Space allowances for confined livestock and their determination from allometric principles

The amount of space provided to animals governs important elements of their behaviour and, hence, is critical for their health and welfare. We review the use of allometric principles and equations to estimate the static space requirements of animals when standing and lying, and the space required for animals to feed, drink, stand-up and lie-down. We use the research literature relating to transportation and intensive housing of sheep and cattle to assess the validity of allometric equations for estimating space allowances. We investigated these areas because transportation and intensive housing provide points along a continuum in terms of the duration of confinement, (from hours to months) and spatial requirements are likely to increase with increasing duration of confinement, as animals will need to perform a greater behavioural repertoire for long-term survival, health and welfare. We find that, although there are theoretical reasons why allometric relationships to space allowances may vary slightly for different classes of stock, space allowances that have been demonstrated to have adverse effects on animal welfare during transportation correlated well with an inability to accommodate standing animals, as estimated from allometry. For intensive housing, we were able to detect a space allowance below which there were adverse effects on welfare. For short duration transportation during which animals remain standing, a space allowance per animal described by the allometric equation: area (m^2) = 0.020W^0.66, where W = liveweight (kg), would appear to be appropriate. Where it is desirable for all animals to lie simultaneously, then a minimum space allowance per animal described by the allometric equation: area (m^2) = 0.027W^0.66 appears to permit this, given that animals in a group time-share space. However, there are insufficient data to determine whether this allowance onboard a vehicle/vessel would enable animals to move and access food and water with ease. In intensive housing systems, a minimum space allowance per animal described by the allometric equation: area (m^2) = 0.033W^0.66 appears to be the threshold below which there are adverse effects on welfare. These suggested space allowances require verification with a range of species under different thermal conditions and, for transportation, under different conditions of vehicular/vessel stability. The minimum length of trough per animal (L in m) required for feeding and drinking can be determined from L = 0.064W^0.33, with the number of animals required to feed/drink simultaneously taken into account, together with any requirement to minimise competition. This also requires verification with a range of species. We conclude that allometric relationships are an appropriate basis for the formulation of space allowances for livestock.

Space-Time Codes Achieving the DMD Tradeoff of the MIMO-ARQ Channel

For the quasi-static, Rayleigh-fading multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel with n(t) transmit and n(r) receive antennas, Zheng and Tse showed that there exists a fundamental tradeoff between diversity and spatial-multiplexing gains, referred to as the diversity-multiplexing gain (D-MG) tradeoff. Subsequently, El Gamal, Caire, and Damen considered signaling across the same channel using an L-round automatic retransmission request (ARQ) protocol that assumes the presence of a noiseless feedback channel capable of conveying one bit of information per use of the feedback channel. They showed that given a fixed number L of ARQ rounds and no power control, there is a tradeoff between diversity and multiplexing gains, termed the diversity-multiplexing-delay (DMD) tradeoff. This tradeoff indicates that the diversity gain under the ARQ scheme for a particular information rate is considerably larger than that obtainable in the absence of feedback. In this paper, a set of sufficient conditions under which a space-time (ST) code will achieve the DMD tradeoff is presented. This is followed by two classes of explicit constructions of ST codes which meet these conditions. Constructions belonging to the first class achieve minimum delay and apply to a broad class of fading channels whenever n(r) >= n(t) and either L/n(t) or n(t)kslashL. The second class of constructions do not achieve minimum delay, but do achieve the DMD tradeoff of the fading channel for all statistical descriptions of the channel and for all values of the parameters n(r,) n(t,) L.

A Pulsewidth Modulated Control of Induction Motor Drive Using Multilevel 12-Sided Polygonal Voltage Space Vectors

In this paper, a novel 12-sided polygonal space vector structure is proposed for an induction motor drive. The space vector pattern presented in this paper consists of two 12-sided concentric polygons with the outer polygon having a radius double the inner one. As compared to previously reported 12-sided polygonal space vector structures, this paper subdivides the space vector plane into smaller sized triangles. This helps in reducing the switching frequency of the inverters without deteriorating the output voltage quality. It also reduces the device ratings and dv/dt stress on the devices to half. At the same time, other benefits obtained from the existing 12-sided space vector structure, such as increased linear modulation range and complete elimination of 5th and 7th order harmonics in the phase voltage, are also retained in this paper. The space vector structure is realized by feeding an open-end induction motor with two conventional three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) inverters with asymmetric isolated dc link voltage sources. The neutral point voltage fluctuations in the three-level NPC inverters are eliminated by utilizing the switching state multiplicities for a space vector point. The pulsewidth modulation timings are calculated using sampled reference waveform amplitudes and are explained in detail in this paper. Experimental verification on a laboratory prototype shows that this configuration may be considered suitable for high power drives.

