Habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic factors affect wildcat Felis silvestris silvestris occupancy and detectability on Mt Etna

Knowledge of patterns of occupancy is crucial for planning sound biological management and for identifying areas which require paramount conservation attention. The European wildcat Felis silvestris is an elusive carnivore and is classified as ‘least concern’ on the IUCN red list, but with a decreasing population trend in some areas. Sicily hosts a peculiar wildcat population, which deserves conservation and management actions, due to its isolation from the mainland. Patterns of occupancy for wildcats are unknown in Italy, and especially in Sicily. We aimed to identify which ecological drivers determined wildcat occurrence on Mt Etna and to provide conservation actions to promote the wildcats’ long-term survival in this peculiar environment. The genetic identity of the wildcat population was confirmed through a scat-collection which detected 22 different wildcat individuals. We analysed wildcat detections collected by 91 cameras using an occupancy frame work to assess which covariates influenced the detection (p) and the occupancy (ψ) estimates. We recorded 70 detections of the target species from 38 cameras within 3377 trap-days. Wildcat detection was positively influenced by the distance to the major paved roads and negatively affected by the presence of humans. Wildcat occupancy was positively associated with mixed forest and negatively influenced by pine forest, fragmentation of mixed forest and altitude. A spatially explicit predicted occupancy map, validated using an independent dataset of wildcat presence records, showed that higher occupancy estimates were scattered, mainly located on the north face and at lower altitude. Habitat fragmentation has been claimed as a significant threat for the wildcat and this is the first study that has ascertained this as a limiting factor for wildcat occurrence. Conservation actions should promote interconnectivity between areas with high predicted wildcat occupancy while minimising the loss of habitat

Coopetition as a development stimulator of enterprises in the networked steel sector

The article deals with the problems of coopetition, i.e. simultaneous cooperation and competition between enterprises. This phenomenon is becoming more and more common in the steel industry, initially in the dimension of individual alliances, and currently it takes a form of network connections. The different groups of enterprises are involved in these networks: global players, regional champions, as well as niche specialists. Through the coopetition companies achieve benefits (both internal and external) which are becoming the stimulator of survival and growth in a highly competitive steel industry

THE DESERT ROSE DOMES OF THE SOUF REGION (ALGERIA). PRELIMINARY EVALUATIONS ON THE VULNERABILITY OF A UNIQUE VERNACULAR HERITAGE

Abstract. The vernacular architecture of the Souf region in Algeria, a desert environment where wood is rare, presents multiple heritage values due to the way in which local materials (especially the desert rose stone) are exploited to build houses and erect distinctive domes. Unfortunately, extensive damage and abandonment compromise the stability of these buildings and accelerate their disappearance, which would negatively affect the urban landscape and the identity of the region. In order to safeguard this unique vernacular heritage, the study focuses on the definition of the typical typology of building, its structural and geometric characteristics, explaining the constructive technique used. Recurrent damage and pathologies that threaten this building culture are also highlighted. Then, estimation of mechanical parameters of the desert rose stone masonry is carried out defining typical characteristics according to the evaluation of the respect of "the rule of the art". Results are then used to perform numerical simulations of the structural behaviour of a typical building, through the finite element method with linear and nonlinear approaches. In particular, the structural behaviour of the dome has been investigated, being the most vulnerable element of the system

Antibodies from patients with rheumatoid arthritis target citrullinated histone 4 contained in neutrophils extracellular traps.

