Non-governmental Organizations and Government Agencies Lead in Cultivating Positive Sea Turtle Conservation Attitudes

Considerable research has been conducted analyzing how demographic characteristics influence the public’s attitudes toward wildlife; however, less research of this type has been conducted in locations having long-standing species conservation efforts. Questionnaires were completed by residents living adjacent to such a location, the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR), to investigate which demographics explained residents’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, willingness to act for, and participation in sea turtle conservation. Residents who had a non-governmental organization (NGO) or government agency as their sea turtle information source had stronger positive attitudes toward sea turtles. Residents who possessed strong positive attitudes were more willing to engage in pro–sea turtle conservation behaviors. Overall, this research demonstrated that ACNWR residents’ source of sea turtle information being an NGO or government agency played a significant role in increasing residents’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, willingness to volunteer for, and participation in sea turtle conservation.     

Description and Analysis of the use of Cold Harpoons in the Norwegian Minke Whale Hunt in the 1981,1982 and 1983 Hunting Seasons

Until 1984, cold harpoons, i.e. harpoons with no detonating device, were used to hunt minke whales in Norway. To investigate the effectiveness of such harpoons and compare them with alternatives, data on kills using cold harpoons were collected as part of a project dealing with alternative killing techniques for whales. Data on 353 whale kills were collected in 1981–83. The criteria used to determine the time of death were cessation of flipper movement, that the mandible relaxed, or that the whale hung immobile from the harpoon line. These criteria do not take into account any movements caused by spinal reflexes. About 17% of the animals died instantaneously (≤10 s). The median survival time was 570 s. Animals died most rapidly if hit in the brain, heart or major blood vessels. If only the lungs were injured, minke whales died less rapidly than terrestrial mammals. For whales that did not die immediately, shooting range, animal size and the angle of the shot all influenced the time to death. The efficiency of cold harpoons could be improved, but their use was no longer considered acceptable, and they were replaced by harpoons with penthrite grenades in 1984.     

Applying Public Trust Thinking to Wildlife Governance in the United States: Challenges and Potential Solutions

Public trust thinking (PTT) promises to inspire ecologically and socially responsible wildlife governance in the United States, but its application is not straightforward. We describe eight broad challenges to comprehensive application of PTT including: increasing authority and capacity; overcoming resistance to change; achieving fair consideration of all public interests; facilitating broad public participation; and fulfilling commitments to future generations. We discuss potential solutions including: distributing responsibilities for public wildlife conservation among governmental and nongovernmental entities; adopting an expansive definition of “wildlife;” promoting an inclusive interpretation of PTT among public wildlife professionals; rejuvenating relationships between the public and wildlife agencies; and increasing public participation and accountability in decision-making processes. Efforts to address challenges in specific socioecological contexts should be led by people working in those contexts. Achieving comprehensive application of PTT will require collaboration and cooperation among governmental and nongovernmental partners, supported by diverse and engaged members of the public.     

Management factors associated with swine breeding-herd productivity in the United States

A database containing 24 key production measurements was created by abstracting data files of 673 U.S. farms which participated in the PigCHAMP data-share program in 1995. Summary statistics for breeding-herd performance data were presented for the Cornbelt and the South or Eastern regions. Eight models were built to assess the association between production system, operation management factors and productivity outcomes. Lactation length, percentage of multiple matings, parity of culled sows, percent gilts in the breeding-female inventory, and female culling rate were the management factors identified as having important associations with productivity outcomes. For example, shorter lactation length, higher percentage of multiple matings, and lower culling rate were associated with more pigs weaned per mated female per year. In addition, a lower percentage of gilts in the breeding-female inventory and a higher percentage of multiple matings were associated with fewer average non-productive female days. We recommend that producers change their management systems to decrease lactation length, the percentage of gilts in the breeding-female inventory, and female culling rate, and increase percentage of multiple matings in order to improve breeding-herd productivity on swine farms.     

A Norwegian Penthrite Granade for Minke Whales: Hunting Trials with Prototypes and Results from the Hunt in 1984,1985 and 1986

A penthrite grenade to replace cold harpoons in the Norwegian minke whale hunt was developed in 1983–1985. Data on survival times for 259 minke whales were collected from the trials in the 1984–86 hunting seasons, when 3 different prototypes were used. About 45% of the whales were killed instantaneously. The median survival time was 72 s. A substantially higher percentage of instantaneous deaths was recorded for penthrite grenades than for cold harpoons. The criteria for death were cessation of flipper movement, relaxation of the mandible, or sinking without any active movement. Some animals dived before the criteria could be controlled. If the central nervous system, heart, lungs or main vessels were damaged, a high percentage of the animals died instantaneously. In most cases, hits and detonations outside the thorax and central nervous system resulted in longer survival times than hits in the thorax. Survival time increased with whale size and range for animals not killed instantaneously. Marksmanship, technical and functional reliability of equipment and hunting techniques were all crucial to a good result. Better training of gunners, improved weapons and hunting equipment and more rapid reshooting of wounded animals would reduce the proportion of long survival times.     

美国生物安全三级实验室管理的启示

在美国学习和考察期间,充分体验了生物安全三级实验室的建筑设计、管理理念和运行情况,初步了解了美国生物安全三级实验室的运行管理模式,对今后我国兽医实验室的生物安全管理有了新的启发.     

美国陆地自然资源保护管理与可持续发展经济效益初探

通过查阅大量有关美国自然资源保护管理的法令和文献,在综合分析美国自然资源保护管理的法律体系的基础上,初步归纳出美国陆地自然资源保护及经营利用的基本原则,并收集了在这些原则指导下美国合理利用陆地自然资源的主要方式及其产生的经济效益.在此基础上,提出我国自然资源保护与管理的建议.     

Influence of Ecosystem Services on Management Decisions by Public Land Ranchers in the Intermountain West,United States

Ecosystem services are benefits humans obtain as a result of ecosystem processes and conditions. In the western United States, public rangelands are managed for a spectrum of ecosystem services on behalf of multiple stakeholders. Decisions of ranchers who hold public land grazing allotments must balance operational needs for forage with societal expectations for other ecosystem services. To better understand their choices regarding ecosystem services, we interviewed ranchers to learn about the bases for their management decisions and identify services they believe rangelands provide. A total of 19 services were identified, many of which reflected ranchers’ recognition that they manage within the context of a broader social-ecological system (e.g., maintaining open space). We then conducted a mail survey of Bureau of Land Management grazing permittees in six states to understand the importance they personally place on different services, as well as the extent to which they manage with those services in mind. Fourteen of the 19 ecosystem services identified in interviews were reported by at least 50% of the survey sample (N = 435) as influencing their management decisions. Most respondents reported trying to manage deeded and leased land to the same standard. Aside from forage for livestock (ranked #1), ranchers were less likely to report managing for provisioning services than for cultural, supporting, and regulating services. Importance ratings for ecosystem services followed a similar pattern, although there were a few differences in rank order. Ranchers tended to report managing for more ecosystem services if they had larger operations, earned at least 50% of their income from ranching, spent more time out on the ranch, and relied on multiple sources for information about range management. Results indicate public land ranchers believe they are managing for multifunctionality, balancing their own operational needs with those of society.     

Comparison of behavioral characteristics of dogs in the United States and Japan

This study examined the difference in dog owning between Japan and the United States, and the effect of these differences on dogs’ behavioral characteristics. Behavioral evaluations of privately-owned dogs were obtained by using online questionnaire. We compared background and demographic information from the two countries and analyzed the effects of these differences on behavioral characteristics in dogs. The results indicated that there was a bias in the dog breeds kept in Japan compared to the United States and that Japanese dogs’ body weight was lower than the US dogs. The main source of dog acquisition was pet stores in Japan and breeders and/or shelters in the United States. Multiple linear regression analysis found that Japanese dogs showed more aggression to household members and higher energy, restlessness and fear of non-social stimuli than US dogs, while US dogs showed more fear of unfamiliar persons, separation-related behavior and excitability. US dogs also showed higher levels of trainability and attachment to owners. The lower dog’s body weight was, the higher the behavioral scores except for trainability were. When dogs that were obtained under 3 months of age were analyzed, the younger the dogs were when their owners obtained them, the higher the scores on some behavioral problem factors were. The higher rates of problem behaviors among Japanese dogs compared with US dogs suggest that the preference for small breed dogs and poor early development environment influenced the behavioral characteristics of dogs.     

