Science parks and university-industry links: a case-study of the surrey research park.

Doutoramento em Economia.

Chocolate and children's food and flavour preferences

Chocolate in Health and Nutrition represents the first comprehensive compilation of the newest data on the actions of the flavonoids and microorganisms associated with the beneficial effects of chocolate.

Comparative effects of TV watching, recreational computer use, and sedentary video game play on spontaneous energy intake in male children. A randomised crossover trial.

To compare the effects of three screen-based sedentary behaviours on acute energy intake (EI) in children. Normal-weight males aged 9-13 years participated in a randomised crossover trial conducted in a laboratory setting between November 2012 and February 2013 in Auckland, New Zealand. EI during an ad libitum meal was compared for three 1-hour conditions: (1) television (TV) watching, (2) sedentary video game (VG) play, and (3) recreational computer use. The primary endpoint was total EI from food and drink. Mixed regression models were used to evaluate the treatment conditions adjusting for age, BMI, and appetite at baseline. A total of 20 participants were randomised and all completed the three conditions. Total EI from food and drink in the TV, computer, and VG conditions was estimated at 820 (SE 73.15), 685 (SE 73.33), and 696 (SE 73.16) kcal, respectively, with EI being significantly greater in the TV versus computer condition (+135; P = 0.04), a trend towards greater intake in the TV versus VG condition (+124; P = 0.06), but not significantly different between the computer and VG conditions (-10; P = 0.87). TV watching was associated with greater EI compared with computer use, and a trend towards greater EI compared with VG play.

Economic evaluation of price discounts and skill-building strategies on purchase and consumption of healthy food and beverages: The SHELf randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: Pricing strategies are a promising approach for promoting healthier dietary choices. However, robust evidence of the cost-effectiveness of pricing manipulations on dietary behaviour is limited. We aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of a 20% price reduction on fruits and vegetables and a combined skills-based behaviour change and price reduction intervention. DESIGN AND METHODS: Cost-effectiveness analysis from a societal perspective was undertaken for the randomized controlled trial Supermarket Healthy Eating for Life (SHELf). Female shoppers in Melbourne, Australia were randomized to: (1) skill-building (n = 160); (2) price reductions (n = 161); (3) combined skill-building and price reduction (n = 161); or (4) control group (n = 161). The intervention was implemented for three months followed by a six month follow-up. Costs were measured in 2012 Australian dollars. Fruit and vegetable purchasing and consumption were measured in grams/week. RESULTS: At three months, compared to control participants, price reduction participants increased vegetable purchases by 233 g/week (95% CI 4 to 462, p = 0.046) and fruit purchases by 364 g/week (95% CI 95 to 633, p = 0.008). Participants in the combined group purchased 280 g/week more fruits (95% CI 27 to 533, p = 0.03) than participants in the control group. Increases were not maintained six-month post intervention. No effect was noticed in the skill-building group. Compared to the control group, the price reduction intervention cost an additional A$2.3 per increased serving of vegetables purchased per week or an additional A$3 per increased serving of fruit purchased per week. The combined intervention cost an additional A$12 per increased serving of fruit purchased per week compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: A 20% discount on fruits and vegetables was effective in promoting overall fruit and vegetable purchases during the period the discount was active and may be cost-effective. The price discount program gave better value for money than the combined price reduction and skill-building intervention. The SHELf trial is registered with Current Controlled Trials Registration ISRCTN39432901.

Recreational drug use within the employees of the mariculture and seafood industry in South Australia

A study of recreational drug use among workers in the Port Lincoln mariculture and seafood industries was conducted by self report questionnaire. High rates of cannabis and alcohol use were revealed during the shore based fish farming season. The occupational health and safety implications of these findings in one of Australia's most dangerous industries are significant. Further research could inform the development of industry specific harm minimisation policies.

The comparative cost of food and beverages at remote Indigenous communities, Northern Territory, Australia

OBJECTIVE: To determine the average price difference between foods and beverages in remote Indigenous community stores and capital city supermarkets and explore differences across products.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey compared prices derived from point-of-sale data in 20 remote Northern Territory stores with supermarkets in capital cities of the Northern Territory and South Australia for groceries commonly purchased in remote stores. Average price differences for products, supply categories and food groups were examined.

RESULTS: The 443 products examined represented 63% of food and beverage expenditure in remote stores. Remote products were, on average, 60% and 68% more expensive than advertised prices for Darwin and Adelaide supermarkets, respectively. The average price difference for fresh products was half that of packaged groceries for Darwin supermarkets and more than 50% for food groups that contributed most to purchasing.

CONCLUSIONS: Strategies employed by manufacturers and supermarkets, such as promotional pricing, and supermarkets' generic products lead to lower prices. These opportunities are not equally available to remote customers and are a major driver of price disparity.

