Omentopexy for correction of right abomasal displacement: results in 135 cows

One hundred and thirty-five cows were surgically treated for correction of right displaced abomasum (RDA) using the right flank omentopexy technique. In 33 cows an abomasal dilatation was diagnosed. Abomasal volvulus was found in 99 animals and omaso-abomasal volvulus in three. In-hospital mortality was 15% (n = 20). None of the cows with abomaso-omasal torsion survived. Ninety-seven percent (n = 32) of the cows with abomasal dilatation and 84% (n = 83) of the cows with abomasal volvulus were discharged from the clinic. Six months after surgery, respectively 94% of the cows with abomasal dilatation had survived. This percentage fell to 88.5% after another half year. For cows with abomasal volvulus, these survival rates were 74% and 62%, respectively. Regardless of the type of abomasal dislocation, 77% of the total group of animals survived after six months and 66% after one year. Six months after surgery, good milk production was reported in 67% (n = 58) of the surviving cows; this figure rose to 91% of the surviving cows (n = 63) after 12 months

Uterine torsion in the mare: a review and three case reports

When a mare exhibits signs of colic during the last trimester of gestation, uterine torsion should always be part of the differential diagnosis. Uterine torsion is an infrequently occurring but serious complication in pregnant mares. In this article a review is given of the appearance, causes, symptoms, diagnostic examinations, treatment options and prognosis for the mare, as well as for her foal. At the end, three unusual cases are described

Integrated nanomechanical motion detection by means of optical evanescent wave coupling - art. no. 64640E

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Multifunctional Nanomechanical Systems via Tunably Coupled Piezoelectric Actuation

Efficient actuation is crucial to obtaining optimal performance from nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). We employed epitaxial piezoelectric semiconductors to obtain efficient and fully integrated NEMS actuation, which is based on exploitation of the interaction between piezoelectric strain and built-in charge depletion. The underlying actuation mechanism in these depletion-mediated NEMS becomes important only for devices with dimensions approaching semiconductor depletion lengths. The induced actuation forces are controlled electrically, and resonant excitation approaching single-electron efficiency is demonstrated. The fundamental electromechanical coupling itself can be programmed by heterostructure band engineering, externally controllable charge depletion, and crystallographic orientation. These attributes are combined to realize a prototype, mechanically based, exclusive-or logic element

A study of 54 cases of left displacement of the abomasum: February to July 2005

Fifty-four cows with left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) submitted to the hospital facility at Riverview Veterinary Clinic from February to July 2005 were treated by right flank laparotomy and omentopexy. Five cows died (a survival rate 90.7%) and one cow (1.8%) was culled due to recurrence of the LDA post-operatively. Forty-one cows (76%) returned to good production post-operatively. Thirty-nine cows (72%) were pregnant six months after corrective surgery

Thermally driven spin injection from a ferromagnet into a non-magnetic metal

Creating, manipulating and detecting spin polarized carriers are the key elements of spin based electronics. Most practical devices use a perpendicular geometry in which the spin currents, describing the transport of spin angular momentum, are accompanied by charge currents. In recent years, new sources of pure spin currents, i.e., without charge currents, have been demonstrated and applied. In this paper, we demonstrate a conceptually new source of pure spin current driven by the flow of heat across a ferromagnetic/non-magnetic metal (FM/NM) interface. This spin current is generated because the Seebeck coefficient, which describes the generation of a voltage as a result of a temperature gradient, is spin dependent in a ferromagnet. For a detailed study of this new source of spins, it is measured in a non-local lateral geometry. We developed a 3D model that describes the heat, charge and spin transport in this geometry which allows us to quantify this process. We obtain a spin Seebeck coefficient for Permalloy of -3.8 microvolt/Kelvin demonstrating that thermally driven spin injection is a feasible alternative for electrical spin injection in, for example, spin transfer torque experiments

Inter- and intraspecific variation in mangrove carbon fraction and wood specific gravity in Gazi Bay, Kenya

The tropical mangrove ecosystem harbors great potential for carbon offsetting schemes because of their exceptionally high carbon sequestration potential. These cannot only generate an income for local communities by financially compensating for the non‐exploitation of protected or replanted stands, but also simultaneously reduce emissions due to forest degradation and deforestation, thereby helping to counteract the global threat on these forests. As carbon is directly monetized through offsetting carbon emissions, accurate species‐specific estimation of carbon content in trees is essential and reduces the propagation of errors generated by accounting uncertainties. Accordingly, this study assessed variation in both carbon fraction and wood specific gravity among and within the 10 mangrove species occurring in Gazi Bay, Kenya. Significant interspecific differences were found with values ranging from 45.8% (Avicennia marina) to 49.8% (Ceriops tagal) for carbon fraction and from 0.58 (Sonneratia alba) to 0.93 (Pemphis acidula) for wood specific gravity. The influence of environmental factors (soil salinity, stand density, and elevation a.s.l. as a proxy for multiple interrelated conditions) was investigated, but only elevation a.s.l. appeared to have a species‐specific though moderate influence only on carbon fraction. Significant differences in carbon fraction and wood specific gravity were found between stem, aerial roots, and branches of Rhizophora mucronata. In contrast, no significant differences in carbon fraction were found among different stem tissues of A. marina, C. tagal and R. mucronata, the Bay's most abundant species. These results provide insight in carbon content variation, confirming the importance of considering species‐specific or even site‐specific values of carbon fraction and wood specific gravity, thereby rendering future carbon accounting more accurate

Seasonally timed treatment programs for Ascaris lumbricoides to increase impact - an investigation using mathematical models

There is clear empirical evidence that environmental conditions can influence Ascaris spp. free-living stage development and host reinfection, but the impact of these differences on human infections, and interventions to control them, is variable. A new model framework reflecting four key stages of the A. lumbricoides life cycle, incorporating the effects of rainfall and temperature, is used to describe the level of infection in the human population alongside the environmental egg dynamics. Using data from South Korea and Nigeria, we conclude that settings with extreme fluctuations in rainfall or temperature could exhibit strong seasonal transmission patterns that may be partially masked by the longevity of A. lumbricoides infections in hosts; we go on to demonstrate how seasonally timed mass drug administration (MDA) could impact the outcomes of control strategies. For the South Korean setting the results predict a comparative decrease of 74.5% in mean worm days (the number of days the average individual spend infected with worms across a 12 month period) between the best and worst MDA timings after four years of annual treatment. The model found no significant seasonal effect on MDA in the Nigerian setting due to a narrower annual temperature range and no rainfall dependence. Our results suggest that seasonal variation in egg survival and maturation could be exploited to maximise the impact of MDA in certain settings