235130 research outputs found
Sort by
Knowledge, attitude and practices of Swiss dairy farmers towards intramammary antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance : A latent class analysis
Full text linkUnderstanding farmers’ mindsets is important to improve antimicrobial stewardship in the dairy industry. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine farmers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices with respect to lactational intramammary antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Swiss dairy herds. Based on their approach towards subclinical mastitis (SCM) and non-severe cases of clinical mastitis (CM), subgroups of farmers were identified and compared regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices towards AMU and AMR. After conducting qualitative interviews to develop a questionnaire, an online survey was sent to 1296 randomly selected Swiss dairy farmers. Information was gathered on demographic data and farmers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices towards AMU and AMR. A latent class analysis was performed to identify subgroups of farmers based on management of SCM and non-severe CM cases. Based on the results of 542 completed questionnaires, poor knowledge with respect to AMU and AMR was identified, as well as discrepancies between farmers’ perceptions and their actual practices. Farmers approached cows with SCM and non-severe CM similarly, indicating they perceived both mastitis states as the same disease. Intramammary antimicrobial products containing cefquinome, which is a highest priority critically important antimicrobial, were among the 3 most commonly applied intramammary antimicrobials. Five latent classes of farmers were identified based on their management towards SCM and non-severe CM. One group of farmers (18.5% of respondents) indicated that they did not treat those mastitis cases, one group only treated SCM cases (13.8% of respondents), one group only treated non-severe CM cases (28.6% of respondents) and the largest group treated both mastitis states (39.1% of respondents). The latter group was subdivided into a latent class of farmers following guidelines for AMU/AMR (25.5% of respondents) and a group of farmers that were not strictly following these guidelines (13.7% of respondents). Regional differences between farmers, according to altitude and language region, explained some of the variation in latent class membership. Latent class membership was associated with farmers’ attitude to use antimicrobials as little as possible and with using antimicrobials only after performing bacteriological and susceptibility testing. This study gave detailed insight into Swiss farmers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding AMU and AMR and provides opportunities to improve antimicrobial stewardship in Swiss dairy herds. The identified groups of farmers, based on their management practices regarding SCM and non-severe CM, may help to design tailored intervention strategies for improving prudent AMU in the heterogeneous population of dairy farmers in Switzerland.</p
PLACARD translated materials – third set : Work Package 3 – knowledge brokerage, Deliverable 3.3
No full textEvolving issues brief 2020 : Work Package 3 – PLACARD Knowledge brokerage
No full textThe PLACARD evolving issues Briefs are short and easy-to-read texts informing the PLACARD community about progress on topics that help to bring the climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) communities together. They briefly discuss how current issues of importance to both communities are evolving and describe topics that are likely to grow in importance in the near future, together with initiatives and activities to bridge gaps between CCA and DRR. This third brief brings together findings from dialogues that took place in the period April 2019 – April 2020, mainly during ECCA 2019. Evolving Issues Brief 2020 considers the following issues: 1. Narratives and stories for prevention and preparedness 2. Finance and funding for CCA and DRR3. Climate services for DRR sector4. Nature-based solutions 5. Loss and damage data and risk assessment method
Pachtnormen 2020 : berekening hoogst toelaatbare pachtprijzen voor los land, agrarische bedrijfsgebouwen en agrarische woningen
Full text linkIn opdracht van het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit heeft Wageningen Economic Research de hoogst toelaatbare pachtprijzen voor 2020 berekend conform de uitgangspunten van het Pachtprijzenbesluit 2007. De pachtnormen 2020 zijn in twaalf van de veertien pachtprijsgebieden lager dan de pachtnormen 2019. In vier gebieden blijft de afname beperkt tot maximaal 7%. In de gebieden met veel melkveehouderij (Noordelijk weidegebied, Oostelijk veehouderijgebied, Hollands/Utrechts weidegebied en Zuidelijk veehouderijgebied) ligt de daling tussen 10% en 17%. In de gebieden met veel akkerbouw loopt de verandering van de pachtnormen uiteen van een daling met 22% in de Veenkoloniën en Oldambt, tot een stijging met 12% in de IJsselmeerpolders en 20% in het Zuidwestelijk akkerbouwgebied
