Eating Oil

The food system is now even more based on cheap crude oil. Every time we eat, we are all essentially ‘eating oil’. Virtually all of the processes in the modern food system are now dependent upon this finite resource which is nearing its depletion phase. Moreover, at a time when we should be making massive cuts in the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in order to reduce the threat posed by climate change, the food system is lengthening its supply chains and increasing emissions to the point where it is a significant contributor to global warming. The organic sector should be leading the development of a sustainable food system. Direct environmental and ecological impacts of agriculture ‘on the farm’ are certainly reduced in organic systems. However, global trade and distribution of organic products fritter away those benefits and undermine its leadership role. Not only is the contemporary food system inherently unsustainable, increasingly it is damaging the environment. A different approach - focussed on localization not globalisation - needs to be developed in order to ensure “food supply in a changing climate”

EFRC Bulletin 77

EFRC's regular newletter covering policy, agricutlural research, policy and advisory wor

Why are we not getting better at Data Disposal?

This paper describes two sets of research, the first of which has been carried out over a period of four years into the levels and types of information that can be found on computer hard disks that are offered for sale on the second hand market. The second research project examined a number of second-hand hand held devices including PDAs, mobile (cell) phones and RIM Blackberry devices. The primary purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of the reasons for the failure to effectively remove potentially sensitive information from the disks and handheld devices. Other objectives included determining whether there were regional variations in the results and whether there had been any changes in the results detected over time. From the research it was possible to develop advice on the measures that could be adopted to reduce the level of data being inadvertently released into the public domain. Keywords: Disk Study, mobile device, security data destruction, disk erasur

Influences on the Uptake of and Engagement With Health and Well-Being Smartphone Apps: Systematic Review

Background: The public health impact of health and well-being digital interventions is dependent upon sufficient real-world uptake and engagement. Uptake is currently largely dependent on popularity indicators (eg, ranking and user ratings on app stores), which may not correspond with effectiveness, and rapid disengagement is common. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify factors that influence uptake and engagement with health and well-being apps to inform new approaches that promote the effective use of such tools. Objective: This review aimed to understand what is known about influences on the uptake of and engagement with health and well-being smartphone apps among adults. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies. Studies conducted on adults were included if they focused on health and well-being smartphone apps reporting on uptake and engagement behavior. Studies identified through a systematic search in Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, or MEDLARS Online (MEDLINE), EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychINFO, Scopus, Cochrane library databases, DataBase systems and Logic Programming (DBLP), and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital library were screened, with a proportion screened independently by 2 authors. Data synthesis and interpretation were undertaken using a deductive iterative process. External validity checking was undertaken by an independent researcher. A narrative synthesis of the findings was structured around the components of the capability, opportunity, motivation, behavior change model and the theoretical domains framework (TDF). Results: Of the 7640 identified studies, 41 were included in the review. Factors related to uptake (U), engagement (E), or both (B) were identified. Under capability, the main factors identified were app literacy skills (B), app awareness (U), available user guidance (B), health information (E), statistical information on progress (E), well-designed reminders (E), features to reduce cognitive load (E), and self-monitoring features (E). Availability at low cost (U), positive tone, and personalization (E) were identified as physical opportunity factors, whereas recommendations for health and well-being apps (U), embedded health professional support (E), and social networking (E) possibilities were social opportunity factors. Finally, the motivation factors included positive feedback (E), available rewards (E), goal setting (E), and the perceived utility of the app (E). Conclusions: Across a wide range of populations and behaviors, 26 factors relating to capability, opportunity, and motivation appear to influence the uptake of and engagement with health and well-being smartphone apps. Our recommendations may help app developers, health app portal developers, and policy makers in the optimization of health and well-being apps

Component-led integrative optimisation methodology for avionic thermal management

