Effects of culling on badger abundance : implications for tuberculosis control

Culling is often considered as a tool for controlling wildlife diseases that can also infect people or livestock. Culling European badgers Meles meles can cause both positive and negative effects on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. One factor likely to influence the outcome of different badger culling strategies for cattle TB is the reduction in badger population density achieved. However, this reduction is difficult to measure because badgers, being nocturnal and fossorial, are difficult to count. Here, we use indices of badger abundance to measure the population impacts of two culling strategies tested in Britain. The densities of badger setts and latrines recorded before culling were correlated with the densities of badgers captured on initial culls, suggesting that both were indices of actual badger abundance. Widespread 'proactive' culling was associated with a 73% reduction in the density of badger latrines, a 69% reduction in the density of active burrows and a 73% reduction in the density of road killed badgers. This population reduction was achieved by a coordinated effort entailing widespread and repeated trapping over several years. However, this strategy caused only modest reductions in cattle TB incidence in culled areas and elevated incidence in neighbouring unculled areas. Localized 'reactive' culling caused a 26% reduction in latrine density, a 32% reduction in active burrow density and a 10% reduction in the density of road killed badgers, but apparently increased the incidence of cattle TB. These results indicate that the relationship between badger population reduction and TB transmission to cattle is strongly non linear, probably because culling prompts changes in badger behaviour that influence transmission rates. These findings raise serious questions about the capacity of badger culling to contribute to the control of cattle TB in Britain

Towards a Criminology of the Domestic

Criminology has paid insufficient attention to the ‘domestic’ arena, as a locale that is being reconfigured through technological and social developments in ways that require us to reconsider offending and victimisation. This article addresses this lacuna. We take up Campbell's (2016) challenge that criminology needs to develop more sophisticated models of place and space, particularly in relation to changing patterns of consumption and leisure activity and the opportunities to offend in relation to these from within the domestic arena

Report from the fifth international consensus meeting to harmonize core outcome measures for atopic eczema/dermatitis clinical trials (HOME initiative)

This is the report from the fifth meeting of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema initiative (HOME V). The meeting was held on 12–14 June 2017 in Nantes, France, with 81 participants. The main aims of the meeting were (i) to achieve consensus over the definition of the core domain of long-term control and how to measure it and (ii) to prioritize future areas of research for the measurement of the core domain of quality of life (QoL) in children. Moderated whole-group and small-group consensus discussions were informed by presentations of qualitative studies, systematic reviews and validation studies. Small-group allocations were performed a priori to ensure that each group included different stakeholders from a variety of geographical regions. Anonymous whole-group voting was carried out using handheld electronic voting pads according to predefined consensus rules. It was agreed by consensus that the long-term control domain should include signs, symptoms, quality of life and a patient global instrument. The group agreed that itch intensity should be measured when assessing long-term control of eczema in addition to the frequency of itch captured by the symptoms domain. There was no recommendation of an instrument for the core outcome domain of quality of life in children, but existing instruments were assessed for face validity and feasibility, and future work that will facilitate the recommendation of an instrument was agreed upon. The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative is an international group working together to develop a core outcome set (COS) for clinical trials in eczema (synonymous with atopic eczema and atopic dermatitis). HOME is coordinated from the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, U.K. Participation in HOME is open to anyone with an interest in outcomes for eczema. A COS is the agreed upon minimum set of instruments that should be included in all clinical trials for a particular condition. Use of a COS does not preclude using other instruments; other domains and instruments can also be included to meet the specific requirements of individual trials. COS initiatives are active across many fields of medicine and should enable better synthesis of trial data and reduce selective outcome reporting bias. The HOME initiative follows the best current guidance on developing a COS. Four core domains have been identified: clinician-reported signs; patient-reported symptoms; quality of life; and long-term control. The core outcome measurement instruments for clinician-reported signs and patient-reported symptoms have been established: the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) for measuring clinician reported signs was agreed on at the HOME III meeting, and the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) was chosen to measure patient-reported symptoms at the HOME IV meeting. This is a report from the fifth consensus meeting of the HOME initiative (HOME V), which was held on 12–14 June 2017 in Nantes, France. The local organizers were Sebastien Barbarot and Jean-Francois Stalder of Nantes University Hospital, France

Extraction techniques for solid samples

Extraction is normally a laboratory procedure prior to analysis. The choice of extraction technique is often made based on what is available and what has been used before. The skill and experience of the analyst is often the key to the operation of extraction and analysis procedures. Extraction of organic pollutants from solid environmental samples has frequently been done using organic solvents with or without the addition of heat. This process is typified by the technique of Soxhlet extraction. A flow diagram detailing a procedure for the extraction of analytes from soils using Soxhlet extraction is shown. Soxhlet extraction normally requires large volumes of chlorinated solvent to be refluxed through the solid sample for an extended period. Although it is not uncommon for the analyst to assemble several experimental set-ups at the same time, it can be labor-intensive at the start and end of the process. As the process is time-consuming, alternative extraction strategies have been developed based on instrumentation that allows the process to be controlled more effectively. This chapter mainly focuses on these newer instrumental approaches to compare and contrast both their application base and robustness for extraction

