Factors determining the adoption or non-adoption of precision agriculture by producers across the cotton belt

The purpose of this study was to determine factors influencing cotton producer adoption of Precision Agriculture in the cotton belt according to members of the American Cotton Producers of the National Cotton Council. The National Research CouncilÂs Board on Agriculture defines Precision Agriculture (PA) as Âa management strategy that uses information technologies to bring data from multiple sources to bear on decisions associated with crop production. For the purpose of this study, Precision Agriculture technologies included yield monitors, global positioning units, variable rate applicators, and similar components. Many studies have found that adoption of Precision Agriculture can be profitable for agricultural producers. However, the fact that Precision Agriculture is relatively new and unproven hinders rapid adoption by agricultural producers. According to the National Research Council Board of Agriculture widespread adoption relies on economic gains outweighing the costs of the technology. This study attempted to find the factors associated with adoption of these technologies in the cotton belt. The sample population consisted of cotton producer representatives from the leading cotton-producing states. A Delphi approach was utilized to establish a consensus of cotton producer perceptions of the advantages of adopting Precision Agriculture technologies. Advantages included more accurate farming (i.e., row spacing, reduced overlap, and cultivation). Barriers to adoption were also documented, questioning employee capability to operate equipment, learning curve, technology complexity, and uncertain return on investment

Building the Climate for Optimal Organizational Transfer of Learning: An Examination of USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Employee Training Motivation and Perceived Training Transfer

Significant strides have been made in the human resources field over the last two decades; however, securing transfer of learning from formal training to the work setting still poses a problem. Following Ford and Baldwin’s (1988) Model of Training Transfer, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees were surveyed to examine if they are motivated and able to transfer skills learned in formal training into the work environment. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to determine which Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) explanatory variables explained variance in self-perceived content recall and content transfer from an agency training series. This work identified personal, training, and work climate constructs indicative to this particular agency that at times are effective precursors to learning transfer. USDA-NRCS employees who completed the Conservation Boot Camp training series, a 3-week in-boarding training, comprised the sample for the study. A total of 268 responses (50.0%) were returned for analysis. It was concluded that significant relationships do exist between NRCS employees’ self-perceived content recall and content transferred scores and selected demographics and explanatory variables measuring learning constructs

Tinjauan Sosio Historis Strategi Pengembangan Kemampuan Menulis dalam Konteks Implementasi Kebijakan Penulisan Jurnal Pendidikan Tinggi

Surat Edaran Dikti 152/E/T/2012 telah disikapi pro dan kontra, seolah kebijakan Dikti merupakan tagihan pada sisi hilir namun melupakan fakta bahwa menulis bukan sekedar persoalan pada sisi hilir, namun merupakan persoalan hulu sampai dengan hilir yang melibatkan pengalaman, pendidikan dan latihan, dan motivasi sehingga memerlukan kajian secara komprehensif. Menulis merupakan proses mental yang dipengaruhi oleh faktor sosial historis yaitu pengalaman. Latihan, dan motivasi. Menulis bukanlah persoalan sederhana semudah membalikkan telapak tangan, namun menulis menyangkut persoalan kultural. Strategi pengembangan yang dilakukan seharusnya juga mencerminkan adanya aktualisasi ilmu pendidikan antara lain melalui; (1) pengembangan kemampuan menulis sejak dini secara tepat, (2) memberikan motivasi dengan menempatkan menulis sebagai pilihan karir prima, (3) pemerintah memberikan pelayanan primer terstandar seperti memberikan wadah terbitnya berbagai jurnal, (4) revitalisasi pengembangan minat baca, dan (5) menyediakan pendidikan dan latihan menulis yang memadai. Edaran Dikti 152/E/T/2012 harus dipandang sebagai langkah awal yang baik dan menjadi bagian koheren dari strategi pengembangan budaya menulis yang transformatif

Statistical Modelling of Cardiovascular Data. An Introduction to Linear Mixed Models

Most of statistical approaches in cardiovascular research were based on variance analysis (ANOVA). However, most of the time, the assumption that data are independent is violated since several measures are performed on the same subject (repeated measures). In addition, the presence of intra- and inter-observers variability can potentially obscure significant differences. The linear mixed model (LMM) is an extended multivariate linear regression method of analysis that accounts for both fixed and random effects. LMM allows for addressing incomplete design cases. In this paper, LMM was applied to two sets of cardiovascular research data and compared to ANOVA. The first example is an analysis of heart rate in mice after atropine and propranolol injections. LMM shows an important mouse random effects that depends on pharmacological treatment and provides with accurate estimates for each significant experimental factors. When randomly suppressing observations from the data sets (20-30%) the time factor of Anova model becomes non significant while LMM still remains significant. The second example is the analysis of isolated coronary-perfused pressure of transgenic mice hearts. LMM evidenced a significant transgenic effect in both male and female animals, while, with ANOVA, the transgenic effects was limited to male mice only. In both cases, as compared to ANOVA, the LMM separately accounts for fixed and random effects, allowing thus for studying more adequately incomplete designs on repeated measures

