Correlation between capillary oxygen saturation and small intestinal wall thickness in the equine colic patient

The surgical evaluation of haemorrhagic infarcted intestine and the decision for or against bowel resection require a lot of experience and are subjective. The aim of this prospective, clinical study was to examine the correlation between oxygen saturation and small intestinal wall (IW) thickness, using two objective methods. In 22 colicky horses, the blood flow, oxygen saturation and relative amount of haemoglobin were measured intraoperatively via laser Doppler and white light spectroscopy (O2C, oxygen to see, LEA Medizintechnik) at six measuring points (MPs) in small and large intestines. Furthermore, the IW thickness was measured ultrasonographically. Nine of 22 horses had an increased small IW thickness greater than 4?mm (Freeman 2002, Scharner and others 2002, le Jeune and Whitcomb 2014) at measuring point 1 (MP1) (strangulated segment), four horses had a thickened bowel wall at measuring point 3 (MP3) (poststenotic) and one at measuring point 2 (MP2). The oxygen saturation was 0 at MP1 in six horses, at MP3 in two horses and at MP2 (prestenotic) in one. Oxygen saturation and small IW thickness were independent of each other at MP1 and MP2. At MP3, the two parameters were negatively correlated. In summary, it is not possible to draw conclusions about oxygen saturation based on IW thickness

Business Process Management 2011 - Status quo und Zukunft : Eine empirische Studie im deutschsprachigen Europa

StudieBusiness Process Management (BPM) unterstützt bei der Analyse, Modellierung, Implementierung, Ausführung und kontinuierlichen Verbesserung von Geschäftsprozessen. Viele Unternehmen und Organisationen scheinen das Potenzial, welches ihnen BPM-Methoden und -Lösungen bieten, noch nicht vollumfänglich zu nutzen, auch wenn ein generelles Bewusstsein dafür besteht. Diese empirische Studie zeigt den Reife- und Diffusionsgrad sowie zeitnahe und mittelfristige Trends im deutschsprachigen Europa auf. Insgesamt 219 Vertreter aus über 200 Unternehmen und Institutionen haben daran teilgenommen. Die Studie zeigt interessante neue Erkenntnisse wie auch kritisch zu interpretierende Aspekte. Zudem gibt sie Auskunft zu Fragestellungen, die sich mit den aktuellen und zukünftigen Investitionen in BPM sowie auch mit Initiativen im Bereich Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) befassen

Fuel quality issues in the oil heat industry

The quality of fuel oil plays an essential role in combustion performance and efficient operation of residential heating equipment. With the present concerns by the oil-heat industry of declining fuel-oil quality, a study was initiated to identify the factors that have brought about changes in the quality of distillate fuel. A background of information will be provided to the industry, which is necessary to deal with the problems relating to the fuel. The high needs for servicing heating equipment are usually the result of the poor handling characteristics of the fuel during cold weather, the buildup of dirt and water in storage tanks, and microbial growth. A discussion of how to deal with these problems is presented in this paper. The effectiveness of fuel additives to control these problems of quality is also covered to help users better understand the functions and limitations of chemical treatment. Test data have been collected which measure and compare changes in the properties of fuel using selected additives

IT-Sourcing-Management 2011 - Status quo und Zukunft : Eine empirische Studie im deutschsprachigen Europa

StudieDas Zentrum für Wirtschaftsinformatik (ZWI) der School of Management and Law der Zürcher Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW) hat sich mit dieser empirischen Studie zur Management-Disziplin «IT-Sourcing-Management – Status quo und Zukunft» zum Ziel gesetzt, den Reife- und Diffusionsgrad sowie zeitnahe und mittelfristige Trends im deutschsprachigen Europa (DACH) zu untersuchen und aufzuzeigen. Insgesamt 112 Vertreter von über 100 Unternehmen und Institutionen, welche über IT-Sourcing-Expertise verfügen und sich täglich mit dieser Disziplin auseinandersetzen, haben an dieser Befragung teilgenommen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen interessante neue Erkenntnisse, zugleich aber auch kritisch zu interpretierende Aspekte auf, die für Organisationen, die IT-Sourcing-Strategien bereits umgesetzt haben oder dies noch in Angriff nehmen möchten, mit Blick auf die Praxis wertvoll und hilfreich sind. Strategische Auslagerungskonzepte und die Klarheit über ihre Ausgestaltung bestimmen die Qualität, den Innovationsgrad und die Produktivität von Organisationen in hohem Masse. Viele Organisationen scheinen das Potenzial jedoch noch nicht vollumfänglich zu nutzen, welches ihnen IT-Sourcing-Methoden und -Lösungen bieten. Die Studie gibt des Weiteren Auskunft zu Fragestellungen, welche sich mit den Investitionen in Outsourcing sowie auch mit Initiativen im Bereich von Cloud Computing befassen

