Lifestyle risk factors for Parkinson disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis : an epidemiological perspective

Following progressive aging of the population, the global prevalence of PD and ALS is expected to increase in the next decades. Primary prevention of the diseases is hampered by limited knowledge of preventable causes. Some suggestions have been made that an inactive lifestyle, obesity and dietary habits such as fat intake may have a role in the etiologies. Evidence is inconsistent regarding BMI and evidence is lacking regarding sitting time and different types of fat intake, and PD risk. The relationship between desired BMI and depression is not well explored. The prevalence of depression in ALS vary largely, and information about antidepression drug use in ALS patients is scarce. Little is known about depression prior to ALS. This thesis aims to investigate the association between sitting time, BMI and intake of dietary fat, and incident PD (study I-II), to describe discrepancies between current, ideal and desired BMI and explore its relation to depression (study III), and to investigate the association between depression and ALS, before and after ALS diagnosis (study IV). Study I-II were prospective cohort studies based on the Swedish National March Cohort, following 42 000 individuals and measuring exposures from a baseline questionnaire and outcome of incident PD from the National Patient Register. The highest quartile of saturated fat intake was associated with a 41% increased risk of PD compared to the lowest quartile (HR Q4 vs. Q1: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.04–1.90). No association was found between sitting time, BMI and PD. Study III was a population based study in Stockholm. About 10 000 participants filled in a questionnaire, investing desired BMI. In persons with obesity, large discrepancies between desired BMI and BMI 25 kg/m2 were predicted by male sex and high BMI, while large discrepancies between current and desired BMI were predicted by female sex, high BMI and depression. Study IV was a nested case control study and a matched cohort study based on a nationalwide samle of ALS patients. The risk of depression diagnosis or antidepression drug use was increased both the years before (multivariable adjusted OR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.7-2.2) and after (multivariable adjusted HR 13.5, 95% CI: 10.2-17.8) ALS diagnosis. Further research efforts are encouraged to understand the pathogenesis of PD and ALS with focus on modifiable risk factors

Lean, green, mean, obscene…? What is efficiency? And is it sustainable? Animal production and consumption reconsidered

First paragraph: “Food systems need to become more efficient. We need to produce food in ways that use fewer resources and generate fewer negative environmental impacts. This drive towards efficiency is essential if we are to achieve more sustainable food systems.”  Such is the typical conclusion of numerous policy documents and industry statements, based on academic papers published in agricultural science and life cycle assessment journals.  It is a well-rehearsed observation that the food system today is undermining the environment upon which future food production depends. We know too that given current trends, our problems are set to grow, not just because our population is growing, meaning more mouths to feed, but also because our food demands are changing. As people on average become richer, they demand and can afford not just more food, but more of the foods that they like, notably those of animal origin. The rearing of animals for flesh, eggs and milk generates some 14.5% of total global GHG emissions, occupies 70% of agricultural land and is the main cause of the environmental problems such as biodiversity loss and water pollution.1,2 Moving from land to water, there are major concerns about the depletion of wild fish stocks and the negative effects of over fishing on aquatic ecosystems. Aquaculture production bridges and is linked to concerns in both the terrestrial and aquatic domains: it is a user of land based resources, but its production has been underpinned in recent years on wild fish stocks used as feed inputs.  While there is general agreement that action is needed to address the environmental problems caused by the food system, what such ‘action’ should be is the subject of substantial attention and debate within the policy, academic, business and NGO communities. One word that comes up time and again in discussions about the way forward is ‘efficiency.&rsquo

Communicating Added Value in Wooden Multistorey Construction

Climate changes point to the needs to find sustainable materials for residential multistorey housing as a growing proportion of populations across the world live in urban areas. Despite positive environmental effects, wood has a limited use in multistorey constructions even in countries with a strong tradition to use wood in residential housing, such as Sweden. As new materials, techniques were developed and studies of properties of wood as a construction material were communicated, and legislation was altered in Sweden in the mid-1990s, allowing for the use of wood in multistorey housing. The expected market growth was slow and uneven even when incentivizing programs were developed. This chapter explains consumer perspectives in a town, Växjö, where the tradition of using wood in multistorey construction is strong. It points to the needs of knowing more about consumers’ perspectives—in order to communicate added values, that is, environmental benefits, in suitable market channels

