The effects of precisely meeting estimated daily energy and lysine requirements for gestating sows over three consecutive pregnancies on sow reproductive and lactation performance

The objective of the current study was to determine effects of precisely meeting estimated daily energy and Lys requirements for gestating sows over three consecutive pregnancies on sow reproductive and lactation performance. A total of 105 sows (initial reproductive cycle 1.4±0.5) were randomly assigned to a precision (PF; n=50) or control (CON; n=55) feeding program between d 2 and 9 of gestation and housed in group-pens equipped with electronic sow feeders capable of blending two diets. The PF sows received unique daily blends of two isocaloric diets [2518 kcal/kg NE; 0.80 and 0.20% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys, respectively] while CON sows received a static blend throughout gestation to achieve 0.56% SID Lys. After weaning, sows were re-bred and entered the same feeding program as in the previous pregnancy for two subsequent pregnancy cycles (PF: n=36; CON: n=37; average reproductive cycle: 2.4±0.5; PF: n=25; CON: n=24; average reproductive cycle: 3.5±0.5). Sows on the PF program received 97, 105, and 118 % (average over three pregnancy cycles) of dietary energy and 67, 79, and 106 % of SID Lys intakes compared to CON between d 5 and 37, 38 and 72, and 73 and 108 of gestation, respectively. Estimated N (26.1 %) retention did not differ between gestation feeding programs in any pregnancy, but excess N excretion was less (1617 vs. 1750 ± 54 g/sow; P < 0.01) for PF versus CON sows. Regardless of pregnancy cycle, sows that received the PF program had greater ADG between d 38 and 72 (614 vs. 518 ± 63 g/d; P < 0.05) and between d 73 and 108 (719 vs. 618 ± 94 g/d; P = 0.063) of gestation, and greater loin depth gain between d 63 and 110 of gestation (0.7 vs. -1.1 ± 1.6 mm; P < 0.05), but BW (235.1 kg) and backfat (17.8 mm) and loin (70.5 mm) depths on d 110 of gestation did not differ. The number of piglets born alive, stillborn, and mummified, and litter birth weight (16.5 kg) did not differ in any pregnancy cycle, nor did piglet ADG during lactation (250 g/d) and piglet BW (6.7 kg) at weaning. Sows that received the PF program during gestation had lower ADFI during lactation (5.7 vs. 6.2 ± 0.2 kg; P < 0.01). Therefore, using feeding programs that precisely match estimated daily energy and Lys requirements for gestating sows provides the opportunity to reduce N losses to the environment and reduce lactation feed usage, without negatively affecting sow reproductive and lactation performance.

525 Late-Breaking: Late Gestational Nutrient Restriction of Primiparous Beef Heifers Decreases Milk Yield and Pre-weaning Calf Growth

Fall-calving Hereford-SimAngus heifers (single-sired; BW: 451 ± 28 [SD] kg; BCS: 5.4 ± 0.7) bred to a single sire were individually-fed 100% (control; CON; n = 12) or 70% (nutrient restricted; NR; n = 13) of NASEM net energy and metabolizable protein requirements for maintenance, pregnancy, and growth from d 160 of gestation to calving. Post-calving, all females were limit-fed chopped tall-fescue hay supplemented to meet lactational nutrient requirements in Calan gates to constrain calves’ diets to milk only until d 147. Four-hour milk yields were measured 5 times; calf size was determined every 21 d. Data were analyzed with treatment, calving date, and calf sex (when P < 0.25) as fixed effects; day and day x treatment were included for milk yield. From calving to d 147, CON cows had greater (P ≤ 0.003) BW, BCS, and backfat, but NR cows gained more (P ≤ 0.004) BW, BCS, and backfat. Milk weight and volume was 15% less (main effect; P < 0.04) for NR cows. Calf size did not differ at birth (P ≥ 0.27). From d 42 to 147, calves born to NR dams had lower (P ≤ 0.02) BW. Heart, abdominal, and flank girths were less (P ≤ 0.07) for NR calves through d 147. Calf ribeye area tended to be less (P ≤ 0.11) in NR calves at d 42, 84, and 126. Nutrient restricted calves had less shoulder to rump length (d 63 to 147; P ≤ 0.08), shoulder height (d 63 to 126; P ≤ 0.02), cannon length (d 42 to 105 and 147; P ≤ 0.09), and cannon circumference (d 63 and 105 to 147; P ≤ 0.06). These data indicate that even when dams are fed to meet lactational requirements, milk yield and calf growth are reduced by late gestational nutrient restriction.

