The Prairie View-ICA Technical Cooperation Program in Liberia

The FOA (Foreign Operation Administration), which was later changed to ICA (International Cooperation Administration), was created on August 1, 1953, as a result of President Eisenhower\u27s Reorganization Plan No. 7. 2 Functions of four separate agencies were combined. The prior agencies were: (1) The Office of Director for Mutual Security; (2) The Mutual Security Agency; (3) The Technical Cooperation Administration; (4) The Institute of Inter-American Affairs. 2 Ibid., p. 1. The FOA (ICA) has six major functions, namely: To coordinate the development and administration of all mutual security programs (including the Military Assistance Programs administrated by the Department of Defense) to assure that each portion is consistent with United States foreign policy and, where appropriate, is integrated with other related programs; and to assure that the total mutual security program represents a proper balancing of the economic, political and military considerations essential to United States security. To administer all programs of economic assistance. Some of these help support other nations\u27 contributions to the free world\u27s defense efforts; others are intended to assist economic development in areas where increased economic strength is important to the economic and political strength of the free world. To administer programs of technical cooperation (Point IV). To administer the Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act; cooperating with other nations to control trade between the free world and the Soviet bloc to assure that war potential goods are denied to the bloc and that trade results in net advantage to the free world. To administer the United States Escapee Program and to undertake certain responsibilities for other refugees. To carry out emergency programs for relief or rehabilitation as directed by the President.1 The writer would like to point out that the above information has been included in this writing for the purpose of presenting a total picture of the scope of the activities that are carried out by the FOA (ICA). Major emphasis throughout this writing will be placed on the third function outlined on the preceding page (Technical Cooperation). 1 Ibid., pp. 1-2

The negative impacts of the restructuring of the abattoir industry in Great Britain on small abattoirs

This study examines the reasons why between 1979 and 2020 the number of abattoirs licenced to slaughter red blood livestock species in Great Britain fell from 1146 to 200, average throughput per abattoir increased, larger abattoirs specialised in the species slaughtered, and family owned abattoirs have been replaced by international companies owning multiple slaughterhouses and food processing factories. The study combines abattoir sector survey data with findings from a national survey of small abattoirs. Larger abattoirs have exploited economies of size and location to achieve the throughput necessary to supply multiple retailers and/or wholesale markets. Smaller abattoirs have exploited economies of scope to develop the bespoke butchering services needed to supply private kill customers. The high rate of closure of smaller abattoirs suggests the future of small-scale, locally based supply chains in which private kill services supply is threatened. The recently introduced Small Abattoir Fund offers grants towards the purchase of new equipment which will offer some relief. But smaller abattoirs must support their private kill customers by organising collection points for onward transport of livestock to the abattoir and local redistribution centres for meat and carcases

Effects Of Nutrition, Hydration, Exertion, And Sleep On Injury And Illness In Female Collegiate Soccer Players

ABSTRACT Injury and illness rates in collegiate athletics continue to rise. Women’s soccer tends to have high numbers of injuries because it is a contact sport. Research has shown that there are several contributing factors to injury and illness rate in collegiate athletics. This study will provide an in depth look at female athletes, more specifically female collegiate soccer players and several factors – including dietary intake, hydration status, exertion and sleep that may attribute to injury and illness in this population. Researchers utilized weekly 3-day diet records, daily urine specific gravity, training load and self-reported sleep quantity to establish a relationship with injury and illness. Twenty-four NCAA Division I college soccer players were recruited to provide data throughout the course of pre- and competition season. Statistical analysis shoa statistically significant effect of hydration and sleep on injury and illness. A statistically significant effect was not found between training load and injury and illness. Data from the 3-day diet records shoa statistical imbalance and violated assumptions, therefore no relationship was found between caloric intake and injury and illness. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that hydration and sleep play a significant contributing role in the occurrence of injury and illness in female collegiate soccer players. Based on this finding it is recommended that athletes sleep a minimum of 8 hours per night and properly hydrate before, during and after competition

A public survey on perceptions of vision care: A Portland study

A questionnaire was developed to sample a general population\u27s knowledge and perceptions about vision care and vision care providers. The questionnaire also sampled current choice of eye care provider, frequency of eye examinations, and satisfaction with eye care services. Of the 248 respondents, about 67% get their eyes examined every one to two years. People aged 60 years and older tend to have their eyes examined every two years rather than annually. For their last eye exam, people choose private optometrists(33.6%), ophthalmologists(29.0%), HMO\u27s(15.4%), optical chains(12.0%), school screenings(4.6%), not sure (3.3%), and health fairs(0.4%). Overall, 81% of the respondents underestimated the schooling/training for optometrists and ophthalmologists and overestimated the training/schooling for opticians. The population choose optometrists for refractive situations such as contact lenses, ophthalmologists for disease treatment and surgery, and opticians for eyeglass and frame situations. Vision therapy was associated more with ophthalmologists than optometrists. There is a lack in public knowledge about vision care services provided by optometrists such as vision therapy and disease treatment

