Inflatable castles

The collection of short stories that follows is a tour. On it, the reader will observe familiar emblems of our national identity: from those as iconic as Woodstock and Disneyland, to others more common, such as roadside stands or the suburbs. In our minds, these emblems remain fixed despite their placelessness. This fictional tour misses Splash Mountain. You won’t meet anyone famous, although some characters may pretend that they are. In fact, all the sites in my collection are inflatable castles, puffed up with our collective imagination. If they disappoint, it is only because we have overfilled them. These castles shift when they aren’t staked down. We run to them for shelter, and they blow away with us inside

Utilization of specific milk lipid fractions in the assessment of fatty acid composition in milk of high producing dairy cows

The objective is to examine the correlation of milk fat percent with the amount of trans-10 C18:1 in milk, as well as to identify the relationship between trans-10 C18:1 in milk to the dietary nutrient parameters. A trend of decreased milk fat percent with a corresponding increase of trans-10 C18:1 in the milk was exhibited. However, no significant correlation was determined between milk fat percent and milk trans-10 C18:1. The dietary nutrient fractions, ether extract, starch digestibility, and acid detergent fiber were not found to have a significant relationship to the amount of trans-10 C18:1 measured in milk. The total dietary fatty acids were found to have a positive relationship with trans- 10 C18:1 level in milk (R2=.33, P=.02). Fractions of the total dietary fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids each also exhibited a positive relationship to milk levels of trans-10 C18:1 (R2=.24, P=.004 and R2=.3711, P=.0001, respectively). Thus, these data support the theory of increasing dietary fatty acids, both unsaturated and saturated, resulting in an increase in trans-10 C18:1 level in milk. Data presented indicate that elevated levels of trans-10 C18:1 content may indicate an imbalance of dietary fatty acids relative to the other nutrient fractions of high producing cow diets.Includes bibliographical references.illustrations (some color

THE PHYSIOLOGY EFFECTS OF A FINNISH SAUNA ON AEROBIC EXERCISE IN COLLEGE-AGED INDIVIDUALS

Sauna baths acutely increases vasodilation, heart rate (HR) and muscle relaxation; therefore sessions of sauna have been tested as a therapeutic treatment for cardiovascular diseases and psychological diseases. When combined with exercise, sauna baths have been performed to accelerate exercise recovery, with the sauna being done post workout the majority of times. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the sauna used prior to a bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise. Eight volunteer performed a 20-minute treadmill aerobic exercise (running) 70% of maximal VO2 with and without a visit to the sauna. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), HR, and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) were recorded before, halfway at 10 minutes, and after the aerobic exercise. Systolic BP, assessed before exercise, was not different when subjects performed prior sauna (124.8 ± 10.8 vs. 125± 11 mm/Hg no sauna and sauna, respectively). However, diastolic BP was lower in no-sauna condition vs. sauna condition while HR and RPE (73± 5 vs 80± 4.5 mm/Hg BP, 90±13 vs. 101±11 beats/min and 6 vs. 7 RPE no sauna and sauna, respectively). When the comparison was made within the experimental condition exercise, sauna attenuated the increase in systolic and diastolic BP induced by exercise without affecting HR and RPE. Extreme high temperatures experienced in sauna modulate cardiovascular system responses by increasing HR and diastolic blood pressure. Moderate exercise increases systolic and diastolic BP, which might be attenuated when sauna is performed prior to exercise. A Sauna session might be used to modulate the response of exercise towards BP

US Food and Drug Administration Regulation of Medical Devices and Radiation Oncology: Can Reform Improve Safety?

A review of the issues involved in medical device regulation in radiation oncology, including a general review of federal medical device regulation and explanations of the legal and regulatory framework