Molecular analysis of Ixodes rugicollis, Candidatus Neoehrlichia sp. (FU98) and a novel Babesia genotype from a European badger (Meles meles).

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Hornok, Sándor; Trauttwein, Klaudia; Takács, Nóra; Hodžić, Adnan; Duscher, Georg Gerhard; Kontschán, Jenő

2017-01-01

The European badger (Meles meles) is a widespread mammal in most countries of the European continent, with increasingly recognized veterinary/medical importance owing to its preferred habitats (including pastures and urban environments), broad spectrum of food items, and role as a game hunting target. However, ticks and tick-borne pathogens associated with badgers are only partly known, and most of them have not yet been analysed with molecular biological methods The aim of this study was to perform molecular taxonomic analysis of ticks collected from a road-killed European badger, as well as to molecularly investigate its ticks and blood sample for the presence of Anaplasmataceae and piroplasms. Ticks from the badger were morphologically identified as females of Ixodes rugicollis. Based on its cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA sequences, I. rugicollis phylogenetically clustered together with I. lividus and I. arboricola, i.e. other members of the subgenus Pholeoixodes. The blood sample of the badger contained the DNA of Candidatus Neoehrlichia sp. (FU98) recently identified in red fox in Austria and the Czech Republic. This genotype is most closely related to Ca. N. lotoris (from raccoons in North America), and has lower sequence identity with the I. ricinus-transmitted zoonotic agent, Ca. N. mikurensis found in Eurasia. In the blood of the badger and in one female I. rugicollis, the DNA of a new Babesia genotype was also present, which differed from a piroplasm detected in M. meles in Spain, and clustered phylogenetically in the B. microti clade. Phylogenetic analysis of I. rugicollis (based on two genetic markers) confirms its status in subgenus Pholeoixodes. Ca. Neoehrlichia sp. (FU98) was identified for the first time in M. meles and in Hungary. In addition, a molecularly previously not yet characterized Babesia genotype occurs in badgers in Central Europe. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The taxonomic status of badgers (Mammalia, Mustelidae) from Southwest Asia based on cranial morphometrics, with the redescription of Meles canescens.

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Abramov, Alexei V; Puzachenko, Andrey Yu

2013-01-01

The Eurasian badgers (Meles spp.) are widespread in the Palaearctic Region, occurring from the British Islands in the west to the Japanese Islands in the east, including the Scandinavia, Southwest Asia and southern China. The morphometric variation in 30 cranial characters of 692 skulls of Meles from across the Palaearctic was here analyzed. This craniometric analysis revealed a significant difference between the European and Asian badger phylogenetic lineages, which can be further split in two pairs of taxa: meles - canescens and leucurus - anakuma. Overall, European badger populations are very similar morphologically, particularly with regards to the skull shape, but differ notably from those from Asia Minor, the Middle East and Transcaucasia. Based on the current survey of badger specimens available in main world museums, we have recognized four distinctive, parapatric species: Meles meles, found in most of Europe; Meles leucurus from continental Asia; M. anakuma from Japan; and M. canescens from Southwest Asia and the mountains of Middle Asia. These results are in agreement with those based on recent molecular data analyses. The morphological peculiarities and distribution range of M. canescens are discussed. The origin and evolution of Meles species, which is yet poorly understood, is also briefly discussed.

Angiostrongylus vasorum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes and badgers (Meles meles from Central and Northern Italy

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Marta Magi

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract During 2004-2005 and 2007-2008, 189 foxes (Vulpes vulpes and 6 badgers (Meles meles were collected in different areas of Central Northern Italy (Piedmont, Liguria and Tuscany and examined for Angiostrongylus vasorum infection. The prevalence of the infection was significantly different in the areas considered, with the highest values in the district of Imperia (80%, Liguria and in Montezemolo (70%, southern Piedmont; the prevalence in Tuscany was 7%. One badger collected in the area of Imperia turned out to be infected, representing the first report of the parasite in this species in Italy. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role played by fox populations as reservoirs of infection and the probability of its spreading to domestic dogs.
Riassunto Angiostrongylus vasorum nella volpe (Vulpes vulpes e nel tasso (Meles meles in Italia centro-settentrionale. Nel 2004-2005 e 2007-2008, 189 volpi (Vulpes vulpes e 6 tassi (Meles meles provenienti da differenti aree dell'Italia settentrionale e centrale (Piemonte, Liguria Toscana, sono stati esaminati per la ricerca di Angiostrongylus vasorum. La prevalenza del nematode è risultata significativamente diversa nelle varie zone, con valori elevati nelle zone di Imperia (80% e di Montezemolo (70%, provincia di Cuneo; la prevalenza in Toscana è risultata del 7%. Un tasso proveniente dall'area di Imperia è risultato positivo per A. vasorum; questa è la prima segnalazione del parassita in tale specie in Italia. Ulteriori studi sono necessari per valutare il potenziale della volpe come serbatoio e la possibilità di diffusione della parassitosi ai cani domestici.

doi:10.4404/hystrix-20.2-4442

Detection of Babesia DNA in blood and spleen samples from Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) in Scotland.

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Bartley, Paul M; Wilson, Cari; Innes, Elisabeth A; Katzer, Frank

2017-08-01

Babesia are intraerythrocytic parasites of importance worldwide within the fields of human and veterinary medicine, as some Babesia sp., including Babesia microti are potentially zoonotic and can cause fatal disease in both humans and animals. The aims of this study were to use a nested PCR (amplifying the 18S rRNA gene) to determine the presence and species of Babesia parasite DNA found in blood (n = 47) and spleen (n = 47) samples collected from Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) in Scotland. The results showed 28/47 (59·6%) blood and 14/47 (29·8%) spleen samples tested positive for the presence of Babesia DNA. Initial sequence analysis of the Babesia DNA identified three distinct sequence types (submitted to GenBank KX528553, KX528554 and KX528555), which demonstrated ⩾99% identity to Babesia sp. parasites previously identified in badgers in Spain (KT223484 and KT223485). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the three isolates are closely related to Babesia annae, B. microti and other Piroplasmida species found in wildlife. Further sequence analysis of the samples demonstrated that the badgers were routinely infected with more than one parasite isolate and there was also evidence of genetic recombination between the Babesia parasite isolates (submitted to GenBank KY250472 - KY250477).

Daily activity of the European Badger (Meles meles, Mustelidae, Carnivora on setts in Darwin Reserve and Meschera National Park (Russia in summer and autumn

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Natalia V. Sidorchuk

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The European badger's (Meles meles daily activity was studied in two regions of European Russia with camera traps. The results of the study show that the daily activity of the European badger on settlements does not differ in the compared populations inhabiting Darwin Reserve and Meschera National Park. The badger appears on surface often during the daylight contrary to the classical idea of nocturnal activity of the species. More than half of all animal registrations occur at daylight during the summer. The moderate climate of the study areas and low level of human persecution are considered among the possible reasons of this type of activity. The daily activity of the European badger undergoes markedly seasonal changes in both populations. Badgers more often came out from their setts during daylight in summer and at night in autumn. The results have practical application in the organisation of the census of badgers by means of camera traps.

The diet of feral raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and native badger (Meles meles) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elmeros, Morten; Mikkelsen, Dorthe Malene Götz; Nørgaard, Louise Solveig

2018-01-01

The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is an East Asian Canid that has been introduced in Europe. Introduction of alien species is an increasing conservation issue. We examined the diet of a recently established raccoon dog population in Denmark by analysing stomach content in 249 carcasses...... collected in 2008–2016. Raccoon dog diet was compared to the diet of native badger (Meles meles) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Denmark. The most common food for raccoon dogs were invertebrates (frequency of occurrence, FO 69%), small mammals (FO 68%), birds (FO 41%), fruits (FO 38%), amphibians (FO 36...

An investigation of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Eurasian badger (Meles meles) scavenging, scattering, and removal of deer remains: forensic implications and applications.

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Young, Alexandria; Márquez-Grant, Nicholas; Stillman, Richard; Smith, Martin J; Korstjens, Amanda H

2015-01-01

Within northwest Europe, especially the United Kingdom, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) are the largest wild scavengers capable of modifying a set of remains through scavenging. Knowledge of region-specific and species-typical scavenging behaviors of scavengers within the crime scene area and surroundings can aid in more efficient and accurate interpretations. The scavenging behaviors of captive and wild foxes and badgers were recorded and compared through actualistic methods and direct observation. The scavenging by wild foxes and badgers of surface-deposited baits and whole deer (Cervus nippon; Capreolus capreolus) in a woodland was observed and analyzed. Wild foxes were found to scavenge deer more frequently than badgers. The scavenging of deer remains by foxes was also compared with forensic cases. The scavenging pattern and recovery distances of deer and human remains scavenged by foxes were similar but were potentially affected by the condition and deposition of a body, and the presence of clothing. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Diet of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles in an agricultural riverine habitat (NW Italy

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Alessandro Balestrieri

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Badger Meles meles diet was studied throughout 2001-03 by the analysis of 199 scats collected in the River Po Park (Piedmont region, NW Italy. The study area (136 km² included a large portion of plain (129.2 km² dominated by agriculture (maize, rice and poplar plantations with scarce riparian vegetation cover, and a small sector of hill (6.8 km² mainly covered by broadleaved woods. Earthworms and maize were the staple foods in the overall badger diet and together accounted for 57% of the mean estimated volume (Vm%. Earthworm consumption varied seasonally with a marked decrease in summer, probably due to drought that reduced their availability (emergence of worms on the surface. This decline was compensated by a significant increase in the utilisation of fruits, mostly in hilly lands. Maize was consumed all year round without significant seasonal variation (percent frequency of occurrence: from 21% in summer to 44.6% in winter. Besides earthworms, the amount of protein of animal origin derived mainly from amphibians (Vm% = 9% and mammals (Vm% = 7.2%, primarily rodents and lagomorphs. Badger diet consisted mainly of maize, amphibians and mammals in agricultural lowlands, and of earthworms, fruits and insects in hilly lands. Trophic niche breadth (B varied from a minimum of 0.34 in autumn to maximum of 0.55 in summer. Our results characterize the badger as a generalist or opportunist feeder. Riassunto Dieta del Tasso (Meles meles in un'area agricola fluviale dell'Italia nord occidentale La dieta è stata studiata nel 2001-03, tramite l'analisi di 199 feci raccolte nel Parco Fluviale del Po e dell'Orba (Tratto vercellese-alessandrino, regione Piemonte. L'area di studio (136 km² è ripartita tra le due sponde orografiche del Po: un'ampia porzione (129,2 km² è pianeggiante e prevalentemente coltivata a mais, riso e pioppi, con strette fasce di vegetazione riparia, la

The Effect of Oral Vaccination with Mycobacterium bovis BCG on the Development of Tuberculosis in Captive European Badgers (Meles meles).

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Chambers, Mark A; Aldwell, Frank; Williams, Gareth A; Palmer, Si; Gowtage, Sonya; Ashford, Roland; Dalley, Deanna J; Davé, Dipesh; Weyer, Ute; Salguero, Francisco J; Nunez, Alejandro; Nadian, Allan K; Crawshaw, Timothy; Corner, Leigh A L; Lesellier, Sandrine

2017-01-01

The European badger ( Meles meles ) is a reservoir host of Mycobacterium bovis and responsible for a proportion of the tuberculosis (TB) cases seen in cattle in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. An injectable preparation of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is licensed for use in badgers in the UK and its use forms part of the bovine TB eradication plans of England and Wales. However, there are practical limitations to the widespread application of an injectable vaccine for badgers and a research priority is the development of an oral vaccine deliverable to badgers in bait. Previous studies reported the successful vaccination of badgers with oral preparations of 10 8 colony forming units (CFU) of both Pasteur and Danish strains of BCG contained within a lipid matrix composed of triglycerides of fatty acids. Protection against TB in these studies was expressed as a reduction in the number and apparent progression of visible lesions, and reductions in the bacterial load and dissemination of infection. To reduce the cost of an oral vaccine and reduce the potential for environmental contamination with BCG, it is necessary to define the minimal efficacious dose of oral BCG for badgers. The objectives of the two studies reported here were to compare the efficacy of BCG Danish strain in a lipid matrix with unformulated BCG given orally, and to evaluate the efficacy of BCG Danish in a lipid matrix at a 10-fold lower dose than previously evaluated in badgers. In the first study, both BCG unformulated and in a lipid matrix reduced the number and apparent progression of visible lesions and the dissemination of infection from the lung. In the second study, vaccination with BCG in the lipid matrix at a 10-fold lower dose produced a similar outcome, but with greater intra-group variability than seen with the higher dose in the first study. Further research is needed before we are able to recommend a final dose of BCG for oral vaccination of badgers against TB

Performance of TB immunodiagnostic tests in Eurasian badgers (Meles meles of different ages and the influence of duration of infection on serological sensitivity

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Sayers Robin

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In parts of Great Britain and Ireland, Eurasian badgers (Meles meles constitute a reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis infection and a potential source of infection for cattle. In vitro diagnostic tests for live badgers are an important component of strategies to control TB in this species. Immunological tests have been developed for badgers, although little is known about the influence of the age of the animal on test performance. To address this, we evaluated the performance of three immunological tests for badgers with respect to the age of the animal: the Brock Test and BrockTB STAT-PAK® serological tests and the recently developed interferon-gamma enzyme immunoassay (IFNγ EIA. Data published elsewhere suggested that seropositivity was associated with more progressive forms of TB in the badger. To gain further evidence for this, we used longitudinal data from a well-studied population of badgers to test for an association between the sensitivity of the Brock Test and the duration of TB infection. Results Sensitivity of the two serological tests was approximately 54% for both cubs and adults. Sensitivity of the IFNγ EIA was lower in cubs (57% compared with adults (85% when a common cut-off value was used to define test positivity. Taking data from the cubs alone, the IFNγ EIA cut-off value could be adjusted to increase the sensitivity to 71% with no loss in specificity. As a general observation, specificity of all tests was higher in cubs, although only significantly so in the case of the Brock Test. Using logistic regression analysis to adjust for age, sensitivity of the Brock Test was significantly lower at first culture positive event (58%, but increased to >80% as infection progressed. Conclusion These data suggest that serodiagnosis could be a valuable tool for detecting a higher proportion of badgers with the greatest probability of transmitting infection. The age category of the badger appeared to exert little

Variations in Badger (Meles meles Sett Microclimate: Differential Cub Survival between Main and Subsidiary Setts, with Implications for Artificial Sett Construction

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Yayoi Kaneko

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Maintaining homeothermy is essential for mammals, but has considerable energetic costs. In this study, we monitored the internal conditions of setts within five European badger (Meles meles social groups during the cub-rearing season, that is, February to July, in 2004. Sett temperature showed substantial and significant variation over this period, while relative humidity remained stable throughout. Microclimate was least stable during the period for which cubs remain entirely below ground between February and April; however here the instrumented main sett demonstrated a much warmer and more stable temperature regime than did nearby subsidiary outliers. We thus postulate that the energy budget of reproducing females could be affected by even small temperature fluctuations, militating for optimal sett choice. For comparison we also report microclimatic data from two artificial setts and found them to be markedly inferior in terms of thermal insulative properties, suggesting that man-made setts may need more careful consideration in both thermal and spatial setts network in each territory to adequately compensate the loss (e.g., destruction due to development of a natural sett, especially as a breeding den.

Badger hair in shaving brushes comes from protected Eurasian badgers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Domingo-Roura, X.; Marmi, J.; Ferrando, A.; López-Giráldez, F.; Macdonald, D.W.; Jansman, H.A.H.

2006-01-01

The Eurasian badger (Meles meles) is included in Appendix III of the Bern Convention and protected by national laws in many European countries. Badger hair is used to manufacture luxury shaving brushes, although it is frequently argued that the hog badger (Arctonyx collaris), which in Europe is an

Nintendo Super Smash Bros. Melee: An "Untouchable" Agent

OpenAIRE

Parr, Ben; Dilipkumar, Deepak; Liu, Yuan

2017-01-01

Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Melee fighting game can be emulated on modern hardware allowing us to inspect internal memory states, such as character positions. We created an AI that avoids being hit by training using these internal memory states and outputting controller button presses. After training on a month's worth of Melee matches, our best agent learned to avoid the toughest AI built into the game for a full minute 74.6% of the time.

Molecular identification of badger-associated Babesia sp. DNA in dogs: updated phylogeny of piroplasms infecting Caniformia.

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Hornok, Sándor; Horváth, Gábor; Takács, Nóra; Kontschán, Jenő; Szőke, Krisztina; Farkas, Róbert

2018-04-11

Piroplasms are unicellular, tick-borne parasites. Among them, during the past decade, an increasing diversity of Babesia spp. has been reported from wild carnivores. On the other hand, despite the known contact of domestic and wild carnivores (e.g. during hunting), and a number of ixodid tick species they share, data on the infection of dogs with babesiae from other families of carnivores are rare. In this study blood samples were collected from 90 dogs and five road-killed badgers. Ticks were also removed from these animals. The DNA was extracted from all blood samples, and from 33 ticks of badgers, followed by molecular analysis for piroplasms with PCR and sequencing, as well as by phylogenetic comparison of detected genotypes with piroplasms infecting carnivores. Eleven of 90 blood DNA extracts from dogs, and all five samples from badgers were PCR-positive for piroplasms. In addition to the presence of B. canis DNA in five dogs, sequencing identified the DNA of badger-associated "Babesia sp. Meles-Hu1" in six dogs and in all five badgers. The DNA of "Babesia sp. Meles-Hu1" occurred significantly more frequently in dogs often taken to forests (i.e. the preferred habitat of badgers in Hungary), than in dogs without this characteristic. Moreover, detection of DNA from this Babesia sp. was significantly associated with hunting dogs in comparison with dogs not used for hunting. Two PCR-positive dogs (in one of which the DNA of the badger-associated Babesia sp. was identified, whereas in the other the DNA of B. canis was present) showed clinical signs of babesiosis. Engorged specimens of both I. canisuga and I. hexagonus were collected from badgers with parasitaemia, but only I. canisuga contained the DNA of "Babesia sp. Meles-Hu1". This means a significant association of the DNA from "Babesia sp. Meles-Hu1" with I. canisuga. Phylogenetically, "Babesia sp. Meles-Hu1" belonged to the "B. microti" group. This is the first detection of the DNA from a badger

Modelling the impact of vaccination on tuberculosis in badgers.

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Hardstaff, J L; Bulling, M T; Marion, G; Hutchings, M R; White, P C L

2013-07-01

Tuberculosis (TB) in livestock, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, persists in many countries. In Britain, efforts to control TB through the culling of badgers (Meles meles), the principal wildlife host, have so far been unsuccessful, and there is significant interest in vaccination of badgers as an alternative or complementary strategy [corrected]. Using a simulation model, we show that where TB is self-contained within the badger population and there are no external sources of infection, limited-duration vaccination at a high level of efficacy can reduce or even eradicate TB from the badger population. However, where sources of external infection persist, benefits in TB reduction in badgers can only be achieved by ongoing, annual vaccination. Vaccination is likely to be most effective as part of an integrated disease management strategy incorporating a number of different approaches across the entire host community.

Mouthing off about developmental stress : Individuality of palate marking in the European badger and its relationship with juvenile parasitoses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nouvellet, P.; Buesching, C. D.; Dugdale, H. L.; Newman, C.; Macdonald, D. W.

Fluctuating asymmetry has become a common measure of developmental instability (the inability of individuals to buffer their development from environmental stresses). Here we investigate the symmetry of palatine marking (maculation) in the European badger Meles meles, with regard to the

Population estimation and trappability of the European badger (Meles meles: implications for tuberculosis management.

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Andrew W Byrne

Full Text Available Estimates of population size and trappability inform vaccine efficacy modelling and are required for adaptive management during prolonged wildlife vaccination campaigns. We present an analysis of mark-recapture data from a badger vaccine (Bacille Calmette-Guérin study in Ireland. This study is the largest scale (755 km(2 mark-recapture study ever undertaken with this species. The study area was divided into three approximately equal-sized zones, each with similar survey and capture effort. A mean badger population size of 671 (SD: 76 was estimated using a closed-subpopulation model (CSpM based on data from capturing sessions of the entire area and was consistent with a separate multiplicative model. Minimum number alive estimates calculated from the same data were on average 49-51% smaller than the CSpM estimates, but these are considered severely negatively biased when trappability is low. Population densities derived from the CSpM estimates were 0.82-1.06 badgers km(-2, and broadly consistent with previous reports for an adjacent area. Mean trappability was estimated to be 34-35% per session across the population. By the fifth capture session, 79% of the adult badgers caught had been marked previously. Multivariable modelling suggested significant differences in badger trappability depending on zone, season and age-class. There were more putatively trap-wary badgers identified in the population than trap-happy badgers, but wariness was not related to individual's sex, zone or season of capture. Live-trapping efficacy can vary significantly amongst sites, seasons, age, or personality, hence monitoring of trappability is recommended as part of an adaptive management regime during large-scale wildlife vaccination programs to counter biases and to improve efficiencies.

Lethal distemper in badgers (Meles meles) following epidemic in dogs and wolves.

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Di Sabatino, Daria; Di Francesco, Gabriella; Zaccaria, Guendalina; Malatesta, Daniela; Brugnola, Luca; Marcacci, Maurilia; Portanti, Ottavio; De Massis, Fabrizio; Savini, Giovanni; Teodori, Liana; Ruggieri, Enzo; Mangone, Iolanda; Badagliacca, Pietro; Lorusso, Alessio

2016-12-01

Canine distemper virus (CDV) represents an important conservation threat to many wild carnivores. A large distemper epidemic sustained by an Arctic-lineage strain occurred in Italy in 2013, mainly in the Abruzzi region, causing overt disease in domestic and shepherd dogs, Apennine wolves (Canis lupus) and other wild carnivores. Two badgers were collected by the end of September 2015 in a rural area of the Abruzzi region and were demonstrated to be CDV-positive by real time RT-PCR and IHC in several tissues. The genome of CDV isolates from badgers showed Y549H substitution in the mature H protein. By employing all publicly available Arctic-lineage H protein encoding gene sequences, six amino acid changes in recent Italian strains with respect to Italian strains of dogs from 2000 to 2008, were observed. A CDV strain belonging to the European-wildlife lineage was also identified in a fox found dead in the same region in 2016, proving co-circulation of an additional CDV lineage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theobromine intoxication in a red fox and a European badger in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansson, D S; Galgan, V; Schubert, B; Segerstad, C H

2001-04-01

A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and a European badger (Meles meles) were found dead on a golf-course in October 1997 near Stockholm (Sweden). At necropsy, both animals were obese and the main finding was acute circulatory collapse. Theobromine intoxication was suspected as chocolate waste was available at a nearby farm and no other cause of death could be detected. Gastric contents and samples of liver from both animals were analyzed by reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography for the presence of methylxanthines. Theobromine and caffeine were detected in gastric contents and theobromine was identified in the liver samples from both animals. This appears to be the first report of theobromine intoxication in the red fox and the European badger.

Diet of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles in an area of the Italian Prealps

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Monica Marassi

2002-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Samples of Eurasian badger faeces (n= 147 were collected at monthly intervals from October 1997 to December 1999 in an area of the Italian Prealps (58 km², on the eastern coast of Lario (Como Lake. The altitude of the area ranged from 200 to 1300 m. Badger scats were analysed to estimate the relative volume and the frequency of occurrence of identifiable food items. Fruits, arthropodes, earthworms and mammals constituted the main food categories. Differences were found between the seasonal frequency of occurrences of arthropodes, earthworms and mammals, considering however that the small sample size in summer does not allow any definitive conclusions. The wide range of food items eaten by badgers and the seasonal differences would suggest that the badger is a "generalist" species which adopts an opportunist feeding strategy.

Dynamics of a local badger (Meles meles) population in the Netherlands over the years 1983-2001

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Apeldoorn, van R.C.; Vink, J.; Matyástík, T.

2006-01-01

Long-term data on badger population dynamics are scarce. For 19 years data on badger and sett numbers were collected by direct observation of a Local population in the province of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Analysis of these data show two different patterns of population growth. The first shows a

Effects of habitat fragmentation on the Eurasian badger (Meles meles subpopulations in Denmark

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Cino Pertoldi

2001-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Genetic variation in five populations of the Eurasian badger from Denmark was screened, using the hyper-variable minisatellite DNA probe 33.15. Very low genetic variability was found within populations. This lack of variability could be related to the fragmentation of the Danish landscape which reduces the effective population size of local populations and the gene flow between different subpopulations. The present paper discusses the possibility of managing the Danish badger subpopulations as a metapopulation.

Distemper virus as a cause of central nervous disease and death in badgers (Meles meles) in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammer, Anne Sofie; Dietz, H. H.; Andersen, T. H.

2004-01-01

During the summer of 2002 a distemper-like disease was observed in the free-ranging badger population in Denmark. It was characterised by grand seizures, abnormal behaviour and death; the badgers all had severe chronic pneumonia and some had non-suppurative encephalomyelitis. in this study, eight...... of the affected badgers were examined by gross pathological, histological, immunohistological, bacteriological, parasitological and virological methods, and were diagnosed with distemper; canine distemper virus was identified....

Super-ranging. A new ranging strategy in European badgers.

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Aoibheann Gaughran

Full Text Available We monitored the ranging of a wild European badger (Meles meles population over 7 years using GPS tracking collars. Badger range sizes varied seasonally and reached their maximum in June, July and August. We analysed the summer ranging behaviour, using 83 home range estimates from 48 individuals over 6974 collar-nights. We found that while most adult badgers (males and females remained within their own traditional social group boundaries, several male badgers (on average 22% regularly ranged beyond these traditional boundaries. These adult males frequently ranged throughout two (or more social group's traditional territories and had extremely large home ranges. We therefore refer to them as super-rangers. While ranging across traditional boundaries has been recorded over short periods of time for extraterritorial mating and foraging forays, or for pre-dispersal exploration, the animals in this study maintained their super-ranges from 2 to 36 months. This study represents the first time such long-term extra-territorial ranging has been described for European badgers. Holding a super-range may confer an advantage in access to breeding females, but could also affect local interaction networks. In Ireland & the UK, badgers act as a wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (TB. Super-ranging may facilitate the spread of disease by increasing both direct interactions between conspecifics, particularly across social groups, and indirect interactions with cattle in their shared environment. Understanding super-ranging behaviour may both improve our understanding of tuberculosis epidemiology and inform future control strategies.

BCG vaccination reduces risk of tuberculosis infection in vaccinated badgers and unvaccinated badger cubs.

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Stephen P Carter

Full Text Available Wildlife is a global source of endemic and emerging infectious diseases. The control of tuberculosis (TB in cattle in Britain and Ireland is hindered by persistent infection in wild badgers (Meles meles. Vaccination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG has been shown to reduce the severity and progression of experimentally induced TB in captive badgers. Analysis of data from a four-year clinical field study, conducted at the social group level, suggested a similar, direct protective effect of BCG in a wild badger population. Here we present new evidence from the same study identifying both a direct beneficial effect of vaccination in individual badgers and an indirect protective effect in unvaccinated cubs. We show that intramuscular injection of BCG reduced by 76% (Odds ratio = 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI 0.11-0.52 the risk of free-living vaccinated individuals testing positive to a diagnostic test combination to detect progressive infection. A more sensitive panel of tests for the detection of infection per se identified a reduction of 54% (Odds ratio = 0.46, 95% CI 0.26-0.88 in the risk of a positive result following vaccination. In addition, we show the risk of unvaccinated badger cubs, but not adults, testing positive to an even more sensitive panel of diagnostic tests decreased significantly as the proportion of vaccinated individuals in their social group increased (Odds ratio = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.76; P = 0.03. When more than a third of their social group had been vaccinated, the risk to unvaccinated cubs was reduced by 79% (Odds ratio = 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.81; P = 0.02.

Diagnostic accuracy and optimal use of three tests for tuberculosis in live badgers.

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Julian A Drewe

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB due to infection with Mycobacterium bovis is notoriously difficult in live animals, yet important if we are to understand the epidemiology of TB and devise effective strategies to limit its spread. Currently available tests for diagnosing TB in live Eurasian badgers (Meles meles remain unvalidated against a reliable gold standard. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and optimal use of three tests for TB in badgers in the absence of a gold standard. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A Bayesian approach was used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and optimal use of mycobacterial culture, gamma-interferon assay and a commercially available serological test using multiple samples collected from 305 live wild badgers. Although no single test was judged to be sufficiently sensitive and specific to be used as a sole diagnostic method, selective combined use of the three tests allowed guidelines to be formulated that allow a diagnosis to be made for individual animals with an estimated overall accuracy of 93% (range: 75% to 97%. Employing this approach in the study population of badgers resulted in approximately 13 out of 14 animals having their true infection status correctly classified from samples collected on a single capture. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This method of interpretation represents a marked improvement on the current procedure for diagnosing M. bovis infection in live badgers. The results should be of use to inform future test and intervention strategies with the aim of reducing the incidence of TB in free-living wild badger populations.

Impact of external sources of infection on the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis in modelled badger populations

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Hardstaff Joanne L

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The persistence of bovine TB (bTB in various countries throughout the world is enhanced by the existence of wildlife hosts for the infection. In Britain and Ireland, the principal wildlife host for bTB is the badger (Meles meles. The objective of our study was to examine the dynamics of bTB in badgers in relation to both badger-derived infection from within the population and externally-derived, trickle-type, infection, such as could occur from other species or environmental sources, using a spatial stochastic simulation model. Results The presence of external sources of infection can increase mean prevalence and reduce the threshold group size for disease persistence. Above the threshold equilibrium group size of 6–8 individuals predicted by the model for bTB persistence in badgers based on internal infection alone, external sources of infection have relatively little impact on the persistence or level of disease. However, within a critical range of group sizes just below this threshold level, external infection becomes much more important in determining disease dynamics. Within this critical range, external infection increases the ratio of intra- to inter-group infections due to the greater probability of external infections entering fully-susceptible groups. The effect is to enable bTB persistence and increase bTB prevalence in badger populations which would not be able to maintain bTB based on internal infection alone. Conclusions External sources of bTB infection can contribute to the persistence of bTB in badger populations. In high-density badger populations, internal badger-derived infections occur at a sufficient rate that the additional effect of external sources in exacerbating disease is minimal. However, in lower-density populations, external sources of infection are much more important in enhancing bTB prevalence and persistence. In such circumstances, it is particularly important that control strategies to

Impact of external sources of infection on the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis in modelled badger populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardstaff, Joanne L; Bulling, Mark T; Marion, Glenn; Hutchings, Michael R; White, Piran C L

2012-06-27

The persistence of bovine TB (bTB) in various countries throughout the world is enhanced by the existence of wildlife hosts for the infection. In Britain and Ireland, the principal wildlife host for bTB is the badger (Meles meles). The objective of our study was to examine the dynamics of bTB in badgers in relation to both badger-derived infection from within the population and externally-derived, trickle-type, infection, such as could occur from other species or environmental sources, using a spatial stochastic simulation model. The presence of external sources of infection can increase mean prevalence and reduce the threshold group size for disease persistence. Above the threshold equilibrium group size of 6-8 individuals predicted by the model for bTB persistence in badgers based on internal infection alone, external sources of infection have relatively little impact on the persistence or level of disease. However, within a critical range of group sizes just below this threshold level, external infection becomes much more important in determining disease dynamics. Within this critical range, external infection increases the ratio of intra- to inter-group infections due to the greater probability of external infections entering fully-susceptible groups. The effect is to enable bTB persistence and increase bTB prevalence in badger populations which would not be able to maintain bTB based on internal infection alone. External sources of bTB infection can contribute to the persistence of bTB in badger populations. In high-density badger populations, internal badger-derived infections occur at a sufficient rate that the additional effect of external sources in exacerbating disease is minimal. However, in lower-density populations, external sources of infection are much more important in enhancing bTB prevalence and persistence. In such circumstances, it is particularly important that control strategies to reduce bTB in badgers include efforts to minimise such

Large-scale movements in European badgers: has the tail of the movement kernel been underestimated?

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Byrne, Andrew W; Quinn, John L; O'Keeffe, James J; Green, Stuart; Sleeman, D Paddy; Martin, S Wayne; Davenport, John

2014-07-01

Characterizing patterns of animal movement is a major aim in population ecology, and yet doing so at an appropriate spatial scale remains a major challenge. Estimating the frequency and distances of movements is of particular importance when species are implicated in the transmission of zoonotic diseases. European badgers (Meles meles) are classically viewed as exhibiting limited dispersal, and yet their movements bring them into conflict with farmers due to their potential to spread bovine tuberculosis in parts of their range. Considerable uncertainty surrounds the movement potential of badgers, and this may be related to the spatial scale of previous empirical studies. We conducted a large-scale mark-recapture study (755 km(2); 2008-2012; 1935 capture events; 963 badgers) to investigate movement patterns in badgers, and undertook a comparative meta-analysis using published data from 15 European populations. The dispersal movement (>1 km) kernel followed an inverse power-law function, with a substantial 'tail' indicating the occurrence of rare long-distance dispersal attempts during the study period. The mean recorded distance from this distribution was 2.6 km, the 95 percentile was 7.3 km and the longest recorded was 22.1 km. Dispersal frequency distributions were significantly different between genders; males dispersed more frequently than females, but females made proportionally more long-distance dispersal attempts than males. We used a subsampling approach to demonstrate that the appropriate minimum spatial scale to characterize badger movements in our study population was 80 km(2), substantially larger than many previous badger studies. Furthermore, the meta-analysis indicated a significant association between maximum movement distance and study area size, while controlling for population density. Maximum long-distance movements were often only recorded by chance beyond the boundaries of study areas. These findings suggest that the tail of the badger

Pathogenesis of Mycobacterium bovis Infection: the Badger Model As a Paradigm for Understanding Tuberculosis in Animals

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Eamonn Gormley

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Tuberculosis in animals is caused principally by infection with Mycobacterium bovis and the potential for transmission of infection to humans is often the fundamental driver for surveillance of disease in livestock and wild animals. However, with such a vast array of species susceptible to infection, it is often extremely difficult to gain a detailed understanding of the pathogenesis of infection––a key component of the epidemiology in all affected species. This is important because the development of disease control strategies in animals is determined chiefly by an understanding of the epidemiology of the disease. The most revealing data from which to formulate theories on pathogenesis are that observed in susceptible hosts infected by natural transmission. These data are gathered from detailed studies of the distribution of gross and histological lesions, and the presence and distribution of infection as determined by highly sensitive bacteriology procedures. The information can also be used to establish the baseline for evaluating experimental model systems. The European badger (Meles meles is one of a very small number of wild animal hosts where detailed knowledge of the pathogenesis of M. bovis infection has been generated from observations in natural-infected animals. By drawing parallels from other animal species, an experimental badger infection model has also been established where infection of the lower respiratory tract mimics infection and the disease observed in natural-infected badgers. This has facilitated the development of diagnostic tests and testing of vaccines that have the potential to control the disease in badgers. In this review, we highlight the fundamental principles of how detailed knowledge of pathogenesis can be used to evaluate specific intervention strategies, and how the badger model may be a paradigm for understanding pathogenesis of tuberculosis in any affected wild animal species.

First report of Troglotrema acutum (Digenea, Troglotrematidae) in the Eurasian badger Meles meles in the Iberian Peninsula and presumptive lesions caused in the host

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ribas, Alexis; Molina-Vacas, G.; Boadella, M.; Rodríguez-Teijeiro, J. D.; Fernández-Cardo, R.; Arrizabalaga, A.

2012-01-01

Roč. 86, č. 2 (2012), s. 222-227 ISSN 0022-149X Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : Eurasian badger * parasites * Iberian Peninsula Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.157, year: 2012

Prediction of a Large-Gap and Switchable Kane-Mele Quantum Spin Hall Insulator

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Marrazzo, Antimo; Gibertini, Marco; Campi, Davide; Mounet, Nicolas; Marzari, Nicola

2018-03-01

Fundamental research and technological applications of topological insulators are hindered by the rarity of materials exhibiting a robust topologically nontrivial phase, especially in two dimensions. Here, by means of extensive first-principles calculations, we propose a novel quantum spin Hall insulator with a sizable band gap of ˜0.5 eV that is a monolayer of jacutingaite, a naturally occurring layered mineral first discovered in 2008 in Brazil and recently synthesized. This system realizes the paradigmatic Kane-Mele model for quantum spin Hall insulators in a potentially exfoliable two-dimensional monolayer, with helical edge states that are robust and that can be manipulated exploiting a unique strong interplay between spin-orbit coupling, crystal-symmetry breaking, and dielectric response.

The topological Anderson insulator phase in the Kane-Mele model

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, Christoph P.; Sekera, Tibor; Bruder, Christoph; Schmidt, Thomas L.

2016-04-01

It has been proposed that adding disorder to a topologically trivial mercury telluride/cadmium telluride (HgTe/CdTe) quantum well can induce a transition to a topologically nontrivial state. The resulting state was termed topological Anderson insulator and was found in computer simulations of the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model. Here, we show that the topological Anderson insulator is a more universal phenomenon and also appears in the Kane-Mele model of topological insulators on a honeycomb lattice. We numerically investigate the interplay of the relevant parameters, and establish the parameter range in which the topological Anderson insulator exists. A staggered sublattice potential turns out to be a necessary condition for the transition to the topological Anderson insulator. For weak enough disorder, a calculation based on the lowest-order Born approximation reproduces quantitatively the numerical data. Our results thus considerably increase the number of candidate materials for the topological Anderson insulator phase.

The effect of badger culling on breakdown prolongation and recurrence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle herds in Great Britain.

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Katerina Karolemeas

Full Text Available Bovine tuberculosis is endemic in cattle herds in Great Britain, with a substantial economic impact. A reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis within the Eurasian badger (Meles meles population is thought to have hindered disease control. Cattle herd incidents, termed breakdowns, that are either 'prolonged' (lasting ≥ 240 days or 'recurrent' (with another breakdown within a specified time period may be important foci for onward spread of infection. They drain veterinary resources and can be demoralising for farmers. Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT data were re-analysed to examine the effects of two culling strategies on breakdown prolongation and recurrence, during and after culling, using a Bayesian hierarchical model. Separate effect estimates were obtained for the 'core' trial areas (where culling occurred and the 'buffer' zones (up to 2 km outside of the core areas. For breakdowns that started during the culling period, 'reactive' (localised culling was associated with marginally increased odds of prolongation, with an odds ratio (OR of 1.7 (95% credible interval [CI] 1.1-2.4 within the core areas. This effect was not present after the culling ceased. There was no notable effect of 'proactive' culling on prolongation. In contrast, reactive culling had no effect on breakdown recurrence, though there was evidence of a reduced risk of recurrence in proactive core areas during the culling period (ORs and 95% CIs: 0.82 (0.64-1.0 and 0.69 (0.54-0.86 for 24- and 36-month recurrence respectively. Again these effects were not present after the culling ceased. There seemed to be no effect of culling on breakdown prolongation or recurrence in the buffer zones. These results suggest that the RBCT badger culling strategies are unlikely to reduce either the prolongation or recurrence of breakdowns in the long term, and that reactive strategies (such as employed during the RBCT are, if anything, likely to impact detrimentally on breakdown persistence.

Wildlife disease ecology from the individual to the population: Insights from a long-term study of a naturally infected European badger population.

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McDonald, Jenni L; Robertson, Andrew; Silk, Matthew J

2018-01-01

Long-term individual-based datasets on host-pathogen systems are a rare and valuable resource for understanding the infectious disease dynamics in wildlife. A study of European badgers (Meles meles) naturally infected with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) at Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire (UK) has produced a unique dataset, facilitating investigation of a diverse range of epidemiological and ecological questions with implications for disease management. Since the 1970s, this badger population has been monitored with a systematic mark-recapture regime yielding a dataset of >15,000 captures of >3,000 individuals, providing detailed individual life-history, morphometric, genetic, reproductive and disease data. The annual prevalence of bTB in the Woodchester Park badger population exhibits no straightforward relationship with population density, and both the incidence and prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis show marked variation in space. The study has revealed phenotypic traits that are critical for understanding the social structure of badger populations along with mechanisms vital for understanding disease spread at different spatial resolutions. Woodchester-based studies have provided key insights into how host ecology can influence infection at different spatial and temporal scales. Specifically, it has revealed heterogeneity in epidemiological parameters; intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting population dynamics; provided insights into senescence and individual life histories; and revealed consistent individual variation in foraging patterns, refuge use and social interactions. An improved understanding of ecological and epidemiological processes is imperative for effective disease management. Woodchester Park research has provided information of direct relevance to bTB management, and a better appreciation of the role of individual heterogeneity in disease transmission can contribute further in this regard. The Woodchester Park study system now offers a rare

MHC class II-assortative mate choice in European badgers (Meles meles)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sin, Yung Wa; Annavi, Geetha; Newman, Chris; Buesching, Christina D.; Burke, Terry; Macdonald, David W.; Dugdale, Hannah

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a crucial role in the immune system, and in some species, it is a target by which individuals choose mates to optimize the fitness of their offspring, potentially mediated by olfactory cues. Under the genetic compatibility hypothesis, individuals are

Innovative Techniques for Estimating Illegal Activities in a Human-Wildlife-Management Conflict

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Cross, Paul; St. John, Freya A. V.; Khan, Saira; Petroczi, Andrea

2013-01-01

Effective management of biological resources is contingent upon stakeholder compliance with rules. With respect to disease management, partial compliance can undermine attempts to control diseases within human and wildlife populations. Estimating non-compliance is notoriously problematic as rule-breakers may be disinclined to admit to transgressions. However, reliable estimates of rule-breaking are critical to policy design. The European badger (Meles meles) is considered an important vector in the transmission and maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle herds. Land managers in high bTB prevalence areas of the UK can cull badgers under license. However, badgers are also known to be killed illegally. The extent of illegal badger killing is currently unknown. Herein we report on the application of three innovative techniques (Randomized Response Technique (RRT); projective questioning (PQ); brief implicit association test (BIAT)) for investigating illegal badger killing by livestock farmers across Wales. RRT estimated that 10.4% of farmers killed badgers in the 12 months preceding the study. Projective questioning responses and implicit associations relate to farmers' badger killing behavior reported via RRT. Studies evaluating the efficacy of mammal vector culling and vaccination programs should incorporate estimates of non-compliance. Mitigating the conflict concerning badgers as a vector of bTB requires cross-disciplinary scientific research, departure from deep-rooted positions, and the political will to implement evidence-based management. PMID:23341973

Innovative techniques for estimating illegal activities in a human-wildlife-management conflict.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Cross

Full Text Available Effective management of biological resources is contingent upon stakeholder compliance with rules. With respect to disease management, partial compliance can undermine attempts to control diseases within human and wildlife populations. Estimating non-compliance is notoriously problematic as rule-breakers may be disinclined to admit to transgressions. However, reliable estimates of rule-breaking are critical to policy design. The European badger (Meles meles is considered an important vector in the transmission and maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (bTB in cattle herds. Land managers in high bTB prevalence areas of the UK can cull badgers under license. However, badgers are also known to be killed illegally. The extent of illegal badger killing is currently unknown. Herein we report on the application of three innovative techniques (Randomized Response Technique (RRT; projective questioning (PQ; brief implicit association test (BIAT for investigating illegal badger killing by livestock farmers across Wales. RRT estimated that 10.4% of farmers killed badgers in the 12 months preceding the study. Projective questioning responses and implicit associations relate to farmers' badger killing behavior reported via RRT. Studies evaluating the efficacy of mammal vector culling and vaccination programs should incorporate estimates of non-compliance. Mitigating the conflict concerning badgers as a vector of bTB requires cross-disciplinary scientific research, departure from deep-rooted positions, and the political will to implement evidence-based management.

Innovative techniques for estimating illegal activities in a human-wildlife-management conflict.

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Paul; St John, Freya A V; Khan, Saira; Petroczi, Andrea

2013-01-01

Effective management of biological resources is contingent upon stakeholder compliance with rules. With respect to disease management, partial compliance can undermine attempts to control diseases within human and wildlife populations. Estimating non-compliance is notoriously problematic as rule-breakers may be disinclined to admit to transgressions. However, reliable estimates of rule-breaking are critical to policy design. The European badger (Meles meles) is considered an important vector in the transmission and maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle herds. Land managers in high bTB prevalence areas of the UK can cull badgers under license. However, badgers are also known to be killed illegally. The extent of illegal badger killing is currently unknown. Herein we report on the application of three innovative techniques (Randomized Response Technique (RRT); projective questioning (PQ); brief implicit association test (BIAT)) for investigating illegal badger killing by livestock farmers across Wales. RRT estimated that 10.4% of farmers killed badgers in the 12 months preceding the study. Projective questioning responses and implicit associations relate to farmers' badger killing behavior reported via RRT. Studies evaluating the efficacy of mammal vector culling and vaccination programs should incorporate estimates of non-compliance. Mitigating the conflict concerning badgers as a vector of bTB requires cross-disciplinary scientific research, departure from deep-rooted positions, and the political will to implement evidence-based management.

