Use of Diatomaceous Earth and Copper Oxide Wire Particles to Control Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Lambs

Abstract Anthelmintic resistance (AR) urges alternatives to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). Copper oxide wire particles (COWP) are more efficacious when used with other dewormers and little is known on efficacy of diatomaceous earth (DE) to control gastrointestinal parasites. The objective was to examine the effects of DE and COWP on GIN control. Katahdin lambs (n = 32; ~150 d of age; 25.0 ± 1.8 kg) were randomly assigned to receive: 1) DE fed at an estimated 2% dry matter intake (with the assumption of moderate consumption of bermudagrass forage and provided supplement), 2) 1g COWP, 3) both 2% DE and 1g COWP, and 4) neither DE or COWP. Feces and blood were collected on d 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 to determine fecal egg counts (FEC) and blood packed cell volume (PCV). Feces were cultured to determine GIN genera. Fecal egg counts were log transformed; data were analyzed as a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement using Proc Mixed of SAS with day as a repeated measurement. There was a mixed GIN population including 58% Haemonchus contortusand 30% Trichostrongylus spp.Fecal egg counts tended to be lower by d 28 in DE (175 eggs/g) than no DE (753 eggs/g) fed lambs (P = 0.09), but in general, were relatively low and no other differences among treatments detected. Packed cell volume tended to be higher in COWP than no COWP lambs by d 28 (P = 0.10), and no other differences detected. In conclusion, during a low GIN challenge, there may have been a small effect of DE on FEC, but no advantage observed in combination treatment

Assessing acute itch intensity : general labelled magnitude scale is more reliable than classic visual analogue scale

The reliable measurement of itch intensity is crucial, both in research as well as clinical contexts. For example, when the reliability of a measurement scale is unknown, it is impossible to determine whether a patient has changed sufficiently to be confident that the change is beyond that which could be attributed to measurement error (1). One factor that might influence the reliability of measurements is the type of rating scale used to assess itch intensity. Previous research (2-4) has documented the retest reliability of different rating scales for assessing chronic itch intensity. However, a retest reliability analysis of rating scales for acute experimental itch, induced using substances such as histamine or cowhage, is currently lacking. Here, we compare the test-retest reliability of three rating scales commonly used for this purpose. First, we considered the visual analogue scale in its classic form (cVAS), where participants indicate itch intensity on a line ranging from 0 (no itch) to 100 (the most intense itch imaginable). Second, we included a variant of the VAS, where an additional ‘Scratch Threshold’ marker is set at 33% (tVAS,5), defined as itching strong enough to be scratched (6). Finally, we considered the general Labelled Magnitude Scale (gLMS,7), where participants judge the magnitude of itch on a line with quasilogarithmically placed labels of “no sensation” at 0, “barely detectable” at 1, “weak” at 6, “moderate” at 17, “strong” at 35, “very strong” at 53 and “strongest imaginable sensation” at 100. Thus, all three scales have an identical range, but differ in the type and number of verbal labels provided

The Process of Death:a bioarchaeological approach to Mycenaean mortuary traditions in Achaia

This dissertation focuses on two main issues within Mycenaean burial traditions: secondary treatment and burial exclusion. Approaching these themes with a multi-faceted bioarchaeological methodology has allowed me to explore the evidence in a new light. This dissertation has various impacts on Mycenaean burial research. First, it demonstrated the need for a multi-faceted methodology including archaeological, osteological, and radiocarbon data to approach postmortem manipulation and demographic composition to Mycenaean burials. In addition, this study produced bioarchaeological data that will aid future Mycenaean research. This dissertation also shows that legacy data is an untapped resource that should be more readily integrated into bioarchaeological studies. Finally, this dissertation showed the importance of regional and inter-regional bioarchaeological research. By combining bioarchaeological data from multiple sites and regions, I was able to examine demographic composition and discuss Mycenaean burial exclusion in a new way. Consolidating inter-regional data allows archaeologists to step back and observe wider cultural patterns, while leaving site-specific trends behind

Finding Light

Throughout history, dance is a powerful tool for expression of self or community. Art, especially dance, became a way to react to societal shifts and stalemates through means of storytelling. Through my choreography, I used history of modern dance such as the mother of modern dance, Isadora Duncan, an incredibly influential choreographer, Martha Graham, and her famous protege, Merce Cunningham. I used a combination of their methodology to choreograph my intrapersonal journey with dance and life

Probing the dusty stellar populations of the Local Volume Galaxies with JWST/MIRI

