Implications for room lighting and the duration of acclimation protocols on the dosimetry of inhaled drugs in rats

Inhaled administration of test materials to animals has technical challenges for quantitative dosimetry. Inhaled “doses” reported in non-clinical studies are often calculated using an equation such as that of Alexander et al. [1] to estimate the respired minute volume (eRMV) from body weight data. This approach may overlook physiological effects on lung function associated with a formulation’s properties or habituation of animals to the “dosing” technique. Rats are insensitive to red light [2] and anecdotal data (unpublished) suggested red lighting may induce a calmer state in restrained rats. We hypothesized that the lighting color (red or white) and duration of restraint tube acclimation protocols may influence the breath frequency and minute volume of rats during inhalation exposure, representing a potential source of variability in achieved doses. Head-out plethysmography [3] was used to investigate this hypothesis concurrent with inhaled administration of an anti-inflammatory drug

Conductor development for a wide bore 10 T Nb3Sn model dipole magnet

An 87.8 mm bore single aperture 10 T Nb3Sn model dipole magnet is under development as a next step in the realization of high-field Nb3Sn dipole magnets. The magnet is a 2 layer cos(&thetas;)-dipole model as an alternative for the proposed NbTi D1 beam separator magnets for the LHC. After completion of the general magnetic and mechanical design, all attention is focused on the manufacturing and cabling of a novel powder-in-tube Nb3Sn conductor. This Nb3Sn conductor is characterized by a high non-Cu Jc of 2680 A/mm2 at 10 T with an effective filament size of about 20 ¿m. Cabling should result in a Rutherford type of cable exhibiting a moderate Jc degradation due to the cabling process itself, a low transverse stress sensitivity and a controllable minimum value of Rc. The conductor development program is presented and the results are evaluated. Progress on the actual realization of the coils is briefly describe

Waste Gasification

This document summarizes the work the IGT Team has conducted on the topic of waste to energy gasification over the Cal Poly Winter, Spring, and Fall quarters of 2019. The project is being carried out by four Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering students: Nash Taylor, Glyn Lewis, David McCallum, and Nicholas Ordonez and the sponsor of this project is Tod duBois. The team’s original goal was to successfully create a system that compiles residential solid waste on a small scale, gasifies it, and measures the typical syngas outputs, so that the team may assess the viability of gasification of household waste on a small scale. The project has drastically changed multiple times and the changes have been documented throughout this paper. Due to safety concerns and uncertainty regarding the prototype vessel, the team’s final goal is to prove successful gasification using their keg based system. The team has spent most of the quarters conducting researching and narrowing the scope of work to something they believe they can successfully and manageably complete over the next year. The purpose of this document is to summarize the research, present and justify some design choices, and present the design solution as resolved to the current date

Implications for room lighting and the duration of acclimation protocols on the dosimetry of inhaled drugs in rats

Inhaled administration of test materials to animals has technical challenges for quantitative dosimetry. Inhaled “doses” reported in non-clinical studies are often calculated using an equation such as that of Alexander et al. [1] to estimate the respired minute volume (eRMV) from body weight data. This approach may overlook physiological effects on lung function associated with a formulation’s properties or habituation of animals to the “dosing” technique. Rats are insensitive to red light [2] and anecdotal data (unpublished) suggested red lighting may induce a calmer state in restrained rats. We hypothesized that the lighting color (red or white) and duration of restraint tube acclimation protocols may influence the breath frequency and minute volume of rats during inhalation exposure, representing a potential source of variability in achieved doses. Head-out plethysmography [3] was used to investigate this hypothesis concurrent with inhaled administration of an anti-inflammatory drug

The feasibility and effects of eye movement training for visual field loss after stroke: a mixed methods study

Acknowledgements The author(s) would like to thank the designers of all included scanning training tools for providing free access during this study. They wish to note that MyHappyNeuron is designed for a general population, and a version specifically for healthcare use (HappyNeuron Pro) is also available. We would also like to thank the low vision centres and rehabilitation officers involved in this study Funding This study was funded by the Stroke Association (UK) by way of a Junior Research and Training Fellowship held by the lead author (TSA JRTF 2011/02). MCB, AP and the NMAHP Research Unit are funded by the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates. The views expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Metabolomic changes in polyunsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoids as diagnostic biomarkers in Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-inoculated Holstein–Friesian heifers

