34,155 research outputs found
Vibrational transfer functions for complex structures
Evaluation of effects of vibrational multiple frequency forcing functions is discussed. Computer program for developing vibrational transfer functions is described. Possible applications of computer program are enumerated
Relationship between dairy cow genetic merit and profit on commercial spring calving dairy farms
peer-reviewedBecause not all animal factors influencing profitability can be included in total merit breeding indices for profitability, the
association between animal total merit index and true profitability, taking cognisance of all factors associated with costs and
revenues, is generally not known. One method to estimate such associations is at the herd level, associating herd average genetic
merit with herd profitability. The objective of this study was to primarily relate herd average genetic merit for a range of traits,
including the Irish total merit index, with indicators of performance, including profitability, using correlation and multiple
regression analyses. Physical, genetic and financial performance data from 1131 Irish seasonal calving pasture-based dairy farms
were available following edits; data on some herds were available for more than 1 year of the 3-year study period (2007 to 2009).
Herd average economic breeding index (EBI) was associated with reduced herd average phenotypic milk yield but with greater
milk composition, resulting in higher milk prices. Moderate positive correlations (0.26 to 0.61) existed between genetic merit for
an individual trait and average herd performance for that trait (e.g. genetic merit for milk yield and average per cow milk yield).
Following adjustment for year, stocking rate, herd size and quantity of purchased feed in the multiple regression analysis, average
herd EBI was positively and linearly associated with net margin per cow and per litre as well as gross revenue output per cow
and per litre. The change in net margin per cow per unit change in the total merit index was h1.94 (s.e.50.42), which was not
different from the expectation of h2. This study, based on a large data set of commercial herds with accurate information
on profitability and genetic merit, confirms that, after accounting for confounding factors, the change in herd profitability per
unit change in herd genetic merit for the total merit index is within expectations
Rotational dynamics and friction in double-walled carbon nanotubes
We report a study of the rotational dynamics in double-walled nanotubes using
molecular dynamics simulations and a simple analytical model reproducing very
well the observations. We show that the dynamic friction is linear in the
angular velocity for a wide range of values. The molecular dynamics simulations
show that for large enough systems the relaxation time takes a constant value
depending only on the interlayer spacing and temperature. Moreover, the
friction force increases linearly with contact area, and the relaxation time
decreases with the temperature with a power law of exponent .Comment: submitted to PR
Carcass characteristics of cattle differing in Jersey proportion
peer-reviewedComparison of alternative dairy (cross-)breeding programs requires full appraisals of all revenues and costs, including beef merit. Few studies exist on carcass characteristics of crossbred dairy progeny originating from dairy herds as well as their dams. The objective of the present study was to quantify, using a national database, the carcass characteristics of young animals and cows differing in their fraction of Jersey. The data set consisted of 117,593 young animals and 42,799 cows. The associations between a combination of sire and dam breed proportion (just animal breed proportion when the dependent variable was on cows) with age at slaughter (just for young animals), carcass weight, conformation, fat score, price per kilogram, and total carcass value were estimated using mixed models that accounted for covariances among herdmates of the same sex slaughtered in close proximity in time; we also accounted for age at slaughter in young animals (which was substituted with carcass weight and carcass fat score when the dependent variable was age at slaughter), animal sex, parity of the cow or dam (where relevant), and temporal effects represented by a year-by-month 2-way interaction. For young animals, the heaviest of the dairy carcasses were from the mating of a Holstein-Friesian dam and a Holstein-Friesian sire (323.34 kg), whereas the lightest carcasses were from the mating of a purebred Jersey dam to a purebred Jersey sire which were 46.31 kg lighter (standard error of the difference = 1.21 kg). The young animal carcass weight of an F1 Holstein-Friesian × Jersey cross was 20.4 to 27.0 kg less than that of a purebred Holstein-Friesian animal. The carcass conformation of a Holstein-Friesian young animal was 26% superior to that of a purebred Jersey, translating to a difference of 0.78 conformation units on a scale of 1 to 15. Purebred Holstein-Friesians produced carcasses with less fat than their purebred Jersey counterparts. The difference in carcass price per kilogram among the alternative sire-dam breed combinations investigated was minimal, although large differences existed among the different breed types for overall carcass value; the carcass value of a Holstein-Friesian animal was 20% greater than that of a Jersey animal. Purebred Jersey animals required, on average, 21 d longer to reach a given carcass weight and fat score relative to a purebred Holstein-Friesian. The difference in age at slaughter between a purebred Holstein-Friesian animal and the mating between a Holstein-Friesian sire with a Jersey dam, and vice versa, was between 7.0 and 8.9 d. A 75.8-kg difference in carcass weight existed