Éco-éthologie d’une population de vipères péliades (Vipera b. berus L.) dans une région de bocage du sud-ouest de la Belgique

in Bulletin de la Société Herpétologique de France (2008), 128

the preference of adders for different linear elements of the ‘bocage’, a farmland landscape crisscrossed by hedges, was studied during 2.5 years in south-West Belgium. Most individuals occurred in South ... [more ▼]

the preference of adders for different linear elements of the ‘bocage’, a farmland landscape crisscrossed by hedges, was studied during 2.5 years in south-West Belgium. Most individuals occurred in South-facing woody hedges between the autumn and the beginning of spring. During the mating period, by contrast, most individuals tended to shift of habitat and favoured 1 to 2 m wide grassy hedges with a limited shrub cover and a north-south orientation. Mating females especially favoured this latter habitat, probably because of their specific micro-climatic conditions, including a higher insulation. A few individuals, however, remained in the same habitat all year round. The identification of individuals, which was performed on the basis of features including body and head color patterns, but not on individual clipping, proved to be difficult owing to the high density of individuals. Linear elements in the form of grassy hedges, not very space-consuming, can shelter very high densities of snakes. in the context of a sharp decrease of the bocage landscape, the conservation of common European vipers relies on the maintenance of such linear landscape elements as grassy and shrubby hedges, which can be enhanced by the implementation of recent measures aiming at restoring extensive agricultural systems. [less ▲]

Cytochemical and immunocytological study of the reptilian nucleolus

Poster (2008)

Imposing monotonicity in parametric distance functions

in Applied Economics (2008)

Pregnancy diagnosis in ruminant species.

in Reproduction in Domestic Animals (2008), 43(Suppl 5), 104

Low-temperature epitaxial growth of heavily-doped n-Si and n-SiGe layers using trisilane as Si precursor gas for the monocrystalline emitter in bipolar transistors

Report (2008)

Project Office - Final report

Report (2008)

Congenital genralized lipodystrophy in an Indian patient with a novel mutation in BSCL2 gene

in Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease (2008), 12

Meridional reorganizations of marine and terrestrial productivity during Heinrich events,

in Paleoceanography (2008), 23

To study the response of the global carbon cycle to a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a series of freshwater perturbation experiments is conducted both under ... [more ▼]

To study the response of the global carbon cycle to a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a series of freshwater perturbation experiments is conducted both under preindustrial and glacial conditions using the earth system model of intermediate complexity LOVECLIM. A shutdown of the AMOC leads to substantial cooling of the North Atlantic, a weak warming of the Southern Hemisphere, intensification of the northeasterly trade winds, and a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Trade wind anomalies change upwelling in the tropical oceans and hence marine productivity. Furthermore, hydrological changes associated with a southward displacement of the ITCZ lead to a reduction of terrestrial carbon stocks mainly in northern Africa and northern South America in agreement with paleoproxy data. In the freshwater perturbation experiments the ocean acts as a sink of CO2, primarily through increased solubility. The net atmospheric CO2 anomaly induced by a shutdown of the AMOC amounts to about +15 ppmv and −10 ppmv for preindustrial and glacial conditions, respectively. This background state dependence can be explained by the fact that the glacial climate is drier and the terrestrial vegetation therefore releases a smaller amount of carbon to the atmosphere. This study demonstrates that the net CO2 response to large-scale ocean circulation changes has significant contributions both from the terrestrial and marine carbon cycle. [less ▲]

The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in the North-Western European plain

Scientific conference (2008)

Treatment of 46 cats with porcine insulin zinc suspension – a prospective study

in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2008)

This prospective, multicentre, non-blinded, open study followed 46 cats with diabetes mellitus during treatment with porcine lente insulin (also known as porcine insulin zinc suspension, Caninsulin ... [more ▼]

This prospective, multicentre, non-blinded, open study followed 46 cats with diabetes mellitus during treatment with porcine lente insulin (also known as porcine insulin zinc suspension, Caninsulin, Intervet) for 16+/-1 weeks (stabilization phase), with additional monitoring of some cats (n=23) for a variable period. At least three of the following were present at initial presentation: appropriate history of clinical signs consistent with diabetes mellitus, glucosuria, blood glucose greater than 15 mmol/l and fructosamine greater than 380 micromol/l. Insulin treatment was started at a dose rate of 0.25-0.5 IU/kg body weight twice daily, with a maximum starting dose of 2 IU/injection. Twenty-eight of the cats were classed as reaching clinical stability during the study, in 23 of these cats this was during the stabilization phase. Seven cats went into remission during the stabilization phase and one of the cats in week 56. Clinical signs of hypoglycaemia, significantly associated with a dose of 3 units or 0.5 IU/kg or more per cat (twice daily), were observed in nine of the 46 cats during the stabilization phase and concomitant biochemical hypoglycaemia was recorded in most cases. Biochemical hypoglycaemia, recorded in 6% of the blood glucose curves performed during the stabilization phase, was significantly associated with a dose rate of 0.75 IU/kg or more twice daily. This further highlights the need for cautious stepwise changes in insulin dose. The protocol used in the present study is suitable for and easy to use in practice. This study confirmed the efficacy and safety of porcine lente insulin (Caninsulin) in diabetic cats under field conditions. [less ▲]