Levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, and a role for taurine in dystropathology of the Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy dog model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica R. Terrill

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD is a fatal skeletal muscle wasting disease presenting with excessive myofibre necrosis and increased inflammation and oxidative stress. In the mdx mouse model of DMD, homeostasis of the amino acid taurine is altered, and taurine administration drastically decreases muscle necrosis, dystropathology, inflammation and protein thiol oxidation. Since the severe pathology of the Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD dog model more closely resembles the human DMD condition, we aimed to assess the generation of oxidants by inflammatory cells and taurine metabolism in this species. In muscles of 8 month GRMD dogs there was an increase in the content of neutrophils and macrophages, and an associated increase in elevated myeloperoxidase, a protein secreted by neutrophils that catalyses production of the highly reactive hypochlorous acid (HOCl. There was also increased chlorination of tyrosines, a marker of HOCl generation, increased thiol oxidation of many proteins and irreversible oxidative protein damage. Taurine, which functions as an antioxidant by trapping HOCl, was reduced in GRMD plasma; however taurine was increased in GRMD muscle tissue, potentially due to increased muscle taurine transport and synthesis. These data indicate a role for HOCl generated by neutrophils in the severe dystropathology of GRMD dogs, which may be exacerbated by decreased availability of taurine in the blood. These novel data support continued research into the precise roles of oxidative stress and taurine in DMD and emphasise the value of the GRMD dogs as a suitable pre-clinical model for testing taurine as a therapeutic intervention for DMD boys.

Pectinate ligament dysplasia in the Border Collie, Hungarian Vizsla and Golden Retriever.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, James A C; Ekiri, Abel B; Mellersh, Cathryn S

2017-03-18

Pectinate ligament dysplasia (PLD) is significantly associated with primary closed angle glaucoma (PCAG) in several dog breeds. Gonioscopy screening for PLD is advised in breeds in which PLD and PCAG are particularly prevalent in order that affected dogs may be eliminated from the breeding population. The Border Collie (BC), Hungarian Vizsla (HV) and Golden Retriever (GR) breeds are currently under investigation for PLD by the British Veterinary Association/Kennel Club/International Sheep Dog Society (BVA/KC/ISDS) Eye Scheme. The authors aimed to determine the prevalence of PLD in UK populations of BC, HV and GR and to investigate possible associations between the degree of PLD and age and sex. Gonioscopy was performed in 102 BCs, 112 HVs and 230 GRs and the percentage of iridocorneal angle affected by PLD was estimated and classified as unaffected (0 per cent), mildly affected (90 per cent). Eleven of 102 (13.8 per cent) BCs, 16/112 (14.3 per cent) HVs and 60/230 (26.1 per cent) GRs were moderately or severely affected by PLD. The prevalence of PLD was significantly higher in GR than both BC and HV. There was a significant positive correlation between PLD and age in the HV and GR but not in the BC. There was no association between PLD and sex in any breed. British Veterinary Association.

Adaptive Immune Response Impairs the Efficacy of Autologous Transplantation of Engineered Stem Cells in Dystrophic Dogs

Science.gov (United States)

Sitzia, Clementina; Farini, Andrea; Jardim, Luciana; Razini, Paola; Belicchi, Marzia; Cassinelli, Letizia; Villa, Chiara; Erratico, Silvia; Parolini, Daniele; Bella, Pamela; da Silva Bizario, Joao Carlos; Garcia, Luis; Dias-Baruffi, Marcelo; Meregalli, Mirella; Torrente, Yvan

2016-01-01

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common genetic muscular dystrophy. It is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, leading to absence of muscular dystrophin and to progressive degeneration of skeletal muscle. We have demonstrated that the exon skipping method safely and efficiently brings to the expression of a functional dystrophin in dystrophic CD133+ cells injected scid/mdx mice. Golden Retriever muscular dystrophic (GRMD) dogs represent the best preclinical model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, mimicking the human pathology in genotypic and phenotypic aspects. Here, we assess the capacity of intra-arterial delivered autologous engineered canine CD133+ cells of restoring dystrophin expression in Golden Retriever muscular dystrophy. This is the first demonstration of five-year follow up study, showing initial clinical amelioration followed by stabilization in mild and severe affected Golden Retriever muscular dystrophy dogs. The occurrence of T-cell response in three Golden Retriever muscular dystrophy dogs, consistent with a memory response boosted by the exon skipped-dystrophin protein, suggests an adaptive immune response against dystrophin. PMID:27506452

Levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, and a role for taurine in dystropathology of the Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy dog model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Terrill, Jessica R; Duong, Marisa N; Turner, Rufus; Le Guiner, Caroline; Boyatzis, Amber; Kettle, Anthony J; Grounds, Miranda D; Arthur, Peter G

2016-10-01

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal skeletal muscle wasting disease presenting with excessive myofibre necrosis and increased inflammation and oxidative stress. In the mdx mouse model of DMD, homeostasis of the amino acid taurine is altered, and taurine administration drastically decreases muscle necrosis, dystropathology, inflammation and protein thiol oxidation. Since the severe pathology of the Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) dog model more closely resembles the human DMD condition, we aimed to assess the generation of oxidants by inflammatory cells and taurine metabolism in this species. In muscles of 8 month GRMD dogs there was an increase in the content of neutrophils and macrophages, and an associated increase in elevated myeloperoxidase, a protein secreted by neutrophils that catalyses production of the highly reactive hypochlorous acid (HOCl). There was also increased chlorination of tyrosines, a marker of HOCl generation, increased thiol oxidation of many proteins and irreversible oxidative protein damage. Taurine, which functions as an antioxidant by trapping HOCl, was reduced in GRMD plasma; however taurine was increased in GRMD muscle tissue, potentially due to increased muscle taurine transport and synthesis. These data indicate a role for HOCl generated by neutrophils in the severe dystropathology of GRMD dogs, which may be exacerbated by decreased availability of taurine in the blood. These novel data support continued research into the precise roles of oxidative stress and taurine in DMD and emphasise the value of the GRMD dogs as a suitable pre-clinical model for testing taurine as a therapeutic intervention for DMD boys. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

76 FR 22917 - Dog Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Golden Gate National Recreation Area...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-25

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [NPS-PWR-PWRO--0315-696; 8145-8B90-SZM] Dog... Impact Statement/Dog Management Plan, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. SUMMARY: The National Park Service has prepared a Draft Dog Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Plan/DEIS). The Plan...

Changes in Muscle Metabolism are Associated with Phenotypic Variability in Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy




Science.gov (United States)

Nghiem, Peter P.; Bello, Luca; Stoughton, William B.; López, Sara Mata; Vidal, Alexander H.; Hernandez, Briana V.; Hulbert, Katherine N.; Gourley, Taylor R.; Bettis, Amanda K.; Balog-Alvarez, Cynthia J.; Heath-Barnett, Heather; Kornegay, Joe N.

2017-01-01

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-chromosome-linked disorder and the most common monogenic disease in people. Affected boys are diagnosed at a young age, become non-ambulatory by their early teens, and succumb to cardiorespiratory failure by their thirties. Despite being a monogenic condition resulting from mutations in the DMD gene, affected boys have noteworthy phenotypic variability. Efforts have identified genetic modifiers that could modify disease progression and be pharmacologic targets. Dogs affected with golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) have absent dystrophin and demonstrate phenotypic variability at the functional, histopathological, and molecular level. Our laboratory is particularly interested in muscle metabolism changes in dystrophin-deficient muscle. We identified several metabolic alterations, including myofiber type switching from fast (type II) to slow (type I), reduced glycolytic enzyme expression, reduced and morphologically abnormal mitochondria, and differential AMP-kinase phosphorylation (activation) between hypertrophied and wasted muscle. We hypothesize that muscle metabolism changes are, in part, responsible for phenotypic variability in GRMD. Pharmacological therapies aimed at modulating muscle metabolism can be tested in GRMD dogs for efficacy. PMID:28955176

The golden retriever model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kornegay, Joe N

2017-05-19

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disease caused by mutations in the DMD gene and loss of the protein dystrophin. The absence of dystrophin leads to myofiber membrane fragility and necrosis, with eventual muscle atrophy and contractures. Affected boys typically die in their second or third decade due to either respiratory failure or cardiomyopathy. Despite extensive attempts to develop definitive therapies for DMD, the standard of care remains prednisone, which has only palliative benefits. Animal models, mainly the mdx mouse and golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dog, have played a key role in studies of DMD pathogenesis and treatment development. Because the GRMD clinical syndrome is more severe than in mice, better aligning with the progressive course of DMD, canine studies may translate better to humans. The original founder dog for all GRMD colonies worldwide was identified in the early 1980s before the discovery of the DMD gene and dystrophin. Accordingly, analogies to DMD were initially drawn based on similar clinical features, ranging from the X-linked pattern of inheritance to overlapping histopathologic lesions. Confirmation of genetic homology between DMD and GRMD came with identification of the underlying GRMD mutation, a single nucleotide change that leads to exon skipping and an out-of-frame DMD transcript. GRMD colonies have subsequently been established to conduct pathogenetic and preclinical treatment studies. Simultaneous with the onset of GRMD treatment trials, phenotypic biomarkers were developed, allowing definitive characterization of treatment effect. Importantly, GRMD studies have not always substantiated findings from mdx mice and have sometimes identified serious treatment side effects. While the GRMD model may be more clinically relevant than the mdx mouse, usage has been limited by practical considerations related to expense and the number of dogs available. This further complicates ongoing broader concerns about

Acquired pulmonary artery stenosis in four dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Scansen, Brian A; Schober, Karsten E; Bonagura, John D; Smeak, Daniel D

2008-04-15

4 dogs with acquired pulmonary artery stenosis (PAS) were examined for various clinical signs. One was a mixed-breed dog with congenital valvular PAS that subsequently developed peripheral PAS, one was a Golden Retriever with pulmonary valve fibrosarcoma, one was a Pembroke Welsh Corgi in which the left pulmonary artery had inadvertently been ligated during surgery for correction of patent ductus arteriosus, and one was a Boston Terrier with a heart-base mass compressing the pulmonary arteries. All 4 dogs were evaluated with 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography to characterize the nature and severity of the stenoses; other diagnostic tests were also performed. The mixed-breed dog with valvular and peripheral PAS was euthanized, surgical resection of the pulmonic valve mass was performed in the Golden Retriever, corrective surgery was performed on the Pembroke Welsh Corgi with left pulmonary artery ligation, and the Boston Terrier with the heart-base mass was managed medically. Acquired PAS in dogs may manifest as a clinically silent heart murmur, syncope, or right-sided heart failure. The diagnosis is made on the basis of imaging findings, particularly results of 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. Treatment may include surgical, interventional, or medical modalities and is targeted at resolving the inciting cause.

Population parameters to compare dog breeds : differences between five Dutch purebred populations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nielen, A.L.J.; Beek, van der S.; Ubbink, G.J.; Knol, B.W.

2001-01-01

Differences in five purebred dog populations born in 1994 in the Netherlands were evaluated using different parameters. Numerically, the Golden Retriever was the largest breed (840 litters of 234 sires) and the Kooiker Dog (101 litters of 41 sires) the smallest. The litter per sire ratio was largest

Begging test: uma avaliação da graduação da comunicação visual entre cães sem raça definida, cães de raça (Golden Retrievers e humanos Begging test: an evaluation of the degree of visual communication between mixed, pure bred dogs (Golden Retrievers and humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edilberto Nobrega Martinez

2011-04-01

Full Text Available O begging test tem sido usado para testar a capacidade dos cães em interpretar a atenção humana. Pistas faciais, como o olhar e a posição da cabeça são os principais sinais na comunicação entre cães e humanos. Até o momento, a estrutura do begging test utilizado em pesquisas não permitiu verificar se há uma graduação na atenção. Desse modo, não é possível dizer se a cabeça e o olhar diretamente dirigidos (muita atenção ao cão aumentam o desempenho em relação a somente a posição da cabeça, mas sem olhar diretamente (pouca atenção ou cabeça plus olhar desviados (desatenção. Nesse sentido, um teste envolvendo 58 cães de raça pura (Golden Retrievers e mista foi realizado, nas três condições de atenção, com homens e mulheres estranhos aos animais servindo de sujeitos experimentais. Resultados demonstraram que independente da raça, do sexo dos cães ou do sexo das pessoas, os cães erraram pouco na condição de desatenção. Por outro lado, o desempenho dos cães não diferiu entre as condições de muita atenção e de pouca atenção, mas foi significativamente superior do que na condição de desatenção. Em conclusão, os cães são bons interpretadores da atenção humana, mas se baseiam em pistas mais relacionadas à posição da cabeça do que o olhar. Assim, sugere-se que não há uma graduação na interpretação da atenção de humanos em cães. O estímulo emocional gerado pelo olhar direto, sustentado entre animais sociais, pode explicar porque o olhar é evitado como pista da atenção humana em um teste com pessoas estranhas ao cão.The begging test has been used to test the ability of dogs to interprete human attention. Facial cues, such as gaze and head position are the main signs in the communication between humans and dogs. Yet, the structure of the begging test used in research did not allow checking whether there are graduations of attention. Thus, it's not possible to say if the head

Selective memory retrieval in social groups: When silence is golden and when it is not.

Science.gov (United States)

Abel, Magdalena; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T

2015-07-01

Previous research has shown that the selective remembering of a speaker and the resulting silences can cause forgetting of related, but unmentioned information by a listener (Cuc, Koppel, & Hirst, 2007). Guided by more recent work that demonstrated both detrimental and beneficial effects of selective memory retrieval in individuals, the present research explored the effects of selective remembering in social groups when access to the encoding context at retrieval was maintained or impaired. In each of three experiments, selective retrieval by the speaker impaired recall of the listener when access to the encoding context was maintained, but it improved recall of the listener when context access was impaired. The results suggest the existence of two faces of selective memory retrieval in social groups, with a detrimental face when the encoding context is still active at retrieval and a beneficial face when it is not. The role of silence in social recall thus seems to be more complex than was indicated in prior work, and mnemonic silences on the part of a speaker can be "golden" for the memories of a listener under some circumstances, but not be "golden" under others. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of human-dog social interaction using owner report.

Science.gov (United States)

Lit, Lisa; Schweitzer, Julie B; Oberbauer, Anita M

2010-07-01

Dog owners were surveyed for observations of social behaviors in their dogs, using questions adapted from the human Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) pre-verbal module. Using 939 responses for purebred and mixed-breed dogs, three factors were identified: initiation of reciprocal social behaviors (INIT), response to social interactions (RSPNS), and communication (COMM). There were small or no effects of sex, age, breed group or training. For six breeds with more than 35 responses (Border Collie, Rough Collie, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Standard Poodle), the behaviors eye contact with humans, enjoyment in interactions with human interaction, and name recognition demonstrated little variability across breeds, while asking for objects, giving/showing objects to humans, and attempts to direct humans' attention showed higher variability across these breeds. Breeds with genetically similar backgrounds had similar response distributions for owner reports of dog response to pointing. When considering these breeds according to the broad categories of "herders" and "retrievers," owners reported that the "herders" used more eye contact and vocalization, while the "retrievers" used more body contact. Information regarding social cognitive abilities in dogs provided by owner report suggest that there is variability across many social cognitive abilities in dogs and offers direction for further experimental investigations. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Incidence and impact of dog attacks on guide dogs in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, A; Moxon, R; England, G C W

2010-06-19

In a retrospective survey, researchers identified 100 incidents of attacks on guide dogs by other dogs. These were reviewed in order to determine the number, severity and impact on the handler and dog, and the characteristics of the aggressors and victims. During the study period there were more than three attacks reported each month, with 61 per cent of the attacks being upon dogs that were in harness and working with an owner or trainer. The majority of the dogs that were attacked were male (62 per cent), and the breeds that were over-represented (relative to their prevalence in the general guide dog population) were the labrador and the golden retriever x flat-coated retriever crossbreed. Most of the attacks occurred in public places between 09.00 and 15.00 and the majority (61 per cent) of the attacking dogs were off the lead at the time of the attack. Thirty-eight per cent of the attacking dogs were of bull breeds, which were over-represented among attackers compared with the proportion of this breed type in the general dog population. Veterinary attention was sought after 41 per cent of the attacks, and in 19 per cent of instances there was injury to the handler or to a member of the public. The attacks were reported to have affected the working performance and behaviour of the victim dog in 45 per cent of the instances, and two dogs had to be subsequently withdrawn from working as guide dogs.

Ectopic spleen presenting with anemia and an abdominal mass in a dog

OpenAIRE

Prosser, Kirsten J.; Webb, Jinelle A.; Hanselman, Beth A.

2013-01-01

An 11.5-year-old, neutered male, golden retriever dog that had previously had a splenectomy for benign disease 2 years prior to presentation was diagnosed with anemia and a large abdominal mass. Necropsy and histopathology identified the abdominal mass as ectopic splenic tissue.

Ectopic spleen presenting with anemia and an abdominal mass in a dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Prosser, Kirsten J; Webb, Jinelle A; Hanselman, Beth A

2013-11-01

An 11.5-year-old, neutered male, golden retriever dog that had previously had a splenectomy for benign disease 2 years prior to presentation was diagnosed with anemia and a large abdominal mass. Necropsy and histopathology identified the abdominal mass as ectopic splenic tissue.

Efeitos da ciclosporina a sobre a função renal de cães da raça Golden Retriever normais ou afetados pela distrofia muscular

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Caroprezo Morini

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The muscular dystrophy of Golden Retriever is a degenerative miopaty caused by the absence of dystrophy and it is genetically homologue of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy in humans, so, these dogs are considerably experimental models for studies on cellular therapy. Their successful depends of the adequate immunosuppression. Cyclosporin A is indicated for that and the monitoring of blood concentration and adverse effects are essential to viabilise the therapy. It was studied GRMD dogs, and normal dogs from the same breed, submitted for therapy with CsA, associated, on GRMD, of cell transplantation. It was evaluated the possible effects of the drug on renal functions. It has been considerate the clinic manifestations, urinalisis, testis of glomerular function and blood concentrations of urea, cretinine, sodium and potassium. In our results we found a discrete increase of blood urea on booth groups; increased levels of urine's cylinders and protein and also increase of urinary density on GRMD group. CsA therapy could make acute lesions on renal tubules, especially on GRMD. These dogs also have different reactions than normal dogs on relation of ions homeostasis and renal function. However, earlier diagnosis and adequate treatment could prevent the development of renal diseases.

[Spontaneous models of human diseases in dogs: ichthyoses as an example].

Science.gov (United States)

André, Catherine; Grall, Anaïs; Guaguere, Éric; Thomas, Anne; Galibert, Francis

2013-06-01

Ichthyoses encompass a heterogeneous group of genodermatoses characterized by abnormal desquamation over the entire body due to defects of the terminal differentiation of keratinocytes and desquamation, which occur in the upper layer of the epidermis. Even though in humans more than 40 genes have already been identified, the genetic causes of several forms remain unknown and are difficult to identify in Humans. Strikingly, several purebred dogs are also affected by specific forms of ichthyoses. In the Golden retriever dog breed, an autosomal recessive form of ichthyosis, resembling human autosomal recessive congenital ichthyoses, has recently been diagnosed with a high incidence. We first characterized the disease occurring in the golden retriever breed and collected cases and controls. A genome-wide association study on 40 unrelated Golden retriever dogs, using the canine 49.000 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) array (Affymetrix v2), followed by statistical analyses and candidate gene sequencing, allowed to identify the causal mutation in the lipase coding PNPLA1 gene (patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein). Screening for alterations in the human ortholog gene in 10 autosomal recessive congenital ichthyoses families, for which no genetic cause has been identified thus far, allowed to identify two recessive mutations in the PNPLA1 protein in two families. This collaborative work between "human" and "canine" geneticists, practicians, histopathologists, biochemists and electron microscopy experts not only allowed to identify, in humans, an eighth gene for autosomal recessive congenital ichthyoses, but also allowed to highlight the function of this as-yet-unknown skin specific lipase in the lipid metabolism of the skin barrier. For veterinary medicine and breeding practices, a genetic test has been developed. These findings illustrate the importance of the discovery of relevant human orthologous canine genetic diseases, whose causes can be tracked

Glucose Metabolism as a Pre-clinical Biomarker for the Golden Retriever Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Sarah Morar; Sridhar, Vidya; Bettis, Amanda K; Heath-Barnett, Heather; Balog-Alvarez, Cynthia J; Guo, Lee-Jae; Johnson, Rachel; Jaques, Scott; Vitha, Stanislav; Glowcwski, Alan C; Kornegay, Joe N; Nghiem, Peter P

2018-03-05

Metabolic dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is characterized by reduced glycolytic and oxidative enzymes, decreased and abnormal mitochondria, decreased ATP, and increased oxidative stress. We analyzed glucose metabolism as a potential disease biomarker in the genetically homologous golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dog with molecular, biochemical, and in vivo imaging. Pelvic limb skeletal muscle and left ventricle tissue from the heart were analyzed by mRNA profiling, qPCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence microscopy for the primary glucose transporter (GLUT4). Physiologic glucose handling was measured by fasting glucose tolerance test (GTT), insulin levels, and skeletal and cardiac positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) using the glucose analog 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose ([ 18 F]FDG). MRNA profiles showed decreased GLUT4 in the cranial sartorius (CS), vastus lateralis (VL), and long digital extensor (LDE) of GRMD vs. normal dogs. QPCR confirmed GLUT4 downregulation but increased hexokinase-1. GLUT4 protein levels were not different in the CS, VL, or left ventricle but increased in the LDE of GRMD vs. normal. Microscopy revealed diffuse membrane expression of GLUT4 in GRMD skeletal but not cardiac muscle. GTT showed higher basal glucose and insulin in GRMD but rapid tissue glucose uptake at 5 min post-dextrose injection in GRMD vs. normal/carrier dogs. PET/ CT with [ 18 F]FDG and simultaneous insulin stimulation showed a significant increase (p = 0.03) in mean standard uptake values (SUV) in GRMD skeletal muscle but not pelvic fat at 5 min post-[ 18 F]FDG /insulin injection. Conversely, mean cardiac SUV was lower in GRMD than carrier/normal (p < 0.01). Altered glucose metabolism in skeletal and cardiac muscle of GRMD dogs can be monitored with molecular, biochemical, and in vivo imaging studies and potentially utilized as a biomarker for disease progression and therapeutic response.

Electrocardiogram pattern of some exotic breeds of trained dogs: A variation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joydip Mukherjee

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Aim: The present study has been conducted to evaluate the variation in electrocardiogram (ECG parameters among different trained breeds of dogs (viz. Labrador, German Shepherd, and Golden Retriever used for security reasons. Materials and Methods: The ECG was recorded by single channel ECG at a paper speed of 25 mm/s and calibration of 10 mm=1 mV. The recordings were taken from all the standard bipolar limb leads (Lead-I, II, and III and unipolar augmented limb leads (Lead-aVR, aVL, and aVF. Results: Heart rate was found to be highest in Labrador and lowest in German Shepherd. P-wave duration was maximum in Golden Retriever breed and lowest in Labrador. Maximum amplitude of P-wave was found in Labrador followed by German Shepherd and Golden Retriever. There was significantly (p<0.05 higher values of PR interval in German Shepherd compared to other breeds. The variation in QRS duration, ST segment duration, T-wave duration, and T-wave amplitude was found to be non-significant among breeds. Inverted T-waves were most common in Golden Retriever and German Shepherd, whereas positive T-waves were found in Labrador. There was significant (p<0.05 variation in mean electrical axis of QRS complex among different breeds and it ranges from +60° to +80°. Conclusion: The present study provides the reference values for different ECG parameters to monitor the cardiac health status among Labrador, German Shepherd, and Golden Retriever breeds.

Tracking inorganic elements in GRMD blood dogs submitted to hASCs investigated by NAA technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metairon, S.; Zamboni, C.B.; Suzuki, M.F.

2016-01-01

Investigation in blood of specific elements concentration are an important step in the development of new treatments. Recently, studies with human adipose derived from stromal cells injected systemic (medication that affects the entire body) into a golden retriever muscular dystrophy dogs shown to be able to express improvements in skeletal muscle. To check the alterations that this cell therapy may cause in the dogs, elements concentration in blood of treated dogs were investigated using NAA. These results were compared with the control and affected (untreated) dogs groups showing an improvement in Ca and Fe blood levels in treated dogs. (author)

Polymorphism and methylation of the MC4R gene in obese and non-obese dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mankowska, Monika; Nowacka-Woszuk, Joanna; Graczyk, Aneta; Ciazynska, Paulina; Stachowiak, Monika; Switonski, Marek

2017-08-01

The dog is considered to be a useful biomedical model for human diseases and disorders, including obesity. One of the numerous genes associated with human polygenic obesity is MC4R, encoding the melanocortin 4 receptor. The aim of our study was to analyze polymorphisms and methylation of the canine MC4R in relation to adiposity. Altogether 270 dogs representing four breeds predisposed to obesity: Labrador Retriever (n = 187), Golden Retriever (n = 38), Beagle (n = 28) and Cocker Spaniel (n = 17), were studied. The dogs were classified into three groups: lean, overweight and obese, according to the 5-point Body Condition Score (BCS) scale. In the cohort of Labradors a complete phenotypic data (age, sex, neutering status, body weight and BCS) were collected for 127 dogs. The entire coding sequence as well as 5' and 3'-flanking regions of the studied gene were sequenced and six polymorphic sites were reported. Genotype frequencies differed considerably between breeds and Labrador Retrievers appeared to be the less polymorphic. Moreover, distribution of some polymorphic variants differed significantly (P C, c.868C>T and c.*33C>G) and Beagles (c.-435T>C and c.637G>T). On the contrary, in Labradors no association between the studied polymorphisms and BCS or body weight was observed. Methylation analysis, using bisulfite DNA conversion followed by Sanger sequencing, was carried out for 12 dogs with BCS = 3 and 12 dogs with BCS = 5. Two intragenic CpG islands, containing 19 cytosines, were analyzed and the methylation profile did not differ significantly between lean and obese animals. We conclude that an association of the MC4R gene polymorphism with dog obesity or body weight is unlikely, in spite of the fact that some associations were found in small cohorts of Beagles and Golden Retrievers. Also methylation level of this gene is not related with dog adiposity.

Genetic myostatin decrease in the golden retriever muscular dystrophy model does not significantly affect the ubiquitin proteasome system despite enhancing the severity of disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Cotten, Steven W; Kornegay, Joe N; Bogan, Daniel J; Wadosky, Kristine M; Patterson, Cam; Willis, Monte S

2013-01-01

Recent studies suggest that inhibiting the protein myostatin, a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass, may improve outcomes in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy by enhancing muscle mass. When the dystrophin-deficient golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dog was bred with whippets having a heterozygous mutation for the myostatin gene, affected GRMD dogs with decreased myostatin (GRippets) demonstrated an accelerated physical decline compared to related affected GRMD dogs with full myostatin. To examine the role of the ubiquitin proteasome and calpain systems in this accelerated decline, we determined the expression of the muscle ubiquitin ligases MuRF1, Atrogin-1, RNF25, RNF11, and CHIP: the proteasome subunits PSMA6, PSMB4, and PSME1: and calpain 1/2 by real time PCR in the cranial sartorius and vastus lateralis muscles in control, affected GRMD, and GRippet dogs. While individual affected GRMD and GRippet dogs contributed to an increased variability seen in ubiquitin ligase expression, neither group was significantly different from the control group. The affected GRMD dogs demonstrated significant increases in caspase-like and trypsin-like activity in the cranial sartorius; however, all three proteasome activities in the GRippet muscles did not differ from controls. Increased variability in calpain 1 and calpain 2 expression and activity in the affected GRMD and GRippet groups were identified, but no statistical differences from the control group were seen. These studies suggest a role of myostatin in the disease progression of GRMD, which does not significantly involve key components of the ubiquitin proteasome and calpain systems involved in the protein quality control of sarcomere and other structural skeletal muscle proteins.

Lumbosacral stenosis in Labrador retriever military working dogs - an exomic exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Meenakshi; Jones, Jeryl C; Yao, Jianbo

2017-01-01

Canine lumbosacral stenosis is defined as narrowing of the caudal lumbar and/or sacral vertebral canal. A risk factor for neurologic problems in many large sized breeds, lumbosacral stenosis can also cause early retirement in Labrador retriever military working dogs. Though vital for conservative management of the condition, early detection is complicated by the ambiguous nature of clinical signs of lumbosacral stenosis in stoic and high-drive Labrador retriever military working dogs. Though clinical diagnoses of lumbosacral stenosis using CT imaging are standard, they are usually not performed unless dogs present with clinical symptoms. Understanding the underlying genomic mechanisms would be beneficial in developing early detection methods for lumbosacral stenosis, which could prevent premature retirement in working dogs. The exomes of 8 young Labrador retriever military working dogs (4 affected and 4 unaffected by lumbosacral stenosis, phenotypically selected by CT image analyses from 40 dogs with no reported clinical signs of the condition) were sequenced to identify and annotate exonic variants between dogs negative and positive for lumbosacral stenosis. Two-hundred and fifty-two variants were detected to be homozygous for the wild allele and either homozygous or heterozygous for the variant allele. Seventeen non-disruptive variants were detected that could affect protein effectiveness in 7 annotated (SCN1B, RGS9BP, ASXL3, TTR, LRRC16B, PTPRO, ZBBX) and 3 predicted genes (EEF1A1, DNAJA1, ZFX). No exonic variants were detected in any of the canine orthologues for human lumbar spinal stenosis candidate genes. TTR (transthyretin) gene could be a possible candidate for lumbosacral stenosis in Labrador retrievers based on previous human studies that have reported an association between human lumbar spinal stenosis and transthyretin protein amyloidosis. Other genes identified with exonic variants in this study but with no known published association with lumbosacral

Golden Trail: Retrieving the Data History that Matters from a Comprehensive Provenance Repository

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Missier

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Experimental science can be thought of as the exploration of a large research space, in search of a few valuable results. While it is this “Golden Data” that gets published, the history of the exploration is often as valuable to the scientists as some of its outcomes. We envision an e-research infrastructure that is capable of systematically and automatically recording such history – an assumption that holds today for a number of workflow management systems routinely used in e-science. In keeping with our gold rush metaphor, the provenance of a valuable result is a “Golden Trail”. Logically, this represents a detailed account of how the Golden Data was arrived at, and technically it is a sub-graph in the much larger graph of provenance traces that collectively tell the story of the entire research (or of some of it.In this paper we describe a model and architecture for a repository dedicated to storing provenance traces and selectively retrieving Golden Trails from it. As traces from multiple experiments over long periods of time are accommodated, the trails may be sub-graphs of one trace, or they may be the logical representation of a virtual experiment obtained by joining together traces that share common data.The project has been carried out within the Provenance Working Group of the Data Observation Network for Earth (DataONE NSF project. Ultimately, our longer-term plan is to integrate the provenance repository into the data preservation architecture currently being developed by DataONE.

MC1R studies in dogs with melanistic mask or brindle patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmutz, S M; Berryere, T G; Ellinwood, N M; Kerns, J A; Barsh, G S

2003-01-01

Black mask is a characteristic pattern in which red, yellow, tan, fawn, or brindle dogs exhibit a melanistic muzzle which may extend up onto the ears. Melanistic mask is inherited in several breeds as an autosomal dominant trait, and appears to be a fixed trait in a few breeds of dogs. A MC1R nonsense mutation, R306ter, has been shown to cause a completely red or yellow coat color in certain breeds such as Irish setters, yellow Labrador retrievers, and golden retrievers. The amino acid sequence for the melanocortin receptor 1 gene (MC1R) was examined in 17 dogs with melanistic masks from seven breeds, 19 dogs without melanistic masks, and 7 dogs in which their coat color made the mask difficult to distinguish. We also examined nine brindle dogs of four breeds, including three dogs who also had a black mask. No consistent amino acid change was observed in the brindle dogs. All dogs with a melanistic mask had at least one copy of a valine substitution for methionine at amino acid 264 (M264V) and none were homozygous for the premature stop codon (R306ter). These results suggest that black mask, but not brindle, is caused by a specific MC1R allele.

Ontogenetic effects on gazing behaviour: a case study of kennel dogs (Labrador Retrievers) in the impossible task paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Aniello, Biagio; Scandurra, Anna

2016-05-01

Life experiences and living conditions can influence the problem-solving strategies and the communicative abilities of dogs with humans. The goals of this study were to determine any behavioural differences between Labrador Retrievers living in a kennel and those living in a house as pets and to assess whether kennel dogs show preferences in social behaviours for their caretaker relative to a stranger when they are faced with an unsolvable task. Nine Labrador Retrievers living in a kennel from birth and ten Labrador Retrievers living in a family as pets were tested. The experimental procedure consisted of three "solvable" tasks in which the dogs could easily retrieve food from a container followed by an "unsolvable" task in which the container was hermetically locked. Dogs of both groups spent the same amount of time interacting with the experimental apparatus. Kennel dogs gazed towards people for less time and with higher latency than pet dogs; however, there were no significant preferences in gazing towards the stranger versus the caretaker in both groups. These findings demonstrated that kennel dogs are less prone to use human-directed gazing behaviour when they are faced with an unsolvable problem, taking the humans into account to solve a task less than do the pet dogs.

Data storage and retrieval for long-term dog studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, C.R.; Trauger, G.M.; McIntyre, J.M.; Slavich, A.L.; Park, J.F.

1980-01-01

Over half of the 500,000 records collected on dogs in the last 20 years in our laboratory have been converted from sequential storage on magnetic tape to direct-access disk storage on a PDP 11/70 minicomputer. An interactive storage and retrieval system, based on a commercially available query language, has been developed to make these records more accessible. Data entry and retrieval are now performed by scientists and technicians rather than by keypunch operators and computer specialists. Further conversion awaits scheduled computer enhancement

Relationships between heart rate and age, bodyweight and breed in 10,849 dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hezzell, M J; Dennis, S G; Humm, K; Agee, L; Boswood, A

2013-06-01

To evaluate relationships between heart rate and clinical variables in healthy dogs and dogs examined at a referral hospital. Clinical data were extracted from the electronic patient records of a first opinion group (5000 healthy dogs) and a referral hospital (5849 dogs). Univariable and multi-variable general linear models were used to assess associations between heart rate and clinical characteristics. Separate multi-variable models were constructed for first opinion and referral populations. In healthy dogs, heart rate was negatively associated with bodyweight (PChihuahuas. The mean difference in heart rate between a 5 and 55 kg dog was 10.5 beats per minute. In dogs presenting to a referral hospital, heart rate was negatively associated with bodyweight (P<0.001) and the following breeds; border collie, golden retriever, Labrador retriever, springer spaniel and West Highland white terrier and positively associated with age, admitting service (emergency and critical care, emergency first opinion and cardiology) and the following breeds; Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Staffordshire bull terrier and Yorkshire terrier. Bodyweight, age, breed and disease status all influence heart rate in dogs, although these factors account for a relatively small proportion of the overall variability in heart rate. © 2013 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

Association between aortoseptal angle in Golden Retriever puppies and subaortic stenosis in adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Belanger, M C; Côté, E; Beauchamp, G

2014-01-01

Predicting subaortic stenosis (SAS) in adult Golden Retriever dogs (GRs) by evaluating them as puppies is hampered by the progressive expression of the SAS phenotype in youth. In some children who develop SAS as adults, an abnormal aortoseptal angle (AoSA) precedes development of stenosis. To determine the normal AoSA in young adult GRs using echocardiography; to assess the value of AoSA in GR puppies for predicting development of the SAS phenotype. Forty-eight 2- to 6-month-old GR puppies. Prospective study. Puppies were recruited from clients and breeders. Puppies were evaluated with a physical examination and an echocardiogram, and this evaluation was repeated when they were 12-18-month-old adults. Puppies were classified as unaffected (WNL) or affected (SAS) retroactively, based on their results as adults. In WNL young adult GRs, mean ± SD AoSA was 152.3 ± 6.5°. Mean ± SD AoSA in SAS puppies (144.9 ± 8.6°) was significantly different from mean AoSA in WNL puppies (155.7 ± 8.8°, P 160° had the SAS phenotype as a young adult; 93% (75.7-99.1%) of puppies with AoSA <145° had the SAS phenotype as young adults. Peak LVOT velocity increased significantly between evaluations (P < .0001) whereas AoSA did not (P = .45). A steep AoSA in GR puppies is associated with the SAS phenotype in young adulthood. Some GR puppies have an abnormal AoSA that persists in young adulthood and is detectable before peak LVOT velocity reaches levels consistent with SAS. Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Analysis of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 2 Gene (SOCS2 Polymorphism in Different Dog Breeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina Miluchová

2011-05-01

Full Text Available SOCS2 is a negative regulator of growth hormone signaling. The deletion of SOCS2 in mice results in a 30-50% increase in post-natal growth. The aim of the paper was to identify of suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 gene (SOCS2 polymorphism in different dog breeds. The material involved 77 dogs from 14 different breeds. Canine genomic DNA was isolated from saliva by modified method with using DNAzol® (Molecular Research Center and linear polyacrylamide (LPA carrier and from blood by using NucleospinBlood (Macherey-Nagel and used in order to estimate SOCS2 genotypes by PCR-RFLP method. The PCR products were digested with TaqI restriction enzyme. The T allele was distributed among large dog breeds (Czech pointer, Golden retriever, Rottweiler with an allele frequency ranging from 0.2857 to 1.00. In the population of Czech pointer we detected all genotypes. There were detected homozygote genotype GG with frequency 0.5476, heterozygote genotype GT with frequency 0.3333 and homozygote genotype TT with frequency 0.1191. Results point out that frequency of G allele was high and was represented 0.7143. Frequency of T allele was 0.2857. In Rottweiler was detected homozygote genotype TT. Genotypes GG and GT has not been observed. In Golden retriever we detected only heterozygote genotype GT.

Alterações morfofuncionais renais em cães Golden Retriever Distróficos (GRMD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia J.N. Gonçalves

2014-04-01

Full Text Available A Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD é geneticamente homóloga à distrofia muscular de Duchenne (DMD que acomete seres humanos. É uma doença genética que gera degeneração progressiva da musculatura esquelética. Considerando-se as intensas alterações musculares, é natural pensar em uma possível lesão renal decorrente da intensa lesão muscular. Foram avaliados seis cães machos da raça Golden Retriever afetados pela distrofia muscular (GRMD e três cães machos clinicamente sadios. A concentração de creatinina foi determinada e as proteínas urinárias foram avaliadas por eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida. Os resultados mostraram que a proteinúria patológica não está diretamente associada à Distrofia Muscular de Duchenne, porém diversos parâmetros apresentaram concentrações aumentadas para animais afetados, como a razão proteína/albumina, que foi maior em cães distróficos, podendo ser indício de microalbuminúria e conseqüente lesão renal precoce. Estes resultados visam embasar avaliações clínicas e futuros estudos considerando-se as patologias decorrentes ou associadas a esta doença genética.

Y-chromosome DNA is present in the blood of female dogs suggesting the presence of fetal microchimerism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra M Axiak-Bechtel

Full Text Available Fetal microchimerism has been suggested to play contradictory roles in women's health, with factors including age of the recipient, time elapsed since microchimerism occurred, and microchimeric cell type modulating disease. Both beneficial and harmful effects have been identified in wound healing and tissue regeneration, immune mediated disease, and cancer. This area of research is relatively new, and hindered by the time course from occurrence of fetal microchimerism to the multi-factorial development of disease. Dogs represent an excellent model for study of fetal microchimerism, as they share our environment, have a naturally condensed lifespan, and spontaneously develop immune-mediated diseases and cancers similar to their human counterparts. However, fetal microchimerism has not been described in dogs. These experiments sought preliminary evidence that dogs develop fetal microchimerism following pregnancy. We hypothesized that Y chromosomal DNA would be detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of female dogs collected within two months of parturition. We further hypothesized that Y chromosomal DNA would be detected in banked whole blood DNA samples from parous female Golden Retrievers with at least one male puppy in a prior litter. Amplification of DNA extracted from five female Golden Retrievers that had whelped within the two months prior to collection revealed strong positive bands for the Y chromosome. Of banked, parous samples, 36% yielded positive bands for the Y chromosome. This is the first report of persistent Y chromosomal DNA in post-partum female dogs and these results suggest that fetal microchimerism occurs in the canine species. Evaluation of the contributions of fetal microchimeric cells to disease processes in dogs as a model for human disease is warranted.

Y-chromosome DNA is present in the blood of female dogs suggesting the presence of fetal microchimerism.

Science.gov (United States)

Axiak-Bechtel, Sandra M; Kumar, Senthil R; Hansen, Sarah A; Bryan, Jeffrey N

2013-01-01

Fetal microchimerism has been suggested to play contradictory roles in women's health, with factors including age of the recipient, time elapsed since microchimerism occurred, and microchimeric cell type modulating disease. Both beneficial and harmful effects have been identified in wound healing and tissue regeneration, immune mediated disease, and cancer. This area of research is relatively new, and hindered by the time course from occurrence of fetal microchimerism to the multi-factorial development of disease. Dogs represent an excellent model for study of fetal microchimerism, as they share our environment, have a naturally condensed lifespan, and spontaneously develop immune-mediated diseases and cancers similar to their human counterparts. However, fetal microchimerism has not been described in dogs. These experiments sought preliminary evidence that dogs develop fetal microchimerism following pregnancy. We hypothesized that Y chromosomal DNA would be detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of female dogs collected within two months of parturition. We further hypothesized that Y chromosomal DNA would be detected in banked whole blood DNA samples from parous female Golden Retrievers with at least one male puppy in a prior litter. Amplification of DNA extracted from five female Golden Retrievers that had whelped within the two months prior to collection revealed strong positive bands for the Y chromosome. Of banked, parous samples, 36% yielded positive bands for the Y chromosome. This is the first report of persistent Y chromosomal DNA in post-partum female dogs and these results suggest that fetal microchimerism occurs in the canine species. Evaluation of the contributions of fetal microchimeric cells to disease processes in dogs as a model for human disease is warranted.

Congenital hepatic arteriovenous fistula with intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and aortic stenosis in a dog

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koide, K.; Koide, Y.; Wada, Y.; Nakaniwa, S.; Yamane, Y.

2004-01-01

Examination of a 2-month-old male golden retriever presented to the hospital revealed malnutrition, ascites, cardiac murmur and hyperammonemia. Identification of subaortic stenosis and hepatic arteriovenous fistula was made through ultrasonography and angiocardiography. In addition, intrasurgical mesenteric portography showed an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. The dog did not show portal hypertension and secondary multiple extrahepatic portosystemic shunts. Surgical correction was attempted after medical treatment. The hepatic artery branch which was connected to the hepatic arteriovenous fistula was separated, and completely ligated using silk ligature. However, the separation of the intrahepatic shunt blood vessel was unsuccessful and the dog died 15 hr postoperatively

Translating golden retriever muscular dystrophy microarray findings to novel biomarkers for cardiac/skeletal muscle function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Galindo, Cristi L; Soslow, Jonathan H; Brinkmeyer-Langford, Candice L; Gupte, Manisha; Smith, Holly M; Sengsayadeth, Seng; Sawyer, Douglas B; Benson, D Woodrow; Kornegay, Joe N; Markham, Larry W

2016-04-01

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), abnormal cardiac function is typically preceded by a decade of skeletal muscle disease. Molecular reasons for differences in onset and progression of these muscle groups are unknown. Human biomarkers are lacking. We analyzed cardiac and skeletal muscle microarrays from normal and golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs (ages 6, 12, or 47+ mo) to gain insight into muscle dysfunction and to identify putative DMD biomarkers. These biomarkers were then measured using human DMD blood samples. We identified GRMD candidate genes that might contribute to the disparity between cardiac and skeletal muscle disease, focusing on brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and osteopontin (OPN/SPP1, hereafter indicated as SPP1). BDNF was elevated in cardiac muscle of younger GRMD but was unaltered in skeletal muscle, while SPP1 was increased only in GRMD skeletal muscle. In human DMD, circulating levels of BDNF were inversely correlated with ventricular function and fibrosis, while SPP1 levels correlated with skeletal muscle function. These results highlight gene expression patterns that could account for differences in cardiac and skeletal disease in GRMD. Most notably, animal model-derived data were translated to DMD and support use of BDNF and SPP1 as biomarkers for cardiac and skeletal muscle involvement, respectively.

Muscle function recovery in golden retriever muscular dystrophy after AAV1-U7 exon skipping.

Science.gov (United States)

Vulin, Adeline; Barthélémy, Inès; Goyenvalle, Aurélie; Thibaud, Jean-Laurent; Beley, Cyriaque; Griffith, Graziella; Benchaouir, Rachid; le Hir, Maëva; Unterfinger, Yves; Lorain, Stéphanie; Dreyfus, Patrick; Voit, Thomas; Carlier, Pierre; Blot, Stéphane; Garcia, Luis

2012-11-01

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder resulting from lesions of the gene encoding dystrophin. These usually consist of large genomic deletions, the extents of which are not correlated with the severity of the phenotype. Out-of-frame deletions give rise to dystrophin deficiency and severe DMD phenotypes, while internal deletions that produce in-frame mRNAs encoding truncated proteins can lead to a milder myopathy known as Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). Widespread restoration of dystrophin expression via adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated exon skipping has been successfully demonstrated in the mdx mouse model and in cardiac muscle after percutaneous transendocardial delivery in the golden retriever muscular dystrophy dog (GRMD) model. Here, a set of optimized U7snRNAs carrying antisense sequences designed to rescue dystrophin were delivered into GRMD skeletal muscles by AAV1 gene transfer using intramuscular injection or forelimb perfusion. We show sustained correction of the dystrophic phenotype in extended muscle areas and partial recovery of muscle strength. Muscle architecture was improved and fibers displayed the hallmarks of mature and functional units. A 5-year follow-up ruled out immune rejection drawbacks but showed a progressive decline in the number of corrected muscle fibers, likely due to the persistence of a mild dystrophic process such as occurs in BMD phenotypes. Although AAV-mediated exon skipping was shown safe and efficient to rescue a truncated dystrophin, it appears that recurrent treatments would be required to maintain therapeutic benefit ahead of the progression of the disease.

Frequency of DEA 1 antigen in 1037 mongrel and PUREBREED dogs in ITALY.

Science.gov (United States)

Carli, E; Carminato, A; Ravagnan, S; Capello, K; Antognoni, M T; Miglio, A; Furlanello, T; Proverbio, D; Spada, E; Stefani, A; Mutinelli, F; Vascellari, M

2017-11-29

The prevalence of dog erythrocyte antigen (DEA 1) in canine population is approximately 40-60%. Often data are limited to a small number of breeds and/or dogs. The aims of this study were to evaluate frequency of DEA 1 in a large population of purebred and mongrel dogs including Italian native breeds and to recognize a possible association between DEA 1 and breed, sex, and genetic and phenotypical/functional classifications of breeds. Frequencies of DEA 1 blood group collected from screened/enrolled blood donors and from healthy and sick dogs were retrospectively evaluated. The breed and the sex were recorded when available. DEA 1 blood typing was assessed by immunocromatographic test on K3EDTA blood samples. The prevalence of DEA 1 antigen was statistically related to breed, gender, Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and genotypic grouping. Sixty-two per cent dogs resulted DEA 1+ and 38% DEA 1-. DEA 1- was statistically associated with Dogo Argentino, Dobermann, German Shepherd, Boxer, Corso dogs, the molossian dogs, the FCI group 1, 2 and 3 and the genetic groups "working dogs" and "mastiff". DEA 1+ was statistically associated with Rottweiler, Briquet Griffon Vendéen, Bernese mountain dog, Golden Retriever, the hunting breeds, the FCI group 4, 6, 7 and 8 and the genetic groups "scent hounds" and "retrievers". No gender association was observed. Data obtained by this work may be clinically useful to drive blood donor enrollment and selection among different breeds.

Characterisation of the main drivers of intra- and inter- breed variability in the plasma metabolome of dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, Amanda J; Beckmann, Manfred; Tailliart, Kathleen; Brown, Wendy Y; Draper, John; Allaway, David

Dog breeds are a consequence of artificial selection for specific attributes. These closed genetic populations have metabolic and physiological characteristics that may be revealed by metabolomic analysis. To identify and characterise the drivers of metabolic differences in the fasted plasma metabolome and then determine metabolites differentiating breeds. Fasted plasma samples were collected from dogs maintained under two environmental conditions (controlled and client-owned at home). The former (n = 33) consisted of three breeds (Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel and Miniature Schnauzer) fed a single diet batch, the latter (n = 96), client-owned dogs consisted of 9 breeds (Beagle, Chihuahua, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, Golden Retriever, Greyhound, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Maltese) consuming various diets under differing feeding regimens. Triplicate samples were taken from Beagle (n = 10) and Labrador Retriever (n = 9) over 3 months. Non-targeted metabolite fingerprinting was performed using flow infusion electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry which was coupled with multivariate data analysis. Metadata factors including age, gender, sexual status, weight, diet and breed were investigated. Breed differences were identified in the plasma metabolome of dogs housed in a controlled environment. Triplicate samples from two breeds identified intra-individual variability, yet breed separation was still observed. The main drivers of variance in dogs maintained in the home environment were associated with breed and gender. Furthermore, metabolite signals were identified that discriminated between Labrador Retriever and Cocker Spaniels in both environments. Metabolite fingerprinting of plasma samples can be used to investigate breed differences in client-owned dogs, despite added variance of diet, sexual status and environment.

Assistance Dogs: Historic Patterns and Roles of Dogs Placed by ADI or IGDF Accredited Facilities and by Non-Accredited U.S. Facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Walther, Sandra; Yamamoto, Mariko; Thigpen, Abigail Paige; Garcia, Anaissa; Willits, Neil H; Hart, Lynette A

2017-01-01

Dogs' roles to support people with disabilities are increasing. Existing U.S. laws and regulations pertaining to the use of dogs for people with disabilities are only minimally enforced. Pushback legislation against some aspects of uses of assistance dogs currently is being passed or proposed in several states. Further, the U.S. Department of the Army and the Veterans' Administration support only dogs trained by an Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) accredited facility. Lacking a mandatory national process for screening the selection, training, and placement of assistance dogs with persons who have disabilities, the U.S. offers a creative but confusing opportunity for people to train their own dogs for any disability. While no U.S. surveillance system monitors assistance dogs, other countries generally have a legislated or regulatory process for approving assistance dogs or a cultural convention for obtaining dogs from accredited facilities. We conducted an online survey investigating current demographics of assistance dogs placed in 2013 and 2014 with persons who have disabilities, by facilities worldwide that are associated with ADI or IGDF and by some non-accredited U.S. facilities. Placement data from ADI and IGDF facilities revealed that in most countries aside from the U.S., guide dogs were by far the main type of assistance dog placed. In the U.S., there were about equal numbers of mobility and guide dogs placed, including many placed by large older facilities, along with smaller numbers of other types of assistance dogs. In non-accredited U.S. facilities, psychiatric dogs accounted for most placements. Dogs for families with an autistic child were increasing in all regions around the world. Of dog breeds placed, accredited facilities usually mentioned Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, and sometimes, German Shepherd Dogs. The facilities bred their dogs in-house, or acquired them from certain breeders

A Deletion in the Canine POMC Gene Is Associated with Weight and Appetite in Obesity-Prone Labrador Retriever Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Raffan, Eleanor; Dennis, Rowena J; O'Donovan, Conor J; Becker, Julia M; Scott, Robert A; Smith, Stephen P; Withers, David J; Wood, Claire J; Conci, Elena; Clements, Dylan N; Summers, Kim M; German, Alexander J; Mellersh, Cathryn S; Arendt, Maja L; Iyemere, Valentine P; Withers, Elaine; Söder, Josefin; Wernersson, Sara; Andersson, Göran; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Yeo, Giles S H; O'Rahilly, Stephen

2016-05-10

Sequencing of candidate genes for obesity in Labrador retriever dogs identified a 14 bp deletion in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) with an allele frequency of 12%. The deletion disrupts the β-MSH and β-endorphin coding sequences and is associated with body weight (per allele effect of 0.33 SD), adiposity, and greater food motivation. Among other dog breeds, the deletion was only found in the closely related flat-coat retriever (FCR), where it is similarly associated with body weight and food motivation. The mutation is significantly more common in Labrador retrievers selected to become assistance dogs than pets. In conclusion, the deletion in POMC is a significant modifier of weight and appetite in Labrador retrievers and FCRs and may influence other behavioral traits. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The health effects of fetal microchimerism can be modeled in companion dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Senthil R; Hansen, Sarah A; Axiak-Bechtel, Sandra M; Bryan, Jeffrey N

2013-01-01

Fetal microchimerism (FMC) has been described to have a range of effects on health and disease. Y-chromosomal DNA has been detected in Golden Retrievers suggesting persistent FMC. In that report, nine dogs had evidence of microchimerism without prior pregnancy. To further understand this finding, a dam with prior male live births giving birth to her fourth litter of puppies, all females, was evaluated for FMC along with two of her daughters. All three female dogs had evidence of Y-chromosomal DNA in their blood. This suggests that male cells carried by the dam from previous pregnancy trafficked to her daughters to establish microchimerism in younger siblings. Companion dogs share many of the same cancers as humans, have out-bred genetics, and share the human environment, making them optimal models of human disease. Understanding the impact of FMC on health and disease of dogs could elucidate mechanisms useful for clinical interventions in humans.

Factors affecting gestation duration in the bitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Eilts, Bruce E; Davidson, Autumn P; Hosgood, Giselle; Paccamonti, Dale L; Baker, David G

2005-07-15

A retrospective analysis was performed to determine the effects of age, breed, parity, and litter size on the duration of gestation in the bitch. Bitches at two locations were monitored from breeding to whelping. A total of 764 litters whelped from 308 bitches (36 large hounds, 34 Golden Retrievers, 23 German Shepherd Dogs (GSD), and 215 Labrador Retrievers). By breed, the number of whelpings was 152, 72, 58, and 482 for the hounds, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, and Labrador Retrievers, respectively. Whelping was predicted to be 57 d from the first day of cytologic diestrus in the hounds or 65 d from the initial progesterone rise in the other breeds. The average gestation duration (calculated as 8 d prior to Day 1 of cytologic diestrus in hounds or measured from the initial progesterone rise in other breeds) by breed (days +/- S.D.) was 66.0 +/- 2.8, 64.7 +/- 1.5, 63.6 +/- 2.1, and 62.9 +/- 1.3 for the hounds, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, and Labrador Retrievers, respectively. The relationship of age, breed, parity, and litter size with the difference in gestation duration was evaluated using log linear modeling. Age or parity had no effect on gestation duration. Compared to Labrador Retrievers, the German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retrievers and hounds were more likely to have a longer gestation duration; three, four and nearly eight times as likely, respectively. Bitches whelping four or fewer pups were significantly more likely to have a longer gestation duration than those whelping five or more pups; the prolongation averaging 1 d.

ALTERATIONS IN ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS OF LABRADOR RETRIEVER DOGS DURING HANDLING WITH AND WITHOUT GLOVES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swagat Mohapatra

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Healthy male Labrador Retriever dogs (n=8 aged between one to three years constituted the study material. The study was carried out to peruse the alterations in electrocardiograms, when the attendant restrained the dogs with bare hands and when the dogs were restrained by the attendant wearing gloves. The mean amplitude of P wave was higher in dogs handled with gloves. Similarly, the amplitudes of QRS complex and T wave were higher in the electrocardiograms of dogs handled with insulated hands. Meanwhile, the duration of T wave and Q-T interval were higher in the electrocardiograms recorded without gloves in hands. However, no alterations were perceived with respect to the duration of P wave, duration of T wave, the P-R interval, R-R interval and the heart rate. Except for the amplitude of P wave, no other differences were statistically significant. The study reported the alterations in the electrocardiogram while handling the animals with bare hands.

Genome-wide association study identifies shared risk loci common to two malignancies in golden retrievers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noriko Tonomura

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Dogs, with their breed-determined limited genetic background, are great models of human disease including cancer. Canine B-cell lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma are both malignancies of the hematologic system that are clinically and histologically similar to human B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and angiosarcoma, respectively. Golden retrievers in the US show significantly elevated lifetime risk for both B-cell lymphoma (6% and hemangiosarcoma (20%. We conducted genome-wide association studies for hemangiosarcoma and B-cell lymphoma, identifying two shared predisposing loci. The two associated loci are located on chromosome 5, and together contribute ~20% of the risk of developing these cancers. Genome-wide p-values for the top SNP of each locus are 4.6×10-7 and 2.7×10-6, respectively. Whole genome resequencing of nine cases and controls followed by genotyping and detailed analysis identified three shared and one B-cell lymphoma specific risk haplotypes within the two loci, but no coding changes were associated with the risk haplotypes. Gene expression analysis of B-cell lymphoma tumors revealed that carrying the risk haplotypes at the first locus is associated with down-regulation of several nearby genes including the proximal gene TRPC6, a transient receptor Ca2+-channel involved in T-cell activation, among other functions. The shared risk haplotype in the second locus overlaps the vesicle transport and release gene STX8. Carrying the shared risk haplotype is associated with gene expression changes of 100 genes enriched for pathways involved in immune cell activation. Thus, the predisposing germ-line mutations in B-cell lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma appear to be regulatory, and affect pathways involved in T-cell mediated immune response in the tumor. This suggests that the interaction between the immune system and malignant cells plays a common role in the tumorigenesis of these relatively different cancers.

