Information Needs of Non-industrial Private Forest Owners After Logging Operations in Finland: A Case Study

In this study, the information needs of non-industrial private forest owners in Finland, after logging operations, were investigated. The study was carried out as an online survey in 2017. The survey was targeted at non-industrial private forest owners who had sold their timber during the previous 10 years (2008–2017) and whose email addresses were in the customer relationship management system of a large wood procurement company in Finland. A response link for the survey was successfully sent to 31,988 forest owners, of whom 3323 replied (response rate: 10.4%). The final study data included 3284 non-industrial private forest owners. The results of the study, which need to be interpreted cautiously due to the low response rate, showed that the forest owners want better-quality reporting after logging operations. Furthermore, the results suggested that gender, age, education, occupational status, place of living, size of, and access to, forest property, and length of, and objectives for, forest ownership have a significant effect on their information needs. Younger, highly-educated, female, urban-living and multi-objective forest owners with larger forest holdings and short forest ownership tenures desired more information. Particularly, the respondents conveyed that they would like more and better information about thinning harvesting result. The results also indicated that when different groups of forest owners call for certain information, there is a need for producing different types of reports after logging operations for different forest owner segments.

     

Effect of Oyster Mushroom,Pleurotus ostreatus,Extract on Hemato‐Immunological Parameters of Rainbow Trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss

The current study investigated the effects of oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, extract on immunological and hematological parameters of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. The fish were fed diets containing 0 (control), 1, and 2% supplementation of the oyster mushroom extract for 6 wk. Blood samples were collected weekly for the first 6 weeks. After 6 wk of feeding, the fish were challenged with Lactococcus garvieae and mortality was recorded. The results of this study showed that feeding rainbow trout an oyster mushroom extract–supplemented diet stimulated phagocytic activity of phagocytic cells, lysozyme activity, and myeloperoxidase activity in serum, but it did not significantly affect the total serum immunoglobulin level. At the same time, a significant increase was found in the number of neutrophils, monocytes, and total white blood cells. Fish fed the diet supplemented with oyster mushroom extract showed reduced mortalities following L. garvieae infection compared with controls. These results show that supplementation of fish diets with oyster mushroom extract at 1 and 2% concentrations significantly imrpoves hematological parameters and modulates the immune response against L. garvieae in rainbow trout.     

Environmental correlates of body size distribution in Cyprinidae (Actinopterygians) depend on phylogenetic scale

The pattern of increasing species body size with increasing latitude has been noticed in different groups of animals. Here, we used seven key environmental factors and independent contrasts to assess body size latitudinal clines in Cyprinidae at two phylogenetic levels (inter‐ and intragenera), which were defined using a genus‐level supertree. Model selection procedures revealed that environmental factors shaping body size variation in Cyprinidae differed according to the phylogenetic scale considered. At the higher phylogenetic level, we found that both temperature (negative effect) and habitat availability (positive effect of drainage basin surface area) constituted mechanistic explanations of large‐scale body size distribution. No temperature‐related body size cline was observed at the intragenus level. Instead, competitive interaction (negative effect of species richness), habitat availability (positive effect of drainage basin surface area), migration ability and available energy (positive effects of glacial coverage and actual evapotranspiration) constitute alternative explanations at this lower phylogenetic scale. We conclude that (i) at the intergenus level, cyprinids do show a tendency to be smaller at high temperatures and larger at low temperatures, (ii) this tendency no longer exists at the intragenus level, (iii) latitude per se is a weak predictor of body size clines whatever the taxonomic level analysed, (iv) generalising geographical body size patterns may be rendered difficult by the superimposition of a series of mechanisms across different taxonomic scales, and (v) habitat size, here acting positively at both taxonomic scales, may play a major role in shaping riverine species body size clines.     

Larval traits of the Caribbean amphidromous goby Sicydium punctatum (Gobioidei: Sicydiinae) in Guadeloupe

Amphidromous fish are the biggest contributor to the diversity of fish communities in river systems of Caribbean islands. Among them, Sicydium punctatum Perugia, 1896, which is endemic to the West Indies, represents the vast majority of fish in these rivers. The otolith microstructure and the biometry of S. punctatum postlarvae from Guadeloupe were investigated to explore the dispersal modalities of this species through an appreciation of the growth pattern, the pelagic larval duration (PLD) and the size‐at‐recruitment. The study was made on one cohort of 83 recruited postlarvae, fished at the Capesterre River's mouth on 2 November 2011. The mean (±SD) size‐at‐recruitment of the postlarvae was 24.6 ± 1.3 mm (range of 20.5–28.1 mm, n = 83). We found a mean (±SD) PLD of 72.2 ± 10.5 days (range of 54–101.5 days, n = 67). The growth rate estimated from the otolith increments showed a globally decreasing pattern during the marine larval phase. Growth rates at the beginning of the larval stage were significantly different between hatching periods, suggesting a relation between the hatching period and the growth rate in S. punctatum. This study adds on to the general understanding of the life cycle of S. punctatum in Guadeloupe that will help implement strategies to manage amphidromous fish populations in the Caribbean region.     

