Syngenta and Sustainability: Implications for Corporate Strategy

This poster was inspired by a case study developed by Syngenta, a global crop protection and seed company, in collaboration with Purdue University. As a company dedicated to promoting innovation, delivering value, and being a leader in its industry, Syngenta faces both challenges and opportunities with respect to the sustainability debate. This poster presents the major issues of sustainability in a global context, in an agribusiness context, and finally in the specific case of Syngenta. The concluding discussion represents the perspectives of a group of agribusiness professionals that discussed this case study in an executive education program on the Purdue University campus.Sustainability, strategy, agribusiness, Agribusiness, Food Security and Poverty,

Sustainability Strategies in U.S. Agribusiness: Understanding Key Drivers, Objectives, and Actions

sustainability, triple bottom line, strategy, stakeholders, supply chain, Agribusiness, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Risk and Uncertainty,

A New Look at Care in Pregnancy: Simple, Effective Interventions for Neglected Populations

Background Although this is beginning to change, the content of antenatal care has been relatively neglected in safe-motherhood program efforts. This appears in part to be due to an unwarranted belief that interventions over this period have far less impact than those provided around the time of birth. In this par, we review available evidence for 21 interventions potentially deliverable during pregnancy at high coverage to neglected populations in low income countries, with regard to effectiveness in reducing risk of: maternal mortality, newborn mortality, stillbirth, prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction. Selection was restricted to interventions that can be provided by non-professional health auxiliaries and not requiring laboratory support. Methods In this narrative review, we included relevant Cochrane and other systematic reviews and did comprehensive bibliographic searches. Inclusion criteria varied by intervention; where available randomized controlled trial evidence was insufficient, observational study evidence was considered. For each intervention we focused on overall contribution to our outcomes of interest, across varying epidemiologies. Results In the aggregate, achieving high effective coverage for this set of interventions would very substantially reduce risk for our outcomes of interest and reduce outcome inequities. Certain specific interventions, if pushed to high coverage have significant potential impact across many settings. For example, reliable detection of pre-eclampsia followed by timely delivery could prevent up to ¼ of newborn and stillbirth deaths and over 90% of maternal eclampsia/pre-eclampsia deaths. Other interventions have potent effects in specific settings: in areas of high P falciparum burden, systematic use of insecticide-treated nets and/or intermittent presumptive therapy in pregnancy could reduce maternal mortality by up to 10%, newborn mortality by up to 20%, and stillbirths by up to 25–30%. Behavioral interventions targeting practices at birth and in the hours that follow can have substantial impact in settings where many births happen at home: in such circumstances early initiation of breastfeeding can reduce risk of newborn death by up to 20%; good thermal care practices can reduce mortality risk by a similar order of magnitude. Conclusions Simple interventions delivered during pregnancy have considerable potential impact on important mortality outcomes. More programmatic effort is warranted to ensure high effective coverage

Retinal detachment post-phacoemulsification in Bichons Frises: A retrospective study of 54 dogs

Objective—To compare rates of retinal detachment (RD) post phacoemulsification in American Bichons Frises with and without prophylactic retinopexy. Procedures—Medical records of 54 Bichons Frises undergoing phacoemulsification with or without prophylactic retinopexy between 2003–2013 in one or both eyes were reviewed from five Midwestern university veterinary teaching hospitals. Inclusion criteria were pre-operative ERG, at least 6 months of follow up post phacoemulsification, and absence of pre-existing RD as determined by ophthalmic examination and/or ultrasound. Statistical analyses used chi-squared and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Wilson confidence intervals with the p value Results—Phacoemulsification was performed without retinopexy in 79 eyes (42 dogs, non-PR group) and with prophylactic retinopexy in 23 eyes (12 dogs, PR group). Incidence of diabetes mellitus was 10/42 and 3/12 in the non-PR and the PR groups respectively (p=0.93). Intraocular lens implantation was performed in 40/42 non-PR dogs and 11/12 PR dogs, (p=0.63, 73/79 versus 21/23 eyes). At final re-examination, RD occurred in 4/79 eyes without retinopexy, compared to 0/23 RD in the retinopexy group. There was no statistically significant difference in RD rates between the two groups (p=0.27) Conclusions—These data provide no statistical evidence to support prophylactic retinopexy in Bichon Frises. Due to the low rate of retinal detachment following phacoemulsification without prophylactic retinopexy, the procedure appears to offer limited benefit to offset cost, procedural risk and risk of extended or repeated anesthesia in Bichons Frises

Health policy engagement among graduate nursing students in the United States

Aim The aim was to understand how health policy education is currently being delivered in the United States’ graduate nursing programs. Methods This exploratory cross‐sectional design used an anonymous online survey to target graduate nursing students attending American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) member institutions. Results Over 75% of the sample (n = 140) reported taking a dedicated health policy course and 71.5% ( n = 131) of the sample responded that a health policy course was required and an equal distribution among master’s and doctoral students. There was no significant difference between type of graduate degree sought and the requirement to take a health policy course ( P = 0.37). For students involved in health policy, there was a greater proportion of master’s students involved at the state level, than doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) or PhD students ( P = 0.04). Conclusions Health policy and advocacy education are important aspects of graduate nursing curriculum and have been integrated into curricula. Graduate nursing students at all levels reported that health policy AACN Essential competencies are being included in their program, either as stand‐alone health policy courses or integrated health policy learning activities during matriculation

Cross-Transfer Effects on Muscle Strength, Size, and Quality following Unilateral Blood Flow Restriction Training

