Why do Irish pig farmers use medications? Barriers for effective reduction of antimicrobials in Irish pig production.

In addressing the threat of antimicrobial resistance, it is critical to understand the barriers to the uptake of strategies for the reduction of antimicrobial use (AMU) in the pig industry. In several EU countries, factors such as education level, habits and social pressures are recognised as affecting farmers' decision-making process in relation to AMU. However, there is a lack of information on the Irish scenario. The aim of this study was to investigate pig farmers' perspectives and their behaviour towards AMU to identify potential barriers to effectively reduce AMU in Irish pig production. We conducted face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 30 pig farmers, 5 pig veterinarians and 4 focus groups of pig farm personnel. We employed qualitative analyses to explore the objective of the study. Qualitative analysis revealed six convergent themes as potential barriers: perceptions about the need for AMU on farm, concept of animal welfare and associated management practices, legislation, culture, economics and standards of communication/type of advice-network. Overall, pig farmers believed that there is poor communication between stakeholders (i.e. farmers, vets and advisors) and a lack of reliable people to approach for advice. They considered themselves as operating responsibly in terms of AMU compared to their national and international colleagues and expressed the importance of a so-called 'Irish solution' to the problem of AMU because it was associated with what 'has always been done' and was therefore considered reliable and safe. Barriers and challenges were in line with those identified in other EU countries highlighting similarities in behavioural and attitudinal patterns among pig farmers. Overall, farmers appeared to be more likely to rely on previous experiences or to wait for an imposed change (e.g. legislation) instead of taking personal action. Thus, considerable behavioural and attitudinal changes are needed to adopt a more responsible AMU in Irish pig production and to develop effective intervention strategies

Effect of Genetic Merit for Milk Production, Dairy Cow Breed and Pre-Calving Feeding on Reproductive Physiology and Performance.

End of Project ReportThe overall objective of this project was to determine, following four experiments, the effects of genetic merit for milk production, dairy cow breed and prepartum feeding on reproductive physiology and performance. In the present experiments, the high proportion of Holstein- Friesian genes played a more important role in reducing reproductive performance than milk production. Significant breed differences in reproductive performance were detected.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

Prevalence of antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo in bulk tank milk from unvaccinated irish dairy herds

peer-reviewedBulk tank milk samples, collected from 347 herds throughout the Republic of Ireland using a sampling frame based on seven milk-recording organisations, were tested by ELISA for antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo. These herds, which had not been vaccinated against leptospirosis within the previous five years, were categorised according to their province, milk-recording organisation and size. Two-hundred-and-seventy-three herds (79%) had a positive ELISA titre. Both the probability of a herd being seropositive and the antibody level in the herd milk sample were affected by the province (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) and the herd size category (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Larger herds were significantly more likely to have positive reactions and higher mean concentrations of antibody. It was concluded that a high proportion of unvaccinated Irish dairy herds have been exposed to infection with Leptospira hardjo

The Effects of Stellar Rotation. I. Impact on the Ionizing Spectra and Integrated Properties of Stellar Populations

We present a sample of synthetic massive stellar populations created using the Starburst99 evolutionary synthesis code and new sets of stellar evolutionary tracks, including one set that adopts a detailed treatment of rotation. Using the outputs of the Starburst99 code, we compare the populations' integrated properties, including ionizing radiation fields, bolometric luminosities, and colors. With these comparisons we are able to probe the specific effects of rotation on the properties of a stellar population. We find that a population of rotating stars produces a much harder ionizing radiation field and a higher bolometric luminosity, changes that are primarily attributable to the effects of rotational mixing on the lifetimes, luminosities, effective temperatures, and mass loss rates of massive stars. We consider the implications of the profound effects that rotation can have on a stellar population, and discuss the importance of refining stellar evolutionary models for future work in the study of extragalactic, and particularly high-redshift, stellar populations.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

The role of emotions in the choice to adopt, or resist, innovations by Irish dairy farmers

In this paper we uncover the emotional factors that contribute to the adoption, or rejection, of different categories of innovation by dairy farmers in Munster, Republic of Ireland. Although emotions have been extensively researched in different fields, little research to date has examined the effects of emotions on farmers' decision making. Munster is the most important region for grass-based dairy farming in Ireland and this type of farming still plays an important role in Ireland's economy and sense of self. By using in-depth interview data from 27 dairy farmers and 6 other participants in the local industry we identified three categories of innovation that were influenced by different emotional pathways. We further uncovered the strong value-driven emotions that underpin the Irish dairy farmers' beliefs about what farming is, and means, and the influence that this has on innovation choices

Effect of Genetic Merit for Milk Production, Dairy Cow Breed and Pre-Calving Feeding on Reproductive Physiology and Performance.

