Quantifying the spatial relationship between bird species’ distributions and landscape feature boundaries in southern Ontario, Canada

Understanding what features of the landscape affect species distribution is critical to effectively implement conservation strategies. This study investigates how a boundary analysis framework can be used to characterize the spatial association between boundaries (i.e., spatial locations of high rates of change) in bird species?? distributions and landscape features at the regional scale. The study area covers 92,000?km² in southern Ontario (Canada) and extends from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence biome to the southern Canadian Shield biome. Landcover composition was derived from Ontario Land Cover data (1991?C1998; 7 types) and elevation data were derived from the Canada3D digital elevation model. Bird distributions were estimated using indicator kriging based on point counts obtained from the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas data (2001?C2005; 60 species). Boundaries were delineated for both data types using a 10?×?10?km cell resolution. Spatial boundary overlap statistics were used to quantify the spatial relationship between landscape features and bird boundaries and tested using a randomization procedure. There was significant positive association and spatial overlap between delineated landscape feature boundaries and bird boundaries. The number of spatially overlapping cells between the two boundary types was 67 out of 164 (41?%) and 76?% of cells were within 11.42?km of each other. These results were statistically significant (P?<?0.001) and suggest a strong spatial relationship between high rates of change in landscape features and bird species?? distributions at the regional scale. A boundary analysis framework could be used to identify boundary shifts in response to climate change and anticipate changes in species distributions.     

Impact of individual training parameters and manner of taking breath odor samples on the reliability of canines as cancer screeners

The aim of this study was to assess the progress in operant conditioning of dogs during 3 training phases up to a level where the dogs performed a minimum of 40 correct indications without false alerts and hesitations in at least 100 trials in each phase, and to compare the training results with the working phase. Breath samples from 57, 45, and 118 patients with breast cancer, melanoma, and lung cancer, respectively, were used as patterns, with samples from 305 healthy volunteers as controls. Six dogs in 2 age-groups (20 months vs. 6 months old) were used for the training. In phase I, the dogs were trained to indicate by sitting or lying down before the breath samples taken from cancer patients (pattern odor) coupled with food odor and placed among 4 blank samples (a lineup of 5 samples). In phase II, a pattern sample without food odor was placed among blank samples. In phase III as well as in the working phase, a pattern sample was placed among control samples. Significant individual differences were found in dogs’ performance during the training. The percentage of trials with prompts to achieve self-dependent work decreased in older dogs in consecutive training phases, but increased in phase II in the younger dogs. The increasing level of challenge in consecutive training phases resulted in a higher percentage of false alerts and misses, and in younger dogs, decreased motivation for sniffing the odor samples was observed in training phase III. Nonsignificant and negative correlations between the training phases and working phase in the percentage of correct indications and false alerts show that it is difficult to predict the performance of fully trained dogs on the basis of the results achieved during the training. Fully trained dogs discriminated pattern breath samples (cancer) from healthy controls with 79% sensitivity and 78% specificity, or with 50% sensitivity at the probability of correct response by chance of 50% and 20%, respectively. The sensitivity decreased to 68% and 37%, respectively, when each sample was tested only once, although being better than by chance (P < 0.05). The percentage of false alerts and misses is difficult to reduce during the training; thus, the percentage of correct indications tended to decrease in the course of training phases II and III. Odor samples taken in hospitals may contain components of “hospital odors,” which may be a confounding factor for dogs’ indications. Using trained dogs for cancer screening on the basis of detection of odor markers still requires further study.     

Assessment of antioxidant activity and rheological properties of wheat and buckwheat milling fractions

This study examined the antioxidant properties of the ethanolic extracts of wheat milling fractions (wheat flour type 500 and type 850, and bran) and their polyphenol and tocopherol content, and rheological characteristics of wheat dough supplemented with buckwheat flours (light and wholegrain). The results obtained in this study were correlated with our previously published data on wheat flour type 400, wholegrain wheat flour and buckwheat flours.Buckwheat flours exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) antiradical activity on hydroxyl (OH), superoxide anion (O₂⁻) and (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) DPPH radicals, antioxidant activity and reducing power than all investigated wheat milling fractions when their corresponding IC₅₀ values were compared.The rheological parameters of wheat dough supplemented with light and wholegrain buckwheat flour (0-50%) were obtained by using Mixolab. Results indicated changes in protein and starch properties of dough.The obtained results indicate the benefit of using buckwheat flours in wheat-based food products, i.e. their contribution in functional and tailor-made-food production.     

