Working and impacting local communities as establishing the start of a conservation initiative: American Society of Primatology conservation committee webinar.

Nonhuman primate species currently face human-induced pressures and will continue to face them in the modern landscape. These pressures require conservation projects in primate habitat countries to aid in protection, preservation, and conservation. Though there are several examples of primate conservation projects, starting up an initiative can be a daunting task.

Wild Chimpanzee Welfare: A Focus on Nutrition, Foraging and Health to Inform Great Ape Welfare in the Wild and in Captivity.

Adequate nutrition is essential for individual well-being, survival and reproductive fitness. Yet, in wild animals, including great apes, scoring nutrition or health comes with many challenges. Here, we have two aims: first, broadly review the scientific literature regarding nutritional data on wild chimpanzee foods to get a better understanding what nutrients foods comprise of, and second, highlight important findings on wild chimpanzee nutrition and welfare pertaining to diet.

The effect of flunixin meglumine on eating and rumination variables in cows after omentopexy for correction of left displaced abomasum.

Eating and rumination variables were recorded using a pressure sensor integrated into the noseband of a halter in 60 cows with left displaced abomasum (LDA) before and after postoperative administration of flunixin meglumine (FM). Group 1 comprised 9 healthy control cows that were used to establish reference intervals. Group 2 included 60 cows with LDA that received one of the following three treatments: intravenous saline solution (2A, n=20), 1.

Effects of diets differing in dietary cation-anion difference and calcium concentration on calcium homeostasis in neutered male sheep.

Feeding low dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) diets is one strategy to prevent milk fever in cows. The mechanism of action, as well as whether the calcium (Ca) supply of such diets combined with this feeding regimen should meet the requirements, is still unclear. Small ruminants are commonly used as models for cows.

Consequences of multiple imputation of missing standard deviations and sample sizes in meta-analysis.

Meta-analyses often encounter studies with incompletely reported variance measures (e.g., standard deviation values) or sample sizes, both needed to conduct weighted meta-analyses.

Ecosystem decay exacerbates biodiversity loss with habitat loss.

Although habitat loss is the predominant factor leading to biodiversity loss in the Anthropocene, exactly how this loss manifests-and at which scales-remains a central debate. The 'passive sampling' hypothesis suggests that species are lost in proportion to their abundance and distribution in the natural habitat, whereas the 'ecosystem decay' hypothesis suggests that ecological processes change in smaller and more-isolated habitats such that more species are lost than would have been expected simply through loss of habitat alone. Generalizable tests of these hypotheses have been limited by heterogeneous sampling designs and a narrow focus on estimates of species richness that are strongly dependent on scale.

How do Swiss dog owners visiting a dog exhibition understand feed labels?

While teaching, the Institute of Animal Nutrition of the University of Zurich (IANZ) noticed that veterinary students, veterinarians and pet owners have significant difficulties in reading and understanding pet food labels (PFL). The authors hypothesized that if PFL are easy to read and understand, 90% of those dog owners (n = 43) polled at a dog exhibition are able to answer a questionnaire after reading an exemplary PFL modified from existing products. About 30.

Nutrition consultation for an overweight growing Bernese Mountain Dog-A case report.

In growing dogs, overweight is assimilated and attributed to a fast growth rate. Proper nutrition plays a very important role during growth as mistakes in feeding may lead to severe disease. This case report is an example for excessive weight gain during growth that, particularly in large breed dogs, may lead to skeletal disorders such as improper alignments of the limbs.

Conventional land-use intensification reduces species richness and increases production: A global meta-analysis.

Most current research on land-use intensification addresses its potential to either threaten biodiversity or to boost agricultural production. However, little is known about the simultaneous effects of intensification on biodiversity and yield. To determine the responses of species richness and yield to conventional intensification, we conducted a global meta-analysis synthesizing 115 studies which collected data for both variables at the same locations.

Effect of a montmorillonite-bentonite-based product on faecal parameters of horses.

Free faecal water (fluid excreted separate from normal faeces) is a common problem of unknown origin in horses. Multifactorial causes are assumed. This study assessed the effect of a commercial product (EMP) sold to help support intestinal health of horses, particularly regarding the occurrence of free faecal water.

Survey: nutrition, body condition and activities of dogs in Switzerland.

Interest in species-appropriate activities and nutrition of dogs increases. A huge variety of feedstuff available, myths and different feeding theories confuse dog owners and lead to inadequate nutrition of their pets. As one result, obesity in pets can be observed with a high incidence in veterinary practice.

Harmonizing Biodiversity Conservation and Productivity in the Context of Increasing Demands on Landscapes.

Biodiversity conservation and agricultural production are often seen as mutually exclusive objectives. Strategies for reconciling them are intensely debated. We argue that harmonization between biodiversity conservation and crop production can be improved by increasing our understanding of the underlying relationships between them.

Polarized Raman scattering and SEM combined full characterization of self-assembled nematic thin films.

Elongated particles are predestined for a fast transfer of optical and electronical signals in a preferred direction, which is mandatory for a quick response in optoelectronic devices. The performance of the material is based on the quality of defect less alignment of the particles. On this account we present an easy non-invasive methodology for characterization of both surface and bulk order.

Synthesis in land change science: methodological patterns, challenges, and guidelines.

Global and regional economic and environmental changes are increasingly influencing local land-use, livelihoods, and ecosystems. At the same time, cumulative local land changes are driving global and regional changes in biodiversity and the environment. To understand the causes and consequences of these changes, land change science (LCS) draws on a wide array synthetic and meta-study techniques to generate global and regional knowledge from local case studies of land change.

Environmental heterogeneity as a universal driver of species richness across taxa, biomes and spatial scales.

Environmental heterogeneity is regarded as one of the most important factors governing species richness gradients. An increase in available niche space, provision of refuges and opportunities for isolation and divergent adaptation are thought to enhance species coexistence, persistence and diversification. However, the extent and generality of positive heterogeneity-richness relationships are still debated.

Real-time PCR analysis of cytochrome P450 aromatase expression in zebrafish: gene specific tissue distribution, sex differences, developmental programming, and estrogen regulation.

In teleost fish, the predominant brain form of cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450aromB) is a neural marker of estrogen effect, and an entry point for studying the role of hormonal and environmental estrogens on neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity. As part of a project using zebrafish to investigate these issues, we developed and validated a rapid, sensitive, and reproducible real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for quantifying and comparing P450aromB and P450aromA expression in unfertilized eggs, embryos/larvae, and dissected tissues of adult fish. Results confirm that P450aromB and -A predominate in brain and ovary, respectively, and further show that the degree of overlapping expression (ratio, B:A) is 100:1 in brain, 1:50 in ovary, 1:1 in eye, and 2:1 in testis.

Optical phase step method for absolute ranging interferometry using computer-generated holograms.

One main problem of an interferometric measurement is to evaluate the object distance from the interference function. One of the known methods that delivers the object phase is the phase step method. Here we introduce computer-generated holograms to realize parallel phase steps without phase modulation of the reference path.