Six anthropometric indicators based on weight, height, arum circumference (AC), and age were examined to predict mortality risk of children aged 12-59 mo in a rural area of Teknaf, Bangladesh. In the period 1981-1985, 9861 measurements at 6-mo intervals were made on 2449 children. For all indices mortality risk was greater in the first 3 mo than in the second 3 mo in severely malnourished children. Mortality discriminating power of the indicators in terms of sensitivity and specificity was highest for AC and AC for age and lowest for weight-for-height. Logistic regression analysis showed that the predictive power of weight-height, and age-based indicators improved after adding AC predictive power of AC did not improve after adding weight-based indicators. The relative risk of death in children with ACs measuring less than or equal to 120 mm was 12 times higher than in those whose ACs measured greater than 140 mm.

The main objective of this study is to examine the inpact of farm size variation and seasons of prodution on the following indicators: Feed conversion rate. Death rate. Net income per bird. Total income per bird. Total cost per bird. The essential data of this study has been collected from village development administration in Benisuef Governorate. Analysis of collection data has been greatly based on two way analysis of variance.

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a simple treatment for diarrhoeal dehydration that must be administered correctly to be effective. In August 1984 an ORT service was established at Mama Yemo Hospital in Kinshasa, Zaire. During the first 12 months, 5530 children with diarrhoea were treated, and their clinical history and treatment evaluated. We used indicators traditionally used for individual case management as operational tools to monitor the quality of treatment on the ORT service as a whole. These included quantity of liquids prescribed and given, time spent at the centre, weight gained during rehydration, and discharge status. Analysis using these indicators showed that adverse outcome (death or hospitalization), when it did occur, was not associated with inadequate ORT treatment. Instead, it was associated with clinical antecedents including fever, measles or 'other' complaint. We conclude that indicators reflecting quality of treatment are useful in identifying operational problems associated with oral rehydration services and that our frequent conferences with the pediatric personnel helped to rectify these problems. To our knowledge, this study represents the largest hospital-based ORT population yet reported, and the first of its kind from an African country.

Application of time temperature indicators (TTI) is based on response information or kinetic models from isothermal testing. The reliability of such models under variable temperature conditions was systematically studied. Nonisothermal experiments of two types were conducted involving prolonged exposures to high temperatures followed by storage at low temperatures to study the "history effect," and storage at controlled, sinusoidaly varying temperatures. Three major types of commercial TTI were studied. Results showed that, although some types of TTI exhibit a significant "history effect," the prediction models can be applied satisfactorily for the variable temperature storage.

A community-based nutrition monitoring system is an information system to generate, on a regular basis, an integrated picture of the nutritious condition of a community for local decision-makers. Community-based nutrition monitoring is an extension of international nutrition surveillance and national nutrition monitoring work to the community level where much of the substantive nutrition activity happens. It represents a constructive integration of familiar concepts related to needs assessment, evaluation and program management information systems. The objectives of community-based nutrition monitoring are to provide, in a timely manner, information pertinent to program targeting, funding, priority-setting decisions; to inform and educate decision-makers and enhance the visibility of nutrition-related activities in the community and to provide a vehicle for community-wide nutrition planning. Information about food access, the needs of specific lifecycle or risk groups and chronic disease prevention can all be part of a monitoring system. The specific foci of a system depend on the policy and programming decisions actually or potentially made in the specific community. The monitoring system utilizes multiple simple indicators collected routinely and reported on a regular basis. The development of such a system is a multi-year, inter-agency effort. It presents significant challenges and opportunities to local nutritionists.

Historical evidence and recent theory on the role of farmers as a support base for public agricultural research suggest that the rank-and-file of farmers tends to be ambivalent about agricultural research as a means for enhancing their welfare. Except for those early adopters of technology who are in a position to receive innovators' rents, most farmers receive little or no benefit from or suffer costs due to technologically induced increases in productivity and output which result in declining product prices. This research utilizes partial correlation analysis of survey data from a random sample of farm operators in New York State to test hypotheses concerning farmer ambivalence about agricultural research and the social bases of farmer orientations toward research. The results show that while farmers tend to express positive attitudes toward items reflecting generalized support for the role of science and technology in agriculture, they also express a considerable degree of criticism of or cynicism toward the responsiveness of public agricultural research institutions and the types of technologies they have developed. The correlates of two indexes of farmer orientations toward agricultural research, based on the two sets of items reflecting generalized support for this research and critism of its responsiveness or relevance, are examined. Structural factors most closely associated with support for and perceived relevance of agricultural research were indicators of farm size and wealth and contact with extension. Several attitudinal indicators--especially profit orientation, cynicism toward agribusiness, and concern with agricultural pollution--were found to have substantial direct effects on the two dependent variables when major structural correlates were controlled.

