Feed Location Research Articles

La deformación del borde dorsal del cuello en burros en Andalucía y Extremadura, España

Se plantea como objetivo estudio de la incidencia de la deformación del borde dorsal del cuello en burros en Andalucía y Extremadura, España. Se practicó un examen clínico a cada uno de los burros mediante la inspección detallada y la palpación. Se realizó un estudio morfológico siguiendo el protocolo de adiposidad para la evaluación del borde dorsal del cuello descrito. Se analizo el grado de deformación del cuello, diámetro del cuello, largo del cuello, peso, actividad atlética, localización geográfica y tipo de alimentación, tipo de manejo, instalaciones. Se estudiaron a un total de 853 burros, la deformación del borde dorsal del cuello presento una mayor incidencia en burros de raza Andaluza de 70%, en raza Miniatura 14%, en Zamorano-Leonesa 9% y por último en la raza Catalana 7%. En relación al sexo el 65% fue macho y hembras 35%. El nivel de correlación entre el grado de deformidad y el sistema de manejo fue positivo de 0.18, también para la deformación del cuello y la altura del comedero 0.0835. La deformación del borde dorsal del cuello (Cuello de gato, cresta o cresty neck), presento una incidencia de 40%, con mayor número de observaciones en burros de raza Andaluza de 70%, en raza Miniatura 14%, en Zamorano-Leonesa 9% y por último en la raza Catalana 7%.

Multimode-Inspired Low Cross-Polarization Multiband Antenna Fabricated Using Graphene-Based Conductive Ink

In this letter, a dual-port antenna for multiband operation is reported. The prototype of the proposed design is fabricated using graphene-based conductive ink printed textile showing the surface resistance of 2.7 $\Omega /\square$ , and conductivity of $\text{0.37}\times \text{10}^5$ S/m. The microstructural analysis of the conductive ink printed cotton fabric is done by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and electric characteristic is extracted using a four-probe measurement. The proposed antenna resonates at a triple-band and dual-band mode through two different feeding locations. Through Port-1, the antenna resonates only at higher order TM $_{02}$ and TM $_{20}$ modes, whereas through Port-2 three TM $_{10}$ , TM $_{02}$ , and TM $_{20}$ modes are excited. Thereafter, the Co- and Cross-Polarization (CP-XP) isolation of each band is investigated identifying only two useful frequency bands TM $_{10}$ , 2.9 GHz, and TM $_{20}$ , 6 GHz. A defected ground structure (DGS) technique is deployed to improve the CP-XP isolation of TM $_{m0}$ modes achieving CP-XP isolation better than 30 and 15 dB in both useful bands. The measured results have a fairly good agreement with simulated results.

Seasonal Distribution and Movement of the Invasive Pest Delottococcus aberiae (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Within Citrus Tree: Implications for Its Integrated Management.

Delottococcus aberiae (De Lotto) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is the most recent species of mealybug introduced to Spain that is affecting citrus. The feeding behavior of D. aberiae causes severe direct damage to citrus fruits, distorting their shape and/or causing reduction in size. There is no information available regarding its distribution within the citrus trees. The main objective of this study was to describe the seasonal distribution of D. aberiae within citrus trees and its migration patterns on the plants. Ten citrus orchards from eastern Spain were periodically sampled during 3 yr. In each orchard, the mealybug was sampled in different infested strata (canopy, trunk, and soil) and canopy structures (flower, fruit, leaf, and twig). Results showed that, within the sampled strata, D. aberiae was mostly in the canopy. Within the canopy, the feeding location of D. aberiae changed throughout the year. D. aberiae overwintered in the twigs and moved to the flowers and fruits in spring. Once there, its populations started to increase exponentially until August. From February to September, 5-30% of the mealybugs migrated to the trunk and soil. These results will facilitate an early detection of the pest in the areas where it is spreading and improve sampling protocols and pesticide applications.

Sighting patterns and habitat use of marine mammals at Guafo Island, Northern Chilean Patagonia during eleven austral summers

The chiloense marine ecoregion, at the Northern Chilean Patagonia, has been considered a hotspot of marine mammal diversity, yet little is known regarding specific sites used by these species for reproduction, nursing, refuge, and foraging. This information is critical for proper spatial ecosystem planning and conservation of marine resources. In the austral summers of 2004 through 2008, and from 2012 to 2017, the presence, distribution, and behavior of 13 species of marine mammals was recorded at Guafo Island, an oceanic island located in the center of the chiloense ecoregion. Guafo Island is an important reproductive and feeding site for South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis australis), South American sea lions (Otaria byronia) and marine otters (Lontra felina), and an important feeding, nursing, and transit location for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), Orcas (Orcinus orca), and blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus). We also recorded occasional sightings of fin whales (B. physalus), southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) and Peale’s dolphins (Lagenorhynchus australis). The island coastline also serves as refuge for molting Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and vagrant Subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalis). The information presented here highlights Guafo Island as an important breeding, shelter, and feeding site for marine mammals in Chile. The growing anthropogenic pressure on this ecosystem emphasizes the importance of formal protection of this island as a priority site for marine conservation in the Northern Patagonia of Chile.

