Distemper, extinction, and vaccination of the Amur tiger

Canine distemper virus (CDV) has recently emerged as an extinction threat for the endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). CDV is vaccine-preventable, and control strategies could require vaccination of domestic dogs and/or wildlife populations. However, vaccination of endangered wildlife remains controversial, which has led to a focus on interventions in domestic dogs, often assumed to be the source of infection. Effective decision making requires an understanding of the true reservoir dynamics, which poses substantial challenges in remote areas with diverse host communities. We carried out serological, demographic, and phylogenetic studies of dog and wildlife populations in the Russian Far East to show that a number of wildlife species are more important than dogs, both in maintaining CDV and as sources of infection for tigers. Critically, therefore, because CDV circulates among multiple wildlife sources, dog vaccination alone would not be effective at protecting tigers. We show, however, that low-coverage vaccination of tigers themselves is feasible and would produce substantive reductions in extinction risks. Vaccination of endangered wildlife provides a valuable component of conservation strategies for endangered species

Chemistry for Sustainable Development 13 (2005) 111118 Investigation of Oxidation and Modification of the Carbon Composite Material by Hydrolyzed Compounds of Antimony (V)

Abstract Oxidation and modification processes in the carbon composite material of Tekhnosorb grade are investigated. Carbon materials, oxidized and modified with the compounds of antimony (V) (NUMS-O, NUMS-Sb), are examined by means of thermal an alysis, X-ray diffraction. It is established that antimonic acid can be synthesized on the surface of HUMS-O either in the crystal form and in the amorphous one, depending on the temperature of oxidation of the carbon surface