How does the professionalisation of farmer collectives enable effective agri-environmental schemes? A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of 36 Dutch farmer collectives

Agriculture is the main land use and one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. In particular, intensive farming practices have contributed to biodiversity loss, which is why many governments have implemented agri-environmental schemes (AES). Farmer collaboration at landscape level is important to achieve effective AES. The Dutch government opted for such an approach and decided that only farmer collectives were entitled to take part in AES. In this paper, we evaluate 36 Dutch farmer collectives. Through the lens of professionalisation, we investigated which characteristics of professionalisation enable farmer collectives to work towards an effective AES in terms of collaboration at landscape level. We used spatial concentration of conservation measures as a measurement of an effective AES and, based on expert judgement, selected five characteristics of professionalisation that directly impact AES effectiveness. We applied a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) in order to explore which of these characteristics singly or in combination contribute most to spatial concentration. We found that different combinations of characteristics of professionalisation enable farmer collectives to work towards spatial concentration. First, we found that working on the maintenance and development of qualifications of participants is for most farmer collectives important to work on more spatial concentration. Second, the combination of having a strategy for agrobiodiversity in combination with working on the qualifications of the field workers is important. And when the network capability or the presence and use of enabling systems are missing, the qualifications of the field workers is important. Based on our findings, we conclude that the qualifications of participants and fieldworkers (i.e., regional coordinator, ecologist and field officer) are the most important characteristics of professionalisation to contribute to spatial concentration at the moment

Finite Temperature QCD with Two Flavors of Non-perturbatively Improved Wilson Fermions

We study QCD with two flavors of non-perturbatively improved Wilson fermions at finite temperature on the $16^3 8$ lattice. We determine the transition temperature at lattice spacings as small as $a \sim 0.12$ fm, and study string breaking below the finite temperature transition. We find that the static potential can be fitted by a two-state ansatz, including a string state and a two-meson state. We investigate the role of Abelian monopoles at finite temperature.Comment: 29 pages, 22 figures, Late

Towards quantum superpositions of a mirror

We propose a scheme for creating quantum superposition states involving of order $10^{14}$ atoms via the interaction of a single photon with a tiny mirror. This mirror, mounted on a high-quality mechanical oscillator, is part of a high-finesse optical cavity which forms one arm of a Michelson interferometer. By observing the interference of the photon only, one can study the creation and decoherence of superpositions involving the mirror. All experimental requirements appear to be within reach of current technology.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Randomized, controlled trial of ibuprofen syrup administered during febrile illnesses to prevent febrile seizure recurrences

OBJECTIVES: Febrile seizures recur frequently. Factors increasing the risk of febrile seizure recurrence include young age at onset, family history of febrile seizures, previous recurrent febrile seizures, time lapse since previous seizure <6 months, relative low temperature at the initial seizure, multiple type initial seizure, and frequent febrile illnesses. Prevention of seizure recurrences serves two useful purposes: meeting parental fear of recurrent febrile seizures in general and reducing the (small) risk of a long-lasting and eventually injurious recurrent seizure. In daily practice, children with febrile seizures often are treated with antipyretics during fever to prevent febrile seizure recurrences. Thus far, no randomized placebo-controlled trial has been performed to assess the efficacy of intermittent antipyretic treatment in the prevention of seizure recurrence. METHODS: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Children 1 to 4 years of age who had had at least one risk factor for febrile seizure recurrence were enrolled. They were randomly assigned to either ibuprofen syrup, 20 mg/mL, 0.25 mL (= 5 mg) per kilogram of body weight per dose, or matching placebo, to be administered every 6 hours during fever (temperature, >/=38.5 degrees C). Parents were instructed to take the child's rectal temperature immediately when the child seemed ill or feverish and to promptly administer the study medication when the temperature was >/=38.5 degrees C. Doses were to be administered every 6 hours until the child was afebrile for 24 hours. The parents were instructed not to administer any other antipyretic drug to the child. For measuring rectal temperature, a Philips HP5316 digital thermometer (Philips, Eindhoven, The Netherlands) was distributed. During subsequent treatment of the fever episode, parents had to call the investigator at least once each day to notify the investigator in case of febrile seizure recurrence. The investigator could be contacted by parents 24 hours per day. The primary outcome was the first recurrence of a febrile seizure. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression were used for the statistical analysis. The treatment effect on the course of the temperature was assessed using analysis of covariance, with temperature at fever onset as covariate. Two analyses were performed. In an intention-to-treat analysis, all first recurrences were considered regardless of study medication compliance. A per-protocol analysis was limited to those recurrences that occurred in the context of study medication compliance. RESULTS: Between October 1, 1994, and April 1, 1996, 230 children were randomly assigned to ibuprofen syrup (111 children) or placebo (119 children). Median follow-up time was 1.04 years (25th-75th percentiles; 0.7-1.8 years) in the ibuprofen group and 0.98 years (0.7-1.6 years) in the placebo group. Of all children, 67 had a first febrile seizure recurrence, with 31 in the ibuprofen group and 36 in the placebo group. The 2-year recurrence probabilities were 32% and 39%,

Development of new imaging techniques for the study and interpretation of late Rembrandt paintings

Recent macro-XRF scanning of Rembrandt’s Selfportrait from 1669 in the Mauritshuis – as part of the ReVisRembrandt project – has revealed significant new information about the pigments and build-up of the painting. The elemental distribution maps make clear that the umber-rich ground plays a very important role in the final appearance of this painting, information that is highly relevant for the study of this self-portrait, as well as many other late Rembrandt paintings. It was also possible to image the presence of organic lakes (by means of the potassium map) and bone black (by means of the calcium and phosphorus maps) in the upper paint layers. In addition to conventional investigative techniques, such as x-radiography and infrared imaging, it is anticipated macro-XRF scanning will become an important diagnostic tool for conservators and art historians alike

Age‐ and sex‐dependent variation in relatedness corresponds to reproductive skew, territory inheritance and workload in cooperatively breeding cichlids

Kin selection plays a major role in the evolution of cooperative systems. However, many social species exhibit complex within-group relatedness structures, where kin selection alone cannot explain the occurrence of cooperative behavior. Understanding such social structures is crucial to elucidate the evolution and maintenance of multi-layered cooperative societies. In lamprologine cichlids, intragroup relatedness seems to correlate positively with reproductive skew, suggesting that in this clade dominants tend to provide reproductive concessions to unrelated subordinates to secure their participation in brood care. We investigate how patterns of within-group relatedness covary with direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation in a highly social vertebrate, the cooperatively breeding, polygynous lamprologine cichlid Neolamprologus savoryi. Behavioral and genetic data from 43 groups containing 578 individuals show that groups are socially and genetically structured into subgroups. About 17% of group members were unrelated immigrants, and average relatedness between breeders and brood care helpers declined with helper age due to group membership dynamics. Hence the relative importance of direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation depends on helper age. Our findings highlight how both direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation and group membership can select for cooperative behavior in societies comprising complex social and relatedness structures