Blood perfusion changes during sacral nerve root stimulation versus surface gluteus electrical stimulation on in seated spinal cord injury

Objective: To examine dynamic changes of ischial blood perfusion during sacral nerve root stimulation against surface functional electrical stimulation (FES). Methods: Fourteen adults with suprasacral complete spinal cord injury were recruited. The gluteal maximus was activated by surface FES or stimulating sacral nerve roots by functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) or a sacral anterior root stimulator implant (SARS). Ischial skin index of haemoglobin (IHB) and oxygenation (IOX) was measured. Results: Skin blood perfusion was significantly higher during FMS than the baseline (IHB 1.05±0.21 before vs. 1.08±0.02 during stimulation, P=0.03; IOX 0.18 ± 0.21 before vs. 0.46 ± 0.30, P=0.01 during stimulation, n=6). Similarly, when using the SARS implant, we also observed that blood perfusion significantly increased (IHB 1.01 ± 0.02 before vs. 1.07 ±0.02 during stimulation, P=0.003; IOX 0.79±0.81 before vs. 2.2±1.21 during stimulation, P=0.03, n=6). However, there was no significant change of blood perfusion during surface FES. Among 4 participants who completed both the FMS and FES studies, the magnitude of increase in both parameters was significantly higher during FMS. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that using SARS implant is more efficient to activate gluteal muscles and confer better benefit on blood perfusion than applying traditional FES in SCI population

Cal Poly SAE Formula Electric Chassis

The Cal Poly Formula Electric team has been in need of a chassis redesign, making that a logical choice for a senior project. The original goal of the project was to build the lightest possible frame while still maintaining adequate strength and stiffness. The existing frame made a good starting point. The steel tube spaceframe weighed a colossal 105 lb. There was ample room for improvement, even with a similar spaceframe design. The greatest potential to reduce weight lay in submitting designs under the Alternative Frame (AF) rule set. This could avoid the added weight of many required tubes. The new 2014-15 rules introduced more strict requirements for tube sizes used in alternative frames. These new requirements effectively eliminated any advantage in building a steel tube frame under AF rules, making the developing chassis design no longer viable. In response to the rule changes, possibilities were reevaluated and a cut-and-fold carbon composite monocoque was chosen as a good alternative to the steel tube design. This new design direction promised significant weight savings while maintaining the strength required to pass the tests set out in the AF rules. The primary body of the frame began as flat panels of 3/4” 3-ply carbon composite that was then cut to the desired outline and folded into shape. These folds were reinforced with a wet layup using carbon tape and the resin, and filled with glass micro-spheres in order to reduce the weight of the resin used. This folded panel was bolted to the front and main roll hoops. The roll hoops were still steel tubes, as this was required by any rule set. Various properties were tested along the way in order to properly document chassis construction and justify FEA analysis to the FSAE officials. Most of these tests were destructive material tests on the composite panels themselves. All major subsystems except the battery box were carried over from the existing car to the new one. The suspension, drivetrain, and space for the new battery box were all part of the design from the beginning for a seamless transition from one chassis to the next. Once the monocoque was completed, the other systems were simply assembled into it. Once the entire car was assembled, the final tests for the chassis were to be passing technical inspection and performance at competition. Since the team was unable to get into the competition from the waitlist, this was not possible. Final design validation, instead, came from a technical inspection performed by Professor Fabijanic before the car was driven and from driver feedback

A Mechanistic model for predicting the nutrient requirements and feed biological values for sheep

The Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS), a mechanistic model that predicts nutrient requirements and biological values of feeds for cattle, was modified for use with sheep. Published equations were added for predicting the energy and protein requirements of sheep, with a special emphasis on dairy sheep, whose specific needs are not considered by most sheep-feeding systems. The CNCPS for cattle equations that are used to predict the supply of nutrients from each feed were modified to include new solid and liquid ruminal passage rates for sheep, and revised equations were inserted to predict metabolic fecal N. Equations were added to predict fluxes in body energy and protein reserves from BW and condition score. When evaluated with data from seven published studies (19 treatments), for which the CNCPS for sheep predicted positive ruminal N balance, the CNCPS for sheep predicted OM digestibility, which is used to predict feed ME values, with no mean bias (1.1 g/100 g of OM; P > 0.10) and a low root mean squared prediction error (RMSPE; 3.6 g/100 g of OM). Crude protein digestibility, which is used to predict N excretion, was evaluated with eight published studies (23 treatments). The model predicted CP digestibility with no mean bias (-1.9 g/100 g of CP; P > 0.10) but with a large RMSPE (7.2 g/100 g of CP). Evaluation with a data set of published studies in which the CNCPS for sheep predicted negative ruminal N balance indicated that the model tended to underpredict OM digestibility (mean bias of -3.3 g/100 g of OM, P > 0.10; RMSPE = 6.5 g/100 g of OM; n = 12) and to overpredict CP digestibility (mean bias of 2.7 g/100 g of CP, P > 0.10; RMSPE = 12.8 g/100 g of CP; n = 7). The ability of the CNCPS for sheep to predict gains and losses in shrunk BW was evaluated using data from six studies with adult sheep (13 treatments with lactating ewes and 16 with dry ewes). It accurately predicted variations in shrunk BW when diets had positive N balance (mean bias of 5.8 g/d; P > 0.10; RMSPE of 30.0 g/d; n = 15), whereas it markedly overpredicted the variations in shrunk BW when ruminal balance was negative (mean bias of 53.4 g/d, P < 0.05; RMSPE = 84.1 g/d; n = 14). These evaluations indicated that the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System for Sheep can be used to predict energy and protein requirements, feed biological values, and BW gains and losses in adult sheep

The lifetime prevalence of hospitalised head injury in Scottish prisons: A population study

Background: There is mounting evidence that associates brain injury and offending behaviour, and there is a need to understand the epidemiology of head injury in prisoners in order to plan interventions to reduce associated disability and risk of reoffending. This is the first study to determine the lifetime prevalence of hospitalised head injury (HHI) in a national population of current prison inmates. In addition characteristics of prisoners with HHI and were compared to prisoners without HHI to discover whether those with HI differed demographically. Methods: Whole life hospital records of everyone aged 35 years or younger and resident in a prison in Scotland on a census date in 2015 were electronically linked via their unique NHS identifier and checked for ICD-9 and 10 codes for head injury. Using a case-control design, these data were compared with a sample from the general population matched 3:1 for age, gender and area-based social deprivation. Comparison of demographic variables was made between prisoners with and without HHI. Results: HHI was found in 24.7% (1,080/4,374) of prisoners and was significantly more prevalent than found in the matched general population sample (18.2%; 2394/13122; OR 2.10; 95%CI 1.87, 2.16). The prevalence of HHI in prisoners and controls was similar with the exception of a higher risk of HHI in prisoners in lower deprivation quintiles. Having three or more HHI was more common in prisoners (OR 3.04; 95%CI 2.33, 3.97) as were HHI with ICD codes for intracranial injuries (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.54, 2.11), suggesting that more severe HHI is more prevalent in prisoners than the general population. The distributions within demographic variables and the characteristics of HHI admissions in prisoners with and without a history of HHI were similar. Conclusion: Prisoners in Scotland aged 35 years or younger have a higher lifetime prevalence of HHI than the general population and are more likely to have had repeated HI or intracranial injuries. Further work is required to elucidate the correspondence between self-report of HI and hospitalised records and to ascertain persisting effects of HI in prisoners and the need for services to reduce associated disability and risk of reoffending

A strong immune response in young adult honeybees masks their increased susceptibility to infection compared to older bees

Honeybees, Apis mellifera, show age-related division of labor in which young adults perform maintenance ("housekeeping") tasks inside the colony before switching to outside foraging at approximately 23 days old. Disease resistance is an important feature of honeybee biology, but little is known about the interaction of pathogens and age-related division of labor. We tested a hypothesis that older forager bees and younger "house" bees differ in susceptibility to infection. We coupled an infection bioassay with a functional analysis of gene expression in individual bees using a whole genome microarray. Forager bees treated with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae s.l. survived for significantly longer than house bees. This was concomitant with substantial differences in gene expression including genes associated with immune function. In house bees, infection was associated with differential expression of 35 candidate immune genes contrasted with differential expression of only two candidate immune genes in forager bees. For control bees (i.e. not treated with M. anisopliae) the development from the house to the forager stage was associated with differential expression of 49 candidate immune genes, including up-regulation of the antimicrobial peptide gene abaecin, plus major components of the Toll pathway, serine proteases, and serpins. We infer that reduced pathogen susceptibility in forager bees was associated with age-related activation of specific immune system pathways. Our findings contrast with the view that the immunocompetence in social insects declines with the onset of foraging as a result of a trade-off in the allocation of resources for foraging. The up-regulation of immune-related genes in young adult bees in response to M. anisopliae infection was an indicator of disease susceptibility; this also challenges previous research in social insects, in which an elevated immune status has been used as a marker of increased disease resistance and fitness without considering the effects of age-related development

Association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and biomarkers of oxidative stress among patients hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction

Objective To determine whether exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was associated with oxidative stress among patients hospitalised for acute myocardial infarction.<p></p> Design An existing cohort study of 1,261 patients hospitalised for acute myocardial infarction.<p></p> Setting Nine acute hospitals in Scotland.<p></p> Participants Sixty never smokers who had been exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (admission serum cotinine ≥3.0 ng/mL) were compared with 60 never smokers who had not (admission serum cotinine ≤0.1 ng/mL).<p></p> Intervention None.<p></p> Main outcome measures Three biomarkers of oxidative stress (protein carbonyl, malondialdehyde (MDA) and oxidised low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)) were measured on admission blood samples and adjusted for potential confounders.<p></p> Results After adjusting for baseline differences in age, sex and socioeconomic status, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was associated with serum concentrations of both protein carbonyl (beta coefficient 7.96, 95% CI 0.76, 15.17, p = 0.031) and MDA (beta coefficient 10.57, 95% CI 4.32, 16.81, p = 0.001) but not ox-LDL (beta coefficient 2.14, 95% CI −8.94, 13.21, p = 0.703).<p></p> Conclusions Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was associated with increased oxidative stress. Further studies are requires to explore the role of oxidative stress in the association between environmental tobacco smoke and myocardial infarction.<p></p&gt

Development of a mechanistic model to represent the dynamics of particle flow out of the rumen and to predict rate of passage of forage particles in dairy cattle.

A mechanistic and dynamic model was developed to represent physiological aspects of particle dynamics in the reticulo-rumen (RR) and to predict rate of passage out of the RR (Kp) of forage particles quantitatively. The model consists of 2 conceptual pools with 3 spatial compartments of particles; the compartment the particle enters is based on functional specific gravity (FSG). The model assumes 2 major pressure gradient-driven flows of particles out of the RR through the reticulo-omasal orifice between 2 consecutive primary reticular contractions. One is associated with the second phase of primary reticular contraction and involves propulsion of particles in the vicinity of the honeycomb structure of the reticulum from the RR. The second flow involves movement of particles in the reticulum without selection by size. Particle outflow rate was assumed to be proportional to liquid outflow rate. The passage coefficient, defined as the ratio of particle to liquid outflow rate, was estimated for each particle group by an equation derived from the probability of passage based on FSG and particle size. Particles retained on a 1.18-mm screen were defined as large particles. When the model was evaluated with 41 observations in an independent database, it explained 66% of the variation in observed Kp of forage particles with a root mean square prediction error of 0.009. With 16 observations that also included measurements of liquid passage rate, the model explained 81 and 86% of the variation in observed Kp liquid and Kp forage, respectively. An analysis of model predictions using a database with 455 observations indicated that the assumptions underlying the model seemed to be appropriate to describe the dynamics of forage particle flow out of the RR. Sensitivity analysis showed that probability of a particle being in the pool likely to escape is most critical in the passage of large forage particles, whereas the probability of being in the reticulum as well as in the likely to escape pool is important in the passage of small forage and concentrate particles. The FSG of a particle is more important in determining the fate of a particle than its size although they are correlated, especially for forage particles. We conclude that this model can be used to understand the factors that affect the dynamics of particle flow out of the RR and predict Kp of particles out of the RR in dairy cattle