The process of researching animal health and welfare planning

’Minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning’, ANIPLAN, is a CORE-Organic project which was initiated in June 2007. The main aim of the project is to investigate active and well planned animal health and welfare promotion and disease prevention as a means of minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds. This aim will be met through the development of animal health and welfare planning principles for organic dairy farms under diverse conditions based on an evaluation of current experiences. This also includes application of animal health and welfare assessment across Europe. In order to bring this into practice the project also aims at developing guidelines for communication about animal health and welfare promotion in different settings, for example, as part of existing animal health advisory services or farmer groups such as the Danish Stable School system and the Dutch network programme. The project is divided into the following five work packages, four of which comprise research activities with the other focused on coordination and knowledge transfer, through meetings, workshops and publications. The content of this set of workshop proceedings reflects the fact that the workshop in Fokhol in Norway was held at a relatively early stage with regard to certain joint activities and methodological development. Training in animal welfare assessment had taken place for the first time in the project a couple of months previous to this workshop, and the results in terms of inter-observer reliability are presented by the organisers of this training workshop, Solveig March, Lisi Gratzer and Jan Brinkmann and their supervisor Christoph Winckler. This forms a good background for a reliable data collection in all countries. A presentation from a newly employed Ph.D. student linked to the ANIPLAN project, Lindsay Kay Whistance, gives insight into the study of defecation behaviour in dairy cattle. Although not directly part of the ANIPLAN studies, the presentation is particularly relevant to the considerations regarding animal welfare in housed and outdoor systems. Gidi Smolders from the Netherlands presented a paper about a Dutch farmer group initiative with a strong element of farmer ownership. Mette Vaarst contributes with a paper on farmer learning and empowerment in groups, with a background of Danish experiences with the so-called ‘Stable Schools’. Two papers by Roderick and Vaarst reflect the workshop discussions about research methodologies and the various contexts and conditions for farmer group work. These two papers demonstrate the complexity of the research requirements when conducting a trans-national and cross-disciplinary research project with many stakeholders

The Association Between Health Literacy and Diet Adherence Among Primary Care Patients with Hypertension

This study examines the association between health literacy and adherence to low-salt diet practices among individuals with hypertension. Health literacy is the ability of individuals to understand and utilize health information. We surveyed 238 patients with hypertension from a primary care clinic in Charlotte, NC. We assessed health literacy and self-reported low-salt diet. Logistic regression was used to model the relationship between health literacy and low-salt diet adherence. Respondents were primarily female (67.3%) and black (80%). Black Americans were less likely to have adequate health literacy as compared to white Americans (21.8% vs. 55.8%). The study found no association between adequate health literacy and adherence to a low-salt diet (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.36-3.10) after adjusting for confounders. This study addresses the conflicting findings for health literacy in two related areas: chronic illness self-care, and nutrition/diet skills. Additional research is warranted among black Americans given their increased risk of hypertension, low rates of diet adherence and previous findings of positive associations between health literacy and nutrition skills

Interaction of ascending magma with pre-existing crustal fractures in monogenetic basaltic volcanism: an experimental approach

International audienceMagma transport through dikes is a major component of the development of monogenetic volcanic fields. These volcanic fields are characterized by numerous volcanic centers, each typically resulting from a single eruption. Therefore, magma must be transported from source to surface at different places, which raises the question of the relative importance of (1) the self-propagation of magma through pristine rock and (2) the control exerted by pre-existing fractures. To address this issue, we have carried out a series of analogue experiments to constrain the interaction of a propagating dike through a medium with pre-existing fractures. The experiments involved the injection of air into an elastic gelatin solid, which was previously cut into its upper part to simulate pre-existing fractures. The volume of the dikes, their distance from the fractures, and the ambient stress field were systematically varied to assess their influence on potential dike-fracture interactions. The results show that distance and angle between dikes and fractures influence these interactions and the dike trajectory. Dike geometry and dynamics are also affected by both the presence of the fractures and the dike volume; dikes propagating in between fractures tend to decelerate. In nature, interactions are expected for dikes and fractures separated by less than about 200 m, and dikes with a volume less than about 10 2 km3 would experience a velocity decrease. These results highlight the influence of pre-existing fractures on the mechanics and dynamics of dikes. These heterogeneities must be considered when studying the transport of magmas within the crust

