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Antimicrobial use in beef feedyard cattle in the United States
Get PDFDoctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Diagnostic Medicine/PathobiologyMichael D. ApleyAntimicrobial use is a common occurrence in modern food-animal production. These medications are utilized to prevent, control, and treat a wide variety of infectious diseases in beef cattle. However, as concerns related to antimicrobial resistant bacteria in human and animal health have mounted, countries throughout the world are measuring and monitoring antimicrobial use. These measurements are based on antimicrobial use metrics which generally consist of both a numerator (e.g., weight of product sold or used, number of animals exposed) and a denominator (e.g., animal population, time).
This dissertation is focused on capturing, standardizing, and characterizing antimicrobial use data from 22 beef feedyards in the United States. Data management required navigation of challenges including feedyard recruitment, data acquisition across multiple record-keeping systems, data standardization, and analysis. These 22 feedyards sold a total of approximately 1.2 million head of beef cattle during 2016 and 2017. During their time in the feedyards, these cattle received 1,844,483 regimens of medically important antimicrobials across the categories of in-feed use, control of bovine respiratory disease, and individual animal therapy. Total antimicrobial regimens of medically important antimicrobials per animal year reported at the study level were 3.66 and 3.16 for 2016 and 2017, respectively. When these regimens are reported by use category; in-feed use contributed 2.90 for 2016 and 2.47 for 2017, control of BRD contributed 0.51 for 2016 and 0.40 for 2017, and individual animal treatment contributed 0.25 for 2016 and 0.29 for 2017. Total milligrams of medically important antimicrobials per kilogram liveweight produced were 44.92 and 32.45 for 2016 and 2017, respectively.
All uses of non-medically important antimicrobials were in the feed; these uses reported as regimens per animal year were 2.81 in 2016 and 2.71 in 2017. Non-medically important antimicrobial use reported as total milligrams per kilogram liveweight produced were 95.88 and 85.42 for 2016 and 2017, respectively. To increase granularity, outcome values are also described by study year, use type (in-feed, control of bovine respiratory disease, and individual animal treatment), and antimicrobial class. This level of detail is necessary for interpretation at the individual feedyard level.
Eighteen of the 22 feedyards also participated in a survey regarding their overall antimicrobial use. The survey results were compared to use estimates from the collected data for the year in which the survey was administered. Estimates of medically important antimicrobial regimens per animal year were 3.69 from survey results, compared to 3.62 from the record systems. Milligrams of medically important antimicrobials per kilogram liveweight produced were estimated as 49.10 from the surveys and 37.49 from the collected data.
Estimates of time and resources for completing the project were kept to allow projection of required resources for expansion of the feedyard database. A total of 842 hours were required for data entry, standardization, analysis, and report preparation. Each additional feedyard would require approximately 1.4 days of travel time covering 474 miles and a per diem and lodging cost of $167 per feedyard. Travel time and cost may increase depending on recruitment challenges. The time needed for data management including data import, standardization, and quality control varies between eight and fifteen hours per feedyard depending on record-keeping system.
The question of the application of antimicrobial use metrics related to antimicrobial resistance selection is key. To provide an example, a study was performed using known doses of chlortetracycline in mineral given orally in order to determine related changes in the presence and enumeration of selected antimicrobial resistance genes in fecal samples. The effect of antimicrobial treatment varied across different resistance genes with time and treatment-related trends
Package ‘spinBayes’
Get PDFMany complex diseases are known to be affected by the interactions between genetic variants and environmental exposures beyond the main genetic and environmental effects. Existing Bayesian methods for gene-environment (G×E) interaction studies are challenged by the high-dimensional nature of the study and the complexity of environmental influences. We have developed a novel and powerful semi-parametric Bayesian variable selection method that can accommodate linear and nonlinear G×E interactions simultaneously(Ren et al. (2020) ). Furthermore, the proposed method can conduct structural identification by distinguishing nonlinear interactions from main effects only case within Bayesian framework. Spike-and-slab priors are incorporated on both individual and group level to shrink coefficients corresponding to irrelevant main and interaction effects to zero exactly. The Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms of the proposed and alternative methods are efficiently implemented in C++
Are Farmers Made Whole by Trade Aid?
