bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PSXII-10 Non-invasive measurements of woody and normal condition in broiler breast meat
Authors: OH Sang-Hyon , NOH Euyeon , MIN Byungrok R , YOON Soobin , SHIN Seungjun
Published: October 2021

Woody Breast (WB) defines a quality issue resulting from a muscle abnormality in chicken meat, which makes the breast meat more rigid and sometimes pale in color with inferior texture. The frequency of this defect in Europe is over 30% and some have argued that similar levels may exist in the United States. Given that chicken with WB are of poor economic value and are discriminated by the consumers, producers face significant economic hardship under the current production paradigm. One of the problems in identifying the biological mechanism responsible for WB is that the occurrence and severity of WB can be only identified after harvest. This study is to investigate the physical characteristics of WB and normal breast (NB) in live chicken using a non-invasive, digital palpation device named as “MyotonPRO®”. This technology provides the measurements of superficial muscles regarding dynamic stiffness (100–1500 N/m; DS), elasticity (0.3–2.5), mechanical stress relaxation time (5–40 ms; MSRT) and ratio of deformation and relaxation time (0.3–2.5; RDRT). One hundred breast meat samples were used in this analysis (WB: 50; NB: 50), which were obtained from a local processing plant one day after harvest and sorted based on WB scoring with the naked eye (0, 1 for NB; 2, 3 for WB). One way ANOVA was used to analyze the data as a statistical model. The least squares means of the following variables were significantly different between WB and NB (P < 0.01): DS (603.4 vs 565.8; N/m), and elasticity (1.40 vs 1.55). However, MSRT and RDRT were not significantly different (P > 0.05). These results collectively show that the non-invasive measurements of WB differ from NB. The degree of muscle hardness in WB can be considered as a trait to be selected, and utilized for the genetic/genomic selection program collecting the measurements before harvest.
PSXII-12 Partitioning direct and maternal genetic effects into additive and non-additive components for growth and maternal traits in Yorkshire pigs
Authors: Jiang Jicai , O’Neill Shauneen , Maltecca Christian , Fix Justin , Crum Tamar , Schwab Clint , Tiezzi Francesco
Published: October 2021

This study investigates how much direct and maternal non-additive genetic effects contribute to growth and maternal traits in swine. We analyzed a sample of 19,475 genotyped Yorkshire pigs from Acuity Ag Solutions, LLC (Carlyle, IL). Approximately 50K SNPs were kept after quality control, and missing genotypes were then imputed using findhap.f90. The genotypes were used to construct genomic relationship matrices (GRMs) corresponding to additive (A), dominance (D), and additive-by-additive epistasis (E) effects for both direct and maternal effects. The GRMs were subsequently employed as covariance structure matrices in a linear mixed model consisting of eight random components, namely three direct genetic effects (Ad, Dd, and Ed), three maternal genetic effects (Am, Dm, and Em), maternal environmental effect, and common litter environmental effect. We estimated these variance components (VCs) for six growth traits (birth weight, average daily gain, back fat, and loin area) and six maternal traits of a sow (total number of piglets born, number of piglets born alive, average weight of piglets at birth, average weight of piglets weaned) using REML in MMAP (https://mmap.github.io/). As shown in Table 1, we found significant (P< 0.05) direct dominance and epistasis VCs for all six growth traits. Additionally, direct epistasis effects explained a larger proportion of phenotypic variation than direct dominance for all growth traits (0.04–0.12 vs. 0.01–0.04). In contrast, direct non-additive VCs were not significant for any maternal trait except for epistasis in average weight of piglets weaned. As for maternal non-additive effects, we only discovered significant additive VC in birth weight and average daily gain and significant epistasis VC in back fat (P< 0.05). Other maternal genetic VCs were largely negligible. In summary, direct dominance and epistasis effects play a prominent role in growth traits of Yorkshire pigs.
PSXII-7 Milk somatic cells monitoring in Russian Holstein cattle population as a base for determining genetic and genomic variability
Authors: Lashneva Irina , Sermyagin Alexander A , Ignatieva Larisa P , Gladyr Elena , Ermilov Alexander , Zinovieva Natalia A
Published: October 2021

Health traits in dairy cattle have crucial meaning to produce high quality milk. Despite of fertility problems and metabolic disorders in cows, the mastitis has a bigger economic losses influence to include it as selection criteria in cattle breeding. Somatic cell count (SCC) in that case are the good predictor for monitoring udder health cows under whole population level or separate herd. The aim of our study was to assess genetic and genomic components for SCC and their scores (SCS) using experimental dataset by seven herds with the subsequent QTL identification. For six-month observation the 5824 cows with 19786 test-day records were included into analysis. Then EBVs by offspring assessing of 139 genotyped Holstein sires were calculated trough TD Model (BLUPF90) and then it adopted as pseudo-phenotypes for GWAS. After quality control using Plink 1.90, we used ≈39K SNP (Illumina 50K). The average values for SCC and SCS were 351±7 thousands cells/ml and 2.86±0.02 score respectively. Heritability coefficients revealed low genetic variation for SCC – 0.119 and moderate for SCS – 0.211. Daily yield for cows with SCC >1000×103 cells/ml was low by -4.0 kg milk to compare individuals with SCC < 100×103 cells/ml. At the same time lactose content and freezing point were decreasing by 4.93 to 4.69% and -0.635 to -0.618°C. By Cattle QTLdb we identified some causal genes for SCC on BTA3 (ROR1), BTA9 (EZR), BTA13 (OSBPL2,DNAJC5,ZBTB46,MTG2), BTA14 (KHDRBS3) and BTA22 (RBMS3). But more relevant GWAS calls were found for SCS by BTA14 (KCNB2, ZFAT) as QTL associated to the milking speed that has unfavorable genetic correlation with clinical mastitis or SCS. Thereby, genes detected under experimental study, are the valuable and informative markers to implementation genomic selection methods for cattle health in creating Russian bulls’ reference population. The study was funded by RFBR within project No. 20-316-90050
PSXIV-23 Polymorphism of the LCORL gene in the reindeer
Authors: Krutikova Anna , Dementieva Natalia , Nikitkina Elena
Published: October 2021

