The ratio of roughage to concentrate on milk secretion rate in goats fed Stylosanthes ha mata hay

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of roughage to concentrate ratio (R:C) on milk secretion rate (g/h) in goats using a cross-over design in which each goat passed sequentially through all the treatments in random order. The treatments (R: C) were: A = 70 percent roughage : 30 percent concentrate; B = 50 percent roughage : 50 percent concentrate e and C = 30 percent roughage : 70 percent concentrate. In the experiment, seven goats were milked once a day, from the 2nd to 8th week of lactation, thrice per week for 2 weeks per treatment. The animals were fed at 4 percent body weight (DM basis). The feed consisted of Stylosanthes hamata hay (S. hamata hay) and a 17.2 percent CP concentrate ration. Data were analysed using the treatments as main effect with live weight and week of lactation as covariates. There was no significant treatment effects on mülk secretion rate (P>0.05). Overall milk secretion rate was 5.23gh. Week of lactation also had no significant effect (P>0.05). However, live weight of doe at time of milking had a highly significant effect (P>0.001) with milk secretion rate increasing by 0.41g/h per kilogram live weight. The R2 values for the predictive mathematical relationship for goats fed Stylosanthes hamata hay at 4 percent body weight in the dry season was R2 = 0.888. It can therefore be deduced that for a ladating doe in the 5th week of lactation at 20kg body weight fed at 4 percent with Stylosanthes hamata hay to concentrate ratio at 70 percent roughage : 30 percent concentrate would give a milk secretion rate of 6.717g/h while at 50 percent roughage : 50 percent concentrate it would give 6.662 g/h and 30 percent roughage : 70 percent concentrate level would give 7.054 g/h. Keywords:,,,

Development of a Videoconference-Adapted Version of the Community Diabetes Prevention Program, and Comparison of Weight Loss With In-Person Program Delivery

Introduction Effective, standardized, and easily accessible weight management programs are urgently needed for military beneficiaries. Videoconference interventions have the potential for widespread scaling, and can provide both real time interaction and flexibility in delivery times regardless of location, but there is little information on their effectiveness and acceptability. Materials and Methods This study as part of a larger weight loss trial describes the videoconference adaption of Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) program, a community group-based Diabetes Prevention Program intervention, and provides a comparison of weight loss and meeting attendance between in-person and videoconference delivery modes over 12 weeks in adult family members of military service members. Forty-three participants were enrolled from two military installations and received either the videoconference-adapted or an in-person GLB program in a non-randomized trial design. Differences in program attendance and percent weight lost at 12 weeks were compared by independent samples t-tests and nonparametric methods. Group differences in the percentage of weight lost over the 12-week period were analyzed using a linear mixed model. Results All GLB intervention components were successfully delivered by videoconference with minor adaptations for the different delivery mechanism. Participant retention was 70% and 96% in the in-person and videoconference groups, respectively (p = 0.04). Completing participants in both groups lost a significant percent body weight over the 12 week intervention (p < 0.001) and there was no difference in percent body weight after 12 weeks of intervention (6.2 ± 3.2% and 5.3 ± 3.4% for in-person and videoconference at 12 weeks, respectively; p = 0.60). Conclusion This study describes the first videoconference adaption of the GLB program for use in military families. Attrition was lower in the videoconference group, and there were a similar levels of weight loss in both groups regardless of delivery modality. Videoconference weight loss interventions are effective and feasible for scaling to support healthy weight management in military as well as civilian populations.

The Influence of Percentile Weight Bearing on Foot Radiographs

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Clinical decisions are often made based on the measurements of foot radiographs. Orthopaedic patients who have had lower extremity trauma or surgery are often given different weight bearing conditions including non-weight bearing, touch-down weight bearing, partial weight bearing (of various percent of body weight), and weight bearing as tolerated. However, it is largely unknown how these various weight bearing conditions alter specific parameters of foot radiographs. As such, the purpose of this study was to determine whether percent weight bearing influences radiographic measurements of the foot on anteroposterior (AP) and lateral radiographs? Methods: A total of 20 healthy subjects had AP and lateral radiographs of the foot under five weight bearing conditions (non-weight bearing, 10% body weight, 25% body weight, 50% body weight, and 100% body weight). Measurements were then made of hallux valgus angle (HVA), 1-2 intermetatarsal angle (IMA), talonavicular coverage angle (TNCA), talo-calcaneal angle (TCA), forefoot width, LisFranc distance, cuboid height to ground (CHG), and talo-1st metatarsal angle (TMA) of each weight bearing condition. Statistical differences of each measurement for each weight bearing condition were then determined. Measurements were made by a radiologist and orthopaedic surgeon and inter-observer reliability determined for each measurement. For each radiographic measurement, a single factor ANOVA determined whether measurements were different between non-weight bearing, touchdown weight bearing, 25% weight bearing, 50% weight bearing, and 100% weight bearing. When a significant difference was detected, a post-hoc Tukey’s determined which categories of weight bearing were different. Results: The inter-observer reliability determined by the intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent to good in all measurements except for the TCA which was fair. For measurements made on the AP radiographs of the foot, the measurements that changed with percent weight bearing were the TNCA (p = 0.0009) and TCA (p = 0.0446) (Table 1). Weight bearing did not change the HVA (p = 0.2564, IMA (p = 0.1698), forefoot width (p = 0.2431), or LisFranc distance (p = 0.9854). For measurements made on the lateral radiographs of the foot, the measurement that changed with percent weight bearing was the CHG (p = 0.006). Weight bearing did not change the TMA (p = 0.9889). Conclusion: This study demonstrates a flattening of the medial arch with increasing percent body weight applied to a foot. This results in an increase in the TNCA as well as a decrease in the CHG. In addition, increasing percent body weight to the foot increases the hindfoot alignment. However, percent body weight does not alter measurements of the forefoot. Percentage body weight increase may not influence clinical preoperative/non-operative treatment as much as we expect; however, our findings do show that certain parameters increase with increasing weight bearing.

