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Avian Influenza and the Approach to Designing an H5N1 Vaccine
No full textThe Avian influenza virus (AIV) H5N1 has been responsible for the culling and deaths of millions of birds since 2022 with concern for wildlife, livestock, and human infections occurring as well. With eggs flying off the shelves in grocery stores, even individuals not involved in the agricultural industry have seen the drastic effects of this disease first-hand. For chickens, this virus works quickly and overpowers the innate immune system before the adaptive immune system has time to properly respond. Therefore, a safe and effective vaccine could reduce the number of poultry deaths and prevent the continuous spread of the infection. Despite this epidemic, the current use of an AIV vaccine is conditional and has not been implemented widespread. Challenges with the embryonated egg approach and caution around recombinants have slowed vaccine development and resulted in alternative methods including the stalk portion of the HA surface protein and cell culture procedures. Although other vaccine approaches and methods have been explored recently, the standard remains for a vaccine targeting the head portion of the HA surface protein inoculated into embryonated chicken eggs, quantified via SRID, and inactivated for formulation
Kiewit Field Vision
No full textThe Raikes Design Studio team was tasked with developing an interactive virtual reality (VR) application for use at career fairs and campus events. The team built an application showing a “Day in the Life” of a Kiewit Field Engineer on the Omaha Central Public Library construction site. The application takes individuals through the entire construction site experience, starting in the job site trailer and providing an interactive experience that leaves students saying, “I did that.” By creating a scalable Talent Acquisition product, Kiewit is better equipped to engage and educate students during recruiting events
Supplementing Monensin and Rumen Undegradable Protein to Late-Gestation Heifers
No full textSummary with Implications
This study evaluates the effects of supplementing late-gestation heifers with rumen-undegradable protein and monensin on weight gain, feed efficiency, and reproductive performance, and subsequent impact on progeny. We hypothesized that supplementation would enhance growth and feed efficiency, ultimately improving cow and calf performance. Previously synchronized artificially inseminated heifers were fed ad libitum hay for 89 d prior to calving. Feed was top dressed with chelated mineral with or without monensin, dried distillers’ grains, or dried distillers’ grains and monensin. Supplementation with rumen undegradable protein increased growth rate and decreased calving difficulty with no further effects on cow or calf performance
Effects of Feeding Raw Soybeans or Roasted Soybeans to Feedlot Steers
No full textSummary with Implications
A feedlot study compared feeding raw or roasted soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers grains to a dry-rolled corn with urea control on finishing cattle performance and carcass traits. Cattle fed roasted soybeans had improved marbling and gained more weight over the feeding period than cattle fed whole soybeans. Feed conversion was improved in the steers fed the roasted and whole soybean containing diets over steers that consumed the distillers grains diet. Cattle fed soybean meal and distillers grains had similar performance and carcass characteristics in this experiment. Cattle fed soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers had better gains and conversions than those fed the urea control diet. These data suggest that soybeans may be fed to finishing cattle to supplement fat and protein and may be an option to displace corn or distillers grains in finishing diets when soybeans are readily available or economical
Evaluation of LYSOFORTE Extend on Rumen Fermentation Parameters, Rumen and Total Tract Digestion, and Fatty Acid Digestion
No full textSummary with Implications
Supplemental fat fed in finishing diets in recent years has generally increased in price. This digestibility study evaluated LYSOFORTE Extend, a lysophospholipid based nutritional emulsifier, in beef finishing diets containing tallow or corn oil. Five ruminally and duodenally cannulated steers were used in a 5 × 5 Latin Square design. Treatments followed a 2 × 2 +1 factorial: 1) No Oil (negative control), 2) Corn Oil (3.5%), 3) Tallow (3.5%), 4) Corn Oil + LFE (8 g/d), and 5) Tallow + LFE (8 g/d). Cattle fed the negative control diet had greater dry matter intake than cattle consuming diets with supplemental fat but no LYSOFORTE Extend. But, when LYSOFORTE Extend was added to diets with corn oil and tallow, intake did not differ (P = 0.50) from the negative control. There was no difference in total tract dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) or apparent energy digestibility across any of the 5 dietary treatments (P ≥ 0.23). The impact of LYSOFORTE Extend on rumen fermentation parameters, such as average pH and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration were limited. There was no difference in average pH (P ≥ 0.21) across treatments, but a main effect of LYSOFORTE Extend on total VFA concentration (P ≤ 0.05), where diets that included LYSOFORTE Extend had greater total VFA concentration than those without LYSOFORTE Extend. While supplemental fat reduced intake, when fed with LYSOFORTE Extend it appeared to mitigate this effect, which may warrant further research into this response
Exploring Pragmatic Language Skills in Youth with Down Syndrome
No full textBackground
Pragmatic language is an area of language that is vital to daily social communication. Previous research has identified a unique profile of language in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). However, there is limited research on pragmatic skills in youth with DS. This study first aimed to identify a pragmatic profile of youth with DS, including areas of strength and areas of difficulty. Further, the literature that is available on the pragmatic skills of individuals with DS is restricted in age range, which limits our understanding of if/how these skills emerge and change across development. Therefore, the second aim of this study was to examine how pragmatic skills relate to chronological age in youth with DS ages 6-16 years.
