SuDS and amphibians - are constructed wetlands really benefitting nature and people?

While urbanisation is a major threat to global biodiversity, it also brings opportunities for some species. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) have been installed in all Scottish cities to reduce flood and pollution risk and they can also offer new habitats for wildlife. We studied SuDS in Inverness and the Scottish Central Belt to assess their value as amphibian breeding sites, habitats, and as places where urban people can experience nature. The nine-year study revealed that many SuDS were of similar ecological quality to wider countryside ponds but that the quality of ponds is not equitably distributed between neighbourhoods inhabited by different socio-economic classes. However, the findings suggest ways to improve the design and management of SuDS for people and nature, making access to high quality ponds available to all social groups

Biologische Kontrolle von Eulenraupen im Kohl mittels Baculoviren

Baculoviren sind als hoch selektive biologische Kontrollagenzien für Kohleulenraupen (Mamestra brassicae) seit längerem bekannt und ihre gute Wirksamkeit wurde schon in verschiedenen Gewächshaus- und Freilandversuchen nachgewiesen. Um die Kontrollsituation von Kohleulenraupen im ökologischen Gemüseanbau insbesondere bei niedrigen Temperaturen zu verbessern, wurden die eulenpathogenen Mamestra brassicae Nukelopolyhedrovirus (MbMNPV) und Mamestra configurata Nukleopolyhedrovirus (MacoNPV-A) als mögliche Kontrollagentien geprüft. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass auch MacoNPV-A für M.brassicae pathogen ist. In vergleichenden Bioassays bei 24°C zeigten MbMNPV und MacoNPV-A keinen signifikanten Unterschied hinsichtlich ihrer biologischen Aktivität gegenüber M.brassicae. In weiteren Bioassays wurden die konzentrationsabhängige Mortalität von M.brassicae im 2. Larvenstadium sowie die gefressene Blattfläche bei 24, 20, 16 und 12°C bestimmt. Im Vergleich zu 24 und 20°C waren die mittleren Letalkonzentrationen bei 16 und 12°C 100 bzw. 1000fach höher. Für eine mittlere Reduktion der konsumierten Blattfläche waren hingegen bei Temperaturen unter 20°C 10 bis 100fach höhere Konzentrationen notwendig. Durch die Neuformulierung von MbMNPV (Probis GmbH, Wiernsheim) konnte eine Wirkungssteigerung im Vergleich zu der nicht formulierten Virussuspension im Bioassay erzielt werden. In einem Freilandtest mit künstlicher Infestation in Kohlrabi konnte eine weitere Steigerung des Wirkungsgrades durch die Kombination mit dem Bacillus thuringiensis Präparat XenTari® im Vergleich zur Einzelapplikation der beiden Präparate erreicht werden. Eine breite Freilandtestung der Baculoviren-Präparaten gegen Kohlraupen bei kühler Witterung als Einzelpräparat und in Kombination mit Bacillus thuringiensis Präparaten sowie neuester Applikationstechnik für Ober- und Unterblattbehandlung wird empfohlen

«Smarter Medicine»: 5 Interventionen, die in der ambulanten allgemeinen inneren Medizin vermieden werden sollten

Seit 2012 befasst sich die Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Allgemeine Innere Medizin mit der Problematik der Überdiagnostik und Überversorgung in der Medizin. Nun hat sie beschlossen, eine Liste mit fünf Untersuchungen auf dem Gebiet der ambulanten allgemeinen inneren Medizin zusammenzustellen, die ohne oder mit nur geringem Nutzen bei zahlreichen Patienten durchgeführt werden, gleichzeitig jedoch unerwünschte Nebenwirkungen haben können und zum Anstieg der Gesundheitskosten beitragen

Intuitionistc probability and the Bayesian objection to dogmatism

Given a few assumptions, the probability of a conjunction is raised, and the probability of its negation is lowered, by conditionalising upon one of the conjuncts. This simple result appears to bring Bayesian confirmation theory into tension with the prominent dogmatist view of perceptual justification – a tension often portrayed as a kind of ‘Bayesian objection’ to dogmatism. In a recent paper, David Jehle and Brian Weatherson observe that, while this crucial result holds within classical probability theory, it fails within intuitionistic probability theory. They conclude that the dogmatist who is willing to take intuitionistic logic seriously can make a convincing reply to the Bayesian objection. In this paper, I argue that this conclusion is premature – the Bayesian objection can survive the transition from classical to intuitionistic probability, albeit in a slightly altered form. I shall conclude with some general thoughts about what the Bayesian objection to dogmatism does and doesn’t show

