Objective:The study investigated the barriers and facilitators to, and the extent of the implementation of, the New South Wales (Australia) 'Healthy School Canteen Strategy'. Design: A purposeful sample was used and data were collected using a mixed method approach. Setting: Two primary and two secondary government schools from a low socio-economic region in Sydney, NSW, Australia. Method: An audit of the available food and beverage items was followed by interviews with the school principal/deputy principal and the canteen manager. Results: This descriptive study found that, although positive changes to canteen menus are evident, there are varying levels of implementation of the strategy with a number of poor nutritional choices regularly available. Implementation is influenced by the local context, school type, canteen management practices, meal type and the student body -in particular, their religious practices. Conclusion: Concerns are raised about the effectiveness of a policy that does not take into consideration the local context.

No abstract

Premise of the StudyHerbarium specimens provide a robust record of historical plant phenology (the timing of seasonal events such as flowering or fruiting). However, the difficulty of aggregating phenological data from specimens arises from a lack of standardized scoring methods and definitions for phenological states across the collections community.Methods and ResultsTo address this problem, we report on a consensus reached by an iDigBio working group of curators, researchers, and data standards experts regarding an efficient scoring protocol and a data‐sharing protocol for reproductive traits available from herbarium specimens of seed plants. The phenological data sets generated can be shared via Darwin Core Archives using the Extended MeasurementOrFact extension.ConclusionsOur hope is that curators and others interested in collecting phenological trait data from specimens will use the recommendations presented here in current and future scoring efforts. New tools for scoring specimens are reviewed.

Effects of graded dosages of methanolic extract of Aspilia Africana were examined on the estrous cycle, uterine weights and histology to determine its effects on the reproductive functions of 25 cyclic female rats. The rats were randomized into five groups A, B, C, D, and E. They were given 0mg/kg body weight, 150 mg/kg body weight, 200 mg/kg body weight, 250 mg/kg body weight, and 300 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The effect on the estrous cycle was determined by vaginal lavage while routine histological preparations were done with haematoxylin-eosin stains. All values were statistically compared at appropriate confidence intervals. Estrous cycles were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner and histology revealed a dose-dependent toxicity.

Brisk walking can create a clinically significant reduction in body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and fat mass for obese men and women aged under 50 years. Obese women aged over 50 years can achieve modest losses, but gains in fat-free mass reduce overall change in body weight. Further research is required for men aged over 50 years and on the influence of BMI for all ages and sexes.

Skill acquisition specialists are sport scientists who examine the theories, principles and processes of motor and perceptual learning. The research generated by these specialists is applied to practice modes, feedback and instructional methods, decision-making and anticipation skills training for athletes. However, unlike most sports scientists, these specialists are not utilized to the same degree as their counterparts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate why this trend exists. Forty two participants (coaches/athletes) took part in this study. All participants coached or competed at a pre-elite or elite level, with a number of team and individual sports represented. The results of this study indicated that both coaches and athletes perceived skill acquisition specialists to be skills coaches rather than sport scientists. Further, coaches and athletes were open to assistance from specialists though they cited funding and access as major barriers to utilization. Moreover, they stated a lack of skill acquisition specialists with ‘experience’ in their sport as a limitation. Overall, the results suggest a misrecognition, underestimation of knowledge, and lack of understanding of a skill acquisition specialist, which may be a result of the limited engagement between these groups.

Background and aims The Conceptual Framework of Harmful Gambling moves beyond a symptoms-based view of harm and addresses a broad set of factors related to the risks and effects of gambling harmfully at the individual, family, and community levels. Coauthored by international research experts and informed by multiple stakeholders, Gambling Research Exchange (GREO) facilitated the framework development in 2013 and retains responsibility for regular updates and mobilization. This review article presents information about the revised version of the Conceptual Framework of Harmful Gambling completed in late 2018. Methods We describe eight interrelated factors depicted in the framework that represent major themes in gambling ranging from the specific (gambling environment, exposure, gambling types, and treatment resources) to the general (cultural, social, psychological, and biological influences). After outlining the framework development and collaborative process, we highlight new topics for the recent update that reflect changes in the gambling landscape and prominent discourses in the scientific community. Some of these topics include social and economic impacts of gambling, and a new model of understanding gambling related harm. Discussion and conclusions We address the relevance of the CFHG to the gambling and behavioral addictions research community. Harm-based frameworks have been undertaken in other areas of addiction that can both inform and be informed by a model dedicated to harmful gambling. Further, the framework brings a multi-disciplinary perspective to bear on antecedents and factors that co-occur with harmful gambling.

BackgroundHarmful gambling is a complex issue with diverse antecedents and resulting harms that have been studied from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Although previous bibliometric reviews of gambling studies have found a dominance of judgement and decision-making research, no bibliometric review has examined the concept of “harm” in the gambling literature, and little work has quantitatively assessed how gambling research priorities differ between countries.MethodsGuided by the Conceptual Framework of Harmful Gambling (CFHG), an internationally relevant framework of antecedents to harmful gambling, we conducted a bibliometric analysis focusing on research outputs from three countries with different gambling regulatory environments: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Using a Web of Science database search, 1424 articles published from 2008 to 2017 were retrieved that could be mapped to the eight CFHG factors. A subsample of articles (n = 171) containing the word “harm” in the title, abstract, or keywords was then drawn. Descriptive statistics were used to examine differences between countries and trends over time with regard to CFHG factor and harm focus.ResultsPsychological and biological factors dominate gambling research in Canada whereas resources and treatment have received more attention in New Zealand. A greater percentage of Australia and New Zealand publications address the gambling environment and exposure to gambling than in Canada. The subset of articles focused on harm showed a stronger harms focus among New Zealand and Australian researchers compared to Canadian-authored publications.ConclusionsThe findings provide preliminary bibliometric evidence that gambling research foci may be shaped by jurisdictional regulation of gambling. Countries with privately operated gambling focused on harm factors that are the operators’ responsibility, whereas jurisdictions with a public health model focused on treatment and harm reduction resources. In the absence of a legislated requirement for public health or harm minimisation focus, researchers in jurisdictions with government-operated gambling tend to focus research on factors that are the individual’s responsibility and less on the harms they experience. Given increased international attention to gambling-related harm, regulatory and research environments could promote and support more diverse research in this area.