Introduction: Transnational Approaches to North American Regionalism

In the past ten to fifteen years, critical understandings of regions and, concomitantly, regionalist approaches to literature and culture have undergone considerable changes. Studies such as Laurie Ricou’s The Arbutus/Madrone Files (2002) or Claudia Sadowski-Smith’s Border Fictions (2008), for instance, have focused on spaces and cultures that cross and crystallize around North American national borders, thereby questioning traditional, which is to say national, delineations of region. Even e..

Development of a cobalt-tungsten ferromagnetic, high-temperature, structural alloy

Cobalt-tungsten ferromagnetic, high temperature structural alloy for rotor applications in space power generator

The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): Trapping and culturing of wild colonies in Ghana

The larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), are promising candidates to be utilized in alternative organic waste management and for fish and livestock feed production. The scalability of this technology in Ghana will depend on a steady source of large numbers of BSF larvae. The objectives of this study were to identify the most attractive organic manure dumps or heaps in the study area for trapping wild BSF egg clutches and assess the effect of local environmental conditions on the trapping and laboratory rearing of BSF. The study compared the number of egg clutch trapped at different microhabitats including piggery, chicken and sheep waste dumps and on a compost heap. The piggery dump waste was the most suitable site for trapping BSF egg clutches. No egg clutch was deposited nearby poultry and sheep waste microhabitats. Results showed no differences in temperature between microhabitats during egg trapping but relative humidity differed between poultry, sheep and compost, however this did not have any effect on egg clutch trapping. No significant differences in temperature and humidity were observed during larval rearing. Significant differences in weight and length of larvae from both piggery and compost sites were observed on days 5 and 10 after egg hatch. A small scale laboratory colony rearing has been successfully established in Ghana. The design of the larval breeding system appears to be suitable for respective up-scaling that could provide sufficient larval quantities for composting organic waste and producing feed components for livestock and fish

Short-Term Relapse Quantitation as a Fully Surrogate Endpoint for Long-Term Sustained Progression of Disability in RRMS Patients Treated with Natalizumab

Time to sustained worsening in the expanded disability status scale as the standard for evaluating the accumulation of disability has been used as a measure of clinical efficacy in many relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) clinical trials. However, this measurement usually requires a large sample and long-term study to demonstrate the treatment effect. Annualized relapse rate or time to first relapse is also widely used as alternative measurements of clinical efficacy. A formal statistical validation of short-term relapse activity as a surrogate endpoint for long-term sustained progression of disability could potentially permit smaller, shorter, and less expensive clinical trials in RRMS. Four statistical validation/evaluation approaches consistently showed that relapse activity through one year of treatment serves as statistically valid surrogate endpoint for time to sustained progression of disability. The analysis demonstrates that long-term sustained progression of disability can be predicted by short-term relapse measures with 4 consistent validations of statistical approaches, including a formal statistical hypothesis test. This was demonstrated in a large phase III trial of natalizumab and showed that the beneficial clinical effect of natalizumab on sustained progression of disability at 2 years in patients with RRMS can be predicted by the total number of relapses at 1 year

Proprietary Milk Protein Concentrate Reduces Joint Discomfort While Improving Exercise Performance in Non-Osteoarthritic Individuals

Milk and dairy products are known to contain various bioactives with potential anti-inflammatory and immune modulating effects. Previous research has indicated that milk produced from hyperimmunized cows provided meaningful health benefits to individuals suffering from varying degrees of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. PURPOSE: To examine the impact of a proprietary milk protein concentrate on joint discomfort and physical function, exercise performance, quality of life and various measures of affect. METHODS: Non-osteoarthritic men (42.5 ± 8.9 years, 176.7 ± 6.7 cm, 89.9 ± 11.5 kg, 28.8 ± 3.5 kg/m2, n = 30) and women (46.4 ± 9.6 years, 163.1 ± 8.2 cm, 72.2 ± 13.1 kg, 27.2 ± 5.3 kg/m2, n = 28) with mild to moderate knee pain during physical activity were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled fashion to consume daily either a placebo (PLA) or a proprietary milk protein concentrate (MP) for a period of 8 weeks. Participants completed a functional capacity test pre and post-supplementation and completed visual analog scales (VAS), a 6-min walking test, WOMAC and profile of mood states (POMS) to assess changes in joint health, discomfort, physical function, exercise performance and affect. Mixed factorial ANOVA was used for all statistical analysis and significance was set a priori at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Distance covered in the 6-min walking significantly improved 9% in MP versus 2% in PLA (mean difference: 110 ± 43 m, p = 0.012) in addition to 11 WOMAC components and 5 VAS reflective of MP improving joint health, discomfort and joint stability (all p \u3c 0.05 vs. PLA). Additionally, MP also improved overall perceptions of neck and back health compared to PLA. Serum and whole blood indicators of clinical safety remained within normal ranges throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to placebo, daily doses of proprietary milk protein concentrate yielded improvements in several components of the WOMAC, multiple visual analog scales indicative of joint health and stability, discomfort and pain, as well as significant improvements in distance covered during a 6-min walking test. Supplementation was well tolerated with no significant changes in whole-blood or serum markers of clinical safety

