Attitudes and Family Farm Business Performance

This study aimed to identify the top performing and the bottom performing family farm businesses based upon business performance, and then compare and contrast the perceptions and attitudes towards acquiring management skills and attributes that lead to improved business performance. Using extensive interviews data were obtained from 200 family farm businesses from New South Wales and Victoria covering a range of enterprises. The key findings were, firstly, that for all farmers the maintaining of a stable family relationship was of paramount importance in the running of the farm business. Secondly, that the Top 20% of farmers had high levels of self-efficacy and thus possessed the capability and the competence to perform tasks successfully. High performers also were more committed to the creation of long-term wealth and viewed business skills as a higher priority for training. Low performers were more highly committed to the farm's environmental health, placed a greater emphasis on production and sustainability for training and were more likely to give a lower priority to business issues. Both groups agreed that formal training that involved practical farmers with education skills providing them with tailor-made modules were best suited to their personal learning needs. The consistently high priority of family and business issues suggests that the opportunity exists to integrate the training of attitudes and skills with family, sustainable business practices and community issues. The study was funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.Farm Management,

Kekerasan Dalam Praktik Pendidikan di Sekolah

Kekerasan merupakan suatu kenyataan universal yang ada sepanjang sejarah peradaban manusia. Hal ini berarti bahwa kekerasan sudah lama dikenal, dihidupi dan berkembang mengikuti perkembangan peradaban manusia. Tindakan kekerasan dapat dilakukan oleh siapa saja, oleh teman sekelas, kakak kelas kepada adik kelasnya, guru terhadap murid dan juga dilakukan oleh kepala sekolah terhadap para stafnya. Penelitian ini memfokuskan pada tindakan kekerasan yang dlakukan oleh guru. Salah satu penyebab praktik penggunaan kekerasan masih sering terjadi adalah faktor kultural. Kekerasan kultural memberi legitimasi terhadap penggunaan kekerasan dalam praktik pendidikan sampai saat ini. Kekerasan yang dialami dan dirasakan oleh anak akan memiliki dampak yang serius terhadap masa depan anak terutama terkait dengan kesehatan mental dan kesejahteraan sosialnya. Beberapa solusi yang dapat dilakukan antara lain dengan membuat regulasi secara jelas dan melaksanakannya secara tegas, menciptakan iklim sekolah yang positif, mengembangkan program sekolah yang ramah anak dan pengembangan kompetensi kepribadian guru. Selain itu diperlukan kerja sama semua komponen sekolah yakni keluarga pemerintah dan masyarakat untuk menciptakan suatu budaya yang ramah anak

Heart rate variability analysis in sheep affected by transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The function of the autonomic nervous system can be assessed by determining heart rate variability (HRV), which is impaired in some brainstem diseases in humans. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in sheep are diseases characterised by accumulation of disease-associated prion protein in the brainstem, including nuclei of the parasympathetic nervous system. This study was undertaken to assess whether analysis of HRV can be used as an aid in the diagnosis of TSEs in clinically affected, naturally or experimentally infected sheep.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>When HRV indices were compared between 41 clinical TSE cases (18 sheep infected with scrapie and 23 sheep infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy), 11 control sheep and six sheep reported as scrapie suspects or dosed with BSE brain homogenate, which were not confirmed as TSE cases by postmortem tests, no significant differences were found between the groups. Median heart rate was significantly different but only when sheep were grouped by gender: it was higher in female TSE cases than in control sheep and higher in female than castrated male ovine classical BSE cases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HRV analysis was not useful as a diagnostic aid for TSEs of sheep.</p

Time and frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability in cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a method to assess the function of the autonomic nervous system. Brainstem nuclei that influence HRV are affected by vacuolar changes and accumulation of disease-associated prion protein (PrP^d) in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) resulting in clinical signs suggestive of an increased parasympathetic tone. It was hypothesised that BSE in cattle causes changes in the autonomic nervous system; this was tested by comparing HRV indices derived from 1048 electrocardiograms, which were recorded from 51 naturally or experimentally infected cattle with BSE confirmed by postmortem tests, 321 clinical suspect cases or cattle inoculated with potentially infectious tissue without disease confirmation and 78 BSE-free control cattle.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Statistically significant differences were found for low or high frequency power, their normalised values and ratio when the last recording prior to cull or repeated recordings were compared but only between male and female cattle of the three groups and not between groups of the same gender, even though BSE cases of each gender appeared to be more nervous during the recording. The same findings were made for heart rate, deviation from the mean RR interval and vasovagal tonus index when repeated recordings were compared. BSE cases with severe vacuolar changes in the parasympathetic nucleus of the vagus nerve had a significantly lower low:high frequency power ratio but not a lower heart rate than BSE cases with mild vacuolation, whereas severity of vacuolar changes in the solitary tract nucleus or intensity of PrP^daccumulation in both nuclei did not appear to have any affect on either index. Abnormalities in the electrocardiogram were detected in 3% of the recordings irrespective of the BSE status; sinus arrhythmia was present in 93% of the remaining recordings.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HRV analysis was not useful to distinguish BSE-positive from BSE-negative cattle grouped by gender, and HRV indices appeared to be mainly influenced by gender. There is agreement with earlier studies that vacuolar changes in the brainstem may be associated with an increased parasympathetic tone in BSE and that abnormalities in an electrocardiogram can be detected in cattle without evidence of heart disease.</p