Økomat i norske skoler - krever engasjement, men skaper trivsel

Artikkelen omtaler de viktigste resultatene av en masteroppgave ved Universitetet i Oslo, Marley 2008 : "Food for Thought - Introducing Organic Food in Norwegian Schools" (orgprints 14730). Det ser ut til å være en sammenheng mellom elevenes personlige opplevelser med økologisk mat og landbruk, og elevenes læring og interesse for temaet

DSpace Under the Hood: How DSpace works

Whilst you don't need to be a mechanic to drive a car, it is helpful if you have a basic understanding of how a car works, what bits do different jobs, and how to top up your oil and pump up your tyres / tires. This presentation will give an overview of the DSpace architecture, and will give you enough knowledge to understand how DSpace works. By knowing this, you will also learn about ways DSpace could be used, and ways in which it can't be used

DSpace Under the Hood: How DSpace works

Whilst you don't need to be a mechanic to drive a car, it is helpful if you have a basic understanding of how a car works, what bits do different jobs, and how to top up your oil and pump up your tyres / tires. This presentation will give an overview of the DSpace architecture, and will give you enough knowledge to understand how DSpace works. By knowing this, you will also learn about ways DSpace could be used, and ways in which it can't be used

DSpace Under the Hood: The development process and YOUR role in it

DSpace development in undertaken by the DSpace community. No one, or no organisation is in charge, and without contributions from the DSpace community the platform would not continue to develop and evolve. Sometimes it can appear that there are people in charge, or that unless you are a technical developer then there is no way or need to contribute. This presentation will explain how DSpace development usually takes place, where and who has input at different stages, and will equip you to contribute further, or to help you contribute for the first time

DSpace Under the Hood: The development process and YOUR role in it

DSpace development in undertaken by the DSpace community. No one, or no organisation is in charge, and without contributions from the DSpace community the platform would not continue to develop and evolve. Sometimes it can appear that there are people in charge, or that unless you are a technical developer then there is no way or need to contribute. This presentation will explain how DSpace development usually takes place, where and who has input at different stages, and will equip you to contribute further, or to help you contribute for the first time

Circularity indicators and added value to traditional LCA impact categories: example of pig production

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Protein futures for Western Europe: potential land use and climate impacts in 2050

Multiple production and demand side measures are needed to improve food system sustainability. This study quantified the theoretical minimum agricultural land requirements to supply Western Europe with food in 2050 from its own land base, together with GHG emissions arising. Assuming that crop yield gaps in agriculture are closed, livestock production efficiencies increased and waste at all stages reduced, a range of food consumption scenarios were modelled each based on different ‘protein futures’. The scenarios were as follows: intensive and efficient livestock production using today’s species mix; intensive efficient poultry–dairy production; intensive efficient aquaculture–dairy; artificial meat and dairy; livestock on ‘ecological leftovers’ (livestock reared only on land unsuited to cropping, agricultural residues and food waste, with consumption capped at that level of availability); and a ‘plant-based eating’ scenario. For each scenario, ‘projected diet’ and ‘healthy diet’ variants were modelled. Finally, we quantified the theoretical maximum carbon sequestration potential from afforestation of spared agricultural land. Results indicate that land use could be cut by 14–86 % and GHG emissions reduced by up to approximately 90 %. The yearly carbon storage potential arising from spared agricultural land ranged from 90 to 700 Mt CO2 in 2050. The artificial meat and plant-based scenarios achieved the greatest land use and GHG reductions and the greatest carbon sequestration potential. The ‘ecological leftover’ scenario required the least cropland as compared with the other meat-containing scenarios, but all available pasture was used, and GHG emissions were higher if meat consumption was not capped at healthy levels.&nbsp