Linear Procedure Research Articles

A new monocomponent xylanase improves performance, ileal digestibility of energy and nutrients, intestinal morphology, and intestinal microbiota in young broilers

Supplementation of feed enzymes such as xylanases has been shown to lower intestinal digesta viscosity and improve nutrient digestion thereby resulting in better gut health due to the reduced availability of undigested nutrients for the growth of harmful bacteria. Oligosaccharides produced by xylanase in situ from dietary non-starch polysaccharides with potential prebiotic effects could modulate the gut microbiome. This paper reports the positive effects of a new monocomponent xylanase in improving performance and nutrient digestion and modulating the intestinal microbiota of broilers. A corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diet was formulated and used to develop three dietary treatments using different doses (0, 45,000 U/kg and 90,000 U/kg) of the xylanase. A total of 288, one-day-old male broiler (Ross 308) chicks were allocated to 36 cages (12 replicates per treatment and 8 chicks per cage) and offered the experimental diets from d 0 to 21 post-hatch. The data were subjected to ANOVA using the General Linear Models procedure of SAS. The results confirm that supplemental xylanase at both dose levels improved (P < 0.05) broiler performance and nutrient digestibility. Xylanase supplementation had significant (P < 0.05) effects in modulating the intestinal microbiota with a higher relative abundance of commensal bacteria such as Lactobacillus and a lower abundance of potentially non-beneficial bacteria such as E. shigella indicating a prebiotic mode of action.

Surgery avoidance rates among total knee replacement candidates following a non-invasive biomechanical intervention: A retrospective cohort study

Background Nearly twenty million people are affected by osteoarthritis (OA) across the UK. For end-stage knee OA, total knee replacement (TKR) is considered as the standard of care, but this major surgery carries high costs, long waiting lists, and risk for further revision surgeries. Health systems are therefore looking for effective alternatives to treat these cohorts, significantly delaying, and potentially avoiding joint replacement surgery altogether. The purpose of this study was to examine the 2-year surgery avoidance rate amongst TKR candidates that received a non-invasive biomechanical intervention. Methods A retrospective clinical audit was conducted on 365 NHS patients with end-stage knee OA patients eligible for TKR. Each patient was individually fitted with a non-invasive, shoe-like, biomechanical device, that alters the foot center of pressure, minimizes reported symptoms, and promotes neuromuscular control training using convex pods under the sole. Patients used the device for short periods during activities of daily living and were followed for two years. The primary outcome was surgery status after 2 years. Secondary outcomes were evaluated using the generalized linear mixed-models procedure and included changes in pain, function (WOMAC and Oxford Knee Score (OKS), and spatiotemporal gait measured at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months from baseline. Results Of the 365 candidates for TKR, 305 (84%) avoided surgery at 2 years. Patients displayed significant clinical improvements over time. Six months after starting treatment, average pain decreased by 42%, average function improved by 39%, and average OKS increased by 7.6 points. These continued to improve over the 2 years. All spatial-temporal gait measures improved over time (p&lt;0.001). Conclusions The current results suggest that a non-invasive biomechanical treatment may help end-stage knee OA patients delay knee replacement surgery for at least 2 years or avoid it altogether. This treatment may provide an effective non-surgical alternative for managing these patients in the community, alleviating pain, and improving gait and function.

A multiresolution collocation method and its convergence for Burgers' type equations

In this article, a hybrid numerical method based on Haar wavelets and finite differences is proposed for shock ridden evolutionary nonlinear time‐dependent partial differential equations (PDEs). A linear procedure using Taylor expansions is adopted to linearize the nonlinearity. The Euler difference scheme is used to discretize the time derivative part of the PDE. The PDE is converted into full algebraic form, once the space derivatives are replaced by finite Haar series. Convergence analysis is performed both in space and time, and computational stability of the proposed method is also discussed. Different benchmark cases related to 1‐D and 2‐D Burgers' type equations are considered to verify the theory. The proposed method is also compared numerically with existing methods in the literature.

