The poultry and pig sector in Argentina : husbandry practice and animal welfare

This report gives an overview of the current husbandry and management practices in the poultry and pig sector in Argentina related to animal welfare. The research centered on a description of the broiler, layer and pig sector in Argentina, the regulatory framework in force in Argentina with respect to animal welfare and a survey on husbandry practice in the poultry and pig sector

Against `Realism'

We examine the prevalent use of the phrase ``local realism'' in the context of Bell's Theorem and associated experiments, with a focus on the question: what exactly is the ``realism'' in ``local realism'' supposed to mean? Carefully surveying several possible meanings, we argue that all of them are flawed in one way or another as attempts to point out a second premise (in addition to locality) on which the Bell inequalities rest, and (hence) which might be rejected in the face of empirical data violating the inequalities. We thus suggest that this vague and abused phrase ``local realism'' should be banned from future discussions of these issues, and urge physicists to revisit the foundational questions behind Bell's Theorem

A Mach-Zehnder Interferometer for a Two-Photon Wave Packet

We propose an experiment that permits observation of the de Broglie two-photon wave packet behavior for a pair of photons, using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. It is based on the use of pulsed lasers to generate pairs of photons via spontaneous parametric down-conversion and the post-selection of events. It differs from previous realizations by the use of a third time-correlated photon to engineer the state of the photons. The same technique can give us which-path information via an ``interaction-free'' experiment and can be used in other experiments on the foundations of quantum mechanics related to wave-particle duality and to nonlocality.Comment: Submmited for publication in Physical Review

Spin Fidelity for Three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and W States Under Lorentz Transformations

Constructing the reduced density matrix for a system of three massive spin$-\frac{1}{2}$ particles described by a wave packet with Gaussian momentum distribution and a spin part in the form of GHZ or W state, the fidelity for the spin part of the system is investigated from the viewpoint of moving observers in the jargon of special relativity. Using a numerical approach, it turns out that by increasing the boost speed, the spin fidelity decreases and reaches to a non-zero asymptotic value that depends on the momentum distribution and the amount of momentum entanglement.Comment: 12pages, 2 figure

INSIG1 influences obesity-related hypertriglyceridemia in humans

In our analysis of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for plasma triglyceride (TG) levels [logarithm of odds (LOD) = 3.7] on human chromosome 7q36, we examined 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across INSIG1, a biological candidate gene in the region. Insulin-induced genes (INSIGs) are feedback mediators of cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis in animals, but their role in human lipid regulation is unclear. In our cohort, the INSIG1 promoter SNP rs2721 was associated with TG levels (P = 2 × 10−3 in 1,560 individuals of the original linkage cohort, P = 8 × 10−4 in 920 unrelated individuals of the replication cohort, combined P = 9.9 × 10−6). Individuals homozygous for the T allele had 9% higher TG levels and 2-fold lower expression of INSIG1 in surgical liver biopsy samples when compared with individuals homozygous for the G allele. Also, the T allele showed additional binding of nuclear proteins from HepG2 liver cells in gel shift assays. Finally, the variant rs7566605 in INSIG2, the only homolog of INSIG1, enhances the effect of rs2721 (P = 0.00117). The variant rs2721 alone explains 5.4% of the observed linkage in our cohort, suggesting that additional, yet-undiscovered genes and sequence variants in the QTL interval also contribute to alterations in TG levels in humans

Active Galaxies in the UV

In this article we present different aspects of AGN studies demonstrating the importance of the UV spectral range. Most important diagnostic lines for studying the general physical conditions as well as the metalicities in the central broad line region in AGN are emitted in the UV. The UV/FUV continuum in AGN excites not only the emission lines in the immediate surrounding but it is responsible for the ionization of the intergalactic medium in the early stages of the universe. Variability studies of the emission line profiles of AGN in the UV give us information on the structure and kinematics of the immediate surrounding of the central supermassive black hole as well as on its mass itself.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figures, Ap&SS in pres

Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradoxes for N quNits

In this paper we show the series of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger paradoxes for N maximally entangled N-dimensional quantum systems.Comment: 6 page

Bioasssay, Chemical Analyses, and Statistical Analyses of Samples Obtained from Galveston Harbor, Texas

In May 1979, Contract No. DACW64-79-C-0037, for performance of bioassays and bioaccumulation studies, chemical analyses of sediments, seawater and elutriate materials, and appropriate statistical analyses of samples obtained from the Galveston Harbor and Sabine-Neches Waterway Channels, was awarded to NUS Corporation by the Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District. These studies are part of a continuing evaluation of the potential environmental effects of proposed ocean disposal of dredged materials and are required for compliance with provisions of Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (PL 92-532). This final report presents the results of dredged material evaluations for the Galveston Harbor Channel project area

Bioassay, Chemical Analyses, and Statistical Analyses of Samples obtained from Galveston Harbor, Texas

In May 1979, Contract No. DACW64-79-C-0037, for performance of bioassays and bioaccumulation studies, chemical analyses of sediments, seawater and elutriate materials, and appropriate statistical analyses of samples obtained from the Galveston Harbor and Sabine-Neches Waterway channels, was awarded to NUS Corporation by the Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District. These studies are part of a continuing evaluation of the potential environmental effects of proposed ocean disposal of dredged materials and are required for compliance with provisions of Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (PL 92-532). This final report presents the results of dredged material evaluations for the Galveston Harbor Channel project area. Channel sediments collected at designated locations in the project area were evaluated by bioassays of liquid, suspended particulate, and solid phase materials. A variety of sensitive marine vertebrates and invertebrates were used, including a fish, a crustacean, a crustacean postlarva (zooplankton), a polychaete, and a bivalve. Evaluative procedures were as established in Ecological Evaluation of Proposed Discharge of Dredged Materials into Ocean Waters (EPA/CE, 1977). The results of these bioassays showed that sediments of the Galveston Harbor Channel pose no serious or unacceptable hazard to the marine environment. The potential for bioaccumulation of selected pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons in tissues of marine organisms was evaluated by laboratory methodologies. The results of tissue analyses of sandworms and hard clams exposed to Galveston Harbor Channel sediments indicated that the concentration of all constituents analyzed was not significantly different between animals exposed to test and reference materials. There was no indication that the test animals had accumulated constituents of interest from the test materials to a greater extent than from the reference sediment. Chemical analyses for a variety of heavy metals, selected pesticides and PCB's, nitrogen derivatives, and oil and grease residues in sediments, seawater and elutriate materials were performed to define ambient concentrations of these constituents in the project environs. Many constituents exhibited no concentration above a quantifiable analytical detection limit. Several constituents (notably Aroclor 1254, arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc, ammonia, nitrate, TKN, and oil and grease in sediments, and ammonia and TKN in seawater) displayed a general trend toward highest concentrations at shoreward sampling areas. Mercury was present in sediment materials throughout the project area, but was not found in excessive concentrations. The concentrations of oil and grease residues in seawater samples were highest at seaward sampling areas. It was conservatively determined that mercury concentrations in elutriate materials from all channel sampling areas would exceed the established marine water quality criterion; however, the initial mixing zone available at the designated disposal area is adequate to achieve the required dilution factors

Anthropogenic Space Weather

Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear explosions were carried out by the USA and the Soviet Union. These explosions created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to several satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear tests was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can have devastating effects over a large geographic area (as large as the continental United States). Other anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release ex- periments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of VLF waves with the radiation belts. This paper reviews the fundamental physical process behind these phenomena and discusses the observations of their impacts.Comment: 71 pages, 35 figure