Location of supplementary feed and water troughs on the sward affects movement and spatial distribution of Brahman cattle (Bos indicus)

The grazing dynamics of animals differ depending on whether they are raised on rangeland or sward areas. Grazing patterns of cattle raised on rangeland can be modified by the location of supplement feed and water troughs. However, no information about the use of this strategy is available for swards. Thus, the effects of the location of supplementary feed and water troughs in small (7500 m2) irrigated swards on movement, behavior and distribution were studied in a herd of 15 Brahman cows. The herd grazed on five swards in rotation, for seven days on each sward, so that each sward then had 28 days of rest. There were four rotations, giving four replicates of each of five treatments. For each rotation, one of the following treatments was randomly assigned to each sward. Supplementary feed and water troughs were: T1 in the same corner of the sward; T2 separate, each in the middle of one of the shorter sides of the sward; T3 separate in diagonally opposite corners; T4 separate in adjacent corners; T5 together in the sward center. The behavior and location of each cow was registered on a daily basis, every 2 h from 9:00 to 15:00 h, 7 days/week, using instantaneous scan sampling during the 140 days that the experiment lasted. Total distance traveled of each cow (i.e. the sum of Euclidean distances between the four subsequent positions of each cow within each day) was longer in T2 and T3 than in T5 (159.8, 162.5 vs 119.5 m respectively; p = 0.006), with the rest of the treatments showing intermediate values. The distance to the nearest cow was longer in T1 vs. T2 and T3 (6.2 vs 4.0 and 4.7 m, respectively; p = 0.007). Similarly, the herd home range was greater in T1 vs. T2 (792.6 vs. 574.7 m2, respectively; p = 0.01). Regardless of the treatment, social disruption occurred on day 1, which gradually decline through the week of grazing. The results show that the location of supplementary feed and water troughs affects the movement and cattle distribution in small (<1 ha) irrigated swards. This might have practical applications in the design of grazing strategies and in the animal welfare of cattle maintained on small swards.

The hierarchy of food, sociality, and experience in spatial decision-making by food-deprived rats

We examined whether a hierarchy existed among attraction to (i) food; (ii) social partner(s); and (iii) familiar feeding location in spatial decision-making in rats. To determine this, lone food-deprived rats were trained to collect baits from 16 salient equispaced objects arranged in a grid layout. Some rats were trained with only the eight objects on the left baited; other rats with only the eight objects on the right baited. After training, dyads of one left-trained and one right-trained rats were tested, with the eight baits now divided into four on the left and four on the right sides of the arena. Rats were free either to go to the familiar objects that had been baited in the lone training trials, regardless of whether these objects were now actually baited; or, alternatively, they could go to baited objects regardless of their side and of the rats' past experience. Rats could also forage individually or together regardless of their past experience or actual bait location. We found that the rats primarily displayed attraction to baits, regardless of their location; followed by a preference to travel together; and then by a significant combined attraction to visit together baited objects (whether familiar or not). Accordingly, attraction to food had the prime influence, sociality the second, and familiarity with the environment the least, in establishing spatial foraging decisions.

Kinetic study and process simulation of esterification of acetic acid and ethanol catalyzed by [HSO3-bmim][HSO4

Ethyl acetate is an important chemical and versatile organic solvent. However, use of hazardous catalyst for preparing ethyl acetate, can lead to serious environmental problems. Herein we report two acid sites containing ionic liquid i.e. 1-sulfobutyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([HSO3-bmim][HSO4]) as a green catalyst in the esterification of acetic acid with ethanol. The reaction kinetics was investigated using IH and NIH models and the effect of reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, and initial reactant molar ratio were analyzed. To study the industrialization prospect of [HSO3-bmim][HSO4], reactive distillation process was established in Aspen Plus and the influence of catalyst amount, theoretical stages, reflux ratio, liquid holdup, and ethanol feeding location were investigated. Simulation results indicated the purity of ethyl acetate was 98.94wt.% while ethanol conversion was 91.51% under optimized operating conditions. [HSO3-bmim][HSO4] was found as superior catalyst, both in conversion and reaction rate, than an equivalent amount of Amberlyst 15 (in terms of H+ ion concentration). The present study based on the application of [HSO3-bmim][HSO4] as a green catalyst instead of sulfuric acid, can be envisaged as a promising alternative approach for the esterification of acetic acid on industrial level.

