Spatial Targeting for Bovine Tuberculosis Control: Can the Locations of Infected Cattle Be Used to Find Infected Badgers?

PubMed

Smith, Catherine M; Downs, Sara H; Mitchell, Andy; Hayward, Andrew C; Fry, Hannah; Le Comber, Steven C

2015-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis is a disease of historical importance to human health in the UK that remains a major animal health and economic issue. Control of the disease in cattle is complicated by the presence of a reservoir species, the Eurasian badger. In spite of uncertainty in the degree to which cattle disease results from transmission from badgers, and opposition from environmental groups, culling of badgers has been licenced in two large areas in England. Methods to limit culls to smaller areas that target badgers infected with TB whilst minimising the number of uninfected badgers culled is therefore of considerable interest. Here, we use historical data from a large-scale field trial of badger culling to assess two alternative hypothetical methods of targeting TB-infected badgers based on the distribution of cattle TB incidents: (i) a simple circular 'ring cull'; and (ii) geographic profiling, a novel technique for spatial targeting of infectious disease control that predicts the locations of sources of infection based on the distribution of linked cases. Our results showed that both methods required coverage of very large areas to ensure a substantial proportion of infected badgers were removed, and would result in many uninfected badgers being culled. Geographic profiling, which accounts for clustering of infections in badger and cattle populations, produced a small but non-significant increase in the proportion of setts with TB-infected compared to uninfected badgers included in a cull. It also provided no overall improvement at targeting setts with infected badgers compared to the ring cull. Cattle TB incidents in this study were therefore insufficiently clustered around TB-infected badger setts to design an efficient spatially targeted cull; and this analysis provided no evidence to support a move towards spatially targeted badger culling policies for bovine TB control.

Comparing badger (Meles meles) management strategies for reducing tuberculosis incidence in cattle.

PubMed

Smith, Graham C; McDonald, Robbie A; Wilkinson, David

2012-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, continues to be a serious economic problem for the British cattle industry. The Eurasian badger (Meles meles) is partly responsible for maintenance of the disease and its transmission to cattle. Previous attempts to manage the disease by culling badgers have been hampered by social perturbation, which in some situations is associated with increases in the cattle herd incidence of bTB. Following the licensing of an injectable vaccine, we consider the relative merits of management strategies to reduce bTB in badgers, and thereby reduce cattle herd incidence. We used an established simulation model of the badger-cattle-TB system and investigated four proposed strategies: business as usual with no badger management, large-scale proactive badger culling, badger vaccination, and culling with a ring of vaccination around it. For ease of comparison with empirical data, model treatments were applied over 150 km(2) and were evaluated over the whole of a 300 km(2) area, comprising the core treatment area and a ring of approximately 2 km. The effects of treatment were evaluated over a 10-year period comprising treatment for five years and the subsequent five year period without treatment. Against a background of existing disease control measures, where 144 cattle herd incidents might be expected over 10 years, badger culling prevented 26 cattle herd incidents while vaccination prevented 16. Culling in the core 150 km(2) plus vaccination in a ring around it prevented about 40 cattle herd breakdowns by partly mitigating the negative effects of culling, although this approach clearly required greater effort. While model outcomes were robust to uncertainty in parameter estimates, the outcomes of culling were sensitive to low rates of land access for culling, low culling efficacy, and the early cessation of a culling strategy, all of which were likely to lead to an overall increase in cattle disease.

7 CFR 51.343 - Culls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946... Standards for Grades of Apples for Processing Culls § 51.343 Culls. “Culls” consist of apples which fail to...

Indicators of cull in western Oregon conifers.

Treesearch

Paul E. Aho

1982-01-01

Descriptions and color photographs of important fungal sporophores (conks), other indicators of cull (wounds), and associated decays in western Oregon conifers are provided to aid timber markers, cruisers, and scalers in identifying them. Cull factors are given for the indicators by tree species.

Crop residue stabilization and application to agricultural and degraded soils: A review.

PubMed

Medina, Jorge; Monreal, Carlos; Barea, José Miguel; Arriagada, César; Borie, Fernando; Cornejo, Pablo

2015-08-01

Agricultural activities produce vast amounts of organic residues including straw, unmarketable or culled fruit and vegetables, post-harvest or post-processing wastes, clippings and residuals from forestry or pruning operations, and animal manure. Improper disposal of these materials may produce undesirable environmental (e.g. odors or insect refuges) and health impacts. On the other hand, agricultural residues are of interest to various industries and sectors of the economy due to their energy content (i.e., for combustion), their potential use as feedstock to produce biofuels and/or fine chemicals, or as a soil amendments for polluted or degraded soils when composted. Our objective is review new biotechnologies that could be used to manage these residues for land application and remediation of contaminated and eroded soils. Bibliographic information is complemented through a comprehensive review of the physico-chemical fundamental mechanisms involved in the transformation and stabilization of organic matter by biotic and abiotic soil components. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genotype by environment interactions on culling rates and 305-day milk yield of Holstein cows in 3 US regions.

PubMed

Tsuruta, S; Lourenco, D A L; Misztal, I; Lawlor, T J

2015-08-01

The objective of this study was to investigate genotype by environment interactions for culling rates and milk production in large and small dairy herds in 3 US regions, using genotypes, pedigree, and phenotypes. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker variances were also estimated in these different environments. Culling rates including cow mortality were based on 6 Dairy Herd Improvement termination codes reported by dairy producers. Separate data sets for culling rates and 305-d milk yield were created for large and small dairy herds in the US regions of the Southeast (SE), Southwest (SW), and Northeast (NE) for the first 3 lactation cows that calved between 1999 and 2008. Genomic information from 42,503 SNP markers on 34,506 bulls was included in the analysis to predict genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) of culling rates and 305-d milk yield with a single-step genomic BLUP using a bivariate threshold-linear model. Cow replacement rates in large SE and NE herds were higher. Heritability estimates of culling rates ranged from 0.03 to 0.11, but the differences were small between large and small herds and among the 3 US regions. Genetic correlations between culling rates and 305-d milk yield were medium to high for cows sold for poor production and reproduction problems. Correlations of GEBV for culling rates among the 3 US regions ranged from 0.34 to 0.92 and were lower between the SW and the other regions, especially in small herds. Correlations of GEBV between large and small herds ranged from 0.44 to 0.90 and were lower in the SW. These results indicate genotype by environment interactions of cow culling rate between the US regions and between large and small herds. Correlations of top 30 SNP marker effects for culling rates between 2 US regions ranged from 0.64 to 0.98 and were higher than those of more SNP marker effects except for a culling reason "sold for dairy purpose." Those correlations between large and small herds ranged from 0.67 to 0.98. High correlations of top SNP marker effects on culling reasons between the US regions and between large and small herds suggest that major markers can be useful for selection in different environments. The SNP variance shown in a marker gene segment on chromosome 14 was strongly associated with milk production in large and small herds in the NE but not in the SE and SW. Marker genes on chromosome 14 also showed a strong association with cow culling rates due to poor production and mortality in large herds in the NE. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 959.126 - Handling of culls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Handling of culls. 959.126 Section 959.126 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements...) Handled for canning or freezing. (b) As a safeguard against culls entering fresh market channels each...

Body traits, carcass characteristics and price of cull cows as affected by farm type, breed, age and calving to culling interval.

PubMed

Gallo, L; Sturaro, E; Bittante, G

2017-04-01

Beef production from cull cows is an additional source of income for dairy farms and greatly contributes to red meat production, but the sources of variation of live animal characteristics and the carcass traits of cull cows have rarely been examined. This study investigated the effects of the farm type, breed, age at slaughter (AGE) and calving to culling interval (Calv_Cull) on the body traits and carcass characteristics of dairy and dual-purpose cull cows. Data from 555 cull cows from 182 herds belonging to five farm types, characterised by a combination of housing and feeding systems, were recorded and analysed. Dairy breeds, such as Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss, and dual-purpose breeds (Simmental, Rendena) were included in the trait assessments. The day before slaughter, the cows were weighed and scored for body condition (BCS) and fleshiness, and then, their heart girth and wither height were measured. At the slaughterhouse, the carcass weight (CW), dressing percentage (DP), carcass conformation and fatness scores, carcass price per kg and carcass total value were obtained. On average, the cows were slaughtered at nearly 71±27 months of age, 285±187 days after the last calving; 615±95 kg BW; and provided a 257±51 kg CW. Nearly 50% of the cows fell within the BCS range of 2.75 to 3.50, and the carcasses were mostly graded in the lowest class of conformation and fatness scores. Cull cows from free-stall farms had a higher DP, carcass conformation score and price than those from traditional tie-stall farms. The breed influenced the AGE, live animal characteristics and carcass traits. Cows from dairy breeds were younger at slaughter, had a lower BCS and fleshiness, and greater body measurements, but a lower DP and carcass price than those from dual-purpose breeds, although differences between the breeds were found within both groups. The age of the cows at slaughter influenced the Calv_Cull and increased the BW, body measurements and CW, but not the fleshiness and fatness appreciation (both in vivo and postmortem) or carcass price. The increasing Calv_Cull improved the BW, BCS, fleshiness, CW and carcass conformation and fatness. In conclusion, the decision to cull dairy cows should also take into account the factors that affect their carcass value in regards to improving the carcass price of cows.

The importance of localized culling in stabilizing chronic wasting disease prevalence in white-tailed deer populations.

PubMed

Manjerovic, Mary Beth; Green, Michelle L; Mateus-Pinilla, Nohra; Novakofski, Jan

2014-01-01

Strategies to contain the spread of disease often are developed with incomplete knowledge of the possible outcomes but are intended to minimize the risks associated with delaying control. Culling of game species by government agencies is one approach to control disease in wild populations but is unpopular with hunters and wildlife enthusiasts, politically unpalatable, and erodes public support for agencies responsible for wildlife management. We addressed the functional differences between hunting and government culling programs for managing chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer by comparing prevalence over a 10-year period in Illinois and Wisconsin. When both Illinois and Wisconsin were actively culling from 2003 - 2007, there were no statistical differences between state CWD prevalence estimates. Wisconsin government culling concluded in 2007 and average prevalence over the next five years was 3.09 ± 1.13% with an average annual increase of 0.63%. During that same time period, Illinois continued government culling and there was no change in prevalence throughout Illinois. Despite its unpopularity among hunters, localized culling is a disease management strategy that can maintain low disease prevalence while minimizing impacts on recreational deer harvest. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Band Offsets and Interfacial Properties of HfAlO Gate Dielectric Grown on InP by Atomic Layer Deposition.

PubMed

Yang, Lifeng; Wang, Tao; Zou, Ying; Lu, Hong-Liang

2017-12-01

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy have been used to determine interfacial properties of HfO 2 and HfAlO gate dielectrics grown on InP by atomic layer deposition. An undesirable interfacial InP x O y layer is easily formed at the HfO 2 /InP interface, which can severely degrade the electrical performance. However, an abrupt interface can be achieved when the growth of the HfAlO dielectric on InP starts with an ultrathin Al 2 O 3 layer. The valence and conduction band offsets for HfAlO/InP heterojunctions have been determined to be 1.87 ± 0.1 and 2.83 ± 0.1 eV, respectively. These advantages make HfAlO a potential dielectric for InP MOSFETs.

Relationships between milk culture results and treatment for clinical mastitis or culling in Norwegian dairy cattle.

PubMed

Reksen, O; Sølverød, L; Branscum, A J; Osterås, O

2006-08-01

In quarter milk samples from 2,492 randomly sampled cows that were selected without regard to their current or previous udder health status, the relationships between the following outcome variables were studied: treatment of clinical mastitis; the joint event of either treatment or culling for mastitis; culling for all reasons; culling specifically for mastitis; and the covariates of positive milk culture for Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., or other pathogens, or of negative culture for mastitis pathogens. Microbiological diagnoses were assigned at the cow level, and altogether 3,075 diagnoses were related to the outcome variables. The relation between the absence of pathogens and rich (>1,500 cfu/mL of milk) or sparse (

9 CFR 147.17 - Laboratory procedure recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults for salmonella. 147.17 Section 147.17... poults for salmonella. The laboratory procedure described in this section is recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks from egg-type and meat-type chicken flocks and waterfowl, exhibition...

9 CFR 147.17 - Laboratory procedure recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults for salmonella. 147.17 Section 147.17... poults for salmonella. The laboratory procedure described in this section is recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks from egg-type and meat-type chicken flocks and waterfowl, exhibition...

9 CFR 147.17 - Laboratory procedure recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults for salmonella. 147.17 Section 147.17... poults for salmonella. The laboratory procedure described in this section is recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks from egg-type and meat-type chicken flocks and waterfowl, exhibition...

9 CFR 147.17 - Laboratory procedure recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults for salmonella. 147.17 Section 147.17... poults for salmonella. The laboratory procedure described in this section is recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks from egg-type and meat-type chicken flocks and waterfowl, exhibition...

9 CFR 147.17 - Laboratory procedure recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults for salmonella. 147.17 Section 147.17... poults for salmonella. The laboratory procedure described in this section is recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks from egg-type and meat-type chicken flocks and waterfowl, exhibition...

Contextual herd factors associated with cow culling risk in Québec dairy herds: A multilevel analysis.

PubMed

Haine, Denis; Delgado, Hector; Cue, Roger; Sewalem, Asheber; Wade, Kevin; Lacroix, René; Lefebvre, Daniel; Arsenault, Julie; Bouchard, Émile; Dubuc, Jocelyn

2017-09-01

Several health disorders, such as milk fever, displaced abomasum, and mastitis, as well as impaired reproductive performance, are known risk factors for the removal of affected cows from a dairy herd. While cow-level risk factors are well documented in the literature, herd-level associations have been less frequently investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of cow- and herd-level determinants on variations in culling risk in Québec dairy herds: whether herd influences a cow's culling risk. For this, we assessed the influence of herd membership on cow culling risk according to displaced abomasum, milk fever, and retained placenta. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on data from dairy herds in the Province of Québec, Canada, by extracting health information events from the dairy herd health management software used by most Québec dairy producers and their veterinarians. Data were extracted for all lactations starting between January 1st and December 31st, 2010. Using multilevel logistic regression, we analysed a total of 10,529 cows from 201 herds that met the inclusion criteria. Milk fever and displaced abomasum were demonstrated to increase the cow culling risk. A minor general herd effect was found for the culling risk (i.e. an intra-class correlation of 1.0% and median odds ratio [MOR] of 1.20). The proportion of first lactation cows was responsible for this significant, but weak herd effect on individual cow culling risk, after taking into account the cow-level factors. On the other hand, the herd's average milk production was a protective factor. The planning and management of forthcoming replacement animals has to be taken into consideration when assessing cow culling risks and herd culling rates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economic trade-offs between genetic improvement and longevity in dairy cattle.

PubMed

De Vries, A

2017-05-01

Genetic improvement in sires used for artificial insemination (AI) is increasing faster compared with a decade ago. The genetic merit of replacement heifers is also increasing faster and the genetic lag with older cows in the herd increases. This may trigger greater cow culling to capture this genetic improvement. On the other hand, lower culling rates are often viewed favorably because the costs and environmental effects of maintaining herd size are generally lower. Thus, there is an economic trade-off between genetic improvement and longevity in dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to investigate the principles, literature, and magnitude of these trade-offs. Data from the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding show that the estimated breeding value of the trait productive life has increased for 50 yr but the actual time cows spend in the herd has not increased. The average annual herd cull rate remains at approximately 36% and cow longevity is approximately 59 mo. The annual increase in average estimated breeding value of the economic index lifetime net merit of Holstein sires is accelerating from $40/yr when the sire entered AI around 2002 to $171/yr for sires that entered AI around 2012. The expectation is therefore that heifers born in 2015 are approximately $50 more profitable per lactation than heifers born in 2014. Asset replacement theory shows that assets should be replaced sooner when the challenging asset is technically improved. Few studies have investigated the direct effects of genetic improvement on optimal cull rates. A 35-yr-old study found that the economically optimal cull rates were in the range of 25 to 27%, compared with the lowest possible involuntary cull rate of 20%. Only a small effect was observed of using the best surviving dams to generate the replacement heifer calves. Genetic improvement from sires had little effect on the optimal cull rate. Another study that optimized culling decisions for individual cows also showed that the effect of changes in genetic improvement of milk revenue minus feed cost on herd longevity was relatively small. Reduced involuntary cull rates improved profitability, but also increased optimal voluntary culling. Finally, an economically optimal culling model with prices from 2015 confirmed that optimal annual cull rates were insensitive to heifer prices and therefore insensitive to genetic improvement in heifers. In conclusion, genetic improvement is important but does not warrant short cow longevity. Economic cow longevity continues to depends more on cow depreciation than on accelerated genetic improvements in heifers. This is confirmed by old and new studies. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Salmonella diversity and burden in cows on and culled from dairy farms in the Texas High Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to further characterize the epidemiology of Salmonella carried by dairy cows culled from herds in the Texas High Plains and marketed for human consumption. Feces were collected from 706 animals culled from a convenience sample of 9 dairies. In addition, individually...

Weekly agricultural emissions and ambient concentrations of ammonia: Validation of an emission inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bittman, Shabtai; Jones, Keith; Vingarzan, Roxanne; Hunt, Derek E.; Sheppard, Steve C.; Tait, John; So, Rita; Zhao, Johanna

2015-07-01

Weekly inventories for emissions of agricultural ammonia were calculated for 139 4 × 4 km grid cells over 52 weeks in the intensely farmed Lower Fraser Valley, BC. The grid cells were located both inside and outside an area that had been depopulated of poultry due to an outbreak of Avian Influenza prior to the start of the study. During the study period, ambient ammonia concentrations were measured hourly at two locations outside the cull area and one location inside the cull area. Large emission differences between grid cells and differences in temporal variation between cells were related to farming practices and meteorological factors such as temperature and rainfall. Weekly average ambient concentrations at the three sampling locations were significantly correlated with estimates of weekly emissions for many of the grid cells in the study area. Inside the cull area, ambient concentrations during the cull (week 1) were 37% of the concentrations after the cull (week 52), while outside the cull there was almost no difference between week 1 and week 52, suggesting that in normal (non-cull) conditions, about 60% of the ambient ammonia was due to poultry farms. Estimated emissions in weeks 1 and 52 for grid cells affected by the cull indicated that over 90% of the emissions came from poultry. The discrepancy in difference between week 1 and 52 for emissions and ambient concentrations could be due to atmospheric factors like transport, atmospheric reactions, dispersion or deposition; to errors in the inventory including farming data, emission factors; and omission of some non-poultry emission sources. Overall the study supports the ammonia emission inventory estimates. Detailed emission data helps in modeling ammonia in the atmosphere and is useful for developing abatement policy.

Blood does not buy goodwill: allowing culling increases poaching of a large carnivore

PubMed Central

Chapron, Guillaume; Treves, Adrian

2016-01-01

Quantifying environmental crime and the effectiveness of policy interventions is difficult because perpetrators typically conceal evidence. To prevent illegal uses of natural resources, such as poaching endangered species, governments have advocated granting policy flexibility to local authorities by liberalizing culling or hunting of large carnivores. We present the first quantitative evaluation of the hypothesis that liberalizing culling will reduce poaching and improve population status of an endangered carnivore. We show that allowing wolf (Canis lupus) culling was substantially more likely to increase poaching than reduce it. Replicated, quasi-experimental changes in wolf policies in Wisconsin and Michigan, USA, revealed that a repeated policy signal to allow state culling triggered repeated slowdowns in wolf population growth, irrespective of the policy implementation measured as the number of wolves killed. The most likely explanation for these slowdowns was poaching and alternative explanations found no support. When the government kills a protected species, the perceived value of each individual of that species may decline; so liberalizing wolf culling may have sent a negative message about the value of wolves or acceptability of poaching. Our results suggest that granting management flexibility for endangered species to address illegal behaviour may instead promote such behaviour. PMID:27170719

Relationships between mastitis and functional longevity in Danish Black and White dairy cattle estimated using survival analysis.

PubMed

Neerhof, H J; Madsen, P; Ducrocq, V P; Vollema, A R; Jensen, J; Korsgaard, I R

2000-05-01

The relationship between mastitis and functional longevity was assessed with survival analysis on data of Danish Black and White dairy cows. Different methods of including the effect of mastitis treatment on the culling decision by a farmer in the model were compared. The model in which mastitis treatment was assumed to have an effect on functional longevity until the end of the lactation had the highest likelihood, and the model in which mastitis treatment had an effect for only a short period had the lowest likelihood. A cow with mastitis had 1.69 times greater risk of being culled than did a healthy herdmate with all other effects being the same. A model without mastitis treatment was used to predict transmitting abilities of bulls for risk of being culled, based on longevity records of their daughters, and was expressed in terms of risk of being culled. The correlation between the risk of being culled and the national evaluations of the bulls for mastitis resistance was approximately -0.4, indicating that resistance against mastitis was genetically correlated with a lower risk of being culled and, thus, a longer functional length of productive life.

Solid-phase extraction of copper(II) in water and food samples using silica gel modified with bis(3-aminopropyl)amine and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

PubMed

Cagirdi, Duygu; Altundag, Hüseyin; Imamoglu, Mustafa; Tuzen, Mustafa

2014-01-01

A simple and selective separation and preconcentration method was developed for the determination of Cu(ll) ions. This method is based on adsorption of Cu(ll) ions from aqueous solution on a bis(3-aminopropyl)amine modified silica gel column and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination after desorption. Various analytical parameters such as pH, type of eluent solution and its volume, flow rate of sample and eluent, and sample volume were optimized. Effects of some cation, anion, and transition metal ions on the recoveries of Cu(ll) ions were also investigated. Cu(ll) ions were quantitatively recovered at pH 6; 5.0 mL of 2 M HCI was used as the eluent. The preconcentration factor was found to be 150. The LOD was 0.12 microg/L for Cu(ll). The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analysis of Tea Leaves (INCT-TL-1) and Fish Protein (DORM-3) certified reference materials. The optimized method was applied to various water and food samples for the determination of Cu(ll).

Cull sow knife-separable lean content evaluation at harvest and lean mass content prediction equation development.

PubMed

Abell, Caitlyn E; Stalder, Kenneth J; Hendricks, Haven B; Fitzgerald, Robert F

2012-07-01

The objectives of this study were to develop a prediction equation for carcass knife-separable lean within and across USDA cull sow market weight classes (MWC) and to determine carcass and individual primal cut knife separable lean content from cull sows. There were significant percent lean and fat differences in the primal cuts across USDA MWC. The two lighter USDA MWC had a greater percent carcass lean and lower percent fat compared to the two heavier MWC. In general, hot carcass weight explained the majority of carcass lean variation. Additionally, backfat was a significant variation source when predicting cull sow carcass lean. The findings support using a single lean prediction equation across MWC to assist processors when making cull sow purchasing decisions and determine the mix of animals from various USDA MWC that will meet their needs when making pork products with defined lean:fat content. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epidemiological models to control the spread of information in marine mammals.

PubMed

Schakner, Zachary A; Buhnerkempe, Michael G; Tennis, Mathew J; Stansell, Robert J; van der Leeuw, Bjorn K; Lloyd-Smith, James O; Blumstein, Daniel T

2016-12-14

Socially transmitted wildlife behaviours that create human-wildlife conflict are an emerging problem for conservation efforts, but also provide a unique opportunity to apply principles of infectious disease control to wildlife management. As an example, California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) have learned to exploit concentrations of migratory adult salmonids below the fish ladders at Bonneville Dam, impeding endangered salmonid recovery. Proliferation of this foraging behaviour in the sea lion population has resulted in a controversial culling programme of individual sea lions at the dam, but the impact of such culling remains unclear. To evaluate the effectiveness of current and alternative culling strategies, we used network-based diffusion analysis on a long-term dataset to demonstrate that social transmission is implicated in the increase in dam-foraging behaviour and then studied different culling strategies within an epidemiological model of the behavioural transmission data. We show that current levels of lethal control have substantially reduced the rate of social transmission, but failed to effectively reduce overall sea lion recruitment. Earlier implementation of culling could have substantially reduced the extent of behavioural transmission and, ultimately, resulted in fewer animals being culled. Epidemiological analyses offer a promising tool to understand and control socially transmissible behaviours. © 2016 The Author(s).

Depth-dependent effects of culling-do mesophotic lionfish populations undermine current management?

PubMed

Andradi-Brown, Dominic A; Grey, Rachel; Hendrix, Alicia; Hitchner, Drew; Hunt, Christina L; Gress, Erika; Madej, Konrad; Parry, Rachel L; Régnier-McKellar, Catriona; Jones, Owen P; Arteaga, María; Izaguirre, Andrea P; Rogers, Alex D; Exton, Dan A

2017-05-01

Invasive lionfish ( Pterois volitans and P. miles ) have spread widely across the western Atlantic and are recognized as a major threat to native marine biodiversity. Although lionfish inhabit both shallow reefs and mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs; reefs from 30 to 150 m depth), the primary management response implemented by many countries has been diver-led culling limited to reefs less than 30 m. However, many reef fish undergo ontogenetic migrations, with the largest and therefore most fecund individuals found at greatest depths. Here, we study lionfish density, body size, maturity and dietary patterns across the depth gradient from the surface down to 85 m on heavily culled reefs around Utila, Honduras. We found lionfish at increased densities, body size and weight on MCEs compared with shallow reefs, with MCEs also containing the greatest proportion of actively spawning females, while shallow reefs contained the greatest proportion of immature lionfish. We then compared lionfish behaviour in response to divers on shallow culled and mesophotic unculled Utilan reefs, and on shallow unculled reefs in Tela Bay, on the Honduran mainland. We found that mesophotic lionfish exhibited high alert distances, consistent with individuals previously exposed to culling despite being below the depth limits of removal. In addition, when examining stomach content, we found that fish were the major component of lionfish diets across the depth gradient. Importantly, our results suggest that despite adjacent shallow culling, MCEs retain substantial lionfish populations that may be disproportionately contributing towards continued lionfish recruitment onto the shallow reefs of Utila, potentially undermining current culling-based management.

Model of Selective and Non-Selective Management of Badgers (Meles meles) to Control Bovine Tuberculosis in Badgers and Cattle

PubMed Central

Smith, Graham C.; Delahay, Richard J.; McDonald, Robbie A.

2016-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) causes substantial economic losses to cattle farmers and taxpayers in the British Isles. Disease management in cattle is complicated by the role of the European badger (Meles meles) as a host of the infection. Proactive, non-selective culling of badgers can reduce the incidence of disease in cattle but may also have negative effects in the area surrounding culls that have been associated with social perturbation of badger populations. The selective removal of infected badgers would, in principle, reduce the number culled, but the effects of selective culling on social perturbation and disease outcomes are unclear. We used an established model to simulate non-selective badger culling, non-selective badger vaccination and a selective trap and vaccinate or remove (TVR) approach to badger management in two distinct areas: South West England and Northern Ireland. TVR was simulated with and without social perturbation in effect. The lower badger density in Northern Ireland caused no qualitative change in the effect of management strategies on badgers, although the absolute number of infected badgers was lower in all cases. However, probably due to differing herd density in Northern Ireland, the simulated badger management strategies caused greater variation in subsequent cattle bTB incidence. Selective culling in the model reduced the number of badgers killed by about 83% but this only led to an overall benefit for cattle TB incidence if there was no social perturbation of badgers. We conclude that the likely benefit of selective culling will be dependent on the social responses of badgers to intervention but that other population factors including badger and cattle density had little effect on the relative benefits of selective culling compared to other methods, and that this may also be the case for disease management in other wild host populations. PMID:27893809

Model of Selective and Non-Selective Management of Badgers (Meles meles) to Control Bovine Tuberculosis in Badgers and Cattle.

PubMed

Smith, Graham C; Delahay, Richard J; McDonald, Robbie A; Budgey, Richard

2016-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) causes substantial economic losses to cattle farmers and taxpayers in the British Isles. Disease management in cattle is complicated by the role of the European badger (Meles meles) as a host of the infection. Proactive, non-selective culling of badgers can reduce the incidence of disease in cattle but may also have negative effects in the area surrounding culls that have been associated with social perturbation of badger populations. The selective removal of infected badgers would, in principle, reduce the number culled, but the effects of selective culling on social perturbation and disease outcomes are unclear. We used an established model to simulate non-selective badger culling, non-selective badger vaccination and a selective trap and vaccinate or remove (TVR) approach to badger management in two distinct areas: South West England and Northern Ireland. TVR was simulated with and without social perturbation in effect. The lower badger density in Northern Ireland caused no qualitative change in the effect of management strategies on badgers, although the absolute number of infected badgers was lower in all cases. However, probably due to differing herd density in Northern Ireland, the simulated badger management strategies caused greater variation in subsequent cattle bTB incidence. Selective culling in the model reduced the number of badgers killed by about 83% but this only led to an overall benefit for cattle TB incidence if there was no social perturbation of badgers. We conclude that the likely benefit of selective culling will be dependent on the social responses of badgers to intervention but that other population factors including badger and cattle density had little effect on the relative benefits of selective culling compared to other methods, and that this may also be the case for disease management in other wild host populations.

A multivariable assessment quantifying effects of cohort-level factors associated with combined mortality and culling risk in cohorts of U.S. commercial feedlot cattle.

PubMed

Babcock, A H; Cernicchiaro, N; White, B J; Dubnicka, S R; Thomson, D U; Ives, S E; Scott, H M; Milliken, G A; Renter, D G

2013-01-01

Economic losses due to cattle mortality and culling have a substantial impact on the feedlot industry. Since criteria for culling may vary and may affect measures of cumulative mortality within cattle cohorts, it is important to assess both mortality and culling when evaluating cattle losses over time and among feedlots. To date, there are no published multivariable assessments of factors associated with combined mortality and culling risk. Our objective was to evaluate combined mortality and culling losses in feedlot cattle cohorts and quantify effects of commonly measured cohort-level risk factors (weight at feedlot arrival, gender, and month of feedlot arrival) using data routinely collected by commercial feedlots. We used retrospective data representing 8,904,965 animals in 54,416 cohorts from 16 U.S. feedlots from 2000 to 2007. The sum of mortality and culling counts for each cohort (given the number of cattle at risk) was used to generate the outcome of interest, the cumulative incidence of combined mortality and culling. Associations between this outcome variable and cohort-level risk factors were evaluated using a mixed effects multivariable negative binomial regression model with random effects for feedlot, year, month and week of arrival. Mean arrival weight of the cohort, gender, and arrival month and a three-way interaction (and corresponding two-way interactions) among arrival weight, gender and month were significantly (P<0.05) associated with the outcome. Results showed that as the mean arrival weight of the cohort increased, mortality and culling risk decreased, but effects of arrival weight were modified both by the gender of the cohort and the month of feedlot arrival. There was a seasonal pattern in combined mortality and culling risk for light and middle-weight male and female cohorts, with a significantly (P<0.05) higher risk for cattle arriving at the feedlot in spring and summer (March-September) than in cattle arriving during fall, and winter months (November-February). Our results quantified effects of covariate patterns that have been heretofore difficult to fully evaluate in smaller scale studies; in addition, they illustrated the importance of utilizing multivariable approaches when quantifying risk factors in heterogeneous feedlot populations. Estimated effects from our model could be useful for managing financial risks associated with adverse health events based on data that are routinely available. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Apparatus for providing a servo drive signal in a high-speed stepping interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schindler, R. A. (Inventor)

1979-01-01

An analog voltage approximately linearly proportional to a desired offset from the present null position of a moving mirror in an interferometer is applied to the mirror moving means. As the mirror moves to the next null position, as determined by the analog voltage, the fringes of a laser reference interference pattern are detected. At the occurrence of each fringe the analog voltage is reduced proportionally so that when the next null position is reached, this driving analog is effectively zero. A binary up/down counter, by its internal count, causes a digital/analog converter to supply the analog voltage to the mirror moving means. Fringe detection and direction of movement logic cause the binary up/down counter to be decremented from its offset count as the mirror is moved to the new null position. Undesirable movement of the mirror due to vibration or other sources causes a correcting drive signal to be applied to the mirror moving means that is proportional to the distance of movement.

What doesn't kill you makes you wary? Effect of repeated culling on the behaviour of an invasive predator.

PubMed

Côté, Isabelle M; Darling, Emily S; Malpica-Cruz, Luis; Smith, Nicola S; Green, Stephanie J; Curtis-Quick, Jocelyn; Layman, Craig

2014-01-01

As a result of being hunted, animals often alter their behaviour in ways that make future encounters with predators less likely. When hunting is carried out for conservation, for example to control invasive species, these behavioural changes can inadvertently impede the success of future efforts. We examined the effects of repeated culling by spearing on the behaviour of invasive predatory lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on Bahamian coral reef patches. We compared the extent of concealment and activity levels of lionfish at dawn and midday on 16 coral reef patches off Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Eight of the patches had been subjected to regular daytime removals of lionfish by spearing for two years. We also estimated the distance at which lionfish became alert to slowly approaching divers on culled and unculled reef patches. Lionfish on culled reefs were less active and hid deeper within the reef during the day than lionfish on patches where no culling had occurred. There were no differences at dawn when removals do not take place. Lionfish on culled reefs also adopted an alert posture at a greater distance from divers than lionfish on unculled reefs. More crepuscular activity likely leads to greater encounter rates by lionfish with more native fish species because the abundance of reef fish outside of shelters typically peaks at dawn and dusk. Hiding deeper within the reef could also make remaining lionfish less likely to be encountered and more difficult to catch by spearfishers during culling efforts. Shifts in the behaviour of hunted invasive animals might be common and they have implications both for the impact of invasive species and for the design and success of invasive control programs.

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Wary? Effect of Repeated Culling on the Behaviour of an Invasive Predator

PubMed Central

Côté, Isabelle M.; Darling, Emily S.; Malpica-Cruz, Luis; Smith, Nicola S.; Green, Stephanie J.; Curtis-Quick, Jocelyn; Layman, Craig

2014-01-01

As a result of being hunted, animals often alter their behaviour in ways that make future encounters with predators less likely. When hunting is carried out for conservation, for example to control invasive species, these behavioural changes can inadvertently impede the success of future efforts. We examined the effects of repeated culling by spearing on the behaviour of invasive predatory lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on Bahamian coral reef patches. We compared the extent of concealment and activity levels of lionfish at dawn and midday on 16 coral reef patches off Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Eight of the patches had been subjected to regular daytime removals of lionfish by spearing for two years. We also estimated the distance at which lionfish became alert to slowly approaching divers on culled and unculled reef patches. Lionfish on culled reefs were less active and hid deeper within the reef during the day than lionfish on patches where no culling had occurred. There were no differences at dawn when removals do not take place. Lionfish on culled reefs also adopted an alert posture at a greater distance from divers than lionfish on unculled reefs. More crepuscular activity likely leads to greater encounter rates by lionfish with more native fish species because the abundance of reef fish outside of shelters typically peaks at dawn and dusk. Hiding deeper within the reef could also make remaining lionfish less likely to be encountered and more difficult to catch by spearfishers during culling efforts. Shifts in the behaviour of hunted invasive animals might be common and they have implications both for the impact of invasive species and for the design and success of invasive control programs. PMID:24705447

An agent-based model evaluation of economic control strategies for paratuberculosis in a dairy herd.

PubMed

Verteramo Chiu, Leslie J; Tauer, Loren W; Al-Mamun, Mohammad A; Kaniyamattam, Karun; Smith, Rebecca L; Grohn, Yrjo T

2018-04-25

This paper uses an agent-based simulation model to estimate the costs associated with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP), or Johne's disease, in a milking herd, and to determine the net benefits of implementing various control strategies. The net present value (NPV) of a 1,000-cow milking herd is calculated over 20 yr, parametrized to a representative US commercial herd. The revenues of the herd are generated from sales of milk and culled animals. The costs include all variable and fixed costs necessary to operate a representative 1,000-cow milking herd. We estimate the NPV of the herd with no MAP infection, under an expected endemic infection distribution with no controls, and under an expected endemic infection distribution with various controls. The initial number of cows in a herd with an endemic MAP infection is distributed as 75% susceptible, 13% latent, 9% low MAP shedding, and 3% high MAP shedding. Control strategies include testing using ELISA and fecal culture tests and culling of cows that test positive, and culling based on observable milk production decrease. Results show that culling cows based on test results does not increase the herd's NPV and in most cases decreases NPV due to test costs as well as false positives and negatives with their associated costs (e.g., culling healthy cows and keeping infected cows). Culling consistently low producing cows when MAP is believed to be present in the herd produces higher NPV over the strategy of testing and culling MAP infected animals, and over the case of no MAP control. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationships between metabolite and IGF1 concentrations with fertility and production outcomes following left abomasal displacement.

PubMed

Lyons, N A; Cooke, J S; Wilson, S; van Winden, S C; Gordon, P J; Wathes, D C

2014-06-28

Left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) is an important periparturient disorder of dairy cows. This study evaluated differences in metabolic parameters between case-control pairs of cows (n=67) from 24 farms, and related these to outcomes in fertility and production. Cows with an assisted delivery were ×3 more likely to develop LDA, and affected cows tended to have had a longer dry period. At recruitment, cows with LDA tended to be in lower body condition accompanied by significantly higher circulating concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and glucose and lower IGF1. Overall culling rate for all cows in the subsequent lactation was 22.5 per cent. Cows with LDA were not at increased odds of being culled but they produced, on average, 2272 l less milk and tended to have longer intervals to conception. Considering all cows irrespective of LDA status, the mean IGF1 level at recruitment was the only measured parameter associated with subsequent risk of culling (culled 11.7 ng/ml, not culled 23.5 ng/ml; P=0.005). Our findings support previous work indicating that poor insulin sensitivity through an uncoupling of the somatotrophic axis may be an important factor associated with LDA. Improved nutritional management of dry cows should reduce the incidence of both LDA and culling. British Veterinary Association.

Optical spectroscopy and initial mass function of z = 0.4 red galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Baitian; Worthey, Guy

2017-05-01

Spectral absorption features can be used to constrain the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in the integrated light of galaxies. Spectral indices used at low redshift are in the far red, and therefore increasingly hard to detect at higher and higher redshifts as they pass out of atmospheric transmission and CCD detector wavelength windows. We employ IMF-sensitive indices at bluer wavelengths. We stack spectra of red, quiescent galaxies around z = 0.4 from the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey. The z = 0.4 red galaxies have 2 Gyr average ages so that they cannot be passively evolving precursors of nearby galaxies. They are slightly enhanced in C and Na, and slightly depressed in Ti. Split by luminosity, the fainter half appears to be older, a result that should be checked with larger samples in the future. We uncover no evidence for IMF evolution between z = 0.4 and now, but we highlight the importance of sample selection, finding that an SDSS sample culled to select archetypal elliptical galaxies at z ˜ 0 is offset towards a more bottom-heavy IMF. Other samples, including our DEEP2 sample, show an offset towards a more spiral galaxy-like IMF. All samples confirm that the reddest galaxies look bottom-heavy compared with bluer ones. Sample selection also influences age-colour trends: red, luminous galaxies always look old and metal rich, but the bluer ones can be more metal poor, the same abundance or more metal rich, depending on how they are selected.

Culling from the actors' perspectives-Decision-making criteria for culling in Québec dairy herds enrolled in a veterinary preventive medicine program.

PubMed

Haine, Denis; Cue, Roger; Sewalem, Asheber; Wade, Kevin; Lacroix, René; Lefebvre, Daniel; Rushton, Jonathan; Arsenault, Julie; Bouchard, Émile; Dubuc, Jocelyn

2017-12-01

The series of events leading to the decision to cull a cow is complex, involving both individual-level and herd-level factors. While the decision is guided by financial returns, it is also influenced by social and psychological factors. Research studies on the motivational and behavioural aspects of farmers' decision utility are sparse, and nonexistent regarding culling expectations and its decision process. Our goal was to identify shared criteria on culling decisions held by dairy producers and farm advisers, with the help of the Q-methodology. Forty-one dairy producers and 42 advisers (17 veterinarians, 13 feed mill advisers, and 12 dairy herd improvement (DHI) advisers) undertook a Q-sort with 40 statements that represented a range of views about cow and herd health, production performance, management issues, and material factors that might impact their culling decision-making process. The sorts were analysed by-person using factor analysis and oblimin rotation. A single view on culling could be identified among dairy producers that can be extended to dairy farm advisers, who showed two variations of the same well-structured, uni-dimensional decision-making process. Udder health, milk production performance, and milk quota management were the key criteria for the culling decision. Farm management parameters (debts, amortization, employees, milking parlour capacity, herd size) did not play any role in the decision process. Three key differences were, however, identified between producers and the two types of advisers. One group of advisers followed the recommendations from mathematical models, where pregnancy is a major determinant of a cow's value. They assessed the cow in a more abstract way than did the other participants, still taking into account udder health and milk production, but adding economic considerations, like the availability of financial incentives and an evaluation of the post-partum health of the cow. Dairy producers were also more concerned about producing healthy and safe milk, which might reflect a different value given to dairy farming than by advisers. Very different degrees of importance were given to animal welfare by the three groups, which could represent different views on the attributed relationships between dairy farmers and their animals. Our findings suggest that dairy producers and their advisers hold a general common view regarding culling decision-making. However there are significant differences between producers and advisers, and among advisers. Understanding and managing these differences is important for assisting the change management processes required to increase farm profitability, and call for further investigation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Consequences of harvesting for genetic diversity in American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.): A simulation study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cruse-Sanders, J. M.; Hamrick, J.L.; Ahumada, J.A.

2005-01-01

American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius L., is one of the most heavily traded medicinal plants in North America. The effect of harvest on genetic diversity in ginseng was measured with a single generation culling simulation program. Culling scenarios included random harvest at varying levels, legal limit random harvest and legal limit mature plant harvest. The legal limit was determined by the proportion of legally harvestable plants per population (% mature plants per population). Random harvest at varying levels resulted in significant loss of genetic diversity, especially allelic richness. Relative to initial levels, average within-population genetic diversity (H e) was significantly lower when plants were culled randomly at the legal limit (Mann-Whitney U = 430, p < 0.001) or when only mature plants were culled (Mann-Whitney U = 394, p < 0.01). Within-population genetic diversity was significantly higher with legal limit mature plant harvest (H e = 0.068) than when plants were culled randomly at the legal limit (H e = 0.064; U = 202, p < 0.01). Based on these simulations of harvest over one generation, we recommend that harvesting fewer than the proportion of mature plants could reduce the negative genetic effects of harvest on ginseng populations. ?? Springer 2005.

Predictive model for CO2 generation and decay in building envelopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aglan, Heshmat A.

2003-01-01

Understanding carbon dioxide generation and decay patterns in buildings with high occupancy levels is useful to identify their indoor air quality, air change rates, percent fresh air makeup, occupancy pattern, and how a variable air volume system to off-set undesirable CO2 level can be modulated. A mathematical model governing the generation and decay of CO2 in building envelopes with forced ventilation due to high occupancy is developed. The model has been verified experimentally in a newly constructed energy efficient healthy house. It was shown that the model accurately predicts the CO2 concentration at any time during the generation and decay processes.

Culling from the herd's perspective-Exploring herd-level management factors and culling rates in Québec dairy herds.

PubMed

Haine, Denis; Delgado, Hector; Cue, Roger; Sewalem, Asheber; Wade, Kevin; Lacroix, René; Lefebvre, Daniel; Arsenault, Julie; Bouchard, Émile; Dubuc, Jocelyn

2017-11-01

The relationship between cows' health, reproductive performance or disorders and their longevity is well demonstrated in the literature. However these associations at the cow level might not hold true at the herd level, and herd-level variables can modify cow-level outcomes independently of the cows' characteristics. The interaction between cow-level and herd-level variables is a relevant issue for understanding the culling of dairy cows. However it requires the appropriate group-level variables to assess any contextual effect. Based on 10 years of health and production data, the objectives of this paper are:(a) to quantify the culling rates of dairy herds in Québec; (b) to determine the profiles of the herds based on herd-level factors, such as demographics, reproduction, production and health indicators, and whether these profiles can be related to herd culling rates for use as potential contextual variables in multilevel modelling of culling risk. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on data from dairy herds in Québec, Canada, by extracting health information events from the dairy herd health management software used by most Québec producers and their veterinarians. Data were extracted for all lactations taking place between January 1st, 2001 and December 31st, 2010. A total of 432,733 lactations from 156,409 cows out of 763 herds were available for analysis. Thirty cow-level variables were aggregated for each herd and years of follow-up, and their relationship was investigated by Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA). The overall annual culling rate was 32%, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of [31.6%,32.5%]. The dairy sale rate by 60 days in milk (DIM) was 3.2% [2.8%,3.6%]. The annual culling rate within 60 DIM was 8.2% [7.9%,8.4%]. The explained variance for each axis from the MFA was very low: 14.8% for the first axis and 13.1% for the second. From the MFA results, we conclude there is no relationship between the groups of herd-level indicators, demonstrating the heterogeneity among herds for their demographics, reproduction and production performance, and health status. However, based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the profiles of herds could be determined according to specific, single, herd-level indicators independently. The relationships between culling rates and specific herd-level variables within factors were limited to livestock sales, proportion of first lactation cows, herd size, proportion of calvings occurring in the fall, longer calving intervals and reduced 21-day pregnancy rates, increased days to first service, average age at first calving, and reduced milk fever incidence. The indicators found could be considered as contextual variables in multilevel model-building strategies to investigate cow culling risk. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Role of Game (Wild Boar and Roe Deer) in the Spread of Tick-Borne Encephalitis in the Czech Republic

PubMed Central

Daniel, Milan; Benes, Cestmir; Maly, Marek

2014-01-01

Abstract In the Czech Republic, the incidence of human tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has been increasing over the last two decades. At the same time, populations of game have also shown an upward trend. In this country, the ungulate game is the main host group of hosts for Ixodes ricinus female ticks. This study examined the potential contribution of two most widespread game species (roe deer [Capreolus capreolus] and wild boar [Sus scrofa]) to the high incidence of TBE in the Czech Republic, using the annual numbers of culls as a proxy for the game population. This was an ecological study, with annual figures for geographical areas—municipalities with extended competence (MEC)—used as units of analysis. Between 2003 and 2011, a total of 6213 TBE cases were reported, and 1062,308 roe deer and 989,222 wild boars were culled; the culls of roe deer did not demonstrate a clear temporal trend, but wild boar culls almost doubled (from 77,269 to 143,378 per year). Statistical analyses revealed a positive association between TBE incidence rate and the relative number of culled wild boars. In multivariate analyses, a change in the numbers of culled wild boars between the 25th and 75th percentile was associated with TBE incidence rate ratio of 1.23 (95% confidence interval 1.07–1.41, p=0.003). By contrast, the association of TBE with culled roe deer was not statistically significant (p=0.481). The results suggest that the size of the wild boar population may have contributed to the current high levels and the rising trend in incidence of TBE, whereas the regulated population of roe deer does not seem to be implicated in recent geographical or temporal variations in TBE in the Czech Republic. PMID:25409271

Bolts Salvaged From Cull Oaks

Treesearch

B. E. Carpenter

1959-01-01

But how about bolts from cull oaks on upland pine sites? Though a bolt operation in such material offers many difficulties, at least one Southern firm is currently trying it. That firm is Potlatch Forests, Inc., of Warren, Arkansas.

Estimating cull in northern hardwoods

Treesearch

W.M. Zillgitt; S.R. Gevorkiantz

1946-01-01

Cull in northern hardwood stands is often very heavy and is difficult to estimate. To help clarify this situation and aid the average cruiser to become more accurate in his estimates, the study reported here should prove very helpful.

Depth-dependent effects of culling—do mesophotic lionfish populations undermine current management?

PubMed Central

Grey, Rachel; Hendrix, Alicia; Hitchner, Drew; Gress, Erika; Madej, Konrad; Parry, Rachel L.; Régnier-McKellar, Catriona; Jones, Owen P.; Arteaga, María; Izaguirre, Andrea P.; Rogers, Alex D.; Exton, Dan A.

2017-01-01

Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) have spread widely across the western Atlantic and are recognized as a major threat to native marine biodiversity. Although lionfish inhabit both shallow reefs and mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs; reefs from 30 to 150 m depth), the primary management response implemented by many countries has been diver-led culling limited to reefs less than 30 m. However, many reef fish undergo ontogenetic migrations, with the largest and therefore most fecund individuals found at greatest depths. Here, we study lionfish density, body size, maturity and dietary patterns across the depth gradient from the surface down to 85 m on heavily culled reefs around Utila, Honduras. We found lionfish at increased densities, body size and weight on MCEs compared with shallow reefs, with MCEs also containing the greatest proportion of actively spawning females, while shallow reefs contained the greatest proportion of immature lionfish. We then compared lionfish behaviour in response to divers on shallow culled and mesophotic unculled Utilan reefs, and on shallow unculled reefs in Tela Bay, on the Honduran mainland. We found that mesophotic lionfish exhibited high alert distances, consistent with individuals previously exposed to culling despite being below the depth limits of removal. In addition, when examining stomach content, we found that fish were the major component of lionfish diets across the depth gradient. Importantly, our results suggest that despite adjacent shallow culling, MCEs retain substantial lionfish populations that may be disproportionately contributing towards continued lionfish recruitment onto the shallow reefs of Utila, potentially undermining current culling-based management. PMID:28573007

Destructive tension: mathematics versus experience--the progress and control of the 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic in Great Britain.

PubMed

Mansley, L M; Donaldson, A I; Thrusfield, M V; Honhold, N

2011-08-01

The 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic in Great Britain was characterised by control using both traditional and novel methods, some resulting from conclusions of mathematical models. Seven days before the implementation of the novel controversial automatic pre-emptive culling of all susceptible livestock on premises adjacent to infected premises (the 'contiguous cull'), the spread of infection had already been controlled by a combination of the traditional stamping out policy with a national movement ban on livestock. A second controversial novel policy requiring the slaughter of sheep within 3 km of premises on which disease had been confirmed (the 3-km cull) also commenced after the peak of infection spread, was untargeted and took several weeks to complete; serosurveillance of culled sheep detected infection in only one flock, suggesting that cryptic infection of sheep was not propagating the epidemic. Extensive post-epidemic serological surveillance of sheep found only a small number of seropositive animals in a very few flocks, suggesting that foot and mouth disease may self-limit in extensive sheep populations. The epidemic was finally brought to an end following the introduction of enhanced agricultural movement restrictions and biosecurity measures. A welfare culling scheme of unaffected animals was required to support the prolonged national livestock movement ban. The models that supported the contiguous culling policy were severely flawed, being based on data from dissimilar epidemics; used inaccurate background population data, and contained highly improbable biological assumptions about the temporal and quantitative parameters of infection and virus emission in infected herds and flocks.

Comparative fermentation behaviour and chemical characteristics of Saccharomyces and Zymomonas fermented culled apple juice.

PubMed

Sandhu, D K; Joshi, V K

1994-12-01

Ethanol production from culled apple juice showed that fermentability of the juice could be enhanced by addition of DAHP or ammonium sulphate in Saccharomyces and DAHP in Zymomonas fermentation. Addition of trace elements inhibited both the fermentations and ethanol, consequently. With respect to by-products of fermentation, no clear advantage of Zymomnas fermentation of culled apple juice could be observed. Differences in physico-chemical characteristics of the fermented apple juice were also noted. Saccharomyces cerevisiae proved to be better than Zymomonas in most of the parameters and is preferrable from handling and spoilage point of view.

EVALUATION OF A TEST AND CULL STRATEGY FOR REDUCING PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE IN MULE DEER ( ODOCOILEUS HEMIONUS).

PubMed

Wolfe, Lisa L; Watry, Mary Kay; Sirochman, Michael A; Sirochman, Tracey M; Miller, Michael W

2018-04-18

  We evaluated a test and cull strategy for lowering chronic wasting disease (CWD) prevalence in a naturally-infected, free-ranging mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus) herd wintering in the town of Estes Park, Colorado, USA and in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. We tested 48-68% of the estimated number of adult (≥1 yr old) deer annually for 5 yr via tonsil biopsy immunohistochemistry (IHC), collecting 1,251 samples from >700 individuals and removing IHC-positive deer. Among males, CWD prevalence during the last 3 yr of selective culling was lower (one-sided Fisher's exact test P=0.014) than in the period prior. In contrast, CWD prevalence among females before culling and after culling were equivalent ( P=0.77). Relatively higher annual testing of males (mean 77%) compared to females (mean 51%) might have contributed to differences seen in responses to management. A more intensive and sustained effort or modified spatial approach might have reduced prevalence more consistently in both sexes. Limitations of this technique in wider management application include cost and labor as well as property access and animal tolerance to repeated capture. However, elements of this approach could potentially be used to augment harvest-based disease management.

Use of Ronidazole and Limited Culling To Eliminate Tritrichomonas muris from Laboratory Mice.

