Reassessing agrarian policy and practice in local environmental management: the case of beef cattle

There are policy pressures to make agriculture more environmentally sustainable and to give a more local expression to agri-environmental priorities. This paper considers these moves, with particular reference to the beef sector, and speculates on the further policy responses required to facilitate benign local agri-environmental management. The UK beef sector is characterized by its complexity and diversity but four major systems can be identified operating at varying levels of intensity. Of these, suckler herds and grass-rearing systems have long been associated with high natural value forms of agricultural land management. Many of the cherished habitats and landscapes of the UK are dependent upon grazing for their ecological and amenity value. However a combination of the BSE crisis, the strength of sterling and the recent Foot & Mouth epidemic threatens the sustainability of these high nature value grazing systems. The importance of grazing to fifty selected Sites of Special Scientific Interest is highlighted in the paper. Survey work identified a wide range of systems to be particularly vulnerable to changes in profitability in the beef sector, including: coastal grazing marsh, wet acidic grassland / marshland, upland moor and heath, calcareous grassland and neutral grassland. To maintain these systems requires agricultural policy to be more sensitive to local conditions than appears currently to be the case. There is little policy support for beef farmers in a regional context, still less giving special prominence to those farming within particular biotopes. Nor has there been sufficient policy encouragement to markets for traditional and local beef breeds. The continuing pressure for CAP reform offers further opportunity for policies to be devolved to regions and localities

Historic Farmsteads: Preliminary Character Statement - East of England region

This document is one of eight Preliminary Character\ud Statements, which provide information on the\ud characteristics of traditional farm buildings in each\ud Region

Illnesses of lodging house inmates: A clinical study of a medico-social problem

This study describes the medical and social characteristics of 450 patients from lodging-houses who attended one of the practices of the Department of General Practice of the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Edinburgh between 1st February, 1964 and 31st January, 1965. These patients, largely without skills, financial resources and supporting relationships were found to have patterns of illness different from those of normal general practice, 55% suffered from some form of chronic handicapping disease, of which mental illness and chronic bronchitis were most common. A comparison with normal general practice patients revealed differences in the patterns of surgery consultations, domiciliary visits and hospital referrals, particularly concerning mental illness, chronic respiratory disease and musculoskeletal disorder. The nature of their illnesses and the patterns shown are principal reasons for the inadequacy of medical care in this vulnerable population when it is undertaken in normal general practice conditions. Proposals are made for the establishment of special general practitioner appointments to ameliorate the present neglect, and the administrative and clinical factors which would require attention are considered. The role of the research worker and the difficulty of research caused by the constantly changing environment in general practice are discussed and the limitations and opportunities Indicated

Cochlear implantation under local anesthetic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: As the population ages and implantation criteria are relaxed, more patients with complex comorbidities are becoming eligible for cochlear implantation (CI). These patients have higher risks associated with general anesthesia. This systematic review assesses outcomes and complications following CI under local anesthetic to examine utility for patients deemed not suitable or at high risk for general anesthesia. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis performed according to the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. Databases searched were MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov. There were no limitations on year of publication or language. RESULTS: Then, 132 unique were identified. After screening abstracts and full texts for eligibility criteria a total of 18 articles were included. In the nine studies where audiological data were reported, all patients demonstrated improvement in audiological outcomes following implantation under local anesthetic (LA). Only minor complications of transient vertigo, wound infection, facial nerve paralysis, confusion, and tinnitus were reported but all were transient. Meta-analysis showed surgical time was significantly shorter under LA. CONCLUSIONS: CI under LA is safe for patients with comorbidities which preclude them from general anesthesia, with minimal complications and an improved cost-effectiveness profile. However, larger scale, robust trials are required to assess this further

South West Uplands Initiative Evaluation, Final Report

In November 2010, the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) was commissioned by the Cornwall Development Company (CDC), South West Upland Initiative Partners and SWRDA to carry out a longitudinal evaluation study into the impact of the SWUI. The aim of this final report is to draw together, in one document, the key findings of the evaluation study presented in previous reports and to update the outputs achieved by June 2013

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Project-Based Engineering Education

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143092/1/6.2017-1377.pd

Historic Farm Buildings: Audit and Evaluation

Historic farm buildings are a much-valued rural feature but under pressure in many parts of the country. English Heritage and the Countryside Agency have joined forces to commission research that will provide a better understanding of the changes taking plac