Reusable Agena study. Volume 2: Technical

The application of the existing Agena vehicle as a reusable upper stage for the space shuttle is discussed. The primary objective of the study is to define those changes to the Agena required for it to function in the reusable mode in the 100 percent capture of the NASA-DOD mission model. This 100 percent capture is achieved without use of kick motors or stages by simply increasing the Agena propellant load by using optional strap-on-tanks. The required shuttle support equipment, launch and flight operations techniques, development program, and cost package are also defined

Grazing Endophyte Infested Tall Fescue and Changes in Bovine Blood Components and Gain

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is utilized on more than 15 million ha of pasture in the eastern USA and over 80% of the plants in this area are infested with the endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum. Tall fescue toxicosis results from consumption of the infested (E+) grass host and is an important problem that causes considerable economic loss to producers. However, the agronomic attributes of tall fescue make it an attractive forage because of its ability to withstand cool temperatures, drought, poor soil conditions and intensive defoliation. There is need to understand mechanisms of animal physiology that are affected by the alkaloids produced by the endophyte/grass association. Blood serum samples were collected from steers (Bos taurus) grazing either E+ or endophyte free (E-) tall fescue in spring and summer during three consecutive years and were related to animal performance. Consistent and significant changes associated with E+ tall fescue were noted for daily gain, prolactin, albumin/globulin ratio, alanine aminotransferase, cholesterol, creatinine, globulin, total bilirubin, total serum protein, copper, red blood cells, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and eosinophils. Thus, repeatable changes that occur in serum biochemical and blood cellular values of cattle grazing E+ tall fescue were identified and will aid in understanding the pathogenesis of the toxicosis

EquiFACS: the Equine Facial Action Coding System

Although previous studies of horses have investigated their facial expressions in specific contexts, e.g. pain, until now there has been no methodology available that documents all the possible facial movements of the horse and provides a way to record all potential facial configurations. This is essential for an objective description of horse facial expressions across a range of contexts that reflect different emotional states. Facial Action Coding Systems (FACS) provide a systematic methodology of identifying and coding facial expressions on the basis of underlying facial musculature and muscle movement. FACS are anatomically based and document all possible facial movements rather than a configuration of movements associated with a particular situation. Consequently, FACS can be applied as a tool for a wide range of research questions. We developed FACS for the domestic horse (Equus caballus) through anatomical investigation of the underlying musculature and subsequent analysis of naturally occurring behaviour captured on high quality video. Discrete facial movements were identified and described in terms of the underlying muscle contractions, in correspondence with previous FACS systems. The reliability of others to be able to learn this system (EquiFACS) and consistently code behavioural sequences was high—and this included people with no previous experience of horses. A wide range of facial movements were identified, including many that are also seen in primates and other domestic animals (dogs and cats). EquiFACS provides a method that can now be used to document the facial movements associated with different social contexts and thus to address questions relevant to understanding social cognition and comparative psychology, as well as informing current veterinary and animal welfare practices

Deflections from adolescent trajectories of antisocial behavior: contextual and neural moderators of antisocial behavior stability into emerging adulthood

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146467/1/jcpp12931_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146467/2/jcpp12931.pd

Substitution of Cytosine with Guanylurea Decreases the Stability of i-Motif DNA

Both 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (decitabine) and its primary breakdown product, 2′-deoxyriboguanylurea (GuaUre-dR), have been shown to act as mutagens and epimutagens that cause replication stress and alter both DNA methylation and gene expression patterns. As cytosine analogues, both are expected to be preferentially incorporated into regions of GC skew where runs of cytosine residues are sequestered on one strand and guanine residues on the other. Given that such regions have been identified as sites with the potential for effects on gene expression and replication stress linked to formation of alternative DNA secondary structures, it is of interest to determine the influence that these base analogues might have on the stability of structures of this kind. Here we report that incorporation of GuaUre-dR into an i-motif-forming sequence decreases both the thermal and pH stability of an i-motif despite the apparent ability of GuaUre-dR to base pair with cytosine

Statewide declines in myocardial infarction and stroke emergency department visits during COVID-19 restrictions in North Carolina

In the United States, efforts to control the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic brought sweeping social change, with stay-at-home orders and physical distancing mandates in 43 of 50 states by April 2020. Although these public health measures were intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, their impact on individuals with other health conditions was largely unknown. Initial anecdotal reports described precipitous decreases in emergency department (ED) visits for acute cardiovascular outcomes and were replicated by the results of several larger observational analyses. However, these studies relied primarily on data from select health systems or medical groups and few reported on the impact of the pandemic past May 2020. Now, more than a year since the US confirmed its first case of COVID-19, our objective is to provide an understanding of the pandemic's longer-term impact on ED utilization for acute cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized that (1) acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA)-related ED visits in North Carolina (NC) decreased substantially after a statewide stay-at-home order was announced on March 27, 2020 and that (2) ED visits decreased considerably over the course of 2020 in comparison to 2019

Cyclotron effect on coherent spin precession of two-dimensional electrons

We investigate the spin dynamics of high-mobility two-dimensional electrons in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells grown along the $[001]$ and $[110]$ directions by time-resolved Faraday rotation at low temperatures. In measurements on the $(001)$-grown structures without external magnetic fields, we observe coherent oscillations of the electron spin polarization about the effective spin-orbit field. In non-quantizing magnetic fields applied normal to the sample plane, the cyclotron motion of the electrons rotates the effective spin-orbit field. This rotation leads to fast oscillations in the spin polarization about a non-zero value and a strong increase in the spin dephasing time in our experiments. These two effects are absent in the $(110)$-grown structure due to the different symmetry of its effective spin-orbit field. The measurements are in excellent agreement with our theoretical model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure