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In this article I develop sociologist George Ritzer’s concept ‘simulated animal’ by focusing on rational systems, enchantment, and nonhuman animal corporeality and behaviour. I argue that simulated animals are nonhumans controlled, structured, or represented within consumer contexts. From this I develop what I am calling ‘simulated umwelt’. Simulated umwelt, as a concept, is a synthesis of zoosemiotics with Ritzer’s work and focuses on nonhuman animals’ experiences and representations within rationalized settings and consumer representation. This is accomplished by applying umwelt theory and analysis to the subjective experiential aspect of simulated animals via umwelt construction, in the ongoing pursuit of descriptive and critical approaches to nonhuman animals closely connected to consumption. I conclude by emphasizing the utility of simulated umwelt reconstruction for facilitating “truly” intersubjective descriptions of nonhuman experience.

Over 21 days of cold storage, the quality and microbial composition of beef steaks in response to different high-CO2 packaging conditions achieved by flushing gas mixtures or embedding gas emitters into the packages were studied. The results revealed that the high levels of CO2, achieved by either the gas flushing or the CO2 emitter pads, effectively controlled the number of aerobic counts. The headspace CO2 increased quickly in response to using the CO2 emitter pads, and the meat samples presented different pH levels and surface color (a* and b*) values compared to the samples packaged with the gas flushing technique. Excessive accumulation of gas in the packages that contained CO2 emitters resulted in package swelling and higher levels of drip loss. The longest overall quality and attractive red color of the meat samples were observed when the packages were initially flushed with the headspace gas mixture containing high levels of oxygen. Overall, using CO2 emitters for meat packaging can be suggested when a topfilm with proper permeability to O2 and CO2 gases is used to regulate the internal CO2/O2 and gas/product ratios.

Abstract Introduction The theory of relativity postulates that time is relative to context and exercise seems such a situation. The purpose of this study was to examine whether situational factors such as perceived exertion and the introduction of an opponent influence competitors’ perception of time. Methods Thirty‐three recreationally active adults (F = 16; M = 17) performed three standardized 4‐km cycling trials in a randomized order. Velotron 3D software was used to create a visual, virtual environment representing (1) a solo time trial (FAM and SO), (2) a time trial with a passive opponent avatar (PO), and (3) a time trial with an opponent avatar and participant instruction to actively finish the trial before the opponent (AO). Participants were asked to estimate a 30‐s time period using a standardized protocol for reproducibility before exercise at 500 m, 1500 m, 2500 m, and post exercise. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was measured throughout the trials. Results Exercise trials revealed that time was perceived to run “slow” compared to chronological time during exercise compared to resting and post‐exercise measurements (p

