Redneck Research Articles

Optimization of particle size and encapsulation efficiency of vancomycin nanoparticles by response surface methodology

Context: Treating vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains requires high doses of vancomycin, which might lead to adverse reactions such as nephrotoxicity and “red neck syndrome”. Use of nanotechnology for antibiotic delivery is a promising approach to overcome antibiotic-resistance.Objective: The objective of this study was optimizing the particle size and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of vancomycin nanoparticles prepared from chitosan.Materials and methods: The nanoparticles were prepared by ionotropic gelation method, at different combinations of chitosan concentration, chitosan/tripolyphosphate mass and vancomycin/chitosan mass, using Box–Behnken experimental design. Dynamic light scattering and ultracentrifugation were used to measure the nanoparticle size and EE, respectively. Vancomycin was quantified in samples by spectrophotometery. The optimum conditions were determined by subsequent regression analysis and multicriteria decision analysis of the output data.Results: The nanoparticle size and EE were greatly influenced by the independent variables, which had interactive effects on both responses. The optimum conditions for production of nanoparticles were chitosan concentration of 0.5–1.2 mg/ml, chitosan/tripolyphosphate mass ratio of 3–3.5 and vancomycin/chitosan mass ratio of 1, which yielded nanoparticles between 130 and 150 nm with encapsulation efficiencies of 60–69%.Conclusions: The size and EE of vancomycin nanoparticles were optimized by the proposed procedure.

The Tunnel At Red Neck

The Tunnel At Red Neck

Stayin’ Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working ClassJeffersonCowie. New York: The New Press, 2010.

Stayin' Alive: The 1 970s and the Last Days of the Working Class Jefferson Cowie. New York: The New Press, 2010. Stayin' Alive is a superb history of the American working class in the 1970s, and author Jefferson Cowie proves he is an excellent historian of labor and politics and an astute critic of popular culture. His observations of how the working class was depicted in popular film and music during the 1970s will be of considerable interest to scholars of American culture. Cowie begins his narrative with the potential for labor unrest as an unprecedented series of strikes swept the nation during the late 1960s. Rank and file desire for change was evident in diverse movements that sought to challenge traditional labor leadership who, during the post-World War II era, had negotiated contracts conceding to management control of the work place. By the early 1970s this left many workers disillusioned and alienated. Cowie's book is essentially a chronicle of how, despite the promise at the beginning of the decade, these reform efforts failed such that by the end of the 1970s the working class in America was in disarray. Cowie points to a number of factors: the opposition of entrenched labor interests, identity politics, the emergence of social issues which some conservative politicians employed to trump economic reform, and a streak of rather extreme individualism. In addition, inflation and recession in the 1970s encouraged politicians to ignore the voices of discontent in favor of economic stability. He examines how the Nixon administration attempted to entice labor support by appealing to worker discontent with social issues and extolling the leadership of AFL-CIO President George Meany, misreading working-class estrangement from the liberal establishment as support for the war rather than as frustration and anxiety about their sons who were being killed in Vietnam. The author complements his astute political analysis with valuable insights into the popular culture of the 1970s. Cowie documents how the Nixon White House invited country musician Merle Haggard to perform, hoping to capitalize on his critique of the counterculture but uncomfortable with his workingclass sensibilities. He argues that the red neck image in both film and country music emphasized the rebellious elements of working-class culture at the expense of economic discontent, and thus posed little threat to market capitalism. He examines Robert Altman's film Nashville (1975) for exposing country music's facade of protest even as it was being manipulated by conservative corporate and political interests. …

