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Development of evidence-based strategies to control Brucella spp. in dairy herds in Henan Province, China : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Epidemiology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
Get PDFBrucella spp. remains a significant challenge in China, affecting the dairy industry and public health despite decades of voluntary control measures. This thesis aims to address key knowledge gaps in diagnosis, epidemiology, and disease impact of Brucella spp. in dairy herds to inform evidence-based control strategies in Henan Province, China.
A scoping review of 61 studies (2004-2022) characterized the epidemiological landscape, revealing that B. abortus biovar 3 predominated 85.8% of Brucella spp. isolates recovered from dairy cattle in China. Considerable heterogeneity was observed in prevalence estimates and Brucella spp. isolation across provinces. These findings guided subsequent investigations into diagnostic accuracy, biosecurity practices, disease impact, and financial analyses.
To enhance diagnostic accuracy, a cross-sectional study evaluated the diagnostic performance of four serological tests in Henan dairy herds. Using a novel Bayesian latent class model, optimal cut-off values were established for fluorescence polarization assay and competitive ELISA, estimating test sensitivity (69.7%-89.9%) and specificity (97.1%-99.6%). These findings provide a foundation for improving brucellosis diagnostic strategies.
Beyond diagnosis, an assessment of farm biosecurity practices and stakeholder motivations was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Two distinct clusters of dairy herds were identified. Cluster 1, characterized by medium (400-1000) to large (>1000) herd sizes and higher educational levels, showed better adherence to proper biosecurity practices than Cluster 2. Stakeholders prioritized disease impacts and economic losses, highlighting the need for integrating these into the brucellosis control programs.
To address this knowledge gap about disease impact, a longitudinal study estimated the effects of Brucella seroconversion on key production indicators. The annual incidence of seroconversion of brucellosis was 13.1% (95% CI: 10.9, 15.6) at the cow level. Seroconverted cows exhibited a reduction in daily milk yield (3.2 kg/day, 95% CI: 2.4, 4.0), elevated somatic cell counts, and increased pregnancy loss (relative risk: 4.26, 95% CI: 3.17, 5.73), compared to that of consistently negative cows. These findings provided essential epidemiological insights into the seroconversion of Brucella spp. and its implications on three essential dairy productivity outcomes.
Building on these epidemiological insights, a financial analysis estimated the direct annual costs of Brucella infection at 78.9 Chinese Yuan (CNY) per animal and 4,019 CNY per infected cow. Among the three evaluated interventions (vaccination, test-and-culling, and test-and-culling plus vaccination), vaccination was the most cost-effective, yielding a benefit-cost ratio of 5.84 (95% CI: 4.34 – 7.42) and a net present value of 408.2 thousand CNY over ten years.
Overall, this thesis integrates epidemiological, diagnostic, biosecurity, and financial analyses to inform evidence-based brucellosis control in Henan dairy herds. These findings could support farm stakeholders and policymakers in improving the control of Brucella spp. in Henan dairy herds, contributing to broader brucellosis control efforts in China
Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE): organizing to transform the social determinants of health
Get PDFThis essay outlines the organizing work of the Center for Culture-Centred Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE) in mobilizing for social justice. Conceptualizing health in relationship to justice, the academic-activist-community partnerships built by CARE explore the organizing processes through which communities at the margins own voice infrastructures in seeking structural transformation.fals
Prefigurative politics in the platform economy: online sex workers restaging collective mobilisation through informal communities of care
Get PDFAs platform capitalist models of labour intensify, with jobs once done offline moving to online marketplaces, attention must be given to the political standing of platform workers and the constraints and possibilities of collective mobilisation. This study explores the everyday forms of resistance online sex workers undertake in private communication networks, finding that workers are strategically restaging where their collective mobilisation is occurring given the risks of public mobilisation. We discuss the value these communities have for workers and for broader understandings of prefigurative politics being undertaken within the platform economy of online sex work.fals
Strengthening the reporting of diet item details in feeding studies measuring the dietary metabolome: The DID-METAB core outcome set statement
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Case-control study of leptospirosis in Aotearoa New Zealand reveals behavioural, occupational, and environmental risk factors
Get PDFLeptospirosis in NZ has historically been associated with male workers in livestock industries; however, the disease epidemiology is changing. This study identified risk factors amid these shifts. Participants (95 cases:300 controls) were recruited nationwide between 22 July 2019 and 31 January 2022, and controls were frequency-matched by sex (90% male) and rurality (65% rural). Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for sex, rurality, age, and season - with one model additionally including occupational sector - identified risk factors including contact with dairy cattle (aOR 2.5; CI: 1.0-6.0), activities with beef cattle (aOR 3.0; 95% CI: 1.1-8.2), cleaning urine/faeces from yard surfaces (aOR 3.9; 95% CI: 1.5-10.3), uncovered cuts/scratches (aOR 4.6; 95% CI: 1.9-11.7), evidence of rodents (aOR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.0-5.0), and work water supply from multiple sources - especially creeks/streams (aOR 7.8; 95% CI: 1.5-45.1) or roof-collected rainwater (aOR 6.6; 95% CI: 1.4-33.7). When adjusted for occupational sector, risk factors remained significant except for contact with dairy cattle, and slaughter without gloves emerged as a risk (aOR 3.3; 95% CI: 0.9-12.9). This study highlights novel behavioural factors, such as uncovered cuts and inconsistent glove use, alongside environmental risks from rodents and natural water sources.fals
Developing a model for integrated leadership succession planning in Post-Settlement Governance Entities : a praxis approach : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
Get PDFThe thesis examines key factors that influence leadership succession planning in Post-Settlement Governance Entity in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research was made possible through the long-standing relationship between iwi organisation, Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti, a Post-Settlement Governance Entity (PSGE) and me, a non-Indigenous, non-Iwi business researcher (NIR). The context for the research method is based on how a NIR and an iwi organisation can approach a research project together. The research is framed by two questions. Research Question 1 asks ‘How should a NIR approach research with an iwi organisation?’ (RQ1) and Research Question 2 asks ‘What factors influence leadership succession in PSGEs?’(RQ2).
The research makes two significant contributions. In response to RQ1, the Framework for non-Indigenous Research Praxis (the Framework) represents a new model for non-Indigenous research not previously described in the literature. The Framework makes important contributions in the fields of non-Indigenous research methods and applied approaches to Kaupapa Māori research. The Framework aligns the NIR with Kaupapa Māori research principles and opens a space for NIRs to consider if, and how, they can make effective contributions in Indigenous research settings, as guided by their Indigenous research partners.
RQ2 opens a comprehensive exploration of key factors that influence leadership succession in PSGEs. The response to RQ2 is the development of Te Aka Matua o Iwi Rua—Leadership Succession Model for Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa (the Model). The thesis considers leadership succession planning from a strategic organisational risk perspective and offers a detailed and adaptive model for an integrated approach to leadership succession planning and risk mitigation for the Rūnanga. The research makes a significant contribution to the field of leadership succession planning in PSGEs
Protein Intake and Protein Quality Patterns in New Zealand Vegan Diets: An Observational Analysis Using Dynamic Time Warping
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: Inadequate intake of indispensable amino acids (IAAs) is a significant challenge in vegan diets. Since IAAs are not produced or stored over long durations in the human body, regular and balanced dietary protein consumption throughout the day is essential for metabolic function. The objective of this study is to investigate the variation in protein and IAA intake across 24 h among New Zealand vegans with time-series clustering, using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW).
Methods: This data-driven approach objectively categorised vegan dietary data into distinct clusters for protein intake and protein quality analysis.
Results: Total protein consumed per eating occasion (EO) was 11.1 g, with 93.5% of the cohort falling below the minimal threshold of 20 g of protein per EO. The mean protein intake for each EO in cluster 1 was 6.5 g, cluster 2 was 11.4 g and only cluster 3 was near the threshold at 19.0 g. IAA intake was highest in cluster 3, with lysine and leucine being 3× higher in cluster 3 than cluster 1. All EOs in cluster 1 were below the reference protein intake relative to body weight, closely followed by cluster 2 (91.5%), while cluster 3 comparatively had the lowest EOs under this reference (31.9%).
Conclusions: DTW produced three distinct dietary patterns in the vegan cohort. Further exploration of plant protein combinations could inform recommendations to optimise protein quality in vegan diets.fals
Insights into the pathogenesis of catastrophic spontaneous humeral fractures in first-lactation dairy cows
Get PDFSpontaneous humeral fractures in first-lactation dairy cows have introduced significant challenges to the dairy industry in New Zealand, impacting animal welfare, farm economics, and veterinary practices. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the pathogenesis of these fractures and identifies potential key risk factors. The majority of bones from affected first-lactation dairy cows have osteoporosis, which is associated with inadequate bone formation and increased bone resorption. In addition, low total collagen content in bones from most affected dairy cows supports the hypothesis that inadequate bone formation is an important risk factor associated with humeral fractures in these cows. Spectroscopic analyses further confirmed a significant reduction in bone quality and strength. Novel findings suggest that low liver copper concentration in many of the affected cows' results from the mobilisation of copper to the bone. Although limited, the accumulated evidence suggests that to mitigate the incidence of catastrophic fractures, adequate nutrition (especially protein-energy) should be supplied during important growth periods. While significant progress has been made in understanding the cause of these fractures, many uncertainties and areas requiring further research remain.fals
The genetic parameters of racing success and longevity in the New Zealand Thoroughbred racing industry
Get PDFWithin the Thoroughbred industry, individual success can be measured with races and prize money won. At an industry level, there is a requirement for horses to be able to race from a young age and have a sustained injury-free career. Therefore, the variance components of such traits were investigated within ASReml for 26,920 New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorses. Age at first competitive high-speed event (trial or race start) had high heritability (h2= 0.52 ± 0.02), and an inverse genetic correlation with career earnings (−0.40 ± 0.05) and number of wins (−0.35 ± 0.06). Career earnings (h2 = 0.24 ± 0.02) had positive genetic and phenotypic correlations (0.59 ± 0.004) with career length, implying that racing success could be a useful selection proxy for career length. Horses that started earlier had longer career length (−0.21 ± 0.07,–0.18 ± 0.01). The low heritability of career length (0.11 ± 0.01) reflects considerable environmental influence on this trait, reinforcing the importance of early training and exercise in increasing career length. Therefore, the optimal strategy is a selection programme focusing on racing success, which improves commercial appeal and is genetically correlated with longevity. A training and racing programme that encourage an early competitive high-speed event would optimise the phenotypic development of the musculoskeletal system and reduce injury risk.fals
Coping flexibility and psychological resilience: small tourism entrepreneurs’ coping strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic
Get PDFWhile the current literature has acknowledged the pivotal role of coping in safeguarding psychological resilience, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study investigates how small tourism entrepreneurs cope with stress and maintain psychological resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing upon interviews with 18 small tourism entrepreneurs in New Zealand, this paper finds that coping flexibility plays a key role in maintaining psychological resilience. Specifically, the broad repertoire of coping strategies, strategy-situation fit, and variability in coping strategies all constitute coping flexibility. Also, personal resourcefulness and social resourcefulness are two key conditions for coping flexibility to emerge. A conceptual framework is proposed to advance the understanding of how coping can contribute to psychological resilience through coping flexibility and resourcefulness. It has significant implications for small businesses in terms of managing a long-lasting crisis and designing effective interventions.fals