A versatile microtomography system to study in situ the failure and fragmentation in geomaterials.

This article describes a microtomography experimental platform enabling in situ micro-mechanical study of failure and fragmentation in geomaterials. The system is based on an original high-pressure triaxial flow cell, which is fully integrated into a custom built microtomography scanner equipped with a laboratory x-ray source. The design of the high-precision mechanical apparatus was informed by the concurrent development of advanced tomographic reconstruction methods based on helical scanning and of algorithms correcting for hardware inaccuracies. This experimental system produces very high-quality 3D images of microstructural changes occurring in rocks undergoing mechanical failure and substantial fragmentation. We present the results of two experiments as case studies to demonstrate the capabilities and versatility of this instrumental platform. These experiments tackle various questions related to the onset of rock failure, the hydromechanical coupling and relaxation mechanisms in fractured rocks, or the fragmentation process in geomaterials such as copper ores.

Distributional characterizations and testing for differences of relatedness and inbreeding of a subpopulation of American Hereford bulls.

Beta distributions are characterized by two determining parameters and a parameter space from 0 to 1, and may be useful for examining population genetic parameters such as the relationship or inbreeding coefficients. Often subpopulations exist within breeds that are congregated around particular lineages of cattle or ancestors that breeders value. These subpopulations are more related to each other than to the majority of other animals; they may have higher inbreeding as well. Value may be added to these subpopulations because of their relatedness with important or renowned ancestors. The objectives of this work were to compare the relatedness and inbreeding of a group of 26 modern bulls from a subpopulation of the American Hereford breed relative to 1) 30 males with the most descendants present in the pedigree, 2) 15 renowned American Hereford bulls considered important individuals in the breed's history, and 3) 19 prominent subpopulation male ancestors. Conformance of the mean relationship coefficients of the bulls with the three groups and the mean inbreeding coefficient with all pedigree animals to beta distributions was assessed by 1) visually determining the parameters of the beta distributions based on the entire pedigree, 2) testing the mean relationship coefficient or inbreeding coefficient of the group of subpopulation bulls for its positional inclusion in those distributions, and 3) bootstrap sampling methodology. The mean relationship coefficients of the 26 Trask bulls with the 30 bulls with the most descendants, the 15 renowned ancestors, and the 19 Trask male ancestors were 0.15, 0.132, and 0.208, respectively. Testing of these means in beta distributions indicated that the group of 26 Trask bulls were no more related to the three groups of bulls than all of the animals in the pedigree (0.06 < P < 0.25). Bootstrap sampling indicated that the 26 bulls were more related to the three groups of male ancestors than the remainder of the animals in the pedigree (P < 0.0001). The mean inbreeding coefficient of the 26 bulls (0.13) did not differ from the overall inbreeding coefficient (0.056) when tested using a beta distribution; however, bootstrap sampling indicated otherwise (P < 0.0001). Results may indicate the inadequacy of visually parameterizing a beta distribution. Quantification of pedigree relatedness of a group of animals to key ancestors, especially with no DNA available, may add value to that group and individuals.

Expressive Dominant Versus Receptive Dominant Language Patterns in Young Children: Findings from the Study to Explore Early Development.

We examined language profiles of 2571 children, 30-68 months old, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), other developmental disabilities (DD), and typical development from the general population (POP). Children were categorized as expressive dominant (ED), receptive dominant (RD), or nondominant (ND). Within each group, the ED profile was the least frequent. However, children in the ASD group were more likely to display an ED profile than those in the DD or POP groups, and these children were typically younger, had lower nonverbal cognitive skills, and displayed more severe social-affect symptoms of ASD compared to their peers with RD or ND profiles. These findings have research and clinical implications related to the focus of interventions targeting young children with ASD and other DDs.

Lipoprotein particle concentration measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is associated with gestational age at delivery: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between lipoprotein particle concentrations in pregnancy and gestational age at delivery. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The study was conducted in the USA at the University of North Carolina. POPULATION: We assessed 715 women enrolled in the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition study from 2001 to 2005. METHODS: Fasting blood was collected at two time points (<20 and 24-29 weeks of gestation). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantified lipoprotein particle concentrations [low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL)] and 10 subclasses of lipoproteins. Concentrations were assessed as continuous measures, with the exception of medium HDL which was classified as any or no detectable level, given its distribution. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HR) for gestational age at delivery adjusting for covariates. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gestational age at delivery, preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation), and spontaneous preterm birth. RESULTS: At <20 weeks of gestation, three lipoproteins were associated with later gestational ages at delivery [large LDLNMR (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.96), total VLDLNMR (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.98), and small VLDLNMR (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.62-0.98], whereas large VLDLNMR (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.41) was associated with a greater hazard of earlier delivery. At 24-28 weeks of gestation, average VLDLNMR (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.51) and a detectable level of medium HDLNMR (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.19-3.02) were associated with earlier gestational ages at delivery. CONCLUSION: In this sample of pregnant women, particle concentrations of VLDLNMR , LDLNMR , IDLNMR , and HDLNMR were each independently associated with gestational age at delivery for all deliveries or spontaneous deliveries <37 weeks of gestation. These findings may help formulate hypotheses for future studies of the complex relationship between maternal lipoproteins and preterm birth. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy may identify lipoprotein particles associated with preterm delivery.

Association of udder traits with single nucleotide polymorphisms in crossbred Bos indicus-Bos taurus cows.

The size, support, and health of udders limit the productive life of beef cows, especially those with background, because, in general, such cows have a reputation for problems with udders. Genomic association studies of bovine udder traits have been conducted in dairy cattle and recently in Continental European beef breeds but not in cows with background. The objective of this study was to determine associations of SNP and udder support scores, teat length, and teat diameter in half (Nellore), half (Angus) cows. Udders of cows ( = 295) born from 2003 to 2007 were evaluated for udder support and teat length and diameter ( = 1,746 records) from 2005 through 2014. These included a subjective score representing udder support (values of 1 indicated poorly supported, pendulous udders and values of 9 indicated very well-supported udders) and lengths and diameters of individual teats in the 4 udder quarters as well as the average. Cows were in full-sibling or half-sibling families. Residuals for each trait were produced from repeated records models with cow age category nested within birth year of cows. Those residuals were averaged to become the dependent variables for genomewide association analyses. Regression analyses of those dependent variables included genotypic values as explanatory variables for 34,980 SNP from a commercially available array and included the genomic relationship matrix. Fifteen SNP loci on BTA 5 were associated (false discovery rate controlled at 0.05) with udder support score. One of those was also detected as associated with average teat diameter. Three of those 15 SNP were located within genes, including one each in (), (), and (). These are notable for their functional role in some aspect of mammary gland formation or health. Other candidate genes for these traits in the vicinity of the SNP loci include () and (). Because these were detected in Nellore-Angus crossbred cows, which typically have very well-formed udders with excellent support across their productive lives, similar efforts in other breeds should be completed, because that may facilitate further refinement of genomic regions responsible for variation in udder traits important in multiple breeds.

Concordance of haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and C-reactive protein between children and their parents in Chinese households.

BACKGROUND: China has the world's highest diabetes prevalence, which along with hypertension and inflammation continues to grow particularly among children. Little is known about the strength of the association of these cardiometabolic risk factors between parents and their children; thus, the potential of household-based strategies to reduce risk is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to examine the parent-child association for haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in a large, geographically diverse Chinese sample. METHODS: In 940 parent-child pairs (children aged 7-17 years) who participated in the 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey, we measured each individual's HbA1c and CRP using fasting blood and BP. We used sex-specific random-effects linear regression to examine the parent-child association for these risk factors, accounting for within-family clustering. RESULTS: Child's HbA1c was positively associated with parental HbA1c. Beta coefficients ranged from 0.06 (95% CI 0.03-0.12) for father-daughter to 0.43 (95% CI 0.28-0.58) for mother-son pairs. We also detected a positive mother-daughter association for BP and positive father-child associations for CRP. CONCLUSION: The statistically significant parent-child association for HbA1c, BP and CRP in Chinese families suggests that household-based interventions could be useful for confronting the high rates of diabetes, hypertension and inflammation in China.

Bayesian Local Extremum Splines.

We consider shape restricted nonparametric regression on a closed set [Formula: see text], where it is reasonable to assume the function has no more than H local extrema interior to [Formula: see text]. Following a Bayesian approach we develop a nonparametric prior over a novel class of local extremum splines. This approach is shown to be consistent when modeling any continuously differentiable function within the class considered, and is used to develop methods for testing hypotheses on the shape of the curve. Sampling algorithms are developed, and the method is applied in simulation studies and data examples where the shape of the curve is of interest.

Enhancing sensory experiences for very preterm infants in the NICU: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: Very preterm infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience alterations in sensory experiences. Defining types, timing and frequency of sensory-based interventions that optimize outcomes can inform environmental modifications. The objective of this study was to conduct an integrative review on sensory-based interventions used with very preterm infants in the NICU to improve infant and parent outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: The data sources include MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. Studies were identified that used sensory-based interventions in the NICU with preterm infants born ⩽32 weeks gestation, were published in a peer-reviewed journal between 1995 and 2015, and measured outcomes related to infant and parent outcomes. Studies were extracted from electronic databases and hand-searched from identified reference lists. RESULTS: Eighty-eight articles were identified (31 tactile, 12 auditory, 3 visual, 2 kinesthetic, 2 gustatory/olfactory and 37 multimodal). There was evidence to support the use of kangaroo care, music and language exposure, and multimodal interventions starting at 25 to 28 weeks postmenstrual age. These interventions were related to better infant development and lower maternal stress, but not all findings were consistent. Limitations included lack of consistent outcome measures, study quality and gaps in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Most research identified interventions that were done for short periods of time. It is unclear what the potential is for improving outcomes if positive sensory exposures occur consistently throughout NICU hospitalization. Until more research defines appropriate sensory-based interventions to use with infants born very preterm in the NICU, information from this review can be combined with expert opinion and parent/family values to determine best practice.

Antibody titers to vaccination are not predictive of level of protection against a BVDV type 1b challenge in Bos indicus - Bos taurus steers.

Subclinical illness associated with infection is thought to reduce performance and increase production costs in feedlot cattle, but underlying components remain largely unidentified. Vaccination is frequently used in feedlot settings but producers lack metrics that evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination programs. The goal of this study was to determine if levels of serum neutralizing antibody titers were predictive of levels of vaccine protection in a commercial setting. During this four-year study, Angus-Nellore steers housed in a production feedlot setting were assigned to 1 of 3 vaccine treatments: killed vaccine (kV), modified live virus (MLV) vaccine, or no vaccine (control), and were challenged with a noncytopathic 1b field strain of bovine viral diarrhea virus. Rectal temperature and levels of circulating lymphocytes and platelets were monitored following challenge. While no animals were diagnosed as clinically ill with respiratory disease, indicators of disease (pyrexia, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia) were observed. The MLV treatment elicited higher antibody titers to the vaccination than the kV, and calves in the MLV treatment had higher mean titers at challenge. The year that elicited the highest antibody response to the vaccination and the year with the lowest frequency of phenotypic responses to the challenge were not concurrent. The MLV treatment had the highest proportion, 34.68%, of animals that were protected against the challenge regardless of the pre-challenge antibody titer and had the fewest number of lymphopenia cases in response to the challenge. Both vaccine treatments mitigated thrombocytopenia when compared to the control treatment, and the MLV treatment reduced lymphopenia; however, these symptoms were not completely eliminated in vaccinated animals. Pyrexia was present in 40.11% of the animals, but no difference in the frequency of cases between treatments was observed. Pre-challenge vaccination response was not indicative of the level of protection nor was anamnestic antibody response correlated with health status.

