9 research outputs found
AdaptationandMitigationof Animal Agricultureto Climate Change
No full textGlobally agriculture contributes around 24% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and a large proportion of these emissions is methane stemming from enteric fermentation in ruminants. Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it appears to be happening right now and is evident by an increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Agricultural practices will have to change as animals must be sheltered from these events. Adaptation might be as simple as the provision of shade, but may also mean that ruminants have to adapt to different diets driven by invading species that are more suited to the changed climatic conditions. However, while adaptation will need to happen, the scientifically more challenging task will be to mitigate the effects that ruminants have on the climate. Generally, these approaches can be divided into two main areas. One is to identify nature’s solutions to lower methane emissions by screening for low methane ruminants and low methane feeds. The other is to decrease the abundance of methane producing organisms or divert their substrates into other products. Improved efficiency can be achieved by better feeding or improving animal health and fertility. Efficiency gains can lead to an overall decrease in emissions, but can also lead to an increase if the current animal numbers are maintained or increased because of improved farm practices. Adaptation to climate change is unavoidable, but there needs to be a careful balance of mitigation strategies and efficiency gains to reduce the burden of agriculture on climate change
The Platform, the Creator, and the Viewer: An analysis of values and emotions on the impacts of parasocial phenomena on YouTube
No full textWhen discussing media, parasocial phenomena is mentioned. Audience members naturally partake in parasocial phenomena when consuming media and empathizing with media figures. Viewers who form relationships with a media figure despite never meeting them are said to be in a parasocial relationship. On YouTube, examples of parasocial interactions occur when content creators request likes, subscriptions, or thank viewers for watching.While existing literature recognizes that viewers form parasocial relationships with YouTube content creators, there is not enough emphasis on understanding the content creators’ perspectives.This thesis helps to understand how content creators experience being the target of parasocial relationships. Furthermore, the general feelings and emotions of content creators are probed in order to extract the values of content creators, such that content creators’ unique experiences can be analyzed and educated recommendations can be given to relevant stakeholders.Eight interviews were held with content creators who are the face of their channel. Three main research questions were formulated: (RQ2) How and to what extent do content creators experience parasocial phenomena on the YouTube platform? (RQ3) What moral challenges do content creators experience when connecting with their audience or expressing themselves in their content? (RQ4) How does the YouTube platform influence the ways in which content creators are able to communicate their values to their audience?To ensure these research questions were answered, a set of propositional statements were formulated from the existing literature. Each proposition consists of one specific element which may be supported by interview findings. When compounded, these propositions answer their relevant research question.For RQ2, propositions include Interviewee holds influence over their audience, has met a viewer in person, has audience members similar to themselves, and does not have the same amount of knowledge about the viewer as the viewer has about them. For RQ3, propositions include Interviewee interprets their audience as a group rather than as individuals, communicates with their audience members outside of their video content, feels they need to be professional in their YouTube content, creates videos as a creative outlet, creates videos because it is fun for them, and feels connected to their audience. For RQ4, propositions include Interviewee is aware of the YouTube algorithm affecting the platform, receives financial benefits or a stream of income from YouTube, feels authentic on YouTube, is exposed to tools to grow their YouTube audience, and has confronted their values when making decisions on YouTube.Interviewees’ anecdotal evidence directly support findings that YouTube content creators value at least one or more of the following: self-expression, creativity, loyalty, community, credibility, authenticity, entertainingness, education, fiscal opportunity, social justice, content quality, pride in self or work, appreciation for viewers, and filling a niche.YouTube is a socio-technical system with an immeasurable number of users every single day. YouTube should be honest with their content creators and viewers, as the YouTube platform would not exist in its current state without them.Calls for future research and explicit recommendations are given to relevant stakeholders about how to handle parasocial phenomena.Management of Technology (MoT
Differential patterns of age-related cortical and subcortical functional connectivity in 6-to-10 year old children: A connectome-wide association study
