scholarly journals Utilization and reproductive performance of gilts in large-scale pig farming system with different production levels in China: a descriptive study

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Guan ◽  
Wenchao Gao ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Xuwei Qiao ◽  
Jing Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Weaned Piglets ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Pig Farms

Abstract Background This study was to investigate the utilization and reproductive performance of gilts in large-scale pig farms. Data of this descriptive study included 169,013 gilts of 1540 gilts’ batches on 105 large-scale pig farms from April 2020 to March 2021. According to the upper and lower 25th percentiles of piglets weaned per sow per year (PSY) during the research stage, pig farms were divided into three productivity groups: high-performing (HP), intermediate-performing (IP) and low-performing (LP) farms. On the basis of breeds, LP (LP-Total) farms was further divided into LP-breeding pig (LP-BP) and LP-commercial pig (LP-CP) groups. Average utilization, estrus and first mating data was collected from a total of 1540 gilts’ batches. The age-related factors (introduction age, age at first estrus and age at first mating) and litter production (total number of piglets, number of piglets born alive and number of weaned piglets, as well as their proportion distribution) among HP and LP groups were compared. The litter production in different age groups were also analyzed. Results The introduction age, mortality and culling rate of HP farms were lower compared with LP farms. Total number of piglets per litter, number of piglets born alive per litter and number of weaned piglets per litter in HP farms were significantly more than those of LP groups, respectively. The proportion distribution peaks of litter production in HP farms were shifted about two more than those in LP groups, respectively; and the proportion of low litter production (eight per litter or less) was lower than that in LP groups. The results of different age groups showed that total number of piglets per litter and number of piglets born alive per litter in 220–279 d were the most, while that of 370 d was the least. Conclusions The overall utilization and reproductive performance of gilts in HP farms was better than those of LP farms. The difference in utilization was reflected in introduction source, culling rate and mortality. While the age at first estrus and first mating, breeds and litter production were the main differences for reproductive performance.

Immigrant Youth in Germany

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Frankenberg ◽  
Katharina Kupper ◽  
Ruth Wagner ◽  
Stephan Bongard
Keyword(s):  
School System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnic Discrimination ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Sociocultural Adaptation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
German School ◽  
Transcultural Adaptation

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.

scholarly journals Feasibility of Repeated Assessment of Cognitive Function in Older Adults Using a Wireless, Mobile, Dry-EEG Headset and Tablet-Based Games

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther C. McWilliams ◽  
Florentine M. Barbey ◽  
John F. Dyer ◽  
Md Nurul Islam ◽  
Bernadette McGuinness ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Therapy Response ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Large Field ◽  
Age Related ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Mean Compliance

Access to affordable, objective and scalable biomarkers of brain function is needed to transform the healthcare burden of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disease. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, both resting and in combination with targeted cognitive tasks, have demonstrated utility in tracking disease state and therapy response in a range of conditions from schizophrenia to Alzheimer's disease. But conventional methods of recording this data involve burdensome clinic visits, and behavioural tasks that are not effective in frequent repeated use. This paper aims to evaluate the technical and human-factors feasibility of gathering large-scale EEG using novel technology in the home environment with healthy adult users. In a large field study, 89 healthy adults aged 40–79 years volunteered to use the system at home for 12 weeks, 5 times/week, for 30 min/session. A 16-channel, dry-sensor, portable wireless headset recorded EEG while users played gamified cognitive and passive tasks through a tablet application, including tests of decision making, executive function and memory. Data was uploaded to cloud servers and remotely monitored via web-based dashboards. Seventy-eight participants completed the study, and high levels of adherence were maintained throughout across all age groups, with mean compliance over the 12-week period of 82% (4.1 sessions per week). Reported ease of use was also high with mean System Usability Scale scores of 78.7. Behavioural response measures (reaction time and accuracy) and EEG components elicited by gamified stimuli (P300, ERN, Pe and changes in power spectral density) were extracted from the data collected in home, across a wide range of ages, including older adult participants. Findings replicated well-known patterns of age-related change and demonstrated the feasibility of using low-burden, large-scale, longitudinal EEG measurement in community-based cohorts. This technology enables clinically relevant data to be recorded outside the lab/clinic, from which metrics underlying cognitive ageing could be extracted, opening the door to potential new ways of developing digital cognitive biomarkers for disorders affecting the brain.

scholarly journals Evaluating age-related variations of gaze behavior for a novel digitized-digit symbol substitution test

