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As regards authors Linda Altieri and Fedele Greco, the research work underlying this paper was partially funded by an FIRB 2012 [grant number RBFR12URQJ]; title: Statistical modelling of environmental phenomena: pollution, meteorology, health and their interactions) for research projects by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research. This work presents advanced computational aspects of a new method for changepoint detection on spatio-temporal point process data. We summarize the methodology, based on building a Bayesian hierarchical model for the data and declaring prior conjectures on the number and positions of the changepoints, and show how to take decisions regarding the acceptance of potential changepoints. The focus of this work is about choosing an approach that detects the correct changepoint and delivers smooth reliable estimates in a feasible computational time; we propose Bayesian P-splines as a suitable tool for managing spatial variation, both under a computational and a model fitting performance perspective. The main computational challenges are outlined and a solution involving parallel computing in R is proposed and tested on a simulation study. An application is also presented on a data set of seismic events in Italy over the last 20 years. Postprint

In all facets of animal welfare, as in human health and quality of life, the unambiguous and valid measurement of the key attributes is of critical importance. Welfare is a complex construct and in this paper we present a methodological framework for the development of a composite animal welfare scale based on psychometric and metrological principles for scale creation developed in human medicine and Psychology. We indicate how these principles can be applied and how the resulting scale would then be validated and tested.

Micro‐ and nanoparticles prepared from the biodegradable and biocompatible polymers poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) have been successfully used as immunopotentiating antigen delivery systems. In our study, this approach was used to improve polyclonal antibody production to clenbuterol (CBL), a model hapten. PLGA and PMMA nanoparticles were loaded with either CBL alone or with a clenbuterol‐transferrin conjugate (CBL—Tfn) and administered subcutaneously to mice. PLGA nanoparticles were administered with or without the saponin adjuvant Quil A. The anti‐CBL titres present in experimental sera were determined by an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). CBL‐Tfn‐loaded PLGA nanoparticles co‐administered with Quil A had obvious advantages immunologically over the currently used method of raising antibodies to CBL (the positive control). The combined adjuvanticity of Quil A and PLGA nanoparticles resulted in a positive response in all four of the mice tested and in higher antibody titres...

SummaryIf Athabaskan Indians are subdivided by linguistic group, a wide diversity in gene frequencies is disclosed. This diversity approximated that found when linguistically unrelated groups were compared. It was greater than that found for Eskimo-Aleuts, even though the latter are more heterogeneous linguistically and subject to a wider variety of environmental conditions. Contiguity, geographic distance, and linguistic similarity were not reflected in similarity of gene frequencies. The gene frequenices found for Athabaskans appear to be the result of random processes—survivor effects and genetic drift of small isolated groups. They appear to be of no value in detecting ethnic relationships.