OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clasp-retained removable partial dentures (C-RPDs) with a metal framework for survival, maintenance requirements, and biological implications.
METHODS: C-RPDs were retrospectively analyzed based on patient records. Treatment failure was defined as fracture of a framework component (metal base or connector) or loss of an abutment tooth. Other outcome variables included factors that might conceivably impact C-RPD survival (maxilla vs. mandible, Kennedy classes, opposing dentitions, treatment by students vs. certified dentists), mobility and caries of abutment teeth (in relation to clasp designs), and maintenance requirements (relining, clasp or resin fractures). Differences were evaluated by appropriate statistical tests at the P ≤ .05 level.
RESULTS: A total of 612 patients (339 men, 273 women) 60.0 ± 11.5 years old at delivery were included, covering 842 C-RPDs and a mean observation period of 42.1 ± 33.2 months. Kaplan-Meier C-RPD survival was 76.2% after 5 years and 49.5% after 10 years. Biological complications (i.e. loss of abutment teeth) accounted for the vast majority (95.6%) of C-RPDs failures, and Kaplan-Meier C-RPD survival was significantly better in the mandible (P = .015). Some clasp designs contributed significantly to caries and removal of abutment teeth (both P < .05). No other significant differences were noted.
CONCLUSIONS: Tooth loss both emerges as the main cause of C-RPDs failure and might be amenable to careful selection of clasp designs. Overall, better C-RPD survival should be expected in the mandible. A non-contributory role of Kennedy classes and opposing dentitions is tentatively suggested based on numerically heterogeneous subgroups.

Generally, when optimizing a rolling stock schedule, the locations of the depots, or places in the network where the composition changes and maintenance occurs, are assumed known. The locations where maintenance is performed naturally influence the quality of any resulting rolling stock schedules. In this paper, the problem of selecting new depot locations and their corresponding capacities is considered. A two-stage mixed integer programming approach for rolling stock scheduling with maintenance requirements is extended to account for depot selection. First, a conventional flow-based model is solved, ignoring maintenance requirements, to obtain a variety of rolling stock schedules with multiple depot locations and capacity options. Then, a maintenance feasible rolling stock schedule can be obtained by solving a series of assignment problems by using the schedules found in the first stage. The proposed methodology is tested on real-life instances, and the numerical experiments of different operational scenarios are discussed.

OBJECTIVE: To report on the use of a mandibular 3-implant overdenture with a novel implant distribution opposing a maxillary complete denture for the rehabilitation of an older edentulous patient.
BACKGROUND: The use of oral implants with attachment systems of various numbers and designs to support removable partial and complete dentures is well documented with success and predictability.
METHODS: An older edentulous patient with a mandibular implant-assisted removable partial denture was presented with failing remaining dentition. Teeth were extracted and a single midsymphyseal implant was placed. A mandibular overdenture on three implants with ball attachments in a tripod distribution was constructed to oppose a new maxillary complete denture made using a modified impression technique.
RESULTS: Over 2 years of follow-up, no significant biological or mechanical complications were reported, and denture retention and stability remained optimum.
CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular overdentures on three implants with ball attachments in a tripod distribution, opposing a maxillary complete denture, could be an alternative treatment option for the older edentulous patients.

Understanding energy partitioning in broiler breeders is needed to provide efficiency indicators for breeding purposes. This study compared 4 nonlinear models partitioning metabolizable energy (ME) intake to BW, average daily gain (ADG), and egg mass (EM) and described the effect of BW and rearing photoperiod on energy partitioning. Ross 708 broiler breeders (n = 180) were kept in 6 pens, controlling individual BW of free run birds with precision feeding stations. Half of the birds in each chamber were assigned to the breeder-recommended target BW curve (Standard) or to an accelerated target BW curve reaching the 21-week BW at week 18 (High). Pairs of chambers were randomly assigned to 8L:16D, 10L:14D, or 12L:12D rearing photoschedules and photostimulated with 16L:8D at week 21. Model [I] was: MEId = a × BWb + c × ADG × BWd + e × EM + ε, where MEId = daily ME intake (kcal/day); BW in kg; ADG in g/day; EM in g/day. Models [II-IV] were nonlinear mixed versions of model [I] and included individual [II], age-related [III], or both individual and age-related [IV] random terms to explain these sources of variation in maintenance requirement (a). Differences were reported as significant at P ≤ 0.05. The mean square error was 2,111, 1,532, 1,668, and 46 for models [I-IV] respectively, inferring extra random variation was explained by incorporating 1 or 2 random terms. Estimated ME partitioned to maintenance [IV] was 130.6 ± 1.15 kcal/kg0.58, and the ME requirement for ADG and EM were 0.63 ± 0.03 kcal/g/kg0.54 and 2.42 ± 0.04 kcal/g, respectively. During the laying period, maintenance estimates were 124.2 and 137.4 kcal/kg0.58 for standard and high BW treatment, and 130.7, 132.2, and 129.5 kcal/kg0.58 for the 8L:16D, 10L:14D, or 12L:12D treatments, respectively. Although hens on the standard BW treatment with a 12L:12D rearing photoschedule were most energetically conservative, their reproductive performance was the poorest. Model IV provided a new biologically sound method for estimation of life-time energy partitioning in broiler breeders including an age-related random term.

