Digital Commons Network^™

Integrated Crop Livestock Systems--A Key To Sustainable Intensification In Africa, A. J. Duncan, S. A. Tarawali, P. Thorne, D. Valbuena, Katrien Descheemaeker, Sabine Homann-Keetui

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Mixed crop-livestock systems provide livelihoods for a billion people and produce half the world’s cereal and around a third of its beef and milk. Market orientation and strong and growing demand for food provide powerful incentives for sustainable intensification of both crop and livestock enterprises in smallholders’ mixed systems in Africa. Better exploitation of the mutually reinforcing nature of crop and livestock systems can contribute to a positive, inclusive growth trajectory that is both ecologically and economically sustainable. In mixed systems, livestock intensification is often neglected relative to crops, yet livestock can make a positive contribution to raising productivity of …

Re-Growth Yield And Nutritive Value Of Winter Cereals, Gurhan Keles, Serkan Ates, Behic Coskun, Saban Koc

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cereal crops can be grazed in early winter or early spring when feed is scarce, or to utilize their high feeding value. In the early spring of 2011, the re-growth yield and nutritive value of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum), oat (Avena sativa L.), and triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) grown in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey, were evaluated after three successive weekly harvests (Cut 1, Cut 2, Cut 3) during the tillering to stem elongation stages. Plants were cut at a height of 5 cm then allowed …

The Role Of Alfalfa And Forage Resources In Crop-Livestock Systems In A Rain-Fed Region Of North-Western China, Yuying Shen, Zhibiao Nan, Fujiang Hou, Lihua Tian, Huimin Yang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Western China has been facing the challenges of both environmental sustainability and economic development. Current government policies and interventions support the development of integrated crop-livestock production systems for enhancing food security and environment sustainability. Compared with traditional grain-based faming systems, integrated systems have better resource utilisation, however annual forage supply deficits estimated at 1.37 t DM forage/farm are experienced in the region, especially in late winter and early spring. Accordingly, optimising the use of available forage resources is a priority for regional researchers and extension officers, with research seeking pathways for better fodder conservation and greater and more effective use …

Early Sowing And Irrigating Of Rape Crops In Cool Temperate Environments Boosts Forage Yield Potential, Matthew T. Harrison, Keith G. Pembleton, Richard P. Rawnsley

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage rape is commonly grown on Tasmanian dairy farms to provide feed during periods of low pasture growth and/or low nutritive value. In these regions, forage crops are generally sown between early spring and late autumn and are commonly rainfed, though farmers may apply a single irrigation at sowing. While the effect of water availability on forage yield has been well characterised for regions in north-western Tasmania (Neilsen 2005), there is a dearth of information for other regions in Tasmania. Hence, the objectives of this study were to identify optimal sowing times for, and determine the extent to which a …

Aboveground Biomass And Soil Moisture As Affected By Short-Term Grazing Exclusion In Eastern Alpine Meadows Of The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, Haibo Liu, Jianping Wu, Wen Wang, Xiaoli Jin, Zhenheng Liu, Wenhua Du

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Heavy grazing substantially influences grassland vegetation and animal nutrition on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau (Guo et al. 2003). Degradation is characterized by a reduction in vegetation height, reduced ground cover decrease in species diversity (Wang et al. 2007).

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of short-term exclusion from grazing on aboveground herbage, forage nutritive value, and soil moisture in an alpine meadow in the eastern zone of the plateau. Three farms, applying different intensity of grazing over the summer months, were compared.

Performance Of Anatolian Merino And Akkaraman Lambs Fed Triticale, Hungarian Vetch Or A Mixture Of The Two Forages, Serkan Ates, Gurhan Keles, Fatma Inal, Ahmet Gunes, Mounir Louhaichi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forages from Hungarian vetch and triticale monocultures or mixtures that can be produced with relatively low cost are important feed sources for ruminants in spring particularly in the arid and semiarid regions. The feed intake and the response of different sheep breeds (Fraser et al. 2009) to forage resources that vary in feeding value may differ. Therefore it is critical to match forage to animal and crop production needs for more efficient production in integrated crop livestock farming system.

Plant Biomass And Bovine Live Weight Changes In Mono-Specific And Mixed Pastures During The Rainy Season In Dry Tropical Mexico, Régulo Jiménez-Guillén, Adrián R. Quero-Carrillo, Pedro A. Martínez-Hernández, Alfonso Hernández-Garay

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Dry tropics suffer long drought periods each year, negatively affecting the amount and digestibility of forage for cattle production. The aim of this study was evaluate different pasture types, grazed by cattle during the rainy season. Three hectares were prepared to compare: grass monoculture, Andropogon gayanus (G); a grass-legume mixture of A. gayanus and Clitoria ternatea (GL), and a grass-legume-tree mixture of A. gayanus, C. ternatea and Morus alba (GLT). Two grazing cycles (4 d grazing followed by 32 d resting; 72 d total) were completed. Three heifers (average initial weight 192 kg) grazed each experimental unit. The amounts …

Fatty Acid Stable Isotopes Add Clarity, But Also Complexity, To Tracing Energy Pathways In Aquatic Food Webs, Ariana M. Chiapella, Martin J. Kainz, Angela L. Strecker

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tracing the flow of dietary energy sources, especially in systems with a high degree of omnivory, is an ongoing challenge in ecology. In aquatic systems, one of the persistent challenges is in differentiating between autochthonous and allochthonous energy sources to top consumers. Bulk carbon stable isotope values of aquatic and terrestrial prey often overlap, making it difficult to delineate dietary energy pathways in food webs with high allochthonous prey subsidies, such as in many northern temperate waterbodies. We conducted a feeding experiment to explore how fatty acid stable isotopes may overcome the challenge of partitioning autochthonous and allochthonous energy pathways …

Crowdprivacy: Publish More Useful Data With Less Privacy Exposure In Crowdsourced Location-Based Services, Fang Jing Wu, Tie Luo

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Location-based services (LBSs) typically crowdsource geo-tagged data from mobile users. Collecting more data will generally improve the utility for LBS providers; however, it also leads to more privacy exposure of users' mobility patterns. Although the tension between data utility and user privacy has been recognized, there lacks a solution that determines how much data to collect-in both spatial and temporal domains-is the "best" for both mobile users and the service provider. This article proposes a strategy toward making an optimal tradeoff such that a user submits data only if her mobility privacy will not be compromised and the data utility …

Can Ethanol Affect The Cell Structure - A Dynamic Molecular And Raman Spectroscopy Study, Luis Felipe Carvalho, Laurita Dos Santos, Kate O'Callaghan, Franck Bonnier, Steven Flint, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne

Articles

The role that tobacco consumption plays in the etiology of oral cancer carcinogenesis, and of alcohol consumption acting as a co-factor, have been well established. However, in recent years, the contribution of alcohol consumption alone to oral cancer has been proposed. In fact, a high percentage of patients who develop oral cancer have both habits (tobacco and alcohol consumption), and other small patient groups only consume alcohol or do not have any other identifiable bad habits. In the present study, we demonstrate for the first time, using a combination of dynamic molecular modelling and Raman spectroscopy, that ethanol has a …

Cooperative Extension And Sustainability Outreach: Programmatic Successes, Administrative Support, And Areas For Improvement, Roslynn Brain Mccann, Mark Apel, Clark Dove, Ramona Madhosingh-Hector, Jennison Kipp Searcy, David Kay

Extension Research

According to the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, without urgent global changes, climate catastrophe caused by warming of greater than 1.5°C will occur by 2030, endangering the planet's capacity to sustain human populations and livelihoods. The National Network for Sustainable Living Education administered a national survey in January 2017 to assess how well-positioned Extension is to address sustainability in the communities the organization serves. Educators from 40 states responded, and 1,395 usable surveys were received. Survey results will help Extension employees discover opportunities for innovation and relevancy in their programming.

Polyphenols In Alzheimer’S Disease And In The Gut–Brain Axis, V. Prakash Reddy, Puspa Aryal, Sara Robinson, Raheemat Rafiu, Mark Obrenovich, George Perry

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Polyphenolic antioxidants, including dietary plant lignans, modulate the gut–brain axis, which involves transformation of these polyphenolic compounds into physiologically active and neuroprotector compounds (called human lignans) through gut bacterial metabolism. These gut bacterial metabolites exert their neuroprotective effects in various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), and also have protective effects against other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. For example, enterolactone and enterodiol, the therapeutically relevant polyphenols, are formed as the secondary gut bacterial metabolites of lignans, the non-flavonoid polyphenolic compounds found in plant-based foods. These compounds are also acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and …

Zero-Shot Ingredient Recognition By Multi-Relational Graph Convolutional Network, Jingjing Chen, Liangming Pan, Zhipeng Wei, Xiang Wang, Chong-Wah Ngo, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recognizing ingredients for a given dish image is at the core of automatic dietary assessment, attracting increasing attention from both industry and academia. Nevertheless, the task is challenging due to the difficulty of collecting and labeling sufficient training data. On one hand, there are hundred thousands of food ingredients in the world, ranging from the common to rare. Collecting training samples for all of the ingredient categories is difficult. On the other hand, as the ingredient appearances exhibit huge visual variance during the food preparation, it requires to collect the training samples under different cooking and cutting methods for robust …

