Introduction of Dorper sheep into Australian rangelands: implications for production and natural resource management

The growing popularity of the Dorper breed of sheep potentially may have implications for the ecological sustainability of the semiarid and arid rangelands of southern Australia. The implications are heightened by forecasts of a warming and drying climate in these rangelands, which may in itself place native vegetation under increasing stress. While the Dorper breed of sheep offers important production advantages, little is known from research under Australian conditions about their grazing ecology and management requirements from a natural resource perspective. Key factors identified from this review of literature from other countries include a high fertility and fecundity, a generalist feeding strategy, a high growth rate and a capacity to survive and reproduce under low-rainfall conditions. The wider range of plant species selected by the Dorper compared with the traditional Merino breed of sheep potentially creates both opportunities and risks for rangeland condition. Less selective grazing may reduce pressure on some species but the capacity to harvest sufficient nutrients over a smaller area could concentrate grazing and promote resource degradation. High reproductive efficiency under a wide range of seasonal conditions may lead to more rapid onset of overgrazing and will require close attention to both natural resources and animal marketing if resource degradation is to be avoided.

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Bioprocesses with Reduced Ecological Footprint by Marine Debaryomyces hansenii Strain for Potential Applications in Circular Economy

Journal of Fungi ◽

10.3390/jof7121028 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. 1028

Author(s):

Silvia Donzella ◽

Claudia Capusoni ◽

Luisa Pellegrino ◽

Concetta Compagno

Keyword(s):

Ecological Footprint ◽

Debaryomyces Hansenii ◽

High Growth ◽

High Growth Rate ◽

Food Industries ◽

Starting Point ◽

Wide Range ◽

Potential Applications ◽

A Cell ◽

Marine Strain

The possibility to perform bioprocesses with reduced ecological footprint to produce natural compounds and catalyzers of industrial interest is pushing the research for salt tolerant microorganisms able to grow on seawater-based media and able to use a wide range of nutrients coming from waste. In this study we focused our attention on a Debaryomyces hansenii marine strain (Mo40). We optimized cultivation in a bioreactor at low pH on seawater-based media containing a mixture of sugars (glucose and xylose) and urea. Under these conditions the strain exhibited high growth rate and biomass yield. In addition, we characterized potential applications of this yeast biomass in food/feed industry. We show that Mo40 can produce a biomass containing 45% proteins and 20% lipids. This strain is also able to degrade phytic acid by a cell-bound phytase activity. These features represent an appealing starting point for obtaining D. hansenii biomass in a cheap and environmentally friendly way, and for potential use as an additive or to replace unsustainable ingredients in the feed or food industries, as this species is included in the QPS EFSA list (Quality Presumption as Safe—European Food Safety Authority).

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A Demographic Study of Mirpur: A Village in Coastal Midnapore District, West Bengal

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s0021932080006128 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 227-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Amitabha Basu ◽

Ranjan Gupta ◽

Kalyan K. Bhattacharya

Keyword(s):

West Bengal ◽

Demographic Data ◽

High Growth ◽

High Growth Rate ◽

Infant Mortality Rate ◽

High Fertility ◽

Base Of The Pyramid ◽

Younger Women ◽

Parasitic Load ◽

Completed Family Size

SummaryMirpur is a small village of 320 individuals in coastal Midnapore district, West Bengal, the inhabitants of which claim partial Portuguese ancestry. The demographic data collected in Mirpur are reported here. The age structure of the population suggests a growing population trend, but a constriction at the base of the pyramid indicates a recent decline of fertility. The completed family size, net reproductive index and total fertility rate are also compatible with high growth rate, but the age-specific fertility rates are lower in the younger than in the older women. The infant mortality rate is low in general, and is lower in the offspring of the younger women. The Mirpurians suffer from protein-calorie malnutrition and heavy intestinal parasitic load. The possible relationships among high fertility, malnutrition and high parasitic load are discussed.

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Model experiment for cleaning oil-contaminated soils

Butlerov Communications ◽

10.37952/roi-jbc-01/20-62-5-130 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 62 (5) ◽

pp. 130-141

Author(s):

Alibek A. Kaziev ◽

◽

Amantay Sh. Akzhigitov ◽

Sofia Z. Sagyndykova ◽

Azamat N. Nurlybekov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Contaminated Soils ◽

Immobilized Cells ◽

Research Work ◽

Rhodococcus Erythropolis ◽

Practical Interest ◽

High Growth ◽

High Growth Rate ◽

Rhodococcus Ruber ◽

Oil Hydrocarbons ◽

Wide Range

The ability to absorb oil hydrocarbons is inherent in microorganisms represented by various systematic groups. These include various types of micromycetes, yeast, and bacteria. The most active oil destructors are found among bacteria. They are characterized by the ability to absorb a wide range of hydrocarbons, including aromatic ones, have a high growth rate and, therefore, are of great practical interest. The restoration of oil-contaminated lands is currently one of the complex and at the same time little-studied object of reclamation. The article presents the results of studies of the adsorption capacity of hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms of the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus and Rhodococcus and their oil-oxidizing activity after immobilization on zeolite and expanded clay in model conditions. It was noted that as a result of research work, strains of the microorganisms Rhodococcus, Micrococcus are better adsorbed on the surface of zeolite, expanded clay and at the same time have a high oil-oxidizing activity. Representatives of natural hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms are characterized by high emulsification rates; the cultures of Rhodococcus erythropolis and Rhodococcus ruber have the highest emulsifying activity. This may indicate a high destructive activity of microorganisms. When assessing the degree of oil destruction after 60 days when introducing free cultures of microorganisms, it ranged from 32.84 to 64.94%, and in the variants with the introduction of immobilized cultures of microorganisms on zeolite, oil utilization was from 47.94 to 86.84%. When immobilized cells of hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms were introduced onto expanded clay, the destruction ranged from 47.69 to 92.75%.

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Dynamics of Exploited Whitefish Populations and their Management with Special Reference to the Northwest Territories

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ◽

10.1139/f75-053 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 427-448 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

M. C. Healey

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Population Size ◽

Total Mortality ◽

High Growth ◽

Maximum Growth ◽

High Growth Rate ◽

Maximum Growth Rate ◽

Stock Size ◽

Slow Growth Rate ◽

Wide Range

Available data on mortality, growth, reproduction, and stock size in exploited and unexploited populations of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) are reviewed with a view to understanding the dynamics of exploited populations and improving their management. Natural mortality ranged from about 0.20 to 0.80 in unexploited populations. In exploited populations total mortality was as high as 0.94. Unexploited populations showed a wide range of growth rates. Growth rate increased with increasing exploitation, and growth rate in all heavily exploited populations was similar to the most rapid growth rate shown by unexploited stocks. Heavily exploited whitefish matured at a younger age and possibly also at a smaller size than those which were unexploited. Limited data on stock size suggest that although total population size declines under heavy exploitation, the vulnerable population remains of similar size.It is concluded that whitefish respond to fluctuations in population size through compensatory changes in growth rate, the difference between growth rate in a population and maximum growth rate is a measure of its scope for compensating for increased mortality. Populations with slow growth rate and low mortality should, therefore, have the best fishery potential, while those with high growth rate and high mortality have a low fishery potential. Further, it is possible to judge the fishery potential of a population or its stage of exploitation from relatively simple measurements of mortality, growth, age structure, and maturity.

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AB0099 METHOTREXATE REDUCES THE INVASIVE ACTIVITIES OF PRIMARY RA SYNOVIAL FIBROBLASTS

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.5477 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 1349.2-1349

Author(s):