Get PDFThe USDA provided roughly $23.5 billion in Market Facilitation Program payments to compensate farmers for market losses due to retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and other countries. We examine the distribution of these payments across crops, farms, and regions. Payment rates are larger than estimated price impacts of retaliatory tariffs for most commodities—the difference is especially large for cotton and sorghum. Payment rates relative to farmland cash rent or on a per-farm basis are greatest in the South. While payments exceed the tariff-related price impact in the short run, the program may not compensate for long-run losses due to the trade conflict
Photoelectron and fragmentation dynamics of the H++H+ dissociative channel in NH3 following direct single-photon double ionization
Get PDFWe report measurements on the H++H+ fragmentation channel following direct single-photon double ionization of neutral NH3 at 61.5 eV, where the two photoelectrons and two protons are measured in coincidence using three-dimensional (3D) momentum imaging. We identify four dication electronic states that contribute to H++H+ dissociation, based on our multireference configuration-interaction calculations of the dication potential energy surfaces. The extracted branching ratios between these four dication electronic states are presented. Of the four dication electronic states, three dissociate in a concerted process, while the fourth undergoes a sequential fragmentation mechanism. We find evidence that the neutral NH fragment or intermediate NH+ ion is markedly rovibrationally excited. We also identify differences in the relative emission angle between the two photoelectrons as a function of their energy sharing for the four different dication states, which bare some similarities to previous observations made on atomic targets
Strong-field control of H3+ production from methanol dications: Selecting between local and extended formation mechanisms
Get PDFUsing the CD3OH isotopologue of methanol, the ratio of D2H+ to D3+ formation is manipulated by changing the characteristics of the intense femtosecond laser pulse. Detection of D2H+ indicates a formation process involving two hydrogen atoms from the methyl side of the molecule and a proton from the hydroxyl side, while detection of D3+ indicates local formation involving only the methyl group. Both mechanisms are thought to involve a neutral D2 moiety. An adaptive control strategy that employs image-based feedback to guide the learning algorithm results in an enhancement of the D2H+/D3+ ratio by a factor of approximately two. The optimized pulses have secondary structures 110–210 fs after the main pulse and result in photofragments that have different kinetic energy release distributions than those produced from near transform limited pulses. Systematic changes to the linear chirp and higher order dispersion terms of the laser pulse are compared to the results obtained with the optimized pulse shapes
Quantum coherence enfeebled by classical uncertainties
Get PDFThe fundamental indication of the departure of quantum mechanics from the classical world is the so-called quantum coherence. Typically, we define it as the characteristic of systems which are in a superposition of states yielding interference patterns in certain kinds of experiments. In addition to its captivating philosophical implications, quantum coherence turned out to be a valuable tool in different areas, ranging from quantum information to biology, where it was used to describe several fundamental processes. Here, we go one step further to study how classical uncertainties in a mixture of similar states reduce quantum coherence in quantum scattering theory. To this end, we deal with different examples, all of them with roots in the widely studied Feynman's two-slit thought experiment. We finally propose an operational and intuitive definition of the concept of coherence length whose implications largely transcend the simplicity of the corresponding mathematical development, as it is demonstrated when applied to the analysis of some recent atomic and molecular processes
Distinction of Electron Dispersion in Time-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy
Get PDFWhile recent experiments provided compelling evidence for an intricate dependence of attosecond photoemission-time delays on the solid’s electronic band structure, the extent to which electronic transport and dispersion in solids can be imaged in time-resolved photoelectron (PE) spectra remains poorly understood. Emphasizing the distinction between photoemission time delays measured with two-photon, two-color interferometric spectroscopy, and transport times, we demonstrate how the effect of energy dispersion in the solid on photoemission delays can, in principle, be observed in interferometric photoemission. We reveal analytically a scaling relation between the PE transport time in the solid and the observable photoemission delay and confirm this relation in numerical simulations for a model system. We trace photoemission delays to the phase difference the PE accumulates inside the solid and, in particular, predict negative photoemission delays. Based on these findings, we suggest a novel time-domain interferometric solid-state energy-momentum-dispersion imaging method
