Outbreak of adenovirus 35 pneumonia among adult residents and staff of a chronic care psychiatric facility

Outbreaks of acute respiratory disease caused by adenovirus are rarely documented in civilian populations, and adenovirus 35 is an uncommon serotype best recognized as a cause of serious disease in immunocompromised patients. An outbreak of adenovirus 35 pneumonia among residents and staff of a chronic care psychiatric facility was investigated. Fourteen (26%) of 53 residents and 4 (2%) of approximately 200 staff had radiographically confirmed pneumonia. Thirteen (93%) of 14 residents with pneumonia were hospitalized, 5 (36%) required mechanical ventilation, and 1 (7%) died. One staff member was hospitalized. Adenovirus infection was diagnosed in 17 (94%) persons with pneumonia by culture or serology and was confirmed as adenovirus 35 infection in 8 persons. Residents with pneumonia had resided at the facility longer than other residents. Chronic illness was not a risk factor for severe disease. Crowding and poor hygienic behaviors probably facilitated transmission among residents.     

The decline in digestive efficiency of US dairy cows from 1970 to 2014

Since the year 1970, US milk production per cow has more than doubled, in part because of large increases in feed intake. It is well established that increasing feed intake reduces diet digestibility in dairy cattle. Our objective was to determine whether the digestive efficiency of US dairy cows had also changed. We assembled a data set consisting of diet digestibility measured either by total collection of feces or by use of indigestible neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in lactating dairy cow studies published in the Journal of Dairy Science from July 1970 to July 2014. The data set contained 575 treatment means from 154 individual research trials conducted at 26 US institutions. Based on regression analysis, mean milk yield and dry matter intake (DMI) between 1970 and 2014 increased by 19.7 and 10.3 kg/d, respectively. Temporal effects on digestibility [dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and NDF] were determined using the regression model Y_i = YEAR_1970i + CP_i + NDF_i + e_i, where YEAR_1970i is the publication year minus 1970, CP_i and NDF_i are diet constituents (% of diet DM) that were included to account for their known effects on digestibility, and e_i is the residual error. Dry matter digestibility decreased 0.07 percentage units/yr for a total reduction of 3.08 percentage units since 1970. Furthermore, CP and NDF digestibilities decreased 0.04 and 0.17 percentage units/yr, respectively. To account for the potential effect of feed intake on digestibility, DMI as a percentage of body weight was added to the regression model. With DMI as a percentage of body weight in the model, temporal changes in DM, CP, and NDF digestibilities were no longer significant. This suggested that the apparent decline in DM digestibility could be mostly accounted for by simultaneous increases in level of feed intake. Despite lower apparent digestive efficiency, the modern dairy cow has greater production efficiency than the 1970s dairy cow because she produces more milk per unit of feed consumed and digested.     

Milk yield and mammary growth effects due to increased milking frequency during early lactation

Increased milking frequency (IMF) at the beginning of lactation has been shown to increase milk yield not only during IMF but also after its cessation. The objectives of this experiment evaluated the effects of increased milking frequency initiated during early lactation on mammary growth and effects on milk yield (MY). Thirty-one cows were divided into treatment groups: 1) 2X: cows milked twice daily (2X) beginning at parturition (d 1), 2) IMF1: cows milked four times daily (4X) from d 1 to 21 postpartum (PP) and 3) IMF4: cows milked 2X d 1 to 3 and 4X d 4 to 21 PP. The 4X cows were milked immediately before 2X cows and again approximately 3 h later, at the end of the normal milking routine. All cows were milked 2X from d 21 to 305 postpartum. Milk yields were 34.5, 37.8 and 37.6 kg/d during wk 1 to 44 for 2X, IMF1 and IMF4, respectively. Mammary biopsies from four cows per treatment were obtained on d 7 and 14 PP to evaluate mammary cell proliferation. Tritiated-thymidine incorporation tended to increase on d 7 in IMF1 cows, and arithmetic means of the percentage of cells expressing Ki-67 proliferation antigen were consistent with a proliferative response to IMF though not significant. Blood was sampled three times per wk during the first 2 wk and then once per wk during wk 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. Plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) averaged 20.1 ng/ml in IMF cows vs. 24.2 in 2X but was not accompanied by a change in bST. Prolactin was also not affected by treatment. Neither milk yield nor potential effects on mammary cell proliferation were correlated with systemic IGF-1. Implementing an IMF routine increases MY during treatment and elicits a carryover effect on the remainder of lactation. Milk yield responses after an IMF routine may be the result of increased mammary cell proliferation.     

