Open Days Research Articles

Tabletop Escape Room Activities for Engaging Outreach in Engineering—A Preliminary Approach

Student outreach activities are conducted by many engineering faculties to provide a positive experience of engineering for as many potential future students as possible. In this paper, we present the activities we designed for our University Open Days, leveraging a tabletop version of an immensely popular game concept called escape rooms. We describe our design of three puzzles to be completed in under half an hour, based on gears, circuits and ciphers, and programmed their solutions into our physical hardware decoder box. A relatively small sample of Open Day attendees, mostly prospective university students, played our escape room puzzles. Participants were then invited to fill in a short questionnaire, results revealing encouraging levels of engagement with these activities.

Vaccination Open Day: A Cross-Sectional Study on the 2023 Experience in Lombardy Region, Italy.

Vaccination is a highly effective tool for controlling infectious diseases, particularly in populations at high risk of contagion due to clinical conditions or occupational exposure, such as healthcare workers. The purpose of this study is to present the open day event that marked the beginning of the influenza and anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the Lombardy region and to describe the experience of an Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico in Milan. During the vaccination open day, eligible individuals received free vaccinations for influenza, COVID-19, pneumococcal disease, and shingles, as provided by the Lombardy Agenzia per la Tutela della Salute. In celebration of the centenary of the Università degli Studi di Milano, the Fondazione Ca'Granda Ospedale Policlinico, a contracted hospital of the university, created a special electronic diary for a total of 150 individuals, equally divided between children aged 2-6, pregnant women, and university staff. At the regional level, a total of 6634 influenza vaccines, 2055 anti-COVID-19 vaccines, 108 anti-pneumococcal vaccines, and 37 anti-zoster vaccines were administered. A total of 3134 (47.3%) influenza vaccines, 1151 (56%) anti-COVID-19 vaccines, and 77 (62%) anti-pneumococcal vaccines, were given to individuals aged 60-79. No differences were observed between the total number of male and female vaccinees (1017 and 1038, respectively), who received the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. At the Policlinico Foundation, out of 150 available booking slots, 154 vaccines were administered, including 117 influenza vaccines. The establishment of vaccine open days is a beneficial way to increase vaccine compliance. Co-administration of little-known vaccinations outside of healthcare settings could also be a useful tool.

Memory Flags

For close to 30 years, my father worked for the Australian Navy. He was an electrician who installed and repaired the armament, radars and communication systems on battleships and submarines. It was a job he loved and was proud to do, something I as a surly teenager could not quite understand when dragged along to open days at the naval base at Garden Island on Sydney Harbour. He likes to share many stories about his time at Garden Island and jokes that by the time he retired, even the stones in the landscape knew who he was. One of these stories, a memory I ashamedly force him to recall, took place on the morning of 12 February 2009. I asked my father to tell me as much as he could remember about the event. This was the second time I heard the story from him: The first was the day it happened in 2009, and the second was now, 12 years later.

Teachers S. A. and K. Ya. Lyugebil and their first kindergarten in Russia

Introduction. The history of the creation of the first preschool institutions in Russia is of interest to modern Russian historical and pedagogical science. The purpose of the article is to characterize the work of the first Russian kindergartens and the ascetic educational activities of the pioneers of Russian preschool education. Materials and methods. The leading research methods are the analysis of scientific literature, the biographical method. The author actively used an axiological methodological approach, which made it possible to identify and evaluate the most important achievements of the Lyugebil spouses and other Russian teachers in opening the first kindergartens in Russia. Results. Spouses Sofya Andreevna (1824-1914) and Karl Yakimovich Lugebil (1830-1887/1888) entered the history of Russian education as the founders of the country's first kindergarten. In their work, the Lugebil couple used the experience of their foreign predecessors, first of all, the German teacher F. Froebel, the creator of the first kindergarten in Europe. They were active members of the Pedagogical Society, at whose meetings they closely communicated with K. D. Ushinsky, P. G. Redkin and other prominent Russian teachers of that time; they invariably supported their progressive position on various issues of education development and sought to promote the idea of widespread preschool education in Russia. Discussion. The advanced teacher E. N. Vodovozova believed that the Lugebil spouses in their work sought to avoid thoughtlessly following the experience of others, even famous teachers such as F. Froebel and his direct students and followers. The Lugebiles went their own unique way. The progressive magazine Sovremennik paid close attention to the work of the first kindergarten, and in its articles gave a full account of the educational work carried out in this institution. The first kindergarten gave an impetus to the opening of similar institutions throughout the country, including in the province. Conclusion. The practical activities of the Lugebil spouses and other Russian teachers of the second half of the XIX – early XX centuries included axiological, humanistic content and therefore had a noticeable impact on the development of preschool education in Russia. The opening day of the first kindergarten, September 27 (1863), is celebrated in modern Russia as the day of the preschool worker.

