Intake Rate Research Articles

Deer in the agriculture-forest matrix: Interacting effects of land uses on browsing pressure on trees

Cervids inhabit mosaic landscapes that are strongly influenced by human land use and actions. Forestry and agriculture influence both the foodscape and the risk landscape, thus influencing how cervids respond to resource-risk trade-offs. Furthermore, these land use types interact to shape cervid use of the landscape. For example, cervids can forage in open agricultural fields providing high quality forage during the night, while using nearby forest patches to reduce risk during the day. Hence, actions conducted in one of these land use types will likely influence the use of the other by cervids. In this study, we investigate how agricultural and silvicultural practices interact to shape cervid use of the forest and their impact on commercially valuable trees. More specifically, we investigate the effect of growing nutrient dense crops in mixed forest-agriculture landscapes. We hypothesized that the sowing of such crops may not only attract cervids to the agricultural parts of the landscape, but also lead to increased browsing levels in adjacent forest areas where cervids seek cover. Moreover, such high quality crops may not only influence the number of animals, but also increase the intake rate of fibrous tree saplings of individual cervids to nutritionally balance the high input of easily-digestible macronutrients from the crops. We tested these ideas by conducting a large landscape-scale experiment where we manipulated the foodscape by growing two crop types on 28 fields (14 fields with high-quality oat versus 14 fields with lower-quality grass) and measuring cervid use of tree saplings in the forest patches adjacent these fields. We also investigated how forage availability in the forest patches and the distance from field edge affected browsing on tree saplings. Finally, we compared the effects of crop type and forest forage availability on the browsing pressure on coniferous versus deciduous tree species. We studied this in a multispecies ungulate system, where four cervid species occur sympatrically. We show that the type of crop sown influenced browsing pressure on tree saplings in nearby forests, with higher browsing levels in forests surrounding oat compared to grass fields. Moreover, browsing pressure in these forests was influenced by the availability of young trees in the forest stands, where more young trees led to reduced browsing pressure on individual saplings. Our study emphasizes that human practices that shape features of the foodscape in one land use type will influence the impact cervids have in another land use type. Hence, our study highlights the importance of considering the actions and impacts of different land uses simultaneously for predicting cervid foraging patterns in mixed forest-agriculture landscapes.

Application and demonstration of meso-activity exposure factors to advance estimates of incidental soil ingestion among agricultural workers.

Soil is an understudied and underregulated pathway of chemical exposure, particularly for agricultural workers who cultivate food in soils. Little is known about how agricultural workers spend their time and how they may contact soil while growing food. Exposure factors are behavioral and environmental variables used in exposure estimation. Our study aimed to derive exposure factors describing how growers engage in different tasks and use those factors to advance the use of time-activity data to estimate soil ingestion exposures among agricultural workers. We administered a meso-activity-based, season-specific soil contact activity questionnaire to 38 fruit and vegetable growers. We asked growers to estimate the frequency and duration of six meso-activities and describe how they completed them. We used questionnaire data to derive exposure factors and estimate empirical and simulated exposures to a hypothetical contaminant in soil via incidental ingestion using daily, hourly, and hourly-task-specific ingestion rates. We generated exposure factors characterizing the frequency and duration of six meso-activities by season, and self-reported soil contact, glove use, and handwashing practices by meso-activity and season. Seasonal average daily doses (ADDs) were similar across all three forms of ingestion rates. No consistent patterns regarding task-specific contributions to seasonal or annual ADDs were observed.

Effect of Scoparia dulcis Extract on Lipid Oxidation in Fish Feed, Growth Performance, and Hypoxia Tolerance in Juvenile Jian Carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian)

Lipid oxidation and hypoxia can lead to oxidative damage in aquatic animals. This study explored the effects of Scoparia dulcis extracts (SDE) on lipid oxidation, fish growth performance, digestive ability, antioxidant capacity, and hypoxia tolerance ability. The results showed that SDE decreased malonaldehyde (MDA), conjugated diene (CD), and peroxide value (PO) in the linoleic acid and linolenic acid as well as in fish feed. Broken-line analysis revealed that the optimal acetone extract of S. dulcis (AE) supplements was 4.02, 4.01, and 4.01 g kg−1 determined from PO, CD, and MDA, respectively. Dietary AE supplementation increased feed intake and specific growth rate and activities of amylase, trypsin, and lipase as well as alkaline phosphatase in fish hepatopancreas and gut. Polynomial regression analysis showed that optimal dietary AE supplement was 3.61 g kg−1 diet determined from weight gain. Furthermore, dietary AE supplementation decreased MDA content and increased glutathione content and the activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase in fish digestive organs, gills, erythrocytes, and muscle. Dietary AE supplementation increased durative time (DT) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) under hypoxia condition. Based on polynomial regression analysis, optimal dietary AE supplements were 4.73 and 4.60 g kg−1 diet determined from DT and OCR for hypoxia tolerance in fish, respectively. According to our current research, SDE’s antioxidant capacity may be attribute to their phenolic chemicals.

