424 research outputs found
Delaying Injection of prostaglandin F2α in an ovsynch protocol
Our objective was to determine whether delaying the PGF2αinjection by 24 or 48 hr after the first GnRH injection in an Ovsynch protocol (from a standard 7 days) altered ovar-ian characteristics in lactating dairy cows. Es-trous cycles were synchronized in 36 Hol-steins after removal of a progesterone-releasing controlled internal drug release (CIDR) insert and injection of PGF2α. On day 6 of the estrous cycle, cows were administered 100 μg of GnRH (81 ± 2 days postpartum) and assigned randomly to receive a treatment in-jection of PGF2α7, 8, or 9 days later. Timed artificial insemination (TAI) was performed at 48 hr after PGF2α, at which time a second in-jection of GnRH was administered. Ovarian structures were mapped by ultrasonography on day 0 (first GnRH injection), on day 2 to de-termine responses to the first GnRH injection, at PGF2αinjection, and daily thereafter through 72 hr after PGF2αto monitor ovula-tion of preovulatory follicles. Blood was col-lected on day 0, day 2, at PGF2αinjection, and at 24 and 48 hr after PGF2α, to monitor serum changes estradiol-17ß and progesterone. On the basis of serum progesterone and ovarian exams, 2 cows were eliminated because of anestrus and their failure ovulate a follicle in response to the first GnRH injection. Two other cows in which luteolysis failed to occur after PGF2αtreatment also were eliminated. Final numbers of cows per treatment were: 7 days (n = 13), 8 days (n = 9), and 9 days (n = 10). Twenty-nine of 32 cows ovulated (90.6%) in response to the first GnRH injec-tion. Despite a 24- or 48-hr delay between first GnRH and PGF2αinjections, the diameter (mm) and volume (mm3) of the ovulatory fol-licle did not differ among treatments. In all 32 cows, at least 1 follicle ovulated after treat-ment, but ovulation rates did not differ. Serum concentrations of estradiol-17ß did not differ among treatments. Two cows in the 7-day treatment and 2 cows in the 8-day treatment were inseminated 24 hr late and were ex-cluded before assessing conception rates: 5/9 (55.6%), 5/9 (55.6%), and 1/10 (10%), respec-tively. We concluded that delaying PGF2αin-jection by 24 hr had little effect on outcomes.; Dairy Day, 2006, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2006
Security Principles in ERP Systems
Enterprise Resource Planning systems are a critical component nowadays of any private company or public institution. Because of their complexity and their importance to all the core functions of an organization, security represents a major concern that’s often overlooked besides the standard set-up. In this paper I will explain the architecture of Oracle E-Business Suite, one of the most widely spread ERP solutions, its security problems and an approach to solving them, hardening and customizing an Oracle E-Business Suite Applicatio
QCD Corrections to t anti-b H^- Associated Production in e^+ e^- Annihilation
We calculate the QCD corrections to the cross section of e^+ e^- -> t anti-b
H^- and its charge-conjugate counterpart within the minimal supersymmetric
extension of the Standard Model. This process is particularly important if m_t
b H^+ and e^+ e^- -> H^+ H^- are
not allowed kinematically. Large logarithmic corrections that arise in the
on-mass-shell scheme of quark mass renormalization, especially from the t
anti-b H^- Yukawa coupling for large values of tan(beta), are resummed by
adopting the modified minimal-subtraction scheme, so that the convergence
behavior of the perturbative expansion is improved. The inclusion of the QCD
corrections leads to a significant reduction of the theoretical uncertainties
due to scheme and scale dependences.Comment: 21 pages (Latex), 8 figures (Postscript); detailed discussion of
scheme and scale dependences adde
Detection of noncyling cows by heatmount decectors and ultrasound before treatment with progesterone
Our objective was to determine accuracy of identifying anovulatory lactating dairy cows before the application of a timed AI protocol [with or without progesterone supplementation via a controlled internal drug release (CIDR) insert and 2 different timings of AI] by using heatmount detectors and a single ovarian ultrasound examination. At 6 Midwest locations, 1,072 cows were enrolled in a Presynch protocol (2 injections of prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α) 14 days apart) with the second injection administered 14 days before initiating the Ovsynch protocol (injection of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) 7 days before and 48 hours after PGF2αinjection, with timed AI at 0 or 24 hours after the second GnRH injection). Heatmount detectors were applied to cows at the time of the first Presynch injection, assessed 14 days later at the second Presynch injection and again at initiation of the Ovsynch protocol, and ovaries were examined for presence of a visible corpus luteum (CL) by ultrasound before initiation of treatment. Treatments were assigned to cows based on presence or absence of a visible CL: 1) anovulatory (no CL + CIDR insert for 7 d); 2) anovulatory (no CL + no CIDR); and 3) cycling (CL present). Further, every other cow in the 3 treatments was assigned to be inseminated concurrent with the second GnRH injection of Ovsynch (0 hour) or 24 hours later. Pregnancy was diagnosed at 33 and 61 days after the second GnRH injection. Heatmount detectors and a single ultrasound examination both underestimated proportions of cows classified as anovulatory or having no prior luteal activity compared with those classifications determined by concentrations of progesterone in blood serum. Overall accuracy of heatmount detectors and ultrasound was 71 and 84%, respectively. Application of progesterone to cows without a CL at the time of the first injection of GnRH reduced incidence of ovulation but improved pregnancy