No full textIntroduction: Typical brain development is characterized by specific patterns of maturation of functional networks. Cortico-cortical connectivity generally increases, whereas subcortico-cortical connections often decrease. Little is known about connectivity changes amongst different subcortical regions in typical development. Methods: This study examined age- and gender-related differences in functional connectivity between and within cortical and subcortical regions using two different approaches. The participants included 411 six- to ten-year-old typically developing children sampled from the population-based Generation R study. Functional connectomes were defined in native space using regions of interest from subject-specific FreeSurfer segmentations. Connections were defined as: (a) the correlation between regional mean time-series; and (b) the focal maximum of voxel-wise correlations within FreeSurfer regions. The association of age and gender with each functional connection was determined using linear regression. The preprocessing included the exclusion of children with excessive head motion and scrubbing to reduce the influence of minor head motion during scanning. Results: Cortico-cortical associations echoed previous findings that connectivity shifts from short to long-range with age. Subcortico-cortical associations with age were primarily negative in the focal network approach but were both positive and negative in the mean time-series network approach. Between subcortical regions, age-related associations were negative in both network approaches. Few connections had significant associations with gender. Conclusions: The present study replicates previously reported age-related patterns of connectivity in a relatively narrow age-range of children. In addition, we extended these findings by demonstrating decreased connectivity within the subcortex with increasing age. Lastly, we show the utility of a more focal approach that challenges the spatial assumptions made by the traditional mean time series approach
Patterns of functional connectivity in an aging population: The Rotterdam Study
No full textStructural brain markers are studied extensively in the field of neurodegeneration, but are thought to occur rather late in the process. Functional measures such as functional connectivity are gaining interest as potentially more subtle markers of neurodegeneration. However, brain structure and function are also affected by ‘normal’ brain ageing. More information is needed on how functional connectivity relates to aging, particularly in the absence of overt neurodegenerative disease. We investigated the association of age with resting-state functional connectivity in 2878 non-demented persons between 50 and 95 years of age (54.1% women) from the population-based Rotterdam Study. We obtained nine well-known resting state networks using data-driven methodology. Within the anterior default mode network, ventral attention network, and sensorimotor network, functional connectivity was significantly lower with older age. In contrast, functional connectivity was higher with older age within the visual network. Between resting state networks, we found patterns of both increases and decreases in connectivity in approximate equal proportions. Our results reinforce the notion that the aging brain undergoes a reorganization process, and serves as a solid basis for exploring functional connectivity as a preclinical marker of neurodegenerative disease.ImPhys/Imaging PhysicsImPhys/Quantitative Imagin
Sex-specific associations between maternal prenatal inflammation and offspring cortical morphology in youth: A harmonised study across four birth cohorts
No full textAbstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy is implicated in offspring psychiatric disorders. However, it is unknown to what extent MIA affects neurodevelopment, particularly cerebrocortical anatomy, in the general population, and whether effects differ by sex. The current study used vertex-wise statistics to examine the association between maternal prenatal CRP, an archetypal systemic inflammatory marker, and offspring cortical thickness, surface area, and volume, in 2635 mother–child dyads (5.4–26.5 years) from three population-based cohorts, and one clinical cohort enriched for presence of inflammation markers.
Maternal CRP within a normal physiological range (10 mg/L) CRP was associated with regional cortical morphology in females and in a pooled sample of sexes. Overall, MIA is associated with cortical development in a regional and sex-specific manner in studies spanning childhood to adulthood.Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy is implicated in offspring psychiatric disorders. However, it is unknown to what extent MIA affects neurodevelopment, particularly cerebrocortical anatomy, in the general population, and whether effects differ by sex. The current study used vertex-wise statistics to examine the association between maternal prenatal CRP, an archetypal systemic inflammatory marker, and offspring cortical thickness, surface area, and volume, in 2635 mother–child dyads (5.4–26.5 years) from three population-based cohorts, and one clinical cohort enriched for presence of inflammation markers.
Maternal CRP within a normal physiological range (10 mg/L) CRP was associated with regional cortical morphology in females and in a pooled sample of sexes. Overall, MIA is associated with cortical development in a regional and sex-specific manner in studies spanning childhood to adulthood
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Childhood: Injury Outcomes, Teacher Perspectives and Educating Educators
No full textPaediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has the potential to impact on a wide range of developmental functions in childhood. However, the relationship between mTBI and persistent developmental difficulties is controversial, with some suggestion that children’s post-injury difficulties may actually predate the injury. Regardless of cause, however, mTBI seems to be associated with developmental impairment in childhood that may impact on academic performance and overall school functioning. In spite of the high prevalence of mTBI amongst young people, educators and school services may not be aware of the implications of such injuries and how post-concussive symptoms should be managed in educational settings. It seems that the conflicting findings regarding mTBI outcomes in childhood may contribute to a lack of knowledge amongst educators about how to manage mTBI and associated difficulties in primary-school-aged students. There is a need to further clarify the existence and nature of developmental impairments after paediatric mTBI and consider their implications in educational settings. Furthermore, there is a need to understand more regarding the capacities of educators to address issues that may arise as a result of such impairments and consider how teaching practices in this area can be enhanced.
