Use of emergency departments by children and young people following telephone triage: a large database study.

BACKGROUND: Although one objective of NHS 111 is to ease the strain on urgent and emergency care services, studies suggest the telephone triage service may be contributing to increased demand. Moreover, while parents and caregivers generally find NHS 111 satisfactory, concerns exist about its integration with the healthcare system and the appropriateness of advice. This study aimed to analyse the advice provided in NHS 111 calls, the duration between the call and ED attendance, and the outcomes of such attendances made by children and young people (C&YP). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was carried out of C&YP (≤17) attending an ED in the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK following contact with NHS 111 between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017. This linked-data study examined NHS 111 calls and ED outcomes. Lognormal mixture distributions were fit to compare the time taken to attend ED following calls. Logistic mixed effects regression models were used to identify predictors of low-acuity NHS 111-related ED attendances. RESULTS: Our study of 348 401 NHS 111 calls found they were primarily concerning children aged 0-4 years. Overall, 13.1% of calls were followed by an ED attendance, with a median arrival time of 51 minutes. Of the 34 664 calls advising ED attendance 41% complied, arriving with a median of 38 minutes-27% of which defined as low-acuity. Although most calls advising primary care were not followed by an ED attendance (93%), those seen in an ED generally attended later (median 102 minutes) with 23% defined as low-acuity. Younger age (<1) was a statistically significant predictor of low-acuity ED attendance following all call dispositions apart from home care. CONCLUSION: More tailored options for unscheduled healthcare may be needed for younger children. Both early low-acuity attendance and late high-acuity attendance following contact with NHS 111 could act as useful entry points for clinical audits of the telephone triage service.

Mesophyll airspace unsaturation drives C4 plant success under vapor pressure deficit stress.

A fundamental assumption in plant science posits that leaf air spaces remain vapor saturated, leading to the predominant view that stomata alone control leaf water loss. This concept has been pivotal in photosynthesis and water-use efficiency research. However, recent evidence has refuted this longstanding assumption by providing evidence of unsaturation in the leaf air space of C3 plants under relatively mild vapor pressure deficit (VPD) stress. This phenomenon represents a nonstomatal mechanism restricting water loss from the mesophyll. The potential ubiquity and physiological implications of this phenomenon, its driving mechanisms in different plant species and habitats, and its interaction with other ecological adaptations have. In this context, C4 plants spark particular interest for their importance as crops, bundle sheath cells' unique anatomical characteristics and specialized functions, and notably higher water-use efficiency relative to C3 plants. Here, we confirm reduced relative humidities in the substomatal cavity of the C4 plants maize, sorghum, and proso millet down to 80% under mild VPD stress. We demonstrate the critical role of nonstomatal control in these plants, indicating that the role of the CO2 concentration mechanism in CO2 management at a high VPD may have been overestimated. Our findings offer a mechanistic reconciliation between discrepancies in CO2 and VPD responses reported in C4 species. They also reveal that nonstomatal control is integral to maintaining an advantageous microclimate of relatively higher CO2 concentrations in the mesophyll air space of C4 plants for carbon fixation, proving vital when these plants face VPD stress.

Exploring steric sea level variability in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean: a three-decade study (1993-2022).

