Ractopamine HCl improved cardiac hypertrophy but not poor growth, metabolic inefficiency, or greater white blood cells associated with heat stress in concentrate-fed lambs

Heat stress decreases livestock performance and well-being (Hahn, 1999; Nienaber and Hahn, 2007), causes metabolic dysfunction that decreases growth efficiency (O’Brien et al., 2010), and alters cardiovascular function (Crandall et al., 2008). Each year, heat stress costs the livestock industry up to $2.5 billion (St-Pierre et al., 2003). Ractopamine HCl acts as a nutrient repartitioning agent (Beermann, 2002); classified as a β adrenergic agonist (βAA), it shares pharmacological properties with adrenaline (Beermann, 2002). βAA increase muscle mass and decreases fat deposition through unknown mechanisms (Beermann, 2002). In feedlot cattle, they increase growth efficiency and improve carcass yield and merit (Scramlin et al., 2010; Buntyn et al., 2017), which increases profit and allows more meat to be produced from fewer animals. However, because βAA act via a stress system, it is unclear how the products affect animals under stress conditions. β1AA and β2AA can also cause tachycardia, heart palpitations, and arrhythmias (Sears, 2002). We hypothesize that β1AA combined with heat stress may overstimulate the adrenergic system, resulting is metabolic dysfunction and decreased performance. Sheep are a common model for cattle, and thus, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of ractopamine HCl on health and cardiovascular parameters, growth, and metabolic efficiency in feeder lambs

Taphonomic Comparisons of Two Laurentian Upper Ordovician Epeiric Sea “Small Shelly Faunas”

The Elgin Member of the Upper Ordovician (Katian) Maquoketa Formation of Iowa contains phosphorite beds consisting of millimeter-scale phosphatic fossils, primarily steinkerns. Similar beds occur in the coeval strata of the classic Cincinnatian Series around the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Initial sampling of the phosphate-rich beds of the Maquoketa allows comparison between the faunal composition and taphonomy of these beds and collections from the more extensively sampled Cincinnatian strata. We isolated these fossils by dissolution of bulk samples in acetic acid and examined the same strata in thin section to study the fossils in context. The Maquoketa diminutive phosphatized fossils have been interpreted as evidence of dwarfed faunas indicative of environmental stress, such as anoxia, which may have also contributed to phosphogenesis. An alternative explanation for the small size is that phosphogenesis was size-selective and that phosphatic particles were concentrated by reworking as less-durable shell material was destroyed. These hypotheses can be tested by examining the fauna for “normal” sized elements. Insoluble residue from sampled phosphate-rich strata in both field areas yields abundant molluscan steinkerns, as well as crinoid columnals, conodonts, scolecodonts, bryozoan zooecia steinkerns and other fossils associated with a normal marine fauna. In Cincinnatian occurrences, the composition of the phosphatic assemblages is variable but is a reflection of the variability of faunal composition seen in these strata rather than an indication of an unusual fauna associated with extreme conditions; most are associated with diverse marine assemblages. Insoluble residues from both areas yield steinkerns that precipitated in small pores within larger skeletons. This phenomenon can be seen in thin section, where phosphate is present within certain parts of the larger preserved skeletons. The maximum size of the steinkerns of the Maquoketa is larger than those of most Cincinnatian occurrences, although size is variable in Cincinnatian occurrences. In Cincinnatian strata the abundance of small phosphatic fossils correlates with evidence for reworking; heavily reworked beds yield the most residue. Examined in thin section, the sampled strata of the Maquoketa appear to be heavily reworked and represent an extreme endmember of this concentration of durable phosphatic material. Detailed examination using an SEM and associated XRF elemental mapping reveals that the phosphatic steinkerns of both localities are very similar in their taphonomy. Both consist of botryoidal growths of carbonate fluorapatite (CFA). The botryoidal growth appears to have nucleated on the walls of the original shell, first forming a lining of variable thickness. Some steinkerns have secondary botryoidal growths on the outside of the steinkern indicating continued precipitation of CFA after destruction of the original shell. This secondary precipitation suggests that reworking played a role not only in concentrating the phosphatic material but also in encouraging continued precipitation of CFA. The size of the available pore space appears to have played a role in encouraging the precipitation of CFA. In thin section the CFA is limited to smaller parts of larger shells, such as the apices of gastropods and did not precipitate on the inside of the larger, more open spaces within the shell. Many of the phosphate-filled spaces are also sediment-filled, suggesting that subdivision of the larger space into smaller pores enhanced the precipitation of CFA. The difference in the maximum size of the steinkern achieved in the different assemblages suggests that geochemical factors affected size limits. The most distinctive aspect of phosphate-rich Ordovician strata of mid-Laurentia is the degree of reworking that concentrated the durable small fossils. Details of taphonomy also suggest that phosphate precipitation was an iterative process enhanced by reworking, and that small pore spaces enhanced this mineralization, thus selectively preserving certain sizes and parts of the larger fauna

