Helium or neopentane can be used as surrogate gas fill for deuterium (D2) or deuterium-tritium (DT) in laser-plasma interaction studies. Surrogates are convenient to avoid flammability hazards or the integration of cryogenics in an experiment. To test the degree of equivalency between deuterium and helium, experiments were conducted in the Pecos target chamber at Sandia National Laboratories. Observables such as laser propagation and signatures of laser-plasma instabilities (LPI) were recorded for multiple laser and target configurations. It was found that some observables can differ significantly despite the apparent similarity of the gases with respect to molecular charge and weight. While a qualitative behaviour of the interaction may very well be studied by finding a suitable compromise of laser absorption, electron density, and LPI cross sections, a quantitative investigation of expected values for deuterium fills at high laser intensities is not likely to succeed with surrogate gases.

The effects of cage enrichments and additional space were studied in 60 pairs of mink kits kept in standard cages (STD) and 67 pairs of mink kits kept in enriched cages (ENR). During the period from mid July to the end of September both groups had alternate access to one and two connected cages. From October, half of the mink in each group had permanent access to one cage and the other half permanent access to two cages. The enrichment of the cages consisted of extra resting places (tubes made of wire mesh and plastic) and occupational materials in terms of table-tennis balls and ropes to pull and chew. The mink were observed for an experimental period of nine months, from late lactation until the beginning of the following mating season. The welfare was assessed through behavioural traits (use of nest box and enrichments, activity out in the cage, stereotypies and fur-chewing) consumption of food and straw, bodyweight and level of faecal corticoid metabolites. The presence of enrichments resulted in less tail-chewing, fewer stereotypies, and a reduced level of faecal corticoid metabolites. In addition, the presence of enrichments led to fewer social interactions and reduced the consumption of straw. Regarding the frequency of utilising different occupational materials, the mink did not use the table-tennis balls, but the tubes and pull-ropes were given extensive use. Access to one or double cages had no effect on stereotypies, fur-chewing and physiology linked to welfare, but mink with access to double cages used the nest box less, had a lower consumption of straw and pull-ropes than the mink with access to only one cage. However, there were no indications of frustration when the mink were deprived of using double cages. We conclude that increased environmental complexity in the form of occupational materials improved the welfare of the mink, whereas doubling the cage size had little or no effect in relation to mink welfare.

Members of historically underrepresented groups—women, African Americans, Latinos, and workers—are serving in American legislatures in increasing numbers. However, legislators wield substantially greater power in the lawmaking process when they hold leadership positions. Incorporation of these groups into leadership positions could indicate fuller political representation, but scholars to date have not assessed how well these groups are represented in leadership. We analyze original data describing the backgrounds of approximately 2,200 leaders in 30 states between 2003 and 2014. The data show that, on average across states, members of these groups are as well represented in state legislative leadership positions as they are in rank-and-file membership, but there is substantial variation across states and across parties. We then ask what factors might explain this variation and explore institutional characteristics, like the number of leadership positions or leader selection methods. The results show that legislative chambers with a higher number of leadership posts tend to have more women in leadership, and that selection through elections is associated with decreased African American presence in leadership. The findings have implications for minority incorporation and influence in American politics.

