Seven panels on preservation: Ruminations of a one-eyed fat man

None provided

Imaging Technique for High Precision Measurement of Detector Stability for the Ocean Color Instrument

One of the new projects by NASA to explore environmental change is the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft. The primary instrument aboard the PACE spacecraft is the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), an advanced optical spectrometer that will measure the color of the ocean from the ultraviolet to shortwave infrared range for the purpose of observing and monitoring ocean and coastal biology. As part of the optical alignment testing that must be completed before the instrument is built, the measurement stability of the detectors at space flight operating temperatures must be determined to ensure alignment is maintained. Therefore, this project focuses on the development of an imaging technique that adheres to testing requirements and can be used to determine the stability of the OCI detector. The movements of targets affixed to a high-precision stage were analyzed through an image processing program to test the ability of the imaging technique to detect very small (under 10 micrometers) movements. It was found that movements as small as half a pixel (~6 microns) and 1 pixel (~12 microns) were able to be accurately and consistently detected with this imaging technique. This project found that the designed image analysis technique fulfills testing and measurement requirements and will be an effective metrology technique for the OCI detector stability test

A Review of the Ammonia Issue and Pork Production

During the last few decades, an increasing interest in, and respect for, the environment has arisen. This has consequences for livestock production. Air can become polluted by noxious odors from animal husbandry. A particular example is odor emission from pig buildings, because in several parts of the world pig production has become highly specialized, industrialized and concentrated geographically. Air quality in pig facilities, as it influences the well-being of animals and workers, has become a major concern for pork producers. Odors emanating from pig slurry are an increasing source of environmental pollution as well as a nuisance to the human population in the vicinity. Emission regulations that establish a maximum acceptable emission rate for individual pollutants released from a source are currently under debate for production agriculture in several regions throughout the United States. To meet increasingly stringent air quality demands, pork producers will be obligated to adopt technologies and innovations in production to minimize the concentration of pollutants present in the odor emitted from pig facilities. The purpose of this review is to discuss how ammonia is produced, the human health concerns involved, and the control of ammonia and odor emission

Plasma Urea Concentrations of Pigs on Commercial Operations

Research was conducted on commercial swine operations to determine whether plasma urea concentrations could be used as an indicator of the protein requirement of growing-finishing pigs. The research consisted of a 30-question survey and an on-farm visit to collect blood and feed samples. The survey included questions about genetics, nutrition, housing and health. Results showed that when plasma urea concentrations were analyzed across all phases of production, barrows had greater plasma urea concentrations than gilts. Plasma urea concentrations varied between the different phases of production, with nursery pigs having the lowest plasma urea concentrations, followed by growing and finishing pigs, respectively. An increase in dietary crude protein resulted in an increase of plasma urea in barrows and gilts in all phases of production. The comparison of dietary crude protein concentrations and age of the pigs at the time of blood collection indicates that the majority of the diets were over-formulated for crude protein. The effects of sex, crude protein, and phase of production on plasma urea concentrations in pigs raised on commercial operations were similar to those in a research setting. These results suggest that within an individual swine operation, plasma urea is a useful indicator of the protein requirement of growing-finishing pigs

The Use of Plasma Urea as an Indicator of Protein Status in Growing-Finishing Pigs

An experiment is being conducted on commercial swine operations to determine if plasma urea concentration can be used as an indicator of protein status in growing-finishing pigs. Swine producers in Eastern Nebraska are being selected to participate in this on-farm study. The experiment includes the completion of a 30-question survey and an on-farm visit for the collection of blood and feed samples. The survey includes questions about genetics, nutrition, housing and health. Preliminary results suggest that crude protein is overfed in most finishing diets. Gilts consistently have lower plasma urea concentrations than barrows when gilts and barrows are fed the same diet during the finishing growth period. This confirms the concept that gilts utilize protein more efficiently for lean growth. These results suggest that within an individual swine operation, plasma urea is a useful indicator of protein status in growing-finishing pigs

Dietary Amino Acid Utilization for Body Protein Deposition — Current and Future Research

In modern pork production it is important to maximize the animal’s potential for daily lean gain by increasing the body protein deposition with as little wastage of the ingested amino acids as possible. Therefore, it is important to maximize the efficiency with which dietary amino acids are used for protein deposition or lean gain. This efficiency is measured by using nitrogen balance studies or comparative slaughter procedures. Supplementing swine diets with crystalline amino acids and replacing part of the dietary protein can reduce diet cost and will also reduce the amount of nitrogen excreted in manure. However, it has been demonstrated that the efficiency of utilization of crystalline amino acids may be lower than that of amino acids bound in protein. Although the reasons for this are unclear, it may be associated with the frequency of feeding and differences in the rate of absorption between the two sources of amino acids. Research in progress is designed to investigate the efficiency with which crystalline lysine is utilized for protein deposition in nursery pigs. This research will obtain additional information about the relative utilization of crystalline and protein-bound amino acids

