Effects of field crops on animals: Considerations with regard to design using Chlormequat-treated wheat crop as an example

There is concern whether consuming products based on crop from Chlormequat-treated fields can cause reproduction problems in animals and humans. An experiment is presently being conducted to investigate this using the pig as a model. Considerations with regard to experimental design when investigating whether differently treated crop can affect animal/human biology is discussed. Only about half of the data are presently available. A preliminary survey of these data does not show clear differences between Chlormequat-treated and organic non-treated wheat with regard to reproduction performance of pigs

Three-dimensional theory of stimulated Raman scattering

We present a three-dimensional theory of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) or superradiance. In particular we address how the spatial and temporal properties of the generated SRS beam, or Stokes beam, of radiation depends on the spatial properties of the gain medium. Maxwell equations for the Stokes field operators and of the atomic operators are solved analytically and a correlation function for the Stokes field is derived. In the analysis we identify a superradiating part of the Stokes radiation that exhibit beam characteristics. We show how the intensity in this beam builds up in time and at some point largely dominates the total Stokes radiation of the gain medium. We show how the SRS depends on geometric factors such as the Fresnel number and the optical depth, and that in fact these two factors are the only factors describing the coherent radiation.Comment: 21 pages 14 figure

Efficacy of new-generation antidepressants assessed with the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale, the gold standard clinician rating scale : a meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials

It has been claimed that efficacy estimates based on the Hamilton Depression Rating-Scale (HDRS) underestimate antidepressants true treatment effects due to the instrument's poor psychometric properties. The aim of this study is to compare efficacy estimates based on the HDRS with the gold standard procedure, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating-Scale (MADRS)

Phylum Kinorhyncha

www.mapress.com/zootaxa

WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: Cosmological neutrino mass constraint from blue high-redshift galaxies

The absolute neutrino mass scale is currently unknown, but can be constrained by cosmology. The WiggleZ high redshift, star-forming, and blue galaxy sample offers a complementary data set to previous surveys for performing these measurements, with potentially different systematics from nonlinear structure formation, redshift-space distortions, and galaxy bias. We obtain a limit of ∑m_ν<0.60  eV (95% confidence) for WiggleZ+Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. Combining with priors on the Hubble parameter and the baryon acoustic oscillation scale gives ∑m_ν<0.29  eV, which is the strongest neutrino mass constraint derived from spectroscopic galaxy redshift surveys

Savings Accounts and the Life-Cycle Approach to Social Insurance

Using Danish data, we find that about three fourths of the taxes levied to finance public transfers actually finance benefits that do not redistribute between people but redistribute income over the life cycle of individual taxpayers. This provides a rationale for financing part of social insurance via mandatory individual savings accounts. An account system that offers liquidity insurance and a lifetime income guarantee helps to alleviate the dilemma between insurance and incentives. To illustrate this, we analyse a specific proposal for reform of the Danish system of social insurance, involving the use of individual accounts. We estimate how the reform would affect the distribution of lifetime incomes, the public budget, and economic efficiency. Our analysis suggests that, even with conservative assumptions regarding labor supply elasticities, the proposed reform would generate a Pareto improvement and would imply only a minor increase in the inequality of lifetime income distribution.social insurance; individual accounts; lifetime income distribution

Performance and diarrhoea in piglets following weaning at seven weeks of age: Challenge with E. coli O 149 and effect of dietary factors

Four dietary factors (ad libitum versus feed restriction, control versus protein restriction at ad libitum feeding, control versus inclusion of lupine as a protein source at ad libitum feeding, and control versus extra vitamin E at ad libitum feeding) were tested in four separate experiments for the effect on diarrhoea. To introduce a diarrhoea-like condition, half of the piglets were challenged with an inoculation of an E. coli O 149 dose of 1 x 108 colony forming units on day two and three after weaning (day of weaning = day one). All piglets were susceptible since the dams were tested mono-zygotic susceptible to the attachment site of E. coli O 149 in the intestines. Each of the four experiments included 32 piglets from 4 sows. The design was 2 x 2 factorial with dietary factor and E. coli O 149 challenge as the two factors, each at two levels. The piglets were housed individually during the experiment which lasted for 10 days from weaning at 7 weeks of age. The daily recordings included feed intake, weight and faeces score (from 1 = firm and solid to 6 = yellow and watery). Faeces from days 2 to 5 were tested for E. coli strains. In addition, blood was sampled and serum was analysed for E. coli antibodies, IgG and IgM. Generally the E. coli challenge had no effect on growth and feed intake whereas faeces score and number of faeces haemolytic bacteria increased and faeces dry matter decreased. Feed restriction decreased the weight gain while faeces characteristics were unaffected. An analysis including all four experiments revealed that a feed intake of less than 200 g day one after weaning seems to be associated with a relatively high incidence of a post-weaning diarrhoea-like condition. Protein restriction decreased faeces score and increased faeces dry matter while weight gain tended to decrease. Inclusion of lupine affected neither weight gain nor faeces characteristics. Extra vitamin E did not affect weight gain while faeces dry matter decreased, and faeces score and number of faecal haemolytic bacteria increased. The dietary treatments had no effect on the immunological responses. In conclusion, the studied dietary factors could not alleviate a diarrhoea-like condition and at the same time maintain the growth rate. Furthermore, the results indicate that performance can be improved if piglets achieve a daily feed intake of at least 200 g from day one after weaning

Screening model for nanowire surface-charge sensors in liquid

The conductance change of nanowire field-effect transistors is considered a highly sensitive probe for surface charge. However, Debye screening of relevant physiological liquid environments challenge device performance due to competing screening from the ionic liquid and nanowire charge carriers. We discuss this effect within Thomas-Fermi and Debye-Huckel theory and derive analytical results for cylindrical wires which can be used to estimate the sensitivity of nanowire surface-charge sensors. We study the interplay between the nanowire radius, the Thomas-Fermi and Debye screening lengths, and the length of the functionalization molecules. The analytical results are compared to finite-element calculations on a realistic geometry.Comment: 4 pages including 2 figures. Accepted for AP