121 research outputs found

    In terpreting resourcing bottlenecks of post‐Wenc huan earthquake reconstruction in China

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    Post‐disaster reconstruction is likely to suffer resource shortages and supply disruptions. The devastating Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 in China served as a typical example. After the catastrophe, resource problems such as price escalation and market inflation posed a significant challenge to Chinese policy makers and reconstruction team. Based on field surveys, the study attempts to examine the Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction practice and identify the most vulnerable resources along with their resourcing impediments inherent in the reconstruction process. The research findings show that at the early stage of reconstruction, labour and materials such as brick, cement, steel and aggregate were the most needed yet vulnerable resources. Procurement of these resources was mainly hindered by (1) reconstruction schedule and speed, (2) the impacts of the 2008 global financial crisis, (3) inadequate local transportation capacity, (4) dysfunction of the construction market, and (5) insufficient engagement of local construction industry. While the interventions and measures Chinese government adopted after the earthquake seem to be able to deal with resourcing bottlenecks in a short time; different efforts to reduce the impacts of these five areas are needed with a view to expediting longer‐term disaster recovery and reconstruction. Santruka Atstatant po nelaimiu tiketina, kad truks ištekliu ir kartais nutruks tiekimas. 2008 m. gegužes 12 d. Kinija supurtes niokojantis Wenchuan žemes drebejimas – būdingas pavyzdys. Po katastrofos kilusi ištekliu problema, kaip antai pakilusios kainos ir padidejusi rinka, Kinijos politikams ir atstatymo komandai tapo rimtu iššūkiu. Remiantis praktiniais tyrimais, darbe meginama išnagrineti atstatymo veikla po Wenchuan žemes drebejimo ir nustatyti sunkiausiai gaunamus išteklius kartu su atstatymo procesui būdingomis kliūtimis ju gauti. Tyrimo išvados rodo, kad ankstyvajame atstatymo darbu etape labiausiai reikejo, bet daugiausiai trūko tokiu ištekliu, kaip darbo jega ir medžiagos: plytos, cementas, plienas ir užpildai. Šiu ištekliu isigyti labiausiai trukde (1) atstatymo darbu tvarkaraštis ir sparta, (2) 2008 metu pasaulines finansu krizes poveikis, (3) nepakankamas vietinio transporto našumas, (4) sutrikusi statybu rinka ir (5) nepakankamas vietines statybu pramones dalyvavimas. Nors po žemes drebejimo Kinijos valdžios pasirinktos priemones ir intervencijos būdai lyg ir leido trumpam pašalinti ištekliu trūkumus, šiu penkiu punktu poveikiui mažinti reikia ivairiu pastangu, kad spartus atsigavimas ir atstatymas po nelaimiu būtu ilgalaikis. First Published Online: 10 Feb 201

    Stakeholders' practices: a challenge to earthquake risk mitigation decisions

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    Enhancing building owners’ earthquake risk preparedness has been a major challenge in many seismically active regions. Many property owners are found unwilling to adopt adequate risk mitigation measures in their earthquake-prone buildings, despite the availability of various technical design solutions and the enactment of intervening legislative frameworks necessary to facilitate successful earthquake risk preparedness. This paper examined the rationale behind building owners’ unwillingness to adopt adequate mitigation measures with a view to improve current stakeholders’ practices in earthquake risk mitigation. Using a mixed-method approach, comprising both qualitative and quantitative methods, an examination of the decision-making process and different stakeholders involved in earthquake risk mitigation and the property market, provided insights into the causal agents and stakeholder practices that pose challenges to property owners’ mitigation decisions. Stake-holder practices acting as impediments revealed are property valuation assessment of retrofitted and non-retrofitted EPBs, lack of demand for improved performance in older buildings, high earthquake insurance policy premiums and deductibles, and lack of a risk assessment information system. An in-depth understanding of these challenges highlights the need for a holistic approach that should incorporate market-based incentives necessary for successful earthquake preparedness by building owners, and for designing effective strategies for improving earthquake risk mitigation

    Daily Dietary Intake Patterns Improve after Visiting a Food Pantry among Food-Insecure Rural Midwestern Adults.

