15 research outputs found
La misurazione del trofeo secondo le regole del C.I.C.. : i Grandi Speciali di Cacciare a Palla: Il cervo
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Genetic variability of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Italy: electrophoretic survey on populations of different origin
No full textSheep predation : characteristics and risk factors
No full textPredation has always been an important problem in extensive sheep farms, causing serious economic losses to the farmers. Official predation reports have recently been decreasing in the District of Pisa, in spite of the presence of two wolf packs in the area. The aim of the present research was to obtain reliable information on the characteristics of predation and to estimate the effectiveness of existing prevention methods in sheep farms of the southern District of Pisa, in order to set up predictive models for an improved and more focused prevention plan and support interventions by public authorities. On-farm surveys were carried out in 73 semi-extensive sheep farms. Predation events were reported by 75.3% of the farmers. Wolves seemed to be responsible for most of those events, although their actual role could be confirmed only in 34% of cases. Most of the events occurred in spring and 85.1% of them were concentrated during night time. The average number of sheep killed during each attack was 7.05. In 22.3% of cases, the number of sheep killed was ≥ 10. Proximity to protected areas and the presence of thick vegetation cover significantly affected the probability of a farm being subjected to chronic predation. Farm size was significantly higher in those cases. No clear indication about the effectiveness of prevention methods could be obtained from our survey. The results of this investigation highlighted the impact of predation in the Southern District of Pisa and emphasized the need for finding technical and political solutions to this problem. Attention should be focused on large farms, with thick vegetation cover and located close to protected areas. Further investigations should be carried out in order to test the effectiveness of suitable prevention methods in these farms
Le pecore e il lupo: indagine sul punto di vista degli allevatori nella provincia di Pisa (Sheep and wolf: a survey on the farmer's point of view in the province of Pisa)
No full textLa presente indagine ha come obiettivo quello di mettere a fuoco la percezione del lupo da parte degli allevatori della Val di Cecina, raccogliere suggerimenti riguardo alle possibili soluzioni, valutare il livello di conoscenza e il giudizio degli allevatori sulla normativa vigente. Il lupo è percepito come un problema dall’86,3% dei soggetti intervistati, che gli attribuiscono la responsabilità degli eventi di predazione nel 91% degli episodi riportati, nonostante che questa sia stata accertata solo nel 31% dei casi. Il 72,6% degli intervistati ha dichiarato di non conoscere l’attuale legge regionale sulla tutela del patrimonio zootecnico soggetto a predazione; tuttavia, il 61,9% di essi ritiene opportuno rivederla. Solo il 28,6% degli intervistati ritiene opportuno sostenere finanziariamente la messa in opera di misure difensive antilupo. Il 42,9% dei soggetti ritiene necessario catturare i lupi presenti e traslocarli in aree non interessate da attività zootecniche, mentre il 49,2% si è espresso a favore dell’abbattimento del lupo, ritenuto frutto di interventi di immissione. La denuncia degli attacchi, laddove non solo non comporta un risarcimento adeguato ma addirittura una perdita economica per l’allevatore, non viene più effettuata, con conseguente difficoltà di monitoraggio del reale impatto del fenomeno. La partecipazione attiva, l’informazione sui metodi di prevenzione e la sensibilizzazione delle popolazioni locali, unitamente ad una maggior attenzione da parte del legislatore, rappresentano presupposti fondamentali per garantire la tolleranza e l’accettazione del predatore e per l’attenuazione del conflitto tra lupo e zootecnia. La figura del medico veterinario gioca un ruolo essenziale per la divulgazione delle informazioni necessarie.Aim of the present survey is to focus on the perception of wolf by sheep farmers in the Province of Pisa (Val di Cecina) and to collect their impressions about its presence and suggestions about possible solutions. Furthermore, we tried to evaluate the level of knowledge and the judgment of the farmers about the current regional law. The wolf is perceived as a problem by 86.3% of the farmers, who give him the responsibility for 91% of the reported predation events, in spite of the fact that this was really assessed only in 31% of cases. 72.6% of the farmers do not know the present regional law; however, 61.9% of them state that it should be reviewed. Only 28.6% of the farmers is in favour of a financial support for preventive measures; 42.9% think that wolves should be captured and transolcated far from sheep farms and 49.2% wish that wolves, that are believed to derive from transolcations, are culled. Wolf attacks are seldom officially reported, as compensations are not considered adequate and farmers are obliged to sustain additional costs for carcass destruction; therefore, there is a scarce control of this phenomenon. Active participation, information on prevention methods, awakening of local populations, together with more attention from lawmakers, are essential tools for improving the tolerance and acceptation of the predator and for attenuating the conflict with zootechnical activities. Veterinarians play a key role for spreading these informations
Wolf food habits and wild ungulates availability in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, Italy
No full textLe popolazioni di cervo (Cervus elaphus L. 1758), capriolo (Capreolus capreolus L. 1758), muflone (Ovis [orientalis] musimon Gmlin, 1774) e camoscio (Rupicapra rupicapra L. 1758) del Parco Nazionale Dolomiti Bellunesi.
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Investigation of Laser-Induced Surface Structures (LIPSS) on quartz and evaluation of their influence on material wettability
No full textWe report here on a study of the generation of Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) on quartz upon irradiation with linearly polarized femto-second laser pulses (pulse duration τ = 200 fs and central wavelength λ = 1030 nm). Two different regimes of LIPSS were observed, Low-Spatial-Frequency-LIPSS (LSFL) and High-Spatial-Frequency-LIPSS (HSFL), characterized by different spatial periods and orientations. The formation of these two types of structures was investigated by varying the laser fluence, the number of laser pulses and the laser repetition rate. Once established how these parameters affect the generation of LIPSS, extended HSFL patterns (25 × 25 mm2) were realized, and their wettability was compared to that of pristine quartz. Contact angle measurements showed that HSFL textured quartz exhibits a super-hydrophilic behaviour, with a measured contact angle equal to 7.6°, with respect to pristine quartz which results simply hydrophilic and shows a contact angle equal to 41.2°
Pitfalls of Early Systemic Corticosteroids Home Therapy in Older Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia
No full textCorticosteroids have been widely used for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but their role in the early phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection is controversial. Our study aimed to determine the effectiveness of early corticosteroid therapy (ECT) in preventing the progression of disease, reducing the escalation of care and improving clinical outcome in older patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia. A total of 90 subjects (47.7% women; mean age = 82.3 ± 6.7 years) were enrolled. ECT was administered to 33 out of 90 patients before the hospitalization. At admission, no difference was detected in median SOFA score (2, IQR:2 vs. 2, IQR: 2). We found a significant difference in mean PaO2 /FiO2 ratio during the first week of hospitalization between ECT patients and controls (F = 5.49, p = 0.002) and in mean PaO2 /FiO2 ratio over time (F = 6.94, p < 0.0001). We detected no-significant differences in terms of in-hospital mortality and transfer to ICU between ECT patients and controls (27.1% vs. 22.8%, respectively, p = 0.63). ECT was associated with worse clinical outcomes, showing no benefit in attenuating the progression of the disease or reducing the escalation of care. These findings are crucial given the current pandemic, and further studies are needed to provide additional data on the optimal timing of initiating corticosteroid treatment
