The reliability of genomic evaluations depends on the proportion of genetic variation explained by the DNA markers. In this study, we have estimated the proportion of variance in daughter trait deviations (DTDs) of dairy bulls explained by 45 993 genome wide single-nucleotide poly- morphism (SNP) markers for 29 traits in Australian Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. We compare these proportions to the proportion of variance in DTDs explained by the additive relationship matrix derived from the pedigree, as well as the sum of variance explained by both pedigree and marker information when these were fitted simultaneously. The propor- tion of genetic variance in DTDs relative to the total genetic variance (the total genetic variance explained by the genomic relationships and pedigree relationships when both were fitted simultaneously) varied from 32% for fertility to approximately 80% for milk yield traits. When fitting genomic and pedigree relationships simultaneously, the variance unexplained (i.e. the residual variance) in DTDs of the total variance for most traits was reduced compared to fitting either individually, suggesting that there is not complete overlap between the effects. The proportion of genetic variance accounted by the genomic relationships can be used to modify the blending equations used to calculate genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) from direct genomic breeding value (DGV) and parent average. Our results, from a validation population of young dairy bulls with DTD, suggest that this modification can improve the reliability of GEBV by up to 5%.

We have performed three-dimensional simulations of beam dynamics for transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM) type rf deflectors: normal and superconducting. The compact size of these cavities as compared to the conventional TM110 type structures is more attractive particularly at low frequency. Highly concentrated electromagnetic fields between the parallel bars provide strong electrical stability to the beam for any mechanical disturbance. An array of six 2-cell normal conducting cavities or a single cell superconducting structure is enough to produce the required vertical displacement at the target point. Both the normal and superconducting structures show very small emittance dilution due to the vertical kick of the beam.

Australia is in the process of implementing genomic estimated breeding values for Holstein. Direct genetic values (DGVs) are estimated with BLUP, but an animal specific reliability is calculated separately. Blending is used to combine pedigree, herd recording and genomic information (following Harris and Johnson, 2010). The reference set used to derive the prediction equation consists of 2193 bulls. The addition of genomic information to the parent average leads to an increase in reliability of 20 to 31% for the traits investigated. Once a bull has a first set of daughters, inclusion of genomic information does not greatly alter its BV or reliability. The first release of a limited set of traits is planned for September 2010 followed by an official release for all traits and both sexes in April 2011.

A multi-trait (MT) random regression (RR) test day (TD) model has been developed for genetic evaluation of somatic cell scores for Australian dairy cattle, where first, second and third lactations were considered as three different but correlated traits. The model includes herd-test-day, year-season, age at calving, heterosis and lactation curves modelled with Legendre polynomials as fixed effects, and random genetic and permanent environmental effects modelled with Legendre polynomials. Residual variance varied across the lactation trajectory. The genetic parameters were estimated using asreml. The heritability estimates ranged from 0.05 to 0.16. The genetic correlations between lactations and between test days within lactations were consistent with most of the published results. Preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm with iteration on data was implemented for solving the system of equations. For reliability approximation, the method of Tier and Meyer was used. The genetic evaluation system was validated with Interbull validation method III by comparing proofs from a complete evaluation with those from an evaluation based on a data set excluding the most recent 4 years. The genetic trend estimate was in the allowed range and correlations between the two sets of proofs were very high. Additionally, the RR model was compared to the previous test day model. The correlations of proofs between both models were high (0.97) for bulls with high reliabilities. The correlations of bulls decreased with increasing incompleteness of daughter performance information. The correlations between the breeding values from two consecutive runs were high ranging from 0.97 to 0.99. The MT RR TD model was able to make effective use of available information on young bulls and cows, and could offer an opportunity to breeders to utilize estimated breeding values for first and later lactations.

The G4beamline program [1] is a useful and steadily improving tool to quickly and easily model beamlines and experimental equipment without user programming. As it is based on the Geant4 toolkit [2], G4beamline includes most of what is known about the interactions of particles and matter, including time-varying electromagnetic fields. We are continuing the development of G4beamline to extend its domain to include detector systems. G4beamline is open source and is freely available at http://g4beamline.muonsinc.com.

Robert Abrams1, Mohammad Alsharo’a1, Charles Ankenbrandt1, Emanuela Barzi2, Kevin Beard1, Alex Bogacz3, Daniel Broemmelsiek2, Yu-Chiu Chao3, Mary Anne Cummings1, Yaroslav Derbenev3, Henry Frisch4, Ivan Gonin2, Gail Hanson5, David Hedin, Martin Hu2, Rolland Johnson1, Stephen Kahn1, Daniel Kaplan6, Vladimir Kashikhin2, Moyses Kuchnir1, Michael Lamm2, Valeri Lebedev2, David Neuffer2, Milord Popovic2, Robert Rimmer3, Thomas Roberts1, Richard Sah1, Linda Spentzouris6, Alvin Tollestrup2, Daniele Turrioni2, Victor Yarba2, Katsuya Yonehara2, Cary Yoshikawa2, Alexander Zlobin2

G4beamline, a program that is an interface to the Geant4 toolkit that we have developed to simulate accelerator beamlines, is being extended with a graphical user interface to quickly and efficiently model experimental equipment and its shielding in experimental halls. The program is flexible, user friendly, and requires no programming by users, so that even complex systems can be simulated quickly. This improved user interface is of much wider application than just the shielding simulations that are the focus of this project. As an initial application, G4beamline is being extended to provide the simulations that are needed to determine the radiation sources for the proposed experiments at Jefferson Laboratory so that shielding issues can be evaluated. Since the program already has the capabilities needed to simulate the transport of all known particles, including scattering, attenuation, interactions, and decays, the extension involves implementing a user-friendly graphical user inter

Summary and Conclusions a continuous homogeneous absorber is a technical breakthrough in the technology f muon beam cooling. The extension of this idea to a HCC with z-dependent magnet strengths eam ters, emonstration of 6D cooling in an HCC on a timescale comparable to that of ICE, so that the HCC performance can then be determined in a collaborative effort with MICE h llaboration to ensure that compatibility etween these two applications of the MICE beam line and spectrometers is maintained. Since is to Fermilab’s advantage to design and build a HCC and carry out the experiment as soon as References The HCC with orepresents another technical breakthrough. The experimental verification of 6D muon bcooling is an essential step in the progress of accelerator science. If a 6DMANX cooling section can be designed that is compatible with the MICE spectromesynthesizing the MICE and 6DMANX experiments will be an extraordinary win-win opportunity. The MICE collaboration is making good progress towards a complete demonstration of transverse ionization cooling by about the year 2010. Our goal is to build the necessary equipment for a dMusing the MICE muon beamline and spectrometers. The 6D cooling measurements made witthe HCC will thus extend and complement the transverse cooling that will already have been demonstrated. In such a synergistic scenario, each collaboration will benefit from the added energy of the other. We intend to work with the MICE cobthe expected cooling factor from the prototype HCC is large, a test at Fermilab with simpler apparatus may also be practical; we intend to simulate such a test to learn what the likely constraints will be. Itpossible. A plan for muon colliders using ILC accelerating structures that would fit on the Fermilab site, first as a Higgs factory and then as an energy frontier muon collider, is an attractive way for Fermilab and its high energy physics community to have a long and healthyfuture. [1N w.muonsinc.com/ rts/LinacFras pdf ] M. Popovic and R. P. Johnson, Muon Acceleration in a Superconducting Proton Linac, ufact05, http://ww repo cati. [2 J. acLachlan ceedings of LINAC 2002, Gyeongju, Korea ] R. P. Johnson and Y. Derbenev, Technical Challenges of Muon Colliders, NuFact05 ttp://www.muonsinc.com/reports/NUFACT05-Johnson.pdf] G. W. Foster and A. M , Pro[3h [4] Y. Derbenev and R. P. Johnson (Phys. Rev. Special Topics Accel. and Beams 8, 041002 (2005)) http://www.muonsinc.com/reports/PRSTAB-HCCtheory.pdf [5] K. Yonehara, et al., PAC05 http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/p05/PAPERS/TPPP052.PDF [6] P. Hanlet et al., EPAC06 preprint, attached as Appendix II.

A helical cooling channel (HCC) has been proposed to quickly reduce the six-dimensional phase space of muon beams for muon colliders, neutrino factories, and intense muon sources. Simulation studies of the HCC have already verified the use of a channel with solenoidal, and helical magnetic fields of constant amplitude where, by moving to a rotating frame, a z or time-independent Hamiltonian can be obtained for detailed analytic treatment. In the discussion below, the HCC concept has been extended to have momentum-dependent magnetic field strengths for a six-dimensional Muon collider And Neutrino factory muon beam cooling demonstration eXperiment (MANX). The simulation studies reported here for this experiment have shown that liquid helium can be used as an energy absorber and coolant for superconducting magnetic coils and that the HCC parameters can be varied to reduce the maximum required field magnitudes. These developments make the experiment more practical in that safety requirements are relaxed and the required fields can be achieved with existing technology.

This paper reports two of the short and longer term outcomes of dystocia for the cow. Calving interval (a measure of cow fertility) may be increased by up to 42 days following a difficult calving. Cow survival may also be reduced, though farmers rarely identify a difficult calving as a cause of a culling or death of a cow more than a month after calving. We investigated the varying culling rates for cows following differing degrees of calving difficulty, particularly cows culled soon after calving, or later than 21 days after calving. Any degree of calving difficulty reduces cow survival and fertility, depending on the severity of dystocia.

INTRODUCTION The ability to move semen, embryos or live animals between countries provides the opportunity to select breeding stock from an international gene pool. This opportunity is already being utilised in Holstein cattle and will increasingly be utilised by other breeds and species in the future. The advantage of access to a wider range of genotypes must be compared with the disadvantages of higher cost, reduced suitability to local requirements and reduced effective population size of the breed internationally. The aim of this paper is to consider the criteria that should be used in selecting animals for importation and the way in which these animals should be used in the importing country.