The preparation of feed for colts

Correct feeding is one of the most important factors in the production of colts. Feed is the largest single item of expense, and any reduction that can be made in the amount required to grow colts to working age is of economic importance to the farmer. During the period 1929-1930 prices of common feeds were extremely high, and as a consequence the cost of producing colts was increasing. Horse breeders had long since learned from experience that scant feeding of colts was not economical when the ultimate results were considered. The poorly fed colt was slow maturing, undersized and its usefulness for work may have been affected. The question of preparing feeds in an effort to reduce feed requirements per 100 pounds of gain or increase the rate of gain on a given amount of feed is considered to be important by farmers. When grinding is practiced horsemen generally coarse-grind all feeds that are prepared for horses. Finely ground feeds seem difficult for horses to digest, and the finer feeds are ground the more power that is required and the greater the cost

Feeding and Management of Horses

The successful feeding of horses requires a knowledge of the composition. of the common feeding stuffs, the requirements of horses under various conditions and their proper management. Those who have studied horse feeding problems generally concede that considerable feed may be saved by the proper use of the various feeds and an up-to-date system of management. Surveys have shown that some horses, even tho they get twice as much feed as others, do no more work and are kept in no better condition. This can be explained by the fact that one farmer understands how to feed and care for his animals, while the other simply wastes feed because he does not know the amount and the kind needed

Testing draft horses

“When animals are viewed from the standpoint of machines they are wonderful mechanisms. Not only are they self-feeding, self-controlling, self-maintaining and self-reproducing, but they are far more economical in the energy they are able to develop from a given weight of fuel material, than any other existing form of motor. While they are like the steam engine in requiring carbonaceous fuel, oxygen and water for use in developing energy; these are made to combine in the animal body at a much lower temperature than is possible in the steam engine, and a much smaller proportion of the fuel value is lost in the form of heat, when work is being done.

Protein requirements for dairy heifers

Approved, C.H. Eckles.Typescript.The last report of the United States Department of Agriculture shows that it costs $61.40 to raise a dairy heifer until two years of age. Most of this cost as shown by them is the feed, and of the feeds used those of a nitrogenous nature are always the most expensive. For the farmer of the middle west where corn and its products are the principle feeds, the protein factor is very essential. With the constant increasing demand for dairy cows throughout the United States and the high priced protein feeds, there seems to be a great need of a definite protein standard. The present standards for dairy cattle have been calculated from experiments with beef steers. The Missouri Experiment Station started an experiment to aid in determining the amount of protein necessary for normal growth of dairy heifers. In treating this subject, the work has been taken up more from a practical then a scientific standpoint. No attempt has been made to go thoughly into the chemical or physiological study of the problem. What is herin reported is merely a suggestion of what can and will be done later.Includes bibliographical reference

Prototype of a new Engineering Masters project model: Working with marketing and software faculties to commercially kickstart university research

We describe a Master of Engineering (500-level) project modelled on the real-world arrangement where engineers work with marketing and software groups to prepare a product for commercialisation. A 4-member software team to develop and test embedded firmware and support applications on a mobile platform was provided through a final-year undergraduate software-engineering project course based outside the engineering school, in a separate faculty. A marketing team consisting of interns prepared logos, product names, and advertising materials, with input from a creative 200-level class. This team also considered possible exit strategies based on analysis of the market size and activity. This marketing effort was organised through the management communications group in the management school. The masters student acts as project manager and it is their remit to guide the product towards release on the crowd-sourced venture-capital site kickstarter.com. A small but original product idea is required to provide a viable vehicle for the project. Financial commitment to manufacture, even on a small scale, represents a novel outcome for a university project

Caregiver Integration During Discharge Planning for Older Adults to Reduce Resource Use: A Metaanalysis

Objectives To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults. Design A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all English‐language articles published between 1990 and April 2016. Setting Hospital or skilled nursing facility. Participants Older adults with informal caregivers discharged to a community setting. Measurements Readmission rates, length of and time to post‐discharge rehospitalizations, costs of postdischarge care. Results Of 10,715 abstracts identified, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies provided sufficient detail to calculate readmission rates for treatment and control participants. Discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration were associated with a 25% fewer readmissions at 90 days (relative risk (RR) = 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62–0.91) and 24% fewer readmissions at 180 days (RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.64–0.90). The majority of studies reported statistically significant shorter time to readmission, shorter rehospitalization, and lower costs of postdischarge care among discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration. Conclusion For older adults discharged to a community setting, the integration of caregivers into the discharge planning process reduces the risk of hospital readmission

Magnetic resonance findings and outcome in ten cats with traumatic spondylomyelopathy

In this retrospective study, the MR findings of ten cats with acute post-traumatic spondylomyelopathy were described and the most useful MR sequences were determined. Spinal cord injury (SCI), bone and muscle trauma were compared with the clinical outcome (recovery or euthanasia). The extension of spinal cord injury (SCI) was measured in vertebral body length (VBL). Of the ten cats, only five fully recovered. In the recovery group, no SCI (n=1) or SCI <1 VBL (n=4) were found. In the group of euthanized dogs, SCI > 2 VBLs (n=4) or spinal cord transection (n=1) were found. Lesions were best seen on T2WSE (spinal cord injury), STIR (soft tissue trauma) and T1WSE (bone injury). Low-field MR was therefore helpful to assess feline spinal trauma and may prove helpful to predict the clinical outcome, although a larger case series is needed. The authors suggest that protocols with low-field MR should include T1WSE, T2WSE and STIR sequences

Interferon lambda protects the female reproductive tract against Zika virus infection

Zika virus infections can cause devastating congenital birth defects but the underlying interactions with the host immune system are not well understood. Here, the authors examine the immune basis of vaginal protection and susceptibility to Zika viral infection, and identify a hormonal dependent role for interferon-lambda-mediated protection against disease

Retrospective Preliminary Assessment of Routine Follow-Up Low-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Dogs Presumptively Diagnosed With Discospondylitis

Background: The usefulness of routine follow-up Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI-2) in asymptomatic dogs treated for discospondylitis is unknown. Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study investigated the features of MRI-2 in a heterogeneous group of dogs treated for discospondylitis, and if these were associated with the presence or absence of clinical signs. After comparing initial MRI (MRI-1) and MRI-2, an observer, blinded to the dog's clinical signs, described the MRI-2 findings. The study population was then divided into symptomatic or asymptomatic at the time of MRI-2. Two separate observers subjectively classified the discospondylitis as active or inactive. Repeatability and interobserver agreement were evaluated. Results: A total of 25 dogs were included. At the time of MRI-2 16 (64%) dogs were asymptomatic and 9 (36%) were symptomatic. Based on MRI-2, 20 (80%) and 18 (72%) out of 25 dogs were considered to have active discospondylitis by the first and second observers, respectively. Interobserver agreement was moderate. No MRI-2 features were associated with the clinical status. The subjective classification of inactive discospondylitis was significantly associated with asymptomatic clinical status, but the classification of active discospondylitis was evenly distributed between groups. Conclusion: This study did not identify a meaningful association between the clinical status of dogs treated for presumptive discospondylitis and MRI-2 results. There were no specific MRI-2 features which were associated with the clinical status