Plant remains as evidence for seasonality of site use in the Mesolithic period

Attempts to identify the seasons during which Mesolithic sites may have been occupied have usually concentrated on evidence from faunal assemblages, while the potential of plant remains has been largely neglected. In this paper the use of plant remains as indicators of seasonality is discussed, especially where they represent the accidental charring of species unlikely to have been deliberately collected and stored. This is illustrated with reference to the early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, North Yorkshire, and discussed in the context of other Mesolithic sites from which assemblages of charred plant remains have been recovered.

Changes in light intensity during the rearing period can influence egg production in domestic fowl

1. A total of 240 Shaver White and 240 ISA Brown pullets that had been reared in multi-bird cages on a 10-h photoperiod, and maintained at a light intensity of 3 or 25 lux, or changed from 3 to 25 lux or from 25 to 3 lux at 9 or 16 weeks of age, were moved into individual-bird cages at 20 weeks and transferred to 15-h photoperiods at 25 lux. 2. In both breeds, birds transferred from 3 to 25 lux at 16 or 20 weeks laid significantly more eggs than birds maintained on the brighter intensity from one day or increased to it at 9 weeks. 3. Mean egg weight, shell deformation, albumen height, feed intake and body weight gain in lay were not significantly affected by the light intensity treatments during the rearing period. There was, however, a small, but significant, negative correlation of egg numbers with mean egg weight, although this only partially explained the difference in egg numbers. The differences in egg production were unrelated to rate of sexual maturation.

Effect of acute administration of recombinant human leptin during the neonatal period on body temperature and endocrine profile of the piglet

Background: Leptin is produced predominantly by white adipocytes; in adults it regulates appetite and energy expenditure but its role in the neonate remains to be fully established. Objectives: To examine the effects of acute administration of recombinant human leptin on the endocrine profile and thermoregulation of neonatal pigs. Methods: 24 pairs of siblings (n = 48) were administered with either a single dose (4 mu g ml(-1) kg(-1) body weight) of leptin (L: n = 24) or a placebo (P: n = 24) on day 6 of neonatal life. Rectal temperature was recorded, and tissue samples were taken at 1 (n = 12), 2 (n = 12), 4 (n = 12) or 6 (n = 12) hours post-administration. Plasma concentrations of hormones and metabolites were determined in conjunction with messenger RNA (mRNA) for leptin and uncoupling protein-2. Results: Plasma leptin increased following leptin administration, and differences in concentrations of insulin, thyroxine and non-esterified fatty acids were observed between the two groups. Initially, rectal temperature decreased in L pigs but returned to start values by 1.5 h. This decline in rectal temperature was delayed in placebo animals, resulting in differences between treatments at 1.5 and 2 h. Conclusions: Acute leptin administration alters the endocrine profile of pigs and influences the thermoregulatory ability of the neonate. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Relationships between transition period diet, metabolic parameters and fertility in lactating dairy cows

Cows in severe negative energy balance after calving have reduced fertility, mediated by metabolic signals influencing the reproductive system. We hypothesised that transition diet could alter metabolic status after calving, and thus influence fertility. Multiparous dairy cows were assigned to four transition groups 6 weeks pre-calving and fed: (a) basal control diet (n = 10); (b) basal diet plus barley (STARCH, n = 10); (c) basal diet plus Soypass (high protein, HiPROT, n = 11); or (d) no transition management (NoTRANS, n = 9). All cows received the same lactational diet. Blood samples, body weights and condition scores (BCS) were collected weekly. Fertility parameters were monitored using milk progesterone profiles and were not affected by transition diet. Data from all cows were then combined and analysed according to the pattern of post-partum ovarian activity. Cows with low progesterone profiles had significantly lower insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin concentrations accompanied by reduced dry matter intakes (DMIs), BCS and body weight. Cows with prolonged luteal activity (PLA) were older and tended to have lower IGF-I. Analysis based on the calving to conception interval revealed that cows which failed to conceive (9/40) also had reduced IGF-I, BCS and body weight. Fertility was, therefore, decreased in cows which were in poor metabolic status following calving. This was reflected in reduced circulating IGF-I concentrations and compromised both ovarian activity and conception. There was little effect of the transition diets on these parameters. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of harvest date on the dormancy period of yam (Dioscorea rotundata)

Tuber dormancy enables yams to survive in the ground during the dry season and post-harvest storage. Three clones of Dioscorea rotundata were harvested after five intervals and then stored in a cooler (20.6°C) or at ambient temperature (27.8°C). The time from harvest to sprouting was shorter as harvest was delayed. The period from sowing to sprouting for each clone was similar for tubers harvested from 140 days after planting, but tubers harvested earlier took longer to sprout. The cooler temperature delayed sprouting. Tubers of two clones sprouted after only 70 days of crop growth. If the dormancy period of these young tubers can be broken, the generation time of yam crop improvement programmes could be considerably reduced.