IMPLICATIONS: Food affordability for already disadvantaged residents of remote communities could be improved by policies targeted at manufacturers, wholesalers and/or major supermarket chains.

Food and passion: technologies of self transformation in Jamie’s kitchen

Since the 1990s there has been a surge of televisual dramatisations of real-life cooking shows in industrialised countries (Versteegan 2010: 447). Through reality television cooking shows such as, MasterChef, Jamie 's Kitchen, Hell's Kitchen, viewers have encountered celebrity chefs, 'foodies', hospitality trainees, contestants, cooking competitions and customers. These shows have been understood as an indication of- and intervention into - contemporary consumption trends and as vehicles for social change. Many reality-based cooking shows have been regarded as educational, pedagogical sites that 'encourage populations to undertake surveillance of their own and others' bodies' and eating habits with messages like: 'You are what you eat!' or 'Organic is better' (Rich 2011: 3; see also Lewis 2007 and Chapter 4 in this book by Szkupinski-Quiroga, Sandlin and Redmon Wright).In this chapter we explore the reality television programme Jamie's Kitchen as a pedagogical site which seeks to transform young people's understandings about food, work and ultimately themselves. In 2002 the high-profile celebrity chef Jamie Oliver set out to transform a group of unemployed young Londoners into the enterprising, ideal workers of twenty-first century, :flexible capitalism.1 This process of transformation was represented in the enormously successful Channel 4 TV series Jamie's Kitchen.2 In Australia, we viewed the series, as it was screened on Channel 10 over five weeks during July and August 2003.

Modern screen-use behaviors: the effects of single- and multi-screen use on energy intake

PURPOSE: The effects of using multiple screens at once on energy intake (EI) are unknown. This study compared EI of participants with access to multiple screens (television + iPad + smartphone) versus a single screen (television). METHODS: A laboratory-based, randomized, two-arm parallel (multi-screen vs. single-screen) trial was conducted in 78 adolescents (ages, 13-18 years). Food and drink were available during a 1-hour exposure period. Total EI was the primary outcome. Linear regression analyses were conducted to test the treatment difference, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and appetite at baseline. RESULTS: Total EI did not differ significantly between the two groups (multi-screen, 758 kcal [standard error = 75] vs. single-screen, 681 kcal [standard error = 75]; difference, +77 kcal; 95% confidence interval, -166 to +320). CONCLUSIONS: EI did not differ between adolescents with access to multiple screens and those with access to a single screen; however, limitations in the study design may have decreased the power of the study.

Designing a healthy food partnership: lessons from the Australian food and health dialogue

BACKGROUND: Poor diets are a leading cause of disease burden worldwide. In Australia, the Federal Government established the Food and Health Dialogue (the Dialogue) in 2009 to address this issue, primarily through food reformulation. We evaluated the Dialogue's performance over its 6 years of operation and used these findings to develop recommendations for the success of the new Healthy Food Partnership.

METHODS: We used information from the Dialogue website, media releases, communiqués, e-newsletters, materials released under freedom-of-information, and Parliamentary Hansard to evaluate the Dialogue's achievements from October 2013 to November 2015, using the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation and maintenance) framework. We also engaged closely with two former Dialogue members. Our findings update a prior assessment done in October 2013.

RESULTS: Little data is available to evaluate the Dialogue's recent achievements, with no information about progress against milestones released since October 2013. In the last 2 years, only one additional set of sodium reduction targets (cheese) was agreed and Quick Service Restaurant foods were added as an area for action. Some activity was identified in 12 of a possible 137 (9 %) areas of action within the Dialogue's mandate. Independent evaluation found targets were partially achieved in some food categories, with substantial variation in success between companies. No effects on the knowledge, behaviours or nutrient intake of the Australian population or evidence of impact on diet-related disease could be identified.

CONCLUSIONS: The new Healthy Food Partnership has similar goals to the Dialogue. While highly laudable and recognised globally as cost-effective, the mechanism for delivery in Australia has been woefully inadequate. Strong government leadership, adequate funding, clear targets and timelines, management of conflict of interest, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, and a plan for responsive regulation in the event of missed milestones will be required if the new Healthy Food Partnership is to achieve its urgent public health goals.

Ecology of antimicrobial resistance: humans, animals, food and environment

Antimicrobial resistance is a major health problem. After decades of research, numerous difficulties in tackling resistance have emerged, from the paucity of new antimicrobials to the inefficient contingency plans to reduce the use of antimicrobials; consequently, resistance to these drugs is out of control. Today we know that bacteria from the environment are often at the very origin of the acquired resistance determinants found in hospitals worldwide. Here we define the genetic components that flow from the environment to pathogenic bacteria and thereby confer a quantum increase in resistance levels, as resistance units (RU). Environmental bacteria as well as microbiomes from humans, animals, and food represent an infinite reservoir of RU, which are based on genes that have had, or not, a resistance function in their original bacterial hosts. This brief review presents our current knowledge of antimicrobial resistance and its consequences, with special focus on the importance of an ecologic perspective of antimicrobial resistance. This discipline encompasses the study of the relationships of entities and events in the framework of curing and preventing disease, a definition that takes into account both microbial ecology and antimicrobial resistance. Understanding the flux of RU throughout the diverse ecosystems is crucial to assess, prevent and eventually predict emerging scaffolds before they colonize health institutions. Collaborative horizontal research scenarios should be envisaged and involve all actors working with humans, animals, food and the environment.

