bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PSVII-9 Effects of Roughage Level on Animal Behavior in Nelore Cattle Receiving a High Concentrate Diet Under Tropical Conditions
Authors: Mendonca Filipe , Goulart Rodrigo , Garcia Matheus , Veiga Pedro , Junior Paulo Bortoleto , Seronni Gustavo , Balieiro Julio C , Lanna Dante
Published: September 2022

Roughage levels have an important role in high concentrate diets. Also, Nelore cattle are the main breed produced in Brazil. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of roughage levels on Nelore behavior. Nelore Bulls (n = 20) with body weight of 420 kg ± 45 kg were used in this study, receiving 5 finishing diets with different roughage levels for 105 days. The diets were composed by corn silage, ground corn, soybean meal, citrus pulp, urea, potassium chloride and premix. During each 21-day period of the finishing diet, roughage levels were decreased. The first diet had 15% of NDF from forage, followed by 12%, 9%, 6% and 3% on DM basis. On 14 th of each period, animal behavior events were measured by 4 different people during 24 hours of evaluation. The variables recorded were resting time, chewing time, rumination time and meal events. During every 10 minutes, animal behavior data of the 20 Nelore bulls were collected. Furthermore, we used a polynomial regression by proc mixed in SAS. The rumination time was decreased when there was the reduction of roughage level. It was a linear effect P< 0.0001, starting from 369 minutes and 50 seconds (15% of NDF from forage) to to 129 minutes and 50 seconds (3% NDF from Forage). For resting time the outcome experienced was different, including 955 minutes of resting to the treatment with 15% NDF to 1,119 minutes to the lowest roughage level treatment, P< 0.0001. Regarding chewing time, there was a linear effect when the greatest chewing time was obtained to the diet with greatest roughage level ,15% NDF from Forage, P< 0.0001. there was no effect of roughage level on meal events, P > 0.0001. Thereby, the rumination time as well as chewing time may be helpful to the animal wellness in high concentrate diets.
PSVII-2 Effects of Feeding a Starch or Pectin Supplement on Ruminal Parameters and gas Production of Grazing Young Bulls
Authors: Berca Andressa S Scholz , Cardoso Abmael Silva , Fonseca Natalia Vilas Boas , Reis Ricardo Andrade , Tedeschi Luis O
Published: September 2022

The study aimed to investigate the effects of two feeding times and two sources of energy supplementation on pH, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and in vitro gas production (IVGP) of beef cattle reared in Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu pastures. We used eight rumen-cannulated ½ Aberdeen Angus x ½ Nellore young bulls (280±7 kg) distributed in a double 4x4 Latin square design. Treatments consisted of supplementation at 0.3% of body weight with corn or citrus pulp, supplied at 0900 or 1700. Ruminal fluid pH was measured with a digital pH analyzer and SCFA was analyzed on a Shimadzu HPLC. The IVGP was determined using a transducer and a data logger for 48 h after incubation of samples combining forage and supplement in real intake proportion (88% forage, 12% supplement). Considering the rapid fermentation of sugars, animals supplemented with pectin maintained higher pH (P = 0.021) due to changes in bacterial populations to digest the pectic substances (Table 1). Lactate production after starch digestion caused lower pH. Despite the differences in evaluated energy substrates, there was no effect on the primary SCFA concentration (P > 0.05). Citrus pulp provided greater formic (P = 0.005) and valeric (P = 0.042) acids concentrations compared with corn, but there was no influence of formic acid in lactic acid production (Table 1). The greater IVGP by citrus pulp (P = 0.0140; Figure 1) may be related to its greater carbohydrate fraction A, soluble with a rapid rate of rumen degradation, and also because its ruminal fermentation results in greater acetic acid production, which provides more ruminal H2 and CO2, favoring the CH4 production. The citrus pulp can be used as an alternative source to corn because it might prevent acidosis, does not affect the main SCFA production, and is a non-human edible feed.
PSVII-18 Feeding Behavior of Beef Steers Consuming Finishing Diets with an Added Nutritional Packet in a Calf-fed System
Authors: Rush Camron J , Sarturi Jhones O , Henry Darren H , Ciriaco Francine M , Huerta-Leidenz Nelson O , Lopez Alejandra M , Scaranto Silva Kaliu G , Nardi Kaue Tonelli , Peters Sarah , Manna Mikala Di , Osorio-Doblado Andrea M , Coello Kymberly , Quijada Angel A , Hinds Jordan , Saes Yasmim , Crossland Whitney L
Published: September 2022

The effects of a nutritional packet containing a direct-fed microbial combined with vitamins/electrolytes offered at the beginning and end of the finishing phase to beef steers in a calf-fed system on feeding behavior were evaluated. Angus crossbred steer-calves (n = 18; BW = 234 ± 4 kg) were assigned to a randomized complete block design (block = body weight; steer = experimental unit) and stratified into two treatments: a) control (no packet, finely-ground corn carrier only); and b) 30 g of DM/animal-daily of a nutritional packet [live-yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae; 8.7 Log CFU/g), vitamin C (5.4 g/kg of ascorbic acid), vitamin B1 (13.33 g/kg of thiamine hydrochloride), and electrolytes of NaCl (80 g/kg) and KCl (80 g/kg)]. Animals were individually offered [electronic feed-bunks (Smart-Feed/C-Lock Inc.)] a steam-flaked corn-based finishing diet ad libitum once daily for 233 d, while treatments were offered during the first (phase-1) and last 60 d (phase-2) on feed only. Feeding behavior activities were assessed in min/d by using CowManagerTM ear tag sensors. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS. There was no treatment × phase interactions (P ≥ 0.15), except that steers receiving the nutritional packet tended (P = 0.10) to spend more time (6 vs. 9 min/kg) eating digestible DM during phase-2 only. Regardless of phase, steers consuming the nutritional packet spent more time (P = 0.04) eating per kg of hemicellulose. Regardless of treatment, a decreased rumination (P ≤ 0.03) and chewing (P ≤ 0.01) activity-variables were observed for the phase-2 compared to phase-1. Steers receiving the nutritional packet exhibited superior time spent on eating activities, especially during the final 60 d before slaughter, and fiber seems to be the major driver inducing such effect. Towards the end of the finishing phase, cattle reduced rumination and chewing compared to the arrival phase.
PSVII-17 Feeding Behavior of Beef Feedlot Yearling Steers Offered Finishing Diets with Direct fed Microbial Mixtures
Authors: Lopez Alejandra M , Sarturi Jhones O , Henry Darren H , Johnson Bradley J , Scaranto Silva Kaliu G , Nardi Kaue Tonelli , Rush Camron J , Rodrigues Barbara , Peters Sarah
Published: September 2022

The effects of dietary inclusion of live bacteria mixtures on feedlot beef cattle feeding behavior were evaluated. Crossbred-Angus yearling steers (n = 192; initial BW = 409 kg ± 8 kg) were blocked by body weight (BW) and randomly assigned into 48 pens (4 steers/pen; 16 pens/treatment) following a randomized complete block design. A steam-flaked corn-based fishing diet was offered ad libitum once daily containing the following treatments: 1) Control, in which no direct fed microbial (DFM) was offered (lactose as carrier only); 2 and 3) Probiotic mixtures at distinct concentrations [Mixture A and B, at 2g/animal-daily (lactose used as carrier)]. Orts DM were quantified daily and subtracted from total dietary DM offered to calculate DM intake. Feeding behavior activities (continuous 24 h) were visually assessed (d 106 and 113) by trained personnel, where time spent on each activity was recorded every 5 min. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedures of SAS and pen was considered the experimental unit. No treatment × period interactions (P ≥ 0.21) were observed. Main feeding behavior variables consisting of time spent ruminating, chewing, eating, and drinking in minutes per day were not affected (P ≥ 0.17) by treatments, while steers in general ruminated, ate, chewed, and were more active (P ≤ 0.01) during the second behavioral assessment, regardless of treatments. Rates of intake in minutes per kg of DM, OM, fiber and digestible DM, OM, and fiber were not affected (P ≥ 0.12) by treatments; however more time spent (P < 0.01) ruminating, eating, and chewing in minutes per kg were observed on d113 compared to d106 regardless of treatments. Drinking time (min/d) and drinking rates (min/kg) were not affected (P ≥ 0.81) by period. The DFM mixtures did not negatively affect feeding behavior of yearling steers consuming steam-flaked corn-based finishing diets.
PSVIII-17 Nutrient Digestibility of Beef Steers Consuming Finishing Diets with an Added Nutritional Packet in a Calf-fed System
Authors: Rush Camron J , Sarturi Jhones O , Henry Darren H , Ciriaco Francine M , Huerta-Leidenz Nelson O , Crossland Whitney L , Lopez Alejandra M , Scaranto Silva Kaliu G , Nardi Kaue Tonelli , Osorio-Doblado Andrea M , Peters Sarah , Manna Mikala Di , Hinds Jordan , Saes Yasmim , Rodrigues Barbara , Quijada Angel A , Coello Kymberly
Published: September 2022

The effects of a nutritional packet containing a direct-fed microbial combined with vitamins/electrolytes offered to beef steers in a calf-fed system on apparent total tract nutrient digestibility were evaluated. Angus crossbred steer-calves (n = 60; BW = 234 ± 4 kg) were assigned to a randomized complete block design (block = body weight; steer = experimental unit) and stratified into 2 treatments: a) control (no packet, finely-ground corn carrier only); and b) 30 g of DM/animal-daily of a nutritional packet [live-yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae; 8.7 Log CFU/g), Vitamin C (5.4 g/kg of Ascorbic acid), Vitamin B1 (13.33 g/kg of Thiamine hydrochloride), and electrolytes of NaCl (80 g/kg) and KCl (80 g/kg)]. Animals were individually offered [electronic feed-bunks (Smart-Feed/C-Lock Inc.)] a steam-flaked corn-based finishing diet ad libitum, once daily for 233 d. Treatments were offered during the first (phase-1) and last (phase-2) 60 d on feed. At the conclusion of each phase, feed samples were collected once daily (1400 h), while fecal samples twice daily (0700 and 1700 h) from each steer during 4 consecutive days. Fecal and feed sample composites were dehydrated (55oC), ground (1 mm), and analyzed to assess DM, OM, NDF, ADF, and hemicellulose. The 288-h indigestible NDF was used as dietary internal marker to estimate fecal output and used to calculate nutrient digestibility. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS. Intake of DM, OM, and fiber components during both digestibility trials were not affected (P ≥ 0.56) by treatments. Steers offered the nutritional packet had increased (P < 0.01) apparent total tract digestibility of DM, OM, NDF, ADF, and hemicellulose by at least 2.4, 2.4, 8.3, 10, and 7.5%, respectively, in both digestibility phases. Superior nutrient digestibility without affecting nutrient intake may justify a potential enhanced carcass energy deposition.
PSVIII-2 Hy-D Increases Performance of Grazing Nellore Young Bulls Receiving Protein Supplement in the Growing Phase
Authors: Silveira Melissa Barreto , Mudado Fernanda Simões , Perdigão Alexandre , de Matos Isabelle E , da Silva Aline Gomes , Fernandes Henrique Jorge , de Carvalho Victor Valério , Acedo Tiago S S
Published: September 2022

