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Wednesday's scouting report: Pirates at Cardinals
Pirates/MLB Videos
• Remember a couple of seasons ago (or even in April) when it seemed the Pirates couldn't win on the road? Things have picked up considerably. Wednesday will be the Pirates' 42nd of 82 road games this season. After starting the year 5-14 away from PNC Park, the Pirates went 13-8 (going into Tuesday's game at Busch Stadium). The Pirates' .512 road winning percentage since the start of the 2013 season ranks third in the NL behind the Dodgers (.583) and Cardinals (.520). Still, the Pirates are scoring 3.65 rpg and allowing 4.15 rpg on the road.
• It was almost a year ago that Brandon Cumpton made what is arguarbly the most pressure-packed and impressive start of his young big league career. On July 30, 2013, Cumpton tossed seven shutout innings against the Cardinals in a 6-0 victory that completed a doubleheader sweep at PNC Park. Cumpton gave up three hits, walked one and struck out five.
The Buzz
After finding out before Sunday's game that he was chosen for the NL All-Star squad, Tony Watson phoned his father back in Iowa. Watson gave his dad, Steve Watson, strict instructions not to tell anyone until after MLB released the news. The elder Watson kept mum, even when a neighbor pried for info. "It was not difficult (to stay quiet)," Steve Watson told the Des Moins Register.
Rob Biertempfel is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com or via Twitter @BiertempfelTrib.
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Congressman Charles Rangel gave a big-thumbs up after casting his vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary, a contest that he has described as his own "final judgment'' from voters on a long list of ethics charges pending against him.
Rangel, who voted at an elementary school in Harlem, is awaiting a trial by the House ethics committee on 13 separate violations of ethics rules. The issue has dogged him throughout this campaign season and he has refused to retire despite pressure from fellow Democrats who fear his problems may drag down other candidates in November.
The 80-year-old lawmaker has admitted to making mistakes but insists he never intentionally acted unethically. On Tuesday, he hinted that he might be willing to agree to a settlement of those charges.
"Since the charges have reached a political nature and some of the people making the allegations in terms of reviewing it are involved with some other problems, I think this lends itself now for a political solution,'' Rangel said.
Asked if he had regrets, Rangel said he "should have known that the temperature in the kitchen could really get this hot.'' Read More »

subset: commoncrawl


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They were simple questions. Innocent, too.
Who reads The Post-Crescents daily column about the card game of bridge? And should we replace it?
I swear: I did not know the answer to either question when they were asked a week ago in this space.
Apparently, the lawless hordes of bridge players walking the mean streets of the Fox Cities do not wear distinctive colors or symbols. OK, maybe they wear sweater vests (me, too) and pullovers and cardigans. And maybe their hair is distinctive only because its gray.
But make no mistake. This is a bridge players world, and were just waiting for our turn to deal.
More than 100 well-mannered, well-heeled P-C readers responded via phone and email by the end of Monday. More than 80 percent of them were quite clear that the bridge column plays an important role in their lives and that maybe I should learn to play, too.
Not one of them sounded angry or even annoyed. They were polite and friendly and ... uhmmmm ... organized.
So, yes. The bridge column stays. Common sense prevails. Time marches on. Thanks for your help.
But have you ever wondered who reads the horoscope?
Dan Flannery: firstname.lastname@example.com or 920-993-1000, ext. 1-237; on Twitter @dflannery


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Many factors influence litter size. These include genetics, gilt management, lactation length, parity distribution, disease, stress and boar fertility. In the past 20 years, litter size in Irish sows has increased by only one pig. Born alive figures now average at 11.2 pigs per litter. In this regard, Ireland is falling behind our European competitors who have made significant advances over this time. Denmark, for example, has an average figure of 12.7 pigs born alive per litter and France an average of 12.5. The single area that could be improved immediately is sow feeding. It is important that sows are fed correctly throughout pregnancy. If over-fed during pregnancy, sows will have depressed appetite during lactation. If underfed in pregnancy, sows will be too thin at farrowing. The correct way to feed a pregnant sow is to match her feed allocation to her requirement for maintenance, body growth and growth of her developing foetuses. During lactation, sows should be given as much feed as they can eat to prevent excessive loss of body condition. Liquid-feed curves should be such that lactating sows are provided with a minimum mean daily feed supply of 6.2 kg. A small proportion of sows will eat more and this could be given as supplementary dry feed. Where dry feeding is practised in the farrowing house, it is difficult to hand-feed sows to match their appetite. Ideally ad libitum wet/dry feeders should be used. From weaning to service, sows should once again be fed ad libitum. If liquid feeding, this means giving at least 60 MJ DE (digestible energy) per day during this period. If dry feeding, at least 4 kg of lactation diet should be fed daily. The effort spent perfecting sow feeding management on units should yield high dividends in the form of increased pigs born alive per litter.
Keywords:litter; size; Ireland; sows
In the past 20 years, litter size in Irish sows has increased by almost one pig. However, most of this increase had occurred by 1996. Since then, litter size has increased by only 0.40 of a pig (Table 1). When broken down into quartiles, the 2005 PIGSYS data show that there is a difference of 1.1 pigs in number born alive and in total born between the top 25% and bottom 25% performing herds (Table 2). However, even the top quartile is falling behind our European competitors (Table 3). Denmark, for example, had an average born alive figure of 12.7 in 2004 compared to the 11.6 figure for the top 25% of Irish herds in 2005.
Table 1. Trend in litter size from sows in Ireland over last 20 years (PIGSYS report 2006)
Table 2. Litter size in Irish sows based on number born alive (PIGSYS data, 2005)
Table 3. Number of pigs born alive in select EU countries in 2004(BPEX data, 2005)
This paper will attempt to address some of the factors that are limiting litter size in Ireland. Genetics is obviously an important factor in this regard (but will be discussed only briefly here). However, genetic improvements are worthless unless we possess the management and nutritional information to exploit these advances. Therefore, this paper will concentrate on some of the management and nutrition factors that can make the most improvements in litter size.
As a result of heterosis, litter size of crossbred sows is on average 0.25 to 0.5 pigs greater than that of purebred sows [1]. Literature estimates of heritability of litter size range between 0 and 0.76 with an average of 0.10 [33]. A policy of selecting gilts from prolific sows, and serving them with boars from a prolific dam line, will gradually increase litter size over time because litter size and its component traits (ovulation rate, embryonic survival and uterine capacity) respond to selection [18]. However, it has been suggested that genetic improvement programmes should emphasise live born pigs and weight of live born pigs because of undesirable genetic relationships between ovulation rate and number of foetuses with numbers of stillborn and mummified pigs and because birth weight has decreased as litter size has increased [18].
One of the most important determinants of litter size is failure of the developing foetus to survive [35]. This occurs most frequently in the first few weeks of gestation and is associated with abnormalities in the developmental process. Improvement in litter size in the past was achieved by phenotypic selection. However, it is now possible to use marker assisted selection (MAP) which utilises genotypic information. Use of this technology will greatly shorten the generation interval as the selection decision can take place early in the life of the animal [35].
Selection for increased uterine capacity and, in particular, selection for reduced placental size and increased placental efficiency may also lead to increases in litter size [11,46]
Gilt selection and management
There are more gilts served and farrowed than sows of any other parity. Therefore, if gilt litter size is low, the average born alive for the herd will be reduced. In addition, maximising the litter size in gilts will maximise lifetime performance [7,1]. For this reason, it is important that gilt selection and management be carried out correctly.
A retrospective examination of the records from more than 20,000 farrowings on the data bank of a Swedish breeding organisation found that:
• An increase of one piglet in the litter in which a gilt is born results in an increase of her own litter size (both total born and born alive) of between 0.07 and 0.1 piglets [45].
• An increase in growth rate from birth to 100 kg body weight of 100 g/day results in an increase in litter size (both total born and born alive) of between 0.3 and 0.4 piglets, as well as a reduction in weaning to oestrus interval and an increase in farrowing rate [45].
• Gilts with a high backfat at 100 kg have increased litter size in parity two as well as a shorter weaning to oestrus interval and a higher farrowing rate [45].
• As age at first mating increases, so too does litter size [7,45]. However, there is a critical age above which litter size will not be increased. When this critical age is reached, litter size will be determined by the number of oestrus cycles that the gilt has reached [7].
The essentials of gilt management and nutrition have been reviewed previously by Carroll and Lawlor [5] and Young [47].
Sow feeding
Feed quality
Certain mycotoxins such as zearalenone, if ingested in early pregnancy, can result in increased embryo mortality and therefore in reduced litter size [1]. It is advisable that sow feed and feed storage areas are kept clean, fresh and free of moulds.
Moderate energy intake (31 MJ DE/day) compared to low energy intake (18 MJ DE/day), in the first three days after mating, may reduce litter size in gilts but not in sows [21]. Tokach et al. [43] recommended limiting sow feed intake (28 MJ DE/day) in the first 12 days after service as a safety measure to prevent embryo mortality in the early stage of pregnancy. However, very thin sows should receive a high level of intake immediately after mating until body condition is restored [43].
Litter size may actually be reduced by feeding a very low energy level in the first four weeks of pregnancy [21], especially where sows are in a very poor body condition [43]. Where sow body condition is poor, additional feed should be provided between day 12 and day 45 of gestation. Sows should be at the body condition desired for farrowing by day 45 of gestation.
Day 75 to day 100 of gestation is the critical period for mammary development and Tokach et al. [43] recommend that excess feed intake be avoided particularly during this period. However, in practice, feed intake should be such that it only meets requirements for maintenance and conceptus growth at this time as sow body condition should have been restored by day 45 of gestation.
The period from day 100 to day 112 of gestation is also critical in that this is a period wherein rapid foetal growth takes place. Feed intake should be increased by 1-2 kg during this period to prevent sows from losing weight. Failure to increase feed intake during this period results in sows entering a catabolic state at farrowing. This catabolic state contributes to gorging and sows "going off feed" during lactation [43].
From day 112 to farrowing it is recommended to feed 2 kg per day [43]. See Appendix 1 for recommended gestation feed curves for sows and gilts.
Improvements in genetics have resulted in sows with higher milk production and maintenance requirements. However, body fat reserves have decreased and voluntary feed intake may have decreased at the same time. As a consequence, voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation is frequently insufficient to meet nutrient demands [8].
