Human consumption of rapeseed (
Brassica napus
L.) sprouts and seedlings is not common but with the development of new white-flowering cultivars, this has become a possibility. Therefore, we ...investigated the effect of two blue/red light ratios (low blue (LB) and high blue (HB)) provided by light emitting diodes (LED) on glucosinolate (GLS), total carotenoid, chlorophyll
a
and
b
contents in sprouts and seedlings of white- and yellow-flowering rapeseed. Highest fresh weight biomass (FW) was produced by a yellow-flowering cultivar as sprouts and seedlings and by a white-flowering cultivar as seedlings. Diverse effects of HB light were seen for FW in sprouts, whereas HB light reduced FW in seedlings. Progoitrin decreased under HB light treatment in the seedlings. Different cultivar responses were found for all individual GLSs, total aliphatic, indole and total GLSs. Total carotenoid content was affected by light treatment in sprouts, and cultivar differences were ascribed to higher carotenoid contents in yellow-flowering cultivars for both sprouts and seedlings. In conclusion, the effects of blue/red light ratios were of minor importance for GLS and carotenoid content, whereas cultivar selection had the highest impact altogether.
Worldwide, 50 million people are living with dementia. As more individuals develop dementia while still working, dementia will increasingly become a workplace issue and a societal concern. ...Interventions targeted at work retainment, can reduce, and postpone the loss of cognitive functioning following dementia. However, there is a small body of research focused on recommendations for work interventions for people with dementia. The aim of this mixed-methods review was to investigate experiences of work following a dementia diagnosis from the perspective of people with dementia, their relatives, employers, co-workers and HR-professionals, with the objective of formulating recommendations for work interventions for people with dementia. A mixed-method approach guided the review. 16 original studies published between 1989 to 2023 were included, with a collective sample of 684 participants. The review shows that it is possible to live and work well with dementia, if collaborative solutions are continuously negotiated to meet the needs of the person with dementia and the workplace, and with attention to possible contextual enablers and barriers. The review highlights four key elements for successful work interventions for people with dementia: 1) Person-centered Approach, 2) Contextual Relevance, 3) Knowledge-based and 4) Dynamic Approach.
Intercropping can improve yield and nitrogen use efficiency in organic vegetable production by pairing crops with complementary resource use. An intercrop field experiment was conducted to determine ...yield, root growth and nitrogen (N) dynamics using faba bean (Vicia faba L.) grown as a vegetable and pointed cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata cv. conica). Both crops were grown in monocropping (MC) and intercropping systems (IC). Minirhizotrons were used to measure root growth. Yield of pointed cabbage per metre row was 28% higher under the IC system than under MC, whereas faba bean yield as fresh seeds did not differ. The land equivalent ratio was 1.06, showing that improved yield under IC resulted from efficient land resource use. Even though MC cabbage had the highest aboveground biomass, total N accumulation was higher under IC and MC faba bean systems. Both root frequency and intensity were greater under IC faba bean rows compared with MC faba bean because of the presence of cabbage roots in faba bean rows. Monocropped cabbage had the highest root intensity and the lowest amount of soil mineral N in the 0–1.5 m depth after harvest. Monocropped cabbage was efficient in assimilating N, whereas MC faba bean was efficient in exporting N as harvestable yield. The nitrogen use efficiency using the IC system (75%) was higher than growing faba bean (44%) and cabbage (65%) alone. Thus, faba bean as an intercrop in organic cabbage production systems improves land and N use efficiency by complementary root growth.
•Kale were grown under various nitrogen fertilization regimes and exposed to frost.•Fertilization regimes and plant age altered phytochemical concentration.•Frost exposure did not change ...phytochemical concentration and composition.•Reduced nitrogen supply resulted in less bitterness, astringency and pungent aroma.•Nitrogen fertilization but not frost alters characteristic kale sensory properties.
We investigated how concentrations of sensory relevant compounds: glucosinolates (GLSs), flavonoid glycosides, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and sugars in kale responded to split dose and reduced nitrogen (N) fertilization, plant age and controlled frost exposure. In addition, frost effects on sensory properties combined with N supply were assessed.
