Methane emissions of beef cattle on forages: efficiency of grazing management systems

Fermentation in the rumen of cattle produces methane (CH4). Methane may play a role in global warming scenarios. The linking of grazing management strategies to more efficient beef production while reducing the CH4 emitted by beef cattle is important. The sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique was used to determine the effects of best management practices (BMP) grazing compared with continuous grazing on CH4 production in several Louisiana forages during 1996-1998. Cows and heifers (Bos taurus) grazed common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge), and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) pastures and were wintered on bahiagrass hay with supplements of protein molasses blocks (PMB), cottonseed meal and corn (CSMC), urea and corn (URC), or limited ryegrass grazing (LRG). Daily CH4 emissions were between 89 and 180 g d(-1) for young growing heifers and 165 to 294 g d(-1) for mature Simbrah cows. Heifers on "ad lib" ryegrass in March and April produced only one-tenth the CH4 per kg of gain as heifers on LRG of 1 h. Using BMP significantly reduced the emission of CH4 per unit of animal weight gain. Management-intensive grazing (MIG) is a BMP that offers the potential for more efficient utilization of grazed forage crops via controlled rotational grazing and more efficient conversion of forage into meat and milk. Projected CH4 annual emissions in cows reflect a 22% reduction from BMP when compared with continuous grazing in this study. With the BMP application of MIG, less methane was produced per kilogram of beef gain.     

Constructive controversy,the Vroom-Yetton model,and managerial decision-making

Empirical tests have indicated that following the Vroom-Yetton Normative Model of leadership predicts reliably to successful managerial decision-making. However, it does not consider the kind of social interaction among decision makers. Recent experiments have demonstrated that controversy constructively discussed can facilitate decision-making. To see whether constructive controversy can supplement the Vroom-Yetton model, 58 managers enrolled in an executive-level MBA programme described a successful and unsuccessful decision-making experience by answering the Vroom-Yetton questions and by indicating the extent those involved in making the decision experienced constructive controversy. Results indicate that both the Vroom-Yetton model and constructive controversy are significantly related to successful decision-making. A regression analysis indicated that constructive controversy accounted for 45 per cent of the variance of decision success whereas the Vroom-Yetton model accounted for 5 per cent. While the Vroom-Yetton model is useful at the preplanning stage for choosing a decision style, much greater contribution is provided by constructive discussions of opposing opinions when actually generating the decision.     

South Africa's arid and semiarid rangelands: Why are they changing and can they be restored?

Since the mid-19th century settled livestock ranching has been the major form of land use in South Africa, occupying 68% of the land surface. Decreases in livestock densities and ranch numbers during the past century imply that carrying capacities for domestic herbivores are falling. Differences in carbon isotope signals with soil depth and abrupt shifts in dominant plant species across ranch boundaries reveal that southern African rangelands are changing. Case studies suggest ways to control altered grassland composition, bush encroachment in arid savanna, and dominance by toxic and halophytic shrubs in arid shrublands. But climatic and biological factors constrain rates of passive recovery, and guidelines for active restoration are poor and techniques costly. Moreover, conservation of remaining good rangeland is seldom enforced, and economic considerations usually outweight the land user's desire to sustain diversity and productivity.     

Uptake and bioavailability of persistent organic pollutants by plants grown in contaminated soil

