Dysphagia secondary to focal inflammatory myopathy and consequent dorsiflexion of the tongue in a dog.

A 14-month-old female pitbull terrier mix was presented for evaluation of dysphagia of 8 months' duration secondary to intermittent dorsiflexion of the tongue apex. Physical and neurological examinations were unremarkable with the exception of the dorsiflexed tongue. Serum creatine kinase activity was increased (703 IU/L, reference interval: 55 to 257 IU/L), and electromyography of the tongue demonstrated areas of fibrillation potentials. Histopathology of the tongue showed myopathic changes with excessive variability in myofibre size and endomysial fibrosis. Cytochemical stains verified mixed mononuclear cells throughout the endomysium and perimysium consistent with a chronic inflammatory myopathy. No improvement was reported following prednisone administration; although the dog was able to prehend kibble, it needed assistance when drinking water. This is the first report documenting a focal lingual myopathy in a non-corgi breed and highlights the utility of determining creatine kinase activity and obtaining tongue biopsies when warranted in dysphagic animals.

Intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc and polyunsaturated fatty acids and upper respiratory tract infection-a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have a role in the human immune defense and may affect the susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). To examine dietary intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc and PUFAs in relation to URTI incidence in a prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 1533 Swedish women and men aged 25-64 years were followed for nine months during 2011-2012. Information on dietary intake was assessed through a web-based food frequency questionnaire, and events of URTI were self-reported prospectively as they occurred. Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to obtain incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The mean number of URTI events was 0.9 among all participants, 1.0 among women and 0.7 among men. In women, the incidence rate ratios (95% confidence interval) for high compared with low intake were 0.69 (0.55-0.88) for vitamin C, 0.77 (0.62-0.96) for vitamin E, 0.57 (0.39-0.83) for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 0.80 (0.65-0.99) for arachidonic acid (AA). No association was found for selenium or zinc among women. In men, an increased URTI incidence was seen with medium vitamin E intake (1.42 (1.09-1.85)) and high zinc intake (1.50 (1.04-2.16)). No association was found for vitamin C, selenium or PUFAs among men. CONCLUSIONS: We found an inverse association of URTI incidence among women for vitamin C, vitamin E, DHA and AA intake and a positive association among men for vitamin E and zinc intake. The observed gender differences warrant further investigation.

Electric field induced Lyman-α emission of a hydrogen beam for electric field measurements.

Electric field induced Lyman-α emission is a new way of measuring weak electric fields in vacuum and in a plasma. It is based on the emission of Lyman-α radiation (121.6 nm) by a low-energy metastable H atom beam due to Stark-quenching of the 2s level induced by the field. In this paper, we describe the technique in detail. Test measurements have been performed in vacuum between two plates polarized at a controlled voltage. The intensity of emitted radiation, proportional to the square of the field modulus, has been recorded by a lock-in technique, which gives an excellent signal to noise ratio. These measurements provide an in situ calibration that can be used to obtain the absolute value of the electric field. A diagnostic of this type can help to address a long standing challenge in plasma physics, namely, the problem of measuring electric fields without disturbing the equilibrium of the system that is being studied.

Handling leachate from glass cullet stockpiles.

Mixed glass cullet (crushed recycled glass containers) is stockpiled uncovered before use as roadway construction aggregate or daily cover in landfills. Rainwater that leaches through the stockpiles dissolves and suspends contaminants such as those from food residuals and paper labels. The objective of this study was to determine leachate quantity and quality from cullet stockpiles as a basis for development of Best Management Practices (BMPs). Four 35-tonne field stockpiles were set up for leachate analysis and to determine the effects of mechanical turning treatment on the leachate. Field-collected leachate and laboratory-generated washwater of cullet (water:cullet=3:1 by weight) were both analyzed for basic wastewater parameters, which showed pollutant levels comparable to or higher than those of untreated domestic wastewater or urban stormwater. While organic contamination decreased substantially (e.g., washwater BOD>95% reduction), TKN and total-phosphorus levels in leachate ranged between 11.6-154mgL(-1) and 1.6-12.0mgL(-1), respectively, and remained comparable to levels found in untreated domestic wastewater after four months. Turning enhanced the degradation of the organic constituents inside the stockpiles, which was confirmed by elevated temperatures. Based on this study, leachate from glass cullet stockpiles should not be released to surface water. For leachate from long-term cullet stockpiles, release to groundwater should be only done after treatment to reduce nitrogen levels.

High-level visual-spatial ability for novices correlates with performance in a visual-spatial complex surgical simulator task.

BACKGROUND: This study addresses how high-level visual-spatial ability of surgical novices is related to performance of two simulator tasks with (KSA) and without (MIST) anatomic graphics and haptic feedback, differing in visual-spatial complexity. METHODS: Visual-spatial test scores assessed by Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and BasIQ and performance scores for Instrument Navigation (IN) in Key Surgical Activities (Procedicus KSA) and Manipulate and Diathermy (MD) in Minimally Invasive Surgical Trainer (Procedicus MIST) were correlated for 54 Swedish surgical novices. RESULTS: Significant Pearson's r correlations were obtained between visual-spatial scores measured by MRT-C and total score from the last trial for IN (r = 0.278, p < 0.05). Visual-spatial scores (measured by BasIQ) also correlated with total score from the first trial (r = 0.443, p < 0.05) and from the last trial (r = 0.489, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: High-level visual-spatial ability is important for surgical novices to possess in the early training phase of a visual-spatial complex task in KSA.

Early exposure to haptic feedback enhances performance in surgical simulator training: a prospective randomized crossover study in surgical residents.

BACKGROUND: In the literature of skill acquisition and transfer of skills, it often is assumed that the rate of skill acquisition depends on what has been learned in a similar context (i.e., surgical simulators providing haptic feedback). This study aimed to analyze whether the addition of haptic feedback early in the training phase for image-guided surgical simulation improves performance. METHODS: A randomized crossover study design was used, in which 38 surgical residents were randomized to begin a 2-h simulator training session with either haptic or nonhaptic training followed by crossover after 1 h. The graphic context was a virtual upper abdomen. The residents performed two diathermy tasks. Two validated tests were used to control for differences in visual-spatial ability: the BasIQ general cognitive ability test and Mental Rotation Test A (MRT-A). RESULTS: After 2 h of training, the group that had started with haptic feedback performed the two diathermy tasks significantly better (p < 0.05, unpaired t-test). Only the group that had started with haptic training significantly improved during the last 1-h session (p < 0.01, paired t-test). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that haptic feedback could be important in the early training phase of skill acquisition in image-guided surgical simulator training.

Training in tasks with different visual-spatial components does not improve virtual arthroscopy performance.

BACKGROUND: We earlier showed that training in the Procedicus KSA Simulator improves the performance of tasks done later in the same simulator. However, it is still unclear how performance in a specific visual-spatial simulator context may change after training in other simulators with different visual-spatial components. In particular, the aim of this study was to test whether performance in the Procedicus Virtual Arthroscopy (VA) Knee Simulator would remain unchanged after a training session in three other simulators with different visual-spatial components. METHODS: Twenty-eight medical students participated in a quasi-transfer study. They were randomly allocated to an experimental group ( n = 14) and a control group ( n = 14). RESULTS: Performance in the Procedicus VA Knee Simulator did not improve after training in other simulators with different visual-spatial components ( t-test p = NS). No significant correlation was found between the Procedicus VA Knee and the Minimally Invasive Surgical Trainer (MIST) simulators. CONCLUSION: One hour of training in different visual-spatial contexts was not enough to improve the performance in virtual arthroscopy tasks. It cannot be excluded, however, that experienced trainees could improve their performance, because perceived similarity between different situations is influenced by many psychological factors, such as the knowledge or expertise of the person performing the transfer task.

Validation and learning in the Procedicus KSA virtual reality surgical simulator.

BACKGROUND: Advanced simulator training within medicine is a rapidly growing field. Virtual reality simulators are being introduced as cost-saving educational tools, which also lead to increased patient safety. METHODS: Fifteen medical students were included in the study. For 10 medical students performance was monitored, before and after 1 h of training, in two endoscopic simulators (the Procedicus KSA with haptic feedback and anatomical graphics and the established MIST simulator without this haptic feedback and graphics). Five medical students performed 50 tests in the Procedicus KSA in order to analyze learning curves. One of these five medical students performed multiple training sessions during 2 weeks and performed more than 300 tests. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement after 1 h of training regarding time, movement economy, and total score. The results in the two simulators were highly correlated. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the use of surgical simulators as a pedagogical tool in medical student training is encouraging. It shows rapid learning curves and our suggestion is to introduce endoscopic simulator training in undergraduate medical education during the course in surgery when motivation is high and before the development of "negative stereotypes" and incorrect practices.

