A review of the status and distribution of carnivores, and levels of humancarnivore conflict, in the protected areas and surrounds of the Zambezi Basin

Carnivores represent an important component of global biodiversity, the Order Carnivora being made up of a diversity of species that vary in all aspects of their biology. Conversely in many parts of the world, they also represent a threat to human survival and can have significant adverse effects on human livelihoods through depredation of livestock. The conservation of carnivores is  therefore, both an important undertaking, and also one with many challenges

Modeling the behavior of a homopolar motor

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on September 16, 2009).Thesis advisor: Dr. Thomas G. Engel.M.S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2008.The design, construction, and operating characteristics of a homopolar motor are described in this thesis using both physical experimentation and simulation software. This type of motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy using the Lorentz force. The torque from this force is used to propel the homopolar motor forward. The nickel-metal hydride batteries used in this study store 2500 mJ of energy. This energy is discharged by creating a short circuit between the anode and cathode of the battery using the armature, a piece of non-magnetic conductive wire. When this current moves through a magnetic field which is not parallel to the wire, a Lorentz force is induced, causing the wire to exert a force on the ground which is strong enough to propel the apparatus forward. By using various armatures and lubricants, top average speeds of 0.71 m/s were achieved. An electromechanical model of the homopolar motor is developed in PSpice. This simulation is used to predict the performance of the homopolar motor, including position and speed. Motor measured performance results and those predicted by computer simulation are compared and presented.Includes bibliographical reference

Partially sighted children: the visual processing of words and pictures.

Reading is normally by eye and by ear, but what happens if eyesight is severely\ud impaired? The hypothesis put forward in the first part of this thesis is that partially\ud sighted children adopt a predominantly nonlexical word recognition and production\ud strategy. This is likely to be because of the reading tuition they receive, which\ud emphasises individual letters and letter patterns in words in relation to pronunciation.\ud This study explores the word and picture processing abilities of a small group of\ud partially sighted children, using a series of experimental tasks.\ud Surprisingly, the analysis of oral reading errors in Study 1 revealed that the partially\ud sighted children were using the same salient graphic cues as young fully sighted\ud readers were normally found to be using.\ud Further experiments using lexical decision tasks were carried out in Study 2 to\ud investigate more closely the strategies used by partially sighted and matched fully\ud sighted children in relation to lexical and nonlexical processing. Although there was\ud clear evidence of nonlexical processing on the part of partially sighted children, there\ud were also signs of lexical processing, too. Additional evidence was provided by their\ud spellings presented in Study 3. The investigations described here suggest that the\ud compensatory reading tuition experienced by the PS children led to a dominant\ud nonlexical processing strategy, though not to the exclusion of lexical processing.\ud Impaired eyesight was not associated inevitably with poor reading and spelling levels.\ud The second hypothesis is that impaired eyesight is associated with poor visual\ud recognition and recall of pictures, because of difficulty in accurate identification and\ud slow processing. However, under the favourable conditions provided, which included\ud a relatively lengthy exposure time, this was not entirely the case. The ability of the PS\ud children to recognise pictures was remarkably good. Greater difficulty by them with the\ud recall of pictures suggested partial specification of internal representations.\ud These studies were set alongside comparable work with blind children. They contribute\ud to the very sparse literature on PS children and confirm that these children can\ud overcome severe visual handicap to present a profile of skilled accomplishment

Evidence for a resident population of cheetah in the Parque Nacional do Limpopo, Mozambique

Transboundary protected areas may be important for the conservation of large African carnivores because these species require large tracts of habitat to maintain viable population numbers and gene flow. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus Schreber, 1775), is a species that may benefit from transboundary conservation agreements. It occurs at naturally low population densities, makes use of large home ranges, and disperses over long distances, thus requiring large tracts of suitable habitat to maintain viable population numbers. Here we present the first scientific evidence of a breeding population of cheetah in Parque Nacional do Limpopo (PNL), Mozambique. We obtained data from camera-traps deployed during occupancy surveys conducted from 9 September 2011 to 31 August 2012 over a 3400 km2 study area located within the central third of PNL. These results highlight the importance of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTFP) to the overall conservation of cheetah in Africa, and the potential value of transboundary protected areas for the conservation of wide-roaming terrestrial mammals.University of Pretoria, the Wilderness Trust and CIB

Evidence for a resident population of cheetah in the Parque Nacional do Limpopo, Mozambique

