Efficacy of a Laser Device for Hazing Canada Geese from Urban Areas of Northeast Ohio

Author Institution: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Crane Creek Wildlife Research Station ; US Department of Agriculture, APHIS, Wildlife ServicesComplaints about Canada geese in Ohio have increased nearly 400% in the past decade, with 732 recorded in 2001. Harassment techniques such as pyrotechnics and mylar flagging have been used to reduce goose conflicts but are frequently ineffective, and initial experiments indicated that laser harassment may disperse Canada geese. We evaluated whether lasers could cause geese to abandon urban sites, the duration of site abandonment, and dispersal distance of harassed geese. One hundred ninety geese were banded and collared in June 2001 at 6 sites in northeast Ohio. Radio transmitters were attached to 40 collars. We conducted nocturnal laser harassment of geese in four 5-day periods from July 2001 through January 2002 at 3 treatment sites. No harassment occurred at 3 control sites. One-day surveys of collared geese were conducted 2 weeks prior to the 5-day hazing period, during the hazing period, and 2 weeks post-hazing. Geese were located through radio telemetry using air- and ground-based receivers during all 3 time periods. Laser harassment caused geese to leave the site after a mean of 4.6 (SE = 0.8) minutes of treatment. Over the 5-day treatment period, the mean number of geese observed at night decreased from 92 to 14; however, we found no differences between numbers of geese observed 2 weeks prior to initial harassment and those observed post-harassment. Telemetry indicated that geese moved <2.0 km from all but one banding site. Laser harassment was more effective in reducing goose numbers at night rather than reducing numbers during the day. Site characteristics such as ambient lighting, human disturbance, and size of pond appeared to be the primary factors determining the laser’s effectiveness

"Come i secchi nel pozzo". Scienza ed etica negli scritti contro la vivisezione delle femministe britanniche (1870-1910)

Il saggio ripercorre le riflessioni teoriche delle femministe britanniche su scienza ed etica in relazione al dibattito sulla vivisezion

Laboratory studies on benthic foraminiferal ecology and geochemistry

Abstrac

The Anticancer Peptide TAT-RasGAP317-326 Exerts Broad Antimicrobial Activity.

Antibiotic resistance has become a major health issue. Nosocomial infections and the prevalence of resistant pathogenic bacterial strains are rising steadily. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new classes of antibiotics effective on multi-resistant nosocomial pathogenic bacteria. We have previously shown that a cell-permeable peptide derived from the p120 Ras GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP), called TAT-RasGAP317-326, induces cancer cell death, inhibits metastatic progression, and sensitizes tumor cells to various anti-cancer treatments in vitro and in vivo. We here report that TAT-RasGAP317-326 also possesses antimicrobial activity. In vitro, TAT-RasGAP317-326, but not mutated or truncated forms of the peptide, efficiently killed a series of bacteria including Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In vivo experiments revealed that TAT-RasGAP317-326 protects mice from lethal E. coli-induced peritonitis if administrated locally at the onset of infection. However, the protective effect was lost when treatment was delayed, likely due to rapid clearance and inadequate biodistribution of the peptide. Peptide modifications might overcome these shortcomings to increase the in vivo efficacy of the compound in the context of the currently limited antimicrobial options

Wildlife Damage to Seedlings in Reforested in Hardwood Sites in Mississippi

Herbivory assessments were conducted on seven reforested sites that were less than one year old in the following Mississippi counties: Bolivar, Leflore, and Attala. At each site, 100ft. x 100 ft. plots were established and randomly selected seedlings were marked and measured to determine seedling species, height, condition, survival, and type and extent of animal feeding sign. Surveys were conducted in March/April, May, and August 2004. Herbivory rates were highest during May with approximately 47% of seedlings showing signs of herbivory. In March/ April and August, the percentage of seedlings exhibiting signs of herbivory was 37% and 30%, respectively. Foraging by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was recorded on \u3e 90% of the damaged seedlings during each survey. Tree mortality for all study sites and tree species was negligible, with the highest amount (7%) recorded during August, despite the recorded rates of herbivory by white-tailed deer. Herbivory by rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) and rodents occurred on approximately 6% of the seedlings throughout the 2004 growing season

DEFINING AND REDUCING WILDLIFE HAZARDS TO AVIATION IN THE USA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), conducts a national research program to define and reduce bird and other wildlife hazards to aircraft. The goal is to provide the FAA and airports nationwide with a scientific foundation for policies and recommendations related to wildlife and aviation safety. Research tasks conducted by NWRC under the agreement include: 1) investigations of habitat management and land-use practices on and near airports to reduce bird activity; 2) development and evaluation of bird repellent and frightening methods for airports; 3) management and analysis of the National Wildlife Strike Database for civil aviation; and 4) development of publications, including a manual on wildlife hazard management, for use by airport operators nationwide. The research, coordinated by NWRC’s Sandusky, Ohio Field Station, has resulted in over 100 scientific publications since 1992. Recent highlights include 1) development of a wildlife strike database for civil aviation with about 28,000 strike reports, 1990-1999; 2) publication of a report, based on analyses of data in the bird strike database, which indicated wildlife collisions with aircraft cost U.S. civil aviation over $300 million/year, 1990-1998; 3) partnership with private industry to develop chemical repellents for use against Canada geese on airports; 4) development of management program at JFK International Airport, New York, that resulted in a 90% reduction in gull-aircraft collisions; and 5) publication of a comprehensive manual for airport personnel entitled “Wildlife Hazard Management at Airports”

Survival, Reproduction and Calcification of Three Benthic Foraminiferal Species in Response to Experimentally Induced Hypoxia

An experiment was conducted to test the survival rates, growth (calcification), and reproduction capacities of three benthic foraminiferal species (Ammonia tepida, Melonis barleeanus and Bulimina marginata) under strongly oxygen-depleted conditions alternating with short periods of anoxia. Protocols were determined to use accurate methods (1) to follow oxygen concentrations in the aquaria (continuously recorded using microsensors), (2) to distinguish live foraminifera (fluorogenic probe), (3) to determine foraminiferal growth (calcein-marked shells and automatic measurement of the shell size). Our results show a very high survival rate, and growth of A. tepida and M. barleeanus in all experimental conditions, suggesting that survival and growth are not negatively impacted by hypoxia. Unfortunately, no reproduction was observed for these species, so that we cannot draw firm conclusions on their ability to reproduce under hypoxic/anoxic conditions. The survival rates of Bulimina marginata are much lower than for the other two species. In the oxic treatments, the presence of juveniles is indicative of reproductive events, which can explain an important part of the mortality. The absence of juveniles in the hypoxic/anoxic treatments could indicate that these conditions inhibit reproduction. Alternatively, the perceived absence of juveniles could also be due to the fact that the juveniles resulting from reproduction (causing similar mortality rates as in the oxic treatments) were not able to calcify, and remained at a propagule stage. Additional experiments are needed to distinguish these two options