Concentration change patterns of luteinizing hormone and progesterone and distribution of hierarchical follicles in normal and arrested laying turkey hens

Young photosensitive turkey hens of a line selected for increased egg production (Egg line) were photostimulated with constant light [24 h light:0 h darkness] at 30 wk of age. Egg laying became arrested in 6 of 12 the hens after only 2 to 3 wk of laying. Ovarian morphology and changes in concentrations of plasma hormones [luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone (P4), and estradiol-17beta (E2)] over 10 d of serial bleeding were compared between the arrested laying and normal laying hens. The number of ovarian follicles heavier than 1.0 g was much greater in arrested laying hens, and some of the arrested laying hens presented a polycystic ovarian follicle condition. The oviducts of the arrested laying hens were fully developed and were similar in weight to those of normal laying hens. In arrested laying hens the plasma concentration of LH was relatively low (1.72 +/- 0.30 ng mL(-1)) and without preovulatory surges. In normal laying hens the baseline concentration of LH was 2.60 +/- 0.71 ng mL(-1), and the interval between LH surges was 26.8 h. In the arrested laying hens, the plasma concentration of P4 was relatively high (4.66 +/- 1.28 ng mL(-1)) and without preovulatory surges. In normal laying hens the baseline concentration of P4 between surges was 1.76 +/- 0.24 ng mL(-1). Plasma E2 concentrations were not different between normal laying and arrested laying hens. In conclusion, ovulations and ovipositions ceased in the arrested laying hens, but the entrance of follicles into the follicular hierarchy and hierarchical growth continued, leading to an accumulation of numerous mature follicles in the ovary. In addition, some of the accumulated mature follicles might have resumed growing, leading to the formation of cystic ovarian follicles.

Preovulatory luteinizing hormone surge interval in old and young laying turkey hens early in the egg production period

Egg production rate normally declines with duration of the reproductive period, but hen age and duration of the reproductive period are usually confounded. Initiation of egg production can be delayed in turkey hens with short-day lighting, allowing hen age to be separated from duration of the reproductive period. The objective of the present report is to determine if the interval between luteinizing hormone (LH) surges is different between old and young laying turkey hens during the peak of egg production. Turkey hens were given short-day lighting [6 h light (L):18 h darkness (D)] at 16 wk of age, and were photostimulated with 24L:OD (constant light) at 30 (young hens) or at 70 (old hens) wk of age. Egg production in the young hens started about 2 wk after they were photostimulated, but some of the old hens had started laying at 64 wk of age while under short-day lighting, and all old hens were laying after 1 wk of photostimulation. To monitor the interval between plasma LH surges at peak of production, hens were serially bled hourly for 240 h, starting about 6 wk after photostimulation. The interval of LH surges was not different between young (n = 5) and old (n = 10) laying hens. Not all LH surges were coincident with oviposition of eggs 1 to 2 d later (blind LH surges), and the percentage of young hens with at least one blind LH surge was higher than for old hens (60% of young hens and 10% of old hens). The baseline concentration of LH was not different between the young and old laying hens. In conclusion, the interval between LH surges, baseline concentration of LH, and amplitude of LH surges were not related to age of the hens during the peak rate of lay.

Frequency of Luteinizing Hormone Surges and Egg Production Rate in Turkey Hens1

Whether the interval between preovulatory surges of LH was different between lines of turkey hens with either poor (RBC3 line, peak at 55%) or excellent rate of egg production (Egg line, peak at 85%) was examined. Laying hens were cannulated and bled hourly for 10 days at peak of production. A constant light photoschedule was used to avoid diurnal masking of innate circadian rhythms. The mean interval between LH surges in the RBC3 line was longer than in the Egg line and had a higher coefficient of variation. A few longer LH surge intervals (72 h) were found in some RBC3 line hens (2 of 7 hens), but none were found in Egg line hens (0 of 11 hens). All progesterone (P4) surges were coupled with LH surges, but not all LH-P4 surges were coupled with ovipositions (blind LH-P(4) surges). The percentage of blind LH-P4 surges was not different between lines. The baseline concentration of LH was higher in Egg line than RBC3 line hens, but LH surge amplitude, and surge duration were not different. The baseline and surge amplitude concentrations of P4 were not different between lines, nor was the concentration of estradiol-17beta. The longer interval between LH surges was the major factor tested that was associated with the poorer egg production rate in RBC3 line hens in comparison to Egg line hens. A higher incidence of blind LH surges further contributed to lower egg production in RBC3 line turkey hens.

An Approach to Combining Results From Multiple Methods Motivated by the ISO GUM

The problem of determining a consensus value and its uncertainty from the results of multiple methods or laboratories is discussed. Desirable criteria of a solution are presented. A solution motivated by the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (ISO GUM) is introduced and applied in a detailed worked example. A Bayesian hierarchical model motivated by the proposed solution is presented and compared to the solution.

Tris(2-cyanoethyl)amine

In the title compound, N(CH(2)CH(2)CN)(3), (I), the three cyanoethyl groups adopt a conformation with the CN groups oriented in the same direction, suggesting the compound may behave as a potential tripodal ligand.

Surgical treatment of nonunited fractures of the odontoid process, with special reference to occipitocervical fusion for unreducible atlantoaxial subluxation or instability

Fifty-seven consecutive patients treated surgically for nonunited fractures of the odontoid process were reviewed. All patients presented late, exhibiting neurological deficits subsequent to nonunion. Delay in presentation was between 6 and 120 months (mean 32 months) after the original injury, due to missed diagnosis or inappropriate management. Seven patients who were reduced in traction underwent a Gallie atlantoaxial fusion. In the remaining 50 patients who were unreducible, an occipitocervical arthrodesis was performed. They were followed up for a minimum of 2 years, except one who died from postoperative respiratory failure. All patients obtained a solid bony union, including two in whom nonunion occurred following atlantoaxial fusion, and occipitocervical fusion was added as a rescue. Thirty-eight patients achieved excellent neurological recovery, nine still had some disability, five retained their neurological deficits and two reported a deterioration. In two patients, a recurrence in a traumatic episode was experienced long after a resolution. Our findings demonstrate that occipitocervical arthrodesis is preferable for unreducible subluxation or instability of atlantoaxial articulation in nonunion of odontoid fractures.

Hexakis(antipyrine-O)terbium(III) triperchlorate

In the title compound, hexakis(1,2-dihydro-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-3H-pyrazol-3-one-O)terbium(III) triperchlorate, [Tb(C(11)H(12)N(2)O)(6)](ClO(4))(3), the Tb atom lies on a site of $\overline 3$ crystallographic symmetry and the unique Tb-O distance is 2.278 (2) A. One of the perchlorate anions has threefold crystallographic symmetry, while the other is disordered about a $\overline 3$ site.

On-axis beam extinction through diffraction design and analysis

To optimize the functions of the surface-relief diffractive optical elements for optical limiters and other applications, we present a systematic design and analysis with numerical illustrations of the transmission properties of different surface-relief phase gratings and Fabry-Perot elements. The spectral response and the tolerance of fabrication errors have been included. An analysis shows that the blazed grating and the echelon grating, a multilevel element as a substitute of the blazed grating, can make the on-axis transmittance very low (less than 1% with one grating) over the broad visible band with a large tolerance of fabrication errors. The results are highly significant for the design of optical-limiting devices.

Interlaboratory comparison of autoradiographic DNA profiling measurements. 4. Protocol effects

The observed total interlaboratory uncertainty in restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) measurements is sufficiently small to be of little significance given current forensic needs. However, as the number of RFLP data increase, further reduction in the total uncertainty could help minimize the resources required to evaluate potential profile matches. The large number of data available enable quantitative estimation of the within-laboratory imprecision and among-laboratory bias contributions to the total uncertainty. Some small but consistent among-laboratory measurement biases can be attributed to specific procedural or materials differences. The bias direction is often fragment-specific and thus unpredictable for unknown samples. Actions that would minimize currently recognized sources of interlaboratory bias include the following: (1) all laboratories should use the same algorithm for data interpolation, (2) all laboratories should use the same sizing ladders, (3) each laboratory should prepare control DNA and sample DNA in the same manner and with the identical reagents, (4) all laboratories should adopt a uniform policy on ethidium bromide use, and (5) all laboratories should adopt the same control DNA sizing acceptability criteria.

Lumbar disc herniation in patients with developmental spinal stenosis

Lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar disc herniation are usually regarded as two pathogenetically different conditions, but in the literature lumbar disc herniation in patients with developmental spinal stenosis has been rarely documented. In a clinical retrospective study, 42 lumbar disc herniations with developmental spinal stenosis were reported and analyzed. Discectomy was performed after laminotomy. The patients were followed-up for an average of 4.4 years (range 2-7 years). The preoperative symptoms disappeared completely in 28 patients, in 13 patients some degree of backache remained although their nerve root pain had been relieved, and in 1 patient intermittent claudication reappeared after 6 years resolution of their preoperative pain. We conclude that when developmental spinal stenosis is combined with disc herniation, discectomy through laminotomy rather than laminectomy is usually sufficient for decompression.

