603 research outputs found
Response of growing chicks to supplementation of low protein diets with leucine, valine and glycine-glutamic acid
This experiment was conducted to determine the interaction effects that resulted from supplementation of low-protein diets with leucine (Leu), valine (Val), and glycine-glutamic acid (Gly-Glu) on growing broiler chicks from 11 to 24 days old. Two levels of digestible Leu (1.07 and 1.50%) and three levels of digestible Val (0.64, 0.74, and 0.84%) were investigated as a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments with 12 replicates. The diet with 1.07% digestible Leu and 0.84% digestible Val was supplemented with 0.34% Gly and 1.32% Glu as an additional treatment (T7). At 24 days old, 0.84% Val significantly improved feed conversion with 1.07% Leu, but 0.74% Val was sufficient with 1.50% Leu. The T7 diet further improved feed conversion. Increasing dietary Val from 0.64% to 0.74% significantly increased bone density and strength at the lower level of dietary Leu, while T7 significantly increased tibia breaking strength. There were significant Leu × Val interactions for villus height, crypt depth, and goblet cell numbers. Val at 0.84% maximized the development of the jejunum at the lower Leu level, while goblet cell number and crypt depth were impaired by increments of Val at the higher level of Leu. In conclusion, increasing the level of Val in low-protein grower diets significantly improved performance, bone and jejunum development of broilers, and its interaction with Leu was important. Therefore, these two amino acids (AAs) and the possibility of Gly-Glu fortification must be considered when formulating low-protein broiler diets.
Keywords: bone traits, branched-chain amino acids, broilers, gut histology, performanc
Query Answer Explanations under Existential Rules
Ontology-mediated query answering is an extensively studied paradigm, which aims at improving
query answers with the use of a logical theory. In this paper, we focus on ontology languages based on
existential rules, and we carry out a thorough complexity analysis of the problem of explaining query
answers in terms of minimal subsets of database facts and related task
The Risk Factors Associated with Grip Lock Injuries in Artistic Gymnasts: A Systematic Review
Artistic gymnastics (AG) is a sport that demands grace, strength, and flexibility, leading to a broad spectrum of injuries. The dowel grip (DG) is widely used by gymnasts to securely hold onto the high bar or uneven bars. However, incorrect usage of the DG can result in grip lock (GL) injuries. This systematic review aims to (1) identify studies that have investigated the risk factors related to GL injuries among gymnasts and (2) synthesize the key evidence. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, SportDiscus, and Google Scholar, covering the period from their inception until November 2022. The data extraction and analysis were independently completed by two investigators. A total of 90 relevant studies were initially identified, out of which seven clinical trials met the eligibility criteria. For the quantitative synthesis, five studies were included. The details extracted from each article include: the sample characteristics (number, gender, age, and health status), the study design, the instrumentation or intervention used, and the final results. Our results revealed that the underlying causes of the risk factors of GL injuries were the irregular checking of the dowel grip and the mating surface of the bar, the tearing of the dowel of the leather strap, and the use of the dowel grip in different competition apparatuses. In addition, GL injuries may occur either as severe forearm fractures or mild injuries. Excessive flexion of the forearm and overpronation of the wrist during rotational movements, such as the swing or backward/forward giant circle, may increase the possibility of GL injury on the high bar. Future studies should focus on GL injury prevention strategy and rehabilitation protocol for GL injuries. Further high-quality research is required to establish the validity of these findings. © 2023 by the authors.European Commission, EC: .02.2.69/0.0/0.0/18_054/0014627Published with the financial support of the European Union, as part of the project entitled Development of capacities and environment for boosting the international, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary cooperation At UWB, project reg. no.CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/18_054/0014627
Eltrombopag for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia: The aegean region of Turkey experience
Objective: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an immune-mediated disease characterized by transient or persistent decrease of the platelet count to less than 100x109/L. Although it is included in a benign disease group, bleeding complications may be mortal. With a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, thrombopoietin receptor agonists, which came into use in recent years, seem to be an effective option in the treatment of resistant cases. This study aimed to retrospectively assess the efficacy, long-term safety, and tolerability of eltrombopag in Turkish patients with chronic ITP in the Aegean region of Turkey. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data of 40 patients with refractory ITP who were treated with eltrombopag in the Aegean region were examined and evaluated. Results: The total rate of response was 87%, and the median duration of response defined as the number of the platelets being over 50x109/L was 19.5 (interquartile range: 5-60) days. In one patient, venous sinus thrombosis was observed with no other additional risk factors due to or related to thrombosis. Another patient with complete response and irregular follow-up for 12 months was lost due to sudden death as the result of probable acute myocardial infarction. Conclusion: Although the responses to eltrombopag were satisfactory, patients need to be monitored closely for overshooting platelet counts as well as thromboembolic events. © 2015 Turkish Society of Hematology. All rights reserved
Size-controlled conformal nanofabrication of biotemplated three-dimensional TiO2 and ZnO nanonetworks
Cataloged from PDF version of article.A solvent-free fabrication of TiO2 and ZnO nanonetworks is demonstrated by using supramolecular nanotemplates with high coating conformity, uniformity, and atomic scale size control. Deposition of TiO2 and ZnO on three-dimensional nanofibrous network template is accomplished. Ultrafine control over nanotube diameter allows robust and systematic evaluation of the electrochemical properties of TiO2 and ZnO nanonetworks in terms of size-function relationship. We observe hypsochromic shift in UV absorbance maxima correlated with decrease in wall thickness of the nanotubes. Photocatalytic activities of anatase TiO2 and hexagonal wurtzite ZnO nanonetworks are found to be dependent on both the wall thickness and total surface area per unit of mass. Wall thickness has effect on photoexcitation properties of both TiO2 and ZnO due to band gap energies and total surface area per unit of mass. The present work is a successful example that concentrates on nanofabrication of intact three-dimensional semiconductor nanonetworks with controlled band gap energies
Does elite European match-play affect salivary immunoglobulin- a and cortisol in soccer players? The influence of playing status and match outcome
Introduction: The aims of this study were to: a) investigate salivary
immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and cortisol (s-Cort) responses to nine competitive
fixtures in starting and non- starting soccer players; and b) compare s-IgA and s Cort responses of starters and non-starters considering match outcome.
Methods: Saliva from 19 male outfield players from an elite soccer team (mean ±
SD, age 26 ± 4 years; weight 80.5 ± 8.1 kg; height 1.83 ± 0.07 m; body-fat 10.8% ±
0.7%) was collected. Saliva samples were taken on the day before each match
(MD-1), 60-min before kick-off (MDpre), 30-min post-match (MDpost), and 72-h
post-match (MD+3). There were five wins, one draw and three losses.
Results: The mean s-IgA value was found to be significantly lower at MD+3
compared to MDpre and MDpost. s-Cort was significantly higher at MDpost
compared to MD-1 and MDpre. When compared to MDpre, a statistically
significant decrease in s-Cort was observed at MD+3 compared to MDpost.
Starters displayed higher s-Cort values across the nine matches. There was a
significant group-by-time interaction for s-Cort. There was a significant increase
in s-Cort levels at MDpost compared to MD-1 and from MDpre to MDpost in
starting players. At MDpost, starters had significantly higher s-Cort values. s-IgA
values of starting and non- starting players following successful and unsuccessful
matches did not reveal a significant difference. However, similar analysis of s-Cort
in successful matches showed a significant difference between starters and non starters. s-IgA values at MD-1, MDpre, MDpost and MD+3 in starters and non starters following successful and unsuccessful matches revealed significant
differences at MDpre and MDpost in starters, respectively. Furthermore, s-Cort
values at MD-1, MDpre, MDpost and MD+3 in starters and non-starters in
successful and unsuccessful matches revealed significant differences at MD+3
in starting players.Discussion: The present study suggests that in elite level soccer players, both
starting status and match outcome influence s-IgA and s-Cort responses,
particularly starters. Specifically, s-IgA was lower for starters before and after
the match following successful outcomes. Moreover, higher s-Cort values were
found before the match while lower values occurred after the match for starters in
successful matches.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Advanced Statistical Learning and Prediction of Complex Runway Incursion
In 2015, 1,507 runway incursions capable of inducing collisions occurred at airports in the United States, so it is obviously very important to identify significant factors underlying such incursions, to predict potential runway incursion occurrences, and to prepare systematic programs for reducing the number of incursions and prevent runway collisions. Presence of a large volume of data, multiple variables, and complex interactions among them pose a significant challenge to resolving this problem. To tackle this challenge, we developed a data-driven prediction model using a component of advanced statistical theory, i.e., a generalized additive model (GAM). GAM can account for flexible modeling of multiple variables over a broad range of modeling distributions. We obtained, parsed, and transformed various predictor variables from many heterogeneous databases to create interpretable datasets for statistical modeling. We demonstrated promising performance of GAM while making systematic investigations into prediction accuracy of runway incursion at United States airports (including all types of commercial, military, and other general data). Results show that GAM can identify critical factors (airport complexity, number of operations, and visibility) in predicting a number of the runway incursions. Performance comparison of two popular GAM smoothers (i.e., cubic regression splines and thin plate regression splines) has demonstrated promising accuracy of both methods. These results imply that statistical predictions developed using GAM will help in better prediction of runway incursion when more data become available in the future.This proceeding is published as Song, I., I. Cho, T. Tessitore, T. Gurcsik, and H. Ceylan. "Advanced statistical learning and prediction of complex runway incursion." In Airfield and Highway Pavements 2017, pp. 38-50. 2017. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784480953.004. Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted
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Reactive Power Control of PV Inverters in Active Distribution Grids with High PV Penetration
Copyright . Photovoltaic (PV) systems can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing rapid reactive power support to the electric grid. At the distribution grid level, the PV inverters are controlled to reduce the system’s active power loss and to address problems caused by the PV systems themselves. For example, the distribution grid may face overvoltages due to high PV generation during off-peak hours. In this paper, a reactive power control approach for PV inverters is proposed to control the injection/absorption of reactive power to reduce the active power loss of the system while solving the overvoltage problem. To achieve this, the proposed controller periodically dispatches the reactive power setpoints and applies a real-time volt/var algorithm. The proposed method uses probabilistic distributions to account for the uncertainties in PV generation and load demand. The controller is implemented at the lateral level which simplifies the required communication platform and reduces the computational cost. The real-time volt/var control coordinates the operation of the different inverters during overvoltage conditions so that the voltage rise is limited using as little reactive power as possible by the inverters. Accordingly, the active power loss due to reactive power flow in the system is reduced. Two distribution systems are simulated using Open Distribution System Simulator (OpenDSS) and used to evaluate the proposed controller and compare with two other methods. A daily time series simulation is performed to test different operating conditions. The simulation results show that the proposed controller is able to reduce the active power loss in general and solve the overvoltage problem with a lower reactive power requirement than the other volt/var methods.10.13039/501100000308-British Council (Grant Number: 623801791);
10.13039/501100004410-T?rkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Ara?t?rma Kurumu (Grant Number: 120N996)
Limbal stem cells in dogs and cats their identification culture and differentiation into keratinocytes
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