1,134 research outputs found

    Enhancing Antimicrobial Stewardship On Dairy Farms With A Focus On Selective Treatment Of Clinical Mastitis

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    Clinical mastitis (CM) treatment decisions have been the focus of antimicrobial stewardship in the dairy sector, as CM and antimicrobial dry cow treatments account for the majority of antimicrobials used on farms. To improve on-farm antimicrobial stewardship, a selective treatment approach of CM is explored, centering around milk culture-guided decisions. Detailed principles of selective CM treatment and an evidence-based protocol are presented in Chapter 2, alongside an overview of expected cow and farm impacts, impact of proportion of Gram-negative cases on expected reduction in antimicrobial use, adoption rates across the globe, and knowledge and technology gaps. A systematic review and meta-analysis is presented in Chapter 3, evidencing that a selective CM treatment protocol can be adopted without adversely influencing bacteriological and clinical cure, somatic cell count, milk yield, and incidence of recurrence or culling. Chapter 4 presents survey results of 142 farms detailing adoption of various CM protocols among Canadian dairy farmers, demonstrating an association between increased adoption of selective CM protocols and low average cow SCC, as well as a distinction between 3 groups of farmers with similar relative importance of decision factors. Delving further into CM decision-making, Chapter 5 presents considerations of Western Canadian dairy farmers at each decision step from identification of CM to treatment termination, as well as 3 overarching themes impacting each step: Personal attributes, Inter-actor dynamics, and Moving beyond protocols. Chapter 6 describes 4 themes related to perceptions on mastitis-related antimicrobial use: Antibiotic use paradox: Perception vs. reality; Low disease incidence is a badge of honor; In good hands: Veterinarians as safeguards; and “It takes a village to make a change”, alongside 10 proposed interventions designed using the Behavior Change Wheel to mitigate voiced barriers and appeal to facilitators towards milk-culture guided decisions. To advance this research future efforts should be focused on improving selection of CM cases to exclude antimicrobial treatment, discouraging inadequate mastitis-related antimicrobial stewardship practices, enhancing quality and accessibility of milk diagnostic tests, and stimulating and monitoring uptake of selective CM protocols

    Modern computing: Vision and challenges

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    Over the past six decades, the computing systems field has experienced significant transformations, profoundly impacting society with transformational developments, such as the Internet and the commodification of computing. Underpinned by technological advancements, computer systems, far from being static, have been continuously evolving and adapting to cover multifaceted societal niches. This has led to new paradigms such as cloud, fog, edge computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), which offer fresh economic and creative opportunities. Nevertheless, this rapid change poses complex research challenges, especially in maximizing potential and enhancing functionality. As such, to maintain an economical level of performance that meets ever-tighter requirements, one must understand the drivers of new model emergence and expansion, and how contemporary challenges differ from past ones. To that end, this article investigates and assesses the factors influencing the evolution of computing systems, covering established systems and architectures as well as newer developments, such as serverless computing, quantum computing, and on-device AI on edge devices. Trends emerge when one traces technological trajectory, which includes the rapid obsolescence of frameworks due to business and technical constraints, a move towards specialized systems and models, and varying approaches to centralized and decentralized control. This comprehensive review of modern computing systems looks ahead to the future of research in the field, highlighting key challenges and emerging trends, and underscoring their importance in cost-effectively driving technological progress

    Introduction to Psychology

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    Introduction to Psychology is a modified version of Psychology 2e - OpenStax

    2017 GREAT Day Program

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    SUNY Geneseo’s Eleventh Annual GREAT Day.https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/program-2007/1011/thumbnail.jp

    The Politics of Platformization: Amsterdam Dialogues on Platform Theory

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    What is platformization and why is it a relevant category in the contemporary political landscape? How is it related to cybernetics and the history of computation? This book tries to answer such questions by engaging in multidisciplinary dialogues about the first ten years of the emerging fields of platform studies and platform theory. It deploys a narrative and playful approach that makes use of anecdotes, personal histories, etymologies, and futurable speculations to investigate both the fragmented genealogy that led to platformization and the organizational and economic trends that guide nowadays platform sociotechnical imaginaries