Histone deimination regulates gene function and contributes to antimicrobial response, allowing the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Deiminated proteins are target of anti-citrullinated peptides antibodies (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to test the hypothesis that RA sera react with deiminated histones contained in NETs. METHODS: Neutrophils from peripheral blood were stimulated with A23187 and acid treated; NETosis was induced by phorbol myristate acetate, and NET proteins were isolated. Sera were tested by immunoblot on acid extracted proteins from neutrophils and from NETs, and by ELISA on deiminated histone H4 or H4-derived peptides. Bands reactive with RA sera were excised from gels, digested with trypsin and subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis, before and after derivatisation to detect citrullinated peptides. RESULTS: RA sera reacted with a deiminated antigen of 11 KDa from activated neutrophils, recognised also by anti-H4 and antideiminated H4 antibodies. A similar reactivity was observed with NET proteins. The antigen from neutrophils or NETs was identified as citrullinated H4 by MALDI-TOF analysis. By ELISA, RA sera bound in vitro citrullinated H4. Citrullinated H4 14-34 and 31-50 peptides detected antibodies in 67% and 63% of RA sera and in less than 5% of controls; antibody titre was correlated with anti-CCP2. CONCLUSIONS: Citrullinated H4 from activated neutrophils and NETs is a target of antibodies in RA, and synthetic citrullinated H4-derived peptides are a new substrate for ACPA detection. As NETosis can generate antigens for ACPA, these data suggest a novel connection between innate and adaptive immunity in RA

Conservation and people: towards an ethical code of conduct for the use of camera traps in wildlife research

1. Camera trapping is a widely employed tool in wildlife research, used to estimate animal abundances, understand animal movement, assess species richness and understand animal behaviour. In addition to images of wild animals, research cameras often record human images, inadvertently capturing behaviours ranging from innocuous actions to potentially serious crimes. 2. With the increasing use of camera traps, there is an urgent need to reflect on how researchers should deal with human images caught on cameras. On the one hand, it is important to respect the privacy of individuals caught on cameras, while, on the other hand, there is a larger public duty to report illegal activity. This creates ethical dilemmas for researchers. 3. Here, based on our camera‐trap research on snow leopards Panthera uncia, we outline a general code of conduct to help improve the practice of camera trap based research and help researchers better navigate the ethical‐legal tightrope of this important research tool

Guest or pest? Spatio-temporal occurrence and effects on soil and vegetation of the wild boar on the Elba island

In areas where allochthonous large mammals, such as the wild boars (Sus scrofa), occur in high density, human-wildlife conflicts may arise. In these contexts, assessing spatio-temporal patterns of the introduced population is paramount to its management. Here, we studied wild boars in the Elba island, Italy, where they have been introduced and are perceived as pests. While crop-raiding has been documented, no studies addressed the spatio-temporal occurrence, nor the impact of foraging on natural habitat. We surveyed the Western part of the island with three camera trapping surveys within one year. We found that the species' estimated occupancy probability was higher in summer-autumn (0.75±0.14) and winter-early spring (0.70±0.10) than in late spring-summer (0.53±0.15), whereas detection probability did not vary. Occupancy was significantly associated with elevation and vegetation cover, with preference for lower elevation and woodland. The lower site use of wild boars during spring-summer might reflect lower food availability in this season, and/or movements towards landfarms outside the sampled area. Detectability increased with proximity to roads during spring-summer and decreased with humans' relative abundance in the other periods. Moreover, boars were mainly nocturnal, with an overlap with human activity that decreased when human presence was higher. Combined, these suggest behavioural avoidance of human disturbance by boars. We also evaluated the impact of boars' foraging on the soil and vegetation and found that it was higher in pine plantations than other covers, however, it was not associated with variation in boars' occupancy across habitats. Our results indicate that the spatio-temporal activity of wild boars on Elba island appears driven by seasonal preferences for food-rich cover and avoidance of human disturbance. The lowered site use in months with lower resources could partially reflect increased proximity to settled and farmed areas, which may, in turn, trigger crop-raiding and hence the negative perception by residents

WiseEye: next generation expandable and programmable camera trap platform for wildlife research

Funding: The work was supported by the RCUK Digital Economy programme to the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub; award reference: EP/G066051/1. The work of S. Newey and RJI was part funded by the Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS). Details published as an Open Source Toolkit, PLOS Journals at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169758Peer reviewedPublisher PD