Women-led Community Development Organizations (CDOs) in Miami-Dade County: A Model of Community Development Efforts Impacting the Economic Security of Women

Recent studies on the economic status of women in Miami-Dade County (MDC) reveal an alarming rate of economic insecurity and significant obstacles for women to achieve economic security. Consistent barriers to women’s economic security affect not only the health and wellbeing of women and their families, but also economic prospects for the community. A key study reveals in Miami-Dade County, “Thirty-nine percent of single female-headed families with at least one child are living at or below the federal poverty level” and “over half of working women do not earn adequate income to cover their basic necessities” (Brion 2009, 1). Moreover, conventional measures of poverty do not adequately capture women’s struggles to support themselves and their families, nor do they document the numbers of women seeking basic self-sufficiency. Even though there is lack of accurate data on women in the county, which is a critical problem, there is also a dearth of social science research on existing efforts to enhance women’s economic security in Miami-Dade County. My research contributes to closing the information gap by examining the characteristics and strategies of women-led community development organizations (CDOs) in MDC, working to address women’s economic insecurity. The research is informed by a framework developed by Marilyn Gittell, who pioneered an approach to study women-led CDOs in the United States. On the basis of research in nine U.S. cities, she concluded that women-led groups increased community participation and “by creating community networks and civic action, they represent a model for community development efforts” (Gittell, et al. 2000, 123). My study documents the strategies and networks of women-led CDOs in MDC that prioritize women’s economic security. Their strategies are especially important during these times of economic recession and government reductions in funding towards social services. The focus of the research is women-led CDOs that work to improve social services access, economic opportunity, civic participation and capacity, and women’s rights. Although many women-led CDOs prioritize building social infrastructures that promote change, inequalities in economic and political status for women without economic security remain a challenge (Young 2004). My research supports previous studies by Gittell, et al., finding that women-led CDOs in Miami-Dade County have key characteristics of a model of community development efforts that use networking and collaboration to strengthen their broad, integrated approach. The resulting community partnerships, coupled with participation by constituents in the development process, build a foundation to influence policy decisions for social change. In addition, my findings show that women-led CDOs in Miami-Dade County have a major focus on alleviating poverty and economic insecurity, particularly that of women. Finally, it was found that a majority of the five organizations network transnationally, using lessons learned to inform their work of expanding the agency of their constituents and placing the economic empowerment of women as central in the process of family and community development

The dialogue with farmers

This report covers the project outcome Deliverable 4.2 ‘Analysis completed after a joint effort to identify possibilities in each country as how to facilitate the best possible dialogue regarding animal health and welfare’ as part of the European CORE Organic project ‘Minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning.’ The work was intended to understand the processes and was analysed from the perspective of the key animal health and welfare (AHW) planning principles developed as part of the project. The analysis was completed on transcripts of interviews of facilitators and advisors who had participated in the ANIPLAN project, some of them as partners in the project group. If animal health and welfare planning is to gain widespread use among organic farmers, communication between farmers and between farmers and advisors and other actors in the organic farming environment is crucial. Whilst other forms of communication regarding the role and benefits of AHW assessment systems, such as benchmarking, may be the motivational catalyst needed to encourage engagement in the process, a creative dialogue with the individual farmer is necessary when identifying goals and planning means to reach the desired goals. In order to understand how this dialogue works in practice, and what issues arise, a series of interviews were conducted in all of the ANIPLAN participating countries, involving persons directly involved and those with other experiences. The analysis of the interviews was based on a theoretical framework concerning learning, knowledge and empowerment and a functional framework based on the animal health and welfare principles developed as an output from the ANIPLAN project

