Risky business: growers' perceptions of organic and biodynamic farming in the tropics

Organic and biodynamic farming has emerged as a growing, niche sector in the agricultural industry. Research into stakeholders' risk perceptions of organic and biodynamic farming is surprisingly scarce. This paper uses qualitative data from a series of 32 interviews with growers and key respondents to illuminate how risk is interpreted in the agricultural community. This study showed that despite the diversity of the sample, there was broad consensus on the risks facing organic farmers. However, risk perceptions seemed to vary depending on personal values and institutional trust. Some of these farmers lacked confidence in agricultural institutions, were strongly opposed to the use of chemicals in farming on health and environmental grounds and perceived risk differently from their counterparts in conventional agriculture

Using tourism to build social capital in communities: new pathways to sustainable tourism futures

Despite considerable discussion about how tourism could or should contribute to sustainable destination development, there is little evidence that the practice of tourism planning or development has altered in any significant way in the last 30 years. This paper will report on an action research project aimed at identifying and applying new approaches to using tourism effectively as a strategy for sustainable development in destination communities. The research reported in this paper adopted a community capitals approach to sustainable destination development and explored the links between features of tourism development and impacts on the social capital available to destination communities. The study was based on a workshop conducted with sixteen regional tourism development officers that used a variety of techniques, including a futures wheel exercise, to identify the relationships between aspects of tourism development and both positive and negative impacts on social capital. The results of the workshop highlighted the importance of effective local resident engagement in tourism planning and activity and suggested several new dimensions of tourism planning for further exploration and development. These included the need for tourism leaders to take on a broader responsibility for community development, the need for tourism take a more social entrepreneurial role in destination communities and the need to find different models for local and regional tourism organisations

RF-Energized Intracoronary Guidewire to Enhance Bipolar Ablation of the Interventricular Septum: In-silico Feasibility Study

