INSURING AGAINST LOSSES FROM TRANSGENIC CONTAMINATION

Concerns about contamination of the food supply and the financial losses that would result have limited the promise of certain genetically engineered plants. This article addresses the situation by constructing an insurance pricing model to protect against those losses. The model first estimates the physical dispersal of corn pollen subject to a number of parameters. This physical distribution is then used to calculate the premium for fair valued insurance that would be necessary to destroy contaminated fields. The flexible framework can be readily adapted to other crops, management practices, and regions.contemporaneous fertility, insurance, Lagrangian stochastic model, pharmaceutical-corn, pollen dispersal, Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere: Instrument Description and Calibration Performance

The far-infrared spectroscopy of the troposphere (FIRST) instrument is a Fourier transform spectrometer developed to measure the Earth’s thermal emission spectrum with a particular emphasis on far-infrared (far-IR) wavelengths greater than 15 μm. FIRST was developed under NASA’s Instrument Incubator Program to demonstrate technology for providing measurements from 10 to 100 μm (1000 to 100 cm−1) on a single focal plane with a spectral resolution finer than 1 cm−1. Presently no spectrometers in orbit are capable of directly observing the Earth’s far-IR spectrum. This fact, coupled with the fundamental importance of the far-IR to Earth’s climate system, provided the impetus for the development of FIRST. In this paper the FIRST instrument is described and results of a detailed absolute laboratory calibration are presented. Specific channels in FIRST are shown to be accurate in the far-IR to better than 0.3 K at 270 K scene temperature, 0.5 K at 247 K, and 1 K at 225 K. © 2013 Optical Society of Americ

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY APPLIED IN THE AGRIFOOD SECTOR: SOCIETAL PRIORITIES AND PITFALLS

Synthetic biology offers potential for innovation in the agrifood sector, although concerns have been raised consumer rejection of applications will occur similar to that associated with the introduction of genetically modified foods. Risk-benefit assessment should address socio-economic, as well as health and environmental impacts. Ethical issues may be of particular relevance to the application synthetic biology, and may also resonate with societal concerns. A case-by-case analysis of relevant issues may be needed, and innovation must be driven by societal and consumer preferences as well as technological possibilities. Research into consumer and societal priorities is required early in the innovation trajector

Colorectal cancer Outcomes in people with Severe Mental Illness Cohort (COSMIC): A protocol for an Australian retrospective cohort using linked administrative data

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality is significantly higher in those with severe mental illness (SMI) compared with the general population, despite similar incidence rates, suggesting that barriers to optimal screening and cancer care may contribute to disparities in CRC mortality in those with SMI. This study aims to compare participation in Australia's National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (NBCSP) in those with SMI and those in the general population. We will also investigate treatment pathways after diagnosis to determine whether treatment variations could explain differences in CRC mortality. Methods and analysis: We will undertake a retrospective cohort study of Australians using linked administrative data to assess differences in screening and cancer care between those with and without SMI, aged 50-74 years on or after 1 January 2006. People with SMI will be defined using antipsychotic medication prescription data. The comparison group will be people enrolled in Medicare (Australia's universal healthcare system) who have not been prescribed antipsychotic medication. Data on outcomes (NBCSP participation, follow-up colonoscopy, CRC incidence and CRC-cause and all-cause mortality) and confounders will be obtained from national-based and state-based administrative health datasets. All people in New South Wales, aged 50-74 with a new diagnosis of CRC on or after 1 January 2006, will be ascertained to examine stage at diagnosis and cancer treatment in those with and without SMI. Poisson regression will be used to calculate incidence rates and rate ratios for each outcome. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been obtained from the University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Ethics Committee and data custodians from every Australian State/Territory. Findings will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented at appropriate conferences. Trial registration number ACTRN12620000781943

Intensification of the North American Monsoon Rainfall as Observed From a Long‐Term High‐Density Gauge Network

As the atmosphere gets warmer, rainfall intensification is expected across the planet with anticipated impacts on ecological and human systems. In the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, the highly variable and localized nature of rainfall during the North American Monsoon makes it difficult to detect temporal changes in rainfall intensities in response to climatic change. This study addresses this challenge by using the dense, subdaily, and daily observations from 59 rain gauges located in southeastern Arizona. We find an intensification of monsoon subdaily rainfall intensities starting in the mid-1970s that has not been observed in previous studies or simulated with high-resolution climate models. Our results highlight the need for long-term, high spatiotemporal observations to detect environmental responses to a changing climate in highly variable environments and show that analyses based on limited observations or gridded data sets fail to capture temporal changes potentially leading to erroneous conclusions.Public domain articleThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Minocycline treatment inhibits microglial activation and alters spinal levels of endocannabinoids in a rat model of neuropathic pain

Activation of spinal microglia contributes to aberrant pain responses associated with neuropathic pain states. Endocannabinoids (ECs) are present in the spinal cord, and inhibit nociceptive processing; levels of ECs may be altered by microglia which modulate the turnover of endocannabinoids in vitro. Here, we investigate the effect of minocycline, an inhibitor of activated microglia, on levels of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and the related compound N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA), in neuropathic spinal cord. Selective spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in rats resulted in mechanical allodynia and the presence of activated microglia in the ipsilateral spinal cord. Chronic daily treatment with minocycline (30 mg/kg, ip for 14 days) significantly reduced the development of mechanical allodynia at days 5, 10 and 14 post-SNL surgery, compared to vehicle-treated SNL rats (P < 0.001). Minocycline treatment also significantly attenuated OX-42 immunoreactivity, a marker of activated microglia, in the ipsilateral (P < 0.001) and contralateral (P < 0.01) spinal cord of SNL rats, compared to vehicle controls. Minocycline treatment significantly (P < 0.01) decreased levels of 2-AG and significantly (P < 0.01) increased levels of PEA in the ipsilateral spinal cord of SNL rats, compared to the contralateral spinal cord. Thus, activation of microglia affects spinal levels of endocannabinoids and related compounds in neuropathic pain states

The contribution of spinal glial cells to chronic pain behaviour in the monosodium iodoacetate model of osteoarthritic pain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical studies of osteoarthritis (OA) suggest central sensitization may contribute to the chronic pain experienced. This preclinical study used the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) model of OA joint pain to investigate the potential contribution of spinal sensitization, in particular spinal glial cell activation, to pain behaviour in this model. Experimental OA was induced in the rat by the intra-articular injection of MIA and pain behaviour (change in weight bearing and distal allodynia) was assessed. Spinal cord microglia (Iba1 staining) and astrocyte (GFAP immunofluorescence) activation were measured at 7, 14 and 28 days post MIA-treatment. The effects of two known inhibitors of glial activation, nimesulide and minocycline, on pain behaviour and activation of microglia and astrocytes were assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seven days following intra-articular injection of MIA, microglia in the ipsilateral spinal cord were activated (p < 0.05, compared to contralateral levels and compared to saline controls). Levels of activated microglia were significantly elevated at day 14 and 21 post MIA-injection. At day 28, microglia activation was significantly correlated with distal allodynia (p < 0.05). Ipsilateral spinal GFAP immunofluorescence was significantly (p < 0.01) increased at day 28, but not at earlier timepoints, in the MIA model, compared to saline controls. Repeated oral dosing (days 14-20) with nimesulide attenuated pain behaviour and the activation of microglia in the ipsilateral spinal cord at day 21. This dosing regimen also significantly attenuated distal allodynia (p < 0.001) and numbers of activated microglia (p < 0.05) and GFAP immunofluorescence (p < 0.001) one week later in MIA-treated rats, compared to vehicle-treated rats. Repeated administration of minocycline also significantly attenuated pain behaviour and reduced the number of activated microglia and decreased GFAP immunofluorescence in ipsilateral spinal cord of MIA treated rats.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Here we provide evidence for a contribution of spinal glial cells to pain behaviour, in particular distal allodynia, in this model of osteoarthritic pain. Our data suggest there is a potential role of glial cells in the central sensitization associated with OA, which may provide a novel analgesic target for the treatment of OA pain.</p