Linking research and public engagement: weaving an alternative narrative of Moroccan family farmers’ collective action     

Nicolas Faysse  Mostafa Errahj  Catherine Dumora  Hassan Kemmoun  Marcel Kuper 《Agriculture and Human Values》2012,29(3):413-426

Rural development policies are often inspired by narratives that are difficult to challenge because they are based on an apparently obvious and coherent reading of reality. Research may confront such narratives and trigger debates outside the academic community, but this can have a feedback effect and lead to a simplistic or biased posture in research. This article analyzes a research-based initiative that questioned a commonly held narrative in large-scale irrigation schemes in Morocco concerning the structural weaknesses of farmer-led collective action. This initiative conceived an alternative narrative of farmer-led collective action, based on research and actions undertaken in collaboration with the farmers. The article assesses to what extent it was possible to design this narrative and to draw on it to orient research activities, actions with farmers and public engagement, without impairing the quality of the research process. The alternative narrative was designed and diffused based on three intertwined activities: (1) the identification and analysis of farmer-led collective actions, (2) the diffusion of information on successful farmer-led collective actions especially through the production of videos, and (3) exchanges with and between local farmers’ organizations. The alternative narrative that resulted from these activities emphasizes the potentialities of farmer-led collective action, and more broadly, the willingness and capabilities of many family farmers to play an active role in the governance of rural areas. The message of the alternative narrative and the distinction made between the research articles and videos in both their content and role ensured that research did not fall into simplistic or biased analyses. The alternative narrative also became a key to renewed relations between farmers and researchers and helped design training for students that pay more attention to local dynamics. In a situation in which scheme-level organizations show limited interest in reflexive enquiry, this initiative proposes some stepping stones to make it possible for changing narratives to accompany changing relations between actors.  相似文献   

Identification of Arcanobacterium (Trueperella) abortisuis, a novel species of veterinary importance, by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)     

Hijazin M  Ulbegi-Mohyla H  Alber J  Lämmler C  Hassan AA  Timke M  Kostrzewa M  Prenger-Berninghoff E  Weiss R  Zschöck M 《Berliner und Münchener tier?rztliche Wochenschrift》2012,125(1-2):32-37

In the present study A. (T.) abortisuis isolated from pigs and bovines could be reliably identified by determination of phenotypic properties, genotypically by polymerase chain reaction with the help of A. (T.) abortisuis 16s-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region specific oligonucleotide primer and by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time Of Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The latter appeared to be a promising tool for fast and cost effective identification of this species and might help to elucidate the role A. (T.) abortisuis plays in infections of pigs, bovines, possibly other animals or humans.  相似文献   

Treatment of nephroblastoma with polycythaemia by nephrectomy in a rabbit     

Hassan J  Katic N  Klang A  Schwendenwein I  Böhler A  Künzel F 《The Veterinary record》2012,170(18):465

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Improvement of growth and nitrogen utilization in sheep using sugar beet pulp treated with Trichoderma reesei or urea     

Okab AB  Ayoub MA  Samara EM  Abdoun KA  Al-Haidary AA  Koriem AA  Hassan AA 《Tropical animal health and production》2012,44(7):1623-1629

Twenty-five intact Barki lambs with mean body weight of 24.81 ± 0.16?kg were used to investigate the effect of including in the diet sugar beet pulp (SBP) treated biologically with Trichoderma reesei or chemically with urea 4 % on nutrients digestibility, growth performance, nitrogen (N) utilization, and hematological and biochemical parameters. Two experiments were conducted. In the growth experiment, five lambs were randomly assigned to one of five dietary treatments. Lambs were offered isonitrogenous and isoenergetic concentrate feed mixture containing on dry matter basis 0 % SBP (D0), 50 % SBP (D1), 50 % SBP treated with 4 % urea (D2), 50 % SBP treated with T. reesei (D3), and 25 % SPB treated with 4 % urea plus 25 % SPB treated with T. reesei (D4). In the metabolism experiment, five rams were used in a 5?×?5 Latin square design and housed in metabolism crates for 21?days. The present study showed that inclusion of SBP at the level of 50 % (D1) negatively affected diet digestibility coefficients of crude protein, crude fiber, and ether extract, in addition to average daily gain, feed conversion, and N utilization. However, treatment of SBP with urea (D2), T. reesei (D3), or the combination (D4) of both had improved (P?相似文献   

Floodplain ecosystem response to climate variability and land-cover and land-use change in Lower Missouri River basin     

Yuyan C. Jordan  Abduwasit Ghulam  Robert B. Herrmann 《Landscape Ecology》2012,27(6):843-857

This contribution aims at characterizing the extreme responses of Lower Missouri River basin ecosystems to land use modification and climate change over a 30-year temporal extent, using long term Landsat data archives spanning from 1975 to 2010. The inter-annual coefficient of variation (CoV) of normalized difference vegetation index was used as a measure of vegetation dynamics to address ecological consequences associated with climate change and the impact of land-cover/land-use change. The slope of a linear regression of inter-annual CoV over the entire time span was used as a sustainability indicator to assess the trend of vegetation dynamics from 1975 to 2010. Deduced vegetation dynamics were then associated with precipitation patterns, land surface temperature, and the impact of levees on alluvial hydrologic partitioning and river channelization reflecting the links between society and natural systems. The results show, a higher inter-annual accumulated vegetation index, and lower inter-annual CoV distributed over the uplands remaining virtually stable over the time frame investigated; relatively low vegetation index with larger CoV was observed over lowlands, indicating that climate change was not the only factor affecting ecosystem alterations in the Missouri River floodplain. We cautiously conclude that river channelization, suburbanization and agricultural activities were the possible potential driving forces behind vegetation cover alteration and habitat fragmentation on the Lower Missouri River floodplain.  相似文献   

Determination of reference values for intraocular pressure and Schirmer tear test in clinically normal ostriches (Struthio camelus)     

Ghaffari MS  Sabzevari A  Vahedi H  Golezardy H 《Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine》2012,43(2):229-232

The purpose of this study was to establish normal physiologic reference values for intraocular pressure (IOP) and Schirmer tear test (STT) results in clinically normal ostriches (Struthio camelus). Twenty ostriches of both sexes, 10 juveniles (1.5-2 yr of age) and 10 adults, were included in this study. Complete ophthalmic examination was performed prior to this investigation. STT was performed by inserting a standard sterile STT strip over the ventral lid margin into the ventral conjunctival sac for 60 sec. Following the STT, IOP was measured using applanation tonometry with the Tono-Pen Vet tonometer after topical instillation of one drop of 0.5% proparacaine ophthalmic solution. The mean +/- SD and range of Tono-Pen readings of IOP for all birds was 18.8 +/- 3.5, with a range of 12-24. Mean IOP in juvenile ostriches was 19.7 +/- 3.6. Mean IOP in adult ostriches was 16.9 +/- 2.9. There was no statistically significant difference between young and adult birds (P = 0.07). The mean STT values in the present study were 16.3 +/- 2.5 mm/1 min when measurements from both eyes were averaged. Mean STT in juvenile and adult ostriches was 15.4 +/- 1.8 and 17.2 +/- 2.9 mm/1 min, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between young and adult birds (P = 0.11). No statistically significant differences between genders were found for any of the results (P > or = 0.41). In conclusion, this study provides normal reference range values for STT and IOP in clinically healthy ostriches.  相似文献   

Mesenchymal Stem Cells as an Alternative for Schwann Cells in Rat Spinal Cord Injury     

Arash Zaminy  Mohammad Ali Shokrgozar  Yousef Sadeghi  Mohsen Noroozian  Mohammad Hassan Heidari  Abbas Piryaei 《Iranian Biomedical Journal》2013,17(3):113-122

Background: Spinal cord has a limited capacity to repair; therefore, medical interventions are necessary for treatment of injuries. Transplantation of Schwann cells has shown a great promising result for spinal cord injury (SCI). However, harvesting Schwann cell has been limited due to donor morbidity and limited expansion capacity. Furthermore, accessible sources such as bone marrow stem cells have drawn attentions to themselves. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of bone marrow-derived Schwann cell on functional recovery in adult rats after injury. Methods: Mesenchymal stem cells were cultured from adult rats’ bone marrow and induced into Schwann cells in vitro. Differentiation was confirmed by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. Next, Schwann cells were seeded into collagen scaffolds and engrafted in 3 mm lateral hemisection defects. For 8 weeks, motor and sensory improvements were assessed by open field locomotor scale, narrow beam, and tail flick tests. Afterwards, lesioned spinal cord was evaluated by conventional histology and immunohistochemistry. Results: In vitro observations showed that differentiated cells had Schwann cell morphology and markers. In this study, we had four groups (n = 10 each): laminectomy, control, scaffold and scaffold + Schwann cells. Locomotor and sensory scores of cell grafted group were significantly better than control and scaffold groups. In histology, axonal regeneration and remyelination were better than control and scaffold groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that bone marrow-derived Schwann cells can be considered as a cell source for Schwann cells in SCI treatment. Key Words: Rats, Spinal cord injuries (SCI), Bone marrow, Schwann cells, Cell transdifferentiation  相似文献   

