Housing Challenges and Systemic Inequities Amongst Migrant Farmworkers in Vermont’s Dairy Industry

This paper investigates and addresses the housing challenges faced by migrant dairy farmworkers in the state of Vermont. Using a variety of sources, drawing from quantitative and qualitative data, topics explored include the demographics of migrant dairy farmworkers in Vermont, their housing conditions, legal and regulatory frameworks regarding housing and how these pertains to migrant dairy farmworkers. It also discusses existing policy solutions, proposals, community innovation, and recommended actions to address systemic housing challenges faced by migrant dairy farmworkers in Vermont. This research paper finds that migrant dairy farmworkers are facing systemic housing challenges due to economic pressures, immigration policy, insufficient worker protections, and cultural barriers. Addressing these deep-rooted issues is essential through collaboration on a clear, actionable plan, securing funding, and fostering a commitment to sustainable housing initiatives. This paper also finds that enacting comprehensive housing reform to improve living conditions for migrant dairy farmworkers in Vermont is necessary through the collaboration of various stakeholders, including migrant farmworkers, employers, community organizations, and policymakers in order to develop adequate, sustainable, and affordable housing solutions. The findings of this paper underscore that addressing this housing crisis is both a moral obligation, and critical for the long-term sustainability of Vermont’s dairy industry

Pig peripheral blood mononuclear leucocyte subsets are heritable and genetically correlated with performance

Indicator traits used to select pigs for increased resistance to infection or improved health must be heritable and, preferably, be associated with improved performance. We estimated the heritability of a range of immune traits and their genetic and phenotypic correlations with growth performance. We measured immune traits on 589 pigs and performance on 1941 pigs from six farms, three of which were classified as 'high health status' (i.e. specific pathogen-free) and three were of lower health status. All pigs were apparently healthy. Immune traits were total white blood cells (WBC), and peripheral blood mononuclear leucocyte (PBML) subsets positive for CD4, CD8 alpha, gamma delta (gamma delta) T cell receptor, CD11R1 (natural killer cell marker), B cell and monocyte markers at the start and the end of standard growth performance tests. At both time points, all immune traits were moderately to highly heritable except for CD8 alpha(+) cells. At end of test, heritability estimates (h(2)) (+/- s.e.) were 0.18 (+/- 0.11) for total WBC count. For PBML subset proportions, the heritabilities were 0.52 (+/- 0.14) for gamma delta TCR cells, 0.62 (+/- 0.14) for CD4(+) cells, 0.44 (+/- 0.14) for CD11R1(+) cells, 0.58 (+/- 0.14) for B cells and 0.59 (+/- 0.14) for monocytes. Farm health status affected the heritabilities for WBC, being substantially higher on lower health status farms, but did not have consistent effects on heritabilities for the PBML subsets. There were significant negative genetic correlations between numbers and proportions of various PBML subsets and performance, at both start and end of test. In particular, the proportion of PBML cells that were CD11R1(+) cells, at end of test, was strongly correlated with daily gain (r(g) = -0.72; P &lt; 0.01). There were also weaker but significant negative phenotypic correlations between PBML subsets measured at end of test and performance, for gamma delta(+) T cells, CD8 alpha(+), CD11R1(+) cells, B cells or monocytes. Phenotypic correlations with daily gain were generally lower at the start of test than at the end of test. These results show that most of the major pig PBML subsets are heritable, and that systemic levels of several of these PBML subsets are genetically negatively correlated with performance. This approach provides a basis for using immune trait markers when selecting boars that can produce higher-performing progeny.</p

Infection of neonatal mice with the murine norovirus strain WU23 is a robust model to study norovirus pathogenesis

