bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-rated health as a predictor of mortality according to cognitive impairment: findings from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2016)
Authors: Park Goun , Chung Wankyo
Published: April 2021

OBJECTIVES: Self-rated health is an instrumental variable to assess the overall health status of a population. However, it remains questionable whether it is still useful for cognitively impaired individuals. Therefore, this study aims to analyze whether self-rated health by the cognitively impaired predicts mortality reliably.METHODS: This study used 7,881 community-dwelling individuals, aged 45 and above, from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2016). It used the Cox proportional hazard models for analysis. Cognitive status was classified based on the Korean Mini Mental State Examination score and a stratified analysis was used to determine whether the predictability of self-rated health varies according to cognitive status.RESULTS: For cognitively intact individuals, the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of mortality were 2.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18 to 3.41, model 4) for those with ‘bad’ self-rated health and 2.40 (95% CI, 1.35 to 4.25, model 4) for those with ‘very bad’ self-rated heath, respectively, compared with those with ‘very good’ health. The results remain statistically significant even after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, health status, and health-related behaviors. For cognitively impaired individuals, the aHR of mortality was statistically significant for those with ‘very bad’ self-rated health, compared with those with ‘very good’ health, when socio-demographic factors were accounted for (aHR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.11 to 8.28, model 2).CONCLUSIONS: Self-rated health by cognitively impaired individuals remains useful in predicting mortality. It appears to be a valid and reliable health indicator for the rising population with cognitive impairment, especially caused by aging population.
Gender role stereotypes, patriarchal attitudes, and cognitive function in the elderly rural Korean population: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Choi Hye Rin , Ha Byeonggwan , Jeon Ye Jin , Youm Yoosik , Kim Hyeon Chang , Jung Sun Jae
Published: April 2021

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed whether gender role stereotypes (GRS) and patriarchal attitudes are associated with cognitive function in an elderly community.METHODS: We analyzed data from 580 people enrolled in the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. The degrees to which respondents held stereotypical beliefs about gender roles and had patriarchal mindsets were measured using a questionnaire. Based on participants’ responses, we divided respondents into 2 groups—those with conservative mindsets and those with open mindsets—according to the median score for each of the 2 variables. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, Korean version (MMSE-K). Cognitive impairment was defined as an MMSE-K score ≤21 points. Multivariable logistic regression was performed, adjusting for gender, age, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, and social network size. Age and lifestyle factors were stratified.RESULTS: Compared to those with open mindsets, those with conservative mindsets regarding gender roles and patriarchal norms had adjusted odds ratios of 1.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 3.19) and 1.67 (95% CI, 1.00 to 2.79) for cognitive impairment, respectively. In the stratified analysis, subgroups with younger age and a good lifestyle maintained a protective association with cognitive impairment.CONCLUSIONS: GRS and a patriarchal mindset were marginally significantly associated with cognitive impairment among women later in life.
Investigating a Streaming Analytics Framework for Data Analytics Applications in the Aircraft Cabin
Authors: Giertzsch Fabian , Pant Satish , God Ralf
Published: April 2021

Aircraft cabin operations shift towards data-driven processes. Cabin-wide multi-system communication networks are introduced to share required data for corresponding novel data-driven applications. Examples are data-driven predictive maintenance applications to reduce the downtime of systems and increase the period of scheduled maintenance or video analytics usage to detect a strained or unruly atmosphere amongst passengers. These applications require a network to transport the associated data and resources for actual computation. Costs and weight have always been the most important factors deciding if new services are introduced within the aircraft cabin. Thus, re-using hardware with free computation capacity that is already installed in the aircraft cabin can target both aspects, weight and costs. Examples for such hardware resources could be the In-flight Entertainment (IFE) equipment being installed in every seat. By means of distributed computing these resources can be combined in order to solve a computational task. In this paper, the Apache Spark Streaming Framework is investigated as an example for a distributed computing framework with respect to its suitability for being deployed in the aircraft cabin. For this purpose, it is evaluated how Spark scales with resource-constrained computing nodes. As this type of framework is designed for a robust execution of tasks, it can also be used for non-safety, but business-critical applications. In addition, Spark is a well-established commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, thus, possible advantages of such software like a reduction of non-recurrent engineering costs and support for developers creating applications for the aircraft cabin are also considered.
Requirements and Technical Trade-Offs for a Communication Standard in a Data-Driven and Interconnected Aircraft Cabin
Authors: Giertzsch Fabian , Hertwig Christian , Salomon Uwe , God Ralf
Published: April 2021