End of Project ReportThe overall objective of this project was to determine, following four experiments, the effects of genetic merit for milk production, dairy cow breed and prepartum feeding on reproductive physiology and performance. In the present experiments, the high proportion of Holstein- Friesian genes played a more important role in reducing reproductive performance than milk production. Significant breed differences in reproductive performance were detected.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

Development of an Affinity-Based Probe to profile endogenous Human Adenosine A3 Receptor Expression

The adenosine A3 receptor (A3AR) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that exerts immunomodulatory effects in pathophysiological conditions such as inflammation and cancer. Thus far, studies towards the downstream effects of A3AR activation have yielded contradictory results, thereby motivating the need for further investigations. Various chemical and biological tools have been developed for this purpose, ranging from fluorescent ligands to antibodies. Nevertheless, these probes are limited by their reversible mode of binding, relatively large size and often low specificity. Therefore, in this work, we have developed a clickable and covalent affinity-based probe (AfBP) to target the human A3AR. Herein, we show validation of the synthesized AfBP in radioligand displacement, SDS-PAGE and confocal microscopy experiments, as well as utilization of the AfBP for the detection of endogenous A3AR expression in flow cytometry experiments. Ultimately, this AfBP will aid future studies towards the expression and function of the A3AR in pathologies

Prolonged sampling of spontaneous sputum improves sensitivity of hypermethylation analysis for lung cancer

Aims The adequacy of lung cancer diagnosis with sputum cytology depends on duration of sputum sampling. The aim of this methodological study was to determine whether the hypermethylation detection rate of RASSF1A, adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and cytoglobin (CYGB) is influenced by the duration of sputum collection. Methods Prospective sputum samples were collected from 53 lung cancer patients and 47 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients as controls. Subjects collected spontaneous sputum at home during nine consecutive days in three canisters I, II and III (ie, days 1-3, days 4-6, days 7-9, respectively). Quantitative methylation-specific PCR was performed to assess gene promoter methylation status of RASSF1A, APC and CYGB. Results Analysis of each canister separately showed hypermethylation of RASSF1A, APC and/or CYGB in samples I, II and III, in 43%, 40% and 47% of cases, respectively. In control samples, these numbers were 4%, 2% and 4%, respectively. Cumulative analysis for days 1-6 and days 1-9 revealed an increase in sensitivity to 53% and 64%, and specificity of 94% and 91%, respectively. Conclusion Sputum collected over multiple successive days results in a gain in sensitivity for the detection of lung cancer, at the expense of a small loss in specificity. Condensed abstract Assessment of hypermethylation sensitivity of biomarkers in sputum collected over a prolonged period for the detection of lung cancer resulted in a promising gain in sensitivity, at the expense of a small loss in specificit

Combined sputum hypermethylation and eNose analysis for lung cancer diagnosis

The aim of this study is to explore DNA hypermethylation analysis in sputum and exhaled breath analysis for their complementary, non-invasive diagnostic capacity in lung cancer. Sputum samples and exhaled breath were prospectively collected from 20 lung cancer patients and 31 COPD controls (Set 1). An additional 18 lung cancer patients and 8 controls only collected exhaled breath as validation set (Set 2). DNA hypermethylation of biomarkers RASSF1A, cytoglobin, APC, FAM19A4, PHACTR3, 3OST2 and PRDM14 was considered, and breathprints from exhaled breath samples were created using an electronic nose (eNose). Both DNA hypermethylation markers in sputum and eNose were independently able to distinguish lung cancer patients from controls. The combination of RASSF1A and 3OST2 hypermethylation had a sensitivity of 85% with a specificity of 74%. eNose had a sensitivity of 80% with a specificity of 48%. Sensitivity for lung cancer diagnosis increased to 100%, when RASSF1A hypermethylation was combined with eNose, with specificity of 42%. Both methods showed to be complementary to each other (p≤0.011). eNose results were reproducible in Set 2. When used in concert, RASSF1A hypermethylation in sputum and exhaled breath analysis are complementary for lung cancer diagnosis, with 100% sensitivity in this series. This finding should be further validate