Influence of Cattle Stocking Rate on Browsing of Norway Spruce in Subalpine Wood Pastures

In the Swiss Alps, 15% of Swiss mountain forests are grazed during summer, mainly by cattle. The forest laws of various Swiss cantons characterise forest grazing as a detrimental form of land use and stipulate that this grazing practice should be restricted. However, little is known about tree damage actually caused by cattle. Seven subalpine ranges in the Swiss Canton Grisons, grazed by cattle at different stocking rates, were investigated. The condition of naturally regenerated young trees (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) was assessed before and after the cattle grazing period. In order to characterise the influence of wild ungulates on the young trees during winter, the assessment of tree condition was repeated in the proximate spring. In total, 4% of the young trees were browsed on the apical shoot, 10% were browsed on lateral shoots, 13% of the trees showed other damage. The variation among ranges could almost completely be explained by the cattle stocking rate (livestock units per hectare). During winter, wild ungulates browsed 3 times as many young trees as the cattle during summer. The results suggest that cattle stocking rates on subalpine wood pastures should not exceed one livestock unit per hectare in order to avoid intensive browsing and other damage by cattle on young Norway spruce

Community Advanced Data and Research Analysis: A Mixed Methods Capstone Project

The Community Advanced Data and Research Analysis project, or CADRA, is project that houses an interdisciplinary research team located at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The vision of CADRA, as defined by its stakeholders, is to create positive community outcomes by encouraging and engaging nonprofit organizations, as well as student and professional researchers, to develop and evolve their data management practices. CADRA offers three program options including Nonprofit Audits, Program Development and Grant Writing, and Community Data Mining. The purpose of this program evaluation will be to evaluate the Community Advanced Data and Research Analysis (CADRA) Project, with a specific assessment of their access and obtainability to data in the Las Vegas community

Pruritus is a common feature in sheep infected with the BSE agent.

BACKGROUND: The variability in the clinical or pathological presentation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in sheep, such as scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been attributed to prion protein genotype, strain, breed, clinical duration, dose, route and type of inoculum and the age at infection. The study aimed to describe the clinical signs in sheep infected with the BSE agent throughout its clinical course to determine whether the clinical signs were as variable as described for classical scrapie in sheep. The clinical signs were compared to BSE-negative sheep to assess if disease-specific clinical markers exist. RESULTS: Forty-seven (34%) of 139 sheep, which comprised 123 challenged sheep and 16 undosed controls, were positive for BSE. Affected sheep belonged to five different breeds and three different genotypes (ARQ/ARQ, VRQ/VRQ and AHQ/AHQ). None of the controls or BSE exposed sheep with ARR alleles were positive. Pruritus was present in 41 (87%) BSE positive sheep; the remaining six were judged to be pre-clinically infected. Testing of the response to scratching along the dorsum of a sheep proved to be a good indicator of clinical disease with a test sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 98% and usually coincided with weight loss. Clinical signs that were displayed significantly earlier in BSE positive cases compared to negative cases were behavioural changes, pruritic behaviour, a positive scratch test, alopecia, skin lesions, teeth grinding, tremor, ataxia, loss of weight and loss of body condition. The frequency and severity of each specific clinical sign usually increased with the progression of disease over a period of 16-20 weeks. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that BSE in sheep presents with relatively uniform clinical signs, with pruritus of increased severity and abnormalities in behaviour or movement as the disease progressed. Based on the studied sheep, these clinical features appear to be independent of breed, affected genotype, dose, route of inoculation and whether BSE was passed into sheep from cattle or from other sheep, suggesting that the clinical phenotype of BSE is influenced by the TSE strain more than by other factors. The clinical phenotype of BSE in the genotypes and breed studied was indistinguishable from that described for classical scrapie cases

NACHHALTIGER ANBAU VON BIOENERGIE – EINE ÖKONOMISCH-ÖKOLOGISCHE ANALYSE FÜR DAS UMWELTMINISTERIUM IN BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG

Agrarumweltpolitik, Naturschutz, Bioenergie, ökonomisch-ökologische Analyse, Regionalmodell, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

High prevalence of scrapie in a dairy goat herd: tissue distribution of disease-associated PrP and effect of PRNP genotype and age

Following a severe outbreak of clinical scrapie in 2006–2007, a large dairy goat herd was culled and 200 animals were selected for post-mortem examinations in order to ascertain the prevalence of infection, the effect of age, breed and PRNP genotype on the susceptibility to scrapie, the tissue distribution of diseaseassociated PrP (PrP$^{\rm d}$), and the comparative efficiency of different diagnostic methods. As determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations with Bar224 PrP antibody, the prevalence of preclinical infection was very high (72/200; 36.0%), with most infected animals being positive for PrP$^{\rm d}$ in lymphoreticular system (LRS) tissues (68/72; 94.4%) compared to those that were positive in brain samples (38/72; 52.8%). The retropharyngeal lymph node and the palatine tonsil showed the highest frequency of PrP$^{\rm d}$ accumulation (87.3% and 84.5%, respectively), while the recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) was positive in only 30 (41.7%) of the infected goats. However, the efficiency of rectal and palatine tonsil biopsies taken shortly before necropsy was similar. The probability of brain and RAMALT being positive directly correlated with the spread of PrP$^{\rm d}$ within the LRS. The prevalence of infection was influenced by PRNP genetics at codon 142 and by the age of the goats: methionine carriers older than 60 months showed a much lower prevalence of infection (12/78; 15.4%) than those younger than 60 months (20/42; 47.6%); these last showed prevalence values similar to isoleucine homozygotes of any age (40/80; 50.0%). Two of seven goats with definite signs of scrapie were negative for PrP$^{\rm d}$ in brain but positive in LRS tissues, and one goat showed biochemical and IHC features of PrP$^{\rm d}$ different from all other infected goats. The results of this study have implications for surveillance and control policies for scrapie in goats

Discharges of past flood events based on historical river profiles

International audienceThis paper presents a case study to estimate peak discharges of extreme flood events of Neckar River in south-western Germany during the 19th century. It was carried out within the BMBF research project RIMAX (Risk Management of Extreme Flood Events). The discharge estimations were made for the flood events of 1824 and 1882 based on historical cross profiles. The 1-D model Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) was applied with different roughness coefficients. The results are compared (i) with contemporary historical calculations and (ii) in the case of a flood event in 1824 with the discharge simulation by the water balance model LARSIM (Large Area Runoff Simulation Model). These calculations are matched by the HEC-RAS simulation based on the standard roughness coefficients

Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for scrapie transmission

Classical scrapie is an environmentally transmissible prion disease of sheep and goats. Prions can persist and remain potentially infectious in the environment for many years and thus pose a risk of infecting animals after re-stocking. In vitro studies using serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) have suggested that objects on a scrapie- affected sheep farm could contribute to disease transmission. This in vivo study aimed to determine the role of field furniture (water troughs, feeding troughs, fencing, and other objects that sheep may rub against) used by a scrapie-infected sheep flock as a vector for disease transmission to scrapie-free lambs with the prion protein genotype VRQ/VRQ, which is associated with high susceptibility to classical scrapie. When the field furniture was placed in clean accommodation, sheep became infected when exposed to either a water trough (four out of five) or to objects used for rubbing (four out of seven). This field furniture had been used by the scrapie-infected flock 8 weeks earlier and had previously been shown to harbor scrapie prions by sPMCA. Sheep also became infected (20 out of 23) through exposure to contaminated field furniture placed within pasture not used by scrapie-infected sheep for 40 months, even though swabs from this furniture tested negative by PMCA. This infection rate decreased (1 out of 12) on the same paddock after replacement with clean field furniture. Twelve grazing sheep exposed to field furniture not in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for 18 months remained scrapie free. The findings of this study highlight the role of field furniture used by scrapie-infected sheep to act as a reservoir for disease re-introduction although infectivity declines considerably if the field furniture has not been in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for several months. PMCA may not be as sensitive as VRQ/VRQ sheep to test for environmental contamination

Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for scrapie transmission

Classical scrapie is an environmentally transmissible prion disease of sheep and goats. Prions can persist and remain potentially infectious in the environment for many years and thus pose a risk of infecting animals after re-stocking. In vitro studies using serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) have suggested that objects on a scrapie- affected sheep farm could contribute to disease transmission. This in vivo study aimed to determine the role of field furniture (water troughs, feeding troughs, fencing, and other objects that sheep may rub against) used by a scrapie-infected sheep flock as a vector for disease transmission to scrapie-free lambs with the prion protein genotype VRQ/VRQ, which is associated with high susceptibility to classical scrapie. When the field furniture was placed in clean accommodation, sheep became infected when exposed to either a water trough (four out of five) or to objects used for rubbing (four out of seven). This field furniture had been used by the scrapie-infected flock 8 weeks earlier and had previously been shown to harbor scrapie prions by sPMCA. Sheep also became infected (20 out of 23) through exposure to contaminated field furniture placed within pasture not used by scrapie-infected sheep for 40 months, even though swabs from this furniture tested negative by PMCA. This infection rate decreased (1 out of 12) on the same paddock after replacement with clean field furniture. Twelve grazing sheep exposed to field furniture not in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for 18 months remained scrapie free. The findings of this study highlight the role of field furniture used by scrapie-infected sheep to act as a reservoir for disease re-introduction although infectivity declines considerably if the field furniture has not been in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for several months. PMCA may not be as sensitive as VRQ/VRQ sheep to test for environmental contamination

Using the concrete-representational-abstract teaching sequence to increase algebra problem-solving skills

Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of using direct instruction, learning strategy instruction and the concrete-representational-abstract teaching sequence for teaching a variety of basic math skills, but little research has been conducted related to their effectiveness for teaching more complex skills such as algebra. This study investigated the effects of teaching secondary school students with and without mild disabilities a strategy for solving algebra equations and word problems using the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) teaching sequence. There were 169 secondary students who participated in this study. Of the 169 participants, 79 were male and 90 were female, they ranged in age from 11 to 19, and 61 had mild disabilities (i.e., learning disabilities and emotional disturbances). Students in the treatment group participated in 11 algebra lessons using the CRA teaching sequence. Students in the control group participated in 11 algebra lessons using traditional textbook-based instruction. Both groups of students received the same practice problems during their respective lessons. Student scores were compared across Teacher-Made Pretests, Posttests, and Maintenance tests. All students increased their ability to solve the algebra problems. The CPA approach and the traditional teaching method were equally effective. The results from, this research show that both general education and special education students can learn to solve algebra problems

Defining Twin Cities Wicca: The Emergence of Wicca as a Polyaffiliated Pagan Movement

An exploration of the literature associated Wicca and Paganism. Bibliographies and narratives are studied to determine the most influential authors and practitioners in the Wiccan and Pagan tradition. The history of Wicca from England to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the focus of this study, is outlined. Building on Murphy Pizza’s ethnographical research of Wicca in Paganistan (the Twin Cities), I confirmed Pizza’s hypothesis of Paganistan Wiccans polyaffiliating with a variety of Pagan traditions. Eight factors contributing to the erosion of Gardnerian Wicca are introduced, and recent trends of Wiccans polyaffiliating are detailed. Rodney Stark’s theoretical model for predicting the future success or failure of a new religious movement is utilized to forecast Wicca and Paganism in the Twin Cities. Challenges for Christians evangelizing Wiccans and Pagans are discussed, and nine perspectives are offered for Christians seeking to engage Wiccans and Pagans with the gospel. Avenues for further research into Wicca and Paganism are suggested