The Third Way for the Third Sector: Using Design to Transfer Knowledge and Improve Service in a Voluntary Community Sector Organisation

This paper describes a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership that concluded in September 2011. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is a UK-wide activity that helps organisations to improve their competitiveness and productivity by making better use of knowledge, technology and skills within universities, colleges and research organisations. This paper details the outcome of a KTP between Age UK Newcastle and Northumbria University’s School of Design that aimed to use Design approaches to improve the charity’s services. This paper will describe the recent context for organisations operating in the Voluntary Community Sector and discuss the relevance of a Design approach to both the improvement of customer services in this circumstance, as well as the transfer of knowledge to a capacity-starved organisation. It will also document how Design was used to achieve both of these aims, and the resulting impact of this engagement on the organisation and stakeholders

An analysis of integrative outcomes in the Dayton peace negotiations

The nature of the negotiated outcomes of the eight issues of the Dayton Peace Agreement was studied in terms of their integrative and distributive aspects. in cases where integrative elements were Sound, further analysis was conducted by concentrating on Pruitt's five types of integrative solutions: expanding the pie, cost cutting, non-specific compensation, logrolling, and bridging. The results showed that real world international negotiations can arrive at integrative agreements even when they involve redistribution of resources tin this case the redistribution of former Yugoslavia). Another conclusion was that an agreement can consist of several distributive outcomes and several integrative outcomes produced by different kinds of mechanisms. Similarly, in single issues more than one mechanism can be used simultaneously. Some distributive bargaining was needed in order to determine how much compensation was required. Finally, each integrative formula had some distributive aspects as well

Decontamination of a \u3cem\u3eHistoplasma capsulatum\u3c/em\u3e-Infested Blackbird Roost: Use of a Sprinkler System to Apply Formalin

When disturbed, blackbird/starling roost sites can be sources of locally severe outbreaks of histoplasmosis; therefore decontamination with formalin is sometimes prudent. We describe the use of a $5000 sprinkler system for spraying formalin on a Histoplasma capsulatum-infested roost site. This system precludes direct worker involvement in the application of this hazardous chemical to the area. Analysis of soil samples collected and cultured both before and after formalin treatment confirmed the eradication of H. capsulatum from the 1.3 ha site. Cost was approximately$17,000 with sprinkler system provided at no charge

Within-group behavioral variation promotes biased task performance and the emergence of a defensive caste in a social spider

The social spider Anelosimus studiosus exhibits a behavioral polymorphism where colony members express either a passive, tolerant behavioral tendency (social) or an aggressive, intolerant behavioral tendency (asocial). Here we test whether asocial individuals act as colony defenders by deflecting the suite of foreign (i.e., heterospecific) spider species that commonly exploit multi-female colonies. We (1) determined whether the phenotypic composition of colonies is associated with foreign spider abundance, (2) tested whether heterospecific spider abundance and diversity affect colony survival in the field, and (3) performed staged encounters between groups of A. studiosus and their colony-level predator Agelenopsis emertoni (A. emertoni)to determine whether asocial females exhibit more defensive behavior. We found that larger colonies harbor more foreign spiders, and the number of asocial colony members was negatively associated with foreign spider abundance. Additionally, colony persistence was negatively associated with the abundance and diversity of foreign spiders within colonies. In encounters with a colony-level predator, asocial females were more likely to exhibit escalatory behavior, and this might explain the negative association between the frequency of asocial females and the presence of foreign spider associates. Together, our results indicate that foreign spiders are detrimental to colony survival, and that asocial females play a defensive role in multi-female colonies

Optimizing crop production through control of water and salinity levels in the soil

Sizable investments have been made and continue to be made throughout the world to develop irrigation potentials. Recent food shortages have heightened the concern for obtaining greater returns to irrigation through improved water management and use. A knowledge of how plant growth cycles relate to moisture and salinity levels in the root zone is prerequisite to developing practical ways of maintaining optimum conditions for maximum production per unit of water concerned. This research further defines the role of irrigation timing and salinity management on crop production, and proposes practical techniques for predicting the crop response to management measures. Some of the advantages and special features of the research program outlined by the report are listed as follows: 1. The experimental design is unique in that a sprinkler line is used as a single source of water. This approach provides large volumes of yield data as influenced by water supplies available to the crop. These data will provide information on the following: a. Accurate evaluation of the basic water requirements of crops. b. The optimal sequencing of deficits during crop growth stages. c. The establishment of yield versus evapotranspiration relationships over the entire range of wter supply from rainfall (dryland) to over-irrigation. d. An evaluation of soil water holding capacities in terms of its contributions to the water needs of the crop. This information provides guidance on how to best utilize the root system of a given crop type as a water gathering tool in terms of time during the growing season. For example, planting date, plant spacing, and fertilizer practices will be influenced by this information. 2. The experimental layout is versatile in that it lends itself to a study of the effects on plant growth of input parameters other than water, such as fertility levels and plant spacing. 3. The design can be readily adapted to accommodate several varieties and/or species in the same experiment. 4. The research results are practical and generally applicable to a wide range of crop, climate, soil, and water supply (non site specific and site specific) conditions. 5. The research provides a clear demonstration (both visual and quantitative) of the beneficial effects of proper management practices on crop production. 6. The research deals with both domestic and international water problems involving crop production, namely, the influence of available soil measure and soil salinity on plant yields. 7. The research techniques are readily adaptable to application in developing countries. a. A sprinkler system for irrigation is not necessary though desireable. b. The research procedures are simple, inexpensive, easy to perform, and yet provide much information. 8. The research involves the join efforts of several institutions and utilizes highly experienced research principal investigators who have a proven record of effectively working together as an integrated team. 9. The validity of the research approach and the viability of the results have been demonstrated by current research. The main tasks remaining are to broaden the crop base and to test and demonstrate the applicability of the results to other areas throughout the world

