Turkeying off Sorghums and Proso: A Progress Report

Turkeys have long been used to range stubble fields of wheat, oats, and barley in South Dakota. In so doing, they salvage much grain that would otherwise be wasted. This is one reason why turkey production fits in well with the grain farming in the state. In these experiments, it was thought advisable to go one step further and not only salvage waste grains, but to let the birds harvest the grains themselves. Sooner milo, feterita, amber cane, and proso millet were the grains selected for the trials. The three sorghums were selected as being representative of this crop, which has increased enormously in the number of acres planted. Sorghums are estimated to occupy about 10 percent of the state’s entire cultivated area. Their drouth-resistance and other desirable features are well recognized by South Dakota farmers. Proso millet, while not a sorghum, was included in these experiments because it is an emergency crop. Proso has a short growing period and a low water requirement. The hogging-off of corn and other grains is an established practice. “Turkeying-off” is the term used to describe a similar practice with turkeys. As this is written, there is a scarcity of farm labor. The “turkeying-off” of grain is a labor-saving practice. Its value has been studied at the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station for the past three years. The study is not complete; the results are those obtained to date. Further research may change the picture. The turkeying-off of grains requires planning. For example, the turkeys allowed in a field of ripe standing grain should be able to harvest it all without undue waste, and also plantings should be planned so as to have a succession of grains available for the birds to harvest

Feeding and Management for Egg Production

The purpose of a ration for egg production is two-fold. First, it must furnish the heat required to maintain the body temperature of the chicken at about 106.7 degrees. In addition, the birds need feed for energy and other materials necessary for the maintenance of the body and health. After these body requirements are met, and if proper nutrients are available, the remainder of the feed can be used for the production of eggs. Birds in good production require about two-thirds of all the feed they eat to maintain their bodies. Thus, it can be seen that about one-third more feed will be required to produce 100 to 150 eggs in a year. This amounts to around 30 pounds of feed. If no eggs are obtained, it will take around 50 to 60 pounds of feed to maintain one bird for a year. Most of this is wasted, since the hen will not gain much weight during the year. (See more in text.

Corn and Grain Sorghum Rations with Various Protein Supplements

Grain sorghums are being grown more extensively in many parts of South Dakota . The increased use of grain sorghum has been brought about by the development of early maturing, high yielding sorghum varieties. The following experiment was conducted to study the relative values of ground yellow corn and grain sorghums and also to study the value of various protein supplements

The hospital costs associated with acute paediatric burn injuries

Background. Ongoing rationing of healthcare threatens services that are well established, and cripples others that desperately require investment. Burn, for one, remains a neglected epidemic in South Africa (SA), despite the magnitude of the problem.Objective. To identify the prominent components contributing to the cost of hospital admission with paediatric burn injury. Determining the true costs of specialist services is important, so that resources can be allocated appropriately to achieve the greatest possible impact.Methods. A retrospective study was undertaken over 1 year to determine patient demographics and injury details of 987 patients admitted with burn injuries to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, SA. The in-hospital financial records of 80 randomly selected patients were examined. This was followed by a prospective study to determine the financial implications of four cost drivers, i.e. bed cost per day, costs of medications received, costs of dressings for wound care, and costs of surgical intervention. A random selection of 37 dressing changes (in 31 paediatric patients) and 19 surgical interventions was observed, during which all costs were recorded.Results. As expected, severe flame burns are responsible for more prolonged hospital stays and usually require surgical intervention. Scald burns comprise the greatest proportion of burn injuries, and therefore account for a considerable part of the hospital’s expenditure towards burn care.Conclusion. While community programmes aiming to prevent burn injuries are important, this study motivates for the implementation of accessible ambulatory services in low-income areas. This strategy would enable the burn unit to reduce its costs by limiting unnecessary admissions, and prioritising its resources for those with more severe burn injuries

Enabling Technologies for Silicon Microstrip Tracking Detectors at the HL-LHC

While the tracking detectors of the ATLAS and CMS experiments have shown excellent performance in Run 1 of LHC data taking, and are expected to continue to do so during LHC operation at design luminosity, both experiments will have to exchange their tracking systems when the LHC is upgraded to the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) around the year 2024. The new tracking systems need to operate in an environment in which both the hit densities and the radiation damage will be about an order of magnitude higher than today. In addition, the new trackers need to contribute to the first level trigger in order to maintain a high data-taking efficiency for the interesting processes. Novel detector technologies have to be developed to meet these very challenging goals. The German groups active in the upgrades of the ATLAS and CMS tracking systems have formed a collaborative "Project on Enabling Technologies for Silicon Microstrip Tracking Detectors at the HL-LHC" (PETTL), which was supported by the Helmholtz Alliance "Physics at the Terascale" during the years 2013 and 2014. The aim of the project was to share experience and to work together on key areas of mutual interest during the R&D phase of these upgrades. The project concentrated on five areas, namely exchange of experience, radiation hardness of silicon sensors, low mass system design, automated precision assembly procedures, and irradiations. This report summarizes the main achievements

Surveillance for pancreatic cancer in high-risk individuals

Background Surveillance of individuals at high risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and its precursors might lead to better outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and outcomes of PDAC and high-risk neoplastic precursor lesions among such patients participating in surveillance programmes. Methods A multicentre study was conducted through the International CAncer of the Pancreas Screening (CAPS) Consortium Registry to identify high-risk individuals who had undergone pancreatic resection or progressed to advanced PDAC while under surveillance. High-risk neoplastic precursor lesions were defined as: pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) 3, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia (IPMN) with high-grade dysplasia, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours at least 2 cm in diameter. Results Of 76 high-risk individuals identified in 11 surveillance programmes, 71 had undergone surgery and five had been diagnosed with inoperable PDAC. Of the 71 patients who underwent resection, 32 (45 per cent) had PDAC or a high-risk precursor (19 PDAC, 4 main-duct IPMN, 4 branch-duct IPMN, 5 PanIN-3); the other 39 patients had lesions thought to be associated with a lower risk of neoplastic progression. Age at least 65 years, female sex, carriage of a gene mutation and location of a lesion in the head/uncinate region were associated with high-risk precursor lesions or PDAC. The survival of high-risk individuals with low-risk neoplastic lesions did not differ from that in those with high-risk precursor lesions. Survival was worse among patients with PDAC. There was no surgery-related mortality. Conclusion A high proportion of high-risk individuals who had surgical resection for screening- or surveillance-detected pancreatic lesions had a high-risk neoplastic precursor lesion or PDAC at the time of surgery. Survival was better in high-risk individuals who had either low- or high-risk neoplastic precursor lesions compared with that in patients who developed PDAC