between the carcass of a purebred Jersey cow and that of a Holstein-Friesian cow; a 50% Holstein–Friesian-50% Jersey cow had a carcass 42.0 kg lighter than that of a purebred Holstein-Friesian cow. Carcass conformation was superior in purebred Holstein-Friesian compared with purebred Jersey cows. Results from this study represent useful input parameters to populate simulation models of alternative breeding programs on dairy farms, and to help beef farmers evaluate the cost-benefit of rearing, for slaughter, animals differing in Jersey fraction.This publication arose from research supported in part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (Dublin) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine on behalf of the Government of Ireland under the Grant 16/RC/3835 (VistaMilk; Dublin, Ireland) as well as funding from the Research Stimulus Fund (BreedQuality and GREENBREED; Dublin, Ireland) and Meat Technology Ireland (MTI; Dublin, Ireland), a co-funded industry/Enterprise Ireland project (TC 2016 002)
Weyl formulas for annular ray-splitting billiards
We consider the distribution of eigenvalues for the wave equation in annular
(electromagnetic or acoustic) ray-splitting billiards. These systems are
interesting in that the derivation of the associated smoothed spectral counting
function can be considered as a canonical problem. This is achieved by
extending a formalism developed by Berry and Howls for ordinary (without
ray-splitting) billiards. Our results are confirmed by numerical computations
and permit us to infer a set of rules useful in order to obtain Weyl formulas
for more general ray-splitting billiards
Equivalence between two-mode spin squeezed states and pure entangled states with equal spin
We prove that a pure entangled state of two subsystems with equal spin is
equivalent to a two-mode spin-squeezed state under local operations except for
a set of bipartite states with measure zero, and we provide a counterexample to
the generalization of this result to two subsystems of unequal spin.Comment: 6 pages, no figure
Robust point correspondence applied to two and three-dimensional image registration
Accurate and robust correspondence calculations are very important in many medical and biological applications. Often, the correspondence calculation forms part of a rigid registration algorithm, but accurate correspondences are especially important for elastic registration algorithms and for quantifying changes over time. In this paper, a new correspondence calculation algorithm, CSM (correspondence by sensitivity to movement), is described. A robust corresponding point is calculated by determining the sensitivity of a correspondence to movement of the point being matched. If the correspondence is reliable, a perturbation in the position of this point should not result in a large movement of the correspondence. A measure of reliability is also calculated. This correspondence calculation method is independent of the registration transformation and has been incorporated into both a 2D elastic registration algorithm for warping serial sections and a 3D rigid registration algorithm for registering pre and postoperative facial range scans. These applications use different methods for calculating the registration transformation and accurate rigid and elastic alignment of images has been achieved with the CSM method. It is expected that this method will be applicable to many different applications and that good results would be achieved if it were to be inserted into other methods for calculating a registration transformation from correspondence
Quantum Charged Spinning Particles in a Strong Magnetic Field (a Quantal Guiding Center Theory)
A quantal guiding center theory allowing to systematically study the
separation of the different time scale behaviours of a quantum charged spinning
particle moving in an external inhomogeneous magnetic filed is presented. A
suitable set of operators adapting to the canonical structure of the problem
and generalizing the kinematical momenta and guiding center operators of a
particle coupled to a homogenous magnetic filed is constructed. The Pauli
Hamiltonian rewrites in this way as a power series in the magnetic length making the problem amenable to a perturbative analysis. The
first two terms of the series are explicitly constructed. The effective
adiabatic dynamics turns to be in coupling with a gauge filed and a scalar
potential. The mechanism producing such magnetic-induced geometric-magnetism is
investigated in some detail.Comment: LaTeX (epsfig macros), 27 pages, 2 figures include
Two qubits can be entangled in two distinct temperature regions
We have found that for a wide range of two-qubit Hamiltonians the
canonical-ensemble thermal state is entangled in two distinct temperature
regions. In most cases the ground state is entangled; however we have also
found an example where the ground state is separable and there are still two
regions. This demonstrates that the qualitative behavior of entanglement with
temperature can be much more complicated than might otherwise have been
expected; it is not simply determined by the entanglement of the ground state,
even for the simple case of two qubits. Furthermore, we prove a finite bound on
the number of possible entangled regions for two qubits, thus showing that
arbitrarily many transitions from entanglement to separability are not
possible. We also provide an elementary proof that the spectrum of the thermal
state at a lower temperature majorizes that at a higher temperature, for any
Hamiltonian, and use this result to show that only one entangled region is
possible for the special case of Hamiltonians without magnetic fields.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, many new result
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