Possible Impacts of the Expected Shift From Cow-Calf to Cow-Calf-Yearling Enterprises on Beef Production and Beef Prices

Retention of young cattle and marketing older cattle from the range has been suggested as one of the profitable means of adjustment for the cow-calf operator. This study was to determine the impacts of the shift from cow-calf ranching operation to cow-calf-yearling operation on the feed energy budget of the ranch, cow herd size, beef production and market price of beef. Ten alternative livestock management options involving cow-calf-yearling operations were tested for these impacts, using two representative Utah size ranches (150 and 300 cow ranches). The extra feed needed to accomodate the increased number of yearlings and the decrease required in brood cow herd size were estimated. Changes in beef production in Utah, the Western eleven States, and the change on national price of beef were estimated from marketing projections of four types of beef. These projections were based on three levels of adoption for the management options by producers in each area. Under complete retention of home grown calves, the total amount of feed required to support the typical cow-calf operation was 93% of the total feed needed for the cow~calf short yearling and 85% of the total feed required for the cow-calf long-yearling operation. Only the production of long-yearlings resulted in a considerable decrease in brood cow carrying capacity (8 to 31%)· Marketing baby-beef and grass-fed beef produced a substantial decrease in beef tonnage and a corresponding increase in beef price. Light-fed short-yearlings and heavy-fed beef (from both short and long yearlings) showed a considerable beef increase in Utah and the western region. Only the marketing of heavy-fed short-yearlings produced a positive change in the beef produced nationally and a slight decrease in beef price (0.3 to 2 %)

Genetic variability, heritability and character association of grain yield and its components among selected genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.), Gezira State, Sudan

In the Sudan, the low yield of maize was mainly due to the use of low yielding land races and open-pollinated varieties. Hence, the current study was conducted to measure the extent of genotypic and phenotypic variability, genotypic performance, heritability, genotype x season interaction, and the magnitude of association among seed yield and its components of 10 maize genotypes. The experiment was carried out during the summer of 2017 and the winter of 2017/18, using a randomized complete block  design with three replicates, at the University of Gezira Farm, Wad Medani, Sudan. The characters measured were days to 50% tasseling and silking, plant and ear height, number of kernels per row and per ear, ear diameter, cob length, 100-kernels weight and grain yield. High significant phenotypic variability was detected for all the measured characters. Seasonal differences were also significant. High broad sense heritability estimates were recorded for 50% tasseling and silking and plant height while the rest of the characters showed moderate estimates. The study confirmed the fact that maize is a summer crop in central Sudan. In summer, the highest seed yield genotype was HSD 5158 (2609 kg/ha) and in winter was HSD 3538 (2285 kg/ha). Days to 50% tasseling and silking and plant height were significantly and positively correlated with yield and so recommended as selection criteria for seed yield improvement. It is recommended to grow genotypes HSD 5158 in summer and HSD 3538 in winter as well as genotypes VMH 4040, VMH 4102 and HSD 5007 in both seasons. Testing of these genotypes under different locations and seasons is suggested.              يعزى ضعف إنتاجية الذرة الشامية بالسودان لزراعة أصناف مفتوحة التلقيح وسلالات محلية ضعيفة الإنتاج. هدفت هذه الدراسة لقياس التباين الظاهري والوراثي ودرجة التوريث على المدى العريض وتفاعل الطراز الوراثي والموسم وارتباط إنتاج البذور ومكوناته. نفذت التجربة في صيف 2017 وشتاء 18/2017 بتصميم القطاعات العشوائية الكاملة بثلاث مكررات بمزرعة جامعة الجزيرة، واد مدني، السودان. الصفات التي  قيست هي : عدد الأيام لظهور 50% من الأزهار المذكرة والمؤنثة وطول النبات وارتفاع القندول وعدد بذور الصف والقندول ومحيط القندول وطول الكوز ووزن مائة حبة وإنتاج البذور. أظهرت النتائج اختلافاً معنوياً بين الطرز الوراثية لكل الصفات وفي الموسمين. تأثير الموسم كان معنوياً. سجلت قيم عالية لدرجة التوريث بالمعنى العريض لصفات 50% إزهار مذكر ومؤنث وطول النبات ولكن الصفات الأخرى أظهرت قيم وسطية. ثبت أن محصول الذرة الشامية في وسط السودان محصول صيفي. الطراز الذي أعطى أعلى إنتاجية صيفاً هو HSD 5158 (2609 كجم/هـ) وشتاءً  هو  HSD 3538 (2285 كجم/هـ). ارتبطت صفات الإزهار المؤنث والمذكر وطول النبات ارتباطاً موجباً ومعنوياً بالإنتاجية وعليه يمكن استعمالها كمؤشرات انتخاب لتحسين إنتاجية الحبوب. يوصى بزراعة الطراز HSD 5158  صيفاً والطراز HSD 3538 شتاءً والطرز VMH 4040 و VMH 4102 و HSD 5007 في الموسمين معاً. يوصى بزراعة هذه الطرز المقترحة في مواسم ومواقع متعددة لتأكيد النتائج. &nbsp

