Morphological Species Delimitation in The Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys): Can Machine Learning Methods Aid in Cryptic Species Identification?

As the discovery of cryptic species has increased in frequency, there has been an interest in whether geometric morphometric data can detect fine-scale patterns of variation that can be used to morphologically diagnose such species. We used a combination of geometric morphometric data and an ensemble of five supervised machine learning methods (MLMs) to investigate whether plastron shape can differentiate two putative cryptic turtle species, Actinemys marmorata and Actinemys pallida. Actinemys has been the focus of considerable research due to its biogeographic distribution and conservation status. Despite this work, reliable morphological diagnoses for its two species are still lacking. We validated our approach on two datasets, one consisting of eight morphologically disparate emydid species, the other consisting of two subspecies of Trachemys (T. scripta scripta, T. scripta elegans). The validation tests returned near-perfect classification rates, demonstrating that plastron shape is an effective means for distinguishing taxonomic groups of emydids via MLMs. In contrast, the same methods did not return high classification rates for a set of alternative phylogeographic and morphological binning schemes in Actinemys. All classification hypotheses performed poorly relative to the validation datasets and no single hypothesis was unequivocally supported for Actinemys. Two hypotheses had machine learning performance that was marginally better than our remaining hypotheses. In both cases, those hypotheses favored a two-species split between A. marmorata and A. pallida specimens, lending tentative morphological support to the hypothesis of two Actinemys species. However, the machine learning results also underscore that Actinemys as a whole has lower levels of plastral variation than other turtles within Emydidae, but the reason for this morphological conservatism is unclear.

Serological responses of cattle inoculated with inactivated trivalent foot-and-mouth disease vaccine at the wildlife-livestock interface of the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus is economically one of the world's most important animal pathogens, which can be responsible for losses in livestock trade, as well as frequent and highly disruptive large-scale epidemics. The control of FMD in southern Africa typically includes vaccination of cattle with a trivalent or bivalent vaccine preparation. The objective of this study was to determine the level and duration of the antibody responses conferred by the current FMD vaccination programme in cattle at the western boundary of the Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa. Two hundred and eighty-three cattle from four communal dip tanks were longitudinally sampled after vaccination using an inactivated trivalent FMD vaccine (South African Territories (SAT) 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3). Blood samples were collected fortnightly over four months and antibodies were measured using a liquid-phase blocking ELISA. Only 5%, 43%, and 16% of enrolled cattle had evidence of pre-existing antibody responses to the three SAT viruses at the beginning of the study (≥1.6 log10 titre for SAT 1-3 respectively), which was 7-12 months after the last vaccination campaign. However, 14 days after vaccination this proportion increased to between 66% and 93%, with SAT 2 having the highest proportion. Young animals (<1 year old) tended to have higher predicted baseline antibody levels that peaked by 14 days. Positive serological responses were transient and by 56 days post-vaccination antibody levels begun to decline below the threshold of 1.6 log10 titre. Predicted peak antibody levels only consistently reached 2.0 log10 for SAT 2. Serological responses for SAT 2 tended to be longer, but in most cases the duration of antibody levels was short-lived. More research is necessary to determine the reasons for the limited duration of antibody responses, especially among younger cattle, in order to achieve more effective prophylactic vaccination.

The impact of age-class and social context on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in free-ranging male giraffes.

One of the primary sources of perceived stress is the social environment of an animal and the interactions with conspecifics. An essential component of the response to a stressor is the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, which results amongst others in a temporal increase in circulating glucocorticoid (GC) levels. Giraffes occur in a highly flexible fission-fusion social system and group compositions can change on a daily basis, with bulls establishing an age-related dominance hierarchy and showing a roaming strategy in the search for fertile females. The aim of this study was to non-invasively monitor the influence of different group compositions (mixed sex groups vs. all-male groups) on GC concentrations in free ranging giraffe bulls of different age classes. We collected fecal samples from free-ranging giraffe bulls for 12months in a South African Private Game Reserve to examine age- and social context-related patterns of fecal GC metabolite (fGCM) concentrations. We found that fGCM levels in giraffe bulls are age-class dependent, as well asassociated with changes in the social environment. Independently of the social setting, bulls of the youngest age class exhibited the highest fGCM levels compared to bulls of the other two older age-classes, with differences most pronounced when the bulls are associated in all-male groups. In contrast, an almost reversed picture appears when looking at the fGCM levels of sexually active individuals in mixed sex groups, where highest levels were found for the bulls in the oldest age-class, and the lowest for the bulls in the youngest age-class. The study stresses the importance to taking factors such asage-related status and social settings into account, when interpreting fGCM levels in free ranging giraffes.

