One rule does not fit it all: patterns and drivers of stakeholders perspectives of the endangered Iberian wolf

Public attitudes are vital for the successful implementation of management strategies and conservation programs. However, contradictory interests among different stakeholders can create important setbacks, creating barriers to achieve conservation goals. The endangered Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) occupies now only 20 % of its historical distribution area, in Portugal, and its reduction was mostly due to direct human persecution. Here, we assessed locals’ attitudes towards the Iberian wolf in northeast Portugal, in a region where humans and wolves coexist for centuries. A total of 323 questionnaires from three different interest groups (general public, livestock owners and hunters) were analysed. We tested the differences in attitude and fear level patterns between the different groups and assessed what socio-demographic factors could be influencing the detected patterns. We found that general attitude towards this carnivore was neutral to positive, probably owing to the low levels of livestock predation and long coexistence with local populations. However, most drivers differed among stakeholders groups. Education, knowledge, and level of fear were strong predictors explaining attitudes towards this endangered species. We stress the importance of assessing attitudes patterns and identifying the socio-psychological factors as necessary tools to facilitate the development of targeted tolerance-promoting strategies. Among other instruments, increasing locals’ tolerance toward the Iberian wolf can be achieved by target education interventions, where the stakeholders can actively take part in discussions to accommodate their needs and expectation, rather than be listeners of the implemented programs.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A new insight for monitoring ungulates : density surface modelling of roe deer in a Mediterranean habitat

We would like to thank the University of Aveiro (Department of Biology) and FCT/MEC for the financial support to CESAM RU (UID/AMB/50017) through national funds and, where applicable, co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. TAM is partially funded by FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UID/MAT/00006/2013.Ungulates are especially difficult to monitor, and population estimates are challenging to obtain; nevertheless, such information is fundamental for effective management. This is particularly important for expanding species such as roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), whose populations dramatically increased in number and geographic distribution over the last decades. In an attempt to follow population trends and assess species ecology, important methodological advances were recently achieved by combining line or point sampling with geographic information systems (GIS). In this study, we combined density surface modelling (DSM) with line transect survey to predict roe deer density in northeastern Portugal. This was based on modelling pellet group counts as a function of environmental factors while taking into account the probability of detecting pellets and conversion factors to relate pellet density to animal density. We estimated a global density of 3.01 animals/100 ha (95 % CI 0.37–3.51) with a 32.82 % CV. Roe deer densities increased with increasing distance to roads as well as with higher percentage of cover areas and decreased with increasing distance to human populations. This recently developed spatial method can be advantageous to predict density over space through the identification of key factors influencing species abundance. Furthermore, surface maps for subset areas will enable to visually depict abundance distribution of wild populations. This will enable the assessment of areas where ungulate impacts should be minimized, allowing an adaptive management through time.PostprintPeer reviewe

Epidemiology of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Circulating in Wild Boars of Portugal during the 2018–2020 Hunting Seasons Suggests the Emergence of Genotype 2d

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) is associated with several syndromes affecting swine, also known as porcine-circovirus-associated diseases, of which post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome stands out due to its high economic impact on swine production. Recent data suggest the increasing circulation of the PCV-2d genotype in several countries worldwide. To provide updated data on PCV-2 genotypes currently circulating in swine in Portugal, we screened wild boar stools collected from several districts across Portugal, during the 2018–2020 hunting seasons, for PCV-2 and genetically characterized detected strains. From a total of 76 stool samples of wild boar tested by PCR for the partial PCV-2 ORF2 gene, two sequences were obtained (2/76; 2.6%, 95% confidence interval: 0.032–9.18). Bidirectional sequencing showed that the sequences were 100% identical and both of the PCV-2d genotype, showing for the first time the presence of this genotype in Portugal. Monitoring wild PCV-2 reservoirs is important for both veterinary public health and economic reasons, since PCV-2 infection has a strong economic impact on the swine industry. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding text 1: Funding: Sérgio Santos-Silva thanks Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) for the financial support of his PhD work under the 2021 scholarship. 09461.BD contract through the Maria de Sousa-2021 program. Part of this research was funded by the project EcoARUn: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030310 funded by FEDER, through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI), and by national funds (OE), through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. R. T. Torres is funded by national funds (OE) and through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds (FCT). This work is financed by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the projects UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020.; Funding text 2: S?rgio Santos-Silva thanks Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (FCT) for the financial support of his PhD work under the 2021 scholarship. 09461.BD contract through the Maria de Sousa-2021 program. Part of this research was funded by the project EcoARUn: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030310 funded by FEDER, through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionaliza??o (POCI), and by national funds (OE), through Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia/Minist?rio da Ci?ncia e Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. R. T. Torres is funded by national funds (OE) and through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds (FCT). This work is financed by national funds through FCT?Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the projects UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020

Survey of Zoonotic Diarrheagenic Protist and Hepatitis E Virus in Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) of Portugal

