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The interaction between vitamin D and vitamin K is crucial for regulating bone metabolism and maintaining calcium homeostasis across diverse animal species due to their complementary roles in calcium metabolism and bone health. However, research on this interaction of vitamin D and K in fish, particularly Mediterranean species like gilthead seabream, is limited or not studied. This study aimed to understand the effects of different dietary combinations of vitamin D3 and K3 on juvenile gilthead seabream. Accordingly, seabream juveniles were fed with varying combinations of vitamin D3/vitamin K3 (mg/kg diet) for 3 months: (0.07/0.01), (0.20/0.58), (0.19/1.65), (0.51/0.74), (0.56/1.00). At the end of the trial, survival, growth, body morphology, serum calcitriol, and vertebral mineral composition remained unaffected by varying vitamin levels, while gene expression patterns related to bone formation, resorption, and calcium regulation in various tissues were significantly influenced by both vitamins and their interaction. Gilthead seabream juveniles fed the 0.07/0.01 mg/kg diet upregulated calcium-regulating genes in the gills, indicating an effort to enhance calcium absorption to compensate for dietary deficiencies. Conversely, an increase in vitamin D3 and K3 up to 0.19 and 1.65 mg/kg, respectively, upregulated bone formation, bone remodeling, and calcium homeostasis-related gene expression in vertebra and other tissues. On the contrary, a dietary increase in these vitamins up to 0.56 mg/kg vitamin D3 and 1.00 mg/kg vitamin K3 downregulated calcium metabolism-related genes in tissues, suggesting an adverse interaction resulting from elevated levels of these vitamins in the diet. Hence, sustaining an equilibrium in the dietary intake of vitamin D3 and vitamin K3, in an appropriately combined form, may potentially induce interactions between the vitamins, contributing to favorable effects on bone development and calcium regulation in gilthead seabream juveniles.

La entrada masiva de africanos esclavizados impulsó el boom azucarero de Cuba a finales del siglo XVIII. La implementación de la economía de plantación conllevó a profundas transformaciones en la estructura demográfica y en la dinámica comercial de la Isla. A partir de la década de 1840, en plena consolidación de la Segunda Esclavitud en Cuba, emergió en la bahía habanera un nuevo complejo portuario: los almacenes de depósito. Los almacenes «azucareros» se replicaron en otros enclaves de la isla, cada vez más conectados a la exportación de commodities. El presente trabajo examina cómo se organizó el nuevo sistema logístico del complejo agroindustrial azucarero, cuyo epicentro radicó en el puerto de La Habana. Un sistema logístico que se articuló sobre tres ejes: la expansión del ferrocarril, la navegación a vapor y lo almacenes de depósito. Todo ello permitió el establecimiento de una geografía comercial azucarera en el occidente cubano, cada vez más interconectada con la economía-mundo capitalista. Los almacenes «azucareros» construidos en este periodo emularon el warehousing system, que ya se había implementado con éxito en los puertos noratlánticos de Londres y Liverpool. Solo en la bahía habanera estuvieron operativas en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, cinco compañías con sus respectivas infraestructuras portuarias (muelles, almacenes, grúas, etc.), que compitieron por el control del tráfico mercantil. Su evolución posterior estuvo condicionada por los efectos socioeconómicos de las crisis mundiales de 1857 y 1866, así como por la inserción de los intereses monopolistas y los capitales trasnacionales en la economía cubana, en el contexto de agotamiento y disolución de la Segunda Esclavitud.