Sea level rise (SLR) poses a significant threat to coastal regions worldwide, particularly affecting over 60 million people living below 10 m above sea level along the African coast. This study analyzes the spatio-temporal trends of sea level anomaly (SLA) and its components (thermosteric, halosteric and ocean mass) in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean (ETAO) from 1993 to 2022. The SLA trend for the ETAO, derived from satellite altimetry, is 3.52 ± 0.47 mm/year, similar to the global average of 3.56 ± 0.67 mm/year. Of the three upwelling regions, the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) shows the highest regional trend of 3.42 ± 0.12 mm/year. Using the ARMORD3D dataset, a positive thermosteric sea level trend of 0.88 ± 0.04 mm/year is observed, particularly in the equatorial and southern Atlantic regions. The steric component drives the interannual SLA variability, while the ocean mass component dominates the long-term trends, as confirmed by the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions for 2002-2022. For those two decades, the total SLR from altimetry amounts to 3.80 ± 0.8 mm/year, whilst the steric component is reduced to only 0.19 ± 0.05 mm/year, leaving a residual increase in the ETAO of 3.69 ± 0.5 mm/year. The independent mass change from GRACE amounts to 2.78 ± 0.6 mm/year for this region, which just closes the sea level budget within present uncertainty levels. Spatial analysis of the steric components indicates a warming along the equatorial African coast including the GoG and a freshening near Angola. Strong correlations with regional climate factors, particularly the Tropical South Atlantic Index, highlight the influence of persistent climate modes. These findings underscore the urgent need for mitigation and adaptation strategies to SLR in the ETAO, especially for densely populated coastal communities.

Advanced Methods for Analyzing in-Situ Observations of Magnetic Reconnection.

There is ample evidence for magnetic reconnection in the solar system, but it is a nontrivial task to visualize, to determine the proper approaches and frames to study, and in turn to elucidate the physical processes at work in reconnection regions from in-situ measurements of plasma particles and electromagnetic fields. Here an overview is given of a variety of single- and multi-spacecraft data analysis techniques that are key to revealing the context of in-situ observations of magnetic reconnection in space and for detecting and analyzing the diffusion regions where ions and/or electrons are demagnetized. We focus on recent advances in the era of the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, which has made electron-scale, multi-point measurements of magnetic reconnection in and around Earth's magnetosphere.

Clinical features, biomarkers and diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes among children and adolescents in Sana'a, Yemen.

INTRODUCTION: There is little published information on type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children in Yemen. We aimed to identify the clinical characteristics, biomarkers and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis of T1D among children and adolescents in a diabetes centre in Sana'a, Yemen. METHODS: A total of 485 children and adolescents aged ≤18 years diagnosed with T1D during the period 2010-2020 were included in the study. The variables investigated were demographic and clinical characteristics, biomarkers, subtypes of T1D, and the risk factors for severe DKA at diagnosis. RESULTS: At diagnosis, children aged <10 years compared with those aged ≥10 years had higher mean plasma glucose (p<0.001) and mean HbA1c (p=0.026), and lower mean C-peptide (pmol/L) (p=0.019), and a higher frequency of DKA at diagnosis than older children (p<0.001). A majority of the study population (383, 79%) presented in DKA . Children aged <10 years presenting with DKA had significantly longer median appraisal interval (p=0.009) and median total diagnosis interval (p=0.025), and significantly lower mean C-peptide (p=0.001) as compared with their peers without DKA. The prevalence of autoantibody-negative 'idiopathic' T1D was 36 (32%) of the total number tested for autoantibody and familial T1D 61 (12.6%) of all the study population. CONCLUSION: In Yemen children aged <10 years with new-onset T1D frequently faced the challenge of a delay in diagnosis and treatment initiation, with severe hyperglycaemia and a higher risk of DKA at diagnosis.

A comparison of super-resolution microscopy techniques for imaging tightly packed microcolonies of an obligate intracellular bacterium.

Conventional optical microscopy imaging of obligate intracellular bacteria is hampered by the small size of bacterial cells, tight clustering exhibited by some bacterial species and challenges relating to labelling such as background from host cells, a lack of validated reagents, and a lack of tools for genetic manipulation. In this study we imaged intracellular bacteria from the species Orientia tsutsugamushi (Ot) using five different fluorescence microscopy techniques: standard confocal, Airyscan confocal, instant Structured Illumination Microscopy (iSIM), three-dimensional Structured Illumination Microscopy (3D-SIM) and Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy (STED). We compared the ability of each to resolve bacterial cells in intracellular clumps in the lateral (xy) axis, using full width half maximum (FWHM) measurements of a labelled outer membrane protein (ScaA) and the ability to detect small, outer membrane vesicles external to the cells. We next compared the ability of each technique to sufficiently resolve bacteria in the axial (z) direction and found 3D-STED to be the most successful method for this. We then combined this approach with a custom 3D cell segmentation and analysis pipeline using the open-source, deep learning software, Cellpose to segment the cells and subsequently the commercial software Imaris to analyze their 3D shape and size. Using this combination, we demonstrated differences in bacterial shape, but not their size, when grown in different mammalian cell lines. Overall, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of different super-resolution microscopy techniques for imaging this cytoplasmic obligate intracellular bacterium based on the specific research question being addressed.

