Higher Root Mean Square Research Articles

Crystal structure analysis, covalent docking, and molecular dynamics calculations reveal a conformational switch in PhaZ7 PHB depolymerase.

An open and a closed conformation of a surface loop in PhaZ7 extracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) depolymerase were identified in two high-resolution crystal structures of a PhaZ7 Y105E mutant. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed high root mean square fluctuations (RMSF) of the 281-295 loop, in particular at residue Asp289 (RMSF 7.62 Å). Covalent docking between a 3-hydroxybutyric acid trimer and the catalytic residue Ser136 showed that the binding energy of the substrate is significantly more favorable in the open loop conformation compared to that in the closed loop conformation. MD simulations with the substrate covalently bound depicted 1 Å RMSF higher values for the residues 281-295 in comparison to the apo (substrate-free) form. In addition, the presence of the substrate in the active site enhanced the ability of the loop to adopt a closed form. Taken together, the analysis suggests that the flexible loop 281-295 of PhaZ7 depolymerase can act as a lid domain to control substrate access to the active site of the enzyme. Proteins 2017; 85:1351-1361. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Validation of gridded data set of global surface wind/wind-stress vector field

Gridded data of global surface wind/wind-stress vectors, called J-OFURO v2, were obtained from satellite scatterometer (QuikSCAT/SeaWinds) data for the decade from August 1999 to July 2009. The data were validated by comparing with (1) in situ measurements from moored buoy observations, (2) a data product from the same scatterometer using a different gridding procedure (IFREMER), and (3) data products based on numerical models (NCEP-1 and NCEP-2). The results on averaging all buoy data revealed lower mean differences, lower root-mean-square (RMS) differences, and higher correlations for the wind/wind-stress components for the J-OFURO v2 product than the other data products. The statistical values calculated for each buoy station showed tendencies of decreasing reliability with increasing latitude in the mid-latitude region, while the reliabilities in the equatorial areas were low. We performed intercomparisons between the J-OFURO v2 data and the other data sets to clarify discrepancies among different wind products in open ocean regions with few moored buoys. We determined that the meridional wind components from the NCEP products exhibited poleward deviations compared to data from the J-OFURO v2 product. Relatively high mean differences, high RMS differences, and low correlations were found in the equatorial ocean for the NCEP products. Striped features were spatially correlated with buoy locations in the equatorial Pacific, which suggested that the reliability of the NCEP products was governed by buoy locations in this region.

Reduced complexity of force and muscle activity during low level isometric contractions of the ankle in diabetic individuals

BackgroundThis study evaluated the structure and amount of variability of surface electromyography (sEMG) patterns and ankle force data during low-level isometric contractions in diabetic subjects with different degrees of neuropathy. MethodsWe assessed 10 control subjects and 38 diabetic patients, classified as absent, mild, moderate, or severe neuropathy, by a fuzzy system based on clinical variables. Multichannel sEMG (64-electrode matrix) of tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius medialis muscles were acquired during isometric contractions at 10%, 20%, and 30% of the maximum voluntary contraction, and force levels during dorsi- and plantarflexion were recorded. Standard deviation and sample entropy of force signals were calculated and root mean square and sample entropy were calculated from sEMG signals. Differences among groups of force and sEMG variables were verified using a multivariate analysis of variance. FindingsOverall, during dorsiflexion contractions, moderate and severe subjects had higher force standard deviation and moderate subjects had lower force sample entropy. During plantarflexion, moderate subjects had higher force standard deviation and all diabetic subjects had lower entropy. Tibialis anterior presented higher root mean square in absent group and lower entropy in mild subjects. For gastrocnemius medialis, entropy was higher in severe and lower in moderate subjects. InterpretationDiabetic neuropathy affects the complexity of the neuromuscular system during low-level isometric contractions, reducing the system's capacity to adapt to challenging mechanical demands. The observed patterns of neuromuscular complexity were not associated with disease severity, with the majority of alterations recorded in moderate subject.

Inter annual, spatial, seasonal, and diurnal variability of precipitable water vapour over northeast India using GPS time series

ABSTRACTWe present multi-scale variability of GPS-derived column integrated precipitable water vapour (PWV) estimated over five continuous GPS sites of northeast India from 2004 to 2012. PWV is estimated from GPS-derived zenith total delay using observed surface pressure and temperature from collocated meteorological sensors as well as obtained by interpolating European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis project (ERA-Interim) global reanalysis dataset. PWV estimated using ERA-Interim-derived parameters compare well with the PWV estimated using observed meteorological parameters with bias of less than ± 0.1 mm and highest root mean square error of 0.56 mm. The average PWV for the study period is about 17 mm at Bomdila in the Eastern Himalayas, about 20 mm at Shillong in Shillong plateau, about 31 mm at Lumami in Arokan-Yoma Hill ranges, and about 43 mm at Guwahati and Tezpur in Assam valley. The high altitude sites show low annual PWV variability (around 49%) than the low altitude sites (around 63–67%). Seasonal PWV value coincides with the monsoon with maximum in summer and minimum in the winter. However, percentage seasonal PWV variability is found to be almost same (around 68%) for all the five sites. The Assam valley sites do not show a distinct diurnal cycle whereas the high altitude sites indicate a distinct diurnal cycle coinciding with the daily solar cycle. Insights in to GPS PWV variability and rainfall are presented for the study period.

The merging of radiative transfer based surface soil moisture data from SMOS and AMSR-E

This paper evaluates a methodology to integrate surface soil moisture retrievals from SMOS and AMSR-E into a single, consistent dataset retrieved by the Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM). In a first step, the SMOS LPRM soil moisture retrievals were used as the baseline for optimizing the internal parameterization (i.e. surface roughness and single scattering albedo) of the AMSR-E LPRM retrievals. Secondly, to overcome the uniqueness of these datasets a linear scaling approach was applied resulting in a consistent soil moisture dataset. The new parameter set from the first step is similar for the two (low) frequencies of AMSR-E (i.e. C- and X-band) further improving their inter-comparability for both soil moisture and vegetation optical depth. Soil moisture retrievals from these AMSR-E frequencies were globally merged based on the availability of brightness temperatures that are free from RFI contamination (resulting in AMSR-E LPRMN). This new product was evaluated against both the SMOS LPRM product in the overlapping period (July 2010 to October 2011), as well as the standard, publicly available AMSR-E LPRM dataset (AMSR-E LPRMV3) for an almost 9year period (January 2003 to October 2011). For the overlapping period, the AMSR-E and SMOS LPRM products show high temporal correlation coefficients (0.60<R<0.90) and low root mean square errors (rmse<0.04m3m−3) for NDVI values up to 0.60. Their agreement tends to drop over the well-known challenging areas such as the arctic region and tropical rainforest. A detailed evaluation over in situ sites from 5 in situ networks worldwide showed that AMSR-E LPRMN often outperforms SMOS LPRM in sparsely vegetated areas, with generally higher correlation coefficients in areas with NDVI <0.3, and in general a lower unbiased rmse (ubrmse). In line with theoretical expectations, SMOS LPRM outperforms the AMSR-E LPRM product over the more densely vegetated areas. The newly developed AMSR-E LPRMN product was also compared against AMSR-E LPRMV3, revealing a significant increase (from 0.48 to 0.55) in temporal correlation coefficient over 16 in situ networks. This finding was confirmed through a large scale (50°N–50°S) precipitation based verification technique, the so-called Rvalue, which shows a superior performance of the newly developed AMSR-E LPRMN product. Additionally, the linear scaling of AMSR-E LPRMN to the SMOS LPRM leads to further reducing the ubrmse from 0.09 to 0.06m3m−3 and the average bias from 0.14 to 0.00m3m−3 over these stations. The AMSR-E LPRMN was furthermore compared against the top layer of two re-analysis models (i.e. from the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications-Land and ERA-Interim/Land models) generally demonstrating increased correlation coefficients and reduced ubrmse with the exception of the challenging areas. As a result, this study shows the significant potential of SMOS LPRM to be a successful integrator to build a long term soil moisture record based on multiple passive microwave sensors.

