Effect of target slaughter weight on production efficiency, carcass traits and behaviour of restrictively-fed gilts and intact male finisher pigs

The effect of 3 slaughter weights (85.95 or 105 kg) on performance and carcass traits of 481 pigs in single-gender groups of 13 (18 groups of gilts and 19 groups of intact males) was evaluated. Pigs (39.5 +/- 3.3 kg) were fed a liquid diet 3 times daily in a long trough. The behaviour of pigs slaughtered at 105 kg was recorded at 50, 60 and 70 days after the start of the experiment (5 groups of gilts and 4 groups of intact males). Behaviour (active, inactive, feeding) and posture (standing, lying, dog-sitting) of all pigs was recorded at 5-min intervals for 30 min prior to and 1 h after each feeding event. Slaughtering pigs at 95 kg and 105 kg delayed production by 7 and 16 days, respectively, compared to slaughtering at 85 kg (P0.05). Muscle depth increased with increasing slaughter weight (P

Physical Activity, Gender, Weight Status, and Wellbeing in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity and wellbeing in children, and to further explore the extent to which this may vary by gender and weight status. Method: A representative sample of 1424 9- to 11-year-olds completed a self-report measure of physical activity, the Child Health and Illness Profile, KIDSCREEN, and a self-esteem scale. Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements were also obtained. Results: 24% of children achieved the recommended level of 60 minutes of moderate-tovigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) per day, with more boys than girls achieving this level. Children achieving the recommended level of MVPA scored significantly higher on measures of the Child Health and Illness Profile (F(5, 1354) = 5.03; P < .001), KIDSCREEN (F(3, 1298) = 4.68; P = .003), and self-esteem (F(1,1271) = 18.73; P = .003) than less active children although the effect sizes were small (ηp2 ≈ .01). Substantial gender differences in wellbeing were found reflecting gender specific behaviors and socialization. Weight status had negligible influence on wellbeing. Conclusions: Children who meet the recommended guidelines of MVPA were more likely to have better wellbeing. When attempting to raise children’s physical activity levels consideration should be given to the specific relationships between wellbeing and physical activity.

A longitudinal study of infant feeding and obesity throughout the life course

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health and Human Services promote breastfeeding as a strategy for reducing childhood overweight. We evaluated the relation between infant feeding and the development of overweight and obesity throughout life course. Methods: We investigated the association between infant feeding and obesity among 35 526 participants in the Nurses' Health Study II who were followed prospectively from 1989 to 2001. Mothers of participants provided information by mailed questionnaires on the duration of breast- and bottle-feeding, as well as the type of milk or milk substitute in the bottle. Information on body shape at ages 5 and 10, weight at age 18, current weight between 1989 and 2001, and height was reported by the participants. Results: The duration of breastfeeding, including exclusive breastfeeding, was not related to being overweight (25 body mass index (BMI)

Characterization and modeling of on-body spatial diversity within indoor environments at 868 MHz

For the first time in the open literature we present a full characterization of the performance of receiver diversity for the on-body channels found in body area networks. The study involved three commonly encountered diversity combining schemes: selection combination (SC), maximal ratio combining (MRC) and equal gain combining (EGC). Measurements were conducted for both stationary and mobile user scenarios in an anechoic chamber and open office area environment. Achievable diversity gain for various on-body dual branch diversity receivers, consisting of horizontal and vertical spatially separated antennas, was found to be dependent upon transmitter-receive array separation, user state and level of multipath contribution from the local environment. The maximum diversity gain (6.4 dB) was observed for a horizontal two branch MRC combiner while the transmitter and receiver were on opposite sides of the body, and the user was mobile in the open office area. A novel statistical characterization of the fading experienced in on-body diversity channels is also performed using purposely derived first and second order diversity statistics for combiners operating in Nakagami fading.

Influence of post-calving regrouping strategy on welfare and performance parameters in dairy heifers

Thirty-six Holstein Friesian heifers (dairy herd replacements) were assigned to one of three regrouping treatments during the post-calving period. In Treatment 1, heifers were introduced individually to an established group of cows and heifers within 24 h of calving ('Single-day 1'). In Treatment 2, heifers were housed individually in a straw pen for I week after calving before being added individually to the group ('Single-day 7'). In Treatment 3, two heifers were housed together in a straw pen for 1 week after calving before being added as a pair to the group ('Pair-day T). The size of the resident group remained constant at 16 animals (10 mature cows and 6 first-lactation heifers). The behaviour of the heifers was assessed during their first 8 h and first month in the resident group, and milk yield parameters, body condition loss and live weight loss were assessed during the first month post-calving. Reproductive performance was assessed during the post-calving period, and hoof health parameters were measured I month prior to calving, and at I and 3 months post-calving. Heifers in the 'Pair-day 7' treatment appeared to associate closely during their first month in the group by spending more time than expected in the same pen area and in adjacent cubicles (P

