Improving efficiency of pig feed manufacturing and application of additives

The project has demonstrated that processed feeds with similar ingredient mixtures differ widely between mills in throughput, energy use, pellet hardness and durability and nutritional quality for growing pigs. Preparation of grains before mixing, specific ingredients and additives used as well as the physical structure of the processing units all affect the cost of manufacture and physical and nutritional quality of the finished product

Procjena izloženosti UV zračenju tijekom ljetnih mjeseci u Hrvatskoj s pomoću jednostavne približne formule

The Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) model, version 4.2 developed by Madronich (2003) was usedto estimate the extent of ultraviolet (UV) exposure of general population in Croatia over the summer. Solarnoon values (13 h local time, CEST) of the ultraviolet index (UVI) for the period April to October 2004 were calculated for 61 cities in Croatia. The results showed that the risk of sunburn at 13 h local time inclear weather was high between April and September (UVI >7) and very high in July (UVI >10). In July, the UVI exceeded 8 between 11 h and 15 h local time. In this study, we developed a simple approximate formula to estimate UVI. The formula includes data on the time, date, altitude and clouds. The difference between our estimate and the TUV model for the summer months of June, July and August at 10 h to16 h local time was less than 10 %.Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) model, verzija 4.2 autora S. Madronicha (2003.) upotrijebljen je zaprocjenu izloženosti ultraljubičastom (UV) zračenju stanovništva u Hrvatskoj. Podnevne vrijednosti (13 hprema lokalnom vremenu) ultraljubičastog indeksa (UVI) izračunane su za 61 mjesto u Hrvatskoj za razdobljetravanj - listopad. Rezultati pokazuju da je u 13 h prema lokalnom vremenu rizik od nastanka opeklina izazvanih sunčevim zračenjem u danima bez naoblake visok između travnja i rujna (UVI > 7) te da je rizikvrlo visok tijekom srpnja (UVI >10). U srpnju tijekom dana UV indeks prelazi vrijednost 8 između 11 h i15 h prema lokalnom vremenu. U ovom radu za procjenu UV indeksa razvijena je jednostavna približna formula. Formula omogućava procjenu UV indeksa na temelju podataka o datumu, satu, nadmorskoj visini i naoblaci. Prilikom usporedbe rezultata dobivenih formulom i točnih rezultata dobivenih TUV modelom za ljetne mjesece lipanj, srpanj i kolovoz te razdoblje od 10 h do 16 h među rezultatima dobivena je razlikamanja od 10 %

Novel approach to analysing large data sets of personal sun exposure measurements

Personal sun exposure measurements provide important information to guide the development of sun awareness and disease prevention campaigns. We assess the scaling properties of personal ultraviolet radiation (pUVR) sun exposure measurements using the wavelet transform (WT) spectral analysis to process long-range, high-frequency personal recordings collected by electronic UVR dosimeters designed to measure erythemal UVR exposure. We analysed the sun exposure recordings of school children, farmers, marathon runners and outdoor workers in South Africa, and construction workers and work site supervisors in New Zealand. We found scaling behaviour in all the analysed pUVR data sets. We found that the observed scaling changes from uncorrelated to long-range correlated with increasing duration of sun exposure. Peaks in the WT spectra that we found suggest the existence of characteristic times in sun exposure behaviour that were to some extent universal across our data set. Our study also showed that WT measures enable group classification, as well as distinction between individual UVR exposures, otherwise unattainable by conventional statistical methods

A questionnaire to measure melanoma risk, knowledge and protective behaviour: Assessing content validity in a convenience sample of Scots and Australians

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Use of photosensitising diuretics and risk of skin cancer: a population-based case–control study

