Effect of Music on Stress Parameters in Dogs during a Mock Veterinary Visit

Veterinary visits can be stressful for dogs, but how their wellbeing changes during a visit is not well understood. Music therapy has been successfully used in clinical practice to alleviate stress and anxiety in people. The present study aimed to understand how canine stress changes during a veterinary visit, establish the effect of music, and highlight measures which may be of practical use. In a randomized crossover design, dogs were exposed to no music and a bespoke piece of classical music at a tempo designed to match their resting heart rate during a mock veterinary visit. Dogs were scored as more “afraid” during the physical examination compared to when they were in the hospital kennel (p < 0.001). Salivary cortisol, IgA, and infrared temperature all increased significantly (p < 0.05) from baseline to post-kennel and post-examination, with no effect of music treatment. Core body temperature (p = 0.010) and the odds of ‘relaxed’ lips (p = 0.020) were lower when dogs were exposed to music compared to control visits. Overall, dogs experienced changes in physiology and behavior, indicative of increased stress, over the course of the visit. Additional research is required to further understand the effect that bespoke music may have in alleviating canine stress during veterinary visits.

Three superovulation protocols for in vivo embryo production in Santa Inês sheep

ABSTRACT: There is still no consensus regarding the best protocol for in vivo embryo production in sheep despite increasing studies in this area. Moreover, there is variability in the response of ewes to superovulation (SOV). An approach to mitigate this inconsistency is to initiate gonadotropin administration under favorable ovarian conditions. The present study compared three treatments in a crossover design: a traditional SOV protocol (TRAD) and “Day 0” D0 SOV protocol with (D0+GnRH), or without Lecilerin (D0-GnRH). Fifteen Santa Inês ewes received 200 mg of FSH at six decreasing doses and PGF2α with the fifth dose of FSH. They were naturally mated with fertile rams and subjected to surgical embryo collection. The number of viable embryos was similar among the different treatments (TRAD = 6.0 ± 4.7; D0-GnRH = 3.8 ± 6.4; D0+GnRH = 7.5 ± 6.5). Regardless of the treatment method, ewes with follicles ≤ 4 mm, at the first FSH dose, produced more viable embryos (9.6 ± 6.0, P < 0.05) compared to ewes that had follicles > 4 mm at the beginning of the SOV (2.9 ± 3.1, viable embryos). Both the TRAD and D0+GnRH groups had fewer animals with large follicles (> 4 mm) at the first FSH dose than the D0-GnRH group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, both the TRAD and D0+GnRH treatments induced a more favorable ovarian condition (follicles ≤ 4 mm) for adequate SOV; although, all three treatments exhibited similar efficacies in Santa Inês sheep.

How Open Lists Undermine the Electoral Support of Cohesive Parties

How does ballot structure affect party choice? We argue that open lists undermine the electoral support of cohesive parties, to the benefit of internally divided parties. We conduct a survey-embedded experiment in the aftermath of the European migrant crisis, presenting German voters with real parties but fictitious politicians. A crossover design varies ballot type and exposure to candidate positions on immigration. We find that the internally divided Christian Democrats gain votes at the expense of the cohesive Alternative for Germany when open lists are used and candidate positions are known. For individuals who are equally attracted to both parties, switching is most likely if their immigration preferences lie near the midpoint between the two parties. Overall, our analysis establishes conditions under which ballot structure can affect the electoral performance of parties in general, and that of the populist right in particular.

A Cloth Facemask Causes No Major Respiratory or Cardiovascular Perturbations during Moderate to Heavy Exercise

Objectives: To investigate whether wearing a cloth facemask could affect physiological and perceptual responses to exercise at distinct exercise intensities in non-trained men and women. Methods: In a crossover design, participants (17 men and 18 women) underwent a progressive square-wave test at four intensities (i. at 80% of the ventilatory anerobic threshold [80%VAT]; ii. at VAT; iii. at the respiratory compensation point [RCP]; iv. at exercise peak [Peak] to exhaustion), with or without a triple-layered cloth mask (Mask or No-Mask). Several physiological, metabolic and perceptual measures were analyzed. Results: Mask reduced inspiratory capacity at all exercise intensities vs. No-Mask (p<0.0001), irrespective of sex. Mask reduced respiratory frequency vs. No-Mask (p=0.001) at Peak (-8.3 breaths/min; CI: -5.8, -10.8), RCP (-6.9 breaths/min; CI: -4.6, -9.2) and VAT (-6.5 breaths/min; CI: -4.1, -8.8), but not at Baseline or at 80%VAT. Mask also reduced tidal volume (p<0.0001) at both RCP (-0.5L; CI: -0.3, -0.6) and Peak (-0.8L; CI: -0.6, -0.9), but not at Baseline, 80%VAT or VAT. Shallow breathing index was increased with Mask at Peak compared to No-Mask (11.3; CI: 7.5, 15.1), but not at any other intensities. Mask did not change heart rate, lactate, ratings of perceived exertion, blood pressure or oxygen saturation. Conclusions: Wearing a cloth facemask during exercise at moderate to heavy intensities is unlikely to incur significant respiratory or cardiovascular changes, irrespective of sex. These data can inform new exercise recommendations for health during the COVID-19 pandemic and debunk unfounded allegations of harmful effects of masks during exercise. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04887714

The Influence of Noise in the Neurofeedback Training Sessions in Student Athletes

Considering that athletes constantly practice and compete in noisy environments, the aim was to investigate if performing neurofeedback training in these conditions would yield better results in performance than in silent ones. A total of forty-five student athletes aged from 18 to 35 years old and divided equally into three groups participated in the experiment (mean ± SD for age: 22.02 ± 3.05 years). The total neurofeedback session time for each subject was 300 min and were performed twice a week. The environment in which the neurofeedback sessions were conducted did not seem to have a significant impact on the training’s success in terms of alpha relative amplitude changes (0.04 ± 0.08 for silent room versus 0.07 ± 0.28 for noisy room, p = 0.740). However, the group exposed to intermittent noise appears to have favourable results in all performance assessments (p = 0.005 for working memory and p = 0.003 for reaction time). The results of the study suggested that performing neurofeedback training in an environment with intermittent noise can be interesting to athletes. Nevertheless, it is imperative to perform a replicated crossover design.

Optimization Model for Rail Line Crossover Design Considering the Cost of Delay

In this study, we introduce a method to optimally select the crossover locations of an independent rail line from a set of possible crossover locations considering a fixed number of crossovers that must be used in the design. This optimal selection aims to minimize the cost of passenger delay. Previous research showed that including passenger delay in the decision of rail design choices could be beneficial from economic and societal perspectives. However, those studies were only able to evaluate a few alternatives, because the degraded schedules had to be determined manually. In this research, we introduced an integer nonlinear model to find the best crossover design. We further developed an algorithm to evaluate a set of crossovers and determine the cost of delays for all segments on a rail line given a set of potential disruptions. The monetized cost of passenger delays was used to analyze the tradeoff between the unreliability costs emerging from the delay of passengers in the case of disruptions, and the total number of required crossovers. Our model was applied on a light rail line in Bergen (Norway) resulting in 10% reduction in relation to passenger delays without increasing the number of crossovers; thus, ensuring that there were no additional costs.

Dose Response of Acute ATP Supplementation on Strength Training Performance

Background: Chronic oral ATP supplementation benefits cardiovascular health, muscular performance, body composition, and recovery while attenuating muscle breakdown and fatigue. A single 400 mg dose of oral ATP supplementation improved lower body resistance training performance and energy expenditure in recreational resistance trained males, however, the minimal effective dose is currently unknown.Materials and Methods: Twenty recreationally trained men (age 28.6 ± 1.0 years, body mass 81.2 ± 2.0 kg, height 175.2 ± 1.4 cm, 1RM 141.5 ± 5.0 kg) consumed a single dose of either 400 mg, 200 mg, or 100 mg ATP (PEAK ATP®, TSI USA LLC, Missoula, MT, USA) or a placebo in a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design, separated by a one week wash out between treatments. After warm-up, participants performed 4 sets of half-squats using free-weights until movement failure separated by 2 mins of rest between sets.Results: In comparison to placebo, 400 mg ATP significantly increased the number of set 1 repetitions (+13%, p = 0.04), and numerically increased total repetitions (+7%, p = 0.19) and total weight lifted (+6%, p = 0.22). 200 mg ATP numerically increased set 1 repetitions (+4% p = 0.47), while 100 mg ATP showed no improvements over placebo. 100 mg ATP (−4%, p &lt; 0.05) and 400 mg ATP (−4%, p = 0.11) decreased the perceived rate of exertion compared to placebo.Conclusions: In this study, the effective minimal dose of acute oral ATP supplementation during resistance exercise to increase performance was determined to be 400 mg, while as little as 100 mg showed improvements in perceived exertion.

An open-label, randomized, single intravenous dosing study to investigate the effect of fixed-dose combinations of tenofovir/lamivudine or atazanavir/ritonavir on the pharmacokinetics of remdesivir in Ugandan healthy volunteers (RemTLAR)

Background Remdesivir is a novel broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutic with activity against several viruses that cause emerging infectious diseases. The purpose of this study is to explore how commonly utilized antiretroviral therapy (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine [TDF/3TC] and atazanavir/ritonavir [ATV/r]) influence plasma and intracellular concentrations of remdesivir. Methods This is an open-label, randomized, fixed sequence single intravenous dosing study to assess pharmacokinetic interactions between remdesivir and TDF/3TC (Study A, crossover design) or TDF/3TC plus ATV/r (Study B). Healthy volunteers satisfying study entry criteria will be enrolled in the study and randomized to either Study A; N=16 (Sequence 1 or Sequence 2) or Study B; N=8. Participants will receive standard adult doses of antiretroviral therapy for 7 days and a single 200mg remdesivir infusion administered over 60 min. Pharmacokinetic blood sampling will be performed relative to the start of remdesivir infusion; predose (before the start of remdesivir infusion) and 30 min after the start of remdesivir infusion. Additional blood samples will be taken at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after the end of remdesivir infusion. Discussion This study will characterize the pharmacokinetics of remdesivir from a typical African population in whom clinical use is anticipated. Furthermore, this study will deliver pharmacokinetic datasets for remdesivir drug concentrations and demographic characteristics which could support pharmacometric approaches for simulation of remdesivir treatment regimens in patients concurrently using tenofovir/lamivudine and/or atazanavir/ritonavir. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04385719. Registered 13 May 2020.