The determination of zearalenone (ZEN) and its derivatives as biomarkers in animal tissues or organs plays an important role in mycotoxin monitoring and can promote effective exposure assessment. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of nine ZEN-like mycotoxins, including three glucuronides in different pig tissues (heart, liver, ...

The multimycotoxin-degrading efficiency of the Rhodococcus erythropolis NI1 strain was investigated with a previously developed three-step method. bacterial metabolites, single and combined mycotoxins their degradation products, were injected into one cell stage zebrafish embryos in same doses. Toxic interaction effects supplemented UHPLC-MS/MS measurement toxin concentrations. Results showed t...

We present results from the first phase of the KamLAND-Zen double-beta decay experiment, corresponding to an exposure of 89.5 kg yr of (136)Xe. We obtain a lower limit for the neutrinoless double-beta decay half-life of T(1/2)(0ν)>1.9×10(25) yr at 90% C.L. The combined results from KamLAND-Zen and EXO-200 give T(1/2)(0ν)>3.4×10(25) yr at 90% C.L., which corresponds to a Majorana neutrino mass l...

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE is a topic of great public interest. Much of the public debate among non-economists takes it for granted that, if the funds were made available, development would follow: Pogge (2005), Singer (2004), and at least some economists agree (Sachs 2005, 2008). Others, most notably Easterly (2006), are deeply sceptical, a position that has been forcefully ar...

Prescribed fires have many benefits, but existing ignition methods are dangerous, costly, or inefficient. This paper presents the design and evaluation of a micro-UAS that can start a prescribed fire from the air, while being operated from a safe distance and without the costs associated with aerial ignition from a manned aircraft. We evaluate the performance of the system in extensive controll...

In recent years the development of Internet and Grid technology has led to a remarkable increase in the number of resources to which a user, program, or community may have access. When selecting a resource a user must first consider whether the resource has the required capabilities (e.g. processor architecture, network bandwidth etc.), and second whether it is likely to complete the task succe...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolic profile of cattle fed with or without zearalenone (ZEN) and sterigmatocystin (STC)-contaminated diets using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics approach. Urinary samples were collected from individual animals (n = 6 per herd) from fattening female Japanese Black (JB) cattle herds (23 months old, 550-600 kg). Herd 1 had pe...

Zearalenone and deoxynivalenol are secondary metabolites of fungi of the genus Fusarium. The presence of mycotoxins in cereals and the resulting contamination of feeds and foods pose health risks for animals and humans. The dangers associated with high doses of mycotoxins have been extensively researched but very little is known about NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) doses or exposure t...

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of exposure of pigs to the Fusarium mycotoxins zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON), administered together and separately, on the colon microbiota. An experiment was conducted for 42 days on gilts, randomly assigned to four groups and administered either ZEN, DON, ZEN+DON, or a placebo. The number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast...