S385 INTRODUCTION: The "walking epidural" is a popular technique for labor analgesia. A dilute local anesthetic solution is used to minimize motor block. Preservation of motor function may permit ambulation during the first stage and effective pushing during the second stage. We noticed that some patients who received a 3 ml 1.5% lidocaine with epinephrine test dose before receiving the dilute "walking epidural" infusion had prolonged motor block. We prospectively studied the effect of this test dose on motor block during labor. METHODS: After informed consent, parturients requesting epidural analgesia for labor were randomized to receive a test dose of either 3 ml 1.5% lidocaine with epinephrine (5 [micro sign]g/ml) or 1 ml air. Baseline motor strength was confirmed by the ability to rise from a full squat without assistance. An epidural catheter was then placed at the L3-4 interspace in the sitting position. After administration of the test dose, 20 ml of "walking epidural" solution was injected (bupivacaine 0.04% + sufentanil 0.4 mg/ml + epinephrine 1.7 [micro sign]g/ml). This solution was then infused at 15 ml/hr. Motor block was assessed at 30 min. and then at hourly intervals using a modified Bromage scale (1 = barely able to move knees; 2 = some weakness of hip flexion; 3 = no weakness of hip flexion; 4 = able to rise from 90[degree sign] knee bend; 5 = able to rise from full squat). Patients with pain (VAS > 25) 20 minutes after the test dose were given 3 ml 0.25% bupivacaine and excluded from the study, as were patients who delivered within 3 hours of epidural catheter placement. Motor block intensity at 3 hours was compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: Eight parturients received the 1.5% lidocaine with epinephrine test dose and 8 parturients received the air test dose. At 3 hours, 4 patients given lidocaine with epinephrine had a Bromage score < 4, but no patient given the air test dose had a Bromage score < 4 (p < 0.05). (Table 1)Table 1: Bromage scores in parturients 3 hours after receiving a test dose of either 3 ml 1.5% lidocaine with epinephrine (5 [micro sign]g/ml) or 1 ml air followed by "walking epidural" solution (see text for details):DISCUSSION: These data show that a 3 ml test dose of 1.5% lidocaine with epinephrine prior to initiation of a continuous infusion of "walking epidural" solution may produce an intense motor block in some patients. Clinicians should be aware of this and use caution prior to allowing parturients receiving this "walking epidural" regimen to ambulate.

BACKGROUND:Wound infiltration with local anesthetics does not reliably produce satisfactory postoperative analgesia, and the dose of local anesthetic which may be safely administered is limited by the potential for systemic toxicity. This study evaluated the efficacy of a slow-release liposomal bupivacaine formulation on duration of wound analgesia.METHODS:Multilammelar liposomes containing bupivacaine were assessed using a rat paw wound model. Twenty-four hours after surgical incision, paw wounds determined to be hyperalgesic to graded force testing with von Frey hairs were infiltrated with 0.3 ml of 2% liposomal bupivacaine, 0.5% plain bupivacaine, saline, or "empty' (normal saline) liposomes (n = 6/group). The duration of analgesia was measured. The 0.5% plain concentration was chosen because, in preliminary experiments, larger doses were often fatal. Analgesia duration was compared using Mann-Whitney U test at P < 0.05. In other rats, plasma bupivacaine levels after wound infiltration with either 2% liposomal formulation or 0.5% plain formulation were assessed (n = 8/group).RESULTS:The mean duration of analgesia was 23 +/- 3 (SD) min for plain bupivacaine and 180 +/- 30 min for liposomal bupivacaine. No wound analgesia was detected in animals given normal saline or "empty' liposomes. Plasma bupivacaine levels tended to be lower after liposomal than plain bupivacaine.CONCLUSIONS:The 8-fold increase in duration of wound analgesia and the lower plasma levels seen with the liposomal formulation are explained by gradual drug release from the liposomal depot. These results may have important implications for achieving safe and effective analgesia with wound infiltration techniques in humans.

SUMMARYLeucocyte populations were examined in normal and inflamed skin of sheep bred for resistance (R) or susceptibility (S) to bacterial fleece rot and the common sequela, body strike caused by the dipteran parasite Lucilia cuprina. No differences between R and S lines were found in numbers of neutrophils accumulating in acute inflammatory lesions induced by activated complement, leukotriene B4, interleukin(IL)‐lβ, tumour necrosis factor‐α, IL‐8 orendotoxin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. T19+ (a γδ T cell subset) lymphocytes and eosinophils were more prevalent in skin of sheep from the S line whereas IgE+ cells were more prevalent in skin of sheep from the R line. In an unrelated population of sheep, animals with low fleece rot scores had more intense neutrophil migration into inflammatory lesions induced by all the mediators examined than did animals with high fleece rot scores. IgE+ cells were more prevalent in animals with low fleece rot scores, although in contrast to R and S lines, T19+ cells tended to be elevated in this group of animals. The results suggest that defence mechanisms associated with IgE+ cells in skin may play an important role in resistance to fleece rot and fly strike.

Summary The leakage of plasma into skin following injection of histamine, bradykinin, activated complement, platelet‐activating factor and serotonin was measured in sheep bred for resistance or susceptibility to fleece rot and fly strike. Genetically susceptible sheep had significantly greater plasma leakage to activated complement than genetically resistant sheep, and for all mediators there was a trend for plasma leakage to be greater in susceptible sheep. Within each genotype there was also a tendency for plasma leakage to be positively correlated with fleece rot score. In a flock of sheep of different genetic background not selected for resistance or susceptibility to fleece rot and fly strike, positive phenotypic correlations were also noted between fleece rot score and plasma leakage. Plasma leakage provides nutrition for the first instar larvae of Lucilia cuprina , the major cause of primary blowfly strike in Australia. Diminished leakage of plasma following release of endogenous permeability mediators may be one component of the mechanism that confers resistance in animals bred for resistance to fleece rot and fly strike.

The Bevalac injector final stage RF amplifier systems have been successfully upgraded to reduce energy consumption and operating costs. The energy savings realized at completion of the project was primarily obtained by eliminating the filament power required for operation of the hard tube modulator (HTM) system. The HTM system was used to key the plate voltage to two tubes, a TH-515 which provides 800 kW of RF output power and a TH-516 which provides 2.4 MW. The first phase required modifying the amplifier structure to remove the ground connection to the final amplifier grid while maintaining a low impedance path for the grid-anode and grid-cathode RF circulating currents. The second phase provided a fixed source of DC grid bias for the TH-515 and a pulsed grid bias source for the TH-516. The bias voltages appropriately interlock the DC plate voltage supply to the final amplifiers. Construction, design, and operating parameters are described.<>

Skin and fleece traits have been characterized in four lines of Merino sheep selected for high- and low-fibre diameter (D +/-) and staple length (L +/-) from a medium-woolled flock. Over a period of 20 years, each line responded in the desired direction, producing fleeces composed of thick or thin fibres and long or short wool staples. However, variations in the amounts of wool grown that might be expected from these procedures were compensated by changes in unselected characters. Thus a predicted difference in fleece weights between high and low staple length lines was reduced by an increase in fibre crimp frequency in L- sheep. Similarly, changes induced in fibre diameter in the D lines resulted in small effects on fleece weight in comparison to the large (and inverse) effects on follicle numbers. Towards the end of the selection regime, mean follicle density in D- sheep was twice that of D+ sheep. This intriguing response within the follicle population was examined further: an analysis of the relationship between follicle density and fibre diameter amongst the four lines revealed a highly significant, negative linear correlation. The implication of this statistical association is that the numbers of follicles initiated in skin during foetal life had a direct bearing on the sizes of wool fibres eventually produced. It was concluded that both features must be under the control of a single developmental mechanism. Since the expression of each of the characters is separated in time, the mechanism must be activated during the earlier event, i.e. at or before the phase of follicle initiation.

