Caffeine and Anxiety: Is Caffeine an Underlying Source of Anxiety in College Students?

Both anxiety and high consumptions of caffeine are experienced at high rates among the college student population. This study examined how the continued presence or current removal of caffeine affects anxiety levels using 9 psychology students recruited from Winona State University. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control or experimental condition. On Day 1 and Day 5 of their participation, participant’s state and trait anxiety were measured using the STAI-AD test. An independent samples t-test showed there was a significant difference between groups which supported they hypothesis that those who cease caffeine use for five days would experience decreased anxiety symptoms compared to those that did not. These findings indicate that female college students are using caffeine at levels that are contributing significantly to their anxiety. These data suggest that wellness programs on college campuses should include discussions to reduce caffeine consumption in college women

Feed Efficiency And The Microbiota Of The Alimentary Tract

There is considerable variation in the efficiency that cattle convert feed for maintenance and product (body weight gain, milk, and conceptus). Both intake and gain are polygenic traits and to better understand factors that contribute to variation in feed efficiency more defined phenotypes are needed. Several studies have associated differences in the microbiota of the alimentary tract between obese and non-obese rodents (Turnbaugh et al., 2006), obese and nonobese humans (Ley et al., 2006), and energy metabolism in birds (Torok et al., 2008 and Stanley et al., 2013). These finding suggest that there is a potential relationship between the microbiota of the alimentary tract and feed efficiency in beef cattle. Considerable research has been conducted on the rumen microbiota, but less consideration has been given to the rest of the alimentary tract

Feed Efficiency And The Microbiota Of The Alimentary Tract

There is considerable variation in the efficiency that cattle convert feed for maintenance and product (body weight gain, milk, and conceptus). Both intake and gain are polygenic traits and to better understand factors that contribute to variation in feed efficiency more defined phenotypes are needed. Several studies have associated differences in the microbiota of the alimentary tract between obese and non-obese rodents (Turnbaugh et al., 2006), obese and nonobese humans (Ley et al., 2006), and energy metabolism in birds (Torok et al., 2008 and Stanley et al., 2013). These finding suggest that there is a potential relationship between the microbiota of the alimentary tract and feed efficiency in beef cattle. Considerable research has been conducted on the rumen microbiota, but less consideration has been given to the rest of the alimentary tract

Growth curves of crossbred cows sired by Hereford, Angus, Belgian Blue, Brahman, Boran, and Tuli bulls, and the fraction of mature body weight and height at puberty

The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth curves of females to determine if mature size and relative rates of maturation among breeds differed. Body weight and hip height data were fitted to the nonlinear function BW = f(age) = A − Bek×age, where A is an estimate of mature BW and k determines the rate that BW or height moves from B to A. Cows represented progeny from 28 Hereford, 38 Angus, 25 Belgian Blue, 34 Brahman, 8 Boran, and 9 Tuli sires. Bulls from these breeds were mated by AI to Angus, Hereford, and U.S. Meat Animal Research Center III composite (1/4 Angus, ¼ Hereford, 1/4 Red Poll, and 1/4 Pinzgauer) cows to produce calves in 1992, 1993, and 1994. These matings resulted in 516 mature cows whose growth curves were subsequently evaluated. Hereford-sired cows tended to have heavier mature BW, as estimated by parameter A, than Angus- (P = 0.09) and Brahman-sired cows(P = 0.06), and were heavier than the other breeds (P \u3c 0.001). Angus-sired cows were heavier than Boran-(P \u3c 0.001) and Tuli-sired cows (P \u3c 0.001), and tended to be heavier than Belgian Blue-sired cows (P = 0.097). Angus-sired cows did not differ from Brahman- sired cows (P = 0.94). Brahman-sired cows had a heavier mature BW than Boran- (P \u3c 0.001), Tuli- (P \u3c 0.001), and Belgian Blue-sired cows (P \u3c 0.04). Angus-sired cows matured faster (k) than cows sired by Hereford (P = 0.03), Brahman (P \u3c 0.001), Boran (P = 0.03), and Tuli (P \u3c 0.001) sires, but did not differ from Belgian Blue-sired (P = 0.13) cows. Brahmansired cows took longer to mature than Boran- (P = 0.03) or Belgian Blue-sired cows (P = 0.003). Belgian Blue-sired cows were faster maturing than Tuli-sired cows (P = 0.02). Brahman-sired cows had reached a greater proportion of their mature BW at puberty than had Hereford- (P \u3c 0.001), Tuli- (P = 0.003), and Belgian Blue-sired cows (P = 0.001). Boran-sired cows tended to have reached a greater proportion of their mature BW at puberty than had Angus-sired cows (P = 0.09), and had reached a greater proportion of their mature BW at puberty than had Hereford- (P \u3c 0.001), Tuli- (P \u3c 0.001), and Belgian Blue-sired cows (P \u3c 0.001). Within species of cattle, the relative range in proportion of mature BW at puberty (Bos taurus 0.56 through 0.58, and Bos indicus 0.60) was highly conserved, suggesting that proportion of mature BW is a more robust predictor of age at puberty across breeds than is absolute weight or age

