Raising dairy replacements : An investment in the future

"In 1982, the life expectancy of cows in the DHIA program was 5.5 years or 3.5 lactations. During her life, a cow can be expected to produce three calves. Using a plus-predicted* sire, keeping all heifers that offer reasonable promise, and maintaining a 5 percent or less calfhood mortality are ways you can increase herd size and improve inherited productivity. Unfortunately, on many farms, the number of replacements available is adequate only for replacing cows that die or suffer from disease, injury, sterility, or old age. If heifers are bred to a scrub or beef bull and calfhood mortality exceeds 15 to 20 percent, you'll have to depend on purchasing replacements. Raising your own replacements prevents diseases from being introduced to the herd by purchased animals. You also have first opportunity to determine their merit as milk producers. With a successful program for raising replacements, you'll have a heifer ready to freshen at 24 months. Most of the practices described in this guide sheet are important in achieving this goal."--First page.Barry Steevens (Department of Dairy Science College of Agriculture), and James G. Thorne (College of Veterinary Medicine)Revised 9/83/8

Raising dairy replacements : An investment in the future

"In 1984, the life expectancy of cows in the DHIA program was 5.0 years or 3.0 lactations. During her life, a cow can be expected to produce three calves. Using a plus-predicted* sire, keeping all heifers that offer reasonable promise, and maintaining a 5 percent or less calfhood mortality are ways you can increase herd size and improve inherited productivity. Unfortunately, on many farms, the number of replacements available is adequate only for replacing cows that die or suffer from disease, injury, sterility, or old age. If heifers are bred to a scrub or beef bull · and calfhood mortality exceeds 15 to 20 percent, you'll have to depend on purchasing replacements. Raising your own replacements prevents diseases from being introduced to the herd by purchased animals. You also have first opportunity to determine their merit as milk producers. With a successful program for raising replacements, you'll have a heifer ready to freshen at 24 months. Most of the practices described in this guide sheet are important in achieving this goal."--First page.Barry Steevens (Department of Dairy Science College of Agriculture), and James G. Thorne (College of Veterinary Medicine)Revised 4/85/4

David Folsom and the Emergence of Choctaw Nationalism

Few historians have used nationalism as a concept relevant to Native Americans. Because of this oversight there is a need for re-evaluation. During the early nineteenth century the Choctaw Indians of present day Mississippi displayed a strong nationalistic movement that resulted in the overthrow of the old political order and the institution of constitutional government. In all, they passed from a chieftaincy form of organization to a national one with elected officials.1 What constitutes nationalism has generated much scholarly debate. Its definition has varied from time to time and scholar to scholar. Yet there are certain beliefs and conditions that most academicians agree point to the existence of nationalism. These can be summarized as: 1. A national territory with clearly defined boundaries. 2. Shared cultural characteristics such as language, customs, manners, and social institutions which the nation wants to preserve. 3. The desire for an independent or sovereign government based on the principle of selfdetermination and loyalty to self-rule. 4. A shared belief in a common history or ethnic identity. 5. Love and esteem for fellow nationals over and above that of "foreigners." 6. A devotion to the national entity. 7. A pride in the past achievements and sorrow for past defeats of the nation. 8. A shared disregard for other nations. This may take the form of hostility if those nations become threatening. In the early nineteenth century, the Choctaws demonstrated all these characteristics to some extent.2 One of the first Choctaw nationalists was David Folsom, and his life illustrates the development and early growth of Choctaw nationalism. He was the leader of a rising group of comparatively wealthy first generation mixed-bloods who were bicultural in outlook but considered themselves Choctaws. Folsom was more conscious of American society than most of his contemporaries. Viewing the progress of mankind from a rational perspective, he saw Choctaw society as a historical reality which the white man threatened to destroy. Folsom belonged to both of the societies which were confronting one another and he experienced inwardly the clash between the two. Both were a part of him, and the destruction of one of them meant the symbolic annihilation of a part of himself. His resolution of this conflict turned him into a "new man." David Folsom derived his identification as a Choctaw from a new kind of understanding. Whereas traditionally the Choctaws justified their existence through myth, Folsom replaced this with the Lockean concept of "human rights." His most significant contribution to Choctaw thought was the idea that the Choctaws inherently possessed rights and deserved justice because they were human beings. The Anglo challenge to their rights gave rise to the concept of Choctaw solidarity, on which he based his political career. The logical fulfillment of this mode of thought was the creation of a Choctaw Nation in which nationalism would replace myth as a means to sanctify the existence of the Choctaw people. To accomplish his goals Folsom developed a program which stressed the preservation of the "national homeland" and self-strengthening through education, the development of industry, and rigid morality. He enlisted Christian missionaries as allies in the task of transforming a people who were uneducated, by Anglo standards, into citizens of a modern republican state. His staunch defense of the Choctaw territory in present-day Mississippi contributed most to the success of the Choctaw Christian nationalist movement. By offering the best strategy for preserving Choctaw sovereignty over their mythical homeland, he received the support of many who still thought in mythical terms despite the fact that his movement opposed such modes of thought.Histor

Evaluation of early and late presentation of patients with ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid to two major tertiary referral hospitals in the United Kingdom

PURPOSE: Ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid (OcMMP) is a sight-threatening autoimmune disease in which referral to specialists units for further management is a common practise. This study aims to describe referral patterns, disease phenotype and management strategies in patients who present with either early or established disease to two large tertiary care hospitals in the United Kingdom.\ud \ud PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 54 consecutive patients with a documented history of OcMMP were followed for 24 months. Two groups were defined: (i) early-onset disease (EOD:<3 years, n=26, 51 eyes) and (ii) established disease (EstD:>5 years, n=24, 48 eyes). Data were captured at first clinic visit, and at 12 and 24 months follow-up. Information regarding duration, activity and stage of disease, visual acuity (VA), therapeutic strategies and clinical outcome were analysed.\ud \ud RESULTS: Patients with EOD were younger and had more severe conjunctival inflammation (76% of inflamed eyes) than the EstD group, who had poorer VA (26.7%=VA<3/60, P<0.01) and more advanced disease. Although 40% of patients were on existing immunosuppression, 48% required initiation or switch to more potent immunotherapy. In all, 28% (14) were referred back to the originating hospitals for continued care. Although inflammation had resolved in 78% (60/77) at 12 months, persistence of inflammation and progression did not differ between the two phenotypes. Importantly, 42% demonstrated disease progression in the absence of clinically detectable inflammation.\ud \ud CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight that irrespective of OcMMP phenotype, initiation or escalation of potent immunosuppression is required at tertiary hospitals. Moreover, the conjunctival scarring progresses even when the eye remains clinically quiescent. Early referral to tertiary centres is recommended to optimise immunosuppression and limit long-term ocular damage.\ud \u

Inclusive Masculinity in a Fraternal Setting

This ethnographic research uses thirty-two in-depth interviews and two years of par-ticipant observation on a large chapter of a national fraternity to examine the construc-tion of masculinity among heterosexual men. Whereas previous studies of masculine construction maintain that most men in fraternities attempt to bolster their masculinity through the approximation of requisites of hegemonic masculinity, this research shows that there also exists a more inclusive form of masculinity institutionalized in the fra-ternal system: one based on social equality for gay men, respect for women, and racial parity and one in which fraternity men bond over emotional intimacy