Seasonal variations in furs of Gabaly and New Zealand white rabbits and their crossbred under Egyptian semi-arid conditions

[EN] The effect of breed and season on rabbits’ fur characteristics under Egyptian semi-arid conditions was studied in this research. Fifty-nine male rabbits aged 3-3.5 mo of Gabaly (GB, n=21) and New Zealand White (NZW, n=27) breeds and their crossbred (NZW×GB, n=11) were studied during two subsequent seasons; summer (n=31) and winter (n=28). Skin samples were taken pre-slaughtering to determine the histological parameters, skin layer thicknesses and physical traits of fur fibres. After slaughter, rabbits’ furs were chrome tanned to determine physical and chemical properties. Results showed that all histological parameters of follicle dimensions were affected (P<0.01) by season, breed and their interaction. In summer, primary follicles had larger follicle dimensions and produced coarser fibres than in winter, whereas opposite results were observed for the secondary follicles. Additionally, the uniformity of fibre diameter distribution and hair length of furs were higher (P<0.01) in summer than in winter. Results indicated the role of the seasonal variations in body coat to accommodate the climatic changes. NZW rabbits were superior (P<0.01) in most histological parameters of follicle dimensions, followed by NZW×GB crossbred and finally GB rabbits, while NZW×GB crossbred produced finer (P<0.01) fur fibre than NZW and GB rabbits. Otherwise, influence of season and breed were negligible on the skin layer thickness values and the physical and chemical fur properties. Consequently, the study concluded that tanned rabbit furs are suitable for manufacturing leather garments when used alone, while reinforcing the fur with textile padding may increase their utility for other leather manufacturing purposes.Nasr, A.; Taha, E.; Naglaa, S.; Essa, D. (2020). Seasonal variations in furs of Gabaly and New Zealand white rabbits and their crossbred under Egyptian semi-arid conditions. World Rabbit Science. 28(1):49-57. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2020.12779OJS4957281ASTM. 2014. American Society for Testing and Materials. Books of standards vol. 15.04.Barker J.R. 1958. Principles of biological technique. John Wiley. Bancroft, J.D., London, Meunchen, New York.BASF. 2007. Pocket book for leather technologist. 4th ed, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany.Boucher S., Thebault R.G., Plaissiart G.J., Vrillon L., de Rochambeau H. 1996. Phenotypical description of hairless rabbits appeared in three different herds. In Proc.: 6th World Rabbit Congr., 9-12 July, 1996, Toulouse, France. 1: 333-338.Drury R.A.P., Wallington E.A. 1980. Carlton's histological technique. 4th Ed. Oxford, New Yourk, Toronto, Oxford University Press.El-Ganaieny M., Azamel A., Abou-El-Ezz S., Khidr R. 1992. Heat tolerance of Saidi sheep in relation to wool shearing and some wool traits. 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Quantum optical coherence tomography of a biological sample

Quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT) makes use of an entangled-photon light source to carry out dispersion-immune axial optical sectioning. We present the first experimental QOCT images of a biological sample: an onion-skin tissue coated with gold nanoparticles. 3D images are presented in the form of 2D sections of different orientations.Comment: 16 Pages, 6 Figure

Behavior of bonded and unbonded prestressed normal and high strength concrete beams

AbstractThe major disadvantage of using ordinary reinforced concrete (RC) elements is the corrosion of steel, which occurs due to effect of cracks in tension zones. The main advantage of the fully prestressed concrete system is the absence of cracks in the concrete at the nominal service load and therefore better durability will be achieved. Combining the PC system with the use of high strength concrete is a milestone, which will potentially result in a new design approach. The disadvantage of the use of this combination is referred to the reduced ductility of concrete members.This paper presents an experimental program conducted to study the behavior of bonded and unbounded prestressed normal strength (NSC) and high strength concrete (HSC) beams. The program consists of a total of nine beams; two specimens were reinforced with non-prestressed reinforcement, four specimens were reinforced with bonded tendons, and the remaining three specimens were reinforced with unbonded tendons. The overall dimensions of the beams are 160×340×4400-mm. The beams were tested under cyclic loading up to failure to examine its flexural behavior. The main variables in this experimental program are nominal concrete compressive strength (43, 72 and 97MPa), bonded and unbonded tendons and prestressing index (0%, 70% and 100%). Theoretical analysis using rational approach was also carried out to predict the flexural behavior of the specimens. Evaluation of the analytical work is introduced and compared to the results of the experimental work

Search for leptophobic Z ' bosons decaying into four-lepton final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

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Measurement of the Z boson differential cross section in transverse momentum and rapidity in proton-proton collisions at 8 TeV

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Search for neutral resonances decaying into a Z boson and a pair of b jets or τ leptons

A search is performed for a new resonance decaying into a lighter resonance and a Z boson. Two channels are studied, targeting the decay of the lighter resonance into either a pair of oppositely charged τ leptons or a bb‾ pair. The Z boson is identified via its decays to electrons or muons. The search exploits data collected by the CMS experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.8 fb −1 . No significant deviations are observed from the standard model expectation and limits are set on production cross sections and parameters of two-Higgs-doublet models