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In North America, native lagomoprhs that are habitat specialist are of conservation concern due to loss of habitat and fragmentation, population declines, and their importance in food webs. Moreover, lago-morphs occupying range edges are especially vulnerable to environmental conditions given changes in climate. We evaluated the influence of snow cover on winter mortality for 136 swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) monitored 2009–2016 in southern Illinois, USA. Winter estimates of daily mortality rates were at least five times higher (P=0.03) on snow-covered days ({itx}=0.033, SE = 0.009) than snow-free days ({itx}=0.004, SE = 0.001). Winter estimates of daily mortality rates due to predation were at least twice as high (P=0.08) on snow-covered days ({itx}=0.027, SE = 0.010) than snow-free days ({itx}= 0.003, SE = 0.000). Swamp rabbit mortality was higher on snow-covered days primarily via elevated levels of predation. Snow cover might limit the availability of hiding cover and food resources for swamp rabbits, thereby increasing their movements and vulnerability to predators, especially given their pelage coloration.

Reforestation of bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests has occurred within the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), USA, to support a wide range of ecosystem services, but especially wildlife habitat enhancement. As ecosystem restoration efforts proceed in BLH ecosystems, managers and policymakers are seeking criteria to evaluate wildlife habitat enhancement goals. Specialist wildlife that evolved within forest ecosystems can be sensitive to the composition, structure, and function of an ecosystem in relation to the system's natural or historical range of variation and thereby serve as indicators of habitat quality. The swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) is a specialist species of BLH forests throughout the LMAV and therefore may be an appropriate indicator species for this ecosystem. To address this, we reviewed peer-reviewed literature to evaluate the utility of swamp rabbits as an indicator species according to three commonly-used criteria: habitat factors defining swamp rabbit relationships to BLH forests, the importance of swamp rabbit habitat to other wildlife, and the efficiency of swamp rabbit monitoring. We conclude that the swamp rabbit is a suitable indicator of wildlife habitat quality in BLH ecosystems in the LMAV because they evolved and remain endemic to the ecosystem, use habitat that integrates desirable characteristics that positively influence wildlife biodiversity, and are easy to monitor routinely.

The new generation of gravitational waves detectors require unprecedented levels of isolation from seismic noise. This article reviews the seismic isolation strategy and instrumentation developed for the Advanced LIGO observatories. It summarizes over a decade of research on active inertial isolation and shows the performance recently achieved at the Advanced LIGO observatories. The paper emphasizes the scientific and technical challenges of this endeavor and how they have been addressed. An overview of the isolation strategy is given. It combines multiple layers of passive and active inertial isolation to provide suitable rejection of seismic noise at all frequencies. A detailed presentation of the three active platforms that have been developed is given. They are the hydraulic pre-isolator, the single-stage internal isolator and the two-stage internal isolator. The architecture, instrumentation, control scheme and isolation results are presented for each of the three systems. Results show that the seismic isolation sub-system meets Advanced LIGO's stringent requirements and robustly supports the operation of the two detectors., Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, National Science Foundation (U.S.)

New generations of gravity wave detectors require unprecedented levels of vibration isolation. This paper presents the final design of the vibration isolation and positioning platform used in Advanced LIGO to support the interferometer's core optics. This five-ton two-and-half-m wide system operating in ultra-high vacuum. It features two stages of isolation mounted in series. The stages are imbricated to reduce the overall height. Each stage provides isolation in all directions of translation and rotation. The system is instrumented with a unique combination of low noise relative and inertial sensors. The active control provides isolation from 0.1 Hz to 30 Hz. It brings the platform motion down to 10^(−11) m/√Hz at 1 Hz. Active and passive isolation combine to bring the platform motion below 10^(−12) m/√Hz at 10 Hz. The passive isolation lowers the motion below 10^(−13) m/√Hz at 100 Hz. The paper describes how the platform has been engineered not only to meet the isolation requirements, but also to permit the construction, testing, and commissioning process of the fifteen units needed for Advanced LIGO observatories.

This paper presents the results of the past seven years of experimental investigation and testing done on the two-stage twelve-axis vibration isolation platform for Advanced LIGO gravity waves observatories. This five-ton two-and-half-meter wide system supports more than a 1000 kg of very sensitive equipment. It provides positioning capability and seismic isolation in all directions of translation and rotation. To meet the very stringent requirements of Advanced LIGO, the system must provide more than three orders of magnitude of isolation over a very large bandwidth. It must bring the motion below 10^(−11) m/√Hz at 1 Hz and 10^(−12) m/√Hz at 10 Hz. A prototype of this system has been built in 2006. It has been extensively tested and analyzed during the following two years. This paper shows how the experimental results obtained with the prototype were used to engineer the final design. It highlights how the engineering solutions implemented not only improved the isolation performance but also greatly simplified the assembly, testing, and commissioning process. During the past two years, five units have been constructed, tested, installed and commissioned at each of the two LIGO observatories. Five other units are being built for an upcoming third observatory. The test results presented show that the system meets the motion requirements, and reach the sensor noise in the control bandwidth.