PubMed

Steiner, Jörg M; Schwamberger, Sabine; Pantchev, Nikola; Balzer, Hans-Jörg; Vrhovec, Majda Globokar; Lesina, Marina; Algül, Hana

2016-01-01

Tritrichomonas muris is occasionally identified during routine fecal screening of laboratory mice. Frequently, entire racks are affected, and because no effective treatment is available, culling of affected mice and rederivation by embryo transfer have been suggested. The current study evaluated whether treatment with ronidazole, a nitroimidazole efficacious against T. fetus infections in cats, combined with limited culling was effective against T. muris in laboratory mice (Mus musculus). A subset (n = 39) of mice were treated with ronidazole (400 mg/L in drinking water) for 15 d, after which 6 of the mice still shed T. muris. Consequently all mice in the affected rack received ronidazole (500 mg /L in drinking water) for 25 d. All mice were retested by using pooled samples, and those positive for T. muris (except for a valuable breeding pair) were culled. The remaining mice continued to receive ronidazole for another 17 d. At the end of the treatment period, all mice were tested (days 60 and 81) and were shown to be negative for T. muris. Over the following year, sentinel mice from the rack were tested every 3 mo and remained negative for tritrichomonads by fecal smear. Thus, a combination of limited culling and treatment with ronidazole in the drinking water successfully cleared research mice of infection with T. muris.

Conflict Misleads Large Carnivore Management and Conservation: Brown Bears and Wolves in Spain.

PubMed

Fernández-Gil, Alberto; Naves, Javier; Ordiz, Andrés; Quevedo, Mario; Revilla, Eloy; Delibes, Miguel

2016-01-01

Large carnivores inhabiting human-dominated landscapes often interact with people and their properties, leading to conflict scenarios that can mislead carnivore management and, ultimately, jeopardize conservation. In northwest Spain, brown bears Ursus arctos are strictly protected, whereas sympatric wolves Canis lupus are subject to lethal control. We explored ecological, economic and societal components of conflict scenarios involving large carnivores and damages to human properties. We analyzed the relation between complaints of depredations by bears and wolves on beehives and livestock, respectively, and bear and wolf abundance, livestock heads, number of culled wolves, amount of paid compensations, and media coverage. We also evaluated the efficiency of wolf culling to reduce depredations on livestock. Bear damages to beehives correlated positively to the number of female bears with cubs of the year. Complaints of wolf predation on livestock were unrelated to livestock numbers; instead, they correlated positively to the number of wild ungulates harvested during the previous season, the number of wolf packs, and to wolves culled during the previous season. Compensations for wolf complaints were fivefold higher than for bears, but media coverage of wolf damages was thirtyfold higher. Media coverage of wolf damages was unrelated to the actual costs of wolf damages, but the amount of news correlated positively to wolf culling. However, wolf culling was followed by an increase in compensated damages. Our results show that culling of the wolf population failed in its goal of reducing damages, and suggest that management decisions are at least partly mediated by press coverage. We suggest that our results provide insight to similar scenarios, where several species of large carnivores share the landscape with humans, and management may be reactive to perceived conflicts.

Conflict Misleads Large Carnivore Management and Conservation: Brown Bears and Wolves in Spain

PubMed Central

Fernández-Gil, Alberto; Naves, Javier; Ordiz, Andrés; Quevedo, Mario; Revilla, Eloy; Delibes, Miguel

2016-01-01

Large carnivores inhabiting human-dominated landscapes often interact with people and their properties, leading to conflict scenarios that can mislead carnivore management and, ultimately, jeopardize conservation. In northwest Spain, brown bears Ursus arctos are strictly protected, whereas sympatric wolves Canis lupus are subject to lethal control. We explored ecological, economic and societal components of conflict scenarios involving large carnivores and damages to human properties. We analyzed the relation between complaints of depredations by bears and wolves on beehives and livestock, respectively, and bear and wolf abundance, livestock heads, number of culled wolves, amount of paid compensations, and media coverage. We also evaluated the efficiency of wolf culling to reduce depredations on livestock. Bear damages to beehives correlated positively to the number of female bears with cubs of the year. Complaints of wolf predation on livestock were unrelated to livestock numbers; instead, they correlated positively to the number of wild ungulates harvested during the previous season, the number of wolf packs, and to wolves culled during the previous season. Compensations for wolf complaints were fivefold higher than for bears, but media coverage of wolf damages was thirtyfold higher. Media coverage of wolf damages was unrelated to the actual costs of wolf damages, but the amount of news correlated positively to wolf culling. However, wolf culling was followed by an increase in compensated damages. Our results show that culling of the wolf population failed in its goal of reducing damages, and suggest that management decisions are at least partly mediated by press coverage. We suggest that our results provide insight to similar scenarios, where several species of large carnivores share the landscape with humans, and management may be reactive to perceived conflicts. PMID:26974962

The prevalence, distribution and severity of detectable pathological lesions in badgers naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis

PubMed Central

JENKINS, H. E.; MORRISON, W. I.; COX, D. R.; DONNELLY, C. A.; JOHNSTON, W. T.; BOURNE, F. J.; CLIFTON-HADLEY, R. S.; GETTINBY, G.; McINERNEY, J. P.; WATKINS, G. H.; WOODROFFE, R.

2008-01-01

SUMMARY The Randomized Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) began in 1998 to determine the impact of badger culling in controlling bovine tuberculosis in cattle. A total of 1166 badgers (14% of total) proactively culled during the RBCT were found to be tuberculous, offering a unique opportunity to study the pathology caused by Mycobacterium bovis in a large sample of badgers. Of these, 39% of adults (~6% of all adults culled) had visible lesions (detectable at necropsy) of bovine tuberculosis; cubs had a lower prevalence of infection (9%) but a higher percentage of tuberculous cubs (55·5%) had visible lesions. Only ~1% of adult badgers had extensive, severe pathology. Tuberculous badgers with recorded bite wounds (~5%) had a higher prevalence of visible lesions and a different distribution of lesions, suggesting transmission via bite wounds. However, the predominance of lesions in the respiratory tract indicates that most transmission occurs by the respiratory route. PMID:18047751

ICCD: interactive continuous collision detection between deformable models using connectivity-based culling.

PubMed

Tang, Min; Curtis, Sean; Yoon, Sung-Eui; Manocha, Dinesh

2009-01-01

We present an interactive algorithm for continuous collision detection between deformable models. We introduce multiple techniques to improve the culling efficiency and the overall performance of continuous collision detection. First, we present a novel formulation for continuous normal cones and use these normal cones to efficiently cull large regions of the mesh as part of self-collision tests. Second, we introduce the concept of "procedural representative triangles" to remove all redundant elementary tests between nonadjacent triangles. Finally, we exploit the mesh connectivity and introduce the concept of "orphan sets" to eliminate redundant elementary tests between adjacent triangle primitives. In practice, we can reduce the number of elementary tests by two orders of magnitude. These culling techniques have been combined with bounding volume hierarchies and can result in one order of magnitude performance improvement as compared to prior collision detection algorithms for deformable models. We highlight the performance of our algorithm on several benchmarks, including cloth simulations, N-body simulations, and breaking objects.

[Mass culling in the context of animal disease outbreaks--veterinarians caught between ethical issues and control policies].

PubMed

Hartnack, Sonja; Doherr, Marcus G; Grimm, Herwig; Kunzmann, Peter

2009-04-01

In recent years controversial discussions arose during major animal disease outbreaks in the EU about the ethical soundness of mass culling. In contrast to numerous publications about ethical issues and laboratory animals/animal experiments, literature concerning ethical deliberations in the case of mass culling as a means of outbreak control remain scarce. Veterinarians in charge of decision about and implementation of mass culling actions find themselves in an area of conflict in between the officially required animal disease control policy and a public that is increasingly critical. Those veterinarians are faced with the challenge to defend the relevant decisions against all stakeholders and also themselves. In this context an interdisciplinary workshop was initiated in Switzerland in October 2007 with ethicians and (official) veterinarians from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. With the aim to identify ethical components of animal disease control for official veterinarians, talks and moderated group discussions took place. This article summarizes selected discussion points and conclusions.

Critical Behavior in Cellular Automata Animal Disease Transmission Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morley, P. D.; Chang, Julius

Using cellular automata model, we simulate the British Government Policy (BGP) in the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic in Great Britain. When clinical symptoms of the disease appeared in a farm, there is mandatory slaughter (culling) of all livestock in an infected premise (IP). Those farms in the neighboring of an IP (contiguous premise, CP), are also culled, aka nearest neighbor interaction. Farms where the disease may be prevalent from animal, human, vehicle or airborne transmission (dangerous contact, DC), are additionally culled, aka next-to-nearest neighbor interactions and lightning factor. The resulting mathematical model possesses a phase transition, whereupon if the physical disease transmission kernel exceeds a critical value, catastrophic loss of animals ensues. The nonlocal disease transport probability can be as low as 0.01% per day and the disease can still be in the high mortality phase. We show that the fundamental equation for sustainable disease transport is the criticality equation for neutron fission cascade. Finally, we calculate that the percentage of culled animals that are actually healthy is ≈30%.

Effects of deterministic surface distortions on reflector antenna performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rahmat-Samii, Y.

1985-01-01

Systematic distortions of reflector antenna surfaces can cause antenna radiation patterns to be undesirably different from those of perfectly smooth reflector surfaces. In this paper, a simulation model for systematic distortions is described which permits an efficient computation of the effects of distortions in the reflector pattern. The model uses a vector diffraction physical optics analysis for the determination of both the co-polar and cross-polar fields. An interpolation scheme is also presented for the description of reflector surfaces which are prescribed by discrete points. Representative numerical results are presented for reflectors with sinusoidally and thermally distorted surfaces. Finally, comparisons are made between the measured and calculated patterns of a slowly-varying distorted offset parabolic reflector.

Economic epidemiology of avian influenza on smallholder poultry farms☆

PubMed Central

Boni, Maciej F.; Galvani, Alison P.; Wickelgren, Abraham L.; Malani, Anup

2013-01-01

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is often controlled through culling of poultry. Compensating farmers for culled chickens or ducks facilitates effective culling and control of HPAI. However, ensuing price shifts can create incentives that alter the disease dynamics of HPAI. Farmers control certain aspects of the dynamics by setting a farm size, implementing infection control measures, and determining the age at which poultry are sent to market. Their decisions can be influenced by the market price of poultry which can, in turn, be set by policy makers during an HPAI outbreak. Here, we integrate these economic considerations into an epidemiological model in which epidemiological parameters are determined by an outside agent (the farmer) to maximize profit from poultry sales. Our model exhibits a diversity of behaviors which are sensitive to (i) the ability to identify infected poultry, (ii) the average price of infected poultry, (iii) the basic reproductive number of avian influenza, (iv) the effect of culling on the market price of poultry, (v) the effect of market price on farm size, and (vi) the effect of poultry density on disease transmission. We find that under certain market and epidemiological conditions, culling can increase farm size and the total number of HPAI infections. Our model helps to inform the optimization of public health outcomes that best weigh the balance between public health risk and beneficial economic outcomes for farmers. PMID:24161559

Tradeable hunting obligations--a new approach to regulating red deer numbers in the Scottish Highlands?

PubMed

MacMillan, Douglas

2004-07-01

The population of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Scotland has doubled over the last 30 years and there is increasing concern among conservationists about the long-term impact of increased grazing on native woodlands and other sensitive nature conservation sites. Currently, the government relies on a voluntary approach to deer control, but landowners seem unable or unwilling to shoot sufficient numbers to meet cull targets. The aim of this paper is to examine alternatives to the 'voluntary approach' supported by insights from a mail questionnaire of landowners and recreational hunters. In principle, subsidies or taxation is possible but the Deer Commission for Scotland, the government agency responsible, has neither the necessary funding or the legislative power to introduce such a scheme. A tradable culling 'obligations' system on the other hand would build on the voluntary principle by allowing individual landowners to 'trade' culling obligations to neighbouring estates. Compared to traditional regulatory approaches, they are less bureaucratic and inefficient and have the potential to meet environmental targets at least cost as landowners can trade their culling obligation to another estate or hunting club should they wish to do so. Overall, the State's role would be restricted to setting the annual cull and the administration of the permit system for which a small charge could be levied per deer.

Effects of dry period length on production, cash flows and greenhouse gas emissions of the dairy herd: A dynamic stochastic simulation model

PubMed Central

van Middelaar, Corina E.; Mostert, Pim F.; van Knegsel, Ariëtte T. M.; Kemp, Bas; de Boer, Imke J. M.; Hogeveen, Henk

2017-01-01

Shortening or omitting the dry period of dairy cows improves metabolic health in early lactation and reduces management transitions for dairy cows. The success of implementation of these strategies depends on their impact on milk yield and farm profitability. Insight in these impacts is valuable for informed decision-making by farmers. The aim of this study was to investigate how shortening or omitting the dry period of dairy cows affects production and cash flows at the herd level, and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of milk, using a dynamic stochastic simulation model. The effects of dry period length on milk yield and calving interval assumed in this model were derived from actual performance of commercial dairy cows over multiple lactations. The model simulated lactations, and calving and culling events of individual cows for herds of 100 cows. Herds were simulated for 5 years with a dry period of 56 (conventional), 28 or 0 days (n = 50 herds each). Partial cash flows were computed from revenues from sold milk, calves, and culled cows, and costs from feed and rearing youngstock. Greenhouse gas emissions were computed using a life cycle approach. A dry period of 28 days reduced milk production of the herd by 3.0% in years 2 through 5, compared with a dry period of 56 days. A dry period of 0 days reduced milk production by 3.5% in years 3 through 5, after a dip in milk production of 6.9% in year 2. On average, dry periods of 28 and 0 days reduced partial cash flows by €1,249 and €1,632 per herd per year, and increased greenhouse gas emissions by 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively. Considering the potential for enhancing cow welfare, these negative impacts of shortening or omitting the dry period seem justifiable, and they might even be offset by improved health. PMID:29077739

Effects of dry period length on production, cash flows and greenhouse gas emissions of the dairy herd: A dynamic stochastic simulation model.

PubMed

Kok, Akke; van Middelaar, Corina E; Mostert, Pim F; van Knegsel, Ariëtte T M; Kemp, Bas; de Boer, Imke J M; Hogeveen, Henk

2017-01-01

Shortening or omitting the dry period of dairy cows improves metabolic health in early lactation and reduces management transitions for dairy cows. The success of implementation of these strategies depends on their impact on milk yield and farm profitability. Insight in these impacts is valuable for informed decision-making by farmers. The aim of this study was to investigate how shortening or omitting the dry period of dairy cows affects production and cash flows at the herd level, and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of milk, using a dynamic stochastic simulation model. The effects of dry period length on milk yield and calving interval assumed in this model were derived from actual performance of commercial dairy cows over multiple lactations. The model simulated lactations, and calving and culling events of individual cows for herds of 100 cows. Herds were simulated for 5 years with a dry period of 56 (conventional), 28 or 0 days (n = 50 herds each). Partial cash flows were computed from revenues from sold milk, calves, and culled cows, and costs from feed and rearing youngstock. Greenhouse gas emissions were computed using a life cycle approach. A dry period of 28 days reduced milk production of the herd by 3.0% in years 2 through 5, compared with a dry period of 56 days. A dry period of 0 days reduced milk production by 3.5% in years 3 through 5, after a dip in milk production of 6.9% in year 2. On average, dry periods of 28 and 0 days reduced partial cash flows by €1,249 and €1,632 per herd per year, and increased greenhouse gas emissions by 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively. Considering the potential for enhancing cow welfare, these negative impacts of shortening or omitting the dry period seem justifiable, and they might even be offset by improved health.

Estimating costs of improving Adirondack timber stands by killing culls with frills and sodium arsenite

Treesearch

Robert O. Curtis

1956-01-01

Although it has been known for many years that sodium arsenite solution applied in ax frills is an effective means of killing cull trees (1), no published information could be found on the cost of stand-improvement work with this method under Adirondack conditions.

Coppicing to convert cull austrailian toon, tropical ash to acceptable trees

Treesearch

Gerald A. Walters; Herbert L. Wick

1973-01-01

Coppicing provides a method of converting cull sapling and pole-size Australian toon (Toono australis) and tropical ash (Fraxillus uhdel) trees to "acceptable trees." In trial plots on the island of Hawaii, stumps of both species sprouted, resulting in a high percentage of vigorous, well-formed sterns. Codominant stems on...

Tourist Opinions on Animal Culling: A South Australian Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moskwa, Emily C.

2015-01-01

Environmental education is commonly used to satisfy the natural curiosity of tourists, increase conservation awareness and strengthen pro-conservation values. Yet it does not always address the more sensitive ecosystem management issues such as animal culling as it may be seen to upset the balance of the positive tourist experience. For this…

77 FR 46514 - Endangered Species; Marine Mammals; Receipt of Applications for Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-03

... a permit to export the sport-hunted trophy of one male Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) culled from a... permit to export the sport-hunted trophy of one male Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) culled from a captive... Applicant: U.S. Geological Service, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK; PRT-690038 The applicant requests...

Post-mortem findings in Irish culled hounds.

PubMed

Jahns, H; Callanan, J J; McElroy, M C; Sammin, D J; Bassett, H F

2011-07-01

Little is known of the common diseases of hunting dogs or of the reasons why they are culled. To address these questions, necropsy examinations were conducted on 52 hounds aged 1.5-12 years (mean 6.5 ± 2.5 years) and culled from 10 Irish hunting kennels over a 3-year period. Progressive systemic disease was seen in six dogs only and encompassed individual cases of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis, bronchioalveolar carcinoma with metastasis to regional lymph nodes, renal amyloidosis, suppurative pneumonia, extramedullary plasmacytoma in the atrial wall of the heart and foreign body-induced hepatitis with focal peritonitis. Single or multiple localized tumours were identified in five dogs and, apart from the aforementioned, included two cutaneous haemangiomas, a trichoepithelioma, a lipoma and a mammary ductal adenoma. Three dogs were culled for lameness; one of these dogs had torn musculature, another had cellulitis and the third had a healed fracture of the tibia and fibula. Chronic renal changes were present in 48% of the dogs and included focal proliferative, exudative or crescentic glomerulonephritis (33%) or low-grade interstitial inflammatory changes (50%). The most frequently diagnosed skin lesions reported in this study were mild healed decubitus ulcers (33%), scars (33%) and stereotypic dermatitis (13%). These findings indicate that hounds are likely to be culled for reasons other than the presence of disease in most cases. In addition, this survey highlights different disease patterns in hounds than are typically observed in pet dogs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associations between air emissions from sour gas processing plants and indices of cow retainment and survival in dairy herds in Alberta

PubMed Central

Scott, H. Morgan; Soskolne, Colin L.; Lissemore, Kerry D.; Martin, S. Wayne; Shoukri, Mohamed M.; Coppock, Robert W.; Guidotti, Tee L.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the results of an investigation into the effects of air emissions from sour gas processing plants on indices of retainment or survival of adult female dairy cattle on farms in Alberta; namely, the productive lifespan of individual animals, and annual herd-level risks for culling and mortality. Using a geographical information system, 2 dispersion models — 1 simple and 1 complex — were used to assess historical exposures to sour gas emissions at 1382 dairy farm sites from 1985 through to 1994. Multivariable survival models, adjusting for the dependence of survival responses within a herd over time, as well as potential confounding variables, were utilized to determine associations between sour gas exposure estimates and the time from the first calving date to either death or culling of 150 210 dairy cows. Generalized linear models were used to model the relationship between herd-level risks for culling and mortality and levels of sour gas exposure. No significant (P < 0.05) associations were found with the time to culling (n = 70 052). However, both dispersion model exposure estimates were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with a decreased hazard for mortality; that is, in cases where cattle had died on-farm (n = 8743). There were no significant associations (P > 0.05) between herd culling risks and the 2 dispersion model exposure estimates. There was no measurable impact of plant emissions on the annual herd risk of mortality. PMID:12528823

Associations between strain, herd size, age at first calving, culling reason and lifetime performance characteristics in Holstein-Friesian cows.

PubMed

Adamczyk, K; Makulska, J; Jagusiak, W; Węglarz, A

2017-02-01

Cow longevity and lifetime performance traits are good indicators of breeding effectiveness and animal welfare. They are also interrelated with the economics of dairy herd. Unfortunately, a high milk yield is often associated with deteriorated cow health and fertility and, consequently, with an increased culling rate. This situation, observed also in the Polish population of Holstein-Friesian cattle, inspired us to undertake a study on the associations between some factors and lifetime performance characteristics. The data set consisted of the records on 135 496 cows, including 131 526 of the Black and White strain (BW), and 3970 of the Red and White strain (RW) covered by performance recording and culled in 2012. It was found that cows of the BW strain and those from the largest herds (>100 cows) reached higher lifetime and mean daily energy-corrected milk (ECM) yields than cows of the RW strain and those from smaller herds culled at a similar age. Cows youngest at first calving (<2.0 years) were characterised by the highest lifetime ECM yield. It indicates that heifers can be bred even when they are younger than 15 to 16 months with no significant negative effect on their later performance. Infertility and reproduction problems (39.6%) and udder diseases (15.5%) constituted the most frequent reasons for cow culling. Cow longevity and lifetime productivity were considerably affected by the interactions between the studied factors.

Estimation of genetic parameters and response to selection for a continuous trait subject to culling before testing.

PubMed

Arnason, T; Albertsdóttir, E; Fikse, W F; Eriksson, S; Sigurdsson, A

2012-02-01

The consequences of assuming a zero environmental covariance between a binary trait 'test-status' and a continuous trait on the estimates of genetic parameters by restricted maximum likelihood and Gibbs sampling and on response from genetic selection when the true environmental covariance deviates from zero were studied. Data were simulated for two traits (one that culling was based on and a continuous trait) using the following true parameters, on the underlying scale: h² = 0.4; r(A) = 0.5; r(E) = 0.5, 0.0 or -0.5. The selection on the continuous trait was applied to five subsequent generations where 25 sires and 500 dams produced 1500 offspring per generation. Mass selection was applied in the analysis of the effect on estimation of genetic parameters. Estimated breeding values were used in the study of the effect of genetic selection on response and accuracy. The culling frequency was either 0.5 or 0.8 within each generation. Each of 10 replicates included 7500 records on 'test-status' and 9600 animals in the pedigree file. Results from bivariate analysis showed unbiased estimates of variance components and genetic parameters when true r(E) = 0.0. For r(E) = 0.5, variance components (13-19% bias) and especially (50-80%) were underestimated for the continuous trait, while heritability estimates were unbiased. For r(E) = -0.5, heritability estimates of test-status were unbiased, while genetic variance and heritability of the continuous trait together with were overestimated (25-50%). The bias was larger for the higher culling frequency. Culling always reduced genetic progress from selection, but the genetic progress was found to be robust to the use of wrong parameter values of the true environmental correlation between test-status and the continuous trait. Use of a bivariate linear-linear model reduced bias in genetic evaluations, when data were subject to culling. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Bacteriological etiology and treatment of mastitis in Finnish dairy herds.

PubMed

Vakkamäki, Johanna; Taponen, Suvi; Heikkilä, Anna-Maija; Pyörälä, Satu

2017-05-25

The Finnish dairy herd recording system maintains production and health records of cows and herds. Veterinarians and farmers register veterinary treatments in the system. Milk samples for microbiological analysis are routinely taken from mastitic cows. The laboratory of the largest dairy company in Finland, Valio Ltd., analyzes most samples using real-time PCR. This study addressed pathogen-specific microbiological data and treatment and culling records, in combination with cow and herd characteristics, from the Finnish dairy herd recording system during 2010-2012. The data derived from 240,067 quarter milk samples from 93,529 dairy cows with mastitis; 238,235 cows from the same herds served as the control group. No target pathogen DNA was detected in 12% of the samples. In 49% of the positive samples, only one target species and in 19%, two species with one dominant species were present. The most common species in the samples with a single species only were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) (43%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (21%), Streptococcus uberis (9%), Streptococcus dysgalactiae (8%), Corynebacterium bovis (7%), and Escherichia coli (5%). On average, 36% of the study cows and 6% of the control cows had recorded mastitis treatments during lactation. The corresponding proportions were 16 and 6% at drying-off. For more than 75% of the treatments during lactation, diagnosis was acute clinical mastitis. In the milk samples from cows with a recorded mastitis treatment during lactation, CNS and S. aureus were most common, followed by streptococci. Altogether, 48% of the cows were culled during the study. Mastitis was reported as the most common reason to cull; 49% of study cows and 18% of control cows were culled because of mastitis. Culling was most likely if S. aureus was detected in the milk sample submitted during the culling year. The PCR test has proven to be an applicable method also for large-scale use in bacterial diagnostics. In the present study, microbiological diagnosis was unequivocal in the great majority of samples where a single species or two species with one dominating were detected. Coagulase-negative staphylococci and S. aureus were the most common species. S. aureus was also the most common pathogen among the culled cows, which emphasizes the importance of preventive measures.

Control system and method for a universal power conditioning system

DOEpatents

Lai, Jih-Sheng; Park, Sung Yeul; Chen, Chien-Liang

2014-09-02

A new current loop control system method is proposed for a single-phase grid-tie power conditioning system that can be used under a standalone or a grid-tie mode. This type of inverter utilizes an inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL) filter as the interface in between inverter and the utility grid. The first set of inductor-capacitor (LC) can be used in the standalone mode, and the complete LCL can be used for the grid-tie mode. A new admittance compensation technique is proposed for the controller design to avoid low stability margin while maintaining sufficient gain at the fundamental frequency. The proposed current loop controller system and admittance compensation technique have been simulated and tested. Simulation results indicate that without the admittance path compensation, the current loop controller output duty cycle is largely offset by an undesired admittance path. At the initial simulation cycle, the power flow may be erratically fed back to the inverter causing catastrophic failure. With admittance path compensation, the output power shows a steady-state offset that matches the design value. Experimental results show that the inverter is capable of both a standalone and a grid-tie connection mode using the LCL filter configuration.

78 FR 70191 - Irish Potatoes Grown in Colorado; Modification of the General Cull and Handling Regulation for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-25

...-FV-13-0001; FV13-948-1 FIR] Irish Potatoes Grown in Colorado; Modification of the General Cull and..., without change, an interim rule that modified the size requirements for potatoes handled under the Colorado potato marketing order, Area No. 2 (order). The order regulates the handling of Irish potatoes...

78 FR 35743 - Irish Potatoes Grown in Colorado; Modification of the General Cull and Handling Regulation for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-14

... IR] Irish Potatoes Grown in Colorado; Modification of the General Cull and Handling Regulation for.... SUMMARY: This interim rule modifies the size requirements for potatoes handled under the Colorado potato marketing order, Area No. 2 (order). The order regulates the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Colorado...

Indicators and associated decay of Engelmann spruce in Colorado

Treesearch

Thomas E. Hinds; Frank G. Hawksworth

1966-01-01

Average cull deductions for 11 cull indicators were determined from over 2,000 abnormalities on 1,027 merchantable Engelmann spruce in 21 stands throughout Colorado. On a board-foot basis, Fomes pini punk knots or sporophores caused an 81 percent deduction. Deduction for broken tops or dead tops with adjacent dead rust brooms amounted to 24 percent....

Prevalence and serotypes of intimin (eae) positive Shiga toxin-producing E. coli colonizing cattle arriving at fed beef and cull cow plants in the US

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Category: pre/post harvest pathogens Published: unpublished to date Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether inherent differences in fed cattle and cull cattle sources affect the prevalence and serogroups present of intimin positive STEC, and identify unappreciated serogro...

7 CFR 301.74-5 - Compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... only in accordance with paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section. (2) Owners of fruit tree nurseries. The... the number of trees in the field minus 2 percent culls minus 3 percent unsold trees; and (B) The... culls; and (B) The average price per tree is $5.22 for plum and apricot trees and $3.69 for peach and...

7 CFR 301.74-5 - Compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... only in accordance with paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section. (2) Owners of fruit tree nurseries. The... the number of trees in the field minus 2 percent culls minus 3 percent unsold trees; and (B) The... culls; and (B) The average price per tree is $5.22 for plum and apricot trees and $3.69 for peach and...

7 CFR 301.74-5 - Compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... only in accordance with paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section. (2) Owners of fruit tree nurseries. The... culls minus 3 percent unsold trees; and (B) The average price per tree is $4.65; and (C) Digging... culls; and (B) The average price per tree is $4.65 for plum and apricot trees and $3.30 for peach and...

7 CFR 301.74-5 - Compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... only in accordance with paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section. (2) Owners of fruit tree nurseries. The... culls minus 3 percent unsold trees; and (B) The average price per tree is $4.65; and (C) Digging... culls; and (B) The average price per tree is $4.65 for plum and apricot trees and $3.30 for peach and...

Distribution of Penicillin G Residues in Culled Dairy Cow Muscles: Implications for Residue Monitoring

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets tolerances for veterinary drug residues in muscle, but does not specify which type of muscle should be analyzed. In order to determine if antibiotic residue levels are dependent on muscle type, 7 culled dairy cows were dosed with Penicillin G (Pen G) from ...

Coppicing to convert small cull trees to growing stock

Treesearch

Gerald A. Walters

1972-01-01

Several tree species are now being planted in Hawaii to reforest areas on which firetree (Myrica faya Ait.)-a plant pest of little commercial value-has been killed. The potential of converting cull trees of five ofthe replacement species into growing stock trees by coppicing was evaluated. Australian toon and tropical ash showed the greatest...

Comparative behaviour of yeast strains for ethanolic fermentation of culled apple juice.

PubMed

Modi, D R; Garg, S K; Johri, B N

1998-07-01

The culled apple juice contained (% w/v): nitrogen, 0.036; total sugars, 11.6 and was of pH 3.9. Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCIM 3284, Pichia kluyeri and Candida krusei produced more ethanol from culled apple juice at its optimum initial pH 4.5, whereas S. cerevisiae NCIM 3316 did so at pH 5.0. An increase in sugar concentration of apple juice from natural 11.6% to 20% exhibited enhanced ethanol production and improved fermentation efficiency of both the S. cerevisiae strains, whereas P. kluyveri and C. krusei produced high ethanol at 11.6% and 16.0% sugar levels, respectively. Urea was stimulatory for ethanol production as well as fermentation efficiency of the yeast strains under study.

How effective is dog culling in controlling zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis? A critical evaluation of the science, politics and ethics behind this public health policy.

PubMed

Costa, Carlos Henrique Nery

2011-01-01

Zoonotic kala-azar, a lethal disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania is considered out of control in parts of the world, particularly in Brazil, where transmission has spread to cities throughout most of the territory and mortality presents an increasing trend. Although a highly debatable measure, the Brazilian government regularly culls seropositive dogs to control the disease. Since control is failing, critical analysis concerning the actions focused on the canine reservoir was conducted. In a review of the literature, a historical perspective focusing mainly on comparisons between the successful Chinese and Soviet strategies and the Brazilian approach is presented. In addition, analyses of the principal studies regarding the role of dogs as risk factors to humans and of the main intervention studies regarding the efficacy of the dog killing strategy were undertaken. Brazilian political reaction to a recently published systematic review that concluded that the dog culling program lacked efficiency and its effect on public policy were also reviewed. No firm evidence of the risk conferred by the presence of dogs to humans was verified; on the contrary, a lack of scientific support for the policy of killing dogs was confirmed. A bias for distorting scientific data towards maintaining the policy of culling animals was observed. Since there is no evidence that dog culling diminishes visceral leishmaniasis transmission, it should be abandoned as a control measure. Ethical considerations have been raised regarding distorting scientific results and the killing of animals despite minimal or absent scientific evidence.

A small quantity of sodium arsenite will kill large cull hardwoods

Treesearch

Francis M. Rushmore

1956-01-01

Although it is well known that sodium arsenite is an effective silvicide, forestry literature contains little information about the minimum quantities of this chemical that are required to kill large cull trees. Such information would be of value because if small quantities of a chemical will produce satisfactory results, small holes or frills in the tree will hold it...

What happens to living cull trees left after heavy cutting in mixed hardwood stands?

Treesearch

George R., Jr. Trimble; Henry Clay Smith

1963-01-01

In the Appalachian Mountains, the logging operator usually cuts only those trees that he thinks will yield a profit, and leaves the trees that appear to be unprofitable. Generally these unprofitable trees are either below merchantable size or are culls-trees of merchantable size that contain too little sound material to justify harvesting costs.

77 FR 58021 - New Animal Drugs for Use in Animal Feeds; Monensin

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-19

...-choice Type C medicated feeds as defined in Sec. 510.455 of this chapter. (ii) Dairy cows (as described... block in cull cows and bulls has not been established. See paragraph (d)(10)(i) of this section. (ii.... The effectiveness of this block in cull cows and bulls has not been established. See paragraph (d)(10...

An economic evaluation of cull-tree removal in mixed hardwood stands

Treesearch

David P. Worley; Hoyt A. Wheeland

1968-01-01

A comparison of inventories of six mixed hardwood compartments on the Kaskaskia Experimental Forest - made 12 years apart - shows that the three that received a cull-removal treatment as well as group-selection harvests were moving toward achieving sustained yields of medium to large sawtimber more rapidly than the three that had received only the group-selection...

Accuracy of off-line bioluminescence imaging to localize targets in preclinical radiation research.

PubMed

Tuli, Richard; Armour, Michael; Surmak, Andrew; Reyes, Juvenal; Iordachita, Iulian; Patterson, Michael; Wong, John

2013-04-01

In this study, we investigated the accuracy of using off-line bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and tomography (BLT) to guide irradiation of small soft tissue targets on a small animal radiation research platform (SARRP) with on-board cone beam CT (CBCT) capability. A small glass bulb containing BL cells was implanted as a BL source in the abdomen of 11 mouse carcasses. Bioluminescence imaging and tomography were acquired for each carcass. Six carcasses were setup visually without immobilization and 5 were restrained in position with tape. All carcasses were setup in treatment position on the SARRP where the centroid position of the bulb on CBCT was taken as "truth". In the 2D visual setup, the carcass was setup by aligning the point of brightest luminescence with the vertical beam axis. In the CBCT assisted setup, the pose of the carcass on CBCT was aligned with that on the 2D BL image for setup. For both 2D setup methods, the offset of the bulb centroid on CBCT from the vertical beam axis was measured. In the BLT-CBCT fusion method, the 3D torso on BLT and CBCT was registered and the 3D offset of the respective source centroids was calculated. The setup results were independent of the carcass being immobilized or not due to the onset of rigor mortis. The 2D offset of the perceived BL source position from the CBCT bulb position was 2.3 mm ± 1.3 mm. The 3D offset between BLT and CBCT was 1.5 mm ± 0.9 mm. Given the rigidity of the carcasses, the setup results represent the best that can be achieved with off-line 2D BLI and 3D BLT. The setup uncertainty would require the use of undesirably large margin of 4-5 mm. The results compel the implementation of on-board BLT capability on the SARRP to eliminate setup error and to improve BLT accuracy.

Accuracy of Off-Line Bioluminescence Imaging to Localize Targets in Preclinical Radiation Research

PubMed Central

Tuli, Richard; Armour, Michael; Surmak, Andrew; Reyes, Juvenal; Iordachita, Iulian; Patterson, Michael; Wong, John

2013-01-01

In this study, we investigated the accuracy of using off-line bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and tomography (BLT) to guide irradiation of small soft tissue targets on a small animal radiation research platform (SARRP) with on-board cone beam CT (CBCT) capability. A small glass bulb containing BL cells was implanted as a BL source in the abdomen of 11 mouse carcasses. Bioluminescence imaging and tomography were acquired for each carcass. Six carcasses were setup visually without immobilization and 5 were restrained in position with tape. All carcasses were setup in treatment position on the SARRP where the centroid position of the bulb on CBCT was taken as “truth”. In the 2D visual setup, the carcass was setup by aligning the point of brightest luminescence with the vertical beam axis. In the CBCT assisted setup, the pose of the carcass on CBCT was aligned with that on the 2D BL image for setup. For both 2D setup methods, the offset of the bulb centroid on CBCT from the vertical beam axis was measured. In the BLT-CBCT fusion method, the 3D torso on BLT and CBCT was registered and the 3D offset of the respective source centroids was calculated. The setup results were independent of the carcass being immobilized or not due to the onset of rigor mortis. The 2D offset of the perceived BL source position from the CBCT bulb position was 2.3 mm ± 1.3 mm. The 3D offset between BLT and CBCT was 1.5 mm ± 0.9 mm. Given the rigidity of the carcasses, the setup results represent the best that can be achieved with off-line 2D BLI and 3D BLT. The setup uncertainty would require the use of undesirably large margin of 4–5 mm. The results compel the implementation of on-board BLT capability on the SARRP to eliminate setup error and to improve BLT accuracy. PMID:23578189

Screening and confirmatory analyses of flunixin in tissues and bodily fluids after intravenous or intramuscular administration to cull dairy cows with or without lipopolysaccharide challenge

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Twenty cull dairy cows (645 ± 83 kg) were treated with 2.2 mg/kg bw flunixin by intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) administration with, or without, exposure to lipopolysaccharide in a two factor balanced design. The usefulness of screening assays to identify violative flunixin levels in a varie...

Incidence and impact of damage to East Oklahoma's timber, 1986

Treesearch

Stephen Clarke; Clair Redmond; Dennis May; Dale Starkey

1994-01-01

An average of 57.4 million cubic feet of timber was lost annually to mortality and cull from 1976 to 1986 in east Oklahoma's 4.75 million acres of commercial forest land, resulting in a monetary loss of $7.2 million per year. Hardwoods generally had more damage than softwoods, with upland hardwoods accounting for 63 percent of cull volume loss. Of the ownership...

Lactoferrin reduces mortality in preweaned calves with diarrhea.

PubMed

Habing, G; Harris, K; Schuenemann, G M; Piñeiro, J M; Lakritz, J; Clavijo, X Alcaraz

2017-05-01

Calf diarrhea is the most common reason for mortality and antimicrobial therapy in preweaned calves on dairy farms in the United States. Conventional and organic livestock producers require alternative therapies for calf diarrhea to reduce the necessity of conventional antimicrobials. Alternatives administered for mild cases or early in the disease course may be useful to mitigate disease progression and reduce the likelihood of septicemia and negative sequelae. Lactoferrin is a bioactive protein naturally found in colostrum that has been shown to prevent septicemia in high-risk infants. Among organic producers, garlic extract is widely used for the treatment of disease and perceived to be efficacious. The objectives of the study were to determine the effectiveness of lactoferrin and garlic extract to reduce mortality and culling, improve weight gain, and reduce the duration of disease in preweaned calves with the first diagnosis of diarrhea. In total, 628 calves with diarrhea from a single commercial dairy were enrolled in a blinded, randomized field trial. Calves diagnosed with diarrhea (fecal score ≥3), were randomized to 3 consecutive days of oral garlic extract, lactoferrin, or water (control). Calves were clinically evaluated for up to 10 d. Body weight was measured at enrollment and 10 d later. For calves receiving garlic extract, the risk of death or culling was not significantly different than calves in the control group; however, calves that received lactoferrin had approximately half the risk of death or culling in the 120 d following diagnosis. Additionally, the relative risk of death or culling in the 60 d following diagnosis was significantly lower for the subset of calves with severe diarrhea at enrollment. Neither garlic nor lactoferrin had a significant effect on disease duration or average weight gain during the 10-d period. Lactoferrin significantly reduced mortality and culling when administered to preweaned calves with the first diagnosis of diarrhea; however, additional studies conducted across multiple farms are necessary to corroborate the observed reduction in mortality and culling. If the results are confirmed, lactoferrin may become an important tool to improve treatment outcomes and reduce the necessity of antimicrobials. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a model to simulate infection dynamics of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle herds in the United States

PubMed Central

Smith, Rebecca L.; Schukken, Ynte H.; Lu, Zhao; Mitchell, Rebecca M.; Grohn, Yrjo T.

2013-01-01

Objective To develop a mathematical model to simulate infection dynamics of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle herds in the United States and predict efficacy of the current national control strategy for tuberculosis in cattle. Design Stochastic simulation model. Sample Theoretical cattle herds in the United States. Procedures A model of within-herd M bovis transmission dynamics following introduction of 1 latently infected cow was developed. Frequency- and density-dependent transmission modes and 3 tuberculin-test based culling strategies (no test-based culling, constant (annual) testing with test-based culling, and the current strategy of slaughterhouse detection-based testing and culling) were investigated. Results were evaluated for 3 herd sizes over a 10-year period and validated via simulation of known outbreaks of M bovis infection. Results On the basis of 1,000 simulations (1000 herds each) at replacement rates typical for dairy cattle (0.33/y), median time to detection of M bovis infection in medium-sized herds (276 adult cattle) via slaughterhouse surveillance was 27 months after introduction, and 58% of these herds would spontaneously clear the infection prior to that time. Sixty-two percent of medium-sized herds without intervention and 99% of those managed with constant test-based culling were predicted to clear infection < 10 years after introduction. The model predicted observed outbreaks best for frequency-dependent transmission, and probability of clearance was most sensitive to replacement rate. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Although modeling indicated the current national control strategy was sufficient for elimination of M bovis infection from dairy herds after detection, slaughterhouse surveillance was not sufficient to detect M bovis infection in all herds and resulted in subjectively delayed detection, compared with the constant testing method. Further research is required to economically optimize this strategy. PMID:23865885

A Response to Block's (1996) Paper, "Not So Fast: Some Thoughts on Theory Culling, Relativism, Accepted Findings, and the Heart and Soul of SLA."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheen, Ron

1999-01-01

Responds to Block's 1996 paper "Not So Fast: Some Thoughts on Theory Culling, Relativism, Accepted Findings, and the Heart and Soul of SLA," which deals in part with blackboxing, the practice of citing references in support of some given position. Maintains that Block raises an important issue but fails to demonstrate important…

Optimally achieving milk bulk tank somatic cell count thresholds.

PubMed

Troendle, Jason A; Tauer, Loren W; Gröhn, Yrjo T

2017-01-01

High somatic cell count in milk leads to reduced shelf life in fluid milk and lower processed yields in manufactured dairy products. As a result, farmers are often penalized for high bulk tank somatic cell count or paid a premium for low bulk tank somatic cell count. Many countries also require all milk from a farm to be lower than a specified regulated somatic cell count. Thus, farms often cull cows that have high somatic cell count to meet somatic cell count thresholds. Rather than naïvely cull the highest somatic cell count cows, a mathematical programming model was developed that determines the cows to be culled from the herd by maximizing the net present value of the herd, subject to meeting any specified bulk tank somatic cell count level. The model was applied to test-day cows on 2 New York State dairy farms. Results showed that the net present value of the herd was increased by using the model to meet the somatic cell count restriction compared with naïvely culling the highest somatic cell count cows. Implementation of the model would be straightforward in dairy management decision software. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of paratuberculosis on culling, milk production, and milk quality in dairy herds.

PubMed

Hendrick, Steven H; Kelton, David F; Leslie, Ken E; Lissemore, Kerry D; Archambault, Marie; Duffield, Todd F

2005-10-15

To determine the effect of paratuberculosis on culling, milk production, and milk quality in infected dairy herds. Cross-sectional study. 689 lactating dairy cows in 9 herds. Milk, blood, and fecal samples were obtained from all cows. Fecal samples were evaluated via mycobacterial culture. Serum samples were tested with a commercially available ELISA for antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis, and preserved milk samples were tested with an ELISA for antibodies against M paratuberculosis. Mixed effect and proportional hazards models were used to determine the effect of paratuberculosis on 305-day milk, fat, and protein production; somatic cell count linear score; and the risk of culling. Cows with positive results of bacteriologic culture of feces and milk ELISA produced less milk, fat, and protein, compared with herdmates with negative results. No difference in 305-day milk or fat production was detected in cows with positive results of serum ELISA, compared with seronegative cows. The 3 survival analyses revealed that cows with positive results of each test were at higher risk of being culled than cows with negative results. Paratuberculosis status, as determined by use of all 3 diagnostic tests, was not associated with milk somatic cell count linear score. Results suggest that for the 9 herds in this study, paratuberculosis significantly decreased milk production and cow longevity.

Evidence-based control of canine rabies: a critical review of population density reduction

PubMed Central

Morters, Michelle K; Restif, Olivier; Hampson, Katie; Cleaveland, Sarah; Wood, James L N; Conlan, Andrew J K

2013-01-01

Control measures for canine rabies include vaccination and reducing population density through culling or sterilization. Despite the evidence that culling fails to control canine rabies, efforts to reduce canine population density continue in many parts of the world. The rationale for reducing population density is that rabies transmission is density-dependent, with disease incidence increasing directly with host density. This may be based, in part, on an incomplete interpretation of historical field data for wildlife, with important implications for disease control in dog populations. Here, we examine historical and more recent field data, in the context of host ecology and epidemic theory, to understand better the role of density in rabies transmission and the reasons why culling fails to control rabies. We conclude that the relationship between host density, disease incidence and other factors is complex and may differ between species. This highlights the difficulties of interpreting field data and the constraints of extrapolations between species, particularly in terms of control policies. We also propose that the complex interactions between dogs and people may render culling of free-roaming dogs ineffective irrespective of the relationship between host density and disease incidence. We conclude that vaccination is the most effective means to control rabies in all species. PMID:23004351

Qualitative Evaluation of the Five-Year 'Red Collar' Campaign to End Inhumane Culling of Dogs as a Method of Rabies Control.

PubMed

Hiby, Elly; Tasker, Lou

2018-02-06

Dog-mediated human rabies can be eliminated through mass dog vaccination. Despite leading authorities in human and animal health uniting to advance effective and humane rabies control, some governments resort to lethal methods, which are unethical, often inhumane and ineffective. To end the inhumane culling of dogs in response to rabies, World Animal Protection launched 'Red Collar'; a five-year campaign (2011-2016) that worked with governments to promote the implementation of mass dog vaccination for rabies control. We present the findings from a qualitative evaluation of 'Red Collar', conducted both regionally and with national focus on Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Zanzibar, Tanzania. Through semi-structured interviews and written contributions from stakeholders ( n = 54), we compared perceptions of changes with stated campaign goals to capture recommendations for future work. The campaign successfully generated momentum for implementation of mass dog vaccination by targeted governments. Lessons learned were established: Value of a consistent animal welfare 'voice'; the need to explore the motivations behind culling; the need to capacity build; time required for the 'ripple effect' to inspire humane control in other countries; importance of monitoring and evaluation of indicators; time and effort required for exit strategies and prior preparation for a robust response to culling.

Test and cull of high risk Coxiella burnetii infected pregnant dairy goats is not feasible due to poor test performance.

PubMed

Hogerwerf, Lenny; Koop, Gerrit; Klinkenberg, Don; Roest, Hendrik I J; Vellema, Piet; Nielen, Mirjam

2014-05-01

A major human Q fever epidemic occurred in The Netherlands during 2007-2009. In response, all pregnant goats from infected herds were culled before the 2010 kidding season without individual testing. The aim of this study was to assess whether high risk animals from recently infected naive herds can be identified by diagnostic testing. Samples of uterine fluid, milk and vaginal mucus from 203 euthanized pregnant goats were tested by PCR or ELISA. The results suggest that testing followed by culling of only the high risk animals is not a feasible method for protecting public health, mainly due to the low specificity of the tests and variability between herds. The risk of massive bacterial shedding during abortion or parturition can only be prevented by removal of all pregnant animals from naive recently infected herds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Whole grains in the finishing of culled ewes in pasture or feedlot: Performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality.

PubMed

Fruet, Ana Paula Burin; Stefanello, Flávia Santi; Rosado Júnior, Adriano Garcia; Souza, Alexandre Nunes Motta de; Tonetto, Cléber José; Nörnberg, José Laerte

2016-03-01

In order to evaluate the performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of culled ewes finished in pasture or exclusivelywith grain, 41 culled Polwarth ewes, were assigned to six treatments: RY (ryegrass pasture), RYGO (ryegrass and whole grain oats), RYGM (ryegrass and whole grain maize), GM (whole grain maize), GO (whole grain oats), GS (whole grain sorghum). The finishing systemof the ewes influenced weight gain,wherein the GM and GS treatments increased daily weight gain. The GO treatment decreased the dressing percentage. Nonetheless, a*, h*, pH, cooking loss and tenderness were similar across dietary treatments. Using principal component analysis, the variables C18:2n6, h*, n6/n3, TBARS, total lipids, L* and b* were assigned as characteristics of meat from the feedlot animals, while the pasture finishing system produced meat with higher CLA and n-3 fatty acids but lower TBARS values indicating lipid stability.

Behavior of feral horses in response to culling and GnRH immunocontraception

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ransom, Jason I.; Powers, Jenny G.; Garbe, Heidi M.; Oehler, Michael W.; Nett, Terry M.; Baker, Dan L.

2014-01-01

Wildlife management actions can alter fundamental behaviors of individuals and groups,which may directly impact their life history parameters in unforeseen ways. This is especially true for highly social animals because changes in one individual’s behavior can cascade throughout its social network. When resources to support populations of social animals are limited and populations become locally overabundant, managers are faced with the daunting challenge of decreasing population size without disrupting core behavioral processes. Increasingly, managers are turning to fertility control technologies to supplement culling in efforts to suppress population growth, but little is quantitatively known about how either of these management tools affects behavior. Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is a small neuropeptide that performs an obligatory role in mammalian reproduction and has been formulated into the immunocontraceptive GonaCon-BTM. We investigated the influences of this vaccine on behavior of feral horses (Equus caballus) at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, USA, for a year preceding and a year following nonlethal culling and GnRH-vaccine treatment. We observed horses during the breeding season and found only minimal differences in time budget behaviors of free-ranging female feral horses treated with GnRH and those treated with saline. The differences observed were consistent with the metabolic demands of pregnancy and lactation. We observed similar social behaviors between treatment groups, reflecting limited reproductive behavior among control females due to high rates of pregnancy and suppressed reproductive behavior among treated females due to GnRH-inhibited ovarian activity. In the treatment year, band stallion age was the only supported factor influencing herding behavior (P < 0.001), harem-tending behavior (P < 0.001), and agonistic behavior (P = 0.02). There was no difference between the mean body condition of control females (4.9 (95% CI = 4.7–5.1)) and treated females(4.8 (95% CI = 4.7–4.9)). Band fidelity among all females increased 25.7% in the year fol-lowing vaccination and culling, despite the social perturbation associated with removal of conspecifics. Herding behavior by stallions decreased 50.7% following treatment and culling (P < 0.001), while harem-tending behavior increased 195.0% (P < 0.001). The amount of available forage influenced harem-tending, reproductive, and agonistic behavior in the year following culling and treatment (P < 0.04). These changes reflected the expected nexus between a species with polygynous social structure and strong group fidelity and the large instantaneous change in population density and demography coincident with culling.Behavioral responses to such perturbation may be synergistic in reducing grazing pressure by decreasing energetically expensive competitive behaviors, but further investigation is needed to explicitly test this hypothesis.

Modeling the spread and control of foot-and-mouth disease in Pennsylvania following its discovery and options for control

PubMed Central

Tildesley, Michael J.; Smith, Gary; Keeling, Matt J.

2013-01-01

In this paper, we simulate outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA – after the introduction of a state-wide movement ban – as they might unfold in the presence of mitigation strategies. We have adapted a model previously used to investigate FMD control policies in the UK to examine the potential for disease spread given an infection seeded in each county in Pennsylvania. The results are highly dependent upon the county of introduction and the spatial scale of transmission. Should the transmission kernel be identical to that for the UK, the epidemic impact is limited to fewer than 20 premises, regardless of the county of introduction. However, for wider kernels where infection can spread further, outbreaks seeded in or near the county with highest density of premises and animals result in large epidemics (>150 premises). Ring culling and vaccination reduce epidemic size, with the optimal radius of the rings being dependent upon the county of introduction. Should the kernel width exceed a given county-dependent threshold, ring culling is unable to control the epidemic. We find that a vaccinate-to-live policy is generally preferred to ring culling (in terms of reducing the overall number of premises culled), indicating that well-targeted control can dramatically reduce the risk of large scale outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease occurring in Pennsylvania. PMID:22169708

Evidence-based control of canine rabies: a critical review of population density reduction.

PubMed

Morters, Michelle K; Restif, Olivier; Hampson, Katie; Cleaveland, Sarah; Wood, James L N; Conlan, Andrew J K

2013-01-01

Control measures for canine rabies include vaccination and reducing population density through culling or sterilization. Despite the evidence that culling fails to control canine rabies, efforts to reduce canine population density continue in many parts of the world. The rationale for reducing population density is that rabies transmission is density-dependent, with disease incidence increasing directly with host density. This may be based, in part, on an incomplete interpretation of historical field data for wildlife, with important implications for disease control in dog populations. Here, we examine historical and more recent field data, in the context of host ecology and epidemic theory, to understand better the role of density in rabies transmission and the reasons why culling fails to control rabies. We conclude that the relationship between host density, disease incidence and other factors is complex and may differ between species. This highlights the difficulties of interpreting field data and the constraints of extrapolations between species, particularly in terms of control policies. We also propose that the complex interactions between dogs and people may render culling of free-roaming dogs ineffective irrespective of the relationship between host density and disease incidence. We conclude that vaccination is the most effective means to control rabies in all species. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.

Systems and methods of varying charged particle beam spot size

DOEpatents

Chen, Yu-Jiuan

2014-09-02

Methods and devices enable shaping of a charged particle beam. A modified dielectric wall accelerator includes a high gradient lens section and a main section. The high gradient lens section can be dynamically adjusted to establish the desired electric fields to minimize undesirable transverse defocusing fields at the entrance to the dielectric wall accelerator. Once a baseline setting with desirable output beam characteristic is established, the output beam can be dynamically modified to vary the output beam characteristics. The output beam can be modified by slightly adjusting the electric fields established across different sections of the modified dielectric wall accelerator. Additional control over the shape of the output beam can be excreted by introducing intentional timing de-synchronization offsets and producing an injected beam that is not fully matched to the entrance of the modified dielectric accelerator.