Studies demonstrate the benefits of supplementing 25-OH Vit D3 to bovines, few is known about its effect on performance of grazing animals in tropical conditions. Thus, our objective was to evaluate the effects of inclusion of 25-OH Vit D3 (Rovimix Hy-D 1.25%, Hy-D) in protein supplement on performance of grazing Nellore steers during the rainy season. Nellore steers (n=50; iBW of 346 ± 5 kg; age, 14 mo) were used. Animals were equally distributed in two paddocks (25 animals each one) of B. brizantha, cv. Marandú (7.0 ha each), equipped with electronic feeders, that allowed assess to individual supplement intake. The treatments consisted of a protein supplement (Fosbovi Proteico 30, DSM, Brazil), with or without the addition of Hy-D, in a dose adjusted to daily intake of 1 mg/animal/d. The experimental period was 99-d. To avoid possible effects of paddocks, groups of animals were rotated among the paddocks weekly. At the beginning and at the end of the experiment, animals were weighed after 16h of total fasting. At the end of the trial, blood samples from 15 animals per treatment were collected before fasting, to determine serum concentrations of 25-OH Vit D3. Data were analyzed according to a complete randomized block design. The use of Hy-D (Control vs Hy-D) decreased supplement daily intake (0.753 vs 0.529 kg/d; P< 0.02); did not affected final BW (427 vs 423 kg; P >0.10) or ADG (0.810 vs 0.765 kg/d; P >0.10); and increased the supplementation efficiency (1.166 vs 1.591 kg ADG / kg supplement, P< 0.01) and serum 25-OH Vit D3 (27.3 vs 59.3 ng/mL; P< 0.01). It is known that 25-OH Vit D3 has a positive effect on skeletal muscle hypertrophy and the increased serum 25-OH Vit D3 in the present study points that the greater nutritional efficiency of animal receiving Hy-D could be linked to a greater muscle deposition.
PSVIII-16 Metagenomic Analyses of Microbial and Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes in the Rumen of Holstein Steers Supplemented with Seeds of Pharbitis nil
Authors: Bharanidharan Rajaraman , Byun Jun Suk , Kim Kyoung Hoon
Published: September 2022

Our previous research revealed the effects of dietary supplementation of Pharbitis nil seeds (PA) in improving the ruminal methane reduction and digestibility in Hanwoo steers. The objective of this study was to further investigate the effects of PA supplementation on rumen microbial taxonomy, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Orthology functional categories and the diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). Five rumen cannulated Holstein steers (744 ± 35 kg) were fed either basal diet (Control) or basal diet supplemented with PA at 5% dry matter intake (PA5) for two consecutive periods of 40 days in pairwise comparison. Rumen fluid was collected on the last day of each period after 4h of morning feeding. Analysis of rumen microbial metagenome revealed that contigs assigned to taxa Methanobrevibacter millerae decreased (p = 0.090) in PA5 group. Functional annotation of contigs using KEGG database revealed that genes involved in starch and sucrose metabolism were enriched (p = 0.058) in PA5 group compared with control. CAZyme analysis identified genes that encode glycoside hydrolase (GH) accounted for 63.18% and 65.66% of all CAZymes in control and PA5, respectively. The GH2 family (enriched in oligosaccharide-degrading enzymes) genes were greater (p = 0.090) in PA5 than control. Likewise, the abundance of GH26 and GH53 (endo-hemicellulases), GH5_4 (cellulases), and GH13_36 and GH13_42 (α-amylase) were increased (p < 0.1) in PA5 relatively compared with control. Most of the genes were mainly produced by unclassified contigs followed by Cupriavidus oxalaticus and Prevotella ruminicola 23. De novo assembly and binning recovered a total of 107 metagenome-assembled genomes taxonomically assigned to different bacterial phyla and one archaeal phyla. Of these genomes, 39 represented the uncultivated bacteria and 1 represented Lactobacillus genera. This study revealed that PA supplemented steers had increased GH activity, which encode enzymes that efficiently degrade plant cell wall polysaccharides in the rumen thereby increasing the fiber digestibility.
PSVIII-4 Impact of Different Forage Allowances During the Middle and Late Thirds of Pregnancy of Nellore Dams Pregnant with Female Calves on dam Performance
Authors: Sousa Luciana M , Oliveira Ivanna M , Souza William L , Oliveira Karla A , Cidrini Iorrano A , Nogueira Henrique R , Prados Laura F , Resende Flávio D , Siqueira Gustavo R
Published: September 2022

The study aimed to evaluate the impact of forage allowance (FA) on performance, during pregnancy until weaning, of dams pregnant with Nellore female calves subjected to two different FA during the middle and final thirds of pregnancy. The experiment lasted 390 days, divided into two phases: gestational phase (150 days - from June to November 2019) and nursering phase (240 days - from November/2019 to July/2020). Multiparous Nellore n = 42; initial BW of 425 ± 36 kg and body condition score (BCS) of 3.67 ± 0.23] dams pregnant with female calves were used in a randomized block design (blocked by BW), with the experimental unit being the paddock and six replicates per treatment. The treatments consisted of two different FAs during pregnancy phase: low forage allowance (LFA; 2.80 kg of DM/kg of BW) and high forage allowance (HFA; 7.60 kg DM/kg BW). The dams were kept in an area composed of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu and received a protein supplement (1 g/kg BW/day). In the nursing phase, all animals remained in the same pasture conditions and supplementation (ad libitum mineral salt) until calves were weaned. The data were analyzed using the SAS PROC MIXED. Dams subjected to LFA had reduced BW (-35 kg) and BCS (-0.23) at calving (P< 0.01). All variables measured in the carcass, except marbling score (P=0.33), showed differences (P< 0.01) between treatments at calving, with the least values observed in the animals subjected to LFA. At weaning, dams subjected to LFA had reduced BW (-16 kg; P< 0.01). Dams subjected to LFA, at the level and period evaluated, probably went through feed restriction during the middle and final thirds of gestation, implicating lower performance and deposition of tissues in the pre and post calving until weaning.
PSVI-12 Ghrelin Plasm Concentrations are Greater in High- vs low-RFI Hampshire Male Lambs within a Transient Surge of Secretion Just Before a Scheduled Meal Feeding
Authors: Pérez-Álvarez José G , Martínez-Quintana José A , Jahuey-Martínez Francisco J , Corral-Luna Agustin , Domínguez-Viveros Joel , Sifuentes-Rincón Ana A , Rodríguez-Almeida Felipe A
Published: September 2022

The aim was to explore potential differences on ghrelin plasm concentrations between efficient and inefficient lambs within a transient surge of ghrelin secretion just before a scheduled meal feeding. Six high- (256±19 g) and six low-RFI (-242±19 g) Hampshire entire male lambs (Age=168±2 d and BW=63±5 kg) were taken out of 25 individuals in a 56-d GrowSafe SystemsÒ feeding trial. After a 10-d adaptation to a once-daily ad-libitum feed offering (0900 h), at d11 three lambs from each RFI group continued the once-daily feeding schedule (FED), whereas feed was withheld from the other three lambs (FAST) from each RFI group for 24-h (d11 to d12). Blood samples were collected via indwelling jugular catheter. In d11, ghrelin plasm concentrations were determined by ELISA in all animals at 0800, 0840, 0900, 1000 and 1100, and d12 at 0900, 1000 and 1100 in the FAST group. A linear model for repeated measures was adjusted with PROC MIXED of SAS. Plasm ghrelin levels began to increase at 0800, and RFI groups reached significant difference (P < 0.05) within both FED and FAST groups at 0840, with the greatest difference at peak concentrations at 0900 h (3.9±0.2 vs 2.4±0.2 and 3.9±0.2 vs 3.0±0.2 ng/ml for high vs low RFI, respectively). In the descendent phase of the curve for the FED group, one hour after feeding, ghrelin plasm concentration levels continued to be greater (P < 0.05) for high RFI vs low RFI animals and reached basal levels by 1100 h. For the FAST group, ghrelin concentrations continued to increase averaging maximum concentrations at the end of feed restriction, 0900 h of d12, being 4.9±0.2 ng/mL for the high RFI animals and 3.5±0.2 ng/mL for the low RFI ones. In conclusion, high RFI lambs show more pronounced transient surge of ghrelin secretion just before a scheduled meal feeding than low RFI lambs.
PSXII-18 Genome-Wide Association for Behavioral Anestrus in Swine
Authors: Wijesena Hiruni R , Nonneman Dan J , Rohrer Gary A , Keel Brittney N , Snelling Warren M , Lents Clay A
Published: September 2022

Gilts represent a significant portion of breeding females, and producer success largely depends on lifetime prolificacy and number of lifetime litters produced. Expression and precise detection of first estrus are key components for successful breeding. Failure to express behavioral signs of estrus, also known as prebreeding anestrus, affects 10-30% of gilts resulting in premature culling. Behavioral anestrus (BA), that is ovulatory cycles of the ovary without signs of estrus, is a major type of prebreeding anestrus that affects up to 5% of the gilt population at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. Examination of ovaries revealed that 38% of BA gilts had exhibited more than one ovulatory cycle. Identification of genomic predictors of BA could minimize prebreeding anestrus in gilts. Data collected from normal cyclic (n=2,421) and BA gilts (n=515) from a multigeneration Yorkshire-Landrace-Duroc composite population were used for a case-control genome-wide association to identify candidate genes and cell signaling pathways associated with BA in gilts. The genomic heritability for BA in the population was 0.35. Fifty-six genome-wide significant SNP were identified with proportion of phenotypic variance explained by each SNP ranging from 0.009 to 0.06. Quantitative trait loci identified for BA harbor candidate genes involved in olfaction (OR13H1) and behavioral disorders (PLCB4). Biologically this is expected because, activation of olfactory pathways by boar pheromones is important to stimulate female lordosis behavior and sexual receptivity to boar. Several candidate genes identified for BA (IGSF1, MSTN, RXRG) were previously reported for age at puberty in humans and cattle suggesting the pleiotropic nature of these genes influencing multiple estrus related traits in different species. To our knowledge this is the first large scale association analysis performed for BA in pigs and these data are an important first step to facilitate future studies to identify functional polymorphisms regulating estrus behavior in gilts.The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
PSXII-20 Use of Statistical Process Control to Evaluate the Effect of Isoquinoline Alkaloids Supplementation on Productive Performance of Growing-Finishing Pigs
Authors: Artuso Valeria c , Steiner Tobias c , Cano Emilio , Ribeiro Flavio , Morillo-Alujas Alberto
Published: September 2022

