Carbon suboxide: the vibrational dependence of the v7 bending potential function

Data on the vibrational energy levels and rotational constants of carbon suboxide for the low-wavenumber bending mode ν7 are reviewed, in the ground-state manifold, and in the ν2-, ν3-, ν4-, and ν2 + ν4-state manifolds. Following the procedure developed by Duckett, Mills, and Robiette [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 63, 249 (1976)] the data have been inverted to give the effective bending potential in ν7 for each of these five states. Values are obtained for various other parameters in the effective vibration-rotation Hamiltonian. The potential and rotational constants in ν2 + ν4 are given to a close approximation by linear extrapolation from the ground state through the ν2 and ν4 states.

Very short delays prior to escape from potential predators may function efficiently as adaptive risk-assessment periods

Periods between predator detection and an escape response (escape delays) by prey upon attack by a predator often arise because animals trade-off the benefits such a delay gives for assessing risk accurately with the costs of not escaping as quickly as possible. We tested whether freezing behaviour (complete immobility in a previously foraging bird) observed in chaffinches before escaping from an approaching potential threat functions as a period of risk-assessment, and whether information on predator identity is gained even when time available is very short. We flew either a model of a sparrowhawk (predator) or a woodpigeon (no threat) at single chaffinches. Escape delays were significantly shorter with the hawk, except when a model first appeared close to the chaffinch. Chaffinches were significantly more vigilant when they resumed feeding after exposure to the sparrowhawk compared to the woodpigeon showing that they were able to distinguish between threats, and this applied even when time available for assessment was short (an average of 0.29 s). Our results show freezing in chaffinches functions as an effective economic risk assessment period, and that threat information is gained even when very short periods of time are available during an attack.

Antagonistic potential of bacterial isolates associated with entomopathogenic nematodes against tomato wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp., Lycopersici under greenhouse conditions

Three concentrations of Xenorhabdus nematophila and Xenorhabdus spp., (4x10(5,) 4x10(6,) 4x10(7) cells/ml) were evaluated in the laboratory and in pot experiments to test their antagonistic effects on Fusarium oxysporum f.sp., lycopersici. All concentrations effectively inhibited its growth on agar plates. In soil under greenhouse conditions treatments with each bacterium at 4x10(7) cells/ml reduced the disease incidence of tomato by up to 40.38 and 47.54% respectively and there were significant increases of plant biomass by 198 and 211% respectively. The rhizosphere population of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp., lycopersici was reduced by 97%. The Xenorhabdus spp., was comparatively more effective than X. nematophila.

The neurokinin 1 receptor: a potential new target for anti-platelet therapy?

The important role of platelets in the development of arterial thrombosis and cardiovascular disease is well established. Current treatments for arterial thrombosis include anti-platelet agents such as aspirin, thienopyridines and glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitors. Despite these drugs being effective there remains a substantial unmet clinical demand for more effective therapeutic approaches, which may reflect the existence of alternative underlying regulatory mechanisms to those already targeted. Recent publications have demonstrated a key role for tachykinins in the positive feedback regulation of platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. The pro-thrombotic effects of tachykinins on platelets are mediated through the neurokinin 1 receptor, which may therefore offer a novel therapeutic drug target in the prevention and the treatment of arterial thrombosis.

Cultural techniques for improvement in biocontrol potential of fungal antagonists for biological control of Armillaria root rot of strawberry plants under glasshouse conditions