Abstract Background Sepsis is a severe systemic inflammatory response to infections that is accompanied by organ dysfunction and has a high mortality rate in adult intensive care units. Most genetic studies have identified gene variants associated with development and outcomes of sepsis focusing on biological candidates. We conducted the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 28-day survival in adult patients with sepsis. Methods This study was conducted in two stages. The first stage was performed on 687 European sepsis patients from the GEN-SEP network and 7.5 million imputed variants. Association testing was conducted with Cox regression models, adjusting by sex, age, and the main principal components of genetic variation. A second stage focusing on the prioritized genetic variants was performed on 2,063 ICU sepsis patients (1362 European Americans and 701 African-Americans) from the MESSI study. A meta-analysis of results from the two stages was conducted and significance was established at p

To improve fish welfare, it is essential that aquafeeds are designed to help fish cope with the stressful conditions of fish farms. One effective strategy to achieve this goal is to supplement the diet with bioactive hydrolysates. Here, diet supplementation to modulate oxidative stress after air exposure was investigated in European seabass, using swine blood hydrolysates (BH), obtained either by autohydrolysis (AH) or enzymatically. The enzymatically produced BH were further submitted to a micro- (RMF) and nanofiltration (RNF). Four isolipidic, isoproteic and isoenergetic diets were developed: a plant-based diet with low (12.5%) fishmeal levels (control, CTRL) and three diets where 3% of each BH (RMF, RNF and AH) was added to the CTRL. Diets were assigned to triplicate groups of 71 European seabass juveniles (initial weight 12.3 ± 1.4 g). After 12 weeks, 9 fish per treatment were either immediately sampled or air-exposed for 1 min and let to recover in a new system for 6 h prior to sampling. Stress response increased cortisol levels, followed by an increment in plasma lactate. The challenge increased liver lipid peroxidation (LPO) due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Carbonyls decreased post-stress, maybe due to a possible interaction with the LPO radicals, reducing protein oxidation. None of the BH improved plasma stress response. By reducing catalase levels without increasing LPO, the RNF treatment appears to adjust European seabass' antioxidant defences, indicating its potential to supply exogenous antioxidants to combat oxidative stress induced by ROS. However, this impact was not sufficient to lower LPO levels compared to a control plant-based diet. The tested diets seemed to affect the fish oxidative stress response in the liver, possibly due to the presence of bioactive peptides, which aided in the non-enzymatic modulation of stress response, as observed by the total antioxidant capacity values in the liver.

Background: High salinity of drinking water can adversely affect health and productive performance of calves during artificial rearing. Objective: To evaluate the effect of drinking water total dissolved salts (TDS) content on productive performance of Holstein-Friesian calves during artificial rearing. Methods: Twenty-nine newborn Holstein-Friesian calves weighing 39±0.94 kg at birth were randomly assigned to two treatment groups for 56 d. Treatment 1 (n=14) consisted of drinking water with 1,469±75 mg L-1 TDS, while treatment 2 (n=15) used drinking water from the same source but filtered by reverse osmosis to contain 107±31 mg L-1 TDS. Results: Water intake was numerically affected by TDS concentration, increasing 13% (p>0.08) when drinking low-TDS water (3,554 versus 3,088 ml d-1). Feed intake (dry basis) decreased 26% (500 versus 676 g d-1; p0.05) by TDS content in the drinking water. Conclusion: Desalinated water improves productive performance of Holstein-Friesian calves during artificial rearing.

Durante las dos primeras décadas republicanas, el sindicalismo portuario exigió la restauración de las tarifas que regían el transporte de mercancías en el puerto de La Habana (1901) y Cienfuegos (1902). Este texto examina cómo la rehabilitación de un “derecho laboral”, que se reconoció “usurpado” por las compañías navieras y casas de comercio —en su mayoría de capital foráneo—, constituyó el eje aglutinador y el núcleo discursivo de la agencia laboral portuaria en la bahía habanera. En esta dirección se apuesta por un enfoque analítico desde abajo, donde se entrecruzan la documentación originada por los trabajadores portuarios, la prensa de la época y fuentes oficiales del gobierno cubano y de la diplomacia norteamericana, con el objetivo de reconstruir el discurso político del sindicalismo portuario y sobre qué bases articuló su posición legalista en pos de rehabilitar las tarifas de 1901. La aprobación a fines de 1918 de un reglamento que reguló el trabajo portuario y que estableció nuevas tarifas para las operaciones de carga/descarga en el puerto de La Habana constituyó un punto de inflexión en el ciclo huelguístico, que, desde principio del siglo XX, tuvo como epicentro un repertorio discursivo en torno a los derechos laborales de los trabajadores portuarios.