This paper assesses the uptake of persistent organic pollutants (POP's) into plants. In particular, uptake of alpha-endosulfan, beta-endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate from lettuce. The lettuce plants were grown on compost that had previously been contaminated at 10 and 50 microg g(-1) per POP. The soil was slurry spiked by adding the appropriate amount of POP in acetone in an approximate ratio of 1 ratio 2, w/v soil ratio solvent. The solvent was left to evaporate at ambient temperature for 24 hours. Lettuce plants were grown under artificial daylight for 12 hours a day. The influence of soil ageing on the recovery of POP's from spiked soil samples was also assessed. The average recovery of endosulfan compounds from slurry spiked soil (10, 20 and 40 microg g(-1)) was consistent (92.9 +/- 4.4% for n= 9). However, ageing of endosulfan compounds on the slurry spiked soil resulted in lower recoveries (average losses were 12.5% after 14 days ageing of slurry spiked soil). The uptake of POP's was assessed by measuring the amount of endosulfan compounds in roots and leaves from lettuce plants after 10, 20 and 33 days. In addition, control plants grown in uncontaminated soil were monitored and analysed. It was found that endosulfan compounds were present in the roots of all lettuce plants irrespective of soil spike level or age of plant. In the 33 day lettuce plants where the soil was spiked at the highest level (50 microg g(-1)) endosulfan compounds were determined in the leaves. The root to leaf ratio was found to be 3.1 for alpha-endosulfan, 46.0 for beta-endosulfan, and 24.3 for endosulfan sulfate. Spiked lettuce samples were subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal extraction to assess the bioavailability of endosulfan compounds. No detectable endosulfan compounds were determined in the gastric extracts while small quantities (range 0.06-0.12 microg g(-1)) were found in the intestinal extraction. All samples (soil and lettuce) were extracted using pressurised fluid extraction and analysed using gas chromatography with mass selective detection.     

The life table and competing risks

The concept of the life table originated in longevity studies of man, where it was always presented as a subject peculiar to public health, demography, and actuarial science. As a result, its development has not received sufficient attention in the field of statistics. Actually, the problems of mortality studies are similar to those of reliability theory and life testing, and they may be described in terms familiar to the statistically oriented mind. From a statistical point of view, human life is a random experiment and its outcome, survival or death, ss subject to chance. The life table systematically records the outcomes of many such experiments for a large number of individuals over a period of time. Thus, the quantities in the table are random variables subject to established statistical analysis. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the life table from a statistical viewpoint.     

Multivariate analysis of paired watershed data to evaluate agricultural best management practice effects on stream water phosphorus

Quantification of the effects of management programs on water quality is critical to agencies responsible for water resource protection. This research documents reductions in stream water phosphorus (P) loads resulting from agricultural best management practices (BMPs) implemented as part of an effort to control eutrophication of Cannonsville Reservoir, a drinking water supply for New York City. Dairy farms in the upstate New York reservoir basin were the target of BMPs designed to reduce P losses. A paired watershed study was established on one of these farms in 1993 to evaluate changes in P loading attributable to implementation of BMPs that included manure management, rotational grazing, and improved infrastructure. Intensive stream water monitoring provided data to calculate P loads from the 160-ha farm watershed for all runoff events during a two-year pre-treatment period and a four-year post-treatment period. Statistical control for inter-annual climatic variability was provided by matched P loads from a nearby 86-ha forested watershed, and by several event flow variables measured at the farm. A sophisticated multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) provided estimates of both seasonal and overall load reductions. Statistical power and the minimum detectable treatment effect (MDTE) were also calculated. The results demonstrated overall event load reductions of 43% for total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and 29% for particulate phosphorus (PP). Changes in farm management practices and physical infrastructure clearly produced decreases in event P losses measurable at the small watershed scale.     

SELECTED NUTRIENTS AND HEAVY METALS IN SEWAGE SLUDGE FROM NEW JERSEY POTWs1

ABSTRACT: In order to determine appropriate application rates and to ensure low pollutant levels in sewage sludge, knowing the chemical composition of sewage sludge is of great importance in a land application program. The objective of this study is to evaluate the variability of selected chemical characteristics of sewage sludge from New Jersey publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). Measurements of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), NH₄⁺‐N, P, K⁺, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn reported by 98 facilities in the 1996 and 1997 New Jersey Sludge Quality Assurance Regulations (SQAR) reports were statistically analyzed. Sewage sludge from Category 5 POTWs (greater than 10 percent industrial input) showed higher Cd, Cu, and Pb concentrations than Category 3 and Category 4 facilities (less than 10 percent industrial input). Even though only two years of data were analyzed, there was an indication that Cd and Pb concentrations in sewage sludge are decreasing with time. The yearly mean of only a few facilities exceeded the federal pollution concentration limits (40 CFR Part 503, Table 3). Phosphorus and Cd values showed the highest variability within facilities based on the coefficient of variation. Due to the variability of sewage sludge constituents, the use of the yearly rolling mean of nutrient concentrations to determine application rates was considered inadequate. An actual analysis of the sewage sludge to be applied is more appropriate to determine application rates than historical data.     