Simple Summary Enteropathogenic viruses, such as hepatitis E virus, and diarrhoeagenic protists have been frequently reported in swine and can infect a wide range of mammals, including humans. Data on their fecal shedding and circulation pathways are still lacking or incomplete. Hence, the aim of the present study was to characterize the presence of microeukaryotes and HEV in the wild boar of Portugal. Of the 144 samples tested, 2 showed the presence of Cryptosporidium scrofarum, 21 Balantioides coli, 42 Blastocystis ST5, and 4 HEV genotype 3. The present work shows that potentially zoonotic protozoa and HEV are circulating in wild boar populations in Portugal. Enteropathogenic parasites and viruses have been frequently reported in swine and can infect a wide range of mammals, including humans. Among the wide variety of parasites infecting swine, diarrhoeagenic protists are among those that cause significant morbidity. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has also been reported both in domestic pigs and wild boar and is known to have an important public health significance. These agents share the fecal-oral transmission route, but data on their fecal shedding and circulation pathways are still lacking or incomplete. Hence, the aim of the present study was to characterize the presence of microeukaryotes and HEV in the wild boar of Portugal. Wild boar stool samples (n = 144) were obtained during the official hunting seasons (October to February) in 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2021/2022 and tested for Cryptosporidium spp., Balantioides coli, Giardia duodenalis, Blastocystis sp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi and HEV by molecular assays, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. We have detected Cryptosporidium scrofarum (1.4%, 95% CI: 0.2-4.9), B. coli (14.6%, 95% CI: 9.2-21.4), Blastocystis ST5 (29.2%, 95% CI: 21.9-37.2) and HEV genotype 3 (2.8%, 95% CI: 0.7-6.9; subgenotypes 3e and 3m). Co-infections were observed in thirteen animals where two were positive for both HEV and B. coli, one was positive for both C. scrofarum and Blastocystis ST5, and ten were positive for both B. coli and Blastocystis ST5. Giardia duodenalis and E. bieneusi were not detected in the surveyed wild boar population. As far as we know, this is the first report describing protist infections by Cryptosporidium spp., B. coli, and Blastocystis sp., as well as the first identification of the emerging HEV genotype 3m in wild boar of Portugal. The present work shows that potentially zoonotic protozoa and HEV are circulating in wild boar populations in Portugal. Awareness and epidemic-surveillance network implementation measures targeting wild boar are needed to prevent the spread of these pathogenic agents to humans.This research was funded by Fundacao para Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), grant number 2021.09461.BD

Locomotor adaptability in persons with unilateral transtibial amputation

Background Locomotor adaptation enables walkers to modify strategies when faced with challenging walking conditions. While a variety of neurological injuries can impair locomotor adaptability, the effect of a lower extremity amputation on adaptability is poorly understood. Objective Determine if locomotor adaptability is impaired in persons with unilateral transtibial amputation (TTA). Methods The locomotor adaptability of 10 persons with a TTA and 8 persons without an amputation was tested while walking on a split-belt treadmill with the parallel belts running at the same (tied) or different (split) speeds. In the split condition, participants walked for 15 minutes with the respective belts moving at 0.5 m/s and 1.5 m/s. Temporal spatial symmetry measures were used to evaluate reactive accommodations to the perturbation, and the adaptive/de-adaptive response. Results Persons with TTA and the reference group of persons without amputation both demonstrated highly symmetric walking at baseline. During the split adaptation and tied post-adaptation walking both groups responded with the expected reactive accommodations. Likewise, adaptive and de-adaptive responses were observed. The magnitude and rate of change in the adaptive and de-adaptive responses were similar for persons with TTA and those without an amputation. Furthermore, adaptability was no different based on belt assignment for the prosthetic limb during split adaptation walking. Conclusions Reactive changes and locomotor adaptation in response to a challenging and novel walking condition were similar in persons with TTA to those without an amputation. Results suggest persons with TTA have the capacity to modify locomotor strategies to meet the demands of most walking conditions despite challenges imposed by an amputation and use of a prosthetic limb

Equilibrium existence in infinite horizon economies

In sequential economies with finite or infinite-lived real assets in positive net supply, we introduce constraints on the amount of borrowing in terms of the market value of physical endowments. We show that, when utility functions are either unbounded and separable in states of nature or separable in commodities, these borrowing constraints not only preclude Ponzi schemes but also induce endogenous Radner bounds on short-sales. Therefore, we obtain existence of equilibrium. Moreover, equilibrium also exists when both assets are numéraire and utility functions are quasilinear in the commodity used as numéraire.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Magnetic ordering and transitions of EuSe studied by x-ray diffraction

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)The magnetic phase diagram and thermal expansion of EuSe is revisited using a high-quality 3200-angstrom-thick epitaxial film grown over a (111)BaF(2) substrate. Resonant magnetic x-ray diffraction experiments reveal a highly hysteretic magnetic phase diagram between 1.8 and T(N)similar to 4.7 K, in which two antiferromagnetic phases with propagation vectors (k) over right arrow (I)=[(1)/(4), (1)/(4),-(1)/(4)] (represented by up arrow up arrow down arrow down arrow) and (k) over right arrow (II)=[(1)/(2),(1)/(2),-(1)/(2)](up down arrow up down arrow) are observed. In addition, a defective phase with (k) over right arrow (III)=[h, h, -h]((1)/(4)<h<(1)/(3)) competes with the up arrow up arrow down arrow down arrow phase. Details of the temperature dependence of (k) over right arrow (III) and corresponding peak widths indicate this phase is intermediate between up arrow up arrow down arrow down arrow (h=(1)/(4)) and an ideal ferrimagnetic up arrow up arrow down arrow phase (h=(1)/(3)), and may be represented by (n x up arrow up arrow down arrow+down arrow), with mean n values between 7 and 2. High-resolution x-ray diffraction experiments show unit-cell hysteretic distortions that correlate with the transitions to the different magnetic phases existing below T(N).8118Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq