HOW DOES GENDER AFFECT THE ADOPTION OF AGRICULTURAL INNOVATIONS? THE CASE OF IMPROVED MAIZE TECHNOLOGY IN GHANA

Why do men and women adopt agricultural technologies at different rates? Evidence from Ghana suggests that gender-linked differences in the adoption of modern maize varieties and chemical fertilizer are not attributable to inherent characteristics of the technologies themselves but instead result from gender-linked differences in access to key inputs.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Inclusion of Fresh Pork Pancreas in Raw Pork Meat-Based Diets for African Wildcats (Felis silvestris tristrami) does not Impact Macronutrient Digestibility

Apparent total tract macronutrient digestibility was evaluated in 4 African wildcats (Felis silvestris tristrami) fed beef or pork-based raw meat diets. Diets were formulated to meet nutrient requirements of cats (NRC, 2006). Cats were fed isocaloric amounts of either control (standard beef raw diet) or pork-based raw diets containing 0, 3, or 5% added raw pancreas, in four 14-day periods. Protein digestibility was higher for pork diets compared with beef and inclusion up to 5% fresh pancreas did not increase macronutrient digestibility in healthy animals. Raw pork can be fed to exotic felids as a viable alternative to standard beef-based zoological formulations

Inter-Observer Reliability for Large Exotic Felids

The objective of this study was to determine and refine the inter-observer reliability scores before a large exotic felid enrichment study was conducted in a zoological setting. Three felids housed at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium were used. An ethogram was adapted from previously published felid work. Three behavioral measures were compared; active, inactive and other. A total of 6 female observers were used. One trainer (Observer 1 = control) who had one year of behavioral research experience with large exotic felids was responsible for observer training prior to study commencement. To test for inter-observer reliability, three 10 minute videos were viewed (sessions 1 through 3). All observers independently reviewed these videos. Each observer scored the felids using a one minute scan sampling technique. For each session there were 10 data points collected per observer or 30 data points per observer over the three training sessions. Data will be presented descriptively. There were two data points from observer 5 that differed from Observer 1 (control). There was one data point from Observer 6 that differed from Observer 1 (control). Therefore, 177 / 180 data points were in agreement between Observer 1 (control) and observers 2 through 6. This resulted in an overall inter-observer agreement of \u3e 98% before the experiment began. In conclusion, when using multiple observers for a behavioral study it is critical to have highly skilled individuals so that the data collected is accurate so that any treatment effects can be determined

Breadth verses depth: the impact of tree structure on cultural influence

Cultural spread in social networks and organisations is an important and longstanding issue. In this paper we assess this role of tree structures in facilitating cultural diversity. Cultural features are represented using abstract traits that are held by individual agents, which may transfer when neighbouring agents interact through the network structure. We use an agent-based model that incorporates both the combined social pressure and influence from an agent's neighbours. We perform a multivariate study where the number of features and traits representing culture are varied, alongside the breadth and depth of the tree. The results reveal interesting findings on cultural diversity. Increasing the number of features promotes strong convergence in flatter trees as compared to narrower and deeper trees. At the same time increasing features causes narrower deeper trees to show greater cultural pluralism while flatter trees instead show greater cultural homogenisation. We also find that in contrast to previous work, the polarisation between nodes does not rise steadily as the number of traits increase but under certain conditions may also fall. The results have implications for organisational structures - in particular for hierarchies where depth supports cultural divergence, while breadth promotes greater homogeneity, but with increased coordination overhead on the root nodes. These observations also support subsidiarity in deep organisational structures - it is not just a case of communication length promoting subsidiarity, but local cultural differences are more likely to be sustained within these structures

