Pathological classification of equine recurrent laryngeal neuropathy

Recurrent Laryngeal Neuropathy (RLN) is a highly prevalent and predominantly left‐sided, degenerative disorder of the recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLn) of tall horses, that causes inspiratory stridor at exercise because of intrinsic laryngeal muscle paresis. The associated laryngeal dysfunction and exercise intolerance in athletic horses commonly leads to surgical intervention, retirement or euthanasia with associated financial and welfare implications. Despite speculation, there is a lack of consensus and conflicting evidence supporting the primary classification of RLN, as either a distal (“dying back”) axonopathy or as a primary myelinopathy and as either a (bilateral) mononeuropathy or a polyneuropathy; this uncertainty hinders etiological and pathophysiological research. In this review, we discuss the neuropathological changes and electrophysiological deficits reported in the RLn of affected horses, and the evidence for correct classification of the disorder. In so doing, we summarize and reveal the limitations of much historical research on RLN and propose future directions that might best help identify the etiology and pathophysiology of this enigmatic disorder

Some aspects of the magnetic properties of rare earth- iron group laves phase intermetallic compounds

Measurements are presented of the structural and magnetic properties of several series of pseudo-binary compounds formed between the (heavy) Rare Earth metals, or Yttrium, and the 3d transitional metals, in the Laves phase structure. This work has been undertaken in an attempt to obtain a better understanding of the nature of the moments and coupling mechanisms in these compounds, RX(_2).The magnetic results are discussed on the basis of a rigid band model for the 3d electrons in these compounds and this model is shown to provide a unified account of the properties of all the RX(_2) compounds. An elementary density of states histogram for the 3d band associated with the X component is presented. The C 36 phase is found to coexist with the C 15 terminal phase at intermediate compositions in some of the series. For the C 15 phases the lattice parameters show a positive deviation from Vegard's Law and these results are discussed in relation to the magnetic properties

“Posts are my own”: effects of social media disclaimers on perceptions of employees and their organizations from tweets and retweets

PURPOSE – This study empirically assesses the perceptions the public has of employees and their organization following a [re]tweet, and the additional potential ameliorating effect of a disclaimer distancing the organization from the individual employee’s social media presence. DESIGN/METHOD/APPROACH – A fully-crossed 2 (disclaimer v. no disclaimer) × 2 (positive v. negative valence post) × 2 (post v. retweet) experiment exposed participants (N = 173) to an employee’s personal tweet. Resultant perceptions of both the poster (i.e., goodwill) and the poster’s organization (i.e., organizational reputation) were analyzed using planned contrast analyses. FINDINGS – Findings reveal audiences form impressions of individuals based on both tweeted and retweeted content. Perceptions of both the poster’s goodwill and the poster’s organization were commensurate with the valence of the poster’s tweets, stronger when posts were original tweets rather than retweets, and there was a significant interaction effect between valence and [re]tweet. Disclaimers did not significantly affect perceptions, suggesting employers may be better-served by asking employees to omit reference to their employer on their personal social media accounts. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – This research contributes to understanding how employee and organizational reputations are affected by employees’ personal social media content. Results suggest even when a disclaimer explicitly seeks to distance the employee from the organization, audiences still see the employee as informal brand ambassadors of their organization

A profile of arguing behaviors on Facebook

This study explored how people argue on social-networking sites. Specifically, participants (N = 170) responded to open and closed-ended questions about the most recent argument they had engaged in on Facebook. Results of a content analysis of participants' answers revealed individuals tended to argue mostly about public issues, in somewhat complex arguments that involved a median of six people and with about 30 comments exchanged. Individuals often pursued multiple goals, with persuasion and defending themselves or others also reported by some. Arguments tended to end without resolution, and most had no effects on arguers' relationships; however, for 20% of the sample, arguments permanently damaged their relationships. Although the number of friends participants had did not have a substantial effect on their frequency of arguing, the frequency with which one's friends argued on Facebook was positively related to one's own arguing frequency. These results are interpreted in connection to argumentation and computer-mediated-communication literature. Limitations of the study as well as directions for future research are also discussed

Argumentative Competence in Friend and Stranger Dyadic Exchanges

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Argumentation. The final version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10503-019-09487-x .This manuscript investigates the role of argumentative competence in interpersonal dyadic exchanges. Specifically, this study examined the two sub-dimensions of competence, argumentative effectiveness and appropriateness, and their connections with argumentative traits, situational features, and argument satisfaction. In addition, self-perceived versus observed argumentative competence were compared. Participants in the study (N = 282, 141 dyads) completed measures before and after a face-to-face argumentative discussion with another person about one of two possible topics (student athlete pay and texting while driving). Results revealed that argumentation traits had little effect on argumentative competence, but competence was predicted by one’s knowledge about the topic. Argument satisfaction depended only on arguers’ own competence, not their partners’. Finally, a perceptual bias existed regarding argument effectiveness (but not appropriateness) in that participants rated themselves higher than did observers

Using Participatory Focus Groups Of Graduate Students To Improve Academic Departments: A Case Example

The authors report on a participatory focus group evaluation of an academic department. The 20 participants, and the majority of the evaluators, were graduate students in that department. The authors report on their methods, their reflections, ethical issues they encountered and what they did about them, and how they used the results

Proposed Design Modifications to Reduce Risk of Operating Rotary Field Mowers

The primary objective of this project was to reduce risk of injury associated with operating a rotary mower driven by a tractor power take-off (PTO) by developing and evaluating design improvements and determining their economic feasibility. Researchers have concluded that alteration of machinery design has a greater impact on the reduction of accidents than safety training. Implementation of an Operator Presence Sensing System (OPSS) and removal of the PTO are the two injury-reducing, engineering modifications evaluated by this research. Hydraulic power allows this to occur by providing dynamic braking, few moving parts (removal of the PTO), and controllable power. A hydraulic circuit was developed to power the mower and to enable an OPSS. Tractor hydraulics were simulated using a hydraulic training bench. Two mower configurations were tested: 6.55 cm3 rev-1 (0.4 in.3 rev -1) displacement motor with a 0.748 kg blade and 47.5 cm3 rev -1 (2.9 in.3 rev -1) displacement motor with a 9.4 kg blade. A PTO-driven rotary mower was not used to test the circuit due to spatial and safety limitations of the hydraulic training bench. Results from the first mower configuration verified the concepts behind the hydraulic circuit. The second configuration verified the OPSS and indicated the applicability of the circuit to a rotary mower

Gene editing restores dystrophin expression in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin, a protein that maintains muscle integrity and function, cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The deltaE50-MD dog model of DMD harbors a mutation corresponding to a mutational “hotspot” in the human DMD gene. We used adeno-associated viruses to deliver CRISPR gene editing components to four dogs and examined dystrophin protein expression 6 weeks after intramuscular delivery (n = 2) or 8 weeks after systemic delivery (n = 2). After systemic delivery in skeletal muscle, dystrophin was restored to levels ranging from 3 to 90% of normal, depending on muscle type. In cardiac muscle, dystrophin levels in the dog receiving the highest dose reached 92% of normal. The treated dogs also showed improved muscle histology. These large-animal data support the concept that, with further development, gene editing approaches may prove clinically useful for the treatment of DMD