Horse owners' biosecurity practices following the first equine influenza outbreak in Australia

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 759 Australian horse owners to determine their biosecurity practices and perceptions one year after the 2007 equine influenza outbreak and to investigate the factors influencing these perceptions and practices. A web link to an online questionnaire was sent to 1224 horse owners as a follow-up to a previous study to obtain information about biosecurity perceptions and practices, impacts of the 2007 EI outbreak, demographic information and information about horse industry involvement. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with poor biosecurity practices. Biosecurity compliance (low, medium, high), as determined by horse owners’ responses to a 16-item question on the frequency of various biosecurity measures, was used as the outcome variable in ordinal logistic regression analyses. Variables with a univariable p-value ≤0.2 were eligible for inclusion in multivariable models built using a manual stepwise approach. Variables with a p-value <0.05 in multivariable models were retained in the final model. Two potential confounders - age and gender of participants- were included in the final model irrespective of their p-values. Thirty percent of the respondents had low biosecurity compliance and were performing biosecurity practices ‘not very often’ or ‘never’. Younger people, people with two or more children, those who were not involved with horses commercially and those who had no long-term business impacts resulting from the 2007 EI outbreak were more likely to have lower biosecurity compliance. People who were not fearful of a future outbreak of equine influenza in Australia and those who thought their current hygiene and access control practices were not very effective in protecting their horses also had poor biosecurity practices. In this observational study we identified factors associated with a group of horse owners with low levels of biosecurity compliance. As this cross-sectional study only assesses associations, the identified factors should be further investigated in order to be considered in the design of extension activities to increase horse owners’ biosecurity compliance. Keywords: Biosecurity; Equine; Owner perceptions; Ordinal logistic regression

Survey of Australian equine veterinarians evaluating their biosecurity training and perceptions and opinions about the management of the 2007 equine influenza outbreak

Objectives To evaluate the level of biosecurity training among Australian equine veterinarians, to assess their biosecurity and infectious disease perceptions and their opinions about the 2007 equine influenza outbreak management. Design Cross sectional study. Procedure A survey was conducted among equine veterinarians attending the 2010 annual conference of the Equine Veterinarian Association (EVA) in Australia. Data were collected using a selfcompleted questionnaire and analysed using Fisher’s exact tests to assess veterinarians’ level of biosecurity training, infectious disease perceptions and views regarding the 2007 equine influenza outbreak management. Results A total of 46 out of the 196 attending veterinarians (23.5%) completed the questionnaire. Significantly greater proportions of recently graduated veterinarians received theoretical and practical biosecurity training at veterinary schools than their counterparts The majority considered their likelihood of spreading infectious diseases from one client’s horse to another to be low (84%). More than half (58%) of the veterinarians considered that hand-washing/ wearing gloves was very effective in preventing disease spread. However, around a quarter (27%) reported a degree of reservation about the practicality of performing general biosecurity practices in everyday working life. Overall veterinarians were satisfied with the equine influenza outbreak response but had mixed opinions about the control measures used and communications. Conclusion Levels of biosecurity training and the frequency of biosecurity advice provided by veterinarians have increased over time, although practicality of biosecurity practices is a concern for some of the veterinarians. Further investigations of the barriers for the use of various biosecurity practices are required in order to inform training programs. Keywords: equine, veterinarians, biosecurity, perceptions, equine influenza, training.financial support of the Rural Industries, Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC

How to incorporate patient and public perspectives into the design and conduct of research

International government guidance recommends patient and public involvement (PPI) to improve the relevance and quality of research. PPI is defined as research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ patients and members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them (http://www.invo.org.uk/). Patient involvement is different from collecting data from patients as participants. Ethical considerations also differ. PPI is about patients actively contributing through discussion to decisions about research design, acceptability, relevance, conduct and governance from study conception to dissemination. Occasionally patients lead or do research. The research methods of PPI range from informal discussions to partnership research approaches such as action research, co-production and co-learning. This article discusses how researchers can involve patients when they are applying for research funding and considers some opportunities and pitfalls. It reviews research funder requirements, draws on the literature and our collective experiences as clinicians, patients, academics and members of UK funding panels