Reindeer are one of the main representatives of the ecosystem of the Arctic zone and the only possible object of economic activity of the indigenous peoples of the polar regions of Russia. Reindeer meat is a valuable source of complete protein in the diet of the Evenks, Nenets, Yakuts and other peoples of the Far North. Four breeds of reindeer have been bred in Russia - Nenets, Evenk, Chukchi and Even. Evenk and Nenets are the most numerous. They live in different climatic zones and differ significantly in phenotypic characteristics (size and body weight). Populations of wild reindeer are also widespread. The problem of increasing the meat productivity of the main breeds of domesticated reindeer can be solved by searching for casual polymorphisms in candidate genes responsible for the growth and development of muscle tissue. Thus, polymorphism of the LCORL gene (mRNA ligand-dependent nuclear receptor of the corepressor type, which is a transcription factor) is associated with body weight and size in many mammals. We sequenced exon 7 of the LCORL gene and found seven SNPs, six of which are nonsynonymous and lead to a change in the amino acid composition of the protein. There was a significant difference in the occurrence of wild and mutant alleles in the three analyzed populations (wild reindeer, Nenets breed, Evenk breed), which indicates the presence of selection pressure on the LСORL gene region, and also indirectly confirms the significance of the polymorphism of this locus for phenotypic variability in height and size of the reindeer. Studies of associations of LCORL gene polymorphisms on live weight and growth in other animal species suggest that some of the found SNPs may be true causal quantitative trait loci (QTL) in domestic reindeer breeds. Project No. 0045-2021-0010.
PSXIV-25 Search for the association of SNP in GRM8 gene with sperm quality in stallions
Authors: Nikitkina Elena , Krutikova Anna , Musidray Artem
Published: October 2021

The formation and functioning of the animal reproductive system occurs as a result of the coordinated interaction of a wide range of genes. To search for causal mutations, work was carried out to search for polymorphic variants in the marker regions detected using GWAS. The four single-nucleotide substitutions in the exon of the GRM8 gene identified during the studies and the association of these SNPs with sperm quality was carried out. Semen from 22 stallions was collected. Sperm volume, concentration and progressive motility were assessed. Sequencing of the sections of the candidate GRM8 gene was carried out using an Applied Biosystems 3500 genetic analyzer. For the rs1138419111 genotype, no significant differences were found in the studied parameters. According to the identified single nucleotide substitution rs1147388106, the highest ejaculate volume was in stallions with the GG genotype (55.9±26.5 ml) compared to stallions with the GA genotypes (32.5±13.9 ml) and AA (18.0±33,6) (p < 0.05). When analyzing data on SNP rs395286150, stallions with a heterozygous CT genotype had the best sperm quality. Thus, the cell concentration was 317.0±66.5 million/ml in stallions with the CT genotype, 209.6±58.2 and 189.5±74.9 % with the CC and TT genotypes, respectively (P < 0.05). The progressive sperm motility of stallions with the CT genotype was 65.5±20.5% versus 48.7±22.0% in stallions with the TT genotype and 48.4±18.6% with CC. Analysis of data on SNP rs394524550 revealed a significant effect of the genotype on progressive motility. Stallions with the AG genotype had a progressive motility of 64.6±16.3%, and those with GG and AA 32.7±15.7 and 49.6±18.1%, respectively (P < 0.05). Thus, as a result four single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in the exon of the GRM gene. Three of them were significantly associated with such indicators of sperm quality as ejaculate volume, concentration and progressive motility. Project No. 0445-2021-0011.
PSIX-15 Assessment of machine learning algorithms for prediction of Aleutian disease in American mink
Authors: Do Duy Ngoc , Hu Guoyu , Miar Younes
Published: October 2021

American mink (Neovison vison) is the major source of fur for the fur industries worldwide and Aleutian disease (AD) is causing severe financial losses to the mink industry. Different methods have been used to diagnose the AD in mink, but the combination of several methods can be the most appropriate approach for the selection of AD resilient mink. Iodine agglutination test (IAT) and counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) methods are commonly employed in test-and-remove strategy; meanwhile, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and packed-cell volume (PCV) methods are complementary. However, using multiple methods are expensive; and therefore, hindering the corrected use of AD tests in selection. This research presented the assessments of the AD classification based on machine learning algorithms. The Aleutian disease was tested on 1,830 individuals using these tests in an AD positive mink farm (Canadian Centre for Fur Animal Research, NS, Canada). The accuracy of classification for CIEP was evaluated based on the sex information, and IAT, ELISA and PCV test results implemented in seven machine learning classification algorithms (Random Forest, Artificial Neural Networks, C50Tree, Naive Bayes, Generalized Linear Models, Boost, and Linear Discriminant Analysis) using the Caret package in R. The accuracy of prediction varied among the methods. Overall, the Random Forest was the best-performing algorithm for the current dataset with an accuracy of 0.89 in the training data and 0.94 in the testing data. Our work demonstrated the utility and relative ease of using machine learning algorithms to assess the CIEP information, and consequently reducing the cost of AD tests. However, further works require the inclusion of production and reproduction information in the models and extension of phenotypic collection to increase the accuracy of current methods.
PSIX-18 Effect of chicory silage and se-yeast on peripartum ewes: Immune status via complete blood cell count
Authors: Ford Hunter , Bionaz Massimo , Ates Serkan , Hasan Daniella , Klopfenstein Joe , Park Shelby , Quinones Tyler , Pearce Carolyn , Ness Kate , Torres Mariangel Aleman
Published: October 2021

