Eye on the ID

The Gilbert family has ranched in northwestern South Dakota for over one hundred years. We run a commercial Angus cow herd of approximately 900 mother cows. Our emphasis is on replacement heifers and feeder steers. The hot iron brand has been and is the method of identification used on Gilbert Angus cattle within the brand inspection area of Western South Dakota. The first brand was registered in the late 1800’s according to the brand papers held by Frank Gilbert. The Cross J Bar brand was the identification used to distinguish Gilbert cattle then and is still used today. As the fifth generation enters the business, we have added other individual brands but use the original for the corporation cattle. In addition to hot iron brands, we ear tag every cow with individual numbers and ear tag their offspring with corresponding numbers on day of birth. This information is stored in a CowSense™ database. The replacement females retained within the herd receive an ear tag indicating year and genetic ID

Antibacterial Effect of Curcuma zedoaria Extract on Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus epidermidis

Background: White turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria), a plant used traditionally for medicine, is easily obtained at a relatively cheap price in Indonesia. White tumeric contains alkaloids, phenols, saponins, glycosides, steroids, terpenoids, and other compounds; and these compounds have shown antimicrobials, antifungal, anticancer, antiallergic, antioxidant, and analgesic effects. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial effect of white turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria) rhizome extract on the growth of Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria.Methods: This was an experimental study with a Post-test Only Control Group Design. It was carried out using the disc diffusion method with six treatments, consisting of negative control (aquadest), positive control (ciprofloxacin), and the extract of white turmeric rhizome with various concentrations. Kruskal Wallis test and one way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The results showed a statistically significant value smaller than α (0.021 20mm.Conclusions: Curcuma zedoaria has an antibacterial effect against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Further study is needed, exploring the effectivity of white turmeric in the animal models

The Social Construction of Self-Sovereign Identity: An Extended Model of Interpretive Flexibility

User-centric identity management systems are gaining momentum as concerns about Big Tech and Big Government rise. Many of these systems are framed as offering Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). Yet, competing appropriation and the social embedding of SSI have resulted in diverging interpretations. These vague and value-laden interpretations can damage the public discourse and risk misrepresenting values and affordances that technology offers to users. To unpack the various social and technical understandings of SSI, we adopt an ‘interpretive flexibility’ lens. Based on a qualitative inductive interview study, we find that SSI’s interpretation is strongly mediated by surrounding institutional properties. Our study helps to better navigate these different perceptions and highlights the need for a multidimensional framework that can improve the understanding of complex socio-technical systems for digital government practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers

Antibiotic resistance : from pig to meat

Pork meat is in high demand worldwide and this is expected to increase. Pork is often raised in intensive conditions, which is conducive to the spread of infectious diseases. Vaccines, antibiotics, and other biosafety measures help mitigate the impact of infectious diseases. However, bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics are more and more frequently found in pig farms, animals, and the environment. It is now recognized that a holistic perspective is needed to sustainably fight antibiotic resistance, and that an integrated One Health approach is essential. With this in mind, this review tackles antibiotic resistance throughout the pork raising process, including their microbiome; many factors of their environment (agricultural workers, farms, rivers, etc.); and an overview of the impact of antibiotic resistance on pork meat, which is the end product available to consumers. Antibiotic resistance, while a natural process, is a public health concern. If we react, and act, collectively, it is expected to be, at least partially, reversible with judicious antibiotic usage and the development of innovative strategies and tools to foster animal health

Stabilization of swine fecal samples influences taxonomic and functional results in microbiome analyses

Studies on the microbiome of different species are on the rise, due to a growing interest in animal health and the safety of food products of animal origin. A challenge with studying animals’ microbiomes is to find methods that obtain a good representation of the microbial community of interest. Good unbiased sampling protocols are the basis for a solid experimental design, but may need to be done in environments where sample preservation could be difficult. In this study, we evaluate by shotgun sequencing the impact of stabilizing swine faeces samples using a commercial stabilizer (PERFORMAbiome • GUT | PB-200, DNA Genotek). Using stabilizer makes it possible to obtain DNA that is significantly less degraded than when the samples are not stabilized. Also, the results on the taxonomy and on the bacterial functions encoded in the microbiome are impacted by whether or not the samples are stabilized. Finally, the stabilization of samples that had already been frozen and stored at -80 °C led to extraction and DNA quality results similar to those obtained from samples that were stabilized before freezing

Forecasting bathing water quality in the UK: a critical review

Climate change is altering rainfall patterns resulting in increasing variability and intensity of rainfall events worldwide. Increases to short duration, intense rainfall (i.e., convective rainfall), will lead to increases in sewage overflow and run-off from agricultural land. Such events generate spikes in micro-organisms from feces and manure, especially Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci, that temporarily end up in bathing waters posing serious health risks to bathers. Forecasting of bathing water quality associated with convective rainfall presents a distinctive forecasting challenge due to high uncertainties associated with predicting the timing, location, and impact of such events. In this article, we review examples of bathing water quality forecasting practices, with a focus on the United Kingdom where convective rainfall in the summer bathing water season is a particular concern, and question whether the current approach is robust in a changing climate. We discuss potential upgrades in bathing water forecasting and identify the main challenges that must be addressed before an improved framework for bathing water forecasting can be achieved. Although developments in meteorological and hydrological short-range forecasting capabilities are promising, convective rainfall forecasting has significant predictability limits. We suggest taking full advantage of short-range forecasts to provide sub-daily bathing water forecasts, focusing on targeted bathing water monitoring regimes to improve model accuracy with the ultimate goal of providing improved information and guidance for beach users

Physical Activity Minimum Threshold Predicting Improved Function in Adults With Lower‐Extremity Symptoms

Objective To identify an evidence‐based minimum physical activity threshold to predict improved or sustained high function for adults with lower‐extremity joint symptoms. Methods Prospective multisite data from 1,629 adults, age ≥49 years with symptomatic lower‐extremity joint pain/aching/stiffness, participating in the Osteoarthritis Initiative accelerometer monitoring substudy were clinically assessed 2 years apart. Improved/high function in 2‐year gait speed and patient‐reported outcomes (PROs) were based on improving or remaining in the best (i.e., maintaining high) function quintile compared to baseline status. Optimal thresholds predicting improved/high function were investigated using classification trees for the legacy federal guideline metric requiring 150 minutes/week of moderate‐vigorous (MV) activity in bouts lasting 10 minutes or more (MV‐bout) and other metrics (total MV, sedentary, light intensity activity, nonsedentary minutes/week). Results Optimal thresholds based on total MV minutes/week predicted improved/high function outcomes more strongly than the legacy or other investigated metrics. Meeting the 45 total MV minutes/week threshold had increased relative risk (RR) for improved/high function (gait speed RR 1.8, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.6, 2.1 and PRO physical function RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3, 1.6) compared to less active adults. Thresholds were consistent across sex, body mass index, knee osteoarthritis status, and age. Conclusion These results supported a physical activity minimum threshold of 45 total MV minutes/week to promote improved or sustained high function for adults with lower‐extremity joint symptoms. This evidence‐based threshold is less rigorous than federal guidelines (≥150 MV‐bout minutes/week) and provides an intermediate goal towards the federal guideline for adults with lower‐extremity symptoms

Comparative Genomics of Campylobacter fetus from Reptiles and Mammals Reveals Divergent Evolution in Host-Associated Lineages

Acknowledgments The authors like to thank Brian Brooks and John Devenish (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) for providing strains and valuable suggestions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD