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Objectives Adolescent pregnancy is a national public health priority in Thailand. While contraceptive methods are available to prevent adolescent pregnancy, Thai adolescent contraceptive usage is low. Community pharmacists are likely the first health professionals to contact adolescents engaged in unprotected sex and needing emergency contraception. However, there is limited research on Thai pharmacists’ roles in promoting sexual and reproductive health. This study examines Thai adolescents’ perspectives on community pharmacists’ roles in promoting contraceptives and preventing unwanted pregnancies. Method This qualitative study recruited 38 adolescents aged 15–19 from one vocational school and one secondary school in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Data were collected from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Key findings Participants felt community pharmacists had potentially critical roles in promoting adolescent contraceptive use. Community pharmacists had relevant knowledge of effective contraceptive methods, the risks and benefits of each method, and the quality of different condoms available. Community pharmacists, at times, also provided emotional support to distressed adolescents who came to their store. However, participants reported pharmacists’ age, gender, and non-empathetic and judgemental attitudes could be barriers to adolescents’ ease of access to contraceptive services. Conclusion This study highlights the potentially crucial role community pharmacists could play in providing contraceptive information for adolescents. It suggests the need for changes in government policies and education and training of community pharmacists to enhance their soft skills – empathetic and non-judgemental attitudes – and their roles in delivering youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services.

Calls for teacher leadership pathways have increased in recent years against a backdrop of political attention to STEM education. Public perception of PreK-12 grade STEM educators often confines teachers to roles in classrooms, while broader movements in STEM education have their origins in tightly coupled coordination between industry and policy spheres. We review the history of teachers’ engagement in STEM education policy and summarize the changing perceptions of teacher leadership in policy, illuminating implications for STEM teachers. We present a review of existing research on STEM teacher policy leadership, discuss emerging theoretical frameworks, and recommend future avenues of study.

This cross sectional study developed and validated a LBP risk-factor screening scale for use with sugarcane farmers. The scale was developed from a synthesis of LBP risk factors, pretested with 30 sugarcane farmers and administered to five hundred and forty sugarcane farmers to test its psychometric properties. Results indicated construct validity for three factors; physical factors (19 items) with factor loadings of 0.406 to 0.881 and communalities between 0.471 and 0.991; psychological factors (7 items) with factor loadings of 0.635 to 0.821 and communalities between 0.444 and 0.714, and third, working environment factors (2 items), with factor loadings between 0.345 and 0.347 and communalities between 0.946 and 0.953. The content validity index was 0.90 with reliability index of 0.87. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 82.02%, 30.49%, 62.65% and 54.40% respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic was 0.56. The scale’s high specificity and sensitivity and comprehensive three risk-factor dimensions should make it a very useful screening tool in primary health care for early detection of LBP and for LBP risk-reduction and prevention advice. Future studies could focus on confirming content and predictive validity in other settings to assess generality of its usage.

Clonorchis sinensis is major fish-borne trematode, endemic in North Vietnam. Risk factors described so far include individual eating behaviors and environmental factors. Here, additional to conventional risk factors, we report on socially influenced liver fluke transmission in endemic communities. A cross-sectional study on risk factors and fish sharing networks was conducted in 4 villages of Gia Thinh Commune, Ninh Binh Province. A total of 510 residents in 272 households were recruited for risk factor analysis while 220 households, 28 fishermen and 10 fish-sellers were enrolled for social network study. Fecal examination for C. sinensis eggs was performed. Average C. sinensis infection rate at Gia Thinh commune was 16.5% (range 2% to 34.4%). Higher infection rates were significantly associated with males, lower educational levels, eating raw fish, and location of the villages. Social network analysis (SNA) showed a strong positive correlation between ego network size (number of households in fish sharing network) and quantity of raw fish consumed (r=0.603, P< 0.05). The infection rate in people who ate raw-fish caught from a nearby river was significantly higher than those who consumed fish taken from farmed ponds (P

Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) infection is endemic to the Northeast Thailand where the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is higher whilst the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is lower than the rest of Thailand. Helminth infection has both nutritional and immunological impact on their definitive hosts. Thus, a cross-sectional study was performed to see the effects of OV infection on glucose and lipid profiles. For this purpose, 200 each of OV infected and uninfected residents were recruited and their glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglycerides, low- and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL) levels and anthropometric measurements, including BMI were examined. Then, as the prospective follow- up study, changes of those metabolic parameters of OV positive subjects (n = 120) before and after Praziquantel (PZQ) treatment were monitored for six months. The results showed that OV infection has a protective effect against hyperglycemia (OR 0.482 and p = .04) and metabolic disease risk group (OR 0.478 and p = .03). OV positive participants had lower HbA1c (5.5% Vs. 6.01%, p = .001) but higher HDL (54.07 Vs. 49.46 mg/dL, p = .001) than OV negative participants that are statistically significant. After PZQ treatment for OV-positive subjects, their serum levels of HbA1c (p

This paper argues for an amplification of the everyday intellectual and political gestures of children as valuable indices and movers of learning. We identify and focus on microacts of self-determination, defined here as, “as contestations and moves to elsewhere that shift activity and dictate future status”. In particular, we consider if and how such microacts that could be cast as idiosyncratic build and shape new possibilities for learning and social interaction, what we refer to here as learning from below. Learning from below reflects an effort to move beyond the binary of individual versus collective activity and to situate scholarship on social and historical movements and forms of decolonial insurgency as germane to sociocultural and interactional studies of learning. Drawing from an extensive data set which included ethnographic fieldnotes, semi-structured interviews, and over 70 hours of video data collected from an after-school community tinkering program, we found that children's everyday forms of self-determination were much more than individual acts; they emerge from social histories and carried future potentialities that shaped learning and intellectual life within the setting. This central finding is anchored in an analysis of over 600 examples, as well as two cases that look more closely at individual children's participation.