Emergent Chiral Spin State in the Mott Phase of a Bosonic Kane-Mele-Hubbard Model

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Plekhanov, Kirill; Vasić, Ivana; Petrescu, Alexandru; Nirwan, Rajbir; Roux, Guillaume; Hofstetter, Walter; Le Hur, Karyn

2018-04-01

Recently, the frustrated X Y model for spins 1 /2 on the honeycomb lattice has attracted a lot of attention in relation with the possibility to realize a chiral spin liquid state. This model is relevant to the physics of some quantum magnets. Using the flexibility of ultracold atom setups, we propose an alternative way to realize this model through the Mott regime of the bosonic Kane-Mele-Hubbard model. The phase diagram of this model is derived using bosonic dynamical mean-field theory. Focusing on the Mott phase, we investigate its magnetic properties as a function of frustration. We do find an emergent chiral spin state in the intermediate frustration regime. Using exact diagonalization we study more closely the physics of the effective frustrated X Y model and the properties of the chiral spin state. This gapped phase displays a chiral order, breaking time-reversal and parity symmetry, but is not topologically ordered (the Chern number is zero).

Evolution of MHC class I genes in the European badger (Meles meles)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sin, Yung Wa; Dugdale, Hannah L.; Newman, Chris; Macdonald, David W.; Burke, Terry

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a central role in the adaptive immune system and provides a good model with which to understand the evolutionary processes underlying functional genes. Trans-species polymorphism and orthology are both commonly found in MHC genes; however, mammalian

Epidemiological study on the Trichinellosis of the fox (Vulpes vulpes in Tuscany (Central Italy

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Marta Magi

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract During the years 2004-2005, 112 foxes (Vulpes vulpes and 4 badgers (Meles meles were caught in different areas of Tuscany (Central Italy and examined for Trichinella infection, using the diagnostic technique of artificial digestion through Stomacher. No animal was positive for Trichinella larvae. According to our results, Tuscany can be considered a low-risk area for trichinellosis in the fox. In this region the presence of the parasite cannot be ruled out, two cases of infection being reported in 1993. Riassunto Epidemiologia della trichinellosi della volpe (Vulpes vulpes in Toscana (Italia centrale. Nel corso degli anni 2004-2005, 112 volpi (Vulpes vulpes e 4 tassi (Meles meles sono stati catturati ed esaminati per la presenza di infestione da Trichinella in differenti aree della Toscana (Italia centrale. L'indagine di laboratorio è stata condotta mediante digestione artificiale tramite Stomacher. Nessun animale è risultato positivo. Da questi risultati si può ritenere la Toscana una regione a basso rischio di infezione. La presenza del parassita non può però essere esclusa totalmente. Infatti, nel 1993 sono stati riportati due casi di infestione.

"Reversed" intraguild predation: red fox cubs killed by pine marten.

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Brzeziński, Marcin; Rodak, Lukasz; Zalewski, Andrzej

2014-01-01

Camera traps deployed at a badger Meles meles set in mixed pine forest in north-eastern Poland recorded interspecific killing of red fox Vulpes vulpes cubs by pine marten Martes martes . The vixen and her cubs settled in the set at the beginning of May 2013, and it was abandoned by the badgers shortly afterwards. Five fox cubs were recorded playing in front of the den each night. Ten days after the first recording of the foxes, a pine marten was filmed at the set; it arrived in the morning, made a reconnaissance and returned at night when the vixen was away from the set. The pine marten entered the den several times and killed at least two fox cubs. It was active at the set for about 2 h. This observation proves that red foxes are not completely safe from predation by smaller carnivores, even those considered to be subordinate species in interspecific competition.

Oral vaccination of guinea pigs with a Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine in a lipid matrix protects against aerosol infection with virulent M. bovis.

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Clark, Simon; Cross, Martin L; Nadian, Allan; Vipond, Julia; Court, Pinar; Williams, Ann; Hewinson, R Glyn; Aldwell, Frank E; Chambers, Mark A

2008-08-01

Increased incidence of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis is a cause of considerable economic loss to farmers and the government. The Eurasian badger (Meles meles) represents a wildlife source of recurrent M. bovis infections of cattle in the United Kingdom, and its vaccination against TB with M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is an attractive disease control option. Delivery of BCG in oral bait holds the best prospect for vaccinating badgers over a wide geographical area. Using a guinea pig pulmonary challenge model, we evaluated the protective efficacy of candidate badger oral vaccines, based on broth-grown or ball-milled BCG, delivered either as aqueous suspensions or formulated in two lipids with differing fatty acid profiles (one being animal derived and the other being vegetable derived). Protection was determined in terms of increasing body weight after aerosol challenge with virulent M. bovis, reduced dissemination of M. bovis to the spleen, and, in the case of one oral formulation, restricted growth of M. bovis in the lungs. Only oral BCG formulated in lipid gave significant protection. These data point to the potential of the BCG-lipid formulation for further development as a tool for controlling tuberculosis in badgers.

Gauge-theoretic invariants for topological insulators: a bridge between Berry, Wess-Zumino, and Fu-Kane-Mele

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Monaco, Domenico; Tauber, Clément

2017-07-01

We establish a connection between two recently proposed approaches to the understanding of the geometric origin of the Fu-Kane-Mele invariant FKM\\in Z_2, arising in the context of two-dimensional time-reversal symmetric topological insulators. On the one hand, the Z_2 invariant can be formulated in terms of the Berry connection and the Berry curvature of the Bloch bundle of occupied states over the Brillouin torus. On the other, using techniques from the theory of bundle gerbes, it is possible to provide an expression for FKM containing the square root of the Wess-Zumino amplitude for a certain U( N)-valued field over the Brillouin torus. We link the two formulas by showing directly the equality between the above-mentioned Wess-Zumino amplitude and the Berry phase, as well as between their square roots. An essential tool of independent interest is an equivariant version of the adjoint Polyakov-Wiegmann formula for fields T^2 → U(N), of which we provide a proof employing only basic homotopy theory and circumventing the language of bundle gerbes.

Mårhundens (Nyctereutes procyonoides) føde og fødeoverlap med hjemmehørende rovdyr i Danmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Dorthe Malene Götz; Nørgaard, Louise Solveig; Jensen, Trine Hammer

2016-01-01

The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is an omnivorous carnivore from East Asia, which has been introduced in Europe. It has recently established a free-ranging population in Denmark. The dietary habits of this non-native species were examined and compared to the diet of native badger (Meles...... meles) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The raccoon dog diet was determined from undigested remains in the stomach. The examined raccoon dogs primarily originated from road kills, hunting and culling. Individuals that were caught in baited traps were excluded from the analysis. A total of 244 free......-ranging raccoon dogs were collected in 2008-2014. Only 129 of these were included in the analysis based on the cause of death. The diet of raccoon dogs comprised small mammals (56% frequency of occurrence (FO) and carcasses/unidentified materials (57% FO); invertebrates (86% FO); birds (46% FO); fruits...

Pathogen burden, co-infection and major histocompatibility complex variability in the European badger (Meles meles)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sin, Yung Wa; Annavi, Geetha; Dugdale, Hannah L.; Newman, Chris; Burke, Terry; MacDonald, David W.

2014-01-01

Pathogen-mediated selection is thought to maintain the extreme diversity in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, operating through the heterozygote advantage, rare-allele advantage and fluctuating selection mechanisms. Heterozygote advantage (i.e. recognizing and binding a wider range

A citizen science based survey method for estimating the density of urban carnivores

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Rowenna; Charman, Naomi; Karlsson, Heidi; Yarnell, Richard W.; Mill, Aileen C.; Smith, Graham C.; Tolhurst, Bryony A.

2018-01-01

Globally there are many examples of synanthropic carnivores exploiting growth in urbanisation. As carnivores can come into conflict with humans and are potential vectors of zoonotic disease, assessing densities in suburban areas and identifying factors that influence them are necessary to aid management and mitigation. However, fragmented, privately owned land restricts the use of conventional carnivore surveying techniques in these areas, requiring development of novel methods. We present a method that combines questionnaire distribution to residents with field surveys and GIS, to determine relative density of two urban carnivores in England, Great Britain. We determined the density of: red fox (Vulpes vulpes) social groups in 14, approximately 1km2 suburban areas in 8 different towns and cities; and Eurasian badger (Meles meles) social groups in three suburban areas of one city. Average relative fox group density (FGD) was 3.72 km-2, which was double the estimates for cities with resident foxes in the 1980’s. Density was comparable to an alternative estimate derived from trapping and GPS-tracking, indicating the validity of the method. However, FGD did not correlate with a national dataset based on fox sightings, indicating unreliability of the national data to determine actual densities or to extrapolate a national population estimate. Using species-specific clustering units that reflect social organisation, the method was additionally applied to suburban badgers to derive relative badger group density (BGD) for one city (Brighton, 2.41 km-2). We demonstrate that citizen science approaches can effectively obtain data to assess suburban carnivore density, however publicly derived national data sets need to be locally validated before extrapolations can be undertaken. The method we present for assessing densities of foxes and badgers in British towns and cities is also adaptable to other urban carnivores elsewhere. However this transferability is contingent on

MHC class II genes in the European badger (Meles meles) : Characterization, patterns of variation, and transcription analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sin, Yung Wa; Dugdale, Hannah L.; Newman, Chris; Macdonald, David W.; Burke, Terry

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) comprises many genes, some of which are polymorphic with numerous alleles. Sequence variation among alleles is most pronounced in exon 2 of the class II genes, which encodes the alpha 1 and beta 1 domains that form the antigen-binding site (ABS) for the

Assessment of different formulations of oral Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in rodent models for immunogenicity and protection against aerosol challenge with M. bovis.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Simon; Cross, Martin L; Smith, Alan; Court, Pinar; Vipond, Julia; Nadian, Allan; Hewinson, R Glyn; Batchelor, Hannah K; Perrie, Yvonne; Williams, Ann; Aldwell, Frank E; Chambers, Mark A

2008-10-29

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis is causing considerable economic loss to farmers and Government in the United Kingdom as its incidence is increasing. Efforts to control bTB in the UK are hampered by the infection in Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) that represent a wildlife reservoir and source of recurrent M. bovis exposure to cattle. Vaccination of badgers with the human TB vaccine, M. bovis Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), in oral bait represents a possible disease control tool and holds the best prospect for reaching badger populations over a wide geographical area. Using mouse and guinea pig models, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy, respectively, of candidate badger oral vaccines based on formulation of BCG in lipid matrix, alginate beads, or a novel microcapsular hybrid of both lipid and alginate. Two different oral doses of BCG were evaluated in each formulation for their protective efficacy in guinea pigs, while a single dose was evaluated in mice. In mice, significant immune responses (based on lymphocyte proliferation and expression of IFN-gamma) were only seen with the lipid matrix and the lipid in alginate microcapsular formulation, corresponding to the isolation of viable BCG from alimentary tract lymph nodes. In guinea pigs, only BCG formulated in lipid matrix conferred protection to the spleen and lungs following aerosol route challenge with M. bovis. Protection was seen with delivery doses in the range 10(6)-10(7) CFU, although this was more consistent in the spleen at the higher dose. No protection in terms of organ CFU was seen with BCG administered in alginate beads or in lipid in alginate microcapsules, although 10(7) in the latter formulation conferred protection in terms of increasing body weight after challenge and a smaller lung to body weight ratio at necropsy. These results highlight the potential for lipid, rather than alginate, -based vaccine formulations as suitable delivery

Contact networks structured by sex underpin sex-specific epidemiology of infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Silk, Matthew J; Weber, Nicola L; Steward, Lucy C; Hodgson, David J; Boots, Mike; Croft, Darren P; Delahay, Richard J; McDonald, Robbie A

2018-02-01

Contact networks are fundamental to the transmission of infection and host sex often affects the acquisition and progression of infection. However, the epidemiological impacts of sex-related variation in animal contact networks have rarely been investigated. We test the hypothesis that sex-biases in infection are related to variation in multilayer contact networks structured by sex in a population of European badgers Meles meles naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis. Our key results are that male-male and between-sex networks are structured at broader spatial scales than female-female networks and that in male-male and between-sex contact networks, but not female-female networks, there is a significant relationship between infection and contacts with individuals in other groups. These sex differences in social behaviour may underpin male-biased acquisition of infection and may result in males being responsible for more between-group transmission. This highlights the importance of sex-related variation in host behaviour when managing animal diseases. © 2017 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by CNRS and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Traffic mortality and the role of minor roads.

Science.gov (United States)

van Langevelde, Frank; van Dooremalen, Coby; Jaarsma, Catharinus F

2009-01-01

Roads have large impacts on wildlife, as they form one of the principal causes of mortality, and disturbance and fragmentation of habitat. These impacts are mainly studied and mitigated on major roads. It is, however, a widespread misconception that most animals are killed on major roads. In this paper, we argue that minor roads have a larger impact on wildlife with respect to habitat destruction, noise load and traffic mortality. We use data on traffic related deaths in badgers (Meles meles) in The Netherlands to illustrate that traffic mortality is higher on minor roads. We ask for a more extensive investigation of the environmental impacts of minor roads. Moreover, we argue that the success of mitigation on roads drastically increases when both major and minor roads are integrated in the planning of traffic flows. Therefore, we propose a strategy based on the concept of a "traffic-calmed area". Traffic-calmed areas create opportunities for wildlife by decreasing limitations for animal movement. We ask for further studies to estimate what size traffic-calmed areas should be to maintain minimum viable animal populations.

Neighbouring-group composition and within-group relatedness drive extra-group paternity rate in the European badger (Meles meles)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Annavi, G.; Newman, C.; Dugdale, H. L.; Buesching, C. D.; Sin, Y. W.; Burke, T.; Macdonald, D. W.

2014-01-01

Extra-group paternity (EGP) occurs commonly among group-living mammals and plays an important role in mating systems and the dynamics of sexual selection; however, socio-ecological and genetic correlates of EGP have been underexplored. We use 23years of demographic and genetic data from a

Heterozygosity-fitness correlations in a wild mammal population: accounting for parental and environmental effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Annavi, Geetha; Newman, Christopher; Buesching, Christina D; Macdonald, David W; Burke, Terry; Dugdale, Hannah L

2014-06-01

HFCs (heterozygosity-fitness correlations) measure the direct relationship between an individual's genetic diversity and fitness. The effects of parental heterozygosity and the environment on HFCs are currently under-researched. We investigated these in a high-density U.K. population of European badgers (Meles meles), using a multimodel capture-mark-recapture framework and 35 microsatellite loci. We detected interannual variation in first-year, but not adult, survival probability. Adult females had higher annual survival probabilities than adult males. Cubs with more heterozygous fathers had higher first-year survival, but only in wetter summers; there was no relationship with individual or maternal heterozygosity. Moist soil conditions enhance badger food supply (earthworms), improving survival. In dryer years, higher indiscriminate mortality rates appear to mask differential heterozygosity-related survival effects. This paternal interaction was significant in the most supported model; however, the model-averaged estimate had a relative importance of 0.50 and overlapped zero slightly. First-year survival probabilities were not correlated with the inbreeding coefficient (f); however, small sample sizes limited the power to detect inbreeding depression. Correlations between individual heterozygosity and inbreeding were weak, in line with published meta-analyses showing that HFCs tend to be weak. We found support for general rather than local heterozygosity effects on first-year survival probability, and g2 indicated that our markers had power to detect inbreeding. We emphasize the importance of assessing how environmental stressors can influence the magnitude and direction of HFCs and of considering how parental genetic diversity can affect fitness-related traits, which could play an important role in the evolution of mate choice.

Local feeding specialization of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes in response to eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus introduction (NW Italy

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Alessandro Balestrieri

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract To appreciate the influence of the introduction of the Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus on the food habits of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes, between June 1998 and February 2000 fox diet was investigated by means of scat analysis (N=115 in a 250 ha wide Natural Reserve of NW Italy, and compared with data collected in the same area prior to cottontail colonization (1988-1989. Comparison included also the diet of badgers (Meles meles, considered as potential competitors for food resources. Alien lagomorphs (mean percent volume, Vm% = 68% represented by far the most exploited resource, only three other food items reaching values of mean percent volume barely higher than 5%. Cottontails frequency of occurrence did not vary according either to season or to their reproductive cycle (II-IX vs. X-I, whilst diet niche breadth varied inversely proportional to the use of this key-resource. Overall fox trophic niche breadth varied from 0.64 in 1988-89 to 0.31 in 1998-00 (B, Levin’s index. These findings led us to consider the feeding habits of the fox in the study area as a result of local specialization of a typical generalist carnivore, according to the predictions of optimal foraging theory. No variation occurred in the badger niche breadth since cottontail introduction, whilst niche overlap between foxes and badgers decreased from 0.59 to 0.13 (O, Pianka’s index, possibly reducing competition for food in summer. Riassunto Specializzazione alimentare a livello locale della Volpe Vulpes vulpes in risposta all’introduzione del Silvilago Sylvilagus floridanus (Italia nord occidentale. Per valutare gli effetti dell’introduzione del Silvilago (Sylvilagus floridanus sul comportamento alimentare della volpe (Vulpes vulpes, nel periodo giugno 1998-febbraio 2000, la dieta del carnivoro è stata definita tramite l’analisi di 115

Age-related declines and disease-associated variation in immune cell telomere length in a wild mammal.

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Christopher Beirne

Full Text Available Immunosenescence, the deterioration of immune system capability with age, may play a key role in mediating age-related declines in whole-organism performance, but the mechanisms that underpin immunosenescence are poorly understood. Biomedical research on humans and laboratory models has documented age and disease related declines in the telomere lengths of leukocytes ('immune cells', stimulating interest their having a potentially general role in the emergence of immunosenescent phenotypes. However, it is unknown whether such observations generalise to the immune cell populations of wild vertebrates living under ecologically realistic conditions. Here we examine longitudinal changes in the mean telomere lengths of immune cells in wild European badgers (Meles meles. Our findings provide the first evidence of within-individual age-related declines in immune cell telomere lengths in a wild vertebrate. That the rate of age-related decline in telomere length appears to be steeper within individuals than at the overall population level raises the possibility that individuals with short immune cell telomeres and/or higher rates of immune cell telomere attrition may be selectively lost from this population. We also report evidence suggestive of associations between immune cell telomere length and bovine tuberculosis infection status, with individuals detected at the most advanced stage of infection tending to have shorter immune cell telomeres than disease positive individuals. While male European badgers are larger and show higher rates of annual mortality than females, we found no evidence of a sex difference in either mean telomere length or the average rate of within-individual telomere attrition with age. Our findings lend support to the view that age-related declines in the telomere lengths of immune cells may provide one potentially general mechanism underpinning age-related declines in immunocompetence in natural populations.

Sarcoptic mange in Swedish wildlife.

Science.gov (United States)

Mörner, T

1992-12-01

Mange caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. vulpes appeared among red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Scandinavia (south-west Finland) for the first time in this century in 1967. The disease was most probably introduced by foxes crossing the Gulf of Finland from Estonia. The mange epizootic spread northwards through Finland and reached Sweden in late 1975, when mangy foxes appeared in the northern part of the country. In 1984, mange was observed in most parts of Sweden. The disease was observed to spread rapidly in boreal areas, whereas it spread more slowly in agricultural areas. Mortality due to mange was very high. The duration of the disease before death due to emaciation has been shown experimentally to be over 90 days. An outbreak of fox mange among Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) occurred in 1986. The local population of Arctic foxes was caught and successfully treated. The following year, treated foxes were caught again and no signs of disease were found. Sporadic cases of fox mange have also been diagnosed in lynx (Lynx lynx), pine marten (Martes martes) and domestic dogs. Single cases have been observed in other species: wolf (Canis lupus), mountain hare (Lepus timidus), domestic cat and horse. No cases of sarcoptic mange have been recorded in the badger (Meles meles). At present, although fox mange occurs as an epizootic in local populations, the number of foxes has increased again in many parts of Sweden.

Brains of Native and Alien Mesocarnivores in Biomonitoring of Toxic Metals in Europe.

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Elzbieta Kalisinska

Full Text Available Mercury (Hg, lead (Pb and cadmium (Cd are involved in mammalian brain damage. However, little is known about Pb and Cd brain levels in wildlife that reflect the geochemical background. The aims of the study include the estimation of Hg, Pb and Cd concentrations, and the determination of relationships between these elements in the brains of 94 mesocarnivores. Road-killed or hunted animals were obtained from north-western Poland near the Polish-German border. The investigation covered the native Eurasian otter Lutra lutra, badger Meles meles, pine marten Martes martes, beech marten M. foina, European polecat Mustela putorius, red fox Vulpes vulpes, and alien species: feral and ranch American mink Neovison vison, raccoon Procyon lotor and raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides. Depending on the diet and environmental pollution, the carnivore brains accumulated toxic metals in varying amounts. The highest median Hg levels (in mg/kg dry weight, dw were found in the piscivorous Eurasian otter and feral mink (2.44 and 3.96, Pb in the omnivorous raccoon (0.47, while Cd in minks (~0.06. We indicated that Pb-based ammunition is a significant source of the element in scavengers from hunting area, and we also found a significant correlation between Pb and Cd levels in the fox brain. Finally, this study is the first to suggest background levels for brain Pb and Cd in mesocarnivores (<0.50 and <0.04 mg/kg dw, respectively.

Brains of Native and Alien Mesocarnivores in Biomonitoring of Toxic Metals in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalisinska, Elzbieta; Lanocha-Arendarczyk, Natalia; Kosik-Bogacka, Danuta; Budis, Halina; Podlasinska, Joanna; Popiolek, Marcin; Pirog, Agnieszka; Jedrzejewska, Ewa

2016-01-01

Mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are involved in mammalian brain damage. However, little is known about Pb and Cd brain levels in wildlife that reflect the geochemical background. The aims of the study include the estimation of Hg, Pb and Cd concentrations, and the determination of relationships between these elements in the brains of 94 mesocarnivores. Road-killed or hunted animals were obtained from north-western Poland near the Polish-German border. The investigation covered the native Eurasian otter Lutra lutra, badger Meles meles, pine marten Martes martes, beech marten M. foina, European polecat Mustela putorius, red fox Vulpes vulpes, and alien species: feral and ranch American mink Neovison vison, raccoon Procyon lotor and raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides. Depending on the diet and environmental pollution, the carnivore brains accumulated toxic metals in varying amounts. The highest median Hg levels (in mg/kg dry weight, dw) were found in the piscivorous Eurasian otter and feral mink (2.44 and 3.96), Pb in the omnivorous raccoon (0.47), while Cd in minks (~0.06). We indicated that Pb-based ammunition is a significant source of the element in scavengers from hunting area, and we also found a significant correlation between Pb and Cd levels in the fox brain. Finally, this study is the first to suggest background levels for brain Pb and Cd in mesocarnivores (<0.50 and <0.04 mg/kg dw, respectively).

Emergence of canine distemper virus strains with modified molecular signature and enhanced neuronal tropism leading to high mortality in wild carnivores.

Science.gov (United States)

Origgi, F C; Plattet, P; Sattler, U; Robert, N; Casaubon, J; Mavrot, F; Pewsner, M; Wu, N; Giovannini, S; Oevermann, A; Stoffel, M H; Gaschen, V; Segner, H; Ryser-Degiorgis, M-P

2012-11-01

An ongoing canine distemper epidemic was first detected in Switzerland in the spring of 2009. Compared to previous local canine distemper outbreaks, it was characterized by unusually high morbidity and mortality, rapid spread over the country, and susceptibility of several wild carnivore species. Here, the authors describe the associated pathologic changes and phylogenetic and biological features of a multiple highly virulent canine distemper virus (CDV) strain detected in and/or isolated from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), stone (Martes foina) and pine (Martes martes) martens, from a Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and a domestic dog. The main lesions included interstitial to bronchointerstitial pneumonia and meningopolioencephalitis, whereas demyelination--the classic presentation of CDV infection--was observed in few cases only. In the brain lesions, viral inclusions were mainly in the nuclei of the neurons. Some significant differences in brain and lung lesions were observed between foxes and mustelids. Swiss CDV isolates shared together with a Hungarian CDV strain detected in 2004. In vitro analysis of the hemagglutinin protein from one of the Swiss CDV strains revealed functional and structural differences from that of the reference strain A75/17, with the Swiss strain showing increased surface expression and binding efficiency to the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). These features might be part of a novel molecular signature, which might have contributed to an increase in virus pathogenicity, partially explaining the high morbidity and mortality, the rapid spread, and the large host spectrum observed in this outbreak.

Phylogenetic analysis of Austrian canine distemper virus strains from clinical samples from dogs and wild carnivores.

Science.gov (United States)

Benetka, V; Leschnik, M; Affenzeller, N; Möstl, K

2011-04-09

Austrian field cases of canine distemper (14 dogs, one badger [Meles meles] and one stone marten [Martes foina]) from 2002 to 2007 were investigated and the case histories were summarised briefly. Phylogenetic analysis of fusion (F) and haemagglutinin (H) gene sequences revealed different canine distemper virus (CDV) lineages circulating in Austria. The majority of CDV strains detected from 2002 to 2004 were well embedded in the European lineage. One Austrian canine sample detected in 2003, with a high similarity to Hungarian sequences from 2005 to 2006, could be assigned to the Arctic group (phocine distemper virus type 2-like). The two canine sequences from 2007 formed a clearly distinct group flanked by sequences detected previously in China and the USA on an intermediate position between the European wildlife and the Asia-1 cluster. The Austrian wildlife strains (2006 and 2007) could be assigned to the European wildlife group and were most closely related to, yet clearly different from, the 2007 canine samples. To elucidate the epidemiological role of Austrian wildlife in the transmission of the disease to dogs and vice versa, H protein residues related to receptor and host specificity (residues 530 and 549) were analysed. All samples showed the amino acids expected for their host of origin, with the exception of a canine sequence from 2007, which had an intermediate position between wildlife and canine viral strains. In the period investigated, canine strains circulating in Austria could be assigned to four different lineages reflecting both a high diversity and probably different origins of virus introduction to Austria in different years.

Long-term resource variation and group size: A large-sample field test of the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis

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Morecroft Michael D

2001-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Resource Dispersion Hypothesis (RDH proposes a mechanism for the passive formation of social groups where resources are dispersed, even in the absence of any benefits of group living per se. Despite supportive modelling, it lacks empirical testing. The RDH predicts that, rather than Territory Size (TS increasing monotonically with Group Size (GS to account for increasing metabolic needs, TS is constrained by the dispersion of resource patches, whereas GS is independently limited by their richness. We conducted multiple-year tests of these predictions using data from the long-term study of badgers Meles meles in Wytham Woods, England. The study has long failed to identify direct benefits from group living and, consequently, alternative explanations for their large group sizes have been sought. Results TS was not consistently related to resource dispersion, nor was GS consistently related to resource richness. Results differed according to data groupings and whether territories were mapped using minimum convex polygons or traditional methods. Habitats differed significantly in resource availability, but there was also evidence that food resources may be spatially aggregated within habitat types as well as between them. Conclusions This is, we believe, the largest ever test of the RDH and builds on the long-term project that initiated part of the thinking behind the hypothesis. Support for predictions were mixed and depended on year and the method used to map territory borders. We suggest that within-habitat patchiness, as well as model assumptions, should be further investigated for improved tests of the RDH in the future.

Construction and properties of a topological index for periodically driven time-reversal invariant 2D crystals

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D. Carpentier

2015-07-01

Full Text Available We present mathematical details of the construction of a topological invariant for periodically driven two-dimensional lattice systems with time-reversal symmetry and quasienergy gaps, which was proposed recently by some of us. The invariant is represented by a gap-dependent Z2-valued index that is simply related to the Kane–Mele invariants of quasienergy bands but contains an extra information. As a byproduct, we prove new expressions for the two-dimensional Kane–Mele invariant relating the latter to Wess–Zumino amplitudes and the boundary gauge anomaly.

Snapshot of Viral Infections in Wild Carnivores Reveals Ubiquity of Parvovirus and Susceptibility of Egyptian Mongoose to Feline Panleukopenia Virus

Science.gov (United States)

Duarte, Margarida D.; Henriques, Ana Margarida; Barros, Sílvia Carla; Fagulha, Teresa; Mendonça, Paula; Carvalho, Paulo; Monteiro, Madalena; Fevereiro, Miguel; Basto, Mafalda P.; Rosalino, Luís Miguel; Barros, Tânia; Bandeira, Victor; Fonseca, Carlos; Cunha, Mónica V.

2013-01-01

The exposure of wild carnivores to viral pathogens, with emphasis on parvovirus (CPV/FPLV), was assessed based on the molecular screening of tissue samples from 128 hunted or accidentally road-killed animals collected in Portugal from 2008 to 2011, including Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon, n = 99), red fox (Vulpes vulpes, n = 19), stone marten (Martes foina, n = 3), common genet (Genetta genetta, n = 3) and Eurasian badger (Meles meles, n = 4). A high prevalence of parvovirus DNA (63%) was detected among all surveyed species, particularly in mongooses (58%) and red foxes (79%), along with the presence of CPV/FPLV circulating antibodies that were identified in 90% of a subset of parvovirus-DNA positive samples. Most specimens were extensively autolysed, restricting macro and microscopic investigations for lesion evaluation. Whenever possible to examine, signs of active disease were not present, supporting the hypothesis that the parvovirus vp2 gene fragments detected by real-time PCR possibly correspond to viral DNA reminiscent from previous infections. The molecular characterization of viruses, based on the analysis of the complete or partial sequence of the vp2 gene, allowed typifying three viral strains of mongoose and four red fox’s as feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV) and one stone marten’s as newCPV-2b type. The genetic similarity found between the FPLV viruses from free-ranging and captive wild species originated in Portugal and publicly available comparable sequences, suggests a closer genetic relatedness among FPLV circulating in Portugal. Although the clinical and epidemiological significance of infection could not be established, this study evidences that exposure of sympatric wild carnivores to parvovirus is common and geographically widespread, potentially carrying a risk to susceptible populations at the wildlife-domestic interface and to threatened species, such as the wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the critically

Lung and hearth nematodes in some Spanish mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, F; Iglesias, R; Bos, J; Rey, J; Sanmartin Durán, M L

1991-01-01

Thirteen host species belonging to the orders Rodentia, Insectivora and Carnivora from various localities in Galicia (NW Spain) were examined for heart and lung parasites. The following species were found: Parastrongylus dujardini (5.5%) in Apodemus sylvaticus, Crenosoma striatum in Erinaceus europaeus (83%), Angiostrongylus vasorum, Crenosoma vulpis and Eucoleus aerophilus in Vulpes vulpes (3, 3.46 and 0.50%, respectively), Crenosoma taiga in Putorius putorius (100%) and Crenosoma sp. in Meles meles (25%). In Crocidura russula nematode larvae were found (3.3%). Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus, Talpa caeca, Sorex araneus, Genetta genetta and Canis lupus were not parasitized by lung or heart parasites.

Unine talvefestival / Mele Pesti

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Pesti, Mele, 1979-

2005-01-01

Kolmanda rahvusvahelise teatrifestivali "Talveöö unenägu" külalislavastustest : Gesher teatri esituses ja J. Arie lavastuses "Ori", Valgevene Akad. Teatri esituses A. Tshehhovi "Kirsiaia" järgi "SV" P. Adamtshikovi lavastuses, R. Lundáni "Tarbetud inimesed" KOM Teatri esituses ja Rootsi Backa teatri esituses E. Östergreni "Girlpower" M. Stenbergi lavastuses

Kiiksuga kangelased / Mele Pesti

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Pesti, Mele, 1979-

2006-01-01

USA roadmovie tüüpi sisukad mängufilmid "Väike Miss Päikesepaiste" ("Little Miss Sunshine"; režissöörid Jonathan Dayton ja Valerie Faris, peaosas 10-aastane Abigail Breslin) ja "Transamerica" ( režissöör Duncan Tucker, peaosas Felicity Huffman)

Daily activity patterns of large and medium-sized mammals based on camera traps data in the Central Forest Nature Reserve, Valdai Upland, Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey S. Ogurtsov

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Here are presented the results of the analysis of daily activity patterns obtained from the data of camera traps for five large mammals (elk Alces alces, wild boar Sus scrofa, brown bear Ursus arctos, grey wolf Canis lupus, Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and three medium ones (European badger Meles meles, raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides, mountain hare Lepus timidus for the territory of the Central Forest Nature Reserve, Valdai Upland, Russia. Data were collected in the period 2010–2017 and the trap effort was 30 158 camera days from 21 locations. Most of the mammals surveyed showed activity at night and twilight hours (71% of the pictures. The hare was most active among all and dominant at night. In many respects it is similar to the activity of a raccoon dog, which type can be defined as nocturnal too. Unlike a hare, a raccoon dog has a weak peak in the daytime and less activity in the night. Badgers movements are confined to the twilight and nighttime. The share of nocturnal activity of large ungulates such as elk and wild boar was approximately the same and amounted to about 45% of all registrations. The wild boar is slightly more active during the day and in the evening and is not active at all in the morning. The elk is active in the morning, and in the daytime and to a lesser extent in the evening. The lynx and the bear have similar cathemeral activity patterns: almost half of all their meetings occurred at daylight hours and only slightly – less than 40% – at night. The brown bear had the maximum number of registrations in the daytime among all the studied species. Despite the fact that the main object of lynx feeding in the reserve is the hare, there was no high degree of overlap between them (γˆ = 0.75. In the group of large carnivores, the wolf was noticeably distinguished, more than half of its registrations were at night, and a third – on daytime. Daily activities of the wolf and its main prey elk showed a large overlap (�

77 FR 20850 - Data Users Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting and Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-06

... users from various sectors of the U.S. economy, including the labor, business, research, academic, and... open to the public. Any questions concerning the meeting should be directed to Kathy Mele, Data Users...

78 FR 17942 - Data Users Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting and Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-25

... users from various sectors of the U.S. economy, including the labor, business, research, academic, and... open to the public. Any questions concerning the meeting should be directed to Kathy Mele, Data Users...

Kokku traageldatud Paabel / Mele Pesti

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Pesti, Mele, 1979-

2007-01-01

Mängufilm "Paabel" ("Babel") : stsenarist Guillermo Arriaga : režissöör Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu : peaosades Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Gael Garcia Bernal : Ameerika Ühendriigid - Mehhiko, 2006

MELEES - e-support or mayhem?

OpenAIRE

Hibberd, S; Litton, C; Chambers, C; Rowlett, PJ

2003-01-01

This paper reports on progress in developing a web-based environment to support non-specialist mathematics students taking University level Mathematics as a compulsory subject in their first and second years. The scale and diversity of the service teaching provision at Nottingham invites the use of a technology-based framework in order to make available the ‘good practice’ features developed both locally and elsewhere. Initially the two year development is focusing on: • establishing a suppor...

Linking bovine tuberculosis on cattle farms to white-tailed deer and environmental variables using Bayesian hierarchical analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W David Walter

Full Text Available Bovine tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis in livestock and wildlife with hosts that include Eurasian badgers (Meles meles, brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula, and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus. Risk-assessment efforts in Michigan have been initiated on farms to minimize interactions of cattle with wildlife hosts but research on M. bovis on cattle farms has not investigated the spatial context of disease epidemiology. To incorporate spatially explicit data, initial likelihood of infection probabilities for cattle farms tested for M. bovis, prevalence of M. bovis in white-tailed deer, deer density, and environmental variables for each farm were modeled in a Bayesian hierarchical framework. We used geo-referenced locations of 762 cattle farms that have been tested for M. bovis, white-tailed deer prevalence, and several environmental variables that may lead to long-term survival and viability of M. bovis on farms and surrounding habitats (i.e., soil type, habitat type. Bayesian hierarchical analyses identified deer prevalence and proportion of sandy soil within our sampling grid as the most supported model. Analysis of cattle farms tested for M. bovis identified that for every 1% increase in sandy soil resulted in an increase in odds of infection by 4%. Our analysis revealed that the influence of prevalence of M. bovis in white-tailed deer was still a concern even after considerable efforts to prevent cattle interactions with white-tailed deer through on-farm mitigation and reduction in the deer population. Cattle farms test positive for M. bovis annually in our study area suggesting that the potential for an environmental source either on farms or in the surrounding landscape may contributing to new or re-infections with M. bovis. Our research provides an initial assessment of potential environmental factors that could be incorporated into additional modeling efforts as more knowledge of deer herd

Linking bovine tuberculosis on cattle farms to white-tailed deer and environmental variables using Bayesian hierarchical analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Walter, W. David; Smith, Rick; Vanderklok, Mike; VerCauterren, Kurt C.

2014-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis in livestock and wildlife with hosts that include Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Risk-assessment efforts in Michigan have been initiated on farms to minimize interactions of cattle with wildlife hosts but research onM. bovis on cattle farms has not investigated the spatial context of disease epidemiology. To incorporate spatially explicit data, initial likelihood of infection probabilities for cattle farms tested for M. bovis, prevalence of M. bovis in white-tailed deer, deer density, and environmental variables for each farm were modeled in a Bayesian hierarchical framework. We used geo-referenced locations of 762 cattle farms that have been tested for M. bovis, white-tailed deer prevalence, and several environmental variables that may lead to long-term survival and viability of M. bovis on farms and surrounding habitats (i.e., soil type, habitat type). Bayesian hierarchical analyses identified deer prevalence and proportion of sandy soil within our sampling grid as the most supported model. Analysis of cattle farms tested for M. bovisidentified that for every 1% increase in sandy soil resulted in an increase in odds of infection by 4%. Our analysis revealed that the influence of prevalence of M. bovis in white-tailed deer was still a concern even after considerable efforts to prevent cattle interactions with white-tailed deer through on-farm mitigation and reduction in the deer population. Cattle farms test positive for M. bovis annually in our study area suggesting that the potential for an environmental source either on farms or in the surrounding landscape may contributing to new or re-infections with M. bovis. Our research provides an initial assessment of potential environmental factors that could be incorporated into additional modeling efforts as more knowledge of deer herd

CERN presentations

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2011-01-01

Presentation by CERN (10 minutes each) Rolf Landua - Education and Outreach Salvatore Mele - Open Access Jean-Yves Le Meur - Digital Library in Africa Francois Fluckiger - Open Source/Standards (tbc) Tim Smith - Open Data for Science Tullio Basiglia - tbc

Big Science and Long-tail Science

CERN Document Server

2008-01-01

Jim Downing and I were privileged to be the guests of Salavtore Mele at CERN yesterday and to see the Atlas detector of the Large Hadron Collider . This is a wow experience - although I knew it was big, I hadnt realised how big.

Scelta dell'habitat del tasso (Meles meles in un'area dell'Oltrepò pavese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Rigo

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Il presente studio è parte di una ricerca promossa dal Centro Studi Faunistica dei Vertebrati della SISN. Il progetto è iniziato nel 1999 ed è ancora in corso. L'area di studio (161 Km² si trova nella zona collinare dell'Oltrepò ed è compresa, sul reticolato cartografico UTM, tra i Km 4972 e 4960 Nord, e i Km 1505 e 1520 Est. Lo scopo principale della ricerca era di valutare l'importanza delle caratteristiche ambientali nella scelta e selezione dell'habitat del tasso, relativamente al posizionamento delle tane. Nel periodo di studio sono stati rilevati i dati ambientali su 23 punti tana (pt e 28 punti casuali (pc, successivamente inseriti in un GIS dal quale, attraverso l'analisi di carte tematiche digitalizzate, sono state ricavate diverse altre informazioni (uso del suolo, geologia, litologia, sviluppo dei corsi d'acqua, delle strade e dei centri abitati considerando aree di raggio 300 e 600 m intorno ai pt e pc. I dati raccolti sono stati oggetto d'analisi statistiche con test di confronto fra pt e pc, indice di selezione di Manly e tecniche classificatorie multivariate (regressione logistica. Le tane di tasso sono prevalentemente scavate in luoghi protetti, caratterizzati da un'elevata copertura. La differenza tra gli ambienti nei quali sono situate le tane e quelli relativi ai punti casuali si è rivelata estremamente significativa (Χ²=18.20; d.f.=1; p<0.001. L'indice di Manly indica una forte selezione per i boschi di latifoglie, quasi tutte le tane, infatti, si trovano in ambienti boschivi caratterizzati da una elevata copertura sia delle fronde degli alberi (Χ²=8.02; d.f.=2; p=0.018 che degli arbusti (Χ²=10.85; d.f.=2; p=0.004; sono invece evitati ambienti caratterizzati da un elevato sviluppo delle attività antropiche e che presentino una copertura minima o del tutto assente come campi coltivati, frutteti, zone a prato, ecc. Preferiti sono risultati i versanti esposti a sud rispetto alle altre esposizioni (Χ²=11.566; d.f.=1; p<0.001 e siti che presentino, nelle vicinanze, la presenza di castagne: risorsa trofica importante per l'animale (Χ²=6.220; d.f.=1; p=0.013. A differenza di quanto emerso in altre ricerche, il substrato geo-litologico e la distanza dai corsi d'acqua non risultano parametri statisticamente significativi, mentre un basso sviluppo delle strade, che rappresentano un disturbo ed un reale pericolo per i tassi, caratterizza i luoghi scelti per le tane. L'animale sembra prediligere, per le proprie tane, secondo quanto emerge anche dall'analisi multivariata, luoghi con un minore disturbo antropico. In conclusione, il tipo di ambiente, la copertura arborea e arbustiva, l'esposizione dei versanti, la presenza di adeguate risorse trofiche nelle vicinanze, la lontananza da strade e lo sviluppo dei centri abitati sono componenti che influenzano significativamente la presenza del tasso. Fattori geologici, litologici, e idrogeologici sono invece di scarsa importanza nell'area considerata.

78 FR 11164 - Intent To Grant an Exclusive License of U.S. Government-Owned Invention

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-15

... Specificities to Protein and Lipid Epitopes,'' to Avanti Polar Lipids with its principal place of business at 700 Industrial Park Drive, Alabaster, AL 35007. ADDRESSES: Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research and... FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For licensing issues, Dr. Paul Mele, Office of Research & Technology...

Kättpidi Keenias, peadpidi Ladina-Ameerikas / Mari Kodres

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kodres, Mari

2009-01-01

Arvustus: Pesti, Mele ; Kristjan Jansen. Mate ja miljon mahla : üheksa kuud Lõuna-Ameerikas : Argentiina, Paraguai, Boliivia, Tšiili, Brasiilia. [Kuressaare] : K. Jansen : M. Pesti, 2009 ; Vihma, Peeter. Kättpidi Keenias, ehk, Kümme lugu läbikukkunud vabatahtlikult Ida-Aafrikas. Tallinn : Eesti Ekspress, 2009

Portugalikeelse kirjanduse retseptsioon Eestis / Mele Pesti

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Pesti, Mele, 1979-

2011-01-01

Portugalikeelse kirjanduse tõlgetest ja nende vastuvõtust alates esimese tõlke ilmumisest 1890. aastal kuni 2005. aastani ning retseptsiooni pärssinud teguritest. Ülevaade kahe olulisema tõlkija Aita Kurfeldti ja Ain Kaalepi tööst

Common mental disorders among medical students in Jimma ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2017-09-03

Sep 3, 2017 ... Department of Psychiatry, College of Health Science, Jimma University, Ethiopia. 2. Laska Meles ... Cite as: Kerebih H, Ajaeb M, Hailesilassie H. Common mental disorders among medical students in Jimma University, SouthWest Ethiopia. Afri ..... Edméa FC, Margleice MR, Ana Teresa RS, Enaldo VM,.

76 FR 63910 - Notice of Availability for Exclusive, Non-Exclusive, or Partially-Exclusive Licensing of an...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-14

... July 8, 2011. The United States Government, as represented by the Secretary of the Army, has rights to... issues, Dr. Paul Mele, Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA), (301) 619- 6664, both at telefax (301) 619-5034. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The inventions related to a method of estimating human...