Aperture Efficiency Study of Square Reflect Array Antennas

This paper presents a detailed study of square reflect array (RA) antenna aperture efficiency (ηa). Effects of quantization-phase and limited phase-range errors on radiation pattern, half-power beam width (HPBW) and ηa for different feed locations are investigated. Results show an in-crease in side-lobe levels (SLLs) and a slightly reduction in ηa with quantization-phase augmentation or element phase-range reduction, however, the effects on HPBW are negligible. Nevertheless, the degradation in ηa is negligible when the quantization-phase is lower than 30° or phase-range is more than 300°. Parametric studies have been carried out to provide design guidelines to maximize ηa. It is perceived that the offset-angle plays an important role to determine ηa, especially for feed with narrow beam width.

Optimization of Pressure-Swing Distillation by Evolutionary Techniques: Separation of Ethanol-Water and Acetonitrile-Water Mixtures

Abstract Complete separation can be achieved in selective homogeneous azeotropic mixtures by exploiting the pressure sensitive nature of the system. In the present work the optimal number of trays, feed location and reflux ratio for sequential column systems encountered in continuous pressure swing distillation (PSD) have been determined by use of two evolutionary techniques. Two industrially relevant systems: ethanol-water and acetonitrile-water have been considered. The Napthali-Sandholm model is solved to obtain the concentration and temperature profiles. The objective is to minimize the total cost using Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Differential Evolution (DE) for the two azeotropic systems. The techniques offer attractive features like applicability to discontinuous and non-differentiable search spaces.

Experimental investigation of reagent feeding point location in a semi-batch precipitation process

This research is dedicated to a study of BaSO4 crystallization process in a batch stirred reactor. The temporal development of the precipitation process is measured by conductivity at global and local levels. The effect of the macromixing on temporal evolution of local conductivity is shown in the experimental results obtained by EIT. The effects of the mixing intensity and the BaCl2 feed location on the CSD and morphology are considered. Morphology of the crystals was found to be independent from mixing intensity in the studied range. The CFD simulations of the mixing hydrodynamics were used to estimate the influence of turbulent dispersion on crystal size. The correlation of mean crystal size and TR number proposed by (Torbacke and Rasmuson, 2001) has been checked against d90 in the range of 103–105 and showed reasonable agreement. The scatter of the results plotted can be explained by the macromixing scale and critical time of the crystallization not included into TR number. The combined effect of mixing at meso and macro scales onto crystal size is proposed.

Time‐integrated habitat availability is a resource attribute that informs patterns of use in intertidal areas

AbstractIn dynamic environments, resource availability may change by several orders of magnitude, over hours to months, but the duration of resource availability is not often included as a characteristic attribute of resources even though temporal resource dynamics might limit patterns of use. In our study of wading birds foraging in intertidal areas, tides cause large changes in the areal extent of shallow‐water foraging habitat (i.e., the resource), but tides also constrain the duration of availability, which is often overlooked. We hypothesized that temporal constraints on habitat availability from tides would be reflected in patterns of habitat use by foraging birds. We estimated the time‐integrated habitat availability and compared it to traditional habitat attributes (seagrass cover, substrate type, instantaneous water depth, and proximity to mangrove islands or deep water) that have strong evidential support for influencing patterns of use. To evaluate our hypotheses, we quantified habitat attributes at intertidal areas in the Florida Keys, USA, where wading birds were observed foraging (Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea: N = 183; Great White Heron, Ardea herodias occidentalis: N = 162). We tested for nonrandom use by sampling habitat attributes at two spatial scales around the observed feeding locations and we analyzed the data using a conditional logistic regression model. There was no evidence that seagrass cover or substrate explained patterns of use. The proximity of foraging locations relative to mangroves and to deep water were important at both spatial scales but had lower effect sizes (odds ratios) than time‐integrated habitat availability and water depth, and the latter may only serve as a physical constraint on access. We found support that time‐integrated habitat availability was a distinct resource attribute, had the greatest effect size (four‐ to eightfold change in relative probability of use), and best explained patterns of habitat use at the largest spatial scale. In studies of resource use where changes in resource availability are nonlinear or when strong constraints on access are imposed by behavior, incorporating time‐integrated estimates of resource availability into analyses can improve insights into spatiotemporal patterns of resource use.

Multiphase fluid dynamics coupled fast pyrolysis of biomass in a rectangular bubbling fluidized bed reactor: Process intensification

A fast pyrolysis of biomass in a rectangular bubbling fluidized bed were simulated using the multiphase particle-in-cell (MP-PIC) based framework. A three-dimensional reactive gas−solid CFD simulation results were compared to the lab-scale (1 kg/hr) experimental data. To consider pyrolysis reaction with gas-solid flow two-stage, semiglobal kinetics was incorporated. The simulation results of this investigation show good agreement with the experimentally observed yield distribution. The influences of operating conditions (reaction temperature, superficial gas velocity, sand particle inventory) and reactor configuration (biomass feeding location, gas distributor configuration) on the products yield were analyzed and discussed. Overall, this study provides important guidelines for possible reactor intensification and optimization.

Metamaterial‐based compact UWB planar monopole antennas

AbstractIn this article, novel compact UWB antennas based on loading of via less composite right/left‐handed (CRLH) unit cells are presented. Two novel metamaterials (MTM)‐based CRLH‐TL unit cells have been designed. The dispersion characteristics of the proposed unit cells are numerically calculated which follows CRLH properties. We designed a via‐free version of the CRLH unit cell by using virtual ground concept which simplifies the fabrication process and decreases the costs. The additional impedance matching network has been eliminated by using the optimum location of feed offset. The resulting double via less CRLH unit cells loaded antenna's bandwidths are improved by proper realizing the unit cell parameters and merging of ZOR mode to other lower and higher order modes. The proposed antennas have compact dimension 25 × 15 × 1.6 mm3. The two proposed antennas have UWB characteristics such as 109% and 125% fractional bandwidth, respectively. The measured gain and efficiency have been obtained with desired values for UWB applications. Good agreement has been observed between simulated and measured results.

The essence of appetite: does olfactory receptor variation play a role?

Olfactory receptors are G-protein-coupled chemoreceptors expressed on millions of olfactory sensory neurons within the nasal cavity. These receptors detect environmental odorants and signal the brain regarding the location of feed, potential mates, and the presence of possible threats (e.g., predators or chemical toxins). Olfactory receptors also are present in organs outside of the nasal cavity where they bind to molecules such as nutrients and metabolites from the animal's internal environment to elicit physiological responses, including changes in gut motility, ventilation rate, and cellular migration. Recent evidence supports an additional role of olfactory receptors in the regulation of appetite in humans and rodents. In particular, genetic variation among individuals in specific odorant receptor genes has been linked to differences in their feeding behaviors, food choices, and the regulation of energy balance. This review provides a general overview of the olfactory receptors of vertebrates and their genetic variability and provides supporting evidence for a physiological role of olfactory receptors in appetite regulation of livestock. Basic research on olfactory receptors of livestock and their ligands should facilitate the development of novel odorant receptor agonists and identification of specific olfactory receptor variants that may be developed to enhance animal production efficiency.

Simulation–Optimization-Based Design of Crude Oil Distillation Systems with Preflash Units

In energy-intensive crude oil distillation systems, with their distillation units and heat recovery systems, preflash units can create opportunities to reduce demand for fired heating and increase heat recovery. As holistic, systematic design methodologies are not available for design of crude oil distillation systems with preflash units, this work proposes a simulation-based design approach, where the objective is to minimize fired heat demand of the system. The approach exploits interactions between the separation and heat recovery systems, considering product quality and yield. Rigorous distillation models in Aspen HYSYS, pinch analysis, and randomized optimization (a genetic algorithm) are employed, via a MatLab interface, to minimize hot utility demand by optimizing operating variables and one structural variable, namely, the feed location of the preflash vapor. A case study demonstrates the approach, showing that a preflash unit can reduce hot utility demand but that the system is vulnerable to yiel...

First records of bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni) and the examination in physical factors of its habitat in the western waters of Morotai Island (North Moluccas)

Bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni) was recorded for the first time in Morotai waters on 3rd March 2017. In a conservation management context, it is important to clarify the population of Mobula thurstoni and their relations with their habitat. Thus, we examined the existence of Mobula thurstoni with the physical parameters: depth, temperature, visibility, current, weather, and tidal. We measured the existence of Mobula thurstoni with the Underwater Visual Census (UVC) combined with Diver Operated Video (DOV) census. The research from 3rd March to 14th July 2017 (50 dives) showed the Frequency of Occurence (FO) is 50% per single dive. The highest aggregation of 30 Mobula thurstoni was recorded at 14th May 2017 and the average sighting was 3.1 Mobula thurstoni per single dive. Among the examined parameters, it was found that strong factor affecting the sighting of Mobula thurstoni were at the depth of 30-35 m, temperature of 30°C, visibility of 16-20 m, low current (< 1 knot), sunny weather, and tidal category of B. Analysis of UVC and DOV results show that the research location was categorised as feeding location for the Mobula thurstoni.

