Virological Investigation in Synanthropic Rodents in North Italy

Intro: Several rodents, including mice and the brown rat, are synanthropic animals usually found in rural and urban environments in contact with other animals and humans. Rodents are natural reservoirs of infectious agents and could harbour a plethora of zoonotic pathogens of public health importance. Taking advantage of a parallel study on presence and distribution of Hantaviruses, we aimed to investigate the occurrence in mice of other viruses with zoonotic or economic impact. Method(s): From May to July 2022, 41 mice (Mus domesticus) were captured and killed by using baited snap traps in 13 selected cattle, goat and poultry farms located in the Piedmont region. Gut and lung samples were homogenised and tested by PCR methods for pan-Coronavirus (CoV) and SARS-CoV-2, pan-Pestivirus, Mammalian orthoreoviruses, Canine Distemper virus (CDV), Flaviviruses, Influenza A (IAV) and D (IDV) viruses. Finding(s): All captured animals did not present at necropsy lesions related to infectious diseases. Virological investigations detected the presence of CoV in six mice. By sequencing Rodent CoVs was identified in two samples (four more pending). Mammalian orthoreovirus was detected in nine animals and typing and characterization are in progress. One mouse, captured in a bovine farm, tested slightly positive for IDV and confirmation of positivity is in progress by complete sequencing with NGS approach. All samples were negative for Flaviviruses, IAV, CDV, pan-Pestivirus and SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion(s): Rodents are well adapted to a wide range of habitats, including peri-urban and rural environments, where they benefit from human activities. These results, although preliminary, underline the importance of enhancing surveillance in rodents in anthropized areas to better assess the presence of zoonotic agents and the potential risk of transmission.Copyright © 2023

A long‐term shift in the summer distribution of Hector's dolphins is correlated with an increase in cruise ship tourism

Before the 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic, cruise ship tourism had been one of the fastest growing segments of global tourism, presenting a range of potential impacts. At Akaroa Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand, the number of annual cruise ship visits more than quadrupled following earthquake damage to Ōtautahi Christchurch's Lyttelton Port in 2011. Akaroa Harbour is an area of core use for endangered and endemic Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Dolphins here are exposed to some of the highest levels of cetacean tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand. Relationships were examined between growth in cruise ship visits, as well as tours focused specifically on dolphins, and long‐term trends in summer distribution of Hector's dolphins at Akaroa Harbour, from 2000 to 2020. Core use areas for Hector's dolphins within the harbour were quantified via kernel density estimation using data from 2,335 sightings from over 8,000 km of standardized survey effort. Data were allocated into four periods based on varying levels of tourism. Dolphin habitat preference varied over time, with the greatest change occurring between 2005–2011 and 2012–2015. When comparing these periods, the spatial overlap of core habitat was less than 24%. Dolphin distribution shifted towards the outer harbour after 2011 and has remained relatively consistent since. The observed shift in distribution coincided with the more than fourfold increase in annual cruise ship visits to Akaroa Harbour. Several pressures related to cruise ship tourism are likely to have influenced habitat preferences of dolphins. Further investigation into causal factors of the observed shift is warranted. In the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the future of cruise ship and wildlife tourism is in flux. Our findings suggest that the future re‐development of this industry should follow a precautionary approach, with the onus on industry to provide evidence of sustainability before proceeding.

Vessel traffic influences distribution of Aotearoa New Zealand's endemic dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)

Cetacean tourism and vessel traffic have grown considerably around the world in recent decades. At Akaroa Harbor, Aotearoa New Zealand, recreational vessel traffic, dolphin tourism, and cruise ship presence increased substantially between 2008 and 2020. We examined the relationship between vessel traffic parameters and the presence of Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) during the austral summer 2019–2020, using automated vessel tracking and autonomous passive acoustic monitoring. Data were collected between December 2019 and May 2020, including the entirety of the first COVID‐19 nationwide lockdown. Generalized additive models revealed that increasing levels of motor vessel traffic, the presence of cruise ships, and high levels of dolphin tour vessel traffic resulted in decreases in acoustic detections of dolphins. Our findings suggest that Hector's dolphins at Akaroa Harbor were displaced from core habitat in response to each of these vessel traffic parameters. We recommend that managers use immediately actionable tools to reduce the impacts of vessels on these dolphins.