THREE‐DIMENSIONAL KRIGING ANALYSIS OF SEDIMENT MERCURY DISTRIBUTION: A CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: This study presents an application of a three‐dimensional kriging technique to estimate spatial distribution of total mercury (Hg) in the Cedar‐Ortega Rivers watershed located in the lower St. Johns River basin, Florida. The kriging procedures, including preliminary data analysis, structural data analysis and the log kriging estimation, are presented. Results show watershed wide Hg contamination of river sediment to a depth of 1.0 m. A three‐dimensional plot of Hg against the Florida Sediment Assessment Guidelines (i.e., the probable effect level or PEL) demonstrates that the Cedar River is more contaminated with Hg than the rest of the watershed. The maximum sediment depth with Hg concentrations above PEL value (0.696 mg/kg) is 1.5 m. Hg concentrations at or above this level could pose a significant hazard to aquatic organisms. Analysis of the spatial distribution of Hg in the watershed finds multiple input sources. This study suggests that there is a need to identify the major sources of Hg in the watershed, and to determine the pathways that allow Hg to enter the river.     

Integrating total oxidizable precursor assay data to evaluate fate and transport of PFASs

Fate and transport of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are complex and are not well understood. Among this class of emerging contaminants, perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) comprising perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs) are being studied more frequently than polyfluorinated compounds. PFAAs are persistent in the environment, recalcitrant to biological degradation, and, therefore, widespread. Previous studies have indicated that some PFASs bioaccumulate. The fate and transport of PFAAs can be complicated by the presence of PFAA precursors. The PFAA precursors are defined in this article as those fluorinated chemicals that can be potentially transformed abiotically or biotically into terminal PFCA or PFSA products. Due to potential biotransformation in the environment, PFAA precursors can influence the temporal and lateral distribution of PFAAs in the environment. Presently, only a very small number of PFAA precursors can be quantitatively analyzed by commercial laboratories. For instance, N‐ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid and N‐methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid are the only two precursors included in the most commonly applied PFAS analytical method, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method 537. The current commercial laboratory methodologies primarily quantify between 14 and 31 PFASs. As an alternative, a total oxidizable precursor assay (TOPA) was developed to quantify the measurable PFSA and PFCA concentrations after aggressive oxidation converting PFAA precursors abiotically into PFCAs. The difference between PFAA concentrations before and after oxidation can be used to estimate the amount of oxidizable PFAA precursors in the sample. This is one of the first articles that utilized TOPA data to help interpret PFAS fate and transport in the environment.     

An evaluation of indoor and outdoor biological particulate matter

The incidences of allergies, allergic diseases and asthma are increasing world wide. Global climate change is likely to impact plants and animals, as well as microorganisms. The World Health Organization, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cite increased allergic reactions due to climate change as a growing concern. Monitoring of indoor and ambient particulate matter (PM) and the characterization of the content for biological aerosol concentrations has not been extensively performed. Samples from urban and rural North Carolina (NC), and Denver (CO), were collected and analyzed as the goal of this research. A study of PM₁₀ (<10 μm in aerodynamic diameter) and PM_2.5 (<2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) fractions of ambient bioaerosols was undertaken for a six month period to evaluate the potential for long-term concentrations. These airborne bioaerosols can induce irritational, allergic, infectious, and chemical responses in exposed individuals. Three separate sites were monitored, samples were collected and analyzed for mass and biological content (endotoxins, (1,3)-β-d-glucan and protein). Concentrations of these bioaerosols were reported as a function of PM size fraction, mass and volume of air sampled. The results indicated that higher concentrations of biologicals were present in PM₁₀ than were present in PM_2.5, except when near-roadway conditions existed. This study provides the characterization of ambient bioaerosol concentrations in a variety of areas and conditions.