Increasing feed intake of lactating sows reduces backfat and body-weight losses as well as increasing litter weight gain [9]. Minimising weight loss during lactation is critical when attempting to achieve an early return to oestrus after weaning [41,9,42] and a high litter size at the subsequent farrowing [9,42]. In the study by Thaker and Bilkei [42], it is evident that weight loss during lactation should not be greater than 5% (approx. 9 kg) for first parity sows and 10% (approx. 22 kg) for older parities, if early return to oestrus, high farrowing rate and a high subsequent litter size are to be achieved. Low parity sows are most affected by lactation weight loss because of their inherent drive to achieve their target lean body mass and therefore, even after weaning, they continue to mobilise body fat to sustain lean tissue deposition [12]. This leads to an unfavourable endocrine and metabolic state in these young sows which impacts negatively on their fertility. Subsequent ovulation rate is reduced by lactation weight loss [48].
In the sow, only extremes of either under or over-nutrition have been reported to influence milk yield [26]. The number of piglets suckling the sow has the greatest positive influence on total production of milk [13]. For this reason, sows on a low level of nutrition will mobilise body reserves for milk production thus losing weight. The extent of weight loss will depend on the energy deficit between requirements for maintenance and for milk production (the number of piglets sucking the sow and their growth rate will determine this) compared with that provided by the feed [26].
According to Koketsu and Dial [20], greater energy and feed intake during lactation is associated with higher embryo survival rates during the subsequent early gestation period and greater litter size at the subsequent farrowing. This study also demonstrates that increasing feed intake during lactation can reduce the negative association between short lactation length and subsequent litter size.
Computerised liquid feeding
At Moorepark Research Centre, the authors are currently looking at ways to increase feed intake during lactation in order to minimise weight loss. Appendix 2 shows three feed curves that have been looked at. Curve 1 is the baseline curve, curve 2 is curve 1 plus 15% and curve 3 is curve 2 plus 15%. The suitability of the three curves is examined in Table 4. Curve 1 provides, on average, 74.3 MJ DE/day (5.2 kg; 14.2 MJ/kg DE diet) and is easily consumed but results in a lactation weight loss of between 23 and 33 kg (depending on sow weight; Table 4) over a 26-day lactation. Curve 2 provides, on average, 85.5 MJ DE/day (6 kg; 14.2 MJ/kg DE diet), leads to very little feed rejection and results in lactation weight losses of between 8.4 and 18.1 kg (depending on sow weight; Table 4) over a lactation of the same duration. Curve 3 provides, on average, 98.3 MJ DE/day (6.9 kg; 14.2 MJ/kg DE diet) and if consumed in its entirety would actually put weight on most sows over a 26-day lactation (Table 4). However, approximately 50% of sows cannot consume their full allocation of feed on this curve and valves need to be 'minused' (i.e., their feed levels temporarily restricted) on a regular basis.
Table 4. Energy requirement of sows during lactation and sow weight loss during lactation (kg over 26 days) associated with three different lactation feed curves (see Appendix 2).
It is suggested that curves similar to either curve 2 or 3 be used. If curve 2 is adopted, then it should be fed as two splits (morning and evening) and personnel should be prepared to provide supplementary dry feed at midday to sows that will consume more. If curve 3 is used, it should be fed as three splits (morning, midday and evening), personnel should be prepared to monitor troughs (one hour after each feed) and when significant quantities of feed are left, individual valves should be 'minused'.
If it is rarely necessary to 'minus' a valve for a particular feed curve then it is reasonable to assume that the curve is too low and that the majority of sows are not getting sufficient feed. The voluntary food intake of individual sows differs greatly and is influenced by a number of factors including ambient temperature, genotype, parity, sow health, lactation stage and litter size [28,10] and it is the responsibility of the stockperson to ensure that these very individual feed requirements are satisfied. This will involve some additional work but the return to labour in this area will be very worthwhile with improvements resulting in subsequent weaning to service interval, farrowing rate and litter size coupled with increased litter weight at weaning. Another very obvious, though often overlooked, consideration where liquid feeding is carried out, is the trough capacity. The trough must be capable of taking the high levels of feed and water that the sow will require by the second week of lactation. A typical water to feed ratio for lactating sows is 4.1 kg water:1 kg feed DM or 3.6 kg water:1 kg fresh weight feed. At maximum feed (curve 3; Appendix 2) 9.8 kg fresh weight of feed would be fed per day. Feeding three splits per day would require a trough capacity of 19 litres (15 litres plus 25%). Feeding two splits per day would necessitate fitting a trough with a minimum capacity of 28 litres (22.5 litres plus 25%). The additional 25% capacity is recommended to prevent overflows when sows are feeding.
Dry feeding
Where sows are hand-fed dry feed in the farrowing house, it is extremely difficult to match the sow's ad libitum feed requirement. Peterson et al. [30] found a 7% improvement in feed intake when lactating sows were given ad libitum access to dry feed using a self-feeder. In addition, lactating sows provided with wet feed tend to eat more feed compared with sows given dry feed. O'Grady and Lynch [27], Koketsu [19] and Lynch [24] found the intake of lactating sows to increase by 12%, 11% and 7%, respectively, when feed was fed wet.
A recent study by Peng et al. [29] compared an ad libitum wet/dry feeder to hand-feeding. Feed intake for the two systems were similar up to day 14 of lactation after which the ad libitum wet-dry fed sows had a 9% increase in intake. In this study ad libitum wet/dry-fed sows gained more than 6 kg body weight over a 21-day lactation. Piglet weight at weaning was increased and variation in individual pig weight within litters was reduced. Wastage of water was also reduced on the ad libitum wet/dry feeding treatment as nipple drinkers were incorporated in the trough and not external to it, as was the case where sows were hand-fed.
Therefore, it is recommended that where meal or pelleted dry feed is fed to lactating sows ad libitum, wet/dry feeders should be used.
Weaning to service
Tummaruk et al. [44] found that subsequent litter size decreased by about one pig when weaning to service interval increased from four to 10 days. This is another reason why feed intake during lactation should be maximised as weaning to service interval is likely to be shorter for sows that have lost least body weight during lactation.
Low energy intake compared to high energy intake before mating may reduce litter size in gilts and sows that experienced severe weight loss during lactation [21]. For this reason it is recommended that sows should be fed ad libitum after weaning.
Lactation length/weaning age
The majority of Irish herds wean at about 28 days (Figure 1). The endometrium in the uterus is regenerated between 14 and 21 days after farrowing. This process, called involution, may not be complete in sows weaned at 21 days or less (especially with older sows). For this reason, sows weaned at 21 days or less are likely to have a reduction in litter size at the subsequent farrowing [20]. Each day increase in the farrowing to conception interval (less than 36 days) is responsible for a subsequent increase in number born alive of up to 0.09 pigs [6].
Figure 1. The majority of Irish herds wean at about 28 days.
Parity distribution
The annual sow replacement rate in Ireland is 52.2% (46.2% culling rate and 6% mortality; PIGSYS, 2005). Based on an average 2.28 litters per sow per year (PIGSYS, 2005), 22.9% of litters born have to be from gilts in order to maintain sow herd size. Carroll [4] proposed an ideal parity distribution and, according to his data, gilt farrowings should only account for 17% of farrowings (Table 5).
It is evident that a large number of young sows are culled from Irish herds. To combat this deficiency, it is suggested that strict selection procedures (conformation and structural soundness, feet and leg soundness, reproductive soundness) for gilts on entry to the herd are adopted [36,23,38].
Litter size usually increases from first to second litter and again from second to third litter, but then plateaus until approximately the seventh or eight litter [16,15]. For this reason, it is essential when attempting to achieve a high herd litter size that a high proportion of older sows remain in the herd. To achieve this goal, culling rates must be optimised and it is especially important to avoid situations where excessive numbers of young sows are culled.
Again, using PIGSYS (2005) figures and to achieve the ideal parity distribution in Table 5, the ideal replacement on Irish herds would be 38.8%. It is also important that a high proportion of this culling be voluntary (i.e., based on age and reproductive performance). Rodriguez-Zas et al. [32] found that reducing involuntary culling at early parities results in increased profitability. It is advisable that sows are culled after parity seven since number born dead tends to increase with older parities and number born alive tends to decline. Allied to this is the reduction in milking ability as the sow ages.
Clinical parvovirus is recognised when a herd suffers an outbreak of SMEDI (stillbirth, mummification, embryonic death and infertility). The clinical signs include a low total number born and a high number born dead/mummified leaving a very low number born alive. However, sows infected with parvovirus in early pregnancy can cause a reduction in litter size without the presence of mummies. A comprehensive parvovirus vaccination programme is recommended and generally adhered to in Ireland though not elsewhere where there are large numbers of sows kept outdoors and where only gilts may be vaccinated. Gilts and sows should be vaccinated three weeks before service. Leptospirosis, PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) and, occasionally, enterovirus may also reduce litter size [1].
Sows should be moved from the service area to their gestation quarters either within the first 72 hours post-breeding or else at least 28 days after breeding. The stress of moving or mixing before implantation of the embryos has occurred, can result in lower farrowing rates and lower litter size [1].
Boar fertility
If boars are either over- or under-worked, a reduction in litter size is likely ([2]; Table 6). Ideally, each boar should be used for one double service per week. A boar chart should be used to monitor usage. These records will also be useful in detecting differences among boars. Artificial insemination accounts for as much as 80% of total services on a high proportion of the large sow herds in Ireland. This means that fewer boars are now kept on these units. However, there will always be a need for some boars (boar power) in these herds for oestrus stimulation and detection and perhaps for gilt matings [14]. The recommended maximum sow to boar ratio is 20:1, 50:1 and 67:1 where natural mating accounts for 100% of services, where AI is practised on a 100-sow unit and where AI is practised on a 1000-sow unit, respectively [22].
Timing of service
Timing of mating/AI is very important [17]. Sows generally ovulate sometime during the last half of their oestrus period and it is critical that sperm are in the reproductive tract before ovulation occurs. If fertilisation does not occur within four hours of ovulation, a sharp reduction in litter size will result ([17]; Table 7). Sperm must have time to capacitate or mature in the tract and must be present at the site of fertilisation at or very shortly after ovulation. Sows should be served when first detected on heat and again 24 hours later as sperm is likely to survive for 24 hours in the sow's reproductive tract.
Work at North Carolina State University has shown that when sows exhibit a strong standing heat reflex, have a tight cervical lock on the catheter, and where very little semen flow-back occurs, that a higher conception rate will occur [40,34].
Other considerations
• Monitor litter size from natural service and AI. If AI has poorer litter size than natural service, there is likely to be a problem with timing and/or technique and this area should be revised.
• Semen for AI is normally purchased onto Irish units. Ensure that it is handled and stored appropriately to maintain quality (semen should be stored at 17°C in a climate box and rotated every 12 hours to prevent separation of the sperm from the diluent).
• Provide adequate and effective lighting in the service area and dry sow house for 12 to 16 hours per day
• Maintain temperature in the dry sow house at 18-20°C. Each degree Celsius below this will require an additional 1 MJ DE per day to maintain body temperature [26].
• Maintain temperature in the farrowing house as low as possible (provide supplementary heat for piglets by way of a warm creep area or heat pads). This will encourage sow appetite.
The average litter size on Irish sow herds is 1.5 pigs less than that of the average for the Danish national herd. This paper has discussed the factors limiting litter size in Ireland, including; genetics, gilt selection and management, sow feeding, lactation length, parity distribution, diseases, movement/stress, boar fertility, timing of service and other considerations. Sow feeding has been identified as the factor where the most immediate improvements could be made. It is important that pregnant sows are fed to closely match their requirement for maintenance, growth and growth of the developing foetus. During lactation, sows should be given as much feed as they can eat to prevent excessive loss of body condition. Where liquid-feeding is practised, this is best achieved by providing a minimum mean daily feed supply of 6.2 kg of lactation diet on the liquid feed curve and giving supplementary dry feed where sows will eat more. Where dry feeding is practised in the farrowing house, installing ad libitum wet dry feeders to promote intake is advised. From weaning to service, sows should also be provided with ad libitum feed access. The time and effort spent perfecting sow feeding management is likely to be highly cost effective.
Appendix 1
Table 1.1. Gestation feed curve for sows calculated from NRC [26] equations and using the feeding pattern proposed by Tokach et al. [43]1
Table 1.2. Gestation feed curve for gilts calculated from NRC [26] equations and using the feeding pattern proposed by Tokach et al. [43]1.
Appendix 2
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PIGSYS: PIGSYS data analysis. In Report 2005. Teagasc Pig Production Development Service, Athenry; 2006:11.
Rodriguez-Zas SL, Davis CB, Ellinger PN, Schnitkey GD, Romine NM, Connor JF, Knox RV, Southey BR: Impact of biological and economic variables on optimal parity for replacement in swine breed to wean herds.
Journal of Animal Science 2006, 84:2555-2565. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Rothschild MF, Bidanel JP: Biology and genetics of reproduction. In The Genetics of the Pig. Edited by Rothschild MF, Ruvinsky A. Cambridge: CAB International, University Press; 1998:313-343.
Simultaneously optimizing farrowing rate and litter size: [http://mark.asci.ncsu.edu/Swine_ News/2000/aug00.pdf] webcite
Spötter A, Distl O: Genetic approaches to the improvement of fertility traits in the pig.
The Veterinary Journal 2006, 172:234-247. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
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Stalder K, Bass T: Reproductive Trait Selection Guidelines. [http://nationalhogfarmer.com/mag/farming_reproductive_trait_selection/] webcite
Steverink DWB, Soede NM, Bouwman EG, Kemp B: Semen backflow after insemination and its effect on fertilisation results in sows.
Animal Reproduction Science 1998, 54:109-119. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Tantasuparuk W, Dalin AM, Lundeheim N, Kunavongkrit A, Einarsson S: Body weight loss during lactation and its influence on weaning to service interval and ovulation rate in Landrace and Yorkshire sows in the tropical environment of Thailand.
Animal Reproduction Science 2001, 65:273-281. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Thaker MYC, Bilkei G: Lactation weight loss influences subsequent reproductive performance of sows.
Animal Reproduction Science 2005, 88:309-318. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Tokach M, Dritz S, Goodband B, Nelssen J: Nutrition for Optimal Performance of the female pig. In Proceedings of Teagasc Pig Farmers Conferences. Teagasc, Sandymount Avenue, Dublin 4; 1999:96-110.
Tummaruk P, Lundeheim N, Einarsson S, Dalin AM: Reproductive performance of purebred Swedish Landrace and Swedish Yorkshire sows: ll. Effect of mating type, weaning to first service interval and lactation length.
Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 2000, 50:217-224. Publisher Full Text
Tummaruk P, Lundeheim N, Einarsson S, Dalin AM: Effect of birth litter size, birth parity number, growth rate, backfat thickness and age at first mating of gilts on their reproductive performance as sows.
Animal Reproduction Science 2001, 66:225-237. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Wu G, Bazer FW, Wallace JM, Spencer TE: Board invited review: Intrauterine growth retardation: Implications for the animal sciences.
Journal of Animal Science 2006, 84:2316-2337. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text
Young M: Nutrition and management of the modern gilt. In Proceedings of Teagasc Pig Farmers Conferences. Teagasc, Sandymount Avenue, Dublin 4; 2003:41-54.
Zak LJ, Cosgrove JR, Aherne FX, Foxcroft GR: Patterns of feed intake and associated metabolic and endocrine changes differentially affect postweaning fertility in primiparous sows.
Journal of Animal Science 1997, 75:208-216. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text


