ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF AUTOMATED DETECTION OF ESTRUS IN DAIRY CATTLE

The detection of estrus continues to be a primary factor contributing to poor reproductive performance in modern dairy cattle. The objectives of this research were 1) to evaluate performance of automated detection of estrus using a reference standard of ovulation detection with temporal progesterone patterns 2) to evaluate the efficacy of parameters measured by automated detection of estrus systems 3) to evaluate the efficacy of alerts generated by several commercially available systems used for automated detection of estrus and 4) to determine the differences in these parameters among cows with or without poor health conditions at the time of estrus. Systems used for automated detection of estrus can perform better than the previous original reference standard, visual observation for standing behaviors. All systems used for automated detection of estrus tested were similar for estrus detection efficiency

Evaluation and development of early pregnancy diagnosis in dairy cattle

Early chemical pregnancy tests for use in dairy cattle are necessary to aid in reducing the costs associated with days the animal is not pregnant. Identifying non-pregnant dairy cattle sooner would allow for efficient treatments and improve decision making for culling cows from the herd. A new rapid visual pregnancy associated glycoproteins test 25 days after insemination had equal sensitivity and accuracy to existing tests. With respect to on-farm application, the slightly lower specificity reinforces the need for a second pregnancy diagnosis (either chemical test or alternative method) after the period of embryonic loss has subsided. Measurement of interferon stimulated gene 15 in milk and blood cells was successful to detect non-pregnant cows but was not robust to serve as an imperfect early pregnancy biomarker. ISG15 expression in both blood and milk somatic cells was greater for pregnant compared with non-pregnant Holstein cows. The reason for increased ISG15 expression and variability among cows is still not understood. ISG15 expression in peripheral blood leukocytes was greater for pregnant compared with non-pregnant Holstein cows. ISG15 increased in the circulation during early pregnancy and responded to a minimal dose of 10 pg/ml when blood was tested in vitro. The in vivo response to pregnancy and in vitro responses to a known dose of IFNT, however, were not correlated. Individual cow differences for ISG15 were not explained by the sensitivity of PBL to IFNT. We failed to confirm a strong correlation between day 18 ISG15 expression and day 25 PAG concentration in pregnant dairy cows and heifers. Further investigation of novel biomarkers to develop a robust chemical pregnancy test in dairy cows 18 days after insemination is still needed.Includes bibliographical reference

Managing Precision Dairy Farming Technologies

Precision dairy farming is the use of technologies to measure physiological, behavioral, and production indicators of individual animals to improve management strategies and farm performance. These systems have the potential to detect disease and estrus and to evaluate cow comfort by monitoring activity, feeding time, lying time, mounting activity, real-time location, reticulorumen pH, rumination time, and body temperature. The data provided by a precision dairy farming device is only valuable if it records the data properly for the right cow and is used by the producer. This factsheet will describe problems that researchers at the University of Kentucky have experienced and ways to avoid and manage them

Exile Vol. XVI No. 1

DRAMA God\u27s Pocket by Robert R. Bowie, Jr. 5-12 FICTION The Wagon by John Anderson 18-19 An Infinity of Mirrors by Keith McWalter 23-25 Commitment by John Whitt 28-29 It began not long ago... by Linda Notzelman 32-33 Jaundiced Evening by John Benes 35-39 POETRY Paralysis Outline by Lauren Shakely 13 A Woman Reads Camus by Lauren Shakely 14 don\u27t sell my rings by Lauren Shakely 14 Drift by John Whitt 17 Haiku by M. S. Wallace 19 To Begin W. K. Mayo 19 Dark is Right by Louise Tate 20 I am waiting by Louise Tate 21 My mother died as I shall die by Tim Cope 20 I never blamed you by Tim Cope 26 For Miss Didawick by Tim Cope 34 Separidian by Bill Whitmore 27 He walks on into by Whitney Carman 31 As Drowned Men Rise by Paul Bennett 34 The Tolling of the Bell by Keith McWalter 39 ARTWORK by Wandi Solez 4, 13, 16, 22, 36 by W. A. Hoffman 21, 30 by Stephen Sneeringer 27 by Christine Michael 19 Cover & Title Page Design: Keith McWalter Layouts: Keith McWalter Publicity- Special thanks to Gail Moore and Karen Baker Photographs courtesy the Sierra Club- From NOT MAN APART, Copyright 196

Improved human observer performance in digital reconstructed radiograph verification in head and neck cancer radiotherapy.

Purpose: Digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) are routinely used as an a priori reference for setup correction in radiotherapy. The spatial resolution of DRRs may be improved to reduce setup error in fractionated radiotherapy treatment protocols. The influence of finer CT slice thickness reconstruction (STR) and resultant increased resolution DRRs on physician setup accuracy was prospectively evaluated. Methods: Four head and neck patient CT-simulation images were acquired and used to create DRR cohorts by varying STRs at 0.5, 1, 2, 2.5, and 3 mm. DRRs were displaced relative to a fixed isocenter using 0–5 mm random shifts in the three cardinal axes. Physician observers reviewed DRRs of varying STRs and displacements and then aligned reference and test DRRs replicating daily KV imaging workflow. A total of 1,064 images were reviewed by four blinded physicians. Observer errors were analyzed using nonparametric statistics (Friedman’s test) to determine whether STR cohorts had detectably different displacement profiles. Post hoc bootstrap resampling was applied to evaluate potential generalizability. Results: The observer-based trial revealed a statistically significant difference between cohort means for observer displacement vector error (p = 0.02) and for Z-axis (p < 0.01). Bootstrap analysis suggests a 15% gain in isocenter translational setup error with reduction of STR from 3 mm to ≤2 mm, though interobserver variance was a larger feature than STR-associated measurement variance. Conclusions: Higher resolution DRRs generated using finer CT scan STR resulted in improved observer performance at shift detection and could decrease operator-dependent geometric error. Ideally, CT STRs ≤2 mm should be utilized for DRR generation in the head and break neck