Optimisation of Convolution-Based Image Lightness Processing.

In the convolutional retinex approach to image lightness processing, an image is filtered by a centre/surround operator that is designed to mitigate the effects of shading (illumination gradients), which in turn compresses the dynamic range. Typically, the parameters that define the shape and extent of the filter are tuned to provide visually pleasing results, and a mapping function such as a logarithm is included for further image enhancement. In contrast, a statistical approach to convolutional retinex has recently been introduced, which is based upon known or estimated autocorrelation statistics of the image albedo and shading components. By introducing models for the autocorrelation matrices and solving a linear regression, the optimal filter is obtained in closed form. Unlike existing methods, the aim is simply to objectively mitigate shading, and so image enhancement components such as a logarithmic mapping function are not included. Here, the full mathematical details of the method are provided, along with implementation details. Significantly, it is shown that the shapes of the autocorrelation matrices directly impact the shape of the optimal filter. To investigate the performance of the method, we address the problem of shading removal from text documents. Further experiments on a challenging image dataset validate the method.

Automating quality control in cardiac magnetic resonance: Artificial intelligence for discriminative assessment of planning and motion artifacts and real-time reacquisition guidance.

BACKGROUND: Accurate measurements from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images require precise positioning of scan planes and elimination of motion artifacts from arrhythmia or breathing. Unidentified or incorrectly managed artifacts degrade image quality, invalidate clinical measurements, and decrease diagnostic confidence. Currently, radiographers must manually inspect each acquired image to confirm diagnostic quality and decide whether reacquisition or a change in sequences is warranted. We aimed to develop artificial intelligence (AI) to provide continuous quality scores across different quality domains, and from these, determine whether cines are clinically adequate, require replanning, or warrant a change in protocol. METHODS: A three-dimensional convolutional neural network was trained to predict cine quality graded on a continuous scale by a level 3 CMR expert, focusing separately on planning and motion artifacts. It incorporated four distinct output heads for the assessment of image quality in terms of (a, b, c) 2-, 3- and 4-chamber misplanning, and (d) long- and short-axis arrhythmia/breathing artifact. Backpropagation was selectively performed across these heads based on the labels present for each cine. Each image in the testing set was reported by four level 3 CMR experts, providing a consensus on clinical adequacy. The AI's assessment of image quality and ability to identify images requiring replanning or sequence changes were evaluated with Spearman's rho and the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), respectively. RESULTS: A total of 1940 cines across 1387 studies were included. On the test set of 383 cines, AI-judged image quality correlated strongly with expert judgment, with Spearman's rho of 0.84, 0.84, 0.81, and 0.81 for 2-, 3- and 4-chamber planning quality and the extent of arrhythmia or breathing artifacts, respectively. The AI also showed high efficacy in flagging clinically inadequate cines (AUROC 0.88, 0.93, and 0.93 for identifying misplanning of 2-, 3- and 4-chamber cines, and 0.90 for identifying movement artifacts). CONCLUSION: AI can assess distinct domains of CMR cine quality and provide continuous quality scores that correlate closely with a consensus of experts. These ratings could be used to identify cases where reacquisition is warranted and guide corrective actions to optimize image quality, including replanning, prospective gating, or real-time imaging.

Chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase-like complex-mediated cyclic electron flow is the main electron transport route in C4 bundle sheath cells.

The superior productivity of C4 plants is achieved via a metabolic C4 cycle which acts as a CO2 pump across mesophyll and bundle sheath (BS) cells and requires an additional input of energy in the form of ATP. The importance of chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase-like complex (NDH) operating cyclic electron flow (CEF) around Photosystem I (PSI) for C4 photosynthesis has been shown in reverse genetics studies but the contribution of CEF and NDH to cell-level electron fluxes remained unknown. We have created gene-edited Setaria viridis with null ndhO alleles lacking functional NDH and developed methods for quantification of electron flow through NDH in BS and mesophyll cells. We show that CEF accounts for 84% of electrons reducing PSI in BS cells and most of those electrons are delivered through NDH while the contribution of the complex to electron transport in mesophyll cells is minimal. A decreased leaf CO2 assimilation rate and growth of plants lacking NDH cannot be rescued by supplying additional CO2. Our results indicate that NDH-mediated CEF is the primary electron transport route in BS chloroplasts highlighting the essential role of NDH in generating ATP required for CO2 fixation by the C3 cycle in BS cells.

2-Dimensional Echocardiographic Global Longitudinal Strain With Artificial Intelligence Using Open Data From a UK-Wide Collaborative.

BACKGROUND: Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is reported to be more reproducible and prognostic than ejection fraction. Automated, transparent methods may increase trust and uptake. OBJECTIVES: The authors developed open machine-learning-based GLS methodology and validate it using multiexpert consensus from the Unity UK Echocardiography AI Collaborative. METHODS: We trained a multi-image neural network (Unity-GLS) to identify annulus, apex, and endocardial curve on 6,819 apical 4-, 2-, and 3-chamber images. The external validation dataset comprised those 3 views from 100 echocardiograms. End-systolic and -diastolic frames were each labelled by 11 experts to form consensus tracings and points. They also ordered the echocardiograms by visual grading of longitudinal function. One expert calculated global strain using 2 proprietary packages. RESULTS: The median GLS, averaged across the 11 individual experts, was -16.1 (IQR: -19.3 to -12.5). Using each case's expert consensus measurement as the reference standard, individual expert measurements had a median absolute error of 2.00 GLS units. In comparison, the errors of the machine methods were: Unity-GLS 1.3, proprietary A 2.5, proprietary B 2.2. The correlations with the expert consensus values were for individual experts 0.85, Unity-GLS 0.91, proprietary A 0.73, proprietary B 0.79. Using the multiexpert visual ranking as the reference, individual expert strain measurements found a median rank correlation of 0.72, Unity-GLS 0.77, proprietary A 0.70, and proprietary B 0.74. CONCLUSIONS: Our open-source approach to calculating GLS agrees with experts' consensus as strongly as the individual expert measurements and proprietary machine solutions. The training data, code, and trained networks are freely available online.

HISTOMONAS MELEAGRIDIS INFECTIONS IN TURKEYS IN THE USA: A CENTURY OF PROGRESS, RESURGENCE, AND TRIBUTE TO ITS EARLY INVESTIGATORS, THEOBALD SMITH, ERNST TYZZER, AND EVERETT LUND.

Histomoniasis, caused by the protozoan, Histomonas meleagridis, is an economically important disease of turkeys, and it also affects several other species of domesticated and wild Galliformes, including chickens. Under natural conditions, the parasite is transmitted through eggs of a nematode, Heterakis gallinarum, that shares its hosts with Hi. meleagridis. The protozoan infects tissues of both male and female He. gallinarum and eventually is carried within the worm egg. Histomonas meleagridis more readily infects and develops in chickens, and the proximity of chicken farms is a major risk factor for outbreaks in turkeys. Chemoprophylaxis had controlled Hi. meleagridis in turkeys very successfully, but histomoniasis has recently reemerged in turkeys because anti-histomonal drugs are no longer permitted by the United States Food and Drug Administration because of the concerns for residual toxins in poultry meat. Horizontal transmission of the protozoan in the absence of worm eggs remains a mystery because the flagellate trophozoite excreted in the feces of turkeys is not viable for any length of time. A proposed resistant stage of the protozoan has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Here we review the discovery of the protozoan and the current status of the disease and its control.