Earnings quality : some evidence on the role of auditor tenure and auditors' industry expertise

Prior studies suggest that auditors with short tenure are associated with lower earnings quality because of the lack of client-specific knowledge and/or low balling. In this study, we examine whether industry specialization of auditors and low balling affect the association between auditor tenure and earnings quality. We find that the association between shorter auditor tenure and lower earnings quality is weaker for firms audited by industry specialists compared to non-specialists. In addition, we do not find results consistent with the low balling explanation.

Progress achieved in restricting the marketing of high-fat, sugary and salty food and beverage products to children

In May 2010, 192 Member States endorsed Resolution WHA63.14 to restrict the marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverage products high in saturated fats, trans fatty acids, free sugars and/or salt to children and adolescents globally. We examined the actions taken between 2010 and early 2016 - by civil society groups, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its regional offices, other United Nations (UN) organizations, philanthropic institutions and transnational industries - to help decrease the prevalence of obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases among young people. By providing relevant technical and policy guidance and tools to Member States, WHO and other UN organizations have helped protect young people from the marketing of branded food and beverage products that are high in fat, sugar and/or salt. The progress achieved by the other actors we investigated appears variable and generally less robust. We suggest that the progress being made towards the full implementation of Resolution WHA63.14 would be accelerated by further restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy food and beverage products and by investing in the promotion of nutrient-dense products. This should help young people meet government-recommended dietary targets. Any effective strategies and actions should align with the goal of WHO to reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by 25% by 2025 and the aim of the UN to ensure healthy lives for all by 2030.

“Acid-spike” effect in spurs/tracks of the low/high linear energy transfer radiolysis of water : potential implications for radiobiology and nuclear industry

Résumé : Les ions hydronium (H3O + ) sont formés, à temps courts, dans les grappes ou le long des trajectoires de la radiolyse de l'eau par des rayonnements ionisants à faible transfert d’énergie linéaire (TEL) ou à TEL élevé. Cette formation in situ de H3O + rend la région des grappes/trajectoires du rayonnement temporairement plus acide que le milieu environnant. Bien que des preuves expérimentales de l’acidité d’une grappe aient déjà été signalées, il n'y a que des informations fragmentaires quant à son ampleur et sa dépendance en temps. Dans ce travail, nous déterminons les concentrations en H3O + et les valeurs de pH correspondantes en fonction du temps à partir des rendements de H3O + calculés à l’aide de simulations Monte Carlo de la chimie intervenant dans les trajectoires. Quatre ions incidents de différents TEL ont été sélectionnés et deux modèles de grappe/trajectoire ont été utilisés : 1) un modèle de grappe isolée "sphérique" (faible TEL) et 2) un modèle de trajectoire "cylindrique" (TEL élevé). Dans tous les cas étudiés, un effet de pH acide brusque transitoire, que nous appelons un effet de "pic acide", est observé immédiatement après l’irradiation. Cet effet ne semble pas avoir été exploré dans l'eau ou un milieu cellulaire soumis à un rayonnement ionisant, en particulier à haut TEL. À cet égard, ce travail soulève des questions sur les implications possibles de cet effet en radiobiologie, dont certaines sont évoquées brièvement. Nos calculs ont ensuite été étendus à l’étude de l'influence de la température, de 25 à 350 °C, sur la formation in situ d’ions H3O + et l’effet de pic acide qui intervient à temps courts lors de la radiolyse de l’eau à faible TEL. Les résultats montrent une augmentation marquée de la réponse de pic acide à hautes températures. Comme de nombreux processus intervenant dans le cœur d’un réacteur nucléaire refroidi à l'eau dépendent de façon critique du pH, la question ici est de savoir si ces fortes variations d’acidité, même si elles sont hautement localisées et transitoires, contribuent à la corrosion et l’endommagement des matériaux.

Assessing the role of small farms in sustainable Food and Nutrition Security: What to consider t what scale?,

The AgroMed International Conference 2016 aims to discuss the current land use changes, with a particular interest on farm and land system dynamics, also considering the possible competition with other uses (urban and/or natural land uses). It is focused on “Farm and land system dynamics in the Mediterranean basin: integrating spatial scales, from the local to the global one”. Teresa Pinto Correia presented H2020 project SALSA “Small farms, small food businesses and sustainable food security”