Report on the evaluation of the 1994 Western Australian Transition Support Program for students with disabilities

The Transition Support Program described in this report is the Western Australian Transition Support Program for students with disabilities, a pilot program funded by the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET) under the Transition Support Component of the National Equity Program for Schools. 1.1 BACKGROUND Major changes are evident in the expectations for and aspirations of students with disabilities, particularly as they move from school attendance to community options. This has resulted in an increasing focus on the need for policy and program development to support students as they make the transition from school into adult life..

Molecular features of biguanides required for targeting of mitochondrial respiratory complex I and activation of AMP-kinase.

BACKGROUND: The biguanides are a family of drugs with diverse clinical applications. Metformin, a widely used anti-hyperglycemic biguanide, suppresses mitochondrial respiration by inhibiting respiratory complex I. Phenformin, a related anti-hyperglycemic biguanide, also inhibits respiration, but proguanil, which is widely used for the prevention of malaria, does not. The molecular structures of phenformin and proguanil are closely related and both inhibit isolated complex I. Proguanil does not inhibit respiration in cells and mitochondria because it is unable to access complex I. The molecular features that determine which biguanides accumulate in mitochondria, enabling them to inhibit complex I in vivo, are not known. RESULTS: Here, a family of seven biguanides are used to reveal the molecular features that determine why phenformin enters mitochondria and inhibits respiration whereas proguanil does not. All seven biguanides inhibit isolated complex I, but only four of them inhibit respiration in cells and mitochondria. Direct conjugation of a phenyl group and bis-substitution of the biguanide moiety prevent uptake into mitochondria, irrespective of the compound hydrophobicity. This high selectivity suggests that biguanide uptake into mitochondria is protein mediated, and is not by passive diffusion. Only those biguanides that enter mitochondria and inhibit complex I activate AMP kinase, strengthening links between complex I and the downstream effects of biguanide treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Biguanides inhibit mitochondrial complex I, but specific molecular features control the uptake of substituted biguanides into mitochondria, so only some biguanides inhibit mitochondrial respiration in vivo. Biguanides with restricted intracellular access may be used to determine physiologically relevant targets of biguanide action, and for the rational design of substituted biguanides for diverse clinical applications

Rain Water Harvesting for Enhanced Household Water, Food and Nutritional Security: Case Study of Kitui West, Lower Yatta and Matinyani Districts, Kenya

In semi-arid areas of Kenya, over dependence on agriculture, low and unreliable rainfall and high livestock numbers, justify the considerations of rainwater harvesting for agricultural production. A step by step is now taken by the respective government agencies and non-governmental organizations to promote rainwater harvesting, as well as promoting it to the public. This study conducted a focused evaluation of the residents’ experience towards the effectiveness of rainwater harvesting system in the context of minimizing the environmental problems, the benefits associated with rainwater harvesting, the implementation issue in relation to rainwater harvesting and adoption of greenhouse technology as a paradigm shift from open field cultivation. Research was conducted among 387 respondents: 109 in Kitui West, 104 in Matinyani and 124 in Lower Yatta districts of Kitui County, Kenya. The methodology adopted used semi-structured questionnaire survey and the data was analyzed using the SPSS. The study revealed that 56.3 % of the families are female- headed while 43.7% are male headed. Agriculture is a common practice in the study area because 90.4 % of the respondents had above ½ of their lands utilized.  However, it is practiced using traditional farm implements such as hoes and simple harvesting implements as affirmed by 46.3 % of the respondents. It was found that water pans are the main sources of water in the area with only 67.2 % able to access it. However, only 55.2 % of the households could access water of above 200 liters on a daily basis and owing to the average family size of 4-6 members in the study area. The use of greenhouse technology is not popular because only 11.3 % of the respondents owned greenhouses while 85.8 % of the respondents said they wanted to own greenhouses. Surprisingly, those who own greenhouse have never made money from this technology. Keywords: Rainwater harvesting, semi-arid areas, greenhouse technology, food security, respondent

Relationship between nitrate and nitrite stress responses of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough and Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20

Many heavy metal-contaminated sites where nuclear weapons have been produced contain high concentrations of nitrate. Nitrate inhibits dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), bacteria known to precipitate heavy metals. An understanding of nitrate stress responses in SRB is necessary to predict responses in environmental settings. Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough and Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20, model SRB, offer the opportunity to identify the physiological and genetic changes that confer nitrate resistance. It is currently thought that nitrite production mediates nitrate inhibition of SRB (He et al., 2010). However, microarray studies have revealed few gene expression changes in common between nitrate- and nitrite-inhibited D. vulgaris cells (He et al., 2010). Since it has been shown that nitrite interacts with the dissimilatory sulfite reductase (Wolfe et al., 1994), it has been assumed that sulfite reduction is the sole target of nitrite inhibition (Haveman et al., 2004). Our results point to inhibition and resistance mechanisms for both nitrate and nitrite that are independent of sulfite reduction

Association between food for life, a whole setting healthy and sustainable food programme, and primary school children’s consumption of fruit and vegetables: A Cross-Sectional study in England

© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The promotion of dietary health is a public health priority in England and in other countries. Research shows that the majority of children do not consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables (F&V). There has been relatively little research on the impact of programmes, such as Food for Life, that (a) integrate action on nutrition and food sustainability issues, and (b) are delivered as commissions in a local authority area. The study sought to assess pupil F&V in schools engaged with the Food for Life (FFL) programme. The design was a cross-sectional study comparing pupils in FFL engaged (n = 24) and non-engaged (n = 23) schools. A total of 2411 pupils aged 8-10 completed a validated self-report questionnaire. After adjusting for confounders, pupils in schools engaged with FFL consumed significantly more servings of F&V compared to pupils in comparison schools (M = 2.03/1.54, p < 0.001). Pupils in FFL schools were twice as likely to eat five or more portions of F&V per day (Odds Ratio = 2.07, p < 0.001, Confidence Interval = 1.54, 2.77). Total F&V consumption was significantly higher (p < 0.05) amongst pupils in schools with a higher level FFL award. Whilst limitations include possible residual confounding, the study suggests primary school engagement with the FFL programme may be an effective way of improving children’s dietary health

Food for life: A social return on investment analysis of the locally commissioned programme. Full Report

A Social Return on Investment Analysis of two locally commissioned Food for Life programme

Evaluation of Food for Life 2013-15: Summary and synthesis report

This is the final report of the phase two evaluation of Food for Life undertaken by the University of the West of England, Bristol 2013-15. The research encompassed five workstreams: 1.Long term impacts and durability - understanding how and why the Food for Life approach is embedded in schools for the medium to long-term. 2.Review of local commissions - understanding strategic support for Food for Life, and recommending monitoring and evaluation systems.3.Cross sectional study of pupils’ diets in Food for Life local commissions - evaluating Food for Life’s impact on healthy eating behaviours in schools in local commission areas. 4.New settings - exploring innovative approaches to extending the Food for Life whole setting approach beyond schools.5.Social value of Food for Life in local authority commissions – understanding the social, health, economic and environmental value of Food for Life commissions. The report presents summaries of the findings of each workstream, discusses themes emerging across the research, and sets out recommendations for Food for Life and associated evaluation activity