The modern military aircraft can be defined as a System of Systems (SoS); several distinct systems operating simultaneously across boundary interfaces. As the on-board subsystems have become more complex and diverse, the development process has become more isolated. When considering thermal management of distributed heat loads, the aircraft has become a collection of individually optimised components and subsystems, rather than the implementation of a single system to perform a given task. Avionic thermal management is quickly becoming a limiting factor of aircraft performance, reliability and effectiveness. The challenge of avionic thermal management is growing with the increasing complexity and power density of avionic packages. The aircraft relies on a heat rejection growth capacity to accommodate the additional through-life avionic heat loads. Growth capacity is defined as an allowable thermal loading growth designed into the system by the underutilisation of spatial and cooling supply at aircraft introduction; however, this is a limited resource and aircraft subsystem cooling capability is reaching a critical point. The depleted growth capacity coupled with increased avionic power demands has led to component thermal failure. However, due to the poor resolution of existing data acquisition, experimental facilities or thermodynamic modeling, the exact inflight-operating conditions remain relatively unknown. The knowledge gap identified in this work is the lack of definitive methodology to generate high fidelity data of in-flight thermal conditions of fast-jet subsystems and provide evidence towards effective future thermal management technologies. It is shown that, through the development of a new methodology, the knowledge gap can be reduced and as an output of this approach the unknown system behaviour can be defined. A multidisciplinary approach to the replication, analysis and optimisation of a fast-jet TMS is detailed. The development of a new Ground Test Facility (GTF) allows previously unidentified system thermal behaviour to be evaluated at component, subsystem and system level. The development of new data to characterise current thermal performance of a fast jet TMS allows recommendations of several new technologies to be implemented through a component led integrative system optimisation. This approach is to consider the TMS as a single system to achieve a single goal of component thermal management. Three technologies are implemented to optimise avionic conditions through the minimisation of bleed air consumption, improve avionic reliability through increased avionic component isothermalisation and increase growth capacity through improved avionic heat exchanger fin utilisation. These component level technologies improved system level performance. A reduction in TMS bleed air consumption from 1225kg to 510kg was found to complete a typical flight profile. A peak predicted aircraft specific fuel consumption saving of 1.23% is seen at a cruise flight condition because of this approach to avionic thermal management

How effective is community physical activity promotion in areas of deprivation for inactive adults? A pragmatic observational evaluation of the 'Active Herts' physical activity programme

Background There is a high prevalence of inactivity in UK adults and many suffer from comorbid conditions. These frequently co-exist in areas of higher socio-economic deprivation. There is a need to test the effectiveness, acceptability, and sustainability of physical activity programmes in this population. Method Active Herts recruited inactive adults (N=435) with one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease and/or mild-to-moderate mental health conditions, and followed up at 3 and 6 months after baseline. In two areas programme-users received a behaviour change technique booklet, consultations, a booster phone call, motivational text messages, and signposting to 12 weeks of exercise classes (standard intervention). In another two areas programme-users also received 12 weeks of free tailored exercise classes, with optional exercise ‘buddies’ (enhanced intervention). Mixed ANOVAs analysed changes in physical activity, sporting participation, sitting (primary outcomes), mental wellbeing, health perception, and COM-B measures (secondary outcomes). Secondary analyses explored whether COM-B measures predicted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) at baseline, 3, and 6 months, and changes at 3 and 6 months using path analyses. Results At both timepoints, physical activity (3 months, η2 = .17; 6 months, η2 = .18), sporting participation (3 months, η2 = .22; 6 months, η2 = .17), sitting time (3 months, η2 = .08; 6 months, η2 = .06), and several secondary outcomes (e.g. wellbeing) improved regardless of group. COM-B related indicators explained MVPA performance better after 3 (R2=18%) and 6 (R2=15%) months than at baseline (R2=8%), but changes in MVPA were weakly predicted (3 months, R2=5%; 6 months, R2=7%). Self-monitoring was key in driving MVPA performance and change. Conclusions and Implications Active Herts improved activity levels at 3 and 6 months providing preliminary evidence that such interventions, delivered in real world settings, can change the behaviour and wellbeing of residents living in areas of deprivation.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Is there evidence that walking groups have health benefits? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the health benefits of outdoor walking groups. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of walking group interventions examining differences in commonly used physiological, psychological and well-being outcomes between baseline and intervention end. DATA SOURCES: Seven electronic databases, clinical trial registers, grey literature and reference lists in English language up to November 2013. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Adults, group walking outdoors with outcomes directly attributable to the walking intervention. RESULTS: Forty-two studies were identified involving 1843 participants. There is evidence that walking groups have wide-ranging health benefits. Meta-analysis showed statistically significant reductions in mean difference for systolic blood pressure -3.72 mm Hg (-5.28 to -2.17) and diastolic blood pressure -3.14 mm Hg (-4.15 to -2.13); resting heart rate -2.88 bpm (-4.13 to -1.64); body fat -1.31% (-2.10 to -0.52), body mass index -0.71 kg/m(2) (-1.19 to -0.23), total cholesterol -0.11 mmol/L (-0.22 to -0.01) and statistically significant mean increases in VO(2max) of 2.66 mL/kg/min (1.67-3.65), the SF-36 (physical functioning) score 6.02 (0.51 to 11.53) and a 6 min walk time of 79.6 m (53.37-105.84). A standardised mean difference showed a reduction in depression scores with an effect size of -0.67 (-0.97 to -0.38). The evidence was less clear for other outcomes such as waist circumference fasting glucose, SF-36 (mental health) and serum lipids such as high-density lipids. There were no notable adverse side effects reported in any of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: Walking groups are effective and safe with good adherence and wide-ranging health benefits. They could be a promising intervention as an adjunct to other healthcare or as a proactive health-promoting activity.This work was partially supported by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. The authors thank William Jones, faculty librarian for his help in the search strategy and Dr Toby Smith for helpful advice and comments.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2014/12/19/bjsports-2014-094157