Options for Improved Biomass Production in Feeding Systems for Dairying in High Rainfall Environments in New Zealand

New Zealand dairy production has expanded into marginal climates and soil types on the premise of excellent profitability and efficient utilisation of forage. Annual pasture production in the cool West Coast of the South Island (rainfall 2042-2933 mm) is15,000 kg. Increased farm production and feeding of high quality biomass, from imported feed or supplementary feed crops grown on- farm, are needed to improve milk solid output. Small plot trials with spring and early summer-sown brassicas, cereals and maize were the focus for development of systems to maximise and manage the seasonal feed supply. The effect of sowing time, fertiliser timing and rate of N and K fertiliser application were studied to quantify the risks of crop failure in the high rainfall and low radiation environment. The aim was to increase forage supply/ha in a predominantly grass-based system and reduce associated risks to environmental sustainability

Reconnaître et caractériser les zones de forge sur surface décapée. Apport de la géophysique à l’étude paléométallurgique

La fouille et l’étude approfondie des sites liés à la métallurgie du fer sont relativement fréquentes. Elles sont généralement menées lorsque l’activité sidérurgique présente des dimensions importantes et que des vestiges caractéristiques sont observables. On pense, par exemple, aux sites de production de fer et à la découverte de restes de bas fourneaux ou de structures de rejet caractéristiques (ferriers). Il en est de même pour les lieux de post-réduction qui ne sont généralement étudiés q..

Petrological architecture of a magmatic shear zone: A multidisciplinary investigation of strain localisation during magma ascent at Unzen volcano, Japan

Shearing of magma during ascent can promote strain localisation near the conduit margins. Anymechanical and thermal discontinuities associated with such events may alter the chemical, physicaland rheological stability of the magma and thus its propensity to erupt. Lava spines can record suchprocesses, preserving a range of macroscopic and microscopic deformation textures, attributed toshearing and friction, as magma ascends through the viscous-brittle transition. Here, we use a multi-disciplinary approach combining petrology, microstructures, crystallography, magnetics and experi-mentation to assess the evidence, role and extent of shearing across a marginal shear zone of the1994–1995 lava spine at Unzen volcano, Japan. Our results show that crystals can effectively moni-tor stress conditions during magma ascent, with viscous remobilisation, crystal plasticity and com-minution all systematically increasing towards the spine margin. Accompanying this, we find anincrease in mineral destabilisation in the form of pargasitic amphibole breakdown displaying tex-tural variations across the shear zone, from symplectitic to granular rims towards the spine margin.In addition, the compaction of pores, chemical and textural alteration of interstitial glass and mag-netic variations all change systematically with shear intensity. The strong correlation between thedegree of shearing, crystal deformation and disequilibrium features, together with distinct magneticproperties, implies a localised thermal input due to shear and frictional processes near the conduitmargin during magma ascent. This was accompanied by late-stage or post-emplacement fluid- andgas-induced alteration of the gouge, as well as oxidation and glass devitrification. Understandingand recognising evidence for strain localisation during magma ascent may, therefore, be vital whenassessing factors that regulate the style of volcanic eruptions, which may provide insights into thecryptic shifts from effusive to explosive activity as observed at many active lava dome

Leptospirosis as a cause of "white spot" kidneys in South African pig abattoirs

The incidence of isolation of Leptospira sp. from the kidneys of slaughter pigs with “white-spot" macroscopic lesions was determined. Histology and general bacteriology were performed. Leptospira pomona was isolated from 19/21 kidneys showing macroscopic lymphocytic lesions.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

A grounded theory of female adolescents' dating experiences and factors influencing safety: the dynamics of the Circle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper describes the nature and characteristics of the dating relationships of adolescent females, including any of their experiences of abuse.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A grounded theory approach was used with 22 theoretically sampled female adolescents ages 15–18.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Several important themes emerged: Seven stages of dating consistently described the relationships of female adolescents. A circle consisting of two interacting same sex peer groups provided structure for each teen as they navigated the dating course. The circle was the central factor affecting a female adolescent's potential for risk or harm in dating relationships. Teens defined abuse as an act where the intention is to hurt. Having once succumbed to sexual pressure, teens felt unable to refuse sex in subsequent situations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An awareness of both the stages of dating and the dynamics of the circle will assist health care providers to plan and implement interventions in the female adolescent population. Study findings on factors and influences that support non-abusive versus abusive relationship might help identify female teens at risk and/or support interventions aimed at preventing dating violence.</p

