The Costs of Biosecurity at the Farm Level: the Case of Finnish Broiler

In the European Union, the animal health and food safety strategy includes managing biosecurity along the entire production chain. Farm-level biosecurity provides the foundation for this. However, the farm-level costs of preventive biosecurity have rarely been assessed. Yet many risk management practices are in place constantly regardless of whether there is a disease outbreak or not. We contribute towards filling this information gap by studying the costs incurred in preventive biosecurity by the Finnish poultry farms. In a preliminary analysis, we find that the cost of biosecurity is some 3.55 cents per bird for broiler producers and 75.7 cents per bird for hatching egg producers. The results indicate that work-time devoted to biosecurity represents some 8% of total work time on broiler farms and about 5% on breeder farms.Biosecurity, on-farm costs, poultry, Livestock Production/Industries,

A Glance to the Fragmenta Membranea Manuscript Collection Through Ftir and Radiocarbon Analyses

The Fragmenta membranea manuscript fragment collection at the National Library of Finland has proved challenging to date using only traditional paleography. Therefore, radiocarbon dates can contribute to the understanding of these fragments by offering a parallel natural scientific timeline for the parchment the manuscripts are written on. In this study, we apply our previously developed method for radiocarbon dating medieval manuscripts made of parchment. In total 35 datings were made from 14 separate assemblages of manuscripts, being the first systematic wide-scale application of radiocarbon dating to a collection of medieval manuscripts in order to improve their chronological proxy. Additionally, due to the fragmentary and sometimes poor condition of the manuscript fragments of Fragmenta membranea analyzed in this study, we used Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to evaluate the quality of the collagen and the presence of contaminants in the fragments affecting the radiocarbon dates. We report out radiocarbon dating results and FTIR screenings for each sample and for each manuscript assemblage, and discuss the applicability of our method in further studies of applying radiocarbon dating on objects of cultural historical interest and value. The results indicate an essential role of high-quality samples and multiple measurements to interpret the radiocarbon dating results.Peer reviewe

Editor's Choice - Delays to Surgery and Procedural Risks Following Carotid Endarterectomy in the UK National Vascular Registry.

OBJECTIVE: Guidelines recommend that patients suffering an ischaemic transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke caused by carotid artery stenosis should undergo carotid endarterectomy (CEA) within 14 days. METHOD: The degree to which UK vascular units met this standard was examined and whether rapid interventions were associated with procedural risks. The study analysed patients undergoing CEA between January 2009 and December 2014 from 100 UK NHS hospitals. Data were collected on patient characteristics, intervals of time from symptoms to surgery, and 30-day postoperative outcomes. The relationship between outcomes and time from symptom to surgery was evaluated using multilevel multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: In 23,235 patients, the median time from TIA/stroke to CEA decreased over time, from 22 days (IQR 10-56) in 2009 to 12 days (IQR 7-26) in 2014. The proportion of patients treated within 14 days increased from 37% to 58%. This improvement was produced by shorter times across the care pathway: symptoms to referral, from medical review to being seen by a vascular surgeon, and then to surgery. The spread of the median time from symptom to surgery among NHS hospitals shrank between 2009 and 2013 but then grew slightly. Low-, medium-, and high-volume NHS hospitals all improved their performance similarly. Performing CEA within 48 h of symptom onset was associated with a small increase in the 30-day stroke and death rate: 3.1% (0-2 days) compared with 2.0% (3-7 days); adjusted odds ratio 1.64 (95% CI 1.04-2.59) but not with longer delays. CONCLUSIONS: The delay from symptom to CEA in symptomatic patients with ipsilateral 50-99% carotid stenoses has reduced substantially, although 42% of patients underwent CEA after the recommended 14 days. The risk of stroke after CEA was low, but there may be a small increase in risk during the first 48 h after symptoms

The multiple ionospheric probe Auroral ionospheric report

Multiple impedance and resonance probe payload for ionospheric property observation in Nike- Apache rocke

Resection margins and local recurrences of impalpable breast cancer : Comparison between radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) and radioactive seed localization (RSL)

Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study is to compare surgical margins, reoperation rates and local recurrences after breast conserving surgery (BCS) using radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) or radioactive seed localization (RSL). Materials and methods: We reviewed 744 consecutive patients with impalpable primary invasive breast cancer who underwent BCS at Helsinki University Hospital between 2010 and 2012. ROLL was used in our unit until October 31st, 2011; from November 1st we changed localization method to RSL. Results: 318 patients underwent ROLL and 426 RSL. Patients in the RSL group had more often multifocal (p = 0.013) tumours. No statistically significant differences were found regarding tumour size, specimen weight, histology or grade of tumours or lymph node status. 42 (5.6%) patients were reoperated because of insufficient margins, 13 (4.1%) in the ROLL group and 29 (6.8%) in the RSL group. The reoperation rate was not different between the groups either in the univariable analysis (p = 0.112) or in the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis (p = 0.204). Risk factors for reoperations were multifocality of the tumour (p Conclusion: Reoperation rates and LRFS were comparable for ROLL and RSL in patients with impalpable breast cancer treated with BCS. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Temperature dependence of the Brewer global UV measurements

Spectral measurements of global UV irradiance recorded by Brewer spectrophotometers can be significantly affected by instrument-specific optical and mechanical features. Thus, proper corrections are needed in order to reduce the associated uncertainties to within acceptable levels. The present study aims to contribute to the reduction of uncertainties originating from changes in the Brewer internal temperature, which affect the performance of the optical and electronic parts, and subsequently the response of the instrument. Until now, measurements of the irradiance from various types of lamps at different temperatures have been used to characterize the instruments' temperature dependence. The use of 50 W lamps was found to induce errors in the characterization due to changes in the transmissivity of the Teflon diffuser as it warms up by the heat of the lamp. In contrast, the use of 200 or 1000 W lamps is considered more appropriate because they are positioned at longer distances from the diffuser so that warming is negligible. Temperature gradients inside the instrument can cause mechanical stresses which can affect the instrument's optical characteristics. Therefore, during the temperature-dependence characterization procedure warming or cooling must be slow enough to minimize these effects. In this study, results of the temperature characterization of eight different Brewer spectrophotometers operating in Greece, Finland, Germany and Spain are presented. It was found that the instruments' response changes differently in different temperature regions due to different responses of the diffusers' transmittance. The temperature correction factors derived for the Brewer spectrophotometers operating at Thessaloniki, Greece, and Sodankylä, Finland, were evaluated and were found to remove the temperature dependence of the instruments' sensitivity.This article is based upon work from COST Action ES1207 “A European Brewer Network (EUBREWNET)”, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) and from the ENV59-ATMOZ (“Traceability for atmospheric total column ozone”) Joint Research Programme (JRP)

Long-term survival after endovascular and open repair of unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine patterns of 10-year survival after elective repair of unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in different patient groups. METHODS: Patients having open repair or endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) in the English National Health Service between January 2006 and December 2015 were identified from Hospital Episode Statistics data. Postoperative survival among patients of different age and Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) modified Charlson co-morbidity score profiles were analysed using flexible parametric survival models. The relationship between patient characteristics and risk of rupture after repair was also analysed. RESULTS: Some 37 138 patients underwent elective AAA repair, of which 15 523 were open and 21 615 were endovascular. The 10-year mortality rate was 38·1 per cent for patients aged under 70 years, and the survival trajectories for open repair and EVAR were similar when patients had no RCS-modified Charlson co-morbidity. Among older patients or those with co-morbidity, the 10-year mortality rate rose, exceeding 70 per cent for patients aged 80 years. Mean survival times over 10 years for open repair and EVAR were often similar in subgroups of older and more co-morbid patients, but their survival trajectories became increasingly dissimilar, with open repair showing greater short-term risk within 6 months but lower 10-year mortality rates. The risk of rupture over 9 years was 3·4 per cent for EVAR and 0·9 per cent for open repair, and was weakly associated with patient factors. CONCLUSION: Long-term survival patterns after elective open repair and EVAR for unruptured AAA vary markedly across patients with different age and co-morbidity profiles