Monitoring wolf populations using howling points combined with sign survey transects

Wolves respond to simulated howling, especially during the mating and breeding seasons. Simulated howling points are, therefore, commonly used by many wolf researchers around the world to estimate pack numbers in a given area. A large amount of information is available on various pack breeding areas in Asturias, the only region in north-western Spain where the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus, Cabrera 1907) is not classed as a game species. Wolf research began there in the early 1980s. We present the results of the latest study on population status, conducted between July and November, 2001. Using sampling transects to detect wolf scat and scratch marks and designated howling and observation points, twenty one (21) wolf packs were definitely located, with two others considered “likely”. Nineteen (19) packs were detected using howling points (n=314). The results of this study show that simulated howling points and sampling transects are reliable and inexpensive way of detecting wolf packs

RELATING WOLF SCAT CONTENT TO PREY CONSUMED

In 9 trials, captive wolves (Canis lupus) were fed prey varying in size from snowshoe (Lepus americanus) to adult deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and the resulting scats were counted. collectible scats were distinguished from liquid, noncollectible stools. In collectible scats, the small prey occurred in greater proportion relative to the prey\u27s weight, and in lesser proportion to the prey\u27s numbers, than did the remains of larger prey. A regression equation with an excellent the data (r2 = 0.97) was derived to estimate the weight of prey eaten per collectible scat for With this information and average prey weights, the relative numbers of different prey eaten calculated

Altered sensory neuron development in CMT2D mice is site-specific and linked to increased GlyRS levels

Dominant, missense mutations in the widely and constitutively expressed GARS1 gene cause a peripheral neuropathy that usually begins in adolescence and principally impacts the upper limbs. Caused by a toxic gain-of-function in the encoded glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) enzyme, the neuropathology appears to be independent of the canonical role of GlyRS in aminoacylation. Patients display progressive, life-long weakness and wasting of muscles in hands followed by feet, with frequently associated deficits in sensation. When dysfunction is observed in motor and sensory nerves, there is a diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2D (CMT2D), or distal hereditary motor neuropathy type V if the symptoms are purely motor. The cause of this varied sensory involvement remains unresolved, as are the pathomechanisms underlying the selective neurodegeneration characteristic of the disease. We have previously identified in CMT2D mice that neuropathy-causing Gars mutations perturb sensory neuron fate and permit mutant GlyRS to aberrantly interact with neurotrophin receptors (Trks). Here, we extend this work by interrogating further the anatomy and function of the CMT2D sensory nervous system in mutant Gars mice, obtaining several key results: 1) sensory pathology is restricted to neurons innervating the hindlimbs; 2) perturbation of sensory development is not common to all mouse models of neuromuscular disease; 3) in vitro axonal transport of signalling endosomes is not impaired in afferent neurons of all CMT2D mouse models; and 4) Gars expression is selectively elevated in a subset of sensory neurons and linked to sensory developmental defects. These findings highlight the importance of comparative neurological assessment in mouse models of disease and shed light on key proposed neuropathogenic mechanisms in GARS1-linked neuropathy

Image sequence analysis for emerging interactive multimedia services - The European COST 211 framework

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Flexibility and efficiency of coding, content extraction, and content-based search are key research topics in the field of interactive multimedia. Ongoing ISO MPEG-4 and MPEG-7 activities are targeting standardization to facilitate such services. European COST Telecommunications activities provide a framework for research collaboration. COST 211bis and COST 211ter activities have been instrumental in the definition and development of the ITU-T H.261 and H.263 standards for videoconferencing over ISDN and videophony over regular phone lines, respectively. The group has also contributed significantly to the ISO MPEG-4 activities. At present a significant effort of the COST 211ter group activities is dedicated toward image and video sequence analysis and segmentation—an important technological aspect for the success of emerging object-based MPEG-4 and MPEG-7 multimedia applications. The current work of COST 211 is centered around the test model, called the Analysis Model (AM). The essential feature of the AM is its ability to fuse information from different sources to achieve a high-quality object segmentation. The current information sources are the intermediate results from frame-based (still) color segmentation, motion vector based segmentation, and changedetection-based segmentation. Motion vectors, which form the basis for the motion vector based intermediate segmentation, are estimated from consecutive frames. A recursive shortest spanning tree (RSST) algorithm is used to obtain intermediate color and motion vector based segmentation results. A rule-based region processor fuses the intermediate results; a postprocessor further refines the final segmentation output. The results of the current AM are satisfactory; it is expected that there will be further improvements of the AM within the COST 211 project

Water Use and Dairy Production System: An Indian Experience

Increasing water scarcity and simultaneously growing demands for food and feed challenge agricultural production. Globally livestock feed sourcing is one of the major causes for water depletion; therefore, increasing livestock water use efficiency (LWUE) is necessary. There is a need to synthesise LWUE knowledge generated across different forage based livestock production systems (FLPS) over time and systematically identify entry points to enhance productive uses of freshwater resources. Although these systems vary by their degree of intensification, scale of water-related problems, and therefore in their values of LWUE, a number of common entry points to increase LWUE can be identified. To understand the pattern of livestock water use and social dynamics involved in water use and milk production, around 240 small and medium dairy farms in Karnataka, India, were used for the present study. Direct and indirect consumptive uses of water by animals considered were water used for drinking, water inputs through green and dry fodder, consumptive water usage for on-farm servicing and crop irrigation and water inputs through all upstream inputs such as medicines, vaccines and others. Water use efficiency (WUE) for production of milk alone is operationally defined in this study

