Zone Heating for Wean-to-Finish Facilities: A Performance Comparison

Farm research trials were conducted in 2003 and 2004 to assess the effects of the type of zone heater and floor mat used in a wean-to-finish building on the thermal environment created for newly weaned pigs and resulting pig performance. Modulated LP gas-fired brooder heaters were compared to electric heat lamps, and floor mats made from farm-cut wood sheathing (3/8” oriented-strand board, OSB) were compared to commercial [unheated] rubber mats in a replicated 2x2 factorial experiment. No consistent differences in air temperature near the heating zone were found between either of the treatments, with treatment means within 1oF of each other in both trials. In pens having modulated gas-fired heaters, black-globe temperatures just outside the heating zone were consistently warmer (+2-2.5oF, P\u3c0.05) than in pens with heat lamps. Black-globe temperatures were also warmer in pens with OSB mats (+0.5-2oF) than in pens with rubber floor mats. Conversely, the temperature of exposed mat surface area was warmer (93.9oF vs. 86.3oF on average, P\u3c0.001) under the heat lamps than under the brooders. However, no significant difference was found in pig dorsal surface temperature. There was some evidence (P\u3c0.10) that the temperatures of exposed mat surface areas were slightly warmer with rubber mats than with OSB sheathing (91.4oF vs. 88.9oF), but no corresponding difference in pig surface temperatures was found. Overall, no statistically significant treatment differences in pig performance were found at the end of the zone-heating periods. Slightly higher rates of gain during the first week were found in pens using modulated gas-fired brooders than with heat lamps, but this advantage was not sustained. Time-lapse video footage helped document pig activity, but any differences that may have existed in pig activity did not noticeably influence performance. Daily energy consumption rates averaged 0.025 gal/pig/d for the LP gas-fired brooders and 0.40 kWh/pig/d for the electric heat lamps. For electricity prices ranging from 6 to 12 ¢/kWh and LP gas prices of 0.70-1.40/gal, annualized equipment & operating costs varied from 1.26 to $2.26 per pig place for electric heat lamps and$2.26 to $3.00 for the gas-fired brooders. Unless gas prices are low relative to electric rates, or some other financial benefit is obtained by using gas-fired brooders, heat lamps would appear to have an economic advantage for producers due to their lower unit fixed cost in equipment

Facilitating Use of the Odor Footprint Tool by Nebraska Pork Producers

The goal of this project was to make Odor Footprint Tool (OFT) resources readily usable by pork producers and their technical advisors as a planning and screening tool when siting swine facilities. Detailed odor footprints for five specified sizes of swine facilities were developed for twenty-four locations throughout Nebraska: six regional sites and three “localized” sites within each region. Each odor footprint shows the predicted odor annoyance-free frequency as a function of the distance from the facility. Footprints developed using localized weather data differed only slightly from footprints produced using weather data from a regional site when the general topography of the sites was similar. However, when the general topography of sites was noticeably different, the footprints differed considerably. Simplified regional odor footprints generally missed 10-15% of the risk-based odor impact area for localized sites in this study, while being 75% too large overall on an area basis. A graphical approach was developed to illustrate how a county‟s setback requirements compared to science-based estimates of frequency of exposure to annoying odor levels. The effect of reduced odor emissions from implementing odor control was illustrated using odor footprints. The footprints showed reductions in areas that were generally similar to the reductions in emissions when using odor control. Pork producers in Nebraska were informed about the Odor Footprint Tool via presentations made at the 2008 Nebraska Pork Industry Day. Training workshops on use of the OFT were provided to key industry representatives to expand utilization of the OFT resources

Effects of Manure Handling and Application Method on Odor and Gas Emission Potential of Swine Manure

Manure composition and emissions potential of swine manure were investigated in opposing contexts of desired and undesired methane generation. In the main study, the full-scale treatment effects of anaerobic digestion on the air emissions potential of swine manure were investigated. Manure slurry and digester effluent samples were collected from a pork production facility in eastern Nebraska that utilizes a complete-mix anaerobic digester to treat the manure and produce biogas for use in generating electricity. Samples were collected from three sites in the manure stream (below-barn pit, digester outlet, and holding pond) from 9/22/08 through 12/2/09 in order to observe changes in manure composition as a result of manure treatment and over time. Significant differences were observed in nearly all chemical and odorous compound constituents between the samples collected from the three locations studied at this operation. When compared for each sampling date, the concentration of manure constituents usually decreased as the manure was digested and stored. This pattern held true on eight of the twelve sampling dates, but for three consecutive sampling events the methane digester was not functioning well and produced little methane. When the digester was operating as designed, chemical oxygen demand was reduced by an average of 45%, odorous volatile fatty acids were reduced by an average of 66%, and ammonia increased by an average of 58%. A very clear trend was for odorous compounds to decrease in concentration as the manure slurry moved through the digester and as the effluent was subsequently stored in the basin. Volatile fatty acids (VFA) were consistently detected in all samples with branched-chain VFA comprising \u3c10% of the total VFA. The proportion of total VFA that were branched-chain VFA was higher in the digester than in the pit when the digester was performing as designed. Aromatic compounds were also detected, but were in lower concentrations compared to VFA. The project also facilitated extensive compositional analyses of twenty-six manure and foam samples that were collected from deep-pit pork production facilities in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska. The analyses included a standard manure analysis (for pH, solids contents, and macro and micronutrient levels); a feed analysis (for protein, fiber and energy composition); and a fat analysis (for levels of 45 different VFAs). In subsequent statistical analysis by the University of Minnesota, correlations were found between fat content and foam, but no other correlations could be established

Laying the Groundwork for Odor Control and Setback Estimation in Nebraska

The goal of this field research study was to validate use of the Odor Footprint Tool (OFT) with livestock building sources in rural communities. The primary objective was to evaluate the accuracy of predictions of annoyance potential (as projected by odor concentration output data from AERMOD® - the OFT\u27s underlying dispersion model) when compared to measures of annoyance potential made in the field. Odor assessors were trained to monitor odors around a 4,800-head finishing site in eastern Nebraska. During the summer of 2005, mobile odor assessors monitored odor levels at downwind locations. During the spring and summer of 2006, another set of mobile odor assessors monitored odor levels at downwind locations, while neighbors of the operation monitored odors at their residences. Modeling was performed for coinciding time periods using data from an on-site weather station and a \u27blue book\u27 OFT odor emission rate. Mobile odor assessor data identified 22 instances out of 216 off-site downwind assessments where the state of odor was annoying based upon the odor concentration (group geometric mean) being 7 dilutions to threshold or greater. Similarly, in 20 off-site assessments, assessors rated the state of odor to be consequentially annoying, out of 192 instances where such ratings were provided. When modeling was performed for all coinciding time periods at off-site locations, predicted odor concentrations exceeded the threshold value 20 and 18 times, compared to 22 and 20 times when annoying states of odor existed based upon the measured concentration and rated annoyance potential, respectively. In each case, there was at least 90% agreement in the frequency of annoyance. Five area residents evaluated the state of odor during three periods each day: daylight, nighttime, and twilight hours. Based upon an evaluation of composite data from these residents, livestock odor was detected and rated as being at an annoying state in 9.1% and 4.2%, respectively, of 1,007 total readings, for a composite odor annoyance-free frequency of roughly 96%. Given the locations of the residences with respect to the three swine production facilities in the area, predicted individual odor annoyance-free frequencies using the Odor Footprint Tool ranged from 90 to 99%. Annoyance frequencies for individual residents ranged from 0 to 11.4% and showed considerable variation due to individual biases (some residents were for and some against having the swine facilities in the area), senses of smell, data collection times, etc. The composite annoyance-free frequency based upon information supplied by area residents was comfortably within the predicted range. Additional objectives of this project involved pilot-testing the Odor Footprint Tool within a rural community for a proposed pork production facility; and installing a biofilter on a pork production facility to demonstrate this technology and the potential for reducing odor impacts on rural communities. The Odor Footprint Tool was used during planning and zoning commission consideration of an application for construction of a new swine finishing facility, and was successful in focusing discussion of odor on objective matters. At the very end of the project, a collaborator agreed to construct a biofilter to treat exhaust air from the facility to reduce the impact on some nearby neighbors. Via this project, rural residents have seen how the Odor Footprint Tool can be used to evaluate the odor impact of a livestock operation and have been provided information that enhances confidence in the planning and screening tool