Qualidade da carne de frangos caipiras abatidos em diferentes idades

Neste trabalho, foram avaliadas as características físico-químicas e de composição centesimal da carne de frangos machos de três linhagens utilizadas para criação semi-intensiva: Redbro Cou Nu - Vermelho de Pescoço Pelado (Pescoço Pelado); Redbro Plumé - Vermelho de Pescoço Emplumado (Pesadão) e Gris Barre Plumé (Carijó). Foram analisadas diferenças em relação à linhagem e à idade de abate (70, 85 e 110 dias). Na carne do peito, não foi verificado efeito de linhagem sobre os parâmetros de cor (L*, a* e b*) e pH final. Houve comportamento diferenciado para as aves em relação a qualidade da carne do peito, com menores valores de maciez para linhagem Pesadão e de Perda de Peso por Cozimento para linhagem Carijó. A linhagem Carijó apresentou, para a carne de peito aos 110 dias, os menores valores de umidade e as maiores médias de proteína. Os valores de proteina reduziram para linhagem Pescoço Pelado a partir de 85 dias. Na coxa, a partir de 110 dias, foi verificada redução dos valores de L* (luminosidade) e aumento das médias de a* (vermelho). Os valores de força de cisalhamento e extrato etéreo aumentaram para peito e coxa a partir dos 110 dias. As linhagens Pesadão e Pescoço Pelado apresentaram de forma geral, melhores aspectos físico-quimicos, que são os atributos de maior preferência pelo consumidor em função deste tipo de produto.

Modulatory effect of ascorbic acid on physiological responses of transported ostrich chicks

The aims of this study were to determine the modulating role of ascorbic acid (AA) on rectal temperature (RT), heterophil to lymphocyte (H to L) ratio and aberrant behaviours of ostrich chicks transported by road for 4 h during hot-dry conditions. Twenty ostrich chicks aged 2.5 months, of both sexes and belonging to the Red Neck breed, served as subjects of the study. The chicks were assigned randomly to AA-treated and control groups, consisting of 10 chicks each. The AA-treated group was administered orally with 100 mg/kg body weight of AA dissolved in 5 mL of sterile water 30 min before transportation, whilst the control group was given the equivalent of sterile water only. The thermal load (TL) experienced in the vehicle during transportation fluctuated between 31 °C and 89 °C, as calculated from the ambient temperature and relative humidity. Transportation induced hyperthermia, lymphopenia, heterophilia and aberrant behaviours of pecking, wing fluffing and panting, which were ameliorated by AA administration. The relationships between the TL, journey duration and physiological variables of RT, H to L ratio and aberrant behaviours recorded during transportation were significantly and positively correlated in the control group. In AA-treated group the relationships were not significantly correlated. In conclusion, the results showed for the first time that AA ameliorated the adverse effects of stress caused by road transportation on the aberrant behaviours, RT and H to L ratio of ostrich chicks during the hot-dry season.

Some Behavioral Traits of Red Neck Ostrich under Captive Conditions

The present study has been conducted to observe some behavioral traits of ostrich under captive conditions. The observations have been carried during the period 14 June to 24 June, 2005, for 8 equal time period, extending for 24 hours from 06:00 p.m hour to 06:00 p.m hour next day. The bird flack consisted of two adult males and adult female, kept in the College farm, in a cage joined to a fence to allow for free movement. The recorded behavioral activities included: standing in the sun, standing in shade, laying in the shade, laying in the sun, staying in the cage, movement and sitting on the knees, feeding, drinking, quarrel, urination, defecation, ritual display, courtship, and preening. It was noticed that the most time consuming activities were standing in the sun, standing in the shade, laying in the shade, and movement. The longest period of the time budget was taken in laying in shade (250.3 min.). The shortest fraction of the time budget was spent in courtship maneuvers (3.25 min.). The main target of the study was to provide ostrich breeders with useful information for better management.

Evaluation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid diagnosis of soft-shelled turtle iridovirus

Softshelled turtle iridovirus (STIV) is the first Asian iridovirus isolated from reptiles, which infects soft-shelled turtles severely and leads to “Red neck disease” associated with high mortality. A set of four specific primers was designed by targeting the STIV Thymidine kinase (TK) gene and amplified STIV DNA specifically under optimized amplification conditions at 63°C for 60min. The sensitivity of the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was found to be 20copies/μl of STIV DNA. To evaluate the application of the LAMP assay for detection of STIV in clinical samples, 223 samples suspected of STIV infection from turtle tissues were tested by the LAMP assay and by cell-based virus isolation. A 78.5% concordance was observed between the results of the two methods. In this study, a robust and simple LAMP assay for rapid detection of STIV was developed and evaluated, which is the first suitable for potential diagnosis and helping to monitor STIV infections in the aquaculture industry.

Identification, classification and evolution of owl monkeys (Aotus, Illiger 1811).

