Impact of Covid-19 on farming systems in Europe through the lens of resilience thinking.

Context: Resilience is the ability to deal with shocks and stresses, including the unknown and previously unimaginable, such as the Covid-19 crisis. Objective: This paper assesses (i) how different farming systems were exposed to the crisis, (ii) which resilience capacities were revealed and (iii) how resilience was enabled or constrained by the farming systems' social and institutional environment. Methods: The 11 farming systems included have been analysed since 2017. This allows a comparison of pre-Covid-19 findings and the Covid-19 crisis. Pre-Covid findings are from the SURE-Farm systematic sustainability and resilience assessment. For Covid-19 a special data collection was carried out during the early stage of lockdowns. Results and conclusions: Our case studies found limited impact of Covid-19 on the production and delivery of food and other agricultural products. This was due to either little exposure or the agile activation of robustness capacities of the farming systems in combination with an enabling institutional environment. Revealed capacities were mainly based on already existing connectedness among farmers and more broadly in value chains. Across cases, the experience of the crisis triggered reflexivity about the operation of the farming systems. Recurring topics were the need for shorter chains, more fairness towards farmers, and less dependence on migrant workers. However, actors in the farming systems and the enabling environment generally focused on the immediate issues and gave little real consideration to long-term implications and challenges. Hence, adaptive or transformative capacities were much less on display than coping capacities. The comparison with pre-Covid findings mostly showed similarities. If challenges, such as shortage of labour, already loomed before, they persisted during the crisis. Furthermore, the eminent role of resilience attributes was confirmed. In cases with high connectedness and diversity we found that these system characteristics contributed significantly to dealing with the crisis. Also the focus on coping capacities was already visible before the crisis. We are not sure yet whether the focus on short-term robustness just reflects the higher visibility and urgency of shocks compared to slow processes that undermine or threaten important system functions, or whether they betray an imbalance in resilience capacities at the expense of adaptability and transformability. Significance: Our analysis indicates that if transformations are required, e.g. to respond to concerns about transnational value chains and future pandemics from zoonosis, the transformative capacity of many farming systems needs to be actively enhanced through an enabling environment.

Predation by signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus on fish eggs and its consequences for coregonid recruitment.

The character and magnitude of predation by the invasive, ectothermic Pacifastacus leniusculus, a crayfish widely introduced to Europe and Japan from North America, on the eggs of coregonid fishes, vendace Coregonus albula and whitefish Coregonus lavaretus were examined by experimentation, modelling and field data. The present results showed that P. leniusculus has the potential to be very efficient predator of fish eggs under winter conditions, but the predation by P. leniusculus did not significantly decrease production of coregonid larvae during the years with a high P. leniusculus population in the study lake. Hence, the mortality caused by the novel invertebrate predator appeared to compensate for other yet unexplored mortality factors instead of having an additive effect on the present salmonids.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation of impacts of an obstruction on airflow in underground mines.

Continuous airflow monitoring can improve the safety of the underground work force by ensuring the uninterrupted and controlled distribution of mine ventilation to all working areas. Air velocity measurements vary significantly and can change rapidly depending on the exact measurement location and, in particular, due to the presence of obstructions in the air stream. Air velocity must be measured at locations away from obstructions to avoid the vortices and eddies that can produce inaccurate readings. Further, an uninterrupted measurement path cannot always be guaranteed when using continuous airflow monitors due to the presence of nearby equipment, personnel, roof falls and rib rolls. Effective use of these devices requires selection of a minimum distance from an obstacle, such that an air velocity measurement can be made but not affected by the presence of that obstacle. This paper investigates the impacts of an obstruction on the behavior of downstream airflow using a numerical CFD model calibrated with experimental test results from underground testing. Factors including entry size, obstruction size and the inlet or incident velocity are examined for their effects on the distributions of airflow around an obstruction. A relationship is developed between the minimum measurement distance and the hydraulic diameters of the entry and the obstruction. A final analysis considers the impacts of continuous monitor location on the accuracy of velocity measurements and on the application of minimum measurement distance guidelines.

Serum lipid concentrations and growth characteristics in 12-year-old children born small for gestational age.

According to Barker's hypothesis, children born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. The aim of our study was to determine whether retarded fetal growth is associated with dyslipidemia in childhood and, if so, to find predictive factors in the growth characteristics of SGA children. We studied the serum lipid concentrations of 55 SGA children and their 55 appropriate for gestational age control subjects at the age of 12 y. Growth variables were recorded at birth, 5 y, and 12 y of age. The study group consisted of all full-term SGA children born at our university hospital during a 22-mo period in 1984-1986. Nearly half of the SGA children (47.3%) were in the highest quartile for serum total cholesterol of the appropriate for gestational age children (p = 0.038). In multiple logistic regression analysis, poor catch-up growth in height (odds ratio, 13. 8; 95% confidence interval, 2.0-97.5), female sex (odds ratio, 8.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-48.9), and early stage of puberty (odds ratio, 7.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-46.5) predicted high cholesterol level in the SGA children. By the age of 5 y, 20 (36.4%) SGA children showed catch-up growth of > or =2 SD scores in height, and 21 (38.2%) SGA children showed catch-up growth of > or =2 SD scores in weight from birth. At the age of 12 y, the SGA children were still significantly shorter (p<0.001) and lighter (p< 0.05) than the appropriate for gestational age children, even though their pubertal development was similarly advanced. In conclusion, to be born SGA has long-term consequences for later growth and may already influence the level of serum total cholesterol before the teens. SGA children with poor catch-up growth in height may be at the highest risk for hypercholesterolemia.

Speech and language development of children born at < or = 32 weeks' gestation: a 5-year prospective follow-up study.

Speech and language comprehension and production were assessed at the age of 5 years in a cohort of children born preterm at < or = 32 weeks' gestational age (N=55) in comparison with children born at term and of similar age, sex, and social backgrounds. Data both including and excluding major neurological disabilities are presented. Mean performance for the entire group of preterm children was significantly lower than for the controls on most of the measures including the composite IQ scores. When the nine children who had major neurological disabilities were excluded from the preterm group, statistically significant differences were found on four of the total 12 speech and language measures. Intellectually normal preterm children without major neurological disability were slower than the controls on rapid word retrieval. In addition, difficulties in comprehending relative concepts were typical for the preterm children. The results suggest 'subtle dysnomia', which is indicative of later reading problems. On global verbal measures and on the basic speech and language aspects the study groups did not differ. Specific language impairment, defined as a discrepancy of > 1SD between Performance IQ and Verbal IQ scores, showed a tendency to be more common in the control group. Within both the study groups, the boys showed a tendency for a greater discrepancy between their Performance and Verbal IQ scores.

Neuropsychological analysis of the visuomotor problems in children born preterm at < or = 32 weeks of gestation: a 5-year prospective follow-up.

Forty-six intellectually normal children born preterm (< or =32 weeks of gestation) without major neurological disabilities and a control group of term children matched for age, sex, and parental educational and occupational status were assessed at the age of 5 years using neuropsychological tests emphasizing perceptual and visuomotor functions. The results show that in terms of cognitive functions these preterm children are a very heterogenous group, but many of them still have problems in visuospatial and sensorimotor functions. The preterm children achieved lower mean scores in tests where coordination and voluntary control of hands in combination with tactile, kinaesthetic, and visuospatial perception were needed. They had most difficulty with drawing directions of lines and in integrating two or more forms. They also had problems with 3-dimensional constructions as well as visual perception of rotated shapes or slopes of lines.

Disease-associated antibodies in offspring of mothers with IDDM.