"Inhabiting the bush”: urban development, socio-environmental issues and territorial defence in the Mountain ranges of Córdoba, Argentina (2001-2022)

Since the last twenty years, and more especially after the COVID 19 health crisis, the mountain ranges of Cordoba (Argentina) has been experiencing an accelerated process of demographic growth and urban expansion. The change from rural to urban land use is identified as the basis of a process of territorial transformation that exacerbates pre-existing local problems. This paper aims to analyse the socio-environmental impact of urban development in the Para-vachasca Valley in order to identify the challenges for the environmental management of the territory of small towns of landscape and environmental value that involve a sustainability per-spective. In order to do so, we analysed the processes of territorial defence related with the so-cio-environmental issues that affect these spaces. Results are presented in relation to narratives that place care for the environment and more sustainable ways of living at the centre. © 2023, Universidad de Granada. All rights reserved.

La negación de la ciudad pandémica. Habitar, virtualizar, resistir la cotidianidad

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has led to the closure of the city, its negation. Its global dimension has generated phenomena such as mass confinement, social distancing, the denial-closure of the city, the city as danger, the change of scale from the collective habitat to the domestic habitat, the partial halt of economic activities conditioning virtualization and life as a whole. Also, it transformes the house in the axis of the habitat of absolute daily life and its contemplation of the world as an image. The object of this research article is to capture these phenomena that accompany the study of the city under pandemic conditions. As a methodological resource, the presence of opposing elements in dynamic relation is established in the form of dialectical pairs, such as the collective subject and individual subject and the citified and the domestic, boosting the habitat scale. The dialectical analysis of the health crisis results, among others, in the adaptation and refunctionalization of the subject to the prevailing economic system slowed, accelerated the virtualization of daily life, subsuming it to its domain. The result is the speed up the emergence of a new type of man: homo videns videns. © 2022 Universidad Nacional de Colombia. All rights reserved.

Bronchiolitis vs. COVID-19: epidemiologic correlations from a single Pediatric Unit experience

Introduction: The spread of SARS-CoV-2 pandemia in Europe has been socially counteracted with the aid of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). This rapidly changed the epidemiology of viral respiratory diseases other than the COVID-19. Thus a sharp decrease in bronchiolitis patients has been recorded all over Europe since 2020. Aims and Objectives: Due to the looser NPIs and to the increased accesses to hospitals than the year before we chose to analyze the series of admissions to our Unit either for bronchiolitis or for COVID-19, from 2021 October, 1st to 2022 January, 31st. Method(s): Data were obtained from the hospital database. Overall 2582 patients accessed the Pediatric Emergency Room (PER). Of them 228 (8.8%) were admitted to the Pediatric Unit (PU). All admissions were tested for SARSCoV-2 by nasopharyngeal molecular swab. Result(s): Overall we recorded 71 bronchiolitis and 26 COVID-19. Data are reported in the table herein. View inline In January 2022 the COVID-19 impacted overall admissions more significantly than did the bronchiolitis in November plus December 2021 (chi2, p<0.01). Conclusion(s): By our limited experience we tried to describe the relationships that seemingly regulate the epidemiology of respiratory viruses. As a matter of fact, when one virus promptly emerged the other seemed to find no space in the ecosystem despite the rules for NPIs did not change meanwhile. Epidemiology of viruses looking for the same habitat maybe needs furher evaluations.

Monitoring Green Sea Turtles in the San Gabriel River of Southern California.

Effective conservation of endangered species relies on the characterization of habitat use and tracking of long-term population trends, which can be especially challenging for marine species that migrate long distances and utilize a diversity of habitats throughout their lives. Since 2012, citizen science volunteers at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, have been monitoring an urban population of East Pacific green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) that resides near the mouth of the San Gabriel River (SGR) in Southern California, USA, in order to gain insights about how the population uses this area. Here, we collate and analyze nine years of citizen science data, including observed sightings collected across 10 observation stations. Our results confirm that green sea turtles are frequently present around warm water effluent from power plants, similar to research results reported for other locations in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Importantly, observational data also show notable green sea turtle activity around the outfalls for a small wetland habitat bordering the SGR, highlighting the importance of wetland ecosystems as a key habitat and foraging area for this threatened population. Finally, our results showcase the benefits of using citizen science to monitor sea turtle populations in easily accessible nearshore habitats.

Lockdown effects on fear revealed direct and indirect effects of human presence on perceived predation risk.

The Covid-19 lockdown reduced drastically human presence outdoors, providing an uncontrolled experiment for disentangling direct and indirect effects of human presence on animal fearfulness. We measured 18,494 flight initiation distances (FIDs, the distance at which individual animals fly away when approached by a human) from 1333 populations of 202 bird species taken in four European cities both before, during and after the lockdown. FIDs decreased during lockdown in rural habitats but increased in urban habitats, especially for singing birds. Height above ground increases during lockdown in non-singing birds only, and birds adjusted horizontal tolerance to approach according to height outside lockdown, in rural habitats and while not singing. Responses showed lagged effects after lockdown in urban but not in rural habitats. Differential responses to lockdown among habitats and between signing and non-singing birds were consistent with relaxation of direct disturbance effects on birds in rural habitats during lockdown, as well as with increased indirect fear effects mediated by predator release in cities. FIDs seemed to measure the balance of direct and indirect effects of humans on predations risk and food needs rather than direct effects of humans on fear.

Habitat Imaging Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Prognosis in Cancer Patients Infected with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: Cancer patients have worse outcomes from the COVID-19 infection and greater need for ventilator support and elevated mortality rates than the general population. However, previous artificial intelligence (AI) studies focused on patients without cancer to develop diagnosis and severity prediction models. Little is known about how the AI models perform in cancer patients. In this study, we aim to develop a computational framework for COVID-19 diagnosis and severity prediction particularly in a cancer population and further compare it head-to-head to a general population. METHODS: We have enrolled multi-center international cohorts with 531 CT scans from 502 general patients and 420 CT scans from 414 cancer patients. In particular, the habitat imaging pipeline was developed to quantify the complex infection patterns by partitioning the whole lung regions into phenotypically different subregions. Subsequently, various machine learning models nested with feature selection were built for COVID-19 detection and severity prediction. RESULTS: These models showed almost perfect performance in COVID-19 infection diagnosis and predicting its severity during cross validation. Our analysis revealed that models built separately on the cancer population performed significantly better than those built on the general population and locked to test on the cancer population. This may be because of the significant difference among the habitat features across the two different cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our habitat imaging analysis as a proof-of-concept study has highlighted the unique radiologic features of cancer patients and demonstrated effectiveness of CT-based machine learning model in informing COVID-19 management in the cancer population.

Assessing potential of the gain in the life expectancy of population using artificial neural networks