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative organism of Johne’s disease, a chronic granulomatous enteritis of ruminants. We have previously used naturally MAP-infected heifer calves to document metabolomic changes occurring in MAP infections. Herein, we used experimentally MAP-inoculated heifer calves to identify biomarkers for MAP infections. At 2-weeks of age, 20 Holstein–Friesian (HF) calves were experimentally inoculated with MAP. These calves, along with 20 control calves, were sampled biweekly up to 13-months of age and then monthly up to 19-months of age. Sera were assessed using flow infusion electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry (FIE-HRMS) on a Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer for high throughput, sensitive, non-targeted metabolite fingerprinting. Partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) discriminated between MAP-inoculated and control heifer calves. Out of 34 identified metabolites, six fatty acyls were able to differentiate between experimental groups throughout the study, including 8, 11, 14-eicosatrienoic acid and cis-8, 11, 14, 17-eicosatetraenoic acid which were also detected in our previous study and so further suggested their value as biomarkers for MAP infection. Pathway analysis highlighted the role of the alpha-linoleic acid and linoleic acid metabolism. Within these pathways, two broad types of response, with a rapid increase in some saturated fatty acids and some n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and later n-6 PUFAs, became predominant. This could indicate an initial anti-inflammatory colonisation phase, followed by an inflammatory phase. This study demonstrates the validity of the metabolomic approach in studying MAP infections. Nevertheless, further work is required to define further key events, particularly at a cell-specific level. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13567-022-01087-0

Investigation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) released as a result of spoilage in whole broccoli, carrots, onions and potatoes with HS-SPME and GC-MS

Vegetable spoilage renders a product undesirable due to changes in sensory characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the change in the fingerprint of VOC composition that occur as a result of spoilage in broccoli, carrots, onions and potatoes. SPME and GC-MS techniques were used to identify and determine the relative abundance of VOC associated with both fresh and spoilt vegetables. Although a number of similar compounds were detected in varying quantities in the headspace of fresh and spoilt samples, certain compounds which were detected in the headspace of spoilt vegetables were however absent in fresh samples. Analysis of the headspace of fresh vegetables indicated the presence of a variety of alkanes, alkenes and terpenes. Among VOCs identified in the spoilt samples were dimethyl disulphide and dimethyl sulphide in broccoli; Ethyl propanoate and Butyl acetate in carrots; 1-Propanethioland 2-Hexyl-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone in onions; and 2, 3-Butanediol in potatoes. The overall results of this study indicate the presence of VOCs that can serve as potential biomarkers for early detection of quality deterioration and in turn enhance operational and quality control decisions in the vegetable industry

A qualitative exploration of the effect of visual field loss on daily life in home-dwelling stroke survivors

Objective: To explore the effect of visual field loss on the daily life of community-dwelling stroke survivors. Design: A qualitative interview study. Participants: Adult stroke survivors with visual field loss of at least six months’ duration. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a non-purposive sample of 12 stroke survivors in their own homes. These were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed with the framework method, using an inductive approach. Results: Two key analytical themes emerged. ‘Perception, experience and knowledge’ describes participant’s conflicted experience of having knowledge of their impaired vision but lacking perception of that visual field loss and operating under the assumption that they were viewing an intact visual scene when engaged in activities. Inability to recognize and deal with visual difficulties, and experiencing the consequences, contributed to their fear and loss of self-confidence. ‘Avoidance and adaptation’ were two typologies of participant response to visual field loss. Initially, all participants consciously avoided activities. Some later adapted to vision loss using self-directed head and eye scanning techniques. Conclusions: Visual field loss has a marked impact on stroke survivors. Stroke survivors lack perception of their visual loss in everyday life, resulting in fear and loss of confidence. Activity avoidance is a common response, but in some, it is replaced by self-initiated adaptive techniques