In Study 1, the emotional, behavioural, social, intellectual, neuropsychological (comprised of memory, attention, and executive function) and academic functioning of 41 children who had sustained mTBI 14-months prior was investigated. The findings of those assessments were compared with those from a non-injured cohort of children matched on age, gender, ethnicity and school decile. Assessment measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a measure of emotional, behavioural and social functioning, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) as a measure of executive function, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III COG) and CNS Vital Signs (CNSVS) as measures of global neuropsychological functioning, a short-form version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) as a measure of intelligence, the brief battery of the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Academic Achievement (WJ III ACH) as measure of academic achievement, and a teacher questionnaire regarding school functioning. Information obtained from parents and teachers regarding pre-injury diagnoses and learning problems did not reveal significant premorbid difficulties amongst the clinical group. The results of Study 1 showed that children who have sustained mTBI demonstrate higher rates of emotional and behavioural problems than those in a matched cohort, while executive function and social functioning was found to be similar across the two groups. Children with mTBI evidence significantly lower intellectual functioning and academic achievement, and are more likely to demonstrate learning disorders. Given the developmental impairments identified in the sample and the possible implications of such difficulties in school settings, it was considered important to evaluate teachers’ perceptions of childhood TBI and how such impairments might be managed at school.
Study 2 looked at the perceptions of educators regarding childhood TBI. Nineteen primary school teachers in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions engaged in semi-structured interviews that covered their understanding of TBI, its mechanisms and consequences. Participants also discussed the use of programme adaptations for children with persistent difficulties after mTBI and perceived barriers to uptake. The majority of participants had a limited understanding of mTBI and its implications in childhood. None of the participants had received prior education regarding paediatric TBI and identified this as an area of weakness that they perceived could be addressed by professional development. However, participants were not aware of any available professional development opportunities specifically relating to paediatric TBI. Participants perceived significant barriers to the delivery of appropriate educational approaches for children with developmental impairments, including limited resourcing and funding for special education and poor communication between the education and health sectors, resulting in a lack of information and support for educators.
Study 3 involved the development, delivery and evaluation of a professional development workshop and written information resource for teachers. The workshop and written information resource were delivered in three local primary schools to 38 participants. A knowledge quiz regarding mTBI was administered pre- and post-workshop. Participants also completed an evaluation of the workshop and brochure rating the usefulness of and their satisfaction with the materials. A repeated-measures experiment showed that knowledge levels significantly increased following participation in the workshop. The majority of participants were satisfied with the content of the workshop and expected to make changes to their practice with children who had experienced mTBI and were evidencing emotional, behavioural and/or cognitive symptoms.
The results of this research indicate that while the cause of post-concussive difficulties may be ambiguous, children who have experienced mTBI are at higher risk of demonstrating developmental problems across a wide range of domains. These problems have the potential to impact on school functioning; however, teachers may not be aware of these issues and thus may not be well-placed to support children who are experiencing difficulties through the post-concussive period and beyond. On the other hand, teachers demonstrate insight into their limitations in this regard and appear keen to address their professional development needs in this area. A brief professional development approach that focuses on the epidemiology and possible consequences of mTBI in childhood, along with a range of programme adaptation strategies that teachers can opt to employ as necessary, may be useful in improving teacher knowledge, educational practice and, ultimately, functional outcomes for children who have experienced mTBI. The need for screening and intervention services for children with mTBI is highlighted, along with a reconceptualisation of how special needs are addressed in school settings
Prediction of enteric methane emissions by sheep using an intercontinental database.
