Detailed analysis of the physical, chemical, pollen and diatom stratigraphy of sediment cores from Bull Run Lake, Oregon reveals that the lake has been subject to repeated episodes of disruption by volcanic ash fall, fire and other disturbance over the past 4300 years. With the exception of fire, these disruptions have not resulted in long term changes in the watershed or in the characteristics of Bull Run Lake. A major fire in the watershed about 750 years ago altered the vegetation. Since that time the forest has been returning to its former condition.

Violin virtuosos Henryk Wieniawski, Ole Bull, and Pablo de Sarasate each composed short virtuosic works based on their own cultural heritage. This thesis examines the exotic elements incorporated into the character pieces by the three violinists. It draws upon contemporary literature and newspaper reviews of their performances in order to demonstrate the ways in which the violinists and their music were perceived as representative of nineteenth-century exoticism. Wieniawski, whose musical training was primarily French, produced exotic Polish polonaises and mazurkas, which were perceived as evidence of Polish national character, but only in his homeland of Poland. In contrast, Ole Bull's Norwegian heritage was central to his professional persona. His compositions were influenced by Norwegian fiddling and fiddle tunes as well as the pastoral conventions of European art music. Sarasate drew on music from a wide variety of geographical and cultural regions within Spain in his Spanish dances. While his dances were extrememly popular with audiences, critical reception was often dismissive. The individual personas and international receptions of Wieniawski, Bull, and Sarasate were shaped by the musical characteristics of their homelands heard in their works.

Consumption of toxic endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue pastures is known to have a negative impact on bull reproductive performance. Since decreased cleavage rates of embryos fertilized with spermatozoa from bulls grazing E+ tall fescue pastures have been observed in several studies using differing sets of bulls, technicians, pastures, and other methods of inducing tall fescue toxicosis (ergotamine tartrate), it is hypothesized that spermatozoa function from bulls grazing E+ is impaired in ways undetectable by gross semen examination. During a three-month grazing study, 6 Angus bulls were utilized to determine the effects of grazing E+ tall fescue pastures on growth performance and spermatozoa function. Bulls were appointed to graze Kentucky 31 tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) infected with Neotyphodium coenophialum, an ergot alkaloid producing endophyte (n=3) or Jesup tall fescue infected with non-ergot alkaloid producing endophyte (NTE) MaxQTM (n=3). Bulls were grouped by body weight (BW) and scrotal circumference (SC) to graze pastures from April 18-June 26, 2007. Blood samples, BW, SC, semen, and rectal temperatures (RT) were collected every 7 d. Scrotal temperatures (ST) were obtained before semen collection each week in June. Semen was evaluated for gross motility, morphology, and Computer Assisted Semen Analysis (CASA) parameters. Semen from a subset of bulls (n=2 per treatment) was used to assess spermatozoa ability to function utilizing in vitro assays. Growth performance was decreased in E+ bulls compared to bulls grazing NTE tall fescue pastures (P = 0.002). Concentrations of prolactin were reduced in bulls grazing E+ compared to bulls grazing NTE tall fescue pastures (P = 0.055). Motility post-thaw and during a 3-hour stress test were decreased (P = 0.024 and P < 0.0001, respectively), in addition to altered CASA parameters for spermatozoa. Penetration was reduced in oocytes fertilized with spermatozoa from bulls grazing E+ (64.54 ± 3.28%) compared to NTE tall fescue pastures (87.42 ± 1.63%, P < 0.0001) coupled with hastened meiotic completion, and reduced intracellular calcium parameters. These findings indicate impaired spermatozoa function in bulls grazing E+ tall fescue pastures that extends beyond gross semen characteristics, and may provide direction for future studies.

A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the effects of nutrition during calfhood (defined as the period from 10 to 26-30 wk of age) and peripubertal period (defined as the period from 27-31 to 70-74 wk of age) on sexual development and reproductive function in beef bulls. The overall objective of these experiments was to evaluate the effects of nutrition on endogenous metabolic hormones (leptin, insulin, GH, and IGF-I), gonadotropins and testosterone concentrations, sexual development, sperm production, and semen quality in bulls. The results of these experiments demonstrated that nutrition affected GnRH secretion and sexual development in bulls. Increased nutrition during calfhood resulted in a more sustained increase in LH pulse frequency during the early gonadotropin rise and greater testicular development at maturity. On the other hand, low nutrition during calfhood suppressed LH secretion during the early gonadotropin rise and resulted in delayed puberty and reduced testicular development at maturity. When low nutrition was accomplished by restricted feed intake, hypothalamic and pituitary function were compromised and LH secretion was more severely affected. Temporal associations between LH secretion patterns and circulating IGF-I concentrations implied that IGF-I is a possible signal to the central metabolic sensor involved in translating body nutritional status to the GnRH pulse generator. Nutrition also affected testicular steroidogenesis (testosterone concentrations), indicating effects on the number or function of Leydig cells, or both. Age-related increases in physiological and GnRH-stimulated circulating testosterone concentrations were hastened in bulls receiving high nutrition and delayed in bulls receiving low nutrition; these effects were probably mediated by both LH secretion and IGF-I concentrations. Circulating leptin and insulin may have only permissive roles on GnRH secretion, but may enhance testicular development. Growth hormone concentrations decreased concomitantly with increasing IGF-I concentrations during sexual development in bulls, suggesting that the testes could contribute considerable amounts of circulating IGF-I. In conclusion, management strategies to optimize reproductive function in bulls should focus on increasing nutrition during calfhood.

A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the effects of nutrition during calfhood (defined as the period from 10 to 26-30 wk of age) and peripubertal period (defined as the period from 27-31 to 70-74 wk of age) on sexual development and reproductive function in beef bulls. The overall objective of these experiments was to evaluate the effects of nutrition on endogenous metabolic hormones (leptin, insulin, GH, and IGF-I), gonadotropins and testosterone concentrations, sexual development, sperm production, and semen quality in bulls. The results of these experiments demonstrated that nutrition affected GnRH secretion and sexual development in bulls. Increased nutrition during calfhood resulted in a more sustained increase in LH pulse frequency during the early gonadotropin rise and greater testicular development at maturity. On the other hand, low nutrition during calfhood suppressed LH secretion during the early gonadotropin rise and resulted in delayed puberty and reduced testicular development at maturity. When low nutrition was accomplished by restricted feed intake, hypothalamic and pituitary function were compromised and LH secretion was more severely affected. Temporal associations between LH secretion patterns and circulating IGF-I concentrations implied that IGF-I is a possible signal to the central metabolic sensor involved in translating body nutritional status to the GnRH pulse generator. Nutrition also affected testicular steroidogenesis (testosterone concentrations), indicating effects on the number or function of Leydig cells, or both. Age-related increases in physiological and GnRH-stimulated circulating testosterone concentrations were hastened in bulls receiving high nutrition and delayed in bulls receiving low nutrition; these effects were probably mediated by both LH secretion and IGF-I concentrations. Circulating leptin and insulin may have only permissive roles on GnRH secretion, but may enhance testicular development. Growth hormone concentrations decreased concomitantly with increasing IGF-I concentrations during sexual development in bulls, suggesting that the testes could contribute considerable amounts of circulating IGF-I. In conclusion, management strategies to optimize reproductive function in bulls should focus on increasing nutrition during calfhood.

The purpose of this thesis aims that common investors are expected to apply three kinds of active portfolio management without complex mathematical numeration to reduce investment risk or loss to get profits on Taiwan stock exchange capitalization weighted stock index options market. They are Constant Portion Portfolio Insurance Strategy (named CPPI), Time-Invariant Portfolio Protection (named TIPP) and Constant Mix Strategy (named CMS). The active managements adopt bull and bear spread as an adjustment of risk positions on the option market. Five research results are as followings: 1. The performance of the portfolio managements as Constant Portion Portfolio Insurance Strategy and Time - Invariant Portfolio Protection is better than that of the management as Constant Mix Strategy. And Floor value of the portfolio management as Time - Invariant Portfolio Protection exceeds that of the portfolio management as Constant Portion Portfolio Insurance Strategy. 2. Due to the regulation of margin system by Taiwan Future Exchange, the positions of Bull Call Spread and Bear Put Spread can be greater than ones of Bull Put Spread and Bear Call Spread. 3. The more differences between two strike prices on the spread option means to be able to get more profit opportunities. 4. Greater multiplier number and profit have inverse relationship. That only occurs on portfolio managements in Constant Portion Portfolio Insurance Strategy and Time - Invariant Portfolio Protection. 5. Setting upper and low limitation of single return rate for offsetting will have better performance than no limitations for the managements in Constant Portion Portfolio Insurance Strategy and Time - Invariant Portfolio Protection.

A very high proportion of beef cows in Australia are mated to bulls at pasture. A multiplicity of systems for pasture mating are presently in use. Bulls are mated singly or in groups, they are set-stocked during the mating period or rotated about the different groups of cows, they are mated at the rate of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 bulls per 100 cows, young bulls are mated to cows in company with old bulls or other young bulls (Dickson 1966). There is little scientific basis for any of these mating systems since basic information on the sexual and social behaviour of beef bulls at pasture is lacking. Such data are needed so that optimum use can be made of beef bulls in pasture mating. (For complete abstract open document)

This thesis take the form of an ethnographic exploration of a bull-breeding estate called Partido de Resina (formerly Pablo Romero) in the countryside near Seville in Andalusia. The estate, founded in 1885, produces fighting bulls for taurine events in Southern France, Spain and Portugal. At the heart of the thesis is the life cycle of the fighting animals, every chapter being anchored to a particular point in the bull-breeding calendar and the lives of the stock. Each chapter draws out specific qualities of the world of the bulls from the perspective of Partido de Resina, rooting the bulls and their people in a wider Spanish and Andalusian landscape and history, with a focus on technical know-how and everyday ethics after the 2008 financial crisis. The professionals who care for the Partido de Resina bulls, cows, and calves are the human protagonists of this project; their working routines, hopes, concerns, and stories described through their interactions with the animals which they look after. The core anthropological argument in the thesis is to show how different ethnographically salient forms of life emerge on and around the estate, sometimes weighted towards individual animals, sometimes towards bits of taurine bodies, or breeds, types, lineages, cohorts, and other groupings of stock. The varied, dynamic presence of animal life is contextualised in the literature of the 'animal turn' in anthropology, which has drawn non- human life into the ethnographic foreground. A case is made for a nuanced and contextual ethnographic attention to animal life and interiority as it emerges in the field, without an a priori emphasis on animal personhood or subjectivity. In foregrounding the qualities and concerns encountered and worked through during both routine livestock maintenance and extraordinary, definitive events like bullfights, the emergent, multiple character of taurine forms of existence become apparent.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-08-26Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:46:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 crespilho_am_dr_botffmvz.pdf: 1224891 bytes, checksum: 5f6cd3bb0ea028b0690772b9a9bf8493 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O objetivo do estudo foi comparar a efetividade de três diluidores empregados para criopreservação e refrigeração do sêmen bovino em relação aos padrões de motilidade, integridade de membrana plasmática e acrossomal, índice de peroxidação lipídica e fertilidade nos programas de inseminação artificial em tempo-fixo (IATF). No Trabalho científico número 1 foi comparado a viabilidade e fertilidade pós-descongelação proporcionada pelos diluidores Tris-frutose (TRIS, Controle) e Botu-Bov® (BB), ambos contendo 20% de gema de ovo como fonte de lipoproteínas, frente à diluição em Botu- Bov®-Lecitina de Soja (meio BB-L) apresentando 1% de lecitina em substituição ao produto de origem animal. No Trabalho 2 foram avaliados os mesmos diluentes quando utilizados para a refrigeração do sêmen bovino por 48 horas a 5°C. Já no Trabalho número 3 foi avaliada a taxa de concepção na inseminação artificial (C/IA) proporcionada pelo sêmen bovino refrigerado por 24 horas em meio Botu-Bov® em comparação ao sêmen convencionalmente criopreservado no mesmo diluidor. Os meios TRIS e BB a base de gema de ovo foram mais efetivos na manutenção da viabilidade espermática pósdescongelação, conferindo melhores resultados de C/IA (P<0,05) em relação ao meio BBL. No entanto, quando utilizado o sêmen na forma líquida e refrigerado (Trabalho número 2) foi observada uma maior proteção contra o estresse oxidativo proporcionado pelo diluidor a base de lecitina de soja, resultando em maior probabilidade de prenhez quando comparado às amostras refrigeradas em TRIS ou BB, alcançando índice de concepção similar ao obtido