Validation of questions designed for investigation of gastroenteritis

Background: Health departments routinely investigate cases of gastroenteritis through interviews to determine the source of infection. However, validation studies of dietary questionnaires typically focus on quantities consumed and don't assess questions designed to identify sources of foodborne illness. We aimed to assess the accuracy and reliability of information collected by surveys of food history recall for gastroenteritis investigations. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to investigate the sources of foodborne gastroenteritis in Australia, with questions on food exposures selected for validation. Fifty-five participants photographed all foods consumed and food receipts obtained during a seven-day observation period. These photographs were uploaded to an online survey or emailed to the researcher. Participants were contacted 14 days later for a telephone interview about foods consumed in the seven-day period. Questionnaire responses were compared to uploaded photographs. Kappa statistics (κ) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Sixty-two questions were assessed, including those targeting foods considered high-risk for foodborne gastroenteritis. Potential risk factors covered by these questions included: meats (poultry, beef, pork, and deli meats), the state of poultry purchased (raw versus precooked), and the number of meals eaten outside of the home. Results: Several questions targeting high-risk foods were found to have substantial-to-almost perfect agreement (κ ≥ 0.610) between what was eaten and what was reported by participants, with most questions showing at least a moderate level of agreement (κ = 0.410–0.600). Questions regarding exposure to different types of meat showed a high level of consistency. The only question with poor participant recall (κ < 0.000) was that relating to consumption of undercooked beef or veal. Conclusion: Several questions designed for investigation of gastroenteritis were found to provide at least a moderate level of accurate and reliable recall, even after a delay until interview. These questions are suitable for investigating sources of foodborne gastroenteritis

Population-Attributable Risk Estimates for Risk Factors Associated with Campylobacter Infection, Australia

One-sentence summary: Each year, an estimated 50,500 cases in persons >5 years of age can be directly attributed to consumption of chicken

The serum proteome of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, during pancreas disease (PD) following infection with salmonid alphavirus subtype 3 (SAV3)

Salmonid alphavirus is the aetological agent of pancreas disease (PD) in marine Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, and rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, with most outbreaks in Norway caused by SAV subtype 3 (SAV3). This atypical alphavirus is transmitted horizontally causing a significant economic impact on the aquaculture industry. This histopathological and proteomic study, using an established cohabitational experimental model, investigated the correlation between tissue damage during PD and a number of serum proteins associated with these pathologies in Atlantic salmon. The proteins were identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis, trypsin digest and peptide MS/MS fingerprinting. A number of humoral components of immunity which may act as biomarkers of the disease were also identified. For example, creatine kinase, enolase and malate dehydrogenase serum concentrations were shown to correlate with pathology during PD. In contrast, hemopexin, transferrin, and apolipoprotein, amongst others, altered during later stages of the disease and did not correlate with tissue pathologies. This approach has given new insight into not only PD but also fish disease as a whole, by characterisation of the protein response to infection, through pathological processes to tissue recovery. Biological significance: Salmonid alphavirus causes pancreas disease (PD) in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, and has a major economic impact on the aquaculture industry. A proteomic investigation of the change to the serum proteome during PD has been made with an established experimental model of the disease. Serum proteins were identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis, trypsin digest and peptide MS/MS fingerprinting with 72 protein spots being shown to alter significantly over the 12 week period of the infection. The concentrations of certain proteins in serum such as creatine kinase, enolase and malate dehydrogenase were shown to correlate with tissue pathology while other proteins such as hemopexin, transferrin, and apolipoprotein, altered in concentration during later stages of the disease and did not correlate with tissue pathologies. The protein response to infection may be used to monitor disease progression and enhance understanding of the pathology of PD

Population-Attributable Risk Estimates for Risk Factors Associated with Campylobacter Infection

In 2001-2002, a multicenter, prospective case-control study involving 1,714 participants ≥5 years of age was conducted in Australia to identify risk factors for Campylobacter infection. Adjusted population-attributable risks (PARs) were derived for eac

Education for sustainable development: A study in adolescent perception changes towards sustainability following a strategic planning-based intervention-the young persons' plan for the planet program

© 2019 by the authors. In 2016, the United Nations (UN) launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for sustainable development and a sustainable future. However, the global challenge has been to engage, connect, and empower communities, particularly young people, to both understand and deliver the 17 SDGs. In this study, we show the benefit of a strategic planning-based experiential learning tool, the Young Persons' Plan for the Planet (YPPP) Program, to improve the underlying competencies of Australian and Mauritian adolescents in increasing understanding and delivering the SDGs. The study was conducted with 300 middle to senior high school students, in 25 schools throughout Australia and Mauritius, over an 18-month period. The intervention included the development of research, strategic planning, management, STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, Maths) and global competency skills in the students, to enable them to build and deliver regional and national SDG plans. Research methods included pre- and post-intervention testing of the attitudes of these students to sustainable development outcomes and compared these attitudes to subsets of scientists and the Australian national population. Our results, from both qualitative and quantitative evidence, demonstrate significant improvements in these adolescents' appreciation of, and attitudes towards, the SDGs and sustainable outcomes, across a range of key parameters. The results from the 76 students who attended the International Conference in Mauritius in December 2018 demonstrate significant improvements in mean levels of understanding, and attitudes of the students towards the SDGs awareness (+85%), understanding/engagement (+75%), motivation (+57%), and action orientation/empowerment (+66%). These changes were tested across a range of socio-demographic, geographic, and cultural parameters, with consistent results. These findings have significant implications for the challenge of sustainable education and achieving community engagement and action towards the SDGs in Australia and Mauritius, particularly for young people. As the intervention can be replicated and scaled, the findings also highlight the opportunity to extend both the research and this type of experiential learning intervention across both broader geographies and other generation and community segments

Antarctic Surface Reflectivity Measurements from the ANITA-3 and HiCal-1 Experiments

The primary science goal of the NASA-sponsored ANITA project is measurement of ultra-high energy neutrinos and cosmic rays, observed via radio-frequency signals resulting from a neutrino- or cosmic ray- interaction with terrestrial matter (atmospheric or ice molecules, e.g.). Accurate inference of the energies of these cosmic rays requires understanding the transmission/reflection of radio wave signals across the ice-air boundary. Satellite-based measurements of Antarctic surface reflectivity, using a co-located transmitter and receiver, have been performed more-or-less continuously for the last few decades. Satellite-based reflectivity surveys, at frequencies ranging from 2--45 GHz and at near-normal incidence, yield generally consistent reflectivity maps across Antarctica. Using the Sun as an RF source, and the ANITA-3 balloon borne radio-frequency antenna array as the RF receiver, we have also measured the surface reflectivity over the interval 200-1000 MHz, at elevation angles of 12-30 degrees, finding agreement with the Fresnel equations within systematic errors. To probe low incidence angles, inaccessible to the Antarctic Solar technique and not probed by previous satellite surveys, a novel experimental approach ("HiCal-1") was devised. Unlike previous measurements, HiCal-ANITA constitute a bi-static transmitter-receiver pair separated by hundreds of kilometers. Data taken with HiCal, between 200--600 MHz shows a significant departure from the Fresnel equations, constant with frequency over that band, with the deficit increasing with obliquity of incidence, which we attribute to the combined effects of possible surface roughness, surface grain effects, radar clutter and/or shadowing of the reflection zone due to Earth curvature effects.Comment: updated to match publication versio