No full textEnteric methane (CH4) emissions from sheep contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. However, as already available for dairy and beef cattle, empirical models are needed to predict CH4 emissions from sheep for accounting purposes. The objectives of this study were to: 1) collate an intercontinental database of enteric CH4 emissions from individual sheep; 2) identify the key variables for predicting enteric sheep CH4 absolute production (g/d per animal) and yield [g/kg dry matter intake (DMI)] and their respective relationships; and 3) develop and cross-validate global equations as well as the potential need for age-, diet-, or climatic region-specific equations. The refined intercontinental database included 2,135 individual animal data from 13 countries. Linear CH4 prediction models were developed by incrementally adding variables. A universal CH4 production equation using only DMI led to a root mean square prediction error (RMSPE, % of observed mean) of 25.4% and an RMSPE-standard deviation ratio (RSR) of 0.69. Universal equations that, in addition to DMI, also included body weight (DMI + BW), and organic matter digestibility (DMI + OMD + BW) improved the prediction performance further (RSR, 0.62 and 0.60), whereas diet composition variables had negligible effects. These universal equations had lower prediction error than the extant IPCC 2019 equations. Developing age-specific models for adult sheep (>1-year-old) including DMI alone (RSR = 0.66) or in combination with rumen propionate molar proportion (for research of more refined purposes) substantially improved prediction performance (RSR = 0.57) on a smaller dataset. On the contrary, for young sheep (<1-year-old), the universal models could be applied, instead of age-specific models, if DMI and BW were included. Universal models showed similar prediction performances to the diet- and region-specific models. However, optimal prediction equations led to different regression coefficients (i.e. intercepts and slopes) for universal, age-specific, diet-specific, and region-specific models with predictive implications. Equations for CH4 yield led to low prediction performances, with DMI being negatively and BW and OMD positively correlated with CH4 yield. In conclusion, predicting sheep CH4 production requires information on DMI and prediction accuracy will improve national and global inventories if separate equations for young and adult sheep are used with the additional variables BW, OMD and rumen propionate proportion. Appropriate universal equations can be used to predict CH4 production from sheep across different diets and climatic conditions. © 2022 The Author
Reliability of the Brockport Physical Fitness Test Battery in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities aged 10 to 17 years.
No full textilustraciones, diagramas, fotografíasLa Batería de prueba de aptitud física de Brockport (BPFT) es una herramienta de evaluación diseñada para niños, niñas y adolescentes con discapacidad intelectual (DI), la cual no posee valores confiabilidad para la población de habla hispana, dificultando el desarrollo de programas de intervención y políticas públicas destinados a promover la actividad y el ejercicio físico. Objetivo: Determinar la confiabilidad de la Batería de prueba de aptitud física de Brockport en niños, niñas y adolescentes de 10 a 17 años con discapacidad intelectual. Metodología: Se incluyo un total de 56 niños, niñas y adolescentes con DI de 10 a 17 años de 2 instituciones de educación de la ciudad de Bogotá. El porcentaje graso, sumatoria de pliegues tricipital y pantorrilla, fuerza prensil, push up, abdominales modificadas, elevación de tronco, backsaver sit-and-reach, shoulder stretch y PACER fueron evaluados con los mismos instrumentos en momentos y por evaluadores según confiabilidad a determinar. Resultados: Se obtuvo un Alpha de Crobach >0,6 con eliminación de los ítems PACER y abdominales modificadas para consistencia interna. Valores de CCI >0,8 y coeficiente Spearman de 1,0 para test-retest y confiabilidad intraevaluador, así también, un CCI >0,9 y Kappa de Cohen 1,0 para la confiabilidad interevaluador de cada uno de los ítems que componen el instrumento. Conclusiones: La BPFT es un instrumento confiable y reproducible para niños, niñas y adolescentes con DI en Colombia; sin embargo, se recomienda revisar la selección del ítem abdominales modificadas el riesgo de lesión y aporte al constructo de aptitud física para la salud. (Texto tomado de la fuente)The Brockport Physical Fitness Test Battery (BPFT) is an assessment tool designed for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, it lacks reliability values for the Spanish-speaking population, which hinders the development of intervention programs and public policies aimed at promoting physical activity and exercise. Objective: To determine the reliability of the Brockport Physical Fitness Test Battery in children and adolescents aged 10 to 17 years with intellectual disabilities. Methodology: A total of 56 children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities aged 10 to 17 years from 2 educational institutions in the city of Bogotá were included. Body fat percentage, sum of triceps and calf skinfolds, grip strength, push up, modified sit-ups, trunk lift, backsaver sit-and-reach, shoulder stretch, and PACER were evaluated using the same instruments at different time points by evaluators to determine reliability. Results: A Cronbach's Alpha greater than 0.6 was obtained with the removal of the PACER and modified sit-ups items for internal consistency. ICC values greater than 0.8 and a Spearman's coefficient of 1.0 were found for test-retest and intra-rater reliability, respectively. Additionally, an ICC greater than 0.9 and Cohen's Kappa of 1.0 were observed for inter-rater reliability of each item comprising the instrument. Conclusions: The BPFT is a reliable and reproducible instrument for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities in Colombia. However, it is recommended to review the selection of the modified sit-ups item due to the risk of injury and its contribution to the construct of physical fitness for health.Maestrí
