Feasibility of restoring the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) to portions of their former range

Black bears (Ursus americanus) historically occurred throughout much of North America’s forested landscapes, but loss of critical habitat and overharvest significantly reduced abundance and distribution. In the southeastern United States, black bear conservation has become a high priority and restoration has been suggested y to recolonize suitable habitat. My study focused on evaluating restoration of the Louisiana black bear (U. americanus luteolus) to the Red River Complex (RRC) in east-central Louisiana. This involved translocating female bears with new born cubs from source populations within Louisiana and monitoring their movements, habitat use, and social acceptance of the restoration program to determine if restoration attempts should be continued. Females relocated using this method had restricted home ranges and movements during the initial 30-days following release, and established home ranges at the release site within 7 months. Females continued to den in the area they established home ranges through the following 2 winters. Vegetation measurements at used locations suggest that habitat suitability in the RRC similar to other areas considered highly suitable for bears in the Southeast. A survey of hunters within the RRC indicates that support for the project was high (\u3e 70%) but knowledge about the restoration was low (\u3c 60%), although public meetings were held prior to the release of bears to the area. This data indicates that restoration of the Louisiana black bear to the RRC is feasible and should be continued in an effort to establish a new breeding sub-population of bears in the region

Concentration and flux of trace metals, carbon-nitrogen and particulate matter in marine snow

Thesis (M.S.) -- San Francisco State University, 1983.by Dale Van Why Hebel"A thesis presented to the faculty of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.""A thesis presented to the faculty of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.

IMU integration for ATRIAS

An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is an important part of a freestanding bipedal robot's state estimation system. IMUs return translational accelerations and rotational velocities, which must be numerically integrated to obtain a robot's orientation. This thesis documents the implementation of the IMU alignment and integration systems for the ATRIAS robot. As a result of this work, ATRIAS has responsive and reliable orientation estimation, which allowed it to achieve freestanding walking. Key Words: IMU, bipedal locomotio

How do treadmill speed and terrain visibility influence neuromuscular control of guinea fowl locomotion?

Locomotor control mechanisms must flexibly adapt to both anticipated and unexpected terrain changes to maintain movement and avoid a fall. Recent studies revealed that ground birds alter movement in advance of overground obstacles, but not treadmill obstacles, suggesting context-dependent shifts in the use of anticipatory control. We hypothesized that differences between overground and treadmill obstacle negotiation relate to differences in visual sensory information, which influence the ability to execute anticipatory manoeuvres. We explored two possible explanations: (1) previous treadmill obstacles may have been visually imperceptible, as they were low contrast to the tread, and (2) treadmill obstacles are visible for a shorter time compared with runway obstacles, limiting time available for visuomotor adjustments. To investigate these factors, we measured electromyographic activity in eight hindlimb muscles of the guinea fowl (Numida meleagris, N=6) during treadmill locomotion at two speeds (0.7 and 1.3 m s−1) and three terrain conditions at each speed: (i) level, (ii) repeated 5 cm low-contrast obstacles (90% contrast, black/white). We hypothesized that anticipatory changes in muscle activity would be higher for (1) high-contrast obstacles and (2) the slower treadmill speed, when obstacle viewing time is longer. We found that treadmill speed significantly influenced obstacle negotiation strategy, but obstacle contrast did not. At the slower speed, we observed earlier and larger anticipatory increases in muscle activity and shifts in kinematic timing. We discuss possible visuomotor explanations for the observed context-dependent use of anticipatory strategies

\u3ci\u3eHepatozoon\u3c/i\u3e spp. Infection in Wild Canids in the Eastern United States

