Treatment in Miniature

This article explores innovations in the design and construction of small scale sewage treatment facilities in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, made possible by the development of membrane bioreactor technology

A shotgun metagenomic investigation of the microbiota of udder cleft dermatitis in comparison to healthy skin in dairy cows

Udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) is a skin condition affecting the fore udder attachment of dairy cows. UCD may be defined as mild (eczematous skin changes) or severe (open wounds, large skin changes). Our aims were to compare the microbiota of mild and severe UCD lesions with the microbiota of healthy skin from the fore udder attachment of control cows, and to investigate whether mastitis-causing pathogens are present in UCD lesions. Samples were obtained from cows in six dairy herds. In total, 36 UCD samples categorized as mild (n = 17) or severe (n = 19) and 13 control samples were sequenced using a shotgun metagenomic approach and the reads were taxonomically classified based on their k-mer content. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the abundance of different taxa between different sample types, as well as to compare the bacterial diversity between samples. A high proportion of bacteria was seen in all samples. Control samples had a higher proportion of archaeal reads, whereas most samples had low proportions of fungi, protozoa and viruses. The bacterial microbiota differed between controls and mild and severe UCD samples in both composition and diversity. Subgroups of UCD samples were visible, characterized by increased proportion of one or a few bacterial genera or species, e.g. Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, Brevibacterium luteolum, Trueperella pyogenes and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Bifidobacterium spp. were more common in controls compared to UCD samples. The bacterial diversity was higher in controls compared to UCD samples. Bacteria commonly associated with mastitis were uncommon. In conclusion, a dysbiosis of the microbiota of mild and severe UCD samples was seen, characterized by decreased diversity and an increased proportion of certain bacteria. There was no evidence of a specific pathogen causing UCD or that UCD lesions are important reservoirs for mastitis-causing bacteria

Fiberströ till mjölkkor – effekt på djurvälfärd, djurhälsa, mjölkkvalitet och kostnaden för strömedel

Genom att separera gödseln får man gödselfiber (fiberströ) som kan användas som strömedel till mjölkkorna. I denna studie jämförde vi 17 gårdar som använde fiberströ med 17 gårdar som använde såg-/kutterspån som strömedel i liggbås till mjölkkor. Fiberströ jämfört med såg-/kutterspån påverkade inte mjölkmängd, celltal i tankmjölk, djurvälfärd eller djurhälsa förutom att klövhälsan var bättre eftersom totala anmärkningar, klöveksem och klövsulesår var lägre. Totalantalet bakterier var högre i oanvänt fiberströ och i fiberströ från liggbåsen än för såg-/kutterspån men i tankmjölken var det ingen skillnad. Kostnaden för fiberströ varierade för gårdarna beroende på hur mycket fiberströ som producerades

Kin recognition signals in adult faces

Maloney and Dal Martello reported that similarity ratings of pairs of related and unrelated children were almost perfect predictors of the probability that those children were judged as being siblings by a second group of observers. Surprisingly, similarity ratings were poor predictors of whether a pair was same-sex or opposite- sex, suggesting that people ignore cues that are uninformative about kinship when making similarity judgments of faces. Using adult sibling faces, we find that similarity ratings for same-sex pairs were significantly higher than for opposite-sex pairs, suggesting that similarity judgments of adult faces are not entirely synonymous with kinship judgments

Follow-up of patients with curatively resected colorectal cancer: a practice guideline

BACKGROUND: A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the literature regarding the impact of follow-up on colorectal cancer patient survival and, in a second phase, recommendations were developed. METHODS: The MEDLINE, CANCERLIT, and Cochrane Library databases, and abstracts published in the 1997 to 2002 proceedings of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology were systematically searched for evidence. Study selection was limited to randomized trials and meta-analyses that examined different programs of follow-up after curative resection of colorectal cancer where five-year overall survival was reported. External review by Ontario practitioners was obtained through a mailed survey. Final approval of the practice guideline report was obtained from the Practice Guidelines Coordinating Committee. RESULTS: Six randomized trials and two published meta-analyses of follow-up were obtained. Of six randomized trials comparing one follow-up program to a more intense program, only two individual trials detected a statistically significant survival benefit favouring the more intense follow-up program. Pooling of all six randomized trials demonstrated a significant improvement in survival favouring more intense follow-up (Relative Risk Ratio 0.80 (95%CI, 0.70 to 0.91; p = 0.0008). Although the rate of recurrence was similar in both of the follow-up groups compared, asymptomatic recurrences and re-operations for cure of recurrences were more common in patients with more intensive follow-up. Trials including CEA monitoring and liver imaging also had significant results, whereas trials not including these tests did not. CONCLUSION: Follow-up programs for patients with curatively resected colorectal cancer do improve survival. These follow-up programs include frequent visits and performance of blood CEA, chest x-rays, liver imaging and colonoscopy, however, it is not clear which tests or frequency of visits is optimal. There is a suggestion that improved survival is due to diagnosis of recurrence at an earlier, asymptomatic stage which allows for more curative resection of recurrence. Based on this evidence and consideration of the biology of colorectal cancer and present practices, a guideline was developed. Patients should be made aware of the risk of disease recurrence or second bowel cancer, the potential benefits of follow-up and the uncertainties requiring further clinical trials. For patients at high-risk of recurrence (stages IIb and III) clinical assessment is recommended when symptoms occur or at least every 6 months the first 3 years and yearly for at least 5 years. At the time of those visits, patients may have blood CEA, chest x-ray and liver imaging. For patients at lower risk of recurrence (stages I and Ia) or those with co-morbidities impairing future surgery, only visits yearly or when symptoms occur. All patients should have a colonoscopy before or within 6 months of initial surgery, and repeated yearly if villous or tubular adenomas >1 cm are found; otherwise repeat every 3 to 5 years. All patients having recurrences should be assessed by a multidisciplinary team in a cancer centre

Udder cleft dermatitis in dairy cows

Udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) is a skin condition that affects dairy cows at the fore udder attachment or between the udder halves. The lesions range from mild (eczematous skin changes) to severe (open wounds and large crusts) and may impair the welfare of the affected animals. This thesis aimed to increase the understanding of the epidemiology and etiology of UCD in Swedish dairy cows. In the first part of the project, we assessed the prevalence of mild and severe UCD and found that the condition is common in Swedish dairy cows, and we also found several cow- and herd-related risk factors associated with having UCD. Some risk factors were common to both mild and severe UCD, whereas some only affected one type of UCD. In the second part of the project, we investigated the incidence, duration and recovery of UCD in seven herds, and analysed cow-related factors associated with transitions from being unaffected to having UCD, as well as factors associated with recovery. The incidence was high in the investigated herds, and risk factors for a transition to UCD were similar to those associated with having UCD. The duration of UCD was often long, particularly if the cow had severe UCD. Cows with severe UCD and cases with long duration had low chance of spontaneous recovery from UCD, and older cows also had a lower chance of recovery than younger cows. We also performed a study in four herds, testing a spray with copper and zinc as a topical treatment of UCD, but found no positive effect on UCD recovery in the treated cows compared to the control group. In addition, using shotgun metagenomic sequencing of swab samples, we investigated the microbiota in UCD lesions in comparison to healthy skin, and found that UCD lesions had a decreased bacterial diversity compared to healthy skin but that no specific pathogen was associated with the development of UCD. Associations between UCD and mastitis were analysed, and a transition to severe UCD was associated with an increased risk for mastitis, but mastitis-causing pathogens were not a common finding in the UCD microbiota. In conclusion, this project has led to an increased understanding of the epidemiology and etiology of UCD in Swedish dairy cows that can be used in prevention of the disease

Down the Drain: A Story of Sewage

This creative nonfiction thesis tells a story of how water turns into waste. With Portland, Oregon as a base, the reader visits a wastewater treatment plant, several buried and lost streams, a high-tech sewage processor, stormwater education classes, a stormwater management conference, several green streets, sewage construction zones, and sewage-related parks. The thesis explores how Western sewage systems came to be, and how wastewater management might change in the future

Planned Behavior, Social Networks, and Perceived Risks: Understanding Farmers' Behavior toward Precision Dairy Technologies

Precision dairy tools (PDT) can provide timely information on individual cow's physiological and behavioral parameters, which can lead to more efficient management of the dairy farm. Although the economic rationale behind the adoption of PDT has been extensively discussed in the literature, the socio-psychological aspects related to the adoption of these technologies have received far less attention. Therefore, this paper proposes a socio-psychological model that builds upon the theory of planned behavior and develops hypotheses regarding cognitive constructs, their interaction with the farmers' perceived risks and social networks, and their overall influence on adoption. These hypotheses are tested using a generalized structural equation model for (a) the adoption of automatic milking systems (AMS) on the farms and (b) the PDT that are usually adopted with the AMS. Results show that adoption of these technologies is affected directly by intention, and the effects of subjective norms, perceived control, and attitudes on adoption are mediated through intention. A unit increase in perceived control score is associated with an increase in marginal probability of adoption of AMS and PDT by 0.05 and 0.19, respectively. Subjective norms are associated with an increase in marginal probability of adoption of AMS and PDT by 0.009 and 0.05, respectively. These results suggest that perceived control exerts a stronger influence on adoption of AMS and PDT, particularly compared with their subjective norms. Technology-related social networks are associated with an increase in marginal probability of adoption of AMS and PDT by 0.026 and 0.10, respectively. Perceived risks related to AMS and PDT negatively affect probability of adoption by 0.042 and 0.16, respectively, by having negative effects on attitudes, perceived self-confidence, and intentions. These results imply that integrating farmers within knowledge-sharing networks, minimizing perceived risks associated with these technologies, and enhancing farmers' confidence in their ability to use these technologies can significantly enhance uptake