bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Tillage and Herbicides on Weed Control in a Wheat (Triticum aestivum)–Soybean (Glycine max) Rotation
Authors: Wilson Henry P. , Mascianica Martin P. , Hines Thomas E. , Walden Ronald F.
Published: January 2018

Field studies were conducted for 4 yr to investigate the effects of tillage and herbicide programs on weed control and wheat (Triticum aestivumL. ‘Potomac’ in 1981 and ‘Wheeler’ from 1982 to 1984) grain yields in a wheat-soy bean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] double-crop rotation. Predominant weed species were common chickweed [Stellaria media(L.) Vill. # STEME], corn chamomile (Anthemis arvensisL. # ANTAR), and annual bluegrass (Poa annuaL. # POAAN) at the onset of research and cheat (Bromus secalinusL. # BROSE) and soft brome (Bromus mollisL. # BROMO) at the conclusion of the study. Control of all species was excellent with conventional tillage and no-till plus nonselective herbicides but was significantly less with no-till without nonselective herbicides and with minimum tillage. After 4 yr, maximum wheat grain yields were significantly higher in conventional- than in minimum- or no-till systems.
Soil Reception and Activity of Acetochlor, Alachlor, and Metolachlor as Affected by Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Straw and Irrigation
Authors: Banks Philip A. , Robinson Edward L.
Published: January 2018

Acetochlor [2-chloro-N-(ethoxymethyl)-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)acetamide], alachlor [2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-N-(methoxymethyl)acetamide], and metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] were applied in 280 L of water/ha to plots covered with 0 to 6720 kg/ha of wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) straw. At straw levels of 1120 kg/ha or greater, 50% or less of the applied herbicides were received by the soil surface before irrigation. Sprinkle irrigation (1.3 cm) washed 15 to 20% of the originally applied herbicide into the soil regardless of straw level. More metolachlor was retained on the straw than acetochlor or alachlor. Analysis of the wheat straw indicated that little water-extractable herbicide remained for all herbicides. Initial herbicidal activity on grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor(L.) Moench.] was reduced by the presence of wheat straw at the time of application, with acetochlor being least affected and alachlor most affected. Ten days after treatment, less than 10% of the original alachlor and acetochlor remained in the soil. When planted at this time, grain sorghum response was inversely related to the amount of straw mulch that was originally present. Metolachlor residues in the soil on day 10 were 11 to 26% of that on day 0 and there was comparably less reduction in activity on grain sorghum.
Effects of Herbicides on the Survival ofRhizobium japonicumStrains
Authors: Moorman Thomas B.
Published: January 2018

The survival of twoRhizobium japonicumstrains was determined in soils treated with 13 herbicides used in soybeans [Glycine max(L.) Merr.]. Survival in soils treated with concentrations equivalent to or 10-fold greater than those from field applications at recommended rates was compared to survival in untreated soil under controlled temperature and moisture conditions. Nine of the herbicides had transitory or no effects, regardless of rate. Acifluorfen {5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoic acid}, bentazon [3-(1-methylethyl)-(1H)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazin-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide], fluchloralin [N-(2-chloroethyl)-2,6-dinitro-N-propyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenamine], and dinoseb [2-(1-methylpropyl)-4,6-dinitrophenol] consistently reduced survival of one or both strains at rates 10-fold greater than recommended. At rates of application equivalent to suggested field use rates, effects on survival were reduced or eliminated. Reductions in survival attributable to herbicides were in some cases comparable to those obtained by a weekly wetting and drying of the soil, indicating that herbicide effects onR. japonicummay be equivalent in magnitude to effects due to environmental stress. The herbicides were not sufficiently toxic to reduceR. japonicumpopulations in soil to levels that would be likely to affect nodulation.
Occasional Architecture in Seventeenth-Century London
Authors: Stevenson Christine
Published: January 2018

The present essay is mainly concerned with the coronation entries staged for James I and Charles II by the City of London in 1604 and 1661, and especially with the temporary arches made out of wood and canvas and erected to mark nodal points along the routes. These events have been the subjects of scholarship keenly attuned to their place in accessions more than usually demanding upon representations of the king’s majesty, in as much as James was the first Stuart king of England and, by the terms of hereditary monarchy, his grandson’s reign began twelve years before his coronation, at the moment Charles I’s head was severed from the neck. Here, however, the arches will explain, or emblematize, a particular way of conceiving architecture: as an assemblage of readily-dismountable parts like Lego bricks, or like a trophy, the ornamental group of symbolic or typical objects arranged for display. In this kind of architecture ‘classical’ ornament comprises, not the material realization of a stable, rational, and universal intellectual system elsewhere promoted by the early Stuarts’ patronage of Inigo Jones, for example, but what Sir Balthazar Gerbier in 1648 called a ‘true History’ of destruction and triumph, the result of more or less random despoliation and reassembly. What follows is not, therefore, directly concerned with majesty, nor with the arches’ iconography or their audiences, their place in London’s ceremonial geography, nor even their elaboration of the ‘complex relationships between two distinct but interconnected political domains’, the City that built them and the monarchy that graced them.
In Defence of the City: The Gates of London and Temple Bar in the Seventeenth Century
Authors: Mann Emily
Published: January 2018