Age and socially related changes in fecal androgen metabolite concentrations in free-ranging male giraffes.

In many mammal species, androgen levels in males are elevated during periods of mating activity, often to facilitate aggressive behavior between males over access to fertile females. However, this pattern might be less obvious in species with a rather low male-male aggression rate, or in those that are not strictly seasonal breeders. A complex social structure, as well as additional social and environmental factors, might add more to the complexity. Here, we applied a non-invasive method to monitor fecal androgen metabolite (fAM) levels in free-ranging giraffe bulls over a period of months to examine longitudinal patterns of androgen metabolite concentrations in relation to observed male sexual behavior in different age classes. Giraffes are non-seasonal breeders, living in a fission-fusion social system and males show a roaming strategy to search for fertile females. Our results show that season has an impact on fAM levels in free-ranging giraffes, with respective steroid concentrations being higher in summer. In the presence of females, fAM levels of bulls are significantly higher compared to when found in all-male groups, with old adult bulls showing the highest fAM levels. In contrast, young adult bulls have overall slightly higher fAM levels compared to old adult bulls when residing in all male groups. Sexual behavior increases fAM levels only in old adult bulls.

Serological evidence of vaccination and perceptions concerning Foot-and-Mouth Disease control in cattle at the wildlife-livestock interface of the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Communal livestock farming areas adjoining the Greater Kruger National Park Area within South Africa are part of the Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Protection Zone with Vaccination due to the proximity to wildlife reservoirs. FMD and its control affect the productivity of resource-poor farmers who often depend on livestock for their livelihoods. A cross-sectional study was performed with the objectives to evaluate the perceptions of farmers concerning FMD control, estimate the proportion of cattle with presumed protective antibody titres against FMD, as well as the proportion of herds with adequate herd immunity at the wildlife-livestock interface within Mpumalanga Province. One hundred and four farmers were interviewed with 73% (76/104) being cattle owners and the remainder hired cattle herders. The majority of respondents (79%, 82/104) reported a high level of satisfaction with the current animal health programmes in general. The educational level of the respondents varied by satisfaction level: the median (interquartile range; IQR) education level was standard 9 (2-12) for non-satisfied respondents, standard 3 (0-6) for little satisfied and standard 7 (2-11) for very satisfied respondents (P=0.036). Animals are not always treated at FMD inspections points, but satisfied respondents were more likely to seek veterinary assistance (P=0.001). The majority of respondents (92%, 96/104) identified the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) as a risk factor for FMD outbreaks. Liquid-phase blocking ELISA antibody titres ≥1.6log10 were used to indicate positive serology secondary to FMD vaccination. At the time of sampling and relative to this threshold, 23% (95% confidence interval (CI): 12%-34%) of the sampled cattle had positive serology to SAT-1, 41% (95%CI: 33%-48%) to SAT-2 and 29% (95%CI: 19%-39%) to SAT-3. The median (IQR) time between the previous vaccination and sampling was 189 (168-241) days. The sampled cattle had a longer inter-vaccination interval as scheduled by state veterinary services and antibody levels were low at the time of the study. The majority of respondents expressed high satisfaction with the currently applied FMD vaccination programme, which provides an opportunity for progressive adaption of animal health programmes within the study area.

Effect of diet on the incidence of and mortality owing to gastritis and renal disease in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in South Africa.

