Academic literature on the topic 'Setters (Dogs)'

Canine congenital sensorineural deafness (CCSD) affects predisposed breeds of dogs and is primarily caused by an atrophy of the stria vascularis of the organ of Corti. The analysis of the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) is a reliable method for the evaluation of hearing in animals as it allows an accurate detection of unilateral or bilateral deafness. The occurrence of unilateral and bilateral deafness using the BAER was determined in a representative group of dogs in Poland, including Bull Terriers (n = 117), Australian Cattle Dogs (n = 62), English Setters (n = 32) and the Dogo Argentino (n = 32). Overall deafness, deafness in each dog breed and an association between deafness and phenotype were studied. Among the 243 dogs tested, 156 (81%) had a normal BAER, 27 (11%) were unilaterally deaf, and 12 (5%) were bilaterally deaf. The amplitudes and latencies of waves I, II, III, V, the V/I wave amplitude ratio, and wave I–V, I–III and III–V inter-peak intervals were recorded for each dog. Unilaterally and bilaterally deaf dogs were present in all the dog breeds studied. There were 17 (14.5%) deaf Bull Terriers, three (4.8%) deaf Australian Cattle Dogs, seven (21.9%) deaf English Setters, and 12 (37.5%) deaf Dogos Argentinos. Preventive BAER screening should be routinely performed in these four breeds to prevent the spread of genes responsible for deafness.

Abstract Objective To determine whether biosynthesis of aminopeptidase N (ApN), alkaline phosphatase (AP), and total microvillus membrane protein is altered in Irish Setters with gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE). Animals A litter of 6 Irish Setters with GSE and 3 healthy Greyhounds. Procedures Explants obtained from affected dogs at 4 and 12 months were maintained in vitro and were compared with material from healthy control dogs. Biosynthesis of ApN and AP was monitored by incorporation of [35S]methionine and immunoprecipitation of these enzymes. Results Jejunal explants from affected Irish Setters had significantly higher rates of biosynthesis of total protein, microvillus membrane protein, AP, and ApN, compared with control tissue. Two forms of ApN with apparent molecular mass of 155 and 135 kd and 4 forms of AP with apparent molecular mass of 210 to 260, 150, 130, and 105 kd were identified in total membrane fractions from control and affected dogs. Conclusions Reduced activities of ApN and AP in dogs with GSE are not attributable to decreased synthesis of these proteins and document enhanced synthesis of microvillar membrane proteins, which may be a compensatory response to enterocyte damage. The 150-kd form of AP was most prominent in tissue from the most affected dogs, probably representing an early form of this enzyme. In contrast, the 105-kd form was most intense in tissue from controls and less intense in tissue of affected dogs. (Am J Vet Res 1998;59:1392–1397)

SUMMARY Morphologic changes in the small intestine were investigated during development of naturally acquired wheat-sensitive enteropathy in Irish Setters. To distinguish underlying morphologic abnormalities from non-specific effects of intestinal damage, progeny of affected dogs reared on a normal wheat-containing diet were compared with their own littermates reared on a cereal-free diet and with age-matched clinically normal Irish Setters fed the same wheat-containing diet. Peroral jejunal biopsy specimens were taken sequentially between 4 months and 1 year of age. At 4 months of age, there were no differences in villus height, comparing the 3 groups, but increased numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes and goblet cells were already present in biopsy specimens from the affected Irish Setters fed wheat. Dietary wheat resulted in a progressive reduction in villus height in the jejunum of affected Irish Setters from 6 months onward. Underlying morphologic abnormalities were not found, and the characteristic morphologic changes of this enteropathy were secondary to the presence of dietary wheat. However, development of partial villus atrophy was preceded by increased numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes and goblet cells.

On the basis of the amino acid sequence of bovine rhodopsin, a series of peptides from the C-terminus (Rhod-4 and Rhod-1) and external loops (Rhod-10) were synthesized. Rabbit antisera to these peptides recognize the rhodopsin molecule in whole retina from 8-week-old normal and affected rcdl (rod/cone-dysplasic) Irish setters (8- and 4-weeks-old). When the rhodopsin content was equalized by using a solid-phase radioimmunoassay, the reaction with anti-peptide antisera to the C-terminal octapeptide (residues 341-348) is severely decreased in the rcdl-dog retinas. The results of mixing experiments suggest that this is not due to proteolytic clipping of the rhodopsin C-terminus from the affected dogs. Treatment of retinas with 1.0 mM-NaF, a phosphatase inhibitor, or pretreatment with alkaline and acid phosphatases does alter the reaction of the rhodopsin with anti-rhodopsin antisera. This suggests that the decreased reaction of the affected rhodopsin with the anti-peptide antisera may partially result from differences in intrinsic rhodopsin phosphorylation. However, since the reaction of rcdl retinas cannot be restored to that of the normals, these results suggest that the rhodopsin molecule from the rcdl dogs may be structurally altered in other ways.