Effectiveness of biosecurity measures in preventing badger visits to farm buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

Judge, Johanna; McDonald, Robbie A; Walker, Neil; Delahay, Richard J

2011-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a serious and economically important disease of cattle. Badgers have been implicated in the transmission and maintenance of the disease in the UK since the 1970s. Recent studies have provided substantial evidence of widespread and frequent visits by badgers to farm buildings during which there is the potential for close direct contact with cattle and contamination of cattle feed. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of simple exclusion measures in improving farm biosecurity and preventing badger visits to farm buildings. In the first phase of the study, 32 farms were surveyed using motion-triggered infrared cameras on potential entrances to farm buildings to determine the background level of badger visits experienced by each farm. In the second phase, they were divided into four treatment groups; "Control", "Feed Storage", "Cattle Housing" and "Both", whereby no exclusion measures were installed, exclusion measures were installed on feed storage areas only, cattle housing only or both feed storage and cattle housing, respectively. Badger exclusion measures included sheet metal gates, adjustable metal panels for gates, sheet metal fencing, feed bins and electric fencing. Cameras were deployed for at least 365 nights in each phase on each farm. Badger visits to farm buildings occurred on 19 of the 32 farms in phase one. In phase two, the simple exclusion measures were 100% effective in preventing badger entry into farm buildings, as long as they were appropriately deployed. Furthermore, the installation of exclusion measures also reduced the level of badger visits to the rest of the farmyard. The findings of the present study clearly demonstrate how relatively simple practical measures can substantially reduce the likelihood of badger visits to buildings and reduce some of the potential for contact and disease transmission between badgers and cattle.

Effectiveness of biosecurity measures in preventing badger visits to farm buildings.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johanna Judge

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a serious and economically important disease of cattle. Badgers have been implicated in the transmission and maintenance of the disease in the UK since the 1970s. Recent studies have provided substantial evidence of widespread and frequent visits by badgers to farm buildings during which there is the potential for close direct contact with cattle and contamination of cattle feed. METHODOLOGY: Here we evaluated the effectiveness of simple exclusion measures in improving farm biosecurity and preventing badger visits to farm buildings. In the first phase of the study, 32 farms were surveyed using motion-triggered infrared cameras on potential entrances to farm buildings to determine the background level of badger visits experienced by each farm. In the second phase, they were divided into four treatment groups; "Control", "Feed Storage", "Cattle Housing" and "Both", whereby no exclusion measures were installed, exclusion measures were installed on feed storage areas only, cattle housing only or both feed storage and cattle housing, respectively. Badger exclusion measures included sheet metal gates, adjustable metal panels for gates, sheet metal fencing, feed bins and electric fencing. Cameras were deployed for at least 365 nights in each phase on each farm. RESULTS: Badger visits to farm buildings occurred on 19 of the 32 farms in phase one. In phase two, the simple exclusion measures were 100% effective in preventing badger entry into farm buildings, as long as they were appropriately deployed. Furthermore, the installation of exclusion measures also reduced the level of badger visits to the rest of the farmyard. The findings of the present study clearly demonstrate how relatively simple practical measures can substantially reduce the likelihood of badger visits to buildings and reduce some of the potential for contact and disease transmission between badgers and cattle.

Surveillance and movements of Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in the bovine tuberculosis region of Michigan.

Science.gov (United States)

Walter, W D; Fischer, J W; Anderson, C W; Marks, D R; Deliberto, T; Robbe-Austerman, S; Vercauteren, K C

2013-07-01

Wildlife reservoir hosts of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) include Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) and brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in the UK and New Zealand, respectively. Similar species warrant further investigation in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan, USA due to the continued presence of bTB on cattle farms. Most research in Michigan, USA has focused on interactions between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and cattle (Bos taurus) for the transmission of the infectious agent of bTB, Mycobacterium bovis, due to high deer densities and feeding practices. However, limited data are available on medium-sized mammals such as Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana; hereafter referred to as opossum) and their movements and home range in Michigan near cattle farms. We conducted surveillance of medium-sized mammals on previously depopulated cattle farms for presence of M. bovis infections and equipped opossum with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to assess potential differences in home range between farms inside and outside the bTB core area that has had cattle test positive for M. bovis. On farms inside the bTB core area, prevalence in opossum was comparable [6%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0-11.0] to prevalence in raccoon (Procyon lotor; 4%, 95% CI 1.0-9.0, P=0.439) whereas only a single opossum tested positive for M. bovis on farms outside the bTB core area. The prevalence in opossum occupying farms that had cattle test positive for M. bovis was higher (6.4%) than for opossum occupying farms that never had cattle test positive for M. bovis (0.9%, P=0.01). Mean size of home range for 50% and 95% estimates were similar by sex (P=0.791) both inside or outside the bTB core area (P=0.218). Although surveillance efforts and home range were not assessed on the same farms, opossum use of farms near structures was apparent as was selection for farms over surrounding forested habitats. The use of farms, stored feed, and structures by opossum

A potential predator-prey interaction of an American badger and an Agassiz's desert tortoise with a review of badger predation on turtles

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Amanda L.; Puffer, Shellie R.; Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Tennant, Laura A.; Arundel, Terry; Vamstad, Michael S.; Brundige, Kathleen D.

2016-01-01

The federally threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1990, but thus far, recovery efforts have been unsuccessful (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 2015). Predation has been identified as a contributing factor to declining G. agassizii populations range-wide (e.g., Esque et al. 2010, Lovich et al. 2014). Understanding and managing for predator-prey dynamics is thus an important part of the recovery and conservation of this threatened species (USFWS 2011). Desert tortoises have a host of predators at all stages of their life cycle. Over 20 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles have been recorded as known or suspected predators (Woodbury and Hardy 1948, Luckenbach 1982, Ernst and Lovich 2009). American badgers (Taxidea taxus, family: Mustelidae) are confirmed excavators of desert tortoise nests (Turner and Berry 1984). They are also suspected predators of adult desert tortoises, a possibility which has been presented in some studies but without empirical verification (Luckenbach 1982, Turner and Berry 1984). Active mostly at night, badgers are solitary, secretive predators (Lindzey 1978, 1982; Armitage 2004) that are extremely difficult to observe in predatory encounters. Recently, strong circumstantial evidence presented by Emblidge et al. (2015) suggests that badgers do prey on adult Agassiz’s desert tortoises based on observations of more than two dozen dead tortoises in the Western Mojave Desert of California. In this note, we present another case of potential badger predation on a large adult desert tortoise in the Sonoran Desert of California. Collectively, these recent two cases potentially indicate that badger predation may be more common and widespread than previously thought. In addition, we review the worldwide literature of badger predation on turtles in general and summarize reported badger observations in Joshua Tree National Park, where our observation occurred, over a

A History of the Organizational Development of the Continental Artillery during the American Revolution

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-10

military leadership. He was also popular among the Boston street gangs and participated in their ritual melees. He enjoyed fighting and soon developed a...Books translated into English which would be of great Service but none more so than the great Marechal Saxe ―who stalks a God in war.‖ Tis he who

Democracy in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela: Developing or Faltering Due to His Politics, Activities, and Rhetoric?

Science.gov (United States)

2008-05-07

Caracas, the nucleus of the chaos, Chavez did not participate on either side of the melee because he was bedridden with chicken pox ; however, the events...with an average daily export of 1.2 million barrels per day. Only Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico export more petroleum to the U.S., with averages of

Trial design to estimate the effect of vaccination on tuberculosis incidence in badgers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aznar, I.; McGrath, G.; Murphy, D.; Corner, L.A.L.; Gormley, E.; Frankena, K.; More, S.J.; Martin, W.; O'Keeffe, J.; Jong, de M.C.M.

2011-01-01

The principal wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis in Ireland is the European badger. Studies in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) have shown that badgers culled in association with cattle herd tuberculosis breakdowns (focal culling) have a higher prevalence of infection than the badger population

Mobil/Badger to market zeolite-based cumene technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotman, D.

1993-01-01

Badger (Cambridge, MA) and Mobil (Fairfax, VA) are ready to jointly license a new cumene technology that they say achieves higher yields and product purity than existing processes. The zeolite-based technology is scheduled to be introduced at next month's DeWitt Petrochemical Review in Houston. The Mobil/Badger technology aims to challenge the dominant position of UOP's (Des Plaines, IL) solid phosphoric acid (SPA) catalyst process - which accounts for 80%-90% of the world's cumene production. In addition, Monsanto/Kellogg's aluminum chloride-based technology has gained significant momentum since its introduction in the 1980s. And late last year, ABB Lummus Crest (Bloomfield, NJ) also began marketing a zeolite-based cumene technology. While all the technologies make cumene via the alkylation of benzene with propylene, the Mobil/Badger process uses a zeolite-containing catalyst designed by Mobil to selectively catalyze the benzene/propylene reaction, avoiding unwanted propylene oligomerization. Because the olefin reactions are so fast, says Frank A. Demers, Badger's v.p./technology development and marketing, other zeolite technologies are forced to use complex reactor arrangements to stop the propylene-propylene reactions. However, he says, 'Mobil has designed a catalyst that wants to react benzene with propylene to make cumene.'

Classroom Demonstration: Combustion of Diamond to Carbon Dioxide Followed by Reduction to Graphite

Science.gov (United States)

Miyauchi, Takuya; Kamata, Masahiro

2012-01-01

An educational demonstration shows the combustion of carbon to carbon dioxide and then the reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon. A melee diamond is the source of the carbon and the reaction is carried out in a closed flask. The demonstration helps students to realize that diamonds are made of carbon and that atoms do not change or vanish in…

Interactions among American badgers, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs in the grasslands of western North America

Science.gov (United States)

Eads, David A.; Biggins, Dean E.; Grassel, Shaun M.; Livieri, Travis M.; Licht, Daniel S.; Proulx, Gilbert; Do Linh San, Emmanuel

2016-01-01

American badgers (Taxidea taxus) and black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) sometimes occur sympatrically within colonies of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in the grasslands of western North America. From the perspective of a simplified food web, badgers are consumers of ferrets and, to a greater extent, prairie dogs; ferrets are specialized consumers of prairie dogs; and prairie dogs are consumers of vegetation. We review information on the predatory behaviours of badgers, which collectively demonstrate that badgers exhibit complex hunting strategies to improve their probability of capturing prairie dogs and, perhaps, ferrets. We also review studies of interactions between badgers and ferrets, which suggest that there is selective pressure on badgers to compete with ferrets, and pressure on ferrets to compete with and avoid badgers. We then speculate as to how prairie dogs might shape interactions between badgers and ferrets, and how badgers could spread the plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) among prairie dog colonies. Lastly, we provide recommendations for research on this tractable system of semi-fossorial predators and prey.

Farmer attitudes to vaccination and culling of badgers in controlling bovine tuberculosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, M; Lobley, M; Winter, M

2013-07-13

Controversy persists in England, Wales and Northern Ireland concerning methods of controlling the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) between badgers and cattle. The National Trust, a major land-owning heritage organisation, in 2011, began a programme of vaccinating badgers against bTB on its Killerton Estate in Devon. Most of the estate is farmed by 18 tenant farmers, who thus have a strong interest in the Trust's approach, particularly as all have felt the effects of the disease. This article reports on a study of the attitudes to vaccination of badgers and to the alternative of a culling programme, using face-to-face interviews with 14 of the tenants. The results indicated first that the views of the respondents were more nuanced than the contemporary public debate about badger control would suggest. Secondly, the attitude of the interviewees to vaccination of badgers against bTB was generally one of resigned acceptance. Thirdly, most respondents would prefer a combination of an effective vaccination programme with an effective culling programme, the latter reducing population of density sufficiently (and preferably targeting the badgers most likely to be diseased) for vaccination to have a reasonable chance of success. While based on a small sample, these results will contribute to the vigorous debate concerning contrasting policy approaches to bTB control in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Using simulation to estimate the power of a badger vaccine trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aznar, I.; More, S.J.; Frankena, K.; Jong, de M.C.M.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the power of a badger vaccine field trial using simulation techniques. The effects of sample size, sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic test, transmission rate between unvaccinated badgers, Vaccine Efficacy for Susceptibility (VES) and Vaccine Efficacy

Spatial Targeting for Bovine Tuberculosis Control: Can the Locations of Infected Cattle Be Used to Find Infected Badgers?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catherine M Smith

Full Text Available Bovine tuberculosis is a disease of historical importance to human health in the UK that remains a major animal health and economic issue. Control of the disease in cattle is complicated by the presence of a reservoir species, the Eurasian badger. In spite of uncertainty in the degree to which cattle disease results from transmission from badgers, and opposition from environmental groups, culling of badgers has been licenced in two large areas in England. Methods to limit culls to smaller areas that target badgers infected with TB whilst minimising the number of uninfected badgers culled is therefore of considerable interest. Here, we use historical data from a large-scale field trial of badger culling to assess two alternative hypothetical methods of targeting TB-infected badgers based on the distribution of cattle TB incidents: (i a simple circular 'ring cull'; and (ii geographic profiling, a novel technique for spatial targeting of infectious disease control that predicts the locations of sources of infection based on the distribution of linked cases. Our results showed that both methods required coverage of very large areas to ensure a substantial proportion of infected badgers were removed, and would result in many uninfected badgers being culled. Geographic profiling, which accounts for clustering of infections in badger and cattle populations, produced a small but non-significant increase in the proportion of setts with TB-infected compared to uninfected badgers included in a cull. It also provided no overall improvement at targeting setts with infected badgers compared to the ring cull. Cattle TB incidents in this study were therefore insufficiently clustered around TB-infected badger setts to design an efficient spatially targeted cull; and this analysis provided no evidence to support a move towards spatially targeted badger culling policies for bovine TB control.

Ferret badger rabies origin and its revisited importance as potential source of rabies transmission in Southeast China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Ye

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The frequent occurrence of ferret badger-associated human rabies cases in southeast China highlights the lack of laboratory-based surveillance and urges revisiting the potential importance of this animal in rabies transmission. To determine if the ferret badgers actually contribute to human and dog rabies cases, and the possible origin of the ferret badger-associated rabies in the region, an active rabies survey was conducted to determine the frequency of rabies infection and seroprevalence in dogs and ferret badgers. Methods A retrospective survey on rabies epidemics was performed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces in southeast China. The brain tissues from ferret badgers and dogs were assayed by fluorescent antibody test. Rabies virus was isolated and sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. The sera from ferret badgers and dogs were titrated using rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (VNA test. Results The ferret badgers presented a higher percentage of rabies seroconversion than dogs did in the endemic region, reaching a maximum of 95% in the collected samples. Nine ferret badger-associated rabies viruses were isolated, sequenced, and were phylogenetically clustered as a separate group. Nucleotide sequence revealed 99.4-99.8% homology within the ferret badger isolates, and 83-89% homology to the dog isolates in the nucleoprotein and glycoprotein genes in the same rabies endemic regions. Conclusions Our data suggest ferret badger-associated rabies has likely formed as an independent enzootic originating from dogs during the long-term rabies infestation in southeast China. The eventual role of FB rabies in public health remains unclear. However, management of ferret badger bites, rabies awareness and control in the related regions should be an immediate need.

Music in advertising and consumer identity: The search for Heideggerian authenticity

OpenAIRE

Abolhasani, Morteza; Oakes, Steve; Oakes, Helen

2017-01-01

This study discusses netnographic findings involving 472 YouTube postings categorized to identify themes regarding consumers’ experience of music in advertisements. Key themes relate to musical taste, musical indexicality, musical repetition and musical authenticity. Postings reveal how music conveys individual taste and is linked to personal memories and Heidegger’s coincidental time where moments of authenticity may be triggered in a melee of emotions, memories and projections. Identity pro...

Demokraatliku fundamentalismi rasked päevad / Mele Pesti

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Pesti, Mele, 1979-

2006-01-01

Autor uuris Kopenhaagenis ja Arhusis taanlaste ja Taanis elavate moslemite arusaamu Muhamedist, sõnavabadusest ja elust Taanis. Intervjuu Taani moslemite tähtsaima juhi imaam Ahmed Abu Labaniga, kes autori sõnul on nn. Muhamedi-loo rahvusvahelisele tasemele viimise taga

Bollettino Sismico Italiano: novità

OpenAIRE

Nardi, A.; Marchetti, A.; Modica, G.; Battelli, P.; Berardi, M.; Castellano, C.; Melorio, C.; Pirro, M.; Rossi, A.; Spadoni, S.; Arcoraci, L.; Lozzi, G.; Battelli, A.; Thermes, C.; Ciaccio, M.G.

2015-01-01

I parametri dei terremoti registrati dalla Rete Sismica Nazionale Italiana, localizzati nella sala di sorveglianza sismica dell’INGV, sono immediatamente disponibili sul web alla pagina http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/ e nell’Italian Seismological Instrumental and parametric Data-base (ISIDe; Mele et al. 2007) http://iside.rm.ingv.it/iside/standard/index.jsp. Questi eventi sono in seguito revisionati dagli analisti del Bollettino. Gli analisti ricontrollano i parametri di tutti i terremoti ottenuti ins...

A New KFOR: Changes for International Security in Kosovo

Science.gov (United States)

2006-03-15

Prime Minister Rexhepi plunged into the crowd at Veterinik to urge an end, and PDK leader Thaci made a strong television appeal. The hysterical energy of...particular -- actually feel less secure. Ibid, 12. 16 Prime Minister Rexhepi joined a delegation from the World Bank for lunch at a North Mitrovica...restaurant from both sides. Neither the local police nor KFOR came to the rescue. Rexhepi escaped, but the melee continued, with the World Bank delegation

Cisplatin-Induced Conditioned Taste Aversion: Attenuation by Dexamethasone but not Zacopride or GR38032F

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

SR2-1 Cisplatin-induced conditioned taste aversion: ateuto by dexamethasone but not zacopride or GR38032F Nm I- Paul C Mele, John R. McDonough, David...to 5-H1’, receptor blockade. 5-HT., receptor antagonists; Zacopridc: GR38032F; Desamethasone: Cisplatin: Taste aversion (conditioned) I. Introductlon...intake) was used as the area known as the chemoreceptor trigger zone (Borri- index of the CTA. son, 1974). Moreover. the findings that rats, ferrets

Molecular Profiles for Lung Cancer Pathogenesis and Detection in U.S. Veterans

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-01

C, Virmani AK,Mele G, Milchgrub S, Girard L, Fondon JW III, Garner HR, McKay B, Latif F, et al . High resolution chromosome 3p allelotyping of human...analyzed the field cancerization profiles in the publicly available and published cohort by Spira et al (9) comprised of 129 proximal airway samples...from the original report by Spira et al . This list was then used to perform a pre-ranked GSEA analysis to identify which of the field

Characterization of the of the Pathological and Biochemical Markers That Correlate to the Clinical Features of Autism. Subproject 2. Contribution of Significant Delay of Neuronal Development and Metabolic Shift of Neurons to Clinical Phenotype of Autism

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

4:e4415 11. Bruce S, Nyberg F, Melén E et al (2009) The protective effect of farm animal exposure on childhood allergy is modified by NPSR1...Rabbit monoclonal (R-m) or polyclonal (R-p), Goat polyclonal (G-p). Immunocytochemistry (ICH), Confocal microscopy (CM), Western blots (WB). doi:10.1371...immunostained with a goat anti-GFAP polyclonal antibody. Projections of the raphe nuclei serotonergic neurons were identified by using mouse mAb ST51-2

Future Short Range Ground-Based Air Defence: System Drivers, Characteristics and Architectures

Science.gov (United States)

2001-03-01

vulnerable being on the right. Although for completeness the defended asset characteristics shown in Table 1 are based upon a conventional armoured formation...Camouflage scrimmed draped visual full/thermal EMCON 4 3 2 1 Visibility line of sight occulting/obscured non line of sight "Contact static FLOT fluid...confused mel~e Armour soft semi-hard hard defensive aids Protection Digging in open under cover dug in full o/h protection AD none AAAD CAD fully

Analisi comparativa della dieta di alcuni carnivori opportunisti (Vulpes vulpes, Martes foina, Meles meles in Europa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Maria De Marinis

2003-10-01

Full Text Available L'ecologia alimentare della volpe, del tasso ed in misura minore della faina è stata ampiamente studiata in diverse aree comprese all'interno degli areali di queste 3 specie. La variazione geografica delle abitudini alimentari di questi carnivori definiti opportunisti è al contrario decisamente poco nota. Scopo del presente lavoro è la descrizione della variazione della dieta di faina, tasso e volpe attraverso l'Europa ed in secondo luogo l'analisi comparativa delle strategie alimentari adottate da questi carnivori. Sono stati analizzati 19 studi per la volpe, 11 per la faina e 23 per il tasso. Sono stati presi in considerazione soltanto gli studi della durata di almeno un anno nei quali la composizione della dieta, determinata tramite analisi delle feci, fosse espressa in percentuale di volume o biomassa e le categorie alimentari fossero dettagliatamente descritte. Gli studi sono stati divisi in gruppi in base alla regione climatica di appartenenza (mediterranea, centroeuropea, atlantica e boreale. Le categorie alimentari utilizzate nell'analisi della variabilità geografica sono: mammiferi, uccelli, anfibi, artropodi, lombrichi, altro animale, frutta, cereali, rifiuti. L'analisi delle componenti principali, condotta separatamente sulle 3 specie, ha consentito l'individuazione su di un grafico bidimensionale di due gruppi riferibili all'Europa centro-settentrionale ed alla regione mediterranea, con una percentuale di variabilità spiegata > 76% per ognuna delle 3 specie. La composizione della dieta del primo gruppo risulta caratterizzata da elevate percentuali di mammiferi e secondariamente uccelli per la volpe, uccelli ed altro animale per la faina e lombrichi, cereali ed anfibi per il tasso. La composizione della dieta nella regione mediterranea risulta invece caratterizzata da elevate percentuali di artropodi e frutta per tutte e 3 le specie di carnivori. L'analisi dicriminante ha consentito di differenziare gli studi condotti in ambiente mediterraneo in base al consumo di mammiferi che si è rivelato elevato nella volpe, ridotto nel tasso e variabile nella faina. Viene discussa la convergenza verso una dieta insettivora e frugivora in ambiente mediterraneo da parte di 3 carnivori opportunisti.

Optimising and evaluating the characteristics of a multiple antigen ELISA for detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection in a badger vaccine field trial.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inma Aznar

Full Text Available A long-term research programme has been underway in Ireland to evaluate the usefulness of badger vaccination as part of the national bTB (bovine tuberculosis control strategy. This culminated in a field trial which commenced in county Kilkenny in 2009 to determine the effects of badger vaccination on Mycobacterium bovis transmission in badgers under field conditions. In the present study, we sought to optimise the characteristics of a multiplex chemiluminescent assay for detection of M. bovis infection in live badgers. Our goal was to maximise specificity, and therefore statistical power, during evaluation of the badger vaccine trial data. In addition, we also aimed to explore the effects of vaccination on test characteristics. For the test optimisation, we ran a stepwise logistic regression with analytical weights on the converted Relative Light Units (RLU obtained from testing blood samples from 215 badgers captured as part of culling operations by the national Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM. The optimised test was applied to two other datasets obtained from two captive badger studies (Study 1 and Study 2, and the sensitivity and specificity of the test was attained separately for vaccinated and non-vaccinated badgers. During optimisation, test sensitivity was maximised (30.77%, while retaining specificity at 99.99%. When the optimised test was then applied to the captive badger studies data, we observed that test characteristics did not vary greatly between vaccinated and non-vaccinated badgers. However, a different time lag between infection and a positive test result was observed in vaccinated and non-vaccinated badgers. We propose that the optimized multiplex immunoassay be used to analyse the vaccine trial data. In relation to the difference in the time lag observed for vaccinated and non-vaccinated badgers, we also present a strategy to enable the test to be used during trial evaluation.

Development of a Real-Time PCR for a Sensitive One-Step Coprodiagnosis Allowing both the Identification of Carnivore Feces and the Detection of Toxocara spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis

Science.gov (United States)

Umhang, Gérald; Poulle, Marie-Lazarine; Millon, Laurence

2016-01-01

Studying the environmental occurrence of parasites of concern for humans and animals based on coprosamples is an expanding field of work in epidemiology and the ecology of health. Detecting and quantifying Toxocara spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis, two predominant zoonotic helminths circulating in European carnivores, in feces may help to better target measures for prevention. A rapid, sensitive, and one-step quantitative PCR (qPCR) allowing detection of E. multilocularis and Toxocara spp. was developed in the present study, combined with a host fecal test based on the identification of three carnivores (red fox, dog, and cat) involved in the life cycles of these parasites. A total of 68 coprosamples were collected from identified specimens from Vulpes vulpes, Canis lupus familiaris, Canis lupus, Felis silvestris catus, Meles meles, Martes foina, and Martes martes. With DNA coprosamples, real-time PCR was performed in duplex with a qPCR inhibitor control specifically designed for this study. All the coprosample host identifications were confirmed by qPCR combined with sequencing, and parasites were detected and confirmed (E. multilocularis in red foxes and Toxocara cati in cats; 16% of samples presented inhibition). By combining parasite detection and quantification, the host fecal test, and a new qPCR inhibitor control, we created a technique with a high sensitivity that may considerably improve environmental studies of pathogens. PMID:26969697

Development of a Real-Time PCR for a Sensitive One-Step Coprodiagnosis Allowing both the Identification of Carnivore Feces and the Detection of Toxocara spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis.

Science.gov (United States)

Knapp, Jenny; Umhang, Gérald; Poulle, Marie-Lazarine; Millon, Laurence

2016-05-15

Studying the environmental occurrence of parasites of concern for humans and animals based on coprosamples is an expanding field of work in epidemiology and the ecology of health. Detecting and quantifying Toxocara spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis, two predominant zoonotic helminths circulating in European carnivores, in feces may help to better target measures for prevention. A rapid, sensitive, and one-step quantitative PCR (qPCR) allowing detection of E. multilocularis and Toxocara spp. was developed in the present study, combined with a host fecal test based on the identification of three carnivores (red fox, dog, and cat) involved in the life cycles of these parasites. A total of 68 coprosamples were collected from identified specimens from Vulpes vulpes, Canis lupus familiaris, Canis lupus, Felis silvestris catus, Meles meles, Martes foina, and Martes martes With DNA coprosamples, real-time PCR was performed in duplex with a qPCR inhibitor control specifically designed for this study. All the coprosample host identifications were confirmed by qPCR combined with sequencing, and parasites were detected and confirmed (E. multilocularis in red foxes and Toxocara cati in cats; 16% of samples presented inhibition). By combining parasite detection and quantification, the host fecal test, and a new qPCR inhibitor control, we created a technique with a high sensitivity that may considerably improve environmental studies of pathogens. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Water Conservation Study, Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1995-01-01

The purpose of this water conservation study is to identify projects which will result in energy maintenance and cost savings in the process water distribution system at Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP...

Water Conservation Study. Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1995-01-01

The purpose of this water conservation study is to identify projects which will result in energy maintenance and cost savings in the process water distribution system at Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP...

75 FR 43556 - Badger Meter, Inc., Including On-Site Leased Workers From Sourcepoint Staffing, Seek, and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-73,666] Badger Meter, Inc... of Badger Meter, Inc., including on-site leased workers from Sourcepoint Staffing, Milwaukee... workers are engaged in the production of flow measurement devices and automatic meter reading equipment...

Bibliography on Cold Regions Science and Technology. Volume 44, Part 2

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

eng1 44-2171 le08*3-10488 (IQk))it. i - gj 44-390" ly) Bomi Countly. Xizang (Tibet) 11989. p,148-160. chi) Lyons. weB . Niseilek. 3L. 44-2409 Diiminion... histoirical and technical dleveliopmnt Tesnsfssrmiiins andI dssisi-oi si late-fall applied sitrogen Schaytema. G.5. 11999, p. 77 -85. enpl 44-44 during...Usnn meling ice to teach radiomectric dating. Wise, Evaluating pie-winter soil preparation for reclamation 44-100 DU .. i199. p.38- 40 ,69, cng1

Badgers in the Netherlands: evaluation of scenarios with models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Knaapen, J.P.; Engen, van H.C.; Apeldoorn, van R.C.; Schippers, P.; Verboom, J.

1995-01-01

The problem of habitat fragmentation is affecting the chances of survival of an increasing number of animal species. The Eurasian badger is a typical example of such a species. Plans and measures addressing the problem of habitat fragmentation have toprovide for ecological qualities both within

Three-dimensional topological insulators and bosonization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cappelli, Andrea [INFN, Sezione di Firenze,Via G. Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino - Firenze (Italy); Randellini, Enrico [INFN, Sezione di Firenze,Via G. Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino - Firenze (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Firenze,Via G. Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino - Firenze (Italy); Sisti, Jacopo [Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA),Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste (Italy)

2017-05-25

Massless excitations at the surface of three-dimensional time-reversal invariant topological insulators possess both fermionic and bosonic descriptions, originating from band theory and hydrodynamic BF theory, respectively. We analyze the corresponding field theories of the Dirac fermion and compactified boson and compute their partition functions on the three-dimensional torus geometry. We then find some non-dynamic exact properties of bosonization in (2+1) dimensions, regarding fermion parity and spin sectors. Using these results, we extend the Fu-Kane-Mele stability argument to fractional topological insulators in three dimensions.

Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, Phytoflash

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, Phytoflash. The MAGI mission is to use the Wave Glider to sample the late summer chlorophyll bloom that...

Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, Weather

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, Weather. The MAGI mission is to use the Wave Glider to sample the late summer chlorophyll bloom that develops...

Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, Telemetry

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, Telemetry. The MAGI mission is to use the Wave Glider to sample the late summer chlorophyll bloom that develops...

Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, MOSE

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, MOSE. The MAGI mission is to use the Wave Glider to sample the late summer chlorophyll bloom that develops near...

Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, AIS

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, AIS. The MAGI mission is to use the Wave Glider to sample the late summer chlorophyll bloom that develops near...

Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, CTD

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, CTD. The MAGI mission is to use the Wave Glider to sample the late summer chlorophyll bloom that develops near...

Addition of a Digital Receiver to the X-BADGER Radar System

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Over the past year, the X-Band Atmospheric Doppler Ground-based Radar (X-BADGER) transmitter has undergone a major upgrade from a high voltage traveling-wave tube to...

Rabies in the Baltic States: Decoding a Process of Control and Elimination

Science.gov (United States)

Robardet, Emmanuelle; Picard-Meyer, Evelyne; Dobroštana, Marianna; Jaceviciene, Ingrida; Mähar, Katrin; Muižniece, Zita; Pridotkas, Gediminas; Masiulis, Marius; Niin, Enel; Olševskis, Edvīns; Cliquet, Florence

2016-01-01

Rabies is a fatal zoonosis that still causes nearly 70, 000 human deaths every year. In Europe, the oral rabies vaccination (ORV) of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was developed in the late 1970s and has demonstrated its effectiveness in the eradication of the disease in Western and some Central European countries. Following the accession of the three Baltic countries—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—to the European Union in 2004, subsequent financial support has allowed the implementation of regular ORV campaigns since 2005–2006. This paper reviews ten years of surveillance efforts and ORV campaigns in these countries resulting in the near eradication of the disease. The various factors that may have influenced the results of vaccination monitoring were assessed using generalized linear models (GLMs) on bait uptake and on herd immunity. As shown in previous studies, juveniles had lower bait uptake level than adults. For the first time, raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) were shown to have significantly lower bait uptake proportion compared with red foxes. This result suggests potentially altered ORV effectiveness in this invasive species compared to the red foxes. An extensive phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the North-East European (NEE) rabies phylogroup is endemic in all three Baltic countries. Although successive oral vaccination campaigns have substantially reduced the number of detected rabies cases, sporadic detection of the C lineage (European part of Russian phylogroup) underlines the risk of reintroduction via westward spread from bordering countries. Vaccine induced cases were also reported for the first time in non-target species (Martes martes and Meles meles). PMID:26849358

PREFACE: Soil Change Matters 2014

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

The opinions expressed and arguments employed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the OECD or of the governments of its Member countries. The Workshop was sponsored by the OECD Co-operative Research Programme on Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, whose financial support made it possible for eight of the invited speakers to participate in the Workshop. We would like to thank the Organising Committee, the Scientific Committee and the financial support from the conference sponsors and funding from the Government of Victoria that allowed the success of the Soil Change Matters Workshop. Organising Committee (Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources unless otherwise noted): • Richard MacEwan (Convenor) • Jennifer Alexander • Helaina Black (James Hutton Institute, UK) • Doug Crawford • Phil Dyson (North Central CMA) • Jane Fisher • Gemma Heemskerk • Jonathan Hopley • Pauline Mele • Rebecca Mitchell • David Rees • Dugal Wallace • Dale Webster Scientific Committee (Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources unless otherwise noted): • Mr Richard MacEwan • Dr Dominique Arrouays (National Institute of Agronomic Research, France) • Helaina Black (James Hutton Institute, UK) • Mr Doug Crawford • Dr Ben Marchant (Geoscience, UK) • Dr Pauline Mele • Dr Budiman Minasny (University of Sydney, NSW) • Professor Dan Richter (Duke University, USA) • Mr Nathan Robinson Thanks are given to the authors and to the anonymous referees for the papers included here.

Initial pen and field assessment of baits to use in oral rabies vaccination of Formosan ferret-badgers in response to the re-emergence of rabies in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Ryan M; Lai, Yuching; Doty, Jeffrey B; Chen, Chen-Chih; Vora, Neil M; Blanton, Jesse D; Chang, Susan S; Cleaton, Julie M; Pei, Kurtis J C

2018-01-01

Taiwan had been considered rabies free since 1961, until a newly established wildlife disease surveillance program identified rabies virus transmission within the Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) in 2013. Ferret-badgers occur throughout southern China and Southeast Asia, but their ecological niche is not well described. As an initial feasibility assessment for potential rabies control measures, field camera trapping and pen assessment of 6 oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits were conducted in Taiwan in 2013. 46 camera nights were recorded; 6 Formosan ferret-badgers and 14 non-target mammals were sighted. No baits were consumed by ferret-badgers and 8 were consumed by non-target mammals. Penned ferret-badgers ingested 5 of the 18 offered baits. When pen and field trials were combined, and analyzed for palatability, ferret-badgers consumed 1 of 9 marshmallow baits (11.1%), 1 of 21 fishmeal baits (4.8%), 0 of 3 liver baits, and 3 of 3 fruit-flavored baits. It took an average of 261 minutes before ferret-badgers made oral contact with the non-fruit flavored baits, and 34 minutes for first contact with the fruit-based bait. Overall, ferret-badgers sought out the fruit baits 8 times faster, spent a greater proportion of time eating fruit baits, and were 7.5 times more likely to have ruptured the vaccine container of the fruit-based bait. Ferret-badgers are now recognized as rabies reservoir species in China and Taiwan, through two independent 'dog to ferret-badger' host-shift events. Species of ferret-badgers can be found throughout Indochina, where they may be an unrecognized rabies reservoir. Findings from this initial study underscore the need for further captive and field investigations of fruit-based attractants or baits developed for small meso-carnivores. Non-target mammals' competition for baits, ants, bait design, and dense tropical landscape represent potential challenges to effective ORV programs that will need to be considered in future

Initial pen and field assessment of baits to use in oral rabies vaccination of Formosan ferret-badgers in response to the re-emergence of rabies in Taiwan.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan M Wallace

Full Text Available Taiwan had been considered rabies free since 1961, until a newly established wildlife disease surveillance program identified rabies virus transmission within the Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca in 2013. Ferret-badgers occur throughout southern China and Southeast Asia, but their ecological niche is not well described.As an initial feasibility assessment for potential rabies control measures, field camera trapping and pen assessment of 6 oral rabies vaccine (ORV baits were conducted in Taiwan in 2013. 46 camera nights were recorded; 6 Formosan ferret-badgers and 14 non-target mammals were sighted. No baits were consumed by ferret-badgers and 8 were consumed by non-target mammals. Penned ferret-badgers ingested 5 of the 18 offered baits. When pen and field trials were combined, and analyzed for palatability, ferret-badgers consumed 1 of 9 marshmallow baits (11.1%, 1 of 21 fishmeal baits (4.8%, 0 of 3 liver baits, and 3 of 3 fruit-flavored baits. It took an average of 261 minutes before ferret-badgers made oral contact with the non-fruit flavored baits, and 34 minutes for first contact with the fruit-based bait. Overall, ferret-badgers sought out the fruit baits 8 times faster, spent a greater proportion of time eating fruit baits, and were 7.5 times more likely to have ruptured the vaccine container of the fruit-based bait.Ferret-badgers are now recognized as rabies reservoir species in China and Taiwan, through two independent 'dog to ferret-badger' host-shift events. Species of ferret-badgers can be found throughout Indochina, where they may be an unrecognized rabies reservoir. Findings from this initial study underscore the need for further captive and field investigations of fruit-based attractants or baits developed for small meso-carnivores. Non-target mammals' competition for baits, ants, bait design, and dense tropical landscape represent potential challenges to effective ORV programs that will need to be

Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, C3

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Liquid Robotics Wave Glider, Honey Badger (G3), 2015, C3. C3 board number 8215 (not coated) appears as board_id=32, task_id=23. C3 board number 771 (coated) appears...

Efficacy of passive hair-traps for the genetic sampling of a low-density badger population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Balestrieri

2011-02-01

Full Text Available

A hair-trapping survey was carried out in the western River Po plain (NW Italy. We aimed to test whether barbed wire hair snares in combination with DNA profiling might represent an effective tool to study a low-density badger population. Traps were placed above the entrances of twelve badger setts between 15 February and 30 April 2010. Trapping effort was expressed as the number of trap-nights required to pluck a hair sample and the trend in the number of genotyped individual over time was analysed by regression analysis. Forty-three hair samples were collected, with an overall trapping effort of 54.8 trap-nights per one hair sample. Twenty-eight samples yielded reliable genotypes, allowing the identification of nine individual badgers. The length of storage period (1-3 months before DNA extraction did not seem to affect genotyping success. According to the regression model, trapping effort allowed to sample 75% of the overall population. Our results suggest that the efficacy of passive devices is affected by population density.

Initial pen and field assessment of baits to use in oral rabies vaccination of Formosan ferret-badgers in response to the re-emergence of rabies in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Ryan M.; Lai, Yuching; Doty, Jeffrey B.; Chen, Chen-Chih; Vora, Neil M.; Blanton, Jesse D.; Chang, Susan S.; Pei, Kurtis J. C.

2018-01-01

Background Taiwan had been considered rabies free since 1961, until a newly established wildlife disease surveillance program identified rabies virus transmission within the Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) in 2013. Ferret-badgers occur throughout southern China and Southeast Asia, but their ecological niche is not well described. Methodology/Principle findings As an initial feasibility assessment for potential rabies control measures, field camera trapping and pen assessment of 6 oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits were conducted in Taiwan in 2013. 46 camera nights were recorded; 6 Formosan ferret-badgers and 14 non-target mammals were sighted. No baits were consumed by ferret-badgers and 8 were consumed by non-target mammals. Penned ferret-badgers ingested 5 of the 18 offered baits. When pen and field trials were combined, and analyzed for palatability, ferret-badgers consumed 1 of 9 marshmallow baits (11.1%), 1 of 21 fishmeal baits (4.8%), 0 of 3 liver baits, and 3 of 3 fruit-flavored baits. It took an average of 261 minutes before ferret-badgers made oral contact with the non-fruit flavored baits, and 34 minutes for first contact with the fruit-based bait. Overall, ferret-badgers sought out the fruit baits 8 times faster, spent a greater proportion of time eating fruit baits, and were 7.5 times more likely to have ruptured the vaccine container of the fruit-based bait. Conclusions/Significance Ferret-badgers are now recognized as rabies reservoir species in China and Taiwan, through two independent ‘dog to ferret-badger’ host-shift events. Species of ferret-badgers can be found throughout Indochina, where they may be an unrecognized rabies reservoir. Findings from this initial study underscore the need for further captive and field investigations of fruit-based attractants or baits developed for small meso-carnivores. Non-target mammals’ competition for baits, ants, bait design, and dense tropical landscape represent potential

Optimising and Evaluating the Characteristics of a Multiple Antigen ELISA for Detection of Mycobacterium bovis Infection in a Badger Vaccine Field Trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aznar, I.; Frankena, K.; More, S.J.; Whelan, C.; Martin, W.; Gormley, E.; Corner, L.A.L.; Murphy, D.; Jong, de M.C.M.

2014-01-01

A long-term research programme has been underway in Ireland to evaluate the usefulness of badger vaccination as part of the national bTB (bovine tuberculosis) control strategy. This culminated in a field trial which commenced in county Kilkenny in 2009 to determine the effects of badger vaccination

STUDIES ON THE OCCURRENCE AND DAMAGE BY YAM TUBER BEETLES (HETEROLIGUS SPP IN ANIOCHA AND OSHIMILI AREAS OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F TOBIH

2007-11-01

Full Text Available A two-year (2001 and 2002 studies to evaluate the occurrence, population distribution and damage by yam beetles: Heteroligus spp was undertaken in four Local Government Areas in Delta State, Nigeria namely: Oshimili South and North, Aniocha South and North. Beetle population were sampled from farmers fields using light traps in selected locations in the Council areas. Sampling period was April to December for both years. Data collected were number of beetles caught per month, damage indices such as number and size of beetle feeding holes, percentage tuber attacked and tuber yield. Beetle occurrence began in May and were encountered till November. Peak population of beetle occurred in August across the location for the two-year trials. Beetle species comprised of H. meles Billb and H. appiusBurm with the former, the most abundant species regarding the number caught across the locations. Oshimili North and South had higher beetle feeding holes significant at (P < 0.05 than Aniocha South and North for both years and across the locations. No significant difference in size of feeding hole but in terms of percentage tuber attacked, Oshimili South showed higher attack significantly different than Aniocha North both in 2001 and 2002 but not significantly higher than attacked in Oshimili North and Aniocha South in 2001. However, there were no significant difference in the yield of tuber across the locations and for the two-year period. Yam beetle is still a serious insect pest of yam and the two species responsible for tuber damages are H. meles Billb and H. appius Burm in these areas.

Results of chemical decontamination of DOE`s uranium-enrichment scrap metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levesque, R.G.

1997-02-01

The CORPEX{reg_sign} Nuclear Decontamination Processes were used to decontaminate representative scrap metal specimens obtained from the existing scrap metal piles located at the Department of Energy (DOE) Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), Piketon, Ohio. In September 1995, under contract to Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, MELE Associates, Inc. performed the on-site decontamination demonstration. The decontamination demonstration proved that significant amounts of the existing DOE scrap metal can be decontaminated to levels where the scrap metal could be economically released by DOE for beneficial reuse. This simple and environmentally friendly process can be used as an alternative, or in addition to, smelting radiologically contaminated scrap metal.