An empirical linear mixed model was derived to describe metabolizable energy (ME) partitioning in broiler breeder hens. Its coefficients described ME used for total heat production (HP), growth (ADG), and egg mass (EM). A total of 480 Ross 308 hens were randomly and equally assigned to 2 treatments: precision feeding (PF) and conventional daily-restricted feeding (CON) from 23 to 34 wk of age. The PF system allowed birds to enter feeding stations voluntarily at any time, weighed them, and provided access to feed for 60 s if their BW was less than the breeder-recommended target BW. The CON birds were fed daily each morning. Energetic efficiency of hens was evaluated using residual feed intake (RFI), defined as the difference between observed and predicted ME intake (MEI). The energy partitioning model predicted (P < 0.05): MEI = A × BW0.67 + 1.75 × ADG + 0.75 × EM + ϵ. The coefficient A, a vector of age-specific HP, was 142 kcal/kg0.67/d; the energy requirement for growth and EM was 1.75 and 0.75 kcal/g, respectively. For the CON and the PF hens, respectively, MEI was 366 and 354 kcal/d (P = 0.006); RFI was -5.9 and 6.7 kcal/d (P = 0.009); HP% was 85.5 and 87.7 (P < 0.001); hen-day egg production (HDEP) was 65.5 and 55.2% (P < 0.001). Although the CON hens had higher MEI, the model predicted lower HP%; thus, CON hens had more nutrients available for egg production, increased egg production, and were more energetically efficient than the PF hens. The decreased egg production by the PF hens was likely due to these hens receiving production-related feed increases after an egg was laid. However, feed allocation increases for the CON hens resulted in increasing MEI for all CON hens at the same time. Therefore, the PF hens had lower MEI and lower HDEP than the CON hens.

Infusion sets with precision flow regulators are frequently used in children undergoing surgery in order to control the perioperative administration of fluids. There are no data about the safety and accuracy of these infusion sets. A study was therefore conducted to compare adjusted and actual flow rates of three different infusion sets with precision flow regulators under standardized conditions.
The study evaluated three different infusion sets with precision flow regulators each at two different static levels. The actual flow rates of 5 infusions were recorded each time for adjusted flow rates of 50 ml/h, 100 ml/h, 150 ml/h, 200 ml/h and 250 ml/h over 1 h. Statistical analysis was performed with Excel (Excel, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA) and SOFA (Paton-Simpson and Associates Ltd., USA). The results are presented as means (standard deviation).
For the adjusted flow rates of 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 ml/h, actual flow rates were 107 (5.3), 174.8 (6.5), 255.8 (10.2), 312.4 (15.7) and 362.6 (20.2) ml/h for the Frekadrop® infusion set at a static level of 128 cm and 83.8 (4.4), 147.8 (5.5), 197 (12.4), 257.2 (4.97) and 311.6 (17.9) ml/h at a static level of 100 cm, respectively. For the Exadrop® infusion set actual flow rates were 88.6 (6.9), 131.2 (14.1), 224.4 (14.1), 296.6 (27.6) and 330.4 (22.4) ml/h at a static level of 128 cm and 54 (4), 82.4 (10.2), 138.8 (15.7), 209.4 (36.8) and 249 (12) ml/h at a static level of 76 cm, respectively. For the D-Flo infusion set actual flow rates were 95.6 (2.8), 167.6 (29), 217.8 (9.9), 281.6 (10.6) and 396.8 (37.5) ml/h at a static level of 128 cm and 69.2 (4.4), 110.2 (12.6), 169.2 (6), 205.2 (14) and 243 (15.9) ml/h at a static level of 80 cm, respectively.
The actual flow rates differed considerably from the adjusted flow rates in the evaluated infusion sets. The flow rates substantially depended on the static level of the infusion. First and foremost, regulation of the administered infusion volume does not seem to be reliable when using an infusion set with a precision flow regulator.

