Effects of standardized ileal digestible lysine on growth performance and economic return in duroc-sired finishing pigs.

In the United States, emphasis has shifted toward improved pork quality and has resulted in greater use of Duroc-based terminal sires. Duroc sires have differences in ADG, ADFI, G:F, and carcass leanness compared to other sires. Therefore, our objective was to determine the standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys estimates for Duroc-based sired finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, 2,124 pigs (DNA 600 ×PIC 1050, initially 48.9 kg) were used with 24-27 pigs per pen and 16 pens per treatment. Corn-soybean meal-based diets were fed in three phases (49-59, 59-71, and 71-81 kg). Pens were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 treatments based as a percentage of PIC (2016) SID Lys estimates for gilts (85%, 95%, 103%, 110%, and 120%). Phase 1 diets were formulated to 0.90%, 1.01%, 1.09%, 1.17%, and 1.27%, phase 2 to 0.79%, 0.87%, 0.94%, 1.03%, and 1.10%, and phase 3 to 0.71%, 0.78%, 0.85%, 0.92%, and 0.99% SID Lys. Increasing SID Lys increased (linear, P < 0.001) ADG and Lys intake/kg of gain. A marginally significant improvement (quadratic, P = 0.071) in G:F was observed as SID Lys increased. Feed cost, feed cost/kg of gain, revenue (linear, P < 0.01) and income over feed cost (IOFC) increased (quadratic, P = 0.045) with increasing SID Lys. In Exp. 2, 2,099 pigs (DNA 600 ×PIC 1050, initially 90.1 kg) were used with 24-27 pigs per pen and 20 pens per treatment. Corn-soybean meal-based diets were fed in 2 phases (90-106 and 106-136 kg). Pens were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 treatments based as a percentage of PIC (2016) SID Lys estimates for gilts (85%, 93%, 100%, and 110%). Phase 1 diets were formulated to 0.65%, 0.71%, 0.77%, and 0.84% and phase 2 to 0.60%, 0.66%, 0.71%, and 0.78% SID Lys. Overall, increasing SID Lys increased (linear, P < 0.05) G:F, Lys intake/kg of gain, live weight and HCW, and increased (quadratic, P = 0.020) ADG. Feed cost (linear, P < 0.01), revenue, and IOFC increased (quadratic, P ≤ 0.053) with increasing SID Lys. In conclusion, the SID Lys estimate for growth and IOFC was 1.19% or 4.63 g SID Lys/Mcal of NE, 1.05% or 4.04 g SID Lys/Mcal of NE, and 0.94% or 3.58 g SID Lys/Mcal of NE for pigs weighing 49-59 kg, 59-71 kg, and 71-81 kg, respectively. The SID Lys estimate for late finishing pigs was 0.74%-0.81% or 2.85-3.10 g SID Lys/Mcal of NE, and 0.69%-0.75% or 2.61-2.84 g SID Lys/Mcal of NE, for 90-106 kg and 106-136 kg pigs, respectively. These data provide SID Lys estimates for current Duroc-sired genetic lines raised in a commercial environment.

An extensible big data software architecture managing a research resource of real-world clinical radiology data linked to other health data from the whole Scottish population.

AIM: To enable a world-leading research dataset of routinely collected clinical images linked to other routinely collected data from the whole Scottish national population. This includes more than 30 million different radiological examinations from a population of 5.4 million and >2 PB of data collected since 2010. METHODS: Scotland has a central archive of radiological data used to directly provide clinical care to patients. We have developed an architecture and platform to securely extract a copy of those data, link it to other clinical or social datasets, remove personal data to protect privacy, and make the resulting data available to researchers in a controlled Safe Haven environment. RESULTS: An extensive software platform has been developed to host, extract, and link data from cohorts to answer research questions. The platform has been tested on 5 different test cases and is currently being further enhanced to support 3 exemplar research projects. CONCLUSIONS: The data available are from a range of radiological modalities and scanner types and were collected under different environmental conditions. These real-world, heterogenous data are valuable for training algorithms to support clinical decision making, especially for deep learning where large data volumes are required. The resource is now available for international research access. The platform and data can support new health research using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, as well as enabling discovery science.

Modern dosimetric tools for (60)Co irradiation at high containment laboratories.

PURPOSE: To evaluate an innovative photo-fluorescent film as a routine dosimetric tool during (60)Co irradiations at a high containment biological research laboratory, and to investigate whether manufacturer-provided chamber exposure rates can be used to accurately administer a prescribed dose to biological specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Photo-fluorescent, lithium fluoride film dosimeters and National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) transfer dosimeters were co-located in a self-shielded (60)Co irradiator and exposed to γ-radiation with doses ranging from 5-85 kGy. Film dose-response relationships were developed for varying temperatures simulating conditions present when irradiating infectious biological specimens. Dose measurement results from NIST transfer dosimeters were compared to doses predicted using manufacturer-provided irradiator chamber exposure rates. RESULTS: The film dosimeter exhibited a photo-fluorescent response signal that was consistent and nearly linear in relationship to γ-radiation exposure over a wide dose range. The dosimeter response also showed negligible effects from dose fractionization and humidity. Significant disparities existed between manufacturer-provided chamber exposure rates and actual doses administered. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the merit of utilizing dosimetric tools to validate the process of exposing dangerous and exotic biological agents to γ-radiation at high containment laboratories. The film dosimeter used in this study can be utilized to eliminate potential for improperly administering γ-radiation doses.