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Aim It has been demonstrated previously that consumer attitudes about food issues influence and shape consumer behaviour. The aim of this paper was to identify demographic and socioeconomic variables associated with a range of consumer opinions regarding the importance of four pre-selected food issues. Methods A national survey conducted in Australia (random sample n = 1109; response rate 41.2%) was undertaken in 2009 to investigate consumer opinions regarding food issues that may influence food choice and behaviour. Respondents were specifically asked whether the following were important food issues in society; additives, genetically modified ( GM) foods, unhealthy eating and food allergies. Results Most respondents considered unhealthy eating (96.1%) and food allergies (92.1%) to be important issues in society. Fewer participants, but still the majority, regarded additives (78.5%) and GM foods (67.7%) as important. The study identified that specific food issues were of particular concern to women, older respondents, respondents with an income between $A30 000 and $A60 000, and respondents living in a household of five or more people. Concerns about GM foods and additives were associated with the greatest number of demographic and socioeconomic variables studied. Conclusions This paper has confirmed that the food issues studied were important to the participants surveyed. Demographic and socioeconomic factors were predictive of consumer opinion on the importance of individual food issues and may be useful to inform strategies and campaigns to address consumer concerns and public worries about food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Fatness is linked to reproductive performance in sheep, and it is realistic to expect that higher body condition scores at breeding would have positive effects on the reproductive rate of ewe lambs, over and above liveweight. Data were analysed from over 17,000 records from Merino and non-Merino ewe lambs from 22 different flocks across Australia. There were significant curvilinear relationships between liveweight or body condition score prior to breeding and reproductive rate for both Merino and non-Merino ewe lambs. When analysed together, there was a significant quadratic effect of body condition score on reproductive rate, independent of correlated changes in liveweight. The results indicated that if only a proportion of ewe lambs were selected for breeding, selection based on both liveweight and body condition scores may only improve overall reproductive rate by 1 to 2% compared to selection based on liveweight alone. Ewe lambs that are heavier due to improved nutrition pre- and post-weaning achieve puberty at a younger age, are more fertile, and have a higher reproductive rate. Fatness is intimately linked to reproduction, and we hypothesised that higher body condition scores at breeding would have positive effects on the reproductive rate of ewe lambs over and above liveweight. We also expected that if only a proportion of ewe lambs were presented for breeding, then it would be more effective to select them based on both liveweight and body condition score. To test these hypotheses, we analysed data from over 17,000 records from Merino and non-Merino ewe lambs from 22 different flocks across Australia. Non-Merino ewe lambs were more fertile (69.4% vs. 48.7%) and achieved a higher reproductive rate than Merino ewe lambs (96.9% vs. 60.7%). There were significant curvilinear relationships between liveweight (p < 0.001) or body condition score (p < 0.001) prior to breeding and reproductive rate for both Merino and non-Merino ewe lambs. For both breeds, there was a significant (p < 0.001) quadratic effect of body condition score prior to breeding on reproductive rate, independent of the correlated changes in liveweight, and at the same liveweight, an extra 0.5 of a body condition score up to 3.3 improved reproductive rate by about 20%. Nevertheless, the results indicated that if only a proportion of ewe lambs were selected for breeding, then selection based on both liveweight and body condition scores may only improve the overall reproductive rate by 1 to 2% compared to selection based on liveweight alone. We conclude that liveweight is a more effective method than body condition score for selecting ewe lambs for breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of lead as an additive in petrol resulted in more than 240,000 tonnes of lead being emitted to the Australian environment over a 70-year period from 1932, until lead additives in petrol were eliminated in 2002. The consequences of Australia's protracted industrial lead emissions and subsequent depositions caused widespread contamination of urban and peri-urban aerosols, soils, plants, animals, and humans. This paper charts the impact of those lead emissions via environmental archives and proxies and examines the extent of recovery from one of the biosphere's most pervasive and persistent environmental pollutants. The remobilisation of industrial lead is examined by analysis of Sydney air filters that bracket wildfires between 1994 and 2004. Proxy atmospheric measurements of historical wine, lichen and fungi samples extending up to 150 years bp show how both lead concentration and isotopic composition values shifted in the middle to late 20th century to reflect petrol emissions and then recovered rapidly at the end of the century as leaded petrol was phased out. Lead isotopic composition of aerosol filters from Adelaide and Sydney show that air lead composition shifted from values that approximate Broken Hill type ores, the predominant lead source used in petrol ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.04; 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.32), towards ratios that more closely match local uncontaminated soil and bedrock values in Adelaide ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.21; 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.52) and Sydney ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb = 1.14; 208 Pb/ 207 Pb = 2.44). However, the recovery from that historic industrial lead contamination is incomplete. Measurements of contemporary surface soils, ash produced from wildfires and aerosols demonstrate legacy industrial lead depositions are declining but are still subject to remobilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, the road network is extensive and consists chiefly of unbound granular material overlain by a thin layer of asphalt. With trafficking and adverse environmental conditions, roads may become unserviceable quite quickly. So there is a need to re-condition granular roads through in-situ recycling to achieve the sustainability goals of re-use of materials and reduction of greenhouse gases by minimizing transport of materials. Bitumen, in the form of either cold emulsion or foamed bitumen, has been used for this purpose quite successfully, but there exist situations where it is too expensive for the road authority, given the nature of the road, or bitumen may not be suitable if plastic fines exist in the pavement material. Environmental conditions such as poor drainage of primarily flat land may also have local government looking for alternative treatments. Hydrophobic dry powder polymers (DPP) mixed with lime can serve to provide an improved road base quickly at relatively low cost. Unfortunately the literature on polymer additives in aggregates is quite limited and so research has commenced with the aid of local government agencies in Adelaide, South Australia. In this paper a field trial and laboratory investigation are presented on the comparative engineering properties of treated and untreated aggregates from a road trial. Testing has included hydraulic conductivity, large column capillary rise tests and repeated loading triaxial testing. Performance of the road sections will be monitored in the coming years through La Croix Deflectograph testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tannin and polysaccharide profiles and therefore sensory properties of wine are influenced by fruit maturity at harvest, and practices employed during winemaking. This study investigated the extent to which commercial winemaking supplements (skin and seed tannins, and mannoprotein (MP)) can enhance the mouthfeel properties of red wine, in particular, wine made from grapes harvested before commercial ripeness (early-harvest). Supplements were added to wines made from Shiraz grapes harvested at 20.8 and 24.5 °Brix. The chemical composition and mouthfeel properties of wines were then determined by high performance liquid chromatography and descriptive analysis (DA), respectively. Wines made from riper grapes had higher levels of tannin than wines made from early-harvest grapes, but similar polysaccharide levels were observed. The addition of seed oenotannin yielded higher tannin levels than addition of skin oenotannin, particularly for wines made from early-harvest grapes. The DA panel perceived sensory differences between H1 and H2 wines, but could not perceive any effect of supplementation on wine mouthfeel properties, with the exception of a minor increase in sweetness, attributed to mannoprotein addition to H1 wines, even when MP was added to wines at 2.5 times the level recommended for use in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Make Smoking History campaign of the Cancer Council Western Australia. It states that the campaign focused on disclosing cigarette ingredients. It says that the campaign included the Deceptively Delicious press advertisement and Sugar Sugar television advertisement. It adds that the campaign highlighted that cigarette ingredients such as honey and sugar can mask the bitter taste but it cannot hide cigarette health damage.