Curriculum implementation exploratory studies: Final report

Throughout the history of schooling in New Zealand the national curriculum has been revised at fairly regular intervals. Consequently, schools are periodically faced with having to accommodate to new curriculum. In between major changes other specifically-focused changes may arise; for example, the increased recent emphasis upon numeracy and literacy

The Vehicle, Spring 1992

Contents POEMS Makin\u27 Mudpies Nancy James page 6 Obscurity Kim Frost page 7 The Plea for a Pink One Victoria Bennett page 8 Mom\u27s Loving Push Amy Boone page 10 Through a Frog Laura Durnell page 12 Cold Snap A.L. Gallion page 12 Dimensity Anthony Smith page 13 Cold War Anthony Smith page 14 Get A Spoon Sheila Taylor page 15 Explore K. Thorsson page 16 FICTION The Proofreader Jenny L. Shields page 18 Ba, Ba, Black Sheep Victoria Bennett page 22 Eat My Words Sheila Taylor page 27 BIOGRAPHIES page 30 all photography by Dan Kooncehttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1059/thumbnail.jp

Providing Oral Health Education to Underserved Children and Families within an Interdisciplinary Team

This paper outlines the background literature, needs assessment process, and project activities of a master’s project focused on oral health outcomes through use of an interprofessional team. The project activities were based on recommendations from current literatures, including interprofessional education and teaming, as well as family-centered education to promote positive oral health outcomes for young children and their families. Recommendations for future collaborations and the occupational therapy role within interprofessional oral health care teams are shared

Disability does not negatively impact linguistic visual-spatial processing for hearing adult learners of a signed language

The majority of adult learners of a signed language are hearing and have little to no experience with a signed language. Thus, they must simultaneously learn a specific language and how to communicate within the visual-gestural modality. Past studies have examined modality-unique drivers of acquisition within first and second signed language learners. In the former group, atypically developing signers have provided a unique axis—namely, disability—for analyzing the intersection of language, modality, and cognition. Here, we extend the question of how cognitive disabilities affect signed language acquisition to a novel audience: hearing, second language (L2) learners of a signed language. We ask whether disability status influences the processing of spatial scenes (perspective taking) and short sentences (phonological contrasts), two aspects of the learning of a signed language. For the methodology, we conducted a secondary, exploratory analysis of a data set including college-level American Sign Language (ASL) students. Participants completed an ASL phonological- discrimination task as well as non-linguistic and linguistic (ASL) versions of a perspective-taking task. Accuracy and response time measures for the tests were compared between a disability group with self-reported diagnoses (e.g., ADHD, learning disability) and a neurotypical group with no self-reported diagnoses. The results revealed that the disability group collectively had lower accuracy compared to the neurotypical group only on the non-linguistic perspective-taking task. Moreover, the group of students who specifically identified as having a learning disability performed worse than students who self-reported using other categories of disabilities affecting cognition. We interpret these findings as demonstrating, crucially, that the signed modality itself does not generally disadvantage disabled and/or neurodiverse learners, even those who may exhibit challenges in visuospatial processing. We recommend that signed language instructors specifically support and monitor students labeled with learning disabilities to ensure development of visual-spatial skills and processing in signed language

Multiomic features associated with mucosal healing and inflammation in paediatric Crohn's disease