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    Emergency food pantries provide food at no cost to low-resource populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate single-day dietary intake patterns before and after visiting a food pantry among food-secure and food-insecure pantry clients. This observational cohort study comprised a paired, before-and-after design with a pantry visit as the intervention. Participants (n = 455) completed a demographic and food security assessment, and two 24-h dietary recalls. Adult food security was measured using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module. Dietary intake patterns were assessed using Automated Self-Administered 24-h Recall data and classified by Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) scores, dietary variety, number of eating occasions, and energy intake. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests compared outcomes before and after a pantry visit. Mean dietary variety increased after the pantry visit among both food-secure (p = 0.02) and food-insecure (p \u3c 0.0001) pantry clients. Mean energy intake (p = 0.0003), number of eating occasions (p = 0.004), and HEI-2010 component scores for total fruit (p \u3c 0.001) and whole fruit (p \u3c 0.0003) increased among food-insecure pantry clients only. A pantry visit may improve dietary intake patterns, especially among food-insecure pantry clients

    Breakfast Consumption Is Positively Associated with Usual Nutrient Intakes among Food Pantry Clients Living in Rural Communities

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    Background: Breakfast consumption has declined over the past 40 y and is inversely associated with obesity-related diet and health outcomes. The breakfast pattern of food pantry clients and its association with diet is unknown. Objective: The objective is to investigate the association of breakfast consumption with diet quality and usual nutrient intakes among food pantry clients (n = 472) living in rural communities. Methods: This was an observational study using cross-sectional analyses. English-speaking participants ≥18 y (or ≥19 y in Nebraska) were recruited from 24 food pantries in rural high-poverty counties in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota. Participants were surveyed at the pantry regarding characteristics and diet using 24-h recall. A second recall was self-completed or completed via assisted phone call within 2 wk of the pantry visit. Participants were classified as breakfast skippers when neither recall reported breakfast ≥230 kcal consumed between 04:00 and 10:00; breakfast consumers were all other participants. The Healthy Eating Index-2010 was modeled with breakfast pattern using multiple linear regression. Mean usual intake of 16 nutrients was estimated using the National Cancer Institute Method and compared across breakfast pattern groups. Usual nutrient intake was compared with the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) or Adequate Intake (AI) to estimate the proportion of population not meeting the EAR or exceeding the AI. Results: A total of 56% of participants consumed breakfast. Compared with breakfast skippers, breakfast consumers had 10–59% significantly higher usual mean intakes of all nutrients (P ≤ 0.05), and had 12–21% lower prevalence of at-risk nutrient intakes except for vitamin D, vitamin E, and magnesium. Conclusions: Adult food pantry clients living in rural communities experienced hardships in meeting dietary recommendations. Breakfast consumption was positively associated with usual nutrient intakes in this population. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03566095

    Neurocognitive and functional impairment in adult and paediatric tuberculous meningitis [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

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    CITATION: Davis, A. G., et al. 2019. Neurocognitive and functional impairment in adult and paediatric tuberculous meningitis [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]. Wellcome Open Research, 4:178, doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15516.1.The original publication is available at https://wellcomeopenresearch.orgENGLISH ABSTRACT: In those who survive tuberculous meningitis (TBM), the long-term outcome is uncertain; individuals may suffer neurocognitive, functional and psychiatric impairment, which may significantly affect their ability to lead their lives as they did prior to their diagnosis of TBM. In children who survive, severe illness has occurred at a crucial timepoint in their development, which can lead to behavioural and cognitive delay. The extent and nature of this impairment is poorly understood, particularly in adults. This is in part due to a lack of observational studies in this area but also inconsistent inclusion of outcome measures which can quantify these deficits in clinical studies. This leads to a paucity of appropriate rehabilitative therapies available for these individuals and their caregivers, as well as burden at a socioeconomic level. In this review, we discuss what is known about neurocognitive impairment in TBM, draw on lessons learnt from other neurological infections and discuss currently available and emerging tools to evaluate function and cognition and their value in TBM. We make recommendations on which measures should be used at what timepoints to assess for impairment, with a view to optimising and standardising assessment of neurocognitive and functional impairment in TBM research.https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/4-178Publisher's versio

    Discrepancy between Knowledge and Perceptions of Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake Compared with the Omega-3 Index

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    Little is known about the relationship between perceptions of nutrient adequacy and biomarkers of nutrition status. This cross-sectional study of U.S. and German adults (n = 200;18-80 years) compared dietary practices, knowledge, and beliefs of omega-3 fatty acids (O3-FA) with the omega-3 index (O3-I), an erythrocyte-based biomarker associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. More than half of adults believed that O3-FAs are beneficial for heart and brain health and could correctly identify the food sources of O3-FA. However, the mean O3-I in the U.S. (4.3%) and Germany (5.5%) puts the majority of adults sampled (99%) in intermediate or high CVD-risk categories. More Americans were considered at high CVD-risk (40%) when compared with Germans (10%). In the U.S., but not Germany, women had a significantly higher O3-I than men (4.8% vs. 3.8%, p < 0.001). In the intermediate CVD-risk group, about one-third of adults in both countries (30% in the U.S. and 27% in Germany) believed their diet was adequate in O3-FA. Notably, mean O3-I concentrations did not significantly differ with dietary perceptions of adequacy. More adults in Germany (26%) than in the U.S. (10%) believed that dietary supplements are needed to achieve a balanced diet. In spite of adequate knowledge about food sources and a consistent belief that O3-FA are important for health, very few participants had O3-I concentrations in the range for CVD protection
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