Immune status is critical for peripartum animals. Immune cells are highly affected by the oxidative status and level of Se. The use of forages with high content of antioxidants in combination with Se-yeast can improve the immune status in peripartum ruminants. The objective of this study was to test the possibility of improving the immune system of peripartum ewes by feeding a combination of chicory silage and Se-yeast. Approximately one month prior to lambing, 36 pregnant Polypay sheep were moved into single pens and randomly assigned to one of four groups to be fed either grass or chicory silage and supplemented or not with 3.6 mg Se/day (DiaMune, Diamond V). Blood was collected throughout the study to assess the complete blood count (VetScan HM5). Secondary compounds in silages were analyzed via LC-MS/MS. Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS) with day, silage type, Se and their interactions as fixed effects and ewe as random effect with significance declared at P≤0.05. Compared to grass silage, among measured secondary compounds only resveratrol was larger in chicory vs. grass. Total white blood cell count was larger in animals fed grass vs. chicory silage. Silage type and Se-yeast supplementation had little effects on the other measured parameters. The average hemoglobin inside red blood cells was larger in animals fed grass vs. chicory silage. Only tendencies (P between 0.08 and 0.09) were observed for the effects of Se supplementation, including increased hematocrit and number of circulating monocytes but, the latter, only in grass-fed ewes, and decreased red blood cell volume. Platelet size distribution tended (P=0.08) to increase in grass-fed ewes supplemented with Se but the opposite was observed in ewes fed chicory silage. Together, these data indicate a minimum-to-no effect of the type of silage or Se supplementation on complete blood cell count on peripartum ewes.
PSIX-11 Bacterial clinical mastitis associated with abortion in dairy cows
Authors: Artemyeva Olga , Nikanova Daria A , Kolodina Evgenia , Romanova Varvara , Zinovieva Natalia A , Brovko Fedor
Published: October 2021

Within the period from 20.04.2020 to 15.02.2021 the state of 2087 pregnant cows was studied to identify the connection between abortions and the occurrence of mastitis. During the study period 97 cases of clinical mastitis and 149 cases of abortion were identified. Abortions were observed in 42 out of 97 cows with registered clinical mastitis. It was found that cows that had a clinical form of mastitis during the first 45 days of pregnancy (in the embryonic period of development) subsequently had the maximum number of abortions - 27 heads or 64.28% of abortions of cows with mastitis. Among cows that had mastitis in the period of 46–150 days of pregnancy 13 cases of abortion were revealed (30.9% of abortions of cows with mastitis). Among cows that had mastitis during pregnancy for more than 150 days 2 cases of abortion were detected (4.7% of abortions of cows with mastitis). On the basis of bacteriological analysis, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp. and Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from milk of 15 aborted cows with the diagnosis of clinical mastitis. To identify species the conventional biochemical methods were applied together with the API 20 E, API Staph, API 20 Strep test (bioMerieux SA, France). In total, 18 species of pathogens were identified, including Ps. aeruginosa (n = 5), E. coli (n = 4), S. aureus (n = 1), S. saprophyticus (n = 8). Ps. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. aureus were isolated both from the organs of the reproductive system and from the milk of the cows who had had abortions after suffering from mastitis, whereas no relationship was found between the microflora of the reproductive system and the udder of the cows whose abortions are not associated with mastitis. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project No.20-16-00106
PSX-B-22 Humoral factors of protection of the vaginal mucosa in healthy cows and with mycoplasmosis
Authors: Busharova Julia V , Vasilev Roman M , Vasileva Svetlana V , Trushkin Vyacheslav A , Nikitina Anastasia A , Panova Nataliya , Gaponova Viktoriya N , Polistovskaia Polina A
Published: October 2021

Maintaining reproductive health is an urgent task in intensive livestock farming. The study of the influence of pathogens of the Mycoplasmataceae family on the microecology and protective properties of the vagina is of particular interest. The studies were carried out on non-pregnant cows 3–4 years old. Was formed 2 groups of 8 animals each. The first group is healthy cows in which the PCR test for Mycoplasma spp. was negative. The second group - cows with a positive PCR test and serological identification of M. bovigenitalium, without pronounced clinical signs of vaginitis. In both groups of animals, vaginal secretions were collected from the vaginal wall using a special spoon. In secret, by the method of radial immunodiffusion in a gel according to Mancini, the content of immunoglobulins of classes Ig G, Ig M, Ig A and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) was determined, as well as the activity of lysozyme - by the nephelometric method. The study showed that the content of Ig G and the total content of immunoglobulins in the vaginal secretion in healthy cows and cows with mycoplasmosis did not have significant differences. The concentration of Ig A in cows with mycoplasmosis was 0.018±0.001 g/l, which was 25% less than in healthy cows, but it turned out to be insignificant (P > 0.05). The content of Ig M and sIgA in secretion in healthy cows was 0.039±0.002 and 0.067±0.005 g/l, while in cows with mycoplasmosis it significantly increased by 38.5 and 43%, respectively. The activity of lysozyme in the secretion of healthy cows was 11.71±0.41%, while in infected cows it decreased by 2 times. With genital mycoplasmosis in cows, a quantitative redistribution of immunoglobulin classes and a decrease in lysozyme activity are observed in the vaginal secretion.
PSI-10 Effect of a plant extract mixture (pronutrients) on serum cytokines, intestinal integrity indicators and productive performance in broilers with raw soybean inclusion in the diet
Authors: Ruiz Alejandra V , Betancourt López Liliana L
Published: October 2021

