High resolution characterisation of microstructural evolution in Rbx_{x}Fe2−y_{2-y}Se2_{2} crystals on annealing

The superconducting and magnetic properties of phase-separated A$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ compounds are known to depend on post-growth heat treatments and cooling profiles. This paper focusses on the evolution of microstructure on annealing, and how this influences the superconducting properties of Rb$_x$Fe$_2-y$Se$_2$ crystals. We find that the minority phase in the as-grown crystal has increased unit cell anisotropy (c/a ratio), reduced Rb content and increased Fe content compared to the matrix. The microstructure is rather complex, with two-phase mesoscopic plate-shaped features aligned along {113} habit planes. The minority phase are strongly facetted on the {113} planes, which we have shown to be driven by minimising the volume strain energy introduced as a result of the phase transformation. Annealing at 488K results in coarsening of the mesoscopic plate-shaped features and the formation of a third distinct phase. The subtle differences in structure and chemistry of the minority phase(s) in the crystals are thought to be responsible for changes in the superconducting transition temperature. In addition, scanning photoemission microscopy has clearly shown that the electronic structure of the minority phase has a higher occupied density of states of the low binding energy Fe3d orbitals, characteristic of crystals that exhibit superconductivity. This demonstrates a clear correlation between the Fe-vacancy-free phase with high c/a ratio and the electronic structure characteristics of the superconducting phase.Comment: 6 figures v2 is exactly the same as v1. The typesetting errors in the abstract have been correcte

Overcoming of Information Extremism as a Condition of Human and Social Wellbeing

The urgency of this research is indisputable because the subjects of information extremism having at their disposal various mass media can disseminate their beliefs and ideas over thousands of people in different countries all over the world. International collaboration is needed to struggle against this evil. The paper provides deep insight into the notion "information extremism", as well as its classification and forms. It is aimed at revealing the specific character of the notions "information extremism" and "information terrorism" and their investigation. Illocutionary influence as the major method of information extremism is highlighted in the paper. The authors demonstrate important influence of mass media including the Internet over readership, especially the youth. It is concluded that the issue of information extremism requires for more rigorous and deeper consideration. It is necessary to fight against forms of its manifestation, because they have a significant effect on homeland and international safety and stability

Locating poor livestock keepers at the global level for research and development targeting

P.K. Thornton, R.L. Kruska, P.M. Kristjanson, R.S. Reid and T.P. Robinson are ILRI authorsMany research and development agencies are committed to halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. Knowledge of where the poor are, and what characterises them, is patchy at best. Here we describe a global livestock and poverty mapping study designed to assist in targeting research and development activities concerning livestock. Estimates of the numbers of poor livestock keepers by production system and region are presented. While these estimates suffer from various problems, improvements in global databases are critical to improve the targeting of interventions that can meet the challenges posed by poverty and to chart progress against international development indicators

Cattle trypanosomiasis in Africa to 2030

Trypanosomiasis diseases are caused by single-cell organisms and affect both humans and cattle. This indicative study modelled the effect of climate change and population growth on the future range of tsetse flies, their main vector, in sub- Saharan Africa. Projected climate change to 2030 has a limited effect on their distribution. Population growth has more significant consequences, mainly caused by the land-use change that accompanies it. It could reduce the area in which tsetse flies are found by 15% by 2030. The main effect would be in drier areas of western, eastern and southern Africa, and in Ethiopia. Humid areas would be less altered. The authors say that other factors such as disease control efforts and changing agricultural practices may also affect the future range of the flies and of the diseases with which they are associated

Screening and identification of differentially expressed transcripts in circulating cells of prostate cancer patients using suppression subtractive hybridization

