Negative Quadratic Effect Research Articles

Do commitment and asset specificity serve as the double-edged sword to assist co-production in enhancing value co-creation? A dyadic approach in Taiwan

PurposeValue, also known as co-creation, is recognized as the outcome of collaborative efforts between both parties. However, knowledge is currently limited regarding the motivations and mechanisms driving customers to engage in co-production and value co-creation. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate co-production in enhancing value co-creation. Previous research has predominantly explored the linear effects of commitment and asset specificity on co-production. To expand on this foundation, our study goes a step further by including the potential quadratic effects of commitment and asset specificity on co-production. Although moderate levels of commitment and asset specificity may enhance co-production, higher levels are implied to possibly impede it. Considering that co-production requires collaboration between customers and service employees, this study includes the characteristics of service employees, such as self-monitoring and self-efficacy, identifying their moderating roles in aiding active co-production and ultimately enhancing the value co-creation.Design/methodology/approachWe employed linear, nonlinear and hierarchical moderated regression analysis to test our hypotheses.FindingsOur findings provide evidence for the positive linear effects and negative quadratic effects between commitment, asset specificity and co-production. The inverted-U relationships suggest an existing optimal commitment and asset specificity that maximize co-production. Results also suggest that co-production influences value co-creation and self-efficacy and self-monitoring positively moderates the relationship between co-production and value co-creation.Originality/valueBy applying the core provisions of S-D logic, this study contributes to marketing literature by analyzing the dyadic process of co-production. Dyadic data collection from both customers and service employees provides a comprehensive understanding of the co-production process, allowing academics to recognize service employees’ self-efficacy and self-monitoring that contribute to effective co-production and value co-creation in service processes.

Nutrient Digestive Bypass: Determinants and Associations with Stool Quality in Cats and Dogs

The effect of digestive bypass macronutrients and age on stool quality (moisture and firmness) in dogs and cats is not well understood. Data were analyzed from digestibility tests (n = 2020, 361 dogs and 536 cats) including dry and wet product types. Both food and feces were measured for moisture and nutrients according to standard protocols; stool firmness was graded. Linear mixed modeling was used to evaluate the associations between nutrient bypass, age and stool quality. Bypass protein increased stool moisture (dog, cat p < 0.0001) and decreased firmness (dog p = 0.01, cat p < 0.0001), while bypass fiber decreased stool moisture and increased firmness (dog, cat p < 0.0001 for both). Both species manifested a negative quadratic effect of advanced age on stool firmness (dog p < 0.0001 and cat p = 0.02). However, the association of advanced age (quadratic effect) with metabolizable energy required to maintain body weight was different between species; dogs had a positive association (p = 0.028), while it was negative for cats (p < 0.0001). Taken together, these data may aid in the development of food formulations for companion animals, which can better meet changing nutritional needs across life stages.

The Development of Ambiguity Processing Is Explained by an Inverted U-Shaped Curve.

Understanding the developmental trajectories for recognizing facial expressions is important for a better understanding of development of psychiatric disorders. In this study, we examined the recognition of emotional and neutral facial expressions in 93 typically developing adolescents and adults. The Emotion Intensity Rating task required participants to rate the intensity of emotional expression in happy, neutral, and sad faces on a scale from 1 to 9. A score of '5' had to be assigned to neutral faces, scores between '6' (slightly happy) and '9' (very happy) to happy faces, and scores between '4' (slightly sad) and '1' (very sad) to sad faces. Mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of age and emotion on recognition accuracy, reaction time (RT), and emotional intensity. Participants tended to misjudge neutral faces as sad. Adolescents were less accurate than adults for neutral face recognition. There were significant quadratic effects of age on accuracy (negative quadratic effect) and RT (positive quadratic effect). The most accurate and fastest performance was observed in 25- to 35-year-old subjects. This trajectory may be associated with prefrontal cortex maturation, which provides top-down control over the heightened amygdala response to ambiguity that may be misinterpreted as emotional content.