Distribution of wild mammal assemblages along an urban-rural-forest landscape gradient in warm-temperate East Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Masayuki; Koike, Fumito

2013-01-01

Urbanization may alter mammal assemblages via habitat loss, food subsidies, and other factors related to human activities. The general distribution patterns of wild mammal assemblages along urban-rural-forest landscape gradients have not been studied, although many studies have focused on a single species or taxon, such as rodents. We quantitatively evaluated the effects of the urban-rural-forest gradient and spatial scale on the distributions of large and mid-sized mammals in the world's largest metropolitan area in warm-temperate Asia using nonspecific camera-trapping along two linear transects spanning from the urban zone in the Tokyo metropolitan area to surrounding rural and forest landscapes. Many large and mid-sized species generally decreased from forest landscapes to urban cores, although some species preferred anthropogenic landscapes. Sika deer (Cervus nippon), Reeves' muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis), Japanese marten (Martes melampus), Japanese badger (Meles anakuma), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) generally dominated the mammal assemblage of the forest landscape. Raccoon (Procyon lotor), raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), and Japanese hare (Lepus brachyurus) dominated the mammal assemblage in the intermediate zone (i.e., rural and suburban landscape). Cats (feral and free-roaming housecats; Felis catus) were common in the urban assemblage. The key spatial scales for forest species were more than 4000-m radius, indicating that conservation and management plans for these mammal assemblages should be considered on large spatial scales. However, small green spaces will also be important for mammal conservation in the urban landscape, because an indigenous omnivore (raccoon dog) had a smaller key spatial scale (500-m radius) than those of forest mammals. Urbanization was generally the most important factor in the distributions of mammals, and it is necessary to consider the spatial scale of

Distribution of Wild Mammal Assemblages along an Urban–Rural–Forest Landscape Gradient in Warm-Temperate East Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Masayuki; Koike, Fumito

2013-01-01

Urbanization may alter mammal assemblages via habitat loss, food subsidies, and other factors related to human activities. The general distribution patterns of wild mammal assemblages along urban–rural–forest landscape gradients have not been studied, although many studies have focused on a single species or taxon, such as rodents. We quantitatively evaluated the effects of the urban–rural–forest gradient and spatial scale on the distributions of large and mid-sized mammals in the world's largest metropolitan area in warm-temperate Asia using nonspecific camera-trapping along two linear transects spanning from the urban zone in the Tokyo metropolitan area to surrounding rural and forest landscapes. Many large and mid-sized species generally decreased from forest landscapes to urban cores, although some species preferred anthropogenic landscapes. Sika deer (Cervus nippon), Reeves' muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis), Japanese marten (Martes melampus), Japanese badger (Meles anakuma), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) generally dominated the mammal assemblage of the forest landscape. Raccoon (Procyon lotor), raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), and Japanese hare (Lepus brachyurus) dominated the mammal assemblage in the intermediate zone (i.e., rural and suburban landscape). Cats (feral and free-roaming housecats; Felis catus) were common in the urban assemblage. The key spatial scales for forest species were more than 4000-m radius, indicating that conservation and management plans for these mammal assemblages should be considered on large spatial scales. However, small green spaces will also be important for mammal conservation in the urban landscape, because an indigenous omnivore (raccoon dog) had a smaller key spatial scale (500-m radius) than those of forest mammals. Urbanization was generally the most important factor in the distributions of mammals, and it is necessary to consider the spatial

Distribution of wild mammal assemblages along an urban-rural-forest landscape gradient in warm-temperate East Asia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masayuki Saito

Full Text Available Urbanization may alter mammal assemblages via habitat loss, food subsidies, and other factors related to human activities. The general distribution patterns of wild mammal assemblages along urban-rural-forest landscape gradients have not been studied, although many studies have focused on a single species or taxon, such as rodents. We quantitatively evaluated the effects of the urban-rural-forest gradient and spatial scale on the distributions of large and mid-sized mammals in the world's largest metropolitan area in warm-temperate Asia using nonspecific camera-trapping along two linear transects spanning from the urban zone in the Tokyo metropolitan area to surrounding rural and forest landscapes. Many large and mid-sized species generally decreased from forest landscapes to urban cores, although some species preferred anthropogenic landscapes. Sika deer (Cervus nippon, Reeves' muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi, Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata, Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis, Japanese marten (Martes melampus, Japanese badger (Meles anakuma, and wild boar (Sus scrofa generally dominated the mammal assemblage of the forest landscape. Raccoon (Procyon lotor, raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides, and Japanese hare (Lepus brachyurus dominated the mammal assemblage in the intermediate zone (i.e., rural and suburban landscape. Cats (feral and free-roaming housecats; Felis catus were common in the urban assemblage. The key spatial scales for forest species were more than 4000-m radius, indicating that conservation and management plans for these mammal assemblages should be considered on large spatial scales. However, small green spaces will also be important for mammal conservation in the urban landscape, because an indigenous omnivore (raccoon dog had a smaller key spatial scale (500-m radius than those of forest mammals. Urbanization was generally the most important factor in the distributions of mammals, and it is necessary to consider the spatial scale

Tunable spin-orbit coupling for ultracold atoms in two-dimensional optical lattices

Science.gov (United States)

Grusdt, Fabian; Li, Tracy; Bloch, Immanuel; Demler, Eugene

2017-06-01

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is at the heart of many exotic band structures and can give rise to many-body states with topological order. Here we present a general scheme based on a combination of microwave driving and lattice shaking for the realization of two-dimensional SOC with ultracold atoms in systems with inversion symmetry. We show that the strengths of Rashba and Dresselhaus SOC can be independently tuned in a spin-dependent square lattice. More generally, our method can be used to open gaps between different spin states without breaking time-reversal symmetry. We demonstrate that this allows for the realization of topological insulators with nontrivial spin textures closely related to the Kane-Mele model.

The effect of spin-orbit coupling in band structure and edge states of bilayer graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahdan, Muhammad Fauzi; Darma, Yudi, E-mail: yudi@fi.itb.ac.id [Department of Physics, InstitutTeknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

2015-04-16

Topological insulators are predicted to be useful ranging from spintronics to quantum computation. Graphene was first predicted to be the precursor of topological insulator by Kane-Mele. They developed a Hamiltonian model to describe the gap opening in graphene. In this work, we investigate the band structure of bilayer grapheme and also its edge states by using this model with analytical approach. The results of our calculation show that the gap opening occurs at K and K’ point in bilayer graphene.In addition, a pair of gapless edge modes occurs both in the zigzag and arm-chair configurations are no longer exist. There are gap created at the edge even though thery are very small.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF ASSAULTS IN FIREARMS AND WHITE GUN INSIDE OF BAHIA

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Felipe Santos Abreu

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to trace the epidemiological profile of firearm assaults and melee weapon, no period of 2009 to 2011, in a General Hospital not interior of Bahia. The analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and data presented as absolute and relative frequencies. From the results, 299 hospitalizations were due to aggression by firearms or bladed weapon, with the highest percentage of victims, young men, aged 20-29 years (39.5%. It is necessary the elaboration and implementation of public policies involving the various segments of civil society and organized to deal with this public health issue with a view to adoption of strategies for the prevention and reduction of morbidity and mortality rates.

Epidemiological profile of assaults in firearms and white gun inside of bahia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Santos Abreu

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to trace the epidemiological profile of firearm assaults and melee weapon, no period of 2009 to 2011, in a General Hospital not interior of Bahia. The analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and data presented as absolute and relative frequencies. From the results, 299 hospitalizations were due to aggression by firearms or bladed weapon, with the highest percentage of victims, young men, aged 20-29 years (39.5%. It is necessary the elaboration and implementation of public policies involving the various segments of civil society and organized to deal with this public health issue with a view to adoption of strategies for the prevention and reduction of morbidity and mortality rates.

Experimental oral immunization of ferret badgers (Melogale moschata) with a recombinant canine adenovirus vaccine CAV-2-E3Δ-RGP and an attenuated rabies virus SRV9.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jinghui; Liu, Ye; Zhang, Shoufeng; Fang, Lijun; Zhang, Fei; Hu, Rongliang

2014-04-01

Ferret badgers (Melogale moschata) are a major reservoir of rabies virus in southeastern China. Oral immunization has been shown to be a practical method for wildlife rabies management in Europe and North America. Two groups of 20 ferret badgers were given a single oral dose of a recombinant canine adenovirus-rabies vaccine, CAV-2-E3Δ-RGP, or an experimental attenuated rabies virus vaccine, SRV9. At 21 days, all ferret badgers had seroconverted, with serum virus-neutralizing antibodies ranging from 0.1 to 4.5 IU/mL. Titers were >0.50 IU/mL (an acceptable level) in 17/20 and 16/20 animals receiving CAV-2-E3Δ-RGP or SRV9, respectively. The serologic results indicate that the recombinant CAV-2-E3Δ-RGP is at least as effective as the attenuated rabies virus vaccine. Both may be considered for additional research as oral rabies vaccine candidates for ferret badgers.

Pele y Mele: taller de microteatro para la clase de E/LE

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Marina Montero García

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Tomar la dramatización o puesta en escena como una actividad que refuerza el uso del español es algo conocido en la práctica de la enseñanza de idiomas. Con la metodología en boga del enfoque por tareas, las pequeñas representaciones de situaciones de la vida cotidiana son actividades comunes en la programación de cualquier profesor. Viendo el resultado positivo que estas tareas consiguen, plantearnos un taller de teatro es ahondar en la capacidad de los alumnos para interactuar en español tras la máscara de un personaje que, paradójicamente, les da libertad ya que, adoptando una personalidad que no es la suya, consiguen interpretar el papel de hablante de español.

Pele y Mele: taller de microteatro para la clase de E/LE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Montero García

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Tomar la dramatización o puesta en escena como una actividad que refuerza el uso del español es algo conocido en la práctica de la enseñanza de idiomas. Con la metodología en boga del enfoque por tareas, las pequeñas representaciones de situaciones de la vida cotidiana son actividades comunes en la programación de cualquier profesor. Viendo el resultado positivo que estas tareas consiguen, plantearnos un taller de teatro es ahondar en la capacidad de los alumnos para interactuar en español tras la máscara de un personaje que, paradójicamente, les da libertad ya que, adoptando una personalidad que no es la suya, consiguen interpretar el papel de hablante de español.

Energy requirements for gestation and lactation in a delayed implanter, the American badger.

Science.gov (United States)

Harlow, H J; Miller, B; Ryder, T; Ryder, L

1985-01-01

1. Two adult female badgers were water-deprived and/or fasted during the last one-half to two-thirds of pregnancy while a third pregnant female received water ad libitum and was fed meat and dog food. 2. The litter size, birth weights, post partum energy consumption, growth rate, development of homeothermy, tooth eruption and date of weaning, as well as other developmental characteristics, were not significantly different between cubs born to the fed or fasted mothers. 3. The energy demands for gestation are apparently small and are accommodated by fat reserves during periods of food deprivation. However, the calculated energy for lactation is 16 times that of gestation, which is quadruple the expenditure for most mammals. 4. As a result of delayed implantation, the length of gestation and litter weights of badgers are considerably below those predicted from allometric equations. 5. The period of lactation is therefore extremely critical to the survival of both the cubs and lactating adults which require heavy fat stores and possibly torpor to ensure sufficient energy availability during prolonged winter food shortage.

'Mister Badger' Pushing Mars Rock

Science.gov (United States)

1976-01-01

Viking's soil sampler collector arm successfully pushed a rock on the surface of Mars during the afternoon of Friday, October 8. The irregular-shaped rock was pushed several inches by the Lander's collector arm, which displaced the rock to the left of its original position, leaving it cocked slightly upward. Photographs and other information verified the successful rock push. Photo at left shows the soil sampler's collector head pushing against the rock, named 'Mister Badger' by flight controllers. Photo at right shows the displaced rock and the depression whence it came. Part of the soil displacement was caused by the collector s backhoe. A soil sample will be taken from the site Monday night, October 11. It will then be delivered to Viking s organic chemistry instrument for a series of analyses during the next few weeks. The sample is being sought from beneath a rock because scientists believe that, if there are life forms on Mars, they may seek rocks as shelter from the Sun s intense ultraviolet radiation.

BADGER v1.0: A Fortran equation of state library

Science.gov (United States)

Heltemes, T. A.; Moses, G. A.

2012-12-01

The BADGER equation of state library was developed to enable inertial confinement fusion plasma codes to more accurately model plasmas in the high-density, low-temperature regime. The code had the capability to calculate 1- and 2-T plasmas using the Thomas-Fermi model and an individual electron accounting model. Ion equation of state data can be calculated using an ideal gas model or via a quotidian equation of state with scaled binding energies. Electron equation of state data can be calculated via the ideal gas model or with an adaptation of the screened hydrogenic model with ℓ-splitting. The ionization and equation of state calculations can be done in local thermodynamic equilibrium or in a non-LTE mode using a variant of the Busquet equivalent temperature method. The code was written as a stand-alone Fortran library for ease of implementation by external codes. EOS results for aluminum are presented that show good agreement with the SESAME library and ionization calculations show good agreement with the FLYCHK code. Program summaryProgram title: BADGERLIB v1.0 Catalogue identifier: AEND_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEND_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 41 480 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 2 904 451 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran 90. Computer: 32- or 64-bit PC, or Mac. Operating system: Windows, Linux, MacOS X. RAM: 249.496 kB plus 195.630 kB per isotope record in memory Classification: 19.1, 19.7. Nature of problem: Equation of State (EOS) calculations are necessary for the accurate simulation of high energy density plasmas. Historically, most EOS codes used in these simulations have relied on an ideal gas model. This model is inadequate for low

SIA „Lattelecom Technology” darbība „DELL” produktu sadales kanālā.

OpenAIRE

Zēmele, Lāsma

2009-01-01

L. Zēmele SIA „Lattelecom Technology” darbība „DELL” produktu sadales kanālā Bakalaura darbs saturs:82 lpp, 10 tabulas, 16 attēlu un 16 pielikumu Bakalaura darbā raksturota SIA „Lattelecom Technology” darbība „DELL” produktu sadales kanālā. Darbā tiek analizēta produktu plūsma sadales kanālā, pasūtīšanas, uzglabāšanas un transportēšanas funkciju realizēšana šajā sadales kanālā, kā arī klientu apmierinātība ar uzņēmuma piedāvātajiem pakalpojumiem. Balstoties uz latviešu un ārzemj...

A badger in Bannerghatta: an opportunistic record of the Ratel Mellivora capensis (Schreber, 1776 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Mustelidae from Karnataka, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avinash Krishnan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A single observation of a Ratel Mellivora capensis has been photo-documented in Bannerghatta National Park on 2 November 2015. This record being the first contemporary evidence of badgers in this region of Karnataka, India, the paper also presents a case study of badgers being close to a highly human-dominated landscape which could be due to some ecological factors that may be conducive as a habitat within the Park. Though a resident population and distribution within the BNP could not be ascertained, it can be proposed that the region may be an extension of range of its most recently documented distribution in the Eastern Ghats landscape. 

[Complete genome sequencing and analyses of rabies viruses isolated from wild animals (Chinese Ferret-Badger) in Zhejiang province].

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Yong-Liang; Wang, Xiao-Guang; Liu, Fu-Ming; Chen, Xiu-Ying; Ye, Bi-Feng; Mei, Jian-Hua; Lan, Jin-Quan; Tang, Qing

2009-08-01

Based on sequencing the full-length genomes of two Chinese Ferret-Badger, we analyzed the properties of rabies viruses genetic variation in molecular level to get information on prevalence and variation of rabies viruses in Zhejiang, and to enrich the genome database of rabies viruses street strains isolated from Chinese wildlife. Overlapped fragments were amplified by RT-PCR and full-length genomes were assembled to analyze the nucleotide and deduced protein similarities and phylogenetic analyses of the N genes from Chinese Ferret-Badger, sika deer, vole, dog. Vaccine strains were then determined. The two full-length genomes were completely sequenced to find out that they had the same genetic structure with 11 923 nts including 58 nts-Leader, 1353 nts-NP, 894 nts-PP, 609 nts-MP, 1575 nts-GP, 6386 nts-LP, and 2, 5, 5 nts- intergenic regions (IGRs), 423 nts-Pseudogene-like sequence (Psi), 70 nts-Trailer. The two full-length genomes were in accordance with the properties of Rhabdoviridae Lyssa virus by blast and multi-sequence alignment. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences among Chinese strains had the highest similarity, especially among animals of the same species. Of the two full-length genomes, the similarity in amino acid level was dramatically higher than that in nucleotide level, so that the nucleotide mutations happened in these two genomes were most probably as synonymous mutations. Compared to the referenced rabies viruses, the lengths of the five protein coding regions did not show any changes or recombination, but only with a few-point mutations. It was evident that the five proteins appeared to be stable. The variation sites and types of the two ferret badgers genomes were similar to the referenced vaccine or street strains. The two strains were genotype 1 according to the multi-sequence and phylogenetic analyses, which possessing the distinct geographyphic characteristics of China. All the evidence suggested a cue that these two ferret badgers

Headpond ice jams - where will they occur?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Judge, D.G.; Lavender, S.T. [Acres International Ltd., Niagara Falls, ON (Canada); Carson, R.W. [Acres International Ltd., Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Ismail, S. [New Brunswick Power, Fredericton, NB (Canada)

1997-12-31

A river ice simulation model used to analyze the many problems associated with ice during the construction of hydroelectric power plants was described. The model JAMSIM is a one-dimensional quasi-steady state analytical model that was developed to help river engineers in predicting locations along river channels where released ice jams are most likely to re-lodge. The model is used to calculate the stable cross-sectional ice area of a broken ice melee at each river section using the force balance considerations. JAMSIM is a modified version of an earlier model, the ICESIM. The concepts, structure capabilities and limitations of the ICESIM and the JAMSIM models were discussed. The models are useful for planning pipeline crossings, bridge crossings and other infrastructure projects. 3 refs., 6 figs.

Notes on food and foraging of the Honey Badger Mellivora capensis in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Kruuk

1983-12-01

Full Text Available Contents of faeces indicated that honey badgers in the Kalahari eat mostly rodents, followed by lizards and scorpions, all of which are caught by digging. Larger mammals (aardwolf, bat-eared fox, springhare and large snakes are also eaten. Foraging behaviour is described and individual differences in foraging strategies are discussed.

Involvement of two genetic lineages of Sarcoptes scabiei mites in a local mange epizootic of wild mammals in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Makouloutou, Patrice; Suzuki, Kazuo; Yokoyama, Mayumi; Takeuchi, Masahiko; Yanagida, Tetsuya; Sato, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

Similar to wild mammals on the continents, mange caused by the mange mite, Sarcoptes scabiei (Acari: Sarcoptidae) is spreading in wild mammals in most of Japan. We collected crusted or alopetic skin from 120 raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus), three raccoons (Procyon lotor), six Japanese badgers (Meles anakuma), one Japanese marten (Martes melampus), one stray dog (Canis lupus familiaris), four wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax), and one Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus), mainly in an area where mangy wild animals have been increasingly noted in the past 4 yr. The second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region of the ribosomal RNA gene and the partial 16S and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox-1) genes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were characterized in these skin samples. The ITS2 sequencing (404 base pairs [bp]) identified the causative mite for mangy skin lesions of 128 animals as S. scabiei, regardless of host origin. The cat mite (Notoedres cati) was the cause in one raccoon dog and one raccoon. Most mites had almost identical ITS2 nucleotide sequences to those recorded in a variety of mammals worldwide. Partial 16S and cox-1 fragments of mtDNA amplified and sequenced successfully (331 bp and 410 bp, respectively) showed an identical nucleotide sequence except for one site (C vs. T) for the former and four sites (G, C, C, C vs. A, T, T, T, respectively) for the latter fragment. These substitutions were always synchronized, with the two mitochondrial DNA haplotypes (i.e., C/GCCC and T/ATTT) appearing to separately colonize in geographic units. The T/ATTT haplotype fell into a clade where animal-derived mites worldwide dominated, whereas the C/GCCC haplotype formed a geographic branch unique to Japanese isolates. These results suggest that heterologous populations of monospecific S. scabiei are expanding their populations and distributions regardless of host species in an apparently local mange epizootic of wild mammals in Japan.

Controlling Thermodynamic Properties of Ferromagnetic Group-IV Graphene-Like Nanosheets by Dilute Charged Impurity

Science.gov (United States)

Yarmohammadi, Mohsen; Mirabbaszadeh, Kavoos

2017-05-01

Using the Kane-Mele Hamiltonian, Dirac theory and self-consistent Born approximation, we investigate the effect of dilute charged impurity on the electronic heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility of two-dimensional ferromagnetic honeycomb structure of group-IV elements including silicene, germanene and stanene within the Green’s function approach. We also find these quantities in the presence of applied external electric field. Our results show that the silicene (stanene) has the maximum (minimum) heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility at uniform electric fields. From the behavior of theses quantities, the band gap has been changed with impurity concentration, impurity scattering strength and electric field. The analysis on the impurity-dependent magnetic susceptibility curves shows a phase transition from ferromagnetic to paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases. Interestingly, electronic heat capacity increases (decreases) with impurity concentration in silicene (germanene and stanene) structure.

Counts of fox breeding dens in a riverine area of Northern Italy / Conteggio delle tane riproduttive di Volpe (Vulpes vulpes in un'area golenale dell'Italia settentrionale

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Claudio Prigioni

1991-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract From 1982 to 1986 the fox breeding dens were counted over areas ranging from 37 to 188 km² of the Ticino Park (Lombardy region. Eighty-eight breeding dens were found, of which 84.1% was along the wooded slopes of the river valley, 12.5% on the edge of woods, and 3.4% on the edge of poplar plantations. Breeding foxes used almost exclusively deserted setts of Meles meles and burrows of Oryctolagus cuniculus. The mean density was 0.22 dens/km² (min-max: 0.0-1.0 dens/km² and the highest values were found in agricoltura1 areas with wooded slopes of the river valley (1.0 dens/km² and in mixed woods with prevailing Quercus robur and Carpinus betulus (0.5 dens/km². The density of breeding dens does not seem to be influenced by the presence of protected areas and by the density of hares and of pheasants. Riassunto La ricerca delle tane riproduttive di Volpe Vulpes vulpes è stata effettuata nel periodo 1982-86 nel Parco Lombardo della Valle del Ticino e ogni anno ha interessato una superficie variabile da 37 a 188 km². Su un totale di 88 tane rilevate, l'84,1% è stato rinvenuto lungo le scarpate dei terrazzi fluviali, il 12,5% al margine di boschi golenali e il 3,4% al margine di pioppeti. La Volpe utilizza quasi esclusivamente le tane abbandonate dal Tasso e quelle del Coniglio selvatico. La densità media di tane riproduttive è stata di 0,22 tane/km² (min-max: 0,O-1,0 tane/km² e i valori più elevati sono stati riscontrati in zone agricole con presenza di scarpate boscate (1,O tane/km² e in zone con boschi a prevalenza di Farnia e Carpino bianco (0,5 tane/km². Le densità trovate in aree protette non differiscono significativamente da quelle rilevate in aree in cui l'esercizio venatorio è consentito e non sembrano essere influenzate positivamente dalla densità di specie di particolare interesse venatorio come la Lepre e il Fagiano.

The effect of spin-orbit coupling in band structure of few-layer graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahdan, Muhammad Fauzi, E-mail: sahdan89@yahoo.co.id; Darma, Yudi, E-mail: sahdan89@yahoo.co.id [Department of Physics, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

2014-03-24

Topological insulators are electronic materials that have a bulk band gap like an ordinary insulator but have protected conducting states on their edge or surface. This can be happened due to spin-orbit coupling and time-reversal symmetry. Moreover, the edge current flows through their edge or surface depends on its spin orientation and also it is robust against non-magnetic impurities. Therefore, topological insulators are predicted to be useful ranging from spintronics to quantum computation. Graphene was first predicted to be the precursor of topological insulator by Kane-Mele. They developed a Hamiltonian model to describe the gap opening in graphene. In this work, we investigate the band structure of few-layer graphene by using this model with analytical approach. The results of our calculations show that the gap opening occurs at K and K’ point, not only in single layer, but also in bilayer and trilayer graphene.

Bottom Production

CERN Document Server

Nason, P.; Schneider, O.; Tartarelli, G.F.; Vikas, P.; Baines, J.; Baranov, S.P.; Bartalini, P.; Bay, A.; Bouhova, E.; Cacciari, M.; Caner, A.; Coadou, Y.; Corti, G.; Damet, J.; Dell'Orso, R.; De Mello Neto, J.R.T.; Domenech, J.L.; Drollinger, V.; Eerola, P.; Ellis, N.; Epp, B.; Frixione, S.; Gadomski, S.; Gavrilenko, I.; Gennai, S.; George, S.; Ghete, V.M.; Guy, L.; Hasegawa, Y.; Iengo, P.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jones, R.; Kharchilava, A.; Kneringer, E.; Koppenburg, P.; Korsmo, H.; Kramer, M.; Labanca, N.; Lehto, M.; Maltoni, F.; Mangano, Michelangelo L.; Mele, S.; Nairz, A.M.; Nakada, T.; Nikitin, N.; Nisati, A.; Norrbin, E.; Palla, F.; Rizatdinova, F.; Robins, S.; Rousseau, D.; Sanchis-Lozano, M.A.; Shapiro, M.; Sherwood, P.; Smirnova, L.; Smizanska, M.; Starodumov, A.; Stepanov, N.; Vogt, R.

2000-01-01

We review the prospects for bottom production physics at the LHC. Members of the working group who has contributed to this document are: J. Baines, S.P. Baranov, P. Bartalini, A. Bay, E. Bouhova, M. Cacciari, A. Caner, Y. Coadou, G. Corti, J. Damet, R. Dell'Orso, J.R.T. De Mello Neto, J.L. Domenech, V. Drollinger, P. Eerola, N. Ellis, B. Epp, S. Frixione, S. Gadomski, I. Gavrilenko, S. Gennai, S. George, V.M. Ghete, L. Guy, Y. Hasegawa, P. Iengo, A. Jacholkowska, R. Jones, A. Kharchilava, E. Kneringer, P. Koppenburg, H. Korsmo, M. Kraemer, N. Labanca, M. Lehto, F. Maltoni, M.L. Mangano, S. Mele, A.M. Nairz, T. Nakada, N. Nikitin, A. Nisati, E. Norrbin, F. Palla, F. Rizatdinova, S. Robins, D. Rousseau, M.A. Sanchis-Lozano, M. Shapiro, P. Sherwood, L. Smirnova, M. Smizanska, A. Starodumov, N. Stepanov, R. Vogt

Recycling of Badger/Fox Burrows in Late Pleistocene Loess by Hyenas at the Den Site Bad Wildungen-Biedensteg (NW, Germany): Woolly Rhinoceros Killers and Scavengers in a Mammoth Steppe Environment of Europe

OpenAIRE

Diedrich, Cajus

2013-01-01

The Late Pleistocene (MIS 5c-d) Ice Age spotted hyena open air den and bone accumulation site Bad Wildungen-Biedensteg (Hesse, NW, Germany) represents the first open air loess fox/badger den site in Europe, which must have been recycled by Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) as a birthing den. Badger and fox remains, plus remains of their prey (mainly hare), have been found within the loess. Hyena remains from that site include parts of cub skeletons which represent 10% of the megafauna ...

Adiabatic photo-steering theory in topological insulators

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Jun-ichi

2014-12-01

Feasible external control of material properties is a crucial issue in condensed matter physics. A new approach to achieving this aim, named adiabatic photo-steering, is reviewed. The core principle of this scheme is that several material constants are effectively turned into externally tunable variables by irradiation of monochromatic laser light. Two-dimensional topological insulators are selected as the optimal systems that exhibit a prominent change in their properties following the application of this method. Two specific examples of photo-steered quantum phenomena, which reflect topological aspects of the electronic systems at hand, are presented. One is the integer quantum Hall effect described by the Haldane model, and the other is the quantum spin Hall effect described by the Kane-Mele model. The topological quantities associated with these phenomena are the conventional Chern number and spin Chern number, respectively. A recent interesting idea, time-reversal symmetry breaking via a temporary periodic external stimulation, is also discussed.

Adiabatic photo-steering theory in topological insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Jun-ichi

2014-01-01

Feasible external control of material properties is a crucial issue in condensed matter physics. A new approach to achieving this aim, named adiabatic photo-steering, is reviewed. The core principle of this scheme is that several material constants are effectively turned into externally tunable variables by irradiation of monochromatic laser light. Two-dimensional topological insulators are selected as the optimal systems that exhibit a prominent change in their properties following the application of this method. Two specific examples of photo-steered quantum phenomena, which reflect topological aspects of the electronic systems at hand, are presented. One is the integer quantum Hall effect described by the Haldane model, and the other is the quantum spin Hall effect described by the Kane–Mele model. The topological quantities associated with these phenomena are the conventional Chern number and spin Chern number, respectively. A recent interesting idea, time-reversal symmetry breaking via a temporary periodic external stimulation, is also discussed. (focus issue review)

Edge magnetism impact on electrical conductance and thermoelectric properties of graphenelike nanoribbons

Science.gov (United States)

Krompiewski, Stefan; Cuniberti, Gianaurelio

2017-10-01

Edge states in narrow quasi-two-dimensional nanostructures determine, to a large extent, their electric, thermoelectric, and magnetic properties. Nonmagnetic edge states may quite often lead to topological-insulator-type behavior. However, another scenario develops when the zigzag edges are magnetic and the time reversal symmetry is broken. In this work we report on the electronic band structure modifications, electrical conductance, and thermoelectric properties of narrow zigzag nanoribbons with spontaneously magnetized edges. Theoretical studies based on the Kane-Mele-Hubbard tight-binding model show that for silicene, germanene, and stanene both the Seebeck coefficient and the thermoelectric power factor are strongly enhanced for energies close to the charge neutrality point. A perpendicular gate voltage lifts the spin degeneracy of energy bands in the ground state with antiparallel magnetized zigzag edges and makes the electrical conductance significantly spin polarized. Simultaneously the gate voltage worsens the thermoelectric performance. Estimated room-temperature figures of merit for the aforementioned nanoribbons can exceed a value of 3 if phonon thermal conductances are adequately reduced.

How to handle your neighbours´ conflict: Ethiopia´s relationships with Sudan and South Sudan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volkert M. Doop

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Las relaciones entre Etiopía y Sudán se han fundamentado históricamente en los objetivos domésticos de seguridad física, desarrollo económico y acceso a los recursos hídricos ofrecidos por el Nilo. Aparte de ser un país vecino de gran importancia, y a pesar de una historia tumultuosa, Etiopía ha desarrollado unas fuertes conexiones con las élites tanto de Khartum como de Juba. De manera a promover la seguridad y el desarrollo económico en Etiopía y en toda la región, fue incrementando su perfil diplomático a través de la IGAD, la UA y la ONU y a través de una labor diplomática independiente. La secesión de Sudán del Sur y el fin del largo gobierno del primer ministro etíope Melees Zenawi han sido los catalizadores más recientes para reinventar la relación de Etiopía hacia la región y así prevenir toda inestabilidad que pudiese amenazar el desarrollo nacional.

Spin- and valley-dependent electronic band structure and electronic heat capacity of ferromagnetic silicene in the presence of strain, exchange field and Rashba spin-orbit coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Hoi, Bui Dinh; Yarmohammadi, Mohsen; Kazzaz, Houshang Araghi

2017-10-01

We studied how the strain, induced exchange field and extrinsic Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) enhance the electronic band structure (EBS) and electronic heat capacity (EHC) of ferromagnetic silicene in presence of external electric field (EF) by using the Kane-Mele Hamiltonian, Dirac cone approximation and the Green's function approach. Particular attention is paid to investigate the EHC of spin-up and spin-down bands at Dirac K and K‧ points. We have varied the EF, strain, exchange field and RSOC to tune the energy of inter-band transitions and consequently EHC, leading to very promising features for future applications. Evaluation of EF exhibits three phases: Topological insulator (TI), valley-spin polarized metal (VSPM) and band insulator (BI) at given aforementioned parameters. As a new finding, we have found a quantum anomalous Hall phase in BI regime at strong RSOCs. Interestingly, the effective mass of carriers changes with strain, resulting in EHC behaviors. Here, exchange field has the same behavior with EF. Finally, we have confirmed the reported and expected symmetry results for both Dirac points and spins with the study of valley-dependent EHC.

[Sequencing and analysis of complete genome of rabies viruses isolated from Chinese Ferret-Badger and dog in Zhejiang province].

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Yong-Liang; Wang, Xiao-Guang; Tao, Xiao-Yan; Li, Hao; Meng, Sheng-Li; Chen, Xiu-Ying; Liu, Fu-Ming; Ye, Bi-Feng; Tang, Qing

2010-01-01

Based on sequencing the full-length genomes of four Chinese Ferret-Badger and dog, we analyze the properties of rabies viruses genetic variation in molecular level, get the information about rabies viruses prevalence and variation in Zhejiang, and enrich the genome database of rabies viruses street strains isolated from China. Rabies viruses in suckling mice were isolated, overlapped fragments were amplified by RT-PCR and full-length genomes were assembled to analyze the nucleotide and deduced protein similarities and phylogenetic analyses from Chinese Ferret-Badger, dog, sika deer, vole, used vaccine strain were determined. The four full-length genomes were sequenced completely and had the same genetic structure with the length of 11, 923 nts or 11, 925 nts including 58 nts-Leader, 1353 nts-NP, 894 nts-PP, 609 nts-MP, 1575 nts-GP, 6386 nts-LP, and 2, 5, 5 nts- intergenic regions(IGRs), 423 nts-Pseudogene-like sequence (psi), 70 nts-Trailer. The four full-length genomes were in accordance with the properties of Rhabdoviridae Lyssa virus by BLAST and multi-sequence alignment. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences among Chinese strains had the highest similarity, especially among animals of the same species. Of the four full-length genomes, the similarity in amino acid level was dramatically higher than that in nucleotide level, so the nucleotide mutations happened in these four genomes were most synonymous mutations. Compared with the reference rabies viruses, the lengths of the five protein coding regions had no change, no recombination, only with a few point mutations. It was evident that the five proteins appeared to be stable. The variation sites and types of the four genomes were similar to the reference vaccine or street strains. And the four strains were genotype 1 according to the multi-sequence and phylogenetic analyses, which possessed the distinct district characteristics of China. Therefore, these four rabies viruses are likely to be street viruses

Characterising the online weapons trafficking on cryptomarkets.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhumorbarbe, Damien; Werner, Denis; Gilliéron, Quentin; Staehli, Ludovic; Broséus, Julian; Rossy, Quentin

2018-02-01

Weapons related webpages from nine cryptomarkets were manually duplicated in February 2016. Information about the listings (i.e. sales proposals) and vendors' profiles were extracted to draw an overview of the actual online trafficking of weapons. Relationships between vendors were also inferred through the analysis of online digital traces and content similarities. Weapons trafficking is mainly concentrated on two major cryptomarkets. Besides, it accounts for a very small proportion of the illicit trafficking on cryptomarkets compared to the illicit drugs trafficking. Among all weapon related listings (n=386), firearms only account for approximately 25% of sales proposal since the proportion of non-lethal and melee weapons is important (around 46%). Based on the recorded pseudonyms, a total of 96 vendor profiles were highlighted. Some pseudonyms were encountered on several cryptomarkets, suggesting that some vendors may manage accounts on different markets. This hypothesis was strengthened by comparing pseudonyms to online traces such as PGP keys, images and profiles descriptions. Such a method allowed to estimate more accurately the number of vendors offering weapons across cryptomarkets. Finally, according to the gathered data, the extent of the weapons trafficking on the cryptomarkets appear to be limited compared to other illicit goods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial analysis on school environment characteristics in mangrove management based on local wisdom (Case study at Lhokseumawe, Aceh)

Science.gov (United States)

Susiloningtyas, Dewi; Handayani, Tuty; Amalia, Naila; Nadhira, Arum Ira

2017-01-01

After 2004 tsunami, lots of efforts have been made, such as building school and distributing mangrove forests. This study examines the perception of teachers and students about mangrove management which spread in the administrative area of Lhokseumawe to become a reference then applied as local education regarding mangrove after tsunami disaster. This paper was based on primary data taken using questionnaire with a predetermined analysis unit to interview teachers and students in the study area. The result presented with quantitative and descriptive analysis. The result is of the total number of junior high schools in the city of Lhokseumawe as many as 41 Public Schools, Private and Religious School, there are 31 schools with priority for local wisdom education implemented mangrove. The result is classified with 3 class. The school’s first priority is schools with a melee, with mangroves mangrove poor condition. Educational priority 2 is schools with close proximity to the mangrove and mangrove condition with moderate levels of damage. Schools with third priority are school with a close range, and mangrove good condition. Priority I as many as 18 schools, 10 schools priority II and 3 school for priority with learning competency standards that differ from each other.

Dirac topological insulator in the dz2 manifold of a honeycomb oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Lado, J. L.; Pardo, V.

2016-09-01

We show by means of ab initio calculations and tight-binding modeling that an oxide system based on a honeycomb lattice can sustain topologically nontrivial states if a single orbital dominates the spectrum close to the Fermi level. In such a situation, the low-energy spectrum is described by two Dirac equations that become nontrivially gapped when spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is switched on. We provide one specific example but the recipe is general. We discuss a realization of this starting from a conventional spin-1/2 honeycomb antiferromagnet whose states close to the Fermi energy are dz2 orbitals. Switching off magnetism by atomic substitution and ensuring that the electronic structure becomes two-dimensional is sufficient for topologicality to arise in such a system. By deriving a tight-binding Wannier Hamiltonian, we find that the gap in such a model scales linearly with SOC, opposed to other oxide-based topological insulators, where smaller gaps tend to appear by construction of the lattice. We show that the quantum spin Hall state in this system survives in the presence of off-plane magnetism and the orbital magnetic field and we discuss its Landau level spectra, showing that our recipe provides a dz2 realization of the Kane-Mele model.

The effects of strain on DC transverse and spin-valley Hall conductivity of ferromagnetic MoS{sub 2} and silicene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarmohammadi, Mohsen, E-mail: m.yarmohammadi69@gmail.com

2017-03-15

In this paper, we have investigated the effects of strain on DC transverse and spin-valley Hall conductivity (SHC-VHC) of two-dimensional buckled materials ferromagnetic graphene's analog, MoS{sub 2} and silicene due to their spin–orbit coupling. The Kubo formalism has been used to investigate the dynamics of carriers under strain along the armchair (AC) direction of systems in the context of the Kane–Mele Hamiltonian and the Dirac cone approximation. The effective mass of carriers increases with strain and this leads to the reduction of their transport. We have found that SHC-VHC changes symmetrically with respect to a critical strain around 13% and 45% for MoS{sub 2} and silicene, respectively. Furthermore, the reflection symmetry of silicene has been broken with electric field and a phase transition to topological insulator for strained ferromagnetic silicene has been seen. - Highlights: • Theoretical calculation of strain effects on band structure of MoS{sub 2} and silicene in the presence of electric field. • Investigation of DC transverse and spin-valley Hall conductivity of strained-MoS{sub 2} and silicene in the presence of electric field. • Theoretical calculation of external electric field effects on topological phase transition of silicene in the presence of strain.

Uranium favorability of tertiary rocks in the Badger Flats, Elkhorn Thrust Area, Park and Teller Counties, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, P.; Mickle, D.G.

1976-10-01

Uranium potential of Tertiary rocks in the Badger Flats--Elkhorn Thrust area of central Colorado is closely related to a widespread late Eocene erosion surface. Most uranium deposits in the area are in the Eocene Echo Park Alluvium and Oligocene Tallahassee Creek Conglomerate, which were deposited in paleodrainage channels on or above this surface. Arkosic detritus within the channels and overlying tuffaceous sedimentary rocks of the Antero and Florissant Formations of Oligocene age and silicic tuffs within the volcanic units provide abundant sources of uranium that could be concentrated in the channels where carbonaceous debris facilitates a reducing environment. Anomalous soil, water, and stream-sediment samples near the Elkhorn Thrust and in Antero basin overlie buried channels or are offset from them along structural trends; therefore, uranium-bearing ground water may have moved upward from buried uranium deposits along faults. The area covered by rocks younger than the late Eocene erosion surface, specifically the trends of mapped or inferred paleochannels filled with Echo Park Alluvium and Tallahassee Creek Conglomerate, and the Antero Formation are favorable for the occurrence of uranium deposits

Three Dimensional Dirac Semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Zaheer, Saad

2014-03-01

Dirac points on the Fermi surface of two dimensional graphene are responsible for its unique electronic behavior. One can ask whether any three dimensional materials support similar pseudorelativistic physics in their bulk electronic spectra. This possibility has been investigated theoretically and is now supported by two successful experimental demonstrations reported during the last year. In this talk, I will summarize the various ways in which Dirac semimetals can be realized in three dimensions with primary focus on a specific theory developed on the basis of representations of crystal spacegroups. A three dimensional Dirac (Weyl) semimetal can appear in the presence (absence) of inversion symmetry by tuning parameters to the phase boundary separating a bulk insulating and a topological insulating phase. More generally, we find that specific rules governing crystal symmetry representations of electrons with spin lead to robust Dirac points at high symmetry points in the Brillouin zone. Combining these rules with microscopic considerations identifies six candidate Dirac semimetals. Another method towards engineering Dirac semimetals involves combining crystal symmetry and band inversion. Several candidate materials have been proposed utilizing this mechanism and one of the candidates has been successfully demonstrated as a Dirac semimetal in two independent experiments. Work carried out in collaboration with: Julia A. Steinberg, Steve M. Young, J.C.Y. Teo, C.L. Kane, E.J. Mele and Andrew M. Rappe.

Dimensional accuracy of ceramic self-ligating brackets and estimates of theoretical torsional play.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Youngran; Lee, Dong-Yul; Kim, Yoon-Ji R

2016-09-01

To ascertain the dimensional accuracies of some commonly used ceramic self-ligation brackets and the amount of torsional play in various bracket-archwire combinations. Four types of 0.022-inch slot ceramic self-ligating brackets (upper right central incisor), three types of 0.018-inch ceramic self-ligating brackets (upper right central incisor), and three types of rectangular archwires (0.016 × 0.022-inch beta-titanium [TMA] (Ormco, Orange, Calif), 0.016 × 0.022-inch stainless steel [SS] (Ortho Technology, Tampa, Fla), and 0.019 × 0.025-inch SS (Ortho Technology)) were measured using a stereomicroscope to determine slot widths and wire cross-sectional dimensions. The mean acquired dimensions of the brackets and wires were applied to an equation devised by Meling to estimate torsional play angle (γ). In all bracket systems, the slot tops were significantly wider than the slot bases (P brackets, and Clippy-Cs (Tomy, Futaba, Fukushima, Japan) among the 0.018-inch brackets. The Damon Clear (Ormco) bracket had the smallest dimensional error (0.542%), whereas the 0.022-inch Empower Clear (American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, Wis) bracket had the largest (3.585%). The largest amount of theoretical play is observed using the Empower Clear (American Orthodontics) 0.022-inch bracket combined with the 0.016 × 0.022-inch TMA wire (Ormco), whereas the least amount occurs using the 0.018 Clippy-C (Tomy) combined with 0.016 × 0.022-inch SS wire (Ortho Technology).

ALGORITM PENTRU DETERMINAREA STRATEGIILOR OPTIME STAŢIONARE ÎN PROBLEMELE STOCASTICE DE CONTROL OPTIMAL DISCRET PE REŢELE DECIZIONALE CU MULTIPLE CLASE RECURENTE

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Maria CAPCELEA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Este elaborat şi argumentat teoretic un algoritm eficient pentru determinarea strategiilor optime staţionare în proble-mele stocastice de control optimal discret cu perioada de dirijare infinită, definite pe reţele decizionale cu multiple clase recurente, în care este aplicat criteriul de optimizare a combinaţiei convexe a costurilor medii în clasele recurente. Sunt examinate probleme în care costurile de tranziţie între stările sistemului dinamic şi probabilităţile de tranziţie, definite în stările necontrolabile, sunt constante independente de timp. Algoritmul elaborat este bazat pe modelul de programare liniară pentru determinarea strategiilor optime în problemele de control definite pe reţele decizionale perfecte [3,4].AN ALGORITHM FOR DETERMINING STATIONARY OPTIMAL STRATEGIES FOR STOCHASTIC DISCRETE OPTIMAL CONTROL PROBLEMS DEFINED ON NETWORKS WITH MULTIPLE RECURRENT CLASSESAn efficient algorithm for determining optimal stationary strategies for the stochastic discrete optimal control problems with infinite time horizon is developed and theoretically justified. The problems are defined on decision networks with multiple recurrent classes. The average costs convex combination optimization criterion is applied. We examine problems in which the costs of transitions between the states of the dynamic system and transition probabilities, defined on the uncontrollable states, are constants independent on time. The algorithm is based on the linear programming model developed for determining optimal strategies in control problems defined on perfect decision networks [3,4].

Unusual odd-chain and trans-octadecenoic fatty acids in tissues of feral European beaver (Castorfiber), Eurasian badger (Melesmeles) and raccoon dog (Nyctereutesprocyonoides).

Science.gov (United States)

Martysiak-Zurowska, Dorota; Zalewski, Kazimierz; Kamieniarz, Robert

2009-06-01

The fatty acid (FA) composition of depot adipose tissues in the raccoon dog (Nyctereutesprocyonoides) and the European beaver (Castorfiber) differs from that reported for the lipids of other monogastric animals, especially with regard to the presence of trans-octadecenoic acids. The concentrations of pentadecanoic acid 15:0 (PA) and heptadecanoic acid 17:0 (HA) in the lipids of the tested animals ranged from 0.23 to 0.79% and from 0.33 to 2.35% of total FAs, respectively. The total content of their monounsaturated cis isomers varied from 0.12 to 2.75% for pentadecanoic acid (c-PA) and from 0.38 to 2.45% for heptadecanoic acid (c-HA). It is interesting that the tissues of European beavers and raccoon dogs contained also trans isomers of octadecenoic acid C18:1 (t-OA) including vaccenic acid C18:1,11t (VA), typical of ruminants. The presence of FAs with an uneven number of carbon atoms and trans-octadecenoic acids in depot adipose tissue is indicative of the process of hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid) in the digestive tract. The tissues of badgers also contained t-OA (from below 0.05% in the liver to 0.44% in the kidneys), but no VA was found.