Evaluation of autotrophic denitrification, heterotrophic nitrification, and PAOs in full scale simultaneous biological nutrient removal sysyems.

Anoxic and aerobic batch reactor assays using a two-by-two factorial design were developed to determine the potential activity of autotrophic denitrification and heterotrophic nitrification in biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge systems, especially those accomplishing simultaneous BNR (SBNR). Results from the application of these assays to three full scale closed loop bioreactors previously documented to be accomplishing SBNR demonstrated that these activities were minimal in comparison with the conventionally recognized activities of heterotrophic denitrification and autotrophic nitrification. Activity within the mixed liquor consistent with current theories for phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) was also observed. Along with other observations, this suggests the presence of PAOs in the facilities studied.

Biological removal of gaseous ammonia in biofilters: space travel and earth-based applications.

Gaseous NH3 removal was studied in laboratory-scale biofilters (14-L reactor volume) containing perlite inoculated with a nitrifying enrichment culture. These biofilters received 6 L/min of airflow with inlet NH3 concentrations of 20 or 50 ppm, and removed more than 99.99% of the NH3 for the period of operation (101, 102 days). Comparison between an active reactor and an autoclaved control indicated that NH3 removal resulted from nitrification directly, as well as from enhanced absorption resulting from acidity produced by nitrification. Spatial distribution studies (20 ppm only) after 8 days of operation showed that nearly 95% of the NH3 could be accounted for in the lower 25% of the biofilter matrix, proximate to the port of entry. Periodic analysis of the biofilter material (20 and 50 ppm) showed accumulation of the nitrification product NO3- early in the operation, but later both NO2- and NO3- accumulated. Additionally, the N-mass balance accountability dropped from near 100% early in the experiments to approximately 95 and 75% for the 20- and 50-ppm biofilters, respectively. A partial contributing factor to this drop in mass balance accountability was the production of NO and N2O, which were detected in the biofilter exhaust.

African-American fathers: perceptions of two generations.

The purpose of this study was to determine how African-American fathers of 10-14-years-olds viewed their assets and limitations as parents, and to find out how children from this age group saw the parent performance of their fathers. The Parent Success Indicator was administered to 102 fathers and to 104 adolescents. Significant differences were found between generations on five of six subscales. The independent variables entering the greatest effect on how both generations perceived parental success were amount of time father and child spent together, having an adult at home when a child returns from school, and gender of child.

Peer and self-evaluation of teamwork skills.

The increasing reliance of corporations on teamwork and peer evaluation of job performance requires the acquisition of these skills in high school. An approach called the Peer and Self-Evaluation System (PSES) informs teachers about group interaction from the student view. This strategy enables students to identify and record teamwork skills demonstrated by peers and themselves in co-operative activities. Based upon these observations, which are kept anonymous, students get confidential feedback about personal strengths and limitations. Field testing of the system with 300 high school students and their teachers confirmed its worth. Moreover, the findings showed that girls were identified by the boys and by themselves as having greater co-operative teamwork skills. The PSES method of evaluating group work can be used in most subject matter areas, results are appropriate for student and teacher portfolios, and outcomes can guide the united effort of parents and teachers

Composting on Mars or the Moon: II. Temperature feedback control with top-wise introduction of waste material and air.

Whereas Earth-based composting reactors that effectively control the process are batch operations with bottom-to-top airflow, in extraterrestrial application both the fresh waste and the air need to be introduced from above. Stabilized compost and used air would exit below. This materials flow pattern permits the addition of waste whenever generated, obviating the need for multiple reactors, and the incorporation of a commode in the lid. Top loading in turn dictates top-down aeration, so that the most actively decomposing material (greatest need for heat removal and O2 replenishment) is first encountered. This novel material and aeration pattern was tested in conjunction with temperature feedback process control. Reactor characteristics were: working, volume, 0.15 m3; charge, 2 kg dry biomass per day (comparable to a 3-4 person self-sufficient bioregenerative habitat); retention time, 7 days. Judging from temperature profile, O2 level, air usage, pressure head loss, moisture, and odor, the system was effectively controlled over a 35-day period. Dry matter disappearance averaged 25% (10-42%). The compost product was substantially, though not completely, stabilized. This demonstrates the compatibility of top-wise introduction of waste and air with temperature feedback process control.

Composting on Mars or the Moon: I. Comparative evaluation of process design alternatives.