Teacher Education, School Effectiveness and Improvement : A Study of Academic and Professional Qualification on Teachers' Job Effectiveness in Nigerian Secondary Schools

This academic work begins with a compact presentation of the general background to the study, which also includes an autobiography for the interest in this research. The presentation provides readers who know little of the topic of this research and of the structure of the educational system as well as of the value given to education in Nigeria. It further concentrates on the dynamic interplay of the effect of academic and professional qualification and teachers' job effectiveness in secondary schools in Nigeria in particular, and in Africa in general. The aim of this study is to produce a systematic analysis and rich theoretical and empirical description of teachers' teaching competencies. The theoretical part comprises a comprehensive literature review that focuses on research conducted in the areas of academic and professional qualification and teachers' job effectiveness, teaching competencies, and the role of teacher education with particular emphasis on school effectiveness and improvement. This research benefits greatly from the functionalist conception of education, which is built upon two emphases: the application of the scientific method to the objective social world, and the use of an analogy between the individual 'organism' and 'society'. To this end, it offers us an opportunity to define terms systematically and to view problems as always being interrelated with other components of society. The empirical part involves describing and interpreting what educational objectives can be achieved with the help of teachers' teaching competencies in close connection to educational planning, teacher training and development, and achieving them without waste. The data used in this study were collected between 2002 and 2003 from teachers, principals, supervisors of education from the Ministry of Education and Post Primary Schools Board in the Rivers State of Nigeria (N=300). The data were collected from interviews, documents, observation, and questionnaires and were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods to strengthen the validity of the findings. The data collected were analyzed to answer the specific research questions and hypotheses posited in this study. The data analysis involved the use of multiple statistical procedures: Percentages Mean Point Value, T-test of Significance, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Cross Tabulation. The results obtained from the data analysis show that teachers require professional knowledge and professional teaching skills, as well as a broad base of general knowledge (e.g., morality, service, cultural capital, institutional survey). Above all, in order to carry out instructional processes effectively, teachers should be both academically and professionally trained. This study revealed that teachers are not however expected to have an extraordinary memory, but rather looked upon as persons capable of thinking in the right direction. This study may provide a solution to the problem of teacher education and school effectiveness in Nigeria. For this reason, I offer this treatise to anyone seriously committed in improving schools in developing countries in general and in Nigeria in particular to improve the lives of all its citizens. In particular, I write this to encourage educational planners, education policy makers, curriculum developers, principals, teachers, and students of education interested in empirical information and methods to conceptualize the issue this study has raised and to provide them with useful suggestions to help them improve secondary schooling in Nigeria. Though, multiple audiences exist for any text. For this reason, I trust that the academic community will find this piece of work a useful addition to the existing literature on school effectiveness and school improvement. Through integrating concepts from a number of disciplines, I aim to describe as holistic a representation as space could allow of the components of school effectiveness and quality improvement. A new perspective on teachers' professional competencies, which not only take into consideration the unique characteristics of the variables used in this study, but also recommend their environmental and cultural derivation. In addition, researchers should focus their attention on the ways in which both professional and non-professional teachers construct and apply their methodological competencies, such as their grouping procedures and behaviors to the schooling of students. Keywords: Professional Training, Academic Training, Professionally Qualified, Academically Qualified, Professional Qualification, Academic Qualification, Job Effectiveness, Job Efficiency, Educational Planning, Teacher Training and Development, Nigeria.

Lost in space: The place of the architectural milieu in the aetiology and treatment of schizophrenia

