Designing and Testing of a Threshing Cone

During the threshing process 60 to 80 percent of the grain is now separated from the straw in the thresh­ing cylinder. If the efficiency of separa­tion in the cylinder could be increased, sufficiently, the straw rack of a com­bine could be eliminated. Research de­scribed in this paper was conducted to investigate the efficiency of separa­tion of a new threshing device. A threshing cone with the material moving axially from the small end of the cone to the large end, provides a device for increasing the time that the material is subjected to threshing and separating forces

New Ways to Prepare Corn Ground

You\u27ve probably heard of several new tillage methods for corn being proposed. Some of these methods include ridge planting, mulch tillage, listing, minimum tillage and tractor track planting. Question: What are they and do they fit in on your farm? If so, how and where? We\u27ve studied some of these methods extensively and have had experience with all of them. Some look more promising than others, though each may have a place. Our research is continuing. While we haven\u27t reached final conclusions on all phases, this article reports what we\u27ve found so far

Relationship of Mean Stress, Volumetric Strain and Dynamic Loads in Soil

The changes in soil consolidation resulting from externally applied forces and the effect of these changes on the physical properties of the soil have been studied by many individuals. Unfortunately their results have not produced an adequate agricultural soil mechanics. The development of soil stress-strain relationships which will permit the prediction of the changes in the state of compaction caused by various implements and power units will be a major contribution toward controlling soil compaction

New Chemicals May Help Trefoil Seed Harvest

Though birdsfoot trefoil sets between 200 and 300 pounds of seed per acre in Iowa, harvested yields are commonly only 40 to 60 pounds. Use of chemical desicants followed by direct combining offers a possible solution

Simulated Tractor Chassis Suspension System

The development of a chassis suspension system for an agricultural tractor has been described to improve the operator ride comfort. Computer simulation tech-niques were used to formulate the tractor models and to compute the natural frequencies and frequency response of the models, as well as the RMS acceleration response, to evaluate the effect of the suspension system and cab position on operator ride comfort

Flexibility and Fairness in Liberal Market Economies: The Comparative Impact of the Legal Environment and High Performance Work Systems

This paper compares management flexibility in employment decision-making in the United States and Canada through a cross-national survey of organizations in representative jurisdictions in each country, Pennsylvania and Ontario respectively, that investigates the impact of differences in their legal environments. The results indicate that, compared to their Ontario counterparts, organizations in Pennsylvania have a higher degree of flexibility in employment outcomes, such as higher dismissal and discipline rates, yet do not experience any greater flexibility or simplicity in management hiring and firing decisions. One explanation for this result may lie in the finding that organizations in Pennsylvania experience greater legal pressures on decision making, reflecting the generally more intense conflict in the employment law system in the United States. By contrast, high performance work systems, which some have looked to as a possible management-driven mechanism for enhancing fairness in employment, had more modest effects

Eplontersen for Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis With Polyneuropathy

IMPORTANCE: Transthyretin gene silencing is an emerging treatment strategy for hereditary transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate eplontersen, an investigational ligand-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide, in ATTRv polyneuropathy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: NEURO-TTRansform was an open-label, single-group, phase 3 trial conducted at 40 sites across 15 countries (December 2019-April 2023) in 168 adults with Coutinho stage 1 or 2 ATTRv polyneuropathy, Neuropathy Impairment Score 10-130, and a documented TTR variant. Patients treated with placebo from NEURO-TTR (NCT01737398; March 2013-November 2017), an inotersen trial with similar eligibility criteria and end points, served as a historical placebo ("placebo") group. INTERVENTIONS: Subcutaneous eplontersen (45 mg every 4 weeks; n = 144); a small reference group received subcutaneous inotersen (300 mg weekly; n = 24); subcutaneous placebo weekly (in NEURO-TTR; n = 60). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary efficacy end points at week 65/66 were changes from baseline in serum transthyretin concentration, modified Neuropathy Impairment Score +7 (mNIS+7) composite score (scoring range, -22.3 to 346.3; higher scores indicate poorer function), and Norfolk Quality of Life Questionnaire-Diabetic Neuropathy (Norfolk QoL-DN) total score (scoring range, -4 to 136; higher scores indicate poorer quality of life). Analyses of efficacy end points were based on a mixed-effects model with repeated measures adjusted by propensity score weights. RESULTS: Among 144 eplontersen-treated patients (mean age, 53.0 years; 69% male), 136 (94.4%) completed week-66 follow-up; among 60 placebo patients (mean age, 59.5 years; 68% male), 52 (86.7%) completed week-66 follow-up. At week 65, adjusted mean percentage reduction in serum transthyretin was -81.7% with eplontersen and -11.2% with placebo (difference, -70.4% [95% CI, -75.2% to -65.7%]; P < .001). Adjusted mean change from baseline to week 66 was lower (better) with eplontersen vs placebo for mNIS+7 composite score (0.3 vs 25.1; difference, -24.8 [95% CI, -31.0 to -18.6; P < .001) and for Norfolk QoL-DN (-5.5 vs 14.2; difference, -19.7 [95% CI, -25.6 to -13.8]; P < .001). Adverse events by week 66 that led to study drug discontinuation occurred in 6 patients (4%) in the eplontersen group vs 2 (3%) in the placebo group. Through week 66, there were 2 deaths in the eplontersen group consistent with known disease-related sequelae (cardiac arrhythmia; intracerebral hemorrhage); there were no deaths in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In patients with ATTRv polyneuropathy, the eplontersen treatment group demonstrated changes consistent with significantly lowered serum transthyretin concentration, less neuropathy impairment, and better quality of life compared with a historical placebo. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04136184; EU Clinical Trials Register: EudraCT 2019-001698-10

Genetic Interactions between Chromosomes 11 and 18 Contribute to Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Mice

We used two-dimensional quantitative trait locus analysis to identify interacting genetic loci that contribute to the native airway constrictor hyperresponsiveness to methacholine that characterizes A/J mice, relative to C57BL/6J mice. We quantified airway responsiveness to intravenous methacholine boluses in eighty-eight (C57BL/6J X A/J) F2 and twenty-seven (A/J X C57BL/6J) F2 mice as well as ten A/J mice and six C57BL/6J mice; all studies were performed in male mice. Mice were genotyped at 384 SNP markers, and from these data two-QTL analyses disclosed one pair of interacting loci on chromosomes 11 and 18; the homozygous A/J genotype at each locus constituted the genetic interaction linked to the hyperresponsive A/J phenotype. Bioinformatic network analysis of potential interactions among proteins encoded by genes in the linked regions disclosed two high priority subnetworks - Myl7, Rock1, Limk2; and Npc1, Npc1l1. Evidence in the literature supports the possibility that either or both networks could contribute to the regulation of airway constrictor responsiveness. Together, these results should stimulate evaluation of the genetic contribution of these networks in the regulation of airway responsiveness in humans