Performance of Solar-Assisted Modified-Open-Front Swine Nurseries

Performance data of two modified-open-front non-mechanically ventilated swine nurseries have shown that solar energy can be effectively utilized to maintain a productive environment within the animal space during cold weather (temperatures as low as -26°C ( - 15 °F). The nurseries feature a monoslope roof design and passive collector panels that also function as warm weather ventilation panels. An active solar-heating system uses a ground-level collector operated in conjunction with an in-floor solar heat distribution and storage system. The nurseries were designed to handle pigs weighing from 7 to 23 kg (15 to 50 lb). An average of 19% of the solar energy incident on the collector was transferred to the floor surface during the heating seasons from October 1980 to January 1982. Season heating costs were approximately 1.0% of the estimated cost to heat the nursery by conventional means

Biofuels Policy in Europe Under the Directive 2003/30: An Analysis of Goals, Hindrances, Instruments and Effects

Up to 2008/2009, biofuels were considered one of the best alternatives to oil consumption in a captive market like transports, being one of the pillars of the 20-20-20 initiative in Europe. Improvement of security of supply through partial substitution of imported oil; reduction of GHGs emissions; improvement of income and employment in the agricultural and rural sectors were the main drivers of the promotion of biofuels in Europe, as well as in the United States and in Brazil. In the European Union biofuels policy was supported through Directive 2003/30. However its effects proved to be disappointing: the consumption of biofuels was expected by the Directive to account for 5.75% share of road fuels in 2010 in the European MSs, but it came early clear that such a target could not be met. Above all, consensus about biofuels decreased sharply when their ability to strongly decrease overall GHGs emissions was questioned, and when they were blamed of being the main responsible of the 2007-2008 food price increase. Finally, a new Directive was approved on April 23rd, 2009, including the request of various certifications to prove the sustainability of biofuels. The paper deals deeply with the biofuel experience in Europe, providing a general analysis of the 2003/30 Directive. It includes an evaluation of the difficulties met in satisfying the requested targets, an assessment of the MSs policies to support biofuels, and a discussion about the main features of the (failed) birth of a new industry

EC85-219 1985 Nebraska Swine Report

This 1985 Nebraska Swine Report was prepared by the staff in Animal Science and cooperating departments for use in the Extension and Teaching programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Authors from the following areas contributed to this publication: Swine Nutrition, swine diseases, pathology, economics, engineering, swine breeding, meats, agronomy, and diagnostic laboratory. It covers the following areas: breeding, disease control, feeding, nutrition, economics, housing and meats

The First Post-Kepler Brightness Dips of KIC 8462852

We present a photometric detection of the first brightness dips of the unique variable star KIC 8462852 since the end of the Kepler space mission in 2013 May. Our regular photometric surveillance started in 2015 October, and a sequence of dipping began in 2017 May continuing on through the end of 2017, when the star was no longer visible from Earth. We distinguish four main 1%-2.5% dips, named Elsie, Celeste, Skara Brae, and Angkor, which persist on timescales from several days to weeks. Our main results so far are as follows: (i) there are no apparent changes of the stellar spectrum or polarization during the dips and (ii) the multiband photometry of the dips shows differential reddening favoring non-gray extinction. Therefore, our data are inconsistent with dip models that invoke optically thick material, but rather they are in-line with predictions for an occulter consisting primarily of ordinary dust, where much of the material must be optically thin with a size scale ≪1 μm, and may also be consistent with models invoking variations intrinsic to the stellar photosphere. Notably, our data do not place constraints on the color of the longer-term secular dimming, which may be caused by independent processes, or probe different regimes of a single process

The Pathogenic Properties of a Novel and Conserved Gene Product, KerV, in Proteobacteria

Identification of novel virulence factors is essential for understanding bacterial pathogenesis and designing antibacterial strategies. In this study, we uncover such a factor, termed KerV, in Proteobacteria. Experiments carried out in a variety of eukaryotic host infection models revealed that the virulence of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa kerV null mutant was compromised when it interacted with amoebae, plants, flies, and mice. Bioinformatics analyses indicated that KerV is a hypothetical methyltransferase and is well-conserved across numerous Proteobacteria, including both well-known and emerging pathogens (e.g., virulent Burkholderia, Escherichia, Shigella, Vibrio, Salmonella, Yersinia and Brucella species). Furthermore, among the 197 kerV orthologs analyzed in this study, about 89% reside in a defined genomic neighborhood, which also possesses essential DNA replication and repair genes and detoxification gene. Finally, infection of Drosophila melanogaster with null mutants demonstrated that KerV orthologs are also crucial in Vibrio cholerae and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis pathogenesis. Our findings suggested that KerV has a novel and broad significance as a virulence factor in pathogenic Proteobacteria and it might serve as a new target for antibiotic drug design

T-regulatory cell modulation: the future of cancer immunotherapy?

T-regulatory cells suppress anti-tumour immunity in cancer patients and in murine tumour models. Furthermore, their activity is likely to have an effect on the effectiveness of immunotherapeutic treatments for cancer. Here we describe the current status of developing clinical strategies for modulating Treg activity in cancer patients

A large ground-based observing campaign of the disintegrating planet K2-22b

We present 45 ground-based photometric observations of the K2-22 system collected between 2016 December and 2017 May, which we use to investigate the evolution of the transit of the disintegrating planet K2-22b. Last observed in early 2015, in these new observations we recover the transit at multiple epochs and measure a typical depth of <1.5%. We find that the distribution of our measured transit depths is comparable to the range of depths measured in observations from 2014 and 2015. These new observations also support ongoing variability in the K2-22b transit shape and time, although the overall shallowness of the transit makes a detailed analysis of these transit parameters difficult. We find no strong evidence of wavelength-dependent transit depths for epochs where we have simultaneous coverage at multiple wavelengths, although our stacked Las Cumbres Observatory data collected over days-to-months timescales are suggestive of a deeper transit at blue wavelengths. We encourage continued high-precision photometric and spectroscopic monitoring of this system in order to further constrain the evolution timescale and to aid comparative studies with the other few known disintegrating planets

Future Exoplanet Research: Science Questions and How to Address Them

Started approximately in the late 1980s, exoplanetology has up to now unveiled the main gross bulk characteristics of planets and planetary systems. In the future it will benefit from more and more large telescopes and advanced space missions. These instruments will dramatically improve their performance in terms of photometric precision, detection speed, multipixel imaging, high-resolution spectroscopy, allowing to go much deeper in the knowledge of planets. Here we outline some science questions which should go beyond these standard improvements and how to address them. Our prejudice is that one is never too speculative: experience shows that the speculative predictions initially not accepted by the community have been confirmed several years later (like spectrophotometry of transits or circumbinary planets).Comment: Invited review, accepte