The effect of bedding amount on gas emissions from manure during storage

ArticleOne of the major agricultural pollutants of environment is manure from livestock. We focused on dairy cows kept in the barns with straw bedding commonly used in the Czech Republic. We tested the hypothesis that the amount of bedding used daily relative to the number and size of animals kept has a significant effect on the emissions of gases from manure stored in a manure pile. In the experiment, a group of 10 dairy cows of Holstein and Czech Red Pied breed was housed in a stable bedded with various amounts of wheat straw (4–10 kg/livestock unit per day). The manure was removed from the stable after 48 h and mixed was stored in cubic containers with drain floor allowing measurement of manure leachate release. For 50 days we measured weight, volume, weight of manure leachate and manure temperature. Decreasing stored manure weight can be attributed to release of manure leachate and emissions of gases, primarily water vapor, as a result of microbial activity and increased temperature in the manure during storage. Using the calculated model, we found that daily production of emissions of water vapor and other gases was related to bedding amount in a statistically significant manner (P < 0.001). The cumulative amount of gas emissions grew rapidly in all treatments. Also total amount of emissions was related to bedding amount in a statistically significant manner (P = 0.004). We also found the relationship between internal manure temperature and the logarithm of the amount of emissions produced to be statistically significant (P < 0.001)

The impact of weather conditions on microclimate in storage facilities

ArticleThe key to maintaining good qualitative parameters of stored grain on farms is to achieve and maintain suitable storage temperatures relative to the outside temperature. In the framework of this research, the main focus was on typical representatives of grain storage facilities used in the Czech agriculture. In the post - harvest period after the crops were stored in the chosen storage facilities, the temperature of the material was monitored at 15 - minute intervals using an external temperature probe as well as the temperature and dew point of the outdoor air. A simple linear regression model was used for data analysis. The correlated temperature d ependence of the stored grain varies considerably in the monitored storage facilities. The storage halls were characterized by a low dependence (r = 0.2208) of the temperature of the material on the outside air temperature in the first 4 months following t he harvest when the grains were being stabilized by active aeration. In addition to the grain and the air temperature, the second focus was monitoring the dew point, i.e. assessing the risk of water vapour condensation on the surface in the upper layer of the stored grain, which is very undesirable for maintaining the quality of the stored grain. The results show that the monitored storage hall can be characterized by the ability to maintain the required climate due to outdoor climatic conditions. In genera l, this ability mainly depends on the type and design of the storage facility, the aeration system and also the storage capacity. Mainly during spring the dew point and water vapour condensation can often happen within the grain, therefore the need to focu s on appropriate measures such as reduced aeration or increased grain mixing, and thus avoiding the formation of critical spots

Scale limited fields and the Casimir effect

We revisit the calculation of the Casimir effect from the perspective of scale limited resolutions of quantum fields. We use the continuous wavelet transform to introduce a scale degree of freedom and then restrict it to simulate either an observational or fundamental limitation of resolution. The Casimir force is derived in this setting for a free complex massless scalar field between two infinite plates with both Dirichlet and periodic boundary conditions. The dependence of the force on the choice of wavelet and size of scale cutoff is extensively discussed for several examples of wavelets.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Comparison of a 1 t and a 55 t container when storing spelt grain in mild climate of the Czech Republic

ArticleMaintaining a suitable microclimate inside the storage space is the most significant factor in maintaining good quality of stored grain for small farmers. This article is aimed at evaluating the influence of outdoor climatic conditions on the storage conditions, specifically the temperature of stored grain in two storage containers. One structure was a 4 × 6 m cylindrical container (55 t capacity) with a steel wire mesh wall lined with a textile shell. Spelt grain (Triticum spelta) was also stored simultaneously at the same location in a fabric intermediate bulk container (FIBC) bag with maximum capacity of 1 t. Neither structure was mechanically aerated. Grain moisture and temperature were monitored during the spring and start of the summer period of the year 2017 because of the biggest differences between the night and day temperatures. For monitoring of the grain microbiological changes samples were taken for laboratory tests during the whole experiment. Grain quality parameters measured during storage included the bulk density, crude protein, falling number, germination, gluten content, sedimentation index and contamination by mycotoxins. Monitored outdoor environment parameters were temperature, dew point and relative humidity. Results showed a strong dependence of the stored material temperature on the outside temperature in the case of FIBC bags (coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.927), whereas the dependence was weaker in the larger structure (R 2 = 0.625). Mycotoxins monitored during the period were below the detection limit in both cases

Secondary Science with ROTSE Data

The ROTSE optical GRB follow‐up instrument offers an excellent possibility for a secondary science with the data obtained within the sky monitoring. We present and discuss the results of a project of analysing two selected ROTSE monitoring fields with the goal to study the long‐term behaviour of the objects located inside. The method developed and tested can be applied in a general way to study light changes of astrophysical objects of various types within the limiting magnitude of the ROTSE device. © 2003 American Institute of PhysicsPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87935/2/544_1.pd

Analysis of phyllometric parameters efficiency in discrimination of Croatian native V. vinifera cultivars

The aims of this study were to achieve correct cultivar classification of leaf samples by using phyllometric parameters to determine the performance of parameters applied as the discriminant criteria and to determine the minimal number of leaf parameters needed to accurately classify leaf samples within cultivars. Seventy-nine phyllometric parameters were measured/calculated on 360 leaf samples from eleven grapevine cultivars, gathered during several years, from different growing conditions and with some differences in the sampling methods applied. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to rank the phyllometric parameters according to their efficiency in the discrimination of cultivars. A series of discriminant analyses was performed with successive introduction of new parameters as discriminatory elements until 100 % correct classification of leaf samples into the correct cultivar was achieved. This was achieved using only the seven highest ranking phyllometric parameters from the stepwise discriminant analysis. Additionally, canonical discriminant analysis was performed to evaluate the differences between cultivars in the same parameters. This study represents a model for analysis of the efficiency of different ampelometric parameters for discrimination of V. vinifera cultivars.