Influence Of Facebook and Instagram Social Networking Sites Usage on Computer Science Students’ Academic Achievement in Tertiary Institutions in South East Zone, Nigeria

The purpose of the study was to ascertain the influence of Facebook and Instagram social networking sites usage on Computer Science students’ academic achievement in tertiary institutions in South East Zone, Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study . Correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consists of (859) eight hundred and fifty nine of 2019/2020 academic session in the five federal universities in South East Zone while (615) six hundred and fifteen third year Computer Science students were using the social networking sites under study. The sample size of 242 respondents was selected using Taro Yamane formula among the social networking sites users and 19%, 21%, 19%, 20% and 22% of respondents were selected proportionately using simple stratified random sampling technique among the social networking sites users from five federal universities in South East Zone. Structured questionnaire and Computer Science Achievement score from the Computer Science Department of the Federal Universities in South East Zone were used for data collection. Computer Science Achievement score from the Computer Science Department of the Federal Universities were not subjected to any other validation and reliability assessment exercise because it is an official valid document domiciled in the Departments and Exams and Records of the federal universities under study. The questionnaire was validated by three lecturers and the internal consistency of the (questionnaire) instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha coefficient method which yielded an overall reliability estimate of 0.79. Research questions were analyzed using the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) and coefficient of determination (r 2 ) while the hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance using Simple Linear Regression procedures. The result of the study found out that the usage of Facebook and Instagram social networking sites all recorded positive predictive influence on Computer Science students’ academic achievement. It also revealed that the usage of Facebook does not significantly influence Computer Science students’ academic achievement while Instagram significantly influence Computer Science students’ academic achievement. It was recommended among others that Teachers can adopt new strategies by channeling assignments or discussions on social networking sites like Instagram to help inculcate the habit of using these sites for academic work.Students should be encouraged to utilize social networking sites like Instagram in a manner that will promote their academic achievement positively. They should be encouraged to create educational groups and see how to use that to enhance their academic growth and worth. Keywords: Facebook, Instagram, Social Networking Sites, Tertiary Institution, Computer Science DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-30-16 Publication date: October 31 st 2022

Five-year old children’s responses to story stem assessments predicts their reflective functioning at 16 years: Re-visiting the London Parent-Child Project

This exploratory paper considered children’s responses to story-stem beginnings at age 5-years and their later responses to the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) at age 16-years, where reflective functioning was reliably scored as the outcome variable of interest. Forty-five youth participated in the report who were representative, in attachment terms, of the full sample previously reported on (Steele et al., 1996; Steele et al., 2003; Steele & Steele, 2005). After controlling for verbal skills at age 5 years of age, in a linear regression procedure, two summary aggregate scores of doll play responses were shown to significantly, in non-overlapping ways, influence reflective functioning scores at age 16 years. These were: (1) prosocial (sharing and caring) themes, beta = 0.34, and (2) non-physical punitive (limit setting) themes, beta = 0.45; with 23% of the variance in reflective functioning accounted for by these play variables from 11 years previous. Discussion focuses on the relevance of Baumrind’s model of parenting to the observed results, in addition to the value of longitudinal attachment research that highlights sources of resilience and social cognition in adolescence.

363 In Vitro dry Matter and Fiber Digestibility of Different Varieties of Peanut Tops and Bermuda Grass Forage

Abstract The objective of the current study was to evaluate the in vitro of dry matter and fiber digestibility, gas, ammonia N and volatile fatty acid production of peanut tops from seven cultivars, CB91-1, 010-13, IAC322, 13-D, 13-1014, 886 and GA-06G, grown in the state of Georgia, USA, and Bermuda grass. The peanut top samples were harvested towards the end of the growing season at about 125 days after planting and the peanut pods removed. The Bermuda grass was harvested after 4 weeks regrowth. Fresh cut peanut tops and Bermuda grass samples were analysed for dry matter (DM) content and then in vitro DM and fibre digestibility. Hydrogen, methane, pH, ammonia, total gas and volatile fatty acids (VFA) production were measured after 24 hours incubation. Analysis of variance was performed using the General Linear Model procedures of Minitab Statistical package. The peanut top varieties contained an average of 165.4 g/kgDM crude protein, and greater calcium and potassium and less phosphorus than Bermuda grass. There were no significant differences (P &amp;gt; 0.05) in in vitro DM digestibility, pH, hydrogen, methane, ammonia-N production. However, NDF and ADF in the Bermuda grass was significantly more digestible (P &amp;lt; 0.05) than the peanut varieties. The peanut tops did not differ in NDF digestibility (P &amp;gt; 0.05). CB91-1, IAC322 and 886 peanut tops and Bermuda grass had significantly greater (P &amp;lt; 0.05) ADF digestibility. There was no significant difference in the acetate contents for all seven peanut varieties (P &amp;gt; 0.05). The GA-06G variety had the greatest propionate and butyrate content. Bermuda grass and CB91-1 variety had the least amount of propionate, isobutryate, butyrate, isovalerate and valerate compared with other peanut varieties. Total VFA of all peanut varieties were similar, while that of Bermuda grass was the least (P &amp;lt; 0.05). The GA-06G had the lowest A:P ratio value compared with the other samples.