Crossbred steer temperament as yearlings and whole genome association of steer temperament as yearlings and calf temperament post-weaning.

cattle often have the reputation for a poor or dangerous temperament. Identification of genomic regions that associate with temperament of such cattle may be useful for genetic improvement strategies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate subjective temperament scores (1 to 9; higher scores indicated more unfavorable temperament) for aggressiveness, nervousness, flightiness, gregariousness, and overall temperament of one-half steers in feedlot conditions at 1 yr of age and compare those scores of those steers when evaluated approximately 1 mo postweaning, and conduct whole genome association analyses using SNP markers and the temperament traits of those steers at 1 yr of age and for temperament traits of all calves at weaning. Contemporary groups ( < 0.001) were steers born in the same year and season, and fed in the same feedlot pen. Aggressiveness of steers at 1 yr of age was not associated with aggressiveness at weaning (linear regression coefficient did not differ from 0; = 0.96), but regressions of all other yearling scores of steers on the scores at weaning were positive (coefficients ranged from 0.26 ± 0.04 to 0.32 ± 0.04; < 0.001). Estimates of Pearson correlation coefficients (using unadjusted values and residual values) of the different traits measured at 1 yr of age were large ( > 0.63; < 0.008) except for aggressiveness with nervousness, flightiness, or gregariousness, which did not differ from 0 ( > 0.1). Five SNP on BTA 1, 24, and 29 had suggestive associations (0.17 < [adjusted for FDR] < 0.24) with aggressiveness, nervousness, or flightiness at evaluation postweaning and 13 SNP on 11 chromosomes had suggestive associations (0.07 < [adjusted for FDR] < 0.24) with aggressiveness, nervousness, flightiness, or overall temperament score of steers at 1 yr of age. Genes close to these loci with roles in neural systems of various organisms included synaptotagmin 4 (BTA 24), FAT atypical cadhedrin 3 (BTA 29), tubulin tyrosine ligase-like 1 (BTA 5), spermatogenesis associated 17 (BTA 16), stanniocalcin 2 (BTA 20), and GABA receptor γ 3 (BTA 21).

Nonparametric Bayes modeling with sample survey weights.

In population studies, it is standard to sample data via designs in which the population is divided into strata, with the different strata assigned different probabilities of inclusion. Although there have been some proposals for including sample survey weights into Bayesian analyses, existing methods require complex models or ignore the stratified design underlying the survey weights. We propose a simple approach based on modeling the distribution of the selected sample as a mixture, with the mixture weights appropriately adjusted, while accounting for uncertainty in the adjustment. We focus for simplicity on Dirichlet process mixtures but the proposed approach can be applied more broadly. We sketch a simple Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for computation, and assess the approach via simulations and an application.

Recurrent Bacterial Meningitis Perpetuated by an Infected Rathke's Cleft Cyst.

A 52-year-old woman with a 6-month history of prednisolone treatment for suspected diagnosis of myositis presented 3 months after withdrawal of steroids with headache, nuchal rigidity, fever, nausea, and vomiting. While routine blood work was unremarkable, CSF analysis was consistent with bacterial meningitis. MRI confirmed a non-enhancing pituitary cystic lesion that had been incidentally diagnosed 6 years earlier as a suspected Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC). Under the suspected diagnosis of RCC empyema, the patient underwent transsphenoidal surgery. Neuropathological examination revealed purulent material containing gram-positive cocci within a RCC.

Technical note: Digital quantification of eye pigmentation of cattle with white faces.