Heterozygosity at neutral and immune loci is not associated with neonatal mortality due to microbial infection in Antarctic fur seals.

Litzke V, Ottensmann M, Forcada J, Heitzmann L, Hoffman J. Heterozygosity at neutral and immune loci is not associated with neonatal mortality due to microbial infection in Antarctic fur seals. Ecology and evolution. 2019;9(14):7985-7996.Numerous studies have reported correlations between the heterozygosity of genetic markers and fitness. These heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) play a central role in evolutionary and conservation biology, yet their mechanistic basis remains open to debate. For example, fitness associations have been widely reported at both neutral and functional loci, yet few studies have directly compared the two, making it difficult to gauge the relative contributions of genome-wide inbreeding and specific functional genes to fitness. Here, we compared the effects of neutral and immune gene heterozygosity on death from bacterial infection in Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pups. We specifically developed a panel of 13 microsatellites from expressed immune genes and genotyped these together with 48 neutral loci in 234 individuals, comprising 39 pups that were classified at necropsy as having most likely died of bacterial infection together with a five times larger matched sample of healthy surviving pups. Identity disequilibrium quantified from the neutral markers was positive and significant, indicative of variance in inbreeding within the study population. However, multilocus heterozygosity did not differ significantly between healthy and infected pups at either class of marker, and little evidence was found for fitness associations at individual loci. These results support a previous study of Antarctic fur seals that found no effects of heterozygosity at nine neutral microsatellites on neonatal survival and thereby help to refine our understanding of how HFCs vary across the life cycle. Given that nonsignificant HFCs are underreported in the literature, we also hope that our study will contribute toward a more balanced understanding of the wider importance of this phenomenon

Constructing Motherhood: An Analysis of the Group Conversations of Mothers in Drug Abuse Treatment with Their Children

This study examines the group conversations of seven mothers in recovery fromdrug abuse and dependence. The methodological approach, discourse analysis, is basedon the investigation of speech in action, how speech is produced in the social world.Feminist theory provides the foundational premise that mothers in treatment for drug andalcohol abuse have the right to represent and constitute their own identities in a societywhich has historically demonized and criminalized them merely for being mothers. Theanalysis of the mothers’ conversations revealed the following: a) the mothers’constructions of motherhood included an identity of a mother as one who is “there” forher children, b) the mothers experienced a connection or bond with their children in spiteof separations from them, and c) the mothers’ discourse revealed both resistance andacceptance of the public discourse about them.Ph.D., Couple and Family Therapy -- Drexel University, 200

Leishmania siamensis als Erreger von autochthoner kutaner Leishmaniose bei Pferden in Deutschland - eine neue Infektionskrankheit in Mitteleuropa?

Aus mitteleuropäischer Sicht ist die durch Parasiten verursachte und von Sandmücken übertragene Leishmaniose eine in Ländern tropischer und subtropischer Regionen auftretende Infektionskrankheit. In zunehmendem Maße werden jedoch autochthone Fälle in Mitteleuropa, insbesondere in Süddeutschland, verzeichnet. Dies ist vermutlich auf die globale Erwärmung und die Ausdehnung des Verbreitungsgebietes der Sandmücken nach Norden zurückzuführen. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Identifizierung und phylogenetischen Charakterisierung der Erreger dieser Fälle. Dazu wurden verschiedene Marker im Leishmaniengenom sequenziert und mit bekannten Arten verglichen. Die untersuchte DNA stammte von autochthonen kutanen Leishmaniosen bei Pferden und einem Rind, die in den letzten zehn Jahren in Deutschland und der Schweiz auftraten. Aufgrund identischer Sequenzen konnten die Parasiten als L. siamensis identifiziert bzw. verifiziert werden, eine erst im Jahr 2008 neu beschriebene Art, die in Thailand humane viszerale Leishmaniose verursacht. Die phylogenetischen Analysen zeigten die Ähnlichkeit von L. siamensis mit weiteren bisher nicht identifizierten Stämmen aus Martinique und Ghana, die kutane Leishmaniose bei Menschen verursachen. Um die Frage zu beantworten, ob sich die Leishmaniose zu einer in Mitteleuropa endemischen zoonotischen Krankheit entwickeln könnte, müssen weitere Studien über kompatible Vektoren, mögliche Reservoire und zur Virulenz durchgeführt werden