Obesity associated severe asthma represents a distinct clinical phenotype - Analysis of the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry patient cohort according to body mass index

BACKGROUND: Obesity has emerged as a risk factor for the development of asthma and it may also influence asthma control and airways inflammation. However, the role of obesity in severe asthma remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between obesity (defined by BMI) and severe asthma. METHODS: Data from the National Registry for dedicated UK Difficult Asthma Services were used to compare patient demographics, disease characteristics and healthcare utilisation between three body mass index (BMI) categories (normal weight: 18.5 -24.99, overweight: 25 -29.99, obese: =30) in a well characterised group of severe asthmatic adults. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 666 severe asthmatics with a median BMI of 29.8 (interquartile range 22.5 -34.0). The obese group exhibited greater asthma medication requirements in terms of maintenance corticosteroid therapy (48.9% versus 40.4% and 34.5% in the overweight and normal weight groups, respectively), steroid burst therapy and short-acting ß2-agonist (SABA) use per day. Significant differences were seen with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) (53.9% versus 48.1% and 39.7% in the overweight and normal weight groups, respectively) and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use. Bone density scores were higher in the obese group, whilst pulmonary function testing revealed a reduced FVC and raised Kco. Serum IgE levels decreased with increasing BMI and the obese group were more likely to report eczema, but less likely to have a history of nasal polyps. CONCLUSIONS: Severe asthmatics display particular characteristics according to BMI that support the view that obesity associated severe asthma may represent a distinct clinical phenotype.1Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK;2Department of Computing, Imperial College, UK3Airways Disease, National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College, UK;4Centre for infection and immunity, Queen's University of Belfast, UK;5University of Leicester, UK;6The University of Manchester and University Hospital of South Manchester, UK;7Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, University of Birmingham, UK;8Gartnavel General Hospital, University of Glasgow, UK;9Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UKCorrespondence: Dr Andrew N. Menzies-Gow, Royal Brompton Hospital, Fulham Road, London SW3 6HP.

Parsing parallel evolution:Ecological divergence and differential gene expression in the adaptive radiations of thick-lipped Midas cichlid fishes from Nicaragua

The study of parallel evolution facilitates the discovery of common rules of diversification. Here, we examine the repeated evolution of thick lips in Midas cichlid fishes (the Amphilophus citrinellus species complex) - from two Great Lakes and two crater lakes in Nicaragua - to assess whether similar changes in ecology, phenotypic trophic traits and gene expression accompany parallel trait evolution. Using next-generation sequencing technology, we characterize transcriptome-wide differential gene expression in the lips of wild-caught sympatric thick- and thin-lipped cichlids from all four instances of repeated thick-lip evolution. Six genes (apolipoprotein D, myelin-associated glycoprotein precursor, four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 2, calpain-9, GTPase IMAP family member 8-like and one hypothetical protein) are significantly underexpressed in the thick-lipped morph across all four lakes. However, other aspects of lips' gene expression in sympatric morphs differ in a lake-specific pattern, including the magnitude of differentially expressed genes (97-510). Generally, fewer genes are differentially expressed among morphs in the younger crater lakes than in those from the older Great Lakes. Body shape, lower pharyngeal jaw size and shape, and stable isotopes (dC and dN) differ between all sympatric morphs, with the greatest differentiation in the Great Lake Nicaragua. Some ecological traits evolve in parallel (those related to foraging ecology; e.g. lip size, body and head shape) but others, somewhat surprisingly, do not (those related to diet and food processing; e.g. jaw size and shape, stable isotopes). Taken together, this case of parallelism among thick- and thin-lipped cichlids shows a mosaic pattern of parallel and nonparallel evolution. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A Statistical Model for Shadowed Body Centric Communications Channels: Theory and Validation

This paper presents a new statistical signal reception model for shadowed body-centric communications channels. In this model, the potential clustering of multipath components is considered alongside the presence of elective dominant signal components. As typically occurs in body-centric communications channels, the dominant or line-of-sight (LOS) components are shadowed by body matter situated in the path trajectory. This situation may be further exacerbated due to physiological and biomechanical movements of the body. In the proposed model, the resultant dominant component which is formed by the phasor addition of these leading contributions is assumed to follow a lognormal distribution. A wide range of measured and simulated shadowed body-centric channels considering on-body, off-body and body-to-body communications are used to validate the model. During the course of the validation experiments, it was found that, even for environments devoid of multipath or specular reflections generated by the local surroundings, a noticeable resultant dominant component can still exist in body-centric channels where the user's body shadows the direct LOS signal path between the transmitter and the receiver.