Objectives This research aimed to enhance self-care among rubber farmers for preventing work-related illness. Design and sample The project used Action Research's four phase iterative process: fact-finding to understand the problems, action planning, action plan implementation, and evaluation and reflection on action plan impacts. Sixty-six participants (46 rubber farmers and 20 community stakeholders) were purposively recruited from two villages in the top 10 rubber producing provinces in Northeastern Thailand. Measures Demographic and work-related illness data were collected in face-to-face structured interviews, Focus group interviews and participant observations were used to collect data in each project phase. Night group meetings were held throughout the research phases. The intervention included training workshops and establishing a community health education team for ongoing farmer support. Results Results showed improved farmer self-care behaviors and establishment of a community health education team to encourage farmers to care for themselves properly. Conclusion Community nurses, other health personnel, and the Thai government can build on initiatives like this to strengthen occupational health and safety practices and services policy for rubber farmers.

This study demonstrates action research’s emancipatory traditions in enabling community stakeholders in rural Thai settings to increase self-reliance and collaboration in improving primary care occupational health services. Most of the Thai workforce are informal sector workers outside Thai labor law protections, health and safety regulatory frameworks, and without specific occupational health services to provide for work-related health needs. This project brought together community leader teams, village health volunteers and informal workers themselves to collaboratively develop community services for this underserved group. Significant changes were effected at community team level, with improvements in networking and community nurses’ health care for the workers and in their oversight and supervision of village health volunteers (VHVs) in the community. Most notably, VHVs’ self-confidence improved at providing illness prevention and health promotion support in workers’ homes and work settings congruent with their daily lifestyle and work schedules. Informal workers’ health self-care behaviors improved.

Background: Hypoglycemia among diabetic patients is a major complication, which results in high morbidity and mortality. Hospitalization provides the inadequate patient care and management. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the potential risk factors for hospitalization due to hypoglycemia among diabetic patients. Method: In a case-control study, the cases were diabetic patients admitted due to hypoglycemia. Controls were diabetic patients admitted for other reasons. The cases and control subjects were recruited from the inpatient department of the middle level hospital in Northeast Thailand. The total sample size was 360 patients who met the criteria and had been hospitalized. The number of case was 90, and the number of controls was 270. The data were analyzed by determining the adjusted odds ratio, and 95% confidence interval of the ORs using multiple logistic regression models. Results: Using a multivariate logistic regression model, five variables were significantly associated with hospitalization due to hypoglycemia among diabetic patients: 1) patients who received insulin injections (AOR = 20.75; 95% CI: 4.7 - 91.41; p = 0.001); 2) patients who did not carry sugar candy or a dessert with them at all times (AOR = 13.89; 95% CI: 1.92 - 100.31; p = 0.01); 3) patients with an occurrence of hypoglycemia at least once a week at home(AOR = 8.83; 95% CI: 2.58 - 30.20; p = 0.001); 4) patients who were adjusted for doses of medication on their own (AOR = 6.62; 95% CI: 1.30 - 33.70; p = 0.02); and 5) patients who lacked knowledge did not understand the causes and symptoms of low blood sugar (AOR = 7.97; 95% CI: 1.97 - 32.22; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Receiving insulin injection and poor knowledge and self-care of hypoglycemia prevention were the best predictors of hospitalization due to hypoglycemia among diabetic patients. These factors need to be adequately addressed in order to provide better care and management to prevent hospitalization among diabetic patients.

A survey of twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, hosts was conducted during the spring months of 2007, 2008, and 2009 in Mississippi. Uncultivated field borders that supported a diverse flora of herbaceous plants and adjacent in-field weeds were sampled from late-March through May for the presence of twospotted spider mite. Twospotted spider mite preference for each plant species was determined and ranked in a 0 - 3 scale. Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule L., was the most consistent and preferred host of twospotted spider mite in Mississippi. Carolina geranium, Geranium carolinianum L., cutleaf geranium, Geranium dissectum L., vetch, Vicia spp., volunteer soybean, Glycine max L., purple deadnettle, Lamium purpureum L., and spiny sowthistle, Sonchus asper (L.) Hill, were other frequently infested dicotyledonous species. Of the monocotyledonous species sampled, only rescuegrass, Bromus catharticus Vahl, john-songrass, Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers., and volunteer corn, Zea mays L., appeared t...

Primiparous (n = 33) and multiparous (n = 63) lactating Holstein cows (186 ± 51 d in milk) were used to evaluate the effects of supplementing metabolizable amino acids using lysine in a matrix of Ca salts of fatty acids (Megamine-L, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition, Princeton, NJ) and the isopropyl ester of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid (MetaSmart, Adisseo Inc., Antony, France) in diets containing >26% wet corn gluten feed (dry matter basis). Cows were blocked by production level, parity, and pregnancy status, then randomly assigned to 1 of 8 pens and allowed a 7-d adaption period before receiving dietary treatments for 28 d. Pens were assigned randomly to either of 2 diets formulated to differ by metabolizable amino acid supply. Dry matter intake and production were monitored daily and milk components analyzed 3 d/wk. Data were analyzed using mixed models with repeated measures. The original design of the study consisted of a control diet predicted to be deficient in lysine and methionine; however, after ingredient nutrients were analyzed and modeled with animal requirements at dry matter intake [26.6 ± 0.35 kg/d (mean ± SEM)] and milk production levels achieved during the study (40.1 ± 0.46 kg/d), only marginal deficiencies were predicted for the control (−8.1 g/d for lysine; −1 g/d for methionine) according to the National Research Council method, whereas the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System 5.0 and 6.1 models indicated positive balances for these amino acids (25.9 and 21.8 g/d for lysine, 14.7 and 18.9 g/d for methionine, respectively). Supplementing 30 g/d of metabolizable lysine in a Ca soap matrix and 2.4 g/d of metabolizable methionine as 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid led to positive predicted lysine and methionine balances by all 3 models, and predicted metabolizable lysine-to-methionine ratios ranging from 2.9 to 3.1. No treatment effects were observed for dry matter intake, milk yield, milk component concentrations or yields, or energy-corrected milk yield. Despite the negative lysine balance and low lysine-to-methionine ratio predicted by the National Research Council model, results provided no evidence of a lysine deficiency in the control diet.

