A study of the five Ohio Portland cement operations in 1985

Portland cement is a finely ground, manufactured mineral product that when combined with water, sand, gravel, and other materials forms concrete the most widely used construction material in the world. The Portland cement industry in Ohio consists of five plants; Fairborn, Paulding, East Fultonham, Middlebranch, and Sylvania. These plants combine to produce 2,500,000 tons of cement a year. Of these plants, Fairborn is the largest and most fuel efficient. Paulding is innovative in using industrial solvents as a fuel addition for its kiln. Middlebranch is the smallest plant (600 tons per day), and gets its stone from a sister plant. East Fultonham is a sister plant to Sylvania. Sylvania has been shut down for almost two years, so East Fultonham uses the dormant plant as a terminal for northwest Ohio. There are three different cement processes used in Ohio. The wet, dry, and semi-dry kiln process. The wet process is used in three plants; East Fultonham, Paulding, and Sylvania. The dry process is used in Fairborn, and the semi-dry process is used at Middlebranch. Of the three processes, the dry process is the most fuel efficient, so ... [complete abstract not available]No embarg

Life Chaos is Associated with Reduced HIV Testing, Engagement in Care, and ART Adherence Among Cisgender Men and Transgender Women upon Entry into Jail.

Life chaos, the perceived inability to plan for and anticipate the future, may be a barrier to the HIV care continuum for people living with HIV who experience incarceration. Between December 2012 and June 2015, we interviewed 356 adult cisgender men and transgender women living with HIV in Los Angeles County Jail. We assessed life chaos using the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) and conducted regression analyses to estimate the association between life chaos and care continuum. Forty-eight percent were diagnosed with HIV while incarcerated, 14% were engaged in care 12 months prior to incarceration, mean antiretroviral adherence was 65%, and 68% were virologically suppressed. Adjusting for sociodemographics, HIV-related stigma, and social support, higher life chaos was associated with greater likelihood of diagnosis while incarcerated, lower likelihood of engagement in care, and lower adherence. There was no statistically significant association between life chaos and virologic suppression. Identifying life chaos in criminal-justice involved populations and intervening on it may improve continuum outcomes

Shrinkage of Inland Silverside Larvae Preserved in Ethanol and Formalin

Length measurements of preserved larval fish are necessary in many types of larval fish surveys. If the fixative causes significant shrinkage, then the preserved lengths cannot be used to indicate accurate live lengths. The objective of this study was to determine how preservation in two different concentrations of formalin and ethanol affects the total length of larval inland silversides Menidia beryllina. Larvae were measured (nearest 0.1 mm) and individually fixed in one of four fixative treatments (80% ethanol, 100% ethanol, 5% buffered formalin, and 10% buffered formalin). Fish were remeasured (nearest 0.1 mm) at 15 min; 4 h; and 1, 7, 14, and 21 d after preservation. Most shrinkage occurred within the first day after preservation in all four fixatives. Initial length was positively correlated with absolute shrinkage, but percent shrinkage was not affected by initial length. We found no difference in percent shrinkage between the 80% and 100% ethanol concentrations. The 10% buffered formalin caused more percent shrinkage than 5% buffered formalin. Furthermore, ethanol (80% and 100% combined) caused greater percent shrinkage than either 5% or 10% buffered formalin

Note and Comment

The Passing of State Control over Railway Rates; Constitutionality of the New York Workmen\u27s Compensation Act; Must a Passenger Go on the Same Train with His Baggage?; Implied Reservation of Easements; Extent of the City\u27s Right, Under the Power of Eminent Domain, to Exemption from Liability for Consequential Damages Under the Rule of Damnum Absque Injuria

Hepatocellular proliferation in response to agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha: a role for kupffer cells?

BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that PPARα agonists stimulate Kupffer cells in rodents which in turn, release mitogenic factors leading to hepatic hyperplasia, and eventually cancer. However, Kupffer cells do not express PPARα receptors, and PPARα agonists stimulate hepatocellular proliferation in both TNFα- and TNFα receptor-null mice, casting doubt on the involvement of Kupffer cells in the mitogenic response to PPARα agonists. This study was therefore designed to investigate whether the PPARα agonist PFOA and the Kupffer cell inhibitor methylpalmitate produce opposing effects on hepatocellular proliferation and Kupffer cell activity in vivo, in a manner that would implicate these cells in the mitogenic effects of PPARα agonists. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated intravenously via the tail vein with methylpalmitate 24 hrs prior to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and were sacrificed 24 hrs later, one hr after an intraperitoneal injection of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). Sera were analyzed for TNFα and IL-1β. Liver sections were stained immunohistochemically and quantified for BrdU incorporated into DNA. RESULTS: Data show that PFOA remarkably stimulated hepatocellular proliferation in the absence of significant changes in the serum levels of either TNFα or IL-1β. In addition, methylpalmitate did not alter the levels of these mitogens in PFOA-treated animals, despite the fact that it significantly blocked the hepatocellular proliferative effect of PFOA. Correlation between hepatocellular proliferation and serum levels of TNFα or IL-1β was extremely poor. CONCLUSION: It is unlikely that mechanisms involving Kupffer cells play an eminent role in the hepatic hyperplasia, and consequently hepatocarcinogenicity attributed to PPARα agonists. This conclusion is based on the above mentioned published data and the current findings showing animals treated with PFOA alone or in combination with methylpalmitate to have similar levels of serum TNFα and IL-1β, which are reliable indicators of Kupffer cell activity, despite a remarkable difference in hepatocellular proliferation

