191 research outputs found
Morphometry and topography of the coronary ostia in the European bison
Background: Coronary vessels have been widely studied in many species of domestic and wild mammals. However, there are no available literature reports describing the morphology and morphometry of the coronary ostia of the European bison (Bison bonasus). The aim of this study was to measure the area of the coronary ostia and assess their localisation in the coronary sinuses of the aortic root in the European bison.
Materials and methods: The study material comprised 27 hearts from European bison of both sexes (16 males and 11 females), from 3 months to 26 years old, inhabiting the Bialowieza Forest (Bialowieza National Park, Poland). The animals were divided into two age groups: ≤ 5 years (group I) and > 5 years (group II).
Results: In all the studied European bison, the aortic valve consisted of three semilunar leaflets, left, right and septal. The ostia of both coronary arteries were located beneath the sinotubular junction. The dimensions of the left coronary ostium were larger than those of the right coronary ostium. They were longer by on average 4.5 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5–5.6 mm), they were wider by on average 1.6 mm (95% CI 1.0–2.2 mm) and they had a larger area by on average 31.6 mm2 (95% CI 22.7–40.5 mm2). This was evident both in young and in adult bison. After adjusting for age, there were no differences in the ostia dimensions between males and females. There were no differences in the structure of the left and right coronary arteries in nine animals. In the remaining 18 animals, there were variations in the morphology of the coronary ostia or additional ostia.
Conclusions: Because of the anatomical similarity between the European bison and other ruminants, the results of this study can be applied to the other species including endangered ones
Otitis media/interna and encephalitozoonosis are the most common causes of head tilt in pet rabbits in the UK: 73 cases (2009-2020).
Background: There are limited studies that identify diseases associated with head tilt in pet rabbits. Methods: This was an observational, retrospective, single-centre study of rabbits with head tilt presented between 2009 and 2020. Descriptive statistics were performed for all cases, whereas univariate and multivariate analyses were only performed for the 36 cases with a final diagnosis. Results: Seventy-three rabbits met the inclusion criteria. The final diagnoses included Encephalitozoon cuniculi meningoencephalomyelitis (EC) (15/36; 41.7%), otitis media/interna (OMI) (8/36; 22.2%) and concurrent EC and OMI (13/38; 36.1%). Subacute-to-chronic onset was more common in rabbits with OMI than in those with EC (p = 0.018). Previous middle ear surgery (p = 0.046) and a diagnosis of otitis externa (p = 0.004) significantly increased the risk of OMI. Meloxicam was associated with improvement of clinical signs (p = 0.007). Upright ears (p = 0.013), recumbency (p = 0.037) and impaired mentation (p = 0.001) were associated with a higher risk of death/euthanasia. The proportions of residual head tilt (66.7%) and relapse of vestibular signs (42.1%) were high. Limitations: This was a retrospective study with cases varying in their investigation and conclusive final diagnoses. Conclusion: OMI and EC were the most common aetiologies of head tilt in pet rabbits in the UK. Meloxicam might be associated with a favourable outcome in affected rabbits. Paired EC serology and a CT scan of the head should be the baseline investigation for head tilt in rabbits.</p
Stress Response after Race and Endurance Training Sessions and Competitions in Arabian Horses
Assuring a high level of animal welfare is a critical aspect of contemporary animal husbandry. Equine athletes begin their careers at a very young age when they are still developing and they are both physically and mentally immature. Lack of scientific knowledge of the stress related to horse racing impedes the development of optimal training programs to attain equilibrium between the best sport results and optimal welfare. This study aimed to determine the influence of the intensity and type of physical activity on peripheral blood cortisol concentration. Thirty untrained Arabians, 9 endurance and 21 race horses were enrolled in this longitudinal study. Blood samples were analysed every 3-weeks in 4 training sessions and 2 races in racing horses and monthly after 2 training sessions and 1 competition in endurance horses. Cortisol concentration was measured at rest and 30 min. after physical effort. Racing horses were divided into two groups of the best and the worst performers. Cortisol concentration increased significantly after training and competition, however both in racing and endurance horses the increase was more intensive after competition. In the racing horses, cortisol concentration tended to gradually increase after the subsequent trainings during the racing season, however the starting gate did not appear to exert any impact on cortisol concentration. The best performing race horses appeared to have a lesser increase in cortisol concentration after the race than the worst performing horses, however the cortisol concentration after the race was not significantly different between these two groups of horses. This study suggests that an optimal training program can induce a stress response which is likely not to have any harmful impact on an athlete’s welfare. The more intense effort associated with competition events, both in race and endurance horses, results in a greater stress response, indicating that these kinds of events should be limited to assure animal welfare. Finally, better performance horses adapt more readily to physical activity as they experience less increase of serum cortisol concentration after the race
Clinical findings, neurological manifestations and survival of dogs with insulinoma: 116 cases (2009-2020)
Multiplicity and transverse momentum fluctuations in inelastic proton-proton interactions at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron
Measurements of multiplicity and transverse momentum fluctuations of charged
particles were performed in inelastic p+p interactions at 20, 31, 40, 80 and
158 GeV/c beam momentum. Results for the scaled variance of the multiplicity
distribution and for three strongly intensive measures of multiplicity and
transverse momentum fluctuations \$\Delta[P_{T},N]\$, \$\Sigma[P_{T},N]\$ and
\$\Phi_{p_T}\$ are presented. For the first time the results on fluctuations
are fully corrected for experimental biases. The results on multiplicity and
transverse momentum fluctuations significantly deviate from expectations for
the independent particle production. They also depend on charges of selected
hadrons. The string-resonance Monte Carlo models EPOS and UrQMD do not describe
the data. The scaled variance of multiplicity fluctuations is significantly
higher in inelastic p+p interactions than in central Pb+Pb collisions measured
by NA49 at the same energy per nucleon. This is in qualitative disagreement
with the predictions of the Wounded Nucleon Model. Within the statistical
framework the enhanced multiplicity fluctuations in inelastic p+p interactions
can be interpreted as due to event-by-event fluctuations of the fireball energy
and/or volume.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figure
Measurements of , K, p and spectra in proton-proton interactions at 20, 31, 40, 80 and 158 GeV/c with the NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS
Measurements of inclusive spectra and mean multiplicities of ,
K, p and produced in inelastic p+p interactions at
incident projectile momenta of 20, 31, 40, 80 and 158 GeV/c ( 6.3,
7.7, 8.8, 12.3 and 17.3 GeV, respectively) were performed at the CERN Super
Proton Synchrotron using the large acceptance NA61/SHINE hadron spectrometer.
