Bag Model for a Link in a Closed Gluonic Chain

The large $N_c$ limit of Yang-Mills gauge theory is the dynamics of a closed gluonic chain, but this fact does not obviate the inherently strong coupling nature of the dynamical problem. However, we suggest that a single link in such a chain might be reasonably described in the quasi-perturbative language of gluons and their interactions. To implement this idea, we use the MIT bag to model the physics of a nearest neighbor bond.Comment: 10 pages, LaTe

Stress Analysis of Three Marginal Configurations of Full Posterior Crowns by Three-Dimensional Photoelasticity

A simplified method was developed by which three-dimensional composite photoelastic models were constructed. The optimum marginal configuration for the stress distribution was determined and was found to be of the chamfer type.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66544/2/10.1177_00220345740530052501.pd

Mitigation of electroencephalographic and cardiovascular responses to castration in Bos indicus bulls following the administration of either lidocaine or meloxicam

Objective To investigate the mitigating effects of administration of local or systemic meloxicam on the electroencephalographic (EEG) and cardiovascular responses during surgical castration of Bos indicus bull calves. Study design Prospective, randomized, experimental study. Animals Thirty-six 6–8 month-old Bos indicus bull calves, with a mean ± standard deviation weight of 237 ± 19 kg. Methods Animals were randomly allocated to three groups of 12 (group L, 260 mg of 2% lidocaine subcutaneously and intratesticularly 5 minutes prior to castration; group M, 0.5 mg kg−1 of meloxicam subcutaneously 30 minutes prior to castration; group C, no pre-operative analgesia administered). Anaesthesia was induced and maintained with halothane (0.9–1.1%) in oxygen. Electroencephalogram, heart rate (HR) and mean blood pressure (MAP) were recorded for 300 seconds prior to (baseline, B) and from the start of surgery (first testicle incision, T1). HR and MAP were compared at 10 second intervals for 90 seconds from the start of T1. Median frequency (F50), spectral edge frequency (F95) and total power of the EEG (Ptot) were analysed using area under the curve comparing T1 to B. Results All EEG variables were significantly different between B and T1 (p ≤ 0.0001). No differences in F50 were found between groups during T1 (p = 0.6491). F95 and Ptot were significantly different between group L and groups C and M during T1 (p = 0.0005 and 0.0163, respectively). There were transient significant changes in HR and MAP in groups L and M compared to group C during the 20–50 second periods. Conclusions The EEG changes indicate nociceptive responses in all three groups during surgical castration, greater in group L compared to groups C and M. Both analgesics attenuated the peracute cardiovascular response. Lidocaine and meloxicam administered prior to castration attenuated these responses in Bos indicus bull calves. Clinical relevance These findings provide support for the pre-operative administration of lidocaine and potentially meloxicam for castration in Bos indicus bull calves

Variable Effects of Snow Conditions Across Boreal Mesocarnivore Species

Mesocarnivores are increasingly recognized as key drivers of community dynamics, but the effects of bottom-up and abiotic factors on mesocarnivore populations remain poorly understood. We evaluated the effects of snow conditions, prey abundance, and habitat type on the distribution of five sympatric mesocarnivore species in interior Alaska using repeated snow track surveys and occupancy modelling. Snow depth and snow compaction were the best predictors of mesocarnivore occupancy, with differential effects across species. Coyotes (Canis latrans (Say, 1823)) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes L., 1758) occurred in areas of shallow, compact snow, Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis (Kerr, 1792)) occurred in areas of shallow, fluffy snow, and wolverines (Gulo gulo L., 1758) and marten (Martes americana (Turton, 1806)) occurred in areas of deep, fluffy snow. These findings indicate that altered snow conditions due to climate change may have strong direct effects on the distribution of northern mesocarnivores, with divergent effects across species

Scientific evaluation of animal emotions: Brief history and recent New Zealand contributions

The idea of animals having emotions was once rejected as being anthropomorphic and unscientific. However, with society’s changing views and advances in scientific knowledge and technology, the idea of animal emotions is becoming more accepted. Emotions are subjective internal experiences that can’t be measured directly. Animal welfare scientists must infer emotions by measuring the behavioural, physiological and neurobiological components of emotional experience. In this paper, we describe innovative ways in which these indicators have been used by New Zealand scientists to facilitate a more holistic understanding of the emotions and welfare of animals

