1st Flow Feed System Failure Analysis

Current 1st flow models are prone to cracking/stripping for unknown reasons. Customers do not want to buy a product that fails

Modeling the Oxidative Metabolic Breakdown of Ethanol and Its Effects on the Cardiovascular System

Chronic ethanol consumption contributes to the global prevalence’s of cardiovascular disease by mechanisms involving an inflammatory response and consequent lipid peroxidation. Cytochrome p450 is a part of the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS) and can utilize iron complexes and the reductant NADPH to catalyze the breakdown of acute/chronic ethanol consumption. However, efficacy of MEOS to prevent cardiovascular burden induced by ethanol consumption is not clear. PURPOSE: To demonstrate the response of the cardiovascular system in response to the oxidative metabolic breakdown of ethanol via MEOS. METHODS: An extensive literature search provided data to develop a mechanistic model of the metabolism of chronic and low volume ethanol consumption. Artificial neural networks were utilized to construct a colormap of correlation coefficients between ethanol consumption and markers of inflammation and lipid peroxidation. RESULTS: The model showed that 3.5 standard drinks (50g of alcohol) were sufficient to increased levels of malondialdehyde and C-Reactive Protein. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that ethanol consumption to a level equal to or above 3.5 standard drinks is sufficient to induce cardiovascular stress through increased reactive oxygen species and consequent inflammation, lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress. The results also provide the foundation for targeted preventative or therapeutic interventions to enhance MEOS that may reduce the cardiovascular burden of alcohol consumption

Challenges of Corn Stover Transportation

Stover has the potential to be a very useful byproduct of corn. Corn stover uses: Feedstock for cellulosic ethanol; Fuel source for power plants; Animal bedding. Benefits of corn stover: Inexpensive; Readily available in Iowa. Who can stover benefit? Farmers who can make money by selling stover; Buyers have access to cheap, eco-friendly material

1st Flow Feed System Failure Analysis

1st Flow is a sub company of Reicksview Farms. Reicksview Farms is a large farming operation in Northeast Iowa focusing on row crop and hog operations. The system initially was implemented solely in their own facilities. While there have been sales to several producers, Brenneman Pork has purchased the most units from 1st Flow. The system is prone to cracking and stripping however the causes of these issues are unknown. Current issues being seen are moisture being allowed in the system and causing feed to not flow correctly and the agitator not being able to turn. As a result, it is no longer marketable because of these issues. A solution for this system will allow 1st Flow to return to a lucrative market of high quality hog feed systems

Skunk River Review 2012, vol 24

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/skunkriver/1015/thumbnail.jp

Genome-Wide Association Analysis in Asthma Subjects Identifies SPATS2L as a Novel Bronchodilator Response Gene

Bronchodilator response (BDR) is an important asthma phenotype that measures reversibility of airway obstruction by comparing lung function (i.e. FEV1) before and after the administration of a short-acting β2-agonist, the most common rescue medications used for the treatment of asthma. BDR also serves as a test of β2-agonist efficacy. BDR is a complex trait that is partly under genetic control. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of BDR, quantified as percent change in baseline FEV1 after administration of a β2-agonist, was performed with 1,644 non-Hispanic white asthmatic subjects from six drug clinical trials: CAMP, LOCCS, LODO, a medication trial conducted by Sepracor, CARE, and ACRN. Data for 469,884 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to measure the association of SNPs with BDR using a linear regression model, while adjusting for age, sex, and height. Replication of primary P-values was attempted in 501 white subjects from SARP and 550 white subjects from DAG. Experimental evidence supporting the top gene was obtained via siRNA knockdown and Western blotting analyses. The lowest overall combined P-value was 9.7E-07 for SNP rs295137, near the SPATS2L gene. Among subjects in the primary analysis, those with rs295137 TT genotype had a median BDR of 16.0 (IQR = [6.2, 32.4]), while those with CC or TC genotypes had a median BDR of 10.9 (IQR = [5.0, 22.2]). SPATS2L mRNA knockdown resulted in increased β2-adrenergic receptor levels. Our results suggest that SPATS2L may be an important regulator of β2-adrenergic receptor down-regulation and that there is promise in gaining a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of differential response to β2-agonists through GWAS

A genome-wide association study of bronchodilator response in asthmatics

Reversibility of airway obstruction in response to β2-agonists is highly variable among asthmatics, which is partially attributed to genetic factors. In a genome-wide association study of acute bronchodilator response (BDR) to inhaled albuterol, 534,290 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested in 403 white trios from the Childhood Asthma Management Program using five statistical models to determine the most robust genetic associations. The primary replication phase included 1397 polymorphisms in three asthma trials (pooled n=764). The second replication phase tested 13 SNPs in three additional asthma populations (n=241, n=215, and n=592). An intergenic SNP on chromosome 10, rs11252394, proximal to several excellent biological candidates, significantly replicated (p=1.98×10−7) in the primary replication trials. An intronic SNP (rs6988229) in the collagen (COL22A1) locus also provided strong replication signals (p=8.51×10−6). This study applied a robust approach for testing the genetic basis of BDR and identified novel loci associated with this drug response in asthmatics

DIY Methods 2022 Conference Proceedings

As the past years have proven, the methods for conducting and distributing research that we’ve inherited from our disciplinary traditions can be remarkably brittle in the face of rapidly changing social and mobility norms. The ways we work and the ways we meet are questions newly opened for practical and theoretical inquiry; we both need to solve real problems in our daily lives and account for the constitutive effects of these solutions on the character of the knowledge we produce. Methods are not neutral tools, and nor are they fixed ones. As such, the work of inventing, repairing, and hacking methods is a necessary, if often underexplored, part of the wider research process. This conference aims to better interrogate and celebrate such experiments with method. Borrowing from the spirit and circuits of exchange in earlier DIY cultures, it takes the form of a zine ring distributed via postal mail. Participants will craft zines describing methodological experiments and/or how-to guides, which the conference organisers will subsequently mail out to all participants. Feedback on conference proceedings will also proceed through the mail, as well as via an optional Twitter hashtag. The conference itself is thus an experiment with different temporalities and medialities of research exchange. As a practical benefit, this format guarantees that the experience will be free of Zoom fatigue, timezone difficulties, travel expenses, and visa headaches. More generatively, it may also afford slower thinking, richer aesthetic possibilities, more diverse forms of circulation, and perhaps even some amount of delight. The conference format itself is part of the DIY experiment

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

1st Flow Feed System Failure Analysis

Current 1st flow models are prone to cracking/stripping for unknown reasons. Customers do not want to buy a product that fails.</p