Farm business survey 2009/10: horticulture production in England

Thereport gives an overview of the horticultural industry in the United Kingdom, including a snapshot of the different sectors of production, together with other information of interest about the business of horticulture. The data includes the economic perforamnce of horticulture businesses in England during 2009/1

Can cattle be trained to urinate and defecate in specific areas? An exploration of cattle’s urination and defecation habits and some aspects of learning abilities

This thesis explored the feasibility of training cattle to eliminate in specific areas of a barn and investigated cattle’s ability to generalise knowledge between different locations. In Chapter 2, all incidences of urination and defecation were recorded by group-housed female Holstein calves across 144 h. There were substantial differences between individual calves in the mean daily frequency. Calves urinated and defecated most frequently during daylight hours when they are more active and the location of voiding was likely related to the amount of time areas were occupied. In Chapter 3, calves were trained to urinate in a specific location via classical or operant conditioning. Classically conditioned calves were held in a stall for a set time and given no punishment or reinforcement upon urination, whereas calves in the operant treatment were immediately rewarded for urination in the stall. Classically conditioned calves did not urinate more than controls. Calves trained using operant conditioning had a higher frequency of urinations in the stall than their controls but did not seem to generalise this association; failing to urinate more than controls when tested again, 5 months later, in a new location (Chapter 4). The use of visual cues may be an effective way of helping cattle to generalise previously learned associations to a new location or context. Two experiments were conducted (Chapter 5) to investigate whether prior exposure to colour cues improves calves’ performance in a Y maze colour discrimination task. In Experiment 1, either both side and colour or colour alone predicted the location of milk reward in a Y maze. Our results suggest that calves overlook colour in the presence of more salient cues, such as location. In the second experiment, calves were first classical conditioned to associate coloured signs with presence of absence of milk (colours were randomised for controls) before testing in a Y maze discrimination task. Nine out of ten classically conditioned calves, but no control calves, achieved the learning criteria. Classical conditioning can be used to rapidly train cattle to follow colour cues and generalise these associations to new contexts or locations

Evaluating Pillar 2 Employment Impacts: Case Study Methodology and Results for East Wales

This case study evaluation aims to explore employment impacts of the reformed East Wales RDP in East Wales, a UK region which is highly spatially differentiated. It concentrates on analysis of documentary evidence and representative in-depth interviews which support an evaluative interpretation of mechanisms of rural change. Issues explored relate to problems of the rural economy requiring policy intervention, and CAP rural development reform impacts on rural employment of farm households and workers in other sectors. Major concerns relate to youth out-migration, inadequate childcare provision, age structure, lack of affordable housing, pockets of deprivation, deteriorating service provision, labour supply, spatial diversity, and predominance of small businesses. Dual market failures appear to occur in employment and housing, requiring action to improve productivity, and spatial planning policies sensitive to rural requirements. The reformed RDP has had minor impacts on economic development, on the development of competitive premium agricultural products, professionalisation of the agricultural service sector, farm business adaptation, agri-environment support, and development of the food supply chain. However, the evidence indicates that Axis 2 should be strengthened to mitigate adverse impacts of decoupling. Also, future RDP spending should concentrate on Axes 3 and 4, its budget should be allocated on evidence-based criteria, and compulsory modulation should be increased. It should include provision of childcare services and other elements favouring female participation, and LEADER groups should be strengthened within a framework Rural Action Plans.Wales, rural development, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Qualitative evaluation of European Rural Development Policy: Evidence from Comparative Case Studies

Complexity and variable uptake of CAP (Pillar 2) measures and rural diversity of the EU provide significant challenges for evaluation. The rationale of indepth case study analysis as an essential complement to formal evaluation techniques is illustrated with comparative studies of employment impacts of Pillar Two policies in 6 rural areas in different EU member states. Recommendations arising include accelerated shifts from commodity support to measures strengthening non-farm sectors of the rural economy, whilst retaining support for farming adaptation; use of clear structural indicators and local expertise to determine priorities; and integration of Pillar Two policies with other measures in consistent, spatially nested Action Plans for Rural Development which set targets for improvement in economic and demographic performance.rural policies, evaluation, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Providing Objective Metrics of Team Communication Skills via Interpersonal coordination Mechanisms

Being able to communicate efficiently has been acknowledged as a vital skill in many different domains. In particular, team communication skills are of key importance in the operation of complex machinery such as aircrafts, maritime vessels and such other, highly-specialized, civilian or military vehicles, as well as the performance of complex tasks in the medical domain. In this paper, we propose to use prosodic accommodation and turn- taking organisation to provide objective metrics of communica- tion skills. To do this, human-factors evaluations, via a coordi- nation Demand Analysis (CDA), were used in conjunction with a dynamic model of prosodic accommodation and turn-taking organisation. Using conversational speech from airline pilots involved in a collaborative task (decision-making exercise), our study reveals that interpersonal coordination mechanisms are indicative of human evaluation of pilots’ communication skills. We discuss our results in terms of relevance for training simu- lation for personnel in safety or mission critical environment

What we know about gender and rural climate services: Preliminary findings and guidance

This brief summarizes preliminary findings and recommendations from an ongoing review of literature and CCAFS experience on gender-related challenges in empowering smallholder farming communities through climate services