We evaluated a product containing methionine mixed with soy lecithins and added to a mechanically extracted soybean meal (meSBM-Met). Lactational responses of cows, plasma methionine concentrations, and in vitro degradation of methionine were measured. Twenty-five Holstein cows were used in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square design and fed a diet designed to be deficient in methionine or the same diet supplemented either with 4.2 or 8.3g/d of supplemental methionine from a ruminally protected source or with 2.7 or 5.3g/d of supplemental methionine from meSBM-Met. All diets were formulated to provide adequate amounts of metabolizable lysine. Concentration of milk true protein was greater when methionine was provided by the ruminally protected methionine than by meSBM-Met, but milk protein yield was not affected by treatment. Milk yields and concentrations and yields of fat, lactose, solids-not-fat, and milk urea nitrogen were not affected by supplemental methionine. Body condition scores increased linearly when methionine from meSBM-Met was supplemented, but responses were quadratic when methionine was provided from a ruminally protected source. Nitrogen retention was not affected by supplemental methionine. Plasma methionine increased linearly when methionine was supplemented from a ruminally protected source, but plasma methionine concentrations did not differ from the control when supplemental methionine from meSBM-Met was provided. In vitro degradation of supplemental methionine from meSBM-Met was complete within 3h. Data suggest that meSBM-Met provides negligible amounts of metabolizable methionine to dairy cows, and this is likely related to extensive ruminal destruction of methionine; however, cow body condition may be improved by ruminally available methionine provided by meSBM-Met.

Two educators collaborated to design and test a one-week summer course for middle school girls on sound, engineering, and invention as an exemplar integrated STEM program that draws upon rich historical and social contexts with the goal of attracting and retaining students in STEM. An engineering design project and an invention project formed the core of the course. Music and related technologies served as the unifying theme intended to tap into the interests of youth. Historical primary sources and writing about invention and innovation provided additional entry points into engineering as a human and creative endeavor. Exposure to female inventors, scientists and engineers was also planned as a way for the girls to become acquainted with positive role models. Included in this paper is a discussion of the underlying philosophies that influenced the design of the learning experiences for youth underrepresented in STEM.

Opisthorchis viverrini (Ov) is a fish-borne parasite endemic in parts of Lao PDR, Cambodia, southern Vietnam and Northeast Thailand (Isaan) where an estimated 10 million people are infected. Human Ov infection, associated with hepatobiliary complications, including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), occurs when infected fish are consumed raw or undercooked, a longstanding cultural tradition in the region. This mixed- methods descriptive study was carried out in Isaan villages around Lawa Lake, Khon Kaen Province, known for their Ov endemicity. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in depth interviews (IDIs) were used to explore socio-cultural determinants underlying raw fish consumption practices, and global positioning system (GPS) devices to map local fish distribution networks. Qualitative data affirmed major socio-cultural and dietary lifestyle transitions occurring consequent on recent decades of modernization policies and practices, but also the persistence of Isaan traditional raw-fish eating practices and incorrect beliefs about infection risk avoidance. Fish traders/middlemen purchase most of the catch at the lakeshore and play the dominant role in district market fish distribution networks, at least for the larger and less likely infected, fish species. The lower economic value of the small potentially-infected cyprinid fish means local fishermen typically distribute them free, or sell cheaply, to family and friends, effectively concentrating infection risk in already highly Ov infected villages. Our study confirmed the persistence of traditional Isaan raw-fish meal practices, despite major ongoing socio-cultural lifestyle transitions and decades of Ov infection health education programs. We contend that diffuse socio-cultural drivers underpin this practice, including its role as a valued cultural identity marker. A "fish economics" factor was also evident in the concentration of more likely infected fish back into local villages due to their low economic value at district market level. The complexity of factors supporting "risky" fish-eating traditions in Isaan underscores the importance of integrated liver fluke infection control strategies to draw on transdisciplinary knowledge beyond biomedicine and also embrace participatory protocols for engaging communities in developing, implementing and evaluating interventions.

The Greenshell™ mussel (Perna canaliculus) is the main shellfish species farmed in New Zealand. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of cryoprotectant concentration, loading and unloading strategy as well as freezing and thawing method in order to develop a protocol for cryopreservation of trochophore larvae (16–20 h old). Toxicity tests showed that levels of 10–15% ethylene glycol (EG) were not toxic to larvae and could be loaded and unloaded in a single step. Through cryopreservation experiments, we designed a cryopreservation protocol that enabled 40–60% of trochophores to develop to D-larvae when normalized to controls. The protocol involved: holding at 0 °C for 5 min, then cooling at 1 °C min−1 to −10 °C, holding for a further 5 min, then cooling at 0.5 °C min−1 to −35 °C followed by a 5 min hold and then plunging into liquid nitrogen. A final larval rearing experiment of 18 days was conducted to assess the ability of these frozen larvae to develop further. Results showed that only 2.8% of the frozen trochophores were able to develop to competent pediveligers.

The effect of cryopreservation on aspects of sperm function was investigated for sperm of the Greenshell™ mussel ( Perna canaliculus ). Fertility, DNA integrity, viability and motility were measured before and after cryopreservation. Cryopreservation had a significant effect on fertility with many cryopreserved samples failing to achieve 50% oocyte fertilisation at the highest sperm concentration measured. Sperm DNA integrity, measured using the Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay, showed a small but significant increase in DNA damage as a result of cryopreservation. Sperm viability, measured using propidium iodide/SYBR-14 dual staining, decreased significantly following cryopreservation (69.9 ± 3.5% for fresh sperm versus 25.3 ± 2.9% for cryopreserved sperm). Aspects of motility were similarly affected. The number of sperm tracked, curvilinear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP), variation of straight line velocity (PFT), mean angular displacement (MAD), beat cross frequency (BCF), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) and dance mean (DMN) all decreased following cryopreservation. Correlation analyses between the various aspects of sperm function were carried out. However, no single aspect of sperm function was significantly correlated with sperm fertility following cryopreservation. In addition, the technique for fertility measurement is relatively quicker and less dependent on high tech equipment than the other parameters studied. Fertility therefore remains the most important and relevant end point to measure. Further optimisation of the cryopreservation protocol for Greenshell™ mussel sperm is needed to improve post-thaw fertility.

