Comparative value of full-fat corn germ, whole cottonseed and tallow as energy sources for lactating dairy cows

We used 24 multiparous Holstein cows in 4 x 4 Latin square design to evaluate full-fat corn germ as a replacement for whole cottonseed and tallow in total mixed diets for lactating dairy cows. Experimental diets on a dry matter basis were: 1) control 3.5% fat; 2) whole cottonseed 5.1% fat; 3) tallow 5.1% fat; 4) full-fat corn germ 5.1% fat. Diets were fed as total mixed rations typical of that fed on commercial dairy operations. Cottonseed meal and cottonseed hulls were included in the control, tallow, and full-fat corn germ diets to balance for fiber and protein fractions equal to those in the whole cottonseed diet. Dry matter intake, milk production, and energy corrected milk did not differ among the diets. Milk from cows fed full-fat corn germ contained less fat than milk from cows fed whole cottonseed but was similar to that of milk from cows fed control or tallow diets. Milk protein percentage was lower for cows fed full-fat corn germ than those fed control, but similar to cows fed whole cottonseed or tallow. Percentage milk lactose did not differ among dietary treatments. Cows fed WCS produced more pounds of milk fat than cows fed full-fat corn germ or tallow, but protein and lactose yield did not differ among the diets. Cows fed whole cottonseed produced milk more efficiently than cows fed control, tallow, or full-fat corn germ. Unexpectedly, efficiency of energy corrected milk production was not improved by tallow and tallow did not depress dry matter intake. Somatic cell count did not differ among experimental diets. Urea nitrogen concentration was lower in milk from cows fed full-fat corn germ and tallow than those fed whole cottonseed. All diets led to gains in body weight. The handling and storage characteristics of full-fat corn germ enhances its desirability as a feedstuff for dairy cattle. Full-fat corn germ supported milk production as well as whole cottonseed but not milk fat percentage or fat yield at the level fed in our diets. Additional studies need to be conducted to determine the most advantageous amount to feed full-fat corn germ and clarify the mechanisms by which it depresses milk fat production.; Dairy Day, 2002, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2002

Governing the Global Commons with Local Institutions

Most problems faced by modern human society have two characteristics in common - they are tragedy-of-the-commons type of problems, and they are global problems. Tragedy-of-the-commons type of problems are those where a commonly shared resource is overexploited by free riders at the expense of everyone sharing the resource. The exploitation of global resources such as clean air and water, political stability and peace, etc. underlies many of the most pressing human problems. Punishment of free riding behavior is one of the most frequently used strategies to combat the problem, but the spatial reach of sanctioning institutions is often more limited than the spatial effects of overexploitation. Here, we analyze a general game theoretical model to assess under what circumstances sanctioning institutions with limited reach can maintain the larger commons. We find that the effect of the spatial reach has a strong effect on whether and how the commons can be maintained, and that the transitions between those outcomes are characterized by phase transitions. The latter indicates that a small change in the reach of sanctioning systems can profoundly change the way the global commons can be managed

The apparatus composition and architecture of Erismodus quadridactylus and the implications for element homology in prioniodinin conodonts

The apparatus composition and architecture of prioniodinin conodonts is poorly understood, largely because few prioniodinin taxa are represented by articulated oral feeding apparatuses (natural assemblages) in the fossil record, but also due to the highly variable gradational morphology of their constituent elements that makes apparatus reconstruction problematic. We describe here a natural assemblage of Erismodus quadridactylus (Stauffer), a prioniodinin, from the Sandbian (Late Ordovician) of North Dakota, USA. The assemblage demonstrates that the apparatus architecture of Erismodus is similar to those of late Palaeozoic prioniodinins namely, Kladognathus Rexroad and Hibbardella Bassler, but also has similarities with ozarkodinin apparatuses. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that E. quadridactylus shares topological similarities to balognathid architecture, with respect to the position of its inferred P elements. The apparatus composition and architecture presented here indicate that, at least with respect to the M–S array, an ‘ozarkodinin‐type’ bauplan is probably more widely representative across prioniodontids. The assemblage demonstrates that element morphotypes traditionally considered to lie within the S array are M elements, whereas others traditionally interpreted as P elements are found in the S array. These observations are used as a basis for refining concepts of element homology among prioniodinin conodonts and their closest relatives

Perturbed myoepithelial cell differentiation in BRCA mutation carriers and in ductal carcinoma in situ.

Myoepithelial cells play key roles in normal mammary gland development and in limiting pre-invasive to invasive breast tumor progression, yet their differentiation and perturbation in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are poorly understood. Here, we investigated myoepithelial cells in normal breast tissues of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutation carriers and in non-carrier controls, and in sporadic DCIS. We found that in the normal breast of non-carriers, myoepithelial cells frequently co-express the p63 and TCF7 transcription factors and that p63 and TCF7 show overlapping chromatin peaks associated with differentiated myoepithelium-specific genes. In contrast, in normal breast tissues of BRCA1 mutation carriers the frequency of p63+TCF7+ myoepithelial cells is significantly decreased and p63 and TCF7 chromatin peaks do not overlap. These myoepithelial perturbations in normal breast tissues of BRCA1 germline mutation carriers may play a role in their higher risk of breast cancer. The fraction of p63+TCF7+ myoepithelial cells is also significantly decreased in DCIS, which may be associated with invasive progression