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Perspectives on the social sciences in global animal health governance: A qualitative study of experts
No full textA global discourse continues to emphasize the importance of integrating the social sciences into health governance and systems research, including in the global animal health sector. By comparison to human health, however, it is unclear how far this discourse has changed institutional practices in animal health and what opportunities exist to strengthen this integration. We conducted a qualitative study to address these knowledge gaps, based on 29 semi-structured key informant interviews (KII) with experts involved in the global governance of animal health and biosecurity across five regions between November 2022 and June 2023. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse results, which were triangulated with findings from primary and secondary data sources. We divide our analysis into three sections: 1) governance landscape; 3) prioritization; and 3) the role of social science. First, we found that KII consider the global animal health governance landscape shaped by five main actor networks who operate under different institutional norms and mandates: international organizations, bilateral donors, the private sector, national governments, and regional organizations. Informants believed that bilateral donors have disproportionate levels of control and influence; national governments struggle with realistic fiscal planning; engaging the private sector remains challenging; international organizations exhibit tensions in their conflicting mandates; and regional organizations need to be more involved. Second, we found that the key priorities of the actor networks were influenced by core uncertainties and tensions. This included different narratives about risk and methods of risk assessment; conflicting values between health and economic development; and capacity scale problems between global and local networks. The field is perceived to be dominated by the global health security agenda and international trade, and disproportionately focused on pandemic threats. Third, we found that barriers to the integration of social science included disciplinary boundaries, given the dominance of the veterinary sciences; the preponderance of instrumentalized goals; and structural conditions that limited opportunities for knowledge translation. Overall, we found that while the social sciences are increasingly part of a global discourse improving global animal health governance and systems, their current application appears to be of limited range and effectiveness. Coordinated investment in truly interdisciplinary networks, with sufficient disciplinary independence, may help address these problems.</p
Solar chimney power plant plus solar pond to remove atmospheric methane: A novel concept
No full textThe methane concentration in the atmosphere is far lower than that of carbon dioxide, but it is more potent, accounting for 30% of the global greenhouse effect. Although removing atmospheric methane would be an effective way to mitigate climate change, no practical methods have been identified. The enhancement of the oxidative capacity of ecosystems to remove atmospheric methane is a green approach. This paper presents the novel concept of utilizing a solar chimney power plant (SCPP) associated with a solar pond to remove atmospheric methane. In the proposed system, the production of both hydroxyl radicals from ozone photolysis and chlorine atoms from converting Fe (III) to Fe (II) under optimized conditions degrades the atmospheric methane. The results reveal that a 200 MW SCPP associated with a solar pond could eliminate 0.22 million tons of atmospheric methane per year. The construction of 5400 systems worldwide could remove 1.19 billion tons of atmospheric methane per year, achieving the climate goal of a temperature rise of less than 2°C this century. The devices require an investment of about 3.5748×10 12 EUR. Although the proposal seems a promising way to mitigate the effects of a warming climate, a comprehensive model must be developed to evaluate its feasibility.</p
Who’s governing the market? Bringing the individual into the study of the developmental state
No full textResearch on the Northeast Asian economic miracle has focused on structural explanations, using institutional, geopolitical, and cultural variables. Much less focus has been on the role of the individuals (or “actors” or “agents”) responsible for leading the developmental states. This article contributes by using homophily theory to add a novel explanation for the origins of the success of the East Asian developmental states. Homophily refers to the tendency for people who recognize distinct common attributes to bond, to “stick together”. To study homophily, the article analyzes a dataset consisting of the 1,110 individuals who held one of the two most senior positions in the innovation policymaking organizations of the archetypal developmental states (Japan, Korea, and Taiwan) and the region’s large, late developer (China), from 1945 to 2021. The article reveals national homophily around educational and occupational dimensions, especially the location of education and professional trajectories. Japan emerges as an outlier with the strongest homophily pattern; with its policy leaders being 6 times more likely than in the other cases to have the same educational and professional background, in terms of degree subject and university, and organizational path. This is surprising given that Japan is the quintessential developmental state; and raises questions about why the other developmental states, which in many respects emulated the Japanese model, did not replicate this aspect. Overall, the evidence suggests nationally distinct patterns of similar elite recruitment to the top of the developmental state resulted in positive developmental outcomes. These patterns were aligned with structural factors in a way that allowed these individuals to formulate and carry through successful policies