Ice detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, Leonard M. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

An ice detector is provided for the determination of the thickness of ice on the outer surface on an object (e.g., aircraft) independently of temperature or the composition of the ice. First capacitive gauge, second capacitive gauge, and temperature gauge are embedded in embedding material located within a hollowed out portion of the outer surface. This embedding material is flush with the outer surface to prevent undesirable drag. The first capacitive gauge, second capacitive gauge, and the temperature gauge are respectively connected to first capacitive measuring circuit, second capacitive measuring circuit, and temperature measuring circuit. The geometry of the first and second capacitive gauges is such that the ratio of the voltage outputs of the first and second capacitance measuring circuits is proportional to the thickness of ice, regardless of ice temperature or composition. This ratio is determined by offset and dividing circuit.

Management of bacterial kidney disease in Chinook Salmon hatcheries based on broodstock testing by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: A multiyear study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munson, A. Douglas; Elliott, Diane G.; Johnson, Keith

2010-01-01

From the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, outbreaks of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum continued in Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) hatcheries despite the use of three control methods: (1) injection of returning adult fish with erythromycin to reduce prespawning BKD mortality and limit vertical transmission of R. salmoninarum, (2) topical disinfection of green eggs with iodophor, and (3) prophylactic treatments of juvenile fish with erythromycin-medicated feed. In addition, programs to manage BKD through measurement of R. salmoninarum antigen levels in kidney tissues from spawning female Chinook salmon by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were tested over 13–15 brood years at three IDFG hatcheries. The ELISA results were used for either (1) segregated rearing of progeny from females with high ELISA optical density (OD) values (usually ≥0.25), which are indicative of high R. salmoninarum antigen levels, or (2) culling of eggs from females with high ELISA OD values. The ELISA-based culling program had the most profound positive effects on the study populations. Mortality of juvenile fish during rearing was significantly lower at each hatchery for brood years derived from culling compared with brood years for which culling was not practiced. The prevalence of R. salmoninarum in juvenile fish, as evidenced by detection of the bacterium in kidney smears by the direct fluorescent antibody test, also decreased significantly at each hatchery. In addition, the proportions of returning adult females with kidney ELISA OD values of 0.25 or more decreased 56–85% for fish reared in brood years during which culling was practiced, whereas the proportions of ELISA-negative adults increased 55–58%. This management strategy may allow IDFG Chinook salmon hatcheries to reduce or eliminate prophylactic erythromycin-medicated feed treatments. We recommend using ELISA-based management of BKD in Chinook salmon hatcheries where it is a concern.

Balancing measures or a balanced accounting of improvement impact: a qualitative analysis of individual and focus group interviews with improvement experts in Scotland.

PubMed

Toma, Madalina; Dreischulte, Tobias; Gray, Nicola M; Campbell, Diane; Guthrie, Bruce

2018-07-01

As quality improvement (QI) programmes have become progressively larger scale, the risks of implementation having unintended consequences are increasingly recognised. More routine use of balancing measures to monitor unintended consequences has been proposed to evaluate overall effectiveness, but in practice published improvement interventions hardly ever report identification or measurement of consequences other than intended goals of improvement. We conducted 15 semistructured interviews and two focus groups with 24 improvement experts to explore the current understanding of balancing measures in QI and inform a more balanced accounting of the overall impact of improvement interventions. Data were analysed iteratively using the framework approach. Participants described the consequences of improvement in terms of desirability/undesirability and the extent to which they were expected/unexpected when planning improvement. Four types of consequences were defined: expected desirable consequences ( goals ); expected undesirable consequences ( trade-offs ); unexpected undesirable consequences ( unpleasant surprises ); and unexpected desirable consequences ( pleasant surprises ). Unexpected consequences were considered important but rarely measured in existing programmes, and an improvement pause to take stock after implementation would allow these to be more actively identified and managed. A balanced accounting of all consequences of improvement interventions can facilitate staff engagement and reduce resistance to change, but has to be offset against the cost of additional data collection. Improvement measurement is usually focused on measuring intended goals , with minimal use of balancing measures which when used, typically monitor trade-offs expected before implementation. This paper proposes that improvers and leaders should seek a balanced accounting of all consequences of improvement across the life of an improvement programme, including deliberately pausing after implementation to identify and quantitatively or qualitatively evaluate any pleasant or unpleasant surprises. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Progress towards the eradication of Aujeszky's disease in New Zealand by vaccination with a subunit vaccine.

PubMed

Motha, M X; Atkinson, G; Hoyle, F P

1994-08-27

Attempts to control Aujeszky's disease by vaccination with a glycoprotein-I negative subunit vaccine have been made on nine New Zealand pig farms. Thirty-one to 42 months after the programme of vaccination began, its progress was assessed by measuring the gI-antibody response in pigs from seven of the farms. Three farms had totally eradicated the 'wild' virus infection, one farm was close to achieving complete eradication and the other three farms had made little or no progress. One of the farms which eradicated the 'wild' virus infection achieved this status in two years by combining vaccination with an intensive testing and culling programme; the other two farms had eradicated the 'wild' virus infection by a combination of vaccination and good standards of hygiene without undertaking an intensive culling programme. The farms that had made little or no progress had less satisfactory standards of hygiene and did not practise an intensive testing and culling programme.

Structural adjustment for accurate conditioning in large-scale subsurface systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahmasebi, Pejman

2017-03-01

Most of the current subsurface simulation approaches consider a priority list for honoring the well and any other auxiliary data, and eventually adopt a middle ground between the quality of the model and conditioning it to hard data. However, as the number of datasets increases, such methods often produce undesirable features in the subsurface model. Due to their high flexibility, subsurface modeling based on training images (TIs) is becoming popular. Providing comprehensive TIs remains, however, an outstanding problem. In addition, identifying a pattern similar to those in the TI that honors the well and other conditioning data is often difficult. Moreover, the current subsurface modeling approaches do not account for small perturbations that may occur in a subsurface system. Such perturbations are active in most of the depositional systems. In this paper, a new methodology is presented that is based on an irregular gridding scheme that accounts for incomplete TIs and minor offsets. Use of the methodology enables one to use a small or incomplete TI and adaptively change the patterns in the simulation grid in order to simultaneously honor the well data and take into account the effect of the local offsets. Furthermore, the proposed method was used on various complex process-based models and their structures are deformed for matching with the conditioning point data. The accuracy and robustness of the proposed algorithm are successfully demonstrated by applying it to models of several complex examples.

[Body condition and metabolic stability as the basis for high milk yield and undisturbed fertility in dairy cows--a contribution for deduction of reference values].

PubMed

Staufenbiel, R; Arndt, G; Schröder, U; Gelfert, C C

2004-05-01

The target of this study was to describe the interactions between body condition and various descriptors of yield and fertility. It was aimed to identify an optimal conditional range to be used in herd management which combines high milk yield with acceptable fertility traits and general health. For this purpose, backfat thickness was measured by ultrasound at 46111 dairy cows on 78 different farms and was subsequently related to production variables. Negative energy balance is getting more intense and prolonged with increasing milk yield. However a conditional nadir below 10 mm leads to decreased milk production. To reach a high production level without an increasing incidence of health disorders, conditional nadir should not decline below 13 mm backfat thickness on herd average. Lower value only lead to negligibly higher milk yield but cause a distinctively higher risk of fertility problems and culling. High herd yields do not have to be at expense of reproduction performance and can be achieved without extreme body condition losses. An efficient herd management can offset depression in fertility, which commonly is combined with increasing milk yield. A standard curve for backfat thickness throughout lactation is suggested to be used in dairy herd management.

Use of the partial farm budget technique to predict the economic impact of the flock management decision to use B-mode ultrasonographic pregnancy diagnosis.

PubMed

Sprecher, D J; Ley, W B; Whittier, W D; Bowen, J M; Thatcher, C D; Pelzer, K D; Moore, J M

1989-07-15

A computer spreadsheet was developed to predict the economic impact of a management decision to use B-mode ultrasonographic ovine pregnancy diagnosis. The spreadsheet design and spreadsheet cell formulas are provided. The program used the partial farm budget technique to calculate net return (NR) or cash flow changes that resulted from the decision to use ultrasonography. Using the program, either simple pregnancy diagnosis or pregnancy diagnosis with the ability to determine singleton or multiple pregnancies may be compared with no flock ultrasonographic pregnancy diagnosis. A wide range of user-selected regional variables are used to calculate the cash flow changes associated with the ultrasonography decisions. A variable may be altered through a range of values to conduct a sensitivity analysis of predicted NR. Example sensitivity analyses are included for flock conception rate, veterinary ultrasound fee, and the price of corn. Variables that influence the number of cull animals and the cost of ultrasonography have the greatest impact on predicted NR. Because the determination of singleton or multiple pregnancies is more time consuming, its economic practicality in comparison with simple pregnancy diagnosis is questionable. The value of feed saved by identifying and separately feeding ewes with singleton pregnancies is not offset by the increased ultrasonography cost.

Nutation and precession control of the High Energy Solar Physics (HESP) satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jayaraman, C. P.; Robertson, B. P.

1993-01-01

The High Energy Solar Physics (HESP) spacecraft is an intermediate class satellite proposed by NASA to study solar high-energy phenomena during the next cycle of high solar activity in the 1998 to 2005 time frame. The HESP spacecraft is a spinning satellite which points to the sun with stringent pointing requirements. The natural dynamics of a spinning satellite includes an undesirable effect: nutation, which is due to the presence of disturbances and offsets of the spin axis from the angular momentum vector. The proposed Attitude Control System (ACS) attenuates nutation with reaction wheels. Precessing the spacecraft to track the sun in the north-south and east-west directions is accomplished with the use of torques from magnetic torquer bars. In this paper, the basic dynamics of a spinning spacecraft are derived, control algorithms to meet HESP science requirements are discussed and simulation results to demonstrate feasibility of the ACS concept are presented.

Retrospective evaluation of milk production and culling risk following either surgical, toggle-pin suture or conservative treatment of left displaced abomasum in Chilean dairy cows.

PubMed

Melendez, P; Romero, C; Pithua, P; Marin, M P; Pinedo, P; Duchens, M

2017-11-01

AIMS To describe milk yield and culling risk in cows diagnosed with left displacement of abomasum (LDA) treated either conservatively, by right flank pyloric omentopexy, or rolling and toggling, compared with normal herdmates from four Chilean dairy herds. METHODS Historical records were obtained from four commercial dairy farms located in Central Chile for cows with a history of LDA between 2010 and 2012, and healthy herdmates. Cows with LDA were categorised into three groups: cows treated with right omentopexy (ST, n=58), cows treated by toggle suturing (TT, n=15) and cows treated conservatively (CT, n=56). Control cows (n=129) were selected from unaffected cows, matched by days in milk (DIM), parity and herd with affected cows. Groups were compared for risk of culling up to 300 DIM and for milk production up to 5 months of lactation using survival and Cox proportional hazard models and mixed models for repeated measures, respectively. RESULTS Compared with cows in the Control group, the risk of being culled up to 300 DIM was 9.1 (SE 0.62) times greater in ST cows, 10.4 (SE 0.68) times greater in TT cows, and 37.3 (SE 0.61) times greater in CT cows (p<0.01). In the first 5 months of lactation, compared with cows in the Control group, mean daily milk production was 23.3 (SE 1.5) kg less in ST cows, 15.3 (SE 1.6) kg less in TT cows, and 30.1 (SE 1.3) kg less in CT cows (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Cows in four dairy herds in central Chile diagnosed and treated for LDA produced significantly less milk and had a higher risk of culling than healthy herdmates. Although cows treated surgically or with toggle suture never recovered to the extent of healthy cows, they produced more milk than cows treated conservatively. However, the retrospective nature of the data, the inclusion of only four herds and the non-random allocation to treatments means that these conclusions cannot be extrapolated to the overall dairy cattle population in Chile.

A Fully GPU-Based Ray-Driven Backprojector via a Ray-Culling Scheme with Voxel-Level Parallelization for Cone-Beam CT Reconstruction.

PubMed

Park, Hyeong-Gyu; Shin, Yeong-Gil; Lee, Ho

2015-12-01

A ray-driven backprojector is based on ray-tracing, which computes the length of the intersection between the ray paths and each voxel to be reconstructed. To reduce the computational burden caused by these exhaustive intersection tests, we propose a fully graphics processing unit (GPU)-based ray-driven backprojector in conjunction with a ray-culling scheme that enables straightforward parallelization without compromising the high computing performance of a GPU. The purpose of the ray-culling scheme is to reduce the number of ray-voxel intersection tests by excluding rays irrelevant to a specific voxel computation. This rejection step is based on an axis-aligned bounding box (AABB) enclosing a region of voxel projection, where eight vertices of each voxel are projected onto the detector plane. The range of the rectangular-shaped AABB is determined by min/max operations on the coordinates in the region. Using the indices of pixels inside the AABB, the rays passing through the voxel can be identified and the voxel is weighted as the length of intersection between the voxel and the ray. This procedure makes it possible to reflect voxel-level parallelization, allowing an independent calculation at each voxel, which is feasible for a GPU implementation. To eliminate redundant calculations during ray-culling, a shared-memory optimization is applied to exploit the GPU memory hierarchy. In experimental results using real measurement data with phantoms, the proposed GPU-based ray-culling scheme reconstructed a volume of resolution 28032803176 in 77 seconds from 680 projections of resolution 10243768 , which is 26 times and 7.5 times faster than standard CPU-based and GPU-based ray-driven backprojectors, respectively. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that the ray-driven backprojector provides high-quality reconstruction images when compared with those generated by the Feldkamp-Davis-Kress algorithm using a pixel-driven backprojector, with an average of 2.5 times higher contrast-to-noise ratio, 1.04 times higher universal quality index, and 1.39 times higher normalized mutual information. © The Author(s) 2014.

The associations between culling due to clinical Johne's disease or the detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis fecal shedding and the diagnosis of clinical or subclinical diseases in two dairy herds in Minnesota, USA.

PubMed

Raizman, Eran A; Wells, Scott J; Godden, Sandra M; Fetrow, John; Oakes, J Michael

2007-07-16

Our objectives were to identify associations between clinical or subclinical diseases and subsequent culling because of clinical Johne's disease (JD) or the detection of fecal shedding of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Map) after 305 days in milk (DIM). A total of 1297 cows from two Minnesota dairies were enrolled in the study. From study cows, fecal samples were obtained prior to calving (close-up period) and after at least 305 DIM or at the time of leaving the herd (sold/dead). Between 3 and 21 DIM, blood samples were obtained for serum betahydroxybutyrate (BHB) and serum total-protein testing. Body-condition score (BCS) was evaluated during the close-up period, between 3 and 21 DIM, and at the end of lactation. The diagnosis time (DIM) of clinical disease events (culling because of JD clinical signs, ketosis, lameness, mastitis, displacement abomasum, injury, metritis, milk fever, pneumonia, and retained placenta) was recorded. Sixty-six cows were culled because of JD clinical signs (CCDJ) with average DIM of 209. CCDJ was associated with event of pneumonia (n=131) (OR=3.0, 95% CI=1.0-6.0) and level of fecal shedding (light: OR=13.0, 95% CI=5.3-30.0; moderate: OR=34.0, 95% CI=13.0-89.0; heavy: OR=66.0, 95% CI=26.0-171.0). Detection of fecal shedding at the end of the lactation (n=79) was associated only with event of pneumonia (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.0-4.0).

Intrauterine stress and male cohort quality: the case of September 11, 2001.

PubMed

Bruckner, Tim A; Nobles, Jenna

2013-01-01

Empirical research and the theory of natural selection assert that male mortality more than female mortality responds to ambient stressors in utero. Although population stressors may adversely damage males that survive to birth, the rival culled cohort hypothesis contends that males born during stressful times may exhibit better health than males in other cohorts because fetal loss has "culled" the frailest males. We tested these hypotheses by examining child developmental outcomes in a U.S. birth cohort reportedly affected in utero by the September 11, 2001 attacks. We used as outcomes the Bayley cognitive score and child height-for-age from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort. Previous research demonstrates a male-specific effect of 9/11 on California infants born in December 2001. We, therefore, compared cognition and height of this cohort with males born prior to the 9/11 attacks. We controlled for unobserved confounding across gender, season, and region by using triple-difference regression models (N = 6950). At 24 months, California males born in December scored greater than expected in cognitive ability (coef = 9.55, standard error = 3.37; p = 0.004). We observed no relation with height. Results remained robust to alternative specifications. Findings offer partial support for the culled cohort hypothesis in that we observed greater than expected cognitive scores at two years of age among a cohort of males affected by 9/11 in utero. Contemporary population stressors may induce male-specific culling, thereby resulting in relatively improved development among males that survive to birth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Male lifespan and the secondary sex ratio.

PubMed

Catalano, Ralph; Bruckner, Tim

2006-01-01

Literature speculating on the fetal origins of later life morbidity often invokes the "damaged cohort" theory, i.e., that maternal responses to exogenous shocks induce "stress reactivity" in fetuses and thereby shorten the lifespan of males in utero during stressful times. A rival, or "culled cohort," theory posits that exogenous shocks to gravid females induce spontaneous abortions of frail male fetuses, leaving relatively hardy survivors who enjoy, on average, lifespans longer than males in less stressed birth cohorts. A recent test based on archival data from Sweden supported the culled cohort theory. Several characteristics of the Swedish data, however, raise questions regarding the external validity of the findings. We repeat the test with data from Denmark, Iceland, and England and Wales. We use time-series methods that control for trends, seasonal cycles, and other forms of autocorrelation that could confound the test. None of the results supports the "damaged cohort" theory. Consistent with the Swedish findings and with evolutionary theory, we find support in Iceland and England and Wales for the "culled cohort" theory. We discuss the implications of our findings for basic research as well as for public health.

Mycoplasma mastitis in cattle: To cull or not to cull.

PubMed

Nicholas, Robin A J; Fox, Larry K; Lysnyansky, Inna

2016-10-01

Bovine mastitis caused by mycoplasmas, in particular Mycoplasma bovis, is a major problem for milk production and animal welfare in large dairy herds in the USA and a serious, although sporadic, disease in Europe and the Middle East. It causes severe damage to the udder of cattle and is largely untreatable by chemotherapy. Mycoplasma mastitis has a distinct epidemiology and a unique set of risk factors, the most important of which is large herd size. The disease is often self-limiting, disappearing within months of outbreaks, sometimes without deliberate intervention. Improved molecular diagnostic tests are leading to more rapid detection of mycoplasmas. Typing tests, such as multi-locus sequence typing, can help trace the source of outbreaks. An approach to successful control is proposed, which involves regular monitoring and rapid segregation or culling of infected cows. Serious consideration should be given by owners of healthy dairy herds to the purchase of M. bovis-free replacements. Increased cases of disease could occur in Europe and Israel if the trend for larger dairy herds continues. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of hot boning and moisture enhancement on the eating quality of cull cow beef.

PubMed

Pivotto, L M; Campbell, C P; Swanson, K; Mandell, I B

2014-01-01

The effects of chilling method and moisture enhancement were examined for improving eating quality of semimembranosus (SM) and longissimus lumborum (LL) from 62 cull beef cows. Chilling method included hot boning muscles after 45 to 60 min postmortem or conventional chilling for 24 h. Moisture enhancement included 1) a non-injected control (CONT) or injection processing (10% of product weight) using 2) Sodium Tripolyphosphate/salt (Na/STP), 3) Sodium Citrate (NaCIT), 4) Calcium Ascorbate (CaASC), or 5) Citrus Juices (CITRUS). Chilling method by moisture enhancement treatment interactions (P<0.09) were due to decreased hue, chroma and sarcomere length values in hot boned vs. conventionally chilled product (SM and LL) for CaASC vs. other moisture enhancement treatments. Chilling method by moisture enhancement treatment interactions (P<0.05) were due to decreased shear force and increased tenderness in conventionally chilled vs. hot boned LL using CaASC vs. Na/STP. Moisture enhancement can improve tenderness of cull cow beef depending on combinations of chilling method and moisture enhancement treatments used. © 2013.

Control of Plasmodium knowlesi malaria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullahi, Mohammed Baba; Hasan, Yahya Abu; Abdullah, Farah Aini

2015-10-01

The most significant and efficient measures against Plasmodium knowlesi outbreaks are efficient anti malaria drug, biological control in form of predatory mosquitoes and culling control strategies. In this paper optimal control theory is applied to a system of ordinary differential equation. It describes the disease transmission and Pontryagin's Maximum Principle is applied for analysis of the control. To this end, three control strategies representing biological control, culling and treatment were incorporated into the disease transmission model. The simulation results show that the implementation of the combination strategy during the epidemic is the most cost-effective strategy for disease transmission.

The prevalence of verotoxins, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella in the feces and rumen of cattle at processing.

PubMed

Van Donkersgoed, J; Graham, T; Gannon, V

1999-05-01

Fecal samples collected from cattle at processing during a 1-year period were tested for verotoxins (VT1, VT2), Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella. Verotoxins were detected in 42.6% (95% CI, 39.8% to 45.4%), E. coli O157:H7 in 7.5% (95% CI, 6.1% to 9.1%), and Salmonella in 0.08% (95% CI, 0.004% to 0.5%) of the fecal samples. In yearling cattle, the median within-lot prevalence (percentage of positive samples within a lot) was 40% (range, 0% to 100%) for verotoxins and 0% for E. coli O157:H7 (range, 0% to 100%) and Salmonella (range, 0% to 17%). One or more fecal samples were positive for verotoxins in 80.4% (95% CI, 72.8% to 86.4%) of the lots of yearling cattle, whereas E. coli O157:H7 were detected in 33.6% (95% CI, 26.0% to 42.0%) of the lots. In cull cows, the median within-lot prevalence was 50% (range, 0% to 100%) for verotoxins and 0% (range, 0% to 100%) for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella (range, 0% to 0%). Verotoxins were detected in one or more fecal samples from 78.0% (95% CI, 70.4% to 84.2%) of the lots of cull cows, whereas E. coli O157:H7 were detected in only 6.0% (95% CI, 3.0% to 11.4%) of the lots of cull cows. The prevalence of verotoxins in fecal samples was lower in yearling cattle than in cull cows, whereas the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in fecal samples was higher in yearling cattle than in cull cows. The prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in fecal samples was highest in the summer months. Rumen fill, body condition score, sex, type of cattle (dairy, beef), and distance travelled to the plant were not associated with the fecal prevalence of verotoxins or E. coli O157:H7. The prevalence of verotoxins in fecal samples of cull cows was associated with the source of the cattle. It was highest in cows from the auction market (52%) and farm/ranch (47%) and lowest in cows from the feedlot (31%). In rumen samples, the prevalence of verotoxins was 6.4% (95% CI, 4.2% to 9.4%), and it was 0.8% (95% CI, 0.2% to 2.3%) for E. coli O157:H7, and 0.3% (95% CI, 0.007% to 1.5%) for Salmonella.

Evaluation of bovine viral diarrhoea virus control strategies in dairy herds in Hokkaido, Japan, using stochastic modelling.

PubMed

Sekiguchi, S; Presi, P; Omori, R; Staerk, K; Schuppers, M; Isoda, N; Yoshikawa, Y; Umemura, T; Nakayama, H; Fujii, Y; Sakoda, Y

2018-02-01

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection in cattle can result in growth retardation, reduced milk production, reproductive disorders and death. Persistently infected animals are the primary source of infection. In Hokkaido, Japan, all cattle entering shared pastures in summer are vaccinated before movement for disease control. Additionally, these cattle may be tested for BVDV and culled if positive. However, the effectiveness of this control strategy aiming to reduce the number of BVDV-infected animals has not been assessed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various test-and-cull and/or vaccination strategies on BVDV control in dairy farms in two districts of Hokkaido, Nemuro and Hiyama. A stochastic model was developed to compare the different control strategies over a 10-year period. The model was individual-based and simulated disease dynamics both within and between herds. Parameters included in the model were obtained from the literature, the Hokkaido government and the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Nine different scenarios were compared as follows: no control, test-and-cull strategies based on antigen testing of either calves or only cattle entering common pastures, vaccination of all adult cattle or only cattle entering shared pastures and combinations thereof. The results indicate that current strategies for BVDV control in Hokkaido slightly reduced the number of BVDV-infected animals; however, alternative strategies such as testing all calves and culling any positives or vaccinating all susceptible adult animals dramatically reduced those. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the comparison of the effectiveness between the current strategies in Hokkaido and the alternative strategies for BVDV control measures. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Association of Escherichia coli J5-specific serum antibody responses with clinical mastitis outcome for J5 vaccinate and control dairy cattle.

PubMed

Wilson, David J; Mallard, Bonnie A; Burton, Jeanne L; Schukken, Ynte H; Grohn, Yrjo T

2009-02-01

Dairy cattle in two commercial Holstein herds were randomly selected to be vaccinated twice with J5, at approximately 60 days and 28 days before the expected calving date, or to be untreated controls. Based on whether milk production changed following clinical mastitis or whether cows were culled or died within 30 days after onset, 51 mastitis cases were classified as severe or mild. J5-specific antibody responses were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of all 32 severe and 19 mild cases. The amounts of J5-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG1, and IgG2 antibodies in sera from the 27 J5 vaccinates were compared with those of the 24 controls. At drying off (before J5 vaccination), all cows had similar amounts of J5-specific antibody. Immediately after calving (approximately 28 days after the second vaccination), J5 vaccinates had significantly higher production of J5-specific IgG1 and IgG2 than controls. When cows were tested following clinical mastitis, none of the three antibody classes differed significantly between the controls and the vaccinates. Vaccinates that contracted Escherichia coli mastitis had 75% less milk loss than controls. The cows that contracted clinical mastitis later in lactation, the unvaccinated controls, and those infected with E. coli had more milk loss following mastitis. The hazards of being culled for all reasons and of being culled for mastitis were significantly lower for J5 vaccinates. Vaccination with J5 was associated with protection against milk production loss and culling following clinical mastitis, and it was also significantly associated with changes in J5-specific IgM, IgG1, and IgG2 antibodies in sera of vaccinated cows.

Postpartum body condition score and results from the first test day milk as predictors of disease, fertility, yield, and culling in commercial dairy herds.

PubMed

Heuer, C; Schukken, Y H; Dobbelaar, P

1999-02-01

The study used field data from a regular herd health service to investigate the relationships between body condition scores or first test day milk data and disease incidence, milk yield, fertility, and culling. Path model analysis with adjustment for time at risk was applied to delineate the time sequence of events. Milk fever occurred more often in fat cows, and endometritis occurred between calving and 20 d of lactation more often in thin cows. Fat cows were less likely to conceive at first service than were cows in normal condition. Fat body condition postpartum, higher first test day milk yield, and a fat to protein ratio of > 1.5 increased body condition loss. Fat or thin condition or condition loss was not related to other lactation diseases, fertility parameters, milk yield, or culling. First test day milk yield was 1.3 kg higher after milk fever and was 7.1 kg lower after displaced abomasum. Higher first test day milk yield directly increased the risk of ovarian cyst and lameness, increased 100-d milk yield, and reduced the risk of culling and indirectly decreased reproductive performance. Cows with a fat to protein ratio of > 1.5 had higher risks for ketosis, displaced abomasum, ovarian cyst, lameness, and mastitis. Those cows produced more milk but showed poor reproductive performance. Given this type of herd health data, we concluded that the first test day milk yield and the fat to protein ratio were more reliable indicators of disease, fertility, and milk yield than was body condition score or loss of body condition score.

Development of portable defocusing micro-scale spatially offset Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Realini, Marco; Botteon, Alessandra; Conti, Claudia; Colombo, Chiara; Matousek, Pavel

2016-05-10

We present, for the first time, portable defocusing micro-Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (micro-SORS). Micro-SORS is a concept permitting the analysis of thin, highly turbid stratified layers beyond the reach of conventional Raman microscopy. The technique is applicable to the analysis of painted layers in cultural heritage (panels, canvases and mural paintings, painted statues and decorated objects in general) as well as in many other areas including polymer, biological and biomedical applications, catalytic and forensics sciences where highly turbid stratified layers are present and where invasive analysis is undesirable or impossible. So far the technique has been demonstrated only on benchtop Raman microscopes precluding the non-invasive analysis of larger samples and samples in situ. The new set-up is characterised conceptually on a range of artificially assembled two-layer systems demonstrating its benefits and performance across several application areas. These included stratified polymer sample, pharmaceutical tablet and layered paint samples. The same samples were also analysed by a high performance (non-portable) benchtop Raman microscope to provide benchmarking against our earlier research. The realisation of the vision of delivering portability to micro-SORS has a transformative potential spanning across multiple disciplines as it fully unlocks, for the first time, the non-invasive and non-destructive aspects of micro-SORS enabling it to be applied also to large and non-portable samples in situ without recourse to removing samples, or their fragments, for laboratory analysis on benchtop Raman microscopes.

Interfacial electronic structures revealed at the rubrene/CH3NH3PbI3 interface.

PubMed

Ji, Gengwu; Zheng, Guanhaojie; Zhao, Bin; Song, Fei; Zhang, Xiaonan; Shen, Kongchao; Yang, Yingguo; Xiong, Yimin; Gao, Xingyu; Cao, Liang; Qi, Dong-Chen

2017-03-01

The electronic structures of rubrene films deposited on CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite have been investigated using in situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that rubrene molecules interacted weakly with the perovskite substrate. Due to charge redistribution at their interface, a downward 'band bending'-like energy shift of ∼0.3 eV and an upward band bending of ∼0.1 eV were identified at the upper rubrene side and the CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 substrate side, respectively. After the energy level alignment was established at the rubrene/CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 interface, its highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-valence band maximum (VBM) offset was found to be as low as ∼0.1 eV favoring the hole extraction with its lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO)-conduction band minimum (CBM) offset as large as ∼1.4 eV effectively blocking the undesired electron transfer from perovskite to rubrene. As a demonstration, simple inverted planar solar cell devices incorporating rubrene and rubrene/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole transport layers (HTLs) were fabricated in this work and yielded a champion power conversion efficiency of 8.76% and 13.52%, respectively. Thus, the present work suggests that a rubrene thin film could serve as a promising hole transport layer for efficient perovskite-based solar cells.

Evaluation of Effects and Effectiveness of Various α and β Angulations for Three Different Loop Made of Stainless Steel Arch Wires - A FEM Study.

PubMed

Kamisetty, Supradeep Kumar; N, Raghuveer; N, Rajavikram; N, Chakrapani; Dwaragesh; Praven

2014-07-01

Evaluations on retraction loop designs have been limited to describe the force systems applied to the buccal surfaces of the tooth that can be in different planes resulting undesirable effects, needing corrective action in future. By initially understanding these effects, modifications to the loop design can essentially counteract the undesired affects. To deter-mine Moments & M/F ratios produced by different gabling in the three retraction loops (Tear drop loop, T-loop, Open vertical loop) and movement of the anterior teeth and posterior teeth) of the maxillary arch in an extraction model, on activation of three retraction loops by1 mm. A PC with Quad core processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB storage space and Graphic Accelerator was used. Computer Software: ANSYS Version11, PRO/ENGINEER was used in the study. The first step is modeling, done by using Pro/Engineer software and for creating a model the CT scan data is required. The maxilla with teeth of a patient is scanned at various sections at regular intervals of 0.5 mm. These scanned images are then imported into Pro/E software to various offset planes. Once imported, the software can do an automatic meshing and establishes contact automatically. When angulations increases intrusive or extrusive movements and movements in horizontal direction of crown tip and root tip increases. All values of T-loop are more than Teardrop loop and less than Open vertical loop. FEM study concludes that Teardrop loop with 10-20(α-β) combination is preferred for Group A anchorage.

Production of ω-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids From Cull Potato Using an Algae Culture Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Zhanyou; Hu, Bo; Liu, Yan; Frear, Craig; Wen, Zhiyou; Chen, Shulin

Algal cultivation for converting cull potato to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was studied. Schizochytrium limacinum SR21 was selected as the better producing strain, compared with Thraustochytrium aureum because of higher cell density and DHA content. Used as both carbon and nitrogen source, an optimal ratio of hydrolyzed potato broth in the culture medium was determined as 50%, with which the highest production of 21.7 g/L dry algae biomass and 5.35 g/L DHA was obtained, with extra glucose supplemented. Repeat culture further improved the cell density but not fed batch culture, suggesting limited growth was most likely caused by metabolites inhibition.

Factors associated with age at slaughter and carcass weight, price, and value of dairy cull cows.

PubMed

Bazzoli, I; De Marchi, M; Cecchinato, A; Berry, D P; Bittante, G

2014-02-01

The sale of cull cows contributes to the overall profit of dairy herds. The objective of this study was to quantify the factors associated with slaughter age (mo), cow carcass weight (kg), price (€/kg of carcass weight), and value (€/head) of dairy cull cows. Data included 20,995 slaughter records in the period from 2003 to 2011 of 5 different breeds: 2 dairy [Holstein Friesian (HF) and Brown Swiss (BS)] and 3 dual-purpose [Simmental (Si), Alpine Grey (AG), and Rendena (Re)]. Associations of breed, age of cow (except when the dependent variable was slaughter age), and year and month of slaughter with slaughter age, carcass weight, price, and value were quantified using a mixed linear model; herd was included as a random effect. The seasonal trends in cow price and value traits were inversely related to the number of cows slaughtered, whereas annual variation in external factors affected market conditions. Relative to BS cows, HF cows were younger at slaughter (73.1 vs. 80.7 mo), yielded slightly lighter carcasses (242 vs. 246 kg), and received a slightly lower price (1.69 vs. 1.73 €/kg) and total value (394 vs. 417 €/head). Dual-purpose breeds were older and heavier and received a much greater price and total value at slaughter (521, 516, and 549 €/head, respectively for Si, Re, and AG) than either dairy breed. Of the dual-purpose cows, Si carcasses were heavier (271 kg), whereas the carcasses of local breeds received a higher price (2.05 and 2.18 €/kg for Re and AG, respectively) and Alpine Grey cows were the oldest at slaughter (93.3 mo). The price per kilogram of cull cow carcasses was greatest for very young cows (i.e., <3 yr of age) and the differential in price and value between younger and older cows was greater in dual-purpose than in dairy breeds. Large differences in cull cow whole carcass value (carcass weight × unit price) among dairy breeds suggest that such a trait could be considered in the breeding objectives of the breeds. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of Salmonella sp. in California cull dairy cattle: prevalence of fecal shedding and diagnostic accuracy of pooled enriched broth culture of fecal samples.

PubMed

Abu Aboud, Omran A; Adaska, John M; Williams, Deniece R; Rossitto, Paul V; Champagne, John D; Lehenbauer, Terry W; Atwill, Robert; Li, Xunde; Aly, Sharif S

2016-01-01

The primary objective of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the crude, seasonal and cull-reason stratified prevalence of Salmonella fecal shedding in cull dairy cattle on seven California dairies. A secondary objective was to estimate and compare the relative sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) for pools of 5 and 10 enriched broth cultures of fecal samples for Salmonella sp. detection. Seven dairy farms located in the San Joaquin Valley of California were identified and enrolled in the study as a convenience sample. Cull cows were identified for fecal sampling once during each season between 2014 and 2015, specifically during spring, summer, fall, and winter, and 10 cows were randomly selected for fecal sampling at the day of their sale. In addition, study personnel completed a survey based on responses of the herd manager to questions related to the previous four month's herd management. Fecal samples were frozen until testing for Salmonella. After overnight enrichment in liquid broth, pools of enrichment broth (EBP) were created for 5 and 10 samples. All individual and pooled broths were cultured on selective media with putative Salmonella colonies confirmed by biochemical testing before being serogrouped and serotyped. A total of 249 cull cows were enrolled into the study and their fecal samples tested for Salmonella. The survey-weighted period prevalence of fecal shedding of all Salmonella sp. in the cull cow samples across all study herds and the entire study period was 3.42% (N = 249; SE 1.07). The within herd prevalence of Salmonella shed in feces did not differ over the four study seasons (P = 0.074). The Se of culture of EBP of five samples was 62.5% (SE = 17.12), which was not statistically different from the Se of culture of EBP of 10 (37.5%, SE = 17.12, P = 0.48). The Sp of culture of EBP of five samples was 95.24% (SE = 3.29) and for pools of 10 samples was 100.00% (SE = 0). There was no statistical difference between the culture relative specificities of EBP of 5 and 10 (P > 0.99). Our study showed a numerically higher prevalence of Salmonella shedding in the summer, although the results were not significant, most likely due to a lack of power from the small sample size. A higher prevalence in summer months may be related to heat stress. To detect Salmonella, investigators may expect a 62.5% sensitivity for culture of EBP of five, relative to individual fecal sample enrichment and culture. In contrast, culture of EBP of 10 samples resulted in a numerically lower Se. Culture of EBP of size 5 or 10 samples, given similar prevalence and limit of detection, can be expected to yield specificities of 95 and 100%, respectively.

Epidemiology of Salmonella sp. in California cull dairy cattle: prevalence of fecal shedding and diagnostic accuracy of pooled enriched broth culture of fecal samples

PubMed Central

Abu Aboud, Omran A.; Adaska, John M.; Williams, Deniece R.; Rossitto, Paul V.; Champagne, John D.; Lehenbauer, Terry W.; Atwill, Robert; Li, Xunde

2016-01-01

Background The primary objective of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the crude, seasonal and cull-reason stratified prevalence of Salmonella fecal shedding in cull dairy cattle on seven California dairies. A secondary objective was to estimate and compare the relative sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) for pools of 5 and 10 enriched broth cultures of fecal samples for Salmonella sp. detection. Methods Seven dairy farms located in the San Joaquin Valley of California were identified and enrolled in the study as a convenience sample. Cull cows were identified for fecal sampling once during each season between 2014 and 2015, specifically during spring, summer, fall, and winter, and 10 cows were randomly selected for fecal sampling at the day of their sale. In addition, study personnel completed a survey based on responses of the herd manager to questions related to the previous four month’s herd management. Fecal samples were frozen until testing for Salmonella. After overnight enrichment in liquid broth, pools of enrichment broth (EBP) were created for 5 and 10 samples. All individual and pooled broths were cultured on selective media with putative Salmonella colonies confirmed by biochemical testing before being serogrouped and serotyped. Results A total of 249 cull cows were enrolled into the study and their fecal samples tested for Salmonella. The survey-weighted period prevalence of fecal shedding of all Salmonella sp. in the cull cow samples across all study herds and the entire study period was 3.42% (N = 249; SE 1.07). The within herd prevalence of Salmonella shed in feces did not differ over the four study seasons (P = 0.074). The Se of culture of EBP of five samples was 62.5% (SE = 17.12), which was not statistically different from the Se of culture of EBP of 10 (37.5%, SE = 17.12, P = 0.48). The Sp of culture of EBP of five samples was 95.24% (SE = 3.29) and for pools of 10 samples was 100.00% (SE = 0). There was no statistical difference between the culture relative specificities of EBP of 5 and 10 (P > 0.99). Discussion Our study showed a numerically higher prevalence of Salmonella shedding in the summer, although the results were not significant, most likely due to a lack of power from the small sample size. A higher prevalence in summer months may be related to heat stress. To detect Salmonella, investigators may expect a 62.5% sensitivity for culture of EBP of five, relative to individual fecal sample enrichment and culture. In contrast, culture of EBP of 10 samples resulted in a numerically lower Se. Culture of EBP of size 5 or 10 samples, given similar prevalence and limit of detection, can be expected to yield specificities of 95 and 100%, respectively. PMID:27635350

Quantitative body DW-MRI biomarkers uncertainty estimation using unscented wild-bootstrap.

PubMed

Freiman, M; Voss, S D; Mulkern, R V; Perez-Rossello, J M; Warfield, S K

2011-01-01

We present a new method for the uncertainty estimation of diffusion parameters for quantitative body DW-MRI assessment. Diffusion parameters uncertainty estimation from DW-MRI is necessary for clinical applications that use these parameters to assess pathology. However, uncertainty estimation using traditional techniques requires repeated acquisitions, which is undesirable in routine clinical use. Model-based bootstrap techniques, for example, assume an underlying linear model for residuals rescaling and cannot be utilized directly for body diffusion parameters uncertainty estimation due to the non-linearity of the body diffusion model. To offset this limitation, our method uses the Unscented transform to compute the residuals rescaling parameters from the non-linear body diffusion model, and then applies the wild-bootstrap method to infer the body diffusion parameters uncertainty. Validation through phantom and human subject experiments shows that our method identify the regions with higher uncertainty in body DWI-MRI model parameters correctly with realtive error of -36% in the uncertainty values.

Optimal strategy for controlling the spread of Plasmodium Knowlesi malaria: Treatment and culling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullahi, Mohammed Baba; Hasan, Yahya Abu; Abdullah, Farah Aini

2015-05-01

Plasmodium Knowlesi malaria is a parasitic mosquito-borne disease caused by a eukaryotic protist of genus Plasmodium Knowlesi transmitted by mosquito, Anopheles leucosphyrus to human and macaques. We developed and analyzed a deterministic Mathematical model for the transmission of Plasmodium Knowlesi malaria in human and macaques. The optimal control theory is applied to investigate optimal strategies for controlling the spread of Plasmodium Knowlesi malaria using treatment and culling as control strategies. The conditions for optimal control of the Plasmodium Knowlesi malaria are derived using Pontryagin's Maximum Principle. Finally, numerical simulations suggested that the combination of the control strategies is the best way to control the disease in any community.

Direct and correlated responses to selection for milk yield: results and conclusions of regional project NC-2, "improvement of dairy cattle through breeding, with emphasis on selection". NC-2 Technical Committee.

PubMed

Kelm, S C; Freeman, A E

2000-12-01

Measurement of direct and correlated responses to single-trait selection for milk yield was the major objective of regional project NC-2. The NC-2 Technical Committee included representatives from Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the USDA. All representatives, except Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska, maintained a selection line formed by using AI sires selected for high estimated transmitting abilities for milk and a second line that served as some type of a control. Stations varied in criteria for selection of bulls for control lines. Farms were managed similarly, including feeding and management of selection and control lines as one herd, random mating within line, and restricted culling policies. Selection for milk yield effectively increased milk production. All selection lines increased milk and net income per lactation more than control lines. Realized gains matched or exceeded gains expected from estimates of breeding values. Yields of milk components increased, but component percentages decreased appreciably for selection lines. Reproduction of nulliparous animals was not affected, but days open for lactating selection cows increased in some of the individual projects. Selected cows tended to have larger health costs, specifically for mammary treatment. Udder and conformation traits did not deteriorate for selection lines, although control lines with selection of sires on genetic evaluations for type received higher type scores. There should be few reservations about undesirable responses correlated with selection for milk yield.

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Zoos: A Perspective from the Veterinary Team

PubMed Central

Kottwitz, Jack J.; Ortiz, Melissa

2016-01-01

The many different species in close proximity make zoological collections a unique environment for disease transmission. Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) is of special concern with zoos due to the numerous exotic ruminant species that this virus can infect. BVDV occurs as both a non-cytopathic and a cytopathic strain both of which are capable of infecting exotic ruminants. The cytopathic strain causes mucosal disease (MD) and death. Infection with the non-cytopathic strain may produce persistently infected (PI) animals. PI individuals may show vague clinical signs, including abortion. Management of BVDV in zoos should focus on identification of PI individuals and prevention of infection of other animals of the collection. Variability makes serological testing as the sole method of screening for BVDV infection undesirable in exotic ruminants. Combination testing provides a definitive answer, especially in sensitive wildlife. Use of a combination of antigen-capture ELISA (ACE) with haired skin, Real Time-PCR (RT-PCR) on whole blood, and antibody detection via serum neutralization has the greatest potential to identify PI animals. An animal that is positive on both ACE and RT-PCR, but is negative on serology should be considered highly suspicious of being a PI, and should be isolated and undergo repeat testing 4–6 weeks later to confirm positive status. This testing methodology also allows screening of pregnant and newborn animals. Isolation or culling may need to be considered in animals determined to be positive via combination testing. These decisions should only be made after careful consideration and evaluation, especially with endangered species. PMID:26779151

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Zoos: A Perspective from the Veterinary Team.

PubMed

Kottwitz, Jack J; Ortiz, Melissa

2015-01-01

The many different species in close proximity make zoological collections a unique environment for disease transmission. Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) is of special concern with zoos due to the numerous exotic ruminant species that this virus can infect. BVDV occurs as both a non-cytopathic and a cytopathic strain both of which are capable of infecting exotic ruminants. The cytopathic strain causes mucosal disease (MD) and death. Infection with the non-cytopathic strain may produce persistently infected (PI) animals. PI individuals may show vague clinical signs, including abortion. Management of BVDV in zoos should focus on identification of PI individuals and prevention of infection of other animals of the collection. Variability makes serological testing as the sole method of screening for BVDV infection undesirable in exotic ruminants. Combination testing provides a definitive answer, especially in sensitive wildlife. Use of a combination of antigen-capture ELISA (ACE) with haired skin, Real Time-PCR (RT-PCR) on whole blood, and antibody detection via serum neutralization has the greatest potential to identify PI animals. An animal that is positive on both ACE and RT-PCR, but is negative on serology should be considered highly suspicious of being a PI, and should be isolated and undergo repeat testing 4-6 weeks later to confirm positive status. This testing methodology also allows screening of pregnant and newborn animals. Isolation or culling may need to be considered in animals determined to be positive via combination testing. These decisions should only be made after careful consideration and evaluation, especially with endangered species.

Prevalence of maedi-visna infection in culled ewes in Alberta

PubMed Central

Fournier, Dominique; Campbell, John R.

2006-01-01

Abstract Maedi-visna (MV) is a relatively common chronic infection of sheep in North America resulting in economic loss to the sheep industry. The objectives of this study were to: 1) measure the prevalence of MV infection in culled ewes in Alberta, by histologic examination (lungs and udder) and serologic testing using an agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test, 2) examine any geographic differences in its prevalence in the province, 3) evaluate the level of agreement between histopathologic examination and serologic testing, 4) grade the lesions and correlate the serologic results with the presence of severe histological lesions, and 5) correlate the presence of histological lesions in the lungs and udder in the same animal. Based on histologic findings, the prevalence of MV was 26.8%, compared with 13.0% using serologic testing. There were no significant geographical differences in prevalence, fair agreement (kappa = 42.0%) between histopathologic and serologic results, and poor agreement (kappa = 11.5%) between the presence of lung and udder histological lesions within the same animal. This study indicates that MV is relatively common in culled ewes in Alberta, with no significant geographic variation. The poor sensitivity of the AGID test, compared with histologic examination, should be taken into consideration when interpreting serologic results. PMID:16734372

Culling and the Common Good: Re-evaluating Harms and Benefits under the One Health Paradigm

PubMed Central

Degeling, Chris; Lederman, Zohar; Rock, Melanie

2016-01-01

One Health (OH) is a novel paradigm that recognizes that human and non-human animal health is interlinked through our shared environment. Increasingly prominent in public health responses to zoonoses, OH differs from traditional approaches to animal-borne infectious risks, because it also aims to promote the health of animals and ecological systems. Despite the widespread adoption of OH, culling remains a key component of institutional responses to the risks of zoonoses. Using the threats posed by highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses to human and animal health, economic activity and food security as a case exemplar, we explore whether culling and other standard control measures for animal-borne infectious disease might be justified as part of OH approaches. Our central premise is that OH requires us to reformulate ‘health’ as universal good that is best shared across species boundaries such that human health and well-being are contingent upon identifying and meeting the relevant sets of human and non-human interests and shared dependencies. Our purpose is to further nascent discussions about the ethical dimensions of OH and begin to describe the principles around which a public health agenda that truly seeks to co-promote human and non-human health could potentially begin to be implemented. PMID:27790290

Culling and the Common Good: Re-evaluating Harms and Benefits under the One Health Paradigm.

PubMed

Degeling, Chris; Lederman, Zohar; Rock, Melanie

2016-11-01

One Health (OH) is a novel paradigm that recognizes that human and non-human animal health is interlinked through our shared environment. Increasingly prominent in public health responses to zoonoses, OH differs from traditional approaches to animal-borne infectious risks, because it also aims to promote the health of animals and ecological systems. Despite the widespread adoption of OH, culling remains a key component of institutional responses to the risks of zoonoses. Using the threats posed by highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses to human and animal health, economic activity and food security as a case exemplar, we explore whether culling and other standard control measures for animal-borne infectious disease might be justified as part of OH approaches. Our central premise is that OH requires us to reformulate 'health' as universal good that is best shared across species boundaries such that human health and well-being are contingent upon identifying and meeting the relevant sets of human and non-human interests and shared dependencies. Our purpose is to further nascent discussions about the ethical dimensions of OH and begin to describe the principles around which a public health agenda that truly seeks to co-promote human and non-human health could potentially begin to be implemented.

Determination of thickness of thin turbid painted over-layers using micro-scale spatially offset Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conti, Claudia; Realini, Marco; Colombo, Chiara; Botteon, Alessandra; Bertasa, Moira; Striova, Jana; Barucci, Marco; Matousek, Pavel

2016-12-01

We present a method for estimating the thickness of thin turbid layers using defocusing micro-spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (micro-SORS). The approach, applicable to highly turbid systems, enables one to predict depths in excess of those accessible with conventional Raman microscopy. The technique can be used, for example, to establish the paint layer thickness on cultural heritage objects, such as panel canvases, mural paintings, painted statues and decorated objects. Other applications include analysis in polymer, biological and biomedical disciplines, catalytic and forensics sciences where highly turbid overlayers are often present and where invasive probing may not be possible or is undesirable. The method comprises two stages: (i) a calibration step for training the method on a well characterized sample set with a known thickness, and (ii) a prediction step where the prediction of layer thickness is carried out non-invasively on samples of unknown thickness of the same chemical and physical make up as the calibration set. An illustrative example of a practical deployment of this method is the analysis of larger areas of paintings. In this case, first, a calibration would be performed on a fragment of painting of a known thickness (e.g. derived from cross-sectional analysis) and subsequently the analysis of thickness across larger areas of painting could then be carried out non-invasively. The performance of the method is compared with that of the more established optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique on identical sample set. This article is part of the themed issue "Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology".

Impact of selection for residual feed intake on breeding soundness and reproductive performance of bulls on pasture-based multisire mating.

PubMed

Wang, Z; Colazo, M G; Basarab, J A; Goonewardene, L A; Ambrose, D J; Marques, E; Plastow, G; Miller, S P; Moore, S S

2012-09-01

There is concern in the beef industry that selecting bulls for feed efficiency based on residual feed intake (RFI) may have a negative impact on bull reproductive performance and fertility. Here we investigated the impact of selection of bulls for low RFI on breeding soundness evaluation (BSE), reproductive performance, and fertility of bulls under natural service in multisire mating groups on pasture. Of the 412 RFI-tested bulls available, 98 (23.8%) were culled for performance, type, temperament, or other reasons, and 88 (21.4%) were culled for failing BSE, for an overall cull rate of 45.1%. From among the 314 bulls subjected to BSE, 32 (10.2%), 20 (6.4%), and 36 (11.4%) were culled for poor feet and legs, scrotal circumference, and semen quality, respectively. The BSE traits were not different (P > 0.10) between bulls categorized as either inefficient (+RFI) or efficient (-RFI), but the proportion of bulls that failed to meet the 60% minimum sperm motility requirement tended (P = 0.07) to be greater in the -RFI group than in the +RFI group (10.2% vs. 4.4%, respectively). In a subpopulation of 115 bulls, individual progressive sperm motility was greater (P < 0.05) in +RFI (85%) than -RFI (80%) bulls. A multisire natural mating experiment was conducted during 2 consecutive breeding seasons (2006 to 2007 and 2007 to 2008) using 18 +RFI and 18 -RFI bulls. The overall calving rate (calves born/cows exposed) was 72.9%. Mean number of progeny per sire was significantly greater (P < 0.01) in -RFI bulls (18.3) than in +RFI bulls (11.8). Selection for feed efficiency based on RFI appears to have no detrimental impact on reproductive performance and fertility in beef bulls bred in multisire groups on pasture. However, the decreased sperm motility and the greater number of progeny per sire associated with -RFI status need further investigation.

Radionuclide uptake by red deer (Cervus elaphus) on mountain grazing.

PubMed

McGee, E J; Synnott, H J; O'Keefe, C; Colgan, P A

1995-01-01

Forty-two red deer (Cervus elaphus) were shot during the 1992 annual cull in Glenveagh National Park, Ireland. Samples of rumen, kidney and faeces were removed from each animal. Kidney samples were used to estimate flesh radiocaesium (137Cs) concentrations and the 95% confidence interval for the mean was 203 +/- 12 Bq kg-1. The maximum recorded 137Cs concentration in kidney was 367 Bq kg-1 (fresh weight). The altitude of the cull, the age and sex of each animal were recorded. Neither age nor sex correlated with concentrations of 137Cs in rumen, kidneys or faeces. Despite the limited altitudinal range of the study and the free ranging behaviour of deer, there was a highly significant positive correlation between rumen, kidney and faecal 137Cs concentrations and the altitude of the cull. 40K concentrations in rumen, kidney and faeces did not correlate with the altitude of cull, age or sex of slaughtered animals. Significant 137Cs concentration differences were identified in the sequence: rumen < faeces = faeces. 137Cs concentrations in rumen, kidney and faeces for individual animals were all significantly correlated. Statistical testing showed that the concentration sequence for 40K was: rumen < kidney = faeces; a sequence which differs from that of 137Cs. A comparison of ratios test for rumen:faecal ratios demonstrated that significantly more 137Cs was excreted in faeces than was the case for 40K. The concentration of 137Cs excreted in faeces relative to concentrations in forage (rumen), is approximately twice that for 40K. Linear regression of faecal 137Cs concentrations (y) on kidney concentrations (x) was carried out, the regression equation is y = -86.90 + 0.97x. This equation (R2 = 0.73, F1,40 = 107) may be used to predict 137Cs concentrations in flesh by measurement of faecal concentrations. This is a useful preliminary assessment method, particularly with herds of wild animals that prove difficult to capture for in vivo monitoring.