A toy model of the five-dimensional universe with the cosmological constant

A value of the cosmological constant in a toy model of the five-dimensional universe is calculated in such a manner that it remains in agreement with both astronomical observations and the quantum field theory concerning the zero-point fluctuations of the vacuum. The (negative) cosmological constant is equal to the inverse of the Planck length squared, which means that in the toy model the vanishing of the observed value of the cosmological constant is a consequence of the existence of an energy cutoff exactly at the level of the Planck scale. In turn, a model for both a virtual and a real particle-antiparticle pair is proposed which describes properly some energetic properties of both the vacuum fluctuations and created particles, as well as it allows one to calculate the discrete "bare" values of an elementary-particle mass, electric charge and intrinsic angular momentum (spin) at the energy cutoff. The relationships between the discussed model and some phenomena such as the Zitterbewegung and the Unruh-Davies effect are briefly analyzed, too. The proposed model also allows one to derive the Lorentz transformation and the Maxwell equations while considering the properties of the vacuum filled with the sea of virtual particles and their antiparticles. Finally, the existence of a finite value of the vacuum-energy density resulting from the toy model leads us to the formulation of dimensionless Einstein field equations which can be derived from the Lagrangian with a dimensionless (naively renormalized) coupling constant.Comment: 52 pages, 1 figure; a post-final, rewritten version with a number of new remarks and conclusion

"The Bayesian Objection" - Ch 4 of Seemings and Epistemic Justification

In this chapter I analyse an objection to phenomenal conservatism to the effect that phenomenal conservatism is unacceptable because it is incompatible with Bayesianism. I consider a few responses to it and dismiss them as misled or problematic. Then, I argue that this objection doesn’t go through because it rests on an implausible formalization of the notion of seeming-based justification. In the final part of the chapter, I investigate how seeming-based justification and justification based on one’s reflective belief that one has a seeming interact with one another

Kinematics and hydrodynamics of spinning particles

In the first part (Sections 1 and 2) of this paper --starting from the Pauli current, in the ordinary tensorial language-- we obtain the decomposition of the non-relativistic field velocity into two orthogonal parts: (i) the "classical part, that is, the 3-velocity w = p/m OF the center-of-mass (CM), and (ii) the so-called "quantum" part, that is, the 3-velocity V of the motion IN the CM frame (namely, the internal "spin motion" or zitterbewegung). By inserting such a complete, composite expression of the velocity into the kinetic energy term of the non-relativistic classical (i.e., newtonian) lagrangian, we straightforwardly get the appearance of the so-called "quantum potential" associated, as it is known, with the Madelung fluid. This result carries further evidence that the quantum behaviour of micro-systems can be adirect consequence of the fundamental existence of spin. In the second part (Sections 3 and 4), we fix our attention on the total 3-velocity v = w + V, it being now necessary to pass to relativistic (classical) physics; and we show that the proper time entering the definition of the four-velocity v^mu for spinning particles has to be the proper time tau of the CM frame. Inserting the correct Lorentz factor into the definition of v^mu leads to completely new kinematical properties for v_mu v^mu. The important constraint p_mu v^mu = m, identically true for scalar particles, but just assumed a priori in all previous spinning particle theories, is herein derived in a self-consistent way.Comment: LaTeX file; needs kapproc.st

Genetic and migratory evidence for sympatric spawning of tropical pacific eels from Vanuatu

The spawning areas of tropical anguillid eels in the South Pacific are poorly known, and more information about their life histories is needed to facilitate conservation. We genetically characterized 83 out of 84 eels caught on Gaua Island (Vanuatu) and tagged 8 eels with pop-up satellite transmitters. Based on morphological evidence, 32 eels were identified as Anguilla marmorata, 45 as A. megastoma and 7 as A. obscura. Thirteen of these eels possessed a mitochondrial DNA sequence (control region, 527 bp) or nuclear haplotype (GTH2b, 268 bp) conflicting with their species designation. These individuals also had multi-locus genotypes (6 microsatellite loci) intermediate between the species, and 9 of these eels further possessed heterozygote genotypes at species-diagnostic nuclear single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We classified these individuals as possibly admixed between A. marmorata and A. megastoma. One A. marmorata and one A. megastoma migrated 634 and 874 km, respectively, towards the border between the South Equatorial Current and the South Equatorial Counter Current. Both species descended from around 200 m depth at night to 750 m during the day. Lunar cycle affected the upper limit of migration depths of both species. The tags remained attached for 3 and 5 mo and surfaced <300 km from the pop-up location of a previously tagged A. marmorata. A salinity maximum at the pop-up locations corresponding to the upper nighttime eel migration depths may serve as a seamark of the spawning area. The similar pop-up locations of both species and the evidence for admixture suggest that these tropical eels share a sympatric spawning area

ATP-binding cassette transporter A7 enhances phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and associated ERK signaling in macrophages

The mammalian ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 and A7 (ABCA1 and -A7) show sequence similarity to CED-7, a Caenorhabditis elegans gene that mediates the clearance of apoptotic cells. Using RNA interference or gene targeting, we show that knock down of macrophage ABCA7 but not -A1 results in defective engulfment of apoptotic cells. In response to apoptotic cells, ABCA7 moves to the macrophage cell surface and colocalizes with the low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein 1 (LRP1) in phagocytic cups. The cell surface localization of ABCA7 and LRP1 is defective in ABCA7-deficient cells. C1q is an opsonin of apoptotic cells that acts via phagocyte LRP1 to induce extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. We show that ERK signaling is required for phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and that ERK phosphorylation in response to apoptotic cells or C1q is defective in ABCA7-deficient cells. These studies reveal a major role of ABCA7 and not -A1 in the clearance of apoptotic cells and therefore suggest that ABCA7 is an authentic orthologue of CED-7