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Effects of Diet and Water Monoglyceride and Acid Supplementation on Nursery Pig Performance
No full textA total of 2,520 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050, initially 11.5 ± 0.22 lb) were used in a 42-d study to determine the effects of dietary and water-based monoglyceride and acid supplementation on growth performance of nursery pigs. Pigs were weaned at approximately 20 d of age and randomly allotted to pens. Pens of pigs were blocked by initial BW and allotted to one of six treatments in a randomized complete block design with 30 pigs per pen and 14 pens per treatment across two rooms. Treatment diets were formulated in three phases and fed based on a feed budget. The six treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of acidifier supplementation in water (Control or Protaq Bond 50) and feed (Control, Acitra G20C, or Acitra G20C and Entero-Nova 410C). Protaq Bond 50 is a blend of organic acids and monoglycerides applied to the water source through the water medicator included at a rate to reach a target water pH of 4.0. Acitra G20C, a blend of organic acids, was included at 0.3% in phase 1, 0.15% in phase 2, and 0% in phase 3. Entero-Nova 410C, a blend of monoglycerides, was included at 0.3% in phases 1 and 2, and 0.1% in phase 3. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance was measured every 7 d to determine ADG, ADFI, and F/G. From d 0 to 7, pigs provided water with Protaq Bond 50 had increased (P \u3c 0.001) ADG and improved (P \u3c 0.001) F/G compared to pigs provided control water. Over the entire 42-d period, there were no differences (P \u3e 0.10) in ADG or ADFI for water or feed treatments. There was a tendency (P = 0.098) for a main effect of diet on F/G, where pigs fed Acitra G20C had the lowest numerical F/G and pigs fed the control diet had the highest numerical F/G. For mortality, there was a tendency (P = 0.055) for a water × diet interaction, where diet did not affect mortality in pigs provided the control water; however, when provided Protaq Bond 50 in the water, pigs fed Acitra G20C had numerically lower mortality, while pigs fed Acitra G20C and Entero-Nova 410C had numerically higher mortality compared to pigs fed the control. There were no differences (P \u3e 0.10) in removals or total removals and mortality. In summary, pigs receiving Protaq water had improved ADG and F/G compared to pigs on the control water in the first 7 d post-weaning. Pigs fed a blend of organic acids had numerically improved F/G compared to pigs fed the control, but there was no further benefit when both organic acids and monoglycerides were included in the diet. The addition of monoglycerides and other acidifiers in feed or water had no effect on overall ADG, ADFI, removals, or total removals and mortality
Evaluation of Sanitation Procedures in Swine Nursery Facilities Utilizing ATP Bioluminescence
No full textFollowing an in vivo animal challenge experiment, 44 pens, which had previously individually housed pigs inoculated with Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F18 (ETEC), were assigned to one of four sanitation treatment protocols. Pens were assigned to treatment in a randomized complete block design over three separate days of cleaning and disinfection. There were 11 replicates per treatment, and the pen served as the experimental unit. Within each pen, five sampling locations included the feeder lip, exterior of the stainless-steel feeder, center of the metal flooring, flooring in the corner of the pen, and a solid plastic pen divider on the corner wall. Treatments included: 1) hot water (HW, 138.6°F) pressure washing followed by Synergize (1:256), 2) cold water (CW, 73.8°F) pressure washing followed by Synergize, 3) HW pressure washing followed by Virkon S (1:128), 4) pre-treatment of BarnStorm (1:64) then HW followed by Synergize. Synergize, Virkon S, and BarnStorm applications all had ≥ 10 min contact time. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence sampling was taken before and after sanitation treatment at each sampling location within the pen (UltraSnap surface ATP test and Luminometer, Hygenia, Camarillo, CA). No significant sanitation treatment × sampling location interactions were observed. Pens treated with HW followed by Virkon S showed a reduction (P \u3c 0.001) in ATP compared to other sanitation treatments. Differences in residual surface ATP were observed between sampling locations (P \u3c 0.001), with the highest residual levels post-sanitation detected on the feeder lip and the lowest on the solid plastic pen divider on the corner wall. These results suggest that pressure washing with HW followed by disinfection with Virkon S was the most effective protocol of those evaluated for reducing surface ATP in swine housing facilities contaminated with ETEC. The feeder lip is the most difficult area to sanitize, highlighting that differences in accessibility and surface type affect cleaning efficacy
The Benefits of Meditation for Reducing Perceived Anxiety in College Students: A Literature Review
No full textAnxiety is the most prevalent mental health issue in college students, affecting the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of daily life. There is a rising demand for mental health services, which has caused conventional treatments like therapy and medication to be spread thin. Complementary and alternative approaches have gained traction due to being cost-effective and easy. This literature review examines the effects of meditation on anxiety levels in college students based on findings from peer-reviewed studies. Evidence from multiple intervention studies exhibit notable reductions in perceived anxiety among college students who practice meditation of various forms. Furthermore, meditation benefits additional facets of well-being, like enhancing emotional regulation, mindfulness, and overall mental health. Despite certain limitations, such as reliance on self-reported data and insufficient long-term follow-ups, the results are consistent in highlighting the viable benefits of meditation. The findings postulate meditation as a tool for reducing anxiety and enhancing well-being in the college population. Further investigation should research long-term effects and the realistic integration of meditation into college student initiatives