Thoracic depth/width ratios (TDWRs) were calculated from measurements of the parents (i.e., common dam and two sires) and puppies in two litters of Irish setters. The TDWRs of the parents, distribution of TDWRs in the litters, and comparisons with earlier population studies suggest that an incompletely dominant major gene and a background of minor genes and environmental factors are responsible for the TDWR. A history of gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) (i.e., bloat) was correlated with high TDWRs in this family as it was for Irish setters and certain other breeds studied earlier. It may be possible to reduce the incidence of GDV by selective breeding of dogs with lower TDWRs.

The short-term kinetics of Zn turnover were studied in Irish setters with gluten-sensitive enteropathy and control dogs following intravenous injection of 0·25 mg 96·5% enriched 70ZnCl2. The 70Zn enrichment of serum was found closely to obey two-compartment kinetics and the derived two-compartment decay equation was used to calculate the size and turnover of the two initial rapidly exchanging pools of body Zn. In normal Irish setters isotopic Zn initially equilibrates with a pool (a) of size 1·27 (SD 0·46) μmol/kg and then with a second pool (b) of size 6·83 (SD 1·72) μmol/kg. The fractional turnover of pool (b) was approximately one eighth that of pool (a). Enteropathic dogs showed no reduction in the size of either rapidly exchangeable Zn pool, reduction in serum Zn concentration or abnormality in Zn balance and hence these results do not support the possibility of an underlying Zn deficiency in this disorder.

Summary Intestinal permeability in dogs with small intestinal disease was measured by quantitation of 24-hour urinary excretion of 51Cr-labeled EDTA following intragastric administration. Permeability was high in dogs with a variety of naturally acquired small intestinal diseases including wheat-sensitive enteropathy of Irish Setters, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and giardiasis, and permeability was decreased after successful treatment. These findings indicate that the assessment of intestinal permeability may be a useful technique for detecting small intestinal disease and for monitoring the efficacy of treatment in dogs.

SummaryThe aim of this paper was to record the types of injuries and causes of lameness exhibited by dogs involved in game shooting. The study investigated gundogs that worked in the seasons 2005/2006 and 2006/2007. Information was acquired by owner questionnaires. The dogs were classified as working in the beating line, as peg dogs or as picking up dogs. A further group comprised Setters and Pointers that worked the grouse moors. A secondary objective was to assess the incidence of injuries that were treated by owners without seeking the assistance of their veterinarian, and to identify those that may have been underestimated. Depending on whether a dog was injured or went lame, and, if so, the nature of the injury, was correlated with the number of days worked, where it worked, its breed and the type of work it did. A mildly positive association between the Spaniel breed group and injuries was seen in 2005/2006 but not in 2006/2007. However, the relationship between the type of work and injuries was very significant for both seasons with dogs working in the beating line being at greatest risk and Setters and Pointers having the least number of injuries. The dogs in the beating line were also at a significantly greater risk of injury in both years when the type of injury was investigated. Fifty-three percent of all injuries were deemed to be sufficiently minor, that veterinary attention was not sought. However, those dogs with proximal thoracic limb lameness may have been under-investigated. There was a highly significant association between tail injuries and undocked Springer and Cocker Spaniels.

SUMMARY Biochemical changes in the small intestine during development of naturally acquired wheat-sensitive enteropathy of Irish Setters were investigated. To distinguish primary biochemical abnormalities from secondary effects of intestinal damage, progeny of affected dogs reared on a normal wheat-containing diet were compared with their own littermates reared on a cereal-free diet and with age-matched clinically normal Irish Setters fed the same wheat-containing diet. Peroral jejunal biopsy specimens were sequentially obtained between weaning and 1 year of age; specific activity and reorientating sucrose density-gradient distribution of organelle marker enzymes were determined. Major primary biochemical abnormalities were not detected in affected progeny. In affected dogs fed wheat, there was a selective, but secondary, loss of the brush border alkaline phosphatase and aminopeptidase N activities. This loss was associated with the development of partial villus atrophy, but represented a specific effect of dietary wheat on the brush border, not merely a nonspecific effect of mucosal damage, because other brush border enzymes, including disaccharidases, were not similarly affected. Increased soluble activities of lysosomal and peroxisomal marker enzymes late in the disease process may represent alterations in these 2 organelles as a secondary consequence of mucosal damage.

