Snake eels (Ophichthidae) of the remote St. Peter and St. Paul’s Archipelago (Equatorial Atlantic) : Museum records after 37 years of shelf life

Despite of its major zoogeographical interest, the biological diversity of central Atlantic oceanic islands are still poorly known because of its remoteness. Incomplete species inventories are a hindrance to macroecology and conservation because knowledge on species distribution are important for identifying patterns and processes in biodiversity and for conservation planning. Records of the snake-eel family Ophichthidae for the St. Peter and St. Paul’s Archipelago, Brazil, are presented for the first time after revision of material collected and deposited in a museum collection 37 yrs ago. Specimens of Apterichtus kendalli and Herpetoichthys regius were collected using rotenone on sand bottoms and one Myrichthys sp. was observed and photographed swimming over a rocky reef. Remarkably, these species were not seen or collected in the St. Peter and St. Paul’s Archipelago ever since despite the substantial increase of biological expeditions over the past two decades, suggesting that the unjustified rotenone sampling prohibition in Brazil is hindering advancement of the nation’s biological diversity knowledge.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Interventions to Deliver Vaccination to, and Improve Vaccination Rates in, People who are Homeless

Background: In comparison to the general population, people who are homeless have poorer health and health-related outcomes, including for vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccination is safe, effective and cost-effective, and many vaccination guidelines specifically recommend vaccination in people who are homeless. This systematic review will identify interventions which are effective in delivering vaccination to, and/or at improving vaccination rates in, people who are homeless. Methods/Design: This systematic review is presented according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Searches will be undertaken on eight electronic databases, using combinations of search terms and subject headings or index terms. Citation chaining will also be undertaken. Literature will be screened for relevance against inclusion/exclusion criteria firstly by title/abstract and secondly by full text. The selected studies will be assessed for quality using an evidence-based tool appropriate to their methods. Data relevant to the topic will be extracted and examined using meta-analysis and narrative synthesis. Discussion: This systematic review will address an important gap in the literature about vaccination in people who are homeless. The review’s findings are particularly relevant considering the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which is likely to be managed through vaccination

Services and Interventions for People who are Homeless with Companion Animals (Pets)

Background: Many people who are homeless own a companion animal (a ‘pet’). Pet ownership has positive impacts on health and wellbeing. However, for people who are homeless, pet ownership also creates multiple challenges and may be a barrier to exiting homelessness. This systematic review will identify the types, and outcomes, of services and interventions to support people who are homeless with pets.  Methods/Design: This review will be conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Searches will be undertaken on five databases. Combinations of search terms and subject headings or index terms will be used. Citation chaining and citation tracking will also be undertaken. Literature will be screened for relevance in a two-step process. Each study will be quality assessed using an evidence-based tool relevant to its methods. Relevant data will be extracted and synthesised using a meta-analytic, or narrative, approach. Discussion: This review will address an identified gap in the knowledge about the types, and outcomes, of services/interventions for people who are homeless with pets. The results may increase recognition about the importance of protecting and promoting the relationship between people who are homeless and their pets, and inform future work

Assessing water quality for cropping management practices: A new approach for dissolved inorganic nitrogen discharged to the Great Barrier Reef

Applications of nitrogen (N) fertiliser to agricultural lands impact many marine and aquatic ecosystems, and improved N fertiliser management is needed to reduce these water quality impacts. Government policies need information on water quality and risk associated with improved practices to evaluate the benefits of their adoption. Policies protecting Great Barrier Reef (GBR) ecosystems are an example of this situation. We developed a simple metric for assessing the risk of N discharge from sugarcane cropping, the biggest contributor of dissolved inorganic N to the GBR. The metric, termed NiLRI, is the ratio of N fertiliser applied to crops and the cane yield achieved (i.e. kg N (t cane)−1). We defined seven classes of water quality risk using NiLRI values derived from first principles reasoning. NiLRI values calculated from (1) results of historical field experiments and (2) survey data on the management of 170,177 ha (or 53%) of commercial sugarcane cropping were compared to the classes. The NiLRI values in both the experiments and commercial crops fell into all seven classes, showing that the classes were both biophysically sensible (c.f. the experiments) and relevant to farmers’ experience. We then used machine learning to explore the association between crop management practices recorded in the surveys and associated NiLRI values. Practices that most influenced NiLRI values had little apparent direct impact on N management. They included improving fallow management and reducing tillage and compaction, practices that have been promoted for production rather than N discharge benefits. The study not only provides a metric for the change in N water quality risk resulting from adoption of improved practices, it also gives the first clear empirical evidence of the agronomic practices that could be promoted to reduce water quality risk while maintaining or improving yields of sugarcane crops grown in catchments adjacent to the GBR. Our approach has relevance to assessing the environmental risk of N fertiliser management in other countries and cropping systems