Objective The objective of this research was to improve self-care and work safety practices among women weavers in North-East Thailand. Design and Sample Action research was used with a sample of 107 weavers and 15 community and local government stakeholders from six rural villages. Formative and summative evaluation was carried out over 10 months following initial implementation of five action plans, and after 5 years. Measures Qualitative data were collected via focus groups, formal and informal interviews and research field notes. Women's self-care issues and safety problems, and weaving-related environmental pollution emerged from the content analyses. Five action plans were created. Results Results showed that through action research the women were empowered to identify personal and work-related health issues, environmental contamination concerns, and lack of social and community support systems. Over time they developed capacity for working collectively to address these. Five year follow-up revealed many of the changes made were ongoing, and well-integrated into community life. Conclusions The study reaffirmed the potential for public health or community nurses and other health personnel for enhancing community health status via action research with vulnerable populations; in this case, rural village women weavers in North-East Thailand.

The effects of monensin on transition cow metabolism may be dependent on modulation of feeding behavior, rumen pH, and expression of key metabolic genes. Multiparous Holstein cows were used to determine the effects of monensin (400mg/cow daily) on these variables. Cows were randomly assigned, based on calving date, to control or monensin treatments (n = 16 per treatment) 21 d before their expected calving date, and cows remained on treatments through 21 d postpartum. Feeding behavior and water intake data were collected daily. Liver biopsies were conducted after assessing BCS and BW on d -21, -7, 1, 7, and 21 relative to calving for analysis of triglyceride (TG) content as well as mRNA abundance of cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a, and apolipoprotein B. Blood samples were collected 21, 7, and 4 d before expected calving and 1 (day of calving), 4, 7, 14, and 21 d postpartum for nonesterified fatty acid, β-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, insulin, and haptoglobin analyses. Ruminal pH was collected every 5 min on d 1 through 6 postpartum via a wireless indwelling probe. On d 7 postpartum, a caffeine clearance test was performed to assess liver function. Data were analyzed using mixed models with repeated measures over time. Monensin decreased mean plasma β-hydroxybutyrate (734 vs. 616 ± 41 μM) and peak concentrations (1,076 vs. 777 ± 70 μM on d 4 postpartum). Monensin also decreased time between meals prepartum (143 vs. 126 ± 5.0 min) and postpartum (88.8 vs. 81.4 ± 2.9 min), which was likely related to a smaller ruminal pH standard deviation in the first day after cows changed to a lactation ration (0.31 vs. 0.26 ± 0.015). Monensin also increased liver mRNA abundance of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (0.10 vs. 0.15 ± 0.002 arbitrary units), which corresponded to a slower rate of liver TG accumulation from d -7 to +7 (412 vs. 128 ± 83 mg of TG/g of protein over this time period). No significant effects of monensin supplementation were observed on milk production, liver cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, apolipoprotein B, plasma nonesterified fatty acid, glucose, insulin, or haptoglobin. No effects on disease incidence were detected, but sample size was small for detecting such effects. Overall, results confirm that the effects of monensin on transition cows extend beyond altered propionate flux.

A series of eight experiments was conducted to determine the most suitable cryoprotectants (CPAs), dilution rates and methods of CPA addition as well as freezing method for the cryopreservation of Greenshell™ mussel ( Perna canaliculus ) sperm. The experiments utilized a fertilization assay to determine the treatments that gave the highest post-thaw fertility. The assays revealed that dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) gave the best results of the seven CPAs tested. A concentration of DMSO of approximately 12% [volume: volume] in Milli-Q water provided the best results. A dilution rate of 1:1 (sperm: CPA solution) was superior to 1:3 indicating that more concentrated sperm had higher post-thaw fertility. The time that sperm were exposed to the CPA solution prior to freezing had no effect over the range tested which gives some flexibility in the amount of time sperm can be exposed to CPA prior to freezing. The addition of the CPA in either one step or in 4 equal volume steps over two min had no significant effect on fertility and the two different freezing methods (programmable freezer or rack floating above liquid nitrogen) produced similar results. The post-thaw fertility of mussel sperm using the final protocol developed (12% DMSO plus 0.2 M trehalose, sperm diluted 1:1, loaded into 0.5 mL straws and cooled on a rack 3 cm above liquid nitrogen followed by immersion in liquid nitrogen) was significantly reduced in comparison to fresh sperm. On average, approximately 363 x more sperm were required to achieve an equivalent level of fertilization as that of fresh sperm. The method is being used in mussel selective breeding, however, there is considerable between-animal variability. Further refinement to the method may help to improve post-thaw fertility.

BACKGROUND: Pyrethroid insecticides have historically been effective for controlling bean leaf beetles in soybeans. Perceived field efficacy in the Mississippi Delta region has been lower over the past several years. Laboratory and field data were collected to determine whether there has been a reduction in pyrethroid insecticide susceptibility. RESULTS: Laboratory and field data both confirmed that control of bean leaf beetles with pyrethroid insecticides is poorer in the Delta regions of Mississippi and Louisiana than in all other regions tested. However, it was not possible to show that this reduced susceptibility changed over time. Furthermore, insect movement appeared to make insecticide susceptibility regional, so that localized insecticide applications had little impact on the susceptibility of successive generations. CONCLUSION: Lack of field control owing to low efficacy of pyrethroid insecticides against bean leaf beetle populations in the Delta region should be expected. Selection pressure on a regional basis may further decrease efficacy. Carbamate insecticides generally still provide high levels of control. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

Ninety-six lactating Holstein cows were used to determine the effects of using commercial supplements to supply additional lysine and methionine in diets containing large proportions of corn by-products. Cows were assigned to 1 of 8 pens. Pens were offered rations formulated to differ in metabolizable lysine and methionine supply. The study was divided into 2 periods. During period 1, cows received similar diets, but the treatment diet supplied supplemental lysine and methionine. During period 2, the treatment diet was modified to reduce dietary crude protein. Feed intake and production were monitored daily, and milk components were analyzed 3 days per week for 4 weeks. Diet did not alter feed intake or milk production. During period 2, dietary crude protein and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) were decreased without sacrificing performance.

