Efficacy of Various Five-Day Estrous Synchronization Protocols in Sheep

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various estrous synchronization protocols utilizing the five-day controlled internal drug releasing (CIDR) inserts that are infused with progesterone (P4) alone and when coupled with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and prostaglandin (PG) during different breeding seasons. Ewes received either 1 of 4 treatments: 1) Untreated (U); 2) 5 d CIDR (0.3 g P4) insert (C); 3) 5 d CIDR and PG at CIDR removal (d 0, P); or 4) GnRH at 5 d CIDR insertion and PG at CIDR removal (G). In Experiment 1, overall days to estrus were greater (P ≤ 0.01) in U and P compared with C. In Experiment 2, overall days to estrus were greater (P ≤ 0.02) in U and P compared with G. In summary, the 5 d CIDR reduces the number of days required to bring ewes into estrus when compared to untreated ewes

An Experimental Course: Animal Handling, Safety, and Well-Being

Students in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University are coming from increasingly diverse backgrounds, with little to no experience working with or handling various livestock species. In order to best accommodate these students, additional courses are being developed, one of which is Animal Science 190X: Animal Handling, Safety, and Well-Being. Through the course, students handle all major livestock species; sheep, swine, poultry, horses, beef cattle and dairy cattle, and are required to demonstrate handling knowledge and skills learned as part of a final assessment. This creates an opportunity for students lacking a livestock background to feel more confident and safer as they interact with livestock species both throughout their collegiate careers and as they enter into the animal agriculture industry

Anthropology of/in Circulation: The Future of Open Access and Scholarly Societies

In a conversation format, seven anthropologists with extensive expertise in new digital technologies, intellectual property, and journal publishing discuss issues related to open access, the anthropology of information circulation, and the future of scholarly societies. Among the topics discussed are current anthropological research on open source and open access; the effects of open access on traditional anthropological topics; the creation of community archives and new networking tools; potentially transformative uses of field notes and materials in new digital ecologies; the American Anthropological Association’s recent history with these issues, from the development of AnthroSource to its new publishing arrangement with Wiley-Blackwell; and the political economies of knowledge circulation more generally

Resolving issues with environmental impact assessment of marine renewable energy installations

ArticleThis Document is Protected by copyright and was first published by Frontiers. All rights reserved. it is reproduced with permission.Growing concerns about climate change and energy security have fueled a rapid increase in the development of marine renewable energy installations (MREIs). The potential ecological consequences of increased use of these devices emphasizes the need for high quality environmental impact assessment (EIA). We demonstrate that these processes are hampered severely, primarily because ambiguities in the legislation and lack of clear implementation guidance are such that they do not ensure robust assessment of the significance of impacts and cumulative effects. We highlight why the regulatory framework leads to conceptual ambiguities and propose changes which, for the most part, do not require major adjustments to standard practice. We emphasize the importance of determining the degree of confidence in impacts to permit the likelihood as well as magnitude of impacts to be quantified and propose ways in which assessment of population-level impacts could be incorporated into the EIA process. Overall, however, we argue that, instead of trying to ascertain which particular developments are responsible for tipping an already heavily degraded marine environment into an undesirable state, emphasis should be placed on better strategic assessment.Technology Strategy Boar

Resolving issues with environmental impact assessment of marine renewable energy installations

Growing concerns about climate change and energy security have fueled a rapid increase in the development of marine renewable energy installations (MREIs). The potential ecological consequences of increased use of these devices emphasizes the need for high quality environmental impact assessment (EIA). We demonstrate that these processes are hampered severely, primarily because ambiguities in the legislation and lack of clear implementation guidance are such that they do not ensure robust assessment of the significance of impacts and cumulative effects. We highlight why the regulatory framework leads to conceptual ambiguities and propose changes which, for the most part, do not require major adjustments to standard practice. We emphasize the importance of determining the degree of confidence in impacts to permit the likelihood as well as magnitude of impacts to be quantified and propose ways in which assessment of population-level impacts could be incorporated into the EIA process. Overall, however, we argue that, instead of trying to ascertain which particular developments are responsible for tipping an already heavily degraded marine environment into an undesirable state, emphasis should be placed on better strategic assessment.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Multi-site evaluation of an urban land-surface model: intra-urban heterogeneity, seasonality and parameter complexity requirements

