Use of a poll-mounted accelerometer for quantification and characterisation of equine trigeminal-mediated headshaking.

Background: Equine trigeminal-mediated (TGM) headshaking (HS) is a neuropathic facial pain syndrome characterised by varying intensity and frequencies of head movements and signs of nasal irritation. An accurate method for quantification and/or characterisation of HS severity is lacking.

Objectives: To develop and validate an objective measure of TGMHS.

A Delphi Study to Determine International and National Equestrian Expert Opinions on Domains and Sub-Domains Essential to Managing Sporthorse Health and Welfare in the Olympic Disciplines.

The public is increasingly questioning equestrianism's social license to operate. While the focus historically centered on horseracing, increased scrutiny is now being placed on how dressage, showjumping, and eventing are addressing equine management and welfare concerns. Nominated equestrian federation and equestrian organization experts ( = 104) directly involved in international and/or national-level horse sports took part in a four-stage, iterative Delphi to obtain consensus on what factors should be considered essential to manage sporthorse health and welfare.

Equine Behavioural and Physiological Responses to Auditory Stimuli in the Presence and Absence of Noise-Damping Ear Covers.

Despite numerous studies investigating responses to visual perception, there is limited research into how horses respond to different auditory stimuli. Although 'noise-damping' ear covers are frequently used on sport horses to minimise distraction from external auditory stimuli, the effectiveness of ear covers has not been established. This study aimed to (i) investigate the responses of horses to different sounds commonly present in a competition environment, and (ii) compare these responses in the presence and absence of ear covers.

Risk factors for lameness elimination in British endurance riding.

Background: Horse welfare is a priority in the equine sport of endurance riding. Identification and reduction of risk factors associated with elimination and lameness have been the focus of research to date, however, this has centred on international competition. National federations recognise there is a need to consider risk factors for elimination at a more local level.

Occurrence of bisphenols and benzophenone UV filters in wild brown mussels (Perna perna) from Algoa Bay in South Africa.

Bisphenols and benzophenone UV filters are contaminants present in a wide variety of plastic materials and consumer products. The scientific attention towards these contaminants has increased in recent years due to their presence in microplastics, their ubiquitous occurrence in the environment, and their known endocrine disrupting health effects. In this study, the occurrence of nine bisphenol and five benzophenone UV-filter analogues was assessed in wild brown mussels (Perna perna) collected from different sampling sites along the coast of Algoa Bay, South Africa.

Salivary cortisol and eye temperature changes during endurance competitions.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of salivary cortisol (SC) and eye temperature measured by infrared thermography (IRT) as biomarkers to manage competitions more effectively and monitor horse welfare in endurance competitions. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesised that pre-exercise baseline SC and IRT would be higher in younger or less experienced horses, and that post-exercise variation from baseline would be higher in the top finishers.

Results: Salivary cortisol measured in 61 competing at qualifier 40 km and 80 km rides showed an abrupt variation (93-256% rise) of the baseline SC levels [median ± interquartile range (IQR) = 0.

The first baseline estimation of marine litter in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Data on marine litter is crucial to guide waste management but is scarce in third-world countries such as South Africa. We established the first baseline measurement of litter accumulation on two beaches differing in public access in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, the poorest province in South Africa. Four 10-day surveys were conducted on each beach between June 2019 and June 2020.

Elevated atmospheric CO adversely affects a dung beetle's development: Another potential driver of decline in insect numbers?

Insect declines have been attributed to several drivers such as habitat loss, climate change, invasive alien species and insecticides. However, in the global context, these effects remain patchy, whereas insect losses appear to be consistent worldwide. Increases in atmospheric CO concentrations are known to have indirect effects on herbivorous insects, but the effects on other insects are largely unexplored.

COVID-19: Impact on United Kingdom Horse Owners.

COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on 11 March 2020; the United Kingdom (UK) implemented quarantine measures shortly afterward, resulting in rapid changes in how owners managed and interacted with their horses. This study provides a rapid analysis of the initial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the management of UK leisure and competition horses. A 17 question online survey was distributed via equestrian social media sites to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on horse and yard management and on human-horse interactions.

