Effect of floor type on the performance, physiological and behavioural responses of finishing beef steers

peer-reviewedBackground:The study objective was to investigate the effect of bare concrete slats (Control), two types of mats [(Easyfix mats (mat 1) and Irish Custom Extruder mats (mat 2)] fitted on top of concrete slats, and wood-chip to simulate deep bedding (wood-chip placed on top of a plastic membrane overlying the concrete slats) on performance, physiological and behavioral responses of finishing beef steers. One-hundred and forty-four finishing steers (503 kg; standard deviation 51.8 kg) were randomly assigned according to their breed (124 Continental cross and 20 Holstein–Friesian) and body weight to one of four treatments for 148 days. All steers were subjected to the same weighing, blood sampling (jugular venipuncture), dirt and hoof scoring pre study (day 0) and on days 23, 45, 65, 86, 107, 128 and 148 of the study. Cameras were fitted over each pen for 72 h recording over five periods and subsequent 10 min sampling scans were analysed. Results: Live weight gain and carcass characteristics were similar among treatments. The number of lesions on the hooves of the animals was greater (P < 0.05) on mats 1 and 2 and wood-chip treatments compared with the animals on the slats. Dirt scores were similar for the mat and slat treatments while the wood-chip treatment had greater dirt scores. Animals housed on either slats or wood-chip had similar lying times. The percent of animals lying was greater for animals housed on mat 1 and mat 2 compared with those housed on concrete slats and wood chips. Physiological variables showed no significant difference among treatments. Conclusions: In this exploratory study, the performance or welfare of steers was not adversely affected by slats, differing mat types or wood-chip as underfoot material

Tracing viral transmission and evolution of Bovine leukemia virus through long read Oxford nanopore sequencing of the proviral genome

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes Enzootic Bovine Leukosis (EBL), a persistent life-long disease resulting in immune dysfunction and shortened lifespan in infected cattle, severely impacting the profitability of the US dairy industry. Our group has found that 94% of dairy farms in the United States are infected with BLV with an average in-herd prevalence of 46%. This is partly due to the lack of clinical presentation during the early stages of primary infection and the elusive nature of BLV transmission. This study sought to validate a near-complete genomic sequencing approach for reliability and accuracy before determining its efficacy in characterizing the sequence identity of BLV proviral genomes collected from a pilot study made up of 14 animals from one commercial dairy herd. These BLV-infected animals were comprised of seven adult dam/daughter pairs that tested positive by ELISA and qPCR. The results demonstrate sequence identity or divergence of the BLV genome from the same samples tested in two independent laboratories, suggesting both vertical and horizontal transmission in this dairy herd. This study supports the use of Oxford Nanopore sequencing for the identification of viral SNPs that can be used for retrospective genetic contact tracing of BLV transmission

2017 American College of Rheumatology/American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Guideline for the Perioperative Management of Antirheumatic Medication in Patients With Rheumatic Diseases Undergoing Elective Total Hip or Total Knee Arthroplasty

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137753/1/acr23274.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137753/2/acr23274_am.pd

2017 American College of Rheumatology/American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Guideline for the Perioperative Management of Antirheumatic Medication in Patients With Rheumatic Diseases Undergoing Elective Total Hip or Total Knee Arthroplasty

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137769/1/art40149.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137769/2/art40149_am.pd

CURBSIDE CONSULTATION IN HIP ARTHROPLASTY

DESCRIPTION A user friendly reference for decision making in hip arthroplasty designed in a question formed clinical problem scenarios and answers format .The articles composed of the answers, containing current concepts and preferences of experts in primary and revision hip surgery are enhanced by several images, diagrams and references and written in the form of a curbside consultation by Scott M. Sporer, MD. and his collaborators. PURPOSE By this practical reference of hip arthroplasty, Scott M. Sporer, MD. and the contributors have aimed providing the reader practical and clinically relevant information, evidence-based advices, their preferences and opinions containing current concepts for difficult and controversial clinical situations in total hip replacement surgery which are often not addressed clearly in traditional references. FEATURES The book is composed of 9 sections and 49 articles each written by a different expert designed in a question and answers format including several images and diagrams and also essential references at the end of each article. In the first section preoperative questions is subjected. Second section is about preoperative acetabulum questions. Third section is about preoperative femur questions. Fourth section is about intraoperative questions. Intraoperative acetabulum question is subjected in the fifth section and the intraoperative femur questions in the sixth section. The seventh section is about postoperative questions. Eighth and ninth sections are about general questions about failure and failure of acetabulum in turn. AUDIENCE Mainly practicing orthopedic surgeons, fellows and residents who are interested in hip arthroplasty have been targeted but several carefully designed scenarios of controversial and difficult situations surrounding total hip replacement surgery and the current information will also be welcomed by experienced clinicians practicing in hip arthroplasty. ASSESSMENT Scott M. Sporer, MD. and his collaborators designing the "Curbside Consultation in Hip Arthroplasty" try to widen the reader insight for a better outcome in hip arthroplasty by the expert opinions and current concepts for various treatment options in difficult or controversial cases. The carefully chosen scenarios forming the sections and brief answers containing clinically relevant information and practical solutions to frequently encountered problems are making the book almost a comprehensive and current reference of difficult clinical situations in total hip replacement surgery. The questions and the answers format and casual style of articles resembling the advices in a dialog of colleagues on a curbside consult provides a quicker access to a subject and makes the text easier to read and understand. Various image and diagrams enhances the knowledge in the tex

On The Potential Of Metal And Ceramic Based Abradables In Turbine Seal Applications.

LecturePg. 79-86Abradable seals are employed in turbomachinery to reduce leakage gaps between stationary and rotating parts to improve efficiency and stall margin. Thermally sprayed abradable seals have been used in the compressor section of jet engines since the late 1960s. These seals are predominantly coatings made from composite material that derive their abradability from the use of low shear strength materials or form a porous, friable coating structure. Due to the extreme temperatures on the turbine side of gas turbine engines, brazed or welded metallic structures made from nickel (Ni) based alloys have typically been used to provide gas path sealing. When thermal shock resistant ceramics because available, oxide ceramic, mostly zirconia based high temperature abradable seals for the high pressure turbine stages were developed. For the highest temperature stages, thermally sprayed oxide ceramics with or without metallic strain isolators are frequently used. On stages with reduced temperatures both ceramic and metallic coatings of the McrA1Y type can be used. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in compressor and turbine clearance control materials and systems, whereby a focus is placed on novel thermally sprayed ceramic turbine seals with encouraging property combinations, which are achieved by the introduction of alternative stabilizers. Normally ceramic seal surfaces require hard tipping of the rotor blades to allow them to cut properly and suitable hard tipping solutions will be presented. However, examples will be given of recent developments aimed at developing ceramic abradables that can be but by untipped blades. Examples will be given. Finally, the paper gives an overview of cuttability of thermally sprayed metallic turbine seal coatings by tipped and untipped blades at high temperature

Bead debonding from a modern cementless total hip femoral component with concomitant taper corrosion

We report a case of bead shedding from a cylindrical extensively porous-coated cementless femoral component with concomitant taper corrosion at the modular head-neck junction of a metal-on-polyethylene total hip prosthesis. The patient presented with chronic thigh pain 4 years after primary total hip arthroplasty, and radiographs revealed significant osteolysis and metallic debris around the femoral stem. Intraoperatively, the patient had a grossly loose femoral component with debonding of sintered beads from the femoral stem, as well as evidence of taper corrosion. We identify a failure of a modern beaded femoral component in conjunction with taper corrosion. Keywords: Total hip arthroplasty, Bead shedding, Taper corrosio