Persuading young consumers to make healthy nutritional decisions.

There is widespread concern that consumers are making inappropriate decisions about what they eat, leading to a growing incidence of obesity and chronic illness which will strain public health budgets and damage economic competitiveness. Inappropriate nutritional decisions and obesity are of particular public policy importance where young consumers are concerned. The paper investigates how consumers, particularly young consumers, can be persuaded to make better nutritional decisions voluntarily, and how government and commercial persuasive communications can be deployed to facilitate such decisions. The key conclusions are that the mass media are not a reliable vehicle for bringing about the desired behavioural changes, but that new media, such as the Internet and ‘text messaging’ should be used to deliver tailored messages to individuals, particularly younger consumers

Effect of sugar replacement with stevianna and inulin on the texture and predictive glycaemic response of muffins

The application of sugar replacers used in bakery products is of growing interest to the food industry, as it provides the possibility of delivering products with reduced energy and sugar. The aim of this study was to investigate the textural properties and glycaemic responses of muffins made using stevianna and inulin. Two levels of sugar replacer were used (50% and 100%). Total replacement of sucrose gave muffins with a firmer texture than the control (P < 0.05); 50% replacement, however, gave a similar texture to control. The predicted glycaemic response was reduced in sugar-replaced muffins compared to control samples. In particular, the replacement of sucrose with 100% stevianna caused a significant decrease in the standardised area under the curve values. Therefore, there exists the potential to regulate the glycaemic response of muffins by the incorporation of 50% stevianna or 50% inulin without affecting their textural properties

Affinity and ambiguity in designerly leadership

This paper discusses a new theory of Designerly Leadership in response to major disruptions in the ways that products and services are designed, made, and distributed. We outline an experientially derived framing of what it means to lead in a designerly fashion, particularly focusing on how leaders modulate their perceptions of affinity and develop extended methods for working with ambiguity. We then propose a series of ways that programs wanting to educate design managers for strategic roles could build and support this capacity in their graduates

Leading through design: developing skills for affinity and ambiguity

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Space station propulsion requirements study

Propulsion system requirements to support Low Earth Orbit (LEO) manned space station development and evolution over a wide range of potential capabilities and for a variety of STS servicing and space station operating strategies are described. The term space station and the overall space station configuration refers, for the purpose of this report, to a group of potential LEO spacecraft that support the overall space station mission. The group consisted of the central space station at 28.5 deg or 90 deg inclinations, unmanned free-flying spacecraft that are both tethered and untethered, a short-range servicing vehicle, and a longer range servicing vehicle capable of GEO payload transfer. The time phasing for preferred propulsion technology approaches is also investigated, as well as the high-leverage, state-of-the-art advancements needed, and the qualitative and quantitative benefits of these advancements on STS/space station operations. The time frame of propulsion technologies applicable to this study is the early 1990's to approximately the year 2000

Metal nanofilm in strong ultrafast optical fields

We predict that a metal nanofilm subjected to an ultrashort (single oscillation) optical pulse of a high field amplitude $\sim 3 \mathrm{V/\AA}$ at normal incidence undergoes an ultrafast (at subcycle times $\lesssim 1 \mathrm{fs}$) transition to a state resembling semimetal. Its reflectivity is greatly reduced, while the transmissivity and the optical field inside the metal are greatly increased. The temporal profiles of the optical fields are predicted to exhibit pronounced subcycle oscillations, which are attributed to the Bloch oscillations and formation of the Wannier-Stark ladder of electronic states. The reflected, transmitted, and inside-the-metal pulses have non-zero areas approaching half-cycle pulses. The effects predicted are promising for applications to nanoplasmonic modulators and field-effect transistors with petahertz bandwidth

“I always feel like I have to rush…”: pet owner and small animal veterinary surgeons’ reflections on time during preventative healthcare consultations in the United Kingdom