Current communication architectures in the aircraft cabin are mostly proprietary and limited to the boundaries of the diverging systems, i.e. existing cabin systems operate mostly isolated from each other. Modern system design, however, requires a shared communication platform in order to enable novel services by means of a contract-based data and information exchange. Data-driven predictive maintenance applications are one example for which the fundamentals are studied intensively, but its integration into a multi-system environment with respect to communication requirements is often neglected. As the aircraft cabin is a highly dynamic environment with changing air pressure, humidity, temperature, and flight attitude, context information is needed in order to get meaningful predictions for e.g. the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of a system, component or item. Also, novel passenger-related services such as meal ordering from the seat with a passenger-, route- and inventory-specific menu require the exchange of information between multiple systems. These examples emphasize that the underlying communication protocol has to handle a wide range of data update rates, amount of exchanged data, and communication patterns such as fault-tolerant one-to-many and reliable one-to-one communication. In this paper, the requirements of contract-based multi-system information exchange will be analyzed, detailed and transformed into requirements for the communication protocol under development. These requirements consider different paradigms for data exchange, access control, encoding, and addressing schemes. Addressing schemes need to be designed carefully as software is deployed on network nodes in different cabin configurations, but may always process the same type of information, e.g. the state of all ovens in all the galleys. For each set of derived requirements for the communication protocol, technical concepts are presented and their technical trade-offs are discussed.
Digital Data Standards in Aircraft Asset Lifecycle: Current Status and Future Needs
Authors: Kumar G. V. V. Ravi , Jones Ken , Rencher Robert , Rajamani Ravi , Schmidt Michael , Budeanu Dragos , Ghimire Ritesh , Lesmerises Alan , Kasimsetty Vinay , Kar Satyanarayan , Hall Frederick , Berlee Dirk , Walthall Rhonda , Johnson Logen
Published: April 2021

The aerospace ecosystem is a complex system of systems comprising of many stakeholders in exchanging technical, design, development, certification, operational, and maintenance data across the different lifecycle stages of an aircraft from concept, engineering, manufacturing, operations, and maintenance to its disposal. Many standards have been developed to standardize and improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and security of the data transfer processes in the aerospace ecosystem. There are still challenges in data transfer due to the lack of standards in certain areas and lack of awareness and implementation of some standards. G-31 standards committee of SAE International has conducted a study on the available digital data standards in aircraft asset life cycle to understand the current and future landscapes of the needed digital data standards and identify gaps. This technical paper presents the study conducted by the G-31 technical committee. This paper reviews the data being exchanged between various stakeholders in the aerospace asset lifecycle and the availability of standards for the data transfer within the aerospace ecosystem. It identifies gaps based on the list of currently available data standards, and then creates a future landscape to address the needed digital data standards. This paper focuses on aircraft operations, maintenance, transfer, disposal processes, and post-build stage, and does not address the detailed interactions during the aircraft design, development and manufacturing phases. Its scope is also limited to key stakeholder interactions throughout the different stages of the aircraft operations, maintenance, and retirement.
Commercial Viability Assessment and Planning of Safety-Critical Embedded SW of Electrified Road Vehicles
Authors: Shah Alias Sangani Abhishek , Harman Caner , Kinav Emrah , Göl Mehmet , Hartavi Ahu Ece
Published: April 2021

Recent extraordinary technological progress in the field of high-voltage-batteries has led an evolution in the automotive industry, resulting in vehicle manufacturers to shift from conventional powertrains towards electric ones. However, electrified road vehicles are amazingly complex. Today, the number of operations for a modern electric vehicle grew from millions to billions per second. This is mainly fueled by the electrification and safety requirements in addition to critical core functionalities. This emphasizes the importance of software development cost, effort, and production planning in the automotive industry. In this paper, in the framework of EU funded H2020 OBELICS project, a detailed-COCOMO approach is proposed for a manually coded safety-critical embedded SW for an electric vehicle not only to plan the project well in advance but also to assess its commercial viability using quantifiable cost metrics to make the process more objective and repeatable. In this context, a case study is given for a battery-management software using an algorithmic model. The case-study has demonstrated not only the planning requirements but also the impact of project type on effort and time estimation in each phase of the software lifecycle. The results have shown that inaccurate software project type estimation can lead an error of up to 16% in effort and 19% in development time according to the phase. It also shows that reliability, database size and complexity are the major contributors of the total time, effort and hence of the cost. The results have also demonstrated the impact of model-based design and automated code generation tools on planning for different phases of the V-cycle briefly.
Experimental Evaluation of True Stress-Strain for Ductile Thermoplastics
Authors: R L Vijaya Kumar , Radhakrishnan Jayaraj , Savic Vesna , Kavi Swaroop , Tripathy Biswajit
Published: April 2021

