1,720,988 research outputs found
A Comparative Study of Mini-FLOTAC With Traditional Coprological Techniques in the Analysis of Cetacean Fecal Samples
Full text linkFree-ranging cetaceans are considered sentinels for the marine ecosystem's health. New and non-invasive methods have been set up for the collection of fecal samples from free-ranging big whales at sea, permitting to gain an excellent epidemiological picture of parasitic infections in wild populations. To select the best protocol to be used for copromicroscopic examination in cetaceans stool samples, we evaluated the sensitivity of two commonly used techniques, i.e., a sedimentation-floatation method and the Mini-FLOTAC through validation by helminth isolation from the digestive tract. For this aim, gastrointestinal content and fecal samples were collected during necropsy from 44 cetaceans, including bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus), Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), pilot whale (Globicephala melas), and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Helminths were recovered through washing and filtering of the gastrointestinal contents and morphologically identified. Copromicroscopic examinations were performed on formalin-preserved fecal samples, using a sodium nitrate, sodium thiosulphate, and sucrose solution (s.g. = 1.450) for both methods. Helminths belonging to 9 taxa (i.e., the trematodes Synthesium tursionis, Synthesium delamurei, Campula palliata, Braunina cordiformis, Pholeter gastrophilus, the nematode Anisakis sp., cestodes of the family Tetrabothriidae and the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma sp.) were isolated. Eggs referable to the same taxa, with the exception of cestodes, were found in copromicroscopic analyses. Sensitivity of the Mini-FLOTAC method appeared higher or equal for all taxa, proving superior to the sedimentation-flotation method for the detection of all except Anisakis sp. The concordance of the two tests indeed revealed a moderate to perfect agreement (kappa values 0.42–1). Not excluding the limitations inherent to the techniques themselves, explanations for false-negative results at copromicroscopy could be linked to parasite-related factors, including prepatent infections, low parasitic burdens, or intermittent egg shedding. Notwithstanding these limitations, this study evidenced that the Mini-FLOTAC protocol approximates more accurately the composition of the gastrointestinal helminthic community of cetaceans from copromicroscopic examination, providing at the same time a quantitative estimatio
Morphological and molecular characterization of Crassicauda boopis (Nematoda; Spirurida) from Mediterranean fin whales: preliminary results
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
A qPCR approach for the simultaneous detection of Cytauxzoon spp. and Hepatozoon spp. in felids
No full textFirst molecular detection of Pennella sp. (Siphonostomatoidea: Pennellidae) in cetaceans from the Mediterranean Sea.
No full textA NEW QPCR APPROACH FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF CYTAUXZOON SPP. AND HEPATOZOON SPP. IN FELIDS
Full text linkIndagine epidemiologica sulle piroplasmosi bovine in un'area del trentino orientale, italia
No full textIntroduction: Bovine Piroplasmoses are parasitic diseases caused by different species of Babesia and Theileria genera, with a paramount importance at global level and an emerging zoonotic potential. In northern Italy, piroplasmoses clinical cases and outbreaks are rare and therefore these diseases are scarcely investigated by researchers and poor attention is paid by veterinary practitioners. Nevertheless, outbreaks of piroplasmoses were reported in north-eastern Italy recently. Aim: The present study consists of an epidemiological survey, aimed to detect and describe the presence of different species of piroplasms, and to suggest hypotheses on potential risk factors, in a small mountainous area of north-eastern Italy, where the use of pasture is very common among bovine farmers. Materials and methods: Ticks were collected through dragging and investigated by means of bimolecular analysis for the presence of piroplasms, whereas blood samples were retrieved from 79 cattle and analysed with direct (blood smear and PCR) and indirect examinations (IFAT for Babesia bovis and B. bigemina; ELISA for B. divergens). A phylogenetic tree was constructed using sequences of samples positive to biomolecular analysis and a risk factor analysis was performed by univariate approach. Results and discussion: One pool of nymphs, out of 12 analyzed pools (n=98 Ixodes ricinus ticks collected), resulted positive for B. venatorum (syn. Babesia EU1). Cattle showed high sero-prevalence values against B. bovis (43.0%) and B. divergens (12.7%), but only one animal resulted positive to B. bigemina. Totally, 10 animals were positive to PCR, all identified in the Theileria buffeli/sergenti/orientalis group. At phylogenetic analysis, some sequences were identical to isolates described as potentially pathogenetic in Australia. No clear indication was provided by risk factor analysis, even if farms using pasture with high tick density appear to be at major risk for some piroplasm species. Conclusions: Different piroplasm species are circulating in the study area, such as probably in many areas of the Alps. In order to obtain better information on the epidemiological features of circulating species, it is recommendable to perform a detailed ethiological investigation of possible new piroplasmoses outbreaks in the mountainous areas of northern Italy
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