Prominent barriers and motivators to installing ROPS: an analysis of survey responses from Pennsylvania and Vermont

Tractor overturns contribute significantly to the number of work-related deaths that occur every year on U.S. farms. Although the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries have the highest fatality rates of any industries, researchers predict that the elimination of tractor overturn fatalities could result in a noticeable reduction in the farm fatality rate. Rollover protection structures (ROPS) are 99% effective in preventing overturn fatalities. However, roughly 50% of U.S. tractors do not have a ROPS. In order to identify prominent barriers and motivators to installing ROPS, a phone survey was conducted with a random sample of farmers (n = 327) in Vermont and Pennsylvania, two states interested in developing ROPS installation programs. Results indicated that cost and perceived need were the most frequently highly rated barriers to ROPS installation in both states, while working near hills or ditches and concerns regarding liability were the most frequently highly rated motivators for installing ROPS. Additionally, older farmers identified limited use of a tractor as a highly rated barrier.     

Evaluation of the Farm and Agricultural Injury Classification Code and follow-up questionnaire

The Farm and Agricultural Injury Classification (FAIC) code was developed specifically to identify and classify all agricultural injuries of interest to agricultural safety and health professionals. The FAIC code overcomes fundamental problems of classifying agricultural-related injuries by grouping incidents into categories describing actual exposures encountered on farms and in agricultural work. The successful application of the FAIC code depends largely on a researcher's ability to obtain appropriate information to correctly use the code. The purpose of this research project was to: (1) compare data obtained through a newly developed FAIC follow-up questionnaire (FQ) with data from the Penn State Agricultural Injury Database (AID); and (2) test FAIC Code utility, reliability, and construct validity with agricultural safety and health professionals. The FQ improved classification of 57% of cases in the Penn State AID. A majority of agricultural health and safety professionals understood and used the FAIC coding system, without training, to code an average of 75% of the test cases the same as the researcher. A large majority of the professionals that participated in this study judged the FAIC code and the accompanying materials to be very useful.     

Reversion to virulence of chicken-passaged infectious bronchitis vaccine virus

Serial passage of two infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccine strains in chickens enhanced their capacity to increase the incidence and severity of Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) airsacculitis. Included in this report were the mild Massachusetts-type Connaught strain and the Arkansas 99 vaccine strain of IBV. The Connaught strain and one of two Ark 99 vaccine strains passaged in chickens increased the incidence of airsacculitis markedly compared with nonpassaged virus. The other Ark 99 vaccine virus already exacerbated MS airsacculitis, before passage in chickens, and its influence did not increase on passage. All IBV strains studied to date have either possessed this trait or reacquired it on passage in the natural host.     

Identification of the DDAH2 Protein in Pig Reproductive Tract Mucus: A Putative Oestrus Detection Marker

Precisely detecting oestrus is important for artificial insemination. The aims of this study were to identify oestrus‐specific sow mucus proteins to determine the optimal time for artificial insemination. The proestrous‐ and oestrous‐stage mucus proteins were purified and analysed with proteomic tools such as two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization–time‐of‐flight analyses. Among the differentially expressed proteins, the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 (DDAH2) protein showed a 3.6‐fold increase during the proestrous stage compared to that during the oestrous stage. A western immunoblot study revealed that two of three sow mucus samples clearly showed negative anti‐DDAH2 antibody activity during the oestrous stage. This study demonstrated that the pig DDAH2 mucus protein exists during the proestrous stage, but not during the oestrous stage, suggesting that mucus DDAH2 could be useful as an oestrus detection marker.     

Effects of Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone Administration on the Pituitary-Ovarian Axis in Anoestrous vs Ovariectomized Bitches

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) administration on the plasma concentrations of reproductive hormones in intact and ovariectomized (OVX) bitches. Therefore, blood samples were collected at multiple times before and after the administration of 10 microg/kg GnRH (Fertagyl)) for the determination of the plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), oestradiol, progesterone and testosterone in six anoestrus and in six OVX bitches. The mean plasma LH concentrations before and 60 min after GnRH administration were significantly lower in the anoestrous bitches than in the OVX bitches. In both groups GnRH administration resulted in a significant increase in the plasma LH concentration. The highest plasma LH concentrations were found at 10 min after GnRH administration and these values did not differ significantly between the two groups. Only in the anoestrous bitches a significant increase in plasma oestradiol concentrations was found after GnRH administration and these values were significantly higher than those in the OVX bitches. The plasma concentrations of progesterone and testosterone were low (close to or below the limit of quantitation) both before and after GnRH administration and the differences between anoestrous and OVX bitches were not significant. It can be concluded that (i) basal plasma LH concentration is significantly higher in OVX bitches than in anoestrous bitches, (ii) plasma LH concentration increases after GnRH administration in both anoestrous and OVX bitches, (iii) GnRH administration causes a significant rise in plasma oestradiol concentration only if ovarian tissue is present and (iv) measurement of plasma progesterone and testosterone concentrations before and after GnRH administration does not aid in distinguishing between anoestrous and OVX bitches. The results of this study may provide a basis for the diagnosis of remnant ovarian tissue and verification of neuter status in the bitch.     

Methods for Equine Preantral Follicles Isolation: Quantitative Aspects

The aim of this study was to test the use of mechanical and mechanical‐enzymatic methods, saline solution (SS), and PBS solution for the manipulation and isolation of mare ovarian preantral follicles (PAFs). The ovaries were subjected to mechanical isolation (mixer) alone or in association with enzymatic digestion (collagenase). Incubation times of 10 and 20 min were employed. In the first group, 4.1 ± 4.9 PAFs were harvested with the mechanical‐enzymatic method vs 71.1 ± 19.2 with the mechanical procedure, showing a significant difference between methods; using SS and PBS, these numbers were 35.7 ± 34.3 and 39.6 ± 39.6, respectively, with no significant difference between solutions. In the second group, there was significant difference between methods, with 7.1 ± 10.6 follicles harvested with the mechanical‐enzymatic method vs 63.2 ± 22.9 with the mechanical procedure; using SS and PBS, means were 35.5 ± 36.4 and 34.9 ± 31.1, respectively. The mechanical method proved more effective than the mechanical‐enzymatic approach. Both SS and PBS can be used as a media for equine PAFs preparation.