Effect of Climate Change on Wheat Quality and HMW Glutenin Subunit Composition in the Pannonian Plain

The primary goal of this study is to improve our understanding of the extent of influence of climatic factors in Serbia and high‐molecular‐weight glutenin subunit (HMW‐GS) composition upon wheat end‐use quality. In‐depth analyses were performed on four bread wheat cultivars that are the most common in agricultural practice in Serbia. Total glutenin content showed significant difference between the production years, in opposition to gliadins. Cluster analysis of different percentages of glutenin and gliadin subunit molecular weight ranges (<40,000, 40,000–80,000, 81,000–120,000, and >120,000) indicated that the year of production and the cultivar did not have a significant effect on the percentage ranges for glutenins. However, they had a considerable impact on the percentage ranges for gliadins. Production year and the interaction of year and cultivar had the strongest influences on the percentage of SDS‐unextractable polymeric proteins. A synergistic effect of the HMW‐GS composition and climatic conditions revealed that all eight samples with HMW‐GS composition 2*, 5 + 10, 7 + 9 along with the highest Glu 1 score of 9 (out of a maximum of 10) produced in the year 2011 belonged to two clusters with the best wheat end‐use quality. Furthermore, the climate conditions in 2011 made it possible for the wheat cultivars with HMW‐GS composition –, 2 + 12, 7 + 9 to possess similar qualities as cultivars with HMW‐GS composition 2*, 5 + 10, 7 + 9 produced in 2012.     

Effects of antioxidants on rapeseed oil oxidation in an artificial digestion model analyzed by UHPLC-ESI-MS

A normal diet contains large quantities of oxidized fatty acids, glycerolipids, cholesterol, and their cytotoxic degradation products because many foods in the diet are fried, heated, or otherwise processed and consumed often after long periods of storage. There is also evidence that the acid medium of the stomach promotes lipid peroxidation and that the gastrointestinal tract is a major site of antioxidant action, as demonstrated by various colorimetric methods. The identity and yields of specific products of lipid transformation have seldom been determined. The present study describes the molecular species profiles of all major gastrointestinal lipids formed during digestion of autoxidized rapeseed oil in an artificial digestion model in the presence of L-ascorbic acid, 6-palmitoyl-O-L-ascorbic acid, 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT), DL-α-tocopherol, and DL-α-tocopheryl acetate. Differences in oxidized lipid profiles were detected in the samples digested in the presence of different antioxidants, but none of them could prevent the formation of oxidized lipids or promote their degradation in a gastric digestion model. The lack of effect is attributed to the inappropriate nature of the gastrointestinal medium for the antioxidant activity of these vitamins and BHT. A fast ultrahigh performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric method was developed for the analysis of lipolysis products, including epoxy, hydroperoxy, and hydroxy fatty acids, and acylglycerols, utilizing lithium as ionization enhancer.     

Prevalence of antibodies against Leptospira sp. in snakes,lizards and turtles in Slovenia

Background

Leptospiral infections in poikilothermic (cold blooded) animals have received very little attention and the literature concerning natural infections of these animals is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of leptospiral antibodies in reptiles, imported into Slovenia and intended to be pets in close contact with humans. A total of 297 reptiles (22 snakes, 210 lizards and 65 turtles) were tested for specific antibodies against serovars of Leptospira interrogans sensu stricto using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Live cultures of different serovars were used as antigens. MAT was performed according to standard procedures and the degree of reaction was interpreted by estimating the percentage of agglutinated leptospires. Samples showing titres of ≥ 50 against one or more serovars were considered as positive.

Results

Antibodies against seven pathogenic serovars of L. interrogans sensu stricto were detected in 46 of 297 reptiles. Among 22 snakes, specific antibodies against pathogenic serovars of three Leptospira species (L. interrogans, L. kirschneri and L. borgpetersenii) at titre levels from 1:50 to 1:400 were detected in 6 snakes. In 31 of 210 lizards, specific antibodies were found in titres from 1:50 to 1:1000 and, finally, among 65 turtles (terrapins and tortoises), 9 had specific antibodies at titre levels between 1:50 and 1:1600. Animals imported from non-EU countries showed significantly higher prevalence (25.0%; 95 confidence interval: 16.7–33.3%) than animals from EU member states (10.4%; confidence interval: 6.1–14.7%).