text:
Shreveport police are seeking a man accused of threatening the Shreveport Fire Department.
- Filed Under
Detectives are working to apprehend a former Shreveport firefighter who allegedly made threats against the fire department.
Just after 5 p.m. on Friday, Shreveport police officers were notified by members of the Shreveport Fire Department command staff that they had received information a former fireman had allegedly made posts on a social media website that were threatening in nature. Police department administrators immediately assigned a marked patrol unit to the fire station mentioned in the posts and ordered detectives to investigate the matter.
Based on information and ...


text:
Press Release Distribution
August 24, 2012 News
3 years ago, 6836 views, By RoswellBooks.com
A mysterious UFO incident 38 years ago along the Texas-Mexico border has yielded two new witnesses. The witnesses have reported seeing an aerial explosion, possibly related to the August 25, 1974 UFO case, known as "Mexico's Roswell."
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Announcing the launch of its newest delivery location in Durban, South Africa, Mr Ian Allison; Director – Contact Centre Services for Coracall was asked about the continuing growth of off shoring and outsourcing and what has precipitated this boom.


text:
Engage / Vote ArtDesign /
ArtDesign Description
World wide web can be represented by many things but one of its most interesting features is its eternal dynamicity and power. Individual seems very fragile in comparisment to an endless network, man made space and its endless activity. The idea behind the illustration is to capture this dynamicity, the eternal movement in an offlline form using well known optical illusion that was transformed in to an apstract image. Different sizes of circles makes the illusion work from various distances.
Comments about this ArtDesign
03.12.11 geniusana
wow, interesting idea
06.12.11 changyo
Network, Nexus, Neverending


text:
Wednesday Morning Coffee
If you are interested in an early morning cup of conversation centered on Father, come and meet with a group of men at DazBog every Wednesday at 6:00am. It is very informal, come and go as your schedule allows and enjoy some great coffee and conversation. It is a comfortable east setting to get to know other Godly Men.
Location: Dazbog Coffee
Time: Wednesdays 6:00am
Contact: Pastor Mark Marble
IHOP Bible Study
Led by Doug Setters every Thursday morning from 6:30-8:00 AM at IHOP in Castle Rock. Come and have breakfast and talk about Jesus. This group is currently studying Romans.


text:
Haggett seeking further recognition after T20 Somerset debut
Posted: February 05, 2011|
Somerset's Calum Haggett has described his debut appearance in the CaribbeanT20 as a dream come true and something which he wondered would ever happen.
The tall 20-year-old all-rounder is Somerset through and through and has played cricket right through the age groups before being taken onto the Academy at the County Ground.
Life hasn't always been kind to the youngster who hails from the village of Ashcott, and he has suffered a couple of major setbacks which made his debut in the West Indies even sweeter.
For part of his time on the Academy he had a back injury that prevented him from bowling-, but held his own as a batsman.
He made a full recovery from his back injury and was awarded a full contract by Somerset in the summer of 2009.
That autumn he was selected for England Under 19 in Bangladesh, where he made an impression with both bat and ball and was chosen to go to the Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand in January 2010.
However, in the final England fitness tests before the tour it was discovered that he had a potentially life threatening heart problem which required major surgery and which sidelined him for most of the 2010 season. Haggett made a full recovery and by the end of last summer he was back playing for Somerset II.
During the first part of the winter he worked hard on his physical fitness and on his bowling, which paid dividends when he made his first senior appearance in the T20 game against Guyana in Antigua, where he took one for 15 from three overs.
Back at the County Ground the 20-year-old said of his Caribbean experience: "It went very well for me and I took on a lot of positives that will hopefully help to take me forward going into the new season.
"Playing for Somerset was like a dream come true for me because I have always wanted to play for the county ever since I appeared for the Under 11s." Haggett added: "Getting my first team chance to play in the West Indies was really good and it was great to get outside and bowl on the grass again.
"It was good to have Jos Buttler keeping wicket to me because we have played together since the Under 11s so we know each other pretty well."
Looking ahead to the coming season Haggett said: "It's going to be hard to command a regular first team place: all I can do is chit the ground running in pre-season and see where we go from there."


text:
Help Please!......anybody knows the size of bolts to use?
Help Please!......anybody knows the size of bolts to use?
I can let you know in the morning if no one else gets back to you.
I'm assuming chain and belt driven are the same.
It's the typical mitsubishi bolt pattern which I thikn is 1.25 if I remember right. I think its ,m8 1.25 pitch or is it 1.0 pitch. I cant remember at the moment.
Take a fender bolt off the inside of the engine bay and it should screw in, then you can get an idea. They are maybe a half inch deep with lock washer.
thanks a lot!
don't flywheel bolts have to have "shallow" heads? like not a big bulky generic bolt. don't they also have to have higher elasticity or whatever the term is.


text:
Industry helps create new potato breeding professorship
June 14, 2013
Advances in biotechnology such as DNA sequencing have helped speed the pace of plant breeding in many food crops, but applying these tools to the potato, which has an extra set of chromosomes, has been a bit more difficult.
"Molecular markers haven't had much impact on potato breeding thus far, but I think that's going to change soon thanks to a new technology called genomic selection," says Jeff Endelman, who joins the University of Wisconsin-Madison's horticulture department on July 1 to head the potato breeding program.
Jeff Endelman
Endelman, a plant breeder with expertise in statistical genetics, helped launch pilot projects for genomic selection in wheat, corn and cassava when he was a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University. This powerful approach couples historical crop data with DNA marker information to make statistical predictions about the likely success of potential new varieties-before they are tested in the field. Now he's eager to apply this approach to potato.
"My vision is that, in the near future, every promising potato in the breeding program will get thousands of DNA markers sequenced," he says. "I foresee this becoming the most cost-effective way to manage our breeding program."
Endelman was hired through a partnership between the university and the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association. Taking advantage of a new option to fund UW professorships, the WPVGA agreed to provide $370,000 over the course of five years to support Endelman's position and research. It's a good investment for the growers, says WPVGA executive director Duane Maatz.
"The breeding program is critical to us. New varieties and improvements in existing varieties come from this important work," Maatz says. "Adding Jeff to the UW's research team will help us secure a positive future, achieving better methods of production to address consumer needs, economics and environmentally-friendly farming practices."
The gift establishes Endelman as the WPVGA Professor of Plant Breeding. While the gift doesn't cover all of Endelman's salary and research costs, it's what made the position possible, says Kate VandenBosch, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
"This is a new and exciting kind of private-public partnership that marks an important milestone in our potato breeding program. The WPVGA's gift will ensure the continuation of Wisconsin's strength and leadership in the potato industry," VandenBosch says.
Endelman brings a unique set of skills and experiences to the job, including two sets of advanced degrees. First he earned degrees in physics and bioengineering. Then, after participating in a Community Supported Agriculture program, he fell in love with farming and completed two yearlong apprenticeships on small farms in California. This inspired him to go back to earn a master's in plant science from Utah State University and a doctorate in crop science from Washington State University.
He also brings a strong interest in getting farmers involved in the plant breeding effort. As a Ph.D. student working on barley, Endelman established several variety trials in the fields of cooperating farmers. Those collaborations gave farmers an early look at new material from the breeding program while providing valuable data about how varieties performed in a wider range of environments.
Endelman looks forward to using the needs and experiences of Wisconsin's potato growers to guide the university's potato program.
"We have a very involved set of growers in Wisconsin," he says. "That was one of the reasons I accepted this position."
Endelman is a "perfect fit," says Bob Guenthner, a seed potato grower from Antigo and WPVGA member who was on the hiring committee. "It's our legacy, our tradition that we have strong, innovative potato researchers at Wisconsin."


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Many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers say they cannot compete with online retailers as long as their online competition does not have to charge sales taxes.
- Filed Under
WASHINGTON - As vice president of Grismer Tire Co., John Marshall knows all about the practice of "showrooming," when a customer comes into one of his 22 Ohio stores, checks out his products and prices, and then buys the tires online to avoid paying sales tax.
"They will come in, look at a product, and get information on it" from his sales team at their stores throughout Central and Southwest Ohio, Marshall says.
But then Grismer loses the sale because consumers can shave a few bucks off their shopping tab by buying online. ...


text:
HAVANA (AP) – Fidel Castro says he "was at death's door" after falling ill four years ago, but has recovered and been gaining strength since.
The former Cuban leader offered the details on his condition to a Mexican newspaper. In a five-hour interview with the editor of the daily La Jornada, Castro describes lying in bed during his illness hooked up to machines he didn't understand and wondering how long the "torment" would continue. He says he "couldn't aspire to live any longer, much less anything else."
The 84-year-old says his weight fell to 145 pounds but says he's recovered and his weight is back up to 190.
Castro stepped down four years ago, allowing his younger brother, Raul, to take charge of the country. However, the elder Castro remains the head of the Communist Party and since July has been making frequent appearances.
He's used them to warn that a conflict pitting the United States and Israel against Iran has taken the world to the brink of nuclear war.
KKCO firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. We ask that commenters keep it clean, keep it truthful, stay on topic and be responsible. Comments left here do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of KKCO 11News.powered by Disqus


