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Selected AbstractsFeeding Practices of Dog and Cat Owners Reflect Attitudes Toward Pet FoodsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 11-12 2005K. N. Willoughby The PET DINER study was a telephone survey conducted to better understand why pet owners make certain nutritional decisions for their pets. Both dog and cat owners were included, which allowed us to differentiate the way people feed pet cats vs. pet dogs and how that might reflect owners' attitudes about pet foods. Prospective survey respondents were selected from local telephone books using a randomized process. A total of 18,194 calls were made from the five study sites between May and August, 2004. 1074 people (6%) representing 619 dogs and 455 cats completed the survey. Detailed information about feeding practices was collected. Pet owners' perceptions were assessed based on agreement/disagreement with statements regarding pet foods and the pet food industry. The Mann,Whitney Rank Sum test was used to detect differences between dog and cat owners and the Kruskal,Wallis one-way analysis of variance on ranks was used to evaluate differences among pet owners based on both type of pet and feeding practices (,75% commercial vs. ,50% home-prepared diets). More cats than dogs ate commercial pet food as ,75% of their main diet (96% vs. 87%, respectively; p < 0.001), and more dogs than cats ate a home-prepared food as ,50% of their main diet (6% vs. 3%, respectively; p < 0.009). For five of the statements, a difference in the attitudes of cat vs. dog owners was detected (p < 0.05). In general, this reflected more positive attitudes regarding commercial foods and less positive attitudes regarding home-prepared foods on the part of cat vs. dog owners. Analysis based on both type of pet and feeding practices identified significant differences among groups for 18/26 statements. However, when the Dunn's Method for pairwise multiple comparisons was applied, significant differences were due to feeding practices rather than type of pet for 17/18 statements. Only differences in attitudes about the statement ,raw bones can be safely fed to pets' remained significant for cat vs. dog owners feeding commercial foods. In conclusion, more cat owners than dog owners feed ,75% commercial foods to their pets and this is reflected in different attitudes about the nutritional soundness of commercial pet foods. [source] The effect of harvest date and inoculation on the yield, fermentation characteristics and feeding value of forage pea and field bean silagesGRASS & FORAGE SCIENCE, Issue 3 2001M. D. Fraser Two experiments describe the ensiling potential of whole-crop forage peas (Pisum sativum) and field beans (Vicia faba). In Experiment 1, forage peas (cv. Magnus) and field beans (cv. Mayo) were harvested at 10, 12 and 14 weeks after sowing, and ensiled in 10 kg mini-silos either untreated or treated with an inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum). In terms of yield and ensiling potential, the optimum growth stage for harvesting forage peas occurred at 12 weeks of growth. In contrast, delaying the harvest of field beans until 14 weeks gave the highest yields of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP). Changes in crop maturity had little effect on the chemical composition of the fresh forages, but between-harvest date differences were observed in the DM, ammonia-N, CP, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), acid-detergent fibre (ADF), neutral-detergent fibre (NDF), lactic acid and volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentrations and pH of the corresponding silages. Fermentation was improved by applying an inoculant. In Experiment 2, forage peas and field beans were harvested at 14 weeks after sowing and ensiled as round-bale silage, either untreated or treated with an inoculant. The yields of the crops were similar, and the only difference in the chemical composition of the wilted forages was a higher CP concentration in the field beans. However, after the ensiling process was complete, the forage pea silages were found to have significantly higher DM, WSC, starch and butyric acid concentrations compared with the field bean silages, and lower ammonia-N, CP, ADF, acetic acid and lactic acid concentrations. Inoculation was found to increase the lactic acid concentration and reduce the pH and ammonia-N and acetic acid concentrations of the silages. Each of the silages produced in Experiment 2 was offered to six Suffolk crossbred wether lambs, aged 10 months. Voluntary DM intakes were similar on all treatments, despite the apparent digestibility of the forage pea silages being significantly higher than that of the field bean silages. Nitrogen retention was higher for lambs offered forage pea silage. Application of an inoculant was found to have a negative effect on the amount