Noroviruses are the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea and foodborne disease worldwide. While they are a major cause of disease in all age groups, infections in the very young can be quite severe, with annual estimates of 50,000-200,000 fatalities in children under 5 years old. In spite of the remarkable disease burden associated with norovirus infections, very little is known about the pathogenic mechanisms underlying norovirus diarrhea, principally because of the lack of tractable small animal models. The development of the murine norovirus (MNV) model nearly two decades ago has facilitated progress in understanding host-norovirus interactions and norovirus strain variability. However, MNV strains tested thus far either do not cause intestinal disease or were isolated from extraintestinal tissue, raising concerns about translatability of research findings to human norovirus disease. Consequently, the field lacks a strong model of norovirus gastroenteritis. Here we provide a comprehensive characterization of a new small animal model system for the norovirus field that overcomes prior weaknesses. Specifically, we demonstrate that the WU23 MNV strain isolated from a mouse naturally presenting with diarrhea causes a transient reduction in weight gain and acute self-resolving diarrhea in neonatal mice of several inbred mouse lines. Moreover, our findings reveal that norovirus-induced diarrhea is associated with infection of subepithelial cells in the small intestine and systemic spread. Finally, type I interferons (IFNs) are critical to protect hosts from norovirus-induced intestinal disease whereas type III IFNs exacerbate diarrhea. This latter finding is consistent with other emerging data implicating type III IFNs in the exacerbation of some viral diseases. This new model system should enable a detailed investigation of norovirus disease mechanisms

A review of the human vs. porcine female genital tract and associated immune system in the perspective of using minipigs as a model of human genital Chlamydia infection

International audienceAbstractSexually transmitted diseases constitute major health issues and their prevention and treatment continue to challenge the health care systems worldwide. Animal models are essential for a deeper understanding of the diseases and the development of safe and protective vaccines. Currently a good predictive non-rodent model is needed for the study of genital chlamydia in women. The pig has become an increasingly popular model for human diseases due to its close similarities to humans. The aim of this review is to compare the porcine and human female genital tract and associated immune system in the perspective of genital Chlamydia infection. The comparison of women and sows has shown that despite some gross anatomical differences, the structures and proportion of layers undergoing cyclic alterations are very similar. Reproductive hormonal cycles are closely related, only showing a slight difference in cycle length and source of luteolysing hormone. The epithelium and functional layers of the endometrium show similar cyclic changes. The immune system in pigs is very similar to that of humans, even though pigs have a higher percentage of CD4+/CD8+ double positive T cells. The genital immune system is also very similar in terms of the cyclic fluctuations in the mucosal antibody levels, but differs slightly regarding immune cell infiltration in the genital mucosa - predominantly due to the influx of neutrophils in the porcine endometrium during estrus. The vaginal flora in Göttingen Minipigs is not dominated by lactobacilli as in humans. The vaginal pH is around 7 in Göttingen Minipigs, compared to the more acidic vaginal pH around 3.5–5 in women. This review reveals important similarities between the human and porcine female reproductive tracts and proposes the pig as an advantageous supplementary model of human genital Chlamydia infection

ChickScope: An Interactive MRI Classroom Curriculum Innovation for K-12

Researchers from several departments of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign initiated ChickScope, a 21-day chick embryonic development project, to demonstrate the remote control of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instrument through the World Wide Web. For 21 days, students and teachers from ten kindergarten to high school classrooms participated in this innovative project using an interactive Web lab book. From classroom computers with access to the Internet, students were able to login to the computers at the university that controlled the MRI system, manipulate experimental conditions through a simple on-line form to generate their own data, and then view resulting images of the chick embryo in real-time. Researchers answered students' questions about their MR images and other related issues. ChickScope made extraordinary hardware, software, and human resources available to the classrooms. However, it left to teachers the tasks of integrating these resources into the classroom and adapting them to the needs and abilities of the students. Thus, the implementation was teacher-based, and its meaning was realized in different ways in each setting. This paper describes the planning, implementation, and the impact of ChickScope in classrooms for facilitating learning and teaching. We provide examples from various grade levels?primary to high school. We conclude with lessons learned and the implications of advanced technologies for K-12 outreach.Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, Beckman Institute Visualization Facility, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, and several other units of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign County Extension Unitpublished or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Arrangering av popmusik för saxofonkvartett

Detta arbete är skrivet av en student på den klassiska institutionen som önskade vidga och utmana sin musikaliska bredd. Detta genom att ta den vanligaste kammarmusikformen inom klassisk saxofon och omvandla den till ett unikt koncept: att behandla saxofonkvartett som en popkonstellation. Arbetet redogör den konstnärliga processen och lärdomarna dragna från projektet: att arrangera popmusik för saxofonkvartett.