Hunger mediates apex predator's risk avoidance response in wildland-urban interface.

Conflicts between large mammalian predators and humans present a challenge to conservation efforts, as these events drive human attitudes and policies concerning predator species. Unfortunately, generalities portrayed in many empirical carnivore landscape selection studies do not provide an explanation for a predator's occasional use of residential development preceding a carnivore-human conflict event. In some cases, predators may perceive residential development as a risk-reward trade-off. We examine whether state-dependent mortality risk-sensitive foraging can explain an apex carnivore's (Puma concolor) occasional utilization of residential areas. We assess whether puma balance the risk and rewards in a system characterized by a gradient of housing densities ranging from wildland to suburban. Puma GPS location data, characterized as hunting and feeding locations, were used to assess landscape variables governing hunting success and hunting site selection. Hunting site selection behaviour was then analysed conditional on indicators of hunger state. Residential development provided a high energetic reward to puma based on increases in prey availability and hunting success rates associated with increased housing density. Despite a higher energetic reward, hunting site selection analysis indicated that pumas generally avoided residential development, a landscape type attributed with higher puma mortality risk. However, when a puma experienced periods of extended hunger, risk avoidance behaviour towards housing waned. This study demonstrates that an apex carnivore faces a trade-off between acquiring energetic rewards and avoiding risks associated with human housing. Periods of hunger can help explain an apex predator's occasional use of developed landscapes and thus the rare conflicts in the wildland-urban interface. Apex carnivore movement behaviours in relation to human conflicts are best understood as a three-player community-level interaction incorporating wild prey distribution.

Comparison of optimum tapered cascade and optimal square cascade for separation of xenon isotopes using enhanced TLBO algorithm

ABSTRACTThe present study is conducted to propose a new code for optimizing a multicomponent isotope separation cascade. An efficient code is developed using an enhanced TLBO algorithm with a novel mutation for calculating the optimal parameters. The results indicate that by implementing a new objective function derived from the combination of D function with total interstage flow rates, the optimum tapered cascade is more efficient than the optimal square one. Also, the best feed locations for the separation of the middle components in the square cascade are the middle stages.

Plastic adaptations of foraging strategies to variation in forage quality in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra)

Foraging efficiency strongly affects individual fitness and is influenced by diverse factors such as food quality and quantity, as well as intra- and inter-specific interactions. We investigated whether Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra (Linnaeus, 1758)) in a protected area in the Swiss Alps adapted their foraging behaviour to forage availability and quality by modeling the bite and step rates of individuals on vegetation nitrogen content, relative plant cover, sex, daytime, air temperature, and slope. Vegetation characteristics were derived using remote sensing data from airborne imaging spectroscopy data sets and feeding locations determined using a theodolite. Chamois increased their bite rates with decreasing forage nitrogen content, decreasing slope, and increasing temperature. Step rates were higher at high temperatures and decreased with increasing relative plant cover. Males showed higher bite rates and lower step rates than females. Daytime had no influence on either bite or step rates. An increase in bite rate may represent a plastic adaptation of foraging behaviour to compensate for lower nutritional quality of the available vegetation. Our results show variability in foraging behaviour according to both vegetation characteristics and physical environment and emphasize the use of remote sensing data to investigate relationships between habitat and subtle behavioural adaptations in ungulates.

Simple Design Procedure of a Broadband Circularly Polarized Slot Monopole Antenna Assisted by Characteristic Mode Analysis

In this paper, a systematic design procedure of a compact and broadband circularly polarized (CP) antenna is proposed. The antenna is first designed with a C-shaped monopole, and then a C-shaped slotted patch is utilized to produce CP radiation in the lower frequency band. Thus, the antenna’s overall CP bandwidth (BW) is significantly increased. In addition, unlike the conventional method in which the operation is verified by the simulated surface current distribution, characteristic mode analysis (CMA) is carried out to give more insight into different modes on the antenna and generation of circular polarization. The CMA also helps to realize a structural optimization and identify an efficient feed location. The optimized antenna prototype with a compact size of $0.29\lambda _{o} \times 0.29\lambda _{o} \times 0.01\lambda _{o} \,\,(\lambda _{o}$ is the minimum wavelength at the minimum operation frequency) achieves a usable 10-dB reflection coefficient and 3-dB axial ratio fractional BW of 91% (2.1–5.6 GHz). The antenna realized broadside gain varies from 1.5 to 3.2 dBic within this measured overlapped BW.