Estrous Synchronization of Heifers Using MGA and Prostaglandin: Ranch Results

total of 315 yearling heifers were exposed to an estrous synchronization program which consisted of feeding MGA for 14 consecutive days (.5 mg per head per day), followed by a prostaglandin injection 17 days after the last day of MGA feeding. Two hundred forty-seven (78%) of the heifers were detected in heat and artifically inseminated within 5 days after the prostagllandin injection. Response rate ranged from 75 to 84% between ranches and years

Patterning and polarization of cells by intracellular flows

Beginning with Turing's seminal work [1], decades of research have demonstrated the fundamental ability of biochemical networks to generate and sustain the formation of patterns. However, it is increasingly appreciated that biochemical networks also both shape and are shaped by physical and mechanical processes [2, 3, 4]. One such process is fluid flow. In many respects, the cytoplasm, membrane and actin cortex all function as fluids, and as they flow, they drive bulk transport of molecules throughout the cell. By coupling biochemical activity to long-range molecular transport, flows can shape the distributions of molecules in space. Here, we review the various types of flows that exist in cells, with the aim of highlighting recent advances in our understanding of how flows are generated and how they contribute to intracellular patterning processes, such as the establishment of cell polarity

Comparison of Lutylase and Bovilene For Estrus Synchronization of Heifers

A total of 533 yearling heifers were used to compare the effect of Lutylase vs Bovilene on estrus response within 5 days of injection. There was no difference between products in the percentage of heifers showing estrus within 5 days of injection. The average time from injection until detection of estrus was longer for Bovilene than Lutylase (64.5 hours vs 60.7 hours, P\u3c.05)

The HI content of extremely metal-deficient blue compact dwarf galaxies

We have obtained new HI observations with the 100m Green Bank Telescope (GBT) for a sample of 29 extremely metal-deficient star-forming Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectral data base to be extremely metal-deficient (12+logO/H<7.6). Neutral hydrogen was detected in 28 galaxies, a 97% detection rate. Combining the HI data with SDSS optical spectra for the BCD sample and adding complementary galaxy samples from the literature to extend the metallicity and mass ranges, we have studied how the HI content of a galaxy varies with various global galaxian properties. There is a clear trend of increasing gas mass fraction with decreasing metallicity, mass and luminosity. We obtain the relation M(HI)/L(g)~L(g)^{-0.3}, in agreement with previous studies based on samples with a smaller luminosity range. The median gas mass fraction f(gas) for the GBT sample is equal to 0.94 while the mean gas mass fraction is 0.90+/-0.15, with a lower limit of ~0.65. The HI depletion time is independent of metallicity, with a large scatter around the median value of 3.4 Gyr. The ratio of the baryonic mass to the dynamical mass of the metal-deficient BCDs varies from 0.05 to 0.80, with a median value of ~0.2. About 65% of the BCDs in our sample have an effective yield larger than the true yield, implying that the neutral gas envelope in BCDs is more metal-deficient by a factor of 1.5-20, as compared to the ionized gas.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Failure processes of cemented granular materials

The mechanics of cohesive or cemented granular materials is complex, combining the heterogeneous responses of granular media, like force chains, with clearly defined material properties. Here, we use a discrete element model (DEM) simulation, consisting of an assemblage of elastic particles connected by softer but breakable elastic bonds, to explore how this class of material deforms and fails under uniaxial compression. We are particularly interested in the connection between the microscopic interactions among the grains or particles and the macroscopic material response. To this end, the properties of the particles and the stiffness of the bonds are matched to experimental measurements of a cohesive granular media with tunable elasticity. The criterion for breaking a bond is also based on an explicit Griffith energy balance, with realistic surface energies. By varying the initial volume fraction of the particle assembles we show that this simple model reproduces a wide range of experimental behaviors, both in the elastic limit and beyond it. These include quantitative details of the distinct failure modes of shear-banding, ductile failure and compaction banding or anti-cracks, as well as the transitions between these modes. The present work, therefore, provides a unified framework for understanding the failure of porous materials such as sandstone, marble, powder aggregates, snow and foam

End to End Deep Neural Network Frequency Demodulation of Speech Signals

Frequency modulation (FM) is a form of radio broadcasting which is widely used nowadays and has been for almost a century. We suggest a software-defined-radio (SDR) receiver for FM demodulation that adopts an end-to-end learning based approach and utilizes the prior information of transmitted speech message in the demodulation process. The receiver detects and enhances speech from the in-phase and quadrature components of its base band version. The new system yields high performance detection for both acoustical disturbances, and communication channel noise and is foreseen to out-perform the established methods for low signal to noise ratio (SNR) conditions in both mean square error and in perceptual evaluation of speech quality score

Formation of shear bands in drying colloidal dispersions

In directionally dried colloidal dispersions regular bands can appear behind the drying front, inclined at ±45° to the drying line. Although these features have been noted to share visual similarities with shear bands in metal, no physical mechanism for their formation has ever been suggested, until very recently. Here, through microscopy of silica and polystyrene dispersions, dried in Hele-Shaw cells, we demonstrate that the bands are indeed associated with local shear strains. We further show how the bands form, that they scale with the thickness of the drying layer, and that they are eliminated by the addition of salt to the drying dispersions. Finally, we reveal the origins of these bands in the compressive forces associated with drying

Effect on Antibiotics in High Fiber Diets on Performance of Growing-finishing Pigs

The majority of the pigs in the Upper Midwest are fed a corn-soybean meal base diet. However, alternative feed ingredients are widely used in some regions. The lower performance, daily gain and efficiency of gain that is sometimes observed when other ingredients are used is often associated with higher fiber content of the diet. The pig has little ability to utilize fibrous materials in the stomach and small intestine where most digestion of feed and absorption of nutrients take place. Microorganisms present in the cecum and large intestine do break down fiber to usable products, but it is assumed that relatively small amounts of these products are absorbed. The effect that antibiotics have on fiber utilization and microbial digestion in the lower digestive tract is largely unknown. The experiment reported herein was designed to evaluate pig performance as affected by fiber level, source of fiber and presence of antibiotics

The Effect of Selenium on Pigs of Different Hair Color

It has been suggested that levels of certain trace elements in hair may be associated with the dietary intake of the element. High levels of selenium in the diet have been shown to increase hair selenium in swine and also in cattle. The possibility that the degree of selenium toxicity is related to hair color has been proposed for cattle, horses and swine. This study was conducted to determine if storage of selenium in the hair of pigs varied with their color and also to determine if hair color was related to degree of selenium toxicity