Feeding value of black soldier fly larvae compared to soybean in methionine- and lysine-deficient laying hen diets

To increase the sustainability of egg production, alternatives to soybean in poultry nutrition are intensively searched for. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) could have a great potential, but the comparative protein value to soybean is not well known. The main objective of this study was to facilitate this comparison by using experimental diets clearly limited in calculated supply of sulphurous amino acids and lysine. Fifty laying hens (Lohmann Brown Classic), aged 40 weeks, were fed one of five diets for 7 weeks (n=10). Two diets were based on soybean cake and oil (SS, SS-) as protein and energy sources, and three diets contained partially defatted BSFL meal and fat from two different origins (AA-, AB-, BB-). Different from SS, all other diets were designed to be deficient in methionine and lysine in relation to requirements by >20%. The realised supply with total sulphurous amino acids and lysine was indeed superior with SS even though this diet was analysed to be more deficient in methionine than the BSFL-based diets. Despite the calculated deficiency in limiting amino acids, laying performance of the hens of all groups was similar and ranged between 93 and 97%. Similarly, egg mass, daily feed intake and feed efficiency were not influenced by the BSFL-based diets. The yolks of group BB- were more intensely coloured compared to the others indicating a difference between BSFL origins. Yolks of SS-, but not of the BSFL-based diets, had lower contents of dry matter and ether extract than those of SS. Including BSFL into the diet did not influence the odour of the eggs tested in scrambled form. The results show that soybean-based feeds for laying hens may be completely replaced by BSFL- based feeds and suggest that the recommendations for amino acid supply of laying hens might need revision

Effects of a dietary supplement on golf drive distance and functional indices of golf performance

Background Limited research exists examining the impact of nutrition on golfing performance. This study’s purpose was to determine the impact of daily supplementation with an over-the-counter dietary supplement on golf performance. Methods Healthy men (30.3 ± 6.9 y, 183.1 ± 5.6 cm, 86.7 ± 11.9 kg), with a 5–15 handicap were assigned in a double-blind, placebo-controlled manner to ingest for 30 days either a placebo (PLA, n = 13) or a dietary supplement containing creatine monohydrate, coffea arabica fruit extract, calcium fructoborate and vitamin D (Strong Drive™, SD, n = 14). Subjects ingested two daily doses for the first two weeks and one daily dose for the remaining two weeks. Participants followed their normal dietary habits and did not change their physical activity patterns. Two identical testing sessions in a pre/post fashion were completed consisting of a fasting blood sample, anthropometric measurements, 1-RM bench press, upper body power and golf swing performance using their driver and 7-iron. Data were analyzed using two-way mixed factorial ANOVAs and ANCOVA when baseline differences were present. Statistical significance was established a priori at p ≤ 0.05. Results ANCOVA revealed significantly greater (post-test) best drive distance (p = 0.04) for SD (+5.0% [+13.6 yards], ES = 0.75) as well as a tendency (p = 0.07) for average drive distance to increase (+8.4% [+19.6 yards], ES = 0.65), while no such changes were found with PLA (−0.5% [−1.2 yards], ES = 0.04 and +1.3% [+2.8 yards], ES = 0.08, respectively). Both groups experienced significant increases in body mass and 1-RM bench press (p \u3c 0.001). No other significant group × time interactions were found. For the SD group only, within-group analysis confirmed significant improvements in set 1 average (+8.9%, p = 0.001) and peak velocity (+6.8%, p \u3c =0.01). No changes were noted for reported adverse events, pain inventories, quality of life or any measured blood parameter. Conclusions SD supplementation for 30 days significantly improved best drive distance more than placebo. Supplementation was well tolerated and did not result in any clinically significant changes in markers of health or adverse events/side effect profiles

Thermochemistry of Alane Complexes for Hydrogen Storage: A Theoretical and Experimental Comparison