Negative cell cycle regulation by Calcineurin is necessary for proper beta cell regeneration in zebrafish

peer reviewedStimulation of pancreatic beta cell regeneration could be a therapeutic lead to treat diabetes. Unlike humans, the zebrafish can efficiently regenerate beta cells, notably from ductal pancreatic progenitors. To gain insight into the molecular pathways involved in this process, we established the transcriptomic profile of the ductal cells after beta cell ablation in the adult zebrafish. These data highlighted the protein phosphatase calcineurin as a new potential modulator of beta cell regeneration. We showed that calcineurin overexpression abolished the regenerative response, leading to glycemia dysregulation. On the opposite, calcineurin inhibition increased ductal cell proliferation and subsequent beta cell regeneration. Interestingly, the enhanced proliferation of the progenitors was paradoxically coupled with their exhaustion. This suggests that the proliferating progenitors are next entering in differentiation. Calcineurin appears as a guardian which prevents an excessive progenitor proliferation to preserve the pool of progenitors. Altogether, our findings reveal calcineurin as a key player in the balance between proliferation and differentiation to enable a proper beta cell regeneration

Coxiella burnetii Infection in Livestock, Pets, Wildlife, and Ticks in Latin America and the Caribbean: a Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Purpose of the Review Q fever , a bacterial zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, is reported very heterogeneously in humans in Latin America. The objective of this study was to review the data on Coxiella burnetii Infection in animals in Latin America and the Caribbean. Recent Findings A comprehensive literature review was carried out in the 47 countries and territories of Latin America on various search engines and grouped into four groups: livestock, pets, wildlife, and ticks. Summary Thus, 113 studies were selected between 1950 and 2022. Among the 47 countries, only 25 (53%) had at least one publication related to C. burnetii infection in animals. The most productive country was Brazil (N = 51), followed by French Guiana (N = 21), and Colombia (N = 16). Studies in livestock from 20 countries have shown widely varying country-to-country rates of seroprevalence, ranging from 0 to 67%. Some studies from seven countries, especially French Guiana and Brazil, found antibodies and sometimes positive PCR in dogs and cats, generally in the context of investigations around human clustered cases. Knowledge remained fragmented about infection in wildlife from only five countries (Chile, Colombia, Brazil, French Guiana, and Uruguay). C. burnetii infection was identified by PCR in Chiroptera (7 species), Rodentia (6 species), Suina (2 species), Xenartha (1 species), Cingulata (1 species), and Perissodactyla (1 species). Studies on Coxiella sp. in ticks have been performed in 11 countries, mostly in Brazil, and mainly found Coxiella-like endosymbionts. Thus, data on C. burnetii infection in animals are sparse and incomplete in Latin America and the Caribbean, and more research is warranted

Nrf2, a PPARγ Alternative Pathway to Promote CD36 Expression on Inflammatory Macrophages: Implication for Malaria

CD36 is the major receptor mediating nonopsonic phagocytosis of Plasmodium falciparum-parasitized erythrocytes by macrophages. Its expression on macrophages is mainly controlled by the nuclear receptor PPARγ. Here, we demonstrate that inflammatory processes negatively regulate CD36 expression on human and murine macrophages, and hence decrease Plasmodium clearance directly favoring the worsening of malaria infection. This CD36 downregulation in inflammatory conditions is associated with a failure in the expression and activation of PPARγ. Interestingly, using siRNA mediating knock down of Nrf2 in macrophages or Nrf2- and PPARγ-deficient macrophages, we establish that in inflammatory conditions, the Nrf2 transcription factor controls CD36 expression independently of PPARγ. In these conditions, Nrf2 activators, but not PPARγ ligands, enhance CD36 expression and CD36-mediated Plasmodium phagocytosis. These results were confirmed in human macrophages and in vivo where only Nrf2 activators improve the outcome of severe malaria. Collectively, this report highlights that the Nrf2 transcription factor could be an alternative target to PPARγ in the control of severe malaria through parasite clearance