Effects of a sorbitol-containing additive fed to dairy cows for 30 days postpartum.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of early postpartum supplementation of Rally®, a sorbitol-containing feed additive (RAL), on lactation performance and automatic milking system (AMS) metrics on a commercial dairy farm. Multiparous (MT) and primiparous (PP) Holstein cows were randomly assigned to either RAL supplementation (570 g/d RAL; RAL-MT, n = 75, RAL-PP, n = 34) or control (CTL-MT, n = 72; CTL-PP, n = 38). The RAL cows were supplemented from 1 to 30 d in milk via an automated feed dispenser in the AMS.

Descriptive evaluation of a camera-based dairy cattle lameness detection technology.

Lameness in dairy cattle is a clinical sign of impaired locomotion, mainly caused by painful foot lesions, compromising the US dairy industry's economic, environmental, and social sustainability goals. Combining technology and on-farm data may be a more precise and less labor-intensive lameness detection tool, particularly for early detection. The objective of this observational study was to describe the association between average weekly autonomous camera-based (AUTO) locomotion scores and hoof trimming (HT) data.

New sector morphologies emerge from anisotropic colony growth.

Competition during range expansions is of great interest from both practical and theoretical view points. Experimentally, range expansions are often studied in homogeneous Petri dishes, which lack spatial anisotropy that might be present in realistic populations. Here, we analyze a model of anisotropic growth, based on coupled Kardar-Parisi-Zhang and Fisher-Kolmogorov-Petrovsky-Piskunov equations that describe surface growth and lateral competition.

Interplay between morphology and competition in two-dimensional colony expansion.

In growing populations, the fate of mutations depends on their competitive ability against the ancestor and their ability to colonize new territory. Here we present a theory that integrates both aspects of mutant fitness by coupling the classic description of one-dimensional competition (Fisher equation) to the minimal model of front shape (Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation). We solve these equations and find three regimes, which are controlled solely by the expansion rates, solely by the competitive abilities, or by both.

Trump divide among American conservative professors.

There has been an outpouring of research on right-wing populist conservatism since the advent of the Trump presidency and right-wing movements in Europe. Yet, little research has been devoted to divisions among conservatives themselves, especially among conservative academics. Although Trump has maintained remarkable unity within the Republican Party for electoral reasons, he has fostered sharp divisions among conservative intellectuals and academicians.

Competition on the edge of an expanding population.

In growing populations, the fate of mutations depends on their competitive ability against the ancestor and their ability to colonize new territory. Here we present a theory that integrates both aspects of mutant fitness by coupling the classic description of one-dimensional competition (Fisher equation) to the minimal model of front shape (KPZ equation). We solved these equations and found three regimes, which are controlled solely by the expansion rates, solely by the competitive abilities, or by both.

30-Day Post-Discharge Prophylaxis with Rivaroxaban Prevents Porto-mesenteric Venous Thrombosis Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Introduction: Porto-mesenteric venous thrombosis (PMVT) is a significant complication that occurs more frequently after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) than other bariatric procedures and presents later than other venous thromboembolic (VTE) events often 2 weeks after the operation. The common current practice in bariatric surgery of perioperative chemoprophylaxis until discharge may not adequately prevent PMVT. Therefore, a 30-day post-discharge chemoprophylaxis (PDC) might reduce the incidence of PMVT.

Seascape origin of Richards growth.

First proposed as an empirical rule over half a century ago, the Richards growth equation has been frequently invoked in population modeling and pandemic forecasting. Central to this model is the advent of a fractional exponent γ, typically fitted to the data. While various motivations for this nonanalytical form have been proposed, it is still considered foremost an empirical fitting procedure.

Active gels, heavy tails, and the cytoskeleton.

The eukaryotic cell's cytoskeleton is a prototypical example of an active material: objects embedded within it are driven by molecular motors acting on the cytoskeleton, leading to anomalous diffusive behavior. Experiments tracking the behavior of cell-attached objects have observed anomalous diffusion with a distribution of displacements that is non-Gaussian, with heavy tails. This has been attributed to "cytoquakes" or other spatially extended collective effects.

Cell-free vascular grafts that grow with the host.

Cell-free small diameter vascular grafts, based on small intestinal submucosa (SIS) functionalized with heparin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) manufactured and implanted successfully into the arterial system of neonatal lambs, where they remained patent and grew in size with the host to a similar extent and with similar rate as native arteries. Acellular tissue engineered vessels (A-TEV) integrated seamlessly into the native vasculature and developed confluent, functional endothelium that afforded patency. The medial layer was infiltrated by smooth muscle cells, showed no signs of calcification and developed contractile function.

A Novel Approach to ICU Survivor Care: A Population Health Quality Improvement Project.

Objectives: Deliver a novel interdisciplinary care process for ICU survivor care and their primary family caregivers, and assess mortality, readmission rates, and economic impact compared with usual care.

Design: Population health quality improvement comparative study with retrospective data analysis.

Setting: A single tertiary care rural hospital with medical/surgical, neuroscience, trauma, and cardiac ICUs.

Endothelialization of arterial vascular grafts by circulating monocytes.

Recently our group demonstrated that acellular tissue engineered vessels (A-TEVs) comprised of small intestinal submucosa (SIS) immobilized with heparin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) could be implanted into the arterial system of a pre-clinical ovine animal model, where they endothelialized within one month and remained patent. Here we report that immobilized VEGF captures blood circulating monocytes (MC) with high specificity under a range of shear stresses. Adherent MC differentiate into a mixed endothelial (EC) and macrophage (Mφ) phenotype and further develop into mature EC that align in the direction of flow and produce nitric oxide under high shear stress.

Student experiences and satisfaction with a novel clerkship patient scheduling.

: Outpatient primary care clerkships are an important part of medical students' education.Traditional clerkships usually partner a student with a single preceptor in that physician's clinic. However, it can be quite difficult for the preceptor to balance the educational needs of the students, the expectations of the patients and the organizational demands of the clinic practice.

Replacing the eleven native tryptophans by directed evolution produces an active P-glycoprotein with site-specific, non-conservative substitutions.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) pumps an array of hydrophobic compounds out of cells, and has major roles in drug pharmacokinetics and cancer multidrug resistance. Yet, polyspecific drug binding and ATP hydrolysis-driven drug export in Pgp are poorly understood. Fluorescence spectroscopy using tryptophans (Trp) inserted at strategic positions is an important tool to study ligand binding.

Efficacy of liposomal bupivacaine versus bupivacaine in port site injections on postoperative pain within enhanced recovery after bariatric surgery program: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Use of liposomal bupivacaine (LB) in surgery is reported with decreased postoperative opioid requirements. The efficacy of LB versus standard bupivacaine injections at laparoscopic port sites during bariatric surgery is unknown.

Objectives: To determine whether there was a difference in postoperative hospital opioid requirements after port site injections of LB versus standard bupivacaine during laparoscopic bariatric surgeries.

Full-shell x-ray optics development at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) maintains an active research program toward the development of high-resolution, lightweight, grazing-incidence x-ray optics to serve the needs of future x-ray astronomy missions such as Lynx. MSFC development efforts include both direct fabrication (diamond turning and deterministic computer-controlled polishing) of mirror shells and replication of mirror shells (from figured, polished mandrels). Both techniques produce full-circumference monolithic (primary + secondary) shells that share the advantages of inherent stability, ease of assembly, and low production cost.

Initial results of a randomized phase III trial of high dose image guided radiation with or without androgen deprivation therapy for intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Background: Prior randomized studies have shown a survival benefit using combined androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiation therapy for intermediate-risk prostate cancer. However, these studies either used low doses of radiation (66.6 Gy to isocenter) or imaged guidance was not available.

Substrate-induced conformational changes in the nucleotide-binding domains of lipid bilayer-associated P-glycoprotein during ATP hydrolysis.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is an efflux pump important in multidrug resistance of cancer cells and in determining drug pharmacokinetics. Pgp is a prototype ATP-binding cassette transporter with two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) that bind and hydrolyze ATP. Conformational changes at the NBDs (the Pgp engines) lead to changes across Pgp transmembrane domains that result in substrate translocation.

Cell-free vascular grafts: Recent developments and clinical potential.

Recent advances in vascular tissue engineering have led to the development of cell-free grafts that are available off-the-shelf for on demand surgery. Challenges associated with cell-based technologies including cell sourcing, cell expansion and long-term bioreactor culture motivated the development of completely cell-free vascular grafts. These are based on decellularized arteries, decellularized cultured cell-based tissue engineered grafts or biomaterials functionalized with biological signals that promote tissue regeneration.

Animal models of cardiovascular disease as test beds of bioengineered vascular grafts.

The last two decades have seen many advances in regenerative medicine, including the development of tissue engineered vessels (TEVs) for replacement of damaged or diseased arteries or veins. Biomaterials from natural sources as well as synthetic polymeric materials have been employed in engineering vascular grafts. Recently, cell-free grafts have become available opening new possibilities for the next generation, off-the-shelf products.

Interactions and cooperativity between P-glycoprotein structural domains determined by thermal unfolding provides insights into its solution structure and function.

Structural changes in mouse P-glycoprotein (Pgp) induced by thermal unfolding were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy to gain insight into the solution conformation(s) of this ABC transporter that may not be apparent from current crystal structures. DSC of reconstituted Pgp showed two thermal unfolding transitions in the absence of MgATP, suggesting that each transition involved the cooperative unfolding of two or more interacting structural domains. A low calorimetric unfolding enthalpy and minimal structural changes were observed, which are hallmarks of the thermal unfolding of α-helical membrane proteins, because generally only the extramembranous regions undergo significant unfolding.