bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PSII-7 Development and assessment of a mobility scoring system for beef cattle
Authors: Guzman Paula Olivares , Schwartzkopf-Genswein Karen S , Bescucci Danisa , Guluarte Jose Ortiz , Ryait Hardeep S , Mohajerani Majid , Sutherland Robert , Van Donkersgoed Joyce 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Lameness is a disruption of normal gait due to infection, injury, or abnormal conformation, causing pain and discomfort. Several scoring systems have been developed to determine lameness severity; a key indicator in deciding if an animal is fit to withstand transport. However, most scoring systems were developed for dairy cattle and may not be suited for use in feedlot cattle due to the large genetic variation between beef breeds as well as the highly variable environment in which they are housed. Lack of consistency when scoring lameness and reduced ability to detect early lame cattle can result in poor animal welfare and increased costs. The objectives of this study were 1) to develop a mobility scoring system that aids in transport decisions for beef cattle, and 2) to determine observer repeatability using this scoring system. Over a 7-mo period, video cameras were placed in an alley to record the ambulation of individual cattle exiting the processing barn at 4 commercial feedlots in Southern Alberta. Cameras were set to record whole-body videos of cattle walking, running, or trotting. Five researchers trained to use this mobility scoring system, individually evaluated 174 cattle from the collected videos, for fitness for transport and the presence/absence of gait abnormalities: shortness of stride, stiffness (mild, moderate, or severe), limp (mild, moderate, or severe), hip hike, head dropped, head bob, arched back, non-weight bearing, or reluctance to move. The mobility scoring system used was a modified (NCBA and Zinpro) 4-point scale (0-3) for locomotion: 0) an animal with no gait abnormalities; 1) an animal with mild stiffness and shortness of stride; 2) an animal with difficulty taking some steps and one or more of the following: severe stiffness, limp favoring affected limb, limps with a head bob when walking but still bears weight; and 3) an animal reluctant or unable to move, bearing little or no weight on affected limb, the head of the animal is dropped and back arched with pronounced head bob and severe limp detected, or incoordination. Fitness for transport was scored as fit, compromised, or unfit according to the humane transportation guidelines of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. A kappa statistic was calculated to assess inter-observer reliability for both mobility and transport fitness scoring systems as well as gait abnormalities. The combined mobility scores had substantial agreement between observers (Κ = 0.63; P &lt; 0.001). Mobility score of 2 had the highest agreement among all variables (Κ = 0.88; P &lt; 0.001), followed by head bob (Κ = 0.85; P &lt; 0.001), and arched back (Κ = 0.76; P &lt; 0.001). Results of this study will aid in the development of a mobility score that improves industry stakeholder agreement regarding lameness severity and transport loading decisions.
PSII-8 The effects of diet and finishing phase on the behavioral time budgets of feedlot cattle
Authors: Coon Rachael E , Tucker Cassandra B 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Feedlot cattle undergo many transitions in diet, social group structure, and environment during the finishing period. Little is known about how their behavior may be altered by these transitions. The objective of our pilot project was to compare the behavior of younger feedlot cattle fed a low-concentrate diet to that of finishing cattle, and to create 24-h time budgets for activity and oral behaviors in these groups. Cattle [n = 20; body weight (BW) = 305 ± 21 kg, mean ± SD] were fed a low-concentrate feedlot diet (60:40, concentrate:forage; ST) and cattle (n = 20; BW = 522 ± 45 kg) received a finishing diet (90:10, concentrate:forage; FI) twice daily. Animals were separated by diet and housed in groups of 10. Trained