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ABSTRACT Our objective was to compare performance and carcass characteristics of backgrounding steers grazing poor quality pasture, receiving energy or protein supplements during summer, and on subsequent finishing period. Sixty Hereford steers (14 months; 348±33 kg body weight [BW]) were blocked by BW and randomly assigned to one of three treatments (n = 20 per treatment): control (non-supplemented) and supplemented at 0.8% BW with whole grain of corn (CS) or lupin bean (LS) (phase I; 77 days). Over the following 84 days, none of the steers had access to supplement (phase II). During phases I and II, steers grazed together endophyte-infected tall fescue. In the last phase (phase III; 176 days), and until slaughter, steers grazed lucerne and orchard grass and were supplemented at 0.8% BW with high-moisture sorghum grain. Data were evaluated as a complete block randomized design with three treatments. Intake of supplement in CS and LS groups was 1.9 and 2.4 kg DM/d, respectively. Steers supplemented with lupin showed an improvement in the supplement conversion efficiency (5.7:1 vs. 10.0:1). At the end of phase I, BW and average daily gain were different between groups (LS > CS > control). Final body weight in phase II was greater in supplemented steers than in control steers. At slaughter, supplemented groups had greater hot carcass weight than the control group. The advantage obtained by supplementing steers with lupin, compared with corn, was lost in the subsequent phases, as reflected by the absence of differences in carcass weight. Our data illustrate that in similar scenario, energy supplementation is adequate and there is not any extra benefit of adding protein by the use of lupins when considering cattle management and economic factors.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this scoping review was to identify, describe, and characterize the literature on probiotic supplementation in dairy calves. Eligible studies were nonrandomized, quasi-randomized and randomized controlled trials in English, Spanish, or Portuguese that evaluated the effect of probiotic supplementation on growth and health of dairy calves. The search strategies were based on a modification of the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) framework and used synonyms and words related to “dairy calves” (population), “probiotics” (intervention), and “growth and health measurements” (outcomes). No restrictions for publication year or language were applied. Searches were conducted in Biosis, CAB Abstracts, Medline, Scopus, and the Dissertations and Theses Database. In total, the search identified 4,467 records, of which 103 studies (110 controlled trials) met the inclusion criteria. The studies were published between 1980 and 2021 and originated from 28 countries. Trials were randomized (80.0%), nonrandomized (16.4%), and quasi-randomized (3.6%), ranging in sample size from 5 to 1,801 dairy calves (mode = 24; average = 64). Enrolled calves were frequently Holstein (74.5%), males (43.6%), and younger than 15 d at the beginning of probiotic supplementation (71.8%). Often, trials were conducted in research facilities (47.3%). Trials evaluated probiotics with single or multiple species of the same genus: Lactobacillus (26.4%), Saccharomyces (15.4%), Bacillus (10.0%), Enterococcus (3.6%), or multiple species of various genera (31.8%). Eight trials did not report the probiotic species used. Lactobacillus acidophilus and Enterococcus faecium were the species most supplemented to calves. The duration of probiotic supplementation ranged from 1 to 462 d (mode = 56; average = 50). In trials with a constant dose, it ranged from 4.0 × 106 to 3.7 × 1011 cfu/calf per day. Most probiotics were administered mixed solely into feed (88.5%; whole milk, milk replacer, starter, or total mixed ration) and less frequently orally as a drench or oral paste (7.9%). Most trials evaluated weight gain (88.2%) as a growth indicator and fecal consistency score (64.5%) as a health indicator. Our scoping review summarizes the breadth of controlled trials evaluating probiotic supplementation in dairy calves. Differences in intervention design (mode of probiotic administration, dose, and duration of probiotic supplementation) and outcomes evaluation (type and methods) justify future efforts toward standardized guidelines in clinical trials.

