The thin edge of the wedge: Extremely high extinction risk in wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes

1. The process of understanding the rapid global decline of sawfishes (Pristidae) has revealed great concern for their relatives, the wedgefishes (Rhinidae) and giant guitarfishes (Glaucostegidae), not least because all three families are targeted for their high‐value and internationally traded ‘white’ fins.
2. The objective of this study was to assess the extinction risk of all 10 wedgefishes and six giant guitarfishes by applying the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories and Criteria, and to summarize the latest understanding of their biogeography and habitat, life history, exploitation, use and trade, and population status. Three of the 10 wedgefish species had not been assessed previously for the IUCN Red List.
3. Wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes have overtaken sawfishes as the most imperilled marine fish families globally, with all but one of the 16 species facing an extremely high risk of extinction through a combination of traits: limited biological productivity; presence in shallow waters overlapping with some of the most intense and increasing coastal fisheries in the world; and overexploitation in target and by‐catch fisheries, driven by the need for animal protein and food security in coastal communities and the trade in meat and high‐value fins.
4. Two species with very restricted ranges, the clown wedgefish (Rhynchobatus cooki) of the Malay Archipelago and the false shark ray (Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis) of Mauritania, may be very close to extinction.
5. Only the eyebrow wedgefish (Rhynchobatus palpebratus) is not assessed as Critically Endangered, with it occurring primarily in Australia where fishing pressure is low and some management measures are in place. Australia represents a ‘lifeboat’ for the three wedgefish and one giant guitarfish species occurring there.
6. To conserve populations and permit recovery, a suite of measures will be required that will need to include species protection, spatial management, by‐catch mitigation, and harvest and international trade management, all of which will be dependent on effective enforcement.

     

Are marketing intermediaries exploiting mountain farmers in Nepal? A study based on market price,marketing margin and income distribution analyses

Against the backdrop of viewing marketing intermediaries in developing countries as parasites, this study examined the validity of such a view, especially in the context of mandarin (a species of orange) marketing in a mountain district of Nepal. Necessary information was collected from all major stakeholders such as farmers, collectors and commission agents, and the relative position of farmers in terms of their gains was analyzed by employing three criteria: price of mandarin, marketing margin and income distribution. Income distribution among marketing functionaries “with” and “without” transaction cost has been analyzed. Similarly, marketing margin and farmers’ share of gross income are also analyzed ‘with’ and ‘without’ the cost of malicious practices by marketing intermediaries. Findings of the study revealed that farmers in the study area are receiving a fair share of the benefit accruing from the marketing of mandarin. However, taking advantage of their weak bargaining power and poor economic condition, marketing intermediaries are harassing and cheating them in different ways. Policy recommendations are made to institutionalize and strengthen the group-marketing system to address such inherent problems.     

Modeling Clustered Survival Times of Loblolly Pine with Time-dependent Covariates and Shared Frailties

Tree mortality is an important component of forest tree and stand growth models, which provide decision support for forest managers. Mortality patterns, however, are highly variable and difficult to describe. Despite numerous investigations aimed at developing tree survival models, there are still important gaps that need to be filled. This paper used a large-scale repeated measure dataset collected from permanent sample plots established in 1980/81 across the natural range of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in the Piedmont, Atlantic Coastal Plain and Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic regions of the US. The primary objective of this study was to explain the survival of loblolly pine trees using time-varying covariates such as diameter at breast height, total tree height, crown ratio, stand age, stand basal area, and dominant height. In this paper, individual-tree mortality was described using a semiparametric proportional hazards regression model. Shared frailty models were used to account for unobserved heterogeneity not explained by the observed covariates. Our investigation involved developing a modeling comparison procedure, predicting mortality based on a frailty model, and quantifying the predictive ability for tree mortality. The survival model developed using a large scale database provides further understanding of mortality trends in planted stands of loblolly pine. The survival model will enable forest managers to more accurately specify initial planting density, thinning schedules, and other management interventions.     