West Nile virus and its emergence in the United States of America

Zoonotic West Nile virus (WNV) circulates in natural transmission cycles involving certain mosquitoes and birds, horses, humans, and a range of other vertebrates are incidental hosts. Clinical infections in humans can range in severity from uncomplicated WNV fever to fatal meningoencephalitis. Since its introduction to the Western Hemisphere in 1999, WNV had spread across North America, Central and South America and the Caribbean, although the vast majority of severe human cases have occurred in the United States of America (USA) and Canada. By 2002-2003, the WNV outbreaks have involved thousands of patients causing severe neurologic disease (meningoencephalitis and poliomyelitis-like syndrome) and hundreds of associated fatalities in USA. The purpose of this review is to present recent information on the epidemiology and pathogenicity of WNV since its emergence in North America.     

Management Strategies for Reducing the Risk of Equines Contracting Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) in the Western United States

Vesicular stomatitis viruses (VSVs) cause a condition known as vesicular stomatitis (VS), which results in painful lesions in equines, cattle, swine, and camelids, and when transmitted to humans, can cause flu-like symptoms. When animal premises are affected by VS, they are subject to a quarantine. The equine industry more broadly may incur economic losses due to interruptions of animal trade and transportation to shows, competitions, and other events. Equine owners, barn managers, and veterinarians can take proactive measures to reduce the risk of equines contracting VS. To identify appropriate risk management strategies, it helps to understand which biting insects are capable of transmitting the virus to animals, and to identify these insect vectors’ preferred habitats and behaviors. We make this area of science more accessible to equine owners, barn managers, and veterinarians, by (1) translating the most relevant scientific information about biting insect vectors of VSV and (2) identifying practical management strategies that might reduce the risk of equines contracting VSV from infectious biting insects or from other equines already infected with VSV. We address transmission risk at four different spatial scales—the animal, the barn/shelter, the barnyard/premises, and the surrounding environment/neighborhood—noting that a multiscale and spatially collaborative strategy may be needed to reduce the risk of VS.     

美国草原本科教育的现状与特征

本研究基于美国草原管理学会（Society for Range Management,SRM）及美国高校网站,对美国草原本科专业开设状况、专业主页简介、人才培养方案等信息进行检索与分析,得到美国草原本科教育的现状与特征。结果表明：美国目前共有21所大学开办草原本科专业,另有17所大学开设草原学课程,其布局特征基本与美国草原地理分布相吻合;各高校的草原专业培养方案根据定位与特色具有较大差异,呈现多样性特点;草原专业的设立凸显了美国对草原资源重要性的认知,本科毕业生也普遍具有较好的就业渠道与职业发展前景。总体而言,美国草原本科的概念和内涵要远远小于我国的“草业科学”,更聚焦于对草原资源管理方向的人才培养,不涉及草坪学与饲草学。     

美国苜蓿贸易--趋势、经验与启示

随着我国奶产业及其它草食畜牧业转型和升级步伐的加快,市场对优质牧草的需求快速增加,特别是从美国进口苜蓿(Medicago sativa)呈井喷式增长态势。我国苜蓿作为一个产业发展只是近年来才起步。尽管国内苜蓿生产满足不了强大的市场需求,但研究其国际市场贸易,可以有效借鉴国际经验,尽快赶上国际苜蓿贸易发展水平。美国是苜蓿生产和贸易大国,以美国为研究对象,分析其苜蓿贸易趋势和经验,并提出相关启示对我国苜蓿贸易具有重要意义。研究结果表明,美国苜蓿愈加受到各国青睐,出口量不断增加,出口价格不断上涨;高标准、严要求的苜蓿产品质量是保障出口强有力的前提,高水平的营销策略是推动出口的重要驱动力,强大的信息追溯体系是保障质量的重要手段,低成本的运输系统是美国苜蓿出口竞争力提升的重要条件。国内应重视苜蓿国际贸易市场,提高营销策略,完善二次压缩技术,降低交通运输成本,规范实体产业并建设草产品质量追溯体系,尽快提升我国苜蓿生产水平和质量档次,从而提升苜蓿产业的竞争力。     

