Developing an agro-forestry system for production of a commercial organic chicken flock focusing on profits on a 'Triple bottom Line'

In most modern free-range poultry systems birds do not fully utilise the range provided. Knowledge of the ancestral history of the domestic chicken, and research observations suggests benefits of agro-forestry systems for chickens. A commercial organic poultry agro-forestry system was developed for Sheepdrove Organic Farm, Berkshire, UK, affording the benefi ts of an agro-forestry system, whilst retaining commercial viability. Five avenues of highly diverse parallel hedges incorporating tree, shrub and herb species were planted. On-going monitoring of the system was put in place to evaluate its development and help assess the types of ‘profits’ the system delivers. Conventionally profits tend to be viewed purely in terms of economic gain. However, in an organic farming system more emphasis is placed on the intrinsic and sustainable qualities it has. Organic farming adopts a holistic approach to profit, viewing it in environmental, social and economic terms. The profits afforded by the system are discussed

An Appraisal: George S. Messersmith on the Relationship Between the United States and Germany 1933-1934

On a day to day basis, Messersmith was considered to be the State Department\u27s most reliable and informed observer. He was able to establish contacts with a number of high ranking Nazi officials and he used these contacts to substantiate his reports. Messersmith commented on almost every aspect of German life and these comments were read by most American policymakers, including Roosevelt. His reports were considered particularly valuable by two State Department officials, William Phillips and J. Pierrepont Moffat, who both worked in the Western European Division. Some of Messersmith\u27s analysis is skewed and, sometimes, incorrect. There were two faults with his reports of the German situation. Until 1937, Messersmith did not recognize the economic strength of Germany. Up to that point, he felt the German economy would fail and bring the Hitler Government down. Instead the Government became stronger due to economic successes. Messersmith\u27s other area of failure was as a policy-maker. In this essay I shall examine Messersmith\u27s reports of the Nazi situation paying particular attention to these two problems as well as his analysis of the Night of Long Knives on June 30, 1934. As one of the earliest skeptics of Hitler and of the Nazi regime, Messersmith was largely responsible for shaping American policy towards Germany during the first two years of Nazi rule. As a reporter of German affairs, he was the most insightful observer in the Foreign Service

An Appraisal: George S. Messersmith on the Relationship Between the United States and Germany 1933-1934

On a day to day basis, Messersmith was considered to be the State Department\u27s most reliable and informed observer. He was able to establish contacts with a number of high ranking Nazi officials and he used these contacts to substantiate his reports. Messersmith commented on almost every aspect of German life and these comments were read by most American policymakers, including Roosevelt. His reports were considered particularly valuable by two State Department officials, William Phillips and J. Pierrepont Moffat, who both worked in the Western European Division. Some of Messersmith\u27s analysis is skewed and, sometimes, incorrect. There were two faults with his reports of the German situation. Until 1937, Messersmith did not recognize the economic strength of Germany. Up to that point, he felt the German economy would fail and bring the Hitler Government down. Instead the Government became stronger due to economic successes. Messersmith\u27s other area of failure was as a policy-maker. In this essay I shall examine Messersmith\u27s reports of the Nazi situation paying particular attention to these two problems as well as his analysis of the Night of Long Knives on June 30, 1934. As one of the earliest skeptics of Hitler and of the Nazi regime, Messersmith was largely responsible for shaping American policy towards Germany during the first two years of Nazi rule. As a reporter of German affairs, he was the most insightful observer in the Foreign Service

The Authorization Continuum: Investigating the Meaning of Authorization Through the Lens of the Controlled Substances Act