Background Hepatozoon spp. are apicomplexan parasites known to cause musculoskeletal disease in a variety of animals. Two species are known to infect wild and domestic canids in the United States: Hepatozoon canis and H. americanum. Methods In this study, blood, heart, and/or spleen samples were collected from 278 wild canids (180 coyotes, 93 red foxes, and 5 gray foxes) in the eastern US and tested via PCR for Hepatozoon. Histology slides of heart and skeletal muscle were assessed for Hepatozoon cysts and associated inflammation when fresh tissue was available (n = 96). Results Hepatozoon spp. were found in 24.2% (59/278) of individuals, with Hepatozoon canis in 14.0% (34/278) and H. americanum in 10.7% (26/278). One coyote was positive for both H. canis and H. americanum. Foxes were more likely to be positive for H. canis than coyotes (23% and 7% respectively, P = 0.0008), while only coyotes were positive for H. americanum. Of the eight sampled states, H. canis was present in six (Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia) while H. americanum was found in two southern states (South Carolina and Louisiana). Infection status was positively correlated with myositis and myocarditis, and heart or muscle cysts were found in 83% (5/6) of H. americanum-positive coyotes. Conclusion This survey showed a moderate prevalence of H. canis and H. americanum in states where the parasite was previously unrecorded including South Carolina and Pennsylvania

Rapid Point-of-Care Testing for Detection of Antibodies to \u3cem\u3eToxoplasma gondii\u3c/em\u3e in Black Vultures and Ring-billed Gulls from Pennsylvania

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects most warm-blooded animals, including birds. Scavenging birds are epidemiologically important hosts because they can serve as indicators of environmental T. gondii levels. A rapid point-of-care (POC) test that detects antibodies to T. gondii in humans is commercially available. In this research, we assessed the ability of the human POC test to detect anti–T. gondii antibodies in 106 black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and 23 ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) from Pennsylvania, USA. Serum samples were tested with the POC test and compared to the modified agglutination test (MAT) in a blinded study. Overall, anti–T. gondii antibodies were detected in 2.8% (3/106) of black vultures and 60.9% (14/23) of ring-billed gulls by the POC test. One false-positive POC test occurred in a black vulture that was negative by MAT. False-negative results were obtained in 2 black vultures and 4 ring-billed gulls that had MAT titers of 1:25 or 1:50. The sensitivity and specificity of the POC for both black vultures and ring-billed gulls combined were 95.7% and 95.5%, respectively. This is the first study using human POC tests to detect antibodies to T. gondii in birds. Further study of the rapid test as a screening tool for serological surveillance of T. gondii in birds is warranted

Serum Chemistry Values in Wild Black Vultures in Mississippi, USA

Vultures (Cathartidae and Accipitridae) play an important role in ecosystem balance by rapidly disposing animal carcasses and thus preventing the potential spread of pathogens. Blood chemistry values provide a means of assessing the health of wildlife and wild animal populations; however, there are significant differences in chemistries among species and when comparing captive and free-living New and Old World vultures. In 2007, we collected blood serum from 30 female and 14 male wild, healthy black vultures (Coragyps atratus) live-trapped by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services from a power substation in Lowndes County, Mississippi, USA. We analyzed the blood serum to provide serum chemistry base values for use in clinical pathology. The chemical analytes we measured included sodium, chloride, potassium, carbon dioxide, anion gap, glucose, creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, total protein, albumin, globulin, and aspartate aminotransferase. In general, blood chemistry values of black vultures were similar to those found in New and Old World vultures and raptor species. Average chemistry values for males were lower than females for sodium, chloride, creatinine, calcium, total protein, albumin, and globulin. The serum chemistry values we describe in this paper can be important indicators of avian health by gender for the black vulture. Our study provided important blood chemistry values from a large sample size, which is rarely available in free-ranging black vultures. These values could be used by scientists, veterinary pathologists, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and other researchers for baseline data for wild and free-ranging birds. Furthermore, the use of such parameters in assessing population health may enable conservationists to further research environmental conditions affecting species reproduction and survival

\u3cem\u3eToxoplasma gondii\u3c/em\u3e Survey in Waterfowl and Gulls from Eight USA States

Sera from 391 waterbirds from eight USA states were tested for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using the modified agglutination test. Fifteen different waterbird species (26.6%; n = 104) were seropositive. Of the adults, 25.4% (n = 52) showed a significantly higher T. gondii seroprevalence compared with juveniles (13.4%; n = 17); however, sex was not a significant factor