Seasonal variation and impact of waste-water lagoons as larval habitat on the population dynamics of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera:Ceratpogonidae) at two dairy farms in northern California.

The Sacramento (northern Central) Valley of California (CA) has a hot Mediterranean climate and a diverse ecological landscape that is impacted extensively by human activities, which include the intensive farming of crops and livestock. Waste-water ponds, marshes, and irrigated fields associated with these agricultural activities provide abundant larval habitats for C. sonorensis midges, in addition to those sites that exist in the natural environment. Within this region, C. sonorensis is an important vector of bluetongue (BTV) and related viruses that adversely affect the international trade and movement of livestock, the economics of livestock production, and animal welfare. To characterize the seasonal dynamics of immature and adult C. sonorensis populations, abundance was monitored intensively on two dairy farms in the Sacramento Valley from August 2012- to July 2013. Adults were sampled every two weeks for 52 weeks by trapping (CDC style traps without light and baited with dry-ice) along N-S and E-W transects on each farm. One farm had large operational waste-water lagoons, whereas the lagoon on the other farm was drained and remained dry during the study. Spring emergence and seasonal abundance of adult C. sonorensis on both farms coincided with rising vernal temperature. Paradoxically, the abundance of midges on the farm without a functioning waste-water lagoon was increased as compared to abundance on the farm with a waste-water lagoon system, indicating that this infrastructure may not serve as the sole, or even the primary larval habitat. Adult midges disappeared from both farms from late November until May; however, low numbers of parous female midges were detected in traps set during daylight in the inter-seasonal winter period. This latter finding is especially critical as it provides a potential mechanism for the "overwintering" of BTV in temperate regions such as northern CA. Precise documentation of temporal changes in the annual abundance and dispersal of Culicoides midges is essential for the creation of models to predict BTV infection of livestock and to develop sound abatement strategies

Low volumetric flow rate injection system

Current research is being studied in polymer drag reduction within a turbulent boundary layer. This research requires precise control of the volumetric flux of solution injected into a developing boundary layer. Because of significant uncertainty in the current system, a critical developing boundary layer. Because of significant uncertainty in the current system, a critical need exists for an improved injection system that is both mobile and has a wide range of operation. This project includes the design and construction of a mobile syringe pump system that has a mobile platform, digital control of the injection rate, ability to operate over a wide range of volumetric injection fluxes, and can be used with water and polymer solutions. The system design consisted of fluid flow analysis, sizing a motor, design of the system components, and digital controls. The system was tested to verify the flow rates that could be achieved. This calibration found the maximum achievable flow rate to be 8Qs. Additional calibration will be done to the system onve the system construction is finalized

Predicative Possessives Relational Nouns and Floating Quantifiers

Green (1971) notes the apparent unacceptability of certain quantificational expressions as possessors of singular head nouns. We provide data from a range of English dialects to show that such constructions are not straightforwardly unacceptable, but there are a number of restrictions on their use. We build on Kayne’s (1993; 1994) analysis of English possessives in conjunction with considerations on floating quantifiers to explain both the types of possessive that are permitted in the relevant dialects and their distribution, which is restricted to predicative position

The combination of abundance and infection rates of Culicoides sonorensis estimates risk of subsequent bluetongue virus infection of sentinel cattle on California dairy farms

Bluetongue (BT) is an important viral disease of ruminants that is transmitted by hematophagous Culicoides midges. We examined the seasonal patterns of abundance and infection of Culicoides sonorensis at four dairy farms in the northern Central Valley of California to develop estimates of risk for bluetongue virus (BTV) transmission to cattle at each farm. These four farms were selected because of their similar meteorological conditions but varying levels of vector abundance and BTV infection of cattle. C. sonorensis midges were collected weekly at each farm during the seasonal transmission period, using three different trapping methods: traps baited with either carbon dioxide (CO2) alone or traps with CO2 and UV light, and by direct aspiration of midges from sentinel cattle. Analysis of BTV-infected midges using group and serotype-specific quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays confirmed that BTV serotypes 10, 11, 13 and 17 are all present in the region, but that midge infection rates and the number of BTV serotypes circulating differed markedly among the individual farms. Furthermore, more serotypes of BTV were present in midges than in sentinel cattle at individual farms where BTV circulated, and the virus was detected at each farm in midges prior to detection in cattle. BTV infection rates were remarkably lower among female C. sonorensis midges collected by CO2 traps with UV light than among midges collected by either animal-baited aspirations or in CO2 traps without light. A subsample of female midges examined from each collection method showed no overall differences in the proportion of female midges that had previously fed on a host. Findings from this study confirm the importance of using sensitive surveillance methods for both midge collection and virus detection in epidemiological studies of BTV infection, which is especially critical if the data are to be used for development of mathematical models to predict the occurrence of BTV infection of livestock.The Center for Food Animal Health at the University of California-Davis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bernice Barbour Foundation.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpa

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure