Effects of Land Management Strategies on the Dispersal Pattern of a Beneficial Arthropod

Several arthropods are known to be highly beneficial to agricultural production. Consequently it is of great relevance to study the importance of land management and land composition for the conservation of beneficial aphid-predator arthropod species in agricultural areas. Therefore our study focusing on the beneficial arthropod Bembidion lampros had two main purposes: I) identifying the physical barriers to the species’ dispersal in the agricultural landscape, and II) assessing the effect of different land management strategies (i.e. use of pesticides and intensiveness) on the dispersal patterns. The study was conducted using genetic analysis (microsatellite markers) applied to samples from two agricultural areas (in Denmark) with different agricultural intensity. Land management effects on dispersal patterns were investigated with particular focus on: physical barriers, use of pesticide and intensity of cultivation. The results showed that Bembidion lampros disperse preferably through hedges rather than fields, which act as physical barriers to gene flow. Moreover the results support the hypothesis that organic fields act as reservoirs for the re-colonization of conventional fields, but only when cultivation intensity is low. These results show the importance of non-cultivated areas and of low intensity organic managed areas within the agricultural landscape as corridors for dispersal (also for a species typically found within fields). Hence, the hypothesis that pesticide use cannot be used as the sole predictor of agriculture’s effect on wild species is supported as land structure and agricultural intensity can be just as important

Landscape population genetics and the role of organic farming

This project aims at understanding the effect of different farming systems on the genetic diversity of common agricultural species. It is well known that organic farming generally improves the biodiversity and abundance of species in the agricultural landscape (Hole et al., 2005). A reduction in species number and abundance has been shown as a result of the intensification of farming suggesting a relationship between farming intensity and species abundance (e.g. Stoate et al., 2001). Anyway, none of the studies that investigated the effects of pesticides presence and farming intensity has investigated the effect on the genetic diversity and isolation of the populations. It has been shown that, despite the theoretical expectations, also very abundant species like Abax parallelepipedus can be divided in isolated and genetically distinct populations within very few years in response to human activity (e.g. construction of streets: Keller et al., 2004). Therefore, we chose two common agricultural species (field vole, Microtus agrestis, and a non-pest ground beetle, Bembidion lampros) belonging to different taxa and with different dispersal abilities, to investigate the effect of pesticide use and intensiveness of farming on their genetic structuring and diversity

Wildlife friendly agriculture: which factors do really matter? A genetic study on field vole

The distribution of genetic differentiation and the directions of gene flow were determined mainly by landscape factors: thus the expectation that organic fields act as genetic reservoir was not met. The fact that agricultural area presented more sub-populations than the undisturbed one, together with the importance of connectivity and habitat size in shaping gene flow and genetic differentiation, shows that switching to organic farming might not be enough to ensure the conservation of species in the agricultural environment. These results emphasise the need to include landscape structure in management policies

Organic farming and biodiversity - the impact of organic farming on nature

Organic farming is generally acknowledged for its positive effects on biodiversity and other landscape services. However, the intensity of farming has changed significantly through the last decade as ranks of traditional holistic organic farmers have been joined by much more economically-driven new organic farmers. At the same time there have also been steady improvements in farming methodology and crop types resulting in efficiency in organic farming which can often rival its conventional counterparts. Therefore, large variations occur between organic farms

Økologisk jordbrug som refugier for biodiversitet (Refugia)

• Økologiske marker har mere ukrudtsbiomasse end konventionelle. • Der er flere blomstrende arter i økologiske hegn end konventionelle forudsat, at der er kontinuitet i den økologiske drift. • Der er flere små pattedyr i små økologiske biotoper end konventionelle. • Fjernmålinger fra fly eller satellit, kaldet remote sensing, kan skelne hvilken afgrødetype der dyrkes, samt forekomsten af småbiotoper. • Uanset driftformen er det vigtigt at inddrage naturhensyn i driften, dvs., at der findes ekstensivt drevne arealer (græsmarker, overdrev, enge) til natur og direkte afsatte arealer til natur

How can we strengthen students' social relations in order to reduce school dropout?:An intervention development study within four Danish vocational schools

BACKGROUND: This article describes the rationale and contents of an intervention program aimed at strengthening students’ social relations in order to reduce dropout from vocational schools in Denmark. Taking its theoretical cue from the concept of ‘social participation’, a qualitative study was performed to investigate the specific relationships between the social environment within the schools and the institutional structures in order to analyse reasons for school dropout and their relation to well-being, cigarette smoking and substance use. METHODS: The development study was based on ethnographic methods, including 22 qualitative interviews with students 17–19 years old and fieldwork with participant observations at four vocational schools over 40 days, including informal interviews and discussion meetings with managers, teachers, counselors and students. As part of the fieldwork, four additional qualitative interviews and four group interviews were conducted with students 16–25 years old. RESULTS: The qualitative data collection resulted in seven major themes to be addressed in the intervention: social relations, sole focus on professional skills, institutionalized individualization, importance of the introduction period, physical surroundings and schedules, tobacco and cannabis use and communication about drug use. The program addressing these themes incorporates suggestions that are meant to improve how teachers welcome new students, to enable greater integration of social and educational activities and to enhance the capacity of teachers and counselors to deal with drug use problems among students. CONCLUSION: The development of new intervention programs might benefit from adopting a theoretical and methodological perspective that enables a closer exploration of the everyday social practices in which interventions are embedded. Thus, we aimed to create a comprehensive intervention that worked through organizational changes in everyday school practices. Intervention programs must be planned in dialogue and collaboration with practitioners in the field to ensure the pertinence and usability of the program

