An online training package providing a concise synthesis of the scientific data underpinning EU legislation on enrichment and tail-docking of pigs was produced in seven languages, with the aim of improving consistency of professional judgements regarding legislation compliance on farms. In total, 158 participants who were official inspectors, certification scheme assessors and advisors from 16 EU countries completed an initial test and an online training package. Control group participants completed a second identical test before, and Training group participants after, viewing the training. In Section 1 of the test participants rated the importance of modifying environmental enrichment defined in nine scenarios from 1 (not important) to 10 (very important). Training significantly increased participants’ overall perception of the need for change. Participants then rated nine risk factors for tail-biting from 1 (no risk) to 10 (high risk). After training scores were better correlated with risk rankings already described by scientists. Scenarios relating to tail-docking and management were then described. Training significantly increased the proportion of respondents correctly identifying that a farm without tail lesions should stop tail-docking. Finally, participants rated the importance of modifying enrichment in three further scenarios. Training increased ratings in all three. The pattern of results indicated that participants’ roles influenced scores but overall the training improved: i) recognition of enrichments that, by virtue of their type or use by pigs, may be insufficient to achieve legislation compliance; ii) knowledge on risk factors for tail-biting; and iii) recognition of when routine tail-docking was occurring.

This paper presents an integrated design and costing method for large stiffened panels for the purpose of investigating the influence and interaction of lay-up technology and production rate on manufacturing cost. A series of wing cover panels (≈586kg, 19·9m2) have been sized with realistic requirements considering manual and automated lay-up routes. The integrated method has enabled the quantification of component unit cost sensitivity to changes in annual production rate and employed equipment maximum deposition rate. Moreover the results demonstrate the interconnected relationship between lay-up process and panel design, and unit cost. The optimum unit cost solution when using automated lay-up is a combination of the minimum deposition rate and minimum number of lay-up machines to meet the required production rate. However, the location of the optimum unit cost, at the boundaries between the number of lay-up machines required, can make unit cost very sensitive to small changes in component design, production rate, and equipment maximum deposition rate.

Lameness in dairy cows is an important welfare issue. As part of a welfare assessment, herd level lameness prevalence can be estimated from scoring a sample of animals, where higher levels of accuracy are associated with larger sample sizes. As the financial cost is related to the number of cows sampled, smaller samples are preferred. Sequential sampling schemes have been used for informing decision making in clinical trials. Sequential sampling involves taking samples in stages, where sampling can stop early depending on the estimated lameness prevalence. When welfare assessment is used for a pass/fail decision, a similar approach could be applied to reduce the overall sample size. The sampling schemes proposed here apply the principles of sequential sampling within a diagnostic testing framework. This study develops three sequential sampling schemes of increasing complexity to classify 80 fully assessed UK dairy farms, each with known lameness prevalence. Using the Welfare Quality herd-size-based sampling scheme, the first ‘basic’ scheme involves two sampling events. At the first sampling event half the Welfare Quality sample size is drawn, and then depending on the outcome, sampling either stops or is continued and the same number of animals is sampled again. In the second ‘cautious’ scheme, an adaptation is made to ensure that correctly classifying a farm as ‘bad’ is done with greater certainty. The third scheme is the only scheme to go beyond lameness as a binary measure and investigates the potential for increasing accuracy by incorporating the number of severely lame cows into the decision. The three schemes are evaluated with respect to accuracy and average sample size by running 100 000 simulations for each scheme, and a comparison is made with the fixed size Welfare Quality herd-size-based sampling scheme. All three schemes performed almost as well as the fixed size scheme but with much smaller average sample sizes. For the third scheme, an overall association between lameness prevalence and the proportion of lame cows that were severely lame on a farm was found. However, as this association was found to not be consistent across all farms, the sampling scheme did not prove to be as useful as expected. The preferred scheme was therefore the ‘cautious’ scheme for which a sampling protocol has also been developed.

