Environmental Effects on Limit-Fed Feedlot Finishing Diets

Ninety-six crossbred yearling steers were allotted to either ad libitum or 93% of ad libitum intake treatments in a 117-day winter finishing trial. Intake restriction began once the 93% treatment group was started on its finishing diet. Finishing diets were formulated to result in similar absolute intakes of nutrients and feed additives. Restricted treatment dry matter intake was lower than ad libitum as intended (P\u3c.05), but average daily gain was also less, 3.71 and 3.50 Ib per day (P\u3c.05) and resulted in similar feed/gain, 6.01 and 6.07 (P\u3e.82). These results are in contrast to two previous trials conducted during summer and mild winter/spring conditions and suggest that cold stress may affect the response to limit-feeding of feedlot finishing diets

Calcium(II)3 (3,5-Diisopropylsalicylate)6(H2O)6 Activates Nitric Oxide Synthase: An Accounting for its Action in Decreasing Platelet Aggregation

Purposes of these studies were first; to determine whether or not Calcium(II)3 (3,5- diisopropylsalicylate)6(H2O)6 [Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6], a lipophilic calcium complex, could decrease activated-platelet aggregation, and second; to determine whether or not it is plausible that Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 decreases activated-platelet aggregation by facilitating the synthesis of Nitric Oxide (NO) by Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS). The influence of Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 on the initial rate of activated-platelet aggregation was determined by measuring the decrease in rate of increase in transmission at 550 nm for a suspension of Thrombin-CaCl2 activated platelets following the addition of 0, 50, 100, 250, or 500 μM Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6. To establish that the Ca(lI)3(3,5- DIPS)6-mediated decrease in aggregation was due to activation of NOS, the effect of ʟ-NMMA, an inhibitor of NOS, on the inhibition of platelet aggregation by Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 was determined using a suspension of activated platelets contaimng 0 or 250 μM Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 without or with 1 mM ʟ-NMMA. An in vitro Bovine Brain NOS reaction mixture, containing CaCl2 for the activation of Phosphodiesterase-3' ,5'-Cyclic Nucleotide Activator required for the activation of NOS, was used to determine whether or not Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 could be used as a substitute for the addition of Ca. The decrease in absorbance at 340 nm, lambda maximum for NADPH, was measured to determine NOS activity following the addition of NOS to the complete reaction mixture containing either CaCl2, Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6, or neither Ca compound. Increasing the concentration of Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 caused a concentration related decrease in activated platelet aggregation. The addition of ʟ-NMMA to activated platelets, in the absence of Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6, caused a 129% increase in initial rate of platelet aggregation. The initial rate of platelet aggregation decreased 74% with the addition of 250 μM Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 and the addition of ʟ-NMMA plus 250 μM Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 caused a 197% decrease in initial rate of aggregation compared to the initial rate observed width the presence of 1 mM ʟ-NMMA alone. There was only a small, 27%, increase in initial rate of 0.4 mM NADPH oxidation when 0.9 mM CaCl2 was added to the NOS reaction mixture in comparison to the initial rate of NADPH oxidation with no addition of CaCI2. Addition of an equivalent amount of Ca in the form of Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6, 333 μM, caused a 37% increase in initial rate of NADPH oxidation compared to the addition of 0.9 mM CaCl2. Addition of increasing concentrations of ʟ-NMMA plus 0.9 mM CaCl2 or 333 μM Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 to the NOS reaction mixture caused a concentration related increase in initial rate of NADPH oxidation. Addition of ʟ-NMMA while expected to decrease NADPH oxidation actually increased the rate of NADPH oxidation. Additions of 133 μM or 267 μM Ca(II)3(3,5- DIPS)6 also caused concentration related increases in initial rate of NADPH oxidation in the presence of 113 μM ʟ-NMMA. However, the addition of 533 μM Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 caused a dramatic decrease in initial rate of NADPH oxidation by NOS. It is concluded that: 1) Ca(II)3(3,5- DIPS)6 activates platelet NOS in preventing platelet aggregation, 2) in vitro NOS activity can be observed spectrophotometrically by following the consumption of NADPH as a decrease in absorbance at 340 nm, 3) Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 plays a role in enhancing Bovine Brain NOS activity resulting in an increased rate of NADPH oxidation by NOS, 4) Ca(II)3(3,5-DIPS)6 is a useful form of Ca in activating NOS and superior to CaCl2 with regard to the facilitation of a NADPH oxidation, and 5) ʟ-NMMA stimulates Bovine Brain NOS activity rather than causing an inhibition of this enzyme and must serve as a reducible substrate for Bovine Brain NOS

Study to determine experimentally the feasibility of new methods for improving thermal conductance of mechanical joints in a vacuum Summary research report, 8 Apr. - 30 Sep. 1966

Surface-plateauing techniques, and flexible surface membranes for improved thermal conductance of mechanical joints in vacuu

Assessing the Effectiveness of Whole Person Learning Pedagogy in Skill Acquisition