    How did Britain come to this? A century of systemic failures of governance

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    If every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets, what is wrong with the design of the systems that govern Britain? And how have they resulted in failures in housing, privatisation, outsourcing, education and healthcare? In How Did Britain Come to This? Gwyn Bevan examines a century of varieties of systemic failures in the British state. The book begins and ends by showing how systems of governance explain scandals in NHS hospitals, and the failures and successes of the UK and Germany in responding to Covid-19 before and after vaccines became available. The book compares geographical fault lines and inequalities in Britain with those that have developed in other European countries and argues that the causes of Britain’s entrenched inequalities are consequences of shifts in systems of governance over the past century. Clement Attlee’s postwar government aimed to remedy the failings of the prewar minimal state, while Margaret Thatcher’s governments in the 1980s in turn sought to remedy the failings of Attlee’s planned state by developing the marketised state, which morphed into the financialised state we see today. This analysis highlights the urgent need for a new political settlement of an enabling state that tackles current systemic weaknesses from market failures and over-centralisation. This book offers an accessible, analytic account of government failures of the past century, and is essential reading for anyone who wants to make an informed contribution to what an innovative, capable state might look like in a post-pandemic world

    Assessment of Physical Activity in Adults with Progressive Muscle Disease

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    Introduction: Insufficient physical activity is a major threat to global health. Physical activity benefits peoples’ physical and mental health. The general population, including people living with disabilities and muscle wasting conditions, are recommended to avoid excessive sedentary time and engage in daily activity. Adults with progressive muscle disease experience barriers to physical activity participation, including muscle weakness, fatigue, physical deconditioning, impairment, activity limitations and participation restrictions (including societal and environmental factors), and fear of symptom exacerbation. More research is required to understand the inter-relationship between health and physical activity for adults with progressive muscle disease, particularly non-ambulant people who are under-represented in the existing research literature. Accurate measurement of FITT (frequency, intensity, time, and type of physical activity) is vital for high-quality physical activity assessment. The aim of this thesis was to assess the physical activity of ambulant and non-ambulant adults with progressive muscle disease.Systematic review findings identified various measures used to assess physical activity in adults with muscular dystrophy, including accelerometers, direct observation, heart rate monitors, calorimetry, positioning systems, activity diaries, single scales, interviews and questionnaires. None of the measures identified in the systematic review had well established measurement properties for adults with muscular dystrophy.Patient and public involvement interviews highlighted the importance of inclusive, remote, and technology-facilitated research design, the potential intrusion of direct observations of physical activity, the familiarity of questionnaires for data collection, and practical considerations to ensure wearing an activity monitor was not too burdensome.A feasibility study using multiple methods in 20 ambulant and non-ambulant adults with progressive muscle disease revealed satisfactory acceptability, interpretability, and usability of Fitbit and activity questionnaires, in both paper and electronic formats. During supervised activity tasks, Fitbit was found to have satisfactory criterion validity, reliability, and responsiveness and measurement properties were strengthened using multisensory measurement.An observational, longitudinal study that included 111 ambulant and non-ambulant adults with progressive muscle disease showed that:Activity monitoring had satisfactory validity, reliability and responsiveness using Fitbit, but there was considerable measurement error between Fitbit and the research grade GENEActiv accelerometer. Fitbit thresholds and multiple metrics (including accelerometer and heart rate data extrapolations of FITT) were appropriate for physical activity assessment in ambulant and non-ambulant adults with progressive muscle disease.Activity self-report had unsatisfactory concurrent validity, test-retest reliability, and responsiveness with substantial activity overestimation using the modified International Physical Activity Questionnaire. However, self-report properties were improved when used concurrently with Fitbit.Observed physical activity in adults with progressive muscle disease was generally low with excessive daily sedentary time. Activity frequencies, intensities and durations were lower, and activity types were more domestic, for wheelchair users and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Lower physical activity was significantly associated with greater functional impairment, less cardiorespiratory fitness, worse metabolic health, and lower quality of life. Activity optimisation thresholds and minimal clinically important differences were established.Discussion: The implications of this thesis include guidance for selection of appropriate physical activity measures by clinicians and researchers working with adults with progressive muscle disease. Fitbit is suitable in clinical practice and research for interactive, weekly remote activity monitoring or to support activity self-management and may represent an appropriate compromise between potential underestimation by accelerometry alone, and overestimation by self-report alone. A draft conceptual framework for physical activity measurement was also proposed. It includes frequency, intensity, time, and type of physical activity, and incorporates wider aspects of the physical activity construct, including somatic factors (relating to progressive muscle disease and underlying fitness) and contextual factors (relating to personal, social, and environmental situations). Future research will build on the knowledge gained in this thesis, furthering understanding of the inter-relationships between physical activity, health and wider contexts. Implementation will include testing a remote physical activity optimisation intervention that is inclusive of ambulant and non-ambulant participants, featuring Fitbit self-monitoring with a focus on optimisation of daily activity frequency and regularly interrupting sedentary time.</div
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