Interlaboratory comparison of autoradiographic DNA profiling measurements. 2. Measurement uncertainty and its propagation

Identifying the intrinsic sources of measurement uncertainty greatly facilitates control and further optimization of a measurement system. We have developed a model which quantitatively describes the observed interlaboratory variability of autoradiographic DNA band sizing. The model focuses on optical imaging measurements of band position and the calibration techniques used to convert measured band position to reported band size. The imaging component of measurement variability is described as a 0.05-0.2% standard deviation in determining the relative location of sample and calibration bands on a given film image. While developed solely with optical imaging information, the model is consistent with interlaboratory band sizing measurement variability observed with pristine samples. This interlaboratory variability can be modeled as a 0.2-0.4% standard deviation in the relative positions of sample and calibration bands across different electrophoretic gels. Further band sizing protocol standardization among laboratories would thus be expected to achieve at best a 2-fold reduction in interlaboratory band sizing variability.

Pseudonondiffracting slitlike beam and its analogy to the pseudonondispersing pulse

A new nonspreading beam is proposed for the case in which diffraction occurs only in one transverse coordinate. The beam has the shape of a pulse in one dimension and is constant in the other (slitlike shape). The intensity of the pulse's peak remains almost constant along a finite interval on the propagation axis. The proposed beam is analyzed and demonstrated experimentally. The analogy between this beam and the temporal pulse in a dispersive medium is discussed.

Two-stage modified signed-digit optical computing by spatial data encoding and polarization multiplexing

We propose and demonstrate an effective two-stage modified signed-digit optical computing technique (in contrast to previous three-stage techniques) based on spatial data encoding, polarization multiplexing, and multiple imaging. Our proposed reduction in operation stages requires a reference operation in addition to the transformation and weight operations common to three-stage systems. In our system's first stage a transformation (or weight) operation and a reference operation are implemented in parallel by use of four distinct polarization-multiplexed kernel operations. In the second stage the final desired result (e.g., addition and subtraction) and its complement are obtained in parallel with a single kernel operation. The operation speed of our two-stage modified signed-digit computing method is 33% faster than previous three-stage modified signed-digit algorithms.

Optical implementation of fuzzy-set reasoning

New methods of optical fuzzy-logic operations and optical fuzzy-controller synthesis are proposed and experimentally demonstrated by use of optical fan-out elements to achieve multiple imaging and polarization-space/aperture data encoding to represent fuzzy variables in optics. Sixteen fuzzy-logic operations between two inputs are achieved by use of a simple polarization-space data-encoding and kernel-operation scheme. In addition, a max-min composition-based fuzzy controller is implemented by use of an aperture-data-encoding and a double-multi-imaging approach. Our systems exhibit a high operation speed, a large information throughput, and a high signal-to-noise ratio.

Unipolar terminal-attractor-based neural associative memory with adaptive threshold and perfect convergence

A perfectly convergent unipolar neural associative-memory system based on nonlinear dynamical terminal attractors is presented. With adaptive setting of the threshold values for the dynamic iteration for the unipolar binary neuron states with terminal attractors, perfect convergence is achieved. This achievement and correct retrieval are demonstrated by computer simulation. The simulations are completed (1) by exhaustive tests with all of the possible combinations of stored and test vectors in small-scale networks and (2) by Monte Carlo simulations with randomly generated stored and test vectors in large-scale networks with an M/N ratio of 4 (M is the number of stored vectors; N is the number of neurons ≤ 256). An experiment with exclusive-oR logic operations with liquid-crystal-television spatial light modulators is used to show the feasibility of an optoelectronic implementation of the model. The behavior of terminal attractors in basins of energy space is illustrated by examples.

Modified-signed-digit arithmetic for multi-input digital optical computing

We propose and demonstrate a modified-signed-digit (MSP) arithmetic to achieve multi-input digital optical computing. Our approach utilizes hybrid addition-subtraction transformation (or weight operation) rules among multiple inputs. This results in operation speeds that exceed those of two-input MSD arithmetic for multi-input computing. Optical'implementation of the proposed multi-input MSD arithmetic by utilizing spatial data encoding and an optical fan-out element is also presented and experimentally demonstrated.

Polarization- and space-encoded parallel optical fuzzy logic processor

A novel polarization- and space-encoded parallel optical fuzzy logic processor is proposed and demonstrated by use of optical fan-out elements and polarization multiplexing. Sixteen fuzzy logic operations between two inputs are achieved with a simple data-encoding scheme. Our system exhibits a high operation speed, a high signalto- noise ratio, a large information throughput, and the capacity to operate on two channels of polarization states independently.

Bifurcating optical pattern recognition in photorefractive crystals

A new concept and experimental demonstration of a bifurcating optical pattern recognizer that uses a nonlinear gain saturation memory medium such as a high-gain photorefractive crystal are presented. A barium titanate crystal is used as a typical example of the nonlinear medium for the demonstration of the bifurcating optical pattern recognizer.