rates at day 33 or 61 compared with nontreated cows without a CL at the onset of the Ovsynch protocol. Pregnancy rates and pregnancy survival did not differ for cows having a CL before treatment compared with those not having a CL but treated with progesterone. Pregnancy rates were 1.5-fold greater for cows ovulating in response to the first GnRH injection. Timing of AI at 0 or 24 hours after the second GnRH injection did not alter pregnancy rates, but cows having prior luteal activity before treatment had improved pregnancy rates compared with anovulatory cows. We conclude that identifying anovulatory cows by ultrasound was more accurate than by heatmount detectors. Subsequent treatment of potential anovulatory cows with progesterone failed to improve fertility but had benefit for cows with prior estrous cycles at the onset of the timed AI (TAI) protocol, regardless of luteal status before the final luteolytic injection of PGF2α.; Dairy Day, 2007, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2007; Dairy Research, 2007 is known as Dairy Day, 200
Renormalization Group Summation and the Free Energy of Hot QCD
Using an approach developed in the context of zero-temperature QCD to
systematically sum higher order effects whose form is fixed by the
renormalization group equation, we sum to all orders the leading log (LL) and
next-to-leading log (NLL) contributions to the thermodynamic free energy in hot
QCD. While the result varies considerably less with changes in the
renormalization scale than does the purely perturbative result, a novel
ambiguity arises which reflects the strong scheme dependence of thermal
perturbation theory.Comment: 7 pages REVTEX4, 2 figures; v2: typos correcte
High Energy Gamma Ray Production from Proton Induced Reactions on D, C, Zn, Pb at Incident Energies of 104, 145, and 195 MeV
This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478
Resummation of the hadronic tau decay width with the modified Borel transform method
A modified Borel transform of the Adler function is used to resum the
hadronic tau decay width ratio. In contrast to the ordinary Borel transform,
the integrand of the Borel integral is renormalization--scale invariant. We use
an ansatz which explicitly accounts for the structure of the leading infrared
renormalon. Further, we use judiciously chosen conformal transformations for
the Borel variable, in order to map sufficiently away from the origin the other
ultraviolet and infrared renormalon singularities. In addition, we apply Pade
approximants for the corresponding truncated perturbation series of the
modified Borel transform, in order to further accelerate the convergence.
Comparing the results with the presently available experimental data on the tau
hadronic decay width ratio, we obtain . These predictions
virtually agree with those of our previous resummations where we used ordinary
Borel transforms instead.Comment: 32 pages, 2 eps-figures, revtex; minor changes in the formulations; a
typo in Eq.(47) corrected; version as appearing in Phys. Rev.
Risk factors for household vector abundance using indoor CDC light traps in a high malaria transmission area of Northern Zambia
Malaria transmission is dependent on the density and distribution of mosquito vectors, but drivers of vector abundance have not been adequately studied across a range of transmission settings. To inform intervention strategies for high-burden areas, further investigation is needed to identify predictors of vector abundance. Active household (HH) surveillance was conducted in Nchelenge district, Luapula Province, northern Zambia, a high-transmission setting with limited impact ofmalaria control. Between April 2012 and July 2017,mosquitoeswere collected indoors during HH visits using CDC light traps. Demographic, environmental, and climatological correlates of vector abundance were identified using log-binomial regressionmodels with robust standard errors. The primarymalaria vectors in this setting were Anopheles funestus sensu stricto (s.s.) andAnopheles gambiae s.s. Anopheles funestus predominated inboth seasons, with a peak in the dry season. Anopheles gambiae peaked at lower numbers in the rainy season. Environmental, climatic, and demographic factors were correlated with HH vector abundance. Higher vector counts were found in rural areas with low population density and among HHs close to roads and small streams. Vector counts were lower with increasing elevation and slope. Anopheles funestus was negatively associated with rainfall at lags of 2-6weeks, and An. gambiae was positively associated with rainfall at lags of 3-10 weeks. Both vectors had varying relationships with temperature. These results suggest thatmalaria vector control in Nchelenge district should occur throughout the year, with an increased focus on dry-season transmission and rural areas
High-p_T pion and kaon production in relativistic nuclear collisions
High-p_T pion and kaon production is studied in relativistic proton-proton,
proton-nucleus, and nucleus-nucleus collisions in a wide energy range. Cross
sections are calculated based on perturbative QCD, augmented by a
phenomenological transverse momentum distribution of partons (``intrinsic
k_T''). An energy dependent width of the transverse momentum distribution is
extracted from pion and charged hadron production data in
proton-proton/proton-antiproton collisions. Effects of multiscattering and
shadowing in the strongly interacting medium are taken into account.
Enhancement of the transverse momentum width is introduced and parameterized to
explain the Cronin effect. In collisions between heavy nuclei, the model
over-predicts central pion production cross sections (more significantly at
higher energies), hinting at the presence of jet quenching. Predictions are
made for proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC energies.Comment: 26 pages in Latex, 19 EPS figure
- …