We studied 20 infants of mothers with IDDM participating in a pilot study for a dietary intervention trial, testing the hypothesis that avoidance of cow's milk proteins early in life will reduce the risk of subsequent IDDM. The aim was to evaluate the elimination of IDDM-associated antibodies from the peripheral circulation of the infants, the possible emergence of autoantibodies indicating beta-cell destruction, and the influence of the dietary intervention and genetic disease susceptibility on the development of these autoantibodies. Transplacentally transferred islet cell antibodies (ICAs) and antibodies to the 65-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65As) disappeared from the peripheral circulation of most infants over the first few months of life and in all infants before the age of 9 months. Insulin antibodies were eliminated before the same age in all cases but one. The higher the initial antibody level was, the longer the time required for elimination. Four infants tested positive for insulin autoantibodies (IAAs) on at least one occasion during the first year of life, and 5 out of 16 unaffected subjects (31%) had IAAs at the age of 2 years. One infant became positive for IAA before the age of 6 months, with increasing levels later, seroconverted to positivity for ICAs and GAD65As between 6 and 9 months and presented with clinical IDDM at the age of 14 months. He had the HLA DQB1*0302/x genotype, which predisposes carriers to IDDM, and had been given the casein hydrolysate formula as supplementary milk. There were no significant differences in the levels of various autoantibodies between two groups of subjects defined either on the type of dietary intervention or the degree of genetic susceptibility. The findings indicate that transplacentally transferred antibodies related to IDDM are usually eliminated from the peripheral circulation of infants before 9 months of age and that IDDM-associated autoantibodies may emerge before the age of 6 months. Our results also illustrate that avoidance of cow's milk proteins over the first 9 months of life does not provide total protection against IDDM.

Long-term outcome of fetal hydrocephaly.

Long-term outcome of 25 fetuses with ventriculomegaly diagnosed before delivery who survived the neonatal period up to school age was examined at 10.1 (standard deviation, 2.6) years of age. Twelve children had normal motor and mental development, seven were severely handicapped, and six showed intermediate outcome. The fetuses with severe handicaps on long-term follow-up had more severe ventricular dilation than the fetuses with good long-term outcomes. Eighteen of the children had surgical treatment, and seven of them had normal long-term development. Thirty percent of surviving fetuses with ventriculomegaly have poor long-term outcomes. In isolated progressive ventriculomegaly, early delivery as soon as fetal lung maturity allows might be reasonable for achievement of better long-term prognosis.

Hearing loss at the age of 5 years of children born preterm--a matter of definition.

The effect of three common hearing impairment criteria on the prevalence of hearing loss was evaluated in 58 prospectively followed-up 5-year-old children born preterm at < or = 32 weeks of gestation. Audiological assessment was done as part of an extensive neurodevelopmental evaluation at the age of 5 years. With the criterion based on the classification of the World Health Organization (average threshold hearing level > 25 dB at frequencies of 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz, classified according to the less impaired side) there were two preterm children with mild hearing impairment. With Clark's criterion (unilateral average threshold hearing level > 15 dB at frequencies of 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz) eight children had slight hearing impairment; seven of these had conductive hearing problems. With the criterion of a single frequency-specific deficit > 15 dB for 0.25-4 kHz the number of hearing-impaired children was 28 out of 54 (51.9%), most of whom had conductive or unspecified hearing deficits. Moreover, of the four multiply handicapped, retarded children whose pure tone thresholds were not assessed monaurally, three would belong to the hearing-impaired group according to Clark's criterion and four according to the frequency-specific criterion.

Prenatal activity of a fetus with early-onset, severe spinal muscular atrophy.

A case of early-onset, severe spinal muscular atrophy is reported. Normal fetal breathing movement patterns and heart rate accelerations were observed in spite of the severe hypotonia evident at birth.

Neurodevelopmental profile at five years of children born at < or = 32 weeks gestation.

Sixty children born preterm (gestational age < or = 32 weeks) and 60 control children matched by sex, and socio-economic and educational status of the parents were followed prospectively to the age of five years. Neurodevelopmental problems were surveyed by a detailed neurological and neuropsychological test battery, and by ophthalmological and hearing examinations. All except one of the preterm children with major disability had motor, visual-spatial and visual problems. The most frequent neurodevelopmental abnormalities encountered among preterm children without major disability were motor problems--emerging as gross and fine motor and/or visual-motor difficulties--and visual-spatial problems. Language difficulties were not associated with hearing problems. Among those without major disability, visual-spatial difficulties and ophthalmological problems seldom emerged simultaneously.

