Interrupting the social amplification of risk process: a case study in collective emissions reduction

One of the main approaches we have for studying the progressive divergence of understandings around a risk issue is that of social risk amplification. This article describes a case study of a particular environmental contaminant, a chemical flame retardant that could be interpreted as having produced a risk amplifying process. It describes in particular how a group of industrial organizations acted collectively to reduce emissions of this contaminant, in an apparent attempt to avert regulation and boycotts—that is, to intercept the social amplification process and avoid its secondary effects. The aim of the study was to investigate the constitutive qualities of this collective action: the qualities that defined it and made it effective in the eyes of those involved. These include institutionalisation and independence, the ability to confer individual as well as collective benefit, the capacity to attract (rather than avoid) criticism, and the ‘branding’ that helps communicate what otherwise appear to be a set of unconnected, local actions. Although the risk amplification framework has been criticised for implying that there is some externally given risk level that is subsequently amplified, it does appear to capture the mentality of actors involved in issues of this kind. They talk and act as though they believe they are participants in a risk amplification process

Computation of steady and unsteady quasi-one-dimensional viscous/inviscid interacting internal flows at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic Mach numbers

Computations of viscous-inviscid interacting internal flowfields are presented for steady and unsteady quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) test cases. The unsteady Q1D Euler equations are coupled with integral boundary-layer equations for unsteady, two-dimensional (planar or axisymmetric), turbulent flow over impermeable, adiabatic walls. The coupling methodology differs from that used in most techniques reported previously in that the above mentioned equation sets are written as a complete system and solved simultaneously; that is, the coupling is carried out directly through the equations as opposed to coupling the solutions of the different equation sets. Solutions to the coupled system of equations are obtained using both explicit and implicit numerical schemes for steady subsonic, steady transonic, and both steady and unsteady supersonic internal flowfields. Computed solutions are compared with measurements as well as Navier-Stokes and inverse boundary-layer methods. An analysis of the eigenvalues of the coefficient matrix associated with the quasi-linear form of the coupled system of equations indicates the presence of complex eigenvalues for certain flow conditions. It is concluded that although reasonable solutions can be obtained numerically, these complex eigenvalues contribute to the overall difficulty in obtaining numerical solutions to the coupled system of equations

Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon genomes from East England reveal British migration history

British population history has been shaped by a series of immigrations, including the early Anglo-Saxon migrations after 400 CE. It remains an open question how these events affected the genetic composition of the current British population. Here, we present whole-genome sequences from 10 individuals excavated close to Cambridge in the East of England, ranging from the late Iron Age to the middle Anglo-Saxon period. By analysing shared rare variants with hundreds of modern samples from Britain and Europe, we estimate that on average the contemporary East English population derives 38% of its ancestry from Anglo-Saxon migrations. We gain further insight with a new method, rarecoal, which infers population history and identifies fine-scale genetic ancestry from rare variants. Using rarecoal we find that the Anglo-Saxon samples are closely related to modern Dutch and Danish populations, while the Iron Age samples share ancestors with multiple Northern European populations including Britain

Performance and Carcass Traits of Market Beef Cattle Supplemented Self-Fed Byproducts on Pasture: Final Report

Over a two year period (2007 and 2008), 162 head of beef steers were finished with self-fed byproducts on cool season grass pastures. Yearling steers were continuously grazed at the Neely-Kinyon Farm in southwest Iowa on cool season grasses that were predominantly fescue at a stocking density of 2.25 head/acre. Half of the cattle were implanted (with Synovex®-S) or half were not. Cattle received a diet of either soyhulls-dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) or ground corn-dried distillers grains with solubles that was offered through self-feeders. The rations were mixed at a 1:1 ratio with a mineral balancer added which included Rumensin®. Live cattle performance and carcass traits were not affected by diet. Implanted cattle outgained non-implanted over the entire finishing period (3.52 lbs/d vs. 3.17 lbs/d). This led to implanted cattle coming off test heavier (1324 lbs vs. 1277 lbs) and railing with heavier carcasses (826 lbs vs. 800 lbs). Ribeye areas were greater (13.1 in2 vs. 12.7 in2) for implanted cattle; which was probably due to the heavier carcass weights. Non-implanted cattle had superior quality grades (55% vs. 40%) of low choice or better. Fatty acid profiles from the first year were analyzed and showed that raw beef samples from cattle on the soyhulls diet had significantly higher C18:2 In conclusion, pasture rearing cattle, when given access to self-fed by-products, provides for excellent performance on both live performance and carcass traits. Some considerations should be made by the feeder in regards to time of year when marketing cattle and the cattle’s genetics. This system is an alternative to high-grain conventional beef finishing production in feedlots

The trans-activation domain of the sporulation response regulator Spo0A revealed by X-ray crystallography

Sporulation in Bacillus involves the induction of scores of genes in a temporally and spatially co-ordinated programme of cell development. Its initiation is under the control of an expanded two-component signal transduction system termed a phosphorelay. The master control element in the decision to sporulate is the response regulator, Spo0A, which comprises a receiver or phosphoacceptor domain and an effector or transcription activation domain. The receiver domain of Spo0A shares sequence similarity with numerous response regulators, and its structure has been determined in phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms. However, the effector domain (C-Spo0A) has no detectable sequence similarity to any other protein, and this lack of structural information is an obstacle to understanding how DNA binding and transcription activation are controlled by phosphorylation in Spo0A. Here, we report the crystal structure of C-Spo0A from Bacillus stearothermophilus revealing a single alpha -helical domain comprising six alpha -helices in an unprecedented fold. The structure contains a helix-turn-helix as part of a three alpha -helical bundle reminiscent of the catabolite gene activator protein (CAP), suggesting a mechanism for DNA binding. The residues implicated in forming the sigma (A)-activating region clearly cluster in a flexible segment of the polypeptide on the opposite side of the structure from that predicted to interact with DNA. The structural results are discussed in the context of the rich array of existing mutational data

Year-round and Migratory Birds of the Flint Hills

The Flint Hills support a wide diversity of birds. with some 250 species having been recorded. They range in size from the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (3 grams) to the 10-kg Wild Turkey. Birds tend to specialize by habitat, and each habitat---be it tallgrass prairie, shrublands, riparian forest, cropland, or farmstead---supports its own assemblage of bird species

Critical perspectives on ‘consumer involvement’ in health research: epistemological dissonance and the know-do gap

Researchers in the area of health and social care (both in Australia and internationally) are encouraged to involve consumers throughout the research process, often on ethical, political and methodological grounds, or simply as ‘good practice’. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study in the UK of researchers’ experiences and views of consumer involvement in health research. Two main themes are presented in the paper. Firstly, we explore the ‘know-do gap’ which relates to the tensions between researchers’ perceptions of the potential benefits of, and their actual practices in relation to, consumer involvement. Secondly, we focus on one of the reasons for this ‘know-do gap’, namely epistemological dissonance. Findings are linked to issues around consumerism in research, lay/professional knowledges, the (re)production of professional and consumer identities and the maintenance of boundaries between consumers and researchers

Determination of early summer pasture conditions to optimize forage and calf productivity and profitability

Forages can be valuable elements in a sustainable production system. The date when animals are first allowed to graze on pastures can impact the quality and amount of forages available. This study explored various factors that influence successful grazing