Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma in Two Related Spiny-Tailed Monitor Lizards (Varanus acanthurus)

Two male spiny-tailed monitor lizard (Varanus acanthurus) broodmates were diagnosed with chondroblastic osteosarcomas associated with the pelvic girdle. One lizard was 6 months old and the other 5 months old at the time of diagnosis. Grossly, the tumors appeared as large, firm, multilobulated masses that were white on cut surface and firmly adhered to the underlying bone. Histologically, both tumors were characterized by proliferation of neoplastic spindloid to stellate cells that encompassed the vertebrae and invaded into the vertebral and pelvic bones. Both osteoid production and multifocal chondrous differentiation were observed within neoplastic masses. Retinoblastoma 1 was absent in neoplastic cells. Even though osseous neoplasms are rare amongst reptiles, Varanus spp. may have a genetic predilection for developing chondroblastic osteosarcoma.     

Tree mapping using airborne,terrestrial and mobile laser scanning – A case study in a heterogeneous urban forest

We evaluated the accuracy and efficiency of airborne (ALS), terrestrial (TLS) and mobile laser-scanning (MLS) methods that can be utilized in urban tree mapping and monitoring. In the field, 438 urban trees located in park and forested environments were measured and mapped from our study area located in Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland. A field reference was collected, using a tree map created manually from TLS data. The tree detection rate and location accuracy were evaluated, using automatic or semiautomatic ALS individual tree detection (ALS_ITDauto or ALS_ITDvisual) and manual or automatic measurements of TLS and MLS (TLS_auto, MLS_auto, MLS_manual, MLS_semi). Our results showed that the best methods for tree detection were TLS_auto and MLS_manual, which detected 73.29% and 79.22% of the reference trees, respectively. The location accuracies (RMSE) varied between 0.44 m and 1.57 m; the methods listed from the most accurate to most inaccurate were MLS_semi, TLS_auto, MLS_manual, MLS_auto, ALS_ITDauto and ALS_ITDvisual. We conclude that the accuracies of TLS and ALS were applicable for operational urban tree mapping in heterogeneous park forests. MLS_manual shows high potential but manual measurements are not feasible in operational tree mapping. Challenges that should be solved in further studies include ALS_ITDauto oversegmentation as well as MLS_auto processing methodologies and data collection for tree detection.     

Supply chain management in the Swedish wood products industry – a need analysis

This paper examines the potential of supply chain management (SCM) to address challenges associated with Swedish wood-based supply chains (SCs). Information drawn from a review of literature concerning SCM in the wood products industry is compared and contrasted with data obtained from a case study of an integrated sawmill SC in Northern Sweden, focusing on interviewed participants’ perceived needs and benefits of integrating SC operations. Key components of SCM for the wood products industry are suggested for categorizing the literature and results from the case study. Previous SCM studies have largely focused on solving planning problems by operational analysis, and/or SC strategies, while several important aspects including risk management, integrated performance indicators, power relations, leadership and culture have received relatively little attention. The interviews highlight needs to enhance SC actors’ coordination and communication, as well as for more systematic study of the potential for enhancing efficiency and profit margins in SCs of Swedish wood products.     

Circadian variation in ghrelin and certain stress hormones in crib-biting horses

Crib-biting is classified as an oral stereotypy, which may be initiated by stress susceptibility, management factors, genetic factors and gastrointestinal irritation. Ghrelin has been identified in the gastric mucosa and is involved in the control of food intake and reward, but its relationship to crib-biting is not yet known. The aim of this study was to examine the concentration and circadian variation of plasma ghrelin, cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and β-endorphin in crib-biting horses and non-crib-biting controls. Plasma samples were collected every second hour for 24h in the daily environment of eight horses with stereotypic crib-biting and eight non-crib-biting controls. The crib-biting horses had significantly higher mean plasma ghrelin concentrations than the control horses. The circadian rhythm of cortisol was evident, indicating that the sampling protocol did not inhibit the circadian regulation in these horses. Crib-biting had no statistically significant effect on cortisol, ACTH or β-endorphin concentrations. The inter-individual variations in β-endorphin and ACTH were higher than the intra-individual differences, which made inter-individual comparisons difficult and complicated the interpretation of results. Further research is therefore needed to determine the relationship between crib-biting and ghrelin concentration.     

Small-Scale Forest Related Activities in the Everyday Life of the Finns: Results of Time-Budget Studies

The availability of human time and the factors affecting its allocation play an important role in the individual choices between daily activities. It can be claimed that the allocation of time for various forest related (household or recreational) activities provides one common yardstick to examine the significance of forest uses in the everyday life of ordinary people. This paper examines the time allocation of ordinary Finns (aged 10 years or over) outside of their work or school hours to selected forest-related small-scale activities derived from household needs or recreational purposes at the turn of the millennium (1999–2000), and investigates the factors affecting the time spent on forest work performed by Finnish population outside of the labour market. It was found that about 3% of total human available time was allocated in outdoor recreation or related activities. Spatially, 22% (52 h/person/year) of total time was allocated in forest-based, 23% in water-based and the rest in mixed environment-based activities. The time spent on the consumptive nature-based recreation activities, including recreational fishing and leisure time forest work, was 43 h corresponding 19% of total time of the activities studied. The estimated time spent on forest work was higher than found in earlier studies. The amount of time used in forest work was highest among farmers, aged 60 and over, pensioners and unemployed persons. An unexpectedly large proportion of time was spend in the fuelwood production and consumption chain from forest to fireplace. The precise observations within the fixed time frame are the major advantages of the time-budget method, which however demands substantial resources for implementation.     