In the seventeenth century London was a walled city, as it had been since the Romans fortified it around 200 AD. The gates erected by the Romans on the most important routes in and out of the city were rebuilt on their ancient foundations in the medieval period, when posterns (smaller passageways) were added in the wall and a huge ditch was dug around the outside. By the seventeenth century, there were seven principal gates in the old wall: from east to west starting from the Tower, they were Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Moorgate, Cripplegate, Aldersgate, Newgate and Ludgate. On the bridge across the River Thames – the only point of entry to the City from the south – there were two more gates. The ditch, as John Stow recorded in hisSurvey of London(first published in 1598), was ‘of late neglected and forced either to a very narrow, and the same a filthy channel, or altogether stopped up for gardens planted, and houses builded thereon’. This treatment of the ditch points to how the urban fabric had long since pushed through the gates and beyond the old walls; this area ‘without’, but still under the City’s jurisdiction, was known as the Liberties. In Hollar’s map of London in the later seventeenth century (Fig. 1), the walls and gates are a clearly visible feature defining the core of the City, which none the less spreads beyond them, in particular to the west. The limits of the Liberties were marked on main roads by ‘bars’, usually consisting of posts and chains, as at Holborn (to the north) or Whitechapel (to the east). Temple Bar, however, situated on Fleet Street to the west of Ludgate, had been made a gateway by the mid-fourteenth century, a reflection of its importance as the main point of transition between the Cities of London and Westminster. As such Temple Bar was considered one of the City gates; it was the eighth gate in the engraved plate that accompanied John Strype’s version of Stow’sSurvey, published in 1720 (Fig. 2).
Alfred Waterhouse’s Romanesque ‘Temple of Nature’: The Natural History Museum, London
Authors: Bullen J. B.
Published: January 2018

The Natural History Museum in London is a spectacular building in many senses (Fig. 1). As one of the outstanding landmarks of high Victorian architecture, it was designed to draw attention both to itself and to its contents. No other museum building in Britain adopted a Romanesque style on this scale; no other building had used terracotta in such a rich and decorative manner, and no other building (other than, perhaps, the University Museum, Oxford) so curiously employed external decoration to illustrate its internal function. It was calculated to appeal to a wide public and its animal sculpture was selfconsciously didactic in the way in which a number of contemporary museum buildings were created to a programme. Planned as a showcase for the nation’s imperial scientific achievements, its appearance was strongly ecclesiastical. When it opened in 1881, The Times leader called it a ‘true Temple of Nature’, which, the writer said, demonstrated ‘the Beauty of Holiness’. But for many visitors in 1881 Nature had abandoned the temple for wilder places; she had bloodied her claws, and the beauty of holiness had been replaced by the more severe, mechanistic principles formulated by Charles Darwin.

The concept of a large museum of natural history was the inspiration of the great naturalist Richard Owen. It was also the crowning achievement of his lifetime in science. The ‘Temple of Nature’ that Alfred Waterhouse built for him embodied Owen’s belief that the history of the natural world was not a matter of randomness and chance but the creation of a transcendent presence. In other words, the Natural History Museum is the expression of an ideology, and its shape, size, position, style and decoration are charged with legible meanings. Some of those meanings are readily interpreted, others less so, and although the building history of the museum has been well documented, many questions remain. Why, for example, was Waterhouse chosen as its architect? What spurred him on to use terracotta in such an original way? And above all why did he risk the unusual Romanesque style? The choice of Romanesque for such a building, although it was later imitated elsewhere, was highly original. But that choice was conditioned by a substantial web of aesthetic, social, and political factors. The Natural History Museum was not just Waterhouse’s creation; it was very much the product of its time. It was born of national and local politics; it was shaped by Owen’s unusual position in the scientific world, and it was an expression of Waterhouse’s passion for early medieval architecture.
Architectural History and the Colonial Question: Casablanca, Algiers and Beyond
Authors: Cohen Jean-Louis
Published: January 2018

The last decade has seen an explosion of scholarly works dealing with colonial architecture and town planning, a domain previously marginal in the historiography. In any case it has aroused the attention of ever more numerous researchers, a fact that has stimulated this attempt to take stock of it, by drawing on cases studied by this author in his own work. The exploration of colonialism now constitutes a significant field of doctoral research, of studies associated with the identification and protection of built heritage, and tends to mould new images in the history of architecture from the last few centuries. In actual fact, the innumerable works on the twentieth century – the subject here – comprise only a fraction of all the studies concerning nearly five centuries of colonization, if the beginning of the colonial era is identified with the discovery of America and the establishment of the first European trading posts in Africa.
Automated robotic monitoring and inspection of steel structures and bridges
Authors: La Hung Manh , Dinh Tran Hiep , Pham Nhan Huu , Ha Quang Phuc , Pham Anh Quyen
Published: January 2018

This paper presents visual and 3D structure inspection for steel structures and bridges using a developed climbing robot. The robot can move freely on a steel surface, carry sensors, collect data and then send to the ground station in real-time for monitoring as well as further processing. Steel surface image stitching and 3D map building are conducted to provide a current condition of the structure. Also, a computer vision-based method is implemented to detect surface defects on stitched images. The effectiveness of the climbing robot's inspection is tested in multiple circumstances to ensure strong steel adhesion and successful data collection. The detection method was also successfully evaluated on various test images, where steel cracks could be automatically identified, without the requirement of some heuristic reasoning.
Effect of Intraduodenal Starch Infusion on Net Portal Absorption of Amino Acids in Growing steers Fed Lucerne
Authors: Seal C.J. , Parker D.S. , MacRae J.C. , Lobley G.E.
Published: January 2018

Amino acid requirements for energy metabolism and protein turnover within the gastrointestinal tract are substantial and may be met from luminal and arterial pools of amino acids. Several studies have demonstrated that the quantity of amino acids appearing in the portal blood does not balance apparent disappearance from the intestinal lumen and that changing diet or the availability of energy-yielding substrates to the gut tissues may influence the uptake of amino acids into the portal blood (Seal & Reynolds, 1993). For example, increased net absorption of amino acids was observed in animals receiving exogenous intraruminal propionate (Seal & Parker, 1991) and this was accompanied by changes in glucose utilisation by the gut tissues. In contrast, there was no apparent change in net uptake of [l-13C]-leucine into the portal vein of sheep receiving short term intraduodenal infusions of glucose (Piccioli Cappelli et al, 1993). This experiment was designed to further investigate the effects on amino acid absorption of changing glucose availability to the gut with short term (seven hours) or prolonged (three days) exposure to starch infused directly into the duodenum.
Food bulk: Its measurements and their relationship to the voluntary food intake of pigs
Authors: Kyriazakis I. , Emmans G.C. , Horgan G.W.
Published: January 2018

When a highly digestible food is progressively diluted with one of greater ‘bulk’ the prevailing view is that the rate of food intake will initially increase at such a rate such that DE intake remains constant and, that beyond a critical point, intake of food and DE will fall as the dilution proceeds further. The critical point has been assumed to reflect the capacity of the pig for ‘bulk’. Current models which attempt to predict the voluntary food intake (VFI) of pigs use either food dry matter (DM) as a measure of bulk (eg Whittemore, 1983) or the undigested organic matter (eg Roan, 1991), or ignore the problem (ARC, 1981). It has long been known however, that such views are likely to be inadequate across the complete range of foods (eg the significant reduction in VFI of pigs on foods based on sugar beet pulp, compared to that on other more undigestible materials).

The experiment described here was designed (i) to try to identify the property of ‘bulky’ foods which might be responsible for limiting their VFI and (ii) to see the extent to which the capacity for a ‘bulky’ food might be modified by prior experience.
Cortisol Response of Sows to Alternative Farrowing Systems
Authors: Rudd A.R. , Mendl M.T. , Broom D.M. , Simmins P.H.
Published: January 2018

Variation in circulating Cortisol is often used as an indicator of stress in farm animals. In this study the variation in baseline salivary Cortisol of farrowing and lactating sows was examined, to assess their physiological response to three different farrowing systems. It was part of a larger project examining alternative farrowing systems.

Three farrowing systems in neighbouring rooms were compared. In two systems the sows were loose-housed and could move freely: five strawed pens (2.5m x 1.5m) with farrowing rail (Pen), and five crates modified to allow the sows to walk through (Free Crate). Sows had access via a passageway to a transponder-controlled feeder and a north facing outside area with two water drinkers.
The Efficacy of Citric Acid Mycelium in the Prevention of Uptake and the Removal of Caesium137 in Sheep
Authors: Owens P.A. , Telfer S.B. , Johnson C.L
Published: January 2018

The Chernobyl nuclear power station accident in April 1986, resulted in widespread deposition of radionuclides across Europe and the Former Soviet Union. The radionuclides 1-131, Cs-134 and Cs-137 are of particular concern as a potential health hazard due to their accumulation in the plant-animal-human food chain.

Due to the long half life of Cs-137 (30 years), contaminated regions will take several years to return to evels prior to the accident.
Developmental Disorders Limiting Productivity in Poultry
Authors: Whitehead Colin C.
Published: January 2018

The success of the poultry industry since the end of the Second World War has been based very considerably upon the introduction of increasingly productive strains of birds. This has been achieved by intensive selection for productive characteristics such as growth rate, meat yield and egg productivity. However this emphasis on production attributes seems to have resulted in birds that have pronounced weaknesses in other characteristics that become manifest in a range of metabolic disorders. The severity and impact of these disorders is such that there needs to be a re-evaluation of the basis for continued genetic development of poultry stock.

The main metabolic disorders affecting modern poultry are those involving skeletal and cardiac systems. There are three main types of skeletal disorder: bone growth abnormality in meat poultry, bone fragility in laying hens and cartilage disorders in heavy breeding birds. The main cardiac disorders are ascites and sudden death syndrome.
Effect of Forage:Concentrate Ratios in the diet and Intake Restriction on the Rumen Fermentation and Hormone Profiles of Finishing Beef Steers.
Authors: Thorp C.L. , Steen R.W.J. , Wylie A.R.G. , McEvoy J.D. , Shaw C.
Published: January 2018

Studies have shown that reducing energy intake by restricting dry matter intake (DMI) at a constant forage: concentrate (F:C) ratio is more effective at increasing carcass lean and reducing carcass fat content than is reducing energy intake by increasing the F:C ratio (1). Research at this Institute has also shown that, per megajoule of digestible energy (DE), diets restricted in this manner are 45 % more efficient at producing carcass lean.

The mechanism by which these methods of restriction result in these differences in carcass composition has previously been assumed to be that of rumen fermentation. More recently however, the significance of rumen fermentation in controlling the carcass composition of beef cattle has been questioned (2,3).

The aim of this experiment was to examine the effect of decreasing the F:C ratio, at constant DE and DMI, on both rumen and endocrinological parameters, in particular the hormones insulin and insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), in finishing beef steers.
The effect of pre-ovulatory nutrition on the subsequent development of superovulated sheep ova in an in vitro culture system.
Authors: Creed J. , McEvoy T.G. , Robinson J.J. , Aitken R.P. , Palmer R.M. , Robertson I.
Published: January 2018

Superovulatory treatments for ewes are normally preceded by a period of priming. In a recent study involving two contrasting levels of feeding (0.6 versus 2.4 x maintenance), McEvoy et al (1993) observed that the higher level of feeding suppressed pre-ovulatory plasma progesterone concentrations and the subsequent early development and viability of fertilized ova. This finding suggests that there is a need to reconsider the recommendation, based on data for spontaneously-ovulating ewes, that ‘superovulated embryo donor ewes’ should be maintained on a high level of feeding during the period of oocyte maturation. It also raises questions regarding the form of the relationship between food intake and plasma progesterone concentrations over the wide range of feeding levels that occur in practice. The aims of the present study were therefore two-fold; firstly, to investigate the relationship between level of feeding and plasma progesterone for feed intakes that ranged from 0.6 x maintenance (M) to 2.4 M and secondly to assess the effect of pre-ovulatory feeding levels on the number, quality and viability of ova produced following superovulation.
Effect of Proteinated Minerals and Yeast Culture on Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Fattening Heifers
Authors: Fallon R.J. , Drennan M. , Boland M.P.
Published: January 2018

Feed additives which enhance the growth rate of beef cattle during the fattening period would be of benefit to the industry. The effects of dietary supplementation with “Bio-Boost Plus”, a product containing mineral proteinates (Cu, Zn, Mn) and yeast culture on heifer growth rate and carcass characteristics were examined. The response to the inclusion of yeast culture in the diet of fattening cattle was a 7.5% increase when averaged over sixteen different studies (Wallace and Newbold, 1993). It was postulated that the response to yeast culture would be increased with the inclusion of proteinated minerals Cu, Zn and Mn to the daily diet.

Seventy two 16 month old continental cross heifers with an initial liveweight of 393 kg were assigned on a liveweight basis to one of two treatments: a) control - diet consisting of grass silage ad libitum plus 3 kg of concentrates per head per day; b) Bio-Boost Plus - control diet supplemented with 15 g of Bio-Boost Plus per head per day. Heifers were group penned according to treatment (8 pens of 9 animals) for the 131 day experimental period. The daily concentrate (rolled barley 900, soyabean meal 80 and minerals and vitamins 20 g/kg) allowance was offered in one feed each morning and the Bio-Boost Plus was added as a top dressing to the concentrate.
Comparative Digestibility of Fresh Herbage Cut at Two Maturity Stages by Two Breeds of Sheep
Authors: Giráldez F.J. , López S. , González J.S. , Mantecó A.R.
Published: January 2018

Evidence has been provided for important morphophysiological variations of the digestive system of the different species of ruminants (Hofmann, 1989). These variations are a consequence of the ecophysiologycal adaptation and diversification of ruminants, and are related to feeding behaviour and digestive physiology. Ruminants of different feeding types have gained ecological advantage, which determines that some species are better adapted than others for each specific situation. Some recent studies have shown that important variations may also occur between breeds within each ruminant specie (Carro et al., 1993; Silanikove et al., 1993). The present work was conducted to study differences between Churra (CHR) and Merino (MER) sheep in digestibility and rumen degradation characteristics of fresh herbage harvested at different maturity stages.

The experiment comprised two digestion trials. Each trial was conducted with twelve mature CHR sheep (mean live-weight (LW)= 48 kg (SE 1.8)) and twelve mature MER sheep (LW = 46 kg (SE 1.2)). Animals were fed on fresh herbage harvested from a sward which consisted of a mixture of grasses and clover. Herbage for the first trial was harvested in early June (early cut EC), whereas the herbage used in the second trial was cut in late July (late cut LC). After cutting, the herbage was chopped (5-10 cm) before feeding to the animals. Within each trial, animals of each breed were randomly allocated to six feeding levels (ranging from 8.1 to 24.7 g forage DM/kg LW/day).
Feeding African Palm Oil and Gliricidia Sepium to Dairy Cattle in the Tropics
Authors: Margerison J. K. , Preston T. R. , Phillips C. J. C.
Published: January 2018

The advancement of ‘self reliance’ in developing counties is essential to their future success. This can be achieved by reducing their dependence on imported products, such as concentrate feeds made from imported materials. If this is to be accomplish alternative feed resources must be identified and developed. In topical environments oil producing plants and leguminous fodder trees are abundant and represent an existing feed resource which can be utilized. These feeds are capable of providing a sustainable alternative to imported feeds, as they are inherent to these environments and economic to produce.