Plant extracts contain active molecules called pronutrients that could replace antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in order to improve intestinal integrity, optimize feed utilization and consequently, increase productive performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a mixture of pronutrients on hematological parameters, serum cytokins regulation, intestinal morphology, organs weight and productive parameters. The trial was conducted with 480 one-day-old male broilers of the Ross AP 308 divided into 3 groups: Group CON - Basal diet only, Group AB supplemented with bacitracin methylene disalicylate and Halquinol continuously, and Group PR with a mixture powder of pronutrients, respectively. The experiment lasted up to the 35th day of age. 3 % of crude soybean was added to all basal diets as a challenge for intestinal integrity. All data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and P value less than 0.05 was set as statistically significant and 0.05 < P < 0.1 as tendency. A decrease of all serum cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10) in supplemented broilers with pronutrients was observed. The intestinal morphology parameters were better (length and villi depth) and performance parameters such as feed intake, body weight and feed conversion rate (FCR) throughout the trial were improved in broilers supplemented with pronutrients (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with a natural additive based on pronutrients demonstrated to be an effective alternative to AGP to improve intestinal morphology, productive performance and regulating hematological and immune values in broilers challenged with diets containing raw soybean.
PSI-17 Genetic analysis of weaning weight in Hungarian Simmental cattle
Authors: Ajasa Afees , Vágó Barnabás , Füller Imre , Komlósi István , Posta János
Published: October 2021

The aim of the study was to partition the total phenotypic variation in the weaning weight of Hungarian Simmental calves into their various causal components. The data used was provided by the Association of Hungarian Simmental Breeders. The dataset comprised of the weaning weight records of 44,278 calves (sire = 879, dam = 14,811) born from 1975 to 2020. A total of six models were fitted to the weaning weight data. Herd, birth year, calving order and sex were included as fixed effects in the models. Model 1 had direct genetic effect as the only random effect. Model 2 had a permanent maternal environment as an additional random effect. Model 3 had both direct and maternal genetic effects, with their covariance is being zero. Model 4 was similar to Model 3 but with non-zero direct-maternal genetic covariance. Model 5 had direct, maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects and a zero direct-maternal genetic covariance. Model 6 was similar to model 5 but the direct-maternal genetic effect was assumed to be correlated. Variance components and genetic parameters were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood method with the Wombat software. The best fit model was determined using the Log likelihood ratio test. Inclusion of direct maternal genetic covariance increased the variance components estimates dramatically which resulted in a corresponding increase in the direct and maternal heritability estimates. The best fitted model (Model 4) had direct and maternal genetic effects as the only random effects with a non-zero direct-maternal genetic covariance. The direct heritability, maternal heritability and direct-maternal genetic correlation estimate of the best model was 0.57, 0.16 and -0.78, respectively. Our result suggests the problem of (co)sampling variation in the partitioning of additive genetic effect into direct and maternal components.
PSI-16 Estimation of pigs live body weight from digital images using reference objects
Authors: Wang Zhuoyi , Tulpan Dan , Bergeron Renee
Published: October 2021

The live body weight (LBW) is an important parameter providing guidance for estimation of growth and feed conversion efficiency, body condition, presence of disease, and management of housing, nutrition and animal health in different life stages of livestock. This research study explores the possibility of developing a semi-automatic analytic system that estimates the LBW of pigs by applying machine learning methods that use approximated biometric measurements extracted from digital images acquired with consumer-level cameras in the presence of a reference object. Images corresponding to 12 pigs were sampled on two different dates 1 month apart and acquired using a consumer-level Motorola X4 mobile phone. The best 3 images for each pig were selected for each time point. Six measurements were extracted from each image using ImageJ. A total of 72 data points were analyzed using RStudio, and the generated correlation plot confirmed the positive correlations between the 6 predictors and LBW. Five machine learning (ML) methods were used to model the dependency between the measured parameters and LBW using WEKA. The Random Forest model outperformed all the other models and predicted LBW with the highest prediction accuracy (97%) and the lowest prediction error (MAE = 6.54), which could represent a good candidate for further studies. In conclusion, the semi-automatic image-based system is a promising approach combining machine learning, digital image analysis and manual scale extraction with the aid of reference objects of known size for accurate pig LBW estimation. The next stage of this study aims to integrate automatic image acquisition and image processing solutions in the current approach. This novel system will be cost- and time-efficient, and it can contribute to the development of intelligent solutions for scientific research and enhancing animal productivity in commercial pig farms.
PSI-2 A procedure for urine collection in pre-weaned heifer calves
Authors: Ceja Guadalupe , Boerman Jacquelyn P , Neves Rafael C , Johnson Nicholas S , Schoonmaker Jon P P , Jorgensen Matthew W , Johnson Jay S
Published: October 2021

