The Effect of the Wild Boar Hunting System on Agricultural Damages: The North-East of Italy as a Case Scenario.

Hunting is a method commonly used in several European countries to reduce crop damages by wild boar Sus scrofa. However, results are still controversial and poorly treated. Using data on official claims (i.e., damages to crops) and wild boar local counts and hunting bags collected from 2019 to 2022, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of the hunting system (divided into eradication and non-eradication areas) carried out in the north-east of Italy on the number of agricultural damages. The spatio-temporal distribution of wild boar hunting, density and damages as well as the effect of hunting, were evaluated through the hotspot analysis and the zero-inflated models, respectively. The results obtained revealed no clear spatial overlap among wild boar hunting, wild boar density and damages to agriculture in both the eradication and non-eradication areas. Moreover, the current level of harvesting did not significantly affect the number of agricultural damages. A multifaceted approach focused on the numeric control of the species based on accurate local counts and oriented towards more age classes in a similar percentage should be preferred to mitigate damages to cultivars.

The Return of Large Carnivores and Extensive Farming Systems: A Review of Stakeholders' Perception at an EU Level.

Conflicts between large carnivores and human activities undermine both the maintenance of livestock practices as well as the conservation of carnivores across Europe. Because large carnivore management is driven by a common EU policy, the purpose of this research was to assess stakeholders' perception towards bears and wolves at an EU level. We conducted a systematic search and subsequent analysis of 40 peer-reviewed studies collected from 1990 to September 2020 within Member States of the EU. Rural inhabitants and hunters exhibited the most negative attitude compared to urban inhabitants and conservationists, whose attitude was more positive. We showed that direct experience with predators as a consequence of ongoing re-colonization may have affected the degree of acceptance of certain categories and that the long-term coexistence between humans and carnivores does not necessarily imply increased tolerance. To encourage coexistence, we recommend monitoring changes in attitudes over time relative to carnivore population dynamics.

Social context modulates digestive efficiency in greylag geese (Anser anser).

In group-living animals, social context is known to modulate physiology, behaviour and reproductive output as well as foraging and nutritional strategies. Here we investigate the digestive efficiency of 38 individuals belonging to different social categories of a semi-feral and individually marked flock of greylag geese (Anser anser). During 9 consecutive days in winter 2017, when the ground was fully covered with snow (i.e. no grass or other natural forage available) and the accessible food was standardized, 184 individual droppings were collected and analysed to estimate the apparent digestibility of organic matter (ADOM). Lignin was used as an indigestible internal marker in the food and droppings. The digestive efficiency was higher in pairs with offspring as compared to pairs without offspring or unpaired birds. Furthermore, individuals with high ADOM were more likely to breed successfully in the following season than those with low ADOM. Our findings demonstrate that social status modulates digestive efficiency, probably via a chain of physiological mechanisms including a dampened stress response in individuals enjoying stable social relationships with and social support by their family members (i.e. their own pair-partner and offspring). Our findings underline the importance of the social network in modulating physiology, such as digestive efficiency, and ultimately reproductive success.

Enhanced Glaucoma Staging System (GSS 2) for classifying functional damage in glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To introduce a new method, derived from the Glaucoma Staging System (GSS), for classifying glaucomatous visual field defects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four sample groups composed respectively of 471 (sample #1), 128 (sample #2), 185 (sample #3), and 131 (sample #4) patients with either ocular hypertension or chronic glaucoma were considered. The GSS 2 uses both the MD and CPSD/CLV or PSD/LV perimetric indices to classify visual field defect in 6 stages and in 3 types (generalized, localized, and mixed). The formulas were determined using sample #1. A new borderline stage was created, on the basis of sample #2. The relationship between the PSD/LV and CPSD/CLV values was studied on sample #3 to verify the possibility of using the uncorrected indices instead of the CPSD/CLV. The relationship with other classification methods was studied on sample #4. RESULTS: The GSS 2 showed a strong level of association with the AGIS and the Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson methods in staging defect severity. A good correlation was also found with a classification based on the Bebie curve. CONCLUSIONS: The GSS 2 was able to correctly classify both damage severity and perimetric defect type in the sample studied, using either the corrected or uncorrected visual field indices. It is a quick and easy method, and its formulas can be introduced in any software.

Lens epithelial cell reaction after implantation of different intraocular lens materials: two-year results of a randomized prospective trial.

PURPOSE: To determine the influence of intraocular lens (IOL) material on anterior capsular opacification and membrane growth over the anterior IOL surface in patients who have undergone standardized small-incision cataract surgery and foldable IOL implantation in the capsular bag. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-eight cataract patients (88 eyes). METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive one of four different foldable IOLs after phacoemulsification: Storz Hydroview H60M, Corneal ACR6D, AMO SI40NB, and Alcon AcrySof MA60BM. Examinations on days 7, 30, 90, 180, 360, and 720 after surgery included ophthalmologic examination, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and photography using red reflex and focal illumination of the anterior IOL surface. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Best-corrected visual acuity was measured at each examination. In addition, the anterior capsule opacification and the membrane growth on the anterior IOL surface were graded according to a subjective method by the same researcher. RESULTS: The fibrosis of the anterior capsule was more frequently observed in the group using Corneal ACR6D and AMO SI40NB. The Hydroview and ACR6D groups showed a higher percentage of cases with membrane growth from the rhexis edge on the anterior IOL surface. AcrySof showed the lowest presence of fibrosis of the anterior capsule, and no membrane growth was noted. CONCLUSIONS: Anterior capsule opacification is an index of IOL biocompatibility. The natural location of lens epithelial cells (LECs) precludes the possibility of the IOL's design influencing the anterior capsule behavior. The local response of LECs varies according to the IOL studied. This may be related to the chemical and physical properties of the materials used in the different IOLs.