scholarly journals Outcomes, Mortality Causes, and Pathological Findings in European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europeus, Linnaeus 1758): A Seventeen Year Retrospective Analysis in the North of Portugal

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1305
Author(s):  
Andreia Garcês ◽  
Vanessa Soeiro ◽  
Sara Lóio ◽  
Roberto Sargo ◽  
Luís Sousa ◽  
...  

This study aimed to analyze the admission causes, outcomes, primary causes of death, and main lesions observed in the post mortem examinations of Western European hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758), in the north of Portugal. The data were obtained by consulting the records from the two main wildlife rehabilitation centers located in the north of Portugal (Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre of Parque Biologico de Gaia and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro). Over 17 years (2002–2019) a total of 740 animals were admitted. Most of the animals were juveniles, with the highest number of admissions occurring during summer (36.8%) and spring (33.2%). The main reasons for admission were debilitation (30.7%) and random finds (28.4%). Of the total number of individuals admitted to these centers, 66.6% were successfully released back into the wild. The most relevant causes of death were trauma of unknown origin (32.7%), nontrauma causes of unknown origin (26.6%), and nutritional disorders (20.2%). The main lesions observed were related to trauma, including skeletal and skin lesions (fractures, hemorrhages, wounds) and organ damage, particularly to the lungs and liver. The hedgehog is a highly resilient and adaptable animal. The urban environment has many benefits for hedgehogs, yet the presence of humans can be harmful. In the future, the public needs to become even more involved in the activities of the wildlife centres, which will make a positive difference for these populations.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Cécile Le Barzic ◽  
Adela Cmokova ◽  
Chloé Denaes ◽  
Pascal Arné ◽  
Vit Hubka ◽  
...  

The rising number of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) admitted every year to wildlife rehabilitation centres might be a source of concern to animal and public health since transmissible diseases, such as dermatophytosis, can be easily disseminated. This study seeks to evaluate the frequency of dermatophyte detection in hedgehogs admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation centre located near Paris, France, and to assess the risk of contamination in the centre in order to adapt prevention measures. A longitudinal cohort study was performed on 412 hedgehogs hosted at the Wildlife Animal Hospital of the Veterinary College of Alfort from January to December 2016. Animals were sampled once a month for fungal culture. Dermatophyte colonies were obtained from 174 out of 686 skin samples (25.4%). Besides Trichophyton erinacei, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Nannizzia gypsea were also found. Dermatophyte detection seemed to be associated with the presence of skin lesions, while more than one-third of T. erinacei-positive animals were asymptomatic carriers. Healing required several months of treatment with topical and systemic azoles, but dermatophytosis did not seem to reduce the probability of release. Daily disinfection procedures and early detection and treatment of infected and asymptomatic carriers succeeded in limiting dermatophyte transmission between hedgehogs and humans.


Author(s):  
Daryl A. Cornish ◽  
George L. Smit

Oreochromis mossambicus is currently receiving much attention as a candidater species for aquaculture programs within Southern Africa. This has stimulated interest in its breeding cycle as well as the morphological characteristics of the gonads. Limited information is available on SEM and TEM observations of the male gonads. It is known that the testis of O. mossambicus is a paired, intra-abdominal structure of the lobular type, although further details of its characteristics are not known. Current investigations have shown that spermatids reach full maturity some two months after the female becomes gravid. Throughout the year, the testes contain spermatids at various stages of development although spermiogenesis appears to be maximal during November when spawning occurs. This paper describes the morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of the testes and spermatids.Specimens of this fish were collected at Syferkuil Dam, 8 km north- west of the University of the North over a twelve month period, sacrificed and the testes excised.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (62) ◽  
pp. 66-81
Author(s):  
Adriana M. Moreno Moreno ◽  
Eduar Fernando Aguirre González

