Benefits of Using a Transdisciplinary Approach for the Design and Operationalization of a Surveillance System

Abstract During the preparatory phase of a surveillance project in Western Kenya, it was noted that several animal health activities, including meat inspection, were recorded using paper-based forms. Through discussions with the meat inspectors and other slaughterhouse actors, an electronic meat inspection form was developed, tested, and used in two slaughterhouses in Bungoma County. The meat inspectors completed and submitted a form for every animal slaughtered at their facility over a 2.75-year period. In a feedback meeting with the meat inspectors and other stakeholders, areas for improvement were highlighted, such as the timely provision of feedback to the data providers, and the inclusion of data fields that allow for more detailed animal movement information. The meat inspectors remarked that the form made them feel appreciated and added value to their work as the data could be used to educate farmers on prevailing livestock conditions and provide economic incentives for disease control interventions. The data submitted via the electronic forms were of sufficient quality to be summarized and identify trends in the animal slaughterhouse throughput, as well as frequent reasons for meat condemnation and associated costs. These data could therefore set the foundation for a syndromic surveillance system based on slaughterhouse data. Other non-traditional data sources, such as livestock and meat transport certificates, could also be leveraged to create a post-farm animal health information system. Information © The Authors 2023 </jats:sec

The community of learning is in the Baobab tree — how the branches stay together in the context of professional preparation.

This article explores how participation in a community of learning supported transformation on a personal and professional level in a Master’s programme at a South African university. It draws on the concept of transformational learning in the professional preparation of educational psychologists, and how such learning plays out in the development of critical perspectives and shifts in personal paradigms. We report on a two-year ethnographic study that involved 13 of a total of 15 students enrolled for an Educational Psychology Master’s course. One of us (CW) acted as participant observer in the study and recorded the experiences of the participants through reflective letters that included symbolic metaphors, semi-structured group focus interviews, as well as a verification questionnaire. In our analysis and interpretation we used the metaphor of the Baobab tree, ‘the tree turned upside down’, because it is known for its resilience, holding capacity and continuous growth. We found the image to powerfully represent the dynamics of professional preparation and transformation in higher education

Spitzer bright, UltraVISTA faint sources in COSMOS: the contribution to the overall population of massive galaxies at z=3-7

We have analysed a sample of 574 Spitzer 4.5 micron-selected galaxies with [4.5]24 (AB) over the UltraVISTA ultra-deep COSMOS field. Our aim is to investigate whether these mid-IR bright, near-IR faint sources contribute significantly to the overall population of massive galaxies at redshifts z>=3. By performing a spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis using up to 30 photometric bands, we have determined that the redshift distribution of our sample peaks at redshifts z~2.5-3.0, and ~32% of the galaxies lie at z>=3. We have studied the contribution of these sources to the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) at high redshifts. We found that the [4.5]24 galaxies produce a negligible change to the GSMF previously determined for Ks_auto<24 sources at 3=<z<4, but their contribution is more important at 4=~50% of the galaxies with stellar masses Mst>~6 x 10^10 Msun. We also constrained the GSMF at the highest-mass end (Mst>~2 x 10^11 Msun) at z>=5. From their presence at 5=<z<6, and virtual absence at higher redshifts, we can pinpoint quite precisely the moment of appearance of the first most massive galaxies as taking place in the ~0.2 Gyr of elapsed time between z~6 and z~5. Alternatively, if very massive galaxies existed earlier in cosmic time, they should have been significantly dust-obscured to lie beyond the detection limits of current, large-area, deep near-IR surveys.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables. Updated to match version in press at the Ap

The Dwarf Irregular Galaxy UGC 7636 Exposed: Stripping At Work In The Virgo Cluster

We present the results of optical spectroscopy of a newly discovered H II region residing in the H I gas cloud located between the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 7636 and the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4472 in the Virgo Cluster. By comparing UGC 7636 with dwarf irregular galaxies in the field, we show that the H I cloud must have originated from UGC 7636 because (1) the oxygen abundance of the cloud agrees with that expected for a galaxy with the blue luminosity of UGC 7636, and (2) M_{H I}/L_B for UGC 7636 becomes consistent with the measured oxygen abundance of the cloud if the H I mass of the cloud is added back into UGC 7636. It is likely that tides from NGC 4472 first loosened the H I gas, after which ram-pressure stripping removed the gas from UGC 7636.Comment: 12 pages, 2 eps figures (AASTeX 5.0); accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Herd prevalence of bovine brucellosis and analysis of risk factors in cattle in urban and peri-urban areas of the Kampala economic zone, Uganda

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human brucellosis has been found to be prevalent in the urban areas of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. A cross-sectional study was designed to generate precise information on the prevalence of brucellosis in cattle and risk factors for the disease in its urban and peri-urban dairy farming systems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The adjusted herd prevalence of brucellosis was 6.5% (11/177, 95% CI: 3.6%-10.0%) and the adjusted individual animal prevalence was 5.0% (21/423, 95% CI: 2.7% - 9.3%) based on diagnosis using commercial kits of the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CELISA) for <it>Brucella abortus </it>antibodies. Mean within-herd prevalence was found to be 25.9% (95% CI: 9.7% - 53.1%) and brucellosis prevalence in an infected herd ranged from 9.1% to 50%. A risk factor could not be identified at the animal level but two risk factors were identified at the herd level: large herd size and history of abortion. The mean number of milking cows in a free-grazing herd (5.0) was significantly larger than a herd with a movement restricted (1.7, p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Vaccination should be targeted at commercial large-scale farms with free-grazing farming to control brucellosis in cattle in and around Kampala city.</p

Analysis of refractive endpoint differences between directional and non-directional projection screens

Analysis of refractive endpoint differences between directional and non-directional projection screen