한국 청소년의 아침 식사 유형에 따른 영양소 섭취 상태 및 아침식사의 질 평가

Objectives This study is to evaluate the quality of breakfast and compare the nutritional intake by breakfast type of Korean adolescents. Methods This study analyzed data from 3,779 adolescents aged 12 to 18 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Survey conducted from 2016 to 2019. Breakfast was classified as ‘rice’, ‘bread’, ‘noodles’, ‘cereal’, and ‘others’ based on the main food consumed. Differences in general characteristics by breakfast type were ana-lyzed, and nutrient intake and nutrient intake ratio relative to daily nutrient intake standards were used for the analysis. Additionally, the study derived the contribution rate and nutrient density of daily nutrient intake from breakfast. Results Regarding the type of breakfast consumed by adolescents, rice ranked first at about 45%, followed by bread, cereal, and noodles. The breakfast skipping rate was higher among female adolescents at 43.03% com-pared to males at 35.57%. Rice and bread tended to account for most of the energy and protein intake, and cereals accounted for the highest daily intake of vitamins and minerals. The contribution rate of breakfast to daily energy intake was about 23-24% for rice and noodles, about 18% for bread, and about 14% for cereal. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that rice is an excellent breakfast diet for Korean adolescents. However, the high rate of breakfast skipping among adolescents suggests the need for efficient and continuous nutritional education about regular breakfast.

Killer whale respiration rates.

Measuring breathing rates is a means by which oxygen intake and metabolic rates can be estimated to determine food requirements and energy expenditure of killer whales (Orcinus orca) and other cetaceans. This relatively simple measure also allows the energetic consequences of environmental stressors to cetaceans to be understood but requires knowing respiration rates while they are engaged in different behaviours such as resting, travelling and foraging. We calculated respiration rates for different behavioural states of southern and northern resident killer whales using video from UAV drones and concurrent biologging data from animal-borne tags. Behavioural states of dive tracks were predicted using hierarchical hidden Markov models (HHMM) parameterized with time-depth data and with labeled tracks of drone-identified behavioural states (from drone footage that overlapped with the time-depth data). Dive tracks were sequences of dives and surface intervals lasting ≥ 10 minutes cumulative duration. We calculated respiration rates and estimated oxygen consumption rates for the predicted behavioural states of the tracks. We found that juvenile killer whales breathed at a higher rate when travelling (1.6 breaths min-1) compared to resting (1.2) and foraging (1.5)-and that adult males breathed at a higher rate when travelling (1.8) compared to both foraging (1.7) and resting (1.3). The juveniles in our study were estimated to consume 2.5-18.3 L O2 min-1 compared with 14.3-59.8 L O2 min-1 for adult males across all behaviours based on estimates of mass-specific tidal volume and oxygen extraction. Our findings confirm that killer whales take single breaths between dives and indicate that energy expenditure derived from respirations requires using sex, age, and behavioural-specific respiration rates. These findings can be applied to bioenergetics models on a behavioural-specific basis, and contribute towards obtaining better predictions of dive behaviours, energy expenditure and the food requirements of apex predators.

Baseline characteristics, reperfusion treatment secondary prevention and outcome after acute ischemic stroke in three different socioeconomic environments in Europe.

The differences in vascular risk factors' and stroke burden across Europe are notable, however there is limited understanding of the influence of socioeconomic environment on the quality of secondary prevention and outcome after acute ischemic stroke. In this observational multicenter cohort study, we analyzed baseline characteristics, reperfusion treatment, outcome and secondary prevention in patients with acute ischemic stroke from three tertiary-care teaching hospitals with similar service population size in different socioeconomic environments: Bern/CH/n = 293 (high-income), Gdansk/PL/n = 140 (high-income), and Lutsk/UA/n = 188 (lower-middle-income). We analyzed 621 patients (43.2% women, median age = 71.4 years), admitted between 07 and 12/2019. Significant differences were observed in median BMI (CH = 26/PL = 27.7/UA = 27.8), stroke severity [(median NIHSS CH = 4(0-40)/PL = 11(0-33)/UA = 7(1-30)], initial neuroimaging (CT:CH = 21.6%/PL = 50.7%/UA = 71.3%), conservative treatment (CH = 34.1%/PL = 38.6%/UA = 95.2%) (each p < 0.001), in arterial hypertension (CH = 63.8%/PL = 72.6%/UA = 87.2%), atrial fibrillation (CH = 28.3%/PL = 41.4%/UA = 39.4%), hyperlipidemia (CH = 84.9%/PL = 76.4%/UA = 17%) (each p < 0.001) and active smoking (CH = 32.2%/PL = 27.3%/UA = 10.2%) (p < 0.007). Three-months favorable outcome (mRS = 0-2) was seen in CH = 63.1%/PL = 50%/UA = 59% (unadjusted-p = 0.01/adjusted-p CH-PL/CH-UA = 0.601/0.981), excellent outcome (mRS = 0-1) in CH = 48.5%/PL = 32.1%/UA = 27% (unadjusted-p < 0.001/adjusted-p CH-PL/CH-UA = 0.201/0.08 and adjusted-OR CH-UA = 2.09). Three-months mortality was similar between groups (CH = 17.2%/PL = 15.7%/UA = 4.8%) (unadjusted-p = 0.71/adjusted-p CH-PL/CH-UA = 0.087/0.24). Three-months recurrent stroke/TIA occurred in CH = 3.1%/PL = 10.7%/UA = 3.1%, adjusted-p/OR CH-PL = 0.04/0.32). Three-months follow-up medication intake rates were the same for antihypertensives. Statin/OAC intake was lowest in UA = 67.1%/25.5% (CH = 87.3%/39.2%/unadjusted-p < 0.001/adjusted-p CH-UA = 0.02/0.012/adjusted-OR CH-UA = 2.33/2.18). Oral intake of antidiabetics was lowest in CH = 10.8% (PL = 15.7%/UA = 16.1%/unadjusted-p = 0.245/adjusted-p CH-PL/CH-UA = 0.061/0.002/adjusted-OR CH-UA = 0.25). Smoking rates decreased in all groups during follow-up. Substantial differences in presentation, treatment and secondary prevention measures, are linked to a twofold difference in adjusted 3-months excellent outcome between Switzerland and Ukraine. This underscores the importance of socioeconomic factors that influence stroke outcomes, emphasizing the necessity for targeted interventions to address disparities in treatment and secondary prevention strategies.