Adapting to extremes: : Key insights for bridging climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the European Green Deal
No full textBeyond national climate action : the impact of region, city, and business commitments on global greenhouse gas emissions
Full text linkThis article quantifies the net aggregate impact in 2030 of commitments by individual non-state and subnational actors (e.g. regions, cities and businesses, collectively referred to as ‘NSAs’) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The analysis was conducted for NSAs operating within ten major emitting economies that together accounted for roughly two-thirds of global GHG emissions in 2016. Our assessment includes 79 regions (e.g. subnational states and provinces), approximately 6,000 cities, and nearly 1,600 companies with a net emissions coverage of 8.1 GtCO2e/year, or a quarter of the ten economies’ total GHG emissions in 2016. The analysis reflects a proposed methodology to aggregate commitments from different subnational (i.e. regional and city government) and non-state (i.e. business) actors, accounting for overlaps. If individual commitments by NSAs in the ten high-emitting economies studied are fully implemented and do not change the pace of action elsewhere, projected GHG emissions in 2030 for the ten economies would be 1.2–2.0 GtCO2e/year or 3.8%–5.5% lower compared to scenario projections for current national policies (31.6–36.8 GtCO2e/year). On a country level, we find that the full implementation of these individual commitments alone could result in the European Union and Japan overachieving their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), while India could further overachieve its unconditional NDC target. In the United States, where the national government has rolled back climate policies, NSAs could become a potential driving force for climate action. Key policy insights Full implementation of reported and quantifiable individual commitments by regions, cities and businesses (NSAs) in ten major economies could reduce emissions by 3.8%–5.5% in 2030 below current national policies scenario projections. National governments’ mitigation targets could be more ambitious if they would take NSA commitments into account. With full implementation of such action, the European Union and Japan would overachieve their NDC targets. For the United States such action could help meeting its original 2025 NDC target in spite of rollbacks in national climate policies. The full universe of NSA climate action expands far beyond the subset of commitments analysed in this study; NSAs could become a strong driving force for enhanced action towards the Paris climate goals.</p
Understanding scales of density-dependence to improve the use of resources in benthic mussel aquaculture
No full textShellfish aquaculture is considered a sustainable way to help meet rising protein demands worldwide. In shallow coastal dynamic ecosystems mussels can be cultivated directly on the seabed, however this method has a low return as mussels exposed to natural environments risk dislodgment, high predation rates, sedimentation and competition. The formation of spatial patterns in natural mussel beds, that result in ‘organized patchiness’, is thought to be an adaptive mechanism to reduce population losses. The driver and effects of this patterning need to be disentangled at multiple spatial scales in which patterns are observed. With a field experiment we aimed to understand how small-scale density (actual cover) and patterning (perimeter: area ratio of clumps and number of mussel layers) can be altered by manipulating large scale density (re-laying biomass), that farmers could control during seeding activity. Within this study we considered the interplay between environmental conditions (manipulating flow rate with the use of large mesh cages) and density for pattern development and persistence, and the repercussions of this on mussel productivity (growth and condition). We further investigated local scale processes, such as the role of within-clump biological activity (biodeposition), that may be a predictor for the larger scale observations of losses and persistence relative to density. We found that manipulating density by controlling seeding biomass from boats is not an accurate predictor of actual seabed density and resulting patterning. The growth and condition of the mussels was only influenced by local scale effects, resulting in high ‘within clumps’ variation. Aiming for an intermediate density to avoid both excessive fragmentation and excessive layering may be viewed as an optimal strategy to maximise returns, but we encourage the incorporation of the hierarchy of multiple scales of density in future studies of patterning that will allow the inclusion of these effects in a model of growth and productivity