Diuretics have photosensitising properties. However, little is known about how these diuretics affect the risk of skin cancers. In North Jutland County, Denmark, we investigated whether the use of photosensitising diuretics was associated with an increased risk for developing basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and malignant melanoma (MM). From the cancer registry, we identified primary cases of BCC, SCC and MM during the period of 1989–2003. We selected four population controls for each case from the Danish Civil Registration System, matched on age and gender. Prescriptions for photosensitising diuretics before cancer diagnosis were ascertained in the county's Prescription Database. We used conditional logistic regression to compute incidence rate ratio (IRR), controlling for the chronic medical conditions and for the previous use of oral glucocorticoids. We found an increased risk of SCC (IRR of 1.79 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.45–2.21)) and MM (IRR of 1.43 (95% CI: 1.09–1.88)) among users of combined amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide therapy. An increased risk of MM (IRR of 3.30 (95% CI: 1.34–8.10)) was found among users of indapamide. We found little associations with risk of BCC. Our findings provide evidence that the use of some photosensitising diuretics is associated with an increased risk for SCC and MM

Skin color-specific and spectrally-selective naked-eye dosimetry of UVA, B and C radiations

Spectrally–selective monitoring of ultraviolet radiations (UVR) is of paramount importance across diverse fields, including effective monitoring of excessive solar exposure. Current UV sensors cannot differentiate between UVA, B, and C, each of which has a remarkably different impact on human health. Here we show spectrally selective colorimetric monitoring of UVR by developing a photoelectrochromic ink that consists of a multi-redox polyoxometalate and an e− donor. We combine this ink with simple components such as filter paper and transparency sheets to fabricate low-cost sensors that provide naked-eye monitoring of UVR, even at low doses typically encountered during solar exposure. Importantly, the diverse UV tolerance of different skin colors demands personalized sensors. In this spirit, we demonstrate the customized design of robust real-time solar UV dosimeters to meet the specific need of different skin phototypes. These spectrally–selective UV sensors offer remarkable potential in managing the impact of UVR in our day-to-day life

Observational analytic studies in multiple sclerosis: controlling bias through study design and conduct. The Australian Multicentre Study of Environment and Immune Function

Rising multiple sclerosis incidence over the last 50 years and geographic patterns of occurrence suggest an environmental role in the causation of this multifactorial disease. Design options for epidemiological studies of environmental causes of multiple sclerosis are limited by the low incidence of the disease, possible diagnostic delay and budgetary constraints. We describe scientific and methodological issues considered in the development of the Australian Multicentre Study of Environment and Immune Function (the Ausimmune Study), which seeks, in particular, to better understand the causes of the well-known MS positive latitudinal gradient. A multicentre, case-control design down the eastern seaboard of Australia allows the recruitment of sufficient cases for adequate study power and provides data on environmental exposures that vary by latitude. Cases are persons with an incident first demyelinating event (rather than prevalent multiple sclerosis), sourced from a population base using a two tier notification system. Controls, matched on sex, age (within two years) and region of residence, are recruited from the general population. Biases common in case-control studies, eg, prevalence-incidence bias, admission-rate bias, non-respondent bias, observer bias and recall bias, as well as confounding have been carefully considered in the study design and conduct of the Ausimmune Study

Combining functional weed ecology and crop stable isotope ratios to identify cultivation intensity: a comparison of cereal production regimes in Haute Provence, France and Asturias, Spain

This investigation combines two independent methods of identifying crop growing conditions and husbandry practices—functional weed ecology and crop stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis—in order to assess their potential for inferring the intensity of past cereal production systems using archaeobotanical assemblages. Present-day organic cereal farming in Haute Provence, France features crop varieties adapted to low-nutrient soils managed through crop rotation, with little to no manuring. Weed quadrat survey of 60 crop field transects in this region revealed that floristic variation primarily reflects geographical differences. Functional ecological weed data clearly distinguish the Provence fields from those surveyed in a previous study of intensively managed spelt wheat in Asturias, north-western Spain: as expected, weed ecological data reflect higher soil fertility and disturbance in Asturias. Similarly, crop stable nitrogen isotope values distinguish between intensive manuring in Asturias and long-term cultivation with minimal manuring in Haute Provence. The new model of cereal cultivation intensity based on weed ecology and crop isotope values in Haute Provence and Asturias was tested through application to two other present-day regimes, successfully identifying a high-intensity regime in the Sighisoara region, Romania, and low-intensity production in Kastamonu, Turkey. Application of this new model to Neolithic archaeobotanical assemblages in central Europe suggests that early farming tended to be intensive, and likely incorporated manuring, but also exhibited considerable variation, providing a finer grained understanding of cultivation intensity than previously available