Based on the initial design values and results of the alignment and low-power testing of the novel 400-MHz RF quadrupole (RFQ) produced at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, the RF input power requirement at design gradient with full beam loading is approximately 160 kW. As the quadrant size and design limit the RF drive loop dimensions, the drive port was chosen to accept commercially available equipment of 1 5/8 in. in diameter. Available RF power sources provide 3 1/8 in. diameter coax at the output. The interface between the two coax sizes was chosen to be a 1/4 wavelength tapered section with a constant Zo of approximately 500 Ω. The 1 5/8-in. end of the tapered section is mounted directly to the RFQ cavity body. The following items are described: the method used to distribute the power handling limits more evenly; gradients and relative safety factors along the length of the tapered section; impedance matching sections; limiting factors and their subsequent treatment; and high-power test results

Journal of Animal Breeding and GeneticsVolume 103, Issue 1-5 p. 97-115 Sex and selection for fleece eight in Merino Sheep N. Jackson, Corresponding Author N. Jackson CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, Blackton, N. S. W., AustraliaCSIRO, Division of Animal Production, P. O. Box 239, Blackton, N. S. W. 2148, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJ. Lax, Corresponding Author J. Lax CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, Blackton, N. S. W., AustraliaCSIRO, Division of Animal Production, P. O. Box 239, Blackton, N. S. W. 2148, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorR. L. Wilson, Corresponding Author R. L. Wilson CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, Blackton, N. S. W., AustraliaCSIRO, Division of Animal Production, P. O. Box 239, Blackton, N. S. W. 2148, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author N. Jackson, Corresponding Author N. Jackson CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, Blackton, N. S. W., AustraliaCSIRO, Division of Animal Production, P. O. Box 239, Blackton, N. S. W. 2148, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJ. Lax, Corresponding Author J. Lax CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, Blackton, N. S. W., AustraliaCSIRO, Division of Animal Production, P. O. Box 239, Blackton, N. S. W. 2148, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorR. L. Wilson, Corresponding Author R. L. Wilson CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, Blackton, N. S. W., AustraliaCSIRO, Division of Animal Production, P. O. Box 239, Blackton, N. S. W. 2148, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author First published: January‐December 1986 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0388.1986.tb00072.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL References Anderson, A. D. M., 1980: Group breeding schemes. Wool Technology & Sheep Breeding 28 (2): 12– 18. Barlow, R., 1974: Selection for clean fleece weight in Merino sheep. II. Correlated responses to selection. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 25: 973– 94. Brown, G. H.; Turner, H. N., 1968: Response to selection in Australian Merino sheep. II. Estimates of phenotypic and genetic parameters for some production traits in Merino ewes and an analysis of the possible effects of selection on them. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 19: 303– 22. Dickerson, G. E.; Hazel, L. N., 1944: Effectiveness of selection of progeny performance as a supplement to earlier culling in livestock. J. of Agric. Res. 69: 459– 76. Dunlop, A. A., 1962: Interactions between heridity and environment in Australian Merino. I. Strain x location interactions in wool traits. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 13: 503– 31. Eisen, E. J.; Legates, J. E., 1966: Genotype - sex interaction and genetic correlation between the sexes for body weight in Mus musculus. Genetics 54: 611– 23. Evans, B., 1976: The Coolah high fertility Merino flock - a cooperative group breeding scheme. Proc. Int. Sheep Breeding Congr., Muresk and Perth, Western Australia, pp. 269– 73. Ferguson, K. A., 1976: Australian sheep breeding programs - aims, achievements and the future. Proc. Int. Sheep Breeding Congr., Muresk and Perth, Western Australia, 18: 13– 25. Frankham, R., 1968: Sex and selection for a quantitative character in Drosophila. I. Single sex selection. II. The sex dimorphism. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 21: 1215– 23, 1225–37. Henderson, C. R., 1973: Sire evaluation and genetic trends. Proceedings of the Animal Breeding and Genetics Symposium in Honour of Dr. Jay L. Lush. Published by the Americal Society of Animal Science and the American Dairy Science Association. Mann, T. L. J.; Ponzoni, R. W.; Polkinghorne, R. W., 1980: Response to partial selection on clean fleece weight in South Australian Strong-wool Merino sheep. V. Comparison of progeny of sires two years apart in age. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 31: 1029– 35. McGuirk, B. J., 1978: Objective measurement for flock rams. Wool Technology & Sheep Breeding 26 (1): 17– 22. McGuirk, B. J.; Atkins, K. D., 1976: Response to selection for increased fleece weight in Merino sheep. Proc. Int. Sheep Breeding Congr., Muresk and Perth, Western Australia, pp. 113– 117. McLaren, J., 1980: A Merino breeding program. Wool Technology & Sheep Breeding 28 (1): 34– 5. Mood, A. M.; Graybill, F. A., 1963: Introduction to the theory of statistics. McGraw-Hill, New York. Morley, F. H. W., 1955: Genetic improvement of Australian merino sheep. Agricultural Gazette, NSW, 66: 400– 11, 474–480, 526–31, 579–85. Moule, G. R.; Miller, S. J., 1963: Accuracy of selection of Merino sheep by visual appraisal. Queensland J. Agric. Sci. 20: 239– 46. Pattie, W. A.; Barlow, R., 1974: Selection for clean fleece weight in Merino sheep. I. Direct response to selection. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 25: 643– 55. Riches, J. A.; Turner, H. N., 1955: A comparison of methods of classing flock ewes. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 6: 99– 108. Ponzoni, R. W., 1980: Objective measurement and some management practices in South Australian Merino studs. Wool Technology & Sheep Breeding 28 (2): 19– 22. Robertson, A., 1959: The sampling variance of the genetic correlation coefficient. Biometrics 15: 469– 85. Savage, P. H., 1975: Summary of the activities of Fleece Measurement testing facilities in New South Wales. Mimeographed report. Savage, P. H.; McGuirk, B. J., 1976: Factors influencing the efficiency with which Merino studs select for increased wool production. Proc. Int. Sheep Breeding Congr., Muresk and Perth, Western Australia, pp. 265– 68. Schaeffer, L. R.; Wilton, J. W.; Thompson, R., 1978: Simultaneous estimation of variance and covariance components from multitrait mixed model equations. Biometrics 34: 199– 208. Shepherd, J. H., 1976: The Australian Merino Society nucleus breeding scheme. Proc. Int. Sheep Breeding Congr., Muresk and Perth, Western Australia, pp. 235– 46. Thatcher, L. P.; Napier, K. M., 1976: Economic evaluation of selecting sheep for wool production. Animal Production 22: 261– 74. Thompson, R., 1973: The estimation of variance and covariance components with an application when records are subject to culling. Biometrics 29: 527– 550. Turner, H. N.; Jackson, N., 1978: Response to selection in Australian Merino sheep. VIII. Further results on selection for high clean wool weight with attention to quality. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 29: 615– 29. Turner, H. N.; Brooker, M. G.; Dolling, C. H. S., 1970: Response to selection in Australian Merino Sheep. III Single character selection for high and low values of wool weight and its components. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 21: 955– 84. Turner, H. N.; Brown, G. H.; Ford, G., 1968: The influence of age structure on total productivity in breeding flocks of Merino sheep. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 19: 443– 75. Turner, H. N.; Dolling, C. H. S.; Kennedy, J. F., 1968: Response to selection in Australian Merino sheep. I. Selection for high clean wool weight, with a ceiling in fibre diameter and degree of skin wrinkle. Response in wool and body characteristics. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 19: 79– 112. Yamada, Y., 1962: Genotype by environment interaction and genetic correlation of the same trait under different environments. Jap. J. Genet. 37: 498– 509. Young, S. S. Y.; Turner, H. N.; Dolling, C. H. S., 1960: Comparison of estimates of repeatability and heritability for some production traits in Merino rams and ewes. I. Repeatability. II. Heritability. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 11: 257– 75, 604–17. Volume103, Issue1-5January‐December 1986Pages 97-115 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Initial operational characteristics of a new Bevatron injector system are described. It is capable of providing an independent source of ions to the Bevatron through mass 40. The new injector consists of a sputter ion PIG source, operating on a 60 kV DC platform, an RFQ linac, and two Alvarez linacs, all operating at 199 MHz. Beams with q/A ɥ 0.14 are accelerated to 200 keV/n in the RFQ and to 800 keV/n in the first Alvarez tank. Each Alvarez operates in the 2ßλ mode, and each is followed by a foil stripper. Beams with a q/A ɥ 0.32 are accelerated through the second Alvarez to 5 MeV/n, fully stripped, and injected into the Bevatron. Because the Bevatron can be efficiently switched between this injector and the Super HILAC injector, a more efficient operations schedule is made possible to meet the increasingly diverse needs of the Biomedical and Nuclear Science research programs.