Dolors project: art-based polyethnography evoking contemporary rural mothering through photography, dance and chapbooks

This collaborative ethnography details the Dolors project, a transdisciplinary exploration that evokes rural mothering in Copons, Catalonia, through an immersive photographic process. The project culminated in an exhibition at an international festival, presenting a medley of family portraits, field notes, personal narratives and scenic elements. Central to the exhibition were eight chosen portraits of local mothers, paying tribute to Dolors Farrés, a revered ‘meta-mother’ figure in the community, whose wider social and metaphorical significance was progressively uncovered by the four co-authors. The exhibition's opening day featured an interpretive dance, transforming the photographic experience into a multimodal exploration. Post-exhibition, the visitor responses collected in chapbooks were transformed into a large-format photography book, and served as qualitative data for this study. Our creative, multi-voiced and evocative approach to ethnography seeks to shed light on a rich array of individual and collective perspectives around mothering within a rural setting.

Respectful maternity care interventions to address women mistreatment in childbirth: What has been done?

IntroductionOver the last decade, there has been an increasing number of studies regarding experiences of mistreatment, disrespect and abuse (D&A) during facility-based childbirth. These negative experiences during labour have been proven to create a barrier for seeking both facility-based childbirth and postnatal health care, as well as increasing severe postpartum depression among the women who experienced them. This constitutes a serious violation of human rights. However, few studies have carried out specifically designed interventions to reduce these practices. The aim of this scoping review is to synthetise available evidence on this subject, and to identify initiatives that have succeeded in reducing the mistreatment, D&A that women suffer during childbirth in health facilities.MethodsA PubMed search of the published literature was conducted, and all original studies evaluating the efficacy of any type of intervention specifically designed to reduce these negative experiences and promote RMC were selected.ResultsTen articles were included in this review. Eight studies were conducted in Africa, one in Mexico, and the other in the U.S. Five carried out a before-and-after study, three used mixed-methods, one was a comparative study between birth centres, and another was a quasi-experimental study. The most common feature was the inclusion of some sort of RMC training for providers at the intervention centre, which led to the conclusion that this training resulted in an improvement in the care received by the women in childbirth. Other strategies explored by a small number of articles were open maternity days, clinical checklists, wall posters and constant user feedback.DiscussionThese results indicate that there are promising interventions to reduce D&A and promote RMC for women during childbirth in health facilities. RMC training for providers stands as the most proven strategy, and the results suggest that it improves the experiences of care received by women in labour.ConclusionThe specific types of training and the different initiatives that complement them should be evaluated through further scientific research, and health institutions should implement RMC interventions that apply these strategies to ensure human rights-based maternity care for women giving birth in health facilities around the world.

P034 Lessons and feedback from a patient event: Salford Scleroderma Open Day 2023