com o sêmen congelado. A utilização do sêmen bovino refrigerado por 24 horas levou ao aumento da C/IA de vacas submetidas a IATF quando comparado ao sêmen congelado em meio Botu-Bov®. Conclui-se que embora a lecitina de soja represente... / The aim of this study was to compare three different extenders used for cryopreservation of bovine semen, based on the results obtained during the cooling storage and post-thaw evaluation for motility patterns, integrity of plasmatic and acrossomal membranes, lipid peroxidation rate, as well as conception rate after fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI). In Paper.1, the efficiency of Tris-Fructose extender (TRIS, control group), Botu-Bov® extender (BB), both containing 20% of egg yolk, and Botu-Bov®-Lecithin extender (BBL), which has 1% of soy lecithin instead of egg yolk, were compared in cryopreservation of bovine semen. In Paper.2, ejaculates from different bulls were cooled to 5°C for 48 hours using the same extenders of Paper.1. In Paper.3 the fertility trial was conducted either with frozen-thawed semen or cooled semen for 24 hours in the BB extender. The egg yolk extenders, TRIS and BB, demonstrated significant differences on the viability and the fertility of frozen-thawed bovine semen when compared to BB-L (P<0.05). However, the use of lecithin instead of egg yolk on semen extender resulted in a greater protection against oxidative stress; moreover, this extender improved the conception rates, reaching the results obtained in FTAI programs with frozen-thawed semen. The use of cooled bovine semen at 5°C for 24 hours improves the conception rate of Nelore cows submitted to FTAI. Although soy lecithin is an interesting alternative source of phospholipids in the elaboration of chemically defined extenders and decrease the risk of microbiological contamination, the egg yolk semen extenders are more effective in preserving the viability and fertility of frozen-thawed bovine semen. However, there was a higher production of free radicals in cooled semen with the use of egg yolk based extenders, resulting in lower conception rates when compared to frozen-thawed... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Karol E. Fike / Trace mineral supplementation is necessary for proper reproductive success. Little research has evaluated the effect of an injectable trace mineral product, in conjunction with a dietary mineral supplementation program, on reproduction. This thesis includes two separate studies evaluating the use of an injectable trace mineral product, in addition to a dietary mineral program, on the reproductive success of yearling bulls and heifers. In the first study, we hypothesized that when dietary trace mineral needs are met, administration of an injectable trace mineral product to developing beef bulls would cause a short-term increase in circulating trace mineral concentrations, but not alter semen quality nor ability to pass a breeding soundness examination. Trace mineral treatment did not affect scrotal circumferences and BW of bulls throughout the trial (P [equal to or greater than] 0.20). Trace Mineral bulls had greater (P [equal to or less than] 0.0001) trace mineral concentrations at 8 h post-treatment than Control bulls. Semen trace mineral concentrations on d 42 and 91 were similar (P [equal to or greater than] 0.52) between treatments. Sperm parameters improved (P [equal to or less than] 0.003) from d 42 to 91, but did not differ (P [equal to or greater than] 0.06) between treatments. A similar (P = 0.94) percentage of Trace Mineral (67%) and Control (68%) bulls passed a BSE 91 d post-treatment. In the present study, supplemental trace mineral injection was successful at raising circulating trace mineral levels, but did not alter semen trace mineral levels nor improve semen quality. In the second study we hypothesized that when dietary trace mineral needs are met, the use of an injectable trace mineral product in developing heifers would not affect pregnancy rates at single service fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI). Trace Mineral heifers had greater (P = 0.02) pregnancy rates (51.28%) than Control heifers (25.58%). The percentage of Trace Mineral (30.77%) and Control heifers (47.50%) that displayed estrous behavior prior to FTAI as indicated by a red estrous detection patch was not different (P = 0.13) between treatments. In the present study, despite dietary trace mineral requirements being met, use of an injectable trace mineral injection improved pregnancy rates following FTAI, but did not affect estrous behavior.