Several in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to develop an effective technique for culturing potential fungal antagonists (isolates of Trichoderma harzianum, Dactylium dendroides, Chaetomium olivaceum and one unidentified fungus) selected for activity against Armillaria mellea. The antagonists were inoculated onto (1) live spawn of the oyster mu shroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), (2) extra-moistened or sucrose-enriched mushroom composts containing living or autoclaved mycelia of P. ostreatus or Agaricus bisporus (button mushroom), (3) pasteurized compost with or without A. bisporus mycelium, wheat bran, wheat germ and (4) spent mushroom composts with living mycelia of A. bisporus, P. ostreatus or Lentinus edodes (the Shiitake mushroom). In one experiment, a representative antagonist (isolate Th2 of T. harzianum) was grown together with the A. bisporus mycelium, while in another one, the antagonist was first grown on wheat germ or wheat bran and then on mushroom compost with living mycelium of A. bisporus. Some of the carrier substrates were then added to the roots of potted strawberry plants in the glasshouse to evaluate their effectiveness against the disease. The antagonists failed to grow on the spawn of P. ostreatus even after reinoculations and prolonged incubation. Providing extra moisture or sucrose enrichment also did not improve the growth of Th2 on mushroom composts in the presence of living mycelia of A. bisporus or P. ostreatus. The antagonist, however, grew rapidly and extensively on mushroom compost with autoclaved mycelia, and also on wheat germ and wheat bran. Colonization of the substrates by the antagonist was positively correlated with its effectiveness in the glasshouse studies. Whereas only 33.3% of the inoculated control plants survived in one experiment monitored for 560 days, 100% survival was achieved when Th2 was applied on wheat germ or wheat bran. Growth of the antagonist alone on pasteurized or sterilized compost (without A. bisporus mycelia) and simultaneous growth of the antagonist and mushroom on pasteurized compost did not improve survival over the inoculated controls, but growth over mushroom compost with the living mycelium resulted in 50% survival rate. C. olivaceum isolate Co was the most effective, resulting in overall survival rate of 83.3% compared with only 8.3% for the inoculated and 100% for the uninoculated (healthy) controls. This antagonist gave the highest survival rate of 100% on spent mushroom compost with L. edodes. T harzianum isolate Th23, with 75% survival rate, was the most effective on spent mushroom compost with P. ostreatus, while D. dendroides isolate SP resulted in equal survival rates of 50% on all the three mushroom composts.

Comparisons between the in vitro and in vivo efficacies of potential fungal antagonists of Armillaria mellea

Seventeen fungal isolates were tested in vitro as potential antagonists of two isolates of the root rot pathogen, Armillaria mellea. Some of the isolates were also added on mushroom composts with living mycelia to the roots of Armillaria-inoculated potted strawberry plants in the glasshouse to find out if they had the same degree of efficacy against the disease. Dactylium dendroides isolate SP was the most effective in reducing mycelial growth of A. mellea isolate 1 (Am1), followed by Trichoderma harzianum isolate Th2 and T. viride isolate Tv4. Th2, Th22, Tv3 and SP grew extensively over Am1 colonies, disintegrating the rhizomorphs. Isolate Tham1 of T hamatum was the most effective in reducing mycelial growth of A. mellea isolate 2 (Am2), followed by Tv3. Th12, Th22, Tv1, Tv3 and SP inhibited the initiation and growth of rhizomorphs of Am2. Regeneration tests showed that both Am1 and Am2 attacked by Trichoderma isolates and SP were no longer viable. Th23 and SP were almost as effective in vivo as in vitro. But isolate Co of Chaetomium olivaceum, which was ineffective in vitro, was found effective in vivo. Conversely, Th2, which exhibited good antagonistic activity in vitro, performed poorly in vivo. These results show that the in vitro and in vivo efficacies of potential antagonists may not necessarily be closely correlated. Hence, there is a danger that potentially effective isolates may be discarded if decisions are made only on the basis of preliminary screening tests carried out under laboratory conditions.

Effects of two potential pest management components, intercropping and yellow sticky plastic sheet traps in two differentially resistant potato cultivars for the management of myzus persicae (Sulzer)

Polyculture is traditionally a low-input agricultural system and is important in many developing countries. Polycultures of interplanted crops often support fewer pests at lower densities than monoculture and tend to increase number of natural enemies. Also Yellow Sticky Plastic Sheet Traps have proved useful for trapping aphids. A field study was conducted to study the effectiveness of these potential pest management techniques along with the partially resistant (Cardinal) and susceptible (Desiree) potato cultivars, by using their different combinations for the management of Myzus persicae (Sulzer). Berseem, Trifolium alexandrinum (L.) (family: Leguminosae) was used for intercropping with potatoes. The different combinations (treatments) used in this study were: 1) Cardinal-berseem mixed cropping+yellow sticky plastic sheet traps 2) Cardinal-berseem mixed cropping 3) Cardinal+yellow sticky plastic sheet traps 4) Cardinal separately+berseem (as land area equivalents in relation to the mixed cropping treatments) 5) Cardinal (sole crop). Treatments 6-10 were the same treatments, but with Desiree as the potato cultivar. All these treatments were used to evaluate their effects as management techniques for M. persicae, their percent parasitism, percent emergence rate of the parasitoid, Aphidius matricariae Haliday and yield of Cardinal and Desiree. Mixed cropping of Cardinal and berseem together with the yellow sticky plastic sheet traps reduced aphids by over 90% compared with numbers on the sole Cardinal crop. This combination proved in this experiment the most effective for reducing the aphid populations as compared with all other treatments. Maximum percent parasitism i.e. 6.97 and 6.94% (almost double that in the other treatments) was recorded in the potato berseem mixed cropping, with and without traps respectively. In the same two treatments, yield was increased significantly as compared with all other treatments. However no significant effects of any of the variable was evident on the percent emergence of A. matricariae.