Further evidence that system justification decreases among extreme conservatives and the role of national populism

AbstractThis article replicates and extends previous results indicating that system justification, in a pool of non‐American samples, decreases at the extremes of the political continuum. Data came from 29 European countries enrolled in nine rounds of the European Social Survey from 2002 to 2018. Results indicated that right‐wingers were more likely to support the existing social system than left‐wingers. However, a significant and negative quadratic effect emerged indicating that system justification decreased among extremists in both left and right‐leaning poles. Findings also revealed that the level of national populist voting moderated the relationship between political orientation and system justification so that the difference between extreme leftists and extreme rightists was further reduced when national populist voting was higher. Results seem to confirm that extremists can be critical of the existing social system and that this trend is affected by the level of the rise in populism in those countries. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Exploring the role of mindfulness in the stress-recovery balance: 10-Day monitoring of young BMX riders in an intensive training center during a pre-competition cycle

Considering mindfulness as a multidimensional disposition domain-specific skill and state, this study aimed to explore the effect of the dimensions of mindfulness on the trajectories of biopsychosocial stress-recovery balance and on HRV over 10 days of a pre-competitive cycle. 24 young BMX riders completed mindfulness disposition and domain-specific skill scales. Monitoring of the recovery-stress states was based on biopsychosocial measurements (daily and biweekly). RMSSD was used to assess the organism ability to cope with the training program stimulus. After each training session, riders self-rated their state of mindfulness. Multilevel growth curve analyses examined the linear and/or quadratic trajectories of the athletes’ recovery-stress states and the effect of mindfulness on these trajectories. Mindfulness states results showed that the refocusing state had a significant negative quadratic effect over time on daily recovery and sport-specific recovery, and the awareness state on general recovery and total recovery. Concerning the dispositions of mindfulness, the observing component had a significant positive quadratic effect over time on daily stress. Nonreactivity had a significant positive quadratic effect over time on daily recovery and sport-specific recovery, and a significant positive effect on RMSSD. Acting with awareness had a significant positive effect on daily recovery and a significant negative effect on RMSSD. The study offered a better understanding of the effect of mindfulness (dispositions, domain-specific skills, and states) and its different components on the stress-recovery balance. The results suggest that mindfulness could be considered a promising effective psychological recovery strategy.

Collaborative research in healthcare: uncovering the impact of industry collaboration on the service innovativeness of university hospitals

AbstractIn the face of the challenges of rising demand and increasing economic pressure, medical service innovations and university hospitals are becoming increasingly important as cornerstones for the continuous development of medical care. Simultaneously, increasing technological complexity, scarce funding, and resource-intensive technology development are forcing university hospitals to open up their internal innovation processes. Numerous studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of cross-sectoral collaboration on the innovation performance of industrial entities, while neglecting the perspective of academic institutions. The impact of industry collaborations on the service innovativeness of university hospitals in particular has not been addressed in previous research. Although the potential for nonlinear effects of university-industry collaborations has been discussed in research, adequate evidence, particularly in the healthcare context, has not been provided. Therefore, this study addresses the questions: (1) What is the impact of university-hospital-industry collaboration (UHIC) on the service innovativeness of university hospitals? (2) Can a nonlinear relationship between UHIC and university hospitals' service innovativeness be empirically verified? The hypotheses are tested based on an unbalanced panel data set, which combines three distinct data sources and comprises annual observations from 2011 until 2019 of all German university hospitals. The findings indicate that the UHIC intensity has a positive effect on university hospitals’ service innovativeness with a one-year time lag. Furthermore, a negative quadratic UHIC effect was found. In doing so, this study complements existing research and opens the black box by uncovering the downside of cross-sectoral collaboration for a more complete understanding of the underlying dynamics of this growing area of research, with a particular focus on university hospitals.