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2 / 62
My client in her wax print outfit. She's a cancer survivor and she wanted a loose fitting top and pants with lots of style. I think she got what she asked for.
I've made this ensemble before, for myself and it's becoming a favorite.
Happy Sewing!
Top McCalls 6990


text:
Elizabeth Crowe
Adjunct Instructor
Department of Government
- Elizabeth Crowe is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public Affairs at American University. She received her Master of Arts from the Department of Economics at American University in 2010. Her research includes the role of government programs and private organizations in supporting low-income families in the U.S. Topics include the U.S. safety net, poverty, inequality, and social policy. Her teaching includes econometric methods, research methods, microeconomic theory, public policy analysis, and program evaluation. Elizabeth was born in Cleveland, OH and has resided in Washington, D.C. since 2006. While working on her Ph.D., Elizabeth worked as an Associate on the Welfare Rules Database (WRD) at the Urban Institute. She also volunteered with the Street Sense Public Outreach Campaign planning forums about homelessness in Washington, D.C. and the US and the Future Project mentoring high school students in the Washington, D.C. Public Schools. Elizabeth is the recipient of the 2013 Vincenza and W. Donald Bowles Endowment Award for the Study of Productivity, Income and Poverty in the United States.
DegreesPh.D. Candidate | Public Administration and Policy M.A. | Economics B.S. | Economics
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text:
Left: Greg Grossman: Wunderkind / Right: Zebra print..it's what's for dinner.
noun \ˈvun-dər-ˌkint\
Definition of WUNDERKIND
: a child prodigy; also : one who succeeds in a competitive or highly difficult field or profession at an early age
This label was bestowed upon Greg Grossman on both the invite and menu. Some may say that when you have a privileged upbringing that allows for you to be surrounded by only good food, you are already ahead of the game. Commenters also indicate that the lad will crack under pressure. Others? They think that what he's doing is totally against Child Labor Laws. Most recently, Culinary Critic Gael Greene tweeted this:


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Kaggle is a platform for data prediction competitions that allows organizations to post their data and have it scrutinized by the world's best data scientists. This tracks the number of active competitions and their total prize value on Kaggle.
% time1487 and data1487 available for use % for Total prize value of active Kaggle competitions % % Number of active Kaggle competitions % time vector is: time1481 % data vector is: data1481 subplot(2,1,1) ymin = fix(min(data1481)); ymax = ceil(max(data1481)); plot(time1481,data1481, '-'); datetick title('Active competitions @ Kaggle.com') ylabel('# Competitions') ylim([ymin-1 ymax+1]) subplot(2,1,2) plot(time1487,data1487/10^3, '-'); datetick title('Total available prize value @ Kaggle.com') ylabel('$ Thousands') % subplot(3,1,3) % avg =data1487./data1481; % plot(time1487,avg/10^3, 'o-'); % datetick % title('Average prize value @ Kaggle.com') % ylabel('$ Thousands')
data points
Created 24 Feb 2012 by Toshiaki Takeuchi
29 views (30 days)
This trend is associated in this plot (though may not be used.)
data points
Created 24 Feb 2012 by Toshiaki Takeuchi
72 views (30 days)
This trend is associated in this plot (though may not be used.)


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White: Meniere's Disease '100% cured' after stem cell procedure
UFC President Dana White has been battle Meniere's diesease for over a year. The disease is an inner ear disorder that affects balance and hearing and does not have any known cure. White underwent a procedure earlier this year that did not help, but told Jay Mohr today on ESPN radio, that he recently underwent another procedure in Germany that seems to have done the trick:
tags: Dana White
Recent Comments »
4/20/13 9:45 AM by FitJuice
4/20/13 8:47 AM by mmavixen
Very happy for Dana. I hated seeing him sick.
4/20/13 8:14 AM by ophusker
Nah this has more to do with excessive regulations in the us and the fact we are lawsuit happy which makes doctors scared to try this type of stuff. Both of those things are liberal agendas not conservative. Pretty much all conservatives support tort reform but liberals fight it because the trial lawyers are huge supporters of the democratic party. We do stem cell transplants in the us al the time. I know two different people that were basically cured from leukemia by a transplant.
4/19/13 8:21 PM by CindyO
That... or chronic painintheassimus disease:) Cindy
4/19/13 6:27 PM by THP
Let that be a lesson to all you bible-thumping idiots that stem cells can cure nearly every disease known to man.
4/19/13 5:32 PM by UGSlapshot
They used Dana's cells, they can now create stem cells from regular cells. Nothing embryotic about it.
4/19/13 5:30 PM by UGSlapshot
Time to move to Germany.
4/19/13 5:29 PM by ScottLean
Maybe this vid has been poeted already, I don't know, but at the start of this video Dana goes into alot more details about all this:http://youtu.be/G3gdHHGjL3U
4/19/13 2:07 PM by The Engineer
To all of the low information idiots posting for one side or the other, not all stem cells are embryonic stem cells, in fact, very few are anymore since other stems cells have proven to be just as effective (often more effective) in most research. Only the use of embryonic stem cells has been controversial or limited, not stem cell research in general. I didn't see anything in the article that said embryonic stem cells were used or that Dana would support the killing of an innocent baby to simply improve his own quality of life.
4/19/13 11:05 AM by CHiLLEN
This bought a smile to my face. Fantastic news!! Dana works his ass off, and gives a lot to us fans. Glad things are on the mend and fingers crossed it stays that way.


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Greece resident Ryan Callahan, a player with the New York Rangers, is Rochester's sole olympian in Vancouver. But the road to the XXI Winter Olympics began on a not so quiet cul-de-sac in Greece.
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GREECE - Long before Ryan Callahan ever skated for the New York Rangers, or played junior hockey in Canada, or even caught the eye of USA Hockey officials, he played in some of the most intense street-hockey games known to childhood. The cul-de-sac at the end of Groveview Circle in North Greece was where a career was born.
"After school and in the summer, we played sun-up to sundown, all day, every day," said Sal Tuttobene, who lived a couple doors down from Mike and Donna Callahan's house and was out on the Groveview pavement, scoring goals and trading elbows with Ryan.
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On behalf of the Eudora High School football team, I would like to thank everyone who made the trip of over 100 miles to our playoff game at Sabetha High School, and supported us throughout the entire season.
The support you showed was tremendous and helped inspire our team numerous times throughout the game. There is nothing like high school football that puts a school district and community on display, and what our community displayed all year is second to none.
The actual football team, band, cheerleaders, dance team, drill team, bleacher creatures, homecoming festivals, 12th man club, booster club and numerous other groups help make Friday night lights a special night.
As we travel throughout our league and state, we are subjected to all types of fans, and I think it is safe to say the best ones reside here in Eudora. I have always been impressed with the positive attitude and the overall first-class actions of our fans, and in turn, I feel it reflects on our neighbors' positive views of our growing community.
Even though my wife and I have only lived here four short years, I am very proud to call Eudora my home!
Thank you once again for your outstanding support toward our football team. I wish we could have brought home a state championship for our community this year, but WE WILL BE BACK!
Coach Aaron Barnett
Eudora High School football
Now that we're spending $16 million on another complex, how about restoring summer school for the kids who need it?
Clint and Joy Clouse
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Spanish astronomers discover two new planets in solar system
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Additional planets may exist in our solar system, according to astronomers at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain. Scientists observed strange orbital patterns of rocky objects near Pluto, and believe this points to the existence of two previously undiscovered planets, one of which is 10 times the mass of Earth. RT's Ameera David has more details on the new RT America in your area: watch us online: us on Facebook us on Twitter


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Figure 7.
(a) Absorption spectra of ZnS nanoparticles in 1.5 mM aqueous CTAB as a function of time. [ZnS] = 5 × 10−4 M. Magnified view of absorption shoulder is shown as insert. (b) UV-absorbance at 294 nm of ZnS nanoparticles (concentration: 0.5 mM) as a function of time in spectrophotometer for three different CTAB concentrations
Mehta et al. Nanoscale Research Letters 2008 4:17-28 doi:10.1007/s11671-008-9196-3


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The Newport Seafood and Wine Festival exists due to the energy and dedication of our volunteers, most of whom return year after year to take part in the event. Volunteer for a 3 to 4 hour shift to receive a three-day pass! YOU MUST BE 21 OR OLDER TO VOLUNTEER!


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The Blog
If You Can't Take the Heat
A chef's recent suicide reminds us of the perils of the cooking profession.
8:00 AM, Oct 2, 2010 • By VICTORINO MATUS
It's hard to deny the allure of the celebrity chef. You get paid millions of dollars to cook. You're on television. You visit your restaurants in Las Vegas and Miami. People buy your pots and pans and those weighty cookbooks. They adore you.
Of course the odds of this happening to you just because you like to cook and maybe even went to a culinary school are slim. When foodwriter Michael Ruhlman went to the Culinary Institute of America in 1996, he was one of 29,000 students across the country enrolling in a cooking program. Twelve years later, the number of students in culinary school shot up to 62,000.
"The downside of this phenomenon," writes Ruhlman in The Making of a Chef, "is that aspiring cooks may be led to believe that the doors of culinary school open onto the land of milk and honey upon graduation. This is akin to thinking everyone who is a committed football or basketball player in high school has a pretty good shot at the NFL or NBA. The fact is, only a handful of the hundreds of thousands of people who enter a culinary program during the next five years will become rich and famous for their cooking or their businesses."
The rest can certainly make a decent living. Some may struggle to get by. And others may not make it. Count Joseph Cerniglia among the latter. Some time last week, the restaurateur killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Cerniglia's claim to fame was an appearance on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, in which Britain's bad-boy chef berates owners of failing businesses—Cerniglia ran Campania, an Italian restaurant in Fair Lawn, New Jersey—in the hopes that tough love will save their eateries. Ramsay was particularly harsh to Cerniglia, telling him that his business was in such dire straits it was about to "swim down the Hudson."
Cerniglia did turn things around and ultimately knew Ramsay had meant well. But it's unclear in what shape were the restaurant's finances at the time of the owner's death. It's also been reported that Cerniglia was having an affair with his pastry chef.
Cerniglia is actually the second chef to kill himself who also happened to appear on a Gordon Ramsay show. (In 2007, Rachel Brown, who competed on Hell's Kitchen a year earlier, shot herself to death.) Sadly, this is not uncommon to the profession. In 1671, François Vatel, the chef to Louis XIV, fell on his sword after learning the fish to be served to the king had not yet arrived. (It supposedly arrived shortly after he stabbed himself.) In 2003, Bernard Loiseau shot himself during a bout of depression and anxiety over the threat that his beloved La Côte d'Or restaurant might lose a Michelin star. (It didn't.)
The profession is not for the faint of heart. And it is worth going back to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential to heed his warning, in a chapter titled "Owner's Syndrome and Other Medical Anomalies."
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November 29, 2015
In celebration of National Public Lands Day, a group of volunteers spent Saturday morning cleaning up Mother Nature.
The group headed out to the 27 ¼ Road Shooting Range to help pick up trash and make improvements to the range.
The crew worked for hours to clean up, replace targets, and make repairs.
Bureau of Land Management officials say it's the hard work of volunteers that helps them to maintain and keep facilities like the shooting range open to the public.
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San Francisco experience
Noelle Lopez has taken a drink out of a toilet. At the Exploratorium in San Francisco, that is. The Exploratorium, a hands-on museum featuring a collection of science, art, and human perception exhibits, is just one of the fun and unique destinations near Santa Clara University. And that's what drew Lopez to the University.
"The cool thing about San Francisco is that you can be at the beach, in a big city, in a forest in the park, or on a hippie street like Haight," she says. Other highlights not too far from campus include walking to the farmer's market at Franklin Square on Saturdays, driving to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or taking the train to other adventures in San Francisco. Besides visiting the Exploratorium there, Lopez likes to walk to Fisherman's Wharf and climb to the top of Coit Tower.
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