Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1993. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [74-77]).

Thesis (B.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1983. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 24).

Aim. To establish standardised infrared thermography (IRT) within a specialist connective tissue disease unit, assessing its utility: • for the evaluation of Raynaud’s Phenomenon (RP) in clinical rheumatology and research • for the detection of active localised scleroderma (LS) lesions in paediatric patients and to develop improvements in IRT quality assurance for these medical applications. Methods. For the evaluation of RP, a protocol for cold challenge of the feet was developed and validated. IRT was applied with hand cold challenge for the assessment of response to oral vasodilator therapies in two large randomised pilot studies. An infrared thermometer technique was developed, validated against IRT, and subsequently used for the assessment of peripheral vasospasm in a twin study into the heritability of RP. The utility of inspection of thermograms for detecting clinically active LS lesions was established. A protocol was developed incorporating photography, IRT and laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) for LS assessment, and the normal range of temperature and LD blood flow across several body sites was established in adults and children. The utility of the protocol for assessing LS activity in children was investigated. To develop quality assurance of thermography, the author contributed to the specification and validation of blackbody medical temperature reference sources, and published guidelines for procuring and commissioning a medical thermal imager. Results. Healthy controls had a higher mean toe temperature than RP patients (at baseline 29.2 ± 1.5oC v 24.8 ± 1.5oC [mean ± SD], p < 0.01; t-test). IRT demonstrated improved finger rewarming 10 minutes after cold challenge in primary RP patients 11 treated with fluoxetine compared with those treated with nifedipine (58.8% v 43.1%, p=0.03; t-test). IRT showed no such improvement in finger rewarming over nifedipine in patients treated with losartan. In a hospital setting, an infrared thermometer technique performed similarly to IRT with cold challenge for the detection of RP: the sensitivity of IRT was 83%, whereas for the infrared thermometer it was 89%. The specificity of both instruments was 84%. In a population setting using the infrared thermometer both baseline finger temperature and rewarming after ten minutes were significantly lower for RP subjects than for controls (for baseline: 28.3oC v 30.0oC, p < 0.01, t-test; for rewarming: 4.6oC v 5.3oC, p < 0.05, t-test). Infrared thermometer measurements in monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs revealed a heritability of 65% for baseline finger temperature, 35% for fall after cold challenge, and 24% for rewarming over ten minutes. In the larger of two published studies on the inspection of thermograms for detecting clinically active LS, sensitivity was 92%, and specificity was 68%. In lesions imaged within 2 years of onset, sensitivity was 81% and specificity 88%. Validation of a protocol combining IRT and LDF measurements revealed that, in adult controls, the mean temperature difference between the two sides of the body was less than 0.5oC at all body regions. Mean differences in contralateral LD flux were less than 40% at all body sites. Variability in LD and IRT readings due to experimental factors was acceptably small in comparison to the physiological differences recorded. Applying the protocol in children with LS, the median relative increase in LD blood flow in clinically active lesions (compared with blood flow in contralateral unaffected skin) was 89% (range -69% to +449%), whereas the median flow increase in clinically inactive lesions was 11% (range -46% to +302%), p < 0.001. Using IRT, the median temperature difference between clinically active lesions and contralateral unaffected skin was 0.5°C (range -0.1°C to +4.1°C), whereas the median temperature difference for clinically inactive plaques was 0.3oC (range -1.9°C to +2.7°C), p=0.024. 12 In hand cold challenge measurements made at the Royal Free Hospital, application of the medical blackbody temperature reference sources reduced the overall uncertainty in temperature readings by a factor of about 4, from typically ±2°C to ±0.5°C. Conclusion. IRT or infrared thermometer data on skin temperature before and after cold challenge affords RP studies an important element of objectivity. RP detected in a population setting exhibits milder vasospasm than RP recruited from hospital patients, and thus the results of research performed at specialist centres may not be translatable to community settings. Inspection of thermograms is an effective method for the detection of clinically active LS, although LDF performed better than IRT using a protocol reliant on objective measurements from small regions of interest. IRT and infrared thermometry were generally less effective at discriminating between healthy and diseased subjects in situations where the temperature difference between groups was small (<2°C). The introduction of temperature reference sources, which reduce uncertainty in radiometric measurements to the order of 0.5°C, would increase the utility of IRT in settings where the temperature change associated with disease is small.

