Alterations of pH in response to increased dietary protein in cattle are unique to the uterus

This study was undertaken with two objectives: 1) to determine whether the effect of excess dietary protein on intrauterine pH in cattle is specific to the uterus or manifested in other bodily fluids and 2) to determine whether the effect of excess ruminally degradable protein on uterine pH can be ameliorated by substitution with a less-degradable protein source. Thirty-six Holstein cows in early lactation were fed isoenergetic total mixed rations that either 1) met undegradable intake protein (UIP) and degradable intake protein (DIP) requirements (Balanced), 2) met DIP requirements and exceeded UIP requirements by 25% (High UIP), or 3) met UIP requirements and exceeded DIP requirements by 25% (High DIP). After diets had been fed > or = 2 wk, uterine, blood, salivary, and urinary pH and plasma urea nitrogen were determined at estrus (d 0) and d 7. Plasma urea nitrogen (mg/dL) was not different between estrus and d 7 but was significantly affected by diet (Balanced, 16.1 +/- 2.3; High UIP, 19.2 +/- 1.6; High DIP, 22.3 +/- 2.6; P < .05). There was no effect of treatment on the pH of any fluid measured at estrus: intrauterine, blood, salivary, and urinary pH averaged 6.84 +/- .05, 7.39 +/- .01, 8.30 +/- .05, and 8.15 +/- .05, respectively. In contrast, on d 7, uterine pH was significantly lower in both high-protein groups, regardless of protein degradability (Balanced, 7.13 +/- .05; UIP, 6.95 +/- .04; DIP, 6.85 +/- .05; P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

MEASUREMENT OF THE SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA OF POWDERS BY THIN LAYER WICKING

The specific surface areas (A) of different clay mineral powders were measured by both the BET method and by thin layer wicking. The values of A for the BET and the wicking experiments coincided within a few percent. Thus, the simple and inexpensive thin layer wicking approach may well suffice to obtain reliable specific surface area values for most powders. From the wicking data it is also possible to obtain a rough estimate of the average particle size.     

Renal fibromuscular dysplasia treated with partial nephrectomy

We report a previously undescribed ultrastructural calcification of glomerular immune complex depositions in a patient with lupus nephritis. Such processes give rise to a distinctive ultrastructural calcified microspheriol in electron-dense immune deposits, and were associated with hypercalcemia and nephrocalcinosis. The cause of hypercalcemia in this patient was uncertain, but related to a granulomatous inflammation and abscess of the breast. Whereas ultrastructural microcalcification was associated with hypercalcemia, its distribution in the segmental glomerular lesions suggests that an inflammatory process was contributory. The clinical follow-up indicates that the microcalcifications of immune complexes have not affected the outcome of nephritis and renal function.     

Comparison of Etest to broth microdilution method for testing Streptococcus pneumoniae susceptibility to levofloxacin and three macrolides

When the Etest was compared to broth microdilution for susceptibility testing of Streptococcus pneumoniae, levofloxacin, erythromycin, and penicillin results correlated for both methods; azithromycin and clarithromycin showed discrepancies of > or = 2 dilutions for 95.8% and 31.5% of the isolates, respectively. Levofloxacin was active against 141 of 142 isolates (< or = 2.0 micrograms/ml), making it a potentially useful new fluoroquinolone.     

Direct finite element design optimisation of the cagelessreluctance synchronous machine

The finite element analysis method is used directly in optimisation algorithms to optimise in multidimensions the design of the cageless reluctance synchronous machine. Two optimisation methods are evaluated to minimise or maximise the function value. These are the direction set method of Powell and the quasi-Newton algorithm. Both methods proved to be successful, with some advantages and disadvantages. Using these methods at a power level below 10 kW, results are given of structures of the reluctance synchronous machine which have been optimised according to specific criteria. Calculated and measured results show that the maximum torque optimum designed reluctance synchronous machine has the advantages of high power density and high efficiency     

Comparison between normal and reverse thin crystalline silicon solar cells

The newly developed ingot growing techniques, as the three-grain and the columnar multigrain ingot processes, are now offering the possibility of slicing thinner wafers (≤ 100 μm). In this paper we present the results obtained on p type large area (≥ 100 cm²) and 100 μm thick wafers by using both conventional and reverse cell manufacturing technologies.The conventional cells are provided with aluminium or boron BSF plus screen-printed silver mirror or a silver-aluminium net; the reverse cells have a FSF and the deep back junction completely covered by a screen-printed or CVD silver layer.The constructing parameters have been chosen on the base of one and two dimensions modeling and both raw material and devices have been completely characterized.This work shows that very thin wafers do not introduce serious problems for the conventional manufacturing of solar cells. The efficiencies of the normal and of the reverse cells are found to be comparable and are of the same order than those of thicker cells, however at a significant lower cost. The main obtained result has to be related to the demonstration of a cell manufacturing feasibility starting from very thin wafers.     

Cell-mediated cytotoxicity: a predictor of chronic rejection in pediatric HLA haploidentical renal transplants

BACKGROUND: Recipient antidonor cytotoxic T-cell activity has been associated with graft loss and acute rejection in renal allograft recipients. The role of immunologic mechanisms in the development of chronic graft rejection is controversial. We analyzed all living related renal transplants performed at Children's Hospital (Boston, MA) from 1983 to 1995 to assess whether cell-mediated cytotoxicity, determined in vitro and measured before transplantation, was predictive of chronic rejection. METHODS: Eighty-three patients were studied retrospectively. Fifty-seven patients with one haplotype-matched renal transplants from living related donors were studied to determine the association between cell-mediated lympholysis (CML) level, acute rejection, chronic rejection, and graft failure. Acute rejection was defined by the decision to treat. Chronic rejection was defined by histology and/or the absolute serum creatinine value using an increasing serum creatinine level >1.0 mg/dl for children less than 3, a creatinine level >1.5 mg/dl for children between 3 and 10 years of age, and a creatinine level >2.0 mg/dl for children above 10 years of age. Return to dialysis or retransplantation was considered graft failure. RESULTS: Of the 57 haploidentical patients, there were 33 males and 24 females. The mean age at transplant was 11.1 years (SD=6.7). Twelve patients developed chronic rejection, 24 patients developed acute rejection, and 7 patients had graft failure. Pretransplant cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity was associated with chronic rejection (P=0.001) and graft failure (P=0.013) but only marginally with acute rejection (P=0.058). Controlling for age and sex, Cox's proportional hazards model revealed that CML level was predictive of time to chronic rejection (P<0.01) but not acute rejection (P=0.11). It was estimated that every 1-unit increase in CML level raises the monthly risk of chronic rejection by 7%. Ten children received HLA-identical kidneys from their siblings. There were no episodes of chronic rejection after 5 years. Two patients with high CML levels had episodes of acute rejection; both patients responded to treatment. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate an association between pretransplant cell-mediated cytotoxicity and the occurrence of chronic rejection in living related one-haploidentical renal transplants in pediatric patients.