Knowing-with-snow in an outdoor kindergarten

This article highlights how reciprocal relationships between children and the environment can contribute to exploring understanding of children’s learning in the outdoor environment. We draw on data from a kindergarten in the northern part of Norway, where we have carried out fieldwork three hours a week from October to mid-May. During this period, the outdoor area was covered with snow of varying qualities. Snow and weather conditions are included as elements in a relational understanding, in which the environment is understood as open and dynamic – an interaction between past and present, between geography, materiality, people and the ‘more-than-human’. The learner and the environment are understood as an indivisible process, where different elements exercise a reciprocal influence on each other. Using Ingold’s concept of correspondence, we explore how children learn by being within and with the world. The article is a contribution to creating a nuanced understanding of children’s learning and the educator’s role within an outdoor environment in kindergarten practice.

The Counterterrorism Systemic Solutions in the Context of Places of Worship in Poland — a Literature Review

The purpose of the paper was to understand the Counterterrorism Systemic Solutions in the Context of Places of Worship in Poland, in particular, their infrastructure. The term: ‘places of worship’ is defined as indoor area (i.e. synagogues, Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Christian and Catholic churches) where people meet to practice their religion, and outdoor area (i.e. car parks, road network), which is a part of their infrastructure.

Differences in Genotype and Antimicrobial Resistance between Campylobacter spp. Isolated from Organic and Conventionally Produced Chickens in Sweden

Antibiotic resistance is a major challenge worldwide and increased resistance to quinolones in Campylobacter is being reported. Analysis of antibiotic resistance was performed on 157 Campylobacter strains (123 C. jejuni and 34 C. coli) from conventional and organic chickens produced in Sweden. Susceptibility for tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, and gentamycin was determined by microdilution. All 77 isolates from organic chickens were sensitive to all antibiotics, except two C. jejuni that were resistant to tetracycline. Of the 80 isolates from conventional chickens, 22.5% of C. jejuni and 11.1% of C. coli were resistant to quinolones and 5.6% of C. jejuni were resistant to tetracycline. Whole-genome sequencing resulted in 50 different sequence types of C. jejuni and six of C. coli. Nine sequence types were found in both organic and conventional chickens. Two of these (ST-19 and ST-257) included isolates from conventional broilers with different resistance phenotypes to the remaining isolates from conventional and organic broilers. There are management differences between the production systems, such as feed, breed, use of coccidiostats, and access to outdoor area. It is unlikely that quinolone resistance has arisen due to use of antimicrobials, since fluoroquinolones are not permitted in Swedish broiler production.

The Diversity and Ecology of Macromycetes on Soils of Adjara, Georgia

The publication is devoted to the study of the diversity of the species composition of macromycetes on different soils of Adjara, Georgia. The aim of the study was to identify and determine the composition of on different macroscopic fungi in different soils; establishment of the scale of development and spread of macromycetes in adverse and favorable conditions. Morphological features of collected fruiting bodies, such as shape, size, colour, odor, hymenophore and velum types, etc., were analysed. Spore slides were prepared in glycerin and fuchsin acid and observed under a light microscope. Some samples were isolated on a Malt agar medium, and macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of isolates were observed for precise identification. Identifications were done using relevant literature. At locations in the outdoor area and in the greenhouse, a total of 165 macrofungal species were recorded fruiting on soil, between them 35 species are considered edible, 14 poisonous, while 106 species are inedible Most of the species belong to the division Basidiomycota (151) and only 14 to the division Ascomycota. Identified species distributed in 5 Classes, 13 Orders, 36 families and 68 Genuse. The highest number of soil-inhabiting basidiomycetous macrofungal species was in the forest soil plot (116), followed by the Pasture soil (29). The on families with the highest number of species was Russulaceae (17%), Agaricaceae (15%), Boletaceae (12%), Cortinariaceae (9%) and Psathyrellaceae - 8%, The remaining 31 families-39%. Lactarius, Cortinarius, Russula, Amanita and et al., were the richest genus. All 6 substrates studied, it observed that the species that had a higher frequency were Agaricus subrufescens, Calvatia cyathiformis and Leucocoprinus cretaceus, occurring in soil, soil/litter and pasture. On the other hand, Agaricus campestris, A. rufoaurantiacus, Chlorophyllum hortense and Volvopluteus earlier among others, were collected only from two substrates (soil/and plant residue). The other genera (most of it) occurred in only one substrate. Peaks macromycetes was in May and October, when the average temperature remained between 22 - 26°C and relative humidity between 78% and 92%. The occurrence of macromycetes was higher in May, when the temperature was milder and stable on average 24°C. Found that Adjara support a large and diverse community of macrofungi fruiting on soil, many species of which are previously undiscovered and undescribed. On this basis, works of longer duration and more intensive sampling are needed to obtain data regarding fungal communities, with more attention to specific variables such as microclimate, soil moisture, soil type, soil pH and vegetation types.

Egg quality and coccidiosis infestation in three production systems for laying hens

A total of 240 white Shaver laying hens from 22 to 34 weeks of age were assigned to 3 treatments and 5 replications. The treatments included: i) Conventional (hens were kept in experimental building without access to outdoor area and fed with the conventional diet), ii) Semi-organic (hens were kept in experimental building with access to outdoor area and fed with the organic diet plus amino acids and vitamin-minerals supplement), and iii) Organic (hens were kept in experimental building with access to outdoor and fed with the organic diet). The results showed statistically significant differences in the feed intake, egg production, egg mass, egg weight, and change body weight(g) means among the treatments (p < 0.05). The hens kept in the organic treatment had fecal highest contain of oocytes coccidia (p < 0.05). The yolk color index and shell strength in the organic treatment significantly increased in comparison with that of other treatments (p < 0.05). The highest HDL was in the semi-organic and organic treatments (p < 0.05). The lowest egg yolk cholesterol concentration was found in hens kept in the semi-organic and organic treatments (p < 0.05). It is concluded that organic production system is useful for improving egg quality.

Rethinking Interior Design Approach for Shop House Food and Beverage Retails to Embrace New Normal Protocol

The 2020 COVID-19 outbreak has deeply redefined our relationship to public spaces. Fear of transmission (both direct and indirect) has strucked all sectors and put down public facilities such as schools, restaurants, and offices. The implementation of restrictions on community activities in Jakarta alone has resulted in 1030 restaurants permanently closed and 400 restaurants to temporary closed from early 2020 to 2021. Public preference has shifted to outdoor area with open air space to reduce the possibility of transmision. Therefore, shop house food and beverage retails that operated in big cities may find a challenge to keep the costumers' comfort. Keywords: shop house, new normal, food and beverage, retails

Monitoring compliance with Kenya’s shisha ban in select public hospitality venues in Nairobi

IntroductionSeven countries in the WHO African Region have banned the sale and/or use of shisha. In 2017, Kenya implemented a comprehensive ban on shisha, including the use, import, manufacture, sale, offer of sale, advertising, promotion, distribution and encouraging or facilitating its use. The objective of this study was to assess compliance with the ban of shisha use in select public hospitality venues in Nairobi, Kenya.MethodsObservational study that used a purposive sampling to select restaurants, bars and nightclubs where shisha use took place before the ban. A total of 200 venues were visited in seven areas of Nairobi City County, Kenya. Shisha use was defined as at least one person smoking shisha in any indoor or outdoor area of the venue accessible to the public, and indicators of shisha use as the display of any shisha equipment.ResultsOverall, 81.5% of the venues visited were in compliance. Shisha smoking was observed in 16.5% of all venues and shisha equipment alone was observed in 2.0%. Among the different venue types, 94.6% of restaurants were compliant, 79.7% of bars and 75.6% of nightclubs.DiscussionThe overall high compliance indicates that Kenya’s shisha ban is well implemented in Nairobi, and may be explained by the comprehensive nature of the shisha ban and the low prevalence in the general population. The variation in compliance may be due to the higher rates of use in university students and the additional resources required to enforce the ban in areas with high rates of crime.

