This paper presents a novel estimation method for coarse alignment of a marine strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) under mooring conditions. The properties of gravitational motion are used to improve the accuracy of coarse alignment. The parametric motion of gravitational apparent is a circle that is on the surface of a sphere. The location of this parametric circle is dependent on the definition of the reference frames and the initial angles of SINS. In the method proposed here the initial direct cosine matrix is calculated only from the location of the gravity motion parametric circle. The novelty of this paper is to provide a new method for estimating the gravity motion trajectory in inertial frame, as well as direct extraction of the initial direct cosine matrix from this estimated trajectory. Simulation and testing show that the proposed method is suitable for coarse alignment in mooring conditions.

In this paper, a novel algorithm of weighted k-means clustering with geodesic criteria is presented to generate a uniform database for a star sensor. For this purpose, selecting the appropriate star catalogue and desirable minimum magnitude and eliminating double stars are among the steps of the uniformity process. Further, Delaunay triangulation and determining the scattered data density by using a Voronoi diagram were used to solve the problems of the proposed clustering method. Thus, by running a Monte Carlo simulation to count the number of stars observed in different fields of view, it was found that the uniformity leads to a significant reduction of the probability of observing a large number of stars in all fields of view. In contrast, the uniformity slightly increased the field of view needed to observe the minimum number of required stars for an identification algorithm.

Optimal type and dietary inclusion rates of cereal grains for periparturient sheep are unknown. The objective was to determine effects of feeding diets with high (H) v. low (L) levels of ground corn grain (CN) v. combined ground wheat and barley grains (WB) on intake, rumen fermentation, colostrum and milk properties, and blood metabolites of periparturient sheep. Twenty Afshari×Merino ewes were used in a completely randomized design study from 24 days prepartum through 21 days postpartum. Ewes were kept indoors in individual boxes and received once daily at 0900 h total mixed rations. Treatments were mixed rations containing either (1) H or (2) L concentrate based on either (1) 100% CN or (2) 50 : 50 ratio of ground wheat : ground barley grains in a 2×2 factorial arrangement. Each treatment group had five ewes including two twin-lamb ewes and three single-lamb ewes. Postpartal dry matter intake (DMI) increased by feeding high CN v. high and low WB, while high v. low CN improved postpartum DMI. The DMI during lambing tended to increase with the high v. low WB. Feeding CN v. WB, and feeding both CN and WB at L v. H level increased fecal pH. Postpartal rumen pH was lower with the high v. low WB (5.7 v. 6.2). Rumen concentrations of propionate were lower and of acetate were higher with L v. H grain levels. Increased dietary grain reduced urine pH for WB (7.24 v. 7.83) but not for CN (7.63 v. 7.52) prepartum. Colostrum properties, postpartal urine pH, lamb weight at birth and 21 days of age, and placental weight and expulsion time were unaffected. Milk yield increased and milk fat yield tended to increase by H v. L grain diets. Plasma glucose was increased by feeding high v. low WB, whereas CN v. WB tended to reduce peripartal plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and increased insulin to NEFA ratio. In conclusion, more cereal grains can be included in periparturient sheep diets and CN instead of WB may be fed to periparturient sheep to improve energy status. Findings suggest opportunities to optimize periparturient ewe physiology and performance through feeding certain cereals and avoiding high levels of WB.

The vectorial form of the Wave Propagation Method (VWM), regarding the dispersion of harmonic plain (elasto-dynamic) waves within certain wave-guides, is developed for the vibration analysis of circular cylindrical shells. To obtain this goal, all plain waves are divided into positive-negative going wave vectors along with the shell axis. Based on the Flügge thin shell theory, the shell continuity as well as boundary conditions are well satisfied by introducing the propagation and reflection matrices. Furthermore, all elements of the reflection matrix are derived for certain classical supports. As an example, for demonstrating the feasibility of VWM in the shell vibration analysis, a circular cylindrical shell with two ended flexible support is adopted. The natural frequencies of the systemaswell asmode shapes are obtained using VWM. The aquired results are compared with those of the previous works and found in excellent agreement. It is also found that VWM could mathematically provide a reduced dimensional matrix (dominant matrix) to calculate the natural frequencies of the system. Accordingly, the proposed method can provide high computational efficiency and remarkable accuracy, simultaneously.

This paper focuses on the trajectory planning for a UAV on a low altitude terrain following/threat avoidance (TF/TA) mission. Using a grid-based approximated discretisation scheme, the continuous constrained optimisation problem into a search problem is transformed over a finite network. A variant of the Minimum Cost Network Flow (MCNF) to this problem is then applied. Based on using the Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) and discrete dynamic equations of motion, the four-dimensional (4D) trajectory (three spatial and one time dimensions) from a starting point to an end point is obtained by minimising a cost function subject to dynamic and mission constraints of the UAV. For each arc in the grid, a cost function is considered as the combination of the arc length, fuel consumption and flight time. The proposed algorithm which considers dynamic and altitude constraints of the UAV explicitly is then used to obtain the feasible trajectory. The resultant trajectory can increase the survivability of the UAV using the threat region avoidance and the terrain masking effect. After obtaining the feasible trajectory, an improved algorithm is proposed to smooth the trajectory. The numeric results are presented to verify the capability of the proposed approach to generate admissible trajectory in minimum possible time in comparison to the previous works.

Wheat grain (WG) is unique in possessing extensive starch and nitrogen fermentation (i.e. >85% in ground and steam-processed WG), low cation–anion difference and high-intake properties, making it a potentially useful prepartal dietary choice. The objective was to determine the effects of WG provision to pre-partum first-calf heifers on metabolic, health and productive criteria during the transition period. WG replaced barley grain that was commonly used earlier. Fifteen Holstein heifers at 31 ± 6 days pre partum were blocked based on expected calving date and assigned to three treatments or feeding totally mixed rations containing either (i) barley grain (13.8%) and wheat bran (6.1%), (ii) 10% WG (WG10) or (iii) 18% WG (WG18; dry matter (DM) basis) from 31 days pre partum until calving. In replacing WG for barley grains, some changes in WG use and slight changes in soybean and cottonseed meals use were made to properly formulate balanced rations for net energy for lactation, CP, calcium and P. Prepartal diets contained no supplemental anionic salts. Cows were monitored until 21-day post partum and received the same early lactation diet. The prepartal provision of WG and related dietary changes reduced urine pH at 7-day pre partum, and elevated blood calcium and glucose at 7-day pre partum and at 3-day post partum. Milk fat and protein yields were increased during the 21 days post partum by prepartal WG provision and related diet changes. Blood albumin, globulins, total proteins and urea concentrations were similar among treatments. Feeding diets with WG did not affect body condition score, calving difficulty, calf weight, placenta weight and the time interval from calving to placenta expulsion. It is suggested that prepartal provision of WG with necessary dietary changes led to simultaneous improvements in energy and calcium status of the heifers experiencing their first periparturient phase without compromising parturition status.

Growing concern over the use of antibiotics and other growth stimulation in the animal feed industry has increased interest in evaluating the effects of Direct-fed Microbial (DFM) on animal performance (Sullivan and Martin, 1999). Some bacterial direct-fed microbials also seem able to function in the rumen. Depending on the species or combination of species, they can increase digestibility. Modes of action are variable and include native rumen microbiota enhancement through increased substrate breakdown, enhancement of nutrient uptake, stabilising rumen pH and provision of growth factors. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of DFM supplementation on total tract digestibility.

Whole soybean is used as a high energy-protein supplement for dairy cows, but contains various antinutritional factors and the protein is highly degradable by rumen microbes. Roasting and extrusion are very popular ways of feeding soybeans to dairy cows but these processing methods may adversely affect the protein digestibility and lysine availability of the final product in the small intestine. Gamma irradiation has been recognized as a reliable and safe method for improving the nutritional value and inactivation or removal of certain antinutritional factors in foods and feeds (Siddhuraju et al., 2002). As far as we know, information about the effects of γ-irradiation on ruminal crude protein (CP) degradation of full-fat soybean in the literature is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation (γ-irradiation) on nutritional value and antinutritional factors of soybean (SB) for ruminants.

There is about 430000 hectares of pistachio garden in Iran and annual dry pistachio production is 688000 tones. There are some problems with this by-product are including: 1) deterioration in less than 24 hours so it could not stored for long term. 2) Pistachio epicarp contains high level of tannins and other phenolic compounds, and there is little information about its effects in ruminants. 3) This by-product is potentially an environmental pollutant and cost effective for disposal. A study was conducted to investigate possibility of different levels replacement of ensiled pistachio epicarp (EPE) with corn silage and its effects on growth rate and carcass composition of lambs.

Palm date leaves is an agricultural by product with high levels of lignocellulosic materials that limite its bioavailability for microbial and gastrointestinal tract enzymes. It contains more than 40 percent cellulose and 20 percent hemicellulose. The nature of steam treatment was acid hydrolysis which effectively affected cell wall fractions (Castro et al, 1993). Production of palm date leaves in Iran is more than 500,000 ton annually. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of steam pressure and reaction time on chemical composition and bioavailability of palm date leaves to rumen microbes.

The bioavailability of palm date leaves is low because of high levels of lignocellulosic materials in the cell wall. The presence of lignin protects carbohydrates from attack by rumen microbes (De La Cruz,1990). Steam treatment increases feed intake, overall digestibility and live weight gain, because of the extensive destruction of the cell wall (Castro and Macchado,1990). Steam treatment effects have been ascribed to complete hydrolysis of hemicellulose (Grohmann et al., 1985), lignin depolymerization and redistribution within the cell wall (Toussaint et al., 1991). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of steam pressure and reaction time on bioutilisation of palm date leaves.