BackgroundOwl monkeys, belonging to the genus Aotus, have been extensively used as animal models in biomedical research but few reports have focused on the taxonomy and phylogeography of this genus. Moreover, the morphological similarity of several Aotus species has led to frequent misidentifications, mainly at the boundaries of their distribution. In this study, sequence data from five mitochondrial regions and the nuclear, Y-linked, SRY gene were used for species identification and phylogenetic reconstructions using well characterized specimens of Aotus nancymaae, A. vociferans, A. lemurinus, A. griseimembra, A. trivirgatus, A. nigriceps, A. azarae boliviensis and A. infulatus.ResultsThe complete MT-CO1, MT-TS1, MT-TD, MT-CO2, MT-CYB regions were sequenced in 18 Aotus specimens. ML and Bayesian topologies of concatenated data and separate regions allowed for the proposition of a tentative Aotus phylogeny, indicating that Aotus diverged some 4.62 Million years before present (MYBP). Similar analyses with included GenBank specimens were useful for assessing species identification of deposited data.ConclusionsAlternative phylogenetic reconstructions, when compared with karyotypic and biogeographic data, led to the proposition of evolutionary scenarios questioning the conventional diversification of this genus in monophyletic groups with grey and red necks. Moreover, genetic distance estimates and haplotypic differences were useful for species validations.

Joking as boundary negotiation among “good old boys”: “White trash” as a social category at the bottom of the Southern working class in Alabama

AbstractThe point of this article is to show how the “You might be a redneck” joke cycle is appropriated to designate a lower social category within the Southern working class in Alabama, and to negotiate the boundaries between the good old boy working class “red neck” and the lower category of “white trash.” Close attention to language is important in the analysis because the jokers exaggerate features of the vernacular dialect to perform members of the lower social category. Within the tradition of the study of conversational joking (Fry, Sweet madness: A study of humor, Pacific Books, 1963; Tannen, Conversational style: Analyzing talk among friends, Oxford University Press, 1984; Davies, C. E., Joint joking: Improvisational humorous episodes in conversation: 360–371, 1984, Language and American ‘good taste’: Martha Stewart as mass-media role model, Routledge, 2003a, Journal of Pragmatics 35: 361–1385, 2003b; Norrick, Conversational joking: Humor in everyday talk, Indiana University Press, 1993; Kotthoff, Coherent keying in conversational humour: Contextualizing joint fictionalisation, John Benjamins, 1999), combined with the discourse analyis of radio talk (Coupland, Language, situation, and the relational self: Theorizing dialect-style in sociolinguistics, Cambridge University Press, 2002; Goffman, Forms of talk, The University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981), and “performance speech” (Schilling-Estes, Language in Society 27: 53–83, 1998), this study examines joking interaction on a popular morning radio talk show in Alabama that is hosted by two men, known to their audience as Jack and Bubba. The data are a set of CD recordings identified as “The Best of . . .” supplemented with additional regular shows. Examining the joking as an important part of a linguistic “presentation of self” (Goffman, The presentation of self in everyday life, Doubleday, 1959; Davies, C. E., Texas Linguistic Forum 44: 73–89, 2002), the analysis reveals how the joking between the two hosts and with members of the studio audience is rooted in sociolinguistic and cultural dimensions of the working class American South.

William Faulkner: seeing through the South

List of illustrations. Preface. Acknowledgments. Introduction: Seeing Through the South: Faulkner and the Life Work of Writing. 1 An Artist Never Quite at Home: Faulkner's Apprehension of Modern Life. 2 That Evening Son Go Down: The Plantation South at Twilight. 3 Come Up: From Red Necks to Riches. 4 The Planting of Men: The South and New World Colonialism. 5 Seeing a South Beyond Yoknapatawpha. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

Changes in antioxidant enzymes and some key metabolites in some genetically diverse cultivars of radish ( Raphanus sativus L.)

Salt-induced changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), and lipid peroxidation in terms of malondialdehyde (MDA), level of H 2O 2, and some key metabolites such as soluble proteins, free proline and phenolics in the leaves of six radish cultivars (Radish Red Neck, Radish Lal Pari, Radish Mino Japani, Radish 40 Days, Mannu Early and Desi) were investigated. Varying levels of NaCl (0, 80 and 160 mM) applied for 40 days adversely affected the shoot fresh weight, chlorophyll contents and soluble proteins, while increased the levels of proline, and the activities of SOD, POD and CAT. However, leaf H 2O 2 and total phenolic contents were not affected by salt stress. Cultivars Mannu Early, Radish 40 Days and Desi were relatively higher in shoot fresh weight (percent of control) while cvs. Radish Mino Japani and Mannu Early in proline, and cvs. Radish 40 Days and Desi in total soluble proteins at 160 mM of NaCl. However, levels of H 2O 2 and phenolics were higher in cvs. Desi, Radish Lal Pari and Mannu Early and SOD, POD and CAT activities only in Radish Lal Pari and Mannu Early than the other cultivars under saline conditions. Overall, the differential salt tolerance of radish cultivars observed in the present study was not found to be associated with higher antioxidant enzyme activities and other key metabolites analyzed, so these attributes cannot be considered as selection criteria for salt tolerance in radish.

