Time to Loss of Behavioral and Brainstem Responses of Ducks following Non-Stunned Slaughter

Non-stunned slaughter has been extensively described for other farmed species but there has been limited research on waterfowl. The study assessed 34 White Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) (study 1) in a non-stunned halal slaughterhouse in Brazil for time to loss of consciousness using various behavioral and brainstem indices (balance, cranial nerve reflexes, and muscle tension) and assessed the relationship between extent of clotting, location of neck cut, level of damage to neck vessels/tissues, and the time to onset of unconsciousness. In addition, operator practices were separately observed and neck pathology following the cut was examined in 217 carcasses after bleeding (study 2). In study 1 following the neck cut there was a wide variation between birds in the time to loss of behavioral and brainstem indices, ranging from 20 to 334 and 20 to 383 s for neck and beak tension, respectively. The median time to loss of balance following the neck cut was 166 ± 14 (22–355) seconds. There was a moderate correlation (R = 0.60 and 0.62) between distance of the neck cut and time to loss of balance and neck tension, respectively. This is the first investigation of the time to loss of consciousness following non-stunned slaughter of ducks in commercial conditions. The findings could be used to improve the welfare of ducks during non-stunned slaughter, such as recommending performance of the neck cut closer to the jaw line and ensuring appropriate waiting periods between slaughter and birds entering the scalding tanks.

Predicting Average Wait-Time of COVID-19 Test Results and Efficacy Using Machine Learning Algorithms

Due to the rising number of confirmed positive tests, the global impact of COVID-19 continues to grow. This can be attributed to the long wait times patients face to receive COVID-19 test results. During these lengthy waiting periods, people become anxious, especially those who are not experiencing early COVID-19 symptoms. This study aimed to develop models that predict waiting times for COVID-19 test results based on different factors such as testing facility, result interpretation, and date of test. Several machine learning algorithms were used to predict average waiting times for COVID-19 test results and to find the most accurate model. These algorithms include neural network, support vector regression, K-nearest neighbor regression, and more. COVID-19 test result waiting times were predicted for 54,730 patients recorded during the pandemic across 171 hospitals and 14 labs. To examine and evaluate the model’s accuracy, different measurements were applied such as root mean squared and R-Squared. Among the eight proposed models, the results showed that decision tree regression performed the best for predicting COVID-19 test results waiting times. The proposed models could be used to prioritize testing for COVID-19 and provide decision makers with the proper prediction tools to prepare against possible threats and consequences of future COVID-19 waves.

Displacement, time and resistance: The role of waiting in facilitating occupations led by internally displaced persons in Colombia

This article contributes to the existing literature on the politics of waiting by discussing occupations led by internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Colombia. This literature has emphasised both the power that waiting frequently entails and, increasingly, the agency it can comprise. Yet less has been said about the potential role of waiting in generating resistance. Drawing on a Foucauldian understanding of power as intimately tied to resistance, this article explores how waiting can, in some instances, produce resistance. It uses fieldwork conducted in Bogotá, Colombia, between October 2017 and August 2018, including ethnographic observations and 120 interviews conducted with IDPs and state officials, to explore the centrality of waiting to IDPs’ experiences of displacement in Colombia. Contrary to those who would argue that such waiting encourages passivity, the article draws on a discussion of a two-year-long occupation by IDPs in Bogotá to argue that the long waiting periods facing the occupation’s participants prior to partaking in it were instrumental to facilitating the occupation. Waiting enabled the occupation in two major ways: by bringing together a group of people who would not have met had they not been forced to spend prolonged time together in close quarters and by constituting a key source of frustration motivating the occupation.

EP.FRI.554 How long do patients wait for emergency laparoscopy? A local audit of service

Aim Anecdotal experience suggested patients undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy for appendicitis faced long pre-operative waiting periods. This project was undertaken to quantify the situation and determine how long patients were waiting for surgery. National guidelines recommend patients can reasonably wait 6-18 hours for surgery, as per NCEPOD classification of intervention (appendicitis considered to fall under urgent 2b category). Method A retrospective audit of 39 patients listed for diagnostic laparoscopy or appendicectomy during November 2019 was performed. Clinical notes and electronic records were reviewed to determine the timeline of clinical decision making and patient’s arrival in theatre. Operative and histopathology findings were also noted. Results The majority of patients (61%) underwent surgery within 18 hours of a documented decision to operate. Average wait was 17.5 hrs (mean). Longest wait was 41 hours (excluding isolated outlier). Documentation of decision to operate was noted to be poor (undocumented in 5 cases) and in some cases the patient was booked before a documented decision to operate. Variation between the operative and histopathological diagnosis of appendicitis was apparent. Conclusions The findings are re-assuring that once the decision was made to operate most patients had surgery within 18 hours. However, there is still room for improvement with regards to timeliness and documentation. The discrepancy between operative and histological findings highlight the challenge of diagnosing appendicitis accurately.

Prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella in native pecan orchards as influenced by waiting periods between grazing and harvest

Animals (grazing, working, or intrusion) in produce production areas may present a potential contamination source of foodborne pathogens on produce. Cattle grazing on native pecan production orchards, a common practice in the Southern United States, provides a great opportunity to study the impact of grazing practice and waiting periods on contamination rates of foodborne pathogens of tree nuts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), in native pecan production orchards as influenced by waiting periods between grazing cattle and pecan harvest. Soil (10 g), cattle feces (10 g), and in-shell pecans (25 g) were sampled from five cattle-grazed orchards in areas with cattle removed two or four months prior to harvest and not removed. Five non-grazing orchards were sampled at harvest for comparison. Detection and isolation of the pathogens were performed by enrichment, selective isolation, and multiplex PCR. Statistical analyses were performed using contingency tables with Pearson’s chi-squared test. The prevalence of STEC (36%) and Salmonella (29%) in cattle-grazed orchards was significantly higher compared to non-grazed orchards (13%; 7%). STEC prevalence in cattle-grazed orchards was higher (38%) in areas with cattle at harvest than in fenced areas where cattle were removed two (29%) and four (27%) months prior to harvest. Salmonella prevalence was similar in areas without fencing (31%), and areas with cattle removed at two (22%) and four months prior to harvest (30%). However, there were not significant differences ( P ≤ 0.05) in contamination rates between waiting periods for either pathogen, suggesting a limited impact of waiting periods on reducing the risk of contamination.

Intervene or wait? Modelling the timing of intervention in conservation conflicts adaptive management under uncertainty

The timing of biodiversity managers’ interventions can be critical to the success of conservation, especially in situations of conflict between conservation objectives and human livelihood, i.e., conservation conflicts. Given the uncertainty associated with complex social-ecological systems and the potentially irreversible consequences of delayed action for biodiversity and livelihoods, managers tend to simply intervene as soon as possible by precaution. However, refraining from intervening when the situation allows it can be beneficial, notably by saving critical management resources. Here, we introduce a strategy for managers to decide, based on monitoring, whether intervention is required or if waiting is possible. This study evaluates the performance of this waiting strategy compared to a strategy of unconditional intervention at every opportunity. We built an individual-based model of conservation conflict between a manager aiming to conserve an animal population and farmers aiming to maximize yield by protecting their crop from wildlife damage. We then simulated a budget-constrained adaptive management over time applying each strategy, while accounting for uncertainty around population dynamics and around decision-making of managers and farmers. Our results showed that when the decision for the manager to intervene was based on a prediction of population size trajectory, the waiting strategy performed at least as well as unconditional intervention while also allowing managers to save resources by avoiding unnecessary interventions. Under difficult budgetary constraints on managers, this waiting strategy ensured as high yields as unconditional intervention while significantly improving conservation outcomes by compensating managers’ lack of resources with the benefits accrued over waiting periods. This suggests that waiting strategies are worth considering in conservation conflicts, as they can facilitate equitable management with a more efficient use of management resources, which are often limiting in biodiversity conservation.

Preparing Silver Linings for a Cloudy Day: The Consequences of Preemptive Benefit Finding

Waiting for important news is stressful. In four studies, we assess the utility of preemptive benefit finding, a coping strategy in which people seek silver linings in bad news before receiving news, for emotional well-being across several waiting periods (waiting for bar exam results, the outcome of political elections, and results of a fictitious health risk assessment). Our findings support the effectiveness of preemptive benefit finding while waiting, such that identifying benefits in bad news while waiting predicts more positive emotions during the wait (Studies 3 and 4) and buffers people against the emotional consequences of bad news by boosting post-news positive emotions (Studies 2–4). Importantly, engaging in preemptive benefit finding does not backfire if a person ultimately receives good news (Studies 1, 3, and 4). We discuss results from a mini meta-analysis and consider implications of our findings for interventions to improve well-being while waiting and after news arrives.

Public Health and Disability: A Real-Life Example of the Importance of Keeping Up the Good Work

Secondary and tertiary prevention strategies are essential in targeting those with disabilities to improve their health and well-being. In Sweden, over 95% of all children with cerebral palsy (CP) participate in a follow-up program in which one of the goals is to prevent hip dislocations. To demonstrate the importance of maintaining timely, systematic, preventive, work overtime, we reviewed the incidence of hip dislocations from 2010 to 2019 and the number of children who underwent different types of hip surgeries in Sweden. Leading to 2015, the number of hip dislocations reduced from 8.8% before the introduction of the program to 0.3–0.4%, followed by a gradual increase to 0.8% in 2019. The proportion of children who underwent adductor–psoas lengthening as their primary preventative surgery decreased from 65% in 2010 to 45% in 2019, with a corresponding increase of children undergoing femoral osteotomy, indicating that more children underwent surgery at a later stage. One of the likely reasons for the increase in hip dislocations includes longer waiting periods before surgery, possibly due to a shortage of nurses. At least seven of the 29 children with dislocated hips waited more than one year for preventative surgery and developed a hip dislocation during this period. It is also possible that the increased number of children with hip dislocations may be associated with the fact that more children with CP have immigrated to Sweden in recent years without receiving corresponding compensation in healthcare resources. The results highlight the importance of constantly monitoring follow-up programs to swiftly notice alarming trends that require immediate action.

Exploring the challenges and opportunities for improving the health and wellbeing of international students: Perspectives of international students.

This study sought to explore the challenges and opportunities for improving the health and wellbeing of international students through in-depth interviews with 21 international students at an Australian University. Interviews explored 1) conceptualisation of health and wellbeing, 2) perceptionsof the most significant health and wellbeing issues for international students, and 3) the barriers to international students accessing campus-based services for health and wellbeing concerns. Almost all international students viewed health and wellbeing as a state encompassing both physical and mental/emotional health. Key challenges included mental health, lack of social support, academic stressors, financial pressures, and accommodation concerns. Barriers to accessing university support services included cultural stigma, language barriers, waiting periods to access services, and not knowing how or where to access support within the university. The implications of these findings and suggested strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of international students are discussed.