Primates are bred in captivity for a number of purposes, from zoo-based captive breeding programmes for conservation to breeding for biomedical research. In each case, breeding animals that are fit for purpose, either as viable candidates for reintroduction or as valid research models, has presented challenges and resulted in steep learning curves. The breeding of animals for biomedical research has become increasingly focused on the production of animals that are less stressed by captive (specifically laboratory) environments. This is because elevated, particularly chronic, stress responses can result in altered physiological, neurological and behavioural states that have the potential to compromise the validity of scientific results. Selective breeding in captivity to, for example, maximise production, select for docile temperament or specific genotypes for biomedical research, is likely to be counter to natural selective pressures for evolutionary fitness. Given that many natural selective pressures active in the wild are absent in captivity, this paper reviews the selective breeding of primates (especially Old World monkeys) in captivity, its potential negative effects, and options that exist for ameliorating these negative effects.

In recent years, Central and Eastern Europe have furnished several examples of illiberalism in power. The most prominent and consequential cases are Fidesz, which has ruled in Hungary since 2010, and Law and Justice (PiS), which has ruled in Poland since 2015. In both cases, illiberal governments have embarked upon an extensive project of political reform aimed at dismantling the liberal-democratic order. We examine the nature, scope, and consequences of these processes of autocratisation. We first argue that illiberal changes are ideologically founded and identify how both populism and nativism figure in the policymaking of illiberals in power. We then show how these practices emerge from a common “illiberal playbook”—a paradigm of policy change comprising forms of forging, bending, and breaking—and elaborate on the notion that illiberal governments are using legalism to kill liberalism. The fine-grained approach that we employ allows us to distinguish between different rationales and gradations of illiberal policymaking, and assess their implications for the rule of law, executive power, and civil rights and freedoms

This article begins with a new look at earlier work on this topic and continues with the presentation of a graphical technique for the determination of the months of a year for which the 13th is a Friday.

It might be thought that the likelihood of the 13 th day of a month being a Friday is the same as that of the 13th being any other day, but this is not so. The full day/date repeat cycle is 400 years, this being the interval between century years which are leap years. The outcome of an extraordinary counting exercise some 50 years ago by a 13-year-old Eton schoolboy, S. R. Baxter [1, 2], was to show that, over this period, the 13th of a month will be a Friday at least once more than any other day. Of necessity, Baxter’s calculation was intricate and an independent confirmation was undertaken as a matter of interest. The 400-year period beginning 1 March 2014 was considered. The work is described in four stages.

Glucose intolerance during pregnancy – a major driver of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) – has significant short- and long-term health consequences for both the mother and child. As GDM prevalence continues to escalate, there is growing need for preventative strategies. There is limited but suggestive evidence that myo-inositol (MI) and probiotics (PB) could improve glucose tolerance during pregnancy. The present study tested the hypothesis that MI and/or PB supplementation would reduce the risk of glucose intolerance during pregnancy. Female C57BL/6 mice were randomised to receive either no treatment, MI, PB (Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis) or both (MIPB) for 5 weeks. They were then provided with a high-fat diet for 1 week before mating commenced and throughout mating/gestation, while remaining on their respective treatments. An oral glucose tolerance test occurred at gestational day (GD) 16·5 and tissue collection at GD 18·5. Neither MI nor PB, separately or combined, improved glucose tolerance. However, MI and PB both independently increased adipose tissue expression of Ir, Irs1, Akt2 and Pck1, and PB also increased Pparγ. MI was associated with reduced gestational weight gain, whilst PB was associated with increased maternal fasting glucose, total cholesterol and pancreas weight. These results suggest that MI and PB may improve insulin intracellular signalling in adipose tissue but this did not translate to meaningful differences in glucose tolerance. The absence of fasting hyperglycaemia or insulin resistance suggests this is a very mild model of GDM, which may have affected our ability to assess the impact of these nutrients.

A number of methods are available for the solution of cubic equations. Amongst these, and possibly less well known than those based on algebraic or trigonometrical procedures, is an elegant graphical solution devised by Lalanne [1]. His approach and the resulting nomogram are appraised in this paper.

The general cubic equation in the variable X

Brumadoite, ideally Cu3Te6+O4(OH)4-5H2O, is a new mineral from Pedra Preta mine, Serra das Eguas. Brumado, Bahia, Brazil. It occurs as microcrystalline aggregates both on and, rarely, pseudomorphous after coarse-grained magnesite, associated with mottramite and quartz. Crystals are platy, subhedral. 1—2 μm in size. Brumadoite is blue (near RHS 114B), has a pale blue streak and a vitreous lustre. It is transparent to translucent and does not fluoresce. The empirical formula is (Cu2.90Pb0.04Ca0.01)Σ2.95 (Te0.936+Si0.05)Σ0.98O3.92(OH)3.84.5.24H2O. Infrared spectra clearly show both (OH) and H2O. Microchemical spot tests using a KI solution show that brumadoite has tellurium in the 6+ state. The mineral is monoclinic, P2/m or P21. Unit-cell parameters refined from X-ray powder data are a 8.629(2) Å, b 5.805(2) Å, c 7.654(2) Å,β 0 103.17(2)°, F 373.3(2) Å3, Z= 2. The eight strongest X-ray powder-diffraction lines [d in Å,(I),(hkl)] are: 8.432,(100),(100); 3.162,(66),(2̄02); 2.385,(27),(220); 2.291,(12),(l̄22); 1.916,(11),(312); 1.666,(14),(4̄22,114); 1.452,(10),(323,040); 1.450,(10),(422,403). The name is for the type locality, Brumado, Bahia, Brazil. The new mineral species has been approved by the CNMNC (IMA 2008-028).

