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Wind farms 'displace' rare birds

Hen harrier are among species researchers believe affected

Some of Scotland's rarest birds are being displaced by wind turbine developments, a study has suggested.

Hen harriers and golden plovers were among the birds found to be breeding in fewer numbers close to wind farm sites.

RSPB Scotland, which part-funded the study, said the findings showed turbines should not be sited near vulnerable bird populations.

The research, newly published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, looked at 12 upland wind energy sites in the UK.

The distribution of birds across each wind farm was compared with that on similar nearby sites without turbines.

Seven species - buzzard, hen harrier, golden plover, snipe, curlew, wheatear and meadow pipit - were found less frequently than would be expected close to the turbines.

RSPB Scotland said breeding densities of these species were reduced by between 15% and 53%, within 500m of the turbines.

SNH welcome the publication of this important paper Andy Douse Scottish Natural Heritage

However, lead author James Pearce-Higgins, senior conservation scientist with RSPB Scotland, said the displacing of species could extend as far as 800m.

He said: "There is an urgent need to combat climate change, and renewable energy sources, such as wind farms, will play an important part in this.

"However, it is also important to fully understand the consequences of such development, to ensure that they are properly planned and sited.

"That is why we conducted this research which to our knowledge is the first multi-site assessment of the effect of wind farms on a wide range of upland bird species."

Andy Douse, ornithological policy and advice manager with Scottish Natural Heritage, said it was an outstanding piece of research.

He said: "SNH welcome the publication of this important paper, it provides us with unequivocal evidence of both the nature and scale of bird displacement at operational wind farms.

"It will allow us to make better, more informed assessments of proposed wind farms in future and so reduce some of the uncertainty that has existed about potential impacts."

The research was funded by RSPB Scotland, the Scottish government, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Mountaineering Trust.

'Salt on food key' to a long life

http://www.richimag.co.uk/food/page25.html

'Salt on food key' to a long life

Mrs Brown said plenty of salt on her food was the key to her 110 years

Never driving and plenty of salt on food is the key to longevity according to one of Britain's oldest women. Mary Brown, of Godalming, Surrey, celebrated her 110th birthday on Wednesday surrounded by four generations of her family.
She was born on a farm in Kilmalcom, Scotland and said the arrival of electricity at the farmhouse was the biggest change in her lifetime.
Mrs Brown also attributes her age to a positive attitude and inquiring mind.
'Smaller world'
The former teacher said: "The world has become a smaller place for the young with all the opportunities to travel.
"But I'm not sure that I would have been adventurous enough if it had been available in my time."
She said everything should be taken in moderation apart from family and friends.
"A sense of humour is important and trying to stay positive," Mrs Brown added.
12 great-grandchildren
Mrs Brown spent most of her life in Guildford where she moved after meeting and marrying her husband John.
She has played an active part in the local community, distributing powdered milk and orange juice to mothers and babies during World War II.
Following the death of her husband in 1950 she took over his position on the Guildford Rural District Council.
Her 78-year-old son George, five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren helped mark her milestone at the Eastlake Residential Home in Godalming where she now lives.

salty

Read the labels to check exactly what you are buying, say advisers

People choosing wheat or dairy-free products could be risking their heart health because many are loaded with salt, a study reveals.

Consensus Action on Salt and Health surveyed 71 own-label "free from" products from five leading supermarkets in the UK.
Over half contained more salt than the retailer's standard version of the product. Some had six times as much.
Experts urged consumers to always check the labels.
Less than a third of the "free from" products studied had lower levels of salt than equivalent standard products.

Check the labels. Be savvy about what you buy A spokeswoman from the British Nutrition Foundation

Sainsbury's Free From Jaffa Cakes have 0.67g of salt per 100g, compared with 0.1g of salt per 100g in standard Sainsbury's Jaffa Cakes.
This is more than six times the salt level of the standard version.
Morrison's standard Chocolate Chip Cookies contain 0.5g of salt per 100g, while their Free From version contains 1.5g per 100g - three times as much.
ASDA Free From Double Chocolate Muffins have over three times as much salt as ASDA Double Chocolate Muffins, 1g per 100g as opposed to 0.3g per 100g.
Tesco's Free From Victoria Sponge has more than double the amount of salt as its standard cousin, 1.4g per 100g compared with 0.6g of salt per 100g.
All of the five supermarkets, which included Waitrose, did have some "Free From" foods that fared better than standard products on salt levels.
Health risks
This, says CASH, shows that there is no technical reason why "free from" products have to have higher salt levels.
Graham MacGregor, chairman of CASH and professor of cardiovascular medicine said: "In general, it has been the supermarket own-label products that have led the way in salt reduction, but it seems that own-label products for people with existing health problems have not been a top priority for the retailers.
"They must now reformulate the higher-salt products immediately, so that people suffering from Coeliac disease or other related conditions do not have to put their health in further jeopardy."
He said people should aim to keep their salt consumption below the recommended maximum limit of 6g a day.
Too much salt in the diet raises the risk of heart disease.
A spokeswoman for the British Nutrition Foundation said: "The advice for people selecting 'free from' foods is the same as for other consumers buying any foods - check the labels. Be savvy about what you buy.
"There are different varieties available, with different ingredients."
Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "The high levels of salt found in these products is concerning as the products looked at include basic foods - like bread - that are eaten on a daily basis.
"Eating too much salt on a regular basis is linked to raised blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease."
Mike Rich, of the Blood Pressure Association, said eating less salt was one of the easiest ways to reduce high blood pressure.
He said: "Many people buy 'free from' products to avoid having health problems, so it's very disappointing that so many have been found to be loaded with unnecessary salt."
In a statement, Sainsbury's said: "We take salt reduction very seriously, and are actively working on reducing the salt levels in our free from range.
"As of January 2010 all Sainsbury's 'free from' products will meet the FSA's 2010 or 2012 salt targets and will be nutritionally comparable to the equivalent products in our main ranges."

