26 research outputs found
Dynamical electron transport through a nanoelectromechanical wire in a magnetic field
We investigate dynamical transport properties of interacting electrons moving
in a vibrating nanoelectromechanical wire in a magnetic field. We have built an
exactly solvable model in which electric current and mechanical oscillation are
treated fully quantum mechanically on an equal footing. Quantum mechanically
fluctuating Aharonov-Bohm phases obtained by the electrons cause nontrivial
contribution to mechanical vibration and electrical conduction of the wire. We
demonstrate our theory by calculating the admittance of the wire which are
influenced by the multiple interplay between the mechanical and the electrical
energy scales, magnetic field strength, and the electron-electron interaction
Development of an item scale to assess attitudes towards domestic dogs in the United Republic of Tanzania
Domestic dogs are important sources of rabies exposure for humans in the developing world. Control of the disease in endemic areas relies on the vaccination of owned dogs, and thus owners' attitudes and behavior towards household dogs may be of relevance to rabies control programs. However, none of the instruments used to evaluate attitudes towards companion animals have been validated for use in developing countries. In this paper, we present the development of an item scale to measure attitudes towards owned dogs in Tanzania. We assess the scale's reliability and validity, and conduct a preliminary analysis of factors affecting respondents' attitudes. Twelve 5-point Likert scale items were selected from an item pool during the pilot phase. Following administration of these items to 824 dog owners across 12 study sites in Tanzania, two subscales were derived, representing the acceptance of dogs as equals and physical interactions with household dogs. Both subscales showed acceptable levels of reliability and concurrent validity, although the latter estimates were found to be influenced by interviewer identity. Male respondents had significantly higher scores on both subscales than females, and Muslim respondents showed more positive attitudes towards dogs as equals than did Christians. Among those respondents who were also the heads of their households, those whose dogs were vaccinated against rabies had a more positive attitude towards dogs as equals. It is hoped that the derived item scale will serve as a basis to further understanding of the motivational considerations of attitudes towards dogs in developing countries, and how these may influence aspects of dog ownership, welfare, and disease control
Dogs, disease, and wildlife
No abstract available
Coxiella burnetii in humans, domestic ruminants, and ticks in rural Western Kenya
We conducted serological surveys for Coxiella burnetii in archived sera from patients that visited a rural clinic in western Kenya from 2007 to 2008 and in cattle, sheep, and goats from the same area in 2009. We also conducted serological and polymerase chain reaction-based surveillance for the pathogen in 2009â2010, in human patients with acute lower respiratory illness, in ruminants following parturition, and in ticks collected from ruminants and domestic dogs. Antibodies against C. burnetii were detected in 30.9% (N = 246) of archived patient sera and in 28.3% (N = 463) of cattle, 32.0% (N = 378) of goats, and 18.2% (N = 159) of sheep surveyed. Four of 135 (3%) patients with acute lower respiratory illness showed seroconversion to C. burnetii. The pathogen was detected by polymerase chain reaction in specimens collected from three of six small ruminants that gave birth within the preceding 24 hours, and in five of 10 pools (50%) of Haemaphysalis leachi ticks collected from domestic dogs
Interactions between domestic and wild carnivores around the greater Serengeti ecosystem
The domestic and wild carnivore interface is complex, yet understudied. Interactions between carnivore species have important implications for direct interference competition, crossâspecies transmission of shared pathogens and conservation threats to wild carnivores. However, carnivore intraguild interactions are hard to quantify. In this study, we asked 512 villagers residing around a conservation area in the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania, to report on the presence of wild carnivores in their village, the number of domestic dogs Canis familiaris and cats Felis catus in their household and interactions between domestic and wild carnivores. Wild carnivores are abundant near households surrounding the Serengeti National Park, villagers have many freeâranging domestic dogs (and would like to have more) and direct and indirect contacts between wild and domestic carnivores are common. Large carnivores, such as spotted hyenas and leopards, often killed or wounded domestic dogs. Small carnivores, such as mongoose, batâeared fox, serval and wildcat, are locally abundant and frequently interact with domestic dogs. We demonstrate that interspecific carnivore behavior, human culture and local and regional geography play a complex role in domestic and wild carnivore interaction risk around conservation areas. Through the use of household surveys, we were able to efficiently obtain data on a wide scope of carnivore interactions over a large area, which may provide a direction for future targeted and inâdepth research to reduce interspecific conflict. Improving the health and husbandry of domestic animals and reducing the unintentional feeding of wild carnivores could reduce dogâwildlife interactions and the potential for pathogen transmission at the domesticâwild animal interface