Natural Gas as a Future Fuel for Heavy-Duty Vehicles

In addition to their significant environmental impacts, medium-duty and heavy-duty (HD) vehicles are high volume fuel users. Development of such vehicles, which include transit buses, refuse trucks, and HD Class 6-8 trucks, that are fueled with natural gas is strategic to market introduction of natural gas vehicles (NGV). Over the past five years the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT) has funded technological developments in NGV systems to support the growth of this sector in the highly competitive transportation market. The goals are to minimize emissions associated with NGV use, to improve on the economies of scale, and to continue supporting the testing and safety assessments of all new systems. This paper provides an overview of the status of major projects under a program supported by DOE/OHVT and managed by Brookhaven National Laboratory. The discussion focuses on the program's technical strategy in meeting specific goals proposed by the N GV industry and the government. Relevant projects include the development of low-cost fuel storage, fueling infrastructure, and HD vehicle applications

Natural Gas as a Fuel Option for Heavy Vehicles

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT) is promoting the use of natural gas as a fuel option in the transportation energy sector through its natural gas vehicle program [1]. The goal of this program is to eliminate the technical and cost barriers associated with displacing imported petroleum. This is achieved by supporting research and development in technologies that reduce manufacturing costs, reduce emissions, and improve vehicle performance and consumer acceptance for natural gas fueled vehicles. In collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory, projects are currently being pursued in (1) liquefied natural gas production from unconventional sources, (2) onboard natural gas storage (adsorbent, compressed, and liquefied), (3) natural gas delivery systems for both onboard the vehicle and the refueling station, and (4) regional and enduse strategies. This paper will provide an overview of these projects highlighting their achievements and current status. In addition, it will discuss how the individual technologies developed are being integrated into an overall program strategic plan

Condensing economizers for efficiency improvement and emissions control in industrial boilers

Condensing economizers recover sensible and latent heat from boiler flue gas, leading to marked improvements in thermal efficiency. This paper summarizes the current commercial status and continuing development efforts with one type of condensing economizer. In this design Teflon{reg_sign} covered tubes and enclosure walls are used to handle the corrosive condensate. Flue gas flows around the tubes and feed water, being heated, flows through the inside. In addition to improving thermal efficiency, condensing economizers can also be used to reduce particulate emissions primarily by inertial impaction of particles on tube surfaces, water droplets, and added impactors. Collected particles are then removed with condensate. Water sprays directly on the tubes can be used to enhance particle capture. With coal-firing, tests have shown particle removal efficiencies as high as 98%. To enhance the emissions control potential of condensing economizer technology a two-stage economizer system concept has been developed. Two heat exchanger modules are used. The first is a downflow design and recovers primarily sensible heat from the flue gas. The second is upflow and recovers mostly latent heat. Condensate is collected in a transition plenum between the two stages. This configuration, termed the Integrated Flue Gas Treatment System, provides great flexibility for implementing emissions reduction strategies. Particulate emissions can be reduced without impacting sensible heat recovery by recirculating collected condensate to spray nozzles at the top of the second stage heat exchanger. In tests at BNL with heavy oil firing, particulate reductions over 90% and final emission rates on the order of.005 lb/MMBtu are achieved. Adding sorbents to the recirculated condensate reduces sulfur dioxide emissions and SO{sub 2} removal efficiencies over 95% are achieved. Also, condensing economizers show great potential for the removal of certain air toxics such as mercury and nickel