Effects of forage supplements on milk production and chemical properties, in vivo digestibility, rumen fermentation and N excretion in dairy cows offered red clover silage and corn silage or dry ground corn

peer-reviewedThis study concerned the effects of partial substitution of clover silage with high starch forages on milk production and chemical composition, in vivo digestibility, rumen fermentation pattern and nitrogen excretion of dairy cows. Sixteen dairy cows were separated into two groups and were assigned to treatments in a two-period crossover design. Two forage supplements were used: corn silage (CS) and dry ground corn (DG). All animals received 4.5 kg of concentrate dry matter per day. Results showed no significant difference between the forage supplements for milk production, while significant differences (P<0.01) were observed for milk fat, milk protein and nitrogen utilisation efficiency (42 v. 4.0 g/kg, 3.5 v. 3.3 g/kg and 222 v. 188 g/kg, respectively, for DG and CS). Faecal N excretion did not differ between forage supplements, but urinary N excretion was higher for CS (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed between treatments for rumen fluid pH or for rumen fluid concentrations of ammonium nitrogen or of acetic, propionic or butyric acids. Dry matter intake and the in vivo digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre were all higher for CS compared with DG.The authors are grateful to the Environmental Office of the Cantabrian Government for funding the project 05-640.02-2174

Deception as cooperation

I develop a rate-distortion analysis of signaling games with imperfect common interest. Sender and receiver should be seen as jointly managing a communication channel with the objective of minimizing two independent distortion measures. I use this analysis to identify a problem with 'functional' theories of deception, and in particular Brian Skyrms's: there are perfectly cooperative, non-exploitative instances of channel management that come out as manipulative and deceptive according to those theories

Playing Devil’s Advocate: A Conceptual Replication of Hirt et al. (2003)

In the field of psychology, it is important that we foster unbiased judgments in our students and encourage them to engage with material on a critical level. The proposed study is a conceptual replication of Hirt et al. (2003), investigating whether considering alternative hypotheses about the results reduces explanation and overconfidence biases for questions about psychological research. Our proposed replication will also consider whether the benefits of counterfactual thinking were transferable, meaning once individuals are prompted to think counterfactually in one domain, they should show reduced biases when considering an unrelated domain. If these debiasing effects generalize to psychological information, and show transfer across a variety of psychological research, they could play an important role in training psychology students

Phases Dynamic Balancer

Most of the current domestic installations are single phase, with contracted power equal to or less than 15 kW and with a potential difference of 230 V. When consumption is expected to be higher you choose to use three different alternating currents with a difference voltage of 400 V between them, which are called phases. This enables the subdivision of the installation in different single-phase circuits, fed independently with the neutral installation. These couples have, in turn, a difference in voltage of 230 V. The neutral is common for all three phases so that, if the system is balanced, no current flows through it. The problem with these installations is that they are designed to work in an offset manner, using phase loads, and simultaneously an equal amount of energy consumed by the three phases of the network. Connection to each of the phases makes independent single-phase loads or disturbance of the operation of the original phase circuit and, consequently, the corresponding increases in consumption, heating of engines, etc.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Smart Campus Project

Desarrollado a través del Instituto de Domótica y Eficiencia EnergéticaPresentación del modelo Smart Campus en base a la experiencia realizada durante los últimos 15 años en la Universidad de Málaga. Para ello se han recogido los principales datos de consumo en un edificio tipo (Escuela de Ingenierías) junto con los datos publicados en la Huella Ecológica de la Universidad de Málaga relativos a agua, energía, residuos, gas, petroleo, etc. En resumen, todos los parámetros de sostenibilidad requeridos.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Active Learning of Gaussian Processes for Spatial Functions in Mobile Sensor Networks

This paper proposes a spatial function modeling approach using mobile sensor networks, which potentially can be used for environmental surveillance applications. The mobile sensor nodes are able to sample the point observations of an 2D spatial function. On the one hand, they will use the observations to generate a predictive model of the spatial function. On the other hand, they will make collective motion decisions to move into the regions where high uncertainties of the predictive model exist. In the end, an accurate predictive model is obtained in the sensor network and all the mobile sensor nodes are distributed in the environment with an optimized pattern. Gaussian process regression is selected as the modeling technique in the proposed approach. The hyperparameters of Gaussian process model are learned online to improve the accuracy of the predictive model. The collective motion control of mobile sensor nodes is based on a locational optimization algorithm, which utilizes an information entropy of the predicted Gaussian process to explore the environment and reduce the uncertainty of predictive model. Simulation results are provided to show the performance of the proposed approach. © 2011 IFAC

Understanding the meanings of sport and physical activity in prison: revealing incarcerated women's voices.

