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Drivers of integrated crop–livestock farming system’s efficiency for smallholder farmers in the forest‑savanna transition agro‑ecological zone of Ghana
No full textDespite the importance of integrated crop–livestock production in sustainable agricultural production and food security, there is a limited literature on the factors that influence this farming system’s efficiency. The objective of this study is to identify the sources and drivers of crop–livestock production efficiency for smallholder farmers in Ghana. First, a Färe–Primont index approach was applied to estimate and decompose overall efficiency (i.e. total factor productivity efficiency [TFPE]) of farmers into three components: technical efficiency (OTE), scale efficiency (OSE) and mix efficiency (OME). The results show that OME was the primary source of TFPE, followed by OTE and OSE. Second, the effects of various socioeconomic and management factors on the three efficiency components were investigated using a fractional regression model (FRM). Land ownership, extension, household head age, crop–livestock diversification and distance to markets improved crop-livestock farming system’s efficiency. However, the results show that these variables had different effects on the various efficiency components. For example, extension improved scale and mix efficiency but not technical efficiency. As a result, policies and development interventions must take these factors and their varying effects into account in order to improve crop-livestock farming system’s efficiency and smallholder farmers’ food security. Overall, this study emphasises the importance of employing methods that decompose efficiency into finer components and investigates their drivers
Readthrough events in plants reveal plasticity of stop codons
No full textStop codon readthrough (SCR) has important biological implications but remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we identify 1,009 SCR events in plants using a proteogenomic strategy. Plant SCR candidates tend to have shorter transcript lengths and fewer exons and splice variants than non-SCR transcripts. Mass spectrometry evidence shows that stop codons involved in SCR events can be recoded as 20 standard amino acids, some of which are also supported by suppressor tRNA analysis. We also observe multiple functional signals in 34 maize extended proteins and characterize the structural and subcellular localization changes in the extended protein of basic transcription factor 3. Furthermore, the SCR events exhibit non-conserved signature, and the extensions likely undergo protein-coding selection. Overall, our study not only characterizes that SCR events are commonly present in plants but also identifies the recoding plasticity of stop codons, which provides important insights into the flexibility of genetic decoding
Changing Australia's trading language has enhanced the implementation of objective carcase measurement technologies
No full textIn 2016 an Australian project, the Advanced Livestock Measurement Technologies project (ALMTech), was initiated to accelerate the development and implementation of technologies that measure lean meat yield and eating quality. This led to the commercial testing, and implementation of a range of new technologies in the lamb, beef, and pork industries. For measuring lean meat yield %, these technologies included dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, hand-held microwave systems, and 3-D imaging systems. For measuring beef rib-eye traits and intramuscular fat %, both pre- and post-chilling technologies were developed. Post-chilling, a range of camera systems and near infrared spectrophotometers were developed. While pre-chilling, technologies included insertable needle probes, nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray systems. Initially these technologies were trained to predict the pre-existing traits already traded upon within industry. However, this approach was limiting because the technologies could measure attributes that were either non-existent in the trading language, were superior as calibrating standards, or more accurately reflected value than the pre-existing trait. Therefore, we introduced IMF% into the trading language for both beef and sheep meat, and carcase lean%, fat%, and bone % for sheep meat. These new technologies and the traits that they predict have delivered multiple benefits. Technology provider-companies are instilled with the confidence to commercialise due to the provision of achievable accreditation standards. Processors have the confidence to invest in these technologies and establish payment grids based upon their measurements. And lastly, it has enhanced data flow into genetic databases, industry data systems (MSA), and as feedback to producers
Confinement odour, quality, and safety of thawed lamb racks, frozen after an initial ageing period of up to 3 weeks
No full textFrench trimmed lamb racks (longissimus lumborum muscle, LL) were vacuum packaged, wet aged for 0, 1, 2, or 3 weeks (6 per ageing period, n = 24), and frozen. Thawed lamb racks were scored by consumers for pre-opening pack assessment, post-opening pack assessment and post-blooming sample assessment. Objective quality assessments for freshness and quality were then applied to these lamb racks. The sliminess and overall odour were higher after 3 weeks of ageing prior to freezing compared with 0 weeks ageing (P P P P > 0.05) and were within acceptable limits defined for fresh meat. Cooking loss, drip loss, expressible moisture and thaw loss were also unaffected by ageing period ( 0.05) and were within acceptable limits defined for fresh meat. Cooking loss, drip loss, expressible moisture and thaw loss were also unaffected by ageing period (P > 0.05). Overall, the results of this study indicate there is no benefit of ageing bone-in lamb racks for periods longer than 1 week prior to freezing, in terms of consumers’ satisfaction. 0.05). Overall, the results of this study indicate there is no benefit of ageing bone-in lamb racks for periods longer than 1 week prior to freezing, in terms of consumers’ satisfaction
Tubule system of earliest shells as a defense against increasing microbial attacks
No full textThe evolutionary mechanism behind the early Cambrian animal skeletonization was a complex and multifaceted process involving environmental, ecological, and biological factors. Predation pressure, oxygenation, and seawater chemistry change have frequently been proposed as the main drivers of this biological innovation, yet the selection pressures from microorganisms have been largely overlooked. Here we present evidence that calcareous shells of the earliest mollusks from the basal Cambrian (Fortunian Age, ca. 539–529 million years ago) of Mongolia developed advanced tubule systems that evolved primarily as a defensive strategy against extensive microbial attacks within a microbe-dominatedmarine ecosystem. These high-density tubules, comprising approximately 35% of shell volume, enable nascent mineralized mollusks to cope with increasing microbial bioerosion caused by boring endolithic cyanobacteria, and hence represent an innovation in shell calcification. Our finding demonstrates that enhanced microboring pressures played a significant role in shaping the calcification of the earliest mineralized mollusks during the Cambrian Explosion
