Preparation, Maintenance and Utilisation of Maize Silage: A Review

Forage conservation has become an important tool for animal enterprises to ensure an adequate supply of quality feed throughout the year. This in turn contributes to stability in animal production and thus economic performance. Silage is often the preferred preserved fodder when animals are fed adjacent to the storage site. Plant species that are suitable for silage are those that have high dry matter yield per hectare and high digestibility, low buffer capacity and a high amount of water soluble carbohydrates. Whole plant corn has a range of 28 to 42 % of dry matter for about 2 weeks during grain filling, low buffer capacity and a high amount of water-soluble carbohydrates. These characteristics make maize an ideal silage crop. The preparation, storage and utilisation of silage can be divided in four phases - aerobic, respiration, stable and feed out phases. During these four phases losses of dry matter occur. These losses can be divided in unavoidable (i.e. those inherent in the process of production of silage) and avoidable (those that are the result of design and operational inefficiencies in harvest, storage and feed out). Factors that contribute to high quality of silage include harvesting the crop when the soluble carbohydrate (principally sugars) concentration in the crop is high, minimising respiration, achieving and maintaining an effective silage storage environment, maintaining anaerobic conditions during the stable phase, and minimising spoilage losses during the feed out phase. Additives can also be used to optimise the silage storage environment. Acceptance by animals of silage measured as dry matter intake is mainly related to quality of the material, particle length and feeding methods. This paper examines the principles and practices of maize silage preparation, the preservation of its quality in storage and utilisation in animal production

Using the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) to Evaluate Interprofessional Student Teamwork in a Longitudinal Interprofessional Learning Experience

Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to describe the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) teamwork evaluation application and its utility for peer assessment of teamwork behaviors among first year health science students participating in a longitudinal interprofessional service learning experience. Background: Putting Families First (PFF) is a interprofessional service learning experience required for first year health science students at the University of Florida. During PFF interprofessional teams of students complete multiple home visits to local volunteer families throughout the year in addition to completing several small group facilitated sessions. During the home visits, students work with the family to improve the family’s health. Curricular goals associated with PFF include, learning about teamwork, roles and responsibilities and foundational public health topics. Description of Intervention: During 2014-2015, PFF used the CATME application among 696 first-year students administering the assessment formatively at the mid-point of the year and summative at the end of the year. During 2015-2016, PFF incorporated a similar format (N=704) but added a brief required reflection as an ‘interventional’ component following summative data collection and feedback to students. Results: During 2014-2015, 658 of 696 (91.5%) and during 2015-2016, 651 of 703 (92.6%) students completed the formative and summative assessments. 663 students completed reflections in 2015-2016. Data provided a high degree of reliability and increased variance as compared to prior methods of peer teamwork assessment. Comparison of data between cohorts provides evidence that the brief reflective intervention positively impacted students teamwork behaviors in two of three domains: contributing to the team (p=.01) and keeping the team on task (p=.03). Conclusions: CATME is an effective and efficient means for peer assessment of teamwork behaviors when used in an appropriate context. The addition of a reflective exercise had a positive impact on student’s peer evaluations related to critical teamwork competencies. Learning Objectives and Related Conference Objectives: Participants will be able to discuss the online CATME assessment tool’s utility for peer assessment of teamwork in IPE. Conference Objectives #1 and #4. Participants will be able to discuss the online CATME assessment tool as a method of evaluation of students’ teamwork in IPE. Conference Objective #4. Participants will be able to describe learning objectives associated with Putting Families First, unique patient-centered interprofessional service learning for first year health science students. Conference Objective #2

The Effects of Long Duration Bed Rest as a Spaceflight Analogue on Resting State Sensorimotor Network Functional Connectivity and Neurocognitive Performance

Long duration spaceflight has been associated with detrimental alterations in human sensorimotor systems and neurocognitive performance. Prolonged exposure to a head-down tilt position during long duration bed rest can resemble several effects of the microgravity environment such as reduced sensory inputs, body unloading and increased cephalic fluid distribution. The question of whether microgravity affects other central nervous system functions such as brain functional connectivity and its relationship with neurocognitive performance is largely unknown, but of potential importance to the health and performance of astronauts both during and post-flight. The aims of the present study are 1) to identify changes in sensorimotor resting state functional connectivity that occur with extended bed rest exposure, and to characterize their recovery time course; 2) to evaluate how these neural changes correlate with neurocognitive performance. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data were collected from 17 male participants. The data were acquired through the NASA bed rest facility, located at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX). Participants remained in bed with their heads tilted down six degrees below their feet for 70 consecutive days. RsfMRI data were obtained at seven time points: 7 and 12 days before bed rest; 7, 50, and 65 days during bed rest; and 7 and 12 days after bed rest. Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) analysis was performed to measure the connectivity of sensorimotor networks in the brain before, during, and post-bed rest. We found a decrease in left putamen connectivity with the pre- and post-central gyri from pre bed rest to the last day in bed rest. In addition, vestibular cortex connectivity with the posterior cingulate cortex decreased from pre to post bed rest. Furthermore, connectivity between cerebellar right superior posterior fissure and other cerebellar regions decreased from pre bed rest to the last day in bed rest. In contrast, connectivity within the default mode network remained stable over the course of bed rest. We also utilized a battery of behavioral measures including spatial working memory tasks and measures of functional mobility and balance. These behavioral measurements were collected before, during, and after bed rest. We will report the preliminary findings of correlations observed between brain functional connectivity and behavioral performance changes. Our results suggest that sensorimotor brain networks exhibit decoupling with extended periods of reduced usage. The findings from this study could aid in the understanding and future design of targeted countermeasures to alleviate the detrimental health and neurocognitive effects of long-duration spaceflight

The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion and Association with Community Health Center Funding; a Focused Look at the Diabetic Hispanic/Latinx Community

In the United States, the Hispanic/Latinx community disproportionately experiences the burden of type 2 diabetes and its related complications that often result in premature death and contribute to years of life lost. Culturally appropriate diabetes interventions carried out in community health centers could help mitigate the current diabetes epidemic among Hispanic/Latinx people. In this research, we surveyed and summarized peer-reviewed publications on recent type 2 diabetes (T2D) intervention strategies focused on the Hispanic/Latinx population in a community health center clinic setting. As this is an ongoing and increasingly burdensome issue, this literature review will identify research needs for those of Hispanic/Latinx descent. Evaluating the recent literature on diabetes intervention strategies could aid in the future implementation of culturally appropriate care for this high-risk population. Identifying effective care strategies can be particularly important in safety-net clinics as they need to justify the continuation of programs that allow at-risk populations access to low- or no-cost healthcare services. Emphasizing the health care setting is vital as the majority of the Hispanic/Latinx population receives care at safety-net clinics, also known as community health centers (CHCs) or federally qualified health centers (FQHC). A literature review will provide information about the current state of T2D intervention and management strategies for Hispanic/Latinx people in a community health center setting. Preliminary results support the efficacy of various culturally appropriate T2D interventions that aid in the prevention, treatment, and ongoing management of T2D and its related complications. Future research focused on the diabetic Hispanic/Latinx population must refer to literature containing these successful intervention strategies that were tailored to this heterogeneous community

The reform of insurance contract law for the protection of the consumer

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