Open to Ideas: Information flows from Dairy Directions to Dairy Farmers

The ‘openness’ of farming systems that is the focus of this paper is ‘open to information’, in particular the way that new information from the farming systems research project, Dairy Directions, flows from research outputs to dairy farmers. Dairy Directions is a multidisciplinary research activity centred on a steering group of interested parties, mostly farmers, scientists and economists, but also drawing on extension agents, natural resource managers, water service providers, community service providers and public policy participants. The core general research question of Dairy Directions is ‘What options do farmers running different dairy farming systems have to achieve their goals in an uncertain future?’ The goals analysed by the project are predominantly economic and financial – maintaining or increasing profit and cash flow, growing wealth, managing risk, preparing for succession and balancing the dairy work-life balance. Their uncertain future encompasses variability in prices, as well as the natural environment and the policy setting.Farm Management,

From the Desktop to the Cloud: Leveraging Hybrid Storage Architectures in Your Repository

4th International Conference on Open RepositoriesThis presentation was part of the session : Conference PresentationsDate: 2009-05-19 01:00 PM – 02:30 PMRepositories collect and manage data holdings using a storage device. Mainly this has been a local file system, but recently attempts have been made at using open storage products and cloud storage solutions, such as Sun's Honeycomb and Amazon S3 respectively. Each of these solutions has their own pros and cons but There are advantages in adopting a hybrid model for repository storage, combining the relative strengths of each one in a policy-determined model. In this paper we present an implementation of a repository storage layer which can dynamically handle and manage a hybrid storage systemJoint Information Systems Committee (JISC

Oscillations in β Ursae Minoris

Aims. From observations of the K4III star β UMi we attempt to determine whether oscillations or any other form of variability is present. Methods. A high-quality photometric time series of ≈1000 days in length obtained from the SMEI instrument on the Coriolis satellite is analysed. Various statistical tests were performed to determine the significance of features seen in the power density spectrum of the light curve. Results. Two oscillations with frequencies 2.44 and 2.92 μHz have been identified. We interpret these oscillations as consecutive overtones of an acoustic spectrum, implying a large frequency spacing of 0.48 μHz. Using derived asteroseismic parameters in combination with known astrophysical parameters, we estimate the mass of β UMi to be 1.3 ± 0.3 M. Peaks of the oscillations in the power density spectrum show width, implying that modes are stochastically excited and damped by convection. The mode lifetime is estimated at 18 ± 9 days

Plato's five-fold classifications in relation to the metaphysics of the middle-Platonists

The Parmenides shows Plato's concern to relate the various branches of reality which he had earlier discerned; modifying the ontology of Republic VI, he sought to combine four worlds into one in the third of five positive hypotheses. The Sophist then attempts to show that reality is five; the five components are echoed in the "Psychogony" of the Timaeus, in which work Plato is confronted with a choice between one world and five. Two cryptic classifications from the Philebus suggest Plato’s continued interest in the number, and the Epinomis and Seventh Letter show that the Academy knew of this. Speusippus, depending heavily on the Parmenides, adopted a system of five separate "existences", each with their own first-principles. Xenocrates, though favouring tripartitions, preserved a framework in which the five-fold concept of the whole became understandable. Academic scepticism made it necessary for Posidonlus and Antiochus to look back to the works of Xenocrates for guidance, from whom they received an Old-Academic understanding of the Master and new interest in Speusippus. Through this latter Pythagoreans learned to interpret the Parmenides; through him also Theodorus learned to misinterpret the Timacus, The Philebus grew in importance, the final classification being authoritative for Arius, Plutarch, and Albinus. Seneca attributes five causes to Plato, Plutarch regards the number as of supreme philosophical importance, Albinus' writings echo this view. Theon, Maximus, and Numenius conform in different ways with a tradition that respects a five-fold metaphysic

An Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) for Natural Resource Planning: Making the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) System Interactive

End-users in academe, as well as in professional practice, are increasingly looking toward advances in distance education to improve learning opportunities for students and staff. The Internet has provided one medium for delivering information to global users in a dynamic environment. Unfortunately, the restrictions of the Internet (in terms of server connectivity, bandwidth type, and data processing capabilities, etc.) often limit the flexibility for delivering and working with large multimedia and interactive files. An alternative platform to the Internet is the digital video disk (DVD), which is capable of storing, delivering, and processing large pieces of information almost instantaneously and without the system requirements of the Internet. This presentation will demonstrate the application of an electronic performance support system (EPSS), delivered via DVD, to wilderness planning using the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) system

Asteroseismology of red giants: photometric observations of Arcturus by SMEI

We present new results on oscillations of the K1.5 III giant Arcturus (alpha Boo), from analysis of just over 2.5 yr of precise photometric observations made by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) on board the Coriolis satellite. A strong mode of oscillation is uncovered by the analysis, having frequency 3.51+/-0.03 micro-Hertz. By fitting its mode peak, we are able offer a highly constrained direct estimate of the damping time (tau = 24+/-1 days). The data also hint at the possible presence of several radial-mode overtones, and maybe some non-radial modes. We are also able to measure the properties of the granulation on the star, with the characteristic timescale for the granulation estimated to be 0.50+/-0.05 days.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Vibrio elicits targeted transcriptional responses from copepod hosts