Are herbal remedies and dietary supplements safe and effective for breast cancer patients?

There remains limited scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of 'natural' therapies such as herbal remedies and dietary supplements. Nevertheless, breast cancer patients are particularly prone to purchasing such products because of the perception that 'natural' products are less toxic than conventional prescribed medicines. However, the potential for interactions of supplements with current medications, the potential for adverse effects from consumption at high levels, and the lack of disclosure of such treatments by the patient to their doctor are serious public health issues. Robust clinical trials are required to prove the efficacy and lack of adverse effects of such preparations, and communication between patients and doctors must be improved and doctors made more aware that their patients may be seeking advice and treatment from sources outside conventional medicine.

Endocannabinoid receptor antagonists: potential for obesity treatment

Obesity has been described as a global epidemic. Its increasing prevalence is matched by growing costs, not only to the health of the individual, but also to the medical services required to treat a range of obesity-related diseases. In most instances, obesity is a product of progressively less energetic lifestyles and the over-consumption of readily available, palatable, and highly caloric foods. Past decades have seen massive investment in the search for effective anti-obesity therapies, so far with limited success. An important part of the process of developing new pharmacologic treatments for obesity lies in improving our understanding of the psychologic and physiologic processes that govern appetite and bodyweight regulation. Recent discoveries concerning the endogenous cannabinoids are beginning to give greater insight into these processes. Current research indicates that endocannabinoids may be key to the appetitive and consummatory aspects of eating motivation, possibly mediating the craving for and enjoyment of the most desired, most fattening foods. Additionally, endocannabinoids appear to modulate central and peripheral processes associated with fat and glucose metabolism. Selective cannabinoid receptor antagonists have been shown to suppress the motivation to eat, and preferentially reduce the consumption of palatable, energy-dense foods. Additionally, these agents act to reduce adiposity through metabolic mechanisms that are independent of changes in food intake. Given the current state of evidence, we conclude that the endocannabinoids represent an exciting target for new anti-obesity therapies.

Clinical potential and design of programmable mechanical impedances for orthotic applications

A person with a moderate or severe motor disability will often use specialised or adapted tools to assist their interaction with a general environment. Such tools can assist with the movement of a person's arms so as to facilitate manipulation, can provide postural supports, or interface to computers, wheelchairs or similar assistive technologies. Designing such devices with programmable stiffness and damping may offer a better means for the person to have effective control of their surroundings. This paper addresses the possibility of designing some assistive technologies using impedance elements that can adapt to the user and the circumstances. Two impedance elements are proposed. The first, based on magnetic particle brakes, allows control of the damping coefficient in a passive element. The second, based on detuning the P-D controller in a servo-motor mechanism, allows control of both stiffness and damping. Such a mechanical impedance can be modulated to the conditions imposed by the task in hand. The limits of linear theory are explored and possible uses of programmable impedance elements are proposed.

Effective communication to improve udder health: can social science help?

Improved udder health requires consistent application of appropriate management practices by those involved in managing dairy herds and the milking process. Designing effective communication requires that we understand why dairy herd managers behave in the way they do and also how the means of communication can be used both to inform and to influence. Social sciences- ranging from economics to anthropology - have been used to shed light on the behaviour of those who manage farm animals. Communication science tells us that influencing behaviour is not simply a question of „getting the message across‟ but of addressing the complex of factors that influence an individual‟s behavioural decisions. A review of recent studies in the animal health literature shows that different social science frameworks and methodologies offer complementary insights into livestock managers‟ behaviour but that the diversity of conceptual and methodological frameworks presents a challenge for animal health practitioners and policy makers who seek to make sense of the findings – and for researchers looking for helpful starting points. Data from a recent study in England illustrate the potential of „home-made‟ conceptual frameworks to help unravel the complexity of farmer behaviour. At the same time, though, the data indicate the difficulties facing those designing communication strategies in a context where farmers believe strongly that they are already doing all they can reasonably be expected to do to minimise animal health risks.

