Which Mental Activities And When For Dementia Prevention? The Four Nations Longitudinal Collaboration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$183,218.00
Summary
We will examine the link between lifetime participation in complex mental activities and long term dementia risk in a level of detail not previously possible. Four major studies of brain health from around the world will join forces for the first time to determine which mental activities are most closely linked to protection from dementia, and when during the lifespan these are most important. Mental activity will be assessed using our recently published Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire.
A Multi-setting Intervention To Reduce Sedentary Behaviour, Promote Physical Activity And Improve Childrens Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$860,343.00
Summary
Sedentary behaviours and physical inactivity play a major role in the rising prevalence of obesity among children in Australia. This intervention study will take place in the school and family settings which play a critical role in shaping children's health behaviours. The objective is to determine whether a 2-year behavioural intervention reduces sedentary behaviour and promotes physical activity and results in improved health among 8-9 year old children.
National Seafood Emergency Plan - Western Australia Trial Workshop
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$5,000.00
Summary
Failure to deal quickly and effectively with a real or perceived food safety incident may result in costly trade disruption and threaten the commercial viability of seafood suppliers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and food service providers.
SSA has developed the national SEP as part of it's strategic plan for the national seafood industry.
This workshop is another step in the developmental phase of the SEP. Objectives: 1. Test the draft manual plan in a des ....Failure to deal quickly and effectively with a real or perceived food safety incident may result in costly trade disruption and threaten the commercial viability of seafood suppliers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and food service providers.
SSA has developed the national SEP as part of it's strategic plan for the national seafood industry.
This workshop is another step in the developmental phase of the SEP. Objectives: 1. Test the draft manual plan in a desk top exercise. 2. Introduce all the nominated team members and alternates to the plan and train them in the use of the plan 3. Use learned experience to develop the manual further in W.A. and nationally Read moreRead less
To update assessment reports on Whichfish.com to keep the site current for users. Objectives: 1. 1. Re-organise existing report format in line with the new methodology 2. 2. Update relevant information for the 20 species on Whichfish 3. 3. Reassess risk scores and future outlook sections using draft methodology 4. 4. Provide written feedback about any issues and/or challenges encountered in applying the draft risk assessment which will be incorporated into a guid ....To update assessment reports on Whichfish.com to keep the site current for users. Objectives: 1. 1. Re-organise existing report format in line with the new methodology 2. 2. Update relevant information for the 20 species on Whichfish 3. 3. Reassess risk scores and future outlook sections using draft methodology 4. 4. Provide written feedback about any issues and/or challenges encountered in applying the draft risk assessment which will be incorporated into a guidance document for future assessors and suggestions to improve risk assessment criteria. Read moreRead less
Pathogenic Vibrio Parahaemolyticus In Australian Oysters
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$13,995.00
Summary
In 1999, Seafood Services Australia (SSA) initiated a risk-based approach to assessing and managing hazards. Regarding oysters, two risk assessments were undertaken, one on viruses and one on vibrios. Focusing on the latter hazards, the risks associated with the three main species: V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus and V. cholerae were assessed. It was noted that V. parahaemolyticus (Vp) has recently caused major outbreaks in USA from consumption of oysters due to a “new” pathogenic type O3:K6. ....In 1999, Seafood Services Australia (SSA) initiated a risk-based approach to assessing and managing hazards. Regarding oysters, two risk assessments were undertaken, one on viruses and one on vibrios. Focusing on the latter hazards, the risks associated with the three main species: V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus and V. cholerae were assessed. It was noted that V. parahaemolyticus (Vp) has recently caused major outbreaks in USA from consumption of oysters due to a “new” pathogenic type O3:K6. For Australia, no work on pathogenic Vp in oysters could be found, which introduced a great deal of uncertainty to the assessment. The RA noted that there had been two Vp poisonings in NSW from prawns imported from Indonesia, the clear inference being that pathogenic Vp exists in neighbouring waters.
In March, 2002 the FAO/WHO team will develop a global risk assessment of Vp in oysters. The RA will utilise the US risk model and insert data from the oyster industries of Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. If no Australian data are available on levels of Vp the modellers will make assumptions which may well be disadvantageous to the Australian industry. This could happen if the north American mitigation strategy (rapid icing) to control of Vp is adopted as a prerequisite for export.
Failure to input Australian data into a Codex global risk assessment could have serious consequences for the industry. At best it would lead to protracted negotiation between Australia and Codex. These negotiations would need to be science-based and a research program would need to be funded. It is probable that the scale of this investigation would be at least a log scale larger than the present application.
Among the strategies to mitigate V. parahaemolyticus risk is chilling oysters as early as possible after harvest. In the case of the Canadian industry in British Columbia, the strategy has been used successfully in the summers of 2000 and 2001. This strategy is directly opposed to current summer handling practices by the NSW industry which allows product to remain as warm as 25°C for up to three days.
This project is designed to provide evidence of the occurrence and prevalence of pathogenic and non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in Australian oysters. This knowledge will be invaluable to the NSW industry in particular - in case the FAO/WHO assessment recommends chilling of oysters as a pre-requisite for market access.
Effect of not doing the proposed study
If the work is not done and Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) recommend a mitigation strategy of rapid icing, the local industry has a number of choices:
1. Ignore the CCFH recommendation on the grounds that we don’t export large volumes of oysters. The problem with this approach is that Codex has just as much application and force for domestic production as it does in the export arena.
2. Undertake a study to try to show that there is no problem with V. parahaemolyticus from Australian product. This would probably be a larger study than the present one and would be mounted to attempt to gain exemption for Australia. It’s always difficult to unwind global hygiene edicts.
The present project, for a relatively modest investment, effectively places Australian data into a global risk assessment. As such the data will have great force in the modelling phase. xbad Objectives: 1. Obtain total Vibrio spp. and total V. parahaemolyticus counts from oysters from NSW, SA and Tasmania. 2. Determine prevalence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus amongst these isolates. 3. Compile and analyse data for potential inclusion in the FAO-WHO global risk assessment of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in oysters. Read moreRead less
Revision Of The AQUAVETPLAN Operational Procedures Manuals For Disposal And Decontamination
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$31,500.00
Summary
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is seeking expressions of interest for the revision of the following AQUAVETPLAN Operational Procedures manuals: 1. Decontamination 2. Disposal The Australian Aquatic Veterinary Emergency Plan (AQUAVETPLAN) is a series of manuals that outline Australia’s approach to national disease preparedness and propose the technical response and control strategies to be activated in a national aquatic animal disease emergency.
The Decont ....The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is seeking expressions of interest for the revision of the following AQUAVETPLAN Operational Procedures manuals: 1. Decontamination 2. Disposal The Australian Aquatic Veterinary Emergency Plan (AQUAVETPLAN) is a series of manuals that outline Australia’s approach to national disease preparedness and propose the technical response and control strategies to be activated in a national aquatic animal disease emergency.
The Decontamination manual was first published in 2008, and the second version of the Disposal manual was published in 2009. Both manuals require revision to reflect new scientific knowledge, and to ensure that decontamination and disposal procedures used for disease control purposes reflect current ‘best-practice’ approaches. Objectives: 1. Review and deliver updated AQUAVETPLAN Operatinal Procedures Manuals for decontamination and disposal. Read moreRead less
Occupational Health And Safety National Extension Strategy
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$408,232.78
Summary
The WA Fishing Industry Council has supervised OH&S projects that are considered to be vital to the continued successful development of the State’s aquatic resources. The projects have been successful in demonstrating that the broader fishing industry needs a continuing process of improvement. The projects have also demonstrated that the industry can take the lead in OH&S issues, putting it in advance of legislative requirements. Other States have expressed the strong desire to emulate the suc ....The WA Fishing Industry Council has supervised OH&S projects that are considered to be vital to the continued successful development of the State’s aquatic resources. The projects have been successful in demonstrating that the broader fishing industry needs a continuing process of improvement. The projects have also demonstrated that the industry can take the lead in OH&S issues, putting it in advance of legislative requirements. Other States have expressed the strong desire to emulate the success of WA, until such time as their relevant sectors of the industry take over the responsibility. There is a pressing need for each jurisdiction to evaluate and adopt OH&S Codes of Practice, and the most efficient manner for this to be done is via the adaptation of the WA OH&S codes.
