The Influence of Frame Size on Growth and Carcass Characteristics in Swine Taken to Heavy Weights

The current and somewhat controversial trend in swine selection is in the direction of a larger framed, later maturing animal. One goal of producers in changing to this type of animal is to produce a hog with more marketing flexibility, that is, a hog that may be carried to heavier weights without becoming over fat or that could be marketed at lighter weights and produce a very lean, muscular carcass. Excess fat is an unnecessary product in the meat animal industry that is expensive to produce from a feed efficiency standpoint. Research discussed later clearly indicated that changes in feed efficiency are closely related to the point at which an animal slows bone and muscle growth and begins to fatten. In theory, if this point can be delayed to a heavier weight, a desirable level of feed intake per unit of gain should also be observed at those heavier weights. Packer, retailer and consumer preference is also an important consideration. Generally, these people have preferred lighter carcasses, wholesale cuts and smaller retail cuts, respectively. However, it is difficult to determine exactly how much of this resistance to heavier hogs has been based on the association of higher fat content alone rather than weight. Since many of the meat processing costs can be attributed to a per head basis, the cost pf processing a heavier hog would be lower on a per kilogram basis. Very little research in the areas of frame size and live linear measurements has been done in swine, especially within the current trend. The literature contains much more work which explores carcass measurements as indicators of true carcass merit. With this in mind, the objectives of this study were (1) to study average daily gain, feed efficiency and carcass merit in relation to frame size in pigs taken to heavy weights, (2) to study a series of live measurements in relation to frame size and as a predictor of carcass merit and performance, (3) to study the relationship of average daily gain and rate of fattening across frame size groups and (4) to use as an end point kilograms of lean in the ham and loin and study traditional carcass measurements in relation to this end point

Development of the Mu Rhythm: Understanding Function Through Translational Research

The incidental discovery of mirror neurons (MN) has renewed interest in motor theories of development and has sparked considerable debate as to the existence and potential function of mirror neurons in humans. The use of invasive single-cell recordings, however, has precluded identification of single MNs in humans or developmental populations of non-human primates. Non-invasive techniques, such as the modulation of the mu rhythm in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of young infants and children, have demonstrated the existence of an action observation/execution matching system in humans. Moreover, the mu rhythm has become an effective tool for addressing questions of MN system ontogeny in other species. The aim of this project is to address two questions that have thus far remained untested. The goal of study one is to address the question of whether or not we can identify activation of the human action observation/execution system under conditions in which the participants cannot see themselves executing a grasping action. Evidence from study one further validates our EEG measures as representing activation of the putative human MN system. The goal of study two is to examine the origins of MNs in 3-day-old mother- and nursery-reared infant rhesus macaques and the extent to which differential experience may contribute to the MN system during episodes of neonatal imitation. The results of study one demonstrated activation of the putative human MN system to actions completed in the absence of visual feedback in both human adults and infants. The magnitude of mu rhythm activity in infants was significantly less than in the adults suggesting a role of experience in the formation of the putative human MN system. The results from study two further emphasized the role of early experience showing significantly greater modulation of the mu rhythm in the mother-reared compared to the nursery-reared infants to the observation of socio-affiliative facial gestures. The evidence of studies one and two are discussed within a developmental framework of ongoing behavioral development and highlight the role experience plays, not in the foundation of, but rather the elaboration of the MN system

Spatial Patterns of Crime in Cape Town

South Africa is among the most crime-ridden and crime-concerned countries in the world (UN-ODC 2002). Situated in the Western Cape, Cape Town has one of the highest rates of violent, property and commercial crime in the country. The apartheid government left both physical and social legacies unique to South Africa that complicate questions of crime patterns and make current literature on crime inadequate to explain Cape Town. This thesis uses an economic model of crime where individuals weigh the expected costs of committing a crime against the expected benefits to explore whether proximity to a high-violent-crime neighborhood increases property crime in middle and upper class suburbs. Using linear regression techniques, this thesis finds that contrary to popular belief, suburbs furthest away from violent neighborhoods experience higher property crime rates even after holding income and other neighborhood variables constant

Disordered eating and internalizing symptoms in preadolescence

Objectives Research has demonstrated links between disordered eating, anxiety, and depression in adults and adolescents but there is limited research investigating these associations in preadolescence. The current study examined the associations between disordered eating, anxiety, and depression during preadolescence, as well as the role of gender in moderating these associations. Method Two hundred and thirteen children (M = 10.3 years; 51.2% male) reported levels of disordered eating (ChEAT) and anxiety and depression symptoms (RCADS‐25). Results Regression analyses support an association between disordered eating and both anxiety and depression in preadolescence. Overall, there were no significant differences between boys and girls when the main effect was examined, which differs from research in adolescents. Discussion These findings highlight the importance of early detection for disordered eating behaviors and attitudes, as well as anxiety and depression in both boys and girls during preadolescence. Longitudinal research examining these associations is vital to help understand the trajectories of these problems, but also the gender differences in disordered eating that emerge during adolescence. Transdiagnostic interventions targeting several co‐occurring problems, such as disordered eating, anxiety, and depression might be effective for preventing the development of eating disorders in the long term