DEVELOPMENT OF LARD DETECTION IN CRUDE PALM OIL (CPO) USING FTIR COMBINED WITH CHEMOMETRICS ANALYSIS

Objective: The aim of this research to design lard detection using FTIR spectroscopy combined Partials Least Square (PLS).Methods: Development of analysis method of lard in CPO oil using FTIR combined PLS to quantification of lard in CPO oil. Data processing in this study is looking for correlation about actual value and FTIR predicted value. The good correlation will give the high R2 value and low Root Mean Square Calibration (RMSEC), and Root Mean Square error External Cross Validation (RMSECV).Results: The results showed that The analysis method using FTIR for lard detection with combination of the fingerprint spectrum at wave number 1481-999 cm-1 with wave number such as 779-650 cm-1, 1749-1650 cm-1 and 2990-3045 cm-1. This research resulted good correlation about actual value and predicted value at combination of wave number 1481.22-999.05 &amp; 1793.67-1650.95 with R2 value is 0.998. The detection error is lowest because it has a small of RMSEC and RMSECV value with 0.998, 1.291 % (v/v), 0838% (v/v) respectively.Conclusion: The characteristic of lard in CPO oil can be detected at combination of wave number 1481.22-999.05 &amp; 1793.67-1650.95 with R2 value is 0.998 and RMSEC and RMSECV value with 0.998, 1.291 % (v/v), 0838% (v/v) respectively.Keyword: FTIR, halal authentication, lard detection, analysis method

Serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) gene promoter variant interacts with chronic perceived stress to modulate resting parasympathetic activity in humans

Decreased resting vagal (parasympathetic) tone is implicated in the development of stress-related disorders, including anxiety and depression. Chronic stress elevates the expression of serotonin 2A receptors (5-HT2A), while activation of 5-HT2A leads to inhibition of parasympathetic synaptic transmission. The T allele of the promoter variant, rs6311 (C>T), of the 5-HT2A gene has been shown to increase the 5-HT2A expression in vitro and to be associated with anxiety and depressive disorders. We thus hypothesized that the 5-HT2A functional polymorphism may influence resting vagal activity among persons with chronically high levels of perceived stress. A total of 1138 well-defined healthy, medication-free Han Chinese were included for 5-HT2A genotyping. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to measure the level of perceived stress during the last month and participants were divided into low and high PSS groups. Resting-state heart rate variability (HRV) was used to assess autonomic function. No significant between-genotype difference was found in any HRV variable in the low PSS group (n=610). However, in the high PSS group (n=528), high frequency power and root mean square of successive heartbeat interval differences (both HRV indices of parasympathetic activity) were significantly reduced in T/T genotype carriers compared to C/C homozygotes. Our findings are the first to show that individuals homozygous for the high-expressing 5-HT2A (T) allele exhibit diminished resting vagal tone—an index of stress vulnerability—when experiencing chronically elevated levels of perceived stress. The present results may advance our understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying individual differences in susceptibility to stress.

Mapping Winter Wheat Biomass and Yield Using Time Series Data Blended from PROBA-V 100- and 300-m S1 Products

Monitoring crop areas and yields is crucial for food security and agriculture management across the world. In this paper, we mapped the biomass and yield of winter wheat using the new Project for On-Board Autonomy-Vegetation (PROBA-V) products in the North China Plain (NCP). First, the daily 100-m land surface reflectance was generated by fusing the PROBA-V 100-m and 300-m S1 products. Our results show that the blended data exhibited high correlations with the referenced data (0.71 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.94 for the red band, 0.50 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.95 for the near-infrared band, and 0.88 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.97 for the shortwave infrared band). The time-series Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from the synthetic reflectance was then clustered for winter wheat identification. The overall classification accuracy was between 78% and 87%, with a kappa coefficient above 0.57, which was 10%–20% higher than the classification accuracy using the 300-m data. Finally, a light use efficiency model was employed to estimate the biomass and yield. The estimation results were closely related to the field-measured biomass and yield, with high R2 and low root mean square errors (RMSE) (0.864 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.871 and 168 ≤ RMSE ≤ 191 g/m2 for biomass; and 0.631 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.663 and 41.8 ≤ RMSE ≤ 62.8 g/m2 for yield). This paper shows the strong potential of using PROBA-V 100-m data to enhance the spatial resolution of PROBA-V 300-m data and because the proposed framework in this study was based only on the relatively high spatio-temporal resolution PROBA-V data and achieved favorable results, it provides a novel approach for crop areas and yields estimation utilizing the relatively new data set.

