An investigation of an outbreak of Rift Valley fever on a cattle farm in Bela-Bela, South Africa in 2008

During March 2008 a suspected outbreak of Rift Valley fever was reported on a farm in the Bela-Bela area, Limpopo Province of South Africa. The affected dairy farm, where no vaccination programme against RVF were practiced, applies an intensive farming system with 300 Holstein Friesland cattle (calves included) as well as 200 Pedi sheep on the farm. Seven calves died on this farm but no apparent clinical disease was reported in cattle as well as in sheep. During the outbreak blood samples from cattle and sheep were taken and the animals were re-sampled 8 weeks later. A set of sera was also collected from cattle on a neighbouring farm. The aim of the study was to determine the extent of the outbreak by evaluating if the virus had also infected other animals on the affected farm as well as on a neighbouring farm. During the first blood collection 233 samples were taken from cattle and 73 from sheep on the affected farm; 55 blood samples were taken from cattle on a neighbouring farm. A second blood collection was only done on the affected farm and 234 cattle and 85 sheep were bled. All the sera collected were tested by an IgM-capture ELISA and by an indirect IgG ELISA. Selected IgM positive (n=14), IgG positive (n=23) and samples negative for both IgM and IgG (n=19) were then tested by the serum neutralization test (SNT). Sera from IgM positive (14) and negative (20) animals were also tested by a TaqMan PCR. Results from the affected farm showed that 7% (16/233) of cattle samples were IgMpositive and 13.7% (32/233) IgG positive at the first collection of samples, and 2% were IgM-positive at the second sample collection. The number of cattle positive for RVF virus-specific IgG antibodies increased by 20.3% when compared to the first bled. Only 1.4% of sheep were both positive for anti-RVF virus IgM and IgG antibodies at the first collection; IgM-positive cases decreased to 1.2%, while IgG-positive cases increased to 2.4% at the second bled. Although no IgM-positive cattle could be found on the neighbouring farm, 5.5% of cattle were IgG-positive. The SNT confirmed most of the ELISA results. Three samples that tested positive for anti-RVF virus IgM and one anti-RVF virus IgG positive sample using ELISA tested negative using the SNT. Two samples that tested negative for both IgM and IgG antibodies using ELISA, tested low positive (1:10 and 1:20) using the SNT. All samples tested using a TaqMan PCR were negative. On the affected farm, apart from the seven calves that died, cattle were also infected. There was evidence of virus circulation on the neighbouring farm but the negative PCR results indicate that at the time the animals were sampled they were not viraemic. How the virus was introduced onto the farm is not clear. The possibility of low level virus circulation in animals and the reactivation of virus from endemic foci by the breeding of vector competent mosquitoes on the low-lying area on the farm in Bela-Bela may have led to ideal circumstances for an outbreak to occur. The fact that mostly cattle seroconverted suggests a higher host preference of the local population of mosquitoes for cattle rather than sheep. CopyrightDissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011.Veterinary Tropical Diseasesunrestricte

Team development: Definition, measurement and relationships with team effectiveness

This article describes the development and validation of a theory-based measure of team development. Drawing on three independent samples, including multisource and two-wave data, we found support for the scale’s theoretical multidimensionality. Convergent and discriminant validity was established, and criterion-related validity was determined through the scale’s relation with three facets of team effectiveness: viability, extra-role performance and reputation. We conclude that the 29-item measure is valid and reliable for the assessment of team development. Theoretically, we shed light on the dimensionality of team development and extend the available knowledge on its nomological network. Practical implications for enhancing team effectiveness via team development are discussed

Coping strategies and challenges of coffee exporting companies in Timor-Leste

Masteroppgave i Sustainable management - Universitetet i Nordland, 201

Black coated tongue in integrative medicine: An alarm signal

Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Neurol, Div Neuromuscular Dis Invest, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo Unifesp, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilDivision of Neuromuscular Disease Investigation, Department of Neurology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

The effect of inventory leanness on firms’ credit ratings: the case of Pakistan

Artigo publicado em revista científica internacionalInventory leanness requires that firms minimize inventory mistreatment and misuse. A firm performance deteriorates because of high inventory misuse, and because of such an issue, the effect on the firm’s credit rating can also be seen. This study examines the effect of inventory leanness on firms’ credit ratings. It aims to create an understanding of the relationship between inventory leanness and the firm’s financial performance and provides insight into the credit rating system of Pakistan. We analyze secondary Pakistan data between 2008 and 2017. Among the sixty firms on Pakistan Stock Exchange that are rated by PACRA, only thirty-eight have complete data available on their respective websites. By using panel data analysis, the results indicate that inventory leanness and credit ratings are positively related. In an added analysis, we evaluate the financial performance in the context of credit rating by using control variables (size, leverage, and capital intensity ratio) and dummy variables (loss and subordinate debt). Our results are consistent with earlier studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Follow-up of the air pollution and the human male-to-female ratio analysis in São Paulo, Brazil: a times series study

