This research paper presents a study investigating if sensor data from an automatic milking rotary could be used to model cow somatic cell count (composite milk SCC: CMSCC). CMSCC is valuable for udder health monitoring and individual cow udder health surveillance could be improved by predicting CMSCC between routine samplings. Data regularly recorded in the automatic milking rotary, in one German dairy herd, were collected for analysis. The cows (Holstein-Friesian, n = 372) were milked twice daily and sampled once weekly in afternoon milkings for 8 weeks for CMSCC. From the potential independent variables, including quarter conductivity, milk flow, blood in milk, kick-offs, not milked quarters and incomplete milkings, new variables that combined quarter data were created. Past period records, i.e. lags, of up to seven days before the actual CMSCC sampling event were added in the dataset to investigate if they were of use in modeling the cell count. Univariable generalized additive models (GAM) were used to screen the data to select potential independent variables. Furthermore, several multivariable GAM were fitted in order to compare the importance of the potential independent variables and to explore how the model performance would be affected by using data from various number of days before the CMSCC sampling event. The result of the model selection showed that the best explanation of CMSCC was provided by the model incorporating all significant variables from the variable screening for the seven preceding days, including the day of the CMSCC sampling event. However, using data from only three days before the CMSCC sampling event is suggested to be sufficient to model CMSCC. Variables combining conductivity quarter data, together with quarter conductivity, are suggested to be important in describing CMSCC. We conclude that CMSCC can be modeled with a high degree of explanation using the information routinely recorded by the milking robot.

There is a growing need for abstractions in logic specification languages such as FO(·) and ASP. One technique to achieve these abstractions are templates (sometimes called macros). While the semantics of templates are virtually always described through a syntactical rewriting scheme, we present an alternative view on templates as second order definitions. To extend the existing definition construct of FO(·) to second order, we introduce a powerful compositional framework for defining logics by modular integration of logic constructs specified as pairs of one syntactical and one semantical inductive rule. We use the framework to build a logic of nested second order definitions suitable to express templates. We show that under suitable restrictions, the view of templates as macros is semantically correct and that adding them does not extend the descriptive complexity of the base logic, which is in line with results of existing approaches.

Dairy cow mortality is an important animal welfare issue that also causes financial losses. The objective of this study was to identify farm characteristics and herd management practices associated with high on-farm cow mortality in Swedish dairy herds. A postal questionnaire was sent to farmers that had either high or low mortality rates for 3 consecutive years. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: ‘About the farm’, ‘Milking and housing’, ‘Feeding’, ‘Routines’ and ‘Lame and sick cows’. A total of 145 questionnaires were returned (response rate=33%). Ten of the 77 characteristics investigated met the inclusion criteria for multivariable analysis. The final logistic regression model included: herd size, breed, use of natural service bull, bedding improvement frequency and pasture system. Herds with Swedish Holstein as the predominant breed (odds ratio (OR) 22.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2 to 101.8) or with mixed breeds (OR 5.5, 95% CI 1.7 to 17.5) had a greater risk of being high mortality herds than herds that were predominantly Swedish Red (OR 1). Herds larger than 100 cows (OR 19.6, 95% CI 3.5 to 110.4) and herds with 50 to 99 cows (OR 13.8, 95% CI 3.2 to 60.6) had greater risk of mortality than herds numbering 35 to 50 cows (OR 1). Being a high mortality herd was also associated with having cows on exercise lots during the summer season (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 9.9) compared with on pasture. A missing answer on the question of bedding improvement frequency was associated with high mortality herds. Overall, this study suggests that characteristics that are related to intensification of the dairy industry are also associated with high on-farm mortality of dairy cows.

African philosophy today is a complicated and dynamic discipline. This presentation will concentrate on two topics that are currently of special interest. One concerns the meaning of the term ‘communalism’ when it is used to express a defining characteristic of Africa's cultures. The other concerns the reactions on the part of African philosophers and scholars to the movement that has come to be known in Western academia and culture as ‘feminism’.

The purpose of this paper is to propose the enhancement of device detectors based on p-n junction in 4H-SiC for nuclear instrumentation. Particular emphasis is placed on the interest on using Boron isotope 10 as a Neutron Converter Layer in order to detect thermal neutrons. Here, we present the main results obtained during several irradiation tests performed in the Belgian Reactor 1 (BR1). We show the capability of our detectors by means of first results of the detector response at different reverse voltage biases and at different reactor power.

