Dyrkning i planterester giver mindre ukrudt

News release from the Danish part of SoilVe

Promising no-tillage organic systems for vegetable crops

News release from the Danish trials of SoilVe

An Electromyographic Study of Trunk Muscle Activity during Exercise on the Fitness Plus Rotary Torso Unit

Strengthening of trunk musculature is an important part of prevention and treatment for low back pain. Various machines have been developed to target the trunk muscles. The Rotary Torso Unit is being marketed by Fitness Plus Inc, however, no research has been conducted to validate the claims made by the manufacturer. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure and describe the muscle activity elicited while exercising on the Fitness Plus Rotary Torso Unit. For this study we used 14 healthy male subjects between the ages of22 and 40 and with no prior history of back pathology. The results of this study show that the Rotary Torso Unit is successful in recruiting the rectus abdominus, internal obliques, external obliques, and erector spinae musculature as was claimed by the company. The results indicate that the Rotary Torso Unit could be an effective tool for the abdominal muscle strengthening. Use of the Rotary Torso Unit in conjunction with other trunk strengthening machines may provide protection and strength of the lumbar spine during functional activities

Dyrkning i planterester giver mindre ukrudt giver mindre ukrudt

News release from the Danish field trial of SoilVeg 201

Syntetiska feromoner som stressreducerande behandling av katt

Ett akut stressvar är nödvändigt för överlevnad, men när stress blir kronisk kan problem uppstå. Kronisk stress leder till en mängd fysiologiska och känslomässiga effekter som är negativa för djuret och dess omgivning. Feromoner är kroppsegna doftsignaler som används av de flesta däggdjur för kommunikation och revirmarkering. Dessa kan tillverkas syntetiskt och användas för att behandla stressrelaterade problem hos bland annat katter. Fem olika ansiktsferomoner från katt har isolerats. Två av dessa – fraktion F3 och F4 – har kända användningsområden inom veterinärmedicin. F3 används av katten för ansiktsmarkeringar i det egna reviret och kan nyttjas för att skapa en tryggare miljö för katten i olika situationer där risk för stress föreligger. Därmed reduceras fysiologiska och etologiska effekter av kronisk stress. F4 är antagonist till irritations- och territorialaggression och kan användas i situationer där katten behöver konfronteras med en okänd människa, exempelvis vid klinisk undersökning, för ökad chans till fredlig kontakt. Båda fraktionerna är intressanta för användning inom det veterinärmedicinska fältet. Dels som komplement till behandling av beteendeproblem och sjukdomar där kronisk stress är en bidragande faktor, dels för att skapa miljöer där det är önskvärt att katter utsätts för så lite stress som möjligt, till exempel vid inläggning på djursjukhus

Dyrkning i planterester giver mindre ukrudt

News from the Danish field trials of SoilVeg 201

Schmallenbergvirus hos idisslare i Gazaprovinsen, Moçambique

Schmallenberg virus was discovered in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany in 2011. The virus spread over most of Europe during the following years, including United Kingdom and the Nordic countries. Its origins are yet to be discovered. Schmallenberg virus belongs to the Simbu serogroup of the Bunyaviridae family, genus Orthobunyavirus. Where, exactly, on the phylogenetic tree of Simbu serogroup viruses it should be placed is not concluded, but its closest relatives seem to be Shamonda virus, Aino virus, Akabane virus and Sathuperi virus. The susceptible species are primarily ruminants, but Schmallenberg virus and its antibodies have occasionally been found in dogs. No evidence of zoonotic potential has been found. The virus is mainly transmitted by different species of biting midges of the genus Culicoides. Transplacental transmission can occur during the early part of pregnancy in ruminants, after placentomes have been formed. Infectious Schmallenberg virus has also been found to be shed in semen of cattle and sheep, thus horizontal transmission is possible in theory but has not yet been proven experimentally. Clinical symptoms in adult cattle, sheep and goats are usually mild or absent, lasts only a few days and includes fever, reduced milk yield and diarrhoea. Transplacental transmission can, but does not always, lead to congenital Schmallenberg. If it does, the most common symptoms are malformations such as arthrogryposis (joint deformity/contracture) and different malformations of the vertebral column and brain. Reduced body weight in affected calves at birth seems to be correlated to the severity of the malformations. Infected foetuses are sometimes aborted or stillborn. Schmallenberg virus antibodies are detectable by indirect methods such as ELISA and virus neutralization test. Cross reactions with antibodies directed against other viruses of the Simbu serogroup are known to occur. In the present study, seroprevalence for Schmallenberg virus in the Gaza province in southern Mozambique was investigated in cattle, sheep and goats, using competitive Schmallenberg ELISA. The overall seroprevalence in cattle was approximately 90 %, in sheep close to 60 % and almost 75 % in goats. All investigated herds and flocks had seropositive animals. Detection of Schmallenberg viral RNA is possible by real-time RT-PCR, either specific for just Schmallenberg virus, or a general pan-Simbu real-time RT-PCR. Some samples in the present study that were positive in competitive ELISA were analysed using pan-Simbu real-time RT-qPCR. None of the included samples gave a positive result in the PCR. The findings in this study show that antibodies able to produce a positive result in Schmallenberg virus ELISA circulates the Gaza province in Mozambique. The virus responsible for the positive results might be Schmallenberg virus, but it can as well be one or many other Simbu serogroup viruses. Cross reactivity cannot be ruled out, but is on the contrary quite possible, since other members of the Simbu serogroup are known to circulate in Africa. Further studies in Mozambique, or other parts of southern Africa, would be of interest to determine which virus or viruses that are causing the positive ELISA results. Virus neutralization tests can be used to investigate which Simbu serogroup virus or viruses that are circulating the area. Schmallenberg virus and Simbu serogroup virus detection is of even greater interest, but this might prove difficult due to the short viremic period of Schmallenberg virus and other Simbu serogroup viruses. Since Schmallenberg virus shedding in semen can continue for more than two months in some individuals, virus detection in semen might be a viable way. Virus detection in the vector can also be possible to achieve, especially if very many biting midges are included.Schmallenbergviruset upptäcktes i Nordrhein-Westfalen i Tyskland år 2011. Det spred sig över Europa, inklusive Storbritannien och Norden, under de följande åren. Var viruset ursprungligen kom ifrån är ännu okänt. Schmallenbergvirus tillhör Simbu-serogruppen i familjen Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus, men exakt var på det fylogenetiska trädet det ska placeras in är ännu inte helt klarlagt. Dess närmsta släktingar tycks vara Shamondavirus, Ainovirus, Akabanevirus och Sathuperivirus. Mottagliga djurslag är framför allt idisslare, men Schmallenbergvirus och antikroppar riktade mot viruset har påträffats även hos hundar. Det finns inga indikationer på att viruset har någon zoonotisk potential. Huvudsakligen överförs Schmallenbergvirus genom olika arter av svidknott, tillhörande genuset Culicoides. Transplacental överföring av viruset kan ske under tidig dräktighet hos idisslare, efter att placentomen har bildats. Infektiöst Schmallenbergvirus har också påträffats i sperma från tjur och bagge och viruset skulle därför i teorin kunna överföras horisontellt vid parning. Detta har dock inte påvisats experimentellt ännu. Nöt, får och getter visar vanligtvis milda eller inga kliniska symptom vid smitta. Symptomen kan innefatta feber, minskad mjölkproduktion och diarré hos vuxna djur. Transplacental överföring kan, men behöver inte, resultera i kongenital Schmallenberg. De vanligaste symptomen hos intrauterint smittade kalvar, lamm och killingar är arthrogryposis (ledmissbildningar och ledkontrakturer) och missbildningar i ryggraden och hjärnan. Lägre födselvikt hos smittade kalvar tycks korrespondera med gravare missbildningar. Infekterade foster kan även aborteras eller vara dödfödda. Indirekta metoder såsom ELISA och virusneutraliseringstest kan användas för att detektera antikroppar mot Schmallenbergvirus. Det är känt att korsreaktioner med antikroppar riktade mot andra virus i Simbu-serogruppen kan förekomma. I denna studie har seroprevalensen för antikroppar hos kor, får och getter i Gazaprovinsen i Moçambique undersökts med Schmallenberg-ELISA. Seroprevalensen hos samtliga undersökta kor var ungefär 90 %, hos får nära 60 % och strax under 75 % hos getter. Alla undersökta besättningar hade seropositiva djur. Det är möjligt att hitta Schmallenbergvirus-RNA med hjälp av realtids-RT-PCR, antingen specifik för Schmallenbergvirus eller en mer generaliserad realtids-RT-PCR som inkluderar flera virus ur Simbu-serogruppen. Vissa av de ELISA-positiva proverna i denna studie analyserades med hjälp av pan-Simbu realtids-RT-qPCR, men inget prov gav positivt utslag för något Simbuvirus. Resultatet av denna studie bekräftar att antikroppar, som kan ge positivt utslag i Schmallenberg- ELISA, cirkulerar i Gazaprovinsen i Moçambique. Viruset som föranlett detta antikroppssvar kan vara Schmallenbergvirus, men det kan lika gärna vara orsakat av ett eller flera andra Simbuvirus. Korsreaktivitet kan inte uteslutas, utan är tvärtom ganska sannolik, eftersom det är välkänt att andra virus ur Simbu-serogruppen cirkulerar i Afrika. Vidare studier i Moçambique eller andra delar av södra Afrika är av intresse för att kunna undersöka vilket eller vilka virus som orsakat det positiva ELISA-resultatet. För att undersöka vilka Simbuvirus som finns i området kan virusneutraliseringstest användas. Att upptäcka RNA från Schmallenbergvirus eller andra Simbuvirus är av ännu större intresse, men detta kan visa sig vara svårt att uppnå med tanke på den korta viremiperioden som dessa ger upphov till. Eftersom Schmallenbergvirus utsöndras i sperma i mer än två månader hos vissa individer kan virusdetektion i sperma kanske vara en möjlig väg. Virusdetektion i vektorn är också en möjlighet, särskilt om det går att inkludera ett stort antal svidknott i en sådan studie