Optimising and communicating options for the control of invasive plant disease when there is epidemiological uncertainty.

PubMed

Cunniffe, Nik J; Stutt, Richard O J H; DeSimone, R Erik; Gottwald, Tim R; Gilligan, Christopher A

2015-04-01

Although local eradication is routinely attempted following introduction of disease into a new region, failure is commonplace. Epidemiological principles governing the design of successful control are not well-understood. We analyse factors underlying the effectiveness of reactive eradication of localised outbreaks of invading plant disease, using citrus canker in Florida as a case study, although our results are largely generic, and apply to other plant pathogens (as we show via our second case study, citrus greening). We demonstrate how to optimise control via removal of hosts surrounding detected infection (i.e. localised culling) using a spatially-explicit, stochastic epidemiological model. We show how to define optimal culling strategies that take account of stochasticity in disease spread, and how the effectiveness of disease control depends on epidemiological parameters determining pathogen infectivity, symptom emergence and spread, the initial level of infection, and the logistics and implementation of detection and control. We also consider how optimal culling strategies are conditioned on the levels of risk acceptance/aversion of decision makers, and show how to extend the analyses to account for potential larger-scale impacts of a small-scale outbreak. Control of local outbreaks by culling can be very effective, particularly when started quickly, but the optimum strategy and its performance are strongly dependent on epidemiological parameters (particularly those controlling dispersal and the extent of any cryptic infection, i.e. infectious hosts prior to symptoms), the logistics of detection and control, and the level of local and global risk that is deemed to be acceptable. A version of the model we developed to illustrate our methodology and results to an audience of stakeholders, including policy makers, regulators and growers, is available online as an interactive, user-friendly interface at http://www.webidemics.com/. This version of our model allows the complex epidemiological principles that underlie our results to be communicated to a non-specialist audience.

Optimising and Communicating Options for the Control of Invasive Plant Disease When There Is Epidemiological Uncertainty

PubMed Central

Cunniffe, Nik J.; Stutt, Richard O. J. H.; DeSimone, R. Erik; Gottwald, Tim R.; Gilligan, Christopher A.

2015-01-01

Although local eradication is routinely attempted following introduction of disease into a new region, failure is commonplace. Epidemiological principles governing the design of successful control are not well-understood. We analyse factors underlying the effectiveness of reactive eradication of localised outbreaks of invading plant disease, using citrus canker in Florida as a case study, although our results are largely generic, and apply to other plant pathogens (as we show via our second case study, citrus greening). We demonstrate how to optimise control via removal of hosts surrounding detected infection (i.e. localised culling) using a spatially-explicit, stochastic epidemiological model. We show how to define optimal culling strategies that take account of stochasticity in disease spread, and how the effectiveness of disease control depends on epidemiological parameters determining pathogen infectivity, symptom emergence and spread, the initial level of infection, and the logistics and implementation of detection and control. We also consider how optimal culling strategies are conditioned on the levels of risk acceptance/aversion of decision makers, and show how to extend the analyses to account for potential larger-scale impacts of a small-scale outbreak. Control of local outbreaks by culling can be very effective, particularly when started quickly, but the optimum strategy and its performance are strongly dependent on epidemiological parameters (particularly those controlling dispersal and the extent of any cryptic infection, i.e. infectious hosts prior to symptoms), the logistics of detection and control, and the level of local and global risk that is deemed to be acceptable. A version of the model we developed to illustrate our methodology and results to an audience of stakeholders, including policy makers, regulators and growers, is available online as an interactive, user-friendly interface at http://www.webidemics.com/. This version of our model allows the complex epidemiological principles that underlie our results to be communicated to a non-specialist audience. PMID:25874622

Disease Control in Wildlife: Evaluating a Test and Cull Programme for Bovine Tuberculosis in African Buffalo.

PubMed

le Roex, N; Cooper, D; van Helden, P D; Hoal, E G; Jolles, A E

2016-12-01

Providing an evidence base for wildlife population management is difficult, due to limited opportunities for experimentation and study replication at the population level. We utilized an opportunity to assess the outcome of a test and cull programme aimed at limiting the spread of Mycobacterium bovis in African buffalo. Buffalo act as reservoirs of M. bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (BTB), which can have major economic, ecological and public health impacts through the risk of infection to other wildlife species, livestock and surrounding communities. BTB prevalence data were collected in conjunction with disease control operations in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa, from 1999 to 2006. A total of 4733 buffalo (250-950 per year) were tested for BTB using the single comparative intradermal tuberculin (SCIT) test, with BTB-positive animals culled, and negative animals released. BTB prevalence was spatially and temporally variable, ranging from 2.3% to 54.7%. Geographic area was a strong predictor of BTB transmission in HiP, owing to relatively stable herds and home ranges. Herds experiencing more intensive and frequent captures showed reduced per capita disease transmission risk and less increase in herd prevalence over time. Disease hot spots did not expand spatially over time, and BTB prevalence in all but the hot spot areas was maintained between 10% and 15% throughout the study period. Our data suggest that HiP's test and cull programme was effective at reducing BTB transmission in buffalo, with capture effort and interval found to be the crucial components of the programme. The programme was thus successful with respect to the original goals; however, there are additional factors that should be considered in future cost/benefit analyses and decision-making. These findings may be utilized and expanded in future collaborative work between wildlife managers, veterinarians and scientists, to optimize wildlife disease control programmes and mitigate conflict at the interface of conservation, agricultural and urban areas. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

High and variable copper status identified among dairy herds in the Waikato region by concentrations of Cu in liver sourced from biopsies and cull cows.

PubMed

Grace, N D; Knowles, S O; Hittmann, A R

2010-06-01

To document the Cu supplementation practices on dairy farms in the Waikato region, determine the Cu status of those herds, and compare the suitability of liver samples sourced from biopsies and cull cows for assessing Cu status. During spring 2008, concentrations of Cu, Mo and S were determined from pasture samples from 24 dairy farms. Feeding regimens, herd size, milksolids production, soil type, fertiliser policy and Cu supplementation practices were recorded for each property. Based on these data, 10 monitor farms were selected to represent a range of Cu intakes for herds, from 5 to 12 mg Cu/kg dry matter (DM). On each monitor farm 12 healthy lactating cows were selected for liver biopsy and collection of blood samples during the following autumn. Around the same time, livers were collected from 12 cull cows per farm when they were slaughtered, and samples of pasture were again collected from each farm. Concentrations of Cu were measured in all tissue samples. Concentrations of Cu in pasture tended to be higher (mean 10.4 vs 8.2 mg/kg DM) in the autumn than spring, while concentrations of Mo were lower in the autumn (mean 0.35 vs 1.07 mg/kg DM). Most of the 24 farms used Cu supplementation in some form. Mean concentrations of Cu in liver for herds ranged from 640 (SD 544) to 2,560 (SD 474) micromol/kg fresh tissue in biopsies, and 520 (SD 235) to 2,610 (SD 945) micromol/kg in liver from cull cows. Mean concentrations of Cu in serum ranged from 7.9 to 13.4 micromol/L. The variability in concentrations of Cu for each farm was greater for liver (CV 50%) than serum (CV 21%). For individual cows, concentrations of Cu in liver, obtained by biopsy, and serum were not correlated. The concentration of Cu in liver of dairy cows reflected widely differing dietary intakes of Cu between herds, although levels indicated an adequate Cu status on all farms in this study. Use of either biopsy samples or livers from cull cows were indicative of the Cu status of the herd. Wide variation in observed concentrations of Cu in liver indicated that at least 12 cows per herd should be sampled. On farms with intensive, long-term Cu supplementation programmes there is a risk of chronic Cu toxicity in some animals. Thus, the Cu status of dairy herds should be determined, and monitored, before making any recommendations regarding supplementation.

Reduction of Coxiella burnetii prevalence by vaccination of goats and sheep, The Netherlands.

PubMed

Hogerwerf, Lenny; van den Brom, René; Roest, Hendrik I J; Bouma, Annemarie; Vellema, Piet; Pieterse, Maarten; Dercksen, Daan; Nielen, Mirjam

2011-03-01

Recently, the number of human Q fever cases in the Netherlands increased dramatically. In response to this increase, dairy goats and dairy sheep were vaccinated against Coxiella burnetii. All pregnant dairy goats and dairy sheep in herds positive for Q fever were culled. We identified the effect of vaccination on bacterial shedding by small ruminants. On the day of culling, samples of uterine fluid, vaginal mucus, and milk were obtained from 957 pregnant animals in 13 herds. Prevalence and bacterial load were reduced in vaccinated animals compared with unvaccinated animals. These effects were most pronounced in animals during their first pregnancy. Results indicate that vaccination may reduce bacterial load in the environment and human exposure to C. burnetii.

Computer-generated holograms by multiple wavefront recording plane method with occlusion culling.

PubMed

Symeonidou, Athanasia; Blinder, David; Munteanu, Adrian; Schelkens, Peter

2015-08-24

We propose a novel fast method for full parallax computer-generated holograms with occlusion processing, suitable for volumetric data such as point clouds. A novel light wave propagation strategy relying on the sequential use of the wavefront recording plane method is proposed, which employs look-up tables in order to reduce the computational complexity in the calculation of the fields. Also, a novel technique for occlusion culling with little additional computation cost is introduced. Additionally, the method adheres a Gaussian distribution to the individual points in order to improve visual quality. Performance tests show that for a full-parallax high-definition CGH a speedup factor of more than 2,500 compared to the ray-tracing method can be achieved without hardware acceleration.

Cumulative trauma disorders in betel pepper leaf-cullers visiting a rehabilitation clinic: experience in Taitung.

PubMed

Wang, Lin-Yi; Pong, Ya-Ping; Wang, Her-Cherng; Su, Sheng-Hsiang; Tsai, Chang-Hsueh; Leong, Chau-Peng

2005-04-01

Betel pepper (Piper betle L.) cultivation is an important agricultural industry in Taitung, Taiwan, and culling leaves is very labor-intensive. This case study compares the proportion of cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) between cullers and those with other occupations. Patients with musculoskeletal disorders in the rehabilitation clinic of a local hospital in Taitung were enrolled. This all female cohort was divided into a culler group (betel pepper cullers, n = 20), and a non-culler group (other occupations, n = 47). Three cullers were interviewed, and were also recorded to elucidate the related ergonomics. Patients were diagnosed using plain radiography and ultrasonography. The act of culling involves an overhead internal rotation of both shoulders with extended elbows while standing, followed by wrist flexion and forearm pronation. Flexing of the fingers is also required by the tools, 'iron nails' fitted onto both thumbs. The proportions of patients with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were significantly higher among cullers than non-cullers (0.45 vs. 0.15, p = 0.011 and 0.40 vs. 0.06, p = 0.002, respectively). Furthermore, the total frequency of CTDs displayed a positive linear correlation with employment duration (r = 0.618, p = 0.004). Proportions of occupational SIS and CTS were higher among betel pepper cullers than those with other occupations. These CTDs may have resulted from a prolonged static posture and repetitive motions during culling.

A field study of culling and mortality in beef cows from western Canada.

PubMed

Waldner, Cheryl L; Kennedy, Richard I; Rosengren, Leigh; Clark, Edward G

2009-05-01

The objectives were to describe the pattern of losses through culling, sales of breeding stock, mortality, and disappearance, and to characterize the causes of mortality of cows and replacement heifers of breeding age from Western Canadian beef herds. Cows and replacement heifers from 203 herds were observed for a 1-year period starting June 1, 2001. Veterinarians examined dead animals on-farm using a standard postmortem protocol. The incidence of culling in cows and replacements heifers was 14.3 per 100 cow-years at risk, and the frequencies of sales for breeding stock, mortality, and cows reported missing per cow-years at risk were 4.0, 1.1, and 0.4, respectively. During the study, 355 animals died or were euthanized, 209 were examined postmortem, and the requested tissues were submitted for histopathologic examination from 184. A cause of death was determined for 70% (128/184) of the cows with complete gross postmortem and histopathologic examinations. Hardware disease (traumatic reticuloperitonitis), malignant neoplasia (cancer), calving-associated injury, rumen tympany (bloat), myopathy, and pneumonia accounted for 56% (72/128) of the animals where a cause of death was determined. Twenty-three other causes of death accounted for the remaining 44% (56/128). Factors relating to cow nutrition accounted for 25% of the deaths, emphasizing the importance of feeding management as a determinant of cow health in western Canada.

Livestock Disease Management for Trading Across Different Regulatory Regimes.

PubMed

Bate, Andrew M; Jones, Glyn; Kleczkowski, Adam; Naylor, Rebecca; Timmis, Jon; White, Piran C L; Touza, Julia

2018-02-12

The maintenance of livestock health depends on the combined actions of many different actors, both within and across different regulatory frameworks. Prior work recognised that private risk management choices have the ability to reduce the spread of infection to trading partners. We evaluate the efficiency of farmers' alternative biosecurity choices in terms of their own-benefits from unilateral strategies and quantify the impact they may have in filtering the disease externality of trade. We use bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) in England and Scotland as a case study, since this provides an example of a situation where contrasting strategies for BVD management occur between selling and purchasing farms. We use an agent-based bioeconomic model to assess the payoff dependence of farmers connected by trade but using different BVD management strategies. We compare three disease management actions: test-cull, test-cull with vaccination and vaccination alone. For a two-farm trading situation, all actions carried out by the selling farm provide substantial benefits to the purchasing farm in terms of disease avoided, with the greatest benefit resulting from test-culling with vaccination on the selling farm. Likewise, unilateral disease strategies by purchasers can be effective in reducing disease risks created through trade. We conclude that regulation needs to balance the trade-off between private gains from those bearing the disease management costs and the positive spillover effects on others.

Farmer attitudes to vaccination and culling of badgers in controlling bovine tuberculosis.

PubMed

Warren, M; Lobley, M; Winter, M

2013-07-13

Controversy persists in England, Wales and Northern Ireland concerning methods of controlling the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) between badgers and cattle. The National Trust, a major land-owning heritage organisation, in 2011, began a programme of vaccinating badgers against bTB on its Killerton Estate in Devon. Most of the estate is farmed by 18 tenant farmers, who thus have a strong interest in the Trust's approach, particularly as all have felt the effects of the disease. This article reports on a study of the attitudes to vaccination of badgers and to the alternative of a culling programme, using face-to-face interviews with 14 of the tenants. The results indicated first that the views of the respondents were more nuanced than the contemporary public debate about badger control would suggest. Secondly, the attitude of the interviewees to vaccination of badgers against bTB was generally one of resigned acceptance. Thirdly, most respondents would prefer a combination of an effective vaccination programme with an effective culling programme, the latter reducing population of density sufficiently (and preferably targeting the badgers most likely to be diseased) for vaccination to have a reasonable chance of success. While based on a small sample, these results will contribute to the vigorous debate concerning contrasting policy approaches to bTB control in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Estimate of the economic impact of mastitis: A case study in a Holstein dairy herd under tropical conditions.

PubMed

Guimarães, Juliana L B; Brito, Maria A V P; Lange, Carla C; Silva, Márcio R; Ribeiro, João B; Mendonça, Letícia C; Mendonça, Juliana F M; Souza, Guilherme N

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the economic impact of mastitis at the herd level and the weight (percent) of the components of this impact in a Holstein dairy herd under tropical conditions. Three estimates of the economic impact of mastitis were performed. In estimates 1 and 2 the real production and economic indices from February 2011 to January 2012 were considered. In the estimate 1, indices for mastitis classified as ideal were considered, whereas in the estimate 2, the mastitis indices used were those recorded at the farm and at Holstein Cattle Association of Minas Gerais State database (real indices). Ideal mastitis indices were bulk milk somatic cell counts less than 250,000 cells/mL, incidence of clinical mastitis less than 25 cases/100 cows/year, number of culls due to udder health problems less than 5% and the percentage of cows with somatic cell counts greater than 200,000 cells/mL less than 20%. Considering the ideal indices of mastitis, the economic impact was US$19,132.35. The three main components of the economic impact were culling cows (39.4%) and the reduction in milk production due to subclinical and clinical mastitis (32.3% and 18.2%, respectively). Estimate 2 using real mastitis indices showed an economic impact of US$61,623.13 and the reduction in milk production due to mastitis (77.7%) and milk disposal (14.0%) were the most relevant components. The real impact of culling cows was approximately 16 times less than the weight that was considered ideal, indicating that this procedure could have been more frequently adopted. The reduction in milk production was 27.2% higher than the reduction in Estimate 1, indicating a need to control and prevent mastitis. The estimate 3 considered the same indices as estimate 2, but for the period from February 2012 to January 2013. Its economic impact was US$91,552.69. During this period, 161 treatments of cows with an intramammary antibiotic were performed to eliminate Streptococcus agalactiae, and eight cows chronically infected with Staphylococcus aureus were culled. The reduction in milk production due to mastitis was the main component of the economic impact (54.9%). The culling of cows with chronic infection was associated with an increase in the economic impact of mastitis and a reduction in the average productivity per cow. At the herd level reduction in milk production was the component that presented the largest weight in the economic impact of the disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A 16-Channel CMOS Chopper-Stabilized Analog Front-End ECoG Acquisition Circuit for a Closed-Loop Epileptic Seizure Control System.

PubMed

Wu, Chung-Yu; Cheng, Cheng-Hsiang; Chen, Zhi-Xin

2018-06-01

In this paper, a 16-channel analog front-end (AFE) electrocorticography signal acquisition circuit for a closed-loop seizure control system is presented. It is composed of 16 input protection circuits, 16 auto-reset chopper-stabilized capacitive-coupled instrumentation amplifiers (AR-CSCCIA) with bandpass filters, 16 programmable transconductance gain amplifiers, a multiplexer, a transimpedance amplifier, and a 128-kS/s 10-bit delta-modulated successive-approximation-register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC). In closed-loop seizure control system applications, the stimulator shares the same electrode with the AFE amplifier for effective suppression of epileptic seizures. To prevent from overstress in MOS devices caused by high stimulation voltage, an input protection circuit with a high-voltage-tolerant switch is proposed for the AFE amplifier. Moreover, low input-referred noise is achieved by using the chopper modulation technique in the AR-CSCCIA. To reduce the undesired effects of chopper modulation, an improved offset reduction loop is proposed to reduce the output offset generated by input chopper mismatches. The digital ripple reduction loop is also used to reduce the chopper ripple. The fabricated AFE amplifier has 49.1-/59.4-/67.9-dB programmable gain and 2.02-μVrms input referred noise in a bandwidth of 0.59-117 Hz. The measured power consumption of the AFE amplifier is 3.26 μW per channel, and the noise efficiency factor is 3.36. The in vivo animal test has been successfully performed to verify the functions. It is shown that the proposed AFE acquisition circuit is suitable for implantable closed-loop seizure control systems.

40 CFR 98.460 - Definition of the source category.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... cull. (viii) Bricks, mortar, or cement. (ix) Furnace slag. (x) Materials used as refractory (e.g., alumina, silicon, fire clay, fire brick). (xi) Plastics (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene...

Study on some risk factors and effects of bovine ketosis on dairy cows from the Galicia region (Spain).

PubMed

Viña, C; Fouz, R; Camino, F; Sanjuán, M L; Yus, E; Diéguez, F J

2017-10-01

The study was designed to determine the relation between β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations in milk from dairy cows after calving and the length of the previous lactation, the dry period and the 305-day normalized production, and to assess the influence of BHB concentrations on culling and test-day milk productions and somatic cell counts (SCC) throughout the lactation that followed the BHB measurement. The data used in the study were obtained from 59 187 cows in the Galicia region (Spain). BHB determination was performed using Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometry from the milk samples collected from each cow on the first post-partum test day. For statistical analysis, the following methods were applied: (i) ordinal regression to assess the effect of the length of the previous lactation, the dry period and the 305-day normalized milk production on milk BHB, (ii) a Cox model to estimate the influence of the BHB concentration on risk of culling (overall and for a variety of reasons) and (iii) linear regression to assess the link between BHB and the milk yield and SCC obtained from each of the tests day performed throughout lactation. The probability of having higher BHB concentrations increased when the length of the previous lactation (p = 0.006), the dry period (p = 0.003) and the 305-day normalized milk yield (p = 0.005) increased. However, the slight increase observed (especially for the case of the dry period and the 305-day milk yield) would not justify that measures be implemented to reduce these traits. Higher concentrations of BHB led to an increased risk of culling due to 'death' (p ≤ 0.001) and 'urgent slaughter' (p ≤ 0.002) (both causes of involuntary culling). It also led to a reduction in milk production (p < 0.001) and an increase in SCC (p < 0.001) in the post-partum; from that moment onward (including peak lactation), there were no differences in those two parameters depending on the BHB levels. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Association between isolation of Staphylococcus aureus one week after calving and milk yield, somatic cell count, clinical mastitis, and culling through the remaining lactation.

PubMed

Whist, Anne Cathrine; Osterås, Olav; Sølverød, Liv

2009-02-01

Cows with isolation of Staphylococcus aureus approximately 1 week after calving and milk yield, somatic cell count (SCC), clinical mastitis (CM), and culling risk through the remaining lactation were assessed in 178 Norwegian dairy herds. Mixed models with repeated measures were used to compare milk yield and SCC, and survival analyses were used to estimate the hazard ratio for CM and culling. On average, cows with an isolate of Staph. aureus had a significantly higher SCC than culture-negative cows. If no post-milking teat disinfection (PMTD) was used, the mean values of SCC were 42,000, 61,000, 68,000 and 77,000 cells/ml for cows with no Staph. aureus isolate, with Staph. aureus isolated in 1 quarter, in 2 quarters and more than 2 quarters respectively. If iodine PMTD was used, SCC means were 36,000; 63,000; 70,000 and 122,000, respectively. Primiparous cows testing positive for Staph. aureus had the same milk yield curve as culture-negative cows, except for those with Staph. aureus isolated in more than 2 quarters. They produced 229 kg less during a 305-d lactation. Multiparous cows with isolation of Staph. aureus in at least 1 quarter produced 94-161 kg less milk in 2nd and >3rd parity, respectively, and those with isolation in more than 2 quarters produced 303-390 kg less than multiparous culture-negative animals during a 305-d lactation. Compared with culture-negative cows, the hazard ratio for CM and culling in cows with isolation of Staph. aureus in at least 1 quarter was 2.0 (1.6-2.4) and 1.7 (1.5-1.9), respectively. There was a decrease in the SCC and in the CM risk in culture-negative cows where iodine PMTD had been used, indicating that iodine PMTD has a preventive effect on already healthy cows. For cows testing positive for Staph. aureus in more than 2 quarters at calving, iodine PMTD had a negative effect on the CM risk and on the SCC through the remaining lactation.

Changes in the demand for private medical insurance following a shift in tax incentives.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Marisol; Stoyanova, Alexandrina

2008-02-01

The 1998 Spanish reform of the Personal Income Tax eliminated the 15% deduction for private medical expenditures including payments on private health insurance (PHI) policies. To avoid an undesired increase in the demand for publicly funded health care, tax incentives to buy PHI were not completely removed but basically shifted from individual to group employer-paid policies. In a unique fiscal experiment, at the same time that the tax relief for individually purchased policies was abolished, the government provided for tax allowances on policies taken out through employment. Using a bivariate probit model on data from National Health Surveys, we estimate the impact of said reform on the demand for PHI and the changes occurred within it. Our findings indicate that the total probability of buying PHI was not significantly affected by the reform. Indeed, the fall in the demand for individual policies (by 10% between 1997 and 2001) was offset by an increase in the demand for group employer-paid ones. We also briefly discuss the welfare effects on the state budget, the industry and society at large.

Optimization Under Uncertainty for Wake Steering Strategies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quick, Julian; Annoni, Jennifer; King, Ryan N

Offsetting turbines' yaw orientations from incoming wind is a powerful tool that may be leveraged to reduce undesirable wake effects on downstream turbines. First, we examine a simple two-turbine case to gain intuition as to how inflow direction uncertainty affects the optimal solution. The turbines are modeled with unidirectional inflow such that one turbine directly wakes the other, using ten rotor diameter spacing. We perform optimization under uncertainty (OUU) via a parameter sweep of the front turbine. The OUU solution generally prefers less steering. We then do this optimization for a 60-turbine wind farm with unidirectional inflow, varying the degreemore » of inflow uncertainty and approaching this OUU problem by nesting a polynomial chaos expansion uncertainty quantification routine within an outer optimization. We examined how different levels of uncertainty in the inflow direction effect the ratio of the expected values of deterministic and OUU solutions for steering strategies in the large wind farm, assuming the directional uncertainty used to reach said OUU solution (this ratio is defined as the value of the stochastic solution or VSS).« less

75 FR 22162 - Receipt of Applications for Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-27

... agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that... to import the sport- hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a...

7 CFR 987.16 - Cull dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., group 4, article 24, section 24, section 1434 of the Food and Agricultural Code of California for dates for use in products or by-products other than alcohol, brandy, and products not intended for human...

75 FR 63196 - Endangered Species; Receipt of Applications for Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-14

...) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include citations to, and... a permit to import a sport-hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled...

78 FR 62647 - Endangered Species; Receipt of Applications for Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-22

...) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include citations to, and... permit to import the sport- hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from...

76 FR 54480 - Endangered Species; Receipt of Applications for Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-01

... quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable... sport- hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a captive herd...

Partial budget of the discounted annual benefit of mastitis control strategies.

PubMed

Allore, H G; Erb, H N

1998-08-01

The objective of this study was to rank the benefits associated with various mastitis control strategies in simulated herds with intramammary infections caused by Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus spp. other than Strep. agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and Escherichia coli. The control strategies tested were prevention, vaccination for E. coli, lactation therapy, and dry cow antibiotic therapy. Partial budgets were based on changes caused by mastitis control strategies from the mean values for milk, fat, and protein yields of the control herd and the number of cows that were culled under a fixed mastitis culling criterion. Each annual benefit (dollars per cow per year) of a mastitis control strategy was compared with the revenue for the control herd and was calculated under two different milk pricing plans (3.5% milk fat and multiple-component pricing), three net replacement costs, and three prevalences of pathogen-specific intramammary infection. Twenty replicates of each control strategy were run with SIMMAST (a dynamic discrete event stochastic simulation model) for 5 simulated yr. Rankings of discounted annual benefits differed only slightly according to milk pricing plans within a pathogen group but differed among the pathogen groups. Differences in net replacement costs for cows culled because of mastitis did not change the ranking of control strategies within a pathogen group. Both prevention and dry cow therapy were important mastitis control strategies. For herds primarily infected with environmental pathogens, strategies that included vaccination for mastitis caused by E. coli dominated strategies that did not include vaccination against this microorganism.

Linear model analysis of the influencing factors of boar longevity in Southern China.

PubMed

Wang, Chao; Li, Jia-Lian; Wei, Hong-Kui; Zhou, Yuan-Fei; Jiang, Si-Wen; Peng, Jian

2017-04-15

This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the boar herd life month (BHLM) in Southern China. A total of 1630 records of culling boars from nine artificial insemination centers were collected from January 2013 to May 2016. A logistic regression model and two linear models were used to analyze the effects of breed, housing type, age at herd entry, and seed stock herd on boar removal reason and BHLM, respectively. Boar breed and the age at herd entry had significant effects on the removal reasons (P < 0.001). Results of the two linear models (with or without removal reason including) showed boars raised individually in stalls exhibited shorter BHLM than those raised in pens (P < 0.001). Boars aged 5 and 6 months at herd entry (44.6%) showed shorter BHLM than those aged 8 and 9 months at herd entry (P < 0.05). Approximately 95% boars were culled for different reasons other than old age, and the BHLM of these boars was at least 12.3 months longer than that of boars culled for other reasons (P < 0.001). In conclusion, abnormal elimination in boars is serious and it had a negative effect on boar BHLM. Boar removal reason and BHLM can be affected by breed, housing type, and seed stock herd. Importantly, 8 months is suggested as the most suitable age for boar introduction. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Modelled female sale options demonstrate improved profitability in northern beef herds.

PubMed

Niethe, G E; Holmes, W E

2008-12-01

To examine the impact of improving the average value of cows sold, the risk of decreasing the number weaned, and total sales on the profitability of northern Australian cattle breeding properties. Gather, model and interpret breeder herd performances and production parameters on properties from six beef-producing regions in northern Australia. Production parameters, prices, costs and herd structure were entered into a herd simulation model for six northern Australian breeding properties that spay females to enhance their marketing options. After the data were validated by management, alternative management strategies were modelled using current market prices and most likely herd outcomes. The model predicted a close relationship between the average sale value of cows, the total herd sales and the gross margin/adult equivalent. Keeping breeders out of the herd to fatten generally improves their sale value, and this can be cost-effective, despite the lower number of progeny produced and the subsequent reduction in total herd sales. Furthermore, if the price of culled cows exceeds the price of culled heifers, provided there are sufficient replacement pregnant heifers available to maintain the breeder herd nucleus, substantial gains in profitability can be obtained by decreasing the age at which cows are culled from the herd. Generalised recommendations on improving reproductive performance are not necessarily the most cost-effective strategy to improve breeder herd profitability. Judicious use of simulation models is essential to help develop the best turnoff strategies for females and to improve station profitability.

Factors affecting the incidence and outcome of Trueperella pyogenes mastitis in cows

PubMed Central

ISHIYAMA, Dai; MIZOMOTO, Tomoko; UEDA, Chise; TAKAGI, Nobuyuki; SHIMIZU, Noriko; MATSUURA, Yu; MAKUUCHI, Yuto; WATANABE, Aiko; SHINOZUKA, Yasunori; KAWAI, Kazuhiro

2017-01-01

The main factors affecting the outcome of Trueperella pyogenes (T. pyogenes) mastitis were examined through a survey of diagnostic data and interviews relating to the occurrence of T. pyogenes mastitis in 83 quarters from 82 Holstein cows between August 2012 and April 2014. Ultimately, one cow was sold during the examination, and 82 quarters from 81 cows were used for analysis on prognosis. T. pyogenes mastitis occurred year round in both lactating and dry cows. The incidence of T. pyogenes mastitis did not significantly differ by month or show seasonality in either lactating or dry cows. Therefore, the occurrence of T. pyogenes mastitis also differed from that of summer mastitis. The 1-month survival rate of infected cows was 64.6% (53/82), and the recovery rate of quarters with T. pyogenes mastitis was 14.6% (12/82). Bivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with survival and culling of infected cows as objective variables and with recovery and non-recovery of quarters with T. pyogenes mastitis as objective variables. The severe cases were significantly culled (odds ratio, 16.30) compared to mild cases, and the status of quarters didn’t recover (odds ratio, 6.50). The results suggest that mild to moderate symptom severity at the time of onset are the main factors affecting outcomes in cows and recovery of quarters infected with T. pyogenes mastitis. Further, high level of NAGase activity also suggested the potential use as an indicator of culling of cows with T. pyogenes mastitis. PMID:28163273

40 CFR 98.460 - Definition of the source category.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... foundry sand). (vii) Clay, gypsum, or pottery cull. (viii) Bricks, mortar, or cement. (ix) Furnace slag. (x) Materials used as refractory (e.g., alumina, silicon, fire clay, fire brick). (xi) Plastics (e.g...

40 CFR 98.460 - Definition of the source category.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... foundry sand). (vii) Clay, gypsum, or pottery cull. (viii) Bricks, mortar, or cement. (ix) Furnace slag. (x) Materials used as refractory (e.g., alumina, silicon, fire clay, fire brick). (xi) Plastics (e.g...

40 CFR 98.460 - Definition of the source category.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... foundry sand). (vii) Clay, gypsum, or pottery cull. (viii) Bricks, mortar, or cement. (ix) Furnace slag. (x) Materials used as refractory (e.g., alumina, silicon, fire clay, fire brick). (xi) Plastics (e.g...

Clinical diagnosis of uterine didelphia in Ayrshire heifer

PubMed Central

Raggio, Ignacio; Lefebvre, Rejean C.; Poitras, Pierre; Vaillancourt, Denis; Champagne, Jean P.

2006-01-01

A 24-month-old Ayrshire heifer was referred because of infertility. A clinical diagnosis of uterus didelphys was established after a complete genital examination before the animal was culled from the herd. PMID:17017655

76 FR 7580 - Endangered Species; Marine Mammals; Receipt of Applications for Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-10

... sport- hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a captive herd... Mammals and Marine Mammals Applicant: U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK; PRT...

Nyala and Bushbuck II: A Harvesting Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fay, Temple H.; Greeff, Johanna C.

1999-01-01

Adds a cropping or harvesting term to the animal overpopulation model developed in Part I of this article. Investigates various harvesting strategies that might suggest a solution to the overpopulation problem without actually culling any animals. (ASK)

Effects of bovine necrotic vulvovaginitis on productivity in a dairy herd in Israel.

PubMed

Blum, S; Mazuz, M; Brenner, J; Friedgut, O; Koren, O; Goshen, T; Elad, D

2008-05-01

Bovine necrotic vulvovaginitis (BNVV) is characterized by the development of a necrotic vulvovaginal lesion, almost exclusively in post-parturient first-lactation cows, associated with Porphyromonas levii. The scope of this survey was to evaluate the impact of BNVV on herd productivity as a means to rationally evaluate the resources that should be allocated in dealing with the syndrome. During an outbreak of BNVV in a dairy herd, following the introduction of a large number of cows from another farm, the impact of the animals' origin (local or transferred) and BNVV (positive or negative) upon involuntary culling rate, milk yield and days between pregnancies were assessed. The results indicated that the number of days between pregnancies was significantly higher in first-lactation cows with BNVV but was not influenced by the other independent variables. None of the other variables included in this survey had any effect on the involuntary culling rate and milk yield.

Cost-benefit analysis model of badger (Meles meles) culling to reduce cattle herd tuberculosis breakdowns in Britain, with particular reference to badger perturbation.

PubMed

Wilkinson, D; Bennett, R; McFarlane, I; Rushton, S; Shirley, M; Smith, G C

2009-10-01

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is an important economic disease. Badgers (Meles meles) are the wildlife source implicated in many cattle outbreaks of TB in Britain, and extensive badger control is a controversial option to reduce the disease. A badger and cattle population model was developed, simulating TB epidemiology; badger ecology, including postcull social perturbation; and TB-related farm management. An economic cost-benefit module was integrated into the model to assess whether badger control offers economic benefits. Model results strongly indicate that although, if perturbation were restricted, extensive badger culling could reduce rates in cattle, overall an economic loss would be more likely than a benefit. Perturbation of the badger population was a key factor determining success or failure of control. The model highlighted some important knowledge gaps regarding both the spatial and temporal characteristics of perturbation that warrant further research.

Beyond policy networks: policy framing and the politics of expertise in the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease crisis.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Katy; Lowe, Philip; Donaldson, Andrew

2010-01-01

For the past decade, the policy community/issue network typology of pressure group interaction has been used to explain policy outcomes and the policy-making process. To re-examine the validity of this typology, the paper focuses on the UK government's response to the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis, and in particular the decision to pursue contiguous culling rather than vaccination to overcome the epidemic. Rather than illustrating the emergence of an issue network in agricultural policy, the decision-making process of the FMD outbreak demonstrates continuity with prior crises. In addition, the politicization of scientific expertise is identified as an emerging trend in crisis management. Policy framing is used to explain the impetus behind the contiguous cull decision, concluding that the legacy of previous policy choices conditioned the crisis response to a far greater degree than contemporaneous pressure group action.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1, Thailand, 2004

PubMed Central

Chaitaweesub, Prasit; Songserm, Thaweesak; Chaisingh, Arunee; Hoonsuwan, Wirongrong; Buranathai, Chantanee; Parakamawongsa, Tippawon; Premashthira, Sith; Amonsin, Alongkorn; Gilbert, Marius; Nielen, Mirjam; Stegeman, Arjan

2005-01-01

In January 2004, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus of the H5N1 subtype was first confirmed in poultry and humans in Thailand. Control measures, e.g., culling poultry flocks, restricting poultry movement, and improving hygiene, were implemented. Poultry populations in 1,417 villages in 60 of 76 provinces were affected in 2004. A total of 83% of infected flocks confirmed by laboratories were backyard chickens (56%) or ducks (27%). Outbreaks were concentrated in the Central, the southern part of the Northern, and Eastern Regions of Thailand, which are wetlands, water reservoirs, and dense poultry areas. More than 62 million birds were either killed by HPAI viruses or culled. H5N1 virus from poultry caused 17 human cases and 12 deaths in Thailand; a number of domestic cats, captive tigers, and leopards also died of the H5N1 virus. In 2005, the epidemic is ongoing in Thailand. PMID:16318716

Genetic and economic analyses of female replacement rates in the dam-daughter pathway of a hierarchical swine breeding structure.

PubMed

Faust, M A; Robison, O W; Tess, M W

1992-07-01

A stochastic life-cycle swine production model was used to study the effect of female replacement rates in the dam-daughter pathway for a tiered breeding structure on genetic change and returns to the breeder. Genetic, environmental, and economic parameters were used to simulate characteristics of individual pigs in a system producing F1 female replacements. Evaluated were maximum culling ages for nucleus and multiplier tier sows. System combinations included one- and five-parity alternatives for both levels and 10-parity options for the multiplier tier. Yearly changes and average phenotypic levels were computed for performance and economic measures. Generally, at the nucleus level, responses to 10 yr of selection for sow and pig performance in five-parity herds were 70 to 85% of response in one-parity herds. Similarly, the highest selection responses in multiplier herds were from systems with one-parity nucleus tiers. Responses in these were typically greater than 115% of the response for systems with the smallest yearly change, namely, the five-parity nucleus and five- and 10-parity multiplier levels. In contrast, the most profitable multiplier tiers (10-parity) had the lowest replacement costs. Within a multiplier culling strategy, rapid genetic change was desirable. Differences between systems that culled after five or 10 parities were smaller than differences between five- and one-parity multiplier options. To recover production costs, systems with the lowest returns required 140% of market hog value for gilts available to commercial tiers, whereas more economically efficient systems required no premium.

Associations between bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) seropositivity and performance indicators in beef suckler and dairy herds.

PubMed

Gates, M C; Humphry, R W; Gunn, G J

2013-12-01

Data from 255 Scottish beef suckler herds and 189 Scottish dairy herds surveyed as part of national bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) prevalence studies from October 2006 to May 2008 were examined retrospectively to determine the relationship between serological status and key performance indicators derived from national cattle movement records. On average, calf mortality rates were 1.35 percentage points higher in seropositive beef herds and 3.05 percentage points higher in seropositive dairy herds than in negative control herds. Seropositive beef herds were also more likely to show increases in calf mortality rates and culling rates between successive years. There were no discernible effects of BVDV on the average age at first calving or calving interval for either herd type. Accompanying questionnaire data revealed that only 27% of beef farmers and 25% of dairy farmers with seropositive herds thought their cattle were affected by BVDV, which suggests that the clinical effects of exposure may be inapparent under field conditions or masked by other causes of reproductive failure and culling. Beef farmers were significantly more likely to perceive a problem when their herd experienced acute changes in calf mortality rates, culling rates, and calving intervals between successive years. However, only 35% of these perceived positive herds were actually seropositive for BVDV. These findings emphasize both the importance of routinely screening herds to determine their true infection status and the potential for using national cattle movement records to identify herds that may be experiencing outbreaks from BVDV or other infectious diseases that impact herd performance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the Farm Management of Culling Cattle: A Survey of Existing Practices and Suggestions for Drafting of Best Practices

PubMed Central

Frattasi, Alessandro Russo; Cesano, Lorenzo; Botta, Michelangelo

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate different aspects regarding culled cattle and to suggest operating procedures for their correct management. Information collected in Piedmont region allowed for an assessment of the number of cattle put down on the farm, a quantification of slaughters performed in urgency and emergency (SUS/SES) and a headcount of those which died during farming. The survey highlighted the limited use of euthanasia or putting down compared to the number of cases of SUS/SES which were approximately ten times higher. If cattle displays severe health problems, such as a multifactorial disease like downer cow, the farmer has to decide rapidly the treatment to avoid cattle distress. A checklist has been developed and a flow chart has been revised to assist farmers and vets to quicken the decision-taking process and to manage the cattle in a more efficient manner. During this study a number of different problems have been stressed out. Particularly, the shortcomings in the training of operators commissioned to manage the animals, the inadequacy of structures used for the sheltering and slaughter of bovines on the farm, and differences in the operating procedures for culled cattle across the territory. From the obtained results, we can conclude that it is necessary to adopt a transversal approach, so that the information regarding these animals (welfare, health status, drug treatments and destination) will be uniform and adequate during all the steps of production, to ensure animal welfare and food safety. PMID:27800327

Post-traumatic stress disorder in participants of foot-and-mouth disease epidemic control in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2010.

PubMed

Hibi, Juri; Kurosawa, Aiko; Watanabe, Takuto; Kadowaki, Hazumu; Watari, Michiko; Makita, Kohei

2015-08-01

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) occurred in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2010, and 290,000 animals were culled. This paper describes the mental distress of the volunteers who had been dispatched to Miyazaki for disease control two years after the epidemic. It also assesses risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A participatory appraisal and self-administered questionnaire survey were conducted in 2012 for those who were dispatched to Miyazaki in 2010. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used as an indicator of PTSD, and univariate and multivariable analyses were performed. Of the 875 respondents, 1.3% had higher IES-R scores than the cut-off point (25), which is suggestive of PTSD. Mental stresses during and soon after FMD control and after two years were described. Four risk factors associated with high IES-R scores were found: transporting culled animals (P<0.01), stress during FMD control (P<0.01) and at the time of the survey (P<0.01), and lack of someone to talk to about FMD-associated stress at the time of the survey (P<0.01). Veterinarians, livestock technicians and clerical officers involved in FMD control still suffer from mental stress two years later. Public services should provide an opportunity for them to consult with mental health specialists. These findings should be used to better prepare workers who deal with infectious diseases of animals, especially when they must be culled. The establishment of a collaborative framework between veterinary and mental health services is recommended.

Economic consequences of paratuberculosis control in dairy cattle: A stochastic modeling study.

PubMed

Smith, R L; Al-Mamun, M A; Gröhn, Y T

2017-03-01

The cost of paratuberculosis to dairy herds, through decreased milk production, early culling, and poor reproductive performance, has been well-studied. The benefit of control programs, however, has been debated. A recent stochastic compartmental model for paratuberculosis transmission in US dairy herds was modified to predict herd net present value (NPV) over 25 years in herds of 100 and 1000 dairy cattle with endemic paratuberculosis at initial prevalence of 10% and 20%. Control programs were designed by combining 5 tests (none, fecal culture, ELISA, PCR, or calf testing), 3 test-related culling strategies (all test-positive, high-positive, or repeated positive), 2 test frequencies (annual and biannual), 3 hygiene levels (standard, moderate, or improved), and 2 cessation decisions (testing ceased after 5 negative whole-herd tests or testing continued). Stochastic dominance was determined for each herd scenario; no control program was fully dominant for maximizing herd NPV in any scenario. Use of the ELISA test was generally preferred in all scenarios, but no paratuberculosis control was highly preferred for the small herd with 10% initial prevalence and was frequently preferred in other herd scenarios. Based on their effect on paratuberculosis alone, hygiene improvements were not found to be as cost-effective as test-and-cull strategies in most circumstances. Global sensitivity analysis found that economic parameters, such as the price of milk, had more influence on NPV than control program-related parameters. We conclude that paratuberculosis control can be cost effective, and multiple control programs can be applied for equivalent economic results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Survey of U.S. zoo and aquarium animal care staff attitudes regarding humane euthanasia for population management.

PubMed

Powell, David M; Ardaiolo, Matthew

2016-05-01

The humane euthanasia of animals for population management, or culling, has been suggested as one possible tool for managing animal populations for sustainability, and recent, highly publicized euthanasia of zoo animals in Copenhagen has stimulated global conversation about population management in zoos. We conducted a nationwide survey of U.S. zoo and aquarium personnel, including keepers, managers, and leaders of AZA animal programs, to assess their overall attitudes regarding population management euthanasia. The surveyed populations were generally very aware of the concept of population management euthanasia. Managers and animal program leaders were more supportive of euthanasia than keepers. We found that regardless of role, men were more supportive of euthanasia than women. Those personnel who were aware of instances of population management euthanasia at their institutions before were more supportive of it than those who were not. Support for culling varied with the kind of animal being considered for it, with three general taxon acceptability groupings emerging. Education, tenure in the profession, taxonomic expertise, and whether or not the responder took the survey before or after the Copenhagen events were not strong predictors of attitudes. Overall, the surveyed populations were approximately evenly split in terms of being in favor of euthanasia, not supporting euthanasia, or being unsure. Most responders indicated that they would be more likely to accept culling if more information was provided on its rationale. These results will form the basis for further discussions on the role of humane euthanasia for population management. Zoo Biol. 35:187-200, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Adaptive Management and the Value of Information: Learning Via Intervention in Epidemiology

PubMed Central

Shea, Katriona; Tildesley, Michael J.; Runge, Michael C.; Fonnesbeck, Christopher J.; Ferrari, Matthew J.

2014-01-01

Optimal intervention for disease outbreaks is often impeded by severe scientific uncertainty. Adaptive management (AM), long-used in natural resource management, is a structured decision-making approach to solving dynamic problems that accounts for the value of resolving uncertainty via real-time evaluation of alternative models. We propose an AM approach to design and evaluate intervention strategies in epidemiology, using real-time surveillance to resolve model uncertainty as management proceeds, with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) culling and measles vaccination as case studies. We use simulations of alternative intervention strategies under competing models to quantify the effect of model uncertainty on decision making, in terms of the value of information, and quantify the benefit of adaptive versus static intervention strategies. Culling decisions during the 2001 UK FMD outbreak were contentious due to uncertainty about the spatial scale of transmission. The expected benefit of resolving this uncertainty prior to a new outbreak on a UK-like landscape would be £45–£60 million relative to the strategy that minimizes livestock losses averaged over alternate transmission models. AM during the outbreak would be expected to recover up to £20.1 million of this expected benefit. AM would also recommend a more conservative initial approach (culling of infected premises and dangerous contact farms) than would a fixed strategy (which would additionally require culling of contiguous premises). For optimal targeting of measles vaccination, based on an outbreak in Malawi in 2010, AM allows better distribution of resources across the affected region; its utility depends on uncertainty about both the at-risk population and logistical capacity. When daily vaccination rates are highly constrained, the optimal initial strategy is to conduct a small, quick campaign; a reduction in expected burden of approximately 10,000 cases could result if campaign targets can be updated on the basis of the true susceptible population. Formal incorporation of a policy to update future management actions in response to information gained in the course of an outbreak can change the optimal initial response and result in significant cost savings. AM provides a framework for using multiple models to facilitate public-health decision making and an objective basis for updating management actions in response to improved scientific understanding. PMID:25333371

Adaptive management and the value of information: learning via intervention in epidemiology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shea, Katriona; Tildesley, Michael J.; Runge, Michael C.; Fonnesbeck, Christopher J.; Ferrari, Matthew J.

2014-01-01

Optimal intervention for disease outbreaks is often impeded by severe scientific uncertainty. Adaptive management (AM), long-used in natural resource management, is a structured decision-making approach to solving dynamic problems that accounts for the value of resolving uncertainty via real-time evaluation of alternative models. We propose an AM approach to design and evaluate intervention strategies in epidemiology, using real-time surveillance to resolve model uncertainty as management proceeds, with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) culling and measles vaccination as case studies. We use simulations of alternative intervention strategies under competing models to quantify the effect of model uncertainty on decision making, in terms of the value of information, and quantify the benefit of adaptive versus static intervention strategies. Culling decisions during the 2001 UK FMD outbreak were contentious due to uncertainty about the spatial scale of transmission. The expected benefit of resolving this uncertainty prior to a new outbreak on a UK-like landscape would be £45–£60 million relative to the strategy that minimizes livestock losses averaged over alternate transmission models. AM during the outbreak would be expected to recover up to £20.1 million of this expected benefit. AM would also recommend a more conservative initial approach (culling of infected premises and dangerous contact farms) than would a fixed strategy (which would additionally require culling of contiguous premises). For optimal targeting of measles vaccination, based on an outbreak in Malawi in 2010, AM allows better distribution of resources across the affected region; its utility depends on uncertainty about both the at-risk population and logistical capacity. When daily vaccination rates are highly constrained, the optimal initial strategy is to conduct a small, quick campaign; a reduction in expected burden of approximately 10,000 cases could result if campaign targets can be updated on the basis of the true susceptible population. Formal incorporation of a policy to update future management actions in response to information gained in the course of an outbreak can change the optimal initial response and result in significant cost savings. AM provides a framework for using multiple models to facilitate public-health decision making and an objective basis for updating management actions in response to improved scientific understanding.

Evaluation of testing strategies to identify infected animals at a single round of testing within dairy herds known to be infected with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis.

PubMed

More, S J; Cameron, A R; Strain, S; Cashman, W; Ezanno, P; Kenny, K; Fourichon, C; Graham, D

2015-08-01

As part of a broader control strategy within herds known to be infected with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP), individual animal testing is generally conducted to identify infected animals for action, usually culling. Opportunities are now available to quantitatively compare different testing strategies (combinations of tests) in known infected herds. This study evaluates the effectiveness, cost, and cost-effectiveness of different testing strategies to identify infected animals at a single round of testing within dairy herds known to be MAP infected. A model was developed, taking account of both within-herd infection dynamics and test performance, to simulate the use of different tests at a single round of testing in a known infected herd. Model inputs included the number of animals at different stages of infection, the sensitivity and specificity of each test, and the costs of testing and culling. Testing strategies included either milk or serum ELISA alone or with fecal culture in series. Model outputs included effectiveness (detection fraction, the proportion of truly infected animals in the herd that are successfully detected by the testing strategy), cost, and cost-effectiveness (testing cost per true positive detected, total cost per true positive detected). Several assumptions were made: MAP was introduced with a single animal and no management interventions were implemented to limit within-herd transmission of MAP before this test. In medium herds, between 7 and 26% of infected animals are detected at a single round of testing, the former using the milk ELISA and fecal culture in series 5 yr after MAP introduction and the latter using fecal culture alone 15 yr after MAP introduction. The combined costs of testing and culling at a single round of testing increases with time since introduction of MAP infection, with culling costs being much greater than testing costs. The cost-effectiveness of testing varied by testing strategy. It was also greater at 5 yr, compared with 10 or 15 yr, since MAP introduction, highlighting the importance of early detection. Future work is needed to evaluate these testing strategies in subsequent rounds of testing as well as accounting for different herd dynamics and different levels of herd biocontainment. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method for removing undesired particles from gas streams

DOEpatents

Durham, M.D.; Schlager, R.J.; Ebner, T.G.; Stewart, R.M.; Hyatt, D.E.; Bustard, C.J.; Sjostrom, S.

1998-11-10

The present invention discloses a process for removing undesired particles from a gas stream including the steps of contacting a composition containing an adhesive with the gas stream; collecting the undesired particles and adhesive on a collection surface to form an aggregate comprising the adhesive and undesired particles on the collection surface; and removing the agglomerate from the collection zone. The composition may then be atomized and injected into the gas stream. The composition may include a liquid that vaporizes in the gas stream. After the liquid vaporizes, adhesive particles are entrained in the gas stream. The process may be applied to electrostatic precipitators and filtration systems to improve undesired particle collection efficiency. 11 figs.

Method and apparatus for decreased undesired particle emissions in gas streams

DOEpatents

Durham, M.D.; Schlager, R.J.; Ebner, T.G.; Stewart, R.M.; Bustard, C.J.

1999-04-13

The present invention discloses a process for removing undesired particles from a gas stream including the steps of contacting a composition containing an adhesive with the gas stream; collecting the undesired particles and adhesive on a collection surface to form an aggregate comprising the adhesive and undesired particles on the collection surface; and removing the agglomerate from the collection zone. The composition may then be atomized and injected into the gas stream. The composition may include a liquid that vaporizes in the gas stream. After the liquid vaporizes, adhesive particles are entrained in the gas stream. The process may be applied to electrostatic precipitators and filtration systems to improve undesired particle collection efficiency. 5 figs.

Method and apparatus for decreased undesired particle emissions in gas streams

DOEpatents

Durham, Michael Dean; Schlager, Richard John; Ebner, Timothy George; Stewart, Robin Michele; Bustard, Cynthia Jean

1999-01-01

The present invention discloses a process for removing undesired particles from a gas stream including the steps of contacting a composition containing an adhesive with the gas stream; collecting the undesired particles and adhesive on a collection surface to form an aggregate comprising the adhesive and undesired particles on the collection surface; and removing the agglomerate from the collection zone. The composition may then be atomized and injected into the gas stream. The composition may include a liquid that vaporizes in the gas stream. After the liquid vaporizes, adhesive particles are entrained in the gas stream. The process may be applied to electrostatic precipitators and filtration systems to improve undesired particle collection efficiency.

