Interacting Frobenius algebras are Hopf

Theories featuring the interaction between a Frobenius algebra and a Hopf algebra have recently appeared in several areas in computer science: concurrent programming, control theory, and quantum computing, among others. Bonchi, Sobocinski, and Zanasi (2014) have shown that, given a suitable distributive law, a pair of Hopf algebras forms two Frobenius algebras. Here we take the opposite approach, and show that interacting Frobenius algebras form Hopf algebras. We generalise (BSZ 2014) by including non-trivial dynamics of the underlying object---the so-called phase group---and investigate the effects of finite dimensionality of the underlying model. We recover the system of Bonchi et al as a subtheory in the prime power dimensional case, but the more general theory does not arise from a distributive law

The Wild Atlantic Way: a Tourism Journey

The Wild Atlantic Way is possibly the most celebrated, high profile tourism initiative to be launched in Ireland in recent years. It consists of a defined touring route along the western seaboard, one of the most scenic, remote, and sensitive stretches of Irish landscape. This paper presents the principal findings from a survey of 341 tourism and hospitality product providers along the Wild Atlantic Way. The main aim of the research was to investigate the perceived impacts (economic, environmental, and socio-cultural) of this new tourism initiative on the local areas through which it passes. The results paint a generally positive picture of the effects of the route so far. However, a number of significant issues are of concern to many of the respondents; these include insufficient or inappropriate infrastructure, heightened traffic problems, increased pressure on local facilities and the perception of imbalance with regard to the dispersal of economic gain from the route. The importance of striking a balance between accessibility and sustainability is a key message which can be taken from the study

Spectral presheaves, kochen-specker contextuality, and quantale-valued relations

In the topos approach to quantum theory of Doering and Isham the Kochen-Specker Theorem, which asserts the contextual nature of quantum theory, can be reformulated in terms of the global sections of a presheaf characterised by the Gelfand spectrum of a commutativeC-Algebra. In previous work we showed how this topos perspective can be generalised to a class of categories typically studied within the monoidal approach to quantum theory of Abramsky and Coecke, and in particular how one can generalise the Gelfand spectrum. Here we study the Gelfand spectrum presheaf for categories of quantale-valued relations, and by considering its global sections we give a non-contextuality result for these categories. We also show that the Gelfand spectrum comes equipped with a topology which has a natural interpretation when thinking of these structures as representing physical theories

Longitudinal Shear Resistance of Composite Slabs Containing Crumb Rubber in Concrete Toppings

This paper investigates the behaviour and longitudinal shear capacity of metal deck composite slabs with the inclusion of crumb rubber in the concrete toppings. The ability of the slabs to act compositely is governed by the shear interaction between the concrete topping and the profiled steel deck. Results here show that crumb rubber concrete (CRC) improve the overall shear bond capacity between the steel deck and topping following an experimental study on full scale loading tests in accordance with Eurocode 4. The results confirm that composite slabs incorporating crumb rubber had no effect on the longitudinal shear resistance with similar failure loads and behaviours to plain concrete. It also demonstrates a practical use for recycled tyres in the form of crumb rubber which are an environmental problem

On the structure of abstract h*-algebras

Previously we have shown that the topos approach to quantum theory of Doering and Isham can be generalised to a class of categories typically studied within the monoidal approach to quantum theory of Abramsky and Coecke. In the monoidal approach to quantum theory H*-algebras provide an axiomatisation of states and observables. Here we show that H*-algebras naturally correspond with the notions of states and observables in the generalised topos approach to quantum theory. We then combine these results with the dagger-kernel approach to quantumlogic of Heunen and Jacobs, which we use to prove a structure theorem for H*-algebras. This structure theorem is a generalisation of the structure theorem of Ambrose for H*-algebras the category of Hilbert spaces

Fluctuations in Energy Intake and Fertility in Cattle.

End of Project ReportsReproductive failure in dairy cows results in fewer calves born, lower milk sales, slower genetic progress and consequently, significant financial loss to the industry. Dairy cattle breed improvement programmes have, at least until very recently, focused primarily on increasing the yields of milk or milk solids. The resulting genetic improvement has led to significant increases in milk yield per cow but this increase is now associated with a significant decline in cow reproductive wastage. An important part of the Teagasc research programme in this area is to determine the time at which embryo loss occurs and also to determine whether the extent of the embryo loss is affected by the energy nutrition of the cow and to devise strategies to reduce its extent. This project has focused on the relationship between changes in dietary energy intake near the time of insemination and the extent and pattern of embryo survival. The main results are summarised in this report and detailed results of the several experiments involved have been published in the papers listed at the end of this report. • • 4 The objectives of this project were to determine the effect of changes in energy intake near the time of insemination on embryo loss rate, on the timing of embryo loss and on the possible biological mechanisms involved. Cross bred heifers were provided with either high or low energy intakes that were based on pasture allowances calculated to provide either 0.8 or 2.0 times their maintenance requirements. These energy intakes were allocated for two weeks before and about five weeks after insemination. The effect of the changes in energy intake on embryo loss and on the time at which embryo loss occurred, relative to the time of insemination, was established. Possible associations between embryo loss and blood concentrations of progesterone, NEFAs, insulin and glucose were examined. A sudden reduction from a high to a low energy intake imposed for two weeks from the day of insemination reduced the subsequent embryo survival rate by 30 percentage points to a survival rate of 38%. When energy intake over this same period was either maintained or increased, embryo survival rate remained high (overall mean, 69%), within a range of 65-71%. The time at which embryo loss occurred was established. Embryo survival or pregnancy rates measured on days 14 and 30 after insemination and at full term were 68%, 76% and 72%, respectively. These results provide new information indicating that most embryo loss, at least in heifers, had occurred on or before day 14 after insemination. There was no evidence of any association between the shortterm changes in energy intake either before or after AI and blood progesterone concentration. Neither was there any evidence that the detrimental effect of the sudden reduction in energy intake on embryo survival was mediated through changes in the systemic concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) or insulin. There was a suggestion, however, that the detrimental effect of the reduced energy intake may operate through a reduction in systemic glucose concentrations.Dairy Levy Farmer Fun

A study of cultivation and sowing systems for cereals.

