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Veterinarians and the swine industry continue to battle PRRS virus (v), as demonstrated by both the MSHMP (Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project) and the SDRS (Swine Disease Reporting System). Both systems depict a continued increase in PRRSv prevalence and percentage of positive cases. The PRRSv variants that are circulating today seem to be more severe, especially in the last 2 to 3 yr, with more significant health and production losses in the nursery and finishing phases for prolonged periods of time. The best thing that can be done is to avoid having the virus with a good bioexclusion plan and if sites become infected, a strong biocontainment plan to avoid contaminating more sites should be considered. Realizing that bioexclusion is not always possible and sites will become infected, there are methods to help to reduce the impact of the virus. With the concerns of recombination pushing the virus evolution along faster, more producers are working toward eliminating field viruses from their systems. The use of filtration both on sow farms and nurseries has become more common as well as an additional method of bioexclusion. In the face of an outbreak, obtaining an accurate diagnosis is still one of the most important things that we do. In farrow to wean farms, serum samples are generally used when clinical signs (e.g., abortions, off feed) are observed to target testing to specific animals that are more likely to allow for early detection. In nursery and finishing sites, the use of oral fluid has worked very well as a screening tool when there are clinical signs or problems within a group or flow. Fortunately, there are differential tests that can be used to identify field infection and vaccines strains (since most wean to finish pigs are vaccinated in pig dense areas). With severe strains, depopulation and repopulation strategies have become more popular as a control method, but the majority of herd would use a herd closure. However, the amount of time required for these closures is extending, which lengthens the impacts on sow farms. Among wean to finish systems, the use of depopulating and cleaning up the site is used most, with only routine down times. Anti-inflammatories can also be administered in the acute phase of the outbreak in addition to the use of antibiotics to control secondary bacterial infections, as well as providing a good environment to allow the pigs to better deal with the disease. It’s best to keep the virus out of the herd with a good bioexclusion program. However, when we do have outbreaks, anti-inflammatory and antibiotics to help the pigs through it are important to utilize as we work to eliminate the field virus from the herd.

Many meat-eaters experience cognitive dissonance when aware that their eating behaviors contradict their moral values, such as desires to protect the environment or animals from harm. One way in which people morally disengage from their behaviors—and thus avoid dissonance—is to displace responsibility onto others. Aligning with this notion, results of three studies (total N= 1,501) suggest that expressing moral outrage at third-party transgressors reduces dissonance and preserves moral identity among meat-eaters. When participants understood their in-group as responsible for factory farming’s negative impact or read about factory farming’s harms to animals, expressing moral outrage at third-party transgressors reduced guilt and elevated self-rated moral character. Moreover, reflecting on the morally troublesome nature of meat-eating led participants to express more moral outrage at a third-party organization responsible for animal abuse, an effect eliminated by self-affirmation. These findings substantiate moral outrage as a new mechanism to justify meat consumption.

On April 7th, 2017, the Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine and the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation held a Southeast Regional Symposium in Birmingham, Alabama to explore mitochondrial dysfunction, diseases and conditions related to mitochondrial dysfunction, their clinical management, and new therapies and tools to address those conditions. This article provides a report of the proceedings.

Primary mitochondrial myopathies (PMM) are rare disorders with diverse and progressive symptom presentations that cause a substantial, detrimental impact on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. The burden of symptoms is compounded by their visibility and their unpredictable, progressive nature, leading to a sense of social stigmatization, limited autonomy, social isolation, and grief. There is also a lack of awareness and expertise in the medical community, which presents huge obstacles to diagnosis and provision of coordinated multidisciplinary care for these patients, along with a lack of disease-modifying treatments. The present commentary serves to raise awareness of the challenges faced by patients with PMM and their caregivers in their own words, including diagnostic delays, the burden of disease, and the need for further trials to develop disease-modifying treatments and improved understanding of the disease course. We also provide commentary on considerations for clinical practice, including the need for holistic care and multidisciplinary care teams, details of common ‘red flag’ symptoms, proposed diagnostic approaches, and suggested descriptions of multisystemic symptoms for physician-patient dialogue. In addition, we highlight the role patient advocacy and support groups play in supporting patients and providing access to reliable, up-to-date information and educational resources on these rare diseases.

