Improving productivity with dairy farm performance

How productive can a dairy farm be? What options are available to dairy farmers to increase their productivity and profitability? How can you reduce milk production costs effectively? These are the kinds of questions that dairy farmers are, or should be, asking leading up to and immediately after deregulation. These questions, and many more, can be answered by participating in Agriculture Western Australia\u27s (AGWEST) Dairy Farm Performance (DFP) Program. David Windsor, Ken Crawford, Stuart Gallagher and Vicki Staines report on DFP and the benefits being generated for dairy farmers in Western Australia

Stochastic equilibrium, the Phillips curve and Keynesian economics

I uncover serious problems with the benchmark New Keynesian Phillips curve linearized around its non-stochastic zero inflation steady state when the underlying model features a subset of prices that stay rigid over multiple periods, as in the popular Calvo model. I am able to demonstrate that the dynamics of approximations taken at the non-stochastic steady state are non-hyperbolic. This means that approximations taken at this point do not represent a valid description of the dynamics of the underlying model at any other point in the state space. This allows me to overturn results such as the ’Divine Coincidence’ that equates welfare under price rigidity with the level prevailing under price dispersion. I introduce a dynamic stochastic concept of equilibrium that can be applied to New Keynesian models and offers a natural point to take approximations to analyze business cycle dynamics. It is methodologically interesting as it is a notion of general equilibrium that does not correspond to partial equilibrium. Keywords: Macroeconomics, Mathematical Economics, Random Dynamical Systems, General Equilibrium, Monetary Policy JEL Classification: C6, D5, E1, E3, E5 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 37Axx, 37Bxx, 37Cxx, 37Dxx, 37Gxx, 37Hxx

Content, Services, and Space: The Future of the Library as Lines Blur

Traditional roles of libraries, publishers, service providers, and even patrons are continually changing. Libraries increasingly take on functions previously managed by publishers—in some cases, by actually becoming traditional publishers, through the absorption of university press operations and the creation of IR-based journals, and in some cases by making direct investments in dissemination, by underwriting Open Access APCs. Librarians are expanding into learning, instructional design, software development, and more, providing services around the world to a much wider range of patrons. Meanwhile, patron-driven initiatives are continue to alter the way libraries acquire content, giving rise to questions about how collections are built and how publisher business models are morphing. Content types are blurring. Textbooks, reference works, journals, books, audio, video, learning tools, lectures, primary sources, and more are all fair game for course materials, often delivered via Learning Management Systems—bringing publishers and services into the space, as well. Four industry veterans discuss this rapidly changing landscape, identifying key trends and key questions: What happens when libraries become publishers or service providers? How do we measure the success and value of patrons as selectors? What role does discovery play in the modern library? How can subscription content best be leveraged in the classroom? How can pricing be more visible to all? How can assessment help instructors and libraries make better informed decisions? If these overlapping trends continue, they bring with them interesting possibilities for the shifting nature of the library and for a new understanding of what it means to publish. Will the library of the future be the disruptor or the disrupted

Models of osteoarthritis: relevance and new insights

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive and disabling musculoskeletal disease affecting millions of people and resulting in major healthcare costs worldwide. It is the most common form of arthritis, characterised by degradation of the articular cartilage, formation of osteophytes, subchondral sclerosis, synovial inflammation and ultimate loss of joint function. Understanding the pathogenesis of OA and its multifactorial aetiology will lead to the development of effective treatments, which are currently lacking. Two-dimensional (2D) in vitro tissue models of OA allow affordable, high-throughput analysis and stringent control over specific variables. However, they are linear in fashion and are not representative of physiological conditions. Recent in vitro studies have adopted three-dimensional (3D) tissue models of OA, which retain the advantages of 2D models and are able to mimic physiological conditions, thereby allowing investigation of additional variables including interactions between the cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix. Numerous spontaneous and induced animal models are used to reproduce the onset and monitor the progression of OA based on the aetiology under investigation. This therefore allows elucidation of the pathogenesis of OA and will ultimately enable the development of novel and specific therapeutic interventions. This review summarises the current understanding of in vitro and in vivo OA models in the context of disease pathophysiology, classification and relevance, thus providing new insights and directions for OA research

Evaluating a multi-component intervention to reduce and break up office workers' sitting with sit-stand desks using the APEASE criteria

Objective: Sedentary workplace interventions have had success in reducing excessive sitting time in office workers, but barriers to implementation and uptake remain. This study formally assessed a theory-derived, sit-stand desk intervention using the APEASE (Acceptability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Affordability, Side-effects, Equity) criteria. / Methods: Thirteen adults (eight female, mean age 38 ± 10 years) from the treatment arm of a sedentary behaviour intervention participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic codes were inductively assigned to data items followed by deductive charting using the APEASE criteria. / Results: The intervention was highly acceptable, practicable, safe to deploy, and helped workers reduce workplace sitting time, though individual preferences and workload mediated engagement. Affordability of sit-stand desks and Equity of access were potential barriers to uptake. / Conclusions: Through the lens of the APEASE criteria, this theory-derived, multi-component sit-stand desk intervention showed acceptability, practicability and effectiveness in reducing and breaking up sedentary time at work with minimal side effects. Using this approach with further tailoring and personalisation may help workers achieve greater reductions in workplace sitting, though affordability and equity should be considered further