Cancer of the eye in cattle with white faces occurs less frequently in cattle with pigmented eyelids. Corneoscleral pigmentation is related to eyelid pigmentation and occurrence of lesions that may precede cancer. Objectives of this study were to assess 1) variation in the proportion of eyelid and corneoscleral pigmentation in Hereford, Bos taurus, and Bos indicus crossbreds and 2) the occurrence of lesions with the presence of pigmentation in those areas. Hereford and Bos indicus crosses (Brahman or Nellore with Angus and Hereford and straightbred Brafords) and Bos taurus crosses (Angus-Hereford) were included in the study (n = 1,083). Eyelid pigmentation proportions were estimated by pixel quantification and were evaluated as total proportions and for upper and lower eyelids distinctly for each eye. Fixed effects included breed type, age categories, and sex of the animal. Lesion presence (1) or absence (0) was obtained by visual appraisal of image and was assumed to be binomially distributed. Eyelid pigmentation proportions (overall, upper, and lower eyelids) for Hereford ranged from 0.65 ± 0.03 to 0.68 ± 0.03 and were significantly lower than Bos indicus (range from 0.93 ± 0.02 to 0.95 ± 0.02) or Bos taurus (ranged from 0.88 ± 0.02 to 0.92 ± 0.02) crosses. Corneoscleral pigmentation in Hereford cows (0.17 ± 0.06) did not differ (P = 0.91) from Hereford calves and yearlings (0.16 ± 0.07). Bos indicus and Bos taurus crossbred cows had larger corneoscleral pigmentation (0.38 ± 0.05 and 0.48 ± 0.04 for left eyes and 0.37 ± 0.05 and 0.53 ± 0.04 for right eyes, respectively) than all calves (P < 0.001), and their corneoscleral pigmentations were greater than that of Hereford cows (P < 0.003). Bos indicus and Bos taurus cows had greater proportions of left eye corneoscleral pigmentation (0.38 ± 0.05 and 0.48 ± 0.04, respectively) than Hereford cows (0.17 ± 0.06) and all young animal breed types (P < 0.05). Right eye proportions differed for all cow groups (P < 0.05; 0.53 ± 0.04, 0.37 ± 0.05, and 0.17 ± 0.06). Among calves and yearlings, Hereford had a lower right eye corneoscleral pigmentation proportion (0.16 ± 0.07) than Bos taurus (P = 0.02). The lesion proportion for Hereford (0.08 ± 0.03) was significantly greater than that of either Bos indicus (0.01 ± 0.005) or Bos taurus (0.01 ± 0.003). Crossbreeding with Bos taurus or Bos indicus animals appears to increase eye pigmentation, which may help reduce the occurrence of cancer in eyes of cattle with white faces.

Implications of iron deficiency/anemia on the classification of diabetes using HbA1c.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Nonglycemic factors like iron deficiency (ID) or anemia may interfere with classification of diabetes and prediabetes using hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). However, few population-based studies of diabetes in areas with endemic ID/anemia have been conducted. We aimed to determine how mutually exclusive categories of ID alone, anemia alone and iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) were each associated with prediabetes and diabetes prevalence using fasting blood glucose (FBG) versus HbA1c in a population-based study of adults with endemic ID/anemia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We used data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, a longitudinal, population-based study across 228 communities within nine provinces of China. This analysis included 7308 adults seen in the 2009 survey aged 18-75 years. We used descriptive and covariate-adjusted models to examine relative risk of prediabetes and diabetes using FBG alone, HbA1c alone, HbA1c and FBG, or neither (normoglycemia) by anemia alone, ID alone, IDA or normal iron/hemoglobin. RESULTS: Approximately 65% of individuals with diabetes in our sample were concordantly classified with diabetes using both FBG and HbA1c, while 35% had a discordant diabetes classification: they were classified using either FBG or HbA1c, but not both. Fewer participants with ID alone versus normal iron/hemoglobin were classified with diabetes using HbA1c only. From covariate-adjusted, multinomial regression analyses, the adjusted prevalence of prediabetes using HbA1c only was 22% for men with anemia alone, but 13% for men with normal iron/hemoglobin. In contrast, the predicted prevalence of prediabetes using HbA1c only was 8% for women with ID alone, compared with 13% for women with normal iron/hemoglobin. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest potential misclassification of diabetes using HbA1c in areas of endemic ID/anemia. Estimating diabetes prevalence using HbA1c may result in under-diagnosis in women with ID and over-diagnosis in men with anemia.

Genetic effects on birth weight in reciprocal Brahman-Simmental crossbred calves.