Hypervigilance to rejecting stimuli in high rejection sensitive individuals : behavioral and neurocognitive evidence

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD17899) and a NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award to Nathan A. Fox and by DA027365 and HD076563 to Katherine B. Ehrlich. Date of acceptance: 10/04/2015Individuals who are high in rejection sensitivity are vigilant toward social cues that signal rejection, and they exhibit attention biases towards information that confirms expectations of rejection. Little is known, however, about the neural correlates of rejection sensitivity. The present study examined whether rejection sensitivity is associated with individuals’ neural responses to rejection-relevant information. Female participants, classified as high or average in rejection sensitivity, completed a modified dot-probe task in which a neutral face was paired with either another neutral face or a gaze-averted (“rejecting”) face while EEG was collected and ERP components were computed. Behavioral results indicated that average rejection sensitive participants showed an attention bias away from rejecting faces, while high rejection sensitive participants were equally vigilant to neutral and rejecting faces. High rejection sensitivity was associated with ERP components signaling elevated attention and arousal to faces. These findings suggest that rejection sensitivity shapes behavioral and neurocognitive responses to faces.PostprintPeer reviewe

Exploring the benefits of doll play through neuroscience

It has long been hypothesized that pretend play is beneficial to social and cognitive development. However, there is little evidence regarding the neural regions that are active while children engage in pretend play. We examined the activation of prefrontal and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) regions using near-infrared spectroscopy while 42 4- to 8-year-old children freely played with dolls or tablet games with a social partner or by themselves. Social play activated right prefrontal regions more than solo play. Children engaged the pSTS during solo doll play but not during solo tablet play, suggesting they were rehearsing social cognitive skills more with dolls. These findings suggest social play utilizes multiple neural regions and highlight how doll play can achieve similar patterns of activation, even when children play by themselves. Doll play may provide a unique opportunity for children to practice social interactions important for developing social-emotional skills, such as empathy

The Influence of Frame Size on Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Swine Taken to Heavy Weights

In recent years progressive swine producers have sought a larger framed hog that matures at a heavier weight . In theory, these large framed pigs are leaner and maintain desirable feed/gain to heavier weights and therefore offer the flexibility to be marketed at heavier weights if favorable marketing conditions prevail. The study reported herein was designed to evaluate large and small framed pigs for growth and carcass characteristics when taken to a 300-pound slaughter weight

Neuronal networks in the developing brain are adversely modulated by early psychosocial neglect

The brain's neural circuitry plays a ubiquitous role across domains in cognitive processing and undergoes extensive re-organization during the course of development in part as a result of experience. In this paper we investigated the effects of profound early psychosocial neglect associated with institutional rearing on the development of task-independent brain networks, estimated from longitudinally acquired electroencephalographic (EEG) data from <30 to 96 months, in three cohorts of children from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), including abandoned children reared in institutions who were randomly assigned either to a foster care intervention or to remain in care as usual and never institutionalized children. Two aberrantly connected brain networks were identified in children that had been reared in institutions: 1) a hyper-connected parieto-occipital network, which included cortical hubs and connections that may partially overlap with default-mode network and 2) a hypo-connected network between left temporal and distributed bilateral regions, both of which were aberrantly connected across neural oscillations. This study provides the first evidence of the adverse effects of early psychosocial neglect on the wiring of the developing brain. Given these networks' potentially significant role in various cognitive processes, including memory, learning, social communication and language, these findings suggest that institutionalization in early life may profoundly impact the neural correlates underlying multiple cognitive domains, in ways that may not be fully reversible in the short term

Timing of Intervention Affects Brain Electrical Activity in Children Exposed to Severe Psychosocial Neglect

Background: Early psychosocial deprivation has profound effects on brain activity in the young child. Previous reports have shown increased power in slow frequencies of the electroencephalogram (EEG), primarily in the theta band, and decreased power in higher alpha and beta band frequencies in infants and children who have experienced institutional care. Methodology/Principal Findings: We assessed the consequences of removing infants from institutions and placing them into a foster care intervention on brain electrical activity when children were 8 years of age. We found the intervention was successful for increasing high frequency EEG alpha power, with effects being most pronounced for children placed into foster care before 24 months of age. Conclusions/Significance: The dependence on age of placement for the effects observed on high frequency EEG alpha power suggests a sensitive period after which brain activity in the face of severe psychosocial deprivation is less amenable to recover