•A new surveillance module for monitoring reproduction performances in dairy herd is proposed.•The surveillance module includes monitoring of insemination and conception rates.•Data are modeled using ...dynamic linear models and results are monitored using control charts.
This application note presents a newly developed surveillance module for monitoring reproduction performances in dairy herds. It is called Critical Control Point and is part of a recently developed management tool, Dairy Management System. This management tool is commercialized as software intended both for farmers, extension officers, breeding advisors and veterinarians. Insemination and conception rates, for cows and heifers, are modeled at the herd level using Dynamic Generalized Linear Models for binomial data. The results are updated and monitored on a weekly basis, using control charts, and alarms are provided when the performances are below target values. Both the number of observed inseminations and pregnancies, and the insemination and pregnancy rates are monitored. The components of the user interface are presented and some comprehensive graphs, accessible to the user, illustrate the herd’s performances over the last 52 weeks.
Effects of seismic ground motion induced by surface geology and geometry are known to be associated with the generation of a substantial proportion of surface waves. As a consequence, surface waves ...significantly contribute to ground-motion variability and site amplification. There is a growing body of literature recognizing that an understanding of physical patterns of the wavefield crossing a site is the key aspect to characterize and quantify them. However, this task remains technically challenging due to the complexity of such effects as well as the limitations of geophysical investigations, especially in case of small sedimentary valleys. The present study attempts to investigate the waves propagating across two two-dimensional dense seismic arrays from a number of earthquakes, and explore the extent to which they are contributing to the multi-dimensional site effects. The arrays were deployed in the small-size, shallow alluvial valley of Koutavos-Argostoli, located in Cephalonia Island, Greece, and consisted of three-component velocimeters with interstation distances ranging from 5 to 160 meters. A set of 46 earthquakes, with magnitudes between 2 and 5 and epicentral distances up to 200 km, was analyzed by using an advanced seismic array processing technique, MUSIQUE. The phase velocity, backazimuth and energy of the dominant waves crossing the array were extracted, and their identification as Love or prograde/retrograde Rayleigh waves was obtained. The results clearly indicate a predominance of scattered surface waves (up to 60 per cent of total energy), mainly from the closest valley edges, above the fundamental frequency (∼1.5 Hz) of the valley. Love waves dominate the low-frequency wavefield (< 3 Hz) while Rayleigh waves dominate some high-frequency bands. An excellent consistency is observed, in a given frequency range, among the dominance of the type of diffracted surface waves, group velocities estimated from the ground velocity structure, and site amplification. The outcomes of this research provide a better understanding of the contribution of edge-diffracted surface waves and the 2D/3D site amplification at small and shallow alluvium valleys like Argostoli. The method applied here can be used to calibrate and validate 3D models for simulating seismic ground motion.
We study multi‐dimensional site effects in the small‐size deep sediment filled basin of Grenoble (French Alps). A very dense array composed of 3‐component seismometers over a 1 km aperture is used to ...investigate propagation parameters of waves propagating across the array. We present results for 6 teleseismic events for which we had a reference rock site. For the frequency range 0.1 to 1 Hz, records are clearly dominated by edge‐generated surface waves. Quantification of energy carried by each identified wave train allows interpreting the difference between site‐to‐bedrock and 1D transfer function estimates in terms of laterally propagating basin‐edge induced waves only above the fundamental resonance frequency of the basin. A simple ratio between site‐to‐bedrock and 1D transfer function curves should thus provide an estimation of the relative contribution of 1D and 2D/3D effects in ground motion on the condition that all the time signal length is taken into account.
Two concentrates (MELK and VEM) with two different carbohydrate compositions were supplemented during milking in an Automatic Milking System (AMS). The objectives of this study were to estimate the ...effect of the concentrates on CH4 emission from dairy cows and to investigate the precision of the CO2-method when measuring in an AMS for different length of time. Holstein cows (n=36) were used with mean body weight of 660kg (SD=75.13) and average milk production of 31.7kg (SD=8.98), mixed parity and mixed lactation. Cows were allocated in two groups (n=18). After an adaptation period (period 1), each group received either 100% MELK (More Energy Lactating Cows; a newly introduced feeding system) or 100% VEM (Feed Value System for milk production) during periods 2 and 3. Besides, both groups were fed the same Total Mixed Ration (TMR) ad libitum in the stable. Air samples in the AMS from a point near the cows head were analysed every 20s using the Gasmet equipment based on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy Technique. The equipment ran continuously for 15 days over the three measurement periods (5 days×3 periods) with a 14 days waiting time in between the periods. Individual records of the CH4 and CO2 concentrations in the cows breath was calculated after subtracting the CH4 and CO2 concentrations in the stable air from the measured concentrations. The CH4:CO2 ratio was then multiplied with the calculated total CO2 production by the individual cows to get the quantitative CH4 production. Milk production and total dry matter intake (DMI, kg/day) were very similar in the two groups. The supplemented concentrate was allocated according to the individual milk yield and the intake ranged from 1.60 to 7.30kg/day in MELK cows and from 2.06 to 7.20kg/day in VEM cows. No significant difference was found for CH4 production in MELK and VEM groups over the three periods. A linear positive relation between the CH4 (g/day) and energy corrected milk (ECM, kg/day) production and the feed intake (DMI, kg/day) was observed for the entire period. The calculated CO2 and CH4 production were very similar in the two groups throughout the entire measurement period. The analysis of the precision of the CO2-method, using a 95% significance level, indicated that showing a difference of 9 or 5% in methane production requires a measuring period of 5 or 15 days, respectively, when using 18 cows per group. The study shows no effect of a limited change in supplementation of starch and sugar on CH4 production through feeding concentrates MELK or VEM in the AMS. To obtain an effect of changing the carbohydrate composition of the diet on the CH4 production, it is likely that a larger change in the diet is necessary. This can only efficiently be done by changing the TMR part of the diet.
