Pathogenic Yersinia and Listeria monocytogenes in organic pork production

The goal of this study is to determine the prevalence of pathogenic Yersinia and Listeria monocytogenes in organic pork production and assess risks in different steps of the pork production chain

Impact of systemic diseases and tooth-based factors on outcome of root canal treatment.

Aim To investigate the impact of systemic health and tooth-based factors on the outcome of root canal treatment (RCT). Methodology The target population consisted of all patients receiving RCT at the Helsinki University Clinic in 2008-2011. The inclusion criteria were diagnosable pre- and postoperative (minimum 6 months after root filling) radiographs and adequate patient records of RCT available. Teeth extracted for nonendodontic reasons were excluded. Patient documents including digital radiographs of 640 permanent teeth in 504 patients were scrutinized. The radiographs were assessed by two examiners under standardized conditions. The Periapical Index was used to define radiographically 'healthy' and 'healing' cases as successful. Data included systemic health, technical quality of root fillings, type of restoration and level of alveolar bone loss. Statistical evaluation of differences between groups included chi-squared tests and Fisher's exact tests. Logistic regression modelling utilizing robust standard errors to allow for clustering within patients was applied to analyse factors related to the outcome of RCT. Results The mean age of patients was 51.5 years (standard deviation (SD) 15.0; range 10-83), and 49% were female. In 41 cases (6%), the patient had diabetes mellitus (DM), in 132 (21%) cardiovascular disease and in 284 (44%) no systemic disease. The follow-up period was 6-71 months (mean 22.7). In the primary analyses, the success rate of RCT was 73.2% in DM patients and 85.6% in patients with no systemic disease (P = 0.043); other systemic diseases had no impact on success. In the multifactorial analysis, the impact of DM became nonsignificant and RCTs were more likely to succeed in the absence of apical periodontitis (AP; odds ratio (OR) = 4.4; P <0.001), in teeth with optimal root filling quality (OR = 2.5; P <0.001), in teeth restored with indirect restorations (OR = 3.7; P = 0.002) and in teeth with none/mild alveolar bone loss (OR = 2.4; P = 0.003). Conclusions DM diminished the success of RCT, especially in teeth with apical periodontitis. However, tooth-based factors had a more profound impact on the outcome of RCT. This should be considered in clinical decision-making and in assessment of RCT prognosis.Peer reviewe

Radiographic outcome of root canal treatment in general dental practice: tooth type and quality of root filling as prognostic factors

Objective:This study evaluated the radiographic outcome of root canal treatments (RCTs) performed by general dental practitioners (GDPs) with focus on tooth type and quality of root filling. Materials and methods:The target population included all patients receiving root filling by GDPs in City of Helsinki in 2010-2011. Equal numbers of each tooth type (anteriors, premolars, molars) by jaw were included, resulting in 426 teeth. Pre- and post-operative periapical radiographs were assessed to evaluate periapical status and quality of root filling. Statistical evaluation utilized Chi-squared tests, Cohen's kappa and logistic regression modelling. Results:The overall success rate of RCT was 67.4%, being 76.8%, 69.7% and 55.6% (p <.001) for anteriors, premolars and molars, respectively. The quality of root fillings varied by tooth type (p <.001); optimal fillings were least frequent (43%) in molars. In multifactorial analysis, RCTs were more likely to succeed in non-molars (OR = 1.8), in teeth with optimal root fillings (OR = 3.6) and in teeth without apical periodontitis (OR = 3.2). Conclusion:The quality of root fillings and radiographic outcome of RCTs varied considerably according to tooth type; success was least likely in molars. Improvement is needed in quality of RCTs by GDPs.Peer reviewe

Segregation, precipitation, and \alpha-\alpha' phase separation in Fe-Cr alloys: a multi-scale modelling approach

Segregation, precipitation, and phase separation in Fe-Cr systems is investigated. Monte Carlo simulations using semiempirical interatomic potential, first-principles total energy calculations, and experimental spectroscopy are used. In order to obtain a general picture of the relation of the atomic interactions and properties of Fe-Cr alloys in bulk, surface, and interface regions several complementary methods has to be used. Using Exact Muffin-Tin Orbitals method the effective chemical potential as a function of Cr content (0-15 at.% Cr) is calculated for a surface, second atomic layer and bulk. At ~10 at.% Cr in the alloy the reversal of the driving force of a Cr atom to occupy either bulk or surface sites is obtained. The Cr containing surfaces are expected when the Cr content exceeds ~10 at.%. The second atomic layer forms about 0.3 eV barrier for the migration of Cr atoms between bulk and surface atomic layer. To get information on Fe-Cr in larger scales we use semiempirical methods. Using combined Monte Carlo molecular dynamics simulations, based on semiempirical potential, the precipitation of Cr into isolated pockets in bulk Fe-Cr and the upper limit of the solubility of Cr into Fe layers in Fe/Cr layer system is studied. The theoretical predictions are tested using spectroscopic measurements. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy investigations were carried out to explore Cr segregation and precipitation in Fe/Cr double layer and Fe_0.95Cr_0.05 and Fe_0.85Cr_0.15 alloys. Initial oxidation of Fe-Cr was investigated experimentally at 10^-8 Torr pressure of the spectrometers showing intense Cr_2O_3 signal. Cr segregation and the formation of Cr rich precipitates were traced by analysing the experimental spectral intensities with respect to annealing time, Cr content, and kinetic energy of the exited electron.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, 52 reference

Maritime Safety Education with VR Technology (MarSEVR)