West African languages enrich the frequency code: Multi-functional pitch and multi-dimensional prosody in Ikaan polar questions

Cross-linguistically, statements tend to be pronounced with low or falling pitch and questions with high or rising pitch, a form–meaning pairing which has been attributed to the frequency code (Ohala, 1984). In many West African languages, however, questions are marked with a ‘lax’ prosody comprising falling intonation, low tones, lengthening, breathy termination, and open vowels (Rialland, 2007). This paper presents prosody findings from Ikaan (Niger-Congo; ISO 639-3: kcf) and proposes a re-analysis of the West African lax question prosody to integrate it with the frequency code model. The paper shows that the pragmatic functions of statement and polar question are expressed prosodically in Ikaan. Audio recordings of statements and morphosyntactically identical polar questions by six speakers were annotated segmentally, tonally, and for the presence of prosodic question markers. Speakers mark questions by using higher onset pitch, wider drops to final low tones, final breathy voice and voicelessness, final vowel lengthening, vowel insertion, and increased intensity. Breathiness may further contrast with creaky voice and glottal stops in statements. Phonation mode, and the accompanying vowel lengthening and insertion, are argued to indicate friendliness and appeals for collaboration, linking phonation mode to similar functions of higher pitch in the frequency code

The evolution of language: a comparative review

For many years the evolution of language has been seen as a disreputable topic, mired in fanciful &quot;just so stories&quot; about language origins. However, in the last decade a new synthesis of modern linguistics, cognitive neuroscience and neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory has begun to make important contributions to our understanding of the biology and evolution of language. I review some of this recent progress, focusing on the value of the comparative method, which uses data from animal species to draw inferences about language evolution. Discussing speech first, I show how data concerning a wide variety of species, from monkeys to birds, can increase our understanding of the anatomical and neural mechanisms underlying human spoken language, and how bird and whale song provide insights into the ultimate evolutionary function of language. I discuss the ‘‘descended larynx’ ’ of humans, a peculiar adaptation for speech that has received much attention in the past, which despite earlier claims is not uniquely human. Then I will turn to the neural mechanisms underlying spoken language, pointing out the difficulties animals apparently experience in perceiving hierarchical structure in sounds, and stressing the importance of vocal imitation in the evolution of a spoken language. Turning to ultimate function, I suggest that communication among kin (especially between parents and offspring) played a crucial but neglected role in driving language evolution. Finally, I briefly discuss phylogeny, discussing hypotheses that offer plausible routes to human language from a non-linguistic chimp-like ancestor. I conclude that comparative data from living animals will be key to developing a richer, more interdisciplinary understanding of our most distinctively human trait: language

Persistent Place-Making in Prehistory: the Creation, Maintenance, and Transformation of an Epipalaeolithic Landscape

Most archaeological projects today integrate, at least to some degree, how past people engaged with their surroundings, including both how they strategized resource use, organized technological production, or scheduled movements within a physical environment, as well as how they constructed cosmologies around or created symbolic connections to places in the landscape. However, there are a multitude of ways in which archaeologists approach the creation, maintenance, and transformation of human-landscape interrelationships. This paper explores some of these approaches for reconstructing the Epipalaeolithic (ca. 23,000–11,500&nbsp;years BP) landscape of Southwest Asia, using macro- and microscale geoarchaeological approaches to examine how everyday practices leave traces of human-landscape interactions in northern and eastern Jordan. The case studies presented here demonstrate that these Epipalaeolithic groups engaged in complex and far-reaching social landscapes. Examination of the Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic (EP) highlights that the notion of “Neolithization” is somewhat misleading as many of the features we use to define this transition were already well-established patterns of behavior by the Neolithic. Instead, these features and practices were enacted within a hunter-gatherer world and worldview