912 research outputs found
Combining a ractopamine feeding regime and porcine somatotropin has additive effects on finisher pig performance
Treatment of finisher pigs with dietary ractopamine (RAC; Paylean®, Elanco Animal Health, NSW) improves daily gain and feed efficiency commensurate with increased protein deposition in finishing pigs (Dunshea et al., 1993). However, effects of RAC on P2 fat deposition are equivocal. Dunshea et al. (1993) found no change in gilts and barrows, whilst a trend towards reduced P2 depth was observed in boars fed dietary RAC. Exogenous porcine somatotropin (pST; Reporcin®, OzBioPharm Pty Ltd, Victoria) improves daily gain and feed efficiency and increases the ratio oflean to fat in carcases of boars, gilts and barrows (Campbell et al., 1989). As both technologies are applied at the end of the finishing phase, it is of interest to determine whether a combination of RAC and pST has additive effects on pig performance
Ensemble Inequivalence in Mean-field Models of Magnetism
Mean-field models, while they can be cast into an {\it extensive}
thermodynamic formalism, are inherently {\it non additive}. This is the basic
feature which leads to {\it ensemble inequivalence} in these models. In this
paper we study the global phase diagram of the infinite range
Blume-Emery-Griffiths model both in the {\it canonical} and in the {\it
microcanonical} ensembles. The microcanonical solution is obtained both by
direct state counting and by the application of large deviation theory. The
canonical phase diagram has first order and continuous transition lines
separated by a tricritical point. We find that below the tricritical point,
when the canonical transition is first order, the phase diagrams of the two
ensembles disagree. In this region the microcanonical ensemble exhibits energy
ranges with negative specific heat and temperature jumps at transition
energies. These two features are discussed in a general context and the
appropriate Maxwell constructions are introduced. Some preliminary extensions
of these results to weakly decaying nonintegrable interactions are presented.Comment: Chapter of the forthcoming "Lecture Notes in Physics" volume:
``Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Systems with Long Range Interactions'', T.
Dauxois, S. Ruffo, E. Arimondo, M. Wilkens Eds., Lecture Notes in Physics
Vol. 602, Springer (2002). (see http://link.springer.de/series/lnpp/
National-scale analysis of low flow frequency: historical trends and potential future changes
The potential impact of climate change on hydrological extremes is of increasing concern across the globe. Here, a national-scale grid-based hydrological model is used to investigate historical trends and potential future changes in low flow frequency across Great Britain. The historical analyses use both observational data (1891–2015) and ensemble data from a regional climate model (1900–2006). The results show relatively few significant trends in historical low flows (2- or 20-year return period), whether based on 7- or 30-day annual minima. Significant negative trends seen in some limited parts of the country when using observational data are generally not seen when using climate model data. The future analyses use climate model ensemble data for both near future and far future time periods (2020–2049 and 2070–2099 respectively), which are compared to a baseline sub-period from the historical ensemble (1975–2004). The results show future reductions in low flows, which are generally larger in the south of the country, at the higher (20-year) return period, and for the later time period. Reductions are more limited if the estimates of future potential evaporation include the effect of increased carbon dioxide concentrations on stomatal resistance. Such reductions in river flow could have significant impacts on the aquatic environment and on agriculture, and present a challenge for water managers, especially as reductions in water supply are likely to occur alongside increases in demand
Increasing ractopamine levels in finisher pig diets improves growth performance in light, medium and heavy boars
The objective of this study was to determine the dose response to RAC in light, medium and heavy-weight boars
In-situ tryptophan-like fluorescence: a real-time indicator of faecal contamination in drinking water supplies
Enteric pathogens are typically inferred from the presence of surrogate indicator organisms such as thermo-tolerant (faecal) coliforms (TTCs). The analysis of TTCs requires time-consuming incubation in suitable laboratories, which can limit sampling resolution, particularly during critical pollution events. Here, we demonstrate the use of in-situ fluorimeters targeting tryptophan-like compounds as a rapid,
reagentless indicator of TTCs in groundwater-derived potable water supplies in Africa. A range of other common indicators of TTCs were also determined including nitrate, turbidity, and sanitary risk survey scores. Sampling was conducted during both the dry and wet seasons to investigate seasonality. Tryptophan-like fluorescence was the most effective predictor of both presence/absence and number of TTCs during both seasons. Seasonal changes in tryptophan-like fluorescence in deeper supplies suggest it
is transported more efficiently through the aquifer than TTCs. Moreover, the perennial elevated concentrations in some wells suggest it is more resilient than TTCs in groundwater. Therefore tryptophan-like fluorescence could also be a better indicator of some smaller, more easily transported, and long-lived, pathogenic enteric viruses. These sensors have the potential to be included in real-time pollutionalert systems for drinking water supplies throughout the world, as well as for mapping enteric
