Direct Laser Sintering of Borosilicate Glass

Despite the advantages that selective laser sintering (SLS) offers in terms of material availability, many materials have yet to be explored for feasibility and even fewer are available on a commercial basis. This paper presents initial investigations for one such material, borosilicate glass, which could be of particular interest to filter manufacturers because it presents an attractive alternative to the conventional, time-consuming way of producing filters of various porosity classes. Process results are presented including a determination of the optimal parameter window and the effect of processing parameters on the density and surface quality. The effects of thermal post-processing and the inclusion of an additive are also discussed.Mechanical Engineerin

G85-753 Irrigation Scheduling Using Crop Water Use Data

This NebGuide describes using the checkbook method to schedule irrigations based on crop water use data. Irrigation scheduling determines when and how much water to apply to meet crop demand. Soil water status and current crop water use are key factors for scheduling irrigations. Field observations and crop growth stage are important, but scheduled irrigations result in better rainfall use while avoiding crop water stress or excessive irrigation

Self-study guide to developing English linguistic competences for students of Computer Sciences

Методичні вказівки призначені для самостійної роботи студентів ІТ спеціальностей над опануванням фахової термінології та мають на меті допомогти студентам І та ІІ курсів самостійно працювати над розширенням словникового запасу, розвитком вмінь здобування інформації з англомовних текстових джерел

Surface Cover from Corn Residue on Sandy Soils

Corn residue left as surface cover after land preparation and planting by various combinations of tillage implements and surface planters, respectively, was measured on four research/ demonstration sites with sandy soils in Nebraska. Surface cover ranged from 51 to 80% for the no-till treatments to 14 to 53% for the twice-disked treatments. The wide range in cover was due to the amount of antecedent residues from the previous crop and the soil type which ranged from sandy loam to tine sands. Other tillage implements included a rolling cultivator, sweep-plow, and mulch-treader

A 16S rDNA-Based Quantitative Assay for Monitoring \u3ci\u3eLactobacillus Plantarum\u3c/i\u3e in Silage

Ensilage of herbaceous biomass can be enhanced by applying pre-selected fermentative bacteria, however insufficient is known about the population dynamics of such starter cultures under a range of ensiling conditions. Classical methods for species-specific quantification of bacteria are labour intensive. An alternative approach is the detection of bacteria based on molecular markers for species-specific regions within their genomic DNA (e.g. the 16S rDNA sequence). In this study, a quantitative marker assay using the real-time PCR technique (Q-PCR) is described for Lactobacillus plantarum, a bacterium often used for silage starter cultures

Sub-mesoscale observations of convective cold pools with a dense station network in Hamburg, Germany

From June to August 2020, an observational network of 103 meteorological ground-based stations covered the greater area (50 km × 35 km) of Hamburg (Germany) as part of the Field Experiment on Sub-mesoscale Spatio-Temporal variability at Hanseatic city of Hamburg (FESST@HH). The purpose of the experiment was to shed light on the sub-mesoscale (O(100) m–O(10) km) structure of convective cold pools that typically remain under-resolved in operational networks. During the experiment, 82 custom-built, low-cost APOLLO (Autonomous cold POoL LOgger) stations sampled air temperature and pressure with fast-response sensors at 1 s resolution to adequately capture the strong and rapid perturbations associated with propagating cold pool fronts. A secondary network of 21 weather stations with commercial sensors provided additional information on relative humidity, wind speed, and precipitation at 10 s resolution. The realization of the experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic was facilitated by a large number of volunteers who provided measurement sites on their premises and supported station maintenance. This article introduces the novel type of autonomously operating instruments, their measurement characteristics, and the FESST@HH data set (https://doi.org/10.25592/UHHFDM.10172; Kirsch et al., 2021b). A case study demonstrates that the network is capable of mapping the horizontal structure of the temperature signal inside a cold pool, and quantifying a cold pool's size and propagation velocity throughout its life cycle. Beyond its primary purpose, the data set offers new insights into the spatial and temporal characteristics of the nocturnal urban heat island and variations of turbulent temperature fluctuations associated with different urban and natural environments

Management factors affecting udder health and effects of a one year extension program in organic dairy herds

The first part of this study was a cross-sectional analysis of the impact of 29 management factors on udder health in organic dairy farms in Switzerland. All 77 farms joined the extension program ‘pro-Q'. As a measure of udder health the theoretical bulk milk somatic cell count (TBMSCC) calculated by the monthly cow composite somatic cell count over a time period of 1 year was chosen. The basic udder health of the farms was determined by TBMSCC during the year prior to the start of the project (mean for all farms = 176 460 cells/ml). In the multivariable analysis, the five factors ‘swiss brown breed', ‘alpine summer pasturing', ‘calf feeding with milk from mastitis diseased cows', ‘hard bedding' and ‘no post-milking' remained as significant risk factors on udder health. In the second part of the study, the development of management factors and the udder health situation affected by an extension program after 1 year was investigated. A partial improvement of the management factors on the farms but no overall improvement on udder health and no association between management changes and udder health changes were found. Improvement of udder health was more likely in farms with higher basic TBMSCC than in those farms with less udder health problems at the beginning of the projec

Etablierung der homöopathischen Mastitistherapie in einem biologisch-dynamisch wirtschaftenden Milcherzeugerbetrieb unter Berücksichtigung ökologischer, epidemiologischer und ökonomischer Gesichtspunkte.

