Small and medium agility dogs alter their kinematics when the distance between hurdles differs

There is currently a lack of research examining the health and welfare implications for competitive agility dogs. The aim of this study was to examine if jump kinematics and apparent joint angles in medium (351 mm - 430 mm to the withers) and small (< 350 mm to the withers) agility dogs altered when distances between consecutive upright hurdles differ. Dogs ran a course of nine hurdles; three set at 3.6 m apart; three at 4 m apart and three at 5 m apart. Both medium (P=0.044) and small (P=0.006) dogs landed closer to the hurdle when consecutive hurdles were set at 3.6 m apart, with small dogs jumping slower at this distance (P=0.006). Results indicate that jump kinematics, but not apparent joint angles, alter when the spacing between hurdles differs. These findings may have implications for the health and welfare of agility dogs and should be used to inform future changes to rules and regulations

Active Receptivity: The Positive, Mindful Flow of Mental Energy

The construct of mindfulness relates to Eastern meditative practices, consciousness, quantum physics, and creativity

Cosmic Microwave Background Statistics for a Direction-Dependent Primordial Power Spectrum

Statistical isotropy of primordial perturbations is a common assumption in cosmology, but it is an assumption that should be tested. To this end, we develop cosmic microwave background statistics for a primordial power spectrum that depends on the direction, as well as the magnitude, of the Fourier wavevector. We first consider a simple estimator that searches in a model-independent way for anisotropy in the square of the temperature (and/or polarization) fluctuation. We then construct the minimum-variance estimators for the coefficients of a spherical-harmonic expansion of the direction-dependence of the primordial power spectrum. To illustrate, we apply these statistics to an inflation model with a quadrupole dependence of the primordial power spectrum on direction and find that a power quadrupole as small as 2.0% can be detected with the Planck satellite.Comment: Published in Phys. Rev. D; 8 pages; 1 table; Table 1 corrected; references adde

Distributed simulation and the grid: Position statements

The Grid provides a new and unrivaled technology for large scale distributed simulation as it enables collaboration and the use of distributed computing resources. This panel paper presents the views of four researchers in the area of Distributed Simulation and the Grid. Together we try to identify the main research issues involved in applying Grid technology to distributed simulation and the key future challenges that need to be solved to achieve this goal. Such challenges include not only technical challenges, but also political ones such as management methodology for the Grid and the development of standards. The benefits of the Grid to end-user simulation modelers also are discussed

Aviation depot level repairable system gains

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the aviation repairable system gains monitored under the UICP B35 carcass tracking program. It examines the composition of the system gains for selected activities and by aircraft type. Research was conducted on repairable turn-in procedures from the activity level to the carcass tracking program via the ATAC Hub. Emphasis was placed on identifying areas which would enable better retrograde management within the Inventory Control Point, at the activity level, and at the ATAC Hub. Seven areas were identified which offer potential repairable management improvement. Recommendations are provided which would assist in minimizing system gains and more accurately reflect the overall value of excess material.http://archive.org/details/aviationdepotlev1094527648Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Depth filter material process interaction in the harvest of mammalian cells

Upstream advances have led to increased mAb titers above 5 g/L in 14-day fed-batch cultures. This is accompanied by higher cell densities and process-related impurities such as DNA and Host Cell Protein (HCP), which have caused challenges for downstream operations. Depth filtration remains a popular choice for harvesting CHO cell culture, and there is interest in utilising these to remove process-related impurities at the harvest stage. Operation of the harvest stage has also been shown to affect the performance of the Protein A chromatography step. In addition, manufacturers are looking to move away from natural materials such as cellulose and Diatomaceous Earth (DE) for better filter consistency and security of supply. Therefore, there is an increased need for further understanding and knowledge of depth filtration. This study investigates the effect of depth filter material and loading on the Protein A resin lifetime with an industrially relevant high cell density feed material (40 million cells/mL). It focuses on the retention of process-related impurities such as DNA and HCP through breakthrough studies and a novel confocal microscopy method for imaging foulant in-situ. An increase in loading of the primary-synthetic filter by a third, led to earlier DNA breakthrough in the secondary filter, with DNA concentration at a throughput of 50 L/m2 being more than double. Confocal imaging of the depth filters showed that the foulant was pushed forward into the filter structure with higher loading. The additional two layers in the primary-synthetic filter led to better pressure profiles in both primary and secondary filters but did not help to retain HCP or DNA. Reduced filtrate clarity, as measured by OD600, was 1.6 fold lower in the final filtrate where a synthetic filter train was used. This was also associated with precipitation in the Protein A column feed. Confocal imaging of resin after 100 cycles showed that DNA build-up around the outside of the bead was associated with synthetic filter trains, leading to potential mass transfer problems

Optimisation of flywheel energy storage systems with geared transmission for hybrid vehicles

Flywheel energy storage devices may be coupled to mechanical transmissions for braking energy recovery and the provision of additional power for acceleration in hybrid vehicles. Power transmission across a continuous range of speed ratios is necessary. The flywheel size and depth-of-discharge must be chosen for a particular application, and this has a direct effect on transmission efficiency, required gearing ratios and mass of components. Optimisation of these parameters requires a fundamental understanding of this interaction, which has not previously been investigated and reported. To address this, the current paper presents a new method of analysing mechanical flywheel systems. A simple algebraic analysis can be used to specify flywheel system parameters for any regenerative braking application where the flywheel is used to provide initial acceleration of the vehicle from stationary. This has been applied to systems using geared transmissions with continuous speed variation achieved through sliding contact in clutch and brake components. The results of the analysis highlight how the optimum selection of flywheel depth-of-discharge must achieve a balance between high transmission efficiency and low system mass. This is illustrated for a passenger car application, allowing a full assessment of system performance and the specification of appropriate design parameters

Spectral cutoffs in indirect dark matter searches

Indirect searches for dark matter annihilation or decay products in the cosmic-ray spectrum are plagued by the question of how to disentangle a dark matter signal from the omnipresent astrophysical background. One of the practically background-free smoking-gun signatures for dark matter would be the observation of a sharp cutoff or a pronounced bump in the gamma-ray energy spectrum. Such features are generically produced in many dark matter models by internal Bremsstrahlung, and they can be treated in a similar manner as the traditionally looked-for gamma-ray lines. Here, we discuss prospects for seeing such features with present and future Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; conference proceedings for TAUP 2011, Munich 5-9 Se