Simultaneous PET/MRI with 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (hyperPET): phantom-based evaluation of PET quantification

BACKGROUND: Integrated PET/MRI with hyperpolarized (13)C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ((13)C-MRSI) offers simultaneous, dual-modality metabolic imaging. A prerequisite for the use of simultaneous imaging is the absence of interference between the two modalities. This has been documented for a clinical whole-body system using simultaneous (1)H-MRI and PET but never for (13)C-MRSI and PET. Here, the feasibility of simultaneous PET and (13)C-MRSI as well as hyperpolarized (13)C-MRSI in an integrated whole-body PET/MRI hybrid scanner is evaluated using phantom experiments. METHODS: Combined PET and (13)C-MRSI phantoms including a NEMA [(18)F]-FDG phantom, (13)C-acetate and (13)C-urea sources, and hyperpolarized (13)C-pyruvate were imaged repeatedly with PET and/or (13)C-MRSI. Measurements evaluated for interference effects included PET activity values in the largest sphere and a background region; total number of PET trues; and (13)C-MRSI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for urea and acetate phantoms. Differences between measurement conditions were evaluated using t tests. RESULTS: PET and (13)C-MRSI data acquisition could be performed simultaneously without any discernible artifacts. The average difference in PET activity between acquisitions with and without simultaneous (13)C-MRSI was 0.83 (largest sphere) and −0.76 % (background). The average difference in net trues was −0.01 %. The average difference in (13)C-MRSI SNR between acquisitions with and without simultaneous PET ranged from −2.28 to 1.21 % for all phantoms and measurement conditions. No differences were significant. The system was capable of (13)C-MRSI of hyperpolarized (13)C-pyruvate. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous PET and (13)C-MRSI in an integrated whole-body PET/MRI hybrid scanner is feasible. Phantom experiments showed that possible interference effects introduced by acquiring data from the two modalities simultaneously are small and non-significant. Further experiments can now investigate the benefits of simultaneous PET and hyperpolarized (13)C-MRI in vivo studies

Shaping the Social:design of a settings-based intervention study to improve well-being and reduce smoking and dropout in Danish vocational schools

BACKGROUND: The social environment at schools is an important setting to promote educational attainment, and health and well-being of young people. However, within upper secondary education there is a need for evidence-based school intervention programmes. The Shaping the Social intervention is a comprehensive programme integrating social and educational activities to promote student well-being and reduce smoking and dropout in upper secondary vocational education. The evaluation design is reported here. METHODS/DESIGN: The evaluation employed a non-randomised cluster controlled design, and schools were selected to either implement the intervention or continue with normal practice for comparison. In the baseline survey conducted 2011–2012, 2,329 students from four intervention schools and 3,371 students from six comparison schools answered a computer-based questionnaire during class, representing 73 % and 81 % of eligible students, and 22 % of all technical/agricultural vocational schools in Denmark. Follow-up assessment was conducted 10 weeks after baseline and at the same time teachers of the intervention classes answered a questionnaire about implementation. School dropout rates will be tracked via national education registers through a 2-year follow-up period. DISCUSSION: Shaping the Social was designed to address that students at Danish vocational schools constitute a high risk population concerning health behaviour as well as school dropout by modifying the school environment, alongside developing appropriate evaluation strategies. To address difficulties in implementing settings-based interventions, as highlighted in prior research, the strategy was to involve intervention schools in the development of the intervention. Baseline differences will be included in the effectiveness analysis, so will the impact of likely mediators and moderators of the intervention. TRIALS REGISTRATION: ISRCTN57822968. Date of registration: 16/01/201

Delayed age at transfer of adoptees to adoptive parents is associated with increased mortality irrespective of social class of the adoptive parents:a cohort study

Abstract Background Adverse early life experience and development may have long-term health consequences, but later environmental conditions may perhaps protect against the effects of such early life adversities. The aim was to investigate whether cause-specific and overall mortality rates among adoptees are associated with the age at which they were transferred to the adoptive family and whether the social class of the adoptive family modifies this association. Methods A cohort of 10,592 non-familial adoptions (biologically unrelated adoptee and adoptive parents) of Danish-born children formally granted in 1924–47 and with follow-up of total and cause-specific mortality through ages up to 85 years. The rates of death after the age of 16 from all causes combined, all natural causes, all external causes, and suicide were compared according to the age at which adoptees were transferred to their adoptive family by estimating hazard ratios in Cox regression models. Results Death rates from all causes were significantly higher in adoptees transferred between age 1 month and 4 years compared to those transferred immediately after birth with the hazard ratio peaking at 1.19 (95% confidence limit: 1.08 to 1.32) for adoptees transferred between 6 and 11 months. This result was primarily driven by a similar pattern for natural causes of death. For death from external causes and for suicide the hazard ratios were increasing with increasing age at transfer, and tests for trend were statistically significant. The social class of the adoptive family did not significantly modify these associations. Conclusions Transfer to an adoptive family later than at the time of birth may have adverse long-term consequences affecting overall and cause-specific mortality. These effects were not modified by the environment provided by the adoptive family as indicated by the social class of these families