observers recorded behaviors of each group by live instantaneous recording every 5 min for a continuous 48 h, resulting in 192 h of data collected. We predicted that ST cattle would spend more time eating and ruminating due to the higher forage diet. We also expected that FI animals would rest more and spend less time standing and walking as a result of being more familiar with the environment and their social group structure. We also quantified a wide range of oral behaviors including rumination, grooming and manipulation of non-feed items in the pen. Behaviors were summarized by 24-h period, animal, group, and diet, then averaged by animal, and then averaged again by group (n = 2/diet). Missing values accounted for 3% of the activity data and 11% of the oral behaviors. T-tests revealed that ST cattle ruminated more than FI (352 ± 3 vs. 304 ± 1 min/d, mean ± SE, P = 0.02), but differences between treatments were not detected for time spent eating (196 ± 15 vs. 131 ± 3 min/d), standing (584 ± 13 vs. 588 ± 29 min/d), walking (46 ± 10 vs. 35 ± 5 min/d), or lying (768 ± 16 vs. 772 ± 7 min/d; P ≥ 0.13). When fed the ST diet, cattle spent 5 ± 2 min/d grooming group mates, while FI cattle groomed others for 11 ± 1 min/d, although this was not analyzed statistically because it was rare. Similarly, there were numerical differences in the amount of time spent orally manipulating non-food items (8 ± 3 and 18 ± 1 min/d for ST and FI animals, respectively) that have not been previously described. These results suggest that behavioral differences might be more apparent with larger sample sizes, but with the present experimental design, the predictions were not supported. Nonetheless, these are the first behavioral observations of feedlot cattle and provide a comprehensive time budget of their activity, including a range of oral behaviors over a 48-h period.
PSII-3 Effect of environmental enrichment on pig average daily feed intake and average daily gain in the early nursery phase
Authors: Fortney Daytona , Sundman Emiline R , Gabler Nicholas K , Millman Suzanne T , Johnson Anna K 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Transition from the sow to nursery is a stressful time for pigs and commonly leads to negative impacts on pig health, welfare, and lifetime performance. The objective of this study was to determine if the addition of a biologically relevant enrichment device affected average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) during the first 2 wk of nursery. A total of 160 mixed-sex pigs (Camborough 1050 X 337, PIC), 19 to 24 d of age [body weight (BW) = 5.77 SD 0.97 kg], were randomly allocated to pens at the Iowa State University Swine Nutrition Farm. Each pen contained 10 pigs (~0.29 m2/pig). Each pen was randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 1) enrichment device with no attractant (positive treatment; n = 8), or 2) no enrichment device (negative treatment; n = 8). Each positive treatment pen had two enrichment devices, consisting of one cotton rope and two biscuits, suspended from the feeder at pig height. The biscuits were replaced daily at about 0800 h throughout wk 1 in nursery (d 0 to d 6). In wk 2 (d 7 to d 13) no pens had an enrichment device. Each pen was equipped with a 4-hole, dry self-feeder measuring 0.61 m long and two affixed nipple drinkers. The feeder was weighed daily, and the pigs weighed weekly. Changes in daily feeder weight and weekly pig BW were used to calculate average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG). Pen was the experimental unit. Data were analyzed using the PROC Mixed procedure of SAS. The model included treatment, week, and treatment by week interaction. A P-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered significantly different. There was an observed difference in ADFI and ADG between wk (P ≤ 0.001, Table 1). However, there were no observed differences in ADFI or ADG for treatment (P ≤ 0.79) or treatment by week interaction (P ≤ 0.93). In conclusion, the addition of this biologically relevant enrichment did not improve or impair ADFI and ADG during the first 2 wk of the nursery phase.
