Garlic as an Alternative Anthelmintic in Sheep

An increase in the anthelmintic resistance of parasites in small ruminants and a push towards non-chemical farming has led researchers to search for alternative forms of anthelmintics. The efficacy of treating sheep by using natural garlic extract with respect to changes in weight, fecal egg counts (FEC), and packed cell volume (PCV) was investigated. Sheep were treated every 4 weeks for 8 weeks with saline (control) Ivermectin, or natural garlic extract and samples were collected weekly to determine FEC and PCV. Sheep were weighed at the time of sample collection to determine weight change. There were no significant differences between the Ivermectin and natural garlic extract treated sheep with respect to weight changes, FEC or PCV. The Ivermectin and natural garlic extract treated sheep had significantly greater (P \u3c 0.05) weight changes and PCV compared to the control. The control sheep had a significantly higher (P \u3c 0.05) FEC compared to the Ivermectin and natural garlic extract treated sheep. Administering natural garlic extract as anthelmintic is a variable alternative to Ivermectin

Infrasonic observations of large-scale HE events

The Los Alamos Infrasound Program has been operating since about mid-1982, making routine measurements of low frequency atmospheric acoustic propagation. Generally, the authors work between 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz; however, much of the work is concerned with the narrower range of 0.5 to 5.0 Hz. Two permanent stations, St. George, UT, and Los Alamos, NM, have been operational since 1983, collecting data 24 hours a day. For the purposes of this discussion, the authors concentrate on their measurements of large, high explosive (HE) events at ranges of 250 km to 5330 km. Because their equipment is well suited for mobile deployments, they can easily establish temporary observing sites for special events. The measurements are from the permanent sites, as well as from various temporary sites. A few observations that are typical of the full data set are given

Instructional Uses of Instant Messaging (IM) During Classroom Lectures

Can “Information Age” learners effectively multi-task in the classroom? Can synchronous classroom activities be designed around conceptually related tasks, to encourage deeper processing and greater learning of classroom content? This research was undertaken to begin to address these questions. In this study, we explored the use of instructionally-related instant messaging (IM) discussions during undergraduate university lectures. Over the course of three weeks, students practiced with and then employed hand-held computers for brief, synchronous class discussions in response to assigned questions related to the lectures. Students were observed during these sessions, and students and the instructors were interviewed separately afterwards. The contents of students’ discussions indicate that they were capable of engaging in on-task discussions and of expressing opinions and exploring instructionally relevant topics. However, even though students routinely multi-task in classrooms as they attend to lectures, process the contents, and record notes for later study, both students and the instructors expressed some discomfort with discussion occurring synchronously with classroom lectures. In this paper, we describe student discussion behavior, and reflect on possible applications of multiple sequential (rather than simultaneous) tasks during classroom instruction

Characterization of three types of silicon solar cells for SEPS Deep Space Mission. Volume 3: Current-voltage characteristics of spectrolab sculptured BSR/P+ (K7), BSR/P+ (K6.5) and BSR (K4.5) cells as a function of temperature and intensity

Three types of high performance silicon solar cells, sculptured BSR/P+(K7), BSR/P+(K6.5) and BSR(K4.5) manufactured by Spectrolab were evaluated for their low temperature and low intensity performance. Sixteen cells of each type were subjected to 11 temperatures and 9 intensities. The sculptured BSR/P+(K7) cells provided the greatest maximum power output both at 1 AU and at LTLI conditions. The average efficiencies of this cell were 14.4 percent at 1 SC/+25 deg C and 18.5 percent at 0.086 SC/-100 deg C

Decoupled Programs, Payment Incidence, and Factor Markets: Evidence from Market Experiments

We use laboratory market experiments to assess the impact of asymmetric knowledge of a per-unit subsidy and the effect of a decoupled annual income subsidy on factor market outcomes. Results indicate that when the subsidy is tied to the factor as a per-unit subsidy, regardless of full or asymmetric knowledge for market participants, subsidized factor buyers distribute nearly 22 percent of the subsidy to factor sellers. When the subsidy is fully decoupled from the factor, as is the case with the annual payment, payment incidence is mitigated and prices are not statistically different from the no-policy treatment.laboratory market experiments, agricultural subsidies, subsidy incidence, land market, ex ante policy analysis, Agricultural and Food Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Q18, D03, C92,

