Development of automated tools based on electronic identification for the improvement of organic livestock production systems

Technical constraints of livestock production in organic farming systems are numerous and require more attention than in conventional systems. The implementation of individual electronic identification that is planned in Europe offers the possibility of developing automated devices that may be well adapted to the practices of organic breeders. We developed an automated mounting detector, carried by a male, which makes it possible to detect any female in oestrus. Hence, this device is the unique solution for inseminating females when they are fertile, thus ensuring links with selection programmes. The second device developed is a dynamic sorting door based on respect for animal behaviour, preventing stress by allowing animals not to be unnecessarily confined. When associated with an electronic weighing device, it offers the possibility of adapting health treatments to the appropriate animals, in agreement with organic breeding specifications. Finally, electronic identification combined with GPS offers the breeder the possibility of simplifying the certification of animals in areas converted to organic farming. We believe that these technologies may greatly reduce the workload of breeders while improving animal welfare

M-CSF and GM-CSF Regulation of STAT5 Activation and DNA Binding in Myeloid Cell Differentiation is Disrupted in Nonobese Diabetic Mice

Defects in macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) signaling disrupt myeloid cell differentiation in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, blocking myeloid maturation into tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In the absence of M-CSF signaling, NOD myeloid cells have abnormally high granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) expression, and as a result, persistent activation of signal transducer/activator of transcription 5 (STAT5). Persistent STAT5 phosphorylation found in NOD macrophages is not affected by inhibiting GM-CSF. However, STAT5 phosphorylation in NOD bone marrow cells is diminished if GM-CSF signaling is blocked. Moreover, if M-CSF signaling is inhibited, GM-CSF stimulation in vitro can promote STAT5 phosphorylation in nonautoimmune C57BL/6 mouse bone marrow cultures to levels seen in the NOD. These findings suggest that excessive GM-CSF production in the NOD bone marrow may interfere with the temporal sequence of GM-CSF and M-CSF signaling needed to mediate normal STAT5 function in myeloid cell differentiation gene regulation

What have we been thinking of? A critical overview of 40 years of student learning research in higher education

This paper is a response to the request from the organisers of the HECU4 conference to consider the following three questions in relation to the recent history of research into student learning in higher education: What do we know?, What do we need to know?, and What might we do about it? A survey of article titles reporting on research into student learning was carried out in three key higher education journals, and the results of this were then considered in the context of other, related research perspectives. The paper will first report on the results of this review, and then discuss these results in the context of theoretical moves in psychology and sociology over the same period of time. The trends identified in the higher education journals will then be compared to research into student learning in higher education which is published in two other disciplinary areas: Adult Education and Sociolinguistics. After raising some questions that arise from these comparisons, the final section of the paper will outline some suggestions about ways in which higher education researchers might begin to ‘think differently’ about learning and research in this field

Group interventions to improve health outcomes : a framework for their design and delivery

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Adapting a Program to Inform African American and Hispanic American Women About Cancer Clinical Trials

The dearth of evidence-based clinical trial education programs may contribute to the underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic American women in cancer research studies. This study used focus group-derived data from 80 women distributed among eight Spanish- and English-language focus groups. These data guided the researchers’ adaptation and refinement of the National Cancer Institute’s various clinical trials education programs into a program that was specifically focused on meeting the information needs of minority women and addressing the barriers to study participation that they perceived. A “sisterhood” theme was adopted and woven throughout the presentation

PPI-Delayed Diagnosis of Gastrinoma: Oncologic Victim of Pharmacologic Success

Functional neuroendocrine tumors are often low-grade malignant neoplasms that can be cured by surgery if detected early, and such detection may in turn be accelerated by the recognition of neuropeptide hypersecretion syndromes. Uniquely, however, relief of peptic symptoms induced by hypergastrinemia is now available from acid-suppressive drugs such as proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). Here we describe a clinical case in which time to diagnosis from the onset of peptic symptoms was delayed more than 10 years, in part reflecting symptom masking by continuous prescription of the PPI omeprazole. We propose diagnostic criteria for this under-recognized new clinical syndrome, and recommend that physicians routinely measure serum gastrin levels in persistent cases of PPI-dependent dyspepsia unassociated with H. pylori

Spirals of Spirituality: A Qualitative Study Exploring Dynamic Patterns of Spirituality in Turkish Organizations

This paper explores organizational spirituality, uncovers it as spiralling dynamics of both positive and negative potentialities, and proposes how leaders can shape these dynamics to improve the human conditions at the workplace. Based on case study of five Turkish organizations and drawing on the emerging discourse on spirituality in organizations literature, this study provides a deeper understanding of how dynamic patterns of spirituality operate in organizations. Insights from participant observation, organizational data, and semi-structured interviews yield three key themes of organizational spirituality: reflexivity, connectivity, and responsibility. Each of these themes has been found to be connected to upward spirals (inspiration, engagement, and calling) and downward spirals (incivility, silence, and fatigue). The study provides a detailed and holistic account of the individual and organizational processes through which spirituality is enacted both positively and negatively, exploring its dynamic and dualistic nature, as embodied in the fabric of everyday life and culture