New results in rho^0 meson physics

We compare the predictions of a range of existing models based on the Vector Meson Dominance hypothesis with data on e^+ e^- -> pi^+ pi^$ and e^+ e^- -> mu^+ mu^- cross-sections and the phase and near-threshold behavior of the timelike pion form factor, with the aim of determining which (if any) of these models is capable of providing an accurate representation of the full range of experimental data. We find that, of the models considered, only that proposed by Bando et al. is able to consistently account for all information, provided one allows its parameter "a" to vary from the usual value of 2 to 2.4. Our fit with this model gives a point-like coupling (gamma pi^+ \pi^-) of magnitude ~ -e/6, while the common formulation of VMD excludes such a term. The resulting values for the rho mass and pi^+ pi^- and e^+e^- partial widths as well as the branching ratio for the decay omega -> pi^+ pi^- obtained within the context of this model are consistent with previous results.Comment: 34 pages with 7 figures. Published version also available at http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/10052/tocs/t8002002.ht

Preparing for a Pandemic: Spending Dynamics and Panic Buying during the COVID-19 First Wave

In times of heightened uncertainty, consumers face incentives to build up precautionary stocks of essential supplies. We study consumer spending dynamics during one such time, the first infection wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, using household scanner data covering fast-moving consumer goods in the United Kingdom. We document large increases in demand for storable products, such as food staples and household supplies, in the days before lockdown. Households in all socio-economic groups exhibit unusually high demand pre-lockdown, but there is a clear gradient, with the largest demand spikes for wealthier households. Although stories of people purchasing extreme amounts received a lot of attention, higher aggregate demand was mainly driven by more households than usual choosing to buy storable products, with only small increases in average quantities bought on a given trip. Temporary limits on the number of units per transaction, introduced following the demand spike, are therefore unlikely to lead to the avoidance of stock-outs

Coordination of tolerogenic immune responses by the commensal microbiota

All mammals are born ignorant to the existence of micro-organisms. Soon after birth, however, every mammal begins a lifelong association with a multitude of microbes that lay residence on the skin, mouth, vaginal mucosa and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Approximately 500–1000 different species of microbes have highly evolved to occupy these bodily niches, with the highest density and diversity occurring within the intestine [1]. These organisms play a vital role in mammalian nutrient breakdown and provide resistance to colonization by pathogenic micro-organisms. More recently, however, studies have demonstrated that the microbiota can have a profound and long-lasting effect on the development of our immune system both inside and outside the intestine [2]. While our immune system has evolved to recognize and eradicate foreign entities, it tolerates the symbiotic micro-organisms of the intestine. How and why this tolerance occurs has remained unclear. Here we present evidence that the commensal microbes of the intestine actively induce tolerant responses from the host that coordinate healthy immune responses. Potentially, disruption of this dialogue between the host and microbe can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or Type I diabetes (TID). As a wealth of publications have focused on the impact of the microbiota on intestinal immune responses and IBD, this chapter will focus on the extra-intestinal impacts of the microbiota from development to disease and integrate the known mechanisms by which the microbiota is able to actively communicate with its host to promote health

Anxiety-mediated facilitation of behavioral inhibition: threat processing and defensive reactivity during a go/nogo task

Anxiety can be broken down into multiple facets including behavioral components, such as defensive reactivity, and cognitive components, such as distracting anxious thoughts. In a previous study, we showed that anticipation of unpredictable shocks facilitated response inhibition to infrequent nogo trials during a go/nogo task. The present study extends this work to examine the distinct contribution of defensive reactivity, measures with fear-potentiated startle, and anxious thought, assessed with thought probes, on go and nogo performance. Consistent with our prior findings, shock anticipation facilitated response inhibition (i.e., reduced errors of commission) on the nogo trials. Regression analyses showed that 1) nogo accuracy was positively associated with fear-potentiated startle and negatively associated with threat-related/task-unrelated thoughts and 2) go accuracy correlated negatively with fear-potentiated startle. Thus, while the present findings confirm the influence of anxiety on response inhibition, they also show that such influence reflects the balance between the positive effect of defensive reactivity and the negative effect of distracting anxious thoughts

