The impact of beef cattle temperament assessed using flight speed on muscle glycogen, muscle lactate and plasma lactate concentrations at slaughter

This study evaluated the effect of animal temperament measured using flight speed (FS) on plasma lactate, muscle glycogen and lactate concentrations at slaughter plus ultimate pH in 648 lot finished cattle of mixed breed and sex. Muscle samples were collected at slaughter from the m. semimembranosus, m. semitendinosus and m. longissimus thoracis (LT) for analysis of glycogen and lactate concentration. Blood was collected after exsanguination and analysed for plasma lactate concentration and ultimate pH of the LT was measured. FS had no effect on muscle glycogen concentration in any muscle or ultimate pH of the LT (P. >. 0.05). As FS increased from 1 to 5. m/s, plasma and muscle lactate concentration increased by 54% and 11.4% (P. <. 0.01). The mechanisms through which temperament contributes to variation in glycogen metabolism remain unclear. The risk of dark cutting was not impacted by temperament, indicating that other production and genetic factors have a greater impact on the incidence of dark cutting

Evaluation of peak-picking algorithms for protein mass spectrometry

Peak picking is an early key step in MS data analysis. We compare three commonly used approaches to peak picking and discuss their merits by means of statistical analysis. Methods investigated encompass signal-to-noise ratio, continuous wavelet transform, and a correlation-based approach using a Gaussian template. Functionality of the three methods is illustrated and discussed in a practical context using a mass spectral data set created with MALDI-TOF technology. Sensitivity and specificity are investigated using a manually defined reference set of peaks. As an additional criterion, the robustness of the three methods is assessed by a perturbation analysis and illustrated using ROC curves

Transcripts for transforming growth factors in human breast cancer: clinical correlates.

The levels of mRNA for transforming growth factors (TGF alpha and beta) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) were determined in 69 human breast carcinomas and 20 biopsies of non-neoplastic breast tissue by dot blot hybridisation analysis. TGF alpha mRNA was detected in 42% of cancers and 44% of non-neoplastic breast tissue at low levels. TGF beta mRNA was found in all breast cancers and non-neoplastic breast tissues, but the levels of TGF beta mRNA were found to be higher in breast cancers (P = 0.01). EGFR mRNA was detected in 55% of breast cancers and in all non-neoplastic breast tissue tested. The presence of EGFR mRNA was inversely related to oestrogen receptor (ER) status (P = 0.0001). Coexpression of TGF alpha and EGFR was observed in 28% of the carcinomas, and significantly more commonly in ER negative tumours (P = 0.01). No significant relationship was found between histological grade, tumour cellularity or tumour desmoplasia and expression of either the TGFs or of EGFR mRNA. High levels of TGF beta were, however, associated with the absence of lymph node metastases at presentation (P = 0.05). Levels of TGF alpha and beta and EGFR mRNA were analysed in relationship to the relapse-free and overall survival of patients with breast cancer, but none was found to predict significantly the outcome in these patients. Longer clinical follow-up and larger numbers of patients are required to determine whether TGFs will prove a useful marker for prognosis in breast cancer patients

The impact of a pharmacist on post-take ward round prescribing and medication appropriateness

Background Medication communication and prescribing on the post-take ward round following patient admission to hospital can be suboptimal leading to worse patient outcomes. Objective To evaluate the impact of clinical pharmacist participation on the post-take ward round on the appropriateness of medication prescribing, medication communication, and overall patient health care outcomes. Setting Tertiary referral teaching hospital, Brisbane, Australia. Method A pre-post intervention study was undertaken that compared the addition of a senior clinical pharmacist attending the post-take ward was compared to usual wardbase pharmacist service, with no pharmacist present of the post-take ward round. We assessed the proportion of patients with an improvement in medication appropriateness from admission to discharge, using the START/STOPP checklists. Medication communication was assessed by the mean number of brief and in-depth discussions, with health care outcomes measured by comparing length of stay and 28-day readmission rates. Main outcome measures: Medication appropriateness according to the START/STOPP list, number and type of discussions with team members and length of stay and readmission rate. Results Two hundred and sixty patients were recruited (130 pre- and 130-post-intervention), across 23 and 20 post-take ward rounds, respectively. Post-intervention, there was increase in the proportion of patients who had an improvement medication appropriateness (pre-intervention 25.4%, post-intervention 36.9%; p = 0.004), the number of in-depth discussions about patients’ medication (1.9 ± 1.7 per patient pre-intervention, 2.7 ± 1.7 per patient post-, p < 0.001), and the number relating to high-risk medications (0.71 ± 1.1 per patient pre-intervention, to 1.2 ± 1.2 per patient post-, p < 0.05). Length of stay and 28-day mortality were unchanged. Conclusion Clinical pharmacist participation on the post-take ward round leads to improved medication-related communication and improved medication appropriateness but did not significantly improve health care outcomes

The prognostic significance of transforming growth factors in human breast cancer.

Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) and Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta 1) are growth regulatory for breast cancer cell lines in vitro and several studies have suggested that levels of the receptor for TGF alpha, the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) in tumour biopsies predict relapse and survival. We have examined the prognostic significance of TGF alpha, TGF-beta 1 and EGFR mRNA expression in a series of patients with primary breast cancer with a median follow up period of 60 months. In 167 patients the expression of TGF-beta 1 was inversely correlated with node status (P = 0.065) but not ER status, tumour size or menopausal status. Patients with high levels of TGF-beta 1 had a longer disease free interval with a significantly longer probability of survival at 80 months although the overall relapse free survival was not increased. EGFR mRNA expression was measured in 106 patients and was inversely correlated with ER status (P = 0.018). EGFR levels did not predict for early relapse or survival. TGF alpha mRNA levels were measured in 104 patients, no correlation was seen tumour size, node status, Er status, or clinical outcome

Quenched growth of nanostructured lead thin films on insulating substrates

Lead island films were obtained via vacuum vapor deposition on glass and ceramic substrates at 80 K. Electrical conductance was measured during vapor condensation and further annealing of the film up to room temperature. The resistance behavior during film formation and atomic force microscopy of annealed films were used as information sources about their structure. A model for the quenched growth, based on ballistic aggregation theory, was proposed. The nanostructure, responsible for chemiresistive properties of thin lead films and the mechanism of sensor response are discussed.Comment: 2 figures; accepted to Thin Solid Film

Pushing the limits of excited-state gg-factor measurements

Current developments in excited-state $g$-factor measurements are discussed with an emphasis on cases where the experimental methodology is being extended into new regimes. The transient-field technique, the recoil in vacuum method, and moment measurements with LaBr$_3$ detectors are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Environmental supportiveness for physical activity in English schoolchildren: a study using Global Positioning Systems.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that the environment plays a role in influencing physical activity in children and adults. As children have less autonomy in their behavioural choices, neighbourhood environment supportiveness may be an important determinant of their ability to be active. Yet we know rather little about the types of environment that children use for bouts of physical activity. This study uses accelerometery and global positioning system technologies to identify the charactieristics of environments being used for bouts of continuous moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in a sample of English schoolchildren. METHODS: The study used a convenience sample of 100 children from SPEEDY (Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people), a cohort of 2064 9-10 year-olds from Norfolk, England, recruited in 2007. Children wore an ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer and a Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS unit over four consecutive days. Accelerometery data points were matched to GPS locations and bouts (5 minutes or more) of MVPA were identified. Bout locations were overlaid with a detailed landcover dataset developed in a GIS to identify the types of environment supporting MVPA. Findings are presented using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Boys were also more active than girls, spending an average of 20 (SD 23) versus 11 (SD 15) minutes per day in MVPA bouts. Children who spent more time outside the home were more active (p = 0.002), especially girls and children living in rural locations (both p < 0.05). Children tended to be active close to home, with 63% of all bout time occurring inside neighbourhoods, although boys (p = 0.05) and rural children (p = 0.01) were more likely to roam outside their neighbourhood. Amongst urban children, gardens (28% of bout time) and the street environment (20%) were the most commonly used environments for MVPA bouts. Amongst rural children farmland (22%) and grassland (18%) were most frequently used. CONCLUSION: The study has developed a new methodology for the identification of environments in which bouts of continuous physical activity are undertaken. The results highlight the importance of the provision of urban gardens and greenspaces, and the maintenance of safe street environments as places for children to be active.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

The Evolution and Structure of Consumer Research in Cyberspace: A Citation Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic literature review into the evolution and structure of internet-based ethnographic consumer research during the twenty-year period between 1996 and 2015. The results of a citation analysis and qualitative synthesis are presented which demonstrate the limited engagement that marketing researchers have had with the discipline and the limited degree to which the discipline has influenced that literature. This hitherto lack of research presents a significant lacuna and a significant opportunity for marketing scholarship to engage further with that literature. Similarly, there are particular thematic areas where knowledge is currently lacking. Taken together, the citation analysis and qualitative synthesis demonstrate that netnography is very much an emerging trend in the consumer research literature and there are many theoretical, empirical and practical bases upon which it may be applied, especially in the context of future studies