359 Intake and Growth Performance of Feedlot Lambs Fed Diets with Hi-a and Low-a Corn Cobs and Bermudagrass Hay

Hi-A™ corn is a unique type of lines and hybrids that were developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Corn Breeding Program and have high anthocyanin and antioxidants. A completely randomized design trial was used to evaluated effects of Hi-A and low-A (regular) corn cobs and bermudagrass hay (BGH) in feedlot diets fed to female Rambouillet lambs (n = 10/treatment), with initial body weight (BW) of 30.7+1.2 kg, on dry matter intake (DMI), BW, average daily gain (ADG), and growth:feed ratio (G:F). After 14 days of adaptation, lambs were individually fed a total mixed ration with 80% concentrate and 20% of one of the roughages (Hi-A, low-A, or BGH) for 63 days. Hay was chopped, while cobs were ground using a hammermill with a 9.52-mm screen. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. The BW was not affected by the diet but increased (P < 0.001) during the trial. Diet did not influence the ADG. However, the ADG was lower (P < 0.001) in the d-42 (0.12 kg/d) than the rest of the trial (0.22 kg/d), after a period of constant high temperatures. The interaction diet vs. day affected (P < 0.05) DMI. In general, lambs increased (P < 0.05) DMI (g/d) and decreased (P < 0.05) relative DMI (%BW) in the final part of the trial, when the animals were getting closer to the harvesting date. Lambs had lower (P < 0.05) DMI of BGH diets than Hi-A diets from d-42 to d-63 and Low-A diets from d-49 to d-56. The G:F ratio was not affected by the diet but decreased (P < 0.05) from the middle to the end of the trial. Corn cobs are valuable as alternative roughage for feedlot lambs, with intake and growth performance comparable to BGH.

315 Feeding Behavior of Beef Steers Consuming Finishing Diets with Added Nutritional Packet

The effects of a nutritional packet fed to beef steers during the feedlot finishing phase (final 64 d) on feeding behavior were evaluated. Crossbred-Angus steers (n = 120; initial BW = 544 ± 52 kg) were assigned to 30 pens (4 steers/pen; 15 pens/treatment; pen = experimental unit) in a randomized complete block design. Steers were fed, ad libitum, a steam-flaked corn-based finishing diet and treatments were applied as follows: 1) control and 2) 30 g/steer-daily (DM-basis) of a nutritional packet (containing live yeast [Saccharomyces cerevisiae; 8.7 Log CFU/g], vitamin C [5.4 g/kg], vitamin B1 [13.33 g/kg], NaCl [80 g/kg], and KCl [80 g/kg]). The nutritional packet used ground corn as a carrier and was included at 1% of diet DM. Orts were subtracted from the total dietary DM offered to calculate DM intake. Feeding behavior activities were visually assessed by trained personnel twice (d 27 and d 63) for 24 h, when time spent on each activity was recorded every 5 min. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS. Treatment × period interactions (P ≤ 0.03) were observed for eating time (min/d) and eating rates (min/kg of consumed DM, OM, fiber, and digestible DM, OM, and fiber), in which steers fed the nutritional packet spent less time in such activities on d 27 and more time during the assessment on d 63, compared with control. Regardless of period, steers fed the nutritional packet tended (P = 0.07) to spend less time chewing per kg of digestible ADF. Rumination (P ≥ 0.28), drinking (P ≥ 0.40), active (P ≥ 0.92), and resting (P ≥ 0.53) times were not affected by treatment. The nutritional packet affected eating behavior more intensively during the first 27 d of treatment, and digestible ADF seems to be the main feed-fraction inducing such effect.