Abstract Objective To characterize histologic, biochemical, and ultrastructural changes in the intestine of Irish Setters susceptible to gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE) during controlled oral challenge exposure with gluten after weaning. Animals Six gluten-sensitive and 12 healthy Irish Setters and 3 healthy Greyhounds. Procedure Jejunal biopsy specimens were taken at 4 and 12 months of age from the 6 gluten-sensitive Irish Setters, which had been reared on a gluten-free diet to which a controlled dose of gluten (0.5 g/kg of body weight/d) was added. Control specimens were obtained at 4 (n = 5) and 12 (7) months of age from the healthy Irish Setters, which had been fed a conventional gluten-containing diet, and at 4 months of age from the healthy Greyhounds fed the controlled dose of gluten. The specimens were subjected to histologic and ultrastructural examinations and assay of brush border enzymes. Results Gluten-sensitive Irish Setters developed abnormalities characteristic of GSE at 4 months. Abnormalities were comparable to changes not seen previously until 12 months in dogs with GSE fed a conventional gluten-containing diet. In addition, microvilli were stunted and irregular, and a few were vesiculated and reduced in number; the glycocalyx was reduced or absent. By 12 months of age, there was improvement in morphologic and biochemical parameters, indicating partial recovery despite continued exposure to gluten. Conclusions Relative early onset of intestinal damage, compared with that previously reported, and subsequent partial recovery suggestive of oral tolerance to gluten may be attributable to oral administration of gluten as a purified extract rather than in dietary cereal, but alternative explanations include differences in environment or genetic susceptibility to gluten. (Am J Vet Res 1998;59:1435–1440)

