Clinical Applications of Lactate Measurements in Equine Veterinary Medicine

Lactate is an end-product of both aerobic and anaerobic glycolysis and it can be used as an energy source for tissues. It is produced by all cells in the mammalian body that can metabolize glucose. Increased production of lactate can be seen with there is an increase in cellular metabolism or a decrease in available oxygen to tissues. Therefore, it is a valuable marker in both human and veterinary medicine for many patients with critical illness and/or sepsis for monitoring response to treatment, severity of disease, and likelihood of survival or development of complications. In equine medicine, lactate production has been shown to vary between different regions of the body, however there is little information regarding production in the limbs of the horse and in its development secondary to tissue perfusion altering medications. In the first study detailed here, we evaluated the differences between jugular and cephalic vein venous blood gas variables in both healthy and clinically ill horses, with a focus on lactate. We took simultaneous samples from both the jugular and cephalic veins in 10 healthy horses and compared these two sites to each other. We found that the cephalic vein lactate was significantly higher than the jugular vein lactate in these horses (p<0.05). Additionally, we took simultaneous jugular and cephalic vein samples from horses that presented to the Oregon State University, College of Veterinary Medicine for potential colitis. With these horses, additional samples were obtained during the first 24-hours of hospitalization to monitor how these variables change with treatment. For all sick horses, the cephalic vein lactate was significantly higher than the jugular vein lactate at presentation and during all time points sampled after (p<0.05). When the sick horses were investigated for specific outcomes (survivors vs. non-survivors and laminitis vs. non-laminitis) the cephalic vein was significantly higher in survivors and horses that did not develop laminitis (p<0.05) however no significant difference was found in non-survivors or horses that developed laminitis. Additionally, no significant difference was seen in the rate of change in lactate over time when survivors were compared to non-survivors and when horses who developed laminitis were compared to those that did not. In the second study, the main objective was to establish how perfusion parameters change in horses that undergo prolonged sedation with the α-2 agonist, detomidine. The primary variable examined was lactate, however attention was also given to venous oxygen and carbon dioxide content as well as to blood glucose. Statistically significant differences (p2.0 mmol/L), these horses also did not achieve a clinically relevant plane of sedation for standing surgical procedures. Therefore, further study is warranted to assess how lactate may change in a more clinically relevant setting

Inclusive Masculinity and Facebook Photographs Among Early Emerging Adults at a British University

Central to debates about the construction of masculinity in sociology is the influence of culture and what constitutes acceptable displays of masculinity. This article adopts a novel approach in examining this question. It adopts a summative content analysis, combined with a semiotic analysis, of 1,100 Facebook photographs, in order to explore the underlying meanings within the photos and the performances of masculinity. Facebook photographs from 44, straight, White, male, early emerging adults attending the same university are used as a representation of an individual’s ideal self. These are then analyzed in order to determine the behaviors endorsed by peer culture. It was found that the sample overwhelmingly adopted inclusive behaviors (including homosocial tactility, dancing, and kissing each other), and inclusive masculinity theory was utilized to contextualize participants’ constructions of masculinity. Thus, this research shows that emerging adult males at this university construct their masculine identities away from previous orthodox archetypes. It is argued that the reducing importance of gendered behavior patterns may represent an adoption of what are perceived as wider cultural norms and act as a symbol of adulthood to these early emerging adults

Co-polymers of Furan with Pyrrole or Thiophene: A Synthetic Study

The use of conductive polymers as a substitute for metallic conductors and semiconductors has attracted much attention in the literature. In particular, aromatic heterocyclic polymers constitute an important class since they possess chemical and electrical stability in both the oxidized (doped) and neutral (undoped) state. Doping a polymer allows one to vary its electrical, mechanical, optical, and thermal properties. The properties of these polymers are promising for their many technological uses such as antistatic coatings, solar cells, and electronic devises. Polyfuran is among the least common heterocyclic polymers. Polyfuran has been reported to be much less stable that either polypyrrole or polythiophene. The preparation of co-polymers of polyfuran with two percent pyrrole or thiophene is reported. The polymers are characterized by *HNMR, IR, and ESR spectroscopy, and the electrical conductivity of the doped and un-doped synthetic polyfuran and co-polymers is provided

