Effects of Weaning Age and Winter Development Environment on Heifer Grazing Distribution

The objective of this experiment was to determine if early weaning (approximately 125 d) vs. normal weaning (approximately 250 d) and wintering replacement heifers in drylot versus rangeland affected heifer grazing distribution during the subsequent summer. Heifer calves from the 2009 and 2010 calf crop (n = 104 and 73, respectively) were allocated to the 2 weaning treatments and then stratified by age into the 2 winter development treatments. During the summer of yr 1 heifers were allocated to 2 pastures by winter treatment, and in yr 2, all 4 treatment combinations were allocated to separate pastures. A subset of heifers from each group was selected to wear global positioning system (GPS) collars (n=2 and 5 in yr 1 and 2, respectively). Readings were taken from the GPS every 15 min in yr 1 and every 65 s in yr 2. The GPS coordinates were then analyzed relative to ecological sites, water locations, fence locations, and temperature using Arc GIS (ESRI, Redlands, CA). Winter treatment affected (P\u3c0.05) preference index (PI) for claypan and loamy sites in 2010, and distance from water in 2011. Day of sampling affected (P\u3c0.05) claypan and loamy site PI in 2010 and thin claypan site PI in 2011. Day of sampling interacted with winter treatment (P\u3c0.05) for distance from water in 2010, sand and thin claypan site PI in 2010 and thin claypan site PI in 2011, while day of sampling interacted with weaning treatment for distance from water in 2011. A winter by weaning treatment interaction affected (P\u3c0.05) thin claypan site PI in 2011. Temperature had an effect on distance to fencelines in 2010 (P\u3c0.001). There was a temperature interaction with wintered treatment effect on distance to water in 2011 (P\u3c0.001). There was a three-way interaction (P\u3c0.05) between weaning treatment, winter treatment and ambient temperate on the distance from water and between weaning treatment, winter treatment and day of sampling on claypan and sand site PI in 2011. In conclusion, winter development influenced patterns of range utilization. Day-of-sampling interactions indicated that range heifers did not adjust preferences and thus were already adapted to the range environment, whereas drylot heifers adjusted preferences over time suggesting they re-learned how to utilize the range environment

Effects of Weaning Age and Winter Development Environment on Heifer Performance

Our objective was to determine if early weaning (about 125 d) vs. normal weaning (about 250 d) and wintering replacement heifers in drylot vs. rangeland affected heifer growth and reproductive performance. Heifer calves from the 2009 and 2010 calf crops (n = 104 and 73, respectively) were allocated to the 2 weaning treatments and then stratified by age into the 2 winter development treatments forming a 2 by 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Heifers wintered in drylot received mixed grass and alfalfa hay (yr 1: 11.6% CP, 52.5% TDN; yr2: 12.3% CP, 53.4% TDN) plus 1.8 kg of a dried distiller’s grain (DDGS)-based supplement/hd/d (yr1: 22.7% CP, 75.8% TDN; yr 2: 25.4% CP, 76.7% TDN). Heifers wintered on rangeland also received 1.8 kg/hd/d of the same supplement. Over the winter, each treatment was allocated to a separate pen or pasture. After estrus synchronization and timed AI, all heifers were placed on rangeland to graze through the summer. During the summer of yr 1, heifers were allocated by winter treatment to 2 pastures, and in yr 2 all 4 treatment combinations were allocated to separate pastures. Responses measured were BW, ADG, pubertal status at initiation of estrus synchronization, and pregnancy status after breeding. Pubertal status was indicated by serum progesterone \u3e 1 ng/ml. A winter by weaning treatment interaction affected (P\u3c0.001) BW and ADG both years. During the winter months, range heifers were lighter and grew slower than drylot heifers, but BW did not differ due to winter treatments at the end of the summer. However, early-weaned heifers remained lighter than normal weaned heifers at the end of the summer. Weaning treatment affected (P=0.03) fall pregnancy rate (93.2%±4.0 and 74.7%±7.98 for early- and normal-weaning, respectively) in yr 2. In yr 1, there was a difference (P=0.006) between drylot and range heifers (92.7%±3.52 and 72.8%±6.47, respectively) in the proportion that obtained puberty before estrus synchronization. In conclusion, producers should consider important interactions between weaning and winter management practices when establishing a replacement heifer development program that best fits the goals of their operation

Scalar wave propagation in topological black hole backgrounds

We consider the evolution of a scalar field coupled to curvature in topological black hole spacetimes. We solve numerically the scalar wave equation with different curvature-coupling constant $\xi$ and show that a rich spectrum of wave propagation is revealed when $\xi$ is introduced. Relations between quasinormal modes and the size of different topological black holes have also been investigated.Comment: 26 pages, 18 figure

Severe respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus, in a patient transferred to the United Kingdom from the Middle East, September 2012

Coronaviruses have the potential to cause severe transmissible human disease, as demonstrated by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003. We describe here the clinical and virological features of a novel coronavirus infection causing severe respiratory illness in a patient transferred to London, United Kingdom, from the Gulf region of the Middle East

Predictors of HIV, HIV Risk Perception, and HIV Worry Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Lilongwe, Malawi