Purpose – Psychological and epidemiological literature suggests that the built environment plays both causal and therapeutic roles in schizophrenia, but what are the implications for designers? The purpose of this paper is to focus on the role the built environment plays in psycho‐environmental dynamics, in order that negative effects can be avoided and beneficial effects emphasised in architectural design. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a translational exploration of the dynamics between the built environment and psychotic illness, using primary research from disciplines as diverse as epidemiology, neurology and psychology. Findings – The built environment is conceived as being both an agonist and as an antagonist for the underlying processes that present as psychosis. The built environment is implicated through several means, through the opportunities it provides. These may be physical, narrative, emotional, hedonic or personal. Some opportunities may be negative, and others positive. The built environment is also an important source of unexpected aesthetic stimulation, yet in psychotic illnesses, aesthetic sensibilities characteristically suffer from deterioration. Research limitations/implications – The findings presented are based on research that is largely translated from very different fields of enquiry. Whilst findings are cogent and logical, much of the support is correlational rather than empirical. Social implications – The WHO claims that schizophrenia destroys 24 million lives worldwide, with an exponential effect on human and financial capital. Because evidence implicates the built environment, architectural and urban designers may have a role to play in reducing the human costs wrought by the illness. Originality/value – Never before has architecture been so explicitly implicated as a cause of mental illness. This paper was presented to the Symposium of Mental Health Facility Design, and is essential reading for anyone involved in designing for improved mental health.

Reflective perspectives: Negotiations at and within the borders of cultural difference: A post-qualitative inquiry of cultural hybridity within third space enunciations

This research explores the in-between space of intercultural collaboration between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples in Australia. Using critical and third space theories and a post-qualitative inquiry, I examine negotiations of cultural difference through articulated moments of intercultural collaboration in order to inform intercultural pedagogical practices. This research also explores how ideology, imbued through discourse, has the power to enforce or challenge cultural and social domination. This in turn creates cultural hegemony, a process whereby a particular social and cultural group has the power to influence the thoughts, expectations and behaviours of a particular society.

Continuation of limit cycles near saddle homoclinic points using splines in phase space

We present a new algorithm for continuation of limit cycles of autonomous systems as a system parameter is varied. The algorithm works in phase space with an ordered set of points on the limit cycle, along with spline interpolation. Currently popular algorithms in bifurcation analysis packages compute time-domain approximations of limit cycles using either shooting or collocation. The present approach seems useful for continuation near saddle homoclinic points, where it encounters a corner while time-domain methods essentially encounter a discontinuity (a relatively short period of rapid variation). Other phase space-based algorithms use rescaled arclength in place of time, but subsequently resemble the time-domain methods. Compared to these, we introduce additional freedom through a variable stretching of arclength based on local curvature, through the use of an auxiliary index-based variable. Several numerical examples are presented. Comparisons with results from the popular package, MATCONT, are favorable close to saddle homoclinic points.

Water use studies and implications for management of subtropical C4 turfgrasses in dryland and irrigated urban open space

A 2000-03 study to improve irrigation efficiency of grassed urban public areas in northern Australia found it would be difficult to grow most species in dry areas without supplementary watering. Sporoboulus virginicus and sand couch, Zoysia macrantha, were relatively drought-tolerant. Managers of sporting fields, parks and gardens could more than halve their current water use by irrigating over a long cycle, irrigating according to seasonal conditions and using grasses with low water use and sound soil management practices that encourage deep rooting. The use of effluent water provides irrigation and fertiliser cost savings and reduced nitrogen and phosphorus discharge to local waterways. Projected savings are $8000/ha/year in water costs for a typical sporting field.

Characterization of the mitochondrial active-site serine protein LACTB: filaments in the mitochondrial intermembrane space

Mitochondria have evolved from endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacteria. During the endosymbiotic process early eukaryotes dumped the major component of the bacterial cell wall, the peptidoglycan layer. Peptidoglycan is synthesized and maintained by active-site serine enzymes belonging to the penicillin-binding protein and the β-lactamase superfamily. Mammals harbor a protein named LACTB that shares sequence similarity with bacterial penicillin-binding proteins and β-lactamases. Since eukaryotes lack the synthesis machinery for peptidoglycan, the physiological role of LACTB is intriguing. Recently, LACTB has been validated in vivo to be causative for obesity, suggesting that LACTB is implicated in metabolic processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogeny, structure, biochemistry and cell biology of LACTB in order to elucidate its physiological function. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that LACTB has evolved from penicillin binding-proteins present in the bacterial periplasmic space. A structural model of LACTB indicates that LACTB shares characteristic features common to all penicillin-binding proteins and β-lactamases. Recombinat LACTB protein expressed in E. coli was recovered in significant quantities. Biochemical and cell biology studies showed that LACTB is a soluble protein localized in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Further analysis showed that LACTB preprotein underwent proteolytic processing disclosing an N-terminal tetrapeptide motif also found in a set of cell death-inducing proteins. Electron microscopy structural studies revealed that LACTB can polymerize to form stable filaments with lengths ranging from twenty to several hundred nanometers. These data suggest that LACTB filaments define a distinct microdomain in the intermembrane space. A possible role of LACTB filaments is proposed in the intramitochondrial membrane organization and microcompartmentation. The implications of these findings offer novel insight into the evolution of mitochondria. Further studies of the LACTB function might provide a tool to treat mitochondria-related metabolic diseases.