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Hyperthermiaon [date of publication], available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/02656736.2018.1425487"[EN] Purpose: Although bipolar radiofrequency (RF) ablation (RFA) is broadly used to eliminate ventricular tachycardias in the interventricular septum wall, it can fail to create transmural lesions in thick ventricular walls. To solve this problem, we explored whether an RF-energised guidewire inserted into the ventricular wall would enhance bipolar RFA in the creation of transmural lesions through the ventricular wall.Methods: We built three-dimensional computational models including two irrigated electrodes placed on opposing sides of the interventricular septum and a metal guidewire inserted into the septum. Computer simulations were conducted to compare the temperature distributions obtained with two ablation modes: bipolar mode (RF power delivered between both irrigated electrode) and time-division multiplexing (TDM) technique, which consists of activating the bipolar mode for 90% of the time and applying RF power between the guidewire and both irrigated electrodes during the remaining time.Results: The TDM technique was the most suitable in terms of creating wider lesions through the entire ventricular wall, avoiding the hour-glass shape of thermal lesions associated with the bipolar mode. This was especially apparent in the case of thick walls (15mm). Furthermore, the TDM technique was able to create transmural lesions even when the guidewire was displaced from the midplane of the wall.Conclusions: An RF-energised guidewire could enhance bipolar RFA by allowing transmural lesions to be made through thick ventricular walls. However, the safety of this new approach must be assessed in future pre-clinical studies, especially in terms of the risk of stenosis and its clinical impact.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad under "Plan Estatal de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad" Grant "TEC2014-52383-C3 (TEC2014-52383-C3-1-R)". A. Gonzalez-Suarez has a "Juan de la Cierva-formacion" Postdoctoral Grant (FJCI-2015-27202) supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Secretaria de Estado de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion.Pérez, JJ.; González Suárez, A.; D Avila, A.; Berjano, E. (2018). RF-Energized Intracoronary Guidewire to Enhance Bipolar Ablation of the Interventricular Septum: In-silico Feasibility Study. International Journal of Hyperthermia. 34(8):1202-1212. https://doi.org/10.1080/02656736.2018.1425487S12021212348Baszko, A., Telec, W., Kałmucki, P., Iwachów, P., Kochman, K., Szymański, R., … Siminiak, T. (2016). Bipolar irrigated radiofrequency ablation of resistant ventricular tachycardia with a septal intramural origin: the initial experience and a description of the method. Clinical Case Reports, 4(10), 957-961. doi:10.1002/ccr3.648Gizurarson, S., Spears, D., Sivagangabalan, G., Farid, T., Ha, A. C. T., Masse, S., … Nanthakumar, K. (2014). Bipolar ablation for deep intra-myocardial circuits: human ex vivo development and in vivo experience. Europace, 16(11), 1684-1688. doi:10.1093/europace/euu001Koruth, J. S., Dukkipati, S., Miller, M. A., Neuzil, P., d’ Avila, A., & Reddy, V. Y. (2012). Bipolar irrigated radiofrequency ablation: A therapeutic option for refractory intramural atrial and ventricular tachycardia circuits. Heart Rhythm, 9(12), 1932-1941. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2012.08.001Baldinger, S. H., Kumar, S., Barbhaiya, C. R., Mahida, S., Epstein, L. M., Michaud, G. F., … Stevenson, W. G. (2015). Epicardial Radiofrequency Ablation Failure During Ablation Procedures for Ventricular Arrhythmias. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 8(6), 1422-1432. doi:10.1161/circep.115.003202Santangeli, P., Shaw, G. C., & Marchlinski, F. E. (2017). Radiofrequency Wire Facilitated Interventricular Septal Access for Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia in a Patient With Aortic and Mitral Mechanical Valves. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 10(1). doi:10.1161/circep.116.004771Berjano, E. J., Hornero, F., Atienza, F., & Montero, A. (2003). Long electrodes for radio frequency ablation: comparative study of surface versus intramural application. Medical Engineering & Physics, 25(10), 869-877. doi:10.1016/s1350-4533(03)00125-5McLELLAN, A. J. A., ELLIMS, A. H., PRABHU, S., VOSKOBOINIK, A., ILES, L. M., HARE, J. L., … KISTLER, P. M. (2016). Diffuse Ventricular Fibrosis on Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Associates With Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 27(5), 571-580. doi:10.1111/jce.12948Berjano, E. J. (2006). Theoretical modeling for radiofrequency ablation: state-of-the-art and challenges for the future. BioMedical Engineering OnLine, 5(1). doi:10.1186/1475-925x-5-24Pérez, J. J., González-Suárez, A., & Berjano, E. (2017). Numerical analysis of thermal impact of intramyocardial capillary blood flow during radiofrequency cardiac ablation. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 34(3), 243-249. doi:10.1080/02656736.2017.1336258Labonte, S. (1994). Numerical model for radio-frequency ablation of the endocardium and its experimental validation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 41(2), 108-115. doi:10.1109/10.284921Doss, J. D. (1982). Calculation of electric fields in conductive media. Medical Physics, 9(4), 566-573. doi:10.1118/1.595107PÉREZ, J. J., D’AVILA, A., ARYANA, A., & BERJANO, E. (2015). Electrical and Thermal Effects of Esophageal Temperature Probes on Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Results from a Computational Modeling Study. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 26(5), 556-564. doi:10.1111/jce.12630Jo, B., & Aksan, A. (2010). Prediction of the extent of thermal damage in the cornea during conductive keratoplasty. Journal of Thermal Biology, 35(4), 167-174. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2010.02.004Gonzalez-Suarez, A., & Berjano, E. (2016). Comparative Analysis of Different Methods of Modeling the Thermal Effect of Circulating Blood Flow During RF Cardiac Ablation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 63(2), 250-259. doi:10.1109/tbme.2015.2451178WINTERFIELD, J. R., JENSEN, J., GILBERT, T., MARCHLINSKI, F., NATALE, A., PACKER, D., … WILBER, D. J. (2015). Lesion Size and Safety Comparison Between the Novel Flex Tip on the FlexAbility Ablation Catheter and the Solid Tips on the ThermoCool and ThermoCool SF Ablation Catheters. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 27(1), 102-109. doi:10.1111/jce.12835PÉREZ, J. J., D’AVILA, A., ARYANA, A., TRUJILLO, M., & BERJANO, E. (2016). Can Fat Deposition After Myocardial Infarction Alter the Performance of RF Catheter Ablation of Scar-Related Ventricular Tachycardia?: Results from a Computer Modeling Study. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 27(8), 947-952. doi:10.1111/jce.13006Haines, D. E. (2011). Letter by Haines Regarding Article, «Direct Measurement of the Lethal Isotherm for Radiofrequency Ablation of Myocardial Tissue». Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 4(5). doi:10.1161/circep.111.965459González-Suárez, A., Trujillo, M., Koruth, J., d’ Avila, A., & Berjano, E. (2014). Radiofrequency cardiac ablation with catheters placed on opposing sides of the ventricular wall: Computer modelling comparing bipolar and unipolar modes. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 30(6), 372-384. doi:10.3109/02656736.2014.949878Gianni, C., Mohanty, S., Trivedi, C., Di Biase, L., Al-Ahmad, A., Natale, A., & David Burkhardt, J. (2017). Alternative Approaches for Ablation of Resistant Ventricular Tachycardia. Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics, 9(1), 93-98. doi:10.1016/j.ccep.2016.10.006Boll, D. T., Lewin, J. S., Duerk, J. L., & Merkle, E. M. (2003). Do Surgical Clips Interfere with Radiofrequency Thermal Ablation? American Journal of Roentgenology, 180(6), 1557-1560. doi:10.2214/ajr.180.6.1801557Eung Je Woo, Tungjitkusolmun, S., Hong Cao, Jang-Zem Tsai, Webster, J. G., Vorperian, V. R., & Will, J. A. (2000). A new catheter design using needle electrode for subendocardial RF ablation of ventricular muscles: finite element analysis and in vitro experiments. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 47(1), 23-31. doi:10.1109/10.817616BLOUIN, L. T., & MARCUS, F. I. (1989). The Effect of Electrode Design on the Efficiency of Delivery of Radiofrequency Energy to Cardiac Tissue In Vitro. Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, 12(1), 136-143. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8159.1989.tb02640.xTao, W., Jian-ping, G., Xu, H., Wen-sheng, L., Liang, C., Guo-ping, C., … Jin-hua, S. (2013). The effects of endovenous radiofrequency ablation on coagulation and the vein wall in an experimental canine model. Vascular, 21(4), 215-219. doi:10.1177/1708538113478762Badham, G. E., Strong, S. M., & Whiteley, M. S. (2014). An in vitro study to optimise treatment of varicose veins with radiofrequency-induced thermo therapy. Phlebology: The Journal of Venous Disease, 30(1), 17-23. doi:10.1177/0268355514552005Kreidieh, B., Rodríguez-Mañero, M., A. Schurmann, P., Ibarra-Cortez, S. H., Dave, A. S., & Valderrábano, M. (2016). Retrograde Coronary Venous Ethanol Infusion for Ablation of Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 9(7). doi:10.1161/circep.116.00435