Sow litter sizes have increased, subjecting more small piglets to intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR). Research on the development and growth of IUGR pigs is limited. The objective of this study was to compare the body composition and organ development of IUGR pigs at weaning, and to estimate their growth performance from birth to 30 kg. A total of 142 IUGR and 142 normal piglets were classified at birth based on their head morphology. At weaning, 20 IUGR and 20 normal piglets were collected, a whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorption scan was performed, and the piglets were euthanized for organ measurements. Body weight (BW) was measured weekly from birth to 30 kg, rectal temperature and whole-blood glucose levels were measured weekly from birth to weaning, and blood samples were collected at days 7, 14 and 21 for IGF-1 analysis. Results showed that IUGR pigs have a similar percentage of adipose tissue (P > 0.05) compared to normal pigs at 24 days of age. Organs were smaller (P < 0.001) in IUGR pigs than in normal pigs, whereas brain, liver, lungs and adrenal glands were relatively larger (P < 0.05) in relation to the BW of IUGR pigs. Average birth weight (BiW) of normal pigs was greater (P < 0.001) compared with IUGR pigs (1.38 v. 0.75 kg), and the average daily gain (ADG) of IUGR pigs was reduced from day 0 to 14, day 0 to 28 (weaning) and from weaning to 30 kg compared to normal pigs. From birth to weaning at day 28, IUGR piglets had a 72.9 g/day greater fractional ADG (FADG) in relation to their BiW (P < 0.05), but FADG did not differ (P > 0.05) from weaning to 30 kg. Rectal temperature of IUGR piglets was greater (P < 0.05) on day 7 compared with normal piglets, and, even though blood glucose levels were decreased (P < 0.001) in IUGR piglets at day 0, neither glucose nor IGF-1 concentrations differed (P > 0.05) between IUGR and normal piglets. In conclusion, IUGR piglets exhibited some relatively larger organs at weaning compared to normal pigs, but body composition was similar between IUGR and normal pigs. In addition, IUGR pigs had a reduced ADG from birth to 30 kg, and, although they exhibited a greater FADG during nursing, IUGR pigs still require six additional days to reach a BW of 30 kg in comparison to normal pigs.

Electron microprobe analyses are presented for astrophyllite-group minerals from hydrothermal veins and pegmatites of the Ilimaussaq complex, South Greenland. The analyses fall mainly into two groups: (1) niobophyllites with the highest Nb/(Nb+Ti) ratios yet recorded (∼0.9), occurring only in the veins, and (2) an essentially continuous sequence from astrophyllite to niobophyllite with Nb/(Nb+Ti) up to 0.6, found in veins and pegmatites. It is highly likely that there is complete solid solution between astrophyllite and niobophyllite. More limited substitution of Mn for Fe has resulted in the formation of kupletskite in some rocks. Altered zones in certain astrophyllites and niobophyllites have compositional features similar to the type ‘hydroastrophyllite’. The astrophyllite-group minerals in the hydrothermal veins crystallized at temperatures below 400°C at 1 kbar and under high pH and low oxygen fugacity, whereas those in the pegmatites were formed from water-rich melts which were hotter (≥450°C), less basic and more oxidized.

Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis is associated with high morbidity and mortality in the absence of clinical management, making identification of these cases crucial. We examined characteristics of HIV and viral hepatitis coinfections by using surveillance data from 15 US states and two cities. Each jurisdiction used an automated deterministic matching method to link surveillance data for persons with reported acute and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, to persons reported with HIV infection. Of the 504 398 persons living with diagnosed HIV infection at the end of 2014, 2.0% were coinfected with HBV and 6.7% were coinfected with HCV. Of the 269 884 persons ever reported with HBV, 5.2% were reported with HIV. Of the 1 093 050 persons ever reported with HCV, 4.3% were reported with HIV. A greater proportion of persons coinfected with HIV and HBV were males and blacks/African Americans, compared with those with HIV monoinfection. Persons who inject drugs represented a greater proportion of those coinfected with HIV and HCV, compared with those with HIV monoinfection. Matching HIV and viral hepatitis surveillance data highlights epidemiological characteristics of persons coinfected and can be used to routinely monitor health status and guide state and national public health interventions.

Jointed goatgrass is a major weed in the wheat-producing areas of the western U.S. It shares the D genome with wheat, and interspecific hybrids between the two species occur in the field. The objective of this research was to determine if wheat X jointed goatgrass hybrids could serve to transfer genes from wheat to jointed goatgrass. A backcrossing program was initiated in the greenhouse between wheat X jointed goatgrass hybrids and either jointed goatgrass or wheat to determine the potential for seed set and the restoration of self-fertility. Seed was set by backcrossing with either species as the recurrent parent. Female fertility increased from 2% in the hybrid to 37% in the BC2 plants with jointed goatgrass as the recurrent parent. Partial self-fertility was restored in the second backcross (BC2) generation using jointed goatgrass as the recurrent parent. This indicates that genes could be transferred between wheat and jointed goatgrass after only two backcrosses. The number of bivalents observed in the plants during meiosis appeared to be key to increasing female fertility and self-fertility. Based on the results of this study, it is possible for genes to move from wheat to jointed goatgrass. Any release of a herbicide-resistant wheat should be accompanied by a management plan that would minimize the potential for gene movement between these species.