210 p.Artikulu bilduma bidez osatutako doktorego tesi honen helburua espetxeratutako emakumeentzat jarduera fisiko eta kirolak dituen esanahiak aztertzea eta ulertzea izan da. Metodologia kualitatiboa erabiliz eta teknika ezberdinen bidez ikerketa gaiaren ulermen osatua eskuratu nahi izan da. Lehen ikerketak jarduera fisiko eta kirolaren rola izan du ardatz. Elkarrizketa sakonen bidez, emakume atxiloen bizi kalitatean eragin onuragarria duela eta hiru rol nagusi betetzen dituela ondorioztatu da: denboraren aurkako estrategia izatea, burdin artean bizi izandakoaz ihes egiteko aukera zein beharrezko bidelaguna izatea. Bigarren ikerketan, ikergaiaren inguruko errebisio sistematiko bat gauzatu eta eskuratutako ikerlanen edukiaren analisia burutu da. Eskuratutako emaitzek ikerketa gaiaren aniztasuna agerian ipintzeaz gain, onura eta oztopoen gaia gailendu dute. Hirugarren ikerketan beraz, jarduera fisiko eta kirola burutzeko emakume atxiloek bizi dituzten onura ta oztopoetan sakondu da, errebisio sistematikoaren ikerlanak oinarri izanik. Jarduera fisiko eta kirolaren praktikak espetxeratutako emakumeengan maila ezberdinetan onurak sortarazten dituen arren, oztopoez josia dagoela ondorioztatuz. Gainditu beharrezko oztopo nabarmenena espetxeko erregimenaren zorroztasunaz gain, genero diskriminazioa izanik kartzelen izaera androzentrikoa dela eta. Aurkeztutako onuretako bat jarduera fisiko eta kirolak espetxean mikro-erresistentziarako sortzen duen abagunea izanik, laugarren ikerketan, preso ohiei egindako elkarrizketa sakonen bidez, espetxeko botere harreman zein kontrol sozialari aurre egin eta euren autonomia eta identitatea indartzeko aukera ematen duela ondorioztatu da. Azkenik, emakume atxilo batzuentzat jarduera fisiko eta kirolak esanahi handiko zein praktika onuragarria dela ikusi arren, emakumeen parte hartzea espetxe biztanleriaren baxuena dela antzeman da. Ikerketa honen emaitzen ondotik, espetxean jarduera fisiko eta kirolaren sustapena, programen egonkortasun zein hobekuntza burutu beharko litzakeela ondorioztatu da, beti ere, emakume atxiloen nahi eta beharretan oinarrituta egongo dena-The aim of the present doctoral dissertation, characterized as a papers compilation, is to understand and analyse the meanings of sport and physical activity of incarcerated women. Using a qualitative methodology and different research techniques, we try to get a better understanding of the subject of study. The first study focuses on the role of sport and physical activity. Through in-depth interviews, we find that it has a positive effect on the quality of life of incarcerated women, and significantly, fulfils at least three different roles; help these women fill the time, flee from the prison routine and provide a support mechanism persevere. In the second study, we conduct a systematic review and a content analysis of the subject of study. The results show the diversity of the sport and physical activity and some barriers and benefits also emerge from the selected papers. In the third study, we comprehensively review the benefits and barriers incarcerated women experience based on investigations from the systematic review. We conclude that sport and physical activity can be beneficial at different levels but is full of barriers. Apart from the penitentiary regime, being the gender discrimination ¿because of the androcentric characteristic of prison¿ one of the principal barriers highlighted. One of the benefits that emerges is the opportunity to act as a micro-resistance. In the fourth study, through in-depth interviews we conclude that sport and physical activity can confront power relationships and social control of the prison, and improve inmates autonomy and identity. Finally, even if for some incarcerated women sport and physical activity can be a significant activity, they were in the lowest participant level of the penitentiary population. The results of this research confirm the need to create, improve and promote sport and physical activities programs, with and for female prisoners