Obesity is not just elevated adiposity, it is also a state of metabolic perturbation

Nettle et al. miss the crucial difference between adaptive models of storing energy and explanations for the pathological metabolic state of obesity. I suggest that the association of food insecurity with obesity in women from industrialized settings is most likely due to reverse causation: Poverty reduces agency to resist obesogenic foods, and this scenario is compounded by perturbations of insulin metabolism stemming from high adiposity and lipogenic diets

Body composition and susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes: an evolutionary perspective

Type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in prevalence worldwide, in concert with epidemics of obesity and sedentary behavior that are themselves tracking economic development. Within this broad pattern, susceptibility to diabetes varies substantially in association with ethnicity and nutritional exposures through the life-course. An evolutionary perspective may help understand why humans are so prone to this condition in modern environments, and why this risk is unequally distributed. A simple conceptual model treats diabetes risk as the function of two interacting traits, namely ‘metabolic capacity’ which promotes glucose homeostasis, and ‘metabolic load’ which challenges glucose homoeostasis. This conceptual model helps understand how long-term and more recent trends in body composition can be considered to have shaped variability in diabetes risk. Hominin evolution appears to have continued a broader trend evident in primates, towards lower levels of muscularity. In addition, hominins developed higher levels of body fatness, especially in females in relative terms. These traits most likely evolved as part of a broader reorganization of human life history traits in response to growing levels of ecological instability, enabling both survival during tough periods and reproduction during bountiful periods. Since the emergence of Homo sapiens, populations have diverged in body composition in association with geographical setting and local ecological stresses. These long-term trends in both metabolic capacity and adiposity help explain the overall susceptibility of humans to diabetes in ways that are similar to, and exacerbated by, the effects of nutritional exposures during the life-course

Roles of reference object and extra-retinal information in path perception from optic flow

Poster Session - Perception and Action: abstract no. 22.35In this study, we investigate the role of reference objects and extra-retinal information on path perception. In Experiment 1, the display simulated an observer traveling on a circular path …postprin

Evaluation of air-displacement plethysmography in children aged 5-7 years using a three-component model of body composition

The aim of the present study was to evaluate air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) in children aged 5-7 years. Body-composition measurements were obtained by ADP, H-2 dilution and anthropometry in twenty-eight children. Calculation of body volume by ADP was undertaken using adult and children's equations for predicting lung volume and surface area. Fat-free mass (FFM) was calculated using a three-component model. Measured FFM hydration was then compared with values from the reference child. Differences between measured and reference hydration were back-extrapolated, to calculate the error in ADP that would account for any disagreement. Propagation of error was used to distinguish the contributions of methodological precision and biological variability to total hydration variability. The use of children's equations influenced the results for lung volume but not surface area. The mean difference between measured and reference hydration was 0.6 (SD 1.7) % (P<0.10), equivalent to an error in body volume of 0.04 (So 0.20) litres (P<0.30), and in percentage fat of 0.4 (SD 1.9) (P<0.28). The limits of agreement in individuals could be attributed to methodological precision and biological variability in hydration. It is concluded that accuracy of ADP was high for the whole group, with a mean bias of <0.5% fat using the three-component model, and after taking into account biological variability in hydration, the limits of agreement were around 2 % fat in individuals. Paediatric rather than adult equations for lung volume estimation should be used

The move to quality assurance in Chinese higher education: Tensions between policy and practices

This paper investigates quality assurance in Chinese higher education by looking at the Evaluation of the University Baccalaureate Programmes Project (EUBPP) conducted in China. It analyses factors that bring about tensions between policy and practice in this area through a study of two contrasting tertiary institutions. The results show that the aims of the EUBPP have been partly achieved through the interaction of policy-making and implementation. In the process, contextual factors connected to institutional status and stages of development have led to varying degrees of tension between policy and practices.published_or_final_versio

A trade-off between cognitive and physical performance, with relative preservation of brain function

Debate surrounds the issue of how the large, metabolically expensive brains of Homo sapiens can be energetically afforded. At the evolutionary level, decreased investment in muscularity, adiposity and the digestive tract allow for a larger brain. Developmentally, high neo-natal adiposity and preferential distribution of resources to the brain provide an energetic buffer during times of environmental stress. Through an experimental design, we investigated the hypothesis of a trade-off involving brain and muscle at the acute level in humans. Mental performance was measured by a free-recall test, and physical performance by power output on an indoor rowing ergometer. Sixty-two male student rowers performed the two tests in isolation, and then again simultaneously. Paired samples t-tests revealed that both power output and mental performance reduced when tested together compared to in isolation (t(61) = 9.699, p < 0.001 and t(61) = 8.975, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the decrease in physical performance was greater than the decrease in mental performance (t(61) = −2.069, p = 0.043). This is the first investigation to demonstrate an acute level trade-off between these two functions, and provides support for the selfish brain hypothesis due to the relative preservation of cognitive function over physical power output. The underlying mechanism is unclear, and requires further work

