19683 research outputs found
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Alcohol’s contribution to climate change and other environmental degradation: a call for research
No full textClimate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The production, distribution and consumption of many fast-moving consumer goods contribute substantially to climate change, principally through releasing greenhouse gas emissions. Here we consider just some of the ways that alcohol-already a key contributor to an array of health, social and economic burdens-exacerbates environmental harms and climate change. We explore current evidence on alcohol production as a resource-and energy-intensive process, contributing to significant environmental degradation through water usage and other carbon emission costs. We argue that the impacts of alcohol production on climate change have been minimally explored by researchers. Yet the extent of the unfolding catastrophe beholds us to consider all available ways to mitigate unnecessary emissions, including from products such as alcohol. We then turn to suggestions for a research agenda on this topic, including investigations of commercial determinants, inequalities and product advice to help consumers choose lower-carbon options. We conclude by arguing that public health researchers already have an array of methodological expertise and experience that is well placed to produce the evidence needed to inform regulation and efforts by alcohol producers and consumers to minimize their contributions to environmental harms.</p
Articulating the Concept of Vulnerability in the Duty Question
No full textNo description supplied</p
East-to-west human dispersal into Europe 1.4 million years ago
No full textStone tools stratified in alluvium and loess at Korolevo, western Ukraine, have been studied by several research groups1–3 since the discovery of the site in the 1970s. Although Korolevo’s importance to the European Palaeolithic is widely acknowledged, age constraints on the lowermost lithic artefacts have yet to be determined conclusively. Here, using two methods of burial dating with cosmogenic nuclides4,5, we report ages of 1.42 ± 0.10 million years and 1.42 ± 0.28 million years for the sedimentary unit that contains Mode-1-type lithic artefacts. Korolevo represents, to our knowledge, the earliest securely dated hominin presence in Europe, and bridges the spatial and temporal gap between the Caucasus (around 1.85–1.78 million years ago)6 and southwestern Europe (around 1.2–1.1 million years ago)7,8. Our findings advance the hypothesis that Europe was colonized from the east, and our analysis of habitat suitability9 suggests that early hominins exploited warm interglacial periods to disperse into higher latitudes and relatively continental sites—such as Korolevo—well before the Middle Pleistocene Transition.</p
Current challenges for mass participation fundraising events: How can we better support charities and event managers in hosting these community building and socially impactful experiences?
No full text“In the following report, we summarise the views of our interviewees across a range of topics relating to hosting MPFEs. While endlessly optimistic and creative, they highlight long-term concerns that make MPFEs a growing challenge, in some cases incentivising them to shift away from mass participation strategies and pursue alternative revenue sources. While entirely understandable, the wider implications of this are troubling and merit urgent consideration of the wide-ranging benefits of MPFEs and how they can be better supported.”</p
Injury prevention for women and girls playing Australian Football: programme cocreation, dissemination and early adopter coach feedback
No full textBackground: Adherence to injury prevention programmes may improve with greater end-user involvement and application of implementation frameworks during development. We describe the cocreation, initial dissemination and feedback from programme early adopters (coaches), to develop the first evidence-informed injury prevention programme for women playing community Australian Football (Prep-to-Play). Methods: We used a pragmatic seven-step process for developing sports injury prevention programmes to (1) gain organisational support, (2) compile research evidence, (3) consult experts, (4) engage end-users, (5) test programme acceptability, (6) evaluate against theory and (7) gain early adopter feedback. All Australian Football-registered coaches of women's/girls' teams were sent a postseason survey to determine initial awareness, adoption and implementation (steps 5 and 6). Purposively selected coaches were invited to interviews/focus groups (step 7) to identify competency, organisational and leadership implementation drivers with a deductive thematic analysis applied. Results: Prep-to-Play was cocreated using previous efficacious programmes and expert input (steps 1-4), and disseminated via the national sporting organisation in preseason 2019 to all registered coaches (step 5). 343 coaches (90 women) completed the postseason survey and 22 coaches (5 women) participated in an interview (n=9) or focus group (n=13) (steps 6 and 7). 268 coaches (78%) were aware of Prep-to-Play. Of those aware, 218 (81%) had used (at least one element) Prep-to-Play, and 143 (53%) used it at least twice per week. Competency drivers included local expert-delivered face-to-face workshops complimented by online content and ongoing support. Organisational drivers included coach education integrated into existing league/club. Leadership drivers included compulsory injury prevention education integrated into coach reaccreditation processes or incentivisation via recognition (eg, professional development points). Conclusions: Cocreation and organisational support resulted in high programme awareness and adoption. However, high fidelity implementation and maintenance may need to be facilitated by competency, organisational and leadership drivers. Responsibility should be shared among all stakeholders.</p
Arsenic-induced enhancement of diazotrophic recruitment and nitrogen fixation in Pteris vittata rhizosphere
No full textHeavy metal contamination poses an escalating global challenge to soil ecosystems, with hyperaccumulators playing a crucial role in environmental remediation and resource recovery. The enrichment of diazotrophs and resulting nitrogen accumulation promoted hyperaccumulator growth and facilitated phytoremediation. Nonetheless, the regulatory mechanism of hyperaccumulator biological nitrogen fixation has remained elusive. Here, we report the mechanism by which arsenic regulates biological nitrogen fixation in the arsenic-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata. Field investigations and greenhouse experiments, based on multi-omics approaches, reveal that elevated arsenic stress induces an enrichment of key diazotrophs, enhances plant nitrogen acquisition, and thus improves plant growth. Metabolomic analysis and microfluidic experiments further demonstrate that the upregulation of specific root metabolites plays a crucial role in recruiting key diazotrophic bacteria. These findings highlight the pivotal role of nitrogen-acquisition mechanisms in the arsenic hyperaccumulation of Pteris vittata, and provide valuable insights into the plant stress resistance.</p
No sign of weakness: a systematic review and meta-analysis of hip and calf muscle strength after anterior cruciate ligament injury
No full textObjective: We aimed to determine hip and lower-leg muscle strength in people after ACL injury compared with an uninjured control group (between people) and the uninjured contralateral limb (between limbs). Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL and SportDiscus to 28 February 2023. Eligibility criteria: Primary ACL injury with mean age 18-40 years at time of injury. Studies had to measure hip and/or lower-leg muscle strength quantitatively (eg, dynamometer) and report muscle strength for the ACL-injured limb compared with: (i) an uninjured control group and/or (ii) the uninjured contralateral limb. Risk of bias was assessed according to Cochrane Collaboration domains. Results: Twenty-eight studies were included (n=23 measured strength ≤12 months post-ACL reconstruction). Most examined hip abduction (16 studies), hip extension (12 studies) and hip external rotation (7 studies) strength. We found no meaningful difference in muscle strength between people or between limbs for hip abduction, extension, internal rotation, flexion or ankle plantarflexion, dorsiflexion (estimates ranged from −9% to +9% of comparator). The only non-zero differences identified were in hip adduction (24% stronger on ACL limb (95% CI 8% to 42%)) and hip external rotation strength (12% deficit on ACL limb (95% CI 6% to 18%)) compared with uninjured controls at follow-ups >12 months, however both results stemmed from only two studies. Certainty of evidence was very low for all outcomes and comparisons, and drawn primarily from the first year post-ACL reconstruction. Conclusion: Our results do not show widespread or substantial muscle weakness of the hip and lower-leg muscles after ACL injury, contrasting deficits of 10%-20% commonly reported for knee extensors and flexors. As it is unclear if deficits in hip and lower-leg muscle strength resolve with appropriate rehabilitation or no postinjury or postoperative weakness occurs, individualised assessment should guide training of hip and lower-leg strength following ACL injury.</p
LGBTQA+ Mental Health and Suicidality: South Australia Briefing Paper
No full textSuicidality and mental ill-health are serious concerns that impact all parts of the population in Australia, although some are disproportionately affected. LGBTQA+ people are recognised in numerous Commonwealth, State and Territory mental health and suicide prevention strategies or action plans.However, LGBTQA+ people continue to face barriers to accessing affirming healthcare and, to-date, limited comprehensive data exists on the mental health and healthcare experiences of LGBTQA+ people. This briefing paper outlines findings from three major surveys of LGBTQA+ people and aims to:Highlight the extent and nature of mental ill-health and suicidality among LGBTQA+ young people and adults in South Australia (SA).Explore the factors that can put people at greater risk of suicide or mental ill-health, as well as those that reduce their risk of suicide.Examine mental health service engagement and preferences among LGBTQA+ people in SA.Draw comparisons between experience of LGBTQA+ people in SA compared to other jurisdictions in Australia, and where possible, comparisons between LGBTQA+ people in SA to the general population using the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS; 2022-2022).</p
Learning mathematics and its relevance through a digital storytelling assessment task at university
No full textStorytelling is a valuable form of human expression that allows audience members to connect their own experiences with the narrative. As a pedagogical tool, storytelling has been explored mainly in primary school education but rarely in higher education. However, its potential for assisting students in learning mathematics and the societal benefits that its application can bring has been largely overlooked. Using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to analyse university students’ experiences of a digital storytelling assessment task, we explore students’ perception of their learning and the relevance they ascribed to mathematics. We conclude that it is vital that students can reconcile why mathematics is important for society and how that affects them in their personal lives. We should also make sure that we equip students with valuable skills, such as how to work effectively in a group, which can give them more agency in shaping their learning experience. </p
