The tilt of mean sea level along the east coast of North America

The tilt of mean sea level along the North American east coast has been a subject of debate for many decades. Improvements in geoid and ocean circulation models, and GPS positioning of tide gauge benchmarks, provide an opportunity to produce new tilt estimates. Tilts estimated using tide gauge measurements referenced to high-resolution geoid models (the geodetic approach) and ocean circulation models (the ocean approach) are compared. The geodetic estimates are broadly similar, with tilts downward to the north through the Florida Straits and at Cape Hatteras. Estimates from the ocean approach show good agreement with the geodetic estimates, indicating a convergence of the two approaches and resolving the long standing debate as to the sign of the tilt. These tilts differ from those used by Yin and Goddard (2013) to support a link between changing ocean circulation and coastal sea level rise

Constant net-time headway as key mechanism behind pedestrian flow dynamics

We show that keeping a constant lower limit on the net-time headway is the key mechanism behind the dynamics of pedestrian streams. There is a large variety in flow and speed as functions of density for empirical data of pedestrian streams, obtained from studies in different countries. The net-time headway however, stays approximately constant over all these different data sets. By using this fact, we demonstrate how the underlying dynamics of pedestrian crowds, naturally follows from local interactions. This means that there is no need to come up with an arbitrary fit function (with arbitrary fit parameters) as has traditionally been done. Further, by using not only the average density values, but the variance as well, we show how the recently reported stop-and-go waves [Helbing et al., Physical Review E, 75, 046109] emerge when local density variations take values exceeding a certain maximum global (average) density, which makes pedestrians stop.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

The use of continuous foetal monitoring technologies that enable mobility in labour for women with complex pregnancies: A survey of Australian and New Zealand hospitals.

Objective:Freedom of movement and choice of positioning in labour and birth is known to enhance physiological processes and positive experiences for women during childbirth. Continuous foetal monitoring technologies that enable mobility in labour for women with complex pregnancies, such as wireless CTG, have been marketed for clinical use in most high resource settings since 2003 but there is a paucity of midwifery literature about its clinical use. The aim of this survey was to determine how often, and for whom, wireless and beltless technologies are being used in maternity settings across Australia and New Zealand and to identify any barriers to their uptake.Design:A survey tool developed by Watson et al. (2018) for use in the United Kingdom was adapted for the Australian/New Zealand context. One Maternity Unit Manager or key midwifery clinician from each of 208 public and private hospitals across Australia and New Zealand was invited by email to participate in an online survey between October 2019 and January 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the facilities and the frequency of availability of the monitors. Free text responses were thematically analysed.Findings:The survey received a high (71%) response rate from a range of public and private hospitals in urban and rural settings. Women's freedom of movement and sense of choice and control in labour were seen by most respondents to be positively influenced by wireless monitoring technology. Most facilities reported having at least one wireless or beltless foetal monitor available, however, results suggest that many women consenting to continuous monitoring still do not have access to technology that enables freedom of movement.Keyconclusions:Further research is required to explore the barriers and facilitators to enabling freedom of movement and positioning to all women in childbirth, including those women with complex pregnancies who may consent to continuous foetal monitoring

Evaluation of Extreme Thermal Processing Methods to Improve Nutrient Utilization of Low-Energy Diets for Finishing Pigs

A total of 270 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 115.7 lb) were used in a 79-d experiment to determine the effects of long-term conditioning or extrusion on finishing pig nutrient digestibility, growth performance, and carcass characteristics. There were 7 or 8 pigs per pen and 9 pens per treatment. Treatments included the same basal diet processed as: 1) nonprocessed mash; 2) pelleted with 45-s conditioner retention time; 3) pelleted with 90-s conditioner retention time; or 4) extruded. Diets were fed in three phases with the same low-energy diet formulation fed across treatments, containing 30% corn dried distillers grains with solubles and 19% wheat middlings. Pigs fed thermally processed feed, regardless of method, had improved ADG, F/G, ether extract, and crude fiber apparent total tract digestibility (P \u3c 0.05) compared to those fed the mash diet, but thermal processing did not affect ADFI . Extruded diets tended to improve F/G compared to pelleted diets (P = 0.09). Pigs fed any thermally processed treatment had greater HCW compared to those fed mash (P \u3c 0.05). Improvements in fat and crude fiber digestibility (P \u3c 0.05) led to improved caloric efficiency in pigs fed thermally processed diets. Thermal processing did not influence percentage yield, backfat, or loin depth when HCW was used as a covariate. However, pigs fed thermally processed diets had greater jowl fat iodine value compared to those fed mash diets (P \u3c 0.05). Electrical energy usage during thermal processing was recorded. Pigs fed mash diets had greater (P \u3c 0.05) cost per lb of gain, as well as reduced gain value and income over feed costs, compared to those fed thermally processed diets. This experiment confirms the benefits of thermally processing feeds to improve ADG and F/G, but compromises carcass fat iodine value. Additionally, this research suggests that more extreme thermal processing conditions may be used without hindering nutrient utilization