Urine collection is a useful tool to analyze intestinal permeability in cattle for research and diagnostic purposes. However, urine sampling techniques often rely on total waste collection, which reduces the ability to perform more frequent sampling and obtain accurate and sterile urine volumes. A potential alternative is urethral catheters, which have been used in cows and weaned heifers. However, urethral catheters have not been thoroughly tested in pre-weaned dairy heifer calves. The study objective was to develop a urethral catheter placement procedure in pre-weaned heifer calves for continuous and accurate urine collection. Fifteen Holstein heifer calves had catheters placed at 8 ± 2 days (37.5 ± 3.38 kg BW) and 40 ± 2 days (59.3 ± 5.38 kg BW) of age. During the procedure, calves were individually housed (1.87 m2/calf) and restrained. The vulva was cleaned using betadine and 70% ethanol and then a sterile, lubricated 8.9 cm speculum was inserted into the vagina. A sterile guidewire (145 cm x 0.89 cm) was inserted into a lubricated sterile 10 FR catheter. The catheter was inserted into the urethral opening (~5–7 cm into vagina), guided into the bladder, and the catheter balloon was filled with water (10 mL). The guide wire was removed, and urine flow confirmed correct placement before a 4 L urinary drainage bag was attached to the catheter. Individual calf health observations were made twice over a 24-hour period and included vaginal discharge, bleeding, redness or inflammation, and tissue discharge in the urine. Occurrence rate was determined using PROC FREQ in SAS 9.4. Regardless of catheterization timing, bleeding and tissue discharge occurred at a rate of 3.33% ± 0.18, and vaginal discharge and inflammation occurred at a rate of 6.70% ± 0.25. In summary, this procedure is a viable method for total urine collection in pre-weaning heifer calves.
PSI-19 Influence of cattle breed and forage type on organic dairy heifer performance
Authors: Fonnesbeck Sawyer , Thornton Kara J , Waldron Blair , Stott Rusty , Sweat Alexis , Rood Kerry , Creech Earl , Young Allen Y , Isom Clay
Published: October 2021

Many breeds of dairy cattle exist, but questions remain about their relative performance within exclusively forage-based systems in the United States. This paucity of data is especially apparent in relation to heifer development, which is the second largest expense on most dairy farms. We evaluated the performance of prepubertal heifers from four different genetic backgrounds (“breeds”) within a rotational grazing system in the Intermountain West. For each of two 105-day grazing seasons, 24 dairy heifers from each of four different breeds [Holstein (HO), Jersey (JE), Holstein/Jersey crossbred (HJ), and Swedish Red/Holstein/Montbeliarde crossbred (SHM)] were randomly assigned to one of two pasture treatments that consisted of either grass only (MONO) or grass interseeded with the legume birdsfoot trefoil (BFT; MIX). Main effects of treatment and breed (and potential interactions) on heifer average daily gain (ADG), change in percent mature body weight (CPMBW), fecal egg count (FEC), rumen volatile fatty acids (VFA), and body condition scores (BCS) were evaluated. There was a significant effect of pasture treatment on ADG, with MIX heifers averaging 0.48 kg of gain/day, whereas MONO heifers averaged 0.29 kg/day (P < 0.0001). Change in BCS was significantly affected by treatment (P = 0.0012) and breed (P < 0.0001). Significant effects of treatment (P < 0.0001), breed (P = 0.0005), and treatment*breed (P = 0.0005) on CPMBW were also found. Treatment and breed had no effect on FEC or total rumen VFA content (P > 0.05). Overall, we found that Jerseys were able to gain a higher percentage of their mature body weight and lose less body condition while on pasture than heifers of other breeds. We also found that grazing BFT can have significant positive effects on ADG, BCS, and CPMBW. Further research is needed to more thoroughly evaluate the influence of heifer genetics (breed) on metrics of growth, health, reproductive performance, and production in pasture settings.
PSI-7 Comparison of 6-day versus 7-day CIDR protocol with GnRH and PGFα to synchronize crossbred beef cows for fixed-timed ai with sexed semen at two different times
Authors: Noga Nicole N , Powell Jeremy G , Littlejohn Brittni P , Rook Whitney L , Mussard Martin , Garcia-Guerra Alvaro , Cauble Reagan N , Looney Charles R
Published: October 2021

Preliminary data indicate that shortening the progesterone exposure with CIDR can improve conception rates compared to the established 7-day CO-Synch protocols. The objective was to determine the effects of shortening progesterone exposure from 7 days to 6 days among crossbred beef cows and fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) with sex-sorted semen. A total of 147 fall calving (September-November) crossbred beef cows from one location were randomized to one of four treatments: 1 and 4) 7-d CO-Synch + CIDR protocol with administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and a CIDR insert on day 0, prostaglandin F2α (PGF) at CIDR removal on day 7, and FTAI occurring 66 h (Treatment 1) or 74 h (Treatment 4) later; 2 and 3) 6-d CO-Synch + CIDR protocol with administration of GnRH and CIDR insert on day 0, prostaglandin F2α (PGF) at CIDR removal on day 6, and FTAI occurring 72 h (Treatment 2) or 80 h (Treatment 3) later. Sex-sorted semen from Angus sires was used for AI. Pregnancy was determined by ultrasound 40 days after AI. Pregnancy rate was analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with CIDR and AI service time as fixed effects. Chi-square analysis was used to assess the number of pregnant and open cows in each treatment using the FREQ procedure of SAS. There was no difference (P = 0.78) in pregnancy rates between 6-d CIDR (0.59 ± 0.05%) and 7 d CIDR (0.57 ± 0.05%) protocols. Cattle bred a shorter period after CIDR removal (0.64 ± 0.05%) had numerically (P = 0.11) greater pregnancy rates compared to those with a longer period after CIDR removal (0.51 ± 0.05%). There was no difference in the number of pregnant and open cows between treatment groups. These data suggest that using a 6-day or 7-day protocol, regardless of breeding time, results in similar conception rates.
PSIII-7 Seasonal effects on nutritional value of Oklahoma prairie grass when grazed in extensive or intensive systems
Authors: Montgomery Dagan , Lalman David , Beck Paul A , Hagen Darren , Salisbury Carlee M , Foote Andrew P
Published: October 2021