تعدد المهام وعلاقته بالانتباه والذاكرة العاملة لدى طلاب جامعة إفريقيا العالمية

هدفت هذه الدراسة لمعرفة تعدد المهام وعلاقته بالانتباه والذاكرة العاملة لدى طلاب جامعة إفريقيا العالمية،كما هدفت إلى معرفة السمة العامة لتعدد المهام لدى الطلاب، إضافة إلى معرفة الفروق في تعدد المهام تبعاً لمتغيرات النوع، والعمر، والتخصص الدراسي، والقارة (إفريقيا، آسيا). اتبعت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي الارتباطي. بلغ حجم العينة (n = 200) طالباً (142 ذكور، 58 إناث، بين 18 – 44 عاماً، متوسط العمر = 23.8 عاماً) (126 أفارقة، 74 أسيويين) (120 تخصص أدبي، 80 تخصص علمي) وتم اختيارهم عن طريق العينة القصدية والعشوائية الطبقية. تم تصميم واستخدام ثلاث مقاييس لقياس تعدد المهام، والانتباه، والذاكرة العاملة، وتم تحليل البيانات باستخدام الحزمة الإحصائية للعلوم الاجتماعية (SPSS). توصلت الدراسة إلى النتائج التالية: ارتفاع مستوى تعدد المهام لدى الطلاب (d = .63 , p < .0001). وجود علاقة ارتباطية طردية بين تعدد المهام والانتباه (p < .01). وجود علاقة ارتباطية طردية بين تعدد المهام والذاكرة العاملة (p < .01). كشفت الدراسة وجود فروق دالة احصائياً وذات حجم أثر دال (η2 = .019 , p = .05) في مستوى تعدد المهام لدى الطلاب تبعاً لمتغير النوع. أسفرت الدراسة عدم وجود فروق دالة احصائياً في مستوى تعدد المهام لدى الطلاب تبعاً لمتغيرات العمر، والتخصص الدراسي، والقارة. قدمت الدراسة بعض التوصيات وعدد من المقترحات لبحوث مستقبلية.

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A MUTUAL EXCHANGE SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENT DISORDERS

"There is an urgent need to support families of children with developmental disorders, especially when it is necessary for such families to help each other. However, practice and research related to support systems for families have begun only recently in Japan. Considering these issues, the authors developed a program to support mutual exchanges among parents of children with developmental disorders. This study aimed to verify the program’s effectiveness and to examine the relationship between participants’ program experience and its effectiveness. Participants included 21 male and female parents of children with developmental disorders. The parents were in their 30s to 50s (4 in their 30s, 14 in their 40s, and 3 in their 50s) (1 male, 20 females). Effectiveness indicators included the Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition-Adult Short (POMS2-A Short) (before and after implementation), Session Impact Scale (SIS), and Mutual Exchange Support Experience Rating Scale. t-tests were conducted on the pre- and post-program results of the POMS2-A short. Results showed that scores on Anger-Hostility (t=4.77, df=20, p<.01, d=1.04), Confusion-Bewilderment (t=4.31, df=20, p<.01, d=.94), Depression-Dejection (t=2.88, df=20, p<.01, d=.63), Fatigue-Inertia (t=3.63, df=20, p<.01, d=.79), and Tension-Anxiety (t=3.61, df=20, p<.01, d=.79) in the POMS2-A Short decreased significantly after the implementation of the program. These results evidence the effectiveness of the program in improving several mood states, especially anger-hostility, tension-anxiety, depression-depression, and fatigue."

Social media language of healthcare super-utilizers

An understanding of healthcare super-utilizers’ online behaviors could better identify experiences to inform interventions. In this retrospective case-control study, we analyzed patients’ social media posts to better understand their day-to-day behaviors and emotions expressed online. Patients included those receiving care in an urban academic emergency department who consented to share access to their historical Facebook posts and electronic health records. Super-utilizers were defined as patients with more than six visits to the Emergency Department (ED) in a year. We compared posts by super-utilizers with a matched group using propensity scoring based on age, gender and Charlson comorbidity index. Super-utilizers were more likely to post about confusion and negativity (D = .65, 95% CI-[.38, .95]), self-reflection (D = .63 [.35, .91]), avoidance (D = .62 [.34, .90]), swearing (D = .52 [.24, .79]), sleep (D = .60 [.32, .88]), seeking help and attention (D = .61 [.33, .89]), psychosomatic symptoms, (D = .49 [.22, .77]), self-agency (D = .56 [.29, .85]), anger (D = .51, [.24, .79]), stress (D = .46, [.19, .73]), and lonely expressions (D = .44, [.17, .71]). Insights from this study can potentially supplement offline community care services with online social support interventions considering the high engagement of super-utilizers on social media.

Two-year-olds use past experiences to accomplish novel goals

Memory-guided planning involves retrieving relevant memories and applying that information in service of a goal. Previous studies have shown substantial development in this ability between the ages of 3 and 4 years. We investigated the emergence of memory-guided planning by asking whether 2-year-olds could draw on episodic memories of past experiences to generate and execute plans. In Experiments 1 and 2, 2-year-olds successfully did so, and this ability developed significantly across the 3rd year. Furthermore, in Experiment 3 (n=19, d=.63), 2-year-olds successfully applied episodic memories to guide plans in a novel problem context, suggesting flexibility in this ability. Together, these results suggest that some form of memory-guided planning emerges in the 3rd year of life and may form the cognitive basis for episodic prospection later in development.

The Columbia Behavior Scale for Dementia: Validity and Reliability in Long-Term Care Settings

Numerous neuropsychiatric inventories have been created for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). These inventories are seldom used in long-term care (LTC) settings due to questionable psychometrics, lengthy administration, and reliance on knowledgeable informants. The Columbia Behavior Scale for Dementia (CBS) is a rapidly administered BPSD rating tool that was developed for LTC residents. The 11-item CBS can be completed in less &lt;5 minutes independently, with nursing staff, or in conjunction with interdisciplinary care teams. LTC residents (N = 350) participated in a validation study in Maryland, USA (M age = 78.38, SD = 10.82). Internal consistency (⍺ = 0.75) and inter-rater reliability (r = 0.99) for the CBS were strong. CBS scores were not biased by informant type (p &gt; 0.05): GNAs/CNSs (40.69%), nurses (36.10%), other facility staff (23.21%). Diagnostic validity was confirmed by significantly higher CBS scores (p &lt; 0.001; large effect, d = .63) for LTC residents with dementia (n = 197, M = 4.63, SD = 4.58) versus those without dementia (n = 145, M = 2.17, SD = 2.87). Higher CBS scores were significantly associated with greater impairment on cognitive instruments (r range = -0.25, -.36) and increased mood dysfunction (r range = 0.20, 0.26), indicating convergent validity. Principal components analysis produced three CBS factors, psychosis, aggression, and non-aggressive motor disinhibition, which significantly identified LTC residents with greater odds for antipsychotic use. Results will be discussed in terms of right-sizing antipsychotic utilization, improving nonpharmacological behavior management, and enhancing the dementia literacy of nursing staff.

186 Utilizing craft brewing side streams of trub, hops, and yeast mix (THYM) as a novel feed additive and an alternative to monensin in beef cattle diets

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate craft brewing side streams of trub, hops and yeast mix (THYM) as a potential feedstuff and replacement for monensin in growing beef cattle rations. British-cross steers (n = 45, initial BW = 732 ± 58kg) were stratified by BW and randomly assigned to 1 of 15 pens (3 head/pen). Treatment diets were randomly assigned to pen and consisted of a corn silage based total mixed ration (TMR) with no supplementation (CON; 70.99% TDN, 12.25% CP), supplementation with monensin (MON; 22g/907kg ration, dry matter basis) or supplementation with the brewery side streams (THYM; 70.95% TDN, 12.49% CP, 2.65% THYM, dry matter basis). Steers were adjusted to a TMR for 14 d prior to a 63 d collection period. Body weight and serum urea nitrogen (SUN) were measured on d 0 and every 21 d thereafter. Rumen fluid was collected via esophageal/rumen tube at d 42 and 63 for short chain fatty acid analysis (SCFA). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 (Cary, NC) with treatment as the main effect and using repeated measures. Average daily gain and dry matter intake did not differ among treatments (P = 0.40 and P = 0.96, respectively), but a tendency was noted for THYM to have greater average gain:feed than the CON treatment. SUN concentrations were least on d 0 (P &lt; 0.01) but did not differ among treatments at any time (P =0.11). On d 42, THYM had a greater (P = 0.05) A:P than MON. Concentrations of propionic and valeric acid were greater (P &lt; 0.05) for CON than THYM on d 63, while SCFA concentrations tended to be greater (P = 0.08) for CON than THYM. THYM also tended to have a greater A:P on d 63 than CON. Interpretation of the data indicates that inclusion of THYM in growing cattle rations has no negative impact on animal performance.