Agriculture in Britain as a Mature Industrial Society

SUMMARY The post World War II phase of rapidly increasing British agricultural productivity, based upon the substitution of capital for labour, and upon cheap fossil fuels and heavy chemical dressing, is coming to an end. The cost of inputs and the diminishing returns that result from these policies, as well as problems of soil exhaustion and water pollution, signal a change of pattern in British farming. This pattern, it is argued, could produce a variety of benefits, which might include higher productivity per hectare (though not necessarily per worker) greater national and regional self?sufficiency in food, with consequent benefits to the British balance of payments, a net absorption rather than extrusion of labour, and even an improved dietary balance for the nation. RESUME L'agriculture en Grande?Bretagne en tant que société industrielle mure L'ère de !a productivité agricole britannique dans la période postérieure à la deuxième guerre mondiale, dont l'augmentation rapide se fondait sur la substitution de ta main?d'oeuvre par le capital, et sur les combustibles fossiles à bon marché et une lourde façon chimique, tire à sa fin. Le coût des engrais et le rendement décroissant qui résulte de ces mesures, ainsi que les problèmes de l'épuisement du sol et de la pollution de l'eau, signalent une nouvelle forme d'agriculture én Grande?Bretagne. Cette transformation, prétend?on, rapporterait toutes sortes de bénéfices, qui pourraient comporter une augmentation du rendement par hectare (mais pas nécessairement par travailleur), une plus grande mesure d'autonomie nationale et régionale en matière de denrées alimentaires, ce qui entrainerait une amélioration de la balance des paiements britannique, une absorption nette plutôt qu'une extrusion de la main?d'oeuvre, voire même un meilleur équilibre alimentaire pour la nation. RESUMEN La agricultura en Gran Bretaña como sociedad industrial avanzada Brian Johnson y Michael Allanby Estamos asistiendo al final del período que siguió a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, en que no había dejado de aumentarla productividad agrícola de Gran Bretaña, basada en la sustitución del trabajo por el capital, así como en combustibles baratos y en intensa preparación química. El coste de las inversiones y la disminución de los beneficios que resultaron de estas políticas, así como el problema del agotamiento del suelo y de la contaminación del agua, anuncian un cambio de estructura en la agricultura británica. Se quiere que esta nueva estructura produzca toda una serie de beneficios, en el sentido de una productividad mayor por hectárea (aunque no necesariamente por trabajador), mayor independencia nacional y regional en alimentos, con las consiguientes ventajas para la balanza de pagos británica, mejor empleo de la mano de obra e incluso mayor equilibrio dietético para el país

Associations between maternal vitamin D status and porcine litter characteristics throughout gestation

Emerging evidence suggests an important role of vitamin D in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and the regulation of foetal growth across mammalian species. However, the temporal changes in maternal vitamin D status throughout gestation in the pig and the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and litter characteristics of interest across gestation remain poorly understood and under-investigated. The abundance of 25(OH)D in maternal plasma was quantified by HPLC–MS/MS at gestational days (GD) 18, 30, 45, 60 and 90 (n = 5–11 gilts/GD). Maternal plasma 25(OH)D concentrations significantly increased between GD18 and GD30 (P < 0.05). The relationship between maternal vitamin D metabolite concentrations and litter characteristics of interest including gilt weight, ovulation rate, mean litter weight, number of live foetuses, percentage prenatal survival, and sex ratio of the litter was assessed. Maternal 25(OH)D (P = 0.059) concentrations tended to be positively associated with percentage prenatal survival on GD60. On GD90, maternal 25(OH)D (P < 0.05) concentrations were inversely associated with gilt weight. Maternal plasma 25(OH)D concentrations were inversely associated with the percentage of male foetuses in the litter on GD90 (P < 0.05). This study has provided novel insights into temporal changes in maternal vitamin D status throughout gestation and the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and the economically important litter characteristics of gilt weight, percentage prenatal survival and percentage of male foetuses in the litter. Improving the understanding of the role of vitamin D across important developmental timepoints in relation to foetal growth is essential to improve reproductive success in livestock species. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40104-022-00760-w

Vocation, Belongingness, and Balance: A Qualitative Study of Veterinary Student Well-Being

An elevated risk for suicide among veterinarians has stimulated research into the mental health of the veterinary profession, and more recently attention has turned to the veterinary student population. This qualitative study sought to explore UK veterinary students' perceptions and experiences of university life, and to consider how these may affect well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 students from a single UK school who were purposively selected to include perspectives from male, female, graduate-entry, standard-entry (straight from high school), and widening participation students across all 5 years of the program. Three main themes were identified: a deep-rooted vocation, navigating belongingness, and finding balance. Participants described a long-standing goal of becoming a veterinarian, with a determination reflected by often circuitous routes to veterinary school and little or no consideration of alternatives. Although some had been motivated by a love of animals, others were intrinsically interested in the scientific and problem-solving challenges of veterinary medicine. Most expressed strong feelings of empathy with animal owners. The issue of belongingness was central to participants' experiences, with accounts reflecting their efforts to negotiate a sense of belongingness both in student and professional communities. Participants also frequently expressed a degree of acceptance of poor balance between work and relaxation, with indications of a belief that this imbalance could be rectified later. This study helps highlight future avenues for research and supports initiatives aiming to nurture a sense of collegiality among veterinary students as they progress through training and into the profession

Development of a behavioural marker system for the non-technical skills of junior doctors in acute care

Introduction: Newly qualified doctors are frequently first to the scene in managing acutely unwell in-patients. Failures in clinical assessment, basic management and early escalation of care lead to avoidable patient morbidity and mortality. Analyses of adverse events have highlighted the importance of non-technical skills training to improve patient safety. These are a combination of cognitive (such as decision making) and social skills (such as team working), which complement knowledge and technical ability, and contribute to safe and effective care. In order to train and assess junior doctors in these skills, we must first have an accurate understanding of what they involve. This research project was designed to identify the critical non-technical skills required by junior doctors to manage acutely unwell patients safely and effectively. It aimed to develop a tool to observe these skills that could be used in training, assessment and research. Method: A literature review was used to develop an initial framework to categorise the non-technical skills required in this domain. Twenty-nine in depth semi-structured interviews were then completed with junior doctors. A critical incident technique was utilised: Junior doctors were asked to recall a challenging case in which they managed an acute medical emergency. Interviews were transcribed and coded using template analysis. A panel of subject matter experts were then consulted in order to refine this framework and develop an assessment tool for observing these skills. This involved two focus groups and an iterative process, returning to the original data to verify any changes. Results: Four categories of critical non-technical skills were identified: Situation awareness, decision-making, task management and teamwork. Each of these had between three and four sub-categories. Descriptors, exemplar behaviours and an assessment scale were developed to allow these non-technical skills to be observed and rated using a behavioural marker system. During the development of this tool, exploration of the data revealed the influence of factors such as hierarchy and culture on the behaviour of junior doctors. Conclusions: The performance of newly qualified doctors in acute care is influenced by the complex clinical environments in which they work. This can have profound implications for patient outcomes. The framework developed by this research allows us to be explicit about the types of behaviours that are required to keep patients safe. If this tool can be integrated into clinical training, then it could be used by clinicians to support the development of safe and effective skills and reduce the current level of avoidable patient harm