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Identifying Key Competencies for Extension Communication: A Delphi Analysis to Guide Program Development
Get PDFDeveloping communication capacities for extension professionals is key to effectively delivering relevant and impactful knowledge. Communication is used throughout extension; however, extension professionals often feel they have limited communication skills and struggle with integrating communication into their practice. The current study identified the communication competency needs of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension organization to inform professional development and training for state extension professionals. Using a three-round Delphi technique, North Carolina extension administrators and communications staff were surveyed for their perceptions of the key communication competencies needed for extension professionals. Key competencies identified by North Carolina extension professionals were categorized as interpersonal communication, cultural competence, and science communication, identified from 171 initial responses. Findings indicate that extension experts placed a high priority on engaging in science communication and the ability to translate science to the public, as well as being culturally competent. Thus, future professional development for extension professionals should focus on developing science communication strategies and fostering interpersonal and intercultural relationship building to support extension’s role in a changing agricultural food system
Effects of Lactation Feeder Design on Sow Bodyweight, Litter Performance, and Feeder Cleaning Criteria
Get PDFA total of 557 mixed parity sows (PIC 1050) were used to evaluate the effect of lactation feeder design on sow farrowing and litter growth performance during summer conditions. The experiment was conducted at a commercial sow farm located in northwest Texas with two sequential farrowing groups with approximately 279 sows per group. On d 112 to 114 of gestation, sows were moved to the farrowing house and randomly allotted to 1 of 3 feeder types based on parity and caliper score. Each of the three feeder types were equipped with the SowMax ad-lib sow feed hopper (Hog Slat). Feeder types consisted of: 1) a dry lactation feeder with a nipple drinker located next to the feeder; 2) a wet/dry lactation feeder with a divider to separate feed and water; or 3) the wet/dry lactation feeder without a divider. The three feeder types were placed in groups of three continuous stalls with the same sequence from the front to the end of all rooms to balance environmental effects. Sows were weighed before entering the farrowing house and at weaning. Sows were provided approximately 4 lb per day of a common lactation diet pre-farrowing. After farrowing, sows were provided ad libitum access to lactation feed. The weaning age averaged 20.9 d. There was no evidence of difference (P \u3e 0.10) in sow weight or caliper score at entry, weaning, or overall BW change. Additionally, there was no evidence of difference (P \u3e 0.10) in total litter or piglet birth BW, total pigs born, or percentage of pigs born alive. However, sows fed with the dry lactation feeder had decreased (P \u3c 0.001) total daily feed disappearance, and average daily feed disappearance compared to sows fed with either wet/dry feeder. There was no evidence of difference (P \u3e 0.10) for litter or pig weaning weight, or litter average daily gain. As a result, litter feed efficiency was improved (P = 0.027) in sows fed with the dry feeder compared to either wet/dry feeder. Sows fed with the dry feeder had decreased (P ≤ 0.006) total lactation feed cost and feed cost per piglet weaned compared to either wet/dry feeder. For feeder cleaning criteria, dry feeders had increased (P = 0.001) washing time and washing cost compared to either wet/dry feeder. In summary, using the dry feeder design reduced feed disappearance with no effects on sow and litter performance compared to either wet/dry feeder, thus improving litter feed efficiency and reducing feed cost per sow and litter presumably through less feed wastage
Evaluation of Net Energy, Standardized Ileal Digestible Lysine, and Soybean Meal Content Interactions in Pigs from 25 to 50 lb using a Central Composite Design
Get PDFA total of 4,681 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 28.7 ± 2.00 lb) were used in a 21-d trial to investigate the interaction of net energy (NE), standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID Lys), and soybean meal (SBM) content on growth performance of nursey pigs. Pigs were housed in mixed-gender pens with 35 pigs per pen and assigned in a randomized complete block design to 15 dietary treatments using a circumscribed central composite design (CCD). Factorial and axial points had seven repetitions, and the central points had a total of 24 repetitions. Eight diets were formulated to various levels of NE, SID Lys, and SBM and blended to create the 15 dietary treatments. The NE ranged from 1,059 to 1,253 kcal/lb, SID Lys from 1.08 to 1.52%, and dietary SBM content from 25.5 to 35.9%. Diets were corn-soybean meal based and soy hulls and soybean oil were added to