El libro Evaluación e intervención en lenguaje escrito es un material didáctico destinado a docentes en formación, en concreto, a especialistas en audición y lenguaje. Este manual introduce los trastornos del lenguaje escrito, así como su clasificación, para, posteriormente, centrarse en la evaluación e intervención de los trastornos de lectoescritura, sin olvidarse de la orientación y el asesoramiento familiar, así como del profesorado implicado en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje de su alumnado. Tanto las pautas para la evaluación como para la intervención siguen un enfoque inclusivo, donde los alumnos con dificultades y trastornos de lectoescritura acceden al aprendizaje de la misma forma que el resto de compañeros. Además, se pone en valor el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación en la intervención educativa para alumnos que presentan dichos trastornos y dificultades.

Sepsis is a severe systemic inflammatory response to infections that is accompanied by organ dysfunction. Although the ancestral genetic background is a relevant factor for sepsis susceptibility, there is a lack of studies using the genetic singularities of a recently admixed population to identify loci involved in sepsis susceptibility. Here we aimed to discover new sepsis loci by completing the first admixture mapping study of sepsis in Canary Islanders, leveraging their distinctive genetic makeup as a mixture of Europeans and African ancestries. We used a case-control approach and inferred local ancestry blocks from genome-wide data from 113,414 polymorphisms genotyped in 343 patients with sepsis and 410 unrelated controls, all ascertained for grandparental origin in the Canary Islands (Spain). Deviations in local ancestries between cases and controls were tested using logistic regressions, followed by fine-mapping analyses based on imputed genotypes, in silico functional assessments, and gene expression analysis centered on the region of interest. The admixture mapping analysis detected that local European ancestry in a locus spanning 1.2 megabases of chromosome 8p23.1 was associated with sepsis (lowest p = 1.37 × 10−4; Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.51; 95%CI = 0.40–0.66). Fine-mapping studies prioritized the variant rs13249564 within intron 1 of MFHAS1 gene associated with sepsis (p = 9.94 × 10−4; OR = 0.65; 95%CI = 0.50–0.84). Functional and gene expression analyses focused on 8p23.1 allowed us to identify alternative genes with possible biological plausibility such as defensins, which are well-known effector molecules of innate immunity. By completing the first admixture mapping study of sepsis, our results revealed a new genetic locus (8p23.1) harboring a number of genes with plausible implications in sepsis susceptibility.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an inflammatory process of the lungs that develops primarily in response to pulmonary or systemic sepsis, resulting in a disproportionate death toll in intensive care units (ICUs). Given its role as a critical activator of the inflammatory and innate immune responses, previous studies have reported that an increase of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a biomarker for fatal outcome in the ICU. Here we analyzed the association of whole-blood mtDNA (wb-mtDNA) copies with 28-day survival from sepsis and sepsis-associated ARDS. We analyzed mtDNA data from 687 peripheral whole-blood samples within 24 h of sepsis diagnosis from unrelated Spanish patients with sepsis (264 with ARDS) included in the GEN-SEP study. The wb-mtDNA copies were obtained from the array intensities of selected probes, with 100% identity with mtDNA and with the largest number of mismatches with the nuclear sequences, and normalized across the individual-probe intensities. We used Cox regression models for testing the association with 28-day survival. We observed that wb-mtDNA copies were significantly associated with 28-day survival in ARDS patients (hazard ratio = 3.65, 95% confidence interval = 1.39–9.59, p = 0.009) but not in non-ARDS patients. Our findings support that wb-mtDNA copies at sepsis diagnosis could be considered an early prognostic biomarker in sepsis-associated ARDS patients. Future studies will be needed to evaluate the mechanistic links of this observation with the pathogenesis of ARDS.