Thermoplastics find application in many automotive components. Off late, hardware testing is supplemented by analysis using finite element (FE) codes. One of the factors determining the analysis accuracy is the representation of the components with suitable material models. While a uniaxial tensile test on the specimens typically provides engineering stress-strain data, material plasticity models in commercial FE solvers, such as LS-DYNA and ABAQUS, require equivalent plastic strain versus true stress as input. Engineering stress and strain can be converted to the corresponding true stress and true strain using equations based on the constant volume assumption; however, these equations are valid only up to the point of necking. A conventional approach of estimating the true stress and true strain beyond necking involves a trial and error method in which several true stress-strain curves are generated, and a finite element simulation is used to find the best possible fit with the test data. This approach is time consuming and provides an approximate true stress-strain curve beyond necking. The objective of this paper is to provide an experimental alternative to the conventional approach. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used to measure volumetric strain in the necking region of a tensile test specimen by employing two cameras simultaneously, one focusing on the front (width, length) and the other focusing on the side (thickness, length) surface of the test specimen. True strain measured by DIC in the longitudinal direction and the true stress, estimated from the applied force and measured true transverse strains, were used to generate material models for use in FE analysis without modification, i.e. without a need for correction factors. Material models were then validated by comparing the FE simulation with the tensile test results.
A Wind Tunnel Study of the Windsor Body with a Streamlined Tail
Authors: Howell Jeff , Varney Max , Rajaratnam Eleanor , Passmore Martin
Published: April 2021

The effects of adding a streamlined tail to a simple vehicle shape, represented by the Windsor Body has been investigated in a small scale wind tunnel experiment. The extended tail has a constant width, with a flat lower surface and a constant upper surface taper angle. The tail is truncated in steps to understand the trends in the principal aerodynamic characteristics. The slant surface and the base have been pressure tapped to indicate the contribution to drag and lift from these surfaces. The bodies have been tested over a range of yaw angles and wind tunnel airspeeds. The effects of adding wheels, albeit in a fixed ground experiment, has also been studied. The experimental data for the basic wheel-less body in a squareback configuration and with tapered tails of different length at zero yaw has been compared with an earlier CFD simulation of the same configurations. While it is recognized that the longer models have impractical shapes, the systematic development provides a useful insight into the development of low drag bodies.
Measured Vehicle Inertial Parameters - NHTSA’s Data through August 2020
Authors: Zagorski Scott , Heydinger Gary , Coyle Jon , Jebode Mahendranauth
Published: April 2021

This paper is the fourth printed listing of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) center-of-gravity (CG) location measurements. The previous papers contained data for 1024 vehicles. This paper includes data for 448 additional vehicles tested as part of NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) for the years 2009 through year 2020. The NCAP involves only the CG location measurement; so the vehicles listed in this paper do not have inertial data.
Partial Purification and Characterization of Endoxylanase from a fungus, Leohumicola incrustata
Authors: Adeoyo Olusegun Richard , Pletschke Brett Ivan , Dames Joanna Felicity
Published: April 2021

Xylanases are glycoside hydrolases (GH) that degrade β-1,4-xylan, a linear polysaccharide found as hemicellulose in cell wall of plants. Endoxylanase (Endo-1,4-β-xylanase, EC 3.2.1.8) randomly catalyses xylan to produce varying short xylooligosaccharides (XOS). This study aimed to determine the characteristics of a partially purified endoxylanase from Leohumicola incrustata. Enzyme production was carried out using beechwood (BW) xylan, after which the cell-free crude filtrate was concentrated using the ammonium sulphate precipitation method. The hydrolysed products were analysed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and zymography. The result showed that the enzyme produced varying smaller-sized linear xylooligosaccharides with Rf values corresponding to those of xylobiose, xylotriose, xylotetraose, xylopentaose, xylohexaose and other higher oligomers. The endoxylanase had a molecular mass of 72 kDa. The enzyme is stable in the presence of K+, Na+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Co2+, pH of 5.0 and temperature of 37oC. However, the activity gradually decreased after 60 min at 50oC and retained over 69% activity after 120 min, while at 60 and 70oC, the enzyme activity sharply decreased (pre-incubation periods). Endoxylanase from L. incrustata is comparable to those of other microorganisms and should be considered an attractive candidate for future industrial applications.
Ethanol production from corn husk, coconut husk and plantain peel using Saccharomyces cereviasae
Authors: Olorode E.M. , Aderibigbe D.B. , Oloyede O.E. , Omidiran M.B. , Kolawole I. , Musa F.B.
Published: April 2021

Corn Husk (CH), Coconut Husk (CCH) and Plantain Peel (PP) used for this work are agricultural wastes sourced from local end users. These waste biomasses were subjected to simple physical treatment of particle size reduction and used for anaerobic fermentativeproduction of alcohol. The biomass and media were added in ratio 1:20 (w/v) in 250 ml flask, incubated at 30 oC for 24 h. Aliquots from the Fermented slurry were withdrawn from the flasks and tested for ethanol produced at interval of 3 h for the 24 h period. Ethanolproduction performance occurred in the order PP > CH >CCH with 5.06, 4.69 and 4.63 g/L respectively. These values are less than 6.75 g/L recorded in pure glucose used as control. These results show the possibility of the utilization of agricultural waste for ethanolproduction. Intensification of the pretreatment technique and combination of different pretreatments could enhance higher ethanol production from agricultural wastes and biomass.

