A semiotic polyocular framework for multidisciplinary research in relation to multifunctional farming and rural development

The concept of multifunctional farming rises out of a problematization of the role of agriculture in society and, in particular, in relation to rural development. Hitherto multifunctional farming has primarily been used as a notion on the relationship between agriculture and society concerning the range of commodity and non-commodity goods that farms provide for society. But the agro-economic achievements together with societal development have led to a point where praxis is questioned and discourse potentially reopened. In an indirect way, the notion of multifunctionality reflects, that aspects not captured by the distinction between commodity and non-commodity need to be reintroduced. This paper offers a new framework (theoretical and methodical) suggesting a poly-ocular multidisciplinary approach and constructivist semiotic understanding of multifunctionality, which supports dialogue and interactions between the approaches, involved. Each research perspective has its own construction of the object of ‘farming’ and the ‘environment’ of farming; and thereby also its own perception of the functions and problems of farming. It therefore comes as no surprise that problems of communication are experienced between different perspectives, or that confusion on shared notions can cause frustrations and difficulties for multidisciplinary studies of multifunctionality. The present framework introduces a notion of multifunctionality, which enables the explicit handling of different perspectives by way of a distinction between the ‘immediate object’, as it appears to the observer, and the ‘dynamical object’, which represents the potentiality of the object in itself. From such semiotic point of view, the notion of multifunctionality becomes genuinely multidisciplinary. Multifunctionality cannot be reduced and included in one perspective, but has to be observed as a second order observation that involves reflexive communication between different perspectives and disciplines

Foetal sex determination at the second trimester anomaly scan in Denmark

INTRODUCTION: For decades, ultrasound has enabled determination of foetal sex. Foetal sex is medically indicated in sex-linked diseases, syndromes and multiple pregnancy, but genital malformations are rare. However, guidelines on standard views seem sparse and foetal sex determination is not considered mandatory. The aim of this study was to provide an initial overview on the practice of foetal sex determination in Denmark and the accuracy of the examinations at the second trimester anomaly scan at a regional and a university hospital.METHODS: Phone interviews from all 23 Danish foetal medicine departments concerning information, examination, registration, quality criteria and assessment of accuracy. The accuracy of foetal sex determination was assessed in 5,786 singleton pregnancies with live births at two departments by comparison of data from the second trimester anomaly scan (week 18 + 0 - 21 + 6) with the national Danish birth register.RESULTS: Second trimester foetal sex determination was not mandatory but conducted without guideline. Various approaches to information and documentation were used. Foetal sex was assessed in 86.7% of cases and the accuracy was 99.2% with no significant difference between the regional and the university hospital of the study. Sex determination was more inaccurate in females (18/2,118) than in males (18/2,271), p &lt; 0.0001.CONCLUSIONS: Foetal sex determination by ultrasound is common practice in Denmark. No guideline existed and incorrect sex was determined in 8/1,000 foetuses, most often females. Foetal sex determination should be standardised extensively to avoid false diagnoses.FUNDING: none.TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (record number: 2012-41-0050).</p

Cerebral oximetry in preterm infants:An agenda for research with a clear clinical goal

Preterm birth constitutes a major cause of death before 5 years of age and it is a major cause of neurodevelopmental impairment across the world. Preterm infants are most unstable during the transition between fetal and newborn life during the first days of life and most brain damage occurs in this period. The brain of the preterm infant is accessible for tissue oximetry by near-infrared spectroscopy. Cerebral oximetry has the potential to improve the long-term outcome by helping to tailor the support of respiration and circulation to the individual infant’s needs, but the evidence is still lacking. The goals for research include testing the benefit and harms of cerebral oximetry in large-scale randomized trials, improved definition of the hypoxic threshold, better understanding the effects of intensive care on cerebral oxygenation, as well as improved precision of oximeters and calibration among devices or standardization of values in the hypoxic range. These goals can be pursued in parallel