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Classification of donkey systems in Ethiopia
Full text linkWorking donkeys play a critical role in transportation, agriculture and household resilience in low- and middle-income countries. Other animals that are kept for production purposes, such as cattle, are often grouped into broad production system classes, such as dairy or pastoral, for comparison between and better understanding of the needs and outputs of animals within specific sectors. Despite the importance of working donkeys for sustaining livelihoods there are no systematic classifications of these populations. The aim of this study was to classify and characterise donkey systems in Ethiopia using household-level questionnaire data which included donkey ownership, husbandry, use and local environment data, through multiple factor and hierarchical cluster analysis. Household questionnaire data from 241 donkey-owning households in three districts of Ethiopia were used. Three distinct clusters of donkey ownership were identified: ‘Domestic-Pastoral’; ‘Domestic-Agricultural’ and ‘Commercial’. Differences between systems are primarily influenced by donkey purpose, environmental (agro-ecological) factors, and husbandry practices. Constraints associated with donkey ownership varied across clusters: households in the commercial system reported higher incidence of injuries and welfare concerns, in the pastoral system the main constraints were drought and feed shortage, and domestic-agricultural households reported infectious diseases as the main challenge. This new classification of donkey systems provides a framework for analysing donkey health and welfare data, enabling more context-specific needs assessments and facilitating the design of targeted interventions to improve equid health and household livelihoods
Dysbiosis of bacterial and fungal microbiomes affects the disease process and treatment outcome in fungal keratitis
Full text linkFungal keratitis (FK) is a severe eye infection mainly caused by Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium solani. We examined the changes in bacterial and fungal microbiome profiles over a week of disease progression, treatment, and clinical status using targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). Samples were collected from infected and healthy contralateral eyes of 25 FK patients and one eye of 10 healthy, non-infected cataract controls. QIIME (Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology) and MicrobiomeAnalyst were utilised for the data analysis. There was a reduction in beneficial bacteria like Prevotella, Lactobacillus, and Leuconostoc in FK patients compared to the control samples. On the other hand, opportunistic bacteria including Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, and Pseudomonas increased in FK patients. Aspergillus, Colletotrichum, and Basidiobolus were more abundant in keratitis patients, whereas Malassezia and Trichoderma were less abundant. This dysbiosis was also evident in the uninfected contralateral eyes of FK patients. Treatment resulted in significant changes in bacterial genera like Dolosigranulum, Sutterella, and Akkermansia, and fungal genera such as Myrothecium, Corynespora, and Penicillium. Further, treatment returned them to the control group levels, except for Akkermansia and Corynespora. Among the treated patients, a large subset remains nonresponsive to treatment. This treatment outcome, responder versus non-responder, was reflected in the abundance of bacterial genera such as Tannerella, Sutterella, Odoribacter, and fungal genera such as Coprinellus and Volutella. This study highlights the clinical relevance of microbiome signatures in FK, demonstrating bilateral dysbiosis, integrated bacterial–fungal profiling, and correlations with treatment outcomes. These findings suggest potential for microbiome-informed diagnostics, prognostic biomarkers, and risk stratification
Adapting Global Coach Education Approaches within the Chinese Context: Coaches’ and Coach Developers’ Perceived Challenges, Cultural Influences and Pathways to Expertise
No full textBackground: Global coach education has shifted focus in recent decades, moving from prescriptive, competency-based training towards expertise-based approaches that prepares for complex coach–learner interactions. However, adopting one-size-fits-all coaching approaches across cultures is problematic, since there is potential to overlook important pedagogic and social norms. In China, coach education remains centrally administered and assessment-driven, with a structured certification hierarchy that contrasts starkly with Western approaches that centre on reflective practice. These contextual differences present a mismatch between China’s current competency-based system and the expertise-development approach emerging internationally. Purpose: This study investigates the cultural and pedagogical complexities of introducing a Western expertise-based coach education approach in China. It explores Chinese coach developers’ and coaches’ perceptions of (1) the current versus their ideal coach education systems, (2) how cultural factors (e.g., power distance, learning habits) influence these systems, and (3) the challenges in transitioning from the existing competency-based to an expertise-based approach. The aim is to better understand how cultural context and educational beliefs shape coach development opportunities, and to inform future coach education practice reforms. Methods: A mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) online survey required participants from China (N = 119; 87 coaches and 32 coach developers) to rate using a Likert-scale, items that addressed competency-based versus expertise-based coaching approaches in various scenarios, cultural factors (e.g., attitudes to authority, preference for structured learning) and potential transition challenges, plus open-ended questions for additional comments. Independent t-tests and MANOVA with post-hoc tests examined differences between coaches and coach developers, while thematic analysis was used to present qualitative feedback. Results: While