The purpose of this paper is to present a robust tracking control algorithm for underactuated biped robots capable of self-balancing in the presence of external disturbances. The biped is modeled as a five-link planar robot with four actuators located at hip and knee joints. A sliding mode control law has been developed for the biped to follow a human-like gait trajectory while keeping the torso nearly upright. The control forces are calculated by defining four first-order sliding surfaces as a linear combination of the torso and the four joint tracking errors. The control approach is shown to guarantee that all trajectories will reach and stay on these surfaces during each step, while the walking cycle stability is maintained through a Lyapunov function. The criteria for asymptotic stability of the surfaces are presented and a numerical search method is implemented for the selection of the corresponding surface parameters. The paper further investigates the robustness of the controller in response to disturbances. Numerical simulations demonstrate the tracking stability of the biped's multistep walk and its human-like response to an external disturbance.

The current study evaluated responses of early lactation Iranian Holstein cows to feeding roasted whole soybeans (SB) plus cottonseed meal (CSM), raw SB plus CSM and soybean meal (SBM) plus cottonseed (CS) in diets with lucerne hay and maize silage as the primary forage source. Treatments consisted of a total mixed ration that included 387 g forage/kg, supplemented with: (1) 120 g roasted SB/kg and 82 g CSM/kg, (2) 120 g raw SB/kg and 82 g CSM/kg, or (3) 120 g SBM/kg and 82 g CS/kg on a dry matter (DM) basis. Diets were offered to 14 multiparous Holstein cows (body weight=617·0 kg, days in milk=16·9) that were assigned randomly to one of three experimental diets for a 45-day trial. Dry matter intake (DMI) was significantly higher for the roasted SB plus CSM diet than for the raw SB plus CSM diet but the difference between the SB plus CSM diets and SBM plus CS was not significant. Yields of milk and 35 g fat-corrected milk (FCM)/kg and milk fat were significantly higher for the roasted SB plus CSM diet than for raw SB plus CSM and also for the SB plus CSM diets than for SBM plus CS. Milk protein concentration was significantly increased by about 2·0 g/kg by the SBM plus CS diet, but milk protein yield was the same for cows fed SBM plus CS, roasted SB plus CSM and raw SB plus CSM diets. Rumen ammonia N, plasma urea N (PUN) and milk urea N (MUN) concentrations were lower when the roasted SB plus CSM diet was fed. Ruminal pH and plasma glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were not affected by dietary treatments. Plasma concentrations of essential amino acids (EAA), except Leu and Phe, were higher in cows fed the roasted SB plus CSM diet than in those fed raw SB plus CSM. The cows fed the SBM plus CS diet had the same concentrations of EAA, except Phe, as cows fed SB plus CSM diets. For diets based on lucerne hay and maize silage as the primary forage source, roasting of SB provides additional benefits over raw SB.

Ration particle size has been observed to affect DMI, chewing activity, rumen pH, milk fat and nutrient digestibility (Yang et al., 2001; Grant et al., 1990). Nonforage fiber sources (NFFS) possess a large amount of NDF that can be used as a forage substitute based on their price and availability. Cottonseed hulls (CSH), a by-product of cotton processing, contain a large proportion of NDF and associated lignin, and have been considered a useful NFFS. It was suggested that physical characteristics of dietary forage can interact with nonforage fiber sources (Grant, 1997). The objectives of this study were to determine effects of CSH as nonforage fiber sources and to investigate interaction between CSH as NFFS and alfalfa particle size on Chewing Activity and rumen pH.

Dairy producers use soyhulls, a byproduct of soybean processing, to replace either grain or forage in diets of lactating dairy cows. In view of the nutritional and economical value of soyhulls it is anticipated that this practice will continue to increase in popularity among nutritionists and producers of ruminant animals. According to the NRC (2001), SH contain 60.3% NDF and 44.6% ADF on a DM basis. Also The CP content of SH averaged 11.8%, which is within the range of 13.9± 4.6%. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the in vitro DM and OM digestibility and in situ degradability of DM, CP and NDF contents of soybean hulls.

Whole soybean (SB) is used as a high energy-protein supplement for dairy cows, but the protein is highly degradable by rumen microbes. Various chemical and physical processing has been suggested to decrease ruminal protein degradability, that heat processing is the most commonly used physical method. Modern systems for protein evaluations in ruminants are moving in the direction of predicting absorption of amino acids from the small intestine, so the determination of intestinal digestibility of amino acids is of special importance particularly in heat-treated feedstuffs. The objective of this research was to elucidate the effects of roasting and steep-roasting on ruminal and post-ruminal disappearance of essential and non-essential amino acids (EAA and NEAA) of Iranian SB.

Feed costs account for large part of the total costs in milk production. Thus, dairy producers attempt to minimize the costs of feeding their herds particularly when milk prices are low. By-product feeds such as soybean hulls, In addition to the potential of providing an economical alternative, can be successfully used as a source of fiber in rations for dairy cattle when forages have poor quality or are in short supply (Firkins, 1997; Weidner and Grant, 1994). Alternatively, replacing cereal grains with SH in diets for dairy cows may contribute to elevated intakes of energy while preventing a disruption of rumen functionality (Ipharraguerre et al., 2003). The objectives of this paper are to evaluate effects of soybean hulls in replacement of alfalfa hay, corn silage and wheat bran on performance and total tract apparent nutrients digestibility.