Weight management for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Rationale and design for an 18 month randomized trial

Weight management for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has received limited attention. Studies on weight management in this population have been conducted over short time frames, in small samples with inadequate statistical power, infrequently used a randomized design, and have not evaluated the use of emerging effective dietary strategies such as pre-packaged meals (PMs). Low energy/fat PMs may be useful in individuals with IDD as they simplify meal planning, limit undesirable food choices, teach appropriate portion sizes, are convenient and easy to prepare, and when combined with fruits and vegetables provide a high volume, low energy dense meal. A randomized effectiveness trial will be conducted in 150 overweight/obese adults with mild to moderate IDD, and their study partners to compare weight loss (6 months) and weight maintenance (12 months) between 2 weight management approaches: 1. A Stop Light Diet enhanced with reduced energy/fat PMs (eSLD); and 2. A recommended care reduced energy/fat meal plan diet (RC). The primary aim is to compare weight loss (0–6 months) and weight maintenance (7–18 months) between the eSLD and RC diets. Secondarily, changes in chronic disease risk factors between the eSLD and RC diets including blood pressure, glucose, insulin, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol will be compared during both weight loss and weight maintenance. Finally, potential mediators of weight loss including energy intake, physical activity, data recording, adherence to the diet, study partner self-efficacy and daily stress related to dietary change will be explored

Transparent, Open, and Reproducible Prevention Science

The field of prevention science aims to understand societal problems, identify effective interventions, and translate scientific evidence into policy and practice. There is growing interest among prevention scientists in the potential for transparency, openness, and reproducibility to facilitate this mission by providing opportunities to align scientific practice with scientific ideals, accelerate scientific discovery, and broaden access to scientific knowledge. The overarching goal of this manuscript is to serve as a primer introducing and providing an overview of open science for prevention researchers. In this paper, we discuss factors motivating interest in transparency and reproducibility, research practices associated with open science, and stakeholders engaged in and impacted by open science reform efforts. In addition, we discuss how and why different types of prevention research could incorporate open science practices, as well as ways that prevention science tools and methods could be leveraged to advance the wider open science movement. To promote further discussion, we conclude with potential reservations and challenges for the field of prevention science to address as it transitions to greater transparency, openness, and reproducibility. Throughout, we identify activities that aim to strengthen the reliability and efficiency of prevention science, facilitate access to its products and outputs, and promote collaborative and inclusive participation in research activities. By embracing principles of transparency, openness, and reproducibility, prevention science can better achieve its mission to advance evidence-based solutions to promote individual and collective well-being

A Novel Polymer-Encapsulated Multi-Imaging Modality Fiducial Marker with Positive Signal Contrast for Image-Guided Radiation Therapy

BACKGROUND: Current fiducial markers (FMs) in external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer (PCa) cannot be positively visualized on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and create dose perturbation and significant imaging artifacts on computed tomography (CT) and MRI. We report our initial experience with clinical imaging of a novel multimodality FM, NOVA. METHODS: We tested Gold Anchor [G-FM], BiomarC [carbon, C-FM], and NOVA FMs in phantoms imaged with kilovoltage (kV) X-rays, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), CT, and MRI. Artifacts of the FMs on CT were quantified by the relative streak artifacts level (rSAL) metric. Proton dose perturbations (PDPs) were measured with Gafchromic EBT3 film, with FMs oriented either perpendicular to or parallel with the beam axis. We also tested the performance of NOVA-FMs in a patient. RESULTS: NOVA-FMs were positively visualized on all 4 imaging modalities tested. The rSAL on CT was 0.750 ± 0.335 for 2-mm reconstructed slices. In F-tests, PDP was associated with marker type and depth of measurement ( CONCLUSIONS: NOVA-FMs were positively visible and produced less PDP than G-FMs or C-FMs. NOVA-FMs facilitated MRI/CT fusion and identification of regions of interest

Clinical Acceptability of Automatically Generated Lymph Node Levels and Structures of Deglutition and Mastication for Head and Neck Radiation Therapy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Auto-contouring of complex anatomy in computed tomography (CT) scans is a highly anticipated solution to many problems in radiotherapy. In this study, artificial intelligence (AI)-based auto-contouring models were clinically validated for lymph node levels and structures of swallowing and chewing in the head and neck. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT scans of 145 head and neck radiotherapy patients were retrospectively curated. One cohort (n = 47) was used to analyze seven lymph node levels and the other (n = 98) used to analyze 17 swallowing and chewing structures. Separate nnUnet models were trained and validated using the separate cohorts. For the lymph node levels, preference and clinical acceptability of AI vs human contours were scored. For the swallowing and chewing structures, clinical acceptability was scored. Quantitative analyses of the test sets were performed for AI vs human contours for all structures using overlap and distance metrics. RESULTS: Median Dice Similarity Coefficient ranged from 0.77 to 0.89 for lymph node levels and 0.86 to 0.96 for chewing and swallowing structures. The AI contours were superior to or equally preferred to the manual contours at rates ranging from 75% to 91%; there was not a significant difference in clinical acceptability for nodal levels I-V for manual versus AI contours. Across all AI-generated lymph node level contours, 92% were rated as usable with stylistic to no edits. Of the 340 contours in the chewing and swallowing cohort, 4% required minor edits. CONCLUSIONS: An accurate approach was developed to auto-contour lymph node levels and chewing and swallowing structures on CT images for patients with intact nodal anatomy. Only a small portion of test set auto-contours required minor edits