Curvas de crescimento e influência de fatores não-genéticos sobre as taxas de crescimento de bovinos da raça Nelore Growth curves and non-genetic factors affecting growth rate of Nelore cattle

Avaliou-se a influência de efeitos não-genéticos sobre as taxas de crescimento de bovinos da raça Nelore nas seguintes fases: do nascimento à desmama, 205 dias, (TX1); da desmama a um ano, 365 dias, (TX2); e de um ano ao sobreano, 550 dias, (TX3). Os dados constam de nove pesagens bimestrais do nascimento aos dois anos de idade, observadas entre 1978 e 1993, em 1.138 animais da raça Nelore, sendo 508 machos e 630 fêmeas. Os modelos não-lineares de Brody, Gompertz, Richards, Bertalanffy e Logístico foram ajustados aos dados de peso-idade de cada animal, para a obtenção de pesos em idades de interesse. O modelo de Gompertz foi o que melhor se ajustou aos dados e, a partir dele, foram calculadas as taxas de crescimento. Foram observadas influências (P<0,01) de sexo sobre TX2 e TX3, de ano sobre todas as taxas e de época de nascimento sobre TX2 e TX3. Com a identificação dos fatores não-genéticos que influenciam a eficiência do crescimento dos animais em diferentes fases de sua vida, torna-se possível otimizar as técnicas de manejo empregadas em rebanhos especializados.<br>Non-genetic effects were evaluated on growth rate of Nelore cattle from birth to 205 days (TX1), 205 to 365 days (TX2), and 365 to 550 days (TX3) of age. The data came from nine bimonthly weight-age records, from birth to two years of age, of 1.138 animals, 508 males and 630 females, collected between 1978 and 1993. Brody, Gompertz, Richards, Bertalanffy and Logistic nonlinear models were fitted for each animal, generating weight estimates at different ages. Gompertz model showed the best fitting and was chosen for growth rates computations. Effects (P<0,01) of sex on TX2 and TX3, year of birth on all growth rates, and season of birth on TX2 and TX3 (P<0,01), were observed. The optimization of management techniques in specialized herds is possible with the informations of the non-genetic factors that influence growth rates at distinct ages

What it Takes to Get Passed On: Message Content, Style, and Structure as Predictors of Retransmission in the Boston Marathon Bombing Response

<div><p>Message retransmission is a central aspect of information diffusion. In a disaster context, the passing on of official warning messages by members of the public also serves as a behavioral indicator of message salience, suggesting that particular messages are (or are not) perceived by the public to be both noteworthy and valuable enough to share with others. This study provides the first examination of terse message retransmission of official warning messages in response to a domestic terrorist attack, the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. Using messages posted from public officials’ Twitter accounts that were active during the period of the Boston Marathon bombing and manhunt, we examine the features of messages that are associated with their retransmission. We focus on message content, style, and structure, as well as the networked relationships of message senders to answer the question: what characteristics of a terse message sent under conditions of imminent threat predict its retransmission among members of the public? We employ a negative binomial model to examine how message characteristics affect message retransmission. We find that, rather than any single effect dominating the process, retransmission of official Tweets during the Boston bombing response was jointly influenced by various message content, style, and sender characteristics. These findings suggest the need for more work that investigates impact of multiple factors on the allocation of attention and on message retransmission during hazard events.</p></div