10 research outputs found
Characterizing Width Uniformity by Wave Propagation
This work describes a novel image analysis approach to characterize the
uniformity of objects in agglomerates by using the propagation of normal
wavefronts. The problem of width uniformity is discussed and its importance for
the characterization of composite structures normally found in physics and
biology highlighted. The methodology involves identifying each cluster (i.e.
connected component) of interest, which can correspond to objects or voids, and
estimating the respective medial axes by using a recently proposed wavefront
propagation approach, which is briefly reviewed. The distance values along such
axes are identified and their mean and standard deviation values obtained. As
illustrated with respect to synthetic and real objects (in vitro cultures of
neuronal cells), the combined use of these two features provide a powerful
description of the uniformity of the separation between the objects, presenting
potential for several applications in material sciences and biology.Comment: 14 pages, 23 figures, 1 table, 1 referenc
Transport on percolation clusters with power-law distributed bond strengths: when do blobs matter?
The simplest transport problem, namely maxflow, is investigated on critical
percolation clusters in two and three dimensions, using a combination of
extremal statistics arguments and exact numerical computations, for power-law
distributed bond strengths of the type .
Assuming that only cutting bonds determine the flow, the maxflow critical
exponent \ve is found to be \ve(\alpha)=(d-1) \nu + 1/(1-\alpha). This
prediction is confirmed with excellent accuracy using large-scale numerical
simulation in two and three dimensions. However, in the region of anomalous
bond capacity distributions () we demonstrate that, due to
cluster-structure fluctuations, it is not the cutting bonds but the blobs that
set the transport properties of the backbone. This ``blob-dominance'' avoids a
cross-over to a regime where structural details, the distribution of the number
of red or cutting bonds, would set the scaling. The restored scaling exponents
however still follow the simplistic red bond estimate. This is argued to be due
to the existence of a hierarchy of so-called minimum cut-configurations, for
which cutting bonds form the lowest level, and whose transport properties scale
all in the same way. We point out the relevance of our findings to other scalar
transport problems (i.e. conductivity).Comment: 9 pages + Postscript figures. Revtex4+psfig. Submitted to PR
Invited review : Changes in the dairy industry affecting dairy cattle health and welfare
The dairy industry in the developed world has undergone profound changes over recent decades. In this paper, we present an overview of some of the most important recent changes in the dairy industry that affect health and welfare of dairy cows, as well as the science associated with these changes. Additionally, knowledge gaps are identified where research is needed to guide the dairy industry through changes that are occurring now or that we expect will occur in the future. The number of farms has decreased considerably, whereas herd size has increased. As a result, an increasing number of dairy farms depend on hired (nonfamily) labor. Regular professional communication and establishment of farm-specific protocols are essential to minimize human errors and ensure consistency of practices. Average milk production per cow has increased, partly because of improvements in nutrition and management but also because of genetic selection for milk production. Adoption of new technologies (e.g., automated calf feeders, cow activity monitors, and automated milking systems) is accelerating. However, utilization of the data and action lists that these systems generate for health and welfare of livestock is still largely unrealized, and more training of dairy farmers, their employees, and their advisors is necessary. Concurrently, to remain competitive and to preserve their social license to operate, farmers are increasingly required to adopt increased standards for food safety and biosecurity, become less reliant on the use of antimicrobials and hormones, and provide assurances regarding animal welfare. Partly because of increasing herd size but also in response to animal welfare regulations in some countries, the proportion of dairy herds housed in tiestalls has decreased considerably. Although in some countries access to pasture is regulated, in countries that traditionally practiced seasonal grazing, fewer farmers let their dairy cows graze in the summer. The proportion of organic dairy farms has increased globally and, given the pressure to decrease the use of antimicrobials and hormones, conventional farms may be able to learn from well-managed organic farms. The possibilities of using milk for disease diagnostics and monitoring are considerable, and dairy herd improvement associations will continue to expand the number of tests offered to diagnose diseases and pregnancy. Genetic and genomic selection for increased resistance to disease offers substantial potential but requires collection of additional phenotypic data. There is every expectation that changes in the dairy industry will be further accentuated and additional novel technologies and different management practices will be adopted in the future