The control bandwidth and performance of active vibration isolation systems are usually directly related to the system dynamic characteristics. In this paper, we present results from a 4 years study carried out to improve the dynamical response and control performance on the two-stage isolator designed for Advanced LIGO detectors. The paper will focus on the platform’s first stage to illustrate prototyping, optimization, final design and the experimental results obtained during this program. The system concept, architecture and prototype will be presented. The factors initially limiting the prototype’s performance will be analyzed. Solutions based on sensors relocation, payload reduction, structural stiffening and passive techniques to damp the residual high frequency flexible modes will be presented. Experimental results obtained with the prototype will be compared with the system’s final version. The series of improvement obtained help not only to increase the system’s bandwidth, robustness and performance but also to simplify and speed up the control commissioning, which is very important for the Advanced LIGO project that will be using 5 of these platforms in each of its 3 detectors.Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Studies have been conducted with young turkey poults to determine the effectiveness of several commercial nutrient preparations for stimulating early growth and reducing poult mortality. A single oral dosage of a complete nutrient solution (Ambex) was effective, especially when poults were held for 12 hours before starting. The addition of several commercial “stress packs” or water soluble zinc bacitracin to the drinking water of poults for the first 14 days was also effective, especially if the commercial preparations contained soluble antibiotics.

SEVERAL by-product protein supplements have been demonstrated to be of value in poultry diets, such as feather meal, poultry by-product meal and more recently cattle and hog hair meal (Moran et al., 1966Moran et al., 1967 a,b; Moran and Summers, 1968 a,b). Hydrolyzed leather meal, a feedstuff produced from tanned leather scraps, offers the possibility of being used to supply part of the protein needs of the chick. This material has been approved for use as a source of protein in swine feeds at levels not to exceed 1% of the diet (Anonymous, 1967). Little experimental data has been reported regarding the feeding value of such a product in chick diets. Wisman and Engel (1961) reported that a tannery by-product meal could be used to replace up to one fourth of the protein supplied by soybean meal in a broiler diet. However, the product used in this report consisted of flesh scrapings…

YEASTS have been used by man for centuries, primarily in the production of alcoholic drinks and making bread. The use of yeasts grown on carbohydrate substrates as an ingredient in the diet of man or animals dates from before the beginning of this century (Llewelyn, 1967). One of the most recent applications of yeast culture for food materials has been the development of yeast cultures which can utilize hydrocarbon fractions as a substrate. Over 100 bacteria, yeast, actinomycetes and fungi are known to grow at the expense of hydrocarbons (Foster, 1962). The utilization of gaseous hydrocarbons by soil microorganisms has been studied as a means of detecting petroleum gas emanations in prospective areas (Davies, 1956). Mixed cultures of yeast have been grown on gas oil (Miller and Johnson, 1966a) and n-paraffins (Miller and Johnson, 1966b). Generation times of 3 to 8 hours with cell yields of 70–90% of substrate…

IN STUDIES conducted to determine the origin of the chick growth stimulating factor, Russo et al. (1960) compared the use of fermented and unfermented corn fermentation solubles and steeped vs. whole corn. Their findings indicated that the origin of the chick growth stimulating component was in the corn grain itself and not due to the fermentation process. Experiments were conducted at this laboratory to evaluate the nutritive value of the DSLC blended product in broiler diets and to determine if it contained any possible unidentified growth factor activity. Dried steep liquor concentrate (DSLC) is a blended feed product of fractions obtained from the wet milling of corn. It contains corn germ meal, corn bran, corn gluten meal, and dried condensed fermented corn extractives, all of which have been previously used in poultry feeds in the past, either separately or in various blends. A typical analysis of the product is shown…

The Council of Regional Networks for Genetic Services (CORN) was created in 1985 to provide a forum for information exchange among groups concerned with public health aspects of genetic services. The newborn screening committee includes representatives from each genetic region of the United States (equally divided among laboratories and administrators) and liaison members from related professional groups. State and regional newborn screening programs across the U.S. vary widely in most aspects of their organization and hence their program outcome. The Newborn Screening Committee of CORN has identified eight specific areas of mutual importance to all programs. These areas include: organization and administration; selection and evaluation of disorders for screening; communication; quality assurance; funding; diagnosis, management, treatment and counseling; program evaluation; and liability. Basic guidelines have been developed in these areas so that U.S. screening programs may begin to achieve uniform consistency in outcome. The guidelines are not intended to judge standard of care, but rather are meant as a framework about which to mold newborn screening programs.