Bistable systems with stochastic noise: virtues and limits of effective one-dimensional Langevin equations

The understanding of the statistical properties and of the dynamics of multistable systems is gaining more and more importance in a vast variety of scientific fields. This is especially relevant for the investigation of the tipping points of complex systems. Sometimes, in order to understand the time series of given observables exhibiting bimodal distributions, simple one-dimensional Langevin models are fitted to reproduce the observed statistical properties, and used to investing-ate the projected dynamics of the observable. This is of great relevance for studying potential catastrophic changes in the properties of the underlying system or resonant behaviours like those related to stochastic resonance-like mechanisms. In this paper, we propose a framework for encasing this kind of studies, using simple box models of the oceanic circulation and choosing as observable the strength of the thermohaline circulation. We study the statistical properties of the transitions between the two modes of operation of the thermohaline circulation under symmetric boundary forcings and test their agreement with simplified one-dimensional phenomenological theories. We extend our analysis to include stochastic resonance-like amplification processes. We conclude that fitted one-dimensional Langevin models, when closely scrutinised, may result to be more ad-hoc than they seem, lacking robustness and/or well-posedness. They should be treated with care, more as an empiric descriptive tool than as methodology with predictive power.

Brodifacoum is effective against Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in a tyrosine139cysteine focus of anticoagulant resistance, Westphalia, Germany

BACKGROUND: The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and consequent amino acid exchange from tyrosine to cysteine at location 139 of the vkorc1 gene (i.e. tyrosine139cysteine or Y139C), is the most widespread anticoagulant resistance mutation in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus Berk.) in Europe. Field trials were conducted to determine incidence of the Y139C SNP at two rat infested farms in Westphalia, Germany, and to estimate the practical efficacy against them of applications, using a pulsed baiting treatment regime, of a proprietary bait (KleratTM) containing 50 ppm brodifacoum. RESULTS: DNA analysis for the Y139C mutation showed that resistant rats were prevalent at the two farms, with an incidence of 80.0% and 78.6% respectively. Applications of brodifacoum bait achieved results of 99.2% and 100.0% control at the two farms, when measured by census baiting, although the treatment was somewhat prolonged at one site due to the abundance of attractive alternative food. CONCLUSION: The study showed that 50 ppm brodifacoum bait is fully effective against the Y139C SNP at the Münsterland focus and is likely to be so elsewhere in Europe where this mutation is found. The pulsed baiting regime reduced to relatively low levels the quantity of bait required to control these two substantial resistant Norway rat infestations. Previous studies had shown much larger quantities of bromadiolone and difenacoum baits used in ineffective treatments against Y139C resistant rats in the Münsterland. These results should be considered when making decisions about the use of anticoagulant against resistant Norway rats and their potential environmental impacts.

The potential for community groups to promote sustainable living

In recent times there has been a growing recognition amongst policy-makers of the role for community-based action in contributing to the broader aims of energy policy and climate change. In this paper, we will examine the potential for existing community groups to use their influence and elements of internal cohesion to encourage more widespread understanding and adoption of sustainable lifestyle habits; both amongst their members and within the broader communities of which they are a part. Findings are presented from recent empirical work with a range of well-established community groups for whom environmental issues are not their main priority. A central aspect of the research was to explore both the current status and potential role of groups that may have the capacity to reach and influence a broader sphere of the public than energy/environment specific initiatives of recent times have been able to achieve. Representing a diversity of interests, age groups and functionality, the results suggest that the potential for more effective ‘bottom-up’ engagement on climate change and sustainable living might be given fresh impetus by these types of established community groups and their networks. An assessment of what motivates participation and membership in the groups highlights a series of factors common to all groups and a smaller number that are significant for particular groups individually. It is argued that an appreciation of motivating factors can be useful in understanding more clearly how such groups are able to survive and maintain cohesion over time. The findings also suggest that climate change action means different things for different groups, with the diversity of the groups bringing with it the challenge of making sustainable living relevant to a range of interests and different shared values.

A probabilistic analysis of the future potential of evaporative cooling systems in a temperate climate

The probabilistic projections of climate change for the United Kingdom (UK Climate Impacts Programme) show a trend towards hotter and drier summers. This suggests an expected increase in cooling demand for buildings – a conflicting requirement to reducing building energy needs and related CO2 emissions. Though passive design is used to reduce thermal loads of a building, a supplementary cooling system is often necessary. For such mixed-mode strategies, indirect evaporative cooling is investigated as a low energy option in the context of a warmer and drier UK climate. Analysis of the climate projections shows an increase in wet-bulb depression; providing a good indication of the cooling potential of an evaporative cooler. Modelling a mixed-mode building at two different locations, showed such a building was capable of maintaining adequate thermal comfort in future probable climates. Comparing the control climate to the scenario climate, an increase in the median of evaporative cooling load is evident. The shift is greater for London than for Glasgow with a respective 71.6% and 3.3% increase in the median annual cooling load. The study shows evaporative cooling should continue to function as an effective low-energy cooling technique in future, warming climates.