Finite-size particles in turbulent channel flow: quadrant analysis and acceleration statistics

ABSTRACTThe interaction between finite-size particles and turbulent channel flow in the absence of gravity is studied by direct numerical simulations (DNS). The study is motivated by DNS observations of a turbulent channel flow with high-density, pointwise particles, that cluster in regions of high streamwise root-mean-square (RMS) acceleration close to the wall, contrary to what is observed in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. The aim of the present study is to explore if this is still the case when size effects are taken into account in the DNS. Based on the analysis of the velocity and acceleration statistics, the present DNS shows that, close to the wall, particles with ρp/ρf ranging from 2 to 4 are surrounded by regions with low streamwise RMS velocity but high streamwise RMS acceleration. According to the normalised particle acceleration probability density functions (PDFs), size effects become important in the near-wall region. As particle inertia increases, the normalised PDFs of particle acceleration tend to a Gaussian distribution. The tails of the normalised PDFs of the fluid conditioned by the presence of particles are higher than that of the unconditioned fluid close to the wall.

High haze textured surface B-doped ZnO-TCO films on wet-chemically etched glass substrates for thin film solar cells**Project supported by the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Nos. 2011CBA00706, 2011CBA00707), the Tianjin Applied Basic Research Project and Cutting-Edge Technology Research Plan (No. 13JCZDJC26900), the Tianjin Major Science and Technology Support Project (No. 11TXSYGX22100), the National High Technology Research

Textured glass substrates with crater-like feature sizes of ∼5–30 μm were obtained using the chemical etching method through adjusting the treatment round (R). Pyramid-like boron-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B) films with feature sizes of ∼300–800 nm were deposited on the etched glass substrates by the metal organic chemical deposition (MOCVD) technique using water, diethylzinc and 1%-hydrogen-diluted diborane. The ZnO:B films on the etched glass with micro/nano double textures presented a much stronger light-scattering capability than the conventional ZnO:B on the flat glass and their electrical properties changed little. Typical etched glass-3R/ZnO:B exhibited a high root mean square (RMS) roughness of ∼160 nm. The haze values at the wavelengths of 550 nm and 850 nm for etched glass-3R/ZnO:B sample were 61% and 42%, respectively. Finally, the optimized etched glass/ZnO:B was applied in the silicon (Si) based thin film solar cells. The high haze etched glass/ZnO:B substrates have potential merits for thin film solar cells.

Multi-model simulation of soil temperature, soil water content and biomass in Euro-Mediterranean grasslands: Uncertainties and ensemble performance

This study presents results from a major grassland model intercomparison exercise, and highlights the main challenges faced in the implementation of a multi-model ensemble prediction system in grasslands. Nine, independently developed simulation models linking climate, soil, vegetation and management to grassland biogeochemical cycles and production were compared in a simulation of soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature (ST) in the topsoil, and of biomass production. The results were assessed against SWC and ST data from five observational grassland sites representing a range of conditions – Grillenburg in Germany, Laqueuille in France with both extensive and intensive management, Monte Bondone in Italy and Oensingen in Switzerland – and against yield measurements from the same sites and other experimental grassland sites in Europe and Israel. We present a comparison of model estimates from individual models to the multi-model ensemble (represented by multi-model median: MMM). With calibration (seven out of nine models), the performances were acceptable for weekly-aggregated ST (R2 > 0.7 with individual models and >0.8–0.9 with MMM), but less satisfactory with SWC (R2 < 0.6 with individual models and < ∼ 0.5 with MMM) and biomass (R2 < ∼0.3 with both individual models and MMM). With individual models, maximum biases of about −5 °C for ST, −0.3 m3 m−3 for SWC and 360 g DM m−2 for yield, as well as negative modelling efficiencies and some high relative root mean square errors indicate low model performance, especially for biomass. We also found substantial discrepancies across different models, indicating considerable uncertainties regarding the simulation of grassland processes. The multi-model approach allowed for improved performance, but further progress is strongly needed in the way models represent processes in managed grassland systems.