Hourly Feeding Regime of Modern Genetics Lactating Sows: Enhancing Productive Performance, Welfare, and Piglet Growth in Smart Farm-Based Systems

Effective management of lactating sows significantly influences various aspects of swine production. This study compared the impact of an hourly feeding regime and a five-times-daily feeding regime on the productive performance, body condition, and welfare of lactating sows, as well as on the growth performance of their offspring. Twenty-eight lactating sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were divided into two groups: Group 1 was fed five times a day, and Group 2 was fed according to an hourly regime. The data were analyzed using independent-samples T-tests and the Mann–Whitney U test using Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 2011, Version 9.3) software. An hourly feeding regime positively affected (p &lt; 0.05) sows’ feed intake and body condition, significantly reducing the days from the weaning-to-estrus interval. Group 1 exhibited significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) reductions in backfat thickness (BFT) and body condition score (BCS) during the weaning period compared to Group 2. Additionally, significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) were observed in regard to sow body weight loss, feed intake, piglet livability and mortality rate at weaning, sow index, and calculated milk yield. Feeding sows according to an hourly regime positively impacted their productive performance compared to those fed five times daily. No significant differences (p &gt; 0.05) were recorded in regard to the total number of piglets born, live births, mummified piglets, stillbirths, piglet mortality, litter size at weaning, and sow feed conversion ratio (FCR). However, the number of piglets weaned per sow per year (PSY) was numerically higher in Group 2 (p &gt; 0.05). The piglets from Group 2 had significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) weaning weights and exhibited lower feed intake, greater weight gain, improved average daily gain, and greater litter size weight gain than those from Group 1. Statistically, sows from Group 2 exhibited a higher frequency of standing (p &lt; 0.05), which potentially contributed to the reduction in shoulder skin lesions in sows (p &gt; 0.05). In conclusion, an hourly feeding regime could optimize sow productive performance, body condition, milk yield, welfare, and piglet growth in swine production.

Curcumin’s effects on growth indices, histological scores, blood metabolites, redox state, immunity, and antioxidant-related genes of red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.)

AbstractCurcumin, a polyphenol, targets multiple signaling molecules and shows activity at the cellular level, supporting its various health benefits. Thereafter, the present study examines the effects of different doses of dietary curcumin on growth indices, feed efficiency, serum metabolites, redox (oxidation) status, immunity, histological assessment, and antioxidant-related genes in red tilapia (Oreochromis sp, Oreochromis aureus x O. mossambicus). A total of 1200 red tilapia with an average weight of 19.1±0.03 g were distributed in 12 cement ponds (3×3.5×1m). Each treatment was assigned three pounds (n=100 replicates). For 60 days, fish were fed baseline diets containing 0, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 g of curcumin/kg of diet. The treated fish showed increased body weight and SGR (specific growth rate) compared to the T0 group (P&lt;0.05). Curcumin in the diet significantly improved weight gain, percentages, and FCR (feed conversion ratio), with a dose-dependent effect (P &lt; 0.05). Curcumin supplementation showed no influence on feed intake, fish mortality, or survival rate (P &gt;0.05). The curcumin-treated fish groups improved tissue structure in hepatocytes, pancreatic lumens, hepatic blood sinusoids, and intestine tissue layers, particularly the mucosal layer. The T0.8 group had reduced liver enzymes (AST and ALT) and greater total protein and albumin levels (P&lt;0.05). The T0.6 and T0.8 groups showed significantly lower MDA levels than the other groups (P &lt; 0.05). Curcumin groups demonstrated significantly higher antioxidant indices (CAT, GPx, and SOD) compared to the basal diet (P&lt;0.05). Curcumin administration resulted in significant improvements in IgM and lysosome levels (P&lt;0.05). All supplemented groups had considerably (P&lt;0.05) higher levels of SOD, CAT, and GPx mRNA than the control group. Consequently, administering 0.6–0.8 g/kg of curcumin to red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) diets may improve the fish’s growth, health, tissue composition, and antioxidant response.