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa have high HIV prevalence and incidence. We sought to understand which HIV risk factors individually and in combination contribute to risk, and whether these factors are associated with HIV worry and risk perception. SETTING: This study is ongoing at 4 public health centers in Lilongwe, Malawi (2016-2017).METHODS: AGYW of 15-24 years old were recruited to participate in a study assessing 4 models of service delivery. At each health center, participants completed a baseline survey assessing socioeconomic, behavioral, biomedical, and partnership characteristics; self-reported HIV status; and, if HIV-uninfected, HIV risk perception (high versus low or none) and HIV worry (any versus none). We analyzed associations between baseline characteristics and HIV prevalence, risk perception, and worry. RESULTS: Among 1000 AGYW, median age was 19 years (IQR: 17-21). Thirty-three participants reported being HIV-infected. Fifteen characteristics were associated with HIV infection. Having more risk factors was associated with higher HIV prevalence (≤4 factors, 0.5%; 5-8 factors, 6%; >8 factors, 21%). Having more risk factors was also associated with higher risk perception (P < 0.001) and higher worry (P < 0.001). However, among those with ≥8 risk factors, 52% did not consider themselves to be at high risk and 21% did not report any HIV worry. CONCLUSIONS: Most AGYW perceive little risk of HIV acquisition, even those at highest risk. As a critical gap in the HIV prevention cascade, accurate risk perception is needed to tailor effective and sustained combination prevention strategies for this vulnerable population

Magnetic Field Amplification in Galaxy Clusters and its Simulation

We review the present theoretical and numerical understanding of magnetic field amplification in cosmic large-scale structure, on length scales of galaxy clusters and beyond. Structure formation drives compression and turbulence, which amplify tiny magnetic seed fields to the microGauss values that are observed in the intracluster medium. This process is intimately connected to the properties of turbulence and the microphysics of the intra-cluster medium. Additional roles are played by merger induced shocks that sweep through the intra-cluster medium and motions induced by sloshing cool cores. The accurate simulation of magnetic field amplification in clusters still poses a serious challenge for simulations of cosmological structure formation. We review the current literature on cosmological simulations that include magnetic fields and outline theoretical as well as numerical challenges.Comment: 60 pages, 19 Figure

Snowmass2021 theory frontier white paper: Astrophysical and cosmological probes of dark matter

While astrophysical and cosmological probes provide a remarkably precise and consistent picture of the quantity and general properties of dark matter, its fundamental nature remains one of the most significant open questions in physics. Obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of dark matter within the next decade will require overcoming a number of theoretical challenges: the groundwork for these strides is being laid now, yet much remains to be done. Chief among the upcoming challenges is establishing the theoretical foundation needed to harness the full potential of new observables in the astrophysical and cosmological domains, spanning the early Universe to the inner portions of galaxies and the stars therein. Identifying the nature of dark matter will also entail repurposing and implementing a wide range of theoretical techniques from outside the typical toolkit of astrophysics, ranging from effective field theory to the dramatically evolving world of machine learning and artificial-intelligence-based statistical inference. Through this work, the theory frontier will be at the heart of dark matter discoveries in the upcoming decade

The evolution of language: a comparative review

For many years the evolution of language has been seen as a disreputable topic, mired in fanciful &quot;just so stories&quot; about language origins. However, in the last decade a new synthesis of modern linguistics, cognitive neuroscience and neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory has begun to make important contributions to our understanding of the biology and evolution of language. I review some of this recent progress, focusing on the value of the comparative method, which uses data from animal species to draw inferences about language evolution. Discussing speech first, I show how data concerning a wide variety of species, from monkeys to birds, can increase our understanding of the anatomical and neural mechanisms underlying human spoken language, and how bird and whale song provide insights into the ultimate evolutionary function of language. I discuss the ‘‘descended larynx’ ’ of humans, a peculiar adaptation for speech that has received much attention in the past, which despite earlier claims is not uniquely human. Then I will turn to the neural mechanisms underlying spoken language, pointing out the difficulties animals apparently experience in perceiving hierarchical structure in sounds, and stressing the importance of vocal imitation in the evolution of a spoken language. Turning to ultimate function, I suggest that communication among kin (especially between parents and offspring) played a crucial but neglected role in driving language evolution. Finally, I briefly discuss phylogeny, discussing hypotheses that offer plausible routes to human language from a non-linguistic chimp-like ancestor. I conclude that comparative data from living animals will be key to developing a richer, more interdisciplinary understanding of our most distinctively human trait: language

Identification of common genetic risk variants for autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable and heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental phenotypes diagnosed in more than 1% of children. Common genetic variants contribute substantially to ASD susceptibility, but to date no individual variants have been robustly associated with ASD. With a marked sample-size increase from a unique Danish population resource, we report a genome-wide association meta-analysis of 18,381 individuals with ASD and 27,969 controls that identified five genome-wide-significant loci. Leveraging GWAS results from three phenotypes with significantly overlapping genetic architectures (schizophrenia, major depression, and educational attainment), we identified seven additional loci shared with other traits at equally strict significance levels. Dissecting the polygenic architecture, we found both quantitative and qualitative polygenic heterogeneity across ASD subtypes. These results highlight biological insights, particularly relating to neuronal function and corticogenesis, and establish that GWAS performed at scale will be much more productive in the near term in ASD.Peer reviewe

Neutrino oscillation studies with IceCube-DeepCore

AbstractIceCube, a gigaton-scale neutrino detector located at the South Pole, was primarily designed to search for astrophysical neutrinos with energies of PeV and higher. This goal has been achieved with the detection of the highest energy neutrinos to date. At the other end of the energy spectrum, the DeepCore extension lowers the energy threshold of the detector to approximately 10 GeV and opens the door for oscillation studies using atmospheric neutrinos. An analysis of the disappearance of these neutrinos has been completed, with the results produced being complementary with dedicated oscillation experiments. Following a review of the detector principle and performance, the method used to make these calculations, as well as the results, is detailed. Finally, the future prospects of IceCube-DeepCore and the next generation of neutrino experiments at the South Pole (IceCube-Gen2, specifically the PINGU sub-detector) are briefly discussed