Over 21 days of cold storage, the quality and microbial composition of beef steaks in response to different high-CO2 packaging conditions achieved by flushing gas mixtures or embedding gas emitters into the packages were studied. The results revealed that the high levels of CO2, achieved by either the gas flushing or the CO2 emitter pads, effectively controlled the number of aerobic counts. The headspace CO2 increased quickly in response to using the CO2 emitter pads, and the meat samples presented different pH levels and surface color (a* and b*) values compared to the samples packaged with the gas flushing technique. Excessive accumulation of gas in the packages that contained CO2 emitters resulted in package swelling and higher levels of drip loss. The longest overall quality and attractive red color of the meat samples were observed when the packages were initially flushed with the headspace gas mixture containing high levels of oxygen. Overall, using CO2 emitters for meat packaging can be suggested when a topfilm with proper permeability to O2 and CO2 gases is used to regulate the internal CO2/O2 and gas/product ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: ATG-101, a bispecific antibody that simultaneously targets the immune checkpoint PD-L1 and the costimulatory receptor 4-1BB, activates exhausted T cells upon PD-L1 crosslinking. Previous studies demonstrated promising anti-tumour efficacy of ATG-101 in preclinical models. Here, we labelled ATG-101 with 89Zr to confirm its tumour targeting effect and tissue biodistribution in a preclinical model. We also evaluated the use of immuno-PET to study tumour uptake of ATG-101 in vivo. Methods: ATG-101, anti-PD-L1, and an isotype control were conjugated with p-SCN-Deferoxamine (Df). The Df-conjugated antibodies were radiolabelled with 89Zr, and their radiochemical purity, immunoreactivity, and serum stability were assessed. We conducted PET/MRI and biodistribution studies on [89Zr]Zr-Df-ATG-101 in BALB/c nude mice bearing PD-L1-expressing MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenografts for up to 10 days after intravenous administration of [89Zr]Zr-labelled antibodies. The specificity of [89Zr]Zr-Df-ATG-101 was evaluated through a competition study with unlabelled ATG-101 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies. Results: The Df-conjugation and [89Zr]Zr -radiolabelling did not affect the target binding of ATG-101. Biodistribution and imaging studies demonstrated biological similarity of [89Zr]Zr-Df-ATG-101 and [89Zr]Zr-Df-anti-PD-L1. Tumour uptake of [89Zr]Zr-Df-ATG-101 was clearly visualised using small-animal PET imaging up to 7 days post-injection. Competition studies confirmed the specificity of PD-L1 targeting in vivo. Conclusion: [89Zr]Zr-Df-ATG-101 in vivo distribution is dependent on PD-L1 expression in the MDA-MB-231 xenograft model. Immuno-PET with [89Zr]Zr-Df-ATG-101 provides real-time information about ATG-101 distribution and tumour uptake in vivo. Our data support the use of [89Zr]Zr-Df-ATG-101 to assess tumour and tissue uptake of ATG-101. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionThe ability to perform optimally under pressure is critical across many occupations, including the military, first responders, and competitive sport. Despite recognition that such performance depends on a range of cognitive factors, how common these factors are across performance domains remains unclear. The current study sought to integrate existing knowledge in the performance field in the form of a transdisciplinary expert consensus on the cognitive mechanisms that underlie performance under pressure.MethodsInternational experts were recruited from four performance domains [(i) Defense; (ii) Competitive Sport; (iii) Civilian High-stakes; and (iv) Performance Neuroscience]. Experts rated constructs from the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework (and several expert-suggested constructs) across successive rounds, until all constructs reached consensus for inclusion or were eliminated. Finally, included constructs were ranked for their relative importance.ResultsSixty-eight experts completed the first Delphi round, with 94% of experts retained by the end of the Delphi process. The following 10 constructs reached consensus across all four panels (in order of overall ranking): (1) Attention; (2) Cognitive Control—Performance Monitoring; (3) Arousal and Regulatory Systems—Arousal; (4) Cognitive Control—Goal Selection, Updating, Representation, and Maintenance; (5) Cognitive Control—Response Selection and Inhibition/Suppression; (6) Working memory—Flexible Updating; (7) Working memory—Active Maintenance; (8) Perception and Understanding of Self—Self-knowledge; (9) Working memory—Interference Control, and (10) Expert-suggested—Shifting.DiscussionOur results identify a set of transdisciplinary neuroscience-informed constructs, validated through expert consensus. This expert consensus is critical to standardizing cognitive assessment and informing mechanism-targeted interventions in the broader field of human performance optimization.

Background. A single dose of perioperative dexamethasone (8-10 mg) reportedly decreases postoperative nausea, vomiting, and pain but has not been widely used in laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN). Methods. We performed a retrospective cohort study of living donors who underwent LDN between 2013 and 2015. Donors who received a lower dose (4-6 mg)  (n = 70) or a higher dose (8-14 mg) of dexamethasone (n = 100) were compared with 111 donors who did not receive dexamethasone (control). Outcomes and incidence of postoperative nausea, vomiting, and pain within 24 h after LDN were compared before and after propensity-score matching. Results. The higher dose of dexamethasone reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting incidences by 28% (P = 0.010) compared to control, but the lower dose did not. Total opioid use was 29% lower in donors who received the higher dose than in control (P = 0.004). The higher dose was identified as an independent factor for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting. Postoperative complication rates and hospital stays did not differ between the groups. After propensity-score matching, the results were the same as for the unmatched analysis. Conclusion. A single perioperative injection of 8-14 mg dexamethasone decreases antiemetic and narcotic requirements in the first 24 h, with no increase in surgical complications.