WAFIC is required to review existing sections of the WA Code to ensure compliance with legislative requirments. Objectives: 1. To be the node of Seafood Services Australia that delivers Occupational Health and Safety programmes nationally. 2. To provide each State and the Northern Territory with a comprehensive set of OH&S guidelines tailored to each jurisdiction's legislation and industry specific requirments. Read moreRead less
Australian Aquaculture - Practical Solutions To The Triple Bottom Line - A National Workshop
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$63,910.00
Summary
Federal and state legislation is increasingly demanding more stringent environmental controls on aquaculture activities and place the onus of proof for demonstrating environmental performance on the industry. In addition, regulation for and approval of aquaculture activities is increasingly directed through state EPAs. There is thus a regulatory imperative to defining the ESD sustainability indicators for the aquaculture industry.
Public perception of the industry as environmentally u ....Federal and state legislation is increasingly demanding more stringent environmental controls on aquaculture activities and place the onus of proof for demonstrating environmental performance on the industry. In addition, regulation for and approval of aquaculture activities is increasingly directed through state EPAs. There is thus a regulatory imperative to defining the ESD sustainability indicators for the aquaculture industry.
Public perception of the industry as environmentally unsustainable is often not substantiated by scientific fact, but can have a detrimental affect on aquaculture development through objections to individual aquaculture planning applications. A negative public perception can also enhance the influence of uninformed pressure groups on Government policy development. This is a constraint to future development of the whole industry.
To address these two issues, there is a clear need to identify the issues related to various aquaculture sectors and develop protocols and frameworks through which organisations can demonstrate their compliance with environmental objectives. What is required is a national framework and standards for assessing the environmental performance of aquaculture. Additionally, industry needs to be equipped with practical tools and solutions for dealing with these issues.
The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (SCFA) adopted an ESD framework for fisheries in 1998 and a FRDC/SCFA-funded project has undertaken a number of case studies using this framework. To date the focus of SCFA framework case studies has been on wild fisheries. This approach needs to be expanded to a broader range of stakeholders involved in aquaculture and fine-tuned to ensure it is appropriate for all aquaculture systems and sectors.
In addition, internationally benchmarked environmental management systems (such as ISO 14000) are options that should be explored to implement ESD frameworks and have already been developed for aquaculture sectors in other parts of the world (Gavine et al 1996, Boyd, 1999).
Advantages for the aquaculture industry in adopting the principles of ESD and documenting environmental performance include:
(1) Improved public perception of the industry; (2) Reduction in waste and improved efficiency at site level; (3) A competitive advantage in the market place if accreditation is used as a branding tool; and (4) Ability to effectively engage new Government policies (such as Tradeable Emissions Policies).
This workshop will be the first step in bringing together the stakeholders to identify issues and develop practical solutions that will allow the Australian aquaculture industry to continue to develop in a sustainable manner.
Boyd, C. 1999. The aquaculture industry must learn to deal effectively with environmental issues, beginning with recognising the role of the different players involved. World Aquaculture 30 (2):10. Gavine, F. M., Rennis, D. S. and Windmill, D. 1996. Implementing environmental management systems in the UK finfish aquaculture industry. J.C.I.W.E.M 10, October: 341-347. Objectives: 1. To identify practical solutions to ESD issues which will enable aquaculture organisations to develop in a sustainable and cost effective manner. 2. To develop an action plan that achieves a) standard auditing and reporting protocols for environmental performance of aquaculture operations within and ESD framework and b) adapts the existing SCFA ESD framework to incorporate the requirements of aquaculture operations. Read moreRead less