12 research outputs found
Hybrid Design Tools Intuit Interaction
No full textNon-linear, non-explicit, non-standard thinking and ambiguity in design tools has a great impact on enhancement of creativity during ideation and conceptualization. Tacit-tangible representation based on a mere idiosyncratic and individual approach combined with computational assistance allows the user to experiment, explore and manifest their ideas, fuzzy notions and mental images. One of the most difficult tasks of individual users is the externalization of tacit knowing, tacit expectations, and metacognitive feelings. Simply put, to bring your imagination alive you need encouragement, nudging, decision-making and trigger intuition. In our research we focus on the metacognitive aspects of user interaction and tool use wherein the wheels of causality are set off through coincidence, unpredictability and unexpected events. The hybrid design tools we author and build are based on the human intuitive capacity and sensory abilities to immerse in physical manipulation and tangible representation to enhance creativity and ideation process. Simultaneously we embed and implement computational design tools that assist and nudge the user during the process to represent the conceptual models, data mapping and transformative information. This transformation has a consequence of exercising the full cognitive abilities and reinforces the insight in understanding and knowledge about the problem definition and solution space. Working visually and sensory is a complex process that includes spatial information, multi perception and manual dexterity
Survival of Ascaris suum and Ascaridia galli eggs in liquidmanure at different ammonia concentrations andtemperatures
No full texttEggs of Ascaris suum from pigs are highly resistant and commonly used as a conservativeindicator of pathogen inactivation during slurry storage. Eggs of Ascaridia galli, the poultryascarid, are also known to be highly resistant but the suitability as an indicator of pathogeninactivation has never been tested. Pig slurry has to be stored for several months to inac-tivate pathogens but chemical treatment of slurry may reduce this time. The suitability ofA. galli as an indicator of slurry sanitation was tested by comparing the survival of eggsof A. suum and A. galli in pig slurry. In addition, the effect of urea treatment on inactiva-tion of ascarid eggs in relation to storage time was also tested. Nylon bags with 10,000eggs of either species were placed in 200 ml plastic bottles containing either urea-treated(2%) or untreated pig slurry for up to 120 days at 20◦C, 6 days at 30◦C, 36 h at 40◦C or2 h at 50◦C. At all the temperatures in both slurry types, A. galli eggs were inactivated ata significantly faster rate (P < 0.05) compared to A. suum eggs. For each 10◦C raise in tem-perature from 20◦C, T50(time needed to inactivate 50% of eggs) for both types of eggswas reduced markedly. At all temperatures, viability of eggs of both species was signifi-cantly higher (P < 0.05) in untreated slurry compared to urea-treated slurry except A. gallieggs at 20◦C where no significant difference was detected. In untreated slurry, the levelsof pH (6.33–9.08) and ammonia (0.01–1.74 mM) were lower (P < 0.0001) compared to thatof urea-treated slurry (pH: 8.33–9.28 and ammonia 1–13 mM). The study demonstratedthat A. galli eggs are more sensitive to unfavourable conditions compared to A. suum eggs.The use of A. galli eggs as hygiene indicator may thus be suitable to assess inactivation ofpathogens that are more sensitive than A. galli eggs. Addition of urea may markedly reducethe storage time of slurry needed to inactivate A. suum and A. galli eggs
The impact of natural helminth infections and supplementary protein on growth performance of free-range chickens on smallholder farms in El Sauce, Nicaragua
No full textUdgivelsesdato: JUL 1
Lack of correlation between growth, stress, and virulence phenotypes in strains of <i>Salmonella enterica</i> serovar Enteritidis, <i>S</i>. Typhimurium DT104, S. 4,12, b:- and S. Liverpool
No full textStrains of Salmonella Enteritidis (SEnt, n = 10) and S. Typhimurium (STm, n = 11), representing clones with high impact on human health, and strains of S. 4,12: b:- (S412B n = 11) and S. Liverpool (SLiv, n = 4), representing clones with minor impact on human health were characterized for 16 growth, stress, and virulence phenotypes to investigate whether systematic differences exist in their performance in these phenotypes and whether there was correlation between performance in different phenotypes. The term serotype was not found to be predictive of a certain type of performance in any phenotype, and surprisingly, on average, strains of SEnt and STm were not significantly better in adhering to and invading cultured intestinal cells than the less pathogenic types. Forest analysis identified desiccation tolerance and the ability to grow at 42◦C with high salt as the characters that separated serovars with low human health impact (S412B/SLiv) from serovars with high human health impact (SEnt/STm). The study showed that variation in phenotypes was high even within serovars and correlation between phenotypes was low, i.e. the way that a strain performed phenotypically in one of the tested conditions had a low predictive value for the performance of the strain in other conditions.</p
Viability of <em>Ascaris suum</em> eggs in stored raw and separated liquid slurry
No full textSUMMARY Separation of pig slurry into solid and liquid fractions is gaining importance as a way to manage increasing volumes of slurry. In contrast to solid manure and slurry, little is known about pathogen survival in separated liquid slurry. The viability of Ascaris suum eggs, a conservative indicator of fecal pollution, and its association with ammonia was investigated in separated liquid slurry in comparison with raw slurry. For this purpose nylon bags with 6000 eggs each were placed in 1 litre bottles containing one of the two fractions for 308 days at 5 °C or 25 °C. Initial analysis of helminth eggs in the separated liquid slurry revealed 47 Ascaris eggs per gramme. At 25 °C, egg viability declined to zero with a similar trend in both raw slurry and the separated liquid slurry by day 308, a time when at 5 °C 88% and 42% of the eggs were still viable in separated liquid slurry and raw slurry, respectively. The poorer survival at 25 °C was correlated with high ammonia contents in the range of 7·9-22·4 mm in raw slurry and 7·3-23·2 mm in liquid slurry compared to 3·2-9·5 mm in raw slurry and 2·6-9·5 mm in liquid slurry stored at 5 °C. The study demonstrates that at 5 °C, A. suum eggs have a higher viability in separated liquid slurry as compared to raw slurry. The hygiene aspect of this needs to be further investigated when separated liquid slurry is used to fertilize pastures or crops
Environmental contamination and transmission of Ascaris suum in Danish organic pig farms
No full textBackground: Although Ascaris suum is the most common pig nematode, the on-farm transmission dynamics are not well described. Methods: We performed a 1-year field study on five organic pig farms, mapping egg contamination levels in pens and pasture soil as well as faecal egg counts in starter pigs, finisher pigs, dry and lactating sows. The uppermost bedding material was sampled from three pen areas (resting, intermediate and latrine) of shallow and deep litter pens. Results: Ascaris suum was found on all farms. Averaged across farm and season, the prevalence of A. suum was 48, 64, 28 and 15 % in starters, finishers, dry and lactating sows, respectively. For starters and finishers, the prevalence varied with season increasing towards the end of the year when 83-96 % of finishing pigs from each farm had fresh liver white spots. Farrowing pastures were contaminated with a mean of 78-171 larvated eggs/kg dry soil depending on farm, while pastures for starter pigs contained 290-5397 larvated eggs/kg dry soil. The concentration of eggs in soil was highest in the autumn. Indoors, all pen areas were contaminated with A. suum eggs at comparable levels for shallow and deep litter. Overall there were 106, 445 and 1331 eggs/g dry straw in the resting, intermediate and latrine areas, respectively. However, more eggs were undergoing development in resting areas (44 %) compared to intermediate (33 %) and latrine areas (13 %). Irrespective of area, more eggs were undergoing development in the autumn, but overall there were very few fully developed (i.e., infective) eggs in the bedding material. Laboratory embryonation of eggs from the bedding material nevertheless revealed that an overall mean of 79 % of the eggs were viable. Conclusion: The organic pigs of all ages were continuously exposed to A. suum, but mainly younger animals were infected. Deep litter appeared to be a less important source of A. suum eggs than previously believed compared to shallow litter. Long-term pasture rotation to eliminate pasture contamination was not possible, and control programs should therefore include thorough cleaning indoors and composting/long-term storage of bedding material and manure to inactivate eggs and reduce transmission to pigs.Background: Although Ascaris suum is the most common pig nematode, the on-farm transmission dynamics are not well described. Methods: We performed a 1-year field study on five organic pig farms, mapping egg contamination levels in pens and pasture soil as well as faecal egg counts in starter pigs, finisher pigs, dry and lactating sows. The uppermost bedding material was sampled from three pen areas (resting, intermediate and latrine) of shallow and deep litter pens. Results: Ascaris suum was found on all farms. Averaged across farm and season, the prevalence of A. suum was 48, 64, 28 and 15 % in starters, finishers, dry and lactating sows, respectively. For starters and finishers, the prevalence varied with season increasing towards the end of the year when 83-96 % of finishing pigs from each farm had fresh liver white spots. Farrowing pastures were contaminated with a mean of 78-171 larvated eggs/kg dry soil depending on farm, while pastures for starter pigs contained 290-5397 larvated eggs/kg dry soil. The concentration of eggs in soil was highest in the autumn. Indoors, all pen areas were contaminated with A. suum eggs at comparable levels for shallow and deep litter. Overall there were 106, 445 and 1331 eggs/g dry straw in the resting, intermediate and latrine areas, respectively. However, more eggs were undergoing development in resting areas (44 %) compared to intermediate (33 %) and latrine areas (13 %). Irrespective of area, more eggs were undergoing development in the autumn, but overall there were very few fully developed (i.e., infective) eggs in the bedding material. Laboratory embryonation of eggs from the bedding material nevertheless revealed that an overall mean of 79 % of the eggs were viable. Conclusion: The organic pigs of all ages were continuously exposed to A. suum, but mainly younger animals were infected. Deep litter appeared to be a less important source of A. suum eggs than previously believed compared to shallow litter. Long-term pasture rotation to eliminate pasture contamination was not possible, and control programs should therefore include thorough cleaning indoors and composting/long-term storage of bedding material and manure to inactivate eggs and reduce transmission to pigs
Development and survival of Ascaris suum eggs in deep litter of pigs
No full textIndoor transmission of Ascaris suum partly depends on the physico-chemical conditions in bedding material. Temperature,pH, aqueous ammonia, moisture, occurrence and development of A. suum eggs were therefore compared in different areas(resting, intermediate and latrine) of two deep litter pens on an organic farm in four seasons. There was some variation, but mean ammonia levels were generally very low (1·0–2·6mM) and pH levels were moderate (8·04–8·88) in all three areas. Relatively, resting areas were characterized by overall moderate moisture (36%) and moderately high temperature (35·7 °C)levels. The area contained few eggs (50 eggs g−1 DM) of which 17% were viable, and though only 4% were larvated and 0·7% appeared infective, it was more than in the other areas. Intermediate areas had moderate moisture (43%) and high
temperature (43·6 °C) levels. There were many eggs (523 eggs g−1 DM), but overall viability was very low (5%) and few eggs were larvated (0·004%) or even infective (0·002%). Latrines typically had high moisture (79%) and moderate temperature 30 °C) levels. The concentration of eggswas very high (1444 egg g−1DM)and though 32%were viable, none had developed larval stages. The large majority of A. suum eggs appear to die and only few become infective while in the deep litter. However, a large fraction of eggs may remain viable for some time and could thus contaminate agricultural land and develop to infectivity, if the manure is not composted appropriately
Molecular and parasitological tools for the study of <em>Ascaridia galli</em> population dynamics in chickens
No full textInternational audienceExperiments were first conducted to compare and evaluate different methods of Ascaridia galli larval recovery from the chicken intestine. The number of larvae recovered from the intestinal wall of chickens infected with 1000 embryonated A. galli eggs and killed 15 days post infection (p.i.) by three methods (EDTA, pepsin digestion and scraping) were compared. The EDTA and pepsin digestion were found to be the most efficient methods with no significant difference (P > 0.05) in number of recovered larvae between the two. Subsequently, three different A. galli cohorts were established using the polymerase chain reaction linked restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. A 533 bp long region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was targeted and 22 A. galli females were allocated in to three different haplotypes. The four females with the highest embryonation rate from each halpotype group (total 12 females) were selected and used to inoculate each of 12 chickens with a dose of 1000 embryonated eggs. The chickens were killed 15 days p.i. and A. galli larvae were recovered from the small intestinal wall by the EDTA method and by sieving the lumen content on a 90 µm sieve. DNA of 40 larvae from each of the three different haplotypes was extracted using a worm lysis buffer (WLB) and PCR-RFLP analysis of these larvae revealed same haplotype as that of their maternal parent. The identification of distinguishable cohorts may be a powerful tool in population studies of parasite turnover within the animal host
Demystifying 21st Century Healthcare Design Practice.
No full textHealthcare design is now emerging from the shadows to be recognised as a distinct design discipline in its own right. A new discipline with patient safety at its heart, a practice that requires systems thinking and collaboration to tackle complex challenges and a practice conducted within a stringent ethical framework. Healthcare design practice is an emerging territory sparsely populated with high quality design exemplars. This chapter seeks to demystify these practices by providing a textual roadmap to support and inspire the new agoras who wish to engage with 21st healthcare design. Conversely it is hoped its content will also serve as a catalyst for healthcare providers who wish to reap the rewards associated with embracing a design-led approach with design practitioners at the very core of their service innovation teams
Prevalence of strongyles and efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin in working horses in El Sauce, Nicaragua
No full textHorses, mules and donkeys are indispensable farming and working animals in many developing countries, and their health status is important to the farmers. Strongyle parasites are ubiquitous in grazing horses world-wide and are known to constitute a threat to equine health. This study determined the prevalence of strongyle infection, the efficacy of ivermectin and fenbendazole treatment, and strongyle re-infection rates of working horses during the dry months in Nicaragua. One hundred and five horses used by farmers for transport of people and goods were randomly allocated into three treatment groups, i.e., the IVM group treated with ivermectin, the FBZ group treated with fenbendazole and the control group treated with placebo. Determined by pre-treatment faecal egg counts (FECs), horses showed a high prevalence (94%) of strongyle parasites with high intensities of infection (mean FEC of 1117 eggs per gram (EPG) with an SD of 860 EPG, n=102). Body condition scores of all horses ranged from 1.5 to 3.5 with a mean of 2.4 (scales 1-5). Fourteen days after treatment faecal egg count reductions (FECRs) were 100% and 94% in the IVM and the FBZ groups, respectively. The egg reappearance period (ERP) defined as the time until the mean FEC reached 20% of the pre-treatment level, was estimated as 42 days for the FBZ group and 60 days for the IVM group. Individual faecal cultures were set up and the larval differentiation revealed a 36% prevalence of Strongylus vulgaris before treatment (n=45). In the FBZ group, 25% of the horses were S. vulgaris-positive 70 days post treatment compared to 11% in the IVM group. Our results indicate that strongyle infection intensities in Nicaragua are high and that S. vulgaris is endemic in the area. Furthermore, efficacies and ERPs of IVM and FBZ were within the expected range with no signs of anthelmintic resistance