We examined the effect of physiological workload on gaze behaviour during defensive performance in 2 vs. 1 +goalkeeper game situations in football. Twenty-two players were assigned to either a high- or low-performing group based on a validated measure of tactical performance. A total of 12 game sequences (trials) were presented under high- and low-workload conditions. At the end of each sequence, participants were asked to indicate their perceived exertion using the Rating Scale of Mental Effort and the Borg Scale. The low- and high-workload conditions were defined when the players achieved 60 and 90% of their maximal heart rate, respectively, as per their performance in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test. Visual search behaviours were recorded using Tobii Pro eye-movement registration glasses. Players reported higher rates of perceived exertion on the high- compared to low-workload condition. Participants in the low-performing group increased their average fixation duration and decreased the number of fixations and number of fixation locations from the low- to high-workload conditions. The low- and high-performing groups displayed different visual search strategies with regards the areas of interest fixated upon. Participants in the high-performing group focused on the SpaceFrontPlayer, followed by Ball, and AnotherOpponent. The low-performing group spent more time focusing on the SpaceFrontPlayer and SpacePlayer than Ball and AnotherOpponent. It appears that physiological workload and tactical expertise interact in constraining visual search behaviours in football players. Coaches and practitioners should consider ways to manipulate individual and task constraints while attending to the close interplay between physiological workload, visual behaviour, and tactical performance during practise.

Purpose: To study the pacing behavior and performance of novice youth exercisers in a controlled laboratory setting. Method: Ten healthy participants (seven male, three female, 15.8±1.0 years) completed four, 2-km trials on a Velotron cycling ergometer. Visit 1 was a familiarization trial. Visits 2 to 4 involved the following conditions, in randomized order: no opponent (NO), a virtual opponent (starting slow and finishing fast) (OP-SLOWFAST), and a virtual opponent (starting fast and finishing slow) (OP-FASTSLOW). Repeated measurement ANOVAs (p < 0.05) were used to examine differences in both pacing behavior and also performance related to power output, finishing- and split times, and RPE between the four successive visits and the three conditions. Expected performance outcome was measured using a questionnaire. Results: Power output increased (F[subscript 3,27] = 5.651, p = 0.004, [eta superscript 2] [subscript rho] = 0.386) and finishing time decreased (F[subscript 3,27] = 9.972, p[less than] 0.001, [eta superscript 2] [subscript rho] = 0.526) between visit 1 and visits 2, 3 and 4. In comparison of the first and second visit, the difference between expected finish time and actual finishing time decreased by 66.2%, regardless of condition. The only significant difference observed in RPE score was reported at the 500 m point, where RPE was higher during visit 1 compared to visits 3 and 4, and during visit 2 compared to visit 4 (p < 0.05). No differences in pacing behavior, performance, or RPE were found between conditions (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Performance was improved by an increase in experience after one visit, parallel with the ability to anticipate future workload.

There is limited research on female football players, especially related to their physical and cognitive performance under different climactic conditions. We analyzed the impact of a hot environmental temperature on physical performance and anticipation in elite female football players during a fatigue‐inducing intermittent protocol. Elite female players (n = 21) performed the countermovement jump (CMJ) and responded to filmed sequences of offensive play under two distinct environmental temperatures (i.e., mild environment temperature‐ 20°C and 30% rh versus hot environment temperature‐ 38°C and 80% rh), interspersed by 1‐week interval. Linear mixed models were used. CMJ performance declined following the intermittent protocol on both temperature conditions (p < 0.05). Moreover, there were significant main effects for protocol on CMJ speed (m/s) (p = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.12), CMJ power (p = 0.002; ηp2 = 0.11), and CMJ Heightmax (p = 0.002; ηp2 = 0.12). After performing the intermittent protocol, exposure to a hot temperature caused a greater decline in anticipation accuracy (mild temperature = 64.41% vs. hot temperature = 53.44%; p < 0.001). Our study shows impaired performance in elite female football players following an intermittent protocol under hot compared with mild environmental conditions. We report decreased performance in both CMJ and anticipation performance under hotter conditions. The results reveal that exposure to hot temperatures had a negative effect on the accuracy of their anticipatory behaviors. We consider the implication of the work for research and training interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Information about outcomes for patients who undergo onlay mesh placement for umbilical hernia repair is scarce and the factors that influence adverse outcomes, such as long-term pain, are not well understood. A study of patients undergoing open umbilical hernia repair was undertaken. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent open umbilical hernia repair through a private surgical practice over a 13-year period using either an onlay mesh or suture alone repair were given a questionnaire following surgery to document the incidence of long-term pain or other complications. Data were then analyzed to understand any potential contributors to a poor outcome. RESULTS: The information on 346 patients was available for study. Mesh was used for repair in 327 (94.5%) patients, whereas 19 (5.5%) had suture alone repair. Early (≤30 days) complications were experienced by 73 patients (21.1%). The most common complications were seroma formation (27 patients), wound infection (13 patients), and hematoma (11 patients). Four patients developed a combination of hematoma, infection, and seroma formation. Late (>30 days) complications (other than persistent pain) were recorded for nine patients and were all wound-related problems. Long-term pain was significantly more common in those patients reporting wound complications (odds ratio: 7.01, 95% confidence interval 1.82–26.99). Recurrent umbilical herniation developed in three patients (0.9%). CONCLUSION: Onlay mesh repair for umbilical hernia repair can be performed with low rates of chronic pain and low recurrence rates; however, surgical site occurrences remain common albeit easily treatable.

