EFFECT OF AVITROL BAITING ON BIRD DAMAGE TO RIPENING SUNFLOWER WITHIN A 144-SECTION BLOCK OF NORTH DAKOTA

The chemical frightening agent 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) has been repeatedly tested as a means of protecting both ripening corn (De Grazio et al. 1971, 1972; Besser et al. 1973; Besser 1976; Dolbeer et al. 1976; Stickley et al. 1972, 1976; Woronecki et al. 1979) and sunflower (Besser and Guarino 1976; Besser and Pfeifer 1978; Henne et al. 1979; Besser et al. in press) from depredating blackbirds. It was reported that less than one percent of a flock need ingest the treated baits and respond with distress symptoms in order to move birds from a corn field (De Grazio et al. 1972) or even shift roosting aggregations from night roosts (Cummings 1979). However, there is still conflicting evidence as to whether frightened blackbirds will subsequently avoid nearby fields, or even the same treated fields, resulting in efficient protection. The efficacy of 4-AP has not been resolved because of questions about the presentation and formulation of the treated baits and the difficulty of conducting a valid, unambiguous field test. This study was a large-scale evaluation of AvitroⓇ (HCI) FC-Corn Chops-99S1, where all commercial sunflower fields were monitored within a 144-sq mi block centered around a major concentration of roosting blackbirds; and all those fields with significant bird pressure were baited. The test was designed to answer two questions: can selective baiting (1) reduce damage overall when compared with pre-treatment damage from 1981, and (2) disperse it within the block? In other words, can the treatment keep blackbirds out of preferred fields? If so, is the result an overall reduction in damage within the surrounding area, or is it a redistribution of the damage

Low temperature mobility in hafnium-oxide gated germanium p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

Effective mobility measurements have been made at 4.2 K on high performance high-k gated germanium p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors with a range of Ge/gate dielectric interface state densities. The mobility is successfully modelled by assuming surface roughness and interface charge scattering at the SiO2 interlayer/Ge interface. The deduced interface charge density is approximately equal to the values obtained from the threshold voltage and subthreshold slope measurements on each device. A hydrogen anneal reduces both the interface state density and the surface root mean square roughness by 20%

Fluctuation-Dissipation theorems and entropy production in relaxational systems

We show that for stochastic dynamical systems out of equilibrium the violation of the fluctuation-dissipation equality is bounded by a function of the entropy production. The result applies to a much wider situation than `near equilibrium', comprising diffusion as well as glasses and other macroscopic systems far from equilibrium. For aging systems this bounds the age-frequency regimes in which the susceptibilities satisfy FDT in terms of the rate of decay of the H-function, a question intimately related to the reading of a thermometer placed in contact with the system.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex; formula and reference added plus various minor changes in the tex

Volcanism on Io: Results from Global Geologic Mapping

We have completed a new 1:15,000,000 global geologic map of Jupiter's volcanic moon, Io, based on a set of 1 km/pixel combined Galileo- Voyager mosaics produced by the U.S. Geological Survey. The map was produced over the last three years using ArcGIS(TM) software, and has undergone peer-review. Here we report some of the key results from our global mapping efforts, and how these results relate to questions regarding the volcano-tectonic evolution of Io

Phenotypic relationships between docility and reproduction in Angus heifers

Citation: White, K. L., Bormann, J. M., Olson, K. C., Jaeger, J. R., Johnson, S., Downey, B., . . . Weaber, R. L. (2016). Phenotypic relationships between docility and reproduction in Angus heifers. Journal of Animal Science, 94(2), 483-489. doi:10.2527/jas2015-9327The objective of this study was to elucidate the phenotypic relationships between docility and first-service AI conception rate in heifers. Data (n = 337) collected from 3 cooperator herds in Kansas at the start of synchronization protocol included exit velocity (EV), chute score (CS), fecal cortisol (FC), and blood serum cortisol (BC). Data were analyzed using logistic regression with 30-d pregnancy rate as the dependent variable. The model included the fixed effect of contemporary group and the covariates FC, BC, EV, CS, BW, and age. Correlation coefficients were calculated between all continuous traits. Pregnancy rate ranged from 34% to 60% between herds. Blood cortisol positively correlated with EV (r = 0.22, P < 0.01), negatively correlated with age (r = -0.12, P < 0.03), and tended to be negatively correlated with BW (r = -0.10, P = 0.09). Exit velocity was positively correlated with CS (r = 0.24, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with BW (r = -0.15, P < 0.01) and age (r = -0.12, P < 0.03). Chute score negatively correlated with age (r = -0.14, P < 0.01), and age and BW were moderately positively correlated (r = 0.42, P < 0.01), as expected. Older, heavier animals generally had better temperament, as indicated by lower BC, EV, and CS. The power of our test could detect no significant predictors of 30-d pregnancy for the combined data from all ranches. When the data were divided by ranch, CS (P < 0.03) and BW (P < 0.01) were both significant predictors for 30-d pregnancy for ranch 1. The odds ratio estimate for CS has an inverse relationship with pregnancy, meaning that a 1-unit increase in average CS will reduce the probability of pregnancy at ranch 1 by 48.1%. Weight also has a negative impact on pregnancy because a 1-kg increase in BW will decrease the probability of pregnancy by 2.2%. Fertility is a complex trait that depends on many factors; our data suggest that docility is 1 factor that warrants further investigation