In most countries, male pigs are physically castrated soon after birth to reduce the risk of boar taint and to avoid behaviours such as fighting and mounting. However, entire male pigs are more feed efficient and deposit less fat than barrows. In addition, many animal welfare organizations are lobbying for a cessation of castration, with a likelihood that this could lead to inferior pork unless an alternative method is used to control boar taint. An alternative to physical castration is immunization against gonadotrophin releasing factor (GnRF) which allows producers to capitalize on the superior feed efficiency and carcass characteristics of boars without the risk of boar taint. From a physiological perspective, immunized pigs are entire males until shortly after the second dose, typically given 4 to 6 weeks before slaughter. Following full immunization, there is a temporary suppression of testicular function and a hormonal status that resembles that of a barrow. Nutrient requirements will be different in these two phases, before and after full immunization. Given that there have been few published studies comparing the lysine requirements of entire males and barrows in contemporary genotypes, it is useful to use gilt requirements as a benchmark. A series of meta-analyses comparing anti-GnRF immunized boars and physical castrates and use of nutritional models suggest that the lysine requirement of entire males before the second immunization is 5% higher than for gilts, from 25 to 50 kg BW, and by 8% from 50 to 95 kg. Given that the penalty in growth performance for having inadequate dietary lysine is greater in males than in gilts or barrows, it is important to ensure that lysine requirements are met to obtain the maximum benefits of entire male production during this phase. After the second immunization, the lysine requirement of immunized males decreases and may become more like that of barrows. In addition, a consistent effect of full immunization is a marked increase in voluntary feed intake from about 10 days after the second dose. Putting these together, the estimated lysine requirement, expressed in terms of diet composition, falls to 94% of the gilt level. Although general principles can be described now, further research is needed to fully define the lysine requirements of immunized boars. It is important that the temporal pattern of tissue deposition rates and feed intake be explored to be incorporated into models to predict nutrient requirements over the period of rapidly changing metabolism.

We administered a spatial version of the Delayed Recognition Span Test (DRST), a working memory task performed abnormally by patients with basal ganglia disease, to a group of 96 HIV-seropositive and 83 seronegative subjects with a high prevalence of substance abuse. For comparison purposes, we also administered the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and the Trail Making Test (TMT), measures which detect HIV-related mental slowing efficiently in gay men but are nonspecifically impaired in subjects with a history of substance abuse. As predicted, scores on the TMT and the SDMT did not discriminate the groups, but HIV-seropositive subjects had significantly shorter spatial spans (p < .007) and DRST total scores (p < .005). These effects could not be attributed to differences in age, education, estimated intelligence, or psychological distress, because the groups were well matched on these variables. The DRST is a promising measure of HIV-related cognitive dysfunction in substance abusers, who are often nonspecifically impaired on psychomotor tasks. These preliminary data also indicate that working memory function should be studied further in HIV-seropositive subjects. (JINS, 1995, 1, 575–580.)

Rehabilitation of voice and speech after total laryngectomy has become established practice in recent years. A voice prosthesis is placed within a surgically produced fistula between the trachea and upper oesophagus and acts as a one way valve, allowing passage of pulmonary air from the trachea into the oesophagus and preventing aspiration of food and fluid from the oesophagus into the trachea. Persistent leakage through or around these prostheses is a recognized complication, the aetiology of which can vary widely, from mechanical issues with the prostheses themselves to anatomical and physiological issues associated with the reconstructed pharynx.

We report a new technique of using Dysport® in the management of intractable central leakage due to premature and forceful closure of the upper oesophageal sphincter during swallowing. This resulted in the pooling of fluids around the posterior flange of the prosthesis. This, along with the increased pressure from the muscle contraction, led to central leakage, as identified on videofluoroscopy. An injection of Dysport paralysed the upper oesophageal sphincter, preventing pooling of fluids around the prosthesis and the forcing open of the valve. The effect was to eliminate the leakage, and the patient did not require further injections over the following 22 months.

Diets containing soluble NSP (sNSP) and resistant starch (RS) increase hindgut fermentation in pigs, which in turn increases the incidence of swine dysentery (SD) after infection with the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. In the present study pigs were fed diets based on either wheat or sorghum, fed either raw or treated by extrusion, and/or with the addition of dietary enzymes to reduce RS and/or sNSP content. The aim was to determine the effects of these treatments on pig performance, large intestinal fermentation and expression of SD. Weaned pigs (n 132) were fed experimental diets for 4 weeks, when half the pigs in each treatment group were euthanased and samples collected to assess the influence of the diet on hindgut fermentation. The remaining pigs then were infected with B. hyodysenteriae, and monitored for development of SD. In general, compared with pigs fed raw wheat, fermentation in all parts of the large intestine was reduced either by feeding raw sorghum-based diets, or by feeding diets that were extruded. The addition of enzymes that degrade RS or sNSP reduced fermentation only in the distal parts of the large intestine. The incidence of SD was lower in pigs fed sorghum-based diets, and some of the extruded diets, but none of the dietary treatments offered full protection against SD. Multiple regression analysis of the results from all three experiments showed that colonisation by spirochaetes was highly related to dietary sNSP concentrations, whilst development of SD was similarly influenced by RS content of the diet.