The aim was to assess the possibility of the complete replacement of concentrate with African Palm Oil and Gliricidia sepium.

A total of sixty six cows were used in two experiments which were completed simultaneously on two separate farms. The cows were allocated to the experimental diets 20 days post-partum and the treatment groups were balanced for previous lactation yield, the number of previous parturitions, calving index and condition score.
The effect of prior training of broiler chickens on diet selection using whole wheat
Authors: Covasa M. , Forbes J.M.
Published: January 2018

It has been suggested that female broiler chickens, having lower growth potential, are overprovided with dietary protein and that they will benefit more than males from a choice between a commercial standard food and whole wheat. The need for an initial learning period, before animals make ‘correct’ dietary choices has been emphasised (Mastika and Cumming, 1987; Rose and Kyriazakis, 1991; Shariatmadari and Forbes, 1991), but the problem of predicting the amount of necessary sampling, the method of learning and consequently the length of the experience period, or how often it has to be repeated, remained to be considered.

Therefore, the present experiment was designed to study whether birds need a learning period when presented with two foods, a commercial standard food (N) and whole wheat (W) in a choice feeding system.
Meal patterns in pregnancy and lactation of two spanish sheep breeds
Authors: Amor J. , Barrio J.P. , Bermúdez F.F.
Published: January 2018

The majority of the studies on the feeding behaviour during pregnancy and lactation have been made in cows, being information on sheep scarce and generally limited to daily food intake (Bermúdez, 1989). During pregnancy and lactation variations do occur in nutrient requirements that markedly influence food intake. There is sometimes a small increase in intake in mid-pregnancy, and then a slight decline in the last few weeks before parturition is often observed (Forbes, 1970). This has been explained by the reduced ruminal function due to physical competition for abdominal space. The volume of the gravid uterus and abdominal fat contribute to compress the rumen, this effect being enhanced when bulky food is eaten. After lambing food intake always increases, but not in a way so as to match the high energy requirements of this stage. All these changes are expected to affect size and duration of meals, as well as the rate of eating.

The aim of this experiment was to study the variation in eating patterns along pregnancy and lactation of two Spanish sheep breeds: Churra, a dairy breed, and Merino. The influence of the presentation of feed was also studied.
Effects on ewe and lamb performance of supplementing housed twin bearing/rearing crossbred ewes with self-help feed-blocks and liquid feed during late pregnancy and early lactation
Authors: Merrell B. G. , Marsh S. P.
Published: January 2018

Twin-bearing crossbred ewes may be supplemented for a total period of up to 12 weeks during late pregnancy and early lactation, with feeding costs in some systems accounting for approximately 0.45 of variable costs. A less expensive mean of supplementing ewes over this period would be one practical way of reducing a major variable cost. Self-help feed-blocks have been successfully fed to hill ewes for many years and there is increasing evidence that a self-help feed-block system has applications within the more productive crossbred flocks. An experiment was undertaken which determined the effects on ewe and lamb performance of supplementing twin bearing/rearing Mule ewes with self-help feed-blocks and liquid feed during late pregnancy and early lactation. These systems were compared with the more traditional system of feeding compound nuts.

Sixty six twin-bearing Scotch Mule ewes per treatment in three pens were fed a basal diet of ad libitum baled grass/clover silage (dry matter (DM) 366 g/kg, pH 5.4, NH3N 71 g/kg, crude protein (CP) 155 g/kg DM and metabolisable energy (ME) 10.1 MJ/kg DM) supplemented with either a proprietary compound sheep nut (N), a reduced rate (approximately 0.60 of N) of the compound nut plus feed-blocks (NB) or feed-blocks plus liquid feed (BL).
An evaluation of molassed sugar beet feed and distillers barley dark grains as concentrate supplements for out-wintered single-bearing hill ewes during late pregnancy
Authors: Merrell B. G. , Hyslop J. J.
Published: January 2018

Supplementing hill ewes during late pregnancy with hay plus self-help feed-blocks is an established feeding system. However, there is considerable individual and seasonal variation in feed-block intake (Lippert and Milne, 1986) which can limit their effectiveness. This experiment evaluated an alternative system for supplementing hill ewes, during late pregnancy (6 weeks before lambing), based on molassed sugar beet feed (MSBF).

One hundred and eighteen single-bearing Swaledale ewes were allocated to one of two treatments; 1. Control - supplemented with hay plus feed-blocks (HB), 2. Supplemented initially with MSBF (nuts), being replaced by a blend (50:50 fresh weight basis) of MSBF and pelleted distillers barley grains (BDG) (MSBF/BDG).

