Effect of envelope material on biosecurity during emergency bovine mortality composting.

The biosecurity of composting as an emergency disposal method for cattle mortalities caused by disease was evaluated by conducting full-scale field trials begun during three different seasons and using three different envelope materials. Process biosecurity was significantly affected by the envelope material used to construct the composting matrix. Internal temperatures met USEPA Class A time/temperature criteria for pathogen reduction in 89%, 67%, and 22%, respectively of seasonal test units constructed with corn silage, straw/manure, or ground cornstalks. In trials begun in the winter, survival times of vaccine strains of avian encephalomyelitis and Newcastle disease virus were noticeably shorter in silage test units than in the other two materials, but during summer/spring trials survival times in ground cornstalk and straw/manure test units were similar to those in test units constructed with silage.

Management of a pregnancy complicated by type III spinal muscular atrophy.

The authors report the successful management of a pregnancy in a patient with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type III. It is a genetically inherited condition causing increasing weakness of the skeletal muscle. The patient in our case was confined to a wheelchair due to marked weakness in her lower limbs. A review of the available literature identified potential risk factors for the antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum period. These include increased risk of thromboembolism, urinary tract infections, intrauterine growth restriction and preterm delivery, anaesthetic problems and increased risk of uterine atony with subsequent postpartum haemorrhage. The authors report the management of these risk factors and the reasons for delivery by Caesarean section at 32 weeks. Apart from a decline in muscle function postdelivery requiring physiotherapy, there were no adverse outcomes for mother or baby. In both this case and on review of the literature, it is proven that a successful pregnancy is possible with SMA.

Determination of thermal properties of composting bulking materials.

Thermal properties of compost bulking materials affect temperature and biodegradation during the composting process. Well determined thermal properties of compost feedstocks will therefore contribute to practical thermodynamic approaches. Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and volumetric heat capacity of 12 compost bulking materials were determined in this study. Thermal properties were determined at varying bulk densities (1, 1.3, 1.7, 2.5, and 5 times uncompacted bulk density), particle sizes (ground and bulk), and water contents (0, 20, 50, 80% of water holding capacity and saturated condition). For the water content at 80% of water holding capacity, saw dust, soil compost blend, beef manure, and turkey litter showed the highest thermal conductivity (K) and volumetric heat capacity (C) (K: 0.12-0.81 W/m degrees C and C: 1.36-4.08 MJ/m(3) degrees C). Silage showed medium values at the same water content (K: 0.09-0.47 W/m degrees C and C: 0.93-3.09 MJ/m(3) degrees C). Wheat straw, oat straw, soybean straw, cornstalks, alfalfa hay, and wood shavings produced the lowest K and C values (K: 0.03-0.30 W/m degrees C and C: 0.26-3.45 MJ/m(3) degrees C). Thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity showed a linear relationship with moisture content and bulk density, while thermal diffusivity showed a nonlinear relationship. Since the water, air, and solid materials have their own specific thermal property values, thermal properties of compost bulking materials vary with the rate of those three components by changing water content, bulk density, and particle size. The degree of saturation was used to represent the interaction between volumes of water, air, and solids under the various combinations of moisture content, bulk density, and particle size. The first order regression models developed in this paper represent the relationship between degree of saturation and volumetric heat capacity (r=0.95-0.99) and thermal conductivity (r=0.84-0.99) well. Improved knowledge of the thermal properties of compost bulking materials can contribute to improved thermodynamic modeling and heat management of composting processes.

Optimum moisture levels for biodegradation of mortality composting envelope materials.

Moisture affects the physical and biological properties of compost and other solid-state fermentation matrices. Aerobic microbial systems experience different respiration rates (oxygen uptake and CO2 evolution) as a function of moisture content and material type. In this study the microbial respiration rates of 12 mortality composting envelope materials were measured by a pressure sensor method at six different moisture levels. A wide range of respiration (1.6-94.2mg O2/g VS-day) rates were observed for different materials, with alfalfa hay, silage, oat straw, and turkey litter having the highest values. These four envelope materials may be particularly suitable for improving internal temperature and pathogen destruction rates for disease-related mortality composting. Optimum moisture content was determined based on measurements across a range that spans the maximum respiration rate. The optimum moisture content of each material was observed near water holding capacity, which ranged from near 60% to over 80% on a wet basis for all materials except a highly stabilized soil compost blend (optimum around 25% w.b.). The implications of the results for moisture management and process control strategies during mortality composting are discussed.

Laboratory determination of compost physical parameters for modeling of airflow characteristics.