In the present research project I explored the effects of old age on cognitive and emotional aspects of the dog-owner relationship. To this aim, three studies were conducted, which focused on a) the detection of age-related cognitive impairment, b) the assessment of selective social attention skills in adult and aged dogs and c) the effect of age and of impaired cognitive functions on the dog-owner emotional bond. Although the existence of age-related cognitive impairment has been acknowledged in veterinary medicine, methodological issues limited the amount of scientific research in this aspect of companion dogs’ ageing. To address this problem, in the first study (pp. 10-47), we presented the development of a new method for the detection of cognitive decline in aged dogs. We employed a multiple approach, combining a questionnaire-based evaluation of dogs’ behaviour (Cognitive Evaluation Scale, CES) with the assessment of dogs’ memory and reversal learning abilities in a spatial cognition task. Application of these methods to a population of adult and aged dogs resulted in the detection of significant differences between the two age groups, with aged dogs obtaining lower CES scores and showing a worse performance in the spatial cognition task. A correlation between the two parameters was an important further indication of the validity of the method. Compared to other currently available tools, the present approach could have characteristics of higher sensitivity and specificity, providing practical advantages, for both future research in the field and for the clinical assessment of cognitive decline. A further aspect that received scarce scientific interest in aged dogs, is their attention towards humans, a phenomenon that could play a critical role in the expression of socio-cognitive abilities and in the adaptability of dogs into inter-specific groups. In the absence of suitable methods, we developed a behavioural task protocol to assess the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of dogs’ selective attention in an inter-specific context. In the first part of this second study (pp. 48-75), we presented the validation of this procedure, performed on a sample of adult pet dogs. The results showed a selective response in dogs simultaneously exposed to the owner and to an unfamiliar person, demonstrating that the pattern of attention is dependent on the strength of the dog-human relationship. Moreover, the task allows discriminating ‘passive’ (the simple orientation of senses to a stimulus) from ‘active’ (involving cognitive processing) forms of attention. In the second part of the study, the application of this method to a sample of aged dogs revealed a detrimental effect of age on the level of selective attention towards the owner. Old dogs had a higher propensity for ‘passive’ attention, being less capable than adults to retain information about social stimuli when these disappear from their visual field. The third study (pp. 75-98) dealt with the effect of old age on the nature of the dog-owner emotional bond. Sharing similarities with the human infant-mother relationship, the dog-owner bond has been described as a form of attachment: an enduring relationship with a particular other, which becomes apparent through distinctive behaviours, expressed under stress situations. Despite human research emphasizes the importance that emotional bonds might hold in the well being of aged individuals, the study of this aspect was neglected in the dog. We investigated the effect of old age on dogs’ attachment behaviours, using the Strange Situation Test, a method originally designed to elicit attachment responses in human infants. Our results show that old age does not affect the expression of ‘secure’ attachment (confidence at the presence of the object of attachment and distress at separation). However, we saw in old dogs an alteration in the expression of other behaviours (play and passive behaviours), which could represent a different emotional dimension of the dog-owner attachment (insecure-ambivalent). Since part of the dogs’ sample that was included in the present study had also participated in the previous studies, when possible the effect of cognitive impairment and selective attention on the dog-owner emotional bond was analyzed.
Il presente progetto di ricerca indaga gli effetti dell’età senile su aspetti pertinenti alla sfera cognitiva ed emozionale della relazione cane-proprietario. A tal fine sono stati condotti tre studi indipendenti, incentrati su: a) la rilevazione di deficit cognitivi legati all’età, b) la valutazione delle capacità di attenzione sociale selettiva in cani adulti e anziani e c) gli effetti dell’età anziana e del decadimento cognitivo sulle manifestazioni di attaccamento al proprietario. Benché l’esistenza di un declino cognitivo età-dipendente sia un’evenienza riconosciuta in medicina veterinaria, problemi di carattere metodologico hanno limitato la produzione scientifica su questo aspetto dell’invecchiamento nel cane da compagnia. Nel tentativo di ovviare a queste limitazioni, nel primo studio (pp. 10-47), è presentato lo sviluppo di un nuovo metodo per la rilevazione di deficit cognitivi legati nel cane anziano. Il metodo si basa su un approccio multiplo, che combina l’uso di scale di valutazione cognitiva, basate su questionari (Cognitive Evaluation Scale, CES) con la valutazione diretta delle capacità memoniche e di ‘apprendimento inverso’ dei cani in un test di cognizione spaziale. L’applicazione di questi metodi a una popolazione di cani da compagnia adulti e anziani è esitata nella rilevazione di differenze significative tra i due gruppi di età. I cani anziani ottengono punteggi peggiori nella scala di valutazione cognitiva e mostrano compromesse capacità di apprendimento nel test di cognizione spaziale. La correlazione tra i due parametri rappresenta un’importante indicazione della validità del metodo. Paragonato ad altri strumenti attualmente disponibili, questo approccio potrebbe garantire maggiore sensibilità e specificità, apportando un importante vantaggio pratico, sia in ambito di ricerca, che quale strumento di valutazione diagnostica in ambito clinico veterinario. Un ulteriore aspetto che ha ricevuto scarso interesse scientifico nel cane è l’attenzione rivolta all’uomo, un fenomeno che potrebbe rivestire un ruolo critico nell’espressione di capacità socio-cognitive e nell’integrazione del cane in gruppi sociali misti. In assenza di metodi appropriati, è stato sviluppato un test comportamentale per la valutazione delle caratteristiche quantitative e qualitative dell’attenzione selettiva del cane in un contesto interspecifico. Nella prima parte di questo secondo lavoro (pp. 48-75), presento lo sviluppo e la validazione di questa procedura, effettuata su un campione di cani adulti. I risultati mostrano una risposta selettiva nell’attenzione che i cani rivolgono al proprietario o a una persona estranea, cui sono simultaneamente esposti. Inoltre, il protocollo permette di discriminare forme di attenzione ‘attiva’ (con il coinvolgimento di processi cognitivi) e ‘passiva’ (cioè il semplice orientamento visivo). L’applicazione di questo metodo a un campione di cani anziani, nella seconda parte dello studio, ha rivelato un effetto negativo dell’età anziana sul livello di attenzione selettiva rivolta al proprietario. I cani anziani, inoltre, dimostrano una maggiore propensione per forme di attenzione ‘passiva’ essendo meno in grado, rispetto agli adulti, di ritenere informazioni riguardo allo stimolo sociale all’uscita di questo dal campo visivo. Nel terzo studio (pp. 75-98) è stato affrontato l’effetto dell’età anziana sulla qualità del legame emotivo cane-proprietario. In studi precedenti il legame cane-proprietario è stato assimilato all’attaccamento infante-madre. L’attaccamento definisce un legame duraturo con uno specifico individuo, che si manifesta attraverso comportamenti espressi in condizioni di stress. Benché ricerca in ambito umano abbia dimostrato la rilevanza della sfera affettivo-emotiva nella salvaguardia del benessere delle persone anziane, questo aspetto risulta scarsamente investigato nella specie canina. Nel presente studio il legame cane-proprietario è stato studiato mediante lo Strange Situation Test, un protocollo originalmente sviluppato per evidenziare comportamenti di attaccamento nel bambino in età infantile. I risultati mostrano come l’età anziana non alteri le manifestazioni comportamentali di attaccamento ‘sicuro’ (sicurezza in presenza e stress alla separazione dal proprietario). Tuttavia si evidenzia nel cane anziano un’alterazione nell’espressione di altri comportamenti (gioco e comportamento passivo), che potrebbero riflettere una diversa dimensione emotiva dell’attaccamento (insicuro-ambivalente). Poiché parte dei cani inclusi in questo studio avevano preso parte anche ai precedenti studi, quando i dati lo consentivano è stato indagato l’effetto del declino cognitivo e di differenze nelle capacità attentive sull’espressione dell’attaccamento cane-proprietario.

In the last decades several studies have been investigated the behavior and cognition of dogs (Canis familiars) especially from socio-cognitive aspects. We already gained a solid knowledge on how dogs communicate with humans and conspecific partners, how they are able recognize, interpret and rely on social-communicational cues in their everyday lives, thus continuously perceiving a flow of visual information. However, the fundaments of how they process these visual information are still missing from the literature. The current PhD project have been developed around three independent studies, all of them investigating visual cognition in dogs (and for one case, also in humans) in the domain of perceiving motion.
Negli ultimi decenni sono stati studiati diversi studi sul comportamento e sulla cognizione dei cani (familiari di Canis), specialmente da aspetti socio-cognitivi. Abbiamo già acquisito una solida conoscenza su come i cani comunicano con gli umani e con i partner conspecifici, come sono in grado di riconoscere, interpretare e fare affidamento su segnali di comunicazione sociale nella loro vita quotidiana, percependo continuamente un flusso di informazioni visive. Tuttavia, i fondamenti di come elaborano queste informazioni visive sono ancora mancanti dalla letteratura. L'attuale progetto di dottorato è stato sviluppato intorno a tre studi indipendenti, tutti studiati sulla cognizione visiva nei cani (e per un caso, anche negli esseri umani) nel campo del percepire il movimento.

Diarrhea is a common problem in recently weaned and young dogs. If the separation from the litter occurs at a time when the immune system is not fully competent or whether as the puppy had a lower colostrum consummation or a bad alimentation, this combination of events increases the susceptibility of the puppy or young dog to a variety of infections and gastrointestinal disturbances. Bacterial pathogens, such as enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and enterotoxigenic E. coli are also associated with enteric disease in young dogs. Our study about bovine colostrum supplementation aimed to know its effects on recently weaned puppies at 32 days of age. The puppies were divided into 2 groups each composed of 3 and 4 animals, the control one (CT) and the treatment one (TG) randomly. The experimental groups belonged to the same litter. The involved puppies were fed with the same basal diet. A treatment was represented by administering bovine colostrum once a week through a specific oral syringe. Feed intake was registered daily. Individual body weight and average daily gain were measured weekly. We found that its principal benefit was an increased gut flora such as Lactobacillus spp. versus E.coli. in treated puppies. The purpose of the second study was to evaluate the role of the integration of an alternative source of fiber, i.e. microcrystalline cellulose, in relation to its potential for action in the intestine, in the diet of dogs suffering from acute gastrointestinal symptoms. For the test we took into consideration twenty subjects, ten of which received a simple industrial diet, while the remaining ten were given the same industrial insoluble fiber (microcrystalline cellulose) enriched diet in such quantity that the final ration contained crude fiber of 10% dry matter. All subjects featured a symptomatic gastrointestinal clinical manifestation characterizing variable output of feces, soft feces, formed feces, the feces without definite form until liquid stools. The third study was about chronic diarrhea as a consequence of food intolerance. The dietary management of these cases varies according to the underlying disease. Generally, the animal should receive a diet with moderate levels of fiber and fat divided in into small portions during the day. The objective of this diet was to facilitate intestinal regulation, beneficially modify the composition and metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota and exclude antigens from the diet. In our cases the patents showed a good response to these elimination homemade diets.

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania spp. Once transmitted to the host, the parasite, being an obligate intracellular pathogen, localizes primarily inside macrophages, where it starts replication. Interferon γ (IFN-γ) is one of the most important mediators produced by Th1 subpopulation and it is responsible for macrophages activation that could lead to parasite control. Neopterin belongs to the chemical group known as pteridines. It is synthesised also by macrophages upon stimulation with interferon-γ and is indicative of immune system activation. Measurement of N concentrations in body fluids like blood, cerebrospinal fluid or urine provides information about the cell-mediated (T helper cells type 1 Th1) immune sistem activation in humans; assuming that, the present study aimed at investigating if N could also be considered as an indicator of a protective reaction (Th1-mediated) of the host against Leishmania, and then if it could be used clinically as prognostic factor in leishmaniotic patients or as helpful parameter in monitoring treated patients, as investigated in men. For these purposes, the study was divided into two phases independent of each other. The first phase of the study aimed to at investigating the possible correlations between sera N values and antibody titers (dosed by immunofluorescence antibody test IFAT) in 74 dogs, both seronegative and seropositive. In the second one, 5 patients affected by leishmaniasis and in treatment for it, were followed for a period of 24 months comparing N values to other parameters (e.g. IFAT, PCRs, citology on fine needle aspiration (FNA) of lymphnodes). Even in the absence of a statistically significant correlation between N values and IFAT titers, serum N appeared to be an interesting marker possibly able to provide an indirect value of Th1/Th2 ratio in leishmaniotic patients. It should also be further investigated its possible role in the early detection of ill patients possibly predisposed to develop renal failure and/or to relapse.

