Evaluation of the sustainability of contrasted pig farming systems: economy.

The aim of this paper is to present an efficient tool for evaluating the economy part of the sustainability of pig farming systems. The selected tool IDEA was tested on a sample of farms from 15 contrasted systems in Europe. A statistical analysis was carried out to check the capacity of the indicators to illustrate the variability of the population and to analyze which of these indicators contributed the most towards it. The scores obtained for the farms were consistent with the reality of pig production; the variable distribution showed an important variability of the sample. The principal component analysis and cluster analysis separated the sample into five subgroups, in which the six main indicators significantly differed, which underlines the robustness of the tool. The IDEA method was proven to be easily comprehensible, requiring few initial variables and with an efficient benchmarking system; all six indicators contributed to fully describe a varied and contrasted population.

Evaluating environmental impacts of contrasting pig farming systems with life cycle assessment.

Environmental impacts of 15 European pig farming systems were evaluated in the European Union Q-PorkChains project using life cycle assessment. One conventional and two non-conventional systems were evaluated from each of the five countries: Denmark, The Netherlands, Spain, France and Germany. The data needed for calculations were obtained from surveys of 5 to 10 farms from each system. The systems studied were categorised into conventional (C), adapted conventional (AC), traditional (T) and organic (O). Compared with C systems, AC systems differed little, with only minor changes to improve meat quality, animal welfare or environmental impacts, depending on the system. The difference was much larger for T systems, using very fat, slow-growing traditional breeds and generally outdoor raising of fattening pigs. Environmental impacts were calculated at the farm gate and expressed per kg of pig live weight and per ha of land used. For C systems, impacts per kg LW for climate change, acidification, eutrophication, energy use and land occupation were 2.3 kg CO2-eq, 44.0 g SO2-eq, 18.5 g PO4-eq, 16.2 MJ and 4.1 m2, respectively. Compared with C, differences in corresponding mean values were +13%, +5%, 0%, +2% and +16% higher for AC; +54%, +79%, +23%, +50% and +156% for T, and +4%, -16%, +29%, +11% and +121% for O. Conversely, when expressed per ha of land use, mean impacts were 10% to 60% lower for T and O systems, depending on the impact category. This was mainly because of higher land occupation per kg of pig produced, owing to feed production and the outdoor raising of sows and/or fattening pigs. The use of straw bedding tended to increase climate change impact per kg LW. The use of traditional local breeds, with reduced productivity and feed efficiency, resulted in higher impacts per kg LW for all impact categories. T systems with extensive outdoor raising of pigs resulted in markedly lower impact per ha of land used. Eutrophication potential per ha was substantially lower for O systems. Conventional systems had lower global impacts (global warming, energy use, land use), expressed per kg LW, whereas differentiated systems had lower local impacts (eutrophication, acidification), expressed per ha of land use.

Violation of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality with matter waves.

The Cauchy-Schwarz (CS) inequality-one of the most widely used and important inequalities in mathematics-can be formulated as an upper bound to the strength of correlations between classically fluctuating quantities. Quantum-mechanical correlations can, however, exceed classical bounds. Here we realize four-wave mixing of atomic matter waves using colliding Bose-Einstein condensates, and demonstrate the violation of a multimode CS inequality for atom number correlations in opposite zones of the collision halo. The correlated atoms have large spatial separations and therefore open new opportunities for extending fundamental quantum-nonlocality tests to ensembles of massive particles.

[What are the criteria for choosing a model for evaluating arterial antithrombotic therapy?]. / Sur quels critères choisir un modèle pour évaluer une thérapeutique antithrombotique artérielle?

The use of models of experimental arterial thrombosis both in vivo and ex vivo in animals and ex vivo in humans is an obligatory step to the understanding of mechanisms involved in thrombogenesis as well as in the evaluation of anti-thrombotic therapeutics. Arterial thrombogenesis is a complex phenomenon which involves multiple systems, mechanisms and parameters. Therefore studies of thrombogenesis from a pathological as well as a therapeutic point are necessary for understanding this problem in its entirety. For these reasons, it is necessary to use models as representative as possible of the human pathological condition. Besides these theoretical requirements, practical needs have also to be fulfilled (accessibility of the models, adaptation to the type of the technique to different animal model and/or of the size of the animal to the amount of molecule available, cost ...) which necessary lead to some promises. In this review we have tried to underline the criteria for the choice, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the major models commonly accepted and used, in such a form that the reader who may not be an expert in the field would be led either to choose a particular model for a specific purpose or to appreciate a paper or a report based on an experimental model of arterial thrombosis. In vitro models of arterial thrombosis are so far removed from reality and due to their nature can generate so much artifacts thus we have omitted their discussion from this paper.

Reciprocal translocations in pigs. Their detection and consequences on animal performance and economic losses.

In France, the national computerized program for sow herd management regularly delivers a listing of hypoprolific boars for which a cytogenetic evaluation is required, and participates in the differential diagnosis of the other causes of reduced prolificacy. Two reciprocal translocations, 4/14 and 7/15, reducing the prolificacy by about 45 percent have been discovered since 1979. A third one, leading to a prolificacy reduction of about 28 percent, is described in the present paper. The effects of translocation 4/14 were studied in an experimental herd, in which the ovulation rate did not seem to be modified and the early embryonic mortality accounted for the decrease in litter size. The growth rate at day 35 was higher in piglets carrying the chromosomal abnormality than in their normal littermates, i.e., 215 vs. 182 g per day (P less than 0.10). The economic consequences of using a boar carrying a translocation on a group of 21 sows were estimated by means of a simulation model "Porsim." When prolificacy decreased by five piglets per litter, the losses represented 157 piglets, i.e., about $4000. If, in addition to this, the percentage of non-returns into heat decreased by 35 percent, the losses then represented 248 piglets, i.e., $6000. Because of this important economic risk, it is suggested that measures be taken to detect defective animals and to prevent their use.