Limit-feeding a high-energy diet to meet energy requirements in the dry period alters plasma metabolite concentrations but does not affect intake or milk production in early lactation

Limit-feeding dry cows a high-energy diet may enable adequate energy intake to be sustained as parturition approaches, thus reducing the extent of negative energy balance after parturition. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of dry period feeding strategy on plasma concentrations of hormones and metabolites that reflect energy status. Multiparous Holstein cows (n = 18) were dried off 45 d before expected parturition, paired by expected calving date, parity, and previous lactation milk yield, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 dry-period diets formulated to meet nutrient requirements at ad libitum or limited intakes. All cows were fed the same diet for ad libitum intake after parturition. Prepartum dry matter intake (DMI) for limit-fed cows was 9.4 kg/d vs. 13.7 kg/d for cows fed ad libitum. During the dry period, limit-fed cows consumed enough feed to meet calculated energy requirements, and ad libitum-fed cows were in positive calculated net energy for lactation (NEL) balance (0.02 vs. 6.37 Mcal/d, respectively). After parturition, milk yield, milk protein concentration, DMI, body condition score, and body weight were not affected by the prepartum treatments. Cows limit fed during the dry period had a less-negative calculated energy balance during wk 1 postpartum. Milk fat concentration and yield were greater for the ad libitum treatment during wk 1 but were lower in wk 2 and 3 postpartum. Plasma insulin and glucose concentrations decreased after calving. Plasma insulin concentration was greater in ad libitum-fed cows on d -2 relative to calving, but did not differ by dietary treatment at other times. Plasma glucose concentrations were lower before and after parturition for cows limit-fed during the dry period. Plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentrations peaked after parturition on d 1 and 4 for the limit-fed and ad libitum treatments, respectively, and were greater for limit-fed cows on d -18, -9, -5, and -2. Plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations did not differ by treatment in either the pre- or postpartum period, but tended to decrease after parturition. Apart from a reduction in body energy loss in the first week after calving, limit feeding a higher NEL diet during the dry period had little effect on intake and milk production during the first month of lactation.

The economic viability and potential of a novel poultry agroforestry system

Investigating agroforestry systems that incorporate poultry is warranted in Northern Europe as they may offer benefits including: improved welfare and use of range; reduced feed costs; price premia on products; reduced payback periods for forests; and, greater returns on investment. Free-range egg production accounts for 27% of the United Kingdom egg market and demand for outdoor broilers is increasing. No research has been conducted recently on the economic viability of agroforestry systems with poultry. An economic model was constructed to: assess economic viability of a broiler agroforestry system; and, investigate the sensitivity of economic performance to key factors and interactions, and identify those which warrant attention in research and management. The system modelled is a commercial trial established in Southern England in 2002 where deciduous trees were planted and broilers reared in six- or nine-week periods. The model uses Monte Carlo simulation and financial performance analyses run for a 120-year period. An Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 15.5% is predicted for the six-week system which remains viable under a 'worst case' scenario (IRR of 12.6%). Factors which affect financial performance most (decreasing in magnitude) are prices achieved for broilers, costs of brooding houses, chicks, arks, feed and timber prices. The main anticipated effects of biological interactions on financial performance (increased ranging on feed conversion and excess nutrient supply on tree health) were not supported by analysis. Further research is particularly warranted on the welfare benefits offered by the tree component and its relation to price premia.

Sensitivity distributions and cross-resistance patterns of Mycosphaerella graminicola to fluquinconazole, prochloraz and azoxystrobin over a period of nine years

The sensitivity of 73 isolates of Mycosphaerella graminicola collected over the period 1993–2002 from wheat fields in South England was tested in vitro against the triazole fluquinconazole, the strobilurin azoxystrobin and to the imidazole prochloraz. Over the sampling period, sensitivity of the population to fluquinconazole and prochloraz decreased by factors of approximately 10 and 2, respectively, but there was no evidence of changes in sensitivity to azoxystrobin. There was no correlation between sensitivity to fluquinconazole and prochloraz, but there was a weak negative cross-resistance between fluquinconazole and azoxystrobin.