Investigation of chlorine radical chemistry in the Eyjafjallajkull volcanic plume using observed depletions in non-methane hydrocarbons

As part of the effort to understand volcanic plume composition and chemistry during the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajkull, the CARIBIC atmospheric observatory was deployed for three special science flights aboard a Lufthansa passenger aircraft. Measurements made during these flights included the collection of whole air samples, which were analyzed for non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs). Hydrocarbon concentrations in plume samples were found to be reduced to levels below background, with relative depletions characteristic of reaction with chlorine radicals (Cl). Recent observations of halogen oxides in volcanic plumes provide evidence for halogen radical chemistry, but quantitative data for free halogen radical concentrations in volcanic plumes were absent. Here we present the first observation-based calculations of Cl radical concentrations in volcanic plumes, estimated from observed NMHC depletions. Inferred Cl concentrations were between 1.3 × 10 and 6.6 × 10 Cl cm. The relationship between NMHC variability and local lifetimes was used to investigate the ratio between OH and Cl within the plume, with [OH]/[Cl] estimated to be ∼37. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union

The effects of cognitive-linguistic interventions to treat aphasia in the first 90 days post-stroke: A systematic review

Background: Cognitive-linguistic interventions for aphasia are behavioural-based approaches to therapy that aim to treat language impairment skills post-acquired brain injury. The purpose of cognitive-linguistic intervention is to restore and rehabilitate language impairment skills through targeting phonologic, semantic and syntactic systems, which may support goals to improve everyday communication. Aims: The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of cognitive-linguistic interventions on language processing for aphasia in the first 90 days post-stroke. Secondary aims include the investigation of the effects of these interventions on functional communication and quality of life. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across six databases. Twenty-one studies met the predefined eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Studies were rated for methodological quality and data extracted. A narrative synthesis was completed and conducted for all included studies. Four studies were suitable for meta-analysis. Main Contribution: Evidence for the effects of cognitive-linguistic intervention for aphasia in the first 90 days post-stroke is inconclusive. Intervention approaches included constraint-induced intervention, melodic intonation therapy and study specific cognitive-linguistic intervention. Multiple studies investigated the use of computers as a mode of intervention delivery or to increase the frequency of intervention or session duration. Improvement on language outcomes was associated with positive effects on functional communication, regardless of the specific intervention. There were mixed results for quality-of-life outcomes. Conclusions: Further research is required to guide aphasia intervention the first 90 days post stroke, a time critical period for recovery and rehabilitation. Research reports should include adequate description of participant characteristics and consistent use of intervention protocols and outcome measures. Providing a clear description of theoretical underpinnings and detailed information regarding the components of intervention will also facilitate future research synthesis

Using ordinal logistic regression to evaluate the performance of laser-Doppler predictions of burn-healing time

Background Laser-Doppler imaging (LDI) of cutaneous blood flow is beginning to be used by burn surgeons to predict the healing time of burn wounds; predicted healing time is used to determine wound treatment as either dressings or surgery. In this paper, we do a statistical analysis of the performance of the technique. Methods We used data from a study carried out by five burn centers: LDI was done once between days 2 to 5 post burn, and healing was assessed at both 14 days and 21 days post burn. Random-effects ordinal logistic regression and other models such as the continuation ratio model were used to model healing-time as a function of the LDI data, and of demographic and wound history variables. Statistical methods were also used to study the false-color palette, which enables the laser-Doppler imager to be used by clinicians as a decision-support tool. Results Overall performance is that diagnoses are over 90% correct. Related questions addressed were what was the best blood flow summary statistic and whether, given the blood flow measurements, demographic and observational variables had any additional predictive power (age, sex, race, % total body surface area burned (%TBSA), site and cause of burn, day of LDI scan, burn center). It was found that mean laser-Doppler flux over a wound area was the best statistic, and that, given the same mean flux, women recover slightly more slowly than men. Further, the likely degradation in predictive performance on moving to a patient group with larger %TBSA than those in the data sample was studied, and shown to be small. Conclusion Modeling healing time is a complex statistical problem, with random effects due to multiple burn areas per individual, and censoring caused by patients missing hospital visits and undergoing surgery. This analysis applies state-of-the art statistical methods such as the bootstrap and permutation tests to a medical problem of topical interest. New medical findings are that age and %TBSA are not important predictors of healing time when the LDI results are known, whereas gender does influence recovery time, even when blood flow is controlled for. The conclusion regarding the palette is that an optimum three-color palette can be chosen 'automatically', but the optimum choice of a 5-color palette cannot be made solely by optimizing the percentage of correct diagnoses