This paper presents the development of a virtual training technology that can be used in maritime safety training. This system is under testing phase and has being developed with a multidisciplinary team consisting of maritime specialists, computer scientists, business developers and VR experts. The technology is a cost effective, portable maritime training system that can be used on board, in training centers or even at home environments. Boosting situation awareness in navigation with VR-training applications is an easy and efficient method to practice whenever an officer has time for training. This can be done in an effective and fun way, giving measurable training progress indexes. The paper emphasizes on the need of VR Training in the shipping industry, the industry challenges and the description of the proof-of the-concept through the MarSEVR (Maritime Safety Education with VR) technology. The main objective in this paper is to present a prototype of the technology which can be utilized to train trainees and professionals in immersive training scenarios

A comparative analysis of meat inspection data as an information source of the health and welfare of broiler chickens based on Finnish data

The comprehensive, reliable, and comparable meat inspection (MI) data of broiler chickens (i.e. broilers) are essential for the monitoring and surveillance of broiler health and welfare at the national and European Union (EU) levels. We compared the condemnation causes issued to broiler carcasses during MI in four large Finnish broiler slaughterhouses (SHs) by investigating the similarities and differences between local MI instructions used in the SHs. The way in which MI condemnations were recorded in the Finnish Food Authority's (FFA's) MI statistics were also explored. We additionally analysed the FFA's official MI data from the 2015-2019 period. The study showed that the MI criteria used in the SHs differed from one another regarding how severe or extensive a broiler defect or disease must be to cause condemnation during MI. In Finland, the annual total condemnation prevalence of whole broilers varied between 2.6% and 4.8% in 2015-2019, and a significant difference was observed between the SHs' monthly total condemnation prevalences, except in two SH pairs. Mistakes in recording the FFA's MI statistics and differences in the SH operators' reasons to reject broilers from the food chain affect the comparability of the condemnation prevalences between the SHs. Only half of the SHs partially condemned broiler carcasses and collected data concerning these condemnations. Cellulitis (0.3-1.0%), ascites (0.3-0.4%), and body cavity disorders (0.2-0.3%) were the most common causes for condemning whole broiler carcasses in 2015-2019. The MI data can be used for monitoring and surveillance purposes only once the differences between the SH data and data reliability are known. Although the harmonization of all condemnation causes is impossible, harmonizing the condemnations of carcasses with diseases that most threaten broiler health and welfare and cause the largest economic losses would be important.Peer reviewe

Prerequisites of inspection conditions for uniform post-mortem inspection in broiler chicken slaughterhouses in Finland

Meat inspection of broiler chickens (broiler) in the European Union is regulated by common legislation to secure meat safety. However, the legislation is general in nature and proper post-mortem inspection (PMI) of every carcass and visceral organs of broilers is challenging in slaughterhouses (SHs) with a high slaughter line speed. The aim of this study was to investigate the on-site organization and possible differences of the PMI in four Finnish SHs, which slaughter over 99% of broilers in Finland. Our results show that the meat inspector's available inspection time per broiler in the PMI varied between 0.28 and 0.90 s, with the shortest available inspection time in the SH with the highest slaughter line speed and the longest available inspection time in the SH with the slowest line speed. We observed that only part of the total inspection time per broiler could be used for true PMI in most (3/4) SHs, as the meat inspectors also performed other tasks during the PMI. We observed deficiencies in the visual inspection of broiler carcasses; in particular, the proper inspection of all or most of the body cavities was impossible in all SHs during the PMI. Some deficiencies in facilities (e.g. in recording system) were observed. Moreover, lighting properties varied between the SHs and a significant difference between illumination conditions at the first inspection stations in the SHs was observed. This study considered the prerequisites for proper PMI and revealed that the PMI of broilers was not completely uniform in Finland. The results emphasize the need for more precise guidelines and recommendations, especially for inspection time and lighting at inspection stations.Peer reviewe

The True Seroprevalence of Enteropathogenic Yersinia in Pigs, a Hayesian Approach

Bayesian inference was used to estimate the true seroprevalence of enteropathogenic Yersinia in pigs in Finland. Sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic test were also estimated. One-hundred-seventy-two pigs of different ages were sampled and analysed for antibodies against enteropathogenic Yersinia outer proteins by a commercially ELISA test

The effect of coating properties on the performance of a-C:H and ta-C films

DLC films cover a wide range of different carbon based coatings, starting from soft to extremely hard diamond-like carbon films. In this study two different types of DLC films have been studied in respect of their stress and strain characteristics and tribological performance. The coatings are hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) coatings deposited by PECVD and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) coating deposited by filtered arc technique. In order to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of the coatings under load, 3D FE modelling was carried out in combination with scratch testing. Also the tribological performance was evaluated with pin-on-disc tests using stepwise increasing normal load. The 3D FEM model was developed for calculating the stress and strain distributions of DLC coated systems and to evaluate how coating thickness and elastic properties affect the stress-strain state at crack initiation location. The simulation was compared to the findings to experimental observations in scratch test contact conditions, when the spherical diamond tip was moving with increased load on a coated surface. The coating performance was evaluated with scratch testing to detect the crack generation as well as the coating adhesion. When combining the simulated coating characteristics with empirical observation of coating fracture patterns the coating fracture performance and tolerance to cracking could be evaluated. A major effect of the coating elastic modulus on the stress and fracture behaviour of the coatings was observed. In the tribological testing the both coatings had a low friction performance. In the tribological testing with stepwise increasing load, the critical load for coating delamination was higher for the a-C:H coating, which is in accordance with the results of FE modelling of coating stress state