What's Cooking in Your Food System? A Guide to Community Food Assessment

Learn about Community Food Assessments, a creative way to highlight food-related resources and needs, promote collaboration and community participation, and create lasting change. This Guide includes case studies of nine Community Food Assessments; tips for planning and organizing an assessment; guidance on research methods and strategies for promoting community participation; and ideas for translating an assessment into action for change

The Workplace Experiences of Waitresses: Exploring the Nature of Emotional Labour

In western developed economies, it is service work that is increasing most swiftly; thus as westerners, we are now more likely to experience this sector as either workers or clients (McDowell, 2009). This paper explores the working experiences of three young female waitresses in order to better understand the nature of the service sector in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand society. This exploration incorporates a literature review covering the nature of interactive service sector work, as well as findings from in-depth interviews. The interviews focussed on the management-worker-customer triadic relationship that characterises interactive service work. The interviews were also used to explore how exploitation and alienation can be experienced in service sector workplaces. Each of the three women described times when they felt the power of others (employer, co-workers and/or customers) imposed upon them through poor management practices, workplace bullying and conflicts, and negative customer interactions. The findings demonstrate that their relationships with co-workers and managers were far more important than those with various customers, with the former being reported as the source of higher levels of workplace strain and distress. This challenges the literature’s emphasis on both the customer and the employer negatively affecting workers when they are engaged in emotional labour. The interviews also indicated some support for Bolton and Boyd’s critique of Hochschild’s arguments on emotional labour, in relation to the young women’s expression of agency. This is because the women expressed that there were times during their work in which they were able to make decisions independently. This is demonstrated by the moments of autonomy the women indicated they experienced when they were at work, as well as their descriptions of how they were able to exercise agency in relation to the flexible nature of their jobs. Most significantly, however, it was the young women’s description of how they managed their emotional labour by holding their service sector identity as a temporary part of their life that indicated their internal agency and ability to resist the more negative aspects of their jobs. The women also indicated that the‘enjoyable aspects of work’, including the benefits of gaining industry based skills and qualifications, and finding personal enjoyment in positive interactions with customers, also helped mitigate the more negative aspects of their work life

Organic food: what we know (and do not know) about consumers

This paper reports on the latest contributions to over 20 years of research on organic food consumers. There is a general consensus in the literature on the reasons why people buy organic food. However, there is also a gap between consumers’ generally positive attitude toward organic food and their relatively low level of actual purchases. Product differentiation based on intangible features, such as credence attributes such as organic, in fast-moving consumer goods categories is enjoying rapid growth. However, there are many difficulties with research in this area, including the errors inherent in research that relies on consumer self-reporting methodologies. Further, in relation to organic food, there is a divergence between consumers’ perception of its superior health features and scientific evidence. Fresh fruits and vegetables are of vital importance to the organic sector as they are the entry point for many customers and account for one-third of sales. Further, although there is a small proportion of dedicated organic food buyers, most sales come from the majority of buyers who switch between conventional and organic food purchases. This paper identifies the practical implications for generic organic food marketing campaigns, as well as for increasing sales of specific products. It concludes with suggested priorities for further research

Women, postcolonialism and italianità: exploring female subaltern voices in 21st century Italian literature (post-2010)

This thesis explores the role of marginalised female voices in literary texts in the debate surrounding Italy’s relationship with its colonial past, and how attitudes towards Italian colonialism impact conceptualisations of Italian identity today. The project focuses on a range of both fictional and autobiographical texts, namely Igiaba Scego’s Adua (2015), Francesca Melandri’s Sangue giusto (2017), Vittorio Longhi’s Il colore del nome (2021), and a selection of short stories and essays from Future: il domani narrato dalle voci di oggi (2019), a collection penned by a group of Afro-Italian women and curated by Scego. By entering the texts into a dialogue with each other and postcolonial literary theories, this thesis argues that the chosen texts attempt to combat Italian postcolonial amnesia by highlighting marginalised female voices that reveal suppressed and altered memories of Italy’s colonial past. In doing so, the texts challenge traditional ideas of Italian identity by emphasising the significance of Italy’s complex relationship with Africa, revealing names to be a significant marker of this relationship, as well as highlighting the increasing militancy of the youngest generation of Afro-Italian writers in dealing with Italy’s colonial history and its impact on black Italians today. The project also argues that while colonial-era marginalised female voices are ultimately lost to history and cannot speak for themselves, drawing upon Spivak’s conclusion that the subaltern “cannot speak” (1988), twenty-first century writers are able to keep their memory alive through these texts, allowing them to be included in the conversation regarding the ongoing legacy of Italian colonialism

The Workplace Experiences of Waitresses: Exploring the Nature of Emotional Labour

In western developed economies, it is service work that is increasing most swiftly; thus as westerners, we are now more likely to experience this sector as either workers or clients (McDowell, 2009). This paper explores the working experiences of three young female waitresses in order to better understand the nature of the service sector in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand society. This exploration incorporates a literature review covering the nature of interactive service sector work, as well as findings from in-depth interviews. The interviews focussed on the management-worker-customer triadic relationship that characterises interactive service work. The interviews were also used to explore how exploitation and alienation can be experienced in service sector workplaces. Each of the three women described times when they felt the power of others (employer, co-workers and/or customers) imposed upon them through poor management practices, workplace bullying and conflicts, and negative customer interactions. The findings demonstrate that their relationships with co-workers and managers were far more important than those with various customers, with the former being reported as the source of higher levels of workplace strain and distress. This challenges the literature’s emphasis on both the customer and the employer negatively affecting workers when they are engaged in emotional labour. The interviews also indicated some support for Bolton and Boyd’s critique of Hochschild’s arguments on emotional labour, in relation to the young women’s expression of agency. This is because the women expressed that there were times during their work in which they were able to make decisions independently. This is demonstrated by the moments of autonomy the women indicated they experienced when they were at work, as well as their descriptions of how they were able to exercise agency in relation to the flexible nature of their jobs. Most significantly, however, it was the young women’s description of how they managed their emotional labour by holding their service sector identity as a temporary part of their life that indicated their internal agency and ability to resist the more negative aspects of their jobs. The women also indicated that the‘enjoyable aspects of work’, including the benefits of gaining industry based skills and qualifications, and finding personal enjoyment in positive interactions with customers, also helped mitigate the more negative aspects of their work life

Chronic exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac) causes developmental delays in Rana pipiens larvae

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine, are among the many pharmaceuticals detected in aquatic ecosystems. Although the acute effects of SSRIs on select organisms have been reported, little is understood about the chronic effects of these drugs on amphibians, which are particularly sensitive to environmental pollutants. Serotonin plays important roles in many physiological functions, including a wide array of developmental processes. Exposure to SSRIs during development may cause developmental complications in a variety of organisms, but little is known about the degree of exposure necessary to cause deleterious effects. Here, we sought to gain a better understanding of the effects of SSRIs on amphibian development by use of a combined laboratory and outdoor mesocosm study. Tadpoles in a laboratory setting were exposed to a low (0.029 µg/L) and a high (0.29 µg/L) concentration of the common SSRI fluoxetine from stages 21 and 22 through completion of metamorphosis. Tadpoles in outdoor mesocosms were exposed to fluoxetine concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 µg/L. Exposed tadpoles in the laboratory showed delayed development compared with controls when stage was assessed throughout the experiment. Control tadpoles also gained weight faster than treatment tadpoles, which may be explained by reduced food intake. Mesocosm tadpoles exhibited similar trends, but no significant differences were detected. These results indicate that ecologically relevant levels of fluoxetine may cause developmental delays in amphibians. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:2845–2850. © 2010 SETACPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78304/1/345_ftp.pd

The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: key findings.

