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Background: Soil organic C and N data from privately managed pastures in the southeastern United States are relatively scant. Methods: A paired‐farm approach was deployed to determine how a variety of soil health parameters related to nutrient and water cycling might be altered under grazed, botanically diverse perennial pastures compared with annual monoculture croplands in three Major Land Resource Areas of the southeastern United States. Results: Soil stability index averaged 0.64 and 0.91 mm mm−1 under cropland and grazed pasture, respectively, suggesting that pastures had a more stable soil surface that was resistant to erosion and allowed rapid water infiltration. Surface‐soil organic C and N fractions (i.e., total, particulate, and mineralizable fractions at 0–10 cm depth) were greater under pasture than under cropland. Across locations, root‐zone enrichments (0–30 cm depth) of organic C and N fractions were greater under pasture than under cropland. Within locations, root‐zone enrichment of total soil N was greater (p < 0.05) under pasture than under cropland in the Blue Ridge (2.87 vs. 1.10 Mg N ha−1, respectively) and the Piedmont (2.80 vs. 2.10 Mg N ha−1), but not in the Blackland Prairie (2.40 vs. 2.12 Mg N ha−1). Conclusions: This study provides evidence that rotationally grazed, perennial grasslands can store more soil organic C and N and improve soil surface stability conditions compared with neighboring croplands producing commodity feed grains for feedlot finishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate pig body weight assessment is an important factor in managing swine herds and imperative when determining acceptable market weights. Pigs marketed outside the desired weight range established by the packer can lead to severe economic loss to the producer. This study's objective was to validate new weight measurement technologies and determine their usefulness on swine farms. Accuracy of three methods were evaluated: human observation, a walk-across platform scale (CIMA; Correggio, Italy), and PigVision mounted cameras (Asimetrix Inc; Durham, NC). Weights were validated with a calibrated livestock scale in all three studies. In the first study, a trained individual selected pigs estimated to be market weight at two sites. Site one had 468 pigs and an accuracy of 84.4%, site two had 522 pigs and an 82.5% accuracy. A 16-week study was then conducted to determine PigVision camera accuracy over time from placement to market. Cameras were mounted above 12 pens. Weights were validated every two weeks. The accuracy for pigs that weighed 32.7 kg (87.7%) was lower (P < 0.05) than the accuracy for pigs that weighed 117.5 kg (97.6%) or 125.7 kg (96.6%). The overall accuracy from placement to market was 94.1%. A final study at market compared human observation, the walk-across scale, and PigVision. A total of 91 pigs were weighed with each method. The accuracy for the walk-across scale was 98.2%. The walk-across scale did not register a weight for six pigs. Final accuracies were 88.2% for human observation, and 96.6% for PigVision. Human observation is the chosen method in many operations today yet offers the lowest accuracy. The walk-across scale is easy to operate but requires tactical animal movement. PigVision is the least arduous option, provides constant data, but does require maintenance. This work was funded by the National Pork Board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin D deficiency appears to be more prevalent than previously considered in the adult critically ill population, and specifically burn-injured patients. No definitive regimen has been shown to restore vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels more effectively to therapeutic levels in the burn-injured population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of either ergocalciferol (D2, 50,000 IU weekly) or cholecalciferol (D3, 6,000 IU daily) in adults with burns ≥ 10% TBSA. This retrospective, observational study (2020-2022) included patients with vitamin D deficiency (< 30 ng/mL) who received replacement and had monitoring with weekly vitamin D levels. Patients on dialysis or those with a hospital length of stay (LOS) less than 2 weeks were excluded. Forty-five patients treated with ergocalciferol and 99 patients with cholecalciferol were included in the study. Patients treated with cholecalciferol were more likely to achieve 25(OH)D levels greater than 30 ng/ml compared to ergocalciferol over a 42-day period (HR 23.56, [95% CI, 12.57-44.16, p<0.0001). A higher proportion of patients in the cholecalciferol group achieved vitamin D greater than 20 ng/ml (HR 6.37, [95% CI, 4.20-9.66, p<0.0001). The adjusted hazard ratios (D3 vs D2) for achieving 25(OH)D levels > 30 ng/ml and > 20 ng/ml were and 23.94 (95% CI 5.09-427.6, p=0.0019) and 7.32 (95% CI 3.83-15.52, p<0.0001) respectively, after controlling for TBSA and initial 25(OH)D. Cholecalciferol appears to be a more effective agent than ergocalciferol for correcting vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in patients with burn injuries., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Burn Association. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This work provides a high-level overview of system design considerations for measuring plant architecture traits in row crops using ground-based, mobile platforms. High-throughput phenotyping technologies are commonly deployed in isolated growth chambers or greenhouses; however, there is a need for field-based systems to measure large quantities of plants exposed to natural climates throughout a growing season. High-throughput methods using ground-based mobile systems collect valuable phenotypic information at higher temporal resolutions compared to manual methods (e.g., handheld calipers and measuring sticks). Additionally, the close proximity to plants when using ground-based systems compared to aerial platforms enables plant phenotyping at the organ level. While there is no single best platform for obtaining ground-based plant measurements across crop varieties with different planting configurations, there are a wide range of off-the-shelf systems and sensors that can be integrated to accommodate varying row widths, plant spacing, plant heights, and plot sizes, in addition to emerging commercially available platforms. This chapter will provide an overview of sensor types suitable for phenotyping plant size and shape, as well as provide guidance for deployment with ground-based systems, including push carts or buggies, modified tractors, and robotic platforms., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)