Effects Of Deepwater Horizon Oil On Feather Structure And Thermoregulation In Gulls: Does Rehabilitation Work?, Katherine Horak, Nicole L. Barrett, Jeremy W. Ellis, Emma M. Campbell, Nicholas G. Dannemiller, Susan A. Shriner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Impacts of large-scale oil spills on avian species are far-reaching.While media attention often focuses on lethal impacts, sub-lethal effects and the impacts of rehabilitation receive less attention. The objective of our study was to characterize effects of moderate external oiling and subsequent rehabilitation on feather structure and thermoregulation in gulls. We captured 30 wild ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) and randomly assigned each individual to an experimental group: 1) controls, 2) rehabilitated birds (externally oiled, rehabilitated by washing), or 3) oiled birds (externally oiled, not rehabilitated). We externally oiled birds with weathered MC252 Deepwater Horizon oil (water for controls) …

Synthesis And Antitumor Activity Of Potentially Tumor Targeting Analogues Of The Tetrahydrofuran Containing Acetogenins, Patricia Gonzalez Periche

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The tetrahydrofuran containing acetogenins (THF-ACGs) are a naturally occurring class of compounds with potent toxicity against a broad range of tumors, including multidrug resistant (MDR) strains. However, the equally high toxicity to normal cells presents a hurdle for their clinical advancement. This study entails synthetic and tumor targeting strategies that are relevant to their therapeutic development.

Chapter 1 presents a review of the synthesis and biological activity of the THF-ACGs. Chapter 2 covers a modular approach for the synthesis of libraries of THF-ACGs. This strategy is illustrated in the synthesis of C-10 epimers of 4-deoxyannonomontacin (4-DAN), one of the more …

Surviving Mathematics, Nathalie M. Luna

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this essay written in an informal voice, the author shares the ups and downs of her experience in academia. She shares her motivation to study mathematics, her undergraduate experience in Puerto Rico, and her graduate experience in South Texas.

Introducing The Gis-Based Ecological Carrying Capacity Model Of Nutrition Resources, Gholamreza Badjian

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The GIS-based Ecological Carrying Capacity Model of Nutrition Resources (ECCNR-GIS) software is a new approach based on rangeland assessment and the estimated energy content of forage. This software is derived from Badjian (2005) following studies on the ecological capacity model of livestock feed resources in Bakkan plain area, Southern Iran. ECCNR-GIS software is designed to calculate the regional ecological carrying capacity based on available forage resources and considers the energy metabolism (ME) requirements in relation to livestock management to estimate the animal needs. ECCNR-GIS software is written in Visual Basic, as a set of mathematical equations that represent a system …

Before And After The Storm: Interactions Between Tree-Fall Canopy Gaps, Plant Phenology, And Frugivorous Lemurs In Masoala National Park, Madagascar, Monica Sue Mogilewsky

Dissertations and Theses

Madagascar is one of Earth's top biodiversity hotspots, with 80% of life on the island considered endemic. Among the endemic species are lemurs, a diverse group of non-human primates. Unfortunately, Madagascar's diversity, including lemurs, is threatened by habitat degradation and loss. Despite intense anthropogenic pressure over the past 50 years, scientists have not detected any lemur extinctions during this period. Some researchers have proposed that lemurs' adaptations to natural disturbances have provided these taxa resiliency against anthropogenic disturbances. Certainly, Madagascar experiences an extreme disturbance regime: the island experiences an average of over three cyclones a year. These cyclones create numerous, …

Nitrogen Fertilization Restructured Spatial Patterns Of Soil Organic Carbon And Total Nitrogen In Switchgrass And Gamagrass Croplands In Tennessee Usa, Jianwei Li, Siyang Jian, Chad S. Lane, Chunlan Guo, Yuehan Lu, Qi Deng, Melanie A. Mayes, Kudjo E. Dzantor, Dafeng Hui

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers can potentially alter spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in croplands such as switchgrass (SG: Panicum virgatum L.) and gamagrass (GG: Tripsacum dactyloides L.), but it remains unclear whether these effects are the same between crops and under different rates of fertilization. 13C and 15N are two important proxy measures of soil biogeochemistry, but they were rarely examined as to their spatial distributions in soil. Based on a three-year long fertilization experiment in Middle Tennessee, USA, the top mineral horizon soils (0–15 cm) were collected using a spatially explicit design within …

