Effect of feeding alfalfa hay or Tifton 85 bermudagrass haylage with or without a cellulase enzyme on performance of Holstein cows

Forty-four lactating Holstein cows (173 ± 30 DIM, 42.5 ± 6.8 kg of milk, 4.03 ± 0.69% fat, 674 ± 78 kg of body weight) were used in an 8-wk, completely randomized trial with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to determine the effect of forage source and supplemental cellulase enzyme on performance. Treatments included 2 forage combinations (corn silage plus 12.2% dry matter, DM, from either alfalfa hay or Tifton 85 bermudagrass haylage) with or without a commercial cellulase enzyme applied to the total mixed ration at the rate of 4 g/head per day (Promote N.E.T.-L, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Minneapolis, MN). Experimental diets were formulated to provide similar concentrations of protein (16.5% of DM), energy (1.63 Mcal of net energy for lactation/kg of DM), and neutral detergent fiber (41.7% of DM) and were fed once daily as a total mixed ration behind Calan doors for ad libitum intake. The cellulase enzyme provided 1,200 cellulase units of activity/g of product and was applied to the total mixed ration and allowed to mix for 5 min before feeding. Before beginning the trial, all cows were trained to use Calan (American Calan, Northwood, NH) doors and then fed the alfalfa hay-based diet for 2 wk. Data collected during wk 2 were used as a covariate in the statistical analysis. At the beginning of the 6-wk experimental period, cows were assigned randomly to 1 of the 4 experimental diets. No interactions were observed between forage and enzyme for any measures. Daily DM intake; milk yield; concentrations of milk fat, true protein, lactose, and solids not fat; energy-corrected milk yield; and dairy efficiency were not different among alfalfa or Tifton 85 bermudagrass rations with or without cellulase enzyme supplementation. The results of this trial indicate that Tifton 85 bermudagrass haylage can replace alfalfa hay in diets fed to high-producing, lactating dairy cows without depressing DM intake or milk yield when rations are balanced for NDF. Although supplemental cellulase enzymes have been shown to improve ration digestibility and animal performance in previous trials, no advantages were observed in the current trial.     

Chemical synthesis and characterization of POSS-functionalized poly[3-hydroxyalkanoates]

A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane containing seven isobutyl groups and one mercaptopropyl group (POSS-SH) was linked via a free radical addition reaction to the side-chain double bonds of bacterial poly[3-hydroxyalkanoate-co-3-hydroxyalkenoate], (PHAE). PHAE with 11.5, 55, 78, and 97 mol% of double bonds were used to produce a series of inorganic-organic hybrid materials, PHAE-POSS, with increasing amounts of POSS. The reactions proceeded with high yields and limited side reactions, confirmed with NMR and GPC experiments. X-ray diffraction and ¹³C solid-state NMR analysis of these nanocomposite materials suggested the favoured crystallization of POSS, with PHAE functioning as a non-crystalline combining matrix. This is in contrast to blends of POSS-SH and PHAE, where incompatibility occurred and the two components crystallized independently. The covalent links between PHAE and POSS imposed spatial constraint which resulted in disordered crystalline POSS domains and limited crystal sizes. With increasing POSS content, the appearance of these POSS-based biopolyesters changed from non-sticky and elastic to brittle and glass-like. The covalent linking of POSS-SH to PHAE increased the heat stability such as glass transitions, and melting points could be tailored between 48 and 120 °C.     

Individuals taking a French driving licence points recovery course: Their attitudes towards violations

This paper sets out to describe the drivers attending driving licence points recovery courses (PRC), in order to modify the psychologist’s approach during the sessions.The paper describes a questionnaire-based survey of a representative sample of 853 drivers taking a “course designed to raise awareness about the causes and consequences of road traffic accidents”. The data are analyzed in part by applying a multiple correspondence analysis.Among those taking part in PRC, recognizing whether they commit violations or not seems to be independent from the perceived probability of sanctioning and the perceived danger. The group of course-takers is divided into two main clusters (“offenders” and “victims”) which require a completely different approach on the part of the training staff.     

Attention paid to feedback provided by a computer-based assessment for learning on information literacy

Three studies are presented on attention paid to feedback provided by a computer-based assessment for learning on information literacy. Results show that the attention paid to feedback varies greatly. In general the attention focuses on feedback of incorrectly answered questions. In each study approximately fifty percent of the respondents paid attention to feedback of incorrect answers only. Approximately another twenty-five percent did not pay attention to feedback at all. Results suggest that differences in attention paid to feedback are influenced by task difficulty and test length. Supervision, however, does not seem to influence the average attention paid to feedback. On the other hand, results show that indirect and direct supervision lead to a greater impact of feedback provided by a computer-based assessment for learning as the number increases of students taking the test and, as a consequence, paying attention to feedback.     

Conditioning-specific reflex modification of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response and heart rate: Behavioral rules, neural substrates, and potential applications to posttraumatic stress disorder.

Interest in classical conditioning is usually focused on anticipatory responses to a stimulus associated with a significant event, and it is assumed that responses to the event itself are reflexive, involuntary, and relatively invariant. However, there is compelling evidence that both the rabbit nictitating membrane response (NMR) and heart rate response (HR), well-known reflexive reactions to aversive events, can change quite dramatically as a function of learning when measured in the absence of the conditioned stimulus. In the case of NMR conditioning, a simple blink is transformed into a larger and more complex response. For HR conditioning, reflexive heart rate acceleration can actually change to heart rate deceleration. In both cases, the reflex comes to resemble the conditioned response and follows some of the same behavioral laws. This change in response to the aversive event itself or weaker forms of that event is called conditioning-specific reflex modification (CRM). CRM may force us to reevaluate the behavioral and neural consequences of classical conditioning and may have important consequences for the treatment of conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Innovative Solutions in Induction Heating for Better Energy Efficiency:Presentation of ISIS Project

The Energy Climate Package is the EU response to the Global Warming Challenge.Induction heating processes can contribute to the energy saving goal:20%saving within 2020.European induction manufacturer already propose many efficient solutions at industrial scale.To improve induction devices for an always better energy efficiency,EDF R&D set up a French cooperative project called ISIS with a financial support of the French National Research Agency.Its objective is to promote induction heating as Best Available Technology(BAT)and to develop innovative solutions to increase its efficiency.The ISIS innovations concern the electroheat conversion of induction devices(auto-adaptive multi-coil power supply,low losses coils)and the recovering of fatally lost energy.This paper shows the mid-term results of this project.Firsts control algorithms were successfully tested on a 100 kW 3-coil power supply.A homogenization technique is proposed to model a multi-strand coil.A heat recovery test bench is build and equipped with a PFC control loop to fit with the production fluctuations.     

Some features of anisothermal solid-state transformations in alloy 718

This paper presents an attempt to use differential thermal analysis to study anisothermal precipitation of both the stable delta and the metastable gamma-second phases during cooling of alloy Inconel 718. Observation of the samples by scanning and transmission electron microscopy was carried out to identify the thermal arrests observed upon cooling. When the upper temperature of the cycle is above the solvus of the delta phase, a clear peak is observed that could be related to precipitation of gamma-second for all the cooling rates used in the present work. When this temperature is below the delta solvus, no thermal arrest can be observed, while when it is close to it two faint peaks were noted and associated with stable and metastable precipitation. The most striking result was that dissolution of the metastable gamma-second phase during the heating stage was found to proceed heterogeneously in the material, and this affected reprecipitation of the phases upon subsequent cooling.