The Oombulgurri Project Clancy Committee report

In early August the Oombulgurri community requested assistance in the following terms. On behalf of the Oombulgurri Community, we invite assistance in developing the grain and pasture cropping at Oombulgurri. We have experimented with peanuts, sorghum, and many varieties of vegetables. This has tested the reality of hopes to expand acreage and varieties to become self-sufficient in stock feed. The Farm and Garden Guild now needs the expertise of your services to plan a four-year programme. vie need assistance in choosing from the many options, opinions and advices available from Australia and elsewhere, for grain production, pastures, methods appropriate to our geography, and machinery, to minimise expenditure and produce food for the stock expansion necessary to be self-sufficient in locally produced food for the town. Our concerns so far have been to start poultry, pigs, goats and horses stocking to provide useful work for everyone and food „ ually increase production and decrease imports with the appropriate use of manpower, water and other resources. We believe we can produce stock feed locally and grad- We attach our initial estimates of need which includes an estimate of projected stocking and machinery needs as well as a list of what is on hand

Liveweight prediction from hip height, condition score, fetal age and breed in tropical female cattle

Hip height, body condition, subcutaneous fat, eye muscle area, percentage Bos taurus, fetal age and diet digestibility data were collected at 17 372 assessments on 2181 Brahman and tropical composite (average 28% Brahman) female cattle aged between 0.5 and 7.5 years of age at five sites across Queensland. The study validated the subtraction of previously published estimates of gravid uterine weight to correct liveweight to the non-pregnant status. Hip height and liveweight were linearly related (Brahman: P<0.001, R-2 = 58%; tropical composite P<0.001, R-2 = 67%). Liveweight varied by 12-14% per body condition score (5-point scale) as cows differed from moderate condition (P<0.01). Parallel effects were also found due to subcutaneous rump fat depth and eye muscle area, which were highly correlated with each other and body condition score (r = 0.7-0.8). Liveweight differed from average by 1.65-1.66% per mm of rump fat depth and 0.71-0.76% per cm(2) of eye muscle area (P<0.01). Estimated dry matter digestibility of pasture consumed had no consistent effect in predicting liveweight and was therefore excluded from final models. A method developed to estimate full liveweight of post-weaning age female beef cattle from the other measures taken predicted liveweight to within 10 and 23% of that recorded for 65 and 95% of cases, respectively. For a 95% chance of predicted group average liveweight (body condition score used) being within 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1% of actual group average liveweight required 23, 36, 62, 137 and 521 females, respectively, if precision and accuracy of measurements matches that used in the research. Non-pregnant Bos taurus female cattle were calculated to be 10-40% heavier than Brahmans at the same hip height and body condition, indicating a substantial conformational difference. The liveweight prediction method was applied to a validation population of 83 unrelated groups of cattle weighed in extensive commercial situations on 119 days over 18 months (20 917 assessments). Liveweight prediction in the validation population exceeded average recorded liveweight for weigh groups by an average of 19 kg (similar to 6%) demonstrating the difficulty of achieving accurate and precise animal measurements under extensive commercial grazing conditions

Influenza Vaccination Rates, and Barriers to Influenza Vaccination, in People who are Homeless

Background: Influenza is a highly infectious virus which is endemic in most high-income countries. People experiencing homelessness are at an increased risk of contracting influenza, and often have poorer outcomes associated with hospitalisation and mortality. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all adults, and highly recommended for ‘at-risk’ groups, including people who are homeless. Despite this, the vaccination uptake within the homeless community is low. This systematic review will identify influenza vaccination rates, and barriers to influenza vaccination, in people who are homeless. &nbsp; Methods: This review will consider primary studies about influenza vaccination in people who are homeless. Searches will be undertaken on five electronic databases and managed in EndNote X9. The literature will be screened by title/abstract, then by full-text, and citation chaining will be completed. Data about the influenza vaccination rates and barriers will be extracted. Each task, primarily the screening and extraction of data, will be completed by one researcher, and checked by at least one other. &nbsp; &nbsp; Discussion: This review will identify influenza vaccination rates, and barriers to influenza vaccination, in people experiencing homelessness. This will inform vaccination delivery and funding, and may contribute to reducing the health disparities in this at-risk, hard-to-reach population.&nbsp

Prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus in beef bulls slaughtered at two abattoirs in northern Australia

Bovine trichomoniasis, caused by the protozoal parasite Tritrichomonas foetus, is a highly contagious venereal disease characterised by early pregnancy loss, abortion and pyometra. Persistently infected bulls and cows are the primary reservoirs of infection in infected herds. This research investigated the prevalence of T. foetus infection in bulls from properties located across northern Australia and New South Wales. Preputial samples were collected from 606 bulls at slaughter and tested for T. foetus using the VetMAX-Gold Trich Detection Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific). The apparent prevalence of T. foetus infection varied between regions, with northern regions in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia showing a prevalence of 15.4%, 13.8% and 11.4%, respectively. There was some evidence of an association between infection and postcode (P = 0.06) and increasing bull age (P = 0.054). This study confirms that T. foetus infection is likely to be present in many beef breeding herds and contributing to lower than expected reproductive performance, particularly across northern Australia