Teacher food and nutrition (FN) practices influence their personal health and wellbeing outcomes, with implications for students. As educators, teachers role model FN practices to students and act as health promoters. Our team’s recent scoping review outlined the lack of standardised methods used to assess FN constructs in teachers, with limited validated and composite tools available that measure FN constructs, especially culinary factors, alongside measures of wellbeing(1). The importance of teacher FN education, to facilitate effective school health promotion, is highlighted by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization. Therefore, understanding the scope of teacher FN practices in relation to teacher wellbeing is critical, yet limited evidence currently exists. This research aims to examine baseline data on teacher FN practices and potential FN predictors of teacher health and wellbeing from the Australian longitudinal teacher FN-related health and wellbeing study. The Teacher Food and Nutrition Questionnaire (TFNQ) consists of nine sub-scales and 21 single-item measures using pre-defined food, nutrition, and wellbeing constructs. This provides a composite evaluation tool to collate data on teacher FN practices for comparison with wellbeing outcomes, including stress and burnout. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) were used to assess relationships between food, nutrition, and wellbeing constructs, and linear regression to determine slope of significant relationships using diet quality (i.e., the Fruit and Vegetable Variety index), wellbeing (i.e., burnout) and professional FN confidence as outcome variable(s) of interest. A total of n = 112 secondary teachers completed the baseline TFNQ (September 2023). Of these, the majority were female (87.5%), aged 31–45 years (52%), with 90% on full time contracts. Mean diet quality score was 92.0 (maximum score (MS) of 190), with sub-scale score for vegetable (63.2/122 MS) and fruit (28.9/68 MS) intake. Of the wellbeing measures, burnout (16.3/24 MS), stress (7.3/10 MS) and coping (6.2/10 MS) were measured alongside teacher food skills confidence (105.7/133 MS) and food agency (40.9/55 MS). Teacher FN confidence to role model healthy FN practices was moderately correlated to food agency r = −0.43 (p < 0.001), and personal subjective wellbeing ‘satisfied’ r = 0.41 (p < 0.001). A moderate correlation was observed between vegetable intake and food skills confidence r = 0.42 (p < 0.001), with a moderate negative correlation observed between food agency and teacher burnout r = −0.43 (p < 0.001). Overall, these baseline data confirm teacher diet quality is suboptimal, with teacher food agency and/or food skills confidence demonstrating moderate correlations with all three study outcomes of teacher wellbeing, diet quality and professional FN confidence. These data provide a snapshot of secondary teachers’ FN practices and wellbeing. Results inform development of professional development to support FN behaviours as a contributing factor for optimal teacher health and wellbeing.

Climate change is a pressing global issue, with food systems contributing significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity loss, and freshwater depletion(1). A major challenge is to feed a projected 10 billion people by 2050 whilst minimising environmental impact(2). Numerous factors influence food choices, including convenience, affordability, taste, nutrition, accessibility, cooking skills, and cultural norms. The growing demand for convenience has transformed the food landscape, with availability of ready-to-eat meals and prepackaged products rapidly increasing, potentially impacting health if not integrated into balanced diets. The aim was to quantify and compare the environmental and financial impact of two diets: a heart-healthy Australian diet (HAD) aligned with national dietary guidelines and a typical Australian diet (TAD) reflecting current population intakes. Both plans were designed for convenience, using ready-to-eat meals and minimal preparation options for a randomised, cross-over, feeding trial. The environmental footprint of each dietary pattern was calculated using the Global Warming Potential (GWP*) metric(3), considering individual foods, multi-ingredient foods, and mixed dishes. Prices were obtained from a large Australian supermarket. The study focused on two-week meal plans designed to meet the nutritional needs of a reference 71-year-old male (9000 kJ). Results showed that the HAD produced 23.8% less CO2 equivalents (CO2-e) per day than the TAD (2.16 kg vs 2.83 kg CO2-e). Meat and discretionary foods were the main contributors to the TAD’s environmental footprint, while dairy and vegetables were the most significant contributors to the HAD’s footprint. The potential impact of widespread adoption of the HAD is substantial. For example, if half of the adult population switched to the HAD, it could lead to a reduction of approximately 2.6 billion kg of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to the emissions of 1.2 million passenger cars per year(4), which would require over 256 million trees to offset the amount of CO2e produced(5). However, the HAD was 51% more expensive than the TAD, presenting a significant barrier to adoption. Strategies to reduce costs of convenient healthy food are needed. Future studies should expand the GWP* database and consider additional environmental dimensions to comprehensively assess the impact of dietary patterns. Current findings have implications for menu planning within feeding trials and for individuals seeking to reduce their carbon footprint while adhering to heart-healthy eating guidelines.

Teacher food and nutrition (FN) related factors include diet quality, health perceptions and FN attitudes. These factors are associated with both personal health and wellbeing, and teacher classroom FN practices. With Australian schoolteachers currently experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety and burnout, measuring and understanding the status of teacher FN-related health and wellbeing is needed. However, first there needs to be a comprehensive and validated tool to collect these data. This study aims to evaluate content validity of a new tool, the Teacher Food and Nutrition Questionnaire (TFNQ), to measure FN-related health and wellbeing of Australian schoolteachers. The TFNQ was developed following an extensive literature review of FN data collection methods previously used in schoolteacher populations internationally. It initially included 16 FN-related constructs alongside six constructs of wellbeing and mental health, and seven lifestyle covariates identified from the literature review. A two-round e-Delphi methodology was implemented using a mix of structured, rank-order and qualitative questions administered to an international, multidisciplinary group of experts via an online survey1. Descriptive statistics were used to derive a consensus vote (set at 75%) of constructs and covariates to be prioritised for inclusion. Qualitative feedback was analysed to identify areas of potential change. Twenty-three experts participated in round-one from Australia (n = 15), Switzerland (n = 3), The United Kingdom (n = 2), Canada (n = 1), The United States of America (n = 1) and New Zealand (n = 1). Of the 29 constructs and covariates evaluated in round-one of the e-Delphi, all achieved above 75% consensus, yet qualitative feedback indicated potential to reduce and streamline the number of constructs. Rank order questions and qualitative feedback resulted in the removal of four FN and two wellbeing constructs along with four lifestyle covariates. Round-two included 19 (83%) experts from round-one, with 83% (n = 15) in agreement regarding question order. Final feedback indicated only minor adjustments to question item phrasing. The e-Delphi process modified the TNFQ and established content validity. Further construct validity and reliability testing is required to produce a robust tool for measuring FN-related health and wellbeing of contemporary Australian schoolteachers.

Sour foods, such as citrus fruits, some berries and fermented foods provide a range of nutrients and benefits important to mental health [1]. When sourness is perceived as unpleasant, intake of these foods may be reduced affecting mental health. Early research has shown changes to sour taste perception in depression and stress however, changes in anxiety have not been studied [4-8]. To address this gap and build on the knowledge base, a survey was conducted in which participants (n = 424) rated recalled intensity and liking of sour index foods and completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to measure these states. Variations in sour taste and mood have been demonstrated between females and males, hence the data were explored for sex-differences. Standard least squares regression (post hoc Tukey’s HSD) compared means between groups, and nominal logistic regression assessed differences in distributions between categories. Recalled sour intensity was 16-19.2% higher in those with scores indicative of mild depression than in those with normal scores in the total sample (p range 0.03-0.04), and 17.9-21.3% higher in females (p values were 0.03). There were no differences in sour taste intensity between the intergroup means for anxiety or stress and no associations between sour liking and any of the mood states. The results suggest that the sourness of index foods increases in depression. Further research to elucidate the biological processes and possible taste-related genetic influences that may be occurring would be beneficial. With this knowledge it may be possible to screen for mood conditions by measuring changes to sour taste that appear alongside other signs and symptoms, create more tailored dietary interventions and develop additional therapeutics.

We performed a retrospective analysis of the changes in accuracy of International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-CM) diagnosis codes for colectomy and hysterectomy surgical site infection surveillance. After the transition from ICD-CM ninth edition to tenth edition codes, there was no significant change in the accuracy of these codes for SSI surveillance.

Eighty specimens of cellulosic materials were analyzed over a period of several years to study the diffraction characteristics resulting from polymorphism, crystallinity, and chemical substitution. The aim of the study was to produce and verify the quality of reference data useful for the diffraction analyses of cellulosic materials. These reference data can be used for material identification, polymorphism, and crystallinity measurements. Overall 13 new references have been characterized for publication in the Powder Diffraction File (PDF) and several others are in the process of publication.

Coatings of plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite (HAp), incubated in simulated body fluid for periods varying from 1 to 56 days, were characterized using conventional laboratory X rays. Quantitative phase analysis, employing TOPAS software, showed an opposite trend in the two main phases of the coating, viz., HAp and tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP). The former increased within the first 7 days of incubation whilst the latter decreased during the same period; both phases stabilized with further incubation. The crystallinity of the coatings exhibited a trend similar to that of HAp i.e., an increase in the early stages of incubation stabilization with further incubation. Results of residual stress determined with Bruker’s D8 Discover and analyzed with LEPTOS software, showed both the normal stress tensor components, σ11 and σ22, to be tensile, relaxing significantly in the early stages of incubation before stabilizing with further incubation.

