Veterinary Telemedicine: A literature review

As telemedicine becomes more mainstream in the veterinary profession, it is important to understand when and how to utilise it successfully, and its potential downsides. This literature review supports the use of veterinary telemedicine for teleconsultations, and using wearable and mobile health (mHealth) devices for monitoring animal health. Data supporting the provision of virtual care directly to a client within an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) is more limited, and some of what we know comes from paediatric medicine on the human side. As we have learned from human health care providers, we must be aware there could be a tendency to overprescribe antimicrobials in a virtual visit compared to an in-person visit. Data have also shown telemedicine can be just as effective in diagnosing respiratory disease when compared to traditional visits to a doctor’s office or hospital. Telemedicine is especially effective in areas where access to care is limited, whether because of geography, finances, or lack of resources. Overall, veterinary telemedicine and telehealth can provide positive results

Life-history, demography and behaviour of the Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra): the role of climate and environmental change

Climate change is altering ecology in myriad ways; the distributions, dynamics, phenology, morphology and life-histories of species are changing. Establishing the relative importance of these changes in different ecological traits is important to fully understand how climate and environmental change threatens populations. However, until recently, studies have often focused solely on range-shift responses and have rarely examined multiple forms of ecological change in a single species. Case-studies focusing on multiple aspects of ecology, for example demography, life-history and behaviour, could provide important general insights into how climate change will most threaten the persistence of species and populations. In this thesis, I investigate ecological variation, and the influence of climate and environmental change, in a common species of considerable cultural, economic and ecological importance, the Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). Using a 38-year dataset on body masses and demography, augmented with demographic and behavioural data collected during this thesis, I examine variation in the life-history, demography and behaviour of this species, making both species-specific and general inferences. I find variability in reproductive strategies in the study populations, providing considerable insight into poorly understood area of this species’ ecology. Male chamois in neighbouring populations adopt contrasting reproductive strategies, likely due to climatic differences among areas. Interestingly though, males time investment in reproduction similarly in the different populations. However, there is a strong pattern of age-dependent investment; young males delay reproduction until the end of the breeding season, apparently as a strategy to avoid high levels of competition. This is the first clear evidence for such a strategy in a male mammal. Next, focussing on the effect of climatic and environmental factors on chamois ecology, I found a strong influence of climate on body size, demography and foraging behaviour. Climate change appears to be driving declines in body size and climatic variation exerts a strong influence on demographic variation and foraging behaviour. However, the effects of local anthropogenic drivers in some cases exceed these effects. High hunting pressure has a profound effect on survival, with hunting mortality largely replacing natural mortality. Furthermore, the influence of disturbance by livestock grazing on altitudinal migration is very pronounced, forcing chamois to much higher altitudes. This project illustrates that climate change can affect diverse aspects of ecology. Despite the overriding research focus on range-shifts, climate-driven life-history and demographic change could influence populations more strongly. Furthermore, my results show that effects of other drivers, such as harvesting and biotic interactions, can also have profound effects on ecology, at times exceeding the influence of climate

The influence of air quality and meteorology on athletic performance

Public perception and knowledge of urban air pollution has increased greatly in recent years, with up to 90% of the world’s population living under air quality conditions that exceed some of the World Health Organisations guideline values. It is predicted that this will increase as a greater proportion of the population move to urban areas, with further health risks posed by climate change. Additionally, the world is also facing low activity levels and an increasing obesity crisis, with questions posed as to the best methods to address this. The international phenomena of parkrun has managed to actively engage multiple demographics in weekly 5 km runs, with increased participation in mass running events also occurring over recent years. Sadly however, there have been numerous occurrences of environment-related incidents at athletic events at a range of participant levels. Despite this, there has been little examination of the impact air pollution and meteorology, particularly extreme events, has on exercise performance and health benefits associated with outdoor exercise. Consequently, this thesis examines the influence of air pollution and meteorology on recreational exercisers at parkrun events, elite 5000 m athletes during the Diamond League Athletic Series and the combined elite and recreational athlete fields at The Great North Run (half marathon distance). Utilising fixed-point and modelled data in conjunction with historic race results variation in the impact of pollutants and meteorology on performance is examined. Findings show that temperature is the greatest influencer on both elite and amateur participants. Ozone, albeit linked to temperature, also has a detrimental impact on athletic performance. The influence of other environmental parameters are variable but highlights include increased PM2.5 pollution slowing elite female athletes significantly over 5000 m and the slowest finishers at the Great North Run being influenced the most out of all participants due to their prolonged exposure time. Suggestions for further research and implementation of mitigation measures to reduce the effect and likelihood of negative environmental conditions and health-related incidents at all athletic participation levels are also explored with a focus on ‘at event’ and personal exposure monitoring. This study also highlights the need for further research into the field as well as examination of the variation in effect pollution and meteorology has on different genders and participant abilities