Voting after the bombing: Can terrorist attacks change the outcome of democratic elections?

Economists have recently turned their attention to the effects of terrorism. One much debated effect of terrorist attacks is its impact on the results of democratic elections. We use the electoral consequences of the terrorist attacks of the 11-M in Madrid to analyze this issue. We consider this particular experiment since the attack took place only three days before the 2004 Congressional Election, which allows the use of credible identification criteria. In particular, we use the advance voting by Spanish residents abroad, who cast their vote before the terrorist attack, to identify the effect of the bombing. We exploit this macabre natural experiment to run a difference-in-differences estimation using data on three consecutive Congressional elections. Our empirical results indicate that a terrorist attack can have a large impact on the outcome of democratic elections.

Foraging by Polybia (Trichothorax) ignobilis (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) on flies at animal carcasses

Proteins for brood nutrition of social wasps are obtained from many prey, including insects (even bees and other wasps), spiders and bits of decaying meat. After being captured and killed, prey are reduced to a shapeless mass and distributed to the brood. Little is known about the foraging activity, especially on this group. Herein we describe the sequence of foraging behaviours of the social wasp Polybia (Trichothorax) ignobilis for hunting flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae and Muscidae) over pig carcasses. To our knowledge, there are few scientific descriptions of prey foraging behaviour on this species.

Methods for integration site distribution analyses in animal cell genomes.

The question of where retroviral DNA becomes integrated in chromosomes is important for understanding (i) the mechanisms of viral growth, (ii) devising new anti-retroviral therapy, (iii) understanding how genomes evolve, and (iv) developing safer methods for gene therapy. With the completion of genome sequences for many organisms, it has become possible to study integration targeting by cloning and sequencing large numbers of host-virus DNA junctions, then mapping the host DNA segments back onto the genomic sequence. This allows statistical analysis of the distribution of integration sites relative to the myriad types of genomic features that are also being mapped onto the sequence scaffold. Here we present methods for recovering and analyzing integration site sequences.

Public perceptions of animal experimentation across Europe

The goal of this article is to map out public perceptions of animal experimentation in 28 European countries. Postulating cross-cultural differences, this study mixes country-level variables (from the Eurostat database) and individual-level variables (from Eurobarometer Science and Technology 2010). It is shown that experimentation on animals such as mice is generally accepted in European countries, but perceptions are divided on dogs and monkeys. Between 2005 and 2010, we observe globally a change of approval on dogs and monkeys, with a significant decrease in nine countries. Multilevel analysis results show differences at country level (related to a post-industrialism model) and at individual level (related to gender, age, education, proximity and perceptions of science and the environment). These results may have consequences for public perceptions of science and we call for more cross-cultural research on press coverage of animal research and on the level of public engagement of scientists doing animal research

Animal Industry News, March 2008, Vol. 9, no. 1

Newsletter produced by Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship about the animal industry in Iowa.

Allergo-immunologie. 1. Nouveautés dans le traitement des crises aiguës d'angioedème héréditaire [Allergy-immunology. New therapies for acute attacks in hereditary angioedema].

Hereditary angioedema is a disease which develops as a result of a deficiency or dysfonction of C1-inhibitor, a key regulator of the complement, coagulation and contact cascades, resulting among others in excessive release of bradykinin. This disease mortality rate is high in absence of immediate and effective treatment, in particular in presence of acute attacks of the upper respiratory tract (laryngeal edema). Until now only administration of a purified C1-inhibitor extract was effective against these symptoms. This paper aims to synthesise essentials knowledge concerning news drugs, in particular icatibant, a selective bradykinin B2- receptor antagonist whose use should be widened to the treatment of angioedema with ACE-inhibitors intolerance.

The zebrafish is an animal model in ophthalmic diseases : Fleck corneal dystrophy and Schorderet-Munier syndrome

RAPPORT DE SYNTHÈSE : Pip5k3 : Pip5k3 is a kinase responsible for fleck corneal dystrophy when mutated. It is a well conserved gene that has only been characterized in human and mouse. Characterization of pip5k3 in zebrafish was necessary before using it as a model. The protein is 70 % similar to the human homologue. The full coding sequence encompasses 6303 by and presented four isoforms. They were differentially expressed during development. All the analyzed organs of the adult zebrafish expressed pip5k3. The adult eye expressed pip5k3 in the cornea, lens, ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner nuclear layer (INL) and outer limiting membrane (OLM). During development, pip5k3 was first uniformly expressed before to be restricted to the head region and to the somites. The expression of pip5k3 in the cornea of the larval eye could make possible the study of fleck corneal dystrophy on this animal. NkxS-3 : NKXS-3 is a transcription factor responsible for a new oculo-auricular syndrome in human when mutated. This recessive disorder is characterized by defects in ear lobule and multiple defects in eye, including microphthalmia and cataract. During development, the zebrafish expressed nkx5-3 in the lens, in the anterior retina and in otic vesicles. Knockdown experiments partially phenocopied the human disease. Microphthalmia and cataract were reproduced, but zebrafish showed also defects in the cartilage of the jaw associated with a microcephaly and fins abnormalities. The retinal cell differentiation was delayed, possibly linked with the delayed expression of at`h5 and crx also observed in morphants. Shh, a regulator of ath5, was normally expressed in morphant. Overexpression of nkx5-3 lead to an anophthalmia, suggesting a role at the early organogenesis of the eye. All the phenotypes observed in morphants and embryos overexpressing nkx5-3 suggest a potential involvement of the FGF and hedgehog signaling pathways.

Necrophagous diptera associated with wild animal carcasses in southern Brazil

Necrophagous Diptera associated with wild animal carcasses in southern Brazil. The aim of this study was to acquire a better knowledge concerning the diversity of necrophagous Diptera that develop on wild animal carcasses. For this purpose, the decomposition of six wild animal carcasses was observed in order to collect and identify the main species of necrophagous flies associated with the decomposition process. The carcasses were found on highways near the cities of Pelotas and Capão do Leão in the initial stage of decomposition, with no significant injuries or prior larval activity. Four wild animal models were represented in this study: two specimens of Didelphis albiventris Lund, 1840; two Tupinambis merianae Linnaeus, 1758; one Nothura maculosa Temminck, 1815; and one Cerdocyon thous Linnaeus, 1766. A total of 16,242 flies from 14 species were reared in the laboratory, where Muscidae presented the greatest diversity of necrophagous species. Overall, (i) carcasses with larger biomass developed a higher abundance of flies and (ii) the necrophagous community was dominated by Calliphoridae, two patterns that were predicted from published literature; and (iii) the highest diversity was observed on the smaller carcasses exposed to the lowest temperatures, a pattern that may have been caused by the absence of the generalist predator Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819). (iv) An UPGMA analysis revealed a similar pattern of clusters of fly communities, where the same species were structuring the groupings.

Animal Industry News, 2009, Vol. 10, no. 1

Newsletter produced by Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship about the animal industry in Iowa.

Animal Industry News, February 2000, Vol. 1, No. 1

Newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Animal Industry News, March 2007, Vol. 8, No. 1

Newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.