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debatri Chatterjee ◽  
Rahul Dasharath Gavas ◽  
Kingshuk Chakravarty ◽  
Aniruddha Sinha ◽  
Uttama Lahiri
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Digit Symbol Substitution Test ◽  
Digit Symbol ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Digit Symbol Substitution ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Symbol Substitution

Analysis of cognitive functioning from gaze behavior might serve as an early indicator of age related decline of cognitive functions. Standard psychological tests like the digit-symbol substitution test or the symbol-digit modalities test is used exclusively in this regard. In this paper, we have designed and developed a digitized version of the digit symbol substitution test. Three different versions have been designed in order to derive deeper insights of the user behavior. The test-retest validation of the versions reveals good correlation across sessions. Fur-ther, the difference in gaze behavior which might be used as an indicator of cognitive functions is tested for two different age groups (13 participants<30 years and 11 participants >40 years). It is seen that the designed digitized version along with the usage of physiological markers like eye tracking bestows additional information and is sensitive to age related factors which might be used for the assessment as well as for the training purpose in rehabilitation systems. Results show that the performance can be analyzed using gaze and pupillometric features in addition to the conventional test performance metrics. We derived an index to measure the performance related to visuo-spatial functioning on one of the de-signed versions of the test. Results of this index on the number of fixations for two age groups are found to be separated in a statistically significant (p<0.05) manner. The age related difference (p<0.05) is also evident in the pupillometric responses obtained.

scholarly journals First report of Blastocystis infection in pigs from large-scale farms in Xinjiang, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongjun Wang ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yuxi Jiang ◽  
Jinming Xing ◽  
Dayong Tao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Rate ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Intestinal Protozoan ◽  
Pig Farms ◽  
Weaning Piglets ◽  
Alignment Analysis ◽  
Fattening Pigs

Abstract Background: Blastocystis is a commonly identified intestinal protozoan in humans and various animals. Few studies are available regarding the genetic characterization of Blastocystis infections in pigs in China. Methods: In this study, 801 fecal samples were collected from seven large-scale pig farms in Xinjiang and tested by polymerase chain reaction. Results: The average infection rate of Blastocystis was 21.7% (174/801); the infection rates for pre-weaning piglets, post-weaning piglets, fattening pigs, and sows were 7.1%, 10.0%, 31.8%, and 41.9%, respectively (χ 2 = 104.89; P < 0.01). Blastocystis subtypes ST1 ( n = 7), ST3 ( n = 2), and ST5 ( n = 165) were identified using sequence analysis of the small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, with subtype ST5 being predominant in each of the pig farms. All the age groups were positive for Blastocystis . ST3 and ST5 were identified in pre-weaning piglets, and ST1, ST3, and ST5 in post-weaning piglets. In contrast, only the ST5 subtype was observed in fattening pigs and sows. Genetic polymorphisms were observed at the intra-subtype level, including two variations for ST1 (ST1A, ST1B), and seven for ST5 (ST5A to ST5G), by sequence alignment analysis and phylogenetic analysis. Conclusions: A high prevalence of Blastocystis was detected in pigs in Xinjiang, China. The infection rate increased significantly with increasing age of the pigs. ST5 was the predominant Blastocystis subtype in all age groups. Subtypes ST1, ST3, and ST5 may emerge as zoonotic pathogens in some areas of China because of the large scale of the pork industry and close contact between pigs and humans. More studies are needed to elucidate the transmission and public health significance of Blastocystis in pigs in various areas. Key words: Blastocystis , SSU rRNA, genetic polymorphism, pig, Xinjiang

Effect of age on the sex difference in Ironman triathlon performance

2019 ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Francesca Piacentini ◽  
Veronica Vleck ◽  
Romuald Lepers
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Performance Time ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Performance Times ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Ironman Triathlon

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of age on the sex differences in (3.8 km) swim, (180 km) cycle, (42 km) run, and overall performance time at the 2018 Ironman triathlon World Championship. Sex differences in performance times were analysed for the top 10 male and female amateur triathletes of each 5 years age group between 18–24 years and 70–74 years. Independent of age, the averaged sex difference in swimming, cycling, running, and overall performance time was 14.0 ± 3.3%, 15.6 ± 3.1%, 15.3 ± 6.8% and 15.1 ± 3.6%, respectively. There was no significant change with age in the sex difference in performance for swimming. For both cycling and running, the sex difference in performance of the age groups whose athletes were older than 60 years were significantly greater than those of younger age groups. Such results suggest that, in Ironman triathletes, the increase in the sex difference in performance with advancing age is discipline dependent. Further examination of the (physiological and training load related) factors that are associated with the age-related decline in Ironman triathlon performance is required to understand why the sex difference in cycling and running performance increases with age.

