223 research outputs found
"Clone Wars": Episode II - The Next Generation: The Copyright Implications relating to 3D Printing and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Files
The future market potential of 3D printing will rest on the dissemination of Computer Aided Design (CAD) files. Without clear instructions from a CAD file, a 3D printer will not function. In fact, “a 3D printer without an attached computer and a good design file is as useless as an iPod without music”. The importance of CAD-based design files, therefore, cannot be underestimated. Drawing on UK and EU copyright laws and their application to 3D printing and CAD files, this paper will, first, question whether CAD files can be protected by copyright law before considering the copyright implications thrown up by the modification of CAD files as a result of scanning and the use of online tools. Highlighting some of the challenges for rights holders and users existent in the present law the paper advocates new business models over a premature call for stringent intellectual property laws before concluding with some recommendations for the future
The effect of healthy food guidance for schools on food availability, purchasing, and consumption among school children in New Zealand and Australia: An integrative review.
Modifying the food environment holds promise for instilling healthier behaviours in children and may be an effective public health strategy for preventing childhood obesity and adverse health outcomes. The school food environment is a valuable setting to influence most children's dietary behaviours from an early age, yet evidence suggests that the New Zealand and Australian school food environment is not conducive to healthy food and drink consumption. The present study aimed to investigate the level of compliance in New Zealand and Australia with government guidelines for food and drink availability within schools and the subsequent effect on food consumption and purchasing behaviours of children. A systematic review utilising three databases; 'PubMed', 'Scopus', and the 'Cochrane Library' was conducted. The research covered peer-reviewed studies from both New Zealand and Australia that met predefined inclusion criteria. Fifteen studies focussed on assessing food availability within schools based on government guidelines, and ten studies explored food purchasing and consumption by students influenced by changes to the school food environment. Results showed low compliance with government healthy food guidelines for schools, and significant socioeconomic disparities. Western Australia's clear targets as well as the mandatory monitoring systems in place stand out as being a significant enabler of greater compliance with government food policies. Interventions aimed at improving healthy food availability and promoting healthy options in the canteen may positively influence student purchasing and consumption habits. Strategies such as feedback models and incentivisation hold promise for promoting healthier school environments and influencing children's food choices.fals
Examining the New Zealand school food environment: what needs to change?
© The Author(s), 2022Habitual dietary intakes and nutrition behaviours developed during childhood and adolescence pave the way for similar behaviours to manifest in adulthood. Childhood obesity rates have now reached a point where one in six children globally are classified as overweight or obese. Schools have the unique ability to reach almost all children during key developmental stages, making them an ideal setting for influencing children's nutrition behaviours. Evidence suggests the school food environment is not always conducive to healthy food choices and may be obesogenic. The aim of this narrative review is to explore factors that influence the healthy food and drink environment in and around schools in New Zealand. The review focused on evidence from New Zealand and Australia given the close resemblance in education systems and school food guidance. Using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework, the school food environment was categorised into the following domains: economic, political, physical and socio-cultural factors. Findings suggest that food policies are not utilised within schools, and guidelines to improve the school food environment are not well implemented. Canteen profit models, lack of staff support and resources, and higher availability of low-cost unhealthy foods are among barriers that hinder implementation. This review highlights recommendations from existing evidence, including canteen pricing strategies, restriction of unhealthy foods and using peer modelling in a time-scarce curriculum to improve the school food environment. Key areas for improvement, opportunities to enhance policy implementation and untapped avenues to improve the food and nutrition behaviours of children are highlighted.fals
Food menus within New Zealand primary school canteens: Do they meet the guidance?
ISSUE ADDRESSED: Unhealthy food and drinks are widely available in New Zealand school canteens. The aim of this study was to assess primary school canteen food menus against the newly implemented Ministry of Health 'Food and Drink Guidance for Schools'.
