Migration, acculturation and environment: determinants of obesity among Iranian migrants in Australia

While migration from low- to high-income countries is typically associated with weight gain, the obesity risks of migration from middle-income countries are less certain. In addition to changes in behaviours and cultural orientation upon migration, analyses of changes in environments are needed to explain post-migration risks for obesity. The present study examines the interaction between obesity-related environmental factors and the pattern of migrant acculturation in a sample of 152 Iranian immigrants in Victoria, Australia. Weight measurements, demographics, physical activity levels and diet habits were also surveyed. The pattern of acculturation (relative integration, assimilation, separation or marginalization) was not related to body mass index, diet, or physical activity behaviours. Three relevant aspects of participants' perception of the Australian environment (physically active environments, social pressure to be fit, unhealthy food environments) varied considerably by demographic characteristics, but only one (physically active environments) was related to a pattern of acculturation (assimilation). Overall, this research highlighted a number of key relationships between acculturation and obesity-related environments and behaviours for our study sample. Theoretical models on migration, culture and obesity need to include environmental factors.

Identifying the determinants of renewable energy consumption in leading renewable energy investor emerging countries

This article analyses the determinants of renewable energy consumption in six major emerging economies who are proactively accelerating the adoption of renewable energy. The long-run elasticities from both panel methods (fully modified ordinary least square and dynamic least square) and the time series method (autoregressive distributed lag) seem to be pretty consistent. For Brazil, China, India and Indonesia, in the long-run, renewable energy consumption is significantly determined by income and pollutant emission. However, for Philippines and Turkey, income seems to be the main driver for renewable energy consumption. In the short-run, for Brazil and China bi-directional causalities between renewable energy and income; and between renewable energy and pollutant emission are found. This research justifies the efforts undertaken by emerging countries to reduce the carbon intensity by increasing the energy efficiency and substantially increasing the share of renewable in the overall energy mix

Towards the optimization of performance of Atlantic salmon reared at different water temperatures via the manipulation of dietary ARA/EPA ratio

In recent years, aquaculture has been facing a series of new issues, including the necessary replacement of fish oil and fish meal because of their limited supply and sub-optimal water temperature conditions. Higher water temperatures are increasingly encountered as the result of climate change related phenomena and/or the practice of farming of species in areas with environmental characteristics outside their optimal physiological range, such as the case of Atlantic salmon (. Salmo salar) farming in Australia during the summer season. Previous studies in teleost fish have shown that when fish are exposed at higher environmental temperatures, fish had a preferential increased dietary intake for arachidonic acid (20:4n - 6, ARA). This observation suggests that, given the several metabolic roles of ARA, its dietary provision may play an important role in fish for adapting at sub-optimal high water temperatures. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the effects of different dietary ARA/EPA ratios in juvenile Atlantic salmon as affected by time of exposition to the diet and water temperatures, with particular focus to fish performance and possible resulting modifications of tissue fatty acid composition. The study showed that independently from dietary treatments, fish held at the higher temperatures had an increased ARA accumulation, primarily in the liver and this ARA accumulation increased over time. It was also shown that the combined dietary inclusion of ARA and EPA significantly improved fish performance, compared with diets either richer in ARA or EPA. A general trend toward higher content of n - 3 LC-PUFA at lower temperatures was also quite clear, especially in the liver. Therefore, and assuming that the trends in tissue fatty acid composition could be taken as a clue of the optimal fatty acid requirements of fish, the n - 6 requirement (and in particular ARA) clearly appears to be greater for Atlantic salmon raised at high water temperatures. Protein accumulation was higher in the diet with the combined dietary inclusion of ARA and EPA for fish held at high water temperature (20. °C), with a concomitant lipid reduction. This study shows the importance of dietary ARA for maximal growth in Atlantic salmon, particularly during the period of the year when high water temperatures are often encountered. Further studies specifically looking at optimal dietary ARA/EPA ratio and roles of ARA on myogenesis, stress physiology and immune status of cultured fish are warranted. Statement of relevance: Given the current high level of fish oil replacement in aquafeed, and the often encountered sub-optimal environmental temperatures, we believe that this study could be considered as timely and highly pertinent for the aquaculture industry and associated R&D sector.

Cameras and body memory create new blends of performance with visual art practice

I propose that a learnt somatic experience of dance can translate into another discipline such as visual art. In my visual art practice I combine both photography, which is traditionally seen as a still medium, and performance in order to create a new form of embodiment. I have developed two series of art works of prints and video made in response to the Australian landscape. By analyzing my method of movement and photography I will describe how an embodied dance language can result in a material outcome – a series of drawings of light and movement, a body signature made possible through old and new technology. I have activated a performative state while capturing images discovering new ways of using technology reliant upon my knowledge of dance, performance and photography. Making a human size camera to make analogue prints I gained an intuitive knowledge of light – a skill that has become foundational in performance and photography. In response to space and light in the Australian landscape I then built a custom made camera that allows for the longest possible time to capture an image. I move while taking the image and use the camera as if an eye at the end of my arm. In this way I activate dance skills and embodied knowledge of space, timing and light, opening up a radical space for new thinking, making and performing.Furthermore this process engages memory and sentiment embodied through age. Many artists have responded to the unique qualities of the Australian landscape and by using a performative/photographic approach I have engaged with my own body memory. Being brought up in the landscape and training in ballet my body has acquired memories at a cellular level. My method has given memory a voice. In doing these works I have become conscious of how unconscious memories of the space and light in the landscape is a movement vocabulary activated in a way that ‘feels’ like dancing. As an ageing person this experience is profound and the resultant materialisation of the photographs and videos leave a material record of the event. The sentiments evoked through my process bridge the past with the present, the body with the mind, memory with body and space connecting disciplines in a new way.The materialisation of artworks itself continues cross-disciplinary processes using a technique that is a continuum of the performative. Through using technology I release memory of the landscape and pixel by pixel build imagery that relies on and is a part of the performative process. It is a photographic performance dance manifesting as pigment on paper exhibited a gallery context. The exhibition allows a space for the viewer to respond - re-membering the universal the act of moving. The works titled ‘body signatures’ and ‘Fly Rhythm’ become a communicative device in the gallery context.My paper through an analysis of process and methods used in making the two series will talk to several of the subjects listed and reveal a new way of connecting performance and visual art and old and new technologies.

Determinants of individual foraging specialization in large marine vertebrates, the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals

The degree of individual specialization in resource use differs widely among wild populations where individuals range from fully generalized to highly specialized. This interindividual variation has profound implications in many ecological and evolutionary processes. A recent review proposed four main ecological causes of individual specialization: interspecific and intraspecific competition, ecological opportunity and predation. Using the isotopic signature of subsampled whiskers, we investigated to what degree three of these factors (interspecific and intraspecific competition and ecological opportunity) affect the population niche width and the level of individual foraging specialization in two fur seal species, the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella and Arctocephalus tropicalis), over several years. Population niche width was greater when the two seal species bred in allopatry (low interspecific competition) than in sympatry or when seals bred in high-density stabilized colonies (high intraspecific competition). In agreement with the niche variation hypothesis (NVH), higher population niche width was associated with higher interindividual niche variation. However, in contrast to the NVH, all Antarctic females increased their niche width during the interbreeding period when they had potential access to a wider diversity of foraging grounds and associated prey (high ecological opportunities), suggesting they all dispersed to a similar productive area. The degree of individual specialization varied among populations and within the annual cycle. Highest levels of interindividual variation were found in a context of lower interspecific or higher intraspecific competition. Contrasted results were found concerning the effect of ecological opportunity. Depending on seal species, females exhibited either a greater or lower degree of individual specialization during the interbreeding period, reflecting species-specific biological constraints during that period. These results suggest a significant impact of ecological interactions on the population niche width and degree of individual specialization. Such variation at the individual level may be an important factor in the species plasticity with significant consequences on how it may respond to environmental variability.

Determinants of corporate capital structure: a comparison of public and private firms

 This thesis investigates how capital structure decisions of private and public firms in the UK differ in regards to their ownership structure, information asymmetry (proxied by audit quality) and access to debt capital.

Addressing the social determinants of inequities in physical activity and sedentary behaviours

 Participation in both physical activity and sedentary behaviours follow a social gradient, such that those who are more advantaged are more likely to be regularly physically active, less likely to be sedentary, and less likely to experience the adverse health outcomes associated with inactive lifestyles than their less advantaged peers. The aim of this paper is to provide, in a format that will support policymakers and practitioners, an overview of the current evidence base and highlight promising approaches for promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours equitably at each level of ‘Fair Foundations: The VicHealth framework for health equity’. A rapid review was undertaken in February–April 2014. Electronic databases (Medline, PsychINFO, SportsDISCUS, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Global Health and Embase) were searched using a pre-defined search strategy and grey literature searches of websites of key relevant organizations were undertaken. The majority of included studies focussed on approaches targeting behaviour change at the individual level, with fewer focussing on daily living conditions or broader socioeconomic, political and cultural contexts. While many gaps in the evidence base remain, particularly in relation to reducing sedentary behaviour, promising approaches for promoting physical activity equitably across the three levels of the Fair Foundations framework include: community-wide approaches; support for local and state governments to develop policies and practices; neighbourhood designs (including parks) that are conducive to physical activity; investment in early childhood interventions; school programmes; peer- or group-based programmes; and targeted motivational, cognitive-behavioural, and/or mediated individual-level approaches.

Determinants of best HR practices in Chinese SMEs

Abstract
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors which determine the adoption of best HR practices in Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis was utilized to analyse survey data obtained from 345 enterprises operating across China in a wide range of industrial sectors.
Findings – Enterprises with greater resources in terms of their size, their relationships with external organizations, their cooperation with foreign partners and the human capital of their CEO were found to be more likely to adopt best HR practices. Contrary to the findings of the existing literature no relationship was found of a relationship between family ownership and the use of best HR practices.
Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design is an obvious limitation of the study. Other limitations relate to the generalizability of the study findings outside the context in which the research was undertaken, and the use of convenience sampling.
Practical implications – Enterprises should consider building strategic relationships with external organizations and developing cooperation with foreign partners as a way of leveraging human resource expertise at a limited cost.
Originality/value – This is the first study to examine how differences in the resource endowments of Chinese SMEs influence their adoption of best HR practices.

Determinants of mastitis in women in the CASTLE study: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: Mastitis is an acute, debilitating condition that occurs in approximately 20 % of breastfeeding women who experience a red, painful breast with fever. This paper describes the factors correlated with mastitis and investigates the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in women who participated in the CASTLE (Candida and Staphylococcus Transmission: Longitudinal Evaluation) study. The CASTLE study was a prospective cohort study which recruited nulliparous women in late pregnancy in two maternity hospitals in Melbourne, Australia in 2009-2011.

METHODS: Women completed questionnaires at recruitment and six time-points in the first eight weeks postpartum. Postpartum questionnaires asked about incidences of mastitis, nipple damage, milk supply, expressing practices and breastfeeding problems. Nasal and nipple swabs were collected from mothers and babies, as well as breast milk samples. All samples were cultured for S. aureus. "Time at risk" of mastitis was defined as days between birth and first occurrence of mastitis (for women who developed mastitis) and days between birth and the last study time-point (for women who did not develop mastitis). Risk factors for incidence of mastitis occurring during the time at risk (Incident Rate Ratios [IRR]) were investigated using a discrete version of the multivariable proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS: Twenty percent (70/346) of participants developed mastitis. Women had an increased risk of developing mastitis if they reported nipple damage (IRR 2.17, 95 % CI 1.21, 3.91), over-supply of breast milk (IRR 2.60, 95 % CI 1.58, 4.29), nipple shield use (IRR 2.93, 95 % CI 1.72, 5.01) or expressing several times a day (IRR 1.64, 95 % CI 1.01, 2.68). The presence of S. aureus on the nipple (IRR 1.72, 95 % CI 1.04, 2.85) or in milk (IRR 1.78, 95 % CI 1.08, 2.92) also increased the risk of developing mastitis.

CONCLUSIONS: Nipple damage, over-supply of breast milk, use of nipple shields and the presence of S. aureus on the nipple or in breast milk increased the mastitis risk in our prospective cohort study sample. Reducing nipple damage may help reduce maternal breast infections.

Determinants of wage arrears and their implications for the socioeconomic wellbeing of China's migrant workers: Evidence from Guangdong province

The recent unprecedented scale of Chinese migration has had far-reaching consequences. Within China, many villages have been drained of their young and most able workers, cities have been swamped by the ‘floating population’, and many rural migrants have been unable to integrate into urban society. Internationally, the Chinese have become increasingly more mobile. This Handbook provides a unique collection of new and original research on internal and international Chinese migration and its effects on the sense of belonging of migrants.

Life-history and spatial determinants of somatic growth dynamics in Komodo dragon populations

Somatic growth patterns represent a major component of organismal fitness and may vary among sexes and populations due to genetic and environmental processes leading to profound differences in life-history and demography. This study considered the ontogenic, sex-specific and spatial dynamics of somatic growth patterns in ten populations of the world's largest lizard the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). The growth of 400 individual Komodo dragons was measured in a capture-mark-recapture study at ten sites on four islands in eastern Indonesia, from 2002 to 2010. Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) and information-theoretic methods were used to examine how growth rates varied with size, age and sex, and across and within islands in relation to site-specific prey availability, lizard population density and inbreeding coefficients. Growth trajectories differed significantly with size and between sexes, indicating different energy allocation tactics and overall costs associated with reproduction. This leads to disparities in maximum body sizes and longevity. Spatial variation in growth was strongly supported by a curvilinear density-dependent growth model with highest growth rates occurring at intermediate population densities. Sex-specific trade-offs in growth underpin key differences in Komodo dragon life-history including evidence for high costs of reproduction in females. Further, inverse density-dependent growth may have profound effects on individual and population level processes that influence the demography of this species.

Automated analysis of performance and energy consumption for cloud applications

In cloud environments, IT solutions are delivered to users via shared infrastructure. One consequence of this model is that large cloud data centres consume large amounts of energy and produce significant carbon footprints. A key objective of cloud providers is thus to develop resource provisioning and management solutions at minimum energy consumption while still guaranteeing Service Level Agreements (SLAs). However, a thorough understanding of both system performance and energy consumption patterns in complex cloud systems is imperative to achieve a balance of energy efficiency and acceptable performance. In this paper, we present StressCloud, a performance and energy consumption analysis tool for cloud systems. StressCloud can automatically generate load tests and profile system performance and energy consumption data. Using StressCloud, we have conducted extensive experiments to profile and analyse system performance and energy consumption with different types and mixes of runtime tasks. We collected finegrained energy consumption and performance data with different resource allocation strategies, system configurations and workloads. The experimental results show the correlation coefficients of energy consumption, system resource allocation strategies and workload, as well as the performance of the cloud applications. Our results can be used to guide the design and deployment of cloud applications to balance energy and performance requirements.