Abstract Background/Aims The 2023 Scleroderma Open Day at Salford Royal Hospital coincided with World Scleroderma Day on June 29, and was organised by the hospital's dedicated Scleroderma team. The Open Day featured a rich program; informative expert talks, a first-hand account from a scleroderma patient, and an array of stalls offering invaluable tips, information, and important contacts. Attendees, comprising patients and their friends and family, actively engaged in the event and provided feedback through forms distributed during the event. Methods The feedback forms employed in this study encompassed a wide spectrum of vital information, including demographic details of attendees, their holistic evaluations of the event, preferences for event duration, assessments of lecture quality, convenience, and reflections on the efficacy of face-to-face event delivery. Moreover, attendees were encouraged to share their perspectives on potential themes for future Open Days and express their willingness to participate in forthcoming research initiatives. Results The assessment of different facets of the Open Day on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (very good) revealed remarkable attendee satisfaction (Table 1). Lectures received an admirable mean rating of 4.3 (SD = 0.57). The venue itself was highly appreciated, with an impressive mean rating of 4.7 (SD = 0.57), indicating the success of the hospital as a welcoming host. The choice of face-to-face delivery over online alternatives was favourably endorsed, earning a mean rating of 4.4 (SD = 0.55). It is noteworthy that more than half (60%) of attendees rated the Open Day as ‘good’ (4/5), while a remarkable 40% rated the Open Day as ‘exceptional’ (5/5). Conclusion The Scleroderma Open Day at Salford Royal Hospital proved highly successful in providing valuable information on scleroderma, management, and access to additional resources for patients and their loved ones. A significant proportion of attendees expressed interest in participating in future research endeavours, promising a brighter outlook for scleroderma research and care. Potential topics for upcoming events, including the effects of scleroderma on organs, oral and dental health, and medication side effects, were also identified, offering a roadmap for addressing the evolving needs of the scleroderma community. Disclosure M. Corotana: None. M. Samaranayaka: None. G. Dinsdale: None. M. Hughes: None. L. Johnson: None. E. Wragg: None.

Intensive care unit follow-up clinic activities: a scoping review.

The importance of ongoing post-discharge follow-up to prevent functional impairment in patients discharged from intensive care units (ICUs) is being increasingly recognized. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review, which included existing ICU follow-up clinic methodologies using the CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and CINAHL databases from their inception to December 2022. Data were examined for country or region, outpatient name, location, opening days, lead profession, eligible patients, timing of the follow-up, and assessment tools. Twelve studies were included in our review. The results obtained revealed that the methods employed by ICU follow-up clinics varied among countries and regions. The names of outpatient follow-up clinics also varied; however, all were located within the facility. These clinics were mainly physician or nurse led; however, pharmacists, physical therapists, neuropsychologists, and social workers were also involved. Some clinics were limited to critically ill patients with sepsis or those requiring ventilation. Ten studies reported the first outpatient visit 1-3months after discharge. All studies assessed physical function, cognitive function, mental health, and the health-related quality of life. This scoping review revealed that an optimal operating format for ICU follow-up clinics needs to be established according to the categories of critically ill patients.

Hospital-acquired pressure injury: our seven years of experience.

A pressure injury (PI) happens on the skin and in deeper tissues. Generally, it occurs due to prolonged compression over bony structures. A PI, when occurring during a hospital stay, is regarded as a hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI), and is considered as a marker for patient care quality. It might cause medical, legal or economic problems, and could be a burden on health systems. In this study we evaluate the factors contributing to HAPI formation. Between June 2014-June 2021, we retrospectively investigated the files of patients who were hospitalised with different medical conditions in Bayindir Sögütözü Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, for patients' age, sex, Waterlow scale score, mobilisation status, application of zinc-containing and/or barrier creams (ZnBC), airbed usage, hospitalisation period, and the day of wound opening. The study cohort comprised 2327 hospitalised patients: 303 (13%) developed Stage 2 and deeper PIs; 2024 patients were hospitalised and discharged without wound opening. We found an increased risk in male patients and a lack of efficacy of ZnBC in protection from HAPI in our study population. However, we observed that ZnBC helped to delay wound opening and that the most protective treatment was the use of airbeds. Health professionals should be more aware of HAPI formation with prolonged hospitalisation periods. Only the use of an airbed for a patient hospitalised for a long period appears to be protective against PI formation. On the other hand, use of ZnBC delays wound opening. However, further research is needed to demonstrate the protective effect of ZnBC, due to the lack of randomisation in our study and the lack of some nursing records.