Pre-Operative Characteristics Helping to Avoid Gastrostomy Tube After Mandibular Distraction in Neonates With Pierre-Robin Sequence: A Institutional Case-Series and Review of the Literature.

to investigate the ability of mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) to avoid gastrostomy tube (G-tube). PubMed, EBSCOhost, Cochrane, and Embase. We retrospectively reviewed the number of MDO cases performed at our institution for patients with Robin Sequence (RS) over the past 10 years. In our institutional review, patients were excluded if they had a G-tube already placed at the time of surgery. We also performed a systematic review of the literature. Articles were excluded if they did not detail feeding outcomes after MDO, or if MDO was performed on patients that did not have RS. In our systematic review, 12 articles were included that comprised a total of 209 neonates with RS that underwent MDO. A total of 174 (83.3%) patients avoided a G-tube once MDO was performed. A total of 14 patients met the inclusion criteria at our institution. Of the 14 RS patients, 9 (64%) avoided having a G-tube placed and all (14/14) avoided tracheostomy. The average birth weight of patients avoiding a G-tube was 3.11 kg compared to 2.25 kg (P = .045) in the group requiring a G-tube. In the group avoiding a G-tube, the average weight at time of operation was 3.46 kg compared to 2.83 kg (P = .037) in the group requiring a G-tube. MDO may be considered as a surgical option to prevent G-tube placement for neonates with non-syndromic RS who have difficulty with PO feeding but whose airway obstruction is not severe enough to require respiratory support. Based on our institutional experience, a minimum weight of 3.00 kg correlated with higher success rates of PO intake and avoiding a G-tube.

Mathematical analysis of transmission dynamics of Acute Bee Paralysis Virus within a hive

In this paper, a mechanistic model of Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV) transmission is designed and analyzed. The qualitative behavior of honeybee-pathogen and honeybee-pathogen-mite interactions sub-models revealed the existence of backward bifurcation. It is shown that whenever the survivability of a newly hatched egg is guaranteed, both the disease-free and endemic equilibria of the sub-models are globally asymptotically stable. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses have shown that egg-laying, viral ingestion and deposition rates are the most influential parameters that drive ABPV infection. Suggesting that intervention strategies that focus on how to manage these rates are required for effective control. The combination of disinfection and fumigation of hives, using optimal control analysis, is shown to be the most effective strategy for controlling the spread of ABPV infection. In addition, disinfection alone is found to be the most cost-effective strategy. Finally, an extended model that incorporates mite migration and parasitism is formulated and simulated. The results have shown that mite migration weakens the colony and spacing hives to the farthest distance a forager can reach strengthen the colony. It is also shown that parasitism contributes towards colony collapse, however, fumigation strategy reduces honeybee mortality due to parasitism.

PSII-15 Effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 supplementation on growth performance of nursery pigs

Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) supplementation on the growth performance of nursery pigs. A total of 48 newly weaned piglets (5.27 ± 1.42 kg initial body weight; weaned at 18.7 ± 0.78 d of age) were allotted to 3 treatments in 4 replicates with 4 pigs per pen based on body weight, sex, breed, and littermates. Treatments were: 1) VD-2: basal diet with 2,000 IU/kg vitamin D3, 2) 25D-1: basal diet with 1,000 IU/kg 25-OHD3 supplementation, and 3) 25D-2: basal diet with 2,000 IU/kg 25-OHD3 supplementation. All pigs were housed in nursery pens with free access to water and feed in the environmentally controlled nursery facility. Corn-soybean meal-based diets that met or exceeded the NRC (2012) nutrient requirement estimates were fed to all piglets in two phases for d 0-14 (Phase 1) and d 14-28 (Phase 2) postweaning. In each phase, a basal diet without vitamin D was mixed first, and then each vitamin D source was added to the basal diet at the assigned level. Body weight and feed disappearance were measured weekly to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). There was no significant difference in body weight throughout the entire nursery period, ADG, ADFI, and G:F in d 0-14 postweaning except for a slightly greater G:F in the 25D-2 treatment than the 25D-1 treatment in d 0-7 postweaning (P = 0.11; 0.368, 0.357, and 0.519 for VD-2, 25D-1, and 25D-2, respectively). In d 21-28 postweaning, the 25D-1 and 25D-2 treatments tended to have greater ADG (P &amp;lt; 0.08; 0.576, 0.632, and 0.634 kg/d for VD-2, 25D-1, and 25D-2, respectively) and ADFI (P &amp;lt; 0.05; 0.862, 0.932, and 0.932 kg/d for VD-2, 25D-1, and 25D-2, respectively) than the VD-2 treatment, resulting in slightly greater ADG (P &amp;lt; 0.08; 0.502, 0.536, and 0.534 kg/d for VD-2, 25D-1, and 25D-2, respectively) and ADFI (P = 0.10; 0.782,0.818, and 0.820 kg/d for VD-2, 25D-1, and 25D-2, respectively) in both 25OHD3 treatments than the VD-2 treatment in d 14-28 postweaning. In the overall period, the ADG tended to be greater in the 25D-2 treatment than the VD-2 treatment (P = 0.10; 0.353, 0.367, and 0.373 kg/d for VD-2, 25D-1, and 25D-2, respectively), and the G:F was numerically greater in both 25OHD3 treatments compared with the VD-2 treatment (0.646, 0.660, and 0.670 for VD-2, 25D-1, and 25D-2, respectively). In conclusion, supplementing 25-OHD3 to the nursery pig diets could enhance feed intake and growth rate in the late nursery period compared with vitamin D3 supplementation.

