Influence of harvesting strategy on nutrient supply and production of dairy cows consuming diets based on grass and red clover silage

The main objective of this thesis was to elucidate the effects of regrowth grass silage and red clover silage on nutrient supply and milk production of dairy cows as compared with primary growth grass silages. In the first experiment (publication I), two primary growth and four regrowth grass silages were harvested at two stages of growth. These six silages were fed to 24 lactating dairy cows with two levels of concentrate allowance. Silage intake and energy corrected milk yield (ECM) responses, and the range in these response variables between the diets, were smaller when regrowth silages rather than primary growth silages were fed. Milk production of dairy cows reflected the intake of metabolizable energy (ME), and no differences in the ME utilization were found between the diets based on silages harvested from primary growth and regrowth. The ECM response to increased concentrate allowance was, on average, greater when regrowth rather than primary growth silages were fed. In the second experiment (publication II), two silages from primary growth and two from regrowth used in I were fed to rumen cannulated lactating dairy cows. Cows consumed less feed dry matter (DM), energy and protein, and produced less milk, when fed diets based on regrowth silages rather than primary growth silages. Lower milk production responses of regrowth grass silage diets were mainly due to the lower silage DM intake, and could not be accounted for by differences in energy or protein utilization. Regrowth grass silage intake was not limited due to neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestion or rumen fill or passage kinetics. However, lower intake may be at least partly attributable to plant diseases such as leaf spot infections, dead deteriorating material or abundance of weeds, which are all higher in regrowth compared with primary growth, and increase with advancing regrowth. In the third experiment (publications III and IV), red clover silages and grass silages harvested at two stages of growth, and a mixed diet of red clover and grass silages, were fed to five rumen cannulated lactating dairy cows. In spite of the lower average ME intake for red clover diets, the ECM production remained unchanged suggesting more efficient utilisation of ME for red clover diets compared with grass diets. Intake of N, and omasal canal flows of total non-ammonia N (NAN), microbial and non-microbial NAN were higher for red clover than for grass silage diets, but were not affected by forage maturity. Delaying the harvest tended to decrease DM intake of grass silage and increase that of red clover silage. The digestion rate of potentially digestible NDF was faster for red clover diets than for grass silage diets. Delaying the harvest decreased the digestion rate for grass but increased it for red clover silage diets. The low intake of early-cut red clover silage could not be explained by silage digestibility, fermentation quality, or rumen fill but was most likely related to the nutritionally suboptimal diet composition because inclusion of moderate quality grass silage in mixed diet increased silage DM intake. Despite the higher total amino acid supply of cows fed red clover versus grass silage diets, further milk production responses on red clover diets were possibly compromised by an inadequate supply of methionine as evidenced by lower methionine concentration in the amino acid profile of omasal digesta and plasma. Increasing the maturity of ensiled red clover does not seem to affect silage DM intake as consistently as that of grasses. The efficiency of N utilization for milk protein synthesis was lower for red clover diets than for grass diets. It was negatively related to diet crude protein concentration similarly to grass silage diets.

Aurinkotuulen dynaamisen paineen muutosten vaikutus ionosfäärin dynamiikkaan

Monissa viimeaikaisissa tutkimuksissa on tutkittu aurinkotuulen dynaamisen paineen vaikutusta revontulialueen hiukkaspresipitaatioon. Tutkimukset ovat kuitenkin perustuneet muutamaan yksittäiseen tapaukseen ja laskevan dynaamisen paineen vaikutuksia ei juuri ole tarkasteltu. Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää suuremmasta statistiikasta aurinkotuulen dynaamisen paineen nousujen ja laskujen vaikutusta ionosfäärin dynamiikkaan. Paineen muutoksia etsittiin ACE:n mittausdatasta vuosilta 1998 2004 ja ionosfäärin vastetta näihin muutoksiin tutkittiin käyttäen IMAGE-magnetometriverkon tuottamaa magneettisen aktiivisuuden indeksiä (IE-indeksi). Tutkimuksen kohteeksi valittiin 286 painepulssia, joita edelsi ja seurasi tasaisen paineen jakso, sekä 171 vastaavaa paineen laskua (negatiivista painepulssia). Näiden paineen muutosten ionosfäärivastetta tutkittaessa käytettiin tilastollista superposed epoch -menetelmää. Tutkimuksen tulokseksi saatiin selvä positiivinen korrelaatio IE-indeksin ja aurinkotuulen dynaamisen paineen välillä. Korrelaatio on vähemmän selkeää paineen laskujen kuin nousujen yhteydessä. Tälle on useita mahdollisia selityksia: Tutkimusaineisto paineen laskuista oli suppeampi. Toisin kuin painepulsseihin, paineen laskuihin ei liittynyt aurinkotuulen nopeuden muutosta. Lisäksi IMF:n magnitudi kasvoi lähes kaikkien paineen laskujen aikana, joten magnitudin ja IE:n välinen positiivinen korrelaatio voisi peittää paineen laskun vaikutusta. Eteläisen IMF:n painepulssien aikana IE:n muutokset aiheutuivat enimmäkseen läntisen elektrojetin vahvistumisesta ja pohjoisen IMF:n aikana havaitut IE:n muutokset liittyivät enemmän itäiseen elektrojettiin. Aurinkotuulen dynaamisen paineen ja elektrojettien korrelaation selitykseksi tarjotaan ionosfääriin saapuvien kentänsuuntaisten virtojen välityksellä tapahtuvaa kytkentää aurinkotuuleen. IMF:n z-komponentin suunnalla oli odotetun merkittävä vaikutus IE:n yleiseen tasoon, mutta IE:n korrelaatio paineen muutosten kanssa oli samaa tasoa z-komponentin etumerkistä riippumatta. Myös IMF:n y-komponentti osoittautui merkittäväksi pohjoisen IMF:n aikana, sillä tällöin IE:n yleinen taso oli korkeampi ja paineen muutosten vaikutus paljon selkeämpi IMF:n y-komponentin ollessa positiivinen kuin negatiivinen.

