Effect of daily movement of dairy cattle to fresh grass in morning or afternoon on intake, grazing behaviour, rumen fermentation and milk production

Twenty Holstein cows were split into two equal groups to test the effect of daily move to a previously ungrazed strip after morning milking (MA) or afternoon milking (AA) on herbage intake, grazing behaviour, rumen characteristics and milk production using a randomized block design with three periods of 14 days each. Milking took place at 06.00 and 16.00 h. The chemical composition of grass was similar between treatments, but an interaction between treatment and time of sampling was found in all variables except acid detergent lignin (ADL). The most pronounced differences existed in sugar content. Grass sugar content was greatest following afternoon milking. However, the difference in sugar content in grass was much larger in MA (158 v 114 g/kg dry matter (DM) at 16.00 and 06.00 h, respectively) than in AA (147 v 129 g/kg DM at 16.00 and 06.00 h, respectively). Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) was significantly higher at 06.00 h than at 16.00 h (469 v 425 g/kg DM) in AA, but was equal between morning and afternoon in MA (453 g/kg DM). Herbage intake, determined using the n-alkane technique, did not differ between treatments. Grazing behaviour observed using IGER graze recorders were similar between treatments, except for ruminating time, bite rate and the number of ruminations and boli per period of the day. However, interactions between treatment and time in grazing behaviour variables were found. Grazing time was longer and number of bites was greater following allocation to a new plot (after milking in the morning in MA or milking in the afternoon in AA) when compared to allocation to the same plot after the subsequent milking per treatment (after milking in the afternoon or morning in MA and AA, respectively). In comparison to AA, grazing time in MA was more evenly distributed during the day but lower during the night. The combined effects of differences in grazing behaviour and chemical composition of the grass between treatments in different periods of the day probably caused higher intake of sugars in AA, resulting in a significantly higher non-glucogenic to glucogenic volatile fatty acid ratio (NGR) in the rumen in AA than MA. Milk fat content was lower in MA than AA, but milk production and milk protein and lactose content did not differ. In conclusion, time of allocation to a fresh plot altered the distribution of grazing behaviour variables over the day, and affected NGR and milk fat content, but herbage intake and milk production were not change

The influence of the method of preservation of forages on the digestion in dairy cows. 2. Digestion of organic matter, energy and amino acids in forestomachs and intestines.

2. Two dairy cows with duodenal reentrant and rumen cannulae were given diets containing artificially dried and pelleted grass (GP), grass silage treated with formic acid (GSF), grass silage treated with a mixture of formic acid and formaldehyde (GSFF) or grass silage without additive (GS). DM intake was 14.8 to 16.0 kg/day and about 30% of the N in the diets was from grass pellets or silages. Between 45 and 57% of the apparently digested organic matter and between 26 and 41% of the apparently digested energy disappeared before the intestines. The higher values were found with GSF and GS.Total amino acid N reaching the duodenum was between 104 and 134% of intake, highest with GP and GSFF. The amounts of individual amino acids reaching the small intestine were from 75 to 270% of the amounts ingested. High values (>150%) were found for glycine, lysine, methionine and tyrosine; low values

Circulating tumor cells and the micro-environment in non-small cell lung cancer

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) have potential for diagnosis, monitoring of therapy response and evaluation of disease evolution. In this thesis we evaluated possible clinical applications of CTC. CTC compared well with other options for ‘liquid biopsies’. CTC could be used to identify patients who had a lower chance to respond to therapy, independent of the treatment group. Unfortunately clinical application remain limited because the low number of CTC that are detected in the blood. Apheresis is a possible solution, as it allows for the screening of a larger volume of blood. In the apheresis product there seem to be sufficient CTC for use clinically, but we are not yet technologically capable of processing the whole product. To better understand how CTC are released in the bloodstream we measured CTC in a peripheral vein and a vessel close to the tumor. During surgery a large amount of epithelial cells (majority without genomic aberrations) were released into the bloodstream. Only a minority was identified in the peripheral vein, indicating a central clearance. Subtypes of lung cancer differed consistently in only a small number of genes, but changes in immune related genes were similar. Especially the antigen presenting genes had a different expression compared to normal tissue and this could be a main method of immune evasion.The composition of the immune infiltrate is also of importance. Smoking seems to influence the immune infiltrate, increasing the cell fractions that are associated with worse survival

Getting Faculty Excited About Your IR…Really? Really!

Why do some repository managers seem to find it so easy to engage their faculty? What are the services and features that make an IR compelling to faculty? Tim Tamminga of bepress has spoken with numerous institutions about their faculty engagement strategies. In this presentation, he will share vignettes of successful faculty engagement from libraries at institutions of all different types and sizes. In addition, Tim will share successful IR talking points for getting your faculty’s attention

Effect of the roughage/concentrate ratio on nitrogen entering the small intestine of dairy cows.

The effect of different roughage:concentrate ratios on N entering the small intestine was studied in groups of 2 to 5 cows with a rumen fistula and re-entrant cannulae at the beginning of the small intestine. In 3 series there were 10 treatments in which DM intake ranged between 3.8 and 15.7 kg daily; the proportion of long roughage in the diet was from 29 to 81%. The apparent digestibility of organic matter (O), crude fibre (XF) and nitrogen-free extracts (XX) was 76, 69 and 81%, respectively. The proportion of the digestion taking place in the stomach was 59, 94 and 76%. A larger proportion of the apparently digestible organic matter tended to be digested in the stomach when there was a larger proportion of long roughage in the diet. The contribution of microbial N to the intestinal N was estimated. From this the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis was estimated and related to the amount of carbohydrates (XF + XX) fermented in the stomach. Per kg carbohydrates fermented, 32 plus or minus 1.5 g microbial N was produced. The percentage of dietary N not degraded in the stomach averaged 30 plus or minus 1.5. Varying the ratio between long roughage and pelleted concentrates seemed to have little effect on the degradation of dietary protein or on the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. With long roughage in the diet between 29 and 81% there seems little effect of varying the roughage:concentrate ratio on the protein supply in dairy cows. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

Belief Dynamics: (Epistemo)logical Investigations

C.S. Peirce's and Isaac Levi's accounts of the belief-doubt-belief model are discussed and evaluated. It is argued that the contemporary study of belief change has metamorphosed into a branch of philosophical logic where empirical considerations have become obsolete. A case is made for reformulations of belief change systems that do allow for empirical tests. Last, a belief change system is presented that (1) uses finite representations of information, (2) can adequately deal with inconsistencies, (3) has finite operations of change, (4) can do without extra-logical elements, and (5) only licenses consistent beliefs

Polymorphic drug metabolising enzymes:Assessment of activities by phenotyping and genotyping in clinical pharmacology

Drug effects (pharmacodynamics) are determined by drug concentration at target site and the affinity of the drug for a target. Pharmacogenetics describes inherited differences in drug metabolising enzyme activities and differences in drug transporters and receptors.Answers were sought on the following questions:1. What is the value of genotyping on polymorphic drug metabolising enzymes compared to the classical phenotyping stategies?2. What is the situation concerning CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 polymorphism in the Dutch population?3. Is knowledge of the individual metaboliser status of CYP2D6 or CYP2C19 valuable in clinical pharmacological research and practice of pharmacotherap

Untimeliness of the Second World War

From Suffering and Survival: The Netherlands, 1940-1945, a four-day conference held at Dordt College in the fall of 1990 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands and the 45th anniversary of The Netherlands\u27 liberation