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Background Studies confirm the positive effect of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation on public health. However, only a few countries in Europe adopt SSB taxes. From a public policy perspective, we investigate the conditions under which countries do or do not follow this evidence. Methods Crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) of 26 European Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development countries with and without an SSB tax. We test which configurations of conditions (problem pressure, governmental composition, strategic planning, health care system, public health policies, inclusion of expert advice in policymaking) emerge as relevant in determining adoption and non-adoption between the years 1981 and 2021. Pathways that lead to the presence and absence of SSB taxes are identified separately. Results At least one of the following configurations of conditions is present in countries that introduced taxation: (i) high financial problem pressure, low regulatory impact assessment activity; (ii) high public health problem pressure, a contribution-financed health care system, no holistic strategy for combatting non-communicable diseases (NCDs); (iii) a tax-financed health care system, a holistic NCD strategy, high strategic and executive planning capacity. In countries that did not adopt SSB taxes, we find (i) high regulatory impact assessment activity, high levels of sugar export; (ii) no holistic NCD strategy, high spending on preventive care; (iii and iv) a lack of strategic planning capacity and either a high share of spending on preventive care or inclusion of expert advice. Discussion Evidence inclusion requires clear policy priorities in terms of strategy and resources to promote public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil is an important store of carbon (C) and there has been recent concern that accelerated loss of carbon from the soil may be reinforcing climate change. There is therefore a need to both track current trends in soil C storage and to identify how soil can contribute to carbon emission reduction targets. Countryside Survey (CS) is an integrated national monitoring program in which vegetation, topsoil, water and land use measurements are made across Great Britain (GB). The soil component of CS is unique as topsoil C concentrations have been measured at three time points (1978, 1998 and 2007) together with topsoil bulk density (2007 only), vegetation composition (all years), and land use (i.e. Broad Habitat, 1998, 2007). The combined dataset allows estimates of change in topsoil C stock over time and the influence of land use change on topsoil C to be investigated. Results indicate that although there was a small increase (8%) in topsoil C concentration between 1978 and 1998 and small decrease (6.5%) between 1998 and 2007, there was no significant change in GB topsoil C concentration (in g kg-1), density (in t ha-1) or stock (in Tg) between 1978 and 2007. Within individual habitats some consistent trends were observed and by examining plots which had consistent vegetation composition since 1978 we demonstrate that land use change was not responsible for the few significant changes that were found. These results are comparable with the few other estimates of recent topsoil C concentration and stock changes in W. Europe, with the exception of a previous study in England and Wales which reported significant topsoil C losses of up to 50% over a similar period. Possible reasons for the contradictory findings are discussed. An extra 220-730 Tg of C would be stored in topsoil C stocks if all GB soils were optimised at the top 5-25% C densities as recorded for each habitat in 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Model estimates of NOy and NHx deposition across Britain for 1996 (5 km square resolution) were applied as explanatory variables to account for national-scale, fine-grained changes in plant species composition between 1990 and 1998. Plant species data were recorded from up to 27 fixed plots located within a stratified random sample of 596 1 km2. The response variable was a cover-weighted Ellenberg fertility score for each plot. Analyses were carried out separately for woodlands, semi-natural grasslands and heaths/bogs. Most of the variation in the botanical response variable occurred between plots within squares and so could not be explained by the model deposition data. NHx deposition estimates accounted for significant, but small components of between 1 km2 variation in the change in Ellenberg score in grasslands (5.6%) and heath/bogs (9.8%) but not woodlands. NOy deposition estimates were not significantly associated with vegetation change. Linear models provided the best fit and the slope of the relationship was lower for heath/bogs than grasslands. Further signal attribution at sub-kilometre square scales requires the development of fine-grained models of N deposition that can be generalised across regional sampling domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental organisations in the UK have shown increasing interest in freshwater critical loads and acid sensitivity maps as a means of assessing pollution at the local and regional level. These maps can be used to identify sensitive areas when considering catchment management plans. The use of national data sets to map the sensitivity of freshwaters to acidification, highlighted the problems of relating national datasets to smaller, localised areas. The study described here investigated the use of detailed large-scale maps to predict the sensitivity of surface waters to acidification for two river catchments. Three large-scale acid sensitivity maps were produced and validated using measured freshwater critical loads. In addition, a score system relating to the buffering capacity for each soil and geology type was devised. The score value was found to have a better correlation with water chemistry and freshwater critical loads than the acid sensitivity maps. The study concluded that it was not necessary to use the largest scale data available in order to improve predictions of sensitive areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dentists account for up to 10% of all prescribed antibiotics in primary care, with up to 80% being inappropriate. Targeted approaches to change prescription behavior are scarce. This study aimed at identifying specific barriers and facilitators for prudent antibiotic use in German dentistry by using qualitative methods. Nine in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions with another nine dentists were conducted and analyzed thematically. Dentists described being conflicted by the discordance of available treatment time and the necessity of thorough therapy. Lacking the opportunity of follow-up led to uncertainty. Dentists felt a lack of medical competency concerning prophylaxis for infectious endocarditis. A lack of empowerment to make therapeutic decisions interfered with guideline-conformity. The communication with fellow physicians is conflictual and improvement was wished for. In consequence, dentists felt pressure by potential medico-legal liability. Patients demanding quick and easy pain relief put extra strain on the interviewed dentists. Our hypotheses concord with preliminary data, mainly from the UK, but highlighted specifically medico-legal concerns and interprofessional communication as even greater barriers as described before. Tailored interventional concepts based on our findings may have the potential to lower antibiotic prescriptions in German primary dental care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test the hypothesis that canopy thinning might result from phosphorus limitations induced by acidic pollutant deposition, paired stands with 'thin' and 'good' canopies were compared by examining (1) the phosphorus nutrition of the trees using a root bioassay and (2) availability of phosphorus in surface soil using a resin-extraction procedure. Three pairs of stands of each of Sitka spruce, Scots pine and beech on a range of comparable soils were investigated. A higher level of phosphorus stress in stands with the thinner canopy compared with their corresponding 'partners' with the better canopy was demonstrated for eight out of the nine pairs; only the pair of beech stands on gley soils did not comply with this finding. A similar pattern was demonstrated with the soil available phosphorus measurements, namely that surface soils had lower amounts of resin-extractable phosphorus under trees with the thinner canopy compared with their respective 'partner' stand with the better canopy; again the beech stands on gley soils did not comply. Analysis of variance indicated that there were significant and complex interactions between tree canopy condition, tree species and soils, in phosphorus stress and surface soil available phosphorus. These results derived from stands distributed over a wide area of northern Britain suggest that there may be a general link between canopy condition and phosphorus stress in trees. However, no link was found between phosphorus stress and estimates of net acidic deposition inputs derived from broad-scale modelling. The critical load for acidic deposition appeared, from these estimates, to be exceeded for all the stands, irrespective of canopy condition. The demonstration of a possible link between tree canopy condition and phosphorus stress suggests that there is a need for a wider investigation, possibly as an integrated art of the UK Tree Health monitoring programme. The hypothesized induction by acidic deposition of phosphorus stress in trees, if true, will require actual monitoring, rather than prediction, of that deposition at each study site. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]