A method to quantify the distribution of colors across the surface and interior of soil peds was developed and used on soils that differed in morphological indicators of soil drainage. Soils from two contrasting geomorphic settings were selected for study. In the first of these settings, morphological indicators have not appeared to be useful predictors of actual soil wetness. In the second setting, soil morphology appears to predict wetness reasonably well. Pedons in the second setting provided an independent set of data against which to evaluate judgments made about pedon wetness of the first geomorphic setting. Pedon morphology was determined and duration of saturation was measured for all pedons studied. Saturation measurements were used to place pedons studied in a wet, medium, or dry moisture group. Ped surfaces and interiors were photographed using a 35-mm camera and color slides were prepared. Color patterns on these slides were analyzed using a digital densitometer. Colors (red, green, and blue) were separated through use of the corresponding filters. Densities of these colors on each slide were determined and ranked within six brightness subranges. Cluster analysis was used to group the color rankings. Groups formed through this procedure coincided with groups (wet, medium, or dry) formed through measurement of duration of saturation. This procedure appeared to be better able to predict actual saturation than did commonly used methods based on horizon color and/or mottle features. It appears to provide a method to remove subjectiveness from soil color measurements and to quantify the measurement of soil color. Its predictive value appears to equal or exceed that of commonly applied techniques.

A method to quantify the distribution of colors across the surface and interior of soil peds was developed and used on soils that differed in morphological indicators of soil drainage. Soils from two contrasting geomorphic settings were selected for study. In the first of these settings, morphological indicators have not appeared to be useful predictors of actual soil wetness. In the second setting, soil morphology appears to predict wetness reasonably well. Pedons in the second setting provided an independent set of data against which to evaluate judgments made about pedon wetness of the first geomorphic setting. Pedon morphology was determined and duration of saturation was measured for all pedons studied. Saturation measurements were used to place pedons studied in a wet, medium, or dry moisture group. Ped surfaces and interiors were photographed using a 35-mm camera and color slides were prepared. Color patterns on these slides were analyzed using a digital densitometer. Colors (red, green, and blue) were separated through use of the corresponding filters. Densities of these colors on each slide were determined and ranked within six brightness subranges. Cluster analysis was used to group the color rankings. Groups formed through this procedure coincided with groups (wet, medium, or dry) formed through measurement of duration of saturation. This procedure appeared to be better able to predict actual saturation than did commonly used methods based on horizon color and/or mottle features. It appears to provide a method to remove subjectiveness from soil color measurements and to quantify the measurement of soil color. Its predictive value appears to equal or exceed that of commonly applied techniques.

The effects of the carbohydrate composition of the concentrate supplements on certain blood metabolites and the relations between blood metabolites, fatty acid composition of milk and estimated ME-balance were studied in 5 dairy cows given grass silage ad libitum in the 5x5 Latin Square design. Substituting barley with unmolassed sugar beet pulp decreased the aveage plasma concentration of insulin and the postprandial insulin peak, increased the plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentration and tended to decrease the concentrations of blood beta-hydroxybutyrate and plasma urea. Dietary inclusion of molasses had no significant effect on the blood metabolites measured. Blood acetoacetate, and plasma NEFA and glucose concentrations were the best indicators of the cow's energy status, based on the close correlation of these metabolites and estimated energy balance. The proportions of milk fatty acids synthetized de novo (C6-C16) were positively correlated and the long chain fatty acids derived entirely from the blood (greater than C16) were negatively correlated with the estimated ME-balance.

In order to study S compounds and processes in Chesapeake Bay marshes, Sulfihemist profiles were sampled along a transect from inland to streamside marsh areas of Cedar Creek Marsh and in seven marshes along the Nanticoke River in Dorchester County, MD. In both areas, higher concentrations of pyrite were found in areas that received Fe inputs from tidal overwash or from diffusion from mineral layers within the profile. Pyrite accumulation was favored in streamside profiles that were subjected to frequent tidal flushing. Pyrite was the major form of S in most of the organic horizons of the Cedar Creek streamside pedons and in several of the Nanticoke pedons. Organic S was the major form of S in the Cedar Creek inland pedons. In both study areas, organic C was correlated with total S, apparently because of the S associated with organic materials and the ability of organic matter to hold sulfate-containing tidal water. High total S values were found to be indicators of areas of organic S accumulation. Pyrite content was not significantly correlated with total S or organic C. Identification of "sulfidic materials" for purposes of soil classification should be based on analysis of pyrite S, as total S may be a poor estimate of oxidizable sulfides.