The Seismic Structure of the Sun

Global Oscillation Network Group data reveal that the internal structure of the sun can be well represented by a calibrated standard model. However, immediately beneath the convection zone and at the edge of the energy-generating core, the sound-speed variation is somewhat smoother in the sun than it is in the model. This could be a consequence of chemical inhomogeneity that is too severe in the model, perhaps owing to inaccurate modeling of gravitational settling or to neglected macroscopic motion that may be present in the sun. Accurate knowledge of the sun's structure enables inferences to be made about the physics that controls the sun; for example, through the opacity, the equation of state, or wave motion. Those inferences can then be used elsewhere in astrophysics.     

Nutrition and the burden of disease in New Zealand: 1997-2011

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the burden of disease due to selected nutrition-related risk factors (high total blood cholesterol, high systolic blood pressure, high body mass index (BMI) and inadequate vegetable and fruit intake) in 1997, as well as the burden that could potentially be avoided in 2011 if small, favourable changes in the current risk factor distribution were to occur. DESIGN: Data on risk factor levels, disease burden and risk associations were combined using comparative risk assessment methodology, a systematic approach to estimating both attributable and avoidable burden of disease. Disease outcomes assessed varied according to risk factor and included ischaemic heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus and selected cancers. SETTING: New Zealand. RESULTS: Approximately 4500 deaths (17% of all deaths) in 1997 were attributable to high cholesterol, 3500 (13%) to high blood pressure, 3000 (11%) to high BMI and 1500 (6%) to inadequate vegetable and fruit intake. Taking prevalence overlap into account, these risk factors were estimated jointly to contribute to approximately 11 000 (40%) deaths annually in New Zealand. Approximately 300 deaths due to each risk factor could potentially be avoided in 2011 if modest changes were made to each risk factor distribution. CONCLUSIONS: High cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI, as well as inadequate vegetable and fruit intake, are major modifiable causes of death in New Zealand. Small changes in the population distribution of these risk factors could have a major impact on population health within a decade.     

Amazonia through time: Andean uplift, climate change, landscape evolution, and biodiversity

The Amazonian rainforest is arguably the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem in the world, yet the timing of the origin and evolutionary causes of this diversity are a matter of debate. We review the geologic and phylogenetic evidence from Amazonia and compare it with uplift records from the Andes. This uplift and its effect on regional climate fundamentally changed the Amazonian landscape by reconfiguring drainage patterns and creating a vast influx of sediments into the basin. On this "Andean" substrate, a region-wide edaphic mosaic developed that became extremely rich in species, particularly in Western Amazonia. We show that Andean uplift was crucial for the evolution of Amazonian landscapes and ecosystems, and that current biodiversity patterns are rooted deep in the pre-Quaternary.     

Drainage and desalinization of heavy clay soil in Portugal

The Leziria Grande area consists mainly of poorly drained, saline clay soils of marine origin. Three experimental fields were laid out to find whether subsurface drainage can be effective in lowering the groundwater table and improving desalinization.Subsurface drainage results in a lower groundwater table than does surface drainage. With increasing spacing, the groundwater remains at a higher level for longer periods, which is expressed here by the sum of exceedances of the groundwater table above 30 cm during winter.Soil salinity, expressed as EC_1:2, and sodicity, expressed as E.S.P., decreased during the first 3 years, in which precipitation varied between 600 and 750 mm and the average drain outflow was about 250 mm. The leaching efficiency decreased with time, indicating that the removal of salt is a slow process in fine-textured soil.Application of gypsum lowered the E.S.P. The infiltration rate and the drain outflow increased. Although the total amount of salts in the drainwater was 40% higher than for the untreated plots, no lower EC_1:2 values were found. This is ascribed to spatial variability in soil salinity.     

Ostertagiasis in calves. II. infection parameters and body weight gains following housing

The performance of six groups of six calves each from a previous field experiment was followed from the beginning of housing until turning out seven months later. When housed the groups harboured different levels of infection with Ostertagia ostertagi and had corresponding weight and gain reductions. The most heavily infected groups improved rapidly following housing. Elevated serum pepsinogen levels decreased markedly, and approached normal values at eight weeks. Differences in serum pepsinogen levels between groups diminished considerably, but remained significant over the entire stabling period. The serum albumin level was low in the most seriously affected animals at the time of housing, but normal levels were restored within the first twelve weeks. In general, the number of parasite eggs in the faeces of the animals decreased, but there was considerable fluctuation. Apart from a single sampling date, no significant difference in egg per gram (EPG) could be demonstrated between the experimental groups during the stabling period.The calves were fed according to their age. The live weight differences between most and least affected groups diminished from 64 kg at the time of housing to 37 kg at the end of the stabling period. The reduction took place particularly during the first four weeks of housing.Considering both the grazing and stabling periods, it appeared that anthelmintic treatment twice during the period had no effect on the final live weight, whereas remeated treatments at three-week intervals resulted in an increase of 24 kg. Similarly, moving the animals to a clean pasture in mid-July resulted in an increase of 39 kg at the end of the stabling period when compared to calves which were not moved. Treatment of moved animals did not result in further body weight gain after seven months of housing.No significant correlation was found between parasite EPG of faeces and growth rate during the stabling period. However, a positive correlation was found between serum pepsinogen during the first eight weeks of housing and the weight gain over the entire stabling period. This was in contrast to the correlation experienced during the grazing period.     

