The introduction of pathogens from the external environment into poultry houses via the boots of farm workers and visitors presents a significant risk. The use of boot dips containing disinfectant to ...help prevent this from happening is common practice, but the effectiveness of these boot dips as a preventive measure can vary. The aim of this study was to assess the anti- Salmonella activity of boot dips that are being used on poultry farms. Boot dip samples were collected from commercial laying hen farms in the UK and tested within 24 hours of receipt at the laboratory to assess their anti- Salmonella activity. All boot dip samples were tested against a field strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis using three test models: pure culture, paper disc surface matrix and yeast suspension model. Of the 112 boot dip samples tested 83.6% were effective against Salmonella in pure culture, 37.3% in paper disc surface matrix and 44.5% in yeast suspension model. Numerous factors may influence the efficacy of the disinfectants. Disinfectants used in the dips may not always be fully active against surface or organic matter contamination; they may be inaccurately measured or diluted to a concentration other than that specified or recommended; dips may not be changed regularly or may have been exposed to rain and other environmental elements. This study showed that boot dips in use on poultry farms are frequently ineffective.
Summary
The persistence of S. Enteritidis PT4 was studied on a free‐range breeding chicken farm which had been depopulated following identification of the organism in breeding birds. The site was ...sampled periodically for 26 months after depopulation and the organism was found to persist in litter, dried faeces and feed, but not in dust within empty poultry houses, for the whole of that period. Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 was also found in soil samples after 8 months but not 13 months and in faeces from wild mice, foxes and cats but not wild birds or badgers. The organism was also found in adult and larval forms of ground beetles and centipedes. Addition of pullets to a contaminated pen or inclusion of contaminated litter, feed or beetles/larvae to feed did not result in acquisition of infection by birds.
Under Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence, the health and wellbeing of school pupils is the 'Responsibility of All'. Mental health is included in this though the extent to which secondary teachers ...feel confident to deal with the many and varied issues which their pupils present with is less clear. This pilot study seeks to explore the potential gap between the responsibilities that are "assigned" to Scottish secondary teachers and the responsibilities that they "assume." A questionnaire, interviews and focus group were used to garner the views of a group of secondary teachers. Thematic analysis of the data allowed for an exploration of how the role of the secondary teacher with regard to mental health is perceived by those dealing with pupils on a daily basis. Views varied considerably illustrating that the complexity surrounding these issues should not be underestimated.
Until recently, internationalisation of higher education was considered important with a focus especially on the UK economy. However, the conversation has changed significantly with the challenges ...which Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and possibly Brexit have presented for student mobility. There has been a shift, which started even before Covid-19 pandemic, that highlighted the impact of internationalisation on improving the quality of education, research and other social goals. The focus should be on developing a culture of knowledge exchange and active participation between partner Universities with potential development of dual purposing resource, assessments, and mutual enrichment. This study aims to investigate how remote cooperative teaching, based on mutual enrichment across international Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, support active participation of students in international activities.
Participants were year 3 undergraduate students studying at the University of Glasgow, School of Education, on the Master of Education (MEDuc) ITE programme and Italian student teachers on the course “Scienze della formazione” at the Niccolo’ Cusano University, Rome.
Several sessions were organised and remotely delivered to both cohort of students with a careful blending of tutors’ expertise, focused on their cultural and language diversity; a carefully planned topic of high interest for both countries: Parental Engagement in pupil’s Education; and finally, a very well taught integration of the sessions’ content and task requirements into both Universities’ assessment agenda. Results showed a mutual enrichment and active participation which went beyond any expectations with elements of e-networking and overcome of language, communication and even possible stereotype barriers.
Enhancing the agency of early career academics Leslie, Brian Henry; Breslin, Mark; Harvie, Julie ...
Journal of perspectives in applied academic practice,
01/2022, Volume:
9, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
This article explores the lived experiences of four early career academics transitioning from school educators (within the primary and secondary sectors) to lecturers in initial teacher education in ...a United Kingdom Higher Education institution. These early career academics were established teachers with strong practitioner identities within their field of education and experienced in reflective practice. The concept of agency is firstly explored, and an ecological model presented and used as a framework in this study. A collaborative autoethnographic methodological approach is used to structure personal and professional reflections in order to gain an insight into the evolving identities of the early career academics as they embrace and develop new careers within Higher Education as lecturers. Factors emerge which have both hindered and enhanced agency and this paper sets out some recommendations for change. It is hoped that Higher Education establishments may find these findings useful to consider when inducting new staff and helping them develop and flourish in the early stages of their academic careers.
