Nick Maskal to Mr. Meredith (19 September 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1277/thumbnail.jp

Does selective intraoperative music reduce pain following abdominal wall reconstruction?:A double-blind randomized controlled trial

Purpose: Although intraoperative music is purported to mitigate postoperative pain after some procedures, its application has never been explored in abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR). We sought to determine whether intraoperative music would decrease early postoperative pain following AWR. Methods: We conducted a placebo-controlled, patient-, surgeon-, and assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial at a single center between June 2022 and July 2023 including 321 adult patients undergoing open AWR with retromuscular mesh. Patients received noise-canceling headphones and were randomized 1:1 to patient-selected music or silence after induction, stratified by preoperative chronic opioid use. All patients received multimodal pain control. The primary outcome was pain (NRS-11) at 24 ± 3 h. The primary outcome was analyzed by linear regression with pre-specified covariates (chronic opioid use, hernia width, operative time, myofascial release, anxiety disorder diagnosis, and preoperative STAI-6 score). Results: 178 patients were randomized to music, 164 of which were analyzed. 177 were randomized to silence, 157 of which were analyzed. At 24 ± 3 h postoperatively, there was no difference in the primary outcome of NRS-11 scores (5.18 ± 2.62 vs 5.27 ± 2.46, p = 0.75). After adjusting for prespecified covariates, the difference of NRS-11 scores at 24 ± 3 h between the music and silence groups remained insignificant (p = 0.83). There was no difference in NRS-11 or STAI-6 scores at 48 ± 3 and 72 ± 3 h, intraoperative sedation, or postoperative narcotic usage. Conclusion: For patients undergoing AWR, there was no benefit of intraoperative music over routine multimodal pain control for early postoperative pain reduction. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05374096.</p

Design of an Automatic Wood Trimming Machine

This final design report, prepared for Sunrise Arts by the Cal Poly design team Mahogany Automation, details the year-long process in which the team of three engineering students designed and built an automated wooden -plank edge trimming machine that incorporates anti-jamming and continuous loading features. The team has examined current woodworking machines and features available on the industrial and commercial market, and used these as guides along with device requirements set by the project sponsor, Bruce Palmer. The focus has been on designing the simplest and most cost effective device that allows operators to make production runs of wooden slats at an increased rate. The final result of this project is a functioning prototype to be used by Sunrise Arts in their production of Wind Spinners

COMPARISON OF MODELS FOR SPACER GRID PRESSURE LOSS IN NUCLEAR FUEL BUNDLES FOR ONE AND TWO PHASE FLOWS

Spacer grids maintain the structural integrity of the fuel rods within fuel bundles of nuclear power plants. They can also improve flow characteristics within the nuclear reactor core. However, spacer grids add reactor coolant pressure losses, which require estimation and engineering into the design. Several mathematical models and computer codes were developed over decades to predict spacer grid pressure loss. Most models use generalized characteristics, measured by older, less precise equipment. The study of OECD/US-NRC BWR Full-Size Fine Mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT) provides updated and detailed experimental single and two-phase results, using technically advanced flow measurements for a wide range of boundary conditions. This thesis compares the predictions from the mathematical models to the BFBT experimental data by utilizing statistical formulae for accuracy and precision. This thesis also analyzes the effects of BFBT flow characteristics on spacer grids. No single model has been identified as valid for all flow conditions. However, some models� predictions perform better than others within a range of flow conditions, based on the accuracy and precision of the models� predictions. This study also demonstrates that pressure and flow quality have a significant effect on two-phase flow spacer grid models� biases.Thesis (M.S., Nuclear Engineering) -- University of Idaho, 201

Evaluating and Mitigating the Effects of in Utero Heat Stress on Postnatal Performance and Stress Response of Swine

In utero heat stress (IUHS) is a major concern for realizing full production potential in the swine industry. Postnatal phenotypes, such as growth performance, post-absorptive metabolism, and stress response, are negatively altered in pig offspring that have been exposed to IUHS. With current trends in global temperatures predicting a continuation of increased temperatures, it is necessary to further investigate mechanisms driving these altered postnatal phenotypes and to find mitigation strategies to combat the negative effects of IUHS. In a first study, postnatal consequences of IUHS in pigs were evaluated and a mitigation strategy was tested. A second study was conducted to investigate the HPA axis response to a stress challenge in IUHS pigs. The first study found decreased average daily gain in IUHS pigs, and that providing a nutrient-dense diet did not rescue this lost productivity due to a decrease in feed intake for this diet. These results show the importance of maintaining beneficial gestation environments to avoid IUHS and the need to continue looking for alternative strategies to mitigate negative effects of IUHS. In the second study, IUHS pigs had a decreased change in cortisol response (Δ CORT) from baseline when subjected to a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) challenge at 10 wk of age, and 15 wk old pigs had a decreased Δ CORT response when subjected to a dexamethasone suppression test and a CRH challenge as well as decreased glucocorticoid receptor expression in both the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary when compared to 10 wk old pigs. These results show changes in HPA axis function as young pigs mature and that particular focus may need to be put on IUHS pigs at a young age when they might be more vulnerable to negative impacts of stress. Overall, these studies show that IUHS causes a variety of negative postnatal effects in offspring and that a better understanding of mechanisms driving these changes along with developing alternative strategies to combat the incidence of these negative postnatal effects remains of paramount importance for the swine industry