Objectives in order to assess if ambient air pollution in urban areas could be related to alterations in male/female ratio this study objectives to evaluate changes in ambient particulate matter (PM10) concentrations after implementation of pollution control programmes in São Paulo city and the secondary sex ratio (SRR).Design and methods A time series study was conducted. São Paulo's districts were stratified according to the PM10 concentrations levels and were used as a marker of overall air pollution. the male ratio was chosen to represent the secondary sex ratio (SSR=total male birth/total births). the SSR data from each area was analysed according to the time variation and PM10 concentration areas using descriptive statistics. the strength association between annual average of PM10 concentration and SSR was performed through exponential regression, and it was adopted as a statistical significance level of p<0.05.Results the exponential regression showed a negative and significant association between PM10 and SSR. SSR varied from 51.4% to 50.7% in São Paulo in the analysed period (2000-2007). Considering the PM10 average concentration in São Paulo city of 44.72g/m(3) in the study period, the SSR decline reached almost 4.37%, equivalent to 30934 less male births.Conclusions Ambient levels of PM10 are negatively associated with changes in the SSR. Therefore, we can speculate that higher levels of particulate pollution could be related to increased rates of female births.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, ICAQF, Dept Ciencias Exatas & Terra, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Pathol, Lab Expt Air Pollut LIM05, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, ICAQF, Dept Ciencias Exatas & Terra, São Paulo, BrazilCNPq: 573813/2008-5: FAPESP - 2008/57717-6Web of Scienc

Dieta o ejercicio, o ambos, para la reducción de peso en mujeres después del parto

Antecedentes: La retención de peso después del embarazo puede contribuir a la obesidad. Se conoce que la dieta y el ejercicio son los componentes recomendados de cualquier programa de pérdida de peso para la población en general. Sin embargo, no se han evaluado adecuadamente las estrategias para lograr un peso corporal posparto saludable entre las mujeres. Objetivos: Los objetivos de esta revisión fueron evaluar el efecto de la dieta, el ejercicio o ambos para la reducción de peso en las mujeres después del parto y evaluar la repercusión de estas intervenciones sobre la composición corporal materna, el estado físico cardiorrespiratorio, el rendimiento de la lactancia y otros resultados maternoinfantiles. Estrategia de búsqueda: Se realizaron búsquedas en el registro de ensayos del Grupo Cochrane de Embarazo y Parto (Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group) (septiembre 2006) y LILACS. Se revisaron las referencias secundarias y se estableció contacto con expertos en el campo. Criterios de selección: Todos los ensayos controlados aleatorios (ECA) publicados y no publicados y los ensayos cuasialeatorios de dieta o ejercicio o ambos, entre las mujeres durante el período posparto. Recopilación y análisis de datos: Tres revisores evaluaron de forma independiente la calidad de los ensayos y extrajeron los datos. Para presentar los resultados se utilizó el riesgo relativo para los datos categóricos y la diferencia de medias ponderada (DMP) para los datos continuos. Los datos se analizaron con un modelo de efectos fijos. Cuando hubo heterogeneidad se utilizó un modelo de efectos aleatorios. Resultados principals: Se incluyeron seis ensayos con 245 mujeres. Las mujeres que hicieron ejercicio no perdieron significativamente más peso que las mujeres del grupo de atención habitual (un ensayo; n = 33; DMP 0,00 kg; intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%: -8,63 a 8,63). Las mujeres que siguieron una dieta (un ensayo; n = 45; DMP -1,70 kg; IC del 95%: -2,08 a -1,32) o una dieta más un programa de ejercicio (cuatro ensayos; n = 169; DMP -2,89 kg; IC del 95%: -4,83 a -0,95), perdieron significativamente más peso que las mujeres que recibieron atención habitual. No hubo diferencias en la magnitud de la pérdida de peso entre el grupo de dieta y el de dieta más ejercicio (un ensayo; n = 43; DMP 0,30 kg; IC del 95%: -0,60 a 0,66). Las intervenciones no parecieron afectar negativamente el rendimiento de la lactancia materna. Conclusiones de los autores: Las pruebas preliminares de esta revisión indican que seguir una dieta junto con ejercicio parece ser más efectivo que la dieta sola para ayudar a las mujeres a perder peso después del parto, porque la primera opción mejora el nivel del estado físico cardiorrespiratorio materno y preserva la masa magra, mientras que la dieta sola reduce la masa magra. En el caso de las mujeres que lactan, se necesitan más pruebas para confirmar si la dieta o el ejercicio, o ambos, no son perjudiciales para la madre o el neonato. Debido a los insuficientes datos disponibles, se necesitan investigaciones adicionales con un tamaño de la muestra más grande para confirmar los resultados