Method
Parents of 23 youth with DS ages 6-16 years participated in this study. Parents completed the Children\u27s Communication Checklist – 2nd Edition (CCC-2). The pragmatic skills that were assessed were initiation, scripted language, context, nonverbal communication, social relations, and interests.
Results
Relative strengths include interests and nonverbal communication. Areas of relative difficulty include initiation and context. Some pragmatic skills have a positive correlation with chronological age (e.g., nonverbal communication and social relations) while other skills have a negative correlation with age (e.g., initiation and scripted language).
Conclusions
This study expands previous research by examining the pragmatic profile or youth with DS and identifying their relation with chronological age. Results suggest that there are strengths and weaknesses within the pragmatic profile. Results also suggest there are both positive and negative correlations between pragmatic skills and age. Targeted interventions are needed to strengthen and support pragmatic language skills in youth with DS.
Keywords Down Syndrome, Pragmatics, Language, Social Communication, CCC-
Energy Value of High-Moisture Corn in Feedlot Cattle Diets Derived through Meta-Analysis
No full textSummary with Implications
Cattle feeders or their nutritionists who rely on high-moisture corn (HMC) use a standard adjustment to energy content of the diet based on observation or previous research reports. Because moisture content of HMC is the result of many field and harvest factors, a common adjustment to the energy value of HMC applied to all conditions may not be appropriate. The hypothesis that moisture content of HMC determines its energy concentration was tested. Through a meta-analysis, it was determined that feed intake was depressed while energy content of HMC increased at greater moisture content. A simple method to estimate the moisture contribution from HMC to the diet was derived to enhance the applicability of dietary energy prediction equations using the contribution of HMC moisture to the diet
Evaluating Sorghum x Sudangrass Seed Digestibility
No full textSummary with Implications
A sorghum-sudangrass hybrid was swathed in the hard dough stage and grazed by growing steers from November 2023 to January 2024. Steers appeared to select the seedheads when grazing. The seed made up approximately 12.6% of swathed forage mass, but its energy contribution appears limited due to poor digestibility. When incubated whole, only 23% of dry matter and 13% of starch was digestible. Grinding improved digestibility but still left 40% of the dry matter and over 85% of starch unavailable. Weathering over two months did not improve digestibility, indicating the seed coat remains intact through winter. Compared to sorghum grain, the hybrid seed had significantly lower starch digestibility. Because cattle are unlikely to sufficiently chew the small seeds to break the tough seed coat, the actual energy benefit is minimal. Although seedheads are readily consumed, producers should not assume they contribute significant nutritional value in grazed systems
Artificial Insemination of Beef Heifers with Multi-Sire Semen
No full textSummary with Implications
This study compared pregnancy rates of beef heifers artificially inseminated with multi-sire semen to single-sire semen. It was hypothesized pregnancy rates resulting from multi-sire semen would be increased compared to single-sire semen. Heifers were artificially inseminated with semen from one of three sires or semen from a combination of the same three sires. Pregnancy rates did not significantly differ. Paternity testing suggests sire parentage can be unequal when semen is mixed from multiple sires. In summary, similar pregnancy rates were observed using single-sire and multi-sire semen, but progeny may have unequal sire representation
Live Biomass Estimation with Canopeo in Rangeland Systems
No full textSummary with Implications
This project evaluated Canopeo, a free smartphone app that estimates fractional green canopy cover (FGCC), as a tool for monitoring aboveground biomass in Nebraska Sandhills rangelands. Live biomass was significantly higher in August than in June with some variability by year. FGCC showed a moderately strong relationship with current-year live biomass collected in either June or August. These results indicate that, in addition to producers’ field knowledge, Canopeo images taken with a smartphone or digital camera can offer a quick, visual estimate of forage conditions. This method may help reduce the need for labor intensive and destructive biomass estimation while still supporting stocking rate adjustments and grazing decisions. However, appropriate models would first need to be developed in each grassland to ensure differences in plant communities are represented appropriately. Canopeo potentially offers a practical and accessible way to track seasonal changes in rangeland productivity