Mobious syndrome: MR findings

Möbius syndrome is an extremely rare congenital disorder. We report a case of Möbius syndrome in a 2-year-old girl with bilateral convergent squint and left-sided facial weakness. The characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of Möbius syndrome, which include absent bilateral abducens nerves and absent left facial nerve, were noted. In addition, there was absence of left anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) and absence of bilateral facial colliculi. Clinical features, etiology, and imaging findings are discussed

Effects of Feed Removal during Acute Heat Stress on the Cytokine Response and Short-Term Growth Performance in Finishing Pigs

The study objective was to evaluate the effects of feed removal during acute heat stress (HS) on the cytokine response and its short-term effect on growth performance in finishing pigs. Thirty-two pigs (93.29 &plusmn; 3.14 kg initial body weight; 50% barrows and 50% gilts) were subjected to thermoneutral (TN; 23.47 &plusmn; 0.10 &deg;C; n = 16 pigs) or HS (cycling of 25 to 36 &deg;C; n = 16 pigs) conditions for 24 h. Within each temperature treatment, 50% of the pigs were provided with feed (AF; n = 8 pigs/temperature treatment) and 50% of the pigs had no feed access (NF; n = 8 pigs/temperature treatment). Following the 24 h temperature and feeding treatment (TF) period, all pigs had ad libitum access to feed and water and were maintained under TN conditions for 6 d. During the first 12 h of the TF period, gastrointestinal (TGI) and skin (Tsk) temperatures were recorded every 30 min. Serum cytokines were determined at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h during the TF period and on Days 3 and 6 of the post-TF period. Average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake were measured on Days 1, 3, and 6 of the post-TF period. Behavioral data were collected from Days 1 to 6 of the post-TF period. Heat stress increased (p &lt; 0.02) the TGI and Tsk. During the post-TF period, interleukin-1&alpha; was greater (p &lt; 0.01) in HS + NF compared to HS + AF and TN + NF pigs. From Days 1 to 2 of the post-TF period, the ADG was reduced (p &lt; 0.01) in TN + AF compared to HS + AF, HS + NF, and TN + NF pigs. In conclusion, feed removal during an acute HS challenge did not reduce the cytokine response or improve short-term growth performance in finishing pigs

Investigating the genetic background of novel behavioral indicators of robotic milking efficiency in North American Holstein cattle

peer reviewedThe adoption of automated milking systems (AMS) across worldwide dairy farms has grown considerably over the last few decades. Automated milking systems contribute to reducing labor costs, increasing milk performance, improving cow welfare, and generating large-scale data on a routine basis that can be used for deriving novel breeding traits. Therefore, the primary objectives of this study were to (1) derive novel behavioral traits based on AMS data and assess their phenotypic variability throughout lactation in North American Holstein cattle during lactation; and (2) estimate genomic-based variance components and genetic parameters for all these AMS-based behavioral traits. Daily AMS-derived data were available for 5,645 American Holstein cows collected by 36 robotic milking stations from 2018 to 2021. The traits evaluated included average milking time (AMT, min) and total milking time (TMT, min) within the AMS, time interval between milkings (INT, hr), number of attempted visits to the AMS (NoV), number of successful entries counted within the AMS stations (NSE), percentage of successful milkings (PSM, %), and cow preference score for each AMS unit (PCS, score unit). Variance components and genetic parameters were estimated based on repeatability models and the REML method. Heritability estimates for the traits AMT, TMT, INT, NoV, NSE, PSM and PCS were calculated using two separate models, integrating the effect of environment either between and across parities, or only between parities. The results showed similar values for the majority of traits: 0.46 - 0.46, 0.27 - 0.28, 0.08 - 0.10, 0.10 - 0.10, 0.10 - 0.11, 0.05 - 0.06 respectively. However, a notable difference was observed for the PCS trait, with values of 0.09 and 0.24 depending on the model. The SE for the heritability estimates of all traits ranged from 0.001 to 0.03. The repeatability estimates for the same traits were 0.74 - 0.71, 0.52 - 0.49, 0. 34 - 0.27, 0.29 - 0.25, 0.29 - 0.30, 0.20 - 0.18 and 0.55 - 0.53, respectively. Analyses by individual parity (1, 2, 3, and 4 +) for the PCS trait showed heritabilities ranging from 0.005 to 0.037 for both models. Positive and favorable genetic correlations for both models were observed for the following pairs of traits: AMT_PSM (0.38 - 0.35), INT_PSM (0.71 - 0.64), INT_PCS (0.50 - 0.40), and PSM_PCS (0.37 - 0.37). The other genetic correlation estimates were not found to be favorable or close to 0. All the cow behavioral traits related to AMS efficiency evaluated in this study were found to be heritable, suggesting that their inclusion in selection schemes could contribute to improving dairy cow milking efficiency and welfare in dairy farms utilizing AMS