Wildlife as a source of microbial contamination is a food safety concern. Deer feces (scat) have been determined as a point source for Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination of fresh produce. The ecological role of the scooped scarab (Onthophagus hecate (Panzer)), a generalist dung beetle species common in Maine blueberry fields, was explored as a biological control agent and alternatively as a...

Noninvasive faecal DNA sampling has the potential to provide a wealth of information necessary for monitoring and managing endangered species while eliminating the need to capture, handle or observe rare individuals. However, scoring problems, and subsequent genotyping errors, associated with this monitoring method remain a great concern as they can lead to misidentification of individuals and ...

A static analyzer such as ASTRÉE [CCF05, BCC10] is able to ensure safety of critical software, i.e. the absence of runtime overflows. But ASTRÉE is itself a very complex software and its full formal verification seems currently impossible. A more feasible alternative might be to make the analyzer produce a formally verifiable certificate. Such a certificate would summarize the proof of safety f...

The mink (Mustela vison) is often utilized as a sentinel species for ecological assessments at sites where contaminants of concern include dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. Utilizing mink scat as a nondestructive tool to determine internal exposure to dioxin-like compounds may allow for rapid, accurate estimates of exposure without the need to capture mink or their prey. To determine the relat...

A large number of takeoff tests have been made on a Comet aircraft with the object of (a) acquiring comprehensive data on undirected takeoffs ; (b) testing a SCAT takeoff director. SCAT is explained in detail and the aircraft installation and test method described. Tests to determine ground effect on lift and on the SCAT Lift Transducer are also described. Undirected and directed takeoffs are c...

The analysis of apex predator diet has the ability to deliver valuable insights into ecosystem health, and the potential impacts a predator might have on commercially relevant species. The Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) is an endemic apex predator and one of the world's most endangered pinnipeds. Given that prey availability is vital to the survival of top predators, this study set out ...

Heat treatments (HT) and the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) improve whole body and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity while decreasing white adipose tissue (WAT) mass. However, HSPs in WAT have been understudied. The purpose of the present study was to examine patterns of HSP expression in WAT depots, and to examine the effects of a single in vivo HT on WAT metabolism. Male Wistar rat...

Abstract Keystone predators can impact many prey species, including those that are endangered. A requisite to assess the have on different populations is identify species being consumed in types of communities, while accounting for possible seasonal variation consumption. Here we used analysis North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) scat otters their populations, particularly endangered ...

A novel, alkaliphilic, obligately anaerobic bacterium, strain SCAT, was isolated from mud sediments of a soda lake in California, USA. The rod-shaped cells were motile, Gram-positive, formed spores and were 0.4-0.5x2.5-5.0 microm in size. Growth occurred within the pH range 6.7-10.0 and was optimal at pH 8.5. The temperature range for growth was 10-45 degrees C, with optimal growth at 35 degree...

Biologic sample collection in wild cetacean populations is challenging. Most information on toxicant levels is obtained from blubber biopsy samples; however, sample collection is invasive and strictly regulated under permit, thus limiting sample numbers. Methods are needed to monitor toxicant levels that increase temporal and repeat sampling of individuals for population health and recovery mod...