Two experimental models of Salmonella contamination were used in an attempt to mimic the conditions of disinfectant use on farms. A wet model, for conditions such as boot dips, used disinfectant ...application to a slurry of poultry faeces inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Typhimurium. A dry model, for disinfectant application to surfaces and equipment with adherent or residual organic material, used Salmonella-inoculated poultry faeces that were air-dried onto wooden dowels, immersed in disinfectant solution then left in air at room temperature overnight. All samples were subjected to a disinfectant neutralization step and resuscitation in broth, followed by Salmonella culture on semi-solid then indicator media. Disinfectants were tested at 0.5x, 1x and 2x the concentrations specified for the general control of bacterial pathogens on livestock premises in the UK (Defra General Orders rates). Chlorocresol-based disinfectants provided consistently high rates of Salmonella killing in both wet and dry tests. Formaldehyde-containing disinfectants showed very high efficacy in the dry test but were less effective in the shorter wet test, whereas the efficacy of glutaraldehyde without formaldehyde was variable between products. Other chemical classes tested (quaternary ammonium compounds, amphoteric surfactants, iodine preparations, peroxygens and a substituted phenol blend) were only moderately effective. They often required concentrations above General Orders rates to eliminate the test salmonellas, and frequently elimination was not achieved even under maximal conditions of concentration and exposure.
In recent decades there has been a paradigmatic shift in higher education towards active learning, requiring educators to adopt student-centred approaches to teaching to promote deep learning and the ...development of essential graduate attributes. A ‘Creative pedagogies for active learning’ course was designed to offer academic staff an opportunity to take risks in developing innovative student-centred teaching approaches. While participants encountered ‘dissonance’ during the early stages of the creative pedagogies course, the course leads were able to support participants through this period of uncertainty and risk-taking towards successfully disrupting their own teaching practice.
This reflective analysis paper outlines the course and showcases several case studies of practice by participants. We also reflect on their experiences through a subsequent roundtable discussion. This revealed that the course had made a longer-term impact on some participants in terms of their teaching and assessment practice and showcasing this to other educators. However, resistance to change in some departments was noted, making it difficult for staff to implement creative pedagogies more widely in practice. Suggestions for overcoming resistance are presented, and the paper concludes with future directions for taking this work forward.
The environmental contamination by salmonella was examined over a 12-month period in 74 commercial layer flocks from eight farms in the UK, which previously had been identified as being contaminated ...with salmonella. Samples of faeces, dust, litter, egg belt spillage and wildlife vectors were taken, plus swabs of cages, feeders, drinkers, floors, egg belts and boots. Some sampling was performed in each month of the year. Numerous serovars were detected but Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis was the only persistent serotype found among single-age flocks. There was a significant correlation between qualitative environmental samples and semi-quantitative faeces samples. The level of environmental contamination increased significantly over time. There were significant temperature and seasonal effects upon contamination. Wildlife vectors proved to be sensitive samples for the detection of salmonella. The efficacy of cleaning and disinfection upon residual salmonella contamination, and upon subsequent flock contamination, was highly variable between and within premises. The variability between detected prevalences over time and between flocks indicates a need for regular, sensitive monitoring of flocks for salmonella to permit targeting of control measures aimed at eliminating contamination of the layer environment by salmonella. There is substantial scope for improvement of cleaning and disinfection procedures.
Salmonella infection of laying flocks in the UK is predominantly a problem of the persistent contamination of layer houses and associated wildlife vectors by Salmonella Enteritidis. Methods for its ...control and elimination include effective cleaning and disinfection of layer houses between flocks, and it is important to be able to measure the success of such decontamination. A method for the environmental detection and semi-quantitative enumeration of salmonellae was used and compared with a standard qualitative method, in 12 Salmonella-contaminated caged layer houses before and after cleaning and disinfection. The quantitative technique proved to have comparable sensitivity to the standard method, and additionally provided insights into the numerical Salmonella challenge that replacement flocks would encounter. Elimination of S. Enteritidis was not achieved in any of the premises examined although substantial reductions in the prevalence and numbers of salmonellae were demonstrated, whilst in others an increase in contamination was observed after cleaning and disinfection. Particular problems with feeders and wildlife vectors were highlighted. The use of a quantitative method assisted the identification of problem areas, such as those with a high initial bacterial load or those experiencing only a modest reduction in bacterial count following decontamination.
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