Cough reflex sensitivity improves with speech language pathology management of refractory chronic cough

Rationale: Speech language pathology is an effective management intervention for chronic cough that persists despite medical treatment. The mechanism behind the improvement has not been determined but may include active cough suppression, reduced cough sensitivity or increased cough threshold from reduced laryngeal irritation. Objective measures such as cough reflex sensitivity and cough frequency could be used to determine whether the treatment response was due to reduced underlying cough sensitivity or to more deliberate control exerted by individual patients. The number of treatments required to effect a response was also assessed. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate subjective and objective measures of cough before, during and after speech language pathology treatment for refractory chronic cough and the mechanism underlying the improvement. Methods: Adults with chronic cough (n = 17) were assessed before, during and after speech language pathology intervention for refractory chronic cough. The primary outcome measures were capsaicin cough reflex sensitivity, automated cough frequency detection and cough-related quality of life. Results: Following treatment there was a significant improvement in cough related quality of life (Median (IQR) at baseline: 13.5 (6.3) vs. post treatment: 16.9 (4.9), p = 0.002), objective cough frequency (Mean ± SD at baseline: 72.5 ± 55.8 vs. post treatment: 25 ± 27.9 coughs/hr, p = 0.009), and cough reflex sensitivity (Mean ± SD log C5 at baseline: 0.88 ± 0.48 vs. post treatment: 1.65 ± 0.88, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: This is the first study to show that speech language pathology management is an effective intervention for refractory chronic cough and that the mechanism behind the improvement is due to reduced laryngeal irritation which results in decreased cough sensitivity, decreased urge to cough and an increased cough threshold. Speech language pathology may be a useful and sustained treatment for refractory chronic cough. Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Register, ACTRN12608000284369

Engagement in leisure activities and depression in older adults in the United States: Longitudinal evidence from the health and Retirement Study

Background: Receptive cultural engagement (e.g. attending theaters and museums) can reduce depression in older adults. However, whether specific participatory leisure activities are associated with lower rates of depression remains unknown. We aimed to test whether engagement in a diverse range of leisure activities, all of which could involve artistic or creative elements, was associated with concurrent and subsequent depression. Methods: Using longitudinal data from 19,134 participants aged over 50 in the Health and Retirement Study, engagement in leisure activities was measured every four years, and depression every two years, between 2008 and 2016. Leisure activities included: reading books, magazines, or newspapers; writing; baking/cooking something special; making clothes, knitting, or embroidery (sewing); working on hobbies/projects; going to sport, social, or other clubs; and attending non-religious organization meetings. A score of three or more on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale indicated depression. We fitted population-averaged panel data models using generalized estimating equations with a logit link. Results: Engaging in some leisure activities, such as clubs, hobbies/projects, and baking/cooking was associated with reduced depression, independent of confounders. Concurrently, spending time on hobbies/projects (monthly OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.72–0.88; weekly OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73–0.89) and clubs (monthly OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77–0.94; weekly OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.69–0.88) was associated with lower odds of depression versus not engaging. Longitudinally, the odds of depression two years later were reduced amongst people engaging in weekly baking/cooking (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75–0.95), hobbies (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71–0.92), and clubs (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71–0.94). Writing, reading, sewing, and attending non-religious organizations were not consistently associated with depression. Conclusions: Engagement in some leisure activities is associated with reduced odds of depression. We should consider how older adults can be supported to actively participate in leisure activities as health-promoting behaviors

Difference in predictors and barriers to arts and cultural engagement with age in the United States: A cross-sectional analysis using the Health and Retirement Study

INTRODUCTION: Arts and cultural engagement are associated with a range of mental and physical health benefits, including promoting heathy aging and lower incidence of age-related disabilities such as slower cognitive decline and slower progression of frailty. This suggests arts engagement constitutes health-promoting behaviour in older age. However, there are no large-scale studies examining how the predictors of arts engagement vary with age. METHODS: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2014) were used to identify sociodemographic, life satisfaction, social, and arts appreciation predictors of (1) frequency of arts engagement, (2) cultural attendance, (3) difficulty participating in the arts, and (4) being an interested non-attendee of cultural events. Logistic regression models were stratified by age groups [50-59, 60-69, ≥70] for the frequency of arts participation outcome and [50-69 vs ≥70] all other outcomes. RESULTS: Findings indicated a number of age-related predictors of frequent arts engagement, including gender, educational attainment, wealth, dissatisfaction with aging, and instrumental activities of daily living (iADL). For cultural event attendance, lower interest in the arts predicted lack of engagement across age groups, whereas higher educational attainment and more frequent religious service attendance became predictors in older age groups (≥ 70). Adults in both age groups were less likely to report difficulties engaging in the arts if they had lower neighbourhood safety, whilst poor self-rated health and low arts appreciation also predicted reduced likelihood of this outcome, but only in the younger (50-69) age group. Adults in the older (≥ 70) age group were more likely to be interested non-attendees of cultural events if they had higher educational attainment and less likely if they lived in neighbourhoods with low levels of safety. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that certain factors become stronger predictors of arts and cultural engagement and barriers to engagement as people age. Further, there appear to be socioeconomic inequalities in engagement that may increase in older ages, with arts activities overall more accessible as individuals age compared to cultural engagement due to additional financial barriers and transportation barriers. Ensuring that these activities are accessible to people of all ages will allow older adults to benefit from the range of health outcomes gained from arts and cultural engagement