Pig herds free from pathogenic Y. enterocolitica - dream or reality?

The results indicate that 15 of the 16 SPF (specific pathogen free) herds examined may be free from Y enterocolitica O:3. In a broad perspective this investigation Indicates that it is possible to establish cluster of pig herds free from Y. enterocolitica O:3, and to keep the herds free from the bacteria for many years. According to serological testing, the basic herd at the top of this SPF pyramid seem to have been free from this pathogenic variant since 1996. A total of 14 herds are confirmed negative also by culture

Introduction du cocotier dans les systèmes culturaux de la Moyenne Côte-d'Ivoire : analyse d'une opération de développement de 1976 à 1980

Kontrollundersøkelsene i Follavassdraget i 1988 viste at forurensningssituasjonen er stabil. Påbyggingen av slamdammen i 1988 har hittil ikke ført til noen endringer av betydning i tilførslene fra deponeringsområdet. Avgangsdeponeringen foregår fortsatt tilfredstillende. Tungmetalltilførslene fra Folldal sentrum er som tidligere år betydelige og sterkt varierende i løpet av året.Folldal Verk A/

Standardization and the democratic design of information and communication technology

The way information and communication technology (ICT) develops can promote or hinder the democratic potential of this critical societal infrastructure. Concerns about the role standards development organizations (SDOs) play in this context predate the "digital age" but are reemerging amid substantial changes in the institutional landscape of standardization. This article explores the increasingly critical link between the institutional design of SDOs and the democratic design of ICT. We review some principles of democracy in terms of the design of technology, apply these to standardization, and discuss the role public policy may play here, while distinguishing between input and output legitimacy

An epidemiological study of cancer in adult twins born in Norway 1905–1945

We have identified 23 334 individuals (40%) of twins born in Norway 1905–45 where both twins were alive in 1960 without malignant disease. These were linked to the Cancer Registry of Norway. A reduced risk of malignant disease was demonstrated among twins for all tumour sites combined; standardized incidence rate (SIR): 0.90 (95% CI 0.85–0.94) in females and 0.95 (95% Cl 0.90–0.99) in males. In both sexes, we observed a significant reduced incidence of malignant melanomas of the skin. The incidence of colorectal cancer tended to be reduced for both sexes. In females, the incidence of tumours of the central nervous system and lungs were reduced. We consider our findings are real, but cannot explain them. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Probing the isovector transition strength of the low-lying nuclear excitations induced by inverse kinematics proton scattering

A compact approach based on the folding model is suggested for the determination of the isoscalar and isovector transition strengths of the low-lying ($\Delta S=\Delta T=0$) excitations induced by inelastic proton scattering measured with exotic beams. Our analysis of the recently measured inelastic $^{18,20}$O+p scattering data at $E_{\rm lab}=30$ and 43 MeV/nucleon has given for the first time an accurate estimate of the isoscalar $\beta_0$ and isovector $\beta_1$ deformation parameters (which cannot be determined from the (p,p') data alone by standard methods) for 2$^+_1$ and $3^-_1$ excited states in $^{18,20}$O. Quite strong isovector mixing was found in the 2$^+_1$ inelastic $^{20}$O+p scattering channel, where the strength of the isovector form factor $F_1$ (prototype of the Lane potential) corresponds to a $\beta_1$ value almost 3 times larger than $\beta_0$ and a ratio of nuclear transition matrix elements $M_n/M_p\simeq 4.2$.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Cross-modal extinction in a boy with severely autistic behaviour and high verbal intelligence

Anecdotal reports from individuals with autism suggest a loss of awareness to stimuli from one modality in the presence of stimuli from another. Here we document such a case in a detailed study of T.M., a 13-year-old boy with autism in whom significant autistic behaviors are combined with an uneven IQ profile of superior verbal and low performance abilities. Although T.M.'s speech is often unintelligible and his behavior is dominated by motor stereotypies and impulsivity, he can communicate by typing or pointing independently within a letter board. A series of experiments using simple and highly salient visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli demonstrated a hierarchy of cross-modal extinction, in which auditory information extinguished other modalities at various levels of processing. T.M. also showed deficits in shifting and sustaining attention. These results provide evidence for mono-channel perception in autism and suggest a general pattern of winner-takes-all processing in which a stronger stimulus-d riven representation dominates behavior, extinguishing weaker representations