[Review of] Scottish Religious Poetry from the Sixth Century to the Present, ed. Linden Bicket, Emma Dymock and Alison Jack
No full textAn integrated study of ramie (Boehmeria nivea), and its wild, cultivated and feral form
No full textFeralization, the re-establishment of wild populations from domesticated ancestors, can involve multiple parallel character reversions, and potentially also rampant gene flow with cultivated and/or naturally wild material. It hence poses great challenges for infraspecific classification, which may impede crop development, but studies on these issues are rare. Ramie (Boehmeria nivea; Urticaceae) is an important fiber crop worldwide. It has been traditionally divided into 2-4 varieties, but these are controversial. Here, 78 wild and feral individuals were sampled from 12 Chinese provinces, plus 11 cultivated individuals from farmland. We employed an integrative taxonomy approach combining multiple lines of evidence from morphology, phylogenomics, and ecology to investigate the intraspecific subdivision of B. nivea. A chi-square test of qualitative morphological characters significantly distinguished three varieties within B. nivea: var. nivea, var. tenacissima, and the recently described var. strigosa, comprising mainly cultivated, mainly feralized, and only naturally wild material respectively. The PCoA and random forest analyses indicated differences between var. strigosa and the other two varieties. However, quantitative characters could not distinguish the three varieties. None of the three varieties was monophyletic based on the phylogeny of plastome data, whereas var. strigosa was weakly supported as monophyletic based on nuclear ribosomal DNA (18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-26S). Ecological niche modelling showed overlap between the potential distribution areas of var. nivea and var. tenacissima, but neither overlapped with var. strigosa. These analyses collectively demonstrate the distinctiveness of var. strigosa, but mostly did not fully separate var. nivea from var. tenacissima. Hence var. strigosa is a biologically meaningful variety, but var. tenacissima should, be synonymised within var. nivea. These results should aid the breeding and improvement of new varieties of ramie and highlight the value of integrative taxonomic methods in examining infraspecific subdivisions within species that include cultivated and feralized material
Childhood risk factors for violent ideations in late adolescence and early adulthood
No full textBackground: Violent ideations (VIs) refer to thoughts, daydreams or fantasies of killing, inflicting serious physical harm or humiliating another person. Violent ideations are of particular interest at the intersection between mental health and violent behaviour. However, little is currently known about developmental trajectories of violent ideations in adolescence and early adulthood, and the extent to which childhood risk factors predict the likelihood of violent ideations.Aims: This study aims to address three key questions: (1) what are the developmental trends in violent thinking from ages 13 to 24, and how do they differ by sex? (2) To what extent can childhood risk factors predict VIs in late adolescence and early adulthood? (3) Are these associations sex-specific?Methods: Data were collected from the z-proso cohort study that is an on-going population-based longitudinal cohort study of 1555 participants. We use participant, teacher and parent reports to examine the extent to which childhood trait aggressiveness, poor impulse control, social rejection, an adverse family environment and violent media consumption predict the likelihood of violent ideations.Results: Descriptive analyses show that VIs strongly decline from late adolescence to early adulthood. We also find substantial between-individual stability in VIs between ages 17, 20 and 24. Indicators of childhood aggressiveness, poor impulse control, social rejection, an adverse family environment and adult media consumption were found to consistently predict increased violent ideations among males. Among females, self-reported aggressive behaviour, aversive parenting and a poor teacher–child bond had relatively strong associations with VIs. Overall, childhood risk factors were more predictive of VIs among male study participants than among females.Conclusions: The propensity to experience VIs declines between ages 15 and 24. The experience of VIs during late adolescence to early adulthood had long-term associations with childhood risk factors indicative of general aggressiveness, low impulse control, social rejection, an adverse family context and violent media consumption. Most prospective associations were stronger for males than for females. This is consistent with the notion that a relatively stable violent potential is shaped in childhood for a larger proportion of males than females
Seeking inspiration through human-LLM interaction
