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Plant pathogens respond to selection pressures exerted by disease management strategies. This can lead to fungicide resistance and/or the breakdown of disease-resistant cultivars, each of which significantly threaten food security. Both fungicide resistance and cultivar breakdown can be characterised as qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative (monogenic) resistance/breakdown involves a step change in the characteristics of the pathogen population with respect to disease control, often caused by a single genetic change. Quantitative (polygenic) resistance/breakdown instead involves multiple genetic changes, each causing a smaller shift in pathogen characteristics, leading to a gradual alteration in the effectiveness of disease control over time. Although resistance/breakdown to many fungicides/cultivars currently in use is quantitative, the overwhelming majority of modelling studies focus on the much simpler case of qualitative resistance. Further, those very few models of quantitative resistance/breakdown which do exist are not fitted to field data. Here we present a model of quantitative resistance/breakdown applied to Zymoseptoria tritici, which causes Septoria leaf blotch, the most prevalent disease of wheat worldwide. Our model is fitted to data from field trials in the UK and Denmark. For fungicide resistance, we show that the optimal disease management strategy depends on the timescale of interest. Greater numbers of fungicide applications per year lead to greater selection for resistant strains, although over short timescales this can be oset by the increased control oered by more sprays. However, over longer timescales higher yields are attained using fewer fungicide applications per year. Deployment of disease-resistant cultivars is not only a valuable disease management strategy, but also oers the secondary benefit of protecting fungicide effectiveness by delaying the development of fungicide resistance. However, disease-resistant cultivars themselves erode over time. We show how an integrated disease management strategy with frequent replacement of disease-resistant cultivars can give a large improvement in fungicide durability and yields. Author summary: Plant pathogens pose a major threat to crop yields. The two most common forms of disease control, namely use of fungicides and deployment of disease resistant cultivars, are threatened by pathogen evolution causing fungicide resistance or erosion/breakdown of cultivar control. There are two categories of resistance/breakdown; qualitative or quantitative. Although resistance to many cultivars and the most common fungicides is quantitative, the mathematical modelling literature focuses almost exclusively on qualitative resistance, for simplicity or due to lack of appropriate data required to fit a model of quantitative resistance. In this study we present the first model focusing on both quantitative fungicide resistance and cultivar breakdown to be fitted to field data. We use the disease of wheat, Septoria leaf blotch, as a case study. After fitting our model to field trial data from the UK and Denmark, we use it to demonstrate how to design sustainable disease management strategies that optimise yield. We show that combining resistant cultivars with fungicide applications can prolong the effectiveness of both strategies, but that the optimal number of fungicide applications depends on the timescale of interest. Over short timescales, the optimal strategy uses more fungicide applications per year than over longer timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to explore how professionals in the financial sector understand the challenge that climate change presents to economy and society. It is a case study into how 'climate-related financial risk' is understood in a particular area of expertise – within the actuarial profession. There is an increasingly prominent claim among financial regulators that climate change should be considered as an issue of financial risk and stability; it is argued that this will drive capital towards green ends, and an orderly low carbon transition. Responding to this, actuaries are seeking to establish climate-related risk as part of their professional jurisdiction. Yet they are struggling to do so because of their relationship to the investment chain and because the tools they employ for risk management, mostly drawn from financial economics, are fundamentally failing to consider, quantify and financialise climate risks. Instead, the profession is moving toward scenario-based tools for managing climate-related uncertainty that incorporate narratives about policy interventions and market reaction. The paper draws on interviews and ethnographic research conducted with members of the UK-based Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) to explore these established and emerging risk management tools and perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a strong consensus that selection for fungicide resistant pathogen strains can be most effectively limited by using applications of mixtures of fungicides designed to balance disease control against selection. However, how to do this in practice is not entirely characterized. Previous work indicates optimal mixtures of pairs of fungicides which are both at a high risk of resistance can be constructed using pairs of doses that select equally for both single resistant strains in the first year of application. What has not been addressed thus far is the important real-world case in which the initial levels of resistance to each fungicide differ, for example because the chemicals have been available for different lengths of time. We show how recommendations based on equal selection in the first year can be suboptimal in this case. We introduce a simple alternative approach, based on equalizing the frequencies of single resistant strains in the year that achieving acceptable levels of control is predicted to become impossible. We show that this strategy is robust to changes in parameters controlling pathogen epidemiology and fungicide efficacy. We develop our recommendation using a preexisting, parameterized model of Zymoseptoria tritici (the pathogen causing Septoria leaf blotch on wheat), which exemplifies the range of plant pathogens that predominantly spread clonally, but for which sexual reproduction forms an important component of the life cycle. We show that pathogen sexual reproduction can influence the rate at which fungicide resistance develops but does not qualitatively affect our optimal resistance management recommendation. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented which discusses article on several topics including impact assessment and infrastructure focusing on Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, New Zealand's experiment with urban (un)planning and economic development projects.

The article offers information on the Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) which are promoting good practice and building local capacity in impact assessment. It discusses that it is notable that the Pacific Island approach is to promote strategic environmental assessment (SEA) focused on sustainable outcomes, setting the strategic context for project impact assessments.

The article suggests that Social Impact Assessment (SIA) provides essential information to decision makers, affected people and communities when planning for infrastructure well before an action is taken. It discusses that the research pointed to the need for new guidelines that provide a practical approach to SIA; and the guidelines on the basic steps in preparing an SIA from the initial steps of scoping an SIA through to preparation of social impact management plans.

