A pilot socio-economic analysis of QLIF dairy projects

A pilot socio-economic impact assessment was carried out on three dairy projects within QLIF to identify the business, consumer and policy issues likely to influence the adoption of the innovations resulting from QLIF. A socio-economic analysis is pre-sented related to the key outcomes from the three projects which include: manage-ment systems to reduce mastitis and antibiotic use in organic dairy farms and how milk quality can be enhanced through high forage organic feeding systems. Due to a lack financial data costs had to be assumed based on other studies. The socio-economic analysis identified a significant number of potential economic and social implications of implementing strategies developed in the QLIF project that aim at increasing animal health welfare and milk quality

RESPONSE AND MOLECULAR CONTROL OF CD8 T CELLS DURING INFECTION AND CANCER

CD8 T cells are potent immune effector cells capable of vast clonal expansion and clearance of infected or cancerous cells. After control of the pathogenic insult, CD8 T cells develop into quiescent, long-lived memory populations that are poised to mediate rapid protection upon reencounter with cognate antigen. These properties make control of CD8 T cell responses a highly desirable outcome of vaccine strategies and immunotherapy. Therefore, understanding how the effector function and memory differentiation of CD8 T cells are controlled at a molecular level is of great importance. In the context of infection with gammaherpesviruses (γHV), which form a latent infection that persists for the life span of the host, CD8 T cells play a vital role in control of γHV associated lymphomagenesis. The following studies utilize murine gammaherpesvirus (MHV)-68 and a novel model of γHV-associated B cell lymphoma, EM61 to dissect the mechanisms of CD8 T cell mediated control of γHV associated lymphomagenesis. These studies indicate γHV-specific CD8 T cells control EM61 through mechanisms that partially overlap with those used to control viral replication, however, we note important differences as well. We additionally describe γHV-specific, tissue-resident, memory CD8 T cells (TRM) that form after infection with MHV-68. In the absence of CD4 T cell help, which causes reactivation of γHV during latency, the γHV-specific TRM compartment exhibits changes that are distinct from those observed in the context of acute viral infection. Additional work focused on the molecular control of CD8 T cells by the BTB-ZF family transcription factor (TF), Zbtb20, which restricts CD8 T cell memory differentiation. Using single cell techniques, we identify programs of transcriptional and epigenetic regulation associated with memory CD8 T cell differentiation that underly enhanced memory cell formation in the absence of Zbtb20. Furthermore, using a sensitive technique to interrogate Zbtb20-DNA binding, we describe DNA motifs and genomic annotations from the direct genomic targets of Zbtb20 in CD8 T cells. Together, this work provides new knowledge relevant to the response and control of CD8 T cells to infection and cancer

The development and the impact of Organic Farming Policy in the European Regions (1998-2003)

This paper summarises the findings of WP 1.3 and WP 2 of the EU-CEEOFP project. Specifically, it presents the results of the analysis of the development and impact of Organic Farming Policy at the regional level in the EU-15

THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF A GRIP-CONSTRAINT TOOL ON UPPER BODY AND RACKET KINEMATICS DURING TENNIS FOREHANDS

The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effect of a grip-constraint tool on upper body and racket kinematics during tennis single-handed forehand strokes. Upper-body and racket kinematics for two grip conditions, Preferred (self-selected) and Grip-constraint tool (fixed semi-western forehand grip) were captured for eleven tennis players using a 22-camera Vicon motion capture system (240 Hz). Using a grip-constraint tool resulted in a more closed racket face tilt (~4°) at ball impact while having variations in joint rotations across the shoulder, elbow and wrist. This possibly demonstrates the participant’s ability to self-organise compensatory angular rotations across the upper limb to achieve similar impact orientations. Collectively, these data demonstrate the acute responses to modifying grip technique using a grip-constraint tool during single-handed down-the-line forehands

SOCIAL CLASS, CONSUMPTION AND CONFLICTS: A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ON CONSUMERS IN A WEST AFRICAN CHRISTIAN CONTEXT

The relationships between alcohol consumption and conflicts has been explored in several contexts. Little research has been conducted on the subject in Burkina Faso. The purpose of this research is to deeply investigate the relationship between social class and alcohol consumption on one hand, and alcohol consumption and household conflicts on the other in Burkina Faso where alcohol consumption is on the increase. This exploratory research is focused on the constructivist epistemological posture. A qualitative method research design is used to collect data from both primary and secondary sources for analysis. Semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection. The results show that social class moderates the relationship between alcohol consumption and conflicts, and a high relationship between alcohol consumption and household conflicts. The findings imply that there should be a rigorous segmentation and religious hyper-personalisation of the alcohol beverage market in order to meet the local Christian consumers’ core needs and real expectations.   To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is an exploratory research in the West African Christianity context that shows the relationship between different social classes and alcohol consumption and conflicts.  Keywords: Social class, Alcohol Consumption, Household Conflicts, Ouagadougo

Have Voucher Will Relocate? Poverty Deconcentration in a Large American City

The epic failure of fixed public housing projects supports the paradigm that poverty concentration makes poverty and the cycle of poverty intractable. Moreover, neoliberal, free-enterprise theorists interrogate the viability of the state as a provider of social goods and services and press the need for market-based schemes such as housing vouchers. However, how do you de-concentrate the poor voluntarily without government dictating residential choice? This article reports the results of the first ten years of a policy experiment leveraging a mobile voucher program to attempt to achieve voluntary dispersion and de-concentration of the poor in Phoenix, Arizona. Using Phoenix’s 308 census tracks as of 1998 as units of analysis, and examining the locational choices of the 5,139 families that received mobile housing vouchers between 1998 and 2009, this study finds that, although mobile voucher recipients dispersed somewhat throughout the research period, they were still geographically isolated in the southern poverty belt, housing mostly race and ethnic minority populations at the end of the ten-year period. The data suggest that race/ethnicity and patterns of residential segregation may hold some of the key to de-concentration. Ultimately, the level of de-concentration does not support the broader theory that mobile vouchers hold the key to poverty de-concentration

Session I

Session 1: 6:00pm-7:00pm Dr. Yongan Wu and Dr. Nicholas de Villiers, Disorder and Excavating the Future from the Past,” Meredith Wilson, “Dystopian Visions in The Hunger Games and Atlas Shrugged,” and Cory Chamberlain, “Ideologies of the Insane: A Reading of Gogol and Althusser.” Respondents: Dr. Betsy Nies, Professor Linda Howel

A National Study of Regional Catholic School Systems

This article presents the results of an inquiry into the advantages and disadvantages of regional Catholic school systems, executed by practitioners in the field of Catholic Education. The findings support the idea that the regional Catholic school system is a valuable strategy for providing Catholic education in areas where traditional parish-based schools are no longer viable and suggest that the six major school functions--management, educational programming, school community, Catholic identity, finances, and enrollment--are strengthened as a result of the regional Catholic school system approach. The findings indicate that implementation of the regional system will be most successful when it is supported by all the stakeholders, especially the clergy involved with the schools

Validation of Training Satisfaction Survey

The Training Satisfaction Survey (TSS) was developed as part of a larger project to examine the features of Virtual Reality software and supporting devices as a training program on visual illusions and spatial disorientation. The TSS is a 13-item, self-report scale which gauges participants’ level of training satisfaction. Participants responded regarding their most recent experience with a Frasca C172 Level 6 Flight Training Device. The TSS was designed to measure overall satisfaction using three subfactors: relevance, enjoyment, and technology satisfaction. These factors can be used to identify impediments to learning (e.g., training was not easy to follow) to create more effective training programs. A reliability analysis was conducted (N=159) resulting in good inter-item correlations (the lowest being .43). A factor analysis showed this scale passed Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (.00) and the KMO Measure of Sampling Adequacy (.93). Factor extraction was determined using Kaiser’s criterion wherein only factors with an eigenvalue of 1.0 or more are retained. Together these items explain 65.25% of the variance in the data. The resultant scree plot and pattern matrix indicates a two-factor solution: enjoyment and technology satisfaction. It may be that the scale has too few items or the sample size is too small to show a distinction between the three theoretical subfactors. Still training officials can implement this scale to measure their trainee’s enjoyment and their satisfaction with the training technology. This presentation will also discuss and provide guidance on the processes required to develop and validate device-specific scales