Relationships between crude protein and mineral concentrations in alfalfa and value of alfalfa silage as a mineral source for periparturient cows

One hundred and eight samples from three cultivars of alfalfa were obtained from three cuttings in 1996-1998 to evaluate the relationship between crude protein (CP) and mineral concentrations of alfalfa with cutting and maturation. The CP content drastically decreased from 27.9 to 11.4% on DM with maturity. Highly positive correlations were observed between CP and K in the first and the second cutting of alfalfa. The Ca content remained almost constant throughout the growth period. Four multiparous Holstein cows were assigned an alfalfa silage diet or an orchardgrass silage diet from 3 weeks prepartum to 1 week postpartum to examine the effect on the mineral balance. In the prepartum and postpartum diet, the roughage to concentrate ratio was 70:30 and 50:50, with alfalfa being 50 and 100% of the roughage, respectively. The alfalfa contained 1.93% of K. No metabolic disorders occurred, but the body weight decreased drastically from 1 to 6 days postpartum with each diet because of the high milk production immediately after the parturition. Positive retention of N, Ca, P, Mg, and K was observed prepartum, whereas the cows had negative N and mineral retention from 2 to 4 days postpartum. The Ca and P absorption, and Mg retention of cows with the alfalfa diet were higher than with the grass diet. The plasma Ca and inorganic P were not affected by diet, but the plasma PTH at parturition and plasma hydroxyproline from 1 week prepartum to 1 week postpartum were higher with the alfalfa diet. These results suggest that the low K alfalfa is suitable not only to prevent the incidence of milk fever but also to increase Ca, P and Mg utilization of periparturient cows, but the mineral supplementation is needed for the postpartum cows immediately after the parturition. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The Alcohol Helplessness Scale and its prediction of depression among problem drinkers

Event-specific scales commonly have greater power than generalized scales in prediction of specific disorders and in testing mediator models for predicting such disorders. Therefore, in a preliminary study, a 6-item Alcohol Helplessness Scale was constructed and found to be reliable for a sample of 98 problem drinkers. Hierarchical multiple regression and its derivative path analysis were used to test whether helplessness and self-efficacy moderate or mediate the link between alcohol dependence and depression, A test of a moderation model was not supported, whereas a test of a mediation model was supported. Helplessness and self-efficacy both significantly and independently mediated between alcohol dependence and depression. Nevertheless, a significant direct effect of alcohol dependence on depression also remained, (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Brief opportunistic intervention: The role of psychologists in initiating self-change amongst problem drinkers

Excessive consumption of alcohol is a serious public health problem. While intensive treatments are suitable for those who are physically dependent on alcohol, they are not cost-effective options for the vast majority of problem drinkers who are not dependent. There is good evidence that brief interventions are effective in reducing overall alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and health-care utilisation among nondependent problem drinkers. Psychologists are in an ideal position to opportunistically detect people who drink excessively and to offer them brief advice to reduce their drinking. In this paper we outline the process involved in providing brief opportunistic screening and intervention for problem drinkers. We also discuss methods that psychologists can employ if a client is not ready to reduce drinking, or is ambivalent about change. Depending on the client's level of motivation to change, psychologists can engage in either an education-clarification approach, a commitment-enhancement approach, or a skills-training approach. Routine engagement in opportunistic intervention is an important public-health approach to reducing alcohol-related harm in the community.

The nutritive value of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) when treated with CaO, NaOH or a microbial inoculant and offered to dairy heifers as big-bale silage

A series of laboratory and animal studies examined the use of chemical and biological agents to enhance the digestibility of Rhodes grass (grass) cut at 60 (young) and 100 (mature) days of regrowth and ensiled as big round bales. The treatments included an untreated control (C), a microbial inoculant (I), NaOH, CaO and NaOH plus inoculant (NaOH + I). Inoculant was grown anaerobically, using a starter culture of rumen fluid from cattle given Rhodes grass. Treatments C, 1, NaOH, NaOH + I, were offered separately to twelve dairy heifers, in a 3 X 4 randomized complete block design, repeated twice for each grass silage. C and I had substantial mould growth, compared with no visible mould in NaOH or NaOH + 1. CaO treatment was effective in preventing mould growth, but had little effect on the chemical composition and in sacco digestibility of mature grass silage. NaOH reduced NDF content and increased in sacco digestibility (P < 0.05) but not the in vivo digestibility (P > 0.05) of both mature- and young-grass silage. The effects of other treatments on nutritive value were non-significant at both stages of maturity. NaOH increased the intake of mature-grass silage by 24-26% (P < 0.05), but had little effect on the intake of young-grass silage (P > 0.05). Treatment I consistently reduced grass silage intake (P < 005) for young-grass silage. The findings of these studies show that treating mature Rhodes grass with NaOH will improve its nutritive value and reduce mould growth in conserved herbage. However none of the treatments in this study had any consistently positive effects on the in vivo nutritive value or storage quality of young-grass silage.

