Common Versus Unique Variance Across Measures of Worry and Rumination: Predictive Utility and Mediational Models for Anxiety and Depression

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) has been identified as a transdiagnostic construct. However, diagnosis- specific questionnaires have traditionally been used to measure RNT across emotional disorders, and thus the degree to which they assess shared versus unique aspects of RNT is unclear. Furthermore, the degree to which shared versus unique variance across these measures contributes to the prediction of anxiety and depression symptoms is yet to be fully understood. This study had three aims. First, confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the degree to which two common, diagnosis-specific questionnaires assess common versus unique variance in RNT. One questionnaire measured worry whereas the other measured two aspects of rumination (brooding, reflection). Second, the contribution of the shared and unique variance in predicting symptoms of anxiety and depression was determined. Third, the role of shared and unique variance in mediating the relationships between the vulnerability factor of negative affectivity and symptoms of anxiety and depression was assessed

Mind the (yield) gap(s)

This paper explores the origin of the notion of “yield gap” and its use as a framing device for agricultural policy in sub-Saharan Africa. The argument is that while the yield gap of policy discourse provides a simple and powerful framing device, it is most often used without the discipline or caveats associated with the best examples of its use in crop production ecology and microeconomics. This argument is developed by examining how yield gap is used in a selection of recent and influential agricultural policy documents. The message for policy makers and others is clear: “mind the (yield) gap(s)”, for they are seldom what they appear

The role of local adaptation in sustainable production of village chickens

Village chickens are ubiquitous in smallholder farming systems, contributing to household, local and national economies under diverse environmental, economic and cultural settings. However, they are raised in challenging environments where productivity is low while mortality is high. There is much interest in utilizing indigenous genetic resources to produce a chicken resilient to its environment, whilst providing the basis of an economically sustainable enterprise. Globally, however, a wide variety of interventions have so far proved unable to deliver sustainable improvements. Here, we show that regional differences in trait preferences and parasite burden are associated with distinct chicken genepools, likely in response to interacting natural and human-driven (economic and social) selection pressures. Drivers of regional differences include marketing opportunities, cultural preferences, agro-ecologies and parasite populations, and are evident in system adaptations, such as management practices, population dynamics and bird genotypes. Our results provide sound multidisciplinary evidence to support previous observations that sustainable poultry development interventions for smallholder farmers, including breeding programs, should be locally tailored and designed for flexible implementation

Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes

Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction > 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR < 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening

Veranderingen in landgebruik en landbedekking als overkoepelend onderwerp in het Nationaal Onderzoek Programma Mondiale Luchtverontreiniging en Klimaatverandering

Available from National Research Programme on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, fax: +31 30 2744436, e-mail: [email protected] niet beschikbaarThe integration study 'Land Use and Cover Change as an overarching topic in the Dutch National Research Programme on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change (NRP)' aims at identifying research fields in which the NRP can contribute most effectively to the international scientific know-how of the interactions between land use/cover and global change. Goals of the study were: the initiation of integration of NRP land use/cover projects; the formulation of Dutch views on national and international research on land use and cover change (LUCC); and the preparation of an NRP agenda for research on land use/cover in relation to climate change. Land use/cover change is a very broad field of research and it is impossible to cover the whole subject within the NRP. Important Dutch land use/cover research topics are at present: the influence of the land cover on biogeochemical cycles; land cover distribution; the influence of climate change on crop growth; the use of biomass for energy supply; and land use/cover modelling. Tropical areas as well as the Netherlands, Europe and the global perspective are studied. Within the NRP, the biophysical side of land use/cover change has received most attention. A concerted effort is required to focus Dutch Land Use/Cover research more effectively in order to: optimise the Dutch inputs into the international arena (IGBP, IHDP, etc.). Define areas of complementarity in which Dutch research and policy can best benefit directly or indirectly from international research efforts.SG-NO