of N retained, indicating the necessity for more detailed investigations into proteolytic activity within these crops during the fermentation process. [source] Optically Transparent Nanofiber PaperADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 16 2009Masaya Nogi Optically transparent paper of densely packed cellulose nanofibers is prepared without any additives. This material has the same chemical constituents as conventional paper, the only difference being the fiber width and the size of the interstitial cavities. This optically transparent paper exhibits high Young's modulus, high strength, ultralow CTE, and high foldability. [source] Analysis of the role of bacterial endospore cortex structure in resistance properties and demonstration of its conservation amongst speciesJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2001A. Atrih Aims: The aim of this work was to compare the chemical structure of the spore cortex of a range of species, and to determine any correlation between cortex structure and spore resistance properties. Methods and Results: The fine chemical structure of the cortex of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium botulinum was examined by muropeptide analysis using reverse phase HPLC. There is a conserved basic structure between peptidoglycan of these species, with the only difference being the level of de -N -acetylation of an amino sugar. In order to determine if an alteration in cortex structure correlates with heat resistance properties, the peptidoglycan structure and properties of B. subtilis spores prepared under different conditions were compared. Peptidoglycan from spores prepared in Nutrient Broth (NB) showed reduction in single L -alanine substituted muramic acid to only 13·9% compared with 20·6% in CCY-grown spores. NB-prepared spores are also unstable, with 161-fold less heat resistance (60 min, 85°C) and 43 times less Mn2+ content than CCY-grown spores. Addition of MnCl2 to NB led to a peptidoglycan profile similar to CCY-grown spores, sevenfold more heat resistance (60 min, 85°C) and an 86-fold increase in Mn2+ content. Addition of CCY salts to NB led all parameters to be comparable with CCY-grown spore levels. Conclusions: It has been shown that peptidoglycan structure is conserved in four spore-forming bacteria. Also, spore heat resistance is multifactorial and cannot be accounted for by any single parameter. Significance and Impact of the Study: Endospores made by diverse species most likely have common mechanisms of heat resistance. However, the molecular basis for their resistance remains elusive. [source] The effect of carbonyl group in the asymmetry of 3, 4JCH coupling constants in norbornanonesMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2008Francisco P. dos Santos Abstract A rationalization of the known difference between the 3, 4J and 3, 4J couplings transmitted mainly through the 7-bridge in norbornanone is presented in terms of the effects of hyperconjugative interactions involving the carbonyl group. Theoretical and experimental studies of 3, 4JCH couplings were carried out in 3- endo - and 3- exo -X-2-norbornanone derivatives (X = Cl, Br) and in exo - and endo -2-noborneol compounds. Hyperconjugative interactions were studied with the natural bond orbital (NBO) method. Hyperconjugative interactions involving the carbonyl ,* and ,* antibonding orbitals produce a decrease of three-bond contribution to both 3, 4J and 3, 4J couplings. However, the latter antibonding orbital also undergoes a strong , , ,* interaction, which defines an additional coupling pathway for 3, 4J but not for 3, 4J. This pathway is similar to that known for homoallylic couplings, the only difference being the nature of the intermediate antibonding orbital; i.e. for 3, 4J it is of ,*-type, while in homoallylic couplings it is of ,*-type. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Interfacial spin structure in epitaxial Fe/FeSn2 bilayers with exchange biasPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 12 2004F. Stromberg Abstract Fe/FeSn2 structures with epitaxial FeSn2 layers have been grown by MBE (Molecular Beam Epitaxy). Exchange bias and pinning phenomena were proved by SQUID magnetometry. In order to elucidate the spin structure at the Fe/FeSn2 interface and in some depth of the FeSn2 layer with CEMS (Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy), 57FeSn2 tracer layers of approx. 50 Å thickness have been incorpo- rated in the base structure, the only difference being the isotopic enrichment with 57Fe. An ellipsoidal model was applied to represent the spin structure. A strong out-of-plane component of the spin structure at the interface was observed. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Is the Canine Fossa Puncture Approach Really Necessary for the Severely Diseased Maxillary Sinus during Endoscopic Sinus Surgery?,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 6 2008Jae Yong Lee MD Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the necessity of canine fossa puncture (CFP) by comparing the symptom scores and postoperative computed tomography (CT) findings between patients with severe maxillary sinus disease who underwent CFP and those who underwent maxillary sinus clearance through a middle meatal antrostomy (MMA). Study Design: A prospective, randomized study. Materials and Methods: Fourteen patients met the inclusion criteria for each of the CFP and MMA groups. In both groups, all diseased sinuses were addressed in the same manner using the same surgical techniques; the only difference was management of the maxillary sinus. Most of the patients completed the Sinonasal Outcome Test 20 (SNOT-20) and visual analogue scales (VAS) for the six main symptoms preoperatively and 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. The Lund-Mackay scores for the maxillary sinus and for all sinuses were calculated from the preoperative CT scan and another scan taken 12 months postoperatively. The mucosal thickening as a percentage of the total volume of the maxillary sinus was also evaluated on the postoperative CT scans, and complications related to both procedures were investigated. Results: Twenty-four patients completed the follow-up, questionnaires, and postoperative CT scans and were included in the analysis: 11 CFP patients and 13 MMA patients. All of the patients had chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (NP). There were no significantdifferences in polyp extent or Lund-Mackay score for the maxillary sinus and for all sinuses on the pre- and postoperative CT scans between the groups. The volume of mucosal thickening also did not differ significantly between the groups on the postoperative CT scans. The SNOT-20 and VAS scores improved significantly 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure in both groups. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups except for the VAS for postnasal drip 3 months postoperatively, which was better in the CFP group. Six of 11 patients in the CFP group experienced one or more complications after the procedure, although all of the symptoms resolved spontaneously within 3 months. In the MMA group, three patients had bleeding from the branches of the sphenopalatine artery during widening of the ostium, which was controlled intraoperatively with suction cauterization. Conclusions: We could not find any benefits of the CFP procedure over the conventional MMA method in the present study. Although CFP is a useful method for removing severe mucosal disease that cannot be reached through the MMA, it does not guarantee a better subjective or objective surgical outcome in patients who have accompanying NP. [source] Noncompartmental pharmacokinetics analysis of glucose-stimulated insulin response in African,American and Caucasian youthsBIOPHARMACEUTICS AND DRUG DISPOSITION, Issue 3 2009Lanyi Xie Abstract The objective of this study was to examine the differences in glucose and insulin responses between African,American and Caucasian youths and to determine the associations of between-group differences with sex, body mass index (BMI) and pubertal status using a noncompartmental pharmacokinetic approach. Sixteen African,American and 22 Caucasian healthy adolescents were tested using the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. Longitudinal t -tests across each observation revealed that (1) African,American youths have higher insulin concentrations between 4 to 19,min; (2) insulin levels remained similar as subjects were grouped according to sex and pubertal status; (3) for glucose, the only difference was found as it approached steady-state basal level (>100,min) between groups with different BMIs. Linear regression showed that insulin concentrations between 4 to 19,min are associated with BMI in Caucasians. African,American youths were found to have higher insulin responses after glucose stimulation and the insulin concentrations were more related to BMI in Caucasians compared with African,Americans. BMI also has a significant effect on the glucose steady state basal level. The acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg) extended to 20,min resulted in a more significant racial difference (p<0.0006) compared with the calculation done over 10,min suggested in the past (p<0.001). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for Ewing sarcoma family tumors in patients aged between 40 and 60,CANCER, Issue 4 2007Report of 35 cases, comparison of results with 586 younger patients treated with the same protocols in the same years Abstract BACKGROUND. The clinical and pathologic features of 46 patients 40 to 60 years old with Ewing sarcoma family tumor (ESFT) diagnosed at the authors' institute between 1972 and 2000 were reviewed. METHODS. Ten patients with metastatic tumors at presentation went elsewhere for treatment; 35 of 36 remaining cases with localized disease were treated at the authors' institution according to different chemotherapy protocols activated in successive years. In patients with nonmetastatic tumors local treatment was surgery in 9 patients, radiotherapy in 16, and surgery followed by radiotherapy in 10. RESULTS. At follow-up times ranging from 6 and 34 years (mean, 17.8 years), 15 patients (42.9%) remained continuously disease-free, 19 experienced recurrence, and 1 died of chemotherapy-related toxicity. The 5- and 10-year event-free survivals were 42.9% and 35.2%, respectively, and the 5- and 10-year overall survivals were 46.1% and 42.8%, respectively. Comparing this group of patients with 586 cases of younger patients seen in the same period at Rizzoli, the only difference between the 2 groups was a significantly higher rate of tumors located in the soft tissues with a larger volume in the older group. The results achieved were comparable in the 2 groups, although the older group had a lower chemotherapy dose-intensity and a higher rate of WHO grade 4 hematologic toxicity. CONCLUSIONS. For patients with localized disease treated with adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy the results were essentially comparable in the 2 groups. It is concluded that patients 40 years or older with ESFT should be treated in the same way as younger patients and included in treatment trials for these tumors. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society. [source] Factors associated with elevated serum concentrations of anti-TPO antibodies in subjects with and without diffuse goitre.CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 6 2007American Cohort Study of Thyroid Cancer, Other Thyroid Diseases Following the Chornobyl Accident, Results from the Ukrainian Summary Objectives, To examine factors associated with the prevalence of elevated anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (ATPO) among iodine-deficient adolescents and young adults and test whether associations vary according to the presence of diffuse goitre. Design, Subjects were members of the Ukrainian,American Cohort Study exposed to the Chornobyl accident whose 131I thyroid dose estimates were below 0·2 Gy. Measurements, The odds ratios (ORs) for ATPO above 60 U/ml were estimated using logistic regression models for a number of factors in the total population (N = 5133), and separately for thyroid disease-free subjects (N = 3875), those with diffuse goitre (N = 921), and diffuse goitre without autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT; N = 883). Results, Elevated ATPO was found in 9·9% of the total population and ORs were significantly higher in females, older individuals, those examined in earlier calendar years, residents of Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts, subjects with a family history of thyroid disease, higher thyroid ultrasound volume, suppressed or elevated TSH, blood collection in March to May, very low thyroglobulin (Tg), and shorter serum storage time. When thyroid disease-free subjects and those with diffuse goitre were compared, there were few differences in antibody prevalence, and after excluding individuals with AIT, the only difference was an increased prevalence of elevated ATPO at low urinary iodine in those with goitre alone. Conclusions, Although a number of factors are associated with the prevalence of elevated ATPO in our study group, with the exception of urinary iodine these factors are independent of goitre, and differences between thyroid disease-free subjects and those with diffuse goitre are largely due to AIT. [source] Effects of iodine supplementation during pregnancy on child growth and development at school ageDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 2 2002Karen J O'Donnell MEd PhD Growth and development of 207 children (49% males; mean age 5.4 years [SD 0.2], range 4 to 7.3 years whose mothers received iodine during pregnancy, and children who received iodine first in their 2nd year, were examined in 1996; 192 children(49% males; mean age 6.5 years[SD 0.2], range 5.8 to 6.9 years) whose mothers received iodine while pregnant were seen in 1998. Children were from the southern part of China's Xinjiang Province which has the lowest levels of iodine in water and soil ever recorded. Head circumference but not height was improved for those who received iodine during pregnancy (compared with those receiving iodine at age 2) and for those supplemented before the end of the 2nd trimester (relative to those supplemented during the 3rd trimester). Iodine before the 3rd trimester predicted higher psychomotor test scores for children relative to those provided iodine later in pregnancy or at 2 years. Results from the test for cognitive development resulted in trend only differences between those children