Method for removing undesired particles from gas streams

DOEpatents

Durham, Michael Dean; Schlager, Richard John; Ebner, Timothy George; Stewart, Robin Michele; Hyatt, David E.; Bustard, Cynthia Jean; Sjostrom, Sharon

1998-01-01

The present invention discloses a process for removing undesired particles from a gas stream including the steps of contacting a composition containing an adhesive with the gas stream; collecting the undesired particles and adhesive on a collection surface to form an aggregate comprising the adhesive and undesired particles on the collection surface; and removing the agglomerate from the collection zone. The composition may then be atomized and injected into the gas stream. The composition may include a liquid that vaporizes in the gas stream. After the liquid vaporizes, adhesive particles are entrained in the gas stream. The process may be applied to electrostatic precipitators and filtration systems to improve undesired particle collection efficiency.

Growth, cull, and, mortality as factors in managing timber in the Anthracite Region

Treesearch

Miles J. Ferree

1948-01-01

Timberland owners in the Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania frequently ask: What tree species grow best in the region? How large should they be grown? How should we treat them to get the most out of them?

Geometric effects on surface states in topological insulator Bi2Te3 nanowire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, Parijat; Kubis, Tillman; Povolotskyi, Michael; Klimeck, Gerhard

2012-02-01

Bismuth Telluride (BT) is a 3D topological insulator (TI) with surface states that have energy dispersion linear in momentum and forms a Dirac cone at low energy. In this work we investigate the surface properties of a BT nanowire and demonstrate the existence of TI states. We also show how such states vanish under certain geometric conditions. An atomistic model (sp3d5s* TB) is used to compute the energy dispersion in a BT nanowire. Penetration depth of the surface states is estimated by ratio of Fermi velocity and band-gap. BT possesses a tiny band-gap, which creates small localization of surface states and greater penetration in to the bulk. To offset this large spatial penetration, which is undesirable to avoid a direct coupling between surfaces, we expect that bigger cross-sections of BT nanowires would be needed to obtain stable TI states. Our numerical work validates this prediction. Furthermore, geometry of the nanowire is shown to influence the TI states. Using a combined analytical and numerical approach our results reveal that surface roughness impact electronic structure leading to Rashba type splits along z-direction. Cylindrical and square cross-sections are given as illustrative examples.

Thermospheric O/N2 ratio observations obtained over more than four years with the GUVI instrument in the TIMED spacecraft mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craven, J. D.; Christensen, A. B.; Paxton, L. J.; Strickland, D. J.

2006-12-01

GUVI observations of the thermospheric column density ratio, O/N2, in the sunlit hemisphere have been made continuously from about Day 50 of 2002 to the present as part of the TIMED spacecraft mission. From these observations have been created organized databases to be used in the creation of analytic models for this parameter. Undesirable attributes within the GUVI data are being eliminated; sun glint at particular solar orientations and penetrating radiation from the South Atlantic magnetic anomaly. The large-scale basic spatial structure includes variations with local time (greater values before local noon), Universal Time (modulation at high latitudes as the dayside auroral oval varies in solar zenith angle due to the offset magnetic dipole), and season (greater values in the local winter hemisphere). Superposed on this well- behaved background structure are the complex, transient perturbations of auroral substorm and geomagnetic storm driven heating events at the high latitudes. These are more difficult to analyze, but are of great interest, as changes in neutral composition, for example, drive changes in ionospheric electron density. The current state of these efforts is to be presented.

Temporal Properties of Liquid Crystal Displays: Implications for Vision Science Experiments

PubMed Central

Elze, Tobias; Tanner, Thomas G.

2012-01-01

Liquid crystal displays (LCD) are currently replacing the previously dominant cathode ray tubes (CRT) in most vision science applications. While the properties of the CRT technology are widely known among vision scientists, the photometric and temporal properties of LCDs are unfamiliar to many practitioners. We provide the essential theory, present measurements to assess the temporal properties of different LCD panel types, and identify the main determinants of the photometric output. Our measurements demonstrate that the specifications of the manufacturers are insufficient for proper display selection and control for most purposes. Furthermore, we show how several novel display technologies developed to improve fast transitions or the appearance of moving objects may be accompanied by side–effects in some areas of vision research. Finally, we unveil a number of surprising technical deficiencies. The use of LCDs may cause problems in several areas in vision science. Aside from the well–known issue of motion blur, the main problems are the lack of reliable and precise onsets and offsets of displayed stimuli, several undesirable and uncontrolled components of the photometric output, and input lags which make LCDs problematic for real–time applications. As a result, LCDs require extensive individual measurements prior to applications in vision science. PMID:22984458

Boar genotype as a factor shaping age-related changes in semen parameters and reproduction longevity simulations.

PubMed

Knecht, Damian; Jankowska-Mąkosa, Anna; Duziński, Kamil

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was a detailed analysis of the boar genotypes used in AI stations with an indication of their production capacity, including age and a precise analysis of their culling time and reason. The study included 334 boars: 81 Polish Large White (PLW), 108 Polish Landrace (PL), 49 Pietrain (P), 56 Duroc × Pietrain (D × P) and 40 Hampshire × Pietrain (H × P). Semen volume, spermatozoa concentration, total number of spermatozoa, number of motile spermatozoa, and number of insemination doses were analyzed. Quadratic regression was used to illustrate the selected sperm parameters at specific ages. Among all the studied boars the lowest motilities of spermatozoa were identified in white breeds PLW and PL, and the difference between motility extremes was 3.53% (P ≤ 0.01). The highest number of insemination doses were produced from D × P crossbreed boars: about 0.7 portions more compared to PL, 1.13 to PLW, 1.18 to H × P and 1.8 to P (all differences P ≤ 0.01). It has been shown in the case of ejaculate volume that for PLW and H × P boars the culling moment was far too early in terms of production capacity and differences were, respectively, 16.35 ml for PLW and 12.61 ml for H × P. Based on the developed regression equations, the earliest maximum number of motile sperm (73.82 × 10 9 ) was obtained by H × P crossbreed boars as early as at age 24 months. The highest values for this parameter were achieved, however, by other D × P crossbreed boars: 74.30 × 10 9  at the later age of 32 months. A consequence of the high number of motile sperm in young H × P boars was that the theoretical maximum value of the number of AI doses was produced as early as the 14th month (25.59 portions). Curves of similar shape were obtained for PL and D × P boars; the difference in maximal values was 0.54 portions in favor of crossbreeds, at a later age of 7 months. It was noted that for PLW and D × P boars the highest number of cullings were due to reduced demand (24.47% and even 31.19%, respectively). Other boars - PL, P and H × P - were most frequently culled because of low semen values. Regardless of the genotype, high survival probabilities (over 0.96) were noted for the age of 12 months. The highest probabilities (still over 0.96) were noted in the longest time period (up to 18 months) for P boars. The results of our study can be used in AI stations as reference points for the exploitation and culling of boars with different genotypes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regeneration methods

Treesearch

James P. Barnett; James B. Baker

1991-01-01

Southern pines can be regenerated naturally, by clearcutting, seedtree, shelterwood, or selection reproduction culling methods, or artificially, by direct seeding or by planting either container or bareroot seedlings. All regeneration methods have inherent advantages: and disadvantages; thus, land managers must consider many factors before deciding on a specific method...

Use ammate in notches for deadening trees only during the growing season

Treesearch

W. E. McQuilkin

1955-01-01

One of the commonly recommended methods for deadening weed and cull trees for timber-stand improvement is by use of ammate crystals in ax notches or cups spaced about 6 inches apart around the base of the tree.

7 CFR 948.20 - Marketing policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Marketing policy. 948.20 Section 948.20 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements... Order Regulating Handling Regulation § 948.20 Marketing policy. (a) General cull regulation. (1) It...

7 CFR 948.20 - Marketing policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Marketing policy. 948.20 Section 948.20 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements... Order Regulating Handling Regulation § 948.20 Marketing policy. (a) General cull regulation. (1) It...

7 CFR 948.20 - Marketing policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Marketing policy. 948.20 Section 948.20 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements... Order Regulating Handling Regulation § 948.20 Marketing policy. (a) General cull regulation. (1) It...

7 CFR 948.20 - Marketing policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Marketing policy. 948.20 Section 948.20 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS... Order Regulating Handling Regulation § 948.20 Marketing policy. (a) General cull regulation. (1) It...

7 CFR 948.20 - Marketing policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Marketing policy. 948.20 Section 948.20 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS... Order Regulating Handling Regulation § 948.20 Marketing policy. (a) General cull regulation. (1) It...

Enhanced DEA model with undesirable output and interval data for rice growing farmers performance assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Sahubar Ali Mohd. Nadhar; Ramli, Razamin; Baten, M. D. Azizul

2015-12-01

Agricultural production process typically produces two types of outputs which are economic desirable as well as environmentally undesirable outputs (such as greenhouse gas emission, nitrate leaching, effects to human and organisms and water pollution). In efficiency analysis, this undesirable outputs cannot be ignored and need to be included in order to obtain the actual estimation of firms efficiency. Additionally, climatic factors as well as data uncertainty can significantly affect the efficiency analysis. There are a number of approaches that has been proposed in DEA literature to account for undesirable outputs. Many researchers has pointed that directional distance function (DDF) approach is the best as it allows for simultaneous increase in desirable outputs and reduction of undesirable outputs. Additionally, it has been found that interval data approach is the most suitable to account for data uncertainty as it is much simpler to model and need less information regarding its distribution and membership function. In this paper, an enhanced DEA model based on DDF approach that considers undesirable outputs as well as climatic factors and interval data is proposed. This model will be used to determine the efficiency of rice farmers who produces undesirable outputs and operates under uncertainty. It is hoped that the proposed model will provide a better estimate of rice farmers' efficiency.

Operation condition for continuous anti-solvent crystallization of CBZ-SAC cocrystal considering deposition risk of undesired crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimaru, Momoko; Nakasa, Miku; Kudo, Shoji; Takiyama, Hiroshi

2017-07-01

Crystallization operation of cocrystal production has deposition risk of undesired crystals. Simultaneously, continuous manufacturing processes are focused on. In this study, conditions for continuous cocrystallization considering risk reduction of undesired crystals deposition were investigated on the view point of thermodynamics and kinetics. The anti-solvent cocrystallization was carried out in four-component system of carbamazepine, saccharin, methanol and water. From the preliminary batch experiment, the relationships among undesired crystal deposition, solution composition decided by mixing ratio of solutions, and residence time for the crystals were considered, and then the conditions of continuous experiment were decided. Under these conditions, the continuous experiment was carried out. The XRD patterns of obtained crystals in the continuous experiment showed that desired cocrystals were obtained without undesired crystals. This experimental result was evaluated by using multi-component phase diagrams from the view point of the operation point's movement. From the evaluation, it was found that there is a certain operation condition which the operation point is fixed with time in the specific domain without the deposition risk of undesired single component crystals. It means the possibility of continuous production of cocrystals without deposition risk of undesired crystals was confirmed by using multi-component phase diagrams.

Economic impacts of avian influenza outbreaks in Kerala, India.

PubMed

Govindaraj, G; Sridevi, R; Nandakumar, S N; Vineet, R; Rajeev, P; Binu, M K; Balamurugan, V; Rahman, H

2018-04-01

This study assessed the short-run impact to poultry farmers, duck hatcheries, control costs, compensation paid to stakeholders (transfer payments) and market reactions on own and substitute product prices and backwater tourism (boat operators) due to avian influenza (AI) outbreaks in Kuttanad region of Kerala, India, during 2014. The primary data from 91 poultry farms (duck farms, broiler chicken and backyard poultry), four hatcheries and 90 backwater boat owners were collected through pre-tested schedules. The secondary data on transfer payments and expenditure incurred to control AI were collected from developmental departments and were analysed. The estimated loss (culling live birds, eggs and feed destruction) per duck farm was USD 9,181, USD 3,889 and USD 156 in case of commercial farms reared for meat, dual-purpose and backyard farms, respectively. The loss incurred by small-scale broiler and backyard poultry farms was USD 453 and USD 40, respectively. The loss incurred by large and small duck hatcheries was USD 11,963 and USD 5,790, respectively, due to culling of hatchlings, young birds and destroying eggs. The government invested USD 744,890 to contain the disease spread through massive culling, surveillance and monitoring of poultry and humans due to zoonotic nature of the disease. A sharp market reaction on own and substitute product prices and eight weeks' time lag in price recovery was observed. The consequential impact on tourism especially for the backwater boat operators amounted to a loss of USD 2,280/boat due to fall in tourist inflow. Since, control measures are post-incidence, it is necessary to adopt appropriate preventive bio-security measures at the farm level besides periodical screening of domestic birds in migratory birds' flyway locations like Kuttanad to reduce the AI burden on various stakeholders including government. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Effects of social disruption in elephants persist decades after culling

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Multi-level fission-fusion societies, characteristic of a number of large brained mammal species including some primates, cetaceans and elephants, are among the most complex and cognitively demanding animal social systems. Many free-ranging populations of these highly social mammals already face severe human disturbance, which is set to accelerate with projected anthropogenic environmental change. Despite this, our understanding of how such disruption affects core aspects of social functioning is still very limited. Results We now use novel playback experiments to assess decision-making abilities integral to operating successfully within complex societies, and provide the first systematic evidence that fundamental social skills may be significantly impaired by anthropogenic disruption. African elephants (Loxodonta africana) that had experienced separation from family members and translocation during culling operations decades previously performed poorly on systematic tests of their social knowledge, failing to distinguish between callers on the basis of social familiarity. Moreover, elephants from the disrupted population showed no evidence of discriminating between callers when age-related cues simulated individuals on an increasing scale of social dominance, in sharp contrast to the undisturbed population where this core social ability was well developed. Conclusions Key decision-making abilities that are fundamental to living in complex societies could be significantly altered in the long-term through exposure to severely disruptive events (e.g. culling and translocation). There is an assumption that wildlife responds to increasing pressure from human societies only in terms of demography, however our study demonstrates that the effects may be considerably more pervasive. These findings highlight the potential long-term negative consequences of acute social disruption in cognitively advanced species that live in close-knit kin-based societies, and alter our perspective on the health and functioning of populations that have been subjected to anthropogenic disturbance. PMID:24152378

The cost of clinical mastitis in the first 30 days of lactation: An economic modeling tool.

PubMed

Rollin, E; Dhuyvetter, K C; Overton, M W

2015-12-01

Clinical mastitis results in considerable economic losses for dairy producers and is most commonly diagnosed in early lactation. The objective of this research was to estimate the economic impact of clinical mastitis occurring during the first 30 days of lactation for a representative US dairy. A deterministic partial budget model was created to estimate direct and indirect costs per case of clinical mastitis occurring during the first 30 days of lactation. Model inputs were selected from the available literature, or when none were available, from herd data. The average case of clinical mastitis resulted in a total economic cost of $444, including $128 in direct costs and $316 in indirect costs. Direct costs included diagnostics ($10), therapeutics ($36), non-saleable milk ($25), veterinary service ($4), labor ($21), and death loss ($32). Indirect costs included future milk production loss ($125), premature culling and replacement loss ($182), and future reproductive loss ($9). Accurate decision making regarding mastitis control relies on understanding the economic impacts of clinical mastitis, especially the longer term indirect costs that represent 71% of the total cost per case of mastitis. Future milk production loss represents 28% of total cost, and future culling and replacement loss represents 41% of the total cost of a case of clinical mastitis. In contrast to older estimates, these values represent the current dairy economic climate, including milk price ($0.461/kg), feed price ($0.279/kg DM (dry matter)), and replacement costs ($2,094/head), along with the latest published estimates on the production and culling effects of clinical mastitis. This economic model is designed to be customized for specific dairy producers and their herd characteristics to better aid them in developing mastitis control strategies. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of dystocia on subsequent reproductive performance and functional longevity in Holstein cows.

PubMed

Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N

2016-10-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dystocia on the reproductive performance and functional longevity in Iranian Holsteins. Data consisted of 1 467 064 lactation records of 581 421 Holstein cows from 3083 herds which were collected by the Animal Breeding Center of Iran from April 1987 to February 2014. Reproduction traits in this study included interval from first to second calving, days open and days from first calving to first service. The generalized linear model was used for the statistical analysis of reproductive traits. Survival analysis was performed using the Weibull proportional hazards models to analyse the impact of dystocia on functional longevity. The incidence of dystocia had an adverse effect on the reproductive performance of dairy cows. Therefore, reproductive traits deteriorated along with increase in dystocia score (p < 0.05). The culling risk was increased along with increase in the score of dystocia (p < 0.0001). The greatest culling risk was observed in primiparous cows, small herds and low-yielding cows (p < 0.0001). Also, the lowest culling risk was found for cows calving at the youngest age (<27 months), and cows with age at first calving >33 months had the greatest risk (p < 0.0001). The results of current study indicated that dystocia had important negative effects on the reproductive performance and functional longevity in dairy cows, and it should be avoided as much as possible to provide a good perspective in the scope of economic and animal welfare issues in dairy herds. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Economic comparison of common treatment protocols and J5 vaccination for clinical mastitis in dairy herds using optimized culling decisions.

PubMed

Kessels, J A; Cha, E; Johnson, S K; Welcome, F L; Kristensen, A R; Gröhn, Y T

2016-05-01

This study used an existing dynamic optimization model to compare costs of common treatment protocols and J5 vaccination for clinical mastitis in US dairy herds. Clinical mastitis is an infection of the mammary gland causing major economic losses in dairy herds due to reduced milk production, reduced conception, and increased risk of mortality and culling for infected cows. Treatment protocols were developed to reflect common practices in dairy herds. These included targeted therapy following pathogen identification, and therapy without pathogen identification using a broad-spectrum antimicrobial or treating with the cheapest treatment option. The cost-benefit of J5 vaccination was also estimated. Effects of treatment were accounted for as changes in treatment costs, milk loss due to mastitis, milk discarded due to treatment, and mortality. Following ineffective treatments, secondary decisions included extending the current treatment, alternative treatment, discontinuing treatment, and pathogen identification followed by recommended treatment. Average net returns for treatment protocols and vaccination were generated using an existing dynamic programming model. This model incorporates cow and pathogen characteristics to optimize management decisions to treat, inseminate, or cull cows. Of the treatment protocols where 100% of cows received recommended treatment, pathogen-specific identification followed by recommended therapy yielded the highest average net returns per cow per year. Out of all treatment scenarios, the highest net returns were achieved with selecting the cheapest treatment option and discontinuing treatment, or alternate treatment with a similar spectrum therapy; however, this may not account for the full consequences of giving nonrecommended therapies to cows with clinical mastitis. Vaccination increased average net returns in all scenarios. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of discrete choice experiment to assess farmers' willingness to report swine diseases in the Red River Delta region, Vietnam.

PubMed

Pham, Hoa T T; Peyre, Marisa; Trinh, Tuyen Quang; Nguyen, Oanh Cong; Vu, Ton Dinh; Rukkwamsuk, Theera; Antoine-Moussiaux, Nicolas

2017-03-01

A discrete choice experiment (DCE) is carried out to value socio-economic factors influencing the farmer's decision to report swine diseases and to assess the willingness of farmers to report swine diseases. Data were collected between March and July 2015 in two provinces in the Red River Delta, Northern Vietnam, from 196 pig producers by face-to face interview. A conditional logit model is used to measure the relative importance of the socio-economic factors and calculate the expected probability of disease reporting under changes of levels of these factors. Results of the study indicated that the likelihood of compensation and the type of culling implemented (all or only unrecovered pigs) are the two most important factors influencing farmer reporting. Compensation level, movement restriction and delay in compensation payment also have significant impacts on farmer's decision to report animal disease but they are not as important as the above factors. Three different scenarios including changes in six different factors (attributes) are tested to predict probability of animal disease reporting. Under the current situation (uncertainty of being compensated), only 4% of the farmers would report swine disease outbreak to the official surveillance system if the culling policy involves all pigs in affected farms. This number is increased to 26% if culling in affected farms is restricted to unrecovered pigs only. Ensuring certainty of compensation increases reporting probability by up to 50% and 90% if all or only unrecovered pigs are destroyed, respectively. The results of this study are important for improving the performance and sustainability of swine disease surveillance system in Vietnam. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Reproductive performance and milk production of Israeli-Holstein cows with different supplementation during the dry period].

PubMed

Francos, G; Distl, O; Ezra, E; Mayer, E

1999-06-01

In three field trials comprising 602 Israeli-Holstein dairy cows, the effect of the dry period ration on reproductive performance, culling rate and milk production was investigated. The cows were fed in groups. The basic dry period rations consisted for two herds of medium quality cereal hay and for one herd of corn straw, which were fed ad libitum. In each herd dry cows were assigned to an experimental and control group. Cows of the experimental group were supplemented with 1.5 to 3 kg of lactating cows mixed ration (LMR), whereas in the control group the amount of supplement was increased by the factor two or 3.3. In the experimental group the amount of the supplement was calculated to achieve levels of net energy and of crude protein close to NRC requirements; in the control group the level of net energy and protein was 12 to 18% higher as compared to the experimental group. The amount of LMR supplement in the experimental group of herds A, B, C were 1.5 kg, 1.9 kg, and 3 kg, respectively. In the control groups these amounts were 5 kg, 3.8 kg, and 6 kg, respectively. The groups fed moderate amounts of LMR supplement had a higher conception rate at first insemination, a higher percentage of cows conceiving and fewer cows culled in the consecutive lactation than cows fed increased amounts of LMR supplement. The lactational incidence of reproductive disorders and the milk production were not affected by the differences in feeding during the dry period. Reproductive performance and culling rate appeared to be more favorable for cows fed moderate amounts of supplement during the entire dry period or during the last 3 to 4 weeks of the dry period.

Balancing Detection and Eradication for Control of Epidemics: Sudden Oak Death in Mixed-Species Stands

PubMed Central

Ndeffo Mbah, Martial L.; Gilligan, Christopher A.

2010-01-01

Culling of infected individuals is a widely used measure for the control of several plant and animal pathogens but culling first requires detection of often cryptically-infected hosts. In this paper, we address the problem of how to allocate resources between detection and culling when the budget for disease management is limited. The results are generic but we motivate the problem for the control of a botanical epidemic in a natural ecosystem: sudden oak death in mixed evergreen forests in coastal California, in which species composition is generally dominated by a spreader species (bay laurel) and a second host species (coast live oak) that is an epidemiological dead-end in that it does not transmit infection but which is frequently a target for preservation. Using a combination of an epidemiological model for two host species with a common pathogen together with optimal control theory we address the problem of how to balance the allocation of resources for detection and epidemic control in order to preserve both host species in the ecosystem. Contrary to simple expectations our results show that an intermediate level of detection is optimal. Low levels of detection, characteristic of low effort expended on searching and detection of diseased trees, and high detection levels, exemplified by the deployment of large amounts of resources to identify diseased trees, fail to bring the epidemic under control. Importantly, we show that a slight change in the balance between the resources allocated to detection and those allocated to control may lead to drastic inefficiencies in control strategies. The results hold when quarantine is introduced to reduce the ingress of infected material into the region of interest. PMID:20856850

Efficacy of a control program for bovine trichomonosis based on testing and culling infected bulls in beef cattle managed under mountain pastoral systems of Northern Spain.

PubMed

Collantes-Fernández, Esther; Mendoza-Ibarra, Jesús Alberto; Pedraza-Díaz, Susana; Rojo-Montejo, Silvia; Navarro-Lozano, Vanesa; Sánchez-Sánchez, Roberto; Ruiz-Santa-Quiteria, Jose Antonio; Ortega-Mora, Luis Miguel; Osoro, Koldo

2014-04-01

Bovine trichomonosis (BT) is a sexually transmitted disease that is considered a cause of early reproductive failure in cattle under extensive management conditions. Recently, Tritrichomonas foetus was detected in 41.5% of herds from one representative beef cattle breed (Asturiana de la Montaña; AM) reared in traditional mountain systems in Spain. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of BT on reproductive performance and the economic consequences in AM herds. The benefits of a control program based on testing and culling infected bulls were also studied by comparing T. foetus prevalence and reproductive data before and after the implementation of the control measures. In infected herds, T. foetus infection increased calving intervals by 79 days (P<0.0001) and resulted in a higher percentage of cows-not-in calf (36% vs. 19%; P<0.001). An economic analysis showed that BT could reduce income by 68.7% in AM herds. The implementation of the control program decreased calving intervals (P<0.0001) and increased calving percentage (P<0.05). T. foetus prevalence showed a significant decline compared with the prevalence before implementing the control program (P<0.05). Nevertheless, after 2 years, the herd prevalence did not decrease (12.7-13.6%; P>0.05) and the herd incidence was 22.72%. The testing and culling policy was effective in improving reproductive efficiency but the complete elimination of BT without substantial changes in management appears unlikely because putative risk factors associated with the disease are present in the management of this breed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epidemiological and Molecular Analysis of an Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4 in a German Zoo: Effective Disease Control with Minimal Culling.

PubMed

Globig, A; Starick, E; Homeier, T; Pohlmann, A; Grund, C; Wolf, P; Zimmermann, A; Wolf, C; Heim, D; Schlößer, H; Zander, S; Beer, M; Conraths, F J; Harder, T C

2017-12-01

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N8, clade 2.3.4.4, were first reported in January 2014 from South Korea. These viruses spread rapidly to Europe and the North American continent during autumn 2014 and caused, in Germany, five outbreaks in poultry holdings until February 2015. In addition, birds kept in a zoo in north-eastern Germany were affected. Only a few individual white storks (Ciconia ciconia) showed clinical symptoms and eventually died in the course of the infection, although subsequent in-depth diagnostic investigations showed that other birds kept in the same compound of the white storks were acutely positive for or had undergone asymptomatic infection with HPAIV H5N8. An exception from culling all of the 500 remaining zoo birds was granted by the competent authority. Restriction measures included grouping the zoo birds into eight epidemiological units in which 60 birds of each unit tested repeatedly negative for H5N8. Epidemiological and phylogenetical investigations revealed that the most likely source of introduction was direct or indirect contact with infected wild birds as the white storks had access to a small pond frequented by wild mallards and other aquatic wild birds during a period of 10 days in December 2014. Median network analysis showed that the zoo bird viruses segregated into a distinct cluster of clade 2.3.4.4 with closest ties to H5N8 isolates obtained from mute swans (Cygnus olor) in Sweden in April 2015. This case demonstrates that alternatives to culling exist to rescue valuable avifaunistic collections after incursions of HPAIV. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Economic costs of recorded reasons for cow mortality and culling in a pasture-based dairy industry.

PubMed

Kerslake, J I; Amer, P R; O'Neill, P L; Wong, S L; Roche, J R; Phyn, C V C

2018-02-01

The objective of this study was to determine the economic costs associated with different reasons for cow culling or on-farm mortality in a pasture-based seasonal system. A bioeconomic model was developed to quantify costs associated with the different farmer-recorded reasons and timing of cow wastage. The model accounted for the parity and stage of lactation at which the cows were removed as well as the consequent effect on the replacement rate and average age structure of the herd. The costs and benefits associated with the change were quantified, including animal replacement cost, cull salvage value, milk production loss, and the profitability of altered genetic merit based on industry genetic trends for each parity. The total cost of cow wastage was estimated to be NZ$23,628/100 cows per year (NZ$1 = US$0.69) in a pasture-based system. Of this total cost, NZ$14,300/100 cows worth of removals were for nonpregnancy and unknown reasons, and another NZ$3,631/100 cows was attributed to low milk production, mastitis, and udder problems. The total cost for cow removals due to farmer-recorded biological reasons (excluding unknown, production, and management-related causes) was estimated to be NZ$13,632/100 cows per year. Of this cost, an estimated NZ$10,286/100 cows was attributed to nonpregnancy, mastitis, udder problems, calving trouble, and injury or accident. There is a strong economic case for the pasture-based dairy industries to invest in genetic, herd health, and production management research focused on reducing animal wastage due to reproductive failure, mastitis, udder problems, injuries or accidents, and calving difficulties. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FUEL CELL BUS DEMONSTRATION IN MEXICO CITY

EPA Science Inventory

The report discusses the performance of a cull-size, zero-emission, Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel-cell-powered transit bus in the atmospheric environment of Mexico City. To address the air quality problems caused by vehicle emissions in Mexico City, a seminar on clean vehic...

Transmissibility of caprine scrapie in ovine transgenic mice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or prion disease of domestic sheep and goats. The current US and Canadian control programs are based on diagnosis by identification of abnormal prion protein in brain or lymphoid tissues with selective culling of genetically susceptible sheep exp...

Assessing the potential impact of Salmonella vaccines in an endemically infected dairy herd

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Salmonella spp. in cattle are contributing to bacterial foodborne disease for humans. Reduction of Salmonella prevalence in herds is important to prevent human Salmonella infections. Typical control measures are culling of infectious animals, vaccination, and improved hygiene management. Vaccines ha...

What is Our Youth Thinking? Social-Political Attitudes of the 1980s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hepburn, Mary A.

1985-01-01

Data culled from five 1980s studies show that youth today are committed to rewarding careers, good jobs, traditional values, marriage, and family. They are fixated on personal bread-and-butter issues and turn away from community and group problems. (RM)

Screening and Confirmatory Analyses of Flunixin in Tissues and Bodily Fluids after Intravenous or Intramuscular Administration to Cull Dairy Cows with or without Lipopolysaccharide Challenge.

PubMed

Shelver, Weilin L; Smith, David J; Tell, Lisa A; Baynes, Ronald E; Schroeder, J W; Riviere, Jim E

2016-01-13

Twenty cull dairy cows (645 ± 83 kg) were treated with 2.2 mg/kg bw flunixin by intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) administration with, or without, exposure to lipopolysaccharide in a two factor balanced design. The usefulness of screening assays to identify violative flunixin levels in a variety of easily accessible ante-mortem fluids in cattle was explored. Two animals with violative flunixin liver residue and/or violative 5-hydroxy flunixin milk residues were correctly identified by a flunixin liver ELISA screen. Oral fluid did not produce anticipated flunixin concentration profiles using ELISA determination. One cow that had liver and milk violative residues, and one cow that had a milk violation at the prescribed withdrawal period were correctly identified by flunixin milk lateral flow analyses. The ratio of urinary flunixin and 5-hydroxy flunixin may be useful for predicting disruption of metabolism caused by disease or other factors potentially leading to violative liver flunixin residues.

A comparison of wildlife control and cattle vaccination as methods for the control of bovine tuberculosis.

PubMed Central

Kao, R. R.; Roberts, M. G.

1999-01-01

The Australian brushtail possum is the major source of infection for new cases of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in New Zealand. Using hypothetical values for the cost of putative cattle and possum Tb vaccines, the relative efforts required to eradicate Tb in cattle using possum culling, possum vaccination or cattle vaccination are compared. For realistic assumed costs for 1080 poison bait, possum culling is found to be a cost-effective strategy compared to cattle vaccination if the required control area is below 13 ha per cattle herd, while possum vaccination is cost-effective for control areas of less than 3 ha per herd. Examination of other considerations such as the possible roles of possum migration and heterogeneities in possum population density suggest that each control strategy may be superior under different field conditions. Finally, the roles of the possum in New Zealand, and the Eurasian badger in Great Britain and Ireland in the transmission of bovine tuberculosis to cattle are compared. PMID:10459656

Effectiveness of removals of the invasive lionfish: how many dives are needed to deplete a reef?

PubMed

Usseglio, Paolo; Selwyn, Jason D; Downey-Wall, Alan M; Hogan, J Derek

2017-01-01

Introduced Indo-Pacific red lionfish ( Pterois volitans/miles ) have spread throughout the greater Caribbean and are associated with a number of negative impacts on reef ecosystems. Human interventions, in the form of culling activities, are becoming common to reduce their numbers and mitigate the negative effects associated with the invasion. However, marine managers must often decide how to best allocate limited resources. Previous work has identified the population size thresholds needed to limit the negative impacts of lionfish. Here we develop a framework that allows managers to predict the removal effort required to achieve specific targets (represented as the percent of lionfish remaining on the reef). We found an important trade-off between time spent removing and achieving an increasingly smaller lionfish density. The model used in our suggested framework requires relatively little data to parameterize, allowing its use with already existing data, permitting managers to tailor their culling strategy to maximize efficiency and rate of success.

Enhanced oxidative stability of fish oil by encapsulating in culled banana resistant starch-soy protein isolate based microcapsules in functional bakery products.

PubMed

Nasrin, Taslima Ayesha Aktar; Anal, Anil Kumar

2015-08-01

Oil in water emulsions were produced by the mixture of culled banana resistant starch (CBRS) & soy protein isolate (SPI), mixture of Hylon VII & SPI and SPI with 7.5 and 5 % (w/w) Menhaden fish oil. The emulsions were further freeze- dried obtaining 33 and 50 % oil load microcapsules. The range of particles diameter was 4.11 to 7.25 μm and viscosity was 34.6 to 146.48 cP of the emulsions. Compressibility index (CI), Hasner ratio (HR) and angle of repose (AR) was significantly (p < 0.01) lower of the microcapsules made with starch and protein (CBRS & SPI and Hylon VII & SPI) than that made with protein (SPI) only. Microcapsules composed of CBRS & SPI with 33 % oil load had maximum microencapsulation efficiency (82.49 %) and highest oxidative stability. Muffin made with emulsions containing mixture of CBRS & SPI exhibited less fishy flavour than that containing mixture of Hylon VII & SPI.

Effectiveness of removals of the invasive lionfish: how many dives are needed to deplete a reef?

PubMed Central

Downey-Wall, Alan M.; Hogan, J. Derek

2017-01-01

Introduced Indo-Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) have spread throughout the greater Caribbean and are associated with a number of negative impacts on reef ecosystems. Human interventions, in the form of culling activities, are becoming common to reduce their numbers and mitigate the negative effects associated with the invasion. However, marine managers must often decide how to best allocate limited resources. Previous work has identified the population size thresholds needed to limit the negative impacts of lionfish. Here we develop a framework that allows managers to predict the removal effort required to achieve specific targets (represented as the percent of lionfish remaining on the reef). We found an important trade-off between time spent removing and achieving an increasingly smaller lionfish density. The model used in our suggested framework requires relatively little data to parameterize, allowing its use with already existing data, permitting managers to tailor their culling strategy to maximize efficiency and rate of success. PMID:28243542

Optimal Culling and Biocontrol in a Predator-Prey Model.

PubMed

Numfor, Eric; Hilker, Frank M; Lenhart, Suzanne

2017-01-01

Invasive species cause enormous problems in ecosystems around the world. Motivated by introduced feral cats that prey on bird populations and threaten to drive them extinct on remote oceanic islands, we formulate and analyze optimal control problems. Their novelty is that they involve both scalar and time-dependent controls. They represent different forms of control, namely the initial release of infected predators on the one hand and culling as well as trapping, infecting, and returning predators on the other hand. Combinations of different control methods have been proposed to complement their respective strengths in reducing predator numbers and thus protecting endangered prey. Here, we formulate and analyze an eco-epidemiological model, provide analytical results on the optimal control problem, and use a forward-backward sweep method for numerical simulations. By taking into account different ecological scenarios, initial conditions, and control durations, our model allows to gain insight how the different methods interact and in which cases they could be effective.

Estimate of the direct production losses in Canadian dairy herds with subclinical Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection

PubMed Central

Tiwari, Ashwani; VanLeeuwen, John A.; Dohoo, Ian R.; Keefe, Greg P.; Weersink, Alfons

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to estimate the annual losses from Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) for an average, MAP-seropositive, Canadian dairy herd. A partial-budget simulation model was developed with 4 components of direct production losses (decreased milk production, premature voluntary culling, mortality, and reproductive losses). Input values were obtained primarily from a national seroprevalence survey of 373 Canadian dairy farms in 8 of 10 provinces. The model took into account the variability and uncertainty of the required input values; consequently, it produced probability distributions of the estimated losses. For an average Canadian dairy herd with 12.7% of 61 cows seropositive for MAP, the mean loss was $2992 (95% C.I., $143 to $9741) annually, or $49 per cow per year. Additional culling, decreased milk production, mortality, and reproductive losses accounted for 46%, 9%, 16%, and 29% of the losses, respectively. Canadian dairy producers should use best management practices to reduce these substantial annual losses. PMID:18624066

An Effective Algorithm Research of Scenario Voxelization Organization and Occlusion Culling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Guangling; Ding, Lu; Qin, Zhiyuan; Tong, Xiaochong

2016-11-01

Compared with the traditional triangulation approaches, the voxelized point cloud data can reduce the sensitivity of scenario and complexity of calculation. While on the base of the point cloud data, implementation scenario organization could be accomplishment by subtle voxel, but it will add more memory consumption. Therefore, an effective voxel representation method is very necessary. At present, the specific study of voxel visualization algorithm is less. This paper improved the ray tracing algorithm by the characteristics of voxel configuration. Firstly, according to the scope of point cloud data, determined the scope of the pixels on the screen. Then, calculated the light vector came from each pixel. Lastly, used the rules of voxel configuration to calculate all the voxel penetrated through by light. The voxels closest to viewpoint were named visible ones, the rest were all obscured ones. This experimental showed that the method could realize voxelization organization and voxel occlusion culling of implementation scenario efficiently, and increased the render efficiency.

Quarantine security of bananas at harvest maturity against Mediterranean and Oriental fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii.

PubMed

Armstrong, J W

2001-02-01

Culled bananas (dwarf 'Brazilian', 'Grand Nain', 'Valery', and 'Williams') sampled from packing houses on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu identified specific "faults" that were at risk from oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), infestation. Faults at risk included bunches with precociously ripened bananas, or bananas with tip rot, fused fingers, or damage that compromised skin integrity to permit fruit fly oviposition into fruit flesh. No Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), or melon fly, B. cucurbitae (Coquillett), infestations were found in culled banana samples. Field infestation tests indicated that mature green bananas were not susceptible to fruit fly infestation for up to 1 wk past the scheduled harvest date when attached to the plant or within 24 h after harvest. Recommendations for exporting mature green bananas from Hawaii without risk of fruit fly infestation are provided. The research reported herein resulted in a USDA-APHIS protocol for exporting mature green bananas from Hawaii.

Marine mammals' influence on ecosystem processes affecting fisheries in the Barents Sea is trivial.

PubMed

Corkeron, Peter J

2009-04-23

Some interpretations of ecosystem-based fishery management include culling marine mammals as an integral component. The current Norwegian policy on marine mammal management is one example. Scientific support for this policy includes the Scenario Barents Sea (SBS) models. These modelled interactions between cod, Gadus morhua, herring, Clupea harengus, capelin, Mallotus villosus and northern minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Adding harp seals Phoca groenlandica into this top-down modelling approach resulted in unrealistic model outputs. Another set of models of the Barents Sea fish-fisheries system focused on interactions within and between the three fish populations, fisheries and climate. These model key processes of the system successfully. Continuing calls to support the SBS models despite their failure suggest a belief that marine mammal predation must be a problem for fisheries. The best available scientific evidence provides no justification for marine mammal culls as a primary component of an ecosystem-based approach to managing the fisheries of the Barents Sea.

Evaluation of input output efficiency of oil field considering undesirable output —A case study of sandstone reservoir in Xinjiang oilfield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuying; Wu, Xuquan; Li, Deshan; Xu, Yadong; Song, Shulin

2017-06-01

Based on the input and output data of sandstone reservoir in Xinjiang oilfield, the SBM-Undesirable model is used to study the technical efficiency of each block. Results show that: the model of SBM-undesirable to evaluate its efficiency and to avoid defects caused by traditional DEA model radial angle, improve the accuracy of the efficiency evaluation. by analyzing the projection of the oil blocks, we find that each block is in the negative external effects of input redundancy and output deficiency benefit and undesirable output, and there are greater differences in the production efficiency of each block; the way to improve the input-output efficiency of oilfield is to optimize the allocation of resources, reduce the undesirable output and increase the expected output.

Computing local edge probability in natural scenes from a population of oriented simple cells

PubMed Central

Ramachandra, Chaithanya A.; Mel, Bartlett W.

2013-01-01

A key computation in visual cortex is the extraction of object contours, where the first stage of processing is commonly attributed to V1 simple cells. The standard model of a simple cell—an oriented linear filter followed by a divisive normalization—fits a wide variety of physiological data, but is a poor performing local edge detector when applied to natural images. The brain's ability to finely discriminate edges from nonedges therefore likely depends on information encoded by local simple cell populations. To gain insight into the corresponding decoding problem, we used Bayes's rule to calculate edge probability at a given location/orientation in an image based on a surrounding filter population. Beginning with a set of ∼ 100 filters, we culled out a subset that were maximally informative about edges, and minimally correlated to allow factorization of the joint on- and off-edge likelihood functions. Key features of our approach include a new, efficient method for ground-truth edge labeling, an emphasis on achieving filter independence, including a focus on filters in the region orthogonal rather than tangential to an edge, and the use of a customized parametric model to represent the individual filter likelihood functions. The resulting population-based edge detector has zero parameters, calculates edge probability based on a sum of surrounding filter influences, is much more sharply tuned than the underlying linear filters, and effectively captures fine-scale edge structure in natural scenes. Our findings predict nonmonotonic interactions between cells in visual cortex, wherein a cell may for certain stimuli excite and for other stimuli inhibit the same neighboring cell, depending on the two cells' relative offsets in position and orientation, and their relative activation levels. PMID:24381295

Effects of inbreeding on coastal Douglas fir growth and yield in operational plantations: a model-based approach.

PubMed

Wang, Tongli; Aitken, Sally N; Woods, Jack H; Polsson, Ken; Magnussen, Steen

2004-04-01

In advanced generation seed orchards, tradeoffs exist between genetic gain obtained by selecting the best related individuals for seed orchard populations, and potential losses due to subsequent inbreeding between these individuals. Although inbreeding depression for growth rate is strong in most forest tree species at the individual tree level, the effect of a small proportion of inbreds in seed lots on final stand yield may be less important. The effects of inbreeding on wood production of mature stands cannot be assessed empirically in the short term, thus such effects were simulated for coastal Douglas fir [ Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] using an individual-tree growth and yield model TASS (Tree and Stand Simulator). The simulations were based on seed set, nursery culling rates, and 10-year-old field test performance for trees resulting from crosses between unrelated individuals and for inbred trees produced through mating between half-sibs, full-sibs, parents and offspring and self-pollination. Results indicate that inclusion of a small proportion of related clones in seed orchards will have relatively low impacts on stand yields due to low probability of related individuals mating, lower probability of producing acceptable seedlings from related matings than from unrelated matings, and a greater probability of competition-induced mortality for slower growing inbred individuals than for outcrossed trees. Thus, competition reduces the losses expected due to inbreeding depression at harvest, particularly on better sites with higher planting densities and longer rotations. Slightly higher breeding values for related clones than unrelated clones would offset or exceed the effects of inbreeding resulting from related matings. Concerns regarding the maintenance of genetic diversity are more likely to limit inclusion of related clones in orchards than inbreeding depression for final stand yield.

Enhanced DEA model with undesirable output and interval data for rice growing farmers performance assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khan, Sahubar Ali Mohd. Nadhar, E-mail: sahubar@uum.edu.my; Ramli, Razamin, E-mail: razamin@uum.edu.my; Baten, M. D. Azizul, E-mail: baten-math@yahoo.com

Agricultural production process typically produces two types of outputs which are economic desirable as well as environmentally undesirable outputs (such as greenhouse gas emission, nitrate leaching, effects to human and organisms and water pollution). In efficiency analysis, this undesirable outputs cannot be ignored and need to be included in order to obtain the actual estimation of firms efficiency. Additionally, climatic factors as well as data uncertainty can significantly affect the efficiency analysis. There are a number of approaches that has been proposed in DEA literature to account for undesirable outputs. Many researchers has pointed that directional distance function (DDF) approachmore » is the best as it allows for simultaneous increase in desirable outputs and reduction of undesirable outputs. Additionally, it has been found that interval data approach is the most suitable to account for data uncertainty as it is much simpler to model and need less information regarding its distribution and membership function. In this paper, an enhanced DEA model based on DDF approach that considers undesirable outputs as well as climatic factors and interval data is proposed. This model will be used to determine the efficiency of rice farmers who produces undesirable outputs and operates under uncertainty. It is hoped that the proposed model will provide a better estimate of rice farmers’ efficiency.« less

Undesirable Student Behaviours Encountered by Primary School Teachers and Solution Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teyfur, Mehmet

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine undesirable behaviours of primary school students, to define the factors leading to these behaviours and to detect the methods applied by teachers for changing these undesirable behaviours. The data of this research were obtained through a survey comprised of two sections developed by the researcher. This…

Undesired Behaviors Faced in Classroom by Physics Teachers in High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayar, Adem; Kerns, James H.

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to define undesired behaviors in the classroom, to better understand the reasons of these undesired behaviors, and to offer strategies to overcome these behaviors. The researchers have used a qualitative research approach in this study. For this aim, the researchers have purposefully selected 12 physics teachers who work…

An LBGT/Queer Glossary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Becca; Ressler, Paula

2009-01-01

This article presents a glossary of LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay, transsexual). This glossary is based on definitions culled from a few different sources, including the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance; and Wikipedia, which provides useful up-to-date information that people use when they…

Research Issues Update, 1978; Research Issues 22.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Gregory A., Ed.; And Others

This collection of resources contains abstracts of selected research studies and theoretical expositions dealing with psychosocial aspects of drug use, culled from professional literature published between 1974 and 1977. The 13 topics covered in this survey include: sex, pregnancy, attitude change, family/peer influences, employment, crime,…

Translational genomics for improving sow reproductive longevity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sow reproductive longevity is a composite trait that is expressed throughout life that depends on the potential of females to resume ovarian cyclicity, re-breed, and farrow multiple parities. Approximately 50% of sows are culled annually with more than one third due to poor fertility. Age at puberty...

Effects of Culling on Leptospira interrogans Carriage by Rats

PubMed Central

Byers, Kaylee A.; Donovan, Christina M.; Bidulka, Julie J.; Stephen, Craig; Patrick, David M.; Himsworth, Chelsea G.

2018-01-01

We found that lethal, urban rat control is associated with a significant increase in the odds that surviving rats carry Leptospira interrogans. Our results suggest that human interventions have the potential to affect and even increase the prevalence of zoonotic pathogens within rat populations. PMID:29350160

Salmonella in lymph nodes of cull and fed cattle at harvest

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Category: Pre-harvest pathogen reduction Objective: To evaluate the potential association between Salmonella enterica burden within bovine subiliac lymph nodes (LNs), animal type, season, and region of harvest. Methods: Bovine LNs (n = 4,764) were collected from 12 abattoirs, 8 that primarily h...

Nutrition Education: Selected Resources. Bibliographies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhea, Harold C.

Intended chiefly for nutrition instructors in elementary, secondary, and college classes, this bibliography can supplement the reading lists of other nutrition fields, such as food science and diet therapy. Separate sections of the document are devoted to books, documents and journal articles culled from the ERIC data base, films, multimedia…

DOA-informed source extraction in the presence of competing talkers and background noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taseska, Maja; Habets, Emanuël A. P.

2017-12-01

A desired speech signal in hands-free communication systems is often degraded by noise and interfering speech. Even though the number and locations of the interferers are often unknown in practice, it is justified to assume in certain applications that the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of the desired source is approximately known. Using the known DOA, fixed spatial filters such as the delay-and-sum beamformer can be steered to extract the desired source. However, it is well-known that fixed data-independent spatial filters do not provide sufficient reduction of directional interferers. Instead, the DOA information can be used to estimate the statistics of the desired and the undesired signals and to compute optimal data-dependent spatial filters. One way the DOA is exploited for optimal spatial filtering in the literature, is by designing DOA-based narrowband detectors to determine whether a desired or an undesired signal is dominant at each time-frequency (TF) bin. Subsequently, the statistics of the desired and the undesired signals can be estimated during the TF bins where the respective signal is dominant. In a similar manner, a Gaussian signal model-based detector which does not incorporate DOA information has been used in scenarios where the undesired signal consists of stationary background noise. However, when the undesired signal is non-stationary, resulting for example from interfering speakers, such a Gaussian signal model-based detector is unable to robustly distinguish desired from undesired speech. To this end, we propose a DOA model-based detector to determine the dominant source at each TF bin and estimate the desired and undesired signal statistics. We demonstrate that data-dependent spatial filters that use the statistics estimated by the proposed framework achieve very good undesired signal reduction, even when using only three microphones.

Policy Development for Biodiversity Offsets: A Review of Offset Frameworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenney, Bruce A.; Kiesecker, Joseph M.

2010-01-01

Biodiversity offsets seek to compensate for residual environmental impacts of planned developments after appropriate steps have been taken to avoid, minimize or restore impacts on site. Offsets are emerging as an increasingly employed mechanism for achieving net environmental benefits, with offset policies being advanced in a wide range of countries (i.e., United States, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, and South Africa). To support policy development for biodiversity offsets, we review a set of major offset policy frameworks—US wetlands mitigation, US conservation banking, EU Natura 2000, Australian offset policies in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia, and Brazilian industrial and forest offsets. We compare how the frameworks define offset policy goals, approach the mitigation process, and address six key issues for implementing offsets: (1) equivalence of project impacts with offset gains; (2) location of the offset relative to the impact site; (3) “additionality” (a new contribution to conservation) and acceptable types of offsets; (4) timing of project impacts versus offset benefits; (5) offset duration and compliance; and (6) “currency” and mitigation replacement ratios. We find substantial policy commonalities that may serve as a sound basis for future development of biodiversity offsets policy. We also identify issues requiring further policy guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; and (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios.

Policy development for biodiversity offsets: a review of offset frameworks.

PubMed

McKenney, Bruce A; Kiesecker, Joseph M

2010-01-01

Biodiversity offsets seek to compensate for residual environmental impacts of planned developments after appropriate steps have been taken to avoid, minimize or restore impacts on site. Offsets are emerging as an increasingly employed mechanism for achieving net environmental benefits, with offset policies being advanced in a wide range of countries (i.e., United States, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, and South Africa). To support policy development for biodiversity offsets, we review a set of major offset policy frameworks-US wetlands mitigation, US conservation banking, EU Natura 2000, Australian offset policies in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia, and Brazilian industrial and forest offsets. We compare how the frameworks define offset policy goals, approach the mitigation process, and address six key issues for implementing offsets: (1) equivalence of project impacts with offset gains; (2) location of the offset relative to the impact site; (3) "additionality" (a new contribution to conservation) and acceptable types of offsets; (4) timing of project impacts versus offset benefits; (5) offset duration and compliance; and (6) "currency" and mitigation replacement ratios. We find substantial policy commonalities that may serve as a sound basis for future development of biodiversity offsets policy. We also identify issues requiring further policy guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; and (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios.

Liquid additives for particulate emissions control

DOEpatents

Durham, Michael Dean; Schlager, Richard John; Ebner, Timothy George; Stewart, Robin Michele; Hyatt, David E.; Bustard, Cynthia Jean; Sjostrom, Sharon

1999-01-01

The present invention discloses a process for removing undesired particles from a gas stream including the steps of contacting a composition containing an adhesive with the gas stream; collecting the undesired particles and adhesive on a collection surface to form an aggregate comprising the adhesive and undesired particles on the collection surface; and removing the agglomerate from the collection zone. The composition may then be atomized and injected into the gas stream. The composition may include a liquid that vaporizes in the gas stream. After the liquid vaporizes, adhesive particles are entrained in the gas stream. The process may be applied to electrostatic precipitators and filtration systems to improve undesired particle collection efficiency.

Differential comparator cirucit

DOEpatents

Hickling, Ronald M.

1996-01-01

A differential comparator circuit for an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) or other application includes a plurality of differential comparators and a plurality of offset voltage generators. Each comparator includes first and second differentially connected transistor pairs having equal and opposite voltage offsets. First and second offset control transistors are connected in series with the transistor pairs respectively. The offset voltage generators generate offset voltages corresponding to reference voltages which are compared with a differential input voltage by the comparators. Each offset voltage is applied to the offset control transistors of at least one comparator to set the overall voltage offset of the comparator to a value corresponding to the respective reference voltage. The number of offset voltage generators required in an ADC application can be reduced by a factor of approximately two by applying the offset voltage from each offset voltage generator to two comparators with opposite logical sense such that positive and negative offset voltages are produced by each offset voltage generator.

Children's Perceptions of Hypothetical Peers With Undesirable Characteristics: Role of the Peers' Desire to Change, Source of Effort to Change, and Outcome.

PubMed

Barnett, Mark A; Sonnentag, Tammy L; Wadian, Taylor W; Jones, Tucker L; Langley, Courtney A

2015-01-01

The present study, involving sixth- to eighth-grade students, is an extension of a prior investigation (Barnett, Livengood, Sonnentag, Barlett, & Witham, 2010) that examined children's perceptions of hypothetical peers with various undesirable characteristics. Results indicate that children's perceptions of hypothetical peers with an undesirable characteristic are influenced by the peers' desire to change, the source of effort to change, and the peers' success or failure in changing the characteristic. The children anticipated responding more favorably to peers who were successful in overcoming an undesirable characteristic than peers who were unsuccessful. Regardless of the peers' outcome, the children anticipated responding more favorably to peers who tried to change than peers who relied on the effort of adult authorities to motivate change. The children perceived successful peers as experiencing more positive affect than their unsuccessful counterparts, especially if the success was presented as a fulfillment of the peers' desire to change their undesirable characteristic. Finally, the children's ratings reflected the belief that, among peers who failed to change their undesirable characteristic, lacking the desire to change increases the relative likelihood that the characteristic will be permanent.