Brahman-cross calves exhibit unusual inheritance of birth weight: Brahman-sired crossbreds out of females are heavier with greater difference between sexes than calves of the reciprocal cross. The objectives of this work were to confirm that unusual inheritance and to investigate non-Mendelian genetic effects that may influence differences in Brahman × Simmental crossbred calves. Crossbred calves were produced by embryo transfer ( = 2,862) and natural service or artificial insemination ( = 2,125) from 1983 to 1991 by a private seedstock producer. Brahman-sired F embryos out of Simmental donors weighed 9.4 ± 1.1 ( < 0.001) kg more at birth than Simmental-sired F embryos out of Brahman donor cows when transferred to comparable recipients. This reciprocal difference was accompanied by sexual dimorphism: within Brahman-sired F calves, males were 5.0 ± 1.4 kg heavier than females, whereas within Simmental-sired F calves, females were 0.7 ± 0.5 kg heavier than males. Covariates were constructed from the pedigree to represent genetic effects: proportion Brahman in calves and dams (direct and maternal breed effects), direct and maternal breed heterozygosity, probability of Brahman mitochondrial origin, probability of Brahman Y chromosome, probability of Brahman X chromosome, genomic imprinting (the difference between the probabilities of Brahman in the genetic dam and in the sire), nonrandom X inactivation by breed of origin (the probability of breed heterozygosity of the X chromosomes of a female), and nonrandom X inactivation by parent of origin (the difference between probabilities of a female inheriting a paternal or maternal Brahman X chromosome). The maternal breed heterozygosity, genomic imprinting, probability of Brahman X chromosome, and genomic imprinting × sex effect covariates from the full model were significant with regression coefficients of 1.1 ± 0.5 ( < 0.05), ‒8.3 ± 2.3 ( < 0.01), ‒3.5 ± 1.3 ( < 0.01), and ‒5.3 ± 2.0 ( < 0.01), respectively. Results suggest that sex-specific genomic imprinting may be contributing to the inheritance of birth weight in crossbred calves, similar to patterns of mouse litter and placental weight in interspecific crosses.

Development of a customized radiation monitor for livestock screening.

The monitoring and decontamination of livestock has been an emerging topic in emergency response planning in recent years. Under the National Response Framework, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is tasked with providing support to the states during a radiological incident for the "assessment, control, and decontamination of contaminated animals, including companion animals, livestock, poultry, and wildlife." While there are currently no protocols in place on a national level for coordinated animal response, working groups have been developing a command structure and task force procedures, and some states have issued their own guidelines. A customized Bovine Screening Portal was manufactured and tested at Texas A&M University to investigate the operational capabilities in detecting, identifying, and localizing external contamination on livestock. An array of six sodium iodide detectors attached to power-over-Ethernet Multi-Channel Analyzers was used to collect time-stamped count rates, and spectral data were collected as a heifer was led past the detector panel. A 1.85 × 10(5) Bq 137Cs source was placed in four locations on a heifer, which was led through a cattle chute adjacent to the detector panel. The trials were repeated walking the heifer through a walkway with detectors hung on cattle pens lining a walkway. The Bovine Screening Portal observed increased count rates (>10σ) from the 1.85 × 10(5) Bq 137Cs source in live time. The identification capabilities with the intuitive software interface of the BSP are consistent with the requirements of a detection system for radiological emergency management of livestock.

Genetic evaluation of aspects of temperament in Nellore-Angus calves.