Farmer opinion on the process of health and welfare planning in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Switzerland

This report serves as a deliverable from the ANIPLAN project, with the original title ‘Evaluation report on state of the art regarding animal health and welfare planning in the participating countries’ (Deliverable 5.1). We chose to focus on the farmers’ perspective in each country, and ask the farmers who had participated in our project how they perceived the process of animal health and welfare planning. We did that using a questionnaire which each participant used in an interview with the farmer, asking some specific questions with the aim to evaluate how the farmers had experienced the ANIPLAN approach. We found that this focus was important as a supplement to other outcomes from the project, such as reduction of medicines (Ivemeyer et al., 2011) and improvement of animal based parameters (Gratzer et al., 2011). Furthermore potential scenarios for implementation of this concept into practice can be developed from the farmers responses

Mantle heterogeneity controls on small-volume basaltic volcanism: Reply

Artículo de publicación ISIEruptions of basaltic material in small-scale volcanic fields located in intraplate settings display a very diverse range in physical and chemical characteristics. Despite its relevance to the understanding of volcanic hazards, the relationship between physical properties of eruptions (explosivity, volume, location) and chemical composition of erupted products has, to date, not been investigated. Here we present a relationship between mantle heterogeneity and extents of partial melting, and both erupted volumes and eruptive style from the Auckland Volcanic Field (New Zealand), and we suggest that this provides a general model for small-scale "monogenetic" magmatic systems globally. Small volcanic centers consistently take the form of nephelinitic tuff rings and scoria cones, whereas larger centers are produced from effusive eruptions of less alkalic magmas. Nephelinitic melts are generated by melting of a deep, carbonated source, whereas less alkalic melts are the products of melting of a shallower, noncarbonated source. U-Th-Ra isotope data from eruptions closely paired in space and time show that mixing between magmas is extremely limited as a consequence of different ascent mechanisms due to differential segregation of melts from varying sources (early, carbonated melts ascending by higher porosity channels, and later, uncarbonated melts by a more diffusive regime). This suggests that extraction of melt is nearly instantaneous in these environments. Our results stress the importance of melting and magma dynamics in determining the size and style of eruptions in small volcanic fields, and suggest that mantle controls should be an important consideration in volcanic hazard assessment.Centro de Excelencia en Geotermia de los Andes (CEGA, Chile) by FONDAP (Fondo de Financiamiento de Centros de Investigacion en Areas Prioritarias) 1509001

Solar-wind electron precipitation on weakly magnetized bodies: the planet Mercury

Mercury is the archetype of a weakly magnetized, airless, telluric body immersed in the solar wind. Due to the lack of any substantial atmosphere, the solar wind directly precipitates on Mercury's surface. Using a 3D fully-kinetic self-consistent plasma model, we show for the first time that solar-wind electron precipitation drives (i) efficient ionization of multiple species (H, He, O and Mn) in Mercury's neutral exosphere and (ii) emission of X-rays from the planet's surface. This is the first, independent evidence of X-ray auroras on Mercury using a numerical approach.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter

Animal health and welfare planning in organic dairy cattle farms

Continuous development is needed within the farm to reach the goal of good animal health and welfare in organic livestock farming. The very different conditions between countries call for models that are relevant for different farming types and can be integrated into local practice and be relevant for each type of farming context. This article reviews frameworks, principles and practices for animal health and welfare planning which are relevant for organic livestock farming. This review is based on preliminary analyses carried out within a European project (acronym ANIPLAN) with participants from seven countries. The process begins with gathering knowledge about the current status within a given herd as background for making decisions and planning future improvements as well as evaluating already implemented improvements. Respectful communication between the owner of the herd and other farmers as well as animal health and welfare professionals (veterinarians and advisors) is paramount. This paper provides an overview of some current animal health and welfare planning initiatives and explains the principles of animal health and welfare planning which are being implemented in ANIPLAN partner countries, in collaboration with groups of organic farmers and organisations