The Effect of Vitrification on Mouse Oocyte Apoptosis by Cryotop Method     

Farzad Rajaei  Neda Abedpour  Mojdeh Salehnia  Hassan Jahanihashemi 《Iranian Biomedical Journal》2013,17(4):200-205

Background : Oocyte cryopreservation is one of the most important topics in the field of assisted reproductive technology to preserve women fertility, but relationship between cryopreservation and apoptosis is still a matter of debate. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of vitrification on apoptosis in mouse oocytes by Cryotop method. Method: A total of 200 germinal vesicle (GV) and 200 metaphase II (MII) oocytes were obtained from ovaries and fallopian tubes of NMRI mice, respectively and divided into control and experimental groups. Oocytes in experimental group were vitrified by Cryotop using vitrification medium and were kept in liquid nitrogen for one month. The survival rate of oocytes was evaluated after 2 hour incubation time. Then, the oocyte apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL technique and compared with those in control group. The data was compared statistically using SPSS software and chi-square test. Results: The survival rates of vitrified GV (93%) and MII oocytes (88%) showed a significant decrease compared with the control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in survival rate of both vitrified oocyte groups. The incidence of apoptosis in vitrified and control GV oocytes showed no significant difference (13% vs. 7%), but the rate of apoptosis in vitrified MII oocytes increased significantly not only in comparison with MII control group (25% vs. 5%) but also with vitrified GV oocytes (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results indicate that vitrification increases apoptosis in mouse MII oocytes and apoptosis may play a role in MII oocyte injury after vitrification. Key Words: Vitrification, Apoptosis, Oocytes  相似文献   

Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo inhibitory effects of fusidic acid on Babesia and Theileria parasites     

Akram Ahmed Salama  Mahmoud AbouLaila  Ahmed A. Moussa  Mohamed A. Nayel  Ahmed El-Sify  Mohamad A. Terkawi  Hany Y. Hassan  Naoaki Yokoyama  Ikuo Igarashi 《Veterinary parasitology》2013,191(1-2):1-10

Fusidic acid known to has antibacterial, antifungal, and antimalarial activities. Fusidic acid blocks translation elongation factor G gene in Plasmodium falciparum. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of fusidic acid on the in vitro growth of bovine and equine Babesia parasites were evaluated. The inhibitory effect of fusidic acid on the in vivo growth of Babesia microti was also assessed. The in vitro growth of four Babesia species that were tested was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) by micromolar concentrations of fusidic acid (IC₅₀ values = 144.8, 17.3, 33.3, and 56.25 μM for Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Babesia caballi, and Theileria equi, respectively). Combinations of fusidic acid with diminazene aceturate synergistically potentiated its inhibitory effects in vitro on B. bovis and B. caballi. In B. microti-infected mice, fusidic acid caused significant (P < 0.05) inhibition of the growth of B. microti at the dose of 500 mg/kg BW relative to control group. These results indicate that fusidic acid might be incorporated in treatment of babesiosis.  相似文献   

Spatial variability of soil microbial indices in common alder COMMON ALDER(Alnus glutinosa) stands using a geostatistical approach in northern Iran     

Neda Ghorbanzadeh  Ali Salehi  Hassan Pourbabaei  Ali Ashraf Soltani Tolarod  Seyed Jalil Alavi 《林业研究》2019,(2):679-688

Microbial indices and their spatial patterns are strongly affected by environmental factors. Spatial variability of soil properties is one of the most important causes of variability in soil microbial indices. This research was conducted in the Caspian forest to assess spatial variabilities and frequency distributions of microbial properties.Ninety soil samples were taken using a grid sampling design 40 9 40 m. Microbial indices, organic carbon,nitrogen and pH were determined. Soil variable distributions showed that microbial indices had abnormal distributions. Logarithmic transformation produced normal distribution. Spatial continuity using geostatistical(variogram) was studied and maps obtained by point kriging.The variograms revealed the presence of spatial autocorrelation. The results indicate that spatial dependence of soil microbial indices was affected by non-intrinsic factors and forest management procedures. The maps show that soil microbial indices and soil properties have spatial variability. The spatial pattern of microbial indices was correlated to organic carbon and nitrogen.  相似文献