'Deaths rise' with junior doctors

Earlier studies on the influx of new doctors have been inconclusive

http://www.richimag.co.uk/healthy/page10.html

Researchers say they have found a small but statistically significant increase in the number of patients who die each year when junior doctors start work.

An Imperial College team looked at 300,000 emergency patients admitted to English hospitals between 2000 to 2008.
They compared death rates between the first week of August, when new doctors arrive, and the previous week in July.
After adjusting for various factors, they report in PLoS One that the August patients were 6% more likely to die.
The period when an influx of newly qualified doctors enters the wards has sometimes been dubbed the "killing season", but studies to establish whether there is any truth to this have been inconclusive.
The researchers from Imperial College London stressed they were unable to draw firm conclusions about the reasons for the increase, but that it was significant, if small.
Comparisons of the raw figures showed little difference, but when factors including age, sex, socio-economic deprivation and existing medical problems were taken into account, a discrepancy began to emerge.
'Rigorous training'
The differences were most pronounced among medical patients - those not requiring surgery and not suffering from cancer. For this group, death rates increased by 8%.

Our study does not mean that people should avoid going into hospital that week. This is a relatively small difference in mortality rates, and the numbers of excess deaths are very low Dr Paul Aylin Imperial College

"Our study does not mean that people should avoid going into hospital that week. This is a relatively small difference in mortality rates, and the numbers of excess deaths are very low," said Dr Paul Aylin, from the Dr Foster Unit at Imperial College.
"It's too early to say what might be causing it. It might simply be the result of differences between the patients who were admitted."
But the report notes that if these differences are due to the changeover of hospital staff, "then this has potential implications not only for patient care, but for NHS management approaches to delivering safe care".

FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme

Doctors' representatives sounded a note of caution.
"This study has to be judged alongside many previous studies looking at mortality rates before and after junior doctors start their new jobs, which have not shown any differences," said Dr Shree Datta, chair of the junior doctors' committee at the British Medical Association.
"Clearly even a small increase in death rates is of great concern and we need further research to see whether this is a real effect or an anomaly."
Hugh Williams, of Action Against Medical Accidents, said: "I think some junior doctors are thrown in the deep end and are expected to get on with it.
"It would be interesting to know how quickly this effect wears off and how different hospitals deal with the intake of junior doctors every August."
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "Patients should be reassured that junior doctors undergo rigorous training and they undertake direct clinical care in areas where they have been trained and assessed as meeting the required competency.
"Local hospitals must ensure that they responsibly manage the introduction of new junior doctors each August by providing appropriate senior cover and supervision."

Murder and persecution of women and children accused of being witches

Murder and persecution of women and children accused of being witches is spreading around the world and destroying the lives of millions of people, experts said on Wednesday. The experts -- United Nations officials, civil society representatives from affected countries and non-governmental organisation (NGO) specialists working on the issue -- urged governments to acknowledge the extent of the persecution. "This is becoming an international problem -- it is a form of persecution and violence that is spreading around the globe," Jeff Crisp of the U.N.'s refugee agency UNHCR told a seminar organised by human rights officials of the world body. Aides to U.N. special investigators on women's rights and on summary executions said killings and violence against alleged witch women -- often elderly people -- were becoming common events in countries ranging from South Africa to India. And community workers from Nepal and Papua New Guinea told the seminar, on the fringes of a session of the U.N.'s 47-member Human Rights Council, that "witch-hunting" was now common, both in rural communities and larger population centres. Gary Foxcroft of British-based charity Stepping Stones- Nigeria said children living homeless on the streets in many countries had been driven out by families or communities because they were suspected of being witches. But increasingly children suspected of witchcraft -- usually on the basis of vague accusations -- were being killed because their parents feared they would have to take them back if the authorities identified them. Ulrich Garms from the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the seminar that there were no reliable statistics on how many women and child "witches" were killed annually around the globe. Other U.N. officials tracking the problem said deaths ran into at least tens of thousands, and beatings, deprivation of property and banishment and isolation from community life meant victims of "witch frenzy" ran into millions. Speakers at the seminar agreed that poverty, exacerbated by the current world economic crisis, often lay behind the phenomenon as people sought to find scapegoats for their misfortunes and the illnesses they suffered. But some preachers of major religions and governments were also responsible, they said.

Source: Reuters

New breed of chicken

http://www.richimag.co.uk/chickenoregg/

Ghana's Animal Research Launches New Chicken Breed - 23 September 2009 11:47:55 GMT

Animal Research Institute (ARI) of the CSIR has introduced a new breed of chicken, combining the characteristics of fast growth with adaptation to the harsh environmental conditions, in order to reduce the country's dependence on imported breeding stock. Peace FM reports statistics released by the Veterinary Services Directorate indicate that 219,240 hatching eggs and 1,413,920-day-old chicks were imported into the country in 2008. The information said this came about due to the high cost of poultry produced in the country, the taste for foreign broilers by Ghanaians, and the high inputs used in the production of poultry in Ghana, leading to high cost of production. Speaking during the introduction of a new poultry breed (Aribro broilers) developed by the Animal Research Institute (ARI) of the CSIR on 22 September, Dr Abdulai Baaba Salifu, Director-General of CSRI said the 'Aribro' was a new kind of breed for the production of day-old chicks for broilers in the country. "With this development, it is now possible to produce 'parent lines' which hitherto would have been imported at a minimum of €3 per parent chick," he said. He said the 'parent lines' developed, would be used for the production of commercial broilers and that day-old chicks would be supplied to commercial poultry farmers in the country and also to the sub-region at a relatively lower cost. He intimated that by this feat, the importation of broiler nucleus, grandparents and parents lines would gradually be curtailed. Dr Salifu cited fast growth, higher life span and adaptability to harsh local environmental conditions as compared to the foreign ones as some of the characteristics of the Aribro breed. He praised the CSRI for being the largest scientific research organization in the country with 13 research institutes and over 500 researchers, who were of varied specialised disciplines and expertise playing significant roles in ensuring food security in the country. Dr Kwame Boa-Amponsem, the project Leader, told Peace FM that under normal circumstance, the research should have taken about four years but due to lack of research materials, it took ARI about 30 years to come out with the Aribro breed. He said the Aribro breed, which had some of the features of the foreign broilers came about after certain poultry (both and female) with specific genes were selected and made to mate. He said the Aribro breed was already on the market and that the ARI at the moment produces about 2,300 Aribro chicks a week for the market, adding that, if the institute received all the needed assistance from the government, it would be able to produce more. He urged government to reduce the prices of major broiler feeds such as cereals and soybeans to enhance the competition on the market between the cheaper foreign breeds and the local ones. "Policy-makers should also monitor the effects of fertiliser subsidy and the breeding work at the ARI to curtail the huge market captured by foreign imports," he added. Dr. Percival Kuranchie, Chairman for the function, appealed to the CSIR to come out with initiatives that would help the organisation, according to Peace FM

electric for green muslims

Pig Farm Receives Grant To Reduce GHG Emissions - UK

A Scottish pig farm has received a grant to turn manure into electricity as part of a new government scheme to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from farming. Ruchlaw Produce Company of Dunbar has secured a grant of £560,308 from Rural Priorities – part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme – to convert waste from its pig farming operation into electricity. This funding represents 36 per cent of the overall cost and the electricity will be used to power the operation and halve the smell associated with the pig farm. The business, which employs 45 people will also be using an anaerobic digester to convert pig slurry into methane and carbon dioxide. The methane will then be pumped into a biogas plant to generate electricity and hot water for heating systems throughout the plant.
This is an example of a scheme set up as part of a new action plan to help cut GHG emissions from across the agricultural sector, which was launched by the Scottish Government on 21 September.
The five-point plan will help farmers increase productivity and tackle climate change.
Farming for a Better Climate (FBC) is funded by the Scottish Government and a dedicated web site [click here], hosted by the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), will offer advice on cost-effective ways to benefit business and the environment.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead said: "Our farmers can lead the fight against climate change and not only help our environment but help their businesses at the same time. By adopting these five simple steps, farming will become part of the solution to climate change.
"Their dependency on the environment puts farmers on the front line and if expected changes to weather patterns are not considered now it could spell disaster for the industry in future.
"Scotland has some of the most ambitious climate change legislation in the world and there has already been a great deal of innovation within the farming sector. I am confident that these practical cost-effective measures will be welcomed.
"Farmers getting involved will not only help agriculture thrive they will be creating a healthier climate – a win-win situation for us all."
Graham Kerr, who leads SAC's Farming for a Better Climate programme, said: "We are delighted to support the Scottish Government in this initiative. This is an issue that challenges us all and land managers can play their part in reducing carbon emissions. Through this programme all parts of SAC are committed to helping both industry and policy makers. We hope to increase their knowledge of climate change and the practical steps that can be taken to reduce their carbon footprint and adapt to Scotland's changing climate.