Open Innovation for Environmental Research

Innovation plays a key role in driving industries to gain competitive advantage. Increasingly, open innovation is considered a key driver to help industries accelerate the rate of innovation through exploitation of the free flow of internal and external knowledge and expertise. It is believed that industries will thus acquire stronger capability for innovation given the external input of expertise and knowledge that complements their internal capabilities. As a result, such businesses can achieve higher industrial competitiveness than those which rely only on traditional closed innovation approach. University-industry collaboration can be considered as a form of open innovation. Industries, especially small and medium enterprises, are particularly interested in partnering with universities as niche collaborators due to their innovation competence. In face of intensive competition from other neighboring cities in China like Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, and neighboring countries like Singapore, Hong Kong has increasingly attempted to achieve economic competitiveness through innovation. University-industry collaboration has been increasingly advocated by the government as an effective means for innovation, such as the development and commercialization of niche technologies for the environment. In 2009-2010, Hong Kong ranked third in Global Innovation Index, out of 132 economies surveyed. In terms of university-industry collaboration, Hong Kong ranked twenty-seven. To gain a deeper understanding of what determines industry-university innovation, this study focusses on all cleaner energy and environmental-oriented Innovation-and-Technology (ITF) funded projects that have been approved since the establishment of Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund in 1999 and that have involved university-industry collaboration. A total of 145 out of 2,345 ITF funded projects that carry the theme of cleaner energy and environment research and development during 1999-2010 have been selected. Quantitative surveys and qualitative face-to-face interviews have been conducted to identify what drivers and barriers for this group of ITF industries are involved in their engagement in industry university collaboration, and why these drivers and barriers exist. The result obtained shows that majority of the local industries surveyed and interviewed are eager to collaborate with universities in environmental innovation for competitive advantage, especially for gaining reputations and securing future business opportunities. However, huge obstacles exist for local industries to partner with universities, especially for the SMEs, due to policy and institutional constraints. Innovation policies in support of SME innovation and institutional mechanisms to help SMEs find the right university partners are particularly relevant and critical for promoting open innovation (in the form of university-industry collaboration) in environmental and cleaner energy research among local industries in future.published_or_final_versio

Real-time interactive learning through smart mobile devices

Smart phones and tablet PCs are very popular nowadays. Many schools use these new tools for teaching and learning. The e-Learning Technology Development Laboratory of the EEE Department had developed a mobile application called iClass. This tool can facilitate teachers to conduct interactive classes through different mobile devices. Students can share their ideas and express their views by drawing pictures or entering keywords. The students' works can be instantly sent to the lecture screen through the WiFi. Students can then learn from their peers through the peer review function. The iClass system also supports an editable e-book for assignment submission and 2D barcode to facilitate field trip or technical visit. Examples on how teachers can use iClass for in-class interactive teaching are carefully considered. Lastly, innovative pedagogy models are also being evolved to cope with many possible new changes.published_or_final_versio

Weight centile crossing in infancy: correlations between successive months show evidence of growth feedback and an infant-child growth transition

Background: Early rapid weight gain is associated with later overweight, which implies that weight centile crossing tracks over time. Objective: Centile crossing is defined in terms of the change or deviation in weight z score during 1 mo, and the correlations between successive deviations are explored at different ages. Design: Two Cambridge (United Kingdom) growth cohorts were used: Widdowson (1094 infants born during 1959–1965) and the Cambridge Infant Growth Study (CIGS; 255 infants born during 1984–1987), each with weights measured monthly in the first year. Weights were converted to WHO age- and sex-adjusted z scores, deviations were calculated as the change in z score between adjacent measurement occasions, and the correlations between deviations were studied. Results: In both cohorts, the correlations between successive monthly deviations were positive in the first 6 mo and highest at ages 3–4 mo (r = 0.3, P < 0.0001), whereas after 6 mo they were negative and were lowest at ages 10–11 mo (r = –0.3, P < 0.0001), with the correlation decreasing linearly with age between these extremes. Thus, during the first 6 mo of age, infants crossing centiles in 1 mo tended to continue crossing centiles in the same direction the following month, whereas after 6 mo they tended to cross back again. This represents positive and negative feedback, respectively. At age 12 mo, the correlation was close to zero, which suggests an infant-child transition in growth. Conclusions: The results confirm that weight centile crossing tracks over time, with the correlations between successive periods that change with age suggesting a complex feedback mechanism underlying infant growth. This may throw light on the link between early rapid weight gain and later overweight. Clinically, the correlations indicate that when predicting future weight from current weight, recent centile crossing affects the prediction in an age-dependent manner

Associations of gender inequality with child malnutrition and mortality across 96 countries.

National efforts to reduce low birth weight (LBW) and child malnutrition and mortality prioritise economic growth. However, this may be ineffective, while rising gross domestic product (GDP) also imposes health costs, such as obesity and non-communicable disease. There is a need to identify other potential routes for improving child health. We investigated associations of the Gender Inequality Index (GII), a national marker of women's disadvantages in reproductive health, empowerment and labour market participation, with the prevalence of LBW, child malnutrition (stunting and wasting) and mortality under 5 years in 96 countries, adjusting for national GDP. The GII displaced GDP as a predictor of LBW, explaining 36% of the variance. Independent of GDP, the GII explained 10% of the variance in wasting and stunting and 41% of the variance in child mortality. Simulations indicated that reducing GII could lead to major reductions in LBW, child malnutrition and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Independent of national wealth, reducing women's disempowerment relative to men may reduce LBW and promote child nutritional status and survival. Longitudinal studies are now needed to evaluate the impact of efforts to reduce societal gender inequality.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Cambridge University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/gheg.2016.