Prey specialization and morphological conformation of wolves associated with woodland caribou and moose

Morphological analysis of wolves associated with woodland caribou in late succession boreal coniferous forests north of the commercial cut line and those associated with moose in early succession boreal deciduous forests south of the commercial cut line were studied in Ontario. Socalled “moose-wolves” could readily be distinguished from “caribouwolves” in both genders using a few morphological measurements. Wolves associated with woodland caribou were significantly smaller in most measurements, and increased in size within seven years post-harvest as moose totally replaced caribou in the ecosystem. Whether this change in wolf morphology is related to micro-evolutionary change, the migration of larger “moose-wolves” into the area, or both, remains unclear

Range size and seasonal movement for female woodland caribou in the boreal forest of northeastern Ontario

A preliminary examination was conducted of range size and distribution of female woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in northeastern Ontario. Annual and seasonal ranges were calculated using satellite telemetry data collected for 30 female caribou between 1998 and 2001. The mean annual home range size of collared females was 4026 km2. Seasonal ranges varied in size depending on time of year (P<0.05). Calving and summer ranges were significantly smaller than autumn and late winter ranges. Early winter ranges were significantly larger than calving ranges and smaller than late winter ranges. Overall, range sizes of female woodland caribou in northeastern Ontario were larger than those reported for caribou in other Boreal Forest regions across Canada

Female site fidelity of the Mealy Mountain caribou herd (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Labrador

The Mealy Mountain caribou population of southeastern Labrador is listed as threatened. Site fidelity - the philopatric tendency of an animal to remain in or return to the same site - has often been suspected in sedentary caribou like the Mealy Mountain, but rarely has been examined. Philopatric behaviours are important because fidelity sites may then receive priority protection from human disturbance. To describe and document site fidelity for the Mealy Mountain herd, satellite telemetry data from 12 collared adult females during three years was examined. The mean distance between locations in consecutive years of tracking the individual caribou was calculated and an annual profile of site fidelity generated. This profile illustrated that the lowest inter-year distances occurred during calving, when caribou returned to within 39 km (2005-06) and 11.5 km (2006-07) of the previous year's location, and during post-calving, when the mean distance was 7.7 km (2005-06). Spring snow depths were substantially greater in 2007 and appeared to weaken calving site fidelity. This spatial information may serve as a basis for detecting anthropogenic effects on woodland caribou

Relationships between carcass characteristics, meat quality, age and sex of free-ranging Alaskan reindeer: a pilot study

Twenty-four reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) carcasses from male and female animals that ranged in age from calves to adults were purchased from Bering Sea Reindeer Products (BSRP), Nunivak Island, Alaska, USA. Preslaughter and abattoir procedures were observed and evaluated. Carcasses were split in half, weighed, and broke into wholesale primal cuts of chuck, rib, loin, and hindquarter. Each primal cut was weighed, boxed, and frozen. Each half carcass of primal cuts was later dissected into lean tissue, bone, and the three compartments of fat: subcutaneous, intermuscular, and peritoneal. A portion of the loin was collected from each animal in order to obtain data on pH and shear force. Sensory panel analysis was performed on loin steaks. Due to management and environmental effects, pH values were high and the meat was dark in colour. Carcasses from adult male reindeer contained significantly lower levels of fat than carcasses of adult females. Data indicated that yearling reindeer are of greatest economic value for meat production

Vegetation characteristics of forest stands used by woodland caribou and those disturbed by fire or logging in Manitoba

This study examined woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in an area known as the Kississing-Naosap caribou range in west central Manitoba. The vegetation characteristics of areas used by caribou and areas disturbed by fire or logging were measured in order to develop a model to estimate habitat quality from parameters collected during stan¬dard resource inventories. There was evidence that habitat index values calculated using a visual score-sheet index could be used as the basis to relate parameters commonly collected during resource inventories to habitat suitability. Use of this model to select long and short-term leave areas during forest management planning could potentially mitigate some of the negative impacts of forest harvesting. Abundance of arboreal lichen and wind-fallen trees were important predictor variables in the suitability model, but their inclusion did not explain more variance in habitat suitability than models that did not include them. Extreme post-fire deadfall abundance may play a role in predator-prey dynamics by creating habitat that is equally unsuitable for all ungulates, and thus keeping both moose and caribou densities low

Estimation of arboreal lichen biomass available to woodland caribou in Hudson Bay lowland black spruce sites

An arboreal lichen index to be utilized in assessing woodland caribou habitat throughout northeastern Ontario was developed. The "index" was comprised of 5 classes, which differentiated arboreal lichen biomass on black spruce trees, ranging from maximal quantities of arboreal lichen (class 5) to minimal amounts of arboreal lichen (class 1). This arboreal lichen index was subsequently used to estimate the biomass of arboreal lichen available to woodland caribou on lowland black spruce sites ranging in age from 1 year to 150 years post-harvest. A total of 39 sites were assessed and significant differences in arboreal lichen biomass were found, with a positive linear relationship between arboreal lichen biomass and forest age. It is proposed that the index be utilized by government and industry as a means of assessing the suitability of lowland black spruce habitat for woodland caribou in this region

