Threadless fastener apparatus Patent

Threadless fastener apparatus comprising receiving apertures for plurality of articles, self-locked condition, and capable of using nonmalleable materials in both end

Flight experience with a pivoting traversing boundary-layer probe

A pivoting traversing boundary layer probe was evaluated in flight on an F-104 airplane. The evaluation was performed at free stream Mach numbers from 0.8 to 2.0. The unit is described, and operating problems and their solutions are discussed. Conventional boundary layer profiles containing variations in flow angle within the viscous layer are shown for free stream Mach numbers of 0.8, 1.6, and 2.0. Although the unit was not optimized for size and weight, it successfully measured simultaneously flow angularity, probe height, and pitot pressure through the boundary layer

A Study Of The Effects Of Computer Animated Character Body Style On Perception Of Facial Expression

This study examined if there is a difference in viewer perception of computer animated character facial expressions based on character body style, specifically, realistic and stylized character body styles. Participants viewed twenty clips of computer animated characters expressing one of five emotions: sadness, happiness, anger, surprise and fear. They then named the emotion and rated the sincerity, intensity, and typicality of each clip. The results indicated that for recognition, participants were more slightly more likely to recognize a stylized character although it was not a significant difference. Stylized characters were on average rated higher for sincerity and intensity and realistic characters were on average rated higher for typicality. A significant difference in ratings was shown with fear (within sincerity and typicality) having realistic characters rated higher, happiness (within sincerity and intensity) having stylized characters rated higher and stylized being rated higher once for anger (stylized) and realistic (typicality) being rated once for anger. Other differences were also noted within the dependent variables. Based on the data collected in this study, overall there was not a significant difference in participant ratings between the two character styles

Occurrence of Antibiotic Resistance in Environmental and Amphibian E. coli Isolates Associated with Cattle and Aquatic Environments

The widespread use of antibiotics in human medicine and livestock production has been linked to an increase in resistant bacteria, which may carry transferable resistance factors, including integrons. Foodborne pathogens, such as Escherichia coli and salmonella, commonly reside in livestock, including cattle, and these pathogens may acquire resistance genes as a result of routine antibiotic use. As cattle are often located in close proximity to aquatic environments, they may disperse antibiotic resistant pathogens into such environments, which may lead to contamination of aquatic wildlife. We hypothesize that class 1 integrons and/or antibiotic resistant bacteria occur more frequently in environments with cattle exposure, and resistance and class 1 integrons disperse into aquatic environments and wildlife, which in turn provides a reservoir of antibiotic resistant bacteria for cattle within that environment. We investigated the prevalence of resistance genes and class 1 integrons in E. coli from selected amphibian species from ponds within and adjacent to cow-calf beef production systems. Escherichia coli were isolated from bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and green frog (Rana clamitans) tadpoles, green frog metamorphs, cow manure, and pond water samples within each livestock system in an attempt to determine if transfer of resistant bacteria occurs. Integron prevalence within E. coli was determined by multi-plex PCR. Antibiotic resistance to tetracyclines, florfenicol, and sulfisoxazole were determined using standard microdilution broth Minimum Inhibitory Concentration technique. A selected subset of bacteria was analyzed for resistance patterns using the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (N.A.R.M.S.). Class 1 integrons were detected in 3% of isolates (n = 63) from pond water and in 1% of isolates (n = 123) from cow manure. Integrons were not detected in isolates (n = 1014) from tadpoles or metamorphs. Tadpole samples with isolates resistant to tetracycline, florfenicol and sulfisoxazole were more prevalent (P=0.0001, P = 0.006 and P=0.0156 respectively) from cattle-accessible ponds compared to cattle-excluded ponds. The percentage of pond water samples with tetracycline resistant E. coli isolates was also greater in cattle-accessible ponds (P = 0.0283) compared to isolates from cattle-excluded ponds. Antimicrobial resistance patterns were observed to differ between treatments. Information from this study will provide key information for the development of strategies to reduce the prevalence and risk of antibiotic resistant organisms

Roots of a Career: Finding Direction in the Mangrove Swamps of Campeche, Mexico

As a human-environment geographer, it is both my vocation and my privilege to explore the alchemical interactions of people and place. Every time I return to the field, I am inspired by the limitless ways in which the two come together to form landscapes of both professional and personal stimulation. T hrough geographical fieldwork, I have had the fortune to rank Alan Jackson songs with a Maya craftsman in the shadow of Volcán de Agua in Antigua Guatemala; leap into the turquoise waters of the Belize Barrier Reef with veteran conch fishermen to escape a swarm of Africanized bees; and help a Romanian archaeologist pluck Ancient Roman pottery from a freshly tilled corn field in the heart of Transylvania. T hese and other adventures (and misadventures!) have been at times exhilarating, discombobulating, gratifying, and humbling, but my most life-changing fieldwork experience was my f irst: Campeche, Mexico, in October 2016 with my then-M.S. and later-Ph.D. advisor Michael Steinberg. Over the course of one week in Campeche, human (Mike) and environment (the area’s mangrove swamps) came together to transform the trajectories of my personal and professional lives. That week in Campeche pulled me toward a career as a geography professor, and it continues to influence my approach to the profession every day

Arc of the Absent Author: Thomas Pynchon's Trajectory from Entropy to Grace

266 p.In the simplest of terms this dissertation draws on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to study Thomas Pynchon¿s novel Againts the Day, to do so involves study of the US literary field, the history of positions that Pynchon has occupied, and the resultant trajectory that can be derived from that. This method analyzes the sociogenesis of the author¿s habitus and thus the practice that produces the literary product being studied

Malignant Catarrhal Fever Viruses in Tennessee Ruminants

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a lymphoproliferative and inflammatory syndrome affecting primarily ruminant species. The disease, which is often fatal, is most often described as affecting bovids and cervids. No vaccines are available for prevention of MCFV infection. The primary method to control spread of disease is to prevent contact between carriers and clinically susceptible species. There is no known method to control infection of malignant catarrhal fever virus-white-tailed deer variant (MCFV-WTD), as the carrier animal of this virus is unknown. To determine the prevalence of malignant catarrhal fever viruses in Tennessee ruminant populations, blood and/or lymph node samples were collected from farms, animal processing and disposal facilities, and hunter check-in stations from 2006-2008 from several species of animals including cervids, cattle, and goats. Strain-specific real time PCR was developed to detect ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2), caprine herpesvirus-2 (CpHV-2), and MCFV-WTD DNA. MCFV DNA was detected in all species of ruminants sampled. Although disease related to infection with MCFV-WTD and CpHV-2 has not been reported in Tennessee cattle or cervid populations, MCFV-WTD DNA was detected in 3 percent of cervid samples, and MCFV-WTD and CpHV-2 DNA was detected in 27 and 3 percent respectively of cattle samples from animal disposal facilities that process dead or debilitated animals. One hunter harvested deer (n=781) and 25 cattle (n=165) tested from animal disposal facilities were positive for OvHV-2 DNA. This study demonstrated that healthy cattle and cervids can be infected with OvHV-2 and MCFV-WTD without apparent disease, and dead or debilitated cattle were infected with OvHV-2, MCFV-WTD and CpHV-2 at a higher percentage than healthy herd animals. Prevalence of CpHV-2 in Tennessee goat populations (7%) was significantly lower than reported in other goat populations (73%). Low prevalence of CpHV-2 in Tennessee goat populations likely explains why no evidence of infection was found in cervids tested, and the low prevalence of CpHV-2 infection in dead or debilitated cattle compared to prevalence of infection with OvHV-2 and MCFV-WTD. The discovery of infection in cattle with CpHV-2 and MCFV-WTD opens a new avenue of investigation into the pathology and virulence of MCFV’s in domestic cattle

Even the Ocean is Online: Digital Representation of the Ocean

This presentation is about #8, the digital representation of the ocean, of the UNESCO Challenge. More research needs to be done on the ocean to preserve marine life and coastal land. We need the help of large corporations in a collaboration on a digital representation of the ocean. This will help us visualize the oceans\u27 past, current, and possible future. A digital map of the ocean will help with us pollution, help slow down climate change, and help us prepare for environmental disasters. We could create a digital map of the ocean floor by using a multibeam or a side scanner from a ship or a towed transmitter. Underwater cameras and submarines can also explore it. The results of these methods could result in a fully interactive visual presentation of the ocean and with the help of environmental scientists we can create a map of the past, present, and future ocean, marine life, and coastal land. With the results from the map, we can implement changes to pollution, slow down climate changes, and help us prepare for environmental disasters