In recent years, legged (quadruped) robots have been subject of technological study and continuous development. These robots have a leading role in applications that require high mobility skills in complex terrain, as is the case of Search and Rescue (SAR). These robots stand out for their ability to adapt to different terrains, overcome obstacles and move within unstructured environments. Most of the implementations recently developed are focused on data collecting with sensors, such as lidar or cameras. This work seeks to integrate a 6DoF arm manipulator to the quadruped robot ARTU-R (A1 Rescue Tasks UPM Robot) by Unitree to perform manipulation tasks in SAR environments. The main contribution of this work is focused on the High-level control of the robotic set (Legged + Manipulator) using Mixed-Reality (MR). An optimization phase of the robotic set workspace has been previously developed in Matlab for the implementation, as well as a simulation phase in Gazebo to verify the dynamic functionality of the set in reconstructed environments. The first and second generation of Hololens glasses have been used and contrasted with a conventional interface to develop the MR control part of the proposed method. Manipulations of first aid equipment have been carried out to evaluate the proposed method. The main results show that the proposed method allows better control of the robotic set than conventional interfaces, improving the operator efficiency in performing robotic handling tasks and increasing confidence in decision-making. On the other hand, Hololens 2 showed a better user experience concerning graphics and latency time.

El turismo marino es una actividad especialmente importante en la configuración de la experiencia turística en los socioecosistemas litorales y marinos. Su consolidación y crecimiento exponencial durante los últimos años funciona como un potente mecanismo de reestructuración productiva de los destinos turísticos costeros, a la vez que conlleva un conjunto de impactos socioeconómicos, socioculturales y medioambientales. En este contexto, desde diferentes disciplinas y enfoques, la actividad ha recibido atención académica, tratando de desentrañar las diversas complejidades que implica a lo largo de todo el mundo. Para continuar profundizando y produciendo conocimiento fundamentado, se hacen necesarias herramientas metodológicas que favorezcan el análisis integral del turismo marino, a partir de los productos ofertados en el mercado y los recursos que sirven como base para esta explotación. El objetivo del presente artículo, apoyado en el método etnográfico para la elaboración de una diagnosis pormenorizada de la situación del turismo marino en Canarias (España), es la construcción de un sistema clasificatorio de productos y recursos de turismo marino. Los resultados proponen una clarificación de los diversos elementos que componen la actividad, con el fin dotar de un marco analítico-operativo para que futuros investigadores puedan indagar en la multiplicidad de procesos que se articulan en torno a esta realidad.

Se evaluó el efecto de propionato de calcio (CaP) y selenio de sodio (Se) sobre la ganancia diaria de peso (GDP), espesor de grasa dorsal (EGD), condición corporal (CC) y la tasa de preñez (PR) en vacas Criollas de Rodeo (CR). Se utilizaron 45 vacas sin cría, divididas en cuatro tratamientos nutricionales: TN1 (n=11), concentrado, TN2 (n= 11), 10.95 mg Se/50 kg de peso vivo (Se/ PV); TN3 (n=11), concentrado + 100 g CaP y TN4 (n=12), Se/PV + concentrado + 100 g CaP. Vacas con cuerpo lúteo (n=34) se asignaron a dos tratamientos hormonales (TR); el d=0, un dispositivo intravaginal liberador de progesterona (CIDR) y 100 mcg de hormona liberadora de gonadotropina (GnRH), el d=8, retiro del CIDR e inicio de tratamientos TR1 (n=18), 25 mg de prostaglandina F2 (PGF2) y 400 UI de gonadotropina coriónica equina (eCG), a 56 h de retirado el dispositivo 100 mcg de GnRH e inseminadas a tiempo fijo (IATF). En TR2 (n=16), igual a TR1 sin eCG. La CC fue similar (P>0.05) entre los TN, el CaP tuvo un efecto negativo (P0.05). El Se no tuvo efecto en CC, ni el Se o CaP mejoraron (P > 0.05) la PR. La eCG no mejoró la fertilidad (31.58% y 46.67%, P>0.05, respectivamente) con GnRH al momento de la IATF. La administración de Se y CaP no mejoraron la CC, EGD y la fertilidad. Abstract The effect of calcium propionate (CaP) and sodium selenium (Se) on average daily gain (ADG), backfat thickness (BF), body condition (BCS) and on pregnancy rate (PR) was evaluated in Creole Rodeo cows (CR). Forty-five dry CR cows were randomly assigned to TN1 (n = 11), concentrate only; TN2 (n = 11), 10.95 mg Se/50 kg BW; TN3 (n = 11), concentrate + 100 g CaP and TN4 (n = 12), 10.95 mg Se/50 kg of BW + concentrate + 100 g CaP. Cows with a corpus luteum (n = 34) were assigned to two hormonal treatments (TR) and received an eight day controlled releasing intravaginal devise (CIDR) and 100 mcg of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). On d=8 the CIDR was removed and in TR1 (n=18) received 25 mg PGF2, 400 IU eCG and 56 h later 100 mcg GnRH, and were fixed-time AI (FTAI). In TR2 (n=16), the same procedure as in TR1 without eCG. BCS was similar (P > 0.05) between TN, CaP had a negative effect (P 0.05). The use of Se had no effect on BCS and supplementing Se or CaP had no effect (P > 0.05) on PR; similarly, eCG did not improved fertility (31.58 % and 46.67 %, P > 0.05, respectively) in GnRH treated CC at FTAI. The administration of Se and/or CaP supplementation did not improved the BSC, BF or PR in CC. Keywords: Creole Rodeo cows, calcium propionate, selenium, ovulation synchronization.