A rapid method for assessing the RNA-binding potential of a protein

In recent years, evidence has emerged for the existence of many diverse types of RNA, which play roles in a wide range of biological processes in all kingdoms of life. These molecules generally do not, however, act in isolation, and identifying which proteins partner with RNA is a major challenge. Many methods, in vivo and in vitro, have been used to address this question, including combinatorial or high-throughput approaches, such as systematic evolution of ligands, cross-linking and immunoprecipitation and RNA immunoprecipitation combined with deep sequencing. However, most of these methods are not trivial to pursue and often require substantial optimization before results can be achieved. Here, we demonstrate a simple technique that allows one to screen proteins for RNA-binding properties in a gel-shift experiment and can be easily implemented in any laboratory. This assay should be a useful first-pass tool for assessing whether a protein has RNA- or DNA-binding properties, prior to committing resources to more complex procedure

A comparison of inferential analysis methods for multilevel studies: implications for drawing conclusions in animal welfare science

Investigations comparing the behaviour and welfare of animals in different environments have led to mixed and often conflicting results. These could arise from genuine differences in welfare, poor validity of indicators, low statistical power, publication bias, or inappropriate statistical analysis. Our aim was to investigate the effects of using four approaches for inferential analysis of datasets of varying size on model outcomes and potential conclusions. We considered aggression in 864 growing pigs over six weeks as measured by ear and body injury score and relationships with: less and more enriched environments, pig's relative weight, and sex. Pigs were housed in groups of 18 in one of four pens, replicating the experiment 12 times. We applied four inferential models that either used a summary statistic approach, or else fully or partially accounted for complexities in study design. We tested models using both the full dataset (n = 864) and also using small sample sizes (n = 72). The most appropriate inferential model was a mixed effects, repeated measures model to compare ear and body score. Statistical models that did not acco unt for the correlation between repeated measures and/or the random effects from replications and pens led to spurious associations between environmental factors and indicators of aggression, which were not supported by the initial exploratory analysis. For analyses on smaller datasets (n = 72), due to the effect size and number of independent factors, there was insufficient power to determine statistically significant associations. Based on the mixed effects, repeated measures models, higher body injury scores were associated with more enrichment (coef. est. = 0.09, p = 0.02); weight (coef. est. = 0.05, p < 0.001); pen location on the right side (coef. est. = 0.08, p = 0.03) and at the front of the experimental room (coef. est. = 0.11, p = 0.003). By comparison, lower ear injury scores were associated with more enrichment (coef. est. = -0.51, p = 0.005) and pen location at the front of the experimental room (coef. est. = -0.4, p = 0.02). These observed differences support the hypothesis that injuries to the body and ears arise from different risk factors. Although calculation of the minimum required sample size prior to conducting an experiment and selection of the inferential analysis method will contribute to the validity of the study results, conflict between the outcomes will require further investigation via different methods such as sensitivity and specificity analysis

Isotopic analysis of faunal material from South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland

This paper reports on the results from stable isotope analysis of faunal bone collagen from a number of Iron Age and later sites on the island of South Uist, in the Western Isles, Scotland. This preliminary investigation into the isotopic signatures of the fauna is part of a larger project to model the interaction between humans, animals, and the broader environment in the Western Isles. The results demonstrate that the island fauna data fall within the range of expected results for the UK, with the terrestrial herbivorous diets of cattle and sheep confi rmed. The isotopic composition for pigs suggests that some of these animals had an omnivorous diet, whilst a single red deer value might be suggestive of the consumption of marine foods, such as by grazing on seaweed. However, further analysis is needed in order to verify this anomalous isotopic ratio