Age-related cognitive decline and the borderland between normal aging and dementia

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jolles
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Age Related

It is now generally agreed that healthy individuals are characterized by cognitive decline during the later decades of adult life. The acquisition of new information becomes less efficient, which, coupled with a diminished retention of this information for later use, results in substantially poorer memory performance. The ability to plan new activities, solve problems and make complex decisions, as well as cognitive flexibility is noticeably diminished. In addition, attentional processes appear to be invariably poorer in old subjects than in young subjects (for review). While it is quite clearly established that elderly subjects (i.e. after 65 years of age) show a deterioration of cognitive functioning, there is also evidence that this deterioration may start in middle age (40 years). There is large individual variance in age groups; for instance, some old individuals perform on many neurocognitive tests as well as young individuals do. Rowe and Kahn proposed in their influential article to discern between successful aging and usual aging. Successful aging would be due to the effect of chronological age, whereas additional factors would be responsible for usual aging. An important point is the nature of the borderland between usual cognitive aging and pathological conditions such as dementia. Various health-related factors are thought to be important in this respect. They may be a determinant for the transition between successful aging to normal aging and into the borderland with dementia. The Brain & Behavior Research Institute in Maastricht investigates the determinants of successful and pathological aging in a number of related and multidisciplinary projects. This paper describes some major findings of this research programme and gives a theory on the interaction of vulnerability factors and protective factors in their effect on cognitive aging.

scholarly journals Relative transmissibility of shigellosis among different age groups: A modeling study in Hubei Province, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. e0009501
Author(s):  
Zeyu Zhao ◽  
Qi Chen ◽  
Yao Wang ◽  
Meijie Chu ◽  
Qingqing Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Burden ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Hubei Province ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Reported Data

Shigellosis is a heavy disease burden in China especially in children aged under 5 years. However, the age-related factors involved in transmission of shigellosis are unclear. An age-specific Susceptible–Exposed–Infectious/Asymptomatic–Recovered (SEIAR) model was applied to shigellosis surveillance data maintained by Hubei Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2005 to 2017. The individuals were divided into four age groups (≤ 5 years, 6–24 years, 25–59 years, and ≥ 60 years). The effective reproduction number (Reff), including infectivity (RI) and susceptibility (RS) was calculated to assess the transmissibility of different age groups. From 2005 to 2017, 130,768 shigellosis cases were reported in Hubei Province. The SEIAR model fitted well with the reported data (P < 0.001). The highest transmissibility (Reff) was from ≤ 5 years to the 25–59 years (mean: 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34–1.17), followed by from the 6–24 years to the 25–59 years (mean: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.35–1.02), from the ≥ 60 years to the 25–59 years (mean: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.29–0.86), and from the 25–59 years to 25–59 years (mean: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.21–0.78). The highest infectivity was in ≤ 5 years (RI = 1.71), and was most commonly transmitted to the 25–59 years (45.11%). The highest susceptibility was in the 25–59 years (RS = 2.51), and their most common source was the ≤ 5 years (30.15%). Furthermore, “knock out” simulation predicted the greatest reduction in the number of cases occurred by when cutting off transmission routes among ≤ 5 years and from 25–59 years to ≤ 5 years. Transmission in ≤ 5 years occurred mainly within the group, but infections were most commonly introduced by individuals in the 25–59 years. Infectivity was highest in the ≤ 5 years and susceptibility was highest in the 25–59 years. Interventions to stop transmission should be directed at these age groups.

scholarly journals Clinicopathologic study of breast lumps in Abakaliki, South Eastern Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ogbuanya Aloysius Ugwu-Olisa ◽  
Anyanwu Stanley Nnamdi ◽  
Nwigwe Chinedu Gregory ◽  
Iyare Festus
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Ductal Carcinoma ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Breast Cancers ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Histologic Diagnosis ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Breast Lumps

Aims and Objectives: Breast lumps are quite common, but the principal issue is differentiating malignant from the benign sub-groups. The determinants of histologic diagnosis are multifactorial, ranging from environmental, genetic to sex and age-related factors. This study aimed to document the spectrum of breast lumps in our environment.Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive prospective analysis of consecutive breast lumps biopsied at Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, between December 2010 to November 2012. The data were analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0Results: A total of 302 patients with 359 breast lumps were seen, 298 females and 4 males giving male: female ratio of 1:75.The ages of the patients ranged between 16-82 years with a mean of 37.0 +/- SD 13.0. Majority (56.3%) of the patients had benign lumps. Fibroadenoma was the commonest (33.8%), followed closely by invasive ductal carcinoma (32.8%), then fibrocystic change (17.2%).The occurrence of breast cancer was strongly age-related, being 1 in 5 biopsies at 20-29 years and 3 in 5 biopsies at 40-49 years age groups. Over two-third (69.0%) of 132 patients with breast cancers were premenopausal. Majority (78.8%) of the 132 patients with breast cancer presented with advanced disease. At a median follow up of 9 months,13 (9.8%) and 6(4.5%) of 132 cancer patients developed recurrences and new cancer sites respectively.Conclusion: Most patients with breast complaints present with lumps and majority are benign, fibroadenoma being the commonest histology. Occurrence of breast cancer is strongly age-related with majority of cancer patients presenting late.Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 7(3) 2016 58-64

scholarly journals Sex differences in the case-fatality rates for COVID-19—A comparison of the age-related differences and consistency over seven countries

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250523
Author(s):  
Manfred S. Green ◽  
Dorit Nitzan ◽  
Naama Schwartz ◽  
Yaron Niv ◽  
Victoria Peer
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
Meta Regression ◽  
Male To Female

Background Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it was noted that males seemed to have higher case-fatality rates than females. We examined the magnitude and consistency of the sex differences in age-specific case-fatality rates (CFRs) in seven countries. Methods Data on the cases and deaths from COVID-19, by sex and age group, were extracted from the national official agencies from Denmark, England, Israel, Italy, Spain, Canada and Mexico. Age-specific CFRs were computed for males and females separately. The ratio of the male to female CFRs were computed and meta-analytic methods were used to obtained pooled estimates of the male to female ratio of the CFRs over the seven countries, for all age-groups. Meta-regression and sensitivity analysis were conducted to evaluate the age and country contribution to differences. Results The CFRs were consistently higher in males at all ages. The pooled M:F CFR ratios were 1.71, 1.88, 2.11, 2.11, 1.84, 1.78 and 1.49, for ages 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79, 80+ respectively. In meta-regression, age group and country were associated with the heterogeneity in the CFR ratios. Conclusions The sex differences in the age-specific CFRs are intriguing. Sex differences in the incidence and mortality have been found in many infectious diseases. For COVID-19, factors such as sex differences in the prevalence of underlying diseases may play a part in the CFR differences. However, the consistently greater case-fatality rates in males at all ages suggests that sex-related factors impact on the natural history of the disease. This could provide important clues as to the mechanisms underlying the severity of COVID-19 in some patients.

The influence of osteopathic correction on the rate of various rhythms of the body

2019 ◽  
pp. 64-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Chernikova ◽  
Yu. P. Potekhina
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Respiratory Rate ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Biomechanical Properties ◽  
Dispersion Analysis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Tissues ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After

Introduction. An osteopathic examination determines the rate, the amplitude and the strength of the main rhythms (cardiac, respiratory and cranial). However, there are relatively few studies in the available literature dedicated to the influence of osteopathic correction (OC) on the characteristics of these rhythms.Goal of research — to study the influence of OC on the rate characteristics of various rhythms of the human body.Materials and methods. 88 adult osteopathic patients aged from 18 to 81 years were examined, among them 30 men and 58 women. All patients received general osteopathic examination. The rate of the cranial rhythm (RCR), respiratory rate (RR) heart rate (HR), the mobility of the nervous processes (MNP) and the connective tissue mobility (CTM) were assessed before and after the OC session.Results. Since age varied greatly in the examined group, a correlation analysis of age-related changes of the assessed rhythms was carried out. Only the CTM correlated with age (r=–0,28; p<0,05) in a statistically significant way. The rank dispersion analysis of Kruskal–Wallis also showed statistically significant difference in this indicator in different age groups (p=0,043). With the increase of years, the CTM decreases gradually. After the OC, the CTM, increased in a statistically significant way (p<0,0001). The RCR varied from 5 to 12 cycles/min in the examined group, which corresponded to the norm. After the OC, the RCR has increased in a statistically significant way (p<0,0001), the MNP has also increased (p<0,0001). The initial heart rate in the subjects varied from 56 to 94 beats/min, and in 15 % it exceeded the norm. After the OC the heart rate corresponded to the norm in all patients. The heart rate and the respiratory rate significantly decreased after the OC (р<0,0001).Conclusion. The described biorhythm changes after the OC session may be indicative of the improvement of the nervous regulation, of the normalization of the autonomic balance, of the improvement of the biomechanical properties of body tissues and of the increase of their mobility. The assessed parameters can be measured quickly without any additional equipment and can be used in order to study the results of the OC.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document