Effects of commercial formaldehyde inclusion and lysine level on nursery pig performance

Citation: Sica, L. G., Cochrane, R. A., Woodworth, J. C., Dritz, S. S., Stark, C. R., & Jones, C. K. (2016). Effects of commercial formaldehyde inclusion and lysine level on nursery pig performance. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 191-192. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-410Previous research has demonstrated that commercial formaldehyde products may reduce the risk of microbiological hazards in feed, but there is concern about the product binding Lys and reducing growth performance. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to evaluate the role of 2 commercially-available formaldehyde sources on growth performance of pigs fed a Lys-sufficient or Lys-deficient diet. A total of 299 pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initial BW 15.2 kg) were used in a 14-d study. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 3 × 2 factorial design with 3 formaldehyde inclusions: none vs. 3.25 kg per tonne SalCURB (Kemin Industries, Inc., Des Moines, IA) vs. 3.0 kg per tonne Termin-8 (Anitox Corp, Lawrenceville, GA) and 2 Lys levels: Adequate (1.25% SID Lys) vs. Low (1.10% SID Lys). Product concentrations were established from supplier recommendations, and diets were treated with in commercial mills utilizing supplier-specific equipment. Pens of pigs were balanced by initial BW and randomly allotted to treatments with 5 pigs per pen and 10 pens per treatment. Data were analyzed in a factorial design using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS. Overall, there was a tendency (P 0.10). In summary, SalCURB inclusion did not alter nursery pig growth performance compared to the untreated basal diet, regardless of Lys level. However, the inclusion of Termin-8 tended to result in poorer G:F in adequate Lys diets and poorer ADG and G:F in low Lys diets compared to an untreated control

Effects of Commercial Formaldehyde Inclusion and Lysine Level on Pig Performance of 35- to 50-lb Nursery Pigs

A total of 299 pigs (DNA 400 × 200; initial BW 33.6 lb) were used in a 14-d study to determine the effects of two separate commercial formaldehyde products (Termin-8; Anitox Corp, Lawrenceville, GA and SalCURB; Kemin Industries, Inc., Des Moines, IA) on nursery pig performance. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 3 × 2 factorial design with three formaldehyde inclusions: none vs. 6.5 lb/ton SalCURB vs. 6.0 lb/ton Termin-8 and 2 Lys levels: Standard (1.25% SID Lys) vs. Low (1.10% SID Lys). Formaldehyde treatments were established based on supplier recommendations and diets were treated with supplier-specific equipment. Pens of pigs were balanced by initial BW and randomly allotted to one of six treatments with five pigs per pen and 10 pens per treatment. Overall, there was a tendency (P \u3c 0.10) for a formaldehyde source × Lys level interaction to affect ADG and F/G, but not ADFI. Pigs fed diets with standard Lys levels, regardless of formaldehyde source, tended to have similar (P \u3e 0.10) ADG to one another, but greater (P \u3c 0.10) ADG than pigs fed low Lys levels treated with either formaldehyde source. Furthermore, pigs fed standard Lys levels treated with no formaldehyde or SalCURB tended to have improved (P \u3c 0.10) F/G compared to pigs fed standard Lys levels treated with Termin-8 or low Lys levels treated with no formaldehyde or SalCURB. Pigs fed diets with low Lys and treated with Termin-8 tended to have poorer (P \u3c 0.10) F/G than all other treatments. Regardless of source or Lys level, the inclusion of formaldehyde in nursery pig diets tended to reduce (P \u3c 0.10) ADG and resulted in poorer (P \u3c 0.05) F/G. Furthermore, the main effect of formaldehyde source affected (P \u3c 0.05) ADG, F/G, and tended to affect (P \u3c 0.10) ADFI, with pigs fed Termin-8 performing poorer than those fed SalCURB or no formaldehyde. As expected, Lys level affected (P \u3c 0.05) ADG and F/G, but did not alter ADFI (P \u3e 0.10). In summary, SalCURB inclusion did not alter nursery pig growth performance compared to the untreated basal diet, regardless of Lys level. However, the inclusion of Termin-8 tended to result in poorer F/G in standard Lys diets and poorer ADG and F/G in low Lys diets compared to an untreated control

Determining the Phosphorus Release for Natuphos E 5,000 G Phytase for Nursery Pigs

A total of 286 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 24.3 lb and d 42 of age) were used in a 21-d growth trial to determine the available P (aP) release curve for a novel phytase source (Natuphos E 5,000 G, BASF Corporation, Florham Park, NJ). Pigs were randomly allotted to pens at weaning. On d 0 of the experiment (d 18 after weaning), pens were allotted in a randomized complete block design to 1 of 8 treatments. There were 4 pigs per pen and 9 pens per treatment. Pigs were fed a corn-soybean meal-based diet formulated to 1.25% standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine. Ten 1-ton batches of basal feed (0.12% aP) were manufactured and subsequently divided to be the major portion of experimental diet manufacturing. Experimental diets were formulated to contain increasing aP supplied by either an inorganic source (0.12, 0.18, and 0.24% aP from monocalcium P) or from increased phytase (150, 250, 500, 750, and 1,000 FTU/ kg). Diets were analyzed for phytase using the AOAC method and actual analyzed concentrations were 263, 397, 618, 1,100, and 1,350 FTU/kg, respectively. On d 21 of the study, one pig per pen was euthanized and the right fibula was collected for bone ash and percentage bone ash calculations. From d 0 to 21, increasing P from inorganic P or increasing phytase resulted in improved (linear, P \u3c 0.01) ADG, F/G and ending BW. Bone ash weight and percentage bone ash increased (linear, P \u3c 0.01) with increasing inorganic P or phytase. When formulated phytase values and percentage bone ash are used as the response variables, aP release for up to 1,000 FTU/kg of Natuphos E 5,000 G phytase can be predicted by the equation: aP release = 0.000212 × FTU/kg phytase

Evaluating the Effect of Superdosing Natuphos E 5,000 G Phytase on Nursery Pig Performance

A total of 360 nursery pigs (DNA 200 × 400, initially 12.92 lb) were used in a 42-d growth trial to determine the effect of superdosing a novel phytase source (Natuphos E 5000 G, BASF Corporation, Florham Park, NJ). Pigs were randomly allotted to pens at weaning in a randomized complete block design to 1 of 8 dietary treatments. There were 5 pigs per pen and 9 pens per treatment. Diets were fed in 3 phases from d 0 to 7, 7 to 21, and 21 to 42. Dietary treatments were a negative control (NC) with 0.40, 0.30, or 0.25% aP from inorganic P for Phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively; and the NC with increasing phytase levels of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 phytase units (FTU)/kg. There was also a positive control (PC) with 0.55, 0.45, or 0.40% aP from inorganic P for Phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively, or the PC with 2,000 FTU/kg. On d 42, one pig per pen was euthanized and the right fibula was removed for bone ash analysis. From d 0 to 42, pigs fed increasing phytase in the negative control diet tended to have increased (quadratic, P = 0.064) ADG resulting in heavier (linear, P = 0.082) ending BW and improved (quadratic, P \u3c 0.01) F/G. Adding 2,000 FTU/kg phytase to the positive control diet did not influence ADG or ADFI, but tended to improve (linear, P = 0.068) F/G. The NC diet with 500 FTU/kg and PC diets were formulated to be equivalent in available Ca and P. When comparing the two diets, pigs fed the positive control diet had increased (linear, P = 0.007) ADFI; however, pigs fed the NC with 500 FTU/kg phytase diets had improved (linear, P = 0.034) F/G. Bone ash weights were increased (quadratic, P \u3c 0.001) for pigs fed increasing phytase in the NC diets. Additionally, percentage bone ash values increased as phytase increased in the NC (linear, P \u3c 0.001) and PC (P \u3c 0.001) diets. There was a tendency for the PC diet to have greater (P = 0.099) percentage bone ash when compared to the NC diet with 500 FTU/kg of phytase. In summary, this study shows that increasing dietary phytase increased percentage bone ash values, and a tendency for improved F/G as phytase was added to the positive control diet with P and Ca formulated at NRC (2012) recommendations. However, there was no further improvement in growth performance when phytase was included above 1,000 FTU/kg

Comparing the Effects of Butyric Acid Source and Level on Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