Evaluation of Composting Process and Quality of Compost from Coffee By-Products (Coffee Husk & Pulp)

Coffee pulp and husk are the main by-products generated by the coffee processing station and are disposed into arable land and surface water. Due to the contribution of these by-products to environmental pollution, environmentally friendly disposal methods are necessary. Therefore, composting as environmental friendly option for utilization of coffee by-products is important. The objectives of the study were to assess the properties of coffee by-products compost and analyzing changes in physico-chemical properties during process of composting. To this end, (coffee husk + pulp) (control), (coffee husk + pulp + cow dung), (coffee husk + pulp + Millettia ferruginea), (coffee husk + pulp + cow dung + Millettia ferruginea), (coffee husk + pulp + effective microorganism) were used to prepare compost. The experiment was laid in RCBD (5x3). The physico-chemical parameters were determined for all the treatments at 25, 45 and 70 days of composting. The level of pH in coffee by-products compost amended with Millettia ferruginea were highly significant (P<0.0001) as compared to coffee by-products compost amended with cow dung and effective microorganism alone. The level of N and Exch. K in coffee by-products compost amended with cow dung and Millettia ferruginea were highly significant (P<0.0001) as compared to the control and coffee by-products compost amended with cow dung and effective microorganism alone. The level of total N, OM, and C/N ratio in 25 day of composting were highly significant (p<0.0001) as compared to 70 day of composting. The physico-chemical parameter in different time of composting indicates that, composting coffee by-products compost up to 70 day were important to acquire quality compost. Comparison of experimental results proved that coffee byproducts compost amended with Millettia ferruginea and cow dung was better than other treatments for quality compost preparation. It is better to amend the coffee by-products with organic material before composting to improve the quality of the compost.Key words: Coffee by products, Composting, Quality compos

Aggressive Driving is a Major Cause of Traffic Accidents and Road Rage in Jordan

Motor vehicle accidents are a major cause of death among Jordanians. Roughly 700 people died last year in car accidents out of a total population of five million people. Many factors contribute to this. Some involve planning, design, construction, operation, surface condition, and policing of the roadways. The most deadly factor is human error. This includes unawareness of traffic rules and roadway condition; lack of driving skills; poor judgment; failure to interact and adjust to prevailing roadway conditions; and most importantly, aggressive driving. Preliminary findings of a survey questionnaire conducted in this study show that improper engineering design, inadequate traffic control, lack of traffic management, and traffic congestion are the main factors leading to aggressive driving and road rage on Jordan roadways. The study includes 200 questionnaires. The main objective of this study is to identify aggressive driving behaviors in Jordan and underline their effect on traffic safety. In addition, the study attempts to increase drivers’ awareness of their actions on the roadway and point out the consequences associated with these actions. Many drivers justify their aggressive driving as temporary retaliatory measures to counteract other aggressive drivers, and therefore, this leads to road rage and traffic chaos. Aggressive driving behaviors such as pushing a car off the roadway, deliberate obstruction of passing vehicles, pursuing a vehicle, excessive high speed, and tailgating are considered at the top of the list according to the study findings. Most drivers admit that driving 20km/hr above speed limit causes danger to pedestrians but not to other vehicles

