Implementing a three-hourly feeding schedule in stable preterm infants to decrease maternal fatigue

BackgroundA three-hourly feeding schedule has been shown to be as safe as a two-hourly schedule in preterm neonates. It saves nursing time and may be less tiring for the mothers. However, tradition and apprehensions have prevented its wider acceptance. We used a quality improvement approach to implement a three-hourly feeding schedule in stable preterm infants >32 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) in our unit through a series of plan–do–study–act (PDSA) cycles.MethodsAll preterm neonates >32 weeks PMA, who were on full enteral feeds and without any respiratory support were eligible. The key quantitative outcome was maternal fatigue score. Safety was assessed in terms of episodes of hypoglycaemia and feed intolerance. Qualitative experiences from nursing staff were captured. The volume of expressed breastmilk and requirement of formula feeds were also recorded. After recording baseline data on a two-hourly feeding schedule, four PDSA cycles were sequentially completed over 21 weeks. The results of each PDSA cycle informed the change strategy for the next cycle.ResultsIn the baseline phase, five neonates on a two-hourly schedule were studied. In PDSA cycles I, II, III and IV, a cumulative of 122 neonates were studied on a three-hourly schedule. There was a significant decrease in median maternal fatigue score (13 (IQR 8–23) to 3 (IQR 1–6); p=0.01)). Only one neonate had feed intolerance, while two had mild asymptomatic transient hypoglycaemia. Six (5%) neonates were shifted to two-hourly feeds temporarily due to transient reasons. Nursing staff felt mothers could devote more time to Kangaroo mother care. The volume of expressed breastmilk and requirement of formula feeds were not different from the three-hourly schedule.ConclusionsIt was possible to change the traditional two-hourly feeding schedule to three-hourly in stable preterm infants using a quality improvement approach, while objectively documenting its safety and benefits.

Behavioral and stress responses to feeding time in pregnant sows under limit-fed regime

We investigated the effect of feeding time on behavior and stress responses in pregnant sows under isocaloric conditions. Twenty-four sows were balanced for parity and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 feeding times. Corn-soybean meal-based diet was fed once at: 0730 (Control, T1), 1130 (T2), and 1530 h (T3). On average, sows received 7062 kcal ME/d from 2.20 kg of diet formulated to contain SID Lys/ME of 1.71 g/Mcal. The study was conducted for 28 days (21 d acclimation to the feeding regime and 7 days data collection). Saliva samples were collected every 2 hours for 12 hr in stalls on day 52 of pregnancy. Behavior data were collected 24 hr for 7 d from day 53 of gestating by affixing a remote insights ear tag to each sow. Each sow had 120,960 data points categorized into: "Active", "Feed" or "Dormant". Due to housing constraint, all sows were housed in individual stalls in the same barn presenting a potential limitation of the study. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures of SAS 9.4 for cortisol and behavior data, respectively. Sow was the experimental unit. The area under the curve (AUC) is quantitative evaluation of response as threshold varies over all possible values. A 12-hr cortisol total area under the curve (AUC) for sows fed once daily at 1130 h was reduced relative to sow group fed at 1530 h (P = 0.046) but similar compared with the control sows (P = 0. 323). The control sows (0730 h) had reduced total (P < 0.001) and feeding (P = 0.001) activity AUCs relative to sows on 1130 but did not differ compared with sows on 1530 h feeding schedules (P > 0.100). Sows on 1130 h feeding schedule had greater feed anticipatory activity (FAA), 24-hr total activity count, total (P < 0.001) and feeding (P < 0.001) activity AUC compared with sows fed daily at 1530 h. In conclusion, feeding pregnant sows earlier in the morning (0730 h) appears to minimize sows’ behavior but similar cortisol response. Sows on 1130 h feeding schedule had greater activities but reduced cortisol concentration, suggesting that elevated sow activity might not necessarily indicate activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Effects of Feeding Frequency on Growth Performance and Production of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) Reared in Cage

