Dilated cardiomyopathy and sinoatrial dysfunction in an Estrela mountain dog

A 1 yr old male Estrela mountain dog was evaluated as a part of a screening program for dilated cardiomyopathy. The dog came from a family with a history of dilated cardiomyopathy but was asymptomatic. Occult dilated cardiomyopathy and sino-atrial dysfunction were diagnosed based on echocardiography and electrocardiography. These two disorders may be associated given that related dogs have been diagnosed with the same disorders. The dog has remained asymptomatic for 4 years following initial evaluation.     

Shedding of foodborne pathogens and microbial carcass contamination of hunted wild ruminants

To assess the shedding of selected bacterial foodborne pathogens, fecal samples from 239 hunted wild red deer, roe deer, chamois, and ibex were examined. All samples tested negative for Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes, but other Listeria species were occasionally found. Of the 239 fecal samples, 32.6% tested positive for stx (Shiga toxins), 6.7% for eae (intimin) and 13.8% for both stx and eae genes. Among the 56 isolated Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains, 44.6% harbored genes for the Stx2 group, 30.4% for the Stx1 group, and 21.4% for both Stx1 and Stx2. Only two of these strains harbored eae. Hence, wild ruminants constitute a reservoir for STEC, but further characterization data of the isolated strains are required to assess their actual human pathogenicity. In addition, 328 carcasses from hunted wild red deer, roe deer, and chamois were examined for total viable counts (TVC) and Enterobacteriaceae by swabbing. For the examined animal species, average TVC (4.0-4.2 log CFU cm(-2)) and average Enterobacteriaceae counts/detection rates (2.3-2.6 log CFU cm(-2); 87.5-90%) were at comparable levels. On the other hand, the microbial status of carcasses differed between certain abattoirs by several orders of magnitude. Strict compliance with good hunting and hygiene practices during any step from shooting, through evisceration in the field, to dehiding, cooling, and processing is therefore of central importance to avoid contaminations and to prevent foodborne pathogens carried by the animals from entering the food chain.     

Primary cutaneous undifferentiated round cell tumor with concurrent polymyositis in a dog

A cutaneous poorly differentiated round cell tumor with concurrent, non-suppurative, polymyositis was diagnosed in a hovawart dog. Histochemical staining, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy findings suggested that the tumors cells were of myeloid, or possibly natural killer cell origin. The possibility that the concurrent polymyositis may represent a pre-neoplastic or paraneoplastic process is discussed.     

Evaluation of cytokines as adjuvants of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis vaccines

In this work two cytokines were used in combination with inactivated bacteria (bacterin) to test the bovine conjuctival immune response to the pathogen Moraxella bovis, the causative agent of Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK). Treatments using the bacterin vaccine combined with interleukin-2 and interferon-α as adjuvants (Group A), the bacterin vaccine only (Group B), and controls without treatment (Group C), were applied by ocular spraying to evaluate the local immune response in the corneal structure of cattle experimentally infected with M. bovis. Six weeks after infection, 14 out of a total of 34 animals presented different corneal lesions; 9 corresponding to the control group C, 4 to the group B and only one to the group A. According to the clinical manifestations, a numeric score was calculated. Control animals presented the highest score value (12 points), followed by group B (7.5 points) and group A (1 point). These results suggest that the addition of cytokines to M. bovis treatments can reduce not only eye injuries caused by IBK but also the number of diseased animals.     

A fuzzy logic method to assess the relationship between landscape patterns and bird richness of the Rolling Pampas

The loss of biodiversity in productive ecosystems is a global concern of the last decades. The Rolling Pampas of Argentina is an intensively cropped region that underwent important land use and landscape change, with different impacts on biodiversity of both plants and animals. Land use type and habitat complexity are hypothesized to be the most important factors determining species richness in agro-ecosystems. But it is not easy to define these attributes in an unambiguous fashion, or determine their interactions at different spatial scales. A fuzzy logic approach allows overcoming some of these problems by using linguistic variables and logic rules to relate them and formulate hypothesis. We constructed fuzzy logic models to study how bird species richness in the Rolling Pampas is related to land use and habitat complexity, and how these variables interact at two spatial scales. Results showed that at the local scale, landscape complexity is the most important factor determining species numbers; trees and bodies of water are the most influential complexities. The effect of local scale landscape attributes was modified depending on the context at broader scales, so that agricultural sites were enriched when surrounded by more favorable landscapes. There was a high dispersion in the predicted/observed value relationship, indicating that landscape factors interact in more complex ways than those captured by the models we used. We suggest that the fuzzy logic approach is suitable for working with biological systems, and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of its use.     