Infestations of glyphosate-resistant (GR) horseweed have become widespread in the eastern United States. This biotype is problematic in no-tillage production that relies extensively on glyphosate for weed control. Because horseweed is treated at various stages of growth, a greenhouse study explored rate response of glyphosate-resistant and -susceptible horseweed at three growth stages. GR horseweed was more responsive to glyphosate at the seedling stage than at the large rosette or bolting stages. A field study evaluated GR horseweed response when treated with glyphosate at soybean planting time, POST in-crop (about 45 d after planting), or both at planting and POST in-crop. There was a cumulative effect of the at-planting followed by POST in-crop glyphosate applications. When evaluating single glyphosate applications, the at-planting application was more effective at suppressing GR horseweed than a POST in-crop application. Because glyphosate cannot control GR horseweed, this biotype should be controlled with an herbicide with an alternate mode of action and applied at the most effective timing.

Observations on 1970 August 11 and 12 at Mauna Loa (Hawaii) of the white-light corona revealed a rare solar event in the form of a short-lived coronal brightening off the eastern limb of the Sun. The intensity of this region, as measured at a distance ρ = 1.5 (where ρ = R/R⊙), more than doubled over a period of five hours and then fell very abruptly (~10 min) to below its initial brightness. A complex radio event in the same region was observed simultaneously with the 80 MHz radioheliograph at Culgoora (Australia). Associations between the optical and radio events will be described and the physical implications briefly discussed.

LOFT (Large Observatory For X-ray Timing) is one of the four candidate missions currentlyunder assessment study for the M3 mission in ESAs Cosmic Vision program to be launched in2024. LOFT will carry two instruments with prime sensitivity in the 2–30 keV range: a 10m2 class large area detector (LAD) with a <1° collimated field of viewand a wide field monitor (WFM) instrument. The WFM is based on the coded mask principle,and 5 camera units will provide coverage of more than 1/3 of the sky. The prime goal ofthe WFM is to detect transient sources to be observed by the LAD. With its wide field ofview and good energy resolution of <500 eV, the WFM will be an excellent instrumentfor detecting and studying GRBs and X-ray flashes. The WFM will be able to detect~150 gamma ray bursts per year, and a burst alert system will enable thedistribution of ~100 GRB positions per year with a ~1 arcmin locationaccuracy within 30 s of the burst.

The objective was to assess the ability of the in situ mobile nylon bag method for predicting small intestinal and total tract starch digestibility. Starch disappearance was measured for 18 samples of different cereals and legumes subjected to different physical and chemical processing methods and compared with coherent in vivo digestibility. Starch disappearance was measured both with and without initial ruminal pre-incubation during 4 h. Bags were retrieved from either the ileal cannula or faeces. Two dry Danish Holstein cows fitted with rumen cannulas were used for rumen pre-incubations and two lactating Danish Holstein cows fitted with duodenal and ileal cannulas were used for intestinal incubations. Rumen pre-incubation had no significant effect on disappearance from bags recovered in faeces. The disappearance of legume starch was lower, both in the rumen and small intestine, compared with starch from barley, wheat, oats, ear maize and maize. Transit times of the mobile bags from duodenum to ileum were not significantly different between feeds. A weak positive correlation was found between in vivo small intestinal and total tract digestibility of starch and disappearance obtained using the mobile bag technique across a broad range of starch sources. Omitting two less conventional starch sources (NaOH wheat and xylose-treated barley) resulted in a high (0.87) correlation between total tract in vivo digestibility and mobile bag disappearance. The use of the mobile bag method for estimation of in vivo starch digestibility will therefore depend on the starch type.