Transferring Learning from External to Internal Weights in Echo-State Networks with Sparse Connectivity

Modifying weights within a recurrent network to improve performance on a task has proven to be difficult. Echo-state networks in which modification is restricted to the weights of connections onto network outputs provide an easier alternative, but at the expense of modifying the typically sparse architecture of the network by including feedback from the output back into the network. We derive methods for using the values of the output weights from a trained echo-state network to set recurrent weights within the network. The result of this “transfer of learning” is a recurrent network that performs the task without requiring the output feedback present in the original network. We also discuss a hybrid version in which online learning is applied to both output and recurrent weights. Both approaches provide efficient ways of training recurrent networks to perform complex tasks. Through an analysis of the conditions required to make transfer of learning work, we define the concept of a “self-sensing” network state, and we compare and contrast this with compressed sensing

Global Geologic Mapping of Io: Preliminary Results

A new global geologic map of Jupiter's volcanic moon, Io is being prepared, with the focus being on completion of a draft map by July 2008. Here initial results of the mapping are reported: a preliminary distribution of material units in terms of areas and a visual representation. Additionally, the mapping hopes to address some of the problems in Io geology. Thus far it has been discovered that Io's surface is dominated by plains material, thought to consist of Io's silicate crust covered by pyroclastic deposits and lava flows of silicate and sulfur-bearing composition. Many plains areas contain flow fields that cannot be mapped separately due to a lack of resolution or modification by alteration processes. Discrete lava flows and flow fields are the next most abundant unit, with bright (sulfur?) flows in greater abundance than dark (silicate?) flows. The source of most of Io's heat flow, the paterae, are the least abundant unit in terms of areal extent.Upon completion of the draft map for peer review, it will be used to investigate several specific questions about the geological evolution of Io that previously could not be well addressed, including: comparison of the areas versus the heights of Ionian mountains to assess their stability and evolution; correlation and comparison of Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer and Photopolarimeter-Radiometer hot spot locations with the mapped location of dark versus bright lava flows and patera floors to assess any variations in the types of sources for Io's active volcanism; and the creation of a global inventory of the areal coverage of dark and bright laval flows to assess the relative importance of sulfur versus silicate volcanism in resurfacing Io, and to assess whether there are regional concentrations of either style of volcanism that may have implications on interior processes

Hawai`i Supernova Flows: A Peculiar Velocity Survey Using Over a Thousand Supernovae in the Near-Infrared

We introduce the Hawai`i Supernova Flows project and present summary statistics of the first 1218 astronomical transients observed, 669 of which are spectroscopically classified Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia). Our project is designed to obtain systematics-limited distances to SNe Ia while consuming minimal dedicated observational resources. This growing sample will provide increasing resolution into peculiar velocities as a function of position on the sky and redshift, allowing us to more accurately map the structure of dark matter. This can be used to derive cosmological parameters such as $\sigma_8$ and can be compared with large scale flow maps from other methods such as luminosity-line width or luminosity-velocity dispersion correlations in galaxies. Additionally, our photometry will provide a valuable test bed for analyses of SNe Ia incorporating near-infrared data. In this survey paper, we describe the methodology used to select targets, collect and reduce data, and calculate distances.Comment: 33 pages, 23 figure

Bottom-up assembly of metallic germanium

Extending chip performance beyond current limits of miniaturisation requires new materials and functionalities that integrate well with the silicon platform. Germanium fits these requirements and has been proposed as a high-mobility channel material, a light emitting medium in silicon-integrated lasers, and a plasmonic conductor for bio-sensing. Common to these diverse applications is the need for homogeneous, high electron densities in three-dimensions (3D). Here we use a bottom-up approach to demonstrate the 3D assembly of atomically sharp doping profiles in germanium by a repeated stacking of two-dimensional (2D) high-density phosphorus layers. This produces high-density (1019 to 1020 cm−3) low-resistivity (10−4Ω · cm) metallic germanium of precisely defined thickness, beyond the capabilities of diffusion-based doping technologies. We demonstrate that free electrons from distinct 2D dopant layers coalesce into a homogeneous 3D conductor using anisotropic quantum interference measurements, atom probe tomography, and density functional theory