Canine and feline preventative healthcare consultations can be more complex than other consultation types, but they are typically not allocated additional time in the United Kingdom (UK). Impacts of the perceived length of UK preventative healthcare consultations have not previously been described. The aim of this novel study was to provide the first qualitative description of owner and veterinary surgeon reflections on time during preventative healthcare consultations. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 14 veterinary surgeons and 15 owners about all aspects of canine and feline preventative healthcare consultations. These qualitative data were thematically analysed, and four key themes identified. This paper describes the theme relating to time and consultation length. Patient, owner, veterinary surgeon and practice variables were recalled to impact the actual, versus allocated, length of a preventative healthcare consultation. Preventative healthcare consultations involving young, old and multi-morbid animals and new veterinary surgeon-owner partnerships appear particularly susceptible to time pressures. Owners and veterinary surgeons recalled rushing and minimizing discussions to keep consultations within their allocated time. The impact of the pace, content and duration of a preventative healthcare consultation may be influential factors in consultation satisfaction. These interviews provide an important insight into the complex nature of preventative healthcare consultations and the behaviour of participants under different perceived time pressures. These data may be of interest and relevance to all stakeholders in dog and cat preventative healthcare

Investigating preventive-medicine consultations in first-opinion small-animal practice in the United Kingdom using direct observation

Preventive-medicine consultations account for a large proportion of the veterinary caseload and previous research has suggested these consultations are fundamentally different from those in which the animal is presented for a specific health problem. There has been recent controversy around some aspects of preventive medicine for cats and dogs, and the full health benefits of the preventive-medicine consultation remain unclear. The aim of this study was to compare characteristics of the consultation and the problems discussed during the consultation between preventive-medicine consultations and other types of consultations. Data were gathered during direct observation of small-animal consultations in seven first-opinion practices in the United Kingdom. Data collected included type of clinical examination performed, patient signalment, and details of all problems discussed (including whether the problem was presenting or non-presenting, new or pre-existing, who had raised the problem, body system affected and whether an action was taken). A two-level multivariable logistic-regression model was developed, with canine and feline patients at Level 1 nested within consulting veterinary surgeons at Level 2, and a binary outcome variable of preventive-medicine consultation versus specific health-problem consultation. A total of 1807 patients were presented, of which 690 (38.2%) presented for a preventive-medicine consultation. Dogs were the most frequently presented species (n = 1168; 64.6%) followed by cats (n = 510; 28.2%), rabbits (n = 86; 4.8%) and patients of other species (n = 43; 2.4%). The five variables remaining in the multi-level model were whether multiple patients were presented, patient age, clinical examination type, weighing and number of problems discussed. Species, breed, sex, neutering status and practice did not remain in the final model. Many non-presenting problems, including both preventive-medicine problems and specific-health problems, were discussed and acted upon during all types of consultations. Dental and behavioural non-presenting problems were discussed more frequently during preventive-medicine consultations compared with specific health-problem consultations. Preventive-medicine consultations represent an opportunity for veterinary surgeons to discuss other aspects of preventive medicine, and to detect and manage new and ongoing health problems. A greater evidence base is needed to understand whether detecting and managing underlying disease during the preventive-medicine consultation has a positive impact on lifelong patient health and welfare

Diagnostic testing in first opinion small animal consultations

DIAGNOSTIC testing is a vital part of the decision-making process, which aims to increase diagnostic certainty, assist management and treatment decisions and provide a prognosis (Radostits and others 2000). A wide range of tests are available, with variable accuracy, expense and risk to the patient, but it is currently unclear how veterinary surgeons are making decisions about which tests to carry out. Understanding the decision-making process is vital in order to ensure that the decisions made during the consultation are based on the best relevant evidence. However, before decision-making around diagnostic testing can be understood, it is neccessary to know which tests are performed most frequently. This may be useful for veterinary practices, for example, when making business decisions surrounding diagnostic equipment and in-house training, and could also help direct veterinary curricula and research. The aim of this study was to describe the diagnostic tests commonly performed in a convenience sample of first opinion small animal consultations. Data collection took place over 16 weeks (two weeks each in eight different practices) as part of data gathered for a larger project (Robinson and others 2014a). A previously developed data collection tool (Robinson and others 2014a) was used to record consultation data by direct observation. Data were recorded on all health problems discussed, including the reason for presentation (the presenting problem) and all additional problems discussed (non-presenting problems). For each health problem discussed, the type of diagnostic test(s) was recorded by selecting one option from: None; In-consultation; Post-consultation; Both. Clinical examination, as defined by Robinson and others (2014b), was not considered to be a diagnostic