Tuberculosis in cattle: the results of the four-area project

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Griffin John M

2005-11-01

Full Text Available The four-area project was undertaken to further assess the impact of badger removal on the control of tuberculosis in cattle herds in Ireland. It was conducted between 1997 and 2002 in matched removal and reference areas in four counties, namely Cork, Donegal, Kilkenny and Monaghan, representing a wide range of Irish farming environments. In the removal areas, a proactive programme of badger removal was conducted, on two or three occasions each year, whereas in the reference areas, badger removal was entirely reactive following severe outbreaks of tuberculosis amongst cattle. A detailed statistical analysis of this study has already been presented by Griffin et al. 13; this paper presents further, mainly descriptive, findings from the study. In total, 2,360 badgers were captured in the removal areas of which 450 (19.5% were considered positive for tuberculosis and 258 badgers were captured in the reference areas, with 57 (26.1% positive for tuberculosis. The annual incidence of confirmed herd restrictions was lower in the removal area compared to the reference area in every year of the study period in each of the four counties. These empirical findings were consistent with the hazard ratios found by Griffin et al. 13. Further, the effect of proactive badger removal on cattle tuberculosis in the four-area project and in the earlier east-Offaly project, as measured using the number of reactors per 1,000 cattle tested, were very similar, providing compelling evidence of the role of badgers in the epidemiology of tuberculosis in Irish cattle herds. The validity of the four-area project was discussed in detail. Efforts to minimise badger-to-cattle transmission in Ireland must be undertaken in association with the current comprehensive control programme, which has effectively minimised opportunities for cattle-to-cattle transmission.

Comparative macroanatomical study of the neurocranium in some carnivora.

Science.gov (United States)

Karan, M; Timurkaan, S; Ozdemir, D; Unsaldi, E

2006-02-01

This study was carried out to investigate the specific anatomical features of the neurocranium of the skull of the dog, cat, badger, marten and otter. Twenty-five animals (five from each species) were used without sexual distinction. The neurocranium consists of os occipitale, os sphenoidale, os pterygoideum, os ethmoidale, vomer, os temporale, os parietale and os frontale. The processus paracondylaris is projected ventrally in the cat, dog, marten and badger, and caudally in the otter. Two foramina were found laterally on each side of the protuberantia occipitalis externa in the otter, and one foramen was found near the protuberantia occipitalis externa in the badger. Foramen was not seen in other species. Paired ossa parietalia joined each other at the midline, forming the sutura sagittalis in the badger, dog, otter and cat while it was separated by the linea temporalis in the marten. The os frontale was small in otters, narrow and long in martens, and quite wide in cats and dogs. The bulla tympanica was rounded in the marten, dog, cat and badger, dorsoventral compressed in otter, and it was very large in all species examined. These observations represented interspecies differences in the neurocranium of marten, otter, badger, cat and dog.

Numerical methods and applications in many fermion systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luitz, David J.

2013-02-07

This thesis presents results covering several topics in correlated many fermion systems. A Monte Carlo technique (CT-INT) that has been implemented, used and extended by the author is discussed in great detail in chapter 3. The following chapter discusses how CT-INT can be used to calculate the two particle Green's function and explains how exact frequency summations can be obtained. A benchmark against exact diagonalization is presented. The link to the dynamical cluster approximation is made in the end of chapter 4, where these techniques are of immense importance. In chapter 5 an extensive CT-INT study of a strongly correlated Josephson junction is shown. In particular, the signature of the first order quantum phase transition between a Kondo and a local moment regime in the Josephson current is discussed. The connection to an experimental system is made with great care by developing a parameter extraction strategy. As a final result, we show that it is possible to reproduce experimental data from a numerically exact CT-INT model-calculation. The last topic is a study of graphene edge magnetism. We introduce a general effective model for the edge states, incorporating a complicated interaction Hamiltonian and perform an exact diagonalization study for different parameter regimes. This yields a strong argument for the importance of forbidden umklapp processes and of the strongly momentum dependent interaction vertex for the formation of edge magnetism. Additional fragments concerning the use of a Legendre polynomial basis for the representation of the two particle Green's function, the analytic continuation of the self energy for the Anderson Kane Mele Model as well as the generation of test data with a given covariance matrix are documented in the appendix. A final appendix provides some very important matrix identities that are used for the discussion of technical details of CT-INT.

Numerical methods and applications in many fermion systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luitz, David J.

2013-01-01

This thesis presents results covering several topics in correlated many fermion systems. A Monte Carlo technique (CT-INT) that has been implemented, used and extended by the author is discussed in great detail in chapter 3. The following chapter discusses how CT-INT can be used to calculate the two particle Green's function and explains how exact frequency summations can be obtained. A benchmark against exact diagonalization is presented. The link to the dynamical cluster approximation is made in the end of chapter 4, where these techniques are of immense importance. In chapter 5 an extensive CT-INT study of a strongly correlated Josephson junction is shown. In particular, the signature of the first order quantum phase transition between a Kondo and a local moment regime in the Josephson current is discussed. The connection to an experimental system is made with great care by developing a parameter extraction strategy. As a final result, we show that it is possible to reproduce experimental data from a numerically exact CT-INT model-calculation. The last topic is a study of graphene edge magnetism. We introduce a general effective model for the edge states, incorporating a complicated interaction Hamiltonian and perform an exact diagonalization study for different parameter regimes. This yields a strong argument for the importance of forbidden umklapp processes and of the strongly momentum dependent interaction vertex for the formation of edge magnetism. Additional fragments concerning the use of a Legendre polynomial basis for the representation of the two particle Green's function, the analytic continuation of the self energy for the Anderson Kane Mele Model as well as the generation of test data with a given covariance matrix are documented in the appendix. A final appendix provides some very important matrix identities that are used for the discussion of technical details of CT-INT.

The strategic approach of the corporative social responsibility: a review of academic literature

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Daniela Toro

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Even Since the 1970`s several studies have been carried out in order to identify the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR and financial profit. The results have not been homogeneous and so far no definitive conclusion has been reached. Recently a group of researchers have linked CSR with business strategy and state that what distinguishes those cases in which CSR is related to a positive financial performance is its consideration and design as a social strategy closely related and embedded in the business strategy. The aim of this research is to review some of the authors that have contributed with their researches to this field. CSR has been approached form the academic and the business field and its definition vary from one view to other. Even inside the academy definitions are not alike. According to Garriga and Mele (2004 there are four major areas in which CSR theories may be categorized: instrumental, political, integrative and ethical. And even though this research is exhaustive and includes most of the different theories and approaches I consider it might be useful to pay special attention to a field that is gaining in importance due to the number of researches related to it. That is the consideration of CSR as a social strategy capable of generating value to the firm and aligned and coherent with the business strategy. I will intend to review the contributions done in the academic field by a group of authors: Burke y Logsdon (1996, Husted y Allen (2000 y 2001 and McWilliams y Siegel (2001 and based on their contributions I will intend to develop a preliminary theoretical model for the application of social strategies within the firm and then introduce a series of propositions that look to understand and extend the relationship between both type of strategies.

Emergency rabies control in a community of two high-density hosts

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Singer Alexander

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rabies is a fatal viral disease that potentially can affect all mammals. Terrestrial rabies is not present in the United Kingdom and has been eliminated from Western Europe. Nevertheless the possibility remains that rabies could be introduced to England, where it would find two potentially suitable hosts, red foxes and badgers. With the aim to analyse the spread and emergency control of rabies in this two species host community, a simulation model was constructed. Different control strategies involving anti-rabies vaccination and population culling were developed, considering control application rates, spatial extent and timing. These strategies were evaluated for efficacy and feasibility to control rabies in hypothetical rural areas in the South of England immediately after a disease outbreak. Results The model confirmed that both fox and badger populations, separately, were competent hosts for the spread of rabies. Realistic vaccination levels were not sufficient to control rabies in high-density badger populations. The combined species community was a very strong rabies host. However, disease spread within species appeared to be more important than cross-species infection. Thus, the drivers of epidemiology depend on the potential of separate host species to sustain the disease. To control a rabies outbreak in the two species, both species had to be targeted. Realistic and robust control strategies involved vaccination of foxes and badgers, but also required badger culling. Although fox and badger populations in the UK are exceptionally dense, an outbreak of rabies can be controlled with a higher than 90% chance, if control response is quick and follows a strict regime. This requires surveillance and forceful and repeated control campaigns. In contrast, an uncontrolled rabies outbreak in the South of England would quickly develop into a strong epizootic involving tens of thousands of rabid foxes and badgers. Conclusions If

Database Assessment of Pollution Control in the Military Explosives and Propellants Production Industry.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-02-01

Hydroperm Microfiltration System for Treatment of Pink Water ................................. 138 9.3.3 Conclusions...pollution efforts will concen- N trate on installation restoration by removal of contaminated soils and buil- ding materials. 8.2 BADGER AAP Badger AAP...recovered carbon decreases so much that after four cycles it is discarded by open bur- ning. 9.3.2 Hydrorm Microfiltration System for Treatment of Pink

Development of survival skills in captive-raised Siberian polecats (Mustela eversmanni) II: predator avoidance

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Brian; Biggins, Dean; Wemmer, Chris; Powell, Roger; Calvo, Lorena; Hanebury, Lou; Wharton, Tracy

1990-01-01

We exposed naive Siberain polecats (Mustela eversmanni) (aged 2, 3, and 4 months) to a swooping stuffed great horned owl (Buho virginianus) and a stuffed badger (Taxidae taxus) mounted on a remote control toy automobile frame. The first introduction to each was harmless, the second was accompanied by a mild aversive stimulus, the third (1 day after attack) was harmless, and the fourth (30 days after attack) was harmless. Alert behavior increased after a single attack by either predator model. Escape responses of naive polecats did not differ between ages when exposed to the badger, but 4 month old polecats reduced their escape times after a single badger attack. When exposed to the swooping owl, naive 4 month old polecats redponded more quickly than the other two age groups, and 3 and 4 month old polecats reduced escape times after a single owl attack. This indicates an innate escape response to the owl model at 4 months of age, and a short-tert ability to remember a single mild aversive encounter with the badger and owl models at 3 or 4 months of age.

Pembelajaran Matematika Konstruktivistik Berbasis Humanistik Berbantuan E-Learning Pada Materi Segitiga Kelas VII

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Amidi Amidi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan pemahaman konsep dan memperbaiki sikap belajar peserta didik melalui pengembangan perangkat pembelajaran matematika kons-truktivis berbasis humanistik berbantuan e-learning. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian pe-ngembangan dengan model 4D yang diadaptasi menjadi 4P, yaitu pendefinisian (analisis awal-akhir, analisis peserta didik, analisis materi, analisis tugas, dan merumuskan tujuan pembelajaran khusus, perancangan (penyusunan kriteria tes, pemilihan media, pemilihan format, dan desain awal, pengembangan (validasi ahli dan uji coba, dan penyebaran. Ada-pun perangkat yang dikembangkan adalah Silabus, RPP, LKPD, dan E-learning. Teknik pe-ngumpulan data pada penelitian ini adalah dengan metode tes, dokumentasi, observasi, dan angket. Berdasarkan analisis data dapat disimpulkan bahwa keterampilan proses dan sikap belajar peserta didik lebih baik, karena kedua variabel secara bersama memberikan pengaruh posi-tif terhadap prestasi belajar peserta didik. Rata-rata prestasi belajar kelas eksperimen mele-bihi batas KKM, sehingga rata-rata prestasi belajar kelas eksperimen lebih baik dari kelas kontrol. Sehingga dapat disimpulkan pembelajaran efektif. The purpose of this research was improving the understanding of the concept and improving the attitudes of learners through the development of software-based humanistic constructivist mathematics assisted e-learning. The research is a development research using 4D model, which is modified to 4P model, namely defining (initial-end analysis, students analysis, material analysis, assignment analysis, and formulate particular learning purpose, designing (formulate test criteria, choose media, chose format, and initial design, developing (validation by expert and try out, and dissemination. The devices develop are Syllabus, Lesson Plan, Worksheet, and E-learning. The data are collected though are test method, documentation, observation, and questionnaire. Based on

Effects of Slow-stroke Back Massage on Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting in the Pediatrics with Acute Leukemia: a Challenge of Controlling Symptoms

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Mojtaba Miladinia

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction Nausea and vomiting are the most common side effects of chemotherapy in the pediatrics with cancer which affect their quality of life. Use of some methods of complementary medicine in leukemia patients is problematic. Because, leukemia patients are at risk of infection and bleeding, therefore the use of acupressure, acupuncture, and deep massage can be risky in these patients. Slow- stroke back massage is applied on the surface of body, so does not have complications. No study has addressed the effect of massage therapy on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in pediatrics with acute leukemia in the world.  Material and methods This study was a two-group randomized controlled trial (RCT, double blind and repeated measures design. In this RCT, 45 school age children with acute leukemia were placed in the massage and control groups. Before start of the study, at the day of chemotherapy administration (day 1th, only nausea and vomiting were measured. Then during 6 days next (day 2 through 7, the intervention group received 5-minutes Super Smash Bros. Melee (SSBM, immediately before start of each session of chemotherapy. Nausea was measured during chemotherapy, 0.5 h and 3 h after each session of chemotherapy in the two groups. Also vomiting was recorded during 24 h after each session of chemotherapy. Repeated measures ANOVA, Chi-square, and t-test were used for analysis. Results Most of pediatrics were male (58.13%, and suffered from Acute myeloid leukemia (AML (81.7%. The repeated measure analysis showed that in the intervention group, the SSBM reduced progressive mean of nausea severity and frequency of vomit over time. While, this side effects have slightly increased over time in the control group. Conclusion The results of this study are suggesting that SSBM, as a non-pharmacologic, easy and safe method, is effective in controlling Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV in the pediatrics with acute leukemia.

Zora’s Politics: A Brief Introduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernest Julius Mitchell II

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In his introduction to reading Zora Neale Hurston’s politics, Mitchell argues that contemporary scholarship has misread Hurston in significant ways, distorting Hurston’s work and reputation to serve contesting political agendas; thus, in recent years, she has been associated with “a bewildering array of affiliations: republican, libertarian, radical democrat, reactionary conservative, black cultural nationalist, anti-authoritarian feminist, and woman-hating protofascist.” Recuperating Hurston from this impossible political melee of labels, Mitchell argues, requires a careful reading of Hurston’s work dating from her earliest pieces in the late 1920s, as well as surveying her many yet to be published manuscripts and letters; it requires recognition of the transnational and comparative lens through which she reported on political maneuvers and military histories, as well as reading not only her strong criticisms but also her silences, ironic phrasings, and nuanced critiques in her writings on global colonial enterprises. Mitchell’s introduction to the two Hurston essays here reprinted, “I Saw Negro Votes Peddled” (1950 and “Why the Negro Won’t Buy Communism” (1951—courtesy of the American Legion Magazine—is set in the larger frame of his assertion that Hurston’s work should be read with a deep appreciation of her staunch anticolonialism. Tracing her political philosophy through her views of how race and religion are used to valorize an international culture of violence that serves imperialistic and colonial ends, Mitchell takes his reader on a tour of Hurston’s transnational commentary—from the US occupation of Haiti, to the Spanish and British on the Florida peninsula; from Communist Russia and China, to election practices in the US—to set the stage for our encounters with these rarely read Hurston essays. Reading Mitchell’s “Zora’s Politics: A Brief Introduction” provides a firm foundation for a more

Spatial Temporal Dynamics and Molecular Evolution of Re-Emerging Rabies Virus in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yung-Cheng Lin

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Taiwan has been recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health as rabies-free since 1961. Surprisingly, rabies virus (RABV was identified in a dead Formosan ferret badger in July 2013. Later, more infected ferret badgers were reported from different geographic regions of Taiwan. In order to know its evolutionary history and spatial temporal dynamics of this virus, phylogeny was reconstructed by maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods based on the full-length of glycoprotein (G, matrix protein (M, and nucleoprotein (N genes. The evolutionary rates and phylogeographic were determined using Beast and SPREAD software. Phylogenetic trees showed a monophyletic group containing all of RABV isolates from Taiwan and it further separated into three sub-groups. The estimated nucleotide substitution rates of G, M, and N genes were between 2.49 × 10−4–4.75 × 10−4 substitutions/site/year, and the mean ratio of dN/dS was significantly low. The time of the most recent common ancestor was estimated around 75, 89, and 170 years, respectively. Phylogeographic analysis suggested the origin of the epidemic could be in Eastern Taiwan, then the Formosan ferret badger moved across the Central Range of Taiwan to western regions and separated into two branches. In this study, we illustrated the evolution history and phylogeographic of RABV in Formosan ferret badgers.

Linking transcriptional and genetic tumor heterogeneity through allele analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Jean; Lee, Hae-Ock; Lee, Soohyun; Ryu, Da-Eun; Lee, Semin; Xue, Catherine; Kim, Seok Jin; Kim, Kihyun; Barkas, Nikolas; Park, Peter J; Park, Woong-Yang; Kharchenko, Peter V

2018-06-13

Characterization of intratumoral heterogeneity is critical to cancer therapy, as presence of phenotypically diverse cell populations commonly fuels relapse and resistance to treatment. Although genetic variation is a well-studied source of intratumoral heterogeneity, the functional impact of most genetic alterations remains unclear. Even less understood is the relative importance of other factors influencing heterogeneity, such as epigenetic state or tumor microenvironment. To investigate the relationship between genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity in a context of cancer progression, we devised a computational approach called HoneyBADGER to identify copy number variation and loss-of-heterozygosity in individual cells from single-cell RNA-sequencing data. By integrating allele and normalized expression information, HoneyBADGER is able to identify and infer the presence of subclone-specific alterations in individual cells and reconstruct underlying subclonal architecture. Examining several tumor types, we show that HoneyBADGER is effective at identifying deletion, amplifications, and copy-neutral loss-of-heterozygosity events, and is capable of robustly identifying subclonal focal alterations as small as 10 megabases. We further apply HoneyBADGER to analyze single cells from a progressive multiple myeloma patient to identify major genetic subclones that exhibit distinct transcriptional signatures relevant to cancer progression. Surprisingly, other prominent transcriptional subpopulations within these tumors did not line up with the genetic subclonal structure, and were likely driven by alternative, non-clonal mechanisms. These results highlight the need for integrative analysis to understand the molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity in cancer. Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Getting priorities straight: improving Linux support for database I/O

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hall, Christoffer; Bonnet, Philippe

2005-01-01

The Linux 2.6 kernel supports asynchronous I/O as a result of propositions from the database industry. This is a positive evolution but is it a panacea? In the context of the Badger project, a collaboration between MySQL AB and University of Copenhagen, ......The Linux 2.6 kernel supports asynchronous I/O as a result of propositions from the database industry. This is a positive evolution but is it a panacea? In the context of the Badger project, a collaboration between MySQL AB and University of Copenhagen, ...

The political economy of bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, R M

2017-04-01

A brief history of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and its control in Great Britain (GB) is presented. Numerous diverse policies to control the disease in humans, cattle and wildlife have been pursued over the last 100 years and many millions of pounds have been spent. After notable success in reducing the incidence and prevalence of bTB in cattle in GB from the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the geographical spread of the disease and the number of cattle slaughtered have increased continually since that time, with a high point of bTB incidence in 2008. This increase appeared to coincide with changing policy regarding the control of the disease in badgers, with a more humane approach adopted and with strengthened protection for badgers through legislation. Indeed, there has been much controversy in the debate on the role of badgers in disease transmission to cattle and the need for their control as vectors of the disease. The issue has attracted the attention of the media and there have been various commissioned research projects, trials and public consultations. The findings of two social science investigations presented as examples showed that citizens generally believed that bTB in cattle is an important issue that needs to be tackled, but objected to badgers being killed, whilst cattle farmers were willing to pay around £17/animal/year for a bTB cattle vaccine. It is noted that successes regarding the control of bTB in other countries have combined both cattle and wildlife controls and involved industry working in close partnership with government.

Mustelidae are natural hosts of Staphylococcus delphini group A

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guardabassi, Luca; Schmidt, Kristina Runge; Petersen, Tina Steiner

2012-01-01

158 SIG isolates from less studied animal species belonging to the order Carnivora, including mink (n=118), fox (n=33), badger (n=6) and ferret (n=1). Species identification was performed by nuc PCR in combination with sodA sequence analysis and pta PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP......). The results showed a consistent association between host and bacterial species. All isolates from minks, ferret and badgers belonged to S. delphini group A, whereas all fox isolates except one were identified as S. pseudintermedius. The remaining fox isolate belonged to S. delphini group A. The results...... through host adaptation....

The use of 65Zn for estimating populations of carnivores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruuk, H.; Parrish, T.

1980-01-01

Carnivore populations are difficult to measure by conventional methods. We have developed a new method which involves catching one or more individuals from a population and injecting them with the isotope 65 Zn. The radio-isotope appears in the faeces and assuming that the proportion of labelled to unlabelled faeces will equal the proportion of labelled to unlabelled individuals it is possible to estimate the size of the population. We have shown that the method gives an accurate estimate for a population of captive badgers of known size and we have used it in the field to estimate the size of wild badger populations. (author)

Gums, badgers, and economics

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Wilgen, BW

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Gums trees (in the genus Eucalyptus, from Australia) are not set to ‘disappear’ (even if some people wanted them to). Gums form an important component of the forest industry and, at last count, they covered over 540 000 ha in formal plantations...

Remote-sensing based approach to forecast habitat quality under climate change scenarios.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan M Requena-Mullor

Full Text Available As climate change is expected to have a significant impact on species distributions, there is an urgent challenge to provide reliable information to guide conservation biodiversity policies. In addressing this challenge, we propose a remote sensing-based approach to forecast the future habitat quality for European badger, a species not abundant and at risk of local extinction in the arid environments of southeastern Spain, by incorporating environmental variables related with the ecosystem functioning and correlated with climate and land use. Using ensemble prediction methods, we designed global spatial distribution models for the distribution range of badger using presence-only data and climate variables. Then, we constructed regional models for an arid region in the southeast Spain using EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index derived variables and weighting the pseudo-absences with the global model projections applied to this region. Finally, we forecast the badger potential spatial distribution in the time period 2071-2099 based on IPCC scenarios incorporating the uncertainty derived from the predicted values of EVI-derived variables. By including remotely sensed descriptors of the temporal dynamics and spatial patterns of ecosystem functioning into spatial distribution models, results suggest that future forecast is less favorable for European badgers than not including them. In addition, change in spatial pattern of habitat suitability may become higher than when forecasts are based just on climate variables. Since the validity of future forecast only based on climate variables is currently questioned, conservation policies supported by such information could have a biased vision and overestimate or underestimate the potential changes in species distribution derived from climate change. The incorporation of ecosystem functional attributes derived from remote sensing in the modeling of future forecast may contribute to the improvement of the

Spatial Co-Occurrence and Activity Patterns of Mesocarnivores in the Temperate Forests of Southwest China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongliang Bu

Full Text Available Understanding the interactions between species and their coexistence mechanisms will help explain biodiversity maintenance and enable managers to make sound conservation decisions. Mesocarnivores are abundant and diverse mid-sized carnivores and can have profound impacts on the function, structure and dynamics of ecosystem after the extirpation of apex predators in many ecosystems. The moist temperate forests of Southwest China harbor a diverse community of mesocarnivores in the absence of apex predators. Sympatric species tend to partition limited resources along time, diet and space to facilitate coexistence. We determined the spatial and temporal patterns for five species of mesocarnivores. We used detection histories from a large camera-trap dataset collected from 2004-2015 with an extensive effort of 23,313 camera-days from 495 camera locations. The five mesocarnivore species included masked palm civet Paguma larvata, leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis, hog badger Arctonyx collaris, yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula, and Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica. Only the masked palm civet and hog badger tended to avoid each other; while for other pairs of species, they occurred independently of each other, or no clear pattern observed. With regard to seasonal activity, yellow-throated marten was most active in winter, opposite the pattern observed for masked palm civet, leopard cat and hog badger. For diel activity, masked palm civet, leopard cat and hog badger were primarily nocturnal and crepuscular; yellow-throated marten was diurnal, and Siberian weasel had no clear pattern for most of the year (March to November, but was nocturnal in the winter (December to February. The seasonal shift of the Siberian weasel may be due to the high diet overlap among species in winter. Our results provided new facts and insights into this unique community of mesocarnivores of southwest China, and will facilitate future studies on the mechanism

Seryozha's Education

Science.gov (United States)

Blaisdell, Bob

2015-01-01

This is discussion of one of Leo Tolstoy's fictional dramatisations of aggressive but dull-witted pedagogy. In "Anna Karenina," two adults badger a lively, deep-souled, active-minded boy, Anna's son Seryozha, to learn his rote-lessons.

African Zoology - Vol 33, No 4 (1998)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Predation on the tent tortoise Psammobates tentorius: a whodunit with the honey badger Mellivora capensis as prime suspect · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. Penn Lloyd, Dekker A. Stadler, 200-202 ...

Poison blamed for decline of Spain's majestic Black Vultures

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2007-03-01

catastrophic” decline in numbers because of illegal poisoning by hunters. The use of poisoned bait to kill foxes, badgers, wild dogs, feral cats and smaller birds of prey has reduced the population by almost a half in the past decade,.

78 FR 5486 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-25

... quantity and quality of the experiences and desired recreation setting available in the planning area. The... designation areas; lands with wilderness characteristics; water, soil, and riparian areas; special status... and importance values. Badger Wash, up to 2,200 acres, Alternatives A, B, C and D: No surface...

Application of a Solvent Emulsion Technology for PCB Removal from Older Structures on DoD Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

Ammunition Plant, including Mr. Mark Kershner of the USAF, Glen Clark of the Navy, and Ms. Joan Kenney of Badger Army Ammunition Plant...concerns, as the paint degrades and becomes brittle and can become airborne or impact soil, surface water, or groundwater. To date, no reliable methods

Application of a Bimetallic Treatment System (BTS) for PCB Removal from Older Structures on DoD Facilities. Cost and Performance Report

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Navy’s Inactive Ship Program and Badger Army Ammunition Plant including: Mr. Mark Kershner of the USAF, Glen ...environment because of inhalation or ingestion concerns as the paint degrades and becomes brittle and can become air-born or impact soil, surface water or

Archaeological Sites Inventory of the High Priority Portions of Training Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 13, and H of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Las Animas County, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

2007-03-18

badger, and porcupine . Small mammals and nongame mammals found in the area are snowshoe hare, squirrel, muskrat, weasel, ringtail, shrew, mole...often buying up water sources and allowing their herds to roam across public and private land. By the early 1920s most of the public land had been

78 FR 18629 - Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean Water Act

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-27

... with the defendant's discharge of ash from BADGER, a coal- fired, stream-driven ferry that operates.... Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044-7611. During the public comment period, you can examine and download...-ENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044-7611. Please enclose a check or money order for $10.50...

2 Dailies Battle for Readers and Advertisers in U. of Wisconsin Student-Newspaper War.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirschorn, Michael W.

1987-01-01

Two student newspapers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison are in fierce competition for readers and advertisers. A proposal of the Badger Herald, an 18-year-old conservative weekly, that the two merge their financial operations was rejected by the liberal Daily Cardinal and the newspaper war was on. (MLW)

Flowers with Yeast α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cholesterol in Hamsters Fed High-Fat Diets. Supplemented with Blueberry Peels and Peel. Extract. J Agric Food Chem 2010; 58: 3984-3991. 7. Xie C, Kang J, Chen JR, Nagarajan S, Badger TM, Wu X. Phenolic Acids Are in Vivo Atheroprotective. Compounds Appearing in the Serum of Rats after. Blueberry Consumption.

The Process Genre Writing Approach; An Alternative Option for the Modern Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Tudor, Emma

2017-01-01

"Writing involves knowledge about the language, the context in which writing happens and skills in using language. Writing development happens by drawing out the learners' potential and providing input to which learners respond" (Badger & White, 2000.) Taking this in to account, the Process Genre Approach in writing classes can be…

State of Washington, Aquatic Plant Management Program: Design Memorandum.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-10-01

Ondatra sibethicus Mink Mustela vison Striped skunk Mephitis mephitis Raccoon Procyon lotor Marten Martes americana River otter Lutra canadensis Long...tailed weasel Mustela frenata Badger Taxidea taxus Little brown Mrotis yotis lucifugus California myotis _yotis californicus Yuma nyotis Myotis...occupational, and medical histories, paying par- ticular attention to respiratory , gastrointestinal, dermatological, and neurological systems. " Physical

Ambitious coal to gasoline plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taffe, P

1979-06-20

A design study carried out by Badger Energy concludes that the first US commercial gasoline from coal facility could be completed in eight years. The cost of gasoline would be 1.09 US dollars/gal. in 1990 with coal at 25 US dollars/ton. The process involves oxygen-blown coal gasification, conversion to methanol by the Mobil process, gas fractionation and HF alkylation.

The Occurrence of Some Nonblood Protozoan Parasites in Wild and Domestic Mammals in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Lukášová, Radka; Halajian, Ali; Bártová, Eva; Kobédová, Kateřina; Swanepoel, Lourens H; O'Riain, M Justin

2018-04-01

Relatively little is known about protozoan parasites in African animals. Here we investigated the occurrence of protozoan parasites in mammals from South Africa. Oocysts of protozoan parasites were detected in 13 of 56 (23%) fecal samples using conventional microscopic examination methods. Cryptosporidium spp. and Cystoisospora spp. were detected in eight (14%) and five (9%) samples, respectively. Mixed parasitic infection of Cryptosporidium spp. and Cystoisospora spp. was recorded in banded mongoose ( Mungos mungo). Cryptosporidium spp. was detected for the first time in cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus), spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta), and African polecat ( Ictonyx striatus). Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum were not detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in any of 32 sera tested. We detected T. gondii by PCR in tissues of five of 243 (2%) animals: domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris), gerbil ( Gerbilliscus spp.), greater kudu ( Tragelaphus strepsiceros), honey badger ( Mellivora capensis), and white-tailed mongoose ( Ichneumia albicauda). Our isolation of T. gondii from white-tailed mongoose and honey badger was a unique finding. All tissue samples were negative for N. caninum. The study increases our knowledge on the occurrence of protozoan parasites in populations of wild and domestic animals in South Africa.

Using Cognitive Task Analysis to Develop Scenario-Based Training for House-Clearing Teams

Science.gov (United States)

2006-06-22

R. Anderson (Ed.), Cognitive skills and their acquisition (pp. 311- 334). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum & Associates. Miles , M.B. and Huberman , A.M...analysis ( Miles & Humberman, 1994). Given the more than 100 CTA studies we have conducted to date, we Contract...mission Look at person s hands (I want to see them VISIBLE and EMPTY) Badger body language (clenched fist, thousand- mile stare, hands under table

Determination by vibrational spectra of the strength and the bond length of atoms U and O in uranyl complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez S, A.; Martinez Q, E.

1996-01-01

The vibrational spectra of different uranyl compounds were studied. The wave number was related to the harmonic oscillator model and to the mathematical expression of Badger as modified by Jones, to determine the strength and the bond length of atoms U and O in UO 2 2+ . A mathematical simplification develop by us is proposed and its results compared with values obtained by other methods. (Author)

Prevalence of canine distemper virus in wild mustelids in the Czech Republic and a case of canine distemper in young stone martens

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pavlačík, L.; Celer, V.; Koubek, Petr; Literák, I.

2007-01-01

Roč. 52, č. 2 (2007), s. 69-73 ISSN 0375-8427 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IBS6093003 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : genus Morbillivirus * direct immunofluorescence test * serology * Eurasian badger * stone marten Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 0.645, year: 2007 http://www.vri.cz/docs/vetmed/52-2-69.pdf

Cultural Resource Reconnaissance of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Land Alongside Lake Sakakawea in Mountrail County, North Dakota. Volume 1. Main Report

Science.gov (United States)

1987-02-11

introduced by man] (Canis familiaris), otter (Mustela lutra canadensis), badger (Taxidea taxus), porcupine (Erethizon epixanthus), beaver (Castor...grasslands to flourish, and was accompanied by an increase in the size of bison herds . The earliest European observers on the Northern Plains witnessed...Pleistocene megafauna living in herds .. .became extinct about 3000 years ago" (Hester 1960:66). 50 While present evidence from the study region is very

An inter-laboratory validation of a real time PCR assay to measure host excretion of bacterial pathogens, particularly of Mycobacterium bovis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma R Travis

Full Text Available Advances in the diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis infection in wildlife hosts may benefit the development of sustainable approaches to the management of bovine tuberculosis in cattle. In the present study, three laboratories from two different countries participated in a validation trial to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of a real time PCR assay in the detection and quantification of M. bovis from environmental samples. The sample panels consisted of negative badger faeces spiked with a dilution series of M. bovis BCG Pasteur and of field samples of faeces from badgers of unknown infection status taken from badger latrines in areas with high and low incidence of bovine TB (bTB in cattle. Samples were tested with a previously optimised methodology. The experimental design involved rigorous testing which highlighted a number of potential pitfalls in the analysis of environmental samples using real time PCR. Despite minor variation between operators and laboratories, the validation study demonstrated good concordance between the three laboratories: on the spiked panels, the test showed high levels of agreement in terms of positive/negative detection, with high specificity (100% and high sensitivity (97% at levels of 10(5 cells g(-1 and above. Quantitative analysis of the data revealed low variability in recovery of BCG cells between laboratories and operators. On the field samples, the test showed high reproducibility both in terms of positive/negative detection and in the number of cells detected, despite low numbers of samples identified as positive by any laboratory. Use of a parallel PCR inhibition control assay revealed negligible PCR-interfering chemicals co-extracted with the DNA. This is the first example of a multi-laboratory validation of a real time PCR assay for the detection of mycobacteria in environmental samples. Field studies are now required to determine how best to apply the assay for population-level b

Public Health Responses to Reemergence of Animal Rabies, Taiwan, July 16-December 28, 2013.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Song-En Huang

Full Text Available Taiwan had been free of indigenous human and animal rabies case since canine rabies was eliminated in 1961. In July 2013, rabies was confirmed among three wild ferret-badgers, prompting public health response to prevent human rabies cases. This descriptive study reports the immediate response to the reemergence of rabies in Taiwan. Response included enhanced surveillance for human rabies cases by testing stored cerebrospinal fluids (CSF from patients with encephalitides of unknown cause by RT-PCR, prioritizing vaccine use for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP during periods of vaccine shortage and subsequent expansion of PEP, surveillance of animal bites using information obtained from vaccine application, roll out of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP with vaccine stock restoration, surveillance for adverse events following immunization (AEFI, and ensuring surge capacity to respond to general public inquiries by phone and training for healthcare professionals. Enhanced surveillance for human rabies found no cases after testing 205 stored CSF specimens collected during January 2010-July 2013. During July 16 to December 28, 2013, we received 8,241 rabies PEP application; 6,634 (80.5% were consistent with recommendations. Among the 6,501 persons who received at least one dose of rabies vaccine postexposure, 4,953 (76.2% persons who were bitten by dogs; only 59 (0.9% persons were bitten by ferret-badgers. During the study period, 6,247 persons received preexposure prophylaxis. There were 23 reports of AEFI; but no anaphylaxis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis were found. During the study period, there were 40,312 calls to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control hotline, of which, 8,692 (22% were related to rabies. Recent identification of rabies among ferret-badgers in a previously rabies-free country prompted rapid response. To date, no human rabies has been identified. Continued multifaceted surveillance and

Tooele Army Depot - South Area Suspected Release Units. RCRA Facility Investigation - Phase 2, for SWMUs 1, 25, and 27

Science.gov (United States)

1995-11-01

metabolism before reaching the systemic circulation. Therefore, a toxic effect attributable to an active metabolite might be more pronounced if the compound...no first-pass metabolism might result in a greater dose of the toxic constituent entering the systemic circulation than if the compound were absorbed...great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, loggerhead shrikes, badgers, Ord’s kangaroo rats, horned larks, and sagebrush lizards. The vegetation types

Cultural Resource Reconnaissance of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Land Alongside Lake Sakakawea in Dunn County, North Dakota. Volume 1. Main Report

Science.gov (United States)

1987-11-01

Mustela lutra canadensis), badger (Taxidea taxus), porcupine (Erethizon epixanthus), beaver (Castor canadensis), racoon (Procyon loter loter), prairie...subsequent Neo-Boreal was cooler and moister, allowing the Plains grasslands to flourish, and was accompanied by an increase in the size of bison herds . The...It has been noted that "the majority of the Pleistocene megafauna living in herds .. .became extinct about 8000 years ago" (Hester 1960:66). While

All That Fuss Just for Some Bloody Badgers?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sage, Daniel; Dainty, Andy; Tryggestad, Kjell

2013-01-01

, or Animal Studies, have focussed far more on stable and contained sites, whether organisations like zoos, farms or laboratories, or other places like homes and parks. These largely ethnographic studies inevitably perhaps downplay the unplanned, unexpected and highly politically and ethically charged...... collision of hitherto rather separate human and animal geographies. Yet, as we argue here, it is often along such colliding spaces, where animal geographies are unexpectedly found at the heart of human projects, that we ask and answer many of the above questions around our respect and response to both...... animals, and indeed other humans. In this paper we will examine such encounters conceptually, with reference to two infrastructure projects, and discuss their relevance to both construction project management and broader work on the politics of animals....

Can Smartphones and Privacy Coexist Assessing Technologies and Regulations Protecting Personal Data on Android and iOS Devices

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

from unknown sources even if they have not been approved for the app store (“Google Report: Android Security 2014 Year in Review,” 2014). This makes...Report: Android Security 2014 Year in Review,” 2014. As of October 2015: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/source.android.com/ en//devices...Experience Returns for Security (BADGERS), September 11, 2014. Lockheimer, Hiroshi, “ Android and Security ,” Google Mobile Blog, February 2, 2012. As

Testing and Evaluation of Archeological Sites 32ML404 and 32ML406 in McLean County, North Dakota.

Science.gov (United States)

1978-09-01

region include aggregating ( herd ) animals as well as those that are dispersed. The most important animal to prehistoric inhabitants of the area was the...bison which is a herd animal and served as a primary faunal resource. Important fauna that do not aggregate include deer, elk, antelope and dog. Other...fauna in the area include rabbit, squirrel, prairie dog, badger, beaver, bobcat, coyote, fox, porcupine , skunk, vole, and wolf (Zimmerman et al. 1977:4

The Effect of Mock Tests on Iranian EFL learners’ Test Scores

OpenAIRE

Hossein Khodabakhshzadeh; Reza Zardkanloo

2016-01-01

The effect of using tests in test preparation courses has been subject to debate. While some scholars such as Yang and Badger (2015) believe it is a cause of positive washback effect, others argue that this issue is tentative and context-bound (Green, 2007). Therefore, this study investigated the effect of using Mock tests in International English Language Testing System (IELTS) preparation courses on students’ overall IELTS scores. Fifty one IELTS students were selected non-randomly through ...

Employee or independent contractor? A summary of court, umpire and referee decisions relating to employee status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baird, S.; Morris, M.

1999-01-01

Nine case examples of disputes regarding the distinction between contractor personnel and employee status were presented. The cases involved people hired for services by Sunstar Uniforms Inc., S.A.M. Distributors, Malibu Homes Construction Ltd., Perfect Drywall Co. Ltd., Tim Horton's, Badger Mechanical Services Whitecourt Ltd., Hostage Musical Group, a chocolate bar seller in Regina, and Normatec Consultants Inc. This presentation described the disputes for each unique case and presented the outcome as decided by the courts

SEABEE Combat Handbook. Revision

Science.gov (United States)

1989-02-01

broad with strong spines that give them the appearance of a horned steer. The seed within the horny structure may be roasted or boiled. (See fig. 16-8...cats, hedgehogs , porcupines, and value per pound than those derived from plants. badgers should be skinned and gutted before You can increase your...for the fractures and for shock. A fractured spine RELIEF OF PAIN must be immobilized before the victim is moved at all, if further injuries are to be

A Qualitative Case Study on the Implementation of a Priority Seating Program at an NCAA Division I School

Science.gov (United States)

2004-08-01

green earth.. .It’s Badger hockey fans who research the name of the mother of an opposing team’s goalie so as to better inform their heckling.. .It’s the...Center and is information pulled directly from the aforementioned document ’The Kohl Center: Basketball Ticket Plan." 84 The athletic department began...our development staff which was initially housed over at the UW Foundation.. .we really hammered out the details and logistics of pulling a

Employee or independent contractor? A summary of court, umpire and referee decisions relating to employee status

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baird, S.; Morris, M. [Alberta Labour, Edmonton, AB (Canada)

1999-07-01

Nine case examples of disputes regarding the distinction between contractor personnel and employee status were presented. The cases involved people hired for services by Sunstar Uniforms Inc., S.A.M. Distributors, Malibu Homes Construction Ltd., Perfect Drywall Co. Ltd., Tim Horton's, Badger Mechanical Services Whitecourt Ltd., Hostage Musical Group, a chocolate bar seller in Regina, and Normatec Consultants Inc. This presentation described the disputes for each unique case and presented the outcome as decided by the courts.

Employee or independent contractor? A summary of court, umpire and referee decisions relating to employee status

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baird, S.; Morris, M. [Alberta Labour, Edmonton, AB (Canada)

1999-10-01

Nine case examples of disputes regarding the distinction between contractor personnel and employee status were presented. The cases involved people hired for services by Sunstar Uniforms Inc., S.A.M. Distributors, Malibu Homes Construction Ltd., Perfect Drywall Co. Ltd., Tim Horton`s, Badger Mechanical Services Whitecourt Ltd., Hostage Musical Group, a chocolate bar seller in Regina, and Normatec Consultants Inc. This presentation described the disputes for each unique case and presented the outcome as decided by the courts.

Structural determination of some uranyl compounds by vibrational spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez S, A.; Martinez Q, E.

1990-07-01

The vibrational spectra of different uranyl compounds has been studied and of it spectral information has been used the fundamental asymmetric vibrational frequency, to determine the length and constant bond force U=O by means of the combination of the concept of absorbed energy and the mathematical expression of Badger modified by Jones. It is intended a factor that simplifies the mathematical treatment and the results are compared with the values obtained for other methods. (Author)

Structural determination of some uranyl compounds by vibrational spectroscopy; Determinacion estructural de algunos compuestos de uranilo por espectroscopia vibracional

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodriguez S, A.; Martinez Q, E

1990-07-15

The vibrational spectra of different uranyl compounds has been studied and of it spectral information has been used the fundamental asymmetric vibrational frequency, to determine the length and constant bond force U=O by means of the combination of the concept of absorbed energy and the mathematical expression of Badger modified by Jones. It is intended a factor that simplifies the mathematical treatment and the results are compared with the values obtained for other methods. (Author)

An innovative intervention for the treatment of cognitive impairment–Emisymmetric bilateral stimulation improves cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment: an open-label study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guerriero F

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Fabio Guerriero,1–3 Emanuele Botarelli,3 Gianni Mele,3 Lorenzo Polo,3 Daniele Zoncu,3 Paolo Renati,3,4 Carmelo Sgarlata,1 Marco Rollone,2 Giovanni Ricevuti,1,2 Niccolo Maurizi,1 Matthew Francis,1 Mariangela Rondanelli,5 Simone Perna,5 Davide Guido,2,6 Piero Mannu3 1Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapy, Section of Geriatrics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; 2Agency for Elderly People Services, Santa Margherita Hospital, Pavia, Italy; 3Ambra Elektron, Italian Association of Biophysics for the Study of Electromagnetic Fields in Medicine, 4Alberto Sorti Research Institute, Medicine and Metamolecular Biology, Turin, Italy; 5Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Section of Human Nutrition, Endocrinology and Nutrition Unit, 6Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy Background and aims: In the last decade, the development of different methods of brain stimulation by electromagnetic fields (EMF provides a promising therapeutic tool for subjects with impaired cognitive functions. Emisymmetric bilateral stimulation (EBS is a novel and innovative EMF brain stimulation, whose working principle is to introduce very weak noise-like stimuli through EMF to trigger self-arrangements in the cortex of treated subjects, thereby improving cognitive faculties. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate in patients with cognitive impairment the effectiveness of EBS treatment with respect to global cognitive function, episodic memory, and executive functions. Methods: Fourteen patients with cognitive decline (six with mild cognitive impairment and eight with Alzheimer’s disease underwent three EBS applications per week to both the cerebral cortex and auricular-specific sites for a total of 5 weeks. At baseline, after 2 weeks and 5 weeks, a neuropsychological assessment was performed through mini–mental state

Large-Scale Phylogenomic Analysis Reveals the Complex Evolutionary History of Rabies Virus in Multiple Carnivore Hosts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cécile Troupin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The natural evolution of rabies virus (RABV provides a potent example of multiple host shifts and an important opportunity to determine the mechanisms that underpin viral emergence. Using 321 genome sequences spanning an unprecedented diversity of RABV, we compared evolutionary rates and selection pressures in viruses sampled from multiple primary host shifts that occurred on various continents. Two major phylogenetic groups, bat-related RABV and dog-related RABV, experiencing markedly different evolutionary dynamics were identified. While no correlation between time and genetic divergence was found in bat-related RABV, the evolution of dog-related RABV followed a generally clock-like structure, although with a relatively low evolutionary rate. Subsequent molecular clock dating indicated that dog-related RABV likely underwent a rapid global spread following the intensification of intercontinental trade starting in the 15th century. Strikingly, although dog RABV has jumped to various wildlife species from the order Carnivora, we found no clear evidence that these host-jumping events involved adaptive evolution, with RABV instead characterized by strong purifying selection, suggesting that ecological processes also play an important role in shaping patterns of emergence. However, specific amino acid changes were associated with the parallel emergence of RABV in ferret-badgers in Asia, and some host shifts were associated with increases in evolutionary rate, particularly in the ferret-badger and mongoose, implying that changes in host species can have important impacts on evolutionary dynamics.

