177,618 research outputs found
Control of familial and renal cardiac diseases in English bull terriers: How to repair a damaged breed?
No full textControl recommendations are presented for four genetic or familial diseases that cause significant morbidity and mortality in affected English Bull Terriers. Bull Terrier polycystic kidney disease is an autosomal dominant disease diagnosed by detecting a minimum of three renal cysts, with cysts present in both kidneys, and similarly affected family members to confirm the inherited nature of the cysts. Bull Terrier hereditary nephritis is an autosomal dominant disease diagnosed in otherwise normal animals with urinary protein: creatinine ratios persistently >0.3 and no significant urinary sediment, a family history of the disease, and characteristic glomerular basement membrane lesions. Mitral valve myxomatous degeneration and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in Bull Terriers are familial diseases diagnosed by auscultating characteristic murmurs in affected animals. Excluding animals with these clinical signs from the breeding pool will reduce the prevalence rates of these diseases, however maintenance of an effective population size is also important. Providing breeders with information on genetics, including the risks associated with inbreeding and the benefits of outcrossing, is likely to improve canine breeding practices, thus increasing fitness and fecundity of these purebred dogs
Some factors affecting diagnostic accuracy
No full textDiagnosis involves a complex and overlapping series of steps, each of which may be a source of error and of variability between clinicians. This variation may involve the ability to elicit relevant information from the client or animal, in the accuracy, objectivity and completeness of relevant memory stores, and in psychological attributes including tolerance for uncertainty and willingness to engage in constructive self-criticism. The diagnostic acumen of an individual clinician may not be constant, varying with external and personal factors, with different clients and cases, and with the use made of tests. In relation to clients, variations may occur in the ability to gain their confidence, to ask appropriate questions and to evaluate accurately both verbal and nonverbal responses. Tests may introduce problems of accuracy, validity, sensitivity, specificity, interpretation and general appropriateness for the case. Continuing effectiveness as a diagnostician therefore requires constant attention to the maintenance of adequate and up-to-date skills and knowledge relating to the animals and their diseases and to tests, and of sensitive interpersonal skills
Possible reasons for variation in Ixodes holocyclus toxicity
No full textTick paralysis caused by Ixodes holocyclus affects an estimated 20,000 domestic animals each year along the eastern coast of Australia (Stone 1988). Animals are presented with clinical signs ranging from mild paresis to ascending flaccid paralysis and varying degrees of respiratory and cardiac compromise. Mortality rates are significantly increased in animals presented with respiratory compromise compared to those animals without respiratory compromise, regardless of the degree of flaccid paralysis (Atwell et al 2001). Anecdotal evidence of ticks (collected from different sites in northern New South Wales) causing different clinical signs and mortality in hyper-immune dogs used for serum production, suggests that there may be a variation in toxin production and toxin content between individual ticks (Warne, N 2002 pers comm). This literature review suggests that two possible contributing factors to toxin variation may be the genetic variation within the I. holocyclus species and the variation in the host's response to tick feeding
[3]Ferrocenophanes with a tetramethyldisiloxane bridge: synthesis and molecular structure
No full textSiemeling U, Krallmann R, Jutzi P, Neumann B, Stammler H-G. [3]Ferrocenophanes with a tetramethyldisiloxane bridge: synthesis and molecular structure. Monatshefte für Chemie. 1994;125(5):579-586.6,6,8,8-Tetramethyl-7-oxa-6,8-disila[3]-ferrocenophan 2 entsteht aus dem Di(alkoxysilyl)ferrocen (H4C5SiMe2OR)2Fe (R=CH2CH2OCH2CH2OCH2CH2OMe) durch Hydrolyse und anschließende intramolekulare Disiloxan-Bildung. 2,2',3,3',4,4',5,5',6,6,8,8-Dodecamethyl-7-oxa-6,8-disila[3]ferrocenophan 3 wurde durch Luftoxidation von 2,2',3,3',4,4',5,5',6,6,7,7-Dodecamethyl-6,7-disila[2]ferrocenophan erhalten. Die Kristallstrukturen beider Verbindungen wurden durch Einkristall-Röntgenstrukturanalyse bestimmt (2:a=8.5330(10), b=15.610(3), c=18.774(5)Å, [alpha]=70.68(2), [beta]=77.94(2), [gamma]=75.150(10)°, V=2259.8(8)Å3, Z=6, Raumgruppe P1, R=0.045, Rw =0.044; 3:a=12.388(3), b=9.924(3), c=19.136(10)Å, [beta]=105.11(3)°, V=2271.2(15)Å3, Z=4, Raumgruppe P21/c, R=0.076, Rw =0.060). Wegen der Flexibilität der Disiloxan-Brücke sind 2 und 3 ungespannte Moleküle
Life cycle assessment of underground cables
No full textThe increasing use of underground cables instead of overhead lines for electricity transmission for acceptability
reason or landscaping integration raises the question of its environmental impacts. To reduce the impact of
underground cables, it can be necessary to carry out eco-design studies which will help identify the most
efficient areas for improvement. In order to be as relevant as possible, such an approach implies to take into account
every phase of the life cycle of the underground cable: manufacture of the cable, operation phase and end of life.
To that end, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology turns out to be a precious tool. Defined by the ISO
standard 14040, this method takes into account every phase of the life cycle related to studied good or service,
from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of wastes which are produced, in order to carry out a multicriteria
evaluation of the potential impacts of the studied system on the environment. The implementation of this
method requires the achievement of a balance sheet for the consumptions of energy, natural resources, and for
the emissions of polluting substances. These material and energy flows are then incorporated into models which
will bring quantified information on the environmental impacts with the help of specific indicators.
LCA method applied to underground cable can be used to:
- improve one given technology by identifying phases
of the life cycle responsible for the most important
share of the environmental impact, and acting on it;
- compare different solutions or system having the
same function (for instance underground cabl
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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