Aggressive Driving is a Major Cause of Traffic Accidents and Road Rage in Jordan

Motor vehicle accidents are a major cause of death among Jordanians. Roughly 700 people died last year in car accidents out of a total population of five million people. Many factors contribute to this. Some involve planning, design, construction, operation, surface condition, and policing of the roadways. The most deadly factor is human error. This includes unawareness of traffic rules and roadway condition; lack of driving skills; poor judgment; failure to interact and adjust to prevailing roadway conditions; and most importantly, aggressive driving. Preliminary findings of a survey questionnaire conducted in this study show that improper engineering design, inadequate traffic control, lack of traffic management, and traffic congestion are the main factors leading to aggressive driving and road rage on Jordan roadways. The study includes 200 questionnaires. The main objective of this study is to identify aggressive driving behaviors in Jordan and underline their effect on traffic safety. In addition, the study attempts to increase drivers’ awareness of their actions on the roadway and point out the consequences associated with these actions. Many drivers justify their aggressive driving as temporary retaliatory measures to counteract other aggressive drivers, and therefore, this leads to road rage and traffic chaos. Aggressive driving behaviors such as pushing a car off the roadway, deliberate obstruction of passing vehicles, pursuing a vehicle, excessive high speed, and tailgating are considered at the top of the list according to the study findings. Most drivers admit that driving 20km/hr above speed limit causes danger to pedestrians but not to other vehicles

Speed of Lexical Access to Arabic and English Letters

To examining the role of cultural differences in speed of lexical access, we employed two types of Posner (1967) name matching task: Arabic and English types. We have conducted an experiment on 30 native Arabic speakers from King Saud University. The results showed that the lexical access to physically identical letters is faster than lexical access to the nominally identical letters. However, there was a significant effect of task's type in the speed of lexical access. Also, the correlations coefficients varied with task's type. In its entirety, these results suggest that the cultural aspects have a role in the speed of lexical access. Keywords: Lexical Access, long term memory, letters matching

Selective External Oxidation of the Intermetallic Compound, BaAg_5

The selective oxidation of BaAg_5 has been examined at 650–680°C in flowing 3%H2/Ar (po2 ≤ 1.1×x×10^–19atm). Under these conditions, a continuous external barium oxide scale formed. Depletion of Ba from the underlying BaAg_5 led to the formation of a continuous Ag layer between the oxide scale and the BaAg_5. Ba was only detected along grain boundaries in the continuous Ag layer, which was consistent with the negligible solubility reported for Ba in bulk Ag. The local thickness of the continuous Ag layer was inversely correlated to the local Ag grain size. Subsequent experiments with Ag-clad BaAg_5 revealed that surface oxide formation commenced at exposed Ag grain boundaries. BaAg_5 specimens clad with fine grained Ag foil exhibited more extensive oxide formation in a given time than specimens clad with coarse grained Ag foil. These observations confirmed that outward Ba migration through the continuous Ag layer occurred preferentially along Ag grain boundaries. This work demonstrates that an intermetallic compound may undergo external oxidation even when a continuous metallic (or intermetallic) layer, that possesses a low solubility for the oxidizable element, forms under the oxide scale

Saudi SCD patients’ symptoms and quality of life relative to the number of ED visits

Background Individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) have significantly increased emergency department (ED) use compared to the general population. In Saudi Arabia, health care is free for all individuals and therefore has no bearing on increased ED visits. However, little is known about the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and frequency of acute care utilization in this patient population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 366 patients with SCD who attended the outpatient department at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through self-administered surveys, which included: demographics, SCD-related ED visits, clinical issues, and QoL levels. We assessed the ED use by asking for the number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month period. Results The self-report survey of ED visits was completed by 308 SCD patients. The median number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month time period (IQR) was four (2-7 visits). According to the unadjusted negative binomial model, the rate of SCD-related ED visits increased by (46, 39.3, 40, and 53.5 %) for patients with fever, skin redness with itching, swelling, and blood transfusion, respectively. Poor QoL tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education and poor general health positively influenced the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits by 50.2 %. The rate of SCD-related ED visits decreased by 1.4 % for every point increase in general health. Conclusion Saudi patients with sickle cell disease reported a wide range of SCD-related ED visits. It was estimated that six of 10 SCD patients had at least three ED visits within a 6-month period. Well education and poor general health resulted in an increase in the rate of SCD-related ED visits

Design, Synthesis and Investigation of Mefenamic Acid Containing Thiazolidine-4-one

Mefenamic acid and chloroacetyl chloride were mixed together to make 2-(2-chloro-N-(2,3-dimethylphenyl) acetamido) benzoic acid. The last compound prepared reacted with hydrazine hydrate to get 2-(N-(2,3-dimethylphenyl)-2-hydrazineylacetamido) benzoic acid, Condensed substituted benzaldehydes were utilized to make Schiff bases; Through cyclization reactions with thioglycolic acid, these compounds were transformed into 2,3-disubstituted thiazolidine-4-one; and finally, all structures were described using FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and mass spectrometry