Planning for Gender Equality: Ensuring Pesticide Educational Programming Protects Women
Full text linkPesticide use continues to rise in least developed countries (LDCs), where weak regulations, limited safety training, and low access to personal protective equipment increase the risk of pesticide exposure for farming families. Pesticide safety programs generally target farmers and focus on pesticide mixing and application. However, this approach can unintentionally exclude women, as many women in LDCs may not identify as farmers but engage in activities that could result in pesticide exposure. Without proper knowledge and training, women cannot make informed decisions and take actions that protect their health and the health of their families. Therefore, Extension professionals should engage with women prior to program design to consider cultural norms, address barriers to participation, and ensure programming meets their gender-specific needs.This research note draws on experiences from a pesticide risk reduction project in Senegal and a literature review to identify barriers that prevent women in LDCs from benefitting equally from pesticide safety programs. Evidence-based strategies are then recommended to help educators work with women to understand the activities they are engaged in that that could lead to exposure, the barriers they face in participating in pesticide programs, and their underlying knowledge and pesticide safety goals. Educators can then use this information to identify strategies that will ensure their programs provide equal benefits to women
The Testimonial “We”: Collaborative Life Writing in Senthuran Varatharajah’s Vor der Zunahme der Zeichen
Full text linkIn contemporary novels about refugees’ experiences, the subject of first-person witness often serves narratively as a means of centering the voices of those forcibly displaced. This reading of Senthuran Varatharajah’s novel Vor der Zunahme der Zeichen examines how the novel diverges from a focus on the singular testimony of a first-person subject to enable political recognition of shared experiences of flight. In its structure as a Facebook conversation between two strangers, Senthil and Valmira, sharing distinct experiences about arriving in Germany as asylum-seekers, Vor der Zunahme privileges a dialogue that underscores how their life histories are embedded in family histories and cultural memories of major historical events such as the Sri Lankan Civil War and Kosovo War. While previous readings of Vor der Zunahme have focused on its portrayal of trauma and language (Fagan), postdigital practices (Ubieto), peripherality (Majkiewicz), and conditions of displacement (Teupert) and cosmopolitanism (Lizarazu), this article considers how the novel engages social media to center the interpersonal aspect of life writing and reflect on forms of witnessing the transgenerational and cultural-historical aspects of personal narratives about flight and diasporic experiences
Developing Disability-Inclusive Programs to Empower Farmers: Lessons Learned from AgrAbility
Full text linkDisabilities have profound effects on farm households. Establishing disability-inclusive programs will improve the well-being and quality of life of farmers with disabilities and their communities; in turn, this will accelerate efforts to achieve social justice. A qualitative approach was employed to identify and aggregate essential strategies used by seven AgrAbility states for developing disability-inclusive programs and to explore how social, political, and ethical stances are addressed or enacted within AgrAbility\u27s planning processes. The findings laid a foundational framework that could serve as a catalyst to answer the following question: \u27To what extent can the social, political, and ethical domains be addressed or enacted within the development of programs serving farmers with disabilities?\u27 The framework, based on AgrAbility states\u27 strategies, can serve as an initial source for other extension agents and program planners in U.S. states and countries that do not have AgrAbility but are interested in developing disability-inclusive programs
Modifying the Process Evaluation Framework for Utilization in Extension and Social Sciences
Full text linkMedical fields use process evaluations to measure intervention fidelity as they are often complex with multiple interacting components. While Cooperative Extension programs are similarly structured, process evaluations have not been widely used in Extension or other social sciences, but could be beneficial in improving programming using a modified framework. We modified Carroll et al.’s framework to conduct a process evaluation of an Extension program instead of in a medical field. This paper outlines the implementation fidelity using ex-post, semi-structured interviews conducted based on the process evaluation framework. The interviews helped complete the process evaluation and address data gaps
Effects of an Acclimation Protocol During the Handling Events of the 7-day CO-synch + CIDR Protocol on Temperament and Reproductive Performance of Bos taurus Commercial Beef Heifers
Full text linkObjective: The objective of this study was to assess the effects of acclimation during the handling events of an estrus synchronization (ES) protocol on temperament and conception rates of commercial beef heifers to timed artificial insemination (TAI).
Study Description: Heifers were stratified by reproductive tract score (RTS) and chute score (CS) into the treatment (TRT) or control (CTRL) groups and pastured together. Before each ES event, TRT heifers were sorted, acclimated by sending them through the chute, and commingled with the CTRL heifers. Exit velocity and CS were recorded for all heifers to measure temperament during all ES events. Pregnancy status was determined 40 days post-artificial insemination by rectal ultrasonography.
The Bottom Line: Acclimating heifers to the facility during the handling events of the 7-day CO-synch + CIDR estrus synchronization protocol effectively decreased heifer excitability by the time of artificial insemination (Day 10). This study did not support greater reproductive performance of heifers that were acclimated