Ocular findings in prematurely born children at 5 years of age.

Fifty-eight prematurely born children (gestational age < or = 32 weeks) were studied at the age of 5 years. The ophthalmological examination was part of an extensive neurodevelopmental evaluation. The eye study revealed significant hyperopia (> or = + 2.0) in 22.4%, myopia (> or = -1.0 D) in 8.6%, astigmatism (> or = 1.0 D) in 12.1%, and anisometropia (> or = 1.0 D) in 12.1%. The myopic refractive error was high in all of the cases: from -6.0 to -14.0 D. Manifest strabismus was found in 24.2% and significant visual impairment or blindness in 6.9%. Optic atrophy and cicatricial retinopathy of prematurity were the main causes for severe visual defects. In the randomly selected full-term children of the same age, significant hyperopia was seen in 14.3%, astigmatism in 5.4% and strabismus in 1.8%. The pattern of the eye findings was different in the preterm children compared with those born at term.

Proteoglycans synthesized by adult human epidermis in whole skin organ culture.

Adult human epidermis was cultured in whole skin organ culture under serum-free conditions in the presence of 35SO4. Proteoglycans (PG) comprised about 25% of the total (35SO4)-labeled material produced by epidermis. The rest of the incorporated activity displayed solubility characteristics typical of lipids. The molecular mass and the composition of the 35SO4-labeled epidermal PG and glycosaminoglycans (GAG) were studied using gel filtrations and agarose gel electrophoresis. The 35SO4-label of the epidermal PG was located in heparan sulfate (HS, approximately 75%) and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS, 25%), but not in keratan sulfate as determined by nitrous acid, chondroitinase AC II, chondroitinase ABC, and keratanase digestions, respectively. The molecular mass of the GAG chains was 10-40 kDa. The 35SO4-labeled PG were distributed between 60 and 600 kDa in agarose gel electrophoresis, with the highest activity at 350 kDa. Smaller activity peaks occurred at 150 and 60 kDa. Digestion of the PG with heparitinase removed most of the activity at 350 and 150 kDa, whereas chondroitinase ABC removed that at 60 kDa. A small amount of activity migrating between 600 and 1000 kDa was not affected by any of the GAG-degrading enzymes. Pulse chase experiments showed that the epidermal PG had an average half life of 24 h. The results thus demonstrate that human epidermis produces at least three different, rapidly metabolized PG. The PGs from 150 to 350 kDa contained heparan sulfate chains, whereas those at 60 kDa were chondroitin/dermatan sulfate PG.

Cytomegalovirus hepatitis in late pregnancy.

A case of pregnancy complicated by cytomegalovirus hepatitis is represented. The mother had a fulminant disease, but she delivered spontaneously at 31 weeks of gestation. The baby was unaffected.

[Pain management in newborn infants]. / Smärtlindring hos nyfödda.

Even new-born babies require adequate medication for painful surgery. It is not known whether they experience suffering in the same way, but physiological changes show that newborn, even premature, babies feel pain. It is incumbent on the doctor to identify the situations which may cause pain and treat the child. Inasmuch as the pharmacokinetics of drugs is more individual and diverse in neonates than in older children the probability of side-effects must be borne in mind.

Antenatally diagnosed fetal hydronephrosis. Five year's follow up.

Over a one year period 13 fetuses with urinary tract abnormalities were detected by antenatal ultrasound. Extra-renal dilatation was found in six, in two abnormalities requiring an intervention after delivery. Intra-renal hydronephrosis was present in five cases, of which three required surgery during the neonatal period to relieve the obstruction. Other abnormalities detected were one case with unilateral multicystic kidney and one case with small dysplastic kidneys. Multicystic kidney was removed and the infant with dysplastic kidneys died soon after delivery. Our limited numbers of antenatally detected hydronephrosis will point to the early diagnosis and intervention to avoid renal damage.