Optimizing silage quality in drylands: Corn stover and forage cactus mixture on nutritive value, microbial activity, and aerobic stability

The study aimed to determine the optimal ratio for the mixture of forage cactus and corn stover silage, emphasizing the evaluation of fermentative profile, microbial populations, dry matter losses, chemical composition, and aerobic stability. A completely randomized design with four treatments and five replications was employed in this study. Treatments included varying proportions of forage cactus in corn stover at ensiling (0%, 10%, 20%, and 40% of fresh matter). After a 100-day fermentation period, the assayed variables underwent regression analysis. Forage cactus inclusion led to linear dry matter and ether extract reductions, with crude protein showing a negative quadratic effect (p < 0.05). The pH and water-soluble carbohydrates exhibited negative quadratic effects with the increasing proportion of forage cactus (p < 0.05). Lactic and acetic acids exhibited quadratic effects, reaching their peaks at approximately 20% forage cactus (p < 0.05). Lactic acid bacteria demonstrated a linear decrease, while yeasts/molds displayed a negative quadratic effect (p < 0.05). Dry matter losses followed a quadratic pattern, with the minimum values observed at 20% forage cactus (p < 0.05). Additionally, the inclusion of forage cactus significantly enhanced aerobic stability (p < 0.05). The incorporation of 20% forage cactus into corn stover silage markedly improved its quality.

Dietary inclusion of marama bean (Tylosema esculentum) in broiler chicken diets compromises feed utilization, growth performance, and carcass traits

Orphan legumes that are native to semi-arid areas of southern Africa, such as marama (Tylosema esculentum) bean, hold promise as sustainable nutrient sources in conventional broiler diets. Yet, their nutritive value remains largely unexplored, and the presence of antinutrients could potentially compromise their nutritional quality. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of full-fat marama bean meal (MBM) on growth performance and physiological and meat quality parameters of growing broiler chickens. Fourteen-day-old male Ross 308 broilers (n = 385; 359.7 ± 25.48 g live-weight) were randomly assigned to five experimental diets formulated by including MBM in a standard broiler grower diet at 0 (MBM0), 16.25 (MBM16), 32.49 (MBM32), 48.74 (MBM49), and 64.98 g/kg (MBM65). Each diet was randomly allocated to 7 replicate pens (experimental units). Diets had no effect on feed intake, but body weight gain and final body weight showed negative linear responses, while feed conversion ratio showed linear and positive quadratic responses (P < 0.05) to increasing MBM levels. There were negative quadratic effects (P < 0.05) for eosinophils, lymphocytes, and alanine transaminase, whereas linear and quadratic responses (P < 0.05) were recorded for alkaline phosphatase. Hemoglobin, neutrophils, monocytes, and albumin:globulin ratio linearly decreased (P < 0.05), whereas red blood cells, symmetric dimethylarginine, cholesterol, and lipase increased linearly with MBM levels. Linear increases (P < 0.05) were recorded for shear force and proventriculus, gizzard, pancreas, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum sizes. In contrast, linear decreases were observed for carcass weights, breast weight, and breast meat pH. In conclusion, higher levels of MBM resulted in poor growth performance, low carcass weights, and heavier visceral organs, possibly due to anti-nutritional compounds in MBM.

Effects on meat quality of Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) in the diet of chickens

The objective is to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of yerba mate in the diet on the yield and quality of chicken meat stored frozen for 120 days after slaughter. The birds were distributed in a completely randomized design, with four treatments, and eight replications with 25 birds each. The treatments consisted of providing a basal diet with 1, 2, 4, and 6 g kg-1 of ground dehydrated Yerba mate. At slaughter, temperature, pH, and carcass yield were measured. 120 days after meat freezing, measurements of pH, colorimetry, cooking weight loss (CWL), shear force, and water retention capacity were estimated. The parameters evaluated after slaughter showed regression effects on breast and drumstick temperature. Breast temperature showed a decreasing linear effect (R2=0.61). For the variable thigh temperature, there was a negative quadratic effect (R2=0.66). The quality characteristics of breast and drumstick evaluated 120 days after freezing showed an increasing linear effect of drumstick CWL (R2=0.38). Yerba mate can be included in up to 6 g kg-1 in chicken feed without changing pH, color, and meat tenderness after 120 days of freezing, maintaining carcass and cut yields.

In-feed Salmonella-specific phages alter the physiology, intestinal histomorphology, and carcass and meat quality parameters in broiler chickens

The use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in broiler production leads to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. To mitigate this challenge, biocontrol agents such as phages are being investigated as sustainable alternatives to AGP in commercial broiler production systems. This study aims to investigate the effect of different levels of an in-feed encapsulated Salmonella-specific phage cocktail (SPC) on various parameters, including growth performance, blood indices, carcass characteristics, intestinal histomorphology, and meat quality traits in broiler chickens. A total of 400-day-old Ross 308 male chicks (49.84 ± 1.03 g live weight) were reared on five experimental diets. The diets were formulated as follows: 1) a negative control diet without zinc bacitracin and SPC (NC), 2) a positive control diet with 0.5 g/kg zinc bacitracin but without SPC (PC), and 3) NC with 0.075 (SP75), 0.1 (SP100), and 0.175 g/kg SPC (SP175). During the feeding trial, phages were added on days 1 – 2; 11 – 12; 21 – 22; and 29 – 30 for the SPC treatments. Feed intake, bird weight, and blood parameters were determined during the feeding trial. Birds were slaughtered at the end of the feeding trial (5 weeks) to evaluate carcass characteristics, intestinal histomorphology, and meat quality traits. Five-week-old birds reared on SP100 had lower weight gains (555.7 g/bird) than those reared in the other treatment groups (p < 0.05). The inclusion of SPC in diets induced positive quadratic effects on overall feed intake (R2 = 0.169; p = 0.048) and meat chroma (R2 = 0.184; p = 0.024) but resulted in negative quadratic effects for breast weight (R2 = 0.418; p = 0.046) and linear effects for meat pH 1-h post-mortem (R2 = 0.161; p = 0.040) and proventriculus weight (R2 = 0.195; p = 0.024). A positive quadratic effect was noted for duodenal villus height (R2 = 0.935; p = 0.003), width (R2 = 0.882; p = 0.009), and area (R2 = 0.929; p = 0.001); jejunal villus height (R2 = 0.914; p = 0.001), width (R2 = 0.917; p = 0.002), area (R2 = 0.903; p = 0.001), and muscle thickness (R2 = 0.970; p = 0.001); ileal villus width (R2 = 0.747; p = 0.006), and crypt depth (R2 = 0.916; p = 0.001). Compared to the negative control, SPC induced positive changes in the jejunal and ileal villus height and VH:CD, however, this did not improve growth performance of broiler chickens. It can be concluded that periodic SPC inclusion has the potential to replace subtherapeutic antibiotic use in poultry production.

EL LARGO DE LACTACIÓN Y LOS INTERVALOS PARTO Y DESTETE PRIMER-SERVICIO AFECTAN EL SUBSECUENTE TAMAÑO DE CAMADA DE CERDAS EN UNA GRANJA COMERCIAL EN EL SURESTE DE MÉXICO

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background&lt;/strong&gt;. Studies in temperate regions report the effect of lactation length (LL) and farrowing- service (IFS) and weaning-to-first service intervals (IWS) on the reproductive efficiency of sows in commercial farms. However, research about this topic under tropical conditions is scarce. &lt;strong&gt;Objective.&lt;/strong&gt; To investigate the relationship of LL, IWS and IFS on subsequent number of piglets born alive (SPBA), and the effect of LL on number of parity per sow per year (NFY) and number of piglets born alive per sow per year (PBAY) in a commercial farm in the tropics of Mexico. &lt;strong&gt;Methodology&lt;/strong&gt;. Data from 9663 litters were used. The statistical model for SPBA, NFY and PBAY included the fixed effects of farrowing year (2013, 2014), farrowing season (rainy, north and dry), farrowing number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), simple interaction of year by farrowing season, and the linear and quadratic effects of LL, IWS and IFS for SPBA, and the linear and quadratic effect of LL for NFY and PBAY. &lt;strong&gt;Results&lt;/strong&gt;. The factors evaluated were significant for all variables of interest. Linear effect (P &amp;lt; 0.05) of LL, IWS and IFS was found only on SLNV. The predictive equation for SLNV was Y= 10.8551+0.02242*LLL+0.01515*IDS. The equation for SPBA with IFS was Y= 10.9939 + 0.01604*IFS. In addition, a negative linear and quadratic effect (P &amp;lt; 0.05) of LL on NFY, and a negative linear effect (P &amp;lt; 0.05) on SPBA were found. The predictive equation for NFY was Y= 2.7432-0.001689*LL-0.00032*LL&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; and for PBAY was Y= 32.2414-0.1444*LL. &lt;strong&gt;Implications.&lt;/strong&gt; The effect of LL, IWS and IFS on sow productivity is fundamental for decision making and adapting management, techniques and technologies to production systems. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusion&lt;/strong&gt;. Under the conditions of the present study, increasing LL and IWS increased sow SPBA. However, increasing LL reduced NFY and PBAY.&lt;/p&gt;

