Raw cows' milk naturally infected with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was pasteurized with an APV HXP commercial-scale pasteurizer (capacity 2,000 liters/h) on 12 separate occasions. On each processing occasion, milk was subjected to four different pasteurization treatments, viz., 73°C for 15 s or 25 s with and without prior homogenization (2,500 lb/in 2 in two stages), in an APV Manton Gaulin KF6 homogenizer. Raw and pasteurized milk samples were tested for M. paratuberculosis by immunomagnetic separation (IMS)-PCR (to detect the presence of bacteria) and culture after decontamination with 0.75% (wt/vol) cetylpyridinium chloride for 5 h (to confirm bacterial viability). On 10 of the 12 processing occasions, M. paratuberculosis was detectable by IMS-PCR, culture, or both in either raw or pasteurized milk. Overall, viable M. paratuberculosis was cultured from 4 (6.7%) of 60 raw and 10 (6.9%) of 144 pasteurized milk samples. On one processing day, in particular, M. paratuberculosis appeared to have been present in greater abundance in the source raw milk (evidenced by more culture positives and stronger PCR signals), and on this occasion, surviving M. paratuberculosis bacteria were isolated from milk processed by all four heat treatments, i.e., 73°C for 15 and 25 s with and without prior homogenization. On one other occasion, surviving M. paratuberculosis bacteria were isolated from an unhomogenized milk sample that had been heat treated at 73°C for 25 s. Results suggested that homogenization increases the lethality of subsequent heat treatment to some extent with respect to M. paratuberculosis, but the extended 25-s holding time at 73°C was found to be no more effective at killing M. paratuberculosis than the standard 15-s holding time. This study provides clear evidence that M. paratuberculosis bacteria in naturally infected milk are capable of surviving commercial high-temperature, short-time pasteurization if they are present in raw milk in sufficient numbers.

In an increasingly urbanised world where mental health is currently in crisis, interventions to increase human engagement and connection with the natural environment are one of the fastest growing, most widely accessible, and cost-effective ways of improving human wellbeing. This study aimed to provide an evaluation of a smartphone app-based wellbeing intervention. In a randomised controlled trial study design, the app prompted 582 adults, including a subgroup of adults classified by baseline scores on the Recovering Quality of Life scale as having a common mental health problem (n = 148), to notice the good things about urban nature (intervention condition) or built spaces (active control). There were statistically significant and sustained improvements in wellbeing at one-month follow-up. Importantly, in the noticing urban nature condition, compared to a built space control, improvements in quality of life reached statistical significance for all adults and clinical significance for those classified as having a mental health difficulty. This improvement in wellbeing was partly explained by significant increases in nature connectedness and positive affect. This study provides the first controlled experimental evidence that noticing the good things about urban nature has strong clinical potential as a wellbeing intervention and social prescription.

Urban green space can help mitigate the negative impacts of urban living and provide positive effects on citizens' mood, health and well-being. Questions remain, however, as to whether all types of green space are equally beneficial, and if not, what landscape forms or key features optimise the desired benefits. For example, it has been cited that urban landscapes rich in wildlife (high biodiversity) may promote more positive emotions and enhance well-being. This research utilised a mobile phone App, employed to assess people's emotions when they entered any one of 945 green spaces within the city of Sheffield, UK. Emotional responses were correlated to key traits of the individual green spaces, including levels of biodiversity the participant perceived around them. For a subsample of these green spaces, actual levels of biodiversity were assessed through avian and habitat surveys. Results demonstrated strong correlations between levels of avian biodiversity within a green space and human emotional response to that space. Respondents reported being happier in sites with greater avian biodiversity (p < 0.01, r = 0.78) and a greater variety of habitats (p < 0.02, r = 0.72). Relationships were strengthened when emotions were linked to perceptions of overall biodiversity (p < 0.001, r = 0.89). So, when participants thought the site was wildlife rich, they reported more positive emotions, even when actual avian biodiversity levels were not necessarily enhanced. The data strengthens the arguments that nature enhances well-being through positive affect, and that increased 'engagement with nature' may help support human health within urban environments. The results have strong implications for city planning with respect to the design, management and use of city green spaces.

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Background: The majority of research to date on the links between wellbeing and green spaces comes from cross-sectional studies. Purpose: Shmapped is an app which allows for the collection of wellbeing and location data live in the field and acts as a novel dual data collection tool and wellbeing intervention which prompts users to notice the good things about their surroundings. Methods: We describe the process of developing Shmapped from storyboarding, budgeting and timescales, selecting a developer, drawing up data protection plans, collaborating with developers and end-user testers to ultimately publishing Shmapped. Results and Conclusions: The development process and end-user testing resulted in a highly functional app. Limitations and future uses of such novel dual data collection and intervention apps are discussed and recommendations made for prospective developers and researchers.