Improved porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus surveillance in swine breeding herds

Determining whether porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is circulating within a breeding herd is a longstanding surveillance challenge. Most commonly, piglets in farrowing rooms are sampled to infer the PRRSV shedding status of the sow herd, with sample size based on the expectation of hypergeometric distribution and piglet selection based on simple random sampling (SRS), i.e., randomly selecting individuals from a population in a manner that all individuals have equal chance of being selected. The current PRRSV monitoring scheme guidelines from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians assumes that sampling 30 piglets will detect ≥ 1 viremic piglets with 95% confidence if prevalence is ≥ 10% (Cannon and Roe, 1982). However, some herds that met these criteria have tested again positive for PRRSV, with what appears to be the original outbreak virus, as determined by open reading frame (ORF)-5 sequencing (Linhares et al., 2014a). This implies that the virus was present at low prevalence, but undetected in the breeding herd. This demonstrates the need for more clear and reliable indicators regarding progress towards measuring PRRSV circulation in breeding herds, particularly at the final stages of virus elimination when prevalence is low.Processing fluid (PF) is defined as the serosanguineous fluid recovered from castration and tail docking tissues at the time of piglet processing (Lopez et al., 2018). The approach was first reported for antibody-based surveillance of sow farms using fluid recovered from castrated piglet tissues (Boettcher et al., 2010). At the room level, Lopez et al. (2018) showed that the probability of detecting PRRSV RNA was higher for one whole-room PF as opposed to 30 serum samples. Oral fluids samples offer advantages over serum from individual pigs for surveillance of swine populations: (1) they are easily collected by a single person; (2) they can be obtained without stress or risk to pigs or people; (3) at the population level, they provide a higher probability of detection than an equal number of serum samples, and (4) they can be used to screen populations for a variety of pathogens using nucleic acid-based or antibody-based testing (Prickett et al., 2008a; Prickett et al., 2008b; Kittawornrat et al., 2010b; Detmer et al., 2011; Prickett et al., 2011; Kittawornrat et al., 2012; Romagosa et al., 2012; Giménez-Lirola et al., 2013; Goodell et al., 2013; Mur et al., 2013; Panyasing et al., 2013; Vosloo et al., 2015; Bjustrom-Kraft et al., 2016; Gimenez-Lirola et al., 2016; Panyasing et al., 2016b). For these reasons, testing of oral fluids has been used extensively in group-housed growing pigs and adult animals (boars and gilts/sows). Although the collection of oral fluids from due-to-wean litters, i.e., litters within two days of weaning, would allow producers to improve surveillance in this age group and anticipate postweaning infectious disease challenges; a practical technique for collecting oral fluids from suckling piglets has not been described (Kittawornrat et al., 2014; Panyasing et al., 2016a). Family oral fluid (FOF) collection is an adaptation that takes advantage of the piglets\u27 natural tendency to mimic their mother: if the dam interacts with the rope, her piglets will likely do the same (Yeske-Livermore et al., 2014b; Almeida et al., 2020) and is a sample type that can be used to monitor and surveil the due-to-wean litters. This dissertation compiles the current knowledge on PRRSV surveillance on swine breeding herds, with emphasis in family oral fluids, and provides guidelines for incorporating population-based specimens in monitoring and surveillance systems. Specifically, Chapter 2 characterized the pattern of distribution of PRRSV-viremic piglets in farrowing rooms and compared the efficiency of simple random sampling (SRS), two-stage stratified sampling (2SS), and risk-based sampling (RBS) for the detection of PRRSV-viremic piglets. Further, Chapter 2 demonstrated that the distribution of PRRSV-viremic piglets in modern US farrowing room facilities is rarely homogeneous and often clustered, with clustering of viremic piglets observed in a majority of cases. Additionally, SRS was less efficient than either 2SS or RBS in detecting PRRSV-viremic piglets in farrowing rooms, and based on simulation modeling, sample size estimates for the detection of ≥ 1 viremic piglet by PRRSV prevalence, population size, and power of detection (90%, 95%, 99%) were provided. Chapter 3 evaluated the optimum procedure for collecting oral fluid samples from due-to-wean litters. A comparison of litter oral fluids (LOF), i.e., a cotton rope hung where only the piglets could access it, and family oral fluids, i.e., a cotton rope hung where both the sow and her respective piglets could access it was performed in addition to trying different attractants, previous exposure to a rope and different exposure times. FOF-based procedures provided a significantly higher probability of collecting oral fluids from due-to-wean litters when compared to LOF-based methods. Chapter 4 compared PRRSV detection in FOF samples (n = 199) and serum from all individual piglets (n = 2,177) within litters collected. In total, 23 of 24 litters with ≥ 3 viremic piglets were PRRSV RNA positive in FOF; in 10 litters with ≤ 2 viremic piglets, 5 were FOF-positive. A logistic regression analysis estimated the probability of a positive FOF sample from litters with 1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥ 5 viremic piglets as 12.2%, 48.2%, 86.2%, 97.2%, and \u3e99%, respectively. The odds of a positive FOF results of a first parity litter were 3.36 times (95% CI: 2.10 – 5.38) that of a parity \u3e 2 litter. The odds of a positive FOF result for litters with ≤ 11 piglets were 9.90 times (95% CI: 4.62 – 21.22) that of a litter with \u3e 11 piglets. Bayesian prevalence estimation under misclassification analysis for the condition in which all samples (serum and FOF) test PRRSV RNA negative showed that PRRSV may still be present in breeding herds when those conditions are satisfied. Family oral fluids was shown to be an efficacious sample type for PRRSV detection in farrowing rooms. Chapter 5 described PRRSV RNA detection over time in PF, FOF and piglet serum collected from farrowing groups in commercial breeding farms with the objective of moving toward the design of robust, efficient, practical and effective PRRSV surveillance protocols. A total of 561 PF room samples, 2,400 individual litter FOF samples, and 600 serum samples (120 pools of 5 samples) were collected during the study period and tested for PRRSV RNA. The detection of PRRSV was commonly sporadic over time within farms; was often non-uniform (negative and positive farrowing rooms at a given point in time); and PF and FOF testing results were sometimes discordant, i.e., PRRSV RNA detection in one was not always matched by detection in the other. Non-uniformity in PRRSV detection in rooms sampled within the same week and virus detection after ≥ 11 consecutive weeks of PRRSV-negative results in PF and FOF samples underline the challenge of consistent PRRSV detection, but likewise suggest that monitoring protocols for breeding herds attempting PRRSV stabilization or elimination will use both PF and FOF to improve PRRSV detection in suckling pig populations