Metabolizable energy intake of client-owned adult dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Thes, M; Koeber, N; Fritz, J; Wendel, F; Dillitzer, N; Dobenecker, B; Kienzle, E

2016-10-01

A post hoc analysis of the metabolizable energy (ME) intake of privately owned pet dogs from the authors' nutrition consultation practice (Years 2007-2011) was carried out to identify if current ME recommendations are suitable for pet dogs. Data on 586 adult dogs were available (median age 5.5, median deviation from ideal weight 0.0), 55 of them were healthy; the others had various diseases. For ration calculation, a standardized questionnaire and the software diet-check Munich(™) was used. ME was predicted according to NRC (2006). Data were evaluated for the factors disease, breed, size, age, gender and type of feeding. The mean ME intake of all adult dogs amounted to 0.410 ± 0.121 MJ/kg metabolic body weight (BW(0.75) ) (n = 586). There was no effect of size and disease. Overweight dogs ate 0.360 ± 0.121 MJ/kg BW(0.75) , and underweight dogs ate 0.494 ± 0.159 MJ/kg BW(0.75) . Older dogs (>7 years, n = 149, 0.389 ± 0.105 MJ/kg BW(0.75) ) had a lower ME intake than younger ones (n = 313, 0.419 ± 0.121 MJ/kg BW(0.75) ), and intact males had a higher ME intake than the others (p Hounds, German Boxers, English foxhounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Flat-Coated Retrievers with a mean ME intake of 0.473 ± 0.121 MJ/kg BW(0.75) . The following breeds were below average: Dachshunds, Bichons, West highland White Terrier, Collies except Bearded Collies, Airedale Terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and Golden Retrievers with a mean ME intake of 0.343 ± 0.096 MJ/kg BW(0.75) . The mean maintenance energy requirements of pet dogs are similar to that of kennel dogs which do not exercise very much. These results suggest that opportunity and stimulus to exercise provided for pet dogs are lower than for kennel dogs. Lower activity in pet dogs may reduce part of potential effects of breed, medical history and age groups. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Gender-Related Differences in Pelvic Morphometrics of the Retriever Dog Breed.

Science.gov (United States)

Nganvongpanit, K; Pitakarnnop, T; Buddhachat, K; Phatsara, M

2017-02-01

This study presents the results from a morphometric analysis of 52 dry Retriever dog pelvic bones (30 male, 22 female). A total of 20 parameters were measured using an osteometric board and digital vernier caliper. Six parameters were found to be significantly higher (P discriminant analysis from all 20 parameters in order to develop a possible working equation to discriminate gender from a dog pelvic bone. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to create a discrimination function: Y = [82.1*PS/AII] - [50.72*LIS/LI] - [23.09*OTD/SP] + [7.69*SP/IE] + [6.52*IC/OW] + [7.67*ISA/OW] + [20.77*AII/PS] + [504.71*OW/ISA] - [90.84*PS/ISA] - [148.95], which showed an accuracy rate of 86.27%. This is the first study presenting an equation/function for use in discriminating gender from a dog's pelvic measurements. The results can be used in veterinary forensic anthropology and also show that a dog's pelvis presents sexual dimorphisms, as in humans. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

A Deletion in the Canine POMC Gene Is Associated with Weight and Appetite in Obesity-Prone Labrador Retriever Dogs

OpenAIRE

Raffan, Eleanor; Dennis, Rowena?J.; O?Donovan, Conor?J.; Becker, Julia?M.; Scott, Robert?A.; Smith, Stephen?P.; Withers, David?J.; Wood, Claire?J.; Conci, Elena; Clements, Dylan?N.; Summers, Kim?M.; German, Alexander?J.; Mellersh, Cathryn?S.; Arendt, Maja?L.; Iyemere, Valentine?P.

2016-01-01

Sequencing of candidate genes for obesity in Labrador retriever dogs identified a 14 bp deletion in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) with an allele frequency of 12%. The deletion disrupts the β-MSH and β-endorphin coding sequences and is associated with body weight (per allele effect of 0.33 SD), adiposity, and greater food motivation. Among other dog breeds, the deletion was only found in the closely related flat-coat retriever (FCR), where it is similarly associated with body weight and food mot...

Anti-tumor effects of nitrosylcobalamin against spontaneous tumors in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Joseph A; Frye, Gerald; Bahr, Anne; Gieg, Jennifer; Brofman, Peter

2010-10-01

Given the limited options available to treat canine cancers, the use of companion animals for evaluating new drugs may identify better therapies for veterinary and human oncology. The anti-tumor effects of nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl), an apoptosis-inducing, vitamin B12-based carrier of nitric oxide (NO), was evaluated in four dogs with spontaneous cancer. (1) A 13 year-old female spayed Giant Schnauzer with inoperable thyroid carcinoma and hypercalcemia. (2) A 6 year-old male neutered Golden Retriever with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST). (3) A ten yr-old neutered male Bichon Frise with apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma (AGACA). (4) A 7 year-old female spayed Labrador mix with spinal meningioma following partial surgical resection. Tumor regression was measured by physical exam and verified using ultrasound (case 1) and MRI (case 2-4). Serum chemistries and hematologic parameters were monitored throughout the studies. (1) The Giant Schnauzer demonstrated a 77% reduction in tumor volume after ten weeks of daily NO-Cbl treatment. (2) The Golden Retriever demonstrated a 53% reduction in tumor volume after 15 months of daily NO-Cbl therapy. (3) The Bichon Frise demonstrated a 43% regression of the primary tumor and a 90% regression of an iliac lymph node measured by MRI after 15 months of treatment. After 61 months, the dog currently has stable disease, normal liver enzymes, CBC analysis, and no evidence of toxicity. (4) The Labrador demonstrated complete regression of the residual tumor after 6 months of treatment. We have shown previously that NO-Cbl is endocytosed by malignant cells, resulting in intra-tumoral NO release. In this study, we have shown that daily long-term use of NO-Cbl induced responses in all dogs without any signs of toxicity. The use of NO-Cbl capitalizes on the tumor-specific properties of the vitamin B12 receptor and represents a promising anti-cancer therapy.

Comparison of four diluents for the retriever dogs semen preservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Wicaksono

2009-03-01

Full Text Available The quality of chilled semen depends on the composition of diluent. The choice of the buffer, anti-cold shock and nutrition sources can be the first decision in order to choose appropriate diluents. Nowadays a lot of diluent are used for canine semen preservation such as Tris buffer and Citrate buffer. This study was aimed to observe the differences of diluent for preserving Retriever dog spermatozoa. The semen sample collected from four Retriever dogs with three times repetition. The semen was evaluated macro-and microscopically. The semen with >70% sperm motility was divided into four tubes and diluted with diluter 1 (P1, diluter: P2, P3 and P4 (modified P3. The diluted semen was divided into two tubes and each sample was stored at room and 50C temperature. The viability of chilled semen was observed every 3 hours at room temperature and 12 hours at 50C. The result showed that P2 keep the sperm viability better than the other diluents. On 50C at 24 hours storage P2 showed the highest motile and live sperm percentage (46.25 ± 0.22%; 57.11 ± 0.25%. In room temperature at 6 hours P2 showed the highest motile and live sperm percentage (40.94 ± 0.20%; 52.65 ± 0.23%. It is concluded that P2 can keep the sperm viability by 84 hours of 50C and 21 hours at room temperature.

A colony of dog guides: analysis of the genetic variability assessed by pedigree data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberta Ciampolini

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The study presents the analysis of the genetic variability in a colony of dog guides. Three breeds, Labrador (L, Golden Retriever (GR, and German Shepherd (GS, were evaluated. Pedigrees data on 370 L, 260 GR, and 85 GS dogs bred for guide by the National Guide Dog School (SNCG of Scandicci (Florence, Italy were used. Data were available beginning from 1994. The average coefficient of coancestry and the mean F were 0.8% and 0.45% in GR, 0.7% and 0.38% in L, 1.0% and 0.49% in GS, respectively. The rate of increase in inbreeding was lower in L population (0.17 than in GR population (0.54, while in GS only the dogs with 5 e 7 traced generations resulted inbred. The results of this research point out that the genetic management of the dogs seems to be carefully and rationally monitored. Nevertheless, the population that may require a greater attention seems to be the GR, where a higher increase of the coefficient of inbreeding per generation is observed; therefore, the importation of germplasm from other working dogs is desirable in order to avoid in future an excessive increase of the inbreeding that could lead to adverse consequences for dogs health and fertility.

Development of dog-like retrieving capability in a ground robot

Science.gov (United States)

MacKenzie, Douglas C.; Ashok, Rahul; Rehg, James M.; Witus, Gary

2013-01-01

This paper presents the Mobile Intelligence Team's approach to addressing the CANINE outdoor ground robot competition. The competition required developing a robot that provided retrieving capabilities similar to a dog, while operating fully autonomously in unstructured environments. The vision team consisted of Mobile Intelligence, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Wayne State University. Important computer vision aspects of the project were the ability to quickly learn the distinguishing characteristics of novel objects, searching images for the object as the robot drove a search pattern, identifying people near the robot for safe operations, correctly identify the object among distractors, and localizing the object for retrieval. The classifier used to identify the objects will be discussed, including an analysis of its performance, and an overview of the entire system architecture presented. A discussion of the robot's performance in the competition will demonstrate the system's successes in real-world testing.

Gene Expression Profiling of Histiocytic Sarcomas in a Canine Model: The Predisposed Flatcoated Retriever Dog

NARCIS (Netherlands)

K.M. Boerkamp (Kim); M. van der Kooij (Marieke); F.G. van Steenbeek (Frank); M.E. van Wolferen (Monique); B. Groot Koerkamp (Bas); D. van Leenen (Dik); G.C.M. Grinwis (Guy C.); C. Penning (Corine); E.A.C. Wiemer (Erik); G.R. Rutteman (Gerard)

2013-01-01

textabstractBackground:The determination of altered expression of genes in specific tumor types and their effect upon cellular processes may create insight in tumorigenesis and help to design better treatments. The Flatcoated retriever is a dog breed with an exceptionally high incidence of

Effects of Affiliative Human–Animal Interaction on Dog Salivary and Plasma Oxytocin and Vasopressin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evan L. MacLean

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Oxytocin (OT and vasopressin (AVP are neuropeptides with diverse effects on social behavior, cognition and stress responses. Recent studies suggest that OT facilitates and responds to affiliative forms of human–animal interaction (HAI. However, previous studies measuring OT and AVP in dogs have been limited to measures from blood or urine, which present concerns related to the invasiveness of sample collection, the potential for matrix interference in immunoassays, and whether samples can be collected at precise time points to assess event-linked endocrine responses. Previous studies from our laboratory validated salivary measures of OT and AVP in dogs, however, it is currently unknown whether these measures respond dynamically to aspects of HAI. Here, we investigated the effects of affiliative forms of HAI on both plasma and salivary OT and AVP in dogs. We employed a within- and between-subjects design with a group of Labrador retrievers and Labrador retriever × golden retriever crosses (23 females, 15 males. Half of the dogs engaged in 10 min of free-form friendly interaction with a human experimenter (HAI condition, and the other half rested quietly in the same environment, without human interaction (control condition. We collected blood and saliva samples before, and immediately following both experimental conditions, and all samples were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs following previously validated protocols. Dogs participating in HAI exhibited a significant increase in both salivary OT (+39% and plasma OT (+5.7% whereas dogs in the control group did not. Salivary AVP showed no change in the HAI group but increased significantly (+33% in the control group. Plasma AVP decreased significantly following HAI (-13% but did not change across time in the control condition. Within the dogs exposed to HAI, increases in salivary OT, and decreases in plasma AVP, were predicted by the extent of affiliative behavior between

Balloon Valvuloplasty of Tricuspid Stenosis: A Retrospective Study of 5 Labrador Retriever Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lake-Bakaar, G A; Griffiths, L G; Kittleson, M D

2017-03-01

There are limited reports of severe tricuspid valve stenosis in dogs and limited data regarding treatment and outcome. To evaluate clinical signs, echocardiographic features, and outcome of balloon valvuloplasty (BV) in dogs with severe tricuspid valve stenosis (TVS) in which BV was attempted. Five client-owned dogs with severe TVS. Records were retrospectively reviewed and data collected regarding signalment, clinical signs, diagnostic findings, procedures, and outcome. All dogs were Labrador Retrievers. Presenting complaints included episodic weakness/syncope (4/5), abdominal distension (4/5), lethargy (2/5), and exercise intolerance (2/5). The median and range of measurements before BV were as follows: TV mean velocity 1.5 m/s (range 1.4-1.7 m/s); velocity-time integral (VTI) 79.8 cm (42.4-99.1 cm); and TV maximum velocity 2.9 m/s (2.3-3.2 m/s). Measurements (available for 3 of 5 dogs) after BV were as follows: TV mean velocity 1.15 m/s (0.9-1.4 m/s); VTI 44.95 cm (41.4-54.8 cm); and TV maximum velocity 1.15 m/s (1.9-2.3 m/s). The procedure was attempted in all dogs and completed in 4/5 dogs. The largest balloon diameter ranged from 15 mm to 25 mm, and length ranged from 4 cm to 5 cm. Right atrial pressure decreased in 4/5 dogs. All but 1 dog had clinical improvement after BV, but recurrence of clinical signs occurred (2/5). Tricuspid regurgitation worsened in 1 dog culminating in right heart failure and euthanasia. BV can be an effective treatment; however, clinical signs can recur. Right heart failure due to worsened TR is a potential complication in dogs with pre-existing moderate-to-severe TR. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Successful surgical treatment of a suspected iatrogenic arytenoid cartilage fracture in a dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Doran, Ivan; White, Robert N

2009-01-01

A 3-year-old, intact female golden retriever was presented with a sudden onset of inspiratory obstructive dyspnea following general anesthesia to perform a mastectomy. The cuneiform process of the left arytenoid cartilage was found to be extremely mobile on laryngeal examination. Fracture of the cuneiform process of the left arytenoid cartilage was diagnosed. A combined cricoarytenoid and thyroarytenoid caudolateralization procedure was performed on the left side, and no further dyspnea was observed during a follow-up period of 7 months. Fracture of the cuneiform process of the arytenoid cartilage has not been previously reported in dogs. The condition may respond favorably to cricoarytenoid and thyroarytenoid caudolateralization surgery.

A comparative study of N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc and cytotoxic T cell (CT carbohydrate expression in normal and dystrophin-deficient dog and human skeletal muscle.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul T Martin

Full Text Available The expression of N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc and the cytotoxic T cell (CT carbohydrate can impact the severity of muscular dystrophy arising from the loss of dystrophin in mdx mice. Here, we describe the expression of these two glycans in skeletal muscles of dogs and humans with or without dystrophin-deficiency. Neu5Gc expression was highly reduced (>95% in muscle from normal golden retriever crosses (GR, n = 3 and from golden retriever with muscular dystrophy (GRMD, n = 5 dogs at multiple ages (3, 6 and 13 months when compared to mouse muscle, however, overall sialic acid expression in GR and GRMD muscles remained high at all ages. Neu5Gc was expressed on only a minority of GRMD satellite cells, CD8⁺ T lymphocytes and macrophages. Human muscle from normal (no evident disease, n = 3, Becker (BMD, n = 3 and Duchenne (DMD, n = 3 muscular dystrophy individuals had absent to very low Neu5Gc staining, but some punctate intracellular muscle staining was present in BMD and DMD muscles. The CT carbohydrate was localized to the neuromuscular junction in GR muscle, while GRMD muscles had increased expression on a subset of myofibers and macrophages. In humans, the CT carbohydrate was ectopically expressed on the sarcolemmal membrane of some BMD muscles, but not normal human or DMD muscles. These data are consistent with the notion that altered Neu5Gc and CT carbohydrate expression may modify disease severity resulting from dystrophin deficiency in dogs and humans.

Elbow dysplasia in the dog : pathophysiology, diagnosis and control : review article

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.M. Kirberger

1998-07-01

Full Text Available Elbow dysplasia is a non-specific term denoting abnormal development of the elbow. Elbow dysplasia encompasses the clinical and radiographic manifestation of ununited anconeal process, fragmented medial coronoid process, osteochondritis dissecans, erosive cartilage lesions and elbow incongruity. The net result is elbow arthrosis, which may be clinically inapparent or result in marked lameness. These conditions may be diagnosed by means of routine or special radiographic views and other imaging modalities, or the precise cause of the arthrosis or lameness may remain undetermined. Breeds most commonly affected are the rottweiler, Bernese mountain dog, Labrador and golden retriever and the German shepherd dog. Certain breeds are more susceptible to a particular form of elbow dysplasia and more than 1 component may occur simultaneously. The various conditions are thought to result from osteochondrosis of the articular or physeal cartilage that results in disparate growth of the radius and ulna. Heritability has been proven for this polygenic condition and screening programmes to select suitable breeding stock have been initiated in several countries and have decreased the incidence of elbow dysplasia.

Individual signatures and environmental factors shape skin microbiota in healthy dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuscó, Anna; Belanger, Janelle M; Gershony, Liza; Islas-Trejo, Alma; Levy, Kerinne; Medrano, Juan F; Sánchez, Armand; Oberbauer, Anita M; Francino, Olga

2017-10-13

The individual, together with its environment, has been reported as the main force driving composition and structure of skin microbiota in healthy dogs. Therefore, one of the major concerns when analyzing canine skin microbiota is the likely influence of the environment. Despite the dense fur covering, certain skin diseases exhibit differential prevalence among skin sites, dog breeds, and individuals. We have characterized the normal variability of dog skin microbiota in a well-controlled cohort of a large number of Golden-Labrador Retriever crossed dogs (N = 35) with similar ages, related genetic background, and a shared environment. We found that the individual drives the skin microbiota composition and structure followed by the skin site. The main bacterial classes inhabiting dog skin in this cohort are Gammaproteobacteria and Bacilli. We also detected bacteria associated to the environment on different dog skin sites that could be reflecting the different degrees of exposure of each skin site and each dog. Network analyses elucidated bacterial interactions within and between skin sites, especially in the chin, abdomen, axilla, and perianal region, with the highly shared interactions probably representing an anatomical, behavioral, or environmental component. When analyzing each skin site independently to assess host-specific factors, we found that temporality (season of birth and time spent in the kennel) affected all the skin sites and specially the inner pinna. The most abundant taxon driving this difference was Sphingomonas. We also found taxonomic differences among male and female dogs on the abdomen, axilla, and back. We observed a large inter-individual variability and differences among skin sites. Host-specific variables, such as temporality or sex, were also shaping skin microbiota of healthy dogs, even in an environmental homogenous cohort.

The urine metabolome differs between lean and overweight Labrador Retriever dogs during a feed-challenge.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josefin Söder

Full Text Available Obesity in dogs is an increasing problem and better knowledge of the metabolism of overweight dogs is needed. Identification of molecular changes related to overweight may lead to new methods to improve obesity prevention and treatment. The aim of the study was firstly to investigate whether Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR based metabolomics could be used to differentiate postprandial from fasting urine in dogs, and secondly to investigate whether metabolite profiles differ between lean and overweight dogs in fasting and postprandial urine, respectively. Twenty-eight healthy intact male Labrador Retrievers were included, 12 of which were classified as lean (body condition score (BCS 4-5 on a 9-point scale and 16 as overweight (BCS 6-8. After overnight fasting, a voided morning urine sample was collected. Dogs were then fed a high-fat mixed meal and postprandial urine was collected after 3 hours. Metabolic profiles were generated using NMR and 45 metabolites identified from the spectral data were evaluated using multivariate data analysis. The results revealed that fasting and postprandial urine differed in relative metabolite concentration (partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA 1 comp: R2Y = 0.4, Q2Y = 0.32; cross-validated ANOVA: P = 0.00006. Univariate analyses of discriminant metabolites showed that taurine and citrate concentrations were elevated in postprandial urine, while allantoin concentration had decreased. Interestingly, lean and overweight dogs differed in terms of relative metabolite concentrations in postprandial urine (PLS-DA 1 comp: R2Y = 0.5, Q2Y = 0.36, cross-validated ANOVA: P = 0.005 but not in fasting urine. Overweight dogs had lower postprandial taurine and a trend of higher allantoin concentrations compared with lean dogs. These findings demonstrate that metabolomics can differentiate 3-hour postprandial urine from fasting urine in dogs, and that postprandial urine metabolites may be more useful than fasting

Current perspectives on the optimal age to spay/castrate dogs and cats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Howe LM

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Lisa M HoweDepartment of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USAAbstract: Spaying and castrating of dogs and cats has been considered for decades to be a routine standard of practice in veterinary medicine in the US for the prevention of numerous undesirable behaviors, medical conditions, and diseases. Additionally, the procedures have been promoted as a method of curbing the severe pet-overpopulation problem in the US. Recently, however, this routine practice has come under scrutiny and become a very controversial topic. The general wisdom and safety of the procedures have been questioned by those who are concerned that the procedures may have some unintended consequences that are only recently being recognized. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the scientific literature regarding elective spay/castration procedures and present both risks and benefits of elective gonadectomy. After the literature is examined, it becomes clear that there may not be a single absolute optimal age to spay or castrate all dogs and cats, but that the optimal age may be dependent upon several factors, including species, breed, body size, and breed-specific diseases, among others. Determining the optimal age to perform elective gonadectomy is much clearer in cats, and the literature demonstrates that the procedures can typically be safely performed at any age after 6–8 weeks of age. The optimal age to spay or castrate dogs of certain breeds (rottweiler, golden retriever, Labrador retriever, and vizsla is becoming less clear as studies are being conducted as to the health benefits and risks in those breeds. This review will examine these controversies and make recommendations as to the optimal age to spay/castrate dogs based upon the scientific literature.Keywords: gonadectomy (neuter, ovariohysterectomy (spay, castration, neoplasia, longevity, orthopedic

Eurasian golden jackal as host of canine vector-borne protists.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitková, Barbora; Hrazdilová, Kristýna; D'Amico, Gianluca; Duscher, Georg Gerhard; Suchentrunk, Franz; Forejtek, Pavel; Gherman, Călin Mircea; Matei, Ioana Adriana; Ionică, Angela Monica; Daskalaki, Aikaterini Alexandra; Mihalca, Andrei Daniel; Votýpka, Jan; Hulva, Pavel; Modrý, David

2017-04-14

Jackals are medium-sized canids from the wolf-like clade, exhibiting a unique combination of ancestral morphotypes, broad trophic niches, and close phylogenetic relationships with the wolf and dog. Thus, they represent a potential host of several pathogens with diverse transmission routes. Recently, populations of the Eurasian golden jackal Canis aureus have expanded into the Western Palaearctic, including most of Europe. The aim of our study was to examine Eurasian golden jackals from Romania, Czech Republic and Austria for a wide spectrum of vector-borne protists and to evaluate the role of this species as a reservoir of disease for domestic dogs and/or humans. Diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) DNA amplifications revealed 70% of jackals to be positive for Hepatozoon, 12.5% positive for piroplasms, and one individual positive for Leishmania infantum. Phylogenetic analyses of partial 18S rDNA sequences invariably placed sequenced isolates of Hepatozoon into the H. canis clade. For piroplasms, both the 18S and cox1 sequences obtained confirmed the presence of Babesia canis and "Theileria annae" in 5 and 2 individuals, respectively, providing the first records of these two piroplasmids in Eurasian golden jackals. A single animal from Dolj County (Romania) was PCR-positive for L. infantum, as confirmed also by sequencing of ITS1-5.8S. Apparently, expanding populations of jackals can play a significant role in spreading and maintaining new Babesia canis foci in Central Europe. The role of jackals in the epidemiology of "Theileria annae" and H. canis is probably similar to that of red foxes and should be taken into account in further research on these parasites. Also the presence of L. infantum deserves attention. Our study confirms that once established, the populations of Eurasian golden jackals constitute natural reservoirs for many canine vector-borne diseases, analogous to the role of the coyotes in North America.

Bilateral Superior Labial Mucosal Transposition Flaps to Correct Stenosis of the Nares Following Bilateral Rostral Maxillectomy Combined with Nasal Planum Resection in a Dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Séguin, Bernard; Steinke, Julia R

2016-04-01

To describe a technique using labial mucosal flaps to correct stenosis of the nares subsequent to bilateral rostral maxillectomy and nasal planum resection. Case report Client-owned dog. A 10-year-old, neutered male Golden Retriever developed repeated stenosis of the nares, at first after bilateral rostral maxillectomy and nasal planum resection, and again after revision surgery. Bilateral, superior labial mucosal transposition flaps were created and interpolated between the nasal mucosa and skin after debridement of scar tissue. The stenosis did not recur after mucosal flap transposition and the dog returned to normal quality of life (last follow-up 25 months postoperative). Single-stage, superior labial mucosal transposition flaps can be used to correct nares stenosis subsequent to previous surgery. © Copyright 2016 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Differences in iron concentration in whole blood of animal models using NAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bahovschi, V; Zamboni, C B; Silva, L F F Lopes; Metairon, S; Medeiros, I M M A

2015-01-01

In this study Neutron Activation Analysis technique (NAA) was applied to determine Fe concentration in whole blood samples of several animal models such as: mice (Mus musculus), Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), Wistar rats, Albinic Rabbits of New Zealand, Golden Retriever dogs and Crioulabreed horses. These results were compared with human whole blood estimation to check their similarities. (paper)

Differences in iron concentration in whole blood of animal models using NAA

Science.gov (United States)

Bahovschi, V.; Zamboni, C. B.; Lopes Silva, L. F. F.; Metairon, S.; Medeiros, I. M. M. A.

2015-07-01

In this study Neutron Activation Analysis technique (NAA) was applied to determine Fe concentration in whole blood samples of several animal models such as: mice (Mus musculus), Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), Wistar rats, Albinic Rabbits of New Zealand, Golden Retriever dogs and Crioulabreed horses. These results were compared with human whole blood estimation to check their similarities.

A synoptic overview of golden jackal parasites reveals high diversity of species.

Science.gov (United States)

Gherman, Călin Mircea; Mihalca, Andrei Daniel

2017-09-15

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a species under significant and fast geographic expansion. Various parasites are known from golden jackals across their geographic range, and certain groups can be spread during their expansion, increasing the risk of cross-infection with other carnivores or even humans. The current list of the golden jackal parasites includes 194 species and was compiled on the basis of an extensive literature search published from historical times until April 2017, and is shown herein in synoptic tables followed by critical comments of the various findings. This large variety of parasites is related to the extensive geographic range, territorial mobility and a very unselective diet. The vast majority of these parasites are shared with domestic dogs or cats. The zoonotic potential is the most important aspect of species reported in the golden jackal, some of them, such as Echinococcus spp., hookworms, Toxocara spp., or Trichinella spp., having a great public health impact. Our review brings overwhelming evidence on the importance of Canis aureus as a wild reservoir of human and animal parasites.

Endoscopic and radiological diagnostics of esophagus diseases in dogs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krstić Vanja

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In order to expand the range of diagnostic methods for determining diseases of the esophagus and to make them more present in everyday practise, it is desirable to work out in more detail the procedure of endoscopic and radiological examinations, determine their limitations and possibilities, describe the topographic-anatomical and morphological status of the esophagus in an endoscopic and radiological picture, as well as to define which diseases of this organ are most represented. The paper presents the results of six-month investigations of esophagus diseases in dogs of different breeds and ages. A total of 15 animals were examined: 2 golden retrievers, 2 rottweilers, 5 German shepherds, 3 giant schnauzers, 2 cross-breeds, and 1 dalmatian. Cases of chronic esophagitis were described, as well as the presence of a foreign body and megaesophagus, and the prescribed therapy for all these diseases.

Clinical and echocardiographic features of primary infundibular stenosis with intact ventricular septum in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Minors, Sandra L; O'Grady, Michael R; Williams, Regan M; O'Sullivan, M Lynne

2006-01-01

Primary infundibular stenosis is a rare congenital defect in which the right ventricle is divided into a proximal "high-pressure" chamber and a distal "low-pressure" chamber. The condition can be misdiagnosed as ventricular septal defect or valvular pulmonic stenosis and the disease severity underestimated. The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed clinical and echocardiographic description of this anomaly in a series of dogs. Several anatomic forms of infundibular stenosis exist. High resolution two-dimensional echocardiography could differentiate 3 gross anatomic substrates. Knowledge of the anatomy of the obstructing lesion could influence options for corrective interventions. Thirteen dogs examined at the Ontario Veterinary College teaching hospital from 1994 to 2005 with an ultrasound diagnosis of subpulmonic stenasis. A retrospective review was made of case records from 1994 to 2005. Thirteen dogs were identified as having primary infundibular stenosis, with apparent increased prevalence in Golden Retrievers (8/13, 62%) and Siberian Huskies (3/13, 23%). Three types of infundibular lesions were identified by ultrasound in 11/13 dogs: a fibrous diaphragm (6), fibromuscular (4), and muscular obstruction (1). Two dogs with a fibrous diaphragm underwent direct surgical dilation without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass or inflow occlusion, resulting in substantial reduction of the severity of stenosis. Accurate determination of the severity of the stenosis and the anatomy of the obstructing lesion are important in devising a treatment strategy. Recognition of the fibrous diaphragm by echocardiography identifies a subset of dogs potentially amenable to surgical dilation without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.

Gene expression profiling of histiocytic sarcomas in a canine model: the predisposed flatcoated retriever dog.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim M Boerkamp

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The determination of altered expression of genes in specific tumor types and their effect upon cellular processes may create insight in tumorigenesis and help to design better treatments. The Flatcoated retriever is a dog breed with an exceptionally high incidence of histiocytic sarcomas. The breed develops two distinct entities of histiocytic neoplasia, a soft tissue form and a visceral form. Gene expression studies of these tumors have value for comparable human diseases such as histiocytic/dendritic cell sarcoma for which knowledge is difficult to accrue due to their rare occurrence. In addition, such studies may help in the search for genetic aberrations underlying the genetic predisposition in this dog breed. METHODS: Microarray analysis and pathway analyses were performed on fresh-frozen tissues obtained from Flatcoated retrievers with localized, soft tissue histiocytic sarcomas (STHS and disseminated, visceral histiocytic sarcomas (VHS and on normal canine spleens from various breeds. Expression differences of nine genes were validated with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR analyses. RESULTS: QPCR analyses identified the significantly altered expression of nine genes; PPBP, SpiC, VCAM1, ENPEP, ITGAD (down-regulated, and GTSF1, Col3a1, CD90 and LUM (up-regulated in the comparison of both the soft tissue and the visceral form with healthy spleen. DAVID pathway analyses revealed 24 pathways that were significantly involved in the development of HS in general, most of which were involved in the DNA repair and replication process. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified altered expression of nine genes not yet implicated in histiocytic sarcoma manifestations in the dog nor in comparable human histiocytic/dendritic sarcomas. Exploration of the downside effect of canine inbreeding strategies for the study of similar sarcomas in humans might also lead to the identification of genes related to these rare malignancies in the human.

Gene expression profiling of histiocytic sarcomas in a canine model: the predisposed flatcoated retriever dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Boerkamp, Kim M; van der Kooij, Marieke; van Steenbeek, Frank G; van Wolferen, Monique E; Groot Koerkamp, Marian J A; van Leenen, Dik; Grinwis, Guy C M; Penning, Louis C; Wiemer, Erik A C; Rutteman, Gerard R

2013-01-01

The determination of altered expression of genes in specific tumor types and their effect upon cellular processes may create insight in tumorigenesis and help to design better treatments. The Flatcoated retriever is a dog breed with an exceptionally high incidence of histiocytic sarcomas. The breed develops two distinct entities of histiocytic neoplasia, a soft tissue form and a visceral form. Gene expression studies of these tumors have value for comparable human diseases such as histiocytic/dendritic cell sarcoma for which knowledge is difficult to accrue due to their rare occurrence. In addition, such studies may help in the search for genetic aberrations underlying the genetic predisposition in this dog breed. Microarray analysis and pathway analyses were performed on fresh-frozen tissues obtained from Flatcoated retrievers with localized, soft tissue histiocytic sarcomas (STHS) and disseminated, visceral histiocytic sarcomas (VHS) and on normal canine spleens from various breeds. Expression differences of nine genes were validated with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analyses. QPCR analyses identified the significantly altered expression of nine genes; PPBP, SpiC, VCAM1, ENPEP, ITGAD (down-regulated), and GTSF1, Col3a1, CD90 and LUM (up-regulated) in the comparison of both the soft tissue and the visceral form with healthy spleen. DAVID pathway analyses revealed 24 pathways that were significantly involved in the development of HS in general, most of which were involved in the DNA repair and replication process. This study identified altered expression of nine genes not yet implicated in histiocytic sarcoma manifestations in the dog nor in comparable human histiocytic/dendritic sarcomas. Exploration of the downside effect of canine inbreeding strategies for the study of similar sarcomas in humans might also lead to the identification of genes related to these rare malignancies in the human.

Functional interrelations between the lumbosacral, sacroiliac and coxofemoral complex in dogs as denoted by degenerative joint diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuenzel, W.; Breit, S.; Knaus, I.

2002-01-01

Functional interrelations between coxofemoral joint, sacroiliac joint and the lumbosacral junction were investigated in Rottweilers, Golden Retriever and German Shepherd dogs. The study was based on sample of 120 ventrodorsal radiographs of the pelvis, which was assessed for evidence of hip dysplasia, alterations of the synovial and extrasynovial components of the sacroiliac joints, and osteophyte formation at the lumbosacral junction. Alteration of the extrasynovial component of the sacroiliac joint was the disease most commonly observed. Such degenerative alterations of the sacroiliac joint were noted to be associated with osteophyte formation at the lumbosacral junction. Both diseases were associated with age and German Shepherd dogs were most frequently affected. Results obtained by the additional evaluation of the coxofemoral joints suggest two mechanisms inducing degenerative alterations at the joint complex investigated. Based on changes in collagen composition, congenitally determined insufficiency of the supporting connective tissue may be responsible for the coincidence of alterations of all joint components of the lumbosacral - sacroilia - coxofemoral complex as noted in one group of dogs. In contrast, pre-dominant affection of the sacroiliac amphiarthosis and the lumbosacral intervertebral disc space is supposed to result from cumulative overloading. (author)

Sarcocystis neurona schizonts-associated encephalitis, chorioretinitis, and myositis in a two-month-old dog simulating toxoplasmosis, and presence of mature sarcocysts in muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubey, J P; Black, S S; Verma, S K; Calero-Bernal, R; Morris, E; Hanson, M A; Cooley, A J

2014-05-28

Sarcocystis neurona is an unusual species of the genus Sarcocystis. Opossums (Didelphis virginianus, D. albiventris) are the definitive hosts and several other species, including dogs, cats, marine mammals, and horses are intermediate or aberrant hosts. Sarcocysts are not known to form in aberrant hosts. Sarcocystis neurona causes fatal disease in horses (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis, EPM). There are numerous reports of fatal EPM-like infections in other species, usually with central nervous system signs and associated with the schizont stage of S. neurona. Here, we report fatal disseminated S. neurona infection in a nine-week-old golden retriever dog from Mississippi, USA. Protozoal merozoites were identified in smears of the cerebrospinal fluid. Microscopically, lesions and protozoa were identified in eyes, tongue, heart, liver, intestines, nasal turbinates, skeletal muscle and brain, which reacted intensely with S. neurona polyclonal antibodies. Mature sarcocysts were seen in sections of muscles. These sarcocysts were ultrastructurally similar to those of S. neurona from experimentally infected animals. These data suggest that the dog is another intermediate host for S. neurona. Data suggest that the dog was transplacentally infected. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential Gene Expression Profiling of Dystrophic Dog Muscle after MuStem Cell Transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Robriquet, Florence; Lardenois, Aurélie; Babarit, Candice; Larcher, Thibaut; Dubreil, Laurence; Leroux, Isabelle; Zuber, Céline; Ledevin, Mireille; Deschamps, Jack-Yves; Fromes, Yves; Cherel, Yan; Guevel, Laetitia; Rouger, Karl

2015-01-01

Several adult stem cell populations exhibit myogenic regenerative potential, thus representing attractive candidates for therapeutic approaches of neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). We have recently shown that systemic delivery of MuStem cells, skeletal muscle-resident stem cells isolated in healthy dog, generates the remodelling of muscle tissue and gives rise to striking clinical benefits in Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) dog. This global effect, which is observed in the clinically relevant DMD animal model, leads us to question here the molecular pathways that are impacted by MuStem cell transplantation. To address this issue, we compare the global gene expression profile between healthy, GRMD and MuStem cell treated GRMD dog muscle, four months after allogenic MuStem cell transplantation. In the dystrophic context of the GRMD dog, disease-related deregulation is observed in the case of 282 genes related to various processes such as inflammatory response, regeneration, calcium ion binding, extracellular matrix organization, metabolism and apoptosis regulation. Importantly, we reveal the impact of MuStem cell transplantation on several molecular and cellular pathways based on a selection of 31 genes displaying signals specifically modulated by the treatment. Concomitant with a diffuse dystrophin expression, a histological remodelling and a stabilization of GRMD dog clinical status, we show that cell delivery is associated with an up-regulation of genes reflecting a sustained enhancement of muscle regeneration. We also identify a decreased mRNA expression of a set of genes having metabolic functions associated with lipid homeostasis and energy. Interestingly, ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation is highly enhanced in GRMD dog muscle after systemic delivery of MuStem cells. Overall, our results provide the first high-throughput characterization of GRMD dog muscle and throw new light on the complex molecular

Differential Gene Expression Profiling of Dystrophic Dog Muscle after MuStem Cell Transplantation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florence Robriquet

Full Text Available Several adult stem cell populations exhibit myogenic regenerative potential, thus representing attractive candidates for therapeutic approaches of neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD. We have recently shown that systemic delivery of MuStem cells, skeletal muscle-resident stem cells isolated in healthy dog, generates the remodelling of muscle tissue and gives rise to striking clinical benefits in Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD dog. This global effect, which is observed in the clinically relevant DMD animal model, leads us to question here the molecular pathways that are impacted by MuStem cell transplantation. To address this issue, we compare the global gene expression profile between healthy, GRMD and MuStem cell treated GRMD dog muscle, four months after allogenic MuStem cell transplantation.In the dystrophic context of the GRMD dog, disease-related deregulation is observed in the case of 282 genes related to various processes such as inflammatory response, regeneration, calcium ion binding, extracellular matrix organization, metabolism and apoptosis regulation. Importantly, we reveal the impact of MuStem cell transplantation on several molecular and cellular pathways based on a selection of 31 genes displaying signals specifically modulated by the treatment. Concomitant with a diffuse dystrophin expression, a histological remodelling and a stabilization of GRMD dog clinical status, we show that cell delivery is associated with an up-regulation of genes reflecting a sustained enhancement of muscle regeneration. We also identify a decreased mRNA expression of a set of genes having metabolic functions associated with lipid homeostasis and energy. Interestingly, ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation is highly enhanced in GRMD dog muscle after systemic delivery of MuStem cells.Overall, our results provide the first high-throughput characterization of GRMD dog muscle and throw new light on the complex

Morphological and ultrastructural evaluation of the golden retriever muscular dystrophy trachea, lungs, and diaphragm muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Lessa, Thais Borges; de Abreu, Dilayla Kelly; Rodrigues, Márcio Nogueira; Brólio, Marina Pandolphi; Miglino, Maria Angélica; Ambrósio, Carlos Eduardo

2014-11-01

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease, characterized by atrophy and muscle weakness. The respiratory failure is a common cause of early death in patients with DMD. Golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) is a canine model which has been extensively used for many advances in therapeutics applications. As the patients with DMD, the GRMD frequently died from cardiac and respiratory failure. Observing the respiratory failure in DMD is one of the major causes of mortality we aimed to describe the morphological and ultrastructural data of trachea, lungs (conductive and respiratory portion of the system), and diaphragm muscle using histological and ultrastructural analysis. The diaphragm muscle showed discontinuous fibers architecture, with different diameter; a robust perimysium inflammatory infiltrate and some muscle cells displayed central nuclei. GRMD trachea and lungs presented collagen fibers and in addition, the GRMD lungs showed higher of levels collagen fibers that could limit the alveolar ducts and alveoli distension. Therefore, the most features observed were the collagen areas and fibrosis. We suggested in this study that the collagen remodeling in the trachea, lungs, and diaphragm muscle may increase fibrosis and affect the trachea, lungs, and diaphragm muscle function that can be a major cause of respiratory failure that occur in patients with DMD. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Altered myofilament structure and function in dogs with Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ait Mou, Younss; Lacampagne, Alain; Irving, Thomas; Scheuermann, Valérie; Blot, Stéphane; Ghaleh, Bijan; de Tombe, Pieter P.; Cazorla, Olivier

2018-01-01

Aim Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is associated with progressive depressed left ventricular (LV) function. However, DMD effects on myofilament structure and function are poorly understood. Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) is a dog model of DMD recapitulating the human form of DMD. Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate myofilament structure and function alterations in GRMD model with spontaneous cardiac failure. Methods and results We have employed synchrotron X-rays diffraction to evaluate myofilament lattice spacing at various sarcomere lengths (SL) on permeabilized LV myocardium. We found a negative correlation between SL and lattice spacing in both sub-epicardium (EPI) and sub-endocardium (ENDO) LV layers in control dog hearts. In the ENDO of GRMD hearts this correlation is steeper due to higher lattice spacing at short SL (1.9 μm). Furthermore, cross-bridge cycling indexed by the kinetics of tension redevelopment (ktr) was faster in ENDO GRMD myofilaments at short SL. We measured post-translational modifications of key regulatory contractile proteins. S-glutathionylation of cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C (cMyBP-C) was unchanged and PKA dependent phosphorylation of the cMyBP-C was significantly reduced in GRMD ENDO tissue and more modestly in EPI tissue. Conclusions We found a gradient of contractility in control dogs' myocardium that spreads across the LV wall, negatively correlated with myofilament lattice spacing. Chronic stress induced by dystrophin deficiency leads to heart failure that is tightly associated with regional structural changes indexed by increased myofilament lattice spacing, reduced phosphorylation of regulatory proteins and altered myofilament contractile properties in GRMD dogs.

Differential Gene Expression Profiling of Dystrophic Dog Muscle after MuStem Cell Transplantation

Science.gov (United States)

Babarit, Candice; Larcher, Thibaut; Dubreil, Laurence; Leroux, Isabelle; Zuber, Céline; Ledevin, Mireille; Deschamps, Jack-Yves; Fromes, Yves; Cherel, Yan; Guevel, Laetitia; Rouger, Karl

2015-01-01

Background Several adult stem cell populations exhibit myogenic regenerative potential, thus representing attractive candidates for therapeutic approaches of neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). We have recently shown that systemic delivery of MuStem cells, skeletal muscle-resident stem cells isolated in healthy dog, generates the remodelling of muscle tissue and gives rise to striking clinical benefits in Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) dog. This global effect, which is observed in the clinically relevant DMD animal model, leads us to question here the molecular pathways that are impacted by MuStem cell transplantation. To address this issue, we compare the global gene expression profile between healthy, GRMD and MuStem cell treated GRMD dog muscle, four months after allogenic MuStem cell transplantation. Results In the dystrophic context of the GRMD dog, disease-related deregulation is observed in the case of 282 genes related to various processes such as inflammatory response, regeneration, calcium ion binding, extracellular matrix organization, metabolism and apoptosis regulation. Importantly, we reveal the impact of MuStem cell transplantation on several molecular and cellular pathways based on a selection of 31 genes displaying signals specifically modulated by the treatment. Concomitant with a diffuse dystrophin expression, a histological remodelling and a stabilization of GRMD dog clinical status, we show that cell delivery is associated with an up-regulation of genes reflecting a sustained enhancement of muscle regeneration. We also identify a decreased mRNA expression of a set of genes having metabolic functions associated with lipid homeostasis and energy. Interestingly, ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation is highly enhanced in GRMD dog muscle after systemic delivery of MuStem cells. Conclusions Overall, our results provide the first high-throughput characterization of GRMD dog muscle and throw new light on the

A single codon insertion in PICALM is associated with development of familial subvalvular aortic stenosis in Newfoundland dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Joshua A; White, Stephen N; Lehmkuhl, Linda B; Reina-Doreste, Yamir; Ferguson, Jordan L; Nascone-Yoder, Nanette M; Meurs, Kathryn M

2014-09-01

Familial subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS) is one of the most common congenital heart defects in dogs and is an inherited defect of Newfoundlands, golden retrievers and human children. Although SAS is known to be inherited, specific genes involved in Newfoundlands with SAS have not been defined. We hypothesized that SAS in Newfoundlands is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern and caused by a single genetic variant. We studied 93 prospectively recruited Newfoundland dogs, and 180 control dogs of 30 breeds. By providing cardiac screening evaluations for Newfoundlands we conducted a pedigree evaluation, genome-wide association study and RNA sequence analysis to identify a proposed pattern of inheritance and genetic loci associated with the development of SAS. We identified a three-nucleotide exonic insertion in phosphatidylinositol-binding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM) that is associated with the development of SAS in Newfoundlands. Pedigree evaluation best supported an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance and provided evidence that equivocally affected individuals may pass on SAS in their progeny. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the presence of PICALM in the canine myocardium and area of the subvalvular ridge. Additionally, small molecule inhibition of clathrin-mediated endocytosis resulted in developmental abnormalities within the outflow tract (OFT) of Xenopus laevis embryos. The ability to test for presence of this PICALM insertion may impact dog-breeding decisions and facilitate reduction of SAS disease prevalence in Newfoundland dogs. Understanding the role of PICALM in OFT development may aid in future molecular and genetic investigations into other congenital heart defects of various species.

Cerebral metabolism in dogs assessed by 18F-FDG PET. A pilot study to understand physiological changes in behavioral disorders in dogs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irimajiri, Mami; Jaeger, C.B.; Luescher, A.U.; Miller, M.A.; Hutchins, G.D.; Green, M.A.

2010-01-01

The positron emission tomography (PET) imaging technique, which is utilized in human behavior and psychiatric disorder research, was performed on the brains of clinically normal mixed breed dogs, 3 hound-type (long floppy ears) mixed breed dogs and 3 non-hound retriever-type mixed breed dogs. Glucose metabolism was obtained with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), and quantitative analysis was performed by standardized uptake value (SUV) measurement. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were obtained in each dog, and these images were superimposed on PET images to identify anatomical locations. The glucose metabolism in each region of interest was compared between the three hound-type dogs and 3 non-hound-type dogs. The two anatomically different types of dog were compared to assess whether breed-typical behavioral tendencies (e.g., sniffing behavior in hound-type dogs, staring and retrieving in Labrador-type dogs) are reflected in baseline brain metabolic activity. There were no significant differences between the hound-type dogs and non-hound-type dogs in cerebral SUV values. These data might serve as normal canine cerebral metabolism data for FDG PET studies in dogs and form the basis for investigations into behavioral disorders in dogs such as compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders and cognitive dysfunction. (author)

Effect of physical therapy on joint range of motion and muscle collagen deposition in the golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD model Efeito da fisioterapia na amplitude de movimento articular e deposição de colágeno muscular no modelo golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TP Gaiad

2009-06-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the effect of physical therapy on joint range of motion (ROM and muscle fibrosis in GRMD animals. METHODS: This was a nonrandomized blinded study with a control group, with six months of intervention evaluated beforehand and afterwards. Six dystrophic male Golden Retrievers of mean age 10.16±3.46 months and weight 17.75±6.01 kg were divided into a treated group (n=3 and an untreated group. These groups of dogs were named: G1=treated group before treatment; G2=treated group after treatment; G3=untreated group before treatment; and G4=untreated group after treatment. G1 underwent a physical therapy program that consisted of a 300-meter circuit with obstacles. Stifle, tarsal, elbow and carpal ROM were assessed using a goniometer before and after treatment. The area of collagen in the vastus lateralis muscle was measured using histomorphometry. The locations of collagen types I, III and IV were studied using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The tarsal ROM values in G2 presented an increasing trend. The area of muscle collagen differed between the groups after treatment and an increasing trend in these values was observed in G4. Collagen types I and III were the ones most frequently observed, forming broad bands in the perimysium of both G2 and G4. Type I collagen was observed in the endomysium more than type III collagen. Type IV collagen was observed only in the basal layer. CONCLUSION: Physical Therapy seemed to improve tarsal ROM in the treated group without increasing muscular fibrosis.OBJETIVO: Elucidar o efeito da fisioterapia na Amplitude de Movimento Articular (ADM e na fibrose muscular em animais GRMD. MÉTODOS: Estudo não randomizado, com grupo controle, cego, seis meses de intervenção, avaliação antes e depois da intervenção. Seis animais da raça Golden Retriever, distróficos, machos, média de idade 10,16±3,46 meses e peso de 17,75±6,01 kg foram separados em grupo tratado (n=3 e não tratado. Esses

Motor physical therapy affects muscle collagen type I and decreases gait speed in dystrophin-deficient dogs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thaís P Gaiad

Full Text Available Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD is a dystrophin-deficient canine model genetically homologous to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD in humans. Muscular fibrosis secondary to cycles of degeneration/regeneration of dystrophic muscle tissue and muscular weakness leads to biomechanical adaptation that impairs the quality of gait. Physical therapy (PT is one of the supportive therapies available for DMD, however, motor PT approaches have controversial recommendations and there is no consensus regarding the type and intensity of physical therapy. In this study we investigated the effect of physical therapy on gait biomechanics and muscular collagen deposition types I and III in dystrophin-deficient dogs. Two dystrophic dogs (treated dogs-TD underwent a PT protocol of active walking exercise, 3×/week, 40 minutes/day, 12 weeks. Two dystrophic control dogs (CD maintained their routine of activities of daily living. At t0 (pre and t1 (post-physical therapy, collagen type I and III were assessed by immunohistochemistry and gait biomechanics were analyzed. Angular displacement of shoulder, elbow, carpal, hip, stifle and tarsal joint and vertical (Fy, mediolateral (Fz and craniocaudal (Fx ground reaction forces (GRF were assessed. Wilcoxon test was used to verify the difference of biomechanical variables between t0 and t1, considering p<.05. Type I collagen of endomysium suffered the influence of PT, as well as gait speed that had decreased from t0 to t1 (p<.000. The PT protocol employed accelerates morphological alterations on dystrophic muscle and promotes a slower velocity of gait. Control dogs which maintained their routine of activities of daily living seem to have found a better balance between movement and preservation of motor function.

Motor Physical Therapy Affects Muscle Collagen Type I and Decreases Gait Speed in Dystrophin-Deficient Dogs

Science.gov (United States)

Gaiad, Thaís P.; Araujo, Karla P. C.; Serrão, Júlio C.; Miglino, Maria A.; Ambrósio, Carlos Eduardo

2014-01-01

Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) is a dystrophin-deficient canine model genetically homologous to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in humans. Muscular fibrosis secondary to cycles of degeneration/regeneration of dystrophic muscle tissue and muscular weakness leads to biomechanical adaptation that impairs the quality of gait. Physical therapy (PT) is one of the supportive therapies available for DMD, however, motor PT approaches have controversial recommendations and there is no consensus regarding the type and intensity of physical therapy. In this study we investigated the effect of physical therapy on gait biomechanics and muscular collagen deposition types I and III in dystrophin-deficient dogs. Two dystrophic dogs (treated dogs-TD) underwent a PT protocol of active walking exercise, 3×/week, 40 minutes/day, 12 weeks. Two dystrophic control dogs (CD) maintained their routine of activities of daily living. At t0 (pre) and t1 (post-physical therapy), collagen type I and III were assessed by immunohistochemistry and gait biomechanics were analyzed. Angular displacement of shoulder, elbow, carpal, hip, stifle and tarsal joint and vertical (Fy), mediolateral (Fz) and craniocaudal (Fx) ground reaction forces (GRF) were assessed. Wilcoxon test was used to verify the difference of biomechanical variables between t0 and t1, considering p<.05. Type I collagen of endomysium suffered the influence of PT, as well as gait speed that had decreased from t0 to t1 (p<.000). The PT protocol employed accelerates morphological alterations on dystrophic muscle and promotes a slower velocity of gait. Control dogs which maintained their routine of activities of daily living seem to have found a better balance between movement and preservation of motor function. PMID:24713872

Large Scale Visual Recognition

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

Miniature pinscher Figure 2.5: Visualization of the mammal hierarchy. 23 900 1000 1100 elephant okapi panda platypus Caltech101 Lossless JPG size in...limousine taxi Flat Ours Golden Retriever dog Chihuahua dog Husky domes c animal canine English Se er hyena canine polar bear carnivore...snow leopard feline o er living thing conch en y wheelbarrow carnivore orangutan mammal meerkat mammal carnivore polar bear lynx lion Flat

Comparison of the large muscle group widths of the pelvic limb in seven breeds of dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabanci, Seyyid Said; Ocal, Mehmet Kamil

2018-05-14

Orthopaedic diseases are common in the pelvic limbs of dogs, and reference values for large muscle groups of the pelvic limb may aid in diagnosis such diseases. As such, the objective of this study was to compare the large muscle groups of the pelvic limb in seven breeds of dogs. A total of 126 dogs from different breeds were included, and the widths of the quadriceps, hamstring and gastrocnemius muscles were measured from images of the lateral radiographies. The width of the quadriceps was not different between the breeds, but the widths of the hamstring and gastrocnemius muscles were significantly different between the breeds. The widest hamstring and gastrocnemius muscles were seen in the Rottweilers and the Boxers, respectively. The narrowest hamstring and gastrocnemius muscles were seen in the Belgian Malinois and the Golden retrievers, respectively. All ratios between the measured muscles differed significantly between the breeds. Doberman pinschers and Belgian Malinois had the highest ratio of gastrocnemius width:hamstring width. Doberman pinschers had also the highest ratio of quadriceps width:hamstring width. German shepherds had the highest ratio of gastrocnemius width:quadriceps width. The lowest ratios of quadriceps width:hamstring width were determined in the German shepherds. The ratios of the muscle widths may be used as reference values to assess muscular atrophy or hypertrophy in cases of bilateral or unilateral orthopaedic diseases of the pelvic limbs. Further studies are required to determine the widths and ratios of the large muscle groups of the pelvic limbs in other dog breeds. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Clinical and pathological features of hair coat abnormalities in curly coated retrievers from UK and Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, R; Varjonen, K; Hendricks, A; Chang, Y M; Brooks Brownlie, H

2016-12-01

To gain information on hair loss amongst curly coated retrievers by questionnaire and to define the clinical and pathological features of hair coat abnormalities in affected dogs in the United Kingdom and Sweden. Questionnaires were completed by members of the Curly Coated Retriever Clubs. Fourteen dogs (six in the United Kingdom, eight in Sweden) were clinically examined and skin/hair samples collected for microscopy and histopathology. Blood was collected for haematological, biochemical and endocrine assays. Of 90 dogs surveyed, 39 had current or previous episodes of symmetrical, non-pruritic alopecia and or frizzy coat changes, usually affecting caudal thighs, axillae, dorsum and neck before 18 months of age; 23 dogs had a waxing/waning course. Examined dogs generally matched the pattern described in questionnaires. Hair shaft anomalies comprised occasional distorted anagen bulbs (10 dogs) and transverse fractures (8 dogs). Vertical histopathological sections showed infundibular hyperkeratosis (28 of 30 sections) and low-grade pigment clumping (17 of 30). Subtle telogenisation of hair follicles was unequivocally confirmed by transverse histomorphometric analyses. The follicular dysplasia of curly coated retriever reported here is similar to that of Irish water spaniels and Chesapeake Bay retrievers but distinct from that of Portuguese water dogs. The genetic basis requires further assessment. © 2016 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

What's the point? Golden and Labrador retrievers living in kennels do not understand human pointing gestures.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Aniello, Biagio; Alterisio, Alessandra; Scandurra, Anna; Petremolo, Emanuele; Iommelli, Maria Rosaria; Aria, Massimo

2017-07-01

In many studies that have investigated whether dogs' capacities to understand human pointing gestures are aspects of evolutionary or developmental social competences, family-owned dogs have been compared to shelter dogs. However, for most of these studies, the origins of shelter dogs were unknown. Some shelter dogs may have lived with families before entering shelters, and from these past experiences, they may have learned to understand human gestures. Furthermore, there is substantial variation in the methodology and analytic approaches used in such studies (e.g. different pointing protocols, different treatment of trials with no-choice response and indoor vs. outdoor experimental arenas). Such differences in methodologies and analysis techniques used make it difficult to compare results obtained from different studies and may account for the divergent results obtained. We thus attempted to control for several parameters by carrying out a test on dynamic proximal and distal pointing. We studied eleven kennel dogs of known origin that were born and raised in a kennels with limited human interaction. This group was compared to a group of eleven dogs comparable in terms of breed, sex and age that had lived with human families since they were puppies. Our results demonstrate that pet dogs outperform kennel dogs in their comprehension of proximal and distal pointing, regardless of whether trials where no-choice was made were considered as errors or were excluded from statistical analysis, meaning that dogs living in kennels do not understand pointing gestures. Even if genetic effects of the domestication process on human-dog relationships cannot be considered as negligible, our data suggest that dogs need to learn human pointing gestures and thus underscore the importance of ontogenetic processes.