Cultivating Inclusivity in Medicine: The Impact of Offering Bandage Options of Various Skin Shades on Patient Experience
No full textThe lack of skin tone representation is a major disparity in our current health care system.1,2 We believe that offering bandage options in various skin tones recognizes the diversity of our patient population and is one step toward cultivating a more patient-centered medical system. We designed a project to evaluate if offering bandages in different skin shades impacts the patient experience in the outpatient setting
Enriching physisorption of H2S and NH3 gases on a graphane sheet by doping with Li adatoms
No full textWe have used density functional theory to investigate the adsorption efficiency of a hydrogenated graphene (graphane) sheet for H2S and NH3 gases. We find that neither the pristine graphane sheet nor the sheet defected by removing a few surface H atoms have sufficient affinity for either H2S or NH3 gas molecules. However, a graphane sheet doped with Li adatoms shows a strong sensing affinity for both the mentioned gas molecules. We have calculated the absorption energies with one [referred to as half coverage] molecule and two molecules [referred to as full coverage] for both gases with the Li-doped graphane sheet. We find that for both the gases, the calculated absorption energies are adequate enough to decide that the Li-doped graphane sheet is suitable for sensing H2S and NH3 gases. The Li-doped sheet shows a higher affinity for the NH3 gas compared to the H2S gas molecules due to a stronger Li(s)–N(p) hybridization compared to that of Li(s)–S(p). However, while going from the half coverage effect to the full coverage effect, the calculated binding energies show a decreasing trend for both the gases. The calculated work function of the Li-doped graphane sheet decreases while bringing the gas molecules within its vicinity, which explains the affinity of the sheet towards both the gas molecules
The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and existing measures of child outcomes: Is there a relationship?
No full textThe mandated Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) has guided early childhood education and care (ECEC) since 2009. The EYLF is intended to support improved learning and development outcomes for all children within a nationally consistent regulatory system. Since the implementation of the EYLF, the quality ratings of ECEC services have improved in every Australian jurisdiction. However, the absence of detailed child ECEC participation data has been an obstacle to assessing the impact of ECEC service level improvements on child learning outcomes. It is therefore reasonable to ask whether the implementation of the EYLF is associated with changes in child outcomes at a population level. We examined child-level data from five, three-yearly rounds of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) collected in the first year of formal education from 2009 to 2021, the same period over which improvements in ECEC quality standards have been documented. In all five developmental domains assessed by the AEDC, scores of children attending any form of ECEC were higher on average over every round of data collection. However, these group average differences remained stable from 2009 to 2021. Improvements in aspects of quality underpinning the EYLF and national regulatory standards may not be sufficient to reduce levels of developmental vulnerability so as to alter the developmental trajectories assessed by the AEDC in a meaningful way in the population
Problematic Social Media Use: Causes and Mechanisms
No full textThis thesis is comprised of four studies. Study 1 was a meta-analysis of studies investigating the relationships between the five-factor personality traits and problematic social media use. Study 2 was a meta-analysis of studies investigating the relationship between trait mindfulness and problematic social media use. Studies 3 and 4 applied theoretical models of addictive behaviour to investigate problematic social media use operationalised as social media addiction. Study 3 investigated whether social media engagement and social media reward expectancies are associated with social media addiction. Study 4 investigated whether the relationships between social media addiction and various psychological predictors of social media addiction are mediated by positive and negative metacognitions regarding social media use. 
The full datafiles used to conduct the meta-analyses in Study 1 and Study 2 are uploaded in this dataset.
The research materials used to gather data for Study 3 and Study 4 are uploaded in this dataset.
The datafiles used to analyse the data for Study 3 and Study 4 are uploaded in this dataset
Introduction to the special issue: Authoritarianism and religion in South Asia: Trends and twists
No full textReligious sentiments have become a potent tool for political elites, altering national identities and citizenship criteria. This manipulation, driven by majoritarian ideologies, has marginalized religious minorities, leading to discrimination, violence, and legal persecution against them. Hindu, Islamic, and Buddhist nationalisms seem to collectively erode secular democracy in South Asia. Moreover, right‐wing populist leaders, notably Modi in India and the Rajapaksas in Sri Lanka, have merged religious nationalism with authoritarian political orientations posing a challenge to democratic foundations and impacting significantly on the dynamics of state and societal relations. This is the context in which this World Affairs 2024 special issue delves into the relationship(s) between religion, politics, and authoritarianism in the South Asian region. It examines the evolving “religion‐politics” nexus or “complex” to explicate the relationship between religion and authoritarianism, particularly with respect to authoritarian governments mobilizing religion as a readily available resource for popular political mobilization, legitimization, and power consolidation. India's BJP employs Hindutva ideology to marginalize minorities, Bangladesh's regime uses Islam for political legitimacy, and Sri Lanka's Sinhala‐Buddhist nationalism fosters exclusionary policies. By fostering social and cultural polarization, this fusion of authoritarianism with religious nationalism poses a serious challenge to the secular state. The articles in this special issue explore these themes comprehensively, delving into the ideological foundations of political decisions and their consequences for marginalized communities. By shedding light on this multifaceted interplay, the collection offers valuable insights into South Asia's sociopolitical landscape, serving as a vital resource for scholars, policy makers, and global observers seeking to understand the region's complex dynamics