Sorghum panicle residue (SPR), a by-product of Sorghum vulgare, obtained in the manufacture of brooms and wisks, has potential as a partial substitute for grain in growing-finishing diets for feedlot lambs. Accordingly, 48 Pelibuey×Katahdin lambs (initial weight=16.2±4.3 kg) were used in an 84-d growth-performance trial to evaluate its comparative feeding value. Lambs were blocked by weight and assigned within weight groupings to 12 pens (4 lambs per pen). The SPR was finely ground before it was incorporated into the diet. The basal diet contained 60% whole grain sorghum (WGS; DM basis). Dietary treatments consisted in the replacement of WGS with 0, 50, or 100% SPR. Replacement of WGS with SPR decreased (linear effect, P=0.04) average daily gain (ADG), and tended to increase (linear effect, P=0.06) dry matter intake (DMI). Replacement of WGS with SPR decreased (linear effect, P<0.01) gain efficiency (ADG : DMI), and observed dietary net energy (NE), as well as hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, kidney–pelvic–heart fat, and back fat thickness (linear effect, P⩽.05) Other carcass characteristics and wholesale cuts as a percentage of cold carcass weight were not affected by dietary treatments. It is concluded that SPR is a palatable feed ingredient for inclusion in finishing diets for feedlot lambs. The comparative NE values for SPR are 1.50 and 0.91 Mcal/kg for maintenance and gain, respectively, 75% the NE value of WGS. These NE values reflect the greater fiber content of SPR. To the extent that dietary energy density limits energy intake (and hence daily weight gain), appropriate constraints on level of SPR incorporation is warranted.

There has been an explosion of interest in mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. This is demonstrated in increased research, implementation of MBPs in healthcare, educational, criminal justice and workplace settings, and in mainstream interest. For the sustainable development of the field there is a need to articulate a definition of what an MBP is and what it is not. This paper provides a framework to define the essential characteristics of the family of MBPs originating from the parent program MBSR, and the processes which inform adaptations of MBPs for different populations or contexts. The framework addresses the essential characteristics of the program and of teacher. MBPs: are informed by theories and practices that draw from a confluence of contemplative traditions, science, and the major disciplines of medicine, psychology and education; underpinned by a model of human experience which addresses the causes of human distress and the pathways to relieving it; develop a new relationship with experience characterized by present moment focus, decentering and an approach orientation; catalyze the development of qualities such as joy, compassion, wisdom, equanimity and greater attentional, emotional and behavioral self-regulation, and engage participants in a sustained intensive training in mindfulness meditation practice, in an experiential inquiry-based learning process and in exercises to develop understanding. The paper's aim is to support clarity, which will in turn support the systematic development of MBP research, and the integrity of the field during the process of implementation in the mainstream.

In the lead-up to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, several next-generation radio telescopes and upgrades are already being built around the world. These include APERTIF (The Netherlands), ASKAP (Australia), e-MERLIN (UK), VLA (USA), e-EVN (based in Europe), LOFAR (The Netherlands), MeerKAT (South Africa), and the Murchison Widefield Array. Each of these new instruments has different strengths, and coordination of surveys between them can help maximise the science from each of them. A radio continuum survey is being planned on each of them with the primary science objective of understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, and the cosmological parameters and large-scale structures which drive it. In pursuit of this objective, the different teams are developing a variety of new techniques, and refining existing ones. To achieve these exciting scientific goals, many technical challenges must be addressed by the survey instruments. Given the limited resources of the global radio-astronomical community, it is essential that we pool our skills and knowledge. We do not have sufficient resources to enjoy the luxury of re-inventing wheels. We face significant challenges in calibration, imaging, source extraction and measurement, classification and cross-identification, redshift determination, stacking, and data-intensive research. As these instruments extend the observational parameters, we will face further unexpected challenges in calibration, imaging, and interpretation. If we are to realise the full scientific potential of these expensive instruments, it is essential that we devote enough resources and careful study to understanding the instrumental effects and how they will affect the data. We have established an SKA Radio Continuum Survey working group, whose prime role is to maximise science from these instruments by ensuring we share resources and expertise across the projects. Here we describe these projects, their science goals, and the technical challenges which are being addressed to maximise the science return.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

The primary reason for processing maize is to enhance feeding value. Total tract starch digestion is similar for coarsely processed (dry rolled, cracked) dry maize. Enhancements in starch digestion due to dry rolling maize v. feeding maize whole may be greater in light-weight calves than in yearlings, and when DM intake is restricted ( < 1·5 % of body weight). The net energy (NE) maintain (NEm) and NE gain (NEg) values for whole maize are 8·83 and 6·02 MJ (2·11 and 1·44 Mcal)/kg, respectively. Compared with conventional dry processing (i.e. coarse rolled, cracked), finely processing maize may increase the initial rate of digestion, but does not improve total tract starch digestion. Tempering before rolling (without the addition of steam) may enhance the growth performance response and the NE value of maize. Average total tract starch digestion is similar for high-moisture and steam-flaked maize. However, the proportion of starch digested ruminally is greater (about 8 %) for high-moisture maize. The growth performance response of feedlot cattle to the feeding of high-moisture maize is highly variable. Although the NEm and NEg value of whole high-moisture maize was slightly less than that of dry processed maize (averaging 9·04 and 6·44 MJ (2·16 and 1·54 Mcal)/kg, respectively), grinding or rolling high-moisture maize before ensiling increased (6 %) its NE value. Substituting steam-flaked maize for dry processed maize increases average daily gain (6·3 %) and decreases DM intake (5 %). The comparative NEm and NEg values for steam-flaked maize at optimal processing (density = 0·34 kg/l) are 10·04 and 7·07 MJ (2·40 and 1·69 Mcal)/kg, respectively. These NE values are greater (3 %) than current tabular values (National Research Council, 2000), being more consistent with earlier standards (National Research Council, 1984). When maize is the primary or sole source of starch in the diet, concentration of starch in faeces (faecal starch, % of DM) of feedlot steers can serve as an indicator of total tract starch digestion, and, hence, the feeding value of maize.