Physical parameters of 12 co-compost cover materials were experimentally determined and predicted variations in airflow characteristics were evaluated under varying moisture contents. Predicted air-filled porosity showed high correlation with measured air-filled porosity, facilitating development of a reliable model of air-filled porosity that makes it possible to predict the effect of varying moisture content and compost bed height on air-filled porosity and permeability. Predicted air-filled porosity decreased with increasing moisture content and compost depth for all materials. Air-filled porosity of corn stalks, oat straw, soybean straw, leaves, alfalfa hay, wheat straw, silage, wood shavings and sawdust was in the range of 38-99%. Turkey litter, soil compost blend and beef manure showed air-filled porosity values less than 30% near saturation and the bottom of pile. In concert with the findings of other researchers, effective particle size of all materials increased with increasing moisture content from 20% to 80% of water holding capacity (WHC). It increased dramatically near saturation. In general, permeability increased with increasing air-filled porosity and decreasing bulk density, but the relationship between permeability and moisture content is complex. Permeability is dependent on the balance between particle size and air-filled porosity. If the influence of aggregated particle size on the permeability is significant, it will compensate for the effect of reduced air-filled porosity caused by compaction and moisture content. In this case, permeability will increase; in the reverse case, it will decrease. Permeability decreased for corn stalks, oat straw, silage, wood shavings, soybean straw, sawdust, turkey litter and wheat straw with increasing moisture content from 20% WHC to 50% WHC, regardless of the depth of the compost bed. But the permeability increased with increasing moisture level from 50% to 80% WHC at moderate to shallow simulated bed depths. The soil compost blend and leaves showed the permeability increasing when the moisture increased not only from 50% to 80% WHC but also from 20% to 50% WHC. Permeability of alfalfa hay and beef manure always decreased with increasing moisture levels and pile depth. In this study the maximum wet bulk density and mechanical strength decreased with increasing the moisture content. The method described for determining physical properties under varying moisture contents and compost bed depths will be very useful for designing and modeling airflow characteristics of a mortality composting process with a variety of materials.

Fetal folate C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphism and low birth weight.

The aim of this study was to determine if fetal C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype contributes to low birth weight. The study group consisted of 243 term babies with a birth weight<10th centile for gestational age, with subgroup analyses for those <1st centile. The control group consisted of 132 term babies with a birth weight 3.3-3.8 kg. Odds ratio analyses with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for carriage of the t allele and overall genotype frequencies. There was no significant difference in carriage of the t allele between study and control groups, odds ratio (OR) 0.79 (95% CI, 0.57-1.09). No differences were observed for frequencies of heterozygote and recessive homozygote genotypes for the two populations. In the subgroup analyses, no statistical differences were observed in the t allele frequency, frequency of the heterozygote or homozygote genotype. Trends were seen and the study suggests that fetal C677T MTHFR genotype may be a factor contributing to birth weight. The potential may exist to influence clinical outcome by maternal folate supplementation.

Doctor-initiated consultations: a study of communication between general practitioners and patients about the need for reattendance.

It has been suggested that general practitioners have the potential to regulate a large percentage of their workload through their control of 'doctor-initiated' consultations. A survey was made of 300 consecutive consultations in a group practice. After their consultation patients completed a questionnaire asking what advice the doctor had given them on the need to reattend. At the same time the general practitioner completed a similar questionnaire about the need for reattendance and the advice given. The general practitioners judged that 74% of patients definitely or possibly needed to reattend, and only 26% definitely did not need to reattend. The coefficient of agreement between patients' and doctors' views on whether reattendance had been recommended was only 0.41. Thus the room for control of doctor-initiated consultations is limited by both clinical considerations and the apparent difficulty of accurately communicating the doctor's advice on reattendance to the patient.

Sodium channel activation does not alter lipid metabolism in cultured neuroblastoma cells.

The interaction of voltage-sensitive Na+-channels and membrane lipid metabolism was examined by incubating cultured neuroblastoma cells with neurotoxins which alter the voltage-dependent relationship between the closed and open conformation of the channel protein. Guanidinium flux rate, a measure of Na+-channel activation, was increased 10-fold by the combined action of veratridine (100 microM) and scorpion venom (28 micrograms/ml). This response was completely blocked by tetrodotoxin (1 microM). Under the same experimental conditions, the toxins did not increase the efflux of [3H]arachidonic acid from prelabeled cell membrane lipids or stimulate uptake of exogenous [3H]arachidonic acid. In addition, altering membrane fatty acid composition by incubating cells for 24 hr in a medium containing 50 microM arachidonic or oleic acid did not alter guanidinium flux rates relative to that of control cultures. When cells were pulsed with 32Pi for 60 min and stimulated by veratridine plus scorpion venom for an additional 30 min, uptake of 32Pi into phosphatidylinositol was reduced; stimulating cells with bradykinin, a receptor agonist which activates the inositol cycle, promoted a 3.8 fold increase. Polyphosphoinositide turnover was not affected by Na+-channel activation, but was stimulated by bradykinin. These results suggest that voltage-sensitive Na+-channel activation in cultured neuroblastoma cells can function independent of membrane phospholipid and fatty acid metabolism.