reduce or increase NE content of the diet. Feed-grade amino acids and SBM were used to adjust SBM and SID Lys content and to maintain SID Thr, Trp, Met, Val, and Ile ratios relative to SID Lys. Increasing NE decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.10) ADG and ADFI while F/G became poorer (quadratic, P \u3c 0.10) due to a reduction in SID Lys:calorie ratio. There was a significant interaction (P \u3c 0.10) observed between SID Lys and SBM for F/G, where SID Lys improved F/G, but maximized F/G when SID Lys and SBM were at 1.52% and 35.9%, respectively. When increasing SID Lys, ADG and F/G improved (quadratic, P \u3c 0.10) up to approximately 1.43% with minor benefit thereafter. Increasing SBM content improved (linear, P \u3c 0.10) ADG and F/G when included up to 33.8% without additional improvements thereafter. Feed cost per pig increased (linear, P \u3c 0.10) as NE and SID Lys concentrations increased. Feed cost per lb of gain increased (quadratic, P \u3c 0.10) as NE, SID Lys, and SBM content increased; however, there was an interaction (P \u3c 0.10) between SID Lys and SBM where increasing both at the highest inclusion reduced feed cost per lb of gain. Revenue increased (linear, P \u3c 0.10) as the SID Lys level and SBM content increased. Income over feed cost (IOFC) increased when increasing SID Lys (quadratic, P \u3c 0.10) and SBM (linear, P \u3c 0.10) levels were fed, and decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.10) with increasing NE. In conclusion, using a CCD, increasing SID Lys resulted in a quadratic improvement in ADG and F/G with a greater response observed when SBM also increased in the diet
Determining the Productive Energy of Soybean Meal Relative to Corn and Feed-grade Amino Acids
Get PDFA total of 2,153 finishing pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 63.6 ± 1.03 lb) were used in a 112-d growth study to determine the productive energy of soybean meal (SBM) relative to corn and feed-grade amino acids. Pens of pigs were blocked by initial BW and allotted to one of four dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. There were 26 or 27 pigs per pen and 20 pens per treatment across two barns. Soybean meal NE value used in diet formulation was 947 kcal/lb (78% NE of corn; NRC, 2012). The four treatments consisted of a diet containing a low level of SBM and added feed-grade amino acids (Low SBM), and three diets with a 3.37 (Med-Low SBM), 6.69 (Med-High SBM), and 10% (High SBM) increase in SBM compared to the Low SBM diet and decreased feed-grade amino acids. The High SBM diet did not contain feed-grade L-lysine. Treatment diets were fed in four phases. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance was measured every 14 d to determine ADG, ADFI, F/G, and caloric efficiency (CE). From d 0 to 56, increasing SBM decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) ADG and ADFI, with no effect on F/G. From d 56 to 112, increasing SBM tended (linear, P \u3c 0.10) to decrease ADG but there was no effect on ADFI. As a result, F/G worsened (linear, P = 0.050) as dietary SBM increased. From d 0 to 112, there was a decrease (linear, P \u3c 0.05) in ADG and ADFI as SBM level increased, but there was no effect on F/G. Caloric efficiency improved (linear, P \u3c 0.05) as SBM level increased, suggesting a greater NE concentration than initially estimated. Increasing SBM decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) carcass ADG and worsened (linear, P \u3c 0.05) carcass F/G, but there was no effect on carcass CE. Increasing SBM decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) HCW and carcass yield. Backfat depth and percentage lean were lowest and greatest, respectively, (quadratic, P \u3c 0.05) for pigs fed the intermediate SBM levels. There was an increase (linear, P \u3c 0.05) in pig removals with increasing SBM but no treatment effect on mortality. However, when combined, removals and mortality were increased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) as SBM level increased. The results of this study suggest that when using caloric efficiency, SBM is estimated to contain 93.5% on a liveweight basis or 83.9% on a carcass weight basis of the NE of corn
Effects of Dietary Standardized Ileal Digestible Lysine on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Economics of Pigs from 230 to 285 lb
Get PDFA total of 1,570 finishing pigs (337 × 1050, PIC; initially 228.4 ± 1.87 lb) were used in a 28-d trial to determine the effects of feeding increasing standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys to pigs between 230 to 285 lb on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and economics. Prior to the beginning of the study, the three heaviest pigs per pen were removed and marketed, with all remaining pigs marketed 28-d later at the end of the study. Pigs were housed in mixed-sex pens, with 20 pigs per pen and 20 pens per treatment. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with four dietary treatments: 0.61, 0.68, 0.75, and 0.82% SID Lys. Diets were corn-soybean meal-based and fed in meal form. Dietary treatments were similar in NE and increasing SID Lys was achieved by increasing soybean meal and feed-grade amino acids. For the first 14 d from 230 to approximately 260 lb, as SID Lys increased, there was a tendency for increased (linear, P = 0.074) ADG, an improvement (linear, P \u3c 0.05) in F/G, and increase (linear, P \u3c 0.001) in SID Lys intake per kg of gain. For the second 14 d from 260 to 285 lb, SID Lys intake per kg of gain increased (linear, P \u3c 0.001) as SID Lys increased; however, there was no evidence for difference (P \u3e 0.10) for any growth performance traits. Overall, there was an improvement (linear, P \u3c 0.05) in F/G and increase (linear, P \u3c 0.001) in SID Lys intake per kg of gain as SID Lys increased. Increasing SID Lys also increased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) percentage lean and decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) backfat depth with no evidence for differences (P \u3e 0.10) in other carcass criteria. For economics, feed cost and feed cost per lb of gain increased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) as SID Lys increased in both low- and high-price scenarios. Income over feed cost decreased (linear, P \u3c 0.05) as dietary SID Lys increased in a low-price scenario, but there was no difference (P \u3e 0.10) between treatments in a high-price scenario. In conclusion, increasing dietary SID Lys in feed offered to pigs remaining in the pen after topping for the last 28-d of the finisher period linearly improved F/G and increased SID Lys intake per kg of gain without significantly influencing other growth performance traits. Feed cost per pound of gain was linearly increased for both low and high-price scenarios with a detriment for IOFC with increasing SID Lys in the low-price scenario
Effect of Benzoic Acid, Myristic Acid, and Aspergillus Niger on the AME and N Retention in Grow-Finishing Pigs
Get PDFAn experiment was conducted to determine the effect of benzoic acid, myristic acid, and Aspergillus niger on the digestibility of DM and GE, and the concentration of DE and ME in diets fed to growing pigs. A total of 10 barrows (DNA 200 × 400, DNA; initially 75.2 ± 2.27 lb.) were allotted to a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square design with five treatments and five periods for a total of 10 replicate pigs per treatment. Pigs were individually housed in metabolic crates equipped with a feeder, drinker, and a wire mesh floor. Pigs were fed dietary treatments for a 5-day adaptation period followed by a 5-day collection period. During collection, a screen and a urine pan were installed below the floor of the crate to allow for the total and separate collection of feces and urine. A basal corn-soybean meal, wheat middlings and DDGS-based diet was formulated as a negative control and a corn soybean meal-based diet was formulated as positive control. Three additional diets were formulated by adding one source of benzoic acid, myristic acid, or Aspergillus niger to the negative control. Therefore, a total of five diets were formulated. The positive control diet had the greatest (P \u3c 0.05) ATTD of GE and DM, ME and DE compared to the negative control diet with or without feed additives. There was no evidence of difference between ATTD of DM and GE between the negative control diet and the negative control diets with either benzoic acid, myristic acid, or Aspergillus niger. However, the negative control diet containing myristic acid had increased (P \u3c 0.05) DE concentration compared to the negative control. There was a tendency for the negative control diets containing benzoic acid and Aspergillus niger to have increased (P \u3c 0.15) concentration of DE compared to the negative control diet without feed additives. Similarly, there was a tendency of increased (P \u3c 0.15) concentration of ME in diets containing added myristic acid and benzoic acid compared to the negative control diet. There was no evidence of difference (P \u3e 0.15) in ME concentration between the negative control diet with and without Aspergillus niger. The positive control diet had the greatest (P \u3c 0.05) N retention and N digestibility as percentage of intake compared to all negative control treatments. However, there was no evidence of differences between the negative control diet and the negative control treatments containing the feed additives. This data suggests that the inclusion of myristic acid and benzoic acid has the potential to increase the concentration of ME in diets with high fiber concentrations without impacting N retention
Evaluation of Formaldehyde When Complete Feed and Soybean Meal Were Inoculated with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus, and Seneca Valley Virus 1