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of sampling month and grazing system on tallgrass prairie forage nutritive value. Native tallgrass prairie pastures (n = 6) were assigned to either an extensive (EXT) or intensive (INT) grazing system for 5 consecutive years. Extensive system pasture annual stocking rate was 6.1 hectares per cow-calf pair with cows remaining in their respective pastures year-round. Intensive system pasture annual stocking rate was 3.0 hectares per cow-calf pair with cows present in the pastures 160 days per year [mid-May through mid-July (58 ± 6 d) and mid-September through mid-December (102 ± 4 d)]. Forage samples were collected monthly from two to four locations within each pasture. Samples were dried, separated into subsamples of leaf material and whole plant matter, ground, and analyzed using near-infrared spectroscopy. Data were analyzed using a mixed model (SAS 9.4) with grazing system, month, sample type (leaf or whole), and all two-way interactions as fixed effects and year as a random effect. Forage crude protein (CP) was not different between leaf or whole plant samples (P = 0.97) and increased (P < 0.001) in May (10.8% CP), declined in the fall, and stayed low (2 – 4% CP) in both systems. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was greater during May to July (P = 0.040) in the EXT than the INT pastures. Acid detergent fiber (ADF) differed by month (P < 0.001) and was lowest between April and May. In vitro true dry matter digestibility (IVTDMD) was greater in INT (63.7%) than EXT (62.3%) pastures regardless of month (P < 0.001), and both systems were greater during May through August (65 – 75%; P < 0.001) than the winter months (56 – 60%). These data indicate that protein supplementation is likely required outside of May and June, especially for lactating cows.
PSIII-5 Predicting live weight using linear body measurements in growing beef calves
Authors: Rotondo Vanessa , Tulpan Dan , Wood Katharine M , Paibomesai Marlene , Osborne Vern R
Published: October 2021

The objective of this study is to investigate how linear body measurements relate to and can be used to predict calf body weight using linear and machine learning models. To meet these objectives, a total of 103 Angus cross calves were enrolled in the study from wk 2 - 8. Calves were weighed and linear measurements were collected weekly, such as: poll to nose, width across the eyes (WE), width across the right ear, neck length, wither height, heart girth (HG), midpiece height (MH), midpiece circumference, midpiece width (MW), midpiece depth (MD), hook height, hook width, pin height, top of pin bones width (PW), width across the ends of pin bones, nose to tail body length, the length between the withers and pins, forearm to hoof, cannon bone to hoof. These measurements were taken using a commercial soft tape measure and calipers. To assess relationships between traits and to fit a model to predict BW, data were analyzed using the Weka (The University of Waikato, New Zealand) software using both linear regression (LR) and random forest (RF) machine learning models. The models were trained using a 10-fold cross-validation approach. The automatically derived LR model used 11 traits to fit the data to weekly BW (r2 = 0.97), where the traits with the highest coefficients were HG, PW and WE. The RF model improved further the BW predictions (r2= 0.98). Additionally, sex differences were examined. Although the BW model continued to fit well (r2 0.97), some of the top linear traits differed. The results of this study suggest that linear models built on linear measurements can accurately estimate body weight in beef calves, and that machine learning can further improve the model fit.
PSIII-26 The effects of maternal melatonin supplementation during pregnancy on longissimus dorsi muscle morphometrics in bovine fetuses at 240 days of gestation
Authors: Dobbins Thomas W , Contreras-Correa Zully E , Dennis Amberly A , Reid Dana S , Sidelinger Darcie R , King Heath H , Lemley Caleb O , Burnett Derris D
Published: October 2021