6 Summary The dairy cow mastitis as a disease with an immense economic impact is widely spread in organic as well as in conventional farms. Due to the lack of alternatives to antibiotic treatment, most therapeutical measures are based on antibiotics even in organic farms and against common regulations. In contrary to these procedures the EU regulations (Council Regulation EC 1804/99)as well as the consumer’s anticipation demand the possibly lowest levels of residual charges of dairy products and environment. A two and a half year study in a bio-dyn dairy herd in Brandenburg (Germany) with 300 dairy cows suffering from udder health problems was conducted to evaluate if clinical mastitis in dairy cows is to control successfully with homeopathic remedies to minimize antibiotic treatment. To assess the efficacy of the homeopathic treatment the investigations are made using a double blind placebo controlled study design (RCCT). Using a predetermined treatment protocol and a certain diagnostic pattern to match right remedies in the sense of the homeopathic remedy pictures, the intention of the chosen treatment schedule was to provide a very transparent concept which can be used also by unexperienced veterinarians. For treatment of acute mastitis the following remedies were used: Phytolacca D6, Bryonia D6 , Echinacea D6 and Belladonna D6. Aconitum D6 was added in case of fever at the beginning of disease. Cases of chronical and subclinical mastitis were treated by Echinacea D6, Phytolacca D6 and Hepar sulfuris D8. In the first part of the study nearly all mastitis cases were treated only with homeopathics avoiding antibiotics strictly. The unsatisfying results in this part lead to a modification in the second part in which in case of certain infections (S.aureus, Sc.spp.) a limited use of antibiotics was admitted. Furthermore, selected udders with subclinical and chronical infections with these kind of bacteria were dried off antibiotically. Simultaneously the farmer was engaged to intensify the efforts to optimize preventive and environmental measures in the herd. In the second part of the study 126 cows (148 quarters) suffered from clinical mastitis (Verum: n=60; Placebo: n=66). The cure rates were nearly identical. In the whole population the clinical cure rate (CCR) immediately after treatment was 95%, 7 to 8 weeks after treatment 65%. The 107 clinically affected quarters which were infected by pathogenic bacteria showed a bacteriological cure rate (BCR) of 55% each and a complete bacterio-cytological cure rate (BCCR) of 35% and 40% after 4-5 weeks and 7-8 weeks after treatment, respectively. During the observation time of 8 weeks a total of 12 cows in each of the treatment groups produced a homologous recurrent infection. 6 cows in the verum group and 4 cows in the placebo group developed a new infection in one of the other quarters. The treatment results seems to be satisfying while the enhanced but still not optimized environmental conditions in the herd are possibly responsible for the high amount of new infections and recurrences. Looking at the results of the study at all, the use of antibiotics could be decreased by 75% due to the therapy management (in spite of the change of it because of unsatisfying results) in combination with preventive measures. Additionally the herd udder health could be increased. So the mean herd somatic cell count decreased by 75.000 somatic cells/ml to 165.000 somatic cells/ml. Furthermore, the milk yield increased by 250 kg to 6.500 kg/cow/year. The count of infections with S. aureus in the herd decreased dramatically. The decreasing input of antibiotics in mastitis therapy in the project farm lead to a decrease of 36.000 kg antibiotically loaded milk compared to a hypothetic conventional mastitis management. Furthermore, the omission of withdrawal times after homeopathic treatment resulted in a benefit of additional production milk of 25.000 kg. The antibiotics minimizing therapy concept of the second part of this investigation which could be evaluated under practice conditions can be recommended for other farms too if simultaneous herd prevention measures can be assured by the farm manager to ensure good preconditions for the convalescence of the cows. The cure rates after placebo are unexpected high. Due to these results it is profoundly debatable whether the strategies of conventional therapy of bovine mastitis are suitable to ensure herd udder health. It should be evaluated which part of the cure rate is amounted by self cure and which other factors have an effect on the healing. The nearly identical cure rates in both treatment groups do not allow the proof of homeopathic efficacy at all. Indeed, comparing the bacteriologically caused mastitis cases (107 quarters), there is a significantly higher cure rate in the verum group (p < 0.05)