Social determinants of health inequalities in early phase clinical trials in Northern England.

BACKGROUND: Early phase clinical trials in Oncology represent a subspecialised area where UK patient selection is influenced by access to Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs). Equity of access with respect to social determinants of health (SDoH) were explored for two major ECMCs. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study including all referrals to Newcastle and Manchester ECMCs in 2021 was completed. Consent to screening or pre-screening was stratified against SDoH characteristics, including: Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) decile, ethnicity and distance to centre. RESULTS: 1243 patients were referred for trials. IMD quintile 1 (most deprived) patients had reduced likelihood of referral compared to expected population models (OR, 0.67; 95% CI: 0.55 to 0.80, p = <0.0001). IMD quintile 5 (least deprived) had increased likelihood of referral (OR, 1.46; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.82, p = 0.0007). Living beyond median distance from Manchester reduced the likelihood of consenting to trials (OR, 0.72; 95% CI: 0.55 to 0.94, p = 0.015). Ethnicity data represented a White British propensity. CONCLUSIONS: Inequalities in socioeconomic and geographic factors influence referral and enrolment to early phase clinical trials in Northern England. This has implications for equity of access and generalisability of trial results internationally and warrants further study.

Unsaturation in the air spaces of leaves and its implications.

Modern plant physiological theory stipulates that the resistance to water movement from plants to the atmosphere is overwhelmingly dominated by stomata. This conception necessitates a corollary assumption-that the air spaces in leaves must be nearly saturated with water vapour; that is, with a relative humidity that does not decline materially below unity. As this idea became progressively engrained in scientific discourse and textbooks over the last century, observations inconsistent with this corollary assumption were occasionally reported. Yet, evidence of unsaturation gained little traction, with acceptance of the prevailing framework motivated by three considerations: (1) leaf water potentials measured by either thermocouple psychrometry or the Scholander pressure chamber are largely consistent with the framework; (2) being able to assume near saturation of intercellular air spaces was transformational to leaf gas exchange analysis; and (3) there has been no obvious mechanism to explain a variable, liquid-phase resistance in the leaf mesophyll. Here, we review the evidence that refutes the assumption of universal, near saturation of air spaces in leaves. Refining the prevailing paradigm with respect to this assumption provides opportunities for identifying and developing mechanisms for increased plant productivity in the face of increasing evaporative demand imposed by global climate change.

Accuracy of intra ocular lens calculation formulae in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the visual and refractive outcomes in patients with pseudoexfoliation (PXF) undergoing routine cataract surgery and to compare the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulae. METHODS: Retrospective case-series study from Shamir medical center, a public hospital, Israel. Medical records of patients who underwent routine cataract surgery between January 2019 and August 2021 were investigated. Postoperative visual acuity and manifest refraction were examined. The error in predicted refraction and IOL power calculation accuracy within a range of ± 0.50 to ± 1.00 diopters were compared between different IOL calculating formulae. RESULTS: 151 eyes of 151 patients ages 73.9 ± 7.1 years were included in this study- 58 eyes in the PXF group and 93 eyes in the control group. The mean absolute error (MAE) for the BUII formula was 0.63D ± 0.87 for the PXF group and 0.36D ± 0.48 for the control group (p < 0.05). The MAE for the Hill-RBF 3.0 formula was 0.61D ± 0.84 for the PXF group and 0.42D ± 0.55 for the control group (p = 0.05). There were significant differences in MAE and MedAE between PXF group and control group measures (p < 0.05). In the PXF group there were no significant differences between the different formulae. CONCLUSIONS: There were significant differences in accuracy of IOL power calculations in all formulae between PXF group and control group measures. PXF patients show hyperopic shift from predicted refraction. Barret universal II formula had the highest proportion of eyes with absolute error in prediction below or equal to 0.50 D in both PXF and control groups.

Thermal performance curves for aerobic scope and specific dynamic action in a sexually dimorphic piscivore: implications for a warming climate.

Digestion can make up a substantial proportion of animal energy budgets, yet our understanding of how it varies with sex, body mass and ration size is limited. A warming climate may have consequences for animal growth and feeding dynamics that will differentially impact individuals in their ability to efficiently acquire and assimilate meals. Many species, such as walleye (Sander vitreus), exhibit sexual size dimorphism (SSD), whereby one sex is larger than the other, suggesting sex differences in energy acquisition and/or expenditure. Here, we present the first thorough estimates of specific dynamic action (SDA) in adult walleye using intermittent-flow respirometry. We fed male (n=14) and female (n=9) walleye two ration sizes, 2% and 4% of individual body mass, over a range of temperatures from 2 to 20°C. SDA was shorter in duration and reached higher peak rates of oxygen consumption with increasing temperature. Peak SDA increased with ration size and decreased with body mass. The proportion of digestible energy lost to SDA (i.e. the SDA coefficient) was consistent at 6% and was unrelated to temperature, body mass, sex or ration size. Our findings suggest that sex has a negligible role in shaping SDA, nor is SDA a contributor to SSD for this species. Standard and maximum metabolic rates were similar between sexes but maximum metabolic rate decreased drastically with body mass. Large fish, which are important for population growth because of reproductive hyperallometry, may therefore face a bioenergetic disadvantage and struggle most to perform optimally in future, warmer waters.

How are Conversations via an On-Demand Peer-To-Peer Emotional Well-Being App Associated with Emotional Improvement?

Non-clinical, on-demand peer-to-peer (PtP) support apps have become increasingly popular over the past several years. Although not as pervasive as general self-help apps, these PtP support apps are usually free and instantly connect individuals through live texting with a non-clinical volunteer who has been minimally trained to listen and offer support. To date, there is little empirical work that examines whether and how using an on-demand PtP support app improves emotional well-being. Applying regression and multilevel models to N = 1000+ PtP conversations, this study examined whether individuals experience emotional improvement following a conversation on a PtP support app (HearMe) and whether dyadic characteristics of the conversation - specifically, verbal and emotional synchrony - are associated with individuals' emotional improvement. We found that individuals reported emotional improvement following a conversation on the PtP support app and that verbal (but not emotional) synchrony was associated with the extent of individuals' emotional improvement. Our results suggest that online PtP support apps are a viable source of help. We discuss cautions and considerations when applying our findings to enhance the delivery of support provision on PtP apps.

Validation of a new acoustic telemetry transmitter for the study of predation events in small fishes.

Acoustic telemetry has emerged as an important tool for studying the movement and behavior of aquatic animals. Predation-sensing acoustic transmitters combine the functions of typical acoustic transmitters with the added ability to identify the predation of tagged animals. The objective of this paper was to assess the performance of a newly miniaturized acid-based predation-sensing acoustic transmitter (Innovasea V3D; 0.33 g in air). We conducted staged predation events in the laboratory where acoustically tagged rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed to largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans) at 3.3-7.0, 9.0-10.8, 16.0-20.0, and 22.0-25.8°C. We also conducted false-positive tests where tagged rainbow trout were held at 10.0 and 16.8°C without the risk of predation. Predation events were successfully identified in 92% of the staged predation trials. Signal lag (i.e., the time required for a predation tag to indicate that predation occurred) ranged from 0.11 to 6.29 days and decreased strongly with increasing water temperature and increased with increasing body mass of the tagged prey. Tag retention in the gut of the predator was much more variable than signal lag and was influenced by water temperature and individual predators but not by prey mass. No false positives were detected after 60 days at either temperature (n = 27 individuals). Although the relationships between water temperature, signal lag, and retention time are likely species-specific, the data reported here provide useful information for the use of these transmitters to study predation in wild fishes, especially for temperate, freshwater fish.

