Effects of different levels of feeding on growth and development in beef cattle

There are many different views among herdsmen as to when a calf should be given extra milk from a nurse cow and as to how long a calf should be given extra milk. Some show calves are started on extra milk at a few days of age, while others are started from a few days to five to seven months of age. Some of the reasons for this wide variation in the age at which calves are started on nurse cows are: 1) a few breeders want to breed some top producing cows as quickly after calving as possible 2) poor milking cows; 3) variation in herdsman’s ideas on how to develop show calves; 4) variations in feeding and management conditions; 5) herdsmen sometimes misjudge a show prospect at an early age; and 6) cost of labor and extra cost of keeping a nurse cow. Where cattle are highly fitted for livestock shows or sales, the cost is much higher than the usual cost of developing animals for a breeding herd. However, it should be realized that the purpose is different. Cattle developed for shows are considered the show window of the herd. The added expense is considered by most breeders as part of the cost of an educational and advertising program. There are many opinions as to the difficulties and hazards involved in producing highly fitted cattle and then using them for breeding purposes. Some cattlemen believe that highly fitted heifers or bulls are slow or hard breeders and that many overly fat heifers are hard to settle”. Bulls are so fat that they are often slow breeders and often clumsy. Observations are that over-feeding cattle may affect the feet, causing excessive growing out of the toes, especially if the cattle are confined to email areas. Corns or quitters may develop between the toes, become painful and may cause slow breeders in the bulls. Some breeders and herdsmen believe that heifers that are very fat at time of calving often have difficulty and may have small calves. Many breeders believe that highly fitted heifers are poor milkers because of excess fat. Some herdsmen believe that highly fitted show heifers have very definitely retarded milk supply during the first lactation period, but that milking qualities may adjust to normal after the second or third calves Observations indicate that “rustling ability and activity of highly fitted heifers or cows are reduced. Thus, highly fitted cattle may not do as well as others where there is considerable competition for the feed supply. Likewise, some herdsmen feel that feeding and feeding practices re-suiting in excessive condition in cattle shorten their productive life. Feeding and fitting cattle for shows or sales, either with nurse cows and concentrate feeds or with concentrate feeds alone, produces an extra amount of weight and condition for the animal to carry above that considered satisfactory for normal productivity and reproduction. How much of this extra weight the brood cow needs and whether or not it has any harmful effects throughout the productive life is of concern to breeders and livestock men. The excessive accumulation of fat within the body tissue may also have harmful effects

A rapid scoping review of fear of infertility in Africa

Background Fear of infertility (FOI) is often reported in studies about reproductive health but this literature not yet mapped. The aim of this rapid scoping review of qualitative studies was to describe the nature of FOI in Africa. Methods Eligibility criteria were qualitative data from Africa reporting views of women and men of any age. MEDLINE and CINAHL databases were searched for English language citations to February 2019 using keywords related to fear, infertility and Africa. Two independent reviewers screened texts for inclusion. Results Of 248 citations identified, 38 qualitative and six review papers were included. FOI was reported in diverse groups (e.g., men, women, fertile, infertile, married, unmarried, teachers, religious leaders). Two types of fears were identified: (1) fear of triggering infertility due to specific reproductive choices and (2) fear of the dire future consequences of infertility. Choices were perceived to affect fertility via internal accumulation and blockage (e.g., of menstrual blood), structural damage (e.g., burnt eggs), internal movement of contraceptive material, deliberate toxicity preventing population growth and behavioral effects impeding sexual activity. Diverse feared consequences of infertility were reported (e.g., polygamy, economic hardships). Fears were reported to affect reproductive behaviour (e.g., stopping contraception), help-seeking and social behaviour. Conclusion FOI is a phenomenon that should be studied in its own right. Fears could originate from genuine threats, incorrect knowledge, distortions of truths, or dissemination of false information. Rigorous studies are needed to better understand FOI and integrate it in health education, client counselling and family planning service provision

Growth survival and resistance to hypersaline stress in larval black sea bass (Centropristis striata) fed varying levels of dietary arachidonic acid (20:4n-6)

Significant advances have been made in controlled breeding and knowledge of environmental requirements for culture of larval black sea bass (Centropristis striata), but there still is relatively little published data on the nutritional requirements of the larval stages, including optimal methods for live prey enrichment with essential fatty acids. The objectives of this study were to determine the arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) requirements of black sea bass larvae from the first feeding through metamorphic stages approximately 24 days post-hatching (d24ph). Thirty 15-L aquaria were stocked with d1ph yolksac stage larvae at 100 ind./L. Salinity (34 g/L), temperature (22 °C), photoperiod (18L: 6D), light intensity (1,000 lux), diffused aeration (100 mL/min) and D.O. (> 5 mg/L) were held constant. Background microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata was added daily to maintain 300,000 cells/L. To determine ARA requirements of larvae, live prey organisms, rotifers (Brachionus sp.) and Artemia were enriched with emulsions containing 10% docosahexaenoic acid, DHA (22:6n-3) and five different levels of ARA (0, 6, 8, 10 and 12% total fatty acids, TFA). In a sixth treatment, live prey was enriched with Algamac 2000 (26% DHA, 0% ARA), a commercial fatty acid booster. Rotifers were fed from d2ph at 10 ind./mL, increasing to 23 ind./mL by d18ph. On d18ph Artemia were fed at 0.5 ind./mL, increasing to 3 ind./mL on d22ph. Rotifer feeding ceased on d20ph. Larvae were sampled on d4, d10, d17 and d24ph to monitor survival and growth (NL, wet wt. and dry wt.). On d24ph, hypersaline (55 g/L) stress resistance (ST-50) was evaluated. To measure Na,K,ATP-ase expression, salinity was increased to a sublethal level of 42 g/L and larvae were sampled at 0 h and after 24 h for mRNA analysis by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). On d24ph, larval fatty acid profiles reflected dietary levels. Larval NL, wet wt. and dry wt. increased steadily in all treatments during the study, with no significant (P > 0.05) treatment effects. On d24ph, no significant treatment differences in survival (range = 24.3-32.7%) or hypersaline stress (range = 27.1-31.8) resistance were evident. However, larvae fed diets supplemented with ARA (6-12% TFA) demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) increase in relative mRNA expression of Na+ K+ ATPase after 24 h, whereas larvae fed 0% ARA and Algamac showed no increase. The results indicate that dietary supplementation with ARA at 6-12% promoted the adaptive physiological responses to hypersalinity stress and hypo-osmoregulatory ability in black sea bass larvae

Evaluation of Fishing Agreements Concluded by the European Community

In April 1997, the Council of the European Union (EU) initiated a debate about Community fishing agreements (CFAs). In its conclusions, the Council invited "the Commission to undertake an analysis of the costs and benefits of fishing agreements with the Community". The overall aim is to provide pertinent information to the European institutions. This presentation gives a summary of process.This material is drawn from a full report published by the European Union in 1999, entitled "Evaluation of Fishing Agreements Concluded by the European Community/Evaluation des Accords de Pêche Conclus par la Communauté Européenne", 180p+190p annexes. A summary of the report is available online at http://europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries/doc_et_publ/liste_publi/studies/rsen.pdf. The full report can also be ordered from the EU Website

A rapid review of the effectiveness of alternative education delivery strategies for undergraduate and postgraduate medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Education delivery in higher education institutions was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for healthcare students whose continuing education is imperative to maintain a well-educated healthcare workforce. Emergency remote teaching, without prior contingency planning, was developed and adapted promptly for the circumstances. We investigated the effectiveness of alternative education delivery strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students acquired the relevant knowledge to become effective practitioners, able to translate learning into clinical practice, and how this informs either further planned education delivery or adaptations in emergencies

Rand Patents and Exclusion Orders: Submission of 19 Economics and Law Professors to the International Trade Commission

In this comment to ITC Investigation 337-TA-745 (Certain Wireless Communication Devices, Motorola v. Apple) we, as teachers and scholars of economics, antitrust and intellectual property, remedies, administrative, and international intellectual property law, former Department of Justice lawyers and chief economists, a former executive official at the Patent and Trademark Office, a former counsel at the ITC Office of the General Counsel, and a former Member of the President’s Council of Economic Adviser take the position that ITC exclusion orders generally should not be granted under § 1337(d)(1) on the basis of patents subject to obligations to license on “reasonable and non-discriminatory” (RAND) terms. Doing so would undermine the significant pro-competitive and pro-consumer benefits that RAND promises produce and the investments they enable. A possible exception may arise if district court jurisdiction is lacking, the patent is valid and infringed, and the public interest favors issuing an exclusion order. We explain our position in the comment

Clarifying the absence of evidence regarding human health risks to microplastic particles in drinking-water: High quality robust data wanted

In a recently published article, Leslie and Depledge (2020) raise concerns regarding statements on the risk that microplastic particles represent to human health and which have been attributed to reports published by both the Science Academies’ Group, Science Advice for Policy (SAPEA) (part of the European Commission’s Science Advice Mechanism) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (SAPEA. Science Advice for Policy by European Academies, 2019, WHO, 2019). Leslie and Depledge (2020), for instance, suggest that WHO (2019) conclude that there is ‘no evidence to indicate a human health concern.’ This statement, taken out of context from the WHO report (WHO, 2019), is then used to imply that the WHO conclude there is ‘no risk’ related to the exposure of microplastic particles (Leslie and Depledge, 2020). While, Leslie and Depledge (2020) highlight the importance of debate and systematic assessment of claims related to the assessment of risk, observations that we agree are important to highlight, there are a number of points raised in the article that require clarification

Treatments targeting inotropy

Acute heart failure (HF) and in particular, cardiogenic shock are associated with high morbidity and mortality. A therapeutic dilemma is that the use of positive inotropic agents, such as catecholamines or phosphodiesterase-inhibitors, is associated with increased mortality. Newer drugs, such as levosimendan or omecamtiv mecarbil, target sarcomeres to improve systolic function putatively without elevating intracellular Ca2+. Although meta-analyses of smaller trials suggested that levosimendan is associated with a better outcome than dobutamine, larger comparative trials failed to confirm this observation. For omecamtiv mecarbil, Phase II clinical trials suggest a favourable haemodynamic profile in patients with acute and chronic HF, and a Phase III morbidity/mortality trial in patients with chronic HF has recently begun. Here, we review the pathophysiological basis of systolic dysfunction in patients with HF and the mechanisms through which different inotropic agents improve cardiac function. Since adenosine triphosphate and reactive oxygen species production in mitochondria are intimately linked to the processes of excitation-contraction coupling, we also discuss the impact of inotropic agents on mitochondrial bioenergetics and redox regulation. Therefore, this position paper should help identify novel targets for treatments that could not only safely improve systolic and diastolic function acutely, but potentially also myocardial structure and function over a longer-term.Peer reviewe