139 Effect of dietary crude protein concentration and sensory feed additive on nursery pig growth performance

Abstract Maximizing growth performance and feed intake for nursery pig diets is an ongoing challenge in the US swine industry. Using sensory feed additives is one strategy to optimize feed intake and growth rates of pigs. Weanling pigs (n = 416; average age = 19.8 d) were used to test the effects of sensory feed additive (SA; Luctamax Piglet, Lucta, Mahwah, NJ) addition to control (CON) and low crude protein (LCP; decreased 4% CP) nursery diets in a 2 x 2 factorial design (CON, CON+SA, LCP, LCP+SA). Decreased dietary CP was achieved by removing or decreasing fish meal and soy concentrate in phases 1 and 2 and reducing soybean meal in phase 3 and adding synthetic amino acids to maintain amino acid ratios (NRC 2012). Nursery treatments were fed in three phases; phase 1 (PH1, d 0-7, 0.10% SA), phase 2 (PH2, d 7-21, 0.10% SA), and phase 3 (PH3, d 21-36, 0.05% SA). Pigs were blocked by initial body weight (BW), sex, ancestry, and housed at 6 or 7 pigs/pen with 15 pens/treatment. Weekly pig BW and feed intake were used to calculate pen average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). Data were analyzed using GLM procedure of SAS 9.4. During PH1 pigs receiving the CON diets tended (P = 0.065) to have a greater G:F compared with pigs receiving LCP diets. For the remainder of this study there were consistent interactions between dietary CP and SA. When SA was added to the LCP diet ADFI increased but when SA was added to CON diet ADFI decreased and these changes in feed intake often led to similar dietary interactions in ADG. During PH2, pigs fed CON or LCP+SA diets had greater ADFI (P = 0.032) and tended to have a greater ADG (P = 0.094) but reduced G:F (P = 0.100) compared with pigs fed CON+SA or LCP diets. In PH3, pigs fed CON or LCP+SA diets had a greater ADG (P = 0.027) and ADFI (P = 0.011) compared with CON+SA or LCP diets. Pigs fed LCP diets had greater ADFI (P = 0.001) but reduced G:F (P = 0.0001) than pigs fed CON diets. Overall, pigs fed CON or LCP+SA diets had greater ADFI (P = 0.016) and tended to have a greater ADG (P = 0.059) but reduced G:F (P = 0.067) compared with pigs fed CON+SA or LCP diets. Pigs fed CON diets had a greater G:F (P &amp;lt; 0.001) compared with pigs fed LCP diets, while LCP pigs tended to have a greater ADFI (P = 0.054) compared with CON pigs. Inclusion of SA to LCP diet mitigated the adverse impact of replacing whole dietary proteins with high inclusion of synthetic amino acids. Careful consideration is needed when using sensory feed additives so as not to impede growth performance in diets containing traditionally greater levels of crude protein.

144 Bioavailability of calcium salt of hydroxy analogue of methionine relative to DL-methionine to support growth performance of 11 to 20 kg pigs