Meaning of public space and sense of community: The case of new neighbourhoods in the Kathmandu Valley

This paper examines the meaning of public space and sense of community among neighbourhood residents in the changing urban context of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. Two new neighbourhoods were selected for the purpose of this study with data collected from interviews with the residents. The study has found that most residents of the new neighbourhoods have an understanding of the significance of public space in community life. However, such understandings are based less on the actual use of public space. The existing public spaces in these neighbourhoods are less successful in offering a meaning to the residents, due to their poor development and the lack of active use. Despite these changes, some residents believe they have developed a sense of community, which is an outcome of other individual factors than the use of public space. It is argued that the role of contemporary neighbourhood public space in fostering a sense of community appears to be less significant in the valley’s present context.

Finite-amplitude love-waves on an isotropic layered half-space

A pair of semi-linear hyperbolic partial differential equations governing the slow variations in amplitude and phase of a quasi-monochromatic finite-amplitude Love-wave on an isotropic layered half-space is derived using the method of multiple-scales. The analysis of the exact solution of these equations for a signalling problem reveals that the amplitude of the wave remains constant along its characteristic and that the phase of the wave increases linearly behind the wave-front.

Molecular structure of a cyclic tetrapeptide disulfide. A novel 310 helical conformation with an S-S bridge

The crystal structure of the cyclic peptide disulfide Boc-Cys-Pro-Aib-Cys-NHMe has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The peptide crystallizes in the space group P212121, with A = 8.646(1), B = 18.462(2), C = 19.678(3)Å and Z = 4. The molecules adopt a highly folded compact conformation, stabilized by two intramolecular 4→ 1 hydrogen bonds between the Cys (1) and Pro (2) CO groups and the Cys (4) and methylamide NH groups, respectively. The backbone conformational angles for the peptide lie very close to those expected for a 310 helix. The S-S bridge adopts a right handed twist with a dihedral angle of 82°. The structure illustrates the role of stereochemically constrained residues, in generating novel peptide conformations. Aib, α-aminoisobutyric acid; Z, benzyloxycarbonyl; Boc, t-butyloxycarbonyl; OMe, methyl ester; OBz, benzyl ester; NHMe, N-methylamide; Tosyl, p-toluenesulfonyl.

Dynamic Space Warping Of Strokes For Recognition Of Online Handwritten Characters

This paper suggests a scheme for classifying online handwritten characters, based on dynamic space warping of strokes within the characters. A method for segmenting components into strokes using velocity profiles is proposed. Each stroke is a simple arbitrary shape and is encoded using three attributes. Correspondence between various strokes is established using Dynamic Space Warping. A distance measure which reliably differentiates between two corresponding simple shapes (strokes) has been formulated thus obtaining a perceptual distance measure between any two characters. Tests indicate an accuracy of over 85% on two different datasets of characters.

Searching for common threads in threadfins: phylogeography of Australian polynemids in space and time

Proper management of marine fisheries requires an understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of marine populations, which can be obtained from genetic data. While numerous fisheries species have been surveyed for spatial genetic patterns, temporally sampled genetic data is not available for many species. We present a phylogeographic survey of the king threadfin Polydactylus macrochir across its species range in northern Australia and at a temporal scale of 1 and 10 yr. Spatially, the overall AMOVA fixation index was Omega(st) = 0.306 (F-st' = 0.838), p < 0.0001 and isolation by distance was strong and significant (r(2) = 0.45, p < 0.001). Temporally, genetic patterns were stable at a time scale of 10 yr. However, this did not hold true for samples from the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria, where populations showed a greater degree of temporal instability and lacked spatial genetic structure. Temporal but not spatial genetic structure in the Gulf indicates demographic interdependence but also indicates that fishing pressure may be high in this area. Generally, genetic patterns were similar to another co-distributed threadfin species Eleutheronema tetradactylum, which is ecologically similar. However, the historical demography of both species, evaluated herein, differed, with populations of P. macrochir being much younger. The data are consistent with an acute population bottleneck at the last glacio-eustatic low in sea level and indicate that the king threadfin may be sensitive to habitat disturbances.