Keywords: Ethanol, Pretreatment, Agricultural wastes, fermentation,
Facilitation of nursing students' competency acquisition for paediatric pain management in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review
Authors: Uwimana P. , Mukamana D. , Adejumo O. , Babenko-Mould Y. , Umubyeyi B.
Published: April 2021

Objective: To elucidate evidence regarding nurse educators' and preceptors' capacity to facilitate students' learning about paediatric pain management (PPM) in low- and middle-income countries(LMICs).Methods: The five-stage framework by Arksey and O'Malley guided this review. Studies published in English between January 2010 and April 2020 were searched using EBSCO Host/ ScienceDirect, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PUBMED and Scopus. Of 300 papers identified through the search strategy 27 primary research articles were retained: quantitative (n=18), qualitative (n=8) and mixed-methods (n=1).Results: Knowledge deficiency and inappropriate attitudes toward PPM, lack of autonomy in decisionmaking, scarcity of resources and cultural misconception regarding pain in children were hindering the effective PPM in LMICs. Strategies including nursing curricula review, continuous in-service training, access to resources and the leadership support are required to optimise effective PPM and improve students' facilitation for learning about PPM.Conclusion: Further research is required as a body of evidence to support the development of a framework for capacity enhancement of nurse educators and nurse preceptors who facilitate nursing students acquiring competency for PPM in LMICs.

Keywords: Pain management education, Children, Scoping review, Low- and middle- income countries
Blended teaching and learning methods in nursing and midwifery education: A scoping review of the literature
Authors: Ndayisenga J.P. , Babenko-Mould Y. , Kasine Y. , Nkurunziza A. , Mukamana D. , Murekezi J. , Tengera O. , Muhayimana A.
Published: April 2021

Background: Blended learning (BL) is defined as the combination of both traditional face-to-face learning and synchronous or asynchronous e-learning approaches. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the literature to obtain a broad understanding of the use of BLin nursing and midwifery education in general, in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and in particular Rwanda.Methods: The literature published between 2010 and 2019 were reviewed from six electronic databases using keywords including blended learning, nursing education, midwifery education, higher education, SSA, and Rwanda. Arksey and O'Malley's framework was used in this review.Results: The initial search identified 1,283 records. Eleven articles were selected for this review after the application of predetermined inclusion criteria. Almost all reviewed articles indicated that the integration of BLmethods improved the quality of nursing and midwifery education in general, and in SSAcountries including Rwanda.Conclusions: Initial research in this area highlights that moving from traditional classroom-delivered programs to the BLapproach is feasible and can promote the quality of nursing and midwifery standards of education. This scoping review highlights a paucity of research on BL in nursing and midwifery education, particularly in SSAcountries.

Keywords: Blended learning, nursing and midwifery education, SSA, Rwanda
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards hepatitis B virus prevention among nursing students at a selected campus in Rwanda
Authors: Umuhoza A. , Nkurunziza A. , Mukashema J. , Mukarugenga M.C. , Ndayisenga J.P. , Rugema J.
Published: April 2021

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus continues to be among the significant global challenges, and its prevention is doubtable among  nursing students due to the lack of knowledge or exposure to risky behaviors in their clinical practices. This study was conducted to assess nursing students at a selected campus in Rwanda about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards hepatitis B  prevention.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct this study. Non-probability sampling, including convenience and snowball techniques, was used to determine the representation at all levels at a selected Campus from May to July 2018. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was used for data entry. Descriptive and inferential statistics using Binary logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of Rwanda approved the study, andparticipants' rights were protected.Results: Among 171 study participants, only 140 returned the completed questionnaires, which translates to a response rate of 82.4%. Among the students who participated in this study, most were males, 75 (53.5%). The respondents' mean age was 25 years old, and the maximum age was 43. Most of the participants were from level 1 52(37.1%). The findings revealed that nursing students have adequateknowledge and practices towards HBV prevention at 65% and 71%, respectively. However, their attitudes regarding HBVprevention were negative because 96% scored at most four questions right.Conclusion: Knowledge and practices regarding HBV prevention among nursing students were quite adequate. However, a significant proportion of nursing students do not have good attitudes. These findings highlight the need to increase knowledge about HBV among nursing students in clinical orientation meetings before starting their clinical placements and introducing infection prevention and  control training when they are already in clinical settings.

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, knowledge, attitudes, practices, nursing students, Rwanda
The hazardous terrain of Diabetes mellitus in Nigeria: The time for action is now
Authors: Adeleye J.O.
Published: April 2021

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by persistent hyperglycemia resulting from absolute or relative  deficiencies in insulin secretion and/or action. Diabetes and its complications cause substantial morbidity, disability and premature mortality. There has been a progressive increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Nigeria and the burden is expected to increase even further. In view of the increasing burden of diabetes in Nigeria, there is an urgent need to develop and implement an effective and sustainable policy for its prevention and management in the country. If diabetes is not given the attention it deserves now, it could impose an even greater toll on health and socio-economic development in Nigeria and overwhelm an already resource constrained health care system. The time for action is now. Suggested approaches to address the burden of diabetes in Nigeriaare discussed in this commentary.

