There is nothing like an oat

The items reports on first year trials in of the “Quoats” project. It’s well known that oats are generally a good fit in organic rotations and the “Quoats” project – Harnessing new technologies for sustainable oat production and utilisation – aims to make them even better. This five year (2009 – 2014) research project, led by IBERS, Aberystwyth University, brings together a wide range of organisations in the supply chain, from breeders to end-users, to improve the quality and performance of oats. As part of the project, ORC is carrying out field trials to assess the suitability of new oat lines for organic management systems, with particular emphasis on nutrient use efficiency. Eight varieties are being trialled at Wakelyns Agroforestry, Suffolk, including some naked oats, i.e. hull-less oats. The paper reports some first results

Characteristics of 5-year-olds who catch-up with MMR: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Objectives To examine predictors of partial and full measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination catch-up between 3 and 5 years. Design Secondary data analysis of the nationally representative Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Setting Children born in the UK, 2000–2002. Participants 751 MCS children who were unimmunised against MMR at age 3, with immunisation information at age 5. Main outcome measures Catch-up status: unimmunised (received no MMR), partial catch-up (received one MMR) or full catch-up (received two MMRs). Results At age 5, 60.3% (n=440) children remained unvaccinated, 16.1% (n=127) had partially and 23.6% (n=184) had fully caught-up. Children from families who did not speak English at home were five times as likely to partially catch-up than children living in homes where only English was spoken (risk ratio 4.68 (95% CI 3.63 to 6.03)). Full catch-up was also significantly more likely in those did not speak English at home (adjusted risk ratio 1.90 (1.08 to 3.32)). In addition, those from Pakistan/Bangladesh (2.40 (1.38 to 4.18)) or ‘other’ ethnicities (such as Chinese) (1.88 (1.08 to 3.29)) were more likely to fully catch-up than White British. Those living in socially rented (1.86 (1.34 to 2.56)) or ‘Other’ (2.52 (1.23 to 5.18)) accommodations were more likely to fully catch-up than home owners, and families were more likely to catch-up if they lived outside London (1.95 (1.32 to 2.89)). Full catch-up was less likely if parents reported medical reasons (0.43 (0.25 to 0.74)), a conscious decision (0.33 (0.23 to 0.48)), or ‘other’ reasons (0.46 (0.29 to 0.73)) for not immunising at age 3 (compared with ‘practical’ reasons). Conclusions Parents who partially or fully catch-up with MMR experience practical barriers and tend to come from disadvantaged or ethnic minority groups. Families who continue to reject MMR tend to have more advantaged backgrounds and make a conscious decision to not immunise early on. Health professionals should consider these findings in light of the characteristics of their local populations

Tackling child sexual exploitation: a study of current practice in London

This report was commissioned by London Councils and the London Safeguarding Children Board and written by Beckett, H; Firmin, C; Hynes, P and Pearce JIn autumn 2013, London Councils commissioned a team of researchers from the University of Bedfordshire to map current responses to child sexual exploitation (CSE) across London. This summary report presents an overview of the key findings of the study; please refer to the full report for further details on, and context to, the study.1 The study was conducted in October / November 2013. The findings are drawn from an in-depth quantitative survey (completed by 30 London boroughs and local safeguarding children boards) and eight semi-structured interviews with statutory and voluntary sector providers. The report provides a snapshot of current responses to CSE across London, in relation to: Local scoping of the issue; Local policies and procedures; Training and awareness raising; Identification and early intervention (re. victims and perpetrators); Responding to cases of CSE (re. victims and perpetrators); and Overarching reflections on progress and challenges. Although there is still much progress to be made, the report encouragingly demonstrates that significant work is underway within this field, with pertinent learning emerging from a number of different boroughs