Cutting balloon and high-pressure balloon dilation for palliative treatment of congenital double-chambered right ventricle and primary infundibular stenosis in a Golden retriever dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Schober, Karsten E; Rhinehart, Jaylyn; Kohnken, Rebecca; Bonagura, John D

2017-12-01

Combined cutting balloon and high-pressure balloon dilation was performed in a dog with a double-chambered right ventricle and severe infundibular stenosis of the right ventricular outflow tract. The peak systolic pressure gradient across the stenosis decreased by 65% after dilation (from 187 mmHg before to 66 mmHg after) affirming the intervention as successful. However, early re-stenosis occurred within 3 months leading to exercise intolerance, exercise-induced syncope, and right-sided congestive heart failure. Cutting balloon followed by high-pressure balloon dilation provided temporary but not long-term relief of right ventricular obstruction in this dog. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trends in hip dysplasia control: analysis of radiographs submitted to the orthopedic foundation for animals, 1974 to 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corley, E.A.; Hogan, P.M.

1985-01-01

From 1974 through 1984, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals evaluated 143,218 radiographic submissions representing 151 breeds of dogs. All breeds from which there were 35 or more evaluations had some frequency of dysplasia. Seventy breeds, each with over 100 submissions, were tabulated and ranked according to frequency of hip dysplasia. Frequency of dysplasia varied from 0.6% in the Borzoi to 46.9% in the Saint Bernard. These data were compared with data obtained earlier (1966 to 1973) on evaluations in 38 breeds for changes in frequency. There was significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in frequency of dysplasia in 27 breeds, a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in frequency in only 1 breed (German Shorthaired Pointer), and no significant change in frequency in 10 breeds. The median significant decrease was 22.4%, and the range was from 3.1% in the Chesapeake Bay Retriever to 48.7% in the Keeshond. The reduction in frequency of hip dysplasia demonstrated the value of a control program. There were 5 breeds with a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in frequency of dysplasia that had over 5,000 evaluations from 1974 to 1984. The decreases in frequency were independent of changes in American Kennel Club registrations for these breeds (a dramatic decline in registrations for the German Shepherd Dog and Old English Sheepdog, and a dramatic increase for the Rottweiler, Golden Retriever, and Labrador Retriever). Frequency regressed linearly in the German Shepherd Dog and Old English Sheepdog, but regressed nonlinearly in the other 3 breeds. The percentage reduction in frequency from the base frequency (1966 to 1973) for these breeds was 17.5% for the German Shepherd Dog, 23.1% for the Old English Sheepdog, 9.1% for the Rottweiler, 10.1% for the Golden Retriever, and 6.8% for the Labrador Retriever

A retrospective study on findings of canine hip dysplasia screening in Kenya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Kimeli

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Aim: The current study was undertaken to evaluate the findings of canine hip dysplasia screening in Kenya. Materials and Methods: Records for 591 dogs were included in this study. The data was obtained from the national screening office, Kenya Veterinary Board, for the period between the years 1998 and 2014. Monthly screening records were assessed and information relating to year of evaluation, breed, sex, age, and hip score captured. Descriptive statistics of hip scores was computed based on year, sex, age, and breed. Results: A total of 591 records from the year 1998 to 2014 were retrieved at the National Screening Centre, the Kenya Veterinary Board. Each record was examined and data pertaining to year of screening, the breed, sex, age of the dogs, and the total hip score were recorded. The highest number of dogs screened for hip dysplasia (HD was in the year 2009 and the lowest in the year 1998. More females than males were screened for HD and the mean age of all the dogs was 22.9±12.7 months. The most common breeds of dogs screened during the study period were German Shepherd (67.0%, Rottweiler (15.6%, and Labrador Retriever (12.2%. The mean hip score for the 591 dogs was 15.1±10.9 and the median 12.0. The mean hip scores per breed were; German Shepherd (16.3±12.1; Golden Retriever (16.0; Hungarian Vizla (15.0; Labrador Retriever (3.0±6.7; Great Dane (13.3±3.2; Rottweiler (12.2±8.2; Doberman (10.3±4.2; Rhodesian Ridgeback (9.6±3.8; and Boxer (9.3±0.6. Based on the hip score, moderate to severe HD was diagnosed in 16.6% of the dogs, mild HD in 32.7%, Borderline HD in 37.7%, fair HD in 6.9%, and good HD in 6.1%. Conclusion: Canine HD is a common occurrence in Kenya with most dogs suffering mild to border line HD. In addition, German Shepherd and Golden Retriever appear to be the most affected breeds. It is therefore recommended that stringent measures be imposed to dog breeding programs to avoid transmission of this undesirable trait

First molecular evidence of Hepatozoon canis infection in red foxes and golden jackals from Hungary.

Science.gov (United States)

Farkas, Róbert; Solymosi, Norbert; Takács, Nóra; Hornyák, Ákos; Hornok, Sándor; Nachum-Biala, Yaarit; Baneth, Gad

2014-07-02

Recently, Hepatozoon canis infection has been detected among shepherd, hunting and stray dogs in the southern part of Hungary, which is considered to be free of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato and close to the border with Croatia. The aim of this study was to acquire information on the possibility that red foxes and/or golden jackals could play a role in the appearance and spread of H. canis in Hungary. A conventional PCR was used to amplify a 666 bp long fragment of the Hepatozoon 18S rRNA gene from blood samples collected from 334 foxes shot in 231 locations in 16 counties and 15 golden jackals shot in 9 locations in two southwestern counties close to Croatia. A second PCR assay was performed in some of the samples positive by the first PCR to amplify a larger segment (approximately 1500 bp) of the 18S rRNA gene of Hepatozoon spp. for further phylogenetic analysis. Hepatozoon infection was detected in canids shot in 30 locations and 9 counties. Altogether 26 foxes (8.0%, 95% CI: 5-11%) and 9 jackals (60%, 95% CI: 33-81%) were PCR positive. Hepatozoon canis sequences were obtained from 12 foxes and 7 jackals. DNA sequences from 16 animals were 99-100% similar to H. canis from Croatian foxes or dogs while two of the sequences were 99% similar to an Italian fox. Half (13/26) of the infected red foxes and all golden jackals were shot in the two southwestern counties. This is the first report on molecular evidence of H. canis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and golden jackals (Canis aureus) from Hungary, which is considered free from the tick vector of H. canis, R. sanguineus. Although no R. sanguineus sensu lato had been found on infected or non-infected wild canids, the detection of authochnous canine hepatozoonosis in Hungary might imply that the range of R. sanguineus sensu lato has reached this country.

Large granular lymphocytic leukaemia complicated with histiocytic sarcoma in a dog : clinical communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Maruo

2009-05-01

Full Text Available A 10-year-old castrated male Golden retriever, weighing 36.3 kg was referred for evaluation owing to a decline in general condition. Findings from the complete blood count revealed a marked lymphocytosis (113 000/µℓ. Examination of Wright-Giemsa-stained films of peripheral blood revealed the presence of large granular lymphocytes (LGL. Seventy-two per cent (81 360/µℓ of the lymphocytes were found to be 12-17 µm in diameter, containing nuclei with mature clumped chromatin and abundant lightly basophilic cytoplasm with a variable number of fine azurophilic granules. Based on these findings this case was diagnosed as LGL leukaemia. As a result of multiple-agent chemotherapy, the markedly elevated levels of lymphocytes gradually decreased to 7500/µℓ on day 122 and the patient maintained a good quality of life for the following 3 months. However, on around day 237, a soft, raised, bosselated mass on the labial region was noted. The dog was diagnosed as having histiocytic sarcoma based on cytological and histological examination of the mass. Shortly after diagnosis, the dog developed sudden onset of central nervous system signs and died on day 270. A common outcome of canine LGL is the development of acute blast crisis or lymphoma. However, this case was notable for complication with histiocytic sarcoma from another origin.

Golden Ratio

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Keywords. Fibonacci numbers, golden ratio, Sanskrit prosody, solar panel. Abstract. Our attraction to another body increases if the body is symmetricaland in proportion. If a face or a structure is in proportion,we are more likely to notice it and find it beautiful.The universal ratio of beauty is the 'Golden Ratio', found inmany ...

Expert Oracle GoldenGate

CERN Document Server

Prusinski, Ben; Chung, Richard

2011-01-01

Expert Oracle GoldenGate is a hands-on guide to creating and managing complex data replication environments using the latest in database replication technology from Oracle. GoldenGate is the future in replication technology from Oracle, and aims to be best-of-breed. GoldenGate supports homogeneous replication between Oracle databases. It supports heterogeneous replication involving other brands such as Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2 Universal Server. GoldenGate is high-speed, bidirectional, highly-parallelized, and makes only a light impact on the performance of databases involved in replica

Dystrophin-deficient dogs with reduced myostatin have unequal muscle growth and greater joint contractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Kornegay, Joe N; Bogan, Daniel J; Bogan, Janet R; Dow, Jennifer L; Wang, Jiahui; Fan, Zheng; Liu, Naili; Warsing, Leigh C; Grange, Robert W; Ahn, Mihye; Balog-Alvarez, Cynthia J; Cotten, Steven W; Willis, Monte S; Brinkmeyer-Langford, Candice; Zhu, Hongtu; Palandra, Joe; Morris, Carl A; Styner, Martin A; Wagner, Kathryn R

2016-01-01

Myostatin (Mstn) is a negative regulator of muscle growth whose inhibition promotes muscle growth and regeneration. Dystrophin-deficient mdx mice in which myostatin is knocked out or inhibited postnatally have a less severe phenotype with greater total mass and strength and less fibrosis and fatty replacement of muscles than mdx mice with wild-type myostatin expression. Dogs with golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) have previously been noted to have increased muscle mass and reduced fibrosis after systemic postnatal myostatin inhibition. Based partly on these results, myostatin inhibitors are in development for use in human muscular dystrophies. However, persisting concerns regarding the effects of long-term and profound myostatin inhibition will not be easily or imminently answered in clinical trials. To address these concerns, we developed a canine (GRippet) model by crossbreeding dystrophin-deficient GRMD dogs with Mstn-heterozygous (Mstn (+/-)) whippets. A total of four GRippets (dystrophic and Mstn (+/-)), three GRMD (dystrophic and Mstn wild-type) dogs, and three non-dystrophic controls from two litters were evaluated. Myostatin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein levels were downregulated in both GRMD and GRippet dogs. GRippets had more severe postural changes and larger (more restricted) maximal joint flexion angles, apparently due to further exaggeration of disproportionate effects on muscle size. Flexors such as the cranial sartorius were more hypertrophied on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the GRippets, while extensors, including the quadriceps femoris, underwent greater atrophy. Myostatin protein levels negatively correlated with relative cranial sartorius muscle cross-sectional area on MRI, supporting a role in disproportionate muscle size. Activin receptor type IIB (ActRIIB) expression was higher in dystrophic versus control dogs, consistent with physiologic feedback between myostatin and ActRIIB. However, there was no

The effect of training and breed group on problem-solving behaviours in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall-Pescini, Sarah; Frazzi, Chiara; Valsecchi, Paola

2016-05-01

Dogs have become the focus of cognitive studies looking at both their physical and social problem-solving abilities (Bensky et al. in Adv Stud Behav, 45:209-387, 2013), but very little is known about the environmental and inherited factors that may affect these abilities. In the current study, we presented a manipulation task (a puzzle box) and a spatial task (the detour) to 128 dogs belonging to four different breed groups: Herding, Mastiff-like, Working and Retrievers (von Holdt et al. in Nature 464:898-902, 2010). Within each group, we tested highly trained and non-trained dogs. Results showed that trained dogs were faster at obtaining the reward in the detour task. In the manipulation task, trained dogs approached the apparatus sooner in the first familiarization trial, but no effect of breed emerged on this variable. Furthermore, regardless of breed, dogs in the trained group spent proportionally more time interacting with the apparatus and were more likely to succeed in the test trial than dogs in the non-trained group, whereas regardless of training, dogs in the working breed group were more likely to succeed than dogs in the retriever and herding breed groups (but not the mastiff-like group). Finally, trained dogs were less likely to look at a person than non-trained dogs during testing, but dogs in the herding group more likely to do so than dogs in the retriever and working but not the mastiff-like breed groups. Overall, results reveal a strong influence of training experience but less consistent differences between breed groups on different components thought to affect problem solving.

The Canine POMC Gene, Obesity in Labrador Retrievers and Susceptibility to Diabetes Mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Davison, L J; Holder, A; Catchpole, B; O'Callaghan, C A

2017-03-01

Diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs is a common endocrinopathy with a complex genetic architecture. Disease susceptibility in several breeds is associated with polymorphisms in immune response genes, but in the Labrador retriever breed, no genetic associations with DM have been identified. A deletion in the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene in Labrador retrievers is associated with increased appetite and risk of obesity. To characterize the POMC deletion in Labrador retrievers, to develop a simple genetic test for this mutation, and to test the hypothesis that the POMC gene deletion is associated with an increased risk of DM in this breed. Sixty-one non-diabetic Labrador retrievers aged >6 years and 57 Labrador retrievers with DM. Case-control genotyping study to compare the frequency of the POMC deletion in dogs with and without DM. After polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing to characterize the mutation, a PCR-based test was developed and validated using 2 different restriction fragment length polymorphism assays. A 14-base-pair deletion was confirmed and localized to exon 3 of the canine POMC gene. A PCR-based test for the deletion was successfully developed. There was no association between the presence of the POMC deletion mutation and DM in this population of Labrador retriever dogs (P = .31). This study adds to the existing scientific literature indicating that there is little evidence for a direct link between obesity and DM in dogs. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Golden quantum oscillator and Binet–Fibonacci calculus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pashaev, Oktay K; Nalci, Sengul

2012-01-01

The Binet formula for Fibonacci numbers is treated as a q-number and a q-operator with Golden ratio bases q = φ and Q = −1/φ, and the corresponding Fibonacci or Golden calculus is developed. A quantum harmonic oscillator for this Golden calculus is derived so that its spectrum is given only by Fibonacci numbers. The ratio of successive energy levels is found to be the Golden sequence, and for asymptotic states in the limit n → ∞ it appears as the Golden ratio. We call this oscillator the Golden oscillator. Using double Golden bosons, the Golden angular momentum and its representation in terms of Fibonacci numbers and the Golden ratio are derived. Relations of Fibonacci calculus with a q-deformed fermion oscillator and entangled N-qubit states are indicated. (paper)

Golden quantum oscillator and Binet-Fibonacci calculus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pashaev, Oktay K; Nalci, Sengul, E-mail: oktaypashaev@iyte.edu.tr [Department of Mathematics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Urla-Izmir 35430 (Turkey)

2012-01-13

The Binet formula for Fibonacci numbers is treated as a q-number and a q-operator with Golden ratio bases q = {phi} and Q = -1/{phi}, and the corresponding Fibonacci or Golden calculus is developed. A quantum harmonic oscillator for this Golden calculus is derived so that its spectrum is given only by Fibonacci numbers. The ratio of successive energy levels is found to be the Golden sequence, and for asymptotic states in the limit n {yields} {infinity} it appears as the Golden ratio. We call this oscillator the Golden oscillator. Using double Golden bosons, the Golden angular momentum and its representation in terms of Fibonacci numbers and the Golden ratio are derived. Relations of Fibonacci calculus with a q-deformed fermion oscillator and entangled N-qubit states are indicated. (paper)

Age-associated and breed-associated variations in haematological and biochemical variables in young labrador retriever and miniature schnauzer dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenten, Thomas; Morris, Penelope J; Salt, Carina; Raila, Jens; Kohn, Barbara; Schweigert, Florian J; Zentek, Jürgen

2016-01-01

Breed, sex and age effects on haematological and biochemical variables were investigated in 24 labrador retriever and 25 miniature schnauzer dogs during the first year of life. Blood samples were taken regularly between weeks 8 and 52. White blood cell and red blood cell counts, haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, platelet count as well as total protein, albumin, calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, creatine and urea were evaluated. For all haematological and biochemical parameters, there were significant effects of age on test results. Statistically significant effects for breed and the breed×age interaction on test results were observed for most of the parameters with the exception of haemoglobin. Variations in test results illustrate growth related alterations in body tissue and metabolism leading to dynamic and marked changes in haematological and biochemical parameters, which have to be considered for the interpretation of clinical data obtained from dogs in the first year of life.

The Golden Section.

Science.gov (United States)

Runion, Garth E.

The Golden Section, also known as the "Golden Mean" and the "Divine Proportion," is a ratio found in art and nature that has mathematical properties. This book explores these geometric and algebraic properties in a variety of activities. Construction problems, designs using the pentagon and pentagram, and opportunities to work…

Genome sequencing highlights the dynamic early history of dogs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam H Freedman

2014-01-01

Full Text Available To identify genetic changes underlying dog domestication and reconstruct their early evolutionary history, we generated high-quality genome sequences from three gray wolves, one from each of the three putative centers of dog domestication, two basal dog lineages (Basenji and Dingo and a golden jackal as an outgroup. Analysis of these sequences supports a demographic model in which dogs and wolves diverged through a dynamic process involving population bottlenecks in both lineages and post-divergence gene flow. In dogs, the domestication bottleneck involved at least a 16-fold reduction in population size, a much more severe bottleneck than estimated previously. A sharp bottleneck in wolves occurred soon after their divergence from dogs, implying that the pool of diversity from which dogs arose was substantially larger than represented by modern wolf populations. We narrow the plausible range for the date of initial dog domestication to an interval spanning 11-16 thousand years ago, predating the rise of agriculture. In light of this finding, we expand upon previous work regarding the increase in copy number of the amylase gene (AMY2B in dogs, which is believed to have aided digestion of starch in agricultural refuse. We find standing variation for amylase copy number variation in wolves and little or no copy number increase in the Dingo and Husky lineages. In conjunction with the estimated timing of dog origins, these results provide additional support to archaeological finds, suggesting the earliest dogs arose alongside hunter-gathers rather than agriculturists. Regarding the geographic origin of dogs, we find that, surprisingly, none of the extant wolf lineages from putative domestication centers is more closely related to dogs, and, instead, the sampled wolves form a sister monophyletic clade. This result, in combination with dog-wolf admixture during the process of domestication, suggests that a re-evaluation of past hypotheses regarding dog

Phenotyping of lumbosacral stenosis in Labrador retrievers using computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Meenakshi; Jones, Jeryl C; Holásková, Ida; Raylman, Raymond; Meade, Jean

2017-09-01

Deep phenotyping tools for characterizing preclinical morphological conditions are important for supporting genetic research studies. Objectives of this retrospective, cross-sectional, methods comparison study were to describe and compare qualitative and quantitative deep phenotypic characteristics of lumbosacral stenosis in Labrador retrievers using computed tomography (CT). Lumbosacral CT scans and medical records were retrieved from data archives at three veterinary hospitals. Using previously published qualitative CT diagnostic criteria, a board-certified veterinary radiologist assigned dogs as either lumbosacral stenosis positive or lumbosacral stenosis negative at six vertebral locations. A second observer independently measured vertebral canal area, vertebral fat area, and vertebral body area; and calculated ratios of vertebral canal area/vertebral body area and vertebral fat area/vertebral body area (fat area ratio) at all six locations. Twenty-five dogs were sampled (lumbosacral stenosis negative, 11 dogs; lumbosacral stenosis positive, 14 dogs). Of the six locations, cranial L6 was the most affected by lumbosacral stenosis (33%). Five of six dogs (83%) with clinical signs of lumbosacral pain were lumbosacral stenosis positive at two or more levels. All four quantitative variables were significantly smaller at the cranial aspects of the L6 and L7 vertebral foramina than at the caudal aspects (P stenosis positive status at all six locations with cranial L6 having the greatest predictive value (R 2 = 0.43) and range of predictive probability (25-90%). Findings from the current study supported the use of CT as a deep phenotyping tool for future research studies of lumbosacral stenosis in Labrador retrievers. © 2017 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Dietary Management of Hyperthyroidism in a Dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Looney, Andrea; Wakshlag, Joseph

An 8 yr old female spayed golden retriever presented for a routine exam during which ventral cervical soft tissue masses were identified. History included weight loss, increased activity and appetite, gagging, and occasional diarrhea. Exam findings included a body condition score of 4/9 and palpable ventral cervical nodules. A serum thyroxine (T4) value was 8.0 ug/dL (normal = 0.8-3.5ug/dL). Doppler systolic blood pressure readings ranged from 200-210 mmHg (normal systolic blood pressure hyperthyroidism due to active thyroid masses. Due to financial constraints, the owner elected conservative management. Initial treatment with methimazole resulted in a decreased T4 value of 5.0 ug/dL at approximately 4 mo after initiation of treatment. A commercially available iodine-restricted feline diet was fed and this resulted in further reduction in serum T4 levels, improved sleeping cycles, reduced anxiety, and reduced systolic blood pressure. A temporary suspension of iodine-restricted feline diet for 2 mo resulted in increases in serum T4 concentrations, which, subsequently, decreased with re-introduction of the diet. Roughly 10 mo after initiation of the therapeutic diet and 16 mo after intial diagnosis, the dog remains relatively normal clinically despite active growing cervical masses with T4 concentration of 2.3 ug/dL.

Histopathologic Evolution of Cardiomyopathy in a Canine Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lygia M.M. Malvestio

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD is a recessive X-linked disorder characterized for mutation in dystrophin gene and manifested by progressive degeneration and necrosis of skeletal and cardiac muscle with replacement leading to generalized muscular weakness and atrophy. The dog Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD is the best experimental model for DMD, with genotypic and phenotypic manifestations closely of human disease. Similar to patients with DMD, heart failure is a major cause of death in GRMD animals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pathological progression of myocardial lesions from GRMD dogs in different ages in order to clarify the pathogenesis of Duchenne´s cardiomyopathy. Fragments of left and right ventricle and interventricular septum, from 18 GRMD dogs between 6 to 51 months were collected, fixed, dehydrated, clarified, and finally embedded in paraffin. Five micrometer thick serial sections were obtained and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE, Picrosirius red, and Von Kossa. Histological analyses were performed at the light microscopy. Myocardial lesions were observed in all GRMD dogs and the sequence of cardiac lesion classified according to according to the age included: abnormal calcium accumulation, myofibrillar necrosis, proliferation of granulation tissue, endomysial and perimysial fibrosis, and finally myocardial fatty infiltration. Interestingly, several Anitschkow cells, the hallmark of rheumatic carditis, were detected in inflammatory infiltrate present at granulation tissue. Our results demonstrate the sequence of cardiac lesions that determine the cardiomyopathy in Golden Retriever dogs affected by DMD and exhibit, for the first time, the Anitschkow cells in the histological findings of this cardiomyopathy. These results are relevant for to clarify the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy in dogs and humans affected by DMD.

Differential genetic regulation of canine hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhengkui Zhou

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Canine hip dysplasia (HD is a common polygenic trait characterized by hip malformation that results in osteoarthritis (OA. The condition in dogs is very similar to developmental dysplasia of the human hip which also leads to OA.A total of 721 dogs, including both an association and linkage population, were genotyped. The association population included 8 pure breeds (Labrador retriever, Greyhounds, German Shepherd, Newfoundland, Golden retriever, Rottweiler, Border Collie and Bernese Mountain Dog. The linkage population included Labrador retrievers, Greyhounds, and their crosses. Of these, 366 dogs were genotyped at ∼22,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP loci and a targeted screen across 8 chromosomes with ∼3,300 SNPs was performed on 551 dogs (196 dogs were common to both sets. A mixed linear model approach was used to perform an association study on this combined association and linkage population. The study identified 4 susceptibility SNPs associated with HD and 2 SNPs associated with hip OA.The identified SNPs included those near known genes (PTPRD, PARD3B, and COL15A1 reported to be associated with, or expressed in, OA in humans. This suggested that the canine model could provide a unique opportunity to identify genes underlying natural HD and hip OA, which are common and debilitating conditions in both dogs and humans.

Role of golden jackals (Canis aureus) as natural reservoirs of Dirofilaria spp. in Romania.

Science.gov (United States)

Ionică, Angela Monica; Matei, Ioana Adriana; D'Amico, Gianluca; Daskalaki, Aikaterini Alexandra; Juránková, Jana; Ionescu, Dan Traian; Mihalca, Andrei Daniel; Modrý, David; Gherman, Călin Mircea

2016-04-28

Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are mosquito-transmitted zoonotic nematodes, causing heartworm disease and skin lesions, respectively, in carnivores. In Europe, the domestic dog is apparently the main definitive host, but patent infections occur also in other species of carnivores. The rapid spread of the golden jackals (Canis aureus) throughout Europe opens a question of involvement of this species in the sylvatic cycle of pathogens in the colonised territories, including Dirofilaria spp. Between January 2014 and May 2015, 54 golden jackals from 18 localities in Romania were examined by full necropsy for the presence of adult filarioid nematodes and blood samples from all animals were screened for the presence of microfilariae of D. immitis, D. repens and Acanthocheilonema reconditum by multiplex PCR DNA amplification. Nematodes morphologically identified as D. immitis were found in 18.52% of the animals, originating from the southern part of Romania. No D. repens or A. reconditum were found at necropsy. The molecular prevalence in blood samples from the same animals was 9.26% for D. immitis and 1.85% for D. repens. All samples were negative by PCR for A. reconditum. The relatively high prevalence of Dirofilaria spp. infections in golden jackals from Romania together with the increasing density of the jackal populations highlight their potential role in the transmission of these zoonotic parasites and in the maintenance of natural disease foci.

The Golden Section as Optical Limitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Mark A; Kelly, Joy; Friedel, Jonas; Brodsky, Jennifer; Mulcahy, Paul

2015-01-01

The golden section, ϕ = (1 + √5)/2 = 1.618... and its companion ϕ = 1/ϕ = ϕ -1 = 0.618..., are irrational numbers which for centuries were believed to confer aesthetic appeal. In line with the presence of golden sectioning in natural growth patterns, recent EEG recordings show an absence of coherence between brain frequencies related by the golden ratio, suggesting the potential relevance of the golden section to brain dynamics. Using Mondrian-type patterns comprising a number of paired sections in a range of five section-section areal ratios (including golden-sectioned pairs), participants were asked to indicate as rapidly and accurately as possible the polarity (light or dark) of the smallest section in the patterns. They were also asked to independently assess the aesthetic appeal of the patterns. No preference was found for golden-sectioned patterns, while reaction times (RTs) tended to decrease overall with increasing ratio independently of each pattern's fractal dimensionality. (Fractal dimensionality was unrelated to ratio and measured in terms of the Minkowski-Bouligand box-counting dimension). The ease of detecting the smallest section also decreased with increasing ratio, although RTs were found to be substantially slower for golden-sectioned patterns under 8-paired sectioned conditions. This was confirmed by a significant linear relationship between RT and ratio (p < .001) only when the golden-sectioned RTs were excluded [the relationship was non-significant for the full complement of ratios (p = .217)]. Image analysis revealed an absence of spatial frequencies between 4 and 8 cycles-per-degree that was exclusive to the 8-paired (golden)-sectioned patterns. The significance of this was demonstrated in a subsequent experiment by addition of uniformly distributed random noise to the patterns. This provided a uniform spatial-frequency profile for all patterns, which did not influence the decrease in RT with increasing ratio but abolished the elevated

The Golden Section as Optical Limitation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark A Elliott

Full Text Available The golden section, ϕ = (1 + √5/2 = 1.618... and its companion ϕ = 1/ϕ = ϕ -1 = 0.618..., are irrational numbers which for centuries were believed to confer aesthetic appeal. In line with the presence of golden sectioning in natural growth patterns, recent EEG recordings show an absence of coherence between brain frequencies related by the golden ratio, suggesting the potential relevance of the golden section to brain dynamics. Using Mondrian-type patterns comprising a number of paired sections in a range of five section-section areal ratios (including golden-sectioned pairs, participants were asked to indicate as rapidly and accurately as possible the polarity (light or dark of the smallest section in the patterns. They were also asked to independently assess the aesthetic appeal of the patterns. No preference was found for golden-sectioned patterns, while reaction times (RTs tended to decrease overall with increasing ratio independently of each pattern's fractal dimensionality. (Fractal dimensionality was unrelated to ratio and measured in terms of the Minkowski-Bouligand box-counting dimension. The ease of detecting the smallest section also decreased with increasing ratio, although RTs were found to be substantially slower for golden-sectioned patterns under 8-paired sectioned conditions. This was confirmed by a significant linear relationship between RT and ratio (p < .001 only when the golden-sectioned RTs were excluded [the relationship was non-significant for the full complement of ratios (p = .217]. Image analysis revealed an absence of spatial frequencies between 4 and 8 cycles-per-degree that was exclusive to the 8-paired (golden-sectioned patterns. The significance of this was demonstrated in a subsequent experiment by addition of uniformly distributed random noise to the patterns. This provided a uniform spatial-frequency profile for all patterns, which did not influence the decrease in RT with increasing ratio but abolished

36 CFR 71.5 - Golden Eagle Passport.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... by any means other than private, noncommercial vehicle, to Designated Entrance Fee Areas. Golden... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Golden Eagle Passport. 71.5... RECREATION FEES § 71.5 Golden Eagle Passport. (a) The Golden Eagle Passport is an annual permit, valid on a...

Respiratory alkalosis and primary hypocapnia in Labrador Retrievers participating in field trials in high-ambient-temperature conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Steiss, Janet E; Wright, James C

2008-10-01

To determine whether Labrador Retrievers participating in field trials develop respiratory alkalosis and hypocapnia primarily in conditions of high ambient temperatures. 16 Labrador Retrievers. At each of 5 field trials, 5 to 10 dogs were monitored during a test (retrieval of birds over a variable distance on land [1,076 to 2,200 m]; 36 assessments); ambient temperatures ranged from 2.2 degrees to 29.4 degrees C. For each dog, rectal temperature was measured and a venous blood sample was collected in a heparinized syringe within 5 minutes of test completion. Blood samples were analyzed on site for Hct; pH; sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, glucose, lactate, bicarbonate, and total CO2 concentrations; and values of PvO2 and PvCO2. Scatterplots of each variable versus ambient temperature were reviewed. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of ambient temperature ( 21 degrees C) on each variable. Compared with findings at ambient temperatures 21 degrees C; rectal temperature did not differ. Two dogs developed signs of heat stress in 1 test at an ambient temperature of 29 degrees C; their rectal temperatures were higher and PvCO2 values were lower than findings in other dogs. When running distances frequently encountered at field trials, healthy Labrador Retrievers developed hyperthermia regardless of ambient temperature. Dogs developed respiratory alkalosis and hypocapnia at ambient temperatures > 21 degrees C.

Canine Mesenchymal Stem Cell Potential and the Importance of Dog Breed: Implication for Cell-Based Therapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertolo, Alessandro; Steffen, Frank; Malonzo-Marty, Cherry; Stoyanov, Jivko

2015-01-01

The study of canine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has a prominent position in veterinary cell-based applications. Yet the plethora of breeds, their different life spans, and interbreed variations provide unclearness on what can be achieved specifically by such therapies. In this study, we compared a set of morphological, physiological, and genetic markers of MSCs derived from large dog breeds, namely, Border collie, German shepherd, Labrador, Malinois, Golden retriever, and Hovawart. We compared colony-forming units (CFUs) assay, population doubling time (PDT), senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, telomere length, and gene expression of MSCs, as well as the ability of cells to differentiate to osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic phenotypes. The influence of the culture media α-MEM, low-glucose DMEM, and high-glucose DMEM, used in cell isolation and expansion, was investigated in the presence and absence of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Initial cell yield was not affected by culturing medium, but MSCs expanded best in α-MEM supplemented with bFGF. After isolation, the number of MSCs was similar among breeds--as shown by equivalent CFUs--except in the Hovawart samples, which had fivefold less CFU. Telomere lengths were similar among breeds. MSCs divided actively only for 4 weeks in culture (PDT = ∼50 h/division), except Border collie cells divided for a longer time than cells from other groups. The percentage of senescent cells increased linearly in all breeds with time, with a faster rate in German shepherd, Labrador, and Golden retriever. Border collie cells underwent efficient osteogenic differentiation, Hovawart cells performed the best in chondrogenic differentiation, and Labrador cells in both, while German shepherd cells had the lower differentiation potential. MSCs from all breeds preserved the same adipogenic differentiation potential. In conclusion, despite variations, isolated MSCs can be

Non-Targeted Metabolomics Analysis of Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy-Affected Muscles Reveals Alterations in Arginine and Proline Metabolism, and Elevations in Glutamic and Oleic Acid In Vivo

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Muhammad; Kornegay, Joe N.; Honcoop, Aubree; Parry, Traci L.; Balog-Alvarez, Cynthia J.; Muehlbauer, Michael J.; Newgard, Christopher B.; Patterson, Cam

2017-01-01

Background: Like Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD) dog model of DMD is characterized by muscle necrosis, progressive paralysis, and pseudohypertrophy in specific skeletal muscles. This severe GRMD phenotype includes moderate atrophy of the biceps femoris (BF) as compared to unaffected normal dogs, while the long digital extensor (LDE), which functions to flex the tibiotarsal joint and serves as a digital extensor, undergoes the most pronounced atrophy. A recent microarray analysis of GRMD identified alterations in genes associated with lipid metabolism and energy production. Methods: We, therefore, undertook a non-targeted metabolomics analysis of the milder/earlier stage disease GRMD BF muscle versus the more severe/chronic LDE using GC-MS to identify underlying metabolic defects specific for affected GRMD skeletal muscle. Results: Untargeted metabolomics analysis of moderately-affected GRMD muscle (BF) identified eight significantly altered metabolites, including significantly decreased stearamide (0.23-fold of controls, p = 2.89 × 10−3), carnosine (0.40-fold of controls, p = 1.88 × 10−2), fumaric acid (0.40-fold of controls, p = 7.40 × 10−4), lactamide (0.33-fold of controls, p = 4.84 × 10−2), myoinositol-2-phosphate (0.45-fold of controls, p = 3.66 × 10−2), and significantly increased oleic acid (1.77-fold of controls, p = 9.27 × 10−2), glutamic acid (2.48-fold of controls, p = 2.63 × 10−2), and proline (1.73-fold of controls, p = 3.01 × 10−2). Pathway enrichment analysis identified significant enrichment for arginine/proline metabolism (p = 5.88 × 10−4, FDR 4.7 × 10−2), where alterations in L-glutamic acid, proline, and carnosine were found. Additionally, multiple Krebs cycle intermediates were significantly decreased (e.g., malic acid, fumaric acid, citric/isocitric acid, and succinic acid), suggesting that altered energy metabolism may be underlying the observed GRMD BF muscle

Your Golden Jubilee Party!

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

http://www.cern.ch/cern50/ All staff are invited to the Golden Jubilee Staff Party on the evening of 17 September. To mark CERN's 50th anniversary, the Director-General would like to invite all the people working at CERN to celebrate the success of the organization. Your Golden Jubilee Party Friday 17 September 2004 at 16:00 Restaurant 1, Main Building Programme Speech by Director-General Toast in honour of CERN Cocktails and ambient music Video projections of five decades of CERN and at 18:00 ... A surprise music show. Your effort, hard work and enthusiasm have been the key to CERN's success. The first of the main events celebrating the organization's Golden Jubilee is for you, so come along and celebrate! Early closure of Restaurant No. 1 (bldg. 501, Meyrin site): Friday 17 September at 2:00 p.m. On Friday, 17 September, Restaurant No. 1 (NOVAE) will close at 2:00 p.m. owing to the Golden Jubilee party for the CERN staff. No dinner will be served that evening.

Finding golden mean in a physics exercise

Science.gov (United States)

Benedetto, Elmo

2017-07-01

The golden mean is an algebraic irrational number that has captured the popular imagination and is discussed in many books. Indeed, some scientists believe that it appears in some patterns in nature, including the spiral arrangement of leaves and other plant parts. Generally, the golden mean is introduced in geometry and the textbooks give the definition showing a graphical method to determine it. In this short note, we want to find this number by studying projectile motion. This could be a way to introduce the golden mean (also said to be the golden ratio, golden section, Fidia constant, divine proportion or extreme and mean ratio) in a physics course.

The effectiveness of search dogs compared with humans in searching difficult terrain at turbine sites for bat fatalities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mathews, Fiona

2011-07-01

Full text: Many wind farms in the UK and elsewhere in northern Europe are situated in habitat with dense tall vegetation such as arable fields and upland heaths. This makes surveying for bat fatalities extremely difficult. To facilitate a multi-centre study of the effects of wind turbines on British bats, we have therefore conducted controlled trials of the relative success of trained search dogs and ecologists in retrieving bat carcasses. Although dogs have been used previously in ecological surveys for bats, this is the first time they have been specifically trained for use in 'difficult to survey' habitats. Two ecologists and two Labrador dogs with handlers were each given the opportunity to retrieve up to 45 bat carcasses in a range of habitat types. Their efficiency in terms of overall search time, costs, and retrieval abilities were evaluated. Our results indicate that high rates of retrieval can be achieved by dogs, even in dense vegetation up to 75cm high. Further, a typical 100m2 search area can be surveyed in less than half the time taken by humans. The limitations of using search dogs, and their ability to detect the presence of bats that have been scavenged are also presented (presentation supported with video footage). (Author)

Profiles of Steroid Hormones in Canine X-Linked Muscular Dystrophy via Stable Isotope Dilution LC-MS/MS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helio A Martins-Júnior

Full Text Available Golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD provides the best animal model for characterizing the disease progress of the human disorder, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD. The purpose of this study was to determine steroid hormone concentration profiles in healthy golden retriever dogs (control group - CtGR versus GRMD-gene carrier (CaGR and affected female dogs (AfCR. Therefore, a sensitive and specific analytical method was developed and validated to determine the estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, and testosterone levels in the canine serum by isotope dilution liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS. To more accurately understand the dynamic nature of the serum steroid profile, the fluctuating levels of these four steroid hormones over the estrous cycle were compared across the three experimental groups using a multivariate statistical analysis. The concentration profiles of estradiol, cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone revealed a characteristic pattern for each studied group at each specific estrous phase. Additionally, several important changes in the serum concentrations of cortisol and estradiol in the CaGR and AfCR groups seem to be correlated with the status and progression of the muscular dystrophy. A comprehensive and quantitative monitoring of steroid profiles throughout the estrous cycle of normal and GRMD dogs were achieved. Significant differences in these profiles were observed between GRMD and healthy animals, most notably for estradiol. These findings contribute to a better understanding of both dog reproduction and the muscular dystrophy pathology. Our data open new venues for hormonal behavior studies in dystrophinopathies and that may affect the quality of life of DMD patients.

Dog sperm head morphometry: its diversity and evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carles Soler

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Dogs have been under strong artificial selection as a consequence of their relationship with man. Differences between breeds are evident that could be reflected in seminal characteristics. The present study was to evaluate differences in sperm head morphometry between seven well-defined breeds of dog: the British Bulldog, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Spanish Mastiff, Staffordshire Terrier, and Valencian Rat Hunting dog. Semen samples were obtained by masturbation and smears stained with Diff-Quik. Morphometric analysis (CASA-Morph produced four size and four shape parameters. Length, Ellipticity, and Elongation showed higher differences between breeds. MANOVA revealed differences among all breeds. Considering the whole dataset, principal component analysis (PCA showed that PC1 was related to head shape and PC2 to size. Procluster analysis showed the British Bulldog to be the most isolated breed, followed by the German Shepherd. The PCA breed by breed showed the Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, Spanish Mastiff, and Staffordshire Terrier to have PC1 related to shape and PC2 to size, whereas the British Bulldog, Valencia Rat Hunting dog, and German Shepherd had PC1 related to size and PC2 to shape. The dendrogram for cluster groupings and the distance between them showed the British Bulldog to be separated from the rest of the breeds. Future work on dog semen must take into account the large differences in the breeds′ sperm characteristics. The results provide a base for future work on phylogenetic and evolutionary studies of dogs, based on their seminal characteristics.

Dog sperm head morphometry: its diversity and evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Soler, Carles; Alambiaga, Ana; Martí, Maria A; García-Molina, Almudena; Valverde, Anthony; Contell, Jesús; Campos, Marcos

2017-01-01

Dogs have been under strong artificial selection as a consequence of their relationship with man. Differences between breeds are evident that could be reflected in seminal characteristics. The present study was to evaluate differences in sperm head morphometry between seven well-defined breeds of dog: the British Bulldog, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Spanish Mastiff, Staffordshire Terrier, and Valencian Rat Hunting dog. Semen samples were obtained by masturbation and smears stained with Diff-Quik. Morphometric analysis (CASA-Morph) produced four size and four shape parameters. Length, Ellipticity, and Elongation showed higher differences between breeds. MANOVA revealed differences among all breeds. Considering the whole dataset, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that PC1 was related to head shape and PC2 to size. Procluster analysis showed the British Bulldog to be the most isolated breed, followed by the German Shepherd. The PCA breed by breed showed the Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, Spanish Mastiff, and Staffordshire Terrier to have PC1 related to shape and PC2 to size, whereas the British Bulldog, Valencia Rat Hunting dog, and German Shepherd had PC1 related to size and PC2 to shape. The dendrogram for cluster groupings and the distance between them showed the British Bulldog to be separated from the rest of the breeds. Future work on dog semen must take into account the large differences in the breeds' sperm characteristics. The results provide a base for future work on phylogenetic and evolutionary studies of dogs, based on their seminal characteristics.

Evaluation of geriatric changes in dogs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soumyaranjan Pati

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Aim: The present study has been envisaged to ascertain the old age for critical management of geriatric dogs considering the parameters of externally visible changes, haemato-biochemical alterations and urine analysis in geriatric dogs approaching senility. Materials and Methods: The study was undertaken in the Department of Veterinary Pathology in collaboration with Teaching Veterinary Clinic complex spanning a period of 1 year. For screening of geriatric dogs, standard geriatric age chart of different breeds was followed. The external characteristics such as hair coat texture, dental wear and tear, skin texture and glaucoma were taken as a marker of old age. Haematology, serum biochemistry and urine analysis were also included in the study. Results: External visible changes like greying of hair, dull appearance of hair coat, glaucoma, osteoarthritis, dental wear and tear were commonly encountered in the aged dogs. The haemoglobin, total erythrocyte count and packed cell volume showed a decreasing trend in the geriatric groups. Biochemical values like total protein, albumin, calcium level showed a decreasing trend while urea level with an increasing trend in geriatric dogs without any much alteration in serum glutamicoxaloacetic transaminse, serum glutamic-pyruvate transaminase, cholesterol and creatinine. Physical examination of urine revealed yellow, amber, red, deep red color with turbidity and higher specific gravity. Chemical examination revealed presence of protein, glucose, ketone bodies, blood and bilirubin on some cases. The culture and sensitivity test of the urine samples revealed presence of bacteria with sensitive and resistance to some antibiotics. Conclusion: External visible changes are still the golden standard of determining the old age in dogs. Haemato-biochemical evaluation can be useful for correlating with the pathophysiological status of the animal. Biochemical analysis of urine can be employed rightly as kidney

Experimental evaluation of a new retrievable inferior vena cava filter for protection from acute pulmonary embolism in canine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Chungao; Shi Haibing; Liu Sheng; Wang Chenghu; Liu Hairi; Li Linsun

2007-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the validity, safety and feasibility of a new retrieval inferior vena cava filter for the prevention of pulmonary embolism in an animal model. Methods: The model of deep iliofemoral venous thrombosis was established in 12 experimental dogs. In control group(6 experimental dogs), the deep venous thrombosis was made to fall off directly. In experimental group (6 experimental dogs), the deep venous thrombosis was made to fall off with an implanted filter in inferior vena cava. The filter's thrombus-trapping efficacy was evaluated by angiography of pulmonary artery, measurement of the mean pressure of pulmonary artery and arterial oxygen saturation before and after the deep venous thrombus falling off. Results: All filters implanted in the experimental dogs could successfully capture clot coming from deep venous thrombosis. There was no case of pulmonary embolism in experimental groups. On the other hand, pulmonary embolism occurred following the fall of deep venous thrombus in all dogs of control group. Conclusion: The retrievable inferior vena cava filter can effectively prevent from the pulmonary embolism due to falling off of the emboli from deep venous thrombosis. The process of implantation and retrieval is relatively simple and easy. (authors)

Incorporation of Islamic Institutions into Political Structure of the Golden Horde and post-Golden Horde States »

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roman Pochekaev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to basic directions and mechanisms of incorporation of Islamic administrative and legal institutions into the Jochid Ulus. As this state included regions with well developed Islamic traditions, individual manifestations of influence of Islam on political and legal realities of the Golden Horde took place since the first stage of existing of this state. However, only after official conversion of the Jochid ulus to Islam during the reign of Uzbek Khan (in the 1320s Islamic political and juridical institutions became an integral part of state and legal structure of the Golden Horde. Their role substantially increased in the time of crisis of imperial state and legal system after disintegration of the Mongol Empire and then of its successors, the Chinggisid states. Influence of Islamic institutions on political and legal relations of the Golden Horde and post-Golden Horde states became apparent in different aspects. At first, it was participation of representatives of Islamic administration in executive power including tax collection: such functions of them are confirmed by yarliks of khans of the Golden Horde, as well as of the Crimean and Kazan khanates. Secondly, Islamic judges, the qadis were integrated into court system of the Golden Horde and later, within the post-Golden Horde states, they even ousted imperial judges, the jarguchis. Third, powerful representatives of Islamic clergy became participants of qurultays, where the khans were elected, and the ceremony of enthronement was supplemented by the oath of a new khan on Koran under their influence. At last, Islamic clergymen participated actively in diplomatic activity of the post-Golden Horde states and acted as mediators between rivals who pretended for the throne in the Jochid states. No doubts, the rise of influence of Islam and Islamic clergy in political and legal life of the later Golden Horde and post-Golden Horde states could be explained, from one side, by

Review of idiopathic eosinophilic meningitis in dogs and cats, with a detailed description of two recent cases in dogs : review and clinical communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.H. Williams

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Eosinophilic meningoencephalitis (EME has been described in various species of animals and in humans. In dogs it has been associated with protozoal infections, cuterebral myiasis and various other aetiologies. Ten cases of idiopathic eosinophilic meningoencephalitis have been reported in dogs and one in a cat where the origin was uncertain or unknown. The dogs were all males, of various breeds but with a predominance of Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers; they generally had a young age of onset. Two cases with no apparent underlying aetiology were diagnosed on post mortem examination. The 18-month-old, male Boerboel presented with sudden onset of cerebellar ataxia, as well as various asymmetrical cranial nerve deficits of 2 weeks' duration and without progression. Haematology revealed a peripheral eosinophilia. Necropsy showed extreme generalised congestion especially of the meninges and blood smear and histological sections of various tissues showed intravascular erythrocyte fragmentation with the formation of microcytes. Histopathology revealed severe diffuse cerebrocortical subarachnoidal meningitis and submeningeal encephalitis, the exudate containing variable numbers of eosinophils together with neutrophils and mononuclear cells. There was also deeper white matter and hippocampal multifocal perivascular mononuclear encephalitis and multifocal periventricular malacia, gliosis and phagocytosis of white matter. The cerebellum, brain stem and spinal cord showed only mild multifocal oedema or scattered occasional axon and myelin degeneration respectively, with no inflammation. Immunohistochemical staining of central nervous tissue for Toxoplasma gondii failed to show any antigen in the central nervous tissue. Ultrastructure of a single submeningeal suspected parasitic cyst showed it to be chromatin clumping within a neuron nucleus indicating karyorrhexis. Gram stain provided no evidence of an aetiological agent. The 3-year-old Beagle bitch had a

Deficient plakophilin-1 expression due to a mutation in PKP1 causes ectodermal dysplasia-skin fragility syndrome in Chesapeake Bay retriever dogs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thierry Olivry

Full Text Available In humans, congenital and hereditary skin diseases associated with epidermal cell-cell separation (acantholysis are very rare, and spontaneous animal models of these diseases are exceptional. Our objectives are to report a novel congenital acantholytic dermatosis that developed in Chesapeake Bay retriever dogs. Nine affected puppies in four different litters were born to eight closely related clinically normal dogs. The disease transmission was consistent with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Clinical signs occurred immediately after birth with superficial epidermal layers sloughing upon pressure. At three month of age, dogs exhibited recurrent superficial skin sloughing and erosions at areas of friction and mucocutaneous junctions; their coat was also finer than normal and there were patches of partial hair loss. At birth, histopathology revealed severe suprabasal acantholysis, which became less severe with ageing. Electron microscopy demonstrated a reduced number of partially formed desmosomes with detached and aggregated keratin intermediate filaments. Immunostaining for desmosomal adhesion molecules revealed a complete lack of staining for plakophilin-1 and anomalies in the distribution of desmoplakin and keratins 10 and 14. Sequencing revealed a homozygous splice donor site mutation within the first intron of PKP1 resulting in a premature stop codon, thereby explaining the inability to detect plakophilin-1 in the skin. Altogether, the clinical and pathological findings, along with the PKP1 mutation, were consistent with the diagnosis of ectodermal dysplasia-skin fragility syndrome with plakophilin-1 deficiency. This is the first occurrence of ectodermal dysplasia-skin fragility syndrome in an animal species. Controlled mating of carrier dogs would yield puppies that could, in theory, be tested for gene therapy of this rare but severe skin disease of children.

7 CFR 989.7 - Golden Seedless raisins.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Golden Seedless raisins. 989.7 Section 989.7... GROWN IN CALIFORNIA Order Regulating Handling Definitions § 989.7 Golden Seedless raisins. Golden Seedless raisins means raisins, the production of which includes soda dipping, sulfuring, and artificial...

Evaluation of Dogs with Border Collie Collapse, Including Response to Two Standardized Strenuous Exercise Protocols.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Susan; Shmon, Cindy; Su, Lillian; Epp, Tasha; Minor, Katie; Mickelson, James; Patterson, Edward; Shelton, G Diane

2016-01-01

Clinical and metabolic variables were evaluated in 13 dogs with border collie collapse (BCC) before, during, and following completion of standardized strenuous exercise protocols. Six dogs participated in a ball-retrieving protocol, and seven dogs participated in a sheep-herding protocol. Findings were compared with 16 normal border collies participating in the same exercise protocols (11 retrieving, five herding). Twelve dogs with BCC developed abnormal mentation and/or an abnormal gait during evaluation. All dogs had post-exercise elevations in rectal temperature, pulse rate, arterial blood pH, PaO2, and lactate, and decreased PaCO2 and bicarbonate, as expected with strenuous exercise, but there were no significant differences between BCC dogs and normal dogs. Electrocardiography demonstrated sinus tachycardia in all dogs following exercise. Needle electromyography was normal, and evaluation of muscle biopsy cryosections using a standard panel of histochemical stains and reactions did not reveal a reason for collapse in 10 dogs with BCC in which these tests were performed. Genetic testing excluded the dynamin-1 related exercise-induced collapse mutation and the V547A malignant hyperthermia mutation as the cause of BCC. Common reasons for exercise intolerance were eliminated. Although a genetic basis is suspected, the cause of collapse in BCC was not determined.

Electronic golden structure of the periodic chart

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malinowski, Leonard J. [Interdisciplinary Research Club, Monroeville, PA (United States)], E-mail: LJMalinowski@gmail.com

2009-11-15

The golden ratio has been studied since the ancient Greeks due to its inherent symmetry and aesthetic beauty, especially in the five Platonic Solids. The golden mean is now established as a pillar of El Naschie's E infinity where it achieves the physical manifestation of 0.618 034 MeV. The largest atomic electron orbital total energies average to the golden mean energy. This paper examines the golden ratio in order to expand upon a century old attempt to produce a relatively static, visual, geometric model of atomic structure.

Electronic golden structure of the periodic chart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, Leonard J.

2009-01-01

The golden ratio has been studied since the ancient Greeks due to its inherent symmetry and aesthetic beauty, especially in the five Platonic Solids. The golden mean is now established as a pillar of El Naschie's E infinity where it achieves the physical manifestation of 0.618 034 MeV. The largest atomic electron orbital total energies average to the golden mean energy. This paper examines the golden ratio in order to expand upon a century old attempt to produce a relatively static, visual, geometric model of atomic structure.

Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-09-05

Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world's vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas - notably shale gas - can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success. But some governments are hesitant, or even actively opposed. They are responding to public concerns that production might involve unacceptable environmental and social damage. This report, in the World Energy Outlook series, treats these aspirations and anxieties with equal seriousness. It features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a 'social licence to operate'; and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.

Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-09-05

Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world's vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas - notably shale gas - can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success. But some governments are hesitant, or even actively opposed. They are responding to public concerns that production might involve unacceptable environmental and social damage. This report, in the World Energy Outlook series, treats these aspirations and anxieties with equal seriousness. It features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a 'social licence to operate'; and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.

Sinal "S" de Golden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Ricardo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available O sinal de S Golden pode ser visto não só na radiografia do torax mas também na tomografia computorizada (TC. 1 O sinal também pode chamar-se de Sinal de S Golden Invertido porque lembra a forma de um “S” invertido.2,3 A pequena cisura, que delimita estas alterações, apresenta-se com a forma de “S” invertido, de concavidade inferior periférica, correspondente ao colapso pulmonar, e convexidade central, correspondente à massa hilar, o que pode ser apreciado na radiografia postero-anterior na TC do tórax. O lobo superior direito é o local onde mais frequentemente se desenvolvem neoplasias pulmonares, pelo que a presença do sinal “S” Golden deve levantar a suspeita de neoplasia primária.

Dogs Don't Need Calculus

Science.gov (United States)

Bolt, Mike

2010-01-01

Many optimization problems can be solved without resorting to calculus. This article develops a new variational method for optimization that relies on inequalities. The method is illustrated by four examples, the last of which provides a completely algebraic solution to the problem of minimizing the time it takes a dog to retrieve a thrown ball,…

Golden Tides: Problem or Golden Opportunity? The Valorisation of Sargassum from Beach Inundations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John J. Milledge

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years there have been massive inundations of pelagic Sargassum, known as golden tides, on the beaches of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and West Africa, causing considerable damage to the local economy and environment. Commercial exploration of this biomass for food, fuel, and pharmaceutical products could fund clean-up and offset the economic impact of these golden tides. This paper reviews the potential uses and obstacles for exploitation of pelagic Sargassum. Although Sargassum has considerable potential as a source of biochemicals, feed, food, fertiliser, and fuel, variable and undefined composition together with the possible presence of marine pollutants may make golden tides unsuitable for food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals and limit their use in feed and fertilisers. Discontinuous and unreliable supply of Sargassum also presents considerable challenges. Low-cost methods of preservation such as solar drying and ensiling may address the problem of discontinuity. The use of processes that can handle a variety of biological and waste feedstocks in addition to Sargassum is a solution to unreliable supply, and anaerobic digestion for the production of biogas is one such process. More research is needed to characterise golden tides and identify and develop commercial products and processes.

The Golden Horde Ethnology of Tatars: 1. The Epic and Historical “Golden Throne” (“Altyn Tәkhet”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.M. Iskhakov

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The author of this article seeks to identify the historical origins of particular patronal place characteristic for the ulus of Jochi and later Turko-Tatar States established on its territory in the 15th–16th centuries. This patronal place was known as the “golden throne” and has been recorded by the Turko-Tatar (epics, chronicles, historical works and some Russian sources. An overview of historical sources reveals that according to the Turko-Tatar traditions of the 16th–18th centuries, the “golden throne” was a place, where the ruler (Khan, king was sitting in the Golden Horde and at the post-Horde political space. The author of this article emphasizes the important fact: in historical sources the “golden throne” was always associated with the place of enthronement of the Tatar ruler. As a result of detailed analysis of the available historical material, the author found that the often mentioned “golden throne” existed not only in the ulus of Jochi, but throughout the Mongol Empire. Moreover, further analysis of the available historical material (including a comparison with information contained in the parallel Persian, Chinese, and Latin sources showed that the “golden throne” was connected to another symbol of power, common in all Chinggisid States and recorded by a number of historical sources, that is, with special tent (yurt known as the “Great Golden horde”. This tent together with the throne seat symbolized the focus of the khan authority in the Mongol Empire and the subsequent Chinggisid States.