A total of 398 pigs (PIC 19 × 1050 or PIC 3 × C29, initially 13.56 ± 0.02 lb) were used in a 42-d growth study to compare the effects of increasing two different sources of encapsulated butyric acid on growth performance of nursery pigs fed meal diets. Dietary treatments were arranged as a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial with main effects of butyric acid source (ButiPEARL vs. ButiPEARLZ; Kemin Industries, Des Moines, IA) and level (low (1 or 1.38 lb/ton) vs. high (2 or 2.76 lb/ton) respectively) plus a control diet without any butyric acid. The inclusion rates of each product were established such that the same amount of butyric acid was contributed from each source for the low or high levels, respectively. Experimental diets were fed in three phases from d 0 to 7, 7 to 21, and 21 to 42. Pens of pigs (6 barrows and 4 gilts) were balanced by initial BW and randomly allotted to treatments, with 8 replications (pens) per treatment. From d 0 to 7, a source × level interaction (P \u3c 0.05) was observed for ADG, ADFI, and F/G, with pigs fed diets containing ButiPEARL having improved performance at the low inclusion, but with those fed high butyric acid not different from the control. However, pigs fed ButiPEARLZ had poorer growth performance at the low level, with the high level having performance similar to the control. In Phase 2 (d 7 to 21), ADG and ADFI were not influenced by butyric acid source or level, but an interaction (P = 0.001) was observed for F/G as pigs fed ButiPEARL had poorer F/G as level increased; whereas pigs fed increasing ButiPEARLZ had improved F/G. For Phase 3 (d 21 to 42), increasing either butyric acid source tended (P = 0.060) to decrease ADG. Overall (d 0 to 42), butyric acid source or level did not affect ADG, ADFI or F/G. In conclusion, this study showed that pigs fed low ButiPEARL in Phase 1 (d 0 to 7) had improved growth performance compared to other treatments with only minor treatment effects observed thereafter. More research is warranted to determine if the butyric acid sources used in this experiment would elicit different responses in pelleted nursery diets

Finely Grinding Cereal Grains in Pelleted Diets Offers Little Improvement in Nursery Pig Growth Performance

Five experiments were conducted to determine the effects of corn particle size and diet form on nursery pig performance and feed preference. In Exp. 1, 192 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 14.7 lb and 26 d of age) were used in a 35-d experiment. Pens of pigs were balanced by BW and allotted to 1 of 4 treatments with 6 pigs per pen and 8 pens per treatment. The same corn and soybean meal-based diet formulation was used for all treatments. The 2 × 2 factorial consisted of the main effects of corn particle size (400 vs. 700 μm) and diet form (mash vs. pelleted). Pigs fed mash diets had improved overall ADG and greater ADFI during all periods (P \u3c 0.05) and particle size did not impact (P \u3e 0.10) performance. In Exp. 2, a study utilized 96 pigs to evaluate feed preference of pigs consuming mash diets with either 400 or 700 μm corn. Pigs overwhelmingly (P \u3c 0.05) preferred to consume 700 μm corn compared to 400 μm corn (79.3 vs. 20.7%). In Exp. 3, 224 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 24.1 lb and 40 d of age) were used in a 10-d experiment to determine the effects of corn particle size in pelleted diets on nursery pig performance. Experimental treatments were formed by grinding corn to 1 of 4 different particle sizes (250, 400, 550, or 700 μm). Particle size tended to affect (P \u3c 0.10) ADG in a quadratic manner, but did not impact (P \u3e 0.10) ADFI or F/G. Pigs fed pelleted diets from either 250 or 700 μm corn had poorer ADG than the intermediate treatments. Exp. 4 utilized 91 pigs to evaluate the preference of pigs consuming pelleted diets with either 250 or 700 μm corn from Exp. 3. Even in pelleted form, pigs preferred (P \u3c 0.05) to consume diets manufactured with the coarser particle size corn (58.2 vs. 41.8%). In Exp. 5, 180 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 15.8 lb and 36 d of age) were used in a 35-d experiment to determine the effects of corn particle size and pelleting on nursery pig growth performance. The 2 × 2 factorial consisted of 2 corn particle sizes (500 μm vs. 750 μm) and two diet forms (mash vs. pelleted). Overall, reducing particle size from 750 to 500 μm did not affect growth performance (P \u3e 0.10). Pelleting reduced (P \u3c 0.05) feed intake, but did not affect ADG or F/G (P \u3e 0.10). These studies suggest that there is little value to be gained by grinding corn to less than 700 microns if fed in pelleted form. Furthermore, our data suggest that, regardless if fed as mash or pellets, pigs prefer to consume diets manufactured with coarser ground corn if given the choice