Measuring novice-expert sense of place for a far-away place: Implications for geoscience instruction.

Individuals usually develop a sense of place through lived experiences or travel. Here we introduce new and innovative tools to measure sense of place for remote, far-away locations, such as Greenland. We apply this methodology within place-based education to study whether we can distinguish a sense of place between those who have visited Greenland or are otherwise strongly connected to the place from those who never visited. Place-based education research indicates that an increased sense of place has a positive effect on learning outcomes. Thus, we hypothesize that vicarious experiences with a place result in a measurably stronger sense of place when compared to the sense of place of those who have not experienced the place directly. We studied two distinct groups; the first are people with a strong Greenland connection (experts, n = 93). The second are students who have never been there (novices, n = 142). Using i) emotional value attribution of words, ii) thematic analysis of phrases and iii) categorization of words, we show significant differences between novice's and expert's use of words and phrases to describe Greenland as a proxy of sense of place. Emotional value of words revealed statistically significant differences between experts and novices such as word power (dominance), feeling pleasantness (valence), and degree of arousal evoked by the word. While both groups have an overall positive impression of Greenland, 31% of novices express a neutral view with little to no awareness of Greenland (experts 4% neutral). We found differences between experts and novices along dimensions such as natural features; cultural attributes; people of Greenland; concerns, importance, or interest in and feeling connected to Greenland. Experts exhibit more complex place attributes, frequently using emotional words, while novices present a superficial picture of Greenland. Engaging with virtual environments may shift novice learners to a more expert-like sense of place, for a far-away places like Greenland, thus, we suggest virtual field trips can supplement geoscience teaching of concepts in far-away places like Greenland and beyond.

Apple consumption reduces markers of postprandial inflammation following a high fat meal in overweight and obese adults: A randomized, crossover trial.

High fat meal-induced postprandial inflammation is exacerbated in overweight and obesity and may contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study aimed to determine the effects of apples, rich in anti-inflammatory polyphenols, on biomarkers of postprandial inflammation in individuals with overweight and obesity. A randomized, crossover trial was conducted with n = 26 participants (17 female/9 male; mean age 45.5 ± 3.12 years; mean BMI 34.1 ± 1.18 kg m-2) to assess the effects of 3 whole Gala apples (∼200 g) on the 2, 4 and 6 h postprandial response to a high fat meal providing 1 g fat per kg body weight. Changes in plasma biomarkers of inflammation (as the primary outcome) and endotoxin exposure, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured. Fasting (0 h) and 4 h peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were also isolated from whole blood and stimulated with or without a physiological dose (10 ng mL-1) of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to measure secreted cytokines. Apples modulated postprandial plasma IFN-γ and reduced its peak concentration (-12.8%), and increased both 4 h (14.4%) and peak (10.5%) TAC (P < 0.05). In unstimulated and LPS-stimulated PBMC, apples reduced secreted IL-6 (-49.3% and -17.1%) and TNF-α (-43.3% and -14.7%) and increased IL-4 (93.1% and 15.8%) in both the unstimulated and LPS-stimulated conditions, as well as decreased GM-CSF (-26.0%) and IL-17 (-47.9%) in unstimulated PBMC and G-CSF (-19.8%) in LPS-stimulated PBMC (P < 0.05). These data suggest acute whole Gala apple consumption may be an effective dietary strategy to mitigate high fat meal-induced postprandial inflammation that exacerbates CVD risk in overweight and obesity. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03523403, The Apple Study: Investigating the Effects of Whole Apple Consumption on Risk Factors for Chronic Metabolic Diseases in Overweight and Obese Adults.

Daily apple consumption reduces plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell-secreted inflammatory biomarkers in adults with overweight and obesity: a 6-week randomized, controlled, parallel-arm trial.

BACKGROUND: Obesity-associated low-grade inflammation contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Apples are rich in anti-inflammatory bioactives including polyphenols and fiber. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the effects of regular apple consumption on fasting plasma biomarkers of inflammation (primary outcome), endotoxemia, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism (glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol; secondary outcomes), and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-secreted cytokines (secondary outcome) in individuals with overweight and obesity. METHODS: A randomized, controlled, parallel-arm trial was conducted with n = 46 participants. After avoiding foods and beverages rich in polyphenols and fiber for 2 wk, participants consumed 3 whole Gala apples (∼200 g edible parts)/d as part of their habitual diet (n = 23) or avoided apples (control, n = 23) for 6 wk. All participants limited consumption of polyphenols and fiber during the 6-wk trial. Fasting blood samples were collected before and after 6 wk for analysis of plasma biomarkers and isolation of PBMCs, which were cultured for 24 h unstimulated or stimulated with LPS (10 ng/mL). RESULTS: Forty-four participants completed the trial (30 female, 14 male; mean ± SEM age: 45.4 ± 2.2 y; BMI: 33.4 ± 0.9 kg/m2). After ANCOVA and correcting for multiple comparisons, apples decreased fasting plasma C-reactive protein by 17.0% (range: 14.3%-19.6%, P = 0.005), IL-6 by 12.4% (range: 6.7%-17.5%, P < 0.001), and LPS-binding protein by 20.7% (range: 14.1%-26.4%, P < 0.001) compared with control. Apples also decreased PBMC-secreted IL-6 by 28.3% (range: 22.4%-33.5%, P < 0.001) and IL-17 by 11.0% (range 5.8-15.6%, P = 0.003) in the unstimulated condition compared with control. Exploratory analysis showed apples also increased plasma total antioxidant capacity by 9.6% (range: 1.7-18.9%, P = 0.002) compared with control. However, apples had no effect on anthropometric or other CVD risk markers. CONCLUSIONS: Six-week daily whole Gala apple consumption may be an effective dietary strategy to mitigate the obesity-associated inflammation that exacerbates CVD risk, without weight loss. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03523403.