A Mixed-Method Study Exploring Experiences and Perceptions of Nutritionists Regarding Use of an Image-Based Dietary Assessment System in Tanzania.

Due to global advances in technology, image-based food record methods have emerged as an alternative to traditional assessment methods. The use of image-based food records in low and lower-middle income countries such as Tanzania is limited, with countries still using traditional methods. The current study aimed to determine the feasibility of using a new voice and image-based dietary assessment system (VISIDA) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This mixed-method study recruited 18 nutritionists as participants who collected image-based records of food and drinks they consumed using the VISIDA smartphone app. Participants viewed an online demonstration of the VISIDA web platform and the analysis process for intake data collected using the VISIDA app. Then, participants completed an online survey and were interviewed about the VISIDA app and web platform for food and nutrient intake analysis. The method was reported as being acceptable and was found to be easy to use, although technical challenges were experienced by some participants. Most participants indicated a willingness to use the VISIDA app again for one week or longer and were interested in using the VISIDA system in their current role. Participants acknowledged that the VISIDA web platform would simplify some aspects of their current job. Image-based food records could potentially be used in Tanzania to improve the assessment of dietary intake by nutritionists in urban areas. Participants recommended adding sound-on notifications, using the VISIDA app in both Apple and Android phones, enabling installation from the app store, and improving the quality of the fiducial markers.

An Evolutionary Game Model with Punishment and Protection to Promote Trust in the Sharing Economy.

In this paper, we present an evolutionary trust game, taking punishment and protection into consideration, to investigate the formation of trust in the so-called sharing economy from a population perspective. This sharing economy trust model comprises four types of players: a trustworthy provider, an untrustworthy provider, a trustworthy consumer, and an untrustworthy consumer. Punishment in the form of penalty for untrustworthy providers and protection in the form of insurance for consumers are mechanisms adopted to prevent untrustworthy behaviour. Through comprehensive simulation experiments, we evaluate dynamics of the population for different initial population setups and effects of having penalty and insurance in place. Our results show that each player type influences the 'existence' and 'survival' of other types of players, and untrustworthy players do not necessarily dominate the population even when the temptation to defect (i.e., to be untrustworthy) is high. Additionally, we observe that imposing a heavier penalty or having insurance for all consumers (trustworthy and untrustworthy) can be counterproductive for promoting trustworthiness in the population and increasing the global net wealth. Our findings have important implications for understanding trust in the context of the sharing economy, and for clarifying the usefulness of protection policies within it.

Dietary Assessment of Shared Plate Eating: A Missing Link.

Shared plate eating is a defining feature of the way food is consumed in some countries and cultures. Food may be portioned to another serving vessel or directly consumed into the mouth from a centralised dish rather than served individually onto a discrete plate for each person. Shared plate eating is common in some low- and lower-middle income countries (LLMIC). The aim of this narrative review was to synthesise research that has reported on the assessment of dietary intake from shared plate eating, investigate specific aspects such as individual portion size or consumption from shared plates and use of technology in order to guide future development work in this area. Variations of shared plate eating that were identified in this review included foods consumed directly from a central dish or shared plate food, served onto additional plates shared by two or more people. In some settings, a hierarchical sharing structure was reported whereby different family members eat in turn from the shared plate. A range of dietary assessment methods have been used in studies assessing shared plate eating with the most common being 24-h recalls. The tools reported as being used to assist in the quantification of food intake from shared plate eating included food photographs, portion size images, line drawings, and the carrying capacity of bread, which is often used rather than utensils. Overall few studies were identified that have assessed and reported on methods to assess shared plate eating, highlighting the identified gap in an area of research that is important in improving understanding of, and redressing dietary inadequacies in LLMIC.

The temporary permanence of Dominican bodegueros in Philadelphia: neighbourhood development in an era of transnational mobility.

The relationship between "neighbourhood" and "community" is contentious: while neighbourhoods are spatially based, communities are more amorphous institutions that are connected to local places through far-flung transnational networks. Dominican corner-store owners (bodegueros) in Philadelphia, USA, understand their role in their local neighbourhood community as a form of "temporary permanence" because their economic development model involves building networks between the US and the Dominican Republic. The mobility practices of grocers and interviews with community leaders in Philadelphia are used to make two propositions about constructions of place-based "neighbourhood communities" in the US: the mobility of the grocers highlights the spatial entrapment experienced by other urban residents and thus their embrace of place-based communities; and, in the mobility of the grocers and conversations with some neighbourhood leaders, we see actualised a more fluid and expansive understanding of the concept of a "neighbourhood community" which is embedded in transnational networks.