Key words: Diabetes, Burden, Nigeria, Action
The effect of dietary lipid sources on layer fertility and hatchability
Authors: Olubowale OS , De Witt FH , Greyling JPC , Hugo A , Jooste AM , Raito MB
Published: April 2021

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary fatty acids (FA) on the fertility and hatchability of laying hens at the end-of-lay period (69 - 77 weeks of age). Five isoenergetic (12.4 MJ ME/kg DM) and isonitrogenous (170 g CP/kg DM) diets were formulated using different lipid sources (30 g/kg inclusion) to manipulate the dietary FA profile. The control diet was formulated using a 50 : 50 blend of linseed and fish oil, while fish oil was used in the polyunsaturated n-3 treatment. Sunflower oil was used in the polyunsaturated n-6 treatment, while in the mono-unsaturated n-9 diet high oleic acid (HO) sunflower oil was used. Lastly, tallow was used as a lipid source in the saturated FA diet. One hundred and twenty five hens (n = 25/treatment) and 50 cockerels (n = 10/treatment) of the Hy-Line Silver-Brown genotype were randomly allocated to the five dietary treatments at 20 weeks of age. From 69 weeks of age, hens were inseminated with 0.06 mL undiluted semen from cockerels within the same dietary treatment. Between 71 and 78 weeks of age (49 days) a total of 588 eggs-per-treatment were collected, individually marked (date and hen number) and incubated in a single-stage still-air incubator. Eggs were candled on D7 and D14 to determine embryonic mortalities and a 24 h window for hatching was allowed (D21 + 24 h). Although the fish oil treatment resulted in the lowest egg weights (59.3 g) and fertility (84.6%), it recorded the highest hatchability (76%). In contrast, the sunflower oil treatment recorded the lowest hatchability (58.2%) of all treatments, despite its high egg fertility (89.6%). Results of the study suggest that the dietary fatty acid content, in particular the n-3 and n-6 levels, need critical consideration in terms of concentration and ratio in the formulation of breeder diets to limit embryonic mortalities during incubation.Keywords: Chicks, embryo, mortality, mono-, polyunsaturated fatty acids
Antagonism in the carbon footprint between beef and dairy production systems
Authors: Scholtz MM , Du Toit J , Neser FWC
Published: April 2021

Primary beef cattle farming in South Africa is largely extensive, whereas dairy farming is based on both total mixed ration and pasture production systems. Under natural rangeland conditions, decomposition of manure is aerobic, which produces carbon dioxide (CO2), part of which is absorbed by the regrowth of vegetation rather than released into the atmosphere, and water (H2O) as end products. Thus the cow releases methane (CH4) and the manure CO2. This is in contrast to intensive cow-calf systems in large parts of Europe and North America, where large quantities of manure are stockpiled and undergo anaerobic decomposition and produce CH4. Thus both the cow and the manure release CH4, which result in a higher carbon footprint than the extensive cow-calf systems. In dairy farming, increasing cow efficiency through intensive feeding (same kg milk output by fewer animals) can reduce farm CH4 production by up to 15%. In addition, when differences in productivity are accounted for, pasture systems require more resources (land, feed, water, etc.) per unit of milk produced and the carbon footprint is greater than that of intensive systems. This raises the question as to why the carbon footprint of intensive dairy cow production systems is less, but the carbon footprint of intensive beef cow-calf production systems is higher. The explanation lies in the differences in production levels. In the case of beef cows the weight of the intensive cows will be ± 30% higher than that of the extensive cows, and the weaning weight of their calves will also differ by ± 30%. In the case of dairy cows the weight of the intensive cows will be ± 20% higher, but their milk production will be ± 60% higher. The higher increase in production (milk) of intensive dairy cows, compared to the increase in production (calf weight) of intensive beef cows, explains the antagonism in the carbon footprint between different beef and dairy production systems. Unfortunately, carbon sequestration estimates have been neglected and thus the quantitative effects of these differences are not known.Keywords: Cow-calf production, methane, pasture production, production levels, total mixed ration
The effect of dietary lipid saturation and antioxidant type on the performance of finishing lambs
Authors: Van der Walt KE , Einkamerer OB , Van der Merwe HJ , Hugo A , Slippers SC , Fair MD
Published: April 2021