Standardized terminology for the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) status of swine herds is necessary to facilitate communication between veterinarians, swine producers, genetic companies, and other industry participants. It is also required for implementation of regional and national efforts towards PRRSV control and elimination. The purpose of this paper is to provide a herd classification system for describing the PRRSV status of herds, based upon a set of definitions reflecting the biology and ecology of PRRSV. The herd classification system was developed by a definitions committee formed jointly by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) and the United States Department of Agriculture PRRS-Coordinated Agricultural Project, and was approved by the AASV Board of Directors on March 9, 2010. The committee included veterinarians from private practice and industry, researchers, and representatives from AASV and the National Pork Board. Breeding herds, with or without growing pigs on the same premises, are categorized as Positive Unstable (Category I), Positive Stable (Category II), Provisional Negative (Category III), or Negative (Category IV) on the basis of herd shedding and exposure status. Growing-pig herds are categorized as Positive or Negative. Recommended testing procedures and decision rules for herd classification are detailed.

Neonatal pigs from three herds of pigs were somnolent and inappetent and had microscopic lesions characterised by severe meningoencephalitis, necrotic interstitial pneumonia and gastric muscular inflammation. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection was diagnosed and confirmed by virus isolation, fluorescent antibody examination of frozen lung sections, serology, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation. Each herd had a history of PRRSV infection and was using or had used a modified‐live vaccine. The isolates from the affected pigs were genetically distinct from the modified‐live vaccine strain of the virus when compared by restriction enzyme analysis and nucleotide sequencing of PRRSV open reading frames 5 and 6. The virus was identified in macrophages or microglia of brain lesions by immunohistochemical staining of brain sections with an anti‐PRRsv monoclonal antibody and an anti‐macrophage antibody. The replication of the virus in the brain was verified by in situ hybridisation. The meningoencephalitis induced by the virus in pigs from each of the herds was unusually severe and the brain lesions were atypical when compared with other descriptions of encephalitis induced by the virus, which should therefore be considered as a possible diagnosis for neonatal pigs with severe meningoencephalitis. In addition, field isolates of the virus which are capable of causing disease can emerge and coexist with modified‐live vaccine virus in some pig herds.

Abstract: Creep tests were run on Fe-Ni alloys with nominal compositions of 100 pct Ni, 75 pct Ni-25 pct Fe, 50 pct Ni-50 pct Fe, 25 pet Ni-75 pet Fe and 100 pct Fe. Test temperatures were 898, 1073 and 1198 K, and the stress levels ranged from 6.5 to 80.1 MPa—varying with temperature and composition. Tests were conducted in a hydrogen or helium atmosphere, and creep rates, specimen elongations and rupture lifetimes were recorded. Grain boundary sliding measurements were made on nickel specimens to determine the fraction of strain due to grain boundary sliding at rupture. An alternating atmosphere test was also conducted on nickel specimens to see if a change in test atmosphere while the test was in progress would change creep rates. Finally metallographic studies were made of the fracture surfaces of all the test specimens using a light microscope and SEM. Results of the tests showed that hydrogen reduced the creep rupture lifetime of the 100 pct Ni and 75 pct Ni-25 pct Fe by as much as 80 pct. The lower Ni alloys showed little or no effect. The alternating atmosphere test showed no change in the creep rates of the Ni specimens when the atmosphere was cycled. Grain boundary sliding measurements showed no significant difference in the fraction of total strain due to grain boundary sliding. Metallography revealed no clear differences between fracture surfaces of specimens tested in hydrogen or helium. Causes for the observed creep behavior modification are explored.

The effect of hydrogen in solid solution in nickel on the surface and grain boundary free energies at 1573 K was determined using the zero creep technique. Effects of O and H adsorption on the surface free energies were considered and shown to have only small effects under the experimental conditions. The surface energy of pure nickel was determined to be about 2.34 J/m2. H concentrations of 300 at. ppm were shown to have no significant effect on the surface energy. Hydrogen had a somewhat greater effect on the grain boundary energy with. The implications of these results for hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms in Ni are discussed.

The effects of dynamic solute-dislocation interactions on cyclic creep in niobium-oxygen alloys have been examined by comparing static and cyclic creep in the dynamic strain-aging temperature range. In all comparisons, the peak stress in cyclic creep tests was identical to the constant stress in static creep tests.

Measurements of fatigue crack growth rates in copper monocrystalline and polycrystalline sheet specimens have been made at 295 K and 77 K to determine mean stress effects on growth rates. When load conditions remained unchanged throughout the period of crack growth, the rate of fatigue crack growth is independent of the level of mean stress and depends only on the cyclic stress amplitude. When the mean stress is changed during the crack growth period, a reduction of mean stress under plane strain conditions causes complete cessation of growth. A similar effect was not observed in plane stress crack growth, presumably due to reduced elastic constraint in narrow specimens containing large cracks. No change in growth rates occurs if the mean load is increased. In the event of crack growth stoppage, either restoration of the full previous mean load or crack re-nucleation under continued cycling at the reduced load levels is sufficient to restore the prior growth rate. A simple model is adapted to explain these observations which emphasizes the interaction of the growth rate with compressive residual stresses generated at the tip of the propagating crack.