Statistical process control (SPC) is a statistical method that can be used to evaluate the production variation in swine operations, thus facilitating decision making. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant-derived isoquinoline alkaloids (IQs) supplementation on production performance of growing-finishing pigs by using SPC.The experiment was carried out in a commercial swine integration in Spain. Historical control (calibration) data was compiled from 2017 to June 2020. During this period, all animals received a standard commercial diet. During the treatment period, which started in July 2020 and lasted until February 2021, all pigs were fed the standard diet supplemented with 1 kg/t feed of a plant-based IQ product (Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH, Eltville, Germany), from day 70 of life until slaughter. Data recorded during both, historical control and treatment periods included feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily gain (ADG, g/d), average daily feed intake (ADFI, g/d), cost of medicines (Euro/pig), runts (%) and mortality rate (%). SPC tools were used to monitor the previously described performance parameters. CUSUM control charts were obtained for all parameters and for each nutritional and health cluster to show the evolution or the changes of each parameter. The results showed that pigs supplemented with IQs had a lower FCR, increased ADG and reduced cost in medications as compared to the control period (p ≤ 0.05; Table 1). SPC methods were successfully implemented to evaluate the effect of IQs supplementation on growth performance of grow-finish pigs. The results of the study indicated that IQs supplementation improved FCR and ADG, whereas the cost of medication was significantly reduced. Therefore, IQs supplementation in pigs from day 70 of life until slaughter could be a good strategy to improve the efficiency and profitability of the production system.
Urban bird diversity: does abundance and richness vary unexpectedly with green space attributes?
Authors: Thompson Rebecca , Tamayo Mariana , Sigurðsson Snorri
Published: September 2022

Urban bird diversity has been shown to be a useful indicator of overall biodiversity in urban green spaces. Attributes of green spaces (size, location and age) vary within a city and can influence bird diversity. To understand the relationship between bird diversity and green space attributes, we assessed bird abundance and richness in several green spaces in Reykjavik, Iceland. Fifteen green spaces were selected, representing different size categories (small: <5 ha and large: 7–41 ha) and different locations within the urban sprawl (central and suburban). Thirteen transect surveys were conducted at each park from March to September 2020. Abundance, species richness, the Shannon diversity index and evenness were compared across parks. Abundance, Shannon index and evenness were significantly higher in large, intermediate-aged parks with residential urban contexts (P < 0.05). Richness did not vary significantly with park size but was significantly higher in old- and intermediate-age parks that were centrally located (P < 0.005). Bird diversity did not vary significantly over the survey season. For abundance, our results were expected: the larger the park, the greater the abundance. However, contrary to most studies, the suburbs of Reykjavik had less richness than the city center. Furthermore, park size was not relevant for richness, which is the main factor in other cities (e.g. London, Boston). These differences in response indicate that abundance and richness should be considered simultaneously when monitoring urban bird diversity. Lastly, small urban parks (<5 ha) should not be disregarded in urban planning, especially in high latitude cities.
Safe Administration and Low Healthcare Utilization Following Musculoskeletal Corticosteroid Injections by U. S. Military Physical Therapists
Authors: Samson Jeremiah Y , Anderson Danielle N , Hooper Troy L , Sizer Phillip S , Hando Benjamin R , Brismée Jean-Michel
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries make up a significant proportion of conditions treated by military healthcare providers during wartime. Though many common MSK injuries may benefit from corticosteroid injection (CSI), a shortage of qualified military clinicians has led to diminished access to appropriate care. Longer wait times to receive treatment pose detrimental effects on military readiness and have garnered the attention of military leaders. One solution was the development of advanced training for United States Air Force physical therapists (USAF PTs) to gain clinical privileges in administering CSI. The objectives of this study were to determine in USAF PTs (1) the prevalence of those with privileges to administer CSI; (2) the type and (3) safety of MSK CSI administered; (4) incidence of CSI complications; (5) healthcare utilization following CSI; and (6) barriers to obtaining and practicing CSI privileges.

Materials and Methods

United States Air Force PTs with CSI privileges received instructions to follow a link to an anonymous Google survey. Electronic medical record reviews were conducted by three USAF PTs to determine the occurrence and severity of CSI complications provided by USAF PTs and advanced healthcare providers (AHPs). The principal investigator conducted further review of the patients’ electronic medical records to calculate healthcare utilization following CSI administered by USAF PTs. A hospital administrator selected cases of similar diagnoses treated with CSI by USAF AHPs. The number selected cases treated by AHPs are similar to the number of CSI cases treated by USAF PTs.

Results

Eleven USAF PTs held CSI privileges. No major complications associated with CSI were recorded. Of the 95 CSI cases treated by USAF PTs, 27 (28.4%) reported increased pain compared to 24 (27.9%) of 86 CSI cases treated by AHPs (P = .94). Healthcare utilization for the number of follow-up visits, imaging, and additional laboratory tests following CSI by USAF PTs was lower compared to AHPs (chi-square; P < .0069).

