Effects on performance, carcass and meat quality of replacing maize silage and concentrate by grass silage and corn-cob mix in the diet of growing bulls

Grass silage is barely used in intensive beef production, but it is unclear if its lower energy supply compared to maize-silage feeding really impairs growth performance. Diets with 100, 300, 500 or 750 g grass silage/kg dry matter replacing maize silage and concentrate were tested with or without dried corn-cob mix (CCM). Performance, carcass and meat quality were studied in 30 Limousin-sired bulls. Feeding grass silage, CCM, and concentrate in a ratio of 500:300:200 allowed to maintain a similar animal performance, carcass and meat quality compared to a conventional maize silage/concentrate diet. Increasing the dietary grass silage proportion to 750 g/kg decreased the shear force of the meat. The proportion of n–3 fatty acids in intramuscular fat increased with dietary grass silage proportion. Consequently, a strategic combination of grass silage with energyrich forages may facilitate grassland-based feeding strategies in intensive beef production with favourable meat fatty acid profiles and a performance comparable to that with maize-silage based diets

Feeding value of black soldier fly larvae compared to soybean in methionine- and lysine-deficient laying hen diets

To increase the sustainability of egg production, alternatives to soybean in poultry nutrition are intensively searched for. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) could have a great potential, but the comparative protein value to soybean is not well known. The main objective of this study was to facilitate this comparison by using experimental diets clearly limited in calculated supply of sulphurous amino acids and lysine. Fifty laying hens (Lohmann Brown Classic), aged 40 weeks, were fed one of five diets for 7 weeks (n=10). Two diets were based on soybean cake and oil (SS, SS-) as protein and energy sources, and three diets contained partially defatted BSFL meal and fat from two different origins (AA-, AB-, BB-). Different from SS, all other diets were designed to be deficient in methionine and lysine in relation to requirements by >20%. The realised supply with total sulphurous amino acids and lysine was indeed superior with SS even though this diet was analysed to be more deficient in methionine than the BSFL-based diets. Despite the calculated deficiency in limiting amino acids, laying performance of the hens of all groups was similar and ranged between 93 and 97%. Similarly, egg mass, daily feed intake and feed efficiency were not influenced by the BSFL-based diets. The yolks of group BB- were more intensely coloured compared to the others indicating a difference between BSFL origins. Yolks of SS-, but not of the BSFL-based diets, had lower contents of dry matter and ether extract than those of SS. Including BSFL into the diet did not influence the odour of the eggs tested in scrambled form. The results show that soybean-based feeds for laying hens may be completely replaced by BSFL- based feeds and suggest that the recommendations for amino acid supply of laying hens might need revision

The motivations of psychotherapists: an in‐depth survey

Background Examining the motivations of psychotherapists has not been a popular topic of systematic research. Knowing why people want to become therapists is clearly important because this factor will inevitably impact on therapeutic outcomes. The absence of research‐led knowledge on therapists′ motivations allows this key issue to remain a relatively unattended focus within reflective practice and personal development. Aim To collect data about therapists′ motivations from a large number of practitioners so that core findings could be generalised to the wider profession. Method A total of 540 psychotherapists completed an online survey with significant numbers offering supporting qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were subject to thematic and textual analysis. Results A large majority of therapists believe that their career choice was influenced by unconscious motivations, that their motivations are likely to change over time and that their own psychic wounds can contribute to effective therapy. Conclusion Psychotherapists are clearly prepared to reflect, in depth, on why they have been drawn to the profession. The fact that an awareness of therapists′ motivations may be variable that they may change over time and can be linked to personal vulnerability suggests that the topic should be an integral part of practitioners′ ongoing personal development and a discrete focus in formal training programmes