The inherent high reactivity and color instability of primary amines has limited their applicability in polyisocyanate-based coatings. However, recent developments in the use of modified amine functional coreactants in such formulations shows significant progress towards having two-component systems with excellent application and durability properties. The systems reviewed here use amine functional groups which are either blocked by addition of carbonyl compounds, or are of reduced reactivity through steric hindrance and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The relative benefits and drawbacks of the various systems are detailed along with their applicability to high solids coatings.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to the article "The All-Nighter" by Sam Smith in the September 2016 issue, "Battle of Shenandoah" by Jack Baruth and "Go Lutz Yourself" by Bob Lutz.

Reports on the excitement of hunting for whitetail deer in a cornfield.

Features Benchmark Brands Inc., a specialty foot-care products company that markets products through catalogs. Business history; Elimination of retail space problem through direct marketing; Product line; Use of Internet in its marketing strategy; Formation of the company's own advisory board.

Features Internet service firm Interweb Inc. History of the company; Clientele; 1996 revenues; Business strategies.

Presents Rehabilitation Services of Columbus Inc., finalist of the large business category of the 1997 Georgia Family Business of the Year award. Origins of the company from the physical services practice of George McCluskey which pioneered physical therapy in Georgia in the 1950s; Distinction of the company as the second physical therapy service to incorporate in the nation.

Focuses on Communication Equipment Exchange Inc.'s computer repair business. Company's 1996 sales; Focus on quality customer service; Doug and Annette Davis' founding of the company; Employment of Doug's and Annette's son Brian in the company; Davis family's goal of maintaining a 50 percent annual growth rate; Company's expansion; Business challenges.

Features Apollo Waste Industries. Waste recycling business of the company; Founders of the company; Company history.

The N‐(silylmethyl)iminium salts (I) react with the E‐alkenes (II) in the presence of cesium fluoride to give the cycloadducts (III) via 1,3‐silicon shift.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

A temperature telemetry system was incorporated into an existing animal model for inhalation toxicology. This system facilitated continuous monitoring of guinea pig temperature dur ing inhalation exposures. Components of the system included Mini-Mitter temperature-controlled oscillators, AM receivers, and an IBM microcomputer. Software was developed to per form signal processing and filtering. Transmitters were calibrated and then sterilized and surgically implanted in the guinea pig peritoneum. Monitoring the baseline temperature of nine animals indicated a mean temperature of 38.6 ± 0.3°C. Guinea pigs were treated with agents to induce transient hypo- or hyperthermia. For the former, exposure for 3 hr to 7.8 ppm diphenyl methane-4,4′-diisocyanate resulted in a 3°C temperature decrease. The temperature was deter mined from 230 readings per animal per hour. Inhalation of 9 or 44 µg/m endotoxin for 6 hr induced hyperthermia with a 1.5°C maximum increase in core temperature at 4.8 hr. With endotoxin, an increase in respiratory rate was also noted and followed the same pattern as tem perature with a maximal increase of 52% occurring at 4.2 hr. The temperature telemetry system enabled continuous long-term monitoring of toxicant-induced hypothermia and pyrexia with out interruption of inhalation exposure or measurements of respiratory parameters.

The alkynyl phenyl sulfone (I) is consecutively treated with LDA and methyl iodide (II) to form the allene (III) which reacts with sodium phenylsulfinate (IV) to produce the 1,2‐disulfonyl‐2‐butene (V).

Benzaldoxime (I) is treated with trimethylsilylmethyl triflate (II) to form the iminium salt (III).

Reaction of dimethyl malonate (I) with the allene (II) in the presence of a trace of NaH gives the Michael‐type adduct (III) which rearranges to the thermodynamically more stable isomer (IV).

Presents Pete Garcia Co., finalist of the small business category in the 1997 Georgia Family Business of the Year award. Success of the company's florist supplies business; Establishment of the company in 1970; Number of family members involved in the business.

Focuses on the performance of realtor Steven Morgan of Richard Bowers & Co. for 1996. Career history of Morgan; Number of deals that Morgan was involved in for 1996; Total worth of the deals; Previous performance by Morgan in 1994 and 1995; Leasing and investment sales highlights for Morgan.