Calf health and performance during receiving is not changed by fence-line preconditioning on flint hills range vs. drylot preconditioning

Ranch-of-origin preconditioning can improve the welfare and performance of beef calves by decreasing the stress associated with weaning, transport, diet change, and commingling with other calves. Preconditioning methods that involve pasture weaning coupled with maternal contact (i.e., fence-line weaning) have been promoted as possible best management practices for minimizing stress. Prior studies focused on performance and behavior during preconditioning on the ranch of origin. Little information has been published relating to carryover effects of fence-line preconditioning compared with conventional drylot preconditioning on performance and behavior during feedlot receiving. Our objectives were to measure growth and health during a 28-day ranch-of-origin preconditioning phase and during a 60-day feedlot receiving phase among beef calves subjected to 1 of 3 ranch-of-origin preconditioning programs: (1) drylot preconditioning + dam separation, (2) pasture preconditioning + fence-line contact with dams, and (3) pasture preconditioning + fence-line contact with dams + supplemental feed delivered in a bunk. In addition, we recorded incidences of behavioral distress among these treatments during first 7 days of feedlot receiving

Effects of corn steep liquor supplementation on intake and digestion of tallgrass prairie hay contaminated with sericea lespedeza

Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) is a noxious weed that infests approximately 600,000 acres of native range in Kansas. Intake of sericea lespedeza by grazing beef cattle is poor due to the presence of condensed tannins in the plant. Condensed tannins reduce protein digestion by beef cattle and may also decrease plant palatability because of their astringent nature. Prolific seed production, in combination with little or no grazing pressure, has contributed to the rapid spread of sericea lespedeza in the Flint Hills. Increasing grazing pressure on sericea lespedeza may reduce seed production and slow its advance; however, the presence of condensed tannins inhibit consumption by grazing animals. Reports have indicated that feed-grade polyethylene glycol may inhibit formation of tannin-protein complexes in the rumen, but beef producers have not widely adopted polyethylene glycol because, at the rates necessary to increase intake of sericea lespedeza, it is cost-prohibitive and disallowed by regulations. Therefore, identifying substances that are generally regarded as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, cost-effective, and that mitigate the consequences of consuming a diet high in tannins is advantageous. Such information could lead to a degree of biological control of this noxious weed using the most economically important grazer (i.e., beef cattle) in the Flint Hills. Preliminary research in our laboratory indicated that corn steep liquor has binding affinity for condensed tannins that is similar to polyethylene glycol. Therefore, the objective of our study was to determine the effects of corn steep liquor supplementation on intake and digestion of tallgrass prairie hay contaminated by sericea lespedeza

Anti rickettsia-antibody for spotted fever group in horses and dogs in the North of Paraná Stated, Brazil

The Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF) is a zoonosis that can be fatal if not trteated. As there are few studies of the BSF in the Paraná State, the occurrence of BSF was serologically investigated in dogs and horses by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), in the North of that State, in animals that are regarded as sentinels for BSF. A total of 241 samples of sera of equine, four of asinine, and 29 of dogs were collected in nine farms of three municipalities in the North of Paraná: Arapongas, Douradina, and Umuarama. From fifteen samples of equine serum with positive titres for RIFI, eight (53.3 %) had titre of 64 against R. rickettsii, two (13.3 %) 128 against R. rickettsii, and five (33.3 %) were reactants for R. parkeri and R. rickettsii, with titres ranging from 64 to 2048, and 128 to 1024, respectively. The results showed that domestic animals, sentinels for BSF, are under low exposition to ticks infected with spotted fever group Rickettsia, indicating low risk of human infection by these agents in the studied area

Numerical analysis of gas-solidsflow hydrodynamics and heat transfer in two outlet configurationindustrial riser using mesoscale theory to predict the interfacialdrag

Se analizan numéricamente dos configuraciones de un riser del proceso FCC variando la disposición de la salida superior, usando un modelo CFD en 2 D que incluye el Modelo de los Dos Fluidos (TMF), la Teoría Cinética del Flujo Granular (KTGF) y como modelo de arrastre el modelo de la Minimización de la Energía Multi-Escala (EMMS). El modelo se resuelve a través del programa ANSYS Fluent® 14.5 solucionando las ecuaciones de balance de masa, momentum y energía; y ecuaciones constitutivas para calcular la interacción entre las fases, la fase sólida con las paredes, y las propiedades de la fase granular. El modelo propuesto en este trabajo predice adecuadamente el comportamiento del flujo gas-sólido, prediciendo diferentes patrones de flujo en las coordenadas axial y radial del riser; así como zonas concentradas y diluidas de sólidos en la parte baja y alta del riser, respectivamente. Las fluctuaciones en la concentración y las velocidades de los sólidos tanto radial como axialmente que se observan son producto del alto grado de mezclado radial que se acentúa cerca de las paredes del riser debido al arrastre considerado por el modelo utilizado. Por otro lado se observa una rápida estabilización térmica radial y axial alcanzando en poco tiempo el estado estacionario. Los perfiles obtenidos en las dos configuraciones analizadas son muy similares, lo que motiva a que en trabajos futuros se analicen otras configuraciones de salida del riser que permitan mejorar los patrones de concentración y velocidades de los sólidos.In the FCC process two configurations riser are numerically analyzed varying the upper outlet orientation using a 2 D CFD model which includes the Two Fluid Model (TFM), Kinetic Theory of Granular Flow (KTGF), and Energy Minimization Multi-Scale (EMMS) theory as drag model. This model is solved using the ANSYS Fluent® 14.5 software, solving the governing equations of mass, momentum, and energy balance; and the constitutive equations to calculate interfacial interaction, wall-solid phase interaction, and granular phase properties. The model proposed in this work properly predicts the gas-solid flow behavior, predicting different solid flow patterns in radial and axial riser directions, as well as concentrated and diluted zones at riser's top and bottom respectively. The radial and axial solids concentration and velocities profiles fluctuations observed are produced by the high radial solid mix which is higher near the riser walls due to drag force considered by the model used. On the other hand, a rapid radial and axial thermal stabilization is observed reaching the steady state rapidly. The profiles obtained from riser configurations analyzed are very similar, so in future works other riser outlets configurations will be analyzed to try to improve the solid concentration and velocity profiles.Peer Reviewe