End of Project ReportDue to the pressure on cereal margins growers are seeking ways of reducing their costs of production. Reduced cultivation may provide cheaper and faster crop establishment, but in the past has been subject to problems with (poor crop establishment) weeds and soil compaction. With modern cultivation and sowing technology and methodology it may be possible to overcome these difficulties. In addition reduced cultivation is considered to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable than the conventional plough-based system. With these considerations in mind it was decided to start an experiment in autumn 2000 to compare the conventional system (PL) with reduced cultivation (RC) for crop establishment, and to examine the effect of incorporating the straw into then soil or baling and removing it. The treatments were assessed on winter wheat, and winter and spring barley. The parameters assessed included – crop establishment, yield and quality effects on disease levels, invertebrate pests and beneficials (aphids, slugs, earthworms, beetles), and soil conditions. The work reported here was conducted on four trial sites at Oak Park, Carlow and Knockbeg, Co. Laois from 2000 to 2003. the objectives were to establish the efficacy of RC compared with PL and to its effects on the parameters outlined above. Plant establishment was lower after RC in most of the experiments. Winter wheat yields were good irrespective of the number of plants established and there were no significant differences between cultivation or straw disposal method. The relative yields of the PL and RC treatments in winter barley varied over the three years; in 2001 there was no difference, in 2002 PL yielded 1 t/ha more than RC, while in 2003 the PL area produced 2 t/ha extra. Spring barley yields were similar on the PL and RC treatments. Broadleaved weeds were not a problem on the PL or RC treatments but there were more annual grass weeds on the RC plots. This was particularly serious in the winter barley experiments where sterile brome (Bromus sterilis) had a big effect on yield by 2003. annual meadow grass (Poa annua) was a problem in both PL and RC areas if not controlled by timely herbicide application; this was particularly so on the headland areas in the spring barley field. Disease assessment on the winter wheat trail showed no significant differences in Take-all or Eyespot levels between cultivation or straw disposal methods, although Take-all levels tended to be lower on the RC plots. Soil strength as measured by cone penetrometer and shear vane was higher on the RC treatments. In the winter wheat there was no difference in slug numbers between any of the treatments. Leaf damage by slugs increased in RC relative to PL but not significantly, in 2003. No below ground slug damage was found. Earthworm numbers in the winter barley increased significantly on the RC treatment relative to the PL as the study progressed. Straw incorporation increased earthworm numbers on both PL and RC treatments. Allolobophora chlorotia was the most common species in 2004. In the winter wheat the RC and straw incorporation increased earthworm numbers. Cultivation method had a greater effect on ground beetle numbers than method of straw disposal. Large species (e.g. Pterostichies malanarius) were favoured by RC while smaller species (e.g. Bembidon species) were more numerous in the PL plots. Molecular studies on virus diseases, vectors and vector-predators are underway in progress. In the invertebrate pests and beneficials investigations the RC winter barley had 11% fewer aphids and 27% less BYDV than the PL. Incorporating straw reduced aphid numbers and virus incidence by 36% and 32% respectively; the comparable values for the PL + straw treatment were 15% and 15%. In the winter wheat there was less BYDV in the RC plots than the PL + less were the straw was incorporated than where the straw was removed. Aphid infestation of wheat ears was low in the three years of the experiment. The insecticide seed treatment imidacloprid significantly reduced aphid numbers and virus incidence in winter barley but was less effective than a single insecticide spray in controlling the disease. The seed treatment was more effective in controlling BYDV in RC than in the PL plots. Estimations of slug numbers in the winter barley showed that the dominant species was the grey field slug (Deroceras reticulatum). Slug numbers increased significantly on all treatments between 2001 and 2004. In November 2004, slugs were significantly more numerous in the RC treatments than in the PL areas. Leaf damage was proportional to slug populations, but the slugs did not damage the barely seed or reduce plant populations in continuous winter barley under RC. Root and stem diseases (Take-all and Eyespot) were not nay worse under RC than after PL. In fact there was a tendency towards lower disease levels on the RC areas and there was significantly less sharp eyespot on the RC treatment

Can the optimisation of pop-up agriculture in remote communities help feed the world?

Threats to global food security have generated the need for novel food production techniques to feed an ever-expanding population with ever-declining land resources. Hydroponic cultivation has been long recognised as a reliable, resilient and resource-use-efficient alternative to soil-based agricultural practices. The aspiration for highly efficient systems and even city-based vertical farms is starting to become realised using innovations such as aeroponics and LED lighting technology. However, the ultimate challenge for any crop production system is to be able to operate and help sustain human life in remote and extreme locations, including the polar regions on Earth, and in space. Here we explore past research and crop growth in such remote areas, and the scope to improve on the systems used in these areas to date. We introduce biointensive agricultural systems and 3D growing environments, intercropping in hydroponics and the production of multiple crops from single growth systems. To reflect the flexibility and adaptability of these approaches to different environments we have called this type of enclosed system ‘pop-up agriculture’. The vision here is built on sustainability, maximising yield from the smallest growing footprint, adopting the principles of a circular economy, using local resources and eliminating waste. We explore plant companions in intercropping systems to supply a diversity of plant foods. We argue that it is time to consume all edible components of plants grown, highlighting that nutritious plant parts are often wasted that could provide vitamins and antioxidants. Supporting human life via crop production in remote and isolated communities necessitates new levels of efficiency, eliminating waste, minimising environmental impacts and trying to wean away from our dependence on fossil fuels. This aligns well with tandem research emerging from economically developing countries where lower technology hydroponic approaches are being trialled reinforcing the need for ‘cross-pollination’ of ideas and research development on pop-up agriculture that will see benefits across a range of environments