Endocrine regulation of placental phenotype

Hormones have an important role in regulating fetal development. They act as environmental signals and integrate tissue growth and differentiation with relation to nutrient availability. While hormones control the developmental fate of resources available to the fetus, the actual supply of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus depends on the placenta. However, much less is known about the role of hormones in regulating placental development, even though the placenta has a wide range of hormone receptors and produces hormones itself from early in gestation. The placenta is, therefore, exposed to hormones by autocrine, paracrine and endocrine mechanisms throughout its lifespan. It is known to adapt its phenotype in response to environmental cues and fetal demand signals, particularly when there is a disparity between the fetal genetic drive for growth and the nutrient supply. These adaptive responses help to maintain fetal growth during adverse conditions and are likely to depend, at least in part, on the hormonal milieu. This review examines the endocrine regulation of placental phenotype with particular emphasis on the glucocorticoid hormones. It focuses on the availability of placental hormone receptors and on the effects of hormones on the morphology, transport capacity and endocrine function of the placenta.We would like to thank the many members of the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who have contributed to discussions and helped with our own studies cited here. We are also grateful for financial support from the BBSRC (BB/I011773/1), Horserace Betting Levy Board (VET/PRJ/726 and 736), the Wellcome Trust 084804/2/08/Z and the Centre for Trophoblast Research at the University of Cambridge.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2014.11.01

Bearded pig (Sus barbatus) utilisation of a fragmented forest-oil palm landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Context: Oil palm plantations have become a dominant landscape in Southeast Asia, yet we still understand relatively little about the ways wildlife are adapting to fragmented mosaics of forest and oil palm. The bearded pig is of great ecological, social, and conservation importance in Borneo and is declining rapidly due to habitat loss and overhunting. Aims: We sought to assess how the bearded pig is adapting to oil palm expansion by investigating habitat utilisation, activity patterns, body condition, and minimum group size in a mosaic composed of forest fragments and surrounding oil palm. Methods: We conducted our study in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, in and around the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, an area consisting of secondary forest fragments (ranging 1200-7400 ha) situated within an extensive oil palm matrix. We modelled bearded pig habitat use in forest fragments and oil palm plantations using survey data from line transects. Camera traps placed throughout the forest fragments were used to assess pig activity patterns, body condition, and minimum group size. Key results: All forest transects and 80% of plantation transects showed pig presence, but mean pig signs per transect were much more prevalent in forest (70.00 ± 13.00 SE) than in plantations (0.91 ± 0.42 SE). Pig tracks had a positive relationship with leaf cover and a negative relationship with grass cover; pig rooting sites had a positive relationship with wet and moderate soils as compared to drier soils. Pigs displayed very good body condition in forests across the study area, aggregated in small groups (mean = 2.7 ± 0.1 SE individuals), and showed diurnal activity patterns that were accentuated for groups with piglets and juveniles. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that bearded pigs in our study area regularly utilise oil palm as habitat, given their signs in most oil palm sites surveyed. However, secondary forest fragments adjacent to oil palm remain the most important habitat for the bearded pig, as well as many other species, and therefore must be conserved. Implications: Consistent bearded pig presence in oil palm is a potential indication of successful adaptation to agricultural expansion in the study area. However, the net effect of oil palm expansion in the region on bearded pig populations remains unknown

Women seafarers’ health and welfare survey

Background: This is a collaborative study from the International Maritime Health Association, International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network, International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Seafarers Hospital Society. The aim of the study was to look at the health and welfare needs of women seafarers and how organisations can best make or campaign for improvements to the health information and services available to women seafarers. Materials and methods: A pilot study was conducted in July 2014 and following review of the data and revision of the questionnaire the study was launched in December 2014, running until the middle of March 2015. Results collected from the survey are also supported by qualitative data obtained from two focus groups run during February and March. Results: 595 responses were received from a range of nationalities, ages and positions on board ships. The findings suggest that joint/back pain, stress/depression/anxiety and headache seem to be the most common symptoms reported by women seafarers and that 55% felt that they are related to their work. 48% state that they have problems with seeking medical care and offer suggestions to improve this. Routine wellness checks, nutrition and information on joint and back pain are the main areas that women seafarers stated health screening/services/information would be most useful to improve their health and wellbeing. They suggested this could best be received directly from health professionals, or alternatively by reading leaflets or from online websites/an app. Significantly 37% of women seafarers also stated that they do not have access to sanitary bins within the toilet and 18% say that sexual harassment is an issue. Conclusions: The responses received highlight a small number of areas where relatively simple and low-cost interventions might improve the health and welfare of women seafarers. Specifically these include the production and appropriate, distribution of gender — specific information on back pain, mental health and nutrition in addition to gynaecological complaints, to all women seafarers; the introduction of means for disposing of sanitary waste for all female crew on all ships and the improved availability of female specific products e.g. sanitary products in port shops and welfare centres worldwide. Additional work is needed to investigate these areas more fully and to look at the issue of confidence in medically trained staff, medical confidentiality and sexual harassment. Any further work and interventions will require the support of all of the main stakeholders and we plan a briefing meeting to publicise the findings to date and to identify support for further work in this area