pathogen risks in developing regions
Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance Australian Staphylococcus aureus Sepsis Outcome Programme annual report, 2014
From 1 January to 31 December 2014, 27 institutions around Australia participated in the Australian Staphylococcal Sepsis Outcome Programme (ASSOP). The aim of ASSOP 2014 was to determine the proportion of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) isolates in Australia that are antimicrobial resistant, with particular emphasis on susceptibility to methicillin and to characterise the molecular epidemiology of the isolates. Overall, 18.8% of the 2,206 SAB episodes were methicillin resistant, which was significantly higher than that reported in most European countries. The 30-day all-cause mortality associated with methicillin-resistant SAB was 23.4%, which was significantly higher than the 14.4% mortality associated with methicillin-sensitive SAB (P <0.0001). With the exception of the beta-lactams and erythromycin, antimicrobial resistance in methicillin-sensitive S. aureus remains rare. However in addition to the beta-lactams, approximately 50‰ of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were resistant to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin and approximately 15% were resistant to co-trimoxazole, tetracycline and gentamicin. When applying the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing breakpoints, teicoplanin resistance was detected in 2 S. aureus isolates. Resistance was not detected for vancomycin or linezolid. Resistance to non-beta-lactam antimicrobials was largely attributable to 2 healthcare-associated MRSA clones; ST22-IV [2B] (EMRSA-15) and ST239-III [3A] (Aus-2/3 EMRSA). ST22-IV [2B] (EMRSA-15) has become the predominant healthcare associated clone in Australia. Sixty per cent of methicillin-resistant SAB were due to community-associated (CA) clones. Although polyclonal, almost 44% of community-associated clones were characterised as ST93-IV [2B] (Queensland CA-MRSA) and ST1-IV [2B] (WA1). CA-MRSA, in particular the ST45-V [5C2&5] (WA84) clone, has acquired multiple antimicrobial resistance determinants including ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, clindamycin, gentamicin and tetracycline. As CA-MRSA is well established in the Australian community it is important that antimicrobial resistance patterns in community and healthcare-associated SAB is monitored as this information will guide therapeutic practices in treating S. aureus sepsis
3D-HST+CANDELS : the evolution of the galaxy size-mass distribution since z=3
Spectroscopic+photometric redshifts, stellar mass estimates, and rest-frame colors from the 3D-HST survey are combined with structural parameter measurements from CANDELS imaging to determine the galaxy size-mass distribution over the redshift range 0 < z < 3. Separating early- and late-type galaxies on the basis of star-formation activity, we confirm that early-type galaxies are on average smaller than late-type galaxies at all redshifts, and we find a significantly different rate of average size evolution at fixed galaxy mass, with fast evolution for the early-type population, R eff∝(1 + z)–1.48, and moderate evolution for the late-type population, R eff∝(1 + z)-0.75Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
Lectures on the functional renormalization group method
These introductory notes are about functional renormalization group equations
and some of their applications. It is emphasised that the applicability of this
method extends well beyond critical systems, it actually provides us a general
purpose algorithm to solve strongly coupled quantum field theories. The
renormalization group equation of F. Wegner and A. Houghton is shown to resum
the loop-expansion. Another version, due to J. Polchinski, is obtained by the
method of collective coordinates and can be used for the resummation of the
perturbation series. The genuinely non-perturbative evolution equation is
obtained in a manner reminiscent of the Schwinger-Dyson equations. Two variants
of this scheme are presented where the scale which determines the order of the
successive elimination of the modes is extracted from external and internal
spaces. The renormalization of composite operators is discussed briefly as an
alternative way to arrive at the renormalization group equation. The scaling
laws and fixed points are considered from local and global points of view.
Instability induced renormalization and new scaling laws are shown to occur in
the symmetry broken phase of the scalar theory. The flattening of the effective
potential of a compact variable is demonstrated in case of the sine-Gordon
model. Finally, a manifestly gauge invariant evolution equation is given for
QED.Comment: 47 pages, 11 figures, final versio
Environmental monitoring : phase 5 final report (April 2019 - March 2020)
This report presents the results and interpretation for Phase 5 of an integrated environmental
monitoring programme that is being undertaken around two proposed shale gas sites in England –
Preston New Road, Lancashire and Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire. The report should be read
in conjunction with previous reports freely available through the project website1
. These provide
additional background to the project, presentation of earlier results and the rationale for
establishment of the different elements of the monitoring programme
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