Background The gastrointestinal microbiota has an important role in mucosal immune homoeostasis and may contribute to maintaining mucosal healing in Crohn's disease (CD). Aim To identify changes in the microbiota, metabolome and protease activity associated with mucosal healing in established paediatric CD. Methods Twenty‐five participants aged 3‐18 years with CD, disease duration of over 6 months, and maintenance treatment with biological therapy were recruited. They were divided into a low calprotectin group (faecal calprotectin 100 μg/g, “mucosal inflammation,” n = 11). 16S gene‐based metataxonomics, 1H‐NMR spectroscopy‐based metabolic profiling and protease activity assays were performed on stool samples. Results Relative abundance of Dialister species was six times greater in the low calprotectin group (q = 0.00999). Alpha and beta diversity, total protease activity and inferred metagenomic profiles did not differ between groups. Pentanoate (valerate) and lysine were principal discriminators in a machine‐learning model which differentiated high and low calprotectin samples using NMR spectra (R2 0.87, Q2 0.41). Mean relative concentration of pentanoate was 1.35‐times greater in the low calprotectin group (95% CI 1.03‐1.68, P = 0.036) and was positively correlated with Dialister. Mean relative concentration of lysine was 1.54‐times greater in the high calprotectin group (95% CI 1.05‐2.03, P = 0.028). Conclusions This multiomic study identified an increase in Dialister species and pentanoate, and a decrease in lysine, in patients with “mucosal healing.” It supports further investigation of these as potential novel therapeutic targets in CD

High prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte infections in school-age children using molecular detection: patterns and predictors of risk from a cross-sectional study in southern Malawi

Abstract Background In endemic areas, many people experience asymptomatic Plasmodium infections, particularly older children and adults, but their transmission contribution is unknown. Though not the exclusive determinant of infectiousness, transmission from humans to mosquitoes requires blood meals containing gametocytes. Gametocytes often occur at submicroscopic densities, challenging measurement in human populations. More sensitive molecular techniques allow better characterization of gametocyte epidemiologic patterns. Methods Approximately 30 households were selected from each of eight sites in southern Malawi during two cross-sectional surveys. Blood was sampled from 623 people during the dry season and 896 the following rainy season. Among people PCR-positive for Plasmodium falciparum, mature gametocytes were detected by qRT-PCR. Regression models evaluated predictors of gametocyte carriage and density in the total population and among those with PCR-positive infections. Results The prevalence of gametocyte carriage by molecular testing was 3.5% during the dry season and 8.6% during the rainy season, and by microscopy 0.8 and 3.3%, respectively. Nearly half of PCR-positive infections carried gametocytes, regardless of recent symptom status. Among P. falciparum-infected people, only living in unfinished houses and age were significantly associated with gametocyte presence. Infected people in unfinished houses had higher odds of carrying gametocytes (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.16–4.31), and 31% (95% CI 3–65%) higher gametocyte density than those in finished houses. School-age children (5–15 years), had higher odds than adults (≥16 years) of having gametocytes when infected (OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.47–5.19), but 31% (95% CI 11–47%) lower gametocyte density. Children <5 years did not have significantly higher odds of gametocyte carriage or density when infected than adults. Conclusions School-age children frequently carry gametocytes in communities of southern Malawi and represent an under-recognized reservoir of infection. Malaria elimination strategies should address these frequently asymptomatic reservoirs, especially in highly endemic areas. Improved household construction may also reduce the infectious reservoir.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134670/1/12936_2016_Article_1587.pd

The complete costs of genome sequencing: a microcosting study in cancer and rare diseases from a single center in the United Kingdom

Abstract: Purpose: The translation of genome sequencing into routine health care has been slow, partly because of concerns about affordability. The aspirational cost of sequencing a genome is $1000, but there is little evidence to support this estimate. We estimate the cost of using genome sequencing in routine clinical care in patients with cancer or rare diseases. Methods: We performed a microcosting study of Illumina-based genome sequencing in a UK National Health Service laboratory processing 399 samples/year. Cost data were collected for all steps in the sequencing pathway, including bioinformatics analysis and reporting of results. Sensitivity analysis identified key cost drivers. Results: Genome sequencing costs £6841 per cancer case (comprising matched tumor and germline samples) and £7050 per rare disease case (three samples). The consumables used during sequencing are the most expensive component of testing (68–72$1000/genome in a single laboratory. This aspirational sequencing cost will likely only be achieved if consumable costs are considerably reduced and sequencing is performed at scale