coryza in Holland

Infectious Coryza Outbreak - The Netherlands - 22 September 2009 12:29:08 GMTl

The Animal Health Service Deventer in the Netherlands has reported an outbreak of infectious coryza in 6 layer farms. Farmers are anxious because the bacterium seems very contagious. Normally merely 1 or 2 cases of infectious coryza appear in the Netherlands per year. The disease occurs predominantly in warm climates for instance as in South America, Africa and the Middle and Far East. Amongst the 6 infected farms are regular as well as free-range farms. No indication exists that there is a difference in infection risk between these types of farms. The disease causes a decrease in egg production and mortality sometimes up to 100%. Treatment with tetracyclines has shown good results. However, eggs from treated animals are not to be delivered for four weeks

2500yrs of gyrfalcons

2,500-year-old bird's nest found

http://www.richimag.co.uk/chickenoregg/

Matt Walker Editor, Earth News

Good for generation after generation

A 2,500-year-old bird's nest has been discovered on a cliff in Greenland.

The nesting site is still continually used by gyrfalcons, the world's largest species of falcon, and is the oldest raptor nest ever recorded.
Three other nests, each over 1,000 years old, have also been found, one of which contains feathers from a bird that lived more than 600 years ago.
However, ornithologists fear climate change may soon drive the birds from these ancient nesting sites.
Gyrfalcons live circumpolar to the Arctic. The birds range in colour from being almost exclusively white in Greenland to usually black in Labrador in Canada.
Like many falcons, they do not build nests out of sticks and twigs, but typically lay eggs in bowl-shaped depressions they scrape into existing ledges or old nests made by other birds such as ravens.
But while stick nests are often frequently damaged, preventing their repeated use, gyrfalcons will often revisit some ledges and potholes from year to year.
To find out just how long the birds return to the same site, ornithologist Kurt Burnham of the University of Oxford, UK and colleagues decided to carbon date the guano and other debris that birds leave at various nest sites around Greenland.

An ancient nest, this one dated at a mere 1000 years old.

The cold dry climate of Greenland slows the decay of the falcons' droppings and various nest sites had built up levels of guano almost 2m deep.
But Burnham was still surprised to find out just how old these nests are.
Carbon dating revealed that one nest in Kangerlussuaq in central-west Greenland is between 2,360 and 2,740 years old, the researchers report in Ibis.
Three other nests in the area are older than 1,000 years, with the youngest nest site first being occupied 520 to 650 years ago.
These ancient nests are still being regularly used by gyrfalcons.
"While I know many falcon species re-use nest sites year after year, I never imagined we would be talking about nests that have been used on and off for over 2,000 years," says Burnham.
Within the nests, Burnham's team also found intriguing clues as to the past inhabitants.
In the 13 nests sampled, they found three feathers belonging to previous tenants. The youngest came from a bird residing in the nest 60 years ago, while the oldest came from a falcon that used the nest some 670 years ago.
The ancient guano samples also gave an indication of what the birds ate in times long past.

The world's largest falcon.

Those gyrfalcons living in central-west Greenland, which is farther from the ice sheet and nearer the ocean, fed from a diet much richer in marine animals, such as little auks and black guillemots.
Falcons living further north closer to the ice fed on terrestrial prey such as rock ptarmigan and arctic hare.
"These findings put new emphasis on just how important nest site characteristics can be for raptor species, particularly large raptors," Burnham says.
"Something, be it nest ledge depth, or the amount of cliff overhang above the nest, is so attractive at these locations that gyrfalcons are re-using them for thousands of years."
Yet the fact that gyrfalcons remain faithful to certain nest sites for hundreds of generations suggest that they may be especially vulnerable to climate change, says Burnham.
"As a result of a warming and ameliorating climate other bird species, such as peregrine falcons, are moving further north."
"As peregrine populations continue to increase in density they will likely use more and more of these traditional gyrfalcon nests, forcing gyrfalcons to find alternate locations to nest in which may not offer the same amount of protection from the harsh Arctic environment in Greenland."
Similar studies have been used to show when whole colonies of birds first took up residence at certain sites.
By carbon dating solidified stomach contents, peat moss deposits and bone and feather samples from various moulting sites, researchers have in the past shown that colonies of snow petrel have returned to the same sites for 34,000 years and adelie penguins for 44,000 years.

o'who

strange conspiracy, have a laugh or cry

brown bread not dead

The whiter the bread, the quicker you’re dead!" – old saying.
Bread made from refined white flour is certainly not good for your health, its true. There is a little known fact that numerous scientific studies have proved time and time again that certain food items that are commonly consumed in our modern, fast living diets that are detrimental to our health. One of these is white bread, a main stay of most people’s diets. Believe it or not, eating white bread is bad for you!
This may be something you won’t be too pleased to hear, but if you want to improve your health, lose some weight and avoid the possibility of ending up with type II diabetes, then white bread will have to go. This hub page takes a look at why this is and why, if you want to enjoy good health you really do need to avoid white bread or even exclude it completely from your diet.