Conclusions

Reptiles may be considered as potential reservoirs of L. interrogans sensu stricto. Origin of the animals is a risk factor for presence of leptospiral antibodies, especially in lizards. Special attention should be focused on animals from non-EU member states.     

To jump or not to jump? Strategies employed by leisure and sport horses

Show jumping is one of the most popular equestrian disciplines although strategic jumping per se is seldom used by free-living horses when negotiating obstacles that they might otherwise avoid. To establish if horses are naturally motivated to jump, we examined horses in a free-choice situation when negotiating various obstacles under test conditions. Eighteen leisure horses (LHs) and 16 sport horses (SHs) participated in a number of 2-choice tests. First, horses were presented with 2 optional routes during a “free-choice test” to reach a food stimulus. The choices were a shorter route (over an obstacle) or a longer route (around the obstacle). During 8 consecutive trials, the horses encountered an increase in obstacle height on every second trial as follows: 0, 20, 35, and 50 cm. In the “ridden test” after an initial conditioning period, the horses were tested with a Y-maze formation during 3 consecutive trials, where one element of the maze contained an obstacle arm (OA). The horses walked or trotted over the obstacle most frequently (59.9%) and jumped the obstacle in only 10.7% of the cases. For both the LH and SH groups, the horses' motivation to traverse the obstacle decreased as the obstacle height increased and only 44.1% of horses actually negotiated the 50-cm obstacle as compared with the 20-cm obstacle (85.3%). The LH group preferred to go around the obstacle significantly more often than the SH group (24 trials, 16.7% vs. 9 trials, 7.0%, for SH and LH, respectively; χ² = 6.81, N = 33, P = 0.0090). The LH group used a jumping strategy to clear the obstacle far less frequently (6 trials, 4.2%) than the SH group (23 trials, 18.0%; χ² = 9.96, N = 29, P = 0.0023). In the Y-maze trials, the LH group exhibited preference (40 per 54 trials, 74.1%; χ² = 12.5, P < 0.0001), and the SH group failed to exhibit any preference (20 per 48 trials; χ² = 1.33, P = 0.3123). There was no evidence of any correlation between the motivation to clear the obstacle and total number of OA choices in either the LH group (r_s = 0.13, P = 0.9594) or the SH group (r_s = ?0.25, P = 0.3492). The findings from the present study indicate that SHs are motivated and willing to jump obstacles more often than are LHs under similar conditions. However, the apparent reluctance of the horses overall to continue jumping as the obstacle height increases suggests that, in general, many horses could easily encounter excessive demands (overfacing) in sport. This issue should be carefully monitored in terms of equine training, competition, and welfare.     

Immune defense of wild‐caught Norway rats is characterized by increased levels of basal activity but reduced capability to respond to further immune stimulation

Studies of wild animals' immunity often use comparison with laboratory‐raised individuals. Using such an approach, various data were obtained concerning wild Norway rat's immunity. Lower or higher potential of immune system cells to respond to activation stimuli were shown, because of analysis of disparate parameters and/ or small number of analyzed individuals. Inconsistent differences between laboratory and wild rats were shown too, owing to great response variability in wild rats. We hypothesized that wild rats will express more intense immune activity compared to their laboratory counterparts which live in a less demanding environment. To test this, we analyzed the circulating levels of inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), a mediator which has a central role in host immune defense. In addition, we examined the activity of the central immune organ, the spleen, including cell proliferation and production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and interleukin‐17 (IL‐17), which are major effectors of cellular adaptive immune response. In order to obtain reasonable insight into the immunity of wild Norway rats, analysis was conducted on a much larger number of individuals compared to other studies. Higher levels of plasma IL‐6, higher spleen mass, cellularity and basal IFN‐γ production concomitantly with lower basal production of anti‐inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) revealed more intense immune activity in the wild compared to laboratory rats. However, lower responsiveness of their spleen cells' proinflammatory cytokine production to concanavalin A (ConA) stimulation, along with preserved capacity of IL‐10 response, might be perceived as an indication of wild rats' reduced capability to cope with incoming environmental stimuli, but also as a means to limit tissue damage.