AFES Miscellaneous Publication 2010-02

Research has been conducted since 2001 to assist growers in identifying components of peony field cut flower production and distribution from field selection and planting to post harvest handling and packaging for export. This experiment addressed three components of the production cycle: field planting dates, root quality and plant productivity, and post harvest handling of cut stems. In a comparison of planting times (autumn, spring or as containerized plants in mid summer), ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ and ‘Felix Crouse’ showed no difference in shoot number and growth one full year after planting. ‘Duchess de Nemours’ and ‘Alexander Fleming’ showed significant reductions in growth compared to the other cultivars, and we suspect disease rather than planting time as the problem. All treatments where bud break had occurred in storage with ‘Duchess de Nemours’ and ‘Alexander Fleming,’ new shoots rotted, and recovery was slow. A treatment of elemental sulfur was not sufficient to protect roots from storage rot. ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ roots and crown buds were weighed, counted and measured prior to planting in order to learn if a correlation exists between root quality and subsequent growth and flowering. Three root attributes were correlated with the total number of stems produced: total number of eyes per plant, total number of roots per plant, and root fresh weight. Characteristics such as root length and maximum diameter were not correlated with subsequent growth. We found no relationship between any root characteristics and the number of flowering stems and foliage height in the first year. The attributes that showed correlation could not be fitted to a linear or curvilinear model explaining the nature of the correlation. Larger sample sizes will be necessary to clarify these relationships. The best method for handling peony cut flowers for greatest vase life is to cut peonies dry and store them dry in a cooler (34°F) at 80+% relative humidity until shipping. Use of water in buckets in the field or pulsing flowers with water in the cooler does not improve vase life of peonies. Under optimum conditions, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peonies lasted up to 15 days in a vase, 8-9 days from bud break to full bloom, and an additional 5-6 days in full bloom. Chilling in a cooler is the most important attribute to long vase life

Automating software design system DESTA

'DESTA' is the acronym for the Dialogue Evolutionary Synthesizer of Turnkey Algorithms by means of a natural language (Russian or English) functional specification of algorithms or software being developed. DESTA represents the computer-aided and/or automatic artificial intelligence 'forgiving' system which provides users with software tools support for algorithm and/or structured program development. The DESTA system is intended to provide support for the higher levels and earlier stages of engineering design of software in contrast to conventional Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems which provide low level tools for use at a stage when the major planning and structuring decisions have already been taken. DESTA is a knowledge-intensive system. The main features of the knowledge are procedures, functions, modules, operating system commands, batch files, their natural language specifications, and their interlinks. The specific domain for the DESTA system is a high level programming language like Turbo Pascal 6.0. The DESTA system is operational and runs on an IBM PC computer

Tackling child sexual exploitation: a study of current practice in London

This report was commissioned by London Councils and the London Safeguarding Children Board and written by Beckett, H; Firmin, C; Hynes, P and Pearce JIn autumn 2013, London Councils commissioned a team of researchers from the University of Bedfordshire to map current responses to child sexual exploitation (CSE) across London. This summary report presents an overview of the key findings of the study; please refer to the full report for further details on, and context to, the study.1 The study was conducted in October / November 2013. The findings are drawn from an in-depth quantitative survey (completed by 30 London boroughs and local safeguarding children boards) and eight semi-structured interviews with statutory and voluntary sector providers. The report provides a snapshot of current responses to CSE across London, in relation to: Local scoping of the issue; Local policies and procedures; Training and awareness raising; Identification and early intervention (re. victims and perpetrators); Responding to cases of CSE (re. victims and perpetrators); and Overarching reflections on progress and challenges. Although there is still much progress to be made, the report encouragingly demonstrates that significant work is underway within this field, with pertinent learning emerging from a number of different boroughs

Effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a programme developed to prevent depression relapse, but has been applied for other disorders. Our objective was to systematically review and meta-analyse the evidence on the effectiveness and safety of MBCT for the treatment of mental disorders. METHODS: Searches were completed in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, PsychINFO, and PsycEXTRA in March 2011 using a search strategy with the terms 'mindfulness-based cognitive therapy', 'mindfulness', and 'randomised controlled trials' without time restrictions. Selection criteria of having a randomised controlled trial design, including patients diagnosed with mental disorders, using MBCT according to the authors who developed MBCT and providing outcomes that included changes in mental health were used to assess 608 reports. Two reviewers applied the pre-determined selection criteria and extracted the data into structured tables. Meta-analyses and sensitivity analyses were completed. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included. Most of them evaluated depression and compared additive MBCT against usual treatment. After 1 year of follow-up MBCT reduced the rate of relapse in patients with three or more previous episodes of depression by 40% (5 studies, relative risk [95% confidence interval]: 0.61 [0.48, 0.79]). Other meta-analysed outcomes were depression and anxiety, both with significant results but unstable in sensitivity analyses. Methodological quality of the reports was moderate. CONCLUSION: Based on this review and meta-analyses, MBCT is an effective intervention for patients with three or more previous episodes of major depression

mHealth intervention development to support patients with active tuberculosis

Background: Mobile Health (mHealth) based interventions have been increasingly used to improve a broad range of health outcomes. However, few researchers have reported on the process or the application of theory to guide the development of mHealth based interventions, or specifically for tuberculosis (TB) treatment management. Aims: To describe the steps, process, and considerations in developing a text messaging-based intervention to promote treatment adherence and provide support to patients with active TB. Methods: Traditional qualitative techniques, including semi-structured interviews, field notes, content analysis, iterative coding, and thematic analysis, were used to design and document the intervention development with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians, administrators, and patients who were in active TB treatment. The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model was used to guide the coding scheme for content analysis of patient-directed TB educational material and intervention development. Results: The development steps included: a) establishing intervention components, including justifications, considerations, timing and frequency of components; b) developing educational messages, including cultural adaption, text or short message service (SMS) formatting, and prioritizing message delivery order; and c) determining implementation protocol. A set of 16 IMB-based messages were developed for the educational component. Final intervention development was achieved in 3 months. Conclusion: A collaborative approach and application of a theory to guide the intervention design and development is supported. Although a collaborative approach was more time consuming, it resulted in a more responsive, culturally appropriate, and comprehensive intervention. Considerations for developing a text messaging based intervention are provided and may serve as a guide for similar interventions. Further empirical evidence is needed for applying the IMB model for adherence-promotion in TB efforts

Can stimulus enhancement explain the apparent success of the model-rival technique in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)?

The model-rival technique is a method of training whereby an animal learns the distinguishing features of a target object, such as name and colour, by observing a trainer and a potential competitor engage in conversation about these features. In this study the apparent effectiveness of the model-rival technique in training dogs to perform a selection-retrieval task by McKinley and Young McKinley, S., Young, R.J., 2003. The efficacy of the model-rival method when compared with operant conditioning for training domestic dogs to perform a retrieval-selection task. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 81, 357-365 was investigated to evaluate the hypothesis that simpler forms of learning may be responsible for the results. This was tested by repeating McKinley and Young's model-rival training method and comparing the results to those of training sessions devised to include different forms of stimulus enhancement of the object to be retrieved. These training sessions involved: minimal enhancement, during which the experimenters made no interactions with the target object; indirect stimulus enhancement, during which both experimenters switched their gaze between the dog and the target object; or direct stimulus enhancement, during which one of the experimenters held the target object. It was found that only the model-rival and direct enhancement methods resulted in a significant number of dogs successfully completing the selection-retrieval test. There was also evidence to suggest that with the direct stimulus enhancement training method dogs learned quicker than with the model-rival training method. It was concluded that dogs are able to learn to retrieve a named object in a selection-retrieval task as a result of simple stimulus enhancement, without necessarily understanding the complex cognitive processes which underpin learning in the model-rival process. c 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

An economic analysis of a contingency model utilising vaccination for the control of equine influenza in a non-endemic country

BACKGROUND:Equine influenza (EI) is an infectious respiratory disease of horses that has never been reported in New Zealand (NZ). However, the 2007 EI outbreak in Australia, previously EI free, spurred the NZ government and stakeholders into evaluating alternative EI control strategies in order to economically justify any future decision to eradicate or manage EI. To build on the policy debate, this paper presents an epinomic (epidemiologic and economic) modelling approach to evaluate alternative control strategies. An epidemiologic model to determine how alternative EI control strategies influence the distribution of EI. Model results were then input into a cost-benefit analysis framework, to identify the return and feasibility of alternative EI eradication strategies in NZ. METHODS:The article explores nine alternative eradication scenarios and two baseline strategies. The alternative scenarios consisted of three vaccination strategies (suppressive, protective or targeted) starting at three time points to reflect the commercial breeding-cycle. These alternatives were compared to two breeding-cycle adjusted baselines: movement restriction in the breeding season (August to January) or non-breeding season (February to July). The economic loss parameters were incursion response, impact to the commercial racing industry (breeding, sales and racing), horse morbidity and mortality, and compensation to industry participants. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:Results suggest that the economic viability of the EI eradication programme is dependent on when within the breeding-cycle the EI outbreak occurs. If an outbreak were to occur, the return on each dollar invested for protective or suppressive vaccination strategies would be between NZD$3.67 to NZD$4.89 and between NZD$3.08 to NZD$3.50 in the breeding and non-breeding seasons, respectively. Therefore, protective or suppressive vaccination strategies could be prioritised, regardless of season. As multiple industry stakeholders benefit from these strategies, the study will enable policy development and to better formulate a user-pays eradication programme