Gold mineralization at the Ashanti Mine occurs in shear zones which are second-order components of a major transcrustal shear zone. However, gold-rich telluride mineralization in veins in the hangingwall of the Obuasi ore zone at Ashanti appears to have post-dated development of the major gold-bearing shear zone. Complex assemblages of goethite, chalcocite, coloradoite, calaverite, sylvanite, kostovite, petzite, stutzite, hessite, altaite, rickardite, weissite and henryite were succeeded by a relatively simple assemblage of altaite-petzite-hessite ± sylvanite ± coloradoite. Precipitation occurred over a temperature range of approximately 220°C to 165°C from a CO2-bearing, low salinity (<5 wt. % NaCl equiv.) fluid under conditions of high ƒo2 and high ƒTe2/ƒS2. Replacement of earlier gold-sulphide mineralization is indicated.

The fluids were introduced during late activation of the Obuasi shear zone, which evolved during the c.2000 Ma Eburnean tectonothermal event that marked the onset of cratonization of the West African shield. The localized and time-specific distribution of the telluride mineralization may be indicative of a late influx of tellurium-rich fluid linked to emplacement of a synorogenic, Cape Coast-type granitoid intrusion.

Recent experimental studies have suggested that colloidal silica can form in high-T (300 to >700°C) hydrothermal fluids (Wilkinson et al., 1996). Natural evidence in support of this was found by Williamson et al. (1997) who proposed a colloidal (gel) silica origin for <50 μm irregularly-shaped inclusions of quartz contained in greisen topaz from southwest England. Confocal and microprobe studies, presented here, strengthen this argument although rather than forming a gel in the hydrothermal fluid, it is suggested that the colloidal silica aggregated as a viscous coagulated colloid, with much of its volume (<10 to 30 vol.%) consisting of metal (mainly Fe) -rich particles. This is evident from the largely solid nature of metal-rich shrinkage bubbles contained at the margins of the inclusions of quartz which shows that the material forming the inclusions contained much less liquid than would be expected in a silica gel. These findings may have important implications for models of ore formation since the precipitation of a coagulated colloid could inhibit hydrothermal fluid transport and cause co-deposition of silica and entrained ore-forming elements. The mode of formation of the colloidal silica and further implications of the study are discussed.

Damaraite, ideally 3PbO.PbCl2, is a new mineral which occurs with jacobsite, hausmannite, hematophanite, native copper, an unnamed Pb-Mo oxychloride, calcite, and baryte, in specimens from the Asis West section of the Kombat mine, Namibia (South West Africa). Damaraite is colourless and transparent with a white streak, and adamantine lustre. It is brittle with an irregular to subconchoidal fracture and a cleavage on (010). The mineral has a low reflectance, a weak bireflectance, barely discernible reflectance pleochroism, from grey to slightly bluish grey in some sections, and is weakly anisotropic. Reflectance data in air and in oil are tabulated. Colour values relative to the CIE illuminant C for the most strongly bireflectant grain are, for R1 and R2 respectively:

It has a VHN50 of 148 (range 145–154) with a calculated Mohs hardness of 3. X-ray powder diffraction studies give the following parameters refined from the powder data: orthorhombic; space group Pma2, Pmam or P21am; a 15.104(1), b 6.891(1), c 5.806 (1)Å; V is 604.3 (4)Å3 and Z = 3. Dcalc 7.84 g/cm3. The strongest six lines of the powder pattern are [d in Å (I) (hkl)]: 2.902 (10) (121,002); 2.766 (10) (510,221); 2.877 (9) (411); 3.164 (6) (401); 3.135 (6) (220); 1.747 (b) (313,721,531). The name is for the Damara sequence which hosts the Kombat deposit.

Barstowite, ideally 3PbCl2.PbCO3.H2O is a new mineral from a lead-antimony vein at the south-western end of Bounds Cliff, St Endellion, Cornwall. It occurs as very small (0.2–0.5 mm) subparallel elongate intergrown crystals which form aggregates (up to 3 mm) containing minor inclusions of galena and jamesonite. Other associated minerals are quartz, dolomite, phosgenite, cerussite, sphalerite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. Barstowite is colourless to white and is transparent with an adamantine lustre and white streak. It is brittle, has an imperfect prismatic cleavage, and an uneven fracture. Low reflecting, barstowite has a moderate bireflectance from grey to dark grey in hue and weak to moderate anisotropy. Internal reflections (colourless) are abundant. Measured reflectance values in air and oil are tabulated. Colour values relative to the CIE illuminant C for R1 and R2 in air respectively are: Y% 12.9, 13.3; λd 477, 476; Pe% 3.5, 3.7. VHN100 111 (range 108–117); calculated Mohs hardness is 3. Infrared spectra of barstowite, phosgenite and cerussite are compared.

X-ray studies show that barstowite is monoclinic with space group P21/m and a 4.218(2), b 9.180(2), c 16.673(4) Å, β 91.49(3)°. It has a cell volume of 645.38 Å3 with Z = 2. Dcalc. is 5.76 g/cm3, Dmeas. is 5.71 g/cm3. The strongest six lines of the X-ray powder pattern are [d in Å (I) (hkl)] 4.02 (10) (022); 2.296(8) (040; ; 106); 2.377(6) (007; 026); 4.16(5) (004); 2.108(4) (200); 3.79(3) (014). The name is for the late Richard William Barstow, the Cornish mineral dealer.