Marine mammal behavior: a review of conservation implications

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this record.The three orders which comprise the extant marine mammals exhibit a wide range of behaviors, varying social structures and differences in social information use. Human impacts on marine mammals and their environments are ubiquitous; from chemical and noise pollution, to marine debris, prey depletion and ocean acidification. As a result, no marine mammal populations remain entirely unaffected by human activities. Conservation may be hindered by an inadequate understanding of the behavioral ecology of some of these species. As a result of social structure, social information use, culture and even behavioral syndromes, marine mammal social groups and populations can be behaviorally heterogeneous. As a result responses to conservation initiatives, or exploitation, may be complex to predict. Previous commentators have highlighted the importance of incorporating behavioral data into conservation management and we review these considerations in light of the emerging science in this field for marine mammals. Since behavioral canalization may lead to vulnerability, whereas behavioral plasticity may provide opportunity for resilience, we argue that for many of these socially complex, cognitive species understanding their behavioral ecology, capacity for social learning and individual behavioral variation, may be a central tenant for their successful conservation.The lead author’s research is funded by WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation)

Immunology of the canine eye in health and disease: A concise review

The canine eye is an immune-privileged organ that is provided with systems to prevent and control the local immune response, which could have a detrimental impact. The entry of blood-derived antigens is hindered by the blood-ocular barriers and potential invading pathogens are tackled by local antimicrobial molecules. Despite the existence of numerous immune-competent cells, the anterior chamber of the eye is characterised by low responsiveness. This review is focused on the innate and adaptive immunity employed to control health and disease in the canine eye

Costellazione Manga: explaining astronomy using Japanese comics and animation

Comics and animation are intensely engaging and can be successfully used to communicate science to the public. They appear to stimulate many aspects of the learning process and can help with the development of links between ideas. Given these pedagogical premises, we conducted a project called Costellazione Manga, in which we considered astronomical concepts present in several manga and anime (Japanese comics and animations) and highlighted the physics behind them. These references to astronomy allowed us to introduce interesting topics of modern astrophysics and communicate astronomy-related concepts to a large spectrum of people. In this paper, we describe the methodology and techniques that we developed and discuss the results of our project. Depending on the comic or anime considered, we can introducegeneral topics such as the difference between stars, planets and galaxies or ideas such as the possibility of nding life onother planets, the latest discoveries of Earth-like planets orbiting other stars or the detection of complex organic molecules in the interstellar space. When presenting the night sky and the shapes of constellations, we can also describe how the same stars are perceived and grouped by different cultures. The project outcomes indicate that Costellazione Manga is a powerful tool to popularise astronomy and stimulate important aspects of learning development, such as curiosity and critical thinking. We show through our experience that Costellazione Manga has attracted a broader and more diverse public than traditional planetarium activities and astronomy lectures

Objective measurement of habitual sedentary behavior in pre-school children: comparison of activPAL with actigraph monitors

The Actigraph is well established for measurement of both physical activity and sedentary behavior in children. The activPAL is being used increasingly in children, though with no published evidence on its use in free-living children to date. The present study compared the two monitors in preschool children. Children (n 23) wore both monitors simultaneously during waking hours for 5.6d and 10h/d. Daily mean percentage of time sedentary (nontranslocation of the trunk) was 74.6 (SD 6.8) for the Actigraph and 78.9 (SD 4.3) for activPAL. Daily mean percentage of time physically active (light intensity physical activity plus MVPA) was 25.4 (SD 6.8) for the Actigraph and 21.1 (SD 4.3) for the activPAL. Bland-Altman tests and paired t tests suggested small but statistically significant differences between the two monitors. Actigraph and activPAL estimates of sedentary behaviour and physical activity in young children are similar at a group level

Detection vs selection: integration of genetic, epigenetic and environmental cues in fluctuating environments

ArticleThere are many inputs during development that influence an organism's fit to current or upcoming environments. These include genetic effects, transgenerational epigenetic influences, environmental cues and developmental noise, which are rarely investigated in the same formal framework. We study an analytically tractable evolutionary model, in which cues are integrated to determine mature phenotypes in fluctuating environments. Environmental cues received during development and by the mother as an adult act as detection-based (individually observed) cues. The mother's phenotype and a quantitative genetic effect act as selection-based cues (they correlate with environmental states after selection). We specify when such cues are complementary and tend to be used together, and when using the most informative cue will predominate. Thus, we extend recent analyses of the evolutionary implications of subsets of these effects by providing a general diagnosis of the conditions under which detection and selection-based influences on development are likely to evolve and coexist.This work was supported by a Leverhulme Trust International Network Grant to the four authors and by a grant from the Swedish Research Council (621-2010-5437) to O.L

Parvovirosi felina : la bufala viaggia su internet

A met\ue0 gennaio \ue8 cominciata a girare tra gli allevatori di gatti la voce di una pericolosa epidemia di panleucopenia felina in Francia e in Belgio, con moria di gatti di qualsiasi et\ue0: si \ue8 parlato di vaccinazione inefficace, di ceppo mutato, di virus canini... Ma era tutto un falso. Nella relazione si spiega cosa \ue8 realmente successo e perch\ue9 non bisogna fidarsi delle notizie che girano libere in internet, insistendo sulla necessit\ue0 di un controllo accurato utilizzando fonti ufficiali

Vaccinazioni e interpretazione del libretto sanitario del gatto

In questo articolo si fa il punto sulle vaccinazioni consigliate per il gatto e sulla vaccinazione antirabbica, obbligatoria per l'espatrio, dando ad allevatori e controllori gli strumenti per interpretare correttamente quanto riportato dal veterinario sul libretto vaccinale

Protocolli vaccinali : quale scegliere in base alle necessità

La domanda forse pi\uf9 ricorrente e pi\uf9 difficile che spesso si sentono porre gli operatori del settore \ue8 quella se sia pi\uf9 corretto utilizzare sempre lo stesso protocollo vaccinale per qualsiasi tipologia di animale, oppure se sia meglio adattare i diversi protocolli alle necessit\ue0 dei singoli. Il mondo veterinario ormai \ue8 concorde sulla risposta: \ue8 assolutamente necessario diversificare gli approcci vaccinali in base allo stile e alle abitudini di vita di ogni singolo soggetto. Non esiste infatti un protocollo vaccinale unico seguito da tutti i veterinari e applicabile a tutte le possibili situazioni. Si consiglia di prevedere un programma di vaccinazioni \u201cdi base\u201d (core vaccines) per la maggior parte degli animali in base alle aree geografiche e un programma di vaccinazioni \u201caccessorie\u201d (non-core vaccines) proposte per un numero inferiore di animali nelle medesime aree geografiche. Il veterinario \ue8 pienamente responsabile della corretta vaccinazione dei suoi pazienti e deve agire secondo scienza e coscienza, prendendo di volta in volta la decisione che meglio si adatta a quel determinato pet, e abbandonando per sempre la purtroppo diffusa pratica di vaccinare per abitudine tutti gli animali nello stesso modo e con lo stesso vaccino, perch\ue9 ogni paziente \ue8 diverso da un altro sotto tante sfaccettatur