An Exploratory Study of Consumers’ Travel-Related Concerns About COVID-19

This study explores consumers’ travel-related concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic via YouTube comments. Drawing on the risk perception theory and adopting a Markov Chain approach, this study demonstrates the topics that consumers discussed and empirically illustrates perceived risk in the tourism and hospitality industry via sentiment analysis across four sectors: recreation and entertainment, accommodation, transportation, and food and beverages. Results indicate discussion regarding travel-related videos is not only limited to travel-related topics but also includes a broad perspective of social, political, and historical topics. For instance, hotels have a new function as quarantine facilities with effective disease control procedures and social responsibility for public health. Additionally, health, performance, financial, social, and psychological risks are identified. Whereas the presence of travelers is typically regarded as positive, travelers during the crisis are regarded as “irresponsible” and “selfish” individuals who spread the virus and endanger public health. This shift of perception calls for both the industry and academia at large to educate people about the importance of disease control and rebuild travelers’ image and reputation. Recommendations to reduce the perceived risk in each sector are also provided.

As Time Goes By: Effects of Basal Chronotype and School Timing on Chronotype Development During Adolescence

The misalignment between late chronotypes and early school start times affect health, performance and psychological well-being of adolescents. Here we test whether, and how, the basal chronotype (i.e. chronotype at the beginning of secondary school) and the school timing affect the magnitude and the direction of the developmental change in chronotype during adolescence. We evaluated a sample of Argentinian students (n=259) who were randomly assigned to attend school in the morning (07:45am-12:05pm), afternoon (12:40pm-05:00pm) or evening (05:20pm-09:40pm) school timings. Importantly, chronotype and sleep habits were assessed longitudinally in the same group of students along secondary school (at 13-14 y.o. and 17-18 y.o.). Our results show that: (1) although chronotypes partially align with class time, this effect is insufficient to fully account for the differences observed in sleep-related variables between school timings; (2) both school timing and basal chronotype independently affect the direction and the magnitude of chronotype change, with greater delays associated with earlier basal chronotypes and later school timings. The practical implications of these results are challenging and should be considered in the design of future educational timing policies to improve adolescents’ well-being.

344 Replacing a High-roughage Receiving Diet with a High-energy Finishing Diet Improved Growth Performance and Feed Efficiency with No Impact on Health of High-risk Newly-received Calves

This study evaluated impacts of feeding a finishing diet throughout both the receiving and finishing period compared to a receiving diet with adaptation to the finishing diet on health, performance, ruminal pH, and rumination of high-risk feedlot cattle. Five truck-load blocks of steers and bulls (n = 400) were used in a generalized complete block design and assigned to receive: 1) finishing diet for the entire feeding period (FIN) or 2) receiving diet for the first 56 d, followed by transition to the finishing diet (REC). All cattle were consuming the same diet on d 74. A subset of cattle (n = 48) were randomly selected to quantify ruminal pH, temperature, and rumination time. Ultrasounds were completed on d 0, 74, and 146 to determine fat thickness. Cattle fed REC had greater (treatment × day; P < 0.01) DMI from d 1 to 67 but less DMI from d 74 to 82, and DMI did not differ from d 83 to 174. Energy intake (treatment × day; P < 0.01) was greater for FIN from d 14 to 75. Cattle consuming FIN had greater (P ≤ 0.01) ADG and BW and improved (P < 0.01) gain:feed from day 0 to 74. At d 174, BW of FIN was 9.6 kg greater (P = 0.02). On d 74, FIN had greater (P ≤ 0.05) fat thickness but did not differ (P ≥ 0.61) at d 146. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.31) in health outcomes. Ruminal pH (treatment × day; P < 0.01) was greater for FIN on d 2 and 61, and rumination time was less (P < 0.01) for FIN from d 0 to 28. Overall, these results suggest providing a finishing diet to high-risk calves upon arrival may be a viable alternative to a traditional receiving diet.

Health, performance and soiling of breeding does and their kits kept in two different housing systems on a German rabbit farm

<p>The aim of the present study was to compare a new housing (NC) for rabbit does and their kits that complies with German welfare regulations with established wire mesh cages (CC) on a commercial rabbit farm. Rabbit does were single-housed from five days antepartum until weaning at 31 d postpartum either in large pens (80×80 cm with an open top) with slatted plastic flooring (11 mm slats and 11 mm gaps), nestbox, elevated platform (15% perforated) and different manipulable materials (NC) or in cages (70×50×30 cm) with wire mesh flooring (12×70 mm holes and 3 mm wire diameter), nestbox and one gnawing stick (CC). Skin lesions, weight development, fertility, morbidity, cleanliness and kit performance of 272 rabbit does in a total of six batches were investigated. While there was no difference in performance of their kits, rabbit does showed an impaired performance with less weight gain and less body weight at weaning, lower fertility, more injuries and a higher incidence of mastitis and diarrhoea at the end of the rearing period in NC housing compared to CC housing. Additionally, soiling of hind feet was higher in NC than in CC housing. Overall, the poor hygienic conditions may have affected the animals’ health and make an improvement in the new housing system necessary, especially with regard to the floor design.</p>

Different Methods of Eubiotic Feed Additive Provision Affects Health, Performance, Fermentation, and Metabolic Status of Dairy Calves During The Preweaning Period

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate whether different methods of providing eubiotic feed additives, to neonatal calves during the preweaning period, can improve the health, performance, rumen fermentation, and metabolic status of the calves. Forty-four Holstein-Friesian dairy calves, were divided into one of four treatment groups for the 8 week trial. The eubiotic feed additives consisted of a combination of probiotic Lactobacillus spp. (multiple-strains) at a dose of 250 mg/calf/d and phytobiotics containing rosmarinic acid, as the main bioactive compound, at a dose of 50 mg/calf/d. Treatment differed by the methods that the eubiotic feed additives were provided, and the groups were as follows: CON (control, without eubiotic feed additive in their milk replacer or their starter feed), MR (eubiotic feed additives added to the milk replacer), SF (eubiotic feed additives added to the starter feed), MRS (eubiotic feed additives added to the milk replacer and the starter feed). Individual intake of starter feed was measured daily and body weights weekly until 56 d of age. Results The body weight of the MR treatment group calves were higher on days 28 and 56. Including the eubiotic feed additive in the milk replacer affected increasing average daily gain, starter intake and total dry matter intake from d 29 to d 56 and the overall experimental period in comparison to the CON group. The calves of the MR treatment had lower fecal scores from d 3 to d 28, number of parasite oocysts/cysts per gram of feces on d 28, and the occurrences of faecal consistency scores of 3 (mild diarrhea) and 4 (confirmation diarrhea) were 3.2 and 3.0 times lower, respectively, compared with animals of the CON group. Also, in this group higher ruminal concentrations of total volatile fatty acids, propionate, and butyrate were noted on d 56 compared to CON group. Adding eubiotics into milk replacer resulted the highest concentrations of blood insulin-like growth factor-I and β-hydroxybutyrate from d 29 to 56 and through the entire experimental period. Conclusion The addition of eubiotic feed additives into the milk replacer can improve health, performance, rumen fermentation, and biochemical blood indices in dairy calves during the preweaning period.