Rednecks and bluenecks: The politics of country music - by Chris Willman

Rednecks and bluenecks: The politics of country music - by Chris Willman

Rednecks, Redeemers, and Race: Mississippi after Reconstruction, 1877-1917

Rednecks, Redeemers, and Race: Mississippi after Reconstruction, 1877-1917

A new species of Dendrelaphis (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Southeast Asia

A new species of the colubrid genus Dendrelaphis Boulenger 1890 is described. Dendrelaphis kopsteini sp. nov. ranges from Thailand through Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to Sumatra. A detailed statistical analysis of the differences between D. kopsteini sp. nov., D. formosus (Boie, 1827) and D. cyanochloris (Wall, 1921) is provided as the three species have been mixed up frequently in the literature. D. kopsteini sp. nov. differs from all other Dendrelaphis species by a brick red neck coloration. A neotype is designated and described for D. formosus and a lectotype is designated and described for D. cyanochloris.

A new species of Dendrelaphis (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Southeast Asia

A new species of the colubrid genus Dendrelaphis Boulenger 1890 is described. Dendrelaphis kopsteini sp. nov. ranges from Thailand through Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to Sumatra. A detailed statistical analysis of the differences between D. kopsteini sp. nov., D. formosus (Boie, 1827) and D. cyanochloris (Wall, 1921) is provided as the three species have been mixed up frequently in the literature. D. kopsteini sp. nov. differs from all other Dendrelaphis species by a brick red neck coloration. A neotype is designated and described for D. formosus and a lectotype is designated and described for D. cyanochloris.

Rednecks, Redeemers, and Race: Mississippi After Reconstruction 1877?1917 by Stephen Cresswell

Rednecks, Redeemers, and Race: Mississippi After Reconstruction 1877?1917 by Stephen Cresswell

Avaliação de diversidade genética em subespécies e cruzamento de avestruzes (<em>Struthio camelus</em>) com o uso de marcadores RAPD

Concerning Strutioculture, the links between physical characteristics and performance need additional study, and, the pieces of information on genetic variability are minima. Therefore, the current work represents an important step in studies of ostrich genetics. Blood samples of 30 animals were collected, males and females, of the sub species Blue Neck, African Black and the crossing Red Blue (Red Neck X Blue Neck), to DNA extraction. After amplification, the products were analyzed and interpreted through the RAPD technique, providing data of genetic similarity among the individuals with the use of Jaccard coefficient, and data of genetic distance among sub species and genetic diversity within the sub species through the Nei coefficient. The obtained results demonstrated low similarity and high genetic diversity among analyzed individuals of each sub specie, however the genetic distances among the sub species were not significant, indicating that there was no genetic differentiation among the subspecies. The values of genetic differentiation between the sub specie Blue Neck and the crossing Red Blue were next to the significance, suggesting a bigger genetic diversity between these sub species

You Might Be a Redneck Engineer If…

You Might Be a Redneck Engineer If…

Rednecks and Redemption

Rednecks and Redemption

South Omaha Milagro : The History (And Anthropology) of the Indian Chicano Health Center

You will learn about Indian and Chicano people and the problems they have. The experiences you have may strengthen your bigoted attitudes and make you a red neck or, as you become aware of the culture of poverty, you may develop a sensitivity to minority problems, which you will carry with you throughout your professional career. At times, when the frustration level at the Health Center is high, it is good to remember the following ideas. Indians, and to a lesser degree Chicanos, are where they are because paternalistic Anglo dogooders prevented them from controlling their own destinies… The things you will accomplish at the health center will be small, the rewards will be intangible and the frustrations will be high (Orientation document, Indian Chicano Health Center, 1972)