OS PODERES INSTRUTÓRIOS DO JUIZ NOS MODELOS PROCESSUAIS CONTEMPORÂNEOS E AS LIMITAÇÕES IMPOSTAS PELA GARANTIA DO DEVIDO PROCESSO LEGAL

The Civil Procedure Code of 2015 and the Federal Constitution of 1988 define the current brazilian procedural model, having as pillars, among others, the principles of adversarial proceedings and cooperation, both being expressly procedural fundamental rules. Such finding requires attention regarding the instructional powers of the judge and the right to Due Process of Law as a constitutional system of guarantees at the service of the jurisdictional. The importance of the judge's impartiality in the current procedural model encompasses the fundamental right to proof as a guarantee for the parties in the process, attracting reflection on the limits of the judge's instructional powers and the legitimate right to a neutral and equidistant judgment. In this way, the research aims at performing a critical analysis of the performance of the judicial body regarding the evidential initiative, in the sense of arguing that the judicial activity has the power-duty to preserve not only the right of access to a fair trial, but also the respect for the system of procedural guarantees that are unavoidable for the realization of the solution of the conflict in an impartial way. The methodology adopted consists of a bibliographical review and analysis of the legislation on the subject in Brazil. O Código de Processo Civil de 2015 e a Constituição Federal de 1988 definem o modelo processual brasileiro atual, tendo como pilares, dentre outros, os princípios do contraditório e cooperação, sendo ambos expressamente normas fundamentais procedimentais. Tal constatação exige atenção no que concerne aos poderes instrutórios do juiz e o direito ao Devido Processo Legal como sistema constitucional de garantias à serviço do jurisdicionado. A importância da imparcialidade do julgador no modelo processual em vigor abarca a temática do direito fundamental à prova como garantia das partes no processo, atraindo a reflexão sobre os limites dos poderes instrutórios do juiz e o legítimo direito a um julgamento neutro e equidistante. Desse modo, a pesquisa objetiva realizar análise crítica da atuação do órgão jurisdicional quanto à iniciativa probatória, no sentido de argumentar que a atividade judicial tem o poder-dever de preservar não apenas o direito de acesso ao julgamento justo, mas o respeito ao sistema de garantias processuais que são inafastáveis à real obtenção da solução do conflito de forma imparcial. A metodologia adotada consiste na revisão bibliográfica e análise da legislação sobre o tema no Brasil.    

Exploring the psychology of GPT-4's Moral and Legal Reasoning

Large language models have been used as the foundation of highly sophisticated artificial intelligences, capable of delivering human-like responses to probes about legal and moral issues. However, these models are unreliable guides to their own inner workings, and even the engineering teams behind their creation are unable to explain exactly how they came to develop all of the capabilities they currently have. The emerging field of machine psychology seeks to gain insight into the processes and concepts that these models possess. In this paper, we employ the methods of psychology to probe into GPT-4's moral and legal reasoning. More specifically, we investigate the similarities and differences between GPT-4 and humans when it comes to intentionality ascriptions, judgments about causation, the morality of deception, moral foundations, the impact of moral luck on legal judgments, the concept of consent, and rule violation judgments. We find high correlations between human and AI responses, but also several significant systematic differences between them. We conclude with a discussion of the philosophical implications of our findings

OS “PESOS” DE SER OBESO: TRAÇOS FASCISTAS NO IDEÁRIO DE SAÚDE CONTEMPORÂNEO

Obesity and physical inactivity have been considered two major villains of Public Health. The objective of this paper is to examine the idea that relates health, obesity and exercise. The analytical axis is a journalistic text that brings together key concepts of this idea, defending a controversial tax for obese and sedentary people. A Theory of Discourse Analysis was used and three  categories were detected: a) guilt, b) reification, and c) punishment. We conclude that the speeches are based on the questionable assumption that being obese is only a matter of choice to justify not only blaming them but also overtaxing them.    La obesidad y la inactividad física se han considerado dos grandes villanos de la Salud Pública. El objetivo es examinar la idea que prevalece, en los medios de comunicación, en el que se refiere a la relación entre la salud y la obesidad. El eje de análisis es un texto que reúne puntos clave de esta idea, la defensa de una alícuota de tributación de obesos. Lo analizamos por la Teoría de Análisis del Discurso la detección y explotación discursivas tres categorías: a) la culpabilidad, b) la reificación y c) el castigo. Los discursos se basan en el supuesto de que la obesidad es sólo una cuestión de elección para justificar la propuesta peligrosa de responsabilizarlo y castigarlo.  A obesidade e o sedentarismo têm sido considerados dois grandes vilões da Saúde Pública. O objetivo do estudo é examinar a ideia em torno da relação entre saúde, obesidade e exercício. O eixo analítico é um texto que congrega pontos-chave dessa ideia, defendendo uma polêmica sobretaxação dos obesos e sedentários. Analisamos o texto pela Teoria da Análise do Discurso detectando e explorando três categorias discursivas: a) culpabilização; b) reificação; e c) punição. Os discursos partem da concepção de que ser obeso é uma questão de escolha para justificar a perigosa proposta de responsabilizá-lo, culpá-lo e puni-lo inclusive tributariamente.

Target carbonaceous rock exploration in the central South region of Rio de Janeiro State

