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Do consumers care about environmentally sustainable attributes along the food supply chain? —A systematic literature review
Get PDFThe agri-food market has shown a clear signal of "green" consumption that drives an increasing interest in studying consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for food products with environmentally sustainable attributes, such as eco-friendly and carbon neutral. Whilst many existing studies have focused on a general idea of green attributes or on-farm practices that are regarded to be most relevant to the attributes, the agri-food industry has started to address consumers' concerns about the negative environmental impacts of agri-food production across the whole supply chain, including the processing, transportation, and consumption process. It is therefore the purpose of this study to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature on consumers' intentions of purchasing and WTP for food products with environmentally sustainable attributes, with a special interest in understanding the connections between consumer behaviours and different stages of the food supply chain. Results of the study revealed three main research gaps: the lack of clear definitions of environmentally sustainable attributes; ignorance of connections between the characteristics of environmentally sustainable attributes and different stages of the food supply chain; and lacking effective information processing among the key players along the supply chain, leading to inefficient communication between the supply and demand side. The findings of the study help form a conceptual framework for future studies to associate environmentally sustainable attributes to the whole food supply chain that helps the agri-food industry to effectively process market information, communicate with consumers, and satisfy the market demand
Running demands in club, regional, national, and international provincial New Zealand rugby union competitions
Get PDFThe demands of national and international professional rugby union matches are well established, however, there has not been a comparative study investigating running demands in New Zealand teams playing in club (amateur), Heartland Championship (semi-professional Div 2), the Mitre 10 Cup (semi-professional Div 1) or Super Rugby (professional) competitions. This information could enable specific training and rehabilitation that programmes to be developed to meet the needs of players in the different competitions. Players wore 10 Hz GPS units during games for one rugby season to determine absolute (m) and relative (m.min‾¹) measures for total distance, running volume (∼≥7 km·h‾¹) and high intensity running (∼≥16 km·h‾¹). There were typically minimal differences (1–2 m.min‾¹) in running distance measures between amateur level front row forwards and inside backs compared to players in these positions at higher levels of competition. Therefore, amateur players in these positions may find the transition to higher competitions less challenging with respect to running load. In contrast, amateur outside backs and back row forwards may find the increased pace of higher levels of competition more challenging due to typically covering significantly less running and high intensity running distances in amateur games. Differences for half backs were more variable between the levels of competition. Based on our results, it cannot be assumed that amateur rugby has lower running demands than higher competitions or that there is a continuum of increased running demands with increasing competition levels, as some playing positions in the semi-professional (Div 2) (second lowest level of competition) team recorded the largest values for total distance, running and high intensity running. Therefore, the specificity of running demands in a position and competition need to be considered individually for each player when transitioning between competitions. The practice and perception of returning a professional player to amateur club rugby due to the belief that running loads being lower may also be flawed, as we found considerable positional variation in running demands within-and-between competitions
Does agricultural cooperative membership influence off-farm work decisions of farm couples?
Get PDFMembership in agricultural cooperatives may influence intra-household decisions regarding the division of household labor. However, the linkages between cooperative membership and labor allocation remain unexplored. To fill this gap, we examine the impact of cooperative membership on off-farm work decisions of couples engaged in farming, using data collected from 595 banana farmers in China. The recursive bivariate probit model and endogenous-treatment Poisson regression model are employed to address the self-selection bias inherent in cooperative membership. The results show that cooperative membership increases the probability of participating in off-farm work by 38% for husbands and 31% for wives. Having large households reduces the probability of husbands but increases that of wives working off-farm. Cooperative membership is also associated with more time spent on off-farm work and higher earnings for both husbands and wives. Our findings point to the potential of agricultural cooperatives to increase farm couples’ off-farm employment, thus increasing household income and quality of life
Hamstring flexibility and sprint speed in female rugby players after a 12-week yoga training
Get PDFThere is an ongoing search on how to enhance the sprint performance of athletes. One should likely start investigating beyond traditional sport-training techniques about enhancing the sprinting ability of an athlete. Female rugby players were randomly assigned to one of the two groups; an experimental group (n = 5) and a control group (n = 5). Data were collected during pre-season and end-season on hamstring flexibility and sprint performance. Unpaired t-tests with an alpha level of p ≤ 0.05, Pearson correlation coefficient for the correlation. The experimental group significantly improved their straight leg raise test (SLR) by 29.1 ± 15.3-degrees (mean % change ± 95% CI, p < 0.05) and 5 m sprint time -10.4 ± 10.2 % compared to the control group 2.9 ± 15.3-degree (p = 0.05), and time difference of 9.9 ± 6.1% respectively. There was also a moderate negative correlation between SLR and 5 m sprint performance time (r = -0.29, p < 0.05 statistical significance. Results indicate that a 12-week yoga training helped improve the hamstring flexibility and performance of the 5 m acceleration phases of the 20 m sprint of rugby union players compared to a control group. Yoga helped rugby players to improve their hamstring flexibility when practiced alongside normal rugby training but maybe did little to improve sprint measures greater than 5 m performance during the season
Active-distributed temperature sensing dataset beneath a braided river
No full textBraided rivers play a significant role in replenishing groundwater, but our understanding of how these recharge rates fluctuate over time remains limited. Traditional techniques for gauging groundwater recharge are ineffective for studying complex braided river systems due to their insufficient spatiotemporal resolution. To address this gap, active-distributed temperature sensing (A-DTS) was used. This method combines fiber optic temperature measurements with an active heat source, enabling quantification of groundwater fluxes. In this study, twelve consecutive A-DTS surveys were conducted on a 100 m long hybrid fiber optic cable to a depth of 5 m beneath the Waikirikiri Selwyn River. This experiment was conducted during a period of relatively stable river stage and flow, highlighting the effectiveness of using A-DTS to measure temporal changes in groundwater recharge
CRISPR-Cas-based biomonitoring for marine environments: Toward CRISPR RNA design pptimization via deep learning
No full textAlmost all of Earth's oceans are now impacted by multiple anthropogenic stressors, including the spread of nonindigenous species, harmful algal blooms, and pathogens. Early detection is critical to manage these stressors effectively and to protect marine systems and the ecosystem services they provide. Molecular tools have emerged as a promising solution for marine biomonitoring. One of the latest advancements involves utilizing CRISPR-Cas technology to build programmable, rapid, ultrasensitive, and specific diagnostics. CRISPR-based diagnostics (CRISPR-Dx) has the potential to allow robust, reliable, and cost-effective biomonitoring in near real time. However, several challenges must be overcome before CRISPR-Dx can be established as a mainstream tool for marine biomonitoring. A critical unmet challenge is the need to design, optimize, and experimentally validate CRISPR-Dx assays. Artificial intelligence has recently been presented as a potential approach to tackle this challenge. This perspective synthesizes recent advances in CRISPR-Dx and machine learning modeling approaches, showcasing CRISPR-Dx potential to progress as a rising molecular tool candidate for marine biomonitoring applications
Predicting distribution and establishment of two invasive alien Daphnia species in diverse lakes in New Zealand-Aotearoa
No full textThe freshwater zooplankton of New Zealand-Aotearoa are species-poor with only two indigenous Daphnia species: D. thomsoni, and D. tewaipounamu which was discovered in a few subalpine lakes in 2016. Over the last two decades two species of invasive non-indigenous Daphnia, D. pulicaria/pulex and D. galeata, have become well established in the plankton of many lakes in New Zealand-Aotearoa and their distribution appears to be increasing rapidly. We report the current distribution of these two invasive species in approximately 300 lakes throughout New Zealand-Aotearoa and test the hypothesis that the distribution and establishment of these invaders is more closely related to human access to a lake than to any environmental attributes of a lake’s water or biota and consider potential implications of our findings for lake management. Although canonical variates analysis and boosted regression trees did not identify human access as an important predictor, both invasive Daphnia occurred significantly more often in lakes within 200 m of a road, consistent with our hypothesis that humans and their recreational activities are the most likely vectors and facilitators of the distribution of these Daphnia in New Zealand-Aotearoa. Critically, D. galeata's realised niche completely envelopes D. thomsoni's, which could force the native species to become extinct through competitive exclusion. These results suggest that the spread of D. pulicaria and D. galeata to lakes where they do not yet occur is unlikely to be prevented unless public access to these waterways is denied or strictly controlled
Imagining diverse futures
No full textWho is the architect? explores how the figure of the architect has been constructed and challenged in recent years. Traditionally perceived as male, Western and individualistic, architects are now being urged to redefine themselves in a more diverse, inclusive manner. The publication discusses the need to challenge norms and establish caring as an essential quality in the architectural discourse. With the threat of environmental collapse and other societal challenges, the need for collective teamwork and empathy has become central in establishing a common understanding that includes all beings. Building Diversity aims to tackle these issues and explore topics on diversity and equality in the architectural field's past, present and future. The publication features thoughts and ideas from a broad range of countries and diverse perspectives on the architectural field, contributing to a wider dialogue about inclusion, intersectionality and progress. Building Diversity is not intended to provide concrete solutions but aims to stimulate discussion and open up venues for hosting dialogues pointing to possible paths and the expansion of perspectives. It is an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about diversity and equality in the architectural field
High genetic merit dairy heifers grazing low quality forage had similar weight gain and urinary nitrogen excretion to those of low genetic merit heifers
No full textClimate variability and increasing drought events have become significant concerns in recent years. However, there is limited published research on body weight (BW) change of dairy heifers with different genetic merit when grazing on drought impacted pastures in southern Australia. Achieving target body weight (BW) is vital for dairy heifers, especially during critical stages like mating and calving. This study aimed to assess dry matter (DM) intake, BW change, urinary nitrogen excretion, and grazing behaviours of high vs. low genetic dairy heifers grazing pasture during a 43-day experimental period in a drought season. Forty-eight Holstein Friesian heifers grazed on ryegrass-dominant pasture and were divided into two groups based on their high and low Balanced Performance Index (HBPI and LBPI, respectively). Each group was further stratified into six plots, with similar BW, resulting in four heifers per replication group. Data from the five measurement days were averaged for individual cows to analyse the dry matter intake, nitrogen intake and nitrogen excretion. The statistical model included the treatment effect of BPI (H and L) and means were analysed using ANOVA. The pasture quality was poor, with metabolizable energy 9.3 MJ/Kg DM and crude protein 5.9% on a DM basis. Nitrogen intake and urinary nitrogen excretion were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in HBPI compared to the LBPI. However, despite these differences, the study did not find any advantages of having HBPI heifer grazing on low quality forage in terms of BW performance
Resilience and regeneration in a marine tourism destination: The case of Akaroa
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant calls for a reset in the tourism system, with a focus on regenerating the natural and socio-cultural environments in which tourism occurs. To date, however, there has been limited investigation into the practical implications of a more regenerative form of tourism on the tourism operators and destination communities in specific regions. Based on a series of interviews with key tourism and community stakeholders, this paper provides an exploratory account of some of the enablers and barriers facing marine tourism operators in Akaroa, New Zealand,
as they negotiate a more regenerative future for their destination in a post-pandemic environment