Pressure of ~10-10 torr is needed in the Bevatron to accelerate partially-stripped very-heavy ions (e.g. U69+) in the Bevatron without significant loss due to interactions with the residual gas. This ultra-high vacuum will be achieved by installing (summer and fall 1981) a cryogenic liner, mostly 12°K, surrounding the Bevatron circulating beam. The novel construction features are presented along with results from successful tests of prototype sections. This is believed to be the largest application of cryogenic pumping to particle accelerators yet undertaken.

Secondary Emission Monitors (SEM) are used for high intensity, high energy beam fluence monitoring of heavy ions. The improved electronics and autozeroing of background noise has extended the useful range of the SEM down to the region where the limiting factor is capacitive changes between the chamber foils, from acoustic and mechanical vibration. Usable levels are in the 104 particles per pulse range for C6 ions. The secondary electron yield is proportional to 1/ß2. This gives an increase in yield of about a factor of 25 for injection energies over peak energies at the Bevatron. This enhanced yield has been exploited in designing relative intensity and position monitors that give usable signal levels while intercepting only a small percentage of the injected beam. The detector in this case is a wire grid. The output can be: 1. Sum proportional to the beam intensity or as a time profile; 2. Split grids for a right-left monitor; 3. Single wire scan for a spatial profile. These monitors give usable signals down to a level of 0.01-0.1 #x003BC;A of injected beam.

The influence on number of lambs born per ewe joined of the ewe's age, type of birth, body weight at 15–16 months, and inbreeding level, and the inbreeding of the foetus, has been investigated in a flock of medium Peppin Merinos run at Cunnamulla, Queensland. The influence on survival rate to weaning of these variables (except dam's birth type), plus gestation and lamb's birth weight, has been examined for single-born lambs. Age of ewe had a marked influence on the number of lambs born, but not on survival rate. Number of lambs born increased with age of ewe and then declined. Ewes born in multiple births produced 4.0 more lambs per 100 ewes joined than those born as singles. The ewe's body weight at 15–16 months had a marked influence on the number of lambs born and a small influence on the survival rate, but the effect was linear throughout the range with no evidence for a "critical" weight. Each 10 lb increase in body weight produced 8 more lambs born per 100 ewes joined, whilst survival rate increased by 5 per 100 lambs born for rams and 2 for ewes. Inbreeding had a marked deleterious effect on reproduction rate. Inbreeding of the dam was nine times as important as the inbreeding of the foetus on the number of lambs born. This effect was reversed for survival rate. Survival rate showed a curvilinear relationship with both birth weight and gestation period, the greatest survival rate occurring at or slightly above the mean birth weight, but the birth weight effect was highly significant while that for gestation period was not. The effect of high birth weight was not as marked as that for low birth weight in reducing survival.