Why You Should Exclude White Bread From Your Diet

White bread is made from refined white flour containing several unwholesome constituents and very little in the way of nutrients and dietary fibre, essential for a healthy digestive system and a stable metabolism. This is why:
Refined white flour is produced from the whole wheat grain which is then subjected to the refining process which removes all traces of the husk, or bran and along with it all the goodness contained in the grain. It is then bleached using chemical bleaching agents which contain chlorine and dried in kilns at high temperature to kill any remaining beneficial constituents. This insipid, bland, tasteless powder then has gluten added, which is a product that an increasing number of people are becoming allergic to, which helps to produce a more evenly risen and air filled loaf. A standard while loaf of bread also has sugar added to enable the baker’s yeast to prove the dough and make it rise. Salt is also added to check the progress of the yeast and prevent the loaf from rising too much, or over-proving.
Eating mass produced white bread can be somewhat likened to eating cardboard, such is its blandness and lack of any useful dietary benefit whatsoever. Small bakery bread and home made loaves usually taste a little better but because refined white flour is used in their production, there is still no health benefit.

Negative Health Aspects of Consuming White Bread

So what are the negative health aspects of eating white bread?
To begin with, as with white pasta and other products made from refined white flour, white bread contains a large proportion of high GI (glycemic index) carbohydrates. These carbohydrates cause sugars to be released quickly into the bloodstream. This causes a rapid rise in blood sugar levels which triggers a similarly rapid release of the body’s own sugar regulating hormone, insulin. This hormone is secreted in the pancreas and is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. Insulin is what people suffering with type 1 diabetes have to inject to regulate their blood sugar levels because their body does not produce sufficient naturally. Type II diabetes is a rapidly spreading disease brought on by too frequent imbalances in blood sugar levels causing insulin production to become overworked, which eventually leads to the problem and all the negative health aspects associated with it.
Other negative health aspects come in the form of raised levels of bad LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. This can lead to problems such as heart disease related to the narrowing of the arteries. When levels of LDL cholesterol become too high artery walls thicken and blockages can occur, leading to thrombosis (blood clots) as well as high blood pressure.
Another negative effect of eating white bread is on the body’s metabolism. This is retarded causing reduced efficiency in digestion and greater fat storage, which is more often than not accumulated around the belly. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why weight loss is so difficult for people who continue to eat white bread. Not only that, but it makes you feel more sluggish and less inclined to want to exercise. The lack of dietary fibre is a big problem for your digestible tract especially the intestines that finish the job and allow waste to leave the body. When there is little or no dietary fibre present in your diet, your colon will suffer and be unable to effectively remove all waste products from the body. This leads to such diseases as Crohn’s, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and can lead to cancer of the colon.
But all is not lost! While eating white bread is bad for your health, bad for your weight and bad for your digestive system, there is a nutritious, healthy alternative!

The Alternative to White Bread

You don’t have to give up bread from your diet, just white bread. The viable alternative is of course brown bread, otherwise known as wholemeal or wholegrain bread. This is produced from wholemeal flour which is not refined in the same way as white flour. Wholemeal flour retains the husk of the wheat, or bran which is where all the nutrients and dietary fibre exist. There is no bleaching either and gluten levels are generally lower than in white bread, although you should always check the label for this information first.
Wholemeal flour contains much lower levels of high GI carbohydrates than white flour and also higher levels of low GI carbohydrates, which work in the opposite way to high GI carbohydrates, as the low GI carbohydrates contained in wholemeal bread produce the slow release of sugars into the bloodstream. The upshot of this is that insulin is only slowly released into the bloodstream and in far lower amounts. The metabolism is stimulated rather than inhibited, meaning that your digestive system gets a boost in efficiency and less fat gets stored. This is good news for slimmers and anyone concerned about their weight.
Wholemeal flour products like brown bread contain high levels of dietary fibre. This is essential for the functioning of the colon and the complete digestion of food and waste elimination. They also contain lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol with higher levels of good HDL cholesterol. This means healthy arteries and a better normalised blood pressure, bringing with it better health and less concern over the negative effects of white bread.
To finish things off, brown or wholemeal bread tastes good and doesn’t have that cloying, pasty texture that massed produced white bread tends to suffer from. Make the switch to wholemeal bread and you’ll quickly grow accustomed to its taste and texture. Soon you’ll find yourself preferring its superior taste along with all the health benefits and goodness that come with it as part of a healthy, tasty diet.

