Assessment of plasma nitric oxide concentration and erythrocyte arginase activity in dairy cows with traumatic reticuloperitonitis

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗThe aim of this study was to evaluate plasma nitric oxide (NO) concentrations, erythrocyte arginase (ARG) activity, plasma fibrinogen (Fb) and serum iron (Fe) levels and some biochemical parameters in dairy cows with traumatic reticuloperitonitis (TRP). The animal material of the study consisted of 14 Swiss Brown cows diagnosed with TRP (TRP group) between 4-8 years old brought to Firat University Animal Hospital Clinics and 14 healthy Swiss Brown cows (control group) aged 4-8 years obtained from dairy farms in different regions. Blood samples were taken from the vena jugularis of the animals. Concentrations of plasma NO, Fb, erythrocyte ARG activity, and some biochemical markers were determined after the serum and plasma of the receiving blood were separated. While the NO (318.9±5.8 vs. 270.3±9.6 μmol/L) concentrations of the TRP group were found to be significantly higher than the control group (P<0.001), the erythrocyte ARG activity (29.5±0.5 vs. 35.2±1.0 U/hb) was found to be higher in the control group (P<0.001). It was also observed that total protein (TP) (6.6±0.5 vs. 7.8±0.1 g/dL) (P<0.05) and Fb (914.3±68.6 vs. 265.4±19.8 mg/dL) (P<0.001) concentrations were higher in the TRP group, compared to the control group, while albumin (ALB) (1.9±0.2 vs. 3.1±0.1 g/dL) and Fe (47.00±5.29 vs.106.79±9.44 μg/dL) concentrations were significantly lower than the control group (P<0.001). In addition, a positive correlation was found between NO and Fb concentrations and between erythrocyte ARG activity and Fe concentrations. As a result, it was determined that NO concentrations were increased and erythrocyte ARG activity was not significant in dairy cows with TRP. In addition, increased plasma Fb concentration and decreased serum Fe concentration were determined in dairy cows with TRP. This study demonstrated that plasma NO, Fb and serum Fe concentrations in dairy cows with TRP may be useful markers for prognosis

Subsidiary marketing strategy implementation (SMSI): The missing link of international marketing strategy research

[No abstract available

The Relationship Between Serum Adiponectin, Tumor Necrosis Factor−Alpha, Leptin Levels and Insulin Sensitivity in Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: Adiponectin is a Marker of Metabolic Syndrome

Objective: This study aimed (a) to investigate the relationship between the degree of obesity and serum adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)−α, leptin, insulin levels and the lipid profile; (b) to clarify the relationship between insulin resistance/glucose tolerance and adipocytokine levels; and (c) to investigate the value of adipocytokine levels as a marker of metabolic syndrome (MS)

Intense, carrier frequency and bandwidth tunable quasi single-cycle pulses from an organic emitter covering the Terahertz frequency gap

In Terahertz (THz) science, one of the long-standing challenges has been the formation of spectrally dense, single-cycle pulses with tunable duration and spectrum across the frequency range of 0.1-15 THz (THz gap). This frequency band, lying between the electronically and optically accessible spectra hosts important molecular fingerprints and collective modes which cannot be fully controlled by present strong-field THz sources. We present a method that provides powerful single-cycle THz pulses in the THz gap with a stable absolute phase whose duration can be continuously selected between 68 fs and 1100 fs. The loss-free and chirp-free technique is based on optical rectification of a wavelength-tunable pump pulse in the organic emitter HMQ-TMS that allows for tuning of the spectral bandwidth from 1 to more than 7 octaves over the entire THz gap. The presented source tunability of the temporal carrier frequency and spectrum expands the scope of spectrally dense THz sources to time-resolved nonlinear THz spectroscopy in the entire THz gap. This opens new opportunities towards ultrafast coherent control over matter and light

Torsional vibration of cracked carbon nanotubes with torsional restraints using Eringen’s nonlocal differential model

Free torsional vibration of cracked carbon nanotubes with elastic torsional boundary conditions is studied. Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory is used in the analysis. Two similar rotation functions are represented by two Fourier sine series. A coefficient matrix including torsional springs and crack parameter is derived by using Stokes' transformation and nonlocal boundary conditions. This useful coefficient matrix can be used to obtain the torsional vibration frequencies of cracked nanotubes with restrained boundary conditions. Free torsional vibration frequencies are calculated by using Fourier sine series and compared with the finite element method and analytical solutions available in the literature. The effects of various parameters such as crack parameter, geometry of nanotubes, and deformable boundary conditions are discussed in detail

Human System Engineering Applications from Distracted Driving Simulations

Most of the studies to explore the impact of distracted driving have been descriptive in nature; i.e. the research is conducted in naturalistic settings to evaluate the performance of the driver with and without distracters. However simulation models can also be used that predict the workload for driving tasks. Using concepts from process modeling, baseline models of driving tasks can be created for different driving sequences that include the associated fine motor, visual and cognitive human resources. These models can then be used to evaluate incidents of workload overload caused by different distracters, from both the internal and external vehicle environment. Identifying specific overloaded resources can lead to mitigation strategies to reduce workload and minimize distracted driving. Lessons learned from distracted driving research can then be applied to evaluation other types of manual, visual, and cognitive intensive tasks. Identifying combinations of tasks that contribute to peak workload of operators, and then simulating the impact of multi-tasking using personal devices (i.e. cell phones) can lead to management insights for other types of work environments. Additionally, iterative modeling can also include the impact of sensors and alerts, as well as enhanced workstation displays. Individual component overload can help understand causes for performance detriments during different task sequences, and the impact of additional types of technologies and activities. Using the simulation analysis, the impact on overall workload, identification of peak workload occurrences, and specific overloaded resources can lead to mitigation strategies to reduce workload and improve operator performance

Heterogeneous Catalysis under pressure - In-situ neutron diffraction under industrial conditions

The present work describes the application of a tubular reactor that allows in-situ neutron diffraction on working catalysts at high pressures. The designed reactor enables the application to a sample of industrially-relevant reaction conditions, i.e., in a temperature range up to 330° C and 60 bar pressure, coupled with online gas-analysis. Application of the cell is demonstrated by ammonia synthesis over a commercial catalyst with diffraction data obtained from the high-resolution powder diffractometer, Echidna, at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, ANSTO

Quantification of rotator cuff tear geometry: the repair ratio as a guide for surgical repair in crescent and U-shaped tears

Surgical repair of symptomatic, retracted rotator cuff tears unresponsive to non-operative treatments requires closure of the tear without undue tension and reattaching the torn tendon to its former insertion site. In this study, the length of the torn tendon edge was hypothesized to be longer than the length of the humeral insertion site. The objective of this study was to quantify the discrepancy in length of the torn tendon edge and the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site. Full thickness, rotator cuff tears that were found in twelve fresh frozen cadaver shoulders was studied. The length of the torn tendon edge, the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site and the retraction were measured using digital calipers. Each tear involved the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus was additionally torn in six. The size of the tear was medium in eight and large in four. The length of the torn tendon edge was always longer than the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site. Retraction was 29.9 ± 9.3 mm (range 21–48 mm). The repair ratio, defined as the ratio of length of torn tendon edge to the length of avulsed humeral insertion site, was 2.6 ± 0.4 (range 2.1–3.5). As only the length of the torn tendon edge equal to the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site can be repaired to bone, a repair ratio more than one precludes a simple repair and an additional repair technique such as margin convergence would be necessary for the remaining unapproximated torn tendon edge in rotator cuff tears. Repair ratio may aid in selection of the surgical repair technique of these rotator cuff tears