C. R. Ng ◽

K. Sheridan ◽

S. Cowley ◽

E. Dorris ◽

D. Veale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

High Growth ◽

Synovial Fibroblasts ◽

High Growth Rate ◽

Research Centre ◽

Tissue Destruction ◽

Paired Samples ◽

Wide Range ◽

Proliferation And Apoptosis

Background:Rheumatoid Arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) are key player in tissue destruction via the production of a wide range of chemical reactions in the joint with high growth rate and resistance to mortality [1]. Methotrexate (MTX) is a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor that attenuates inflammation within joints resulting in reduced cartilage and bone damage and is the anchor therapy for RA. Its mechanisms of action are thought to differ from its anti-proliferative effects and are known to include increased adenosine release (2), but may also involve alterations in intracellular methyl donor status resulting in alteration in DNA methylation and gene expression.Objectives:To investigate the effects of MTX on RASFs auto-aggressive activities, including invasion, migration, proliferation and apoptosis.Methods:RASF were derived from knee biopsies of RA patients taken at arthroscopy (n=9). Matrigel chambers were used to measure invasive activities. The cells were incubated with DMSO (control), 1μM or 10μM MTX for 96 hours. Wound healing (scratch assays) were used to measure migration. Proliferation and apoptosis was determined using BrdU and caspase-3/7 assays respectively. Significance was determined via repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS software.Results:Incubation with MTX resulted in significantly reduced invasive activity compared with DMSO control; 1μM (35%, p=0.006) and 10μM (58%, p=0.002) in paired samples. However MTX did not have significant effects on RASF migration, apoptosis or proliferation at either concentration.Conclusion:Our data reveals that MTX reduces the invasive potential of RASFs in vitro, this effect may contribute to the clinical efficacy of this agent. Further investigation will involve epigenome-wide methylation to determine if the DNA methylome of RASFs is altered by MTX.References:[1]Huber LC, et al. (2006) Rheumatol. 45(6):669-675.[2]Chan ES & Cronstein BN (2010) Nat Rev Rheumatol 6(3):175-178.Acknowledgments:This abstract arose from work funded by the National Children’s Research Centre, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, CrumlinDisclosure of Interests:None declared

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Factors affecting consumer purchase intentions of organic food through fuzzy AHP

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management ◽

10.1108/ijqrm-01-2021-0019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Anchal Arora ◽

Nishu Rani ◽

Chandrika Devi ◽

Sanjay Gupta

Keyword(s):

Fuzzy Ahp ◽

Organic Food ◽

High Growth ◽

High Growth Rate ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Purchase Decisions ◽

Key Factors ◽

Content Type ◽

Behavioural Intentions ◽

Food Market

PurposeOrganic food market has grown rapidly on a global level and so is the interest of customers. The present paper ranks the factors and sub-criteria which are taken into consideration while making organic purchase decisions resulting in understanding the behaviour of consumers.Design/methodology/approachThe present paper considered a sample of 550 respondents in the area of Punjab. Fuzzy AHP technique was applied to understand the key factors and sub-criteria which play a major role in organic food purchase decisions. The paper is empirical and descriptive in nature. The factors considered for the study include price, consumer knowledge, trust, attitude, behavioural intentions, subjective norms, perceived personal relevance and perceived consumer effectiveness.FindingsThe three major influential factors include price, trust and attitude ranked in the same order of preference which majorly affects the purchase decisions and talking about sub-criteria the three major criteria to purchase organic food include: “Price plays a significant role in purchase decisions (P2)”, “Organic food keeps me fit and healthy (A1)” and “Organic food intake makes me feel energetic (A2)”.Research limitations/implicationsThe present paper is limited to the area of Punjab and majorly eight factors have been taken into consideration. Further research can be explored on broader geographical and cultural areas with new dimensions in criteria and sub-criteria.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper will surely help the marketers to understand the behavioural intentions and preferences of the customers. Accordingly, they will strategize the policies to convert organic food market into a niche market with a high growth rate.Originality/valueThe existing literature explored various key factors. However, the present study comes up with ranking to the factors according to their priority in purchase decisions. This will definitely help marketers, business houses, practitioners and academicians about the key factors which affect purchase decisions, and it will surely add incredible knowledge into the existing database.