La inclusión de arcillas como secuestrantes de toxinas ha mostrado efectos positivos en la salud de aves. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el comportamiento productivo de una parvada criada bajo condiciones de producción comercial. Se asignaron 1289 pavos de la línea Orlop blancos de un día de edad en dos tratamientos, en una prueba de 17 semanas; el primero de 750 animales con peso inicial (PI) de 63.73 g fue alimentado con una dieta comercial control (T"0"). El segundo de 539 aves y PI de 60 g fue alimentado con una dieta adicionada con 2.5% de clinoptilolita (T"1"). Se registró semanalmente el porcentaje de mortandad (% MO), consumo de alimento (CA), ganancia de peso (GP), conversión alimenticia (COA) y problemas de patas (PRP), se consideró la influencia de temperaturas máximas y mínimas. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizó el procedimiento GLM de SAS 9.0, con un diseño irrestricto y muestreos del 10% por cada parvada, el modelo incluyó los efectos de interacción tratamiento por semana. Se observaron diferencias significativas en % MO en las semanas uno y dos (P

Abstract Growth promoters have been widely used as a strategy to improve productivity, and great benefits have been observed throughout the meat production chain. However, the prohibition of growth promoters in several countries, as well as consumer rejection, has led industry and the academy to search for alternatives. For decades, the inclusion of phytochemicals in animal feed has been proposed as a replacement for traditional growth promoters. However, there are many concerns about the application of phytochemicals and their impact on the various links in the meat production chain (productive performance, carcass and meat quality). Therefore, the effects of these feed additives are reviewed in this article, along with their potential safety and consumer benefits, to understand the current state of their use. In summary, the replacement of traditional growth promoters in experiments with broilers yielded benefits in all aspects of the meat production chain, such as improvements in productive performance and carcass and meat quality. Although the effects in pigs have been similar to those observed in broilers, fewer studies have been carried out in pigs, and there is a need to define the types of phytochemicals to be used and the appropriate stages for adding such compounds. In regard to ruminant diets, few studies have been conducted, and their results have been inconclusive. Therefore, it is necessary to propose more in vivo studies to determine other strategies for phytochemical inclusion in the production phases and to select the appropriate types of compounds. It is also necessary to define the variables that will best elucidate the mechanism(s) of action that will enable the future replacement of synthetic growth promoters with phytochemical feed additives.

Currently, multi-attribute auctions are becoming widespread awarding mechanisms for contracts in construction, and in these auctions, criteria other than price are taken into account for ranking bidder proposals. Therefore, being the lowest-price bidder is no longer a guarantee of being awarded, thus increasing the importance of measuring any bidder’s performance when not only the first position (lowest price) matters. Modeling position performance allows a tender manager to calculate the probability curves related to the more likely positions to be occupied by any bidder who enters a competitive auction irrespective of the actual number of future participating bidders. This paper details a practical methodology based on simple statistical calculations for modeling the performance of a single bidder or a group of bidders, constituting a useful resource for analyzing one’s own success while benchmarking potential bidding competitors.

The deployment of microgrids could be fostered by control systems that do not require very complex modelling, calibration, prediction and/or optimisation processes. This paper explores the application of Reinforcement Learning (RL) techniques for the operation of a microgrid. The implemented Deep Q-Network (DQN) can learn an optimal policy for the operation of the elements of an isolated microgrid, based on the interaction agent-environment when particular operation actions are taken in the microgrid components. In order to facilitate the scaling-up of this solution, the algorithm relies exclusively on historical data from past events, and therefore it does not require forecasts of the demand or the renewable generation. The objective is to minimise the cost of operating the microgrid, including the penalty of non-served power. This paper analyses the effect of considering different definitions for the state of the system by expanding the set of variables that define it. The obtained results are very satisfactory as it can be concluded by their comparison with the perfect-information optimal operation computed with a traditional optimisation model, and with a Naive model.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three levels of cull pinto beans (CPB) on animal performance, energy balance, and digestibility of hair ewes during pregnancy-lactation. One hundred and sixty-eight Pelibuey ewes were used (105 multiparous and 63 primiparous). Seven ewes of each type were randomly assigned to each of the 24 pens. Then, the twenty-four pens were randomly assigned to one of three treatments. Treatments were assigned on DM basis at: 0 g kg−1 of CPB in the supplement; 250 g kg−1 of CPB in the supplement; and 500 g kg−1 of CPB in the supplement. Data was analyzed by using the PROC MIXED of SAS. Lamb birth and weaning weight were also evaluated with the GLM procedure of SAS. All variables were analyzed as a completely randomized design. No differences among treatments were observed for body weight, body condition score, non-esterified fatty acids, and body weaning weight. During late pregnancy, dry matter intake was different among treatments, but it was similar during lactation. Body birth weight was different among treatments and showed a quadratic effect. At day 30 of lactation, a treatment effect was found for digestibility of dry matter (DM). At the end of lactation, digestibility of crude protein was different among treatments. In day 60 of lactation, differences among treatments were found for digestibility of neutral detergent fiber. Due to equal ewe performance among treatments of CPB and its low cost, its use is recommended in hair ewe feeding for these productive stages: 500 g kg−1 DM of the supplement during pregnancy and 400 g kg−1 DM during lactation.

Substituting fishmeal (FM) with vegetable meal (VM) can markedly affect the mineral composition of feeds, and may require additional mineral supplementation. Their bioavailability and optimal supplementation levels depend also on the form of delivery of minerals. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of different delivery forms of three major trace elements (Zn, Mn and Se) in a marine teleost. Gilthead sea bream juveniles of 22.5 g were fed a VM-based diet for 12 weeks that was either not supplemented with these minerals or supplemented with inorganic, organic, or encapsulated inorganic forms of minerals in triplicate and compared to a FM-based diet. Our results showed that mineral delivery form significantly affected the biochemical composition and morphology of posterior vertebrae. Supplementation of VM-based diets with inorganic forms of the target minerals significantly promoted growth, increased the vertebral weight and content of ash and Zn, enhanced bone mineralization and affected the vertebral shape. Conversely, encapsulation of inorganic minerals reduced fish growth and vertebral mineral content, whereas supplementation of organic minerals, enhanced bone osteogenesis by upregulating bone morphogenetic protein 2 (bmp2) gene and produced vertebrae with a larger length in relation to height. Furthermore, organic mineral forms of delivery downregulated the expression of oxidative stress related genes, such as Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn sod) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (gpx-1), suggesting thus that dietary minerals supplemented in the organic form could be reasonably considered more effective than the inorganic and encapsulated forms of supply.

Terrestrial protein and lipid sources are commonly used as substitutes for marine fishery-derived raw ingredients in fish diets. However, their use is related with several side-effects on marine fish performance, health, or disease resistance. Physical barriers of the skin, gills, and gut constitute the primary defense mechanism of fish. Skin mucus mucosal mucins, water, proteins, ions, and lipids determine the physical, chemical, and protective characteristics of skin mucus. Very little is known about the influence of diet composition on fish skin mucus fatty acid profile. Gilthead sea bream skin mucus contained 10% of total lipids (TL), which consisted of 50⁻60% neutral (NL) and 40⁻50% polar lipids (PL) fractions. Σn−3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) deposition was preferential in the NL fraction, whereas Σn−6LC-PUFA accumulation was similar in both lipid classes. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n−3) was the main LC-PUFA stored in skin mucus (14% TL) in relation to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n−3) (2⁻3% TL) and arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n−6) (2% TL). This study denotes the importance of DHA as component of skin mucus lipids compared to other essential fatty acids, such as EPA and ARA, as well as importance of maintaining an adequate Σn−3/ Σn−6 ratio, regardless of dietary intake.

ABSTRACT The objective was to evaluate the effect of cull pinto beans (CPB) (Phaseolus vulgaris) on performance of feedlot lambs. Seventy-two crossbred hair-breed lambs (Dorper × Pelibuey and Kathadin × Pelibuey) were used (75±6 days old and 18.7±3.89 kg of initial body weight). Animals were fed twice daily. Diets consisted of 20% alfalfa hay and 80% concentrate based on ground sorghum grain and were formulated to contain 17.9% crude protein and 2.60 Mcal/kg metabolizable energy. Treatments were (dry matter basis): no CPB (0%), 10% CPB, and 20% CPB. Lambs were blocked by body weight and treatments and arranged in a 2 × 3 arrangement of treatments. Body weights were recorded initially and subsequently at 14-day intervals for a total 70 number of days. Dry matter intake was recorded daily. Apparent dry matter digestibility was predicted using insoluble acid detergent fiber. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design. Final body weight and average daily gain decreased linearly with increasing CPB level and were greater for males than females. A level × gender interaction was observed for dry matter and crude protein digestibility. Data for hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight decreased linearly as CPB level increased and were greater for males. Carcass yield, longissimus muscle area, and dressing percentage were greater for males. Dressing percentage quadratically increased as CPB level increased. Cull pinto beans are a suitable ingredient for feedlot hair-breed lambs, but the inclusion of more than 10% of CPB level decreases animal performance.

ABSTRACT The objective was to evaluate the effect of three levels of cull pinto beans (CPB; Phaseolus vulgaris) on ruminal fermentation, kinetics, and nutrient digestibility in hair lambs. Six cannulated lambs averaging 56.6±3.8 kg were used and were randomly assigned to one of three treatments. Treatments were: 0.0 kg kg−1 of CPB in the supplement (control); 0.25 kg kg−1 of CPB in the supplement (CB25); and 0.40 kg kg−1 of CPB in the supplement (CB40). Dry matter intake, ruminal pH, NH3, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, methane production, Kp (passage rate), MRT (mean retention time), and digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber were evaluated. Data were analyzed in a Latin square design, repeated in line, by MIXED procedure of SAS. Estimates used for Kp and MRT were obtained by a non-linear regression model (PROC NLIN). Dry matter intake was reduced by supplementation of CPB. No differences were found in ruminal pH or ruminal NH3. During the trial, differences were found for ruminal VFA concentration (mM), which were greater for the CB25 group. The propionate:acetate ratio was greater for the CB40 treatment. Methane production (mM/m) differed among treatments, but it was the greatest for the CB40 group. Passage rate (kg kg−1/h) and MRT (h) were similar among treatments and the digestibility (kg kg−1) of dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber was not different among treatments. The inclusion of 0.25 kg kg−1 of CPB in the diet of hair lambs allows for appropriate nutrient digestion without affecting Kp and MRT and increases the molar proportion of the ability of VFA to maintain acetate:propionate ratio without increasing methane production.