The release of a captive-raised female African Elephant <em>(Loxodonta africana</em>) in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Wild female elephants live in close-knit matrilineal groups and housing captive elephants in artificial social groupings can cause significant welfare issues for individuals not accepted by other group members. We document the release of a captive-raised female elephant used in the safari industry because of welfare and management problems. She was fitted with a satellite collar, and spatial and behavioural data were collected over a 17-month period to quantify her interactions with the wild population. She was then monitored infrequently for a further five-and-a-half years. We observed few signs of aggression towards her from the wild elephants with which she socialized. She used an area of comparable size to wild female elephants, and this continued to increase as she explored new areas. Although she did not fully integrate into a wild herd, she had three calves of her own, and formed a social unit with another female and her calf that were later released from the same captive herd. We recommend that release to the wild be considered as a management option for other captive female elephants

Manufacture of Wood-Cement Composites from Acacia Mangium. Part II. Use of Accelerators in the Manufacture of Wood-Wool Cement Boards from A. Mangium

In the second paper in this series, we test the hypothesis that cement-setting accelerators with the ability to chelate phenolic extractives will be more effective at improving the physical properties of wood-wool cement boards made from the heartwood of Acacia mangium than conventional accelerators. Furthermore, we assess whether the use of chelating accelerators will allow boards with acceptable properties to be manufactured from A. mangium wood-wool that has not been subjected to preliminary aqueous extraction to remove phenolic extractives. Batches of wood-wool from A. mangium containing approximately 75% heartwood were either soaked in water or used in their native form. The batches were then treated with an aqueous solution containing an inorganic compound (generally 0.05 or 0.1 M) selected for its ability to accelerate the hydration of Portland cement, and in the case of 5 of the 11 compounds tested, chelate phenolic extractives. Individual wood-wool cement boards were manufactured from each treated batch of wood-wool and tested for their dry and wet bending strength (MOR), stiffness (MOE), and water absorption properties. Boards made from untreated or water-soaked wood-wool acted as controls. The MOR and MOE of boards made from unsoaked A. mangium wood-wool and treated with the chelating accelerators tin or ferric chloride at 0.1 M concentration were 10.8 and 10.9 MPa and 2256 and 2178 MPa, respectively. These same boards showed less than 5% thickness swelling after 24-h immersion in water. In contrast most of the boards containing a conventional non-chelating accelerator had no structural integrity. The combination of a chelating accelerator and a conventional accelerator was particularly effective at improving the physical properties of boards made from unsoaked wood-wool. We conclude that wood-wool cement boards with acceptable physical properties can be manufactured from A. mangium heartwood by treating wood-wool with inorganic compounds that have the ability to chelate phenolic extractives and accelerate the hydration of Portland cement. Our findings could eliminate the need to pre-soak A. mangium wood-wool in water during the manufacture of wood-wool cement boards and may have broader relevance to the manufacture of wood-wool cement boards from other hardwood species containing phenolic extractives

The social and ecological integration of captive-raised adolescent male African elephants (Loxodonta africana) into a wild population

BACKGROUND: A rapid rise in the number of captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) used in the tourism industry in southern Africa and orphaned elephants in human care has led to concerns about their long-term management, particularly males. One solution is to release them into the wild at adolescence, when young males naturally leave their herd. However, this raises significant welfare concerns: little is known about how well released elephants integrate into wild populations and whether they pose a greater threat to humans than wild elephants. We document the release of three captive-raised adolescent male African elephants in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Despite having been part of a herd of working elephants for at least eight years, the three males progressively integrated into the complex fission-fusion society of wild bull elephants. In the three years following release, they showed no tendency to be closer to human habitation, and there were no significant differences between wild and captive-raised adolescent males in the total number of social interactions, size of ranges and habitat use. However, the captive-raised elephants sparred less and vocalised more, and spent more time alone and in smaller social groups. Thereafter the released elephants continued to expand their ranges and interact with both mixed-sex herds and males. One male was shot by farmers 94 months after release, along with ten wild elephants, on a ranch outside the protected area. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We show that captive-raised adolescent male elephants can integrate into a wild population. Long-term studies are required to determine the longevity, breeding success, and eventual fate of released male elephants, but we identified no significant short-term welfare problems for the released elephants or recipient population. Release of captive-raised mammals with complex social systems is a husbandry option that should be explored further