Optimum feeding schedule is one of the main things for the proper growth of fish and other animals. A study was conducted to optimize the effects of different feeding frequencies on growth performance and production of Rui (Labeo rohita) under pond cage culture system in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Labeo rohita with an average weight of 302.23±4.07g (mean ± SD) were randomly stocked in 9 cages at 30 fish/cage in all the treatment. Fish were fed (4% of body weight) a commercial floating feed with three different feeding schedules: feeding of fish thrice daily in T1treatment; twice in T2 treatment and once in T3 treatment. Water quality parameters were measured during the study period. The physico-chemical parameters of pond water were within suitable ranges for fish culture in cages. The obtained values of the water quality parameters were temperature 28.26 to 28.46°C, pH 6.91 to 6.94, DO 5.04 to 5.33 mg/l, CO2 2.95 to 3.02 mg/L. The mean final weight gain was significantly highest in T1 (345.05 g) a followed by T2 (324.66 g) and T3 (257.82 g). The Specific growth rate (SGR) value were significantly higher in T1 treatment (0.91% bwd-1; Body weight per day) than T2 (0.87% bwd-1) and T3 treatment (0.73% bwd-1). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) value was significantly lower in T1 fish group (2.72) than other two T2 (2.84) and T3 (3.44) treatments. The fish productions were 18.13, 17.55 and 15.67 kg/cage/cycle in T1, T2 and T3 respectively. The highest net profit was found (Bangladeshi Taka, BDT 1445.38) in T1 compared to T2 (BDT 1329.24) and T3 treatment (BDT 937.99). The cost benefit ratio (CBR) was significantly higher in T1 (0.57) than T2 (0.53) and T3 (0.37). The feeding schedule three times in a day was most suitable than other two schedules.

Control and Monitoring System for Livestock Feeding Time via Smartphone

The livestock farming sector usually require a lot of manpower and may face problems such as adhering the designated feeding schedule. Therefore, this paper intends to aid in this sector by bringing the smart feeder system. The main objective of this paper is to control and monitor livestock feeding time using application via smartphones. This is to ensure that the livestock are fed according to the right schedule. This paper also highlighted the advantage of the smart feeder system where it can be used to save up money and energy that can be obtained by having less labor workers. This is because of the hopper storage that can accommodate the food up to three days. The importance of this system is its ability to automate the feeding system for the livestock. The smart feed system designed is different from the existing livestock feeding machines that are available anywhere in the market due to the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) in the system. The usage of IoT allows farmers to set the feeding schedule automatically by using an application via smartphone. Besides, users will also be informed on the weight of food in the storage and food container through the application. This will allow the users to monitor the food storage and only come to refill it when it is empty. Farmers can also observe whether the livestock have eaten or not by getting updated on the level of food of the food storage using an ultrasonic sensor.

PEMBERI MAKAN OTOMATIS PADA KUCING MENGGUNAKAN RASPBERRY PI BERBASIS ANDROID

Keep a pet at home takes time and effort. For people who have very dense flurry of activity certainly keep a pet such as a cat would be very hard to do. A Raspberry Pi microcontroller is designed for the purpose of automatic feeding so it is easy to use. The workings of the tool are automatic scheduling using an Android-based smartphone so that the servo motor will open and close so that the cat food is taken out into the food container that has been provided. By using an Android-based smartphone, the feeding schedule can be set by the hour for each funnel. Equipped with a buzzer as a reminder of cat owners if the available food stock is low and must be immediately refilled. The programming language used is Python language. Based on testing and performance of "Automatic Cat Feeding Using Raspberry Pi Android Based" has shown results in accordance with the design that is able to open and close the funnel that fills the cat food container with a servo motor automatically by setting a predetermined time.