Ractopamine HCl improved cardiac hypertrophy but not poor growth, metabolic inefficiency, or greater white blood cells associated with heat stress in concentrate-fed lambs

Heat stress decreases livestock performance and well-being (Hahn, 1999; Nienaber and Hahn, 2007), causes metabolic dysfunction that decreases growth efficiency (O’Brien et al., 2010), and alters cardiovascular function (Crandall et al., 2008). Each year, heat stress costs the livestock industry up to $2.5 billion (St-Pierre et al., 2003). Ractopamine HCl acts as a nutrient repartitioning agent (Beermann, 2002); classified as a β adrenergic agonist (βAA), it shares pharmacological properties with adrenaline (Beermann, 2002). βAA increase muscle mass and decreases fat deposition through unknown mechanisms (Beermann, 2002). In feedlot cattle, they increase growth efficiency and improve carcass yield and merit (Scramlin et al., 2010; Buntyn et al., 2017), which increases profit and allows more meat to be produced from fewer animals. However, because βAA act via a stress system, it is unclear how the products affect animals under stress conditions. β1AA and β2AA can also cause tachycardia, heart palpitations, and arrhythmias (Sears, 2002). We hypothesize that β1AA combined with heat stress may overstimulate the adrenergic system, resulting is metabolic dysfunction and decreased performance. Sheep are a common model for cattle, and thus, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of ractopamine HCl on health and cardiovascular parameters, growth, and metabolic efficiency in feeder lambs

Time-richness and phosphatic microsteinkern accumulation in the Cincinnatian (Katian) Ordovician, USA: An example of polycyclic phosphogenic condensation

Millimeter-scale phosphatic steinkern preservation is a feature of the taxonomically enigmatic Early Cambrian “small shelly faunas”, but this style of preservation is not unique to the Cambrian; it is ubiquitous, if infrequently reported, from the Phanerozoic record. The polycyclic phosphogenic condensation (PPC) model envisions both the genesis and concentration of phosphatic microsteinkerns as natural outcomes of shell bed genesis through episodic sediment starvation. This model predicts that more reworked and condensed shell bed limestones will contain more phosphatic microsteinkerns, but that even the least reworked limestones may contain some phosphatic particles. We test this model through examination of vertical thin sections densely collected through a 10-meter interval from the classic Cincinnatian (upper Katian, middle Maysvillian North American Stage) upper Fairview Formation, Miamitown Shale, and lower Grant Lake formations at four localities near Cincinnati, Ohio. For each of approximately 50 distinguishable limestone depositional units in each locality, a 2 × 2 cm square was selected for study. Each square was assigned a textural classification (mud content of intergranular space) and a breakage rank (pristine to comminuted). Phosphatic particle distribution was quantified both by visual estimation and by particle counting, with counts ranging from none detected to over 1000 per 4 cm2. Our analyses show a strong positive relationship between phosphate content and both textural maturity and fragmentation. This positive relationship is consistent with the PPC model and confirms that textural maturity can reflect the degree of condensation as well as depth-related environmental energy. This finding suggests that shell bed processes of repeated deposition and reworking make a significant contribution to the generation and accumulation of phosphatic particles. If local-scale sedimentary processes and conditions can control this accumulation, temporal changes in phosphatic sediment deposition rates may be linked to earth changes more complexly than through changing ocean chemistry on a global scale

Nonapeptide Receptor Distributions in Promising Avian Models for the Neuroecology of Flocking