Seventy-two adult cheetahs were evaluated for the degree of gastritis by endoscopic biopsy and for renal disease by serum creatinine. Cheetahs free of Grade 3 gastritis and renal disease were placed on Trial A; remaining cheetahs were placed on Trial B, which ran concurrently. All cheetahs were monitored for 4 years. Cheetahs exited Trial A and entered Trial B if they developed Grade 3 gastritis or renal disease. Cheetahs exited Trial B if they developed clinical gastritis or renal disease that required a dietary change or aggressive medical therapy or died owing to either disease. Cheetahs on Trial A were fed either a supplemented meat diet (N = 26) or commercial cat food (N = 22). Cheetahs on Trial B were fed either the same meat diet (N = 28) or a commercial dry cat food formulated for renal disease (N = 16). Cheetahs fed meat on Trial A had a daily hazard of developing Grade 3 gastritis 2.21 times higher (95% CI 0.95-5.15) than cheetahs fed commercial cat food. This hazard was not statistically significant (P = 0.07). Mean gastritis scores were not significantly different between the two groups. Cheetahs fed commercial cat food in both Trials had lower serum urea levels and higher creatinine levels than those fed meat. Evidence for the effect of diet in cheetahs with gastritis and/or renal disease (Trial B) was inconclusive. The number of cheetahs dying of gastritis or renal disease at the facility has dropped markedly since the study began. These results indicate that diet may play an important role in the incidence of Grade 3 gastritis and that dietary and/or therapeutic management of gastritis may reduce mortality owing to gastritis and renal disease in captive cheetahs.

Clinical and serological response of wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) to vaccination against canine distemper, canine parvovirus infection and rabies.

Wild dogs Lycaon pictuis (n = 8) were vaccinated 4 times against canine distemper (n = 8) (initially with inactivated and subsequently with live attenuated strains of canine distemper) and canine parvovirus infection (n = 8) over a period of 360 days. Four of the wild dogs were also vaccinated 3 times against rabies using a live oral vaccine and 4 with an inactivated parenteral vaccine. Commercially-available canine distemper, canine parvovirus and parenteral rabies vaccines, intended for use in domestic dogs, were used. None of the vaccinated dogs showed any untoward clinical signs. The inactivated canine distemper vaccine did not result in seroconversion whereas the attenuated live vaccine resulted in seroconversion in all wild dogs. Presumably protective concentrations of antibodies to canine distemper virus were present in all wild dogs for at least 451 days. Canine parvovirus haemagglutination inhibition titres were present in all wild dogs prior to the administration of vaccine and protective concentrations persisted for at least 451 days. Vaccination against parvovirus infection resulted in a temporary increase in canine parvovirus haemagglutination inhibition titres in most dogs. Administration of both inactivated parenteral and live oral rabies vaccine initially resulted in seroconversion in 7 of 8 dogs. These titres, however, dropped to very low concentrations within 100 days. Booster administrations resulted in increased antibody concentrations in all dogs. It was concluded that the vaccines were safe to use in healthy subadult wild dogs and that a vaccination protocol in free-ranging wild dogs should at least incorporate booster vaccinations against rabies 3-6 months after the first inoculation.

The impact of primary and modular nursing delivery systems on perceptions of caring behavior.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine if differences existed in patients' and family members' perceptions of caring behaviors after the transition from a primary to a modular care delivery system. DESIGN: Descriptive, comparative, and correlational. SETTING: Urban, inpatient, acute-care hospital. SAMPLE: A convenience sample of 42 patients with cancer hospitalized for chemotherapy administration or complications arising from their diagnoses and 27 of their family members. Ninety-four data sets were collected--62 from the patients and 32 from the family members. METHODS: Subjects were asked to evaluate their nurse's caring attributes using the Caring Perception index. Caring scores of patients receiving primary nursing care were compared to caring scores of patients receiving modular nursing care. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLE: Patients' and family members' perception of caring. FINDINGS: Mean caring scores did not differ significantly between patients receiving primary care (mean = 35.9, SD = 5.4) and patients receiving modular care (mean = 36.2, SD = 5.3). Patient and nursing delivery characteristics were used to predict and explain variance in the dependent variable care. Number of days hospitalized accounted for 14% of the variance, with those patients hospitalized longer rating nurses as more caring. CONCLUSIONS: The longer a patient stays in the hospital, the greater the likelihood the patient and family members will feel nurses exceeded exceptions for caring. The findings support other studies that have compared quality care indicators across different types of delivery systems. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Measures to evaluate quality care should be used when transitioning to new delivery models. Nurses need to recognize that not all patients value the same nurse qualities equally. When receiving care over an extended period of time from same nurse, patients and family members are more likely to rate the nurse as exceeding expectations.

