Bending the Curve of Global Freshwater Biodiversity Loss: An Emergency Recovery Plan.

Despite their limited spatial extent, freshwater ecosystems host remarkable biodiversity, including one-third of all vertebrate species. This biodiversity is declining dramatically: Globally, wetlands are vanishing three times faster than forests, and freshwater vertebrate populations have fallen more than twice as steeply as terrestrial or marine populations. Threats to freshwater biodiversity are well documented but coordinated action to reverse the decline is lacking.

In silico toxicology protocols.

The present publication surveys several applications of in silico (i.e., computational) toxicology approaches across different industries and institutions.

Interplant volatile signaling in willows: revisiting the original talking trees.

The importance of interplant volatile signaling in plant-herbivore interactions has been a contentious issue for the past 30 years. We revisit willows as the system in which evidence for interplant signaling was originally found, but then questioned. We established three well-replicated experiments with two willow species (Salix exigua and Salix lemmonii) to address whether the receipt of an interplant signal from a neighboring willow reduces herbivore damage.

The effects of implementing a feral cat spay/neuter program in a Florida county animal control service.

In 1995, a county animal control service implemented a feral cat sterilization program with the goal of reducing the number of healthy cats euthanized, complaints, and the county's costs. The service collected data from a 6-year period both before and after the program's implementation. The service totaled the numbers of both cat and dog impoundments, surgeries, adoptions, euthanasias, and complaints for each year; standardized both sets of numbers on a per- 10,000-person basis to compare trends between dogs and cats; and calculated estimated costs for neutering versus impounding and euthanizing the feral cats.

Creation of a large-scale genetic data bank for cardiovascular association studies.

Background: A prerequisite for undertaking genetic association studies is the need for a genetic data bank with adequate DNA samples and a well-described clinical cohort.

Methods: We initiated a prospective single-center study enrolling 6,273 patients referred for cardiac catheterization in a genetic data bank (with eventual goal of 10,000 enrollees). Using a prescreening tool, the patients had comprehensive clinical phenotyping, including angiogram, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, clinical history, and medication profile (Appendix A).

Prevalence and risk factors for heartworm infection in cats from northern Florida.

Necropsies were performed on 630 adult cats in northern Florida to determine the prevalence and risk factors for heartworm infection in cats of this region. Heartworms were identified in 4.9% of cats, and serological evidence of heartworm exposure was present in 17% of cats.

Implementation of a feral cat management program on a university campus.

In August 1998, Texas AM University implemented on campus a trap-test-vaccinate-alter-return-monitor (TTVARM) program to manage the feral cat population. TTVARM is an internationally recognized term for trapping and neutering programs aimed at management of feral cat populations. In this article we summarize results of the program for the period August 1998 to July 2000.