A atividade mineral no estado do Rio de Janeiro tem, essencialmente, importância local, pois, de maneira geral, não produz bens minerais que sejam cotados em bolsas de valores como commodities (excluindo os hidrocarbonetos). De tal modo, o presente artigo teve por objetivo avaliar se ainda existe potencial para o aproveitamento econômico das rochas metacarbonáticas no centro-sul do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Para tanto, a metodologia utilizada para o desenvolvimento do presente estudo incluiu revisão bibliográfica; compilação de dados inventariados juntamente com os dados dos trabalhos de campo, das análises químicas e mineralógicas; e confecção de um mapa temático, cujo principal objetivo foi indicar áreas potenciais para pesquisas geológicas. O resultado desta pesquisa indicou uma anomalia bastante moderada para a ocorrência de mármores impuros no centro-sul do Rio de Janeiro. No entanto, as características dos corpos, no que diz respeito às suas dimensões e enquadramento geológico, não são favoráveis para a existência de um grande depósito de rocha metacarbonática na área de estudo.The mining activity in the State state of Rio de Janeiro has essentially regional importance, because, in general, does not produce mineral commodities goods that are quoted on stock exchanges and as commodities (excluding oilthe hydrocarbons ). Therefore, this article is wasintended to evaluate if there is still potential for economic exploitation of the carbonate rocks in the center-south of the sSstate of Rio de Janeiro. Therefore, the methodology used for the development of this study included literature review, and compilation of the inventory data, along with and the data from field studies, the chemical and mineralogical analysis, producing a thematic map, whose main purpose is to indicate potential areas for geological research. The result of this research indicated a moderate anomaly for the occurrence of impure marbles in the center-south of Rio de Janeiro. However, the characteristics of the bodies, with respect toconcerning their size and geological framework, preclude the existence of a large deposit of carbonate rock in the study area

Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of a Recombinant Pichinde Viral-Vectored Vaccine Expressing Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Antigen in Pigs

Influenza A virus of swine (IAV-S) is an economically important swine pathogen. The IAV-S hemagglutinin (HA) surface protein is the main target for vaccine development. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using the recombinant tri-segmented Pichinde virus (rPICV) as a viral vector to deliver HA antigen to protect pigs against IAV-S challenge. Four groups of weaned pigs (T01–T04) were included in the study. T01 was injected with PBS to serve as a non-vaccinated control. T02 was inoculated with rPICV expressing green fluorescence protein (rPICV-GFP). T03 was vaccinated with rPICV expressing the HA antigen of the IAV-S H3N2 strain (rPICV-H3). T04 was vaccinated with the recombinant HA protein antigen of the same H3N2 strain. Pigs were vaccinated twice at day 0 and day 21 and challenged at day 43 by intra-tracheal inoculation with the homologous H3N2 IAV-S strain. After vaccination, all pigs in T03 and T04 groups were seroconverted and exhibited high titers of plasma neutralizing antibodies. After challenge, high levels of IAV-S RNA were detected in the nasal swabs and bronchioalveolar lavage fluid of pigs in T01 and T02 but not in the T03 and T04 groups. Similarly, lung lesions were observed in T01 and T02, but not in the T03 and T04 groups. No significant difference in terms of protection was observed between the T03 and T04 group. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the rPICV-H3 vectored vaccine elicited protective immunity against IAV-S challenge. This study shows that rPICV is a promising viral vector for the development of vaccines against IAV-S

Longitudinal piglet sampling in commercial sow farms highlights the challenge of PRRSV detection

Background: Processing fluids (PF) and family oral fluids (FOF) are population-based surveillance samples collected from 2- to 5-day-old piglets and due-to-wean piglets, respectively. Although they are described for the surveillance of PRRSV in sows and piglet populations at processing and weaning, there is limited information on their use in commercial herds. This observational study described PRRSV RNA detection over time in PF, FOF, and piglet serum collected from farrowing groups in commercial breeding farms with the objective of achieving robust, practical, and effective PRRSV surveillance protocols. Weekly PF (an aggregate sample of all litters processed in a week from each room), and FOF (a convenience sample attempted from at least 20 individual litters in at least one farrowing room each week) samples were collected from six PRRSV-endemic commercial breeding herds for up to 38 weeks. A total of 561 PF room samples, 2400 individual litter FOF samples, and 600 serum samples (120 pools of 5 samples) were collected during the study period and tested for PRRSV RNA. Data were evaluated for patterns of PRRSV RNA detection by specimen within farms over time. Results: In particular, the detection of PRRSV was commonly sporadic over time within farms (weeks of PRRSV RNA negative results followed by one or more weeks of positive results); was often non-uniform within farms (negative and positive farrowing rooms at a given point in time); and PF and FOF testing results agreement was 75 and 80% at week and room level, respectively, demonstrating that both sampling methods could complement each other. Non-uniformity in PRRSV detection in rooms sampled within the same week and detection after ≥11 consecutive weeks of PRRSV negative PF and FOF results underline the challenge of consistently detecting the virus. Conclusions: These results suggest that monitoring protocols for breeding herds attempting PRRSV control or elimination can use both PF and FOF to improve PRRSV detection in suckling pig populations