Dog as a model in studies on human hereditary diseases and their gene therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Switonski, Marek

2014-03-01

During the last 15 years spectacular progress has been achieved in knowledge on the dog genome organization and the molecular background of hereditary diseases in this species. A majority of canine genetic diseases have their counterparts in humans and thus dogs are considered as a very important large animal model in human biomedicine. Among canine monogenic diseases with known causative gene mutations there are two large groups classified as retinal dystrophies and lysosomal storage diseases. Specific types of these diseases are usually diagnosed in a single or several breeds. A well known disorder, restricted to a single breed, is congenital stationary night blindness described in Briards. This disease is a counterpart of Leber amaurosis in children. On the other hand, one of the most common monogenic human diseases (Duchenne muscular dystrophy), has its canine counterparts in several breeds (e.g., the Golden retriever, Beagle and German short-haired pointer). For some of the canine diseases gene therapy strategy was successfully applied, e.g., for congenital stationary night blindness, rod-cone dystrophy and muccopolysaccharydoses type I, IIIB and VII. Since phenotypic variability between the breeds is exceptionally high, the dog is an interesting model to study the molecular background of congenital malformations (e.g., dwarfism and osteoporosis imperfecta). Also disorders of sexual development (DSD), especially testicular or ovotesticular DSD (78,XX; SRY-negative), which is widely distributed across dozens of breeds, are of particular interest. Studies on the genetic background of canine cancers, a major health problem in this species, are also quite advanced. On the other hand, genetic studies on canine counterparts of major human complex diseases (e.g., obesity, the metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus) are still in their infancy. Copyright © 2014 Society for Biology of Reproduction & the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish

LHC: seven golden suppliers

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

The fourth CERN Golden Hadron awards saw seven of the LHC's best suppliers receive recognition for the high quality of their work, compliance with delivery deadlines, flexibility and adaptability to the demanding working conditions of the project. The representatives of the seven companies which received awards during the Golden Hadron ceremony, standing with Lyn Evans, LHC Project Leader. 'The Golden Hadron awards are a symbol of our appreciation of not only the quality and timely delivery of components but also the collaborative and flexible way the firms have contributed to this very difficult project,' said Lyn Evans, head of the LHC project. The awards went to Kemppi-Kempower (Finland), Metso Powdermet (Finland), Transtechnik (Germany), Babcock Noell Nuclear (Germany), Iniziative Industriali (Italy), ZTS VVU Kosice (Slovakia), and Jehier (France). Babock Noell Nuclear (BNN) successfully produced one-third (416 cold dipole masses) of the LHC's superconducting dipole magnets, one of the most critical an...

Golden ratio beauty as scientific function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott A. Olsen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Normally when one is considering the golden ratio in the history of ideas, one is often looking at it as an aesthetic principle – usually associated with Greek art, sculpture and mathematics. However, in recent years the prevalence of the golden ratio within a broad range of scientific disciplines has brought its role in the perfection of science to the forefront. I would like to collapse these two areas by proposing a somewhat novel way of looking at the aesthetics of the golden ratio: its pervasive expression in scientific form and function is the basis of the aesthetics in the world. Therefore, science contains the same mathematical beauty as found in artistic expression. The golden ratio guides the Chaos Border of Kolmogorov, Arnold, and Moser (KAM theorem and it can be found hidden in all elementary particles, and even in the proportions of dark matter and energy relative to visible matter and energy. It is evident in the structure and growth functions of plants and animals and it can be found in the physiological functions of humans. It now appears that without the golden ratio, we would not have the form or function of the proton, cell, athlete, horse, species, planet, solar system or galaxy.

Sufi Tradition in Spiritual Culture of the Golden Horde

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.G. Sayfetdinova

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The author considers the special nature of the penetration of the Sufi tradition in the spiritual culture of the Golden Horde. Being a part of the spiritual culture, literary monuments from the Golden Horde epoch played a significant role in the spread of Islam in the Golden Horde. Islam rooted in the Golden Horde thanks to the fact that Sufism gave the Muslim form to the Turkic-Mongolian beliefs. The «Nahj al-Faradis» («Pathway to the Heavens», the literary monument from the Golden Horde era, narrates about the introduction and diffusion of Islam in the Turkic-Mongolian religious and mundane traditions.

Golden Rice is an effective source of vitamin A.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Guangwen; Qin, Jian; Dolnikowski, Gregory G; Russell, Robert M; Grusak, Michael A

2009-06-01

Genetically engineered "Golden Rice" contains up to 35 microg beta-carotene per gram of rice. It is important to determine the vitamin A equivalency of Golden Rice beta-carotene to project the potential effect of this biofortified grain in rice-consuming populations that commonly exhibit low vitamin A status. The objective was to determine the vitamin A value of intrinsically labeled dietary Golden Rice in humans. Golden Rice plants were grown hydroponically with heavy water (deuterium oxide) to generate deuterium-labeled [2H]beta-carotene in the rice grains. Golden Rice servings of 65-98 g (130-200 g cooked rice) containing 0.99-1.53 mg beta-carotene were fed to 5 healthy adult volunteers (3 women and 2 men) with 10 g butter. A reference dose of [13C10]retinyl acetate (0.4-1.0 mg) in oil was given to each volunteer 1 wk before ingestion of the Golden Rice dose. Blood samples were collected over 36 d. Our results showed that the mean (+/-SD) area under the curve for the total serum response to [2H]retinol was 39.9 +/- 20.7 microg x d after the Golden Rice dose. Compared with that of the [13C10]retinyl acetate reference dose (84.7 +/- 34.6 microg x d), Golden Rice beta-carotene provided 0.24-0.94 mg retinol. Thus, the conversion factor of Golden Rice beta-carotene to retinol is 3.8 +/- 1.7 to 1 with a range of 1.9-6.4 to 1 by weight, or 2.0 +/- 0.9 to 1 with a range of 1.0-3.4 to 1 by moles. Beta-carotene derived from Golden Rice is effectively converted to vitamin A in humans. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00680355.

Urethral prolapse in dogs: a retrospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Jennifer G; Tobias, Karen M; Smith, Laura

2014-07-01

To evaluate the signalment, clinical signs, treatment, and outcome of dogs with urethral prolapse and identify risk factors associated with prolapse or treatment. Retrospective case series. Dogs (n = 48) with urethral prolapse. Medical records (May 1995-June 2010) from 2 referral centers were reviewed. Retrieved data included signalment, clinical signs, laboratory findings, treatment, complications, results of long-term follow-up. Records from Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB) were evaluated to determine odds ratios. Odds ratio for urethral prolapse in English bulldogs compared to all breeds was 366.99 (95% CI: 265.83, 506.65). Of 48 affected dogs, 46 had either resection and anastomosis (43 dogs) or urethropexy (3 dogs). The most common early postoperative complication was hemorrhage (39%); postoperative hemorrhage was less common when a simple continuous pattern was used for resection and anastomosis. Prolapse recurred in 57% of dogs available for long-term follow-up; recurrence was less common in dogs that were administered postoperative butorphanol or acepromazine. Gender was not associated with urethral prolapse or postoperative complications. Urethral prolapse occurs most commonly in English bulldogs. Postoperative hemorrhage and prolapse recurrence may be reduced with use of a simple continuous pattern for urethral anastomosis and by administration of postoperative sedation, respectively. Castration status did not appear to affect prolapse development or outcome. © Copyright 2014 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Pollution chronology of the Golden Horn sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teksoez, G.; Yetis, U.; Tuncel, G.; Balkas, T.I.

1990-01-01

Sediment accumulation in the Golden Horn has been established by means of a useful geochronological technique; 210 Pb Radiometric Dating Method. The 210 Pb dating technique revealed a sediment accumulation rate of 3.5 cm yr -1 which is very reasonable given the characteristics of the Golden Horn. The 210 Pb profile also revealed three distinct levels in the sediments of the Golden Horn: a surface layer with nearly uniform activities, an exponential decay interval and a lower region with almost constant low activity. (author)

Your Golden Jubilee Party!

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

http://www.cern.ch/cern50/All staff are invited to the Golden Jubilee Staff Party on the evening of 17 September. To mark CERN's 50th anniversary, the Director-General would like to invite all the people working at CERN to celebrate the success of the organization. The party will be held in the cafeteria and on the terrace (if the weather permits) of the Main Building on 17 September at 4:00 pm. The event will include an address by the DG, music, film clips, drinks, snacks and a surprise music show by the CERN Big Bang Orchestra! Your effort, hard work and enthusiasm have been the key to CERN's success. The first of the main events celebrating the organization's Golden Jubilee is for you, so come along and celebrate! Early closure of Restaurant No. 1 (Bldg. 501, Meyrin site): Friday 17 September at 2:00 p.m. On Friday, 17 September, Restaurant No. 1 (NOVAE) will close at 2:00 p.m. owing to the Golden Jubilee party for the CERN staff. No dinner will be served that evening.

77 FR 22185 - Golden Nematode; Removal of Regulated Areas

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-13

...-0036] Golden Nematode; Removal of Regulated Areas AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service..., without change, an interim rule that amended the golden nematode regulations by removing the townships of... that the fields in these two townships are free of golden nematode, and we determined that regulation...

Estudo morfofuncional dos rins de cães da raça Golden Retriever afetados pela distrofia muscular (GRMD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dilayla K. Abreu

2012-10-01

Full Text Available A Distrofia Muscular de Duchenne (DMD é uma miopatia severa de caráter recessivo ligada ao cromossomo X e o modelo animal de estudo mais relevante é o Golden Retriever Muscular Dystrophy (GRMD. Além das severas alterações que ocorrem na musculatura estriada, muitos estudos mostram que outras estruturas, inclusive viscerais, podem se mostrar alteradas nesta patologia. Desta forma, este trabalho objetivou análisar e comparar possíveis alterações estruturais e funcionais do rim em cães GRMD. Neste modelo de estudo, foi possível observar a presença das faces convexa e côncava, do hilo renal e dos pólos craniais e caudais dos rins. O órgão mostrou-se envolto por uma cápsula fibrosa. Em um corte sagital do órgão, notou-se a presença das regiões cortical e medular e da pelve renal. Na análise microscópica foi possível identificar a zona medular e cortical com suas estruturas: os corpúsculos renais formados pelo glomérulo e pela cápsula de Bowman, os túbulos contorcidos proximais e distais, os ductos coletores, vasos sanguíneos e os segmentos das Alças de Henle. As dosagens séricas de creatinina e uréia encontram-se dentro dos limites de normalidade. Desta forma, de acordo com os nossos resultados, podemos concluir que os animais afetados estudados, não apresentaram alterações estruturais ou funcionais dos rins, o que nos permitir sugerir que apesar da ingestão hídrica comprometida, a estrutura renal, mantem- se preservada nos animais GRMD.

Recovery of brodifacoum in vomitus following induction of emesis in dogs that had ingested rodenticide bait.

Science.gov (United States)

Parton, K H; Willson, E K; Collett, M G; Booth, L H

2018-01-01

To assess the benefit of inducing emesis in dogs that have ingested rodenticide bait containing brodifacoum (BDF), by determining the amount of BDF in bait recovered from the vomitus relative to the estimated amount consumed. Between 2014 and 2015 samples of vomitus from seven dogs that ingested rodenticide baits containing BDF were submitted by veterinarians in New Zealand. All seven dogs had been given apomorphine by the veterinarian and vomited within 1 hour of ingesting the bait. Some or all of the bait particles were retrieved from each sample and were analysed for concentrations of BDF using HPLC. Based on estimations of the mass of bait consumed, the concentration of BDF stated on the product label, and the estimated mass of bait in the vomitus of each dog, the amount of BDF in the vomited bait was calculated as a percentage of the amount ingested. For five dogs an estimation of the mass of bait ingested was provided by the submitting veterinarian. For these dogs the estimated percentage of BDF in the bait retrieved from the vomitus was between 10-77%. All dogs were well after discharge but only one dog returned for further testing. This dog had a normal prothrombin time 3 days after ingestion. The induction of emesis within 1 hour of ingestion can be a useful tool in reducing the exposure of dogs to a toxic dose of BDF. The BDF was not fully absorbed within 1 hour of ingestion suggesting that the early induction of emesis can remove bait containing BDF before it can be fully absorbed.

Sparing of the dystrophin-deficient cranial sartorius muscle is associated with classical and novel hypertrophy pathways in GRMD dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Nghiem, Peter P; Hoffman, Eric P; Mittal, Priya; Brown, Kristy J; Schatzberg, Scott J; Ghimbovschi, Svetlana; Wang, Zuyi; Kornegay, Joe N

2013-11-01

Both Duchenne and golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) are caused by dystrophin deficiency. The Duchenne muscular dystrophy sartorius muscle and orthologous GRMD cranial sartorius (CS) are relatively spared/hypertrophied. We completed hierarchical clustering studies to define molecular mechanisms contributing to this differential involvement and their role in the GRMD phenotype. GRMD dogs with larger CS muscles had more severe deficits, suggesting that selective hypertrophy could be detrimental. Serial biopsies from the hypertrophied CS and other atrophied muscles were studied in a subset of these dogs. Myostatin showed an age-dependent decrease and an inverse correlation with the degree of GRMD CS hypertrophy. Regulators of myostatin at the protein (AKT1) and miRNA (miR-539 and miR-208b targeting myostatin mRNA) levels were altered in GRMD CS, consistent with down-regulation of myostatin signaling, CS hypertrophy, and functional rescue of this muscle. mRNA and proteomic profiling was used to identify additional candidate genes associated with CS hypertrophy. The top-ranked network included α-dystroglycan and like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. Proteomics demonstrated increases in myotrophin and spectrin that could promote hypertrophy and cytoskeletal stability, respectively. Our results suggest that multiple pathways, including decreased myostatin and up-regulated miRNAs, α-dystroglycan/like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, spectrin, and myotrophin, contribute to hypertrophy and functional sparing of the CS. These data also underscore the muscle-specific responses to dystrophin deficiency and the potential deleterious effects of differential muscle involvement. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chimeras and Mirages of the Golden Horde

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.A. Ivanov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article examines the problem of so-called “imperial culture” of the Golden Horde. The author analyzes the archaeological material regarding it as a component of “imperial culture”. The author evaluates the quality of the archaeological material as well as the breadth and intensity of its distribution among the population of the Golden Horde and the neighboring tribal areas, which the author considers a priori as consumers of this “imperial culture”. Based on this analysis, the author concludes that in general, the concept of “imperial culture” of the Golden Horde is a chimera. In turn, the expected powerful effect of “imperial culture” of the Golden Horde in the culture of neighboring peoples of the Urals and the Volga region is a mirage created by the imagination of researchers.

Ultrasonographic findings in 14 dogs with ectopic ureter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamb, C.R.; Gregory, S.P.

1998-01-01

To evaluate ultrasonography as an alternative to contrast radiographyfor diagnosis of ectopic ureter in dogs, ultrasonography of the urinary tract was performed prospectively in a series of urinary incontinent dogs anesthetized for contrast radiography, Fourteen dogs had ectopic ureter based ore surgical, necropsy or unequivocal contrast radiographic findings, There were eight females and six males of a variety of breeds; five were Labrador retrievers, Mean (range) age at the time ofdiagnosis was 1.2 (0.2-4) years for females and 3.5 (0.3-5) for males(p < 0.05). Ectopic ureters were unilateral in five dogs (2 left; 3 right) find bilateral in nine dogs. Both ultrasound images and contrastradiographs were positive for 21 (91%) ectopic ureters; the same two ectopic ureters were not defected using either modality, The termination of each of the five normal ureters was visible on ultrasound images; two (40%) were visible on radiographs, Other ultrasonographic findings included dilatation of the ectopic ureter and/or ipsilateral renal pelvis ill ten (43%) instances, evidence of pyelonephritis in two dogs(with enlargement of the contralateral kidney in one dog), and urethral diverticuli in one dog, Ultrasonography is a practical diagnostic Best for ectopic ureter in clogs. In this series these was close correlation between the ultrasonographic and contrast radiographic findings for each ectopic meter, but ultrasonography enabled more accurate determination of normal ureteral anatomy

76 FR 60357 - Golden Nematode; Removal of Regulated Areas

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-29

.... APHIS-2011-0036] Golden Nematode; Removal of Regulated Areas AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Interim rule and request for comments. SUMMARY: We are amending the golden nematode... infested areas. Surveys have shown that the fields in these two townships are free of golden nematode, and...

Oracle GoldenGate 12c implementer's guide

CERN Document Server

Jeffries, John P

2015-01-01

The book is aimed at Oracle database administrators, project managers, and solution architects who wish to extend their knowledge of GoldenGate. The reader is assumed to be familiar with Oracle databases. No knowledge of GoldenGate is required.

The Golden Ratio--A Contrary Viewpoint

Science.gov (United States)

Falbo, Clement

2005-01-01

Many assertions about the occurrence of the golden ratio phi in art, architecture, and nature have been shown to be false, unsupported, or misleading. For instance, we show that the spirals found in sea shells, in particular the "Nautilus pompilius," are not in the shape of the golden ratio, as is often claimed. Some of the most interesting…

Golden Horde History in the Works of A.N. Kurat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.М. Mirgaleev

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The article examines main works of the famous Turkish historian A.N. Kurat, his views and assessments of the Golden Horde history. It is known that A.N. Kurat introduced into scholarly circulation yarlyks-letters of the Golden Horde khans, which he found in the archives of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. A number of his works and articles are devoted to the Golden Horde and its rulers. The article discusses the works of A.N. Kurat that are dedicated to the Golden Horde, as well as his main ideas, sources of the author. The works of A.N. Kurat still have not lost their significance. His works on the Golden Horde topics are mainly devoted to the source study, his reconstruction of events is based on primary sources of the Golden Horde origin. Kurat also noted the special importance of his own sources. In his works, he explored the following three Golden Horde documents: Bitik of Ulugh Muhammad Murad II, letter of Mahmud Khan bin Muhammad Khan bin Timur Khan to Fatih Sultan Mehmed, and letter of Ahmad Khan ibn Muhammad ibn Timur Khan to Fatih Sultan Mehmed. Kurat studied yarlyks and bitiks at a high scholarly level of source studies. They still are the basis for the study of the Golden Horde documents. Thanks to the good knowledge of the Ottoman, Russian, European sources, and historiography A.N. Kurat analyzed in detail the political situation in the Golden Horde; especially valuable are his works on the 15th century. His works on the period of Ulug Muhammad are still among the most important works devoted to this outstanding personage of the late Golden Horde. In his works Kurat asked himself: why the Golden Horde disintegrated? In search of answers to this question he put to the first place the confrontation between Tokhtamysh Khan and Timur Aksak. His conclusions about relationship between the Golden Horde and the Ottoman Empire are confirmed by the latest works on this topic.

Serological IgG Testing to Diagnose Alimentary Induced Diseases and Monitoring Efficacy of an Individual Defined Diet in Dogs

OpenAIRE

Anne-Margré C. Vink

2014-01-01

Background. Food-related allergies and intolerances are frequently occurring in dogs. Diagnosis and monitoring according ‘Golden Standard’ of elimination efficiency is, however, time consuming, expensive, and requires expert clinical setting. In order to facilitate rapid and robust, quantitative testing of intolerance, and determining the individual offending foods, a serological test is implicated for Alimentary Induced Diseases and manifestations. Method. As we developed Medisynx IgG Human ...

7 CFR 52.1847 - Colors of golden seedless raisins.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Colors of golden seedless raisins. 52.1847 Section 52... Raisins § 52.1847 Colors of golden seedless raisins. The color of Golden Seedless Raisins is not a factor of quality for the purpose of these grades. The color requirements applicable to the respective color...

Comparative locomotor costs of domestic dogs reveal energetic economy of wolf-like breeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryce, Caleb M; Williams, Terrie M

2017-01-15

The broad diversity in morphology and geographic distribution of the 35 free-ranging members of the family Canidae is only rivaled by that of the domesticated dog, Canis lupus familiaris. Considered to be among nature's most elite endurance athletes, both domestic and wild canids provide a unique opportunity to examine the variability in mammalian aerobic exercise performance and energy expenditure. To determine the potential effects of domestication and selective breeding on locomotor gait and economy in canids, we measured the kinematics and mass-specific metabolism of three large (>20 kg) dog breed groups (northern breeds, retrievers and hounds) of varying morphological and genomic relatedness to their shared progenitor, the gray wolf. By measuring all individuals moving in preferred steady-state gaits along a level transect and on a treadmill, we found distinct biomechanical, kinematic and energetic patterns for each breed group. While all groups exhibited reduced total cost of transport (COT) at faster speeds, the total COT and net COT during trotting and galloping were significantly lower for northern breed dogs (3.0 and 2.1 J kg -1  m -1 , respectively) relative to hound (4.2 and 3.4 J kg -1  m -1 , respectively) and retriever dogs (3.8 and 3.0 J kg -1  m -1 , respectively) of comparable mass. Similarly, northern breeds expended less energy per stride (3.5 J kg -1  stride -1 ) than hounds or retrievers (5.0 and 4.0 J kg -1  stride -1 , respectively). These results suggest that, in addition to their close genetic and morphological ties to gray wolves, northern breed dogs have retained highly cursorial kinematic and physiological traits that promote economical movement across the landscape. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

The Canine POMC Gene, Obesity in Labrador Retrievers and Susceptibility to Diabetes Mellitus

OpenAIRE

Davison, L.J.; Holder, A.; Catchpole, B.; O'Callaghan, C.A.

2017-01-01

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs is a common endocrinopathy with a complex genetic architecture. Disease susceptibility in several breeds is associated with polymorphisms in immune response genes, but in the Labrador retriever breed, no genetic associations with DM have been identified. A deletion in the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene in Labrador retrievers is associated with increased appetite and risk of obesity. Hypothesis/Objectives To characterize the POMC deletion i...

Postoperative Respiratory Function and Survival After Pneumonectomy in Dogs and Cats.

Science.gov (United States)

Majeski, Stephanie A; Steffey, Michele A; Mayhew, Philipp D; Hunt, Geraldine B; Holt, David E; Runge, Jeffrey J; Kass, Philip H; Mellema, Matthew

2016-08-01

To describe indications for, and outcomes after, pneumonectomy in dogs and cats, including assessment of immediate postoperative respiratory function in comparison to dogs undergoing single lung lobectomy. Retrospective case series. Dogs (n=16) and cats (n=7) with naturally occurring pulmonary disease. Medical records (1990-2014) of dogs and cats undergoing right or left pneumonectomy were reviewed. Data retrieved included signalment, history, preoperative diagnostics, operative descriptions, postoperative data including respiratory function, and postdischarge outcomes. For respiratory function comparisons, medical records of dogs having undergone a single lung lobectomy via median sternotomy (n=15) or intercostal thoracotomy (n=15) were reviewed. Twenty-three cases (16 dogs, 7 cats) were included. Pneumonectomy was performed for congenital (1 dog, 1 cat), neoplastic (8 dogs, 1 cat), and infectious (7 dogs, 5 cats) disease. Postoperative aspiration pneumonia occurred in 2 dogs; 15 of 16 dogs (94%) and 6/7 cats (86%) survived to hospital discharge. After pneumonectomy, dogs had a significantly higher postoperative PaO2 on 21% oxygen (P=.033) and lower postoperative A-a gradient (P=.004) compared to dogs undergoing single lung lobectomy. Survival times (right-censored at last follow-up) for dogs ranged from 2 days to 7 years (estimated median=1,868 days) and for cats from 1-585 days. Dogs and cats have acceptable respiratory function immediately postoperatively and most have protracted long-term survival after pneumonectomy for a variety of pulmonary diseases. © Copyright 2016 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Your Golden Jubilee Party!

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

All staff are invited to the Golden Jubilee Staff Party on the evening of 17 September. To mark CERN's 50th anniversary, the Director General would like to invite all staff working at CERN to celebrate the success of the organization. The party will be held on the terrace of the Main Building on 17 September at 4:00 pm. The event will include an address by the DG, music, film clips, drinks and snacks. Your effort, hard work and enthusiasm have been the key to CERN's success. The first of the main events celebrating the organization's Golden Jubilee is for you, so come along and celebrate!

Gonadal dosage during hip dysplasia radiography in the dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, A K; Reynolds, K M; Leith, I S; Burns, P A

1977-01-01

Thermoluminescent dosemeters were used to estimate gonadal dosage during hip dysplasia radiography of labrador retriever dogs. The mean radiation dose to the unshielded testes was 100 millirad (mrad) and the estimated dose to the shielded testes was 9 mrad. It was considered unnecessary to shield the ovaries.

The Golden Ratio in Time-based Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily Verba

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Measure and proportion manifest themselves in all areas of beauty and virtue.–Socrates Mathematics and visual communication share a long historical, symbiotic relationship. In their pursuit of achieving order and beauty, they find common ground through geometry. The golden ratio is a mathematic and aesthetic phenomenon inherent in nature that has consistently evoked sensory enjoyment since antiquity. It may be assumed that the manifestation of the golden ratio in nature accounts for human’s innate enjoyment of it. Throughout the ages, the conscious application of the golden ratio to proportions found in art, architecture, poetry, literature and musical composition has consistently evoked subconscious sensory pleasure. However, the application of the golden ratio to visual temporal proportion, or time-based media, has seldom been investigated. This thesis investigates various applications of the golden ratio as a mathematical framework for choreographing visually harmonious temporal compositions through time-based media. The proliferation of moving images we face on a daily basis is cause for great concern, as we have increasingly less free time in our days. Informative and pleasing images are buried in an avalanche of visual rubbish, constantly streaming into our physical and virtual worlds. Time-based media has the ability to expand and contract movement, thus directing the way viewers experience and spend their time. This investigation presupposes that editing moving images via increments of time determined by the golden ratio may streamline messages, isolating what is most symbolic and effectively communicative within a mathematical framework. A physiological and psychological benefit is created for viewers; there is no wasted time or space. Image-makers and visual communicators have a responsibility to create only that which is useful and/or aesthetically pleasing. An investigation into the temporal structure of time-based media, using

Progression of pectinate ligament dysplasia over time in two populations of Flat-Coated Retrievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearl, Rose; Gould, David; Spiess, Bernhard

2015-01-01

Two of the authors (DG, BS) independently observed that a number of Flat-Coated Retrievers (FCRs) previously unaffected by pectinate ligament dysplasia (PLD) appeared to develop the condition later in life. This study was instigated to investigate progression of PLD within individual dogs over time. Flat-Coated Retrievers that had previously undergone gonioscopy under the UK/ECVO hereditary eye schemes were included in the study. A second gonioscopic examination was performed 1.92-12.58 years later (mean 6, median 5.75 years) and the results compared. 39 FCR (17 males, 22 females) in the UK and 57 FCR (27 males, 30 females) in Switzerland were included. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and gonioscopy were performed in all dogs. Gonioscopy allowed classification as either unaffected or affected; percentage of the iridocorneal drainage angle (ICA) affected by PLD was determined, before calculating progression observed as mild, moderate, or severe. 39 of 96 (40.6%) dogs demonstrated progression of PLD (P 90% ICA affected, consistent with a high risk of glaucoma. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report describing progression of PLD in individual dogs over time, in a breed affected by primary, angle closure glaucoma. © 2013 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

The human heart: application of the golden ratio and angle.

Science.gov (United States)

Henein, Michael Y; Zhao, Ying; Nicoll, Rachel; Sun, Lin; Khir, Ashraf W; Franklin, Karl; Lindqvist, Per

2011-08-04

The golden ratio, or golden mean, of 1.618 is a proportion known since antiquity to be the most aesthetically pleasing and has been used repeatedly in art and architecture. Both the golden ratio and the allied golden angle of 137.5° have been found within the proportions and angles of the human body and plants. In the human heart we found many applications of the golden ratio and angle, in addition to those previously described. In healthy hearts, vertical and transverse dimensions accord with the golden ratio, irrespective of different absolute dimensions due to ethnicity. In mild heart failure, the ratio of 1.618 was maintained but in end-stage heart failure the ratio significantly reduced. Similarly, in healthy ventricles mitral annulus dimensions accorded with the golden ratio, while in dilated cardiomyopathy and mitral regurgitation patients the ratio had significantly reduced. In healthy patients, both the angles between the mid-luminal axes of the pulmonary trunk and the ascending aorta continuation and between the outflow tract axis and continuation of the inflow tract axis of the right ventricle approximate to the golden angle, although in severe pulmonary hypertension, the angle is significantly increased. Hence the overall cardiac and ventricular dimensions in a normal heart are consistent with the golden ratio and angle, representing optimum pump structure and function efficiency, whereas there is significant deviation in the disease state. These findings could have anatomical, functional and prognostic value as markers of early deviation from normality. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Golden Haidegg, a new apple mutant clone with improved marketing value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strempl, F.; Keppl, H.; Brunner, H.

1988-01-01

Full text: Golden Delicious and its derivatives are the leading apple cultivars in Austria. Traits limiting the economic yield are susceptibility to russeting, a heterogenous fruit assortment score and consumer preferences. Mutation breeding was started in 1972. Dormant five bud scions of Golden Delicious were irradiated with 40, 50 or 60 Gy gamma rays at a dose rate of 20 Gy min -1 and grafted on rootstocks M9. M 1 V 1 survival rates were 78% (40 Gy), 36% (50 Gy) and 6% (60 Gy). Surviving scions produced, on the average, two primary shoots from which three to five buds were used for summer budding. Primary shoots were pruned back to force M 1 V 2 shoots from the lower secondary buds. An incidental occurrence of viruses and mycoplasms was overcome by thermotherapy, but delayed completing procedures of selection, re-selection and confirmation of the selected traits till the M 1 V 6 generation. Desirable mutations in shoot vigor, growth type, fruit size and fruit quality characters were obtained from the 40 and 50 Gy treatments only, while 60 Gy produced generally grossly aberrant phenotypes. A mutant with smooth sheen fruits associated with a more flat shape and non-russeting was selected from the 50 Gy treatment. Smooth sheen and non-russeting are evidently independent traits. Among 18 different mutant clones tested in microtrials, only the russet-free, smooth sheen clone was superior to the parent cultivar in market value. This clone, named Golden Haidegg, was tested during four years in different environments, compared with other clones derived from Golden Delicious, i.e. Lysgolden, Belgolden, Supergolden, Cloden, Golden 1972, Golden s.r E9, Golden clone A and B, Golden Shay, Golden Missouri, Charden, Mutsu and Smoothe. All trees were virus free, grafted on rootstock M9 and trained as slender spindle; applied field management conditions were identical. The evaluation concerned yield, russeting, fruit-shape, colour, weight, assortment and cold-storability. Clone

Putative golden proportions as predictors of facial esthetics in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiekens, Rosemie M A; Kuijpers-Jagtman, Anne Marie; van 't Hof, Martin A; van 't Hof, Bep E; Maltha, Jaap C

2008-10-01

In orthodontics, facial esthetics is assumed to be related to golden proportions apparent in the ideal human face. The aim of the study was to analyze the putative relationship between facial esthetics and golden proportions in white adolescents. Seventy-six adult laypeople evaluated sets of photographs of 64 adolescents on a visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 to 100. The facial esthetic value of each subject was calculated as a mean VAS score. Three observers recorded the position of 13 facial landmarks included in 19 putative golden proportions, based on the golden proportions as defined by Ricketts. The proportions and each proportion's deviation from the golden target (1.618) were calculated. This deviation was then related to the VAS scores. Only 4 of the 19 proportions had a significant negative correlation with the VAS scores, indicating that beautiful faces showed less deviation from the golden standard than less beautiful faces. Together, these variables explained only 16% of the variance. Few golden proportions have a significant relationship with facial esthetics in adolescents. The explained variance of these variables is too small to be of clinical importance.

Breeding implications resulting from classification of patellae luxation in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

van Grevenhof, E M; Hazewinkel, H A W; Heuven, H C M

2016-08-01

Patellar luxation (PL) is one of the major hereditary orthopaedic abnormalities observed in a variety of dog breeds. When the patellae move sideways out of the trochlear groove, this is called PL. The PL score varies between dogs from normal to very severe. Reducing the prevalence of PL by breeding could prevent surgery, thereby improve welfare. Orthopaedic specialists differentiate between normal and loose patellae, where the patellae can be moved to the edge of the trochlear groove, considering scoring loose patellae as normal in the future. Loose patellae are considered acceptable for breeding so far by the breeding organization. The aim of this study was to analyse the genetic background of PL to decide on the importance of loose patellae when breeding for healthy dogs. Data are available from two dog breeds, that is Flat-coated Retrievers (n = 3808) and Kooiker dogs (n = 794), with a total of 4602 dogs. Results show that loose patellae indicate that dogs are genetically more susceptible to develop PL because family members of the dogs with loose patellae showed more severe PL. In addition, the estimated breeding values for dogs with loose patellae indicate that breeding values of dogs with loose patellae were worse than breeding values obtained for dogs with a normal score. Given these results, it is advised to orthopaedic specialists to continue to score loose patellae as a separate class and to dog breeders to minimize the use of dogs in breeding with a genetically higher susceptibility for PL. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Dog Breed Differences in Visual Communication with Humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Konno, Akitsugu; Romero, Teresa; Inoue-Murayama, Miho; Saito, Atsuko; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2016-01-01

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have developed a close relationship with humans through the process of domestication. In human-dog interactions, eye contact is a key element of relationship initiation and maintenance. Previous studies have suggested that canine ability to produce human-directed communicative signals is influenced by domestication history, from wolves to dogs, as well as by recent breed selection for particular working purposes. To test the genetic basis for such abilities in purebred dogs, we examined gazing behavior towards humans using two types of behavioral experiments: the 'visual contact task' and the 'unsolvable task'. A total of 125 dogs participated in the study. Based on the genetic relatedness among breeds subjects were classified into five breed groups: Ancient, Herding, Hunting, Retriever-Mastiff and Working). We found that it took longer time for Ancient breeds to make an eye-contact with humans, and that they gazed at humans for shorter periods of time than any other breed group in the unsolvable situation. Our findings suggest that spontaneous gaze behavior towards humans is associated with genetic similarity to wolves rather than with recent selective pressure to create particular working breeds.

The 'golden' matrices and a new kind of cryptography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stakhov, A.P.

2007-01-01

We consider a new class of square matrices called the 'golden' matrices. They are a generalization of the classical Fibonacci Q-matrix for continuous domain. The 'golden' matrices can be used for creation of a new kind of cryptography called the 'golden' cryptography. The method is very fast and simple for technical realization and can be used for cryptographic protection of digital signals (telecommunication and measurement systems)

Occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from diagnostic samples from dogs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Karl; Pedersen, Kristina; Jensen, Helene

2007-01-01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 25 Pasteurella multocida, 29 Proteus spp. and 449 Escherichia coli isolates from clinical submissions from dogs were determined by a broth-dilution method for determination of minimal inhibitory concentration. Data for consumption of antimicrobials were retrieved from Vet....... intermedius and Proteus isolates. Conclusions: This investigation provided data on occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in important pathogenic bacteria from dogs, which may be useful for the small animal practitioner. Resistance was low to the compounds that were most often used, but unfortunately...

Golden Ratio

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Our attraction to another body increases if the body is symmetricaland in proportion. If a face or a structure is in proportion,we are more likely to notice it and find it beautiful.The universal ratio of beauty is the 'Golden Ratio', found inmany structures. This ratio comes from Fibonacci numbers.In this article, we explore this ...

Short-Term Outcome of Multiple Port Laparoscopic Splenectomy in 10 Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaver, Stephanie L; Mayhew, Philipp D; Steffey, Michele A; Hunt, Geraldine B; Mayhew, Kelli N; Culp, William T N

2015-07-01

To describe surgical techniques for multiple port laparoscopic splenectomy (MLS) in dogs and report short-term outcome. Retrospective case series. Dogs (n = 10) with naturally occurring splenic disease. Medical records (March 2012-March 2013) of dogs that had MLS were reviewed. Data retrieved included signalment, weight, clinical signs, physical examination findings, preoperative laboratory and ultrasonographic findings, port number, size, and location, patient positioning, additional procedures performed, surgical duration, histopathologic diagnosis, duration of hospitalization, and perioperative complications. Ten dogs (median weight, 28.7 kg; range, 20.2-46.0 kg) had MLS using a 3 or 4 port technique and a vessel-sealing device for tissue dissection along the splenic hilus. Dog positioning varied because of additional laparoscopic or laparoscopic-assisted procedures including adrenalectomy (n = 2), ovariectomy (1), gastropexy (1), and intestinal resection and anastomosis (1). Conversion to an open approach was necessary in 1 dog because of inadequate visibility caused by omental adhesions. One dog had hemorrhage from an omental vessel, but open conversion was not required. MLS was associated with little perioperative morbidity and few complications in this cohort of dogs and may be a reasonable option for surgical management of dogs requiring elective splenectomy. © Copyright 2014 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

7 CFR 301.85-9 - Movement of live golden nematodes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Movement of live golden nematodes. 301.85-9 Section... INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES Golden Nematode Quarantine and Regulations § 301.85-9 Movement of live golden nematodes. Regulations requiring a permit for and otherwise...

Your Golden Jubilee Party!

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

All staff are invited to the Golden Jubilee Staff Party on the evening of 17 September. To mark CERN's 50th anniversary, the Director General would like to invite all staff working at CERN to celebrate the success of the organization. The party will be held on the terrace of the Main Building on 17 September at 4:00 pm. The event will include an address by the DG, music, film clips, drinks and snacks! Your effort, hard work and enthusiasm have been the key to CERN's success. The first of the main events celebrating the organization's Golden Jubilee is for you, so come along and celebrate! http://www.cern.ch/cern50/

Your Golden Jubilee Party!

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

All staff are invited to the Golden Jubilee Staff Party on the evening of 17 September To mark CERN's 50th anniversary, the Director General would like to invite all staff working at CERN to celebrate the success of the organization. The party will be held on the terrace of the Main Building on 17 September at 4:00 pm. The event will include an address by the DG, music, film clips, drinks and snacks. Your effort, hard work and enthusiasm have been the key to CERN's success. The first of the main events celebrating the organization's Golden Jubilee is for you, so come along and celebrate! http://www.cern.ch/cern50/

Assessment of the golden ratio in pleasing smiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikgoo, Arash; Alavi, Kamiar; Alavi, Kavah; Mirfazaelian, Ali

2009-01-01

The golden ratio is a guideline to help harmoniously restore or replace missing teeth. However, this concept is controversial. This study assesses the validity of the golden ratio between the widths of the maxillary anterior teeth in individuals presenting with an attractive/nonattractive smile. A double-stage random cluster sample cross-sectional study included 903 students whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years and met the inclusion criteria. Image-measurement software was used to assess the perceived mesiodistal widths of the maxillary anterior teeth on scanned photographs. A jury of two dental professionals, a portrait photographer, and a painter, along with the respective subject as the fifth judge, determined the attractiveness of each smile on a visual analog scale. The mean value determined whether an individual was allocated to the attractive or nonattractive smile group. Finally, the prevalence of the golden ratio was investigated in these two groups. Intraobserver correlation coefficient was 0.966. Cochran's chi-square test was used for data analysis. According to the jury, 143 individuals had an attractive smile and 289 had a nonattractive smile. Maxillary central to lateral incisor ratio showed the golden proportion in 50.3% of the students with an attractive smile as compared to 38.1% in the nonattractive smile group (P =.014). However, the golden ratio between the maxillary lateral incisors and the canines existed in only 16.8% of the individuals with an attractive smile as compared to 12.1% in the nonattractive smile group (P =.223). The golden ratio can be useful to achieve esthetic restorations of the maxillary central and lateral incisors. However, the golden ratio between the perceived widths of the maxillary lateral incisors to the canines does not seem to be decisive for an attractive smile and other factors should be considered. © 2009 BY QUINTESSENCE PUBLISHING CO, INC.

Shihabutdin Marjani on the Golden Horde

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.M. Mirgaleev

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Research objectives: The publication of the Russian translation of the section on the history of the Golden Horde from the work of Shihabutdin Marjani, “Mustafad al-akhbar fi akhvali Kazan va Bulgar” (Information Related to the History of Kazan and Bulgar. Research materials: This Russian translation of the section on the Golden Horde history from the well-known work of Sh. Marjani “Mustafad al-akhbar fi akhvali Kazan va Bulgar” is presented to the attention of specialists. This section was earlier excluded from the 1989 edition for ideological reasons. A translation of the first volume of this book in the Russian edition of 2005 turned out to be substandard. This section was also published in 2008 in the modern Tatar language. The authors decided to publish this work now in consideration of the fact that the 200th anniversary of Sh. Marjani’s birth will be celebrated this year. In his work, Sh. Marjani used many written sources by such authors as Rashid al-Din, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Battuta, Mirkhond, Abu al-Ghazi, Ibn Arabshah, and others. He also used numismatics and epigraphic data, written documents, and historical legends. According to Sh. Marjani, the Golden Horde state became one of the greatest states of the Middle Ages. He pointed to the decline of education and culture, internal strife and feuds, and invasions of external enemies as the main causes for the dissolution of the Golden Horde. Research results and novelty: This work which the founder of Tatar historiography, Sh.Marjani, dedicated to the Golden Horde history will now be introduced into the present scholarly discussions.

Temporary self-expanding cardia stents for the treatment of achalasia: an experimental study in dogs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yueqi; Cheng Yingsheng; Li Minghua; Zhao Jungong; Li Feng; Chen Niwei

2011-01-01

Objective: To assess the performance, efficiency and optimal removal time of a newly designed temporary retrievable cardia covered stent (TRC-CS) for the treatment of achalasia in a dog model. Methods: Eighty-four achalasia-like dog models were randomly divided into seven groups of 12, a control group (CG; no stent insertion), a standard stent control group (NSCG, standard esophageal stent) and five treatment groups (TG, TRC-CS). Stents were retrieved at 4 days after insertion in the NSCG and at 4 days (4 d-TG), 2 weeks (2 w-TG), 1 month (1 m-TG), 3 months (3 m-TG), and 6 months (6 m-TG) in the TGs. lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP) and a timed barium esophagram were assessed before stent insertion, after stent retrieval, and at 1-week, 1-, 3- and 6-month follow-up. Three dogs in NSCG and 4 d-TG were sacrificed for histological examination at each follow-up to investigate the inflammatory reaction after stent insertion. Results: Stent insertion/removal and the follow-up procedures were well tolerated. At 6-month follow-up, the 2 w-TG and 1 m-TG demonstrated an acceptable stent migration (n=2 in both TGs versus n=4 in NSCG, n=4 in 3 m-TG, and =6 in 6 m-TG), improved LESP compared to after BAC injection (P<0.05), and improved timed barium height (p=0.0144 and 0.0409). Mouse-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and α-smooth muscle actin staining revealed no inflammatory reaction difference between the NSCG and 4d-TG at each follow-up. Conclusion: The TRC-CS was effective in the treatment of achalasia in a dog model. LESP measurements, timed barium esophagram studies suggest an optimal stent retrieval time of between 2 w∼1 m. (authors)

75 FR 47236 - Golden Parachute and Indemnification Payments

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-05

... golden parachute, severance, indemnification or other agreement. Claims for employee welfare benefits or... legitimate employee severance payments and improper golden parachute payments. DATES: Comments must be... FICUs with greater clarity on the distinction between legitimate employee severance payments and...

"Boldness" in the domestic dog differs among breeds and breed groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Starling, Melissa J; Branson, Nicholas; Thomson, Peter C; McGreevy, Paul D

2013-07-01

"Boldness" in dogs is believed to be one end of the shy-bold axis, representing a super-trait. Several personality traits fall under the influence of this super-trait. Previous studies on boldness in dogs have found differences among breeds, but grouping breeds on the basis of behavioural similarities has been elusive. This study investigated differences in the expression of boldness among dog breeds, kennel club breed groups, and sub-groups of kennel club breed groups by way of a survey on dog personality circulated among Australian dog-training clubs and internet forums and lists. Breed had a significant effect on boldness (F=1.63, numDF=111, denDF=272, ppurpose. Retrievers were significantly bolder than flushing and pointing breeds (Reg. Coef.=2.148; S.E.=0.593; pdogs. Differences in boldness among groups and sub-groups suggest that behavioural tendencies may be influenced by historical purpose regardless of whether that purpose still factors in selective breeding. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Golden Jubilee Celebrations

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

1985-01-01

Jan 1, 1985 ... January 1985 No.9 Newsletter of the Indian Academy of Sciences. Golden ... ray research and cosmic ray physicists over the past fifty years in ...... some qualitative characters in chickpea (Cicer anetmum Ll;. N K Rao, R B 5 ...

Golden Rice is an effective source of vitamin A1234

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Jian; Dolnikowski, Gregory G; Russell, Robert M; Grusak, Michael A

2009-01-01

Background: Genetically engineered “Golden Rice” contains up to 35 μg β-carotene per gram of rice. It is important to determine the vitamin A equivalency of Golden Rice β-carotene to project the potential effect of this biofortified grain in rice-consuming populations that commonly exhibit low vitamin A status. Objective: The objective was to determine the vitamin A value of intrinsically labeled dietary Golden Rice in humans. Design: Golden Rice plants were grown hydroponically with heavy water (deuterium oxide) to generate deuterium-labeled [2H]β-carotene in the rice grains. Golden Rice servings of 65–98 g (130–200 g cooked rice) containing 0.99–1.53 mg β-carotene were fed to 5 healthy adult volunteers (3 women and 2 men) with 10 g butter. A reference dose of [13C10]retinyl acetate (0.4–1.0 mg) in oil was given to each volunteer 1 wk before ingestion of the Golden Rice dose. Blood samples were collected over 36 d. Results: Our results showed that the mean (±SD) area under the curve for the total serum response to [2H]retinol was 39.9 ± 20.7 μg·d after the Golden Rice dose. Compared with that of the [13C10]retinyl acetate reference dose (84.7 ± 34.6 μg·d), Golden Rice β-carotene provided 0.24–0.94 mg retinol. Thus, the conversion factor of Golden Rice β-carotene to retinol is 3.8 ± 1.7 to 1 with a range of 1.9–6.4 to 1 by weight, or 2.0 ± 0.9 to 1 with a range of 1.0–3.4 to 1 by moles. Conclusion: β-Carotene derived from Golden Rice is effectively converted to vitamin A in humans. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00680355. PMID:19369372

The Golden Horde Policies toward the Ilkhanate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.М. Mirgaleev

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The author examines the foreign policy of the Golden Horde in relation to the Ilkhanate of Persia in the 13th–14th centuries. The basics of the Golden Horde foreign policy towards Hulaguids were laid down during the reign of Berke Khan and remained a priority until the collapse of the Ilkhanate.

Electrocardiographic evaluation in dogs of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Moreira de Lima

2016-11-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT. Lima A.M., Ferreira L.T., Silva S.C., Jorge S.F., Ramos M.T., Pascon J.P.E., Moreira R.M. & Abidu-Figueiredo M. [Electrocardiographic evaluation in dogs of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro.] Avaliação eletrocardiográfica em cães da Polícia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 38(Supl.2:61-66, 2016. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR 465, Km 7, Seropédica, RJ 23897-970, Brasil. E-mail: marceloabidu@gmail.com In Rio de Janeiro, the Army, the Military Police and the Municipal Guard use dogs for routine patrol and detection of drugs, weapons, explosives and people. The most used breeds are German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Malinois Belgian Shepherd, Dutch Shepherd, and Doberman. Although these animals follow a protocol of physical activity, the kennel does not include a routine cardiovascular assessment and preventive hematologic exams. Forty four adult dogs were used, 13 Labrador Retrievers, 12 Malinois Belgian Shepherds, 10 German Shepherds, eight Dobermans and five Dutch Shepherds, all clinically healthy and from the Military Police Battalion of Action with Dogs of the Rio de Janeiro state. The animals underwent computed electrocardiographic and hematological evaluations. All electrocardiographic variables were correlated with body weight. Among the five breeds evaluated in the present study, only the Labrador breed showed a positive correlation between the duration of the QT interval and weight. The other electrocardiographic variables did not show any correlation with body weight. There were differences in the electrical shaft angle in Dobermann breed dogs. Labrador breed dogs showed the highest values for P wave amplitude and the breed Dobermann the lowest values. Breed dogs Labrador and German Shepherd showed the highest values for R wave amplitude and the breed Dobermann the lowest values. The QT segment as Labrador breed dogs is directly proportional to body

Reliability of goniometry in Labrador Retrievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaegger, Gayle; Marcellin-Little, Denis J; Levine, David

2002-07-01

To evaluate the reliability of goniometry by comparing goniometric measurements with radiographic measurements and evaluate the effects of sedation on range of joint motion. 16 healthy adult Labrador Retrievers. 3 investigators blindly and independently measured range of motion of the carpus, elbow, shoulder, tarsus, stifle, and hip joints of 16 Labrador Retrievers in triplicate before and after dogs were sedated. Radiographs of all joints in maximal flexion and extension were made during under sedation. Goniometric measurements were compared with radiographic measurements. The influence of sedation and the intra- and intertester variability were evaluated; 95% confidence intervals for all ranges of motion were determined. Results of goniometric and radiographic measurements were not significantly different. Results of measurements made by the 3 investigators were not significantly different. Multiple measurements made by 1 investigator varied from 1 to 6 degrees (median, 3 degrees) depending on the joint. Sedation did not influence the range of motion of the evaluated joints. Goniometry is a reliable and objective method for determining range of motion of joints in healthy Labrador Retrievers.

Golden Ratio

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Our attraction to another body increases if the body is sym- metrical and in proportion. If a face or a structure is in pro- portion, we are more likely to notice it and find it beautiful. The universal ratio of beauty is the 'Golden Ratio', found in many structures. This ratio comes from Fibonacci numbers. In this article, we explore this ...

Telemetric measurement of body core temperature in exercising unconditioned Labrador retrievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Angle, T Craig; Gillette, Robert L

2011-04-01

This project evaluated the use of an ingestible temperature sensor to measure body core temperature (Tc) in exercising dogs. Twenty-five healthy, unconditioned Labrador retrievers participated in an outdoor 3.5-km run, completed in 20 min on a level, 400-m grass track. Core temperature was measured continuously with a telemetric monitoring system before, during, and after the run. Data were successfully collected with no missing data points during the exercise. Core temperature elevated in the dogs from 38.7 ± 0.3°C at pre-exercise to 40.4 ± 0.6°C post-exercise. While rectal temperatures are still the standard of measurement, telemetric core temperature monitors may offer an easier and more comfortable means of sampling core temperature with minimal human and mechanical interference with the exercising dog.

WEO Special Report 2012: Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-09-06

Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world's vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas - notably shale gas - can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success. But some governments are hesitant, or even actively opposed. They are responding to public concerns that production might involve unacceptable environmental and social damage. This report, in the World Energy Outlook series, treats these aspirations and anxieties with equal seriousness. It features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a {sup s}ocial licence to operate{sup ;} and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.

WEO Special Report 2012: Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-09-06

Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world's vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas - notably shale gas - can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success. But some governments are hesitant, or even actively opposed. They are responding to public concerns that production might involve unacceptable environmental and social damage. This report, in the World Energy Outlook series, treats these aspirations and anxieties with equal seriousness. It features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a {sup s}ocial licence to operate{sup ;} and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.

Phenotypic and genetic evaluation of elbow dysplasia in Dutch Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Bernese Mountain Dogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lavrijsen, I.C.M.; Heuven, H.C.M.; Voorhout, G.; Meij, B.P.; Theyse, L.F.H.; Leegwater, P.A.J.; Hazewinkel, H.A.W.

2012-01-01

Canine elbow dysplasia encompasses four developmental diseases: ununited anconeal process, osteochondrosis of the medial part of the humeral condyle, fragmented medial coronoid process (FCP), and incongruity of the elbow joint. Four radiographic views per joint were used to evaluate 2693 Labrador

golden crabbers cost data

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) considered (but ultimately rejected) instituting a golden crab individual transferable quota (ITQ) program in...

Assessment of the incidence of GDV following splenectomy in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldhammer, M A; Haining, H; Milne, E M; Shaw, D J; Yool, D A

2010-01-01

To establish if splenectomy increases the incidence of gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) in dogs. Two case-series studies of cases and controls were performed. Records of dogs that had undergone splenectomy (37 cases) were compared with records of dogs that had undergone other abdominal surgery (43 cases). Records of dogs that presented for non-elective gastropexy (33 cases) were compared with records of dogs presented to the hospital for unrelated reasons (39 cases). Survival following splenectomy and development of GDV in the first 12 months following surgery were retrieved from the clinical records and by questionnaire-based canvassing of the referring clinician. The incidence of GDV following splenectomy was established and the association between a current episode of GDV and previous splenectomy was assessed. There was no evidence that splenectomy was associated with an increased incidence of subsequent GDV (P=0.469). No association between a current episode of GDV and previous splenectomy was found. Splenectomy is not associated with an increase in the incidence of GDV.

The Golden Horde and the Mamluks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Favereau

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Research objective: to discuss characteristics of the relations between the Mamluks and the Golden Horde. Research materials: Mamluk (royal biographies, official histories, chancellery manuals, inšā’ literature, Italian, Ilkhanid and Timurid sources. Results and novelty of the research: the Golden Horde and the Mamluk sultanate exchanged envoys during almost two centuries. The reasons why these two societies enjoyed relations over the long run were complex and changed over time. This study shows that the Mamluk-Jöchid relationship cannot be considered as a single, long-lasting alliance, but as a succession of silent periods and active exchanges. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that it aims at clarifying the motivations of the successive alliances set between the sultans and the khans by reconstructing the chronology of these exchanges and carefully investigating key moments. The traditional views on the “Mamluk-Jöchid diplomacy”, described by historians as a loose entente, is here reconsidered and the internal situations of both the Golden Horde and the Mamluk sultanate are taken into account. This study gives an overview of the long relationship of the Golden Horde and the Mamluk sultanate and offers some answers to the following questions: Did the fact that Mamluks and Jöchids shared the same enemies remain the essential cornerstone of their diplomatic relations? Can we speak of a “foreign policy” that went beyond the personal investment of a single ruler? As a result of our research we came to the conclusion that the long-term relationships of the Mamluk sultanate and the Golden Horde had a strong impact not only on both empires but also on the whole inter-regional balance.

The economic power of the Golden Rice opposition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wesseler, J.H.H.; Zilberman, D.

2014-01-01

Vitamin A enriched rice (Golden Rice) is a cost-efficient solution that can substantially reduce health costs. Despite Golden Rice being available since early 2000, this rice has not been introduced in any country. Governments must perceive additional costs that overcompensate the benefits of the

Golden Eagle Territories and Ecology at Site 300

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fratanduono, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-09-29

Garcia and Associates (GANDA) was contracted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to collect information on golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) use of Site 300. During 2014, we conducted surveys at Site 300 and for an area including a 10-mile radius of Site 300. Those surveys documented 42 golden eagle territories including two territories that overlapped with Site 300. These were named ‘Tesla’ and ‘Linac Road’. In 2015, we conducted surveys to refine the territory boundaries of golden eagle territories that overlapped with Site 300 and to document eagle activity at Site 300.

Golden Age

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2013-01-01

　　Sometimes, a moment can announce the end of an age. The gold market is like that. Within two transaction days, the gold slumped by 13%and saw a 25%tumble from the high point in August 2011. According to the classic investment theory, a 20%-above decline means the shift from“a bull”to“a bear”market. 　　The super bear market of gold has lasted a dozen years. But the bull-to-bear shift was completed within only 20 minutes. Wall Street’s analysts and ordinary Chinese people had different understandings to the golden age. 　　Expecting a bear market, Wall Street continuously dumped gold, resulting in a diving of gold price. Seeing the benefits, leisure Chinese madams made a gold rush, causing a slight bounce of gold price. On April 23, renowned investment bank Goldman Sachs suspended the short sale. So,“Chinese aunts”beating back Wall Street’s analysts became the hottest topic online for the time being. 　　What are the decisive factors for the crash of gold price? Will the gold market complete a real bull-to-bear shift? Will the golden age of gold be farther or nearer?

Comparison between core temperatures measured telemetrically using the CorTemp® ingestible temperature sensor and rectal temperature in healthy Labrador retrievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Osinchuk, Stephanie; Taylor, Susan M; Shmon, Cindy L; Pharr, John; Campbell, John

2014-10-01

This study evaluated the CorTemp(®) ingestible telemetric core body temperature sensor in dogs, to establish the relationship between rectal temperature and telemetrically measured core body temperature at rest and during exercise, and to examine the effect of sensor location in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract on measured core temperature. CorTemp(®) sensors were administered orally to fasted Labrador retriever dogs and radiographs were taken to document sensor location. Core and rectal temperatures were monitored throughout the day in 6 resting dogs and during a 10-minute strenuous retrieving exercise in 6 dogs. Time required for the sensor to leave the stomach (120 to 610 min) was variable. Measured core temperature was consistently higher than rectal temperature across all GI locations but temperature differences based on GI location were not significant (P = 0.5218). Resting dogs had a core temperature that was on average 0.4°C above their rectal temperature with 95% limits of agreement (LoA) between 1.2°C and -0.5°C. Core temperature in exercising dogs was on average 0.3°C higher than their concurrent rectal temperature, with LoA of +1.6°C and -1.1°C.

Epidemiological and morphological studies of double-chambered right ventricle in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, Ryuji; Tanaka, Ryou; Suzuki, Shuji; Hamabe, Rina; Machida, Noboru; Nakao, Shu; Saida, Yuto; Takashima, Kazuaki; Matsumoto, Hirotaka; Koyama, Hidekazu; Hirose, Hisashi; Yamane, Yoshihisa

2011-10-01

The double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) is a rare congenital cardiac disease in dogs, and its detailed epidemiological and morphological features are not clearly understood. By investigating the profile, clinical signs, and characteristics of examination findings of eleven dogs with DCRV by means of a retrospective study, we attempted to clarify the epidemiology and morphology of the condition. The study group consisted of nine males and two females. Breeds included Pug (n=3), Miniature Dachshund (n=1), French Bull-dog (n=1), Shiba (n=1), and Retrievers (n=5). The attachment site of the anomalous muscular bundle was continuous with the cardiac apex in nine dogs, and it was attached to the right ventricle free wall in the other two dogs. In dogs with DCRV, at least one of the following conditions was present concurrently: congenital or acquired tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR), ventricular septal defect, and atrial septal defect. Also, the pressure difference between the two chambers increased over time, and progressive right-sided heart failure was observed. In summary, DCRV occurs in small breeds of dog as well as in large breeds of dog and it may be more prevalent in males. The existence of two types of DCRV in dogs was established. Dog with DCRVs will have a high incidence of concurrent cardiac abnormalities. Concurrent TR may be either congenital or acquired. DCRV is a congenital disorder, but the clinical condition progresses as the dog develops.

