BACKGROUND A recent trial showed that setting PEEP according to end-expiratory transpulmonary pressure (P(pl,ee)) in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) might improve patient outcome. P(pl,ee) was obtained by subtracting the absolute value of esophageal pressure (P(es)) from airway pressure an invariant value of 5 cm H(2)O. The goal of the present study was to compa...

Transparent, biocompatible and biodegradable chitosan (CS) nanocomposite films reinforced with nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) were prepared by solution casting. The effects of NFC content on the mechanical properties in dry and wet conditions were investigated. The incorporation of NFC significantly enhanced the mechanical properties, especially in wet conditions. The ultimate tensile strength a...

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary NPN levels on animal performance, diet digestibility, ruminal characteristics, and microbial efficiency. Experiment 1 was conducted with 24 Holstein x Nellore crossbred steers (350 +/- 20 kg of BW) distributed in 6 blocks to evaluate intake and digestibility of nutrients and performance. The diets consisted of 70% corn silage and 30% ...

Previous research has shown that Need for Cognition (NFC), the individual tendency to engage in and enjoy cognitive endeavors, contributes to academic performance. Most studies on NFC and related constructs have thereby focused on grades to capture tertiary academic success. This study aimed at a more comprehensive approach on NFC's meaning to success in university. We examined not only perform...

An in vitro experiment was conducted to determine the effect of supplemental non-fiber carbohydrate(NFC) on the disappearance kinetics of cellulose (Ce) by mixed ruminal microorganisms. Non-supplementedor NFC supplemented cellulose (467 mg NFC/g cellulose as sucrose (CeSu) or starch (CeSt) or a 1:1 mixtureof sucrose + starch (CeSuSt)) were incubated for 24, 48, and 96 h at 39°C. After each incu...

  In this study we investigated the bronchodilatory and anticholinergic effects of the aqueous extract (AE), brewed extract (BE) and ethanol extract (EE) of Polygonum avicular in comparison with saline (S) on isolated tracheal chains of the guinea pig. Due to the probable confounding effect of ethanol in the EE, the effects of this extract were also compared with 96 % ethanol. None of the plant...

We evaluated an index of diaphragm efficiency (Eff(di)), diaphragm power output (Wdi) relative to electrical activation, in five healthy adults during tidal breathing at usual end-expiratory lung volume (EELV) and diaphragm length (L(di ee)) and at shorter L(di ee) during hyperinflation with expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP). Measurements were repeated with an inspiratory threshold (7....

The purpose of this study was to examine whether and how cycle time duration affects energy expenditure and substrate utilization during whole-body vibration (WBV). Nine men performed 3 squatting exercises in execution frequency cycles of 6, 4, and 2 seconds to 90 degrees knee flexion with vibration (Vb+) (frequency was set at 30 Hz and the amplitude of vibration was 4 mm) and without vibration...

a study was carried out to evaluate the secondary sexual characteristics of four strains of cocks, comprising of two (2) exotics; bovan nera black (bnb) and isa brown (isb), one (1) improved local strain, shika brown (sb) and one (1) unimproved local strain, normal feathered cock (nfc). a total of 64 birds (16 for each strain) at 36, 38, 40 and 42 weeks were used for the study. the result indic...

We have previously proposed that the pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is mediated by an IL-13-driven epithelial cell response associated with marked gene dysregulation including eotaxin-3 overproduction. In this study, we compared epithelial responses between healthy patients and those with EE, aiming to uncover molecular explanations for EE pathogenesis. Esophageal epithelial cell...