Interlayer tunneling and gap anisotropy in high-temperature superconductors

A quantitative analysis of a recent model of high-temperature superconductors based on an interlayer tunneling mechanism is presented. This model can account well for the observed magnitudes of the high transition temperatures in these materials and implies a gap that does not change sign, can be substantially anisotropic, and has the same symmetry as the crystal. The experimental consequences explored so far are consistent with the observations.     

Ocean current monitoring employing a new satellite sensing technique

The very-high-resolution radiometer on the NOAA-2 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellite has recently obtained imagery in the visible channel containing sunglint over a major portion of the coastal waters off the eastern seaboard of the United States. An abrupt change in surface roughness has been observed at the shoreward edge of the Gulf Stream Current from Florida to Cape Hatteras that results from the opposition of waves propagating against the flow of the Gulf Stream.     

Application of Probability Analysis to Assess Nitrogen Supply to Grain Crops in Northern Australia

Grain yield and protein of cereal crops in northern Australia provide a useful indicator of the supply of available nitrogen (N) to the crop. Our intention was to utilize this principle on a site-specific basis through an associated probabilistic framework to identify the likelihood that grain yield was limited by N supply. Yield and protein data were taken at harvest from sorghum, wheat and barley crops near Dalby, southern Queensland, in 1999. Considerable variation was found in grain yield for the three crops, but less so for grain protein. Frequency–response relationships, derived from historical multiple N field experiments, were applied to identify areas where grain yield was limited by N supply. This approach indicated that there was a 60% or higher likelihood that plant-available N was yield-limiting for 17%, 23%, and 26% of the area sown to sorghum, wheat and barley, respectively. These areas were not necessarily those where crop yield was relatively low. Calculation of N removal and N supply, using N transfer efficiency relationships, verified that those areas with a high likelihood of response to N had considerably lower supplies of N compared to other areas. The application of probability analysis offers a unique strategy to identify within-field areas where N supply could be yield-limiting, and provides a rationale for predicting the spatial variation and likely range of N supplies for successive seasons.     

Effect of setting a maximum milking time,from peak lactation,on production,milking time and udder health

Abstract

AIM: To examine the effect of setting a maximum milking time, from peak lactation until drying-off, on production, duration of milking, and udder health of dairy cows.

METHODS: Forty cows were assigned in twin-pairs to be either milked until cups were removed at a milk flow-rate threshold of 0.35 kg/minute (Control), or until cups were removed at a milk flow-rate threshold of 0.35 kg/minute, or maximum time, whichever came first (MaxT). The maximum time was set by determining the milking time of the 70th percentile cow when ranked from fastest to slowest, irrespective of yield. The milking routine was typical of that practised on dairy farms in New Zealand, and involved no pre-milking preparation. The study began at peak lactation (68 (SD 7) days in milk; DIM) and continued for 26 weeks. Duration of milking and milk yield were measured for each milking. Composition of milk was determined from weekly herd tests, and milk quality from fortnightly somatic cell counts (SCC). Completeness of milking and teat condition were assessed during the study. The bacterial status of quarter milk samples was determined at the beginning and end of the study, and all treated cases of clinical mastitis recorded. ANOVA was used to examine the effect of treatment group on variables of interest.

RESULTS: Total milk, fat and protein yields during the study period did not differ between treatments. On average, 30.3% of the morning and 27.6% of the afternoon milkings of MaxT cows reached the maximum time at which cups were removed, and were therefore shortened. While the average milking time of the slowest-milking cow was longer for the Control compared with MaxT group in Weeks 1–18, the average milking time did not differ between treatments. There was no difference in overall SCC, and the incidence of clinical mastitis, or the percentage of infected quarters at drying-off, was similar for the MaxT and Control cows.

CONCLUSION: The results show that setting a maximum milking time can reduce the milking time of slower-milking cows in a herd without compromising overall herd production and udder health.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although the numbers of cows in the study were small there was no evidence of a major increase in SCC, or subclinical or clinical mastitis when a maximum milking time was set for slower-milking cows.     

Susceptibility of lesser mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) adults and larvae exposed to two commercial insecticides on unpainted plywood panels

BACKGROUND: The susceptibilities of adult and larval lesser mealworms, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer), to two commercially formulated insecticides, cyfluthrin and tetrachlorvinphos, were examined through exposure on treated plywood panels. Lesser mealworms were collected from four caged-layer poultry farms, three in New York and one in Maine. An additional strain was obtained from an infestation occurring in a cricket colony.RESULTS: In all poultry farm derived strains, a portion of the population (1.8-16.2%) survived cyfluthrin exposure. The Maine and cricket colony strains were tolerant of tetrachlorvinphos exposure as both larvae and adults, with 55-74% mortality, whereas nearly 100% mortality was observed with New York strains. The cricket colony adult beetles were highly susceptible to cyfluthrin, with 100% mortality following exposure, but larvae were considerably less susceptible (87.7%). Pesticide use histories for the poultry farms and their impact on the results are discussed.CONCLUSION: The results document that tetrachlorvinphos, an active ingredient with a long use history, may be losing its effectiveness against lesser mealworms in some poultry operations; however, it is still effective in many others.