The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) for the {\em James Webb Space Telescope} (JWST) will revolutionize our understanding of infrared stellar populations in the Local Volume. Using the rich {\em Spitzer}-IRS spectroscopic data-set and spectral classifications from the Surveying the Agents of Galaxy Evolution (SAGE)-Spectroscopic survey of over a thousand objects in the Magellanic Clouds, the Grid of Red supergiant and Asymptotic giant branch star ModelS ({\sc grams}), and the grid of YSO models by Robitaille et al. (2006), we calculate the expected flux-densities and colors in the MIRI broadband filters for prominent infrared stellar populations. We use these fluxes to explore the {\em JWST}/MIRI colours and magnitudes for composite stellar population studies of Local Volume galaxies. MIRI colour classification schemes are presented; these diagrams provide a powerful means of identifying young stellar objects, evolved stars and extragalactic background galaxies in Local Volume galaxies with a high degree of confidence. Finally, we examine which filter combinations are best for selecting populations of sources based on their JWST colours.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 2 online tables; accepted for publication in Ap

Exploring the process of itch and its dimensionality : investigations using transcranial magnetic stimulation

This thesis explored three main areas of acute itch: firstly, how to reliably measure it; secondly, whether it is of a multi-dimensional nature, and lastly, which brain regions are crucial in the process. Chapter 2 reports an experiment that directly compared the re-test reliability of three commonly used measurement scales (pVAS, tVAS and gLMS). The general Labelled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) generated the least variance in itch intensity ratings between testing sessions and was therefore taken as the most reliable and administered for the following experiments. Chapter 3 and 4 explored the dimensionality of histamine and cowhage induced itch. The aims of these chapters were, (1) to explore any changes in the time-course and peak of itch intensity/unpleasantness, induced by varying stimuli doses, (2) to examine any dissociation between itch intensity and unpleasantness, which would indicate that they are dissociable dimensions. The results demonstrated that there was a significant linear trend for both intensity and unpleasantness, however there was no significant difference between the dimensions. Based on these results, it was decided that only the intensity should be measured in the following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) experiment, as the unpleasantness dimension did not appear to add any additional information. Chapter 5 describes a TMS study, investigating which brain areas have a necessary function in the process of histamine and cowhage induced itch. The aim was to explore any differences in the perceived itch intensity, after brain stimulation to the somatosensory cortices (S1 and S2) and the inferor frontal gyrus (IFG), in comparison to the control area (superior parietal lobe; SPL). The results demonstrated that only TMS to S1 significantly reduced the itch intensity when administered via the histamine prick test. There was also a significant reduction of the wheal induced in the S1 and IFG condition. There was however, no significant reduction of the flare for any condition. There was also no significant difference in itch intensity or skin response, for any of the brain regions stimulated when cowhage was administered. In summary, the results indicate that S1 has a crucial role in the processing of itch intensity, and that the histamine prick test and TMS are ideal for exploring this. More investigation is necessary however, to explore the role of S2 and the IFG in itch perception

Master of Science

thesisI present a critical rhetorical analysis that examines appeals made by farmer and author, Joel Salatin. I analyze Salatin's rhetoric as it is widely available across media, while specifically focusing upon his two most recent books: Folks, this ain't Normal (2011) and The Sheer Ecstasy of being a Lunatic Farmer (2010). My rhetorical analysis seeks to answer the following questions: first, how does Salatin rhetorically structure his vision for a new agrarian establishment centered on localized food production, which would counter industrial agriculture and its global food trade; and, second, what are the implications as varied food movements work from Salatin's ideological commitments via invoking his rhetorical imaginary and utilizing his material practices? I assert that Salatin constructs a rhetorical imaginary of alternative food production that synthesizes conservative and progressive imperatives relevant to production and consumption, which is accomplished and mobilized via his invocation of terroir. Specifically, Salatin articulates an organizing metaphor of Christianity as the soil of life. I argue that Salatin's rhetorical imaginary of alternative food production results in a hybridized discourse that merges neoliberal and progressive imperatives. I seek to contribute to critical rhetorical theory via both extending and challenging current conceptions with respect to how neoliberalism is manifest and operationalized in contemporary contexts; as well as, more broadly, via illuminating further evolutions, intersections, and materializations of discourse

Book review: participation and non-participation in student activism: paths and barriers to mobilising young people for political action by Alexander Hensby

In In the Heat of the Summer: The New York Riots of 1964 and The War on Crime, Michael W. Flamm draws on personal narratives and archival evidence to outline the development of the New York Riots of 1964 — instigated by the shooting of the fifteen-year-old black teenager, James Powell, by a white police officer — and their wider repercussions on the social and political landscapes of 1960s America. Resonating with current discussions on racism and police brutality, this book will prove an inspiring read for those questioning the relationship between discourses of law and order and the reproduction of collective fear, writes Eraldo S. Santos