Float-polishing process and analysis of float-polished quartz

A fluid-mechanical model is developed for the float-polishing process. In this model laminar flow between the sample and the lap results in pressure gradients at the grooves that support the sample on a fluid layer. The laminar fluid motion also produces supersmooth, damage-free surfaces. Quartz substrates for applications in high-stress environments were float polished, and their surfaces were analyzed by optical scatterometry, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The removal of 100 µm of material by a lapping-polishing process, with final float polishing, left low levels of subsurface damage, with a surface roughness of approximately 0.2-nm rms

Thermal Conditions Within Pens Fitted With Differing Zone-Heating Options and Resulting Performance of Newly Weaned Pigs in a Wean-to-Finish Facility

Research was conducted to assess the effects of the type of zone heater and floor mat used in a wean-to-finish building on the thermal environment created for newly weaned pigs and resulting pig performance. Gas-fired brooder heaters were compared to electric heat lamps and farm-cut wood sheathing was compared to commercial [unheated] rubber floor mats. No consistent differences in air temperature near the heating zone were found between either of the treatments. However, black-globe temperatures in pens having gas-fired heaters and/or wood mats were consistently warmer than in their comparison pens. Temperature deviations during the 26-day study period were similar statistically for both air and black-globe temperatures (about ±2.5°F) for all treatments, as were the temperature deviations from pen to pen for all treatment combinations (±1.7°F or less). Pig health was affected by an outbreak of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRSV). Performance of the disease-challenged pigs was similar for the two heating systems. However, pigs in pens having wood sheathing on the floor below the zone heater consumed more feed on a daily basis than those resting on rubber mats. This evidence supports statistically significant (P\u3c0.05) advantages for the wood mats in pig weight (+3%) and average daily gain (+6%) over the 26-day study period. Feed-to-gain ratios over this same time period were similar for all treatments. The fact that there was greater radiant heating (as indicated by warmer black-globe temperatures) with gas-fired heaters in this study suggests that extra adjustments in heater height and gas pressure may have been needed to obtain equivalent heating effects, and that additional information on placement and adjustment of zone heaters also would be useful to producers. The data collected in this study and associated experience of farm management imply that producers can develop an similarly stable thermal environment for nursery pigs using either electric heat lamps or gas-fired brooder heaters. The improved heating effect and pig performance observed in this study with floor mats made from wood sheathing have positive practical implications. Sheets of wood sheathing are readily available from many local lumber suppliers and hardware stores and can be purchased at a fraction of the price of commercial rubber mats. A small amount of labor is required to quarter the sheets, and we don’t recommend re-using the wood mats. But, the results of this study suggest that wood sheathing should be investigated further as a floor-mat option

Lonesome Isle : Fox-Trot Song

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4275/thumbnail.jp

Learning Timbre Analogies from Unlabelled Data by Multivariate Tree Regression

This is the Author's Original Manuscript of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in the Journal of New Music Research, November 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis. The published article is available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09298215.2011.596938

Psychiatric Evaluation of the Agitated Patient: Consensus Statement of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry Project BETA Psychiatric Evaluation Workgroup

It is difficult to fully assess an agitated patient, and the complete psychiatric evaluation usually cannot be completed until the patient is calm enough to participate in a psychiatric interview. Nonetheless, emergency clinicians must perform an initial mental status screening to begin this process as soon as the agitated patient presents to an emergency setting. For this reason, the psychiatric evaluation of the agitated patient can be thought of as a 2-step process. First, a brief evaluation must be aimed at determining the most likely cause of agitation, so as to guide preliminary interventions to calm the patient. Once the patient is calmed, more extensive psychiatric assessment can be completed. The goal of the emergency assessment of the psychiatric patient is not necessarily to obtain a definitive diagnosis. Rather, ascertaining a differential diagnosis, determining safety, and developing an appropriate treatment and disposition plan are the goals of the assessment. This article will summarize what components of the psychiatric assessment can and should be done at the time the agitated patient presents to the emergency setting. The complete psychiatric evaluation of the patient whose agitation has been treated successfully is beyond the scope of this article and Project BETA (Best practices in Evaluation and Treatment of Agitation), but will be outlined briefly to give the reader an understanding of what a full psychiatric assessment would entail. Other issues related to the assessment of the agitated patient in the emergency setting will also be discussed