Conclusion

Nine percentage of USAF PTs held CSI privileges. United States Air Force PTs were equally safe as AHPs who administered CSI and associated with a lower rate of healthcare utilization following the intervention. Training USAF PTs to administer CSI could be the standard for all USAF PTs who meet qualification requirements. Adoption of similar training and credentialing policies for civilian PTs warrants further exploration.
A chemical analysis of seven red giants of the Galactic cluster NGC 4349
Authors: Holanda N , Ramos André A , Peña Suárez V J , Martinez Cintia F , Pereira C B
Published: September 2022

In this study, we undertake a comprehensive investigation of seven red giant stars of NGC 4349 (#005, #009, #079, #127, #168, #174, and #203) and one non-member star (#053). Accurate abundances of 19 chemical species and 12C/13C isotopic ratio are determined using high-signal-to-noise FEROS spectra and standard spectroscopic analysis. Seven of the giant stars in our sample present a mean iron abundance of [Fe/H] = −0.16 ± 0.04, while the star NGC 4349−053 is classified as a non-member of the cluster, based on the membership analysis with the upmask code. Also, we estimate an age of 282 ± 32 Myr and E(B − V) = 0.40 ±0.02, after fitting an isochrone for the metallicity of NGC 4349 and with the photometric and astrometric data sets from the literature. Furthermore, we carry out for the first time a chemical composition study for star $\#079$, so far neglected in the literature. This red giant star is in a binary system and presents chemical abundances compatible with the open cluster. However, its parallax and proper-motion components suggest otherwise. Finally, we identify NGC 4349 as a young open cluster with slightly enriched s-process elements ([s/Fe] = +0.16 ± 0.05 dex). In the context of the so-called chemical clocks, NGC 4349 presents a concordance with some observed relationships for H-burning elements and α- and s-process elements.
Gravitational lensing of gravitational waves: Probability of microlensing in galaxy-scale lens population
Authors: Meena Ashish Kumar , Mishra Anuj , More Anupreeta , Bose Sukanta , Bagla Jasjeet Singh
Published: September 2022

With the increase in the number of observed gravitational wave (GW) signals, detecting strongly lensed GWs by galaxies has become a real possibility. Lens galaxies also contain microlenses (e.g. stars and black holes), introducing further frequency-dependent modulations in the strongly lensed GW signal within the LIGO frequency range. The multiple lensed signals in a given lens system have different underlying macro-magnifications (|μ|) and are located in varied microlens densities (Σ•), leading to different levels of microlensing distortions. This work quantifies the fraction of strong lens systems affected by microlensing using realistic mock observations. We study 50 quadruply imaged systems (quads) by generating 50 realizations for each lensed signal. However, our conclusions are equally valid for lensed signals in doubly imaged systems (doubles). The lensed signals studied here have |μ| ∼ [0.5, 10] and Σ• ∼ [10, 103]M⊙ pc−2. We find that the microlensing effects are more sensitive to the macro-magnification than the underlying microlens density, even if the latter exceeds 103M⊙ pc−2. The mismatch between lensed and unlensed GW signals rarely exceeds 1 per cent for nearly all binary black hole sources in the total mass range [10M⊙, 200M⊙]. This implies that microlensing is not expected to affect the detection or the parameter estimation of such signals and does not pose any further challenges in identifying the different lensed counterparts when macro-magnification is ≤10. Such a magnification cut is expected to be satisfied by ∼50 per cent of the detectable pairs in quads and ∼90 per cent of the doubles in the fourth observing run of the LIGO–Virgo detector network.
Transformative Justice
Authors: Patricia O’Brien , Willison Judith S.
Published: September 2022

This chapter recognizes that the members of society have a choice in constructing accountability mechanisms for public safety. The necessary reconstruction begins by abolishing oppressive and violent surveillance, confinement, and control structures. This chapter summarizes what has been learned from state and federal efforts meant to decrease jail and prison admissions and curtail the reach of the carceral systems into families and communities. It then describes restorative practices as an alternative to the penal system that provides a broader avenue for coconstructed interpersonal solutions that can replace retribution and punishment systems. The chapter concludes with the promise of transformative justice by describing the current and future avenues that enable people with lived experience to join social workers and their allies in the movement to create a world without prisons.
Mango Blossoms
Authors: Rai Zahra
Published: September 2022

Zahra Rai’s “Mango Blossoms” skilfully interweaves the overlapping threads of first love, a love for music and an immersion in nature. Shami, the youthful protagonist loves all the young men who come to her house presumably to meet her brother, but she thinks that it is she who is the real reason for their visits. She likes each of them for different reasons – good looks, an attractive voice, an interesting style of speaking, or even the fact of someone owning a big American car or a fancy television set, in which case youth is not a requirement. But there is among them her ‘special’ man, of whom she thinks all the time. The descriptions of Shami’s physical beauty are as sensual as those of the musical raags. The story follows the love between the young couple, which, like a raag by Amir Khan, progresses imperceptibly in gestures and asides, and culminates in a kiss after a music conference that they attend together. The intoxication of first love and the spell woven by the raag played on the sarod that seems to be shedding mango blossoms, take on the form of a musical trio in the story.
The Blue Envelope
Authors: Imtiaz Ali Hijab
Published: September 2022

Every Saturday, a blue envelope was delivered to the narrator's house from the port of Shune. On one of the Saturdays, the mysterious envelope contained a map and a note addressed to Uncle Jaffar, his friend Dr. Gaar, and the narrator. It was a map of a room, which was believed to be located on the second storey of the bungalow in Shune owned by the narrator's uncle. They all attempt to solve the mystery of the blue envelopes.
The Will
Authors: Mahmood Moghal
Published: September 2022

Moghal Mahmood “The Will” is written from the perspective of Tahira, the woman whose job it is to bathe dead bodies. She is summoned to Nishat Manzil where the old begum has just died. The custom at deaths in the haveli is that the ghassalni who bathes the corpse will be given whatever is on the body of the deceased at the time of death. Tahira looks at the expensive tops that the begum is wearing in her ears and the big diamond in her ring. She begins to plan ahead for her daughter’s wedding which will become possible if she gets this jewellery. She eagerly prepares the ingredients for the begum’s last bath and waits for the dead woman’s daughters to tell her to begin. But the will has to be read out first. The shroud sealed in a wax cloth, with lines from the Koran written on it in saffron ink is unwrapped and the envelope with the begum’s will is opened. What follows is a startling twist that takes the story onto a different trajectory and gives it an unexpected ending. Translation from Hindi by Sara Rai
A TV of One’s Own
Authors: Salma
Published: September 2022

A colour TV set brought home by Shaukat Ali from Dubai made the entire town sit up open-mouthed in amazement. At the stroke of half past six, in the evening, a sizeable brood of children and women from the entire street, lay siege over his home. Zakiramma, a fifty-eight-year-old poor woman is an ardent film buff who began to hatch numerous plans to buy a TV. Set in a Muslim middle class locality, Salma's A TV of One's Own' is a fascinating story dealing with desires, dreams, and aspirations.
Registered Post
Authors: Zaidi Annie
Published: September 2022

Sheeba Rizvi, a mofussil lawyer in Ranipur, is suing Indian Post on behalf of her client Suhail, claiming that the local post office has deliberately withheld a letter via registered post. Fifteen years ago, Suhail’s girlfriend Khushboo had mailed a registered letter detailing plans for an elopement. This letter was held back by her uncle, who worked at the local post office. After he retired, this letter was finally delivered.
The Men and The Woman
Authors: Riyaz Tarannum
Published: September 2022

“Maydum, Maydum! I did not get my monthly period,” Sundari told Aasima and quickly lowered her head and collapsed on the floor beside the bed. Sundari, a tribal girl of Jharkhand, works as domestic help and has physical relationships with male servants working at the house. Tarannum Riyaz’s “The Men and the Woman” is a fascinating story of relationships, sympathy, female bonding. It also deals with crucial issues of pregnancy and abortion.
A Letter to the Sky
Authors: Khatun Asrafi
Published: September 2022

In a letter addressed to the sky, the narrator writes about the hurdles that she faced while growing up. She narrates thicks and thins of her life. She shares her pain, happiness, desires, and aspirations with the sky.
Sending the Lord Away
Authors: Sharma Nasira
Published: September 2022

On her wedding night, Farzana’s husband persuades her to waive off the meher. She feels betrayed when she realizes that this was a common practice in her husband’s family. With the help of a righteous maulvi and her brother, she tries to understand the religious-legal dimension of women’s rights in Islam.
I Am Reminded of You
Authors: Khatun Kasema
Published: September 2022

While returning from an event on communal harmony, the narrator-poet sees an orphan boy who was begging on the street. Feeling pity for the boy, he adopts him. The narrator is hailed as an exemplary figure in literary and social circles; he receives a lot of media coverage. But, one day, everything changes for the narrator as well as the boy. Kasema Khatun’s Assamese story “I am Reminded of You” critiques the hypocrisy of the educated class and touches upon the question of poverty and caste in society.
Introduction
Authors: Preedy Chloe Kathleen
Published: September 2022

The space of the air has long been neglected, but its presence has recently been foregrounded by critics seeking to reassert the value of the ephemeral and the intangible. Spatial theorists have called for a move away from earth-centred geography towards a new aerography that begins with the air itself. Early modern Europe also witnessed an important shift in attitudes towards and perceptions of this element, albeit in a very different context. This Introduction considers how those living in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England might have understood the air’s presence. It focuses in particular on the implications for those writing for and performing at London’s new purpose-designated amphitheatres: venues that were partially enclosed by surrounding walls and galleries, but which remained open to the ambient air outside, and the sky above.
Representing Aerial Environments
Authors: Preedy Chloe Kathleen
Published: September 2022

This chapter investigates how fictional aerial environments were evoked and represented in the open-air drama of Elizabeth and Jacobean England. Various plays from this period feature symbolically charged or geographically orientating references to the air quality of specific regions or locales, while others evoke meteorological and celestial phenomena that range from mists to comets. Collectively, these atmospheric effects advertise the representational scope of an English drama whose imaginative range reached from the caverns beneath the earth to the edge of heaven. Moreover, through such imagery, playwrights including Thomas Dekker, Thomas Heywood, and Thomas Middleton drew attention to the as if aerial environments of their drama in ways that might enable their audiences to scrutinize the relationship between these theatrical aerographies, the local playhouse atmosphere, and the actual space of the air.
Conclusion
Authors: Preedy Chloe Kathleen
Published: September 2022