PSVII-11 Genetic parameter estimates for lamb survival in prolific and nonprolific ewes
Authors: Lazaro Sirlene F , Oliveira Hinayah R , Schenkel Flávio S 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Given the increasing global demand for animal products, increasing lamb survival is a key breeding objective for sheep. However, high prolificacy can be associated with increases in fetal and lamb mortality. Therefore, the goal of this study was to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters for lamb survival (LS), using a: 1) single-trait model, where all ewes are analyzed together; and 2) two-trait model, where ewes are grouped in two groups based on birth type [i.e., Group 1 (G1) = single lamb/ewe, and Group 2 (G2) = multiple lambs/ewe]. In both models, LS was defined as the survival of lamb from birth to weaning and analyzed as a threshold trait. A total of 1,040,629 records (215,075 from single and 825,554 from multiple birth) from 319,467 ewes from several breeds/breed groups were available for the study. There were no females with two different types of births. Variance components were estimated through Bayesian inference via Gibbs sampling implemented in the GIBBSF90+ program, fitting a two-trait animal model with maternal effects, in which breed/breed groups were included as fixed effects. Average number of lambs/ewe in G2 was 2.57 (SD = 0.72). Heritability estimated (± SE) for LS on the underlying scale using the single-trait (0.04 ± 0.10) and two-trait model (0.010 ± 0.001 for LSG1 and 0.031 ± 0.004 for LSG2) were low. Maternal heritability estimated by the single-trait model was 0.007 ± 0.043, while by the two-trait model the estimates were 0.010 ± 0.006 and 0.040 ± 0.005 for LSG1 and LSG2, respectively. The genetic correlation estimated between LSG1 and LSG2 was weak and positive (0.25 ± 0.21). The low non-significant genetic correlation between single and multiple birth groups suggests that lamb survival is a different genetic trait in different birth types. Therefore, selecting for improving LS in nonprolific ewes may not necessarily translate to improving LS in prolific ewes. This underscores the need for careful consideration and targeted breeding strategies to achieve desired outcomes in nonprolific and prolific sheep simultaneously. Further studies to define the optimal statistical approach to genetically evaluate LS in prolific and nonprolific ewes are warranted.
PSVII-9 Improvement of feed efficiency in Korean Hanwoo cattle: investigation of feed intake and analysis of residual feed intake (RFI)
Authors: Park Mina , Seong Ha-Seung , Won Jeong-Il , Lee Seung-Soo , Dang Chang-Gwon , Lee Jae-Gu , Cha Jaebeom , Lee Sang-Min , Alam Mahboob 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Feed efficiency is an important economic trait in beef cattle production, and improving feed efficiency can reduce production costs and environmental impact. Residual feed intake (RFI) is a useful measure of individual feed efficiency, representing the difference between the actual feed intake of an animal and its predicted feed intake based on its body weight (BW) and growth. This study aimed to investigate feed intake and analyze RFI in Hanwoo cattle to improve feed efficiency. Data were collected from 120 Hanwoo steers (9 to 11 mo old) from six different test stations across the country. Individual daily feed intake of concentrates and forage was recorded over 70 d, and BW was measured at the beginning and end of the feeding trial. Daily feed intake was calculated using the TDN values of the concentrates and forage. Expected feed intake was estimated using a linear regression model based on metabolic BW and daily gain. RFI was calculated as the difference between expected and actual feed intake. Average daily gain ranged from 1.05 to 1.71 kg/d, and average daily feed intake ranged from 5.10 to 7.72 kg/d across the test stations. RFI values ranged from -0.84 to 0.95 kg/d, indicating significant variation in feed efficiency among the animals. This study provides valuable information on feed intake and RFI in Hanwoo cattle. Further research with a larger dataset is needed to develop a genetic evaluation model for RFI and to select animals with superior feed efficiency for improving Hanwoo cattle production.