Visitor preferences of thinning practice in young even-aged stands of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.): comparing the opinion of forestry professionals in six European countries

This study compared visitor preferences of forestry professionals across six European countries (Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain, Austria, Romania and Portugal) using a questionnaire survey. The 598 interviewees were asked to rank photographs depicting recently thinned experimental plots in a 13-year old stand of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) according to the criterion: “Which forest environment do you prefer as a visitor?” The plots represented five different residual stem densities: 7000 (no thinning, very high stem density), 5300 (heavy thinning, high stem density), 1000 (very heavy thinning, medium stem density), 300 (extremely heavy thinning, low stem density/open stand) and 100 (solitary trees, very low stem density/very open stand) stems ha^?1. The results indicated geographical variation in the preferences for different thinning practices in young stands of oak. Portuguese, Austrian and Romanian respondents generally favoured thinned, but dense stands, whereas Danish and British respondents preferred very heavily thinned stands. Swedish respondents preferred open stands resulting from extremely heavy thinning. Photographs taken along rows were favoured to photographs across rows, indicating a preference for scenes offering perspective and accessibility. The results indicate a variation of visitor preferences among forestry professionals for different silvicultural regimes. We interpret this in the context of national traditions and forestry paradigms that influence the shaping of preferences.     

Ecological role of the giant root‐rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) in the Afroalpine ecosystem

Rodents with prevailing subterranean activity usually play an important role in the ecosystems of which they are a part due to the combined effect of herbivory and soil perturbation. This is the case for the giant root‐rat Tachyoryctes macrocephalus endemic to the Afroalpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. We studied the impact of root‐rats on various ecosystem features within a 3.5‐ha study locality dominated by Alchemilla pasture, which represents an optimal habitat for this species, in 2 periods of a year. The root‐rats altered plant species composition, reducing the dominant forb, Alchemilla abyssinica, while enhancing Salvia merjame and a few other species, and reduced vegetation cover, but not the fresh plant biomass. Where burrows were abandoned by root‐rats, other rodents took them over and A. abyssinica increased again. Root‐rat burrowing created small‐scale heterogeneity in soil compactness due to the backfilling of some unused burrow segments. Less compacted soil tended to be rich in nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, which likely affected the plant growth on sites where the vegetation has been reduced as a result of root‐rat foraging and burrowing.     

Simulating field-scale variability and precision management with a 3D hydrologic cropping systems model

Effective variable-rate nitrogen (N) management requires an understanding of temporal variability and field-scale spatial interactions (e.g. lateral redistribution of nutrients). Modeling studies, in conjunction with field data, can improve process understanding of agricultural management. CropSyst-Microbasin (CS-MB) is a fully distributed, 3-dimensional hydrologic cropping systems model that simulates small (10 s of hectares) heterogeneous agricultural watersheds with complex terrain. This study used a highly instrumented 10.9 ha watershed in the Inland Pacific Northwest, USA, to: (1) assess the accuracy of CS-MB simulations of field-scale variability in water transport and crop yield in comparison to observed field data, and (2) quantify differences in simulated yield and farm profitability between variable-rate and uniform fertilizer applications in low, average and high precipitation treatments. During water years 2012 and 2013 (a “water year” refers to October 1st through the following September 30th, where a given water year is named for the calendar year on September 30th), the model simulated surface runoff with a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.7, periodic soil water content (comparison to seasonal soil core measurements) with a root mean square error (RMSE) ≤0.05 m³ m^?3, and continuous soil water content (comparison to in situ soil sensors) at 15 of 20 microsites with NSE ≥0.4. The model predicted 2013 field variability in winter wheat yield with RMSE of 1100 kg ha^?1. Simulated uniform N management resulted in 0–35 kg ha^?1 greater field average yield in comparison to variable-rate management. The savings in fertilizer costs under variable-rate N management resulted in $23–$32 ha^?1 greater field average returns to risk. This study demonstrated the capacity of CS-MB to further understanding of simulated and observed field-scale spatial variability and simulated crop response to low, medium and high annual precipitation.