Food cost and availability in a rural setting in Australia

Introduction: The burden of chronic diseases is rapidly increasing worldwide. In&nbsp; Australia rural populations have a greater burden of disease. Chronic diseases are largely preventable with diet as a key risk factor. With respect to diet-related chronic disease, dietary risk may be due to poor food access, namely, poor availability and/or the high cost of healthy food. It is likely that poor food access is an issue in rural areas. Objective: To assess food access in rural south-west (SW) Victoria, Australia.Methods: A total of 53 supermarkets and grocery stores in 42 towns participated in a survey of food cost and availability in the rural area of SW Victoria. The survey assessed availability and cost of a Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) which was designed to meet the nutritional needs of a family of 6 for 2 weeks.Results: Seventy-two percent of the eligible shops in SW Victoria were surveyed. The study found that the complete HFAB was significantly more likely to be available in a town with a chain-owned store (p&lt;0.00). The complete HFAB was less likely to be available from an independently owned store in a town with only one grocery shop (p&lt;0.004). The average cost of the HFAB across SW Victoria was AU380.30 ± 25.10 (mean &plusmn; SD). There was a mean range in difference of cost of the HFAB of $36.92. In particular, high variability was found in the cost of fruits and vegetables.Conclusions: Cost and availability of healthy food may be compromised in rural areas. Implications: Improvements in food access in rural areas could reduce the high burden of disease suffered by rural communities.<br /

Cerebral blood flow predicts differential neurotransmitter activity

Application of metabolic magnetic resonance imaging measures such as cerebral blood flow in translational medicine is limited by the unknown link of observed alterations to specific neurophysiological processes. In particular, the sensitivity of cerebral blood flow to activity changes in specific neurotransmitter systems remains unclear. We address this question by probing cerebral blood flow in healthy volunteers using seven established drugs with known dopaminergic, serotonergic, glutamatergic and GABAergic mechanisms of action. We use a novel framework aimed at disentangling the observed effects to contribution from underlying neurotransmitter systems. We find for all evaluated compounds a reliable spatial link of respective cerebral blood flow changes with underlying neurotransmitter receptor densities corresponding to their primary mechanisms of action. The strength of these associations with receptor density is mediated by respective drug affinities. These findings suggest that cerebral blood flow is a sensitive brain-wide in-vivo assay of metabolic demands across a variety of neurotransmitter systems in humans

Procuring a sustainable future: an action learning approach to the development and modelling of ethical and sustainable procurement practices

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis GroupThis paper contributes to an understanding of the processes by which organisational actors learn how to affect positive and sustainable social change in their local region through action learning, action research and appreciative inquiry. The paper is based on a critically reflective account of key findings from an ongoing action research project, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The project is an attempt to alleviate poverty in the Leeds City Region through the identification and spread of ‘good practice’ in large local organisations. The paper is based on insights into the tensions involved in accomplishing such modes of action research and action learning in this particular context, and how these findings can relate to similar research in other domains of inquiry, action and cross-organisational learning. Through this, the paper discusses the inherent challenges faced when attempting to use action research and action learning approaches to help large organisations to learn and develop as ethical and sustainable agents

Cross-border trafficking in human beings: prevention and intervention strategies for reducing sexual exploitation

Over the years, growing attention has been given to the phenomenon of trafficking in human beings (THB). Sexual exploitation was until recently by far the most commonly identified feature of THB, followed by forced labour. Many activities to combat trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation have been initiated by numerous supranational, international as well as national organizations. Much is written about these initiatives, but some areas have been neglected. Knowledge on ‘what works’ is in particular limited. The growing attention to THB entails a demand for more information. The severity of the crime and the impact on its victims makes it of utmost importance to gain more insight into the working and effectiveness of anti-trafficking strategies and interventions. The main objective of this review was to assess the presently available evidence on the effects of interventions that aim to prevent and suppress trafficking in human beings

The Effect of pH and Mineralogy on the Retention of Polymeric Scale Inhibitors on Carbonate Rocks for Precipitation Squeeze Treatments

Abstract The bulk "apparent adsorption" behavior (Γapp, vs. Cf) of 2 polymeric scale inhibitors (SI), PPCA and PFC, onto carbonate mineral substrates has been studied for initial solution pH values of pH 2, 4 and 6. The 2 carbonate minerals used, calcite and dolomite, are much more chemically reactive than sandstone minerals (e.g. quartz, feldspars, clays etc.) which have already been studied extensively. In nearly all cases, precipitates formed at higher SI concentrations were due to the formation of sparingly soluble SI/Ca complexes. A systematic study has been carried out on the SI/Ca precipitates formed, by applying both ESEM/EDX and particle size analysis (PSA), and this identifies the morphology and the approximate composition of the precipitates. For PPCA, at all initial solution pH values, regions of pure adsorption (Γ) ([PPCA] &amp;lt;100ppm) and coupled adsorption/ precipitation (Γ/Π) are clearly observed for both calcite and dolomite. PFC at pH = 4 and 6 also showed very similar behavior with a region of pure adsorption (Γ) for [PFC] &amp;lt; 500ppm and a region of coupled adsorption/precipitation (Γ/Π) above this level. However, the PFC/calcite case at pH 2 showed only pure adsorption, while the PFC/dolomite case at pH 2 again showed coupled adsorption/ precipitation at higher PFC concentrations. For both SIs on both carbonate substrates, precipitation is the more dominant mechanism for SI retention than adsorption above a minimum concentration of ~100 – 500 ppm SI. The actual amount of precipitate formed varies from case to case, depending on the specific SI, substrate (calcite/dolomite) and initial pH (pH 2, 4 and 6). Although the qualitative behavior of both PPCA and PFC was similar on both carbonate substrates, the apparent adsorption of PPCA was higher on calcite than on dolomite; PFC apparent adsorption was higher on dolomite than on calcite. It is discussed in the paper how these observations are related to the reactivity of the different carbonate minerals, the resulting final pH (which affects the dissociation of the SI), Ca-SI binding and the solubility of the resulting complex.</jats:p

The second iteration of the Systems Prioritization Method: A systems prioritization and decision-aiding tool for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Volume 2, Summary of technical input and model implementation

The Systems Prioritization Method (SPM) is a decision-aiding tool developed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). SPM provides an analytical basis for supporting programmatic decisions for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to meet selected portions of the applicable US EPA long-term performance regulations. The first iteration of SPM (SPM-1), the prototype for SPM< was completed in 1994. It served as a benchmark and a test bed for developing the tools needed for the second iteration of SPM (SPM-2). SPM-2, completed in 1995, is intended for programmatic decision making. This is Volume II of the three-volume final report of the second iteration of the SPM. It describes the technical input and model implementation for SPM-2, and presents the SPM-2 technical baseline and the activities, activity outcomes, outcome probabilities, and the input parameters for SPM-2 analysis