Astrophysics: is a doomsday catastrophe likely?

The risk of a doomsday scenario in which high-energy physics experiments trigger the destruction of the Earth has been estimated to be minuscule. But this may give a false sense of security: the fact that the Earth has survived for so long does not necessarily mean that such disasters are unlikely, because observers are, by definition, in places that have avoided destruction. Here we derive a new upper bound of one per billion years (99.9% confidence level) for the exogenous terminal-catastrophe rate that is free of such selection bias, using calculations based on the relatively late formation time of Earth.     

Bioremediation: A review of applications and problems to be resolved

This review article describes the factors affecting bioremediation processes including: goals of bioremediation and the optimal ecological conditions required; inoculation of microorganisms; co?metabolism; bioavailability and its improvement; biological evolution and its utilization;monitoring and control of bioremediation processes; identification of bioremediation effectiveness and ecological remediation and its key elements. The current progress in bioremediation techniques is summarized. The direction of future development, research and applications is also examined.     

Biore mediation: A review of applications and problems to be resolved

Bioremediationisaformofbiotechnologyhavingthecharacteristicsoflowenergyconsumption ,highefficiencyandhighenvironmentalsafety ,whichcandegradeandremoveenvironmentalpollutantsbythephysicalmetabolismofthebacteria ,fungi,higherplantsandcellularfreeenzymes.Inabroadsense ,bioremediationconsistsofthreemaincategories ,namely :themicrobialremediation ,thephytoreme diationandthecellularfreeenzymeremediation .Asachallengingleadingedgetechnology[1] ,bioremedia tionhasmovedintoaflourishingera .Itisanticipa…     

Can other host species of cotton bollworm be non-Bt refuges to prolong the effectiveness of Bt-cotton?

The potential ecological risks ofBacillus thurigiensis (Bt) insecticides and Bt-crops have caused increasing concern since their commercial release in the field, among which pests’ resistance to Bt-crops is the major ecological risk. Refuge tactic, which can produce sensitive populations, has proved to be a key and sound resistance management strategy in USA and Australia; however, no tactics have been performed in China where Bt-cotton is mostly planted with other host crops of cotton bollworm. Genetic variation and gene flow among different host populations of the cotton bollwormHelicoverpa armigera were analyzed using PCR fingerprinting method. The results show that maize and castor-oil plant, as well as cotton can take effect as refuges to prevent resistance of cotton bollworm to Bt-cotton, while peanut and sesame are not as suitable for planting with Bt-cotton as refuges in the field as low gene flow was detected among populations on peanut, sesame and Bt cotton.     

From the Definition of the Consumers'''' Expectations to the Instrumental Validation: How to Objectivize Perceptions in Conception Products ?

Induction:Howtoobjectivizeperceptions1　ModelofconceptionThemodelQualityFunctionDeployment[1]offerstheopportunitytointegratenewsensorycharacteristicsfromthedefinitiontothelaunchonmarketbywayofthemanufacture(seeFig.1).Differentmethodologiescanbeusedaccordingtothelevelofdeployment.Theobjectivetranslationofperceivedcharacteristicsrequiressensoryanalysismethodsusinghumanasmeasuringinstrument,Thesepracticesexceedfooddomainfromwhichtheyarise,tobeappliedintroducedincosmetic,manufacturing,phoneortr…     

Increasing prevalence of asthma and allergy in Beijing pre-school children: Is exclusive breastfeeding for more than 6 months protective?

This study evaluated the prevalence and risk factors for asthma, allergy and related symptoms; and breastfeeding patterns and durations for 5479 Beijing children aged 3–6. Parents of children in randomly selected kindergartens wrote responses to a questionnaire used previously. The study aimed to evaluate trends in the prevalence of asthma and related illnesses, and to determine whether “more” breastfeeding, defined as exclusive, > 6 months, was associated with reduced prevalence. Asthma has increased in this age group between 1990 and 2011, with the steepest increase in the last 2–3 years. Of the total, 14.2% (779) children were breastfed exclusively for > 6 months. The efficacy of “more” breastfeeding was tested in a subset with two strong risk factors, positive family history (for asthma and/or allergy) and male gender. “More” breastfeeding was found to be significantly protective (aOR 0.42, P < 0.05) for this subset against Doctor-diagnosed asthma (D-asthma). Protection that did not reach statistical significance was also found for this subset against Wheeze ever, Cough at night, Rhinitis ever, Doctor-diagnosed rhinitis (D-rhinitis) and Eczema. The greatest protective effects were found for girls with no family history of asthma or allergy, reaching statistical significance for Wheeze ever (aOR 0.48, P < 0.01), Cough at night (aOR 0.47, P < 0.01), D-asthma (aOR 0.14, P < 0.01) and Rhinitis ever (aOR 0.67, P < 0.05). “More” breastfeeding was not consistently associated with either a protective or risk effect for Eczema.