METHODS: A convenience sample of 133 primary school canteen menus was collected in 2020 as part of the baseline evaluation of the Healthy Active Learning initiative across New Zealand. A menu analysis toolkit was developed to assess menus in accordance with the Ministry of Health's 'Food and Drink Guidance for Schools' which classifies food items into three food categories: 'green', 'amber' and 'red'.
RESULTS: Most menu items belonged to the less healthy amber (41.0%) and red (40%) food categories. Low decile schools had a lower percentage of green food items (8.6%) and a higher percentage of red food items (48.3%) compared to high decile schools. Sandwiches, filled rolls and wraps were the most commonly available items, followed by baked foods and foods with pastry. Over half of the in-house canteen menu items were classified as 'red' foods (55.3%).
CONCLUSIONS: Most school canteens were not meeting the guidelines for healthy food and drink provision outlined by the Ministry of Health. Improving the food environment for children in socio-economically deprived areas needs to be prioritised to reduce inequities.
SO WHAT?: This study highlights the unhealthy food environments in New Zealand schools and emphasises the need for more robust national policies and mandated school guidance.fals
Enablers and barriers to prevent weight-regain post bariatric surgery - A qualitative enquiry
(c) The Author/sBackground
Weight-regain is commonly experienced after bariatric surgery. This qualitative enquiry aimed to explore participants' self-reported enablers and barriers to prevent future weight-regain post-surgery.
Methods
Eligible adults were recruited at 12-months post-bariatric-surgery at Counties Manukau, Auckland. Participants were invited to attend data collection at their 18-month group nutrition-education session, and to participate in a focus group at 21-months post-surgery. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate patient experiences.
Results
Participants (n = 28) were mostly female (73.2 %), New Zealand European (41.5 %), and had gastric sleeve surgery (92.3 %). Five key themes emerged from the analysis: A Life Changing Health Journey - participants experienced a decrease in obesity-related comorbidities and a subsequent decrease in medications. Weight change and food intolerances impacted quality of life. Challenge of managing a New Healthy Lifestyle - financial stress, buying healthier foods and social events were new challenges, often centred on food. Changing Eating Behavior - all participants struggled managing eating behaviors. Mindset Changes - post-surgery most participants had a positive mindset, increased confidence, and feelings of happiness. However, many struggled with mindset around weight and food. A need for On-going Support - most felt under-supported and expressed a need for longer, specific follow-up care.
Conclusion
Post-surgery group education sessions provided participants with increased support from both health professionals and peers on the same journey, to overcome struggles such as binge eating or identifying new coping strategies. Findings provide important insights into the challenges patients with bariatric surgery face and key learnings to develop specific supports for future care practices
Community-based Curate-a-Thons to Enhance Preservation of Global Genetic Biodiversity Data
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Research Data Librarians collaborated with an international research team of conservation geneticists to create an instructional and practical guide combining genetic biodiversity initiatives and data curation. Over the course of two months, the academic librarians held multiple community-based Curate-A-Thons where an international group of students, researchers, librarians, and faculty researchers participated in tracking down publications and metadata for genomic sequence data, thus crowd-sourcing this effort of metadata enhancement. This article details the successful Curate-a-Thon design and implementation process; the openly available instructional materials created and used to host the Curate-a-Thons; and the challenges and successes of these community-based events
Temperature change-induced linear and nonlinear axial responses of internal replacement pipe (IRP) systems for pipeline rehabilitation incorporating the effects of soil friction
The internal replacement pipe (IRP) is a developing trenchless system utilised for restoring buried steel and cast-iron legacy pipelines. It is crucial to ensure that this advanced system is appropriately designed to reinstate the functionality of damaged pipelines effectively and safely. The present paper investigates the structural response of IRP systems used in repairing pipelines with circumferential discontinuities subjected to seasonal temperature changes. Analytical and numerical approaches verified via experimental data and available closed-form solutions were implemented to analyse a total of 180 linear and nonlinear finite element (FE) simulations. A set of analytical expressions was developed to describe the loading and induced responses of the system. Based on an extensive FE parametric study, five modification factors were derived and applied to developed analytical expressions to characterise the structural response incorporating the effects of soil friction. Results showed that there is a major difference between the results of linear and nonlinear analyses highlighting the importance of including the material nonlinearities in the FE analysis. A significant difference was observed between the discontinuity openings with and without the consideration of soil friction implying that appropriate inclusion of soil friction in the FE model is crucial to get realistic system responses subjected to temperature change. Although the application of IRP holds immense promise as a trenchless solution for rehabilitating legacy pipelines, the lack of established design procedures and standards for these technologies has restricted their application in gas pipelines. Results obtained from numerical and analytical models developed in the present research will provide valuable insights for the design and development of safe and efficient IRP systems urgently needed in the pipeline industry. © 2024 The Author
Linear and nonlinear axial behaviour of internal replacement pipe systems for pipeline rehabilitation
Internal replacement pipe (IRP) is an innovative trenchless technology for the rehabilitation of legacy steel and cast-iron pipelines. This advanced IRP system must be properly designed so that it can safely and effectively restore the service of damaged pipelines. This paper studies the axial behaviour of IRP systems for repairing pipelines with circumferential host-pipe discontinuities under seasonal and extreme levels of temperature change. Analytical solutions along with a total of 270 linear and nonlinear finite element (FE) simulations, validated against experimental results and available closed-form solutions, were used for a parametric study on the effects of geometrical and material properties on axial stresses and deformations of IRP systems subjected to temperature change. Effects of the internal pressure, material and geometric nonlinearities, and different modes of IRP-host pipe unbonding were also investigated. An analytical model was developed for the prediction of temperature change induced loading and response of the IRP system. Using the results obtained from a comprehensive FE-based parametric study, three modification factors were extracted for the application to the developed analytical model in order to accurately predict the maximum axial stress of IRP and the opening of a circumferential host-pipe discontinuity subjected to various levels of temperature change
Life and living in advanced age: a cohort study in New Zealand - Te Puāwaitanga o Nga Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu, LiLACS NZ: Study protocol
The number of people of advanced age (85 years and older) is increasing and health systems may be challenged by increasing health-related needs. Recent overseas evidence suggests relatively high levels of wellbeing in this group, however little is known about people of advanced age, particularly the indigenous Māori, in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This paper outlines the methods of the study Life and Living in Advanced Age: A Cohort Study in New Zealand. The study aimed to establish predictors of successful advanced ageing and understand the relative importance of health, frailty, cultural, social & economic factors to successful ageing for Māori and non-Māori in New Zealand
Host–symbiont combinations dictate the photo-physiological response of reef-building corals to thermal stress
High sea surface temperatures often lead to coral bleaching wherein reef-building corals lose significant numbers of their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae). These increasingly frequent bleaching events often result in large scale coral mortality, thereby devasting reef systems throughout the world. The reef habitats surrounding Palau are ideal for investigating coral responses to climate perturbation, where many inshore bays are subject to higher water temperature as compared with offshore barrier reefs. We examined fourteen physiological traits in response to high temperature across various symbiotic dinoflagellates in four common Pacific coral species, Acropora muricata, Coelastrea aspera, Cyphastrea chalcidicum and Pachyseris rugosa found in both offshore and inshore habitats. Inshore corals were dominated by a single homogenous population of the stress tolerant symbiont Durusdinium trenchii, yet symbiont thermal response and physiology differed significantly across coral species. In contrast, offshore corals harbored specific species of Cladocopium spp. (ITS2 rDNA type-C) yet all experienced similar patterns of photoinactivation and symbiont loss when heated. Additionally, cell volume and light absorption properties increased in heated Cladocopium spp., leading to a greater loss in photo-regulation. While inshore coral temperature response was consistently muted relative to their offshore counterparts, high physiological variability in D. trenchii across inshore corals suggests that bleaching resilience among even the most stress tolerant symbionts is still heavily influenced by their host environment
- …