Mixed methods evaluation of targeted selective anthelmintic treatment by resource-poor smallholder goat farmers in Botswana

AbstractDue to the threat of anthelmintic resistance, livestock farmers worldwide are encouraged to selectively apply treatments against gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs). Targeted selective treatment (TST) of individual animals would be especially useful for smallholder farmers in low-income economies, where cost-effective and sustainable intervention strategies will improve livestock productivity and food security. Supporting research has focused mainly on refining technical indicators for treatment, and much less on factors influencing uptake and effectiveness. We used a mixed method approach, whereby qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined, to develop, implement and validate a TST system for GINs in small ruminants, most commonly goats, among smallholder farmers in the Makgadikgadi Pans region of Botswana, and to seek better understanding of system performance within a cultural context. After the first six months of the study, 42 out of 47 enrolled farmers were followed up; 52% had monitored their animals using the taught inspection criteria and 26% applied TST during this phase. Uptake level showed little correlation with farmer characteristics, such as literacy and size of farm. Herd health significantly improved in those herds where anthelmintic treatment was applied: anaemia, as assessed using the five-point FAMACHA© scale, was 0.44–0.69 points better (95% confidence interval) and body condition score was 0.18–0.36 points better (95% C.I., five-point scale) in treated compared with untreated herds. Only targeting individuals in greatest need led to similar health improvements compared to treating the entire herd, leading to dose savings ranging from 36% to 97%. This study demonstrates that TST against nematodes can be implemented effectively by resource-poor farmers using a community-led approach. The use of mixed methods provides a promising system to integrate technical and social aspects of TST programmes for maximum uptake and effect

Systematic review of reviews of intervention components associated with increased effectiveness in dietary and physical activity interventions.

BACKGROUND: To develop more efficient programmes for promoting dietary and/or physical activity change (in order to prevent type 2 diabetes) it is critical to ensure that the intervention components and characteristics most strongly associated with effectiveness are included. The aim of this systematic review of reviews was to identify intervention components that are associated with increased change in diet and/or physical activity in individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library were searched for systematic reviews of interventions targeting diet and/or physical activity in adults at risk of developing type 2 diabetes from 1998 to 2008. Two reviewers independently selected reviews and rated methodological quality. Individual analyses from reviews relating effectiveness to intervention components were extracted, graded for evidence quality and summarised. RESULTS: Of 3856 identified articles, 30 met the inclusion criteria and 129 analyses related intervention components to effectiveness. These included causal analyses (based on randomisation of participants to different intervention conditions) and associative analyses (e.g. meta-regression). Overall, interventions produced clinically meaningful weight loss (3-5 kg at 12 months; 2-3 kg at 36 months) and increased physical activity (30-60 mins/week of moderate activity at 12-18 months). Based on causal analyses, intervention effectiveness was increased by engaging social support, targeting both diet and physical activity, and using well-defined/established behaviour change techniques. Increased effectiveness was also associated with increased contact frequency and using a specific cluster of "self-regulatory" behaviour change techniques (e.g. goal-setting, self-monitoring). No clear relationships were found between effectiveness and intervention setting, delivery mode, study population or delivery provider. Evidence on long-term effectiveness suggested the need for greater consideration of behaviour maintenance strategies. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive review of reviews identifies specific components which are associated with increased effectiveness in interventions to promote change in diet and/or physical activity. To maximise the efficiency of programmes for diabetes prevention, practitioners and commissioning organisations should consider including these components.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Consideration of within-patient diversity highlights transmission pathways and antimicrobial resistance gene variability in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium

BackgroundWGS is increasingly being applied to healthcare-associated vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) outbreaks. Within-patient diversity could complicate transmission resolution if single colonies are sequenced from identified cases.ObjectivesDetermine the impact of within-patient diversity on transmission resolution of VREfm.Materials and methodsFourteen colonies were collected from VREfm positive rectal screens, single colonies were collected from clinical samples and Illumina WGS was performed. Two isolates were selected for Oxford Nanopore sequencing and hybrid genome assembly to generate lineage-specific reference genomes. Mapping to closely related references was used to identify genetic variations and closely related genomes. A transmission network was inferred for the entire genome set using Phyloscanner.Results and discussionIn total, 229 isolates from 11 patients were sequenced. Carriage of two or three sequence types was detected in 27% of patients. Presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and plasmids was variable within genomes from the same patient and sequence type. We identified two dominant sequence types (ST80 and ST1424), with two putative transmission clusters of two patients within ST80, and a single cluster of six patients within ST1424. We found transmission resolution was impaired using fewer than 14 colonies.ConclusionsPatients can carry multiple sequence types of VREfm, and even within related lineages the presence of mobile genetic elements and antimicrobial resistance genes can vary. VREfm within-patient diversity could be considered in future to aid accurate resolution of transmission networks

Treatment Failure in Coeliac Disease: A Practical Guide to Investigation and Treatment of Non-responsive and Refractory Coeliac Disease

Abstract Coeliac disease is a common condition affecting up to 1% of the European adult population. Whilst the majority of patients will respond to a gluten free diet with resolution of symptoms and an improvement in histology, a significant minority have persistent problems. Refractory coeliac disease is a relatively uncommon cause of non-response to gluten free diet with potentially serious consequences of severe malabsorption and a high rate of progression to lymphoma. This review provides a practical guide to the investigation of patients who do not respond to a gluten free diet. We will highlight the differences between the more common non-responsive coeliac disease and the rare entity of refractory coeliac disease and discuss current management and treatment options for both non-responsive coeliac disease and refractory coeliac disease

Beyond the MHC: A canine model of dermatomyositis shows a complex pattern of genetic risk involving novel loci

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a chronic inflammatory myopathy and vasculopathy driven by genetic and environmental influences. Here, we investigated the genetic underpinnings of an analogous, spontaneous disease of dogs also termed dermatomyositis (DMS). As in JDM, we observed a significant association with a haplotype of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (DLA-DRB1*002:01/-DQA1*009:01/-DQB1*001:01), particularly in homozygosity (P-val = 0.0001). However, the high incidence of the haplotype among healthy dogs indicated that additional genetic risk factors are likely involved in disease progression. We conducted genome-wide association studies in two modern breeds having common ancestry and detected strong associations with novel loci on canine chromosomes 10 (P-val = 2.3X10-12) and 31 (P-val = 3.95X10-8). Through whole genome resequencing, we identified primary candidate polymorphisms in conserved regions of PAN2 (encoding p.Arg492Cys) and MAP3K7CL(c.383_392ACTCCACAAA\u3eGACT) on chromosomes 10 and 31, respectively. Analyses of these polymorphisms and the MHC haplotypes revealed that nine of 27 genotypic combinations confer high or moderate probability of disease and explain 93% of cases studied. The pattern of disease risk across PAN2 and MAP3K7CL genotypes provided clear evidence for a significant epistatic foundation for this disease, a risk further impacted by MHC haplotypes. We also observed a genotype-phenotype correlation wherein an earlier age of onset is correlated with an increased number of risk alleles at PAN2 and MAP3K7CL. High frequencies of multiple genetic risk factors are unique to affected breeds and likely arose coincident with artificial selection for desirable phenotypes. Described herein is the first three-locus association with a complex canine disease and two novel loci that provide targets for exploration in JDM and related immunological dysfunction