Com este estudo objetivou-se avaliar os níveis de estresse e a qualidade de carne de cordeiros mestiços Santa Inês x Dorper, submetidos a transporte de percurso curto (duas horas) e longo (seis horas) e em dois períodos de espera pré-abate (12 ou 24 horas). Foram utilizados 32 cordeiros com 127 ± 7 dias de idade e 30,4 ± 2,1 kg de peso vivo. Antes de serem submetidos aos períodos de transporte, os animais estavam alocados em baias coletivas e receberam ração concentrada (farelo de soja e milho, calcário calcítico e núcleo com monensina), bagaço úmido de citros e capim Napier (Pennisetum purpureum) e água ad libitum. Foram realizadas avaliações de reatividade dos animais no momento do embarque, desembarque e durante a contenção dos animais para as colheitas de sangue, urina e temperatura ocular por termografia infravermelho. Durante o período de espera pré-abate, realizou-se a colheita de dados comportamentais dos animais. Foram avaliadas as concentrações de cortisol no soro, na urina e as concentrações de haptoglobina no soro nos períodos que antecederam a insensibilização, assim como no momento do abate. Os animais apresentaram baixa reatividade durante todos os manejos. Houve diferença significativa no comportamento dos cordeiros durante os períodos de espera (P < 0,05) que durante as 12 horas apresentaram frequência de comportamentos que indicaram bem-estar favorável, enquanto que o período de transporte não afetou (P > 0,05). Os níveis de cortisol no soro mantiveram-se semelhantes da saída dos animais para o transporte até o final do período de espera (P > 0,05), enquanto houve oscilação dessas concentrações no cortisol na urina (P < 0,05), com pico no desembarque dos animais de duas horas de transporte e diminuição ao final do período de descanso. Os níveis de haptoglobina mantiveram-se semelhantes da colheita realizada antes do transporte, no embarque e no desembarque (P > 0,05) e diminuíram no final do período de espera pré-abate (P < 0,05). A temperatura ocular elevou-se no embarque e no desembarque dos animais, com diminuição da temperatura ao final do período de espera (P < 0,05). No momento do abate, foi observado aumento das concentrações de haptoglobina (P < 0,05), enquanto não houve alteração nas concentrações de cortisol no soro (P > 0,05). Animais que permaneceram por 24 horas de espera pré-abate apresentaram maior força de cisalhamento e menor luminosidade (L*) e intensidade de amarelo (b*). As variáveis comportamentais foram pouco afetadas pelos períodos de transporte e de espera pré-abate, porém o período de 12 horas de espera favoreceu a qualidade da carne / This study aimed to evaluate the stress levels and the meat quality from crossbred Santa Inês x Dorper lambs transported in short route (two hours) and long route (six hours) and maintained in two lairage periods (12 or 24 hours). Thirty-two crossbred Dorper x Santa Inês lambs with 127 ± 7 days of age and 30.4 ± 2.1 kg of body weight were used. Before the transport, the animals were allocated in collective pens and received concentrated feed (soy and corn meal, limestone and nucleus with monensin), wet bagasse citrus, Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and water ad libitum. Reactivity evaluations were performed at loading, unloading and restraint of animals during the blood and urine collection and eye temperature by infrared thermography. During the pre-slaughter period (lairage), behavioral data were collected. Cortisol and haptoglobin serum concentrations and urine cortisol concentrations were measured in periods prior to stunning and at bleeding. The animals had low reactivity for all managements. The lairage periods changed the behavior of lambs (P < 0.05) with animals which have remained for 12 hours showed frequency of behaviors that indicate favorable welfare. The transport period did not affect (P > 0.05) the behavior of animals. The serum cortisol levels remained similar of the output for transport to the end of the lairage period (P > 0.05), while there was oscillation these concentrations in urine (p < 0.05) with peak on unloading in animals transported for two hours and a decrease at the end of the lairage period. The haptoglobin levels were similar between the collection performed before transportation, loading and unloading (P > 0.05) and decreased at the end of pre slaughter lairage (P <0.05). Ocular temperature rose at loading and unloading, with decreasing at the end of lairage period (P <0.05). At slaughter was observed increase of haptoglobin concentrations (P < 0.05), while there was no change in cortisol concentrations in serum (P> 0.05). Animals that remained for 24 hours lairaged before slaughter had higher shear force and lower luminosity (L *) and yellow intensity (b *). Behavioral variables were little affected by transport and lairage periods, but 12 hours of lairage favored the quality of meat