Experimental research in behavioural nutrition is often limited by practical applicability. In the present study, we assess the reproducibility and validity of a new experimental method using food replicas. A total of fifty-seven people were invited on two separate occasions with an interval of 2 weeks to serve themselves a meal from a fake food buffet (FFB) containing replica carrots, beans, pasta and chicken. The external validity of the FFB was assessed in a second study by comparing meals served from replica foods (beans, pasta, chicken) with meals served from a corresponding real food buffet (RFB). For the second study, forty-eight participants were invited on two separate occasions; first to serve themselves a meal from the FFB or an RFB and 2 weeks later from the other buffet. The amounts of food items served and (theoretical) energy content were compared. Correlation coefficients between the amounts of fake foods served were 0·77 (95 % CI 0·68, 0·86) for chicken, 0·79 (95 % CI 0·68, 0·87) for carrots, 0·81 (95 % CI 0·69, 0·89) for beans and 0·89 (95 % CI 0·82, 0·93) for pasta. For the FFB meal and the RFB meal, the correlations ranged between 0·76 (95 % CI 0·73, 0·91) for chicken and 0·87 (95 % CI 0·77, 0·92) for beans. The theoretical energy of the fake meal was 132 kJ (32 kcal) lower compared to the energy of the real meal. Results suggest that the FFB can be a valuable tool for the experimental assessment of relative effects of environmental influences on portion sizes and food choice under well-controlled conditions.

A study of serological, bacteriocine and phage typing of Serratia marcescens was made. Specific O-antisera of adequate titre were relatively simple to prepare but H-antisera exhibited many heterologous agglutination reactions amongst the type strains. Most of these cross-reactions were not reproduced when immobilization tests with H-sera were performed. Direct haemagglutination tests were used to establish the presence of fimbriae amongst the H-type strains and the results of agglutination tests with non-fimbriate variants of strains indicated that fimbrial antibody in high titre was present in some sera.

Replicate typing of 100 pairs of cultures by the phage-typing method indicated that small variations in pattern were common and that larger variations occurred occasionally. Therefore differences in pattern of less than two strong reactions should not be taken as evidence that strains can be distinguished.

Cultures of S. marcescens, 273 in total, from six outbreaks of infection in British and European hospitals were typed by O-serology, H agglutination and immobilization tests, phage typing and bacteriocine susceptibility by a cross-streaking method. The typability of strains by each method was high but the results suggested that no single method was sufficiently discriminating to be used alone for typing. Comparison of the H-type and typing patterns of members of the same O serogroup from incidents of infection showed that reliable results were obtained by H-typing or by phage and bacteriocine typing after the application of the appropriate ‘difference’ rule.

The greatest discrimination between strains of the same 0-group was obtained by the use of H-typing or phage typing.

XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy) has been employed to evaluate the efficacy of a process designed to encapsulate and reduce TcO4 - in cement matrices, thereby immobilizing Tc. The oxidation state of Se following bioremediation of Se by bacteria has also been determined by XANES. The XANES measurements were performed at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) and the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at the respective K edges of Tc (21.0 keV) and Se (12.7 keV). Comparison of the XANES spectra of Tc in untreated cement to Tc in slag treated cement and to the chemical shifts of reference materials, shows that the oxidation state of Tc is the same in both cements. Thus, the addition of a reducing agent to the cement formulation does not significantly reduce the TcO4 -. The common soil bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, is known to incorporate Se on or within the cell wall when exposed to a Se(IV) solution. The Se XANES spectra of B. subtilis, as well as bacillus isolated from selenium rich soil, show that the organisms reduce selenite to the red allotrope of elemental Se.

Family data from schizophrenic and control probands were analyzed using a descriptive analysis and multiple threshold models to determine whether a given group of diagnoses made in accordance with ICD–9 was aetiologically related to schizophrenia. The proportion of relatives receiving any psychiatric diagnosis, other than schizophrenia and affective disorder, was essentially the same between the two study groups. Furthermore, the data did not fit the multiple threshold model tested. Thus, the hypothesis that schizophrenia and a spectrum of disorders defined according to ICD–9 have a common familial aetiology was not accepted.

Segregation analysis was applied to blind family data concerning schizophrenia to decide if the transmission of schizophrenia could be explained by a single major gene. Our results showed that the Mendelian model was unacceptable. Therefore, the monogenic hypothesis could not account for the transmission of schizophrenia. Since the hypothesis of no parent-child transmission was also not accepted, there was an indication that some form of vertical transmission existed which could be psychosocial, or an interaction between genetic and psychosocial factors. Our results suggest genetic heterogeneity in schizophrenia. Currently available clinical criteria for defining subgroups must be improved in conjunction with detection of biological indicators so that segregation analysis of family data could be effectively used in determining modes of transmission in schizophrenia.