Here we present the results of full experimental characterization of broadband cloaking of a finite-sized metallic cylinder at X-band. The cloaking effect is characterized by measuring the bistatic scattering patterns of uncloaked and cloaked objects in free space and then comparing these with each other. The results of the measurements demonstrate a broadband cloaking effect and are in good agreement with numerical predictions.

Simple SummaryTracking of individual animals within large groups is increasingly possible offering an exciting opportunity to researchers. Whereas previously only relatively indistinguishable groups of individual animals could be observed and combined into pen level data, we can now focus on individual actors and track their activities across time and space with minimal intervention and disturbance. We describe several tracking systems that are currently in use for laying hens and review each, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, as well as environments or conditions for which they may be most suited, and relevant issues to fit the best technology for the intended purpose.AbstractTracking individual animals within large groups is increasingly possible, offering an exciting opportunity to researchers. Whereas previously only relatively indistinguishable groups of individual animals could be observed and combined into pen level data, we can now focus on individual actors within these large groups and track their activities across time and space with minimal intervention and disturbance. The development is particularly relevant to the poultry industry as, due to a shift away from battery cages, flock sizes are increasingly becoming larger and environments more complex. Many efforts have been made to track individual bird behavior and activity in large groups using a variety of methodologies with variable success. Of the technologies in use, each has associated benefits and detriments, which can make the approach more or less suitable for certain environments and experiments. Within this article, we have divided several tracking systems that are currently available into two major categories (radio frequency identification and radio signal strength) and review the strengths and weaknesses of each, as well as environments or conditions for which they may be most suitable. We also describe related topics including types of analysis for the data and concerns with selecting focal birds.

We study topological properties of the QCD vacuum on an 8 3 ϫ4 lattice at finite temperature in both phases of QCD. We analyze the distributions of instanton and monopole densities around static color sources and find a suppression of the densities close to external sources. In the confinement phase the suppression occurs in the whole flux tube between a static quark-antiquark pair. We investigate the relation between instantons and Abelian projected monopoles by calculating local correlation functions between topological charge densities and monopole densities. It turns out that topological quantities are correlated over approximately two lattice spacings. The monopole-instanton correlations are rather insensitive under cooling of gauge fields.

Abstract-The cloaking efficiency of a finite-size cylindrical transmission-line cloak operating in the X-band is verified with bistatic free space measurements. The cloak is designed and optimized with numerical full-wave simulations. The reduction of the total scattering width of a metal object, enabled by the cloak, is clearly observed from the bistatic free space measurements. The numerical and experimental results are compared resulting in good agreement with each other.

An efficient feed management is important for a sustainable and economic agricultural production. One of the main points for improving the efficiency is the reduction of feed losses. In the present investigation the dry matter (DM) losses of grass, lucerne and maize silages in farm scaled bunker silos were analysed. The method of determining DM losses was the total-in versus total-out DM mass flow of the silos, including the determination of DM content and other silage parameters via manual sampling. The results taken from 48 silos showed on average for all investigated crops 9–12% of DM losses. Density and feed out rate showed a negative correlation to DM losses in maize silages. According to the applied method for determining DM losses on farm scale, a guideline of 8% can be suggested for maximum DM losses in bunker silos for grass and maize silages. The described method seems to be applicable for improving the feed management by using largely automated measurements on the harvest and feeding side.