The effects of feed budgeting, complete diet blending, and corn supplement blending on finishing pig growth performance in a commercial environment

A total of 808 pigs (PIC 337 x 1050, initially 78.4 ± 1.4 lb BW) were used to compare different feed-blending strategies for finishing pigs using the FeedPro system (Feedlogic Corp., Willmar, MN). There were 3 experimental treatments: (1) a standard-phase complete feed program, (2) blending a high- and low-lysine complete diet (curve), and (3) blending ground corn and a supplement. FeedPro is an integrated feed dispensing system that can deliver and blend 2 separate diets while dispensing. Treatment diets were fed over 4 phases (78 to 231 lb BW) with a common complete diet containing Paylean fed during the fifth phase. The 5 phases were from 78 to 115, 115 to 157, 157 to 191, 191 to 239, and 239 to 281 lb. Each treatment had 10 replicate pens and 26 to 27 pigs per pen. Overall (d 0 to 78), pigs phase-fed complete diets had greater (P < 0.01) ADG than pigs fed blended diets and tended to have greater (P < 0.07) ADG than those fed the ground corn-supplement blend. Pigs fed the blended diets had lower (P < 0.001) ADFI than pigs phase-fed complete diets or fed the corn-supplement blend. However, pigs fed blended diets had improved (P < 0.001) F/G compared to pigs phase-fed a ground corn-supplement blend and tended to have improved (P < 0.07) F/G compared to pigs fed standard-phase diets. Pigs fed standard-phase diets had heavier (P < 0.03) HCW than pigs fed the corn-supplement blend and tended to have heavier (P < 0.03) HCW than pigs fed diets on a lysine curve. However, there were no differences (P ≥ 0.11) in percentage yield, percentage lean, fat depth, or loin depth among treatments. There were no differences (P ≥ 0.11) in total revenue or income over feed costs (IOFC) across treatments. However, standard phase-fed pigs held a numerical advantage in total revenue, mainly driven by a heavier HCW over other treatments. Also, pigs fed a ground corn-supplement blend had numerically the lowest IOFC compared to other treatments. In conclusion, feeding using the FeedPro system is competitive with standard phase-fed diets on a net return basis, while feeding a ground corn-supplement blend adversely affected net returns

Retropharyngeal Abscess and Pott’s Disease Due to Tuberculosis: A Case Report

Introduction: Extrapulmonary mycobacterial infection can lead to vertebral spondylitis and osteomyelitis (Pott’s disease). Retropharyngeal abscess with concurrent spinal osteomyelitis is a rare presentation of tuberculosis in the US. Chart review on a patient was completed, and the relevant published literature was reviewed. Case Presentation: A previously healthy 34-year-old male originally from Sudan presented to an outside hospital with a 2-month history of neck pain, sore throat, odynophagia, fevers, and chills. MRI showed a retropharyngeal abscess and suspected cervical spine osteomyelitis. Acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear was positive from a neck drain specimen, but sputum was negative. Chest imaging did not show findings consistent with pulmonary tuberculosis. He was treated with rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol (RIPE) along with moxifloxacin and linezolid due to concern for possible multidrug resistant tuberculosis and transferred to our center for further care. Culture isolated Mycobacterium tuberculosis. CT neck showed vertebral tuberculous osteomyelitis (Pott’s disease) of C1-C3 with a multiloculated retropharyngeal and prevertebral abscess (Figure 1). The patient was taken to the OR for posterior spinal fusion from occiput to C4 and transoral incision and drainage of the abscess. The post-operative course was uneventful, and moxifloxacin and linezolid were discontinued when Xpert MTB/RIF test revealed rifampin susceptibility. At follow-up the patient’s symptoms had resolved. Patient consent was obtained to utilize this case for educational purposes. Conclusions: This report presents the multidisciplinary treatment of this patient requiring infection control measures and antibiotic therapy by infectious disease, posterior spine fusion by orthopedic surgery, and retropharyngeal abscess drainage by otolaryngology

Shaping the Supervision Narrative: Innovating Teaching and Leading to Improve STEM Instruction

This paper offers a model of supervisory collaboration that brings teacher and administrator programs together through a lens of formative evaluation. The roles of teacher and principal must be collaborative to sustain student success, yet the preparation models for those respective positions are often isolated from each other, as varying university departments and focus areas exist in silos. Preparation programs must maximize the clinical experiences of teacher education and administrator preparation programs, with a focus on practical teaching strategies and authentic feedback to pre-service educators and their instructors for reflection and change. This paper overviews a collaborative supervision model and incorporates case study vignettes focused on reflective supervisory practices in a STEM instructional environment

Black Hole Critical Phenomena Without Black Holes

Studying the threshold of black hole formation via numerical evolution has led to the discovery of fascinating nonlinear phenomena. Power-law mass scaling, aspects of universality, and self-similarity have now been found for a large variety of models. However, questions remain. Here I briefly review critical phenomena, discuss some recent results, and describe a model which demonstrates similar phenomena without gravity.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures; Submission for the proceedings of ICGC 2000 in the journal Preman

