Digestibility and rate of passage of Kansas native hays for the horse

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 M25Master of Scienc

The Weather of 1785: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Meteorological Reconstruction Using Forensic Synoptic Analysis

The purpose of the work is to discern differences and similarities in synoptic-scale rneteorology by reconstructing the weather of the year 1785 on a daily basis. This is accomplished by compiling data from both homogenous and non-homogenous observational records, and from historical anecdotal evidence as recorded in diaries, archives and contemporary publications. Through this reconstruction, it is possible to infer some characteristics of the global circulation of 1785. With forensic techniques, I develop meteorological parameters from anecdotal evidence. These data are combined with meteorological observational records to produce a database from which semi-diurnal weather maps can be constructed. Sources include individual diaries, newspapers, military journals, travelers\u27 journals, ships\u27 protests, and other archival data. These data cover the eastern part of North America from Hudson\u27s Bay to the Caribbean Islands and the western Atlantic Ocean east to Bermuda. The results are presented both in table and summary formats. Although the year 1785 does not stand out as particularly anomalous in studies of average annual temperature, the much colder weather discovered in this higher-resolution work becomes evident. The transition seasons of spring and fall are greatly shortened, and winter patterns prevail for most of the year. Ice storms are common in Virginia, and rivers remain frozen into June. The edge of the polar cell is much closer to the northeastern United States than in modern-day weather patterns, aiding in the development of vigorous storms. Individual weather events can be identified which are not in evidence with annual or monthly averages. As the climate of 1785 is considered by some to be analogous to that in the Little Ice Age, some inference can be made about the general circulation patterns then. The results may shed new light on what weather people might have faced in early times, when weather records are unavailable, and may present an idea of future weather, should the climate turn cooler. Understanding these results will provide new context for investigating historical events. Application of the techniques used here to other years may allow researchers a new method by which climate change on a regional scale may be interpreted

Genomic dissection of the 1994 Cronobacter sakazakii outbreak in a French neonatal intensive care unit

Background: Cronobacter sakazakii is a member of the genus Cronobacter that has frequently been isolated from powdered infant formula (PIF) and linked with rare but fatal neonatal infections such as meningitis and necrotising enterocolitis. The Cronobacter MLST scheme has reported over 400 sequence types and 42 clonal complexes; however C. sakazakii clonal complex 4 (CC4) has been linked strongly with neonatal infections, especially meningitis. There have been a number of reported Cronobacter outbreaks over the last three decades. The largest outbreak of C. sakazakii was in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in France (1994) that lasted over 3 months and claimed the lives of three neonates. The present study used whole genome sequencing data of 26 isolates obtained from this outbreak to reveal their relatedness. This study is first of its kind to use whole genome sequencing data to analyse a Cronobacter outbreak. Methods: Whole genome sequencing data was generated for 26 C. sakazakii isolates on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The whole genome phylogeny was determined using Mugsy and RaxML. SNP calls were determined using SMALT and SAMtools, and filtered using VCFtools. Results: The whole genome phylogeny suggested 3 distant clusters of C. sakazakii isolates were associated with the outbreak. SNP typing and phylogeny indicate the source of the C. sakazakii could have been from extrinsic contamination of reconstituted infant formula from the NICU environment and personnel. This pool of strains would have contributed to the prolonged duration of the outbreak, which was up to 3 months. Furthermore 3 neonates were co-infected with C. sakazakii from two different genotype clusters. Conclusion: The genomic investigation revealed the outbreak consisted of an heterogeneous population of C. sakazakii isolates. The source of the outbreak was not identified, but probably was due to environmental and personnel reservoirs resulting in extrinsic contamination of the neonatal feeds. It also indicated that C. sakazakii isolates from different genotype clusters have the ability to co-infect neonates

Draft genome sequence of "Candidatus Cronobacter colletis" NCTC 14934T, a new species in the genus Cronobacter

Members of the Cronobacter genus are associated with serious infections in neonates. This is the first report of the draft genome sequence for the newly proposed species Cronobacter colletis

Draft genome sequences of three newly identified species in the genus Cronobacter, C. helveticus LMG23732T, C. pulveris LMG24059, and C. zurichensis LMG23730T

Cronobacter helveticus, Cronobacter pulveris, and Cronobacter zurichensis are newly described species in the Cronobacter genus, which is associated with serious infections of neonates. This is the first report of draft genome sequences for these species

Draft genome sequence of the earliest Cronobacter sakazakii sequence type 4 strain, NCIMB 8272

The Cronobacter sakazakii clonal lineage defined as sequence type 4 (ST4) is associated with severe cases of neonatal meningitis and persistence in powdered infant formula. For genome sequencing of the earliest deposited culture collection strain of Cronobacter sakazakii ST4, we used the strain NCIMB 8272, originally isolated from milk powder in 1950

Draft genome sequence of a meningitic isolate of Cronobacter sakazakii clonal complex 4, strain 8399

The Cronobacter sakazakii clonal lineage defined as clonal complex 4 (CC4), composed of nine sequence types, is associated with severe cases of neonatal meningitis. To date, only closely related C. sakazakii sequence type 4 (ST4) strains have been sequenced. C. sakazakii strain 8399, isolated from a case of neonatal meningitis, was sequenced as the first non-ST4 C. sakazakii strain

A survey of microearthquake activity along the San Andreas fault from Carrizo Plains to Lake Hughes

An array of moveable seismographic trailers was deployed at three sites along the northern section of the “Big Bend” in the San Andreas fault in southern California. The three sites monitored were the Carrizo Plains, Frazier Park, and Lake Hughes areas. Effective observation times at each site ranged from 38 to 69 days. The microearthquake activity rates observed were 0.3 events/day, 3.0 events/day, and 1.9 events/day, respectively, based on the number of located events plus the number of unlocated events with S-P ≦ 3.0 sec. The majority of the activity does not appear to be directly associated with the San Andreas fault. A comparison of the activity rates observed in this study with the results of a survey conducted in the same areas by Brune and Allen (1967), indicates more than an order of magnitude increase in activity rate in the Lake Hughes area and nearly the same levels of activity at the Carrizo Plains and Frazier Park sites

Crop residue conservation during fallow and erosion risk in west central Saskatchewan

Non-Peer ReviewedSummerfallow is considered to be a necessary practice to replenish soil moisture reserves in much of west central Saskatchewan. Unfortunately, this practice has been largely responsible for severe erosion in the past. Recently many farmers have attempted to keep more crop residue on the soil surface, by using herbicides and wide blade cultivators to control weeds during the fallow period. Much of the increase in these practices has been due to assistance programs provided by PFRA, Saskatchewan Agriculture (e.g., Save Our Soils (SOS) program), Ducks Unlimited and other organizations. This paper looks at the effectiveness of these projects in mainta1n1ng crop residue to minimize erosion. Included are evaluations of weed control, costs, subsequent crop yields and farmer perceptions. Results of a crop residue survey are also presented. This survey provides a good comparison with the project fields. It also enables one to forecast erosion potential for the following winter, spring, and summer seasons. While the paper focuses mainly on 1988 activities, it should be noted that similar work was done in 1986-87