Impact of Pre-Exposure History and Host Genetics on Antibody Avidity Following Norovirus Vaccination

Background: Development of high avidity, broadly neutralizing antibodies (Abs) is a priority after vaccination against rapidly evolving, widely disseminated viruses like human norovirus. After vaccination with a multivalent GI.1 and GII.4c norovirus virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate adjuvanted with alum and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), blockade Ab titers peaked early, with no increase in titer following a second vaccine dose. Methods: Blockade Ab relative avidity was evaluated by measuring the slope of blockade Ab neutralization curves. Results: Blockade Ab avidity to the GI.1 vaccine component peaked at day 35 (7 days after dose 2). Avidities to heterotypic genogroup I VLPs were not sustained at day 35 after vaccination or GI.1 infection, as measured from archived sera. Only secretor-positive participants maintained high avidity blockade Ab to GI.1 at day 180. Avidity to the GII.4c vaccine component peaked at day 7, remained elevated through day 180, and was not secretor dependent. Avidity to an immunologically novel GII.4 strain VLP correlated with preexisting Ab titer to an ancestral strain Epitope A. Conclusions: Host genetics and pre-exposure history shape norovirus vaccine Ab responses, including blockade Ab avidity. Avidity of potentially neutralizing Ab may be an important metric for evaluating vaccine responses to highly penetrant viruses with cross-reactive serotypes

Роль страдающей депрессией матери в развитии личности ребенка

С позиций психодинамического подхода показана роль страдающей депрессией матери в формировании личности ребенка на первых этапах его постнатального развития и ее влияние на его психическое здоровье в дальнейшем.The role of the mother with depression in development of the child's personality at the first stages of the postnatal period as well as its influence on his/her mental state in future are shown from the perspective of a psychodynamic approach

Воспитание толерантности в процессе преподавания гуманитарных дисциплин

Objective: To assess whether patient characteristics add to the fetal fibronectin test and cervical length measurement in the prediction of preterm delivery in symptomatic women. Study design: A nationwide prospective cohort study was conducted in all ten perinatal centres in the Netherlands. Women with symptoms of preterm labour between 24 and 34 weeks gestation with intact membranes were invited. In all women qualitative fibronectin testing (0.050 tig/mL cut-off) and cervical length measurement were performed. Only singleton pregnancies were included in this analysis. Logistic regression was used to construct two multivariable models to predict spontaneously delivery within 7 days: a model including cervical length and fetal fibronectin as predictors, and an extended model including all potential predictors. The models were internally validated using bootstrapping techniques. Predictive performances were assessed as the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration plots. We compared the models' capability to identify women with a low risk to deliver within 7 days. A risk less than 5%, corresponding to the risk for women with a cervical length of at least 25 mm, was considered as low risk. Results: Seventy-three of 600 included women (12%) had delivered spontaneously within 7 days. The extended model included maternal age, parity, previous preterm delivery, vaginal bleeding, C-reactive protein, cervical length, dilatation and fibronectin status. Both models had high discriminative performances (AUC of 0.92 (95% CI 0.88-0.95) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.92-0.97) respectively). Compared to the model with fibronectin and cervical length, our extended model reclassified 38 women (6%) from low risk to high risk and 21 women (4%) from high risk to low risk. Preterm delivery within 7 days occurred once in both the reclassification groups. Conclusion: In women with symptoms of preterm labour before 34 weeks gestation, a model that integrates maternal characteristics, clinical signs and laboratory tests, did not predict delivery within 7 days better than a model with only fibronectin and cervical length. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Factors affecting glomerular filtration rate, as measured by iohexol disappearance, in men with or at risk for HIV infection

Objective: Formulae used to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) underestimate higher GFRs and have not been well-studied in HIV-infected (HIV(+)) people; we evaluated the relationships of HIV infection and known or potential risk factors for kidney disease with directly measured GFR and the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Design: Cross-sectional measurement of iohexol-based GFR (iGFR) in HIV(+) men (n = 455) receiving antiretroviral therapy, and HIV-uninfected (HIV(-)) men (n = 258) in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Methods: iGFR was calculated from disappearance of infused iohexol from plasma. Determinants of GFR and the presence of CKD were compared using iGFR and GFR estimated by the CKD-Epi equation (eGFR). Results: Median iGFR was higher among HIV(+) than HIV(-) men (109 vs. 106 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively, p = .046), and was 7 ml/min higher than median eGFR. Mean iGFR was lower in men who were older, had chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, or had a history of AIDS. Low iGFR (≤90 ml/min/1.73 m2) was associated with these factors and with black race. Other than age, factors associated with low iGFR were not observed with low eGFR. CKD was more common in HIV(+) than HIV(-) men; predictors of CKD were similar using iGFR and eGFR. Conclusions: iGFR was higher than eGFR in this population of HIV-infected and -uninfected men who have sex with men. Presence of CKD was predicted equally well by iGFR and eGFR, but associations of chronic HCV infection and history of clinically-defined AIDS with mildly decreased GFR were seen only with iGFR. © 2014 Margolick et al