Climate change and resulting changes in hydrology are already altering—and are expected in the future to continue to alter—the timing and amount of water flowing through rivers and streams. As these changes occur, the historical reliability of existing water rights will change. This study evaluates future water rights reliability in the Sacramento–Feather–American river watersheds. Because adequate data are not available to conduct a comprehensive analysis of water rights reliability, a condition placed into certain water rights, known as Term 91, is used to model projected water rights curtailment actions. Comparing the frequency and length of the historical and simulated future water diversion curtailments provides a useful projection of water rights reliability and water scarcity in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta) watershed.Projections of future water rights curtailments show that water rights holders are likely to be curtailed much more frequently, and for significantly longer durations, as we move through the 21st century. Further, many more water rights holders will be affected by curtailment actions in the future. As curtailments last longer and become more common, more water users will have to access other supplies, such as groundwater or water transfers, or will have to fallow land or conserve water in other ways to meet their demands. These activities will likely ratchet up the potential for additional conflicts over water in the Delta watershed.

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare but devastating disease associated with substantial morbidity and a mortality rate of almost 45%. Medical treatments, apart from supportive care, are limited and liver transplantation may be the only rescue option. Large animal models, which most closely represent human disease, can be logistically and technically cumbersome, expensive and pose ethical challenges. The development of isolated organ perfusion technologies, originally intended for preservation before transplantation, offers a new platform for experimental models of liver disease, such as ALF. In this study, female domestic swine underwent hepatectomy, followed by perfusion of the isolated liver on a normothermic machine perfusion device. Five control livers were perfused for 24 h at 37 °C, while receiving supplemental oxygen and nutrition. Six livers received toxic doses of acetaminophen given over 12 h, titrated to methemoglobin levels. Perfusate was sampled every 4 h for measurement of biochemical markers of injury (e.g., aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT]). Liver biopsies were taken at the beginning, middle, and end of perfusion for histological assessment. Acetaminophen-treated livers received a median dose of 8.93 g (8.21–9.75 g) of acetaminophen, achieving a peak acetaminophen level of 3780 µmol/L (3189–3913 µmol/L). Peak values of ALT (76 vs. 105 U/L; p = 0.429) and AST (3576 vs. 4712 U/L; p = 0.429) were not significantly different between groups. However, by the end of perfusion, histology scores were significantly worse in the acetaminophen treated group (p = 0.016). All acetaminophen treated livers developed significant methemoglobinemia, with a peak methemoglobin level of 19.3%, compared to 2.0% for control livers (p = 0.004). The development of a model of ALF in the ex vivo setting was confounded by the development of toxic methemoglobinemia. Further attempts using alternative agents or dosing strategies may be warranted to explore this setting as a model of liver disease.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a tracking program on the functional maturation rate of arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Methods: Two major clinical outcomes (commencement of cannulation and functional maturation) of created AVFs were compared between two cohorts. (i) Cohort 1: historical cohort; (ii) Cohort 2: AVFs created after implementation of the tracking project. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the association between cohort allocation and the two major clinical outcomes. Results: Data of 114 and 141 patients were analyzed respectively from Cohorts 1 (historical data) and 2 (with AVF tracking). After adjustment of covariates in the multivariable analysis, the AVFs created in Cohort 2 were more likely to be cannulated earlier (adjusted HR: 2.82; 95% CI: 1.97–4.05; p < 0.001), compared to those in Cohort 1. Similarly, the AVFs of Cohort 2 patients had significantly higher probability of functional maturation (adjusted HR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.31–2.48; p < 0.001) than fistulas in Cohort 1. Cannulation was commenced for half of the AVFs by 4.1 months post‐creation in the historical cohort (Cohort 1), whereas in the post‐tracking cohort, 50% of the AVFs were cannulated by 2.3 months after creation (p < 0.001). It took 5.5 and 4.3 months for 50% of the AVFs created in Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 patients to achieve catheter‐free functional maturation, respectively (p = 0.06). Conclusion: An AVF tracking program with maturation target for the access surgeons, together with a standardized tracking, feedback, and clinical strategy adjustment system is able to improve the AVF functional maturation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]