Management and nutritional factors associated with the detection of Salmonella sp. from cattle fecal specimens from feedlot operations in the United States

In a convenience sample of 100 feedlot operations (included in the United States Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 1994 Cattle on Feed Evaluation), up to 25 cattle fecal samples were collected and tested for the presence of Salmonella from each of two pens (the pen which contained the most-recent arrivals, and the pen with cattle that had been on feed the longest). One or more Salmonella spp. were recovered from 38 (38.0%) of the 100 feedlots, 52 (26.0%) of the 200 pens and 273 (5.5%) of the 4977 fecal samples collected. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that feeding tallow and feeding whole cottonseed or cottonseed hulls within seven days prior to fecal sample collection was associated with an increased risk of finding Salmonella in a pen. Variables not found to be significantly associated with the detection of Salmonella in a pen included region, operation size, use of sprinklers, time on feed, type of cattle in the pen, number and concentration of cattle in a pen, feeding probiotics, and various other feeds.     

Additionality and Avoiding Grassland Conversion in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States

Grassland conversion into croplands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States is a persistent hurdle toward mitigating climate change. Several carbon offset markets have been designed to reward landowners for keeping lands in their native state when incentives to convert are high. We explore the role of a critical determinant in such programs: the additionality threshold. This factor, if appropriately selected and applied, reduces the participation of landowners that would choose to enroll in the program but would not have converted their land under business-as-usual conditions. Using a simple model relating land quality and land use to economic rents, we simulate potential avoided grassland conversion offset market participation across a range of cropland over pasture rent difference threshold (RDT) values. We find mitigation potential and simulated program costs are widely variable depending on this parameter and assume carbon prices: across the five states studied, the full range is 0.41 tCO₂e • yr⁻¹ (0.2 RDT, $10 •·t⁻¹ carbon price) to 4.6 million tCO₂e • yr⁻¹ (1.2 RDT, $40 tCO₂e • t⁻¹ carbon price), assuming average land use change emissions values for pastureland in the region. Total program costs for these offsets also exhibit a wide range, spanning $2−$120 million • yr⁻¹ depending on parameterization. Results across the full range of RDTs (0.2−2) demonstrate a tendency toward higher RDTs for achieving high levels of avoided emissions, with cost efficiency being maximized in the 1.4−1.8 range for RDTs. A state-level breakdown of results demonstrate the importance of modeling economic trends in land use and setting region-specific additionality thresholds for avoided grassland conversion offsets. Although our study is specific to grassland conversion in one region of the United States, similar offset markets exist elsewhere, where additionality concerns are paramount. We believe our framework can be useful in improving protocol design.     

Molecular and serological diagnosis of Bartonella infection in 61 dogs from the United States

Background: Molecular diagnosis of canine bartonellosis can be extremely challenging and often requires the use of an enrichment culture approach followed by PCR amplification of bacterial DNA. Hypotheses: (1) The use of enrichment culture with PCR will increase molecular detection of bacteremia and will expand the diversity of Bartonella species detected. (2) Serological testing for Bartonella henselae and Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii does not correlate with documentation of bacteremia. Animals: Between 2003 and 2009, 924 samples from 663 dogs were submitted to the North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Vector Borne Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory for diagnostic testing with the Bartonellaα‐Proteobacteria growth medium (BAPGM) platform. Test results and medical records of those dogs were retrospectively reviewed. Methods: PCR amplification of Bartonella sp. DNA after extraction from patient samples was compared with PCR after BAPGM enrichment culture. Indirect immunofluorescent antibody assays, used to detect B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii antibodies, were compared with PCR. Results: Sixty‐one of 663 dogs were culture positive or had Bartonella DNA detected by PCR, including B. henselae (30/61), B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (17/61), Bartonella koehlerae (7/61), Bartonella volans‐like (2/61), and Bartonella bovis (2/61). Coinfection with more than 1 Bartonella sp. was documented in 9/61 dogs. BAPGM culture was required for PCR detection in 32/61 cases. Only 7/19 and 4/10 infected dogs tested by IFA were B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii seroreactive, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Dogs were most often infected with B. henselae or B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii based on PCR and enrichment culture, coinfection was documented, and various Bartonella species were identified. Most infected dogs did not have detectable Bartonella antibodies.