The susceptibility of herbal willow to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melampsora</Emphasis> rust and herbivores

Eight Dark-leaved willow (Salix myrsinifolia) clones and two naturally hybridised clones (S. myrsinifolia × S. phylicifolia), that are considered to be suitable for herbal production, were cultivated for 2 years in Luikonlahti and Punkaharju. Both experimental sites are located in eastern Finland and the distance between the sites is 140 km. Different cultivation methods were used, including combinations of soil tillage, plastic mulch and fertilisation, with the aim of comparing the growth and susceptibility of plants to pathogens and willow-eating herbivores amongst the clones cultivated by different methods. In both study years 2001 and 2002, Melampsora rust-infected willows occurred in Luikonlahti and in Punkaharju. The extent of rust severity varied greatly between the years and experimental areas and amongst the clones. In 2002, fertilisation increased rust severity in Luikonlahti, but the effect was the converse in Punkaharju. Mulch effect on rust severity was clone-dependent. Vole feeding was observed in 56% of the plants in Luikonlahti during the winter 2001–2002 and the frequency of damaged plants was nearly twice as much amongst the willows grown in unmulched soil as those with plastic mulch. Cultivation method had no effect on feeding by leaf beetles or the abundance of aphids. Of the cultivation methods tested here, plastic mulch seems to have the most important influence on willow cultivation, particularly by improving willow growth and also by decreasing winter-feeding by voles.     

Treatment of malignant lymphoma in an African lion (Panthera leo).

A 14 yr-old male, vasectomized African lion (Panthera leo) exhibited mild weight loss despite adequate appetite. Splenomegaly was diagnosed on physical examination. On the basis of hematology and clinical pathology, malignant lymphoma with chronic lymphocytic leukemia was diagnosed. Abdominal exploratory surgery and splenectomy were performed. Histologic examination and immunohistochemistry confirmed a small cell peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Initial treatments consisted of doxorubicin and prednisone, with later addition of lomustine. The lion remained in clinical remission at 2 mo, 6 mo, and 12 mo postchemotherapy physical examinations. The lion survived 504 days from initial diagnosis. At necropsy, the only lesions consistent with lymphoma were localized epitheliotrophic infiltrates of small neoplastic T lymphocytes within the nasopharyngeal epithelium and the underlying submucosa observed on microscopic examination.     

Evaluation of tongue as a complementary sample for the diagnosis of parvoviral infection in dogs and cats.

Diagnosis of canine parvovirus type 2 and feline panleukopenia virus infection in dogs and cats may be hampered by the severity of enteric lesions, secondary bacterial overgrowth, and rapid onset of autolysis. In contrast to small intestine, tongue epithelium is less sensitive to postmortem changes. Sections of tongue and small intestine from 11 dogs and 11 cats with a clinical history and gross and microscopic lesions compatible with canine and feline parvoviral infection were examined for parvoviral infection using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and direct fluorescent antibody testing (FA). Parvoviral DNA was detected by PCR in both small intestine and tongue of all but 1 dog. Nineteen of 22 animals (86%) with suspect or positive FA staining in the small intestine also had positive FA and IHC staining in the tongue. Three of 3 dogs (100%) whose carcasses had been frozen and thawed prior to necropsy had more consistently positive staining in tongue than in small intestine by FA and IHC. These data confirm tongue as an excellent complementary sample for parvoviral testing in dogs and cats, especially in cases in which postmortem autolysis has occurred.     

Clinical outcomes of 30 cases (1997-2004) of canine gastrointestinal lymphoma

In 30 cases of canine gastrointestinal lymphoma, each case was localized to the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, or two or more sites. Treatments consisted of surgery alone (n=4), surgery with chemotherapy (n=8), chemotherapy alone (n=15), or supportive care (n=3). Four dogs died, 24 were euthanized, and two are currently alive. Median survival time for all cases was 13 days. In both surviving dogs, the site of lymphoma was the large intestine. Canine gastrointestinal lymphoma is a severe disease that warrants a poor to grave prognosis. However, cases of colorectal origin may have longer survival times.     

Genetic and environmental determinants of silver birch growth and herbivore resistance

Plant growth and herbivore resistance is affected by both environmental and genetic factors. The aim of this study was to examine (1) whether genotype explains variation in herbivore resistance, plant growth and tolerance of feeding within natural silver birch populations, (2) whether there is significant interaction between birch genotype and environment or the study year, and (3) whether there are defence costs in field grown juvenile silver birch saplings. The 22 genotypes studied were assigned insect exposure and insect removal treatments in two different environments. Resistance to insect herbivory was measured as the amount of undamaged leaves of the saplings and tolerance of feeding as a difference in relative height increment of the saplings between insect exposure and removal treatments in relation to the amount of damage (i.e. opposite number of resistance). Our study shows that a local silver birch population has substantial genotypic variation in resistance to insect herbivores and this variation is not affected by the environment or the study year. Genotypic variation was not observed for tolerance of feeding. We also showed that, in contrast to genotypic variation in resistance, the genotypic variation in growth among silver birch genotypes strongly depended on the environment, i.e. silver birch genotypes have a high degree of phenotypic plasticity in their growth. Therefore, defence costs in terms of lower growth rate appear to be highly dependent on the environment. To conclude, our results indicate that silver birch populations have a good potential to adapt to possibly increasing herbivory in boreal forests in warmer future climates.