Vitiligo is a visible depigmenting skin condition, particularly noticeable on Black skin. There is widespread misunderstanding of the condition. Using a participatory form of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), we conducted eight semi-structured interviews with Nigerians living with vitiligo. Participants described their initial attempts to understand the condition, which typically drew on both traditional illness beliefs, religious influences, and the biomedical disease model. All participants reported experiencing marked stigmatization and discrimination. Participants experienced distress associated with thoughts about the personal meaning of the disease including its impact on their appearance and from concerns about anticipated and direct discrimination. Despite the wide-ranging impact, the participants’ narratives also contained references to the development of strategies that maintained wellbeing. This study provides valuable insights into the role of faith and traditional beliefs in both the experience and management of vitiligo in Nigeria. These insights can be used to develop individual and community interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plant viruses are transmitted by insect vectors. Transmission can be described as persistent or non-persistent depending on rates of acquisition, retention, and inoculation of virus. Much experimental evidence has accumulated indicating vectors can prefer to settle and/or feed on infected versus noninfected host plants. For persistent transmission, vector preference can also be conditional, depending on the vector's own infection status. Since viruses can alter host plant quality as a resource for feeding, infection potentially also affects vector population dynamics. Here we use mathematical modelling to develop a theoretical framework addressing the effects of vector preferences for landing, settling and feeding–as well as potential effects of infection on vector population density–on plant virus epidemics. We explore the consequences of preferences that depend on the host (infected or healthy) and vector (viruliferous or nonviruliferous) phenotypes, and how this is affected by the form of transmission, persistent or non-persistent. We show how different components of vector preference have characteristic effects on both the basic reproduction number and the final incidence of disease. We also show how vector preference can induce bistability, in which the virus is able to persist even when it cannot invade from very low densities. Feedbacks between plant infection status, vector population dynamics and virus transmission potentially lead to very complex dynamics, including sustained oscillations. Our work is supported by an interactive interface https://plantdiseasevectorpreference.herokuapp.com/. Our model reiterates the importance of coupling virus infection to vector behaviour, life history and population dynamics to fully understand plant virus epidemics. Author summary: Plant virus diseases–which cause devastating epidemics in plant populations worldwide–are most often transmitted by insect vectors. Recent experimental evidence indicates how vectors do not choose between plants at random, but instead can be affected by whether plants are infected (or not). Virus infection can cause plants to "smell" different, because they produce different combinations of volatile chemicals, or "taste" different, due to chemical changes in infected tissues. Vector reproduction rates can also be affected when colonising infected versus uninfected plants. Potential effects on epidemic spread through a population of plants are not yet entirely understood. There are also interactions with the mode of virus transmission. Some viruses can be transmitted after only a brief probe by a vector, whereas others are only picked up after an extended feed on an infected plant. Furthermore there are differences in how long vectors remain able to transmit the virus. This ranges from a matter of minutes, right up to the entire lifetime of the insect, depending on the plant-virus-vector combination under consideration. Here we use mathematical modelling to synthesise all this complexity into a coherent theoretical framework. We illustrate our model via an online interface https://plantdiseasevectorpreference.herokuapp.com/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses introduction to health impact assessment (HIA). The practice includes the environmental safeguards policies and procedures practised by organisations such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, which include health and safety as integral components of the required assessments or projects, policies and plans.

Persistence of wild Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas, also known as Crassostrea gigas, has been increasingly reported across Northern European waters in recent years. While reproduction is inhibited by cold waters, recent warm summer temperature has increased the frequency of spawning events. Although correlation between the increasing abundance of Pacific oyster reefs in Northern European waters and climate change is documented, persistence of wild populations may also be influenced by external recruitment from farmed populations and other wild oyster populations, as well as on competition for resources with aquaculture sites. Our understanding of the combined impact of the spawning frequency, external recruitment, and competition on wild population persistence is limited. This study applied an age-structured model, based on ordinary differential equations, to describe an oyster population under discrete temperature-related dynamics. The impact of more frequent spawning events, external recruitment, and changes in carrying capacity on Pacific oyster density were simulated and compared under theoretical scenarios and two case studies in Southern England. Results indicate that long term persistence of wild oyster populations towards carrying capacity requires a high frequency of spawning events but that in the absence of spawning, external recruitment from farmed populations and other wild oyster populations may act to prevent extinction and increase population density. However, external recruitment sources may be in competition with the wild population so that external recruitment is associated with a reduction in wild population density. The implications of model results are discussed in the context of wild oyster population management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present the importance of detailing the contextual conditions of a qualitative study to highlight any potential participant-researcher tensions. We emphasize the importance of understanding context in rich detail to expose societal complexities while maintaining positive participant-research rapport. Through two cases, this paper considers that bracketing, reflexivity, and transparency can be applied to form appropriate strategies to deal with external disruptions to qualitative fieldwork. The cases draw on Brexit's impact on two studies conducted in the United Kingdom. In so doing, we argue that time, relevance, and the individuals involved can coalesce to express varied influences on a study. Thus, bracketing, reflexivity and transparency become vital to dealing with such influences; particularly when they are disruptive to a study. Overall, the strategic approach outlined by this paper can be used to maximise awareness of potential sources of tension in the field and to deal with any tensions that do arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global society currently faces many challenges, including climate change and rising inequality. This paper presents the results of a thematic coding analysis of a workshop comprised of senior accountants and actuaries who were asked to consider how a future of sustainable prosperity can be enabled by the finance sector. We found that mindset, skills, external drivers, and decision boundaries were key themes that create barriers to change. Importantly, a reframing of the professions is required to underpin the changes required. The accountants and actuaries who took part believe that this represents a revolution from the way they currently operate with regard to regulation, exams, decision‐making, and their engagement with clients. They need to be more open to qualitative approaches to advice and focus on value creation, as well as re‐constructing what is understood through value, rather than profit extraction. This paper presents the results of a thematic coding analysis of a workshop comprised of senior accountants and actuaries who were asked to consider how a future of sustainable prosperity can be enabled by the finance sector. We found that mindset, skills, external drivers, and decision boundaries were key themes that create barriers to change. Importantly, a reframing of the professions is required to underpin the changes required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on an undergraduate module at the University of Exeter (2018–2019) trialing a problem-based learning approach to the political ecologies of land. It found that this approach offers significant value for teaching and learning complex socio-ecological interdisciplinarity and instilling in learners a deep and reflective sense of the political in all considerations of land and nature. Team-based co-production of 'solutions' to 'problems' imbued learners with a sense of personal agency, though many found problem-based approaches an unfamiliar and challenging approach to path dependent modes of teaching and learning. The principal contribution is to show how problem-based pedagogies have the potential to empower learners as change agents, to better engage with socio-ecological complexity, and gain greater insights into the deep political in conceptions of nature. It offers environmental educators a pathway for replication of this approach, and for introducing learners to problem-based pedagogies for a political ecology of education. Supplemental data for this article is available online at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on The Post Quake Farming Project (PQFP), a programme of managed change forming part of the earthquake recovery response for farming communities with an objective to build a prosperous, and enduring regional economy around multiple land based enterprises across the PQFP area.