The experiment commenced on 18 February 1993. Hay feeding was restricted to 300 g/head/day (HB). High energy (HE) and extra high energy (EHE) feed-blocks, were offered free access (at a rate of one block per 20 ewes). MSBF and MSBF/BDG were fed at a flat rate of 375 g/head/day. HE and MSBF were fed between 18 February and 26 March, being replaced by EHE and MSBF/BDG between 27 March and 10 May. Crude protein (g/kg dry matter (DM)) and metabolisable energy (MJ/kg DM) values were 144 and 9.2; 174 and 9.4; 178 and 10.2; 108 and 12.5; 174 and 12.8 for hay, HE, EHE, MSBF and MSBF/BDG respectively. The ewes were out-wintered on hill grazings.
Effect of clover content in the diet on the performance of weaned lambs on grass/clover swards previously grazed by goats or sheep
Authors: del Pozo M. , Wright I.A. , Colgrove P. , Whyte T.K.
Published: January 2018

The botanical species composition achieved in sown swards is largely a result of plant factors such as capacity for growth of the component species, their competitive interaction and sward canopy structure interacting with the different diet selection patterns of the grazing animals. These interactions not only control the subsequent development of plant species and their contribution to overall sward composition but also affect animal outputs.

Sown swards offer a simple model to test hypotheses for understanding diet selection and foraging strategy of novel farm animal species like goats (Gordon and lllius, 1992). Their apparent selection against legumes in temperate grasslands (Clark et al., 1982), as compared to sheep, may offer opportunities for differential niche use by sheep and goats on grass/clover pastures. This could lead to increase clover contents in grass/clover swards and enhanced animal production. Previous field studies indicate that lambs in particular gain more live-weight when grazing swards with a higher clover content (Vipond et al., 1993).
Oestrous Activity and Ovulation Rate in Rasa Aragonesa Ewes Maintained at two Different Body Condition Levels
Implanted or Reimplanted in the Seasonal Anoestrus with Exogenous Melatonin
Authors: Zarazaga L. , Rondon Z. , Forcada F. , Abecia J.A. , Sanz M.A.
Published: January 2018

The effects of melatonin implants in advancing the breeding season and enhancing both ovulation rate (OR) and litter size in the ewe are well documented (Haresign et al., 1990; López and Inskeep, 1991). Likewise, oestrous activity and OR in the early breeding season can be stimulated by a moderately and constant body condition (BC) in Mediterranean sheep breeds (Forcada et al., 1992). However, little information is available in relation to the effect of nutritional status in ewes receiving exogenous melatonin on reproductive parameters. The present study was carried out to determine the effects of a constant BC throughout the year, and implant or reimplant of exogenous melatonin on onset of oestrous activity and OR in a reduced seasonality sheep breed.

The experiment was designed as a 2x2 factorial. Factors were two constant BC levels (≤2.50; L, and ≥2.75; H) and two forms of melatonin treatment (one implant -Melovine™- placed the 8th April; M, and a second implant 49 days later; 2M).
Use of Radiophosphorus Kinetics in the Blood of Sheep to Compare Four Sources of Supplementary Phosphorus
Authors: Abdalla A.L. , Vitti D.M.S.S.
Published: January 2018

Dicalcium phosphate accounts for 70% of the total costs of mineral mixtures in Brazil and studies have been made of the use of alternative supplementary phosphorus sources for ruminants (SILVA FILHO et al, 1992). The aim of this work was to evaluate monoammonium phosphate (MAP), triple superphosphate (TSP) and Tapira rock phosphate (TRP) as alternative P sources to the expensive dicalcium phosphate (DCP) by studying the kinetics of radiophosphorus (32P) in the blood of sheep given such supplements.
Interference of Selected Weeds in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)
Authors: Byrd John D. , Coble Harold D.
Published: January 2018

In 1987 and 1988, effects of full-season interference of individual weeds on cotton yield were measured with area of influence procedures. In 1987, one spurred anoda, common cocklebur, large crabgrass, jimsonweed, common lambsquarters, redroot pigweed, common ragweed, or prickly sida plant per 3 m of row reduced cotton yield between 1% and 7%. Sicklepod did not cause a detectable yield loss. Redroot pigweed, common cocklebur and common ragweed caused 7%, 6% and 5% yield loss, respectively, in 1987. In row weed influence varied from 17 cm (large crabgrass interference) to 86 cm (common cocklebur interference). In 1988, yield losses by individual weeds ranged from 3% to 27%. Common cocklebur, jimsonweed, and common ragweed reduced cotton yields 28%, 15% and 12%, respectively. Spurred anoda and common cocklebur influenced 160 cm and 136 cm of cotton row, respectively. Sicklepod influenced only 47 cm of cotton row.
A Field Method for Predicting Yield Losses in Maize Caused by Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense)
Authors: Ghersa Claudio M. , Martinez-Ghersa Maria A.
Published: January 2018

The objective of this research was to modify the senior author's previously developed method for predicting yield losses in maize crops attributable to johnsongrass. The new method is based on the following assumptions: a) relative leaf frequency determines relative biomass; b) total biomass is constant despite the crop/weed ratio; and c) biomass, and therefore leaf frequency, are related to grain yield. Experiments in Argentina from 1986 to 1989 supported the above hypotheses, and the new method was more accurate than the old for predicting relative species biomass in johnsongrass/maize mixtures. Maize grain yield reductions associated with weed interference were also more accurately predicted.
Sethoxydim and Broadleaf Herbicide Interaction Effects on Annual Grass Control in Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)
Authors: Grichar W. James
Published: January 2018