A new empirical potential function and its application to hydrogen bonding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Y.K.; Jhon, M.S.

1981-01-01

A new potential function based on spectroscopic results for diatomic molecules is presented and applied to the hydrogen bonding systems. The potential energy of interaction is supposed to have electrostatic, polarization, dispersion, repulsion and effective charge-transfer contributions. Estimates of the effective charge-transfer quantity have been made based on the average charge of the proton donor and the acceptor atoms. For dimers such as water, methanol, acetic acid and formic acid, the vibrational stretching frequencies and dimerization energies are calculated and discussed in connection with Badger-Bauer rule. (author)

Raman and infrared spectroscopic studies of the structure of water (H2O, HOD, D2O) in stoichiometric crystalline hydrates and in electrolyte solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buanam-Om, C.

1981-01-01

The chapter of reviews presents in particular the Badger-Bauer-rule, distance and angle dependence of O-H...Y hydrogen bond and the structure of aqueous electrolyte solutions. A chapter of vibrational spectroscopic investigations of crystalline hydrates - metal perchlorate hydrates follows. Two further chapters just so investigate metal halide hydrates and some sulfate hydrates and related systems. The following chapter describes near infrared spectroscopic investigations of HOD(D 2 O) and its electrolyte solutions. The concluding chapter contains thermodynamic consequences and some properties of electrolyte solutions from vibrational spectroscopic investigations. (SPI) [de

Two approaches to bridging the knowledge-practice gap in oncology nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

Peek, Gloanna J

2015-01-01

The field of oncology nursing is continually changing. New drugs to aid in the fight against cancer are being developed, complementary therapies to ease symptoms are gaining prominence, and survivorship care is becoming a welcome yet challenging area of subspecialty. For oncology nurses to provide quality care and to develop improved care delivery systems, they must not only have access to the most current knowledge in the field, but also be equipped with the skills necessary to integrate that knowledge into practice for the benefit of patients and families (LoBiondo-Wood et al., 2014). The importance of nursing research and its relationship to the practice of oncology nursing cannot be minimized (Moore & Badger, 2014). Oncology nurse researchers advance knowledge and, consequently, improve the quality of care for patients with cancer and their families. For example, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) regularly surveys its membership to identify key areas of research focus that then guide the work of nurse investigators (LoBiondo-Wood et al., 2014; ONS Research Agenda Team, 2009). Unfortunately, the shortage of nurse scientists, particularly in oncology nursing, continues to increase as senior doctoral faculty reach retirement age and doctoral education program development remains stagnant (Glasgow & Dreher, 2010; LoBiondo-Wood et al., 2014). This shortage has and will continue to lead to gaps in the generation and implementation of new knowledge, negatively affecting the quality of patient care. As a result, an urgent need exists for innovative and quality doctoral educational programs to develop nurse scientists (Moore & Badger, 2014).

Black-footed ferrets and recreational shooting influence the attributes of black-tailed prairie dog burrows

Science.gov (United States)

Biggins, Dean E.; Ramakrishnan, Shantini; Goldberg, Amanda R.; Eads, David A.

2012-01-01

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) plug burrows occupied by black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), and they also plug burrows to entomb dead prairie dogs. We further evaluated these phenomena by sampling connectivity and plugging of burrow openings on prairie dog colonies occupied by ferrets, colonies where recreational shooting was allowed, and colonies with neither shooting nor ferrets. We counted burrow openings on line surveys and within plots, classified surface plugging, and used an air blower to examine subsurface connectivity. Colonies with ferrets had lower densities of openings, fewer connected openings (suggesting increased subsurface plugging), and more surface plugs compared to colonies with no known ferrets. Colonies with recreational shooting had the lowest densities of burrow openings, and line-survey data suggested colonies with shooting had intermediate rates of surface plugging. The extent of surface and subsurface plugging could have consequences for the prairie dog community by changing air circulation and escape routes of burrow systems and by altering energetic relationships. Burrow plugging might reduce prairie dogs' risk of predation by ferrets while increasing risk of predation by American badgers (Taxidea taxus); however, the complexity of the trade-off is increased if plugging increases the risk of predation on ferrets by badgers. Prairie dogs expend more energy plugging and digging when ferrets or shooting are present, and ferrets increase their energy expenditures when they dig to remove those plugs. Microclimatic differences in plugged burrow systems may play a role in flea ecology and persistence of the flea-borne bacterium that causes plague (Yersinia pestis).

Winter feeding, growth and condition of brown trout Salmo trutta in a groundwater-dominated stream

Science.gov (United States)

French, William E.; Vondracek, Bruce C.; Ferrington, Leonard C.; Finlay, Jacques C.; Dieterman, Douglas J.

2014-01-01

Winter can be a stressful period for stream-dwelling salmonid populations, often resulting in reduced growth and survival. Stream water temperatures have been identified as a primary mechanism driving reductions in fitness during winter. However, groundwater inputs can moderate water temperature and may reduce winter severity. Additionally, seasonal reductions in prey availability may contribute to decreased growth and survival, although few studies have examined food webs supporting salmonids under winter conditions. This study employed diet, stable isotope, and mark-recapture techniques to examine winter (November through March) feeding, growth, and condition of brown troutSalmo trutta in a groundwater-dominated stream (Badger Creek, Minnesota, USA). Growth was greater for fish ≤ 150 mm (mean = 4.1 mg g−1 day−1) than for those 151–276 mm (mean = 1.0 mg g−1 day−1) during the winter season. Overall condition from early winter to late winter did not vary for fish ≤150 mm (mean relative weight (Wr) = 89.5) and increased for those 151–276 mm (mean Wr = 85.8 early and 89.4 late). Although composition varied both temporally and by individual, brown trout diets were dominated by aquatic invertebrates, primarily Amphipods, Dipterans, and Trichopterans. Stable isotope analysis supported the observations of the dominant prey taxa in stomach contents and indicated the winter food web was supported by a combination of allochthonous inputs and aquatic macrophytes. Brown trout in Badger Creek likely benefited from the thermal regime and increased prey abundance present in this groundwater-dominated stream during winter.

Some Questions on the Fixation of Radioisotopes in Connexion with the Problem of their Safe Burial; Quelques Aspects de la Fixation des Isotopes Radioactifs en Rapport avec le Probleme de leur Elimination dans le Sol; 041d 0414 ; Algunos Aspectos de la Fijacion de los Isotopos Radiactivos en Relacion con los Problemas de su Evacuacion sin Riesgos en el Suelo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zimakov, P. V.; Kulichenko, V. V.

1960-07-01

The results given in this paper are based on the fact that the best way of burying fission products is to incorporate them in vitrified fused blocks containing these fission products. The physico-chemical bases of the transformation of liquid waste into solid blocks are shown. The thermogram of this process is presented and the analysis of its characteristics given. The conditions of fusion of the vitrified mass, in particular those contributing to the fixation of radioactive aerosols, are shown. Some results of studies on the chemical state of radioactive fission products in the solid mass in connexion with the leaching of their radioactivity are given. In conclusion, the results of calculations of the temperatures up to which the radioactive blocks may be heated according to their characteristics are presented. (author) [French] Le present memoire est base sur l'hypothese que le meilleur procede d'elimination des dechets radioactifs dans le sous:sol consiste a les enfouir sous forme de blocs coules dans lesquels ils seraient intimement meles a du verre. Les auteurs decrivent les phenomenes physico-chimiques qui permettent la transformation des dechets radioactifs liquides en blocs solides. Ils donnent le thermogramme de ce processus et examinent certaines de ses particularites. Ils exposent en outre les conditions de coulage de la masse de verre, notamment celles qui facilitent la formation d'aerosols radioactifs. Les auteurs donnent quelques resultats des etudes effectuees sur l'etat chimique des elements radioactifs au sein de la masse solide, dans la mesure ou ces resultats touchent aux problemes que pose la fuite de la radioactivite due au 'lessivage' du bloc par l'eau. En conclusion, les auteurs indiquent les resultats du calcul des temperatures maxima auxquelles on peut porter les blocs radioactifs compte tenu de leurs caracteristiques. (author) [Spanish] Los autores de la memoria parten del supuesto de que la mejor manera de evacuar en el suelo los

Twelfth symposium on biotechnology for fuels and chemicals: Program and abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheitlin, F.M.

1990-01-01

This report is the program and abstracts of the twelfth symposium on biotechnology for fuels and chemicals, held on May 7--11, 1990, at Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The symposium, sponsored by the Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Solar Energy Research Institute, Badger Engineers, Inc., Gas Research Institute, and American Chemical Society, consists of five sessions: Session 1, thermal, chemical, and biological processing; Session 2 and 3, applied biological research; Session 4, bioengineering research; and Session 5, biotechnology, bioengineering, and the solution of environmental problems. It also consists of a poster session of the same five subject categories

Twelfth symposium on biotechnology for fuels and chemicals: Program and abstracts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheitlin, F.M. (ed.)

1990-01-01

This report is the program and abstracts of the twelfth symposium on biotechnology for fuels and chemicals, held on May 7--11, 1990, at Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The symposium, sponsored by the Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Solar Energy Research Institute, Badger Engineers, Inc., Gas Research Institute, and American Chemical Society, consists of five sessions: Session 1, thermal, chemical, and biological processing; Session 2 and 3, applied biological research; Session 4, bioengineering research; and Session 5, biotechnology, bioengineering, and the solution of environmental problems. It also consists of a poster session of the same five subject categories.

Notes from the field: wildlife rabies on an island free from canine rabies for 52 years--Taiwan, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Hsiu; Chang, Su-San; Tsai, Hsiang-Jung; Wallace, Ryan M; Recuenco, Sergio E; Doty, Jeffrey B; Vora, Neil M; Chang, Feng-Yee

2014-02-28

Dog-to-dog transmission of rabies in Taiwan was eliminated in 1961; the island was considered canine rabies-free for 52 years. On July 16, 2013, three ferret-badgers (Melogale moschata) tested positive for rabies by fluorescent antibody testing at the Animal Health Research Institute, Council of Agriculture of Taiwan. This was the first time wild animals other than bats were tested. During 1999-2012, a total of 6,841 clinically healthy dogs and five apparently normal cats from shelters were tested and found negative for rabies. During 2009-2012, a total of 322 bats were tested and found negative for rabies.

Offshore wind power in the Aegean Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Badger, Merete; Hahmann, Andrea N.

hub heights at around 100 m using a combination of satellite wind fields and the long-term climate of atmospheric stability from the mesoscale model (Badger et al. 2016). The result of the mean wind speed at hub-height for the Aegean Sea is shown in Figure 1. The map shows the stability dependent......, where the spatial variations in wind speed are very high, accurate resource mapping is of great importance as the produced wind power is proportional to the cubed wind speed. It is challenging to model the wind resource and it is costly to measure from the ground at every place of interest. Maps based...

Proceedings of the European Forum on Nuclear Waste governance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

, general president, PURAM, Hungary, Bruno Lescoeur, director of the Energy branch, EDF, Irena Mele, strategic counselor, ARAO, Slovenia, Serge Perez, member of the national Bureau, FNME, CGT, Etienne Pochon, director of Patrimony and Cleaning up, CEA, Philippe Pradel, director of the sector Treatment-Recycling-Logistic, COGEMA, Olof Soederberg, president of the Fund dedicated to nuclear waste management, counsellor at KASAM, Sweden. 3 - Audition: Jean-Yves Le Deaut, deputy for Meurthe-et-Moselle, vice-president, OPECST. 4 - Debate with the audience 5 - Audition: David McCauley, senior policy advisor, Uranium and Radioactive Waste Division, Natural Resources, Government of Canada. 6 - Debate with the audience. 7 - Second round table: 'The partnership between stakeholders and local municipalities for a sustainable development on territories' (Moderator: Giles Chichester, member of the European Parliament, president European Foundation for Energy, president of ITRE commission of the European Parliament (UK)), Speaker: Bruno Sido, president of the General Council of Haute-Marne and senator, Discussants: Dominique Bourg, professor de philosophy and industrial ecology, University of Troyes, Eric Delhaye, spokesman, CAP 21, Robert Fernbach, mayor of Houdelaincourt, member of the CLIS Bureau, Markus Fritschi, head of repository projects, NAGRA, Switzerland, Patrick Juillard, director, Technopolis of Cherbourg Normandie, Jean-Marc Lambinon, president of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haute-Marne, Jorge Lang-Lenton, director of communication, ENRESA, Spain, Rolf Linkohr, nuclear physician, honorary president of European Foundation for Energy, Germany, Christian Namy, president of the General Council of Meuse. 8 - Conclusions by Francois Lamoureux, general director of the Transport/ Energy Directorate General of the European Commission

Perceptions and acceptability of some stakeholders about the bovine tuberculosis surveillance system for wildlife (Sylvatub) in France

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a common disease of cattle and wildlife, with economic repercussions and implications for animal and human health. The surveillance of bTB in wildlife is particularly important, to shed light on the epidemiological role of wild species and for the adaptation of control measures. In France, a bTB surveillance system for free-ranging wildlife, the Sylvatub system, was launched in 2011 on wild boars, red deer, roe deer and badgers. It relies on active and passive surveillance activities, constrained by practical difficulties, such as the accessibility of wild animals, and regulatory rules for the trapping of badgers, for example. We report here the first assessment of stakeholders’ perceptions of the Sylvatub system and its acceptability, based on 20 individual semi-structured interviews with three types of stakeholder (collectors, coordinators, officers) in areas with different rates of bTB infection. With the caveat that these findings cannot be assumed to be representative of the national situation, we found that the Sylvatub system was considered useful by all the stakeholders interviewed. Those from the world of hunting participate in surveillance mostly to help livestock farmers, who are not systematically involved in bTB surveillance in wildlife. Many practical and regulatory constraints were raised, which could be offset by recognition of the work done by the “hunting community”, to maintain the willingness of these individuals to participate. We also identified a need for improvements in communication and information. Qualitative information, such as that collected here, is essential to improve our understanding of the reasons favoring and disfavoring participation in surveillance, and should be taken into account in the evaluation process. These results are relevant to hunters and to veterinary authorities wishing to identify the determinants of participation in the Sylvatub system. They could provide support for decision

Tuberculosis in alpaca (lama pacos on a farm in ireland. 2. results of an epidemiological investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Connolly DJ

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Tuberculosis (TB, due to infection with Mycobacterium bovis was diagnosed in a flock of alpaca in Ireland in 2004. An epidemiological investigation was conducted to identify the risk of TB for farmed alpaca where TB is endemic, the origin of the infection, the potential for alpaca-to-alpaca transmission and appropriate control measures. The investigation focused on the alpaca flock (including the farm, animal movements and breeding, feeding and flock health practice, the disease episode (including animal disease events and subsequent control measures and TB infection risk in the locality. The TB risk to alpaca is high in areas where infection is endemic in cattle and badgers and where biosecurity is inadequate. It is most likely that the source of infection for the alpaca was a local strain of M. bovis, present in cattle in this area since at least 2001. Genotyping of isolates identified a single variable number tandem repeat (VNTR profile in both cattle and alpaca in this region. Although a tuberculous badger was also removed from the vicinity, bacterial isolation was not attempted. On this farm, infection in alpaca was probably derived from a common source. Alpaca-to-alpaca transmission seems unlikely. Two broad control strategies were implemented, aimed at the rapid removal of infected (and potentially infectious animals and the implementation of measures to limit transmission. Tests that proved useful in detecting potentially-infected animals included measurement of the albumin-to-globulin ratio and regular body condition scoring. Skin testing was time consuming and unproductive, and early detection of infected animals remains a challenge. The flock was managed as a series of separate groupings, based on perceived infection risk. No further TB cases have been detected.

Undersøgelse af nye vildtyper af hvalpesygevirus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Line; Jensen, Trine Hammer; Hammer, Anne Sofie

2010-01-01

  Canine distemper virus and the closely related phocine distemper virus have an overlapping host range and both have induced disease among terrestrial and marine carnivores. We have characterized the distemper virus among the wildlife in Denmark from 2000 to 2003. We have isolated viral RNA from...... the new wildtype CDVs, performed nucleic acid sequencing and determined the relatedness of the wildtypes. We found that the isolated virus from the investigated terrestrial carnivores (mink, badger, European polecat, beech marten and pine marten) were canine distemper virus, which was phylogeny separated...... from virus isolated from diseased seals. Our results revealed no direct epidemiological link between the two distemper viruses isolated from distemper cases among land-living carnivores and the marine carnivore....

Type I STS markers are more informative than cytochrome B in phylogenetic reconstruction of the Mustelidae (Mammalia: Carnivora).

Science.gov (United States)

Koepfli, Klaus-Peter; Wayne, Robert K

2003-10-01

We compared the utility of five nuclear gene segments amplified with type I sequence-tagged site (STS) primers versus the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene in resolving phylogenetic relationships within the Mustelidae, a large and ecomorphologically diverse family of mammalian carnivores. Maximum parsimony and likelihood analyses of separate and combined data sets were used to address questions regarding the levels of homoplasy, incongruence, and information content within and among loci. All loci showed limited resolution in the separate analyses because of either a low amount of informative variation (nuclear genes) or high levels of homoplasy (cyt b). Individually or combined, the nuclear gene sequences had less homoplasy, retained more signal, and were more decisive, even though cyt b contained more potentially informative variation than all the nuclear sequences combined. We obtained a well-resolved and supported phylogeny when the nuclear sequences were combined. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of the total combined data (nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences) were able to better accommodate the high levels of homoplasy in the cyt b data than was an equally weighted maximum parsimony analysis. Furthermore, partition Bremer support analyses of the total combined tree showed that the relative support of the nuclear and mitochondrial genes differed according to whether or not the homoplasy in the cyt b gene was downweighted. Although the cyt b gene contributed phylogenetic signal for most major groupings, the nuclear gene sequences were more effective in reconstructing the deeper nodes of the combined tree in the equally weighted parsimony analysis, as judged by the variable-length bootstrap method. The total combined data supported the monophyly of the Lutrinae (otters), whereas the Melinae (badgers) and Mustelinae (weasels, martens) were both paraphyletic. The American badger, Taxidea taxus (Taxidiinae), was the most

Remedial Investigation Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Volume 5. Appendix K.5

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

4 -4 -4 -4 -4.4 -4r44 4 4-4 -4 ~ 4 .010 -4 000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 *d -4 8 (a *~ SI * 4JI j -OZ2~404 ZtM0G. .P4000I 4bd ...000000000000000 4.3 tD ~-O-.4- 4-%iCiIO f ~~a to -: u t A w 00000000000000000000000000 )1 310000000000000000000000000000 m o >.,V 0i. 01 00 01 r4rle4r e4

Seeing Cooperation or Competition: Ecological Interactions in Cultural Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Ojalehto, Bethany L; Medin, Douglas L; Horton, William S; Garcia, Salino G; Kays, Estefano G

2015-10-01

Do cultural models facilitate particular ways of perceiving interactions in nature? We explore variability in folkecological principles of reasoning about interspecies interactions (specifically, competitive or cooperative). In two studies, Indigenous Panamanian Ngöbe and U.S. participants interpreted an illustrated, wordless nonfiction book about the hunting relationship between a coyote and badger. Across both studies, the majority of Ngöbe interpreted the hunting relationship as cooperative and the majority of U.S. participants as competitive. Study 2 showed that this pattern may reflect different beliefs about, and perhaps different awareness of, plausible interspecies interactions. Further probes suggest that these models of ecological interaction correlate with recognition of social agency (e.g., communication, morality) in nonhuman animals. We interpret our results in terms of cultural models of nature and nonhuman agency. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Anthrax Cases Associated with Animal-Hair Shaving Brushes.

Science.gov (United States)

Szablewski, Christine M; Hendricks, Kate; Bower, William A; Shadomy, Sean V; Hupert, Nathaniel

2017-05-01

During the First World War, anthrax cases in the United States and England increased greatly and seemed to be associated with use of new shaving brushes. Further investigation revealed that the source material and origin of shaving brushes had changed during the war. Cheap brushes of imported horsehair were being made to look like the preferred badger-hair brushes. Unfortunately, some of these brushes were not effectively disinfected and brought with them a nasty stowaway: Bacillus anthracis. A review of outbreak summaries, surveillance data, and case reports indicated that these cases originated from the use of ineffectively disinfected animal-hair shaving brushes. This historical information is relevant to current public health practice because renewed interest in vintage and animal-hair shaving brushes has been seen in popular culture. This information should help healthcare providers and public health officials answer questions on this topic.

Remedial Investigation Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Volume 1. Appendices A Through D

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

discharge of radioactive pollutants to surface waters and oil pollution control are discussed in the following paragraphs. There are three categories...of pollutants regulated under the various parts of the CWA listed below: * Toxic pollutants identified in CWA Section 307(a)(1); Conventional polutants

Infection dynamics and effective control strategies of tuberculosis in badgers and cattle in Ireland

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aznar Asensio, J.I.

2018-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic inflammatory disease of cattle caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis. In Ireland, a comprehensive control/eradication programme for M. bovis commenced in 1954, and by 1965, cattle incidence had been reduced by more than 95%. Despite

Remedial Investigation Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Volume 7. Appendices M Through R

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

healthy male volunteers. Subjects ranged in age from 27 to 61 years and had no previous history of diabetes , hypertension, or cardiovascular disease. Diets...Public Health. Association to identify clinical cases of infantile methemoglobinemia that were associated with ingestion of nitrate-contaminated water. A...and Walton (1951) provide convincing evidence that infantile methemoglobinemia does not occur at drinking water levels of 10 mg nitrate-nitrogen/L

Remedial Investigation Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Volume 3. Appendices G Through J

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

WATER DEPTHI FTI ,.f’ WELL I NTEGRITY~...- . -rS Ng~ ELEVATIONI GAL/VOL PROT. CA6 +9lG-lECURE U H E I H T O F •....-7\\ - - C ý C R E T E C O L L A R IN... treatment facility for intercepting and stripping contaminated groundwater of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In order to perform the aquifer test...available in the IRM treatment facility building were used as a backup for flow rate measurements. During the aquifer test, water from BCW-3 was piped

Animal welfare impact assessments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandøe, Peter; Gamborg, Christian

2017-01-01

aimed at dealing with wild animals. McCulloch and Reiss argue that this could be remedied by means of a “mandatory application of formal and systematic Animal Welfare Impact Assessment (AWIA)”. Optimistically, they consider that an AWIA could help to resolve controversies involving wild animals. The aim...... is a welfare issue. Furthermore, we argue that AWIA is unlikely to prevent serious moral disagreements over how to weigh concerns about wild animals against priorities in human health, the health of domestic and farm animals, and biodiversity, but that it may nonetheless serve to limit harms imposed......Control of wild animals may give rise to controversy, as is seen in the case of badger control to manage TB in cattle in the UK. However, it is striking that concerns about the potential suffering of the affected animals themselves are often given little attention or completely ignored in policies...

Report of isolations of unusual lyssaviruses (rabies and Mokola virus identified retrospectively from Zimbabwe : short communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Bingham

2001-07-01

Full Text Available Rabies isolates that had been stored between 1983 and 1997 were examined with a panel of anti-lyssavirus nucleocapsid monoclonal antibodies. Out of 56 isolates from cats and various wild carnivore species, 1 isolate of Mokola virus and 5 other non-typical rabies viruses were identified. The Mokola virus isolate was diagnosed as rabies in 1993 from a cat. Genetic analysis of this isolate suggests that it falls in a distinct subgroup of the Mokola virus genotype. The 5 non-typical rabies viruses were isolated from honey badgers (Mellivora capensis, African civets (Civettictis civetta and an unidentified mongoose (Herpestidae. These isolates are representatives of rarely-reported wildlife-associated strains of rabies, probably maintained by the slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea. These findings indicate that both Mokola virus and the mongoose-associated variant may be more common in Zimbabwe than is apparent from routine surveillance.

In Search of the Wind Energy Potential

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundtang Petersen, Erik

2017-01-01

The worldwide advancement of wind energy is putting high demands on a number of underlying technologies such as wind turbine aerodynamics, structural dynamics, gearbox design, electrical grid connections, and so on. As wind is the only fuel for wind power plants, naturally, wind......-meteorology and wind-climatology are essential for any utilization of wind energy. This is what we are concerned about here with a view on what has happened in wind energy potential assessments in the last 25 years where the utilization of wind turbines in national power supply has accelerated and what...... is the perspective for future improvements of the assessment methods. We take as the starting point the methodology of The European Wind Atlas [I. Troen and E. L. Petersen, European Wind Atlas (Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark, 1989)]. From there to the global wind atlas methodology [J. Badger et al...

Multidisciplinary approach to the management of a case of classical respiratory diphtheria requiring percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Haywood, Matthew James; Vijendren, Ananth; Acharya, Vikas; Mulla, Rohinton; Panesar, Miss Jaan

2017-03-06

We present a case of a Caucasian woman aged 67 years referred with a 4-day history of sore throat, dysphagia, fever and nasal blockage. Examination revealed a swollen neck and pharyngeal pseudomembrane. A throat swab was positive on culture for Corynebacterium ulcerans , with toxin expression confirmed on PCR and Elek testing. A diagnosis of classical respiratory diphtheria was made, with subsequent confirmation of the patient's domesticated dog as the source of infection. The dog had recently been attacked by a wild badger and was being treated for an ear infection. The patient made a good recovery with intravenous antimicrobial and supportive therapy; however, she subsequently developed a diphtheritic polyneuropathy in the form of a severe bulbar palsy with frank aspiration necessitating percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding. A mild sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy was also diagnosed. The patient eventually made an almost complete recovery. 2017 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Remedial Investigation Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Volume 1. Text Sections 1 Through 12

Science.gov (United States)

1993-04-01

VOCs (acetone [ACET], trichlorofluoromethane [CCL3F], methyl ethyl ketone [MEK]) sporadically detected at very low concentrations (< 1 parts per billion...associated with the site includes red pine ( Pinus resinosa), hickories, cedar (Thuja occidentalis), and American elm (Ulmus americana). Grasses and weedy...cd)pyrene ICDPYR iron FE lead PB magnesium MG *manganese MN mercury HG methylene chloride CH12CL2 methyl ethyl ketone or 2-butanone MIEK

Remedial Investigation Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Volume 2. Appendices D.2 Through F

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

FILES FOR COMPOUNDS OF POTENTIAL CONCERN Vol. 7 APPENDIX 0 - HUMAN HEALTH RISK CALCULATIONS Vol. 7 APPENDIX P - INVENTORY OF SITE SPECIES Vol. 7...Driing Mud 0" 0 3 am 01 99 5 .Annula space seal:- GnmuldBsuryoni 0 33 Lbs/gal mud weight ... Benuar-siid shiny 3 33 16. Driling addives used 13 yesLbs...CONSTRUCTION REPORT / 5 WISCONSIN STATE BOARD OF HEALTH WELL DRILLING DIVISION JUL 11 |W Note: Section 32 of the Wisconsin Well Drilling Sanitary Code

Echinococcus multilocularis found in 2 foxes in Southern Jutland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enemark, Heidi L.

2013-01-01

The news about these findings were released this morning [10 Jul 2013]. However, later today we detected another positive fox, from the same area, which is not mentioned in the press release (The press release, in Danish, can be found at http://www.vet.dtu.dk/Nyheder/Nyhed?id=%7bDC4E4263- 505A-4554......-BD23-BB1C85C34327%7d). Since September 2011 we have surveyed _E. multilocularis_ in wild carnivores. A total of 856 carnivores have been studied so far: 692 foxes, 150 raccoon dogs, 11 badgers, 3 raccoons, and one wolf. Of these, 7 foxes were positive, all of them originating from the same area...... in southern Denmark -- the Hojer region near the German border. At present, 32 foxes have been analyzed from this area (local prevalence: 7/32 = 21.9 percent; national prevalence: 7/692 = 1.0 percent). The 3 new findings were from foxes shot between December 2012 and February 2013 and revealed worm burdens...

How a central bank perceives the (visual) communication of security features on its banknotes

Science.gov (United States)

Tornare, Roland

1998-04-01

The banknotes of earlier generations were protected by two or three security features with which the general public was familiar: watermark, security thread, intaglio printing. The remaining features pleased primarily printers and central banks, with little thought being given to public perception. The philosophy adopted two decades ago was based on a certain measure of discretion. It required patience and perseverance to discover the built-in security features of the banknotes. When colour photocopiers appeared on the scene in the mid- eighties we were compelled to take precautionary measures to protect our banknotes. One such measure consisted of an information campaign to prepare ourselves for this new potential threat. At this point, we actually became fully aware of the complex design of our banknotes and how difficult it is to communicate clearly the difference between a genuine and a counterfeit banknote. This difficult experience has nevertheless been a great benefit. It badgered us continually during the initial phase of designing the banknotes and preparing the information campaign.

Adaptive evolution to a high purine and fat diet of carnivorans revealed by gut microbiomes and host genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Lifeng; Wu, Qi; Deng, Cao; Zhang, Mengjie; Zhang, Chenglin; Chen, Hua; Lu, Guoqing; Wei, Fuwen

2018-05-01

Carnivorous members of the Carnivora reside at the apex of food chains and consume meat-only diets, rich in purine, fats and protein. Here, we aimed to identify potential adaptive evolutionary signatures compatible with high purine and fat metabolism based on analysis of host genomes and symbiotic gut microbial metagenomes. We found that the gut microbiomes of carnivorous Carnivora (e.g., Felidae, Canidae) clustered in the same clade, and other clades comprised omnivorous and herbivorous Carnivora (e.g., badgers, bears and pandas). The relative proportions of genes encoding enzymes involved in uric acid degradation were higher in the gut microbiomes of meat-eating carnivorans than plant-eating species. Adaptive amino acid substitutions in two enzymes, carnitine O-palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1A) and lipase F (LIPF), which play a role in fat digestion, were identified in Felidae-Candidae species. Carnivorous carnivorans appear to endure diets high in purines and fats via gut microbiomic and genomic adaptations. © 2018 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Getting Priorities Straight: Improving Linux Support for Database I/O

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hall, Christoffer; Bonnet, Philippe

2005-01-01

advantage of Linux asynchronous I/O and how Linux can help MySQL/InnoDB best take advantage of the underlying I/O bandwidth. This is a crucial problem for the increasing number of MySQL servers deployed for very large database applications. In this paper, we rst show that the conservative I/O submission......The Linux 2.6 kernel supports asynchronous I/O as a result of propositions from the database industry. This is a positive evolution but is it a panacea? In the context of the Badger project, a collaboration between MySQL AB and University of Copenhagen, we evaluate how MySQL/InnoDB can best take...... policy used by InnoDB (as well as Oracle 9.2) leads to an under-utilization of the available I/O bandwidth. We then show that introducing prioritized asynchronous I/O in Linux will allow MySQL/InnoDB and the other Linux databases to fully utilize the available I/O bandwith using a more aggressive I...

Kennedy Space Center: Swamp Works

Science.gov (United States)

DeFilippo, Anthony Robert

2013-01-01

When I began my internship with the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations laboratory (GMRO), also known as Swamp Works, I was given the unique opportunity to shadow many teams working on various projects, and decide what projects I wanted to take part in. Before I go into details of my experiences at Swamp Works, I would like to take a moment to explain what I discovered Swamp Works to be. Swamp Works is a family of hardworking, dedicated, and driven people from various backgrounds and skill sets. These people all work to advance technologies and make science fiction science fact through means of rapid prototyping. They support and encourage failure as an option when learning new things, as long as lesson learned from said failure. In fact, their motto states "Fail, Fast, Forward." What this means is, not if but when one fails he or she must do so quickly and spring forward from the failure so that his or her progress is not delayed. With this acceptance, it provided me the confidence to dive into a multitude of projects working in various fields and with a wide range of skill sets. The first project I joined was Badger. My motivation for taking on this project was the opportunity I would have to obtain valuable experience working with 3D modeling and 3D printing technologies. Badger was a digging apparatus to be used in a highly dusty environment in a material known as Regolith. Regolith is a scientific term for the dirt or top soil found on planetary bodies. Regolith contains a large quantity of sediments less than lOppm and as a result poses a challenge of keeping it out of any cracks and crevices. Furthermore, regolith can create high levels of electrostatic energy, which can prove damaging to sensitive electrical hardware. With these characteristics in mind, I decided to take on the task of designing and manufacturing a dust proof cover for the sensitive electrical hardware. When I began this project, I did not have the slightest idea as to how to use 3D

Characterization and treatment of water used for human consumption from six sources located in the Cameron/Tuba City abandoned uranium mining area.

Science.gov (United States)

Orescanin, Visnja; Kollar, Robert; Nad, Karlo; Mikelic, Ivanka Lovrencic; Kollar, Iris

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was the characterization and improvement of the quality of water used for human consumption of unregulated/regulated water sources located in the Cameron/Tuba City abandoned uranium mining area (NE Arizona, western edge of the Navajo Nation). Samples were collected at six water sources which included regulated sources: Wind Mill (Tank 3T-538), Badger Springs and Paddock Well as well as unregulated sources: Willy Spring, Water Wall and Water Hole. Samples taken from Wind Mill, Water Wall and Water Hole were characterized with high turbidity and color as well as high level of manganese, iron and nickel and elevated value of molybdenum. High level of iron was also found in Badger Spring, Willy Spring, and Paddock Well. These three water sources were also characterized with elevated values of fluoride and vanadium. Significant amounts of zinc were found in Water Wall and Water Hole samples. Water Wall sample was also characterized with high level of Cr(VI). Compared to primary or secondary Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA) water quality standard the highest enrichment was found for turbidity (50.000 times), color (up to 1.796 times) and manganese (71 times), Cr(VI) (17.5 times), iron (7.4 times) and arsenic (5.2 times). Activities of (226)Ra and (238)U in water samples were still in agreement with the maximum contaminant levels. In order to comply with NNEPA water quality standard water samples were subjected to electrochemical treatment. This method was selected due to its high removal efficiency for heavy metals and uranium, lower settlement time, production of smaller volume of waste mud and higher stability of waste mud compared to physico-chemical treatment. Following the treatment, concentrations of heavy metals and activities of radionuclides in all samples were significantly lower compared to NNEPA or WHO regulated values. The maximum removal efficiencies for color, turbidity, arsenic, manganese, molybdenum and

The Effect of Mock Tests on Iranian EFL learners’ Test Scores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Khodabakhshzadeh

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The effect of using tests in test preparation courses has been subject to debate. While some scholars such as Yang and Badger (2015 believe it is a cause of positive washback effect, others argue that this issue is tentative and context-bound (Green, 2007. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of using Mock tests in International English Language Testing System (IELTS preparation courses on students’ overall IELTS scores. Fifty one IELTS students were selected non-randomly through the quota sampling approach out of 76 students at Mahan Language Institute in Birjand, Iran.  These participants were distributed into Group 1 (n=25 and Group 2 (n=26. A complete IELTS test was administered to ensure that the Groups were homogeneous and to serve as pretest. After 10 sessions of intervention, a different IELTS test was administered as posttest. The results of between subject analysis through independent samples t-test revealed that using Mock tests in the IELTS preparation courses can positively affect the participants scores on IELTS exam. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

Control of mycobacterium bovis infection in two sika deer herds in ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Partridge Tom

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract In a number of countries, tuberculosis (due to infection with Mycobacterium bovis is a significant health problem of captive deer. This paper describes outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis in sika deer (Cervus nippon on two farms in Ireland and the methods used to control the disease. On Farm A, infection was first detected during 1993. The infection was eradicated using a programme of test and removal, in association with segregation of young animals. A second outbreak (also due to infection with M. bovis, but a different RFLP profile was detected in 2002. In the latter outbreak, infection was particularly prevalent in two groups of young deer. M. bovis with the same RFLP profile was also isolated in a badger found dead on the farm. Control was achieved by test and removal in association with herd management changes. In Herd B, infection was first detected in 1995, and subsequently eradicated using test and removal alone. In Herd A, re-infection remains an ongoing risk. Control rather than eradication of infection may more realistic in the short-to medium-term.

Orchid woods and floating islands - the ecology of fly ash

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, P. [Roehampton Institute, London (United Kingdom)

1994-02-01

The article reviews the ecology of disused pulverised fuel ash (PFA) from fossil-fuel power plants and suggests methods by which PFA can be used as a conservation resource. Plants which grow on weathered PFA are listed. They include mosses and orchids. PFA contains cenopheres which are hollow and buoyant, known as floaters. Those can accumulate as white scum on ash lagoons and can be colonised by aquatic plants which bind at the roots to form floating islands. Examples of sites where this has happened in the UK are given. Banks of PFA have provided resting place for sand martins and digging ground for badgers and foxes. PFA sites need careful management as floral succession progresses. The successional habitats on PFA and other industrial wastes are a declining ecosystem, owing to the advent of tougher waste-disposal legislation, banning the bad old ways of dumping and forgetting. Unless PFA areas start to be specifically created with conservation in mind, it is unlikely that the next generation will ever see orchid glades in a PFA woodland. 24 refs., 6 photos.

The competitor release effect applied to carnivore species: how red foxes can increase in numbers when persecuted

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lozano, J.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of our study was to numerically simulate the population dynamics of a hypothetical community of three species of small to medium–sized carnivores subjected to non–selective control within the context of the competitor release effect (CRE. We applied the CRE to three carnivore species, linking interspecific competition with predator control efforts. We predicted the population response of European badger, the red fox and the pine marten to this wildlife management tool by means of numerical simulations. The theoretical responses differed depending on the intrinsic rate of growth (r, although modulated by the competition coefficients. The red fox, showing the highest r value, can increase its populations despite predator control efforts if control intensity is moderate. Populations of the other two species, however, decreased with control efforts, even reaching extinction. Three additional theoretical predictions were obtained. The conclusions from the simulations were: 1 predator control can play a role in altering the carnivore communities; 2 red fox numbers can increase due to control; and 3 predator control programs should evaluate the potential of unintended effects on ecosystems.

Uranium favorability of precambrian rocks in the Badger Flats - Elkhorn Thrust Area, Park and Teller Counties, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallagher, G.L.

1976-10-01

The area is approximately 1,800 square miles and extends from Cripple Creek northward to Fairplay and Bailey. The Precambrian rocks include the metamorphic sequences of the Idaho Springs Formation and the Boulder Creek Granodiorite, Silver Plume Granite, Pikes Peak Granite, and Redskin Granite. The known uranium deposits in the area include six vein deposits, three pegmatite occurrences, and one zone of probable secondary enrichment; they have not yielded any significant production. The vein deposits are probably the result of downward percolation of ground water. The zone of secondary uranium enrichment may have formed above a volcanic pipe, vein, or tuffaceous lake bed. Favorability in the area is considered good for both vein and large, disseminated, low-grade uranium deposits. On the bases of known uranium occurrences, favorable structures and host rocks, and a water-sampling program, recommendations are given for exploration. The occurrences in the area have substantial similarities with the Rossing deposit in South-West Africa and the Wheeler Basin uranium occurrence in Grand County, Colorado. 6 figures, 9 tables

Seasonal rhythms of body temperature in the free-ranging raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) with special emphasis on winter sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Mustonen, Anne-Mari; Asikainen, Juha; Kauhala, Kaarina; Paakkonen, Tommi; Nieminen, Petteri

2007-01-01

The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is the only canid with passive overwintering in areas with cold winters, but the depth and rhythmicity of wintertime hypothermia in the wild raccoon dog are unknown. To study the seasonal rhythms of body temperature (T(b)), seven free-ranging animals were captured and implanted with intra-abdominal T(b) loggers and radio-tracked during years 2004-2006. The average size of the home ranges was 306+/-26 ha, and the average 24 h T(b) was 38.0+/-dogs were hypothermic for 5 h in the morning (06:00-11:00 h), whereas the highest T(b) values were recorded between 16:00-23:00 h. The range of the 24 h oscillations increased by approximately 0.6 degrees C, and the rhythmicity was more pronounced than in the snow-free period. The ambient temperature and depth of snow cover were important determinants of the seasonal T(b) rhythms. The overwintering strategy of the raccoon dog resembled the patterns of winter sleep in bears and badgers, but the wintertime passivity of the species was more intermittent and the decrease in the T(b) less pronounced.

Natural Propagation and Habitat Improvement, Volume I, Oregon, Supplement C, White River Habitat Inventory, 1983 Annual Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heller, David

1984-04-01

More than 130 miles of stream fish habitat was inventoried and evaluated on the Mt. Hood National Forest during the first year of this multi-year project. First year tasks included field inventory and evaluation of habitat conditions on the White River and tributary streams thought to have the highest potential for supporting anadromous fish populations. All streams inventoried were located on the Mt. Hood National Forest. The surveyed area appears to contain most of the high quality anadromous fish habitat in the drainage. Habitat conditions appear suitable for steelhead, coho, and chinook salmon, and possibly sockeye. One hundred and twenty-four miles of potential anadromous fish habitat were identifed in the survey. Currently, 32 miles of this habitat would be readily accessible to anadromous fish. An additional 72 miles of habitat could be accessed with only minor passage improvement work. About 20 miles of habitat, however, will require major investment to provide fish passage. Three large lakes (Boulder, 14 acres; Badger, 45 acres; Clear, 550 acres) appear to be well-suited for rearing anadromous fish, although passage enhancement would be needed before self-sustaining runs could be established in any of the lakes.

Bovine tuberculosis in free-ranging carnivores from Michigan.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruning-Fann, C S; Schmitt, S M; Fitzgerald, S D; Fierke, J S; Friedrich, P D; Kaneene, J B; Clarke, K A; Butler, K L; Payeur, J B; Whipple, D L; Cooley, T M; Miller, J M; Muzo, D P

2001-01-01

During a survey of carnivores and omnivores for bovine tuberculosis conducted in Michigan (USA) since 1996, Mycobacterium bovis was cultured from lymph nodes pooled from six coyotes (Canis latrans) (four adult female, two adult male), two adult male raccoons (Procyon lotor), one adult male red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and one 1.5-yr-old male black bear (Ursus americanus). One adult, male bobcat (Felis rufus) with histologic lesions suggestive of tuberculosis was negative on culture but positive for organisms belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex when tested by polymerase chain reaction. All the tuberculous animals were taken from three adjoining counties where M. bovis is known to be endemic in the free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. There were two coyotes, one raccoon, one red fox, and one bobcat infected in Alpena county. Montmorency County had two coyotes and one raccoon with M. bovis. Two coyotes and a bear were infected from Alcona County. These free-ranging carnivores/omnivores probably became infected with M. bovis through consumption of tuberculous deer. Other species included in the survey were opossum (Didelphis virginiana), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and badger (Taxidea taxus); these were negative for M. bovis.