Association of Myostatin on Performance and Carcass Traits in Crossbred Cattle

Calf-fed steers and yearling heifersgenotyped as homozygous active, heterozygous, or homozygous inactive for myostatin were used to evaluate performance and carcass traits from Piedmontese influenced cattle. Homozygous inactive steers had similar ADG, lower DMI and lower F:G when compared to steers influenced by active myostatin. Steers and heifers with inactive myostatin showed similar trends in carcass traits producing larger LM area, greater dressing percentages and leaner carcasses. Similar ADG, lower DMI, and improved F:G were observed for homozygous inactive compared to homozygous active steers. Cattle with inactive myostatin require more days on feed than homozygous active cattle to reach similar live BW and 12th rib fat endpoints

Association of Myostatin on Performance and Carcass Traits in Crossbred Cattle

Calf-fed steers and yearling heifersgenotyped as homozygous active, heterozygous, or homozygous inactive for myostatin were used to evaluate performance and carcass traits from Piedmontese influenced cattle. Homozygous inactive steers had similar ADG, lower DMI and lower F:G when compared to steers influenced by active myostatin. Steers and heifers with inactive myostatin showed similar trends in carcass traits producing larger LM area, greater dressing percentages and leaner carcasses. Similar ADG, lower DMI, and improved F:G were observed for homozygous inactive compared to homozygous active steers. Cattle with inactive myostatin require more days on feed than homozygous active cattle to reach similar live BW and 12th rib fat endpoints

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1, human protein interaction database at NCBI

The ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1), Human Protein Interaction Database’, available through the National Library of Medicine at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/RefSeq/HIVInteractions, was created to catalog all interactions between HIV-1 and human proteins published in the peer-reviewed literature. The database serves the scientific community exploring the discovery of novel HIV vaccine candidates and therapeutic targets. To facilitate this discovery approach, the following information for each HIV-1 human protein interaction is provided and can be retrieved without restriction by web-based downloads and ftp protocols: Reference Sequence (RefSeq) protein accession numbers, Entrez Gene identification numbers, brief descriptions of the interactions, searchable keywords for interactions and PubMed identification numbers (PMIDs) of journal articles describing the interactions. Currently, 2589 unique HIV-1 to human protein interactions and 5135 brief descriptions of the interactions, with a total of 14 312 PMID references to the original articles reporting the interactions, are stored in this growing database. In addition, all protein–protein interactions documented in the database are integrated into Entrez Gene records and listed in the ‘HIV-1 protein interactions’ section of Entrez Gene reports. The database is also tightly linked to other databases through Entrez Gene, enabling users to search for an abundance of information related to HIV pathogenesis and replication

Effects of Ralgro Implants on Growth, Sexual Development, Carcass Characteristics, and Eating Quality of Bulls Implanted From Birth to Slaughter

Growth, performance, sexual development, carcass characteristics, and eating quality were evaluated on 40 fall-born Angus bulls. Twenty of the bulls were implanted five times with Ralgro at an average interval of 106 days, beginning near birth. The other 20 bulls served as nonimplanted controls. Bull calves remained with their dams on native southeast Kansas pasture for an average of 320 days; they were then allotted to drylot pens (feedlot beginning) and placed on a 75% concentrate ration. Bulls from each treatment were fed to target weights of 1000 and 1100 pounds, and then slaughtered. Ralgro implanting increased average daily gain 6.6% over that of the controls from birth to the feedlot beginning, and 9.4% from the feedlot beginning to the first slaughter endpoint (196 days on feed). Feed efficiency was improved 8.2%, with implanting when the first group of implanted and control bulls were slaughtered (196 and 231 days on feed, respectively). Implanting reduced semen quality, reduced the number of bulls producing semen, and depressed the development of reproductive organs. Sex drive was unaffected by implanting. Implanting resulted in fatter carcasses and tended to increase yield grades, but did not affect final quality grades. Lean from control carcasses tended to be firmer and have a finer texture, but color was not affected by implanting. Loineye steaks from implanted bulls were significantly more tender, as judged by taste panel ratings and by Warner-Bratzler shear forces

Relational considerations in the use of influence tactics.

It is proposed that the existing relationship between the influencing agent and the target of influence plays a central role in the choice of using hard and soft influence tactics. In a field study, 3 key aspects of the relation between agent and target were examined. and the results generally supported our hypotheses. First, the more unfairly people felt they were treated, the more often they wielded influence, especially using harder influence tactics. Second. the better the influencing agent liked the target. the relatively less often he or she used hard tactics. Finally, the more the influencing agent felt dependent upon the target, the fewer influence tactics, both hard and soft, were used. The discussion focuses on both the practical and theoretical implications of these findings