Nonlinear effects of employee engagement and satisfaction on turnover intention

PurposeThis study aims to advance the understanding of the relationships between employee engagement (EE), satisfaction and turnover intention (TI) beyond their known linear functions by providing a set of significant empirical evidence on nonlinear functions including quadratic, cubic and interactive effects.Design/methodology/approachThis study used four 2 × 2 between-subjects experiments sampling 640 hospitality sales professionals through online data collection methods. EE and employee satisfaction (ES) were examined in disaggregation into personal and organizational dimensions. Residual regression models controlling for age and gender as covariates were the main approaches for analyzing data for nonlinear effects.FindingsBoth EE and ES consistently have significant negative quadratic and positive cubic effects on employees’ TI. EE and ES have a negative interaction effect, that is, complementing each other, on TI such that the effect is more pronounced at higher levels than lower levels of EE and satisfaction.Practical implicationsOrganizations need to understand some threshold phenomena that may exist in the widely believed linear effects of EE and satisfaction on TI. Doing so may help allocate resources more effectively for EE and satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study examined the nonlinear as well as interactive nature of the relationships between EE and TI and ES and TI to expand our understanding of these relationships beyond the known linearity and add new empirical evidence to the literature.

189 Effects of hay Maturity on the Enteric Methane Emission, Intake, and Energy Metabolism by Beef Heifers

Abstract Heifers (n=12; initial BW=296 ± 30 kg) were used to determine the effect of wheat (Triticum aestinum L.) hay maturity (HM) on energetics and gas emissions. Hay was harvested at 3 maturities and was fed for three 7-d periods. Heifers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 HM levels including immature (cut at stem elongation, Zadok score [Tottman, 1987] = 3.1, 37% NDF), intermediate (cut at boot stage, Zadok = 3.9-4.1, 55% NDF), and mature (hay cut at milk stage Zadok = 7.9, 63% NDF). Hay was fed for ad libitum intake plus a daily supplement of 0.90 kg of pellets (12% CP) were offered via an automated head-chamber system that measured heifer CO2, CH4, and O2 fluxes. The experiment was designed as a split-plot with HM as the main plot, period the subplot, and beginning body weight as a covariate; main effects were compared using linear and quadratic contrasts. DMI was different for each level of HM with the most DMI for immature and the least for mature, but across all HM levels, DMI did not differ among periods (P ≥ 0.13). Neither HM nor period had an effect (P ≥ 0.16) on total enteric CH4 emissions. However, CO2 emission and O2 consumption had a positive quadratic response to both HM (P ≤ 0.02) and period (P ≤ 0.03). Heat production (HP) had a positive linear effect (P &amp;lt; 0.01) to HM and negative quadratic response to period (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Hay maturity and period had a significant negative linear effect (HM, P &amp;lt; 0.01) and quadratic (period, P &amp;lt; 0.01) effect on metabolizable energy (ME) intake (ME = HP + retained energy). These results indicate that as HM decreased it has a negative effect on DMI, CO2 emissions, O2 consumption, HP, and MEI, but did not have an effect (P ≥ 0.16) on total enteric CH4 emission.