Using internet-based software known as 1000Minds, choice-experiment surveys were administered to experts and farmers from the Irish sheep industry to capture their preferences with respect to the relative importance – represented by part-worth utilities – of target traits in the definition of a breeding objective for sheep in Ireland. Sheep production in Ireland can be broadly separated into lowland and hill farming systems; therefore, each expert was asked to answer the survey first as if he or she were a lowland farmer and second as a hill farmer. In addition to the experts, a group of lowland and a group of hill farmers were surveyed to assess whether, and to what extent, the groups’ preferences differ from the experts’ preferences. The part-worth utilities obtained from the surveys were converted into relative economic value terms per unit change in each trait. These measures – referred to as ‘preference economic values’ (pEVs) – were compared with economic values for the traits obtained from bio-economic models. The traits ‘value per lamb at the meat processor’ and ‘lamb survival to slaughter’ were revealed as being the two most important traits for the surveyed experts responding as lowland and hill farmers, respectively. In contrast, ‘number of foot baths per year for ewes’ and ‘number of anthelmintic treatments per year for ewes’ were the two least important traits. With the exception of ‘carcase fat class’ (P < 0.05), there were no statistically significant differences in the mean pEVs obtained from the surveyed experts under both the lowland and hill farming scenarios. Compared with the economic values obtained from bio-economic models, the pEVs for ‘lambing difficulty’ when the experts responded as lowland farmers were higher (P < 0.001); and they were lower (P < 0.001) for ‘carcase conformation class’, ‘carcase fat class’ (less negative) and ‘ewe mature weight’ (less negative) under both scenarios. Compared with surveyed experts, pEVs from lowland farmers differed significantly for ‘lambing difficulty’, ‘lamb survival to slaughter’, ‘average days to slaughter of lambs’, ‘number of foot baths per year for ewes’, ‘number of anthelmintic treatments per year for ewes’ and ‘ewe mature weight’. Compared with surveyed experts, pEVs from hill farmers differed significantly for ‘lambing difficulty’, ‘average days to slaughter of lambs’ and ‘number of foot baths per year for ewes’. This study indicates that preference-based tools have the potential to contribute to the definition of breeding objectives where production and price data are not available.

A total of sixty surgically castrated male pigs (Large White × Landrace) weighing 31·2 (sd 4·3) kg were used in a randomised block experiment to examine the effect of added dietary inulin (0, 20, 40 and 80 g/kg) on the occurrence of swine dysentery (SD) and on fermentation characteristics in the large intestine after experimental challenge with the causative spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. The pigs were allowed to adapt to the diets for 2 weeks before each pig was challenged orally four times with a broth culture containing B. hyodysenteriae on consecutive days. Increasing dietary levels of inulin linearly (P = 0·001) reduced the risk of pigs developing SD; however, eight out of fifteen pigs fed the diet with 80 g/kg inulin still developed the disease. The pH values in the caecum (P = 0·072) tended to decrease, and in the upper colon, the pH values did decrease (P = 0·047) linearly with increasing inulin levels in the diets, most probably due to a linear increase in the concentration of total volatile fatty acids in the caecum (P = 0·018), upper colon (P = 0·001) and lower colon (P = 0·013). In addition, there was a linear reduction in the proportion of the branched-chain fatty acids isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid in the caecum (P = 0·015 and 0·026) and upper colon (P = 0·011 and 0·013) with increasing levels of dietary inulin. In conclusion, the present study showed that a diet supplemented with a high level of inulin (80 g/kg) but not lower levels reduced the risk of pigs developing SD, possibly acting through a modification of the microbial fermentation patterns in the large intestine.

The reflectance of Saturn's moon Enceladus has been measured at far ultraviolet (FUV) wavelengths (115–190 nm) by Cassini's UltraViolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS). At visible and near infrared (VNIR) wavelengths Enceladus' reflectance spectrum is very bright, consistent with a surface composed primarily of H2O ice. At FUV wavelengths, however, Enceladus is surprisingly dark – darker than would be expected for pure water ice. We find that the low FUV reflectance of Enceladus can be explained by the presence of a small amount of NH3 and a small amount of a tholin in addition to H2O ice on the surface.