Estimates have been made of the influence on 10 fleece and body characteristics of dam's phenotype, range in age of offspring, inbreeding of offspring and dam, type of birth of offspring, and age of dam. The data came from rams 10–11 months old and ewes 15–16 months old, which had previously been shorn as weaners; the animals belong to an unselected control flock run at Cunnamulla, south-western Queensland. The dam's phenotype showed a high positive relationship with that of her offspring in all 10 characteristics, the values of the regression coefficients confirming the levels of heritability previously estimated on the same flock but without removing all the effects included in the present analysis. Younger animals in a group had lower greasy and clean wool weights and body weights, even at 15–16 months, but the effects were slight, except for body weight. For each 1% increase in the offspring's own level of inbreeding, the regression coefficients for rams and ewes respectively were -0.042 and –0,051 lb for greasy wool weight, –0.025 and –0.025 1b for clean wool weight, and –0.431 and –0.541 1b for body weight. These figures represent a decrease of 5–10% in clean wool weight and 8–10% in body weight for the progeny of half-sib matings. Inbreeding of the dam had a negligible effect on the characteristics examined. Animals born in multiple births in this environment suffer penalties which were still evident up to 15–16 months of age, resulting in both sexes in lower wool and body weights, lower wrinkle scores, fewer fibres per unit skin area, and fewer crimps per inch of staple. Fibre diameter was slightly higher for the multiple birth animals, but he signs for the effects on other characteristics differed between sexes. The handicaps for rams and ewes respectively were 9 and 5% for clean wool weight and 7 and 5% for body weight. Dams were separated into four age groups (2, 3, 4–7, and 8–10 years). Greasy and clean wool weights and wrinkle score rose for offspring of both sexes to a peak at 4–7-year-old dams, then fell slightly. Body weight reached a peak at 3 years for rams and 4–7 years for ewes, while fibre diameter and staple length reached a peak at 3 years for ewes and 4–7 years for rams. In no case was the fall for the older dam age groups sufficient to invalidate the usual practice of adjusting only the progeny of 2-year-old dams. Other characteristics showed no consistent pattern.

The influence of sex, strain, location, and age of ewe on survival rate to weaning of single-born Merino lambs has been examined in two sets of data: the strain trial, involving five strains run without selection at each of three locations (Cunnamulla, Qld.; Armidale, on the northern tablelands of New South Wales; Deniliquin, in the Riverina area of New South Wales), with six age groups of ewes; and the same five strains later included in selection groups at Armidale with seven age groups of ewes. The strain trial at Armidale ran mainly on native, and the selection groups mainly on improved pastures. Female lambs had a higher survival rate than either castrated or entire males, the differences in lambs weaned per lamb born being 0.03 and 0.04 respectively. No strain differences could be regarded as statistically significant, and neither could the strain x location interaction in the strain trial. Mean survival rates for the strains ranged from 0.673 to 0.786 on the Armidale native and from 0.802 to 0.850 on the Armidale improved pasture, from 0.746 to 0.859 at Cunnamulla, and from 0.838 to 0.894 at Deniliquin. The strains did not rank consistently in the same order. Location had a marked effect on survival rate, the means being 0.744 for the native and 0.824 for the improved pasture at Armidale, 0.810 at Cunnamulla, and 0.868 at Deniliquin. Age of ewe had a marked influence in the poorest environment (Armidale native pasture), survival rate rising with age and later falling sharply. The effect was less marked in the intermediate environments (Armidale improved pasture and Cunnamulla) and negligible at Deniliquin. The patterns at Cunnamulla and Deniliquin are confirmed by data from other experiments on these stations. Survival rate is one component of number of lambs weaned. The other component, number of lambs born, has a higher mean value at Deniliquin than Cunnamulla, but shows a strong association with age of ewe in both environments. Number of lambs born responds rapidly to selection, but no information is yet available concerning the likely response in survival rate. If improvement in environment can raise the survival rate, particularly in the youngest and oldest ewes, then selection for number of lambs born, combined with improved environment, should lead to a marked rise in the number of lambs weaned.