Transforming Sitka Spruce Plantations

The TranSSFor project is comparing conventional thinning in Sitka spruce plantations with two alternative thinning regimes

Responses to supplementation by dairy cows given low pasture allowances in different seasons 2. Milk production

Two factorial experiments were designed to determine the effects of stage of lactation, and season of the year, on cow responses to supplementary feeding. These experiments were conducted over consecutive years with 128 high genetic merit multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows in early, mid and late lactation in spring, summer, autumn and winter. At each stage of lactation, and in each season of the year, cows were offered a restricted pasture allowance (25 to 35 kg dry matter (DM) per cow per day), either unsupplemented (control) or with supplement at 50 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) per cow per day in experiment 1 and 80 MJ ME per cow per day in experiment 2. The two supplements given in both years were rolled maize grain (MG) and a mixture of foods formulated to nutritionally balance the diet (BR). In experiment 2, another treatment, of a generous pasture allowance (60 to 75 kg DM per cow per day) (AP), was imposed on an additional group of early lactation cows during each season. Direct milk solids (MS) (milk fat plus milk protein) responses in experiment 1 to MG were 169, 279, 195 and 251 g MS per cow per day in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively, while those to BR were 107, 250, 192, 289 g MS per cow per day. In experiment 2, however, milk solids responses to both supplements during spring were slightly below the control treatment, with values similar to those in experiment 1 in summer and autumn for cows on the BR but not the MG supplement. Milk solids responses to supplementary foods were largest during seasons of the year when the quantity and quality of pasture on offer resulted in the lowest milk solids yield from unsupplemented cows. When carry-over effects of feeding MG and BR on milk solids production were detected, they were only about half the magnitude of the direct effects. Serum urea concentrations were higher in control cows than those offered MG with a similar effect for BR in all but summer in experiment 1, while serum glucose concentrations were highest in winter and lowest in summer. The most important factor influencing milk solids responses was the relative food deficit (RFD) represented by the decline in milk solids yield of the respective control groups after,changing from a generous pasture allowance to restricted allowance when the feeding treatments were imposed. Total milk solids responses (direct and carry-over) to supplements were greatest when severe food restrictions, relative to the cows' current food demand, resulted in large reductions in milk solids yield of the control groups. The RFD was the best predictor of milk solids response to supplementary foods. Therefore, it is likely that cows are most responsive to supplementary foods during or immediately after the imposition of a severe food restriction

Responses to supplementation by dairy cows given low pasture allowances in different seasons 1. Pasture intake and substitution

Two factorial experiments were designed to determine the effects of stage of lactation, and season of the year, on cow responses to supplementary feeding. These experiments were conducted over consecutive years with 128 high genetic merit multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows in early, mid and late lactation in spring, summer, autumn and winter. At each stage of lactation, and in each season of the year, cows were offered a restricted pasture allowance (25 to 35 kg dry matter (DM) per cow per day), either unsupplemented (control) or supplemented with 50 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) per cow per day in experiment 1 and 80 MJ ME per cow per day in experiment 2. Two different supplements were offered, namely, rolled maize grain (MG) and a mixture of foods (BR) formulated to nutritionally balance the diet. In experiment 2, a fourth treatment consisting solely of a generous pasture allowance (60 to 75 kg DM per cow per day, AP) was introduced. Offering MG and BR increased DM intake (DMI). At the restricted pasture allowance, increasing total ME allowance (MEA) by offering supplementary foods increased ME intake (MEI) by 0.68 (s.e. 0.047) MJ per extra MJ ME offered. This highly significant (P < 0.001) linear relationship was consistent across seasons, and did not diminish at higher MEA. In experiment 2, cows in early lactation had lower substitution rates than mid and late lactation cows irrespective of season. Substitution rate was higher when higher pasture allowance or quality of pasture on offer enabled the unsupplemented cows to achieve higher DMI from pasture than at other times of the year. These results suggest that one of the key factors determining the intake response to supplementary foods is pasture allowance. Within spring calving dairying systems, the largest increases in total DMI per kg of supplement offered is likely when offering supplements to early lactation cows grazing restricted allowances of high quality pasture

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39 (LC-39) Gaseous Hydrogen (GH2) Vent Arm Behavior Prediction Model Review Technical Assessment Report

The NESC Assessment Team reviewed a computer simulation of the LC-39 External Tank (ET) GH2 Vent Umbilical system developed by United Space Alliance (USA) for the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) and designated KSC Analytical Tool ID 451 (KSC AT-451). The team verified that the vent arm kinematics were correctly modeled, but noted that there were relevant system sensitivities. Also, the structural stiffness used in the math model varied somewhat from the analytic calculations. Results of the NESC assessment were communicated to the model developers

