46 research outputs found
Additional concentrates do not affect feeding times of cows, but social positions of cows do
ArticleIn robotic milking dairy systems lack of control over intakes can be problematic for
balancing the forage and concentrate portions of diets. This can lead to proble
ms associated with
high concentrate intakes and concomitant low forage intakes. To check this as a problem, the
feeding behaviour of cows was observed: the number of daily visits to the feed barrier, the
duration of these visits and actual feeding, of high
and low yielding cows. The cows were robot
-
milked and fed a ration comprising, separately, concentrate feed from a robot and a feeder, and a
grass/clover silage mix forage at the feed barrier. Individual variation in visiting times and times
spent at the
feed barrier were greater than the effect of level of production. There was no evidence
that cows with higher milk yields are differentially motivated to feed from forage. But more
dominant cows spent more time feeding than submissive cows
Two Warm Super-Earths Transiting the Nearby M Dwarf TOI-2095
We report the detection and validation of two planets orbiting TOI-2095 (TIC
235678745). The host star is a 3700K M1V dwarf with a high proper motion. The
star lies at a distance of 42 pc in a sparsely populated portion of the sky and
is bright in the infrared (K=9). With data from 24 Sectors of observation
during TESS's Cycles 2 and 4, TOI-2095 exhibits two sets of transits associated
with super-Earth-sized planets. The planets have orbital periods of 17.7 days
and 28.2 days and radii of 1.30 and 1.39 Earth radii, respectively. Archival
data, preliminary follow-up observations, and vetting analyses support the
planetary interpretation of the detected transit signals. The pair of planets
have estimated equilibrium temperatures of approximately 400 K, with stellar
insolations of 3.23 and 1.73 times that of Earth, placing them in the Venus
zone. The planets also lie in a radius regime signaling the transition between
rock-dominated and volatile-rich compositions. They are thus prime targets for
follow-up mass measurements to better understand the properties of warm,
transition radius planets. The relatively long orbital periods of these two
planets provide crucial data that can help shed light on the processes that
shape the composition of small planets orbiting M dwarfs.Comment: Submitted to AAS Journal
Life Beyond the Solar System: Remotely Detectable Biosignatures
For the first time in human history, we will soon be able to apply to the scientific method to the question "Are We Alone?" The rapid advance of exoplanet discovery, planetary systems science, and telescope technology will soon allow scientists to search for life beyond our Solar System through direct observation of extrasolar planets. This endeavor will occur alongside searches for habitable environments and signs of life within our Solar System. While these searches are thematically related and will inform each other, they will require separate observational techniques. The search for life on exoplanets holds potential through the great diversity of worlds to be explored beyond our Solar System. However, there are also unique challenges related to the relatively limited data this search will obtain on any individual world
The L 98-59 System: Three Transiting, Terrestrial-size Planets Orbiting a Nearby M Dwarf
We report the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovery of three terrestrial-size planets transiting L 98-59 (TOI-175, TIC 307210830)—a bright M dwarf at a distance of 10.6 pc. Using the Gaia-measured distance and broadband photometry, we find that the host star is an M3 dwarf. Combined with the TESS transits from three sectors, the corresponding stellar parameters yield planet radii ranging from 0.8 R ⊕ to 1.6 R ⊕. All three planets have short orbital periods, ranging from 2.25 to 7.45 days with the outer pair just wide of a 2:1 period resonance. Diagnostic tests produced by the TESS Data Validation Report and the vetting package DAVE rule out common false-positive sources. These analyses, along with dedicated follow-up and the multiplicity of the system, lend confidence that the observed signals are caused by planets transiting L 98-59 and are not associated with other sources in the field. The L 98-59 system is interesting for a number of reasons: the host star is bright (V = 11.7 mag, K = 7.1 mag) and the planets are prime targets for further follow-up observations including precision radial-velocity mass measurements and future transit spectroscopy with the James Webb Space Telescope; the near-resonant configuration makes the system a laboratory to study planetary system dynamical evolution; and three planets of relatively similar size in the same system present an opportunity to study terrestrial planets where other variables (age, metallicity, etc.) can be held constant. L 98-59 will be observed in four more TESS sectors, which will provide a wealth of information on the three currently known planets and have the potential to reveal additional planets in the system
The effect of conspecific removal on behavioral and physiological responses of dairy cattle
Adverse social and welfare implications of mixing dairy cows or separating calves from their mothers have been documented previously. Here we investigated the behavioral and physiological responses of individuals remaining after conspecifics were removed. We conducted a series of 4 experiments incorporating a range of types of different dairy cattle groupings [experiment 1 (E1), 126 outdoor lactating dairy cows; experiment 2 (E2), 120 housed lactating dairy cows; experiment 3 (E3), 18 housed dairy calves; and experiment 4 (E4), 22 housed dairy bulls] from which a subset of individuals were permanently removed (E1, n = 7; E2, n = 5; E3, n = 9; E4, n = 18). Associations between individuals were established using near-neighbor scores (based upon identities and distances between animals recorded before removal) in E1, E2, and E3. Behavioral recordings were taken for 3 to 5 d, before and after removal on a sample of cattle in all 4 experiments (E1, n = 20; E2, n = 20; E3, n = 9; E4, n = 4). In 2 experiments with relatively large groups of dairy cows, E1 and E2, the responses of cows that did and did not associate with the removed cows were compared. An increase in time that both nonassociates and associates spent eating was observed after conspecific removal in E1. In E2, this increase was restricted to cows that had not associated with the removed cows. A reduction in ruminating in remaining cattle was observed in E3 and eating in E4. Immunoglobulin A concentrations increased after separation in both E3 and E4 cattle, but did not differ significantly between associates and nonassociates in E2. Blood and milk cortisol concentrations were not affected by conspecific removal. These findings suggest that some animals had affected feeding behavior and IgA concentrations after removal of conspecifics