Environmental Enrichments in Laying Hen Production Systems with Emphasis on Welfare and Egg Quality

This paper reviews the effects of environmental enrichments in different laying hen production systems on hen welfare and egg quality. To improve hen welfare, several studies have investigated various environmental enrichments that suit different laying hen production systems. The positive results of these studies can enable such environmental enrichments to be utilized in commercial laying hen production. In this review, the most studied environmental enrichments in the free-range production system include forage, shelterbelt, and artificial shade in the outdoor area and novel objects and H-shaped perching structures in the indoor. These are associated with increased range use that positively affects hen welfare. In the aviary system, perches, and litter materials (e.g., straw, sand) as environmental enrichments are linked to improved behavioral expression, reduced stress, and enhanced immune system. Under the litter system, environmental enrichment with substrates (e.g., pecking stones, alfalfa blocks, silage, straw, barley) has been found to increase the foraging behavior of laying hens. This reduces severe feather pecking thus improving the plumage condition of hens. Although the effects of environmental enrichments on hen welfare have been assessed and scientifically proven in the reviewed studies, enough progress of their impact on egg quality traits has not been reported. The studies have shown that environmental enrichments have no significant effect on egg quality traits. On the other hand, appropriate pasture plants as environmental enrichments in the free-range production system in relation to hen welfare and egg quality have not been identified. Therefore, it is important to continue studies on environmental enrichments while emphasizing their influence on egg quality since it is a major performance trait in the egg industry. In addition, there is a need for studies to determine the ideal pasture species in the free-range production system that positively affects hen welfare and egg quality.

Local positioning system for autonomous vertical take-off and landing using ultra-wide band measurement ranging system

An autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) must be supported with an accurate positioning system, especially for autonomous take-off, landing, and other tasks in small area. This paper presents a novel method of small local outdoor positioning system for localizing the area of dropping and landing of autonomous VTOL by utilizing the low-cost precision ultra-wide band (UWB) ranging system. We compared symmetrical single sided-two way ranging (SSS-TWR), symmetrical double sided-two way ranging (SDS-TWR), and asymmetrical double sided-two way ranging (ADS-TWR) methods to get precision ranging measurement on UWB radio module. ADS-TWR was superior to others by resulting in minimum distance error. The ADS-TWR average error was 1.38 % (35.88 cm), SDS-TWR average error was 1.83 % (47.58 cm), and SSS-TWR average error was 2.73 % (70.98 cm). Furthermore, the trilateration method was utilized to obtain the local position of the autonomous VTOL. The trilateration method successfully implemented autonomous VTOL quadcopter positioning in a small local outdoor area (20 m x 30 m). Autonomous VTOL has been able to drop seven payloads in seven areas (2 m x 2 m) and landed in the home position (3 m x 3 m) successfully.

Phosphorus load in outdoor areas for laying hens and capacity of phosphorus retaining materials to reduce the environmental impact

This study investigated manure loads in outdoor paddocks for laying hens and the capacity of two phosphorus (P) retaining materials for reducing leaching from manure in areas with high hen density. Inventories on two commercial farms during 2 years (2017 and 2018) of the impact of hens (groups of 3000 hens) on vegetation, as a proxy for land use by hens, showed that 16–21% of outdoor area in grassland paddocks and 22–39% of area in a forest paddock were used by the hens. Sand and limestone were tested as P retention materials in areas with high manure load in a field study during the outdoor season for laying hens (May 1 to October 31 in 2018). The materials were placed on the ground (0.2 m deep bed, 3.3 m wide) outside the pop-hole in paddocks with 76 hens. The average numbers of hens outdoors were recorded at 9 am and 3 pm daily. There was no significant difference between the materials concerning distribution of hens, and they seemed not to prefer any material more than the other. When cylinders containing the spent materials were exposed to simulated rainfalls in a laboratory study, the P concentrations in drainage water were high for all materials, including a control with gravel (58–136 mg PO4-P L−1 and 130–197 mg total-P L−1). On average, 14% of manure P retained in the sand and limestone materials was leached after 100 mm of simulated rainfall. Thus, these materials may act as physical filters for P in manure, but to reduce the risk of P losses to waters during the following winter, they need to be removed from the paddocks and preferably used as potential P fertilizers on arable land.