Seventeen week old kale plants showed decreased aliphatic GLSs at split dose N fertilization; whereas reduced N increased aliphatic and total GLSs. Ontogenetic effects were demonstrated for all compounds: sugars, aliphatic and total GLSs increased throughout plant development, whereas kaempferol and total flavonoid glycosides showed higher concentrations in 13week old plants. Controlled frost exposure altered sugar composition slightly, but not GLSs or flavonoid glycosides. Reduced N supply resulted in less bitterness, astringency and pungent aroma, whereas frost exposure mainly influenced aroma and texture. N treatment explained most of the sensory variation. Producers should not rely on frost only to obtain altered sensory properties.
► Yield loss in organic vs. conventional systems was on average less than 20%. ► Pest and disease damage was not systematically different among the 4 systems. ► Fertility building crops improved ...nutrient management, reducing environmental nitrogen losses. ► Adding fertility building crops in the rotation almost doubled root exploitation of the soil. ► Main difference in N dynamics was between systems with or without fertility building crops.
One of the core ideas behind organic production is that cropping systems should be less dependent on import of resources, and minimize negative effects on the surrounding environment compared to conventional production. However, even when clearly complying with regulations for organic production, it is not always obvious that these goals are reached. As an example, strong dependence on import of manure is often seen in current organic production, especially in systems producing high value crops such as vegetable crops.
The aim of the present study was to test novel approaches to organic rotations, designed to reduce the reliance on import of external resources significantly. We compared a conventional system (C) and an organic system relying on manure import for soil fertility (O1) to two novel systems (O2 and O3) all based on the same crop rotation. The O2 and O3 systems represented new versions of the organic rotation, both relying on green manures and catch crops grown during the autumn after the main crop as their main source of soil fertility, and the O3 system further leaving rows of the green manures to grow as intercrops between vegetable rows to improve the conditions for biodiversity and natural pest regulation in the crops. Reliance on resource import to the systems differed, with average annual import of nitrogen fertilizers of 149, 85, 25 and 25
kg
N
ha
−1 in the C, O1, O2 and O3 systems, respectively.
As expected, the crop yields were lower in the organic system. It differed strongly among crop species, but on average the organic crops yielded c. 82% of conventional yields in all three organic systems, when calculated based on the area actually grown with the main crops. In the O3 system some of the area of the vegetable fields was allocated to intercrops, so vegetable yields calculated based on total land area was only 63% of conventional yields.
Differences in quality parameters of the harvested crops, i.e. nutrient content, dry matter content or damages by pests or diseases were few and not systematic, whereas clear effects on nutrient balances and nitrogen leaching indicators were found. Root growth of all crops was studied in the C and O2 system, but only few effects of cropping system on root growth was observed. However, the addition of green manures to the systems almost doubled the average soil exploration by active root systems during the rotation from only 21% in C to 38% in O2 when measured to 2.4
m depth. This relates well to the observed differences in subsoil inorganic N content (N
inorg, 1–2
m depth) across the whole rotation (74 and 61
kg
N
ha
−1 in C and O1 vs. only 22 and 21
kg
N
ha
−1 in O2 and O3), indicating a strongly reduced N leaching loss in the two systems based on fertility building crops (green manures and catch crops). In short, the main distinctions were not observed between organic and conventional systems (i.e. C vs. O1, O2 and O3), but between systems based mainly on nutrient import vs. systems based mainly on fertility building crops (C and O1 vs. O2 and O3).
To use prospectively registered data from the Danish nationwide rheumatological database (DANBIO) to describe disease activity, clinical response, treatment duration and predictors of drug survival ...(ie, number of days individual patients maintained treatment) and clinical response among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) receiving their first treatment series with a tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) inhibitor.
842 TNFα inhibitor naive patients with AS were identified in DANBIO. Clinical response, drug survival and predictors thereof were investigated. 'Clinical response' was defined as a 50% or 20 mm reduction in Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) within 6 months compared with baseline. Achievement of a BASDAI <40 mm within 6 months was used as a second response parameter.
603 patients (72%) were men, disease duration 5 (1-13) years (median (IQR), age 41 (32-50) years. 445 (53%) received infliximab, 247 (29%) adalimumab and 150 (18%) etanercept. Parameters at baseline/1-year follow-up were: C-reactive protein (CRP): 14 (7-27)/5 (2-10) mg/l, BASDAI 59 (44-72)/21 (8-39) mm, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) 50 (34-67)/24 (9-45) mm, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index 40 (20-50)/20 (10-40) mm. Within 6 months, 407/644 patients (63%) achieved a clinical response. Median drug survival was 4.3 years. One- and 2-year survival rates were 74% and 63%, respectively. Baseline characteristics associated with longer drug survival were male gender, CRP >14 mg/l and low visual analogue scale fatigue (Cox regression analysis). Age, TNFα inhibitor and methotrexate use were insignificant. CRP >14 mg/l, lower BASFI and younger age at baseline was associated with clinical response and achievement of a BASDAI <40 mm (logistic regression analysis).