The objective of this work was to estimate heritability of each of 5 subjectively measured aspects of temperament of cattle and the genetic correlations of pairs of those traits. From 2003 to 2013, Nellore-Angus F2 and F3 calves (n = 1,816) were evaluated for aspects of temperament at an average 259 d of age, which was approximately 2 mo after weaning. Calves were separated from a group and subjectively scored from 1 (calm, good temperament) to 9 (wild, poor temperament) for aggressiveness (willingness to hit an evaluator), nervousness, flightiness, gregariousness (willingness to separate from the group), and a distinct overall score by 4 evaluators. Data were analyzed using threshold and linear models with additive genetic random effects. Two-trait animal models (nonthreshold) included the additive genetic covariance for pairs of traits and were used to estimate additive genetic correlations. Contemporary groups (n = 104) represented calves penned together for evaluation on given evaluation days. Heifers had greater (worse) means for all traits than steers (P < 0.05). The regression of score on age in days was included in final models for flightiness (P = 0.05; -0.006 ± 0.003) and gregariousness (P = 0.025; -0.007 ± 0.003). Estimates of heritability were large (0.51, 0.4, 0.45, 0.49, and 0.47 for aggressiveness, nervousness, flightiness, gregariousness, and overall temperament, respectively; SE = 0.07 for each). The ability to use this methodology to distinctly separate different aspects of calf temperament appeared to be limited, as estimates of additive genetic correlations were near unity for all pairs of traits; estimates of phenotypic correlation ranged from 0.88 ± 0.01 to 0.99 ± 0.002 for pairs of traits. Distinct subsequent analyses indicated a significant negative relationship of 4 of the various temperament scores with weight at weaning (regression coefficients ranged from -0.008 ± 0.002 for nervousness, flightiness, and gregariousness to -0.003 ± 0.002 for aggressiveness). In subsequent analyses, the regression of temperament trait on sequence of evaluation within a pen was highly significant and solutions ranged from 0.05 ± 0.007 for aggressiveness to 0.08 ± 0.007 for all other traits. The apparent large additive genetic variance for any one of these traits may be useful in identification of genes responsible for differences in cattle temperament.

Infant BMI trajectories are associated with young adult body composition.

The dynamic aspect of early life growth is not fully captured by typical analyses, which focus on one specific time period. To better understand how infant and young child growth relate to the development of adult body composition, the authors characterized body mass index (BMI) trajectories using latent class growth analysis (LCGA) and evaluated their association with adult body composition. Data are from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, which followed a birth cohort to age 22 years (n = 1749). In both males and females, LCGA identified seven subgroups of respondents with similar BMI trajectories from 0 to 24 months (assessed with bimonthly anthropometrics). Trajectory groups were compared with conventional approaches: (1) accelerated growth between two time points (0-4 months), (2) continuous BMI gain between two points (0-4 months and 0-24 months) and (3) BMI measured at one time point (24 months) as predictors of young adult body composition measures. The seven trajectory groups were distinguished by age-specific differences in tempo and timing of BMI gain in infancy. Infant BMI trajectories were better than accelerated BMI gain between 0 and 4 months at predicting young adult body composition. After controlling for BMI at age 2 years, infant BMI trajectories still explained variation in adult body composition. Using unique longitudinal data and methods, we find that distinct infant BMI trajectories have long-term implications for the development of body composition.

Performance of Boer-Spanish and Spanish goats in Texas I: Body weights, fertility, prolificacy, and number of kids weaned.

Production records from 291 Boer-Spanish and Spanish does, collected between 1994 and 2004 in the Edwards Plateau region of West Texas, were examined to compare Boer-Spanish and Spanish does for body weights, fertility, prolificacy, and number of kids weaned. Traits were analyzed using single-trait mixed models. Boer-Spanish does were heavier at birth than Spanish does (2.79 vs. 2.67 kg, P = 0.05) but similar weight at weaning (15.2 vs. 15.0 kg, P = 0.59). Boer-Spanish does had a heavier body weight at breeding than Spanish does (46.5 vs. 43.5 kg, P < 0.01). Boer-Spanish does had similar fertility over 8 annual breeding seasons (0.87 vs. 0.84, P = .22). Boer-Spanish does had an advantage over Spanish does for fertility to a 30-d breeding season (0.53 vs. 0.48; P = .09). Boer-Spanish does produced more kids than Spanish does (1.70 vs. 1.62, P = .09). Boer-Spanish does weaned a similar number of kids (1.30 vs. 1.31, P = .76). Age of doe significantly affected (P < 0.05) both number of kids born and number of kids weaned, with older does giving birth to, and weaning, more kids. Boer-Spanish does had greater birth weight, body weight at breeding, and number of kids born than Spanish does. Boer-Spanish does had a similar number of kids weaned as Spanish does.