Appalachian Environmental Health Literacy: Building Knowledge And Skills To Protect Health, Anna G. Hoover, Annie Koempel, W. Jay Christian, Kimberly I. Tumlin, Kelly G. Pennell, Steven Evans, Malissa Mcalister, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Dawn Brewer

Journal of Appalachian Health

Environmental health literacy (EHL) is an emerging, multidisciplinary field that promotes understanding of how environmental exposures can affect human health. After discussing the regional relevance of environmental health knowledge and skills, this article describes three ongoing Appalachian projects that are focused on measuring and building EHL.

An Automatic Interaction Detection Hybrid Model For Bankcard Response Classification, Yan Wang, Sherry Ni, Brian Stone

Published and Grey Literature from PhD Candidates

Data mining techniques have numerous applications in bankcard response modeling. Logistic regression has been used as the standard modeling tool in the financial industry because of its almost always desirable performance and its interpretability. In this paper, we propose a hybrid bankcard response model, which integrates decision tree-based chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) into logistic regression. In the first stage of the hybrid model, CHAID analysis is used to detect the possible potential variable interactions. Then in the second stage, these potential interactions are served as the additional input variables in logistic regression. The motivation of the proposed hybrid model …

Spatial Variability Of Soil Phosphorus In Grazing Systems, Mark Trotter, Warwick B. Badgery, Joshua Barron, Chris Guppy, Rebecca Haling, David Mitchell, Geoff Millar

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Phosphorus (P) use efficiency has been identified as a key issue for Australian grazing systems. This project examined the spatial variability in soil P concentration from two separate surveys of grazed pasture fields. A field on the central tablelands of NSW had a range in Bray P of 1.2 to 140 mg/kg and a COV of 107%. The other field on the northern tablelands of NSW reported a range in Colwell P from 13.0 to 121.1 mg/kg and a COV of 59%. Maps of the spatial variability of soil P demonstrated that there is a relationship with field elevation. Application …

Alternative For Intensification Of Beef Production Under Grazing, Valéria P. B. Euclides, Kepler Euclides Filho, Denise B. Montagner, Geraldo Ramos Figueiredo, Flávia Da Conceição Lopes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

One of the challenges to overcome in order to assure the position occupied by Brazil as one of the most important players in the world beef market is to design sustainable technological alternatives, which will maintain a constant uniform beef supply all year round. This crucial problem could be solved by using more intensively, the alternatives available for pastures management and feed supplement-ation. However, the potential results created by these strategies might be better explored by using the right choice of animals as far as genetic group and weaning weight is concerned. Thus, in order to fulfill this goal it …

The Nutritional Status Of Japanese Black Breeding Cows Grazed In A Larger Abandoned Paddy Field, Motohiko Ishida, Naoki Matsumoto, Yojiro Maki, Jyunichi Tanimoto, Kohei Takahashi, Keigo Asano, Mizuho Ogino

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Because rice consumption has decreased in Japan, the number of abandoned paddy fields has increased. Some of the abandoned paddy fields are being used for livestock grazing, effectively using the abandoned fields and reducing the production costs on livestock farms. Such grazing may use an integrated grazing system of scattered small pastures where each of the small abandoned paddy fields scattered in a given agriculture area is defined as one grazing yard, and a herd consisting of two or three head of cattle is moved from one grazing yard to another. However, because the number of abandoned paddy fields has …

Pasture Grass Conversion In Digestive Tract Of Red Deer Over Different Grazing Periods, Imants Jansons, Ira I. Vitina, Vera Krastina, Aleksandrs Jemeljanovs, Sallija Cerina, Biruta Lujane, Baiba Osmane, Liga Proskina

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Deer farming is an alternative to traditional animal farming which also promotes a more economic use of pasture grass resources in Latvia. 61 holdings of farmed red deer and fallow deer have been registered in this country (Paeglits et al. 2006). Over the summer season, pasture grass is the main feed source for red deer (Cervus elaphus) (Miller 2004). No matter how much feed animals get, it is of no use unless it can be digested. This is the process that happens in the stomach and gut, when the feed is broken down (Tuckwell 2003).