Control of Texas panicum and southern crabgrass with sethoxydim was reduced under field conditions when bentazon, acifluorfen, bentazon + acifluorfen, pyridate, or naptalam plus 2,4-DB was added. The addition of lactofen to sethoxydim did not result in antagonism. Complete control of annual grasses did not appear to be a necessity in order to improve peanut yields. Peanut yields in plots with 70 to 80% control of annual grasses were comparable to those where annual grass control was 99%.
Tolerance of Sweet Corn (Zea mays) to Clopyralid and EF-689
Authors: Masiunas John B. , Orfanedes Michael S.
Published: January 2018

Two experiments were conducted. The first experiment compared sweet corn tolerance to clopyralid at 0.2 to 1.1 kg ha-1, EF-689 at 0.07 to 0.6 kg ha-1 and 2,4-D at either 0.3 or 0.6 kg ha-1. Sweet corn tolerated all rates of clopyralid. EF-689 at 0.2 kg ha-1 or greater caused stalk curvature, stunting, and yield reductions. Stalk curvature also resulted from 2,4-D, but not stunting or yield reductions. The second experiment determined the effect of sweet corn genotype and growth stage at application on injury from EF-689. Injury was genotype and growth stage dependent. Stalk curvature was most severe from treatments 6 wk after emergence, whereas the greatest stunting was from treatments at 4 wk. ‘Supreme’ had the least and ‘Maple Sweet’ the most stalk curvature.
Itchgrass (Rottboellia cochinchinensis) Control Options in Soybean (Glycine max)
Authors: Griffin James L.
Published: January 2018

In field studies trifluralin and pendimethalin at 1.7 kg ai ha-1applied PPI controlled itchgrass 87 and 78%, respectively, in late season when averaged over a 2-yr period. Clomazone at 1.1 kg ai ha-1applied PRE to the soil surface in one year controlled 80% of itchgrass compared with 51% when applied PPI. POST application of 0.15 kg ai ha-1fluazifop-P, 0.21 kg ai ha-1haloxyfop, 0.10 kg ai ha-1quizalofop, and 1.1 kg ai ha-1diclofop controlled at least 90%. Itchgrass control was less effective with 0.43 kg ai ha-1sethoxydim and 0.07 kg ai ha-1clethodim POST and poor with 0.15 kg ai ha-1imazaquin and 0.07 kg ai ha-1imazethapyr.
Differential Response of Soybean (Glycine max) Cultivars to AC 263,222
Authors: Wixson Marshall B. , Shaw David R.
Published: January 2018

Thirty soybean cultivars were grown in a hydroponic culture to observe differential tolerance to AC 263,222. Root length was reduced with 1.1 mM AC 263,222 in 18 of the 30 cultivars. ‘Bedford’, ‘Asgrow 5403’, and ‘Asgrow 6297’ were cultivars with a root length reduction of 30% or more, whereas roots of ‘DPL 506’, ‘RA 606’, and ‘Coker 6727’ were reduced less than 7%. Root weight was reduced in only 10 of the 30 cultivars. Asgrow 6297, ‘Bragg’, and ‘Narow’ root weights were reduced more than 20%. Shoot weight was reduced in 23 cultivars, and ‘Coker 6955’, ‘Braxton’, ‘Coker 485’, ‘Epps', and Coker 6727 shoots were reduced more than 25%. The most tolerant cultivars were ‘Centennial’, RA 606, ‘Tracy M’, ‘Johnston’, and ‘Hartz 7126’. The most sensitive cultivars to AC 263,222 with all response variables measured were Bedford, Asgrow 6297, Asgrow 5403, Coker 6955, Narow, Bragg, and Braxton. These cultivars all have ‘Jackson’ as a common parent. This suggests a genetic basis for AC 263,222 sensitivity in soybean.
Use of a Grower Survey for Estimating Weed Problems
Authors: Loux Mark M. , Berry Mary Ann
Published: January 2018

A random mail survey of Ohio growers was conducted to determine the geographic distribution of weeds across Ohio and the influence of production practices on the severity of agronomic weed problems. Statewide, the ten most severe weed problems, in descending order, were Canada thistle > foxtail spp. > velvetleaf = common ragweed > common cocklebur > giant ragweed = annual morningglory spp. > quackgrass = common lambsquarters = Pennsylvania smartweed. Distribution of most weeds varied geographically. Infestations of common and honeyvine milkweeds, hemp dogbane, and tree seedlings increased as tillage was reduced. Infestations of common cocklebur and common ragweed decreased as tillage was reduced. As crop rotation became more diverse, infestations of velvetleaf, common cocklebur, giant ragweed, Pennsylvania smartweed, and jimsonweed decreased. Where rotations included forage or hay crops, infestations of large crabgrass, common chickweed, wild carrot, and common dandelion increased.
Dwarf Snapdragon – The Railroad Weed
Authors: Arnold Robert M.
Published: January 2018