Quantitative Methods in Contexts of Everyday Violence

The analysis of violence from an individual or household perspective is arguably one of the most challenging research areas in social science. Outbreaks of violence affect the core of human relations and social norms. They occur in non?linear cycles, and co?exist at different levels of social interaction within the family, the community or the state. Analysis of this complexity cannot be restricted to one social science discipline or method of analysis. This article reflects on an innovative methodology adopted to capture the experience of living with violence in communities in Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico and Nigeria. The methodology confronted disciplinary boundaries by encouraging close dialogue between quantitative and qualitative researchers in violent settings, and creating processes for learning and sharing. This article describes the methodology, presents the main results of the quantitative analysis and reflects on the challenges and lessons

Gender Differences in HIV and Hepatitis C Related Vulnerabilities Among Aboriginal Young People Who Use Street Drugs in Two Canadian Cities

Objectives: Vulnerability to HIV and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection for indigenous populations worldwide must be contextualized in experiences of current and past trauma. Aboriginal women entrenched in poverty face further gender-specific harms which place them at increased risk for HIV infection. Methods: This study was cross-sectional and based on a community-based sample of Aboriginal young people (Métis, Abo- riginal, First Nations, Inuit, and non-status Indians) between the ages of 14 and 30 years who used injection or non-injection non- cannabis illegal drugs (street drugs) in the previous month. Between October 2003 and July 2005, 543 participants living in either Vancouver or Prince George, Canada, were recruited by word of mouth, posters, and street outreach. Young people in the study completed a questionnaire administered by Aboriginal interviewers. Female participants (n D 262) were compared to male participants (n D 281) with respect to sociodemographics, trauma, sexual risk variables, and drug use patterns. Trained nurses drew blood samples for HIV and HCV antibodies and provided pre- and post-test counseling. Results: Proportions positive for HIV and HCV were significantly higher among young women. HIV was 13.1% [9.5, 17.7] in women compared to 4.3% [2.5, 7.4] in men, and HCV was 43.6% [37.6, 49.8] in women as compared to 25.4% [20.5, 30.9] in men. When the analysis was restricted to young people who reported injection drug use, the proportions positive for HIV and HCV remained significantly higher among young women. Experiences of forced sex were reported by 70% of young women compared to 29% of young men, p \u3c 0:001, while the median age of first forced sex was 6-years-old for both men and women. Discussion: The results of the final model indicated that HIV had been associated with residing in Vancouver, having injected for longer, and sexual abuse, but not being female. However, this gendered analysis demonstrated that a greater proportion of young women were experiencing sexual abuse, and sexual abuse was asso- ciated with HIV positive status. Harm reduction and drug treatment programs are urgently required that target women at a young age and address complex traumatic experiences associated with childhood sexual abuse

The Formation and Survival of Discs in a Lambda-CDM Universe

We study the formation of galaxies in a Lambda-CDM Universe using high resolution hydrodynamical simulations with a multiphase treatment of gas, cooling and feedback, focusing on the formation of discs. Our simulations follow eight haloes similar in mass to the Milky Way and extracted from a large cosmological simulation without restriction on spin parameter or merger history. This allows us to investigate how the final properties of the simulated galaxies correlate with the formation histories of their haloes. We find that, at z = 0, none of our galaxies contain a disc with more than 20 per cent of its total stellar mass. Four of the eight galaxies nevertheless have well-formed disc components, three have dominant spheroids and very small discs, and one is a spheroidal galaxy with no disc at all. The z = 0 spheroids are made of old stars, while discs are younger and formed from the inside-out. Neither the existence of a disc at z = 0 nor the final disc-to-total mass ratio seems to depend on the spin parameter of the halo. Discs are formed in haloes with spin parameters as low as 0.01 and as high as 0.05; galaxies with little or no disc component span the same range in spin parameter. Except for one of the simulated galaxies, all have significant discs at z > ~2, regardless of their z = 0 morphologies. Major mergers and instabilities which arise when accreting cold gas is misaligned with the stellar disc trigger a transfer of mass from the discs to the spheroids. In some cases, discs are destroyed, while in others, they survive or reform. This suggests that the survival probability of discs depends on the particular formation history of each galaxy. A realistic Lambda-CDM model will clearly require weaker star formation at high redshift and later disc assembly than occurs in our models.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, mn2e.cls. MNRAS in press, updated to match published versio