The number of long-lasting functional memory CD8(+) T cells generated depends on the nature of the initial nonspecific stimulation

The mechanism of generation of memory cytotoxic T cells (CTL) following immunization remains controversial. Using tumor protection and IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays in mice to detect functional CTL, we show that the initial effector CTL burst size after immunization is not directly related to the amount of functional memory CTL formed, suggesting that memory CTL are unlikely to arise stochastically from effector CTL. Induction of MHC class II-restricted T helper cells at the time of immunization by inclusion of a T helper peptide or protein in the immunogen, is necessary to generate memory CTL, although no T helper cell induction is required to generate effector CTL to a strong MHC class I-binding peptide. Host protective T cell memory correlates with the number of CTL epitope responsive IFN-gamma-secreting memory T cells as measured in an ELISPOT assay at the time of tumor challenge. We conclude that a different antigen presenting environment is required to induce long-lasting functional memory CTL, and non-cognate stimulation of the immune system is essential to allow generation of a long-lasting host protective memory CTL response.

Reconciling value estimates from the discounted cash flow model and the residual income model

This paper examines why practitioners and researchers get different estimates of equity value when they use a discounted cash flow (CF) model versus a residual income (RI) model. Both models are derived from the same underlying assumption -- that price is the present value of expected future net dividends discounted at the cost of equity capital -- but in practice and in research they frequently yield different estimates. We argue that the research literature devoted to comparing the accuracy of these two models is misguided; properly implemented, both models yield identical valuations for all firms in all years. We identify how prior research has applied inconsistent assumptions to the two models and show how these seemingly small errors cause surprisingly large differences in the value estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woodstoves uncovered: a paediatric problem

Objectives: To document and describe the effects of woodstove burns in children. To identify how these accidents occur so that a prevention strategy can be devised. Design, Patients and Setting: Retrospective departmental database and case note review of all children with woodstove burns seen at the Burns Unit of a Tertiary Referral Children's Hospital between January 1997 and September 2001. Main outcome measures: Number and ages of children burned: circumstances of the accidents; injuries-sustained, treatment-required and long-term sequelae. Results. Eleven children, median age 1.0 year, sustained burns, usually to the hands, of varying thickness. Two children required skin grafting and five required scar therapy. Seven children intentionally placed their hands onto the Outside of the stove. In all children, burns occurred despite adult supervision Conclusions: Woodstoves area cause of burns in children. These injuries are associated with significant morbidity and financial costs. Through public education, woodstove burns can easily be prevented utilising simple safety measures. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI All rights reserved.

On the Hamilton-Waterloo problem

The Hamilton-Waterloo problem asks for a 2-factorisation of K-v in which r of the 2-factors consist of cycles of lengths a(1), a(2),..., a(1) and the remaining s 2-factors consist of cycles of lengths b(1), b(2),..., b(u) (where necessarily Sigma(i)(=1)(t) a(i) = Sigma(j)(=1)(u) b(j) = v). In thus paper we consider the Hamilton-Waterloo problem in the case a(i) = m, 1 less than or equal to i less than or equal to t and b(j) = n, 1 less than or equal to j less than or equal to u. We obtain some general constructions, and apply these to obtain results for (m, n) is an element of {(4, 6)1(4, 8), (4, 16), (8, 16), (3, 5), (3, 15), (5, 15)}.

The three-way intersection problem for latin squares

The set of integers k for which there exist three latin squares of order n having precisely k cells identical, with their remaining n(2) - k cells different in all three latin squares, denoted by I-3[n], is determined here for all orders n. In particular, it is shown that I-3[n] = {0,...,n(2) - 15} {n(2) - 12,n(2) - 9,n(2)} for n greater than or equal to 8. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Hypercapitalism: Language, new media and social perceptions of value

Using examples from contempoary policy and business discourses, and exemplary historical texts dealing with the notion of value, I put forward an argument as to why a critical scholarship that draws on media history, language analysis, philosophy and political economy is necessary to understand the dynamics of what is being called 'the global knowledge economy'. I argue that the social changes associated with new modes of value determination are closely associated with new media form.