Study Efisiensi Reproduksi Kambing Kacang dan Hasil Persilangannya Dengan Kambing Boer (Boerka) di Lombok

This research was carried out with the aim of determining the reproductive efficiency of Kacang goats and goats resulting from crosses with Boer goats (Boerka goats). This research was carried out in the area of ​​development of the Kacang goat and a cross between the Kacang goat and the Boer goat (Boerka) in Lombok with the aim of determining the level of reproductive efficiency of the Boerka goat and the Kacang goat in the people's breeding business. The variables observed include: An Estrus Post Partum, Open Days, service per conception, service period and kid interval, litter size and first mating after giving birth. Location determination was carried out using purposive sampling based on the breed of goats being kept. Livestock samples were taken randomly from 60 mother goats (30 Kacang mother goats and 30 Boerka mother goats). The observation data was tabulated using the Excel program and then analyzed using the t-test. Data analysis activities use Genstat software. Goat race/breed has no significant effect (P > 0.05) on the first estrus after giving birth, service conception and number of offspring per birth, but has a significant effect (P < 0.05) on service period, days open and calving interval (kid interval). The calving interval for the mother Kacang goat is longer, namely 253.00 ± 14.87 days (8.4 months) compared to the mother Boerka goat, namely 234.86 ± 07.09 days (7.8 months).

PENGARUH PERSEKITARAN RUMAH, PENGLIBATAN IBU BAPA, DAN KEPUASAN MURID DALAM PENCAPAIAN AKADEMIK MATA PELAJARAN SEJARAH

This study aims to examine the influence of the home environment, parental involvement, and student satisfaction on academic achievement in History subjects among Orang Asli Pantai students in Malaysia. Involving 63 respondents from two schools in the Batu Pahat area, this study used a quantitative methodology by collecting data through probe questions. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 26. The results of the study show the level of availability of a simple home environment, with variations in completeness and environmental conditions that facilitate review sessions. Parents' involvement in their children's learning shows a modest level, with strong support in providing facilities and encouragement, but less so in aspects of reviewing exercise books and attending school Open Days. The level of student satisfaction with parents, teachers and the school environment is high, but regression analysis shows an insignificant relationship between this level of satisfaction and academic achievement in the History subject. These findings emphasize the need for a more holistic approach in understanding the factors that influence student academic success, especially in the context of Indigenous and minority education. This study provides insight into the complexity of the relationship between environmental factors, family support, and educational satisfaction on academic achievement, and suggests the importance of comprehensive and layered interventions to improve the academic achievement of Orang Asli Pantai students in History subjects. In conclusion, this study shows that despite the influence of home environment availability, parental involvement, and student satisfaction, these relationships vary in strength and significance, indicating the need for a more inclusive and holistic approach to education.

Excellent cases of the Ministry of Education’s supply and demand matching employment and education project: Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and X Xiamen ITG Group Corp., Ltd. cooperate in human resources improvement project

Zhongnan University of Economics and Law cooperates with Xiamen ITG Group Corp., Ltd. to carry out the Ministry of Education’s supply and demand matching employment and education project. The cooperation includes conducting school-enterprise exchange activities such as enterprise OPEN DAY and enterprise visits to campus; holding 5 special job fairs on campus for 24 people Graduates joined Xiamen ITG Group Corp., Ltd. through school recruitment; jointly launched the first National Career Planning Competition school competition and the “Jishi Cup” series of employment guidance activities to enhance students’ professional qualities. The project cooperation has achieved a win-win situation for universities, enterprises and students, forming a deep integration exchange mechanism between schools and enterprises and a new model of employment and education work for matching supply and demand between schools and enterprises; integrating corporate culture and employer brand into the process of students’ training in advance; and building students’ interests through Groups, schools and enterprises jointly cultivate talents urgently needed by enterprises. The project cooperation explores the formation of an employment education work model that integrates “economics, law, and management” and combines “theory and practice”. The project’s summer practice research results were selected into the list of the 8th National College Student Summer Practice Exhibition. The project results are used as typical cases in The theoretical version of the “Zhongnan University of Economics and Law Newspaper” was published, and in December 2023, it was rated as an outstanding case of the Ministry of Education’s supply and demand matching employment and education project (a total of 35 projects nationwide).

Trend of Anemia Prevalence in Pregnant Women in the Working Area of Sukosari Health Center, Madiun City, 2018-2022

Pregnancy anemia poses a significant national challenge due to its adverse impact on human resource (HR) quality. Without proper management, it can lead to maternal and fetal complications, even death. This study aimed to determine the trend of anemia prevalence of pregnant women from 2018-2022 in the working area of Sukosari Health Center, Madiun City. Conducted as descriptive quantitative research with predictive elements, it encompassed 2157 pregnant women in the center's jurisdiction. Utilizing the total population as the sample, data was collected from maternal LB3 documents. Trendline analysis in MS Office Excel revealed the trend and prediction of the anemia prevalence in the following year by displaying the equation display on chart. The results showed a trend and prediction of the anemia prevalence for pregnant women at the end of 2023, the total Sukosari Health Center increased. The trend and prediction of the prevalence of pregnant women in each village and each trimester of pregnancy also increased. The highest increase in the anemia prevalence for pregnant women occurred in Klegen Village and in the first trimester of pregnancy. From these results, it can be concluded that the trend of anemia prevalence of pregnant women at the health center has increased and exceeds the target set by the Madiun City Health Office, which is <15%. This condition needs to be monitoring and paid special attention to by increasing education on the prevention and treatment of anemia among adolescent girls and pregnant women, monitoring and evaluating the program of giving blood-added tablets, and maximizing local area monitoring of pregnant women. Innovative efforts can also be made in the form of taking blood tablets together on the opening day of pregnancy check-up services and during the implementation of classes for pregnant women and organizing classes for brides-to-be at health centers.

Use of maternity open days initiative to increase access to comprehensive maternal and neonatal health services at the Lwala Community Health Centre

Background: Maternity open day (MOD) is an event in which a health facility opens its doors to the community and provides a specific opportunity for pregnant women and their birth companions to interact freely with health care providers and receive antenatal care services, including obstetric ultrasound, and tour maternity units. Objective: To increase access and utilization of MNH services, improve knowledge, promote transparency, familiarize with the environment, procedures, and maternity staff, and increase the client's knowledge and confidence on what to expect during labor and delivery. Results: It ensured an increase in the number of women seeking comprehensive antenatal care (ANC), including ANC profile care at both first and fourth ANC visits, and skilled birth attendants. The (MODs) provided a platform to expand access to affordable maternity care through client enrollment in Linda Mama services. Over 99% of pregnant women who attended MODs embraced hospital deliveries and 99% skilled births. A total of 1060 women attended MOD, and 3,903 women underwent obstetric ultrasound, with zero maternal deaths and one neonatal death recorded between 2022 and 2023. Conclusion: Maternity open day provides a platform for increasing access to comprehensive antenatal care and affordable maternity care through Linda Mama. It improved the quality of maternal and child health services, reduced defaulters in the ANC clinics, and increased access to MNH services for continuum care and built trust between women and healthcare providers.

Baseball Injury Prevention Through a Community Outreach Initiative.

Sports-related craniofacial injuries account for 10% to 42% of facial fractures in the US pediatric population, with the incidence of injury peaking at ages 6 to 7 and 12 to 14. The National Survey of Children's Health reported ~5.6 million children between the ages of 6 and 17 participated in baseball in 2021. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System reported 861,456 injuries resulting from baseball and 511,117 injuries resulting from softball in 2021, with ~500,000 of those injuries being to the face/head/neck. While participation in baseball and other youth sports has tremendous physical and mental health benefits, facial and other athletic injuries are concerning beyond the pain and disability caused by the incident itself. Severe injury can result in lost time from school as well as other social activities. Players and their families often experience financial strain as a result of physical trauma as well. The use of protective equipment has decreased the incidence of emergency department visits due to baseball-related trauma, especially mouthguards. However, adherence to using mouthguards is relatively low in baseball, with over 80% of players reporting not being told by a coach to wear mouthpieces. Youth from low-income areas often lack financial means to provide protective equipment and health insurance in the case of injury. The authors, along with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Miami Marlins RBI Program, created an outreach program by which over 400 mouthguards were given to players and caretakers at inner-city baseball and softball programs. Two community outreach events took place in South Florida. One event was held at a University of Miami Men's Baseball Game, and another was held on the opening day of the Miami Marlins RBI Program youth baseball league. In addition to handing out protective equipment and informational pamphlets, a question and answers session was held to discuss injury prevention. In conclusion, our community safety initiative created an interactive dialogue and message to hundreds of youth baseball players about the importance of protective gear to prevent injuries.

Lactation traits and reproductive performances of Sahraoui female camel in two breeding systems at Algerian Sahara.

The main objective of this study is to determine the impact of the camel livestock system on individual and herd performances of milk production, lactation curve, fats, and protein concentrations. For this purpose, 13 she-camels of Sahraoui breed from the south eastern Algeria and belonging and semi-intensive system (N = 6) and intensive system (N = 7) were studied. Recording and sampling of milk were carried out at regular intervals during a full lactation. The lactation curve was estimated using Wood's gamma function and the t-test of independent groups was carried out to compare lactation performances, lactation curve, and reproductive parameters. The overall average daily milk (DMY), fat (DFY), and protein (DPY) yield were 6.77 ± 0.82kg/day, 4.15 ± 0.91%, and 4.49 ± 0.20%, respectively. The mean of total milk yield (TMY) was 2696.39 ± 343.86kg during a mean lactation length (LL) of 398.38 ± 20.65days. The peak of milk production (6.79 ± 0.68kg) was reached at 93.9 ± 55.8days after calving. The open day (DO) and inter-calving interval (ICI) recorded in this study were 348.38 ± 30.33 and 723.38 ± 30.33days, respectively. There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) between intensive and semi-intensive breeding systems for TMY (2795.39 ± 261.88kg vs. 2580.89 ± 414.43kg), DMY (6.96 ± 0.66kg vs. 6.55 ± 1.00kg), and LL (402.14 ± 21.18days vs. 394 ± 21.03days). However, the total amount of fat was significantly higher in intensive system (182.02 ± 33.91kg) and the DPY content was significantly higher in semi-intensive system (4.60 ± 0.13%). The parameters α, β, and γ of lactation, fat, and protein curves between the two systems showed a highly significant difference (p < 0.01) for the parameters (α and β) for the milk production curve, significant (p < 0.05) for the time to reach peak yield, and no significance for the other parameters. The corresponding values of the coefficient of determination (R2) were 0.62, 0.35 for milk yield (p > 0.05), 0.12, 0.13 (p > 0.05) for fat, and 0.03, 0.11 (p < 0.05) for protein, in the intensive and semi-intensive systems, respectively. In addition, DO and ICI were not significantly different between the livestock systems, but were higher in the intensive system than the semi-intensive system (337.17 ± 26.26 vs. 712.17 ± 26.26, respectively). The study concluded that the intensive system had a higher milk performance with a more efficient lactation curve. The incomplete gamma model (Wood) used in this study was inappropriate for estimating milk yield, but acceptable for fat and protein.

Organization of career guidance work in Ukrainian vocational education institutions with the implementation of interactive technologies

Vocational guidance is one of the key directions in the work of any vocational education institution, as it provides an opportunity to promote the professions offered by the institution. Rational presentation of educational programs allows future applicants to approach the choice of a profession in a well-founded manner, relying not only on general knowledge but also gaining a thorough understanding of all the nuances and requirements of a specific future profession. To achieve this, vocational education institutions hold open days several times a year, where they conduct master classes on professions represented by the institutions, provide general information about the institution, and educational programs. The algorithm of actions is always the same, but the question arises of how to diversify this work, make it more relevant and effective, taking into account the particularly challenging times for our country. This is where modern technologies come to our aid. Therefore, in order to ultimately obtain highly qualified workers and ensure that each learner has their status in society, we need to expand the possibilities of vocational guidance by introducing modern technologies into its implementation.