Performance of an evaporative cooling system was evaluated in the High Plains in a low-profile, cross-ventilated dairy facility housing 4,200 lactating cows. The temperature decrease across the 6-inch cellulose evaporative pad during the afternoon hours from July 15 to August 14, 2008, was 12.6°F. The temperature-humidity index was below 72 for 14 and 19 hours/day in pens near the outlet (exhaust fans) and inlet (near evaporative cooling pad), respectively, compared with 12 hours under ambient conditions. Throughout the study period, the evaporative cooling system decreased the number of hours that cows were housed in a heat stress environment irrespective of pen location in the building.

A culture collection of freshwater planktonic and benthic cyanobacteria collected from sites across New Zealand has been established at the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand. Limited resources led to uncertainty regarding the long‐term maintenance of this collection. The present study demonstrates cryopreservation to be a viable method for long‐term storage of cyanobacteria. Seventeen of 20 strains evaluated were successfully cryopreserved using the permeating cryopreservation agent dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), at a final concentration of 15% (v/v). Cyanotoxin analysis was undertaken on selected strains known to produce microcystins, nodularin, anatoxin‐a, and saxitoxins. All strains retained their ability to produce these toxins following cryopreservation.

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in many countries. Early access to the most appropriate medical treatment can improve health outcomes. Despite this, only 30-60% of people who experience a stroke seek medical help within the recommended 3-hour timeframe. This study used open-ended interviews to explore patients' views on factors that influenced their decision to seek help at the time of stroke. Twenty participants were recruited from five centres: three hospitals, a community-based stroke support service and a primary healthcare service focused on providing health care for Maori. A qualitative methodology drawing on Grounded Theory informed data collection and analysis. Four main themes influenced the decision to seek help: making sense of symptoms, maintaining a sense of normality, presence and influence of another person and perception of medical services. Participants appeared to go through a process of recognition, interpretation and negotiation during their decision-making. Each of the four themes seemed to influence this process, either assisting or delaying help-seeking behaviour. The more time spent going through this process (or repeating each step), the longer the delay appeared to be. Our key findings which add to current help-seeking literature, include: (1) people tended to prioritise everyday commitments and responsibilities over their own health; (2) at times the presence and influence of another person contributed to delays in seeking help; and (3) people had different personal thresholds for when they perceived themselves to be 'sick enough' to seek medical help.

A 3-yr study was conducted to determine seasonal abundance of major pentatomid, noctuid, and mirid pests in a multicrop environment in south Arkansas. Replicated field plots (~0.1 ha) containing cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), genetically engineered to express the Cry 1Ac toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), nonBt cotton, Bt corn, Zea mays (L.), genetically engineered to express the Cry 1Ab toxin of B. thuringiensis, nonBt corn, maturity group (MG) III, IV, V, and VI soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, and grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, were planted each year. Crop preferences of 3 stink bug species [southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), green stink bug, Acrosternum hilare (Say), and brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say)] were recorded and observations also were made on the relative abundance of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), and tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beavois). Significantly higher densities of stink bugs were present in MG IV soybean than in all other crops in July and August during all 3 yrs of study. Densities of heliothines were significantly greater in grain sorghum and corn than in other crops during July. Tarnished plant bugs were most commonly observed in cotton. Preferences of these polyphagous pests for different crops at specific stages of phenological development appear to be predictable aspects of insect behavior that may be exploited in trap crops or other landscape management systems.

Low profile cross ventilated freestall buildings are one option for dairy cattle housing. These facilities allow producers to control the cows’ environment during all seasons of the year. As a result, an environment similar to the thermoneutral zone of a dairy cow is maintained during both summer and winter, resulting in more stable core body temperatures. Low profile cross ventilated facilities allow buildings to be placed closer to the parlor, thus reducing the time cows are away from feed and water. Other advantages include a smaller overall site footprint than naturally ventilated facilities and less critical orientation because naturally ventilated facilities should be orientated east to west to keep cows in the shade. Other benefits of controlling the cows’ environment include increased milk production and income over feed cost, improved feed efficiency and reproductive performance, reduced lameness and fly control costs, and the ability to control lighting.

Developing management strategies for Korral Kools will help producers provide cooling in the housing area while minimizing the operational cost of the Korral Kools system. Two experiments were conducted at a dairy in Saudi Arabia to evaluate operational time of Korral Kools for multiparous and primiparous dairy cows. For multiparous cows, running time per day of Korral Kools should be continuous, but for primiparous cows, no difference in performance was detected between 21 and 24 hours. However, producers need to be careful when reducing daily operation time of Korral Kools for primiparous cows because elevated core body temperatures were observed in both treatments.

Separator efficiency and moisture content of separated solids influence the make-up water requirements on a dairy seeking to utilize recycled water for sand reclamation. Additional water requirements range from 0 to 79 gallons/cow per day depending on the efficiency of the solid to liquid separation process. Make-up water includes any water stored in a containment structure, excluding urine. Final moisture content of the separated solids had marginal impact on the additional water requirements.