High Variability of Observed Weight Bearing During Standing Foot and Ankle Radiographs

Category: Basic Sciences/Biologics, Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Weight bearing radiographs are a critical component of evaluating foot and ankle pathology. An underlying assumption is that patients are placing 50% of their body weight on the affected foot during image acquisition. The accuracy of weight bearing during radiographs is unknown and, presumably, variable, which may result in uncertain ability of the resultant radiographs to accurately portray the pathology of interest. Methods: 50 subjects were tested. The percent body weight through the foot of interest was measured at the moment of radiographic image acquisition. The subject was then instructed to “bear ½ body weight” prior to the next radiograph. The percent body weight was calculated and compared to ideal 50% weight bearing. Results: The mean percent body weight in trial 1 and 2 was 45.7% ± 3.2% (p=0.012 compared to 50% mark) and 49.2% ± 2.4%, respectively (p=0.428 compared to 50%). The mean absolute difference in percent weight bearing compared to 50% in trials 1 and 2 was 9.3% ± 2.25% and 5.75% ± 1.8%, respectively (p=0.005). For trial 1, 18/50 subjects were within the “ideal” (45-55%) range for weight bearing compared to 32/50 on trial 2 (p=0.005). In trial 1 24/50 subjects had “appropriate” (>45%) weight bearing compared to 39/50 on trial 2 (p=0.002). Conclusion: There is substantial variability in the weight applied during radiograph acquisition. This study raises significant questions about assumptions we, as orthopaedic surgeons, have made regarding weight bearing radiographs, their reliability and how we should proceed when evaluating them.

Influence of rotational axis height of back support on horizontal force applied to buttocks in a reclining wheelchair

Background: Studies have not been conducted to investigate the influence of the height of the rotational axis of a wheelchair’s back support on the shear force applied to the buttocks during the reclining motion. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the difference in the rotational axis position of back support in the vertical direction on the horizontal force applied to buttocks for preventing decubitus ulcers. Study design: Repeated measures design. Methods: The subjects were 13 healthy adult men without leg and/or trunk diseases. The shear force was measured using a force plate. A comfortable sitting posture in the experimental chair was selected for measurement. The rotational axis was positioned 13 cm forward on the horizontal plane from the intersection between the seat and the back support. The axis positions on the vertical plane as two experimental conditions were the seat height and the 7.5-cm upward from the seat height which was nearer to the hip joint. Results: In returning the back support to an upright position, the horizontal force was 12.4 ± 1.6 (percent body weight) under the seat height-axis condition and 10.1 ± 1.8 (percent body weight) under the upward-axis condition ( p < 0.01). Conclusion: This result suggested that the wheelchair might have to be capable of adjusting the height of the rotational axis of the back support to reduce the horizontal force applied to buttocks. Clinical relevance This study shows one of the suggestions regarding seating approach for the prevention of decubitus ulcers. There is a possibility of reducing horizontal force applied to buttocks after reclined back support, by adjusting the height of the rotational axis position of wheelchair back support.

Choice Responding by Rats as a Function of Drive Operation

The effects of drive interaction were parametrically studied with pre-feeding, pre-watering, and percent body weight independently manipulated for two rats on a free-operant choice procedure. At a given body weight, choice-responding varied with manipulations of food and water; changes in body weight interacted with the effect of the pre-session deprivation operations.

Effects of Schedule, Percent Body Weight, and Magnitude of Reinforcer on Acquisition of Schedule-Induced Polydipsia

Two experiments with 43 Charles River (cd) male rats investigated the effects of schedule, percent body weight, and magnitude of reinforcer on the acquisition of schedule-induced polydipsia. A leaner reinforcement schedule induced greater polydipsia as did two non-schedule variables, reduced body weight and small magnitude of reinforcer. These findings, related to contemporary theories of schedule-induced polydipsia, emphasize the role of non-schedule variables in this behavior.