Breadth verses depth: the impact of tree structure on cultural influence

Cultural spread in social networks and organisations is an important and longstanding issue. In this paper we assess this role of tree structures in facilitating cultural diversity. Cultural features are represented using abstract traits that are held by individual agents, which may transfer when neighbouring agents interact through the network structure. We use an agent-based model that incorporates both the combined social pressure and influence from an agent's neighbours. We perform a multivariate study where the number of features and traits representing culture are varied, alongside the breadth and depth of the tree. The results reveal interesting findings on cultural diversity. Increasing the number of features promotes strong convergence in flatter trees as compared to narrower and deeper trees. At the same time increasing features causes narrower deeper trees to show greater cultural pluralism while flatter trees instead show greater cultural homogenisation. We also find that in contrast to previous work, the polarisation between nodes does not rise steadily as the number of traits increase but under certain conditions may also fall. The results have implications for organisational structures - in particular for hierarchies where depth supports cultural divergence, while breadth promotes greater homogeneity, but with increased coordination overhead on the root nodes. These observations also support subsidiarity in deep organisational structures - it is not just a case of communication length promoting subsidiarity, but local cultural differences are more likely to be sustained within these structures

The Lantern Vol. 39, No. 2, Spring 1973

• Days of Rain • Reflections On Clifton, New Jersey • Interlude • Window Scene • Eh! • Odyssey of Malcolm • Tuna on Toast • The Second Avenue Bus • Salutation of the Dawn • So Say Something • Mood • Moriarty\u27s Lament • I\u27ve Been a Lonely Gypsy • Change • Cool Ray • The Thinker • A Southern Sunsethttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1102/thumbnail.jp

A population-based matched cohort study of major congenital anomalies following COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection

Evidence on associations between COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of congenital anomalies is limited. Here we report a national, population-based, matched cohort study using linked electronic health records from Scotland (May 2020-April 2022) to estimate the association between COVID-19 vaccination and, separately, SARS-CoV-2 infection between six weeks pre-conception and 19 weeks and six days gestation and the risk of [1] any major congenital anomaly and [2] any non-genetic major congenital anomaly. Mothers vaccinated in this pregnancy exposure period mostly received an mRNA vaccine (73.7% Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 and 7.9% Moderna mRNA-1273). Of the 6731 babies whose mothers were vaccinated in the pregnancy exposure period, 153 had any anomaly and 120 had a non-genetic anomaly. Primary analyses find no association between any vaccination and any anomaly (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 1.01, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.83-1.24) or non-genetic anomalies (aOR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.81-1.22). Primary analyses also find no association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and any anomaly (aOR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.66-1.60) or non-genetic anomalies (aOR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.57-1.54). Findings are robust to sensitivity analyses. These data provide reassurance on the safety of vaccination, in particular mRNA vaccines, just before or in early pregnancy

Bicuspid and unicuspid aortic valves: Different phenotypes of the same disease? Insight from the GenTAC Registry

BackgroundUnicuspid aortic valve (UAV) is a rare disorder, often difficult to distinguish from bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). BAV and UAV share valve pathology such as the presence of a raphe, leaflet fusion, aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, and/or ascending aortic dilatation, but a comprehensive echocardiographic comparison of patients with UAV and BAV has not been previously performed.MethodsWe investigated UAV and BAV patients at an early stage of disease included in GenTAC, a national registry of genetically related aortic aneurysms and associated cardiac conditions. Clinical and echocardiographic data from the GenTAC Registry were compared between 17 patients with UAV and 17 matched‐controls with BAV.ResultsBaseline characteristics including demographics, clinical findings including family history of BAV and aortic aneurysm/coarctation, and echocardiographic variables were similar between BAV and UAV patients; aortic stenosis was more common and more severe in patients with UAV. This was evidenced by higher mean and peak gradient, smaller aortic valve area, and more advanced valvular degeneration (all P < .05). There were no significant differences in aortic dimensions, with a similar pattern of enlargement of the ascending aorta.ConclusionsThe similar baseline characteristics with more accelerated aortic valve degeneration and stenosis suggest that UAV represents an extreme in the spectrum of BAV syndromes. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider application of recommendations for the management of patients with BAV to those with the rarer UAV.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139976/1/chd12520.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139976/2/chd12520_am.pd