Characterisation of an AGATA symmetric prototype detector

International audienceThe Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) symmetric prototype detector has been tested at the University of Liverpool. A 137Ce source, collimated to a 2 mm diameter, was scanned across the front face of the detector and data were acquired utilising digital electronics. Pulse shapes from a selection of well-defined photon interaction positions have been analysed to investigate the position sensitivity of the detector. Furthermore, the application of the electric field simulation software, Multi Geometry Simulation (MGS) to generate theoretical pulse shapes for AGATA detectors has been presented

Gamma-ray tracking: Characterisation of the AGATA symmetric prototype detectors

Each major technical advance in gamma-ray detection devices has resulted in significant new insights into the structure of atomic nuclei. The next major step in gamma-ray spectroscopy involves achieving the goal of a 4pi ball of Germanium detectors by using the technique of gamma-ray energy tracking in electrically segmented Germanium crystals. The resulting spectrometer will have an unparalleled level of detection power for nuclear electromagnetic radiation. Collaborations have been established in Europe (AGATA) [J. Simpson, Acta Phys. Pol. B 36 (2005) 1383. [1]] and the USA (GRETA/GRETINA) to build gamma-ray tracking spectrometers. This paper discusses the performance of the AGATA (Advanced Gamma Tracking Array) symmetric prototype detectors that have been tested at the University of Liverpool. The use of a fully digital data acquisition system has allowed detector charge pulse shapes from a selection of well defined photon interaction positions to be analysed, yielding important information on the position sensitivity of the detector

A double-blind study of hyposensitization with an alginate conjugated extract of D. pteronyssinus (Conjuvac) in patients with perennial rhinitis. I. Clinical aspects

The efficacy of hyposensitization with a standardised extract of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D pteronyssinus) conjugated to alginate and containing known amounts of antigen P1 (Conjuvac\uae) was tested in a double blind, placebo controlled, multi-centre study in 66 adult patients with perennial rhinitis. Patients received 11 weekly injections of increasing concentrations of Conjuvac containing from 56 x 101 to 448 x 103 IU D. pteronyssinus or placebo injections of the alginate diluent to some of which 5 \u3bcg of histamine has been randomly added. This was followed by 15 monthly injections of Conjuvac or placebo. The severity of nasal blockage, sneezing and rhinorrhoea was recorded twice daily in a diary and visual analogue assessments (VAS) made at each clinic visit. Nasal provocation testing (NPT) was performed with increasing concentrations of the same extract of D. pteronyssinus as used in the hyposensitization injections, and changes in nasal airways resistance measured by passive anterior rhinomanometry. VAS was recorded and NPT was performed on entry to the study and after the fifth, ninth and final monthly injection. Conjuvac injections were well tolerated. Large local reactions (>5 cm) occurred within 30 cm in only 1% of patients but later in 23%. No systemic reactions or anaphylaxis occurred within 30 min of injections, but urticaria or worsening of asthma and rhinitis was reported later in 3% of patients. A significant improvement in nasal obstruction occured in the Conjuvac compared to the placebo treated group (P < 0.01) and there was significant increase in the percentage of patients able to tolerate provocation with the highest concentrations of D. pteronyssinus extract after nine and 15 maintenance injections of Conjuvac compared to the placebo (P < 0.02, P < 0.001). Patient use of additional therapy decreased sooner in the Conjuvac treated group but was minimal in both groups after 5 months of the study

Direct determination of the hit locations from experimental HPGe pulses

The gamma-tracking technique optimises the determination of the energy and emission angle of gamma-rays detected by modern segmented HPGe detectors. This entails the determination, using the delivered pulse shapes, of the interaction points of the gamma-ray within the crystal. The direct method presented here allows the localisation of the hits using only a large sample of pulses detected in the actual operating conditions. No external crystal scanning system or pulse shape simulation code is needed. In order to validate this method, it is applied to sets of pulses obtained using the University of Liverpool scanning system. The hit locations are determined by the method with good precision

Design and fabrication of a copper test structure for use as an electrical critical dimension reference

A novel copper damascene process is reported for fabrication of Electrical Critical Dimension (ECD) reference material. The method of fabrication first creates an initial "silicon preform" whose linewidth is transferred into a trench using a silicon nitride mould. The trench is created by removing a portion of the silicon and replacing it with copper to enable both Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and electrical linewidth measurements to be made on the same structure. The technique is based on the use of anisotropic wet etching of (110) silicon wafers to yield silicon features with vertical sidewalls. The paper demonstrates that this method successfully produces copper lines which serve as ECD control structures and the process can be applied to any damascene compatible material for developing electrical linewidth measurement reference material.</p