V471 Tauri is a short-period eclipsing binary, and a member of the Hyades. It is composed of a hot DA white dwarf (WD) and a cool main-sequence dK2 companion. HST radial velocities of the WD, in combination with the ground-based spectroscopic orbit of the K star, yield dynamical masses of MWD = 0.84 and MdK = 0.93 M⊙. During the UV observations we serendipitously detected coronal mass ejections from the K star, passing in front of the WD and appearing as sudden, transient metallic absorption. Eclipse timings show that the active dK star is 18% larger than a main-sequence star of the same mass, an apparent consequence of its extensive starspot coverage. The high Teff and high mass of the WD are paradoxical: the WD is the most massive in the Hyades, but also the youngest. A plausible scenario is that the progenitor system was a triple, with a close inner pair that merged after several × 108 yr to produce a single blue straggler. When this star evolved to the AGB phase, it underwent a common-envelope interaction with a distant dK companion, which spiraled down to its present separation and ejected the envelope. The common-envelope efficiency parameter, αCE, was of order 0.3–1.0, in good agreement with recent hydrodynamical simulations.

SuWt 2 is a southern-hemisphere planetary nebula (PN) with an unusual ring-shaped morphology. The central star is an eclipsing binary with a period of 4.9 days. Surprisingly, the binary is composed of two main-sequence A-type stars with similar masses of ~ 2.5 M⊙. We discuss scenarios involving a third companion which ejected and ionizes the PN.

WeBo 1 is a northern PN with a ring morphology remarkably similar to that of SuWt 2. Although we hoped that its central star would shed light on the nature of SuWt 2, it has proven instead to be a late-type barium star!

Recent evidence suggests that HIV-seropositive drug users are impaired on tasks of visuospatial working memory compared with drug users seronegative for HIV. In the current study we evaluated the performance of 30 HIV-seropositive male drug users and 30 risk-matched seronegative controls on two measures of verbal working memory, the Listening Span and the verbal Self Ordered Pointing Task. Impaired working memory performance was significantly more common among HIV-seropositive persons compared to controls, with the highest incidence of deficit among symptomatic participants. These findings indicate that working memory deficits in persons with HIV are not domain-specific and can be demonstrated reliably in drug users. (JINS, 2000, 6, 548–555.)

Computerized reaction time (RT) tasks are sensitive measures of subclinical HIV-related mental slowing. We previously reported that nondemented HIV-seropositive patients on antiretroviral therapy at the time of testing had faster choice RTs compared to matched untreated seropositive participants. In the present study, we evaluated the performance of 163 nondemented HIV-seropositive participants on a reaction time version of the Stroop task as a function of antiretroviral status. Persons on antiretroviral therapy at the time of testing had significantly faster reaction times than untreated individuals, although treated asymptomatic participants showed significantly less Stroop interference than treated symptomatic participants. These effects could not be attributed to differences in demographic variables, disease status, substance abuse, or psychological distress. These data indicate that central information processing is faster for patients treated with antiretroviral compounds compared to untreated patients, and suggest that reaction time tasks may have significant potential utility in clinical trials of neuroprotective compounds. (JINS, 1998, 4, 329–335.)

We studied the integrity of working memory operations in 38 HIV-seropositive and 20 seronegative drug users, using a modified version of the Tower of London task. This new task, the Tower of London–Working Memory version (TOL–WM), includes a delayed-response component in addition to the planning required for successful performance of the standard TOL. Symptomatic HIV-seropositive participants solved significantly fewer TOL–WM problems compared to matched seronegative controls. However, seropositive and seronegative subjects showed similar overall levels of planning efficiency, suggesting that the TOL–WM deficit may be associated primarily with failure to encode or maintain an adequate online memory representation. The results of this study confirm our previous report of a possible working memory deficit in HIV-1 infection and suggest that measures of working memory have particular utility in the evaluation of HIV-related cognitive deficits. (JINS, 1997, 3, 451–456.)

A series of CuInSe2 single crystals which were grown by the vertical Bridgman technique have been implanted with oxygen and xenon ions. These implants tend to cause a change from n to p-type conductivity and an enhancement of the photoconductivity. We present HREM and SIMS characterisation of the microstructural effects caused by high dose ion implants on CuInSe2. We also correlate our data with calculated ion implant profiles. In addition, we show that CuInSe2 thin foils can undergo significant degradation under the electron beam irradiation conditions which are commonly encountered in electron microscopes.

The microstructure and microchemistry of a number of melt textured CuInSe2 ingots prepared from a variety of starting charge compositions have been investigated using a combination of TEM, EPMA and Auger spectroscopy. If a stoichiometric starting mixture is used, In-rich and Cu-rich precipitates are found at the first and last to freeze zones of the ingot respectively, accompanied by an intervening mid-portion of inclusion free (although slightly off-stoichiometry) CuInSe2 We have found that in order to achieve an optimum matrix composition, a Cu-rich charge is required; however, this leads to a fine distribution of copper selenide particles throughout the ingot. If the starting charge is In-rich, then the boule contains In-rich precipitates and the matrix composition is In-rich and Cu-deficient. These observations are correlated with the observed electrical characteristics of the boules.

Age of onset was examined for 139 members of 30 families affected by early-onset AD. Most (77%) of the variance of age of onset derived from differences between rather than within families. The constancy of age of onset within families was also observed in an analysis restricted to families derived from a population-based epidemiological study with complete ascertainment of early-onset AD. Furthermore, we observed clustering of age of onset within those families that support linkage to the predisposing locus on chromosome 21. Our data are compatible with the view that allelic heterogeneity at the AD locus may account for the similarity in age of onset within families. This finding may be of value for scientific studies of AD as well as for genetic counselling.

Studies demonstrating the linkage to separate chromosomal locations of Alzheimer's disease, manic depression, and schizophrenia require re-evaluation of our ideas of their genetic aetiology. This article reviews the findings, and explores the increasing contribution of the ‘new genetics' to our understanding of the organic and functional psychoses.

The twin register of the Maudsley Hospital was used to select a series of monozygotic (MZ) and same-sexed dizygotic (DZ) twins who had been given an ICD8 diagnosis related to alcoholism. They and their co-twins were traced. Medical and drinking histories were compiled (from records and by interview) for 56 twin-pairs, to permit current and retrospective diagnosis of any neurotic disorders. RDC diagnoses of panic disorder generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder and phobias were more common in the alcoholic probands and the co-twins who were also alcoholics than in the normal-drinking co-twins. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ) were completed by 54 individuals. Neuroticism scores were significantly higher for both male and female alcoholics than for their normal-drinking co-twins; and intra-pair differences in neuroticism were significantly correlated with intra-pair differences in severity of dependence. These results suggest that both clinically diagnosed neurotic illness and high neuroticism scores are more often a consequence than a cause of alcoholism.

The lytic enzyme present in øC2(W) lysates was isolated by means of ion-exchange chromatography and further purified by gel filtration and ultrafiltration. The phage enzyme had an apparent pH optimum of 6·5–6·9 and was rapidly inactivated at temperatures > 47°C. The apparent temperature optimum was 37°C and Q10 and Ea values over the range 22–32°C were 2·5 and 69·2 kJ/mol respectively. Monovalent and divalent cations activated the enzyme. Reduced -SH groups on the enzyme were required for lytic activity. Gel filtration revealed a mol. wt of ˜ 46000. Strain-dependent differences in sensitivity of group N lactic streptococci to lysin were found. Group D streptococci were also lysed. Strains of three species of Leuconostoc, two species of Lactobacillus, one strain of Escherichia coli and of Micrococcus lysodeikticus were apparently resistant. Analysis of cell wall degradation products gave results which were consistent with the lysin having the specificity of an N-acetylmuramidase.

A bacteriophage, øC2(W), which attacked Streptococcus lactis strains C2, ML3 and 712, is described. It had a prolate head and a non-contractile tail and produced large haloes around plaques. Infection of eight paired-strain cultures, each containing Str. lactis C2, with øC2(W) resulted in marked inhibition of acid production for six cultures. Direct phage–nonhomologous ‘host’ contact was not required for inhibition. Lysates of øC2(W) contained a phage-induced lysin. Evidence is presented that the inhibitory effect of øC2(W) against paired and multi-strain cultures is due to the lysis of phage-insensitive strains by phage lysin. An isometric phage, ø712, was shown not to produce such a lysin.