Additional Info:

Thanks to a comment made by someone who decided to include a comparison of the two types of bread, I've had to add this paragraph with more accurate nutritional information so that people don't get put off by in your face figures like that - a trick used by advertisers to get you to want something. So here it is:

Analysis Of Bran

....................................Payen.. Millon... Kuhn.. Grandeau.. Warington.. Wolff.
Water ........................ 13.90 ... 13.90 . 13.40 .... 12.80 ....... 14.0 ........ 13.6
Nitrogenous matter ....18.77 ... 14.90 . 14.00 ..... 13.82 ...... .14.2 ....... 13.6
Fatty matter ................4 00 ...... 3.60 ... 3.80 ....... 3.59 ......... 4.2 ......... 3.4
Carbohydrates............ 48.26 .. 51.00 . 45.00 ..... 55.91 ....... 50.4 ....... 54.9
Cellulose..................... 8.78 .... 10.49 . 18.30 ....... 8.65 ....... 11.1 ......... 8.9
Salts ........................... 6.29 ..... 5.70 .... 6.19 ....... 5.23 .......... 6.1 ........ 5.6
The above results are analyses produced by different authorities. They show certain variations in the levels of nitrogenous matter, cellulose, and carbohydrates. However they all agree closely enough to show that chemically speaking, bran contains all the requisites for nutrition.
The nitrogenous ratio varies from 1: 2.8 to 1: 4.3. Among the total salts represented are potash, lime, magnesia, soda, phosphoric acid and silica.
There is a full nutritional composition chart of wheat bran available for your information if you want to know exactly what is in the bran that is included in bread made from wholewheat flour that is missing from white bread. The chart is too complex to re-create here, so to view it, please follow this link

children with autism are often abandoned by specialist services

System 'failing autistic adults'

Adults with autism can become socially isolated

Thousands of people with autism in England are failing to get the diagnosis and specialist help they need, the National Audit Office says.

Most local authorities do not know how many adults with autism live in the area and provide no specific services.
Yet better support in areas such as housing and employment could save the taxpayer millions of pounds in the long run, a report concluded.
The government is due to publish its first autism strategy later this year.
People with autism struggle to communicate socially and have trouble understanding facial expressions and tone of voice and recognising emotions.
Around half of those with autism also have a learning disability, but for those who do not - those with high functioning autism, such as Asperger Syndrome - accessing support for housing, further education and employment can be particularly hard, the NAO said.
Three-quarters of local authorities have no commissioning plan in place for specialist autism services and 65% struggle to find appropriate housing.
The report also found that children with autism are often abandoned by specialist services when they turn 18, due to a lack of adult services or a proper transition plan.
Diagnosis
An average GP is thought to see two adults with undiagnosed high-functioning autism every six months.
But the vast majority say they need better training to identify and manage patients better.
And although there are education programmes now in place, there is still a lack of expertise at job centres, with only 200 of 500 disability advisors trained to help people with autism, the NAO said.

The hope is that this report will lead to a step change in how we meet the needs of this invisible group in our society Professor Simon Baron-Cohen

If local authorities identified just 4% of people with high-functioning autism, and offered them specialist support with living independently or getting a job, the cost would be cancelled out by savings in other areas, the NAO calculated.
Diagnosis and support for 8% of that population would actually save £67m a year, it added.
Mark Davies, NAO director of health value for money studies, said there would be people in their 40s and 50s who had never been diagnosed with the condition.
"We would like people to look at our report and the modelling we have done because we think there is a good case for having more specialist support."
Care services minister Phil Hope said the first ever autism strategy would be published at the end of 2009 and a study was being done to work out exactly how many adults have autism in England.
"Our commitment to do this will have the force of law - in the first ever Autism Bill going through parliament."

AUTISM IN ENGLAND An estimated 400,000 adults have autism Half of those do not have a learning disability Only 15% are in full-time employment

Geoffrey Maddrell, chairman of Research Autism, agreed there was an "appalling" lack of joined up and accessible provision for adults with autism.
"With the correct employment support and mentoring, many of these adults can sustain long-term education and career paths in various sectors.
"But at present this is not happening in many places."
Mark Lever, chief executive at the National Autistic Society, said the government could not ignore the "huge cost savings and benefits", identified by the NAO.
"Neither the government, people with autism nor the taxpayer are getting value for money from existing autism services and support, leaving those affected by the condition feeling isolated, ignored and often at breaking point."
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, an expert in autism at the University of Cambridge, said even when people were diagnosed they were often left "isolated, unemployed, lonely, and at risk of developing potentially preventable secondary depression".
"The hope is that this report will lead to a step change in how we meet the needs of this invisible group in our society."