Pola Makan Balita Status Gizi Kurang di Puskesmas Ciumbuleuit Cidadap Bandung

Underweight is a health disorder which is caused imbalance of nutrient needed for growth. The direct factor of underweight are food intake and infectious diseases. Foods consumed by toddlers will become a habit and form eating habit for toddlers. Caused of underweight are still a problem in west java, one of which is in Puskesmas Ciumbuleuit. The research was aimed to find eating habit toddlers recorded in Puskesmas Ciumbuleuit. The method was quantitative descriptive with cross-sectional design. The population of was 70 mother who have of toddlers underweight status. The sampling technique used was purposive in consideration of toddlers underweight status of was 4 to 5 years old already active consumers therefore the sample of the research was 20 people. The result of research that 55% of toddlers was only eating and snacking twice a day,77,5% of toddlers feeding schedule was irreguler, the quantity of toddler eating did not meet daily nutrition needs since the average intakes of staple food 177,9 gram, 48,4 gram of animal protein 9,75 gram of vegetables protein, 32,7 gram of vegetable, 11,6 gram of fruit, 32,8 gram of milk, the quality of 85% of toddler feeding was energy deficit, 70% of them were protein deficit, 95% was fat deficit,77,5% of toddler eating variation was not varied. Recommendations for related institutions are expected to provide knowledge and mentoring to the eating habit in toddlers underweight status, for mother of toddlers pay attention to food consumed by children so that it will produce a good eating habit. Keywords: eating habits, toddler, underweight status. Abstrak Gizi kurang adalah gangguan kesehatan ketidakseimbangan zat gizi yang diperlukan untuk pertumbuhan. Faktor langsung penyebab gizi kurang adalah asupan makanan dan penyakit infeksi. Makanan yang dikonsumsi balita akan menjadi kebiasaan dan terbentuklah pola makan pada balita. Kasus gizi kurang masih menjadi masalah di Jawa Barat, salah satunya di puskesmas Ciumbuleuit. Tujuan pemelitian ini untuk mengetahui pola makan anak balita status gizi kurang yang tercatat di puskesmas Ciumbuleuit Bandung. Metode yang digunakan deskriptif kuantitatif dengan desain cross-sectional. Populasi sebanyak 70 orang ibu yang memiliki balita status gizi kurang. Teknik pengambilan sampel adalah purposive dengan pertimbangan anak balita yang memiliki status gizi kurang berusia 4-5 tahun sudah menjadi konsumen aktif. Sampel penelitian ini adalah 20 orang ibu balita gizi kurang. Penelitian diperoleh mengenai frekuensi makan dalam sehari lebih dari setengahnya (55%) balita makan hanya dua kali dalam sehari dan mengkonsumsi snack dua kali. Jadwal makan anak balita sebagian besar (77%) tidak teratur. kuantitas makan balita seluruhnya masih belum sesuai dengan yang dianjurkan. Rata-rata konsumsi makanan pokok 177,9 gram, lauk hewani 48,4 gram, lauk nabati 9,75 gram, sayuran 32,7 gram, buah 11,6 gram, susu 32,8 gram. Kualitas makan balita sebagian besar(85%) defisit energi, lebih dari setengahnya (70%) defisit protein, sebagian besar (95%) defisit lemak, lebih dari setengahnya (75%) defisit karbohidrat, dan variasi makanan balita sebagian besar (77,5%) tidak bervariasi. Rekomendasi bagi lembaga terkait diharapkan untuk memberikan pengetahuan dan pendampingan untuk pola makan pada balita status gizi kurang, bagi ibu balita memperhatikan makanan yang dikonsumsi oleh anak sehingga akan menghasilkan pola makan yang baik. Kata-kata kunci: anak bawah lima tahun, pola makan, status gizi kurang

Impact of Feeding Schedule on the Growth Performances of Tilapia, Common Carp, and Rice Yield in an Integrated Rice-Fish Farming System

Feeding frequency, among various factors, greatly influences the production costs of aquaculture. In the present investigation, the effects of feeding schedule on the growth and production of tilapia and common carp were evaluated, along with rice yield, in an integrated rice-fish culture system. The experiment comprised 11 treatments, each with three replications, and a control treatment with no fish (T0). The fish in treatments T1–T5 were fed with rice bran once per week at 09:00 for T1, two days per week at 12:00 for T2, three days per week at 15:00 for T3, four days per week at 18:00 for T4, and five days per week at 09:00 and 18:00 for T5. The fish in treatments T6–T10 were fed an artificial floating feed with the same scheduled feeding frequency as T1–T5. The highest specific growth rate (SGR) in common carp (2.4%) and tilapia (4.3%) was found in T10. Similarly, the highest weight gains of tilapia (322.7 g) and common carp (180.9 g) were observed in T10 after 75 days of culture. In terms of rice, however, the highest recorded grain, straw, and biological yields of 5.6, 6.8, and 12.3 t ha−1, respectively, were observed for control T0. Overall, the highest net return (USD 30,051 ha−1) was found in T10. There was a 1504% greater net return and 98% higher benefit–cost ratio (BCR) in T10 compared to the control (T0). Five days of feeding per week at 09:00 and 18:00 was found to be the feeding schedule that resulted in the highest economic net return of those tested.

ZEOLITE EFFECTIVENESS IN CAPACITY OF CORN FERTILIZER

Studies of effectiveness of zeolite in cultivation technology of corn in capacity of fertilizer were carried out on the base of field station of Ulyanovsk SAU in 2016-2018. Experimental design including 8 variants : 1. Control (without fertilizers); 2. Zeolite of Yushan field of Ulyanovsk region500 kg/ha; 3. Zeolite 2000 kg/ha; 4. N60P60K60 (NPK); 5. Zeolite 500 kg/ha + NPK; 6. Zeolite 2000 kg/ha + NPK; 7. Zeolite 500 kg/ha + N60 (carbamide); 8. Zeolite 2000 kg/ha + N60. Area of registration plot is 60 m2, their position is random, and replication is quadriple. Soil of field station is leached middle loams chernozem. It was established that zeolite is a boon to soil characteristics: physical, biological, chemical. Herewith plowing layer got effective structure for the given culture with density 1,10-1,13 g/cm3, activity of soil microflora increased and soil feeding schedule improved. Consequently corn kernels yield boosted: its raise when applying zeolite in pure form was 0,93 t/ha (dose 500 kg/ha) and 1,36 t/ha (dose 2000 kg/ha), against NPK respectively 2,43 and 2,7 t/ha. Corn kernels yield with co-use of zeolite 500 kg/ha together with nitrogen fertilizers predominate on 0,27 t/ha variant with mineral fertilizer N60P60K60.