Thermal stressors during embryo incubation have limited ontogenic carryover effects in brook trout.

Winter climate is changing rapidly in northern latitudes, and these temperature events have effects on salmonid thermal biology. Stressors during winter egg incubation could reduce hatching success and physiological performance of fall-spawning fishes. Here we quantified the potential for ontogenic carryover effects from embryonic thermal stress in multiple wild and hatchery-origin populations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), a temperate ectotherm native to northeastern North America. Fertilized eggs from four populations were incubated over the winter in the laboratory in four differing thermal regimes: ambient stream-fed water, chronic warming (+2 °C), ambient with a mid-winter cold-shock, and short-term warming late during embryogenesis (to stimulate an early spring). We examined body size and upper thermal tolerance at the embryonic, fry (10 weeks post-hatch and 27-30 weeks post-hatch) and gravid adult (age 2+) life stages (overall N = 1482). In a separate experiment, we exposed developing embryos to acute seven-day heat stress events immediately following fertilization and at the eyed-egg stage, and then assessed upper thermal tolerance (CTmax) 37 weeks post-hatch. In all cases, fish were raised in common garden conditions after hatch (i.e., same temperatures). Our thermal treatments during incubation had effects that varied by life stage, with incubation temperature and life stage both affecting body size and thermal tolerance. Embryos incubated in warmer treatment groups had higher thermal tolerance; there was no effect of the mid-winter melt event on embryo CTmax. Ten weeks after hatch, fry from the ambient and cold-shock treatment groups had higher and less variable thermal tolerance than did the warmer treatment groups. At 27-30 post-hatch and beyond, differences in thermal tolerance among treatment groups were negligible. Collectively, our study suggests that brook trout only exhibit short-term carryover effects from thermal stressors during embryo incubation, with no lasting effects on phenotype beyond the first few months after hatch.

Udder health outcomes in Irish herds participating in CellCheck dry cow consults.

The CellCheck dry cow consult (DCC) was developed by the CellCheck Technical Working Group to enable farmers to engage with their nominated veterinarian to develop farm-specific selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) plans, where appropriate. This study evaluated the effect of the DCC on farmer decision-making around dry cow therapy, and the udder health effects of implementing SDCT, in study herds over the 2019 and 2020 dry periods. The DCC was a 3-h consult, delivered and funded as part of the Targeted Advisory Service on Animal Health. Herds that completed a DCC were invited to register for a dry cow review the following year. The combined dataset for analysis across both years comprised 439 herds and 25,357 cows. Herd size ranged from 25 to 800. The median SCC of cows dried off with teat sealant only was 47,000 cells/mL before drying off in 2019 and 48,000 cells/mL at first milk recording in 2020, and 43,000 cells/mL before drying off in 2020 and 39,000 cells/mL at first milking recording in 2021. Following both the 2019 and 2020 dry periods, cows tended to converge toward a similar median SCC early in the following lactation, irrespective of prior dry cow treatment strategy. The uptake of SDCT was greater in review herds, with 21% of cows receiving teat sealant only in 2020, compared with 16.3% of cows in herds participating in a consult for the first time in 2020. At an individual cow level, in both years dry period new infection rate (NIR) was approximately 2.7% higher for cows treated with teat sealant only, than for those treated with both dry cow antibiotic tubes and teat sealant, and 1.2% higher than cows treated with antibiotic only. Regardless of treatment, a significant association was detectable between increasing parity and the risk of a dry period new infection. Increasing herd size had a significant effect on the risk of dry period NIR. At a herd level, no significant increase in NIR occurred when SDCT was used compared with herds where blanket dry cow therapy was used. Though not without risk, SDCT can be successfully implemented in Irish herds; however, constant attention to hygiene and management is essential. Despite the challenges, facilitating continued farmer education and engagement with professional guidance will be important.

Estimation of sensitivity and specificity of bulk tank milk PCR and 2 antibody ELISA tests for herd-level diagnosis of Mycoplasma bovis infection using Bayesian latent class analysis.