BACKGROUND: Tumor metastasis and changes in host immunosurveillance are important components in cancer development. Tumor cell invasion into the bloodstream is an essential step for systemic metastasis. Currently, the detection of tumor cells in the circulation is mainly dependent upon the utilization of known epithelial cell markers. However, expression of these molecules is not limited to cancer patients; healthy people also have a small number of epithelial cells in their circulation. Utilizing these markers to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) cannot adequately explain the mechanisms of tumor cell survival or their development of metastatic potential in peripheral blood. The immune system can also evolve along with the cancer, actually promoting or selecting the outgrowth of tumor variants. Unfortunately, both metastasis and immunosurveillance remain mysterious and are debatable because we have yet to define the molecules that participate in these processes. We are interested in identifying the existence of expressed genes, or mRNA species, that are specifically associated with circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients using prostate cancer (PCa) as a model. RESULTS: We established two comprehensive subtracted cDNA libraries using a molecular technique called suppression subtractive hybridization. This technique selectively amplifies transcripts that are specifically expressed in circulating cells of either PCa patients or healthy men. Following sequencing reaction, we showed that 17 out of 23 (73.9%) sequenced clones did not match any mRNAs in the GenBank database. This result suggests that genes associated with alterations in circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients are largely unknown. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR confirmed that two genes are up-regulated in circulating cells of PCa patients, whereas another two genes are down-regulated in the same patients. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive gene expression analysis is capable of identifying differentially expressed genes in circulating cells of healthy men and PCa patients. We did not attempt to enrich specific cell types in this study because phenotypes of CTCs and subsets of leukocytes participating in immunosurveillance remain largely unknown. Continuous studies of these differentially expressed genes will eventually lead us to understand the mechanisms involved in tumor metastasis and immune modulation during cancer development

Mapping of poverty and likely zoonoses hotspots

The objective of this report is to present data and expert knowledge on poverty and zoonoses hotspots to inform prioritisation of study areas on the transmission of disease in emerging livestock systems in the developing world, where prevention of zoonotic disease might bring greatest benefit to poor people

Drivers of change in crop–livestock systems and their potential impacts on agro-ecosystems services and human wellbeing to 2030: A study commissioned by the CGIAR Systemwide Livestock Programme

A Study commissioned by the CGIAR Systemwide Livestock Programm

Relationship between Exercise Capacity and Brain Size in Mammals

A great deal of experimental research supports strong associations between exercise, cognition, neurogenesis and neuroprotection in mammals. Much of this work has focused on neurogenesis in individual subjects in a limited number of species. However, no study to date has examined the relationship between exercise and neurobiology across a wide range of mammalian taxa. It is possible that exercise and neurobiology are related across evolutionary time. To test this hypothesis, this study examines the association between exercise and brain size across a wide range of mammals.Controlling for associations with body size, we examined the correlation between brain size and a proxy for exercise frequency and capacity, maximum metabolic rate (MMR; ml O(2) min(-1)). We collected brain sizes and MMRs from the literature and calculated residuals from the least-squares regression line describing the relationship between body mass and each variable of interest. We then analyzed the correlation between residual brain size and residual MMR both before and after controlling for phylogeny using phylogenetic independent contrasts. We found a significant positive correlation between maximum metabolic rate and brain size across a wide range of taxa.These results suggest a novel hypothesis that links brain size to the evolution of locomotor behaviors in a wide variety of mammalian species. In the end, we suggest that some portion of brain size in nonhuman mammals may have evolved in conjunction with increases in exercise capacity rather than solely in response to selection related to cognitive abilities

Mink Farms Predict Aleutian Disease Exposure in Wild American Mink

BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases can often be of conservation importance for wildlife. Spillover, when infectious disease is transmitted from a reservoir population to sympatric wildlife, is a particular threat. American mink (Neovison vison) populations across Canada appear to be declining, but factors thus far explored have not fully explained this population trend. Recent research has shown, however, that domestic mink are escaping from mink farms and hybridizing with wild mink. Domestic mink may also be spreading Aleutian disease (AD), a highly pathogenic parvovirus prevalent in mink farms, to wild mink populations. AD could reduce fitness in wild mink by reducing both the productivity of adult females and survivorship of juveniles and adults. METHODS: To assess the seroprevalence and geographic distribution of AD infection in free-ranging mink in relation to the presence of mink farms, we conducted both a large-scale serological survey, across the province of Ontario, and a smaller-scale survey, at the interface between a mink farm and wild mink. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Antibodies to AD were detected in 29% of mink (60 of 208 mink sampled); however, seroprevalence was significantly higher in areas closer to mink farms than in areas farther from farms, at both large and small spatial scales. Our results indicate that mink farms act as sources of AD transmission to the wild. As such, it is likely that wild mink across North America may be experiencing increased exposure to AD, via disease transmission from mink farms, which may be affecting wild mink demographics across their range. In light of declining mink populations, high AD seroprevalence within some mink farms, and the large number of mink farms situated across North America, improved biosecurity measures on farms are warranted to prevent continued disease transmission at the interface between mink farms and wild mink populations