Dietary Alpha-Linolenic Acid Supports High Retinal DHA Levels

The retina requires docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for optimal function. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and DHA are dietary sources of retinal DHA. This research investigated optimizing retinal DHA using dietary ALA. Previous research identified 19% DHA in retinal phospholipids was associated with optimal retinal function in guinea pigs. Pregnant guinea pigs were fed dietary ALA from 2.8% to 17.3% of diet fatty acids, at a constant level of linoleic acid (LA) of 18% for the last one third of gestation and retinal DHA levels were assessed in 3-week-old offspring maintained on the same diets as their mothers. Retinal DHA increased in a linear fashion with the maximum on the diet with LA:ALA of 1:1. Feeding diets with LA:ALA of 1:1 during pregnancy and assessing retinal DHA in 3-week-old offspring was associated with optimized retinal DHA levels. We speculate that the current intakes of ALA in human diets, especially in relation to LA intakes, are inadequate to support high DHA levels in the retina.

Elastic Rhythm in Signal-Synchronised Sequencing Objects for Pure Data

This paper presents a family of objects for manipulating polyrhythmic sequences and isorhythmic relationships, in both the signal and event domains. These work together and are tightly synchronised to an audio phase signal, so that relative temporal relationships can be tempo-manipulated in a linear fashion. Many permutations of polyrhythmic sequences including incomplete tuplets, scrambled elements, interleaved tuplets and any complex franctional relation can be realised. Similarly, these many be driven with controllable isorhythmic generators derived from a single driver, so that sequences of different fractionally related lengths may be combined and synchronised. It is possible to use signals to drive audio playback that are directly generated, so that disparate sound files may be combined into sequences. A set of sequenced parameters are included to facilitate this process.

Does heat tolerance actually predict geographic thermal limits of animal species?

To understand species climatic vulnerability, our measures of their thermal tolerance should predict their geographic thermal limits. Yet, this assumption is mostly ungranted. We tested if animals heat tolerance restrict the warmest temperatures they can live at (Tmax), distinguishing among species differently challenged by their thermal environment. For that, we compiled 2350 measurements of species heat tolerance indexes and corresponding Tmax, measured at different microhabitats. We show that reptiles, a flagship for climatic vulnerability studies, are particularly unbounded by their heat tolerance. Contrarily, tolerance restricted marine fish ranges in a non-linear fashion which contrasts with terrestrial taxa. Behavioral tolerance indexes, widely used to predict vulnerability, predicted Tmax inconsistently across Tmax indexes, or were inversely related to it. Heat tolerance restricts geographic limits more strongly for more thermally challenged species. In turn, factors uncoupling heat tolerance and Tmax (plasticity, thermoregulation, adaptation) should be more important for less thermally challenged species at their warm edges of distribution.

TP8.1.10 Factors predicting residual disease on re-excision after breast conserving surgery

Introduction Breast conserving surgery is the standard of care for early breast cancer, however in a quarter of patients, satisfactory margins are not achieved, usually leading to re-excision. Residual disease is found in less than half of these re-excisions, leading to increased morbidity, poorer cosmesis and increased cost with no oncological benefit. Our study aimed to identify a group of patients with unsatisfactory margins but a low risk of residual disease, who may be able to avoid re-excision. Methods All patients from our unit undergoing re-excision for unsatisfactory margins after breast conserving surgery between January 2013 and October 2019 were identified. Pathological factors predicting residual disease were investigated using univariable and multivariable analysis. Results 220 patients were included. 90 (41%) had residual disease in the re-excision specimen. Residual disease was more likely in those having mastectomy than cavity shaves (61% vs 32%, p < 0.0001). Residual disease increased in a linear fashion with number of involved margins and with increasing tumour size. Tumour size <20mm (p = 0.045), a pathological to radiological tumour size ratio less than 1.5 (p < 0.0001) and disease-free cavity shaves taken at initial surgery (p = 0.041) were all significant predictors of a low chance of residual disease on multivariable analysis. Patients with all three factors had a 14% chance of residual disease. Conclusions More than half of patients undergo unnecessary re-excision, and patients with small, radiologically obvious tumours are less likely to have residual disease. The decision on re-excision should include these factors in addition to the margin status.

O27 The diameter of an anorectal physiology catheter in the anal canal influences the results

Introduction Conventional “catheter-based” anorectal physiology systems may influence anal canal pressures by stretching the sphincters thereby increasing tension. Anal acoustic reflectometry (AAR) is a “catheter-less” technique as the flexible thin catheter does not distort the anal canal. The aim of this study was to explore whether the size of rigid tube in the anal canal had any effect on tension. Method Participants with no anorectal dysfunction were included. Baseline resting/squeeze AAR measurements were recorded, then repeated with a 6 mm and 10 mm rigid tube placed along-side the AAR catheter. This process was repeated for anorectal manometry (ARM) and Opening pressure (AAR) and mean resting pressure (MRP) were used to calculate tension (pressure (mmHg) x radius (mm)). Result 9 participants were included (7 female/2male) with median age 22 years (21–31 years). Tension at rest (no additional tube) for AAR and ARM was 14 and 135 N/m respectively and 33 and 238 N/m during squeeze. Tension increased in a linear fashion, for both resting and squeeze, as the size of additional rigid tube increased. The largest increase in tension from baseline AAR and ARM measurements was recorded with the 10 mm additional tube (1,807% and 102% respectively). Conclusion The thin AAR catheter exerted the lowest tension at baseline. A large increase in tension was observed as the size of tube increased and therefore the diameter of catheter used in the assessment of anal physiology will affect the results. ARM measurements carried out by devices of different diameter will not be comparable. Take-home Message The diameter of the anorectal physiology catheter in the anal canal influences the results.

Radicalization and Deradicalization

What is radicalization, and what drives individuals to become radicalized? Many individuals who hold radical beliefs will never become violent, yet others are compelled to enforce their ideology through violence. Drawing from existing literature, radicalization is defined as a transformation rooted in grievances, networks, enabling environments, and ideology that brings an individual to hold radical beliefs and support the use of violence. Conversely, deradicalization is defined as both a cognitive departure from radical ideology and a behavioral shift away from radical activities and group membership. Competing theories of radicalization and deradicalization have created a debate about whether or not these phenomena must be experienced in a linear fashion, and several scholars posit that strains caused by society can lead to both cognitive and behavioral forms of radicalization. The evidence supporting these theories is demonstrated in the counter-radicalization policies of several Western countries, which use localized policing and community members to address the social and political issues that breed radicalization. Moreover, radicalization and deradicalization are not “one size fits all” phenomena; instead, they are experiences that can differ between ideologies as well as within ideologies. For example, sociopolitical factors specific to one’s nationality can impact the radicalization and deradicalization of individuals and organizations belonging to the same ideology. Despite all this, there are still significant gaps in the study of radicalization and deradicalization that need to be addressed. In academia, two debates must be settled: how should radicalization be defined, and should radicalization be understood as occurring in a linear or nonlinear fashion? In the policy realm, professionals must understand and address the grievances that increase the risk for radicalization to occur through social programs and education initiatives. Finally, policymakers and academics must communicate with each other regarding the research needs for enacting sound policies that will reduce the occurrence of radicalization.

What Do Poets Want to Write?

This chapter explores the careers of sixteenth-century Portuguese poets as articulated by themselves and their contemporaries. It draws on scholarly work in the developing field of career criticism to consider moments when poets discussed what they had written and what they one day hoped to produce. For all that writers wrote a lot about what they had achieved or wanted to achieve, this chapter shows that their careers rarely proceeded in a purely linear fashion as was claimed for some ancient authors, such as Virgil. The chapter suggests that when we refuse the lure of hindsight or look beyond the ways that writers tried to iron out their own careers, we see that lots of anxiety attended moments of career reflexivity, that choices of genre were determined by a mixture of personal, economic, political, and social motivations and, moreover, that writers would foreground different motivations when writing in different contexts or addressing different individuals.

The Influence of Extended Supplementation of Quebracho Extract to Beef Steers Consuming a Hay Diet on Digestion, Ruminal, and Blood Parameters

The addition of natural plant secondary compounds to ruminant feed has been extensively studied because of their ability to modify digestive and metabolic functions, resulting in a potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, among other benefits. Condensed tannin (CT) supplementation may alter ruminal fermentation and mitigate methane (CH4) emissions. This study’s objective was to determine the effect of quebracho CT extract (QT; Schinopsis quebracho-colorado (Schltdl.) F.A. Barkley & T. Meyer) within a roughage-based diet on ruminal digestibility and kinetic parameters by using the in situ and in vitro gas production techniques, in addition to blood urea N (BUN) and ruminal (VFA, NH3-N, and protozoa count) parameters. Twenty rumen-cannulated steers were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: QT at 0, 1, 2, and 3% of DM (QT0: 0% CT; QT1: 0.70% CT; QT2: 1.41% CT; and QT3: 2.13% CT). The in situ DMD increased linearly (P = 0.048) as QT inclusion increased, whereas in situ NDFD was not altered among treatments (P = 0.980). Neither total VFA concentration nor acetate-to-propionate ratio differed among dietary treatments (P = 0.470 and P = 0.873, respectively). However, QT3 had lower isovalerate and isobutyrate concentrations compared to QT0 (P ≤ 0.025). Ruminal NH3 and BUN tended to decline (P ≤ 0.075) in a linear fashion as QT inclusion increased, suggesting decreased deamination of feed protein. Ruminal protozoa count was reduced in quadratic fashion (P = 0.005) as QT inclusion increased, where QT1 and QT2 were lower compared to QT0 and QT3. Urinary N excretion tended to reduce in a linear fashion (P = 0.080) as QT increased. There was a TRT × day interaction for in vitro total gas production and fractional rate of gas production (P = 0.013 and P = 0.007, respectively), and in vitro NDFD tended to be greater for QT treatments compared to no QT inclusion (P = 0.077). There was a TRT × day interaction (P = 0.001) on CH4 production, with QT3 having less CH4 production relative to QT0 on d 0 and QT2 on d 7 and 28. Feeding QT up to 3% of the dietary DM in a roughage-based diet did not sacrifice overall DM digestibility and ruminal parameters over time. Still, it is unclear why QT2 did not follow the same pattern as in vitro gas parameters. Detailed evaluations of amino acid degradation might be required to fully define CT influences on ruminal fermentation parameters and CH4 production.

WannaCry as a Creeping Crisis

This chapter deepens our understanding of cyber crises with the help of the creeping crisis concept. The chapter shows that although emerging technologies make malicious activities in cyberspace more sophisticated, vulnerabilities enabling such threats have been inherent in cyber assets for a very long time in the form of creeping crises. The question is: was WannaCry the acute crisis or just a precursor event to a bigger explosion? It is argued that the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 should be considered a wake-up call. The chapter demonstrates how the cyber threat was lurking in the background, gradually evolving in time and space in a non-linear fashion and receiving varying levels of attention.

Quantitative Vibrational Spectroscopy on Liquid Mixtures: Concentration Units Matter

Quantitative vibrational absorption spectroscopies rely on Beer’s law relating spectroscopic intensities in a linear fashion to chemical concentrations. To address and clarify contrasting results in the literature about the difference...