Families share 'autistic traits'

'Autistic' brain changes may be seen in the relatives of those with autism

Relatives of people with autism may display autistic brain differences and behaviours despite not having the condition themselves, a study shows. New Scientist says the work could make it easier to spot families at risk of having an autistic child.
It could also help in the quest to find genetic and environmental triggers for the condition, experts hope.
Autism is a disorder that makes it hard for the individual to relate socially and emotionally to others.
'Autistic traits'
It affects about five in 10,000 people, predominantly boys and men, and is often also associated with learning disabilities.
The New Scientist piece reported on work presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience that took place in Washington DC this month.
Dr Eric Peterson, from the University of Colorado in Denver, spoke about his work comparing the brain scans of 40 parents with autistic children with those of 40 matched parents whose children did not have autism.
The parents of autistic children shared several differences in brain structure with their offspring, including an unexpected increase in the size of brain areas linked to movement planning and imitation - the motor cortex and basal ganglia.
However, a neighbouring brain area called the somatosensory cortex was smaller than average.
This region is important for understanding social information such as facial expressions - a skill autistic people often lack.
Brain changes
The cerebellum, which is important for co-ordinating movement, and a frontal region thought to play a key role in understanding the intentions of others were also smaller than average.
Another US study, led by Brendon Nacewicz from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, showed that the amygdala, a brain region involved in processing emotions, was shrunken in both autistic children and their brothers.

It is telling us that genes, as they run through families, are affecting brain function and structure not just in the person with autism but also in their first degree relatives Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of the Autism Research Centre, Cambridge

The brothers also avoided eye contact - a common feature of autism - just as strongly as their affected siblings, even though they did not have autism themselves.
Other researchers have been attempting to identify genes predisposing people to autism, which are thought to be as many as 20.
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, in the UK, said: "First-degree relatives - parents or siblings of those with autism - may have some but not all of those genes, which would explain why they do not have autism but do show some milder manifestations.
"We have known for years that family members of people with autism may share some traits.
"However, the finding that there are differences in brain structure in parents of children with autism compared to parents of children without autism is new.
"It is telling us that these genes, as they run through families, are affecting brain function and structure not just in the person with autism but also in their first degree relatives."
He said it was too early to use these brain changes to spot people who might be at risk of autism, but he added: "I'm sure that will come."

Fear centre 'shrinks' in autism

Fear centre 'shrinks' in autism

Autism impairs social interaction, communication, and imagination

A part of the brain associated with emotional learning and fear shrinks in people with autism, research suggests. Teenagers and young men with autism in the study who had the most severe social impairment were found to have smaller than normal amygdalae.
The researchers from the University of Wisconsin suggested the amygdalae may shrink due to chronic stress caused by social fear in childhood.
The study was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Of 54 male participants aged eight to 25 years who took part in the study, 23 had autism and five had Asperger syndrome.

We now need to discover if this neural difference is observed at the earliest point in development, and what causes this atypical development professor Simon Baron-Cohen

The size of the amygdalae, two almond-shaped groups of neurons located deep within the brain, was measured by MRI scans.
Individuals were also asked to complete tasks associated with social interaction such as eye tracking and recognising emotional facial expressions.
Men with autism who had small amygdalae were slowest to distinguish emotional from neutral expressions and showed the least fixation of eye regions.
The same individuals were the most socially impaired in early childhood.
The researchers also found a link with age suggesting that amygdala volume decreases from childhood into early adulthood in autistic people with the most severe social impairment.
Hyperactivity
Study leader Dr Richard Davidson said the findings pointed towards a model of autism where the brain first reacts to stress brought on by fear of people by becoming hyperactive, which eventually leads to cell death and shrinkage.
Children with autism who have the least difficulty with social interaction would have slower amygdala shrinkage than those who struggled the most.
He said the findings could account for more than half the differences in social impairment in people with autism.
An earlier study published by Dr Davidson reported that unaffected siblings of people with autism share some of the same differences in amygdala volume and the way they look at faces and process information about emotions.
He said: "Together, these results provide the first evidence linking objective measures of social impairment and amygdala structure and related brain function in autism.
"Finding many of the same differences, albeit more moderate, in well siblings helps to confirm that autism is likely the most severe expression of a broad spectrum of genetically-influenced characteristics."
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, said: "This paper provides important evidence that size of the amygdala is associated with autism severity and social skill.
"We now need to discover if this neural difference is observed at the earliest point in development, and what causes this atypical development."

autism adult

System 'failing autistic adults'

Emma Wilkinson Health reporter, BBC News

Adults with autism can become socially isolated

Thousands of people with autism in England are failing to get the diagnosis and specialist help they need, the National Audit Office says.

Most local authorities do not know how many adults with autism live in the area and provide no specific services.
Yet better support in areas such as housing and employment could save the taxpayer millions of pounds in the long run, a report concluded.
The government is due to publish its first autism strategy later this year.
People with autism struggle to communicate socially and have trouble understanding facial expressions and tone of voice and recognising emotions.
Around half of those with autism also have a learning disability, but for those who do not - those with high functioning autism, such as Asperger Syndrome - accessing support for housing, further education and employment can be particularly hard, the NAO said.
Three-quarters of local authorities have no commissioning plan in place for specialist autism services and 65% struggle to find appropriate housing.
The report also found that children with autism are often abandoned by specialist services when they turn 18, due to a lack of adult services or a proper transition plan.
Diagnosis
An average GP is thought to see two adults with undiagnosed high-functioning autism every six months.
But the vast majority say they need better training to identify and manage patients better.
And although there are education programmes now in place, there is still a lack of expertise at job centres, with only 200 of 500 disability advisors trained to help people with autism, the NAO said.