Melatonin is a multifunctional hormone that positively impacts postnatal growth and weaning weight in cattle offspring when supplemented to adequately fed dams during gestation. However, it is unclear whether supplemental melatonin is effective as a countermeasure to decrease effects of a nutritionally compromised pregnancy on fetal tissues. The current study evaluated the efficacy of maternal melatonin supplementation during gestation, as a therapeutic in nutrient restricted beef heifers using fetal LM morphometrics for evaluation of carcass tissue growth. On gestational d 160, 25 Brangus heifers were assigned to one of four groups in a 2 x 2 factorial: nutrient restricted (RES-CON: 60% NRC; n = 6), adequate fed (ADQ-CON; 100% NRC; n = 6), nutrient restricted supplemented with 20 mg melatonin (RES-MEL; n = 7), or adequate fed supplemented with 20 mg melatonin (ADQ-MEL; n = 6). Treatments were top-dressed with 2 mL of melatonin dissolved in 100% ethanol (10 mg/mL) or 2 mL of ethanol (control). At gestational d 240, Caesarean sections and fetal necropsies were performed, both fetal LM were dissected to determine weight, length, and midline circumference. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. There was a diet by treatment interaction wherein the mass of the left and right LM was increased (P0.035) by an average of 42.46 g in RES-MEL offspring compared to RES-CON fetuses, but no differences (P0.0812) among ADQ groups. Restricted nutrition decreased left LM circumference (10.21 vs. 10.95 cm; P = 0.0445). Treatment had no effect on LM length (P0.1139). In the present study, maternal melatonin supplementation during the Summer promoted muscle growth and mitigated the adverse effects of a nutritionally compromised pregnancy on LM morphometrics. These data are indicative of the potential for melatonin as a gestational therapeutic for prenatal muscle growth and improved efficiency of meat animal production.
PSIV-15 Examining the relationship between breed type and anabolic implant protocols in performance in the feedlot, health, and temperament of beef steers
Authors: Reichhardt Caleb C , Alberto Anthony F , Briggs Reganne K , Smith Laura A , Okamoto Lillian L , Roholt Bryce , Bowman Brett , Garcia Matthew D , Thornton Kara J
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this research was to compare anabolic implant protocols in feedlot steers of two different breed types. Sixty steers were stratified by weight and breed in a 2 x 3 factorial design examining two different breeds: Angus (AN; n = 38) or Santa Gertrudis influenced (SG; n = 22), and three implant strategies: no implant (CON; n = 20), a moderate implant protocol (d0 implant: Revalor-G, d56 implant: Revalor-IS, d112 implant: Revalor-S; MOD; n = 20), or a vigorous implant protocol (d0 implant: Revalor-IS, d56 implant: Revalor-S, d112 implant: Revalor-200; VIG; n = 20). Steers were randomly placed into pens equipped with GrowSafe® bunks and fed the same ration. Weight, chute score (CS), exit velocity, blood, temperature, hip height and 12th rib fat thickness were collected approximately every 28d over a 112d period. Over the 112 d, SG steers tended (P = 0.10) to gain more hip height than AN steers. Anabolic implant protocol influenced total gain with both VIG and MOD steers gaining more (P < 0.01) than CON. On d 0, SG steers had a higher (P < 0.01) CS compared to AN steers, with this being maintained through the course of the trial. There was also as a tendency for there to be a breed*treatment effect (P = 0.06) on d112, with SG-MOD having a higher (P = 0.04) CS than AN-VIG, and a tendency (P = 0.08) for SG-VIG to have a higher CS than AN-VIG. Moderate and VIG implant protocols may be a useful tool to increase performance in feedlot steers. However, this research did find that SG influenced steers may have a more excitable temperament, but implant protocol did not influence (P > 0.05) temperament.
PSIV-8 Effect of pre-grazing herbage mass, post-grazing sward height and finishing diet on performance of late-maturing beef steers
Authors: Doyle Peter R , McGee Mark , Moloney Aidan P , Kelly Alan K , O’Riordan Edward G
Published: October 2021

Grazing sward structure can influence animal performance in forage-only and forage plus concentrate-based production systems. The objective was to determine the effects of pre-grazing herbage mass (PGHM), post-grazing sward height (PGSH) and indoor finishing diet on performance of weaned, spring-born beef steers. Steers (n = 96, ca. 12 months of age, 396 ± 20.1 kg) previously fed grass silage only over the first winter, were assigned to one of twelve grazing groups, balanced for live weight. Grazing groups were randomly assigned to a two PGHM (1500 or 2500 kg DM/ha) × two PGSH (4 or 6 cm) factorial arrangement of treatments (n = 3 groups/treatment). Steers rotationally grazed Lolium perenne-dominant swards (not mechanically topped) for 222 days. Steers were then accommodated indoors and offered grass silage only (SO) or grass silage + 3.8 kg concentrate DM/head daily (SC) for a 146 day finishing period. Data were analysed using the mixed procedure of SAS with terms for PGHM, PGSH, finishing diet and their interactions in the model. Grazed herbage intake was unaffected by PGHM but was greater for PGSH-6 than PGSH-4 (6.94 vs. 6.18 kg DM/day; P < 0.001). Steer average daily gain at pasture was greater for PGHM-1500 than PGHM-2500 (0.65 vs. 0.60 kg; P < 0.05) and for PGSH-6 than PGSH-4 (0.70 vs. 0.55 kg; P < 0.001). After indoor finishing, carcass weight was unaffected by PGHM, but was heavier for PGSH-6 than PGSH-4 (386 vs. 367 kg; P < 0.01); carcass traits were unaffected by PGHM or PGSH. Carcasses were heavier (+43 kg), fatter (P < 0.001) and more conformed (P < 0.01) for SC than SO. In conclusion, both PGHM-2500 and PGSH-4 restricted animal growth at pasture; however, following an indoor finishing period, carcass weight did not differ between PGHM, but was heavier for PGSH-6 than PGSH-4.
PSIV-13 Effects of oral administration of vitamin E and selenium on stress indicators and oxidative biomarkers in road- transported pregnant Holstein heifer
Authors: Jung da Jin Sol , Kim Do Hyun , Beak Seok-Hyeon , Cho In Gu , Hong Soo Jong , Lee Jae Sung , Lee Jinoh , Kim HyunJin , MalekKhahi Mohammad , Baik Myunggi
Published: October 2021