We extend a spatially non-local cross-diffusion model of aggregation between multiple species with directed motion toward resource gradients to include many species and more general kinds of dispersal. We first consider diffusive instabilities, determining that for directed motion along fecundity gradients, the model permits the Turing instability leading to colony formation and persistence provided there are three or more interacting species. We also prove that such patterning is not possible in the model under the Turing mechanism for two species under directed motion along fecundity gradients, confirming earlier findings in the literature. However, when the directed motion is not along fecundity gradients, for instance, if foraging or migration is sub-optimal relative to fecundity gradients, we find that very different colony structures can emerge. This generalization also permits colony formation for two interacting species. In the advection-dominated case, aggregation patterns are more broad and global in nature, due to the inherent non-local nature of the advection which permits directed motion over greater distances, whereas in the diffusion-dominated case, more highly localized patterns and colonies develop, owing to the localized nature of random diffusion. We also consider the interplay between Turing patterning and spatial heterogeneity in resources. We find that for small spatial variations, there will be a combination of Turing patterns and patterning due to spatial forcing from the resources, whereas for large resource variations, spatial or spatiotemporal patterning can be modified greatly from what is predicted on homogeneous domains. For each of these emergent behaviors, we outline the theoretical mechanism leading to colony formation and then provide numerical simulations to illustrate the results. We also discuss implications this model has for studies of directed motion in different ecological settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of pathogens between wild and farmed aquatic animal populations is a concern that remains unclear and controversial. Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, a ciliated protozoan parasite, is a pathogen of freshwater finfish species with geographic and host range that causes significant economic losses in aquaculture. Flow-through farming systems may facilitate the transfer of such a parasite with free-living stages between farmed and wild stocks. Here, experimental and field study infection data are used to describe the infection dynamics of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis in rainbow trout using a simple macroparasite model by including host resistance. The study considered flow-through farming systems with a single or two age-class compartments and simulated the transfer of the parasite between farmed and wild fish populations. Results suggest that aquaculture can promote the prevalence of the resistance in wild stocks by increasing the parasite population in the wild environment. At the same time, acquired resistance in the farmed fish population may protect the wild fish population from lethal effects of the parasite by reducing the total parasite population. This study offers a promising mathematical basis for understanding the effects of freshwater aquaculture in disease spread in wildlife, developing risk assessment modeling, and exploring new ways of aquaculture management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connectivity of marine populations and ecosystems is crucial to maintaining and enhancing their structure, distribution, persistence, resilience and productivity. Artificial hard substrate, such as that associated with oil and gas platforms, provides settlement opportunities for species adapted to hard substrates in areas of soft sediment. The contribution of artificial hard substrate and the consequences of its removal (e.g. through decommissioning) to marine connectivity is not clear, yet such information is vital to inform marine spatial planning and future policy decisions on the use and protection of marine resources.This study demonstrates the application of a social network analysis approach to quantify and describe the ecological connectivity, informed by particle tracking model outputs, of hard substrate marine communities in the North Sea. Through comparison of networks with and without artificial hard substrate, and based on hypothetical decommissioning scenarios, this study provides insight into the contribution of artificial hard substrate, and the consequence of decommissioning, to the structure and function of marine community connectivity.This study highlights that artificial hard substrate, despite providing only a small proportion of the total area of hard substrate, increases the geographic extent and connectivity of the hard substrate network, bridging gaps, thereby providing 'stepping stones' between otherwise disconnected areas of natural hard substrate. Compared to the baseline scenario, a decommissioning scenario with full removal of oil and gas platforms results in a nearly 60% reduction in connectivity. Such reduction in connectivity may have negative implications for species' distribution, gene flow and resilience following disturbance or exploitation of marine hard substrate communities.Synthesis and applications. Social network analysis can provide valuable insight into connectivity between marine communities and enable the evaluation of impacts associated with changes to the marine environment. Providing standardized, transparent and robust outputs, such a tool is useful to facilitate understanding across different disciplines, including marine science, marine spatial planning and marine policy. Social network analysis therefore has great potential to address current knowledge gaps with respect to marine connectivity and crucially facilitate assessment of the impacts of changes in offshore substrate as part of the marine spatial planning process, thereby informing policy and marine management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to detect the presence of small ruminant lentiviral infections in Kosovo and estimate the serological prevalence for the year of 2016 . A total of 5.272 sheep and 435 goats were tested using a commercially available indirect enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Maedi-Visna/Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis, giving an overall individual sero-prevalence in sheep of 34.8% (95% confidence interval 31.8% to 38.0%), and a flock prevalence of 85%, and in goats an overall individual sero-prevalence of 15.6% (95% confidence interval 7.2% to 25.6%) and flock prevalence of 35%. Sero-prevalence in sheep was higher in the South and West of Kosovo, whereas in goats was higher in the East and South. There were no statistically significant differences in sero-prevalence between sheep in different age groups <2 year to ≥4 year. There were statistically significant differences between the age groups in goats: chi square 25.74 (3d.f.) with P-value <0.0001. Increasing sero-prevalence observed in goats up to 4 years old with a sharp drop in goats older than four years highlights the need for further investigation based on clinical impact and genotype characterization. While retained sero-positive sheep in the population beyond 4 years old may suggest mild clinical impact of small ruminant lentiviral infections in Kosovo sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the challenges of a new biodiversity strategy for social impact assessment (SIA). Topics include threats to biodiversity sit alongside climate change as a challenge for New Zealand society; the Department of Conservation (DoC) is in the process of renewing New Zealand's biodiversity strategy; and SIA in NZ has being used in the designation of new areas of national parks under the Conservation Act.