Federal prohibitions are ubiquitous in society. These prohibitions may be absolute, providing no exceptions, or they may be qualified, providing exemptions that allow specified parties to avoid a law\u27s reach. The power to exempt parties from a prohibition is not limited to the federal government; it may be delegated to states or smaller polities as well. This is the structure that Congress employed when enacting the Mail Order Drug Paraphernalia Control Act: the Act bans, among other things, the sale and distribution of drug paraphernalia but provides an exemption for any person authorized by local, State, or Federal law. While the Act\u27s exemption may appear unambiguous at first blush, interpretive difficulty ensues when one asks what is required of a state or locality to authorize federally prohibited conduct. This difficulty is troublesome given the significance that attaches to whether a party is considered authorized. In states that have legalized marijuana, paraphernalia businesses are engaging in federally unlawful conduct until deemed authorized by state law, and a lack of authorization can result in devastating consequences. The importance of whether a party meets the Act\u27s authorization exemption thus warrants a more nuanced understanding of what is required to authorize prohibited conduct. But the law lacks such an understanding-not only in the context of the Paraphernalia Control Act but in other areas as well. This Note aims to provide a framework for discerning what actions are sufficient to authorize otherwise prohibited conduct. It submits that authorization exists along a continuum: it may be affirmative, more implicit, or inherent. By understanding the full range of meanings that authorization may take, the law will be better equipped to provide a more complete answer when determining whether a party is authorized

Ground Systems Development Environment (GSDE) interface requirements and prototyping plan

This report describes the data collection and requirements analysis effort of the Ground System Development Environment (GSDE) Interface Requirements study. It identifies potential problems in the interfaces among applications and processors in the heterogeneous systems that comprises the GSDE. It describes possible strategies for addressing those problems. It also identifies areas for further research and prototyping to demonstrate the capabilities and feasibility of those strategies and defines a plan for building the necessary software prototypes

Diagnosis of gestational diabetes

peer reviewedGestational diabetes (GD) is a common complication of pregnancy. Its prevalence depends on the strategy used for screening and the studied population. Pregnant women with GD are at increased risk for maternal and fetal complications. The relationship between maternal blood sugar and complications is linear, without a clear threshold defining GD. Therefore, the diagnostic criteria for GD have been the subject of several controversies since many years. The choice of the one-step or two-step method, the test to be used and the cut-off levels validated to define GD are still debated. The same is true regarding a universal versus a at-risk population screening. International experts have recently proposed the use of a one-step approach with a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test for a universal screening. The need for a better harmonization regarding the diagnosis of GD is indeed mandatory. The present article discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches used for GD screening.Le diabète gestationnel (DG) est une complication fréquente de la grossesse. Sa prévalence varie fortement selon la stratégie de dépistage utilisée ainsi que la population étudiée. Le DG expose à un haut risque de complications, à la fois sur le plan maternel et foetal. Ces complications sont en relation directe avec l’hyperglycémie maternelle, mais cette relation est linéaire, sans valeur-seuil clairement définie. Cela explique sans doute pourquoi il est difficile d’énoncer des critères indiscutables de diagnostic du DG. De nombreuses controverses existent depuis plusieurs années dans la littérature quant aux méthodes les plus adéquates pour dépister le DG. Les questions sont relatives à l’intérêt d’une méthode en une ou deux étapes, au test à utiliser en priorité, aux valeursseuil à considérer en fonction du test retenu ainsi qu’au choix d’un dépistage universel ou uniquement ciblé sur les femmes à risque. Un groupe d’experts internationaux a proposé récemment un dépistage universel du DG avec la réalisation d’une hyperglycémie provoquée par voie orale de 2 heures. Une harmonisation des approches diagnostiques du DG est, en effet, indispensable. Cette vignette clinique discute les avantages et désavantages des différentes stratégies proposées pour dépister le DG

Treatment of a fibular autograft non-union with a resulting deformity by stabilization, progressive correction and callotasis using an Ilizarov fixator: a case study

Bone tumours present a challenge to reconstructive surgery when the tumour breaches the physeal and periphyseal region of the growing bone. Though a host of options are available, these are not without complications. We report one such case of osteosarcoma of the tibia treated initially with wide resection of the tumour and intercalary fibular strut grafting using plate and screws. The operation was complicated by a non-union at the proximal tibio-fibular autograft junction. This leads to a multiplanar deformity with severe procurvatum at the proximal tibio-fibular graft junction, which was successfully treated by callotasis using an Ilizarov fixator. Appropriate consent was obtained from the patient and parents to publish this case report