Evaluation of feed budgeting, complete diet blending, and corn-supplement blending on finishing-pig performance

A total of 283 pigs (PIC TR4 x 1050, initially 77.2 ± 1.4 lb BW) were used to compare phase feeding with blending finishing diets by using the FeedPro system (Feedlogic Corporation, Willmar, MN). There were 3 experimental treatments: (1) a standard 4-phase complete feed program, (2) blending high- and low-lysine complete diets over the entire experiment, and (3) blending ground corn and a separate complete supplement within each phase. FeedPro is an integrated feed dispensing system that can deliver and blend 2 separate diets while dispensing. The 4 phases were 77 to 120, 120 to 175, 175 to 221, and 221 to 278 lb. Each treatment had 12 replicate pens and 8 pigs per pen. Overall (77 to 278 lb), ADG and ADFI were similar (P \u3e 0.24) across treatments. However, pigs fed the ground corn-supplement blend had poorer (P \u3c 0.01) F/G than pigs fed diets blended in multiple phases and tended to have poorer (P \u3c 0.09) F/G than pigs fed the standard phase diets. There were no differences (P \u3e 0.70) in HCW, percentage yield, and loin depth across treatments. Pigs fed using phase feeding of the ground corn-supplement blend had greater (P \u3c 0.02) percentage lean and lower (P \u3c 0.04) fat depth than pigs fed using phase feeding of complete diets or diet blending. There were no (P \u3e 0.28) statistical differences in total revenue and income over feed costs (IOFC) across treatments. However, the highest IOFC was obtained from diet blending, which had a numeric advantage of $1.44 to$2.32/pig over other treatments. In conclusion, the FeedPro system blended separate complete diets and a ground corn-supplement combination without adversely affecting growth performance and carcass characteristics.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 18, 201

Human and great ape red blood cells differ in plasmalogen levels and composition

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plasmalogens are ether phospholipids required for normal mammalian developmental, physiological, and cognitive functions. They have been proposed to act as membrane antioxidants and reservoirs of polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as influence intracellular signaling and membrane dynamics. Plasmalogens are particularly enriched in cells and tissues of the human nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems. Humans with severely reduced plasmalogen levels have reduced life spans, abnormal neurological development, skeletal dysplasia, impaired respiration, and cataracts. Plasmalogen deficiency is also found in the brain tissue of individuals with Alzheimer disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In a human and great ape cohort, we measured the red blood cell (RBC) levels of the most abundant types of plasmalogens. Total RBC plasmalogen levels were lower in humans than bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas, but higher than orangutans. There were especially pronounced cross-species differences in the levels of plasmalogens with a C16:0 moiety at the <it>sn</it>-1 position. Humans on Western or vegan diets had comparable total RBC plasmalogen levels, but the latter group showed moderately higher levels of plasmalogens with a C18:1 moiety at the <it>sn</it>-1 position. We did not find robust sex-specific differences in human or chimpanzee RBC plasmalogen levels or composition. Furthermore, human and great ape skin fibroblasts showed only modest differences in peroxisomal plasmalogen biosynthetic activity. Human and chimpanzee microarray data indicated that genes involved in plasmalogen biosynthesis show cross-species differential expression in multiple tissues.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We propose that the observed differences in human and great ape RBC plasmalogens are primarily caused by their rates of biosynthesis and/or turnover. Gene expression data raise the possibility that other human and great ape cells and tissues differ in plasmalogen levels. Based on the phenotypes of humans and rodents with plasmalogen disorders, we propose that cross-species differences in tissue plasmalogen levels could influence organ functions and processes ranging from cognition to reproduction to aging.</p

Measurements of Smoke Characteristics in HVAC Ducts

Research paper published in the journal Fire Technology in 2001The characteristics of smoke traveling in an HVAC duct have been observed along with the response of selected duct smoke detectors. The simulated HVAC system consists of a 9 m long duct, 0.45 m in diameter. An exhaust fan is placed at one end of the duct and is capable of inducing airflow rates that range from 0 to 1.5 m 3 /s. The flow is controlled by means of a manual damper. On the upstream end of the duct there is a square exhaust hood approximately 2.2 m at the bottom and 0.3 m at the top. The bottom of the hood is approximately 2.5 m above the floor a shroud extends down to approximately 1.5 m above the floor. The test section, placed immediately downstream of the hood, is 3.5 m long duct with a square cross section of 0.4 m on a side. The instrumentation includes oxygen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gas analyzers and a load cell to determine the energy release rate of the fires tested. The smoke within the duct is characterized by means of a laser light sheet and CCD camera, two white light source and photocell ensembles, a Pitot tube and an array of eight thermocouples placed on the vertical plane of symmetry. A smoke detector was placed at the downstream end of the test section. Two types of detectors were tested, ionization and photoelectric, with a single sampling probe geometry. The fires tested cover a wide range of fuels (propane, heptane, toluene, toluene/heptane mixture, shredded paper, polyurethane foam, wood cribs) with the peak energy release rates up to 800 kW. The smoke detector performance, temperature, flow field, smoke particle size and particle distributions are dependent on the fire characteristics and airflow through the duct. The different measurements could be scaled by means of the fire size and airflow rate but left a strong dependency on the fuel and burning characteristics (i.e. smoldering, flaming). The optical density and mass optical density are analyzed as metrics for characterizing smoke and smoke detector response. Detailed comparisons between the different metrics used are presented throughout this work. Clear evidence of stratification and aging of the smoke along the duct are also presented. The limitations of the present configuration and the need for a larger scale study are also discussed