TNFα inhibitors provide a rapid and sustained decrease of disease activity among patients with AS in clinical practice. Factors associated with continued treatment, clinical response and achievement of a BASDAI <40 mm were identified.
The eating quality of carrots (Daucus carota L.) was investigated to evaluate the impact of cropping systems (one conventional and three organic systems) and growing years (2007, 2008, and 2009) on ...root size, chemical composition, and sensory quality. The content of dry matter, sugars, polyacetylenes, and terpenes as well as the sensory quality and root size were related to the climate during the three growing years. A higher global radiation and a higher temperature sum in 2009 as compared to 2007 and 2008 resulted in larger roots, higher contents of dry matter, sucrose, total sugars, and total polyacetylenes, and lower contents of terpenes, fructose, and glucose. No differences were found between conventional and organic carrots with regard to the investigated parameters. This result shows that organically grown carrots have the same eating quality as conventionally grown carrots, while being produced in a more sustainable way.
Background
People with dementia may benefit from the effect of physical activity on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Qualitative synthesis of the importance of physical activity ...might complement and help clarify quantitative findings on this topic. The purpose of this systematic mixed studies review was to evaluate findings from both quantitative and qualitative methods about the effect and importance of physical activity on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in people with dementia.
Methods
The systematic literature search was conducted in EMBASE, CINAHL, PubMed, PEDro and PsycINFO. Inclusion criteria were: people with a light to moderate degree of dementia, interventions including physical activity and outcomes focusing on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia or quality of life. To assess the methodological quality of the studies, the AMSTAR and GRADE checklists were applied for the quantitative studies and the CASP qualitative checklist for the qualitative studies.
Results
A small reduction in depression level and improved mood were seen in some quantitative studies of multi-component physical activity interventions, including walking. Due to high heterogeneity in the quantitative studies, a single summary of the effect of physical activity on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia should be interpreted with some caution. Across the qualitative studies, the common themes about the importance of physical activity were its ‘socially rewarding’ nature, the ‘benefits of walking outdoors’ and its contribution to ‘maintaining self-hood’.
Conclusion
For people with dementia, there was a small, quantitative effect of multi-component physical activity including walking, on depression level and mood. People with dementia reported the importance of walking outdoors, experiencing the social rewards of physical activity in groups, as well as physical activity were a means toward maintaining self-hood.
Predicted changes in climate may affect key soil processes such as respiration and net nitrogen (N) mineralization and thus key ecosystem functions such as carbon (C) storage and nutrient ...availability. To identify the sensitivity of shrubland soils to predicted climate changes, we have carried out experimental manipulations involving ecosystem warming and prolonged summer drought in ericaceous shrublands across a European climate gradient. We used retractable covers to create artificial nighttime warming and prolonged summer drought to$20\text{-}{\rm m}^{2}$experimental plots. Combining the data from across the environmental gradient with the results from the manipulation experiments provides evidence for strong climate controls on soil respiration, net N mineralization and nitrification, and litter decomposition. Trends of 0%-19% increases of soil respiration in response to warming and decreases of 3%-29% in response to drought were observed. Across the environmental gradient and below soil temperatures of 20°C at a depth of 5-10 cm, a mean Q10of 4.1 in respiration rates was observed although this varied from 2.4 to 7.0 between sites. Highest Q10values were observed in Spain and the UK and were therefore not correlated with soil temperature. A trend of increased accumulated surface litter mass loss was observed with experimental warming (2%- 22%) but there was no consistent response to experimental drought. In contrast to soil respiration and decomposition, variability in net N mineralization was best explained by soil moisture rather than temperature. When water was neither limiting or in excess, a Q10of 1.5 was observed for net N mineralization rates. These data suggest that key soil processes will be differentially affected by predicted changes in rainfall pattern and temperature and the net effect on ecosystem functioning will be difficult to predict without a greater understanding of the controls underlying the sensitivity of soils to climate variables.
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