PSIII-7 Evaluation of Maternal Selenium Supplementation and Plane of Nutrition During Gestation on the Neonatal Fc Receptor (Fcrn) in Lamb Intestinal Tissue

Abstract Maternal selenium (Se) supply and plane of nutrition alter morbidity and mortality in lambs as well as 24-h serum IgG. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) transports IgG across mucosal surfaces; however, its role in intestinal protection in the lamb is unknown. Additionally, the effects of maternal nutrition on offspring FcRn abundance has not been reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate intestinal FcRn abundance in lambs born from ewes fed differing levels of nutrition and Se. Intestinal tissues from two experiments (EXP1 n=71; EXP2 n=80) were used. Both experiments utilized a 2x3 factorial design. Main effects included Se supplementation [adequate (9.5 or 11.5 μg/kg of BW in EXP1 or EXP2; respectively) or high, (81.1 or 77.0 μg/kg of BW in EXP1 or EXP2; respectively)] and plane of nutrition [60% (RES), 100% (CON), or 140% (HIGH) of requirements for both experiments]. Lambs were raised to 57 d or 21 d (EXP1 and EXP2; respectively). Intestinal tissues were collected and fixed in 10% NBF prior to paraffin embedding. Cross-sections were stained for FcRn and counterstained with DAPI. Areas of tissue cross-sections were captured with Plan-Apochromat 20x/0.8 NA lens using the tiling module of Zeiss. Images were analyzed using ImagePro Premiere software. Relative fluorescence within areas of interest was used as an indicator of FcRn receptor abundance. Data were analyzed using the general linear model procedure of SAS. Maternal nutrition tended (P≤0.07) to affect lamb intestinal FcRn abundance with CON having higher abundance compared to HIGH or RES (EXP1). There was no effect of maternal nutrition in EXP2 or maternal Se supplementation on intestinal FcRn abundance in lambs from either experiment (P≥0.56). These data show that maternal nutrition may influence offspring FcRn abundance and that further studies examining the contribution of lamb age are needed.

111 Organic Matter Disappearance and Production of Short- and Branched-Chain Fatty Acids from Whole Soybeans and Selected Fiber Sources Used in pet Foods by a Canine in Vitro Fermentation Model

Abstract Soluble fiber can be fermented by microflora in the colon resulting in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. SCFA can be used as an energy source for the host, enterocytes, colonocytes, and immune cells, supporting cell differentiation and gut health. An in vitro model has been used to predict the colonic fermentability of fibers. Whole soybean (WSB) contains oligosaccharides and non-starch polysaccharides that may behave as beneficial fermentable substrates. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of WSB oligosaccharides on in vitro fermentation using dog feces as inoculum. Treatments included total dietary fiber residues from WSB, soy hull (SH), pea fiber (PF), beet pulp (BP), soybean oligosaccharides (WSBOS), and raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose (WSBRSV). The fecal samples were collected from three Beagle dogs and maintained in anaerobic conditions until dilution and substrate inoculation. Test tubes containing enzymatic pretreated fiber sources and inoculum were incubated for 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 hours at 39°C. Organic matter disappearance (OMD), pH, and SCFA were determined for each fiber source and time point. The data were subjected to ANOVA using the general linear model procedure (SAS, v 9.4). Least square mean differences were assessed using Tukey’s post hoc test. WSBOS and WSBRSV had greater OMD and butyrate than BP (P &amp;lt; 0.05; 43.59 and 60.18% vs 40.96% OMD; 293.33 and 266.67 vs 130umol/g, respectively). BP and WSBRSV had the lowest pH (6.66 and 6.74, respectively) at 12 h (P &amp;lt; 0.05). WSB had similar butyrate compared with BP (average 118umol/g). PF and SH were poorly fermented with the least OMD (18.59% and 20.45%, respectively) and butyrate (46.67umol/g and 66.67umol/g, respectively) compared with other fiber sources. In conclusion, soybean oligosaccharides were highly fermentable and produced the greatest amount of butyrate, and WSB was moderately fermentable compared to the BP.

PSXV-13 Relationship between Velocity and Temporal Variables in the Akhal-Teke Glide

Abstract While the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been noted worldwide, media coverage has not addressed the impact on the equine population within these countries. This is particularly a concern for the Akhal-Teke as the main stud farms for this breed are located within these countries. Preservation of the genetic diversity of this breed and, in turn, the unique phenotypic characteristics is critical as the breed has been labeled by the Livestock Conservancy as “threatened” due to their limited numbers. While the Akhal-Teke is more known for their metallic-appearing haircoat, the smoothness of their intermediate gait, called the Akhal-Teke Glide, is noted by riders. Previous research describes the gait as a four-beat, diagonal stepping gait, similar to the Mangalarga Marchador batida gait, but the relationship between velocity and gait has yet to be studied in the Akhal-Teke. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the influence of velocity on the Akhal-Teke Glide. Horses (n=9) selected by the Akhal-Teke Association of America in collaboration with the Livestock Conservancy were filmed performing a slow and fast Akhal-Teke Glide. Frame-by-frame analysis was performed and means (SD) were determined for 10 strides for each horse per velocity. Velocity effect for each variable was tested using a one-way analysis of variance based on a general linear model procedure (SAS; P&amp;lt; 0.05). Stride and stance duration decreased with velocity as stride length increased (Table 1). The slower gait demonstrated diagonal limb coupling alternating between unipedal (Hind: 8±1%; Fore: 6±2%) and bipedal support. Suspension (19+3%) replaced unipedal support as diagonal limbs paired with increased velocity. The ability of the breed to perform both a four-beat stepping and two-beat leaping gait at trotting velocities allows for the rider to select gait for comfort and functionality and this unique ability should be a consideration in future breeding programs.

PSII-A-6 Evaluation of Maternal Plane of Nutrition and Selenium Supplementation on the Neonatal Fragment Crystallizable Receptor (Fcrn) in ewe Mammary Tissue

Abstract Maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) in livestock species is transferred to the offspring exclusively through colostrum. In ruminants, a highly selective mammary barrier allows only immunoglobulin G1 to enter colostrum in substantial amounts. The neonatal fragment crystallizable receptor (FcRn) is responsible for the bidirectional transport of IgG; however, its role in concentrating IgG into colostrum is not well described. The objective of this study was to evaluate maternal nutrition and supranutritional selenium (Se) supplementation on FcRn abundance in mammary tissue. Pregnant Rambouillet ewes (n = 80) were used in a 2 x 3 factorial treatment arrangement which included the main effects of dietary Se [adequate Se (9.5 µg/kg of BW) vs. high Se (81.8 µg/kg of BW)] and plane of nutrition [60%, 100%, and 140% of requirements]. After parturition, ewe mammary glands were collected, and tissue samples were fixed in 10% NBF before paraffin embedding and sectioning. Cross-sections (5 μm) were mounted onto glass slides, deparaffinized, stained for FcRn, and counterstained with DAPI. Areas of tissue cross-sections were captured with Plan-Apochromat 20x/0.8 NA lens using the tiling module of Zeiss software. Images were analyzed using ImagePro Premiere software. Relative fluorescence within the areas of interest was used as an indicator of FcRn abundance with data presented as receptor abundance per glandular tissue area. Data were analyzed using the general linear model procedure of SAS. High Se supplementation increased FcRn abundance per glandular area (P = 0.01). Abundance of mammary FcRn was not influenced by maternal plane of nutrition. Mammary FcRn was positively correlated (r2 = 0.25; P = 0.02) with IgG concentration in colostrum. Results indicate the presence of FcRn in ewe mammary tissue and correlation with colostral IgG. Further evaluation of the role of supranutritional Se and the FcRn is needed.

