Effects of heat stress on reproduction and productivity of primiparous sows and their piglets' performance

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 23, 2010).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Thesis advisor: Drs. Matthew C. Lucy and Timothy J. Safranski.Vita.Includes bibliographical references.M.S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Animal sciences.Heat stress (HS) produces seasonal infertility in sows and decreases reproductive efficiency. Sows were exposed to HS during a production cycle (gestation [gest], lactation [lact], and breeding) to examine productivity. First parity Landrace/Large White F1 sows rotated through chambers in the Brody Environmental Center for 55 d. The ambient temperature sequences included thermoneutral (TN; 18 to 20°C) or HS (24 to 30°C) for each production phase (TN-TN-TN [n=15], TN-HS-TN [n=14], HS-TN-HS [n=14] or HS-HS-HS [n=15] for gest-lact-breeding [20, 24, and 11 d, respectively]). Thermal responses, body weight (BW), backfat (BF), loin eye area (LEA), feed intake (FI), metabolites, energy balance, piglet weights, and reproductive performance were measured. Rectal temperature differed (38.33 and 38.22, 39.47 and 39.22, 38.79 and 38.74°C (SEM [lesser than] 0.05) for HS and TN during gest, lact, and breeding, respectively; P [lesser than] 0.001). During lact TN sows had greater daily FI than HS sows (3.75 vs. 3.12 kg; P [lesser than] 0.001). Total born (11.7 pigs), piglet birth weight (1.46 kg) and total weaned (10.3 pigs) were similar, but weaning weight was greater for TN sows (6.21 vs. 5.76 kg; P [lesser than] 0.053). Weaning to estrus interval (4.70 d), percentage inseminated sows after weaning (85.7%), subsequent farrowing rate (82.6%) and subsequent total born (10.8 pigs per litter) were not different by treatment. In summary, HS decreased FI during lact and was associated with reduced piglet growth. Breeding performance was not compromised by HS. To conclude, HS slowed piglet growth perhaps through its effects on sow milk production without affecting sow breeding performance

A Scientist's Guide to Achieving Broader Impacts through K-12 STEM Collaboration.

The National Science Foundation and other funding agencies are increasingly requiring broader impacts in grant applications to encourage US scientists to contribute to science education and society. Concurrently, national science education standards are using more inquiry-based learning (IBL) to increase students' capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking applicable to real-world problems. Scientists are particularly well suited to engage in broader impacts via science inquiry outreach, because scientific research is inherently an inquiry-based process. We provide a practical guide to help scientists overcome obstacles that inhibit their engagement in K-12 IBL outreach and to attain the accrued benefits. Strategies to overcome these challenges include scaling outreach projects to the time available, building collaborations in which scientists' research overlaps with curriculum, employing backward planning to target specific learning objectives, encouraging scientists to share their passion, as well as their expertise with students, and transforming institutional incentives to support scientists engaging in educational outreach

Impact of co-occurring hearing and visual difficulties in childhood on educational outcomes:a longitudinal cohort study

Background: Mild hearing and visual difficulties are common in childhood, and both may have implications for educational achievement. However, the impact of co-occurring common hearing and visual difficulties in childhood is not known. Objective: To determine the prevalence and impact of co-occurring common hearing and visual difficulties of childhood on educational outcomes in primary and secondary school. Methods: The sample was drawn from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a longitudinal birth cohort study in England. The exposures were hearing and visual difficulties at age 7 (defined as conductive hearing loss or otitis media with effusion, and amblyopia, strabismus or reduced visual acuity, respectively). The outcomes measured were achievement of level 4 or above at Key Stage 2 (KS2) in English, Maths and Science, respectively, at age 11, and attainment of five or more General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSEs) at grades A*-C at age 16. Multiple logistic regression models assessed the relationship between hearing and visual difficulties and educational outcomes, adjusting for potential confounding factors. Results: 2909 children were included in the study; 261 had hearing difficulties, 189 had visual difficulties and 14 children had co-occurring hearing and visual difficulties. Children with co-occurring hearing and visual difficulties were less likely to achieve the national target at KS2 compared with children with normal hearing and vision, even after adjustment for confounding factors (OR 0.30, CI 0.15 to 0.61 for KS2 English). Differences in IQ, behaviour, attention and social cognition did not account for this relationship. The impact of co-occurring hearing and visual difficulties on GCSE results was explained largely by poor performance at KS2. Conclusions: Co-occurring hearing and visual difficulties in childhood have an enduring negative impact on educational outcomes. Identification of affected children and early intervention in primary school is essential

What is STEM Education?