Transboundary protected areas may be important for the conservation of large African carnivores because these species require large tracts of habitat to maintain viable population numbers and gene flow. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus Schreber, 1775), is a species that may benefit from transboundary conservation agreements. It occurs at naturally low population densities,makes use of largehomeranges, and disperses over long distances, thus requiring large tracts of suitable habitat to maintain viable population numbers. Here we present the first scientific evidence of a breeding population of cheetah in Parque Nacional do Limpopo (PNL), Mozambique. We obtained data from camera-traps deployed during occupancy surveys conducted from 9 September 2011 to 31 August 2012 over a 3400 km2 study area located within the central third of PNL. These results highlight the importance of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTFP) to the overall conservation of cheetah in Africa, and the potential value of transboundary protected areas for the conservation of wide-roaming terrestrial mammals.The University of Pretoria and the Wilderness Trusthttp://www.sawma.co.za/am201

High frequency sound in superfluid 3He-B

We present measurements of the absolute phase velocity of transverse and longitudinal sound in superfluid 3He-B at low temperature, extending from the imaginary squashing mode to near pair-breaking. Changes in the transverse phase velocity near pair-breaking have been explained in terms of an order parameter collective mode that arises from f-wave pairing interactions, the so-called J=4- mode. Using these measurements, we establish lower bounds on the energy gap in the B-phase. Measurement of attenuation of longitudinal sound at low temperature and energies far above the pair-breaking threshold, are in agreement with the lower bounds set on pair-breaking. Finally, we discuss our estimations for the strength of the f-wave pairing interactions and the Fermi liquid parameter, F4s.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted to J. Low Temp. Phy

Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in five different groups of individuals at different environmental and professional risk of infection

It is partially unknown whether the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection persists with time. To address this issue, we detected the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in different groups of individuals previously diagnosed with COVID-19 disease (group 1 and 2), or potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection (group 3 and 4), and in a representative group of individuals with limited environmental exposure to the virus due to lockdown restrictions (group 5). The primary outcome was specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the different groups assessed by qualitative and quantitative analysis at baseline, 3 and 6 months follow-up. The seroconversion rate at baseline test was 95% in group 1, 61% in group 2, 40% in group 3, 17% in group 4 and 3% in group 5. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed male gender, close COVID-19 contact and presence of COVID-19 related symptoms strongly associated with serological positivity. The percentage of positive individuals as assessed by the qualitative and quantitative tests was superimposable. At the quantitative test, the median level of SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels measured in positive cases retested at 6-months increased significantly from baseline. The study indicates that assessing antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 through qualitative and quantitative testing is a reliable disease surveillance tool

Defining the characteristics of certified hernia centers in Italy: The Italian society of hernia and abdominal wall surgery workgroup consensus on systematic reviews of the best available evidences

Background: The terms “Hernia Center” (HC) and Hernia Surgeon” (HS) have gained more and more popularity in recent years. Nevertheless, there is lack of protocols and methods for certification of their activities and results. The Italian Society of Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery proposes a method for different levels of certification. Methods: The national board created a commission, with the task to define principles and structure of an accreditation program. The discussion of each topic was preceded by a Systematic Review, according to PRISMA Guidelines and Methodology. In case of lack or inadequate data from literature, the parameter was fixed trough a Commission discussion. Results: The Commission defined a certification process including: “FLC - First level Certification”: restricted to single surgeon, it is given under request and proof of a formal completion of the learning curve process for the basic procedures and an adequate year volume of operations. “Second level certification”: Referral Center for Abdominal Wall Surgery. It is a public or private structure run by at least two already certified and confirmed FLC surgeons. “Third level certification”: High Specialization Center for Abdominal Wall Surgery. It is a public or private structure, already confirmed as Referral Centers, run by at least three surgeons (two certified and confirmed with FLC and one research fellow in abdominal wall surgery). Both levels of certification have to meet the Surgical Requirements and facilities criteria fixed by the Commission. Conclusion: The creation of different types of Hernia Centers is directed to create two different entities offering the same surgical quality with separate mission: the Referral Center being more dedicated to clinical and surgical activity and High Specialization Centers being more directed to scientific tasks

Protein-Energy Wasting and Mortality in Chronic Kidney Disease

Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with an increased death risk from cardiovascular diseases. However, while even minor renal dysfunction is an independent predictor of adverse cardiovascular prognosis, PEW becomes clinically manifest at an advanced stage, early before or during the dialytic stage. Mechanisms causing loss of muscle protein and fat are complex and not always associated with anorexia, but are linked to several abnormalities that stimulate protein degradation and/or decrease protein synthesis. In addition, data from experimental CKD indicate that uremia specifically blunts the regenerative potential in skeletal muscle, by acting on muscle stem cells. In this discussion recent findings regarding the mechanisms responsible for malnutrition and the increase in cardiovascular risk in CKD patients are discussed. During the course of CKD, the loss of kidney excretory and metabolic functions proceed together with the activation of pathways of endothelial damage, inflammation, acidosis, alterations in insulin signaling and anorexia which are likely to orchestrate net protein catabolism and the PEW syndrome