•This study focused on CH4 mitigation through starch supplementation in AMS.•Feeding starch through concentrate found to be effective in reduction of CH4 yield.•Cows get limited amount of starch in the AMS because of the shorter milking time.•The allocated amount of starch per cow in the AMS is assumed to be scanty.•Feeding starch through total mixed ration is recommended in CH4 mitigation.
It has been demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally that the Green's function between two receivers can be retrieved from the cross-correlation of isotropic noise records. Since surface ...waves dominate noise records in geophysics, tomographic inversion using noise correlation techniques have been performed from Rayleigh waves so far. However, very few numerical studies implying surface waves have been conducted to confirm the extraction of the true dispersion curves from noise correlation in a complicated soil structure. In this paper, synthetic noise has been generated in a small-scale (<1 km) numerical realistic environment and classical processing techniques are applied to retrieve the phase velocity dispersion curves, first step toward an inversion. We compare results obtained from spatial autocorrelation method (SPAC), high-resolution frequency-wavenumber method (HRFK) and noise correlation slantstack techniques on a 10-sensor array. Two cases are presented in the (1–20 Hz) frequency band that corresponds to an isotropic or a directional noise wavefield. Results show that noise correlation slantstack provides very accurate phase velocity estimates of Rayleigh waves within a wider frequency band than classical techniques and is also suitable for accurately retrieving Love waves dispersion curves.
We study the nature of energy bursts that appeared in the frequency range 3-5 Hz in ambient seismic noise recorded in the Grenoble basin (French Alps) during a seismological array experiment. A close ...agreement is found between the identified azimuths of such noise bursts with the location of an industrial chimney. In-situ measurements of the chimney dynamic characteristics show a coincidence between the frequency of the first harmonic mode of the chimney and the fundamental frequency of a thin surficial layer that overlay the deep sediment fill. The interaction between the chimney and the surficial layer is then numerically simulated using simple impedance models and two soil profiles. Simulations exhibit a satisfactory agreement with observations and suggest that energy bursts result of inertial structure-soil interaction favored by resonance effects between the first harmonic mode of the structure and the fundamental frequency of the topmost layer.PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
The objective of this work is to perform a purely empirical assessment of the actual capabilities of the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratio technique to provide reliable and relevant ...information concerning site conditions and/or site amplification. This objective has been tackled through the homogeneous (re)processing of a large volume of earthquakes and ambient noise data recorded by different research teams in more than 200 sites located mainly in Europe, but also in the Caribbean and in Tehran. The original recordings were first gathered in a specific database with information on both the sites and recorded events. Then, for all sites close to an instrumented reference, average site-to-reference spectral ratios (“spectral ratio method” (SSR)) were derived in a homogeneous way (window selection, smoothing, signal-to-noise ratio threshold, averaging), as well as H/V ratios (“HVSRE–RF”) on earthquake recordings. H/V ratios were also obtained from noise recordings at each site (either specific measurements, or extracted from pre- or post-event noise windows). The spectral curves resulting from these three techniques were estimated reliable for a subset of 104 sites, and were thus compared in terms of fundamental frequency, amplitude and amplification bandwidth, exhibiting agreements and disagreements, for which interpretations are looked for in relation with characteristics of site conditions. The first important result consists in the very good agreement between fundamental frequencies obtained with either technique, observed for 81% of the analyzed sites. A significant part of the disagreements correspond to thick, low frequency, continental sites where natural noise level is often very low and H/V noise ratios do not exhibit any clear peak. The second important result is the absence of correlation between H/V peak amplitude and the actual site amplification measured on site-to-reference spectral ratios. There are, however, two statistically significant results about the amplitude of the H/V curve: the peak amplitude may be considered as a lower bound estimate of the actual amplification indicated by SSR (it is smaller for 79% of the 104 investigated sites), and, from another point of view, the difference in amplitude exhibits a questioning correlation with the geometrical characteristics of the sediment/basement interface: large SSR/HV differences might thus help to detect the existence of significant 2D or 3D effects.
