Popliteal sinus venipuncture in anurans.

Objective: To demonstrate an underutilized, reliable, and technically simple anuran venipuncture technique by use of the popliteal sinus.

Animals: Medium to large (> 30 g) anuran species.

Methods: The animal is manually restrained using an encircling grip around the pelvic girdle.

Retrospective Analysis of Cataract Formation and Nutritional Etiology in a Managed Collection of Parakeet Auklets ().

The parakeet auklet () is a piscivorous seabird with a natural diet of various invertebrate and teleost species, which is challenging to replicate in a managed collection. A high prevalence of early onset cataracts was observed in a managed collection of parakeet auklets at the North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro, NC, USA), which was hypothesized to be related to inappropriate vitamin A and E levels. From 1994 to 2002, these parakeet auklets were offered dietary supplementation comprising Vita-Zu small bird tablets.

Successful and unsuccessful nonsurgical removal of ingested golf balls and an artificial egg in four rat snakes ().

Case Description: 4 wild adult rat snakes () were evaluated after ingesting spherical or ovoid foreign bodies.

Clinical Findings: Physical examination revealed a large, firm mass at the level of the stomach in each snake. Radiographic findings were consistent with ingestion of a golf ball (3 snakes) or an artificial egg (1 snake).

Measurement of the Spectral Shape of the β-Decay of ^{137}Xe to the Ground State of ^{137}Cs in EXO-200 and Comparison with Theory.

We report on a comparison between the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured spectra of the first-forbidden nonunique β-decay transition ^{137}Xe(7/2^{-})→^{137}Cs(7/2^{+}). The experimental data were acquired by the EXO-200 experiment during a deployment of an AmBe neutron source. The ultralow background environment of EXO-200, together with dedicated source deployment and analysis procedures, allowed for collection of a pure sample of the decays, with an estimated signal to background ratio of more than 99 to 1 in the energy range from 1075 to 4175 keV.

Search for Neutrinoless Double-β Decay with the Complete EXO-200 Dataset.

A search for neutrinoless double-β decay (0νββ) in ^{136}Xe is performed with the full EXO-200 dataset using a deep neural network to discriminate between 0νββ and background events. Relative to previous analyses, the signal detection efficiency has been raised from 80.8% to 96.

Bilateral Phacoemulsification in an African Elephant ().

A 37-year-old bull African elephant () at the North Carolina Zoo (NCZ) was diagnosed with bilateral cataracts leading to behavioral changes and significant weight loss secondary to functional blindness. On initial examination, a weight loss of 234 kg, a mature cataract in the right eye, and a focal cataract in the left eye were diagnosed. Ultrasound and electroretinography (ERG) indicated normal retinal attachment and both eyes were viable candidates for surgery.

Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with the Upgraded EXO-200 Detector.

Results from a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) of ^{136}Xe are presented using the first year of data taken with the upgraded EXO-200 detector. Relative to previous searches by EXO-200, the energy resolution of the detector has been improved to σ/E=1.23%, the electric field in the drift region has been raised by 50%, and a system to suppress radon in the volume between the cryostat and lead shielding has been implemented.

Measuring the Allan variance by sinusoidal fitting.

The Allan variance of signal and reference frequencies is measured by a least-square fit of the output of two analog-to-digital converters to ideal sine waves. The difference in the fit phase of the two channels generates the timing data needed for the Allan variance. The fits are performed at the signal frequency (≈10 MHz) without the use of heterodyning.

An apparatus to manipulate and identify individual Ba ions from bulk liquid Xe.

We describe a system to transport and identify barium ions produced in liquid xenon, as part of R&D towards the second phase of a double beta decay experiment, nEXO. The goal is to identify the Ba ion resulting from an extremely rare nuclear decay of the isotope (136)Xe, hence providing a confirmation of the occurrence of the decay. This is achieved through Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (RIS).

Search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 136Xe with EXO-200.

We report on a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 136Xe with EXO-200. No signal is observed for an exposure of 32.5 kg yr, with a background of ∼1.

Ovariohysterectomy of three vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus).

Three sexually mature female common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) housed at the North Carolina Zoological Park, Asheboro, North Carolina, were selected for surgical ovariohysterectomy. All animals were induced and maintained with isoflurane anesthetic gas. Magnification loop glasses were worn by the surgeon for the procedure.

Observation of two-neutrino double-beta decay in 136Xe with the EXO-200 detector.

We report the observation of two-neutrino double-beta decay in (136)Xe with T(1/2) = 2.11 ± 0.04(stat) ± 0.

A magnetically driven piston pump for ultra-clean applications.

A magnetically driven piston pump for xenon gas recirculation is presented. The pump is designed to satisfy extreme purity and containment requirements, as is appropriate for the recirculation of isotopically enriched xenon through the purification system and large liquid xenon time projection chamber of EXO-200. The pump, using sprung polymer gaskets, is capable of pumping more than 16 standard liters per minute of xenon gas with 750 Torr differential pressure.