Process Advantages of Direct CO to Methanol Synthesis.

Developing a laboratory scale or pilot scale chemical process into industrial scale is not trivial. The direct conversion of CO to methanol, and concomitant production of hydrogen from water electrolysis on large scale, are no exception. However, when successful, there are certain benefits to this process over the conventional process for producing methanol, both economic and environmental.

Myopia prevalence and risk factors in children.

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for pediatric myopia in a contemporary American cohort.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of pediatric patients enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health plan was done. Eligible patients were 5- to 19-years old between January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2013, and received an ophthalmologic or optometric refraction.

Physiological mechanisms of dehydration tolerance contribute to the invasion potential of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) relative to its less widely distributed congeners.

Background: The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a highly invasive species now with an almost cosmopolitan distribution. Two other damaging, polyphagous and closely-related species, the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Walker), and the Natal fly, Ceratitis rosa Karsch, are not established outside of sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, adult water balance traits and nutritional body composition were measured in all three species at different temperatures and levels of relative humidity to determine whether tolerance of water stress may partially explain their distribution.

The only African wild tobacco, Nicotiana africana: alkaloid content and the effect of herbivory.

Herbivory in some Nicotiana species is known to induce alkaloid production. This study examined herbivore-induced defenses in the nornicotine-rich African tobacco N. africana, the only Nicotiana species indigenous to Africa.

The effect of water height on stride frequency, stride length and heart rate during water treadmill exercise.

Reasons For Performing Study: Water treadmill exercise is often incorporated into rehabilitation programmes for horses yet little is known about the biomechanical and physiological responses to water walking.

Objectives: To establish whether stride frequency (SF) reached steady state as a result of 6 introductory water treadmill sessions and then to investigate the effect of increasing water height on SF, stride length (SL) and heart rate (HR).

Methods: Nine horses with no previous experience of water treadmills completed 6 sessions of walking for between 15 and 30 min.

Preliminary report into the function of the shoulder using a novel imaging and motion capture approach.

Reasons For Performing Study: The function of the forelimb is fundamental to understanding both sound and pathological locomotion. The precise movements of the equine shoulder are hidden by layers of skin and muscle and hence the shoulder is normally modelled as a simple pivot during locomotion which assumes that any translational motion is negligible.

Objectives: To record and quantify the sliding motion of the scapula during locomotion, using a novel imaging technique.

A formative evaluation of shared family mealtime for parents of toddlers and young children.

Shared family mealtime offers numerous health benefits for young children. Unfortunately, only a few studies examine the benefits and barriers to eating together as a family. The present study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by applying the health belief model to understand parents' perceptions about the challenges of preparing and executing family mealtime for toddlers and young children.

Welfare and health of horses transported for slaughter within the European Union Part 1: Methodology and descriptive data.

Reasons For Performing Study: Anecdotal evidence collected by a variety of organisations has highlighted poor welfare in horses transported long distances to slaughter within the European Union.

Objective: To investigate welfare of horses being transported long distances within the EU to slaughter.

Methods: Data on transported horses were recorded at 2 assembly centres in Romania and at 4 abattoirs in Italy over an 8 month period in 2008.

Efficacy of thermal cautery for intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate as compared to conservatively treated horses: results from 78 treadmill diagnosed horses.

Reasons For Performing Study: Previously, objective comparisons of surgical procedures to relieve dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) have been limited by the presumptive basis of the diagnostic measures applied.

Objectives: To assess and compare the efficacy of thermal cautery surgery to conservatively treated controls in racehorses definitively diagnosed with idiopathic intermittent DDSP.

Hypothesis: Both conservative and surgical treatments have a beneficial result on racing performance in racehorses affected with DDSP.

The activity and expression of chitinase in the equine lung and its activity in normal horses and animals with recurrent airway obstruction.

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a chronic inflammatory condition in equine lung, which may share a common immunological basis with human asthma, in which dysregulated Th2 responses occur. Mammals express chitinases and chitinase-like proteins, two of which are active enzymes, chitotriosidase and acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase). Both enzymes are upregulated in a range of inflammatory conditions, including asthma.