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Thermal disbudding and dehorning are very common techniques employed for the removal of horn buds in dairy calves. Infrared thermography was used to determine the local temperature before the thermal disbudding procedure, five seconds into the procedure, and two hours after the procedure was finished. Background: Some studies have used thermography to evaluate the local temperature after applying a hot-iron device to produce a permanently visible mark on calves. Our objective was to evaluate the local temperature and the thermal pattern following hot-iron disbudding and to certify that the local temperature reaches the value at which tissues undergo necrosis. Methods: Calves (n = 36) were subjected to thermography scanning of the horn bud area before the thermal disbudding procedure, five seconds into the procedure, and two hours after the procedure was finished. Results: Differences in local temperature before and after hot-iron disbudding were observed. The mean and the maximum temperature of the horn bud area increased in value after the disbudding procedure, leading to changes in the overall thermal pattern. Conclusions: Thermography of the horn bud area before and after thermal disbudding allows for the identification of changes in local temperature and thermal pattern. The local temperature obtained after the hot-iron disbudding procedure exceeds the temperature required for tissue necrosis. Thermographic evaluations help us to effectively discriminate between superficial burns and deep burns such as those induced by hot-iron disbudding.

This study provides an insight into the challenges faced in establishing a closer collaboration between educational research and its use in the policy-making process. It aims to identify the factors influencing transfer from research to policy-making and the policy-makers' needs, expectations, and perception on the use of educational research. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of Romanian national and local institutions. Specific software was used to facilitate data management and coding. The results indicate that there is a disconnect between policy-makers' expectations and the input they receive from the research community, as well as a lack of an institutional framework to facilitate communication and interaction between them. There are systemic blockages on both sides: politics and the cost of opportunity for decision-making, a high level of bureaucracy, limited resources and accessibility of results, a lack of financing and of institutionalized communication, as well as a lack of consultation and cooperation between the two parties. The results indicate a willingness on the policy-makers' side to acknowledge the importance of using research to inform decisions and their role in facilitating this process. This implies that researchers have limited control over the subsequent stages and could indicate the early point in the research process when other actors should be involved in order to ensure the potential or actual impact of research on policy.

Case series summary A 1-year-old castrated male Maine Coon cat was referred because of a 1-week history of progressive spastic non-ambulatory paraparesis. An MRI examination of the thoracolumbar spine showed multiple lytic lesions, with the most aggressive one centred on the adjacent endplates of L1–L2 and its associated disc. Ventral new bone formation, L1 vertebral body shortening and mild dorsal displacement of the caudal aspect of L1 were noted. Contrast enhancement of both paravertebral soft tissue and extradural lesion was present. These findings were compatible with L1–L2 discospondylitis (DS), spinal epidural empyema (SEE), with secondary L1 pathological vertebral fracture, subluxation and spinal cord compression. CT of the thoracolumbar spine, abdomen and thorax confirmed these findings. The patient deteriorated to paraplegia with absent nociception, despite initial medical therapy. A right-sided L1–L2 hemilaminectomy and spinal decompression were then performed, followed by application of a unilateral construct comprising four smooth arthrodesis wires and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). S taphylococcus aureus was isolated from both epidural material, intraoperatively sampled and blood culture. Antibiotic therapy was continued for 6 weeks, based on susceptibility results. The outcome was excellent, with a gradual improvement and complete neurological recovery at the 8-week postoperative check. Repeated spinal radiographs showed an intact apparatus and marked signs of vertebral fusion. At the 14-month follow-up examination, the cat remained free of clinical signs. Relevance and novel information To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report of SEE and DS in a cat that required surgical stabilisation. The outcome was still optimal, despite the rapid neurological deterioration.

Background: Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis frequently presents with a wide range of psychiatric and behavioral symptoms such as catatonia and psychosis. Although immunomodulatory therapy, together with the teratoma removal whenever present, is the mainstay treatment, additional treatments are often needed to mitigate the psychosis and catatonia. However, antipsychotics are often either ineffective or poorly tolerated. We present a single-health system retroactive case series of the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in catatonic syndrome of definitive, probable, or possible immune origin. Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of ECT for the management of catatonic syndrome associated with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and new-onset psychoses of suspected immune origin using consensus criteria described by Pollak et al in 2020. Methods: A retrospective medical records review on the demographic data, clinical characteristics, relevant laboratory findings, immunomodulatory therapies administered, and clinical outcomes of all the patients treated with ECT at our health system from Jan 2017 to Dec 2022 for the catatonic syndrome associated with anti-NMDR encephalitis or new-onset psychosis of either possible or probable immune origin. Clinical assessment of catatonic symptoms using the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) before and after ECT treatments as well as the time interval from the estimated onset of illness to first ECT treatment were reviewed and reported. Results;: There were 12 cases of ECT used as an adjuvant therapy to manage persistent catatonic syndrome, despite treatment with various immunotherapies, associated with either anti-NMDAR encephalitis (n=4), or new-onset psychosis of possible (n=2) or probable (n=6) immune origin. Patients were often young (mean age 26 years) with slight female predominance (58%). Mean initial BFCRS score was 18.2 (range: 5-25). All patients responded well to the combination of immunotherapies and ECT, and showed some response after 3 ECT treatments. Complete resolution of catatonia was achieved in 11 patients (92%). Patients required an average of 11 ECT treatments (range: 3-21) to achieve maximum improvement. Conclusions: This is the largest single-health system retrospective case series showing ECT modality to be highly effective and safe adjuvant therapy for all forms of catatonic syndrome of confirmed or suspected immune origin, including those refractory to the standard treatment combined with immunotherapies. Our report underscores the importance of high index of clinical suspicion in early recognition of the immune-mediated catatonic syndrome, particularly among those with a prior history of psychiatric illnesses. This is important to prevent catatonia-related medical complications. It also provides additional support for early and consistent use of ECT modality in the management of immune-mediated catatonia in association with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and other suspected central nervous system autoimmunity. Large-scale randomized clinical studies might provide pivotal insights sufficient for incorporating ECT modality into the treatment algorithm for catatonic syndrome associated with autoimmunity.

This paper presents results from a survey of Romanian education researchers on their experience of research uptake and transfer to policy makers and practitioners. A range of variables are analysed in order to understand the factors they perceived to influence the use of educational research. The researchers' context was analysed, including factors such as conceptions of the academic role, funding, type of research and collaboration in research. An adaptation of the research utilisation scale (Knott and Wildavsky in Knowl Creat Diffus Util 1(4):537-578, 1980; Cherney et al. in Int J Educ Res 56:23-34, 2012) survey was administered to a sample of 115 academics from 17 public universities in Romania, representing 31% of the total number of academics in schools of education. The quantitative data were complemented with qualitative data derived from in depth interviews with 14 university managers from the main research-intensive universities. The results indicate that researchers' context is a determinant key of research mobilisation in practice. Despite the importance given to this aspect by the researchers, the lack of institutional coherent strategies to enhance the research transfer and use could represent constraints and challenges that are often faced when academics engage in research aimed at influencing policy and practice.

Thermal disbudding and dehorning are very common techniques employed for the removal of horn buds in dairy calves. Infrared thermography was used to determine the local temperature before the thermal disbudding procedure, five seconds into the procedure, and two hours after the procedure was finished. Background: Some studies have used thermography to evaluate the local temperature after applying a hot-iron device to produce a permanently visible mark on calves. Our objective was to evaluate the local temperature and the thermal pattern following hot-iron disbudding and to certify that the local temperature reaches the value at which tissues undergo necrosis. Methods: Calves (n = 36) were subjected to thermography scanning of the horn bud area before the thermal disbudding procedure, five seconds into the procedure, and two hours after the procedure was finished. Results: Differences in local temperature before and after hot-iron disbudding were observed. The mean and the maximum temperature of the horn bud area increased in value after the disbudding procedure, leading to changes in the overall thermal pattern. Conclusions: Thermography of the horn bud area before and after thermal disbudding allows for the identification of changes in local temperature and thermal pattern. The local temperature obtained after the hot-iron disbudding procedure exceeds the temperature required for tissue necrosis. Thermographic evaluations help us to effectively discriminate between superficial burns and deep burns such as those induced by hot-iron disbudding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While introducing the four contributions to the special issue "Students, their protests, and their organizations: exploring old gaps and new evidence", we link them with influential literature on students' protests and their organizations. The 'old gaps' refer to the long-standing divide between two traditions of research in students' collective action: social movements and organizational studies. The 'new evidence' refers to the finding that studentship is not conducive to protests (Oana 2019a), while the father's education is a strong predictor. While the 'agentic' character of studentship is one important presumption behind many arguments making sense of campus unrest, this finding does not invalidate it as such, but rather indicates that selection to higher education, and not campus socialization, may be conducive to this form of political participation.

This article adds a political perspective to the phenomenon of higher education de-differentiation, by building on Gary Rhoades' neo-institutionalist account. Diversity is operationalized on a hallmark dimension for Central and Eastern Europe: the public-private divide. Higher education is conceived of as a structured organizational field and its institutionalization in Central and Eastern Europe is surveyed in a comparative approach, focusing on the institutions governing the competition for (tuition paying) students and the normative images of higher education (accreditation, quality assurance, classifications and rankings). Critical junctures are identified in regard to the structuration and re-structuration of higher education in Romania, and the agency of the ministers is traced in relation to their academic background. The article builds on evidence from studies of system-level diversity or differentiation in higher education, the structuration of higher education as an organizational field, and the more recent empirical accounts on the impact of the agency of academics in policy formulation in Central and Eastern Europe (especially those in office as ministers of education).

Even though the higher education model of universities in Romania corresponds to a Humboldtian model based on harmonizing teaching and research activities, in recent years, under pressure from the knowledge-based economy, research activity has tended towards an increased role. Therefore, the role of universities across Romania is beginning to shift towards an entrepreneurial one. This paper seeks to identify the strategies that universities are currently developing to sustain the process of knowledge transfer. To achieve the above aim, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 university managers from research-intensive universities. The data was analysed using a coding system that was developed based on the theoretical framework. The results indicate a tendency among Romanian universities towards a linear model of tackling knowledge transfer, meaning that the primary focus is on establishing networks and partnerships between researchers and other categories of end users and on developing cross-domain research teams among researchers from the same university.

The main goal of this study is to provide reliable comparison of performance in higher education. In this respect, we use scientometric measures associated with faculties of medicine in the six health studies universities in Romania.

In Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) patient blood transfusions are an important part of treatment for stroke and its prevention. However, blood transfusions can also lead to complications such as Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome (RPLS). This brief report highlights two cases of SCA who developed such neurological complications after a blood transfusion. RLPS should be considered as the cause of neurologic finding in patients with SCA and hypertension following a blood transfusion.

This study provides an insight into the challenges faced in establishing a closer collaboration between educational research and its use in the policy-making process. It aims to identify the factors influencing transfer from research to policy-making and the policy-makers’ needs, expectations, and perception on the use of educational research. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of Romanian national and local institutions. Specific software was used to facilitate data management and coding. The results indicate that there is a disconnect between policy-makers’ expectations and the input they receive from the research community, as well as a lack of an institutional framework to facilitate communication and interaction between them. There are systemic blockages on both sides: politics and the cost of opportunity for decision-making, a high level of bureaucracy, limited resources and accessibility of results, a lack of financing and of institutionalized communication, as well as a lack of consultation and cooperation between the two parties. The results indicate a willingness on the policy-makers’ side to acknowledge the importance of using research to inform decisions and their role in facilitating this process. This implies that researchers have limited control over the subsequent stages and could indicate the early point in the research process when other actors should be involved in order to ensure the potential or actual impact of research on policy.

The solution structure of apo yeast frataxin is determined to provide a structural basis of how frataxin binds and donates iron to the ferrochelatase. While the protein's alpha-beta-sandwich structural motif is similar to that observed for human and bacterial frataxins, the yeast structure presented includes the full N-terminus observed for the mature processed protein found within the mitochondrion.