PSX-3 Transcriptional response to an alternative diet on liver, muscle, and rumen of beef cattle
Authors: Fernandes Anna Carolina , Reverter Antonio , Keogh Kate , Alexandre Pâmela Almeida , Afonso Juliana , Palhares Júlio César Pascale , Cardoso Tainã Figueiredo , Moraes Malheiros Jéssica M , Bruscadin Jennifer Jéssica , de Oliveira Priscila Silva Neubern , Mourão Gerson Barreto , de Regitano Luciana Correia Almeida , Coutinho Luiz Lehmann 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Feed cost represents a major economic determinant within cattle production, amounting to an estimated 75% of the total variable costs. Consequently, comprehensive approaches such as optimizing feed utilization through alternative feed sources, alongside the selection of feed-efficient animals, are of great significance. Here, we investigate the effect of two diets, traditional corn-grain fed and alternative by-product based, on 14 phenotypes related to feed, methane emission and production efficiency and on multi-tissue transcriptomics data from liver, muscle, and rumen wall, derived from Nellore bulls (n = 52), 26 on each diet. To this end, diets were contrasted at the level of phenotype, gene expression, and gene-phenotype network connectivity. As regards the phenotypic level, at a P-value &lt; 0.05, significant differences were found in favor of the alternative diet for average daily weight gain at finishing, dry matter intake at finishing, methane emission, carcass yield and subcutaneous fat thickness at the rib-eye muscle area. In terms of the transcriptional level of the 14,776 genes expressed across the examined tissues, we found 487, 484, and 499 genes differentially expressed due to diet in liver, muscle, and rumen, respectively (P-value &lt; 0.01). To explore differentially connected phenotypes across both diet-based networks, we focused on the phenotypes with the largest change in average number of connections within diets and tissues, namely methane emission and carcass yield, highlighting, in particular, gene expression changes involving SREBF2, and revealing the largest differential connectivity in rumen and muscle, respectively. Similarly, from examination of differentially connected genes across diets, the top-ranked most differentially connected regulators within each tissue were MEOX1, PTTG1, and BASP1 in liver, muscle, and rumen, respectively. Changes in gene co-expression patterns suggest activation or suppression of specific biological processes and pathways in response to dietary interventions, consequently impacting the phenotype. The identification of genes that respond differently to diets and their associated phenotypic effects serves as a crucial steppingstone for further investigations, aiming to build upon our discoveries. Ultimately, such advancements hold the promise of improving animal welfare, productivity, and sustainability in livestock farming.
PSX-5 Repeatability of overreach, term and acuteness in Peruvian Paso horse
Authors: Vilela Jorge L , Quintana Paola D , Velarde Maria L , Chacon Jose Dextre 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The Peruvian Paso Horse is considered one of the best saddle horses worldwide due to the gait that makes this horse perform one of the smoothest walks. The overreach, term, and acuteness are the most characteristic movements in the gait, making them the most desirable attributes in its breeding and reproduction. Repeatability of overreach, term, and acuteness in Peruvian Paso horses (PPH) have not been determined to date. It is important to estimate this parameter for application in PPH breeding, therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the repeatability of overreach, term, and acuteness of PPHs. The study included records of 137 stallions and mares. All measurements were recorded in MP4 video format with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 megapixels and at 60 frames per second. All traits were measured three times (once per stride), and each trait was analyzed. KINOVEA software version 0.9.5 was used to analyze the measurements. A multivariate repeated measures animal model with sex effect was used to estimate the variance components for each trait using WOMBAT software. Repeatability was high in all traits (&gt; 0.78; Table 1). The low standard error values close to 0.02 indicate high precision in all traits (0.904, 0.855, and 0.903 for overreach, term, and acuteness, respectively), being defined as the variance of the mean of “n” measurements as a percentage of the variance of one measurement, indicating that this parameter has little effect on the temporal environment of the three traits. These results demonstrate that previous training can influence the regularity of the gait, in agreement with the present study, in which only adult animals that have already had previous training were evaluated. Furthermore, our results corroborate that traits with high repeatability require few measurements (3 in this study) to obtain greater precision, and an increase in the number of measurements may be irrelevant for parameter estimation. In a breeding plan, this high precision may be due to an increase in the additive genetic variance, indicating that two or more measurements have greater heritability than a single measurement, allowing a better breeding value estimate to be obtained. Considering the high repeatability values found, this parameter can be used as an indicator of how effective the selection process can be, considering its relationship with heritability, as repeatability values are higher than heritability, due to the inclusion of permanent environmental variance (within-individual variance) in its estimation. High values also indicate that individuals tend to have consistent performance, and therefore, obtaining several measures for evaluation may be impractical. It can be concluded that overreach, term, and acuteness have high repeatability values, which allows these traits to respond better in a selection process and performance evaluation for subsequent competitions.