Abstract Methionine (Met) is typically the third limiting AA in commercial swine diets and is commonly supplied as dry DL-Met (99% pure) or DL-Met hydroxy analogue. Data on the relative bioavailability (RBV) of calcium salt of hydroxy analogue of DL-Met (MHA-Ca; 84%) compared with DL-Met in weaned pigs is scarce. The objective of the experiment was to determine the RBV of MHA-Ca compared with DL-Met to support growth performance of 11 to 20 kg pigs. A total of 504 piglets [DNA x Pietrain pigs; approximately 42 d of age and 11 kg body weight (BW)] were used in two blocks of 252 pigs each with 6 pigs (3 entire males and 3 gilts) per pen and 12 replicate pens per treatment. Within each block, pigs were randomly allotted to 7 diets for 21 d. A basal diet (BD) was formulated to be adequate in all essential nutrients except for Met (0.22% standardized ileal digestible Met), which was 61% of the SID Met requirement of 0.36% recommended by NRC (2012) for 10 to 25 kg pigs. The Met-deficient BD was then supplemented with 3 graded levels of DL-Met (0.05, 0.10, and 0.15%) or MHA-Ca (0.077, 0.154, and 0.231%) at the expense of corn. Pigs had ad libitum access to feed (mash) and water. Individual pigs and pen feed disappearance were weighed on d 0 and d 21 to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion rate (FCR). On d 21, blood samples were collected from 1 pig per pen after 8 h fasting to determine total protein, albumin and glucose. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design using GLM procedure of SAS 9.4 (SAS Inst. Inc.). Orthogonal-polynomial contrasts were used to determine linear and quadratic effects of increasing levels of DL-Met and MHA-Ca, and the effect of Met sources. The final BW at d 21 and overall average daily gain (ADG; 375, 401, 429, 430, 402, 431, and 428 g/d for diets 1 to 7, respectively) increased linearly (P &amp;lt; 0.01) by graded additions with both Met sources. The ADFI was not different but the overall FCR (1.64, 1.55, 1.51, 1.45, 1.59, 1.46, and 1.50 for diets 1 to 7, respectively) improved linearly (P &amp;lt; 0.01) by supplementation with DL-Met or MHA-Ca. Pig performance responses (ADG, ADFI and FCR) was not different (P ≥ 0.15) when Met was supplemented in the Met-deficient diet at a DL-Met to MHA-Ca ratio of 65:100 on a product basis. Plasma concentrations of total protein, albumin and glucose on d 21 were not affected (P &amp;gt;0.05) by dietary treatments or Met sources. Based on ADG as a response of Met supplementation level, the linear and exponential regressions estimated the RBV of 64 and 65%, respectively for MHA-Ca relative to DL-Met (product-to-product basis) in 11 to 20 kg pigs.

PSII-20 Feeding behavior of pigs fed dietary amino acid levels adjusted according to the circadian rhythm

Abstract Pigs are diurnal animals that present feed intake during daylight hours, with feeding peaks in the early morning and late afternoon. However, it is possible that the concentration of amino acids (AA) in the diet throughout the day changes the meal pattern of the pigs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the feeding behavior of growing-finishing pigs subjected to adjustment of the concentration of AA in the diet according to the circadian rhythm. Sixty-eight (body weight = 25 kg ± 2.67) barrows were assigned to four treatments, being a daily feeding program (DP) and three sequential feeding programs (SEQ). In DP, dietary AA concentration was adjusted daily, providing 100% of the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) recommendation for the 24-h period. In SEQ, the daily dietary AA concentration was adjusted every 12 h, providing a low AA concentration from 0000 to 1159 h and a high AA concentration from 1200 to 2359 h. The low and high AA concentrations of the SEQ corresponded to ±20%, ±30% and ±40% of daily AA requirements. The experiment lasted 82 d and was divided into three phases. Meal pattern variables were recorded in real time by precision feeders. The information obtained was grouped into four periods: PE1, from 0000-0600 h; PE2, 0601-12:00 h; PE3, 1201-1800 h; and PE4, 1801-2359 h. From this database, the visits to the feeder (n), meals (n), amount of time feeding (min), feed intake (g), and feed intake rate (g/min) were calculated for each period, within each experimental phase. The analysis of variance was performed considering the effects of feeding programs (FP), periods (PE), and their interaction (FP×PE), considered significant when P &amp;lt; 0.05. There was no interaction between FP and PE (P &amp;gt; 0.05; Table1). The visits to the feeder were greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) in PE2 and PE3 compared with PE1 in phase one and compared with PE1 and PE4 in phases two and three. The meals, amount of time feeding, and feed intake was greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) in PE2 and PE3 in all phases. Regarding feed intake rate, an PE effect (P ≤ 0.01) was observed in all phases and there was an effect of FP (P &amp;lt; 0.01) in phases one and three. In phase one, pigs ingested feed faster in PE3 than PE1, and in phase three feed intake rate in PE1 was less than in the other (P &amp;lt; 0.01). During phase one, SEQ40 feed intake rate was lower than SEQ30, while in phase three SEQ40 showed lower feed intake rate compared with SEQ30 and DP. Pigs showed greater feeding activity from 0600 to 1800 h. The AA concentration in the diet adjusted according to the circadian rhythm did not change the meal pattern of the pigs throughout the day. However, a decreased feed intake rate was observed in SEQ40 group in phases one and three.

Growth, survival, digestive activity and respiratory metabolism of Octopus maya juveniles fed with prepared diets.

The effects of two prepared feeds were tested on growth, survival, enzymatic activity, nutritive reserves in the digestive gland and oxygen consumption of Octopus maya juveniles. For the first time, a semihumid paste (HD, control) and a dry diet, in pelleted form (PD, experimental) with the same formulation were used for this species. The experiment lasted for 42 days. Results indicate that growth rates were similar for both diets (p > 0.05); however, survival (70%) was higher with the PD compared to the HD (48%) (p < 0.05). The performance index was higher for octopuses fed the PD (p < 0.05). No differences in acid proteases activity were observed. However, a higher activity of alkaline proteases in the octopuses fed the PD was observed (p < 0.05). Ingestion rate was higher for octopuses fed the PD. Routine energy inversion was similar in both treatments (p > 0.05). A greater energy inversion was observed in octopuses fed the PD, whose active metabolism was double compared to the octopuses fed the HD. Results showed that the PD promoted similar growth compared to the HD diet but favored survival, and a greater investment in the active metabolism, reflected in the apparent heat increase.

Ecological implications and seasonal variability of grazing by marine copepods on phytoplankton: comparison between Acartia omorii and A. steueri in Jangmok Bay, Korea

The grazing impacts of two Acartia species (Acartia omorii and A. steueri) on size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass were measured in Jangmok Bay, Korea (34°59′37.8" N, 128°40′28.2'' E) from January to May 2015. Total chlorophyll (Chl-a) concentrations ranged from 0.66 to 5.18 µg L−1, and micro-phytoplankton (> 20 µm) comprised up to 66% (range, 10.5–65.6%) of the total pigment. The total abundance of Acartia species ranged from 267 to 5931 ind. m−3, and these copepods accounted for 20.8 to 88.0% of the total copepod abundance. The ingestion rates of A. steueri (r2 = 0.904, P = 0.013) and A. omorii (r2 = 0.239, P = 0.046) showed a high correlation with micro-phytoplankton. The average grazing impact of Acartia species on phytoplankton biomass was approximately 6.8 ± 11.8% (range, 0.1–69.0%). Temperature–salinity (T–S) diagram analysis revealed distinct environmental preferences for each species; A. omorii preferred a broader temperature range of 6.2 to 17.1 °C and a salinity range of 31.8 to 33.5, whereas A. steueri was more restricted, preferring temperatures between 6.5 and 12.8 °C and a salinity range of 32.2 to 33.5. These findings not only contribute to our understanding of the ecological roles of these copepod species in marine ecosystems but also highlight the importance of continuous research regarding the mechanisms driving their coexistence and interaction with the coastal food web.

Abstract PO2-09-11: Breast Cancer Care Disparities in Sexual Minority Women: An Analysis of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program

Abstract Background. Currently, sexual orientation data is not collected, nor is the language to study sexual orientation data defined by any national cancer database. Due to this limitation, little is known about breast cancer (BC) disparities in sexual minority women (SMW) despite several studies showing increased lifestyle risk factors. Our objective was to study this question in the All of Us database. Methods. We analyzed data from the All of Us research program, a national open enrollment database that registers diverse subjects through associated healthcare electronic medical records and collects survey data. We aimed to compare risk factors, as well as preventative and procedural healthcare utilization differences between SMW and straight women (StW) as they relate to BC care. Results were expressed as odds ratios (OR) with a 95% confidence interval [CI]. Results. Of 229,917 cisgender women who answered the sexual orientation question, 27,302 (11.9%) selected “non-straight orientation, prefer not to answer, or skipped” and thus were defined as SMW. In total, 6,905 (3.0%) women had received a BC diagnosis, including 423 (6.1%) SMW. SMW were less likely to have a BC diagnosis than StW (OR 0.48 [0.43-0.53]). Among all women, there were significant differences in frequency and types of visits and procedures performed. SMW women were less likely to undergo annual history and physical examination (0.79 [0.73-0.85]), mammography (0.61 [0.53-0.69]), and breast biopsy (0.55 [0.41-0.72]), as well as being less likely to undergo breast surgeries (mastectomy 0.53 [0.30-0.93]; lumpectomy 0.53 [0.38-0.74]). Survey data revealed differences in several lifestyle factors that relate to BC risk development. While StW were more likely to answer yes to being an “alcohol participant” (0.79 [0.77-0.82]), SMW reported higher rates of alcohol intake on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, as well as being more likely to consume 6 or more drinks in one sitting. SMW also showed significantly increased history of smoking/nicotine usage. There were also significant differences in healthcare access and utilization: StW were more likely to receive health advice from a primary care provider (0.65 [0.65-0.69]), while SMW were more likely to utilize urgent and emergency care (1.44 [1.34-1.54]). SMW were also more likely to report being unable to afford care (1.82 [1.72-1.93]), medication (1.69 [1.61-1.76]), specialty care (1.98 [1.89-2.08]), and follow-up care (1.85 [1.75-1.95]), as well as to delay care due to cost concerns about the copay (2.13 [2.02-2.23]), deductible (1.64 [1.56-1.73]), paying out of pocket (1.70 [1.63-1.77]) or because they were nervous (2.80 [2.69-2.91]). SMW reported being more likely to experience healthcare discrimination based on questions about healthcare provider interactions (Table 1). Conclusions.Although likelihood of a breast cancer diagnosis in the All of Us database is significantly higher in StW than SMW, discrimination, lack of access, and underutilization of preventative and screening services by SMW likely creates an underrepresentation of the true number of SMW with BC. Further studies on characteristics at diagnosis, treatments, and survival are needed to address how these disparities affect BC outcomes in SMW. Table 1: Survey answers among sexual minority women (SMW) compared to straight women (StW) reporting on discrimination from healthcare provider interactions in the All of Us database. SMW: sexual minority women; StW: straight women; OR: odds ration; Lower 95 CI: lower 95% confidence interval; Upper 95 CI: upper 95% confidence interval; Sig. *: statistically significant with p &amp;lt; 0.05; OR&amp;gt;1: SMW most likely to answer; OR &amp;lt;1 StW most likely to answer. Citation Format: Lucas Houser, Collin Dougherty, Sean Figy, Jessica Maxwell, Juan Santamaria-Barria. Breast Cancer Care Disparities in Sexual Minority Women: An Analysis of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-09-11.