participants showed interest in a more expertise-based approach, their overall preference remained for familiar, competency-based structures. Coach developers were significantly more inclined to view the current system as lacking in expertise-focus and to desire a more expertise-based system. Correspondingly, coach developers differed from coaches on several cultural attitude measures: notably, they reported emphasis on youth development being positive to coach education systems, whereas the attitude and behaviours towards uncertainty and learning habits/styles are relatively negative to the systems. Both groups, however, identified similar challenges to adopting an expertise-based approach, particularly a ‘need for more knowledge’ and difficulties with assessment and certification processes. Qualitative comments (from a subset of respondents) echoed concerns about entrenched habits, institutional resistance to change, and the lack of role models to exemplify the new approach. Discussion and Conclusion: Overall, this study highlights a clear mismatch between the current competency-based and an envisioned expertise-based approach. Data suggests that any transition in China towards an expertise-based coach education system will need to be gradual and culturally sensitive, blending new reflective practices into the existing structure to ensure buy-in and sustainability
Effect of movement goal on countermovement jump performance: An exploratory analysis of different sporting demands
No full textThis study explored the influence of different counter movement jump (CMJ) goals on performance, kinetic, and kinematic variables between 56 elite track and field (T&F), football, and futsal athletes. Within and between-sport difference were compared when using the goals: (a) “jump as high as possible” (CMJh) and (b) “jump as fast as possible” (CMJf), using a mixed MANOVA and follow-up univariate mixed ANOVAs. Movement goals had a significant main effect on all variables (p < .001). Compared to CMJh, CMJf elicited higher mean propulsive power normalized to body mass (MPPbm ) and reactive strength index (RSI), alongside lower jump height, contraction time (CT), propulsive displacement, and countermovement velocity (CMvelocity). Sport interaction analyses revealed that T&F athletes consistently outperformed the other sports in RSI across both movement goals. Significant differences in MPPbm and CT emerged between T&F and football. Additionally, a significant interaction between Movement goal and Sport was found for CMvelocity, indicated that T&F and football athletes increased their CM velocity under CMJh, while futsal players maintained similar downward velocities across both movement goals. In conclusion, movement goals significantly modify CMJ performance variables in elite athletes, and these effects are further influenced by sport specialization. Furthermore, adaptations in motor control processes according to the specific movement goals emphasize the need for task-specific and context-relevant communication. Coaches should align goal instructions with both the targeted task goals and the athletes’ sporting context to optimize training outcomes and athlete assessment
Climate change increases ammonia emissions, reducing the efficacy of mitigation actions (AMCLIM modelling results)
No full textTemperature sensitivity of agricultural ammonia emissions modelled by the AMCLIM model. Projected agricultural ammonia emissions in 2041-2050 and 2091-2100 under four different shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs): SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5. Mitigation of agricultural ammonia emissions for the year 2010. Base run results are deposited under: https://datashare.ed.ac.uk/handle/10283/8753 https://datashare.ed.ac.uk/handle/10283/895
Meta-analyses of the global impact of non-antibiotic feed additives on livestock performance and health
No full textINTRODUCTION: The impact of non-antibiotic feed additives on livestock performance and health is contingent upon a multitude of variables, including the animal species, dosage and type of feed additives, and duration of oral administration. However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the relationship between these factors and the performance of livestock animals.OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to conduct a global meta-analysis based on a pool of empirical studies to investigate the effects of dietary additives on growth, production, blood metabolites, immunity, intestinal morphology, and the abundance of gut microbiota in livestock.METHODS: A meta-regression coupled with dose-effect analysis was performed to ascertain the optimal dosage and feeding duration for the optimal body function. A total of 71 papers, estimating 1, 035 effect size across 9 species and 7 types of non-antibiotic feed additives were recruited in our meta-dataset.RESULTS: Overall assessment confirmed that these additives in diet can significantly improve livestock production and immune function across species. Our findings indicated that the effects of additives on animal performance were more pronounced in herbivores than in omnivores. The dose-response results indicated that the overall optimal doses for antimicrobial peptides, enzymes, oligosaccharides, organic acids, phytogenic, probiotics and prebiotics were 100 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 10⁶ CFU/kg, and 10 mg/kg, respectively. Oral administration of these additives for a 2-month period effectively improves livestock performance and health.CONCLUSION: This evidence-based approach provides a foundation for implementing customized feeding strategies designed to optimize livestock performance, enhance immunity and reduce feed costs. Our assessment shows that these feed additives are promising alternatives to antibiotics in reducing the use of antibiotics. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the use of these feed additives can lead to evidence-based recommendations for practical feeding strategies, providing livestock producers with a sustainable and cost-effective approach to animal health management.</p