Cryptococcosis in captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus): two cases.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a yeast-like organism associated with pulmonary, meningoencephalitic, or systemic disease. This case report documents 2 cases of cryptococcosis with central nervous system involvement in captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). In both cases the predominant post mortal lesions were pulmonary cryptococcomas and extensive meningoencephalomyelitis. Both cheetahs tested negative for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukaemia virus. The organism isolated in Case 2 was classified as Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii, which is mainly associated with disease in immunocompetent hosts.

Attitudes of Mississippi college students toward David Duke before and after seeing the film Who is David Duke?

The attitudes of 211 students at a university in Mississippi were investigated both before and after seeing the Public Broadcasting Film Who Is David Duke? The film provided evidence of Duke's current racism, anti-Semitism, and pro-Nazi leanings. In a previous study with university students in Louisiana, the majority did not change their attitudes after watching the film (Eisenman, 1993). However, in the present study, students' attitudes showed change in an anti-Duke direction. The findings are discussed and reasons given for the differences between the two samples, and for the popularity of Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

Possible vaccine-induced canine distemper in a South American bush dog (Speothos venaticus).

Suspected vaccine-induced canine distemper was diagnosed in a captive female bush dog (Speothos venaticus). Macroscopic lesions included mild congestion of the gastric mucosa and focal consolidation of the lung. Histopathological lesions included status spongiosis, gliosis, widespread eosinophilic, intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in neurons, astrocytes and gitter cells of the cerebral, cerebellar and spinal white matter.

Antibody response to canine distemper vaccine in African wild dogs.

Antibody levels against canine distemper virus were measured by means of an immunofluorescent antibody test prior to, and after, administration of a modified-live virus booster vaccine to seven African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus). Positive seroconversion with no harmful side-effects was seen in all the animals.

Decline in maternal immunity and antibody response to vaccine in captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) cubs.

Blood was collected from captive cheetah cubs (Acinonyx jubatus) from the ages of 4 to 12 wk and monitored for the decline in maternally derived antibodies to feline panleukopenia, herpes and calici viruses. A steady decrease was seen in most of the cubs. Antibody responses to inactivated and/or modified live virus (MLV) vaccine also were measured. The strongest responses were seen post vaccination with MLV vaccine only.

Antibody response of captive cheetahs to modified-live feline virus vaccine.

The antibody response of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to modified live virus vaccine against feline panleukopenia (FPLV), herpes (FHV) and calici (FCV) viruses was assessed by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the first year of study, 82 cheetahs were bled pre-vaccination. Of these, antibody levels to FPLV were found in 100% of the animals. Only 54% were found to have antibodies to FHV and 99% had antibodies to FCV. One month after booster vaccination with the same vaccine, increased antibodies to FPLV, FHV and FCV were seen in 19 (58%), 18 (55%) and 25 (76%) of these animals, respectively (n = 33). In the second year of study, 65 cheetahs were bled pre-vaccination. Fifty three of these animals were negative for antibodies to FPLV while 28 were positive for FHV and 64 were positive for FCV. These animals were then bled 1, 2 and 6 mo post booster vaccination. The antibody levels to the various viruses showed different trends with time.

Immobilization of wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) with a tiletamine hydrochloride/zolazepam hydrochloride combination and subsequent evaluation of selected blood chemistry parameters.