Pre- analysis assessment of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) products in the region of Malaysian coastal water

This paper presents the pre-analysis of validation between the acquisition satellite data and in situ data. To carry out this assessment, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data are acquired to be regressed with SST In situ. With the launch of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite with a sensor on the Terra spacecraft, data sets of the global distribution of sea surface temperature are retrieved, and need to be validated and analyzed. Radar Altimeter Database System (RADS) also has an archived data of Optimal Interpolation SST (OISST) that can be retrieved based on satellite track of altimeter. The aim of this paper is to present intercomparison study between pixel based (MODIS SST) and point based (RADS SST). The value of root mean square error (rmse) is computed to see the performance of the data product. It is an assessment and evaluation to see the performance for both data. The objective of this paper is to evaluate Malaysian coastal area through validation with in situ data. To achieve the objective, we perform pre-analysis study of the MODIS products and RADS SST to see the performance of both data in terms of spatial value during seasonal changes. However, the scope of this analysis covers only on the spatial MODIS pixel value and the OISST point value during the southwest monsoon daytime. From the result, RADS SST/RADS show higher root mean square error (rmse) at 0.731/0.677 (before calibration) and 0.6951/0.476 (after calibration). From the rmse result, we could deduce that the RADS SST has random error arising from the fact that the interpolated points are based on the track.

íSPIES: Comparing Image Perception of Bladder Tumors in Four Different Storz Professional Image Enhancement System Modalities Using the íSPIES App

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the variation of interpretation of the same bladder urothelium image in different Storz Professional Image Enhancement System (SPIES) modalities. SPIES contains White light (WL), Spectra A (SA), Spectra B (SB), Clara and Chroma (CC) modalities. Materials and Methods: An App for the i-PAD retina was developed to study evaluation of images. A total of 80 images from 20 bladder areas acquired in four modalities were included. Seventy-three participants completed the study. Images were analyzed on differences in delineated tumor margin variation, perceived quality of the image, and delineation time. Results: A separation between high-agreement (n = 14) and low-agreement (n = 6) images was found. In high-agreement images, no difference in root mean square (RMS) was found between modalities. In low-agreement images, WL (26.5 pix) and SA (33.4 pix) had a higher RMS than CC (18 pix) and SB (21.4 pix). The quality of SPIES modality images was rated significantly higher. Delineation...

Spatial variability of soil properties using geostatistical method: a case study of lower Brahmaputra plains, India

Soil properties like pH, organic carbon (OC), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) vary spatially from a field to a larger region scale and determine the soil fertility. This study addressed the spatial variability of soil properties in Brahmaputra plains, northeastern India using geostatistical method. For this, a total of 767 soil samples from a depth of 0–25 cm at an approximate interval of 1 km were collected over the entire Bongaigaon district of Assam. Data were analyzed both statistically and geostatistically on the basis of semivariogram. Soil properties showed large variability with greatest variation was observed in AP (86 %) where as the smallest variation was in pH (19 %). The semivariogram for all soil properties were best fitted by exponential models and showed a highest (2.7 km) range for OC and lowest (1.2 km) for AP. The nugget/sill ratio indicates a strong dependence for pH (12 %), moderate spatial dependence for available nutrients (53–72 %) and a weak spatial dependence for OC (77 %). Evaluation of spatial maps indicated that except for AN due to high root mean square error (61.8), kriging could successfully interpolate other soil properties. Soil pH highly negatively correlated with OC (−0.330**) and AN (−0.228**) and highly positive correlated with AP (0.334**) and AK (0.164**). A highly significant correlation was also found between OC and AN (0.490**).

Validation of Chinese Version of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (Chi-PCOSQ).