Timing of puberty : Genetic regulation

In the general population, the timing of puberty is normally distributed. This variation is determined by genetic and environmental factors, but the exact mechanisms underlying these influences remain elusive. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into genetic regulation of pubertal timing. Contributions of genetic versus environmental factors to the normal variation of pubertal timing were explored in twins. Familial occurrence and inheritance patterns of constitutional delay of growth and puberty, CDGP (a variant of normal pubertal timing), were studied in pedigrees of patients with this condition. To ultimately detect genes involved in the regulation of pubertal timing, genetic loci conferring susceptibility to CDGP were mapped by linkage analysis in the same family cohort. To subdivide the overall phenotypic variance of pubertal timing into genetic and environmental components, genetic modeling based on monozygous twins sharing 100% and dizygous twins sharing 50% of their genes was used in 2309 girls and 1828 boys from the FinnTwin 12-17 study. The timing of puberty was estimated from height growth, i.e. change in the relative height between the age when pubertal growth velocity peaks in the general population and adulthood. This reflects the percentage of adult height achieved at the average peak height velocity age, and thus, pubertal timing. Boys and girls diagnosed with CDGP were gathered through medical records from six pediatric clinics in Finland. First-degree relatives of the probands were invited to participate by letter; altogether, 286 families were recruited. When possible, families were extended to include also second-, third-, or fourth-degree relatives. The timing of puberty in all family members was primarily assessed from longitudinal growth data. Delayed puberty was defined by onset of pubertal growth spurt or peak height velocity taking place 1.5 (relaxed criterion) or 2 SD (strict criterion) beyond the mean. If growth data were unavailable, pubertal timing was based on interviews. In this case, CDGP criteria were set as having undergone pubertal development more than 2 (strict criterion) or 1.5 years (relaxed criterion) later than their peers, or menarche after 15 (strict criterion) or 14 years (relaxed criterion). Familial occurrence of strict CDGP was explored in families of 124 patients (95 males and 29 females) from two clinics in Southern Finland. In linkage analysis, we used relaxed CDGP criteria; 52 families with solely growth data-based CDGP diagnoses were selected from all clinics. Based on twin data, genetic factors explain 86% and 82% of the variance of pubertal timing in girls and boys, respectively. In families, 80% of male and 76% of female probands had affected first-degree relatives, in whom CDGP was 15 times more common than the expected (2.5%). In 74% (17 of 23) of the extended families with only one affected parent, familial patterns were consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance. By using 383 multiallelic markers and subsequently fine-mapping with 25 additional markers, significant linkage for CDGP was detected to the pericentromeric region of chromosome 2, to 2p13-2q13 (multipoint HLOD 4.44, α 0.41). The findings of the large twin study imply that the vast majority of the normal variation of pubertal timing is attributed to genetic effects. Moreover, the high frequency of dominant inheritance patterns and the large number of affected relatives of CDGP patients suggest that genetic factors also markedly contribute to constitutional delay of puberty. Detection of the locus 2p13-2q13 in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 2 associating with CDGP is one step towards unraveling the genes that determine pubertal timing.

Does relationship marketing improve customer relationship satisfaction and loyalty?

Purpose - This study investigates the relationship marketing (RM) strategy of a retail bank and examines whether - after its implementation - customer relationships were strengthened through perceived improvements in the banking relationship and consequent loyalty towards the bank. Design/methodology/approach - A survey was conducted on two profitability segments, of which the more profitable segment had been directly exposed to a customer oriented RM strategy, whereas the less profitable segment had been subjected to more sales oriented marketing communications. Findings - No significant differences were found between the segments on customers’ evaluations of the service relationship or their loyalty toward the bank. Furthermore regression analysis revealed that relationship satisfaction was less important as a determinant of loyalty in the more profitable segment. Research limitations/implications - This study was conducted as a case study of one specific branch of a bank group in Finland, which limits the external validity of its results. It was not possible to ascertain if, or to what extent, customers of the more profitable segment had received the intended RM treatment. Other limitations are also discussed. Practical implications - Customer orientation is desirable within retail banking and more studies are needed on the differential drivers of loyalty across customer profitability segments. By identifying the aspects of a banking relationship that are more highly valued among more profitable customers than among less profitable customers, bank managers would be able to more effectively devise appropriate strategies for different segments. Originality/value - The study contributes to the RM literature and marketing of financial services by providing empirical evidence of the effects of RM activities on customer relationship perceptions in different profitability segments.

Influence of forest owners as an interest group in achieving the forest policy goals in Finland.

XVIII IUFRO World Congress, Ljubljana 1986.