Strain elastography is useful in differentiating benign from malignant lesions in human medicine. The aim of this study was to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of elastography in the evaluation of canine splenic lesions, mammary lesions and superficial nodules and to verify if they can be differentiated in benign or malignant. Twenty-four dogs presenting a single splenic hypoechoic lesion, underwent B-mode ultrasonographic and elastographic evaluation. The Strain Ratio (SR) and Hardness Value (HV) were calculated for all the lesions. The SR and HV of benign lesions were statistically different from those of malignant lesions (p<0,05). Malignant lesions tended to have a SR >1,5 (p=0,0003; Se 75%, Sp 100%, PLR 0, NLR 0.25, PPV 100%, NPV 88.24%) and an HV > 70% (p=0,001; Se 100%, Sp 75%, PLR 4, NLR 0, PPV 66,67%, NPV 100%). The correlation between SR >1,5 and malignancy was statistically significant (OR, 80,6; p=0,0067) as the one between HV >70% and malignancy (OR, 47,22; p=0,013). This technique was repeatable and reproducible (CV 0,08 ± 0,05 and K=1 for the SR; CV 0,09 ± 0,06 and K=0,67 for the HV). Strain elastography can differentiate malignant from benign canine hypoechoic splenic lesions less then 4 cm width. Twenty-one dogs presenting mammary, underwent B-mode ultrasonographic and elastographic evaluation. Each mammary lesion was then classified according to the Tsukuba score, the presence /absence of infiltration on the elastogram and to the elastogram/Bmode ratio. The Pearson’s chi-square test was used to assess the presence of a statistically significant difference between the benign or malignant tumors according to the Tsukuba score results. The Fisher’s exact test was used to assess the presence of statistically significant difference between the benign or malignant tumors according to the elastogram/B-mode ratio. Values of p ≤0,05 were considered significant. The K of Cohen was used to verify the agreement between the elastosonographic assessment of infiltration and the histological confirmation of tumors invasion. The Pearson’s chi-square test did not reported significant differences between groups (p=0,278) even considering the assessment of the elastosonographic infiltration. The K of Cohen presented a value of 0,384 corresponding to a poor agreement. The assessment of the elastogram/B-mode ratio was not possible. Finally the Strain Elastography was as an applicable technique in evaluating mammary neoplasms in our sample, demonstrating their elastographic patterns; but it was clinically not useful in differentiating benign from malignant lesions. Sixty nodular skin lesions from 36 canine patients were evaluated using B-mode ultrasonographic and elastographic evaluation. Each lesion was classified using 2 score systems by a software and then subjectively by three operators. The K of Cohen was used to verify the agreement between the elastosonographic assessment of the three operators. The Student t-test was used to assess whether there was a statistically significant difference between benign/malignant considering the hardness value calculated using the software. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the existence of statistically significant differences between benign and malignant lesions considering the two score proposed above. Values of p < 0,05 were considered significant. The result obtained in the Student's t test and Pearson’s chi square test allow us to say that there is a statistically significant difference between benign and malignant lesions evaluated by HV and score system respectively (p<0,05). Considering the inter-observer agreement we can see that among all three operators there is a very good correlation in score evaluation. From the average values calculated for the weighed K, we can see that there is a better agreement among operators than between observer and the objective score. The results obtained in this study are encouraging about the possibility of applying the elastosonography the nodular lesions of the skin. We have seen that this technique is able to differentiate benign and malignant lesions due to the change of elasticity of the tissues involved by malignant pathological processes. the very good agreement between operators and the good agreement between operators and objective score demonstrate the feasibility of this technique.