Knowledge of the relative stabilities of alane (AlH3) complexes with electron donors is essential for identifying hydrogen storage materials for vehicular applications that can be regenerated by off-board methods; however, almost no thermodynamic data are available to make this assessment. To fill this gap, we employed the G4(MP2) method to determine heats of formation, entropies, and Gibbs free energies of formation for thirty-eight alane complexes with NH3-nRn (R = Me, Et; n = 0-3), pyridine, pyrazine, triethylenediamine (TEDA), quinuclidine, OH2-nRn (R = Me, Et; n = 0-2), dioxane, and tetrahydrofuran (THF). Monomer, bis, and selected dimer complex geometries were considered. Using these data, we computed the thermodynamics of the key formation and dehydrogenation reactions that would occur during hydrogen delivery and alane regeneration, from which trends in complex stability were identified. These predictions were tested by synthesizing six amine-alane complexes involving trimethylamine, triethylamine, dimethylethylamine, TEDA, quinuclidine, and hexamine, and obtaining upper limits of delta G for their formation from metallic aluminum. Combining these computational and experimental results, we establish a criterion for complex stability relevant to hydrogen storage that can be used to assess potential ligands prior to attempting synthesis of the alane complex. Based on this, we conclude that only a subset of the tertiary amine complexes considered and none of the ether complexes can be successfully formed by direct reaction with aluminum and regenerated in an alane-based hydrogen storage system.Comment: Accepted by the Journal of Physical Chemistry

Black soldier fly larvae as a substitute for soybean in the diets of laying hens

The use of soybean as a feed ingredient for livestock is controversially discussed worldwide, since cultivation and transport may have negative environmental impacts. Thus, interest in integrating insects into livestock nutrition as a potentially more sustainable substitute for soybean is very important, but has been poorly researched so far. This study aimed to examine the feeding value of two origins of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae grown on two different substrates (A and B) compared to soybeanbased diets. For this purpose, 50 Lohmann Brown Classic hens (40 weeks of age) were fed five different diets for 7 weeks. The hens were randomly allocated to the diets and kept individually in enriched cages under controlled climate conditions. To determine whether the protein value of the insect material is comparable to that of soybean, the crude protein content of four of the diets (SS-, AA-, AB-, BB-) was set to a level (16%). These diets were opposed to a control diet (SS) covering requirements. Both SS and SS- contained 15% soybean cake and 3% soybean oil, but SS- did not contain sunflower cake. In the other diets the soybean-based feeds from SS- were replaced by defatted BSF larval meals and fats. Insect material A was produced on a mixture of fruits, brewer’s grain and pasta production waste, material B was produced on wheat bran, French fries and cereal milling by-products. Diet AA- contained 15% of larval meal A and 2% larval oil A, AB- was based on 15% larval meal A and 2% larval fat B, and BB- contained 15% of larval meal B (rich in residual fat). Feed intake, laying performance and egg weight were measured daily. The hens were weighed weekly. Over a period of six days all eggs per hen were collected and analysed for different egg quality traits. The performance of the hens did not differ significantly between the five treatments within the feeding period. Average feed intake was around 118 g/day, laying percentage 95%, egg weight 65 g and feed conversion efficiency 1.9 g egg/kg feed. Also, egg quality was neither affected by the use of insects nor the apparent protein deficiency. Average shell thickness was 0.4 mm, yolk height 17 mm and shell breaking strength 50 N. Overall, the similar performance of the hens at a very high production level and the comparable egg quality showed that soybean can be completely replaced by BSF meal and fat. The results also indicated that the recommendations for protein supply of layers may be set too high

Sequentially based analysis versus image based analysis of Intima Media Thickness in common carotid arteries studies - Do major IMT studies underestimate the true relations for cardio- and cerebrovascular risk?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Image-based B-mode ultrasound has gained popularity in major studies as a non-invasive method of measuring cardio- and cerebrovascular risk factors. However, none of the major studies appears to have paid sufficient attention to the variation in end diastolic wall process. By using sequentially based analyses (SBA) of Intima-Media Thickness (IMT), the general purpose of this study was to show that the current image based (ECG tracked) analysis (IBA) has some major variations and might underestimate the true relations for cardiovascular events and stroke for IMT measurement.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>The study group consisted of 2500 healthy male subjects aged between 35 to 55 years. 4 sequences (300 images) were analyzed per subject. 750,000 images were analysed throughout the course of this study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IBA showed significantly lower mean, maximal, and minimal values for IMT in CCA than for SBA. The correlation analysis between IBA and SBA with the cardio- and cerebrovascular risk factors showed a higher correlation of SBA for all risk factors. The Pearson coefficient was 0.81, p < 0.01, for SBA versus Framingham CHD risk level (FCRL) and 0.49, p = 0.01, for IBA versus FCRL.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IBA did not measure the true maximal values of the IMT in this study. Together with the correlation analysis, this indicates that IBA might underestimate the true relations for IMT and risk factors.</p