Comparison and Analysis of Flexibility for Cutlery Made from Biobased/ Biodegradable and Petrochemical Materials

Biorenewable plastics can have the potential to reduce pollution, demand on landfills, and dependence on foreign petroleum caused by petroleum-based plastics. To determine the performance of biobased utensils compared to petrochemical based utensils, this study investigated 13 bio-based/biorenewable utensils and six petrochemical utensils in terms of weight, stiffness, and specific stiffness (stiffness/weight ratio). The Commercial Item Description (CID), which was created by the U.S. Government via the General Services Administration (GSA), is the current standard for testing utensils. The biobased products selected for this study were “commercial or industrial products (other than food or feed) that are composed, in whole, or in significant part, of biological products, renewable agricultural materials (including plant, animal, and marine materials), or forestry materials.” (USDA Bio Preferred Program, 2012). The results of this study show that the majority of biobased products exhibited similar strength and deflection under a given load as petrochemical products. This is the first comparison of this kind and it will allow designers and manufacturers to further optimize their products

An Interactive Program for the Analysis of Data from Two-Level Factorial Experiments via Probability Plotting

An interactive computer program that expedites the analysis for unreplicated two-level factorial and fractional factorial experimental designs advocated by Daniel (1976) and Box, Hunter, and Hunter (1978) is presented. The program calculates estimated effects via the Yates algorithm, identifies statistically detectable effects via normal plots and half normal plots, fits candidate models via the reverse Yates algorithm, and enables evaluation of candidate models through residual plots. The program can handle the analysis of standard 2p-q fractional factorial experiments where p - q √ 7 and can be modified to allow p - q \u3e 7

Activated lymphocyte recruitment into the tumor microenvironment following preoperative sipuleucel-T for localized prostate cancer.

BackgroundSipuleucel-T is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved immunotherapy for asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Its mechanism of action is not fully understood. This prospective trial evaluated the direct immune effects of systemically administered sipuleucel-T on prostatic cancer tissue in the preoperative setting.MethodsPatients with untreated localized prostate cancer were treated on an open-label Phase II study of sipuleucel-T prior to planned radical prostatectomy (RP). Immune infiltrates in RP specimens (posttreatment) and in paired pretreatment biopsies were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Correlations between circulating immune response and IHC were assessed using Spearman rank order.ResultsOf the 42 enrolled patients, 37 were evaluable. Adverse events were primarily transient, mild-to-moderate and infusion related. Patients developed T cell proliferation and interferon-γ responses detectable in the blood following treatment. Furthermore, a greater-than-three-fold increase in infiltrating CD3(+), CD4(+) FOXP3(-), and CD8(+) T cells was observed in the RP tissues compared with the pretreatment biopsy (binomial proportions: all P < .001). This level of T cell infiltration was observed at the tumor interface, and was not seen in a control group consisting of 12 concurrent patients who did not receive any neoadjuvant treatment prior to RP. The majority of infiltrating T cells were PD-1(+) and Ki-67(+), consistent with activated T cells. Importantly, the magnitude of the circulating immune response did not directly correlate with T cell infiltration within the prostate based upon Spearman's rank order correlation.ConclusionsThis study is the first to demonstrate a local immune effect from the administration of sipuleucel-T. Neoadjuvant sipuleucel-T elicits both a systemic antigen-specific T cell response and the recruitment of activated effector T cells into the prostate tumor microenvironment

Active Vibration Control Device

An active vibration control device for controlling vibration in a cantilevered member and a method for the same are disclosed. The device is comprised of a cantilevered member having a longitudinal axis comprising a sensor mounted near the free end of the member to measure motion of the member in a transverse direction and to produce a corresponding signal. A force generating assembly is mounted to the member near the free end to oppose the measured motion with a force thereby minimizing subsequent motion along the transverse axis caused by vibration

Reproducibility of Serologic Assays for Influenza Virus A (H5N1)

Results for clade 1 viruses were more consistent among laboratories when a standard antibody was used

Effects of potential detoxifying agents on growth performance and deoxynivalenol (DON) urinary balance characteristics of nursery pigs fed DON-contaminated wheat