Plasma Urea Can Be Used To Identify The Protein Requirements of Group-penned Finishing (130 to 220 lb) Barrows and Gilts Fed Corn-soybean Diets

In this study, growth performance data from finishing pigs indicate the response of barrows and gilts to dietary protein concentration was maximized with a 15 percent protein corn-soybean meal diet. Review of the response of plasma urea concentration to dietary protein intake indicated that, in this study, the protein requirement of barrows was between 12 and 15 percent and the protein requirement for gilts was between 15 and 18 percent. Based on the many findings in the literature documenting that protein requirements ( percent of the diet) of gilts are greater than those of barrows, we believe the use of plasma urea is an alternative approach to using growth performance data for establishing the protein (amino acid) requirements of finishing pigs. Identifying a small number of pigs for blood sampling may provide a less intensive method to help gain insight into the protein requirements of barrows and gilts during the finishing period. Future research will focus on refining the plasma urea technique to identify the response of barrows and gilts to dietary protein. Specifically, we are interested in pursuing the application of this methodology to commercial conditions

The Effect of Protein Intake on Growth Performance, Plasma Urea Concentration, Liver Weight, and Arginase Activity of Finishing Barrows and Gilts

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary protein concentration on growth performance, plasma urea concentration, liver weight and liver arginase activity of finishing (138 lb) barrows and gilts. Average daily feed intake, arginase activity and plasma urea concentration were greater in barrows than in gilts, whereas liver weight was lighter in barrows than in gilts. These data suggest gilts are affected more negatively by high protein diets than barrows. We believe the changes in liver weight and urea cycle enzymes (arginase) are related to these feed intake differences

Essays on Tax Privatization

Tax privatization is a rising American trend. Whether it involves receivables, consultants, or a number of other programs, tax privatization is expanding on multiple fronts. But an important question arises about their use: Are there any penalties for the government in response to privatization? In this dissertation, I examine the consequences of privatization from different angles. The first angle that I explore centers on tax farming. Tax farming is when the government sells off the right to a specific type of tax for a lump sum. States for several decades have been practicing this form of revenue program and now the national government is practicing it as well. A question that naturally arises from the literature is whether privatizing government functions can have negative repercussions with respect to tax compliance attitudes. In short, the public may punish the government for program failure. However, I find little evidence that the public is sanctioning the government for program failure. The second angle that I explore centers on whether institutional characteristics of our national tax system can create unintended impacts on tax compliance attitudes. The two key institutional characteristics that I explore are regressive taxation and privatized tax administration. Theory from the literature on this topic suggests that there is a form of social contract of taxation between the state and its associated citizens. The belief is that the willingness of taxpayers to pay taxes depends on receiving government services as a form of quid pro quo relationship. However, I find little evidence that these institutional characteristics are swaying tax compliance attitudes. The final angle that I explore centers on sector bias in tax administration. Unlike the last two chapters that center on the relationship between the taxpayer and the tax authority, in this chapter I focus on taxpayer opinions of the tax authority (i.e. the Internal Revenue Service). More specifically, I study biases that the public may hold against the agency’s sector of public versus private. Consistent with much of the literature, I also find no evidence that the public cares about the sector of the tax authority’s privatized function

Addition of Fat to Diets of Lactating Sows. I. Effects on Sow and Pig Performance

Sow energy intake during lactation is an important factor to consider when trying to maximize sow and pig performance. It has been shown that inadequate energy intake during lactation results in decreased litter weaning weight. Poor energy intake during lactation is also thought to result in a reduction in postweaning reproductive performance by extending the period from weaning to rebreeding. This reduction in postweaning performance is typically preceded by the excessive loss of weight and backfat during lactation. One method that has been used to increase sow energy intake, and thus alleviate the problems described above is to add dietary fat. The addition of high concentrations of fat (e.g., 7.5 to 15% of the diet) has been shown to result in increased sow energy intake during lactation, and if consumed for approximately one week before farrowing, increased survival rates for pigs with light birthweights. This article reports the effects of high fat diets on sow lactation performance, litter performance, and sow feed and energy intake. A subsequent article will discuss the effects of added dietary fat on energy intake, meal patterns, and blood hormones and metabolites. A specific objective of this research was to determine the effects of dietary fat on milk production and composition