Learning to navigate: the centrality of instructions and assessments for developing students\u27 professional competencies in simulator-based training

Despite the promises of simulations to contribute to learning in safe-critical domains, research suggests that simulators are poorly implemented in maritime education and training systems. From the current state of research, it is far from evident how instruction in simulator-based should be designed and how skills trained in bridge simulators should be assessed and connected to professional practice. On this background, this article aims to investigate the role of instructions and assessments for developing students\u27 professional competencies in simulation-based learning environments. The research draws on ethnographic fieldwork and detailed analyses of video-recorded data to examine how maritime instructors make use of simulator technologies in a navigation course. Our results reveal an instructional practice in which the need to account for general principles of good seamanship and anti-collision regulations is at the core of basic navigation training. The meanings of good seamanship and the rules of the sea are hard to teach in abstraction because their application relies on an infinite number of contingencies that have to be accounted for in every specific case. Based on this premise, we stress the importance of instructional support throughout training (from briefing thorough scenario to debriefing) in order for the instructor to bridge theory and practice in ways that develop students\u27 competencies. Our results highlight, in detail, how simulator technologies enable displaying and assessing such competencies by supporting instructors to continuously monitor, assess, and provide feedback to the students during training sessions. Moreover, our results show how simulator-based training is related to the work conditions on board a seagoing vessel through the instructor\u27s systematic accomplishments. Finally, our results highlight the close relationship between technical and non-technical skills in navigation, and how these are intertwined in training for everyday maritime operations

An interprofessional day of hi-fi simulation of Family and Domestic Violence with midwifery students and social work students

An interprofessional simulated learning day with standardized patients (hired actors) was held for student midwives and student social workers in a simulated hospital ward in response to a situation involving Family and Domestic Violence (FDV). Two scenes were pre-written and an unplanned scene was also improvised. Initial evaluation of the session was conducted by questionnaire, with capacity for quantitative responses using a five point Likert Scale and qualitative replies to questions via textbox. A focus group with the six midwifery students offered an opportunity to provide feedback the following week. Overall findings suggest that students found the simulation a realistic, valuable and safe experience. Student midwives felt less prepared than the social work students and some were confronted by the realism when faced with a scene of FDV; all valued the interprofessional experience and found it useful to discover the role of their professional counterparts in responding to FDV