Summary: Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is prevalent and disabling among older adults. Standing on its tolerability profile, vortioxetine might be a promising alternative to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in such a vulnerable population. Methods: We conducted a randomised, assessor- and statistician-blinded, superiority trial including older adults with MDD. The study was conducted between 02/02/2019 and 02/22/2023 in 11 Italian Psychiatric Services. Participants were randomised to vortioxetine or one of the SSRIs, selected according to common practice. Treatment discontinuation due to adverse events after six months was the primary outcome, for which we aimed to detect a 12% difference in favour of vortioxetine. The study was registered in the online repository clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03779789). Findings: The intention-to-treat population included 179 individuals randomised to vortioxetine and 178 to SSRIs. Mean age was 73.7 years (standard deviation 6.1), and 264 participants (69%) were female. Of those on vortioxetine, 78 (44%) discontinued the treatment due to adverse events at six months, compared to 59 (33%) of those on SSRIs (odds ratio 1.56; 95% confidence interval 1.01–2.39). Adjusted and per-protocol analyses confirmed point estimates in favour of SSRIs, but without a significant difference. With the exception of the unadjusted survival analysis showing SSRIs to outperform vortioxetine, secondary outcomes provided results consistent with a lack of substantial safety and tolerability differences between the two arms. Overall, no significant differences emerged in terms of response rates, depressive symptoms and quality of life, while SSRIs outperformed vortioxetine in terms of cognitive performance. Interpretation: As opposed to what was previously hypothesised, vortioxetine did not show a better tolerability profile compared to SSRIs in older adults with MDD in this study. Additionally, hypothetical advantages of vortioxetine on depression-related cognitive symptoms might be questioned. The study's statistical power and highly pragmatic design allow for generalisability to real-world practice. Funding: The study was funded by the Italian Medicines Agency within the “2016 Call for Independent Drug Research”.

ABSTRACT The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of phenotypic, genotypic, and auction characteristics that may influence the selling prices of bulls. Data from 1,540 Braford and 1,179 Brangus bulls sold at auctions in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were collected and evaluated individually. Body condition score (BCS), muscularity, frame, foreskin size, presence or absence of horns, and data regarding the auction such as name/venue, event edition, forms of payment, among others, were considered. Information such as weight at the time of sale, scrotal circumference (SC), expected profit differences, selection indexes, and date of birth were collected from the catalogs supplied at the auctions. To obtain the influence of the selected explanatory variables throughout the conditional distribution of bull prices, a quantile regression was used, and the quantiles were established as follows: 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th. The buyers of Braford and Brangus bulls valued characteristics such as age, weight, and SC in relation to frame, muscularity, BCS, and foreskin size. In addition, the price behavior at different auctions was positively related to the operation time of the auction in this market and with the reputation of the seller. Regarding genetic variables of Brangus bulls, these had little or no influence on the selling price. There was a positive influence on the weaning index in the 90th quantile and on the final index in the 50th and 75th quantiles. Buyers of synthetic bull breeds at auctions value the phenotypic characteristics of bulls more than they do genetic characteristics, which may not reflect permanent gains in the cattle herd.