The p-type doping of high purity semi-insulating 4H polytype silicon carbide (HPSI 4H-SiC) by aluminum ion (Al+) implantation has been studied in the range of 1 × 1019 to 8 × 1020 /cm3 (0.39 μm implanted thickness) and a conventional thermal annealing of 1950 °C/5 min. Implanted 4H-SiC layers of p-type conductivity and sheet resistance in the range of 1.6 × 104 to 8.9 ×102 Ω□, corresponding to a resistivity in the range of 4.7 × 10−1 to 2.7 × 10−2 Ω cm have been obtained. Hall carrier density and mobility data in the temperature range of 140–720 K feature the transition from a valence band to an intraband conduction for increasing implanted Al ion concentration from 1 × 1019 /cm3 to 4 × 1020 /cm3. A 73% electrical activation, 31% compensation and 146 meV ionization level have been obtained using a best-fit solution of the neutrality equation to Hall carrier data for the lowest concentration.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Ninety-nine individual milk samples from 37 cows in lactation week 10–35, selected for producing well or poorly/non-coagulating milk, were compared regarding protein composition, total calcium content, casein micelle size, pH, and coagulating properties after addition of 0·05% CaCl2. The results showed that a low κ-casein concentration in milk was a risk factor for non-coagulation. CaCl2 addition improved coagulating properties (coagulation time, curd firmness) of nearly all samples and eliminated differences between poorly/non-coagulating and well-coagulating milk, particularly regarding curd firmness. A second, independent data set with 18 non-coagulating or well-coagulating milk samples were analysed for protein composition, where indications of a similar association with κ-casein was observed.

Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor devices for high power are becoming more mature and are now commercially available as discrete devices. Schottky diodes have been on the market since a few years but also bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), JFETs and MOSFETs are now reaching the market. The interest is rapidly growing for these devices in high power and high temperature applications. The BJTs have low conduction losses, fast switching capability, operate in normally-off mode, have high radiation hardness, and can handle high power density.

This paper will review the current state of the art in active switching device performance with special emphasis on BJTs. Device performance has been demonstrated over a wide temperature interval. A very important feature in high power switch applications is the low on-resistance of a device. Better material quality and epi processes suppress the amount of basal plane dislocations to avoid stacking fault formation generated during high current injection. This has long been a concern for bipolar SiC devices but several research reports and long term reliability measurements of pn-junctions show that the bipolar degradation problem can be solved by a fine-tuned epitaxial technique. A discussion on surface passivation control is included.

Finally, an example of a power switching module is given also demonstrating the excellent paralleling capability of BJTs.

Impact of milk protein composition on casein (CN) retention in curd during the milk coagulation process was studied using a model cheese making system. Individual milk samples from 110 cows in mid lactation of the Swedish Red and Swedish Holstein breeds with known genotypes of β-casein, κ-casein and β-lactoglobulin were defatted, coagulated with chymosin, subjected to syneresis and subsequent pressing simulated by centrifugation. The results indicated that κ-casein concentration of milk plays an important role in the curd formation process and initial syneresis (whey after cutting), whereas an increased CN ratio was associated with less casein in whey after simulated pressing. Increased κ-casein concentration of milk also characterized the milk samples with no measurable loss of casein in whey, compared with milk samples with casein lost in whey, both after cutting and after simulated pressing. Concentrations of αs1-casein, β-casein, and total casein in milk were positively associated with fresh curd yield, which showed a strong correlation with amount of casein retained in curd. No effect of protein genotype on fresh curd yield or casein in whey was found. The β-lactoglobulin BB genotype was associated with increased casein retention in curd, most likely due to the association of this genotype with CN ratio.

We present result following localized ion implantation of rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2) using anodic porous alumina as a mask. The implantation were performed with 100 keV 56Fe+ ions using a fluence of 1.3·1016 ions/cm2. The surface modifications where studied by means of SEM, AFM/MFM and XRD. A well-defined hexagonal pattern of modified material in the near surface structure is observed. Local examination of the implanted areas revealed no clear magnetic signal. However, a variation in mechanical and electrostatic behavior between implanted and non-implanted zones is inferred from the variation in AFM signals.

Secondary ion mass spectrometry has been applied to study the transportation of Na and Li in hydrothermally grown ZnO. A dose of 1015 cm-2 of Na+ was implanted into ZnO to act as a diffusion source. A clear trap limited diffusion is observed at temperatures above 550 °C. From these profiles, an activation energy for the transport of Na of ∼1.7 eV has been extracted. The prefactor for the diffusion constant and the solid solubility of Na cannot be deduced independently from the present data but their product estimated to be ∼3 × 1016 cm-1s-1. A dissociation energy of ∼2.4 eV is extracted for the trapped Na. The measured Na and Li profiles show that Li and Na compete for the same traps and interact in a way that Li is depleted from Na-rich regions. This is attributed to a lower formation energy of Na-on-zinc-site than that for Li-on-zinc-site defects and the zinc vacancy is considered as a major trap for migrating Na and Li atoms. Consequently, the diffusivity of Li is difficult to extract accurately from the present data, but in its interstitial configuration Li is indeed highly mobile having a diffusivity in excess of 10-11 cm2s-1 at 500 °C.

ActiReg® is an instrument that uses combined recordings of body position and motion to calculate energy expenditure (EE) and physical activity (PA). The aim of the study was to compare mean total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by ActiReg® and doubly labelled water (DLW) in obese subjects. TEE was measured by the DLW method during a period of 14 d in fifty obese men and women with metabolic risk factors. During the same period ActiReg® recordings were obtained for 7 d. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry and also estimated by standardized equations. Because EE may be disproportionately increased in obese subjects during weight-bearing activities, we established a new set of physical activity ratios (PAR). These ratios were based on oxygen uptake measurements during treadmill walking. The mean TEE according to the DLW was 13·94 (sd 2·47) MJ/d. Mean TEE calculated from the ActiReg® data and measured RMR was 13·39 (sd 2·26) MJ/d, an underestimation of 0·55 MJ (95 % CI 0·13, 0·98; P = 0·012) or 3·9 %. RMR derived from standard equations based on weight, age and sex were overestimated while the RMR based on fat-free mass values in addition was underestimated. Despite slight underestimation ActiReg® may be used to measure TEE in obese subjects on two premises: RMR should be measured, and the increased EE during weight-bearing activities in obese subjects should be considered.

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) / conjugated polymer composites have been used for the preparation of thin film-modified electrodes. Thin, short, multi-walled CNT (MWNT) (purity higher than 95%) was completely coated by regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) through precipitation of a mixture of both in the non-solvent methanol. This work reports the electrochemical and optical characterization of P3HT and composites after dissolution in xylene and spin casting of films with thickness <1 micrometer. Cyclic voltammetry showed that all samples were characterized by a semi-reversible behavior. The samples with 0% and 2% of MWNT, for instance, present anodic peak potential at +0.67 and +0.68V respectively when cycling at 100 mV/s. Optical properties, such as optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL), have been investigated. The samples showed maximum of absorption at ˜530 nm and intense PL in the orange. PL spectra of nanocomposites exhibited a new band at lower energy characteristic of a structure with higher conjugation length when compared to P3HT.

Conocybe lactea was examined as part of a larger study on the distribution of amatoxins and phallotoxins in fungi, and the taxonomic relationships between these fungi. As amatoxins are present in the congener C. filaris, the locally abundant C. lactea was examined using HPLC and mass spectroscopy. Amatoxins were not found in C. lactea, but the related phallotoxins were present in small quantities making it the first fungus outside of the genus Amanita in which phallotoxins have been detected. Despite the presence of a related toxin, C. lactea was found not to be taxonomically close to C. filaris. Phylogenetic analyses using nuclear ribosomal RNA genes indicated that North American specimens of C. lactea were conspecific with North American specimens of C. crispa in Conocybe sect. Candidae. European C. crispa was a distinct taxon. The implications of the use of the name C. albipes for these taxa are discussed. Nucleotide data confirmed placement of the sequestrate taxon Gastrocybe lateritia in sect. Candidae, but as a distinct taxon. It is hypothesized that the unique sequestrate morphology of G. lateritia may be caused by a bacterial infection.

Ordered nanoporous alumina has recently been considered as a template for pattern transfer by MeV ion irradiation. Porous alumina of thickness 500 nm has already been used as a mask for low energy heavy ion implantation. However, in order to apply this material as a template for production of structures with higher aspect ratios, lighter ions with MeV energies and larger penetration depth should be used. The aim of this contribution is to examine the transmission of such ions through alumina templates with sufficient thickness to mask ions that are not passing the pores. A careful orientation of the pores in the direction of the incident beam is therefore needed since the acceptance angle for ions passing through the pores decreases with increasing thickness.

Typical size of pores in the investigated alumina foils was 70 nm with a repetition frequency of 100 nm. Transmission through the foil and the energy of transmitted MeV ions were measured for aligned alumina foils by standard backscattering technique. It was shown that the sample transmission is a characteristic of each sample, but for some investigated samples the proportion of transmitted ions was the same as the relative area covered by pores. The energy spectra of transmitted ions were used to further evaluate the quality of foil templates for pattern transfer. It was shown that 2 μm thick alumina films can mask 3 MeV O+ ions, which can be used for ion lithography in polymer materials.

Hydrogen related defects in high purity n-type float zone silicon samples have been studied by means of Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy. They were introduced, as well as the characteristic vacancy-oxygen (VO) and divacancy ( ${\rm V}_2$ ) centers, by MeV proton implantation. Two hydrogen related defect levels were resolved at 0.32 eV and 0.45 eV below the conduction band edge (E c). Careful annealing studies indicate strongly that a third hydrogen related level, overlapping with the singly negative charge state level of ${\rm V}_2$ , is also present in the implanted samples. The annealing behavior of the hydrogen related defects has been compared with literature data leading to a rather firm identification. The $E_{\rm c}-0.32$  eV level originates from a VO center partly saturated with hydrogen (a VOH complex) while the $E_{\rm c}-0.45$  eV level may be ascribed to a complex involving a monovacancy and a hydrogen atom (a VH complex). The third hydrogen related defect is tentatively ascribed to a complex involving a hydrogen atom and a divacancy (a ${\rm V}_2{\rm H}$ complex).