Profiling population-wide exposure to environmental chemicals: A case study of naphthalene

Long-term exposure to environmental chemicals can detrimentally impact human health, and understanding the relationship between age distribution and levels of external and internal exposure is crucial. Nonetheless, existing methods for assessing population-wide exposure across age groups are limited. To bridge this research gap, we introduced a modeling approach designed to assess both chronic external and internal exposure to chemicals at the population level. The external and internal exposure assessments were quantified in terms of the average daily dose (ADD) and steady-state blood concentration of the environmental chemical, respectively, which were categorized by age and gender groups. The modeling process was presented within a spreadsheet framework, affording users the capability to execute population-wide exposure analyses across a spectrum of chemicals. Our simulation outcomes underscored a salient trend: younger age groups, particularly infants and children, exhibited markedly higher ADD values and blood concentrations of environmental chemicals compared to their older counterparts. This observation is due to the elevated basal metabolic rate per unit of body weight characteristic of younger individuals, coupled with their diminished biotransformation kinetics of xenobiotics within their livers. These factors collectively contribute to increased intake rates of environmental chemicals per unit of body weight through air and food consumption, along with heightened bioaccumulation of these chemicals within their bodies (e.g., blood). Furthermore, we augmented the precision of the external and internal exposure assessment by incorporating the age distribution across the population. The simulation outcomes unveiled that, to estimate the central tendency of the population's exposure levels, employing the baseline value group (age group 21–30) or the surrogate age of 25 serves as a simple yet dependable approach. However, for comprehensive population protection, our recommendation aligns with conducting exposure assessments for the younger age groups (age group 0–11). Future studies should integrate individual-level exposure assessment, analyze vulnerable population groups, and refine population structures within our developed model.

Margalefidinium polykrikoides dinoflagellate blooms increase mortality of Acartia tonsa copepods

Previous research on phytoplankton blooms has often focused on the initiation of blooms, while studies on the mechanisms underlying bloom decline and termination have been more limited. This study aimed to explore the extent of which Acartia tonsa (copepod) grazing does or does not contribute to Margalefidinium polykrikoides (dinoflagellate) bloom decline. M. polykrikoides is a prominent harmful algal bloom (HAB) species that forms dense blooms in coastal and estuarine systems around the world with known ichthyotoxic effects. Sampling occurred in the lower York River Estuary, Virginia, USA in 2021 and 2022 during two M. polykrikoides blooms. Prey removal experiments were conducted using organisms collected from the field to estimate A. tonsa ingestion rates on M. polykrikoides. While A. tonsa was capable of ingesting M. polykrikoides at low abundance, when M. polykrikoides abundance exceeded 2000 cells mL−1, A. tonsa experienced nearly 100% mortality in the 24-hour prey removal experiments. This suggests that A. tonsa likely cannot exert any top-down control on M. polykrikoides blooms, rather, at high concentrations, M. polykrikoides may act as its own grazing deterrent. Extensive M. polykrikoides blooms could therefore continue to persist due to a reduction in grazing pressure, rather than an increase. This would suggest that the decline of M. polykrikoides blooms is likely caused by another factor. As the frequency, duration, and magnitude of HABs are expected to increase in the future, these findings provide key insights to the trophic interactions that may be influencing the duration of M. polykrikoides blooms.

Hermes, a low-latency transactional storage for binary data streams from remote devices

In many contexts where data is streamed on a large scale, such as video surveillance systems, there is a dual requirement: secure data storage and continuous access to audio and video content by third parties, such as human operators or specific business logic, even while the media files are still being collected. However, using transactions to ensure data persistence often limits system throughput and latency. This paper presents a solution that enables both high ingestion rates with transactional data persistence and near real-time, low-latency access to the stream during collection. This immediate access enables the prompt application of specialized data engineering algorithms during data acquisition. The proposed solution is particularly suitable for binary data sources such as audio and video recordings in surveillance systems, and it can be extended to various big data scenarios via well-defined general interfaces. The scalability of the approach is based on the microservice architecture. Preliminary results obtained with Apache Kafka and MongoDB replica sets show that the proposed solution provides up to 3 times higher throughput and 2.2 times lower latency compared to standard multi-document transactions.