Get PDFChemical mitigants have been found to decrease virus concentrations in feed and ingredient matrices. Continued research is needed to identify the appropriate inclusion levels and application time for different viruses in these matrices. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate different inclusion levels of formaldehyde when applied either pre- or post-inoculation of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Seneca Valley virus 1 (SVV1) to complete feed or soybean meal. The experiment was designed in a 2 × 2 factorial with a formaldehyde-based product (Termin-8, Anitox Corp. Lawrenceville, GA) applied either before virus inoculation (pre-inoculation) or after inoculation (post-inoculation) at either a 4 or 6 lb/ton. On d 0, samples of the respective matrices were weighed in 50 g aliquots and added to 500 mL bottles. Chemical mitigants were applied to the pre-inoculation samples at their respective inclusion levels and 50 μL each of 1×107 TCID50/ mL PEDV, 1×108 TCID50/mL PRRSV, and 1×108 TCID50/mL SVV1 were added to the post-inoculation samples. All bottles were shaken and allowed to sit at room temperature for 24 hours. On d 1, virus was added to the pre-inoculation samples and chemical mitigants were added to the post-inoculation bottles. Half of the samples were immediately processed (0 hr) and the other half were incubated at room temperature for an additional 24 hours (24 hr). Samples were processed and aliquots were analyzed via a triplex PCR assay at Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Cycle threshold and proportion PCR positive were analyzed using SAS GLIMMIX v 9.4 (SAS, Inc., Cary, NC) with each virus and matrix combination analyzed individually. An application time × inclusion level interaction was observed for PEDV at 0 hr and SVV1 and PEDV at 24 hr in complete feed, where less viral RNA (P \u3c 0.05) was detected in the post-inoculation samples at either inclusion level as compared to the positive controls. In soybean meal, the same interaction was observed in PEDV and PRRSV at 0 hr and SVV1 and PEDV at 24 hr with less detectable RNA observed (P \u3c 0.05) in the post-inoculation samples regardless of inclusion level than the pre-inoculation counterparts and the controls. Overall, an application time effect was noticed in each matrix where less RNA was detected in the post-inoculation samples at 0 hr (P \u3c 0.05) compared to the pre-inoculation samples and the control, and at 24 hr, both the pre- and post-inoculation samples had less detectable RNA (P \u3c 0.05) than the control. Overall, formaldehyde can reduce detectable RNA immediately in both contaminated complete feed and soybean meal, with greater decreases observed as mitigant contact time increases
Holistic Statistics: managing rare materials cataloging at KU during times of change
Get PDFWhen thinking about the typical ways that the work of catalogers is described, statistics play a vital role. However, most statistics focus on the number of items cataloged or the time it takes to catalog an individual item. Though these statistics can be useful for internal processes or reporting for vendors, they don’t convey the value of cataloging work to an external audience, even those within the library. This is in part because the materials catalogers work with can exhibit variable needs, and there are additional impacts when working with rare materials that can make statistics seem unbalanced when looking at them broadly. Catalogers use terms like original, complex copy, or copy cataloging to de-scribe the level of complexity of the work they do to attempt to get at this variability, yet this still does not provide a clear understanding of the work. By considering the work catalogers do in a human-centered, holistic manner, pro-vides pathways for developing understanding across departments and the library, strengthening collaboration, highlighting achievements, and bringing visibility to the cataloging unit
Breathing Disorders as a Risk Factor for Falls among Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Results from National Surveillance Data
Get PDFWhile breathing disorders (BDs) are associated with falls, most studies fail to account for overdispersion of data, and hence do not reflect nuances in association of these issues. This study explores the association between BDs, falls, and fall-related injuries with national surveillance data using advanced statistical analytical approaches.
Using BRFSS 2020 data from 252,354 adults ages 45 years and older, zero-inflation negative binomial regression (ZINB) analyses were performed to predict number of falls and fall-related injuries based on BD (None, COPD, Asthma, or Both COPD and Asthma). Models accounted for covariates including sociodemographic, health-related indicators, functional limitations, and activity of daily living (ADL) restrictions. Multiple interaction effects were examined.
Among the extensive sample of 252,354 participants, the study identified that individuals with asthma and COPD are at significantly higher risk of experiencing falls. The ZINB analysis further revealed that people with BD are more likely to report falls. Specific findings indicated that individuals with asthma were more likely to experience falls. Regarding fall-related injuries, those with both asthma and COPD were at markedly higher risk. Interaction effects analysis demonstrated that individuals with asthma who also had depression exhibited a lower likelihood of falling.
This study emphasizes the need for tailored interventions, comprehensive assessments, and a nuanced understanding of fall risk factors, considering specific combinations of health conditions and other factors. The findings challenge conventional wisdom, highlighting the potential protective role of depression in fall prevention among individuals with asthma