The resurrection initiative: Storing ancestral genotypes to capture evolution in action

In rare circumstances, scientists have been able to revive dormant propagules from ancestral populations and rear them with their descendants to make inferences about evolutionary responses to environmental change. Although this is a powerful approach to directly assess microevolution, it has previously depended entirely upon fortuitous conditions to preserve ancestral material. We propose a coordinated effort to collect, preserve, and archive genetic materials today for future studies of evolutionary change - a "resurrection paradigm." The availability of ancestral material that is systematically collected and intentionally stored using best practices will greatly expand our ability to illuminate microevolutionary patterns and processes and to predict ongoing responses of species to global change. In the workshop "Project Baseline," evolutionary biologists and seed storage experts met to discuss establishing a coordinated effort to implement the resurrection paradigm. © 2008 American Institute of Biological Sciences

Interpreting Mosaics of Ocean Biogeochemistry

Advances in technology and modeling capabilities are driving a surge in progress in our understanding of how ocean ecosystems mix and mingle on medium to small scales

First administration to man of Org 25435, an intravenous anaesthetic: A Phase 1 Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Org 25435 is a new water-soluble alpha-amino acid ester intravenous anaesthetic which proved satisfactory in animal studies. This study aimed to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Org 25435 and to obtain preliminary pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic data. METHODS: In the Short Infusion study 8 healthy male volunteers received a 1 minute infusion of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg (n = 2 per group); a further 10 received 3.0 mg/kg (n = 5) or 4.0 mg/kg (n = 5). Following preliminary pharmacokinetic modelling 7 subjects received a titrated 30 minute Target Controlled Infusion (TCI), total dose 5.8-20 mg/kg. RESULTS: Within the Short Infusion study, all subjects were successfully anaesthetised at 3 and 4 mg/kg. Within the TCI study 5 subjects were anaesthetised and 2 showed signs of sedation. Org 25435 caused hypotension and tachycardia at doses over 2 mg/kg. Recovery from anaesthesia after a 30 min administration of Org 25435 was slow (13.7 min). Pharmacokinetic modelling suggests that the context sensitive half-time of Org 25435 is slightly shorter than that of propofol in infusions up to 20 minutes but progressively longer thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: Org 25435 is an effective intravenous anaesthetic in man at doses of 3 and 4 mg/kg given over 1 minute. Longer infusions can maintain anaesthesia but recovery is slow. Hypotension and tachycardia during anaesthesia and slow recovery of consciousness after cessation of drug administration suggest this compound has no advantages over currently available intravenous anaesthetics

The potential for land sparing to offset greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture

Greenhouse gas emissions from global agriculture are increasing at around 1% per annum, yet substantial cuts in emissions are needed across all sectors. The challenge of reducing agricultural emissions is particularly acute, because the reductions achievable by changing farming practices are limited and are hampered by rapidly rising food demand. Here we assess the technical mitigation potential offered by land sparing-increasing agricultural yields, reducing farm land area and actively restoring natural habitats on the land spared. Restored habitats can sequester carbon and can offset emissions from agriculture. Using the United Kingdom as an example, we estimate net emissions in 2050 under a range of future agricultural scenarios. We find that a land-sparing strategy has the technical potential to achieve significant reductions in net emissions from agriculture and land-use change. Coupling land sparing with demand-side strategies to reduce meat consumption and food waste can further increase the technical mitigation potential, however economic and implementation considerations might limit the degree to which this technical potential could be realised in practice.This research was funded by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative Collaborative Fund for Conservation and we thank its major sponsor Arcadia. We thank J. Bruinsma for the provision of demand data, the CEH for the provision of soil data and J. Spencer for invaluable discussions. A.L. was supported by a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate291

Technical assessment of Mir-1 life support hardware for the international space station

NASA has been progressively learning the design and performance of the Russian life support systems utilized in their Mir space station. In 1992, a plan was implemented to assess the benefits of the Mir-1 life support systems to the Freedom program. Three primary tasks focused on: evaluating the operational Mir-1 support technologies and understanding if specific Russian systems could be directly utilized on the American space station and if Russian technology design information could prove useful in improving the current design of the planned American life support equipment; evaluating the ongoing Russian life support technology development activities to determine areas of potential long-term application to the U.S. space station; and utilizing the expertise of their space station life support systems to evaluate the benefits to the current U.S. space station program which included the integration of the Russian Mir-1 designs with the U.S. designs to support a crew of six