The effect on production performance of a synthetic or natural antioxidant and lipid saturation in the finishing diets of lambs was investigated. The four dietary treatments consisted of the same basal diet (187 g CP, 355 g NDF, and 71 g EE per kg DM), differing only in regard to the supplemental lipid source (30 g/kg of either saturated beef tallow or unsaturated soybean oil) and type of antioxidant (125 g/ton of either a synthetic or natural antioxidant) included, in a 2 x 2 factorial design experiment. Eighty-four S.A. Mutton Merino lambs (27.64 ± 1.72 kg) were randomly allocated to the four dietary treatments (n = 21 lambs per treatment) and subdivided into 7 replicates per treatment (n = 3 lambs per replicate). After a dietary adaptation period of 8 days, all lambs received the respective experimental diets for the remaining period (41 days). The average daily DM feed intake, weight gain and feed efficiency was calculated accordingly. No significant differences in DMI, ADG and the efficiency with which ingested feed were utilized (FCR), were recorded for the treatments. However, the addition of unsaturated soybean oil to the diet significantly increased the efficiency with which the ME of the diet was utilized. In contrast with the natural antioxidant, the inclusion of unsaturated soybean oil in the diet containing a synthetic antioxidant, resulted in a significant lower MEI by the lambs – indicating that a lipid x antioxidant interaction occurred. Results of the present study seem to indicate that dietary lipid saturation in the finishing diets of lambs had no influence on their growth performance. However, a more efficient utilisation of ME in the finishing diet containing unsaturated soybean oil, compared to the saturated beef tallow, did occur.Keywords: Fatty acid, flavonoid, metabolizable energy, oil, production, sheep, soybean, tallow
Description of carcass classification goals and the current situation in South Africa
Authors: Webb EC
Published: April 2021

Carcass classification is an essential part of efficient animal production, price fixing and meeting consumer demands. Carcass classification (or grading) is based on the description of carcasses by means of clearly defined characteristics that are of prime importance to the meat industry, retailers and consumers. Significant variation exists in carcass composition and quality due to the effects of species, age, maturity type, sex and interaction effects with animal production systems. A number of extrinsic and intrinsic factors affects carcass and meat quality and the purpose of carcass classification in South Africa is to classify carcasses to ensure more consistent meat quality, composition and consumer satisfaction. Although carcass inspection is compulsory in South Africa, carcass classification is not a requisite at all South African abattoirs. South Africa employed a carcass grading system from 1944 to 1992, which was replaced by a carcass classification system in 1992. Carcass classification differs fundamentally from carcass grading. In carcass classification there is a shift of emphasis to classifying carcasses in order to provide the meat industry and consumers with a choice of different types of carcasses in terms of carcass composition and physical attributes, while there is no indication of perceived quality as is provided in a grading system. In a carcass grading system, an indication is provided of standard, prime and superior carcass grades which relate to standard, prime and superior meat quality. The conceptual basis of the carcass classification system is therefore based on the principle that producers, retailers and consumers differ in terms of their perceptions and expectations of carcass and meat quality, and subsequent eating experience. More recently it has become apparent that the current classification system is being used as a grading system due to the use of preferred classes, which defeats the original purpose of a classification system. Furthermore, recent research suggests that the variation within carcass classification categories has increased considerably due to differences between livestock breeds and types, animal production systems and the use of modern feedstuffs and growth enhancing technologies. The purpose of this paper is to review the characteristics and goals of the current South African carcass classification system, grading systems in other countries and the implications for effective marketing, price fixing and consumer satisfaction based on the complex cycle from ‘farm to fork’.Keywords: Carcass classification, carcass grading, beef, sheep, marketing, consumer acceptance
Changes in the composition of South African red meat
Authors: Hall N , Schonfeldt HC , Pretorius B
Published: April 2021

Red meat often evokes a wide array of complex and contradictory arguments. It is viewed as the most expensive component of any diet, supplying many essential nutrients as part of a healthy, prudent eating plan. Yet, red meat is non-homogenous, unique to each country, and continually changing in composition. It is observed that the amount of fat on carcasses has reduced over time, simultaneously improving nutrient density through feed efficiency. The objective of this paper is to present composition data on South African lamb, mutton and beef, and report on the changes observed between local data and international data (for lamb and mutton), as well as changes in the composition of South African beef over time. South African lamb and mutton contain notably less fat and more nutrients per 100 g product than international sheep meat produced, rendering a lean product with a higher nutrient density. Compared to previous studies on South African beef, the current data indicate notable changes in the composition over time, specifically related to a reduction in fat content. This reduction together with changes in carcass weight has resulted in changes in carcass composition and thus changes in nutrient density. The data attest that in order to align industry processes, as well as legislation and marketing strategies, continued research on composition needs to be performed for the baseline information to remain relevant and accurate.Keywords: Beef, lamb, mutton, nutrient content, nutritional composition, South Africa
The beef tenderness model
Authors: Frylinck L , O'Neil A , Du Toit E , Strydom PE , Webb EC
Published: April 2021