A series of investigations has been carried out over the last decade in Europe aimed at deriving quantitative information on site amplification from non-invasive techniques, based principally on ...surface wave interpretations of ambient noise measurements. The present paper focuses on their key outcomes regarding three main topics. First, methodological, hardware and software developments focusing on the acquisition and the processing of both single point and array microtremor measurements, led to an efficient tool with in situ control and processing, giving rise to robust and reproducible results. A special attention has been devoted to the derivation and use of the Rayleigh wave ellipticity. Second, the reliability of these new tools has been assessed through a thorough comparison with borehole measurements for a representative – though limited – set of sites located in Southern Europe, spanning from stiff to soft, and shallow to thick. Finally, correlations between the site parameters available from such non-invasive techniques, and the actual site amplification factors as measured with standard techniques, are derived from a comprehensive analysis of the Japanese KIKNET data. This allows to propose alternative, simple site characterization providing an improved variance reduction compared with the “classical” VS30 classification. While these results could pave the road for the next generation of building codes, they can also be used now for regulatory site classification and microzonation studies, in view of improved mapping and estimation of site amplification factors, and for the characterization of existing strong motion sites.
L’hystérectomie radicale est le traitement de référence des cancers du col utérin aux stades précoces IA2 à IIA1 mais s’accompagne d’une morbidité non négligeable sur le plan urinaire, digestif et ...sexuel liée à une lésion des fibres nerveuses à destinée viscérale. L’innervation pelvienne est constituée de fibres sympathiques (plexus hypogastrique supérieur PHS, nerfs hypogastriques NH, nerfs sacrés splanchniques NSS) et parasympathiques (nerfs splanchniques pelviens NSP) qui se rejoignent au niveau du plexus hypogastrique inférieur (PHI). Nous décrivons les repères anatomiques permettant d’identifier les nerfs au cours de l’hystérectomie radicale pour cancer du col utérin. Le PHS peut être lésé pendant le curage lombo-aortique et sa préservation impose un abord sur le bord droit de l’aorte et une dissection minutieuse du promontoire. Les lésions des NH surviennent au cours de la résection des ligaments utéro-sacrés et/ou du fascia rectovaginal et, après division du ligament utéro-sacré, seule la partie médiale fibreuse devrait être réséquée. La dissection et la résection du paracervix sont à risque de lésions des NSP et le PHI et leurs préservations nécessitent, d’une part, une attention particulière aux repères anatomiques tels que l’artère rectale moyenne, la veine utérine profonde et l’uretère, et d’autre part, une section sélective des fibres utérines nerveuses. Les branches vésicales peuvent être préservées par une dissection minutieuse du feuillet postérieur du ligament vésico-utérin. Dans la majorité des cas, la préservation nerveuse lors d’une hystérectomie radicale pour cancer du col utérin peut être réalisée sans pour autant compromettre la radicalité de la chirurgie sur le plan carcinologique.
Radical hysterectomy (RH) is an effective treatment for early-stage cervical cancer IA2 to IIA1 but RH is often associated with several significant complications such as urinary, anorectal and sexual dysfunction due to pelvic nerve injuries. Pelvic autonomic nerves including the superior hypogastric plexus (SHP), hypogastric nerves (HN), pelvic splanchnic nerves (PSN), sacral splanchnic nerves (SSN), inferior hypogastric plexus (IHP) and efferent branches of the IHP. We aimed to precise the neuroanatomy of the female pelvis in order to provide key-points of surgical anatomy to improve NSRH for cervical cancer. The SHP could be injured during periaortic lymph node dissection and its preservation necessitates an approach on the right side of the aorta and a blunt dissection of the promontory before lomboaortic lymphadenectomy. Injuries to HN can occur during the resection of USL at the posterior pelvic wall and of rectovaginal ligaments and to preserve HN only the medial fibrous part of the uterosacral ligament should be resected. The middle rectal artery, the deep uterine vein and the ureter should be identified to preserve PSN and IHP during resection of paracervix. Vesical branches can be preserved by blunt dissection of the posterior layer of the vesicouterine ligament after identifying the inferior vesical vein. In most of cases, NSRH for cervical cancer can be performed. Anatomical landmarks as middle rectal artery, deep uterine vein, inferior vesical vein and ureter and the respect of nervous part of uterine ligament and of parametrium provide to surgeon a safe preservation of pelvic innervation without compromising oncological outcomes.
PDF