Seeking protection from precarity? Relationships between transport needs and insecurity in housing and employment

The importance of the nexus between transport, housing location and employment location has long been identified as important to social welfare. In transport research this has however operated largely at either end of the spectrum of advantage. There exists a strong tradition, with roots in welfare economics, which explores those with choices and how they make trade-offs between where to live and work, the associated wage rate and the commute costs. At the other end is work which recognises the social costs for those that do not have access to transport and struggle to participate in employment. This paper focuses its attention on households that fall between these extremes and for whom the choice/no-choice dichotomy does not work. Through in-depth interviews with 46 people in the UK we find that the interactions between the location and, critically, security of both housing and employment plays a critical role in shaping what ‘choices’ exist. In particular, the findings explain why some households own cars although, on other metrics, they would not be expected to find ownership affordable, and how the security of housing tenure shapes long-term household trajectories. The literature on planning and travel behaviour has paid little or no attention to the security of housing and employment. This study suggests the importance of addressing this gap and refocussing attention on the different ways in which transport connects to wider planning and social policy

Foci of Schistosomiasis mekongi, Northern Cambodia: II. Distribution of infection and morbidity.

In the province of Kracheh, in Northern Cambodia, a baseline epidemiological survey on Schistosoma mekongi was conducted along the Mekong River between December 1994 and April 1995. The results of household surveys of highly affected villages of the East and the West bank of the river and of school surveys in 20 primary schools are presented. In household surveys 1396 people were examined. An overall prevalence of infection of 49.3% was detected by a single stool examination with the Kato-Katz technique. The overall intensity of infection was 118.2 eggs per gram of stool (epg). There was no difference between the population of the east and west shore of the Mekong for prevalence (P = 0.3) or intensity (P = 0.9) of infection. Severe morbidity was very frequent. Hepatomegaly of the left lobe was detected in 48.7% of the population. Splenomegaly was seen in 26.8% of the study participants. Visible diverted circulation was found in 7.2% of the population, and ascites in 0.1%. Significantly more hepatomegaly (P = 0.001), splenomegaly (P = 0. 001) and patients with diverted circulation (P = 0.001) were present on the west bank of the Mekong. The age group of 10-14 years was most affected. The prevalence of infection in this group was 71.8% and 71.9% in the population of the West and East of the Mekong, respectively. The intensity of infection was 172.4 and 194.2 epg on the West and the East bank, respectively. In the peak age group hepatomegaly reached a prevalence of 88.1% on the west and 82.8% on the east bank. In the 20 schools 2391 children aged 6-16 years were examined. The overall prevalence of infection was 40.0%, ranging from 7.7% to 72.9% per school. The overalls mean intensity of infection was 110.1 epg (range by school: 26.7-187.5 epg). Both prevalence (P = 0.001) and intensity of infection (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in schools on the east side of the Mekong. Hepatomegaly (55.2%), splenomegaly (23.6%), diverted circulation (4. 1%), ascites (0.5%), reported blood (26.7%) and mucus (24.3%) were very frequent. Hepatomegaly (P = 0.001), splenomegaly (P = 0.001), diverted circulation (P = 0.001) and blood in stool (P = 0.001) were significantly more frequent in schools of the east side of the Mekong. Boys suffered more frequently from splenomegaly (P = 0.05), ascites (P = 0.05) and bloody stools (P = 0.004) than girls. No difference in sex was found for the prevalence and intensity of infection and prevalence of hepatomegaly. On the school level prevalence and intensity of infection were highly associated (r = 0. 93, P = 0.0001). The intensity of infection was significantly associated only with the prevalence of hepatomegaly (r = 0.44, P = 0. 05) and blood in stool (r = 0.40, P = 0.02). This comprehensive epidemiological study documents for the first time the public health importance of schistosomiasis mekongi in the Province of Kracheh, Northern Cambodia and points at key epidemiological features of this schistosome species, in particular the high level of morbidity associated with infection