We describe the La Silla-QUEST (LSQ) Variability Survey. LSQ is a dedicated wide-field synoptic survey in the Southern Hemisphere, focussing on the discovery and study of transients ranging from low redshift (z < 0.1) SN Ia, Tidal Disruption events, RR Lyræ variables, CVs, Quasars, TNOs and others. The survey utilizes the 1.0-m Schmidt Telescope of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile, with the large-area QUEST camera, a mosaic of 112 CCDs with field of view of 9.6 square degrees. The LSQ Survey was commissioned in 2009, and is now regularly covering ~1000 square deg per night with a repeat cadence of hours to days. The data are currently processed on a daily basis. We present here a first look at the photometric capabilities of LSQ and we discuss some of the most interesting recent transient detections.

We have completed a spectroscopic study of the “12.4 hr clump”, the second largest substructure in the Quasar Equatorial Survey Team (QUEST) catalog. First discovered as an over-density of RR Lyrae stars (Vivas et al. 2001, ApJL 554 33), the region containing the “12.4 hr clump” has generated much interest (Newberg et al. (2002), Martinez-Delgado et al. (2007), Juric et al. (2008), amongst many others). Our first spectroscopic study of this clump revealed the presence of a sharp peak in the radial velocity histogram for the candidate stars (Duffau et al. 2006). The combination of this result and metal abundance estimates for the sample was then interpreted as a signature of the presence of a stellar stream within the clump. This sub-structure was named the “Virgo Stellar Stream” (VSS), given its location in the direction of the Virgo Constellation, at approximately 20 kpc from the Sun. Several other groups have studied this region and have suggested that the over-density containing the VSS could extend to larger areas of the sky (outside QUEST's observing range). We present the complete spectroscopic follow up of the clump candidates present in QUEST and the composite of the studies we performed along the same l.o.s., including data at brighter magnitudes (Vivas et al. 2008). Our study confirmed the nature of the VSS, revealed its likely extent within the QUEST survey and defined a number of its relevant properties.

We present VLT spectroscopy of 13 RR Lyrae variables from the QUEST survey that lie in the leading arm of the tidal stream from Sagittarius dSph galaxy. We observed these stars to measure their radial velocities and metal abundances and to complete a sample of stars from the overdensity detected by QUEST in this area of the sky. The full sample contains 42 stars, 29 observed with VLT and 13 observed with GEMINI, we report here the results from the VLT observations so far. We conclude that the new stars and stars reported before by Vivas, Zinn and Gallart (2005) are consistent with belonging to Sgr. We discuss the importance of the final third of the sample, the GEMINI targets, which will provide important constrains on models of the Sgr streams that assume different dark matter halo shapes.

The Canis Major overdensity (CMa) was initially proposed to be the remnant of a tidally disrupting dSph galaxy. Since its nature is still subject of debate, the goal of the present work was to conduct a large-scale RR Lyrae survey in CMa, in order to see if there is an overdensity of these stars. The survey spans a total area of ∼ 34 sq. deg. with observations in V and R filters, made with the 1.0m Jürgen Stock Schmidt telescope at the National Astronomical Observatory of Venezuela. Current results in a subregion, including spectroscopic observations, show that the small number of RR Lyrae stars found can be accounted for by the halo and thick disk components of our Galaxy.

We present VLT-FORS1 color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) reaching the oldest main-sequence turnoffs for three fields at two galactocentric distances in the Fornax dSph galaxy. We derive the star formation history (SFH) for each field through comparison with synthetic CMDs and show that the main epoch of star formation has extended to more recent epochs toward the center of the galaxy. A small burst of star formation about 2 Gyr ago is a robust feature in the SFH of all fields. It might be related to the shell structure found in Fornax by Coleman et al. (2004), which in turn has been interpreted as the relic of a merger event that occurred in Fornax about 2 Gyr ago.

Using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope archive, color-magnitude diagrams have been constructed for globular Cluster 4 in the Fornax dSph galaxy and its surrounding field. These diagrams extend below the main-sequence turnoffs and have yielded measurements of the ages of the populations. In particular, from our analysis Cluster 4 shows [Fe/H] ≃ 2.0, a value significantly lower than that derived for the Fornax field ([Fe/H] ≃ −1.40). Putting our results in the frame of the findings of Buonanno et al. (1998) for the Fornax clusters 1, 2, 3 and 5, a global analysis of the properties of Fornax stellar populations has been performed.

Microstructural analysis was performed on several crystalline SiC samples previously prepared by three separate processing methods and subsequently sintered under high pressure and high temperature conditions using the cubic anvil cell MAX80 at Hasylab. Microcrystalline SiC was prepared using SHS conditions, while nanocrystalline SiC was prepared using both combustion synthesis methods and polymer precursors. High purity, highly disordered nanocrystalline SiC powders, with average particle diameters below 100 nm, were synthesized via combustion methods from precise mixtures of silane and acetylene. The properties of the silicon carbide powders prepared in this manner were dependent on the initial stoichiometry and pressure of the combustion mixture. Pyrolysis of polymer precursors to SiC was also used to fabricate ceramic powders containing uniformly-sized, highly disordered nanocrystalline SiC grains. The grain sizes ranged from approximately 3 nm to greater than 50 nm, and depended on the initial composition of the polymer, the pyrolysis conditions, as well as the annealing atmosphere, temperature and time. This paper describes the preparation methods for each of the SiC powders, the densification procedure, and preliminary results obtained primarily from transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis.