The identification of the Romanovs: Can we (finally) put the controversies to rest?

For much of the 20th century the fate of the last Imperial family of Russia, the Romanovs, was a mystery after their execution in 1918. In the mid 1970s the mass grave of the Romanov family (minus two of the children) was discovered and officially exhumed after the fall of the Soviet Union. Forensic DNA testing of the remains in the early 1990s was used to identify the family. Despite the overwhelming evidence for establishing the identity of the Romanov family, a small but vocal number of scientists have tried to raise doubt about the DNA testing during the late 1990s and early 2000s. With the discovery of the two missing Romanov children in 2007, there was an opportunity to re-analyze all of the evidence associated with the case which confirmed the initial DNA testing and brought finality to the mystery. This article will discuss the controversies associated with the Romanov identification and reflect upon the importance of the case to the field of forensic DNA typing over the last 20 years

Effects of distillers dried grains with solubles and added fat fed immediately before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs

Citation: Coble, K. F., DeRouchey, J. M., Tokach, M. D., Dritz, S. S., Goodband, R. D., & Woodworth, J. C. (2017). Effects of distillers dried grains with solubles and added fat fed immediately before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 95(1), 270-278. doi:10.2527/jas2016.0679The addition of dietary fat has been shown to increase HCW and carcass yield in pigs fed low-fiber corn-soy diets; however, data on added fat in high-fiber, low-energy diets is less available. Therefore, the potential for dietary fat to ameliorate the negative effect high-fiber diets have on carcass yield during the last 3 wk before slaughter is of high importance. This experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and 5% added fat fed before slaughter on growth performance and carcass characteristics. A total of 1,258 pigs in 2 groups (initially 105.8 +/- 0.1 kg BW; group 1 PIC 337 x 1,050; group 2 PIC 327 x 1,050) were used in a 20-d experiment. All pigs were fed a common diet with 30% DDGS until 20 d before slaughter. Then, all pens were weighed and allotted to treatments with 20 replicate pens per treatment. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial with 2 diet types (corn-soybean meal-based with or without 30% DDGS) and added fat (0 or 5%; group 1 = tallow; group 2 = choice white grease). Diets were formulated to a constant standardized ileal digestible Lys: NE ratio. There were no treatment x group interactions for any response criteria. Thus, data for the 2 groups were combined for analysis. Overall, there was a tendency for a diet type x added fat interaction for ADG (P = 0.054), whereas this was significant for G: F (P = 0.008). This was a result of 5% added fat increasing ADG and G: F to a greater magnitude for pigs fed the diet containing 30% DDGS (8.6 and 10.4%, respectively) than for pigs fed the corn-soy diet (2.0 and 2.9%, respectively). Although diet type did not affect final live BW, pigs fed the diet containing DDGS had decreased HCW and carcass yield (P < 0.05). Adding 5% fat did not affect carcass yield. In conclusion, adding 5% fat to finishing pig diets containing 30% DDGS approximately 20 d before slaughter improved ADG and G: F but did not overcome the reduction in carcass yield from feeding DDGS

Effects of added zinc and copper on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs fed ractopamine HCl

A total of 253 finishing pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initial BW 204 lb) were used in a 28-d study to determine the effects of added Zn (Availa-Zn; Zinpro Corp., Eden Prairie, MN), Cu (Availa-Cu; Zinpro Corp.), or both to diets containing ractopamine HCl (RAC; Paylean; Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on growth performance and carcass characteristics. Pens of pigs were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 treatments and balanced on average pig weight with 7 to 8 pigs per pen. Treatments included a control diet without RAC (negative control) and 4 diets containing 9 g/ton RAC with or without added Zn (50 ppm) or Cu (125 ppm) in a 2 × 2 factorial. Overall, pigs fed RAC had increased (P \u3c 0.01) ADG and improved F/G, which resulted in approximately a 15.5-lb heavier (P \u3c 0.01) pig compared with those fed the negative control diet. Pigs fed added Zn had decreased (P \u3c 0.05) ADG and tended to have decreased (P \u3c 0.09) ADFI. Pigs fed added Cu also tended (P \u3c 0.10) to have decreased ADG. No differences were observed in F/G when Zn or Cu was added to the diet. Hot carcass weight, carcass yield, loin depth, and percentage lean increased (P \u3c 0.01) in pigs fed the positive control diet containing RAC compared with those fed the negative control diet, whereas backfat was unaffected. Carcass characteristics were not affected by added Zn or Cu. Feed cost and revenue increased (P \u3c 0.01) for pigs fed the positive control diet containing RAC by approximately $9.63 and$10.08, respectively, compared with pigs fed the negative control diet; however, no difference was observed in feed cost per lb of gain. Income over feed cost (IOFC) did not differ in pigs fed the negative or positive control diet. Adding Zn decreased (P \u3c 0.05) revenue per pig, and adding Cu tended to increase (P \u3c 0.06) feed cost per lb of gain and reduce (P \u3c 0.10) revenue per pig. There were no differences in IOFC between diets containing added Zn and no added Zn. Added Cu reduced (P \u3c 0.05) IOFC. In summary, growth and carcass characteristics improved in pigs fed dietary RAC as expected, but adding Zn, Cu, or both to diets containing RAC did not improve growth performance, carcass characteristics, or IOFC. Adding copper actually reduced IOFC due to the added expense.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 21, 201