A tiletamine hydrochloride/zolazepam hydrochloride combination was used successfully to immobilize captive untamed wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) (n = 16) at dosage rates ranging from 2.3 to 32.3 mg/kg. Animals remained immobilized for periods ranging from 35 min to 24 hr 14 min. There was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.85, P less than 0.01) between dosage rate and the time immobilized. Profuse salivation and intermittent mild myoclonal contractions were observed in some wild dogs. Mildly reduced partial oxygen and carbon dioxide pressures as well as reduced concentrations of bicarbonate were observed in arterial blood at 10 and 20 min after administration of the drug. Serum concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, urea, creatinine, glucose, proteins, albumin, gammaglutamyltransferase, creatinine kinase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, insulin, cortisol and thyroxine are presented. These concentrations were found to be in agreement with values previously reported for wild dogs.

The use of long-acting neuroleptics in impala (Aepyceros melampus).

The long-acting neuroleptics perphenazine enanthate and pipothiazine palmitate were found to be effective for the long-term tranquilization of newly-captured and captive impala (Aepyceros melampus). Perphenazine enanthate (1.5 to 5.7 mg kg-1) produced a favourable state of tranquilization with a maximum effect lasting up to 7 d. Pipothiazine palmitate (4.5 mg kg-1) produced tranquilization lasting 16 d. The animals accepted humans inside their pens, at a distance of 0.5 to 4 m, without showing any excitement. No untoward side-effects were observed.

Medical and surgical management of early Q wave myocardial infarction. II. Effects on mortality and global and regional left ventricular function at 10 or more years of follow-up.

To determine the long-term effect of surgical reperfusion on survival and left ventricular function of patients with anterior and inferior Q wave myocardial infarction, 387 patients were followed up for greater than or equal to 10 years after early Q wave infarction. In the anterior infarction group, 102 received conventional therapy and 101 underwent surgical reperfusion. The overall hospital mortality rate in the medically and surgically treated patients was different (16.7% [17 of 102] versus 6.9% [7 of 101], p less than 0.05). The cumulative 13 year actuarial mortality rate widened between the anterior medical and surgical groups (54% versus 31%, p = 0.0003) by the adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. The hospital mortality rate with early reperfusion (that is, less than or equal to 6 h of symptom onset) was 2% (1 of 51), whereas the mortality rate with late reperfusion was 12% (6 of 50). The 13 year actuarial cumulative mortality rate was significantly lower in both the early and late reperfusion groups (30% and 33%, respectively) than in the conventional therapy group (54%, p = 0.0006). The mortality rate in patients receiving surgery after surviving initial medical therapy was 50% (15 of 30). In the survivors of anterior Q wave myocardial infarction, improved global ejection fraction was seen in the patients undergoing early (54 +/- 13%) and late (50 +/- 10%) surgery relative to those receiving conventional therapy (43 +/- 11%, p less than 0.05). Only the early reperfusion group had better regional function of the anterior wall than that of the conventional therapy group. Thus, ventricular function correlated with improved long-term survival. In the patients with inferior Q wave myocardial infarction, the overall hospital mortality rate in the medical and surgical groups was not different (6.1% [6 of 98] versus 4.6% [6 of 86], p = NS). Likewise, the 13 year actuarial cumulative mortality rate was not different between the medical and surgical groups overall (32% versus 30%, p = 0.29) by the adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. The hospital mortality rate in the early reperfusion group was lower than that in the late reperfusion group (2.0% [1 of 49] versus 8.1% [3 of 37], p = NS). The 13 year actuarial cumulative mortality rate was lower in the early surgical group compared with that in the medical group (19% versus 32%, p = 0.04). The late surgical group had a similar 13 year actuarial cumulative mortality rate to that of the medical group (47% versus 32%, respectively, p = 0.47).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Distemper-like disease and encephalitozoonosis in wild dogs (Lycaon pictus).

Clinical signs of a fatal disease resembling those of canine distemper were observed in two groups of captive wild dog (Lycaon pictus) pups 13 days after vaccination with a commercially available combination vaccine for dogs which contained a live attenuated strain of canine distemper virus. Histopathological examination of tissues revealed the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies in neurons and lesions resembling canine distemper as well as colonies of an Encephalitozoon sp. in the central nervous system and kidneys. Lesions were observed in both organs which resembled those described in other species infected with Encephalitozoon cuniculi.