Este estudio compara el desempeño técnico y financiero de diferentes sistemas de producción de ganado para carne y evalúa la comercialización oportunista practicada en estos sistemas. Se evaluaron datos de cuatro unidades de producción ubicadas en el sur de Brasil: vaca-cría en pastos nativos (VCPN; 1,155 ha; 1,529 animales); vaca-cría con agricultura (VCA; 1,008 ha; 1,313 animales); recría-engorda (URE; 360 ha; 435 animales); y engorda (UE; 205 ha; 168 animales) así como un sistema integrado que simula los parámetros físicos y económicos de las cuatro unidades (SIA; 2,728 ha; 3,445 animales). Las cuatro unidades independientes fueron consideradas como de comercialización oportunista y el SIA como no oportunistas. El mayor rendimiento se obtuvo para URE (297 kg/ha), seguido de SIA (114 kg/ha), UE (98 kg/ha), VCPN (87 kg/ha) y VCA (83 kg/ha). La VCPN fue la más económicamente eficiente, considerando el margen bruto por kilogramo (MB/kg) (US$ 0.93). El valor del MB/kg del SIA (US$ 0.74) fue un 37 % superior en comparación con la suma del promedio de las cuatro unidades (US$ 0.54), y el SIA tuvo los costos totales de producción por kg más bajos (22.5 %). Se llegó a la conclusión de que cada unidad independiente podría aumentar el MB/kg (37 %) y el MB/ha (3.8 %) y utilizar crías en una unidad de recría-engorda para su posterior venta. Por lo tanto, la integración de los sistemas de producción de carne de res aumenta el margen bruto de las empresas, presentando una ventaja comercial rentable para los empresarios rurales a través de la comercialización no oportunista.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the rejection rates of Zebu bulls during behavioral assessment (libido and serving ability) and the importance of this step in bull breeding soundness evaluation (BBSE). A total of 1,534 bulls reared in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, of Nelore (1,340), Brahman (76), Guzerá (98), and Tabapuã (210) breeds were evaluated. The evaluation consisted of four steps. Step I was the general physical examination, Step II genital tract examination, Step III semen evaluation, and Step IV behavioral assessment of libido and the ability to complete copulation. To evaluate the relationship between the binary variables of approved or rejected during different steps of the BBSE, and age groups (young and mature bulls), chi-square tests and logistic regression were used. The general rejection rates in the BBSE were 5.64% and 15.20% for young and mature Zebu bulls, respectively. ¬Problems with the sexual behavior (libido and/or serving ability) of bulls accounted for the rejection of 0.46% and 2.29% of young and mature Zebu bulls, respectively. The lack of libido and serving ability was shown to be an important problem concerning the total number of possible causes of Zebu bull rejection during the BBSE. This result suggests that the behavioral step should be performed regularly, rather than being complementary to the standard BBSE in Zebu cattle.

ABSTRACT: The present study aimed to obtain, through statistical methods, the independent variables that influence the economic and productive results of Brazilian beef cattle. Economic and productive information was collected from 106 farms in Brazil. Data collection was performed by the Instituto de Métricas Agropecuárias (Inttegra). The variable selection method used was stepwise regression followed by polynomial regression analyses. The variable beef cattle economic result showed the positive effect of disbursement per head per month and average weight gain. An average daily gain of 520 g in live weight was obtained, and this variable was influenced especially by nutrition cost. The arroba production (arroba is a unit of weight corresponding to 15kg) was influenced by the linear effect of nutrition cost and stocking rate. The variable arroba production in pasture showed a linear and positive effect of average weight gain in pasture and stocking rate in pasture. For profit per arroba, the variables nutrition cost, disbursement with pasture, and average sale price had a linear effect. The independent variables that had the greatest influence on the response variables were stocking rate, average daily weight gain, and nutrition cost. Thus, increases in investment in nutrition and stocking rate should result in higher production rates and improvements in the profitability of this activity.

A systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) were performed to evaluate the effects of different energy levels (metabolizable energy, ME) and crude protein (CP), supplied to pregnant cows, on weight of their progenies at 60 (BW60), 100 (BW100), 180 (BW180) and 205 (BW205) days of age, average daily gain (ADG), and weight, age, loin eye area (LEA), marbling and fat thickness (FT) at slaughter. The SR was performed on two electronic databases. The MA for random effects was performed for each response variable separately. The BW60 was reduced (P

The article aims to analyze the effects of the Brazilian Simplified Tax Regime (Simples Nacional) on the longevity of manufacturing microenterprises, contributing to the current debate on the expansion of the program. Based on the RAIS (Relação Anual de Informações Sociais) microdata comprising the period between 2007–2013, a sample of manufacturing establishments, homogeneous in their economic structure, was selected and divided into two groups — those who opted for the program and those who did not. The Survival Analysis technique and the Propensity Score Matching made it possible to identify that the establishments opting for Simples Nacional that were created in 2007 had a 30% lower chance of mortality than the companies not opting for it. Another main result was the indication that separating manufacturing establishments by level of technology-intensiveness the Simplified Regime had a differentiated impact among the groups, with only the manufacturing establishments of low and medium-low technology-intensiveness sectors being affected. JEL classifications: L20, C23, K34, Keywords: Brazilian Simplified Tax Regime, Tax policy, Industry, Survival Analysis, Propensity Score Matching

