1,672 research outputs found
A Farmer-Based Decision Support System for Managing Pasture Quality on Hill Country
Despite considerable effort to promote formal feed budgeting in New Zealand, survey data suggests it is only adopted by 20% of farmers (Nuthall & Bishop-Hurley, 1999). Recent work (Gray et al., 2003) has identified that farmers may use a different approach - micro-budgeting - to manage feed. Rather than operate at a whole farm level, micro-budgeting focuses at the paddock level. This paper describes micro-budgeting as used by a high performing hill country sheep and cattle farmer to manage pasture quality over spring and a decision support model developed to help other farmers undertake this proces
Diurnal variation in harbour porpoise detection – potential implications for management
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Modelling Urine Nitrogen Production and Leaching Losses for Pasture-Based Dairying Systems
Urine from dairy cattle grazing pastures with high crude protein (CP) concentrations is a major source of N lost in drainage water from New Zealand farms. This paper provides predictions of urinary N leaching losses for a range of stocking rates and levels of supplementation
Pulled apart, pushed together: diversity and unity within the Congress of South African Trade Unions
This is a study of horizontal and vertical solidarity within a national labour movement, based on a nationwide survey of members of affiliated unions of the Congress of South African Trade Unions. On the one hand, the survey reveals relatively high levels of vertical and horizontal solidarity, despite the persistence of some cleavages on gender and racial lines. On the other hand, the maintenance and deepening of existing horizontal and vertical linkages in a rapidly changing socio-economic context, represents one of many challenges facing organized labour in an industrializing economy. COSATU’s strength is contingent not only on an effective organizational capacity, and a supportive network linking key actors and interest groupings, but also on the ability to meet the concerns of existing constituencies and those assigned to highly marginalized categories of labour
Observation and theoretical description of the pure Fano-effect in the valence-band photo-emission of ferromagnets
The pure Fano-effect in angle-integrated valence-band photo-emission of
ferromagnets has been observed for the first time. A contribution of the
intrinsic spin polarization to the spin polarization of the photo-electrons has
been avoided by an appropriate choice of the experimental parameters. The
theoretical description of the resulting spectra reveals a complete analogy to
the Fano-effect observed before for paramagnetic transition metals. While the
theoretical photo-current and spin difference spectra are found in good
quantitative agreement with experiment in the case of Fe and Co only a
qualitative agreement could be achieved in the case of Ni by calculations on
the basis of plain local spin density approximation (LSDA). Agreement with
experimental data could be improved in this case in a very substantial way by a
treatment of correlation effects on the basis of dynamical mean field theory
(DMFT).Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures accepted by PR
Charge localization at the interface between La1-xSrxMnO3 and the infinite layers cuprate CaCuO2
(CaCuO2)m/(La0.7Sr0.3MnO3)n superlattices, consisting of the infinite layers
cuprate CaCuO2 and the optimally doped manganite La1-xSrxMnO3, were grown by
pulsed laser deposition. The transport properties are dominated by the
manganite block. X-Ray Absorption spectroscopy measurements show a clear
evidence of an orbital reconstruction at the interface, ascribed to the
hybridization between the Cu 3d3z2-r2 and the Mn 3d3z2-r2 orbitals via
interface apical oxygen ions. Such a mechanism localizes holes at the
interfaces, thus preventing charge transfer to the CaCuO2 block. Some charge
(holes) transfer occurs toward the La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 block in strongly oxidized
superlattices, contributing to the suppression of the magnetotransport
properties.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure
The Effect of Cow-Diet on the Fermentation of Forages
In vitro fermentation of fresh forages minced to resemble chewed material have enabled net proteolysis and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production to be measured using rumen inocula from a cow fed lucerne hay (Burke et al., 2000). However both cow and diet affect the rumen cellulolytic bacterial populations (Weimer et al., 1999) and are able to influence in vitro digestion kinetics (Mertens et al., 1998). The objective of this study was to measure cow-diet effects on in vitro digestion and fermentation of perennial ryegrass (P; Lolium perenne), sulla (S; Hedysarum coronarium), maize (M; Zea maize) silage and mixtures
"Random" gentamicin concentrations do not predict trough levels in neonates receiving once daily fixed dose regimens
BACKGROUND: Monitoring plasma gentamicin concentrations in neonates 24 hours after a once daily dose (4 mg/kg) often necessitates additional blood sampling. In adults a nomogram has been developed enabling evaluation of gentamicin doses by sampling concentrations with other blood tests, 4 – 16 hours after administration. We attempted to develop a similar nomogram for neonates. METHODS: In addition to standard 24 hour sampling to monitor trough concentrations, one additional "random" gentamicin concentration was measured in each of 50 neonates <4 days of age (median gestation 33 weeks [28–41]), when other blood samples were clinically necessary, 4 – 20 hours after gentamicin administration. 24 hour concentrations of >1 mg/L were considered high, and an indication to extend the dosing interval. RESULTS: Highest correlation (r(2 )= 0.51) of plasma gentamicin concentration against time (4 to 20 hours) was with logarithmic regression. A line drawn 0.5 mg/L below the true regression line resulted in all babies with 24 hr gentamicin concentrations >1 mg/L having the additional "random" test result above that line, i.e. 100% sensitivity for 24 hour concentrations>1 mg/L, though only 58% specificity. Having created the nomogram, 39 further babies (median gestation 34 weeks [28–41]), were studied and results tested against the nomogram. In this validation group, sensitivity of the nomogram for 24 hr concentrations >1 mg/L was 92%; specificity 14%, positive predictive value 66%, and negative predictive value 50%. Prematurity (≤ 37 weeks) was a more sensitive (94%) and specific (61%) indicator of high 24-hour concentrations. 62 (87%) of 71 preterm babies had high 24-hour concentrations. CONCLUSION: It was not possible to construct a nomogram to predict gentamicin concentrations at 24 hours in neonates with a variety of gestational ages. Dosage tailored to gestation with monitoring of trough concentrations remains management of choice
Orbital order in La0.5Sr1.5MnO4: beyond a common local Jahn-Teller picture
The standard way to find the orbital occupation of Jahn-Teller (JT) ions is
to use structural data, with the assumption of a one-to-one correspondence
between the orbital occupation and the associated JT distortion, e.g. in O6
octahedron. We show, however, that this approach in principle does not work for
layered systems. Specifically, using the layered manganite La0.5Sr1.5MnO4 as an
example, we found from our x-ray absorption measurements and theoretical
calculations, that the type of orbital ordering strongly contradicts the
standard local distortion approach for the Mn3+O6 octahedra, and that the
generally ignored long-range crystal field effect and anisotropic hopping
integrals are actually crucial to determine the orbital occupation. Our
findings may open a pathway to control of the orbital state in multilayer
systems and thus of their physical properties.Comment: 4+ pages, 4 figure
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