Ecological theory about the dynamics of interacting populations is mainly based on unstructured models that account for species abundances only. In turn, these models constitute the basis for our understanding of the functioning of ecological communities and ecosystems and their responses to environmental change, natural disturbances and human impacts. Structured models that take into account differences between individuals in age, stage or size have been shown to sometimes make predictions that run counter to the predictions of unstructured analogues. It is however unclear which biological mechanisms that are accounted for in the structured models give rise to these contrasting predictions. Focusing on two particular rules-of-thumb that generally hold in unstructured consumer-resource models, one relating to the relationship between mortality and equilibrium density of the consumer and the other relating to the stability of the equilibrium, I investigate the necessary conditions under which accounting for juvenile-adult stage structure can lead to qualitatively different model predictions. In particular, juvenile-adult stage structure is shown to overturn the two rules-of-thumb in case the model also accounts for the energetic requirements for basic metabolic maintenance. Given the fundamental nature of both juvenile-adult stage structure as well as metabolic maintenance requirements, these results call into question the generality of the predictions derived from unstructured models.

The goal of maintenance fluid therapy in small animals is to replace normal ongoing losses of water and salts when oral intake is withheld. Hospitalized dogs and cats may have multiple stimuli for antidiuretic hormone release that disrupt normal osmoregulation and predispose to water retention. Severe illness promotes retention of both sodium and water as edema. Commercially available fluids have electrolyte concentrations that are very different from dietary maintenance requirements, and potential consequences include development of hypoosmolality, edema, or both when excesses of water or sodium are administered. Suggestions for tailoring fluid administration toward specific goals are provided.

In the present study, a linear regression analysis between lysine intake and lysine retention was conducted to investigate the efficiency of lysine utilisation (k(Lys)) at marginal lysine intake of either protein-bound or free lysine sources in juvenile turbot (Psetta maxima). For this purpose, nine isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain 2·25-4·12 g lysine/100 g crude protein (CP) to ensure that lysine was the first-limiting amino acid in all diets. The basal diet contained 2·25 g lysine/100 g CP. Graded levels of casein (Cas), fishmeal (FM) and L-lysine HCl (Lys) were added to the experimental diets to achieve stepwise lysine increments. A total of 240 fish (initial weight 50·1 g) were hand-fed all the experimental diets once daily until apparent satiation over a period of 56 d. Feed intake was significantly affected by dietary lysine concentration rather than by dietary lysine source. Specific growth rate increased significantly at higher lysine concentrations (P< 0·001). CP, crude lipid and crude ash contents in the whole body were affected by the dietary treatments. The linear regression slope between lysine retention and lysine intake (k(Lys)) was similar between all the dietary lysine sources. The k(Lys) values for the diets supplemented with Cas, Lys or FM were 0·833, 0·857 and 0·684, respectively. The bioavailability of lysine from the respective lysine sources was determined by a slope-ratio approach. The bioavailability of lysine (relative to the reference lysine source Cas) from FM and Lys was 82·1 and 103 %, respectively. Nutrient requirement for maintenance was in the range of 16·7-23·4 mg/kg(0·8) per d, and did not differ between the treatments. There were no significant differences in lysine utilisation efficiency or bioavailability of protein-bound or crystalline lysine from the respective sources observed when lysine was confirmed to be the first-limiting nutrient.

Basal metabolic rates in mammals are mainly determined by body mass, but also by ecological factors. Some mammalian species inhabiting hot, dry environments were found to have lower metabolic rates compared to temperate species. We studied energy metabolism in Phillip\'s dikdik (Madoqua saltiana phillipsi), a small antelope inhabiting xeric shrubland habitats in the Eastern \'horn\' of Africa, and compared results to literature data. We measured body mass (BM) changes and digestibility in 12 adults kept on different food intake levels to determine, by extrapolation to zero BM change, maintenance energy requirements (MEm) for metabolizable energy (ME). The MEm averaged at 404±20kJMEkgBM(-0.75)d(-1). In addition we conducted 24h-chamber respirometry with seven fed (non-fasted) individuals. Their mean metabolic rate as calculated from oxygen consumption was 403±51kJkgBM(-0.75)d(-1), corroborating the results of the feeding experiments. Selecting the 20 lowest values of the respiration measurement period to estimate resting metabolic rate (RMR) resulted in a mean RMR of 244±39kJkgBM(-0.75)d(-1), which was not significantly lower than the expected basal metabolic rate of 293kJkgBM(-0.75)d(-1). Therefore, resting metabolism was similar to the expected average basal metabolism of a mammal of this size, which suggests a comparatively low metabolic rate in dikdiks. Compared to literature data Phillip\'s dikdiks have a MEm similar to measurements reported for small domestic ruminants, but considerably lower than those reported for other wild ruminant species inhabiting temperate and cold climates.