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Assessing the welfare of smallholder pigs in Vietnam using a pilot protocol
Get PDFSmallholder pig farms are an important feature of pork supply in Asia, and these farming approaches present unique management considerations. This survey was conducted to pilot a welfare assessment protocol and to investigate smallholder pig management and welfare at two sites in Vietnam, one with 55 farms raising predominantly indigenous pigs (the Da Bac site) and the other 55 farms raising predominantly non-indigenous pigs (the Lac Son site). Farmers at both sites kept small numbers of confined pigs, with more keeping sows in Da Bac and some keeping only grower pigs in Lac Son. Via an interview and pig observation, data on 18 welfare measures were recorded for adult pigs, suckling piglets and grower pigs. Pigs on > 90% of farms did not exhibit panting, tail biting, scouring, negative social behaviour, stereotypic behaviour, coughing or lameness demonstrating adequate welfare for these welfare measures. However, all pigs on > 50% of farms had restricted access to drinking water at both sites, and pigs often displayed fear of humans in the Da Bac site. The body condition of most pigs was thin or very thin among the sows on 31% of farms and among the grower pigs on 32% of farms. This pilot proved that the welfare assessment protocol is feasible and provided lessons for its future use in other low-to-middle income countries. It also found that low-cost interventions are urgently needed to address water access and undernutrition in order to improve the welfare of smallholder pigs and the production of these farms.</p
Computational intimacies, from prompting to prose
Get PDF'Computational intimacies, from prompting to prose' is a chapter written by Jasmin Pfefferkorn and Beverley Hood, featured in the book Decentring Ethics: AI Art as Method, edited by Vanessa Bartlett, Jasmin Pfefferkorn and Emilie K. Sunde and published by the Open Humanities Press in 2025.The book advances a decentred approach to ethics. It draws on non-Western, ecocritical and feminist worldviews, and acknowledges the more-than-human as an agent with the capacity to act. We position AI art as ‘method’ – a process of working with, or in response to, the contemporary computational era. This expands the normative definition of AI art as art created with relative autonomy by computers. AI art as method frames ethics as situated, embodied and improvisational, whereby artists work with emergent ethical questions while challenging the more conservative frameworks of the cultural institutions they operate within.The chapter is an in conversation detailing my feminist, relational and embodied approach to creating the Generative AI photofilm MOTHER (2024). <br/
The experiences of bedside nurses delivering an intensive care sedation study: a process evaluation within the A2B trial
Get PDFSedation management in ICUs is essential for patient safety and comfort, allowing critically ill patients to tolerate mechanical ventilation, minimise discomfort, and avoid agitation. Traditionally, ICU sedation has favoured deeper sedation to ensure ventilator compliance and reduce risks like agitation or accidental self-extubation, although recent evidence challenges this paradigm.1 Deep sedation, while effective in the short term, is linked to poorer outcomes such as prolonged mechanical ventilation and ICU stays. Evidence suggests lighter sedation strategies may improve outcomes but could pose risks to long-term psychological well-being.2,3 Propofol, typically used with intravenous (IV) opioid infusions, is recommended as first-line sedation in clinical guidelines. The alpha-2 agonist dexmedetomidine is also being increasingly used due to its capacity for lighter sedation and analgesic properties that might reduce opioid use.4 Clonidine is an alpha-2-agonist used widely in the UK, instead of dexmedetomidine. A one-day point prevalence of UK ICU sedation practices reported 10.4% of ventilated patients were receiving dexmedetomidine, as opposed to 5.5% receiving clonidine.5The Alpha-2 Agonists for Sedation to Produce Better Outcomes from Critical Illness (A2B) trial compared dexmedetomidine and clonidine to standard propofol sedation. The primary outcome was time to successful extubation, with secondary outcomes including ICU mortality, time to discharge, sedation quality, delirium rates, and cardiovascular events. Patients were randomised into three groups (propofol, dexmedetomidine, clonidine) accompanied by an IV opioid infusion, with additional pain relief as needed, and continued propofol permitted in the alpha-2 agonist groups where necessary. The goal across all groups was to maintain light sedation (Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) of -2 to +1) meaning patients were calm but easily rousable. For alpha-2 agonist groups, rapidly increasing trial medication post-randomisation was crucial, aiming for sedation primarily via the allocated drug.The trial found no significant difference in time to extubation or sedation quality and delirium measures.6 However, significantly