Repeated challenge with prion disease: The risk of infection and impact on incubation period

Natural exposure to prion disease is likely to occur throughout successive challenges, yet most experiments focus on single large doses of infectious material. We analyze the results from an experiment in which rodents were exposed to multiple doses of feed contaminated with the scrapie agent. We formally define hypotheses for how the doses combine in terms of statistical models. The competing hypotheses are that only the total dose of infectivity is important (cumulative model), doses act independently, or a general alternative that interaction between successive doses occurs (to raise or lower the risk of infection). We provide sample size calculations to distinguish these hypotheses. In the experiment, a fixed total dose has a significantly reduced probability of causing infection if the material is presented as multiple challenges, and as the time between challenges lengthens. Incubation periods are shorter and less variable if all material is consumed on one occasion. We show that the probability of infection is inconsistent with the hypothesis that each dose acts as a cumulative or independent challenge. The incubation periods are inconsistent with the independence hypothesis. Thus, although a trend exists for the risk of infection with prion disease to increase with repeated doses, it does so to a lesser degree than is expected if challenges combine independently or in a cumulative manner.

Changes in milk composition and processing properties during the spring flush period

The period, known to UK farmers and processors as the "spring flush", when the cows' diet changes from dry feed to spring pasture, has long been established as a time of change in milk properties and processing characteristics. Although it is believed to be a time when problems in processing are most likely to occur (e.g. milk that does not form clots or forms weak gels during cheesemaking), there is little evidence in the literature of detailed changes in milk composition and their impact on product manufacture. In this study, a range of physicochemical properties were analysed in milk collected from five commercial dairy herds before, during and after the spring flush period of 2006. In particular, total and ionic calcium contents of milk were studied in relation to other parameters including rennet clotting, acid gel properties, heat coagulation, alcohol stability, micelle size and zeta potential. Total divalent cations were significantly reduced from 35.4 to 33.4 mmol.L-1 during the study, while ionic calcium was reduced from 1.48 to 1.40 mmol.L-1 over the same period. Many parameters varied significantly between the sample dates. However, there was no evidence to suggest that any of the milk samples would have been unsuitable for processing - e.g. there were no samples that did not form clots with chymosin within a reasonable time or formed especially weak rennet or acid gels. A number of statistically significant correlations were found within the data, including ionic calcium concentration and pH; rennet clotting time (RCT) and micelle diameter; and RCT and ethanol stability. Overall, while there were clear variations in milk composition and properties over this period, there was no evidence to support the view that serious processing problems are likely during the change from dry feed to spring pasture.

Using bargaining-game theory for negotiating concession period for BOT-type contract

This paper extends the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession model (BOTCcM) to a new method for identifying a concession period by using bargaining-game theory. Concession period is one of the most important decision variables in arranging a BOT-type contract, and there are few methodologies available for helping to determine the value of this variable. The BOTCcM presents an alternative method by which a group of concession period solutions are produced. Nevertheless, a typical weakness in using BOTCcM is that the model cannot recommend a specific time span for concessionary. This paper introduces a new method called BOT bargaining concession model (BOTBaC) to enable the identification of a specific concession period, which takes into account the bargaining behavior of the two parties concerned in engaging a BOT contract, namely, the investor and the government concerned. The application of BOTBaC is demonstrated through using an example case.

Changes in physical properties of bovine milk from the colostrum period to early lactation

The aim of this study was to analyze individual cows' samples from the colostrum, postcolostrum, and early lactation periods to investigate how milk composition, physical properties, stability, and suitability for processing change throughout this period. Attention was paid to the first week postpartum in which the composition of bovine mammary secretion can change markedly. Properties including pH, titratable acidity, ethanol stability (ES), rennet clotting time, and casein micelle size were analyzed, together with some compositional factors such as fat, total protein, lactose, total and ionic calcium, magnesium, citrate, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. Total Ca (36.2 mM) and free ionic Ca (2.58 mM), Mg (5.9 mM), P (32.2 mM), and Na (24.1 mM) appeared to be high on d 5 postpartum, having decreased substantially over the first 5 d; they gradually decreased thereafter. The average pH on d 5 was only 6.49, compared with 6.64 at 1 mo postpartum. Stability measurements showed that the average ES on d 5 was 70% and the rennet clotting time was 12.2 min, which were significantly lower than values at later stages. A number of milk properties including ES, pH, protein content, and Ca2+ concentration could be useful for identifying the point of transition from colostrum to the early lactation period. Knowing the composition and physical properties of colostrum and postcolostrum secretions will help establish when such milk is suitable for processing and determine the best use for that milk.