The long stay of dogs in the shelters is often a welfare problem for the animals, a cost to society and an ethical problem. It is therefore important to prevent the abandonment and increase the success rate of adoptions. The aim of this study was to identify, through the application of a protocol for behavioural assessment, an adoption indicator easily definable for dogs coming into the shelters, that allows to estimate the ease with which the animal will be adopted. 593 sheltered dogs (age 2 months to 18 years) were involved in this study over a period of three years starting from March 2010. The data were divided into three groups, A, B and C. The physical (breed, age, sex, size and physical pathologies) and behavioural data of each dog were assessed by a trained examiner using an appropriate test. In the Group A the results of the characteristics presenting a significant difference distribution between adopted or not adopted dogs, were utilized to calculate a synthetic number that we named ''IDA'' (r/s). A standardized post adoption telephonic follow-up (3 months after the adoption) was performed for investigate whether the adoptions were satisfactory for owners. Subsequently, in order to verify if the hypothesis we created was reliable, the adoption indicator (IDAr and IDAs) has been applied to C and B. The data were analysed by chi square tables (SPSS 12,0, 2003). The dogs scoring more then the mean value (rounded) of the adopted dogs of the Group A were defined as easy adoptable (H, high probability to be adopted), the dogs scoring less then the mean value of the not adopted dogs were set out as hardly adoptable (L), and the other as of medium adoptability (M). In the Group A the proportion between adopted and not adopted dogs (within 3 months after recovery) were significant for IDAr between H and M or L (P minus 0,01) and between M and L (P minus 0,05); The IDAs significant differences were between H and L (P minus 0,01) and M and L (P minus 0,05). A first way to validate the reliability of the adoption indicator was to explore the rate of adoption in the animals of Group A during the period of one year after recovery There are a strong link between IDA score and adoption rate in the period (P minus 0,01), more clear for IDAs, with more significant differences between High and Low scored dogs (P minus 0,01) than between Hig and Medium (P minus 0,05 for IDAr; P minus 0,01 for IDAs). The satisfaction rate of owners was 98 %. In the Group C the percentage of adopted dogs with H IDAr or IDAs were significantly different from those of M and L IDAr/IDAs dogs (P minus 0,01) but not between M and L. Therefore as for the Group A the results show that an H IDA corresponds to a high percentage of adoption. Therefore in the Group C the value of the adoption indicator (IDAr/s), calculated according to the same procedure designed for the Group A, did not different significantly from that of Group A (P minus 0,05). The application of the IDA scores to the dogs of group C was analyzed also during the year after recovery and as for the Group A the results confirm that the correlation between IDA and adoption rate is maintained in the long term. In the Group C the satisfaction rate of owner was 98,75%. The results of the correlation analysis between the periods elapsed by dogs in the kennel show that the IDA scores correlate negatively with the period of time from recovery in the kennel to adoption or, for the not adopted dogs, till one year after recovery. In order to verify the reliability of the data was evaluated the mean of the time elapsed in the kennel for dogs with H, M or L IDAr and H, M and L IDAs in the three groups. Dogs with a H IDA tend to stay in shelter less time than those with a lower IDA. The IDA as calculated by us seems to meet the indications for a good test : Feasibility, Reliability and Validity.

AbstractWhat does it mean to respond to the Anthropocenes, plural, when doing science education? Specifically, can we critically engage with the Anthropocene, singular, without responding to the multiplicity in which Indigenous land and its many facets within the global community were at risk of destruction from Man? In this work, we contemplate the urgency of the inclusion of Indigenous philosophies and ways-of-knowing within the arching body politic, giving space to these practices that have been otherwise silenced within and beyond Western colonial frames. We argue that if the ways of thinking and practicing science and science education continue to stem from settler colonialism, capitalism, and toxicity, having previously and continually been responsible for the erasure of Indigeneity, the response within the Anthropocene will be multitudinously harmful. Here, we turn to Dakota scholar, Kim Tallbear, (Native American DNA: Tribal belonging and the false promise of genetic belonging, University of Minnesota Press, 2013) and her work in the intersections of identity, science, settler relations, and Indigeneity with the use of provocative imagery to the innate feeling of and within the Anthropocene(s).

AbstractMicrosoft Word, the word processing software developed by Microsoft in 1983, established itself as the market leader in the 1990s and 2000s and remained the gold standard for many years. Despite its obvious benefits, it always faced criticism from various quarters. We address the persistent criticism that MS Word is overloaded with features and distracts from writing rather than facilitating it. Alternatives, mainly distraction-free editors and text editors for use with a markup language, are briefly reviewed and compared to MS Word. A serious challenger emerged in 2006 with Google Docs, a cloud-based writing software that has moved text production into the platform era, enabling files to be shared and creating collaborative writing spaces. Even though Google Docs failed to break the dominance of MS Word, it became the trend-setter in online writing. Microsoft and Apple soon followed by designing complex web environments for institutions and companies rather than individual writers. We give an overview of technologies that have evolved to challenge the supremacy of MS Word or compete for market share. By this, we hope to provide clues as to the future development of word processing.

AbstractThis chapter adds a vertical dimension to the horizontal relations at work in hinterlands. From a metropolitan perspective, hinterlands are “back there,” “over yonder”: beyond the horizon. As Raymond Williams observed, such distinctions are complicated by the uneven economic and ecological metabolisms between country and city. But how are these metabolisms constituted by the subsoil: dynamic subterranean flows and stocks of matter and energy whose effects shape what might seem like stable ground? How are fossil fuel deposits lying beneath rural landscapes incorporated into geographic imaginaries of settler-colonial frontiers and agricultural heartlands? How does soil itself yoke surface to subsurface, hinterland to national and planetary politics? What social and political forces are at work in the hinterland underground?

