Farm-gate N and P balances and use efficiencies across specialist dairy farms in the Republic Ireland

working paperThis study establishes farm gate N and P balances and use efficiencies based on the average of 2 years of Teagasc National Farm Survey data in 2009 and 2010. The weighted average farm gate N surplus for this nationally representative sample of specialist dairy farms was 143.4 kg N ha-1. Average farm gate nitrogen use efficiency was 23.2%. For dairy farms operating under an EU Nitrates Derogation, the average N surplus was higher at 181.8 kg N ha-1 and averageN use efficiency was slightly lower at 22.2%. The total average farm gate P balance was 4.1 kg ha-1 in surplus, and P use efficiency averaged 83.9%. P balance ranged from -7.3 to 23.0 kg ha-1. A total of 27% had a negative P balance. The average P surplus for farms with a Nitrates Derogation was below the average of all farms at 3.5 kg P ha-1 and average P use efficiency for these Derogation farms was above the average of all farms at 90%

The Fast-Track Procedure: Problems of Implementation

The Trade Act of 1974 represented the most significant reformulation of United States international economic policy since the Trade Agreements Act of 1934. Responding to criticism from several quarters, Congress included in the Act major additions to the laws dealing with unfair foreign trade practices. In particular, the Act contained several measures intended to expedite the processing of antidumping complaints. One of these measures, the so-called fast-track provision, created a potentially powerful administrative mechanism to permit the summary dismissal of clearly unmeritorious complaints. Unfortunately, implementation of this amendment has suffered from a lack of legislative guidance, and it is not at all clear that the provision has produced significant changes in the administration of the antidumping laws. This article will review the origins of the fast-track provision, and some of the problems associated with its administration

Developing the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network to derive indicators around the sustainable use of nitrogen and phosphorus at farm level.

peer-reviewedThis study uses a national farm survey which is part of the European Union (EU) Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) to develop environmental sustainability indicators in the use of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) across a range of farm systems in the Republic of Ireland. Farm level micro data were used to calculate all inputs and outputs of N and P that cross the farm gate and to derive balances (kg ha-1) and overall use efficiencies across 827 farms in 2012. The sample is populated weighted to represents 71,480 farms nationally. Results indicated an average N balance of 71.0 kg ha-1 and use efficiency of 36.7% across the nationally representative sample. Nitrogen balances were between two and four times higher across specialist dairy farms compared to livestock rearing and specialist tillage systems. Nitrogen use efficiency was generally lowest across milk producing systems compared to livestock rearing and tillage systems. Phosphorus balance and use efficiency averaged 4.7 kg ha-1 and 79.6% respectively across the sample. Specialist tillage and dairying farms had higher average P balances compared to other livestock based systems. The approach developed in this analysis will form the benchmark for temporal analysis across these indicators for future nutrient balance and efficiency trends and could assist other members of the EU FADN to develop similar nationally representative indicators.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Signal restoration for a mass transport problem involving shear dispersion

An inverse problem associated with mass transport down a tube, when the flowing medium has a two-dimensional velocity profile, is examined. The inverse problem of estimation of a temporally varying concentration at one end of a long tube, from the measurement of the cross-sectional average concentration at the opposite end, is solved. It is shown that this inverse problem, which is associated with shear dispersion, is an ill-posed deconvolution problem. Mollification is used to produce a well-conditioned problem

What about lay counselors' experiences of task-shifting mental health interventions? Example from a family-based intervention in Kenya.