Net energy for lactation of calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids for cows fed silage-based diets.

The NEL of calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids from palm oil was determined in mature Holstein cows. Twelve lactating (fed for ad libitum intake) and six nonlactating (restricted to near maintenance intake) Holstein cows were fed 0 or 2.95% fat supplement in diets formulated to contain 16 or 20% CP in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments in a single reversal design within protein level. The fat supplement was substituted for ground corn and minerals. Two 6-d total collection balance trials were conducted during which cows were in open circuit respiration chambers. Intake of OM was lower for lactating cows fed the fat supplement (18.1 vs. 19.1 kg/d), but energy intake did not differ (93.2 Mcal/d). Total long-chain fatty acid intake was increased from 477 to 820 g/d with fat feeding. Apparent digestibility of long-chain fatty acids was increased 11.1 percentage units with increased dietary CP for lactating cows with no difference in fatty acid digestibility for the dry cows. Milk yield was higher (34.3 vs. 32.0 kg/d) with fat feeding, but milk energy yield did not differ (22.6 Mcal/d). The NEL of the fat supplement was estimated from the incremental differences in energy values within cows, assuming NEL of corn replaced by fat to be 1.96 Mcal/kg DM, and was determined to be 6.52 Mcal/kg DM (SE = 1.74). The efficiency of the use of metabolizable energy for lactation from dietary fat was 77.2%. The energy in calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids is utilized efficiently for lactation in mature cows.     

Effect of rumen protein degradability on milk yield of dairy cows in early lactation

Twenty-four mature Holstein cows were fed diets of 40% corn silage and 60% concentrate (dry matter) beginning at parturition through wk 16 of lactation. A control concentrate (corn, soybean meal, and barley) was fed through wk 4 followed by assignment of cows to either a concentrate of low or high rumen protein degradability. In situ trials with two fistulated cows fed similar diets yielded rumen protein degradabilities of 78.5, 70.3, 69.9, 67.3, 49.1, and 36.5% for barley, corn, corn gluten feed, soybean meal, brewer's grains, and cottonseed meal. The low degradability concentrate (corn, cottonseed meal, brewer's grains, and corn gluten feed) had an estimated rumen protein degradation of 52.9% and a total ration crude protein of 14.3%. The high degradability concentrate containing corn, barley, and soybean meal was 72.8% rumen degradable, and total ration protein for this treatment was 14.5%. Dry matter intakes were 21.0 and 22.0 kg/day for the low and high degradability diets. Milk yield, fat percent, and fat-corrected milk were not affected by treatment. Milk protein percent and protein yield decreased from 3.00 to 2.84% and 1.07 to .99 kg/day in the high and low degradability diets. Efficacy of use of degradability as a criterion for feed formulation is questioned until understanding of both feed protein breakdown and microbial synthesis is greater.     

Phytic acid in health and disease

Phytic acid (PA), a major phosphorus storage compound of most seeds and cereal grains, contributes about 1 to 7% of their dry weight. It may account for more than 70% of the total kernel phosphorus. PA has the strong ability to chelate multivalent metal ions, especially zinc, calcium, and iron. The binding can result in very insoluble salts that are poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, which results in poor bioavailability (BV) of minerals. Alternatively, the ability of PA to chelate minerals has been reported to have some protective effects, such as decreasing iron‐mediated colon cancer risk and lowering serum cholesterol and triglycerides in experimental animals. Data from human studies are still lacking. PA is also considered to be a natural antioxidant and is suggested to have potential functions of reducing lipid peroxidation and as a preservative in foods. Finally, certain inositol phosphates, which may be derived from PA, have been noted to have a function in second messenger transduction systems. The potential nutritional significance of PA is discussed in this review.     