Bovine Necrotic Vulvovaginitis Associated with Porphyromonas levii

PubMed Central

Friedgut, Orly; Alpert, Nir; Stram, Yehuda; Lahav, Dan; Tiomkin, Doron; Avramson, Miriam; Grinberg, Kalia; Bernstein, Michael

2004-01-01

An outbreak of bovine necrotic vulvovaginitis associated with Porphyromonas levii, an emerging animal and human pathogen, affected 32 cows on a dairy farm in the northeast of Israel. Five animals had to be culled. This report appears to be the first that associates P. levii with bovine necrotic vulvovagnitis. PMID:15109423

A Model Privacy Statement for Ohio Library Web Sites.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monaco, Michael J.

The purpose of this research was to develop a model privacy policy statement for library World Wide Web sites. First, standards of privacy protection were identified. These standards were culled from the privacy and confidentiality policies of the American Library Association, the Federal Trade Commission's online privacy reports, the guidelines…

Nipah Virus Infection in Dogs, Malaysia, 1999

PubMed Central

Alim, Asiah N.M.; Bunning, Michel L.; Lee, Ong Bee; Wagoner, Kent D.; Amman, Brian R.; Stockton, Patrick C.; Ksiazek, Thomas G.

2009-01-01

The 1999 outbreak of Nipah virus encephalitis in humans and pigs in Peninsular Malaysia ended with the evacuation of humans and culling of pigs in the epidemic area. Serologic screening showed that, in the absence of infected pigs, dogs were not a secondary reservoir for Nipah virus. PMID:19523300

Teachers and Research: Language Learning in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinnell, Gay Su, Ed.; Matlin, Myna L., Ed.

This book provides information culled from classroom research, including some from teacher researchers, for those engaged in creating educational settings that support children's development of language and literacy. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "Observing Carlos: One Day of Language Use in School" (Mary M. Kitagawa); (2) "What…

Avian Metapneumovirus Subgroup C Infection in Chickens, China

PubMed Central

Wei, Li; Zhu, Shanshan; Yan, Xv; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Chunyan; She, Ruiping; Hu, Fengjiao; Quan, Rong

2013-01-01

Avian metapneumovirus causes acute respiratory tract infection and reductions in egg production in various avian species. We isolated and characterized an increasingly prevalent avian metapneumovirus subgroup C strain from meat-type commercial chickens with severe respiratory signs in China. Culling of infected flocks could lead to economic consequences. PMID:23763901

The Race Race: Assimilation in America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balis, Andrea; Aman, Michael

2013-01-01

Can race and assimilation be taught? Interdisciplinary pedagogy provides a methodology, context, and use of nontraditional texts culled from American cultural history such as from, theater and historical texts. This approach and these texts prove useful for an examination of race and assimilation in America. The paper describes a course that while…

Who Will Stay and Who Will Leave? Predicting Secondary English Teacher Attrition Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hancock, Carl B.; Scherff, Lisa

2010-01-01

Although there are considerable large-scale data on teacher attrition, few researchers have culled information specifically related to English teachers' risk for attrition. This study examines the effects of teacher characteristics, teaching conditions, student variables, self-efficacy, external support, and salary on secondary English language…

Collective Information Literacy in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Crystle; Steinkuehler, Constance

2010-01-01

This article explores the forms of information literacy that arise in commercial entertainment games like "World of Warcraft." Using examples culled from eight months of online ethnographic data, the authors detail the forms of information literacy that arise as a regular part of in-game social interaction, emphasizing (ironically) the…

29 CFR 780.213 - Produce business.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Produce business. 780.213 Section 780.213 Labor Regulations... Specific Situations Hatchery Operations § 780.213 Produce business. In some instances, hatcheries also engage in the produce business as such and commingle with the culled eggs and chickens other eggs and...

Salmonella in peripheral lymph nodes of healthy cattle at slaughter

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To more fully characterize the burden of Salmonella enterica in bovine peripheral lymph nodes (PLN), PLN (n=5,450) were collected from healthy cattle at slaughter in 12 commercial abattoirs that slaughtered feedlot-fattened (FF) cattle exclusively (n=7), cattle removed (or culled) from breeding herd...

SABRE--A Novel Software Tool for Bibliographic Post-Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burge, Cecil D.

1989-01-01

Describes the software architecture and application of SABRE (Semi-Automated Bibliographic Environment), which is one of the first products to provide a semi-automatic environment for relevancy ranking of citations obtained from searches of bibliographic databases. Features designed to meet the review, categorization, culling, and reporting needs…

Organizing and Conducting Farmer-Scientist Focus Sessions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lev, Larry S.; And Others

1993-01-01

Farmer-scientist focus sessions represent a means by which participants exchange ideas for action, identify researchable topics, and enhance long-term farmer-scientist team work. Three examples involving controlling weeds, disposal of cull onion, and food safety concerns are described that illustrate the types of issues treated, the format, and…

Culturally Competent Services: Bibliography of Materials from the NCEMCH Library.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, Arlington, VA.

Culled from the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health reference collection, this list contains 186 materials which focus on assessing current services for cultural sensitivity, developing culturally competent services, or providing services in a multicultural health care context. Audiovisual items are included. Each listing…

78 FR 53473 - Endangered Species; Receipt of Applications for Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-29

... Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203... activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period. Applicant: Daniel Pearson, Gainesville, FL... bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program...

29 CFR 780.213 - Produce business.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Produce business. 780.213 Section 780.213 Labor Regulations... Specific Situations Hatchery Operations § 780.213 Produce business. In some instances, hatcheries also engage in the produce business as such and commingle with the culled eggs and chickens other eggs and...

29 CFR 780.213 - Produce business.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Produce business. 780.213 Section 780.213 Labor Regulations... Specific Situations Hatchery Operations § 780.213 Produce business. In some instances, hatcheries also engage in the produce business as such and commingle with the culled eggs and chickens other eggs and...

29 CFR 780.213 - Produce business.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Produce business. 780.213 Section 780.213 Labor Regulations... Specific Situations Hatchery Operations § 780.213 Produce business. In some instances, hatcheries also engage in the produce business as such and commingle with the culled eggs and chickens other eggs and...

29 CFR 780.213 - Produce business.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Produce business. 780.213 Section 780.213 Labor Regulations... Specific Situations Hatchery Operations § 780.213 Produce business. In some instances, hatcheries also engage in the produce business as such and commingle with the culled eggs and chickens other eggs and...

Affordances for Second Language Learning in "World of Warcraft"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rama, Paul S.; Black, Rebecca W.; van Es, Elizabeth; Warschauer, Mark

2012-01-01

What are the affordances of online gaming environments for second language learning and socialization? To answer this question, this qualitative study examines two college-age Spanish learners' experiences participating in the Spanish language version of the massively multi-player online game "World of Warcraft." Using data culled from participant…

The NGO-ization of Community Colleges: One (More) Manifestation of Globalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quint-Rapoport, Mia

2006-01-01

In this essay the author discusses the effects of globalization on Canadian community colleges. She applies contemporary social theories culled from the fields of feminism, geography and political science to understand one hidden manifestation of globalization in community colleges: involvement in global civil society via participation in…

Back Home on the Range.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breining, Greg

1992-01-01

Presents the history of the buffalo's demise and reemergence in the United States and Canada. Discusses the problems facing herds today caused by a small genetic pool, disease, range concerns, lack of predation, and culling. Points out the benefits of buffalo raising as compared to cattle raising, including the marketing advantages. (MCO)

Release and recovery of pectic hydrocolloids and phenolics from culled citrus fruits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citrus worldwide is threatened by a bacterial disease Huanglongbing (HLB) spread by a sap sucking hemipteran. Before tree death, there is a period of increased preharvest fruit drop and reduced fruit size with off-flavored juice. The increasing frequency of HLB symptomatic fruit moving into the juic...

7 CFR 932.161 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Reports. 932.161 Section 932.161 Agriculture... Regulations § 932.161 Reports. (a) Reports of olives received. Each handler shall submit to the committee, on... than the fourth day after the close of such week, a report showing by size designation and culls the...

7 CFR 932.161 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Reports. 932.161 Section 932.161 Agriculture... Regulations § 932.161 Reports. (a) Reports of olives received. Each handler shall submit to the committee, on... than the fourth day after the close of such week, a report showing by size designation and culls the...

RPA Data Wiz users guide, version 1.0

Treesearch

Scott A. Pugh

2004-01-01

RPA Data Wiz is a computer application use to create summary tables, graphs, and maps of Resource Planning Act (RPA) Assessment forest information (English or metric units). Volumes for growing stock, live cull, dead salvable, netgrowth, and mortality can be estimated. Acreage, biomass, and tree count estimates are also available.

Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for flunixin in cattle (Bos taurus)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Violative residues of flunixin in tissues from bob veal calves and cull dairy cows has been attributed to noncompliance with the FDA-approved route of administration and withdrawal time, however, the effect of administration route and physiological differences among animals on tissue residue depleti...

Doing the Right Thing: Ethical Leadership and Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garza Mitchell, Regina L.

2012-01-01

This chapter explores the relationship between leadership style, ethical orientation, and the AACC competencies. A glimpse of the competencies in practices is provided through the results of interviews with thirteen community college presidents. The findings presented here are culled from a larger study of presidential decision making during…

Answers to the 50 Most Important Questions about Private Mental Health Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forman, Bruce D.; Silverman, Wade H.

Designed for anyone contemplating or presently established in private mental health practice, this book provides the answers to 50 pertinent questions concerning private practice. Questions were culled from a survey of graduate students in psychology, as well as experienced psychotherapists, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health counselors,…

Gastrointestinal parasites in an isolated Norwegian population of wild red deer (Cervus elaphus)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thirteen red deer, culled from the isolated population at the Mongstad Oil Refinery, were investigated for gastrointestinal helminths. These animals, enclosed by the refinery fence, do not have contact with other ruminants and have a high population density considering the available browsing area (1...

Liquid additives for particulate emissions control

DOEpatents

Durham, M.D.; Schlager, R.J.; Ebner, T.G.; Stewart, R.M.; Hyatt, D.E.; Bustard, C.J.; Sjostrom, S.

1999-01-05

The present invention discloses a process for removing undesired particles from a gas stream including the steps of contacting a composition containing an adhesive with the gas stream; collecting the undesired particles and adhesive on a collection surface to form an aggregate comprising the adhesive and undesired particles on the collection surface; and removing the agglomerate from the collection zone. The composition may then be atomized and injected into the gas stream. The composition may include a liquid that vaporizes in the gas stream. After the liquid vaporizes, adhesive particles are entrained in the gas stream. The process may be applied to electrostatic precipitators and filtration systems to improve undesired particle collection efficiency. 11 figs.

A two-stage DEA approach for environmental efficiency measurement.

PubMed

Song, Malin; Wang, Shuhong; Liu, Wei

2014-05-01

The slacks-based measure (SBM) model based on the constant returns to scale has achieved some good results in addressing the undesirable outputs, such as waste water and water gas, in measuring environmental efficiency. However, the traditional SBM model cannot deal with the scenario in which desirable outputs are constant. Based on the axiomatic theory of productivity, this paper carries out a systematic research on the SBM model considering undesirable outputs, and further expands the SBM model from the perspective of network analysis. The new model can not only perform efficiency evaluation considering undesirable outputs, but also calculate desirable and undesirable outputs separately. The latter advantage successfully solves the "dependence" problem of outputs, that is, we can not increase the desirable outputs without producing any undesirable outputs. The following illustration shows that the efficiency values obtained by two-stage approach are smaller than those obtained by the traditional SBM model. Our approach provides a more profound analysis on how to improve environmental efficiency of the decision making units.

Efficiency measurement of the banking sector in the presence of non-performing loan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamid, Nurhayati; Ramli, Noor Asiah; Hussin, Siti Aida Sheikh

2017-01-01

Bank industry plays a vital role in a country's economic development. In the banking industry, the non-performing loans which are acknowledged as being undesirable outputs and usually ignored in most of the analysis should be taken into account since they are undesirable by-products of producing loans and may lead to the bank inefficiency. Modelling the efficiency measurement without undesirable outputs can provide misleading results and unfair assessment. The Directional Distance Function (DDF) approach which extended from the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) framework is one of the enhancement efficiency approaches to handle a situation when there is a joint production of the desirable and undesirable outputs. The comparison of both results between the domestic and foreign banks shows that the DEA technical efficiency score for domestic banks is marginally higher than the Malaysian foreign banks. However, when incorporating the undesirable output, the DDF technical efficiency for foreign banks is slightly higher than domestic banks.

Offsets and conservation of the species of the EU habitats and birds directives.

PubMed

Regnery, Baptiste; Couvet, Denis; Kerbiriou, Christian

2013-12-01

Biodiversity offsets are intended to achieve no net loss of biodiversity due to economic and human development. A variety of biodiversity components are addressed by offset policies. It is required that loss of protected species due to development be offset under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives in Europe. We call this type of offset a species-equality offset because the offset pertains to the same species affected by the development project. Whether species equality can be achieved by offset design is unknown. We addressed this gap by reviewing derogation files (i.e., specific files that describe mitigation measures to ensure no net loss under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives) from 85 development projects in France (2009-2010). We collected information on type of effect (reversible vs. irreversible) and characteristics of affected and offset sites (i.e., types of species, total area). We analyzed how the type of effect and the affected-site characteristics influenced the occurrence of offset measures. The proportion of species targeted by offset measures (i.e., offset species) increased with the irreversibility of the effect of development and the conservation status of the species affected by development (i.e., affected species). Not all effects on endangered species (International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List) were offset; on average, 82% of affected species would be offset. Twenty-six percent of species of least concern were offset species. Thirty-five percent of development projects considered all affected species in their offset measures. Species richness was much lower in offset sites than in developed sites even after offset proposals. For developed areas where species richness was relatively high before development, species richness at offset sites was 5-10 times lower. The species-equality principle appears to have been applied only partially in offset policies, as in the EU directives. We suggest the application of this principle through offsets is highly important for the long-term conservation of biodiversity in Europe. Compensaciones y Conservación de las Especies de las Directivas de Hábitats y Aves de la UE. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Techniques of Neutralising Wildlife Crime in Rural England and Wales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enticott, Gareth

2011-01-01

Within rural studies there have been few attempts to critically analyse crimes against nature. This paper addresses this gap by providing an analysis of farmers' reasons for illegally culling badgers in the United Kingdom. Drawing on Sykes and Matza's (1957) concepts of neutralisation and drift, the paper shows how farmers rationalise this…

Framing the Issue: Religion, Secular Ethics and the Case of Animal Rights Mobilization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mika, Marie

2006-01-01

This article addresses social movement framing, generally, and within contemporary animal rights movements specifically by conducting focus group analyses of a non-activist population. This contrasts with previous studies of recruitment that have examined the conversion process retroactively, culling data from those already involved in a cause. By…

Killing cull trees with ammate crystals - a case study

Treesearch

Harry W. Yawney

1961-01-01

The use of ammate (ammonium sulfamate) as a tree-killing agent has become widespread during recent years; it is well established as an effective and economical silvicide. The purpose of this report is to supplement present knowledge and also to present a case study on the use of ammate in practical application.

Basidiomycetes Associated with Decay of Living Oak Trees

Treesearch

Frederick H. Berry; Frances F. Lombard

1978-01-01

Thirty-one identified species of wood-rotting hymenomycetes were associated with decay and cull in upland oak stands in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio. Seven of these species produced brown rots that accounted for a volume loss of approximately 381 ft3 in the trees sampled. The remaining species produced white rots that were...

Parent, Family, and Community Involvement in the Middle Grades. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutherford, Barry; Billig, Shelley H.

From a synthesis of findings culled from a study that examined partnerships of families and communities with middle schools at multiple sites, researchers derived eight "lessons" that can help foster understanding of the nature of family-school partnerships in the middle grades. Researchers also elaborated implications of these lessons,…

Salmonella spp. in lymph nodes of fed and cull cattle: Relative assessment of risk to ground beef

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ground beef products have been implicated as the vehicle for the transmission of Salmonella in a number of outbreaks. Although carcass surface interventions have proven effective, Salmonella contamination in ground beef still occurs. Recent studies indicate that deep tissue lymph nodes (DTLNs) may b...

A key for the Forest Service hardwood tree grades

Treesearch

Gary W. Miller; Leland F. Hanks; Harry V., Jr. Wiant

1986-01-01

A dichotomous key organizes the USDA Forest Service hardwood tree grade specifications into a stepwise procedure for those learning to grade hardwood sawtimber. The key addresses the major grade factors, tree size, surface characteristics, and allowable cull deductions in a series of paried choices that lead the user to a decision regarding tree grade.

Fixing Dataset Search

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynnes, Chris

2014-01-01

Three current search engines are queried for ozone data at the GES DISC. The results range from sub-optimal to counter-intuitive. We propose a method to fix dataset search by implementing a robust relevancy ranking scheme. The relevancy ranking scheme is based on several heuristics culled from more than 20 years of helping users select datasets.

Choosing among Tests of Emotional Intelligence: What Is the Evidence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEnrue, Mary Pat; Groves, Kevin

2006-01-01

This article provides a comprehensive review of research regarding five types of validity for each of four major tests used to measure emotional intelligence (EI). It culls and synthesizes information scattered among a host of articles in academic journals, technical reports, chapters, and books, as well as unpublished papers and manuscripts. It…

Negative Life Events Scale for Students (NLESS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buri, John R.; Cromett, Cristina E.; Post, Maria C.; Landis, Anna Marie; Alliegro, Marissa C.

2015-01-01

Rationale is presented for the derivation of a new measure of stressful life events for use with students [Negative Life Events Scale for Students (NLESS)]. Ten stressful life events questionnaires were reviewed, and the more than 600 items mentioned in these scales were culled based on the following criteria: (a) only long-term and unpleasant…

Some Preliminary Results on an SEIARD Epidemic Model with Vaccination and Antiviral Treatment Controls and Dead-Infective Culling Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De la Sen, M.; Nistal, R.; Alonso-Quesada, S.; Garrido, A. J.

2016-08-01

This paper studies the non-negativity and stability properties of the solutions of a newly proposed SEIADR model which incorporates asymptomatic and dead-infective subpopulations to those defining the standard SEIR model and, in parallel, it incorporates feedback vaccination and antiviral treatment controls.

Learning Instructor Intervention from MOOC Forums: Early Results and Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, Muthu; Kan, Min-Yen; Tan, Bernard C. Y.; Ragupathi, Kiruthika

2015-01-01

With large student enrollment, MOOC instructors face the unique challenge in deciding when to intervene in forum discussions with their limited bandwidth. We study this problem of "instructor intervention." Using a large sample of forum data culled from 61 courses, we design a binary classifier to predict whether an instructor should…

Communication between United States-Based Firms and Mexican Production Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldman, Lila

A study examined the types of communication technologies being used by United States-based corporations with operations in Mexico to determine the challenges these companies face when communicating across the border. A total of 703 U.S. corporations doing business with Mexico (culled from lists in two professional directories) were chosen for the…

Bovine leukemia virus seroprevalence among cattle presented for slaughter in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) results in economic loss due reduced productivity, especially the reduction of milk production and early culling. In the USA.,USA, previous studies in 1996, 1999 and 2007 showed BLV infections widespread, especially in the dairy herds. The goal of this stud...

Diversity of Multi-drug Resistant Salmonella enterica Associated with Cull Cattle at Harvest in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Salmonella is an important foodborne pathogen, causing millions of cases of food poisoning in the U.S. each year. While poultry products and contaminated fresh produce are well established vectors for Salmonella, several foodborne disease case studies have shown that undercooked ground b...

Family composition of Douglas-fir nursery stock as influenced by seed characters, mortality, and culling practices.

Treesearch

J.B. St. Clair; W.T. Adams

1993-01-01

Changes in family composition during nursery production were evaluated by following individual seeds and seedlings of 36 wind-pollinated Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) families sown in mixture in two operational nurseries in western Washington and Oregon. Families differed significantly in...

Innovative Approaches to Achieving Universal Primary Education and Its Democratization: A Synopsis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ranaweera, A. Mahinda

This paper presents information culled from a study of 200 publications about innovative approaches towards achieving universal primary education (UPE) and its democratization. The first part of the paper addresses the topics of children's right to primary education, the role of primary education in eradicating adult illiteracy, and the difficulty…

Standing timber coefficients for Indiana walnut log production.

Treesearch

James E. Blyth; Edwin Kallio; John C. Callahan

1969-01-01

If the volume of walnut veneer logs and saw logs received at processing plants from Indiana forests is known, conversion factors developed in this paper can be used to determine how much timber was cut to provide these logs and the kinds of timber that were cut (sawtimber, cull trees, trees on nonforest land, etc.).

Technique for ranking potential predictor layers for use in remote sensing analysis

Treesearch

Andrew Lister; Mike Hoppus; Rachel Riemann

2004-01-01

Spatial modeling using GIS-based predictor layers often requires that extraneous predictors be culled before conducting analysis. In some cases, using extraneous predictor layers might improve model accuracy but at the expense of increasing complexity and interpretability. In other cases, using extraneous layers can dilute the relationship between predictors and target...

Wood fuel potential from harvested areas in the eastern United States.

Treesearch

Eugene M. Carpenter

1980-01-01

Estimates amount of wood fiber that could be available for fuel from forest residues on harvested areas in the eastern United States. Includes a key to resource data published by the USDA Forest Service and factors for estimating amounts of cull, bark, tops, and limbs from inventory and product output tabulations.

Applying Mastery Learning in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvir, Howard P.

This booklet is intended for nursing education teachers, and provides them with the product and process that was successfully used to develop education learning packets. The booklet contains six self-paced modules which aid the student in the assessment of the patient and which have been culled by one teacher from a larger bank of material…

Ideas Plus: A Collection of Practical Teaching Ideas. Book 16.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufmann, Felice, Comp.; Kent, Jeannette, Ed.

Culled from ideas contributed by people attending conferences of the National Council of Teachers of English and by readers of "NOTES Plus" and "IDEAS Plus," the activities contained in this booklet are intended to promote the effective teaching of writing and literature. Teaching strategies offered in the first section of the…

Lymphoproliferative and gamma interferon responses to stress-regulated Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis recombinant proteins

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Johne’s disease in ruminants is a chronic infection of the intestines caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Economic losses associated with Johne’s disease arise due to premature culling, reduced production of milk and wool and mortalities. The disease is characterised by a long inc...

Potential of Heterorhabditis indica to control Cylas formicarius in field culled sweet potato roots

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius, is one of the most destructive insect pests of sweet potato in Hawaii. The larvae feed and tunnel inside the root causing malformation and a bitter taste that makes the product unmarketable. During harvest, farmers leave off-grade roots in the field which se...

Answers to Health Questions in Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Robert, Ed.

Culled from the answers of physical education teachers and coaches, this booklet attempts to indicate the scope of health problems and suggests some directions which the solutions may take. It is divided into three parts. Part 1, Health and Safety in Activity Programs, answers questions on first aid, excused absences, and desirability of…

Genetic diversity and frequency of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) detected in cattle in Turkey

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rapid detection and culling of persistently infected animals and efficacious vaccination are key factors to control bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections in cattle. The aim of this study was to investigate frequency of detection of persistently infected cattle and examine the diversity of bo...

Mass Marketers Have a Sweet Deal for You, but There are Strings Attached.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rist, Marilee C.

1989-01-01

Teenagers are the target audience for Whittle Communication's "Channel One" news show and its commercials. Critics are calling the trade of equipment for commercials a "Trojan horse." Advice, culled from several sources, is offered to boards of education regarding the issue of whether commercial television belongs in schools.…

Ten year regeneration of southern Appalachian hardwood clearcuts after controlling residual trees

Treesearch

P.M. Zaldivar-Garcia; D.T. Tew

1991-01-01

Two upland hardwood stands were clearcut in 1978 and three treatments to control the unmerchantable and/or cull trees were applied. The treatments applied to the residual trees were chainsaw felling, herbicide injection, and a control, where residual trees were left standing. Regeneration was sampled 10 years after the cutting.

Of Texts AND Translations And Rhizomes: Postcolonial Anxieties and Deracinations and Knowledge Constructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramanathan, Vaidehi

2006-01-01

This article uncovers some problems involved in culling and translating non-western texts--written in other languages, at particular times, for specific audiences, and rooted in particular local milieus--before assembling them into academic arguments in English in the west. Based on my longterm, evolving endeavour regarding English- and…

Use of ultrasound scanning and body condition score to evaluate composition traits in mature beef cows

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The experiment was designed to validate the use of ultrasound to evaluate body composition in mature beef cows. Both precision and accuracy of measurement were assessed. Cull cows (n = 87) selected for highly variable fatness were used. Two experienced ultrasound technicians scanned and assigned ...

Cattle Differ in Ability to Adapt to Small Intestinal Digestion of Starch

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of post-ruminal starch digestion on inflammatory response in dairy cattle. Six cull, nonpregnant, nonlactating, multiparous cannulated Holstein dairy cows (BW 804±101 kg) were fed a high forage diet ad libitum starting 15 d before the infusion p...

Establishment of northern red oak genetic tests with nursery-graded seedlings

Treesearch

S. A. Lay; M. A. Remaley; S. E. Schlarbaum; P. P. Kormanik; T. Tibbs; R. A. Cox; T. LaFarge; A. M. Saxton

1997-01-01

Artificial regeneration of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) has had variable success over time. Current nursery practices generally involve the growth of seedlings to a standardized height and form with little regard to seed source, seedling quality, or subsequent field performance. Additionally, there is not an accepted culling criteria for...

Limited antigenic diversity in contemporary H7 avian-origin influenza A viruses from North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Subtype H7 avian–origin influenza A viruses (AIVs) have caused at least 500 confirmed human infections since 2003 and culling of >75 million birds in recent years. Understanding the antigenic diversity and genetic evolution of H7 AIVs is critical for developing effective strategies for disease prev...

Ovarian activity and uterus organometry in delayed puberty gilts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

About 30% of the total number of gilts selected for reproduction at the large breeding farm units in Vojvodina (Republic of Serbia) are culled due to the prolonged pre-insemination anoestrus (estrus not detected until 8 months of age). The aim of this study was to provide the answer to the followin...

Erupting with Great Force: Performing Text to Enhance Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullion-Mears, Ann; McCauley, Joyce K.; McWhorter, J. YeVette

2007-01-01

Performing text in the form of choral reading, rap, reader's theatre, and/or simulations offers students a powerful vehicle for understanding and recalling key concepts and significant details culled from textual materials. Creating a script, poem, or lyrics to perform requires repeated readings of a text, a practice that increases participants'…

The Courtship and Consequences of Liberalization: A Snapshot of Educational Restructuring in Central East Europe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tibbitts, Felisa

Trends of educational change in (formerly) East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria are examined as restructuring takes place during the establishment of democratic political processes. These trends are culled from over 50 onsite semistructured interviews in August 1990, as part of a longitudinal study to document educational…

Glucosamine:chondroitin or ginger root extract have little effect on articular cartilage in swine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sows are culled at a high rate from breeding herds due to musclo-skeletal problems and lameness. Research in our laboratory has shown that even first-parity sows have significant amounts of osteochondritic lesions of their articular cartilage. Glusoamine chondroitin and ginger root extract have both...

Spatial epidemiology of chronic wasting disease in Wisconsin white-tailed deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Joly, D.O.; Samuel, M.D.; Langenberg, J.A.; Blanchong, Julie A.; Batha, C.A.; Rolley, R.E.; Keane, D.P.; Ribic, C.A.

2006-01-01

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, emerging disease of cervids associated with transmissible protease-resistant prion proteins. The potential for CWD to cause dramatic declines in deer and elk populations and perceived human health risks associated with consuming CWD-contaminated venison have led wildlife agencies to embark on extensive CWD control programs, typically involving culling to reduce deer populations. We characterized the spatial distribution of CWD in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Wisconsin to facilitate CWD management. We found that CWD prevalence declined with distance from a central location, was locally correlated at a scale of 3.6 km, and was correlated with deer habitat abundance. The latter result is consistent with patterns expected for a positive relationship between density and prevalence of CWD. We recommend management activities focused on culling in geographic areas with high prevalence to have the greatest probability of removing infected individuals. Further research is needed to elucidate the factors in envolved in CWD spread and infection rates, especially the role of density-dependent transmission. ?? Wildlife Disease Association 2006.

Ecological and anthropogenic drivers of rabies exposure in vampire bats: implications for transmission and control

PubMed Central

Streicker, Daniel G.; Recuenco, Sergio; Valderrama, William; Gomez Benavides, Jorge; Vargas, Ivan; Pacheco, Víctor; Condori Condori, Rene E.; Montgomery, Joel; Rupprecht, Charles E.; Rohani, Pejman; Altizer, Sonia

2012-01-01

Despite extensive culling of common vampire bats in Latin America, lethal human rabies outbreaks transmitted by this species are increasingly recognized, and livestock rabies occurs with striking frequency. To identify the individual and population-level factors driving rabies virus (RV) transmission in vampire bats, we conducted a longitudinal capture–recapture study in 20 vampire bat colonies spanning four regions of Peru. Serology demonstrated the circulation of RV in vampire bats from all regions in all years. Seroprevalence ranged from 3 to 28 per cent and was highest in juvenile and sub-adult bats. RV exposure was independent of bat colony size, consistent with an absence of population density thresholds for viral invasion and extinction. Culling campaigns implemented during our study failed to reduce seroprevalence and were perhaps counterproductive for disease control owing to the targeted removal of adults, but potentially greater importance of juvenile and sub-adult bats for transmission. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of RV maintenance in vampire bats and highlight the need for ecologically informed approaches to rabies prevention in Latin America. PMID:22696521

Can calcium chloride injection facilitate the ageing-derived improvement in the quality of meat from culled dairy cows?

PubMed

Bunmee, T; Jaturasitha, S; Kreuzer, M; Wicke, M

2014-04-01

This study investigated whether the positive effects of ageing on tenderness of meat from culled dairy cows can be facilitated by CaCl₂. Injections of 250 mM CaCl₂ solution (10% wt/wt) were performed on Longissimus dorsi samples from 32 7-yrs old cows. Samples were vacuum packaged and aged for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. Ageing alone produced lighter and less red meat with lower shear force, higher myofibrillar fragmentation and tenderness scores but also elevated lipid oxidation. For most traits investigated, CaCl₂-injected meat exhibited similar ageing effects, but drip loss increased with age. The CaCl₂-injected meat had a lower shear force and myofibrillar fragmentation increased more rapidly, but drip loss, off-flavour scores, colour stability and oxidative stability were inferior to untreated meat. Overall, it was found possible to accelerate tenderisation of such meat with CaCl₂, but only at the cost of adverse effects in some other quality traits. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of an antimicrobial treatment scheme in a confined glanders outbreak.

PubMed

Saqib, Muhammad; Muhammad, Ghulam; Naureen, Abeera; Hussain, Muhammad H; Asi, M Nadeem; Mansoor, M Khalid; Toufeer, Mehdi; Khan, Iahtasham; Neubauer, Heinrich; Sprague, Lisa D

2012-11-07

Glanders is a contagious and fatal zoonotic disease of solipeds caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia (B.) mallei. Although regulations call for culling of diseased animals, certain situations e.g. wild life conservation, highly valuable breeding stock, could benefit from effective treatment schemes and post-exposure prophylaxis. Twenty three culture positive glanderous horses were successfully treated during a confined outbreak by applying a treatment protocol of 12 weeks duration based on the parenteral administration of enrofloxacin and trimethoprim plus sulfadiazine, followed by the oral administration of doxycycline. Induction of immunosupression in six randomly chosen horses after completion of treatment did not lead to recrudescence of disease. This study demonstrates that long term treatment of glanderous horses with a combination of various antibiotics seems to eliminate the agent from the organism. However, more studies are needed to test the effectiveness of this treatment regime on B. mallei strains from different endemic regions. Due to its cost and duration, this treatment can only be an option in certain situations and should not replace the current "testing and culling" policy, in conjunction with adequate compensation to prevent spreading of disease.

The effects of skeletal separation and moisture enhancement for improving the eating quality of cull cow beef.

PubMed

Streiter, P J; Campbell, C P; Mandell, I B

2012-12-01

Sixty-two cull beef cows were slaughtered to investigate effects of skeletal separation and moisture enhancement on beef eating quality. Muscles from each carcass side were randomly assigned to 1) no postmortem processing (NPP), 2) prerigor skeletal separation (SS), 3) moisture enhancement (ME) using calcium ascorbate or 4) a combination of SS and ME (SS/ME). Postmortem processing treatment (PPT) by ageing (PM) interactions (P<0.01) for shear force were present for longissimus. As PM ageing increased from 7 to 21 d, there was a greater decrease (P<0.05) in shear force with NPP vs. all other PPT. Trained taste panellists found SS, ME and SS/ME improved (P<0.05) palatability attributes vs. NPP. An additive effect of combining SS and ME improved palatability traits versus SS or ME alone. Panellists found no differences (P>0.14) in softness and tenderness between SS/ME and Canadian AA or AAA beef. Postmortem processing of beef cows may produce beef as tender and juicy as beef from younger carcasses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sources of Salmonellae in broiler chickens in Ontario.

PubMed Central

Hacking, W C; Mitchell, W R; Carlson, H C

1978-01-01

Sources of Salmonellae infecting broiler chicken flocks in Ontario were investigated from July, 1975 to April, 1976. Three broiler flocks were investigated on each of four farms which received chicks from a common hatchery. Samples of feed and new litter were preenriched in nonselective broth subcultured to Salmonella-selective enrichment broth and plated on Salmonella-selective differential agar.Samples of used litter, water, culled chicks, insects, mice, wild birds and environmental swabs were not cultured initially in the nonselective broth. Fecal samples from principal and occasional flock attendants were examined for Samonellae. Salmonella infection, as judged by contaminated flock litter was detected in six flocks on two of the farms while the flocks on the other farms remained negative. Salmonellae were isolated from 23 of 412 feed samples (nine serotypes), six of 35 new wood shaving samples (four serotypes), one of 29 pools of culled chick viscera (one serotype) and 44 of 267 used litter samples (14 serotypes). These results indicate that broiler chicken flocks were infected with diverse Salmonellae introduced in day old chicks, pelleted feeds, wood shavings and residual contamination from the preceding flock. PMID:743597

Comparison between a Weibull proportional hazards model and a linear model for predicting the genetic merit of US Jersey sires for daughter longevity.

PubMed

Caraviello, D Z; Weigel, K A; Gianola, D

2004-05-01

Predicted transmitting abilities (PTA) of US Jersey sires for daughter longevity were calculated using a Weibull proportional hazards sire model and compared with predictions from a conventional linear animal model. Culling data from 268,008 Jersey cows with first calving from 1981 to 2000 were used. The proportional hazards model included time-dependent effects of herd-year-season contemporary group and parity by stage of lactation interaction, as well as time-independent effects of sire and age at first calving. Sire variances and parameters of the Weibull distribution were estimated, providing heritability estimates of 4.7% on the log scale and 18.0% on the original scale. The PTA of each sire was expressed as the expected risk of culling relative to daughters of an average sire. Risk ratios (RR) ranged from 0.7 to 1.3, indicating that the risk of culling for daughters of the best sires was 30% lower than for daughters of average sires and nearly 50% lower than than for daughters of the poorest sires. Sire PTA from the proportional hazards model were compared with PTA from a linear model similar to that used for routine national genetic evaluation of length of productive life (PL) using cross-validation in independent samples of herds. Models were compared using logistic regression of daughters' stayability to second, third, fourth, or fifth lactation on their sires' PTA values, with alternative approaches for weighting the contribution of each sire. Models were also compared using logistic regression of daughters' stayability to 36, 48, 60, 72, and 84 mo of life. The proportional hazards model generally yielded more accurate predictions according to these criteria, but differences in predictive ability between methods were smaller when using a Kullback-Leibler distance than with other approaches. Results of this study suggest that survival analysis methodology may provide more accurate predictions of genetic merit for longevity than conventional linear models.

Modeling seasonal behavior changes and disease transmission with application to chronic wasting disease.

PubMed

Oraby, Tamer; Vasilyeva, Olga; Krewski, Daniel; Lutscher, Frithjof

2014-01-07

Behavior and habitat of wildlife animals change seasonally according to environmental conditions. Mathematical models need to represent this seasonality to be able to make realistic predictions about the future of a population and the effectiveness of human interventions. Managing and modeling disease in wild animal populations requires particular care in that disease transmission dynamics is a critical consideration in the etiology of both human and animal diseases, with different transmission paradigms requiring different disease risk management strategies. Since transmission of infectious diseases among wildlife depends strongly on social behavior, mechanisms of disease transmission could also change seasonally. A specific consideration in this regard confronted by modellers is whether the contact rate between individuals is density-dependent or frequency-dependent. We argue that seasonal behavior changes could lead to a seasonal shift between density and frequency dependence. This hypothesis is explored in the case of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal disease that affects deer, elk and moose in many areas of North America. Specifically, we introduce a strategic CWD risk model based on direct disease transmission that accounts for the seasonal change in the transmission dynamics and habitats occupied, guided by information derived from cervid ecology. The model is composed of summer and winter susceptible-infected (SI) equations, with frequency-dependent and density-dependent transmission dynamics, respectively. The model includes impulsive birth events with density-dependent birth rate. We determine the basic reproduction number as a weighted average of two seasonal reproduction numbers. We parameterize the model from data derived from the scientific literature on CWD and deer ecology, and conduct global and local sensitivity analyses of the basic reproduction number. We explore the effectiveness of different culling strategies for the management of CWD: although summer culling seems to be an effective disease eradication strategy, the total culling rate is limited by the requirement to preserve the herd. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk factors and the economic impact of ovarian cysts on reproductive performance of dairy cows in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Ki-Doek; Ki, Kwang-Sook; Kang, Hyun-Gu; Kim, Ill-Hwa

2005-08-01

The objectives of this study were to determine the risk factors for development of postpartum ovarian cysts by evaluating several reproductive factors in individual cows, and to determine the economic impact of ovarian cysts on subsequent reproductive performance in dairy herds in Korea. The data, including cow parity, abnormal puerperium, endometritis, body condition score (BCS), and breeding status were collected from 634 cows in 9 dairy herds. We used logistic regression to evaluate the effects of these factors on ovarian cysts. A stepwise procedure, used to obtain the appropriate model with alpha=0.05, revealed that cow parity was the most important risk factor for ovarian cyst development within 8 weeks postpartum, while development of endometritis and BCS loss>or=1 from the dry period to 8 weeks postpartum were the most important risk factors for ovarian cyst development beyond 8 weeks postpartum. The occurrence of ovarian cysts beyond 8 weeks postpartum prolonged (P<0.01) the mean intervals from calving to first service (27 days) and conception (77 days), and increased (P<0.05) the culling rate (7.8%), while ovarian cyst development within 8 weeks postpartum did not affect (P>0.05) the mean intervals from calving to first service and conception or the culling rate. The economic loss resulting from the occurrence of ovarian cysts was estimated at approximately 823,996 won ($687) due to effects on the cost of nutrition, average growth of calves, labor and medical costs, and culling. These results suggest that cow parity is correlated with the development of ovarian cysts within 8 weeks postpartum, and endometritis and BCS loss>or=1 from the dry period to 8 weeks postpartum are correlated with the development of ovarian cysts after 8 weeks postpartum, which decreases reproductive performance and results in economic loss in dairy herds in Korea.

Controlling disease outbreaks in wildlife using limited culling: modelling classical swine fever incursions in wild pigs in Australia.

PubMed

Cowled, Brendan D; Garner, M Graeme; Negus, Katherine; Ward, Michael P

2012-01-16

Disease modelling is one approach for providing new insights into wildlife disease epidemiology. This paper describes a spatio-temporal, stochastic, susceptible- exposed-infected-recovered process model that simulates the potential spread of classical swine fever through a documented, large and free living wild pig population following a simulated incursion. The study area (300 000 km2) was in northern Australia. Published data on wild pig ecology from Australia, and international Classical Swine Fever data was used to parameterise the model. Sensitivity analyses revealed that herd density (best estimate 1-3 pigs km-2), daily herd movement distances (best estimate approximately 1 km), probability of infection transmission between herds (best estimate 0.75) and disease related herd mortality (best estimate 42%) were highly influential on epidemic size but that extraordinary movements of pigs and the yearly home range size of a pig herd were not. CSF generally established (98% of simulations) following a single point introduction. CSF spread at approximately 9 km2 per day with low incidence rates (< 2 herds per day) in an epidemic wave along contiguous habitat for several years, before dying out (when the epidemic arrived at the end of a contiguous sub-population or at a low density wild pig area). The low incidence rate indicates that surveillance for wildlife disease epidemics caused by short lived infections will be most efficient when surveillance is based on detection and investigation of clinical events, although this may not always be practical. Epidemics could be contained and eradicated with culling (aerial shooting) or vaccination when these were adequately implemented. It was apparent that the spatial structure, ecology and behaviour of wild populations must be accounted for during disease management in wildlife. An important finding was that it may only be necessary to cull or vaccinate relatively small proportions of a population to successfully contain and eradicate some wildlife disease epidemics.

Controlling disease outbreaks in wildlife using limited culling: modelling classical swine fever incursions in wild pigs in Australia

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Disease modelling is one approach for providing new insights into wildlife disease epidemiology. This paper describes a spatio-temporal, stochastic, susceptible- exposed-infected-recovered process model that simulates the potential spread of classical swine fever through a documented, large and free living wild pig population following a simulated incursion. The study area (300 000 km2) was in northern Australia. Published data on wild pig ecology from Australia, and international Classical Swine Fever data was used to parameterise the model. Sensitivity analyses revealed that herd density (best estimate 1-3 pigs km-2), daily herd movement distances (best estimate approximately 1 km), probability of infection transmission between herds (best estimate 0.75) and disease related herd mortality (best estimate 42%) were highly influential on epidemic size but that extraordinary movements of pigs and the yearly home range size of a pig herd were not. CSF generally established (98% of simulations) following a single point introduction. CSF spread at approximately 9 km2 per day with low incidence rates (< 2 herds per day) in an epidemic wave along contiguous habitat for several years, before dying out (when the epidemic arrived at the end of a contiguous sub-population or at a low density wild pig area). The low incidence rate indicates that surveillance for wildlife disease epidemics caused by short lived infections will be most efficient when surveillance is based on detection and investigation of clinical events, although this may not always be practical. Epidemics could be contained and eradicated with culling (aerial shooting) or vaccination when these were adequately implemented. It was apparent that the spatial structure, ecology and behaviour of wild populations must be accounted for during disease management in wildlife. An important finding was that it may only be necessary to cull or vaccinate relatively small proportions of a population to successfully contain and eradicate some wildlife disease epidemics. PMID:22243996

Cross-sectional Study Examining Salmonella enterica Carriage in Subiliac Lymph Nodes of Cull and Feedlot Cattle at Harvest

PubMed Central

Gragg, Sara E.; Loneragan, Guy H.; Brashears, Mindy M.; Arthur, Terrance M.; Bosilevac, Joseph M.; Kalchayanand, Norasak; Wang, Rong; Schmidt, John W.; Brooks, J. Chance; Shackelford, Steven D.; Wheeler, Tommy L.; Brown, Tyson R.; Edrington, Thomas S.

2013-01-01

Abstract Bovine peripheral lymph nodes (LNs), including subiliac LNs, have been identified as a potential source of human exposure to Salmonella enterica, when adipose trim containing these nodes is incorporated into ground beef. In order to gain a better understanding of the burden of S. enterica in peripheral LNs of feedlot and cull cattle, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in which 3327 subiliac LNs were collected from cattle at harvest in seven plants, located in three geographically distinct regions of the United States. Samples were collected in three seasons: Fall 2010, Winter/Spring 2011, and Summer/Fall 2011. A convenience sample of 76 LNs per day, 2 days per season (approximately 1 month apart), was collected per plant, from carcasses held in the cooler for no less than 24 h. Every 10th carcass half on a rail was sampled, in an attempt to avoid oversampling any single cohort of cattle. Median point estimates of S. enterica contamination were generally low (1.3%); however, median Salmonella prevalence was found to be greater in subiliac LNs of feedlot cattle (11.8%) compared to those of cull cattle (0.65%). Enumeration analysis of a subset of 618 feedlot cattle LNs showed that 67% of those harboring S. enterica (97 of 144) did so at concentrations ranging from <0.1 to 1.8 log10 CFU/g, while 33% carried a higher burden of S. enterica, with levels ranging from 1.9 to >3.8 log10 CFU/g. Serotyping of S. enterica isolated identified 24 serotypes, with the majority being Montevideo (44.0%) and Anatum (24.8%). Antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes were determined for all isolates, and the majority (86.1%) were pansusceptible; however, multidrug-resistant isolates (8.3%) were also occasionally observed. As Salmonella contained within LNs are protected from carcass interventions, research is needed to define opportunities for mitigating the risk of Salmonella contamination in LNs of apparently healthy cattle. PMID:23566273

Traditional livestock breeding practices of men and women Somali pastoralists: trait preferences and selection of breeding animals.

PubMed

Marshall, K; Mtimet, N; Wanyoike, F; Ndiwa, N; Ghebremariam, H; Mugunieri, L; Costagli, R

2016-12-01

Somalia, one of the world's poorest countries, has livestock as the mainstay of the economy, with an estimated 65% of the population engaged in the livestock sector. This paper presents a gendered study on the traditional livestock breeding practices of Somali pastoralists for camels, cattle, sheep and goats, with a focus on documenting livestock traits of importance, the criteria used to select male breeding animals and the criteria used to cull female breeding animals. Data for the study were obtained by performing participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) with separate male and female pastoral groups from 20 settlements of the Tog-Dheer region of Somaliland (in north-western Somalia). In total, more than 500 pastoralists were involved. In terms of livestock ownership, goats were the most common species kept (97% of all households), followed by sheep (64%), camels (37%) and cattle (9%), with considerable herd size variation across households. Traits of key importance to the pastoralists varied by species and gender of the PRA group, but included adaptedness to harsh environmental conditions, high market value/high meat production and high milk production. The pastoralists practised sensible criteria for the selection of male breeding animals for all species, capturing aspects of productivity (milk yield, reproduction), adaptedness (good hardiness) and marketability (body size and conformation). Similarly, they practised sensible criteria for culling of female breeding animals, with females removed from the herd primarily for poor performance, but also to meet the livelihood needs of the family. Differences in the selection and culling criteria were noted by species, as well as gender of the pastoralists. On the whole, there was strong alignment between the livestock selection criteria used by the Somali pastoralists, their reasons for keeping livestock and the market requirements. This is not surprising given the intimate and long-standing relationship between Somali pastoralists and their livestock. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Costs of Rabies Control: An Economic Calculation Method Applied to Flores Island

PubMed Central

Wera, Ewaldus; Velthuis, Annet G. J.; Geong, Maria; Hogeveen, Henk

2013-01-01

Background Rabies is a zoonotic disease that, in most human cases, is fatal once clinical signs appear. The disease transmits to humans through an animal bite. Dogs are the main vector of rabies in humans on Flores Island, Indonesia, resulting in about 19 human deaths each year. Currently, rabies control measures on Flores Island include mass vaccination and culling of dogs, laboratory diagnostics of suspected rabid dogs, putting imported dogs in quarantine, and pre- and post-exposure treatment (PET) of humans. The objective of this study was to estimate the costs of the applied rabies control measures on Flores Island. Methodology/principal findings A deterministic economic model was developed to calculate the costs of the rabies control measures and their individual cost components from 2000 to 2011. The inputs for the economic model were obtained from (i) relevant literature, (ii) available data on Flores Island, and (iii) experts such as responsible policy makers and veterinarians involved in rabies control measures in the past. As a result, the total costs of rabies control measures were estimated to be US$1.12 million (range: US$0.60–1.47 million) per year. The costs of culling roaming dogs were the highest portion, about 39 percent of the total costs, followed by PET (35 percent), mass vaccination (24 percent), pre-exposure treatment (1.4 percent), and others (1.3 percent) (dog-bite investigation, diagnostic of suspected rabid dogs, trace-back investigation of human contact with rabid dogs, and quarantine of imported dogs). Conclusions/significance This study demonstrates that rabies has a large economic impact on the government and dog owners. Control of rabies by culling dogs is relatively costly for the dog owners in comparison with other measures. Providing PET for humans is an effective way to prevent rabies, but is costly for government and does not provide a permanent solution to rabies in the future. PMID:24386244

Femoral offset: anatomical concept, definition, assessment, implications for preoperative templating and hip arthroplasty.

PubMed

Lecerf, G; Fessy, M H; Philippot, R; Massin, P; Giraud, F; Flecher, X; Girard, J; Mertl, P; Marchetti, E; Stindel, E

2009-05-01

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVE: Femoral offset is supposed to influence the results of hip replacement but little is known about the accurate method of measure and the true effect of offset modifications. This article is a collection of independent anatomic, radiological and clinical works, which purpose is to assess knowledge of the implications of femoral offset for preoperative templating and total hip arthroplasty. There is a strong correlation between femoral offset, abductors lever arm and hip abductor strength. Hip lateralization is independent of the femoral endomedullary characteristics. The abductors lever arm is highly correlated to the gluteus medius activation angle. There were correlations between femoral offset and endomedullary shape. The hip center was high and medial for stovepipe metaphysis while it was lower and lateralized for champagne - flute upper femur. A study was performed to compare the femoral offset measured by X-ray and CT-scan in 50 patients, demonstrated that plain radiography underestimates offset measurement. The 2D templating cannot appreciate the rotation of the lower limb. Taking into account the horizontal plane is essential to obtain proper 3D planning of the femoral offset. A randomized study was designed to compare femoral offset measurements after hip resurfacing and total hip arthroplasty. This study underlined hip resurfacing reduced the femoral offset, while hip replacement increased offset. However, the reduction of femoral offset after hip resurfacing does not affect the function. A pilot study was designed to assess the results of 120 hip arthroplasties with a modular femoral neck. This study showed that the use of a modular collar ensures an easier restoration of the femoral offset. A cohort of high offset stems (Lubinus 117 degrees) was retrospectively assessed. The survival rate was slightly lower that the standard design reported in the Swedish register. Finally, the measurement of offset and leg length was assessed with the help of computer assistance. The software changed the initial schedule (obtained by templating) in 29%. Therefore, femoral offset restoration is essential to improve function and longevity of hip arthroplasty. CT-scan is more accurate than plain radiography to assess femoral offset. Hip resurfacing decreases offset without effect on function. Modular neck and computer assistance may improve intraoperative calculation and reproduction of femoral offset. Increasing offset with a standard cemented design may decrease long-term fixation. Level IV: Retrospective or historical series.

Randomized clinical trial of a calcium supplement for improvement of health in dairy cows in early lactation.

PubMed

Miltenburg, Cynthia L; Duffield, Todd F; Bienzle, Dorothee; Scholtz, Elizabeth L; LeBlanc, Stephen J

2016-08-01

Prophylactic Ca supplementation immediately after calving is a common strategy to prevent clinical and subclinical hypocalcemia in parturient dairy cows. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of prophylactic administration of an injected Ca supplement on blood Ca concentration at 24 and 48h after treatment, incidence risk of clinical disease and culling, milk production in early lactation, and probability of pregnancy at first insemination. Cows without signs of visible milk fever (n=984) from 7 farms were blocked by parity and randomly assigned to receive either Ca gluconate (35% wt/vol) in combination with Ca glucoheptonate (10% wt/vol; TheraCalcium, Vétoquinol Canada Inc., Lavaltrie, Quebec) or a placebo (medication vehicle solution with no Ca) at first contact with each cow after calving and again 12 to 24h later. Each dose was 120mL injected subcutaneously over 2 sites. Total serum Ca concentration (tCa) was measured from coccygeal blood samples before (time 0) and 24 and 48h after first treatment in a subsample of cows (n=129). Blood β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were measured from all cows twice between 3 and 16d in milk at weekly visits and cows were evaluated for vaginal discharge once between 28 and 42d in milk. Disease events, production data from the first 3 Dairy Herd Improvement milk tests, reproduction, and culling data were collected from each herd. For cows that had received 1 injection of Ca before the blood sample at 24h (n=95), tCa was significantly higher in the treated cows: mean ± standard error, 2.03±0.03 versus 1.90±0.03mmol/L, accounting for tCa at time of enrollment and a treatment by tCa at enrollment interaction. At 48h, no significant difference was found in tCa between treatment and control (mean ± SE, 2.12±0.02 and 2.10±0.03mmol/L, respectively). Cows treated with the Ca product were significantly less likely to have received intravenous, subcutaneous, or oral supplemental Ca for exhibiting clinical signs of hypocalcemia than control cows (5.0 vs. 8.4%). No effect was found of treatment on retained placenta, metritis, hyperketonemia, prevalence of purulent vaginal discharge, culling from the herd, early lactation production, probability of pregnancy to first artificial insemination, or time to pregnancy. With this subcutaneous prophylactic Ca treatment regimen, blood Ca levels were temporarily increased at 24h after treatment, but no effect was observed of supplemental Ca on the risk of disease or culling, milk production, or reproductive performance. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of feeding strategy and age on live animal performance, carcass characteristics, and economics of short-term feeding programs for culled beef cows.

