Short communication: best prediction of 305-day lactation yields with regional and seasonal effects

In the United States, lactation yields are calculated using best prediction (BP), a method in which test-day (TD) data are compared with breed- and parity-specific herd lactation curves that do not account for differences among regions of the country or seasons of calving. Complete data from 538,090 lactations of 348,123 Holstein cows with lactation lengths between 250 and 500 d, records made in a single herd, at least 5 reported TD, and twice-daily milking were extracted from the national dairy database and used to construct regional and seasonal lactation curves. Herds were assigned to 1 of 7 regions of the country, individual lactations were assigned to 3-mo seasons of calving, and lactation curves for milk, fat, and protein yields were estimated by parity group for regions, seasons, and seasons within regions. Multiplicative pre-adjustment factors (MF) also were computed. The resulting lactation curves and MF were tested on a validation data set of 891,806 lactations from 400,000 Holstein cows sampled at random from the national dairy database. Mature-equivalent milk, fat, and protein yields were calculated using the standard and adjusted curves and MF, and differences between 305-d mature-equivalent yields were tested for significance. Yields calculated using 50-d intervals from 50 to 250 d in milk (DIM) and using all TD to 500 DIM allowed comparisons of predictions for records in progress (RIP). Differences in mature-equivalent milk ranged from 0 to 51 kg and were slightly larger for first-parity than for later parity cows. Milk and components yields did not differ significantly in any case. Correlations of yields for 50-d intervals with those using all TD were similar across analyses. Yields for RIP were slightly more accurate when adjusted for regional and seasonal differences.     

挤压态AZ81镁合金的热加工变形和加工图

在 Gleeble-1500D热模拟机上进行热压缩试验,研究了变形温度为320～440℃、应变速率为0.001～1.000 s-1、最大变形程度为60%的条件下挤压态AZ81镁合金的高温热变形行为.热变形过程中的稳态流变应力可用双曲正弦本构关系式来描述,平均激活能为182.17 kJ/mol,大于其自扩散激活能.根据材料动态模型,计算并分析了挤压态AZ81合金的热加工图,结合显微组织观察结果,分析了挤压态AZ81镁合金的热加工性能.在变形温度为320～440℃、应变速率为0.001～1.000 s-1、最大变形程度为60%的条件下,失稳判据ξ(ε)>0,说明AZ81镁合金在该条件下塑性变形性能良好.并根据加工图获得了在试验参数范围内的热变形过程的最佳工艺参数范围,其热加工温度选在380～400℃、应变速率为0.010～0.100 s-1时较好.     

A modular laboratory for process control and process engineering

A modular laboratory to support process control and process engineering teaching has been designed and commissioned. The Instrumentation and Control Laboratory in the School of Engineering, Murdoch University, is unique in that it contains no fixed experiments. Rather, an experiment is constructed for a particular teaching concept from the range of process modules available. After use, the experiment is disconnected, and its components used for other experiments or returned to a store. This modular approach has allowed great flexibility in the construction of experiments to meet current learning objectives, while proving very cost effective. The reuse of equipment has avoided duplication and provided a much higher usage factor, allowing a wider menu of experiments for less investment. The other unique aspect of the laboratory is its centralised data acquisition and control system in which every measurement and control signal is linked to a central server and then made available across a network.     

Effect of the filler morphology on the crystallization behavior and dielectric properties of the polyvinylidene fluoride-based composite

Ceramic/polymer composites can be chemically stable, mechanically strong, and flexible, which make them candidates for electric devices, such as pressure or temperature sensors, energy storage or harvesting devices, actuators, and so forth. Depending on the application, various electrical properties are of importance. Polymers usually have low dielectric permittivity, but increased dielectric permittivity can be achieved by the addition of the ceramic fillers with high dielectric constant. With the aim to enhance dielectric properties of the composite without loss of flexibility, 5 wt% of BaTiO₃-Fe₂O₃ powder was added into a polyvinylidene fluoride matrix. The powder was prepared by different synthesis conditions to produce core/shell structures. The effect of the phase composition and morphology of the BaTiO₃-Fe₂O₃ core/shell filler on the structure and lattice dynamics of the polymer composites was investigated. Based on the results of the thermal analysis, various parameters of ceramic/polymer composites were determined. Differences in the phase composition and morphology of the filler have an influence on the formation of various polyvinylidene fluoride allomorphs and the degree of crystallinity. Furthermore, the dielectric performances of pure polyvinylidene fluoride and the polymer/ceramic composites were measured.     

The influence of microstructure on the electronic properties of thin films of barium strontium titanium oxide composites

Abstract

Microstructural and electrical properties were investigated for barium strontium titanium oxide (BSTO) magnesium oxide doped (0 to 10 wt.%) thin films deposited by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method on Pt/TiO_x/SiO₂/Si substrates. The dielectric properties were found to be strongly dependent on composition and microstructure. In cross-section, all films exhibited a columnar polycrystalline microstructure with vertical orientation deviations dictated by the surface roughness of the Pt electrode. A uniform granular microstructure was observed for all films in plan view. The dielectric constant, loss tangent and grain size decreased with increasing MgO concentration.     

Presence and significance of Bacillus cereus in dehydrated potato products

Dehydrated potato contains Bacillus cereus at a prevalences of 10 to 40% and at numbers usually less than 10(3) CFU g(-1). B. cereus in dehydrated potato is likely to be present as spores that are able to survive drying of the raw vegetable and may represent a significant inoculum in the reconstituted (rehydrated) product where conditions favor germination of, and outgrowth from, spores. Holding rehydrated mashed potato alone, or as part of another product (e.g., potato-topped pie), at temperatures above 10 degrees C and below 60 degrees C may allow growth of vegetative B. cereus. Levels exceeding 10(4) CFU g(-1) are considered hazardous to human health and may be reached within a few hours if stored inappropriately between these temperatures. Foods incorporating mashed potato prepared from dehydrated potato flakes have been implicated in B. cereus foodborne illness. This review is a summary of the information available concerning the prevalence and numbers of B. cereus in dehydrated potato flakes and the rate at which growth might occur in the rehydrated product.     

Major quantitative trait loci influencing milk production and conformation traits in Guernsey dairy cattle detected on Bos taurus autosome 19

The goal of this study was to identify potential quantitative trait loci (QTL) for 27 production, fitness, and conformation traits of Guernsey cattle through genome-wide association (GWA) analyses, with extra emphasis on BTA19, where major QTL were observed for several traits. Animals' de-regressed predicted transmitting abilities (PTA) from the December 2018 traditional US evaluation were used as phenotypes. All of the Guernsey cattle included in the QTL analyses were predictor animals in the reference population, ranging from 1,077 to 1,685 animals for different traits. Single-trait GWA analyses were carried out by a mixed-model approach for all 27 traits using imputed high-density genotypes. A major QTL was detected on BTA19, influencing several milk production traits, conformation traits, and livability of Guernsey cattle, and the most significant SNP lie in the region of 26.2 to 28.3 Mb. The myosin heavy chain 10 (MYH10) gene residing within this region was found to be highly associated with milk production and body conformation traits of dairy cattle. After the initial GWA analyses, which suggested that many significant SNP are in linkage with one another, conditional analyses were used for fine mapping. The top significant SNP on BTA19 were fixed as covariables in the model, one at a time, until no more significant SNP were detected on BTA19. After this fine-mapping approach was applied, only 1 significant SNP was detected on BTA19 for most traits, but multiple, independent significant SNP were found for protein yield, dairy form, and stature. In addition, the haplotype that hosts the major QTL on BTA19 was traced to a US Guernsey born in 1954. The haplotype is common in the breed, indicating a long-term influence of this QTL on the US Guernsey population.     

Optical and physical properties of zirconium dioxide reinforced poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposite films

The objective of this study was to investigate the fundamental aspects of acrylic resin and zirconia nanoparticle interaction to analyze the optical properties and subsequent changes in refractive index with incremental loading of nanoparticles. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) reinforced with zirconia nanoparticles were prepared by dip coating, spin coating and solvent casting techniques. An overall understanding of the polymer nanocomposite film has been achieved using the spectroscopic and morphological studies. The vital aspect of this whole study is to derive a simple yet an efficient nanocomposite film capable of imparting extraordinary optical properties. Within the limitations of this research a very crucial property of the material has been revealed. The RI as well as the optical transparency of the nanocomposite film has been steadily maintained with a significant increase of RI by the magnitude of 0.06 and ~100% light transmittance on incorporation of pure zirconia nanoparticles into PMMA matrix has been achieved. The best technique found was spin coating as it could yield thin films and better transparency and higher refractive index.     

Multiscale modelling of the corrosion of metals under atmospheric corrosion

This paper describes a multiscale (from global to micron) model for the prediction of atmospheric corrosion. The model has a modular structure, in which the higher scales set the boundary conditions for the lower scales, and the lower scales alter some of the constants in the upper scales. The model has primarily been designed for Australian conditions and so focuses on corrosion by marine aerosols. The upper level modules look at aerosol production by oceans and surf beaches, salt transport and deposition, and cleaning events such as rain and wind, to provide an estimate of salt retention on surfaces. Separate modules that define surface temperature, surface relative humidity, and wetting and drying of deposited hygroscopic salts, enable the prediction of the (three-hourly) ‘state’ of a surface, where ‘state’ is defined as dry, wet from rain or wet from the wetting of hygroscopic salts. The state model is combined with a damage model to estimate the progression of damage with time. Currently, damage models are either probabilistic (define the occurrence, growth or death of pits as probability functions) or empirical (define a single relationship between mass loss in a given state on the basis of measured data) in nature, but new experimental and modelling research is being undertaken to develop first-principle models of corrosion under established oxide films.