Breeding for resistance to new and emerging lettuce diseases in California

Abstract: Preventing crop loss due to diseases has historically been the primary focus of public lettuce (Lactuca sativa) breeding efforts in the United States. Recent years have seen a shift in the industry, with increasing percentages of romaine and mixed lettuces being grown under intensive production systems. Possibly related to this change, several diseases have recently been reported for the first time or have increased in incidence. Two of these, lettuce dieback and crown rot, affect primarily romaine lettuce, whereas a third, Fusarium wilt, threatens all types. Lettuce dieback is caused by soilborne viruses of the family Tombusviridae. This disease may be identical to &apos;brown blight&apos;, which was widespread in the 1940s but vanished when resistant crisphead cultivars were developed. Fusarium wilt of lettuce was initially observed in California in 1990, and first caused significant crop losses in both California and Arizona in 2001. Crown rot of romaine, now known as Phoma basal rot, was first observed in the Salinas Valley of California in 2001. The cause of this disease was recently identified as Phoma exigua. Progress and results of breeding for genetic resistance to these diseases will be discussed

Identification of differences in human and great ape phytanic acid metabolism that could influence gene expression profiles and physiological functions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It has been proposed that anatomical differences in human and great ape guts arose in response to species-specific diets and energy demands. To investigate functional genomic consequences of these differences, we compared their physiological levels of phytanic acid, a branched chain fatty acid that can be derived from the microbial degradation of chlorophyll in ruminant guts. Humans who accumulate large stores of phytanic acid commonly develop cerebellar ataxia, peripheral polyneuropathy, and retinitis pigmentosa in addition to other medical conditions. Furthermore, phytanic acid is an activator of the PPAR-alpha transcription factor that influences the expression of genes relevant to lipid metabolism.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Despite their trace dietary phytanic acid intake, all great ape species had elevated red blood cell (RBC) phytanic acid levels relative to humans on diverse diets. Unlike humans, chimpanzees showed sexual dimorphism in RBC phytanic acid levels, which were higher in males relative to females. Cultured skin fibroblasts from all species had a robust capacity to degrade phytanic acid. We provide indirect evidence that great apes, in contrast to humans, derive significant amounts of phytanic acid from the hindgut fermentation of plant materials. This would represent a novel reduction of metabolic activity in humans relative to the great apes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We identified differences in the physiological levels of phytanic acid in humans and great apes and propose this is causally related to their gut anatomies and microbiomes. Phytanic acid levels could contribute to cross-species and sex-specific differences in human and great ape transcriptomes, especially those related to lipid metabolism. Based on the medical conditions caused by phytanic acid accumulation, we suggest that differences in phytanic acid metabolism could influence the functions of human and great ape nervous, cardiovascular, and skeletal systems.</p

Supporting California condor conservation management through analysis of species-wide whole genome sequence variation

The critically endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) has been the focus of intensive conservation efforts for several decades. Reduced to a population size of twenty-three birds in 1985, the entire surviving population was brought under captive management for recovery. Founded by fourteen individuals, the surviving California condor gene pool has been managed through captive breeding of individuals paired through pedigree analysis. As of August, 2013, there were 424 California condor individuals; 223 are flying in the wild in four re-introduced populations in California, Arizona and Baja California, Mexico. All condors have their sex identified via amplification of sex chromosome specific markers and DNA samples are stored for every individual of the species. Microsatellite genotyping has confirmed parentage in captive and wild condor chicks, corrected switched identities, and identified successful extra-pair copulation in the wild population. Whole genome sequencing using data generated on multiple platforms has been used to produce a de novo genome assembly for a founder male condor and thirty additional condors that together encompass the entire genetic variation of the species, perhaps the first time such a comprehensive effort has been conducted for any species. Studbook-based kinship relationships between founder birds and kinship estimates from genome-wide genetic variation can be compared and evaluated in the context of retention of genetic diversity in the generations of California condors. Genomic studies of California condors are providing a model system for avian conservation genomics and allow empirical evaluation of basic facets of transmission genetics, including segregation, linkage, recombination and mutation