Effects of Matching Protein to Requirements on Performance and Waste Management in the Feedlot

Four experiments were conducted, two with calves in the winter/spring and two with yearlings during the summer, to evaluate the effects of decreasing protein levels on nutrient balance in the feedlot. The control diet was formulated for 13.5 percent protein; the experimental diets were formulated using the 1996 NRC model to predict protein requirements. Nutrient balances for organic matter (OM) and nitrogen (N) were measured. Nitrogen intake and subsequent excretion were decreased with steers fed the experimental treatment. During the summer more N was removed from pens on the experimental treatment since OM excretion was greater which led to decreased N volatilization. N losses were lower in the winter/spring feeding periods when expressed as percentage volatilized

Effects of Matching Protein to Requirements on Performance and Waste Management in the Feedlot

Four experiments were conducted, two with calves in the winter/spring and two with yearlings during the summer, to evaluate the effects of decreasing protein levels on nutrient balance in the feedlot. The control diet was formulated for 13.5 percent protein; the experimental diets were formulated using the 1996 NRC model to predict protein requirements. Nutrient balances for organic matter (OM) and nitrogen (N) were measured. Nitrogen intake and subsequent excretion were decreased with steers fed the experimental treatment. During the summer more N was removed from pens on the experimental treatment since OM excretion was greater which led to decreased N volatilization. N losses were lower in the winter/spring feeding periods when expressed as percentage volatilized

Advances in restoration ecology: rising to the challenges of the coming decades

Simultaneous environmental changes challenge biodiversity persistence and human wellbeing. The science and practice of restoration ecology, in collaboration with other disciplines, can contribute to overcoming these challenges. This endeavor requires a solid conceptual foundation based in empirical research which confronts, tests and influences theoretical developments. We review conceptual developments in restoration ecology over the last 30 years. We frame our review in the context of changing restoration goals which reflect increased societal awareness of the scale of environmental degradation and the recognition that inter-disciplinary approaches are needed to tackle environmental problems. Restoration ecology now encompasses facilitative interactions and network dynamics, trophic cascades, and above- and below ground linkages. It operates in a non-equilibrium, alternative states framework, at the landscape scale, and in response to changing environmental, economic and social conditions. Progress has been marked by conceptual advances in the fields of trait-environment relationships, community assembly, and understanding the links between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Conceptual and practical advances have been enhanced by applying evolving technologies, including treatments to increase seed germination and overcome recruitment bottlenecks, high throughput DNA sequencing to elucidate soil community structure and function, and advances in satellite technology and GPS tracking to monitor habitat use. The synthesis of these technologies with systematic reviews of context dependencies in restoration success, model based analyses and consideration of complex socio-ecological systems will allow generalizations to inform evidence based interventions. Ongoing challenges include setting realistic, socially acceptable goals for restoration under changing environmental conditions, and prioritizing actions in an increasingly space-competitive world. Ethical questions also surround the use of genetically modified material, translocations, taxon substitutions, and de-extinction, in restoration ecology. Addressing these issues, as the Ecological Society of America looks to its next century, will require current and future generations of researchers and practitioners, including economists, engineers, philosophers, landscape architects, social scientists and restoration ecologists, to work together with communities and governments to rise to the environmental challenges of the coming decades

The On-Orbit Performance of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer

We report the first year on-orbit performance results for the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), a NASA Small Explorer that is performing a survey of the sky in two ultraviolet bands. The instrument comprises a 50 cm diameter modified Ritchey-Chretien telescope with a 1.25 degree field of view, selectable imaging and objective grism spectroscopic modes, and an innovative optical system with a thin-film multilayer dichroic beam splitter that enables simultaneous imaging by a pair of photon counting, microchannel plate, delay line readout detectors. Initial measurements demonstrate that GALEX is performing well, meeting its requirements for resolution, efficiency, astrometry, bandpass definition and survey sensitivity.Comment: This paper will be published as part of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Astrophysical Journal Letters Special Issu

Symptom dimensions of the psychotic symptom rating scales in psychosis: a multisite study

The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) is an instrument designed to quantify the severity of delusions and hallucinations and is typically used in research studies and clinical settings focusing on people with psychosis and schizophrenia. It is comprised of the auditory hallucinations (AHS) and delusions subscales (DS), but these subscales do not necessarily reflect the psychological constructs causing intercorrelation between clusters of scale items. Identification of these constructs is important in some clinical and research contexts because item clustering may be caused by underlying etiological processes of interest. Previous attempts to identify these constructs have produced conflicting results. In this study, we compiled PSYRATS data from 12 sites in 7 countries, comprising 711 participants for AHS and 520 for DS. We compared previously proposed and novel models of underlying constructs using structural equation modeling. For the AHS, a novel 4-dimensional model provided the best fit, with latent variables labeled Distress (negative content, distress, and control), Frequency (frequency, duration, and disruption), Attribution (location and origin of voices), and Loudness (loudness item only). For the DS, a 2-dimensional solution was confirmed, with latent variables labeled Distress (amount/intensity) and Frequency (preoccupation, conviction, and disruption). The within-AHS and within-DS dimension intercorrelations were higher than those between subscales, with the exception of the AHS and DS Distress dimensions, which produced a correlation that approached the range of the within-scale correlations. Recommendations are provided for integrating these underlying constructs into research and clinical applications of the PSYRATS