A "Projective" Test of the Golden Section Hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chris; Adams-Webber, Jack

1987-01-01

In a projective test of the golden section hypothesis, 24 high school students rated themselves and 10 comic strip characters on basis of 12 bipolar constructs. Overall proportion of cartoon figures which subjects assigned to positive poles of constructs was very close to golden section. (Author/NB)

Golden Hadron awards for the LHC's top suppliers.

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2003-01-01

The following firms have been selected to receive a GOLDEN HADRON AWARD 2003, in recognition of their outstanding achievement: JDL TECHNOLOGIES, Belgium "in producing automatic cable inspection systems", FURUKAWA ELECTRIC COMPANY, Japan "in producing high quality superconducting cable", IHI Corporation, Japan, and LINDE KRYOTECHNIK, Switzerland "in producing novel 1.8 K refrigeration units based on advanced cold compressor technology" for the Large Hadron Collider.Photos 01, 02: Recipients of the 2003 Golden Hadron awards at the presentation ceremony on 16 May.Photo 03: LHC project leader Lyn Evans updates the award recipients on work for CERN's new accelerator.Photo 04: René Joannes of JDL Technologies (left) receives a Golden Hadron award from LHC project leader Lyn Evans.Shinichiro Meguro, managing director of Furukawa Electric Company, receives a Golden Hadron award from LHC project leader Lyn Evans.Photo 06: Kirkor Kurtcuoglu of Linde Kryotechnik (left) and Motoki Yoshinaga, associate director of IHI...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Golden Eagle Delivers Beer With Natural Gas

Science.gov (United States)

Trucks Golden Eagle Delivers Beer With Natural Gas Trucks to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Golden Eagle Delivers Beer With Natural Gas Trucks on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Golden Eagle Delivers Beer With Natural Gas Trucks on Twitter Bookmark

The Use of Golden Snail (Pomacea sp. as Animal Feed in the Philippines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serra, AB.

1997-01-01

Full Text Available The golden snail is introduced to the Philippines in early 80's for culture as food source. This herbivorous snail, a voracious feeder of live and fresh plant materials become a serious rice pest. Its elimination in the ecosystems is impossible. To use them as animal feed is much better alternative for their control and more environmentally friendly than the use of chemicals. Thus, this mini review paper aimed to collate any existing information on the use of golden snail as animal feed. The different meal forms that can be extracted are golden snail meal (30 % calcium and 15 % crude protein, golden snail meat meal (62 % crude protein and 3336 kcal/kg and golden shell meal (35 % calcium. Feeding trials indicate that golden snail meal can be a part of swine and chicken layer diets up to 15 %. Golden snail meat meal can be a part of broiler chicken diet up to 12 %. Feeding fresh and ground golden snail to ducks can replace 50 % of their diet under total confinement system. Whereas, golden snail meat meal (75 % of the diet plus rice bran can be beneficially fed to tilapia. With the information collated, golden snail can be a promising animal feed in the Philippines.

High prevalence of Hepatozoon-infection among shepherd dogs in a region considered to be free of Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hornok, Sándor; Tánczos, Balázs; Fernández de Mera, Isabel G; de la Fuente, José; Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina; Farkas, Róbert

2013-09-01

Blood samples and ticks were collected from 100 shepherd dogs, 12 hunting dogs and 14 stray dogs in southern Hungary, in order to screen them for the presence of Hepatozoon spp. by PCR. Out of 126 blood samples, 33 were positive (26%). Significantly more shepherd dogs (31%) were infected, than hunting (8%) and stray dogs (7%). Three genotypes of Hepatozoon canis were identified by sequencing, differing from each other in up to six nucleotides in the amplified portion of their 18S rRNA gene. In Dermacentor marginatus larvae/nymphs and Dermacentor reticulatus nymphs, H. canis was present only if they had been collected from PCR-positive dogs, and the genotypes were identical in the ticks and their hosts. However, two Haemaphysalis concinna nymphs removed from a PCR-negative dog were found positive for H. canis, and the genotype detected in specimens of this tick species differed from that in the blood of their respective hosts. These results indicate that canine hepatozoonosis may be highly prevalent in regions where Rhipicephalus sanguineus is considered to be non-endemic. In addition, H. canis was identified for the first time in Hungary, as well as in D. marginatus, D. reticulatus and Ha. concinna ticks. Canine hepatozoonosis was significantly more prevalent west of the Danube river (where higher densities of red fox and golden jackal populations occur), suggesting a role of wild carnivores in its epidemiology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Olfactory discrimination and generalization of ammonium nitrate and structurally related odorants in Labrador retrievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarowski, Lucia; Foster, Melanie L; Gruen, Margaret E; Sherman, Barbara L; Fish, Richard E; Milgram, Norton W; Dorman, David C

2015-11-01

A critical aspect of canine explosive detection involves the animal's ability respond to novel, untrained odors based on prior experience with training odors. In the current study, adult Labrador retrievers (N = 15) were initially trained to discriminate between a rewarded odor (vanillin) and an unrewarded odor (ethanol) by manipulating scented objects with their nose in order to receive a food reward using a canine-adapted discrimination training apparatus. All dogs successfully learned this olfactory discrimination task (≥80 % correct in a mean of 296 trials). Next, dogs were trained on an ammonium nitrate (AN, NH4NO3) olfactory discrimination task [acquired in 60-240 trials, with a mean (±SEM) number of trials to criterion of 120.0 ± 15.6] and then tested for their ability to respond to untrained ammonium- and/or nitrate-containing chemicals as well as variants of AN compounds. Dogs did not respond to sodium nitrate or ammonium sulfate compounds at rates significantly higher than chance (58.8 ± 4.5 and 57.7 ± 3.3 % correct, respectively). Transfer performance to fertilizer-grade AN, AN mixed in Iraqi soil, and AN and flaked aluminum was significantly higher than chance (66.7 ± 3.2, 73.3 ± 4.0, 68.9 ± 4.0 % correct, respectively); however, substantial individual differences were observed. Only 53, 60, and 64 % of dogs had a correct response rate with fertilizer-grade AN, AN and Iraqi soil, and AN and flaked aluminum, respectively, that were greater than chance. Our results suggest that dogs do not readily generalize from AN to similar AN-based odorants at reliable levels desired for explosive detection dogs and that performance varies significantly within Labrador retrievers selected for an explosive detection program.

Public Policy and Environment : The Golden Mussel Case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luíz Ricardo Santana de Araújo Júnior

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The papper carries out an analysis of the National Task Force Control of Golden Mussel and Emergency Action Plan, which are considered environmental policies. The bibliographical research, using primary and secondary sources, make a conceptual approach to bioinvasion the Golden Mussel. Then it perfomes analysis of the general characteristics of the National Task Force and the Emergency Plan, pointing to inconsistencies that were found, either in the planning or implementation of policy, as a basis for an analysis of the environmental policy effectiveness. Finally, they analyse possible ways to avoid the appearance of inconsistencies that were found in the case of Golden Mussel.

CANINE: a robotic mine dog

Science.gov (United States)

Stancil, Brian A.; Hyams, Jeffrey; Shelley, Jordan; Babu, Kartik; Badino, Hernán.; Bansal, Aayush; Huber, Daniel; Batavia, Parag

2013-01-01

Neya Systems, LLC competed in the CANINE program sponsored by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) which culminated in a competition held at Fort Benning as part of the 2012 Robotics Rodeo. As part of this program, we developed a robot with the capability to learn and recognize the appearance of target objects, conduct an area search amid distractor objects and obstacles, and relocate the target object in the same way that Mine dogs and Sentry dogs are used within military contexts for exploration and threat detection. Neya teamed with the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University to develop vision-based solutions for probabilistic target learning and recognition. In addition, we used a Mission Planning and Management System (MPMS) to orchestrate complex search and retrieval tasks using a general set of modular autonomous services relating to robot mobility, perception and grasping.

Pathophysiology of heatstroke in dogs - revisited.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruchim, Yaron; Horowitz, Michal; Aroch, Itamar

2017-01-01

Heatstroke results from a failure to dissipate accumulated heat during exposure to hot environments, or during strenuous physical exercise under heat stress. It is characterized by core body temperatures > 41°C, with central nervous system dysfunction. Functional morphology and thermoregulatory effectors differences between dogs and humans may require special heatstroke protective adaptations in dogs, however, the risk factors for developing heatstroke are similar in both. In dogs, these include hot, especially highly humid environments, excessive physical activity, obesity, large (>15 kg) body weight, being of certain breed (e.g., Labrador retrievers and brachycephalic breeds), upper airway obstruction and prolonged seizures. Lack of acclimation to heat and physical fitness decreases the survival of heat stroked dogs. At the systemic level, blood pooling within the large internal organs (e.g., spleen, liver) is a major contributor to the development of shock and consequent intestinal ischemia, hypoxia and endothelial hyperpermeability, commonly occurring in heatstroke patients. Evoked serious complications include rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome and ultimately, sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. The most common clinical signs in dogs include acute collapse, tachypnea, spontaneous bleeding, shock signs and mental abnormalities, including depression, disorientation or delirium, seizures, stupor and coma. In such dogs, presence of peripheral blood nucleated red blood cells uniquely occurs, and is a highly sensitive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. Despite early, appropriate body cooling, and intensive supportive treatment, with no available specific treatment to ameliorate the severe inflammatory and hemostatic derangements, the mortality rate is around 50%, similar to that of human heatstroke victims. This review discusses the pathophysiology of canine heatstroke from a veterinarian's point of view

Golden mean energy equals highest atomic electron orbital energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malinowski, Leonard J. [Interdisciplinary Research Club, P.O. Box 371, Monroeville, PA 15146 (United States)], E-mail: LJMalinowski@gmail.com

2009-12-15

The golden mean numerical value {phi} = 0.5({radical}5 - 1) has been given a physical manifestation through E infinity theory. This short paper relates the golden mean energy 0.618034 MeV to atomic electron orbitals.

Golden mean energy equals highest atomic electron orbital energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, Leonard J.

2009-01-01

The golden mean numerical value φ = 0.5(√5 - 1) has been given a physical manifestation through E infinity theory. This short paper relates the golden mean energy 0.618034 MeV to atomic electron orbitals.

Testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia rat and dog as facile models to assess drugs targeting lower urinary tract symptoms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Li

Full Text Available Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH is an age-related disease, affecting a majority of elderly men worldwide. Medical management of BPH is an alternative to surgical treatment of this disease. Currently, α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR antagonists are among the first line drugs to treat BPH by reducing the tension of urinary track and thus the obstructive symptoms in voiding. In drug development, old male dogs with spontaneous BPH are considered the golden standard of the animal models. However, old dogs (>6 years are expensive and not all old dogs develop BPH. So it is necessary to develop more accessible animal models for drug efficacy evaluation. Here we describe the development of testosterone-induced BPH models in both rats and young adult dogs and their applications in the in vivo evaluation of α1-AR antagonist. The BPH rats and dogs induced by chronic testosterone treatment have significantly increased micturition frequency and reduced mean voided volume, very similar to the clinical symptoms of BPH patients. Silodosin, an α1-AR antagonist, significantly reduces the urinary frequency and increases the voided volume in BPH model animals in a dose-dependent manner. The results demonstrate that testosterone-induced BPH rat and dog models might provide a more efficient way to evaluate micturition behavior in anti-BPH drug studies.

Incidence of and mortality from kidney disease in over 600,000 insured Swedish dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelander, L; Ljungvall, I; Egenvall, A; Syme, H; Elliott, J; Häggström, J

2015-06-20

Kidney disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in dogs. Knowledge about the epidemiology of kidney disease in the dog population is valuable and large-scale epidemiological studies are needed. The aim of the present study was to use insurance data to estimate kidney-related morbidity and mortality in the Swedish dog population. Insurance company data from insured dogs during the years 1995-2006 were studied retrospectively. Incidence and mortality were calculated for the whole group of dogs as well as divided by sex and breed. The total number of veterinary care insured dogs was 665,245. The total incidence of kidney disease in this group of dogs was 15.8 (15.3-16.2) cases/10,000 dog-years at risk. The number of dogs in the life insurance was 548,346 and in this group the total kidney-related mortality was 9.7 (9.3-10.2) deaths/10,000 dog-years at risk. The three breeds with the highest incidence of kidney disease were the Bernese mountain dog, miniature schnauzer and boxer. The three breeds with the highest mortality caused by kidney disease were the Bernese mountain dog, Shetland sheepdog and flat-coated retriever. In conclusion, the epidemiological information provided in this study concerning kidney disease in dogs can provide valuable information for future research. British Veterinary Association.

Incidence, nature, and etiology of metabolic acidosis in dogs and cats.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopper, K; Epstein, S E

2012-01-01

Metabolic acidosis is an important abnormality in ill and injured dogs and cats. To describe the incidence, nature, and etiology of metabolic acidosis in dogs and cats that had arterial or venous blood gases measured for any reason at a university teaching hospital. Dogs and cats at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Acid base parameters and electrolyte and lactate concentrations in dogs and cats measured during a 13-month period were retrospectively retrieved from a computer database. Metabolic acidosis was defined as a standardized base excess (SBE) in dogs of acidosis (753 dogs and 134 cats). Primary metabolic acidosis was the most common disorder in dogs, whereas mixed acid base disorder of metabolic acidosis and respiratory acidosis was most common in cats. Hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis was more common than a high anion gap (AG) metabolic acidosis; 25% of dogs and 34% of cats could not be classified as having either a hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis or a high AG metabolic acidosis. Metabolic acidosis was found commonly in this patient population and was associated with a wide variety of disease processes. Mixed acid base disorders occur frequently and routine categorization of metabolic acidosis based on the presence of high AG or hyperchloremia may be misleading in a large proportion of cases. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Dogs Have the Most Neurons, Though Not the Largest Brain: Trade-Off between Body Mass and Number of Neurons in the Cerebral Cortex of Large Carnivoran Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Débora Jardim-Messeder

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Carnivorans are a diverse group of mammals that includes carnivorous, omnivorous and herbivorous, domesticated and wild species, with a large range of brain sizes. Carnivory is one of several factors expected to be cognitively demanding for carnivorans due to a requirement to outsmart larger prey. On the other hand, large carnivoran species have high hunting costs and unreliable feeding patterns, which, given the high metabolic cost of brain neurons, might put them at risk of metabolic constraints regarding how many brain neurons they can afford, especially in the cerebral cortex. For a given cortical size, do carnivoran species have more cortical neurons than the herbivorous species they prey upon? We find they do not; carnivorans (cat, mongoose, dog, hyena, lion share with non-primates, including artiodactyls (the typical prey of large carnivorans, roughly the same relationship between cortical mass and number of neurons, which suggests that carnivorans are subject to the same evolutionary scaling rules as other non-primate clades. However, there are a few important exceptions. Carnivorans stand out in that the usual relationship between larger body, larger cortical mass and larger number of cortical neurons only applies to small and medium-sized species, and not beyond dogs: we find that the golden retriever dog has more cortical neurons than the striped hyena, African lion and even brown bear, even though the latter species have up to three times larger cortices than dogs. Remarkably, the brown bear cerebral cortex, the largest examined, only has as many neurons as the ten times smaller cat cerebral cortex, although it does have the expected ten times as many non-neuronal cells in the cerebral cortex compared to the cat. We also find that raccoons have dog-like numbers of neurons in their cat-sized brain, which makes them comparable to primates in neuronal density. Comparison of domestic and wild species suggests that the neuronal

The golden ratio in Schwarzschild-Kottler black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cruz, Norman [Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencia, Santiago 2 (Chile); Olivares, Marco [Universidad Diego Portales, Facultad de Ingenieria, Santiago (Chile); Villanueva, J.R. [Universidad de Valparaiso, Instituto de Fisica y Astronomia, Valparaiso (Chile)

2017-02-15

In this paper we show that the golden ratio is present in the Schwarzschild-Kottler metric. For null geodesics with maximal radial acceleration, the turning points of the orbits are in the golden ratio Φ = (√(5)-1)/2. This is a general result which is independent of the value and sign of the cosmological constant Λ. (orig.)

Use of laterally placed vacuum drains for management of aural hematomas in five dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavletic, Michael M

2015-01-01

5 dogs (a Newfoundland, Golden Retriever, Shiba Inu, Staffordshire Terrier, and Vizsla) were referred for evaluation and treatment of unilateral aural hematomas within a week after their formation. Aural hematomas involved the left (3) or right (2) ears. With patients under anesthesia, the aural hematomas were approached surgically from the convex, or lateral, pinnal surface. Two small incisions were used to position a vacuum drain into the incised hematoma cavity. The drain exited at the base of the pinna and adjacent cervical skin. The free end of the drain was attached to a vacuum reservoir for 18 to 21 days. Drains and skin sutures were removed at this time along with the protective Elizabethan collar. All hematomas resolved and surgical sites healed during the minimum 6-month follow-up period. Cosmetic results were considered excellent in 4 of 5 patients. Slight wrinkling of the pinna in 1 patient resulted from asymmetric enlargement of the cartilaginous walls of the hematoma, where vacuum application resulted in a slight folding of the redundant lateral cartilage wall. The described treatment was efficient, economical, and minimally invasive and required no bandaging or wound care. Placement of the drain tubing on the convex (lateral) aspect sheltered the system from displacement by patients with an Elizabethan collar in place. Overall cosmetic results were excellent; asymmetric enlargement of the cartilaginous walls of the hematoma with slight folding of the pinna was seen in 1 patient.

Golden Jubilee photos

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

We continue our series of CERN's Golden Jubilee photos, with some of the highlights of events and their preparation as well as occasional glimpses of the Laboratory's fifty-year history. Following last week's behind-the-scenes glance at the organisation of festivities, this week we take a look at a group of young artists. They are visiting the Laboratory with the aim of creating works of art, that will go on display during the Jubilee celebrations. Art and particle physics Particle physics can be a source of inspiration for artists, as illustrated by this week's visit1 to CERN of 17 students from British, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Irish and Swiss art schools. The students are here to find ideas for works of art that will be displayed this October in the framework of CERN's Golden Jubilee celebrations. In the opinion of the group's organiser, Andy Charalambous, the purpose of the visit is to confront the artists with a world that is totally alien to their own and to allow them an opportunity to immerse themselve...

A New Book on the Law System of the Golden Horde: Pochekaev R.Yu. Legal Culture of the Golden Horde (Historical and Legal Essays (Moscow: Yurlitinform, 2015. 312 p.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.V. Nefedov

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This book is a study at the intersection of such academic disciplines as general history, history of state and law and source study. The subcect of R.Yu. Pochevalev’s book appears very relevant since the interest of the scientific community and readership toward the Golden Horde and its role in the history of the Russian state remains traditionally high for several centuries. However, the author is trying to take a fresh look at this state and refute the stereotype of the Golden Horde as a some kind of bunch of nomads who lived only by plundering neighboring sedentary peoples. He succeeds in this by studying such an important part of the Golden Horde history as its law and legal culture. The book examines a number of questions on the history of state and law of the Golden Horde, which have not previously been the subject of a special study (for example, possessions of the Golden Horde in other uluses, dualism of power in different states, relations between authorities and traders, etc.. On some other issues that have already been studied by experts, he proposes new interpretations in the framework of historical and legal approach (for example, the causes of intestine strife in the Golden Horde in the mid-14th century, yarliks of the Golden Horde khans granted to the Russian Chruch, relations of the Golden Horde rulers and Italian colonies in the Northern Black Sea region. The author examines to a great extent the themes of state and legal regulation of economic relations: status of merchants in the Golden Horde and post-Golden Horde states, role of economic sanctions in the resolution of political conflicts. In other essays contained in the book, the author also emphasizes the role of the economic component of the political and legal relations. For example, R.Yu. Pochekaev convincingly shows that relations of the Golden Horde with other states of the Mongol Empire was based on the principle of mutual provision of possessions to the rulers of

Environmental and Physiological Factors Associated With Stamina in Dogs Exercising in High Ambient Temperatures

OpenAIRE

Robbins, Patrick J.; Ramos, Meghan T.; Zanghi, Brian M.; Otto, Cynthia M.

2017-01-01

This IACUC approved study was performed to evaluate the environmental, physiological, and hematological components that contribute to stamina following successive bouts of exercise that included searching (5-min), agility (5-min), and ball retrieve (<10-min). Regularly exercised dogs (N = 12) were evaluated on five separate occasions. The population consisted of eight males and four females ranging in age from 8 to 23 months, which included six Labrador retrievers, three German shepherds, ...

Estimation of pre-meiotic DNA synthesis period in the dog spermatozoa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosal, S.K.; Bandyopadhyay, T.; De, S.; Beauregard, L.J.

1976-01-01

About 10 μCi of 3 H-thymidine was injected into each of 4 arbitarary sites in each testis of 6 dogs. Biopsies were taken at 4-hour intervals coverning a period from 20.0 to 22.2 days post-injection. Kinetics of labelled spermatocytes was followed employing Kodak NTB-3 emulsion to conventionally prepared air-dried slides. The technique for calculating pre-meiosis DNA synthesis duration is same as that for estimating S period in mitotic cells. Current investigation suggests that the mean duration of pre-meiotic S period of Canine spermatocytes is 20.4 hrs as compared to 29 and 40 hrs in spermatocytes of mouse and golden hamster respectively. (author)

The golden section and American psychology, 1892-1938.

Science.gov (United States)

Benjafield, John G

2010-01-01

The golden section has been said by many to be the most beautiful proportion. Fechner was the first to investigate it experimentally, and several late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century American psychologists followed up on his work. Among these were four prominent names: Lightner Witmer (1867-1956), Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949), Robert S. Woodworth (1869-1962), and Robert M. Ogden (1877-1959). Why did such well-known psychologists bother with the golden section? In attempting to answer this question we discovered that the golden section was surprisingly well known during this period, not only in psychology but also in advertising and design. It would have been entirely congruent with their stature for prominent psychologists to take an interest in it.

Four-Dimensional Golden Search

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fenimore, Edward E. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-02-25

The Golden search technique is a method to search a multiple-dimension space to find the minimum. It basically subdivides the possible ranges of parameters until it brackets, to within an arbitrarily small distance, the minimum. It has the advantages that (1) the function to be minimized can be non-linear, (2) it does not require derivatives of the function, (3) the convergence criterion does not depend on the magnitude of the function. Thus, if the function is a goodness of fit parameter such as chi-square, the convergence does not depend on the noise being correctly estimated or the function correctly following the chi-square statistic. And, (4) the convergence criterion does not depend on the shape of the function. Thus, long shallow surfaces can be searched without the problem of premature convergence. As with many methods, the Golden search technique can be confused by surfaces with multiple minima.

World Energy Outlook 2012 Special Report: Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-01

Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world’s vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas - notably shale gas - can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success. But some governments are hesitant, or even actively opposed. They are responding to public concerns that production might involve unacceptable environmental and social damage. This report, in the World Energy Outlook series, treats these aspirations and anxieties with equal seriousness. It features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a {sup s}ocial licence to operate{sup ;} and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.

Selenium Digestibility and Bioactivity in Dogs: What the Can Can, the Kibble Can?t

OpenAIRE

van Zelst, Mari?lle; Hesta, Myriam; Gray, Kerry; Beech, Karen; Cools, An; Alexander, Lucille G.; Du Laing, Gijs; Janssens, Geert P. J.

2016-01-01

There is a growing concern for the long-term health effects of selenium (Se) over- or underfeeding. The efficiency of utilization of dietary Se is subject to many factors. Our study in dogs evaluated the effect of diet type (canned versus kibble) and dietary protein concentration on Se digestibility and bioactivity. Canned and kibble diets are commonly used formats of dog food, widely ranging in protein concentration. Twenty-four Labrador retrievers were used and four canned and four kibble d...

Risk factors associated with interdog aggression and shooting phobias among purebred dogs in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rugbjerg, Helene; Proschowsky, Helle Friis; Ersbøll, Annette Kjær

2003-01-01

The prevalence of behaviour problems is reported from a questionnaire study among members of the Danish Kennel Club (DKC). In total, 4359 dog owners were included in the analyses. With logistic regression, we analysed four behaviour problems: dominance towards the owner, interdog dominance...... aggression, separation anxiety and shooting phobia. Compared to Labrador Retrievers, the following breeds and breed groups had higher odds of being reported to have interdog dominance aggression: Belgian Sheepdogs, Dachshunds, Dalmatians, German, Shepherds, Hovawarts, Pinschers, Rottweilers, Scent dogs...

golden crabbers focus group transcript

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) considered (but ultimately rejected) instituting a golden crab individual transferable quota (ITQ) program in...

Golden mean Siegel disk universality and renormalization

OpenAIRE

Gaidashev, Denis; Yampolsky, Michael

2016-01-01

We provide a computer-assisted proof of one of the central open questions in one-dimensional renormalization theory -- universality of the golden-mean Siegel disks. We further show that for every function in the stable manifold of the golden-mean renormalization fixed point the boundary of the Siegel disk is a quasicircle which coincides with the closure of the critical orbit, and that the dynamics on the boundary of the Siegel disk is rigid. Furthermore, we extend the renormalization from on...

Traumatic lung injury attributed to tornadic activity-induced barometric pressure changes in two dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cichocki, Brandy N; Dugat, Danielle R; Snider, Timothy A

2016-06-01

CASE DESCRIPTION A 7-year-old castrated male Italian Greyhound (dog 1) and an approximately 1-year-old female Labrador Retriever (dog 2) were evaluated because of respiratory distress 8 and 10 days, respectively, after a tornado. CLINICAL FINDINGS No obvious external injuries were identified auscultation revealed decreased bronchovesicular sounds in the affected hemithorax of both dogs. Clinicopathologic changes were mild, with evidence of inflammation in both dogs. Thoracic radiography of both dogs revealed pneumothorax and pleural effusion with effacement of the diaphragm; findings on CT included severe pulmonary atelectasis of affected lung lobes with normal bronchial tree configurtion and no evidence of diaphragmatic hernia. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME Exploratory thoracotomy of both dogs confirmed CT findings Pulmonary parenchymal damage consistent with a large rupture was found in both patients. A large hematoma was adhered to the ruptured lung lobe of dog 1. Grossly affected lung tissue was removed; histologic examination revealed atelectasis, pulmonary fib osis, thrombosis, and minimal (dog 1) to marked (dog 2) inflammation Microbial culture of lung tissue yielded no growth for dog 1 and Streptococcus spp and Escherichia coli susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for dog 2. Dog 1 had a recurrence of pneumothorax treated by drainage with a thoracostomy tube 1 month after surgery. Eighteen months after surgery, both dogs were reportedly doing well. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Development of clinical signs after a tornado, together with clinical, diagnostic imaging, surgical, and histologic findings led to a presumptive diagnosis of pulmonary barotrauma for both dogs. Long-term outcome for these dogs, treated at a referral hospital, was good.

Normative data for uterine size according to age and gravidity and possible role of the classical golden ratio.

Science.gov (United States)

Verguts, J; Ameye, L; Bourne, T; Timmerman, D

2013-12-01

To document normal measurements (length, width, anteroposterior (AP) diameter) and proportions of the non-pregnant uterus according to age and gravidity. We hypothesized that uterine proportions conform to the classical 'golden ratio' (1.618). This was a retrospective study of ultrasonographic measurements of the length, width and AP diameter of non-pregnant uteri recorded in our database between 1 January 2000 and 31 July 2012. All patients for whom abnormal findings were reported were excluded and only the first set of measurements for each patient was retained for analysis. Loess (local regression) analysis was performed using age and gravidity as explanatory variables. Measurements of 5466 non-pregnant uteri were retrieved for analysis. The mean length was found to increase to 72 mm at the age of 40 and decrease to 42 mm at the age of 80 years. Gravidity was associated with greater uterine length, width and AP diameter. Mean length/width ratio was found to be 1.857 at birth, decreasing to 1.452 at the age of 91 years. At the age of 21 years, the mean ratio was found to be 1.618, i.e. equal to the golden ratio. Increasing gravidity was associated with lower mean length/width ratio. Uterine size in non-pregnant women varies in relation to age and gravidity. Mean length/width ratio conformed to the golden ratio at the age of 21, coinciding with peak fertility. Copyright © 2013 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Book Review: Stars (Copyright 1985, Golden Press; New York)

Science.gov (United States)

Marigza, R. N., Jr.

2009-06-01

Stars is a part of the Golden Guides collection produced by Golden Press. It is a small 160 page paperback guide to the constellations, the sun, the moon, planets, and other celestial bodies. The book is convenient to carry along wherever you go, making it an easy to access reference material.

Evaluation of landscape level habitat characteristics of golden eagle habitat in Northwestern Mexico

OpenAIRE

Bravo Vinaja, Maria Guadalupe

2012-01-01

Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos canadensis Linnaeus 1758) are declining in some areas throughout their Nearctic range (Sauer et al. 2011). This reduction is linked to changes in their habitat caused by human activities. Golden eagles inhabit an extensive range of environments (Watson 1997, Kochert et al. 2002). In the American Continent, the golden eagleâ s range encompasses Alaska, Canada, the United States and the Northern and Central portions of Mexico. Northern golden eagle populations...

Ecohydrology_GoldenHeaher_Data_052316

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Table of data used for statistical analyses. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Golden , H., H. Sander, C. Lane , C. Zhao, K. Price, E....

DATABASE OF MIGRATION AND REPLICATION WITH ORACLE GOLDEN GATE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suharjito Suharjito

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The main goal of this research is to analyze and design a database configuration of migration and replication in PT Metro Batavia. Research methodologies used in this research are data collecting, analysis and design model. Data collecting method is conducted with library research and direct survey in the company. Analysis method is conducted by analyzing hangar system, migration and reflection process and the available problems. Design method is conducted by designing a prototype for migration process with the implementation of Oracle SQL Developer and replication process with implementation of Oracle Golden Gate. The result of this research is a prototype for configuration of migration and replication process by using Oracle Golden Gate, which can produce two sets of identical data for the purpose of backup and recovery, and also design a simple tool that is expected to help active-active or active-passive replication process. The conclusion of this research is migration process of MySQL database to Oracle database by using Oracle Golden Gate hasn’t been conducted, because Oracle Golden Gate still has bug related to binary log, so database of migration is conducted by using Oracle Golden Gate. However, replication of bi-directional in between database of Oracle by using Oracle SQL Developer can guarantee data availability and reduce work burden from primary database.

Characterizing Golden Eagle risk to lead and anticoagulant rodenticide exposure: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Herring, Garth; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Buck, Jeremy A.

2017-01-01

Contaminant exposure is among the many threats to Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations throughout North America, particularly lead poisoning and anticoagulant rodenticides (AR). These threats may act in concert with others (e.g., lead poisoning and trauma associated with striking objects) to exacerbate risk. Golden Eagles are skilled hunters but also exploit scavenging opportunities, making them particularly susceptible to contaminant exposure from ingesting tissues of poisoned or shot animals. Lead poisoning has long been recognized as an important source of mortality for Golden Eagles throughout North America. More recently, ARs have been associated with both sublethal and lethal effects in raptor species worldwide. In this review, we examine the current state of knowledge for lead and AR exposure in Golden Eagles, drawing from the broader raptor contaminant ecology literature. We examine lead and AR sources within Golden Eagle habitats, exposure routes and toxicity, effects on individuals and populations, synergistic effects, and data and information needs. Continued research addressing data needs and information gaps will help with Golden Eagle conservation planning.

Molecular architecture of silk fibroin of Indian golden silkmoth, Antheraea assama.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Adarsh K; Mita, Kazuei; Arunkumar, Kallare P; Nagaraju, Javaregowda

2015-08-03

The golden silk spun by Indian golden silkmoth Antheraea assama, is regarded for its shimmering golden luster, tenacity and value as biomaterial. This report describes the gene coding for golden silk H-fibroin (AaFhc), its expression, full-length sequence and structurally important motifs discerning the underlying genetic and biochemical factors responsible for its much sought-after properties. The coding region, with biased isocodons, encodes highly repetitious crystalline core, flanked by a pair of 5' and 3' non-repetitious ends. AaFhc mRNA expression is strictly territorial, confined to the posterior silk gland, encoding a protein of size 230 kDa, which makes homodimers making the elementary structural units of the fibrous core of the golden silk. Characteristic polyalanine repeats that make tight β-sheet crystals alternate with non-polyalanine repeats that make less orderly antiparallel β-sheets, β-turns and partial α-helices. Phylogenetic analysis of the conserved N-terminal amorphous motif and the comparative analysis of the crystalline region with other saturniid H-fibroins reveal that AaFhc has longer, numerous and relatively uniform repeat motifs with lower serine content that assume tighter β-crystals and denser packing, which are speculated to be responsible for its acclaimed properties of higher tensile strength and higher refractive index responsible for golden luster.

Golden Crab Logbook Survey (Vessels)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — In November 1995, a voluntary logbook program for the golden crab fishery in the waters under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council...

TEXTILE DESIGN ON THE BASE OF THE GOLDEN GEOMETRY AND BULGARIAN NATIONAL TRADITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ILIEVA Julieta

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The Golden and Fibonacci geometry forms are symbols of beauty and harmony. The shapes and symbols in the national traditions are always a source of creative ideas. The paper presents textile designs on the base of creations from the Golden and Fibonacci geometry and Bulgarian national tradition. Fourteen textile design project are presented with the use of the Golden spiral in the Golden square, Fibonacci series tiling with equalitarian triangles named Fibonacci rose and the spiral square with four Golden spirals from the Golden and Fibonacci geometry, and the three turtles – symbols from Kolobar tradition in Bulgarian national culture. The forms from the Golden and Fibonacci geometry are used directly as ornaments, constructional elements for ornaments, or as frames for entered elements. The symbols from Kolobar tradition are used directly as ornaments. Every design is presented in suitable two, three or four color model. The used geometrical forms from the Golden geometry and the Bulgarian national tradition are the base for successful textile design using the mirror, radial and translated symmetry and the plain rhythms as result from their combinations. The design is more successful when the geometrical ornaments are combined with suitable colors according to the connections between colors and lines on the base of their meaning, the latest fashion trends, and national traditions.

Magnetic resonance findings of the corpus callosum in canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasegawa, Daisuke; Tamura, Shinji; Nakamoto, Yuya; Matsuki, Naoaki; Takahashi, Kimimasa; Fujita, Michio; Uchida, Kazuyuki; Yamato, Osamu

2013-01-01

Several reports have described magnetic resonance (MR) findings in canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases such as gangliosidoses and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Although most of those studies described the signal intensities of white matter in the cerebrum, findings of the corpus callosum were not described in detail. A retrospective study was conducted on MR findings of the corpus callosum as well as the rostral commissure and the fornix in 18 cases of canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases. This included 6 Shiba Inu dogs and 2 domestic shorthair cats with GM1 gangliosidosis; 2 domestic shorthair cats, 2 familial toy poodles, and a golden retriever with GM2 gangliosidosis; and 2 border collies and 3 chihuahuas with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, to determine whether changes of the corpus callosum is an imaging indicator of those diseases. The corpus callosum and the rostral commissure were difficult to recognize in all cases of juvenile-onset gangliosidoses (GM1 gangliosidosis in Shiba Inu dogs and domestic shorthair cats and GM2 gangliosidosis in domestic shorthair cats) and GM2 gangliosidosis in toy poodles with late juvenile-onset. In contrast, the corpus callosum and the rostral commissure were confirmed in cases of GM2 gangliosidosis in a golden retriever and canine neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses with late juvenile- to early adult-onset, but were extremely thin. Abnormal findings of the corpus callosum on midline sagittal images may be a useful imaging indicator for suspecting lysosomal storage diseases, especially hypoplasia (underdevelopment) of the corpus callosum in juvenile-onset gangliosidoses.

Magnetic resonance findings of the corpus callosum in canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daisuke Hasegawa

Full Text Available Several reports have described magnetic resonance (MR findings in canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases such as gangliosidoses and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Although most of those studies described the signal intensities of white matter in the cerebrum, findings of the corpus callosum were not described in detail. A retrospective study was conducted on MR findings of the corpus callosum as well as the rostral commissure and the fornix in 18 cases of canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases. This included 6 Shiba Inu dogs and 2 domestic shorthair cats with GM1 gangliosidosis; 2 domestic shorthair cats, 2 familial toy poodles, and a golden retriever with GM2 gangliosidosis; and 2 border collies and 3 chihuahuas with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, to determine whether changes of the corpus callosum is an imaging indicator of those diseases. The corpus callosum and the rostral commissure were difficult to recognize in all cases of juvenile-onset gangliosidoses (GM1 gangliosidosis in Shiba Inu dogs and domestic shorthair cats and GM2 gangliosidosis in domestic shorthair cats and GM2 gangliosidosis in toy poodles with late juvenile-onset. In contrast, the corpus callosum and the rostral commissure were confirmed in cases of GM2 gangliosidosis in a golden retriever and canine neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses with late juvenile- to early adult-onset, but were extremely thin. Abnormal findings of the corpus callosum on midline sagittal images may be a useful imaging indicator for suspecting lysosomal storage diseases, especially hypoplasia (underdevelopment of the corpus callosum in juvenile-onset gangliosidoses.

Magnetic Resonance Findings of the Corpus Callosum in Canine and Feline Lysosomal Storage Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Hasegawa, Daisuke; Tamura, Shinji; Nakamoto, Yuya; Matsuki, Naoaki; Takahashi, Kimimasa; Fujita, Michio; Uchida, Kazuyuki; Yamato, Osamu

2013-01-01

Several reports have described magnetic resonance (MR) findings in canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases such as gangliosidoses and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Although most of those studies described the signal intensities of white matter in the cerebrum, findings of the corpus callosum were not described in detail. A retrospective study was conducted on MR findings of the corpus callosum as well as the rostral commissure and the fornix in 18 cases of canine and feline lysosomal storage diseases. This included 6 Shiba Inu dogs and 2 domestic shorthair cats with GM1 gangliosidosis; 2 domestic shorthair cats, 2 familial toy poodles, and a golden retriever with GM2 gangliosidosis; and 2 border collies and 3 chihuahuas with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, to determine whether changes of the corpus callosum is an imaging indicator of those diseases. The corpus callosum and the rostral commissure were difficult to recognize in all cases of juvenile-onset gangliosidoses (GM1 gangliosidosis in Shiba Inu dogs and domestic shorthair cats and GM2 gangliosidosis in domestic shorthair cats) and GM2 gangliosidosis in toy poodles with late juvenile-onset. In contrast, the corpus callosum and the rostral commissure were confirmed in cases of GM2 gangliosidosis in a golden retriever and canine neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses with late juvenile- to early adult-onset, but were extremely thin. Abnormal findings of the corpus callosum on midline sagittal images may be a useful imaging indicator for suspecting lysosomal storage diseases, especially hypoplasia (underdevelopment) of the corpus callosum in juvenile-onset gangliosidoses. PMID:24386203

Ground sounds: Seismic detection in the golden mole

Science.gov (United States)

Narins, Peter M.; Lewis, Edwin R.

2004-05-01

The Namib Desert golden mole is a nocturnal, surface-foraging mammal, possessing a massively hypertrophied malleus which presumably confers low-frequency, substrate-vibration sensitivity through inertial bone conduction. Foraging trails are punctuated with characteristic sand disturbances in which the animal's head dips under the sand. The function of this behavior is not known but it is thought that it may be used to obtain a seismic fix on the next mound to be visited. To test this, we measured the local seismic vibrations both on the top of a mound and on the flats. The spectrum recorded on the flats shows a relatively low-amplitude peak at about 120 Hz, whereas the spectral peak recorded from the mound is nearly 17 dB greater in amplitude and centered at 310 Hz. This suggests that mounds act as seismic beacons for the golden moles that would be detectable from distances corresponding to typical intermound distances of 20-25 m. In addition, out of the 117 species for which data are available, these golden moles have the greatest ossicular mass relative to body size (Mason, personal communication). Functionally, they appear to be low-frequency specialists, and it is likely that golden moles hear through substrate conduction. [Work supported by NIH.

Conservation significance of alternative nests of golden eagles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian A. Millsap

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos are long-lived raptors that maintain nesting territories that may be occupied for a century or longer. Within occupied nesting territories there is one nest in which eagles lay their eggs in a given year (i.e., the used nest, but there are usually other nests (i.e., alternative nests. Conservation plans often protect used nests, but not alternative nests or nesting territories that appear vacant. Our objective is to review literature on golden eagle use of alternative nests and occupancy of nesting territories to determine if alternative nests are biologically significant and warrant greater conservation consideration. Our review shows that: (1 alternative nests or their associated habitat are most often in core areas of golden eagle nesting territories; (2 alternative nests likely will become used in the future; (3 probability of an alternative nest becoming used is greatest where prey availability is high and alternative nest sites are limited; (4 likelihood of annual occupancy or reoccupancy of golden eagle nesting territories is high; and (5 prey availability is the most important determinant of nesting territory occupancy and breeding activity. We recommend alternative nests be treated with the same deference as used nests in land use planning.

Interpreting and Expanding Confucius' Golden Mean through Neutrosophic Tetrad

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fu Yuhua

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Neutrosophy is a new branch of philosophy that studies the origin, nature, and scope of neutralities, as well as their interactions with different ideational spectra. There are many similarities between The Golden Mean and Neutrosophy. Chinese and international scholars need to toil towards expanding and developing The Golden Mean, towards its "modernization" and "globalization".

Whooping crane preyed upon by golden eagle

Science.gov (United States)

Windingstad, Ronald M.; Stiles, Harry E.; Drewien, Roderick C.

1981-01-01

The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is the largest predatory bird in North America and is well known for its predatory abilities. Attacks have been reported on mammals such as whitetail jackrabbits (Lepus townsendi) (McGahan 1967, J. Wildl. Mgmt. 31: 496), pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) (Bruhns 1970, Can. Field-Natur. 84: 301), Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) (Kelleher and O'Malia 1971, Auk 88: 186), and Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) (Carnie 1954, Condor 56: 3). This communication describes an attack on an immature Whooping Crane (Grus americana) by a Golden Eagle and the subsequent necropsy findings.

Muscular dystrophy in a family of Labrador Retrievers with no muscle dystrophin and a mild phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, Natassia M; Guo, Ling T; Estrela, Elicia; Kunkel, Louis M; Zatz, Mayana; Shelton, G Diane

2015-05-01

Animal models of dystrophin deficient muscular dystrophy, most notably canine X-linked muscular dystrophy, play an important role in developing new therapies for human Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Although the canine disease is a model of the human disease, the variable severity of clinical presentations in the canine may be problematic for pre-clinical trials, but also informative. Here we describe a family of Labrador Retrievers with three generations of male dogs having markedly increased serum creatine kinase activity, absence of membrane dystrophin, but with undetectable clinical signs of muscle weakness. Clinically normal young male Labrador Retriever puppies were evaluated prior to surgical neuter by screening laboratory blood work, including serum creatine kinase activity. Serum creatine kinase activities were markedly increased in the absence of clinical signs of muscle weakness. Evaluation of muscle biopsies confirmed a dystrophic phenotype with both degeneration and regeneration. Further evaluations by immunofluorescence and western blot analysis confirmed the absence of muscle dystrophin. Although dystrophin was not identified in the muscles, we did not find any detectable deletions or duplications in the dystrophin gene. Sequencing is now ongoing to search for point mutations. Our findings in this family of Labrador Retriever dogs lend support to the hypothesis that, in exceptional situations, muscle with no dystrophin may be functional. Unlocking the secrets that protect these dogs from a severe clinical myopathy is a great challenge which may have important implications for future treatment of human muscular dystrophies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Putative golden proportions as predictors of facial esthetics in adolescents.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiekens, R.M.A.; Kuijpers-Jagtman, A.M.; Hof, M.A. van 't; Hof, B.E. van 't; Maltha, J.C.

2008-01-01

INTRODUCTION: In orthodontics, facial esthetics is assumed to be related to golden proportions apparent in the ideal human face. The aim of the study was to analyze the putative relationship between facial esthetics and golden proportions in white adolescents. METHODS: Seventy-six adult laypeople

Lichtheim’s Golden shot

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eling, P.A.T.M.

2011-01-01

Lichtheim belongs to the ranks of most famous aphasiologists, in particular because of a diagram often referred to as ‘Lichtheim’s House’. His single paper on aphasia has drawn the attention of the aphasiological community for many years and may be considered a golden shot. But it became, to

A single hydrotherapy session increases range of motion and stride length in Labrador retrievers diagnosed with elbow dysplasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Preston, T; Wills, A P

2018-04-01

Canine elbow dysplasia is a debilitating condition of unknown aetiology and is a common cause of forelimb lameness in dogs. Canine hydrotherapy is a therapeutic approach rapidly increasing in popularity for the treatment of a range of musculoskeletal pathologies. In this study, kinematic analysis was used to assess the effect of a customised hydrotherapy session on the range of motion, stride length and stride frequency of healthy Labrador retrievers (n=6) and Labrador retrievers diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia (n=6). Reflective kinematic markers were attached to bony anatomical landmarks and dogs were recorded walking at their preferred speed on a treadmill before and 10min after a single hydrotherapy session. Range of motion, stride length and stride frequency were calculated for both forelimbs. Data were analysed via a robust mixed ANOVA to assess the effect of hydrotherapy on the kinematic parameters of both groups. Range of motion was greater in the healthy dogs at baseline (PHydrotherapy increased the range of motion of the forelimbs of both groups (PHydrotherapy stride length (Phydrotherapy only in the left limb (Phydrotherapy as a therapeutic tool for the rehabilitation and treatment of Labradors with elbow dysplasia. Furthermore, results indicate that hydrotherapy might improve the gait and movement of healthy dogs. However, whether these results are transient or sustained remains undetermined. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

More than a golden hello.

Science.gov (United States)

Janstarkers

2017-08-02

Golden hellos for nurses are okay, but won't improve retention of staff. As soon as new recruits learn how short-staffed wards are and how few trained nurses are on shifts, they won't stay long anyway.

Golden book

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

On 19 October, CERN reached the climax of its Jubilee with the official celebration in the presence of very high representatives of the Member and Observer States. Above, one of the high moments of the day: the signing of the golden book by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, and at his right the Director-General of CERN, Robert Aymar, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Joseph Deiss, and the President of the Republic of France, Jacques Chirac. A complete report of this event will be in the next issue of the Bulletin.

Retrospective study of dog bite cases at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and its environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajoke Modupeoluwa Ehimiyein

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Aim: A 10-year retrospective study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of dog bites reported to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU, Zaria, and to implement measures to control rabies exposure in the environment. Materials and Methods: Data on dog bite cases, reported to the VTH of ABU, Zaria, Nigeria between January, 2002 and December, 2011, were retrieved and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17.0, Chicago, IL, USA. Result: A total of 236 dog bite-related cases was presented, of which 1.7% dogs died of rabies. The number of cases (59.7% increased through time with the highest number (32 recorded in 2011. Majority of the cases were recorded between June and October of each year. Of the biting dogs, 22.5% were puppies (1-6 months and 77.5% were adults (above 6 months. The human victims were 92.4%, while the dog victims were 7.6%. Eight of the dogs were stray dogs, while 228 (96.6% were owned dogs. Of the owned dogs, 71.2% were free-roaming. Only 22% of the owned dogs were vaccinated. The most common offending breeds included the Nigerian Indigenous local breeds (73.3%, cross breeds (24.6%, Alsatians (0.8%, Terriers (0.8%, and Bulldogs (0.4%. Conclusion: In conclusion, rabies is endemic in Zaria, Nigeria, and the incidence of dog bites is on the rise. Strict measures including vaccination of the dogs and the leash law should be adopted to prevent dog bites.

Reliability of early radiographic evaluations for canine hip dysplasia obtained from the standard ventrodorsal radiographic projection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corley, E.A.; Keller, G.G.; Lattimer, J.C.; Ellersieck, M.R.

1997-01-01

To determine reliability of preliminary evaluations for canine hip dysplasia (CHD) performed by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals on dogs between 3 and 18 months of age. Retrospective analysis of data from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals database. 2,332 Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, and Rottweilers for which preliminary evaluation had been performed between 3 and 18 months of age and for which results of a definitive evaluation performed after 24 months of age were available. Each radiograph was evaluated, and hip joint status was graded as excellent, good, fair, or borderline phenotype or mild, moderate, or severe dysplasia. Preliminary evaluations were performed by 1 radiologist; definitive evaluations were the consensus of 3 radiologists. Reliability of preliminary evaluations was calculated as the percentage of definitive evaluations (normal vs dysplastic) that were unchanged from preliminary evaluations. Reliability of a preliminary evaluation of normal hip joint phenotype decreased significantly as the preliminary evaluation changed from excellent (100%) to good (97.9%) to fair (76.9%) phenotype. Reliability of a preliminary evaluation of CHD increased significantly as the preliminary evaluation changed from mild (84.4%) to moderate (97.4%) CHD. Reliability of preliminary evaluations increased significantly as age at the time of preliminary evaluation increased, regardless of whether dogs received a preliminary evaluation of normal phenotype or CHD. Results suggest that preliminary evaluations of hip joint status in dogs are generally reliable. However, dogs that receive a preliminary evaluation of fair phenotype of mild CHD should be reevaluated after 24 months of age

Effect of service dogs on manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubert, Geoffroy; Tousignant, Michel; Routhier, François; Corriveau, Hélène; Champagne, Noël

2013-01-01

Service dogs help people with mobility impairments. They are trained to perform a variety of tasks, such as opening doors, retrieving the telephone, picking up objects, and pulling manual wheelchairs (MWCs). More specifically, using the traction provided by the service dog has physical benefits because MWC users can operate their MWCs with less effort. The objective of this study was to document the effect of a service dog on MWC mobility and user shoulder pain, social participation, and quality of life. Eleven MWC users with spinal cord injury were assessed before and after training with a service dog and 7 mo later. Based on a standardized protocol, all study participants learned how to use the service dog safely and how to move around efficiently in different environments and under different conditions. Results showed that using a service dog increased the distance covered by the MWC users and also significantly decreased shoulder pain and intensity of effort. Using the service dog also produced slight but significant improvements in MWC user skills and social participation and may indicate a trend for improvement in quality of life. More extensive research is needed to precisely identify the effect of service dogs on the long-term management of MWC use.

Unclassified sarcomas : a study to improve classification in a cohort of Golden Retriever dogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boerkamp, Kim M; Hellmén, Eva; Willén, Helena; Grinwis, Guy C M; Teske, Erik; Rutteman, Gerard R

2016-01-01

Morphologically, canine soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) resemble human STSs. In humans, proper classification of STSs is considered essential to improve insight in the biology of these tumors, and to optimize diagnosis and therapy. To date, there is a paucity of data published on the significance of

Vascularized pedicle jejunal graft for closure of large duodenal defect in a dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Massie, Anna; McFadden, Michael

2016-11-01

A Labrador retriever dog was presented for intestinal obstruction resulting in devitalization of portions of the duodenum. A severe perforation, accounting for 70% duodenal circumference, was present at the level of the duodenal papilla. A vascularized jejunal graft was used to close the perforation, representing novel utilization of this grafting technique.

[Patent ductus arteriosus in the dog: a retrospective study of clinical presentation, diagnostics and comparison of interventional techniques in 102 dogs (2003-2011)].

Science.gov (United States)

Meijer, M; Beijerink, N J

2012-06-01

A left-to-right shunting patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common congenital heart defect in dogs. If it is left uncorrected, life expectancy in most cases is decreased due to the development of left-sided congestive heart failure. The aim of this study was to describe the dogs diagnosed with PDA in the Utrecht University Companion Animal Clinic from 2003 to 2011. The medical records of 102 patients were retrieved, and the clinical presentation and outcome of PDA closure by surgical ligation or transarterial catheter occlusion (TCO) were reviewed. In the TCO group, the result of coiling was compared with the placement of an Amplatz Canine Duct Occluder (ACDO). A predisposition to PDA was found in the German Brak, Stabyhoun, and Schapendoes. Dogs treated with surgical ligation were significantly older and heavier than those treated with TCO; within the TCO group, dogs treated with ACDO were significantly older and heavier The initial success rate (complete disappearance of the audible murmur in a patient that survived the procedure) was not significantly different between the different treatment modalities. Major complications were more common with surgical ligation, but the incidence of minor complications was not significantly different. There was no diference in survival between dogs treated with surgical ligation and dogs treated with TCO. This study shows a previously unreported predisposition to PDA in certain breeds. Both surgical ligation and TCO are suitable techniques for PDA closure, although major complications were more common with surgical ligation. ACDO appears to be the method with the least complications and thus can be considered the safest method.

Assistance dogs provide a useful behavioral model to enrich communicative skills of assistance robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Gácsi, Márta; Szakadát, Sára; Miklósi, Adám

2013-01-01

These studies are part of a project aiming to reveal relevant aspects of human-dog interactions, which could serve as a model to design successful human-robot interactions. Presently there are no successfully commercialized assistance robots, however, assistance dogs work efficiently as partners for persons with disabilities. In Study 1, we analyzed the cooperation of 32 assistance dog-owner dyads performing a carrying task. We revealed typical behavior sequences and also differences depending on the dyads' experiences and on whether the owner was a wheelchair user. In Study 2, we investigated dogs' responses to unforeseen difficulties during a retrieving task in two contexts. Dogs displayed specific communicative and displacement behaviors, and a strong commitment to execute the insoluble task. Questionnaire data from Study 3 confirmed that these behaviors could successfully attenuate owners' disappointment. Although owners anticipated the technical competence of future assistance robots to be moderate/high, they could not imagine robots as emotional companions, which negatively affected their acceptance ratings of future robotic assistants. We propose that assistance dogs' cooperative behaviors and problem solving strategies should inspire the development of the relevant functions and social behaviors of assistance robots with limited manual and verbal skills.

Golden Eagle Monitoring Plan for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Wiens, David; Kolar, Patrick; Katzner, Todd

2018-01-01

This report describes options for monitoring the status and population trends of the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) area of Southern California in maintaining stable or increasing population in the planning area. The report profiles the ecology of golden eagles in the region and provides a range of potential sampling options to address monitoring needs and objectives. This approach also focused on links between changes in human land-use, golden eagle nesting and foraging habitat conditions, and population dynamics. The report outlines how monitoring data from demographic, prey, and habitat studies were used to develop a predictive demographic model for golden eagles in the DRECP area. Results from the model simulations suggest increases in renewable energy development could have negative consequences for population trajectories. Results also suggest site-specific conservation actions could reduce the magnitude of negative impacts to the local population of eagles. A monitoring framework is proposed including: (1) annual assessments of site-occupancy and reproduction by territorial pairs of golden eagles (including rates at which sites become colonized or vacated over time); (2) estimates of survival, movements, and intensity of use of landscapes by breeding and non-breeding golden eagles; (3) periodic (conducted every two to four years) assessments of nesting and foraging habitats, prey populations, and associations with land-use and management activities; and (4) updating the predictive demographic model with new information obtained on eagles and associated population stressors. The results of this research were published in the Journal of Rapture Research, Wiens, David,Inman, Rich D., Esque, Todd C., Longshore, Kathleen M. and Nussear, Kenneth (2017). Spatial Demographic Models to Inform Conservation Planning of Golden Eagles in Renewable Energy Landscapes. 51(3):234-257.

The Use of an Open Field Model to Assess Sound-Induced Fear and Anxiety Associated Behaviors in Labrador Retrievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruen, Margaret E; Case, Beth C; Foster, Melanie L; Lazarowski, Lucia; Fish, Richard E; Landsberg, Gary; DePuy, Venita; Dorman, David C; Sherman, Barbara L

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown that the playing of thunderstorm recordings during an open-field task elicits fearful or anxious responses in adult beagles. The goal of our study was to apply this open field test to assess sound-induced behaviors in Labrador retrievers drawn from a pool of candidate improvised explosive devices (IED)-detection dogs. Being robust to fear-inducing sounds and recovering quickly is a critical requirement of these military working dogs. This study presented male and female dogs, with 3 minutes of either ambient noise (Days 1, 3 and 5), recorded thunderstorm (Day 2), or gunfire (Day 4) sounds in an open field arena. Behavioral and physiological responses were assessed and compared to control (ambient noise) periods. An observer blinded to sound treatment analyzed video records of the 9-minute daily test sessions. Additional assessments included measurement of distance traveled (activity), heart rate, body temperature, and salivary cortisol concentrations. Overall, there was a decline in distance traveled and heart rate within each day and over the five-day test period, suggesting that dogs habituated to the open field arena. Behavioral postures and expressions were assessed using a standardized rubric to score behaviors linked to canine fear and anxiety. These fear/anxiety scores were used to evaluate changes in behaviors following exposure to a sound stressor. Compared to control periods, there was an overall increase in fear/anxiety scores during thunderstorm and gunfire sound stimuli treatment periods. Fear/anxiety scores were correlated with distance traveled, and heart rate. Fear/anxiety scores in response to thunderstorm and gunfire were correlated. Dogs showed higher fear/anxiety scores during periods after the sound stimuli compared to control periods. In general, candidate IED-detection Labrador retrievers responded to sound stimuli and recovered quickly, although dogs stratified in their response to sound stimuli. Some dogs were

Defining the crack pattern of RC beams through the golden section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fantilli, A P; Chiaia, B; Cennamo, C

2011-01-01

Both in architecture and arts, the golden section has been exclusively taken into consideration for its geometrical properties. Specifically, among all the proportions, the golden section can inspire beauty. Indeed, it has driven the construction of buildings for centuries. Nevertheless, as discussed for the first time in the present paper, static equilibrium of structures calls the golden section into play. This is the case of reinforced concrete beam in four point bending, whose average crack spacing in the constant moment zone increases of a factor equal to the irrational number 1.61803 when the geometrical dimensions of the beam are doubled. In other words, it can be argued that the centrality of golden section in the art of construction has profound physical meanings, as it can bring together the aesthetic of nature and architecture, and the equilibrium of stress flow in solid bodies.

