Localism: a planning panacea?

© 2019 Liverpool University Press. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.2019.31It has been observed that there is a 'global trend' towards devolution of power from national governments to regional and local authorities, and planning is one of the activities often devolved. In England, the UK government has since 2011 gone further and, it claims, devolved planning powers to the community level. The introduction of a new form of statutory planning - neighbourhood planning - was heralded by the UK government as an embodiment of their commitment to 'localism', representing a shift from top-down to bottom-up control in the English planning system. This Policy and Practice explores some of the tensions inherent in localism as exemplified through the practical implementation of neighbourhood planning.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Recent advances in the application of stable isotope ratio analysis in forensic chemistry

This review paper updates the previous literature in relation to the continued and developing use of stable isotope ratio analysis in samples which are relevant to forensic science. Recent advances in the analysis of drug samples, explosive materials, and samples derived from human and animal samples are discussed. The paper also aims to put the use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry into a forensic context and discuss its evidential potential

Effect of physical inactivity on the oxidation of saturated and monounsaturated dietary Fatty acids: results of a randomized trial

OBJECTIVES: Changes in the way dietary fat is metabolized can be considered causative in obesity. The role of sedentary behavior in this defect has not been determined. We hypothesized that physical inactivity partitions dietary fats toward storage and that a resistance exercise training program mitigates storage

The dispersion state of milk fat influences triglyceride metablism in the rat A13CO2 breath test study

Background Milk fat, which has different structures in the various dairy products, is a major and controversial lipid source in the Western diet. However, information about the digestion fate of milk fat depending on its supramolecular structure for a given composition is scarce. Aim of the study In this study, 13CO2 breath tests were performed with fasted rats force–fed different dairy preparations of similar composition but differing in fat suprastructure in order to highlight differences of general lipid metabolism. Methods Each preparation consisted of a NaCl solution, anhydrous milk fat labelled with a 13C mixed triacylglycerol, casein (as native phosphocaseinate powder with some lactose), and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Milk fat was either fed (i) unemulsified consecutively to the aqueous phase, or emulsified as (ii) coarse droplets of ∼10 µm covered mainly with the phospholipid, or (iii–iv) fine droplets of ∼1 µm covered mainly with casein, force–fed either in the liquid state or in a semi–crystallized state. 13C abundance in expired air samples was measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry; results were expressed as 13C enrichment and were submitted to an ANOVA analysis. Results The 13CO2 excretion curves of the unemulsified preparation and the coarse emulsion were similar and presented a sharp peak, both significantly different from the fine emulsion curves characterized by a nearly linear cumulative recovery. The crystalline state of the fine emulsion droplets and the viscosity of these emulsions did not affect significantly their excretion curves. The lipid metabolization (indicated by the 13C recovery) was significantly slower for the fine droplets coated with casein than for the large droplets coated with the phospholipid and the unemulsified fat. For the latter, a single 13C peak rapidly appeared, while for small droplets coated with caseins, 13C excretion was continuous up to 6 h. Conclusions Global lipid metabolism based on oxidation to CO2 was decreased with smaller compared to larger emulsified milk fat particles with different coatings. These data support the concept that dairy products with different fat suprastructures are digested and metabolized differently

Physical and mental health burden in cases of bipolar disorder classified as current, former, or non-tobacco smokers

International audienceBACKGROUND:Tobacco smoking increases the global burden of bipolar disorder (BD). We examined markers of physical and mental health that are associated with tobacco smoking, controlling for confounders that have not always been considered in previous studies of BD.METHODS:Over 600 individuals with BD I or II referred to the French Network for bipolar disorder (FACE-BD) who completed standardized assessments, and could be reliably classified as current (CS) or former smokers (FS), were compared with those who were never smokers (NS) on: BD symptom load and psychiatric comorbidities; prevalence of alcohol and substance use disorders (ASUD); medication usage; functioning and physical health parameters. The bivariate and multivariate analyses took into account age and gender.RESULTS:300 cases (49%) were CS, 78 (13%) FS and 238 (39%) had never smoked. Rates were similar across genders regardless of BD subtype. Compared with NS, CS were more likely to have an ASUD (Odds Ratio (OR) 5.18), BD I (OR 2.09), and lower abdominal obesity (OR 0.97), and FS were more likely to have an ASUD (OR 6.32) and higher abdominal obesity (OR 1.03).LIMITATIONS:The sample comprised of white Europeans; the FS subgroup was relatively small and we did not apply any statistical correction for the bivariate analyses.CONCLUSIONS:The increased risk of physical and mental health burden in CS and FS compared to NS represents avoidable morbidity in BD. This study offers support to the argument that individuals with BD should be routinely offered support to prevent or stop tobacco smoking