7,281 research outputs found
Calf health and performance during receiving is not changed by fence-line preconditioning on flint hills range vs. drylot preconditioning
Ranch-of-origin preconditioning can improve the welfare and performance of beef
calves by decreasing the stress associated with weaning, transport, diet change, and
commingling with other calves. Preconditioning methods that involve pasture weaning
coupled with maternal contact (i.e., fence-line weaning) have been promoted as possible
best management practices for minimizing stress. Prior studies focused on performance
and behavior during preconditioning on the ranch of origin. Little information has
been published relating to carryover effects of fence-line preconditioning compared
with conventional drylot preconditioning on performance and behavior during feedlot
receiving.
Our objectives were to measure growth and health during a 28-day ranch-of-origin
preconditioning phase and during a 60-day feedlot receiving phase among beef calves
subjected to 1 of 3 ranch-of-origin preconditioning programs: (1) drylot preconditioning
+ dam separation, (2) pasture preconditioning + fence-line contact with dams, and
(3) pasture preconditioning + fence-line contact with dams + supplemental feed delivered
in a bunk. In addition, we recorded incidences of behavioral distress among these
treatments during first 7 days of feedlot receiving
Quitting behaviour in good (and bad) work places
This paper argues that the decision to quit is strongly influenced by employee perceptions of the quality of the work environment (QWE), and that ignoring QWE can lead to incorrect conclusions concerning the influence of other factors on the quitting decision. However, our empirical results also illustrate that some of the antecedents of quitting, namely high levels of stress, gaining information about important decisions and changes, and changes in job satisfaction, are only significant if the overall QWE is perceived to be good; if the QWE is perceived to be bad then these factors appear to have no significant influence on the quitting intention of the worker. This paper contributes to the literature through a work environment approach to understanding the complexities of the quitting decision.Department of Labou
S wave velocity structure below central Mexico using high-resolution surface wave tomography
Shear wave velocity of the crust below central Mexico is estimated using surface wave dispersion measurements from regional earthquakes recorded on a dense, 500 km long linear seismic network. Vertical components of regional records from 90 well-located earthquakes were used to compute Rayleigh-wave group-velocity dispersion curves. A tomographic inversion, with high resolution in a zone close to the array, obtained for periods between 5 and 50 s reveals significant differences relative to a reference model, especially at larger periods (>30 s). A 2-D S wave velocity model is obtained from the inversion of local dispersion curves that were reconstructed from the tomographic solutions. The results show large differences, especially in the lower crust, among back-arc, volcanic arc, and fore-arc regions; they also show a well-resolved low-velocity zone just below the active part of the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) suggesting the presence of a mantle wedge. Low densities in the back arc, inferred from the low shear wave velocities, can provide isostatic support for the TMVB
Effects of corn steep liquor supplementation on intake and digestion of tallgrass prairie hay contaminated with sericea lespedeza
Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) is a noxious weed that infests approximately 600,000 acres of native range in Kansas. Intake of sericea lespedeza by grazing beef cattle is poor due to the presence of condensed tannins in the plant. Condensed tannins reduce protein digestion by beef cattle and may also decrease plant palatability because of their astringent nature. Prolific seed production, in combination with little or no grazing pressure, has contributed to the rapid spread of sericea lespedeza in the Flint Hills. Increasing grazing pressure on sericea lespedeza may reduce seed production and slow its advance; however, the presence of condensed tannins inhibit consumption by grazing animals. Reports have indicated that feed-grade polyethylene glycol may inhibit formation of tannin-protein complexes in the rumen, but beef producers have not widely adopted polyethylene glycol because, at the rates necessary to increase intake of sericea lespedeza, it is cost-prohibitive and disallowed by regulations. Therefore, identifying substances that are generally regarded as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, cost-effective, and that mitigate the consequences of consuming a diet high in tannins is advantageous. Such information could lead to a degree of biological control of this noxious weed using the most economically important grazer (i.e., beef cattle) in the Flint Hills. Preliminary research in our laboratory indicated that corn steep liquor has binding affinity for condensed tannins that is similar to polyethylene glycol. Therefore, the objective of our study was to determine the effects of corn steep liquor supplementation on intake and digestion of tallgrass prairie hay contaminated by sericea lespedeza
Effects of varying solar-view geometry and canopy structure on solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and PRI
Stacking Gravitational Wave Signals from Soft Gamma Repeater Bursts
Soft gamma repeaters (SGRs) have unique properties that make them intriguing
targets for gravitational wave (GW) searches. They are nearby, their burst
emission mechanism may involve neutron star crust fractures and excitation of
quasi-normal modes, and they burst repeatedly and sometimes spectacularly. A
recent LIGO search for transient GW from these sources placed upper limits on a
set of almost 200 individual SGR bursts. These limits were within the
theoretically predicted range of some models. We present a new search strategy
which builds upon the method used there by "stacking" potential GW signals from
multiple SGR bursts. We assume that variation in the time difference between
burst electromagnetic emission and burst GW emission is small relative to the
GW signal duration, and we time-align GW excess power time-frequency tilings
containing individual burst triggers to their corresponding electromagnetic
emissions. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we confirm that gains in GW energy
sensitivity of N^{1/2} are possible, where N is the number of stacked SGR
bursts. Estimated sensitivities for a mock search for gravitational waves from
the 2006 March 29 storm from SGR 1900+14 are also presented, for two GW
emission models, "fluence-weighted" and "flat" (unweighted).Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, submitted to PR
A bright nanowire single photon source based on SiV centers in diamond
The practical implementation of many quantum technologies relies on the
development of robust and bright single photon sources that operate at room
temperature. The negatively charged silicon-vacancy (SiV-) color center in
diamond is a possible candidate for such a single photon source. However, due
to the high refraction index mismatch to air, color centers in diamond
typically exhibit low photon out-coupling. An additional shortcoming is due to
the random localization of native defects in the diamond sample. Here we
demonstrate deterministic implantation of Si ions with high conversion
efficiency to single SiV- centers, targeted to fabricated nanowires. The
co-localization of single SiV- centers with the nanostructures yields a ten
times higher light coupling efficiency than for single SiV- centers in bulk
diamond. This enhanced photon out-coupling, together with the intrinsic
scalability of the SiV- creation method, enables a new class of devices for
integrated photonics and quantum science.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Non-AIDS-related comorbidities in people living with HIV-1 aged 50 years and older: The AGING POSITIVE study.
OBJECTIVE:
To characterize the profile of non-AIDS-related comorbidities (NARC) in the older HIV-1-infected population and to explore the factors associated with multiple NARC.
METHODS:
This was a multicentre, cross-sectional study including HIV-1-infected patients aged ≥50 years, who were virologically suppressed and had been on a stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen for at least 6 months. A multiple regression model explored the association between demographic and clinical variables and the number of NARC.
RESULTS:
Overall, 401 patients were enrolled. The mean age of the patients was 59.3 years and 72.6% were male. The mean duration of HIV-1 infection was 12.0 years and the median exposure to ART was 10.0 years. The mean number of NARC was 2.1, and 34.7% of patients had three or more NARC. Hypercholesterolemia was the most frequent NARC (60.8%), followed by arterial hypertension (39.7%) and chronic depression/anxiety (23.9%). Arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the most frequently treated NARC (95.6% and 92.6% of cases, respectively). The linear regression analysis showed a positive relationship between age and NARC (B=0.032, 95% confidence interval 0.015-0.049; p=0.0003) and between the duration of HIV-1 infection and NARC (B=0.039, 95% confidence interval 0.017-0.059; p=0.0005).
CONCLUSIONS:
A high prevalence of NARC was found, the most common being metabolic, cardiovascular, and psychological conditions. NARC rates were similar to those reported for the general population, suggesting a larger societal problem beyond HIV infection. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to reduce the burden of complex multi-morbid conditions in the HIV-1-infected population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Spontaneous orbiting of two spheres levitated in a vibrated liquid
In the absence of gravity, particles can form a suspension in a liquid irrespective of the difference in density between the solid and the liquid. If such a suspension is subjected to vibration there is relative motion between the particles and the fluid which can lead to self-organization and pattern formation. Here we describe experiments carried out to investigate the behavior of two identical spheres suspended magnetically in a fluid, mimicking weightless conditions. Under vibration the spheres mutually attract and, for sufficiently large vibration amplitudes, the spheres are observed to spontaneously orbit each other. The collapse of the experimental data onto a single curve indicates that the instability occurs at a critical value of the streaming Reynolds number. Simulations repro- duce the observed behaviour qualitatively and quantitatively, and are used to identify the features of the flow that are responsible for this instability
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