ObjectivesTo evaluate the responsiveness, longitudinal validity, and measurement invariance of the Chinese version of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire (Chi-PCOSQ).Research Design and MethodThis prospective study was conducted in a medical center in southern Taiwan. 102 women aged 18–45 years and diagnosed with PCOS were enrolled. Objective indicators for clinical changes of PCOS included assessing the 2-hour glucose and insulin levels before and after treatment. The responsiveness of Chi-PCOSQ and WHOQOL-BREF was analyzed using paired t-tests and the standard response mean. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the measurement invariance of Chi-PCOSQ.ResultsWith improved 2-hour glucose and insulin levels, we also found significantly increased Chi-PCOSQ total and individual domain scores (total score: t (49) = 5.20; p < 0.001, domain scores: t (49) = 2.72 to 3.87; p < 0.01), except for hair growth. Half of the domains scores (3 of 6) and the total score of Chi-PCOSQ had a medium responsiveness, but WHOQOL-BREF was not sufficiently responsive to clinical changes of PCOS. Improved PCOS-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL), as indicated by Chi-PCOSQ scores, was significantly associated with improved 2-hour glucose and insulin levels. All indices of the data-model fit of the Chi-PCOSQ structure were satisfactory, except for the slightly high standardized root mean square residual values (0.087 to 0.088). The measurement invariance of Chi-PCOSQ was supported across time.ConclusionChi-PCOSQ is sufficiently sensitive in detecting clinical changes and its measurement structure is suitable for Chinese women with PCOS. It is thus a promising tool for assessing the HRQoL of ethnic Chinese women with PCOS.

Understanding In-Cylinder Flow Variability Using Large-Eddy Simulations

Multicycle large-eddy simulations (LES) of motored flow in an optical engine housed at the University of Michigan have been performed. The simulated flow field is compared against particle image velocimetry (PIV) data in several cutting planes. Circular statistical methods have been used to isolate the contributions to overall turbulent fluctuations from changes in flow direction or magnitude. High levels of turbulence, as indicated by high velocity root mean square (RMS) values, exist in relatively large regions of the combustion chamber. But the circular standard deviation (CSD), a measure of the variability in flow direction independent of velocity magnitude, is much more limited to specific regions or points, indicating that much of the turbulence is from variable flow magnitude rather than variable flow direction. Using the CSD is also a promising method to identify critical points, such as vortex centers or stagnation points, within the flow, which may prove useful for future engine designers.

Behaviour, heart rate, and heart rate variability in pigs exposed to novelty

In the present study, we investigated behavioural responses and determined parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) to elucidate a relative activation of autonomic nervous system (ANS) during baseline (10 min) and in response to potentially stressful situations (10 min) in two pig breeds and sexes. Gilts (n = 21) and barrows (n = 9) of the Landrace × Yorkshire (LY; n = 15) and Landrace/Yorkshire × Landrace/Duroc (LYLD; n = 15) breeds were subjected to a novel object test (NOT) and a novel arena test (NAT). Basal ANS state differed in pigs across breeds but not sexes. Landrace × Yorkshire pigs had a significantly lower basal heart rate (HR) and low-frequency band (LF) with a higher root mean square of successive interbeat intervals (RMSSD) and high-frequency band (HF) than LYLD pigs. In the NOT, despite having similar cardiac responses, gilts had a longer duration of contact with a novel object, higher lying and standing duration, and a lower duration of walking compared with barrows. In the NAT, we found similar behaviour across sexes but a different degree of ANS state, with barrows having a significantly higher increase in LF/HF (power of the low frequency component divided by the power of the high-frequency band) compared with gilts. Landrace/Yorkshire × Landrace/Duroc pigs showed longer duration of contact with a novel object in the NOT accompanied by less lying and standing than LY pigs in both tests. No difference in ANS activation between breeds was found in the NOT. In the NAT, HR increased more from baseline to testing in LY pigs than in LYLD pigs. There is a complex and often contradictory nature of relationships between behaviour and cardiac responses to novelty in pigs of different breeds and sexes.

