The critical dietary potassium concentration for induction of mineral disorders in non-lactating Welsh Mountain sheep

Diets with more than 30 g K/kg DM have previously been associated with hypomagnesaemia in grazing cattle, and to test whether such diets lead to mineral disorders in sheep, the absorption of Mg and other elements was investigated using experimental diets to which KC I had been added to provide 27, 29, 32 or 34 g K/kg DM. The apparent absorption, balance and apparent retention of Mg, and to a lesser extent Ca, were reduced for sheep offered the diets with 32 or 34 g K/kg DM. The absorption and retention of K, Na, P, Zn, Pb and Cd was not affected by treatment. The blood intracellular Ca concentration was reduced by the diets with 29, 32 or 34 g K/kg DM, compared to the diet with 27 g K/kg DM, but the concentration of other elements was unaffected. Blood plasma Ca concentration was increased at the highest level of K inclusion, providing evidence of mild hyperkalaemia and the involvement of Ca homeostatic mechanisms. It is concluded that Mg absorption by sheep will be impaired if the diet contains more than 30 g K/kg DM, equivalent to an intake of approximately 13 g K/d, but that a high K diet may be beneficial before parturition to accustom the sheep to Ca mobilization before lactation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cluster measurement and benchmarking - A recent Welsh approach

Drawing on extensive academic research and theory on clusters and their analysis, the methodology employed in this pilot study (sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Economic Research Grants Assessment Board) seeks to create a framework for reviewing and monitoring clusters in Wales on an ongoing basis, and generate the information necessary for successful cluster development policy to occur. The multi-method framework developed and tested in the pilot study is designed to map existing Welsh sectors with cluster characteristics, uncover existing linkages, and better understand areas of strength and weakness. The approach adopted relies on synthesising both quantitative and qualitative evidence. Statistical measures, including the size of potential clusters, are united with other evidence on input-output derived inter-linkages within clusters and to other sectors in Wales and the UK, as well as the export and import intensity of the cluster. Multi Sector Qualitative Analysis is then designed for competencies/capacity, risk factors, markets, types and crucially, the perceived strengths of cluster structures and relationships. The approach outlined above can, with the refinements recommended through the review process, provide policy-makers with a valuable tool for reviewing and monitoring individual sectors and ameliorating problems in sectors likely to decline further.

Incremental parsing in language-based editors: user needs and how to meet them

Incremental parsing has long been recognized as a technique of great utility in the construction of language-based editors, and correspondingly, the area currently enjoys a mature theory. Unfortunately, many practical considerations have been largely overlooked in previously published algorithms. Many user requirements for an editing system necessarily impact on the design of its incremental parser, but most approaches focus only on one: response time. This paper details an incremental parser based on LR parsing techniques and designed for use in a modeless syntax recognition editor. The nature of this editor places significant demands on the structure and quality of the document representation it uses, and hence, on the parser. The strategy presented here is novel in that both the parser and the representation it constructs are tolerant of the inevitable and frequent syntax errors that arise during editing. This is achieved by a method that differs from conventional error repair techniques, and that is more appropriate for use in an interactive context. Furthermore, the parser aims to minimize disturbance to this representation, not only to ensure other system components can operate incrementally, but also to avoid unfortunate consequences for certain user-oriented services. The algorithm is augmented with a limited form of predictive tree-building, and a technique is presented for the determination of valid symbols for menu-based insertion. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.