University of North London

About: University of North London is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Crystal structure & Polymer. The organization has 543 authors who have published 865 publications receiving 20388 citations.

The development of waist circumference percentiles in British children aged 5.0–16.9 y

Abstract: Objective: To develop waist circumference percentile curves for British children and to compare these curves with those from other countries. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: School-aged population. Subjects: A representative sample of school children from the geographical regions of Great Britain, approximately in proportion to their age distribution. The sample population consisted of 8355 children (3585 males, 4770 females) with ages ranging between 5.0 and 16.9 y. Interventions: Waist circumferences were measured with a flexible non-elastic tape and waist circumference percentiles were constructed and smoothed using the LMS method. Main outcome measures: Smoothed waist circumference percentile curves. Results: Mean waist circumference increased with age in both boys and girls. For girls, curves began to plateau after the age of 13 y whereas, for boys, waist percentile curves continued to increase more sharply after this age. However, these curves mainly reflect the patterns of waist circumference in Caucasian children. Conclusions: These curves represent the first waist circumference percentiles for British children and could be used provisionally for both clinical and possibly epidemiological use, although they should be validated against equivalent longitudinal data. Sponsorship: This project has been sponsored by UNL Diversity and Development Fund. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2001) 55, 902–907

Location branding: A study of the branding practices of 12 English cities

Abstract: The practice of branding geographic locations such as countries, regions, cities and towns is increasing, yet there is a paucity of published research on the topic. The literature, such as it is, suggests that branding in such cases is at best complex and at worst impossible. This paper reports on a qualitative study of 12 ‘cities’ in the UK which sought to explore the role which branding plays in the marketing of these locations. The study purposefully excluded large cities such as London, Manchester and Glasgow, which have received extensive media attention. The results suggest that branding as a concept was seen as relevant but not always understood or applied effectively. The study provides insights into the key factors which affect the development of locations as brands. The four factors identified as being of particular significance were organisational complexity and control, the management of partnerships, product complexity and the measurement of success. The study concludes, nevertheless, that the branding of locations is not impossible and recommends an agenda for future research to address the key factors identified.

Children's independent spatial mobility in the urban public realm

Abstract: This article examines children's spatial mobility in urban settings. Through data from a study of children living in contrasting urban environments, London and a lower-density new town, the article focuses on how children move around in the public realm. The data show that there are significant variations in how contemporary children use their public spaces. Children's freedom to move around their neighbourhood was greatest in the new town. Girls and minority ethnic children were more restricted in their use of urban space. Comparison with previous research suggests a decrease in independent use of public space for 10/11-year-old English children since the 1970s. It is argued that future debate about children's place in the city should move away from 'the unitary public child'. Lack of attention to the different ways children use their cities will hinder advances in social policies designed to enhance participation for all children. KW: SR2S

Brain-specific lipids from marine, lacustrine, or terrestrial food resources: potential impact on early African Homo sapiens.

Abstract: The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of the mammalian central nervous system is almost wholly composed of two long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA). PUFA are dietarily essential, thus normal infant/neonatal brain, intellectual growth and development cannot be accomplished if they are deficient during pregnancy and lactation. Uniquely in the human species, the fetal brain consumes 70% of the energy delivered to it by mother. DHA and AA are needed to construct placental and fetal tissues for cell membrane growth, structure and function. Contemporary evidence shows that the maternal circulation is depleted of AA and DHA during fetal growth. Sustaining normal adult human brain function also requires LC-PUFA.Homo sapiens is unlikely to have evolved a large, complex, metabolically expensive brain in an environment which did not provide abundant dietary LC-PUFA. Conversion of 18-carbon PUFA from vegetation to AA and DHA is considered quantitatively insufficient due to a combination of high rates of PUFA oxidation for energy, inefficient and rate limited enzymatic conversion and substrate recycling. The littoral marine and lacustrine food chains provide consistently greater amounts of pre-formed LC-PUFA than the terrestrial food chain. Dietary levels of DHA are 2.5-100 fold higher for equivalent weights of marine fish or shellfish vs. lean or fat terrestrial meats. Mammalian brain tissue and bird egg yolks, especially from marine birds, are the richest terrestrial sources of LC-PUFA. However, land animal adipose fats have been linked to vascular disease and mental ill-health, whereas marine lipids have been demonstrated to be protective. At South African Capesites, large shell middens and fish remains are associated with evidence for some of the earliest modern humans. Cape sites dating from 100 to 18 kya cluster within 200 km of the present coast. Evidence of early H. sapiens is also found around the Rift Valley lakes and up the Nile Corridor into the Middle East; in some cases there is an association with the use of littoral resources. Exploitation of river, estuarine, stranded and spawning fish, shellfish and sea bird nestlings and eggs by Homo could have provided essential dietary LC-PUFA for men, women, and children without requiring organized hunting/fishing, or sophisticated social behavior. It is however, predictable from the present evidence that exploitation of this food resource would have provided the advantage in multi-generational brain development which would have made possible the advent of H. sapiens. Restriction to land based foods as postulated by the savannah and other hypotheses would have led to degeneration of the brain and vascular system as happened without exception in all other land based apes and mammals as they evolved larger bodies.