Inappropriate pesticide-using behaviors impose significant negative impacts on health and environment. Developmentalprograms to change such behaviors offarmers should target those who are ready to change in order to achieve efficiency. The objective was to develop a readiness scale in changing behavior ofusing pesticides offarmers. The scale of this study is expected to be used in recruiting targetfarmers in developmental programs.A cross-sectional study was divided into two phases. The first phase, qualitative method, performed on 17farmers participated to seek factors related to the farmers' safe use of pesticides. The second phase, quantitative method to develop the readiness scale, an exploratoryfactor analysis (EFA) was analyzed on 230farmers and was randomly selected to measure the scale's construct validity, internal consistency (reliability), one-dimensionality and the appropriate cut-off point, respectively.Farmers' pesticide use, safety behaviors involved several factors, and are applied to create a set ofquestions on the readiness scale; there were 33 main items (with 40 sub-items), which could be grouped into 8 factors associated with farmers using pesticide safety, the scale, the best way to predict farmers who are ready to change. Finally, they were reduced to 23 main questions with 30 sub-questions in the scale.The development of a readiness scale application of changing behaviors as a guide, to assess content validity using index of item-objective congruence measurement (IOC), the exploratory factor analysis was used to determine an item and to test reliability on the scale. The scale can be a useful tool for recruiting farmers into intervention program in changing pesticide use, safety behaviors.

A project to evaluate the degree of heat stress in individual dairies was carried out in the summer of 2005. The object of this project was to develop a method to evaluate or audit how effective an individual dairy is in managing heat stress. Approximately 45 herds in 20 different states were audited for the degree of heat stress cows experienced during a 72-hr period. Dairies were selected based on geography, climate, and facility design. Lactating cows 40 to 100 days in milk (DIM) and dry cows within 30 days of calving were evaluated. Vaginal temperatures of 8 cows located in the same group were collected every 5 min by using data loggers (HOBO U12) attached to a vaginally placed insert (blank CIDR). Ambient climatic data were collected on the project dairies by using logging devices that collected temperature and relative humidity at 5-min intervals. Census data were collected at each dairy, and included pen sizes, milking frequency, milking times, average milk production, DIM, parity, holding-pen design, and timing of cow movements. Data were imported into Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, WA) as individual cow files aligned by time. The data for an individual cow were then averaged with all other cows in the pen in hourly increments over a 24-hr period. Each hour of the 24-hr period is then a summary of that hour on 3 consecutive days, with 8 devices contributing 12 points per hour per day to the summary. So each hour is a summary of 12 data points × 8 cows × 3 days, or 288 data points per hour. Information was summarized graphically in PowerPoint (Microsoft, Redmond, WA) and presented to the individual producers, along with recommendations on how to improve their heat-stress abatement practices. The project was not designed as a controlled experiment; therefore, caution is advised in over-interpreting the results. That being said, the project does demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of using intravaginal temperature recording to monitor how well an individual dairy is managing heat stress.

A model was developed to evaluate the impact of facilities on cow time budgets. The model suggests that in inadequate facilities overcrowding of the facility by 25% or more resulted because occupancy rate exceeded 100%. The model also is useful in evaluating the impact of time at milking center and milking frequency on cow time budget. In general, the first groups of cows through the milking parlor will have adequate time for resting, feeding, socializing, and watering. The last groups of cows through the parlor, however, do not have adequate time for these activities if the time at the milking center at each milking is 2 or more hours. Reducing time at the milking center is critical when milking 3 times daily to ensure that the last groups of cows through the parlor have adequate time for normal behavioral activities once back in the housing area.

Forty lactating Holstein cows were allocated into groups of 5 cows each and assigned to 8 pens containing 10 freestalls each. Each group contained 3 heifers and 2 multiparous cows. Groups were balanced by milk production and days in milk. Diets were formulated to contain none (control), 12, 24, or 36% wet corn gluten feed (WCGF) on a dry matter (DM) basis. Increasing amounts of WCGF and heat-treated expeller soybean meal replaced a portion of the corn silage, alfalfa hay, corn grain, soybean meal, and soybean hulls of the control diet to maintain similar concentrations of crude protein (CP), ruminally undegraded crude protein (RUP), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). A Latin Square design with 4-week periods was used. Periods were 4 weeks in duration, with 2 weeks of adjustment followed by 2 weeks of data collection. Milk weights were recorded at each milking, and weekly milk samples (a.m. and p.m.) were collected for milk component analysis. Milk and feed data were averaged by pen and week before analysis. Milk production, energy-corrected milk production, and efficiency of energy-corrected milk production increased with increasing amounts of WCGF. Dry matter intake was unaffected by diet. These data indicate that WCGF can be utilized effectively at 36% of the ration DM if concentrations of RUP, CP, and NDF are maintained in the diet. (

Heat stress in hot and humid environments reduces milk production, decreases reproduction, and increases health-related problems. The summertime environment in north-central Florida is especially difficult because the combination of high relative humidity and high temperature results in a temperaturehumidity index (THI) above the critical value of 72 for significant portions of the day. Previous work at Kansas State University had shown that the combination of soaking and evaporative air cooling could effectively cool heat-stressed cattle. Effectiveness of this feedline soaking, either in the afternoon and at night, or only at night, in combination with evaporative cooling was evaluated on a commercial dairy located in north-central Florida. A high-pressure fogging system and feedline soakers were installed in a typical 4-row freestall barn equipped with tunnel ventilation creating a north to south airflow of 6 to 8 mph at the cow level. Eight lactating Holstein cows in each of two, 292-stall pens were selected and fitted with vaginal temperature probes. Data on vaginal temperature and respiration rate were used to evaluate two cooling treatments. Barn temperature averaged 74.8 ± 5.4oF, relative humidity was 84.6 ± 15.4 %, and THI was 74.7 ± 5.3 during the study. The evaporative cooling system reduced average barn temperature by 0.9oF and reduced afternoon temperatures by a maximum of 9.2oF. Average respiration rates were less (58.5 vs. 66.9 breaths/min) in the afternoon and night soaking treatment, compared with the respiration rate of cattle in the night soaking treatment. Differences were greatest at the 10:00 p.m. observation (55.0 vs. 73.3 breaths/min). Average vaginal temperature was also less (102.0 vs. 102.6°F) in the afternoon and night soaking treatment. Our results indicate that the combination of cooling the air via a highpressure fogging system and feedline soaking reduced heat stress experienced by dairy cattle. Using feedline soaking during the afternoon and night was more effective than soaking only at night.

