Risso's dolphins alter daily resting pattern in response to whale watching at the Azores

Peer reviewedPreprin

Comparison of Bovine Mammary Involution and Intramammary Infections Following Intramammary Treatment with Casein Hydrolysate and Other Conventional Treatments at Dry-Off

Alternatives to routine antibiotic treatment of dairy cattle during the dry period before their next calving are of interest. This was a preliminary study of whether intramammary infusion of casein hydrolysate, administered alone or combined with standard dry treatment, accelerated the rate of mammary involution early in the dry period. Four treatments were studied in a split udder design. One udder half was assigned a treatment, and the contralateral half was administered dry cow treatment + internal teat sealant as a control. Treatments were casein hydrolysate, casein hydrolysate + dry cow treatment, casein hydrolysate + teat sealant and casein hydrolysate + dry cow treatment + teat sealant. Cows (n = 16) were blocked by a number of intramammary infections per udder half (0 or 1+) and randomized to treatments. Milk production was not different between control or treated udder halves post-calving. A generalized linear mixed model tested for differences between the treatment groups in the concentration of mammary involution indicators in milk: somatic cell count, bovine lactoferrin and bovine serum albumin. At 7 days, dry udder halves treated with casein hydrolysate had higher milk concentrations of lactoferrin than those treated with casein hydrolysate + dry cow treatment, casein hydrolysate + teat sealant and control. At 10 days dry, bovine serum albumin was higher in udder halves treated with casein hydrolysate than in those treated with casein hydrolysate + dry cow treatment, casein hydrolysate + dry cow treatment + teat sealant and control. Post-calving, casein hydrolysate-treated udder halves produced 51% of total milk, unchanged from before dry-off. There were seven total intramammary infections entering the dry period, all caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci. Cure rates (3/7, 43%) were not different among all treatments and control, partly because of the small sample size. Intramammary infusion of casein hydrolysate at the end of lactation may be an alternative or possible adjunct to antibiotic dry cow therapy

The surface density profile of NGC 6388: a good candidate for harboring an intermediate-mass black hole

We have used a combination of high resolution (HST ACS-HRC, ACS-WFC, and WFPC2) and wide-field (ESO-WFI) observations of the galactic globular cluster NGC 6388 to derive its center of gravity, projected density profile, and central surface brightness profile. While the overall projected profiles are well fit by a King model with intermediate concentration (c=1.8) and sizable core radius (rc=7"), a significant power law (with slope \alpha=-0.2) deviation from a flat core behavior has been detected within the inner 1 arcsecond. These properties suggest the presence of a central intermediate mass black hole. The observed profiles are well reproduced by a multi-mass isotropic, spherical model including a black hole with a mass of ~5.7x10^3 Msol.Comment: ApJ Letter in pres

The protein puzzle : the consumption and production of meat, dairy and fish in the European Union

In het rapport 'The protein puzzle. The consumption and production of meat, dairy and fish in the European Union' brengen onderzoekers van het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (PBL) in kaart wat de gevolgen van de productie en consumptie van dierlijke eiwitten zijn voor milieu, natuur en gezondheid. Vervolgens schetst het PBL welke opties er in Europees verband zijn om de negatieve effecten te verminderen. Met deze studie verschaft het PBL relevante feiten en cijfers ten behoeve van het debat over eiwitconsumptie, inclusief een indicatie van de onzekerheden daarbij

Stratospheric General Circulation with Chemistry Model (SGCCM)

In the past two years constituent transport and chemistry experiments have been performed using both simple single constituent models and more complex reservoir species models. Winds for these experiments have been taken from the data assimilation effort, Stratospheric Data Analysis System (STRATAN)

Blue Straggler Stars: The Spectacular Population in M80

Using HST-WFPC2 observations in two ultraviolet (UV) filters (F225W and F336W) of the central region of the high density Galactic Globular cluster (GGC) M80 we have identified 305 Blue Straggler Stars (BSS) which represents the largest and most concentrated population of BSS ever observed in a GGC. We also identify the largest, clean sample of evolved BSS yet found. The high stellar density alone cannot explain the BSS, and we suggest that in M80 we are witnessing a transient dynamical state, during which stellar interactions are delaying the core-collapse process leading to an exceptionally large population of collisional-BSS.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, Astrophysical Journal Letters, in pres

Deep HST-WFPC2 photometry of NGC 288. II. The Main Sequence Luminosity Function

The Main Sequence Luminosity Function (LF) of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 288 has been obtained using deep WFPC2 photometry. We have employed a new method to correct for completeness and fully account for bin-to-bin migration due to blending and/or observational scatter. The effect of the presence of binary systems in the final LF is quantified and is found to be negligible. There is a strong indication of the mass segregation of unevolved single stars and clear signs of a depletion of low mass stars in NGC 288 with respect to other clusters. The results are in good agreement with the prediction of theoretical models of the dynamical evolution of NGC 288 that take into account the extreme orbital properties of this cluster.Comment: 16 pages, 6 .ps figures. Low resolution version of fig. 1; full resolution figure soon available at http://www.bo.astro.it/bap/BAPhome.html l. Latex. emulateapj5.sty macro included. Accepted for publication by The Astronomical Journa

The surprising external upturn of the Blue Straggler radial distribution in M55

By combining high-resolution HST and wide-field ground based observations, in ultraviolet and optical bands, we study the Blue Straggler Star (BSS) population of the low density galactic globular cluster M55 (NGC 6809) over its entire radial extent. The BSS projected radial distribution is found to be bimodal, with a central peak, a broad minimum at intermediate radii, and an upturn at large radii. Similar bimodal distributions have been found in other globular clusters (M3, 47 Tucanae, NGC 6752, M5), but the external upturn in M55 is the largest found to date. This might indicate a large fraction of primordial binaries in the outer regions of M55, which seems somehow in contrast with the relatively low (\sim 10%) binary fraction recently measured in the core of this cluster.Comment: in press on Ap

Discovery of another peculiar radial distribution of Blue Stragglers in Globular Clusters: The case of 47 Tuc

We have used high resolution WFPC2-HST and wide field ground-based observations to construct a catalog of blue straggler stars (BSS) in the globular cluster 47 Tuc spanning the entire radial extent of the cluster. The BSS distribution is highly peaked in the cluster center, rapidly decreases at intermediate radii, and finally rises again at larger radii. The observed distribution closely resembles that discovered in M3 by Ferraro et al (1993,1997). To date, complete BSS surveys covering the full radial extent (HST in the center and wide field CCD ground based observations of the exterior) have been performed for only these two clusters. Both show a bimodal radial distribution, despite their different dynamical properties. BSS surveys covering the full spatial extent of more globular clusters are clearly required to determine how common bimodality is and what its consequence is for theories of BSS formation and cluster dynamics.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, accepted for pubblication in Ap