration when stopping the oxidation process. The results obtained for their properties are well supported by experimental findings about the SiC/SiO2 interface. It is found that carbon-carbon bonds can explain most of the observed interface states but not the high density near the conduction band of 4H-SiC