Defining the crack pattern of RC beams through the golden section

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fantilli, A P; Chiaia, B [Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10129 (Italy); Cennamo, C, E-mail: alessandro.fantilli@polito.it [Department of ' Cultura del Progetto' , Universita di Napoli SUN, via San Lorenzo, Aversa 81031 (Italy)

2011-07-19

Both in architecture and arts, the golden section has been exclusively taken into consideration for its geometrical properties. Specifically, among all the proportions, the golden section can inspire beauty. Indeed, it has driven the construction of buildings for centuries. Nevertheless, as discussed for the first time in the present paper, static equilibrium of structures calls the golden section into play. This is the case of reinforced concrete beam in four point bending, whose average crack spacing in the constant moment zone increases of a factor equal to the irrational number 1.61803 when the geometrical dimensions of the beam are doubled. In other words, it can be argued that the centrality of golden section in the art of construction has profound physical meanings, as it can bring together the aesthetic of nature and architecture, and the equilibrium of stress flow in solid bodies.

Selenium Digestibility and Bioactivity in Dogs: What the Can Can, the Kibble Can't.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariëlle van Zelst

Full Text Available There is a growing concern for the long-term health effects of selenium (Se over- or underfeeding. The efficiency of utilization of dietary Se is subject to many factors. Our study in dogs evaluated the effect of diet type (canned versus kibble and dietary protein concentration on Se digestibility and bioactivity. Canned and kibble diets are commonly used formats of dog food, widely ranging in protein concentration. Twenty-four Labrador retrievers were used and four canned and four kibble diets were selected with crude protein concentrations ranging from 10.1 to 27.5 g/MJ. Crude protein concentration had no influence on the digestibility of Se in either canned or kibble diets, but a lower Se digestibility was observed in canned compared to kibble diets. However, the biological activity of Se, as measured by whole blood glutathione peroxidase, was higher in dogs fed the canned diets than in dogs fed the kibble diets and decreased with increasing crude protein intake. These results indicate that selenium recommendations in dog foods need to take diet type into account.

Selenium Digestibility and Bioactivity in Dogs: What the Can Can, the Kibble Can't.

Science.gov (United States)

van Zelst, Mariëlle; Hesta, Myriam; Gray, Kerry; Beech, Karen; Cools, An; Alexander, Lucille G; Du Laing, Gijs; Janssens, Geert P J

2016-01-01

There is a growing concern for the long-term health effects of selenium (Se) over- or underfeeding. The efficiency of utilization of dietary Se is subject to many factors. Our study in dogs evaluated the effect of diet type (canned versus kibble) and dietary protein concentration on Se digestibility and bioactivity. Canned and kibble diets are commonly used formats of dog food, widely ranging in protein concentration. Twenty-four Labrador retrievers were used and four canned and four kibble diets were selected with crude protein concentrations ranging from 10.1 to 27.5 g/MJ. Crude protein concentration had no influence on the digestibility of Se in either canned or kibble diets, but a lower Se digestibility was observed in canned compared to kibble diets. However, the biological activity of Se, as measured by whole blood glutathione peroxidase, was higher in dogs fed the canned diets than in dogs fed the kibble diets and decreased with increasing crude protein intake. These results indicate that selenium recommendations in dog foods need to take diet type into account.

Selenium Digestibility and Bioactivity in Dogs: What the Can Can, the Kibble Can’t

Science.gov (United States)

van Zelst, Mariëlle; Hesta, Myriam; Gray, Kerry; Beech, Karen; Cools, An; Alexander, Lucille G.; Du Laing, Gijs; Janssens, Geert P. J.

2016-01-01

There is a growing concern for the long-term health effects of selenium (Se) over- or underfeeding. The efficiency of utilization of dietary Se is subject to many factors. Our study in dogs evaluated the effect of diet type (canned versus kibble) and dietary protein concentration on Se digestibility and bioactivity. Canned and kibble diets are commonly used formats of dog food, widely ranging in protein concentration. Twenty-four Labrador retrievers were used and four canned and four kibble diets were selected with crude protein concentrations ranging from 10.1 to 27.5 g/MJ. Crude protein concentration had no influence on the digestibility of Se in either canned or kibble diets, but a lower Se digestibility was observed in canned compared to kibble diets. However, the biological activity of Se, as measured by whole blood glutathione peroxidase, was higher in dogs fed the canned diets than in dogs fed the kibble diets and decreased with increasing crude protein intake. These results indicate that selenium recommendations in dog foods need to take diet type into account. PMID:27043433

Genetic Characterization of Dog Personality Traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Ilska, Joanna; Haskell, Marie J; Blott, Sarah C; Sánchez-Molano, Enrique; Polgar, Zita; Lofgren, Sarah E; Clements, Dylan N; Wiener, Pamela

2017-06-01

The genetic architecture of behavioral traits in dogs is of great interest to owners, breeders, and professionals involved in animal welfare, as well as to scientists studying the genetics of animal (including human) behavior. The genetic component of dog behavior is supported by between-breed differences and some evidence of within-breed variation. However, it is a challenge to gather sufficiently large datasets to dissect the genetic basis of complex traits such as behavior, which are both time-consuming and logistically difficult to measure, and known to be influenced by nongenetic factors. In this study, we exploited the knowledge that owners have of their dogs to generate a large dataset of personality traits in Labrador Retrievers. While accounting for key environmental factors, we demonstrate that genetic variance can be detected for dog personality traits assessed using questionnaire data. We identified substantial genetic variance for several traits, including fetching tendency and fear of loud noises, while other traits revealed negligibly small heritabilities. Genetic correlations were also estimated between traits; however, due to fairly large SEs, only a handful of trait pairs yielded statistically significant estimates. Genomic analyses indicated that these traits are mainly polygenic, such that individual genomic regions have small effects, and suggested chromosomal associations for six of the traits. The polygenic nature of these traits is consistent with previous behavioral genetics studies in other species, for example in mouse, and confirms that large datasets are required to quantify the genetic variance and to identify the individual genes that influence behavioral traits. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

Plasma lactate concentration as a predictor of gastric necrosis and survival among dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus: 102 cases (1995-1998).

Science.gov (United States)

de Papp, E; Drobatz, K J; Hughes, D

1999-07-01

To determine relationships between plasma lactate concentration and gastric necrosis and between plasma lactate concentration and outcome for dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus. Retrospective study. 102 dogs. Information on signalment, history, plasma lactate concentration, medical and surgical treatment, cost of hospitalization, and outcome was retrieved from medical records. 69 of 70 (99%) dogs with plasma lactate concentration dogs with plasma lactate concentration > 6.0 mmol/L (1 dog euthanatized for economic reasons was not included). Gastric necrosis was identified in 38 (37%) dogs. Median plasma lactate concentration in dogs with gastric necrosis (6.6 mmol/L) was significantly higher than concentration in dogs without gastric necrosis (3.3 mmol/L). Specificity and sensitivity of using plasma lactate concentration (with a cutoff of 6.0 mmol/L) to predict which dogs had gastric necrosis were 88 and 61%, respectively. Sixty-two of 63 (98%) dogs without gastric necrosis survived, compared with 25 of 38 (66%) dogs with gastric necrosis. Preoperative plasma lactate concentration was a good predictor of gastric necrosis and outcome for dogs with GDV. Preoperative measurement of plasma lactate concentration may assist in determining prognosis of dogs with GDV.

Milk oligosaccharides over time of lactation from different dog breeds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirin Macias Rostami

Full Text Available The partnership of humans and dogs goes back to over 10'000 years, yet relatively little is known about a dog's first extra-uterine nutrition particularly when it comes to milk oligosaccharides. We set out to identify and quantify milk oligosaccharides over the course of lactation from different dog breeds (Labrador retriever, Schnauzer and 3 Alaskan husky crossbreeds. To this end, 2 different chromatographic methods with fluorescence and mass spectrometry detection were developed and one was validated for quantification. Besides lactose and lactose-sulphate, we identified 2 different trisaccharides composed of 3 hexose units, 3'sialyllactose (3'SL, 6'sialyllactose (6'SL, 2'fucosyllactose (2'FL, and a tetrasaccharide composed of 2 hexoses, an N-acetylhexosamine and a deoxyhexose. 3'SL was present at the highest levels in milk of all dog breeds starting at around 7.5 g/L and dropping to about 1.5 g/L in the first 10 days of lactation. 6'SL was about 10 times less abundant and 2'FL and the tetrasaccharide had rather varying levels in the milk of the different breeds with the tetrasaccharide only detectable in the Alaskan husky crossbreeds. The longitudinal and quantitative data of milk oligosaccharides from different dog breeds are an important basis to further our understanding on their specific biological roles and also on the specific nutritional requirements of lactating puppies.

Milk oligosaccharides over time of lactation from different dog breeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Macias Rostami, Shirin; Bénet, Thierry; Spears, Julie; Reynolds, Arleigh; Satyaraj, Ebenezer; Sprenger, Norbert; Austin, Sean

2014-01-01

The partnership of humans and dogs goes back to over 10'000 years, yet relatively little is known about a dog's first extra-uterine nutrition particularly when it comes to milk oligosaccharides. We set out to identify and quantify milk oligosaccharides over the course of lactation from different dog breeds (Labrador retriever, Schnauzer and 3 Alaskan husky crossbreeds). To this end, 2 different chromatographic methods with fluorescence and mass spectrometry detection were developed and one was validated for quantification. Besides lactose and lactose-sulphate, we identified 2 different trisaccharides composed of 3 hexose units, 3'sialyllactose (3'SL), 6'sialyllactose (6'SL), 2'fucosyllactose (2'FL), and a tetrasaccharide composed of 2 hexoses, an N-acetylhexosamine and a deoxyhexose. 3'SL was present at the highest levels in milk of all dog breeds starting at around 7.5 g/L and dropping to about 1.5 g/L in the first 10 days of lactation. 6'SL was about 10 times less abundant and 2'FL and the tetrasaccharide had rather varying levels in the milk of the different breeds with the tetrasaccharide only detectable in the Alaskan husky crossbreeds. The longitudinal and quantitative data of milk oligosaccharides from different dog breeds are an important basis to further our understanding on their specific biological roles and also on the specific nutritional requirements of lactating puppies.

Interpreting and Expanding Confucius' Golden Mean through Neutrosophic Tetrad

OpenAIRE

Fu, Yuhua

2015-01-01

Neutrosophy is a new branch of philosophy that studies the origin, nature, and scope of neutralities, as well as their interactions with different ideational spectra. There are many similarities between The Golden Mean and Neutrosophy. Chinese and international schol-ars need to toil towards expanding and developing The Golden Mean, towards its "modernization" and "globalization". Not only Chinese contemporary popular ideas and methods, but also international contemporary popular ideas and me...

Domestic dogs' (Canis familiaris) choices in reference to information provided by human and artificial hands.

Science.gov (United States)

Kundey, Shannon M A; Delise, Justin; De Los Reyes, Andres; Ford, Kathy; Starnes, Blair; Dennen, Weston

2014-03-01

Even young humans show sensitivity to the accuracy and reliability of informants' reports. Children are selective in soliciting information and in accepting claims. Recent research has also investigated domestic dogs' (Canis familiaris) sensitivity to agreement among human informants. Such research utilizing a common human pointing gesture to which dogs are sensitive in a food retrieval paradigm suggests that dogs might choose among informants according to the number of points exhibited, rather than the number of individuals indicating a particular location. Here, we further investigated dogs' use of information from human informants using a stationary pointing gesture, as well as the conditions under which dogs would utilize a stationary point. First, we explored whether the number of points or the number of individuals more strongly influenced dogs' choices. To this end, dogs encountered a choice situation in which the number of points exhibited toward a particular location and the number of individuals exhibiting those points conflicted. Results indicated that dogs chose in accordance with the number of points exhibited toward a particular location. In a second experiment, we explored the possibility that previously learned associations drove dogs' responses to the stationary pointing gesture. In this experiment, dogs encountered a choice situation in which artificial hands exhibited a stationary pointing gesture toward or away from choice locations in the absence of humans. Dogs chose the location to which the artificial hand pointed. These results are consistent with the notion that dogs may respond to a human pointing gesture due to their past-learning history.

The impact of aesthetic preference in product design-golden ratio and Korean's preference proportion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joung, J.Y.; Badke-Schaub, P.G.

2017-01-01

Background Over the past decades a considerable number of studies have been done on the golden ratio and the relation between their aesthetics and design. These studies, after analyzing design icons with the golden ratio, seem to prove that the golden ratio is an important principle for good

Serum C-reactive protein concentrations in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers with immune-mediated rheumatic disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Bremer, Hanna Dorotea; Hillström, Anna; Kånåhols, Malin; Hagman, Ragnvi; Hansson-Hamlin, Helene

2017-04-17

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (NSDTRs) are a dog breed often affected by immune-mediated rheumatic disease (IMRD), a disorder characterised by chronic stiffness and joint pain. Most, but not all, dogs with IMRD, have antinuclear antibodies (ANA), which are also commonly present in the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The clinical and diagnostic findings of IMRD indicate that it is an SLE-related disorder. C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase protein, is a quantitative marker of inflammation for many diseases and is used for diagnosing and monitoring systemic inflammation in both humans and dogs. However, in human SLE, CRP concentrations are often elevated but correlate poorly with disease activity; they can be low in individual patients with active disease. The aim of the study was to investigate CRP in a group of NSDTRs with the SLE-related disorder IMRD. The hypothesis was that CRP concentrations would be increased in dogs with IMRD compared to healthy dogs, but that the increase would be mild. Serum CRP concentrations were measured in 18 IMRD-affected NSDTRs and 19 healthy control NSDTRs using two different canine-specific CRP assays. Dogs with IMRD and ANA had higher CRP concentrations than the control dogs, but the concentrations were below the clinical decision limit for systemic inflammation for most of the IMRD dogs. These results indicate that CRP concentrations were increased in dogs with IMRD and ANA, but the increase was mild, similar to what has been observed in human SLE.

Golden proportion assessment between maxillary and mandibular teeth on Indian population

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Vaikunth Vijay; Rangarajan, Vedantham

2012-01-01

PURPOSE This study evaluated the existence of golden proportion between the widths of the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth in Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS The clinical tooth width measurements were recorded with the digital vernier calipers on 576 patients of both sexes in the age group of 21 - 30 years. Flexible ruler was used to determine the width of maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth on the patients by the same operator. The data obtained was statistically analyzed using paired student t-test (α=.05). RESULTS The golden proportion was not found between the width of the right central and lateral incisors in 53% of women and 47% of men. The results revealed the golden percentage was rather inconstant in terms of relative tooth width. CONCLUSION The golden proportion is an inappropriate method to relate the successive widths of the maxillary anterior teeth in Indian population. PMID:22737310

Retrospective analysis of the learning curve associated with laparoscopic ovariectomy in dogs and associated perioperative complication rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Juliet Frances Anne; Knowles, Toby Grahame

2014-08-01

To assess the learning curve associated with laparoscopic ovariectomy (LOE) in 618 dogs and to report perioperative complication rates. Case series. Dogs (n = 618). Data retrieved from the medical records of bitches admitted for LOE over 42 months included date of surgery, breed, weight (kg), age (months), surgeon, suture material used, intraoperative complications and postoperative complications. Each LOE was defined as "successful" or "unsuccessful" by the absence or presence of an intraoperative complication and "failure" rate described using a CUSUM technique. Follow-up time ranged from 152 to 1,435 days (median, 737 days). Intraoperative complications occurred in 10 dogs (1.6%) and included: splenic laceration (6 dogs; 1%), urinary bladder perforation (3 dogs; 0.5%), and subcutaneous emphysema (1 dog; 0.2%). Postoperative complications occurred in 99 dogs (16%) and included: incisional inflammation treated with antibiotics (87 dogs [14%]; 96/1,854 incisions; 5.1%), incisional seroma (5 dogs [0.8%]; 5/1,854 incisions, 0.3%), incisional hernia (4 dogs [0.6%]; 4/1,854 incisions, 0.2%), and ovarian remnant syndrome (3 dogs; 0.5%). CUSUM charts indicated an initial "learning curve" of ∼80 LOE. LOE is a technique with an initial learning curve but once surgical proficiency is reached after ∼80 procedures then intraoperative complication rates associated with the procedure can be low. © Copyright 2014 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Mobius Assembly: A versatile Golden-Gate framework towards universal DNA assembly.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas I Andreou

Full Text Available Synthetic biology builds upon the foundation of engineering principles, prompting innovation and improvement in biotechnology via a design-build-test-learn cycle. A community-wide standard in DNA assembly would enable bio-molecular engineering at the levels of predictivity and universality in design and construction that are comparable to other engineering fields. Golden Gate Assembly technology, with its robust capability to unidirectionally assemble numerous DNA fragments in a one-tube reaction, has the potential to deliver a universal standard framework for DNA assembly. While current Golden Gate Assembly frameworks (e.g. MoClo and Golden Braid render either high cloning capacity or vector toolkit simplicity, the technology can be made more versatile-simple, streamlined, and cost/labor-efficient, without compromising capacity. Here we report the development of a new Golden Gate Assembly framework named Mobius Assembly, which combines vector toolkit simplicity with high cloning capacity. It is based on a two-level, hierarchical approach and utilizes a low-frequency cutter to reduce domestication requirements. Mobius Assembly embraces the standard overhang designs designated by MoClo, Golden Braid, and Phytobricks and is largely compatible with already available Golden Gate part libraries. In addition, dropout cassettes encoding chromogenic proteins were implemented for cost-free visible cloning screening that color-code different cloning levels. As proofs of concept, we have successfully assembled up to 16 transcriptional units of various pigmentation genes in both operon and multigene arrangements. Taken together, Mobius Assembly delivers enhanced versatility and efficiency in DNA assembly, facilitating improved standardization and automation.

The golden-mean surface pattern to enhance flow mixing in micro-channel.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J F; Liu, Y; Xu, Y S

2009-04-01

Mixing of analytes and reagents in microfluidic devices is often crucial to the effective functioning of lab-on-a-chip. It is possible to affect the mixing in microfluidics by intelligently controlling the thermodynamic and chemical properties of the substrate surface. Numerous studies have shown that the phase behavior of mixtures is significantly affected by surface properties of microfluidics. For example, the phase separation between the fluids can be affected by heterogeneous patterns on the substrate. The patterned substrate can offer an effective means to control fluid behavior and in turn to enhance mixing. The golden mean is a ratio that is present in the growth patterns of many biological systems--the spiral formed by a shell or the curve of a fern, for example. The golden mean or golden section was derived by the ancient Greeks. Like "pi" the golden mean ratio is an irrational number 1.618, or (square root{5} + 1) / 2. It was found that the golden mean was an optimum ratio in natural convection heat transfer problem (Liu and Phan-Thien, Numer Heat Transf 37:613-630, 2000). In this study, we numerically studied the effect of optimum surface pattern on mixing in a micro channel and found that the flow oscillation and chaotic mixing were enhanced apparently when the ratio of hydrophobic and hydrophilic boundary follows the golden mean.

Reproductive characteristics of migratory golden eagles in Denali National Park, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

McIntyre, Carol L.; Adams, Layne G.

1999-01-01

We describe reproductive characteristics of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) breeding in Denali National Park, Alaska during an entire snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) cycle, 1988-1997. Data on nesting eagles were collected at 58 to 72 nesting areas annually using two aerial surveys. Surveys were conducted during the incubation period to determine occupancy and nesting activities and late in the nestling period to count nestlings and determine nesting success. Annual occupancy rates of nesting areas did not vary significantly, whereas laying rates, success rates, and mean brood size varied significantly over the study period. Fledgling production for the study population varied sevenfold during the ten-year period. Laying rates, mean brood size, and overall population productivity were significantly correlated with abundance of cyclic snowshoe hare and Willow Ptarmigan (Lugopus lagopus) populations. Reproductive rates of Golden Eagles in Denali were similar to those of Golden Eagles from other high latitude study areas in North America, but lower than for Golden Eagles from temperate zone study areas in North America.

Multilingualism and Cultural Interactions in the Golden Horde.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

István Vásáry

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Objectives: to examine linguistic and cultural interaction in the Golden Horde. Research materials: while addressing the issues of linguistic and cultural interaction in the Golden Horde the author analyzes various documentary and narrative sources, numismatic materials and conclusions of Russian and Western historiography. Results and novelty of the research: The author examines these issues in the case of two Western Mongol states: the Golden Horde and the state of Ilkhans in Iran. He defines the time frame of research as extending to the middle of the 14th century. The author concludes that despite the fact that the Mongolian language and writing became the official means of communication in the Empire they never replaced or supplanted the local languages since the established empire was multicultural and conquerors represented a linguistic minority within its boundaries. The author explains in turn the Golden Horde retardation from Iran in the process of Islamization with the fact that most of the conquered Turkic population (excluding the territories of the Volga Bulgars had not yet undergone the Islamization or had undergone it only superficially, while in Iran, Islam had for centuries been an integral part of Islamic civilization. Therefore, cultural and religious assimilation of the conquerors of Iran, who were in the minority, occurred much earlier. The novelty of the article is displayed in the author’s conclusions that despite the Mongols became Muslims, over time they could not and did not want to give up many of the traditions and customs of their ancestors. They retained the essential elements of the Mongol religious and legal system of Yasa consecrated by its founder – Chinggis Khan. In the first place, the so-called “Golden Branch” (altan uruγ of Chinggis’ dynasty retained the claim to universal world dominion, which for a long time remained in force even after the fall of the Mongol successor-states in the 14th

Golden eagle population trends in the western United States: 1968-2010

Science.gov (United States)

Millsap, Brian A.; Zimmerman, Guthrie S.; Sauer, John R.; Nielson, Ryan M.; Otto, Mark; Bjerre, Emily; Murphy, Robert K.

2013-01-01

In 2009, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service promulgated permit regulations for the unintentional lethal take (anthropogenic mortality) and disturbance of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). Accurate population trend and size information for golden eagles are needed so agency biologists can make informed decisions when eagle take permits are requested. To address this need with available data, we used a log-linear hierarchical model to average data from a late-summer aerial-line-transect distance-sampling survey (WGES) of golden eagles in the United States portions of Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 9 (Great Basin), BCR 10 (Northern Rockies), BCR 16 (Southern Rockies/Colorado Plateau), and BCR 17 (Badlands and Prairies) from 2006 to 2010 with late-spring, early summer Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data for the same BCRs and years to estimate summer golden eagle population size and trends in these BCRs. We used the ratio of the density estimates from the WGES to the BBS index to calculate a BCR-specific adjustment factor that scaled the BBS index (i.e., birds per route) to a density estimate. Our results indicated golden eagle populations were generally stable from 2006 to 2010 in the 4 BCRs, with an estimated average rate of population change of −0.41% (95% credible interval [CI]: −4.17% to 3.40%) per year. For the 4 BCRs and years, we estimated annual golden eagle population size to range from 28,220 (95% CI: 23,250–35,110) in 2007 to 26,490 (95% CI: 21,760–32,680) in 2008. We found a general correspondence in trends between WGES and BBS data for these 4 BCRs, which suggested BBS data were providing useful trend information. We used the overall adjustment factor calculated from the 4 BCRs and years to scale BBS golden eagle counts from 1968 to 2005 for the 4 BCRs and for 1968 to 2010 for the 8 other BCRs (without WGES data) to estimate golden eagle population size and trends across the western United States for the period 1968 to 2010. In general, we

Public Perceptions of Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs, and Therapy Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoenfeld-Tacher, Regina; Hellyer, Peter; Cheung, Louana; Kogan, Lori

2017-06-15

As service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs have become more prevalent in the USA, so too has the controversy surrounding their legitimacy. Yet, there is a lack of objective data regarding the public's understanding of the role played by each of these types of animals, as well as their perceptions regarding the legitimacy of their integration. An anonymous, online survey was distributed to examine the perceptions of US adults who do not own any type of assistance animal. A total of 505 individuals responded to the online survey, yielding 284 usable responses. Results suggest widespread misconceptions about definitions, rules, regulations, and rights associated with each type of assistance dog. In general, service dogs are more likely to be perceived as helping with a legitimate need, and their access to public spaces is viewed favorably. While there are some concerns about the legitimacy and necessary access rights for emotional support dogs, members of the public correctly identified the roles and rights of therapy dogs. Despite the media's focus on abuses and false representation of these dogs, most participants reported feeling the majority of people are not taking advantage of the system.

2010 ARRA Lidar: Golden Gate (CA)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Golden Gate LiDAR Project is a cooperative project sponsored by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and San Francisco State University (SFSU) that has resulted in...

Visibility in a pure model of golden spiral phyllotaxis.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Burghard

2018-07-01

This paper considers the geometry of plants with golden spiral phyllotaxis, i.e. growing leaf by leaf on a spiral with golden divergence angle, via the simplest mathematical model, a cylinder with regular arrangement of points on its surface. As is well-known, Fibonacci numbers appear by means of the order of parastichies. This fact is shown to be a straightforward application of logical consequences to a particular model with respect to pure visibility. This notion is very similar to that of contact parastichies. The 3-D cylindrical model of golden spiral phyllotaxis abstracts from the form of leaves and identifies them with points. Pure visibility is specified in the 2-D representation so that common sense parastichies can be scrutinized. The main Theorem states that the orders of the purely most visible parastichies are Fibonacci numbers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surgical retrieval of a metallic foreign body from the spleen of a dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahajan, Shashi K; Anand, Arun; Sangwan, Vandana; Mohindroo, Jitender; Singh, Kiranjit

2012-04-01

This is the first report of a metallic foreign body in the spleen of a dog. The animal had abdominal discomfort with a tucked-up abdomen and occasional vomition. Radiography and ultrasonography were used to identify a splenic foreign body which was surgically removed through a ventral midline celiotomy. Migration of the foreign body through the stomach wall was suspected as the most likely cause.

Surgical retrieval of a metallic foreign body from the spleen of a dog

OpenAIRE

Mahajan, Shashi K.; Anand, Arun; Sangwan, Vandana; Mohindroo, Jitender; Singh, Kiranjit

2012-01-01

This is the first report of a metallic foreign body in the spleen of a dog. The animal had abdominal discomfort with a tucked-up abdomen and occasional vomition. Radiography and ultrasonography were used to identify a splenic foreign body which was surgically removed through a ventral midline celiotomy. Migration of the foreign body through the stomach wall was suspected as the most likely cause.

High detection rate of dog circovirus in diarrheal dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Han-Siang; Lin, Ting-Han; Wu, Hung-Yi; Lin, Lee-Shuan; Chung, Cheng-Shu; Chiou, Ming-Tang; Lin, Chao-Nan

2016-06-17

Diarrhea is one of the most common clinical symptoms reported in companion animal clinics. Dog circovirus (DogCV) is a new mammalian circovirus that is considered to be a cause of alimentary syndromes such as diarrhea, vomiting and hemorrhagic enteritis. DogCV has previously only been identified in the United States, Italy, Germany (GeneBank accession number: KF887949) and China (GeneBank accession number: KT946839). Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of DogCV in Taiwan and to explore the correlation between diarrhea and DogCV infection. Clinical specimens were collected between 2012 and 2014 from 207 dogs suffering from diarrhea and 160 healthy dogs. In this study, we developed a sensitive and specific SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assays to detected DogCV in naturally infected animals. Of the analyzed fecal samples from diarrheal dogs and health dogs, 58 (28.0 %) and 19 (11.9 %), respectively, were DogCV positive. The difference in DogCV prevalence was highly significant (P = 0.0002755) in diarrheal dogs. This is the first study to reveal that DogCV is currently circulating in domestic dogs in Taiwan and to demonstrate its high detection rate in dogs with diarrhea.

Further Generalization of Golden Mean in Relation to Euler Divine Equation

OpenAIRE

Rakocevic, Miloje M.

2006-01-01

In the paper a new generalization of the Golden mean, as a further generalization in relation to Stakhov (1989) and to Spinadel (1999), is presented. Also it is first observed that the Euler divine equation represents a possible generalization of Golden mean. In this second version the Section 6 is added.

Cofactors associated with Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome: 151 dogs within a reference population.

Science.gov (United States)

Auten, Candace R; Thomasy, Sara M; Kass, Philip H; Good, Kathryn L; Hollingsworth, Steven R; Maggs, David J

2018-05-01

To determine factors associated with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) diagnosed within one referral population. 151 dogs diagnosed with SARDS. Breed, age, sex, and body weight were compared between dogs with electroretinogram-confirmed SARDS and dogs presented to the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (UCD-VMTH) from 1991 to 2014. SARDS was diagnosed in 151 dogs, representing 1.3% of dogs presented to the UCD-VMTH for ophthalmic disease. Although dogs of 36 breeds were affected, the Dachshund (n = 31, 21%), Schnauzer (16, 11%), Pug (11, 7%), and Brittany (5, 3%) were significantly overrepresented, and the Labrador Retriever (3, 2%) was significantly underrepresented vs. the reference population (P < 0.001). Median (range) age and body weight of affected vs. reference dogs were 8.9 (3-20) vs. 6.8 (0.1-26) years and 12.4 (2.8-52.7) vs. 22.3 (0.1-60) kg, respectively. Dogs 6-10 years of age and between 10-20 kg in body weight were significantly overrepresented in the SARDS population, while dogs <6 years of age were significantly underrepresented (P < 0.01). Spayed females (59% of affected dogs) were significantly overrepresented compared to the reference population, whereas intact females (1% of affected dogs) were significantly underrepresented. Consistent with previous studies, smaller, middle-aged, spayed female dogs may be at increased risk of developing SARDS. Unlike previous studies, this is the first study comparing a variety of SARDS-affected breeds to a reference population. Potentially increased risk of SARDS in several breeds, particularly Dachshunds, suggests a familial factor that warrants further investigation using genetic techniques. © 2017 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

Longshore sediment transport at Golden Sands (Bulgaria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hristo Nikolov

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of studies on the qualitative and quantitative features of the littoral drift at Golden Sands (Bulgaria, carried out jointly by Polish and Bulgarian researchers. The mathematical modelling of physical coastal processes took wave transformation (wave diffraction and refraction; the effects of shoaling and wave breaking and longshore sediment transport into account. The computations were carried out for the mean statistical annual wave climate, determined on the basis of IO BAS wave data, simulated using the WAM method from long-term Black Sea wind data. The results of sediment transport computations clearly show that its direction off the Golden Sands shore is from north to south.

['Gold standard', not 'golden standard'

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claassen, J.A.H.R.

2005-01-01

In medical literature, both 'gold standard' and 'golden standard' are employed to describe a reference test used for comparison with a novel method. The term 'gold standard' in its current sense in medical research was coined by Rudd in 1979, in reference to the monetary gold standard. In the same

When frequencies never synchronize: the golden mean and the resting EEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Pletzer, Belinda; Kerschbaum, Hubert; Klimesch, Wolfgang

2010-06-04

The classical frequency bands of the EEG can be described as a geometric series with a ratio (between neighbouring frequencies) of 1.618, which is the golden mean. Here we show that a synchronization of the excitatory phases of two oscillations with frequencies f1 and f2 is impossible (in a mathematical sense) when their ratio equals the golden mean, because their excitatory phases never meet. Thus, in a mathematical sense, the golden mean provides a totally uncoupled ('desynchronized') processing state which most likely reflects a 'resting' brain, which is not involved in selective information processing. However, excitatory phases of the f1- and f2-oscillations occasionally come close enough to coincide in a physiological sense. These coincidences are more frequent, the higher the frequencies f1 and f2. We demonstrate that the pattern of excitatory phase meetings provided by the golden mean as the 'most irrational' number is least frequent and most irregular. Thus, in a physiological sense, the golden mean provides (i) the highest physiologically possible desynchronized state in the resting brain, (ii) the possibility for spontaneous and most irregular (!) coupling and uncoupling between rhythms and (iii) the opportunity for a transition from resting state to activity. These characteristics have already been discussed to lay the ground for a healthy interplay between various physiological processes (Buchmann, 2002). Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computed tomographic characteristics of collateral venous pathways in dogs with caudal vena cava obstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Specchi, Swan; d'Anjou, Marc-André; Carmel, Eric Norman; Bertolini, Giovanna

2014-01-01

Collateral venous pathways develop in dogs with obstruction or increased blood flow resistance at any level of the caudal vena cava in order to maintain venous drainage to the right atrium. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe the sites, causes of obstruction, and configurations of venous collateral pathways for a group of dogs with caudal vena cava obstruction. Computed tomography databases from two veterinary hospitals were searched for dogs with a diagnosis of caudal vena cava obstruction and multidetector row computed tomographic angiographic (CTA) scans that included the entire caudal vena cava. Images for each included dog were retrieved and collateral venous pathways were characterized using image postprocessing and a classification system previously reported for humans. A total of nine dogs met inclusion criteria and four major collateral venous pathways were identified: deep (n = 2), portal (n = 2), intermediate (n = 7), and superficial (n = 5). More than one collateral venous pathway was present in 5 dogs. An alternative pathway consisting of renal subcapsular collateral veins, arising mainly from the caudal pole of both kidneys, was found in three dogs. In conclusion, findings indicated that collateral venous pathway patterns similar to those described in humans are also present in dogs with caudal vena cava obstruction. These collateral pathways need to be distinguished from other vascular anomalies in dogs. Postprocessing of multidetector-row CTA images allowed delineation of the course of these complicated venous pathways and may be a helpful adjunct for treatment planning in future cases. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Surgical treatment of lumbosacral foraminal stenosis using a lateral approach in twenty dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gödde, Thomas; Steffen, Frank

2007-10-01

To describe clinical signs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and surgical findings using a lateral approach to the lumbosacral intervertebral foramen and to evaluate clinical outcomes in dogs with or without concurrent dorsal decompression and annulectomy. Retrospective study. Dogs (n=20) with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis (DLSS). Medical records (2002-2006) of dogs that had lumbosacral lateral foraminotomy alone or in combination with dorsal decompression were reviewed. Degree of dysfunction was assessed separately for each pelvic limb; dogs with unilateral signs were included in group A, those with bilateral signs in group B. Retrieved data were: signalment, history, neurologic status on admission, 3 days, 6 weeks, and 6 months postoperatively, duration of clinical signs, results of MRI, surgical site(s), intraoperative findings, and outcome. Based on the clinical and MRI findings unilateral foraminotomy was performed in 8 dogs, bilateral foraminotomy in 1 dog, unilateral foraminotomy with concurrent dorsal decompression in 7 dogs, and bilateral foraminotomy with concomitant dorsal decompression in 4 dogs. Surgery confirmed the presence of foraminal stenosis in all dogs, with osteophyte formation and soft tissue proliferations being the most common lesions. Outcome was good to excellent in 19 dogs and poor in 1 dog. Mean follow-up was 15.2 months (range, 6-42 months). Lateral foraminotomy addresses compressive lesions within exit and middle zones of the lumbosacral foramen. Successful surgical management of DLSS is dependent on recognition and correction of each of the compressive lesions within the lumbosacral junction.

78 FR 1713 - Golden Nematode; Removal of Regulated Areas in Livingston and Steuben Counties, NY

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-09

...-0079] Golden Nematode; Removal of Regulated Areas in Livingston and Steuben Counties, NY AGENCY: Animal... are amending the golden nematode regulations by removing areas in Livingston and Steuben Counties in... areas in these two counties are free of golden nematode, and we have determined that regulation of these...

Development of Taenia pisiformis in golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maravilla Pablo

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract The life cycle of Taenia pisiformis includes canines as definitive hosts and rabbits as intermediate hosts. Golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus is a rodent that has been successfully used as experimental model of Taenia solium taeniosis. In the present study we describe the course of T. pisiformis infection in experimentally infected golden hamsters. Ten females, treated with methyl-prednisolone acetate were infected with three T. pisiformis cysticerci each one excised from one rabbit. Proglottids released in faeces and adults recovered during necropsy showed that all animals were infected. Eggs obtained from the hamsters' tapeworms, were assessed for viability using trypan blue or propidium iodide stains. Afterwards, some rabbits were inoculated with eggs, necropsy was performed after seven weeks and viable cysticerci were obtained. Our results demonstrate that the experimental model of adult Taenia pisiformis in golden hamster can replace the use of canines in order to study this parasite and to provide eggs and adult tapeworms to be used in different types of experiments.

Dietary Mannoheptulose Does Not Significantly Alter Daily Energy Expenditure in Adult Labrador Retrievers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leslie L McKnight

Full Text Available Mannoheptulose (MH, a sugar found in avocados that inhibits glycolysis in vitro, has been preliminarily investigated as a novel food ingredient for dogs. This study aimed to determine the effects of dietary MH, delivered as an extract of un-ripened avocado, on energy expenditure (EE in healthy adult Labrador Retriever dogs (total of 12 dogs, 26.99 ± 0.634 kg, 4.9 ± 0.2 y. The study was a double-blind, cross-over with each dog receiving both dietary treatments, control (CON and MH (400 mg/kg of diet; 6 mg/kg BW, in random order. Resting and post-prandial (10 h EE and respiratory quotient (RQ were determined by indirect calorimetry (d 42. The following day, body composition was assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Continuous activity monitoring was conducted using an Atical® accelerometer (d 43-47. A vastus lateralis muscle biopsy was obtained prior to the morning meal (d 49 and 4 h after consumption of their meal (d 56 to determine the protein content and phosphorylation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK. Diet did not affect body weight, resting EE or skeletal muscle AMPK phosphorylation. Dogs fed MH had significantly lower post-prandial RQ (p = 0.02 and ratio of fat to lean body mass (p = 0.02. Physical activity during light time periods (but not dark was lower in dogs fed MH (p < 0.05 during weekends, but not on weekdays. These results suggest that MH affects energy balance of adult dogs, but that these effects are not dose dependent and not due to physical activity.

Dogs recognize dog and human emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Albuquerque, Natalia; Guo, Kun; Wilkinson, Anna; Savalli, Carine; Otta, Emma; Mills, Daniel

2016-01-01

The perception of emotional expressions allows animals to evaluate the social intentions and motivations of each other. This usually takes place within species; however, in the case of domestic dogs, it might be advantageous to recognize the emotions of humans as well as other dogs. In this sense, the combination of visual and auditory cues to categorize others' emotions facilitates the information processing and indicates high-level cognitive representations. Using a cross-modal preferential looking paradigm, we presented dogs with either human or dog faces with different emotional valences (happy/playful versus angry/aggressive) paired with a single vocalization from the same individual with either a positive or negative valence or Brownian noise. Dogs looked significantly longer at the face whose expression was congruent to the valence of vocalization, for both conspecifics and heterospecifics, an ability previously known only in humans. These results demonstrate that dogs can extract and integrate bimodal sensory emotional information, and discriminate between positive and negative emotions from both humans and dogs. © 2016 The Author(s).

A case of pelvic psteosarcoma effectively treated with pamidronate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yano, M.; Mori, T.; Hoshino, Y.; Iwatani, N.; Murakami, M.; Sakai, H.; Tanigawa, T.; Maruo, K.

2010-01-01

A 7-year-old, 34 kg, castrated male Golden retriever was presented with a month history of lameness in the hind limbs, especially the left hind limb. The dog was referred to our hospital. Computed Tomography (CT) findings showed bone absorption in over 50% of the pubis and part of the ischial bone, in the left hip joint region. A CT-guided biopsy was performed. A histopathologic diagnosis of osteosarcoma was made. Treatment with the bisphosphonate drug pamidronate was performed every month. At one or two weeks after the first dose of pamidronate, the lameness disappeared. CT showed high bone remodeling of the affected region on the 146th day. Over the course of 11 administrations of pamidronate, serve side effects were not observed until the dog died on the 469th day. Therefore, pamidronate lead to an improvement in the quality of life

V International Golden Horde Forum (Kazan, Russian Federation, March 15–18, 2017

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.G. Sayfetdinova

2017-09-01

Full Text Available M.A.Usmanov Center for Research on the Golden Horde and Tatar Khanates of Sh.Marjani Institute of History of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences became the organizer of a major international academic event aimed at highlighting the source study of the history of the Golden Horde and the Turkic-Tatar khanates. The fifth international Golden Horde Forum was held in Kazan on March 15–18, 2017, which was attended by researchers from 18 countries: Russia, USA, France, England, Mongolia, Finland, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, etc. Two international conferences and two round tables were held in the framework of the Forum. The first research conference “Source Study of the History of the Golden Horde and Tatar Khanates: Textology, Translations, Interpretations” wad dedicated to important issues of source study of the history of the Golden Horde and the Turkic-Tatar khanates. The second research conference was dedicated to the topic “Coinage and Money Circulation in the Golden Horde and Turkic-Tatar Khanates in the Light of Source Studies”. The round table “Ecological and Epidemic Factor in Medieval Eurasia” was the third research event in the framework of the Forum. The round table “The Golden Horde on the Great Silk Road” was organized on March 16, 2017 in conjunction with the Council of Muftis of the Russian Federation. When summing up the results of the Forum, participants noted that all events were held at a high scholarly level, contributed to the strengthening of international academic relations and made it possible to make substantial progress in solving actual research problems and to outline the prospects for further research.

Análise das dosagens e concentrações séricas da ciclosporina A em cães da raça Golden Retriever normais ou afetados pela distrofia muscular

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Caroprezo Morini

2008-04-01

Full Text Available A distrofia muscular dos cães Golden Retriever (GRMD, uma miopatia degenerativa causada pela ausência da distrofina é geneticamente homóloga à distrofia muscular de Duchenne que acomete humanos, portanto, estes cães são considerados modelos experimentais para estudos em terapia celular. Seu sucesso depende da imunossupressão adequada. A ciclosporina A (CsA é indicada para tal e a monitorização de suas concentrações sangüíneas e efeitos adversos são essenciais para viabilizar a terapia. Foram estudados cães GRMD, e normais da mesma raça, submetidos a terapia com CsA, associada, nos GRMD, ao transplante de células tronco. Foram avaliados as concentrações sangüíneas do fármaco através de amostras coletadas a cada dois ou três dias e analisadas pelo método do imunoensaio por fluorescência (FPIA. Como resultado observamos que as concentrações de CsA oscilaram muito, em seis dos oito animais. Concluímos que as doses variam individualmente sendo de maior importância avaliar a concentração do fármaco no sangue e sua viabilização no uso da terapia celular.

Lead and mercury in fall migrant golden eagles from western North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Langner, Heiko W; Domenech, Robert; Slabe, Vincent A; Sullivan, Sean P

2015-07-01

Lead exposure from ingestion of bullet fragments is a serious environmental hazard to eagles. We determined blood lead levels (BLL) in 178 golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) captured during fall migration along a major North American flyway. These eagles spent the breeding season distributed over a large range and are the best currently available representation of free flying golden eagles on the continent. We found 58 % of these eagles containing increased BLL > 0.1 mg/L; 10 % were clinically lead poisoned with BLL > 0.6 mg/L; and 4 % were lethally exposed with BLL > 1.2 mg/L. No statistical difference in BLL existed between golden and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Golden eagles captured on carrion had higher BLL than those captured using live bait suggesting differences in feeding habits among individuals. Median BLL increased with age class. We propose a conceptual model for the long-term increase in BLL after ingestion of lead particles. The mean blood mercury level in golden eagles was 0.023 mg/L. We evaluate a field test for BLL that is based on anodic stripping voltammetry. This cost-effective and immediate method correlated well with results from inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, although results needed to be corrected for each calibration of the test kit.

Assessment the Molluscicidal Properties of Azadirachtin Against Golden Apple Snail, Pomacea Canaliculata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosdiyani Massaguni; Siti Noor Hajjar Mohd Latip

2015-01-01

Concern with the negative impact of synthetic pesticide on environment and human health have led this study in order to evaluate the molluscicidal efficacies of azadirachtin in neem seed crude extract on golden apple snail. Azadirachtin was extracted by maceration technique using four different solvents and the quantity of azadirachtin in extracts was compared to select the best solvent. Then, bioassays were performed on adult of golden apple snail to compare the molluscicidal activity of azadirachtin. A comparison of the extractive yields of different solvents indicated that the polarity of the solvents tested not significantly influence in enhanced the azadirachtin yields. The result on mortality rate of golden apple snail subjected to various concentration and solvent extracts indicated that neem seed crude extracts significantly killed the golden apple snail. The LC 50 values of the methanol extract (21.008 mg/ ml) were the lowest, indicating the highest potency, followed in order by ethanol extract (43.726 mg/ ml), acetone extract (48.110 mg/ ml) and water extract (53.654 mg/ ml). The mortality rate was correlated positively with the extract concentrations as the mortality of snail increased with the increase of extract concentration. Therefore, this study indicated that neem seed crude extracts possessed molluscicidal effect for controlling the golden apple snail. (author)

Best in show but not best shape: a photographic assessment of show dog body condition.

Science.gov (United States)

Such, Z R; German, A J

2015-08-01

Previous studies suggest that owners often wrongly perceive overweight dogs to be in normal condition. The body shape of dogs attending shows might influence owners' perceptions, with online images of overweight show winners having a negative effect. This was an observational in silico study of canine body condition. 14 obese-prone breeds and 14 matched non-obese-probe breeds were first selected, and one operator then used an online search engine to identify 40 images, per breed, of dogs that had appeared at a major national UK show (Crufts). After images were anonymised and coded, a second observer subjectively assessed body condition, in a single sitting, using a previously validated method. Of 1120 photographs initially identified, 960 were suitable for assessing body condition, with all unsuitable images being from longhaired breeds. None of the dogs (0 per cent) were underweight, 708 (74 per cent) were in ideal condition and 252 (26 per cent) were overweight. Pugs, basset hounds and Labrador retrievers were most likely to be overweight, while standard poodles, Rhodesian ridgebacks, Hungarian vizslas and Dobermanns were least likely to be overweight. Given the proportion of show dogs from some breeds that are overweight, breed standards should be redefined to be consistent with a dog in optimal body condition. British Veterinary Association.

Does the A-not-B error in adult pet dogs indicate sensitivity to human communication?

Science.gov (United States)

Kis, Anna; Topál, József; Gácsi, Márta; Range, Friederike; Huber, Ludwig; Miklósi, Adám; Virányi, Zsófia

2012-07-01

Recent dog-infant comparisons have indicated that the experimenter's communicative signals in object hide-and-search tasks increase the probability of perseverative (A-not-B) errors in both species (Topál et al. 2009). These behaviourally similar results, however, might reflect different mechanisms in dogs and in children. Similar errors may occur if the motor response of retrieving the object during the A trials cannot be inhibited in the B trials or if the experimenter's movements and signals toward the A hiding place in the B trials ('sham-baiting') distract the dogs' attention. In order to test these hypotheses, we tested dogs similarly to Topál et al. (2009) but eliminated the motor search in the A trials and 'sham-baiting' in the B trials. We found that neither an inability to inhibit previously rewarded motor response nor insufficiencies in their working memory and/or attention skills can explain dogs' erroneous choices. Further, we replicated the finding that dogs have a strong tendency to commit the A-not-B error after ostensive-communicative hiding and demonstrated the crucial effect of socio-communicative cues as the A-not-B error diminishes when location B is ostensively enhanced. These findings further support the hypothesis that the dogs' A-not-B error may reflect a special sensitivity to human communicative cues. Such object-hiding and search tasks provide a typical case for how susceptibility to human social signals could (mis)lead domestic dogs.

Modeling Late-Summer Distribution of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Western United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Nielson, Ryan M; Murphy, Robert K; Millsap, Brian A; Howe, William H; Gardner, Grant

2016-01-01

Increasing development across the western United States (USA) elevates concerns about effects on wildlife resources; the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is of special concern in this regard. Knowledge of golden eagle abundance and distribution across the western USA must be improved to help identify and conserve areas of major importance to the species. We used distance sampling and visual mark-recapture procedures to estimate golden eagle abundance from aerial line-transect surveys conducted across four Bird Conservation Regions in the western USA between 15 August and 15 September in 2006-2010, 2012, and 2013. To assess golden eagle-habitat relationships at this scale, we modeled counts of golden eagles seen during surveys in 2006-2010, adjusted for probability of detection, and used land cover and other environmental factors as predictor variables within 20-km2 sampling units randomly selected from survey transects. We found evidence of positive relationships between intensity of use by golden eagles and elevation, solar radiation, and mean wind speed, and of negative relationships with the proportion of landscape classified as forest or as developed. The model accurately predicted habitat use observed during surveys conducted in 2012 and 2013. We used the model to construct a map predicting intensity of use by golden eagles during late summer across our ~2 million-km2 study area. The map can be used to help prioritize landscapes for conservation efforts, identify areas where mitigation efforts may be most effective, and identify regions for additional research and monitoring. In addition, our map can be used to develop region-specific (e.g., state-level) density estimates based on the latest information on golden eagle abundance from a late-summer survey and aid designation of geographic management units for the species.

OPERATIONS THROUGHPUT AS A DETERMINANT OF GOLDEN-HOUR IN MASS-GATHERING MEDICINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. D. Khan

2017-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Golden-hour, a time-tested concept for trauma-care, involves a systems approach encompassing healthcare, logistics, geographical, environmental and temporal variables. Golden-hour paradigm in mass-gathering-medicine such as the Hajj-pilgrimage entwines along healthcare availability, accessibility, efficiency and interoperability; expanding from the patient-centric to public-health centric approach. The realm of mass-gathering-medicine invokes an opportunity for incorporating operations-throughput as a determinant of golden-hour for overall capacity-building and interoperability. METHODS Golden-hour was evaluated during the Indian-Medical-Mission operations for Hajj-2016; which established, operated and coordinated a strategic network of round-the-clock medical operations. Throughput was evaluated as deliverables/time, against established Standard-Operating-Procedures for various clinical, investigation, drug-dispensing and patient-transfer algorithms. Patient encounter-time, waiting-time, turnaround-time were assessed throughout echeloned healthcare under a patient-centric healthcare-delivery model. Dynamic evaluation was carried out to cater for variation and heterogeneity. RESULTS Massive surge of 3,94,013 patients comprising 2,25,103 males (57.1% and 1,68,910 females (42.9% overwhelmed the throughput capacities of outpatient attendance, pharmacy, laboratory, imaging, ambulance, referrals and documentation. There was delay in attendance, suspicion, diagnosis and isolation of patients with communicable infections. The situational-analysis of operations-throughput highlights wasted turnaround-time due to mobilization of medical-team, diverting critical healthcare resources away from emergency situations. CONCLUSION Time being a crucial factor in the complexity of medical-care, operations-throughput remains an important determinant towards interoperability of bottlenecks, thereby being a determinant of golden-hour in mass

78 FR 9451 - Academy Express, L.L.C.-Acquisition of Property-Golden Ring Travel & Transportation, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-08

..., L.L.C.--Acquisition of Property--Golden Ring Travel & Transportation, Inc. AGENCY: Surface... authority under 49 U.S.C. 14303 to acquire the property of Golden Ring Travel & Transportation, Inc. (Golden... approximately 400 motor coaches and more than 500 drivers. Academy is indirectly controlled by the Tedesco...

Prevalence of incidental thyroid nodules in ultrasound studies of dogs with hypercalcemia (2008-2013).

Science.gov (United States)

Pollard, Rachel E; Bohannon, Laurie K; Feldman, Edward C

2015-01-01

Ultrasound is commonly used to evaluate the cervical region in dogs with hypercalcemia due to suspected hyperparathyroidism. Incidental thyroid nodules may be detected during these studies, however little information has been published to guide clinical decision-making when this occurs. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of incidental thyroid nodules in hypercalcemic dogs undergoing cervical ultrasound at our hospital during the period of 2008-2013. Dogs with a palpable neck mass were excluded. Cervical ultrasound images for each dog were retrieved and reviewed by a board certified veterinary radiologist who was unaware of patient outcome. Presence, number, and dimensions of thyroid nodules were recorded. Results of thyroid nodule aspirate, biopsy or necropsy were recorded from medical records when available. Ninety-one dogs met inclusion criteria. Of these, 14/91 (15%) dogs had at least one thyroid nodule. Mean (± standard deviation) thyroid gland nodule length, width, and height were 1.51 ± 0.74, 0.96 ± 0.73, and 0.75 ± 0.36 cm, respectively. A histologic diagnosis was available for the incidental thyroid lesions in eight dogs, including one dog with two nodules. Confirmed diagnoses for these nodules were thyroid cyst (3/9, 33%), thyroid adenoma (3/9, 33%), thyroid adenocarcinoma (2/9, 22%) and nodular hyperplasia (1/9, 11%). Findings indicated that incidental thyroid nodules may be present in hypercalcemic dogs with no palpable neck mass and no clinical signs of thyroid disease. Some of these nodules may be malignant and therefore a recommendation for cytology or biopsy may be justified. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

DogPulse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovgaard, Christoffer; Thomsen, Josephine Raun; Verdezoto, Nervo

2015-01-01

This paper presents DogPulse, an ambient awareness system to support the coordination of dog walking among family members at home. DogPulse augments a dog collar and leash set to activate an ambient shape-changing lamp and visualize the last time the dog was taken for a walk. The lamp gradually...... changes its form and pulsates its lights in order to keep the family members aware of the dog walking activity. We report the iterative prototyping of DogPulse, its implementation and its preliminary evaluation. Based on our initial findings, we present the limitations and lessons learned as well...

Proportions of maxillary anterior teeth relative to each other and to golden standard in tabriz dental faculty students.

Science.gov (United States)

Parnia, Fereydoun; Hafezeqoran, Ali; Mahboub, Farhang; Moslehifard, Elnaz; Koodaryan, Rodabeh; Moteyagheni, Rosa; Saleh Saber, Fariba

2010-01-01

Various methods are used to measure the size and form of the teeth, including the golden pro-portion, and the width-to-length ratio of central teeth, referred to as the golden standard. The aim of this study was to eval-uate the occurrence of golden standard values and golden proportion in the anterior teeth. Photographs of 100 dentistry students (50 males and 50 females) were taken under standard conditions. The visible widths and lengths of maxillary right and left incisors were calculated and the ratios were compared with golden standard. Data was analyzed using SPSS 14 software. Review of the results of the means showed statistically significant differences between the width ratio of right lateral teeth to the central teeth width with golden proportion (Pmean differences showed that the mean difference between proportion of right laterals to centrals with golden proportion was significant (Pgolden proportion among maxillary incisors. The review of results of mean differences for single samples showed that the mean differences between the proportion of width-to-length of left and right central teeth was statistically significant by golden standard (Pgolden standard exists. In the evaluation of the width-to-width and width-to-length proportions of maxillary incisors no golden proportions and standards were detected, respectively.

Frequency of Dehiscence in Hand-Sutured and Stapled Intestinal Anastomoses in Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Duell, Jason R; Thieman Mankin, Kelley M; Rochat, Mark C; Regier, Penny J; Singh, Ameet; Luther, Jill K; Mison, Michael B; Leeman, Jessica J; Budke, Christine M

2016-01-01

To determine the frequency of dehiscence of hand-sutured and stapled intestinal anastomoses in the dog and compare the surgery duration for the methods of anastomosis. Historical cohort study. Two hundred fourteen client-owned dogs undergoing hand-sutured (n = 142) or stapled (n = 72) intestinal anastomoses. Medical records from 5 referral institutions were searched for dogs undergoing intestinal resection and anastomosis between March 2006 and February 2014. Demographic data, presence of septic peritonitis before surgery, surgical technique (hand-sutured or stapled), surgery duration, surgeon (resident versus faculty member), indication for surgical intervention, anatomic location of resection and anastomosis, and if dehiscence was noted postoperatively were retrieved. Estimated frequencies were summarized and presented as proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CI) and continuous outcomes as mean (95% CI). Comparisons were made across methods of anastomosis. Overall, 29/205 dogs (0.14, 95% CI 0.10-00.19) had dehiscence, including 21/134 dogs (0.16, 0.11-0.23) undergoing hand-sutured anastomosis and 8/71 dogs (0.11, 0.06-0.21) undergoing stapled anastomosis. There was no significant difference in the frequency of dehiscence across anastomosis methods (χ(2), P = .389). The mean (95% CI) surgery duration of 140 minutes (132-147) for hand- sutured anastomoses and 108 minutes (99-119) for stapled anastomoses was significantly different (t-test, P < .001). No significant difference in frequency of dehiscence was noted between hand- sutured and stapled anastomoses in dogs but surgery duration is significantly reduced by the use of staples for intestinal closure. © Copyright 2015 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Use of ECG-gated computed tomography, echocardiography and selective angiography in five dogs with pulmonic stenosis and one dog with pulmonic stenosis and aberrant coronary arteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Laborda-Vidal, P; Pedro, B; Baker, M; Gelzer, A R; Dukes-McEwan, J; Maddox, T W

2016-12-01

Pulmonic stenosis (PS) is the most common congenital cardiac disease in dogs. Boxers and English bulldogs are among the most commonly affected breeds and also commonly associated with an aberrant coronary artery (CA). If an aberrant CA is suspected and balloon valvuloplasty indicated, an intra-operative angiography is recommended prior to the procedure. ECG-gated computed tomography (CT) can be used to screen for CA anomalies in a quick and minimally-invasive way (preventing side effects associated with selective catheter angiography) and allowing early planning of the procedure. The aim of this case series was to report CT findings associated with PS diagnosed by echocardiography. Our database was retrospectively searched for cases of dogs with PS diagnosed by echocardiography, where an ECG-gated CT was performed. A total of six cases were retrieved: all were diagnosed with severe PS. Four dogs had concurrent congenital defects: two dogs had a patent ductus arteriosus, one dog had a ventricular septal defect and an overriding aorta, one dog had an aberrant CA. Detailed CT findings of all cases were reported, including one case of a patent ductus arteriosus and an overriding aorta not identified by transthoracic echocardiography. In addition, an abnormal single left coronary ostium, with a pre-pulmonic right CA was described. In conclusion, despite echocardiography remaining the gold standard for diagnosis and assessment of PS, ECG-gated-CT angiography is a complementary diagnostic method that may provide additional relevant information, shorten surgery/anaesthesia time and reduce the amount of radiation to which the clinician is subjected. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Golden-Thompson inequality: Historical aspects and random matrix applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forrester, Peter J.; Thompson, Colin J.

2014-01-01

The Golden-Thompson inequality, Tr (e A+B ) ⩽ Tr (e A e B ) for A, B Hermitian matrices, appeared in independent works by Golden and Thompson published in 1965. Both of these were motivated by considerations in statistical mechanics. In recent years the Golden-Thompson inequality has found applications to random matrix theory. In this article, we detail some historical aspects relating to Thompson's work, giving in particular a hitherto unpublished proof due to Dyson, and correspondence with Pólya. We show too how the 2 × 2 case relates to hyperbolic geometry, and how the original inequality holds true with the trace operation replaced by any unitarily invariant norm. In relation to the random matrix applications, we review its use in the derivation of concentration type lemmas for sums of random matrices due to Ahlswede-Winter, and Oliveira, generalizing various classical results

Prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species in dog park attending dogs compared to non-dog park attending dogs in one region of Colorado.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Andrea; Ruch-Gallie, Rebecca; Scorza, Valeria; Lin, Philip; Lappin, Michael R

2012-03-23

Dog parks are very popular in urban areas, but there are no current studies attempting to correlate visits to dog parks and risk of colonization by enteric parasites. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dog park visitation is associated with an increased prevalence of enteric parasites or an increase in prevalence of gastrointestinal signs in dogs in northern Colorado. Feces from dogs owned by veterinary students or Veterinary Teaching Hospital staff members were submitted with a completed survey form detailing dog park attendance rates, fecal character scores, and other clinical information. Feces were examined microscopically for parasites after sugar centrifugation, for Giardia spp. cysts and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts by a commercially available immunofluorescence assay (FA) and the FA positive samples were genotyped after PCR amplification. The Giardia assemblages were determined using the glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) β-giardin and triose phosphate isomerase (TPI) genes and the Cryptosporidium species were determined using the heat shock protein-70 gene. A total of 129 fecal samples were assayed; 66 were from dog park attending dogs and 63 were from non-dog park-attending dogs. The overall parasite prevalence rate was 7.0% (9 of 129 samples). Dog park attending dogs were more likely to be positive for Giardia or Cryptosporidium than non-dog park-attending dogs (p=0.0279), but there was no association of gastrointestinal signs with dog park attendance or with fecal flotation or FA results. The five Giardia isolates were assemblage C and/or D and the one Cryptosporidium isolate was Ctenocephalides canis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The golden mean as clock cycle of brain waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, Harald; Weiss, Volkmar E-mail: volkmar-weiss@t-online.de

2003-11-01

The principle of information coding by the brain seems to be based on the golden mean. For decades psychologists have claimed memory span to be the missing link between psychometric intelligence and cognition. By applying Bose-Einstein-statistics to learning experiments, Pascual-Leone obtained a fit between predicted and tested span. Multiplying span by mental speed (bits processed per unit time) and using the entropy formula for bosons, we obtain the same result. If we understand span as the quantum number n of a harmonic oscillator, we obtain this result from the EEG. The metric of brain waves can always be understood as a superposition of n harmonics times 2PHI, where half of the fundamental is the golden mean PHI (=1.618) as the point of resonance. Such wave packets scaled in powers of the golden mean have to be understood as numbers with directions, where bifurcations occur at the edge of chaos, i.e. 2PHI=3+phi{sup 3}. Similarities with El Naschie's theory for high energy particle's physics are also discussed.

The golden mean as clock cycle of brain waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, Harald; Weiss, Volkmar

2003-01-01

The principle of information coding by the brain seems to be based on the golden mean. For decades psychologists have claimed memory span to be the missing link between psychometric intelligence and cognition. By applying Bose-Einstein-statistics to learning experiments, Pascual-Leone obtained a fit between predicted and tested span. Multiplying span by mental speed (bits processed per unit time) and using the entropy formula for bosons, we obtain the same result. If we understand span as the quantum number n of a harmonic oscillator, we obtain this result from the EEG. The metric of brain waves can always be understood as a superposition of n harmonics times 2PHI, where half of the fundamental is the golden mean PHI (=1.618) as the point of resonance. Such wave packets scaled in powers of the golden mean have to be understood as numbers with directions, where bifurcations occur at the edge of chaos, i.e. 2PHI=3+phi 3 . Similarities with El Naschie's theory for high energy particle's physics are also discussed

Golden Gate and Pt. Reyes Acoustic Detections

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains detections of acoustic tagged fish from two general locations: Golden Gate (east and west line) and Pt. Reyes. Several Vemco 69khz acoustic...

The Golden Horde State in the System of International Relations »

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.М. Mirgaleev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The present article examines the place of the Golden Horde in the system of international relations of the 13th–14th centuries as well as directions of its foreign policy. To determine the place of the ulus of Jochi in the international system the author suggests to disclose the subject through illumination of such important issues as: – the Mongol conquests and creation of the Chingisid state entities, the establishment of a new international order. – formation of the ulus of Jochi as an independent State and its role in the Chingisid States’ relations, the kurultai of 1269. – international activities of the Golden Horde State during the period of its might. – interstate coalitions in the global geopolitics and national interests of the ulus of Jochi in international systems. – The role and place of the Golden Horde in the international life of the second half of the 14th – early 15th centuries. The program activity of the Jochids in a new geopolitical situation of the late 14th – early 15th centuries. The author believes that the establishment of the Golden Horde State occurred in three phases (1207–1241, 1242–1259, 1260–1269. The Jochids’ policy towards their neighbors and other Chingisid states formed during this time. Both the Distemper of the 1360–70’s in the ulus of Jochi and destruction of all other Chingisid States resulted in the Golden Horde’s loss of its place in the system of international relations. Therefore, the program activity of the Jochids in a new geopolitical situation of the late 14th – early 15th centuries, was aimed at restoring the international authority of the State. The author considers the directions of the Golden Horde foreign policy, which were laid down during the reign of Berke khan and remained a priority until the end of the 14th century.

AFSC/RACE/SAP/Long: Data from: Embryo development in golden king crab, Lithodes aequispina.

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The data from this study, describes embryo development in Golden king crab, Lithodes aequispinus. Six female multiparous golden king crab were captured from the...

[Doctor HUANG Shi-ping's acupuncture with golden needles].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Teng-Fei; Ma, Zeng-Bin; Xin, Si-Yuan; Zhu, Jiang

2013-08-01

Taking Doctor HUANG Shi-ping as the representative, the school of Huang's golden needle is based on Chinese martial art. Golden needles are adopted as main tool. Attaching great importance on the combination of acupuncture and moxibustioin, it is also characterized with penetrating needling with long needles. Through the development of three generations, it once outshone other schools in the field of acupuncture, and became famous all over the world. It made great contribution to the development of the course of acupuncture. However, with the development of the history, the form of acupuncture education as well as apparatus were all undergone an unified reform. Therefore, Doctor HUANG Shi-ping's acupuncture school be lost gradually.

A pilot golden eagle population study in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, G. [California Univ., Santa Cruz, CA (United States). Predatory Bird Research Group

1995-05-01

Orloff and Flannery (1992) estimated that several hundred reports are annually killed by turbine collisions, wire strikes, and electrocutions at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (WRA). The most common fatalities were those of red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), American kestrels (Falco sparvatius), and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), with lesser numbers of turkey vultures (Cathartes aura), common ravens (Corvus corax), bam owls (Tyto alba), and others. Among the species of raptors killed at Altamont Pass, the one whose local population is most likely to be impacted is the golden eagle. Besides its being less abundant than the others, the breeding and recruitment rates of golden eagles are naturally slow, increasing their susceptibility to decline as a result of mortality influences. The golden eagle is a species afforded special federal protection because of its inclusion within the Bald Eagle Protection Act as amended in 1963. There are no provisions within the Act which would allow the killing ``taking`` of golden eagles by WRA structures. This report details the results of field studies conducted during 19941. The primary purpose of the investigation is to lay the groundwork for determining whether or not turbine strikes and other hazards related to energy at Altamont Pass may be expected to affect golden eagles on a population basis. We also seek an understanding of the physical and biotic circumstances which attract golden eagles to the WRA within the context of the surrounding landscape and the conditions under which they are killed by wind turbines. Such knowledge may suggest turbine-related or habitat modifications that would result in a lower incidence of eagle mortality.

Golden eagle records from the Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey: information for wind energy management and planning

Science.gov (United States)

Eakle, Wade; Haggerty, Patti; Fuller, Mark; Phillips, Susan L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this Data Series report is to provide the occasions, locations, and counts when golden eagles were recorded during the annual Midwinter Bald Eagle Surveys. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are protected by Federal statutes including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) (16 USC 668-668c) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) (16 USC 703-12). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) manages golden eagles with the goal of maintaining stable or increasing breeding populations (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2009). Development for the generation of electricity from wind turbines is occurring in much of the range of the golden eagle in the western United States. Development could threaten population stability because golden eagles might be disturbed by construction and operation of facilities and they are vulnerable to mortality from collisions with wind turbines (Smallwood and Thelander, 2008). Therefore, the Service has proposed a process by which wind energy developers can collect information that could lead to Eagle Conservation Plans (ECP), mitigation, and permitting that allow for golden eagle management in areas of wind energy development (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2011). The Service recommends that ECP be developed in stages, and the first stage is to learn if golden eagles occur at the landscape level where potential wind facilities might be located. Information about where eagles occur can be obtained from technical literature, agency files, and other sources of information including on-line biological databases. The broad North American distribution of golden eagles is known, but there is a paucity of readily available information about intermediate geographic scales and site-specific scales, especially during the winter season (Kochert and others, 2002).

Clinical, morphologic, and morphometric features of cranial thoracic spinal stenosis in large and giant breed dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Philippa; De Risio, Luisa; Sparkes, Andrew; McConnell, Fraser; Holloway, Andrew

2012-01-01

The clinical, morphologic, and morphometric features of cranial thoracic spinal stenosis were investigated in large and giant breed dogs. Seventy-nine magnetic resonance imaging studies of the cranial thoracic spine were assessed. Twenty-six were retrieved retrospectively and 53 were acquired prospectively using the same inclusion criteria. Images were evaluated using a modified compression scale as: no osseous stenosis (grade 0), osseous stenosis without spinal cord compression (grade 1), and osseous stenosis with spinal cord compression (grade 2). Morphometric analysis was performed and compared to the subjective grading system. Grades 1 and 2 cranial thoracic spinal stenosis were identified on 24 imaging studies in 23 dogs. Sixteen of 23 dogs had a conformation typified by Molosser breeds and 21/23 were male. The most common sites of stenosis were T2-3 and T3-4. The articular process joints were enlarged with abnormal oblique orientation. Stenosis was dorsolateral, lateralized, or dorsoventral. Concurrent osseous cervical spondylomyelopathy was recognized in six dogs and other neurologic disease in five dogs. Cranial thoracic spinal stenosis was the only finding in 12 dogs. In 9 of these 12 dogs (all grade 2) neurolocalization was to the T3-L3 spinal segment. The median age of these dogs was 9.5 months. In the remaining three dogs neurologic signs were not present. Stenosis ratios were of limited benefit in detecting stenotic sites. Grade 2 cranial thoracic spinal stenosis causing direct spinal cord compression may lead to neurologic signs, however milder stenosis (grade 1) is likely to be subclinical or incidental. © 2012 Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound.

Dog and owner demographic characteristics and dog personality trait associations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubinyi, Eniko; Turcsán, Borbála; Miklósi, Adám

2009-07-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between four personality traits (calmness, trainability, dog sociability and boldness) of dogs (Canis familiaris) and dog and owner demographics on a large sample size with 14,004 individuals. German speaking dog owners could characterize their dog by filling out a form on the Internet. There were five demographic variables for dogs and nine for owners. Two statistical methods were used for investigating the associations between personality and demographic traits: the more traditional general linear methods and regression trees that are ideal for analyzing non-linear relationships in the structure of the data. The results showed that calmness is influenced primarily by the dog's age, the neutered status, the number of different types of professional training courses (e.g. obedience, agility) the dog had experienced and the age of acquisition. The least calm dogs were less than 2.5 years old, neutered and acquired after the first 12 weeks of age, while the calmest dogs were older than 6.9 years. Trainability was affected primarily by the training experiences, the dog's age, and the purpose of keeping the dog. The least trainable dogs had not received professional training at all and were older than 3 years. The most trainable dogs were those who participated in three or more types of professional training. Sociability toward conspecifics was mainly determined by the age, sex, training experience and time spent together. The least sociable dogs were older than 4.8 years and the owners spent less than 3h with the dog daily. The most sociable dogs were less than 1.5 years old. Males were less sociable toward their conspecifics than females. Boldness was affected by the sex and age of the dog and the age of acquisition. The least bold were females acquired after the age of 1 year or bred by the owner. The boldest dogs were males, acquired before the age of 12 weeks, and were younger than 2 years old. Other variables

[Affective behavioural responses by dogs to tactile human-dog interactions].

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhne, Franziska; Hössler, Johanna C; Struwe, Rainer

2012-01-01

The communication of dogs is based on complex, subtle body postures and facial expressions. Some social interaction between dogs includes physical contact. Humans generally use both verbal and tactile signals to communicate with dogs. Hence, interaction between humans and dogs might lead to conflicts because the behavioural responses of dogs to human-dog interaction may be misinterpreted and wrongly assessed. The behavioural responses of dogs to tactile human-dog interactions and human gestures are the focus of this study. The participating dogs (n = 47) were privately owned pets.They were of varying breed and gender.The test consisted of nine randomised test sequences (e. g. petting the dog's head or chest). A test sequence was performed for a period of 30 seconds. The inter-trial interval was set at 60 seconds and the test-retest interval was set at 10 minutes. The frequency and duration of the dogs'behavioural responses were recorded using INTERACT. To examine the behavioural responses of the dogs, a two-way analysis of variance within the linear mixed models procedure of IBM SPSS Statistics 19 was conducted. A significant influence of the test-sequenc order on the dogs' behaviour could be analysed for appeasement gestures (F8,137 = 2.42; p = 0.018), redirected behaviour (F8,161 = 6.31; p = 0.012) and socio-positive behaviour (F8,148 = 6.28; p = 0.012). The behavioural responses of the dogs, which were considered as displacement activities (F8,109 = 2.5; p = 0.014) differed significantly among the test sequences. The response of the dogs, measured as gestures of appeasement, redirected behaviours, and displacement activities, was most obvious during petting around the head and near the paws.The results of this study conspicuously indicate that dogs respond to tactile human-dog interactions with gestures of appeasement and displacement activities. Redirected behaviours, socio-positive behaviours as well displacement activities are behavioural responses which dogs

Spatial and temporal patterns in golden eagle diets in the western United States, with implications for conservation planning

Science.gov (United States)

Bedrosian, Geoffrey; Watson, James W.; Steenhof, Karen; Kochert, Michael N.; Preston, Charles R.; Woodbridge, Brian; Williams, Gary E.; Keller, Kent R.; Crandall, Ross H.

2017-01-01

Detailed information on diets and predatory ecology of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) is essential to prioritize prey species management and to develop landscape-specific conservation strategies, including mitigation of the effects of energy development across the western United States. We compiled published and unpublished data on Golden Eagle diets to (1) summarize available information on Golden Eagle diets in the western U.S., (2) compare diets among biogeographic provinces, and (3) discuss implications for conservation planning and future research. We analyzed 35 studies conducted during the breeding season at 45 locations from 1940–2015. Golden Eagle diet differed among western ecosystems. Lower dietary breadth was associated with desert and shrub-steppe ecosystems and higher breadth with mountain ranges and the Columbia Plateau. Correlations suggest that percentage of leporids in the diet is the factor driving overall diversity of prey and percentage of other prey groups in the diet of Golden Eagles. Leporids were the primary prey of breeding Golden Eagles in 78% of study areas, with sciurids reported as primary prey in 18% of study areas. During the nonbreeding season, Golden Eagles were most frequently recorded feeding on leporids and carrion. Golden Eagles can be described as both generalist and opportunistic predators; they can feed on a wide range of prey species but most frequently feed on abundant medium-sized prey species in a given habitat. Spatial variations in Golden Eagle diet likely reflect regional differences in prey community, whereas temporal trends likely reflect responses to long-term change in prey populations. Evidence suggests dietary shifts from traditional (leporid) prey can have adverse effects on Golden Eagle reproductive rates. Land management practices that support or restore shrub-steppe ecosystem diversity should benefit Golden Eagles. More information is needed on nonbreeding-season diet to determine what food resources

Inconvenient glow: cliometrics and the "golden age" of capitalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando M. Rugitsky

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to criticize the recent cliometrics literature on the so-called "golden age" of capitalism. The works of Nicholas Crafts, Gianni Toniolo, and Barry Eichengreen are reconstructed in order to reveal the main characteristics of this research program. Its narrow quantitative focus, its reliance on theoretical propositions borrowed from neoclassical economics, and its auspicious interpretation of the postwar reconstruction are the main focus of the criticism presented. Finally, the cliometricians' attempt to historicize the "golden age" and de-historicize the following decades is related to the ideological understanding of the recent decades as a period of "great moderation."

Do the Golden-winged Warbler and Blue-winged Warbler Exhibit Species-specific Differences in their Breeding Habitat Use?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura L. Patton

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We compared habitat features of Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera territories in the presence and absence of the Blue-winged Warbler (V. cyanoptera on reclaimed coal mines in southeastern Kentucky, USA. Our objective was to determine whether there are species specific differences in habitat that can be manipulated to encourage population persistence of the Golden-winged Warbler. When compared with Blue-winged Warblers, Golden-winged Warblers established territories at higher elevations and with greater percentages of grass and canopy cover. Mean territory size (minimum convex polygon was 1.3 ha (se = 0.1 for Golden-winged Warbler in absence of Blue-winged Warbler, 1.7 ha (se = 0.3 for Golden-winged Warbler coexisting with Blue-winged Warbler, and 2.1 ha (se = 0.3 for Blue-winged Warbler. Territory overlap occurred within and between species (18 of n = 73 territories, 24.7%. All Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers established territories that included an edge between reclaimed mine land and mature forest, as opposed to establishing territories in open grassland/shrubland habitat. The mean distance territories extended from a forest edge was 28.0 m (se = 3.8 for Golden-winged Warbler in absence of Blue-winged Warbler, 44.7 m (se = 5.7 for Golden-winged Warbler coexisting with Blue-winged Warbler, and 33.1 m (se = 6.1 for Blue-winged Warbler. Neither territory size nor distances to forest edges differed significantly between Golden-winged Warbler in presence or absence of Blue-winged Warbler. According to Monte Carlo analyses, orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata, green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica seedlings and saplings, and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia saplings were indicative of sites with only Golden-winged Warblers. Sericea lespedeza, goldenrod (Solidago spp., clematis vine (Clematis spp., and blackberry (Rubus spp. were indicative of sites where both species occurred. Our findings complement recent genetic studies and add

Golden rice: scientific, regulatory and public information processes of a genetically modified organism.

Science.gov (United States)

Moghissi, A Alan; Pei, Shiqian; Liu, Yinzuo

2016-01-01

Historically, agricultural development evolved in three phases. During the first phase the plants were selected on the basis of the availability of a plant with desirable properties at a specific location. The second phase provided the agricultural community with crossbreeding plants to achieve improvement in agricultural production. The evolution of biological knowledge has provided the ability to genetically engineer (GE) crops, one of the key processes within genetically modified organisms (GMO). This article uses golden rice, a species of transgenic Asian rice which contains a precursor of vitamin A in the edible part of the plant as an example of GE/GMO emphasizing Chinese experience in agricultural evolution. It includes a brief review of agricultural evolution to be followed by a description of golden rice development. Golden rice was created as a humanitarian project and has received positive comments by the scientific community and negative voices from certain environmental groups. In this article, we use the Best Available Science (BAS) Concept and Metrics for Evaluation of Scientific Claims (MESC) derived from it to evaluate claims and counter claims on scientific aspects of golden rice. This article concludes that opposition to golden rice is based on belief rather than any of its scientifically derived nutritional, safety or environmental properties.

Job-Related Stress in Forensic Interviewers of Children with Use of Therapy Dogs Compared with Facility Dogs or No Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Diane; Yamamoto, Mariko; Willits, Neil H; Hart, Lynette A

2018-01-01

Sexually abused children providing essential testimony regarding crimes in forensic interviews now sometimes are provided facility dogs or therapy dogs for comfort. Facility dogs are extensively trained to work with forensic interviewers; when using therapy dogs in interviews, volunteers are the dog handlers. Interviews can impact child welfare workers' mental health causing secondary traumatic stress (STS). To investigate this stress, first data were gathered on stress retrospectively for when interviewers initially started the job prior to working with a dog, and then currently, from forensic interviewers using a facility dog, a therapy or pet dog, or no dog. These retrospective and secondary traumatic stress scale (STSS) data compared job stress among interviewers of children using: a certified, workplace facility dog ( n  = 16), a volunteer's trained therapy dog or the interviewer's pet dog ( n  = 13/3), or no dog ( n  = 198). Retrospective scores of therapy dog and no dog interviewers' stress were highest for the first interviewing year 1 and then declined. Extremely or very stressful retrospective scores differed among the three groups in year 1 ( p  therapy dog group as compared with the facility dog group ( p  therapy dog users than no dog users ( p  dog users more consistently used dogs during interviews and conducted more interviews than therapy/pet dog users; both groups favored using dogs. Interviewers currently working with therapy dogs accompanied by their volunteers reported they had experienced heightened stress when they began their jobs; their high stress levels still persisted, indicating lower inherent coping skills and perhaps greater empathy among interviewers who later self-selected to work with therapy dogs. Results reveal extreme avoidant stress for interviewers witnessing children who are suffering and their differing coping approaches.

Cutaneous distribution and circadian rhythm of Onchocerca lupi microfilariae in dogs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domenico Otranto

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Among the arthropod-borne nematodes infesting dogs, Onchocerca lupi (Spirurida: Onchocercidae is of increasing zoonotic concern, with new human cases of infection diagnosed in Turkey, Tunisia, Iran and the USA. Knowledge of the biology of this nematode is meagre. This study aimed at assessing the distribution and periodicity of O. lupi microfilariae from different body regions in naturally infested dogs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Skin samples were collected from six dogs infested with O. lupi but without apparent clinical signs. Two skin samples were collected from 18 anatomical regions of dog 1 at necropsy. In addition, single skin biopsies were performed from the forehead, inter-scapular and lumbar regions of dogs 2-6, in the morning, afternoon, and at night. Two aliquots of the sediment of each sample were microscopically observed, microfilariae counted and morphologically and molecularly identified. Most of the 1,667 microfilariae retrieved from dog 1 were in the right ear (59.6%, nose (26.5%, left ear (6.7%, forehead (3.0%, and inter-scapular (2.9% regions. In dogs 2-6, the overall mean number of microfilariae was larger on the head (n = 122.8, followed by the inter-scapular (n = 119.0 and lumbar (n = 12.8 regions. The overall mean number of microfilariae was larger in the afternoon (153.4, followed by night (75.4 and morning (25.8. CONCLUSIONS: Onchocerca lupi microfilariae were more common in the head (i.e., ears and nose than in the remaining part of the dog's body, indicating they tend to aggregate in specific body regions, which are the best sites to collect skin samples for diagnostic purposes. The periodicity pattern of microfilariae of O. lupi and their concentration in specific body regions is most likely a result of the co-evolution with their as-yet-unknown vector. The detection of skin microfilariae in asymptomatic animals, suggests the potential role of these animals as carriers and reservoirs of O. lupi.

Why do adult dogs (Canis familiaris) commit the A-not-B search error?

Science.gov (United States)

Sümegi, Zsófia; Kis, Anna; Miklósi, Ádám; Topál, József

2014-02-01

It has been recently reported that adult domestic dogs, like human infants, tend to commit perseverative search errors; that is, they select the previously rewarded empty location in Piagetian A-not-B search task because of the experimenter's ostensive communicative cues. There is, however, an ongoing debate over whether these findings reveal that dogs can use the human ostensive referential communication as a source of information or the phenomenon can be accounted for by "more simple" explanations like insufficient attention and learning based on local enhancement. In 2 experiments the authors systematically manipulated the type of human cueing (communicative or noncommunicative) adjacent to the A hiding place during both the A and B trials. Results highlight 3 important aspects of the dogs' A-not-B error: (a) search errors are influenced to a certain extent by dogs' motivation to retrieve the toy object; (b) human communicative and noncommunicative signals have different error-inducing effects; and (3) communicative signals presented at the A hiding place during the B trials but not during the A trials play a crucial role in inducing the A-not-B error and it can be induced even without demonstrating repeated hiding events at location A. These findings further confirm the notion that perseverative search error, at least partially, reflects a "ready-to-obey" attitude in the dog rather than insufficient attention and/or working memory.

Trichobezoar obstruction after stapled jejunal anastomosis in a dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Carobbi, Barbara; Foale, Robert D; White, Richard A S

2009-04-01

To describe an unusual long-term complication of circular end-to-end anastomosis (CEEA) stapling in a dog. Clinical case report. An 11-year-old, female neutered, Labrador Retriever. The dog was referred for clinical signs of bowel obstruction. An enterectomy was performed 2 years before presentation using a CEEA stapling device. Palpation, plain radiographs, and ultrasound of the abdomen confirmed the presence of a mass in the bowel, causing obstruction, and requiring surgical approach. An exploratory celiotomy revealed a 5 cm mass in the jejunum, involving the site of the previous surgery. The mass was removed by enterectomy. Dissection of the mass revealed the presence of many staples at the previous enterectomy site, and a trichobezoar entangled in the exposed parts of the staples. An enterectomy was required to treat an intestinal obstruction caused by a trichobezoar entangled in a CEEA-stapled anastomosis. Development of trichobezoar and subsequent bowel obstruction should be considered an unusual but potential long-term complication of CEEA-stapled anastomosis.

Biotelemetery data for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) captured in coastal southern California, February 2016–February 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Tracey, Jeff A.; Madden, Melanie C.; Sebes, Jeremy B.; Bloom, Peter H.; Katzner, Todd E.; Fisher, Robert N.

2017-05-12

Because of a lack of clarity about the status of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in coastal southern California, the USGS, in collaboration with local, State, and other Federal agencies, began a multi-year survey and tracking program of golden eagles to address questions regarding habitat use, movement behavior, nest occupancy, genetic population structure, and human impacts on eagles. Golden eagle trapping and tracking efforts began in September 2014. During trapping efforts from September 29, 2014, to February 23, 2016, 27 golden eagles were captured. During trapping efforts from February 24, 2016, to February 23, 2017, an additional 10 golden eagles (7 females and 3 males) were captured in San Diego, Orange, and western Riverside Counties. Biotelemetry data for 26 of the 37 golden eagles that were transmitting data from February 24, 2016, to February 23, 2017 are presented. These eagles ranged as far north as northern Nevada and southern Wyoming, and as far south as La Paz, Baja California, Mexico.

Data Clustering on Breast Cancer Data Using Firefly Algorithm with Golden Ratio Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DEMIR, M.

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Heuristic methods are problem solving methods. In general, they obtain near-optimal solutions, and they do not take the care of provability of this case. The heuristic methods do not guarantee to obtain the optimal results; however, they guarantee to obtain near-optimal solutions in considerable time. In this paper, an application was performed by using firefly algorithm - one of the heuristic methods. The golden ratio was applied to different steps of firefly algorithm and different parameters of firefly algorithm to develop a new algorithm - called Firefly Algorithm with Golden Ratio (FAGR. It was shown that the golden ratio made firefly algorithm be superior to the firefly algorithm without golden ratio. At this aim, the developed algorithm was applied to WBCD database (breast cancer database to cluster data obtained from breast cancer patients. The highest obtained success rate among all executions is 96% and the highest obtained average success rate in all executions is 94.5%.

Upper Airway Injury in Dogs Secondary to Trauma: 10 Dogs (2000-2011).

Science.gov (United States)

Basdani, Eleni; Papazoglou, Lysimachos G; Patsikas, Michail N; Kazakos, Georgios M; Adamama-Moraitou, Katerina K; Tsokataridis, Ioannis

2016-01-01

Ten dogs that presented with trauma-induced upper airway rupture or stenosis were reviewed. Tracheal rupture was seen in seven dogs, tracheal stenosis in one dog, and laryngeal rupture in two dogs. Clinical abnormalities included respiratory distress in five dogs, subcutaneous emphysema in eight, air leakage through the cervical wound in seven, stridor in three dogs, pneumomediastinum in four and pneumothorax in one dog. Reconstruction with simple interrupted sutures was performed in four dogs, tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis in five dogs, and one dog was euthanized intraoperatively. Complications were seen in three dogs including aspiration pneumonia in one and vocalization alterations in two dogs.

Utilization Of Golden Snail As Alternative Liquid Organic Fertilizer LOF On Paddy Farmers In Dairi Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ameilia Zuliyanti Siregar

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Golden snail Pomaceae canaliculata is a pest of rice plants and used as a food source to be processed into satay seasoning spices biscuits pastry candy crackers animal feed and fertilizer. In Lae Parira village the golden snail is very diverse. Because of this reason the preliminary study and utilization of golden snail used for of liquid organic fertilizer called LOF or and microorganisms local MOL. The golden snail is obtained from a livestock that is still alive and then washed boiled and removed from its shell. The golden snail meat is cut into small pieces separated from the intestine and other visceral organs. Flesh of golden snail give coconut water dilute brown sugar EM4 and fermentation until 10-14 days. The use of mashed LOF can be sprayed on the surface of the soil or all parts of the plant. For fertilization in rice plants the recommended dose of 250 ml15 liters of water is sprayed on the rice age 10 days after planting and repeated again at interval distance of 15 days. Fertilization on the plant recommended 200ml 15 liters of water sprayed on leaves and soil 7 days after planting and repeated every 7 days. The golden snail is potensial used for fertilizer in paddy plantation environmentally.

Prevalence and risk factors for canine obesity surveyed in veterinary practices in Beijing, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Junfu; Xia, Zhaofei; Chen, Jiangnan; Yu, Jinhai

2013-11-01

An epidemiological survey of canine obesity was carried out in Beijing, China. Cases (n=2391, 7 districts) were collected at 14 animal hospitals between April 2008 and April 2011. The body condition score (scales of 1-5) was used to assess obesity of the dogs (Burkholder and Toll, 2000; Laflamme, 1997). Obesity rates were analyzed with respect to breed, age, sex, neutering, food control, feeding frequency, reproduction status, food type, nutritional supplements, living environment, feeding time, number of pets per household, feeding purpose, activity control, exercise duration, exercise status and exercise type. The overall canine obesity rate was 44.4% in this survey. The risk factors for dog obesity were food type (non-commercial food, OR=1.377, pobesity was high in pugs (70.7%), Cocker Spaniel (69.4%), Pekingese (51.9%), Pomeranian (54.6%) and Golden Retriever (51.9%). This is the first report of the epidemiology of canine obesity in China. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dogs (Canis familiaris, but not chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, understand imperative pointing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katharina C Kirchhofer

Full Text Available Chimpanzees routinely follow the gaze of humans to outside targets. However, in most studies using object choice they fail to use communicative gestures (e.g. pointing to find hidden food. Chimpanzees' failure to do this may be due to several difficulties with this paradigm. They may, for example, misinterpret the gesture as referring to the opaque cup instead of the hidden food. Or perhaps they do not understand informative communicative intentions. In contrast, dogs seem to be skilful in using human communicative cues in the context of finding food, but as of yet there is not much data showing whether they also use pointing in the context of finding non-food objects. Here we directly compare chimpanzees' (N = 20 and dogs' (N = 32 skills in using a communicative gesture directed at a visible object out of reach of the human but within reach of the subject. Pairs of objects were placed in view of and behind the subjects. The task was to retrieve the object the experimenter wanted. To indicate which one she desired, the experimenter pointed imperatively to it and directly rewarded the subject for handing over the correct one. While dogs performed well on this task, chimpanzees failed to identify the referent. Implications for great apes' and dogs' understanding of human communicative intentions are discussed.

Translocation of sorbitol and other photosynthates in golden delicious apple shoots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steenkamp, J.; Terblanche, J.H.; De Villiers, O.T.

1982-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine to what extent sorbitol and other photosynthates are translocated in Golden Delicious apple shoots. The distribution of radioactivity in the different fractions, after the leaves had been exposed to radiocarbon, was found in segment of the shoots directly below the treatment leaves. The highest 14 C activity was in the carbohydrate fraction. The results indicate that sorbitol is the principal carbohydrate transported in Golden Delicious apple shoots

Is your dog empathic? Developing a Dog Emotional Reactivity Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Szánthó, Flóra; Miklósi, Ádám; Kubinyi, Enikő

2017-01-01

Dogs' seemingly empathic behaviour attracts general and scientific attention alike. Behaviour tests are usually not sufficiently realistic to evoke empathic-like behaviour; therefore we decided to ask owners about their experiences with their dogs in emotionally loaded situations. Owners from Hungary (N = 591) and from Germany (N = 2283) were asked to rate their level of agreement on a 1-5 Likert scale with statements about the reactivity of their dogs to their emotions and to other dogs' behaviour. We created two scales with satisfactory internal reliability: reactivity to the owner's emotion and reactivity to other dogs' behaviour. Based on an owner-dog personality matching theory, we hypothesised that the owner's empathy, as measured by the subscale on the cooperativeness character factor of the human personality, will correlate with their dog's emotional reactivity in emotionally loaded situations. In addition we also examined how anthropomorphism, contagious yawning, attitude toward the dog are related to emotional reactivity in dogs as perceived by the owner. In addition we examined how owners rate dog pictures. We found that the scale scores were largely independent from demographic and environmental variables like breed, sex, age, age at acquiring, keeping practices, training experiences and owner's age. However, anthropomorphic and emotional attitude of the owners probably biased the responses. In the German sample more empathic owners reported to have more emotionally reactive dog, as expected by the personality matching theory. More empathic owners reported to have fewer problems with their dogs and they rated a puppy picture as more cute in both countries. 62% of owners from Hungary and 36% of owner from Germany agreed with the statement "My dog is more important for me than any human being". In Germany, more empathic owners agreed less with this statement and indicated that their dogs have a tendency for contagious yawning. Owners whose attitudes

Canine ovarian serous papillary adenocarcinoma with neoplastic hypercalcemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hori, Yasutomo; Uechi, Masami; Kanakubo, Kayo; Sano, Tadashi; Oyamada, Toshifumi

2006-09-01

A female golden retriever was referred to assess a history of a palpable abdominal mass. A serum chemistry analysis revealed elevated concentrations of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, calcium, and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP). Exploratory laparotomy revealed an ovoid mass within the right ovary. This mass was removed surgically by performing an ovariohysterectomy. The right ovarian mass was diagnosed as a serous papillary adenocarcinoma. Following surgery, the dog recovered, and the serum calcium and PTH-rP concentrations decreased. Therefore, concentrations of PTH-rP and calcium might be associated with serous papillary adenocarcinomas. Serial evaluation of the serum PTH-rP and calcium was useful for evaluating the prognosis.

Geographic variation in morphometrics, molt, and migration suggests ongoing subspeciation in Pacific Golden-Plovers (

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jukema, J.; Van Rhijn, J.G.; Piersma, T.

2015-01-01

Breeding Pacific Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis fulva) cover 140 longitudinal degrees of Arctic tundra. Having examined 557 museum skins from across this huge distributional range, we conclude that Pacific Golden-Plovers breeding in Alaska are structurally larger than those breeding in Siberia,

Job-Related Stress in Forensic Interviewers of Children with Use of Therapy Dogs Compared with Facility Dogs or No Dogs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diane Walsh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Sexually abused children providing essential testimony regarding crimes in forensic interviews now sometimes are provided facility dogs or therapy dogs for comfort. Facility dogs are extensively trained to work with forensic interviewers; when using therapy dogs in interviews, volunteers are the dog handlers. Interviews can impact child welfare workers’ mental health causing secondary traumatic stress (STS. To investigate this stress, first data were gathered on stress retrospectively for when interviewers initially started the job prior to working with a dog, and then currently, from forensic interviewers using a facility dog, a therapy or pet dog, or no dog. These retrospective and secondary traumatic stress scale (STSS data compared job stress among interviewers of children using: a certified, workplace facility dog (n = 16, a volunteer’s trained therapy dog or the interviewer’s pet dog (n = 13/3, or no dog (n = 198. Retrospective scores of therapy dog and no dog interviewers’ stress were highest for the first interviewing year 1 and then declined. Extremely or very stressful retrospective scores differed among the three groups in year 1 (p < 0.038, and were significantly elevated for the therapy dog group as compared with the facility dog group (p < 0.035. All interviewing groups had elevated STSS scores; when compared with other healthcare groups that have been studied, sub-scores were especially high for Avoidance: a psychological coping mechanism to avoid dealing with a stressor. STSS scores differed among groups (p < 0.016, primarily due to Avoidance sub-scores (p < 0.009, reflecting higher Avoidance scores for therapy dog users than no dog users (p < 0.009. Facility dog users more consistently used dogs during interviews and conducted more interviews than therapy/pet dog users; both groups favored using dogs. Interviewers currently working with therapy dogs accompanied by their volunteers reported

Job-Related Stress in Forensic Interviewers of Children with Use of Therapy Dogs Compared with Facility Dogs or No Dogs

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Diane; Yamamoto, Mariko; Willits, Neil H.; Hart, Lynette A.

2018-01-01

Sexually abused children providing essential testimony regarding crimes in forensic interviews now sometimes are provided facility dogs or therapy dogs for comfort. Facility dogs are extensively trained to work with forensic interviewers; when using therapy dogs in interviews, volunteers are the dog handlers. Interviews can impact child welfare workers’ mental health causing secondary traumatic stress (STS). To investigate this stress, first data were gathered on stress retrospectively for when interviewers initially started the job prior to working with a dog, and then currently, from forensic interviewers using a facility dog, a therapy or pet dog, or no dog. These retrospective and secondary traumatic stress scale (STSS) data compared job stress among interviewers of children using: a certified, workplace facility dog (n = 16), a volunteer’s trained therapy dog or the interviewer’s pet dog (n = 13/3), or no dog (n = 198). Retrospective scores of therapy dog and no dog interviewers’ stress were highest for the first interviewing year 1 and then declined. Extremely or very stressful retrospective scores differed among the three groups in year 1 (p pet dog users; both groups favored using dogs. Interviewers currently working with therapy dogs accompanied by their volunteers reported they had experienced heightened stress when they began their jobs; their high stress levels still persisted, indicating lower inherent coping skills and perhaps greater empathy among interviewers who later self-selected to work with therapy dogs. Results reveal extreme avoidant stress for interviewers witnessing children who are suffering and their differing coping approaches. PMID:29594160

Environmental and Physiological Factors Associated With Stamina in Dogs Exercising in High Ambient Temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Patrick J; Ramos, Meghan T; Zanghi, Brian M; Otto, Cynthia M

2017-01-01

This IACUC approved study was performed to evaluate the environmental, physiological, and hematological components that contribute to stamina following successive bouts of exercise that included searching (5-min), agility (5-min), and ball retrieve (dogs ( N  = 12) were evaluated on five separate occasions. The population consisted of eight males and four females ranging in age from 8 to 23 months, which included six Labrador retrievers, three German shepherds, and one each English springer spaniel, German wirehaired pointer, and Dutch shepherd. The exercise period was up to 30 min with 5 min of intermittent rest between the exercise bouts or until a designated trainer determined that the dog appeared fatigued (e.g., curled tongue while panting, seeking shade, or voluntary reluctance to retrieve). At the end of the exercise period, pulse rate (PR), core temperature, blood lactate, and venous blood gas were collected. The median outdoor temperature was 28.9°C (84°F) (IQR; 27.2-30°C/81-86°F) and median humidity was 47% (IQR; 40-57%). Median duration of exercise was 27 min (IQR; 25-29). No dog showed signs of heat stress that required medical intervention. The components used to measure stamina in this study were total activity, post-exercise core body temperature (CBT), and increase in CBT. When controlling for breed, total activity, as measured by omnidirectional accelerometer device, could be predicted from a linear combination of the independent variables: pre-exercise activity ( p  = 0.008), post-exercise activity ( p  temperature ( p  = 0.005), reduction in base excess in extracellular fluid compartment (BEecf) ( p  = 0.044), and decrease in TCO 2 ( p  = 0.005). When controlling for breed and sex, increase in CBT could be predicted from a linear combination of the independent variables: study day ( p  = 0.005), increase in PR ( p  temperature, pre- and post-exercise activity, and the metabolic parameters are important

Proportions of Maxillary Anterior Teeth Relative to Each Other and to Golden Standard in Tabriz Dental Faculty Students

OpenAIRE

Fereydoun Parnia; Ali Hafezeqoran; Farhang Mahboub; Elnaz Moslehifard; Rodabeh Koodaryan; Rosa Moteyagheni; Fariba Saleh Saber

2010-01-01

Background and aims. Various methods are used to measure the size and form of the teeth, including the golden proportion, and the width-to-length ratio of central teeth, referred to as the golden standard. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of golden standard values and golden proportion in the anterior teeth. Materials and methods. Photographs of 100 dentistry students (50 males and 50 females) were taken under standard conditions. The visible widths and lengths...

Free-roaming dogs control activities in one Italian province (2000-2013: Is the implemented approach effective?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shanis Barnard

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In Italy, standards for the management of free-roaming dogs (FRDs are defined by regional norms, generating a high variability of approaches around the country. Despite efforts carried out by the competent authorities, FRDs are still a reality impacting upon animal health and welfare and public costs. A similar scenario can be found in many other Mediterranean and Balkan counties. Here we present 14 years of data (2000–2013 retrieved from the admission dog registry of a public shelter (PS responsible for the collection of stray dogs from one Italian province. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the local FRD population, identifying its source and to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions implemented by the local authorities. In the investigated period, 7,475 dogs were admitted to the PS. Despite the intense sterilisation plan (mean 381.7 sterilisations per year, the overall number of dogs entering PS did not decrease consistently across the years. Results highlighted a lack of responsibility of owners by failing to sterilise and identify their dogs and allowing intact animals to roam free, therefore producing uncontrolled and unwanted litters. The current dog population management strategy, based on both sheltering and capture-neuter-release programmes, is insufficient to tackle the straying phenomenon. Educational and sterilisation programmes should be an integral part of a successfully implemented FRD control plan. Our results provide further insight on free-roaming dog population dynamics and control systems, and may have important implications for many other local contexts across Europe trying to overcome the straying phenomenon.

Swimming Performance and Metabolism of Golden Shiners

Science.gov (United States)

The swimming ability and metabolism of golden shiners, Notemigonus crysoleucas, was examined using swim tunnel respirometery. The oxygen consumption and tail beat frequencies at various swimming speeds, an estimation of the standard metabolic rate, and the critical swimming speed (Ucrit) was determ...

X-ray induced dominant lethal mutations in mature and immature oocytes of guinea-pigs and golden hamsters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, B.D.; Lyon, M.F.

1975-01-01

The induction of dominant lethal mutations by doses of 100-400 rad X-rays in oocytes of the guinea-pig and golden hamster was studied using criteria of embryonic mortality. For both species higher yields were obtained from mature than from immature oocytes. Data on fertility indicated that in the golden hamster immature oocytes were more sensitive to killing by X-rays than mature oocytes but that the converse was true in the guinea-pig. The dose-response relationship for mutation to dominant lethals in pre-ovulatory oocytes of guinea-pigs and golden hamsters was linear, both when based on pre- and post-implantation loss only. The rate per unit dose was higher for the golden hamster, and the old golden hamsters were possibly slightly more sensitive than young ones

A COL11A2 mutation in Labrador retrievers with mild disproportionate dwarfism.

Science.gov (United States)

Frischknecht, Mirjam; Niehof-Oellers, Helena; Jagannathan, Vidhya; Owczarek-Lipska, Marta; Drögemüller, Cord; Dietschi, Elisabeth; Dolf, Gaudenz; Tellhelm, Bernd; Lang, Johann; Tiira, Katriina; Lohi, Hannes; Leeb, Tosso

2013-01-01

We describe a mild form of disproportionate dwarfism in Labrador Retrievers, which is not associated with any obvious health problems such as secondary arthrosis. We designate this phenotype as skeletal dysplasia 2 (SD2). It is inherited as a monogenic autosomal recessive trait with incomplete penetrance primarily in working lines of the Labrador Retriever breed. Using 23 cases and 37 controls we mapped the causative mutation by genome-wide association and homozygosity mapping to a 4.44 Mb interval on chromosome 12. We re-sequenced the genome of one affected dog at 30x coverage and detected 92 non-synonymous variants in the critical interval. Only two of these variants, located in the lymphotoxin A (LTA) and collagen alpha-2(XI) chain gene (COL11A2), respectively, were perfectly associated with the trait. Previously described COL11A2 variants in humans or mice lead to skeletal dysplasias and/or deafness. The dog variant associated with disproportionate dwarfism, COL11A2:c.143G>C or p.R48P, probably has only a minor effect on collagen XI function, which might explain the comparatively mild phenotype seen in our study. The identification of this candidate causative mutation thus widens the known phenotypic spectrum of COL11A2 mutations. We speculate that non-pathogenic COL11A2 variants might even contribute to the heritable variation in height.

From Fibonacci Sequence to the Golden Ratio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Fiorenza

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We consider the well-known characterization of the Golden ratio as limit of the ratio of consecutive terms of the Fibonacci sequence, and we give an explanation of this property in the framework of the Difference Equations Theory. We show that the Golden ratio coincides with this limit not because it is the root with maximum modulus and multiplicity of the characteristic polynomial, but, from a more general point of view, because it is the root with maximum modulus and multiplicity of a restricted set of roots, which in this special case coincides with the two roots of the characteristic polynomial. This new perspective is the heart of the characterization of the limit of ratio of consecutive terms of all linear homogeneous recurrences with constant coefficients, without any assumption on the roots of the characteristic polynomial, which may be, in particular, also complex and not real.

Dog and owner characteristics affecting the dog-owner relationship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Iben Helene Coakley; Forkman, Björn

2014-01-01

The nature of the relationship between companion dogs and their owners has important impact on the effect of life for both dog and owner. Identifying factors that affect the dogeowner relationship will assist the understanding of how the successful relationship is achieved and how the less...... successful relationship is mended, with potential benefits for the welfare of both species. In the present study, we investigated the effect of several dog and owner characteristics, including the personality of the dog, on the dogeowner relationship as measured by the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale...... (MDORS). Data were collected by inviting owners of dogs that had been tested on the Danish Dog Mentality Assessment (DMA) to answer an online questionnaire. We were able to match 421 owner answers with their dogs’ DMA test results. The questionnaire consisted of the 28 items of the MDORS, as well...

An investigation of application of the golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence in fashion design and pattern making

Science.gov (United States)

Kazlacheva, Z. I.

2017-10-01

The Golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence are used as proportions in design as symbols of beauty and harmony. That symbolism is a result of the strong connections in their mathematical nature. The Golden section is a number, introduced with Greek letter φ, which is found by dividing a line into two parts as the longer part divided by the smaller part is equal as the whole length of longer and smaller parts divided by the longer part. Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where every number is equal to the two numbers before it. An investigation of application of proportions based on the Golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence in the fashion design and pattern making of ladies’ clothing is the main aim of the paper. Based on the study it may be concluded that in fashion design and pattern making the Golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence can be used in creation of beautiful and harmonic forms directly or with the help of geometrical figures as: In directly use the Golden and Fibonacci numbers proportions can be in one and the same or different directions. In the application with the help of geometrical shapes the Golden and Fibonacci figures combine proportioning and form creation. The Golden and Fibonacci shapes can be used directly as forms or as frames of forms creation of elements and pieces. Its application can be in different directions and location according the bodice. The Golden section and Fibonacci sequence can combine proportions with other principles of design as symmetry, rhythm, etc.

THINNING OF ‘GALA’ AND 'GOLDEN DELICIOUS' APPLES WITH BA, NAA AND THEIR COMBINATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M STOPAR

2002-07-01

Full Text Available Apple trees, eight-year-old ‘Gala’/M.9 and four-year-old ‘Golden Delicious’/M.9 have been thinned with 6- benzyladenine (BA 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 200 ppm, with 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA 5 ppm, 10 ppm and 20 ppm, and with the tank mix combinations of BA 50 ppm + NAA 5 ppm or BA 20 ppm + NAA 5 ppm, all at 9-10 mm fruitlet diameter. All applied concentrations of BA and NAA thinned both cultivars significantly and no significant difference was found between BA or NAA thinning action. No concentration response on thinning was observed with neither BA nor NAA application. All BA or NAA separate treatments caused yield of fruit to shift to bigger size class. The only concentration response effect was found on evaluation of mean fruit weight data on ‘Golden Delicious’. The higher concentration of BA was used, the higher was the weight of ‘Golden Delicious’ fruit. On the opposite, the higher concentration of NAA was used, the lower was the weight of ‘Golden Delicious’ fruit (not significantly. When BA and NAA were sprayed on ‘Gala’ or ‘Golden Delicious’ as a tank mix combination, similar effect on thinning or fruit growth occurred comparing to BA or NAA when sprayed alone. Return bloom was enhanced on all thinned ‘Gala’ trees while flower formation of ‘Golden Delicious’ was better in the case of BA 200 ppm, NAA 5 ppm, NAA 20 ppm or tank mix spraying of BA 20 ppm + NAA 5 ppm.

Investigation into knowledge about dogs, dog ownership and the behavior of dog owners living in Germany

OpenAIRE

Brengelmann, Nathaly

2010-01-01

The aim of this work was to find out the level of knowledge of dog owners living in Germany; covering various aspects of dog handling, which personal and social circumstances have influence on this, and in which areas and which groups of people possible knowledge gaps exist. For this purpose, a multiple choice test was developed. This contained eight subject areas: “man-dog-relationship”, “puppy purchase and raising”, “learning behavior and training”, “dog behavior”, “keeping”, “dog and th...

Modified rib pivot lateral thoracotomy: a case series.

Science.gov (United States)

Appelgrein, C; Hosgood, G

2018-01-01

To describe a modified rib pivot thoracotomy and its clinical application in client-owned dogs and cats. Case series of 24 dogs and 1 cat requiring a thoracotomy. A lateral thoracic incision over the required thoracic segment was made. The latissimus dorsi muscle was reflected dorsally. The predetermined rib was identified and the periosteum overlying the rib was elevated circumferentially, avoiding the intercostal neurovascular structures. Holes were pre-placed above and below the proposed osteotomy site. The rib was osteotomised and pivoted cranially. The pleura was incised and the required intrathoracic procedure was then performed. The thoracic cavity was closed by pre-placement of a suture through the pre-placed holes within the osteotomised rib. The pleura and intercostal musculature were closed, avoiding the intercostal neurovascular structures. The rib was re-apposed and the lateral approach was closed. The cases included were reviewed for both the rib pivoted as per the procedure required and postoperative complications. The study group comprised 8 Staffordshire Bull Terriers, 2 Poodles, 2 German Shepherd Dogs, 1 each of Basset Hound, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Golden Retriever, Australian Shepherd, Vizsla, Bull Mastiff, Schnauzer, Jack Russell Terrier, Bulldog, Deerhound, Labrador Retriever and Australian Terrier, and 1 cat. A modified rib pivot thoracotomy was performed for lung lobectomy (n = 11), oesophagectomy (7), subtotal pericardectomy (5), patent ductus arteriosus ligation (1) and thoracic duct ligation (1). Follow-up ranged from 2 to 40 weeks postoperatively. Postoperative complications included seroma formation in two dogs. A modified rib pivot thoracotomy should be considered as an alternative lateral thoracic approach with good exposure, minimal complications and low morbidity. © 2018 Australian Veterinary Association.

The genetic defect of fragmented coronoid process in Labrador retrievers and other skeletal diseases in dogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Temwichitr, J.

2009-01-01

Fragmented medial coronoid process (FCP) is the main component of elbow dysplasia (ED) in dogs, which also includes osteochondrosis of the humeral condyle (OCD), elbow incongruity (INC), and ununited anconeal process (UAP). FCP is recognized as a hereditary disease in many breeds and is a major

Challenges in automated estimation of capillary refill time in dogs

Science.gov (United States)

Cugmas, Blaž; Spigulis, Janis

2018-02-01

Capillary refill time (CRT) is a part of the cardiorespiratory examination in dogs. Changes in CRT can reflect pathological conditions like shock or anemia. Visual CRT estimation has low repeatability; therefore, optical systems for automated estimation have recently appeared. Since existing systems are unsuitable for use in dogs, we designed a simple, small and portable device, which could be easily used at veterinary clinic. The device was preliminarily tested on several measurement sites in two dogs. Not all measurement sites were suitable for CRT measurements due to underlying tissue optical and mechanical properties. The CRT measurements were possible on the labial mucosa, above the sternum and on the digit where CRT was in the range of values, retrieved from the color video of the visual CRT measurement. It seems that light penetration predominantly governs tissue optical response when the pressure is applied. Therefore, it is important to select a proper light, which reaches only superficial capillaries and does not penetrate deeper. Blue or green light is probably suitable for light skin or mucosa, on the other hand, red or near-infrared might be used for skin with pigmented or thick epidermis. Additionally, further improvements of the device design are considered, like adding a calibrated spring, which would insure application of consistent pressure.

The Dream Comes True in the Golden Hall

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

JianZhong; ChenJianguo

2004-01-01

Nanjing Traditional Music Ensemble has long dreamed of performing in Vienna's Golden Hall.Now the dream has come true.the whole troupe felt so exciting that they did not even sleep well during the flight.

Punctuation in the text of the Golden Age and in Don Quijote

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ignacio Arellano

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This article examines the punctuation in Golden Age texts, in particular in Don Quixote. The author analyzes the discrepancies between theory and practice of the printers, the features of the punctuation in manuscripts, and the absence of a general system, due in part to the absence of a unique and precise system in Spanish. The article provides numerous examples of Golden Age text and of the Quixote.

Instability of powers of the golden mean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manchein, C.; Beims, M.W.

2008-01-01

In this paper we determine the Lyapunov exponents (LEs) for some Lebesgue measure zero periodic orbits from the Gauss map. This map generates the integers of a simple continued fractions representation (CFR). Only periodic orbits related to powers of the golden mean φ=(√(5)-1)/2 are considered. It is shown that the LE from the CFR of any power (1/φ i ) (i = ±1, ±2, ...) can be written as a multiple of λ φ , which is the LE related to the golden mean. When i is odd, the LEs are given by λ G (x i ) = iλ φ , and when i is even the LEs are λ G (x i ) = iλ φ /2. In general, the LE from the CFR of (1/φ i ) increases as i increases. Additionally, the LE is determined when (1/φ i ) is multiplied by an integer. We also present some examples of the instability of the CFRs related to quark's mass ratio

Hilbert space, Poincare dodecahedron and golden mean transfiniteness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Naschie, M.S.

2007-01-01

A rather direct connection between Hilbert space and E-infinity theory is established via an irrational-transfinite golden mean topological probability. Subsequently the ramifications for Kleinian modular spaces and the cosmological Poincare Dodecahedron proposals are considered

AFSC/RACE/SAP/Urban: Golden King Crab tagging

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The data is comprised of the records of individual male golden king crab (GKC) tagged at the Kodiak Laboratory. Initial size, shell condition and missing limbs was...