Social Responsibility is a concept that has been approached from different perspectives by theoreticians and institutions. Initially, this was limited exclusively to companies, however, the creation of the Social Capital, Ethics and Development Initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) sought to make educational institutions aware that, like any other organization, they are responsible for the externalities they generate in their environment and their stakeholders. This research approaches the concept of University Social Responsibility (USR) from the scheme proposed by the IDB, which proposes four axes of action for Universities’ CR: Responsible Campus, Professional and Citizen Training, Social Management of Knowledge and Social Participation. The Universidad del Valle has a strategic plan entitled “Universidad del Valle’s Strategic Development Plan” and Regionalization attached thereto. It has also developed its action plan and in the five strategic issues raised herein, its socially responsible approach is clearly identifiable. The North Cauca Facility wherein this study is being developed, even though it does not have a University Social Responsibility Management Model, has attempted to align its practices with its strategic affairs that broadly conform to the four axes proposed by the IDB. This research addresses a relevant and current issue inasmuch as it proposes to develop a diagnosis on the relationship between the four axes of Social Responsibility proposed by the IDB and the practice of Social Responsibility applied at the Universidad del Valle, North Cauca Facility, for the period 2014-2015. In order to answer the research problem, a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive type of study is used, given that the work was based on the documentary information available at the University, while the interviews with the directors of the Institution are used as a tool for oral history. The research method used is the case study, which allows to address a unit of analysis in depth, in this case the USR within the Universidad del Valle, North Cauca Facility.


2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (12) ◽  
pp. e4758-e4766
Author(s):  
Andrea Delbarba ◽  
Paolo Facondo ◽  
Simona Fisogni ◽  
Claudia Izzi ◽  
Filippo Maffezzoni ◽  
...  

Abstract Context Apo A-I Leu75Pro is a rare hereditary form of amyloidosis that mainly involves the kidney, the liver, and the testis. Objective To define the characteristics of organ damage and testis impairment in the largest cohort collected to date of men with Apo A-I Leu75Pro amyloidosis. Design, Setting, and Patients Retrospective study from a prospectively collected database of 129 male subjects >18 years with Apo A-I Leu75Pro amyloidosis from a reference center at the University Hospital of Brescia, Italy. Main outcome measures We evaluated liver and renal function, scrotal ultrasound, reproductive hormone levels, testis biopsy, hypogonadal symptoms, and fertility. Results Progressive involvement of testis, kidney, and liver was observed in 96/129 (74.4%) cases. Testis impairment was found in 88/129 patients (68.2%), liver in 59 (45.7%) and renal in 50 (38.8%). Testis damage was often the first manifestation of the disease and the only dysfunction in 30% of younger patients (<38 years). Testicular involvement was characterized mainly by primary (73/88 patients, 83.0%) and subclinical (8/88, 9.1%) hypogonadism. Almost all (85/88, 96.6%) also had high follicle-stimulating hormone, suggesting a primary global damage of endocrine and spermatogenic functions, and 30% of them did not conceive. Macroorchidism was found in 53/88 (60.2%) patients, especially in men <54 years (30/33, 90.9%). Apo A-I amyloid deposits were found in Sertoli cells, germinal epithelium, and vessel walls. Conclusion In men with Apo A-I Leu75Pro amyloidosis, testicular involvement is the hallmark of the disease, characterized by global primary testicular dysfunction and macroorchidism due to amyloid deposits.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 830
Author(s):  
William E. Lewis ◽  
Timothy L. Olander ◽  
Christopher S. Velden ◽  
Christopher Rozoff ◽  
Stefano Alessandrini

Accurate, reliable estimates of tropical cyclone (TC) intensity are a crucial element in the warning and forecast process worldwide, and for the better part of 50 years, estimates made from geostationary satellite observations have been indispensable to forecasters for this purpose. One such method, the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT), was used to develop analog ensemble (AnEn) techniques that provide more precise estimates of TC intensity with instant access to information on the reliability of the estimate. The resulting methods, ADT-AnEn and ADT-based Error Analog Ensemble (ADTE-AnEn), were trained and tested using seventeen years of historical ADT intensity estimates using k-fold cross-validation with 10 folds. Using only two predictors, ADT-estimated current intensity (maximum wind speed) and TC center latitude, both AnEn techniques produced significant reductions in mean absolute error and bias for all TC intensity classes in the North Atlantic and for most intensity classes in the Eastern Pacific. The ADTE-AnEn performed better for extreme intensities in both basins (significantly so in the Eastern Pacific) and will be incorporated in the University of Wisconsin’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (UW-CIMSS) workflow for further testing during operations in 2021.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-12
Author(s):  
Arno Pronk ◽  
Peng Luo ◽  
Qingpeng Li ◽  
Fred Sanders ◽  
Marjolein overtoom ◽  
...  