More than 70 leading figures from 25 countries have contributed to the Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health – a wide-ranging report synthesising new and existing research across many aspects of eye health which was published in April 2021. This article series will look at the findings of the Commission in more depth, starting with a focus on the key findings

The Impact of Exercising During Haemodialysis on Blood Pressure, Markers of Cardiac Injury and Systemic Inflammation - Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) (http://www.karger.com/Services/OpenAccessLicense). Usage and distribution for commercial purposes as well as any distribution of modified material requires written permission.Background/Aims: Patients requiring haemodialysis have cardiovascular and immune dysfunction. Little is known about the acute effects of exercise during haemodialysis. Exercise has numerous health benefits but in other populations has a profound impact upon blood pressure, inflammation and immune function; therefore having the potential to exacerbate cardiovascular and immune dysfunction in this vulnerable population. Methods: Fifteen patients took part in a randomised-crossover study investigating the effect of a 30-min bout of exercise during haemodialysis compared to resting haemodialysis. We assessed blood pressure, plasma markers of cardiac injury and systemic inflammation and neutrophil degranulation. Results: Exercise increased blood pressure immediately post-exercise; however, 1 hour after exercise blood pressure was lower than resting levels (106±22 vs. 117±25 mm Hg). No differences in h-FABP, cTnI, myoglobin or CKMB were observed between trial arms. Exercise did not alter circulating concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α or IL-1ra nor clearly suppress neutrophil function. Conclusions: This study demonstrates fluctuations in blood pressure during haemodialysis in response to exercise. However, since the fall in blood pressure occurred without evidence of cardiac injury, we regard it as a normal response to exercise superimposed onto the haemodynamic response to haemodialysis. Importantly, exercise did not exacerbate systemic inflammation or immune dysfunction; intradialytic exercise was well tolerated

Posterior segment eye disease in sub-Saharan Africa: review of recent population-based studies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the burden of posterior segment eye diseases (PSEDs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). METHODS: We reviewed published population-based data from SSA and other relevant populations on the leading PSED, specifically glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, as causes of blindness and visual impairment in adults. Data were extracted from population-based studies conducted in SSA and elsewhere where relevant. RESULTS: PSEDs, when grouped or as individual diseases, are a major contributor to blindness and visual impairment in SSA. PSED, grouped together, was usually the second leading cause of blindness after cataract, ranging as a proportion of blindness from 13 to 37%. CONCLUSIONS: PSEDs are likely to grow in importance as causes of visual impairment and blindness in SSA in the coming years as populations grow, age and become more urban in lifestyle. African-based cohort studies are required to help estimate present and future needs and plan services to prevent avoidable blindness

Morphological and molecular changes in the murine placenta exposed to normobaric hypoxia throughout pregnancy.

Chronic hypoxia is a common complication of pregnancy, arising through malperfusion of the placenta or pregnancy at high altitude. The present study investigated the effects of hypoxia on the growth of the placenta, which is the organ that interfaces between the mother and her fetus. Mice were housed in an hypoxic environment for the whole of gestation. An atmosphere of 13% oxygen induced fetal growth restriction (1182 ± 9 mg, n = 90 vs. 1044 ± 11 mg, n = 62, P < 0.05) but enhanced placental weight (907 ± 11 mg, n = 90 vs. 998 ± 15 mg, n = 62,P < 0.05). Stereological analyses revealed an increase in the volume of maternal blood spaces in the placenta, consistent with increased flow. At the molecular level, we observed activation of the protein kinase B (Akt)-mechanistic target of rapamycin growth and proliferation pathway. Chronic hypoxia also triggered mild endoplasmic reticulum stress, a conserved homeostatic response that mediates translational arrest through phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 subunit α. Surprisingly, although subunits of the mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes were reduced at the protein level, there was no evidence of intracellular energy depletion. Finally, we demonstrated sex-specific placental responses to chronic hypoxia. Placentas from male fetuses were heavier (1082 ± 2 mg, n = 30 vs. 928 ± 2 mg, n = 34, P < 0.05) and less susceptible to hypoxia-induced oxidative stress than those from females. Their capacity to adapt may explain why male fetuses were significantly less growth restricted at embryonic day 18.5 than their female counterparts. These findings are consistent with the concept that male fetuses are more aggressive with respect to their nutrient demands, which may place them at greater risk of adverse outcomes under limiting conditions.This study was supported by a grant from the Wellcome Trust (084804/2/08/Z).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1113/JP27107