Association of ABCB1 genetic variants with renal function in Africans and in Caucasians.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The P-glycoprotein, encoded by the ABCB1 gene, is expressed in human endothelial and mesangial cells, which contribute to control renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate. We investigated the association of ABCB1 variants with renal function in African and Caucasian subjects. METHODS: In Africans (290 subjects from 62 pedigrees), we genotyped the 2677G>T and 3435 C>T ABCB1 polymorphisms. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured using inulin clearance and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) using para-aminohippurate clearance. In Caucasians (5382 unrelated subjects), we analyzed 30 SNPs located within and around ABCB1, using data from the Affymetrix 500 K chip. GFR was estimated using the simplified Modification of the Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and Cockcroft-Gault equations. RESULTS: In Africans, compared to the reference genotype (GG or CC), each copy of the 2677T and 3435T allele was associated, respectively, with: GFR higher by 10.6 +/- 2.9 (P < 0.001) and 4.4 +/- 2.3 (P = 0.06) mL/min; ERPF higher by 47.5 +/- 11.6 (P < 0.001) and 28.1 +/- 10.5 (P = 0.007) mL/min; and renal resistances lower by 0.016 +/- 0.004 (P < 0.001) and 0.011 +/- 0.004 (P = 0.004) mm Hg/mL/min. In Caucasians, we identified 3 polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene that were strongly associated with all estimates of GFR (smallest P value = 0.0006, overall P = 0.014 after multiple testing correction). CONCLUSION: Variants of the ABCB1 gene were associated with renal function in both Africans and Caucasians and may therefore confer susceptibility to nephropathy in humans. If confirmed in other studies, these results point toward a new candidate gene for nephropathy in humans

Improved SOT (Hinode mission) high resolution solar imaging observations

We consider the best today available observations of the Sun free of turbulent Earth atmospheric effects, taken with the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) onboard the Hinode spacecraft. Both the instrumental smearing and the observed stray light are analyzed in order to improve the resolution. The Point Spread Function (PSF) corresponding to the blue continuum Broadband Filter Imager (BFI) near 450 nm is deduced by analyzing i/ the limb of the Sun and ii/ images taken during the transit of the planet Venus in 2012. A combination of Gaussian and Lorentzian functions is selected to construct a PSF in order to remove both smearing due to the instrumental diffraction effects (PSF core) and the large-angle stray light due to the spiders and central obscuration (wings of the PSF) that are responsible for the parasitic stray light. A Max-likelihood deconvolution procedure based on an optimum number of iterations is discussed. It is applied to several solar field images, including the granulation near the limb. The normal non-magnetic granulation is compared to the abnormal granulation which we call magnetic. A new feature appearing for the first time at the extreme- limb of the disk (the last 100 km) is discussed in the context of the definition of the solar edge and of the solar diameter. A single sunspot is considered in order to illustrate how effectively the restoration works on the sunspot core. A set of 125 consecutive deconvolved images is assembled in a 45 min long movie illustrating the complexity of the dynamical behavior inside and around the sunspot.Comment: 15 pages, 22 figures, 1 movi

Local Health Department Values and Organizational Authorities Guiding Cross-Sector Work During COVID-19

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role that local health departments (LHDs) have in cross sector can address alone, including the work of value alignment and the strategic use of organizational authorities. The practices by which LHDs used their authorities to conduct cross-sector work during the pandemic need exploration. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 public health leaders from metropolitan LHDs across the United States. Our interview guide assessed the values that LHD leadership prioritized in their cross-sector work as well as the range of organizational authorities they leveraged to influence external decision-making in other sectors. Results: We found that LHDs approached cross-sector work by leaning on diverse values and authorities, each with unique implications for their work. The LHDs emphasized their approach to value alignment on a sector-by-sector basis, strategically using diverse organizational authorities—economic, political, moral, scientific, and logistical. While each authority and value we assessed was present across all interviewees, how each shaped action varied. Internally, LHDs emphasized certain authorities more than others to the degree that they more closely aligned with prioritized core values. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the ongoing need for LHD leadership to improve their ability to effectively communicate public health values and the unique authorities by which health-supporting work can be facilitated, including how this message must be adapted, depending on the specific sectors with which the LHD needs to partner and the governance arrangement in which the LHD is situated