PubMed

Sawyer, J E; Mathis, C P; Davis, B

2004-12-01

To evaluate production and economic effects of feeding management strategy and age on intensively managed culled beef cows, a study was conducted using 125 cows of British breeding blocked by age (Young = 3 and 4 yr olds; LowMid = 5 and 6 yr olds; HighMid = 7 and 8 yr olds; and Aged = 9 yr and older) and assigned to one of three steam-flaked corn based feeding strategies. Treatments were as follows: Conservative (CSV), 30% roughage throughout; Standard (STD), decrease roughage from 30 to 10% over 20 d; and Aggressive (AGR), decrease roughage from 30 to 10% over 10 d. There were four pens per treatment in a randomized complete block design. Cows were fed for a total of 54 d, and BW was measured on d 0, 14, 28, 42, and 54. Half the cows from each pen were randomly selected and slaughtered at a commercial abattoir, and carcass data were collected. Average daily gain, daily DMI, and G:F during each weigh period and across the entire feeding period were calculated. Over the 54-d feeding period, strategies that employed more energy-dense diets numerically increased ADG (1.28, 1.63, and 1.55 +/- 0.14 kg/d for CSV, STD, and AGR; P = 0.26) and decreased DMI (11.91, 10.74, and 10.89 +/- 0.27 kg/d for CSV, STD, and AGR; P = 0.05), such that G:F was lower for CSV than for STD or AGR (0.105, 0.150, and 0.141 +/- 0.010; P = 0.05). Carcass weight was least for the CSV strategy (298 kg) and greatest for STD (328 kg); AGR resulted in intermediate carcass weight (317 +/- 6 kg; P = 0.04). Total cost of gain was over 30% greater for CSV strategy than for STD or AGR strategies (P < 0.01). In many cases, block effects (age) had a greater effect on responses than treatments. Average daily gain, DMI, and G:F decreased linearly with age (P < 0.01). Hot carcass weight, dressing percent, and fat thickness decreased linearly with age (P < 0.03); yield grade decreased and carcass maturity attributes increased linearly with age (P < 0.02). Performance and intake differences resulted in linear increases in total cost of gain (P < 0.01) and breakeven price (P = 0.03) with increasing age. These data indicate advantages to more aggressive feeding management strategies for culled beef cows, although maximal intake may be achieved with higher-roughage diets. Despite management effects, an increase in market price above purchase price may be required for intensive feeding of culled beef cows to be a profitable enterprise.

Rx for Abies: silvicultural options for diseased firs in Oregon and Washington.

Treesearch

G.M. Filip; C.L. Schmitt

1990-01-01

The true firs are important species in Oregon and Washington forests, but root diseases, stem decays, and dwarf mistletoes cause more mortality, growth loss, and cull in these species than in any other. This paper consolidates research, observations, and management techniques for diseases of true firs, especially the effects of silvicultural activities on root diseases...

The roles of age at puberty and energy restriction in sow reproductive longevity: a genomic perspective

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Approximately 50% of sows are culled annually with more than one third due to poor fertility. Our research demonstrated that age at puberty is an early pre-breeding indicator of reproductive longevity. Age at puberty can be measured early in life, has a moderate heritability and is negatively correl...

"For the Best Interests of the Community": Riverside's 14th Street School Debate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groen, Mark

2017-01-01

The placement of schoolhouses provided a forum for animated and often colorful local debate during the late 19th century. Local newspaper editors occasionally interspersed references culled from national educational debates within their columns, indicating that their readers were well aware of the issues and the rhetoric of national politics…

Association of the host immune response with protection using a live attenuated African swine fever virus model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal hemorrhagic disease of swine caused by a double-stranded DNA virus, African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV). There is no vaccine to prevent the disease and current control measures are limited to culling and restricted animal movement. Swine infected with attenuated st...

Progress of Heart Rot Following Fire in Bottomland Red Oaks

Treesearch

E. Richard Toole; George M. Furnival

1957-01-01

The most important cause of cull in southern hardwood forests is heart rot that develops from wounds made by fire. This study derived means by which the forester working with bottomland red oaks can determine the amount of decay behind old fire scars and estimate the rot that can be expected from new wounds.

Differences in Computed Individual-Tree Volumes Caused by Differences in Field Measurements

Treesearch

James A. Westfall

2008-01-01

Individual-tree volumes are primarily predicted using volume equations that rely on measured tree attributes. In the northeastern United States, the Forest Inventory and Analysis program determines tree volume using dbh, bole height, proportion of cull, and species information. These measurements are subject to variability due to a host of factors. The sensitivity of...

Neurofibromin and Neuronal Apoptosis

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-01

role of familial pheochromocytoma genes, including succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and Nf1, in modulating neuronal apoptosis following neurotrophin...gene products, in Nf1-/- sensory and sympathetic neurons; this work will also have relevance to the biology of familial pheochromocytoma . "So what...Schlisio, S. (2005). Neuronal apoptosis linked to EglN3 prolyl hydroxylase and familial pheochromocytoma genes: Developmental culling and cancer. Cancer

7 CFR 987.56 - Outlets for utility and cull dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... finds that the use of utility dates of any variety in certain products for human consumption would tend to effectuate the declared policy of the act, the Secretary shall specify such products, and dates of..., alcohol, or brandy outlets, or in such other outlets for non-human food products as the Committee with the...

ICAR guidelines for recording, evaluation and genetic improvement of female fertility in dairy cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fertility refers to the ability of a cow to conceive and maintain pregnancy within a specific time period, and is of substantial economic importance in the dairy industry because lactations begin with the birth of a calf. Culling rates due to infertility are much higher than two or three decades ago...

Bovine Immune Response to Papillomatous Digital Dermatitis (PDD)-associated Spirochetes is Skewed in Isolate Reactivity and Subclass Elicitation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD), also known as hairy heel wart, is a growing cause of lameness of cows in the U.S. dairy industry. Farms with PDD-afflicted cows experience economic loss due to treatment costs, decreased milk production, lower reproductive efficiency and premature culling. Cow...

Caught between Stages: Relational Aggression Emerging as a Developmental Advance in At-Risk Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Erika M.; Nangle, Douglas W.

2006-01-01

Eighty-two Head Start preschoolers were assessed with a peer rating measure of sociometric status, the Social Skills Rating System for Teachers (Gresham & Elliott, 1990), an Overt Aggression scale culled from items from the Aggressive Behavior subscale of the CBCL-TRF (Achenbach, 1997), and teacher ratings of relational aggression (Crick,…

Response to a rabies epidemic, Bali, Indonesia, 2008-2011.

PubMed

Putra, Anak Agung Gde; Hampson, Katie; Girardi, Janice; Hiby, Elly; Knobel, Darryn; Mardiana, I Wayan; Townsend, Sunny; Scott-Orr, Helen

2013-04-01

Emergency vaccinations and culling failed to contain an outbreak of rabies in Bali, Indonesia, during 2008-2009. Subsequent island-wide mass vaccination (reaching 70% coverage, >200,000 dogs) led to substantial declines in rabies incidence and spread. However, the incidence of dog bites remains high, and repeat campaigns are necessary to eliminate rabies in Bali.

Troping the Primitive: The Rhetoric of Socialization in Novels of Education and Educational Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Katherine

2012-01-01

One narrative form that has significantly shaped the Western profile of adolescence is the novel of education, or traditional "bildungsroman." The very notion that adolescence is punctuated with "storm and stress" is culled from G. Stanley Hall's close reading of Goethe's (1774) "bildungsroman," "The Sorrows of Young Werther." For Hall, Werther's…

Family-Work Conflict and Type-E Personality as Stress Inducers in Married Female Nigerian University Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shobola, A. A.; Nwoha, P. C.

2013-01-01

This piece of article is culled from a larger study. The study investigated the relationship between family-work conflict, Type-E personality and stress in married female Nigerian University Administrators. The study adopted ex-post facto design. The sample consisted of 800 female administrators in the senior cadre of executive/administrative…

Family indices for seed-orchard selection

Treesearch

Gene Namkoong

1966-01-01

Many seed orchard programs include a stage at which clones or seedlings are culled on the basis of progeny tests. Though breeding systems which involve progeny testing differ in efficiency, they all provide information on an individual's breeding value through its own performance and that of parental or seedling relatives. A combined index on any one trait, using...

77 FR 24671 - Compliance Guide for Residue Prevention and Agency Testing Policy for Residues

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-25

... cows and bob veal, that account for 90 percent of the residues found in animals presented for slaughter, pointing to the need for the Agency to continue to focus compliance efforts on cull dairy cows and bob veal. This Compliance Guide emphasizes that establishments, especially those that slaughter dairy cows and...

Flunixin urine residues in culled dairy cows and its relevance to food safety and environmental concerns

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Flunixin is a US-FDA approved non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent; it is prominent due to violative meat residues detected by the US-FSIS in dairy cows. The effects of route of administration (2.2 mg/kg) and endotoxin challenge on flunixin elimination and residues were investigated. High urinary ...

Ovarian reaction and estrus manifestation in delayed puberty gilts after treatment with equine chorionic gonadotropin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Prolonged pre-insemination anestrus (estrus not detected until 8 mo of age, i.e. delayed puberty) is the major reason for culling about 30% of the total number of gilts selected for reproduction at the large breeding farm units in Vojvodina (Republic of Serbia). It is important to determine whether...

Offsetting the impacts of mining to achieve no net loss of native vegetation.

PubMed

Sonter, L J; Barrett, D J; Soares-Filho, B S

2014-08-01

Offsets are a novel conservation tool, yet using them to achieve no net loss of biodiversity is challenging. This is especially true when using conservation offsets (i.e., protected areas) because achieving no net loss requires avoiding equivalent loss. Our objective was to determine if offsetting the impacts of mining achieves no net loss of native vegetation in Brazil's largest iron mining region. We used a land-use change model to simulate deforestation by mining to 2020; developed a model to allocate conservation offsets to the landscape under 3 scenarios (baseline, no new offsets; current practice, like-for-like [by vegetation type] conservation offsetting near the impact site; and threat scenario, like-for-like conservation offsetting of highly threatened vegetation); and simulated nonmining deforestation to 2020 for each scenario to quantify avoided deforestation achieved with offsets. Mines cleared 3570 ha of native vegetation by 2020. Under a 1:4 offset ratio, mining companies would be required to conserve >14,200 ha of native vegetation, doubling the current extent of protected areas in the region. Allocating offsets under current practice avoided deforestation equivalent to 3% of that caused by mining, whereas allocating under the threat scenario avoided 9%. Current practice failed to achieve no net loss because offsets did not conserve threatened vegetation. Explicit allocation of offsets to threatened vegetation also failed because the most threatened vegetation was widely dispersed across the landscape, making conservation logistically difficult. To achieve no net loss with conservation offsets requires information on regional deforestation trajectories and the distribution of threatened vegetation. However, in some regions achieving no net loss through conservation may be impossible. In these cases, other offsetting activities, such as revegetation, will be required. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Interior micro-CT with an offset detector

PubMed Central

Sharma, Kriti Sen; Gong, Hao; Ghasemalizadeh, Omid; Yu, Hengyong; Wang, Ge; Cao, Guohua

2014-01-01

Purpose: The size of field-of-view (FOV) of a microcomputed tomography (CT) system can be increased by offsetting the detector. The increased FOV is beneficial in many applications. All prior investigations, however, have been focused to the case in which the increased FOV after offset-detector acquisition can cover the transaxial extent of an object fully. Here, the authors studied a new problem where the FOV of a micro-CT system, although increased after offset-detector acquisition, still covers an interior region-of-interest (ROI) within the object. Methods: An interior-ROI-oriented micro-CT scan with an offset detector poses a difficult reconstruction problem, which is caused by both detector offset and projection truncation. Using the projection completion techniques, the authors first extended three previous reconstruction methods from offset-detector micro-CT to offset-detector interior micro-CT. The authors then proposed a novel method which combines two of the extended methods using a frequency split technique. The authors tested the four methods with phantom simulations at 9.4%, 18.8%, 28.2%, and 37.6% detector offset. The authors also applied these methods to physical phantom datasets acquired at the same amounts of detector offset from a customized micro-CT system. Results: When the detector offset was small, all reconstruction methods showed good image quality. At large detector offset, the three extended methods gave either visible shading artifacts or high deviation of pixel value, while the authors’ proposed method demonstrated no visible artifacts and minimal deviation of pixel value in both the numerical simulations and physical experiments. Conclusions: For an interior micro-CT with an offset detector, the three extended reconstruction methods can perform well at a small detector offset but show strong artifacts at a large detector offset. When the detector offset is large, the authors’ proposed reconstruction method can outperform the three extended reconstruction methods by suppressing artifacts and maintaining pixel values. PMID:24877826

Undesirable roadside vegetation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-11-01

Research was conducted to determin if the current list of undesired vegetation in the current Maintenance Rating Program handbook adequately listed species present in areas where turf scores were consistently low, it the different climate zones of Fl...

5 CFR 837.701 - Offset from supplemental annuity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Offset from supplemental annuity. 837.701... REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) REEMPLOYMENT OF ANNUITANTS CSRS Offset § 837.701 Offset from supplemental annuity. (a) OPM will reduce the supplemental annuity of an individual who has performed CSRS-Offset service, if...

7 CFR 3.46 - Offset against tax refunds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Offset against tax refunds. 3.46 Section 3.46 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Administrative Offset § 3.46 Offset against tax refunds. USDA will take action to effect administrative offset against tax refunds due to debtors...

40 CFR 93.163 - Timing of offsets and mitigation measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Timing of offsets and mitigation... offsets and mitigation measures. (a) The emissions reductions from an offset or mitigation measure used to... offset or mitigation measure with emissions reductions in another year will not: (i) Cause or contribute...

40 CFR 93.163 - Timing of offsets and mitigation measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Timing of offsets and mitigation... offsets and mitigation measures. (a) The emissions reductions from an offset or mitigation measure used to... offset or mitigation measure with emissions reductions in another year will not: (i) Cause or contribute...

40 CFR 93.163 - Timing of offsets and mitigation measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Timing of offsets and mitigation... offsets and mitigation measures. (a) The emissions reductions from an offset or mitigation measure used to... offset or mitigation measure with emissions reductions in another year will not: (i) Cause or contribute...

40 CFR 93.163 - Timing of offsets and mitigation measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Timing of offsets and mitigation... offsets and mitigation measures. (a) The emissions reductions from an offset or mitigation measure used to... offset or mitigation measure with emissions reductions in another year will not: (i) Cause or contribute...

40 CFR 93.163 - Timing of offsets and mitigation measures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Timing of offsets and mitigation... offsets and mitigation measures. (a) The emissions reductions from an offset or mitigation measure used to... offset or mitigation measure with emissions reductions in another year will not: (i) Cause or contribute...

41 CFR 105-56.018 - Salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salary offset. 105-56... Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary Offset (CSO) Procedures-GSA as Creditor Agency § 105-56.018 Salary offset. When a match occurs and all...

5 CFR 179.213 - Coordinating salary offset with other agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Coordinating salary offset with other... REGULATIONS CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS Salary Offset § 179.213 Coordinating salary offset with other agencies... intent of this regulation. (2) The designated salary offset coordinator will be responsible for: (i...

41 CFR 105-56.028 - Salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salary offset. 105-56... Administration 56-SALARY OFFSET FOR INDEBTEDNESS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THE UNITED STATES Centralized Salary Offset (CSO) Procedures-GSA as Paying Agency § 105-56.028 Salary offset. When a match occurs and all...

22 CFR 309.17 - Procedures for salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Procedures for salary offset. 309.17 Section 309.17 Foreign Relations PEACE CORPS DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 309.17 Procedures for salary offset. Unless otherwise provided by statute or contract, the following procedures apply to salary offset: (a...

5 CFR 1639.27 - Procedures for salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1639.27... Salary Offset § 1639.27 Procedures for salary offset. (a) The Board will coordinate salary deductions... pay and will implement the salary offset. (c) Deductions will begin within three official pay periods...

Carbon Offsets and Renewable Energy Certificates | Climate Neutral Research

Science.gov Websites

Campuses | NREL Carbon Offsets and Renewable Energy Certificates Carbon Offsets and Renewable Energy Certificates Carbon offsets are typically less expensive than installing hardware or undertaking climate reduction targets. While research campuses should not rely on carbon offsets long term, they can

45 CFR 607.4 - Notice requirements before offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Notice requirements before offset. 607.4 Section 607.4 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SALARY OFFSET § 607.4 Notice requirements before offset. (a) Salary offset shall not be made against an...

45 CFR 607.4 - Notice requirements before offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Notice requirements before offset. 607.4 Section 607.4 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SALARY OFFSET § 607.4 Notice requirements before offset. (a) Salary offset shall not be made against an...

45 CFR 607.4 - Notice requirements before offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Notice requirements before offset. 607.4 Section 607.4 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SALARY OFFSET § 607.4 Notice requirements before offset. (a) Salary offset shall not be made against an...

Environmental efficiency of energy, materials, and emissions.

PubMed

Yagi, Michiyuki; Fujii, Hidemichi; Hoang, Vincent; Managi, Shunsuke

2015-09-15

This study estimates the environmental efficiency of international listed firms in 10 worldwide sectors from 2007 to 2013 by applying an order-m method, a non-parametric approach based on free disposal hull with subsampling bootstrapping. Using a conventional output of gross profit and two conventional inputs of labor and capital, this study examines the order-m environmental efficiency accounting for the presence of each of 10 undesirable inputs/outputs and measures the shadow prices of each undesirable input and output. The results show that there is greater potential for the reduction of undesirable inputs rather than bad outputs. On average, total energy, electricity, or water usage has the potential to be reduced by 50%. The median shadow prices of undesirable inputs, however, are much higher than the surveyed representative market prices. Approximately 10% of the firms in the sample appear to be potential sellers or production reducers in terms of undesirable inputs/outputs, which implies that the price of each item at the current level has little impact on most of the firms. Moreover, this study shows that the environmental, social, and governance activities of a firm do not considerably affect environmental efficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Offset active galactic nuclei as tracers of galaxy mergers and supermassive black hole growth

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Comerford, Julia M.; Greene, Jenny E.

2014-07-10

Offset active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are AGNs that are in ongoing galaxy mergers, which produce kinematic offsets in the AGNs relative to their host galaxies. Offset AGNs are also close relatives of dual AGNs. We conduct a systematic search for offset AGNs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by selecting AGN emission lines that exhibit statistically significant line-of-sight velocity offsets relative to systemic. From a parent sample of 18,314 Type 2 AGNs at z < 0.21, we identify 351 offset AGN candidates with velocity offsets of 50 km s{sup –1} < |Δv| < 410 km s{sup –1}. When we accountmore » for projection effects in the observed velocities, we estimate that 4%-8% of AGNs are offset AGNs. We designed our selection criteria to bypass velocity offsets produced by rotating gas disks, AGN outflows, and gravitational recoil of supermassive black holes, but follow-up observations are still required to confirm our candidates as offset AGNs. We find that the fraction of AGNs that are offset candidates increases with AGN bolometric luminosity, from 0.7% to 6% over the luminosity range 43 < log (L{sub bol}) [erg s{sup –1}] <46. If these candidates are shown to be bona fide offset AGNs, then this would be direct observational evidence that galaxy mergers preferentially trigger high-luminosity AGNs. Finally, we find that the fraction of AGNs that are offset AGN candidates increases from 1.9% at z = 0.1 to 32% at z = 0.7, in step with the growth in the galaxy merger fraction over the same redshift range.« less

Biodiversity offsets and the challenge of achieving no net loss.

PubMed

Gardner, Toby A; VON Hase, Amrei; Brownlie, Susie; Ekstrom, Jonathan M M; Pilgrim, John D; Savy, Conrad E; Stephens, R T Theo; Treweek, Jo; Ussher, Graham T; Ward, Gerri; Ten Kate, Kerry

2013-12-01

Businesses, governments, and financial institutions are increasingly adopting a policy of no net loss of biodiversity for development activities. The goal of no net loss is intended to help relieve tension between conservation and development by enabling economic gains to be achieved without concomitant biodiversity losses. biodiversity offsets represent a necessary component of a much broader mitigation strategy for achieving no net loss following prior application of avoidance, minimization, and remediation measures. However, doubts have been raised about the appropriate use of biodiversity offsets. We examined what no net loss means as a desirable conservation outcome and reviewed the conditions that determine whether, and under what circumstances, biodiversity offsets can help achieve such a goal. We propose a conceptual framework to substitute the often ad hoc approaches evident in many biodiversity offset initiatives. The relevance of biodiversity offsets to no net loss rests on 2 fundamental premises. First, offsets are rarely adequate for achieving no net loss of biodiversity alone. Second, some development effects may be too difficult or risky, or even impossible, to offset. To help to deliver no net loss through biodiversity offsets, biodiversity gains must be comparable to losses, be in addition to conservation gains that may have occurred in absence of the offset, and be lasting and protected from risk of failure. Adherence to these conditions requires consideration of the wider landscape context of development and offset activities, timing of offset delivery, measurement of biodiversity, accounting procedures and rule sets used to calculate biodiversity losses and gains and guide offset design, and approaches to managing risk. Adoption of this framework will strengthen the potential for offsets to provide an ecologically defensible mechanism that can help reconcile conservation and development. Balances de Biodiversidad y el Reto de No Obtener Pérdida Neta. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Biodiversity Offsets: Two New Zealand Case Studies and an Assessment Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norton, David A.

2009-04-01

Biodiversity offsets are increasingly being used for securing biodiversity conservation outcomes as part of sustainable economic development to compensate for the residual unavoidable impacts of projects. Two recent New Zealand examples of biodiversity offsets are reviewed—while both are positive for biodiversity conservation, the process by which they were developed and approved was based more on the precautionary principal than on any formal framework. Based on this review and the broader offset literature, an environmental framework for developing and approving biodiversity offsets, comprising six principles, is outlined: (1) biodiversity offsets should only be used as part of an hierarchy of actions that first seeks to avoid impacts and then minimizes the impacts that do occur; (2) a guarantee is provided that the offset proposed will occur; (3) biodiversity offsets are inappropriate for certain ecosystem (or habitat) types because of their rarity or the presence of threatened species within them; (4) offsets most often involve the creation of new habitat, but can include protection of existing habitat where there is currently no protection; (5) a clear currency is required that allows transparent quantification of values to be lost and gained in order to ensure ecological equivalency between cleared and offset areas; (6) offsets must take into account both the uncertainty involved in obtaining the desired outcome for the offset area and the time-lag that is involved in reaching that point.

12 CFR 608.821 - Collection by offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Collection by offset. 608.821 Section 608.821 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS COLLECTION OF CLAIMS OWED THE UNITED STATES Administrative Offset § 608.821 Collection by offset. (a) Collection of a debt by administrative [or salary] offset shall be...

22 CFR 213.20 - Administrative offset of non-employee debts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Administrative offset of non-employee debts... Administrative Offset § 213.20 Administrative offset of non-employee debts. This subpart provides for USAID's... procedures for contractual offsets accommodated by the Contracts Disputes Act); or (iii) In the case of non...

29 CFR 4903.32 - Tax refund offset procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Tax refund offset procedures. 4903.32 Section 4903.32 Labor... RULES AND PROCEDURES DEBT COLLECTION Tax Refund Offset § 4903.32 Tax refund offset procedures. (a) General. Before referring a debt for tax refund offset, the PBGC will complete the procedures specified in...

7 CFR 400.129 - Salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Salary offset. 400.129 Section 400.129 Agriculture... Years § 400.129 Salary offset. (a) Debt collection by salary offset is feasible if: the cost to the Government of collection by salary offset does not exceed the amount of the debt; there are no legal...

5 CFR 179.211 - Notice of salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Notice of salary offset. 179.211 Section... COLLECTION STANDARDS Salary Offset § 179.211 Notice of salary offset. (a) Upon receipt of proper... certification as the debtor, a written notice of salary offset. Such notice shall, at a minimum: (1) State that...

12 CFR 313.49 - Coordinating salary offset with other agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Coordinating salary offset with other agencies... PRACTICE PROCEDURES FOR CORPORATE DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 313.49 Coordinating salary offset with... employee has consented to the salary offset in writing or has signed a statement acknowledging receipt of...

40 CFR 77.4 - Administrator's action on proposed offset plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... representative. The Administrator will also give notice of any approval in the Federal Register. The plans will... response to public comments submitted on the draft offset plan or disapproval of a draft offset plan... offset plan. The Administrator will serve a copy of any approved offset plan and the response to comments...

40 CFR 77.4 - Administrator's action on proposed offset plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... representative. The Administrator will also give notice of any approval in the Federal Register. The plans will... response to public comments submitted on the draft offset plan or disapproval of a draft offset plan... offset plan. The Administrator will serve a copy of any approved offset plan and the response to comments...

40 CFR 77.4 - Administrator's action on proposed offset plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... representative. The Administrator will also give notice of any approval in the Federal Register. The plans will... response to public comments submitted on the draft offset plan or disapproval of a draft offset plan... offset plan. The Administrator will serve a copy of any approved offset plan and the response to comments...

40 CFR 77.4 - Administrator's action on proposed offset plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... representative. The Administrator will also give notice of any approval in the Federal Register. The plans will... response to public comments submitted on the draft offset plan or disapproval of a draft offset plan... offset plan. The Administrator will serve a copy of any approved offset plan and the response to comments...

Canker Rots in Southern Hardwoods

Treesearch

F.I. McCracken

1978-01-01

Canker-rot fungi cause serious degrade and cull in southern hardwoods, especially the red oaks. Heartwood decay is the most serious form of damage, but the fungi also kill the cambium and decay the sapwood for as much as 3 feet (.91 m) above and below the entrance point into the tree. The ability of these fungi to kill the cambium and cause cankers distinguishes them...

History, Reflection, and Narrative: The Professionalization of Composition, 1963-1983. Perspectives on Writing: Theory, Research, Practice. Volume 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosner, Mary, Ed.; Boehm, Beth, Ed.; Journet, Debra, Ed.

This collection of essays, culled from presentations at the first Thomas R. Watson Conference in Rhetoric and Composition, examines the development of composition as a profession, focusing on the period between 1963 and 1983 when composition changed in a number of crucial ways. Essays in the collection are: (1) "Composition History and…

Heart Rots of Red and White Firs

Treesearch

J.W. Kimmey; H.H. Jr. Bynum

1961-01-01

Heart rots, caused by fungi that attack the heartwood of living trees, are responsible for the greatest volume loss sustained by California red fir (Abies magnifica A. Murr.) and white fir (A. concolor (Gord. and Glend.) Lindl.). These two firs comprise 25 percent of the commercial timber of California. More than 13 percent of the volume in these firs is useless cull...

A preview of Vermont's forest resource

Treesearch

Joseph E. Barnard; Teresa M. Bowers

1974-01-01

Forest land occupies 75 percent of the total land area in Vermont. Nearly one-half of this forest land is the beech-birch-maple forest type. The inventory data show volume increasing but at a lower rate than in neighboring states. This is due to large losses from cull and mortality. Total growing-stock volume is now 4.7 billion cubic feet.

Field Performance of High-Quality and Standard Northern Red Oak Seedlings in Tennessee

Treesearch

David S. Buckley

2002-01-01

First-year performance of high-quality (HQ), high-quality cull (HQC) and standard (ST) northern red oak (Quercus rubra) nursery seedlings was compared in a study established in a recent clearcut in mid-March, 2000. Objectives were to test effects of 1) seedling type, 2) planting treatment, and 3) control of competitors on the growth, browsing, and...

At-Risk Youth: Considerations for State-Level Policymakers, Including a Summary of Recent State-Level Actions in the Region.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast & Islands, Andover, MA.

In response to the growing dropout problem, most of the northeastern states (and islands) and many of their local districts have implemented policies and programs designed to reduce the number of students leaving school. This paper presents some observations, culled from various reports, for policymakers' consideration. Section I offers a set of…

New Tree-Classification System Used by the Southern Forest Inventory and Analysis Unit

Treesearch

Dennis M. May; John S. Vissage; D. Vince Few

1990-01-01

Trees at USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Inventory and Analysis, sample locations are classified as growing stock or cull based on their ability to produce sawlogs. The old and new classification systems are compared, and the impacts of the new system on the reporting of tree volumes are illustrated with inventory data from north Alabama.

Safe application of regionalization for trade in poultry and poultry products during highly pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks in USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The 2014-15 H5Nx high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak affected 211 commercial premises, 21 backyard flocks, 75 individual wild birds and four captive-reared raptors in 21 Western and upper Midwestern states, resulting in death or culling of over 49.7 million poultry in the stamping-out...

A Study of the Vocabulary Adequacy of College Student Education Majors for Reading "Reader's Digest."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greif, Ivo P.

Doubts about the reading vocabulary adequacies of today's high school graduates led to an experiment with a list of 199 difficult words culled from the "Reader's Digest." College juniors and seniors (298 in the first stage and 388 in the second stage) were asked to indicate whether they knew the pronunciation and the meaning of the…

Response to a Rabies Epidemic, Bali, Indonesia, 2008–2011

PubMed Central

Hampson, Katie; Girardi, Janice; Hiby, Elly; Knobel, Darryn; Mardiana, Wayan; Townsend, Sunny; Scott-Orr, Helen

2013-01-01

Emergency vaccinations and culling failed to contain an outbreak of rabies in Bali, Indonesia, during 2008–2009. Subsequent island-wide mass vaccination (reaching 70% coverage, >200,000 dogs) led to substantial declines in rabies incidence and spread. However, the incidence of dog bites remains high, and repeat campaigns are necessary to eliminate rabies in Bali. PMID:23632033

Incidence and impact of damage and mortality trends to South Carolina's timber, 1986

Treesearch

Robert L. Anderson; Noel D. Cost; William H. Hoffard; Clair Redmond; Joe Glover

1990-01-01

On South Carolina's 12.2 million acres of timberland, 186 million cubic feet of timber were lost annually to mortality and cull between 1978 and 1986. The estimated annual monetary loss was $97.3 million. Among broad management types. natural pine, planted pine, upland hardwoods, and bottomland hardwoods - the greatest loss occurred in natural pine stands. About...

Culturally-Inclusive Behavior of Filipino Teachers in International Schools in the Philippines: Perspectives of International Education in a Developing Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernardo, Maria Aurora Correa; Malakolunthu, Suseela

2013-01-01

The study explored the culturally inclusive behavior of Filipino teachers using information culled from interviews of six Filipino teachers in international schools on their perception of international education, and how it translates into their pedagogy. The findings of the study reveal inherent patterns of behavior the teachers manifest in…

Exploring the Influence of Select Demographic, Academic, and Athletic Variables on the Retention of Student-Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, James E.; Wessel, Roger D.; Pierce, David A.

2013-01-01

The population of 674 first-year student-athletes culled from 5 successive freshman classes (2004-2008) at a mid-size midwestern university was examined to determine what combination of demographic, academic, and athletic variables best predicted retention into the 2nd academic year. The dependent variable of retention was chosen because it is a…

32 CFR Appendix C to Part 989 - Procedures for Holding Public Hearings on Draft Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... chance to speak, when the hearing has culled a representative view of public opinion, or when the time... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Procedures for Holding Public Hearings on Draft..., App. C Appendix C to Part 989—Procedures for Holding Public Hearings on Draft Environmental Impact...

The genetic and economic effect of preliminary culling in the seedling orchard

Treesearch

Don E. Riemenschneider

1977-01-01

The genetic and economic effects of two stages of truncation selection in a white spruce seedling orchard were investigated by computer simulation. Genetic effects were computed by assuming a bivariate distribution of juvenile and mature traits and volume was used as the selection criterion. Seed production was assumed to rise in a linear fashion to maturity and then...

A scenario and forecast model for Gulf of Mexico hypoxic area and volume

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scavia, Donald; Evans, Mary Anne; Obenour, Daniel R.

2013-01-01

For almost three decades, the relative size of the hypoxic region on the Louisiana-Texas continental shelf has drawn scientific and policy attention. During that time, both simple and complex models have been used to explore hypoxia dynamics and to provide management guidance relating the size of the hypoxic zone to key drivers. Throughout much of that development, analyses had to accommodate an apparent change in hypoxic sensitivity to loads and often cull observations due to anomalous meteorological conditions. Here, we describe an adaptation of our earlier, simple biophysical model, calibrated to revised hypoxic area estimates and new hypoxic volume estimates through Bayesian estimation. This application eliminates the need to cull observations and provides revised hypoxic extent estimates with uncertainties, corresponding to different nutrient loading reduction scenarios. We compare guidance from this model application, suggesting an approximately 62% nutrient loading reduction is required to reduce Gulf hypoxia to the Action Plan goal of 5,000 km2, to that of previous applications. In addition, we describe for the first time, the corresponding response of hypoxic volume. We also analyze model results to test for increasing system sensitivity to hypoxia formation, but find no strong evidence of such change.

[Epidemiological and financial considerations for the control of Neospora caninum on Swiss dairy farms].

PubMed

Häsler, B; Stärk, K; Gottstein, B; Reist, M

2008-06-01

Neospora caninum is widely recognized as one of the most important abortifacients in cattle and causes substantial financial losses to bovine livestock production. This study aimed to calculate the losses caused by N. caninum on Swiss dairy farms and to evaluate the efficacy and profitability of the control strategies culling, not breeding replacements and chemotherapy of calves on farm level. Three different farm sizes with high, medium and low herd prevalences were defined. Epidemiological and financial models were used to simulate the effect of control strategies on the prevalence over time and to perform a cost-benefit analysis. The median annual losses on farm level ranged between CHF 3094.- (= Euro 1875; 60 dairy cattle, high prevalence) and CHF 134.- (= Euro 81; 15 dairy cattle, low prevalence). Culling of animals that had any abortion or a N. caninum abortion, or not breeding replacements from such animals, respectively, were neither effective nor profitable. Only the strategy "not breeding replacements from N. caninum seropositive cows" on farms with a high prevalence was financially attractive. The strategy "chemotherapy of calves" should be re-evaluated as soon as new data regarding the efficacy of treatment and a corresponding protocol have been scientifically validated.

The price of the precautionary principle: cost-effectiveness of BSE intervention strategies in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Benedictus, A; Hogeveen, H; Berends, B R

2009-06-01

Since 1996, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle has been linked to a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), a fatal brain disease in man. This paper assessed the cost-effectiveness of BSE control strategies instituted by the European Commission. In a Monte Carlo simulation model, a non-intervention baseline scenario was compared to three intervention strategies: removal of specified risk materials from slaughter animals, post-mortem testing for BSE and the culling of feed and age cohorts of BSE cases. The food risk in the baseline scenario ranged from 16.98 lost life years in 2002 to 2.69 lost life years in 2005. Removing specified risk materials removal practices, post-mortem testing and post-mortem testing plus cohort culling reduced this risk with 93%, 82.7% and 83.1%. The estimated cost-effectiveness of all BSE measures in The Netherlands ranged from 4.3 million euros per life year saved in 2002 to 17.7 million euros in 2005. It was discussed that the cost-effectiveness of BSE control strategies will further deviate from regular health economics thresholds as BSE prevalence and incidence declines.

Attention capture by contour onsets and offsets: no special role for onsets.

PubMed

Watson, D G; Humphreys, G W

1995-07-01

In five experiments, we investigated the power of targets defined by the onset or offset of one of an object's parts (contour onsets and offsets) either to guide or to capture visual attention. In Experiment 1, search for a single contour onset target was compared with search for a single contour offset target against a static background of distractors; no difference was found between the efficiency with which each could be detected. In Experiment 2, onsets and offsets were compared for automatic attention capture, when both occurred simultaneously. Unlike in previous studies, the effects of overall luminance change, new-object creation, and number of onset and offset items were controlled. It was found that contour onset and offset items captured attention equally well. However, display size effects on both target types were also apparent. Such effects may have been due to competition for selection between multiple onset and offset stimuli. In Experiments 3 and 4, single onset and offset stimuli were presented simultaneously and pitted directly against one another among a background of static distractors. In Experiment 3, we examined "guided search," for a target that was formed either from an onset or from an offset among static items. In Experiment 4, the onsets and offsets were uncorrelated with the target location. Similar results occurred in both experiments: target onsets and offsets were detected more efficiently than static stimuli which needed serial search; there remained effects of display size on performance; but there was still no advantage for onsets. In Experiment 5, we examined automatic attention capture by single onset and offset stimuli presented individually among static distractors. Again, there was no advantage for onset over offset targets and a display size effect was also present. These results suggest that, both in isolation and in competition, onsets that do not form new objects neither guide nor gain automatic attention more efficiently than offsets. In addition, in contrast to previous studies in which onsets formed new objects, contour onsets and offsets did not reliably capture attention automatically.

Endovascular rescue method for undesirably stretched coil.

PubMed

Cho, Jae Hoon

2014-10-01

Undesirable detachment or stretching of coils within the parent artery during aneurysm embolization can be related with thrombus formation, which can be caused occlusion of parent artery or embolic event(s). To escape from this situation, several rescue methods have been reported. A case with undesirably stretched coil in which another rescue method was used, is presented. When the stretched coil is still located in the coil delivery microcatheter, the stretched coil can be removed safely using a snare and a handmade monorail microcatheter. After a snare is lodged in the handmade monorail microcatheter, the snare is introduced over the coil delivery micorcatheter and located in the distal part of the stretched coil. After then, the handmade monorail microcatheter captures the stretched coil and the snare as one unit. This technique using a handmade monorail microcatheter and a snare can be a good rescue modality for the undesirably stretched coil, still remained within the coil delivery microcatheter.

Endovascular Rescue Method for Undesirably Stretched Coil

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Undesirable detachment or stretching of coils within the parent artery during aneurysm embolization can be related with thrombus formation, which can be caused occlusion of parent artery or embolic event(s). To escape from this situation, several rescue methods have been reported. A case with undesirably stretched coil in which another rescue method was used, is presented. When the stretched coil is still located in the coil delivery microcatheter, the stretched coil can be removed safely using a snare and a handmade monorail microcatheter. After a snare is lodged in the handmade monorail microcatheter, the snare is introduced over the coil delivery micorcatheter and located in the distal part of the stretched coil. After then, the handmade monorail microcatheter captures the stretched coil and the snare as one unit. This technique using a handmade monorail microcatheter and a snare can be a good rescue modality for the undesirably stretched coil, still remained within the coil delivery microcatheter. PMID:25371791

12 CFR 1408.21 - Collection by offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Collection by offset. 1408.21 Section 1408.21 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE CORPORATION COLLECTION OF CLAIMS OWED THE UNITED STATES Administrative Offset § 1408.21 Collection by offset. (a) Collection of a debt by administrative [or salary] offset shall be accomplished in...

45 CFR 607.4 - Notice requirements before offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Notice requirements before offset. 607.4 Section 607.4 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SALARY OFFSET § 607.4 Notice requirements before offset. (a) Salary offset shall not be made against an employee's pay unless the employee is provided...

45 CFR 607.4 - Notice requirements before offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Notice requirements before offset. 607.4 Section 607.4 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SALARY OFFSET § 607.4 Notice requirements before offset. (a) Salary offset shall not be made against an employee's pay unless the employee is provided...

7 CFR 3.80 - Written agreement to repay debts as alternative to salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... salary offset. 3.80 Section 3.80 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Federal Salary Offset § 3.80 Written agreement to repay debts as alternative to salary offset. (a) Notification by employee. The employee may propose, in response to a Notice of Intent to Offset Salary, a...

45 CFR 33.8 - Voluntary repayment agreement in lieu of salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Voluntary repayment agreement in lieu of salary... SALARY OFFSET § 33.8 Voluntary repayment agreement in lieu of salary offset. (a)(1) In response to the... notice of intent to offset. An employee who wishes to repay the debt without salary offset shall also...

40 CFR 13.22 - Salary offset when EPA is the creditor agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salary offset when EPA is the creditor... COLLECTION STANDARDS Administrative Offset § 13.22 Salary offset when EPA is the creditor agency. (a... through salary offset, EPA will first provide the employee with the opportunity to pay in full the amount...

12 CFR 608.839 - Procedures for salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 608.839 Section... OWED THE UNITED STATES Offset Against Salary § 608.839 Procedures for salary offset. (a) The Chairman... Intent to Collect by Salary Offset. (c)(1) If the amount of the debt is equal to or is less than 15...

22 CFR 213.22 - Salary offset when USAID is the creditor agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Salary offset when USAID is the creditor agency... Administrative Offset § 213.22 Salary offset when USAID is the creditor agency. (a) Due process requirements... through salary offset, USAID will first provide the employee with the opportunity to pay in full the...

12 CFR 1408.39 - Procedures for salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset. 1408.39 Section... STATES Offset Against Salary § 1408.39 Procedures for salary offset. (a) The Chairman, or designee of the... periods following the date of mailing or delivery of the Notice of Intent to Collect by Salary Offset. (c...

7 CFR 3.81 - Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may... Salary Offset § 3.81 Procedures for salary offset: when deductions may begin. (a) Deductions to liquidate... Offset Salary to collect from the employee's current pay. (b) If the employee filed a petition for a...

A Computer Simulation of the System-Wide Effects of Parallel-Offset Route Maneuvers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lauderdale, Todd A.; Santiago, Confesor; Pankok, Carl

2010-01-01

Most aircraft managed by air-traffic controllers in the National Airspace System are capable of flying parallel-offset routes. This paper presents the results of two related studies on the effects of increased use of offset routes as a conflict resolution maneuver. The first study analyzes offset routes in the context of all standard resolution types which air-traffic controllers currently use. This study shows that by utilizing parallel-offset route maneuvers, significant system-wide savings in delay due to conflict resolution of up to 30% are possible. It also shows that most offset resolutions replace horizontal-vectoring resolutions. The second study builds on the results of the first and directly compares offset resolutions and standard horizontal-vectoring maneuvers to determine that in-trail conflicts are often more efficiently resolved by offset maneuvers.

Great apes and biodiversity offset projects in Africa: the case for national offset strategies.

PubMed

Kormos, Rebecca; Kormos, Cyril F; Humle, Tatyana; Lanjouw, Annette; Rainer, Helga; Victurine, Ray; Mittermeier, Russell A; Diallo, Mamadou S; Rylands, Anthony B; Williamson, Elizabeth A

2014-01-01

The development and private sectors are increasingly considering "biodiversity offsets" as a strategy to compensate for their negative impacts on biodiversity, including impacts on great apes and their habitats in Africa. In the absence of national offset policies in sub-Saharan Africa, offset design and implementation are guided by company internal standards, lending bank standards or international best practice principles. We examine four projects in Africa that are seeking to compensate for their negative impacts on great ape populations. Our assessment of these projects reveals that not all apply or implement best practices, and that there is little standardization in the methods used to measure losses and gains in species numbers. Even if they were to follow currently accepted best-practice principles, we find that these actions may still fail to contribute to conservation objectives over the long term. We advocate for an alternative approach in which biodiversity offset and compensation projects are designed and implemented as part of a National Offset Strategy that (1) takes into account the cumulative impacts of development in individual countries, (2) identifies priority offset sites, (3) promotes aggregated offsets, and (4) integrates biodiversity offset and compensation projects with national biodiversity conservation objectives. We also propose supplementary principles necessary for biodiversity offsets to contribute to great ape conservation in Africa. Caution should still be exercised, however, with regard to offsets until further field-based evidence of their effectiveness is available.

31 CFR 5.11 - How will Treasury entities use tax refund offset to collect a Treasury debt?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Treasury entities use tax refund offset to collect a Treasury debt? (a) Tax refund offset. In most cases... Treasury Offset Program any past-due, legally enforceable debt for collection by tax refund offset. See 26... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How will Treasury entities use tax...

22 CFR 213.23 - Salary offset when USAID is not the creditor agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Salary offset when USAID is not the creditor... Administrative Offset § 213.23 Salary offset when USAID is not the creditor agency. (a) USAID will use salary... installment, if a date other than the next established pay period. (b) Requests for salary offset must be sent...

Accounting for Uncertainty and Time Lags in Equivalency Calculations for Offsetting in Aquatic Resources Management Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradford, Michael J.

2017-10-01

Biodiversity offset programs attempt to minimize unavoidable environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities by requiring offsetting measures in sufficient quantity to counterbalance losses due to the activity. Multipliers, or offsetting ratios, have been used to increase the amount of offsets to account for uncertainty but those ratios have generally been derived from theoretical or ad-hoc considerations. I analyzed uncertainty in the offsetting process in the context of offsetting for impacts to freshwater fisheries productivity. For aquatic habitats I demonstrate that an empirical risk-based approach for evaluating prediction uncertainty is feasible, and if data are available appropriate adjustments to offset requirements can be estimated. For two data-rich examples I estimate multipliers in the range of 1.5:1 - 2.5:1 are sufficient to account for the uncertainty in the prediction of gains and losses. For aquatic habitats adjustments for time delays in the delivery of offset benefits can also be calculated and are likely smaller than those for prediction uncertainty. However, the success of a biodiversity offsetting program will also depend on the management of the other components of risk not addressed by these adjustments.

Accounting for Uncertainty and Time Lags in Equivalency Calculations for Offsetting in Aquatic Resources Management Programs.

PubMed

Bradford, Michael J

2017-10-01

Biodiversity offset programs attempt to minimize unavoidable environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities by requiring offsetting measures in sufficient quantity to counterbalance losses due to the activity. Multipliers, or offsetting ratios, have been used to increase the amount of offsets to account for uncertainty but those ratios have generally been derived from theoretical or ad-hoc considerations. I analyzed uncertainty in the offsetting process in the context of offsetting for impacts to freshwater fisheries productivity. For aquatic habitats I demonstrate that an empirical risk-based approach for evaluating prediction uncertainty is feasible, and if data are available appropriate adjustments to offset requirements can be estimated. For two data-rich examples I estimate multipliers in the range of 1.5:1 - 2.5:1 are sufficient to account for the uncertainty in the prediction of gains and losses. For aquatic habitats adjustments for time delays in the delivery of offset benefits can also be calculated and are likely smaller than those for prediction uncertainty. However, the success of a biodiversity offsetting program will also depend on the management of the other components of risk not addressed by these adjustments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verstraete, Frans, E-mail: Frans.Verstraete@ec.europa.eu

Directive 2002/32/EC of 7 May 2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council on undesirable substances in animal feed is the framework for the EU action on undesirable substances in feed. This framework Directive provides: ⁎that products intended for animal feed may enter for use in the Union from third countries, be put into circulation and/or used in the Union only if they are sound, genuine and of merchantable quality and therefore when correctly used do not represent any danger to human health, animal health or to the environment or could adversely affect livestock production. ⁎that in order tomore » protect animal and public health and the environment, maximum levels for specific undesirable substances shall be established where necessary. ⁎for mandatory consultation of a scientific body (EFSA) for all provisions which may have an effect upon public health or animal health or on the environment. ⁎that products intended for animal feed containing levels of an undesirable substance that exceed the established maximum level may not be mixed for dilution purposes with the same, or other, products intended for animal feed and may not be used for the production of compound feed. Based on the provisions and principles laid down in this framework Directive, maximum levels for a whole range of undesirable substances have been established at EU level. During the discussions in view of the adoption of Directive 2002/32/EC, the European Commission made the commitment to review all existing provisions on undesirable substances on the basis of updated scientific risk assessments. Following requests of the European Commission, the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has completed a series of 30 risk assessments undertaken over the last 5 years on undesirable substances in animal feed reviewing the possible risks for animal and human health due to the presence of these substances in animal feed. EU legislation on undesirable substances has undergone recently several changes to take account of these most recent scientific opinions. Furthermore EFSA has assessed the risks for public and animal health following the unavoidable carry-over of coccidiostats into non target feed. Maximum levels for the unavoidable carry-over have been established for the non-target feed and the food of animal origin from non-target animal species.« less

The Efficiency of an Integrated Program Using Falconry to Deter Gulls from Landfills

PubMed Central

Thiériot, Ericka; Patenaude-Monette, Martin; Molina, Pierre; Giroux, Jean-François

2015-01-01

Simple Summary We evaluated the long-term effect of an intensive integrated program based on falconry to deter gulls, mostly ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis), from a landfill. Gulls were counted at different periods each day, and the annual sum of the maximum count at any observation period each day declined from over 1.1 million to only 20,300 during the 20 years of the study. This could not be explained by a decline in the local breeding population that remained relatively large throughout this period as determined in a concomitant study. The effectiveness of the falconry program was also confirmed by tracking individual birds fitted with GPS data loggers. The tagged gulls stopped less often and spent less time at the landfill with falconry than at another one where a selective culling program was conducted. We conclude that the use of an integrated program using falconry, which we consider more socially acceptable than culling, can be effective in deterring gulls from landfills. Abstract Gulls are commonly attracted to landfills, and managers are often required to implement cost-effective and socially accepted deterrence programs. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive program that integrated the use of trained birds of prey, pyrotechnics, and playback of gull distress calls at a landfill located close to a large ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) colony near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We used long-term survey data on bird use of the landfill, conducted behavioral observations of gulls during one season and tracked birds fitted with GPS data loggers. We also carried out observations at another landfill located farther from the colony, where less refuse was brought and where a limited culling program was conducted. The integrated program based on falconry resulted in a 98% decrease in the annual total number of gulls counted each day between 1995 and 2014. A separate study indicated that the local breeding population of ring-billed gulls increased and then declined during this period but remained relatively large. In 2010, there was an average (±SE) of 59 ± 15 gulls/day using the site with falconry and only 0.4% ± 0.2% of these birds were feeding. At the other site, there was an average of 347 ± 55 gulls/day and 13% ± 3% were feeding. Twenty-two gulls tracked from the colony made 41 trips towards the landfills: twenty-five percent of the trips that passed by the site with falconry resulted in a stopover that lasted 22 ± 7 min compared to 85% at the other landfill lasting 63 ± 15 min. We concluded that the integrated program using falconry, which we consider more socially acceptable than selective culling, was effective in reducing the number of gulls at the landfill. PMID:26479231

How economic contexts shape calculations of yield in biodiversity offsetting.

PubMed

Carver, L; Sullivan, S

2017-10-01

We examined and analyzed methods used to create numerical equivalence between sites affected by development and proposed conservation offset sites. Application of biodiversity offsetting metrics in development impact and mitigation assessments is thought to standardize biodiversity conservation outcomes, sometimes termed yield by those conducting these calculations. The youth of biodiversity offsetting in application, however, means little is known about how biodiversity valuations and offset contracts between development and offset sites are agreed on in practice or about long-term conservation outcomes. We examined how sites were made commensurable and how biodiversity gains or yields were calculated and negotiated for a specific offset contract in a government-led pilot study of biodiversity offsets in England. Over 24 months, we conducted participant observations of various stages in the negotiation of offset contracts through repeated visits to 3 (anonymized) biodiversity offset contract sites. We conducted 50 semistructured interviews of stakeholders in regional and local government, the private sector, and civil society. We used a qualitative data analysis software program (DEDOOSE) to textually analyze interview transcriptions. We also compared successive iterations of biodiversity-offsetting calculation spreadsheets and planning documents. A particular focus was the different iterations of a specific biodiversity impact assessment in which the biodiversity offsetting metric developed by the U.K.'s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was used. We highlight 3 main findings. First, biodiversity offsetting metrics were amended in creative ways as users adapted inputs to metric calculations to balance and negotiate conflicting requirements. Second, the practice of making different habitats equivalent to each other through the application of biodiversity offsetting metrics resulted in commensuration outcomes that may not provide projected conservation gains. Third, the pressure of creating value for money diminished projected conservation yields. © 2017 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

Using offsets to mitigate environmental impacts of major projects: A stakeholder analysis.

PubMed

Martin, Nigel; Evans, Megan; Rice, John; Lodhia, Sumit; Gibbons, Philip

2016-09-01

Global patterns of development suggest that as more projects are initiated, business will need to find acceptable measures to conserve biodiversity. The application of environmental offsets allows firms to combine their economic interests with the environment and society. This article presents the results of a multi-stakeholder analysis related to the design of offsets principles, policies, and regulatory processes, using a large infrastructure projects context. The results indicate that business was primarily interested in using direct offsets and other compensatory measures, known internationally as indirect offsets, to acquit their environmental management obligations. In contrast, the environmental sector argued that highly principled and scientifically robust offsets programs should be implemented and maintained for enduring environmental protection. Stakeholder consensus stressed the importance of offsets registers with commensurate monitoring and enforcement. Our findings provide instructive insights into the countervailing views of offsets policy stakeholders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

25 CFR 513.30 - When may the Commission use salary offset to collect debts?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false When may the Commission use salary offset to collect... GENERAL PROVISIONS DEBT COLLECTION Salary Offset § 513.30 When may the Commission use salary offset to... salary offset under the authority of: 5 U.S.C. 5514; 31 U.S.C. 3716; 5 CFR part 550, subpart K; 31 CFR...

Free-Will and the Undesirability of Moral Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, David

1975-01-01

This paper makes two arguments: (1) that education does not imply determinism; and (2) that if one takes the libertarian position with regard to the free-will/determinism issue, one is forced to the conclusion that moral education is undesirable. (RC)

Lime utilization in the laboratory, field, and design of pavement layers : [research project capsule].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-05-01

Nearly two-thirds of highways in the United States are constructed on in-place soils : with poor or undesirable characteristics. These materials demonstrate undesirable : engineering behavior, such as low bearing capacity, high shrink/swell potential...