An extensive off-line evaluation of the Noah/Single Layer Urban Canopy Model (Noah/SLUCM) urban land-surface model is presented using data from 15 sites to assess (1) the ability of the scheme to reproduce the surface energy balance observed in a range of urban environments, including seasonal changes, and (2) the impact of increasing complexity of input parameter information. Model performance is found to be most dependent on representation of vegetated surface area cover; refinement of other parameter values leads to smaller improvements. Model biases in net all-wave radiation and trade-offs between turbulent heat fluxes are highlighted using an optimization algorithm. Here we use the Urban Zones to characterize Energy partitioning (UZE) as the basis to assign default SLUCM parameter values. A methodology (FRAISE) to assign sites (or areas) to one of these categories based on surface characteristics is evaluated. Using three urban sites from the Basel Urban Boundary Layer Experiment (BUBBLE) dataset, an independent evaluation of the model performance with the parameter values representative of each class is performed. The scheme copes well with both seasonal changes in the surface characteristics and intra-urban heterogeneities in energy flux partitioning, with RMSE performance comparable to similar state-of-the-art models for all fluxes, sites and seasons. The potential of the methodology for high-resolution atmospheric modelling application using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is highlighted. This analysis supports the recommendations that (1) three classes are appropriate to characterize the urban environment, and (2) that the parameter values identified should be adopted as default values in WRF

SUCLA2 mutations cause global protein succinylation contributing to the pathomechanism of a hereditary mitochondrial disease

Mitochondrial acyl-coenzyme A species are emerging as important sources of protein modification and damage. Succinyl-CoA ligase (SCL) deficiency causes a mitochondrial encephalomyopathy of unknown pathomechanism. Here, we show that succinyl-CoA accumulates in cells derived from patients with recessive mutations in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) gene succinyl-CoA ligase subunit-beta (SUCLA2), causing global protein hyper-succinylation. Using mass spectrometry, we quantify nearly 1,000 protein succinylation sites on 366 proteins from patient-derived fibroblasts and myotubes. Interestingly, hyper-succinylated proteins are distributed across cellular compartments, and many are known targets of the (NAD(+))-dependent desuccinylase SIRT5. To test the contribution of hyper-succinylation to disease progression, we develop a zebrafish model of the SCL deficiency and find that SIRT5 gain-of-function reduces global protein succinylation and improves survival. Thus, increased succinyl-CoA levels contribute to the pathology of SCL deficiency through post-translational modifications. The pathomechanism of succinyl-CoA ligase (SCL) deficiency, a hereditary mitochondrial disease, is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that increased succinyl-CoA levels contribute to SCL pathology by causing global protein hyper-succinylation.Peer reviewe

Key components of learning ecologies: a Delphi assessment

This is the accepted version of the following article: González‐Sanmamed, M. , Muñoz‐Carril, P. and Santos‐Caamaño, F. (2019), Key components of learning ecologies: A Delphi assessment. Br J Educ Technol, 50: 1639-1655, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12805. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Wiley Self-Archiving Policy (http://www.wileyauthors.com/self-archiving)The educational landscape has changed in recent years, requiring reflection about new pedagogical methods and theories. There are three important perspectives as drivers of pedagogical reflection: lifelong and life‐wide learning, the idea of learning as a social construct in which internal elements and changing external factors converge, and the recognition of technology as a resource that can promote ubiquitous and expanded learning. Learning ecology has been proposed as a conceptual and empirical framework, but its still emergent nature along with its multidimensionality and complexity require further exploration. The Delphi study we present as part of a broader research project aims to identify the components of learning ecologies. Three panel rounds with international experts were carried out, after which two important dimensions emerged in the structure of learning ecologies. The first is related to intrinsic “learning dispositions,” which is made up of three categories: the subject's ideas about learning, their motivations and expectations. The second dimension, called “learning processes,” comprises four components: relationships, resources, actions and context. The identification of the components of learning ecologies and their influence on formal, non‐formal and informal training processes will provide guidance for educational policies and help to better organize training programmesWe thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for their support of our study under a research project entitled “How the best University Teachers Learn: Impact on Learning Ecologies on Quality of Teaching” (ECO4LEARN‐HE) (Reference: EDU2015‐67907‐R)S

Regulatory bindings, policy uncertainty, and market access in services

Unlike trade in goods, market access commitments for services usually comprise regulatory measures as opposed to trade taxes. In other words, they are generally about non-tariff measures (NTMs). In some sectors foreign access may be limited or completely prohibited through quantitative restrictions, e.g. bans on foreign provision of broadcasting or transport services, or requirements that government officials fly on the national airline. More generally, services activities are often regulated. Differences in regulation may then result in additional costs for foreign providers when they contest a market. Because they involve sale of intangibles in the form of service flows rather than physical goods, there is usually some form of direct interaction between service producers and customers. This means that establishment is more likely to be important for service exports than goods exports, resulting in an effective mix of cross-border and FDI related regulatory measures when we discuss market access in services

Type and extent of trans-disciplinary co-operation to improve food security, health and household environment in low and middle income countries: systematic review

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Dr Steve Turner and Dr Adam Price for their insightful comments that improved the manuscript. We would like to thank Heather Clark and Bimbola Kalejaiye for their help in data extraction. We are also grateful to Melanie Bickerton and Dr Amudha Poobalan for their systematic review advice.Peer reviewedPublisher PD