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2016. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Federation of European Microbiological Societies for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in FEMS Microbiology Ecology 92 (2016): fiw072, doi:10.1093/femsec/fiw072.Copepods are abundant crustaceans that harbor diverse bacterial communities, yet the nature of their interactions with microbiota are poorly understood . Here, we report that Vibrio elicits targeted transcriptional responses in the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis. We pre-treated E. affinis with an antibiotic-cocktail and exposed them to either a zooplankton specialist (Vibrio sp. F10 9ZB36) or a free-living species (V. ordalii 12B09) for 24 hours. We then identified via RNA-Seq a total of 78 genes that were differentially expressed following Vibrio exposure, including homologs of C-type lectins, chitin-binding proteins and saposins. The response differed between the two Vibrio treatments, with the greatest changes elicited upon inoculation with V. sp. F10. We suggest that these differentially regulated genes play important roles in cuticle integrity, the innate immune response, and general stress responses, and that their expression may enable E. affinis to recognize and regulate symbiotic vibrios. We further report that V. sp. F10 culturability is specifically altered upon colonization of E. affinis. These findings suggest that rather than acting as passive environmental vectors, copepods discriminately interact with vibrios, which may ultimately impact the abundance and activity of copepod-associated bacteria.2017-04-0

Using the split squat to potentiate bilateral and unilateral jump performance

The purpose of this study was to examine if a split squat conditioning exercise with no or light loads could potentiate unilateral and bilateral jump performance. Twelve semi-professional rugby players (age: 22.3 +/- 1.4 years; height: 1.84 +/- 0.05 m, mass: 92.4 +/- 9.6 kg) from the English National League 1 performed a series of unilateral and bilateral countermovement jumps (CMJ) and broad jumps (BJ) over the course of two testing days. Both testing days involved performing baseline jumps before completing two sets of ten repetitions of a split squat, this completed with either bodyweight (testing session 1) or a 30kg weighted vest (testing session 2). A five-minute recovery period was permitted both following the warm up and following the completion of the split squat exercise. Significantly larger bilateral jump scores were reported following completion of the bodyweight split squat: CMJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.44, [mean difference 2.517]), BJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.37, [mean difference 3.817]), and the weighted vest split squat; CMJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.8, [mean difference 4.383]), BJ (p = 0.001, ES = 0.68, [mean difference 6.817]). The findings of this study demonstrate that no or light loads of a split squat conditioning exercise are able to potentiate bilateral jump performance in semi-professional rugby players without the need for expensive weight room equipment. As such, this may provide coaches with a viable option of enhancing bilateral jump performance as part of a warm up or on-field conditioning practice

SMEI observations of previously unseen pulsation frequencies in γ Doradus

Aims. As g-mode pulsators, gamma-Doradus-class stars may naïvely be expected to show a large number of modes. Taking advantage of the long photometric time-series generated by the solar mass ejection imager (SMEI) instrument, we have studied the star gamma Doradus to determine whether any other modes than the three already known are present at observable amplitude. Methods. High-precision photometric data from SMEI taken between April 2003 and March 2006 were subjected to periodogram analysis with the PERIOD04 package. Results. We confidently determine three additional frequencies at 1.39, 1.87, and 2.743 d−1. These are above and beyond the known frequencies of 1.320, 1.364, and 1.47 d−1. Conclusions. Two of the new frequencies, at 1.39 and 1.87 d−1, are speculated to be additional modes of oscillation, with the third frequency at 2.743−1 a possible combination frequency

The Differences in Antibiotic Decision-making Between Acute Surgical and Acute Medical Teams: An Ethnographic Study of Culture and Team Dynamics

Background Cultural and social determinants influence antibiotic decision-making in hospitals. We investigated and compared cultural determinants of antibiotic decision-making in acute medical and surgical specialties. Methods An ethnographic observational study of antibiotic decision-making in acute medical and surgical teams at a London teaching hospital was conducted (August 2015–May 2017). Data collection included 500 hours of direct observations, and face-to-face interviews with 23 key informants. A grounded theory approach, aided by Nvivo 11 software, analyzed the emerging themes. An iterative and recursive process of analysis ensured saturation of the themes. The multiple modes of enquiry enabled cross-validation and triangulation of the findings. Results In medicine, accepted norms of the decision-making process are characterized as collectivist (input from pharmacists, infectious disease, and medical microbiology teams), rationalized, and policy-informed, with emphasis on de-escalation of therapy. The gaps in antibiotic decision-making in acute medicine occur chiefly in the transition between the emergency department and inpatient teams, where ownership of the antibiotic prescription is lost. In surgery, team priorities are split between 3 settings: operating room, outpatient clinic, and ward. Senior surgeons are often absent from the ward, leaving junior staff to make complex medical decisions. This results in defensive antibiotic decision-making, leading to prolonged and inappropriate antibiotic use. Conclusions In medicine, the legacy of infection diagnosis made in the emergency department determines antibiotic decision-making. In surgery, antibiotic decision-making is perceived as a nonsurgical intervention that can be delegated to junior staff or other specialties. Different, bespoke approaches to optimize antibiotic prescribing are therefore needed to address these specific challenges