K-State Research Exchange

BEST PRACTICES FOR DESIGNING AND PLANNING EVENTS WHERE HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED, BASED ON OBSERVATIONS OF RISK BEHAVIORS AND HAND HYGIENE AT SUCH EVENTS

2013-05-16T15:06:46Z

BEST PRACTICES FOR DESIGNING AND PLANNING EVENTS WHERE HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED, BASED ON OBSERVATIONS OF RISK BEHAVIORS AND HAND HYGIENE AT SUCH EVENTS Erdozain, Gonzalo Outbreaks of human illness have been linked to visiting settings with animal contact throughout developed countries. These outbreaks demonstrate that although contact with animals in public settings can provide educational and entertainment opportunities, the potential to spread disease exists if risk-reduction tools are not implemented, proper hygiene measures aren’t practiced, and precautions are not taken and reinforced. This thesis is divided into two parts. Part one is an observational study of hand hygiene tool availability and recommendations; frequency of risky behavior; and, handwashing attempts by visitors in Kansas and Missouri, U.S., petting zoos. Part two delineates best practices for organizing events where human-animal interactions are encouraged, in hopes it will lower the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. Handwashing signs and hand hygiene stations were available at the exit of animal-contact areas in 10/13 and 8/13 petting zoos respectively. Risky behaviors were observed being performed at all petting zoos by at least one visitor. Frequently observed behaviors were: children (10/13 petting zoos) and adults (9/13 petting zoos) touching hands to face within animal-contact areas; animals licking children’s and adults’ hands (7/13 and 4/13 petting zoos, respectively); and children and adults drinking within animal-contact areas (5/13 petting zoos each). Of 574 visitors observed for hand hygiene when exiting animal-contact areas, 37% (n=214) of individuals attempted some type of hand hygiene, with male adults, female adults, and children attempting at similar rates (32%, 40%, and 37% respectively). Visitors performed hand hygiene more often when a staff member was present within or at the exit to the animal-contact area (136/231, 59%) than when no staff member was present (78/343, 23%; P < 0.001, OR = 4.863, 95% CI = 3.380–6.998), and in petting zoos where animal contact occurred over a fence (188/460, 40.9%) as opposed to visitors entering an animals’ yard for contact (26/114, 22.8%; P < 0.001, OR = 2.339, 95% CI = 1.454–3.763). Inconsistencies existed in tool availability, signage, and supervision of animal- contact. Risk communication was poor, with few petting zoos outlining risks associated with animal-contact, or providing recommendations for precautions to be taken to reduce these risks. Recommendations made in the second part of this thesis were based on these observations, recent publications, and the suggestions of many health agencies. It focuses on what event planners can do to design and plan a safer event, and what staff working at the event should be aware of in order to inform visitors and lower the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. Part two discusses two primary tools to reduce risk of zoonotic disease transmission: sanitation and awareness of risk behaviors. Keeping facilities, animals, and visitors clean, and informing visitors of risky behaviors to avoid, while reinforcing positive messages within the animal- contact area, can lower the risk of zoonotic infection. Included with the second part, is a checklist (see appendix A) designed for visitors to assess whether an event that encourages human-animal interaction poses a high or low risk. By identifying possible risk factors, teachers and parents will be able to make an informed decision about the safety of the human-animal encounter.

cAMP-stimulated Clˉ secretion is increased by glucocorticoids and inhibited by bumetanide in semicircular canal duct epithelium

2013-05-15T21:40:00Z

cAMP-stimulated Clˉ secretion is increased by glucocorticoids and inhibited by bumetanide in semicircular canal duct epithelium Pondugula, Satyanarayana R.; Kampalli, Suresh B.; Wu, Tao; De Lisle, Robert C.; Raveendran, Nithya N.; Harbidge, Donald G.; Marcus, Daniel C. Background: The vestibular system controls the ion composition of its luminal fluid through several epithelial cell transport mechanisms under hormonal regulation. The semicircular canal duct (SCCD) epithelium has been shown to secrete Clˉ under β2-adrenergic stimulation. In the current study, we sought to determine the ion transporters involved in Cl- secretion and whether secretion is regulated by PKA and glucocorticoids. Results: Short circuit current (I[subscript sc]) from rat SCCD epithelia demonstrated stimulation by forskolin (EC[subscript 50]: 0.8 μM), 8-Br-cAMP (EC[subscript 50]: 180 μM), 8-pCPT-cAMP (100 μM), IBMX (250 μM), and RO-20-1724 (100 μM). The PKA activator N6-BNZ-cAMP (0.1, 0.3 & 1 mM) also stimulated I[subscript sc]. Partial inhibition of stimulated I[subscript sc] individually by bumetanide (10 & 50 μM), and [(dihydroindenyl)oxy]alkanoic acid (DIOA, 100 μM) were additive and complete. Stimulated Isc was also partially inhibited by CFTR[subscript inh]-172 (5 & 30 μM), flufenamic acid (5 μM) and diphenylamine-2,2′-dicarboxylic acid (DPC; 1 mM). Native canals of CFTR+/− mice showed a stimulation of I[subscript sc] from isoproterenol and forskolin+IBMX but not in the presence of both bumetanide and DIOA, while canals from CFTR−/− mice had no responses. Nonetheless, CFTR−/− mice showed no difference from CFTR+/− mice in their ability to balance (rota-rod). Stimulated I[subscript sc] was greater after chronic incubation (24 hr) with the glucocorticoids dexamethasone (0.1 & 0.3 μM), prednisolone (0.3, 1 & 3 μM), hydrocortisone (0.01, 0.1 & 1 μM), and corticosterone (0.1 & 1 μM) and mineralocorticoid aldosterone (1 μM). Steroid action was blocked by mifepristone but not by spironolactone, indicating all the steroids activated the glucocorticoid, but not mineralocorticoid, receptor. Expression of transcripts for CFTR; for KCC1, KCC3a, KCC3b and KCC4, but not KCC2; for NKCC1 but not NKCC2 and for WNK1 but only very low WNK4 was determined. Conclusions: These results are consistent with a model of Clˉ secretion whereby Clˉ is taken up across the basolateral membrane by a Na+-K+-2Clˉ cotransporter (NKCC) and potentially another transporter, is secreted across the apical membrane via a Clˉ channel, likely CFTR, and demonstrate the regulation of Cl- secretion by protein kinase A and glucocorticoids.

An application of dynamic thermal line rating control system to up-rate the ampacity of overhead transmission lines

2013-05-15T21:32:16Z

An application of dynamic thermal line rating control system to up-rate the ampacity of overhead transmission lines Kim, S. D.; Morcos, Medhat M. A method is proposed to utilize dynamic line rating (DLR) system on old transmission lines to up-rate ampacity without replacing old conductors or increasing line voltage. A DLR system applicable to double-circuit transmission lines is designed based on maximum allowable conductor temperature, conductor temperature at limit-dip (sag) margin, and transformer maximum load. The improved performance of the system is reported.

Organelle genome complexity scales positively with organism size in volvocine green algae

2013-05-15T21:23:58Z

Organelle genome complexity scales positively with organism size in volvocine green algae Smith, David R.; Hamaji, Takashi; Olson, Bradley J.; Durand, Pierre M.; Ferris, Patrick; Michod, Richard E.; Featherston, Jonathan; Nozaki, Hisayoshi; Keeling, Patrick J. It has been argued that for certain lineages noncoding DNA expansion is a consequence of the increased random genetic drift associated with long-term escalations in organism size. But a lack of data has prevented the investigation of this hypothesis in most plastid-bearing protists. Here, using newly sequenced mitochondrial and plastid genomes, we explore the relationship between organelle DNA noncoding content and organism size within volvocine green algae. By looking at unicellular, colonial, and differentiated multicellular algae, we show that organelle DNA complexity scales positively with species size and cell number across the volvocine lineage. Moreover, silent-site genetic diversity data suggest that the volvocine species with the largest cell numbers and most bloated organelle genomes have the smallest effective population sizes. Together, these findings support the view that non-adaptive processes, like random genetic drift, promote the expansion of noncoding regions in organelle genomes.