Predicting the risk of toxic blooms of golden alga from cell abundance and environmental covariates

Science.gov (United States)

Patino, Reynaldo; VanLandeghem, Matthew M.; Denny, Shawn

2016-01-01

Golden alga (Prymnesium parvum) is a toxic haptophyte that has caused considerable ecological damage to marine and inland aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Studies focused primarily on laboratory cultures have indicated that toxicity is poorly correlated with the abundance of golden alga cells. This relationship, however, has not been rigorously evaluated in the field where environmental conditions are much different. The ability to predict toxicity using readily measured environmental variables and golden alga abundance would allow managers rapid assessments of ichthyotoxicity potential without laboratory bioassay confirmation, which requires additional resources to accomplish. To assess the potential utility of these relationships, several a priori models relating lethal levels of golden alga ichthyotoxicity to golden alga abundance and environmental covariates were constructed. Model parameters were estimated using archived data from four river basins in Texas and New Mexico (Colorado, Brazos, Red, Pecos). Model predictive ability was quantified using cross-validation, sensitivity, and specificity, and the relative ranking of environmental covariate models was determined by Akaike Information Criterion values and Akaike weights. Overall, abundance was a generally good predictor of ichthyotoxicity as cross validation of golden alga abundance-only models ranged from ∼ 80% to ∼ 90% (leave-one-out cross-validation). Environmental covariates improved predictions, especially the ability to predict lethally toxic events (i.e., increased sensitivity), and top-ranked environmental covariate models differed among the four basins. These associations may be useful for monitoring as well as understanding the abiotic factors that influence toxicity during blooms.

"She's a dog at the end of the day": Guide dog owners' perspectives on the behaviour of their guide dog.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter J Craigon

Full Text Available A guide dog is a domestic dog (Canis familiaris that is specifically educated to provide mobility support to a blind or visually impaired owner. Current dog suitability assessments focus on behavioural traits, including: trainability, reactivity or attention to environmental stimuli, low aggressiveness, fearfulness and stress behaviour, energy levels, and attachment behaviour. The aim of this study was to find out which aspects of guide dog behaviour are of key importance to guide dog owners themselves. Sixty-three semi-structured interview surveys were carried out with guide dog owners. Topics included the behaviour of their guide dog both within and outside their working role, and also focused on examples of behaviour which might be considered outside a guide dog owner's typical expectations. Both positive and negative examples and situations were covered. This allowed for the discovery of new perspectives and emerging themes on living and working with a guide dog. Thematic analysis of the results reveals that a dog's safe behaviour in the face of traffic was the most important positive aspect of a guide dog's behaviour and pulling or high tension on the lead and /or harness was the most discussed negative aspect. Other aspects of guide dog behaviour were highlighted as particularly pleasing or disappointing by owners including attentiveness to the task, work, environment and owner; confidence in work and decision making (with confident dogs resulting in confident owners obedience and control; calmness and locating objectives. The results reveal important areas of behaviour that are not currently considered priorities in guide dog assessments; these key areas were consistency of behaviour, the dog's maturity and the dog's behaviour in relation to children. The survey revealed a large range in what owners considered problematic or pleasing behaviours and this highlights the heterogeneity in guide dog owners and the potential multifarious roles

QUALITY EVALUATION OF WHEAT-PUMPKIN-GOLDEN FLAXSEED COMPOSITE BREAD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georgiana Gabriela CODINĂ

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to optimize the level of wheat, pumpkin seed (PSF and golden flaxseed flour (GFs that can be used in order to obtain high quality bread. The independent variables levels used were between 90 and 95 % for wheat flour and between 2.5% and 7.5% for pumpkin seed and golden flaxseed flour. The quality parameters analyzed were the following: loaf volume, porosity, elasticity and bread crumb structure. The mixture experiment design was used for optimization. Special quadratic mixture models were obtained for all the dependent variables. The optimum mixture levels were of 92.43% for wheat flour, 5.06% for pumkin seed flour and 2.51% for golden seed flour. The values of these flours in terms of loaf volume of bread, porosity and elasticity were of 422 cm3/100g, 76.15%, and 92.82%, respectively. The textural properties (hardness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, viscosity, elasticity, gumminess, chewiness were analyzed for the control sample and the optimum bread sample obtained with PSF and GFs addition. For the last one mentioned hardness, elasticity, gumminess and chewiness increase with 25.03%, 7.31%, 23.41%, 25.77% while the cohesiveness value decreases with 1.47%.

Stand and within-stand factors influencing Golden-winged Warbler use of regenerating stands in the central Appalachian Mountains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marja H. Bakermans

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera is currently being considered for protected status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The creation of breeding habitat in the Appalachian Mountains is considered a conservation priority for this songbird, which is dependent on extensively forested landscapes with adequate availability of young forest. We modeled abundance of Golden-winged Warbler males in regenerating harvested forest stands that were 0-17 years postharvest at both mid-Appalachian and northeast Pennsylvania regional scales using stand and within-stand characteristics of 222 regenerating stands, 2010-2011. Variables that were most influential at the mid-Appalachian scale were different than those in the northeast region. Across the mid-Appalachian ecoregion, the proportion of young forest cover, i.e., shrub/scrub cover, within 1 km of regenerating stands best explained abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. Golden-winged Warbler response was best explained by a concave quadratic relationship in which abundance was highest with 5-15% land in young forest cover. We also found evidence that the amount of herbaceous cover, i.e., the amount of grasses and forbs, within a regenerating stand positively influenced abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. In northeastern Pennsylvania, where young forest cover is found in high proportions, the distance to the nearest regenerating stand best explained variation in abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. Abundance of Golden-winged Warblers was 1500 m away. When modeling within-stand features in the northeast region, many of the models were closely ranked, indicating that multiple variables likely explained Golden-winged Warbler response to within-stand conditions. Based on our findings, we have proposed several management guidelines for land managers interested in creating breeding habitat for Golden-winged Warblers using commercial timber operations. For example, we recommend when managing for

The Golden Horde and Rus’: A Turkish View. Review of the Book: Kamalov I.H. The Golden Horde and the Russian Ulus (the Tatar Influence on Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.Yu. Pochekaev

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This review contains an assessment of Ilyas Kh. Kamalov’s book on the relationship between the Jochid ulus and Russian principalities, as well as the subsequent influence of the Golden Horde’s civilization on the development of the Russian state. The book is analyzed within the context of the present state of research on the Golden Horde and its relations with Rus’. This inevitably leads to a comparison of the level of scientific value of the reviewed book with other contemporary publications on the history of the Jochid ulus. The review evaluates the structure of the book, the thoroughness of the analysis, highlights its strengths and weaknesses, and draws attention to a number of controversial elements. The author of review finds that the book of I.Kh. Kamalov, despite several drawbacks, could likely attract the interest of various reading audiences and stimulate further research and discussions on the history of the Golden Horde and its relations with the Russian principalities.

[Lens luxation in dogs: a retrospective study of 134 dogs (2000-2011)].

Science.gov (United States)

Betschart; Hässig; Spiess

2014-03-01

This retrospective study evaluated cases of lens luxation in dogs that were documented at the University of Zurich Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 2000 and 2011. A total 134 dogs were included in the study. This population of dogs with lens luxation represents 0.41 % of all dogs presented to the Zurich Veterinary Teaching Hospital (32'523) and 3.02 % of all dogs presented to the ophthalmology service during the same time period. The 134 dogs represented over 40 different breeds, including mixed breeds. 63 of the dogs were male, 71 were female. The 134 dogs were divided in primary lens luxation (86 of the 134 dogs, 64 %) and secondary lens luxation (48 dogs, 36 %). The most frequent causes for secondary lens luxation were glaucoma (58 %), cataract (19 %) and trauma (17 %). This study shows the predisposition for primary lens luxations in terrier breeds, Chinese Crested dogs, Pinscher and Spitz. In contrast, Siberian Huskies, Basset Hounds, Bearded Collies, Cairn Terriers, mixed breed dogs, Bolonka Zwetna, Boston Terriers, Borzoi, Doberman, Eurasian, Leonberg, Luzerner Niederlaufhund and Weimaraner suffered significantly more often from secondary lens luxation. There was no sex predilection for primary or secondary lens luxation. Dogs with primary lens luxation were on average 7.39 ± 3.02 years old, which is significantly younger than the dogs with secondary lens luxation (9.12 ± 3.38 years). Dogs with primary lens luxation showed a significantly higher rate of a bilateral development than those with secondary lens luxation (85.5 % of the dogs with primary lens luxation and only 14.5 % of the dogs with secondary lens luxation showed it in both their eyes).

Radiographic liver size in Pekingese dogs versus other dog breeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jihye; Keh, Seoyeon; Kim, Hyunwook; Kim, Junyoung; Yoon, Junghee

2013-01-01

Differential diagnoses for canine liver disease are commonly based on radiographic estimates of liver size, however little has been published on breed variations. Aims of this study were to describe normal radiographic liver size in Pekingese dogs and to compare normal measurements for this breed with other dog breeds and Pekingese dogs with liver disease. Liver measurements were compared for clinically normal Pekingese (n = 61), normal non-Pekingese brachycephalic (n = 45), normal nonbrachycephalic (n = 71), and Pekingese breed dogs with liver disease (n = 22). For each dog, body weight, liver length, T11 vertebral length, thoracic depth, and thoracic width were measured on right lateral and ventrodorsal abdominal radiographs. Liver volume was calculated using a formula and ratios of liver length/T11 vertebral length and liver volume/body weight ratio were determined. Normal Pekingese dogs had a significantly smaller liver volume/body weight ratio (16.73 ± 5.67, P dogs (19.54 ± 5.03) and normal nonbrachycephalic breed dogs (18.72 ± 6.52). The liver length/T11 vertebral length ratio in normal Pekingese (4.64 ± 0.65) was significantly smaller than normal non-Pekingese brachycephalic breed dogs (5.16 ± 0.74) and normal nonbrachycephalic breed dogs (5.40 ± 0.74). Ratios of liver volume/body weight and liver length/T11 vertebral length in normal Pekingese were significantly different from Pekingese with liver diseases (P dogs have a smaller normal radiographic liver size than other breeds. We recommend using 4.64× the length of the T11 vertebra as a radiographic criterion for normal liver length in Pekingese dogs. © 2012 Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound.

Imaging diagnosis--disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis in a dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Isaac, Markay L; Spaulding, Kathy A; Goodrich, Zachary J

2015-01-01

A 17-month-old male Labrador retriever presented for evaluation of an abdominal mass felt during abdominal palpation. Multiple variably sized cystic masses were identified on sonographic and radiographic images. Exploratory laparotomy revealed multiple peritoneal masses that exhibited atypical contractions and lacked an identifiable organ of origin. Histology and immunohistochemistry of multiple surgically excised masses was consistent with benign tumors of smooth muscle origin (leiomyomas). The presence of multiple peritoneal leiomyomas in this dog is consistent with disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis. Two years after diagnosis and multiple surgical interventions, continual insidious enlargement of leiomyomas was identified on ultrasound and CT. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

A proposed radiographic classification scheme for congenital thoracic vertebral malformations in brachycephalic "screw-tailed" dog breeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutierrez-Quintana, Rodrigo; Guevar, Julien; Stalin, Catherine; Faller, Kiterie; Yeamans, Carmen; Penderis, Jacques

2014-01-01

Congenital vertebral malformations are common in brachycephalic "screw-tailed" dog breeds such as French bulldogs, English bulldogs, Boston terriers, and pugs. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine whether a radiographic classification scheme developed for use in humans would be feasible for use in these dog breeds. Inclusion criteria were hospital admission between September 2009 and April 2013, neurologic examination findings available, diagnostic quality lateral and ventro-dorsal digital radiographs of the thoracic vertebral column, and at least one congenital vertebral malformation. Radiographs were retrieved and interpreted by two observers who were unaware of neurologic status. Vertebral malformations were classified based on a classification scheme modified from a previous human study and a consensus of both observers. Twenty-eight dogs met inclusion criteria (12 with neurologic deficits, 16 with no neurologic deficits). Congenital vertebral malformations affected 85/362 (23.5%) of thoracic vertebrae. Vertebral body formation defects were the most common (butterfly vertebrae 6.6%, ventral wedge-shaped vertebrae 5.5%, dorsal hemivertebrae 0.8%, and dorso-lateral hemivertebrae 0.5%). No lateral hemivertebrae or lateral wedge-shaped vertebrae were identified. The T7 vertebra was the most commonly affected (11/28 dogs), followed by T8 (8/28 dogs) and T12 (8/28 dogs). The number and type of vertebral malformations differed between groups (P = 0.01). Based on MRI, dorsal, and dorso-lateral hemivertebrae were the cause of spinal cord compression in 5/12 (41.6%) of dogs with neurologic deficits. Findings indicated that a modified human radiographic classification system of vertebral malformations is feasible for use in future studies of brachycephalic "screw-tailed" dogs. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Selection of Breeding Stock among Australian Purebred Dog Breeders, with Particular Emphasis on the Dam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronika Czerwinski

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Every year, thousands of purebred domestic dogs are bred by registered dog breeders. Yet, little is known about the rearing environment of these dogs, or the attitudes and priorities surrounding breeding practices of these dog breeders. The objective of this study was to explore some of the factors that dog breeders consider important for stock selection, with a particular emphasis on issues relating to the dam. Two-hundred and seventy-four Australian purebred dog breeders, covering 91 breeds across all Australian National Kennel Club breed groups, completed an online survey relating to breeding practices. Most breeders surveyed (76% reported specialising in one breed of dog, the median number of dogs and bitches per breeder was two and three respectively, and most breeders bred two litters or less a year. We identified four components, relating to the dam, that were considered important to breeders. These were defined as Maternal Care, Offspring Potential, Dam Temperament, and Dam Genetics and Health. Overall, differences were observed in attitudes and beliefs across these components, showing that there is variation according to breed/breed groups. In particular, the importance of Maternal Care varied according to dog breed group. Breeders of brachycephalic breeds tended to differ the most in relation to Offspring Potential and Dam Genetics and Health. The number of breeding dogs/bitches influenced breeding priority, especially in relation to Dam Temperament, however no effect was found relating to the number of puppies bred each year. Only 24% of breeders used their own sire for breeding. The finding that some breeders did not test for diseases relevant to their breed, such as hip dysplasia in Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds, provides important information on the need to educate some breeders, and also buyers of purebred puppies, that screening for significant diseases should occur. Further research into the selection of breeding dams

Dog-walking behaviours affect gastrointestinal parasitism in park-attending dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Anya F; Semeniuk, Christina A D; Kutz, Susan J; Massolo, Alessandro

2014-09-04

In urban parks, dogs, wildlife and humans can be sympatric, introducing the potential for inter- and intra-specific transmission of pathogens among hosts. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of zoonotic and non-zoonotic gastrointestinal parasites in dogs in Calgary city parks, and assess if dog-walking behaviour, park management, history of veterinary care, and dog demographics were associated with parasitism in dogs From June to September 2010, 645 questionnaires were administered to dog owners in nine city parks to determine behavioural and demographic factors, and corresponding feces from 355 dogs were collected. Dog feces were analyzed for helminth and some protozoan species using a modified sugar flotation technique and microscopic examination, a subsample was analyzed for Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. using a direct immunofluorescence assay. Descriptive and multivariate statistics were conducted to determine associations among behaviours, demographics, and parasite prevalence and infection intensities Parasite prevalence was 50.2%. Giardia spp. (24.7%), Cryptosporidium spp. (14.7%), and Cystoisospora spp. (16.8%) were the most prevalent parasites. Helminth prevalence was low (4.1%). Presence of Giardia spp. was more likely in intact and young dogs; and infection with any parasite and Giardia spp. intensity were both positively associated with dogs visiting multiple parks coupled with a high frequency of park use and off-leash activity, and with being intact and young. Cryptosporidium spp. intensity was associated with being intact and young, and having visited the veterinarian within the previous year Our results indicate a higher overall prevalence of protozoa in dogs than previously found in Calgary. The zoonotic potential of some parasites found in park-attending dogs may be of interest for public health. These results are relevant for informing park managers, the public health sector, and veterinarians.

Clinical and histopathologic features of dorsally located furunculosis in dogs following water immersion or exposure to grooming products: 22 cases (2005-2013).

Science.gov (United States)

Cain, Christine L; Mauldin, Elizabeth A

2015-03-01

To describe clinical and histopathologic features of furunculosis in dogs following water immersion or exposure to grooming products. Retrospective case series. 22 dogs with skin lesions consistent with furunculosis and a history of water immersion or grooming prior to onset. Procedures-Information collected from the medical records of affected dogs included signalment, clinical signs, bathing or grooming procedure, diagnostic tests, treatment, and outcome. German Shepherd Dogs (4/22 [18%]) and Labrador Retrievers (4/22 [18%]) were most commonly affected. Skin lesions, particularly hemorrhagic pustules and crusts, were dorsally located in all dogs and occurred a median of 2 days (range, 1 to 7 days) following water immersion or exposure to grooming products. Twenty (91%) dogs were bathed at home or at a commercial grooming facility prior to lesion onset; 1 dog developed skin lesions following hydrotherapy on an underwater treadmill, and 1 dog developed peri-incisional skin lesions after surgery. Lethargy, signs of neck or back pain, and fever were common clinical signs. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common bacterial isolate from dogs with bacteriologic culture performed on skin samples (10/14). The main histologic feature was acute follicular rupture in the superficial dermis with suppurative inflammation and dermal hemorrhage. Systemic antimicrobial treatment, particularly oral administration of fluoroquinolones, resulted in excellent clinical response in 16 of 22 (73%) dogs. Acute-onset furunculosis with characteristic clinical and histopathologic features in dogs following water immersion or exposure to grooming products was described. Knowledge of the historical and clinical features of this syndrome is essential for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of affected dogs.

Integrative Microbiology – The Third Golden Age Reflections

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

and Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA. .... about the mechanisms that control gene expression in bacteria. How is the synthesis of .... The second Golden Age of microbiology materialized in the 1940's with the birth of.

Quetzalcoatl and the Golden Age of Mesoamerica.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez-Heil, Celia

1978-01-01

Quetzalcoatl was both man and god, myth and true history, and was worshipped through centuries in temples in the great sacred cities of Teotihuacan, Tollan, and Chichen Itza. The White god, ruler of the Toltec golden age, who sailed toward the east promising to return, remains a mystery. (Author/NQ)

Magnetic resonance imaging of a cerebral cavernous haemangioma in a dog : clinical communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.P. Schoeman

2002-07-01

Full Text Available A 13-month-old, neutered, male Golden retriever presented with seizures and progressive depression. Clinical and neurological assessment was consistent with severe intracranial disease. The neurological condition progressively deteriorated and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI revealed the presence of a large, contrast-enhancing, space-occupying mass in the right cerebral hemisphere. Therapy with corticosteroids, mannitol and furosemide ameliorated the signs of depression and ataxia, but the owner elected euthanasia after 1 week. Post mortem examination of the brain confirmed the presence of a large haemorrhagic lesion in the right olfactory lobe, the histopathological appearance of which was consistent with cerebral cavernous haemangioma. This is the 1st case describing the MRI appearance of a cavernous haemangioma of the cerebrum in the veterinary literature.

Assessing the cumulative impacts of wind farms on peatland birds: a case study of golden plover Pluvialis apricaria in Scotland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.W. Pearce-Higgins

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The distribution of golden plover across Scotland was modelled using land cover and management variables, and used to highlight the spatial association between golden plover abundance and current and proposed wind farm developments. Overlap was greatest in three biogeographical zones (the Western Isles, the Western Central Belt and the Borders Hills and was estimated at ca. 5% of the biogeographical population in each case. New field data were used to predict the effects of wind farm development on golden plover populations, employing a conservative analytical approach to detect statistically significant wind farm related effects. The results provide evidence of significant avoidance of wind turbines by breeding golden plovers to a distance of at least 200 metres. Furthermore, wind farm sites appear to support lower densities of golden plover than predicted by the distribution model for sites without wind farms. Therefore, there is evidence for negative effects of wind farm developments on golden plover, and we suggest strategies to reduce any potential conflict between the need to promote wind energy and the need to maintain golden plover populations.

Knemidocoptic Mange in Wild Golden Eagles, California, USA

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2014-09-21

Dr. Mike Miller reads an abridged version of the article, Knemidocoptic Mange in Wild Golden Eagles, California, USA .  Created: 9/21/2014 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 10/15/2014.

California golden trout and climate change: Is their stream habitat vulnerable to climate warming?

Science.gov (United States)

Kathleen R. Matthews

2010-01-01

The California golden trout (CGT) Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita is one of the few native high-elevation fish in the Sierra Nevada. They are already in trouble because of exotic trout, genetic introgression, and degraded habitat, and now face further stress from climate warming. Their native habitat on the Kern Plateau meadows mostly in the Golden...

A COL11A2 mutation in Labrador retrievers with mild disproportionate dwarfism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirjam Frischknecht

Full Text Available We describe a mild form of disproportionate dwarfism in Labrador Retrievers, which is not associated with any obvious health problems such as secondary arthrosis. We designate this phenotype as skeletal dysplasia 2 (SD2. It is inherited as a monogenic autosomal recessive trait with incomplete penetrance primarily in working lines of the Labrador Retriever breed. Using 23 cases and 37 controls we mapped the causative mutation by genome-wide association and homozygosity mapping to a 4.44 Mb interval on chromosome 12. We re-sequenced the genome of one affected dog at 30x coverage and detected 92 non-synonymous variants in the critical interval. Only two of these variants, located in the lymphotoxin A (LTA and collagen alpha-2(XI chain gene (COL11A2, respectively, were perfectly associated with the trait. Previously described COL11A2 variants in humans or mice lead to skeletal dysplasias and/or deafness. The dog variant associated with disproportionate dwarfism, COL11A2:c.143G>C or p.R48P, probably has only a minor effect on collagen XI function, which might explain the comparatively mild phenotype seen in our study. The identification of this candidate causative mutation thus widens the known phenotypic spectrum of COL11A2 mutations. We speculate that non-pathogenic COL11A2 variants might even contribute to the heritable variation in height.

The effect of 48-hour fasting on taurine status in healthy adult dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, K; Alexander, L G; Staunton, R; Colyer, A; Watson, A; Fascetti, A J

2016-06-01

Low circulating taurine concentrations may be a risk factor for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. Circulating taurine is typically measured in the clinic 4-5 h after feeding, largely because the impact of later sampling is not known. The objective of this study was to measure taurine in the blood during a 48-h fast in 12 healthy adult Labrador Retrievers to refine sampling methodology for determination of taurine status. Plasma and whole blood (WB) taurine concentrations did not fall to levels indicative of clinical deficiency throughout fasting; WB was the more reliable indicator of taurine status. This study shows that blood samples can be taken for assessment of taurine status any time up to 48 h after ingestion of a meal in healthy adult dogs. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Dogs

Science.gov (United States)

... Digital Press Kit Connect With Us New & Noteworthy Dogs Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Overview Diseases ... healthy. Diseases The most common diseases associated with dogs that can cause human illness are: Campylobacteriosis ( Campylobacter ...

Quantitative Comparison of the Walk and Trot of Border Collies and Labrador Retrievers, Breeds with Different Performance Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Brittany Jean; Canapp, Sherman O; Zink, M. Christine

2015-01-01

Introduction We hypothesized that breed differences of Border Collies and Labrador Retrievers would be reflected in the temporospatial characteristics of the walk and trot. Materials and Methods Twenty healthy Border Collies and 20 healthy Labrador Retrievers made three passes across a pressure sensing walkway system that recorded quantitative temporospatial information at a walk and a trot. The following variables were measured for each dog: velocity, total pressure index percentage (TPI%), ratio of weight borne on the thoracic vs. pelvic limbs (T/P TPI%), stance time percentage (ST%), and thoracic limb stride length (TSrL). Results The mean T/P TPI% for Border Collies at a walk and at a trot were significantly lower than for Labrador Retrievers (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.0003). Border Collies had a significantly lower ST% than Labrador Retrievers for the thoracic limbs and pelvic limbs at a walk (p = 0.0058 and 0.0003) and the trot (p = 0.0280 and 0.0448). There was no relationship between ST% and TSrL in Border Collies and an inverse correlation between ST% and TSrL in Labrador Retrievers (p = 0.0002). Discussion Key quantitative gait differences were identified in Border Collies and Labrador Retrievers, which could potentially provide each breed with an advantage for their working function. PMID:26689372

The Bald And Golden Eagle Protection Act, Species-Based Legal Protection And The Danger Of Misidentification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johann C Knobel

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 bestows legal protection on two North American eagle species in the United States of America. The Act was originally aimed at the legal protection of only one species: the Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus, the national symbol of the USA. Later the Act was amended to extend protection also to the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos. The Bald Eagle was an Endangered Species, but the Golden Eagle was not formally listed as Endangered nationwide in the USA. One of the reasons for extending legal protection to the Golden Eagle under the Act was to strengthen the legal protection of the Bald Eagle, because immature Bald Eagles were being misidentified as Golden Eagles and shot. Additional factors relating to Golden Eagle mortality also made legal protection of the Golden Eagle desirable. The danger that a rare and legally protected species can be misidentified and mistaken for a more common and unprotected species can therefore serve as a reason for bestowing legal protection on the more common species as well. Other factors may also indicate that legal protection of the more common species is desirable, making the case more compelling. If this line of reasoning is applied in respect of South African birds of prey, a strong case can be made in favour of extending legal protection under the national biodiversity legislation to more species than the small number of species currently enjoying such protection. Species that are listed as Vulnerable under South African national biodiversity legislation may be misidentified as species that are not subject to such protection. Additional factors are also present that make such an extension of legal protection desirable.

A Golden Age? Dostoevsky, Daoism and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Peter

2016-01-01

There is much of value for educationists in the work of the great Russian novelist and thinker, Fyodor Dostoevsky. This paper explores a key theme in Dostoevsky's later writings: the notion of a "Golden Age". It compares the ideal depicted in Dostoevsky's story "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" with the implied utopia of the…

Landscapes for Energy and Wildlife: Conservation Prioritization for Golden Eagles across Large Spatial Scales.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason D Tack

Full Text Available Proactive conservation planning for species requires the identification of important spatial attributes across ecologically relevant scales in a model-based framework. However, it is often difficult to develop predictive models, as the explanatory data required for model development across regional management scales is rarely available. Golden eagles are a large-ranging predator of conservation concern in the United States that may be negatively affected by wind energy development. Thus, identifying landscapes least likely to pose conflict between eagles and wind development via shared space prior to development will be critical for conserving populations in the face of imposing development. We used publically available data on golden eagle nests to generate predictive models of golden eagle nesting sites in Wyoming, USA, using a suite of environmental and anthropogenic variables. By overlaying predictive models of golden eagle nesting habitat with wind energy resource maps, we highlight areas of potential conflict among eagle nesting habitat and wind development. However, our results suggest that wind potential and the relative probability of golden eagle nesting are not necessarily spatially correlated. Indeed, the majority of our sample frame includes areas with disparate predictions between suitable nesting habitat and potential for developing wind energy resources. Map predictions cannot replace on-the-ground monitoring for potential risk of wind turbines on wildlife populations, though they provide industry and managers a useful framework to first assess potential development.

Assessment of frequency and duration of point counts when surveying for golden eagle presence

Science.gov (United States)

Skipper, Ben R.; Boal, Clint W.; Tsai, Jo-Szu; Fuller, Mark R.

2017-01-01

We assessed the utility of the recommended golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) survey methodology in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2013 Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance. We conducted 800-m radius, 1-hr point-count surveys broken into 20-min segments, during 2 sampling periods in 3 areas within the Intermountain West of the United States over 2 consecutive breeding seasons during 2012 and 2013. Our goal was to measure the influence of different survey time intervals and sampling periods on detectability and use estimates of golden eagles among different locations. Our results suggest that a less intensive effort (i.e., survey duration shorter than 1 hr and point-count survey radii smaller than 800 m) would likely be inadequate for rigorous documentation of golden eagle occurrence pre- or postconstruction of wind energy facilities. Results from a simulation analysis of detection probabilities and survey effort suggest that greater temporal and spatial effort could make point-count surveys more applicable for evaluating golden eagle occurrence in survey areas; however, increased effort would increase financial costs associated with additional person-hours and logistics (e.g., fuel, lodging). Future surveys can benefit from a pilot study and careful consideration of prior information about counts or densities of golden eagles in the survey area before developing a survey design. If information is lacking, survey planning may be best served by assuming low detection rates and increasing the temporal and spatial effort.

Do Dog Behavioral Characteristics Predict the Quality of the Relationship between Dogs and Their Owners?

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Christy L; Chen, Pan; Serpell, James A; Jacobson, Kristen C

This paper explores whether dog behavioral characteristics predict the quality of the relationship between dogs and their owners (i.e., owner attachment to dog), and whether relations between dog behavior and owner attachment are moderated by demographic characteristics. In this study, N = 92 children and N = 60 adults from 60 dog-owning families completed questionnaires about their attachment to their pet dog, their level of responsibility for that dog, and their general attitudes toward pets. They also rated their dogs on observable behavioral characteristics. Individuals who held positive attitudes about pets and who provided much of their dog's care reported stronger attachments to their dogs. The strength of owners' attachments to their dogs was associated with dog trainability and separation problems. Relationships between owner attachment and both dog excitability and attention-seeking behavior were further moderated by demographic characteristics: for Caucasians but not for non-Caucasians, dog excitability was negatively associated with owner attachment to dog; and for adults, dog attention-seeking behavior was positively associated with owner attachment, but children tended to be highly attached to their dogs, regardless of their dogs' attention-seeking behaviors. This study demonstrates that certain dog behavioral traits are indeed associated with the strength of owners' attachments to their dogs.

Metabolic regulation of carotenoid-enriched Golden rice line

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dipak Gayen

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Vitamin A deficiency (VAD is the leading cause of blindness among children and is associated with high risk of maternal mortality. In order to enhance the bioavailability of vitamin A, high carotenoid transgenic golden rice has been developed by manipulating enzymes, such as phytoene synthase (psy and phytoene desaturase (crtI. In this study, proteome and metabolite analyses were carried out to comprehend metabolic regulation and adaptation of transgenic golden rice after the manipulation of endosperm specific carotenoid pathways. The main alteration was observed in carbohydrate metabolism pathways of the transgenic seeds. The 2D based proteomic studies demonstrated that carbohydrate metabolism-related enzymes, such as pullulanase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and glucose-1-phosphate adenylyl transferase, were primarily up-regulated in transgenic rice seeds. In addition, the enzyme PPDK was also elevated in transgenic seeds thus enhancing pyruvate biosynthesis, which is the precursor in the carotenoids biosynthetic pathway. GC-MS based metabolite profiling demonstrated an increase in the levels of glyceric acid, fructo-furanose, and galactose, while decrease in galactonic acid and gentiobiose in the transgenic rice compared to WT. It is noteworthy to mention that the carotenoid content, especially β-carotene level in transgenic rice (4.3 µg/g was significantly enhanced. The present study highlights the metabolic adaptation process of a transgenic golden rice line (homozygous T4 progeny of SKBR-244 after enhancing carotenoid biosynthesis. The presented information would be helpful in the development of crops enriched in carotenoids by expressing metabolic flux of pyruvate biosynthesis.

The Golden Ratio in Time-based Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily Verba

2013-06-01

The proliferation of moving images we face on a daily basis is cause for great concern, as we have increasingly less free time in our days. Informative and pleasing images are buried in an avalanche of visual rubbish, constantly streaming into our physical and virtual worlds. Time-based media has the ability to expand and contract movement, thus directing the way viewers experience and spend their time. This investigation presupposes that editing moving images via increments of time determined by the golden ratio may streamline messages, isolating what is most symbolic and effectively communicative within a mathematical framework. A physiological and psychological benefit is created for viewers; there is no wasted time or space. Image-makers and visual communicators have a responsibility to create only that which is useful and/or aesthetically pleasing. An investigation into the temporal structure of time-based media, using mathematical algorithms derived from the golden ratio, has led to the aim of creating through it a viable solution for the implementation of visual communication messages in today's society.

Analysis of blood flow in a third ventricular ependymoma and an olfactory bulb meningioma by usisng perfusion computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishimoto, M.; Yamada, K.; Seok, J.S.; Shimizu, J.; Kobayashi, Y.; Akiba, Y.; Morishita, Y.; Iwasa, A.; Iwasaki, T.; Miyake, Y.

2008-01-01

Brain perfusion computed tomography (CT) scanning was performed in a mongrel dog and a golden retriever that were diagnosed with third ventricular tumor and olfactory bulb tumor, respectively, by contrast-enhanced CT. The tumors were pathologically diagnosed as ependymoma and meningioma, respectively. Perfusion CT results revealed that the ependymoma in this study had a lower blood flow, higher blood volume, and greater transit time of blood than the adjacent brain tissue. Further, the meningioma in this study had a higher blood flow, higher blood volume, and greater transit time of blood than the adjacent brain tissue. Perfusion CT can potentially be used for the grading of brain tumors and narrowing differential diagnosis, provided the perfusion CT data of animals are accumulated

Relationship Between Scarring and Dog Aggression in Pit Bull-Type Dogs Involved in Organized Dogfighting

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Katherine A.; Touroo, Rachel; Spain, C. Victor; Jones, Kelly; Reid, Pamela; Lockwood, Randall

2016-01-01

Simple Summary Organizations responsible for placing dogs seized from dogfighting investigations often must determine if a particular dog should be euthanized because it is too dangerous or if it is safe to place the dog in an adoptive home. In this study, we examine whether the extent of scarring from dog fighting is a reliable predictor of aggression towards other dogs and therefore could be used to help make that decision. We found that dogs with 10 or more scars in the three body zones where dogfighting injuries tend to be concentrated were more likely, on average, to show aggression to other dogs. The relationship is imperfect, however. Many unscarred dogs were dog aggressive while some highly scarred dogs were not. Therefore, we recommend also assessing a dog’s behavior before making decisions about its disposition. Abstract When pit bull-type dogs are seized in an investigation of organized dogfighting, heavily scarred dogs are often assumed to be highly dog aggressive due to a history of fighting. These dogs may be deemed dangerous and euthanized based on scarring alone. We analyzed our existing data on dogs seized from four dogfighting investigations, examining the relationship between the dogs’ scars with aggression towards other dogs. Scar and wound data were tallied in three body zones where dogfighting injuries tend to be concentrated. Dog aggression was assessed using a model dog and a friendly stimulus dog in a standardized behavior evaluation. Scarring and dog aggression were significantly related, more strongly among male (Fisher’s Exact p < 0.001) than female dogs (Fisher’s Exact p = 0.05). Ten or more scars in the three body zones was a reasonable threshold with which to classify a dog as high risk for dog aggression: 82% of males and 60% of females with such scarring displayed dog aggression. However, because many unscarred dogs were dog aggressive while some highly scarred dogs were not, we recommend collecting behavioral information to

Improving guide dog team play with accessible dog toys

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hauser, S.; Wakkary, R.L.; Neustaedter, C.

2014-01-01

People with vision impairment have been a longstanding well-recognized user group addressed in HCI. Despite the recent interest in studying sighted dog owners and their pets in HCI, there is a noticeable gap in the field with regards to research on visually impaired owners and their dogs (guide dog

Puzzling out Neutrino Mixing Through Golden and Silver Measurements

CERN Document Server

Mena, O

2003-01-01

We update a recent work devoted to resolve the degeneracies that appear in the simultaneous extraction of $\\theta_{13}$ and $\\delta$ at future Neutrino Factories (NF, that exploit the \\emph{golden} channels, i.e. $\

LHC suppliers win Golden Hadron awards

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2004-01-01

In a ceremony on 30 July, three of the 200 suppliers for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) were presented with Golden Hadron awards. It is the third year that the awards have been presented to suppliers, not only for their technical and financial achievements but also for their compliance with contractual deadlines. This year the three companies are all involved in the supplies for the LHC's main magnet system.

Dorsal shaving affects concentrations of faecal cortisol metabolites in lactating golden hamsters

Science.gov (United States)

Ohrnberger, Sarah A.; Brinkmann, Katharina; Palme, Rupert; Valencak, Teresa G.

2018-02-01

Breeding of golden hamsters is classically performed at thermal conditions ranging from 20 to 24 °C. However, growing evidence suggests that lactating females suffer from heat stress. We hypothesised that shaving females dorsally to maximise heat dissipation may reduce stress during reproduction. We thus compared faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) from shaved golden hamster mothers with those from unshaved controls. We observed significantly lower FCM levels in the shaved mothers ( F 1,22 = 8.69, p = 0.0075) pointing to lower stress due to ameliorated heat dissipation over the body surface. In addition, we observed 0.4 °C lower mean subcutaneous body temperatures in the shaved females, although this effect did not reach significance ( F 1,22 = 1.86, p = 0.18). Our results suggest that golden hamsters having body masses being more than four times that of laboratory mice provide a very interesting model to study aspects of lactation and heat production at the same time.

Sequence analysis of three canine adipokine genes revealed an association between TNF polymorphisms and obesity in Labrador dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mankowska, M; Stachowiak, M; Graczyk, A; Ciazynska, P; Gogulski, M; Nizanski, W; Switonski, M

2016-04-01

Obesity is an emerging health problem in purebred dogs. Due to their crucial role in energy homeostasis control, genes encoding adipokines are considered candidate genes, and their variants may be associated with predisposition to obesity. Searching for polymorphism was carried out in three adipokine genes (TNF, RETN and IL6). The study was performed on 260 dogs, including lean (n = 109), overweight (n = 88) and obese (n = 63) dogs. The largest cohort was represented by Labrador Retrievers (n = 136). Altogether, 24 novel polymorphisms were identified: 12 in TNF (including one missense SNP), eight in RETN (including one missense SNP) and four in IL6. Distributions of five common SNPs (two in TNF, two in RETN and one in IL6) were further analyzed with regard to body condition score. Two SNPs in the non-coding parts of TNF (c.-40A>C and c.233+14G>A) were associated with obesity in Labrador dogs. The obtained results showed that the studied adipokine genes are highly polymorphic and two polymorphisms in the TNF gene may be considered as markers predisposing Labrador dogs to obesity. © 2015 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Effect of Wearing a Telemetry Jacket on Behavioral and Physiologic Parameters of Dogs in the Open-Field Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Fish, Richard E; Foster, Melanie L; Gruen, Margaret E; Sherman, Barbara L; Dorman, Davidc C

2017-07-01

Safety pharmacology studies in dogs often integrate behavioral assessments made using video recording with physiologic measurements collected by telemetry. However, whether merely wearing the telemetry vest affects canine behavior and other parameters has not been evaluated. This pilot study assessed the effect of a telemetry vest on behavioral and physiologic responses to an environmental stressor, the sounds of a thunderstorm, in Labrador retrievers. Dogs were assigned to one of 2 experimental groups (Vest and No-Vest, n = 8 dogs per group) by using a matched pairs design, with a previously determined, sound-associated anxiety score as the blocking variable. Dogs were individually retested with the same standardized sound stimulus (thunderstorm) in an open-field arena, and their behavioral responses were video recorded. Video analysis of locomotor activity and anxiety-related behavior and manual determination of heart rate and body temperature were performed; results were compared between groups. Vest wearing did not affect total locomotor activity or rectal body temperature but significantly decreased heart rate by 8% and overall mean anxiety score by 34% during open-field test sessions. Our results suggest that the use of telemetry vests in dogs influences the measurement of physiologic parameters and behaviors that are assessed in safety pharmacology studies.

Biotelemetry data for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) captured in coastal southern California, November 2014–February 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Tracey, Jeff A.; Madden, Melanie C.; Sebes, Jeremy B.; Bloom, Peter H.; Katzner, Todd E.; Fisher, Robert N.

2016-04-21

The status of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in coastal southern California is unclear. To address this knowledge gap, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with local, State, and other Federal agencies began a multi-year survey and tracking program of golden eagles to address questions regarding habitat use, movement behavior, nest occupancy, genetic population structure, and human impacts on eagles. Golden eagle trapping and tracking efforts began in October 2014 and continued until early March 2015. During the first trapping season that focused on San Diego County, we captured 13 golden eagles (8 females and 5 males). During the second trapping season that began in November 2015, we focused on trapping sites in San Diego, Orange, and western Riverside Counties. By February 23, 2016, we captured an additional 14 golden eagles (7 females and 7 males). In this report, biotelemetry data were collected between November 22, 2014, and February 23, 2016. The location data for eagles ranged as far north as San Luis Obispo, California, and as far south as La Paz, Baja California, Mexico.

Reproductive success and habitat characteristics of Golden-winged Warblers in high-elevation pasturelands

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Petra; Aldinger, Kyle R.

2016-01-01

The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is one of the most rapidly declining vertebrate species in the Appalachian Mountains. It is the subject of extensive range-wide research and conservation action. However, little is known about this species' breeding ecology in high-elevation pasturelands, a breeding habitat with conservation potential considering the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service's Working Lands for Wildlife program targeting private lands in the Appalachian Mountains. We located 100 nests of Golden-winged Warblers in pastures in and around the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia during 2008–2012. Daily nest survival rate (mean ± SE  =  0.962 ± 0.006), clutch size (4.5 ± 0.1), and number of young fledged per nest attempt (2.0 ± 0.2) and successful nest (4.0 ± 0.1) fell within the range of values reported in other parts of the species' range and were not significantly affected by year or the presence/absence of cattle grazing. Classification tree analysis revealed that nests were in denser vegetation (≥52%) and closer to forest edges (Golden-winged Warblers. High-elevation pasturelands may provide a refuge for remaining populations of Golden-winged Warblers in this region.

EVALUATION OF THE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC "SENTINEL CLOT SIGN" TO IDENTIFY BLEEDING ABDOMINAL ORGANS IN DOGS WITH HEMOABDOMEN.

Science.gov (United States)

Specchi, Swan; Auriemma, Edoardo; Morabito, Simona; Ferri, Filippo; Zini, Eric; Piola, Valentina; Pey, Pascaline; Rossi, Federica

2017-01-01

The CT "sentinel clot sign" has been defined as the highest attenuation hematoma adjacent to a bleeding organ in humans with hemoabdomen. The aims of this retrospective descriptive multicenter study were to describe CT findings in a sample of dogs with surgically or necropsy confirmed intra-abdominal bleeding and determine prevalence of the "sentinel clot sign" adjacent to the location of bleeding. Medical records between 2012 and 2014 were searched for dogs with hemoabdomen and in which the origin of the bleeding was confirmed either with surgery or necropsy. Retrieved CT images were reviewed for the presence and localization of the "sentinel clot sign," HU measurements of the "sentinel clot sign" and hemoabdomen, and presence of extravasation of contrast media within the abdominal cavity. Nineteen dogs were included. Three dogs were excluded due to the low amount of blood that did not allow the identification of a "sentinel clot sign." A "sentinel clot sign" was detected in the proximity of the confirmed bleeding organ in 14/16 (88%) of the patients. The mean HU of the "sentinel clot sign" was 56 (range: 43-70) while that of the hemoabdomen was 34 (range: 20-45). Active hemorrhage was identified as extravasation of contrast medium within the peritoneal cavity from the bleeding organ in three dogs. In conclusion, the CT "sentinel clot sign" may be helpful for identifying the source of bleeding in dogs with hemoabdomen. © 2016 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Review on the Book: Pochekaev R.Yu. The Golden Horde Law (Kazan, 2009. 260 p. » 231

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.G. Sayfetdinova

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper contains a review of the R.Yu. Pochekaev’s book “The Golden Horde Law”. The reviewer points out that the Pochekaev’s book is a significant academic research in both the study of the Golden Horde history and the law system of the Eurasian Turkic-Mongol peoples. This book is published by the Center for Research on the Golden Horde Civilization at the Sh.Marjani Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. For several years, the author of this book, R.Yu. Pochekaev, has been concerned with the the history of the Golden Horde State and its law system. He has published a number of works on this topic, the main conclusions of which are reflected in this generalizing work. The study is based on a wide range of sources (annals and chronicles, memoirs of contemporaries, bureaucratic and numismatic materials and numerous studies including the works of foreign specialists in the original language. In his book, the author organically combines the latest achievements of research on both the Golden Horde history and theory and history of law. The book will be of interest to experts of the Golden Horde history and Orientalists, who are often faced with the legal aspects of the material under study.

What's in a Name? Effect of Breed Perceptions & Labeling on Attractiveness, Adoptions & Length of Stay for Pit-Bull-Type Dogs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa M Gunter

Full Text Available Previous research has indicated that certain breeds of dogs stay longer in shelters than others. However, exactly how breed perception and identification influences potential adopters' decisions remains unclear. Current dog breed identification practices in animal shelters are often based upon information supplied by the relinquishing owner, or staff determination based on the dog's phenotype. However, discrepancies have been found between breed identification as typically assessed by welfare agencies and the outcome of DNA analysis. In Study 1, the perceived behavioral and adoptability characteristics of a pit-bull-type dog were compared with those of a Labrador Retriever and Border Collie. How the addition of a human handler influenced those perceptions was also assessed. In Study 2, lengths of stay and perceived attractiveness of dogs that were labeled as pit bull breeds were compared to dogs that were phenotypically similar but were labeled as another breed at an animal shelter. The latter dogs were called "lookalikes." In Study 3, we compared perceived attractiveness in video recordings of pit-bull-type dogs and lookalikes with and without breed labels. Lastly, data from an animal shelter that ceased applying breed labeling on kennels were analyzed, and lengths of stay and outcomes for all dog breeds, including pit bulls, before and after the change in labeling practice were compared. In total, these findings suggest that breed labeling influences potential adopters' perceptions and decision-making. Given the inherent complexity of breed assignment based on morphology coupled with negative breed perceptions, removing breed labels is a relatively low-cost strategy that will likely improve outcomes for dogs in animal shelters.

What's in a Name? Effect of Breed Perceptions & Labeling on Attractiveness, Adoptions & Length of Stay for Pit-Bull-Type Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunter, Lisa M; Barber, Rebecca T; Wynne, Clive D L

2016-01-01

Previous research has indicated that certain breeds of dogs stay longer in shelters than others. However, exactly how breed perception and identification influences potential adopters' decisions remains unclear. Current dog breed identification practices in animal shelters are often based upon information supplied by the relinquishing owner, or staff determination based on the dog's phenotype. However, discrepancies have been found between breed identification as typically assessed by welfare agencies and the outcome of DNA analysis. In Study 1, the perceived behavioral and adoptability characteristics of a pit-bull-type dog were compared with those of a Labrador Retriever and Border Collie. How the addition of a human handler influenced those perceptions was also assessed. In Study 2, lengths of stay and perceived attractiveness of dogs that were labeled as pit bull breeds were compared to dogs that were phenotypically similar but were labeled as another breed at an animal shelter. The latter dogs were called "lookalikes." In Study 3, we compared perceived attractiveness in video recordings of pit-bull-type dogs and lookalikes with and without breed labels. Lastly, data from an animal shelter that ceased applying breed labeling on kennels were analyzed, and lengths of stay and outcomes for all dog breeds, including pit bulls, before and after the change in labeling practice were compared. In total, these findings suggest that breed labeling influences potential adopters' perceptions and decision-making. Given the inherent complexity of breed assignment based on morphology coupled with negative breed perceptions, removing breed labels is a relatively low-cost strategy that will likely improve outcomes for dogs in animal shelters.

A new place for death with dignity: the golden room.

Science.gov (United States)

Keegan, Lynn; Drick, Carole Ann

2011-12-01

In this article, the authors consider how professional nurses can strive to advance death and dying to the next level in our evolution of compassionate end-of-life practices. The authors focus on describing the development of a place for dying that allows for a peaceful, profound experience that honors and respects human dignity and elevates the human family. Actual places called the Golden Room or Golden Room Centers are proposed to accommodate dying persons and their loved ones at end of life as they make the transition from physical life. The authors detail and propose a return to the sacredness of death and dying through access to a place for the physical transition.

Incidence and impact of dog attacks on guide dogs in the UK: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Moxon, R; Whiteside, H; England, G C W

2016-04-09

Data on dog attacks on Guide Dogs' stock were reviewed to investigate the characteristics of the attacks. An average of 11.2 attacks occurred each month. Nearly all of the attacks occurred in public areas, 68.4 per cent of victim dogs were qualified guide dogs and 55.5 per cent of victim dogs were working in harness when they were attacked. Guide Dogs' stock were injured in 43.2 per cent of attacks and veterinary costs for attacks were estimated at £34,514.30. Over 40 per cent of qualified guide dogs' working ability was affected and >20 per cent of qualified guide dogs required some time off from working after a dog attack. Twenty dogs were permanently withdrawn from the Guide Dogs' programme as a result of dog attacks, 13 of which were qualified and working with guide dog owners at the time of the withdrawal; this resulted in a financial cost of >£600,000 to the charity. More importantly perhaps, temporary and permanent withdrawals have a significant impact upon the mobility and independence of guide dog owners and in many cases significantly impacted their emotional well-being. British Veterinary Association.

Comparison of P-wave dispersion in healthy dogs, dogs with chronic valvular disease and dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicpoń Józef

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background P-wave dispersion (Pd is a new ECG index used in human cardiology and veterinary medicine. It is defined as the difference between the maximum and the minimum P-wave duration recorded from multiple different ECG leads. So far no studies were performed assessing the importance of P-wave dispersion in dogs. Methods The current study was aimed at determining proper value of Pd in healthy dogs (group I, dogs with chronic valvular disease (group II and dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction (group III. The tests were carried out in 53 healthy dogs, 23 dogs with chronic valvular disease and 12 dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction of various breeds, sexes and body weight from 1,5 to 80 kg, aged between 0,5 and 17 years, submitted to the ECG examination. ECG was acquired in dogs in a standing position with BTL SD-8 electrocardiographic device and analyzed once the recording was enlarged. P-wave duration was calculated in 9 ECG leads (I, II, III, aVR, aVL, aVF, V1, V2, V4 from 5 cardiac cycles. Results The proper P-wave dispersion in healthy dogs was determined at up to 24 ms. P-wave dispersion was statistically significant increased (p Conclusions The P-wave dispersion is a constant index in healthy dogs, that is why it can be used for evaluating P wave change in dogs with chronic valvular disease and in dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction.

Do Dog Behavioral Characteristics Predict the Quality of the Relationship between Dogs and Their Owners?

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Christy L.; Chen, Pan; Serpell, James A.; Jacobson, Kristen C.

2014-01-01

This paper explores whether dog behavioral characteristics predict the quality of the relationship between dogs and their owners (i.e., owner attachment to dog), and whether relations between dog behavior and owner attachment are moderated by demographic characteristics. In this study, N = 92 children and N = 60 adults from 60 dog-owning families completed questionnaires about their attachment to their pet dog, their level of responsibility for that dog, and their general attitudes toward pets. They also rated their dogs on observable behavioral characteristics. Individuals who held positive attitudes about pets and who provided much of their dog’s care reported stronger attachments to their dogs. The strength of owners’ attachments to their dogs was associated with dog trainability and separation problems. Relationships between owner attachment and both dog excitability and attention-seeking behavior were further moderated by demographic characteristics: for Caucasians but not for non-Caucasians, dog excitability was negatively associated with owner attachment to dog; and for adults, dog attention-seeking behavior was positively associated with owner attachment, but children tended to be highly attached to their dogs, regardless of their dogs’ attention-seeking behaviors. This study demonstrates that certain dog behavioral traits are indeed associated with the strength of owners’ attachments to their dogs. PMID:25685855

Relationship Between Scarring and Dog Aggression in Pit Bull-Type Dogs Involved in Organized Dogfighting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine A. Miller

2016-11-01

Full Text Available When pit bull-type dogs are seized in an investigation of organized dogfighting, heavily scarred dogs are often assumed to be highly dog aggressive due to a history of fighting. These dogs may be deemed dangerous and euthanized based on scarring alone. We analyzed our existing data on dogs seized from four dogfighting investigations, examining the relationship between the dogs’ scars with aggression towards other dogs. Scar and wound data were tallied in three body zones where dogfighting injuries tend to be concentrated. Dog aggression was assessed using a model dog and a friendly stimulus dog in a standardized behavior evaluation. Scarring and dog aggression were significantly related, more strongly among male (Fisher’s Exact p < 0.001 than female dogs (Fisher’s Exact p = 0.05. Ten or more scars in the three body zones was a reasonable threshold with which to classify a dog as high risk for dog aggression: 82% of males and 60% of females with such scarring displayed dog aggression. However, because many unscarred dogs were dog aggressive while some highly scarred dogs were not, we recommend collecting behavioral information to supplement scar counts when making disposition decisions about dogs seized in dogfighting investigations.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in a dog : case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.J. Möhr

2000-07-01

Full Text Available An 8-month-old Labrador retriever bitch was evaluated for sudden-onset, progressive abdominal distension. Physical examination revealed an exaggerated inspiratory effort, severe ascites, bilateral jugular vein distension, and hypokinetic femoral arterial pulses. Thoracic auscultation detected tachycardia with muffled heart sounds, without audible cardiac murmurs. Thoracic radiographs identified severe right ventricular enlargement and pleural effusion. The electrocardiogram was consistent with incomplete right bundle branch block or right ventricular enlargement. Echocardiography demonstrated severe right ventricular and atrial dilation, secondary tricuspid regurgitation, and thinning and hypocontractility of the right ventricular myocardium. Left heart chamber sizes were slightly decreased, with normal left ventricular contractility. Adiagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy was reached, based on the characteristic clinical, electrocardiographic, radiographic and echocardiographic findings, and the exclusion of other causes of isolated right ventricular failure. Treatment effected good control of clinical signs, until acutely decompensated congestive right heart failure led to euthanasia after 4 months. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is a well-described clinical entity in humans, and has previously been documented in 3 male dogs. The condition is characterised by progressive fibro-adipose replacement of right ventricular myocardium, while the left ventricle usually remains unaffected. It should be considered a differential diagnosis in any young dog presented with isolated right heart failure, syncope, or unexplained ventricular tachyarrhythmias. This article reports the 1st case of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in a female dog, and highlights its echocardiographic features.

Serial plasma glucose changes in dogs suffering from severe dog bite wounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoeman, J P; Kitshoff, A M; du Plessis, C J; Thompson, P N

2011-03-01

The objective of this study was to describe the changes in plasma glucose concentration in 20 severely injured dogs suffering from dog bite wounds over a period of 72 hours from the initiation of trauma. Historical, signalment, clinical and haematological factors were investigated for their possible effect on plasma glucose concentration. Haematology was repeated every 24 hours and plasma glucose concentrations were measured at 8-hourly intervals post-trauma. On admission, 1 dog was hypoglycaemic, 8 were normoglycaemic and 11 were hyperglycaemic. No dogs showed hypoglycaemia at any other stage during the study period. The median blood glucose concentrations at each of the 10 collection points, excluding the 56-hour and 64-hour collection points, were in the hyperglycaemic range (5.8- 6.2 mmol/l). Puppies and thin dogs had significantly higher median plasma glucose concentrations than adult and fat dogs respectively (P dogs survived the 72-hour study period. Overall 13 dogs (81.3 %) made a full recovery after treatment. Three of 4 dogs that presented in a collapsed state died, whereas all dogs admitted as merely depressed or alert survived (P = 0.004). The high incidence of hyperglycaemia can possibly be explained by the "diabetes of injury" phenomenon. However, hyperglycaemia in this group of dogs was marginal and potential benefits of insulin therapy are unlikely to outweigh the risk of adverse effects such as hypoglycaemia.

Chronic administration of a leupeptin-derived calpain inhibitor fails to ameliorate severe muscle pathology in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin K Childers

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Calpains likely play a role in the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD. Accordingly, calpain inhibition may provide therapeutic benefit to DMD patients. In the present study, we sought to measure benefit from administration of a novel calpain inhibitor, C101, in a canine muscular dystrophy model. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that treatment with C101 mitigates progressive weakness and severe muscle pathology observed in young dogs with golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD. Young (6 week-old GRMD dogs were treated daily with either C101 (17mg/kg twice daily oral dose, n=9 or placebo (vehicle only, n=7 for 8 weeks. A battery of functional tests, including tibiotarsal joint angle, muscle/fat composition, and pelvic limb muscle strength were performed at baseline and every two weeks during the 8-week study. Results indicate that C101-treated GRMD dogs maintained strength in their cranial pelvic limb muscles (tibiotarsal flexors while placebo-treated dogs progressively lost strength. However, concomitant improvement was not observed in posterior pelvic limb muscles (tibiotarsal extensors. C101 treatment did not mitigate force drop following repeated eccentric contractions and no improvement was seen in the development of joint contractures, lean muscle mass or muscle histopathology. Taken together, these data do not support the hypothesis that treatment with C101 mitigates progressive weakness or ameliorates severe muscle pathology observed in young dogs with GRMD.

A village dog is not a stray : human-dog interactions in coastal Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruiz Izaguirre, E.

2013-01-01

Dogs (Canis familiaris) are considered one of the most numerous carnivores worldwide. Although in the Global North dogs are popular companions, that live inside homes, about 80% of the dogs in the world are village dogs. Village dogs are typically free-roaming, scavenge refuse around

A New Book on the Law System of the Golden Horde: Pochekaev R.Yu. Legal Culture of the Golden Horde (Historical and Legal Essays) (Moscow: Yurlitinform, 2015. 312 p.)

OpenAIRE

D.V. Nefedov

2016-01-01

This book is a study at the intersection of such academic disciplines as general history, history of state and law and source study. The subcect of R.Yu. Pochevalev’s book appears very relevant since the interest of the scientific community and readership toward the Golden Horde and its role in the history of the Russian state remains traditionally high for several centuries. However, the author is trying to take a fresh look at this state and refute the stereotype of the Golden Horde as a...