supplemented during pregnancy versus later. The results address the question of when maternal iodine supplements should begin in public health programs world wide. Findings may be relevant to the treatment of maternal and newborn thyroid deficiency in industrialized countries, particularly for those infants delivered before the end of the second trimester. [source] Rearing environment and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation in young rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2005John P. Capitanio Abstract A mammal's early social environment has important regulatory effects on its behavior and physiology, and this is especially true for regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system. The present study was designed to test hypotheses that various aspects of the social environment are important influences on HPA regulation. Seven hundred seventy eight, 3- to 4-month-old rhesus monkeys were studied as part of a standardized, 24-hr biobehavioral assessment program, which included blood sampling to determine plasma cortisol concentrations. Results indicate that nursery-rearing results in a reduced cortisol set-point for the HPA system, and, for nursery-reared (NR) animals, more peer exposure during infancy is associated with a higher set-point. Age and sex differences during this period were evident but small in magnitude. These data demonstrate the important regulatory role of the social environment on nonhuman primate physiology and suggest caution in assuming that differences between individuals' cortisol levels reflect only differences in perceptions of the "stressfulness" of events. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 46:318,330, 2005. [source] Investigations on the Re-establishment of the Positive Feedback of Oestradiol during Anoestrus in the BitchREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 1 2003R Klein Contents To test for the re-establishment of the positive feedback of oestradiol (E2) during anoestrus in the dog, the hypothalamo,pituitary,ovarian axis of five beagle bitches was challenged by treatments with oestradiol benzoate (EB), mimicking the course of the pro-oestric E2 secretion. Treatments in anoestrus started 7 days following the decline of progesterone (P) <1 ng/ml; they were repeated in 5 week intervals until onset of pro-oestrus; another treatment was performed during dioestrus 50 days after onset of the preceding pro-oestric bleeding. Each dog served as its own control by receiving vehicle-treatments in one of the following cycles. Each observation period covered a time window of 168 h and blood samples were collected for the determination of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and E2 in 6 (0,24 h) and 8 h (24,168 h) intervals. In the control periods and as indicated by the parameters area under curve (AUC), basal and maximal values, the availability of LH, FSH and E2 decreased from dioestrus to early anoestrus to increase again during the course of anoestrus (p < 0.05), indicating a gradual desensitization of the hypothalamus towards the negative feedback of oestradiol. At all times treatments with EB lowered the availability of FSH (decreased AUC and basal levels). A delay in the occurrence of the first LH peak after treatments with EB (p < 0.001) and decreased maximal values (p < 0.001) indicated a suppression of the LH-release. In no case treatment with EB led to a pre-ovulatory like LH-surge. In each dog the last trial with EB in anoestrus passed over into pro-oestrus/oestrus, with a reduced AUC and peak value of the pre-ovulatory LH-surge being the only differences to the control group. The observed differences in the response of LH and FSH to treatments with EB point towards subtle differences in the mechanisms controlling the release of these two hormones during anoestrus. From the data obtained, it may be concluded that the time window for E2 to act via a positive feedback seems to be very small and restricted to the end of anoestrus, and that full follicular function is a pre-requisite to allow for this phenomenon. [source] Accommodation and Resistance: Latinas Struggle for Their Children's EducationANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2003Professor Irma M. Olmedo Accommodation and resistance are not dichotomous phenomena but, rather, interwoven strategies for immigrants trying to survive in a cultural environment different from their own. Both strategies are responses to conflict, especially in the education of children. This article examines these conflicts among two generations of Latinas, and the ways in which they capitalized on their funds of knowledge to resolve conflicts. The issues involve not only differences in cultural practices and beliefs but also how these are shaped by participants' social positions and the institutional forces that threaten their beliefs. [source] | ||||||||||||||||