Modified Control Software for Imaging Ultracold Atomic Clouds

A charge-coupled device (CCD) camera capable of taking high-quality images of ultracold atomic samples can often represent a significant portion of the equipment costs in atom trapping experiment. We have modified the commercial control software of a CCD camera designed for astronomical imaging to take absorption images of ultracold rubidium clouds. This camera is sensitive at 780 nm and has been modified to take three successive 16-bit images at full resolution. The control software can be integrated into a Matlab graphical user interface with fitting routines written as Matlab functions. This camera is capable of recording high-quality images at a fraction of the cost of similar cameras typically used in atom trapping experiments

The Effects of Thawing Procedure and Supplementation on the Motility and Viability of Frozen-thawed Boar Semen

The effect of two thawing procedures on frozen boar semen and supplementations to the fertilization media were studied. Frozen boar semen was thawed using either Percoll gradient or phosphate buffered saline (PBS)procedure. Supplementations were 1.0 mM L-glutamate, 1.0 mM N-acetylcysteine (NAC) , and 1.0 mM NAC-amide (NACA). Spermatozoa were analyzed for forward progressive motility (FPM) and viability every 0.5 h for 3 .0 h post-thawing. There were significantly (P \u3c 0.05) higher numbers of viable (76.0 ± 5.1 %) and FPM (30 .0 ± 2.4%) spermatozoa at 3.0 h post thawing using the PBS procedure compared to the Percoll gradient thawed spermatozoa (65.0 ± 3.9%; 10.0 ± 4.5 %, respectively). Supplementation of 1.0 mM L-glutamate, 1.0 mM NAC, or 1.0 mM NACA had no significant effect on spermatozoa viability regardless of the time post-thaw.Supplementation of 1.0 mM L-glutamate, 1.0 mM NAC , or 1.0 mM NACA had no significant effect on FPM up to 1.0 h post-thaw. Spermatozoa with no supplementation or 1.0 mM L-glutamate had significantly higher (P \u3c 0.05) FPM compared to the 1.0 mM NAC and 1.0 mM NACA supplemented groups at 1.5, 2.0, 2 .5, and 3.0 h post-thaw. There was no significant difference between no supplementation or 1.0 mM L-glutamate on FPM regardless of the time post-thaw. There was no significant difference between 1.0 mM NAC or 1.0 mM NACA on FPM regardless of the time post-thaw. These results indicate that thawing procedure has an effect on spermatozoa viability and FPM but supplementation does not have an effect on the overall viability of spermatozoa during thawing, but may reduce FPM

Photovoltaic module energy rating methodology development

A consensus-based methodology to calculate the energy output of a PV module will be described in this paper. The methodology develops a simple measure of PV module performance that provides for a realistic estimate of how a module will perform in specific applications. The approach makes use of the weather data profiles that describe conditions throughout the US and emphasizes performance differences between various module types. An industry-representative Technical Review Committee has been assembled to provide feedback and guidance on the strawman and final approach used in developing the methodology

Star Formation at z=2.481 in the Lensed Galaxy SDSS J1110+6459, I: Lens Modeling and Source Reconstruction

Using the combined resolving power of the Hubble Space Telescope and gravitational lensing, we resolve star-forming structures in a z~2.5 galaxy on scales much smaller than the usual kiloparsec diffraction limit of HST. SGAS J111020.0+645950.8 is a clumpy, star forming galaxy lensed by the galaxy cluster SDSS J1110+6459 at z = 0.659, with a total magnification ~30x across the entire arc. We use a hybrid parametric/non-parametric strong lensing mass model to compute the deflection and magnification of this giant arc, reconstruct the light distribution of the lensed galaxy in the source plane, and resolve the star formation into two dozen clumps. We develop a forward-modeling technique to model each clump in the source plane. We ray trace the model to the image plane, convolve with the instrumental point spread function (PSF), and compare with the GALFIT model of the clumps in the image plane, which decomposes clump structure from more extended emission. This technique has the advantage, over ray tracing, by accounting for the asymmetric lensing shear of the galaxy in the image plane and the instrument PSF. At this resolution, we can begin to study star formation on a clump-by-clump basis, toward the goal of understanding feedback mechanisms and the buildup of exponential disks at high redshift.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, accepted to Ap