Com este estudo objetivou-se avaliar os níveis de estresse e a qualidade de carne de cordeiros mestiços Santa Inês x Dorper, submetidos a transporte de percurso curto (duas horas) e longo (seis horas) e em dois períodos de espera pré-abate (12 ou 24 horas). Foram utilizados 32 cordeiros com 127 ± 7 dias de idade e 30,4 ± 2,1 kg de peso vivo. Antes de serem submetidos aos períodos de transporte, os animais estavam alocados em baias coletivas e receberam ração concentrada (farelo de soja e milho, calcário calcítico e núcleo com monensina), bagaço úmido de citros e capim Napier (Pennisetum purpureum) e água ad libitum. Foram realizadas avaliações de reatividade dos animais no momento do embarque, desembarque e durante a contenção dos animais para as colheitas de sangue, urina e temperatura ocular por termografia infravermelho. Durante o período de espera pré-abate, realizou-se a colheita de dados comportamentais dos animais. Foram avaliadas as concentrações de cortisol no soro, na urina e as concentrações de haptoglobina no soro nos períodos que antecederam a insensibilização, assim como no momento do abate. Os animais apresentaram baixa reatividade durante todos os manejos. Houve diferença significativa no comportamento dos cordeiros durante os períodos de espera (P < 0,05) que durante as 12 horas apresentaram frequência de comportamentos que indicaram bem-estar favorável, enquanto que o período de transporte não afetou (P > 0,05). Os níveis de cortisol no soro mantiveram-se semelhantes da saída dos animais para o transporte até o final do período de espera (P > 0,05), enquanto houve oscilação dessas concentrações no cortisol na urina (P < 0,05), com pico no desembarque dos animais de duas horas de transporte e diminuição ao final do período de descanso. Os níveis de haptoglobina mantiveram-se semelhantes da colheita realizada antes do transporte, no embarque e no desembarque (P > 0,05) e diminuíram no final do período de espera pré-abate (P < 0,05). A temperatura ocular elevou-se no embarque e no desembarque dos animais, com diminuição da temperatura ao final do período de espera (P < 0,05). No momento do abate, foi observado aumento das concentrações de haptoglobina (P < 0,05), enquanto não houve alteração nas concentrações de cortisol no soro (P > 0,05). Animais que permaneceram por 24 horas de espera pré-abate apresentaram maior força de cisalhamento e menor luminosidade (L*) e intensidade de amarelo (b*). As variáveis comportamentais foram pouco afetadas pelos períodos de transporte e de espera pré-abate, porém o período de 12 horas de espera favoreceu a qualidade da carne / This study aimed to evaluate the stress levels and the meat quality from crossbred Santa Inês x Dorper lambs transported in short route (two hours) and long route (six hours) and maintained in two lairage periods (12 or 24 hours). Thirty-two crossbred Dorper x Santa Inês lambs with 127 ± 7 days of age and 30.4 ± 2.1 kg of body weight were used. Before the transport, the animals were allocated in collective pens and received concentrated feed (soy and corn meal, limestone and nucleus with monensin), wet bagasse citrus, Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and water ad libitum. Reactivity evaluations were performed at loading, unloading and restraint of animals during the blood and urine collection and eye temperature by infrared thermography. During the pre-slaughter period (lairage), behavioral data were collected. Cortisol and haptoglobin serum concentrations and urine cortisol concentrations were measured in periods prior to stunning and at bleeding. The animals had low reactivity for all managements. The lairage periods changed the behavior of lambs (P < 0.05) with animals which have remained for 12 hours showed frequency of behaviors that indicate favorable welfare. The transport period did not affect (P > 0.05) the behavior of animals. The serum cortisol levels remained similar of the output for transport to the end of the lairage period (P > 0.05), while there was oscillation these concentrations in urine (p < 0.05) with peak on unloading in animals transported for two hours and a decrease at the end of the lairage period. The haptoglobin levels were similar between the collection performed before transportation, loading and unloading (P > 0.05) and decreased at the end of pre slaughter lairage (P <0.05). Ocular temperature rose at loading and unloading, with decreasing at the end of lairage period (P <0.05). At slaughter was observed increase of haptoglobin concentrations (P < 0.05), while there was no change in cortisol concentrations in serum (P> 0.05). Animals that remained for 24 hours lairaged before slaughter had higher shear force and lower luminosity (L *) and yellow intensity (b *). Behavioral variables were little affected by transport and lairage periods, but 12 hours of lairage favored the quality of meat