Examining the Value of Expert Testimony regarding Warnings

This alternative format session is designed to examine the value of expert testimony related to warnings. Specific objectives of the session include informing HFES members of the views of some members of the legal community who question the value and appropriateness of expert testimony regarding warnings; identifying appropriate responses to such positions; discussing the basic role that experts play in assisting the litigation process; and describing and discussing the perceptions and experiences of HFES members regarding the value of their activities in forensic matters.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Air Exchange Rate in a Horse Trailer During Road Transport

Horses traveling by road commonly experience heat stress conditions and poor air quality, which may be caused by insufficient ventilation; however, there are few estimates of air exchange in a horse trailer during transport. Air exchange rate was measured at ten locations within a four-horse trailer (internal volume 18.5 m3) using tracer gas decay measurement to assess the adequacy of ventilation. Three vehicle speeds (13, 48, and 97 km h-1) and three window configurations (all windows and roof vents closed, all windows open, all windows open and roof vents open forward) were tested with and without animals present in the trailer. External air temperature ranged from 22.3°C to 28.3°C with an average of 25.3°C, and internal air temperature ranged from 29.9°C to 34.8°C with an average of 31.3°C with animals present. Air exchange rate increased with vehicle speed and open window and vent area. The average air exchange rate over all vehicle speeds and ventilation configurations was 0.52 min-1 with animals present and 0.76 min-1 without animals. Without animals present, the maximum mean exchange rate was 1.42 min-1 at 97 km h-1 at the rear left window with all windows and vents open; the lowest mean exchange rate was 0.12 min-1 at 13 km h-1 with all windows and vents closed at the lower position of the rearmost stall divider. With animals present, the maximum air exchange rate observed was 0.84 min-1 with all windows and vents open and traveling at 97 km h-1. Ventilation in the trailer was not adequate when compared to recommendations for stabled horses for any combination of vehicle speed or ventilation configuration. Increasing open vent area, either by increasing the number and size of roof vents or the size of windows in the sidewall, would be the most cost-effective means of increasing air exchange in a horse trailer

Coefficient of Friction and Subjective Assessment of Slippery Work Surfaces

Research was conducted to determine how well subjects could distinguish between surfaces with different coefficient of friction (COF) values and to evaluate how well subjective ratings of slipperiness correlated with the actual COF values. Thirty-three ironworkers experienced in working and walking on steel surfaces and 23 university students inexperienced with these tasks participated in the study. Subjective slipperiness ratings for a variety of climbing and walking conditions were obtained from the subjects. It was found that subjects could identify differences in the slipperiness of four types of steel coatings tested in the study. There was a high correlation between the subjective ratings and the measured COF values. Subjects did not slip at a COF of 0.41 but did lose footing at a COF of 0.20.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Project driver. Final report: Phase 1A.

National Highway Safety Bureau, Washington, D.C.Mode of access: Internet.Author corporate affiliation: Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, Oklahoma CityAuthor corporate affiliation: Oklahoma University, Norman, Research InstituteSubject code: QG*EOSubject code: RCGCBSubject code: RCGC*E

Blastomycosis in a postpartum dog

Transplacental infection with Blastomyces dermatitidis is rare in humans and unknown in the dog. A Doberman pinscher bitch was diagnosed with blastomycosis 25 days after whelping. Clinical signs were noted after whelping and were progressive. All 9 pups were free of clinical signs and had negative urine Blastomyces antigen tests at 6 weeks of age and remained free of signs of illness through 11 months of age. The bitch responded to treatment with itraconazole

S (2012) Effect of Varying Light Intensity on Blood Physiological Reactions of Broiler Chickens Grown to Heavy Weights. Int J Poult Sci 11

Abstract: This study investigated effects of varying levels of light intensities (25, 10, 5, 2.5 and 0.2 lx) from 22 to 56 d of age at 50% RH on blood acid-base balance, metabolites and electrolytes of heavy broilers reared under environmentally controlled conditions. Four identical trials were conducted with two replications per trial. In each trial, 600 1-d-old Ross 308 chicks were randomly distributed into 10 environmentally controlled chambers (30 males and 30 females chicks/chamber). Each chamber was randomly assigned one of five light intensities from d 22 to 56 d of age. Birds were provided a four phase-feeding program However, all these acid-base changes are still within the normal acid-base homeostasis physiological ranges. In addition, exposure of modern heavy broilers to varying light intensity produced no significant effect on pO2, sO2, Ca , mOsm, McHc, Angap, T3, T4 and CS. Acid-base regulation during light intensity exposure 2+ did not deteriorate despite a lower pCO2 which consequently increased blood pH that resulted in a compensatory mechanism for mild alkalosis. This study shows the positive impact on profits to commercial poultry facilities that are using low lighting environment to reduce hyperactivity, pecking damage and energy costs without the induction of physiological stress effects on broiler welfare

Modeling long-distance airborne transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza carried by dust particles

Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is continuously causing significant economic losses with massive poultry depopulations. Airborne transmission of HPAI was suspected, as initial bird mortalities were reported near air inlets of poultry houses. In addition, infected farms were distant, indicating that the viruses carried by dust particles might help the viruses travel for long distances in the environment. The objective of this study focused on simulating the airborne transmission of HPAI by using computational modeling to assess the risk of airborne and deposited avian influenza (AI) carried by poultry-litter dust particles. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) modeling was used in this study. Data from 168 infected cases in the Mid-Western area of U.S. were obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Watt Poultry. The concentration simulation modeling was performed to estimate the airborne and deposited AI concentration carried by PM2.5 dust particles. Results showed that concentrations of airborne AI, deposited AI, and combined AI transmitted to other farms in a day were lower than the minimal infective dose for poultry. In most of the scenarios, the predicted probability of infection showed that Iowa-infected farms and turkey poultry houses had the highest infection probability. The findings may provide an understanding of the risk of airborne HPAI virus carried by dust particles and suggest the factors that influence long-distance airborne transmission

A One Year Study of Newly Constructed Broiler Houses for the Prevalence of Campylobacter

Abstract: In 2009, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the development of new pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter both on-farm and in the processing plant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and distribution o f Campylobacter in 3 newly constructed broiler houses for the first 4 flocks placed. Litter and fecal samples were collected from each house at 0, 28 and 48 d of production. Samples were serially diluted and spread onto Campy Cefex agar plates. Two 40 mL water samples were collected each production day and filtered through a 0.45 µm membrane before being placed onto a Campy Cefex agar plate. All plates were purged with a microaerophilic gas and incubated for 36 h at 42°C. Individual plates were screened for characteristic Campylobacter colonies and suspect colonies were confirmed using a latex agglutination kit. An additional 50 g of litter was collected from the evaporative cooling inlets, middle and tunnel ventilation fans to determine litter moisture and pH. Inside and outside temperatures were also collected. Out of 2300 litter, 900 fecal and 45 water samples, only 5, 6 and 1 of the collected samples, respectively, were confirmed Campylobacter positive. The middle of the house contained a higher litter moisture level (37%) than the evaporative cooling inlet end (33%) and tunnel ventilation fan end (34%) (p<0.05). Litter pH was not different across days, locations or flocks. Temperature averaged 26.8 C inside and 27.6 C outside. In conclusion, the newly o o constructed houses did not show a high prevalence of Campylobacter. Litter moisture was at levels conducive for Campylobacter growth. The high litter pH and low temperatures, along with other on-farm management strategies and the fact the broiler houses were brand new, may have suppressed Campylobacter's ability to colonize the litter