ABSTRACT Traditional livestock productivity is hard to estimate, since it depends on a gamut of animal production indicators that are difficult to measure for many farms. Thus, we propose an analytical method for estimating productivity and understanding the importance of animal production indicators under different full-cycle cattle production systems in Brazil. To evaluate the impact of these indicators, equations were derived from a comutational model of herd evolution for estimating the output parameters of the system as follows: productivity per hectare (PH) and offtake rate (COR), as a function of the indicators; calving rate (CR), mating age (AM), age of slaughter (AS) and stocking rate (SR). For this analysis, twenty-seven scenarios (simulation data) of low to high productivity were used, resulting from the combination of the following factors and levels: 1) calving rate of 50, 65 and 80 %; 2) mating age of heifers of one, two and three, years of age; and 3) age at slaughter of one, two and three year old steers. The scenario with the highest impact for each parameter and the indicator of highest impact for each scenario were identified for the production conditions in the region. Under most scenarios, a reduction in mating age had a greater impact on the productivity indexes compared to a reduction in slaughter age. Appropriate management of available technologies enables farmers to compare the marginal impacts of specific indicators on full-cycle production systems for beef cattle.

Sensory characteristics of meat from different animal types, including cattle (Angus and Brangus) and buffalo raised at pasture, and information on socio-demographic determinants of consumer preference were evaluated. Samples of roasted rib eye were cut and served in a disordered and monadic manner to 188 untrained tasters. A nine-point hedonic scale was used to assess odor, color, tenderness, succulence and overall appearance. Analysis of variance was carried out using the GLM procedure of SAS®, considering animal type and socio-demographic characteristics as fixed effects and using the LSMEANS procedure for multiple mean comparisons. Differences (P < 0.001) between animal types were observed only for tenderness, with Brangus (7.02) and buffalo (6.82) meat being superior to Angus (6.25). Regardless of meat origin, age, income, smoking and place of purchase affected the perceived attributes (P < 0.05). People aged over 50 years gave higher mean scores for odor and color (P < 0.05), indicative of greater satisfaction and less demanding tastes when compared to other age categories. Despite the variability in the intrinsic characteristics, differentiation of meat by the consumer is not easy to determine, with little impact of sociodemographic characteristics on organoleptic perception. Meat from Brangus cattle and buffaloes raised at pasture was considered tenderer than that from Angus cattle raised under the same conditions by an untrained taste panel compared with.

The aim of this study was to understand the perceptions of Brazilian citizens about the general conditions of animal welfare in the poultry, beef, and dairy supply chains. To reach this aim, an online survey was conducted. The analysis was based on descriptive statistics and three logistic regression models. Results of descriptive statistics showed that citizens in Brazil had mostly negative perceptions about the conditions of animal welfare in the poultry, beef, and dairy supply chains. Results of the logistic regression models showed that citizens with a background in agricultural/veterinary sciences, and citizens who reported a higher level of knowledge about poultry and dairy supply chains were more likely to perceive the general conditions of animal welfare in these two supply chains as being bad. Citizens who reported previous contact with poultry farms were also more likely to perceive the general conditions of animal welfare in the poultry supply chain as being bad. In addition, the perception that farmers are mainly focused on the economic aspect of farming and less on animal welfare, the perception that animals do not have a good quality of life while housed on farms, and the perception that animals are not adequately transported and slaughtered, negatively impact on perceptions about the general conditions of animal welfare in the poultry, beef, and dairy supply chains.