Forage selection preferences of experienced cows and naïve heifers grazing native tallgrass range during winter

Beef Cattle Research, 2011 is known as Cattlemen’s Day, 2011Estimating the nutritive value of a grazing animal’s diet is a significant challenge. Description of the botanical composition of a grazed diet is vital in that regard. Microhistological analysis of fecal material has been used for estimating the botanical composition of wild and domestic ungulate diets since first described by Baumgartner and Martin in 1939. Little research has been conducted on the diet selection preferences of multiparous beef cows compared to primiparous beef cows. We hypothesized that foraging strategies change as cows age. To that end, our objective was to characterize differences in diet selection between experienced multiparous and naïve primiparous beef cows grazing dormant, native tallgrass pastures during winter

Enhancing Tc in field-doped Fullerenes by applying uniaxial stress

Capitalizing on the two-dimensional nature of superconductivity in field-effect doped C60, we show that it should be possible to increase the transition temperature Tc by applying uniaxial stress perpendicular to the gate electrode. This method not only holds the promise of substantially enhancing Tc (by about 30 K per GPa), but also provides a sensitive check of the current understanding of superconductivity in the doped Fullerenes.Comment: 3 pages RevTe

Length of the weaning period affects postweaning growth, health, and carcass merit of ranch-direct beef calves weaned during the fall

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most economically devastating feedlot disease. Risk factors associated with incidence of BRD include (1) stress associated with maternal separation, (2) stress associated with introduction to an unfamiliar environment, (3) poor intake associated with introduction of novel feedstuffs into the animal\u27s diet, (4) exposure to novel pathogens upon transport to a feeding facility and commingling with unfamiliar cattle, (5) inappropriately administered respiratory disease vaccination programs, and (6) poor response to respiratory disease vaccination programs. Management practices that are collectively referred to as preconditioning are thought to minimize damage to the beef carcass from the BRD complex. Preconditioning management reduces the aforementioned risk factors for respiratory disease by (1) using a relatively long ranch-of-origin weaning period following maternal separation, (2) exposing calves to concentrate-type feedstuffs, and (3) producing heightened resistance to respiratory disease-causing organisms through a preweaning vaccination program. The effectiveness of such programs for preserving animal performance is highly touted by certain segments of the beef industry. Ranch-of-origin weaning periods of up to 60 days are suggested for preconditioning beef calves prior to sale; however, optimal length of the ranch-of-origin weaning period has not been determined experimentally. The objective of this study was to test the validity of beef industry assumptions about appropriate length of ranch-of-origin weaning periods for calves aged 160 to 220 days and weaned during the fall

Theoretical description of phase coexistence in model C60

We have investigated the phase diagram of the Girifalco model of C60 fullerene in the framework provided by the MHNC and the SCOZA liquid state theories, and by a Perturbation Theory (PT), for the free energy of the solid phase. We present an extended assessment of such theories as set against a recent Monte Carlo study of the same model [D. Costa et al, J. Chem. Phys. 118:304 (2003)]. We have compared the theoretical predictions with the corresponding simulation results for several thermodynamic properties. Then we have determined the phase diagram of the model, by using either the SCOZA, or the MHNC, or the PT predictions for one of the coexisting phases, and the simulation data for the other phase, in order to separately ascertain the accuracy of each theory. It turns out that the overall appearance of the phase portrait is reproduced fairly well by all theories, with remarkable accuracy as for the melting line and the solid-vapor equilibrium. The MHNC and SCOZA results for the liquid-vapor coexistence, as well as for the corresponding critical points, are quite accurate. All results are discussed in terms of the basic assumptions underlying each theory. We have selected the MHNC for the fluid and the first-order PT for the solid phase, as the most accurate tools to investigate the phase behavior of the model in terms of purely theoretical approaches. The overall results appear as a robust benchmark for further theoretical investigations on higher order C(n>60) fullerenes, as well as on other fullerene-related materials, whose description can be based on a modelization similar to that adopted in this work.Comment: RevTeX4, 15 pages, 7 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.