Land - Ocean Climate Linkages and the Human Evolution - New ICDP and IODP Drilling Initiatives in the East African Rift Valley and SW Indian Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Zahn, R.; Feibel, C.; Co-Pis, Icdp/Iodp

2009-04-01

enable us to establish the linkages between the ocean climatology of the SW Indian and terrestrial climates of Eastern Africa during key periods of global climate change. Combining the ICDP records of East African terrestrial climate at key hominin sites with IODP records of marine climate variability at the SE African continental margin will help to test if pulses of hominin evolutionary innovation were linked with periods of enhanced variability of local terrestrial environments and marine climatology of the Indian Ocean. * co-PIs of the ICDP initiative HSPDP are A.S. Cohen, R. Arrowsmith, A.K. Behrensmeyer, C. Feibel, R. Johnson, Z. Kubsa, D. Olago, R. Potts, R. Renaut * co-PIs of the IODP initiative SAFARI are R. Zahn, I. Hall, R. Schneider, M. Á. Bárcena, S. Barker, A. Biastoch, Chr. Charles, J. Compton, R. Cowling, P. Diz, L. Dupont, J.-A. Flores, S. Goldstein, S. Hemming, K. Holmgren, J. Lee-Thorp, G. Knorr, C. Lear, A. Mazaud, G. Mortyn, F. Peeters, B. Preu, R. Rickaby, J. Rogers, A. Rosell-Mele, Chr. Reason, V. Spiess, M. Trauth, G. Uenzelmann-Neben, S. Weldeab, P. Ziveri

Endoparasites of Wild Mammals Sheltered in Wildlife Hospitals and Rehabilitation Centres in Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theophanes K. Liatis

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Wildlife parasitic diseases represent an important field of investigation as they may have a significant impact on wild animals’ health and fitness, and may also have zoonotic implications. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of endoparasites in wild mammals admitted to wildlife hospitals and rehabilitation centres in Greece. Sixty-five animals belonging to 17 species and originated from various areas of continental and insular Greece were included in the survey. The most numerous animal species examined were hedgehogs (n = 19, red foxes (n = 16, and European roe deer (n = 6. Faecal samples were collected individually and examined by floatation and sedimentation method. Parasites were found in 46 (70.7% of the animals. Most parasites found in canids, felids, and ruminants are of great relevance to the domestic animals’ health and some of them are also of zoonotic importance. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first report of endoparasites in hedgehogs, roe deers, fallow deers, badgers, and bats, and the first report of the pulmonary nematode Troglostrongylus brevior in a wild cat in Greece. The significance of the parasites found in each animal species in regard to their health and their relevance to domestic animals and human health is discussed.

Mammalian fauna of the Temessos National Park, Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna De Marinis

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The National Park of Termessos, Southern Turkey, is one of the Turkey’s biggest national park not only with its archeological richness but also with its great natural wild life. We provided a checklist of the mammalian fauna of the park on the base of direct observations, interviews and a comparative analysis of the available literature. Sixteen species have been reported in the park. Hedgehogs, hares, porcupines and Persian squirrels and, among flying mammals, Egyptian rousette and Mouse-eared bat have been recorded. Carnivores are represented by Golden jackal, Wolf, Red fox, Stone marten, Badger, Otter and Wild cat. Very recently (2005 the presence of the Caracal in the park has been confirmed, whereas no signs of the presence of the Lynx were detected. The last Anatolian leopards seems to have definitively disappeared from the region. The occurrence in the area of striped hyaenas and brown bears is documented up to a few decades ago. The Park is regarded as the only geographical range in the whole world where the European or Common fallow deer has persisted as a native form. Other ungulates too, such as Wild goat and Wild boar are dispersed within the boundary of the park. Management implications are discussed.

[An historical, sociocultural view and in the fiction literature of Bacillus anthracis cases by shaving brushes].

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Espinosa, E; Laganà, C; Vazquez, F

2018-06-01

In the period from 1915 to 1924 anthrax outbreaks were described by Bacillus anthracis due to the contamination of razor brushes that reached Europe and the United States from areas such as Japan, China or Russia. The brushes were made with badger hair, and then, to reduce the cost with horse hair and other animals. World War I supoosed that the traffics of these brushes, that passed through Europe, changed and the processes of sterilization of the same were deficient giving rise to these outbreaks, that in a percentage of 20% produced the death of the users. The impact of the fashion of wearing a beard, the presence of these cases in the press, in the society of that period, and literature are studied through the work of Agatha Christie who wrote, in 1936, the Hercules Poirot´s novel Cards on the table, and where she describes the murder of one of the characters with the shaving brush contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. ©The Author 2018. Published by Sociedad Española de Quimioterapia. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Preliminary bathymetry of Blackstone Bay and Neoglacial changes of Blackstone Glaciers, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Post, Austin

1980-01-01

Preliminary bathymetry (at 1:20,000 scale) and scientific studies of Blackstone Bay Alaska, by the Research Vessel Growler in 1978 disclose that the head of the bay consists of two basins separated by Willard Island and a submarine ridge. Both basins are closed on the north by terminal-moraine bars where Blackstone Glacier and its tributaries terminated as recently as about A.D. 1350; a carbon-14 date of 580 years before present on Badger Point, and old trees farther up the bay, disclose that the glaciers retreated to two narrow inlets at the head of the bay before 1400. The inlets were still glacier-covered until at least 1909. Glaciers in both inlets have continued to retreat; at present they terminate at the head of tidewater, where they discharge small icebergs. Only relatively thin sediments have accumulated in the eastern basin south of the terminal-moraine bar, and most of the bottom is hard and irregular as disclosed by soundings and profiles. The northern part of Blackstone Bay is very deep; at more than 1,100 feet below sea level a large, level accumulation of sediment is present which is presumably as much as 1,000 feet deep and has been accumulating since late Pleistocene glaciers retreated. (USGS)

Epizootic canine distemper virus infection among wild mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Kameo, Yuki; Nagao, Yumiko; Nishio, Yohei; Shimoda, Hiroshi; Nakano, Hitoshi; Suzuki, Kazuo; Une, Yumi; Sato, Hiroshi; Shimojima, Masayuki; Maeda, Ken

2012-01-27

In the spring of 2007, seven raccoon dogs and a weasel were captured near the city of Tanabe in Wakayama prefecture, Japan. The causative agent of the animals' death 1-2 days after capture was identified as canine distemper virus (CDV) by virus isolation, immunostaining with an anti-CDV polyclonal antibody, and a commercially available CDV antigen-detection kit. Sequence analysis of hemagglutinin genes indicated the isolated viruses belong to genotype Asia-1 and possess the substitution from tyrosine (Y) to histidine (H) at position 549 that is associated with the spread of CDV to non-canine hosts. A serosurvey for CDV was then conducted among wild animals in the region. The animals assayed consisted of 104 raccoons, 41 wild boars, 19 raccoon dogs, five Sika deer, two badgers, one weasel, one marten, one Siberian weasel and one fox. Virus-neutralization (VN) tests showed that, except for fox and weasel, all of the species assayed had VN antibodies to CDV. Interestingly, 11 of the 41 wild boars (27%) and two of the five Sika deer assayed possessed VN antibodies to CDV. These findings indicate that CDV infection was widespread among wild mammals during this epizootic. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discrete modelling of drapery systems

Science.gov (United States)

Thoeni, Klaus; Giacomini, Anna

2016-04-01

Drapery systems are an efficient and cost-effective measure in preventing and controlling rockfall hazards on rock slopes. The simplest form consists of a row of ground anchors along the top of the slope connected to a horizontal support cable from which a wire mesh is suspended down the face of the slope. Such systems are generally referred to as simple or unsecured draperies (Badger and Duffy 2012). Variations such as secured draperies, where a pattern of ground anchors is incorporated within the field of the mesh, and hybrid systems, where the upper part of an unsecured drapery is elevated to intercept rockfalls originating upslope of the installation, are becoming more and more popular. This work presents a discrete element framework for simulation of unsecured drapery systems and its variations. The numerical model is based on the classical discrete element method (DEM) and implemented into the open-source framework YADE (Šmilauer et al., 2010). The model takes all relevant interactions between block, drapery and slope into account (Thoeni et al., 2014) and was calibrated and validated based on full-scale experiments (Giacomini et al., 2012).The block is modelled as a rigid clump made of spherical particles which allows any shape to be approximated. The drapery is represented by a set of spherical particle with remote interactions. The behaviour of the remote interactions is governed by the constitutive behaviour of the wire and generally corresponds to a piecewise linear stress-strain relation (Thoeni et al., 2013). The same concept is used to model wire ropes. The rock slope is represented by rigid triangular elements where material properties (e.g., normal coefficient of restitution, friction angle) are assigned to each triangle. The capabilities of the developed model to simulate drapery systems and estimate the residual hazard involved with such systems is shown. References Badger, T.C., Duffy, J.D. (2012) Drapery systems. In: Turner, A.K., Schuster R

Applications of time-dependent Raman scattering theory to the one-electron reduction of 4-cyano-n-methylpyridinium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, C.S.

1992-01-01

Activation barrier heights, and therefore rates, for molecule-based electron-transfer (ET) reactions are governed by redox thermodynamics and Frank-Condon effects. Quantitative assessment of the latter requires a detailed, quantitative knowledge of all internal and external normal-coordinate displacements, together with appropriate vibrational frequencies (v) or force constants (f). In favorable cases, the desire internal or vibrational displacement information can be satisfactorily estimated from redox-induced bond-length changes as provided, for example, by x-ray crystallography or extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements. Other potentially useful methods include Franck-Condon analysis of structured emission or absorption spectra, hole burning techniques, and application of empirical structure/frequency relationships (E.g., Badger's rules). There are, however, a number of limitations. The most obvious limitations for crystallography are that measurements can be made only in a crystalline environment and that experiments cannot be done on short-lived electron-transfer excited states or on systems which suffer from chemical decomposition following oxidation or reduction. For EXAFS there are additional constrains in that only selected elements display useful scattering and only atoms in close proximity to the scattering center may be detected. This report contains the first successful applications of the Raman methodology to a much larger class of ET reactions, namely, outer-sphere reactions. The report also necessarily represents the first application to a monomeric redox system

Effects of urbanization on carnivore species distribution and richness

Science.gov (United States)

Ordenana, Miguel A.; Crooks, Kevin R.; Boydston, Erin E.; Fisher, Robert N.; Lyren, Lisa M.; Siudyla, Shalene; Haas, Christopher D.; Harris, Sierra; Hathaway, Stacie A.; Turschak, Greta M.; Miles, A. Keith; Van Vuren, Dirk H.

2010-01-01

Urban development can have multiple effects on mammalian carnivore communities. We conducted a meta-analysis of 7,929 photographs from 217 localities in 11 camera-trap studies across coastal southern California to describe habitat use and determine the effects of urban proximity (distance to urban edge) and intensity (percentage of area urbanized) on carnivore occurrence and species richness in natural habitats close to the urban boundary. Coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) were distributed widely across the region. Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), mountain lions (Puma concolor), and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were detected less frequently, and long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata), American badgers (Taxidea taxus), western spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis), and domestic cats (Felis catus) were detected rarely. Habitat use generally reflected availability for most species. Coyote and raccoon occurrence increased with both proximity to and intensity of urbanization, whereas bobcat, gray fox, and mountain lion occurrence decreased with urban proximity and intensity. Domestic dogs and Virginia opossums exhibited positive and weak negative relationships, respectively, with urban intensity but were unaffected by urban proximity. Striped skunk occurrence increased with urban proximity but decreased with urban intensity. Native species richness was negatively associated with urban intensity but not urban proximity, probably because of the stronger negative response of individual species to urban intensity.

Mycobacterium bovis infections in domesticated non-bovine mammalian species. Part 1: Review of epidemiology and laboratory submissions in Great Britain 2004-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Broughan, J M; Downs, S H; Crawshaw, T R; Upton, P A; Brewer, J; Clifton-Hadley, R S

2013-11-01

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), can infect a broad range of mammalian species in addition to domestic and feral cattle and badgers. Since legislation introduced in 2006 in Great Britain requires animal keepers, meat inspectors and veterinarians to notify the authorities of suspect bTB lesions or the isolation of M. bovis in any mammal excluding humans, the organism has been increasingly identified in domestic species other than cattle. Although in most cases 'spill-over' hosts, these remain a potential source of infection for cattle, wildlife, and possibly humans. In this first part of a two-part review of M. bovis infections in non-bovine domestic species, current knowledge of the epidemiology of such infections is presented along with novel data relating to diagnostic submissions for mycobacterial culture between 2004 and 2010. Over this period M. bovis infection was identified in 116 cats, 7 dogs, 34 llamas, 133 alpacas, 35 goats, 24 sheep and 85 pigs and wild boar. The risk that such infections pose to the control of bTB, and as zoonoses, is discussed. In part two, the options available to diagnose bTB in these species, as well as the challenges posed to disease detection and control will be discussed in depth. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

On the correct name for some subfamilies of Mustelidae (Mammalia, Carnivora

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Oliveira do Nascimento

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Mustelids (Mustelidae exhibit a wide morphological and ecological diversity, ranging from aquatic to semi arboreal and fossorial forms. It is the most diversity family in Carnivora, and this has promoted a great number of taxonomic arrangements for subfamilies, which can range from two to 15 depending on the author. The relatively recent use of molecular data has helped to elucidate the classification of mustelids, and eight subfamilies are currently recognized: Mustelinae, Galictinae, Helictidinae, Martinae, Melinae, Mellivorinae, Taxidiinae and Lutrinae. However, some of these subfamilies have nomenclatural problems, not receiving the oldest available name. The subfamily that includes martens (Martes, Charronia and Pekania, tayra (Eira and wolverine (Gulo has received the name of Martinae Wagner, 1841, but the oldest available name is Guloninae Gray, 1825. This problem also occurs for the subfamily that includes the grisons (Galictis, Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon, marbled polecat (Vormela and striped weasels (Ictonyx and Poecilogale, which are known as Grisoninae Pocock, 1921, but the correct name for this group is Ictonychinae, Pocock, 1921. The subfamily that includes ferret badgers (Melogale retains the name Helictidinae Gray, 1865, because its validity is not affected when the type-genus of the subfamily becomes a junior synonym of another genus. Furthermore, a list of the extant subfamilies of Mustelidae and their respective synonyms and included genera is provided.

Effects of in vitro conditions on the survival of Alaria alata mesocercariae.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Fuentes, Hiromi; Riehn, Katharina; Koethe, Martin; von Borell, Eberhard; Luecker, Ernst; Hamedy, Ahmad

2014-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different concentrations of table salt (NaCl) and ethanol (v/v) solutions on the viability of Alaria alata mesocercariae. Furthermore, the survival of A. alata mesocercariae during simulated human gastric digestion was evaluated. For this purpose, A. alata mesocercariae migration technique (AMT) was used for the isolation of the parasite from high-positive A. alata mesocercariae meat from wild boar, raccoon, raccoon dog, and badger meat. In total, we have studied the behavior of 582 larvae under different conditions (NaCl, ethanol, and artificial gastric juice) in three independent in vitro experiments. The larvae survived at a NaCl concentration of up to 2.0% until day 21 with a median survival time of 11 days. At 3.0% NaCl concentration, the larvae lost their vitality after less than 24 h. In addition, it was found that ethanol concentrations from 8.0 to 70.0% were effective at reducing survival of A. alata mesocercariae within a short period of time (meat products recommended for human consumption because at lower NaCl concentration the parasite survived for a substantial period of time. Finally, the common concentrations of ethanol used for the disinfection of surfaces in household and/or laboratory, are sufficient for the inactivation of A. alata mesocercariae.

A Proposal for a UK Ethics Council for Animal Policy: The Case for Putting Ethics Back into Policy Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven P. McCulloch

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Substantial controversy is a consistent feature of UK animal health and welfare policy. BSE,~foot and mouth disease, bovine TB and badger culling, large indoor dairies, and wild animals in circuses are examples. Such policy issues are inherently normative; they include a substantial moral dimension. This paper reviews UK animal welfare advisory bodies such as the Animal Health and Welfare Board of England, the Farm Animal Welfare Committee and the Animals in Science Committee. These bodies play a key advisory role, but do not have adequate expertise in ethics to inform the moral dimension of policy. We propose an “Ethics Council for Animal Policy” to inform the UK government on policy that significantly impacts sentient species. We review existing Councils (e.g., the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and The Netherlands Council on Animal Affairs and examine some widely used ethical frameworks (e.g., Banner’s principles and the ethical matrix. The Ethics Council for Animal Policy should be independent from government and members should have substantial expertise in ethics and related disciplines. A pluralistic six-stage ethical framework is proposed: (i Problematisation of the policy issue, (ii utilitarian analysis, (iii animal rights analysis, (iv virtue-based analysis, (v animal welfare ethic analysis, and (vi integrated ethical analysis. The~paper concludes that an Ethics Council for Animal Policy is necessary for just and democratic policy making in all societies that use sentient nonhuman species.

A Proposal for a UK Ethics Council for Animal Policy: The Case for Putting Ethics Back into Policy Making.

Science.gov (United States)

McCulloch, Steven P; Reiss, Michael J

2018-06-07

Substantial controversy is a consistent feature of UK animal health and welfare policy. BSE, foot and mouth disease, bovine TB and badger culling, large indoor dairies, and wild animals in circuses are examples. Such policy issues are inherently normative; they include a substantial moral dimension. This paper reviews UK animal welfare advisory bodies such as the Animal Health and Welfare Board of England, the Farm Animal Welfare Council and the Animals in Science Committee. These bodies play a key advisory role, but do not have adequate expertise in ethics to inform the moral dimension of policy. We propose an "Ethics Council for Animal Policy" to inform the UK government on policy that significantly impacts sentient species. We review existing Councils (e.g., the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and The Netherlands Council on Animal Affairs) and examine some widely used ethical frameworks (e.g., Banner's principles and the ethical matrix). The Ethics Council for Animal Policy should be independent from government and members should have substantial expertise in ethics and related disciplines. A pluralistic six-stage ethical framework is proposed: (i) Problematisation of the policy issue, (ii) utilitarian analysis, (iii) animal rights analysis, (iv) virtue-based analysis, (v) animal welfare ethic analysis, and (vi) integrated ethical analysis. The paper concludes that an Ethics Council for Animal Policy is necessary for just and democratic policy making in all societies that use sentient nonhuman species.

Mycobacterium bovis infection in domestic pigs in Great Britain.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Suzanne S; Crawshaw, Timothy R; Smith, Noel H; Palgrave, Christopher J

2013-11-01

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB), infects a wide range of wild and domestic mammals. Despite a control programme spanning decades, M. bovis infection levels in cattle in Great Britain (GB) have continued to rise over recent years. As the incidence of infection in cattle and wildlife may be linked to that in swine, data relating to infection of pigs identified at slaughter were examined in this study. Between 2007 and 2011, almost all M. bovis-infected pigs originated from farms in the South-West and West-Midland regions of England. The data suggest that pigs raised outdoors or on holdings with poor biosecurity may be more vulnerable to infection with M. bovis. In the majority of cases, the same strains of M. bovis were found in pigs and cattle, despite that fact that direct contact between these species was rarely observed. Genotyping and geographical mapping data indicated that some strains found in pigs may correlate better with those present in badgers, rather than cattle. In consequence, it is proposed that pigs may represent a useful sentinel for M. bovis infection in wildlife in GB. Given the potential implications of this infection for the pig industry, and for the on-going effort to control bovine TB, the importance of understanding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of M. bovis infection, as well as monitoring its prevalence, in pigs should not be underestimated. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do constraints associated with the locomotor habitat drive the evolution of forelimb shape? A case study in musteloid carnivorans.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabre, Anne-Claire; Cornette, Raphael; Goswami, Anjali; Peigné, Stéphane

2015-06-01

Convergence in morphology can result from evolutionary adaptations in species living in environments with similar selective pressures. Here, we investigate whether the shape of the forelimb long bones has converged in environments imposing similar functional constraints, using musteloid carnivores as a model. The limbs of quadrupeds are subjected to many factors that may influence their shape. They need to support body mass without collapsing or breaking, yet at the same time resist the stresses and strains induced by locomotion. This likely imposes strong constraints on their morphology. Our geometric morphometric analyses show that locomotion, body mass and phylogeny all influence the shape of the forelimb. Furthermore, we find a remarkable convergence between: (i) aquatic and semi-fossorial species, both displaying a robust forelimb, with a shape that improves stability and load transfer in response to the physical resistance imposed by the locomotor environment; and (ii) aquatic and arboreal/semi-arboreal species, with both groups displaying a broad capitulum. This augments the degree of pronation/supination, an important feature for climbing as well as grasping and manipulation ability, behaviors common to aquatic and arboreal species. In summary, our results highlight how musteloids with different locomotor ecologies show differences in the anatomy of their forelimb bones. Yet, functional demands for limb movement through dense media also result in convergence in forelimb long-bone shape between diverse groups, for example, otters and badgers. © 2015 Anatomical Society.

Pulse of inflammatory proteins in the pregnant uterus of European polecats (Mustela putorius) leading to the time of implantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindeberg, Heli; Burchmore, Richard J S; Kennedy, Malcolm W

2017-03-01

Uterine secretory proteins protect the uterus and conceptuses against infection, facilitate implantation, control cellular damage resulting from implantation, and supply pre-implantation embryos with nutrients. Unlike in humans, the early conceptus of the European polecat ( Mustela putorius ; ferret) grows and develops free in the uterus until implanting at about 12 days after mating. We found that the proteins appearing in polecat uteri changed dramatically with time leading to implantation. Several of these proteins have also been found in pregnant uteri of other eutherian mammals. However, we found a combination of two increasingly abundant proteins that have not been recorded before in pre-placentation uteri. First, the broad-spectrum proteinase inhibitor α 2 -macroglobulin rose to dominate the protein profile by the time of implantation. Its functions may be to limit damage caused by the release of proteinases during implantation or infection, and to control other processes around sites of implantation. Second, lipocalin-1 (also known as tear lipocalin) also increased substantially in concentration. This protein has not previously been recorded as a uterine secretion in pregnancy in any species. If polecat lipocalin-1 has similar biological properties to that of humans, then it may have a combined function in antimicrobial protection and transporting or scavenging lipids. The changes in the uterine secretory protein repertoire of European polecats is therefore unusual, and may be representative of pre-placentation supportive uterine secretions in mustelids (otters, weasels, badgers, mink, wolverines) in general.

Reading into lesser bibliography of rare mustelids (Eastern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerzy Romanowski

1995-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Many research and conservation efforts on rare mustelids in Eastern Europe, Russia and states of CIS are in progress. On a total of 640 publications examined, the otter (428 and the European mink (195 were the most studied species, the Steppe and Marbled polecats (89 and 83 entries, and Honey-badger (24 were less considered. Titles written in national languages dominate, but a recent increase in the ratio of publications written or summarized in English or German was noted. Based on number and profile of publications, it is suggested that conservation of European mink requires more efforts and research. Riassunto Bibliografia poco nota sui Mustelidi rari (Europa orientale - Nei paesi dell'Europa dell'Est, Russia e stati del CIS inclusi, le ricerche e le iniziative di conservazione riguardanti i mustelidi rari sono in progresso. Dall'esame di 640 pubblicazioni, Lutra lutra (428 e Mustela lutreola (195 sono le specie più studiate, mentre meno considerate sono M. erversmanni (89, Vormela peregusna (83 e Mellivora capensis (24. Buona parte dei lavori è in lingua originale, ma recentemente è in incremento il numero di pubblicazioni scritte o riassunte in inglese o tedesco. Sulla base del numero dei lavori e dei temi trattati, si evidenzia che la conservazione del visone europeo richiederebbe maggiori sforzi e ricerche.

A preliminary study of genetic factors that influence susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis in the British cattle herd.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin E Driscoll

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Associations between specific host genes and susceptibility to Mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis have been reported in several species. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB impacts greatly the UK cattle industry, yet genetic predispositions have yet to be identified. We therefore used a candidate gene approach to study 384 cattle of which 160 had reacted positively to an antigenic skin test ('reactors'. Our approach was unusual in that it used microsatellite markers, embraced high breed diversity and focused particularly on detecting genes showing heterozygote advantage, a mode of action often overlooked in SNP-based studies. A panel of neutral markers was used to control for population substructure and using a general linear model-based approach we were also able to control for age. We found that substructure was surprisingly weak and identified two genomic regions that were strongly associated with reactor status, identified by markers INRA111 and BMS2753. In general the strength of association detected tended to vary depending on whether age was included in the model. At INRA111 a single genotype appears strongly protective with an overall odds ratio of 2.2, the effect being consistent across nine diverse breeds. Our results suggest that breeding strategies could be devised that would appreciably increase genetic resistance of cattle to bTB (strictly, reduce the frequency of incidence of reactors with implications for the current debate concerning badger-culling.

Analysis of suspected wildlife crimes submitted for forensic examinations in Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Millins, Caroline; Howie, Fiona; Everitt, Charles; Shand, Michael; Lamm, Catherine

2014-09-01

This study describes the occurrence of suspected wildlife crimes submitted for forensic examination in Scotland in 2010. The study aims were to determine which types of crimes were committed, which species were targeted, and the outcome of investigations, in order to assess the contribution of forensic examinations in the prosecution of wildlife crimes. Information on suspected wildlife crimes submitted between January 1 and December 31, 2010 to the SAC Consulting: Veterinary Services Disease Surveillance Centers, Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, and to the University of Glasgow, was used. The location of suspected crimes, the species targeted, cause of death, and types of the 188 submitted wildlife crimes were summarized. More information regarding cases involving birds were submitted than cases involving mammals, and included 114 raptors, 14 waterfowl, and 22 "other bird species." Mammal cases (n = 38) included 12 badgers, 8 foxes, 7 deer, 4 hares, and 7 "other mammals." The cause of death was determined in 124 suspected crimes; malicious or accidental trauma was the most likely cause of death in 72, and 33 were poisoned. Forensic evidence supporting criminal activity was found in 53 cases, and poisoning was the most frequent crime recorded. At least five individuals were successfully prosecuted, representing 2.7 % of submissions. It was challenging to track cases from submission through to prosecution and laboratories conducting forensic investigations were often not informed of the outcome of prosecutions or court decisions.

A subtraction and 3D display program for the assessment of pulmonary embolism in SPECT V/Q scans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnden, Leighton; Badger, Daniel P.

2009-01-01

Full text: There is interest in whether SPECT can improve the detection of pulmonary emboli with ventilation/perfusion (V /Q) scanning compared to the conventional multi-view planar imaging approach. We have extended V/Q SPECT processing to include coregistration, normalization and subtraction of the two scans. The unpredictable deposition of technegas activity in bronchi can introduce significant differences between otherwise normal V and Q scans and poses a challenge to both the coregistration and normalization needed before performing subtraction. QONSUB, a graphical-user-interface driven program originally written to assess epilepsy with brain SPECT (Badger and Barnden. Proc ANZSNM, 2008) has been adapted for assessment of V/Q lung SPECT. It includes rigid (+zoom) coregistration of the whole images or automatically determined sub images that contain the entire lungs. Count normalization was performed with either the mean or median counts. Extreme hot spots in ventilation images were observed to adversely affect the co-registration. We show that truncation to an upper threshold before co-registration corrects this. Similarly, normalization using a mean was seriously affected by such ventilation hotspots. This was circumvented by using the median instead. The program offers display of the ventilation, perfusion and difference images in 3 linked panels with mouse-driven roam through their transaxial, sagittal and coronal sections, and mouse-driven scaling. Dragging the cursor horizontally across a sagittal image causes the corresponding coronal sections to change in all 4 panels, and so on. The multi-panel 3D display was well accepted by physicians and the program's clinical usefulness is under evaluation.

Deduced sequences of the membrane fusion and attachment proteins of canine distemper viruses isolated from dogs and wild animals in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Chae-Wun; Lee, Joong-Bok; Park, Seung-Yong; Song, Chang-Seon; Lee, Nak-Hyung; Seo, Kun-Ho; Kang, Young-Sun; Park, Choi-Kyu; Choi, In-Soo

2013-08-01

Canine distemper virus (CDV) causes highly contagious respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological diseases in wild and domestic animal species. Despite a broad vaccination campaign, the disease is still a serious problem worldwide. In this study, six field CDV strains were isolated from three dogs, two raccoon dogs, and one badger in Korea. The full sequence of the genes encoding fusion (F) and hemagglutinin (H) proteins were compared with those of other CDVs including field and vaccine strains. The phylogenetic analysis for the F and H genes indicated that the two CDV strains isolated from dogs were most closely related to Chinese strains in the Asia-1 genotype. Another four strains were closely related to Japanese strains in the Asia-2 genotype. The six currently isolated strains shared 90.2-92.1% and 88.2-91.8% identities with eight commercial vaccine strains in their nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the F protein, respectively. They also showed 90.1-91.4% and 87.8-90.7% identities with the same vaccine strains in their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the H protein, respectively. Different N-linked glycosylation sites were identified in the F and H genes of the six isolates from the prototype vaccine strain Onderstepoort. Collectively, these results demonstrate that at least two different CDV genotypes currently exist in Korea. The considerable genetic differences between the vaccine strains and wild-type isolates would be a major factor of the incomplete protection of dogs from CDV infections.

Molecular identification of nematode larvae different from those of the Trichinella genus detected by muscle digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Marucci, Gianluca; Interisano, Maria; La Rosa, Giuseppe; Pozio, Edoardo

2013-05-20

Although larvae of the genus Trichinella are the most common parasite species detected in vertebrate muscles using artificial digestion, nematode larvae belonging to other genera are sometimes detected and incorrectly identified as Trichinella. However, it is often very difficult to identify these larvae at the species, genus or family level using microscopy because of the absence of specific morphological characters or cuticle damage, and the only means of identification is PCR and sequencing of specific molecular markers (12S mtDNA; COI; 18S rDNA; and ITS1). From 2008 to 2011, 18 nematode isolates not belonging to the genus Trichinella were collected from different host species. Eleven of these isolates were successfully identified at the species, genus or superfamily level: larvae from two common kestrels, three hooded crows, a hen harrier and a domestic pig were identified as Toxocara cati; larvae from a badger were identified as Toxocara canis; larvae from a domestic pig were identified as a free-living nematode of the genus Panagrolaimus; larvae from a wild boar were identified as belonging to the Metastrongylus genus; and larvae from a rough-legged buzzard were identified as belonging to the superfamily Filarioidea. The recovery of nematodes belonging to genera other than Trichinella during routine meat inspection suggests that the persons performing the analyses need to be informed of the possibility of false positives and that a molecular-based identification system that allows for a rapid and reliable response must be adopted (i.e., a DNA barcoding-like system). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First record of a nematode Metastrongyloidea (Aelurostrongylus abstrusus larvae) in Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica (Mollusca, Achatinidae) in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Thiengo, Silvana C; Fernandez, Monica A; Torres, Eduardo J L; Coelho, Pablo M; Lanfredi, Reinalda M

2008-05-01

Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica was introduced in Brazil in the 1980s for commercial purposes ("escargot" farming) and nowadays, mainly by human activity, it is widespread in at least 23 out of 26 Brazilian states and Brasília, including the Amazonian region and natural reserves, where besides a general nuisance for people it is a pest and also a public health concern, since it is one of the natural intermediate host of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, ethiological agent of the meningoencephalitis in Asia. As Brazil is experiencing the explosive phase of the invasion, the Laboratório de Malacologia do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz has been receiving samples of these molluscs for identification and search for Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongylus costaricensis larvae. While examining samples of A. fulica different nematode larvae were obtained, including Aelurostrongylus, whose different species are parasites of felids, dogs, primates, and badger. Morphological and morphometric analyses presented herein indicated the species Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, as well as the occurrence of other nematode larvae (Strongyluris-like) found in the interior of the pallial cavity of A. fulica. This is the first report in Brazil of the development of A. abstrusus infective larvae in A. fulica evidencing the veterinary importance of this mollusc in the transmission of A. abstrusus to domestic cats. Since the spread of A. fulica is pointed out in the literature as one of the main causative spread of the meningoencephalitis caused by A. cantonensis the authors emphasize the need of sanitary vigilance of snails and rats from vulnerable areas for A. cantonensis introduction as the port side areas.

Is your company ready for one-to-one marketing?

Science.gov (United States)

Peppers, D; Rogers, M; Dorf, B

1999-01-01

One-to-one marketing, also known as relationship marketing, promises to increase the value of your customer base by establishing a learning relationship with each customer. The customer tells you of some need, and you customize your product or service to meet it. Every interaction and modification improves your ability to fit your product to the particular customer. Eventually, even if a competitor offers the same type of service, your customer won't be able to enjoy the same level of convenience without taking the time to teach your competitor the lessons your company has already learned. Although the theory behind one-to-one marketing is simple, implementation is complex. Too many companies have jumped on the one-to-one band-wagon without proper preparation--mistakenly understanding it as an excuse to badger customers with excessive telemarketing and direct mail campaigns. The authors offer practical advice for implementing a one-to-one marketing program correctly. They describe four key steps: identifying your customers, differentiating among them, interacting with them, and customizing your product or service to meet each customer's needs. And they provide activities and exercises, to be administered to employees and customers, that will help you identify your company's readiness to launch a one-to-one initiative. Although some managers dismiss the possibility of one-to-one marketing as an unattainable goal, even a modest program can produce substantial benefits. This tool kit will help you determine what type of program your company can implement now, what you need to do to position your company for a large-scale initiative, and how to set priorities.

Consultation with First Nations stakeholders : an Alberta perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rutwind, S. [Alberta Justice, Edmonton, AB (Canada). Aboriginal Law

2005-07-01

Aboriginal issues present risks and challenges to resource development in Alberta. This paper provided an overview of significant precedents and acts which may impact on oil and gas activities. The Constitution Act of 1982 acknowledged that existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada were recognized and confirmed. In the case of R v. Sparrow, justification was established where there was a valid legislative objective, such as conservation and resource management, and a precedent was set regarding the interpretation of disputes of section 35 subsection 1 concerning legal restriction of the exercise of treaty rights, such as hunting and fishing. In R v. Badger, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) advised that the framework applied to treaty rights as well as Aboriginal rights. The Natural Resources Transfer Agreement transferred powers over natural resources from Canada to Alberta in relation to hunting rights. Proof of rights issues were discussed in Taku River Tlingit First Nation v. Tulesequa Chief Mine Project, as well as in Haida Nation v. British Columbia, where it was concluded that an Aboriginal right need not be proven before a duty to consult arises. A review of Alberta's consultation practices was presented, as well as the Aboriginal issues and resource development initiative, which recognizes the importance of consultation with affected Aboriginal people and communities when regulatory and development activities infringe their existing treaty and other constitutional rights, such as the rights to hunt, fish and trap for food. Details of the Consultation Coordination Group were presented. A draft of the Government of Alberta's First Nations Consultation Policy on Land Management and Resource Development was also presented. tabs, figs.

Species-specific differences in the accumulation features of organohalogen contaminants and their metabolites in the blood of Japanese terrestrial mammals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizukawa, Hazuki; Nomiyama, Kei; Nakatsu, Susumu; Yachimori, Shuuji; Hayashi, Terutake; Tashiro, Yutaka; Nagano, Yasuko; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2013-01-01

Residue levels and patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs, OH-PBDEs), and methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) in the blood of various terrestrial mammals in Japan, including cats, raccoon dogs, dogs, masked palm civets, foxes, raccoons, badgers, and mongooses were determined. Tri- through penta-chlorinated OH-PCBs were predominant in cat blood, whereas hexa- through octa-chlorinated OH-PCBs were found in other species. High proportion of BDE209 was found in all species, suggesting exposure to municipal waste and soil containing higher levels of deca-BDE products. 6OH-/MeO-BDE47 and 2′OH-/MeO-BDE68 were dominant in all terrestrial mammals. This is first report on the detection of OH-/MeO-PBDEs in the blood of terrestrial mammals. High concentrations of OH-/MeO-PBDEs were found in cats, suggesting the intake of these compounds from seafood. Cats exhibited higher accumulation and specific patterns of OH-PCBs, OH-PBDEs, and MeO-PBDEs, they may be at a high risk from these metabolites. -- Highlights: ► Analysis of organohalogen metabolites in the blood of Japanese terrestrial mammals. ► First study on analysis of OH-/MeO-PBDEs in terrestrial mammals. ► Cats showed specific residue pattern of OH-PCBs compare to other species. ► Metabolic capacities of PCBs in carnivore were higher than marine mammals. ► Marine natural occurrence OH-/MeO-PBDEs were found in terrestrial mammals. -- Cats showed specific residue pattern of OH-PCBs compare to other species and marine natural occurrence OH-/MeO-PBDEs were detected in terrestrial mammals

Final voluntary release assessment/corrective action report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-11-12

The US Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office (DOE-CAO) has completed a voluntary release assessment sampling program at selected Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This Voluntary Release Assessment/Corrective Action (RA/CA) report has been prepared for final submittal to the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) Region 6, Hazardous Waste Management Division and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Hazardous and Radioactive Materials Bureau to describe the results of voluntary release assessment sampling and proposed corrective actions at the SWMU sites. The Voluntary RA/CA Program is intended to be the first phase in implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) and corrective action process at the WIPP. Data generated as part of this sampling program are intended to update the RCRA Facility Assessment (RFA) for the WIPP (Assessment of Solid Waste Management Units at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant), NMED/DOE/AIP 94/1. This Final Voluntary RA/CA Report documents the results of release assessment sampling at 11 SWMUs identified in the RFA. With this submittal, DOE formally requests a No Further Action determination for these SWMUs. Additionally, this report provides information to support DOE`s request for No Further Action at the Brinderson and Construction landfill SWMUs, and to support DOE`s request for approval of proposed corrective actions at three other SWMUs (the Badger Unit Drill Pad, the Cotton Baby Drill Pad, and the DOE-1 Drill Pad). This information is provided to document the results of the Voluntary RA/CA activities submitted to the EPA and NMED in August 1995.

Sharp-Tailed Grouse Nest Survival and Nest Predator Habitat Use in North Dakota's Bakken Oil Field.

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Paul C Burr

Full Text Available Recent advancements in extraction technologies have resulted in rapid increases of gas and oil development across the United States and specifically in western North Dakota. This expansion of energy development has unknown influences on local wildlife populations and the ecological interactions within and among species. Our objectives for this study were to evaluate nest success and nest predator dynamics of sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus in two study sites that represented areas of high and low energy development intensities in North Dakota. During the summers of 2012 and 2013, we monitored 163 grouse nests using radio telemetry. Of these, 90 nests also were monitored using miniature cameras to accurately determine nest fates and identify nest predators. We simultaneously conducted predator surveys using camera scent stations and occupancy modeling to estimate nest predator occurrence at each site. American badgers (Taxidea taxus and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis were the primary nest predators, accounting for 56.7% of all video recorded nest depredations. Nests in our high intensity gas and oil area were 1.95 times more likely to succeed compared to our minimal intensity area. Camera monitored nests were 2.03 times more likely to succeed than non-camera monitored nests. Occupancy of mammalian nest predators was 6.9 times more likely in our study area of minimal gas and oil intensity compared to the high intensity area. Although only a correlative study, our results suggest energy development may alter the predator community, thereby increasing nest success for sharp-tailed grouse in areas of intense development, while adjacent areas may have increased predator occurrence and reduced nest success. Our study illustrates the potential influences of energy development on the nest predator-prey dynamics of sharp-tailed grouse in western North Dakota and the complexity of evaluating such impacts on wildlife.

Buffalo, bush meat, and the zoonotic threat of brucellosis in Botswana.

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Kathleen Anne Alexander

Full Text Available Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance infecting humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Little is known about the epidemiology and persistence of brucellosis in wildlife in Southern Africa, particularly in Botswana.Archived wildlife samples from Botswana (1995-2000 were screened with the Rose Bengal Test (RBT and fluorescence polarization assay (FPA and included the African buffalo (247, bushbuck (1, eland (5, elephant (25, gemsbok (1, giraffe (9, hartebeest (12, impala (171, kudu (27, red lechwe (10, reedbuck (1, rhino (2, springbok (5, steenbok (2, warthog (24, waterbuck (1, wildebeest (33, honey badger (1, lion (43, and zebra (21. Human case data were extracted from government annual health reports (1974-2006.Only buffalo (6%, 95% CI 3.04%-8.96% and giraffe (11%, 95% CI 0-38.43% were confirmed seropositive on both tests. Seropositive buffalo were widely distributed across the buffalo range where cattle density was low. Human infections were reported in low numbers with most infections (46% occurring in children (<14 years old and no cases were reported among people working in the agricultural sector.Low seroprevalence of brucellosis in Botswana buffalo in a previous study in 1974 and again in this survey suggests an endemic status of the disease in this species. Buffalo, a preferred source of bush meat, is utilized both legally and illegally in Botswana. Household meat processing practices can provide widespread pathogen exposure risk to family members and the community, identifying an important source of zoonotic pathogen transmission potential. Although brucellosis may be controlled in livestock populations, public health officials need to be alert to the possibility of human infections arising from the use of bush meat. This study illustrates the need for a unified approach in infectious disease research that includes consideration of both domestic and wildlife sources of infection in determining public health risks from

Identification of host blood-meal sources and Borrelia in field-collected Ixodes ricinus ticks in north-western Poland

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Beata Wodecka

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Forest animals play fundamental roles in the maintenance of [i]Ixodes ricinus[/i] and [i]Borrelia[/i] species in the forest biotope. To identify the forest vertebrate species that are host for I. ricinus and for the recognition of the reservoirs of [i]Borrelia[/i] species, the blood-meal of 325 [i]I. ricinus[/i] ticks collected at two forest sites in north-western Poland were analysed. Nested PCR was used to detect polymorphisms in a fragment of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene for the identification of the hosts species. The products were digested with the restriction enzymes, a combination that allows the identification of 60 vertebrate species, comprising 17 bird, 4 reptile and 39 mammalian species. Host DNA was detected in 244 (75%[i] I. ricinus[/i] individuals, with the species being detected and classified for 210 (86% samples. The restriction patterns resulted in the identification of 14 vertebrate species, including 2 species of birds, lizard, badger, rabbit, deer; most of the samples contained DNA from wild boar ([i]Sus scrofa[/i], red fox ([i]Vulpes vulpes[/i], red deer ([i]Cervus elaphus[/i] and roe deer ([i]Capreolus capreolus[/i]. Identification of Borrelia species was based on the flaB gene using nested PCR coupled to RFLP. This method allows the identification of all [i]Borrelia[/i] species transmitted by [i]I. ricinus [/i]in Europe, including [i]B. miyamotoi[/i] and 3 genetic variants of [i]B. garinii[/i]. In the studied isolates, 2 species belonging to [i]B. burgdorferi[/i] sensu lato were identified – B. [i]garinii [/i]and B. [i]afzelii[/i], and B. [i]miyamotoi,[/i] which are related to relapsing fever borreliae.

Scaling roads and wildlife: The Cinderella principle

Science.gov (United States)

Bissonette, J.A.

2002-01-01

It is clear that a reduction in both direct and indirect effects of roads and road networks must be the goal of management agencies. However, increased permeability of roaded landscapes can only be achieved by up-front planning and subsequent mitigative actions. The key is to understand that roads must be made permeable to the movement of animals. More profoundly, ecosystem services, i.e., clean water, clean air, uncontaminated soil, natural landscapes, recreation opportunities, abundant wildlife, and life sustaining ecological processes must not be seriously impacted. In other words, quality of life as measured by ecosystem services should be a major component of the planning process when roads are constructed or improved. Mitigative structures exist to increase permeability of roads. Wildlife overpasses and underpasses, often referred to as ecoducts or green bridges, with associated structures to enable larger animals to exit the road right of way, e.g., earthen escape ramps (BISSONETTE and HAMMER, 2001), various culvert designs for smaller animals including badger pipes and amphibian and reptile tunnels, and fish ladders are but a small sampling of the structures already in place around the world. What is needed is attention to the big picture. Landscapes need to be reconnected and made more permeable. Responsible agencies and organizations need to be aggressive about promoting mitigations and a conservation ethic into road planning. Only with a broad based effort between a concerned public, a database to work from, and a willingness of responsible agencies, will the now very large virtual footprint of roads and road networks be reduced to more closely approximate the physical footprint. By embracing the Cinderella Principle of making the virtual shoe fit more closely the actual physical footprint of roads, we will be able to achieve a closer connection with ecological harmony with its resultant effect of abundant wildlife.

Predation of artificial ground nests on white-tailed prairie dog colonies

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, B.W.; Stanley, T.R.; Sedgwick, J.A.