Histopathologic and immunocytochemical studies of distemper in harbor porpoises

During 1988 thousands of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) died in European seas as a result of morbillivirus infection. Six harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) found stranded on the coast of Northern Ireland in late 1988 were submitted to our laboratory for necropsy. Pneumonia was the main necropsy finding in three of these animals. Microscopic lung lesions characterized by necrosis of bronchial and bronchiolar epithelium and infiltration of alveoli with leukocytes, lymphoid cells, macrophages, and multinucleate syncytia were seen in all six porpoises. Cytoplasmic and nuclear acidophilic inclusions characteristic of morbillivirus infection were common in bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells and in alveolar macrophages and syncytia. Brain alterations included degeneration and necrosis of neurons, microglial infiltration, and perivascular cuffing. There were cytoplasmic and nuclear acidophilic inclusions in many neurons. Immunoperoxidase staining of morbillivirus antigen was seen in many tissues including lung, brain, spleen, and urinary bladder. Alterations in our porpoises were similar to those seen in distemper in seals and many species of terrestrial mammals. Systemic viral disease has not previously been documented in Cetacea.     

Breast-feeding and feeding practices of infants in a developing country: a national survey in Lebanon

OBJECTIVE: Breast-feeding (BF) provides the ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. The prevalence of BF in Lebanon shows mixed results. The present study was the first large-scale, extensive survey on BF parameters in Lebanon that aimed to explore demographic, socio-economic and other fundamental issues associated with the initiation and duration of BF by Lebanese mothers.DESIGN: The survey was cross-sectional in design and administered over 10 months.SETTING: Information on all variables was collected from mothers at health centres.SUBJECTS: Two-stage sampling was conducted to select participants. A total of 1,000 participants were randomly selected. A consent form was provided to each participant. Data were collected from 830 of these.RESULTS: Almost all mothers were Lebanese, married and had given birth in a hospital. About a third stated that breast milk was the first food introduced after birth. Although 55.9% started breast-feeding their newborns within a few hours after birth, and 18.3% within half an hour, 21.2% replied that they initiated BF a few days after birth. Only 4.6% of the mothers replied that they never breast-fed their infant. Timing of initiation of BF was associated with the type of delivery (vaginal/Caesarean section) and hospital-related factors (rooming-in, night feedings and frequency of mother-infant interaction). Of the mothers who breast-fed exclusively beyond 6 months, 86.7% had initiated BF a few hours following delivery, while only 13.3% had initiated BF a few days later. Compared with the exceptionally high proportion of BF initiation, exclusivity of BF was low, dropping to 52.4% at 1 month. Exclusivity of BF was also associated with place of residence (urban/rural) and negatively associated with educational level of the mother. Duration of BF was inversely associated with the use of pain killers during delivery and maternal education. Rural mothers and those who practised exclusive BF maintained BF for a longer duration.CONCLUSION: Initiation rates of BF are very high in Lebanon but rates of exclusive BF are low and duration of BF is short. Future research targeting the factors associated with BF, with particular emphasis on exclusivity, is needed. For the 95.4% of mothers who initiated BF, an ecological perspective on intervention aimed at women and their social support system is required to improve duration and exclusivity.     

Importance of spatially structured environmental heterogeneity in controlling microbial community composition at small spatial scales in an agricultural field

Spatial heterogeneity is an inherent feature of soils that has significant functional implications, particularly when the activities of soil microbial communities are considered. The main goal of this study was to determine the physical–chemical properties best correlated with changes in microbial community composition in an agricultural ecosystem, as part of an effort to better understand what environmental factors control the distribution and organization of soil microbes. In addition, we sought to determine: (i) whether these factors vary depending on the spatial extent considered, and (ii) whether different subsets of the microbial community were linked with different environmental variables. This analysis was conducted in a spatially explicit manner via a series of Mantel and partial Mantel tests to examine the relationship between the microbial community and the soil microenvironment while controlling for any shared spatial structure. Two-hundred soil samples were collected with separation distances ranging from 2.5 cm to 11 m, and the multi-scale spatial distributions of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), organic matter (OM), texture, and bacterial abundance were compared with previously published analyses of microbial community structure. The results of the spatial analysis of soil properties were similar to those obtained for the microbial communities, and considerable spatial structure was detected, even at very small scales (i.e., ≤40 cm). A strong link between the microbial community and the soil physical–chemical properties was established, and different subsets of the microbial community responded differently to the various environmental properties. C and N affected the widest portion of the microbial community, while patterns in OM distribution and soil texture were selectively correlated with specific groups of microbes. Collectively, these results demonstrate the value of considering multiple spatial scales when studying community–environment interactions, and that one's interpretation of these relationships is critically dependent on the scale of the investigation and the aspect of the community considered. Understanding how microbial communities develop and organize will help scientists interpret the interplay of dispersal, disturbance, and local dynamics in spatial mosaics, and may have important implications for land management following natural disturbances or human alterations.     