Measuring Recovery: An Adapted Brief Assessment of Mood (BAM+) Compared to Biochemical and Power Output Alterations

ObjectivesBiochemical (e.g., creatine kinase (CK)) and neuromuscular (e.g., peak power output (PPO)) markers of recovery are expensive and require specialist equipment. Perceptual measures are an effective alternative, yet most validated scales are too long for daily use.DesignThis study utilises a longitudinal multi-level design to test an adapted Brief Assessment of Mood (BAM + ), with four extra items and a 100 mm visual analogue scale to measure recovery.MethodsElite under-21 academy soccer players (N = 11) were monitored across five games with data (BAM+, CK and PPO) collected for each game at 24 hours pre, 24 hours and 48 hours post-match. Match activity data for each participant was also collected using GPS monitors on players.ResultsBAM+, CK and PPO had significant (p < .05) linear and quadratic growth curves across time and games that matched the known time reports of fatigue and recovery. Multi-level linear modelling (MLM) with random intercepts for ‘participant’ and ‘game’ indicated only CK significantly contributed to the variance of BAM+ scores (p < .05). Significant correlations (p < .01) were found between changes in BAM+ scores from baseline at 24 and 48 hours post-match for total distance covered per minute, high intensity distance covered per minute, and total number of sprints per minute.ConclusionsVisual and inferential results indicate that the BAM+ appears effective for monitoring longitudinal recovery cycles in elite level athletes. Future research is needed to confirm both the scales reliability and validity

Dysflective cones: Visual function and cone reflectivity in long-term follow-up of acute bilateral foveolitis.

PURPOSE:Confocal adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) images provide a sensitive measure of cone structure. However, the relationship between structural findings of diminished cone reflectivity and visual function is unclear. We used fundus-referenced testing to evaluate visual function in regions of apparent cone loss identified using confocal AOSLO images. METHODS:A patient diagnosed with acute bilateral foveolitis had spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) (Spectralis HRA + OCT system [Heidelberg Engineering, Vista, CA, USA]) images indicating focal loss of the inner segment-outer segment junction band with an intact, but hyper-reflective, external limiting membrane. Five years after symptom onset, visual acuity had improved from 20/80 to 20/25, but the retinal appearance remained unchanged compared to 3 months after symptoms began. We performed structural assessments using SD-OCT, directional OCT (non-standard use of a prototype on loan from Carl Zeiss Meditec) and AOSLO (custom-built system). We also administered fundus-referenced functional tests in the region of apparent cone loss, including analysis of preferred retinal locus (PRL), AOSLO acuity, and microperimetry with tracking SLO (TSLO) (prototype system). To determine AOSLO-corrected visual acuity, the scanning laser was modulated with a tumbling E consistent with 20/30 visual acuity. Visual sensitivity was assessed in and around the lesion using TSLO microperimetry. Complete eye examination, including standard measures of best-corrected visual acuity, visual field tests, color fundus photos, and fundus auto-fluorescence were also performed. RESULTS:Despite a lack of visible cone profiles in the foveal lesion, fundus-referenced vision testing demonstrated visual function within the lesion consistent with cone function. The PRL was within the lesion of apparent cone loss at the fovea. AOSLO visual acuity tests were abnormal, but measurable: for trials in which the stimulus remained completely within the lesion, the subject got 48% correct, compared to 78% correct when the stimulus was outside the lesion. TSLO microperimetry revealed reduced, but detectible, sensitivity thresholds within the lesion. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE:Fundus-referenced visual testing proved useful to identify functional cones despite apparent photoreceptor loss identified using AOSLO and SD-OCT. While AOSLO and SD-OCT appear to be sensitive for the detection of abnormal or absent photoreceptors, changes in photoreceptors that are identified with these imaging tools do not correlate completely with visual function in every patient. Fundus-referenced vision testing is a useful tool to indicate the presence of cones that may be amenable to recovery or response to experimental therapies despite not being visible on confocal AOSLO or SD-OCT images

The Psychology of Hate: Moral Concerns Differentiate Hate from Dislike

We investigated whether any differences in the psychological conceptualization of hate and dislike were simply a matter of degree of negativity (i.e., hate falls on the end of the continuum of dislike) or also morality (i.e., hate is imbued with distinct moral components that distinguish it from dislike). In three lab studies in Canada and the United States, participants reported disliked and hated attitude objects and rated each on dimensions including valence, attitude strength, morality, and emotional content. Quantitative and qualitative measures revealed that hated attitude objects were more negative than disliked attitude objects and associated with moral beliefs and emotions, even after adjusting for differences in negativity. In Study 4, we analysed the rhetoric on real hate sites and complaint forums and found that the language used on prominent hate websites contained more words related to morality, but not negativity, relative to complaint forums

Considerations of Mutual Exchange in Prosocial Decision-Making

Research using economic decision-making tasks has established that direct reciprocity plays a role in prosocial decision-making: people are more likely to help those who have helped them in the past. However, less is known about how considerations of mutual exchange influence decisions even when the other party’s actions are unknown and direct reciprocity is therefore not possible. Using a two-party economic task in which the other’s actions are unknown, Study 1 shows that prosociality critically depends on the potential for mutual exchange; when the other person has no opportunity to help the participant, prosocial behavior is drastically reduced. In Study 2, we find that theories regarding the other person’s intentions influence the degree of prosociality that participants exhibit, even when no opportunity for direct reciprocity exists. Further, beliefs about the other’s intentions are closely related to one’s own motivations in the task. Together, the results support a model in which prosociality depends on both the social conditions for mutual exchange and a mental model of how others will behave within these conditions, which is closely related to knowledge of the self