Between 1609 and 1610, the King’s Men began to stage regular performances at the indoor Blackfriars playhouse while maintaining their connection with the open-air Globe. This conclusion considers the significance of that development for the open-air dramaturgy that had emerged among those writing for and performing at London’s commercial amphitheatres. It demonstrates the continued significance of open-air practice for dramatists such as Thomas Heywood and Thomas Dekker, and analyses how some of the early modern theatre’s most important aerial trends converge within William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611), arguing that this play self-consciously translates an open-air dramaturgy into the indoor space of the Blackfriars in ways that invite reflection on the elemental air’s presence and role in early modern theatre.
Freedom
Authors: Tahzib Collis
Published: September 2022

This chapter defends the perfectionist conception of justice against the objection that perfectionist laws and policies are unduly restrictive of freedom or autonomy. The author contends that, on the one hand, perfectionist justice is compatible with many of the conceptions of freedom found within contemporary political philosophy and that, on the other hand, the conceptions of freedom with which perfectionist justice is incompatible (such as libertarian conceptions of freedom as full self-ownership) are not in any case independently plausible. This chapter also address a more pragmatic variant of the freedom-based objection: namely that, however hospitable to freedom perfectionism is in theory, any attempt to implement perfectionism in practice would risk the abuse of political power and the violation of individual liberties by incompetent or corrupt state officials, and so common sense dictates taking ideals of human flourishing off the political agenda as a kind of prophylactic measure.
The Village Busybody
Authors: Tahzib Collis
Published: September 2022

This chapter defends the perfectionist conception of justice against Matthew Kramer’s argument that perfectionist regimes that seek the edification of the citizenry are guilty of a meddlesome mentality, one akin in important respects to that of a village busybody. Put differently, the perfectionist state violates a moral requirement of self-restraint. In response, the author argues that this objection begs the question against perfectionist justice by assuming precisely what needs to be shown, namely that promoting the flourishing and edification of the citizenry falls outside the proper bounds of government. In other words, when one says that the perfectionist state meddles in matters that are none of its business or sticks its nose where it does not belong, one already assumes that the state has no duty to promote the flourishing and edification of the citizenry; but one cannot help oneself to this assumption because the question of whether the state has a duty to promote the flourishing and edification of the citizenry is precisely what is at stake in the debate between perfectionists and anti-perfectionist liberals.
Zero Interest Policy and the New Abnormal
Authors: Beenstock Michael
Published: September 2022

In the “New Normal” central banks set their interest rate to zero and print money through massive quantitative easing, while finance ministries run huge fiscal deficits. Yet inflation remains minimal. This book explains why. It also explains why the New Normal is really the New Abnormal, and why it can’t last. The academic roots of the New Abnormal are traced to a conceptual confusion about the “natural rate of interest,”’ and postmodernism in macroeconomics, exemplified by the DSGE (dynamic stochastic general equilibrium) movement. A theory of “existential risk” is developed, which is concerned with the collapse of political economies such the Bretton Woods system and the New Abnormal. Existential risk expresses itself in the growing gap between the natural rate of interest, measured by the rate of return on capital, and the real rate of interest. Existential risk is also expressed in the development of cryptocurrencies. A theory of “kinetic inflation” based on Keynes’ liquidity trap is developed, which accounts for the absence of inflation in the New Abnormal, and predicts its outbreak when zero interest policy ends. The adverse social consequences of the New Abnormal for fertility, pensions, house prices, economic inequality, and intergenerational equity are explored. A causal link is established from the New Abnormal to Covid-19 mitigation policy, and from the latter to the intensification of the New Abnormal. Finally, the prospects are assessed for ending the New Abnormal, and an orderly return to the Old Normal. The alternative is to crash out of the New Abnormal chaotically.
Dramatic Libraries
Authors: Crawford Robert
Published: September 2022

Surveying depictions of libraries in British and American drama from the Renaissance to the present day, this chapter argues that libraries in drama represent power. Though this power is primarily intellectual (especially in Renaissance drama), it is also, particularly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, economic. The trope of Don Quixote’s library underpins the presumed power of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century libraries—and especially circulating libraries favoured by women—to addle their readers’ wits. As the phenomenon of the ‘Gothic library’ waxes and wanes, libraries of fake books or volumes chosen only to suggest prestige feature increasingly in nineteenth- and twentieth-century drama as the library on stage increasingly comes to represent economic, rather than high-cultural, value. A modern exception to this trend is Tom Stoppard’s Travesties (1974), in which the library functions as a centre of intellectual and revolutionary energy.
The Body in the Library
Authors: Humble Nicola
Published: September 2022

This chapter considers the trope of the body in the library in the Golden Age crime fiction of the first half of the twentieth century—both the corpse on the hearthrug of the country house library that becomes a cliché of much early clue-puzzle crime fiction, and the reading, writing, lounging, snoozing, shelving, dusty bodies to be found in university libraries. It identifies a wide range of library-focussed crime fiction from both the USA and the UK, examining descriptions of libraries through a deployment of Bachelard’s poetics of space. Its central focus is Agatha Christie’s The Body in the Library (1942) and Dorothy L. Sayers’s Gaudy Night (1936). It suggests that for Christie the trope functions as a synecdoche for the distancing effects with which the Golden Age crime novel treats violence, while for Sayers the material paradoxes of bodies, books, and libraries undermine the novel’s ostensible valorization of the life of the mind.