higher agitation and bradycardia rates occurred in alpha-2 agonist groups. Continued low-level propofol use (20-30%) persisted in both intervention groups, and around 25% of patients required deeper sedation during the intervention illustrating the complexity of changing sedation practices within trial conditions.Nurses are central in ICU sedation protocol implementation, managing titration and monitoring. Their experiences significantly influence intervention feasibility and fidelity. The A2B trial required addressing entrenched practices like overnight deeper sedation or beliefs that deeper sedation is ‘safer’ for avoiding adverse events. However, lighter sedation was accepted as best practice across all trial groups and was not an area of differentiation in the trial protocol. Managing known side-effects of alpha-2 agonists such as bradycardia, hypotension, and ileus remained challenging. Recognising ICU sedation complexity, the A2B trial included a process evaluation to examine factors such as nurse experience, unit culture, resources, and clinical decision-making, essential for optimising sedation protocols and improving outcomes.The process evaluation was conceptually informed by a framework that adapts elements from existing models for evaluating complex interventions,7-10 developed specifically to meet the challenges of research in ICU settings. This approach draws on established guidance while addressing the realities of high-acuity, team-delivered care and organisational variation. It reflects a pragmatic orientation, focused on understanding how participant- and organisational-related factors shape implementation, delivery, and intervention outcomes
Variations on a theme: Non-canonical mechanisms of effector-triggered immunity
Get PDFEffector-triggered immunity (ETI) can be defined as immune responses activated upon specific recognition of a pathogen effector protein by its cognate plant immune receptor protein. This classic gene-for-gene model of the interaction of one pathogen effector, also known as an Avirulence (Avr) gene, with one plant immune receptor gene, known as a Resistance (R) gene has been documented since the 1950s. Since then, different types of recognition that deviate from the gene-for-gene model, for example, immune receptor pairs and immune receptor networks, have been identified. In addition, while many R genes encode NLR (nucleotide binding, leucine rich repeat) proteins, R genes that encode only parts of NLR domains, and non-NLR encoding R genes such as tandem kinases have been identified, broadening the immune receptor repertoire in plants. In recent years, there have been significant advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of NLR intracellular immune receptors in plants, including how they are inhibited, activated, and regulated. This review covers recent developments in ETI initiation mechanisms and in plant NLR biology
Multi‐Year Ice Dynamics at Køge Bugt Central Glacier Controlled by Bed Topography
Get PDFKøge Bugt Central (KBC) is Greenland's fourth largest outlet glacier in terms of ice discharge. However, the drivers behind its substantial multi-year variations in ice dynamics remain unknown. In this study, we use remotely sensed data sets of ice surface velocity, ice surface elevation, ice discharge, and terminus position, in combination with modeled estimates of surface runoff and ocean thermal forcing, to explore variations in its ice dynamics between 2016 and 2024. Our results indicate that KBC functions as a self-organizing system, whereby an underlying bedrock ridge serves as a critical pinning point around which it oscillates. Terminus retreat occurs when the glacier reaches a super-critical state, with strong evidence for buoyancy-driven calving observed. Whilst KBC is currently stabilized by the bedrock ridge, sustained thinning will eventually remove this critical control on ice flow, likely initiating a fundamental shift in ice dynamics and rendering KBC more susceptible to future climatic change
A Metal-Organic Polyhedron-to-Coordination Polymer Transition Revealed by 3D Electron Diffraction
Get PDFPorous metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) have strong covalent and coordinate bonds that define the intrinsic pore of the cage. The intermolecular interactions between cages tend to be weaker, such that they rearrange during the solvent exchange process preceding gas sorption measurements. The reduction in crystal size that this often causes limits the availability of structural data that could enable understanding of observed gas uptake. Herein, we use 3D electron diffraction (ED) to resolve this problem, and apply this technique to a MOP-based material that shows cooperative gas capture. 3D ED structure solution reveals both that the MOPs rearrange to form porous 1D polymers, and that these polymers are retained in the activated phase. Molecular simulations using these data suggest gas uptake is facilitated by rotation of functional groups appended to the backbone of the polymers in conjunction with structural expansion as gas is accommodated. Mechanical downsizing of the material leads to the loss of cooperative gas uptake, but a level of porosity is retained, attributed to the conservation of the 1D polymer structure. This work underscores the potential of 3D ED for probing structural transformations in functional supramolecular materials.</p
From margins to extremes:Economic factors, social integration and the radicalisation of European youth
No full textThis paper explores the relationship between economic variables, social integration and susceptibility to extremism in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. By analysing 415 interviews conducted with young people, activists and practitioners between 2021 and 2023, we have discerned patterns in the influence of economic conditions on radicalisation. We found that nationalist ideologies are associated with economic concerns, particularly those related to globalisation and migration, and that perceived relative deprivation, rather than absolute conditions, mediate the influence of these factors. Comparable economic grievances foster conditions for both right-wing and Islamist radicalisation, indicating shared mechanisms. Nevertheless, national contexts–including welfare models and integration policies–affect the manifestations of these economic factors in actual radicalisation processes. This study elucidates the intricate relationship between economic conditions and extremist ideologies among European youth.</p
Electroconductive thermosensitive shape memory polymers manufactured by Fused Filament Fabrication: a critical review
No full textThe field of 4D printing has seen rapid advancement in recent years, making it a highly dynamic research domain. This new technology is promising for the development of brand-new lightweight, smart and reliable devices. This article is a literature review of the latest research in 4D printing, focusing on electroconductive thermosensitive Shape Memory Polymers. They are promising thanks to their high strength-to-weight ratio and their large deformability. However, devices made of such materials are difficult to embed into larger systems because of the triggering mechanism needed to actuate them. Electroconductive Shape Memory Polymers can be stimulated by the Joule effect, but the intricacies and interdependence of their properties make them a great scientific challenge. The first part of this article provides a clear explanation of the main concepts of 4D printing. Afterwards, it focuses on Fused Filament Fabrication due to its high customisability and ease of use. A description of the properties of thermosensitive 4D printed specimens is provided in the third part. Finally, their main challenges and intricacies are discusse
Sex ratio theory for facultative parthenogens: from fortuitously optimal stick insects to the origin of haplodiploidy in Hymenoptera
No full textSex ratio theory usually assumes obligate sex; rare exceptions with facultative sex typically consider idiosyncratic cases of cyclic parthenogens. Here, we construct a general theoretical framework for facultative parthenogens. We show that facultative parthenogenesis selects for female-biased sex ratios by elevating the class reproductive value of females. The degree of this bias depends on the future rate of parthenogenesis. This complicates calculations for cyclic parthenogens, but in stable environments (with stable rates of parthenogenesis), the optimal sex ratio can result automatically from constraints caused by preexisting sex chromosomes: if sexually produced offspring retain unbiased sex ratios while parthenogenetically produced offspring are female (example: stick insects), optimality is achieved for any rate of parthenogenesis. Conversely, in birds and haplodiploids, parthenogenesis produces males, resulting in suboptimal sex ratios. Nevertheless, male-producing parthenogenesis can invade and reach an equilibrium frequency, if the reproductive value of parthenogenetically produced brood is compromised by less than 50%. We argue that this condition is not met in birds due to inviable WW and homozygous ZZ offspring. For haplodiploids, on the other hand, our work resurrects a somewhat forgotten idea by Bull (1981) that haplodiploidy in Hymenoptera evolved from a diplodiploid ancestor with complementary sex determination
Value encroachment on scientific understanding and discovery
No full textMost agree that science is in some way informed by values, especially when it comes to using a model. However, whether values in science impact epistemology remains controversial. Prima facie scientific knowledge impurism seems untenable (Gerken, 2018). Does the same hold for scientific understanding impurism? In this paper, I put forward the dependency-impurism view of scientific understanding where non-epistemic values encroach on the dependency models that underly scientific understanding. I argue that dependency-impurism does not face the same worries that scientific knowledge impurism may have. I discuss the larger implications dependency-impurism has for scientific understanding, discovery, and machine learning in science
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