The goal …

Effect Of Plant Spacing On The Growth And Yield Of Forage Plant, Maize, Intercropped With Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata Sub Spp. Sesquipedalis), Kelechi A. Ike, Leonard C. Nwaigbo, Ugochukwu H. Ukpabi, Sunday N. Ukachukwu, Olufemi S. Onifade, Uchenna Y. Anele, Princewill N. Njoku

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Feed constraint is the most important impediment to improved livestock production in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries (Agyemang 2003), as a result of seasonal shortages in the quantity and quality of forage from natural pastures that supply most of the feed for animals due to the prolonged annual dry season. Appropriate technologies to improve the performance of the local animal breeds and feed resources under the traditional system are generally lacking. Maize forms a major part of the cereal crops consumed by man and the residues serve as a source of fodder for livestock (Asawalam and Adesiyan 2001). Demand for …

Economic Values For Perennial Ryegrass Traits In New Zealand Dairy Farm Systems, David F. Chapman, Jeremy R. Bryant, Graham A. Kerr, Glenn Judson, Tim Cookson, Grant R. Edwards, William H. Mcmillan

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is the main species used in dairy pastures throughout New Zealand. There are approximately 30 perennial ryegrass cultivars sold commercially in New Zealand, but currently there is no evaluation system which allows farmers to compare the potential impact of different cultivars on the profitability of their farm business. Such an economic evaluation system requires information on performance values (PV) for cultivars which quantifies their performance with respect to the major productivity traits (herbage accumulation (HA, kg DM/ha), nutritive value and persistence) relative to a genetic base, and economic values (EV, Doyle and Elliott 1983) …

Immediate And Carryover Effects Of Post-Grazing Sward Height Imposed In Early Spring On Sward And Milk Production, Elodie Ganche, Luc Delaby, Michael O’Donovan, Tommy M. Boland, Emer Kennedy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A grazing experiment was undertaken to investigate the immediate and carryover effect of post-grazing sward height (PGH) in early spring on sward and dairy cow production. Ninety Holstein-Friesian spring calving dairy cows were randomly assigned across 3 PGH treatments: 2.7, 3.5 and 4.2 cm from February 14 to April 24, 2011. Following the experimental period animals were managed similarly until the end of the lactation. Grazing to 2.7 cm during the experimental period reduced milk (-159 kg/cow; P < 0.01) and milk solids (-16 kg/cow; P < 0.01) yields and increased BW loss (+13 kg loss; P < 0.05) when compared to the 3.5 and 4.2 cm treatments which performed similarly. Grass utilisation (>2.7 cm) increased (P < 0.001) by decreasing PGH from 4.2 cm (0.74) to 3.5 cm (0.82) and further to 2.7 cm (0.94). During the carryover period (April 24 to November 13), cumulative milk (3542 kg/cow) and milk solids (281 kg/cow) yields did not differ between the experimental treatments. End BW was similar across treatments (503 kg). Total lactation performance of cows grazing to 2.7 cm in spring was -24 kg milk solids (P < 0.05) than the total lactation production of the 3.5 and 4.2 cm treatments (405 kg milk solids) indicating that cows offered a restricted pasture allowance in early lactation do not recover lost production. This study recommends a PGH of 3.5 cm in the first 2 grazing rotations to achieve a compromise between sward utilisation and animal performance in early spring while also ensuring high subsequent lactation milk production.

Inter-Annual Variability In Pasture Herbage Accumulation In Temperate Dairy Regions: Causes, Consequences, And Management Tools, David F. Chapman, Richard P. Rawnsley, Brendan R. Cullen, David A. Clark

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Inter-annual variation in pasture herbage accumulation rate (HAR) is common in temperate dairy regions, posing challenges for farmers in the management of dairy cow feeding and of pasture state. This paper reviews the biophysical factors that cause inter-annual variation, considers some of its consequences for the efficient harvest of pasture, and discusses the basis for decision rules and support tools that are available to assist New Zealand and Australian farmers to help manage the consequences of an imbalance between feed supply and demand. These tools are well-grounded in scientific research and farmer experience, but are not widely used in the …

Relative Losses Of Pioneiro Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach) Silage With Addition Of Whole Plant Maize Or Maize Grain During Fermentation, Tiago M. Santos, Eduardo R. Scherer, Dayanna Pastal, Diana R. Vivian, Kátia F. Gobbi, Américo F. Garcez Neto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Among the forages with potential to be ensiled, tropical forages stand out because of their high yield capacity, being able to produce three times more dry matter than for maize under tropical conditions. Although tropical forages are an interesting alternative for ensilage, their high moisture content may impair the fermentation process, reducing the silage quality. The addition of whole plant maize and maize grain to other grass silages can be an efficient way to reduce the losses involved during the process, specially due to the improvement of the fermentative profile of the silages (Stefanie et al. 2000; Anaya-Ortega et …