Competencias para el ejercicio de la dirección de instituciones educativas : reflexiones y experiencias en Iberoamérica

El presente texto es el resultado de las aportaciones al encuentro realizado por los miembros de la Red de Apoyo a la Gestion Educativa (http://www.redage.org) en junio de 2011 en la ciudad de Lima. Constituye el tercer documento de la Serie Informes que ha producido la RedAGE y es expresión del compromiso constitutivo por analizar y difundir temáticas relacionadas con la organizaciÓn y dirección de los sistemas y centros educativos. El ejercicio directivo analizado desde la perspectiva de las competencias es la temática que se aborda en esta ocasión. Por una parte, se continúa la reflexión iniciada con el segundo informe, dedicado a la Dirección de centros educativos en Iberoamérica (http://www.redage.org/files/adjuntos/ Libro%20Red_AGE%20vd.pdf); por otra, se profundiza desde la perspectiva de las competencias con la idea de difundir e impulsar el nuevo enfoque. Tratamos así de un tema incipiente en algunos de los países, pero presente y parte de la agenda de los responsables de la política educativa, con la idea de aportar elementos para las posibles acciones a desarrollar o a mejorar al respecto. Hablamos de competencias y sobre competencias1 y con ello nos referimos a las características de la persona relacionadas con una actuación de éxito en su lugar de trabajo. Se identifican así con la activación y aplicación de manera coordinada de elementos de diferente naturaleza (cognoscitivos, afectivos y procedimentales) para resolver situaciones profesionales concretas. El concepto de competencia es utilizado desde hace tiempo en el campo de la formación profesional, abriéndose camino, poco a poco, en todo el sistema educativo y en los procesos de formación continua, donde la gestión por competencias se ha convertido en un modelo integrador y orientador de las diferentes políticas de recursos humanos

