Directive 2010/63/EU was adopted in September 2010 by the European Parliament and Council, and became effective in January 2013. It replaces Directive 86/609/EEC and introduces new requirements for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. In particular, it requires that establishments that breed, supply or use laboratory animals have a designated veterinarian (DV) with expertise in laboratory animal medicine, or a suitably qualified expert where more appropriate, charged with advisory duties in relation to the well-being and treatment of the animals. This paper is a report of an ESLAV/ECLAM/LAVA/EVERI working group that provides professional guidance on the role and postgraduate training of laboratory animal veterinarians (LAVs), who may be working as DVs under Directive 2010/63/EU. It is also aimed at advising employers, regulators and other persons working under the Directive on the role of the DV. The role and responsibilities of the DV include the development, implementation and continuing review of an adequate programme for veterinary care at establishments breeding and/or using animals for scientific purposes. The programme should be tailored to the needs of the establishment and based on the Directive’s requirements, other legislations, and current guidelines in laboratory animal medicine. Postgraduate laboratory animal veterinary training should include a basic task-specific training module for DVs to complement veterinary competences from graduation, and continuing professional development on the basis of a gap analysis. A tiered approach to further training in laboratory animal veterinary medicine and science offers career development pathways that are mutually beneficial to LAVs and establishments.

High-spin states in ${}^{123}\mathrm{Cs}$ were populated in the ${}^{64}\mathrm{Ni}\left({}^{64}\mathrm{Ni},p4n\right)$ reaction at a beam energy of $265\mathrm{MeV}$. Gamma-ray coincidences were measured using the Gammasphere spectrometer. Two additional bands have been placed in the level scheme and the four previously known bands have been extended to higher spin. At the highest spins, two of the bands show irregular level sequences. These structures of noncollective excitations, which compete with collective rotation, are interpreted as band-terminating states. The results are compared to cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations, and configuration assignments to the bands and to the terminating states are discussed.

Highly-deformed rotational bands were established in ${}^{59}\mathrm{Ni}$ using the ${}^{40}\mathrm{Ca}{(}^{29}\mathrm{Si},2p2\mathrm{}\alpha {)}^{59}\mathrm{Ni}$ reaction. Lifetime measurements indicate that transition quadrupole moments of two of these bands decrease as they smoothly approach their maximum-spin states. The configurations of these bands as well as their band-terminating features are discussed based on configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations. These calculations indicate that, unlike similar bands observed previously in the region, the two bands in ${}^{59}\mathrm{Ni}$ maintain significant collectivity at their ${I=I}_{\max }$ states.

A study of the role of coupled-channel effects in the enhancement of the population of high-spin states was undertaken with the reactions ${}^{48}\mathrm{Ca}{+}^{142}\mathrm{Nd}$ and ${}^{80}\mathrm{Se}{+}^{110}\mathrm{Pd},$ near the Coulomb barrier, leading to the same compound nucleus, ${}^{190}\mathrm{Hg},$ at the same excitation energy. Statistical calculations with standard values for the level density parameters and fission barriers predict an enhancement of the high-spin population for the more mass-symmetric system, brought about by the coupling to inelastic channels in the fusion process. No enhancement was observed which we interpret as an inadequacy of the fission barriers used, and to the role of the shell corrections, in particular those at the saddle point.