Editoria

Improved Efficacy of a Gene Optimised Adenovirus-based Vaccine for Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Optimisation of genes has been shown to be beneficial for expression of proteins in a range of applications. Optimisation has increased protein expression levels through improved codon usage of the genes and an increase in levels of messenger RNA. We have applied this to an adenovirus (ad)-based vaccine encoding structural proteins (E3-E2-6K) of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Following administration of this vaccine to Balb/c mice, an approximately ten-fold increase in antibody response was elicited and increased protective efficacy compared to an ad-based vaccine containing non-optimised genes was observed after challenge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study, in which the utility of optimising genes encoding the structural proteins of VEEV is demonstrated for the first time, informs us that including optimised genes in gene-based vaccines for VEEV is essential to obtain maximum immunogenicity and protective efficacy.</p

Allyship: The Responsibility of White Counselor Education. Allies in Addressing Racism and Discrimination

Counselor educators have a responsibility to ensure client welfare in counselor training and this extends to increasing the cultural competence of counseling students when working with clients representing diverse populations. Due to the persistence of inequality and absence of cultural competence in the health and behavioral health settings, People of Color (POC) experience health disparities at alarming rates. This begs the questions about who is responsible for these health disparities and how inequities can be addressed. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study examined the narratives of eleven self-reported White Allies who are working to dismantle oppression through their advocacy efforts. Themes from the analysis stated that the participants witnessed overt acts of racism, attempted to use intervention and education-based actions to address the racism, and identified systemic racism as the biggest issue experienced by African American people. Recommendations for counselors, counselor educators, and allies will be included

Changes in understory vegetation of a ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona 30 years after a Wildfire

Wildland fires can cause shifts in understory species composition and production. Many studies have examined short-term changes in understory vegetation following a wildfire; however, very few long term studies are available. The objective of this study was to examine changes in understory (herb and shrub) species composition and production since the 1972 Rattle Burn wildfire on the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona. Understory species composition and production were originally sampled in 1972, 1974, and 1980 and were re-sampled during July and August of 2002 and 2003 on 30 plots in each of four sites: high severity burn, low severity burn, unburned site prescribed burned in 1977, and an unburned site. Repeated measures analysis was used to test for the effects of fire and time on species production. The effects of fire and time on species composition as well as species production were tested using Multi-Response Permutation Procedures (MRPP). A lingering effect of the Rattle Burn wildfire on the understory plant production and composition was revealed. Burned sites may have greater understory production as compared to unburned sites up to 30 years after a wildfire. However, species composition on burned sites is altered. A significant relationship between tree density and understory species composition and production was found for 1972, but no relationship was found for overstory parameters and understory species production and composition for 2003

Loblolly Pine Growth Response to Mid-rotational Treatments in an Eastern Texas Plantation

The effects of mid-rotational treatments (herbicide, prescribed burn, combination of herbicide and burn, and fertilization) on growth of loblolly pine were evaluated. Five replicates were established in a split-plot experimental design with fertilizer treatments as the whole-plot factor and competition control treatments as the sub-plot factor. Growth response was measured (as change in diameter, total height, and volume) at 8 months and again 4 years after treatments were applied. Mid-rotational treatments failed to enhance diameter, height, and volume growth of loblolly pine. However, a small positive response of diameter growth to fertilization was detected. Height growth was not significantly affected by any treatment 8 months after application date, while it was slightly negatively affected by herbicide and the combination of herbicide and prescribed burning 4 years after application of treatments. In this study, no substantial positive growth response to mid-rotational treatments was detected. However, loblolly growth response may vary from site to site based on differences in soil type, soil condition, and competition level. In addition, associated factors such as seedling quality and planting method may greatly influence loblolly growth response to mid-rotational treatments