The article focuses on the practice of social impact assessment (SIA) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Topics include SIA emerged in New Zealand in the 1970s as an applied field in the social science; Ann Pomeroy talks about the subsequent, transformative era of state sector restructuring; the method and skill developed by SIA practitioners in the proceeding period when the focus of SIA being impact of major projects; and the lesson SIA approach including the process and method being used.

The article focuses on the Alps to Ocean (A2O) cycle-trail, which is a 300km, mostly off-road, cycle trail that descends from the base of Aoraki Mt Cook in the national park. Topics include the A2O originating in the efforts of an enthusiastic local group concerning to develop a project with positive impacts on small towns along the trail; and the A2O began as a local initiative, it importantly being received funding from central government through the Nga Haerenga initiative.

Abstract Simultaneous and sequential infections often occur in wild and farming environments. Despite growing awareness, co-infection studies are still very limited, mainly to a few well-established human models. European salmonids are susceptible to both Proliferative Kidney Disease (PKD), an endemic emergent disease caused by the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae , and Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS), an OIE notifiable listed disease caused by the Piscine Novirhabdovirus. No information is available as to how their immune system reacts when interacting with heterogeneous infections. A chronic (PKD) + acute (VHS) sequential co-infection model was established to assess if the responses elicited in co-infected fish are modulated, when compared to fish with single infections. Macro- and microscopic lesions were assessed after the challenge, and infection status confirmed by RT-qPCR analysis, enabling the identification of singly-infected and co-infected fish. A typical histophlogosis associated with histozoic extrasporogonic T. bryosalmonae was detected together with acute inflammation, haemorrhaging and necrosis due to the viral infection. The host immune response was measured in terms of key marker genes expression in kidney tissues. During T. bryosalmonae /VHSV-Ia co-infection, modulation of pro-inflammatory and antimicrobial peptide genes was strongly influenced by the viral infection, with a protracted inflammatory status, perhaps representing a negative side effect in these fish. Earlier activation of the cellular and humoral responses was detected in co-infected fish, with a more pronounced upregulation of Th1 and antiviral marker genes. These results reveal that some brown trout immune responses are enhanced or prolonged during PKD/VHS co-infection, relative to single infection. Highlights • First comprehensive transcriptional study on a sequential heterogeneous co-infection in fish. • Large primer set optimised for immune gene expression screenings in brown trout. • Significant correlations between pathogenesis and innate and adaptive immune genes expression. • Favourable modulations of T helper subsets activity seen in PKD/VHS co-infected fish. • Enhanced antiviral response seen in PKD/VHS co-infected fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare event, although it has been described by numerous groups. The long-term fate of individuals experiencing an SR is not well described, and the underlying mechanism(s) of SR are unknown. Case Presentation: A 79-year-old Asian female with metastatic HCC taking only valsartan for hypertension had a marked reduction in tumor dimension in the primary tumor and the pulmonary metastases. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) decreased from 17,833 μg/L to 26 μg/L. Her disease progressed after 71 months, and she died shortly after. In a review of 66 patients with SR reported in the English literature, median survival was 83 months. Median survival in 37 cases that underwent resection after SR was 108 months. Conclusions. The case and a review of the literature illustrate that SR is often durable and associated with an excellent prognosis. Understanding the underlying mechanism of SR may point to novel therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract An in vitro model to study the host response to Neoparamoeba perurans , the causative agent of amoebic gill disease (AGD), was evaluated. The rainbow trout gill derived cell line, RTgill-W1, was seeded onto permeable cell culture supports and maintained asymmetrically with apical seawater. Cells were inoculated with either a passage attenuated or a recent wild clone of N. perurans. Amoebae, loaded with phagocytosed fluorescent beads, were observed associated with host cells within 20 min post inoculation (pi). By 6 h small foci of cytopathic effect appeared and at 72 h cytolysis was observed, with total disruption of the cell monolayer at 96 h pi. Due to cell monolayer disruption, the platform could not support proliferation of amoebae, which showed a 3-log reduction in parasite 18S rRNA mRNA after 72 h (106 copies at 1 h to 103 at 72 h pi). SEM observations showed amoebae-like cells with either short pseudopodia and a malleiform shape, or, long pseudopodia embedded within the gill cells and erosion of the cell monolayer. To study the host immune response, inoculated gill cells were harvested from triplicate inserts at 0, 1, 3, 6, 24 and 48 h pi, and expression of 12 genes involved in the Atlantic salmon response to AGD was compared between infected and uninfected cells and between amoebic clones. Both clones induced similar host inmate immune responses, with the up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokine IL1β, complement C3 and cell receptor MHC-1. The Th2 pathway was up-regulated, with increased gene expression of the transcription factor GATA3, and Th2 cytokines IL10, IL6 and IL4/13A. PCNA and AG-2 were also up-regulated. The wild clone induced significantly higher up-regulation of IL1β, MHC-1, PCNA, lysozyme and IL10 than the attenuated clone for at least some exposure times, but AG-2 gene expression was higher in cells inoculated with the attenuated one. A principal component analysis showed that AG-2 and IL10 were key genes in the in vitro host response to N. perurans. This in vitro model has proved to be a promising tool to study host responses to amoebae and may therefore reduce the requirement for in vivo studies when evaluating alternative therapeutants to AGD control. Highlights • In vitro gill epithelia model enabled study of host response to Neoparamoeba perurans. • The association of the parasite to the monolayer was studied by SEM. • A protocol for live cell imaging of N. perurans is described. • Host cytokines related to Th2 and cell proliferative pathways were up-regulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of play-based interventions compared to traditional therapy in rehabilitation of adults with adult-acquired brain injury. Data sources: The search was performed using Medline; Cinahl Plus; Health Source (Nursing/Academic Edition); Psychology and behavioural sciences collection; Biomedical reference collection (basic). Review methods: Studies included were randomised controlled trials that investigated the effect of play-based interventions on physical function of adults with adult acquired brain injury. Two independent reviewers identified eligible studies and assessed methodological quality using a modified Downs and Black. Meta-analysis compared standardised differences in means, to determine effect sizes for grouped functional outcome measures. The GRADE scoring system was used to determine the level of clinical evidence. Results: Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria, 13 were considered high quality and 17 moderate quality. Studies predominantly involved post-stroke participants, with only three studies including participants with traumatic brain injury. When compared to traditional therapy, dose-matched studies of play-based interventions showed a significant effect on independence (Effect size (ES) = 0.6) and physical performance (ES = 0.43), as measured using the Fugl -Meyer. For non-dose matched studies, play-based interventions showed a significant improvement for balance (ES = 0.76) compared with traditional therapy. In all studies that measured participant enjoyment, play-based therapy was rated as more enjoyable than traditional therapy. Conclusion: Play-based interventions for people with adult acquired brain injury are more effective in improving balance and independence, which may be due to them being more enjoyable than traditional therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to many regions of the world where rabies is endemic in terrestrial wildlife species, wildlife rabies has been controlled in Israel by oral rabies vaccination programs, but canine rabies is re-emerging in the northern area of the Golan Heights. From 2009 to 2014 there were 208 animal rabies cases in Israel; 96 (46%) were considered introduced primary cases in dogs, triggering 112 secondary cases. One third (37/112) of the secondary cases were in cattle. Rabies vaccination is voluntary for cattle in Israel, except those on public exhibit. Rabies vaccination schedules for cattle vary based on farm practices and perception of risk. In this study 59 cattle from a dairy farm which routinely vaccinates against rabies were assigned into six groups according to age and vaccination histories. Four groups contained adult cows which had received one previous rabies vaccination, one group of adults had received two previous vaccinations, and one group was unvaccinated calves. Serum samples were collected and the cows were vaccinated with a commercial rabies vaccine. Sera were again collected 39 days later and the calf group re-vaccinated and re-sampled 18 days later. Sera were analyzed for the presence of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies using the rapid immunofluorescent antibody test. Cattle with antibody titres ≥0.5 IU/ml were considered to be protected against rabies. Twenty-six of 27 adult cattle (96%) vaccinated once at less than five months old did not have protective titres. Sixty percent (6/10) cattle vaccinated once at around six months of age did have adequate titres. Cattle previously vaccinated twice ( n = 10; 100%) with an 18 month interval between inoculations, had protective titres and protective antibody titres following booster vaccination ( n = 51; 100%). The anamnestic response of cattle to a killed rabies vaccine was not affected by the time interval between vaccinations, which ranged from 12 to 36 months. These results suggest that calves from vaccinated cows should not be vaccinated before six months old to avoid maternal antibody interference. Whilst most cattle older than six months old will be protected after a single inoculation, a second inoculation ensures a higher antibody levels for improved protection. Cattle receiving an effective priming dose responded well to a booster up to 36 months later. Such results demonstrate the effectiveness of rabies vaccination in cattle and the added value of a second dose to ensure a prolonged immune response against rabies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to elaborate a framework for the study of diversity in forms of labour using Trotsky’s theory of uneven and combined development (UCD). It argues that labour markets are constituted by systemic processes of capital accumulation and uneven development in the global economy, but that these processes have highly differentiated outcomes in terms of the forms of labour that have historically emerged within and across national boundaries. Exploring some of the neglected elements of different forms of labour, including non-waged labour, the article demonstrates how we might conceptualise the way in which combinations of labour forms exist within any given space of the world economy. Using the examples of both internal and transnational migration, it argues that charting the social and spatial relations of production, and the labouring experiences and forms of worker politics associated with them, is an effective way of understanding the constitution and restructuring of different forms of labour. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The debate surrounding the utility of trial by jury is as relevant as ever. Much criticism of the ability of jurors to carry out their task was brought to the fore following the highly publicised Pryce trial and the comments from Sweeney J indicating a fundamental problem in jurors' understanding of their role. Furthermore, media attention surrounding a steady stream of cases involving juror misconduct has called into question whether jury trial can survive in its current form. This article recognises that although juries are not a normative part of a fair trial, they do have considerable value in enhancing public confidence in the fairness of the criminal process, particularly through the perception of impartiality. If public support is lost, then the value of jury might be lost with it. Whilst the Law Commission is rightly considering how jurors might be more prepared in advance to carry out their role effectively, this article considers the current judicial approach to dealing with the practical issue of juror impropriety once it has occurred. Through looking at a series of trial and appeal cases it can be seen that a framework has developed which seeks to ensure that trials are derailed rarely whilst the impartiality of the jury is safeguarded. It is maintained that in emphasising both actual and apparent impartiality the vital element of public confidence in the existing process can be preserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revelations concerning global surveillance of mass communications data have clearly illustrated the paucity of legal regulation in this area. Surveillance almost inevitably engages the right to privacy but such is the notoriously nebulous nature of privacy, particularly on an international scale, that it fails to provide sufficient safeguards against state abuses of surveillance capacity. In the face of national security concerns privacy appears to be routinely relegated to being an inconvenient obstacle. The capacity of the United States and the United Kingdom to carry out surveillance on an enormous scale has highlighted not only the inadequacies of their own domestic regulatory frameworks but also the ease with which, through modern communications technology, unfettered global surveillance can take place. This article analyses these issues and further considers the normative international regulatory framework that should apply to surveillance if it is to take place according to the rule of law and democratic values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Herd Companion uses routine milk-recording records to generate twelve-month rolling averages that indicate performance trends. This article looks at Herd Somatic Cell Count (SCC) and four other SCC-related parameters from 252 National Milk Records (NMR) recorded herds to assess how each parameter correlates with the Herd SCC. The analysis provides evidence for the importance of targeting individual cows with high SCC recordings (>200,000 cells/ml and >500,000 cells/ml) and/or individual cows with repeatedly high SCC recordings (chronic high SCC) and/or cows that begin lactation with a high SCC recording (dry period infection) in order to achieve bulk milk Herd SCC below 200,000 cells/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can providing learner support materials, particularly custom-designed workbooks, improve primary mathematics achievement more cost effectively than providing conventional textbooks? To contribute to this debate, this paper reports on the findings of a study conducted in 201 Obya consortium of educational researchers at JET Education Services and University of the Witwatersrand. Between January and June 2010, the consortium undertook a randomised control trial of learning support materials in Grade 6 classes in 44 primary schools serving low income communities in Gauteng province. The study shows that Grade 6 learners exhibit the same degree of learning improvement in mathematics, whether they use a conventional textbook or a workbook specifically customised to address the problems exhibited by South African learners. From a policy perspective, no warrant can be issued on the relative effectiveness of the specific workbooks considered in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteria showing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pose a significant global healthcare problem. Although many mechanisms conferring AMR are understood, the ecological processes facilitating its persistence and spread are less well characterised. Aquatic systems represent an important milieu for the environmental release, mixing, persistence and spread of AMR bacteria and resistance genes associated with horizontally transferable genetic elements. Additionally, owing to the use and discharge of antimicrobials and biocides, and the accumulation and abundance of other pollutants, mechanisms that confer AMR might evolve in aquatic systems. In this review, we hypothesise that aquatic systems have an important ecological and evolutionary role in driving the persistence, emergence and spread of AMR, which could have consequences when attempting to reduce its occurrence in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Koi herpesvirus can cause serious disease in carp Cyprinus carpio populations globally. Populations of carp exposed to the virus are already widespread across England and Wales, and there is a need to determine whether and how to control its spread. This study evaluates potential management options and provides recommendations applicable to many infected countries. The influences of the main drivers of the epidemic were investigated using simple compartment based models, and the effectiveness of several potential control options were evaluated. Models were parameterized using recorded fish movement, field and experimental data. Experimental studies suggested the risk of transmitting the virus between waters on angling equipment was low. Data from previous studies suggested live fish movements between fisheries, and the introduction of imported ornamental fish to be the most likely routes by which a fishery could be infected. The models suggest that fish movements between fisheries alone could not have led to the number of exposed sites known to exist in 2007. An additional external infection pressure such as the introduction of imported ornamental fish would have been required, and is likely to have been the main driver of the epidemic in its early stages. Predictions of future scenarios suggest that fish movements between fisheries have taken over as the main driver of the epidemic, and consequently restricting imports to reduce the external infection pressure is unlikely to have much impact on its own. Due to the small proportion of infected waters currently detected, increasing the duration of movement restrictions placed on infected sites from four years to permanent was predicted to have little effect on the epidemic. Synthesis and applications. Given the current stage of the koi herpesvirus epidemic, reducing the spread of the virus between fisheries is likely to be challenging, but may be possible by conducting an active surveillance programme and placing permanent movement restrictions on exposed sites. However, this will only be effective if the external infection pressure can also be reduced, possibly through restrictions on the import of fish from koi herpesvirus infected countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Public displays of photographs are a common sight in community spaces, yet while much attention has been given recently to the use of digital photography in the home, the community domain remains underexplored. We describe the Wray Photo Display, a public situated display for community-generated photography in an English rural village, which aims to understand the community''s use of photos for social purposes and the ways in which public display technology may support these social interactions. This article presents the techniques used in designing and evaluating the display as well as understanding the community and its use of photos, and our discussion of the issues and challenges presented by this study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The implementation of standards-based accountability (SBA) interventions aimed at improving school performance often focuses on the testing component, at the expense of capacity building. This was the case in South Africa when a SBA programme was instituted by government in 2000, which was accompanied by substantial rises in senior certificate pass rates between 2000 and 2003. Our analysis indicates that the bulk of these effects was achieved by manipulating the results by means of 4 measures: eliminating high-risk candidates, encouraging candidates to register at the easier standard grade, lowering the standard of examination questions, and raising raw scores during the moderation process. However, research results from other school improvement programmes in the country indicate that significant improvement in school performance is possible when capacity-building elements are combined with accountability measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a court case which arises following the payment of compensation to some of those involved in the miscarriage of justice commonly referred to as the case of the Bridgwater Four in Great Britain. The defendants have applied under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 for compensation for the miscarriage of justice. The independent assessor has considered what the defendants would have earned if they had been at liberty and deducted 25% from the calculation as to lost earnings to determine what the applicants had actually lost.