Structural Transitions and Global Minima of Sodium Chloride Clusters

In recent experiments on sodium chloride clusters structural transitions between nanocrystals with different cuboidal shapes were detected. Here we determine reaction pathways between the low energy isomers of one of these clusters, (NaCl)35Cl-. The key process in these structural transitions is a highly cooperative rearrangement in which two parts of the nanocrystal slip past one another on a {110} plane in a direction. In this way the nanocrystals can plastically deform, in contrast to the brittle behaviour of bulk sodium chloride crystals at the same temperatures; the nanocrystals have mechanical properties which are a unique feature of their finite size. We also report and compare the global potential energy minima for (NaCl)NCl- using two empirical potentials, and comment on the effect of polarization.Comment: extended version, 13 pages, 8 figures, revte

Observations from Preliminary Experiments on Spatial and Temporal Pressure Measurements from Near-Field Free Air Explosions

It is self-evident that a crucial step in analysing the performance of protective structures is to be able to accurately quantify the blast load arising from a high explosive detonation. For structures located near to the source of a high explosive detonation, the resulting pressure is extremely high in magnitude and highly non-uniform over the face of the target. There exists very little direct measurement of blast parameters in the nearfield, mainly attributed to the lack of instrumentation sufficiently robust to survive extreme loading events yet sensitive enough to capture salient features of the blast. Instead literature guidance is informed largely by early numerical analyses and parametric studies. Furthermore, the lack of an accurate, reliable data set has prevented subsequent numerical analyses from being validated against experimental trials. This paper presents an experimental methodology that has been developed in part to enable such experimental data to be gathered. The experimental apparatus comprises an array of Hopkinson pressure bars, fitted through holes in a target, with the loaded faces of the bars flush with the target face. Thus, the bars are exposed to the normally or obliquely reflected shocks from the impingement of the blast wave with the target. Pressure-time recordings are presented along with associated Arbitary-Langrangian-Eulerian modelling using the LS-DYNA explicit numerical code. Experimental results are corrected for the effects of dispersion of the propagating waves in the pressure bars, enabling accurate characterisation of the peak pressures and impulses from these loadings. The combined results are used to make comments on the mechanism of the pressure load for very near-field blast events

Longitudinal-Transverse Separations of Structure Functions at Low Q2Q^{2} for Hydrogen and Deuterium

We report on a study of the longitudinal to transverse cross section ratio, $R=\sigma_L/\sigma_T$, at low values of $x$ and $Q^{2}$, as determined from inclusive inelastic electron-hydrogen and electron-deuterium scattering data from Jefferson Lab Hall C spanning the four-momentum transfer range 0.06 $< Q^{2} < 2.8$ GeV$^{2}$. Even at the lowest values of $Q^{2}$, $R$ remains nearly constant and does not disappear with decreasing $Q^{2}$, as expected. We find a nearly identical behaviour for hydrogen and deuterium.Comment: 4 pages, 2 gigure

Risk-shifting Through Issuer Liability and Corporate Monitoring

This article explores how issuer liability re-allocates fraud risk and how risk allocation may reduce the incidence of fraud. In the US, the apparent absence of individual liability of officeholders and insufficient monitoring by insurers under-mine the potential deterrent effect of securities litigation. The underlying reasons why both mechanisms remain ineffective are collective action problems under the prevailing dispersed ownership structure, which eliminates the incentives to moni-tor set by issuer liability. This article suggests that issuer liability could potentially have a stronger deterrent effect when it shifts risk to individuals or entities holding a larger financial stake. Thus, it would enlist large shareholders in monitoring in much of Europe. The same risk-shifting effect also has implications for the debate about the relationship between securities litigation and creditor interests. Credi-tors’ claims should not be given precedence over claims of defrauded investors (e.g., because of the capital maintenance principle), since bearing some of the fraud risk will more strongly incentivise large creditors, such as banks, to monitor the firm in jurisdictions where corporate debt is relatively concentrated