Diet or exercise, or both, for weight reduction in women after childbirth

Background: Weight retention after pregnancy may contribute to obesity. It is known that diet and exercise are recommended components of any weight loss programme in the general population. However, strategies to achieve healthy body weight among postpartum women have not been adequately evaluated. Objectives: The objectives of this review were to evaluate the effect of diet, exercise or both for weight reduction in women after childbirth, and to assess the impact of these interventions on maternal body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, breastfeeding performance and other child and maternal outcomes. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register (31 January 2012) and LILACS (31 January 2012). We scanned secondary references and contacted experts in the field. We updated the search of the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register on 30 April 2013 and added the results to the awaiting classification section of the review. Selection criteria: All published and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomised trials of diet or exercise or both, among women during the postpartum period. Data collection and analysis Both review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Results are presented using risk ratio (RR) for categorical data and mean difference (MD) for continuous data. Data were analysed with a fixed-effect model. A random-effects model was used in the presence of heterogeneity. Main results: Fourteen trials were included, but only 12 trials involving 910 women contributed data to outcome analysis. Women who exercised did not lose significantly more weight than women in the usual care group (two trials; n = 53; MD -0.10 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.90 to 1.71). Women who took part in a diet (one trial; n = 45; MD -1.70 kg; 95% CI -2.08 to -1.32), or diet plus exercise programme (seven trials; n = 573; MD -1.93 kg; 95% CI -2.96 to -0.89; random-effects, T² = 1.09, I² = 71%), lost significantly more weight than women in the usual care group. There was no difference in the magnitude of weight loss between diet alone and diet plus exercise group (one trial; n = 43; MD 0.30 kg; 95% CI -0.06 to 0.66). The interventions seemed not to affect breastfeeding performance adversely. Authors’ conclusions: Evidence from this review suggests that both diet and exercise together and diet alone help women to lose weight after childbirth. Nevertheless, it may be preferable to lose weight through a combination of diet and exercise as this improves maternal cardiorespiratory fitness and preserves fat-free mass, while diet alone reduces fat-free mass. This needs confirmation in large trials of high methodological quality. For women who are breastfeeding, more evidence is required to confirm whether diet or exercise, or both, is not detrimental for either mother or baby

Parametric and machine learning-based analysis of the seismic vulnerability of adobe historical buildings damaged after the September 2017 Mexico earthquakes

In September 2017, two strong earthquakes hit the central region of Mexico, producing substantial damage to the historical buildings. A retroactive analysis for assessing the pre-event seismic vulnerability of these constructions allowed for testing the suitability of an existing parameter-based approach based on material and geometrical features. More than 160 adobe buildings in four municipalities of the State of Morelos were surveyed and included in a vulnerability-oriented GIS database. Data were collected on-site and managed by resorting to open-source GIS software combined with a Python-based database management tool and a cloud-based platform for onsite data collection using mobile devices. The parameter-based approach was used for assessing the analytical seismic vulnerability of the buildings and implementing a secondary, more conservative assessment that considers uncertainties associated with the data acquisition process. The capabilities of the database were further used to train a Machine Learning algorithm aimed at overcoming some representativeness limitations of the parameter-based analytical method. This third approach was found to be suitable for assessing the vulnerability of the building typologies addressed in this investigation. Although the implementation discussed in this paper is limited to a specific vernacular typology, it can be used to conduct customized local calibrations

Agricultural Innovation marketplace-South-south cooperation beyond theory

Agricultural Innovation Marketplace - South - South Cooperation Beyond Theory provides a thorough discussion of the creation , the current status , and future of the Agriculture Innovation Marketplace ( The MKTPlace ) , an international , open partnership aiming to contribute to agricultural development in Africa , Latin America , and the Caribbean . Using the recent success of Brazilian agriculture , this partnership seeks to learn from those achievements , financing and organizing projects in other developing countries . Beginning with a brief outline of Brazil's development , this book focuses on the MKTPlace as an international partnership that supports , through policy dialogues , knowledge sharing and agricultural research , smallholder development in Africa , Latin America and the Caribbean , with the final goal of reducing hunger and poverty , and creating growth