Circling the drain – contemporary jewellery and the tale of the New Zealand Grayling

Report from the Art+Water, art and science project 2019.By combining art and science, and producing artworks that demystify and inform, it is possible to take scientific research further than science circles alone and allow the narrative to become part of the public vernacular. The intention is to foster interest, to communicate research findings, to raise questions, to become conversation starters, and to be triggers for further research or behavioural change. This interpretation of specialised scientific data allows for the information to be passed on, releasing the research so it can be understood through the objects themselves, with little or no background knowledge necessary.Contemporary jewellery, as an art form, is well positioned to do this. As a way of connecting people, jewellery can be a powerful means for mobilizing change.1 Once attached to a human host, jewellery has great potential for impact. From the origins of humanity, it has played a role of connectivity through symbolic representation. Its logical connection to the body gives the medium potential to speak of important issues within society.2My work examines how jewellery can act as a form of communication and an agent for change. It shows that the framework of contemporary jewellery has great potential to speak of issues within society and the environment

An atypical presentation of small bowel obstruction and perforation secondary to sporadic synchronous intra-abdominal desmoid tumours

AbstractIntroductionDesmoid tumours (DTs) are rare, soft tissue tumours which account for 0.03% of all neoplasms. They are characteristically locally invasive but do not metastasize. There is frequent association with females of reproductive age, a history of abdominal surgery or trauma and a family history of fibromatoses. Intra-abdominal DTs are infrequently sporadic and more commonly associated with inherited disorders such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), attenuated FAP and Gardener’s syndrome.Presentation of caseThe authors report a rare case of small bowel obstruction and perforation secondary to sporadic, synchronous intra-abdominal DTs in a 54-year old man with atypical symptoms and no risk factors or family history.DiscussionIntra-abdominal DTs have a worse prognosis as they can cause intestinal bleeding, obstruction and perforation. Due to the rarity of these tumours there are no clear guidelines on their management and this is instead based on small case series from specialist centres. In the non-acute setting patients with sporadic intra-abdominal DTs should be managed in a specialist sarcoma unit by a multidisciplinary team. In the presence of FAP or other polyposis syndromes patients with DTs should be managed at a specialist colorectal unit. Emergent presentations require emergency surgery in suitable candidates.ConclusionIn non-emergency presentations of DTs, it is essential to exclude FAP, AFAP and other hereditary polyposis syndromes since this affects treatment and subsequent follow-up

Testing an online measure of portion size selection: a pilot study concerned with the measurement of ideal portion size

BackgroundPortion size is known to be a key driver of food intake. As consumed portions are often pre-planned, ‘ideal portion size’—an individual’s preferred meal size selected prior to eating—has been identified as a strong predictor of actual consumption. However, assessments of ideal portion size have predominantly relied on laboratory-based computer tasks, limiting use online. Therefore, this cross-sectional study sought to pilot test the validity of a web-based tool to measure ideal portion size.MethodsIn an online study (N = 48), participants responded to images of a range of foods. Each food was photographed in a series of different portions and loaded into an ‘image carousel’ that would allow participants to change the size of the displayed portion by moving a slider left-to-right. Using this image carousel, participants selected their ideal portion size. They also completed measures of expected satiety and expected satiation and self-reported their age and body mass index (BMI). A non-parametric correlation matrix was used to explore associations between ideal portion size and identified predictors of food intake.ResultsSupporting convergent validity of this measure, ideal portion size was significantly correlated with expected satiety (rs = .480) and expected satiation (rs = −.310) after controlling for effects of baseline hunger and fullness, consistent with past research. Similarly, supporting divergent validity of this measure, ideal portion size was not significantly correlated with age (rs = −.032) or BMI (rs = −.111,).ConclusionsPilot results support the validity of this web-based portion size selection tool used to measure ideal portion size, though further research is needed to validate use with comparisons to actual food intake

Self-identified strategies to manage intake of tempting foods: cross-sectional and prospective associations with BMI and snack intake