Unilateral resistance training (RT) has been shown to induce contralateral strength improvements in the untrained homologous muscle. Notably, low-load blood flow restriction (BFR) RT has shown superior increases in muscle strength and hypertrophy compared to low-load non-BFR RT. Previous literature has also reported that BFR RT has systemic cross-transfer effects of strength on other active skeletal muscles compared to low-load non-BFR RT. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose was to examine the cross-transfer effects of 4 weeks of unilateral BFR dorsiflexion RT on muscle strength, hypertrophy, and muscle quality. METHODS: Fourteen untrained participants were randomized into two groups: (BFR; n=8) (177.6 ± 4.1 cm, 84.8 ± 15.1 kg, 21.3 ± 1 years) or control (non-BFR; n=6) (173.2 ± 7.5 cm, 77.9 ± 10.3 kg, 23 ± 2.6 years). Subjects completed 4 weeks (8 sessions) of unilateral isokinetic dorsiflexion RT at 30% of their daily peak torque at a velocity of 60°/s. Isokinetic peak torque, echo intensity (EI), and muscle cross-sectional area (mCSA) were taken bilaterally pre and post RT. Statistical analyses included 3 separate 3-way mixed factorial ANOVAs (Group [BFR, non-BFR] x Time [pre, post] x Leg [right, left]). RESULTS: For isokinetic strength, there were no significant interactions or main effects (p\u3e.05). For EI, there were no significant interactions (p\u3e.05); however, when collapsed across time and leg, there was a significant main effect for group (p=.017; BFR (91.7 ± 1.6 vs. non-BFR (84.8 ± 1.9); mean ± SE). Furthermore, there was no significant interaction for mCSA (p\u3e.05), but there was a significant main effect for time (

McDonough, GA

Prepared by the Spring 2014 Preservation Planning class. These Design Guidelines explain and interpret general design criteria in the local preservation ordinance for the McDonough, serves as a tool to guide preliminary design decisions, preserves historic character of the area, protects and stabilizes property values, makes suggestions for design appropriateness and provides neighborhood continuity, stability and predictability in assessing future change. The purpose of this report is to provide recommendations that aid in the preservation of the unique architectural and historic character of the city.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1028/thumbnail.jp

Mutations in the histone methyltransferase gene KMT2B cause complex early-onset dystonia.

Histone lysine methylation, mediated by mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) proteins, is now known to be critical in the regulation of gene expression, genomic stability, cell cycle and nuclear architecture. Despite MLL proteins being postulated as essential for normal development, little is known about the specific functions of the different MLL lysine methyltransferases. Here we report heterozygous variants in the gene KMT2B (also known as MLL4) in 27 unrelated individuals with a complex progressive childhood-onset dystonia, often associated with a typical facial appearance and characteristic brain magnetic resonance imaging findings. Over time, the majority of affected individuals developed prominent cervical, cranial and laryngeal dystonia. Marked clinical benefit, including the restoration of independent ambulation in some cases, was observed following deep brain stimulation (DBS). These findings highlight a clinically recognizable and potentially treatable form of genetic dystonia, demonstrating the crucial role of KMT2B in the physiological control of voluntary movement.Funding for the project was provided by the Wellcome Trust for UK10K (WT091310) and DDD Study. The DDD study presents independent research commissioned by the Health Innovation Challenge Fund [grant number HICF-1009-003] - see www.ddduk.org/access.html for full acknowledgement. This work was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute and the Common Fund, NIH Office of the Director. This work was supported in part by the German Ministry of Research and Education (grant nos. 01GS08160 and 01GS08167; German Mental Retardation Network) as part of the National Genome Research Network to A.R. and D.W. and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (AB393/2-2) to A.R. Brain expression data was provided by the UK Human Brain Expression Consortium (UKBEC), which comprises John A. Hardy, Mina Ryten, Michael Weale, Daniah Trabzuni, Adaikalavan Ramasamy, Colin Smith and Robert Walker, affiliated with UCL Institute of Neurology (J.H., M.R., D.T.), King’s College London (M.R., M.W., A.R.) and the University of Edinburgh (C.S., R.W.)

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and populations age, non-fatal outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a larger component of the global burden of disease. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 328 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016

Sustainability strategies in agribusiness: Understanding key drivers, objectives, and actions

The topic of sustainability which involves simultaneously addressing the issues of environmental integrity, social equity, and economic prosperity has become increasingly important for companies in most industries over the past few decades. Agribusiness companies in particular face a number of concerns including global food security, the environmental impacts of agriculture, fair labor standards, and health and safety. Society looks to businesses in addition to government as a major source of solutions because they often have the technology, financial resources, and capabilities to invest in new knowledge and drive innovation. Since sustainability is considered a complex or “wicked problem” that is difficult to define or solve using traditional processes, companies adopt a range of sustainability strategies that can be classified as a series of levels or stages. The purpose of this study is to explore the domain of sustainability from the agribusiness perspective and to identify factors that influence an agribusiness company’s sustainability strategies in terms of views, actions, and performance measures. A total of 114 surveys were collected from a survey of agribusiness professionals administered at Purdue University. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis procedures identified two groups of companies in terms of sustainability views (Broad and Narrow Sustainability) and three groups of companies relating to sustainability actions (Active, Planning, and Inactive) among agribusiness companies. Logit regression analysis was then used to examine the significant factors in determining a company’s association with a particular group. In this study, internal pressures from management were positively correlated with being a member of the Broad Sustainability group and the Active group, the highest levels for sustainability views and actions respectively. No other internal or external pressures had as much of an influence. In addition, there was no strong evidence that the size of a company was significant in determining a company’s level of sustainability. Finally, results tended to suggest that a respondent’s personal knowledge and perceptions of sustainability may have influenced how his or her company’s interpretation of sustainability was communicated