Non-linear Isolator for Vibration and Force Transmission Control of Unbalanced Rotating Machines

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to investigate with simulations how non-linear spring and non-linear damper components of isolators can be employed to effectively reduce both the oscillations and the force transmitted to ground in the whole spinning range of unbalanced rotating machines.MethodsThe principal goal of this paper is twofold. First, to present a concise and consistent formulation based on the harmonic balance approach for the vibration response of spinning machines mounted on linear/non-linear, softening/hardening, un-tensioned/pre-tensioned springs and linear/non-linear dampers. Second, to provide a comprehensive overview of the vibration and force transmission control with non-linear isolators specifically tailored to unbalanced machines.ResultsThe study has shown that, the best vibration isolation is provided by a pre-tensioned linear and cubic softening spring combined with a linear and negative quadratic damper. The pre-tensioned spring should be designed in such a way as it holds the weight of the machine and thus produces on the vibrating machine a symmetric elastic restoring force proportional to the linear and cubic powers of the displacement. The cubic softening stiffness should then be tuned to minimise the frequency, and thus the amplitude, of the resonant response of the fundamental mode of the machine and elastic suspension system, while preserving stability and a desired static deflection. In parallel, to reduce the force transmission to ground above the fundamental resonance frequency, the negative quadratic damping effect should be tailored to maximize the energy absorption at higher frequencies.ConclusionThe study has shown that non-linear spring and non-linear damper components can be effectively employed to control the vibration and force transmission in the whole spinning range of the machine. In particular, a pre-tensioned softening cubic non-linear spring can be used to mitigate the vibration and force transmission at low frequencies, close to the fundamental natural frequencies of the elastically suspended machine. Also, a negative quadratic non-linear damper can be used to tailor the energy dissipation of the isolator in such a way as to have high damping at low frequencies and low damping at higher frequencies, which enhances the vibration and force transmission control at low frequencies and, rather importantly, mitigates the force transmission at higher frequencies.

The Effects of Price Dispersion on Sales in the Automobile Industry: A Dynamic Panel Analysis

Price dispersion is an important indicator of pricing strategy and market efficiency. However, the relationship between price dispersion and sales has not been explored, especially for durable goods such as automobiles. In this study, we use a unique data set from Autohome comprising the actual transaction prices of buyers to assess the extent of price dispersion in the new automobile market. Based on an empirical analysis of over 222,592 price observations for 59 vehicle models collected over a period of 48 months, we find that the percentage difference ( PD) and coefficient of variation ( CV) of new automobile transaction prices are 43.4% and 9.9%, respectively. In addition, the empirical results show that the price dispersions lower for non-sedan type, Chinese car brands, and produced by state-owned companies. We further investigate whether the increase in the price dispersion of a new automobile has a positive impact on automobile sales using a multiple quadratic regression model. The findings show that price dispersion has positively impact of sales. More interestingly, negative quadratic effects are observed, indicating a concave-down-increasing relationship between price dispersion and sales. This implies that an extreme price dispersion is less helpful than a moderate price dispersion. These findings advance knowledge of consumer buying behavior and seller pricing strategies, with important theoretical contributions and practical implications for automobile companies.

Acidificantes na digestibilidade, nos parâmetros sanguíneos e no desempenho de leitões na fase de creche

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of inclusion of two acidifiers blend (with different protection levels) on the acidification potential in vitro, apparent total tract digestibility of diet nutrients, blood metabolites, and average daily gain of nursery piglets. Two commercial acidifiers blend additives (AC1 and AC2) were evaluated. The acidification potential of the two acidifiers blend added to the diet were tested by buffering capacity and initial pH in vitro. For the evaluation of apparent digestibility of diet nutrients, blood metabolites and average daily gain, two experiments were carried out. The AC2 acidifier had a greater effect on the initial reduction in pH and a lower linear buffering rate of the diet. The use of acidifiers did not improve the nutrient digestibility of the diets and had no effect on the blood metabolite concentrations of urea, total protein, albumin, globulin, and lactate. Although the inclusion of acidifiers in the diets did not affect the apparent total tract digestibility of the diet nutrients the inclusion of the AC2 acidifier at different levels showed a negative quadratic effect on the average daily gain, with the best inclusion level being 0.26%.