This paper describes a simple method for cryopreserving sperm of the Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas Thunberg) in quantities suitable for commercial spat production. Experiments to refine the cryoprotectant mixtures demonstrated the key role of trehalose. Trehalose alone (at 0.45 M final concentration) was an effective cryoprotectant. The addition of 2.5–15% dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) in combination with 0.45 M trehalose gave only modest improvement in fertility over trehalose alone ( p =0.056). There was no significant difference in fertility among DMSO concentrations ( p =0.611). Seawater (SW) without cryoprotectant gave very poor results, but yielded some fertilization at very high sperm concentrations (7±1% at 10 7 sperm mL −1 , 21±2% at 3.2×10 7 sperm mL −1 , mean±S.E., n =3). The fertility of unfrozen sperm was 30- to 100-fold higher than that of sperm cryopreserved with DMSO and/or trehalose. For sperm cryopreserved in 4.5-mL cryovials, two simplified freezing methods gave fertilization rates equivalent to sperm cryopreserved by controlled rate freezing ( p =0.386). These methods involved securing the cryovials to aluminium canes and then either placing them into a bath of methanol chilled with dry ice, or holding them on a floating rack 3 cm above liquid nitrogen. A third technique of plunging the cryovials directly into liquid nitrogen gave reduced and variable fertility relative to the methanol/dry ice bath method ( p =0.032). The commercial applicability of the protocols was demonstrated on a batch of 30 million eggs. Fertilization with cryopreserved sperm yielded 81% fertilization, and larval rearing by normal commercial practises yielded 3.7 million settled spat, which was comparable to the 2.5 million spat from a parallel batch fertilized with unfrozen sperm.

Ten multiparous lactating Holstein cows were arranged in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin Square design to evaluate the effect of soaking frequency and volume of water per soaking on lactating cows housed in a tunnel-ventilated and evaporative-cooled freestall barn. Rectal temperature, respiration rate, and body surface temperatures were measured every 5 minutes. Treatments were: control (C); soaking every 5 minutes with 0.26 gallons (5L); soaking every 5 minutes with 0.53 gallons (5H); soaking every 10 minutes with 0.26 gallons (10L); or soaking every 10 minutes with 0.53 gallons (10H). Average ambient temperature and humidity were 86.5oF and 68% outside the barn, and 80.4oF at 86% inside the barn, respectively. Water having a temperature of 80.6oF was applied manually from the shoulder to the tail. Treatments were applied after three initial measurements were assessed. Seventeen measurements were made during treatment application and five measurements after the treatments were stopped. Air velocity over the shoulder of the cows was 4 mph. Respiration rate and body surface temperature for all treatments were less than those of the control, except for rear udder surface temperature in the 10L treatment. Rectal temperature for 5L, 5H, and 10H were less than those of the control. Respiration rate for 5L and 5H were less than that of 10L. These data indicate that soaking can be used in combination with tunnel ventilation and evaporative pads to reduce heat stress.

Seven heat-stressed, lactating Holstein cows were exposed to six different cooling systems to evaluate the effects of air velocity and direction of airflow. Cows were arranged in a 7 × 7 Latin-square design. Six cooling treatments were compared with a control. Supplemental airflow was provided by axial flow at one of three velocities: 500, 750, or 900 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Airflow was either from the front to rear (FRT) or from the right side (SIDE) of the cow. Combined cooling treatments were FRT-500, FRT750, FRT-900, SIDE-500, SIDE-750, or SIDE-900. All cooling systems used a lowpressure soaking system that operated 1 minute every 5 minutes. Respiration rates, rearudder skin surface temperature, and vaginal temperature were measured and recorded during 2 hours of treatment during seven hot and humid afternoons. Cooling systems reduced respiration rate, rear-udder skin surface temperature, and vaginal temperature. When airflow was 750 or 900 CFM, no differences were observed among treatments. When airflow was 500 CFM, rate of decline of rearudder skin surface temperature and vaginal temperature were reduced, compared with those of other treatments. These results indicate that there was no advantage to increasing airflow more than 750 CFM when using a low-pressure soaking system that wets the cattle every 5 minutes. Differences due to airflow direction were only observed when airflow was reduced to 500 CFM. At 500 CFM, airflow from head to tail was not as effective as from the side. Current recommendations of 750 CFM of airflow directed at the side of the cow are effective in reducing heat stress of lactating dairy cattle.

Lactating dairy cattle were used to evaluate three different cooling systems. Eight cows were arranged in a replicated Latinsquare design and assigned to each of four treatments. Treatments were control, lowpressure soaking (LPS), high-pressure misting with 1.7 gallons per minute of water (HP-1.7), or high-pressure misting with 3.4 gallons per minute of water (HP-3.4). Cows were allowed to become heat stressed in a free-stall facility, and then were moved to a tie-stall barn for 2 hours of observations during four hot and humid afternoons. Respiration rates declined when heat abatement systems were used. Respiration rates at the end of the observation period were reduced by 20, 36, and 48% for HP-1.7, HP-3.4, and LPS, respectively. Rearudder skin surface temperature was reduced at a faster rate under the HP-4 treatment than with LPS, but the two treatments did not differ in final rear-udder skin surface temperature or vaginal temperature. The HP-3.4 treatment used the greatest amount of water during the 2-hour testing period. The result was a combination of air-cooling and soaking. Results indicated that a combination of air cooling and soaking may result in faster reduction of surface temperature. When only air cooling was used (HP-1.7), heat stress was reduced, but it was less effective than either LPS or HP-3.4. Use of a low-pressure soaking system is superior to high-pressure misting unless cattle become soaked by the high-pressure system. (

Reducing heat stress is a key issue for dairy producers. Use of feedline soaking and supplemental airflow effectively reduces heat stress and increases milk production and profitability. High-pressure misting allows water to evaporate in the air, reduces air temperature, and increases relative humidity. Misting also soaks the skin of cattle, resulting in additional cooling as water evaporates from skin surfaces, similar to the cooling effect of feedline soaking. Impact of soaking frequency (5-, 10-, or 15-minute intervals) was compared to continuous high-pressure misting. Cows cooled with either system had lower respiration rates, body surface temperatures, and internal body temperatures than controls. Soaking cattle every 5 minutes or 5-minute soaking plus high-pressure misting produced similar body temperatures, but lower (P

This article examines the management of New Zealand's publicly funded pathology services throughout the 1990s in the context of the 'more market' radical reshaping of health services that occurred over that time. Because of the extreme market discipline to which they were subjected, pathology services are interpreted in the analysis presented here as a managerial 'pilot experiment' conducted by a health administration pursuing a long-term agenda of full privatization in health care services. Arguing from extensive archive and interview data collected over the last decade, the authors conclude that compromises involved in maintaining market-led resource control, together with unforeseen repercussions, made the strategy untenable in the New Zealand health care environment.