There has been a long tradition in making ice structures, but the development of technical improvements for making ice buildings is a new field with just a handful of researchers. Most of the projects were realized by professors in cooperation with their students as part of their education in architecture and civil engineering. The following professors have realized ice projects in this setting: Heinz Isler realized some experiments since the 1950s; Tsutomu Kokawa created in the past three decades several ice domes in the north of Japan with a span up to 25 m; Lancelot Coar realized a number of fabric formed ice shell structures including fiberglass bars and hanging fabric as a mold for an ice shell in 2011 and in 2015 he produced an fabric-formed ice origami structure in cooperation with MIT (Caitlin Mueller) and VUB (Lars de Laet). Arno Pronk realized several ice projects such as the 2004 artificially cooled igloo, in 2014 and 2015 dome structures with an inflatable mold in Finland and in 2016–2019, an ice dome, several ice towers and a 3D printed gridshell of ice in Harbin (China) as a cooperation between the Universities of Eindhoven & Leuven (Pronk) and Harbin (Wu and Luo). In cooperation between the University of Alberta and Eindhoven two ice beams were realized during a workshop in 2020. In this paper we will present the motivation and learning experiences of students involved in learning-by-doing by realizing one large project in ice. The 2014–2016 projects were evaluated by Sanders and Overtoom; using questionnaires among the participants by mixed cultural teams under extreme conditions. By comparing the results in different situations and cultures we have found common rules for the success of those kinds of educational projects. In this paper we suggest that the synergy among students participating in one main project without a clear individual goal can be very large. The paper will present the success factors for projects to be perceived as a good learning experience.


1951 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-276
Author(s):  
D. P. Cuthbertson

The Rowett Institute for research on animal nutrition had its origin under a scheme for promoting scientific research in agriculture adopted by the Development Commission in 1911.The Governing Body, which originally consisted of an equal number of members appointed by the Court of the University of Aberdeen and the Governors of the North of Scotland College of Agriculture, was constituted in 1913. Within recent years it has been expanded to include persons nominated by the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Agricultural Research Council, and the Medical Research Council. Research work was begun in temporary accommodation in Marischal College in 1914, under the direction of Dr John Boyd Orr—now Lord Boyd-Orr—who continued as Director until his retirement in 1945.


Archaeologia ◽  
1817 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 340-343
Author(s):  
Edward Daniel Clarke

It is not attaching too high a degree of importance to the study of Celtic antiquities, to maintain, that, owing to the attention now paid to it in this country, a light begins to break in upon that part of ancient history, which, beyond every other, seemed to present a forlorn investigation. All that relates to the aboriginal inhabitants of the north of Europe, would be involved in darkness but for the enquiries now instituted respecting Celtic sepulchres. From the information already received, concerning these sepulchres, it may be assumed, as a fact almost capable of actual demonstration, that the mounds, or barrows, common to all Great Britain, and to the neighbouring continent, together with all the tumuli fabled by Grecian and by Roman historians as the tombs of Giants, are so many several vestiges of that mighty family of Titan-Celts who gradually possessed all the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, and who extended their colonies over all the countries where Cyclopéan structures may be recognized; whether in the walls of Crotona, or the temple at Stonehénge; in the Cromlechs of Wales, or the trilithal monuments of Cimbrica Chersonesus; in Greece, or in Asia-Minor; in Syria, or in Egypt. It is with respect to Egypt alone, that an exception might perhaps be required; but history, while it deduces the origin of the worship of Minerva, at Sais, from the Phrygians, also relates of this people, that they were the oldest of mankind. The Cyclopéan architecture of Egypt may therefore be referred originally to the same source; but, as in making the following Observations brevity must be a principal object, it will be necessary to divest them of every thing that may seem like a Dissertation; and confine the statement, here offered, to the simple narrative of those facts, which have led to its introduction.


2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perttu Vartiainen ◽  
Arto Viiri

In the 1990s Finland began to emphasize a ‘new’, expertise-based regional policy driven by local initiatives and networking. An essential part of this approach is the intertwining of the universities and regional development processes, in which a major role is played by such facilities as science parks. At the heart of the regional impact of the University of Joensuu is the research and training carried out in its basic academic units. The greatest regional effect of the university is due to its internationally competitive research and education, as well as to the development of strategic priority areas. The strategic focal points and strengths of the University of Joensuu, the Joensuu Science Park and the North Karelia region of Finland complement one another well. In addition to the university's own departments, a key channel for transferring expertise is the Joensuu Science Park. The park is responsible for technology transfer, training, development measures and networking with other actors in their fields of expertise.


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