544 research outputs found
Provision of lucerne in the diet or as a manipulable enrichment material enhances feed efficiency and welfare status for growing-finishing pigs
(c) The Author/sThis research investigated the effects of including lucerne in a diet and as manipulable enrichment material on growing-finishing pig growth performance and behaviour. Forty-eight intact male Duroc × (Large White × Landrace) pigs with an initial live weight (LW) of 26.4 ± 2.32 kg (mean ± SD) were blocked by LW and randomly assigned to two dietary treatments (control vs lucerne), and two manipulable material treatments (without and with lucerne chaff for manipulable material). The barley and soybean meal-based control diet was formulated according to a commercial standard, while the lucerne diet replaced 100 g/kg of the barley and soybean oil in the control diet with lucerne chaff. The diets were formulated to have the same amount of digestible energy and apparent ileal digestible lysine. Manipulable material (lucerne chaff) was provided daily at 100 g/pig. Pigs had ad libitum access to diets via electronic feeders until they reached approximately 90 kg LW, at which time they were slaughtered. There were no interactions between dietary treatment and provision of manipulable material on pig production and behaviour. Feeding the lucerne diet reduced average daily feed intake, LW gain, feed intake per feeder visit, and feeding rate, but increased feed efficiency (P < 0.05). Access to manipulable material did not affect any growth traits, but the number of feeder visits per day was greater and the duration of visits to the feeder was lower in pigs that had access to lucerne chaff (P < 0.001). Compared to the other groups, pigs that consumed the lucerne diet or had access to manipulable material rested for a shorter duration but engaged in more social interactions and exploration behaviour. In conclusion, including 10% lucerne in growing-finishing diets improved feed efficiency and lucerne chaff appears to be an attractive enrichment source to pigs.Publishe
Interfacility Helicopter Ambulance Transport of Neurosurgical Patients: Observations, Utilization, and Outcomes from a Quaternary Level Care Hospital
The clinical benefit of helicopter transport over ground transportation for interfacility transport is unproven. We sought to determine actual practice patterns, utilization, and outcomes of patients undergoing interfacility transport for neurosurgical conditions.We retrospectively examined all interfacility helicopter transfers to a single trauma center during 2008. We restricted our analysis to those transfers leading either to admission to the neurosurgical service or to formal consultation upon arrival. Major exclusion criteria included transport from the scene, death during transport, and transport to any area of the hospital other than the emergency department. The primary outcome was time interval to invasive intervention. Secondary outcomes were estimated ground transportation times from the referring hospital, admitting disposition, and discharge disposition. Of 526 candidate interfacility helicopter transfers to our emergency department in 2008, we identified 167 meeting study criteria. Seventy-five (45%) of these patients underwent neurosurgical intervention. The median time to neurosurgical intervention ranged from 1.0 to 117.8 hours, varying depending on the diagnosis. For 101 (60%) of the patients, estimated driving time from the referring institution was less than one hour. Four patients (2%) expired in the emergency department, and 34 patients (20%) were admitted to a non-ICU setting. Six patients were discharged home within 24 hours. For those admitted, in-hospital mortality was 28%.Many patients undergoing interfacility transfer for neurosurgical evaluation are inappropriately triaged to helicopter transport, as evidenced by actual times to intervention at the accepting institution and estimated ground transportation times from the referring institution. In a time when there is growing interest in health care cost containment, practitioners must exercise discretion in the selection of patients for air ambulance transport--particularly when it may not bear influence on clinical outcome. Neurosurgical evaluation via telemedicine may be one strategy for improving air transport triage
Search for Kaluza-Klein Graviton Emission in Collisions at TeV using the Missing Energy Signature
We report on a search for direct Kaluza-Klein graviton production in a data
sample of 84 of \ppb collisions at = 1.8 TeV, recorded
by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. We investigate the final state of large
missing transverse energy and one or two high energy jets. We compare the data
with the predictions from a -dimensional Kaluza-Klein scenario in which
gravity becomes strong at the TeV scale. At 95% confidence level (C.L.) for
=2, 4, and 6 we exclude an effective Planck scale below 1.0, 0.77, and 0.71
TeV, respectively.Comment: Submitted to PRL, 7 pages 4 figures/Revision includes 5 figure
Search for a Technicolor omega_T Particle in Events with a Photon and a b-quark Jet at CDF
If the Technicolor omega_T particle exists, a likely decay mode is omega_T ->
gamma pi_T, followed by pi_T -> bb-bar, yielding the signature gamma bb-bar. We
have searched 85 pb^-1 of data collected by the CDF experiment at the Fermilab
Tevatron for events with a photon and two jets, where one of the jets must
contain a secondary vertex implying the presence of a b quark. We find no
excess of events above standard model expectations. We express the result of an
exclusion region in the M_omega_T - M_pi_T mass plane.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures. Available from the CDF server (PS with figs):
http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/physics/pub98/cdf4674_omega_t_prl_4.ps
FERMILAB-PUB-98/321-
Measurement of the Dipion Mass Spectrum in X(3872) -> J/Psi Pi+ Pi- Decays
We measure the dipion mass spectrum in X(3872)--> J/Psi Pi+ Pi- decays using
360 pb-1 of pbar-p collisions at 1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II detector.
The spectrum is fit with predictions for odd C-parity (3S1, 1P1, and 3DJ)
charmonia decaying to J/Psi Pi+ Pi-, as well as even C-parity states in which
the pions are from Rho0 decay. The latter case also encompasses exotic
interpretations, such as a D0-D*0Bar molecule. Only the 3S1 and J/Psi Rho
hypotheses are compatible with our data. Since 3S1 is untenable on other
grounds, decay via J/Psi Rho is favored, which implies C=+1 for the X(3872).
Models for different J/Psi-Rho angular momenta L are considered. Flexibility in
the models, especially the introduction of Rho-Omega interference, enable good
descriptions of our data for both L=0 and 1.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures -- Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Search for Higgs Boson Decaying to b-bbar and Produced in Association with W Bosons in p-pbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We present a search for Higgs bosons decaying into b-bbar and produced in
association with W bosons in p-pbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. This search
uses 320 pb-1 of the dataset accumulated by the upgraded Collider Detector at
Fermilab. Events are selected that have a high-transverse momentum electron or
muon, missing transverse energy, and two jets, one of which is consistent with
a hadronization of a b quark. Both the number of events and the dijet mass
distribution are consistent with standard model background expectations, and we
set 95% confidence level upper limits on the production cross section times
branching ratio for the Higgs boson or any new particle with similar decay
kinematics. These upper limits range from 10 pb for mH=110 GeV/c2 to 3 pb for
mH=150 GeV/c2.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures; updated title to published versio
Measurement of the B0 anti-B0 oscillation frequency using l- D*+ pairs and lepton flavor tags
The oscillation frequency Delta-md of B0 anti-B0 mixing is measured using the
partially reconstructed semileptonic decay anti-B0 -> l- nubar D*+ X. The data
sample was collected with the CDF detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider
during 1992 - 1995 by triggering on the existence of two lepton candidates in
an event, and corresponds to about 110 pb-1 of pbar p collisions at sqrt(s) =
1.8 TeV. We estimate the proper decay time of the anti-B0 meson from the
measured decay length and reconstructed momentum of the l- D*+ system. The
charge of the lepton in the final state identifies the flavor of the anti-B0
meson at its decay. The second lepton in the event is used to infer the flavor
of the anti-B0 meson at production. We measure the oscillation frequency to be
Delta-md = 0.516 +/- 0.099 +0.029 -0.035 ps-1, where the first uncertainty is
statistical and the second is systematic.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to Physical Review
Search for Pair Production of Scalar Top Quarks Decaying to a tau Lepton and a b Quark in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We search for pair production of supersymmetric top quarks (~t_1), followed
by R-parity violating decay ~t_1 -> tau b with a branching ratio beta, using
322 pb^-1 of ppbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV collected by the CDF II
detector at Fermilab. Two candidate events pass our final selection criteria,
consistent with the standard model expectation. We set upper limits on the
cross section sigma(~t_1 ~tbar_1)*beta^2 as a function of the stop mass
m(~t_1). Assuming beta=1, we set a 95% confidence level limit m(~t_1)>153
GeV/c^2. The limits are also applicable to the case of a third generation
scalar leptoquark (LQ_3) decaying LQ_3 -> tau b.Comment: 7 pages, 2 eps figure
Search for Second-Generation Scalar Leptoquarks in Collisions at =1.96 TeV
Results on a search for pair production of second generation scalar
leptoquark in collisions at =1.96 TeV are reported. The
data analyzed were collected by the CDF detector during the 2002-2003 Tevatron
Run II and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 198 pb. Leptoquarks
(LQ) are sought through their decay into (charged) leptons and quarks, with
final state signatures represented by two muons and jets and one muon, large
transverse missing energy and jets. We observe no evidence for production
and derive 95% C.L. upper limits on the production cross sections as well
as lower limits on their mass as a function of , where is the
branching fraction for .Comment: 9 pages (3 author list) 5 figure
Observation of Bs-Bsbar Oscillations
We report the observation of Bs-Bsbar oscillations from a time-dependent
measurement of the Bs-Bsbar oscillation frequency Delta ms. Using a data sample
of 1 fb^-1 of p-pbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II
detector at the Fermilab Tevatron, we find signals of 5600 fully reconstructed
hadronic Bs decays, 3100 partially reconstructed hadronic Bs decays, and 61500
partially reconstructed semileptonic Bs decays. We measure the probability as a
function of proper decay time that the Bs decays with the same, or opposite,
flavor as the flavor at production, and we find a signal for Bs-Bsbar
oscillations. The probability that random fluctuations could produce a
comparable signal is 8 X 10^-8, which exceeds 5 sigma significance. We measure
Delta ms = 17.77 +- 0.10 (stat) +- 0.07 (syst) ps^-1
and extract
|Vtd/Vts| = 0.2060 +- 0.0007 (exp) + 0.0081 - 0.0060 (theor).Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
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