An Active Pre-Alignment System and Metrology Network for CLIC

The pre-alignment tolerance on the transverse positions of the components of the CLIC linacs is typically ten microns over distances of 200 m. Such tight tolerances cannot be obtained by a static one-time alignment because normal seismic ground movement and cultural noise associated with human and industrial activity quickly creates significant errors. It is therefore foreseen to maintain the components in place using an active-alignment system which will be linked to a permanent metrology and geodetic network. This report describes the overall philosophy and implementation of such a system and proposes one possible solution for active-alignment which uses stepping-motors to move components and stretched-wires as reference lines. Special sensors have been developed to measure the position of the components with respect to the reference lines, and to measure local tilt and relative vertical position. An in-depth analysis has been made of the repercussions on the alignment system of perturbing effects due to the attraction of the moon and the sun, and of the presence of nearby geological masses. The active-alignment system was used to maintain the components of the 30 GHz Two-Beam Test Accelerator in position in the CLIC Test Facility CTF2 as a practical demonstration of successful operation in an accelerator environment. The hardware and control system that was built for this application are described together with the results obtained

Comparison of three inventory protocols for use in privately-owned plantations under transformation to Continuous Cover Forestry

peer-reviewedInterest is growing in Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) as a management approach among private forest owners in Ireland. Developments in forest policy are directed at promoting CCF as a means of enhancing forest resilience, sustaining forest production and delivering diverse ecosystem services. In 2019 the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) introduced a new pilot funding measure to support the adoption of CCF management in suitable private forests. Currently the area of forest under CCF management is relatively small (estimated at around 1% of the total forest area) and several barriers to wider adoption have been identified. These include the lack of a simple template for the transformation of planted forests to CCF and a monitoring protocol with known inventory costs and outputs. In this study three inventory protocols were compared in terms of their ease of use, the types of data outputs and cost effectiveness in a forest stand at an early stage of transformation to CCF. These protocols were compared to a complete enumeration approach. The inventory protocols being tested were developed by the UK Forestry Commission (FCIN45), a group of French and Belgian researchers (VISUAL) and the Irregular Silviculture Network (ISN). Results indicate that by using modern technology and careful design, a cost-effective inventory protocol can be implemented to collect information of sufficient accuracy to inform management decisions. Advantages and limitations of each protocol are discussed. The ultimate outcome would be the development and adoption of a common inventory and monitoring approach to enable private owners to critically compare stand management and performance. This is essential to support and guide forest managers and forest owners during the transformation process

Maternal Characteristics Associated with Injury-related Infant Death in West Virginia, 2010-2014

Although injury-related deaths have been documented among children and adult populations, insufficient attention has been directed towards injury-related infant deaths. The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate maternal and infant characteristics associated with injury-related infant deaths in West Virginia. Birth and infant mortality data for 2010–2014 were sourced from the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Charleston. Relative risk was calculated using log-binomial regression utilizing generalized estimating equations. Maternal characteristics associated with injury-related infant mortality in West Virginia were race/ethnicity ( = 7.48, p = .03), and smoking during pregnancy (, p \u3c .00). Risk of a Black Non-Hispanic infant suffering an injury-related death was 4.0 (95% CL 1.7, 9.3) times that of infants of other races/ethnicities. Risk of an infant dying from an injury-related cause, if the mother smoked during pregnancy, was 2.9 (95% CL 1.6, 5.0) times the risk of such a death if maternal smoking status during pregnancy is unknown or no smoking, controlling for race/ethnicity. This study provides important information to public health stakeholders at both the state and local levels in designing interventions for partial reduction or prevention of injury-related infant mortality in West Virginia

Is graphene on copper doped?

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy have been used to characterise epitaxially ordered graphene grown on copper foil by low-pressure chemical vapour deposition. A short vacuum anneal to 200 °C allows observation of ordered low energy electron diffraction patterns. High quality Dirac cones are measured in ARPES with the Dirac point at the Fermi level (undoped graphene). Annealing above 300 °C produces n-type doping in the graphene with up to 350 meV shift in Fermi level, and opens a band gap of around 100 meV. Dirac cone dispersion for graphene on Cu foil after vacuum anneals (left: 200 °C, undoped; right: 500 °C, n-doped). Centre: low energy electron diffraction from graphene on Cu foil after 200 °C anneal. Data from Antares (SOLEIL)

Complete genome sequence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium U288

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium U288 has firmly established itself within the United Kingdom pig production industry. The prevalence of this highly pathogenic multidrug-resistant serovar at such a critical point in the food chain is therefore of great concern. To enhance our understanding of this microorganism, whole-genome and plasmid sequencing was performed

Design of a 30 GHz Damped Detuned Accelerating Structure

Within the framework of the SLAC/CERN studies of 30 GHz linear colliders, an attempt has been made to scale as closely as possible the existing X-band NLC damped detuned accelerating structure to 30 GHz. A simple scaling was not possible because of mechanical and RF constraints. The 30 GHz design has 101 cells and a minimum aperture of 3.4 mm. In order to obtain acceptably small values for both the single-bunch transverse wakefield and the long-range multibunch wakefield a relatively large non-linear variation of the iris thickness was introduced in addition to the iris diameter variation. The resulting wakefield has a short-range value of 1290 V/pC/mm/m and a long range value below 10 V/pC/mm/m