Strong enhancement of nonlinear optical properties through supramolecular chirality

A new approach to second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is reported, in which chirality and supramolecular organization play key roles. Langmuir-Blodgett films of a chiral helicene are composed of supramolecular arrays of the molecules. The chiral supramolecular organization makes the second-order NLO susceptibility about 30 times larger for the nonracemic material than for the racemic material with the same chemical structure. The susceptibility of the nonracemic films is a respectable 50 picometers per volt, even though the helicene structure lacks features commonly associated with high nonlinearity. Susceptibility components that are allowed only by chirality dominate the second-order NLO response.     

Two Methods of Vitrification Followed by In Vitro Culture of the Ovine Ovary: Evaluation of the Follicular Development and Ovarian Extracellular Matrix

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of two vitrification techniques on the extra cellular matrix (ECM) and ovarian follicular development. The ovarian cortex was fragmented (9 mm³) and divided into six groups, viz. fresh control, cultured control, vitrified by the Ovarian Tissue Cryosystem (OTC) method, conventional solid surface vitrification (SSV) method, OTC/cultured and SSV/cultured. Follicles from all the fragments were analysed for morphology, development and viability. The ECM was evaluated based on the condition of collagen and reticular fibres and the immunolocalization of type I collagen and fibronectin. After 7 days of culture, the tissue vitrified by OTC revealed a higher percentage (p < 0.05) of morphologically normal (30.66%) and viable (60.00%) follicles when compared with those vitrified using the SSV technique (21.33% and 23.00%). In all the fragments cultured, regardless of the vitrification method, a significantly higher percentage of developing follicles was observed when compared with the non‐cultured tissue. Analysis of the type I collagen showed increased immunostaining after the in vitro culture in the vitrified fragments. In conclusion, the OTC is better for preserving the follicular viability and morphology and maintaining the integrity of the extracellular matrix components of the ovine ovary.     

A survey of owners' perceptions of fear of fireworks in a sample of dogs and cats in New Zealand

Abstract

AIMS: To establish reliable information regarding the behavioural responses of dogs and cats to fireworks in New Zealand; record interventions used by owners, and their perceived efficacies; and establish the prevalence of firework-related injury, and quantify owners' attitudes towards fireworks.

METHODS: A questionnaire targeting dog and cat owners was distributed via the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Animals Voice magazine and 25 veterinary clinics. The questionnaire covered demographics of animals, fear of fireworks, severity of the fear, and behaviours exhibited. Also included were treatments tried, source and perceived efficacy, prevalence of injury, and owners' attitudes towards the sale of fireworks for private use.

RESULTS: From a total of 8,966 questionnaires distributed, 1,007 valid questionnaires were returned, representing 3,527 animals. Of these 1,635 (46%) animals displayed a level of fear of fireworks recognisable to their owners. Owners of dogs identified a significantly higher fear response than owners of cats but the duration of these fear responses did not differ between species. Fear of fireworks frequently resulted in dogs exhibiting active fear behaviours, whereas cats were more likely to exhibit hiding and cowering behaviours. A significantly increased severity and duration of fear response over time in dogs and cats was associated with owners who comforted them when they displayed a fearful response. Only 141/890 (15.8%) of owners sought professional treatment from a veterinarian, animal behaviourist or animal trainer for their animals, with variable efficacy. Six percent (51/923) of animals had received physical injuries from fireworks. The majority (837/1,007; 83%) of respondents, regardless of whether they owned a fearful animal or not, supported a ban on the sale of fireworks for private use.

CONCLUSIONS: The results provide valuable information that is, as yet, unsubstantiated in New Zealand, although potential biases exist due to the non-random selection of respondents. Differences between dogs and cats were likely due to differing responses to fear-provoking stimuli between the species. Owner-reported increase in fearful response over time for comforted animals may indicate a negative impact on the longer-term psychological welfare of their animal.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The greater the awareness of effective treatment plans for animals that suffer from a fear of fireworks, the greater the possibility that this fear can be reduced. Wider dissemination of effective owner behaviour and treatment programmes for firework fears is needed to improve levels of professional treatment for dogs and cats.     

Salt movement,leaching efficiency,and leaching requirement

To study the salt movement in a soil profile, experiments were conducted on sandy loam and silty clay loam in tanks. The chloride concentration and electrical conductivity of the soil water were found from soil water samplers and salinity sensors. The standard deviation of the chloride concentration at each depth was small at the beginning of the percolation process when the soil was uniformly non-saline or highly saline; it increased strongly during the process and returned to its original value at the end. This points to a very heterogeneous water and salt movement through the soil profile. The chloride concentration, when increasing or decreasing rapidly, shows a large scattering. The effective mixing length in the tank experiments appears to be much greater than in laboratory soil columns. It varies between 10 and 15 cm in sandy loam and between 15 and 30 cm in silty clay loam. Irrigation water and soil moisture do not mix completely. An increasing part of the irrigation water moves through the soil without contributing to the leaching process. The results of the tank experiments agree with those of field experiments on similar soils. The consequences for the calculation of the leaching requirement in practice are discussed.