Response of Gestating Beef Cows to Limit-Fed Diets Containing Rolled Barley

In the Northern Great Plains, barley grain may be a more economical source of energy than hay. An experiment was conducted at South Dakota State University Cottonwood Research Station to determine the efficacy of limit-fed, barley-based diets as an alternative to alfalfa hay for beef cows in late gestation. Ninety-six gestating, crossbred cows (age 3 to 11 years; average calving date of May 7) were stratified by age and weight and randomly assigned to one of 12 pens (8 cows/pen). Pens were randomly allotted to one of three winter feeding treatments (4 pens/treatment) from January 15 to April 10, 2003. Treatments were: 1) course-ground alfalfa hay (Hay; fed at approximately 1.6% of BW); 2) dry rolled barley replacing alfalfa hay at 29% of the diet dry matter (Low Barley; fed at approximately 1.4% of BW); and 3) dry rolled barley replacing alfalfa hay at 67% of the diet dry matter (High Barley; fed at approximately 1.2% of BW). All diets were formulated using the 1996 NRC computer model to provide for maintenance of body condition score. A supplement (0.5 lb/d) supplied adequate protein, minerals, vitamins, and 200 mg/hd/d of Rumensin. Rations changed monthly to account for changing cow requirements during late gestation. All diets were consumed within a two-hour period each day. Treatment means were separated using orthogonal contrasts (Hay vs. High and Low Barley; High Barley vs. Low Barley). Cows fed barley gained more weight than cows fed Hay (P \u3c 0.01; weight change of 79, 126, and 132 lb for Hay, Low Barley, and High Barley, respectively). Cows fed barley also gained more body condition than cows fed Hay (P \u3c 0.01; body condition score change of -0.10, 0.24, and 0.38 for Hay, Low Barley, and High Barley, respectively). There were no differences (P \u3e 0.10) in weight or body condition score change between Low and High Barley treatments. There were no differences between treatments in subsequent pregnancy rates (P \u3e 0.50). Rolled barley can be used to replace alfalfa hay in diets for gestating beef cows

Fostering A Wholistic Education: A Practical Approach For Advisors

This article defines wholistic education and provides a model currently used in a college-level, academic setting. The various dimensions of the model are described along with the manner by which each is measured. An important contribution of this paper is the introduction of nonlinear methods which provide appropriate means for analyzing and responding to individual student behaviors. While the model is specific to our institution it is general enough to be adapted to any other academic setting.  &nbsp

MtsslWizard: In Silico Spin-Labeling and Generation of Distance Distributions in PyMOL

MtsslWizard is a computer program, which operates as a plugin for the PyMOL molecular graphics system. MtsslWizard estimates distances between spin labels on proteins quickly with user-configurable options through a simple graphical interface. In default mode, the program searches for ensembles of possible MTSSL conformations that do not clash with a static model of the protein. Once conformations are assigned, distance distributions between two or more ensembles are calculated, displayed, and can be exported to other software. The program’s use is evaluated in a number of challenging test cases and its strengths and weaknesses evaluated. The benefits of the program are its accuracy and simplicity

Game Theory: A Potential Tool for the Design and Analysis of Patient-Robot Interaction Strategies

Designing suitable robotic controllers for automating movement-based rehabilitation therapy requires an understanding of the interaction between patient and therapist. Current approaches do not take into account the highly dynamic and interdependent nature of this relationship. A better understanding can be accomplished through framing the interaction as a problem in game theory. The main strength behind this approach is the potential to develop robotic control systems which automatically adapt to patient interaction behavior. Agents learn from experiences, and adapt their behaviors so they are better suited to their environment. As the models evolve, structures, patterns and behaviors emerge that were not explicitly programmed into the original models, but which instead surface through the agent interactions with each other and their environment. This paper advocates the use of such agent based models for analysing patient-therapist interactions with a view to designing more efficient and effective robotic controllers for automated therapeutic intervention in motor rehabilitation. The authors demonstrate in a simplified implementation the effectiveness of this approach through simulating known behavioral patterns observed in real patient-therapist interactions, such as learned dependency