EFFECT OF SALICYLIC ACID APPLICATION ON COTTON (Gossypium hirsutum L.) YIELD AND FIBRE QUALITY

This study was carried out to determine the effect of SA (salicylic acid) application on the yield, yield components, and fibre quality characteristics of cotton at different growth stages (squaring, flowering and squaring + flowering). The experiment was carried out at Siirt University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crop’s experimental area during the 2022 cotton growing season. The experimental design was a split-plot design with four replications. The main plot and sub-plots consisted of SA applications [Control (0.0 mM), squaring (1.0 mM), flowering (1.0 mM), squaring (0.5 mM) + flowering (0.5 mM)] and varieties (MAY 455, Stoneville 468, Fiona), respectively. SA application and variety interactions were significant in terms of the first boll opening days and the number of nodes. There were significant differences between varieties, except for the number of monopodial branches, number of bolls, chlorophyll content value, normalised difference vegetation index value, and micronaire and fibre strength. The MAY 455 cotton variety had the highest values in terms of seed cotton yield (2993.1 kg ha-1) plant height (62.14 cm), boll weight (6.51 g), seed cotton weight per boll (4.90 g), number of seeds per boll (29.46), number of nodes to first fruiting branch (8.65), fibre yield (1361.0 kg ha−1) and 100-seed weight (8.82 g), while the Fiona variety came to the fore in terms of number of days to first boll opening (118.0 d), number of sympodial branches (7.56), number of nodes per plant (17.79), ginning percentage (46.45%), fibre length (828.52 mm) and fibre reflectance (82.18 Rd). There was a slight increase in yield (223.8 kg ha−1) compared to the control. SA application may show different effects on each cotton variety, and the positive effect may increase by applying SA at different intervals.

Induction of estrus as a strategy to improve the economic efficiency of the sheep flock

Productivity and profitability in sheep production systems are strongly influenced by the reproductive capacity of the flock.&#x0D; Objective: To evaluate the use of reproductive biotechnologies (e.g., the induction of estrus) and its impact on the economic efficiency and the productive and reproductive performance of technified sheep production systems, during the seasonal anestrus.&#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach: Four-hundred recently weaned (60 days postpartum) ewes of the Katahdin breed were randomly divided into two treatments: T1 = natural mating (n= 200) and T2 = induction of estrus (n=200). Estrus was induced through the application of intravaginal sponges, impregnated with 20 mg of chronolone, plus the injection of 400 IU of Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin. The aim was to evaluate the reproductive and economic efficiency of the flock.&#x0D; Results: The induction of estrus during the seasonal anestrus recorded increases (p&lt;0.001) in prolificacy (32%), fertility (86%), and kilograms of lamb weaned per year per ewe (48%), while decreases (p &lt;0.05) were recorded in the number of open days (25%), calving interval (11%), cost per open days (23%), and the kilograms of lamb required per ewe per year (10%).&#x0D; Study Limitations/Implications: The constant variations in the price of supplies and services caused changes in the economic indicators.&#x0D; Findings/Conclusions: The use of reproductive biotechnologies (such as estrus induction) has a positive impact on production units, improving their profitability.

Design, Development and Commissioning of the Boldrewood Towing Tank – A Decade of Endeavour

The process of design, build and eventual commissioning of the towing tank on the Boldrewood Innovation Campus is described. The design brief required a facility that would have a capability to test models at a commercial scale but that would be effective as teaching environment for the next generation of Naval Architects as well as providing a flexible space for future fundamental research. Each of these provided their own challenges but the eventual solution of a 138 m long, 3.5 m deep, 6 m wide facility has more than met the initial aspirations. Equipped with 12 independent 0.5 m wavemaking flaps at the West end, a passive beach at the East end, a deployable side beach along the South wall for post run wave absorption and a monocoque Aluminium alloy carriage, the Boldrewood towing tank has now been successfully operating for more than a year. The carriage position and speed are controlled by a twin winch arrangement using a laser positioning system and low embodied energy composite cables. The carriage can reach a maximum speed of 10 m/s with controllable acceleration rates and can have up to four constant speed phases per run. Initial commissioning results and comparisons with benchmark data for the KCS hull confirm the accuracy and repeatability of the facility. In particular, the position and speed of the carriage are known to a high level of precision. To date research and consultancy work has spanned the performance of high speed vessels, uncrewed underwater and surface vessels, wave energy and tidal current systems, floating platforms for wind turbines, performance sport work for sailing, kayaking, rowing and swimming, open water propeller tests as well as conventional displacement vessel testing for self-propulsion and resistance. All ship science and maritime engineering students use the facility as part of their taught modules in every year of their programme as well as for individual, MSc and group projects as appropriate. It has also made a strong impact on the many thousands of visitors a year to the campus for science and engineering open days.