Believed native to the Mediterranean region, dwarf snapdragon [Chaenorrhinum minus (L.) Lange ♯ CHNMI] was introduced into North America in the late 19th century. Since its introduction, it has spread, mainly along railroad lines, to at least 30 states as far west as Kansas and Nebraska. Increased use of herbicides by railroad companies has resulted in a marked decrease in its abundance in recent years.
Seed germination of 53 species from the globally critically imperiled pine rockland ecosystem of South Florida, USA: effects of storage, phylogeny and life-history traits
Authors: Salazar Ana , Maschinski Joyce , Possley Jennifer , Heineman Katherine
Published: January 2018

Germination studies at the community level are crucial for understanding and predicting changes in species distribution patterns, particularly in endangered plant communities. We investigated the effects of dry (11–25% relative humidity) and freezing (–18°C) storage conditions, phylogeny and plant life-history traits (life-form, life-span, microhabitat and seed dispersal mode) on seed germination percentage (GP) and time to reach 50% germination (T50) of 53 species native to pine rocklands in South Florida, USA, a globally critically imperiled ecosystem. Most species we studied (68%) withstood dry and freezing storage conditions and thus ex situ seed banking can assist their long-term conservation. Bayesian mixed effect models revealed that there was a significant phylogenetic signal in GP and T50 across species. Life-history covariates did not explain significant additional variation in GP in models controlling for the phylogenetic relationships among species. T50 differed among species with contrasting dispersal modes, with animal-dispersed seeds exhibiting more delayed germination than wind-dispersed or unassisted seeds. Differential germination responses across species with different seed dispersal modes have implications for potential shifts in species composition under disturbance and climate change. Thus, knowledge of species-relatedness and some life-history traits such as seed dispersal mode can significantly assist management decisions regarding seed storage and conservation of subtropical endangered plants.
Changing Notions of the Governance–Creativity Nexus
Authors: Bleiklie Ivar
Published: January 2018

This article presents two different perspectives on the relation between university governance and creativity. It argues that although perceptions of the relation between European university governance and creativity differ and vary over time, the space for creativity also seems to have been shaped by some common factors: fragmented authority structures, support and protection by centres of economic and political power, and values emphasizing openness and tolerance for new ideas. The importance and interplay between these factors have varied over time. This is illustrated by contrasting two examples of the development of the European university: Perkin’s historical perspective on universities in Medieval Europe and the modern university – as it has developed from about 1800 until today.
Creativity, Risk and the Research Impact Agenda in the United Kingdom
Authors: Power Michael
Published: January 2018

This article describes the recent requirement for UK universities to account for the social and economic impact of their research, and asks whether this impact agenda may change the conduct of research itself. Three critical issues are highlighted: the epistemology of impact; the problem of quantifying qualities; and the likelihood of impact growing in significance and changing the landscape of research – so-called ‘impact creep’. Overall, the article identifies some features of the research impact agenda that pose risks to creativity and risk-taking by academics.
Compliance and Creativity: Dilemmas for University Governance
Authors: Scott Peter
Published: January 2018

The contemporary university is subject to two, apparently contradictory, forces. The first is the drive towards the modernisation of its governance and management, often in ways that reflect corporate structures more familiar in the private sector (and other parts of the reformed public sector). This drive has been accompanied by the growth of performance management, both of institutions and individual teachers and researchers; the more prescriptive identification of goals and targets (at the expense, perhaps, of traditional notions of autonomy and academic freedom); and more explicit – and intrusive? – forms of audit, accountability and evaluation. The other force is the development of new modes of learning, a more open curriculum and more distributed patterns of research. Examples include the popularity of (technology-enhanced) self-directed learning, the growth of massive open online courses (MOOCs), the spread of open-source publication and greater emphasis on the impact and application of research. Both forces reflect deep-rooted changes in the nature of modern higher education and research systems, and it would be misleading to see them as always or inevitably in conflict. However, they do pose new dilemmas about how to maintain an appropriate balance between the necessary management of the large, complex and heterogeneous organisations that modern universities have become and their capacity for innovation and creativity.
Cryptospores: The Origin and Early Evolution of the Terrestrial Flora
Authors: Strother Paul K.
Published: January 2018

The Cryptogamic, or spore-producing, plants of today are composed of three nonvascular, bryophyte groups (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and several vascular groups (ferns, club mosses, and horsetails). All of these plants produce abundant spores, which serve as propagules for dispersing and, to some extent, preserving plants through periods of ecological stress. Plant spores are typically formed as the end products of meiosis (reduction division) from a dividing sporocyte, or spore mother cell (smc). Because of this, they typically occur in groups of four, with each individual spore bearing a characteristic trilete, or Y-shaped mark on its common contact surface. Spore walls, composed of an inert, heterogeneous polymer called sporopollenin, are extremely resistant to the chemical vicissitudes of the terrestrial environment. This property of typical plant spores ultimately allows them to be quite abundant in fine grained clastic rocks. Although fossilized spores represent only a small part of the once-living plant, in many cases, they represent an important component of the plant fossil record, especially when the preservation of macroscopic tissues is lacking.