On commutator-based linearization of vector-spinor nonlinear supersymmetry and Rarita–Schwinger fields

In this paper, we discuss the linearization of vector-spinor (spin-3/2) nonlinear supersymmetry (vsNLSUSY) transformations for both [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]-extended SUSY in flat spacetime based on the commutator algebra by using functionals (composites) of spin-3/2 Nambu–Goldstone (NG) fermions, which are expressed as simple products of powers of the spin-3/2 NG fermions and a fundamental determinant in the vsNLSUSY theory. We define basic component fields by means of those functionals in a linearized vsSUSY theory including spin-3/2 fields, general auxiliary ones and a [Formula: see text]-term. The general forms of linear (rigid) vsSUSY transformations for the component fields are determined uniquely from the commutator-based linearization procedure. By considering appropriate recombinations of the functionals of the spin-3/2 NG fermions for [Formula: see text] SUSY, we find that variations of the recombinations under the vsNLSUSY transformations include linear spin-1/2 SUSY ones of spin-[Formula: see text] fields with [Formula: see text] gauge invariance. The spinorial gauge invariance of the Rarita–Schwinger action in the linearization process is also discussed together with the [Formula: see text] gauge invariance.

Promising Uses of the iPad Pro Point Clouds: The Case of the Trunk Flare Diameter Estimation in the Urban Forest

The rule of thumb “the right tree in the right place” is a common idea in different countries to avoid damages caused by trees on sidewalks. Although many new planting techniques can be used, the estimation of the trunk flare diameter (TFD) could help the planning process to give tree roots more space to grow over the years. As such, we compared the applicability of point clouds based on iPad Pro 2020 image processing and a precise terrestrial laser scanner (TLS FARO) for the modeling of the TFD using different modeling procedures. For both scanning methods, 100 open-grown and mature trees of 10 different species were scanned in an urban park in Cracow, Poland. To generate models, we used the PBH (perimeter at breast height) and TFD variables and simple linear regression procedures. We also tested machine learning algorithms. In general, the TFD value corresponded to two times the size of a given DBH (diameter at breast height) for both methods of point cloud acquisition. Linearized models showed similar statistics to machine learning techniques. The random forest algorithm showed the best fit for the TFD estimation, R2 = 0.8780 (iPad Pro), 0.8961 (TLS FARO), RMSE (m) = 0.0872 (iPad Pro), 0.0702 (TLS FARO). Point clouds generated from iPad Pro imageries (matching approach) promoted similar results as TLS FARO for the TFD estimations.

EVT-Based Methods as Support for the Construction of a Synthetic Index of Socio-Economic Development for Territorial Units

Socio-economic development is an important multidimensional issue and its measurement is complex. This process reveals many problems that need to be resolved, such as data availability, selection of indicators and their measurement, selection of appropriate methods for normalization, weighing and aggregation of indicators. The main problem with the real data are atypical observations. In our research, we deal with the solution of this problem. We propose a comprehensive linear ordering procedure to assess the level of socio-economic development of various types of territorial units. It is based on the positional version of Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and methods of Extreme Value Theory (EVT). In the first stage, we propose to use a two-step procedure based on six automatic methods to identify the tail of the data distribution (atypical observations). In the second stage, we suggest to use the positional TOPSIS method to aggregate indicators and eliminate the impact of asymmetry, mainly in the central part of the data distribution.