The hope is that this report will lead to a step change in how we meet the needs of this invisible group in our society Professor Simon Baron-Cohen

If local authorities identified just 4% of people with high-functioning autism, and offered them specialist support with living independently or getting a job, the cost would be cancelled out by savings in other areas, the NAO calculated.
Diagnosis and support for 8% of that population would actually save £67m a year, it added.
Mark Davies, NAO director of health value for money studies, said there would be people in their 40s and 50s who had never been diagnosed with the condition.
"We would like people to look at our report and the modelling we have done because we think there is a good case for having more specialist support."
Care services minister Phil Hope said the first ever autism strategy would be published at the end of 2009 and a study was being done to work out exactly how many adults have autism in England.
"Our commitment to do this will have the force of law - in the first ever Autism Bill going through parliament."

AUTISM IN ENGLAND An estimated 400,000 adults have autism Half of those do not have a learning disability Only 15% are in full-time employment

Geoffrey Maddrell, chairman of Research Autism, agreed there was an "appalling" lack of joined up and accessible provision for adults with autism.
"With the correct employment support and mentoring, many of these adults can sustain long-term education and career paths in various sectors.
"But at present this is not happening in many places."
Mark Lever, chief executive at the National Autistic Society, said the government could not ignore the "huge cost savings and benefits", identified by the NAO.
"Neither the government, people with autism nor the taxpayer are getting value for money from existing autism services and support, leaving those affected by the condition feeling isolated, ignored and often at breaking point."
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, an expert in autism at the University of Cambridge, said even when people were diagnosed they were often left "isolated, unemployed, lonely, and at risk of developing potentially preventable secondary depression".
"The hope is that this report will lead to a step change in how we meet the needs of this invisible group in our society."

poaching has put some rhino populations at risk of extinction.

Across Africa as a whole, rhinos have been on the increase

A rise in poaching has put some rhino populations at risk of extinction.
The wildlife trade organisation Traffic has documented a five-fold increase in the volume of rhino horn entering the illegal market between 2000 and 2005.
The populations most affected are in western and central Africa and Nepal, with one sub-species in Cameroon believed extinct already.
However, overall, rhinos are doing well with Africa-wide numbers increasing by about 6% every year.
The Traffic report was released at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) summit in The Hague.
"We are seeing an increase in the quantity of horn which is leaving the continent," said Simon Milledge, Traffic's deputy director for eastern and southern Africa.
"The main market remains in east and southeast Asia, as well as in the Middle East. It's a concern."
Poached to extinction
In the middle of the 1800s, there were probably more than a million black and white rhinos on the plains of Africa.
Rapacious hunting by European settlers brought numbers down spectacularly, and at one point the southern white was thought extinct.
Protective measures brought a reversal for both species, and in southern and eastern Africa, the revival continues, with countries such as Namibia and South Africa having found a new use for their rhinos as a tourist attraction.

Making conservation pay

Across the continent, there are now more than 14,000 white and nearly 4,000 black rhinos. Live animals can legally change hands for between $20,000 and $50,000 (£10-25,000), far more money than an illegally traded horn can bring.
The Traffic report names Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe as countries where protective measures have broken down.
An expedition in Cameroon last year found that the one remaining tiny population of the northern black rhino sub-species Diceros bicornis longipes had probably been poached to extinction.
DRC is home to the last four northern white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) in existence.
Hunting profits
Asian rhinos, meanwhile, show a mixed picture.
Indian populations are rising; but in Nepal, recent conflict has brought heavy poaching. And there are other problems in Indonesia.
"The Sumatran and Javan rhinos are very vulnerable," noted Simon Milledge.
"The greatest threat is habitat loss and the fragmentation of habitat; the threat of the horn trade is there, but it's mainly habitat issues for those two species."

Many of Nepal's large animals have been poached No peace dividend for wildlife

CITES voted through a resolution aimed at enhancing rhino protection through greater monitoring of both the animals and the horn trade, better co-operation between African range states, and an assessment of horn stockpiles.
A Kenyan amendment that stockpiles should be destroyed was defeated.
Earlier, another Kenyan proposal, to stop the annual export of five black rhino hunting trophies by Namibia and a further five by South Africa, was defeated. The exports had been approved at a previous CITES meeting, and South Africa says that its quota brings in nearly $1m per year which can be spent on conservation.
Traffic is a joint programme of the conservation group WWF and the IUCN, which is famous for drawing up the Red Lists that document the status of the planet's flora and fauna.