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Agricultural Development and Environmental Protection: Some Key Issues of Potential Relevance to Pakistan (The Distinguishedl Lecture)

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v32i4ipp.501-521 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 32 (4I) ◽

pp. 501-521

Author(s):

Hartwig De Haen

Keyword(s):

Natural Resource ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Conservation Strategy ◽

Natural Resource Conservation ◽

Agricultural Planning ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Resource Degradation ◽

Wide Range ◽

Key Issues ◽

Policy And Planning

Pakistan has made noteworthy attempts to incorporate environmental concerns into its policy and planning framework. Environment legislation and the establishment of the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency now date back more than a decade. In 1988 it was also one of the first developing countries to begin designing a comprehensive national conservation strategy. Proposed investments and adjustments to policy arising from the strategy are incorporated in the Eighth Plan 1993-98; and continue to be debated in national fora [see Amir, Chaudhri and Nasir (1992) for example]. Such actions reflect the growing concerns on the wide range of environmental problems facing Pakistan, the result of a still rapidly growing population (more than 3 percent per annum) confronting widespread natural resource degradation. The main purpose of this paper, therefore, is not to underline the well known need to take account of the environment in agricultural planning and policy-making in Pakistan, but to raise some general issues regarding the complementarities and trade-offs between maintaining agricultural production growth on one hand and natural resource conservation on the other.

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Incorporating farmed goats into sustainable rangeland grazing systems in southern Australia: a review

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj13035 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 25 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ronald B. Hacker ◽

Yohannes Alemseged

Keyword(s):

Feeding Strategy ◽

High Fertility ◽

Key Factors ◽

Management Tools ◽

Reproductive Process ◽

Management Perspective ◽

Grazing Systems ◽

Arid Rangelands ◽

Stocking Rates ◽

Current Stage

The recent trend to farming or re-domestication of feral goats poses serious questions for the ecological sustainability of the semiarid and arid rangelands of southern Australia. This paper reviews aspects of the biology and grazing habits of goats, and aspects of the Australian goat industry, relevant to their sustainable management in livestock enterprises. Key factors identified include high fertility and fecundity even under low seasonal rainfall conditions and a generalist feeding strategy. Adverse consequences for rangeland condition can be expected if seasonal or market conditions result in an imbalance between population growth and turnoff, resulting in high grazing pressures. Given the limited control of the reproductive process at the current stage of the development of goat farming, strategies aimed at ensuring continuity of sale of goats (e.g. on-property feed lots or supply chain and market development) will be important in ensuring that imbalances are avoided. Conservative stocking rates and use of seasonal risk management tools are also particularly relevant. The major research and development needs identified by this review, from a resource management perspective, concern the appropriate dry sheep equivalent rating for goat classes based on age, sex and reproductive status, the extent and consequences of heterogeneity of grazing in space, time, and across forage species, and development of means of establishing sustainable stocking rates based on the use of all available forage sources, including browse.

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Recent Developments in SiC Homoepitaxy Using Dichlorosilane for High Power Devices

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-1246-b04-06 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1246 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Iftekhar Chowdhury ◽

MVS Chandrasekhar ◽

Paul B Klein ◽

Joshua D Caldwell ◽

Tangali Sudarshan

Keyword(s):

Chemical Vapor ◽

High Growth ◽

High Growth Rate ◽

Power Devices ◽

X Ray ◽

Carrier Lifetimes ◽

Wide Range ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Morphological Defects ◽

Site Competition

AbstractThick and high quality 4H-SiC epilayers have been grown in a vertical hot-wall chemical vapor deposition system at a high growth rate on (0001) 8 0 off-axis substrates. We discuss the use of dichlorosilane as the Si-precursor for 4H-SiC epitaxial growth as it provides the most direct decomposition route into SiCl 2, which is the predominant growth species in chlorinated chemistries. The RMS roughness of the films ranged from 0.5-2.0 nm with very few morphological defects (carrots, triangular defects, etc.) being introduced, while enabling growth rates of 30-100 μm/hr, 5-15 times higher than most conventional growths. A specular surface morphology was attained by limiting the hydrogen etch rate until the system was equilibrated at the desired growth temperature. Site-competition epitaxy was observed over a wide range of C/Si ratios, with doping concentrations as low as 2x10 14 cm -3 being recorded. X-ray rocking curves indicated that the epilayers were of high crystallinity, with linewidths as narrow as 7.8 arcsec being observed, while microwave photoconductive decay (μPCD) measurements indicated that these films had high injection (ambipolar) carrier lifetimes in the range of 2 μs. These films also appeared to be free of polytype inclusions.

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