Correlation of yarn feeding to the dimensional and elastic parameters of tubular knitted fabric

The yarn feeding for a loop formation is a critical factor in determining the size and elasticity of highly elastic knitted fabrics. Currently, the prevalent production processes rely on experienced machine operators to set up the optimal feed rate by trial and error. To improve production efficiency and reduce the reliance on the operator’s skill, we attempt to create a structure model of tubular knitted fabric that could correlate the size as well as elasticity of fabric with the loop geometry parameters (wale spacing, course spacing) of the yarn feeding. The experimental tensile test of the elastic fabric verified that the model is able to deduce the yarn feeding parameters from the elasticity and dimensional requirements of the fabric to be knitted. It is also illustrated that the yarn feeding is a key factor in controlling the elasticity of knitted fabrics.

Role of the Proportional Intake of Fortified Mother’s Own Milk in the Weight Gain Pattern of Their Very-Preterm-Born Infants

Breastfeeding has been recommended for preterm infants as the optimal diet from nutritional, gastrointestinal, immunological, and developmental perspectives. However, the relevance of differing intakes of fortified mother’s own milk (MOM) on the growth of their preterm infants is a challenging question because of the potential risk of extrauterine growth impairment, apart from its essential role in the provision of biological and immunological factors, and the reduction of serious morbidities. We aimed to identify the weight gain pattern in very-preterm-born infants with respect to their proportional intake of fortified MOM. The daily and average weight gain, dietary volume, calories, and proportional intake of fortified MOM were studied in a cohort of 84 very-preterm-born infants during the first 2 weeks post initiation of full enteral feeds. Groups 1, 2, and 3 were comprised of infants with a proportional fortified MOM intake of 85% or more, 35% to 84.9%, and 0 to 34.9%, respectively. Data analysis included regression models and a group-based comparison of the number of infants with weight gain that would be considered minimally acceptable for normal intrauterine growth. The infants’ weight gain was not found to be associated with the proportional intake of fortified MOM or other feeding parameters. Overall, the intergroup variability in the proportion of infants with weight gain less than the lower limit of normal fetal growth was insignificant. During the first 2 weeks post initiation of full enteral feeds, the weight gain pattern of the studied very-preterm-born infants was not significantly dependent on the proportional intake of fortified maternal milk.

The impact of AGN feedback on the 1D power spectra from the Ly α forest using the Horizon-AGN suite of simulations

ABSTRACT The Lyman-α forest is a powerful probe for cosmology, but it is also strongly impacted by galaxy evolution and baryonic processes such as active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, which can redistribute mass and energy on large scales. We constrain the signatures of AGN feedback on the 1D power spectrum of the Lyman-α forest using a series of eight hydro-cosmological simulations performed with the adaptive mesh refinement code ramses. This series starts from the Horizon-AGN simulation and varies the subgrid parameters for AGN feeding, feedback, and stochasticity. These simulations cover the whole plausible range of feedback and feeding parameters according to the resulting galaxy properties. AGNs globally suppress the Lyman-α power at all scales. On large scales, the energy injection and ionization dominate over the supply of gas mass from AGN-driven galactic winds, thus suppressing power. On small scales, faster cooling of denser gas mitigates the suppression. This effect increases with decreasing redshift. We provide lower and upper limits of this signature at nine redshifts between z = 4.25 and 2.0, making it possible to account for it at post-processing stage in future work given that running simulations without AGN feedback can save considerable amounts of computing resources. Ignoring AGN feedback in cosmological inference analyses leads to strong biases with 2 per cent shift on σ8 and 1 per cent shift on ns, which represents twice the standards deviation of the current constraints on ns.

Feeding ecology of electric eel Electrophorus varii (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) in the Curiaú River Basin, Eastern Amazon

ABSTRACT In this study, the composition of the diet and the feeding activity of Electrophorus varii were evaluated. The influence of ontogeny and seasonality in these feeding parameters was also examined. Fish were collected in the Curiaú River Basin, Amazon, Brazil, from March 2005 to February 2006, during the rainy (January-June) and dry (July-December) seasons. Diet composition was characterized based on the analysis of stomach contents and feeding dynamics was assessed based on the Stomach Fullness Index (IR) calculated using stomach weight. Stomach content and RI data were grouped into four-cm size classes (40-80, 80-120, 120-160, and 160-200) and two seasonal periods (rainy and dry). The influence of ontogeny and seasonality in the diet was investigated through PERMANOVA, and in the food dynamics through ANOVA. The analysis of stomach contents revealed that fish were the most consumed preys by electric eels, especially Callichthyidae and Cichlidae. Diet composition and RI values of electric eels were not influenced by ontogeny and seasonality. Electric eels are fish predators, regardless of size class and seasonal period.

Continuous Monitoring of Pigs in Fattening Using a Multi-Sensor System: Behavior Patterns

In this work, a complete fattening period (81 days) of a total of 30 Landrace pigs housed in two pens of a nucleus in Villatobas (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) were supervised. The ear skin temperature of each animal was recorded every three minutes. The body weight, the date, the duration, and the amount of feed consumed per animal was monitored via an electronic feeding station. The objective was the identification of animals with different behaviors based on the integration of their thermal and intake patterns. The ear skin temperatures of the animals showed a negative relationship between the mean and the standard deviation (r = 0.83), distinguishing animals with different thermal patterns: individuals with high-temperature values show less thermal variability and vice versa. Feeding parameters showed differences in the feeding strategies of animals, identifying fast-eating animals with a high rate feed intake (60 g/min) and slow eaters (30 g/min). The correlation between the change in the rate of feed intake along with animal growth and feed efficiency reached a significant negative value (−0.57), indicating that animals that do not alter their rate of feed intake along breeding showed higher efficiencies. The difference in temperature of an animal with respect to the averaged group value has allowed us to identify animals with differentiated feeding patterns.