An individual's personality can have a big effect on their life. Some people are outgoing and gregarious while others find novel situations stressful which can be detrimental to their health and wellbeing. Increasingly, scientists are discovering that animals are no different. A new study led by Dr Kathryn Arnold, of the Environment Department at the University of York has added important experimental evidence showing that animal personalities are reflected in their oxidative stress profiles. The research is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Dr Arnold teamed up with graduate student Katherine Herborn, at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow, to classify the personalities of 22 greenfinches. They tested each bird's reactions to a novel situation by adding a brightly coloured cookie-cutter to each greenfinch's food bowl, and timing how long it took for the birds to pluck up courage to approach the food. The researchers found that the boldes birds took only a few seconds to overcome their fear while more timid birds took up to 30 minutes to approach their meal. Dr Arnold and Katherine Herborn also measured the greenfinches' motivation to explore by attaching an intriguing object to the birds' perches and timing how long it took them to land next to it. However, there was no correlation between the birds' courage and curiosity. The researchers then measured the birds' damaging reactive oxygen metabolite levels and their defences against them. Comparing the bird's blood oxidative profiles with their personalities, the team found that the most timid birds had the highest levels of damaging oxygen toxins and the weakest defences, so they suffered more oxidative stress than braver individuals. Also, the scientists found that the most curious birds (those that approached objects fastest) had better defences against oxidative damage than less curious greenfinches. Dr Arnold wants to extend the work to establish how personality traits affects birds in the wild. She says, ''Neophobic birds – those that are afraid of new things – may suffer high costs of oxidative stress and die early because they paid these physiological costs, but they might also be less likely to be eaten by a predator because they are more wary than bolder birds.'' The research also involved scientists at The Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology at Oxford and the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The research was part-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Royal Society. Source: Article,
Animals have personalities too…..
An individual's personality can have a big effect on their life. Some people are outgoing and gregarious while others find novel situations stressful which can be detrimental to their health and wellbeing. Increasingly, scientists are discovering that animals are no different. A new study led by Dr Kathryn Arnold, of the Environment Department at the University of York has added important experimental evidence showing that animal personalities are reflected in their oxidative stress profiles. The research is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Dr Arnold teamed up with graduate student Katherine Herborn, at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow, to classify the personalities of 22 greenfinches. They tested each bird's reactions to a novel situation by adding a brightly coloured cookie-cutter to each greenfinch's food bowl, and timing how long it took for the birds to pluck up courage to approach the food. The researchers found that the boldes birds took only a few seconds to overcome their fear while more timid birds took up to 30 minutes to approach their meal. Dr Arnold and Katherine Herborn also measured the greenfinches' motivation to explore by attaching an intriguing object to the birds' perches and timing how long it took them to land next to it. However, there was no correlation between the birds' courage and curiosity. The researchers then measured the birds' damaging reactive oxygen metabolite levels and their defences against them. Comparing the bird's blood oxidative profiles with their personalities, the team found that the most timid birds had the highest levels of damaging oxygen toxins and the weakest defences, so they suffered more oxidative stress than braver individuals. Also, the scientists found that the most curious birds (those that approached objects fastest) had better defences against oxidative damage than less curious greenfinches. Dr Arnold wants to extend the work to establish how personality traits affects birds in the wild. She says, ''Neophobic birds – those that are afraid of new things – may suffer high costs of oxidative stress and die early because they paid these physiological costs, but they might also be less likely to be eaten by a predator because they are more wary than bolder birds.'' The research also involved scientists at The Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology at Oxford and the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The research was part-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Royal Society. Source: Article,
Shipping industry launches "Virtual Arrival" to save fuel, cut emissions
Renewable Energy Magazine, By : Toby Price, The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the industry forum, Intertanko, recently launched the concept of Virtual Arrival in Brussels in the presence of Siim Kallas, EU Commissioner for Transport, and Mary Veronica Tovsak Pleterski, Director of the European and International Carbon Markets DG Climate Change with the EU Commission. Several international maritime associations have launched a system to reduce shipping emissions by moderating the speed at which ships arrive to a port when a delay is envisaged. The system known as "Virtual Arrival" has been developed with the support of the European Union (EU) and aims to reduce emissions by 40% in 2050. In the past, shipping operators have always taken a 'hurry up and wait' approach, whereby vessels would go full steam ahead to meet a pre-arranged schedule, which often resulted in vessels arriving early and having to moor up at port to wait for berthing slots. Just-in-time arrivals The Virtual Arrival process, however, analyses weather patterns and uses algorithms to calculate and agree a notional vessel arrival time, so that ships arrive 'just in time'. It involves a system that connects ships with their port of arrival enabling them to be slowed down when there is a delay to ensure they do not arrive before their allotted slot. This new approach reduces bunker fuel consumption and emissions, while easing congestion and enhancing safety. Furthermore, waiting time compensation, or what is known as 'demurrage', is calculated as if the vessel had arrived at the originally stipulated time, hence the name Virtual Arrival. After the voyage, any savings in bunker costs or carbon credits are calculated and shared between the counterparties. Aside from the cost savings, Virtual Arrival could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tonnes if adopted widely. Lower fuel costs and emissions In a recent article in BP’s magazine, Garry Hallett, Deputy Director of the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, explained that "Virtual Arrival fits in so well with the OCIMF's drive to make shipping operationally smarter, which could avoid the need for unpopular levies to reduce greenhouse gases". Hallett admits that it will take a few years for Virtual Arrival to find its place in the industry, but forecasts it will be mainstream in less than a decade. "Companies won't be able to afford to operate without it. The bunker price, combined with levies or carbon credits, will ensure that ships have to steam in the most efficient way possible," he said. The participating oil companies decided to launch the system after verifying that moderating speeds at the time of docking can reduce energy consumption by 27%. Meanwhile, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) has emphasised that the goal is not only to reduce fossil fuel consumption now that prices have soared due to the public uprisings in North Africa, but mainly to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. European Transport Commissioner, Siim Kallas, stressed that although the maritime sector is one of the most efficient and only accounts for 2.7% of global emissions, it must also make an effort to curb its carbon dioxide emissions. Kallas and his colleague, Commissioner for Climate Change, Connie Hedegaard, have also held a meeting with members of the maritime industry to request that the International Maritime Organization adopt an index on energy efficiency this month to improve the design of ships and reduce their emissions. Both initiatives respond to the EU’s recommendation to reduce emissions from shipping by between 40 and 50% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels, which in turn is part of the reduction target for all sectors of 20% by 2020.Source: Renewable Energy MagazineTreatment of HIV aids possible now, engineered stem cells kill HIV
UCLA researchers say they've shown that genetically engineered stem cellscan attack HIV-infected cells in a living organism. The 'warrior' cells have been shown to seek out and destroy HIV in mice. "We believe that this study lays the groundwork for the potential use of this type of an approach in combating HIV infection in infected individuals, in hopes of eradicating the virus from the body," says UCLA assistant professor of medicine Scott Kitchen.The scientists had already identified the molecule known as the T cell receptor - which guides the T cell in recognizing and killing HIV-infected cells - cloned it and used it to genetically engineer human blood stem cells. When these cells were placed in human thymus tissue that had been implanted in mice, they blossomed into a large population that could specifically target cells containing HIV
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