Introduction. At present it is especially vital to search for and test new analytical systems that can give a possibility to predict a medical and demographic situational lowing for multifactorial influence exerted by the environment. Our research goal was to establish regional peculiarities and predictive estimates of potential gain in such an important indicator as life expectancy at birth (LEB) depending on changes in socio-hygienic determinants potent of modifying it. To do that, we took data collected in a RF region where the current demographic situation was rather tense against the backdrop of stable economic conditions. Materials and methods. A potential of the gain in LEB was estimated by modelling cause-effects relations between environmental indicators and life-style related ones, or determinants that determined population health. Models were created by using artificial neural networks. Results. Our methodology was proven to be optimal and precise (differences are equal to 0.98%). It can be applied quite successfully to predict a potential gain in LEB at a regional level together with identifying what modifying factors should be considered priority ones. LEB on the analyzed territory (the Perm region) was established to likely grow by 661.6 days by 2024 and reach 73.12 years;by 855.7 days by 2030 and reach 73.65 years if the current trends related to changes in the analyzed determinants persisted and the achievement of target indicators of national projects and regional development programs. In case the relevant targets set within national projects and regional development programs were achieved, this indicator would grow by 661.6 days and reach 73.12 years. The most significant groups of factors that determine LEB on the analyzed territory against the backdrop of stable economic situation include sanitary-epidemiological welfare (working conditions et al.), public healthcare indicators (population provided with sufficient number of doctors), sociodemographic indicators (expenses on social policies), lifestyle factors (the proportion of the population involved in physical culture and sports;consumption of vegetables and fruits;retail sales of alcoholic beverages, etc.). Their contribution to the gain in LEB varies from 51.2 to 228.6 days. Limitations. Limitations of the study include the model being "stationary” due to its training relying on data collected in 2010–2019;use of a specific set of indicators;failure to consider the influence exerted by the current epidemiological processes (the COVID-19 pandemics). Conclusion. We analyzed data collected in an RF region with a rather tense demographic situation and established that by 2024 an adjusted target LEB value would be achieved there if the trend in changes in socio-hygienic determinants recovered to its pre-pandemic levels. Achievement of target LEB values by 2030 requires additional project activities that consider specific regional features and focus on managing priority determinants and reducing mortality among working age population. © 2022 Izdatel'stvo Meditsina. All rights reserved.

Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the observed density of coral reef fish along coastal habitats of Moorea, French Polynesia.

During the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, levels of coastal activities such as subsistence fishing and marine tourism declined rapidly throughout French Polynesia. Here, we examined whether the reduction in coastal use led to changes in fish density around the island of Moorea. Two natural coastal marine habitats (bare sand and mangrove) and one type of man-made coastal structure (embankment) were monitored on the west coast of the island before and after the first COVID-19 lockdown. At the end of the lockdown (May 2020), significantly higher apparent densities of juvenile and adult fish, including many harvested species, were recorded compared to levels documented in 2019 at the same period (April 2019). Fish densities subsequently declined as coastal activities recovered; however, 2 months after the end of the lockdown (July 2020), densities were still higher than they were in July 2019 with significant family-specific variation across habitats. This study highlights that short-term reductions in human activity can have a positive impact on coastal fish communities and may encourage future management policy that minimizes human impacts on coastline habitats. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10113-022-02011-0.

Vessel traffic influences distribution of Aotearoa New Zealand's endemic dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)

Cetacean tourism and vessel traffic have grown considerably around the world in recent decades. At Akaroa Harbor, Aotearoa New Zealand, recreational vessel traffic, dolphin tourism, and cruise ship presence increased substantially between 2008 and 2020. We examined the relationship between vessel traffic parameters and the presence of Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) during the austral summer 2019-2020, using automated vessel tracking and autonomous passive acoustic monitoring. Data were collected between December 2019 and May 2020, including the entirety of the first COVID-19 nationwide lockdown. Generalized additive models revealed that increasing levels of motor vessel traffic, the presence of cruise ships, and high levels of dolphin tour vessel traffic resulted in decreases in acoustic detections of dolphins. Our findings suggest that Hector's dolphins at Akaroa Harbor were displaced from core habitat in response to each of these vessel traffic parameters. We recommend that managers use immediately actionable tools to reduce the impacts of vessels on these dolphins.

Knowledge and Disputes Socialized in the Framework of the Latin American School of Habitat Selfmanagement of Selvihp

This article recovers as an object of analysis one of the constitutive devices of the SELVIHP (Latin American Secretariat of Housing and Popular Habitat): the Latin American School of Habitat Self-Management (ELAH). Specifically, it seeks to analyze ELAH in terms of a strategy promoted by the Secretariat for the meeting and production of knowledge and knowledge, and as a regional integration tactic between popular organizations and resistance built from a self-managed perspective of habitat production. Based on a qualitative approach methodology, we seek to reflect on the characteristics that the School imprints on the mobility of ideas and practices that are articulated between the socio-territorial movements that are members of the SELVIHP on a regional scale, the role that this device plays in the production of situated knowledge-within the SELVIHP strategy and as an articulation of its movements- and, in particular, the strategies used to sustain the space during the context of the COVID19 pandemic in terms of appropriation of the territory of virtuality.

Messaging Should Reflect the Nuanced Relationship between Land Change and Zoonotic Disease Risk.

A hallmark of the media publicity surrounding COVID-19 has been the message that land change causes zoonotic diseases to spill over from wild animals to humans. The secondary peer-reviewed literature sends a similar message. However, as indicated in the primary peer-reviewed literature, the complexity of interacting variables involved in zoonotic disease spillover makes it unlikely for such a claim to be universally applicable. The secondary peer-reviewed literature and the mainstream media also differ markedly from the primary peer-reviewed literature in their lack of nuance in messaging about the relationship between land change and spillover risk. We advocate accurate, nuanced messaging for the sake of the local communities at greatest risk from zoonotic disease, for the sake of scientific credibility, and so that proportionate attention may be given to other possible drivers of spillover risk.

A long‐term shift in the summer distribution of Hector’s dolphins is correlated with an increase in cruise ship tourism

1. Before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, cruise ship tourism had been one of the fastest growing segments of global tourism, presenting a range of potential impacts. At Akaroa Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand, the number of annual cruise ship visits more than quadrupled following earthquake damage to Otautahi Christchurch's Lyttelton Port in 2011. Akaroa Harbour is an area of core use for endangered and endemic Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Dolphins here are exposed to some of the highest levels of cetacean tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand. 2. Relationships were examined between growth in cruise ship visits, as well as tours focused specifically on dolphins, and long-term trends in summer distribution of Hector's dolphins at Akaroa Harbour, from 2000 to 2020. Core use areas for Hector's dolphins within the harbour were quantified via kernel density estimation using data from 2,335 sightings from over 8,000 km of standardized survey effort. Data were allocated into four periods based on varying levels of tourism. 3. Dolphin habitat preference varied over time, with the greatest change occurring between 2005-2011 and 2012-2015. When comparing these periods, the spatial overlap of core habitat was less than 24%. Dolphin distribution shifted towards the outer harbour after 2011 and has remained relatively consistent since. 4. The observed shift in distribution coincided with the more than fourfold increase in annual cruise ship visits to Akaroa Harbour. Several pressures related to cruise ship tourism are likely to have influenced habitat preferences of dolphins. Further investigation into causal factors of the observed shift is warranted. 5. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of cruise ship and wildlife tourism is in flux. Our findings suggest that the future re-development of this industry should follow a precautionary approach, with the onus on industry to provide evidence of sustainability before proceeding.

Seasonal space use and habitat selection in magpie geese: implications for reducing human‐wildlife conflicts