Growth curves of crossbred cows sired by Hereford, Angus, Belgian Blue, Brahman, Boran, and Tuli bulls, and the fraction of mature body weight and height at puberty

The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth curves of females to determine if mature size and relative rates of maturation among breeds differed. Body weight and hip height data were fitted to the nonlinear function BW = f(age) = A − Bek×age, where A is an estimate of mature BW and k determines the rate that BW or height moves from B to A. Cows represented progeny from 28 Hereford, 38 Angus, 25 Belgian Blue, 34 Brahman, 8 Boran, and 9 Tuli sires. Bulls from these breeds were mated by AI to Angus, Hereford, and U.S. Meat Animal Research Center III composite (1/4 Angus, ¼ Hereford, 1/4 Red Poll, and 1/4 Pinzgauer) cows to produce calves in 1992, 1993, and 1994. These matings resulted in 516 mature cows whose growth curves were subsequently evaluated. Hereford-sired cows tended to have heavier mature BW, as estimated by parameter A, than Angus- (P = 0.09) and Brahman-sired cows(P = 0.06), and were heavier than the other breeds (P \u3c 0.001). Angus-sired cows were heavier than Boran-(P \u3c 0.001) and Tuli-sired cows (P \u3c 0.001), and tended to be heavier than Belgian Blue-sired cows (P = 0.097). Angus-sired cows did not differ from Brahman- sired cows (P = 0.94). Brahman-sired cows had a heavier mature BW than Boran- (P \u3c 0.001), Tuli- (P \u3c 0.001), and Belgian Blue-sired cows (P \u3c 0.04). Angus-sired cows matured faster (k) than cows sired by Hereford (P = 0.03), Brahman (P \u3c 0.001), Boran (P = 0.03), and Tuli (P \u3c 0.001) sires, but did not differ from Belgian Blue-sired (P = 0.13) cows. Brahmansired cows took longer to mature than Boran- (P = 0.03) or Belgian Blue-sired cows (P = 0.003). Belgian Blue-sired cows were faster maturing than Tuli-sired cows (P = 0.02). Brahman-sired cows had reached a greater proportion of their mature BW at puberty than had Hereford- (P \u3c 0.001), Tuli- (P = 0.003), and Belgian Blue-sired cows (P = 0.001). Boran-sired cows tended to have reached a greater proportion of their mature BW at puberty than had Angus-sired cows (P = 0.09), and had reached a greater proportion of their mature BW at puberty than had Hereford- (P \u3c 0.001), Tuli- (P \u3c 0.001), and Belgian Blue-sired cows (P \u3c 0.001). Within species of cattle, the relative range in proportion of mature BW at puberty (Bos taurus 0.56 through 0.58, and Bos indicus 0.60) was highly conserved, suggesting that proportion of mature BW is a more robust predictor of age at puberty across breeds than is absolute weight or age