Objectives:Individuals often use self-directed strategies to manage intake of tempting foods, but what these strategies are and whether they are effective is not well understood. This study assessed the frequency of use and subjective effectiveness of self-directed strategies in relation to BMI and snack intake.Design:A cross-sectional and prospective study with three timepoints (T1: baseline, T2: 3 months, T3: 3 years). At T1, demographics, frequency of use and subjective effectiveness of 41 identified strategies were assessed. At T2 and T3, current weight was reported, and at T2 frequency of snack intake was also recorded.Setting:Online study in the UK.Participants:Data from N=368 participants (Mage=34.41 years; MBMI=25.06 kg/m2) was used for analysis at T1, N=170 (46.20% of the total sample) at T2 and N=51 (13.59%) at T3.Results:Two strategy factors were identified via principal axis factoring: 1) Diet, exercise, reduction of temptations, and cognitive strategies, and 2) Planning, preparation and eating style. For strategy 1, frequency of use, but not subjective effectiveness, was positively related to BMI at T1. Subjective effectiveness predicted an increase in BMI from T1 and T2 to T3. No relationship to snack intake was found. For strategy 2, frequency of use was negatively related to BMI at T1. Neither frequency of use nor subjective effectiveness were related to changes in BMI over time, but subjective effectiveness was negatively correlated with unhealthy snack intake.Conclusion:Self-directed strategies to reduce the intake of tempting foods are not consistently related to BMI or snack intake

Examining the consumer behaviors of Illinois agritourism

The purpose of this study was to examine consumer behavior relationships in order to better serve and provide information for those currently involved and those wanting to open agritourism sites. The study investigated consumers at a Central Illinois agritourism site in fall 2016. With the use of an on-site offline questionnaire, post-visits were evaluated as consumers exited the site. Results of the study indicated strong relationships exist between hours spent on site, the number of miles traveled to the site, the number of items purchased on site, and the likelihood to revisit. The most powerful predictor of consumer purchasing was the number of times previously visited. The most powerful predictor of the number of times previously visiting the site was the number of miles driven to the site. Results indicate consumers are willing to travel to purchase goods at the agritourism site while spending considerable time and, ultimately, deciding to visit again

Exploration of colonic looping patterns in undisturbed cadaveric specimens.

INTRODUCTION: This study examines sex differences in the disposition of the sigmoid and transverse segments of the colon in undisturbed cadaveric abdomens and relates these findings to the anecdotal observation that colonoscopy is more challenging in females through the formation of tortuous bowel loops. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty two undisturbed cadaveric abdomens were inspected. Three distinct configuration grades were separately assigned to the sigmoid and transverse segments of the colon on the basis of the pattern of the bowel loops observed in situ. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to analyze sex differences in bowel loop configuration and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated to identify co-occurrence of configuration grades in the subjects. RESULTS: For the transverse segment, females had higher configuration grades corresponding to longer bowel loops with greater redundancy, compared to males (p = .000047). There was no sex difference in the sigmoid segment grade (p = .21636). Sigmoid and transverse segment grades were highly correlated in the subjects (coefficient = 0.9994). CONCLUSION: Sex differences in the configuration grades of the sigmoid or transverse colonic segments may be a significant contributing factor to increased difficulty of colonoscopy in females

‘Edible seaweeds’ as an alternative to animal-based proteins in the UK: Identifying product beliefs and consumer traits as drivers of consumer acceptability for macroalgae

Edible macroalgae (i.e., ‘seaweeds’) are a nutritious and sustainable alternative to animal-based proteins. However, consumption of seaweeds in Western countries remains low, and little is known about individual drivers of acceptance. The aim of this study was to further explore the consumer acceptability of seaweed-based food products in the UK. In an online study (N = 476), participants were presented with a general description of edible seaweeds, and descriptions of seaweed-based food products (e.g., ‘seaweed burger’). Participants were asked to rate beliefs about product attributes, and reported acceptance in terms of liking, willingness to try, willingness to buy, and readiness to adopt as a meat alternative. It was predicted that positive beliefs about seaweed-based products would be significantly associated with greater acceptance, and that seaweed-based products would be more favourable than a general description of seaweeds. Supporting study hypotheses, structural equation modelling showed that positive beliefs about taste/ edibility and familiarity significantly predicted acceptance (p .05). These results support the consumer acceptance of seaweeds, and identify scope for utilising specific attributes of seaweeds (as drivers of acceptance) in future product development