We investigated the effects of oral administration of vitamin E and selenium (ESe) on oxidative stress biomarkers in road-transported pregnant heifers. Thirty-six pregnant Holstein heifers (body weight 515 ± 48.3 kg and age 524 ± 42.4 days) were assigned to four treatments: no transportation with no administration of ESe (NTR-NESe, n = 10); no transportation with oral administration of ESe (70 IU DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg of DM and 0.3 mg sodium selenite/kg of DM; NTR-ESe, n = 10); transportation with no administration (TR-NESe, n = 8); transportation with oral administration of ESe (TR-ESe, n = 8). Two trucks (8 heifers/truck) were used for the 200 km transportation. Blood was collected h 1 before, immediately after transportation (h 0), h 6, h 24 and h 48 after transportation. The TR × time and ESe × time effects were observed (P < 0.01) for plasma cortisol concentration, indicating that TR heifers had higher plasma cortisol concentrations than NTR heifers and that ESe-administrated heifers had lower plasma cortisol concentrations than NESe heifers at h 0 after transportation. The TR and ESe effects were observed (P < 0.01) for plasma haptoglobin (Hp) concentration. The TR increased Hp concentration at h 6 and h 24 after transportation, and ESe decreased Hp concentration in the transported heifers. The ESe (P = 0.02) and ESe × time interaction (P < 0.01) effects were observed for plasma total oxidative status (TOS) concentrations. The TR increased plasma TOS concentrations at h 0, and the ESe decreased plasma TOS concentrations in transported heifers. In contrast, the TR decreased (P < 0.05) plasma TAS concentrations at h 6 and h 24 after transportation, and the ESe increased (P < 0.05) plasma TAS concentrations in the transported heifers. These results suggest that transportation induces oxidative stress and the ESe may alleviate oxidative stress in the transported heifers.
Phenotypic Assortment Changes the Landscape of Selection
Authors: Brodie Edmund D , Cook Phoebe A , Costello Robin A , Formica Vincent A
Published: October 2021

Social interactions with conspecifics can dramatically affect an individual’s fitness. The positive or negative consequences of interacting with social partners typically depend on the value of traits that they express. These pathways of social selection connect the traits and genes expressed in some individuals to the fitness realized by others, thereby altering the total phenotypic selection on and evolutionary response of traits across the multivariate phenotype. The downstream effects of social selection are mediated by the patterns of phenotypic assortment between focal individuals and their social partners (the interactant covariance, Cij′, or the multivariate form, CI). Depending on the sign and magnitude of the interactant covariance, the direction of social selection can be reinforced, reversed, or erased. We report estimates of Cij′ from a variety of studies of forked fungus beetles to address the largely unexplored questions of consistency and plasticity of phenotypic assortment in natural populations. We found that phenotypic assortment of male beetles based on body size or horn length was highly variable among subpopulations, but that those differences also were broadly consistent from year to year. At the same time, the strength and direction of Cij′ changed quickly in response to experimental changes in resource distribution and social properties of populations. Generally, interactant covariances were more negative in contexts in which the number of social interactions was greater in both field and experimental situations. These results suggest that patterns of phenotypic assortment could be important contributors to variability in multilevel selection through their mediation of social selection gradients.
Psycho-social wellbeing in migration studies—the potential of the concept of actionability
Authors: Saar Maarja , Nase Marco
Published: October 2021

Psycho-social wellbeing has been difficult to define for social sciences as it stands now. In migration research, studies usually rely on belonging, social interactions, or structural problems which migrants encounter upon arrival. All these approaches provide relevant insights, but struggle to address the more individual and psycho-social aspects of the migration process and subsequent adaptation period. This article proposes to shift the focus away from the internal world of the migrant, which is challenging for most social sciences to measure, and instead consider their outward actions. To this end, we introduce the concept of actionability, a term which is to be understood as an individual’s ability to formulate and execute long-term plans based on their perceived needs, desires, and concerns. The idea of actionability allows us to assess how migrants interact with their environment and can formulate and successfully execute plans. By using 37 interviews with highly skilled Estonian migrants in UK, the article suggests that actionability is tightly connected to reflexive modes, developed by Archer, and that certain reflexive types have predictable patterns in how they react to the migration experience.
Kinematics beats dust: unveiling nested substructure in the perturbed outer disc of the Milky Way
Authors: Laporte Chervin F P , Koposov Sergey E , Belokurov Vasily
Published: October 2021

We use the Gaia eDR3 data and legacy spectroscopic surveys to map the Milky Way disc substructure towards the Galactic Anticentre at heliocentric distances $d\ge 10\, \rm {kpc}$. We report the discovery of multiple previously undetected new filaments embedded in the outer disc in highly extincted regions. Stars in these overdensities have distance gradients expected for disc material and move on disc-like orbits with $v_{\phi }\sim 170{-}230\, \rm {km\, s^{-1}}$, showing small spreads in energy. Such a morphology argues against a quiescently growing Galactic thin disc. Some of these structures are interpreted as excited outer disc material, kicked up by satellite impacts and currently undergoing phase mixing (disc streams, ‘feathers’). Due to the long time-scale in the outer disc regions, these structures can stay coherent in configuration space over several Gyrs. We nevertheless note that some of these structures could also be folds in the perturbed disc seen in projection from the Sun’s location. A full 6D phase–space characterization and age dating of these structures should help distinguish between the two possible morphologies.