尼泊尔竹业发展及其与中国合作展望

尼泊尔是"一带一路"沿线国家中南亚地区的重要国家,也是我国重点援助的国家。尽管尼泊尔森林资源丰富,生物多样性高,但是近年来森林资源下降趋势明显。鉴于竹子在保护森林资源和发展农村经济中的地位日益显著,尼泊尔政府把推动竹藤等非木质林产品开发利用作为林业发展的重要内容和减贫的重要措施。文中对尼泊尔竹子资源培育、加工利用、发展政策及科研进展等进行了综述,提出了我国与尼泊尔开展竹业合作的领域和方式,可为深化中尼两国林业合作和提高我国对外援助水平提供重要的参考信息。     

Recruitment of arteriovenous pulmonary shunts may attenuate the development of pulmonary hypertension in dogs experimentally infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum

ObjectivesThe purposes of this study were to evaluate if (1) Angiostrongylus vasorum-infected dogs recruit pulmonary arteriovenous (AV) shunts attenuating the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH), detectable using saline contrast echocardiography, (2) anthelmintic therapy causes an acute increase in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), (3) Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) allows detection of mild changes in right ventricular function secondary to pulmonary (vascular) disease.Animals6 healthy Beagle dogs, each infected with 200 A. vasorum larvae.MethodsConventional, TDI and contrast echocardiography, invasive PAP measurements before (T0), 7–12 weeks post infection (wpi, T1), and 1–5 days post therapy (dpt, T2).ResultsAll dogs had patent infections 7–8 wpi and respiratory signs 6–9 wpi. PAP was mildly but significantly increased at T2. Saline contrast echo was positive in 3/6 dogs at T1 and 4/6 dogs at T2. Pulmonary transit time did not change. Of all numeric echocardiographic parameters, only a non-significant decrease in the E′ wave and inversion of E′/A′ ratio in 3 dogs at T2 could be observed. Two of these had mild PH and negative saline contrast echocardiography.ConclusionA. vasorum infection causes only a mild increase in PAP following inoculation and anthelmintic therapy. The absence of important PH may in part be explained by the recruitment of AV shunts in the presence of vascular obstructive disease. TDI echocardiographic parameters may be more sensitive to detect mild changes in RV function than conventional parameters.     

Transient co-expression with three <Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-glycosylation enzymes allows production of GalNAc-<Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-glycosylated Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor in <Emphasis Type="Italic">N. benthamiana</Emphasis>

Background

Expression of economically relevant proteins in alternative expression platforms, especially plant expression platforms, has gained significant interest in recent years. A special interest in working with plants as bioreactors for the production of pharmaceutical proteins is related to low production costs, product safety and quality. Among the different properties that plants can also offer for the production of recombinant proteins, protein glycosylation is crucial since it may have an impact on pharmaceutical functionality and/or stability.

Results

The pharmaceutical glycoprotein human Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor was transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants and subjected to mammalian-specific mucin-type O-glycosylation by co-expressing the pharmaceutical protein together with the glycosylation machinery responsible for such post-translational modification.

Conclusions

The pharmaceutical glycoprotein human Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor can be expressed in N. benthamiana plants via agroinfiltration with its native mammalian-specific mucin-type O-glycosylation.