CASE REPORT: Corneal papilloma associated with papillomavirus in a one‐humped camel (Camelus dromedarius)

A 15‐year‐old male dromedary camel with a history of chronic severe keratoconjunctivitis and corneal mass in the left eye of 6 months’ duration was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Adnan Menderes University. A superficial keratectomy was performed and biopsy material submitted for histopathology. The diagnosis was corneal papilloma. There has been no recurrence of the neoplasm to date (6 months, 1 year). Corneal papilloma has not been reported previously in camels and seems to be associated with papillomavirus.     

Molecular modifications of benzylphenol and benzyl-1,3-benzodioxole types of insect chemosterilants

Rationally planned structural modifications were carried out on benzylphenols and benzyl-1,3-benzodioxoles described as fly chemosterilants and as anti-juvenile hormones. The introduction of a prop-2-ynyloxy group at various sites of the molecule resulted in compounds with a moderate inhibitory action on cytochrome P-450 mono-oxygenases, as measured by aldrin epoxidation. One compound, 5-(4-methoxybenzyl)-6-prop-2-ynyloxy-1,3-benzodioxole, revealed chemosterilant activity on Phormia regina, but its activity was less than that of the parent compounds. 2,4-Di-tert-butyl-6-[4-(3-methoxy-3-methylbutoxy)benzyl]phenol, which possessed a juvenoid structure, revealed no juvenile hormone (JH) activity but showed a high sterilant effect against Dysdercus cingulatus. In contrast to the parent substances, none of the tested compounds showed a detectable anti-JH effect in the Galleria assay. 8-Methoxy-2,3-methylenedioxydibenz[b,e]oxepine, a hitherto undescribed fused heterocyclic ring system, was devoid of activity, indicating the importance of free rotation and/or molecular flexibility. In spite of the moderate activities of these compounds, the manifold biological potential of the quinone-methide mechanism justifies further research on these lines.     

Spontaneous vaginal rupture in pregnant ewes

Seventeen cases of spontaneous, partial or total vaginal rupture, in pregnant ewes, involving the dislocation and herniation of the intestines and uterus, were studied. Four of them also had a uterine torsion, and three of these recovered after treatment. In the remaining 13 cases the condition of the uterus was unknown. The lesion always consisted of a dorsolateral tear in the vagina with a partial or total perforation of the wall close to the uterine cervix. The affected animals were all in normal body condition. Their average age was just under five years, and most were carrying twins. Most cases occurred approximately one week before expected lambing. None of the cases was observed to have a vaginal prolapse before the vaginal rupture. Histological examination of one case revealed scar formation in the vaginal wall close to the rupture, which appeared to be due to an earlier inflammatory process or injury. The circulatory disturbance in the reproductive organs caused by the uterine torsion potentially weakens the vaginal wall. This weakness, in combination with excessive tenesmus resulting from increased tension in the uterine ligaments, and in some cases possibly with a lower vaginal resistance due to previous scarring, may be of aetiological significance in spontaneous vaginal rupture.     

Pharmacokinetics of sulphadiazine-trimethoprim in lactating dairy cows

Five Finnish Ayrshire cows in mid or end-lactation were treated with 40 mg sulphadiazine/kg and 8 mg trimethoprim/kg using intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.) and subcutaneous (s.c.) routes. Elimination of sulphadiazine was not affected by the route of administration (median t1/2 4.4-5.0 h) while elimination of trimethoprim was strongly limited by slow absorption from the injection site after s.c. and i.m. administration (median for apparent t1/2 21-25 h) compared to that after i.v. administration (median t1/2 1.2 h; p < 0.05). The median bioavailability of trimethoprim was also decreased, being 37% and 55% after s.c. and i.m. administration, respectively. When i.v. administration was used, trimethoprim concentration exceeded 0.1 mg/l in milk between 0.15-8 h while sulphadiazine concentrations above 2 mg/l were maintained from 0.5-2 h to 8 h. After s.c. and i.m. administration sulphadiazine in milk behaved similar to that after i.v. administration, while trimethoprim time-concentration curves were flat and trimethoprim concentrations were around 0.1 mg/l for an extended period of time (8-12 h). Median Cmax values in milk were only 0.07 mg/l and 0.10 mg/l for s.c. and i.m. administrations, respectively. After s.c. administration, 4 out of 5 cows showed signs of pain. After i.m. administration, 2 of the cows showed clear signs of pain and one had some local tenderness at the site of injection.