Large-scale analyses of common and rare variants identify 12 new loci associated with atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation affects more than 33 million people worldwide and increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, and death. Fourteen genetic loci have been associated with atrial fibrillation in European and Asian ancestry groups. To further define the genetic basis of atrial fibrillation, we performed large-scale, trans-ancestry meta-analyses of common and rare variant association studies. The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) included 17,931 individuals with atrial fibrillation and 115,142 referents; the exome-wide association studies (ExWAS) and rare variant association studies (RVAS) involved 22,346 cases and 132,086 referents. We identified 12 new genetic loci that exceeded genome-wide significance, implicating genes involved in cardiac electrical and structural remodeling. Our results nearly double the number of known genetic loci for atrial fibrillation, provide insights into the molecular basis of atrial fibrillation, and may facilitate the identification of new potential targets for drug discovery

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Abstract: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Abstract: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

Atrial fibrillation genetic risk differentiates cardioembolic stroke from other stroke subtypes

AbstractObjectiveWe sought to assess whether genetic risk factors for atrial fibrillation can explain cardioembolic stroke risk.MethodsWe evaluated genetic correlations between a prior genetic study of AF and AF in the presence of cardioembolic stroke using genome-wide genotypes from the Stroke Genetics Network (N = 3,190 AF cases, 3,000 cardioembolic stroke cases, and 28,026 referents). We tested whether a previously-validated AF polygenic risk score (PRS) associated with cardioembolic and other stroke subtypes after accounting for AF clinical risk factors.ResultsWe observed strong correlation between previously reported genetic risk for AF, AF in the presence of stroke, and cardioembolic stroke (Pearson’s r=0.77 and 0.76, respectively, across SNPs with p &lt; 4.4 × 10−4 in the prior AF meta-analysis). An AF PRS, adjusted for clinical AF risk factors, was associated with cardioembolic stroke (odds ratio (OR) per standard deviation (sd) = 1.40, p = 1.45×10−48), explaining ∼20% of the heritable component of cardioembolic stroke risk. The AF PRS was also associated with stroke of undetermined cause (OR per sd = 1.07, p = 0.004), but no other primary stroke subtypes (all p &gt; 0.1).ConclusionsGenetic risk for AF is associated with cardioembolic stroke, independent of clinical risk factors. Studies are warranted to determine whether AF genetic risk can serve as a biomarker for strokes caused by AF.</jats:sec

Sustainable horticulture in North Queensland: resistance to the adoption of innovations?

Purpose: There are well documented concerns around global agriculture and increasing pressure is placed on farmers to farm more sustainably. However, research into Australian farmers' resistance to innovation in this context is surprisingly scarce.The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that prevent growers from adopting more sustainable farming practices in North Queensland. \ud \ud Design/methodology/approach: A total of 22 in-depth interviews were undertaken with growers from across the spectrum of sustainable farming along with key informants. A grounded theory approach was taken and the analysis involved comparing and contrasting the views held by the different respondents and coding the data into major themes that help explain resistance to organic farming methods. \ud \ud Findings: This study lends support to the framework on resistance to innovations offered by MacVaugh and Schiavone (2010). It showed that resistance to innovation comes predominantly from the technology and the costs associated with the switch to chemical-free farming methods. Learning barriers were significant. Growers interested in organic farming were confronted with lack of information, lack of institutional support and the fear of losing competitive advantage if information was shared. The presence of powerful players in the supply chain also explained resistance to the adoption of innovation