Automated Image Analysis of the Host-Pathogen Interaction between Phagocytes and Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is a ubiquitous airborne fungus and opportunistic human pathogen. In immunocompromised hosts, the fungus can cause life-threatening diseases like invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Since the incidence of fungal systemic infections drastically increased over the last years, it is a major goal to investigate the pathobiology of A. fumigatus and in particular the interactions of A. fumigatus conidia with immune cells. Many of these studies include the activity of immune effector cells, in particular of macrophages, when they are confronted with conidia of A. fumigus wild-type and mutant strains. Here, we report the development of an automated analysis of confocal laser scanning microscopy images from macrophages coincubated with different A. fumigatus strains. At present, microscopy images are often analysed manually, including cell counting and determination of interrelations between cells, which is very time consuming and error-prone. Automation of this process overcomes these disadvantages and standardises the analysis, which is a prerequisite for further systems biological studies including mathematical modeling of the infection process. For this purpose, the cells in our experimental setup were differentially stained and monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy. To perform the image analysis in an automatic fashion, we developed a ruleset that is generally applicable to phagocytosis assays and in the present case was processed by the software Definiens Developer XD. As a result of a complete image analysis we obtained features such as size, shape, number of cells and cell-cell contacts. The analysis reported here, reveals that different mutants of A. fumigatus have a major influence on the ability of macrophages to adhere and to phagocytose the respective conidia. In particular, we observe that the phagocytosis ratio and the aggregation behaviour of pksP mutant compared to wild-type conidia are both significantly increased

Sexually dimorphic aggression indicates male gray wolves specialize in pack defense against conspecific groups

Aggression directed at conspecific groups is common among gregarious, territorial species, and for some species such as gray wolves (Canis lupus) intraspecific strife is the leading cause of natural mortality. Each individual in a group likely has different measures of the costs and benefits associated with a group task, such as an aggressive attack on another group, which can alter motivation and behavior. We observed 292 inter-pack aggressive interactions in Yellowstone National Park between 1 April 1995 and 1 April 2011 (\u3e5300 days of observation) in order to determine the role of both sexes, and the influence of pack, age, and other traits on aggression. We recorded the behaviors and characteristics of all individuals present during the interactions (n = 534 individuals) and which individuals participated in each step (i.e. chase, attack, kill, flight) of the interaction. Overall, all wolves were more likely to chase rivals if they outnumbered their opponent, suggesting packs accurately assess their opponent’s size during encounters and individuals adjust their behavior based on relative pack size. Males were more likely than females to chase rival packs and gray-colored wolves were more aggressive than black-colored wolves. Male wolves and gray-colored wolves also recorded higher cortisol levels than females and black-colored wolves, indicating hormonal support for more intense aggressive behavior. Further, we found a positive correlation between male age and probability of chasing, while age-specific participation for females remained constant. Chasing behavior was influenced by the sex of lone intruders, with males more likely to chase male intruders. This difference in behavior suggests male and female wolves may have different strategies and motivations during inter-pack aggressive interactions related to gray wolf mating systems. A division of labor between pack members concerning resource and territory defense suggests selection for specific traits related to aggression is an adaptive response to intense competition between groups of conspecifics

Group composition effects on aggressive interpack interactions of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park

Knowledge of characteristics that promote group success during intraspecific encounters is key to understanding the adaptive advantages of sociality for many group-living species. In addition, some individuals in a group may be more likely than others to influence intergroup conflicts, a relatively neglected idea in research on social animals. Here we use observations of aggressive interactions between wolf (Canis lupus) packs over an extended period and use pack characteristics to determine which groups had an advantage over their opponents. During 16 years of observation in Yellowstone National Park from 1995 to 2010, we documented 121 interpack aggressive interactions. We recorded pack sizes, compositions, and spatial orientation related to residency to determine their effects on the outcomes of interactions between packs. Relative pack size (RPS) improved the odds of a pack displacing its opponent. However, pack composition moderated the effect of RPS as packs with relatively more old members (\u3e6.0 years old) or adult males had higher odds of winning despite a numerical disadvantage. The location of the interaction with respect to pack territories had no effect on the outcome of interpack interactions. Although the importance of RPS in successful territorial defense suggests the evolution and maintenance of group living may be at least partly due to larger packs’ success during interpack interactions, group composition is also an important factor, highlighting that some individuals are more valuable than others during interpack conflicts

Mountain lions prey selectively on prion-infected mule deer

The possibility that predators choose prey selectively based on age or condition has been suggested but rarely tested. We examined whether mountain lions (Puma concolor) selectively prey upon mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) infected with chronic wasting disease, a prion disease. We located kill sites of mountain lions in the northern Front Range of Colorado, USA, and compared disease prevalence among lion-killed adult (≥2 years old) deer with prevalence among sympatric deer taken by hunters in the vicinity of kill sites. Hunter-killed female deer were less likely to be infected than males (odds ratios (OR) = 0.2, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.1–0.6; p = 0.015). However, both female (OR = 8.5, 95% CI = 2.3–30.9) and male deer (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1–10) killed by a mountain lion were more likely to be infected than same-sex deer killed in the vicinity by a hunter (p < 0.001), suggesting that mountain lions in this area actively selected prion-infected individuals when targeting adult mule deer as prey items