Background:A key focus of health systems strengthening in low- and middle-income countries is increasing reach and access through task-shifting. As such models become more common, it is critical to understand the experiences of lay providers because they are on the forefront for delivering care services. A greater understanding would improve lay provider support and help them provide high-quality care. This is especially the case for those providing mental health services, as providing psychological care may pose unique stressors. We sought to understand experiences of lay counselors, focusing on identity, motivation, self-efficacy, stress, and burnout. The goal was to understand how taking on a new provider role influences their lives beyond simply assuming a new task, which would in turn help identify actionable steps to improve interventions with task-shifting components. Methods:Semi-structured interviews (n = 20) and focus group discussions (n = 3) were conducted with three lay counselor groups with varying levels of experience delivering a community-based family therapy intervention in Eldoret, Kenya. Thematic analysis was conducted, including intercoder reliability checks. A Stress Map was created to visualize stress profiles using free-listing and pile-sorting data collected during interviews and focus group discussions. Results:Counselors described high intrinsic motivation to become counselors and high self-efficacy after training. They reported positive experiences in the counselor role, with new skills improving their counseling and personal lives. As challenges arose, including client engagement difficulties and balancing many responsibilities, stress and burnout increased, dampening motivation and self-efficacy. In response, counselors described coping strategies, including seeking peer and supervisor support, that restored their motivation to persevere. At case completion, they again experienced high self-efficacy and a desire to continue. Conclusions:Findings informed suggestions for ways to incorporate support for lay providers into task-shifting interventions at initiation, during training, and throughout implementation. These include acknowledging and preparing counselors for challenges during training, increasing explicit attention to counselor stress in supervision, fostering peer support among lay providers, and ensuring a fair balance between workload and compensation. Improving and building an evidence base around practices for supporting lay providers will improve the effectiveness and sustainability of lay provider-delivered interventions

Propagation of transient electromagnetic waves in time-varying media - Direct and inverse scattering problems

Wave propagation of transient electromagnetic waves in time-varying media is considered. The medium, which is assumed to be inhomogeneous and dispersive, lacks invariance under time translations. The spatial variation of the medium is assumed to be in the depth coordinate, i.e., it is stratified. The constitutive relations of the medium is a time integral of a generalized susceptibility kernel and the field. The generalized susceptibility kernel depends on one spatial and two time coordinates. The concept of wave splitting is introduced. The direct and inverse scattering problems are solved by the use of an imbedding or a Green functions approach. The direct and the inverse scattering problems are solved for a homogeneous semi-infinite medium. Explicit algorithms are developed. In this inverse scattering problem, a function depending on two time coordinates is reconstructed. Several numerical computations illustrate the performance of the algorithms

Transient waves in nonstationary media

This paper treats propagation of transient waves in nonstationary media, which has many applications in, for example, electromagnetics and acoustics. The underlying hyperbolic equation is a general, homogeneous, linear, first-order 2×2 system of equations. The coefficients in this system depend on one spatial coordinate and time. Furthermore, memory effects are modeled by integral kernels, which, in addition to the spatial dependence, are functions of two different time coordinates. These integrals generalize the convolution integrals, frequently used as a model for memory effects in the medium. Specifically, the scattering problem for this system of equations is addressed. This problem is solved by a generalization of the wave splitting concept, originally developed for wave propagation in media which are invariant under time translations, and by an imbedding or a Green's functions technique. More explicitly, the imbedding equation for the reflection kernel and the Green's functions (propagator kernels) equations are derived. Special attention is paid to the problem of nonstationary characteristics. A few numerical examples illustrate this problem

Variable response to phosphorus mitigation measures across the nutrient transfer continuum in a dairy grassland catchment

peer-reviewedPhosphorus (P) loss from soils to water can be a major pressure on freshwater quality and dairy farming, with higher animal stocking rates, may lead to potentially greater nutrient source pressures. In many countries with intensive agriculture, regulation of P management aims to minimise these losses. This study examined the P transfer continuum, from source to impact, in a dairy-dominated, highly stocked, grassland catchment with free-draining soils over three years. The aim was to measure the effects of P source management and regulation on P transfer across the nutrient transfer continuum and subsequent water quality and agro-economic impacts. Reduced P source pressure was indicated by: (a) lower average farm-gate P balances (2.4 kg ha−1 yr−1), higher P use efficiencies (89%) and lower inorganic fertilizer P use (5.2 kg ha−1 yr−1) relative to previous studies; (b) almost no recorded P application during the winter closed period, when applications were prohibited, to avoid incidental transfers; and (c) decreased proportions of soils with excessive P concentrations (32–24%). Concurrently, production and profitability remained comparable with the top 10% of dairy farmers nationally with milk outputs of 14,585 l ha−1, and gross margins of € 3130 ha−1. Whilst there was some indication of a response in P delivery in surface water with declines in quick flow and interflow pathway P concentrations during the winter closed period for P application, delayed baseflows in the wetter third year resulted in elevated P concentrations for long durations and there were no clear trends of improving stream biological quality. This suggests a variable response to policy measures between P source pressure and delivery/impact where the strength of any observable trend is greater closer to the source end of the nutrient transfer continuum and a time lag occurs at the other end. Policy monitoring and assessment efforts will need to be cognisant of this