Vowel reduction in word-final position by early and late Spanish-English bilinguals

Vowel reduction is a prominent feature of American English, as well as other stress-timed languages. As a phonological process, vowel reduction neutralizes multiple vowel quality contrasts in unstressed syllables. For bilinguals whose native language is not characterized by large spectral and durational differences between tonic and atonic vowels, systematically reducing unstressed vowels to the central vowel space can be problematic. Failure to maintain this pattern of stressed-unstressed syllables in American English is one key element that contributes to a ?foreign accent? in second language speakers. Reduced vowels, or ?schwas,? have also been identified as particularly vulnerable to the co-articulatory effects of adjacent consonants. The current study examined the effects of adjacent sounds on the spectral and temporal qualities of schwa in word-final position. Three groups of English-speaking adults were tested: Miami-based monolingual English speakers, early Spanish-English bilinguals, and late Spanish-English bilinguals. Subjects performed a reading task to examine their schwa productions in fluent speech when schwas were preceded by consonants from various points of articulation. Results indicated that monolingual English and late Spanish-English bilingual groups produced targeted vowel qualities for schwa, whereas early Spanish-English bilinguals lacked homogeneity in their vowel productions. This extends prior claims that schwa is targetless for F2 position for native speakers to highly-proficient bilingual speakers. Though spectral qualities lacked homogeneity for early Spanish-English bilinguals, early bilinguals produced schwas with near native-like vowel duration. In contrast, late bilinguals produced schwas with significantly longer durations than English monolinguals or early Spanish-English bilinguals. Our results suggest that the temporal properties of a language are better integrated into second language phonologies than spectral qualities. Finally, we examined the role of nonstructural variables (e.g. linguistic history measures) in predicting native-like vowel duration. These factors included: Age of L2 learning, amount of L1 use, and self-reported bilingual dominance. Our results suggested that different sociolinguistic factors predicted native-like reduced vowel duration than predicted native-like vowel qualities across multiple phonetic environments

A framework for the practical science necessary to restore sustainable, resilient, and biodiverse ecosystems

Demand for restoration of resilient, self-sustaining, and biodiverse natural ecosystems as a conservation measure is increasing globally; however, restoration efforts frequently fail to meet standards appropriate for this objective. Achieving these standards requires management underpinned by input from diverse scientific disciplines including ecology, biotechnology, engineering, soil science, ecophysiology, and genetics. Despite increasing restoration research activity, a gap between the immediate needs of restoration practitioners and the outputs of restoration science often limits the effectiveness of restoration programs. Regrettably, studies often fail to identify the practical issues most critical for restoration success. We propose that part of this oversight may result from the absence of a considered statement of the necessary practical restoration science questions. Here we develop a comprehensive framework of the research required to bridge this gap and guide effective restoration. We structure questions in five themes: (1) setting targets and planning for success, (2) sourcing biological material, (3) optimizing establishment, (4) facilitating growth and survival, and (5) restoring resilience, sustainability, and landscape integration. This framework will assist restoration practitioners and scientists to identify knowledge gaps and develop strategic research focused on applied outcomes. The breadth of questions highlights the importance of cross-discipline collaboration among restoration scientists, and while the program is broad, successful restoration projects have typically invested in many or most of these themes. Achieving restoration ecology's goal of averting biodiversity losses is a vast challenge: investment in appropriate science is urgently needed for ecological restoration to fulfill its potential and meet demand as a conservation too

Demonstration of Binding of Neuronal Calcium Sensor-1 to the Ca(v)2.1 P/Q-Type Calcium Channel

[Image: see text] In neurons, entry of extracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) into synaptic terminals through Ca(v)2.1 (P/Q-type) Ca(2+) channels is the driving force for exocytosis of neurotransmitter-containing synaptic vesicles. This class of Ca(2+) channel is, therefore, pivotal during normal neurotransmission in higher organisms. In response to channel opening and Ca(2+) influx, specific Ca(2+)-binding proteins associate with cytoplasmic regulatory domains of the P/Q channel to modulate subsequent channel opening. Channel modulation in this way influences synaptic plasticity with consequences for higher-level processes such as learning and memory acquisition. The ubiquitous Ca(2+)-sensing protein calmodulin (CaM) regulates the activity of all types of mammalian voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, including the P/Q class, by direct binding to specific regulatory motifs. More recently, experimental evidence has highlighted a role for additional Ca(2+)-binding proteins, particularly of the CaBP and NCS families in the regulation of P/Q channels. NCS-1 is a protein found from yeast to humans and that regulates a diverse number of cellular functions. Physiological and genetic evidence indicates that NCS-1 regulates P/Q channel activity, including calcium-dependent facilitation, although a direct physical association between the proteins has yet to be demonstrated. In this study, we aimed to determine if there is a direct interaction between NCS-1 and the C-terminal cytoplasmic tail of the Ca(v)2.1 α-subunit. Using distinct but complementary approaches, including in vitro binding of bacterially expressed recombinant proteins, fluorescence spectrophotometry, isothermal titration calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and expression of fluorescently tagged proteins in mammalian cells, we show direct binding and demonstrate that CaM can compete for it. We speculate about how NCS-1/Ca(v)2.1 association might add to the complexity of calcium channel regulation mediated by other known calcium-sensing proteins and how this might help to fine-tune neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system