Development and evaluation of the herd dynamic milk model with focus on the individual cow component

The herd dynamic milk (HDM) model is a dynamic model capable of simulating the performance of individual dairy animals (from birth to death), with a daily time step. Within this study, the HDM model is described and evaluated in relation to milk production, body condition score (BCS) and BCS change throughout lactation by comparing model simulations against data from published experimental studies. The model’s response to variation in genetic potential, herbage allowance and concentrate supplementation was tested in a sensitivity analysis. Data from experiments in Ireland and France over a 3-year period (2009–11) were used to complete the evaluation. The aim of the Irish experiment was to determine the impact of different stocking rates (SRs) (SR1: 3.28 cow/ha, SR2: 2.51 cow/ha) on key physical, biological and economic performance. The aim of the French experiment was to evaluate over a prolonged time period, the ability of two breeds of dairy cows (Holstein and Normande) to produce and to reproduce under two feeding strategies (high level and low level) in the context of compact calving. The model evaluation was conducted at the herd level with separate evaluations for the primiparous and multiparous cows. The evaluation included the two extreme SRs for the Irish experiment, and an evaluation at the overall herd and individual animal level for the different breeds and feeding levels for the French data. The comparison of simulation and experimental data for all scenarios resulted in a relative prediction error, which was consistently <15% across experiments for weekly milk production and BCS. In relation to BCS, the highest root mean square error was 0.27 points of BCS, which arose for Holstein cows in the low feeding group in late lactation. The model responded in a realistic fashion to variation in genetic potential for milk production, herbage allowance and concentrate supplementation.

Measurements of pressure drop and particle velocity in a pseudo 2-D rectangular bed with Geldart Group D particles

A small scale pseudo 2-D bed of dimension 0.075m×0.23m×1.22m was utilized to measure the pressure drop and velocity statistics of Geldart Group D nylon beads. The pressure drop was measured using a fast-response pressure transducer and the particle velocities were measured with high speed particle image velocimetry, with particle tracking, in a slugging flow regime for three different superficial gas velocities (2, 3 & 4 times the minimum fluidization velocity (Umf)). At superficial gas velocity of 3 Umf, the measured slugging frequency was about 2.5Hz, while at conditions close to 2 Umf and 4 Umf, the slugging frequency was about 1.5 and 1.7Hz. Additionally, at 3 Umf condition, the bed exhibited a much higher root mean square (RMS) of pressure drop fluctuations than those at 2 Umf and 4 Umf. The varying trend suggested an existence of a complicated regime change for these shallow bed measurements that had not been previously explored. The measurement of millions of individual particle velocities at the vicinity of the wall had enabled accurate measurement of higher order statistics including RMS, granular temperature, skewness, and kurtosis of particle velocity. The measured skewness and kurtosis of the velocity distribution indicated that the particle velocity distribution deviated substantially from a normal distribution as the intersection of walls of the rectangular bed was approached.

The system precision measurement of the video eye tracker and the impact of different infrared intensities on it

Background EyeLink 2000 high speed video eye tracker has been used in ophthalmology to evaluate the ocular movement ability.Its systemic precision depends on the performance of the eye tracker, and it is also an essential parameter for the evaluation of the data quality.Therefore, the impact of infrared intensity should be illustrated. Objective This study was to assess the systemic precision of the video eye tracker and evaluate the impact of infrared intensity on the result. Methods The EyeLink 2000 high speed video eye tracker and a pair of artificial eyes were used in this study.Firstly the artificial eyes were fixed to the corresponding position as the real human eyes.Each session of recording was undertaken under the different infrared intensities (100%, 75% and 50%). The sampling frequency of binocular recording was set as 1 000 Hz.Each session was sequentially recorded for 60 seconds.The systemic precision was calculated as the root mean square (RMS) of angular distances between successive data points.The RMS values under the different infrared intensities were compared. Results The highest RMS values were (0.005 01±0.000 20)° under the 100% infrared intensity.As the decline of infrared intensities, RMS values were gradually raised, showing a significant difference among different infrared intensity groups (F=3 791.447, P<0.01). The differences were also significant between different groups (all at P<0.05). Conclusions EyeLink 2 000 video eye tracker has good system precision.The infrared intensity influence the system precision of the video eye tracker. Key words: Eye movements/diagnosis; Infrared rays; Visual perception/physiology; Artificial eyes; Video eye tracker/method