A multi-criteria analysis for Environmental Flow Assessment based on hydraulic modelling.

Environmental Flow Assessment is crucial, when assessing the impact of water withdrawal on riverine habitat. Still, standard methods to tackle such exercise are not available hitherto, while several techniques were developed generally to be tailored for the considered case study. Here, we propose a multi-criteria approach, usable to quantify Environmental Flow, and uncertainty thereby, basing upon a hydraulic model of the river, and habitat viability for a given target fish species.

Objective Assessment of Equine Locomotor Symmetry Using an Inertial Sensor System and Artificial Intelligence: A Comparative Study.

In horses, quantitative assessment of gait parameters, as with the use of inertial measurement units (IMUs) systems, might help in the decision-making process. However, it requires financial investment, is time-consuming, and lacks accuracy if displaced. An innovative artificial intelligence marker-less motion tracking system (AI-MTS) may overcome these limitations in the field.

Cytokine mRNA expression in the bronchoalveolar lavage cells from horses affected by different equine asthma subtypes.

Equine asthma (EA) is a respiratory syndrome associated with the increase of different leukocyte populations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Its pathogenetic mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between the mRNA expression of different cytokines in the BALF, different EA subtypes and lung function.

An algorithm to generate 2D bathymetry of an Alpine river for habitat suitability assessment.

Here we present an original approach to generate 2D high detail riverbed based on a drone photogrammetric survey, and RTK bathymetry measurements for Mera river in the Italian Alps. The aim is to better represent macro-roughness and riverbed structure of the river, also extending it to an ungauged area. Specifically, we apply a step-by-step approach.

Evaluation of fitness parameters in relation to racing results in 245 Standardbred trotter horses submitted for poor performance examination: A retrospective study.

In racehorses, the associations between physiological parameters obtained by exercise testing and racing results have been questioned. We hypothesized that fitness variables measured during a treadmill incremental test may be related with racing outcomes and lifetime career. Our study aimed to investigate the role of fitness parameters obtained during a treadmill test in performance evaluation and career prediction in poorly performing Standardbreds, through a retrospective review of the clinical records of 245 trotters that underwent an incremental treadmill test.

Equine Respiratory Medicine and Cardiology.

In the last few years, the attention regarding the health of the lungs and heart of equine patients has been continuously growing [...

Associations between Medical Disorders and Racing Outcomes in Poorly Performing Standardbred Trotter Racehorses: A Retrospective Study.

Poor performance in racehorses is commonly associated with subclinical diseases. This study aims to evaluate the associations between medical disorders and racing results in Standardbred trotters. The clinical records of 248 poorly performing Standardbreds were retrospectively reviewed, and their racing results were extracted from an online database, concerning the periods 3 months before and 6 months after hospitalization and the entire lifetime.

Environmental Flow Assessment using multiple criteria: A case study in the Kumbih river, West Sumatra (Indonesia).

Water withdrawal from rivers is a key resource for agriculture, industry, and power generation. However, in order to maintain riverine ecosystem, withdrawal should not exceed certain thresholds, and normally a requirement is made that a certain amount of water be left in the river, to be assessed via Environmental Flow Assessment (EFA) procedure. In spite of the crucial importance of this task, little or no international standard exists to assess minimum values of the EF.

Medical causes of poor performance and their associations with fitness in Standardbred racehorses.

Background: Poor performance is a multifactorial syndrome of racehorses, commonly associated with subclinical disorders, which can be diagnosed by exercise testing.

Objectives: Describe the prevalence of medical causes of poor performance in Standardbreds unassociated with lameness, and evaluate their relationships with fitness variables measured by exercise treadmill test.

Animals: Hospital population of 259 nonlame Standardbred trotters referred for poor performance.

Prevalence of mutualism in a simple model of microbial coevolution.

Evolutionary transitions among ecological interactions are widely known, although their detailed dynamics remain absent for most population models. Adaptive dynamics has been used to illustrate how the parameters of population models might shift through evolution, but within an ecological regime. Here we use adaptive dynamics combined with a generalized logistic model of population dynamics to show that transitions of ecological interactions might appear as a consequence of evolution.

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome affects fitness parameters in poorly performing Standardbred racehorses.

Introduction: Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a highly prevalent disorder in horses, which can be classified, based on the localization of the lesions, as Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) or Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD). Although EGUS is recognized as a common cause of poor performance in racehorses, objective investigations about its relation with athletic capacity are lacking. Therefore, the present retrospective study aims to evaluate the associations between EGUS severity and some fitness parameters measured during an incremental treadmill test in Standardbred racehorses in training.

Impact of Lower Airway Inflammation on Fitness Parameters in Standardbred Racehorses.

Mild-moderate equine asthma (MEA) is a common respiratory disorder among racehorses, characterized by lower airway inflammation. Although it is generally agreed that MEA causes poor performance, contrasting results have been reported about the effects of tracheal mucus and the leukocyte populations of the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on performance. This study aims to investigate the associations between airway inflammation and fitness parameters measured during an incremental treadmill test on Standardbred racehorses.

Effect of the Administration of a Nutraceutical Supplement in Racehorses with Lower Airway Inflammation.