Spectra are presented as function of rapidity and transverse momentum and are
compared to predictions of current models. The measurements serve as the
baseline in the NA61/SHINE study of the properties of the onset of
deconfinement and search for the critical point of strongly interacting matter
Pion emission from the T2K replica target: method, results and application
The T2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment in Japan needs precise
predictions of the initial neutrino flux. The highest precision can be reached
based on detailed measurements of hadron emission from the same target as used
by T2K exposed to a proton beam of the same kinetic energy of 30 GeV. The
corresponding data were recorded in 2007-2010 by the NA61/SHINE experiment at
the CERN SPS using a replica of the T2K graphite target. In this paper details
of the experiment, data taking, data analysis method and results from the 2007
pilot run are presented. Furthermore, the application of the NA61/SHINE
measurements to the predictions of the T2K initial neutrino flux is described
and discussed.Comment: updated version as published by NIM
Measurements of , , , and proton production in proton-carbon interactions at 31 GeV/ with the NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS
Measurements of hadron production in p+C interactions at 31 GeV/c are
performed using the NA61/ SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS. The analysis is
based on the full set of data collected in 2009 using a graphite target with a
thickness of 4% of a nuclear interaction length. Inelastic and production cross
sections as well as spectra of , , p, and are
measured with high precision. These measurements are essential for improved
calculations of the initial neutrino fluxes in the T2K long-baseline neutrino
oscillation experiment in Japan. A comparison of the NA61/SHINE measurements
with predictions of several hadroproduction models is presented.Comment: v1 corresponds to the preprint CERN-PH-EP-2015-278; v2 matches the
final published versio
NA61/SHINE facility at the CERN SPS: beams and detector system
NA61/SHINE (SPS Heavy Ion and Neutrino Experiment) is a multi-purpose
experimental facility to study hadron production in hadron-proton,
hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN Super Proton
Synchrotron. It recorded the first physics data with hadron beams in 2009 and
with ion beams (secondary 7Be beams) in 2011.
NA61/SHINE has greatly profited from the long development of the CERN proton
and ion sources and the accelerator chain as well as the H2 beamline of the
CERN North Area. The latter has recently been modified to also serve as a
fragment separator as needed to produce the Be beams for NA61/SHINE. Numerous
components of the NA61/SHINE set-up were inherited from its predecessors, in
particular, the last one, the NA49 experiment. Important new detectors and
upgrades of the legacy equipment were introduced by the NA61/SHINE
Collaboration.
This paper describes the state of the NA61/SHINE facility - the beams and the
detector system - before the CERN Long Shutdown I, which started in March 2013
Measurement of negatively charged pion spectra in inelastic p+p interactions at = 20, 31, 40, 80 and 158 GeV/c
We present experimental results on inclusive spectra and mean multiplicities
of negatively charged pions produced in inelastic p+p interactions at incident
projectile momenta of 20, 31, 40, 80 and 158 GeV/c ( 6.3, 7.7,
8.8, 12.3 and 17.3 GeV, respectively). The measurements were performed using
the large acceptance NA61/SHINE hadron spectrometer at the CERN Super Proton
Synchrotron.
Two-dimensional spectra are determined in terms of rapidity and transverse
momentum. Their properties such as the width of rapidity distributions and the
inverse slope parameter of transverse mass spectra are extracted and their
collision energy dependences are presented. The results on inelastic p+p
interactions are compared with the corresponding data on central Pb+Pb
collisions measured by the NA49 experiment at the CERN SPS.
The results presented in this paper are part of the NA61/SHINE ion program
devoted to the study of the properties of the onset of deconfinement and search
for the critical point of strongly interacting matter. They are required for
interpretation of results on nucleus-nucleus and proton-nucleus collisions.Comment: Numerical results available at: https://edms.cern.ch/document/1314605
Updates in v3: Updated version, as accepted for publicatio
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