As a candidate technology for treating solid wastes and recovering resources in bioregenerative Advanced Life Support, composting potentially offers such advantages as compactness, low mass, near ambient reactor temperatures and pressures, reliability, flexibility, simplicity, and forgiveness of operational error or neglect. Importantly, the interactions among the physical, chemical, and biological factors that govern composting system behavior are well understood. This article comparatively evaluates five Generic Systems that describe the basic alternatives to composting facility design and control. These are: 1) passive aeration; 2) passive aeration abetted by mechanical agitation; 3) forced aeration--O2 feedback control; 4) forced aeration--temperature feedback control; 5) forced aeration--integrated O2 and temperature feedback control. Each of the five has a distinctive pattern of behavior and process performance characteristics. Only Systems 4 and 5 are judged to be viable candidates for ALS on alien worlds, though which is better suited in this application is yet to be determined.

Ten-year follow-up study of signs and symptoms of craniomandibular disorders in adults with intact and restored dentitions.

Signs and symptoms of craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD) and oral parafunctions were re-examined in subjects, 25-26 years of age, 10 years after the first examination. Forty subjects had restored dentitions at both examinations (group F), 18 subjects with previously intact dentitions had had fillings in their teeth during the follow-up period (group FI), and 11 subjects had intact dentitions at both examinations (group I). Signs and symptoms of CMD were more common among the subjects in group F than in the original group of subjects with intact teeth (group 10). In accordance with the first study most of the symptoms were mild and of low frequency. However, frequent symptoms were only found among the subjects in group FI and group F and more severe frequent symptoms only in group F. There was an increase of the symptoms in group FI and group F. Frequent tooth clenching and frequent tongue pressing were more common in group F and there was a statistically significant increase in group FI concerning tooth clenching and tooth grinding and in group F concerning tooth grinding, tooth clenching and tongue pressing. Together with the correlations found between tooth clenching and signs and symptoms of CMD, the findings in this study and the personality study indicate a possible causal relationship between oral parafunctions, signs and symptoms of CMD, personality and fillings. A hypothesis for the possible mechanisms is presented. However, the findings are not conclusive and more studies are necessary, and for further interpretation of the results, studies from other research centres would be of interest.

Black grandparents: curriculum development.

The performance of Black grandparents was examined to determine the most suitable content for an educational program intended to assist them in their role. A sample of 626 non-consanguineous subjects included 204 grandparents, 128 parents, and 294 grandchildren. Each generation group completed a separate version of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory to identify the favorable qualities of grandparents and aspects of their relationships in which further growth was necessary. A combination of multivariate analysis of variance procedures, univariate analysis of variance tests, and t-tests were used to analyze scores, confirm results, and assist with interpretation of data. All groups described aspects of grandparents success and made known specific realms of learning that grandparents should acquire in order to become more effective. Analysis of the responses revealed significant main effects for generation, gender of grandchild, age of grandchild, and amount of time that grandparent and grandchild spent together. Considerations were identified for improving grandparent influence and guiding the development of grandparent education programs.

Adult human osteoblast-like cells do not express insulin-like growth factor-I.

Previous studies using cultures of fetal rodents calvaria have indicated an important role for insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in the local control of bone formation. In this study, we have examined the expression of IGF-I in adult human osteoblast-like (hOB) cells. To detect very low levels and to distinguish between the two IGF-I mRNA transcripts Ea and Eb, which are formed by alternate splicing, we have used the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Expression of both Ea and Eb IGF-I mRNA transcripts were found in human liver and in placenta. However, neither Ea nor Eb IGF-I mRNA could be detected under basal conditions or after stimulation with growth hormone in normal hOB cells and two human osteosarcoma cell lines with osteoblastic properties, SaOS-2 and MG-63. We conclude that adult hOB cells do not synthesize IGF-I. Thus, in contrast to its crucial role as a local regulator of skeletal remodeling in fetal rodent bone, IGF-I does not appear to have this autocrine function in adult human bone.

Sharing the earth: case studies on population, wildlife, and the environment.