No full textLarge language model (LLM) systems have been shown to stimulate creative thinking among creators, yet empirical research on whether users can seek inspiration in their everyday lives through these technologies is lacking. This paper explores which attributes of LLMs influence inspiration-seeking processes. Focusing on use cases of travel, cooking, and self-care, we interviewed 20 participants as they explored scenarios of these use cases using LLMs. Thematic analysis revealed that the vast data of LLMs inspires users with unexpected ideas, many of which were highly personalized, and inspired participants towards being motivated to act. Participants were also sensitive to the deficiencies of LLMs, and noted how ethical issues associated with these technologies could negatively impact them applying inspirational ideas into practice. We discuss the behavioral patterns of users actively seeking inspiration via LLMs, and provide design opportunities for LLMs that make the inspiration-seeking process more human-centric
Semi-automated layer-by-layer biofabrication using rotational internal flow layer engineering technology
No full textThe automation of biofabrication processes has the potential to increase both the scale and reproducibility of human tissue production for replacing animal usage in research and ultimately clinical use. The biofabrication technology, Rotational Internal Flow Layer Engineering (RIFLE), produces layered tubular constructs with a resolution commensurate with the microscale strata observed in many human tissue types. The previously published RIFLE process required liquid phase cell-laden hydrogels to be manually applied onto the inner surface of a high-speed rotating mould. Here we describe improvement of the RIFLE system by automating elements of the process, in particular the liquid dispensing element, and present the use of this system for two commonly used biofabrication hydrogels; alginate and collagen. Semi-automatically assembled cell layers matched the viabilities of those produced manually, with automated collagen demonstrating the highest viabilities (>91 %) over the 10 days measured, highlighting its advantages as a material for tissue engineering applications. The encapsulation of labelled cells in predefined collagen layer patterns confirmed that the semi-automated RIFLE system was able to assemble separate cell populations in cell-width layers (≈14 µ m). Semi-automated dosing reduced the manual operations in the RIFLE process, reducing the workload on researchers and minimising the opportunity for human error. Further opportunity exists for higher levels of automation in the overall process, particularly needed in the preparation of cell-hydrogel suspensions, a common manual labour-intensive process in many biofabrication technologies
Halloysite nanotubes potentiate protein assembly for facile fabrication of nanocomposite thin film and its application in wound dressing
Get PDFProtein films offer a promising alternative to traditional synthetic polymer materials because of their nontoxicity, biocompatibility and biodegradability, particularly in the biomedical field. However, their practical use has remained a challenge due to their low mechanical strength, poor aqueous stability and high production costs. In this work, we prepared an organic-inorganic protein-based composite film by incorporating vancomycin-loaded halloysite nanotubes (Hal) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with a facile and biocompatible method. In the composite film, the abundant α-helix structure in BSA was reduced and transformed into a β-sheet-rich phase-transition BSA (PTB), which then interacted with vancomycin-loaded Hal (VHal) through hydrogen bonding to form a cross-linked network structure. Hal can not only reinforce the protein self-assembly via noncovalent interactions to improve the mechanical strength and stability of the protein film, but also act as carriers of antibacterial agents for a sustained drug release system. As a result, the resultant VHal/PTB composite film could completely eliminate Staphylococcus aureus within 30 min and demonstrated excellent biocompatibility. In vivo studies further showed that the composite film could effectively inhibit bacterial infections and accelerate the healing of infected skin wounds in mouse skin, with near-complete wound closure achieved within 12 days. The design strategy of this robust, breathable and biocompatible nanocomposite protein film with antibacterial properties sheds new light on the development of multifunctional wound dressings for infected wound tissue.</p
Genetic markers associated with bone strength and density in Rhode Island Red laying hens
No full textDamage to the keel bone in commercial laying hens represent one of the greatest welfare issues in laying hens. This study aims to identify the DNA markers and candidate genes for bone strength and density traits in a Rhode Island Red laying hen population. We conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on bone quality traits using a sample of 925 Rhode Island Red laying hens genotyped with a genotyping array consisting of 60 000 DNA markers. With a univariate linear mixed model, we identified 52 suggestive genetic markers located within 28 candidate genes that are associated with the humerus, keel, and tibia strength and density. We also found overlaps between the GWAS results for medullary bone score and tibia strength and density with published quantitative trait loci (QTL) for eggshell effective layer thickness and abdominal fat weight, respectively. Heritability estimates for the humerus stiffness, tibia stiffness, medullary bone score and minor bone diameter ranged from 0.21 to 0.34. Annotation term enrichment analysis of genes within 2 Megabases of suggestive markers found that mTOR signalling pathway, tryptophan metabolism, TGF-β signalling pathway, and apoptosis were significantly enriched. These loci do not overlap previously published associations, and thus appear to be novel.</p
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