In Phase1 of this study, three breed types (Simmentaler-, Brahman- and Nguni bulls; n = 60 each) were grain-fed and slaughtered at 12 months of age (A-age, fat-class 2). Feed was withdrawn for either three hours or 24 hours pre-slaughter. Within each feed withdrawal group, three electrical stimulation (ES) treatments were applied, viz. ES for 15 seconds, 120 seconds or no stimulation. In Phase 2, the effects of animal age and feeding regime were investigated using of A-age (feedlot and pasture), AB-age (feedlot and pasture) and B-age (pasture) animals. All carcasses were electrically stimulated for 15 seconds. Longer feed withdrawal increased dark-firm-dry (DFD) meat occurrence (pHu >6) in the Nguni and Simmentaler-cross. Brahman-cross longissimus (LL) tended to be more tender with paler colour and higher drip loss when 120 ES was applied. Longer feed withdrawal recorded higher Warner Bratzler shear force (WBSF) than three hour feed withdrawal. However, ES neutralized the effect of stress on tenderness. On average the AB-age feedlot animals produced the most tender LL followed by the B-age pasture and A-age feedlot which was similar to the AB-age pasture. A-age pasture animals produced the least tender LL steaks. The calpain proteolytic system played a pivotal role in determining the ultimate meat tenderness and although connective tissue becomes less soluble in older animals it did not play the determinant role in tenderness in this study. The intramuscular fat (< 3%) played an important role in the tenderness outcome of Nguni LL which marbled well at AB-age.Keywords: Meat tenderness, pH and temperature decline profile, pre- and post-slaughter conditions, production systems
Proteomics approach as a new way to predict tenderness as compared to the classical South African Beef Carcass Classification System
Authors: Moloto KW , Frylinck L , Strydom PE , Koorsen G
Published: April 2021

The current South African Beef Carcass Classification System classifies carcasses using physical attributes such as age, fatness code and the conformation of the carcass as the only indicator of tenderness, implying that optimal tender meat is obtained from carcasses from animals with no permanent teeth. Research shows that if we take modern technologies (use of beta-agonists, growth hormones and electrical stimulation amongst others) into account, this is not necessarily true. In this study m. longissimus lumborum samples were collected from Nguni breed animals, snap frozen and stored at −80 ºC for further use in search of protein markers that can be used to predict tenderness in a non-invasive manner. Proteins were extracted in 1 mL TES buffer, isoelectrically focused on strips (pH 5 - 7) and separated by 2D SDS PAGE, stained with coomassie brilliant blue G250) and imaged by a Chemi-doc Mp imager. The results showed differences in protein expression, e.g. some proteins are present at 1 hour post mortem (Day 0) but absent at 3 days post mortem (Day 3). Other proteins showed an increase in expression as ageing progresses. These proteins correlated with myofibril fragments and Warner Bratzler changes which were measured. There are several factors that may be responsible for these changes in differential expression during ageing such as proteolytic action (i.e. calpains and calpastatin system, cathepsins) or maybe apoptosis. The proteins in the profiles of Nguni breed animals which showed differential expression in response to ageing are still to be determined.Keywords: Nguni breed, protein markers for tenderness, two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D SDS PAGE)
Associations between animal traits, carcass traits and carcass classification in a selected abattoir in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Authors: Sojl Z , Mabusela SP , Muchenje V
Published: April 2021

In this study the associations between animal traits, carcass traits and carcass classification within cattle, sheep and pigs slaughtered in a high throughput abattoir were determined. Classes of carcasses from cattle, sheep and pigs delivered for slaughter at this abattoir were recorded and analysed. Significant associations were found between carcass classes and breeds of all livestock species. Of all the cattle delivered to the abattoir, the non-descript ones dominated the AB2 category while the Bonsmara and Brahman dominated the C categories. Almost 70% of carcasses of the cattle delivered to the abattoir were in the C classes. In the sheep, the dominant category was A2 with a percentage of 77%, and the Dorper was the most dominant in this category. In pigs, the P class was the most dominant with about 50%, and the Duroc X Landrace cross dominated this category. However, significant associations between sex and carcass classes were only found in cattle. Warm carcass mass had significant associations with carcass classes of cattle and sheep only. It can be concluded that while associations between carcass classes and breeds were found in all species, associations between sex and carcasses were dependent on species.Keywords: Livestock breeds, sex, warm carcass mass
Nutrient content of South African red meat and the effect of age and production system
Authors: Schonfeldt HC , Hall N
Published: April 2021

Feeding systems, slaughter age and other production techniques notably influence the nutrient content of red meat. The modernization of the different South African production systems since the previous nutrient composition studies, justifies the necessity to update existing knowledge on the nutritional profile of South African produced beef. In addition, a need was identified to extrapolate the effect of the two different feeding systems (extensive and intensive) on this nutritional profile. Results indicate that the total lipid content of marketable young carcasses (age A, fat code 2) has decreased over time, in line with global health and nutrition trends for leaner foods. With the majority of beef from these young carcasses being produced on intensive grain-based feeding systems, South Africa has a unique advantage in terms of total lipid content of such grain-fed produce. Internationally, grain-fed red meat is in most cases higher in total and saturated fat content compared to grass-fed counterparts, while in South African the opposite was observed. In addition to total fat content, the role of various lipid fractions in human health has often been associated with specific produce positioning and marketing. South African grass-fed beef is significantly higher in healthy omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, irrespective of degree of fat trimming. From a human nutrition perspective, it should be kept in mind that the total amount of omega 3 fatty acids per edible portion of beef produced in either production system is low in comparison to human dietary recommendations.Keywords: Beef, fatty acids, grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef, physical composition
Effect of micronized zeolite addition to lamb concentrate feeds on growth performance and some blood chemistry and metabolites
Authors: Toprak N.N. , Yılmaz A. , Öztürk E. , Yigit O. , Cedden F.
Published: April 2021

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the addition of micronized zeolite (MZ) on the fattening performance, blood parameters, faecal ash and nitrogen levels of lambs fed concentrate feeds intensively. For two months 25 four-month-old Merino x Ile de France crossbred male lambs (21.1 ± 1.32 kg live weight) were fed 100 g alfalfa hay and a mixed concentrate diet containing 0%, 1%, 2% or 3% additional MZ. At the end of the study, bodyweight gain and feed consumption were not affected by the treatments. Similarly, the addition of up to 2% MZ to the diet did not affect slaughter weight, hot carcass or cold carcass weights, but they decreased at 3% MZ inclusion. No differences were observed between the groups in terms of blood urea nitrogen, plasma glucose, serum creatinine, triglyceride, sodium, potassium and chlorine concentration. However, serum total protein, calcium and phosphorus concentrations were affected by MZ supplementation. The addition of MZ to the ration did not affect the faecal dry matter content and total nitrogen level, yet it increased the ash content of the faeces. Consequently, it was demonstrated that the addition of up to 2% MZ to lamb grower feed does not have a negative impact on performance and carcass yield of the animals, but affects serum total protein, calcium and phosphorus concentrations.
Effects of Thymus vulgaris and Mentha pulegium on colour, nutrients and peroxidation of meat in heat-stressed broilers
Authors: Pirmohamammadi A. , Daneshyar M. , Farhoomand P. , Aliakbarlu J. , Hamian F.
Published: April 2021

This study was designed to investigate the effects of Thymus vulgaris (thyme) and Mentha pulegium (mentha) powders on meat colour, nutrient composition and malondialdehyde (MDA) where broiler chickens were under heat stress. Two hundred one-day-old male chicks were used in a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replicates each (10 birds per replication). Treatments were the control diet, 0.5% mentha, 0.5% thyme and 0.5% mixture of the two plants. The results showed no effect of dietary supplements on thigh meat redness and yellowness. Both plant products diminished the thigh lightness significantly compared with the control. No significant differences between treatments were observed for the ash, ether extract and crude protein content of the thigh muscle. Supplementation of thyme and mentha separately or together increased the moisture of the thigh muscle significantly, compared with the control. The combination of the plant products resulted in a higher thigh pH and significantly lower malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the thigh muscle compared with the control. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of thyme and mentha separately or in combination improved the meat quality of broiler chickens under heat stress through decreasing the MDA concentration and increasing the pH and moisture content of the thigh muscle
Chewing activity, metabolic profile and performance of high- producing dairy cows fed conventional forages, wheat straw or rice straw
Authors: Omidi-Mirzaee H. , Ghasemi E. , Ghorbani G. R. , Khorvash M.
Published: April 2021

In this study, production and physiological responses of high-producing dairy cows fed wheat (WS) or rice (RS) straw, as a partial forage replacement for the conventional forages lucerne hay (LH) and maize silage (MS ), were investigated. The straws were treated under dry alkaline conditions, adjusted pH (pH ~12), and then ensiled. Twelve lactating Holstein cows were used in a replicated (n = 4) 3 × 3 Latin square design experiment with three periods of 21 days. Cows were offered one of three diets that differed in their forage sources: 1) 20% LH and 20% MS (control); 2) 12.8% LH, 12.8% MS; and 12.8% WS; and 3) 12.8% LH, 12.8% MS and 12.8% RS. Diet 1 had 60% concentrate, and diets 2 and 3 had 61.6% concentrate. Diets were iso-nitrogenous and iso-energetic. Supplemental buffer (NaHCO3) was omitted from the straw diets. However, straw diets contained greater sodium and dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) compared with the control diet. Cows fed the WS had significantly greater apparent dry matter (DM) (69.7 versus 63.9%) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) (55.4 versus 42.4%) digestibility than cows fed the control. Additionally, feeding either WS or RS significantly increased dry matter intake (DMI) (27.5 versus 25.6 kg/d ) and milk production (48.4 versus 45.6 kg/d) compared with control, but milk components were unaffected by treatments. Plasma minerals and metabolites concentrations and ruminal, urinary and faecal pH were similar across treatments. Feeding WS and RS resulted in lower time spent chewing per kg DMI compared with the control ( P = 0.01 ). Although there were no significant differences in performance between WS and RS, nutrient digestibility (DM, OM, and CP) was significantly higher while total chewing was lower for the WS diet than the RS diet. Partial inclusion of dry treated straw in lactating diets (12.8% DM basis) led to increases in sodium and DCAD levels and improved digestibility, DMI and milk yield without negative effects. Keywords: Cation and anion difference, cereal straw dietary sodium, lactating cowsghasemi@cc.iut.ac.ir