The article offers information about the case DPP v. Collins of the Great Britain House of Lords. The defendant, a Member of Parliament, was heard using some terms, like black b##tards and nigers, in his recorded messages and conversations with a respondent about immigration. The people he were referring to were not members of any ethnic minority. He was tried for sending offensive messages contrary to a section of the Communications Act 2003.

The article presents the issue of Impact Connector focusing on the impacts of Covid 19 on future of tourism. Topics include promoting the measures of impact assessment putting in place of mitigating the impacts of Covid19; measures including new policies, plans, and programmes such as infrastructure developments; and encouraging people for writing their thoughts about impacts of Covid19 and the process of recovery.

The author comments and makes statutory interpretations with regard to a particular case under Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. It explains various facets of the Act that are of importance to the case. The Act states that any person who wants to conduct demonstrations has to apply to the police for authorisation, and the police shall grant permission with certain conditions to prevent public inconvenience.

Discusses key legal issues that apply to the prison death case in Great Britain of Colin Middleton, who took his own life by hanging himself in his prison cell in January 1999. Requirement to investigate; Application of article two of the European Convention on Human Rights that apply to the issue; Implications on criminal law.

Discuses a criminal trial on publicity relating to children. Inherent jurisdiction of the High Court; Child concerned in the proceedings either as being the person by or against or in respect of whom the proceedings are taken, or as being a witness; Picture of the child or the patient; Jurisdiction in some cases to protect a child from publicity.

Examines the lawsuit O'Brien, Hickey and Hickey v. Independent Assessor which focuses on the assessment of damages for wrongful conviction. Challenge by way of judicial review regarding payments of compensation to three victims of wrongful conviction; Legal parameters of the assessment; Failure to break down the award for non-pecuniary loss; Aggravated compensation.

Provides information on a study that described the role played by social impact assessment in the decision making process of a proposed shopping center development in New Zealand. Methodology of the study; Discussion on the study.

