Environmental temperatures of tertiary penguins

Marine paleotemperatures, determined by oxygen isotope measurement, show that Australasian Tertiary penguins, including giant forms, lived in warm to tropical environments. Evolution from smaller species also occurred in warm environments. Mid-Tertiary fluctuations of sea temperature were controlled by alternating uplift and erosion of "Tasmantis," an unstable meridional landmass occupying and extending beyond the present position of New Zealand.     

Beliefs of South Africans regarding food and cardiovascular health

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the beliefs of South African metropolitan adults regarding the importance of influencing cardiovascular health by eating certain food types, and to compare these beliefs between different race, living standards, age and gender groups. DESIGN: Randomised cross-sectional study. Trained fieldworkers administered questionnaires by conducting face-to-face interviews with consumers. SUBJECTS: Two thousand South Africans (16 years and older) were randomly selected from metropolitan areas in South Africa. The data were weighted to be representative of the total South African metropolitan population (N = 10 695 000) based on gender, age and race distribution. RESULTS: The majority (94 %) of the population indicated that it is important to influence cardiovascular risk-related health issues by eating certain food types, especially the higher LSM (Living Standard Measure) groups within the different race groups. Weight loss was considered the least important (61 % indicated that it is important) compared with cholesterol lowering (80 %), blood pressure (89 %), diabetes (86 %) and healthy blood vessels (89 %). In the higher LSM groups (7-10) higher proportions of respondents agreed than in the lower LSM groups (2 and 3). No differences were seen in responses between different gender, race and age groups.Conclusions and recommendationsThis study shows that the metropolitan South African adult population considers the influence on cardiovascular health by eating certain food types to be important. However, modifying weight loss by eating certain food types was considered less important.     

The economics of tillage for large-scale mechanized farms

Economically rational farmers base tillage choice decisions on comparisons of resources requirements, production, costs, crop yields and short-term net returns across alternative systems. Also deserving consideration are the adverse effects of tillage on soil erosion and longer term productivity, which in turn affect longer term net returns, and the comparative riskiness of tillage alternatives, as measured by variability of net returns. Most empirical evidence indicates the superiority of conservation tillage systems for both crops and small grains, especially where produced in warm climates, on shallow soils, and on sloping terrain. The same conservation tillage systems tend to carry a higher risk loading, so that risk-averse farmers may prefer more erosive conventional tillage systems, despite the lower profitability.

While farmers may be able to ignore the off-set costs of downstream watercourse pollution caused by soil erosion, society is increasingly concerned about such costs. Unless more farmers adopt conservation tillage systems voluntarily, increased public intervention may be demanded society at large. Such intervention could reduce the farmer's freedom to choice, but could also involve financial assistance programmes, since the latter can be justified on economic grounds.     

Excretion of major odor-causing and acidifying compounds in response to dietary supplementation of chicory inulin in growing pigs

The excretion of major odor-causing and acidifying compounds in response to dietary supplementation of chicory inulin extract was investigated with six Yorkshire barrows, with an average initial BW of 30 kg, according to a balanced two-period cross-over design. The animals were fed a control diet containing no inulin extract and a treatment diet with 5% inulin extract (as-fed basis) at the expense of cornstarch. Each diet was formulated (as-fed basis) to contain 16% CP from corn (51%) and soybean meal (29%). Each experimental period lasted 14 d, with 10 d for dietary adaptation and 4 d for collection of fecal and urine samples. The fecal samples were analyzed for four major classes of odor-causing and acidifying compounds: 1) VFA; 2) N-containing compounds, including total N and ammonia; 3) volatile sulfides measured as hydrogen sulfide units; and 4) phenols and indoles, including p-cresol, indole, and skatole. Supplementation of chicory inulin at 5% had no effects on the fecal excretion of VFA (P = 0.29), ammonia (P = 0.96), total volatile sulfides (P = 0.56), p-cresol (P = 0.56), and indole (P = 0.75). Fecal excretion of total N (inulin = 6.13 vs. control = 5.10 g/kg DMI) was increased (P < 0.05), whereas urinary total N excretion (inulin = 15.1 vs. control = 16.4 g/[pig x d]) was not affected (P = 0.17) by the inulin supplementation compared with the control group. Furthermore, fecal excretion of skatole (inulin = 9.07 vs. control = 18.93 mg/kg DMI) was decreased (P < 0.05) by the inulin supplementation compared with the control group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 5% chicory inulin extract is effective in decreasing the fecal excretion of skatole in growing pigs fed corn and soybean meal diets.