Continuous/discrete modeling and analysis of elastic planar multi-body systems

The modeling and analysis of continuous/discrete multi-body systems are described, with emphasis on applications to elastic planar closed-loop systems. Whereas the continuous formulations presented can be applied to simplified models (with less effort) to help isolate the dominant factors for parametric evaluations in preliminary analysis studies, on the other hand, the finite element formulations described are, in general, applicable for more complex geometries and larger problems. In this regard, an explicit self-starting velocity-based time integration architecture is employed for the numerical simulation of multi-body dynamics with several inherent attractive features. Numerical test cases for planar multi-body dynamic situations employing the Timoshenko beam theory are presented from a generalized viewpoint in conjunction with the present formulations to validate the applicability of the proposed formulations.     

Direct patient computer interviewing.

Proposes that recent developments in direct computer interviewing of patients in clinical settings range from comprehensive behavioral and psychiatric assessment and diagnostic systems to special topic interviews (e.g., suicide risk, drug and alcohol use, sexual dysfunction). Early trials with computer-based psychotherapy have now been extended to cognitive therapy for depression and patient education. Advantages of computer interviewing include high patient acceptance, low costs for routine interviewing, and balance of structure and reliability with flexibility and individualized question flow. It is suggested that research in this area move from demonstration and feasibility studies to the impact of patient interviews on clinical and research systems and studies of the interview process itself. (56 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mechanism synthesis using the workstation environment

Some capabilities of modern engineering workstations and their impact on the mechanism synthesis process are discussed. Specific examples of ongoing work at the University of Minnesota utilizing the Apollo color raster workstation to provide user-friendly general-purpose user-interface tools are presented. The application of these tools to the LINCAGES-4 four-bar linkage synthesis and analysis program and the Minn-Dwell dwell mechanism synthesis program is described. The impact that this environment can have on computer-aided design is assessed     

Effect of dietary forage concentration and buffer addition on duodenal flow of trans-C18:1 fatty acids and milk fat production in dairy cows

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of dietary fat source on duodenal flow, apparent absorption, and milk fat incorporation of trans-C18:1 fatty acids. Four ruminally and duodenally cannulated multiparous Holsteins cows in mid to late lactation were fed a basal diet containing 36% corn silage, 24% alfalfa haylage, and 40% concentrate (dry matter basis). Diets contained 0% supplemental fat (control diet), 3.7% high oleic sunflower oil, 3.7% high linoleic sunflower oil, or 3.7% partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening; treatments were administered in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 3-wk experimental periods. The flow of trans-C18:1 to the duodenum was higher for cows fed diets supplemented with fat than for cows fed the control diet (283 vs. 64 g/d). Incomplete biohydrogenation accounted for the increased flow of trans-C18:1 to the duodenum in cows fed diets containing high oleic and high linoleic sunflower oil. Increased flow of trans-C18:1 in cows fed the diet containing partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening most likely originated from the trans-C18:1 in the diet. Milk fat percentages were 3.48, 3.07, 3.18, and 3.38% for cows fed the control diet and diets containing high oleic sunflower oil, high linoleic sunflower oil, and vegetable shortening, respectively. Milk trans-C18:1 increased from 2.9 to 11.2% of the total fatty acids for cows fed the control diet and the diets supplemented with fat, respectively. Milk trans-C18:1 were equal across all diets supplemented with fat. Ruminal and total tract digestion of organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, and N did not change with fat supplementation. Results showed that trans-C18:1 is increased in the milk of cows with reduced milk fat; however, excessive amounts of trans-C18:1 in milk do not necessarily correspond directly to milk fat depression.