PSX-4 Exploring the impact of age and body condition score on the genetic analysis of mature cow weight in American Angus cattle
Authors: Ojo Ayooluwa O , Campos Gabriel S , Mulim Henrique A , Garcia Andre , Schinckel Allan P , Miller Stephen , Retallick-Riley Kelli J , Oliveira Hinayah R 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Selecting sires with optimal genetic merit for mature weight (MWT) is crucial for profitability of beef producers, ensuring cost-effective production and increased economic returns per animal. The main objective of this study was to determine how different statistical approaches [e.g., including the fixed effects (FE) of age and body condition score (BCS) in the statistical model and/or pre-adjusting the weights for these effects] affect variance components estimation and genetic parameters for MWT, and their impact in the posterior selection decisions. The dataset provided by the American Angus Association (AAA) comprised 80,296 MWT records from 37,934 cows aged 2 to 15 yr. Contemporary groups (CG) were defined by concatenating herd, year, and season of measurement. Model 1 analyzed unadjusted MWT with CG and BCS as categorical FE and age as a covariable (quadratic). Model 2 was model 1 without BCS, model 3 was model 1 without age, and model 4 considered CG as the only FE. In model 5, MWT was pre-adjusted for 6 yr of age and BCS of 6, and CG was the only FE included in the statistical model. Additive genetic and permanent environment (pe) random effects were included in all statistical models except model 5, which did not include pe (only one adjusted record per animal). Variance components were calculated using REML implemented in the BLUPf90+ family of programs. Sires with at least 10 offspring (n = 1,483) were ranked according to their breeding values (EBVs) predicted for MWT, and all and the top 10% sires were used to estimate the rank correlation across models. The heritability (± SE) estimated for MWT was 0.43 (± 0.011), 0.42 (± 0.011), 0.70 (± 0.008), 0.72 (± 0.082), and 0.37 (± 0.013) for models 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Repeatability values were 0.64, 0.67, 0.72, and 0.76 for models 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The EBV ranks were highly correlated between models 1 and 2 (Top 10%: 0.96; All: 0.99), and models 3 and 4 (Top 10%: 0.99; All: 0.99). Inflated heritabilities in models 3 and 4 suggest that the effect of age is confounded with the additive genetic effect, which will not translate to greater genetic progress. Therefore, disregarding age in the genetic evaluation of MWT is not recommended. Similarities between models 1 and 2 suggest that BCS has a relatively small impact on MWT, probably related to the relatively low genetic correlation between these traits. Models 1 and 5 cannot be directly compared, as they use slightly different response variables (body weight vs. pre-adjusted weight) and may lead to slightly different selection decisions (correlation between Top 10%: 0.85; All: 0.95). Further investigations in this field are warranted.
PSX-10 Genome-wide association studies for clinical mastitis in dairy cattle
Authors: Chen Zikai K , Seto Desiree , Campos Fernando , Huzzey Julie M , Peterson Dan , Sprayberry Kim , Sargolzaei Mehdi , Anderson Paul , Altermatt Joy , Golden Bruce , Pokharel Siroj , Abo-Ismail Mohammed 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Mastitis, the inflammation of the mammary gland caused by both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, causes the global dairy industry over $20 billion annually in losses due to changes in milk yield and quality. The goal of this study was to identify genetic variants, genes, and biological pathways that are associated with mastitis. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on 1,858 cows from two lactations with both medium (n = 87,493) and high density (n = 624,300) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) using a single SNP mixed linear model implemented in GCTA software. A total of 288 SNPs across all evaluated models passed the 5% genome-wise false discovery rate threshold across all autosomes with emphasis on chromosomes 3, 14, 16, 12, 6, and 2. These SNPs were mapped to their corresponding genes using the bovine genome. Gene enrichment analysis was then performed to identify significant biological pathways associated with mastitis. The current study identified potential genes that are involved in the MAPK, C5a, and ion binding pathways, which have been previously associated with immune function and inflammation. Further validation and investigation are required to confirm the identified genes and pathways before implementation in breeding programs.