Permafrost modelling with OpenFOAM®: New advancements of the permaFoam solver

Permafrost, i.e., soil that is year-round frozen in depth, is covering a quarter of the continents of the northern hemisphere. It currently experiences fast changes due to climate change at global scale and technogenic perturbations at local scale, and the assessment and anticipation of these changes are of primary importance for many environmental and engineering applications in cold regions. To these ends, permafrost modelling is required, while the strong couplings and non-linearities involved in the physics at stake make it highly challenging, especially from a computational point of view. In this work we present a new solver for permafrost hydrology developed in the framework of OpenFOAM®, allowing to benefit from its advanced high-performance computing capabilities. The solver is tested for realistic, field-based cases, and its parallel performances are characterized up to ∼16000 cores on IRENE supercomputer (TGCC, CEA). Program summaryProgram Title: permaFoamCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/swp88cvpwb.1Developer's repository link:https://develop.openfoam.com/Community/hydrology/Licensing provisions: GPLv3Programming language: C++Nature of problem: This software solves the coupled equations that govern water flow and heat transfer in variably saturated and variably frozen porous media, for transient problems in Three-dimensional, heterogeneous domains. The equation for water flow is Richards equation, which is a very popular model for water transfer in variably saturated porous media (e.g.: soils), and the equation for heat transfer is a Fourier equation including advection and the freeze/thaw of the pore water. The solver is designed to take advantage of the massively parallel computing performance of OpenFOAM®. The goal is to be able to model natural hydrosystems of cold regions on large temporal and spatial scales.Solution method: For each equation a mixed implicit (FVM for Finite Volume Method in the object oriented OpenFOAM framework) and explicit (FVC for Finite Volume Calculus in the object oriented OpenFOAM® framework) discretization with backward time scheme is embedded in an iterative linearization procedure (Picard algorithm). The coupling between the two equations is performed through an operator splitting approach. The implementation has been carried out with a concern for robustness and parallel efficiency.Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: This version of permaFoam has been tested with OpenFOAM_v1912, v2106, v2112 and v2206, thus everything might not work with other (especially older) versions of OpenFOAM®. When using permaFoam, one should be careful to use fine enough spatial and temporal discretisations where and when steep fronts (freeze/thaw fronts, imbibition/drainage fronts) occur, otherwise numerical stability problems might arise.

Evaluation of Deutetrabenazine's Potential to Delay Cardiac Repolarization Using Concentration-QTc Analysis.

Deutetrabenazine (Austedo) is indicated in adults for chorea associated with Huntington disease and tardive dyskinesia. Escalating deutetrabenazine doses were administered to healthy volunteers who were cytochrome P450 2D6 extensive/intermediate metabolizers (EMs) or poor metabolizers (PMs) to determine pharmacokinetic exposure of parent drug and active metabolites (α-dihydrotetrabenazine [α-HTBZ] and β-dihydrotetrabenazine [β-HTBZ]), and collect corresponding electrocardiograms (ECGs) for evaluation of the cardiodynamic effect using concentration-QTc (C-QTc) modeling. Participants (12 EMs, 24 PMs) received placebo or single doses of deutetrabenazine (24, 48, and 72mg) to achieve plasma concentrations exceeding therapeutic range in both cohorts. Pharmacokinetic samples were obtained over 72 hours after dosing and were time matched with 12-lead ECGs extracted from continuous ECG recordings. C-QTc analysis, using linear mixed-effects modeling and model selection procedure, characterized the relationship between plasma concentrations of deutetrabenazine, deuterated α-HTBZ and β-HTBZ, and the change from baseline in QT interval corrected using Fridericia's formula. Deutetrabenazine exhibited linear kinetics, and a C-QTc model with deuterated α-HTBZ and β-HTBZ was selected to best describe the C-QTc relationship in pooled EM and PM data. This model predicted a placebo-corrected Fridericia corrected QT interval prolongation higher than 10 milliseconds can be excluded at concentrations associated with the maximum recommended doses in both populations. Adverse events increased with higher exposure as reflected by the higher event number in the PM cohort receiving 48 and 72mg doses. No subject discontinued due to cardiac-related adverse events and no clinically relevant ECG findings were reported. Thus, this study found that deutetrabenazine does not have a clinically relevant effect on QT prolongation at maximum recommended doses in either cytochrome P450 2D6 EMs or PMs.

Entropy stability for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with strong imposition of the no-slip boundary condition

We consider the compressible Navier-Stokes equations subject to no-slip adiabatic wall boundary conditions. The main goal is to investigate stability properties of schemes imposing the no-slip condition strongly (injection) and the temperature condition weakly by a simultaneous approximation term. To this end, we propose a low-order summation-by-parts scheme. By verifying the complete linearisation procedure, we prove linear stability for the scheme. In addition, and assuming that the interior scheme is entropy stable, we also prove entropy stability for the full scheme including the boundary treatment. Furthermore, we propose a linearly stable 3rd-order scheme with the same imposition of the wall conditions. However, the 3rd-order scheme is not provably non-linearly stable. A number of simulations show that the boundary procedure is robust for both schemes.

Slip velocity boundary conditions for the lattice Boltzmann modeling of microchannel flows

AbstractSlip flows in ducts are important in numerous engineering applications, most notably in microchannel flows. Compared to the standard no‐slip Dirichlet condition, the case of slip formulates as a Robin‐type condition for the fluid tangential velocity. Such an increase in mathematical complexity is accompanied by a more challenging numerical transcription. The present work concerns with this topic, addressing the modeling of the slip velocity boundary condition in the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) applied to steady slow viscous flows inside ducts of nontrivial shapes. As novelty, we extend the newly revised local second‐order boundary (LSOB) Dirichlet fluid flow method [Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A 378, 20190404 (2020)] to implement the slip velocity condition within the two‐relaxation‐time (TRT) framework. The LSOB follows an in‐node philosophy where its operation principle seeks to explicitly reconstruct the unknown boundary populations in the form of a third‐order accurate Chapman–Enskog expansion, where the wall slip condition is built‐in as a normal Taylor‐type condition. The key point of this approach is that the required first‐ and second‐order momentum derivatives, rather than computed through nonlocal finite difference approximations, are locally determined through a simple local linear algebra procedure, whose formulation is particularly aided by the TRT symmetry argument. To express the obtained derivatives, two approaches are considered, called and , which operate with node and wall variables, respectively. These two formulations are developed to prescribe the physical slip condition over plane and curved walls, including the corners. Their consistency and accuracy characteristics are examined against alternative linkwise strategies to impose the wall slip velocity, such as the kinetic‐based diffusive bounce‐back scheme, the central linear interpolation slip scheme, and the multireflection slip scheme. The several slip schemes are tested over different 3D microchannel configurations, with walls not conforming with the LBM uniform mesh. Numerical tests confirm the advanced accuracy characteristics of the proposed LSOB slip boundary scheme, revealing the added challenge of the wall slip modeling, and that parabolic accuracy is a necessary requirement to reach second‐order accuracy within this problem class.

The Effects of Prenatal Diet on Calf Performance and Perspectives for Fetal Programming Studies: A Meta-Analytical Investigation.

Simple SummaryPrenatal nutrition can reshape an animal’s developmental trajectory, with persistent long-term consequences for the progeny. In prenatal life, the effects induced by the intrauterine conditions can be expressed as changes in offspring growth and meat quality. Thus, there are diverse sources of variations that contribute to the variations reported for fetal-programming responses in beef cattle, making it difficult to interpret and apply the results. In this sense, finding a common factor among the studies with which to group them may offer an opportunity to quantify the fetal-programming effects holistically and to obtain more applicable responses. With the increasing number of publications, it is important to summarize the quantitative measurements available in the scientific literature. In the present study, data from 35 publications were used. We verified that there is a gap related to the effects of maternal nutrition to females, at the beginning of gestation, and in zebu and crossbred animals, indicating new perspectives for future fetal-programming studies. In summary, our findings highlight an association between prenatal energy and protein supply and its effects on the offspring birth weight, weaning weight, and the daily weight gain of pregnant beef cows during pregnancy.This meta-analysis aimed to identify knowledge gaps in the scientific literature on future fetal-programming studies and to investigate the factors that determine the performance of beef cows and their offspring. A dataset composed of 35 publications was used. The prenatal diet, body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) during pregnancy, and calf sex were elicited as possible modulators of the beef cows and their offspring performance. Then, the correlations between these variables and the outcomes of interest were investigated. A mixed multiple linear regression procedure was used to evaluate the relationships between the responses and all the possible explanatory variables. A knowledge gap was observed in studies focused on zebu animals, with respect to the offspring sex and the consequences of prenatal nutrition in early pregnancy. The absence of studies considering the possible effects promoted by the interactions between the different stressors’ sources during pregnancy was also detected. A regression analysis showed that prenatal diets with higher levels of protein improved the ADG of pregnant beef cows and that heavier cows give birth to heavier calves. Variations in the BW at weaning were related to the BW at birth and calf sex. Therefore, this research reinforces the importance of monitoring the prenatal nutrition of beef cows.

