The feasibility of fertilising oats and forage sorghum with nitrogen and phosphorus in the Brigalow belt of Queensland: A modelling study

Annual forage crops such as oats and forage sorghum are sources of high-quality feed for mixed grain and beef enterprises in the northern region. However forage productivity declines over time as organic matter and subsequent supply of nutrients decrease with continued cultivation. The use of fertilisers to maintain production from oats and forage sorghum is common practice in higher rainfall and irrigated situations, however fertiliser use in generally drier and more variable environments such as the Brigalow belt is minimal despite declining productivity. We undertook a desktop, modelling assessment of the feasibility of fertilising these forages with nitrogen and phosphorus in the Brigalow belt in southern and central Queensland to better understand the dry matter and feed quality responses necessary to generate positive economic impacts. Results indicated significantly higher dry matter production is possible with fertiliser use, which can lead to higher animal liveweight gain and stocking rates. However under current market conditions the additional costs associated with applying fertiliser outweighed the extra benefits that can be generated. A combination of high dry-matter and animal production responses, lower costs associated with fertiliser application and positive price margins for the livestock grazing the forage are required to make fertiliser application consistently profitable. This modelling study demonstrates land-managers in the northern region need to carefully consider and monitor both the production and economic responses from trial areas before paddock scale applications are implemented

Desynchronization of pulse-coupled oscillators with delayed excitatory coupling

Collective behavior of pulse-coupled oscillators has been investigated widely. As an example of pulse-coupled networks, fireflies display many kinds of flashing patterns. Mirollo and Strogatz (1990) proposed a pulse-coupled oscillator model to explain the synchronization of South East Asian fireflies ({\itshape Pteroptyx malaccae}). However, transmission delays were not considered in their model. In fact, the presence of transmission delays can lead to desychronization. In this paper, pulse-coupled oscillator networks with delayed excitatory coupling are studied. Our main result is that under reasonable assumptions, pulse-coupled oscillator networks with delayed excitatory coupling can not achieve complete synchronization, which can explain why another species of fireflies ({\itshape Photinus pyralis}) rarely synchronizes flashing. Finally, two numerical simulations are given. In the first simulation, we illustrate that even if all the initial phases are very close to each other, there could still be big variations in the times to process the pulses in the pipeline. It implies that asymptotical synchronization typically also cannot be achieved. In the second simulation, we exhibit a phenomenon of clustering synchronization

Large scale Gd-beta-diketonate based organic liquid scintillator production for antineutrino detection

Over the course of several decades, organic liquid scintillators have formed the basis for successful neutrino detectors. Gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillators provide efficient background suppression for electron antineutrino detection at nuclear reactor plants. In the Double Chooz reactor antineutrino experiment, a newly developed beta-diketonate gadolinium-loaded scintillator is utilized for the first time. Its large scale production and characterization are described. A new, light yield matched metal-free companion scintillator is presented. Both organic liquids comprise the target and "Gamma Catcher" of the Double Chooz detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 5 table

Large scale Gd-beta-diketonate based organic liquid scintillator production for antineutrino detection

Over the course of several decades, organic liquid scintillators have formed the basis for successful neutrino detectors. Gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillators provide efficient background suppression for electron antineutrino detection at nuclear reactor plants. In the Double Chooz reactor antineutrino experiment, a newly developed beta-diketonate gadolinium-loaded scintillator is utilized for the first time. Its large scale production and characterization are described. A new, light yield matched metal-free companion scintillator is presented. Both organic liquids comprise the target and "Gamma Catcher" of the Double Chooz detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 5 table

Large scale Gd-beta-diketonate based organic liquid scintillator production for antineutrino detection

Over the course of several decades, organic liquid scintillators have formed the basis for successful neutrino detectors. Gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillators provide efficient background suppression for electron antineutrino detection at nuclear reactor plants. In the Double Chooz reactor antineutrino experiment, a newly developed beta-diketonate gadolinium-loaded scintillator is utilized for the first time. Its large scale production and characterization are described. A new, light yield matched metal-free companion scintillator is presented. Both organic liquids comprise the target and "Gamma Catcher" of the Double Chooz detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 5 table

alpha-nucleus potentials for the neutron-deficient p nuclei

alpha-nucleus potentials are one important ingredient for the understanding of the nucleosynthesis of heavy neutron-deficient p nuclei in the astrophysical gamma-process where these p nuclei are produced by a series of (gamma,n), (gamma,p), and (gamma,alpha) reactions. I present an improved alpha-nucleus potential at the astrophysically relevant sub-Coulomb energies which is derived from the analysis of alpha decay data and from a previously established systematic behavior of double-folding potentials.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

A Functional MRI Paradigm Suitable for Language and Memory Mapping in Pediatric Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a technique frequently used to determine the territories of eloquent tissue that serve critical functions, such as language. This can be particularly useful as part of the pre-surgical assessment for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in order to predict cognitive outcome and guide surgical decision-making. Whereas language fMRI is widely used, memory fMRI is less frequently employed in adult TLE, and lacking in childhood TLE. We have developed a combined language/memory fMRI paradigm that is suitable for children, to provide clinically useful information for surgical planning in pediatric TLE. We evaluated this paradigm in 28 healthy children, aged 8 to 18 years. The advantages of this paradigm are: (a) it examines the functional mapping of language and memory networks within one scanning session, (b) provides assessment of both memory encoding- and retrieval-related neural networks, (c) examines recall-based retrieval to engage hippocampal involvement compared to recognition-based retrieval, and (d) provides overt verbal responses to monitor in-scanner memory performance. This novel fMRI paradigm was designed for language and memory mapping in pediatric TLE and could provide clinically useful information for surgical planning. Finally, parallel versions of the paradigm allow the comparison of brain activations pre- and post-surgical intervention

The Pair Test: A computerised measure of learning and memory

There is increasing interest in the assessment of learning and memory in typically developing children as well as in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, neuropsychological assessments have been hampered by the dearth of standardised tests that enable direct comparison between distinct memory processes or between types of stimulus materials. We developed a tablet-based paired-associate learning paradigm, the Pair Test, based on neurocognitive models of learning and memory. The aims are to (i) establish the utility of this novel memory tool for use with children across a wide age range, and (ii) examine test validity, reliability and reproducibility of the construct. The convergent validity of the test was found to be adequate, and higher test reliability was shown for the Pair Test compared to standardised measures. Moderate test-retest reproducibility was shown, despite a long time interval between sessions (14 months). Moreover, the Pair Test is able to capture developmental changes in memory, and can therefore chart the developmental trajectory of memory and learning functions across childhood and adolescence. Finally, we used this novel instrument to acquire normative data from 130 typically developing children, aged 8-18 years. Age-stratified normative data are provided for learning, delayed recall and delayed recognition, for measures of verbal and non-verbal memory. The Pair Test thus provides measures of learning and memory accounting for encoding, consolidation and retrieval processes. As such, the standardised test results can be used to determine the status of learning and memory in healthy children, and also to identify deficits in paediatric patients at risk of damage to the neural network underlying mnemonic functions

A diffusion Monte Carlo study of small para-Hydrogen clusters

Ground state energies and chemical potentials of parahydrogen clusters are calculated from 3 to 40 molecules using the diffusion Monte Carlo technique with two different pH2-pH2 interactions. This calculation improves a previous one by the inclusion of three-body correlations in the importance sampling, by the time step adjustement and by a better estimation of the statistical errors. Apart from the cluster with 13 molecules, no other magic clusters are predicted, in contrast with path integral Monte Carlo results