An Introduction to the Flint Hills and the Tallgrass Prairie

It was Zebulon Montgomery Pike who first coined the name Flint Hills when exploring the region in 1806. In his journal, September 12th, he described the following near the headwaters of the Verdigris River in southeastern Chase County: “Commenced our march at seven o’clock. Passed very ruff flint hills. My feet blistered and very sore.” He went on to say that from one view he could see buffalo, elk, deer, cabrie [pronghorn], and panthers

Space acceleration measurement system triaxial sensor head error budget

The objective of the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) is to measure and record the microgravity environment for a given experiment aboard the Space Shuttle. To accomplish this, SAMS uses remote triaxial sensor heads (TSH) that can be mounted directly on or near an experiment. The errors of the TSH are reduced by calibrating it before and after each flight. The associated error budget for the calibration procedure is discussed here

Bounding Space

The cognition and description of spatial conditions are essential components of any foundation for design and the visual arts. However, the ability to discern subtle spatial distinctions and the limits of spatial boundaries is often clouded by habit and apparent familiarity with the conditions in question. For example, one thinks one knows the spatial make-up of one\u27s bedroom, but can one real ly see the space of the room from a position outside of this perceived familiarity? Can pre-cognitive knowledge be converted into critical understanding? Or, to invert the question, how can one know a space that one sees with new eyes? Perhaps we need to take Paul Valery to heart when he suggests that; to see is to forget the name of the thing one sees

Design of a Releasable Snowboard Binding

A releasable snowboard binding will be proposed to our sponsor. This binding will allow the user to release and engage on demand for aerial tricks, comfort, and increased safety. The releasable snowboard binding we will come up with will be revolutionary within the snowboard industry and make current bindings old and inferior

An Examination of a Theory of Embodied Social Presence in Virtual Worlds

In this article, we discuss and empirically examine the importance of embodiment, context, and spatial proximity as they pertain to collaborative interaction and task completion in virtual environments. Specifically, we introduce the embodied social presence (ESP) theory as a framework to account for a higher level of perceptual engagement that users experience as they engage in activity-based social interaction in virtual environments. The ESP theory builds on the analysis of reflection data from Second Life users to explain the process by which perceptions of ESP are realized. We proceed to describe implications of ESP for collaboration and other organizational functions

Twelve Weeks of Nitrate, Beta-Alanine, or Combined Treatment in NCAA Division III Male Soccer Players

In a sport of long duration, such as soccer, with many high-intensity bouts interspersed within the match, enhancing performance to last the duration of the match and maintain high levels of intensity is paramount. Thus, with proper nutrition and physical preparation, supplements such as beta-alanine (due to its intracellular buffering capacity) and nitrate (due to its vasodilatory and ergogenic effects in endurance exercise) may have value in this population. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of chronic supplementation with nitrate, beta-alanine, or combined treatment in NCAA Division III male soccer players. METHODS: Twenty-two NCAA Division III male soccer players (age: 19.1 ± 1.1yrs; mass: 74.8 ± 8.0kg; body fat: 13.6 ± 4.0%) were randomly assigned into one of four groups: nitrate plus placebo (NIT), beta-alanine plus placebo (BA), placebo (PLA), or active treatments (ACT) and participated in this 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study. At pre-intervention testing, participants completed body composition measures, VO2 max, 30-second Wingate test on day one, and 40-yard dash and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery: Level 2 (YOYOIR2) on day two and testing sessions were repeated at 6- and 12-weeks post training and supplementation. A 4x3 repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data with a-priori p value set at ≤0.05. RESULTS: There was a significant time effect for the following variables indicating that the training protocol induced performance adaptations: VO2 max (p = 0.0), Wingate peak power and mean power (p = 0.04; p = 0.006), 40-yard dash (p = 0.003), and YOYOIR2 (p = 0.0). Change in performance over time (% change) for VO2 max was NIT: 9%, BA: 7%, ACT: 12% vs PLA: 8%. Wingate mean power % change was NIT: 17%, BA: 6%, ACT: 4% vs PLA: 5%. Wingate peak power % change was NIT: 10%, BA: 11%, ACT: 10% vs PLA: 9%. YOYOIR2 % change was NIT: 48%, BA: 54%, ACT: 74% vs PLA: 10%. Despite this, there were no significant group by time effects for any variables. CONCLUSION: Although further research is warranted, addition of these supplements may be beneficial to soccer players

Salmonella typhimurium fecal shedding following Salmonella choleraesuis-thyphimurium vaccination via drinking water and subsequent challenge

Salmonella typhimurium (ST) is a primary cause of enteritis and subclinical production losses in growing or finishing swine. Due to the zoonotic potential, intervention programs for ST have been established attempting to reduce carcass contamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate Salmonella fecal shedding of pigs vaccinated with a commercial, avirulent live culture (ALC) Salmonella Choleraesuis-Typhimurium vaccine when challenged with virulent ST

Faecal Microbiota Transplantation plus selected use of antibiotics for severe-complicated Clostridium difficile infection: description of a protocol with high success rate

Background Severe and severe/complicated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) can result in ICU admission, sepsis, toxic megacolon and death. In this setting, colectomy is the standard of care but it is associated with a 50% mortality. Aim To evaluate safety and efficacy of a sequential faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and antibiotic protocol in severe and severe/complicated CDI patients who are at high risk for colectomy. Methods All patients with severe and severe/complicated CDI refractory to oral vancomycin ± rectal vancomycin and intravenous metronidazole therapy were offered FMT. Treatment consisted of sequential FMTs via colonoscopy with the need for repeat FMT and continued vancomycin guided by clinical response and pseudomembranes at colonoscopy. Results A total of 29 patients underwent FMT between July 2013 and August 2014. The overall treatment response of endoscopic sequential FMT was 93% (27/29), with 100% (10/10) for severe CDI and 89% (17/19) for severe/complicated CDI. A single FMT was performed in 62%, two FMTs were performed in 31% and three FMTs in 7% of patients. The use of non-CDI antibiotics predicted repeat FMT (odds ratio = 17.5). The 30-day all-cause mortality after FMT was 7%, and the cumulative 3-month survival was 76%. Of the two patients who died within 30 days, one underwent colectomy and succumbed to sepsis; the other died from septic shock related to CDI. Conclusion The success of a treatment protocol for severe and severe/complicated involving faecal microbiota transplantation and continued vancomycin in selected patients was high, and it warrants further evaluation