Promoting smart travel through tax policy

This article discusses the need for the Australian Government to explore smart commuting policies due to the impact of using passenger motor vehicles on negative transport externalities, such as congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, health and safety, energy security and economic prosperity. The lack of tax incentives and the convenience of parking facilities provided by employers are barriers to the adoption of travel smart choices. This article explores the tax constraints that hinder smart commuting and examines how a subsidy for smart commuting can be provided through tax policy changes, especially the fringe benefits tax. In the authors’ opinion, the Australian Government should follow the example of other countries that are using taxation as a tool to promote alternative travelling initiatives, such as the transit program in the United States, the Cycle to Work Alliance in the United Kingdom, and the income tax exemption in Ireland

A win-win for legume mixtures

The inter-relationship between food production and biodiversity is now well established. The ecosystem services provided by the organisms within the environment include, for example, nutrient cycling, pest regulation and pollination, to name but a few. However, perhaps the greatest challenge now facing agricultural production is to find ways of enhancing these ecosystem services, while at the same time increasing food production – particularly in light of food security issues. A range of farm and landscape management options include ‘setting aside’ land for wildlife. However, some proponents argue that such land should be used for food production. While the debate continues, there is no doubt that a large body of scientific evidence from the last three decades highlights the wildlife benefits of organic farming. This article will describe how the Legume LINK project has identified a win-win system for biodiversity conservation and increased productivity through legume-base fertility building. Although this project has focused on organic farming systems, it is of direct relevance to non-organic production, particularly with the increasing interest in legumes across the industry

The Ripple Effect: Promoting a Supportive Secondary School Culture by Mobilising Bystanders to Bullying

The social context of bullying is pivotal with peers present as bystanders to the majority of school bullying interactions. Bystander responses can impact profoundly on the maintenance and course of school bullying and range from inciting the bullying through joining in or assisting the perpetrator, or inhibiting the bullying through actively intervening and supporting the bullied student. This qualitative study sought to elicit students’ perceptions of the bystander role and recommendations of the supports needed at the school level to encourage positive bystander behavior

Research into gang-associated sexual exploitation and sexual violence : interim report

The research has been commissioned by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England (OCC) as part of their Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups (CSEGG).This report presents the interim findings of a two year study into gang-associated sexual exploitation and violenc

"It's wrong - but you get used to it" : a qualitative study of gang-associated sexual violence towards, and exploitation of, young people in England

A report commissioned by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and GroupsThe research was commissioned by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England as part of its Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups. The research aimed to consider: the scale and nature of gang-associated sexual violence and exploitation in six areas of England; the main pathways into gang-related sexual violence and exploitation for young people living in these neighbourhoods; and potential models for an effective multi-agency response to the issue

Applications of crop competitive ability in winter oats (Avena sativa L.)

Crop competition is a key component of an integrated approach to weed management. Variation in competitive ability and competitive traits have been identified in many other crop species, however little work has been done on oats. Trials were carried out over four years at one organic site with five husked and three naked oat varieties. Mid-season Leaf Area Index (LAI) and tillering ability were identified as weed suppressive traits using path analysis. Differences in weed tolerance were found among varieties. Trade-offs may exist between competitive traits and yield potential which could be optimised by limiting competitive traits later in the season. Selection of competitive traits with high heritability, whilst minimising yield penalties, could be applied in breeding programmes to develop varieties with greater weed competitive ability

The future of working from home in the public sector: What does the evidence tell us?

The COVID-19 pandemic created a working from home experiment for the public sector. This paper examines what might happen next as countries move towards a COVID-normal environment. Since the academic literature on public sector agencies and working from home since the onset of the pandemic is scant, we focus on the non-peer-reviewed literature as our evidence base. This paper identifies the main issues public sector agencies need to consider as new ways of working emerge. The key facets are emerging preferences for hybrid working, productivity and remote working, and impacts of working from home on employees, especially gender equality. We highlight a range of emerging challenges, including how to maintain productivity, the need to redevelop employee value propositions to attract and retain employees in this changing landscape, and the risks of proximity bias. We conclude by identifying questions to be addressed in subsequent research