Negative interactions between waterbirds and people are increasing. Waterbirds feeding on agricultural crops cause significant losses to farmers worldwide, but so far most research to address these conflicts has been conducted on migratory species in the temperate northern hemisphere. We investigated the space use and habitat selection of the magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata), a taxonomically distinct waterbird endemic to Australia and southern Papua New Guinea. In tropical northern Australia, magpie geese are protected but are increasingly persecuted by farmers to protect crops during the late dry–early wet season (~Sep–Jan), a bottleneck of natural resources for waterbirds in the monsoonal tropics. Using satellite telemetry of 38 geese spread across 3 seasons (2016–2017, 2017–2018, 2018–2019), we evaluated daily and seasonal space use, individual site fidelity, and habitat selection to determine the extent of use of agricultural fields by geese, and the spatiotemporal scales at which management should be undertaken. Geese used relatively small daily areas (x̄ = 8.2 km2) consistently throughout the late dry–early wet season, and repeatedly used agricultural fields, forested bushlands, and local wetlands. Geese used comparatively large seasonal areas (x̄ = 219.5 km2) encompassing several agricultural areas, and had a low mean overlap between successive weekly core activity areas, indicating that site fidelity rapidly weakened over time. These results suggest that farm‐scale (<30 ha) management of geese is unlikely to be effective because hazed individuals are likely to be replaced soon afterwards. Instead, our findings suggest that goose management should be coordinated strategically at the local (~1,000 ha), or regional (~100,000 ha) scale. Farm‐level management would likely be more effective if implemented in conjunction with the creation of regional sanctuaries where geese could rest and potentially feed undisturbed away from farms. Our findings can be used by wildlife managers for optimizing the location of such sanctuaries and highlight the necessity for management to be adaptive given the opportunistic nature of the species. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Wildlife Management is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Mapping of benthic ecosystems: Key to improving the management and sustainability of anchoring practices for ocean-going vessels

A global fleet of more than 48,000 vessels conveys >80% of world trade by volume. Anchor damage to benthic habitats by these vessels, along with the burgeoning cruise ship industry, represents a key threat to benthic biodiversity and ecosystem function. Here, we use vessel positional information (Automated Identification System (AIS) data) to map anchoring activity. We then focus on the important role that high resolution habitat mapping will play in understanding the distribution of habitat types which may be impacted by anchoring activities. Many international ports have high-intensity anchor areas that remain unmapped and thus risks to benthic biodiversity are poorly understood and inadequately managed. We use case studies from an anchorage in south-eastern Australia, major trade routes in the Middle East and the anchoring of cruise vessels in the Caribbean to highlight the important role of habitat mapping in reducing anchoring impacts. We contend that mapping represents an important safeguard against anchoring impacts from unexpected events such as the COVID-related redirection of cruise vessels to anchorages and the blocking of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given grounding. With increasing maritime trade expected over coming decades there is a need to transition toward sustainable anchorage management practices and provide public confidence in stewardship of marine ecosystems by the maritime industry into the future.

We must better protect wildlife to prevent future pandemics

Speed read Wuhan investigation points to wildlife as likely source of COVID-19 Climate change and illegal trade are increasing risk of zoonotic disease transmission Wildlife protection, surveillance of zoonosis are key to early detection of ‘spillover events’ Understanding animal disease is essential if we want to prevent future pandemics, writes Keith Hamilton. [...]deforestation and climate change result in natural habitat loss and push animals, in their search for food or a new home, into human settlements. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the standard-setting organisation for animal health and welfare, champions this approach and is developing guidelines and standards for wildlife trade which support animal welfare and biodiversity conservation.

Q&A: Objective science news needed now more than ever

Speed read Smallholder farmers ‘absolutely critical’ in food security fight Invasive species biggest threat to biodiversity after habitat loss CABI programmes to focus on prediction, prevention The need for objective coverage of science is greater now than ever before, according to Daniel Elger, who took over last month as the chief executive of the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI, the parent organisation of SciDev.Net). If women farmers have access to the same resources as men, among smallholder farmers in particular, that would immediately reduce the number of hungry people worldwide by 150 million or so, which gives you an idea of some of the important social dimensions beyond food production. See PDF] When we think about the science base of the organisation now, we think about both natural sciences and social sciences, because so much of what we are trying to do is to achieve impact not only at the level of farmers being able to grow more crops and improve their productivity, but embedding that in positive broader social change, particularly in some of the really important, cross-cutting themes — climate, gender equity, and other themes that are crucial to our member countries.