We describe a whole person learning experiential/behavioral skill pedagogy developed in an executive skills course. The pedagogy was designed to address recent criticisms of MBA education relative to program relevancy and the skill sets of students entering the workforce. We present an experiential learning model based on the concept of whole person learning, discuss how the model is used in the class, and provide an empirical assessment of skill improvement over a 5-year period. Using a pre–posttest with control group design to test student skill levels by way of an assessment center, the effectiveness of the pedagogy was supported. The skills assessed included communication, teamwork, leadership/initiative, decision making, and planning/organizing. Guidance is provided for implementing the pedagogy into MBA curricula. We describe a whole person learning experiential/behavioral skill pedagogy developed in an executive skills course. The pedagogy was designed to address recent criticisms of MBA education relative to program relevancy and the skill sets of students entering the workforce. We present an experiential learning model based on the concept of whole person learning, discuss how the model is used in the class, and provide an empirical assessment of skill improvement over a 5-year period. Using a pre–posttest with control group design to test student skill levels by way of an assessment center, the effectiveness of the pedagogy was supported. The skills assessed included communication, teamwork, leadership/initiative, decision making, and planning/organizing. Guidance is provided for implementing the pedagogy into MBA curricula

Dynamic optical lattices: two-dimensional rotating and accordion lattices for ultracold atoms

We demonstrate a novel experimental arrangement which rotates a 2D optical lattice at frequencies up to several kilohertz. Ultracold atoms in such a rotating lattice can be used for the direct quantum simulation of strongly correlated systems under large effective magnetic fields, allowing investigation of phenomena such as the fractional quantum Hall effect. Our arrangement also allows the periodicity of a 2D optical lattice to be varied dynamically, producing a 2D accordion lattice.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, final versio

Bragg spectroscopy of a cigar shaped Bose condensate in optical lattices

We study properties of excited states of an array of weakly coupled quasi-two-dimensional Bose condensates by using the hydrodynamic theory. We calculate multibranch Bogoliubov-Bloch spectrums and its corresponding eigenfunctions. The spectrum of the axial excited states and its eigenfunctions strongly depends on the coupling among various discrete radial modes within a given symmetry. This mode coupling is due to the presence of radial trapping potential. The multibranch nature of the Bogoliubov-Bloch spectrum and its dependence on the mode-coupling can be realized by analyzing dynamic structure factor and momentum transferred to the system in Bragg spectroscopy experiments. We also study dynamic structure factor and momentum transferred to the condensate due to the Bragg spectroscopy experiment.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physic

Scaling Up Sagebrush Chemistry with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and UAS-Acquired Hyperspectral Imagery

Sagebrush ecosystems (Artemisia spp.) face many threats including large wildfires and conversion to invasive annuals, and thus are the focus of intense restoration efforts across the western United States. Specific attention has been given to restoration of sagebrush systems for threatened herbivores, such as Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis), reliant on sagebrush as forage. Despite this, plant chemistry (e.g., crude protein, monoterpenes and phenolics) is rarely considered during reseeding efforts or when deciding which areas to conserve. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has proven effective in predicting plant chemistry under laboratory conditions in a variety of ecosystems, including the sagebrush steppe. Our objectives were to demonstrate the scalability of these models from the laboratory to the field, and in the air with a hyperspectral sensor on an unoccupied aerial system (UAS). Sagebrush leaf samples were collected at a study site in eastern Idaho, USA. Plants were scanned with an ASD FieldSpec 4 spectroradiometer in the field and laboratory, and a subset of the same plants were imaged with a SteadiDrone Hexacopter UAS equipped with a Rikola hyperspectral sensor (HSI). All three sensors generated spectral patterns that were distinct among species and morphotypes of sagebrush at specific wavelengths. Lab-based NIRS was accurate for predicting crude protein and total monoterpenes (R2 = 0.7–0.8), but the same NIRS sensor in the field was unable to predict either crude protein or total monoterpenes (R2 \u3c 0.1). The hyperspectral sensor on the UAS was unable to predict most chemicals (R2 \u3c 0.2), likely due to a combination of too few bands in the Rikola HSI camera (16 bands), the range of wavelengths (500–900 nm), and small sample size of overlapping plants (n = 28–60). These results show both the potential for scaling NIRS from the lab to the field and the challenges in predicting complex plant chemistry with hyperspectral UAS. We conclude with recommendations for next steps in applying UAS to sagebrush ecosystems with a variety of new sensors

Students as co-creators of teaching approaches, course design and curricula: implications for academic developers

Within higher education, students’ voices are frequently overlooked in the design of teaching approaches, courses and curricula. In this paper we outline the theoretical background to arguments for including students as partners in pedagogical planning processes. We present examples where students have worked collaboratively in design processes along with the beneficial outcomes of these examples. Finally we focus on some of the implications and opportunities for academic developers of proposing collaborative approaches to pedagogical planning