Collective behaviors, including flocking and group vocalizing, are readily observable across a diversity of free-living avian populations, yet we know little about how neural and ecological factors interactively regulate these behaviors. Because of their involvement in mediating a variety of social behaviors, including avian flocking, nonapeptides are likely mediators of collective behaviors. To advance the neuroecological study of collective behaviors in birds, we sought to map the neuroanatomical distributions of nonapeptide receptors in three promising avian models that are found across a diversity of environments and widely ranging ecological conditions: European starlings, house sparrows, and rock doves. We performed receptor autoradiography using the commercially available nonapeptide receptor radioligands, 125I-ornithine vasotocin analog and 125I-linear vasopressin antagonist, on brain tissue sections from wild-caught individuals from each species. Because there is known pharmacological cross-reactivity between nonapeptide receptor subtypes, we also performed a novel, competitive-binding experiment to examine the composition of receptor populations. We detected binding in numerous regions throughout the brains of each species, with several similarities and differences worth noting. Specifically, we report that all three species exhibit binding in the lateral septum, a key brain area known to regulate avian flocking. In addition, sparrows and starlings show dense binding in the dorsal arcopallium, an area that has received scant attention in the study of social grouping. Furthermore, our competitive binding results suggest that receptor populations in sparrows and starlings differ in the lateral septum versus the dorsal arcopallium. By providing the first comprehensive maps of nonapeptide receptors in European starlings, house sparrows, and rock doves, our work supports the future use of these species as avian models for neuroecological studies of collective behaviors in wild birds

Biomethane produced from maize grown on peat emits more CO2 than natural gas

Cultivation of maize for biomethane production has expanded rapidly, including on drained peat soils. The resulting soil CO2 emissions at the point of feedstock production are largely overlooked when assessing biogas climate mitigation potential. On the basis of field-scale flux measurements, we calculate that soil CO2 emissions from biomethane feedstock production on drained peat exceed embodied emissions for an equivalent amount of natural gas by up to a factor of three

The food and beverage cues in digital marketing model: special considerations of social media, gaming, and livestreaming environments for food marketing and eating behavior research.

Digital marketing to children, teens, and adults contributes to substantial exposure to cues and persuasive messages that drive the overconsumption of energy dense foods and sugary beverages. Previous food marketing research has focused on traditional media, but less is known about how marketing techniques translate within digital platforms, such as social media, livestreaming, and gaming. Building upon previous theories and models, we propose a new model entitled food and beverage cues in digital marketing (FBCDM). The FBCDM model specifies key marking elements and marketing integration strategies that are common on digital platforms and are hypothesized to enhance the effects of advertising and incentive sensitization process. FBCDM also categorizes measurable outcomes into three domains that include brand, food, and social outcomes. Additionally, repeated marketing exposure and the resulting outcomes are hypothesized to have long term consequences related to consumer markets, consumption behavior, culture, and health. We include a discussion of what is currently known about digital marketing exposure within the outcome domains, and we highlight gaps in research including the long-term consequences of digital marketing exposure. The FBCDM model provides a conceptual framework to guide future research to examine the digital marketing of food and beverages to children and adolescents in order to inform government and industry policies that restrict the aggressive marketing of products associated with obesity and adverse diet related outcomes

Within-Compound Versus Public Latrine Access and Child Feces Disposal Practices in Low-Income Neighborhoods of Accra, Ghana.

In crowded urban settlements in low-income countries, many households rely on shared sanitation facilities. Shared facilities are not currently considered "improved sanitation" because of concerns about whether hygiene conditions sufficiently protect users from the feces of others. Prevention of fecal exposure at a latrine is only one aspect of sanitary safety. Ensuring consistent use of latrines for feces disposal, especially child feces, is required to reduce fecal contamination in households and communities. Household crowding and shared latrine access are correlated in these settings, rendering latrine use by neighbors sharing communal living areas as critically important for protecting one's own household. This study in Accra, Ghana, found that household access to a within-compound basic latrine was associated with higher latrine use by children of ages 5-12 years and for disposal of feces of children < 5 years, compared with households using public latrines. However, within-compound access was not associated with improved child feces disposal by other caregivers in the compound. Feces was rarely observed in household compounds but was observed more often in compounds with latrines versus compounds relying on public latrines. Escherichia coli and human adenovirus were detected frequently on household surfaces, but concentrations did not differ when compared by latrine access or usage practices. The differences in latrine use for households sharing within-compound versus public latrines in Accra suggest that disaggregated shared sanitation categories may be useful in monitoring global progress in sanitation coverage. However, compound access did not completely ensure that households were protected from feces and microbial contamination