792 research outputs found
Merino ewes that are genetically fatter lose less weight when nutrition is restricted
Ewes that lose less weight when there is a shortage of paddock feed are potentially more profitable because they require less supplementary feeding or can be grazed at higher stocking rates during autumn/winter (Young et al. 2011). Adams et al. (2006) have shown that sheep genotypes which lose more weight when underfed have lower metabolic reserves including fat. This paper tested the hypothesis that selection for increased fatness would reduce the rate of liveweight loss in adult Merino ewes when nutrition was restricted
Whole-body fatness is a good predictor of phenotypic feed and liveweight efficiency in adult Merino ewes fed a poor-quality diet
Weight loss due to poor nutrition in adult ewes over summer-autumn is economically expensive due to immediate costs such as feed and labour but also due to ongoing costs to reproductive success and ewe health. We predicted that adult Merino ewes with a higher proportion of fat would be more efficient, both through lower intake and reduced weight loss. Four-year-old Merino ewes (n ⤠64) were held in single pens and fed a chaff-based diet either ad libitum, with the aim of achieving liveweight maintenance, or a restricted amount to achieve liveweight loss of 100 g/day. Liveweight change and feed intake were measured, and residual liveweight change and residual feed intake were used to indicate efficiency. There was a difference of 2 MJ of metabolisable energy per day between the most efficient and least efficient ewes for residual feed intake, and a difference of 90 g per day between the most efficient and least efficient ewes for residual liveweight change. There was a significant association between blood plasma concentrations of leptin and both liveweight and feed efficiency, so that ewes with high concentrations of leptin had a lower daily intake, and/or lost less weight than did those with low concentrations of leptin. Managing adult Merino ewes to maximise fat-tissue accretion during spring via genetics and/or nutritional management could be a useful strategy to reduce feed requirements during summer-autumn because the ewes will be more efficient and have larger fat reserves to lose before achieving a lower critical limit
Nonresonant Contributions in B->rho pi Decay
We consider nonresonant contributions in the Dalitz plot analysis of B->rho
pi->pi^+ pi^- pi^0 decay and their potential impact on the extraction of the
CKM parameter alpha. In particular, we examine the role of the heavy mesons B^*
and B_0, via the process B->pi (B^*, B_0)->pi^+ pi^- pi^0, and their
interference with resonant contributions in the rho-mass region. We discuss the
inherent uncertainties and suggest that the effects may be substantially
smaller than previously indicated.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures; minor changes, version to appear in Phys. Rev.
On observability of Renyi's entropy
Despite recent claims we argue that Renyi's entropy is an observable
quantity. It is shown that, contrary to popular belief, the reported domain of
instability for Renyi entropies has zero measure (Bhattacharyya measure). In
addition, we show the instabilities can be easily emended by introducing a
coarse graining into an actual measurement. We also clear up doubts regarding
the observability of Renyi's entropy in (multi--)fractal systems and in systems
with absolutely continuous PDF's.Comment: 18 pages, 1 EPS figure, REVTeX, minor changes, accepted to Phys. Rev.
Evading the CKM Hierarchy: Intrinsic Charm in B Decays
We show that the presence of intrinsic charm in the hadrons' light-cone wave
functions, even at a few percent level, provides new, competitive decay
mechanisms for B decays which are nominally CKM-suppressed. For example, the
weak decays of the B-meson to two-body exclusive states consisting of strange
plus light hadrons, such as B\to\pi K, are expected to be dominated by penguin
contributions since the tree-level b\to s u\bar u decay is CKM suppressed.
However, higher Fock states in the B wave function containing charm quark pairs
can mediate the decay via a CKM-favored b\to s c\bar c tree-level transition.
Such intrinsic charm contributions can be phenomenologically significant. Since
they mimic the amplitude structure of ``charming'' penguin contributions,
charming penguins need not be penguins at all.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, published version. References added, minor
change
Metacognition and lifelong e-learning: a contextual and cyclical process
Metacognition is arguably an important conceptualisation within the area of lifelong e- learning, with many theorists and practitioners claiming that it enhances the learning process. However, the lifelong, cyclical and flexible aspects of 'before', 'during' and 'after' metacognitions within lifelong e-learning (inclusive of whether an 'input' necessarily leads to a completed 'output') seem marginal within current areas of practical and theoretical debate. This article analyses Reeves's (1997) model of web-based learning in the context of the ADAPT project; a study of lifelong learners based in small and medium sized enterprises. The article focuses upon an analysis of this model's view of metacognition, and in the light of the project findings and literature review, aims to put forward an extended and expanded version of the model with reference to lifelong e-learnin
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âBefore I was like a Tarzan. But now, I take a pauseâ: mixed methods feasibility study of the Naungan Kasih parenting program to prevent violence against children in Malaysia
Background:
Despite impressive strides in health, social protection, and education, children continue to experience high rates of child maltreatment in Malaysia. This mixed-methods study assessed the feasibility of a five-session, social learning-based parenting program delivered by government staff in a community setting to reduce violence against children.
Methods:
Parents of children from birth to 17 years were recruited from two communities near Kuala Lumpur to participate in the government-run program called the Naungan Kasih Positive Parenting Program (âProtecting through Loveâ in Bahasa Melayu). Quantitative data from female caregivers (Nâ=â74) and children ages 10â17 (Nâ=â26) were collected along with qualitative interviews and focus groups with parents, children, and facilitators. The primary outcome was child maltreatment with secondary outcomes including neglect, positive parenting, acceptability of corporal punishment, harsh parenting, positive discipline, and child behavior problems. Multilevel Poisson regression and multilevel linear regression were conducted to compare baseline and post-test outcomes. Qualitative interviews and focus groups examined how participants experienced the program utilizing a thematic analysis approach.
Results:
Quantitative analyses found pre-post reductions in overall child maltreatment, physical abuse, emotional abuse, attitudes supporting corporal punishment, parent sense of inefficacy, and child behavior problems. There were no reported changes on positive and harsh parenting, parental mental health, and marital satisfaction, nor were there any other significant changes reported by children. Qualitative findings suggested that the program had tangible benefits for female caregivers involved in the program, with the benefits extending to their family members.
Conclusions:
This feasibility study is one of the few studies in Southeast Asia that examined the feasibility and initial program impact of a parenting program delivered by government staff to families with children across the developmental spectrum from birth to 17 years. Promising results suggest that the program may reduce child maltreatment across a range of child ages. Findings also indicate areas for program improvement prior to further delivery and testing, including additional training and content on sexual and reproductive health, parenting children with disabilities, and online child protection
Organic acids in the rhizosphere and phytoavailability of sewage sludge-borne trace elements
Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset
corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected
during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV.
The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the
couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and
right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary
mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b,
leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing
transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W'
boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to
the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for
masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC
data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed
coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant
improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe
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