Khakbazan, M., Carew, R., Scott, S. L., Chiang, P., Block, H. C., Robins, C., Durunna, O. N. and Huang, J. 2014. Economic analysis and stochastic simulation of alternative beef calving and feeding ...systems in western Canada. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 299â311. Biological and economic data from three field-experimental sites in Manitoba (Brandon Research Centre) and Saskatchewan (Western Beef Development Centre; Semi-Arid Prairie Agriculture Research Centre) were used to determine the economic and financial benefits of alternative beef calving and feeding systems. Stochastic budgets and Monte Carlo simulation techniques were used to evaluate the profitability and risk levels of four alternative livestock beef management systems: early-calving/rapid-gain post-weaning feeding (ER), late-calving/rapid-gain post-weaning feeding (LR), early-calving/slow-gain post-weaning feeding (ES), and late-calving/slow-gain post-weaning feeding (LS). Economic budgets were constructed to evaluate the viability of different phases of beef production including backgrounding, pasture, swath grazing and finishing. Statistical analysis considered operational costs (feed, yardage, implants, medicine, labor, marketing, and other costs), price variables (fed-steer, feeder cattle, and grid pricing premiums/discounts) and steer performance measures such as average daily gain (ADG). Results from the simulation analysis revealed that late-calving systems provided higher returns for livestock producers, while rapid-feeding systems were more preferable for producers who were more risk-averse.
Durunna, O. N., Block, H. C., Iwaasa, A. D., Thompson, L. C., Scott, S. L., Robins, C., Khakbazan, M. and Lardner, H. A. 2014. Impact of calving seasons and feeding systems in western Canada. I. ...Postweaning growth performance and carcass characteristics of crossbred steers. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 571â582. Crossbred steers (n=272) weaned from early (EC) and late (LC) calving systems (CS) were used to evaluate the impact of two feeding systems (FS) on postweaning performance and carcass characteristics. The steers were randomly assigned to either a rapid-gain feeding (RF) or a slow-gain feeding (SF) system. The RF steers were managed to have body weight (BW) gain of 1 kg dâ»Â¹ on a silage-hay diet during the backgrounding period prior to finishing, while the SF steers were first backgrounded on a hay diet (gain of 0.7 kg dâ»Â¹), then grazed alfalfaâmeadow bromegrass pasture and annual cereal swaths prior to finishing. All treatment groups received a conventional diet during finishing until the steers attained a target backfat thickness or BW or both. There was no difference (P=0.48) between the two FS for the average age of the steers at the beginning of the experiment. There was a CSÃFS effect (P<0.01) on the age at slaughter, where the steers in the EC-RF, EC-SF, LC-RF and LC-SF were 426, 659, 504 and 606 d, respectively. The longer time on feed for LC-RF steers compared with EC-RF suggests the potential effect of summer ambient temperatures at finishing. The EC-RF group had the least carcass fat thickness (P<0.01), but there was no main or interaction effect (P>0.08) on dressing percentage or lean meat yield. There was a FS effect (P<0.05) on meat colour and marbling texture where SF steers had more desirable meat colour and marbling texture. Beef producers adopting EC-RF would finish their calves earlier but at a lighter weight.
Durunna, O. N., Block, H. C., Iwaasa, A. D., Scott, S. L., Robins, C., Khakbazan, M., Dugan, M. E. R., Aalhus, J. L., Aliani, M. and Lardner, H. A. 2014. Impact of calving seasons and feeding systems ...in western Canada. II. Meat composition and organoleptic quality of steaks. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 583â593. Fatty acid profiling, meat and organoleptic quality assessments were conducted on 160 carcasses of crossbred steers born into one of two calving systems and later assigned to one of two postweaning feeding systems. The steers were weaned from either an early calving or late calving system and later assigned to either a rapid-gain feeding (RF) or a slow-gain feeding (SF) system. The RF steers received a silageâhay diet during the backgrounding period prior to finishing, while the SF steers received a hay diet at backgrounding and then grazed alfalfaâmeadow bromegrass pasture and annual cereal swaths prior to finishing. All treatment groups received a conventional diet during finishing until the steers attained a target backfat thickness or body weight. Fatty acid analyses were conducted on longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) and subcutaneous fat samples. Other analyses included LDM composition, tenderness and taste panel evaluations. Total saturated fatty acid was greater (P<0.02) in samples from RF steers, while total monounsaturated fatty acid was greater (P<0.01) in SF steers. The SF steers had greater (P<0.01) conjugated linoleic acid concentration. There was no main or interaction effect (P>0.05) on beef aroma, flavour and tenderness but the SF steaks had lower (P=0.02) cooking losses than RF steaks. The SF strategy has the potential to create a value chain that would lead to finished steers with higher backfat omega-3, conjugated linoleic acid and trans vaccenic acid and less cooking moisture losses.
Durunna, O. N., Girardin, L. C., Scott, S. L., Robins, C., Block, H. C., Iwaasa, A. D., Khakbazan, M. and Lardner, H. A. 2014. The effects of spring versus summer calving on beef cattle reproductive ...and growth performance in western Canada. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 259â271. The majority of beef producers in western Canada have adopted a spring calving system. Evaluating alternative calving systems such as summer calving may lead to better use of forage resources to optimize cow-calf productivity. In order to evaluate the impact of calving system on cow-calf productivity, 346 Hereford or Angus crossbred cows were used in a 3-yr research study (2007 to 2009) at Brandon, Manitoba; Swift Current, Saskatchewan and Lanigan, Saskatchewan. Cows were bred to calve from February to May (early-calving system, EC) or from May to August (late-calving system, LC). Each system was evaluated for effect on performance and reproductive efficiency. Forage yield, utilization and nutritive value were assessed. Cow body weights (BW), ultrasound measures of backfat and calf BW were evaluated at precalving, breeding and weaning. There was no difference between calving systems for pregnancy rate (P=0.13) EC (93.0%) vs. LC (95.8%); calving rate (P=0.89) EC (92.0%) vs. LC (91.7%) or proportion of calves born alive (P=0.85) EC (99.5%) vs. LC (99.6%). The average length of calving season was not different (P=0.26) between the two systems. The EC cows had greater (P=0.002) BW losses from calving to breeding but greater (P=0.001) BW gain from breeding to weaning than LC cows. Although calves born in LC had greater birth BW (P=0.003) than EC calves, calf weaning rate (P=0.01) and calf weaning BW (P<0.0001) were greater in EC. The higher weaning rate and higher weaning BW with EC has the potential to increase cow-calf productivity and may be more attractive to beef producers in western Canada.
Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Clostridium mangenotii strain TR, which was isolated from the fecal material of a timber rattlesnake. This bacterium is nonpathogenic but contains 68 ...genes involved in virulence, disease, and defense.
The author discusses how Bushmen/Khoisan peoples are portrayed in South African museums. Jackson and Robins focus on one exhibit, the Miscast exhibit that opened in Cape Town, South Africa's National ...Gallery on April 12, 1996. By documenting the negotiation process unfolding in the spaces between and within the National Gallery and the South African Museum, they examine how public culture and the museum contribute to the crafting of national and ethnic boundaries. The primary obstacle to the Miscast curator's vision of a break with the past is the fact that in Sout Africa the colonial past rests too heavily on its present. As a result of this continuity, many of the visitors to the exhibit found themselves unable to extricate and distance themselves from the discomfort emanating from their identification with the representations of Bushmen subjects drawn on for the exhibit, they observe.
Ten, hitherto unreported, analogues of 1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamidine hydrochloride (2a, ribamidine) and methyl carboximidate 5 have been synthesized. These include the N-cyano ...(2b), N-alkyl (2c-e), N-amino acid (2f-h), N,N'-disubstituted (6, 7a,b), and the N-methylated carboxamide (1f) analogues of ribavirin. In addition, a new facile synthesis of carboxamidine 2a was also developed. All compounds were evaluated for biological activity against the following RNA viruses: Punta Toro (PT) and sandfly fever (SF) viruses (bunyaviruses); Japanese encephalitis (JE), yellow fever (YF), and dengue-4 viruses (flaviviruses); parainfluenza type 3 (PIV3), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and measles viruses (paramyxoviruses); influenza A and influenza B viruses (orthomyxoviruses); Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus (VEE, alphavirus); human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1, lentivirus); the DNA-containing vaccinia (VV) virus (poxvirus); and adeno type 5 (Ad5) viruses. All of the compounds except for 2b and 7a,b exhibited activity against the bunyaviruses such as that observed with 2a; however, higher IC50 values were generally observed. Glycine analogue 2f showed activity in PT-virus-infected mice in terms of increased survivors and decreased markers of viral pathogenicity. Carboxamidine 2a, carboximidate 5, and dimethyl amidine 6 exhibited activity against dengue type-4 virus. Monomethyl amidine 2c demonstrated activity against RSV, PIV3, and, to a lesser extent, influenza A and B. Activity of 2c generally required higher IC50 values than unsubstituted 2a. The latter exhibited hitherto unreported activity against RSV; therapeutic indices for 2a against RSV and PIV3 were greater than 64 and greater than 21. No substantial in vitro activity was observed for any of the compounds tested against Ad5, measles, JE, YF, VEE, or HIV-1. In addition, evidence is presented which argues in favor of a distinct antiviral mechanism of action for carboxamidines, e.g. 6, in contrast to a role as a carboxamide precursor.
Practitioners face many barriers to disclosing errors to patients, including embarrassment, fear of litigation, and minimal training in how to discuss them. Efforts at teaching error disclosure ...skills often focus on a one-on-one doctor–patient interaction and neglect the inter-professional context. This chapter describes research conducted at the University of Washington to assess whether participating in a team-based disclosure simulation training improved clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills regarding team-based disclosure of harmful errors to patients and team communication about avoiding such errors in the future. We developed two surgical and two medical error case scenarios based on real incidents. The premise of the simulations was that the members of a surgical or medical team had recently been involved in a harmful error and therefore needed to meet to discuss the event and how it happened, plan whether and how to disclose the event to the patient, and then perform the disclosure to the patient according to their plan. The nurses and physicians who participated in the simulations were experienced professionals. We trained actors from a professional troupe to perform the roles of a standardized team member and a standardized patient who had experienced a harmful error. We trained professionals from the fields of risk management and officers in patient or medication safety to become disclosure coaches who helped teams to discuss harmful errors and to plan whether and how to disclose errors to patients. Participants included 38 teams of physicians and nurses and risk managers from five different healthcare organizations in the Seattle area. Findings indicate that physicians developed an appreciation for team error disclosure. Nurses gained experience in participating as partners in conversations from which they had traditionally been excluded. Risk managers learned to participate in disclosure planning as educators, focusing on helping teams to rehearse and prepare for difficult conversations rather than dictating institutional regulations. These project outcomes are potentially transformative for the individuals and institutions involved.
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