Known worldwide in hunting dog circles, Er Shelley was a trainer extraordinaire. From 1921 until his death in 1957, he lived in Columbus, Mississippi. He specialized in bird dogs—pointers and setters—and trained foxhounds. He achieved acclaim as a hunting dog trainer, field trials handler, and author. He trained famous dogs: the pointer Hard Cash, Count Gladstone, and the English setter, Pioneer, who won the National Bird Dog Championship. In 1906, Shelley won the Westminster Kennel Club cup for “Best Exhibit of Field Trial Setters.” In Africa with internationally known sportsman Paul Rainey, their safari killed twenty-seven lions. Many became “the Rainey group” after their donation to the American Museum of Natural History. Two leopard cubs were donated to the Bronx Zoo. Based on these experiences, Shelley self-published Hunting Big Game with Dogs in Africa. In 1921, Putnam & Sons published what hunting aficionados consider a classic, Bird Dog Training Today and Tomorrow. For books, magazines, and newspapers, Pruitt photographed Shelley and his dogs. Shelley oversaw hunting trips for the president of Standard Oil of New York, Herbert Pratt, who had a plantation in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Besides training dogs, Shelley pioneered in dog food manufacturing—with “Very Best Dog Food,” distributed nationally.

Dewatering and eliminating citrus waste treatment sludges has been a difficult and costly disposal problem for many years. One of the major drawbacks of the dewatering operation has been the extent of bound water that is associated with the sludge under gravity settlers, and its relatively low specific gravity difference as related to water. Under various operating conditions, especially in the south, some gravity settlers have been able to thicken the BOD solids to 1½ to 2% total solid concentration, but this also tends to present other operational problems due to low blanket turnover and does very little to solve the major problem of obtaining saleable by-product from this biological material. Paper published with permission.

One of the key steps of physical oil refining is washing with aqueous solutions. It is based on mixing and separation in a mixer-settler or centrifuge. Patented membrane-based washing allows to conduct washing without direct mixing with water, i.e. without subsequent separation. Oil and water are separated by a membrane. No transmembrane pressure is necessary. We will present our results of an acid value improvement in some oils and the removal of glycerol and alkali from biodiesel. The process is fast and energy-efficient. It does not need clays, is water- and oil-saving, and is easy to scale up.

Abstract Coordinate measuring machine data are used to determine whether ornot parts conform to the specified tolerances. Much of the analysis involve optimization to evaluate the values of actual geometric deviations detected by CMM inspection. If the optimization method does not arrive at the global minimum value of a deviation and settles for a higher value instead, a part could be unnecessarily rejected during inspection. This paper proposes the use of genetic algorithms as global optimizers to evaluate geometric deviations and shows their advantage over the currently used methods through examples. Since the definition of some deviations in the new GD&T standards, such as the local size, do not lend themselves easily to optimization algorithms using the CMM data directly, the presented work proposes the approximation of the manufactured surfaces using NURBS for facilitating the evaluation of such deviations. Finally, the paper recommends the use of some genetic parameters to decrease the computational intensity associated with using the genetic algorithms.

Abstract Post-treatment production analyses for hydraulic fracturing treatments with conventional crosslinked gel often indicate that the treatments do not achieve the designed stimulation effectiveness, which could be attributed to non-optimal proppant placement and/or significantly damaged fracture conductivity. Although conventional crosslinked fluids are observed to provide good proppant suspension in laboratory environments, they might not provide the desired proppant transport under downhole conditions. Crosslinked fluids are known to be difficult to clean up, and thus are notorious for imparting gel damage to proppant pack and formation. Surfactant gels have been developed to mitigate some of the issues. Viscosity measurements are used as the main tool to judge and optimize the performance of both polymer and surfactant based fracture fluids, especially their ability to transport proppant. While efficient proppant transport is essential for successful hydraulic fracturing, recent laboratory work has shown that viscosity alone may not accurately assess proppant transport. The objective of the paper is to investigate and determine the minimum rheological properties required for efficient proppant transport. Thus, combinations of rotational and oscillatory measurements were conducted to better predict the proppant transport characteristics. Also, proppant settling tests were conducted at static and dynamic conditions. A strong correlation was established between fluid's elasticity and its ability to suspend the proppant with a required minimum elastic modulus (G') value to be greater than viscous modulus (G”). Experimental results show that for two fluids that both have a close viscosity value (similar power law parameters); one fluid with G'&gt;G” while the other one G'&lt; G”, the fluid that has G'&gt;G” behaves as semi-solid material where it deforms instead of flowing when shear stress is applied, while the fluid that has G”&gt;G', flows when shear stress is applied and time to flow depends on viscosity. A proppant particle in a fluid undergoes shear stress due to its density. Therefore, for the fluid G”&gt;G', proppant settles as the fluid moves around it and the speed of settling depends on fluid viscosity, whereas for the elastic fluid (G'&gt;G”), fluid elasticity does not allow the proppant to settle. This observation was confirmed for both polymer and surfactant based fracturing fluids. Additives can be divided into categories that may enhance or reduce fluid elasticity based on their effect on the internal structure of the fluids. For example, breakers tend to significantly reduce the fluid elasticity, even when viscosity reduction is minimized. Data obtained from this study can be used as a guideline to optimize and select the fluid that has ability to carry proppant for field treatment design.