A simple radionuclide-driven single-ion source.

We describe a source capable of producing single barium ions through nuclear recoils in radioactive decay. The source is fabricated by electroplating (148)Gd onto a silicon α-particle detector and vapor depositing a layer of BaF(2) over it. (144)Sm recoils from the alpha decay of (148)Gd are used to dislodge Ba(+) ions from the BaF(2) layer and emit them in the surrounding environment.

Comparison of an implantable telemetry device and an oscillometric monitor for measurement of blood pressure in anaesthetized and unrestrained green iguanas (Iguana iguana).

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare an implanted direct blood pressure monitor and a non-invasive oscillometric unit for use in anesthetized and awake green iguanas.

Study Design: Prospective experimental trial.

Animals: Four male and four female adult green iguanas (Iguana iguana) weighing 1833 +/- 534 g.

Use of an extracapsular stabilization technique to repair cruciate ligament ruptures in two avian species.

An extracapsular stabilization technique was used to repair cruciate ligament ruptures in a trumpeter hornbill (Bycanistes bucinator) and an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus). The hornbill demonstrated cranial drawer motion and severe rotational instability of the stifle from ruptures of the cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments and stifle joint capsule. The luxation was reduced, and the fibula was cranially transposed, in relation to the tibiotarsus, and anchored with 2 positive profile threaded acrylic pins.

Selected infectious diseases of reptiles.

Bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases in reptiles are occasionally caused by primary pathogens, but often are the result of an immunocompromising condition, such as inappropriate temperatures, humidity, or enclosure hygiene. Treating bacterial and fungal diseases usually requires addressing the predisposing husbandry deficiency. Recent comprehensive publications list many reported bacterial, fungal, and parasitic pathogens.

Clinical and research searching on the wild side: exploring the veterinary literature.

Zoological medicine furthers the health and well-being of captive and free-ranging wild animals. Effective information retrieval of the zoological medicine literature demands searching multiple databases, conference proceedings, and organization websites using a wide variety of keywords and controlled vocabulary. Veterinarians, residents, students, and the librarians who serve them must have patience for multiple search iterations to capture the majority of the available knowledge.

Septicemia, endocarditis, and cerebral infarction due to Staphylococcus aureus in a harp seal (Phoca groenlandica).

An adult, wild-collected, male harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) was transferred from a rehabilitation center to a display facility because of unilateral phthisis bulbi and decreased use of the right forelimb, which precluded its release. In quarantine, the animal demonstrated limited use of the right forelimb, which acutely progressed to complete disuse of the limb accompanied by intermittent lethargy. One month after transfer, the animal was found dead on exhibit.

Power-law distributions for a trapped ion interacting with a classical buffer gas.

Classical collisions with an ideal gas generate non-Maxwellian distribution functions for a single ion in a radio frequency ion trap. The distributions have power-law tails whose exponent depends on the ratio of buffer gas to ion mass. This provides a statistical explanation for the previously observed transition from cooling to heating.

Evaluation of noninvasive oscillometric blood pressure monitoring in anesthetized boid snakes.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of a noninvasive oscillometric monitor in the measurement of arterial blood pressure in anesthetized boid snakes.

Design: Evaluation study.

Animals: 4 boa constrictors (Boa constrictor), 2 carpet pythons (Morelia spilota), and 2 reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus).

Secondary amyloidosis and renal failure in a captive California sea lion (Zalophus californianus).

A 16-yr-old, captive-born, female California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) was evaluated for intermittent lethargy, partial anorexia, and polydipsia of 2 wk duration. The animal was immobilized for physical examination. It was in thin body condition, with multifocal mucosal ulcerations over the caudal and ventral tongue.

A microfabricated sensor for thin dielectric layers.

We describe a sensor for the measurement of thin dielectric layers capable of operation in a variety of environments. The sensor is obtained by microfabricating a capacitor with interleaved aluminum fingers, exposed to the dielectric to be measured. In particular, the device can measure thin layers of solid frozen from a liquid or gaseous medium.

Tetrachromatic input to turtle horizontal cells.

Recent physiological experiments support behavioral and morphological evidence for a fourth type of cone in the turtle retina, maximally sensitive in the ultraviolet (UV). This cone type has not yet been included in the models proposed for connectivity between cones and horizontal cells. In this study, we examined the inputs of UV, S, M, and L cones to horizontal cells.

Ultraviolet colour opponency in the turtle retina.

We have examined the functional architecture of the turtle Pseudemys scripta elegans retina with respect to colour processing, extending spectral stimulation into the ultraviolet, which has not been studied previously in the inner retina. We addressed two questions. (i) Is it possible to deduce the ultraviolet cone spectral sensitivity function through horizontal cell responses? (ii) Is there evidence for tetrachromatic neural mechanisms, i.