A Comparative Study of Indigent Defense in the State of Kansas
No full textJohn FliterIn the decades since the Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963, significant nationwide debate has surrounded the methods and means by which the right to legal representation for indigent defendants should be upheld. Issues of efficiency, due process, adequate defense, and the breadth of charges which the state is constitutionally bound to protect have all colored how this subject is legislated and held in the public imagination. This research project is designed to describe, analyze, and evaluate the indigent defense process across the state of Kansas. To this end, quantitative and qualitative data on three separate jurisdictions in areas of varying population density will be compiled and assessed. These include the State Indigent Defense Offices in Shawnee County and Junction City, as well as the assigned counsel system present in Marshall County. Factors such as attorney caseloads, the funding of these institutions, and the likelihood that defendants in a given jurisdiction will qualify for indigence will be considered to better understand the experience that disadvantaged defendants across the state have with the criminal justice system. While a relatively small sample of jurisdictions will not provide an irrefutably conclusive picture of the current state of indigent defense in Kansas, this case study will contribute significant regional information to the ongoing national conversation on the subject
Beyond Lancaster and York: Contextualizing Wars of the Roses Board Games in Scholarly Consensus
Get PDFDavid DefriesThe English Wars of the Roses, fought from roughly 1455 to 1485 between the royal houses of Lancaster and York, have proven surprisingly popular among board game designers. In creating games that seek to demonstrate the infamous chaos of the wars, these games have also begun engaging with each other on a historical level—each new game attempts to build upon the achievements of the first by drawing closer and closer to the current scholarly consensus. Despite this unique feat of forming an academic debate through the medium of board games, however, no designer has yet fully reflected key elements of the scholarly consensus. For this reason, this paper lays out an original design, intended as a contribution to the ongoing discussion of how the wars should best be adapted into tabletop games. This paper describes the ways in which this new design constitutes an important addition to the set of Wars of the Roses board games, through incorporating both newer innovations in game design and recent scholarship. First, the template for this type of board game is traced back to the Avalon Hill title Kingmaker. It is then explained how additional games have diverged from Kingmaker’s model, but have not yet fully matched the current academic consensus regarding the motivations and timeframe of the war. Finally, the original design is explained, highlighting the ways in which this new game selectively breaks from Kingmaker’s precedent in order to better reflect these elements that scholars find key to explaining the wars
Scholarly Communication Task Force Report and Recommendations
Get PDFTo address issues resulting from the serials crisis at Kansas State University, Provost Charles Taber, Faculty Senate President Tanya González, and Dean of Libraries Lori Goetsch created the Scholarly Communication Task Force during the 2019 fall semester. The purpose of this task force is to gather stakeholders in the K-State community to review the current landscape of scholarly communication practices on campus and offer recommendations to improve not only access to information at K-State but direct our institutional participation in the movement toward open scholarship. The task force reviewed scholarly communication initiatives at K-State and other higher education institutions and sought input from the campus community. Based on this information, the task force made several recommendations with accompanying budget implications. Recognizing that maintaining the status quo is not fiscally sustainable, we make the following recommendations:
• We recommend that the University adopt an Open Access Policy to self-archive articles that it produces
• We recommend the Library continue to monitor/manage subscription efficiencies
• We recommend greater usage of interlibrary loan as an option for materials not subscribed to by K-State Libraries, while transitioning to transformational agreements and multipayer models
• We recommend changes to how research is evaluated based on best practices
• We recommend that faculty to write publication costs into their grant proposals
• We recommend, continuing the Open Access fee fund, only if it is fully funded and higher priority recommendations are adequately supported
Additional information about the task force’s findings and process for gathering information from the campus community are included later in this report