PIP: In 1988 the National Audubon Society's population program began to develop a joint project on the issues of human population growth and wildlife management by comparing sites in the United States and overseas to identify actions necessary for a sustainable ecosystem. Eight US sites were matched with eight sites in other countries. The Audubon wildlife managers visited their partners' international settings and then hosted their counterparts at their own sanctuaries in the US. All sites involved water resources: three were coastal systems, two had major rivers, and three were freshwater wetlands. Coastal systems comprised Tampa Bay sanctuaries, Florida, Wat Phai Lom, Wat Asokaram, and Ban Lung Jorm, Thailand. In Thailand wildlife sanctuaries have been set aside within monastery grounds, hence Thai bird colonies are more secure than those of Rookery Bay Sanctuary, Florida and Pulau Rambut, Indonesia. An Audubon warden patrols southwest Florida's Rookery Bay, whereas in Pulau Rambut there is insufficient government staff to protect it from human disturbance. Along the Yucatan Peninsula, Louisiana's Rainey Sanctuary and Mexico's Rio Lagartos system both encompass great tracts of fertile wetlands teeming with wildlife. However, Louisiana is losing 130 square kilometers of coastal wetland a year, the most rapid loss on earth. Population growth, poverty, and unsustainable economic activities put pressure on the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary, Texas, and the Biotopo del Manati, Guatemala, river systems. Deforestation is a serious problem in both areas. Platte River, Nebraska, and Indus River, Pakistan. Indus River, Pakistan, still maintains much of its pristine quality, while Platte River, Nebraska, has been dammed and diverted. Freshwater Wetlands include the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Florida, Lake Nakuru, Kenya, Alkali Lake Sanctuary, North Dakota, and Estancia Caiman, Brazil. The Corkscrew area's growth is caused by migration, while Nakuru's growth is a result of migration, urbanization, and the high birth rate. The Audubon Society's Sharing the Earth Project has resulted in three international symposia on people, water, and wildlife.^ieng

Development of field application vectors for bioremediation of soils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls.

Field application vectors (FAVs), which are a combination of a selective substrate, a host, and a cloning vector, have been developed for the purpose of expressing foreign genes in nonsterile, competitive environments in which the gene products provide no advantage to the host. Such gene products are exemplified by the enzymes for the cometabolism of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through the biphenyl degradation pathway. Attempts to use highly competent PCB-cometabolizing strains in the environment in the absence of biphenyl have not been successful, while the addition of biphenyl is limited by its human toxicity and low water solubility. Broad-substrate-specificity PCB-degradative genes (bphABC) were cloned from a naturally occurring isolate. Pseudomonas sp. strain ENV307, into broad-host-range plasmid pRK293. The resulting PCB-degrading plasmids were transferred to the FAV host Pseudomonas paucimobilis 1IGP4, which utilizes the nontoxic, water-soluble, nonionic surfactant Igepal CO-720 as a selective growth substrate. Plasmid stability in the recombinant strains was determined in the absence of antibiotic selection. PCB-degrading activity was determined by resting cell assays. Treatment of contaminated soil (10, 100, or 1,000 ppm of Aroclor 1242) by surfactant amendment (1.0% [wt/wt]Igepal CO-720 in wet soil) and inoculation with recombinant isolates of strain 1IGP4 (approximately 4 x 10(6) cells per g of soil) resulted in degradation of many of the individual PCB congeners in the absence of biphenyl.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Development and use of field application vectors to express nonadaptive foreign genes in competitive environments.

Many potential applications of genetically engineered microorganisms in environmental and agricultural biotechnology involve introducing genetic capabilities into nonsterile competitive environments in which they provide no advantage to the host. Field application vectors have been designed for the purpose of creating a temporary niche for the host in such environments. This technique involves the addition to the target environment of a selective substrate readily utilizable by the host microorganism but unavailable to most indigenous species. Thirteen nonionic and anionic detergents, representing a wide range of structural complexities and molecular weights, were screened as potential selective substrates. Competition experiments in soil, using Warburg respirometry, indicated that isolates from six different detergent enrichment cultures were more active on their corresponding detergents than the indigenous microorganisms. Detergents of intermediate structural complexities and molecular weights were most effective for use as selective substrates. A field application vector that utilizes 1.0% Igepal CO-720 (detergent) as the selective substrate and Pseudomonas paucimobilis 1IGP4 as the host was tested for its ability to increase the presence of nonadaptive tetracycline resistance marker genes in soil. In soil amended with the selective substrate, strain 1IGP4 plate counts increased by three orders of magnitude and tetracycline-resistant transformant (pRK293) counts increased from 1.8 x 10/g of soil to 4.3 x 10/g in 2 days. Inoculation in the absence of substrate amendment or amendment with a nonselective substrate did not result in growth of strain 1IGP4. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of field application vectors for increasing the concentration of nonadaptive genes in competitive environments.