INTERREGIONAL COMPETITION IN THE U.S. SWINE-PORK INDUSTRY: AN ANALYSIS OF OKLAHOMA'S AND THE SOUTHERN STATES' EXPANSION POTENTIAL

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Perceptual bias, more than age, impacts on eye movements during face processing

Consistent with the right hemispheric dominance for face processing, a left perceptual bias (LPB) is typically demonstrated by younger adults viewing faces and a left eye movement bias has also been revealed. Hemispheric asymmetry is predicted to reduce with age and older adults have demonstrated a weaker LPB, particularly when viewing time is restricted. What is currently unclear is whether age also weakens the left eye movement bias. Additionally, a right perceptual bias (RPB) for facial judgments has less frequently been demonstrated, but whether this is accompanied by a right eye movement bias has not been investigated. To address these issues older and younger adults’ eye movements and gender judgments of chimeric faces were recorded in two time conditions. Age did not significantly weaken the LPB or eye movement bias; both groups looked initially to the left side of the face and made more fixations when the gender judgment was based on the left side. A positive association was found between LPB and initial saccades in the freeview condition and with all eye movements (initial saccades, number and duration of fixations) when time was restricted. The accompanying eye movement bias revealed by LPB participants contrasted with RPB participants who demonstrated no eye movement bias in either time condition. Consequently, increased age is not clearly associated with weakened perceptual and eye movement biases. Instead an eye movement bias accompanies an LPB (particularly under restricted viewing time conditions) but not an RPB

Stable Dried Catalase Particles Prepared by Electrospraying

Therapeutic proteins and peptides are clinically important, offering potency while reducing the potential for off-target effects. Research interest in developing therapeutic polypeptides has grown significantly during the last four decades. However, despite the growing research effort, maintaining the stability of polypeptides throughout their life cycle remains a challenge. Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) techniques have been widely explored for encapsulation and delivery of many biopharmaceuticals. In this work, we explored monoaxial electrospraying for encapsulation of bovine liver catalase, investigating the effects of the different components of the electrospraying solution on the integrity and bioactivity of the enzyme. The catalase was successfully encapsulated within polymeric particles made of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), dextran, and polysucrose. The polysorbate 20 content within the electrospraying solution (50 mM citrate buffer, pH 5.4) affected the catalase loading-increasing the polysorbate 20 concentration to 500 μg/mL resulted in full protein encapsulation but did not prevent loss in activity. The addition of ethanol (20% v/v) to a fully aqueous solution improves the electrospraying process by reducing surface tension, without loss of catalase activity. The polymer type was shown to have the greatest impact on preserving catalase activity within the electrosprayed particles. When PVP was the carrier there was no loss in activity compared with fresh aqueous solutions of catalase. The optimum particles were obtained from a 20% w/v PVP or 30% w/v PVP-trehalose (1:1 w/w) solution. The addition of trehalose confers stability advantages to the catalase particles. When trehalose-PVP particles were stored at 5 °C, enzymatic activity was maintained over 3 months, whereas for the PVP-only analogue a 50% reduction in activity was seen. This demonstrates that processing catalase by monoaxial electrospraying can, under optimised conditions, result in stable polymeric particles with no loss of activity

MS-1 magA: Revisiting Its Efficacy as a Reporter Gene for MRI

Bacterial genes involved in the biomineralization of magnetic nanoparticles in magnetotactic bacteria have recently been proposed as reporters for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In such systems, the expression of the bacterial genes in mammalian cells purportedly leads to greater concentrations of intracellular iron or the biomineralization of iron oxides, thus leading to an enhancement in relaxation rate that is detectable via MRI. Here, we show that the constitutive expression of the magA gene from Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum is tolerated by human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells but induces a strong toxic effect in murine mesenchymal/stromal cells and kidney-derived stem cells, severely restricting its effective use as a reporter gene for stem cells. Although it has been suggested that magA is involved in iron transport, when expressed in HEK cells, it does not affect the transcription of endogenous genes related to iron homeostasis. Furthermore, the magA -induced enhancement in iron uptake in HEK cells is insignificant, suggesting this gene is a poor reporter even for cell types that can tolerate its expression. We suggest that the use of magA for stem cells should be approached with caution, and its efficacy as a reporter gene requires a careful assessment on a cell-by-cell basis

Оборудование для испытания листовых конструкционных материалов при двухосном растяжении. Сообщение 1. Испытания односторонним давлением рабочей среды

Рассмотрены конструктивные особенности оборудования для исследования прочности и закономерностей разрушения листовых конструкционных материалов при двухосном растяжении путем нагружения образцов односторонним давлением рабочей среды. Предложены решения ряда проблем методического характера, связанных с испытаниями при высоких уровнях давления рабочей среды, что позволяет обеспечить необходимые режимы охлаждения образцов, снизить уровень энергии разрушения, повысить надежность и безопасность испытаний.Розглянуто конструктивні особливості устаткування для дослідження міцності і закономірностей руйнування листових конструкційних матеріалів при двовісному розтязі зразків одностороннім тиском робочого середовища. Запропоновано рішення ряду проблем методичного характеру, що пов’язані з випробуваннями при високих рівнях тиску робочого середовища. Це дозволить забезпечити необхідні режими охолодження зразків, знизити рівень енергії руйнування, підвищити надійность та безпеку випробувань.Design features of the equipment for studying strength and regularities of fracture of sheet structural materials in biaxial tension by subjecting specimens to one-sided pressure of a working medium are considered. Solutions were suggested for a number of methodological problems related to testing at high levels of pressure of a working medium. These solutions make it possible to provide necessary conditions of cooling of specimens, lower the level of fracture energy, and improve reliability and safety of the tests

Nanoparticle forming polyelectrolyte complexes derived from well-defined block copolymers

Polymers can be used in nanoparticle associated formulations to encapsulate cytotoxic drugs (e.g., paclitaxel). Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) that form drug associated colloids also have potential to form particulate associated formulations. We used RAFT polymerisation to prepare small families of narrow molecular weight distributed (i) methacrylate block co-polymers comprised of oligomeric ethylene glycol, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA), and dimethyl amino pendent chains, 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), and (ii) poly(methacrylic acid), PMAA. These polymers were examined for their ability to form PECs capable of drug encapsulation. Optimal control in RAFT polymerisation was confirmed by the linear increase of molecular weight and the narrow dispersity of the polymers (<1.2) as determined by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy showed formation of well-defined monodispersed nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic diameter of 25 ± 3 nm upon self-assembly of poly(PEGMA0.23-b-DMAEMA0.77)99 and PMAA75. These PECs are highly haemocompatible. Thin film hydration was used to encapsulate two hydrophobic drugs, paclitaxel and carmofur, into spherical nanoparticles. The results show that carmofur was encapsulated markedly more effectively than paclitaxel (72 vs 1.5%)