A response to “Likelihood ratio as weight of evidence: a closer look” by Lund and Iyer

Recently, Lund and Iyer (L&amp;I) raised an argument regarding the use of likelihood ratios in court. In our view, their argument is based on a lack of understanding of the paradigm. L&amp;I argue that the decision maker should not accept the expert’s likelihood ratio without further consideration. This is agreed by all parties. In normal practice, there is often considerable and proper exploration in court of the basis for any probabilistic statement. We conclude that L&amp;I argue against a practice that does not exist and which no one advocates. Further we conclude that the most informative summary of evidential weight is the likelihood ratio. We state that this is the summary that should be presented to a court in every scientific assessment of evidential weight with supporting information about how it was constructed and on what it was based

Effects of increasing zinc from zinc sulfate or zinc hydroxychloride on finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics

Citation: Carpenter, C. B., Coble, K., Woodworth, J. C., DeRouchey, J. M., Tokach, M. D., Goodband, R. D., . . . Usry, J. L. (2016). Effects of increasing zinc from zinc sulfate or zinc hydroxychloride on finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 141-141. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-301A variety of zinc sources are available for use in swine trace mineral premixes. However, more research is needed to compare zinc sources and dietary levels in growing and finishing pigs in a commercial environment. A total of 1008 pigs [TR4 × (Fast Large White × L02 PIC); initially 32.1 kg BW)] were used in a 103-d growth study to determine the effects of Zn source and level on finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics. The 6 dietary treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of Zn source (ZnSO4 Agrium Advance Technology, Loveland, CO or Zn Hydroxychloride; IntelliBond Z®; Micronutrients, Indianapolis, IN) or level (50, 100, or 150 ppm added Zn). There was no additional Zn provided from the trace mineral premix. There were 21 pigs per pen and 8 pens per treatment. Overall, there were no Zn source × level interactions observed for ADG or ADFI, however G:F tended (linear, P = 0.069) to be poorer when pigs were fed increasing levels of Zn from ZnSO4. Overall, there were no Zn source effects for growth performance observed. For Zn level main effects, ADG was maximized (quadratic, P = 0.007) and ending BW was heaviest (quadratic, P = 0.011) when diets contained 100 ppm of Zn. Feed efficiency was poorer (linear, P = 0.006) when pigs were fed increasing levels of Zn. For carcass characteristics, pigs fed diets with Zn Hydroxychloride had heavier (P = 0.041) HCW than those fed ZnSO4. Also carcass yield increased (linear, P = 0.027) when pigs were fed increasing levels of Zn and HCW was maximized (quadratic, P = 0.006) when diets contained 100 ppm of Zn. These results suggest that a total of 100 ppm added Zn is enough to maximize ending BW, ADG and HCW, but G:F worsened as Zn level increased. Zn source did not impact growth performance; however, pigs fed Zn Hydroxychloride had increased HCW compared to those fed ZnSO4

The Impact of a Sport-Based Service Learning Course on Participants’ Attitudes, Intentions and Actions Toward Social Change

Framed in the context of a sport-based service learning program that engages in interdepartmental university partnerships (including athletics), the current study focused on addressing the need to analyze the long-term impacts of service learning on students’ intentions and actions toward social change. Service learning courses have been shown to facilitate positive outcomes such as increased cultural competency and future intentions toward civic engagement (Bruening et al., 2010, 2014). Building on this knowledge, the current study used in-depth interviews to investigate the social justice-related attitudes, intentions, and behaviors of alumni of a college service learning through sport course. Individual interviews (n = 22) with participants who had completed at least one semester in the course indicated that the course was influential in developing their ability to recognize social inequities. Furthermore, participants indicated future intentions and current involvement in initiatives that address social inequities in their given areas of life. Theoretical and managerial implications for effective academic and intercollegiate athletic partnerships, helping to increase impactful civic engagement and learning opportunities for student-athletes and non-student-athletes, are provided

The Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study: IV. Estimating Historical Exposures to Diesel Exhaust in Underground Non-metal Mining Facilities

We developed quantitative estimates of historical exposures to respirable elemental carbon (REC) for an epidemiologic study of mortality, including lung cancer, among diesel-exposed miners at eight non-metal mining facilities [the Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study (DEMS)]. Because there were no historical measurements of diesel exhaust (DE), historical REC (a component of DE) levels were estimated based on REC data from monitoring surveys conducted in 1998–2001 as part of the DEMS investigation. These values were adjusted for underground workers by carbon monoxide (CO) concentration trends in the mines derived from models of historical CO (another DE component) measurements and DE determinants such as engine horsepower (HP; 1 HP = 0.746 kW) and mine ventilation. CO was chosen to estimate historical changes because it was the most frequently measured DE component in our study facilities and it was found to correlate with REC exposure. Databases were constructed by facility and year with air sampling data and with information on the total rate of airflow exhausted from the underground operations in cubic feet per minute (CFM) (1 CFM = 0.0283 m3 min−1), HP of the diesel equipment in use (ADJ HP), and other possible determinants. The ADJ HP purchased after 1990 (ADJ HP1990+) was also included to account for lower emissions from newer, cleaner engines. Facility-specific CO levels, relative to those in the DEMS survey year for each year back to the start of dieselization (1947–1967 depending on facility), were predicted based on models of observed CO concentrations and log-transformed (Ln) ADJ HP/CFM and Ln(ADJ HP1990+). The resulting temporal trends in relative CO levels were then multiplied by facility/department/job-specific REC estimates derived from the DEMS surveys personal measurements to obtain historical facility/department/job/year-specific REC exposure estimates. The facility-specific temporal trends of CO levels (and thus the REC estimates) generated from these models indicated that CO concentrations had been generally greater in the past than during the 1998–2001 DEMS surveys, with the highest levels ranging from 100 to 685% greater (median: 300%). These levels generally occurred between 1970 and the early 1980s. A comparison of the CO facility-specific model predictions with CO air concentration measurements from a 1976–1977 survey external to the modeling showed that our model predictions were slightly lower than those observed (median relative difference of 29%; range across facilities: 49 to –25%). In summary, we successfully modeled past CO concentration levels using selected determinants of DE exposure to derive retrospective estimates of REC exposure. The results suggested large variations in REC exposure levels both between and within the underground operations of the facilities and over time. These REC exposure estimates were in a plausible range and were used in the investigation of exposure–response relationships in epidemiologic analyses

Effects of grinding corn through a 2-, 3-, or 4-high roller mill on milling characteristics, and finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics

Citation: Gebhardt, J. T., Tokach, M. D., Woodworth, J. C., DeRouchey, J. M., Goodband, R. D., Coble, K. F., . . . Dritz, S. S. (2016). Effects of grinding corn through a 2-, 3-, or 4-high roller mill on milling characteristics, and finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 59-59. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-126Finishing pigs (n = 922, initial BW = 40.1 kg) were used in a 97-d experiment to determine the effects of grinding corn through various roller mill configurations on milling characteristics and growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs in a commercial setting. Pens were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 experimental treatments by initial BW with 11 pens/treatment and 21 pigs/pen. All diets were fed in 5 phases with the same corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 20% dried distiller’s grains with solubles. Experimental treatments included corn ground to 685 µm using 2 sets of rolls (2-high), corn ground to 577 µm using 3 sets of rolls (3-high), corn ground to 360 µm using 4 sets of rolls in a fine grind configuration (4-high fine), and corn ground to 466 µm using 4 sets of rolls in a coarse grind configuration (4-high coarse). The same roller mill was used for all configurations with the appropriate lower rolls completely open when using 2 or 3 sets of rolls. Grinding rate (tonnes/hour) was greatest (P < 0.05) for the 2-high and 4-high coarse configurations followed by the 3-high configuration and lowest for the 4-high fine configuration. Electricity cost was lowest (P < 0.05) per tonne of ground corn for the 2-high configuration and was greatest for the 4-high fine configuration. Pigs fed diets containing corn ground with the 2-high configuration had the greatest (P < 0.05) ADFI and ADG with pigs fed diets with corn ground using the 4-high fine configuration having the poorest ADFI and ADG (2.81, 2.73, 2.65, 2.73 kg for ADFI and 0.987, 0.967, 0.940, 0.971 kg for ADG for 2-high, 3-high, 4-high fine, 4-high coarse, respectively). There were no differences in G:F, caloric efficiency, or carcass characteristics among pigs fed diets ground with the different roller mill configurations. Feed cost/kg gain was lowest (P < 0.05) for the 4-high coarse configuration and revenue/pig was greatest (P < 0.05) for the 2-high and 4-high coarse configurations. Income over feed cost (IOFC) was lowest (P < 0.05) for pigs fed diets with corn ground using the 4-high fine configuration; however, there were no differences in IOFC among the other milling configurations. In our study, roller mill configuration had a significant impact on grinding electricity cost, grinding rate, as well as ADFI and ADG; however, roller mill configuration had no impact on G:F

The phylogeny of the four pan-American MtDNA haplogroups: Implications for evolutionary and disease studies

Only a limited number of complete mitochondrial genome sequences belonging to Native American haplogroups were available until recently, which left America as the continent with the least of information about sequence variation of entire mitochondrial DNAs. In this study, a comprehensive overview of all available complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes of the four pan-American haplogroups A2, B2, C1, and D1 is provided by revising the information scattered throughout GenBank and the literature, and adding 14 novel mtDNA sequences. The phylogenies of haplogroups A2, B2, C1, and D1 reveal a large number of sub haplogroups but suggest that the ancestral Beringian population(s) contributed only six (successful) founder haplotypes to these haplogroups. The derived are overall starlike with coalescence times ranging from 18,000 to 21,000 years (with one exception) using the conventional calibration. The average of about 19,000 years somewhat contrast with the corresponding lower age of about 13,500 years that was recently proposed by employing a different calibration and estimation approach. Our estimate indicates a human entry and spread of the pan-American haplogroups into the Americas right after the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum and comfortably agrees with the undisputed ages of the earliest Paleoindians in South America. In addition, the phylogenetic approach also indicates that the pathogenic status proposed for various mtDNA mutations, which actually define branches of Native American haplogroups, was based on insufficient grounds.Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología CelularFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Effect of diet type and added copper on growth performance, carcass characteristics, total tract digestibility, gut morphology, and mucosal mRNA expression of finishing pigs

Citation: Coble, K., Burnett, D., Goodband, R. D., Gonzalez, J. M., Usry, J. L., Tokach, M. D., . . . Vaughn, M. A. (2016). Effect of diet type and added copper on growth performance, carcass characteristics, total tract digestibility, gut morphology, and mucosal mRNA expression of finishing pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 140-141. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-299A total of 757 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 27.6 kg BW) were used in a 117-d experiment to determine the effects of added Cu (TBCC; tribasic copper chloride, IntelliBond C; Micronutrients, Inc., Indianapolis, IN) and diet type on growth performance, carcass characteristics, energy digestibility, gut morphology, and mucosal mRNA expression of finishing pigs. Pens of pigs were allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments, balanced on average pen weight in a randomized complete-block design with 26 to 28 pigs/pen and 7 replications/treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with main effects of diet type, a corn-soybean meal-based diet (corn-soy) or a high byproduct diet (byproduct) with 30% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and 15% bakery meal, and added Cu (0 (10 mg/kg basal) or 150 mg/kg added Cu). There were no Cu×diet type interactions for growth performance. Neither added Cu nor diet type significantly influenced overall growth performance, although adding Cu during the early finishing period tended to increase (P = 0.076) ADG compared to pigs fed none (0.85 vs. 0.83). However, NE caloric efficiency was improved (P = 0.001) for pigs fed the corn-soy diet compared to the byproduct diet (6.76 vs. 7.15 Mcal intake/kg BW gain). Pigs fed the corn-soy diet had improved carcass yield (P = 0.007; 74.33 vs. 73.19%) and HCW G:F (P = 0.011; 0.274 vs. 0.266), and tended to have increased HCW (P = 0.067; 94.60 vs. 92.65 kg) and HCW ADG (P = 0.056; 0.635 vs. 0.615 kg/d) compared to pigs fed the byproduct diet. A Cu×diet type interaction (P < 0.05) existed for DM and GE digestibility in phase 2 as added Cu improved digestibility of DM and GE in the corn-soy diet, but not in the byproduct diet. In phase 4, added Cu tended to increase DM and GE digestibility (P = 0.060) while pigs fed the byproduct diet had decreased DM and GE digestibility (P = 0.001) compared to the corn-soy diet. For gut morphology, pigs fed added Cu had decreased distal small intestine crypt depth (P = 0.017; 207 vs. 225 um) compared to those fed no added Cu. Furthermore, pigs fed added Cu had decreased (P = 0.032; 0.618 vs. 0.935) relative mRNA expression of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) compared to those fed no added Cu. In summary, 150 mg/kg added TBCC did not significantly affect overall growth but did influence diet digestibility and some gut morphology or mRNA expression measurements. Feeding a high byproduct diet decreased yield, caloric efficiency, and diet digestibility