Mycoplasmosis (due to infection with Mycoplasma bovis) is a serious disease of beef and dairy cattle that can adversely affect health, welfare, and productivity. Mycoplasmosis can lead to a range of often severe, clinical presentations. Mycoplasma bovis infection can present either clinically or subclinically, with the potential for recrudescence of shedding in association with stressful periods. Infection can be maintained within herds because of intermittent shedding. Mycoplasma bovis is recognized as poorly responsive to treatment, which presents a major challenge for control in infected herds. Given this, particular focus is needed on biosecurity measures to prevent introduction into uninfected herds in the first place. A robust and reliable laboratory test for surveillance is important for both herd-level prevention and control. The objective of this study was to estimate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of 3 diagnostic tests (1 PCR and 2 ELISA tests) on bulk tank milk (BTM), for the herd-level detection of M. bovis using Bayesian latent class analysis (BLCA). In autumn 2018, BTM samples from 11,807 herds, covering the majority of the main dairy regions in Ireland had been submitted to the Department of Agriculture testing laboratory for routine surveillance and were made available for study. A stratified random sample approach was used to select a cohort of herds for testing from this larger sample set. A final study population of 728 herds had BTM samples analyzed using a Bio-X ELISA (ELISA 1), an IDvet ELISA (ELISA 2) and a PCR test. A BLCA was conducted to estimate the Se and Sp of the 3 diagnostic tests applied to BTM for the detection of herd-level infection. An overall latent class analysis was conducted on all herds within a single population (a 3-test, 1-population model). The herds were also split into 2 populations based on herd size (small herds had <82 cattle; a 3-test, 2-population model) and separately into 3 regions in Ireland (Leinster, Munster, and Connacht/Ulster; a 3-test, 3-population model). The latent variable of interest was the herd-level M. bovis infection status. In total, 363/728 (50%) were large herds, 7 (1.0%) were positive on PCR, 88 (12%) positive on ELISA 1, and 406 (56%) positive on ELISA 2. Based on the 2-population model, the Se (95% Bayesian credible interval [BCI] was 0.03 (upper and lower limits: 0.02, 0.05), 0.22 (0.18, 0.27), and 0.94 (0.88, 0.98) for PCR, ELISA 1, and ELISA 2, respectively. The Sp (95% BCI) was 0.99 (0.99, 1.0), 0.97 (0.95, 0.99), and 0.92 (0.86, 0.97) for PCR, ELISA 1, and ELISA 2, respectively. The herd-level true prevalence was estimated at 0.43 (BCI 0.35, 0.5) for smaller herds. The true prevalence was estimated at 0.62 (BCI 0.55, 0.69) for larger herds. The true prevalence was estimated at 0.56 (BCI 0.49, 0.463) in the 1-population model. For the 3-population model, the Se (95% BCI) was 0.03 (0.02, 0.05), 0.24 (0.18, 0.29), and 0.95 (0.9, 0.98) for PCR, ELISA 1, and ELISA 2 respectively. The Sp (95% BCI) was 0.99 (0.99, 1.0), 0.98 (0.96, 0.99), and 0.88 (0.79, 0.95) for PCR, ELISA 1 and ELISA 2, respectively. The herd-level true prevalence (95% BCI) was estimated at 0.65 (0.56, 0.73), 0.38 (0.28, 0.46), and 0.53 (0.4, 0.65) for populations 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Across all 3 models, the range in true prevalence was 38% to 65% of Irish dairy herds infected with M. bovis. The operating characteristics vary substantially between tests. The IDvet ELISA had a relatively high Se (the highest Se of the 3 tests studied) but it was estimated at 0.95 at its highest in 3-test, 3-population model. This test may be an appropriate test for herd-level screening or prevalence estimation within the context of the endemically infected Irish dairy cattle population. Further work is required to optimize this test and its interpretation when applied at herd-level to offset concerns related to the lower than optimal test Sp.