A method for calculating minimum biodiversity offset multipliers accounting for time discounting, additionality and permanence

PubMed Central

Laitila, Jussi; Moilanen, Atte; Pouzols, Federico M

2014-01-01

Biodiversity offsetting, which means compensation for ecological and environmental damage caused by development activity, has recently been gaining strong political support around the world. One common criticism levelled at offsets is that they exchange certain and almost immediate losses for uncertain future gains. In the case of restoration offsets, gains may be realized after a time delay of decades, and with considerable uncertainty. Here we focus on offset multipliers, which are ratios between damaged and compensated amounts (areas) of biodiversity. Multipliers have the attraction of being an easily understandable way of deciding the amount of offsetting needed. On the other hand, exact values of multipliers are very difficult to compute in practice if at all possible. We introduce a mathematical method for deriving minimum levels for offset multipliers under the assumption that offsetting gains must compensate for the losses (no net loss offsetting). We calculate absolute minimum multipliers that arise from time discounting and delayed emergence of offsetting gains for a one-dimensional measure of biodiversity. Despite the highly simplified model, we show that even the absolute minimum multipliers may easily be quite large, in the order of dozens, and theoretically arbitrarily large, contradicting the relatively low multipliers found in literature and in practice. While our results inform policy makers about realistic minimal offsetting requirements, they also challenge many current policies and show the importance of rigorous models for computing (minimum) offset multipliers. The strength of the presented method is that it requires minimal underlying information. We include a supplementary spreadsheet tool for calculating multipliers to facilitate application. PMID:25821578

Relationships between the Survey of Organizational Research Climate (SORC) and self-reported research practices.

PubMed

Crain, A Lauren; Martinson, Brian C; Thrush, Carol R

2013-09-01

The Survey of Organizational Research Climate (SORC) is a validated tool to facilitate promotion of research integrity and research best practices. This work uses the SORC to assess shared and individual perceptions of the research climate in universities and academic departments and relate these perceptions to desirable and undesirable research practices. An anonymous web- and mail-based survey was administered to randomly selected biomedical and social science faculty and postdoctoral fellows in the United States. Respondents reported their perceptions of the research climates at their universities and primary departments, and the frequency with which they engaged in desirable and undesirable research practices. More positive individual perceptions of the research climate in one's university or department were associated with higher likelihoods of desirable, and lower likelihoods of undesirable, research practices. Shared perceptions of the research climate tended to be similarly predictive of both desirable and undesirable research practices as individuals' deviations from these shared perceptions. Study results supported the central prediction that more positive SORC-measured perceptions of the research climate were associated with more positive reports of research practices. There were differences with respect to whether shared or individual climate perceptions were related to desirable or undesirable practices but the general pattern of results provide empirical evidence that the SORC is predictive of self-reported research behavior.

Seasoning and surfacing degrade in kiln-drying ponderosa pine in eastern Washington.

Treesearch

A.C. Knauss; E.H. Clarke

1961-01-01

This report presents results of a study to determine the degrade (loss in volume and value) of ponderosa pine lumber when cut, kiln-dried, and surfaced in accordance with commercial practice. The study measured (1) loss in volume due to culling and trimming surfaced dry lumber because of sawing, seasoning, and surfacing defects; (2) reduction in grade due to seasoning...

Seasoning and surfacing degrade in kiln-drying western hemlock in western Oregon.

Treesearch

A.C. Knauss; E.H. Clarke

1961-01-01

This report presents the results of a study to determine the degrade (loss in volume and value) of western hemlock lumber cut, kiln-dried, and surfaced in accordance with commercial practice in western Oregon. The study measured (1) loss in volume due to culling and trimming surfaced dry lumber because of sawing, seasoning, and surfacing defects; (2) reduction in grade...

Controlling cull ohia trees by injecting herbicides

Treesearch

Stanley B. Carpenter

1966-01-01

Ohia trees less than 6 inches d .b.h. on the island of Hawaii were killed by injection of undiluted 2,4.S-T ester. This chemical was less effective on larger trees. Injections applied in September and January were more effective than the May applications. Injections of 2,4-D were relatively ineffective, any season of the year, even for small trees. Tardon 22K proved...

Educating CPE supervisors: a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Ragsdale, Judith R; Holloway, Elizabeth L; Ivy, Steven S

2009-01-01

This qualitative study was designed to cull the wisdom of CPE supervisors doing especially competent supervisory education and to develop a theory of CPE supervisory education. Grounded theory methodology included interviewing 11 supervisors and coding the data to identify themes. Four primary dimensions emerged along with a reciprocal core dimension, Supervisory Wisdom, which refers to work the supervisors do in terms of their continuing growth and development.

An Evaluation of the Navy’s Health Promotion Videotapes

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-30

has mainly occurred in hospitals, clinics, and patient education centers. However, as noted by Holm (1983), the broader intent of the patient ...Mitchell, M. (1977). Evaluation of a patient education program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 52, 106-111...effectiveness of videotape in patient education on depression. Journal of Biocommunication, 1Q, 19-23. Cull, P. (1988). The production process of health

Seasoning and surfacing degrade in kiln-drying Douglas-fir in western Oregon.

Treesearch

A.C. Knauss; E.H. Clarke

1959-01-01

This report presents the results of a study to determine the degrade—loss in volume and grade—of coast-type Douglas-fir lumber when kiln-dried and surfaced in accordance with commercial practice. The study measured (1) loss in volume due to culling and trimming of dry-surfaced lumber because of seasoning and surfacing defects, (2) reduction in grade...

Conserving genomic variability in large mammals: Effect of population fluctuations and variance in male reproductive success on variability in Yellowstone bison

Treesearch

Andres Perez-Figueroa; Rick L. Wallen; Tiago Antao; Jason A. Coombs; Michael K. Schwartz; P. J. White; Gordon Luikart

2012-01-01

Loss of genetic variation through genetic drift can reduce population viability. However, relatively little is known about loss of variation caused by the combination of fluctuating population size and variance in reproductive success in age structured populations. We built an individual-based computer simulation model to examine how actual culling and hunting...

Seasoning degrade in kiln drying ponderosa pine in south central Oregon.

Treesearch

A.C. Knauss

1957-01-01

This report presents the results of a study to determine the loss in volume and value of lumber when kiln drying and surfacing the production from ponderosa pine logs. The study measured (1) the reduction in volume due to trimming and culling dry lumber after surfacing, (2) the reduction in grade due to seasoning defects, (3) the reduction in grade due to failure of...

Diversity of the Eastern Hardwood Resource and How This Diversity Influences Timber Utilization

Treesearch

William Luppold; Scott A. Pugh

2016-01-01

The eastern hardwood resource is often associated with high-quality sawtimber used in the production of grade products, but this segment of the resource accounts for approximately 20 percent of the cubic volume of all live trees. By contrast, 17 percent of the hardwood timber volume is classified as cull trees, and an additional 14 percent is low-quality sawlog-size...

Roy Schafer: a beginning.

PubMed

Schwartz, Henry P

2013-01-01

The author provides a biographical overview of Schafer's life, culled from his published work and focused primarily on his professional development. This biography is used to demonstrate some of Schafer's central theoretical insights on narrativity and language, and reveals the consistency of his thinking over his long career. A brief discussion of his writing on King Lear provides a bridge between theoretical and biographical material. © 2013 The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, Inc.

Pelletized ponderosa pine bark for adsorption of toxic heavy metals from water

Treesearch

Miyoung Oh; Mandla A. Tshabalala

2007-01-01

Bark flour from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) was consolidated into pellets using citric acid as cross-linking agent. The pellets were evaluated for removal of toxic heavy metals from synthetic aqueous solutions. When soaked in water, pellets did not leach tannins, and they showed high adsorption capacity for Cu(ll), Zn(ll), Cd(ll). and Ni(ll) under both equilibrium...

Ratios for estimating logging residue in the Pacific Northwest.

Treesearch

James O. Howard

1981-01-01

Ratios are presented for estimating the volume of logging residue for any location in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. They show cubic-foot volume of logging residue per 1,000 board feet of timber harvested and per acre harvested. Tables show gross and net volumes, with and without bark. The volumes of live and dead and cull residue at the time of harvest are also given...

Insect and Canker Disease Impact in Cottonwood Nurseries

Treesearch

J. D. Solomon; J. R. Cook; F. L. Oliveria; T. H. Filer

1976-01-01

Insects (primarily cottonwood leaf beetle) reduced height growth in nurseries an average of 48.8 cm (19 in) per switch. Such a growth loss would mean a 20-25 percent drop in cuttings produced. In a survey of nine nursery plantings, cull due to borers (primarily clearwing borers)and disease cankers reduced the number of potential cuttings from 1.6 to 25.6 percent and...

Our Healing Is next to the Wound: Endarkened Feminisms, Spirituality, and Wisdom for Teaching, Learning, and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okpalaoka, Chinwe L.; Dillard, Cynthia B.

2011-01-01

This article arises from dialogue culled from a yearlong doctoral seminar in which both authors participated. The authors are both African ascendant women who teach and learn in a higher education setting. As one of the professors who co-taught the seminar (Cynthia) and a college administrator who was a doctoral student at the time of the seminar…

Assessing plant community composition fails to capture impacts of white-tailed deer on native and invasive plant species.

PubMed

Nuzzo, Victoria; Dávalos, Andrea; Blossey, Bernd

2017-07-01

Excessive herbivory can have transformative effects on forest understory vegetation, converting diverse communities into depauperate ones, often with increased abundance of non-native plants. White-tailed deer are a problematic herbivore throughout much of eastern North America and alter forest understory community structure. Reducing (by culling) or eliminating (by fencing) deer herbivory is expected to return understory vegetation to a previously diverse condition. We examined this assumption from 1992 to 2006 at Fermilab (Batavia, IL) where a cull reduced white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) abundance in 1998/1999 by 90 % from 24.6 to 2.5/km 2 , and at West Point, NY, where we assessed interactive effects of deer, earthworms, and invasive plants using 30 × 30 m paired fenced and open plots in 12 different forests from 2009 to 2012. We recorded not only plant community responses (species presence and cover) within 1 m 2 quadrats, but also responses of select individual species (growth, reproduction). At Fermilab, introduced Alliaria petiolata abundance initially increased as deer density increased, but then declined after deer reduction. The understory community responded to the deer cull by increased cover, species richness and height, and community composition changed but was dominated by early successional native forbs. At West Point plant community composition was affected by introduced earthworm density but not deer exclusion. Native plant cover increased and non-native plant cover decreased in fenced plots, thus keeping overall plant cover similar. At both sites native forb cover increased in response to deer reduction, but the anticipated response of understory vegetation failed to materialize at the community level. Deer-favoured forbs ( Eurybia divaricata , Maianthemum racemosum , Polygonatum pubescens and Trillium recurvatum ) grew taller and flowering probability increased in the absence of deer. Plant community monitoring fails to capture initial and subtle effects of reduced or even cessation of deer browse on browse sensitive species. Measuring responses of individual plants (growth, flowering and reproductive success) provides a more sensitive and powerful assessment of forest understory responses to deer management.

Bulk tank milk surveillance as a measure to detect Coxiella burnetii shedding dairy goat herds in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2014.

PubMed

Van den Brom, R; Santman-Berends, I; Luttikholt, S; Moll, L; Van Engelen, E; Vellema, P

2015-06-01

In the period from 2005 to 2009, Coxiella burnetii was a cause of abortion waves at 28 dairy goat farms and 2 dairy sheep farms in the Netherlands. Two years after the first abortion waves, a large human Q fever outbreak started mainly in the same region, and aborting small ruminants were regarded as most probable source. To distinguish between infected and noninfected herds, a surveillance program started in October 2009, based on PCR testing of bulk tank milk (BTM) samples, which had never been described before. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of this surveillance program and to evaluate both the effect of culling of pregnant dairy goats on positive farms and of vaccination on BTM results. Bulk tank milk samples were tested for C. burnetii DNA using a real-time PCR, and results were analyzed in relation to vaccination, culling, and notifiable (officially reported to government) C. burnetii abortion records. In spring and autumn, BTM samples were also tested for antibodies using an ELISA, and results were evaluated in relation to the compulsory vaccination campaign. Between October 2009 and April 2014, 1,660 (5.6%) out of 29,875 BTM samples from 401 dairy goat farms tested positive for C. burnetii DNA. The percentage of positive samples dropped from 20.5% in 2009 to 0.3% in 2014. In a multivariable model, significantly higher odds of being PCR positive in the BTM surveillance program were found in farms of which all pregnant dairy goats were culled. Additionally, the risk for C. burnetii BTM PCR positivity significantly decreased after multiple vaccinations. Bulk tank milk ELISA results were significantly higher after vaccination than before. The ELISA results were higher after multiple vaccinations compared with a single vaccination, and ELISA results on officially declared infected farms were significantly higher compared with noninfected farms. In conclusion, BTM surveillance is an effective and useful tool to detect C. burnetii shedding dairy goat herds and to monitor a Q fever outbreak, and thus the effect of implemented measures. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproductive performance in a select sample of dairy herds.

PubMed

Ferguson, James D; Skidmore, Andrew

2013-02-01

Sixteen herds were selected from a pool of 64 herds nominated by consultants for participation in a national survey to demonstrate excellence in reproductive performance. For inclusion in the survey, herds had to have comprehensive records in a farm computer database or participate in a Dairy Herd Improvement Association record system and have superior reproductive performance as judged by the herd advisor. Herd managers were asked to fill out a questionnaire to describe their reproductive management practices and provide herd records for data analysis. Reproductive analysis was based on individual cow records for active and cull dairy cows that calved during the calendar year 2010. Breeding records by cow were used to calculate indices for insemination rate (IR), conception rate (CR), pregnancy rate (PR), and culling. Herds ranged in size from 262 to 6,126 lactating and dry cows, with a mean of 1,654 [standard deviation (SD) 1,494] cows. Mean days to first insemination (DFS) was 71.2d (SD 4.7d), and IR for first insemination was 86.9%. Mean days between inseminations were 33.4d (SD 3.1d), and 15.4% of insemination intervals were greater than 48 d (range: 7.2 to 21.5%). First-service conception rate was 44.4% (SD 4.8%) across all herds and ranged from 37.5 to 51.8%. Mean PR was 32.0% (SD 3.9%) with a range of 26.5 to 39.4%. Lactation cull rate was 32.2% (SD 12.4%) with a range from 13.6 to 58.1%. Compared with mean data and SD for herds in the Raleigh Dairy Herd Improvement Association system, mean indices for these herds ranked them in the 99 th percentile for IR (using heat detection rate as comparison), 99 th percentile for PR, the bottom 18.6 percentile for DFS, and around the 50th percentile for CR. This suggests that excellent herd reproductive performance was associated with reproductive management that resulted in high insemination rates combined with average CR. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficacies of prevention and control measures applied during an outbreak in Southwest Madrid, Spain

PubMed Central

Martcheva, Maia; Tuncer, Necibe; Fontana, Isabella; Carrillo, Eugenia; Moreno, Javier; Keesling, James

2017-01-01

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease of worldwide distribution, currently present in 98 countries. Since late 2010, an unusual increase of human visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis cases has been observed in the south-western Madrid region, totaling more than 600 cases until 2015. Some hosts, such as human, domestic dog and cat, rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and hare (Lepus granatensis), were found infected by the parasite of this disease in the area. Hares were described as the most important reservoir due to their higher prevalence, capacity to infect the vector, and presence of the same strains as in humans. Various measures were adopted to prevent and control the disease, and since 2013 there was a slight decline in the human sickness. We used a mathematical model to evaluate the efficacy of each measure in reducing the number of infected hosts. We identified in the present model that culling both hares and rabbits, without immediate reposition of the animals, was the best measure adopted, decreasing the proportion of all infected hosts. Particularly, culling hares was more efficacious than culling rabbits to reduce the proportion of infected individuals of all hosts. Likewise, lowering vector contact with hares highly influenced the reduction of the proportion of infected hosts. The reduction of the vector density per host in the park decreased the leishmaniasis incidence of hosts in the park and the urban areas. On the other hand, the reduction of the vector density per host of the urban area (humans, dogs and cats) decreased only their affected population, albeit at a higher proportion. The use of insecticide-impregnated collar and vaccination in dogs affected only the infected dogs’ population. The parameters related to the vector contact with dog, cat or human do not present a high impact on the other hosts infected by Leishmania. In conclusion, the efficacy of each control strategy was determined, in order to direct future actions in this and in other similar outbreaks. The present mathematical model was able to reproduce the leishmaniasis dynamics in the Madrid outbreak, providing theoretical support based on successful experiences, such as the reduction of human cases in Southwest Madrid, Spain. PMID:29028841

Effect of feeding complete feed block containing rumen protected protein, non-protein nitrogen and rumen protected fat on improving body condition and carcass traits of cull ewes.

PubMed

Bhatt, R S; Sahoo, A

2017-12-01

Nutrient utilization, body condition and carcass traits of cull ewes were studied in three dietary regimens based on complete feed block (CFB) feeding to control (C) with rumen protected protein (RPP), CU [RPP + urea (6 g/kg)] and CUF [RPP + urea + rumen protected fat (RPF; 40 g/kg)]. The RPP component (g/kg) in C had 1% formaldehyde-treated soy flakes 50, mustard cake 50 and sesame cake 30. The mustard and sesame cakes were replaced with urea on equivalent N basis in CU and CUF. The ewes were offered ad libitum CFB composed (g/kg) of concentrate 650, roughage 300 and molasses 50. The digestibility of OM and EE was higher (p < 0.05) in CUF than in CU and C, while that of NDF and ADF was lower (p < 0.05). The CP digestibility was higher in both CU and CUF. Utilization of N and Ca was higher (p < 0.05) in CUF compared with C and CU. Urinary purine derivatives analysis and microbial N synthesis were similar in all the groups. Blood glucose concentration improved at 90 day compared with 0 day. Ruminal attributes showed a higher (p < 0.05) pH, total N, TCA precipitable N, entodiniomorphs and total ciliate population in CU and CUF than in the control. The CUF had higher (p < 0.01) DM, digestible OM and ME intake, which resulted in higher (p < 0.05) weight gain and better feed efficiency. Ewes in all the groups showed an improvement in carcass traits at 90 day. The pre-slaughter weight was higher (p < 0.05) and dissected and KOH bone content was lower in CUF. Thus, feeding of CFB with urea as a cheaper N source and RPF to enrich with energy supported the improved performance as evidenced from higher nutrient input, 'utilization and efficiency with enhanced carcass traits' for better marketability and returns from cull ewes. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Efficacies of prevention and control measures applied during an outbreak in Southwest Madrid, Spain.

PubMed

Sevá, Anaiá da Paixão; Martcheva, Maia; Tuncer, Necibe; Fontana, Isabella; Carrillo, Eugenia; Moreno, Javier; Keesling, James

2017-01-01

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease of worldwide distribution, currently present in 98 countries. Since late 2010, an unusual increase of human visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis cases has been observed in the south-western Madrid region, totaling more than 600 cases until 2015. Some hosts, such as human, domestic dog and cat, rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and hare (Lepus granatensis), were found infected by the parasite of this disease in the area. Hares were described as the most important reservoir due to their higher prevalence, capacity to infect the vector, and presence of the same strains as in humans. Various measures were adopted to prevent and control the disease, and since 2013 there was a slight decline in the human sickness. We used a mathematical model to evaluate the efficacy of each measure in reducing the number of infected hosts. We identified in the present model that culling both hares and rabbits, without immediate reposition of the animals, was the best measure adopted, decreasing the proportion of all infected hosts. Particularly, culling hares was more efficacious than culling rabbits to reduce the proportion of infected individuals of all hosts. Likewise, lowering vector contact with hares highly influenced the reduction of the proportion of infected hosts. The reduction of the vector density per host in the park decreased the leishmaniasis incidence of hosts in the park and the urban areas. On the other hand, the reduction of the vector density per host of the urban area (humans, dogs and cats) decreased only their affected population, albeit at a higher proportion. The use of insecticide-impregnated collar and vaccination in dogs affected only the infected dogs' population. The parameters related to the vector contact with dog, cat or human do not present a high impact on the other hosts infected by Leishmania. In conclusion, the efficacy of each control strategy was determined, in order to direct future actions in this and in other similar outbreaks. The present mathematical model was able to reproduce the leishmaniasis dynamics in the Madrid outbreak, providing theoretical support based on successful experiences, such as the reduction of human cases in Southwest Madrid, Spain.

Assessing plant community composition fails to capture impacts of white-tailed deer on native and invasive plant species

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nuzzo, Victoria; Davalos, Andrea; Blossey, Bernd

Excessive herbivory can have transformative effects on forest understory vegetation, converting diverse communities into depauperate ones, often with increased abundance of non-native plants. White-tailed deer are a problematic herbivore throughout much of eastern North America and alter forest understory community structure. Reducing (by culling) or eliminating (by fencing) deer herbivory is expected to return understory vegetation to a previously diverse condition. We examined this assumption from 1992 to 2006 at Fermilab (Batavia, IL) where a cull reduced white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) abundance in 1998/1999 by 90 % from 24.6 to 2.5/km 2, and at West Point, NY, where wemore » assessed interactive effects of deer, earthworms, and invasive plants using 30 × 30 m paired fenced and open plots in 12 different forests from 2009 to 2012. We recorded not only plant community responses (species presence and cover) within 1 m 2 quadrats, but also responses of select individual species (growth, reproduction). At Fermilab, introduced Alliaria petiolata abundance initially increased as deer density increased, but then declined after deer reduction. The understory community responded to the deer cull by increased cover, species richness and height, and community composition changed but was dominated by early successional native forbs. At West Point plant community composition was affected by introduced earthworm density but not deer exclusion. Native plant cover increased and non-native plant cover decreased in fenced plots, thus keeping overall plant cover similar. At both sites native forb cover increased in response to deer reduction, but the anticipated response of understory vegetation failed to materialize at the community level. Deer-favoured forbs ( Eurybia divaricata, Maianthemum racemosum, Polygonatum pubescens and Trillium recurvatum) grew taller and flowering probability increased in the absence of deer. Plant community monitoring fails to capture initial and subtle effects of reduced or even cessation of deer browse on browse sensitive species. As a result, measuring responses of individual plants (growth, flowering and reproductive success) provides a more sensitive and powerful assessment of forest understory responses to deer management.« less

Stochastic bio-economic modeling of mastitis in Ethiopian dairy farms.

PubMed

Getaneh, Abraham Mekibeb; Mekonnen, Sefinew Alemu; Hogeveen, Henk

2017-03-01

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland that is considered to be one of the most frequent and costly diseases in the dairy industry. Also in Ethiopia, bovine mastitis is one of the most frequently encountered diseases of dairy cows. However, there was no study, so far, regarding the costs of clinical mastitis and only two studies were reported on costs of subclinical mastitis. Presenting an appropriate and complete study of the costs of mastitis will help farmers in making management decisions for mastitis control. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic effects of mastitis on Ethiopian market-oriented dairy farms. Market-oriented dairy farming is driven by making profits through selling milk in the market on a regular basis. A dynamic stochastic Monte-Carlo simulation model (bio-economic model) was developed taking into account both clinical and subclinical mastitis. Production losses, culling, veterinarian costs, treatment, discarded milk, and labour were the main cost factors which were modeled in this study. The annual incidence of clinical mastitis varied from 0 to 50% with a mean annual incidence of 21.6%, whereas the mean annual incidence of subclinical mastitis was 36.2% which varied between 0 and 75%. The total costs due to mastitis for a default farm size of 8 lactating cows were 6,709 ETB per year (838 ETB per cow per year). The costs varied considerably, with 5th and 95th percentiles of 109 ETB and 22,009 ETB, respectively. The factor most contributing to the total annual cost of mastitis was culling. On average a clinical case costs 3,631 ETB, varying from 0 to 12,401, whereas a sub clinical case costs 147 ETB, varying from 0 to 412. The sensitivity analysis showed that the total costs at the farm level were most sensitive for variation in the probability of occurrence of clinical mastitis and the probability of culling. This study helps farmers to raise awareness about the actual costs of mastitis and motivate them to timely treat and/or take preventive measures. As a results, the dairy industry will improve. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing plant community composition fails to capture impacts of white-tailed deer on native and invasive plant species

DOE PAGES

Nuzzo, Victoria; Davalos, Andrea; Blossey, Bernd

2017-06-08

Excessive herbivory can have transformative effects on forest understory vegetation, converting diverse communities into depauperate ones, often with increased abundance of non-native plants. White-tailed deer are a problematic herbivore throughout much of eastern North America and alter forest understory community structure. Reducing (by culling) or eliminating (by fencing) deer herbivory is expected to return understory vegetation to a previously diverse condition. We examined this assumption from 1992 to 2006 at Fermilab (Batavia, IL) where a cull reduced white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) abundance in 1998/1999 by 90 % from 24.6 to 2.5/km 2, and at West Point, NY, where wemore » assessed interactive effects of deer, earthworms, and invasive plants using 30 × 30 m paired fenced and open plots in 12 different forests from 2009 to 2012. We recorded not only plant community responses (species presence and cover) within 1 m 2 quadrats, but also responses of select individual species (growth, reproduction). At Fermilab, introduced Alliaria petiolata abundance initially increased as deer density increased, but then declined after deer reduction. The understory community responded to the deer cull by increased cover, species richness and height, and community composition changed but was dominated by early successional native forbs. At West Point plant community composition was affected by introduced earthworm density but not deer exclusion. Native plant cover increased and non-native plant cover decreased in fenced plots, thus keeping overall plant cover similar. At both sites native forb cover increased in response to deer reduction, but the anticipated response of understory vegetation failed to materialize at the community level. Deer-favoured forbs ( Eurybia divaricata, Maianthemum racemosum, Polygonatum pubescens and Trillium recurvatum) grew taller and flowering probability increased in the absence of deer. Plant community monitoring fails to capture initial and subtle effects of reduced or even cessation of deer browse on browse sensitive species. As a result, measuring responses of individual plants (growth, flowering and reproductive success) provides a more sensitive and powerful assessment of forest understory responses to deer management.« less

Evidence for Emergency Vaccination Having Played a Crucial Role to Control the 1965/66 Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Switzerland

PubMed Central

Zingg, Dana; Häsler, Stephan; Schuepbach-Regula, Gertraud; Schwermer, Heinzpeter; Dürr, Salome

2015-01-01

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease that caused several large outbreaks in Europe in the last century. The last important outbreak in Switzerland took place in 1965/66 and affected more than 900 premises and more than 50,000 animals were slaughtered. Large-scale emergency vaccination of the cattle and pig population has been applied to control the epidemic. In recent years, many studies have used infectious disease models to assess the impact of different disease control measures, including models developed for diseases exotic for the specific region of interest. Often, the absence of real outbreak data makes a validation of such models impossible. This study aimed to evaluate whether a spatial, stochastic simulation model (the Davis Animal Disease Simulation model) can predict the course of a Swiss FMD epidemic based on the available historic input data on population structure, contact rates, epidemiology of the virus, and quality of the vaccine. In addition, the potential outcome of the 1965/66 FMD epidemic without application of vaccination was investigated. Comparing the model outcomes to reality, only the largest 10% of the simulated outbreaks approximated the number of animals being culled. However, the simulation model highly overestimated the number of culled premises. While the outbreak duration could not be well reproduced by the model compared to the 1965/66 epidemic, it was able to accurately estimate the size of the area infected. Without application of vaccination, the model predicted a much higher mean number of culled animals than with vaccination, demonstrating that vaccination was likely crucial in disease control for the Swiss FMD outbreak in 1965/66. The study demonstrated the feasibility to analyze historical outbreak data with modern analytical tools. However, it also confirmed that predicted epidemics from a most carefully parameterized model cannot integrate all eventualities of a real epidemic. Therefore, decision makers need to be aware that infectious disease models are useful tools to support the decision-making process but their results are not equal valuable as real observations and should always be interpreted with caution. PMID:26697436

Effect of ractopamine-hydrochloride and trenbolone acetate on longissimus muscle fiber area, diameter, and satellite cell numbers in cull beef cows.

PubMed

Gonzalez, J M; Carter, J N; Johnson, D D; Ouellette, S E; Johnson, S E

2007-08-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of coadministration of ractopamine-HCl (RAC) and trenbolone acetate plus estradiol (TBA) on LM fiber cross-sectional area (CSA), diameter, fiber-associated myonuclei, and satellite cell number. Culled crossbred beef cows (n = 98; 11 +/- 1.8 yr old; BCS 4.3 +/- 0.03) from a single ranch in south Florida were fed a concentrate diet for 92 d in a 2 x 2, randomized block design. Cows were blocked by BW on arrival into light (initial BW = 369.75 +/- 2.68 kg and end BW = 501.96 +/- 6.90 kg) and heavy (initial BW = 418.31 +/- 2.75 kg and end BW = 522.15 +/- 7.09 kg) groups before assignment to treatment. Factors included dietary treatment (0 or 15 ppm) and implant status (0 or 80 mg of trenbolone acetate + 16 mg of estradiol). Ractopamine was provided in the diet to 2 pens or half the treatments during the final 35 d of feeding. Cows were slaughtered on d 92. Forty-eight hours postmortem, the 6th-rib portions of the LM were obtained from 10 randomly selected carcasses from each treatment group (n = 40). Cryosections (12 mum) were immunostained for dystrophin and myosin heavy chain I or II for the measurement of fiber CSA and type, respectively. Fiber-associated nuclei and satellite cell numbers were measured in serial cryosections. There was a RAC x TBA interaction (P < 0.05). Type I fiber CSA and diameter were increased (P < 0.05) by TBA and RAC. Type I CSA and diameter were larger (P < 0.05) in TBA + RAC than RAC only. Type II fiber CSA and diameter were not affected by TBA (P = 0.48), RAC (P = 0.15), or TBA + RAC (P = 0.60). Satellite cell numbers and fiber-associated nuclei were not affected (P > 0.05) by implant status or ractopamine supplementation. These results indicate that TBA and RAC preferentially increase the size of type I fibers in cull cows.

5 CFR 179.307 - Administrative offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Administrative offset. 179.307 Section 179.307 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS Administrative Offset § 179.307 Administrative offset. (a) If the debtor does not...

Great Apes and Biodiversity Offset Projects in Africa: The Case for National Offset Strategies

PubMed Central

Kormos, Rebecca; Kormos, Cyril F.; Humle, Tatyana; Lanjouw, Annette; Rainer, Helga; Victurine, Ray; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Diallo, Mamadou S.; Rylands, Anthony B.; Williamson, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

The development and private sectors are increasingly considering “biodiversity offsets” as a strategy to compensate for their negative impacts on biodiversity, including impacts on great apes and their habitats in Africa. In the absence of national offset policies in sub-Saharan Africa, offset design and implementation are guided by company internal standards, lending bank standards or international best practice principles. We examine four projects in Africa that are seeking to compensate for their negative impacts on great ape populations. Our assessment of these projects reveals that not all apply or implement best practices, and that there is little standardization in the methods used to measure losses and gains in species numbers. Even if they were to follow currently accepted best-practice principles, we find that these actions may still fail to contribute to conservation objectives over the long term. We advocate for an alternative approach in which biodiversity offset and compensation projects are designed and implemented as part of a National Offset Strategy that (1) takes into account the cumulative impacts of development in individual countries, (2) identifies priority offset sites, (3) promotes aggregated offsets, and (4) integrates biodiversity offset and compensation projects with national biodiversity conservation objectives. We also propose supplementary principles necessary for biodiversity offsets to contribute to great ape conservation in Africa. Caution should still be exercised, however, with regard to offsets until further field-based evidence of their effectiveness is available. PMID:25372894

Possible correlations between gamma-ray burst and its host galaxy offset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fei-Fei; Zou, Yuan-Chuan; Liu, Yu; Liao, Bin; Moharana, Reetanjali

2018-06-01

We collected the information of 304 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from the literature, and analyzed the correlations among the host galaxy offsets (the distance from the site of the GRB to the center of its host galaxy), T90,i (the duration T90 in rest-frame), TR45,i (the duration TR45 in rest-frame), Eγ,iso (the isotropic equivalent energy), Lγ,iso (=Eγ,iso /T90,i, the isotropic equivalent luminosity) and Lpk (peak luminosity). We found that T90,i, TR45,i, Eγ,iso, Lpk have negative correlation with offset, which is consistent with origin of short GRBs (SGRBs) and long GRBs (LGRBs). On separate analysis, we found similar results for log ⁡Eγ,iso - log ⁡ (offset) and log ⁡Lpk - log ⁡ (offset) relations in case of SGRBs only, while no obvious relation for LGRBs. There is no correlations between offset and Lγ,iso. We also put the special GRB 170817A and GRB 060218A on the plots. The two GRBs both have low luminosity and small offset. In the log ⁡ (offset) - log ⁡T90,i plot, we found GRB 170817A locates in between the two regions of SGRBs and LGRBs and it is the outlier in the offset -Eγ,iso, offset -Lγ,iso and offset -Lpk plots. Together with GRB 060218A being an outlier in all plots, it indicates the speciality of GRBs 170817A and 060218A, and might imply more subgroups of the GRB samples.

78 FR 20648 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-05

... OMB Review; Comment Request Title: Federal Tax Offset, Administrative Offset, and Passport Denial. OMB No.: 0970-0161. Description: The Federal Tax Offset, Administrative Offset, and Passport Denial.... The Passport Denial program reports noncustodial parents who owe child support above a threshold to...

Climate change : observations on the potential role of carbon offsets in climate change legislation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-25

In an August 2008 report, GAO identified four primary challenges related to the United States voluntary carbon offset market. First, the concept of a carbon offset is complicated because offsets can involve different activities, definitions, greenhou...

Attention-dependent sound offset-related brain potentials.

PubMed

Horváth, János

2016-05-01

When performing sensory tasks, knowing the potentially occurring goal-relevant and irrelevant stimulus events allows the establishment of selective attention sets, which result in enhanced sensory processing of goal-relevant events. In the auditory modality, such enhancements are reflected in the increased amplitude of the N1 ERP elicited by the onsets of task-relevant sounds. It has been recently suggested that ERPs to task-relevant sound offsets are similarly enhanced in a tone-focused state in comparison to a distracted one. The goal of the present study was to explore the influence of attention on ERPs elicited by sound offsets. ERPs elicited by tones in a duration-discrimination task were compared to ERPs elicited by the same tones in not-tone-focused attentional setting. Tone offsets elicited a consistent, attention-dependent biphasic (positive-negative--P1-N1) ERP waveform for tone durations ranging from 150 to 450 ms. The evidence, however, did not support the notion that the offset-related ERPs reflected an offset-specific attention set: The offset-related ERPs elicited in a duration-discrimination condition (in which offsets were task relevant) did not significantly differ from those elicited in a pitch-discrimination condition (in which the offsets were task irrelevant). Although an N2 reflecting the processing of offsets in task-related terms contributed to the observed waveform, this contribution was separable from the offset-related P1 and N1. The results demonstrate that when tones are attended, offset-related ERPs may substantially overlap endogenous ERP activity in the postoffset interval irrespective of tone duration, and attention differences may cause ERP differences in such postoffset intervals. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

The auditory P50 component to onset and offset of sound

PubMed Central

Pratt, Hillel; Starr, Arnold; Michalewski, Henry J.; Bleich, Naomi; Mittelman, Nomi

2008-01-01

Objective: The auditory Event-Related Potentials (ERP) component P50 to sound onset and offset have been reported to be similar, but their magnetic homologue has been reported absent to sound offset. We compared the spatio-temporal distribution of cortical activity during P50 to sound onset and offset, without confounds of spectral change. Methods: ERPs were recorded in response to onsets and offsets of silent intervals of 0.5 s (gaps) appearing randomly in otherwise continuous white noise and compared to ERPs to randomly distributed click pairs with half second separation presented in silence. Subjects were awake and distracted from the stimuli by reading a complicated text. Measures of P50 included peak latency and amplitude, as well as source current density estimates to the clicks and sound onsets and offsets. Results P50 occurred in response to noise onsets and to clicks, while to noise offset it was absent. Latency of P50 was similar to noise onset (56 msec) and to clicks (53 msec). Sources of P50 to noise onsets and clicks included bilateral superior parietal areas. In contrast, noise offsets activated left inferior temporal and occipital areas at the time of P50. Source current density was significantly higher to noise onset than offset in the vicinity of the temporo-parietal junction. Conclusions: P50 to sound offset is absent compared to the distinct P50 to sound onset and to clicks, at different intracranial sources. P50 to stimulus onset and to clicks appears to reflect preattentive arousal by a new sound in the scene. Sound offset does not involve a new sound and hence the absent P50. Significance: Stimulus onset activates distinct early cortical processes that are absent to offset. PMID:18055255

High doses of salicylate causes prepulse facilitation of onset-gap induced acoustic startle response.

PubMed

Sun, Wei; Doolittle, Lauren; Flowers, Elizabeth; Zhang, Chao; Wang, Qiuju

2014-01-01

Prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex (PPI), a well-established method for evaluating sensorimotor gating function, has been used to detect tinnitus in animal models. Reduced gap induced PPI (gap-PPI) was considered as a sign of tinnitus. The silent gap used in the test contains both onset and offset signals. Tinnitus may affect these cues differently. In this experiment, we studied the effects of a high dose of salicylate (250 mg/kg, i.p.), an inducer of reversible tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss, on gap-PPI induced by three different gaps: an onset-gap with 0.1 ms onset and 25 ms offset time, an offset-gap with 25 ms onset and 0.1 ms offset time, and an onset-offset-gap with 0.1 ms onset and offset time. We found that the onset-gaps induced smaller inhibitions than the offset-gaps before salicylate treatment. The offset-gap induced PPI was significantly reduced 1-3h after salicylate treatment. However, the onset-gap caused a facilitation of startle response. These results suggest that salicylate induced reduction of gap-PPI was not only caused by the decrease of offset-gap induced PPI, but also by the facilitation induced by the onset-gap. Since the onset-gap induced PPI is caused by neural offset response, our results suggest that salicylate may cause a facilitation of neural response to an offset acoustical signal. Treatment of vigabatrin (60 mg/kg/day, 14 days), which elevates the GABA level in the brain, blocked the offset-gap induced PPI and onset-gap induced facilitation caused by salicylate. These results suggest that enhancing GABAergic activities can alleviate salicylate induced tinnitus. Published by Elsevier B.V.

"3D_Fault_Offsets," a Matlab Code to Automatically Measure Lateral and Vertical Fault Offsets in Topographic Data: Application to San Andreas, Owens Valley, and Hope Faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, N.; Gaudemer, Y.; Manighetti, I.; Serreau, L.; Vincendeau, A.; Dominguez, S.; Mattéo, L.; Malavieille, J.

2018-01-01

Measuring fault offsets preserved at the ground surface is of primary importance to recover earthquake and long-term slip distributions and understand fault mechanics. The recent explosion of high-resolution topographic data, such as Lidar and photogrammetric digital elevation models, offers an unprecedented opportunity to measure dense collections of fault offsets. We have developed a new Matlab code, 3D_Fault_Offsets, to automate these measurements. In topographic data, 3D_Fault_Offsets mathematically identifies and represents nine of the most prominent geometric characteristics of common sublinear markers along faults (especially strike slip) in 3-D, such as the streambed (minimum elevation), top, free face and base of channel banks or scarps (minimum Laplacian, maximum gradient, and maximum Laplacian), and ridges (maximum elevation). By calculating best fit lines through the nine point clouds on either side of the fault, the code computes the lateral and vertical offsets between the piercing points of these lines onto the fault plane, providing nine lateral and nine vertical offset measures per marker. Through a Monte Carlo approach, the code calculates the total uncertainty on each offset. It then provides tools to statistically analyze the dense collection of measures and to reconstruct the prefaulted marker geometry in the horizontal and vertical planes. We applied 3D_Fault_Offsets to remeasure previously published offsets across 88 markers on the San Andreas, Owens Valley, and Hope faults. We obtained 5,454 lateral and vertical offset measures. These automatic measures compare well to prior ones, field and remote, while their rich record provides new insights on the preservation of fault displacements in the morphology.

Economic and ecological outcomes of flexible biodiversity offset systems.

PubMed

Habib, Thomas J; Farr, Daniel R; Schneider, Richard R; Boutin, Stan

2013-12-01

The commonly expressed goal of biodiversity offsets is to achieve no net loss of specific biological features affected by development. However, strict equivalency requirements may complicate trading of offset credits, increase costs due to restricted offset placement options, and force offset activities to focus on features that may not represent regional conservation priorities. Using the oil sands industry of Alberta, Canada, as a case study, we evaluated the economic and ecological performance of alternative offset systems targeting either ecologically equivalent areas (vegetation types) or regional conservation priorities (caribou and the Dry Mixedwood natural subregion). Exchanging dissimilar biodiversity elements requires assessment via a generalized metric; we used an empirically derived index of biodiversity intactness to link offsets with losses incurred by development. We considered 2 offset activities: land protection, with costs estimated as the net present value of profits of petroleum and timber resources to be paid as compensation to resource tenure holders, and restoration of anthropogenic footprint, with costs estimated from existing restoration projects. We used the spatial optimization tool MARXAN to develop hypothetical offset networks that met either the equivalent-vegetation or conservation-priority targets. Networks that required offsetting equivalent vegetation cost 2-17 times more than priority-focused networks. This finding calls into question the prudence of equivalency-based systems, particularly in relatively undeveloped jurisdictions, where conservation focuses on limiting and directing future losses. Priority-focused offsets may offer benefits to industry and environmental stakeholders by allowing for lower-cost conservation of valued ecological features and may invite discussion on what land-use trade-offs are acceptable when trading biodiversity via offsets. Resultados Económicos y Ecológicos de Sistemas de Compensación de Biodiversidad Flexible Habib et al. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

The Binary Offset Effect in CCDs: an Anomalous Readout Artifact Affecting Most Astronomical CCDs in Use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boone, Kyle Robert; Aldering, Gregory; Copin, Yannick; Dixon, Samantha; Domagalski, Rachel; Gangler, Emmanuel; Pecontal, Emmanuel; Perlmutter, Saul; Nearby Supernova Factory Collaboration

2018-01-01

We discovered an anomalous behavior of CCD readout electronics that affects their use in many astronomical applications, which we call the “binary offset effect”. Due to feedback in the readout electronics, an offset is introduced in the values read out for each pixel that depends on the binary encoding of the previously read-out pixel values. One consequence of this effect is that a pathological local background offset can be introduced in images that only appears where science data are present on the CCD. The amplitude of this introduced offset does not scale monotonically with the amplitude of the objects in the image, and can be up to 4.5 ADU per pixel for certain instruments. Additionally, this background offset will be shifted by several pixels from the science data, potentially distorting the shape of objects in the image. We tested 22 instruments for signs of the binary offset effect and found evidence of it in 16 of them, including LRIS and DEIMOS on the Keck telescopes, WFC3-UVIS and STIS on HST, MegaCam on CFHT, SNIFS on the UH88 telescope, GMOS on the Gemini telescopes, HSC on Subaru, and FORS on VLT. A large amount of archival data is therefore affected by the binary offset effect, and conventional methods of reducing CCD images do not measure or remove the introduced offsets. As a demonstration of how to correct for the binary offset effect, we have developed a model that can accurately predict and remove the introduced offsets for the SNIFS instrument on the UH88 telescope. Accounting for the binary offset effect is essential for precision low-count astronomical observations with CCDs.

Conservation planning for offsetting the impacts of development: a case study of biodiversity and renewable energy in the Mojave Desert

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kreitler, Jason R.; Schloss, Carrie A.; Soong, Oliver; Lee Hannah,; Davis, Frank W.

2015-01-01

Balancing society’s competing needs of development and conservation requires careful consideration of tradeoffs. Renewable energy development and biodiversity conservation are often considered beneficial environmental goals. The direct footprint and disturbance of renewable energy, however, can displace species’ habitat and negatively impact populations and natural communities if sited without ecological consideration. Offsets have emerged as a potentially useful tool to mitigate residual impacts after trying to avoid, minimize, or restore affected sites. Yet the problem of efficiently designing a set of offset sites becomes increasingly complex where many species or many sites are involved. Spatial conservation prioritization tools are designed to handle this problem, but have seen little application to offset siting and analysis. To address this need we designed an offset siting support tool for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) of California, and present a case study of hypothetical impacts from solar development in the Western Mojave subsection. We compare two offset scenarios designed to mitigate a hypothetical 15,331 ha derived from proposed utility-scale solar energy development (USSED) projects. The first scenario prioritizes offsets based precisely on impacted features, while the second scenario offsets impacts to maximize biodiversity conservation gains in the region. The two methods only agree on 28% of their prioritized sites and differ in meeting species-specific offset goals. Differences between the two scenarios highlight the importance of clearly specifying choices and priorities for offset siting and mitigation in general. Similarly, the effects of background climate and land use change may lessen the durability or effectiveness of offsets if not considered. Our offset siting support tool was designed specifically for the DRECP area, but with minor code modification could work well in other offset analyses, and could provide continuing support for a potentially innovative mitigation solution to environmental impacts.

Conservation Planning for Offsetting the Impacts of Development: A Case Study of Biodiversity and Renewable Energy in the Mojave Desert.

PubMed

Kreitler, Jason; Schloss, Carrie A; Soong, Oliver; Hannah, Lee; Davis, Frank W

2015-01-01

Balancing society's competing needs of development and conservation requires careful consideration of tradeoffs. Renewable energy development and biodiversity conservation are often considered beneficial environmental goals. The direct footprint and disturbance of renewable energy, however, can displace species' habitat and negatively impact populations and natural communities if sited without ecological consideration. Offsets have emerged as a potentially useful tool to mitigate residual impacts after trying to avoid, minimize, or restore affected sites. Yet the problem of efficiently designing a set of offset sites becomes increasingly complex where many species or many sites are involved. Spatial conservation prioritization tools are designed to handle this problem, but have seen little application to offset siting and analysis. To address this need we designed an offset siting support tool for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) of California, and present a case study of hypothetical impacts from solar development in the Western Mojave subsection. We compare two offset scenarios designed to mitigate a hypothetical 15,331 ha derived from proposed utility-scale solar energy development (USSED) projects. The first scenario prioritizes offsets based precisely on impacted features, while the second scenario offsets impacts to maximize biodiversity conservation gains in the region. The two methods only agree on 28% of their prioritized sites and differ in meeting species-specific offset goals. Differences between the two scenarios highlight the importance of clearly specifying choices and priorities for offset siting and mitigation in general. Similarly, the effects of background climate and land use change may lessen the durability or effectiveness of offsets if not considered. Our offset siting support tool was designed specifically for the DRECP area, but with minor code modification could work well in other offset analyses, and could provide continuing support for a potentially innovative mitigation solution to environmental impacts.

Conservation Planning for Offsetting the Impacts of Development: A Case Study of Biodiversity and Renewable Energy in the Mojave Desert

PubMed Central

Kreitler, Jason; Schloss, Carrie A.; Soong, Oliver; Hannah, Lee; Davis, Frank W.

2015-01-01

Balancing society’s competing needs of development and conservation requires careful consideration of tradeoffs. Renewable energy development and biodiversity conservation are often considered beneficial environmental goals. The direct footprint and disturbance of renewable energy, however, can displace species’ habitat and negatively impact populations and natural communities if sited without ecological consideration. Offsets have emerged as a potentially useful tool to mitigate residual impacts after trying to avoid, minimize, or restore affected sites. Yet the problem of efficiently designing a set of offset sites becomes increasingly complex where many species or many sites are involved. Spatial conservation prioritization tools are designed to handle this problem, but have seen little application to offset siting and analysis. To address this need we designed an offset siting support tool for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) of California, and present a case study of hypothetical impacts from solar development in the Western Mojave subsection. We compare two offset scenarios designed to mitigate a hypothetical 15,331 ha derived from proposed utility-scale solar energy development (USSED) projects. The first scenario prioritizes offsets based precisely on impacted features, while the second scenario offsets impacts to maximize biodiversity conservation gains in the region. The two methods only agree on 28% of their prioritized sites and differ in meeting species-specific offset goals. Differences between the two scenarios highlight the importance of clearly specifying choices and priorities for offset siting and mitigation in general. Similarly, the effects of background climate and land use change may lessen the durability or effectiveness of offsets if not considered. Our offset siting support tool was designed specifically for the DRECP area, but with minor code modification could work well in other offset analyses, and could provide continuing support for a potentially innovative mitigation solution to environmental impacts. PMID:26529595

Effect of DC Offset on the T-Wave Residuum Parameter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, N.; Greco, E. C.; Schlegel, Todd T.

2006-01-01

The T-wave residuum (TWR) is a relatively new 12-lead ECG parameter that may reflect cardiac repolarization heterogeneity. TWR shows clinical promise and may become an important diagnostic tool if accurate, consistent, and convenient methods for its calculation can be developed. However, there are discrepancies between the methods that various investigators have used to calculate TWR, as well as some questions about basic methodology and assumptions that require resolution. The presence of a DC offset or very low frequency AC component to the ECG is often observed. Many researchers have attempted to compensate for these by high pass filters and by median beat techniques. These techniques may help minimize the contribution of a low frequency AC component to the TWR, but they will not eliminate a DC offset inherent within the instrumentation. The present study examined the presence of DC offsets in the ECG record, and their effect on TWR. Specifically, in healthy individuals, a DC offset was added to all 8 channels collectively or to each channel selectively. Even with offsets that were relatively small compared to T-wave amplitude, the addition of either collectively or individually applied offsets was observed to produce very significant changes in the TWR, affecting its value by as much as an order of magnitude. These DC offsets may arise from at least two possible sources: a transient artifact from EMG or electrode movement resulting in a transient baseline offset in one or more channels. Since highpass filters have a settling time of several seconds, these artifacts will contribute to a transitory baseline offset lasting 1020 cycles. The machine hardware may also introduce an offset. Regardless of the cause or source of a DC offset, this study demonstrates that offsets have a very significant impact on TWR, and that future studies must not ignore their presence, but rather more appropriately compensate for them.

28 CFR 11.8 - Salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... office of the salary offset coordination official within 15 days after the employee's receipt of the... offset coordination officer will notify the employee of the location and time when the employee may... records, due to geographical or other constraints, the salary offset coordination officer shall arrange to...

28 CFR 11.8 - Salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... office of the salary offset coordination official within 15 days after the employee's receipt of the... offset coordination officer will notify the employee of the location and time when the employee may... records, due to geographical or other constraints, the salary offset coordination officer shall arrange to...

28 CFR 11.8 - Salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... office of the salary offset coordination official within 15 days after the employee's receipt of the... offset coordination officer will notify the employee of the location and time when the employee may... records, due to geographical or other constraints, the salary offset coordination officer shall arrange to...

28 CFR 11.8 - Salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... office of the salary offset coordination official within 15 days after the employee's receipt of the... offset coordination officer will notify the employee of the location and time when the employee may... records, due to geographical or other constraints, the salary offset coordination officer shall arrange to...

45 CFR 1177.8 - Administrative offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES CLAIMS COLLECTION § 1177.8 Administrative offset. (a) The... administrative offset, the National Endowment for the Humanities will send the debtor written notice of the... interest. (d) The National Endowment for the Humanities may effect an administrative offset against a...

45 CFR 1177.8 - Administrative offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... HUMANITIES NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES CLAIMS COLLECTION § 1177.8 Administrative offset. (a) The... administrative offset, the National Endowment for the Humanities will send the debtor written notice of the... interest. (d) The National Endowment for the Humanities may effect an administrative offset against a...

5 CFR 831.1006 - Offset from disability or survivor annuity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Offset from disability or survivor annuity. 831.1006 Section 831.1006 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RETIREMENT CSRS Offset § 831.1006 Offset from disability or...

5 CFR 831.1006 - Offset from disability or survivor annuity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Offset from disability or survivor annuity. 831.1006 Section 831.1006 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RETIREMENT CSRS Offset § 831.1006 Offset from disability or...

5 CFR 831.1005 - Offset from nondisability annuity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Offset from nondisability annuity. 831.1005 Section 831.1005 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RETIREMENT CSRS Offset § 831.1005 Offset from nondisability annuity. (a) OPM will...

5 CFR 831.1005 - Offset from nondisability annuity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Offset from nondisability annuity. 831.1005 Section 831.1005 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RETIREMENT CSRS Offset § 831.1005 Offset from nondisability annuity. (a) OPM will...

Achieving biodiversity benefits with offsets: Research gaps, challenges, and needs.

PubMed

Gelcich, Stefan; Vargas, Camila; Carreras, Maria Jose; Castilla, Juan Carlos; Donlan, C Josh

2017-03-01

Biodiversity offsets are becoming increasingly common across a portfolio of settings: national policy, voluntary programs, international lending, and corporate business structures. Given the diversity of ecological, political, and socio-economic systems where offsets may be applied, place-based information is likely to be most useful in designing and implementing offset programs, along with guiding principles that assure best practice. We reviewed the research on biodiversity offsets to explore gaps and needs. While the peer-reviewed literature on offsets is growing rapidly, it is heavily dominated by ecological theory, wetland ecosystems, and U.S.-based research. Given that majority of offset policies and programs are occurring in middle- and low-income countries, the research gaps we identified present a number of risks. They also present an opportunity to create regionally based learning platforms focused on pilot projects and institutional capacity building. Scientific research should diversify, both topically and geographically, in order to support the successful design, implementation, and monitoring of biodiversity offset programs.