Climate-Smart Agriculture in Rwanda

The climate-smart agriculture (CSA) concept reflects an ambition to improve the integration of agriculture development and climate responsiveness. It aims to achieve food security and broader development goals under a changing climate and increasing food demand. CSA initiatives sustainably increase productivity, enhance resilience, and reduce/remove greenhouse gases (GHGs), and require planning to address tradeoffs and synergies between these three pillars: productivity, adaptation, and mitigation [1]. The priorities of different countries and stakeholders are reflected to achieve more efficient, effective, and equitable food systems that address challenges in environmental, social, and economic dimensions across productive landscapes. While the concept is new, and still evolving, many of the practices that make up CSA already exist worldwide and are used by farmers to cope with various production risks [2]. Mainstreaming CSA requires critical stocktaking of ongoing and promising practices for the future, and of institutional and financial enablers for CSA adoption. This country profile provides a snapshot of a developing baseline created to initiate discussion, both within countries and globally, about entry points for investing in CSA at scale

A new concept and a comprehensive evaluation of SYSMEX UF-1000i flow cytometer to identify culture-negative urine specimens in patients with UTI

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in men and urine culture is gold standard for diagnosis. Considering the high prevalence of culture-negative specimens, any method that identifies such specimens is of interest. The aim was to evaluate a new screening concept for flow cytometry analysis (FCA). The outcomes were evaluated against urine culture, uropathogen species and three conventional screening methods. A prospective, consecutive study examined 1,312 urine specimens, collected during January and February 2012. The specimens were analyzed using the Sysmex UF1000i FCA. Based on the FCA data culture negative specimens were identified in a new model by use of linear discriminant analysis (FCA-LDA). In total 1,312 patients were included. In- and outpatients represented 19.6% and 79.4%, respectively; 68.3% of the specimens originated from women. Of the 610 culture-positive specimens, Escherichia coli represented 64%, enterococci 8% and Klebsiella spp. 7%. Screening with FCA-LDA at 95% sensitivity identified 42% (552/1312) as culture negative specimens when UTI was defined according to European guidelines. The proposed screening method was either superior or similar in comparison to the three conventional screening methods. In conclusion, the proposed/suggested and new FCA-LDA screening method was superior or similar to three conventional screening methods. We recommend the proposed screening method to be used in clinic to exclude culture negative specimens, to reduce workload, costs and the turnaround time. In addition, the FCA data may add information that enhance handling and support diagnosis of patients with suspected UTI pending urine culture.Errata European Journal of Clinical Microbiology &amp; Infectious Diseases (2017) 36: 1705. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-017-3059-8</p

A genome-wide test for paternal indirect genetic effects on lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster

Exposing sires to various environmental manipulations has demonstrated that paternal effects can be non-trivial also in species where male investment in offspring is almost exclusively limited to sperm. Whether paternal effects also have a genetic component (i.e. paternal indirect genetic effects (PIGEs)) in such species is however largely unknown, primarily because of methodological difficulties separating indirect from direct effects of genes. PIGEs may nevertheless be important since they have the capacity to contribute to evolutionary change. Here we use Drosophila genetics to construct a breeding design that allows testing nearly complete haploid genomes (more than 99%) for PIGEs. Using this technique, we estimate the variance in male lifespan due to PIGEs among four populations and compare this to the total paternal genetic variance (the sum of paternal indirect and direct genetic effects). Our results indicate that a substantial part of the total paternal genetic variance results from PIGEs. A screen of 38 haploid genomes, randomly sampled from a single population, suggests that PIGEs also influence variation in lifespan within populations. Collectively, our results demonstrate that PIGEs may constitute an underappreciated source of phenotypic variation

Et kompetansemiljø for tverrfaglighet, en undersøkelse av mindset og delingskultur hos NT6

Denne oppgaven skal ta for seg hvordan man kan utvikle en delingskultur hos kompetansemiljøet NT6. Med relevant teori hentet fra litteratur om organisasjoner, tenkemåte (mindset), og innovasjon blir casestudiet teoretisk og bestående av flere analyseenheter. Gjennom kvantitativ og kvalitativ tilnærming samles det inn data som senere analyseres og settes opp mot teorien i form av teoretiske antakelser og delproblemstillinger. Kompetansemiljøets tilnærming til konkurransepregede markeder er nytenkende og annerledes, samtidig som det bidrar til at man skal ha større sannsynlighet for å overleve som nyoppstartet bedrift. Hvilke kulturelle forskjeller vil man møte i denne strukturen som man ikke møter til vanlig? Hvordan skal delingen bli optimal

Results from Ward hierarchical cluster analysis based on Spearman correlation.

<p>The analysis resulted in five clusters: the <i>Hop performance and knee strength</i> cluster is associated with absolute measurements of functional tests and knee strength measures; the <i>Perceived knee function</i> cluster is linked with scores and questionnaires; the <i>Knee function reflected in activity and health cluster</i> contains a mixture of variables of different character; the <i>Knee strength ratio</i> and the <i>Limb asymmetry</i> clusters were mainly associated with relative measurements between legs (LSI) in functional tests.</p

Distributions of the estimator of knee function and the test battery variables.

<p>The distribution of each of the variables included in the estimator of knee function (w) for each of the two groups, <i>i</i>.<i>e</i>. individuals with an ACL injury and healthy-knee controls. For the estimator of knee function, values close to 1 indicate a good knee function, and values close to 0 indicate the opposite. Quadriceps concentric strength was measured in Nm/kg; the one-leg hop for distance in meters, the one-leg balance in number of floor support, and the side hop in number of side hops.</p

Misclassification rates for different sizes of test batteries.

<p>Misclassification rates for about 72 000 test batteries of different sizes, representing different combinations of the included test variables. The size of the test battery is the number of included variables. The misclassification rate should be as low as possible. The results for combinations consisting of 5, 10, 15 and 20 variables are based on 10000 random samples. The horizontal line indicates our threshold (0.2) for the highest acceptable misclassification rate.</p

Illustration of the data structure and the statistical approach.

<p>First, correlation analysis combined with cluster analysis is applied to better understand the relationship between all outcome variables. Potential test batteries are then investigated using logistic regression and subsequently evaluated based on their misclassification rate and on their feasibility. The combined outcomes of the final test battery result in an estimator of knee function, again using logistic regression. Finally, this new variable (estimator of knee function) is analyzed using traditional statistical approaches such as Spearman rank correlation and Wilcoxon rank sum test.</p

Misclassification rates and the T:E-index for a selected subset of test batteries.

<p>Misclassification rates and the T:E-index for a selected subset of test batteries.</p

Participant characteristics.

<p>Participant characteristics.</p