Influence of Rice Production on the Quality of Water in Tailwater Collection Reservoirs

Since maintaining high water quality standards in the state remains a high priority, monitoring for pesticides in water sources must continue. Determining the type, concentration, and characteristics of any pesticides present in water supplies are essential to the overall assessment of water quality. Five independent locations, implementing contained water management systems and recyclable water, were monitored in 1995 and 1996. Irrigation, runoff, and pond water samples were collected every 10 to 14 days between permanent flood establishment and draining. Water samples were transported to the laboratory and extracted for 16 pesticides using solid phase extraction (SPE) techniques. Quantification and confirmation of pesticide residues were obta1ned by HPLC and GC/MS analysis. The lower limit of quantitation for all pesticides was between 1.0 -1.3 pg L-1 in water. Pesticides selected for monitoring were determined after assessing state recommendations and our analytical capabilities. Pesticides included: benomyl, bensulfuron methyl, carbaryl, carbofuran, 2,4-D, fenoxaprop ethyl, propiconazole, malathion, MCPA, methyl parathion, molinate, pendimethalin, propanil, iprodione, quinclorac, triclopyr, and thiobencarb. Since each field location was independently managed, individual results are site specific. 2,4-D, benomyl, molinate, propanil, quinclorac, thiobencarb, and pendimethalin were the pesticides actually applied during the seasons. These pesticides were detected, usually at trace levels, in tailwaters shortly after application but did not appear to buildup in the reservoirs. Quinclorac residues in the tailwaters were more persistent (up to 8 weeks) than the other detected compounds (less than 2 weeks)

Shortage of Rural Veterinarians: Real or Perceived?

Concerns about lack of available jobs in rural veterinary practice (RVP) and ironically difficulties attracting new veterinarians are commonly expressed within the veterinary community. Reports on supply and demand for rural veterinarians have produced conflicting results. A 1990\u27s economic study forecasted a 3.0% increase in available veterinarians in large animal private practice and a 1.7% decrease in demand from 1997 to 2015. However, a later study forecasted a shortage of food supply veterinary medicine (FSVM) veterinarians from 2004 to 2016 ranging from 0.1% (poultry veterinarians) to 6.9% (federal animal health), with mixed food animal practice at 6.6%

Grass-finished Beef Pilot Project: Cattle Performance

Consumer interest in the potential benefits of grass-finished beef is high, but adoption of this approach to cattle feeding has been limited in Iowa. Although some producers successfully meet this niche market demand, consistently producing a high-value carcass from forage-fed cattle is challenging. Intramuscular fat or marbling is a major factor in quality grading of beef. Marbling is heavily influenced by cattle genetics and energy concentration of the diet. Finishing cattle on grain is a proven approach to consistently produce a high-value carcass for the commodity beef market. Researchers at Iowa State University have pioneered the use of ultrasound measurements to select Angus cattle with high-marbling potential. Forage quality can be manipulated through pasture management, ultimately influencing cattle growth and performance. It is hypothesized that grass-finished cattle will consistently produce high value carcasses if excellent pasture management is combined with combining high-marbling genetics

Evaluating Approaches to Measuring Ocular Pain in Bovine Calves with Corneal Scarification and IBK-Associated Corneal Ulcerations

The objective of this experiment was to describe the magnitude and variation of measures of ocular pain in cattle experiencing corneal scarification and corneal ulcerations associated with experimentally induced IBK. In our study, pressure algometry may be appropriate to quantify ocular pain in calves. This information will enable appropriate design of studies for assessing the extent of ocular pain associated with ophthalmic abnormalities in cattle and efficacy of pain mitigation strategies

Imbedding HACCP principles in dairy herd health and production management: case report on calf rearing

Driven by consumer demands, European legislation has suggested the use of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) as the quality risk management programme for the whole dairy chain. Until now, an exception has been made for primary producers, but as regulations evolve, on-farm HACCP-like programmes should be ready to assure food safety as well as animal health and animal welfare. In our field experiment, the HACCP-concept was used to combine both optimal farm management and formalisation of quality assurance in an on-farm situation in the Netherlands. The process of young stock rearing was chosen, since its importance for the future of the farm is often underestimated. Hazards and their associated risk factors can be controlled within the farm-specific standards and tolerances, as targets can be controlled by corrective measures and by implementation of farm-specific worksheets. The veterinarian is pivotal for the facility-based HACCP team, since he/she has knowledge about on-farm risk assessment and relations between clinical pathology, feed and farm management. The HACCP concept in combination with veterinary herd health and production management programmes offers a promising approach to optimise on-farm production processes (i.e., young stock rearing) in addition to a structural approach for quality risk management on dairy farms

Preliminary Jitter Stability Results for the Large UV/Optical/Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor Concept Using a Non-Contact Vibration Isolation and Precision Pointing System

The need for high payload dynamic stability and ultra-stable mechanical systems is an overarching technology need for large space telescopes such as the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor concept. The LUVOIR concept includes a 15-meter-diameter segmented-aperture telescope with a suite of serviceable instruments operating over a range of wavelengths between 100nm to 2.5 um. Wavefront error (WFE) stability of less than 10 picometers RMS of uncorrected system WFE per wavefront control step represents a drastic performance improvement over current space-based telescopes being fielded. Through the utilization of an isolation architecture that involves no mechanical contact between the telescope and the host spacecraft structure, a system design is realized that maximizes the telescope dynamic stability performance without driving stringent technology requirements on spacecraft structure, sensors or actuators. Through analysis of the LUVOIR finite element model and linear optical model, the wavefront error and Line-Of-Sight (LOS) jitter performance is discussed in this paper when using the Vibration Isolation and Precision Pointing System (VIPPS) being developed cooperatively with Lockheed Martin in addition to a multi-loop control architecture. The multi-loop control architecture consists of the spacecraft Attitude Control System (ACS), VIPPS, and a Fast Steering Mirror on the instrument. While the baseline attitude control device for LUVOIR is a set of Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs), Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA) disturbance contribution to wavefront error stability and LOS stability are presented to give preliminary results in this paper. CMG disturbance will be explored in further work to be completed

Effects of isoflavones (soy phyto-estrogens) on serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of isoflavones (soy phyto-estrogens) on serum total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride (TG). METHODS: We searched electronic databases and included randomized trials with isoflavones interventions in the forms of tablets, isolated soy protein or soy diets. Review Manager 4.2 was used to calculate the pooled risk differences with fixed effects model. RESULTS: Seventeen studies (21 comparisons) with 853 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. Isoflavones tablets had insignificant effects on serum TC, 0.01 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.17 to 0.18, heterogeneity p = 1.0); LDL, 0.00 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.14 to 0.15, heterogeneity p = 0.9); HDL, 0.01 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.05 to 0.06, heterogeneity p = 1.0); and triglyceride, 0.03 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.06 to 0.12, heterogeneity p = 0.9). Isoflavones interventions in the forms of isolated soy protein (ISP), soy diets or soy protein capsule were heterogeneous to combine. CONCLUSIONS: Isoflavones tablets, isolated or mixtures with up to 150 mg per day, seemed to have no overall statistical and clinical benefits on serum lipids. Isoflavones interventions in the forms of soy proteins may need further investigations to resolve whether synergistic effects are necessary with other soy components