1999-01-01

Prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies are unique to prairie and shrub-steppe landscapes. However, widespread eradication, habitat loss, and sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis) have reduced their numbers by 98% since historical times. Birds associated with prairie dogs also are declining. Potential nest predators, such as coyotes (Canis latrans), swift foxes (Vulpes velox), and badgers (Taxidea taxus), may be attracted to colonies where a high concentration of prairie dogs serve as available prey. Increased abundance of small mammals, including prairie dogs, also may increase the risk of predation for birds nesting on colonies. Finally, because grazing by prairie dogs may decrease vegetation height and canopy cover, bird nests may be easier for predators to locate. In this study, we placed 1,444 artificial ground nests on and off 74 white-tailed prairie dog (C. leucurus) colonies to test the hypothesis that nest predation rates are higher on colonies than at nearby off sites (i.e., uncolonized habitat). We sampled colonies from 27 May to 16 July 1997 at the following 3 complexes: Coyote Basin, Utah and Colorado; Moxa Arch, Wyoming; and Shirley Basin, Wyoming. Differences in daily predation rates between colonies and paired off sites averaged 1.0% (P = 0.060). When converted to a typical 14-day incubation period, predation rates averaged 14% higher on colonies (57.7 ?? 2.7%; ?? ?? SE) than at off sites (50.4 ?? 3.1%). Comparisons of habitat variables on colonies to off sites showed percent canopy cover of vegetation was similar (P = 0.114), percent bare ground was higher on colonies (P 0.288). Although we found the risk of nest predation was higher on white-tailed prairie dog colonies than at off sites, fitness of birds nesting on colonies might depend on other factors that influence foraging success, reproductive success, or nestling survival.

Carnivores from the Middle Miocene Ngorora Formation (13-12 Ma, Kenya

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Pickford, M.

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The late Middle Miocene Ngorora Formation has yielded several interesting carnivore fossils. Among these are a huge creodont, Megistotherium osteothlastes, at 12 Ma, possibly the youngest record of the species, an amphicyonid, two species of mustelids (an otter and a honey badger, two kinds of viverrids (one about the size of a civet, one the size of a genet and an extremely small herpestid the size of a dwarf mongoose. It has also yielded remains of a moderate sized percrocutid. Perhaps the most interesting carnivore is a new genus and species of bundont viverrid that is intermediate in size and morphology between Early Miocene Orangictis on the one hand and Plio-Pleistocene Pseudocivetta on the other. This lineage of bundont viverrids appears to have been restricted to Africa.La Formación Mioceno medio final de Ngorora (Kenia ha suministrado carnívoros muy interesantes. Entre los que se encuentran un enorme creodonto, Megistotherium osteothlastes, de 12 Ma, que posiblemente es el registro más moderno de la especie, un amphicyonido, dos especies de mustélidos (una nutria y un melivorino, dos diferentes tipos de vivérridos (uno de la talla de una civeta y el otro de la de una jineta y un herpéstido diminuto de la talla de una mangosta enana. También hay fósiles de un percrocútido de talla moderada. Tal vez el carnívoro más interesante es un nuevo género y especie de vivérrido bunodonto que presenta una talla y morfología intermedia entre Oragictis del Mioceno inferior y Pseudocivetta del Plio-Pleistoceno. Esta línea de vivérridos bunodontos parece estar restringida a Africa.

Ionic bonding of lanthanides, as influenced by d- and f-atomic orbitals, by core-shells and by relativity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Wen-Xin; Xu, Wei; Schwarz, W H Eugen; Wang, Shu-Guang

2015-03-15

Lanthanide trihalide molecules LnX3 (X = F, Cl, Br, I) were quantum chemically investigated, in particular detail for Ln = Lu (lutetium). We applied density functional theory (DFT) at the nonrelativistic and scalar and SO-coupled relativistic levels, and also the ab initio coupled cluster approach. The chemically active electron shells of the lanthanide atoms comprise the 5d and 6s (and 6p) valence atomic orbitals (AO) and also the filled inner 4f semivalence and outer 5p semicore shells. Four different frozen-core approximations for Lu were compared: the (1s(2) -4d(10) ) [Pd] medium core, the [Pd+5s(2) 5p(6) = Xe] and [Pd+4f(14) ] large cores, and the [Pd+4f(14) +5s(2) 5p(6) ] very large core. The errors of LuX bonding are more serious on freezing the 5p(6) shell than the 4f(14) shell, more serious upon core-freezing than on the effective-core-potential approximation. The LnX distances correlate linearly with the AO radii of the ionic outer shells, Ln(3+) -5p(6) and X(-) -np(6) , characteristic for dominantly ionic Ln(3+) -X(-) binding. The heavier halogen atoms also bind covalently with the Ln-5d shell. Scalar relativistic effects contract and destabilize the LuX bonds, spin orbit coupling hardly affects the geometries but the bond energies, owing to SO effects in the free atoms. The relativistic changes of bond energy BE, bond length Re , bond force k, and bond stretching frequency vs do not follow the simple rules of Badger and Gordy (Re ∼BE∼k∼vs ). The so-called degeneracy-driven covalence, meaning strong mixing of accidentally near-degenerate, nearly nonoverlapping AOs without BE contribution is critically discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Proposal of the visual inspection of the integrity of the storage cells of spent fuel from the nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez M, J. L.; Rivero G, T.; Merino C, F. J.; Santander C, L. E.

2015-09-01

plates of Boral has not lost its ability to absorb neutrons, using proven methods like Badger or similar. (Author)

Lyssaviruses and rabies: current conundrums, concerns, contradictions and controversies [version 1; referees: 2 approved

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Charles Rupprecht

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Lyssaviruses are bullet-shaped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses and the causative agents of the ancient zoonosis rabies. Africa is the likely home to the ancestors of taxa residing within the Genus Lyssavirus, Family Rhabdoviridae. Diverse lyssaviruses are envisioned as co-evolving with bats, as the ultimate reservoirs, over seemingly millions of years. In terms of relative distribution, overt abundance, and resulting progeny, rabies virus is the most successful lyssavirus species today, but for unknown reasons. All mammals are believed to be susceptible to rabies virus infection. Besides reservoirs among the Chiroptera, meso-carnivores also serve as major historical hosts and are represented among the canids, raccoons, skunks, mongooses, and ferret badgers.  Perpetuating as a disease of nature with the mammalian central nervous system as niche, host breadth alone precludes any candidacy for true eradication. Despite having the highest case fatality of any infectious disease and a burden in excess of or comparative to other major zoonoses, rabies remains neglected. Once illness appears, no treatment is proven to prevent death. Paradoxically, vaccines were developed more than a century ago, but the clear majority of human cases are unvaccinated. Tens of millions of people are exposed to suspect rabid animals and tens of thousands succumb annually, primarily children in developing countries, where canine rabies is enzootic. Rather than culling animal populations, one of the most cost-effective strategies to curbing human fatalities is the mass vaccination of dogs. Building on considerable progress to date, several complementary actions are needed in the near future, including a more harmonized approach to viral taxonomy, enhanced de-centralized laboratory-based surveillance, focal pathogen discovery and characterization, applied pathobiological research for therapeutics, improved estimates of canine populations at risk, actual

Proposal of the visual inspection of the integrity of the storage cells of spent fuel from the nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde; Propuesta para la inspeccion visual de la integridad de las celdas de almacenamiento de combustible gastado de la Central Laguna Verde (CLV)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez M, J. L.; Rivero G, T.; Merino C, F. J. [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Santander C, L. E., E-mail: francisco.merino@inin.gob.mx [Comision Federal de Electricidad, Central Nucleoelectrica Laguna Verde, Carretera Veracruz-Medellin Km 7.5, Col. Dos Bocas, 94271 Medellin, Veracruz (Mexico)

2015-09-15

plates of Boral has not lost its ability to absorb neutrons, using proven methods like Badger or similar. (Author)

Grassland bird productivity in warm season grass fields in southwest Wisconsin

Science.gov (United States)

Byers, Carolyn M.; Ribic, Christine; Sample, David W.; Dadisman, John D.; Guttery, Michael

2017-01-01

Surrogate grasslands established through federal set-aside programs, such as U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), provide important habitat for grassland birds. Warm season grass CRP fields as a group have the potential for providing a continuum of habitat structure for breeding birds, depending on how the fields are managed and their floristic composition. We studied the nesting activity of four obligate grassland bird species, Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), and Henslow's Sparrow (A. henslowii), in relation to vegetative composition and fire management in warm season CRP fields in southwest Wisconsin during 2009–2011. Intraspecific variation in apparent nest density was related to the number of years since the field was burned. Apparent Grasshopper Sparrow nest density was highest in the breeding season immediately following spring burns, apparent Henslow's Sparrow nest density was highest 1 y post burn, and apparent Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark nest densities were higher in post fire years one to three. Grasshopper Sparrow nest density was highest on sites with more diverse vegetation, specifically prairie forbs, and on sites with shorter less dense vegetation. Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and Henslow's Sparrow apparent nest densities were higher on sites with deeper litter; litter was the vegetative component that was most affected by spring burns. Overall nest success was 0.487 for Bobolink (22 d nesting period), 0.478 for Eastern Meadowlark (25 d nesting period), 0.507 for Grasshopper Sparrow (22 d nesting period), and 0.151 for Henslow's Sparrow (21 d nesting period). The major nest predators were grassland-associated species: thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum), American badger (Taxidea taxus), and western fox snake (Elaphe vulpina). Overall

Identification of Plasmodiophora brassicae Wor. isolate suppressing clubroot resistance in ‘Kilaxy’ F1 white cabbage

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Wesołowska Maria

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Celem badań była ocena patogeniczności izolatów Plasmodiophora brassicae Wor. pobranych z porażonych kiłą roślin kapusty głowiastej białej pochodzących z różnych rejonów Polski. Oceniano wirulencję siedmiu izolatów tego patogena. Do określenia wirulencji izolatów P. brassicae użyte zostały obiekty wzorcowe, były to materiały hodowlane kapusty głowiastej białej odporne i podatne na kiłę. Nasiona kapusty inokulowano poprzez moczenie ich w zawiesinie zarodników przetrwalnikowych patogena. Ocenę podatności roślin na kiłę prowadzono w oparciu o 9-cio stopniową skalę porażenia korzeni roślin w stadium ośmiotygodniowej rozsady i podczas jesiennego zbioru roślin na polu zainfekowanym P. brassicae. Izolaty pochodzące z Pobiednika i Goźlic były bardziej wirulentne. Izolat P z Pobiednika spowodował porażenie roślin odmiany ‘Kilaxy’ F1 co oznaczało przełamanie cechującej tę odmianę odporności na kiłę. Odmiana ta w stosunku do pozostałych izolatów potwierdziła swoją odporność. Wrażliwa linia HTM charakteryzowała się najwyższym stopniem porażenia. Odnotowano różny poziom wrażliwości na zastosowane izolaty pomiędzy liniami pochodzącymi z mających geny odporności odmian ‘Oregon123’ i ‘Badger Shipper’. Mniej podatna na zastosowane izolaty była linia ‘Oregon123’. Obserwowano wpływ zastosowanych do inokulacji nasion izolatów na reakcję na patogena dojrzałych roślin kapusty na polu kiłowym

Analysis Group outbreak of trichinosis in adolescents in the Samara region

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E. S. Gasilina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To study the peculiarities of trichinosis on the material of the group flashes.Materials and methods. Described and analyzed outbreak of trichinosis in 14 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years, were hospitalized in pediatric infectious ward of the city of Samara.Results. The source of infection – infected meat badger. The severity of illness depend on the amount of meat eaten, that is, the infectious dose of the pathogen. In severe cases, the incubation period of trichinosis was minimal (7 days, and if less severe – the maximum (from 19,5 to 21 days. Mild course also contributed to the early administration of antiparasitic therapy. Most of the children the disease begins with fever and dyspepsia, half recorded rash.At the height of the disease is predominant myalgias, half of cases – swelling. The peculiarity of the current severe trichinosis were pronounced toxic-allergic syndrome, generalized edema, myalgia and myasthenia gravis, up to a full adinamii, organ destruction: infectious-toxic kidney, cardiomyopathy, fulminant hepatitis, polyserositis with ascites, hydrothorax 3 weekdisease. The temperature in most of the patients wore a doublewavelength character with rises in the disease onset and disease for 2–3 weeks. It noted the duration of the clinical symptoms. The longest was myalgic, half of the patients remained at the time of discharge from the hospital. The features of laboratory parameters (leukocytosis, eosinophilia, ALT, AST, CRP in various forms of the disease. The diagnosis was confirmed by serology (IgM, Ig G to Trichinella spiralis in different phases of the disease. All patients received a specific antiparasitic therapy albendazolom secondary therapeutic dosage for 10 days, as well as detoxication, allergen and symptomatic therapy is indicated.Conclusion. Thus, health education among the population and will be a true prevention of trichinosis.

On the origin of donor O–H bond weakening in phenol-water complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Banerjee, Pujarini; Mukhopadhyay, Deb Pratim; Chakraborty, Tapas, E-mail: pctc@iacs.res.in [Department of Physical Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata 700032 (India)

2015-11-28

Matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy has been used to investigate intermolecular interactions in a series of binary O–H⋯O hydrogen bonded phenol-water complexes where water is the common acceptor. The interaction at the binding site has been tuned by incorporating multiple fluorine substitutions at different aromatic ring sites of the phenol moiety. The spectral effects for the aforesaid chemical changes are manifested in the infrared spectra of the complexes as systematic increase in spectral shift of the phenolic O–H stretching fundamental (Δν{sub O–H}). While ν{sub O–H} bands of the monomers of all the fluorophenols appear within a very narrow frequency range, the increase in Δν{sub O–H} of the complexes from phenol to pentafluorophenol is very large, nearly 90%. The observed values of Δν{sub O–H} do not show a linear correlation with the total binding energies (ΔE{sub b}) of the complexes, expected according to Badger-Bauer rule. However, in the same Δν{sub O–H} vs ΔE{sub b} plot, nice linear correlations are revealed if the complexes of ortho-fluorophenols are treated separately from their meta/para-substituted analogues. The observations imply that in spite of having the same binding site (O–H⋯O) and the same chemical identities (phenolic), the complexes of ortho and non-ortho fluorophenols do not belong, from the viewpoint of detailed molecular interactions, to a homologous series. Linear correlations of Δν{sub O–H} are, however, observed with respect to the electrostatic component of ΔE{sub b} as well as the quantum mechanical charge transfer interaction energy (E{sub CT}). From quantitative viewpoint, the latter correlation along with the associated electronic structure parameters appears more satisfactory. It has also been noted that the observed Δν{sub O–H} values of the complexes display a linear relationship with the aqueous phase pK{sub a} values of the respective phenol derivatives.

Effects of intensive harvesting on forest floor properties in Betula papyrifera stands in Newfoundland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, B.A.; Deering, K.W.; Titus, B.D.

1998-01-01

This study investigates litter and organic matter production and related site ecology in nine medium to high quality Betula papyrifera stands in three locations in central Newfoundland on a variety of land form and drainage conditions. Three sites, Badger West (BW), Moose Pond (MP) and Middleton Lake (ML) were selected. The ML site has the highest quality (with the best height/age ratio, 18 m/60 yr, and height/DBH ratio, 18 m/30 cm), followed by MP and BW. Litter depth on well developed moders or mulls was usually 2 - 3 cm and varied from 1 - 15 cm. Forest floor depths (measured in 324 profiles) rarely reached 20 cm and was commonly 5 - 10 cm; it varied with position and site. Total and available nutrients indicate that B. papyrifera produces one of the highest-quality organic matter types of the local forest types and is important in improving site quality. The mean N-concentration in green foliage (2.21 %) and trapped litter (1.03 %) was highest at the best quality site ML, followed by MP and BW. The concentration of calcium, 0.85 %, was highest at the poorest quality site. Four years after harvesting, litter depth significantly decreased in all sites and treatments with the exception of the BW whole-tree harvest treatment. Total forest floor depth significantly decreased at all sites in the stem-only harvest treatment as well as the MP whole-tree harvest treatment. There was a significant decrease in available nitrogen following harvesting in both treatments at both the MP and BW sites. Change in available phosphorus was insignificant, with the exception of an increase in the MP stem-only harvest treatment. There was a significant decrease in available potassium at both the ML and BW whole-tree harvest treatments, but a significant increase in the stem-only harvest treatments at ML and MP. There was a significant decrease in available calcium in both treatments at both the MP and BW sites 34 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

Novel covalent modification of human anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK and potentiation of crizotinib-mediated inhibition of ALK activity by BNP7787

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parker AR

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Aulma R Parker,1 Pavankumar N Petluru,1 Vicki L Nienaber,2 Min Zhao,1 Philippe Y Ayala,1 John Badger,2 Barbara Chie-Leon,2 Vandana Sridhar,2 Cheyenne Logan,2 Harry Kochat,1 Frederick H Hausheer1 1BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Antonio, TX, USA; 2Zenobia Therapeutics, Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA Abstract: BNP7787 (Tavocept, disodium 2,2’-dithio-bis-ethanesulfonate is a novel, investigational, water-soluble disulfide that is well-tolerated and nontoxic. In separate randomized multicenter Phase II and Phase III clinical trials in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC patients, treatment with BNP7787 in combination with standard chemotherapy resulted in substantial increases in the overall survival of patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung in the first-line treatment setting. We hypothesized that BNP7787 might interact with and modify human anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK. At least seven different variants of ALK fusions with the gene encoding the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4 are known to occur in NSCLC. EML4–ALK fusions are thought to account for approximately 3% of NSCLC cases. Herein, we report the covalent modification of the kinase domain of human ALK by a BNP7787-derived mesna moiety and the functional consequences of this modification in ALK assays evaluating kinase activity. The kinase domain of the ALK protein crystallizes as a monomer, and BNP7787-derived mesna-cysteine adducts were observed at Cys 1235 and Cys 1156. The BNP7787-derived mesna adduct at Cys 1156 is located in close proximity to the active site and results in substantial disorder of the P-loop and activation loop (A-loop. Comparison with the P-loop of apo-ALK suggests that the BNP7787-derived mesna adduct at Cys 1156 interferes with the positioning of Phe 1127 into a small pocket now occupied by mesna, resulting in a destabilization of the loop's binding orientation. Additionally, in vitro kinase activity assays indicate that BNP7787

Teaching science in light of world view: The effect of contextualized instruction on the scientific compatibility of religious college students' world views

Science.gov (United States)

Gossard, Paula Rae

Authors of recent science reform documents promote the goal of scientific literacy for all Americans (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1989, 1993). Some students, however, feel apprehensive about learning science due to perceptions that science is antagonistic to their world views (Alters, 2005; Esbenshade, 1993). This study investigated the effect of an introductory science course taught in the context of a Christian, theistic world view on the scientific compatibility of religious college students' world views. For the purposes of this study, students' understanding of the nature of science, affective attitudes toward science, and beliefs regarding creation were used as indicators of the scientific compatibility of their world views. One hundred and seventy-one students enrolled in a core curriculum, introductory science course at a Christian university participated in this study by completing pre-instruction and post-instruction survey packets that included demographic information, the Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry questionnaire (Liang et al., 2006), the Affective Attitude toward Science Scale (Francis & Greer, 1999), and the Origins Survey (Tenneson & Badger, personal communication, June, 2008). Two-tailed paired samples t tests were used to test for significant mean differences in the indicator variables at a .05 level before and after instruction. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine if relationships were present among the indicator variables at a .05 level before and after instruction. Students' self-identified positions regarding creation were analyzed using a chi-square contingency table. Results indicated that there were statistically significant changes in all indicator variables after instruction of the contextualized course. The direction of these changes and shifts in students' self-identified positions regarding creation supported the conclusion that students developed a more

Spatial-temporal patterns in Mediterranean carnivore road casualties: Consequences for mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Grilo, C.; Bissonette, J.A.; Santos-Reis, M.

2009-01-01

Many carnivores have been seriously impacted by the expansion of transportation systems and networks; however we know little about carnivore response to the extent and magnitude of road mortality, or which age classes may be disproportionately impacted. Recent research has demonstrated that wildlife-vehicle-collisions (WVC) involving carnivores are modulated by temporal and spatial factors. Thus, we investigated road mortality on a guild of small and medium-sized carnivores in southern Portugal using road-kill data obtained from a systematic 36 months monitoring period along highways (260 km) and national roads (314 km) by addressing the following questions: (a) which species and age class are most vulnerable to WVC? (b) are there temporal and/or spatial patterns in road-kill? and (c) which life-history and/or spatial factors influence the likelihood of collisions? We recorded a total of 806 carnivore casualties, which represented an average of 47 ind./100 km/year. Red fox and stone marten had the highest mortality rates. Our findings highlight three key messages: (1) the majority of road-killed individuals were adults of common species; (2) all carnivores, except genets, were more vulnerable during specific life-history phenological periods: higher casualties were observed when red fox and stone marten were provisioning young, Eurasian badger casualties occurred more frequently during dispersal, and higher Egyptian mongoose mortality occurred during the breeding period; and (3) modeling demonstrated that favorable habitat, curves in the road, and low human disturbance were major contributors to the deadliest road segments. Red fox carcasses were more likely to be found on road sections with passages distant from urban areas. Conversely, stone marten mortalities were found more often on national roads with high of cork oak woodland cover; Egyptian mongoose and genet road-kills were found more often on road segments close to curves. Based on our results, two key

Contributions to the phylogeny of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes canisuga, I. (Ph. kaiseri, I. (Ph. hexagonus and a simple pictorial key for the identification of their females

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sándor Hornok

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In Europe, hard ticks of the subgenus Pholeoixodes (Ixodidae: Ixodes are usually associated with burrow-dwelling mammals and terrestrial birds. Reports of Pholeoixodes spp. from carnivores are frequently contradictory, and their identification is not based on key diagnostic characters. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to identify ticks collected from dogs, foxes and badgers in several European countries, and to reassess their systematic status with molecular analyses using two mitochondrial markers. Results Between 2003 and 2017, 144 Pholeoixodes spp. ticks were collected in nine European countries. From accurate descriptions and comparison with type-materials, a simple illustrated identification key was compiled for adult females, by focusing on the shape of the anterior surface of basis capituli. Based on this key, 71 female ticks were identified as I. canisuga, 21 as I. kaiseri and 21 as I. hexagonus. DNA was extracted from these 113 female ticks, and from further 31 specimens. Fragments of two mitochondrial genes, cox1 (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 16S rRNA, were amplified and sequenced. Ixodes kaiseri had nine unique cox1 haplotypes, which showed 99.2–100% sequence identity, whereas I. canisuga and I. hexagonus had eleven and five cox1 haplotypes, respectively, with 99.5–100% sequence identity. The distribution of cox1 haplotypes reflected a geographical pattern. Pholeoixodes spp. ticks had fewer 16S rRNA haplotypes, with a lower degree of intraspecific divergence (99.5–100% sequence identity and no geographical clustering. Phylogenetic analyses were in agreement with morphology: I. kaiseri and I. hexagonus (with the similar shape of the anterior surface of basis capituli were genetically more closely related to each other than to I. canisuga. Phylogenetic analyses also showed that the subgenus Eschatocephalus (bat ticks clustered within the subgenus Pholeoixodes. Conclusions A simple

Mid-Pliocene to Early Pleistocene land and sea surface temperature history of NW Australia based on organic geochemical proxies

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, R. A.; Castañeda, I. S.; Henderiks, J.; Christensen, B. A.; De Vleeschouwer, D.; Renema, W.; Groeneveld, J.; Bogus, K.; Gallagher, S. J.; Fulthorpe, C.; Expedition 356 Scientists, I.

2017-12-01

IODP Expedition 356 Site U1463 is located off the coast of NW Australia, and is sensitive to Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) variability. The ITF is a critical ocean gateway that affects global thermohaline circulation, and regulates the movement of water from the Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean. However, despite its importance to the global climate system, few SST reconstructions exist for this region that span the Plio-Pleistocene. Here we investigate both the land and sea-surface temperature (SST) history of NW Australia to constrain ITF variability across the Plio-Pleistocene interval. We apply multiple organic geochemical proxies to this site from 3.4-2.6 Ma, which includes the mid-Pliocene warm period, characterized by slightly higher (2-3°C) global temperatures and similar CO2 concentrations to modern values (e.g. Badger et al. 2013; Bartoli et al., 2011; Dowsett et al., 2009; Hönisch et al., 2009; Pagani et al. 2009; Raymo et al., 1996). SST was reconstructed using TEX86, based on isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (iGDGTs), and the long-chain diol index (LDI), based on the ratio of diols produced by marine diatoms (Rampen et al., 2012). The Uk'37 index, based on long-chain ketones, was analyzed but cannot be applied as a SST proxy at this site due to the influence of coastal alkenone producers. Additionally, a continental air temperature record was developed using the MBT'5ME proxy, based on branched GDGTs (De Jonge et al., 2014; Weijers et al., 2007). We find that TEX86, LDI and MBT'5Me exhibit similar trends and show relatively warm and stable temperatures from 3.5-2.4 Ma followed by a gradual cooling of 3-4°C from 2.4-1.5 Ma. This cooling corresponds with an arid interval previously identified on the same core by Christensen et al. (2017). Furthermore, we find that the TEX86 record agrees closely with the LR04 global benthic δ18O stack (Lisiecki and Raymo, 2005) and captures glacial/interglacial periods including Marine Isotope Stage

Safe or sorry: Feds criminalize safety breaches, while industry record improves with time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collison, M.

2004-05-01

An overview of safety conditions in Canada's oilpatch is provided, inclusive of a review of historical developments of safety practices by the industry itself, and evolving safety legislation by the provincial and federal governments. The general picture that emerges is that while great strides have been made in legislation, training and safety practices, incidents still occur; employees are still injured and sometimes die. In 2003, for example, there were almost 156,000 work-related injuries reported; of these more than 39,000 were serious enough for the worker to miss work beyond the day of the accident. Nearly 52,000 of the injured workers were inexperienced. There were 127 workplace fatalities; of these eight workers were under the age of 25. Vehicle collisions were the source of the greatest number of accidents; 25 per cent of all work-related deaths were due to traffic trauma. The oil and gas industry spawns an incredible range of hazards; everything from bear maulings and badger holes to sour gas leaks, people falling or equipment falling on them, or workers getting caught in moving equipment parts. The federal and provincial governments are major actors in the field of occupational safety, while the industry provides industry-recommended practices through the Petroleum Safety Council. The Council has also developed a basic safety awareness training package to provide smaller companies with effective training tools, and special programs targeted to the needs of new workers and international employees, in an effort to bridge differences in cultural attitudes towards the work environment. English language competence of newcomers to Canada is an area of special concern to the industry, along with a wide variety of safety training programs run by the Petroleum Industry Training Service. The Work Safe Alberta Information Sharing Network (www.worksafely.org) is another useful tool in gaining access to safety consultants, safety e-tools, and safety related

Apraxia, Autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Do We Have a New Spectrum?

Science.gov (United States)

Schumacher, Jayna; Strand, Kristine E; Augustyn, Marilyn

conversation but averts his gaze and becomes frustrated when asked to repeat things. Scores on the Parent Conners Rating Scale and Social Responsiveness Scale are not elevated. When you bring up school's concerns, his father describes feeling somewhat badgered by his teachers about possibility of ASD.School is considering placement in an inclusion classroom for children with ASD. What do you recommend? How would you advise his parents?

Vascular Plant and Vertebrate Inventory of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Brian F.; Albrecht, Eric W.; Schmidt, Cecilia A.; Halvorson, William L.; Anning, Pamela; Docherty, Kathleen

2006-01-01

urbanization continues. Despite isolation of the monument from nearby natural areas, we recorded noteworthy species or observations for all taxonomic groups: * Plants: night-blooming cereus * Amphibians: high abundance of Couch's spadefoot toads * Reptiles: high abundance of long-nosed snakes * Birds: 10 species of diurnal raptors including 4 species of falcons * Mammals: American badger This study is a first step in the process of compiling information about the biological resources of Casa Grande Ruins NM and surrounding areas. We recommend additional inventory and research studies, and we identify aspects of our effort that could be improved upon through application of new techniques or by extending the temporal (and possibly spatial) scope of our work.

Herd-level risk factors for bovine tuberculosis in French cattle herds.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsot, Maud; Béral, Marina; Scoizec, Axelle; Mathevon, Yoann; Durand, Benoit; Courcoul, Aurélie

2016-09-01

Although officially free of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), France has been experiencing a slight increase in the incidence and geographical spread of the infection. Eradication of bTB requires determining the infection risk factors. Although several studies identifying bTB risk factors have been conducted in the United Kingdom and Spain, no information is currently available regarding bTB risk factors in French cattle. The objective of this work was thus to study the factors associated with the risk of bTB in cattle herds in three French administrative divisions (départements of Ardennes, Côte d'Or and Dordogne). A case-control study was conducted to compare herds having experienced a bTB outbreak between 2012 and early 2014 with randomly selected control herds of the three study départements. A questionnaire of farming practices, inter-herd contacts (e.g. at pasture or via vehicles or materials), and the presence of other domestic species was carried out in the selected herds. Data on other variables of interest included animal movements between farms and potential contacts between cattle and wildlife (e.g. badger and wild boar abundances) were also collected. Multivariable logistic regression and multimodel inference methods were used to assess risk factors related to bTB. A total of 216 herds (72 cases and 144 controls) were analyzed. The two main risk factors were the presence of a recent neighboring outbreak, being defined as a neighboring herd at pasture reported as infected in the past two years (odds ratio (OR)=3.6; population attributable fraction (PAF)=30.7%) and the presence of a farm building for cattle housing or for feed storage located at more than 300-m from inhabited areas (OR=2.3; PAF=27.6%). Another risk factor was related to sharing water points at pasture with a recent neighboring outbreak. Results illustrated the multifactorial nature of bTB dynamics. The risk factors related to recently infected neighboring herds could be attributable to

[WILD MAMMALS OF THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA IN THE WORKS OF JEAN-EMMANUEL GILIBERT].

Science.gov (United States)

Samojlik, Tomasz; Daszkiewicz, Piotr

2015-01-01

Among the many topics of lively scientific work that Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (1741-1814) conducted in Grodno and Vilnius, an important place is occupied by his observations of wild mammals. Royal patronage and care from Antoni Tyzenhauz, Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the governor of Grodno, allowed Gilibert to keep and observe wild fauna captured by royal services in royal forests, including Białowieża Primeval Forest. Such was an origin of a female bison kept by Gilibert in Grodno. Its description, published in Indagatores naturae in Lithuania (Vilnius 1781) for decades became the primary source of information about the behaviour, food preferences and the anatomy of European bison. European science has just begun to take interest in European bison, therefore Gilibert's account entered scientific circulation by way of French natural history encyclopaedias (mainly Georges Buffon's Histoire naturelle) and works by Georges Cuvier or Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. Apart from the description of European bison, Gilibert left an entire series of observations of wild mammals inhabiting the forests of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His accounts of moose were important in building a knowledge base for this species. In the first half of the 18th century, moose was known mainly from fantastic descriptions in Renaissance works and from prescriptions devoted to using moose hoof as the epilepsy treatment. Gilibert's observations helped to overthrow such superstitions. Similarly, Gilibert's first-hand information verified the widespread legends concerning brown bear (e.g. the belief that white bears, belonging to other species than polar bears, occur in Lithuania) . List of species kept and thoroughly watched by the scholar is much longer and includes lynx, wolf (and hybrids of wolves and dogs), beaver, badger, fox, hedgehog, and even white mouse. Also his comments on the species of mammals then absent in Lithuania but known either from farming or from the fur

Radiation exposure and dose to small mammals in radon-rich soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macdonald, C.R.; Laverock, M.J.

1998-01-01

Protection of the environment from radionuclide releases requires knowledge of the normal background levels of radiation exposure in the exposed biotic community and an estimate of the detriment caused by additional exposure. This study modeled the background exposure and dose to the lungs of small burrowing mammals from 222 Rn in artificial burrows in radon-rich soils at a site in southeastern Manitoba. E-PERM chambers used to measure 222 Rn in soil showed good reproducibility of measurement, with an average coefficient of variance (CV) of about 10%. Geometric mean (GM) 222 Rn concentrations at nine randomly selected sites ranged from 5,490 Bq/m 3 (GSD = 1.57, n = 7) to 41,000 Bq/m 3 (GSD = 1.02, n = 5). Long-term monitoring of 222 Rn concentrations in artificial burrows showed large variation within and between burrows and did not show consistent variation with season, orientation of the burrow opening, or levels of 226 Ra in the soil. Annual GM concentrations in individual burrows ranged from 7,480 Bq/m 3 (GSD = 1.60) to 18,930 Bq/m 3 (GSD = 1.81) in burrows several meters apart. A grand GM of 9,990 Bq/m 3 (GSD = 1.81, n = 214) was measured over the site for the year. An exposure model was constructed for five small mammal species based on their respiration rates and the number of hours spent in the burrow, active or hibernating, exposed to soil gas 222 Rn, and the time spent out of the burrow exposed to atmospheric 222 Rn. A background dose of 0.9 mGy/a from atmospheric 222 Rn (40 Bq/m 3 ) was estimated for a large-bodied (80 kg), nonburrowing animal living on the soil surface. The highest exposures (mJ/a) in burrowing mammals occurred in those species with the highest respiration rates. Hibernation accounted for a small fraction of total annual exposure ( 22R n concentrations from the field studies and an equilibrium factor (F) of 0.5, doses to lung ranged from 90 mGy/a in the badger to 700 mGy/a in the pocket gopher. These doses closely correspond to those

Integrated Care in Prostate Cancer (ICARE-P): Nonrandomized Controlled Feasibility Study of Online Holistic Needs Assessment, Linking the Patient and the Health Care Team.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanton, Veronica; Appleton, Rebecca; Dale, Jeremy; Roscoe, Julia; Hamborg, Thomas; Ahmedzai, Sam H; Arvanitis, Theodoros N; Badger, Douglas; James, Nicholas; Mendelsohn, Richard; Khan, Omar; Parashar, Deepak; Patel, Prashant

2017-07-28

clinical teams. Recruitment to the second phase of the study, the feasibility trial, commenced March 2017. To our knowledge, this study is the first in the United Kingdom to trial an online holistic needs assessment for men with prostate cancer, with data shared between patients and primary and secondary care providers. This study addresses recommendations in recent policy documents promoting the importance of data sharing and enhanced communication between care providers as a basis for care integration. We anticipate that this model of care will ultimately provide important benefits for both patients and the National Health Service. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 31380482; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN31380482 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6s8I42u5N). ©Veronica Nanton, Rebecca Appleton, Jeremy Dale, Julia Roscoe, Thomas Hamborg, Sam H Ahmedzai, Theodoros N Arvanitis, Douglas Badger, Nicholas James, Richard Mendelsohn, Omar Khan, Deepak Parashar, Prashant Patel. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 28.07.2017.

Surveys of mammal populations in the areas adjacent to Forsmark and Tierp. A pilot study 2001-2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cederlund, Goeran; Hammarstroem, Angelica; Wallin, Kjell [Svensk Viltfoervaltning AB, Ramsberg (Sweden)

2003-04-01

larger ditches. The methods have been evaluated and should all be used next year with minor changes. Some of the basic data presented in the report are as follows: Moose were unevenly distributed in a 480/km{sup 2} area along the coast (mean density 7.2 moose/10 km{sup 2} ). No red deer was fund while roe deer density varied between 13 deer/10 km{sup 2} (Tierp) and 59 deer/10 km{sup 2} (Forsmark). Hare density in the fields were between 2.5 hares/10 km{sup 2} (Control area) and 3.4 hares/10 km{sup 2} (Tierp) while in the forest density varied between 0.2 hares/10 km{sup 2} (Tierp) and 4.4 hares/10 km{sup 2} (Forsmark) Red listed species like wolf and otter are present in the areas, although in low numbers. No wolf tracks were found, but a few individuals were observed elsewhere in the region during the winter. As indicated by track indexes, red fox and marten are common predators in all three areas. Lynx is present, but at low numbers (0.2 lynx/10 km{sup 2} ). Occasional tracks of wild boar were found in the transects. Based on the results from this pilot study, we suggest some modification of the methods and additional methods for density estimates (for example using capture-recapture techniques of fox and badger)

Surveys of mammal populations in the areas adjacent to Forsmark and Tierp. A pilot study 2001-2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cederlund, Goeran; Hammarstroem, Angelica; Wallin, Kjell

2003-04-01

larger ditches. The methods have been evaluated and should all be used next year with minor changes. Some of the basic data presented in the report are as follows: Moose were unevenly distributed in a 480/km 2 area along the coast (mean density 7.2 moose/10 km 2 ). No red deer was fund while roe deer density varied between 13 deer/10 km 2 (Tierp) and 59 deer/10 km 2 (Forsmark). Hare density in the fields were between 2.5 hares/10 km 2 (Control area) and 3.4 hares/10 km 2 (Tierp) while in the forest density varied between 0.2 hares/10 km 2 (Tierp) and 4.4 hares/10 km 2 (Forsmark) Red listed species like wolf and otter are present in the areas, although in low numbers. No wolf tracks were found, but a few individuals were observed elsewhere in the region during the winter. As indicated by track indexes, red fox and marten are common predators in all three areas. Lynx is present, but at low numbers (0.2 lynx/10 km 2 ). Occasional tracks of wild boar were found in the transects. Based on the results from this pilot study, we suggest some modification of the methods and additional methods for density estimates (for example using capture-recapture techniques of fox and badger)

Closed to reason: time for accountability for the International Narcotic Control Board

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Small Dan

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract For more than two decades, the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB has tried to stop harm reduction and its HIV prevention programs. This posture is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of their responsibilities and of drug addiction itself – i.e. as a public health and clinical care matter made criminal by decree. A recent focal point for the Board's action has been rejecting the use of supervised injection facilities to reduce morbidity and mortality of drug injectors. They single out individual countries and attempt to bully them into rejecting such programs under the banner of the United Nations (falsely and in the name of international treaties. Their unrelenting and unjustified badgering of signatories to the international treaties that established the INCB is not only unjustified; it is an affront to one of the core purposes of the Board itself: to ensure adequate medical supplies and safe use of controlled substances. The INCB's ill-conceived obsession with intravenousaddiction as a crime flies in the face of the medical view and policies of the World Health Organization and the universally endorsed principles of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The latest target of the INCB is North America's only supervised injection facility, Insite, located in the inner city of Vancouver, Canada. Using the power of their office to meddle in matters of public health for individual nations is without medical, scientific or legal justification. But, most importantly, it is a matter of lifeand death for these most marginalized of citizens. The empirical evidence remains that a significant portion of the continued growth of the AIDS pandemic is due to injecting drug use, and the INCB's intrusion will inevitably result in additional deaths due to preventable HIV infections and drug overdoses. So we are very pleased to call to our readers' attention to a recent report produced by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the

Non-native fish control below Glen Canyon Dam - Report from a structured decision-making project

Science.gov (United States)

Runge, Michael C.; Bean, Ellen; Smith, David; Kokos, Sonja

2011-01-01

of objectives, with the values of individual agencies and tribes deliberately preserved. Trout removal strategies aimed at the Paria to Badger Rapid reach (PBR), with a variety of permutations in deference to cultural values, and with backup removal at the Little Colorado River reach (LCR) if necessary, were identified as top-ranking portfolios for all agencies and Tribes. These PBR/LCR removal portfolios outperformed LCR-only removal portfolios, for cultural reasons and for effectiveness - the probability of keeping the humpback chub population above a desired threshold was estimated to be higher under the PBR/LCR portfolios than the LCR-only portfolios. The PBR/LCR removal portfolios also outperformed portfolios based on flow manipulations, primarily because of the effect of sport fishery and wilderness recreation objectives, as well as cultural objectives. The preference for the PBR/LCR removal portfolios was quite robust to variation in the objective weights and to uncertainty about the underlying dynamics, at least over the ranges of uncertainty investigated. Examination of the effect of uncertainty on the recommended outcomes allowed us to complete a 'value of information' analysis. The results of this analysis led to an adaptive strategy that includes three possible long-term management actions (no action; LCR removal; or PBR removal) and seeks to reduce uncertainty about the following two issues: the degree to which rainbow trout limit chub populations, and the effectiveness of PBR removal to reduce trout emigration downstream into Marble and eastern Grand Canyons, where the largest population of humpback chub exist. In the face of uncertainty about the effectiveness of PBR removal, a case might be made for including flow manipulations in an adaptive strategy, but formal analysis of this case was not conducted. The full set of conclusions described above is not definitive, however. This analysis described in this report is a simplified depiction of the t

Conservation reserve program: benefit for grassland birds in the northern plains

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, R.E.; Shaffer, T.L.; Sauer, J.R.; Peterjohn, B.G.

1994-01-01

During the past few decades numbers of some species of upland-nesting birds in North America have declined. Duck species such as mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), northern pintail (A. acuta) and blue-winged teal (A. discors) have declined since the early 1970s and have remained low since 1985 (Caithamer et al. 1993). Some grassland-dependent nonwaterfowl species also have declined since 1966, as indicated by the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) (Robbins et al. 1986). For prairie-nesting ducks, population declines can be attributed mostly to low recruitment, partially as a result of low nest success. Klett et al. (1988) concluded that nest success (probability of ≥1 egg of clutch hatches) in much of the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region was inadequate to maintain populations of the five most common upland-nesting duck species studied, and that predators were the most important cause of nest failure. Over the years, as grassland areas have been converted to cropland, ducks have concentrated their nesting in the remaining areas of available habitat, where predators such as red fox (Vulpes vulpes), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and badger (Taxidea taxus) forage (Cowardin et al. 1983). The reasons for declining populations of grassland nonwaterfowl birds are not clear but the loss of suitable grassland-nesting habitat probably is an important factor. Currently, approximately 95 percent of the land in North Dakota is used for agricultural purposes, of which over 60 percent is used for annual crop production (Haugse 1990). Of the grassland that remains, 95 percent is used for livestock production. This probably had a severe impact on grassland bird species that seek idle grass cover for nesting. The 1985 and 1990 U.S. Farm Bills include provisions under the Food Security Act to fund a cropland-idling program called the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Over 36 million acres have been enrolled nationwide in the CRP since 1985 (Osborn 1993), and up to 25 percent of

Geologic Map of the House Rock Valley Area, Coconino County, Northern Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Billingsley, George H.; Priest, Susan S.

2010-01-01

. Other lands include about 13 sections of Arizona State land, about ? of a section of private land along House Rock Wash, and about 1? sections of private land at Cliff Dwellers Lodge, Vermilion Cliffs Lodge, and Marble Canyon, Arizona. Landmark features within the map area include the Vermilion Cliffs, Paria Plateau, Marble Canyon, and House Rock Valley. Surface drainage in House Rock Valley is to the east toward the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. Large tributaries of Marble Canyon from north to south include Badger Canyon, Soap Creek, Rider Canyon, North Canyon, Bedrock Canyon, and South Canyon. Elevations range from about 2,875 ft (876 m) at the Colorado River in the southeast corner of the map to approximately 7,355 ft (2,224 m) on the east rim of Paria Plateau along the north-central edge of the map area. Three small settlements are in the map area along U.S. Highway 89A, Cliff Dwellers Lodge, Vermilion Cliffs Lodge, and Marble Canyon, Arizona. The community of Jacob Lake is about 9 mi (14.5 km) west of House Rock Valley on the Kaibab Plateau. Lees Ferry is 5 mi (8 km) north of Marble Canyon and marks the confluence of the Paria and Colorado Rivers and the beginning of Marble Canyon. U.S. Highway 89A provides access to the northern part of the map area. Dirt roads lead south into House Rock Valley from U.S. Highway 89A and are collectively maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. National Forest Service, and the Grand Canyon Trust. House Rock Valley is one of the few remaining areas where uniform geologic mapping is needed for connectivity to the regional Grand Canyon geologic framework. This information is useful to Federal and State resource managers who direct environmental and land management programs that encompass such issues as range management, biological studies, flood control, water, and mineral-resource investigations. The geologic information will support future and ongoing geologic investigations and scientific studies

Evaluating Process Effectiveness to Reduce Risk

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Christena C.

2017-01-01

to work planning to cause harm, it is up to agencies to establish upper level systems, which make establishment and compliance with processes possible. Again, Mallory provides us with a Systems Management Standard6, similar to the Process Management Standard, with a scale of 0-5 for systems effectiveness and maturity. Deming determined that "eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies in the systems and process rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badgering individual employees to do better." 7 It is not just the working level employees who need effective processes, but the mid-and upper level managers as well. A disciplined management culture sets the tone for the employees, aids both routine and off-nominal decision-making, and incorporates risk -based thinking into the systems and processes as a matter of normal activity. Figure 1, illustrates the relationship between ineffective and effective processes and risk, through the use of the "stoplight" colors that are commonly used to show serious situations (red), situations which may be improving or deteriorating depending on trends (yellow), and situations that are under control and continuously improved (green).