Are the differences in adulthood ill-health across the North-South divide and between Scotland and England also evident in early childhood health indicators?

Regional differences in adult morbidity and mortality within England (i.e., north-south divide or gradient) and between England and Scotland (i.e., Scottish effect) are only partly explained by adult levels of socioeconomic status or risk factors. This suggests variation in early life, and is supported by the fetal origins and life-course literature which posits that birth outcomes and subsequent, cumulative exposures influence adult health. However, no studies have examined the north-south gradient or Scottish effect in health in the earliest years of life. The aims of the study were: i) to examine health indicators in English and Scottish children at birth and age three to establish whether regional differences exist; and ii) to establish whether observed changes in child health at age three were attributable to birth and/or early life environmental exposures. Respondents included 10,639 biological Caucasian mothers of singleton children recruited to the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) in the year 2000. Outcome variables were: gestational age and birth weight, and height, body mass index (BMI), and externalising behavioural problems at age three. Region/country was categorised as: South (reference), Midlands, North (England), and Scotland. Respondents provided information on child, maternal, household, and socioeconomic characteristics. Results indicated no significant regional variations for gestational age or birth weight. At age three there was a north-south gradient for externalising behaviour and a north-south divide in BMI which attenuated on adjustment. However, a north-south divide in height was not fully explained by adjustment. There was also evidence of a ‘Midlands effect’, with increased likelihood of shorter stature and behaviour problems. Results showed a Scottish effect for height and BMI in the unadjusted models, and height in the adjusted model, but a decreased likelihood of behaviour problems. Findings indicated no regional differences in health at birth, but some regional variation at age three supports the cumulative life-course model.

Effects of scalding and dehairing of pig carcasses at abattoirs on the visibility of welfare-related lesions

There is increasing interest in developing abattoir-based welfare measures for pigs.The primary aim of this study was to determine the most appropriate place on theslaughter line to conduct assessments of welfare-related lesions, namely apparentaggression-related skin lesions (hereafter referred to as 'skin lesions'), loin bruising andapparent tail biting damage. The study also lent itself to an assessment of theprevalence of these lesions, and the extent to which they were linked with productionparameters. Finishing pigs processed at two abattoirs on the Island of Ireland (n =1950 in abattoir A, and n = 1939 in abattoir B) were used. Data were collected over 6days in each abattoir in July 2014. Lesion scoring took place at two points on theslaughter line: (1) at exsanguination (Slaughter Stage 1 [SS1]), and (2) followingscalding and dehairing of carcasses (Slaughter Stage 2 [SS2]). At both points, eachcarcass was assigned a skin and tail lesion score ranging from 0 (lesion absent) to 3 or4 (severe lesions), respectively. Loin bruising was recorded as present or absent.Differences in the percentage of pigs with observable lesions of each type werecompared between SS1 and SS2 using McNemar/McNemar-Bowker tests. Theassociations between each lesion type, and both cold carcass weight andcondemnations, were examined at batch level using Pearson's correlations. Batch wasdefined as the group of animals with a particular farm identification code on a givenday. The overall percentage of pigs with a visible skin lesion (i.e. score > 0) decreasedbetween SS1 and SS2 (P<0.001). However, the percentage of pigs with a severe skinlesion increased numerically from SS1 to SS2. The percentage of pigs with a visible taillesion and with loin bruising also increased between SS1 and SS2 (P<0.001). Therewas a positive correlation between the percentage of carcasses that were partiallycondemned, and the percentage of pigs with skin lesions, tail lesions and loin bruising(P<0.05). Additionally, as the batch-level frequency of each lesion type increased,average cold carcass weight decreased (P<0.001). These findings suggest that severeskin lesions, tail lesions and loin bruising are more visible on pig carcasses after theyhave been scalded and dehaired, and that this is when abattoir-based lesion scoringshould take place. The high prevalence of all three lesion types, and the links witheconomically important production parameters, suggests more research into identifying key risk factors is warranted.