‘We Have to Go Where the Money Is’—Dilemmas in the Role of Nutrition Scientists: An Interview Study

In Western societies scientists are increasingly expected to seek media exposure and cooperate with industry. Little attention has been given to the way such expectations affect the role of scientific experts in society. To investigate scientists’ own perspectives on these issues eight exploratory, in-depth interviews were conducted in Denmark with reputable nutrition scientists. Additionally, eight interviews were held with ‘key informants’ from the field of nutrition policy. It was found that nutrition scientists experience two dilemmas: first, between their aspiration to make a collective impact on public health and the powerful incentives of each to appear frequently in the media with new messages; second, between their need to cooperate with the food industry for financial reasons and their fear that this may compromise their independence and scientific integrity. It is argued that the dilemmas identified in this study should be dealt with openly by the relevant groups of scientists.     

Indigenous cultural values and journalism in the Asia-Pacific region: a brief history of Māori journalism

A number of scholars in the Asia-Pacific region have in recent years pointed to the importance that cultural values play in influencing journalistic practices. The Asian values debate was followed up with empirical studies showing actual differences in news content when comparing Asian and Western journalism. At the same time, such studies have focused on national cultures only. This paper instead examines the issue against the background of an Indigenous culture in the Asia-Pacific region. It explores the way in which cultural values may have played a role in the journalistic practice of Māori journalists in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past nearly 200 years and finds numerous examples that demonstrate the significance of taking cultural values into account. The paper argues that the role played by cultural values is important to examine further, particularly in relation to journalistic practices amongst sub-national news cultures across the Asia-Pacific region.     

Chloride content and pH value in the pore solution of concrete under carbonation

Chloride content and the pH value of the pore solution in the neighborhood of steel reinforcement are decisive parameters for initiation and rate of corrosion. The pore solution of cement mortar and hardened cement paste has been expressed from the pore space by high pressure in the investigation. The influence of the water-cement ratio, age, and addition of chloride to the fresh mix on chloride content in the pore solution has been determined by ion chromatography. At the same time the pH value of the pore solution has been determined. The dissolved chloride content decreases with increase in the water-cement ratio. The amount of bound chloride increases with time, but it decreases with decreasing content of dissolved chloride in the pore solution. A significant influence of carbonation on the dissolved chloride content of the pore solution has been observed. With complete carbonation, the dissolved chloride content in cement mortar and hardened cement paste increases by a factor between 2 and 12. The bound chloride decreases by 27%-4%. As expected, the pH value decreases from around 13.2 to as low as 8.0 due to carbonation. It can be concluded that carbonation not only lowers the pH value but liberates bound chloride. This is one obvious reason why the combined action of chloride penetration and carbonation accelerates steel corrosion and shortens the service life of reinforced concrete structures.