This paper provides an account of a questionnaire-based study of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their responses to the current requirements of environmental best practice. The study was based within South-Yorkshire. We aim to explore the current relationship between SMEs and the environment and how this affects their concept of 'sustainable business'. The main finding reported is that most manufacturing and service organisations surveyed believe environmental issues affect their business. However, meeting environmental requirements is seen as a business cost that is not transferable to customers in terms of added benefits and few organisations could show that it led to a competitive advantage. SMEs have only a generalist awareness of environmental legislation, and information provided by most local support services is not presented in a format that is efficient or effective. Our recommendations are that the assistance provided by local support agencies with regards to environmental best practice should be critically reviewed, and this review should seek to understand the reluctance and real difficulties faced by SMEs in comprehension and implementation of environmental legislation. This paper should therefore be used in conjunction with associated information when considering the best way to help prepare SMEs for greater involvement in environmental best practice and the achievement of sustainable business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to provide energy-efficient strategies for collections care in the face of financial and environmental challenges. Focusing on paper-based enclosures in storage rooms, the research proposes strategies to enhance energy efficiency by relaxing tight environmental controls. The five-stage process began with a standard test of hygrothermal properties and buffering capacity of the enclosures. In the second stage, a computer model was developed using the first stage results. This model was used in a series of specially designed tests simulating the transient heat, air, and moisture transfer between the room and enclosure to determine an acceptable room environment in which the enclosure conditions could meet collections care standards. The modelling results were used, in the third stage, to develop an AI model that predicted the enclosure conditions using room temperature and relative humidity (RH) inputs. In the final stage, a model for energy consumption of air-conditioning system operations was developed to predict across various control accuracies. Results indicate that the tight maintenance of room RH levels can be relaxed from 47–53% to 33–65%, with a corresponding reduction in energy consumption of approximately 16–18%. This relaxation, while maintaining enclosure conditions in line with conservation standards, was demonstrated through a simulation case at the National Library of Scotland. This study underscores the broader applicability of the developed procedure, asserting its relevance for cultural institutions seeking energy-saving potential through customized enclosure models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the bias in both the short-term and long-term parameters for a range of autoregressive fractional integrated moving-average (ARFIMA) models using both semi-parametric and maximum likelihood (ML) estimation methods. The results suggest that, provided the correct model is estimated, the ML method outperforms the semi-parametric methods in terms of the bias and smaller mean square errors in both the long-term and short-term parameter estimates. These biases often cause model selection criteria to select an incorrect ARFIMA specification. Taking account of the potential misspecification the biases associated with the ML procedure tend to increase, although it continues to have a smaller worst-case bias than either of the semi-parametric procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work develops, applies, and tests a methodology for simulating three key determinants of aquaculture carrying capacity: production, environmental effects, and pathogen interactions. Deterministic models for simulation of biomass production and environmental effects for fish and shellfish were combined with stochastic host-pathogen models based on the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) paradigm to build the Aquaculture, Biosecurity, and Carrying Capacity (ABC) platform. Individual growth models for the finfish species Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and gilthead bream (Sparus aurata), and the bivalve species Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and Eastern oyster (C. virginica) were integrated into an Individual Based Model (IBM) capable of scaling to any farm size; the resulting framework was coupled to host-pathogen models for: (i) salmon-Infectious Hepatopoietic Necrosis virus (IHNv); (ii) Pacific oyster-Oyster herpes virus (OsHV-1); and (iii) Pacific oyster- Vibrio aestuarianus. ABC was run for a set of scenarios both with and without pathogens, and results presented for (a) husbandry: food depletion in Eastern oyster, showing the effects of overstocking on production and water-column chlorophyll; an increase in the spacing of farm sections increases yield by 80%; (b) environmental effects: changes due to marine cage culture of gilthead sea bream, and the effect of hydrodynamics on reduction of dissolved oxygen (DO) and increase in ammonia; a farm sited in a high-dispersion area shows a variation of about 1.5 mg L−1 in DO among cages, whereas the range in a low-dispersion site can be up to 5 mg L−1; (c) three case-studies of pathogen interaction: (i) effects of a salmon-IHNv pathogen event on yield and mortality, and consequences of event timing (early- or late-stage in the culture); the late-stage event costs almost 300,000 USD more in wasted feed, and the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) increases from 1.5 to 2.3; (ii) consequences for a Vibrio outbreak in oysters; even though the disease event is very short, there is a 7.8% decrease in oyster harvest, and net nitrogen removal, a key regulatory ecosystem service, decreases by 10.2%; and (iii) climate change scenarios based on Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 and consequences for a herpes outbreak in oysters; ABC results show that the direct effect of climate change on growth, which leads to earlier harvest and less non-harvestable animals, is strongly outweighed by the indirect effect of a pathogen outbreak, which results in a 27.8% increase in dead biomass and a 28.6 t (20.1%) reduction in harvested biomass. Furthermore, since there is a relationship between the colonisation of C. gigas by Vibrio and full-blown outbreaks of oyster herpes, climate change may lead to synergistic mortality effects of significant concern to oyster growers in temperate waters. The importance of a combined approach to aquaculture carrying capacity that includes the disease component and its relationship to environmental stressors is discussed, together with the management relevance and potential application by industry of an integrated framework. • Development of a methodology for simulating three key determinants of aquaculture carrying capacity: husbandry, environmental effects, and disease, capable of scaling to any farm size: the Aquaculture, Biosecurity, and Carrying Capacity (ABC) framework. • Combination of deterministic models for simulation of biomass production and environmental effects for fish and shellfish with stochastic host-pathogen models and integration into an individual based model (IBM). • Husbandry results show the effects of food depletion in Eastern oyster, and the consequences of overstocking on production and water-column chlorophyll. Results on environmental effects of marine cage culture of gilthead sea bream show how hydrodynamics affects dissolved oxygen and ammonia. • Consequences of (a) salmon-IHNv pathogen event timing (early- or late-stage) on yield and mortality—the late-stage event costs almost 300,000 USD more in wasted feed; (b) a Vibrio aestuarianus outbreak in oysters—results show an 8% decrease in harvest although the host-pathogen overlap window is very short. • Climate change scenarios based on RCP 8.5 in year 2100 and consequences for a Herpes outbreak in oysters—ABC results show enhanced oyster growth as a direct effect of water temperature increase, but this is strongly outweighed by mortality as an indirect effect due to pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]