Mild−moderate equine asthma (MEA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lower airways of the horse, characterized by tracheal mucus accumulation, cough and poor performance. The therapeutic approach is based on pharmacological treatment and environmental management. Moreover, the efficacy of the administration of antioxidant molecules has been reported.

Association between dynamic upper airway obstructions and fitness parameters in Standardbred racehorses during high-speed treadmill exercise.

Objective: To evaluate the association between the severity of dynamic upper airway obstruction (DUAO) and selected fitness parameters in Standardbred racehorses measured by treadmill test.

Animals: 191 Standardbred racehorses that underwent a standardized diagnostic protocol for poor performance evaluation between 2002 and 2021 at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Milan.

Procedures: Horses underwent a diagnostic protocol including clinical examination, lameness evaluation, laboratory analyses, ECG, resting upper airway endoscopy, metabolic incremental treadmill test, high-speed treadmill endoscopy, postexercise tracheobronchoscopy, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology.

Upper and Lower Airways Evaluation and Its Relationship with Dynamic Upper Airway Obstruction in Racehorses.

Dynamic upper airway obstructions (DUAO) are common in racehorses, but their pathogenetic mechanisms have not been completely clarified yet. Multiple studies suggest that alterations of the pharyngo-laryngeal region visible at resting endoscopy may be predictive of the onset of DUAO, and the development of DUAO may be associated with pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH), lower airway inflammation (LAI) and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). The present study aims to investigate the possible relationship between the findings of a complete resting evaluation of the upper and lower airways and DUAO.

Feasibility of Echocardiographic Estimation of Pulmonary Artery Stiffness in Horses.

Pulmonary artery stiffness (PAS) is an index of pulmonary artery elasticity that permits to evaluate the pulmonary vascular bed in humans. It can early detect an increase in pulmonary artery stiffness as a consequence of remodeling of the vessel wall caused by chronic pulmonary and congenital heart diseases. This remodeling can occur also in horses with chronic respiratory diseases.

Associations between Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) and Fitness Parameters Measured by Incremental Treadmill Test in Standardbred Racehorses.

Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is a condition affecting up to 95% of racehorses, diagnosed by detecting blood in the trachea after exercise and/or the presence of hemosiderophages in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf). Although EIPH is commonly associated with poor performance, scientific evidence is scarce. The athletic capacity of racehorses can be quantified through some parameters obtained during an incremental treadmill test; in particular, the speed at a heart rate of 200 bpm (V200), and the speed (VLa4) and the heart rate (HRLa4) at which the blood lactate concentration reaches 4 mmol/L are considered good fitness indicators.

A portable fan-based device for evaluating lung function in horses by the forced oscillation technique.

. The assessment of lung mechanics in horses is nowadays based on invasive methods that may require sedation. The forced oscillation technique (FOT) allows the non-invasive assessment of respiratory mechanics during spontaneous breathing, but current devices are complex, cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to be applied in horses.

Within-Breath Oscillatory Mechanics in Horses Affected by Severe Equine Asthma in Exacerbation and in Remission of the Disease.

Oscillometry is a technique that measures the resistance (R) and the reactance (X) of the respiratory system. In humans, analysis of inspiratory and expiratory R and X allows to identify the presence of tidal expiratory flow limitation (EFLt). The aim of this study was to describe inspiratory and expiratory R and X measured by impulse oscillometry system (IOS) in horses with severe asthma (SEA) when in clinical remission ( = 7) or in exacerbation ( = 7) of the condition.

The Role of Thoracic Ultrasonography and Airway Endoscopy in the Diagnosis of Equine Asthma and Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage.

Mild-moderate (MEA), severe (SEA) equine asthma and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) are common respiratory disorders in horses. The present retrospective study aims to evaluate the role of ultrasonography and endoscopy in the diagnosis of these conditions. Three hundred and three horses were included and divided into SEA, MEA and MEA + EIPH groups, on the basis of history, clinical examination and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf) cytology; scores were assigned to lung ultrasonography, pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH), tracheal mucus (TM) and tracheal bifurcation edema (TB).

Soil erosion and sediment transport under climate change for Mera River, in Italian Alps of Valchiavenna.

Erosion is a main form of soil degradation, with severe consequences on slope stability and productivity, and erosion studies are required to predict possible variations of such phenomena, also under climate change scenarios. Here we estimated distributed soil erosion within Valchiavenna valley in the Rhaetian Alps, drained by Mera river, and covering Italy, and Switzerland. We used a Dynamic-RUSLE (D-RUSLE) model, which provides spatially distributed estimates of soil erosion explicitly considering snow dynamic (accumulation/melting) and snow cover, and vegetation seasonality.

Effects of a nutraceutical supplement in the management of mild equine squamous gastric disease in endurance horses.

Introduction: Equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) may require prolonged treatments with acid suppressants; therefore, interest in nutraceutical supplements with anti-ulcerogenic properties has increased. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of Trophogast pellet for the treatment of ESGD in endurance horses.

Material And Methods: Fifteen endurance horses were included based on their gastroscopic examination and randomly assigned to a treatment group, receiving Trophogast pellet for 30 days together with management changes, or to a control group, only subjected to management modifications.