Psychological Factors that Impact White Counseling Trainees’ Responses to Cultural Ruptures

In the field of counseling and clinical psychology, the last several decades have been characterized by a strengthened recognition of the importance of cultural factors in psychotherapy. While this has been impactful, there is evidence that cultural ruptures, microaggressions, and racial/ethnic disparities in psychotherapy outcomes persist. Aversive racism theory, which provides explanations for the racist tendencies typically associated with progressive White individuals, postulates that a conflict between explicit egalitarian beliefs and implicit negative racial biases impedes White individuals from adequately addressing and acknowledging underlying biases. Therefore, it was hypothesized that psychological factors, such as defense mechanisms, professional selfdoubt and self-compassion, may play a role in impeding or enhancing therapists’ ability to identify and resolve cultural ruptures in therapy. The present study sought to test these hypotheses by asking White therapists-in-training to respond to video vignettes portraying cultural ruptures. These vignettes were then coded to assess the level of cultural comfort, cultural humility and cultural opportunities demonstrated by participants. Results revealed that self-compassion was positively associated with White trainees’ cultural humility and overall effectiveness, specifically in the vignette that included a client-confrontation response. Implications, limitations and future directions are discussed

Effects of decreased dietary roughage concentration on energy metabolism and nutrient balance in finishing beef cattle

The optimal roughage concentration required in feedlot diets changes continuously for many reasons such as source, availability, price, and interaction with other ingredients in the diet. Wet distillers grains and solubles (WDGS) are common in finishing diets and they contain relatively high amounts of fiber compared with other grains they replace. Therefore, concentration of roughage could be altered when WDGS are included in feedlot diets. There has been very little data published regarding the effects of roughage concentration on energy metabolism and nutrient balance in beef steers. Therefore, the effects of roughage concentration in dryrolled corn (DRC)–based diets containing 25% WDGS were evaluated in 8 steers (BW = 362 ± 3.71 kg) using a replicated Latin square. Data were analyzed with the fixed effects of dietary treatment and period and random effects of square and steer within square were included in the model. Diets consisted of 25% WDGS and the balance being DRC and coarsely ground alfalfa hay (AH) replacing corn at 2% (AH-2), 6% (AH-6), 10% (AH-10), and 14% (AH-14) of dietary dry matter. As a proportion of GE intake, fecal energy loss increased linearly (P = 0.02), and DE decreased linearly (P = 0.02) as dietary level of AH increased. Methane energy loss, as a proportion of GE intake, increased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) and ME decreased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) as dietary concentration of AH increased. Heat production tended (P = 0.10) to decrease reaching a minimum of 10% AH and increased from 10 to 14% AH inclusion. Moreover, as a proportion of GE intake, retained energy (RE) decreased (P \u3c 0.01) as AH level increased in the diet. Reasons for the decrease in RE are 1) the increase in fecal energy loss that is associated with decreased ruminal digestibility of NDF when AH replaced DRC and the shift in ruminal VFA produced, 2) the decreased energy available for animal retention when NDF increased linearly as AH increased in the diet, and 3) the methane and heat energy associated with digestion of the fibrous portion of the AH. Neutral detergent fiber and OM excretion also increased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) with increasing AH in the diet. The increased NDF and OM excretion were likely caused by the difference in digestibility of AH and DRC

Effects of decreased dietary roughage concentration on energy metabolism and nutrient balance in finishing beef cattle

The optimal roughage concentration required in feedlot diets changes continuously for many reasons such as source, availability, price, and interaction with other ingredients in the diet. Wet distillers grains and solubles (WDGS) are common in finishing diets and they contain relatively high amounts of fiber compared with other grains they replace. Therefore, concentration of roughage could be altered when WDGS are included in feedlot diets. There has been very little data published regarding the effects of roughage concentration on energy metabolism and nutrient balance in beef steers. Therefore, the effects of roughage concentration in dryrolled corn (DRC)–based diets containing 25% WDGS were evaluated in 8 steers (BW = 362 ± 3.71 kg) using a replicated Latin square. Data were analyzed with the fixed effects of dietary treatment and period and random effects of square and steer within square were included in the model. Diets consisted of 25% WDGS and the balance being DRC and coarsely ground alfalfa hay (AH) replacing corn at 2% (AH-2), 6% (AH-6), 10% (AH-10), and 14% (AH-14) of dietary dry matter. As a proportion of GE intake, fecal energy loss increased linearly (P = 0.02), and DE decreased linearly (P = 0.02) as dietary level of AH increased. Methane energy loss, as a proportion of GE intake, increased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) and ME decreased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) as dietary concentration of AH increased. Heat production tended (P = 0.10) to decrease reaching a minimum of 10% AH and increased from 10 to 14% AH inclusion. Moreover, as a proportion of GE intake, retained energy (RE) decreased (P \u3c 0.01) as AH level increased in the diet. Reasons for the decrease in RE are 1) the increase in fecal energy loss that is associated with decreased ruminal digestibility of NDF when AH replaced DRC and the shift in ruminal VFA produced, 2) the decreased energy available for animal retention when NDF increased linearly as AH increased in the diet, and 3) the methane and heat energy associated with digestion of the fibrous portion of the AH. Neutral detergent fiber and OM excretion also increased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) with increasing AH in the diet. The increased NDF and OM excretion were likely caused by the difference in digestibility of AH and DRC

Metabolomics Profile and Targeted Lipidomics in Multiple Tissues Associated with Feed Efficiency in Beef Steers

A study of multiple tissues was conducted to identify potential metabolic differences in cattle differing in feed efficiency. Individual feed intake and body weight was measured on 144 steers during 105 days on a high-concentrate ration. Steers were selected according to differences in average daily gain (ADG) with those with the greatest ADG (n = 8; 1.96 ± 0.02 kg/day) and least ADG (n = 8; 1.57 ± 0.02 kg/day), whose dry matter intake was within 0.32 SD of the mean intake (10.10 ± 0.05 kg/day). Duodenum, liver, adipose, and longissimus-dorsi were collected at slaughter, and metabolomics profiles were performed by ultra performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time of-flight mass spectrometry. Principal components analyses, t-tests, and fold changes in tissues profile were used to identify differential metabolites between ADG groups. These were primarily involved in α-linolenic metabolism, which was downregulated in the greatest ADG as compared to least-ADG group in duodenum, adipose, and longissimus-dorsi. However, taurine and glycerophospholipids metabolisms were both upregulated in the greatest ADG compared with least-ADG group in the liver. The phospholipids and cholesterol were quantified in the tissues. Lipid transport and oxidation were the main common metabolic mechanisms associated with cattle feed efficiency. Combining analyses of multiple tissues may offer a powerful approach for defining the molecular basis of differences in performance among cattle for key production attributes

Effects of Caffeine on Prospective and Retrospective Working Memory in Rodents

Caffeine is a substance that many people now consider to be a necessary part of their daily routines due to its desired effect of keeping us awake and functional. It’s been subject to much 59 debate over the years as to how it affects performance in terms of memory and cognitive ability. In our study, we examined the performance of 15 male rats in a delayed matching-toposition task (delayed from 1-20 seconds) after administering intraperitoneal injections of caffeine (10 mg/kg) to assess their levels of working memory and compared them to a control group that was similarly injected with saline. Each group of rats were trained in this task prior to experimental trials using methods of either differential outcomes (DO) or non-differential outcomes (NDO) and their performance measured as using prospective and retrospective working memory respectively. Pairwise comparisons using Fischer’s LSD showed a significant decrease in performance of those injected with caffeine at the 5 and 10 second delay in the DO group and at the 5 second delay in the NDO group when compared with those in the control groups in each condition. The results show that more can be learned about caffeine’s effects on working memory and that further research with a larger subject pool would be a promising way to do so.https://openriver.winona.edu/urc2019/1099/thumbnail.jp