Age-Related Intrinsic Functional Connectivity Changes of Locus Coeruleus from Childhood to Older Adults.

The locus coeruleus is critical for selective information processing by modulating the brain’s connectivity configuration. Increasingly, studies have suggested that LC controls sensory inputs at the sensory gating stage. Furthermore, accumulating evidence has shown that young children and older adults are more prone to distraction and filter out irrelevant information less efficiently, possibly due to the unoptimized LC connectivity. However, the LC connectivity pattern across the life span is not fully examined yet, hampering our ability to understand the relationship between LC development and the distractibility. In this study, we examined the intrinsic network connectivity of the LC using a public fMRI dataset with wide-range age samples. Based on LC-seed functional connectivity maps, we examined the age-related variation in the LC connectivity with a quadratic model. The analyses revealed two connectivity patterns explicitly. The sensory-related brain regions showed a positive quadratic age effect (u-shape), and the frontal regions for the cognitive control showed a negative quadratic age effect (inverted u-shape). Our results imply that such age-related distractibility is possibly due to the impaired sensory gating by the LC and the insufficient top-down controls by the frontal regions. We discuss the underlying neural mechanisms and limitations of our study.

Effects of row spacing and planting density of forage sorghum on dry matter yield, morphologic parameters, nutritive value, and predicted milk yield of dairy cows

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of different row spacings and planting populations on dry matter yield, nutritive value, and predicted milk yield of BRS 658 forage sorghum hybrid growing in Brazilian conditions. A late relative maturity forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench; 110 d-115d to soft dough stage; BRS 658 – Embrapa] was planted at 3 row spacing (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m) and at 3 planting population (50 x 103, 100 x 103, and 150 x 103 plants.ha-1). Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design in a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement, using 4 replicate plots per row spacing x plant population combination. At harvest, weights of whole-plant sorghum forage were obtained to calculate DM yields. Chemical composition was assessed by performing wet chemistry analysis. Plant height, stem diameter, and harvest were performed 110 days after sowing (DAS). Estimated milk yield per unit of forage and per hectare were calculated using Milk2006. Summative equations were used to predict TDN and NEL. Yield of wet and DM forage sorghum exhibited a negative quadratic response as row spacing increased, reaching the maximum yield response at row spacing of 1.23m and 1.22m, respectively. In addition, negative linear effect was detected for both wet and DM sorghum forage yield as planting density increased. Regarding agronomic measurements, sorghum height exhibited a negative linear pattern as plant density increased. Otherwise, stem diameter increased as planting density increased. Whole-plant sorghum forage DM content decreased linearly with increasing planting density. Conversely, ashes increased linearly as planting density increased. Neutral detergent insoluble protein exhibited a positive quadratic effect with increasing planting density, reaching the minimum value when planting density was 104.2 x 103 plants.ha-1. Finally, a negative quadratic effect for predicted milk yield per hectare was also observed with increasing row spacing, whereas the maximum milk yield per hectare value was detected when row spacing was 1.20m. In conclusion, taking into account a subtropical climate, the ideal row spacing and planting density recommendation for a high yield and nutritional quality sorghum forage are 1.2 m and 104 x 103 plants.ha-1, respectively.