Administrating crisis is just a transition:Interventions on bureaucratic activity in the United Kingdom, 1987-2022
Full text linkThe process of leaving the European Union set off a disruptive transformation of the UK’s system of government. Central to implementing this process was secondary legislation, called statutory instruments, which received unparalleled levels of attention by the public due to the government’s use of them to untangle UK and EU law. Yet, the legislative crisis caused by Brexit, appeared in many ways just another form of government transition. We propose that understanding how this process affected bureaucratic activity requires a broad theory of regular partisan transitions. Large changes in the ideological goals and demands of the government redirect the priority of policies developed through instruments. To examine this perspective, we analyse the most prominent partisan and political transitions in the UK from 1987 to 2022 using time series intervention analyses. The results indicate that crises and transitions alike led to lasting changes in the bureaucracy’s agenda. Transitions in 2010 and 2015 not only exhibited shifts in the topical focus of secondary legislation, but also dramatic reductions in productivity. This paper’s findings further suggest that partisan effects on issue attention may have more to do with the organisation of government than the broader distribution of issues addressed using public policy
Two-stage transfer learning for airborne multi-spectral image classifiers
No full textIn this work, we propose a novel training paradigm designed to support transfer learning for more effective classification in multispectral airborne imagery. Current state-of-the-art approaches typically rely on either leveraging solely RGB (red-green-blue) pretraining or applying in-domain transfer learning for multispectral imagery classification. Instead, our approach constructs and trains two separate neural network models (backbones): one specifically for wavelengths with available pretrained data (like visible bands) and another trained from scratch on all-bands available in the dataset. These models are then integrated with a fully-connected layer or multi-layered perceptron, which is trained on the features from both networks. This allows us to exploit the significant benefits of generalizable features learned from RGB datasets and the information provided by the full spectrum of multispectral bands. We employ the BigEarthNet and EuroSAT datasets, encompassing Sentinel-2 satellite imagery in the visual and infrared bands. This approach yields considerable performance gains in comparison with other training strategies across every evaluation metric we utilized for these datasets. The results are also consistent across a variety of backbone architectures, underlining the efficacy of our transfer learning technique in the analysis of multispectral data
Origins and fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in a Scottish urban area: Implications for groundwater systems
No full textIncreasing urbanisation and the effects of climate change have resulted in a decrease in water quality and availability worldwide. At the same time, flooding in urban areas has become one of the most prevalent natural disasters worldwide. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are resilient stormwater management solutions that can help reduce flooding by mimicking natural drainage processes and promoting infiltration. Numerous studies have focused on the benefits SuDS provide. But, to date, studies fail to investigate the risks that detention basins pose to groundwater quality, particularly the potential for infiltration of stormwater pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). To address this important knowledge gap, this study combines gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) techniques for PAHs characterisation with numerical modelling tools to investigate organic pollutant infiltration patterns. We find that high levels of PAHs originating from urban areas are temporarily stored in SuDS basins and are likely to reach shallow water tables within one year. Multiple factors such as vegetation, precipitation, drainage area size, total organic carbon content in the soil and soil saturation influence the PAHs infiltration rates within the basins. More broadly, this study highlights the need for more research regarding SuDS dynamics to prevent both flooding and groundwater deterioration
Behaviour and design of sheathed light gauge steel panels subjected to in-plane shear and gravity loads
No full textThe in-plane shear behaviour of sheathed light gauge steel wall panels is investigated by tests on 2.4 m square wall panels together with push-out tests, to determine the shear fixing stiffness and resistance. Parameters such as sheathing material, screw geometry, stud arrangement, adhesives, combined bracing with sheathing boards, and profiled sheeting were considered. An X-braced panel was used as a benchmark and to interpret the forces in the bracing obtained from measured strains. Wall panels with single C- and back-to-back C- sections in the middle of the panel have equivalent shear stiffness and resistance. The use of non-winged fixings can significantly enhance the stiffness of the panel due to increased thread engagement with the board material. Adhesives on the board-frame interface reduce damage evolution on the board material, while significantly increasing both stiffness and resistance. The tests also included the combination of X-bracing and sheathing boards to determine how their stiffnesses may be combined. It was also shown that profiled steel sheets serve as a potential alternative to X-bracing, although they require more fixings. The design approach based on elastic theory for the fixing properties obtained from push-out tests is in close agreement with the test results obtained from the representative wall panel tests, where the ratio of the recorded to the predicted panel shear stiffness and resistance have an average of 1.03 and 1.05, respectively, with a variation of up to 8 %.</p
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