Citation: Frobose, H. L., Stephenson, E. W., Tokach, M. D., DeRouchey, J. M., Woodworth, J. C., Dritz, S. S., & Goodband, R. D. (2017). Effects of potential detoxifying agents on growth performance and deoxynivalenol (DON) urinary balance characteristics of nursery pigs fed DON-contaminated wheat. Journal of Animal Science, 95(1), 327-337. doi:10.2527/jas2016.0664Two experiments were conducted to evaluate potential detoxifying agents on growth of nursery pigs fed deoxynivalenol (DON)-contaminated diets. Naturally DON-contaminated wheat (6 mg/kg) was used to achieve desired DON levels. In a 21-d study, 238 pigs (13.4 +/- 1.8 kg BW) were used in a completely randomized design with a 2 x 2 + 1 factorial arrangement. Diets were: 1) Positive control (PC; < 0.5 mg/kg DON), 2) PC + 1.0% Product V (Nutriquest LLC, Mason City, IA), 3) Negative control (NC; 4.0 mg/kg DON), 4) NC + 1.0% Product V, and 5) NC + 1.0% sodium metabisulfite (SMB; Samirian Chemicals, Campbell, CA). There were 6 or 7 replicate pens/treatment and 7 pigs/pen. Analyzed DON was decreased by 92% when pelleted with SMB, but otherwise matched formulated levels. Overall, a DON x Product V interaction was observed for ADG (P < 0.05) with a tendency for an interaction for ADFI (P < 0.10). As anticipated, DON reduced (P < 0.001) ADG and ADFI, but the interaction was driven by even poorer growth when Product V was added to NC diets. Pigs fed NC diets had 10% poorer G: F (P < 0.001) than PC-fed pigs. Reductions in ADG due to DON were most distinct (50%) during the initial period. Adding SMB to NC diets improved (P < 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and G: F, and improved (P < 0.02) ADG and G: F compared to the PC diet. A urinary balance study was conducted using diets 3 to 5 from Exp. 1 to evaluate Product V and SMB on DON urinary metabolism. A 10 d adaptation was followed by a 7 d collection using 24 barrows in a randomized complete block design. Pigs fed NC + SMB diet had greater urinary DON output (P < 0.05) than pigs fed NC + Product V, with NC pigs intermediate. Daily DON excretion was lowest (P < 0.05) in the NC + SMB pigs. However, degradation of DON-sulfonate back to the parent DON molecule was observed as pigs fed NC + SMB excreted more DON than they consumed (164% of daily DON intake), greater (P < 0.001) than pigs fed the NC (59%) or NC + Product V (48%). Overall, Product V did not alleviate DON effects on growth nor did it reduce DON absorption and excretion. However, hydrothermally processing DON-contaminated diets with 1.0% SMB restored ADFI and improved G: F. Even so, the urinary balance experiment revealed that some of the converted DON-sulfonate can degrade back to DON under physiological conditions. While further research is needed to discern the stability of the DON-sulfonate, SMB appears promising to restore performance in pelleted DON-contaminated diets

Patterns of Natural and Human-Caused Mortality Factors of a Rare Forest Carnivore, the Fisher (Pekania pennanti) in California.

Wildlife populations of conservation concern are limited in distribution, population size and persistence by various factors, including mortality. The fisher (Pekania pennanti), a North American mid-sized carnivore whose range in the western Pacific United States has retracted considerably in the past century, was proposed for threatened status protection in late 2014 under the United States Endangered Species Act by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in its West Coast Distinct Population Segment. We investigated mortality in 167 fishers from two genetically and geographically distinct sub-populations in California within this West Coast Distinct Population Segment using a combination of gross necropsy, histology, toxicology and molecular methods. Overall, predation (70%), natural disease (16%), toxicant poisoning (10%) and, less commonly, vehicular strike (2%) and other anthropogenic causes (2%) were causes of mortality observed. We documented both an increase in mortality to (57% increase) and exposure (6%) from pesticides in fishers in just the past three years, highlighting further that toxicants from marijuana cultivation still pose a threat. Additionally, exposure to multiple rodenticides significantly increased the likelihood of mortality from rodenticide poisoning. Poisoning was significantly more common in male than female fishers and was 7 times more likely than disease to kill males. Based on necropsy findings, suspected causes of mortality based on field evidence alone tended to underestimate the frequency of disease-related mortalities. This study is the first comprehensive investigation of mortality causes of fishers and provides essential information to assist in the conservation of this species

Complex-Temperature Singularities in the d=2d=2 Ising Model. III. Honeycomb Lattice

We study complex-temperature properties of the uniform and staggered susceptibilities $\chi$ and $\chi^{(a)}$ of the Ising model on the honeycomb lattice. From an analysis of low-temperature series expansions, we find evidence that $\chi$ and $\chi^{(a)}$ both have divergent singularities at the point $z=-1 \equiv z_{\ell}$ (where $z=e^{-2K}$), with exponents $\gamma_{\ell}'= \gamma_{\ell,a}'=5/2$. The critical amplitudes at this singularity are calculated. Using exact results, we extract the behaviour of the magnetisation $M$ and specific heat $C$ at complex-temperature singularities. We find that, in addition to its zero at the physical critical point, $M$ diverges at $z=-1$ with exponent $\beta_{\ell}=-1/4$, vanishes continuously at $z=\pm i$ with exponent $\beta_s=3/8$, and vanishes discontinuously elsewhere along the boundary of the complex-temperature ferromagnetic phase. $C$ diverges at $z=-1$ with exponent $\alpha_{\ell}'=2$ and at $v=\pm i/\sqrt{3}$ (where $v = \tanh K$) with exponent $\alpha_e=1$, and diverges logarithmically at $z=\pm i$. We find that the exponent relation $\alpha'+2\beta+\gamma'=2$ is violated at $z=-1$; the right-hand side is 4 rather than 2. The connections of these results with complex-temperature properties of the Ising model on the triangular lattice are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, latex, figures appended after the end of the text as a compressed, uuencoded postscript fil