Preparation and application of novel rice husk biochar–calcite composites for phosphate removal from aqueous medium

Excessive phosphorus (P) in water bodies causes eutrophication, which threatens the health of the environment. In the present study, a novel rice husk biochar–calcite composite (BRH-C) was prepared. The pyrolysis conditions and phosphate removal processes were optimized using central composite design. The optimized pyrolysis conditions for the preparation of BRH-C were as follows: a pyrolysis temperature of 700 °C, pyrolysis time of 2.3 h, and rice husk–calcite (RH-C) ratio of 4.2:1 (w/w). The maximum removal and adsorption capacities of optimized BRH-C were 87.3% and 1.76 mg/g, respectively, at low phosphate concentrations. The pyrolysis temperature had positive linear and quadratic effects on the phosphate removal, whereas the pyrolysis time had a negative quadratic effect. The RH-C ratio had a positive quadratic effect. The maximum phosphate removal (54.2%) and adsorption capacity (10.72 mg/g) were achieved at phosphate concentration of 95 mg/L, 0.24 g of BRH-C, pH 5.4, and contact time of 11.75 h. Phosphate removal by BRH-C was maximum at lower concentrations (10–25 mg/L), whereas phosphate removal by calcite was maximum at higher concentrations (75–125 mg/L). Calcite altered the yield and textural properties of BRH-C and imparted characteristics calcite functional groups and minerals to BRH-C. Freundlich adsorption isotherm and second-order kinetic model suggested heterogeneous and multilayer chemisorption of phosphate onto both BRH-C and calcite. Presence of NaCl, NaNO3, KCl, and NaHCO3 in solution reduced the amount of phosphate removal by BRH-C. Promising results for phosphate removal were achieved only for up to two cycles of BRH-C regeneration. BRH-C is a cost-effective and ecofriendly adsorbent prepared from rice husk and calcite, with no need for sophisticated instruments or chemicals. It was developed as an optimized adsorbent for the efficient removal of phosphate at low concentrations.

Formulating diets based on digestible calcium instead of total calcium does not affect growth performance or carcass characteristics, but microbial phytase ameliorates bone resorption caused by low calcium in diets fed to pigs from 11 to 130 kg.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that the requirement for Ca expressed as a ratio between standardized total tract digestible (STTD) Ca and STTD P obtained in short-term experiments may be applied to pigs fed diets without or with microbial phytase from 11 to 130 kg. In a 5-phase program, 160 pigs (body weight: 11.2 ± 1.8 kg) were randomly allotted to 32 pens and 4 corn-soybean meal-based diets in a 2 × 2 factorial design with 2 diet formulation principles (total Ca or STTD Ca), and 2 phytase inclusion levels (0 or 500 units/kg of feed) assuming phytase released 0.11% STTD P and 0.16% total Ca. The STTD Ca:STTD P ratios were 1.40:1, 1.35:1, 1.25:1, 1.18:1, and 1.10:1 for phases 1 to 5, and STTD P was at the requirement. Weights of pigs and feed left in feeders were recorded at the end of each phase. At the conclusion of phase 1 (day 24), 1 pig per pen was euthanized and a blood sample and the right femur were collected. At the end of phases 2 to 5, a blood sample was collected from the same pig in each pen. At the conclusion of the experiment (day 126), the right femur of 1 pig per pen was collected and carcass characteristics from this pig were measured. No interactions were observed between diet formulation principle and phytase inclusion for growth performance in any phase and no differences among treatments were observed for overall growth performance. Plasma Ca and P and bone ash at the end of phase 1 were also not influenced by dietary treatments. However, on day 126, pigs fed nonphytase diets formulated based on total Ca had greater bone ash than pigs fed STTD Ca-based diets, but if phytase was used, no differences were observed between the 2 formulation principles (interaction P < 0.05). At the end of phases 2 and 3, pigs fed diets without phytase had greater (P < 0.05) plasma P than pigs fed diets with phytase, but no differences were observed at the end of phases 4 and 5. A negative quadratic effect (P < 0.05) of phase (2 to 5) on the concentration of plasma Ca was observed, whereas plasma P increased (quadratic; P < 0.05) from phases 2 to 5. However, there was no interaction or effect of diet formulation principle or phytase inclusion on any carcass characteristics measured. In conclusion, STTD Ca to STTD P ratios can be used in diet formulation for growing-finishing pigs without affecting growth performance or carcass characteristics and phytase inclusion ameliorates bone resorption caused by low dietary Ca and P.