Non genetic factors affecting udder type traits in Sahiwal cattle

The present study was planned to find out the magnitude of environmental factors affecting udder type traits in Sahiwal cattle. Fourteen type of udder traits were measured for each of randomly selected 100 lactating cattle maintained at Livestock Research farm, NDRI, Karnal, India. The data were analysed by least squares methods using the general linear model procedures including parity, stage of lactation and season of calving at classification as fixed effects. Traits viz. Udder balance, Rear Udder Height, Teat Diameter, Teat Length, Central Ligament, Udder Circumference, Udder Width and Teat Circumference were significantly (p&lt;0.05) affected by parity. Stage of lactation was significant (P&lt;0.05) source of variation for Shortest distance from teat ends to floor, Rear Udder Height, Central ligament and Udder Circumference while season of calving significantly (p&lt;0.05) affected Rear Udder Height, Teat Length and Rear Udder Width. It is, therefore, suggested that in breeding value estimation for udder conformation, these environmental factors should be considered which would justify focusing genetic improvement in Sahiwal cattle.

Requirement of digestible calcium at different dietary concentrations of digestible phosphorus for broiler chickens. 2. Broiler growers (d 11 to 24 post-hatch)

An experiment was conducted to determine the digestible calcium (Ca) and digestible phosphorous (P) requirements of 11 to 24 d old broiler chickens. Eighteen corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 1.80, 2.35, 2.90, 3.45, 4.00, and 4.55 g/kg standardized ileal digestible (SID) Ca and 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 g/kg SID P were fed to broilers from d 11 to 24. Each experimental diet was randomly allocated to six replicate cages (8 birds per cage). Body weight and feed amount were recorded at the start and end of the experiment and the feed conversion ratio was calculated. On d 24, birds were euthanized to collect ileal digesta, tibia, and carcass for the determination of digestible Ca and P, the concentration of ash, Ca and P in tibia and the retention of Ca and P in the carcass, respectively. Titanium dioxide (5 g/kg) was included in all diets as an indigestible indicator for apparent ileal digestibility measurement. Total excreta output was measured during the last 4 d of the experimental period for the measurement of apparent total tract retention of Ca and P. Fixed effects of the experiment were dietary concentrations of SID Ca and SID P and their interaction. If the interaction or main effect was significant (P < 0.05), the parameter estimate for second-order response surface model was determined using General Linear Model procedure of SAS. The weight gain of broiler growers was optimized at the SID P concentration of 3.5 g/kg and SID Ca concentrations between 2.35 and 4.00 g/kg. At 3.5 g/kg SID P concentration, the required SID Ca for maximum weight gain was determined to be 3.05 g/kg, which corresponded to SID Ca to SID P ratios of 0.87. The concentration of SID Ca that maximized tibia ash at 3.5 g/kg SID P was 3.69 g/kg, which corresponded to SID Ca to SID P ratio of 1.05. Maximizing bone ash requires more Ca than maximizing weight gain. Carcass Ca and P retention were reflective of total tract Ca and P retention values. The estimated SID Ca requirements (at 3.5 g/kg SID P) for both maximized weight gain (3.05 g/kg or 6.11 g/kg total Ca) and bone ash (3.69 g/kg or 7.28 g/kg total Ca) are lower than the current Ca recommendation (8.70 g/kg total Ca equivalent to 4.03 g/kg SID Ca; Ross, 2019) for broiler growers, indicating possible oversupply of Ca in diets formulated based on the current recommendation.