Understanding consumer purchasing behaviour: a pathway to healthier, kinder food choices

A core challenge facing the world today is how to sustain the more than 2 billion people who are expected to join the world population by 2050, giving rise to a population reaching approximately 9.7 billion. Such intense population growth, combined with rising affluence and current increases in per capita consumption of animal-based products, are forcing the world to face the intersecting challenges of how to feed such a large population whilst controlling the impact of food production on the planet, people and animals. In response to the growing demand for foods of animal origin, much animal agriculture in Western countries, such as Australia, has moved away from the predominantly small scale and extensive operations that existed before the second agricultural revolution towards intensive systems characterised by confinement. Such intensification has led to many animal welfare concerns as well as environmental, social, and human health consequences. Public values and attitudes towards animals are changing and we are seeing an increase in concern for animal welfare in the food production process. A recent report commissioned by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources into Australia’s changing sentiments for farm animal welfare found that 95% of respondents viewed farm animal welfare as a concern and 91% wanted at least some regulatory reform. Despite these trends, there remains a well-documented gap between consumers’ attitudes and actions at the supermarket, known as the attitude-behaviour gap. Some of the reasons highlighted within the literature for this gap include inconvenience, lack of knowledge and information, and the abundance of confusing claims and labels on food packaging. The aim of this thesis is to investigate Australian consumers’ attitudes towards farm animal welfare, reasons for any gap between their sentiment for animal welfare and food choices at the supermarket, and, finally, approaches to encourage more welfare-friendly food choices. This thesis comprises eight discrete chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the broader thesis field of food production, animal welfare, and consumer choice. Chapter Two is an in-depth review examining public attitudes towards animal welfare in food production. Chapter Three reviews the attitude-behaviour gap for farm animal welfare and uses the behaviour change wheel to explore how we can encourage consumers to make food choices that are better for animal welfare. The fourth, fifth and sixth chapters report three empirical studies. First is a study of Australian consumers’ attitudes towards animal welfare in food production, and the motivations and barriers that affects their purchasing of welfare-friendly products (Chapter Four). The second is an investigation into the attitudes towards animal welfare and empathy for animals shown by a unique population of people who attended an animal welfare event at the University of Sydney (Chapter Five). These findings were then more broadly compared to the attitudes of the general public. The third study is a discrete-choice experiment that examined consumers’ preferences for animal-based products (pork, poultry and eggs) with animal welfare accreditations and whether providing consumers with details about the animal welfare standards of these on-package accreditations had a positive effect on high welfare purchase intentions (Chapter Six). The seventh chapter is devoted to documenting the creation of an animal welfare rating system that provides consumers with information and ratings (of avoid, good, best) for chicken, pig, and egg products based on on-package animal welfare accreditations. Potential future applications of the ratings are discussed. The final chapter (Chapter Eight) is a discussion of the thesis findings overall, with concluding remarks

Acquisition, patronage and display : contextualising the art collections of Longford Castle during the long eighteenth century

This thesis is a study of the formation of the collections at Longford Castle during the period c.1730 to c.1830 by the Bouverie family (later Earls of Radnor). It draws upon previously untapped archival material relating to this understudied but nationally significant collection of art, to provide a contribution to current scholarship on country houses and the history of collecting. The thesis considers issues of acquisition, patronage and display, and looks across a range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts and furnishings, exploring the degree to which this family’s artistic tastes can be understood as conventional or distinctive for the time. By contextualising these acquisitions and commissions in terms of their setting, it is shown that although Longford Castle, an unusually shaped Elizabethan building, was appropriated and adapted for the display of art in line with eighteenth-century ideals, its owners also valued and retained aspects of its distinctive character. In addition, the thesis shows that Longford functioned both as a private home and as a public space where visitors experienced the collections. An introduction to the Bouverie family is provided, so as to further contextualise their tastes, exploring their Huguenot and mercantile heritage, and ennoblements, artistic networks, and interests during the long eighteenth century. The thesis argues that these interests were characterised by both an independent spirit and a desire to conform to contemporary trends and to articulate a sense of Englishness. The thesis takes a broad methodological approach, combining studies of architecture, interiors, gardens, furnishings, fine art and social history. It explores the castle and its contents through both archival research and object-based study, providing the first comprehensive study of Longford and its art collections

Acquisition, patronage and display : contextualising the art collections of Longford Castle during the long eighteenth century

This thesis is a study of the formation of the collections at Longford Castle during the period c.1730 to c.1830 by the Bouverie family (later Earls of Radnor). It draws upon previously untapped archival material relating to this understudied but nationally significant collection of art, to provide a contribution to current scholarship on country houses and the history of collecting. The thesis considers issues of acquisition, patronage and display, and looks across a range of art forms, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts and furnishings, exploring the degree to which this family’s artistic tastes can be understood as conventional or distinctive for the time. By contextualising these acquisitions and commissions in terms of their setting, it is shown that although Longford Castle, an unusually shaped Elizabethan building, was appropriated and adapted for the display of art in line with eighteenth-century ideals, its owners also valued and retained aspects of its distinctive character. In addition, the thesis shows that Longford functioned both as a private home and as a public space where visitors experienced the collections. An introduction to the Bouverie family is provided, so as to further contextualise their tastes, exploring their Huguenot and mercantile heritage, and ennoblements, artistic networks, and interests during the long eighteenth century. The thesis argues that these interests were characterised by both an independent spirit and a desire to conform to contemporary trends and to articulate a sense of Englishness. The thesis takes a broad methodological approach, combining studies of architecture, interiors, gardens, furnishings, fine art and social history. It explores the castle and its contents through both archival research and object-based study, providing the first comprehensive study of Longford and its art collections

Bringing Library Resources to the Online Classroom: Building Faculty-Librarian Partnerships

The number of students taking online classes has risen substantially over past several years. Many traditional colleges offer online and hybrid classes as an alternative to traditional face-to-face instruction. Face-to-face faculty are encouraged to learn and use course management systems (CMS) to publish syllabi and assignments, track student grades and supplement traditional interactions with chat and electronic discussion boards. Often overwhelming to instructors, digital educational tools proliferate throughout the academic landscape. Determining which tools will work for your classroom environment can be daunting, in addition to the hours of training so as to effectively use those tools. Partnering with librarians who are already trained using classroom enhancement tools can be a solution. The purpose of this presentation is to show various ways that can improve faculty-librarian collaboration in promoting library resources and information literacy:-Incorporating library resources into course management systems (iCollege, blackboard)-Collaborating with faculty on electronic pathfinders that are customized to a specific subject or assignment (Libguides)-Embedding virtual reference tools into online classes to provide immediate library and research assistance in an online classroom environment (ask-a-librarian widget) This presentation also looks at statistical evidence that can demonstrate increased usage of the digital classroom tools, and thereby enhancement of student information literacy as a result of established partnerships involving faculty and their librarians. This presentation is geared for instructors who teach in online, hybrid, and face-to-face classroom environment and academic librarians interested in collaborating with faculty in virtual classroom

Planning Enforcement:Biodiversity Net Gain preparedness

This report presents the findings of a research project led by the University of Birmingham and drawing upon planning academics and practitioners from the University of Birmingham, South Gloucestershire Council, BCP Council, and Bournemouth University. The project was undertaken with the assistance of the RTPI NAPE Network.The report findings present a summary of research undertaken at the end of 2023 / early 2024 focused upon the preparedness of planning enforcement in England to support the roll out of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Planning Enforcement:Biodiversity Net Gain preparedness

This report presents the findings of a research project led by the University of Birmingham and drawing upon planning academics and practitioners from the University of Birmingham, South Gloucestershire Council, BCP Council, and Bournemouth University. The project was undertaken with the assistance of the RTPI NAPE Network.The report findings present a summary of research undertaken at the end of 2023 / early 2024 focused upon the preparedness of planning enforcement in England to support the roll out of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Role of the P2X7 receptor in the renal vasculature in a mouse model of chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global disease affecting 10% of the world population and is largely treated by dialysis and organ transplant at late stages of disease. As rates of CKD rise, it is increasingly evident that novel drug targets are required for intervention before these late stages are reached. The purinergic receptor sub-type 7 (P2X7) may represent such a drug target. P2X7, an ATP-gated ion channel, is part of the purinergic signalling pathway and antagonists are safe and well-tolerated in clinical trials as a treatment for inflammatory disease. These trials did not show therapeutic benefit, but recent findings suggest that vascular, rather than immune, functions of P2X7 may be important for renal disease. This project aimed to investigate the expression and role of P2X7 in the renal vasculature in both normal and hypertensive mice. A mouse model of multi-hit renal vascular injury was established and characterised through the administration of angiotensin II (ANGII), deoxycorticosterone (DOCA) and a high salt diet (ANGII DOCA salt model). ANGII DOCA salt mice exhibited mild hypertension, moderate albuminuria, vascular dysfunction, perivascular fibrosis, and a marked increase in renal injury markers in both whole kidney and urine, compared to sham-operated (Sham) littermates. A systematic immunofluorescence study localised P2X7 to the endothelium of renal vessels and glomerular capillaries in both Sham and ANGII DOCA salt mice, as well as localising to areas of injury in ANGII DOCA salt mouse kidneys. The P2X7 antagonist A438079 was able to inhibit ATP-stimulated release of IL-1B in LPS-primed mouse macrophages and was therefore used to assess vascular function in isolated aorta by wire myography. These studies found that activation of P2X7 via agonist BzATP led to vasoconstriction in both mouse groups, an effect that was amplified upon P2X7 inhibitions. Following these findings, it is possible that this is due to a shift in the expression of different P2X7 isoforms with potentially opposing vasoactivity in ANGII DOCA salt mice, compared to Sham mice. This is supported by the observation of differential expression of P2X7 according to the tissue used, the method of detection used, and the disease model investigated. This thesis highlights the importance of considering splice variation under normo- and pathophysiological conditions, both their expressional and functional differences

Barcoded Transposon Directed Insertion-site Sequencing (TraDIS); a tool to improve our understanding of the functional genomics of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi

Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi (S. equi) remains the most frequently diagnosed infectious disease of horses and is a cause of significant welfare and economic cost. Vaccine research has been limited by the time taken to make mutations in individual genes to determine their role in the disease process. However, the development of transposon directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS) technologies provides an opportunity to simultaneously determine the importance of every gene in S. equi under disease relevant conditions, significantly enhancing the capacity to identify new vaccine targets. In this project, a novel barcoded TraDIS technique was designed, which identified that 19.5 percent of the S. equi genome is essential to basic survival in rich medium in vitro, 73.4 percent of genes being non-essential, with the remainder either not defined or of an ambiguous assignment. Comparative analysis revealed that more than 83 percent of the essential gene set of S. equi was concordant with the essential genomes of S. pyogenes and S. agalactiae, highlighting the close genetic relationships between these important pathogenic bacteria. Barcoded libraries were exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and whole equine blood, to simulate the interaction with the equine immune system. Sequencing of surviving mutants enabled identification of genes important to S. equi under these conditions in vitro. Fifteen and 36 genes were implicated in the survival of S. equi in H2O2 and whole equine blood, respectively. Results were validated by generating deletion mutant strains in 4 of the genes (pyrP, mnmE, addA and recG). Mutant strains were exposed to H2O2 or whole equine blood and surviving bacteria measured over time. An additional 2 deletion strains in eqbE and hasA, generated prior to this project, were also utilised. Barcoded TraDIS is proposed to reduce the effects of stochastic loss commonly seen in similar datasets, enhancing the ability to resolve differences in the fitness of mutants. To determine the in vivo capabilities of barcoded TraDIS, 12 Welsh mountain ponies were each infected with 2 of 3 barcoded libraries. Viable mutants were recovered and sequenced from the abscess material of infected lymph nodes and data analysed both exploiting (barcoded analysis; BC) and disregarding (per animal analysis; PA) the input library barcodes. Exploiting the barcodes enables output data to be combined on a per input library basis, as opposed to a per animal basis as is traditionally completed in comparable in vivo transposon library studies. From the BC analysis, sequencing identified 368 genes required for fitness. Mutations in a further 85 genes conferred a fitness advantage in vivo. In the PA analysis, only 97 genes required for fitness were identified, which were all similarly identified in the barcoded analysis. No genes in which an insertion conferred a fitness advantage were identified in the PA analysis. To validate these results and confirm the benefit of applying a barcoded technique, 12 genes required for fitness were selected, plus 1 control gene where transposon insertions did not alter fitness, for tagged allelic replacement mutagenesis and repeat challenge in vivo. Seven genes required for fitness in both methods of analysis were selected, plus an additional 5 genes uniquely identified by the BC analysis. All deletion mutants appeared to be attenuated in vivo, however the control mutants and wild-type S. equi did not behave as expected, confounding statistical analysis. Thirty-nine percent (14/36) and 60 percent (9/15) of fitness genes identified in the whole equine blood and H2O2 TraDIS screens, respectively, were also identified as being required for in vivo fitness. Nine consensus genes were identified as required in all 3 experiments. Comparison of the genes implicated in in vivo survival of S. equi to those in S. pyogenes in a non-human primate model of necrotising myositis and in a mouse model of subcutaneous infection, uncovered a set of 23 pan-species fitness genes. Eighteen genes were also commonly identified between the S. equi in vivo data and S. pyogenes ex vivo in human saliva, alluding to the potential genes required by S. equi to survive in the nasopharynx before translocation to the local lymph nodes. The data presented in this thesis provide an unprecedented insight into the mechanisms employed by S. equi to cause disease in the natural host. The data also shed light on the pan-streptococcal pathways important for virulence that are likely to be important for future development of novel therapeutics and vaccines.BBSRC DTP studentship Horse Trust HBLB Pet Pla

‘Pizza every day – why?’: A survey to evaluate the impact of COVID‐19 guidelines on secondary school food provision in the UK

The nutritional requirements of adolescence and the reported poor UK eating behaviours of young people are a significant public health concern. Schools are recognised as an effective ‘place’ setting to enable improvement to nutrition outcomes. The COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in UK school closures from March 2020. In re‐opening in September 2020, schools were required to meet guidelines to ensure the minimised impact of COVID‐19 on the population (DfE 2020). We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID‐19 school guidelines on secondary and post‐16 (16–18 years) food provision. An online survey was posted on 8th October to 1st December 2020, targeted at young people, parents and staff of secondary/post‐16 education establishments in the UK. Two hundred and fifty‐two responses were received, of which 91% reported a change in their school food provision, 77% reported time for lunch was shortened and 44% indicated the provision was perceived as less healthy during September 2020 (post‐lockdown school return) compared with March 2020 (pre‐lockdown). Analyses demonstrated that time, limited choice and healthiness impacted negatively upon young people's school food experience. The COVID‐19 pandemic has presented a huge challenge to the delivery of healthy school food to young people. Therefore, schools require more support in following national food standards and incorporating nutrition education and behaviour change strategies within current guidelines