During the summer of 2001 six tunnel ventilated tie stall barns in northeastern Missouri and southeastern Iowa were evaluated. Three of the barns were equipped with cellulose evaporative pads and three were not. Temperature and relative humidity were recorded continuously for 11 weeks from July 1 to September 15, 2001. Cattle housed in tie stall barns equipped with evaporative cooling had lower average respiration rates (65.7 vs 70.3 breaths/min) than those housed in barns without evaporative cooling. However, rates observed in the morning and at night were not different, only the afternoon rates differed significantly. Average rectal temperatures were also lower for the cows housed in evaporative cooled barns. Similar to respiration rates, the greatest differences existed during the afternoon. Skin temperatures followed respiration rates and rectal temperatures and were significantly lower for the cattle housed in the barns equipped with evaporative cooling with the greatest differences observed during the afternoon.

Cryopreservation is a valuable technique for aquaculture as it enables a library or bank of genetically valuable animals to be maintained in a cost-effective manner. Here, we describe a method to cryopreserve the sperm of the Greenshell™ mussel (Perna canaliculus) and how to use the sperm post-thawing to maximize larval production from thawed sperm in selective breeding.

Cryopreservation is a valuable technique for aquaculture as it enables a library or bank of genetically valuable animals to be maintained in a cost-effective manner. Here, we describe a method to cryopreserve the sperm of the Greenshell™ mussel (Perna canaliculus) and how to use the sperm post-thawing to maximize larval production from thawed sperm in selective breeding.

Human liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, a food-borne trematode is a significant public health problem in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand. Despite a long history of control programmes in Thailand and a nationwide reduction, O. viverrini infection prevalence remains high in the northeastern provinces. Therefore, a new strategy for controlling the liver fluke infection using the EcoHealth/One Health approach was introduced into the Lawa Lake area in Khon Kaen province where the liver fluke is endemic. A programme has been carried using anthelminthic treatment, novel intensive health education methods both in the communities and in schools, ecosystem monitoring and active community participation. As a result, the infection rate in the more than 10 villages surrounding the lake has declined to approximate one third of the average of 50% as estimated by a baseline survey. Strikingly, the Cyprinoid fish species in the lake, which are the intermediate host, now showed less than 1% prevalence compared to a maximum of 70% at baseline. This liver fluke control programme, named “Lawa model,” is now recognised nationally and internationally, and being expanding to other parts of Thailand and neighbouring Mekong countries. Challenges to O. viverrini disease control, and lessons learned in developing an integrative control programme using a community-based, ecosystem approach, and scaling-up regionally based on Lawa as a model are described.

Our objective was to determine if a timed artificial insemination (AI) protocol (Ovsynch) might produce greater pregnancy rates than AI after a synchronized, detected estrus during summer. Lactating Holstein cows (n = 425) were grouped into breeding clusters and then assigned randomly to each of two protocols for AI between 50 and 70 days in milk. All cows were treated with GnRH followed 7 d later by PGF2alpha. Ovsynch cows then were treated with a second injection of GnRH 48 h after PGF2alpha and inseminated 16 to 19 h later. Controls received no further treatment after PGF2alpha and were inseminated after detected estrus. Pregnancy was diagnosed once by transrectal ultrasonography (27 to 30 d after AI) and again by palpation (40 to 50 d). Based on concentrations of progesterone in blood collected before each hormonal injection, only 85.4% of 425 cows were considered to be cycling. Although conception rates were not different between protocols at d 27 to 30, AI submission rates and pregnancy rates were greater after Ovsynch (timed AI) than after detected estrus. A temperature-humidity indexor = 72 was associated with fewer controls detected in estrus with lower conception than for controls detected in estrus when index values were72, whereas the reverse was true for cows after the Ovsynch protocol. We concluded that a timed AI protocol increased pregnancy rates at d 27 to 30 because its success was independent of either expression or detection of estrus. However, because of poorer embryonic survival in Ovsynch cows during heat stress only (39.5 vs. 69.2% survival for Ovsynch and control, respectively), pregnancy rates were not different by d 40 to 50 after timed AI.

Cows previously trained with headlocks did not increase milk production or feed intake when headlocks were removed. Twoyear-old and older cows did not differ in response to headlocks and neckrails. Prudent use of headlocks increases labor efficiency of a commercial dairy. Managing a dairy without headlocks is a challenge because cows must be sorted and worked off the milking parlor flow. In the case of large milking parlors, it may be necessary to process 50-200 cows per hour. Depending upon the treatment facilities, this number of cows may create a bottleneck in the dairy. For many routine procedures, headlocks offer the simplest and most cost-effective alternative. It is important to note that headlocks can be mismanaged. This is especially true during summer months. Locking up cows for extended periods without access to water or shade may have adverse effects during summer heat stress. It is important to minimize lock-up time. Consideration should also be given to t raining heifers to headlocks prior to calving. It is very likely that untrained heifers may be reluctant to be placed in headlocks. If this occurs, intake could be limited during their first exposure to headlocks. If heifers are not trained to headlocks prior to calving, one should determine if they should be locked-up each day during the first week of lactat ion. Headlocks can be successfully used on a dairy. The critical question is how will they be managed. Successful managers of headlocks minimize restraint time, push-up or feed pens often (68 times per day), and avoid use of headlocks during late morning and afternoon hours during the summer months.