FEMA GRAS assessment of natural flavor complexes: Mint, buchu, dill and caraway derived flavoring ingredients
No full textIn 2015, the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) initiated a re-evaluation of the safety of over 250 natural flavor complexes (NFCs) used as flavor ingredients. NFC flavor materials include a variety of essential oils and botanical extracts. The re-evaluation of NFCs is conducted based on a constituent-based procedure outlined in 2005 and updated in 2018 that evaluates the safety of NFCs for their intended use as flavor ingredients. This procedure is applied in the re-evaluation of the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status of NFCs with constituent profiles that are dominated by alicyclic ketones such as menthone and carvone, secondary alcohols such as menthol and carveol, and related compounds. The FEMA Expert Panel affirmed the GRAS status of Peppermint Oil (FEMA 2848), Spearmint Oil (FEMA 3032), Spearmint Extract (FEMA 3031), Cornmint Oil (FEMA 4219), Erospicata Oil (FEMA 4777), Curly Mint Oil (FEMA 4778), Pennyroyal Oil (FEMA 2839), Buchu Leaves Oil (FEMA 2169), Caraway Oil (FEMA 2238) and Dill Oil (FEMA 2383) and determined FEMA GRAS status for Buchu Leaves Extract (FEMA 4923), Peppermint Oil, Terpeneless (FEMA 4924) and Spearmint Oil, Terpeneless (FEMA 4925).</p
Do diverse landscapes provide for effective natural pest control in subtropical rice?
No full textWhile the biocontrol potential of natural enemies is well established, it is largely unknown how landscape‐mediated effects on pest and natural enemy communities impact the cascade of biocontrol potential, crop injury, yield and profit, taking into account crop management and surrounding landscape composition.We compared natural biocontrol with chemical control according to local farmers’ practice, across the ‘full cascade’ from natural enemy and pest abundance to crop injury, yield loss, yield and economic performance. This two‐year study was conducted in 20 rice fields embedded in a gradient of landscapes from crop‐dominated to semi‐natural habitat‐dominated, in subtropical China, the world's largest rice producing region.Natural enemies suppressed brown planthopper population growth in unsprayed plots, irrespective of landscape composition. However, crop injury was lower in pesticide treated plots than in unsprayed plots, and yields in sprayed plots were 20% higher than in unsprayed plots. Nevertheless, pesticide applications were only profitable in less than half of the cases when only costs for pesticides were considered, and in less than one third of the cases when costs for pesticides and labour were considered.Synthesis and applications. Our findings question the cost‐effectiveness of current chemical‐based pest management in farming, and highlight opportunities for more ecologically based pest management strategies based on the widespread activity of natural enemies. Pest damage and biocontrol, however, are largely independent from the landscape context, which might be due to the small‐scale character of Chinese rice landscapes. To maintain high levels of biocontrol, conserving this small‐scale character appears more important than increasing the proportion of semi‐natural habita
The Arabidopsis Cdk1/Cdk2 homolog CDKA;1 controls chromosome axis assembly during plant meiosis
No full textMeiosis is key to sexual reproduction and genetic diversity. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1/Cdk2 homolog CDKA;1 is an important regulator of meiosis needed for several aspects of meiosis such as chromosome synapsis. We identify the chromosome axis protein ASYNAPTIC 1 (ASY1), the Arabidopsis homolog of Hop1 (homolog pairing 1), essential for synaptonemal complex formation, as a target of CDKA;1. The phosphorylation of ASY1 is required for its recruitment to the chromosome axis via ASYNAPTIC 3 (ASY3), the Arabidopsis reductional division 1 (Red1) homolog, counteracting the disassembly activity of the AAA+ ATPase PACHYTENE CHECKPOINT 2 (PCH2). Furthermore, we have identified the closure motif in ASY1, typical for HORMA domain proteins, and provide evidence that the phosphorylation of ASY1 regulates the putative self-polymerization of ASY1 along the chromosome axis. Hence, the phosphorylation of ASY1 by CDKA;1 appears to be a two-pronged mechanism to initiate chromosome axis formation in meiosis.</p