Genetic monitoring of ex situ African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) populations in South Africa

The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) has suffered population declines and is listed in the IUCN Red List as Endangered. The species is endemic to the coast of southern Africa, and breeding colonies are distributed on the south-western coast of Africa. Currently, African Penguins are being kept in zoo and aquarium facilities throughout South Africa. In this study, molecular genetic data based on 12 microsatellite markers from 1 119 African Penguin samples from four facilities were generated in order to determine the level of genetic variation, population structure and differentiation, and effective population size to assist in the development of an effective captive management plan. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.57 to 0.62, and allelic richness from 4.2 to 5.1. However, based on differences between first- and second-generation captive birds, we conclude that the ex situ population is at risk of losing genetic variability in the future and management programmes should include exchange of birds between captive facilities in order to induce gene flow and increase effective population size. Adding individuals from in situ populations should also be considered in the future in cases where these birds cannot be rehabilitated. Molecular genetic analyses of wild penguin populations should be carried out for comparison, and to ascertain to what degree ‘in situ genetic diversity’ is represented among ex situ populations. With regular resampling and analyses, the extent of the effect of processes such as genetic drift on diversity in the ex situ penguin populations will become evident.     

Effects of a veterinary student leadership program on measures of stress and academic performance

Assuming leadership roles in veterinary student governance or club activities could be considered an added stressor for students because of the impact on time available for personal and academic activities. The study reported here evaluated the effects of participation in a leadership program and leadership activity across two classes of veterinary students on measures of stress, using the Derogatis Stress Profile (DSP), and on veterinary school academic performance, measured as annual grade-point average (GPA) over a three-year period. Program participants and their classmates completed the DSP three times across the first three years of veterinary school. On average, participating students reported self-declared stress levels that were higher and measured DSP stress levels that were lower than those of the general population. Students were more likely to assume elected or appointed leadership roles while in their first three years of the veterinary degree program if they participated in the optional leadership program and demonstrated lower stress in several dimensions. Some increased stress, as measured in some of the DSP stress dimensions, had a small but statistically significant influence on professional school GPA. The study determined that the most important predictors of students' cumulative GPA across the three-year period were the GPA from the last 45 credits of pre-veterinary coursework and their quantitative GRE scores. The results of the study indicate that neither participation in the leadership program nor taking on leadership roles within veterinary school appeared to influence veterinary school academic performance or to increase stress.     

Pilot study: prevalence of positive aeroallergen reactions in 10 cats with small-airway disease without concurrent skin disease

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of positive allergen reactions in cats with small-airway disease (i.e. 'feline asthma', 'feline allergic bronchitis', 'feline bronchial disease'). Intradermal skin tests (IDT) and serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests were performed in 10 cats with idiopathic small-airway disease and in 10 normal cats without a history of respiratory disease. None of the cats had a history of skin disease or clinical signs of skin disease at the time of testing. Significantly more individual positive allergen reactions were found on serum IgE tests than on IDT in both groups of cats. Affected cats had significantly more individual positive allergen reactions on both tests than unaffected cats. Both IDT and serum IgE tests resulted in more individual positive allergen reactions to weeds, trees, grasses, and/or moulds in affected cats than in normal cats. Significantly more positive allergen reactions to house dust mites were found in affected compared to non-affected cats by IDT but not by serum IgE testing. One unexpected obstacle to inclusion of more affected cats in the study was the concurrent presence or history of suspect or known allergic skin disease. Concurrent allergic skin disease has not been reported in association with small-airway disease in cats. The increased prevalence of individual positive allergen reactions in affected cats may be due to increased immunological reactivity in these cats. Further studies are needed to answer this question and to determine what role, if any, aeroallergens have in the pathogenesis of this complex feline disease.     

Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy in dogs with thyroid carcinoma

Currently, a histological diagnosis of highly vascularized canine (c) thyroid carcinoma (TC) is primarily obtained following excisional biopsy (EB) through thyroidectomy. Non-EBs are contraindicated in unresectable invasive cTCs due to their highly vascularized nature, which subsequently, lack histological diagnosis. We hypothesised ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (UGCNB) to be a safe biopsy technique to obtain an accurate histological diagnosis in unresectable TCs. Nine client-owned dogs with suspected naturally occurring TC, presented for surgical excision, were included. First, a UGCNB was taken from the cervical tumour, followed by EB. Haemorrhage following UGCNB was evaluated preoperatively and once the tumour was surgically exposed by visual inspection and ultrasonography. Histological analysis, including cell organisation, tumour capsular and vascular invasion, and immunohistochemistry were performed and compared between both biopsy specimens (i.e., UGCNB and EB) of the same dog. Pre- and peroperative visual inspection revealed minor, localised haemorrhage, subsequent to the UGCNB, in 7/9 dogs. Histology of the EBs confirmed TC in 8/9 dogs and was inconclusive in 1/9 dogs. Histology of the UGCNBs revealed neoplastic thyroid tissue in 7/9 UGCNBs and was inconclusive in 1/9 UGCNBs. The remaining UGCNB contained no mass related tissue and was, therefore, excluded. Histological parameters (i.e., cell organisation, tumour capsular and vascular invasion) were not concordant between 6/8 included UGCNBs and their respective EB. Immunolabelling for thyroglobulin and calcitonin was concordant between all eight included UGCNBs and their respective EB. The remaining evaluated immunohistochemical markers (i.e., cyclooxygenase-2 [COX-2], P-glycoprotein and vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) were concordant between the included UGCNBs and the EBs in 6/8 dogs. To conclude, UGCNBs can be safely obtained in suspected cTCs and enable a reliable diagnosis of the thyroid origin, thyroid cell origin and potential therapeutic markers such as COX-2, P-glycoprotein and VEGF. Subsequently, UGCNB enables clinicians to establish an individually tailored treatment plan in dogs with unresectable TC.     

Comparison of early life history stages of the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians: Effects of microalgal diets on growth and biochemical composition

The culture of bay scallops, Argopecten irradians, is limited by a reliable and affordable supply of spat and the ability to ensure that animals attain market size within a single growing season. The main goals of our study were thus: (1) to develop growth-optimizing algal diets for implementation in hatcheries, and (2) to identify and compare bay scallop postlarval and juvenile dietary requirements, especially of lipids and fatty acids, which if met may enhance production. Nutritional needs of postlarval bay scallops (present study) are compared with those of sea scallops, Placopecten magellanicus, offered the same diets in a previous companion study. To this end, postlarval (initial shell height, SH = 240 μm) and juvenile (initial SH = 10 mm) bay scallops were offered 6–7 microalgal diet combinations at 20 °C, for 3 weeks. A similar growth ranking among diets was observed between the two developmental stages. A combination diet of Pavlova sp. (CCMP 459) and Chaetoceros muelleri was far superior to any other diet tested, yielding growth rates of 58 and 357 μm day^− 1 which were 65% and 25% higher than the next highest performing diet of Tetraselmis striata/C. muelleri in postlarvae and juveniles, respectively. The T. striata/C. muelleri diet, which is limited in the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), yielded very poor growth of sea scallop postlarvae in a prior study, indicating that bay scallops may have less stringent requirements for DHA than sea scallops. The Pav 459/C. muelleri diet, which also supported the highest growth of sea scallop postlarvae, is characterized by elevated levels of the n-6 fatty acids, arachidonic (AA) in C. muelleri and 4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic (DPA) in Pav 459. The two diets deficient in AA and n-6 DPA, Pavlova lutheri/Thalassiosira weissflogii and P. lutheri/Fragilaria familica, yielded the lowest growth rates in both bay scallop postlarvae and juveniles. Tissue enrichment of these two fatty acids relative to the diet, as well as overall enrichment in ∑n-6 fatty acids was observed across developmental stages and dietary treatments. A similar pattern has previously been observed in sea scallop postlarvae, suggesting a dietary requirement for n-6 fatty acids in pectinids that has often been overlooked in the past.     

Monothiol glutaredoxin cDNA from Taiwanofungus camphorata: a novel CGFS-type glutaredoxin possessing glutathione reductase activity

Glutaredoxins (Grxs) play important roles in the redox system via reduced glutathione as a reductant. A TcmonoGrx cDNA (1039 bp, EU158772) encoding a putative monothiol Grx was cloned from Taiwanofungus camphorata (formerly named Antrodia camphorata). The deduced amino acid sequence is conserved among the reported monothiol Grxs. Two 3-D homology structures of the TcmonoGrx based on known structures of human Grx3 (pdb: 2DIY_A) and Mus musculus Grx3 (pdb: 1WIK_A) have been created. To characterize the TcmonoGrx protein, the coding region was subcloned into an expression vector pET-20b(+) and transformed into E. coli C41(DE3). The recombinant His6-tagged TcmonoGrx was overexpressed and purified by Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetic acid Sepharose. The purified enzyme showed a predominant band on 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme exhibited glutathione reductase (GR) activity via dithionitrobenzoate (DTNB) assay. The Michaelis constant (K(M)) values for GSSG and NADPH were 0.064 and 0.041 mM, respectively. The enzyme's half-life of deactivation at 60 °C was 10.5 min, and its thermal inactivation rate constant (k(d)) was 5.37 × 10(-2) min(-1). The enzyme was active under a broad pH range from 6 to 8. The enzyme retained 50% activity after trypsin digestion at 37 °C for 40 min. Both mutants C(40)→S(40) and C(165)→S(165) lost 40-50% GR activity, whereas the mutant S(168)→C(168) showed a 20% increase in its GR activity.     

Urban evictions,public housing and the gendered rationalisation of kampung life in Jakarta

The dispossession of urban communities across class and racial lines is a global phenomenon linked to the expansion of international investment in the development of ‘exemplary’ city space. However, city evictions are also historically informed and gendered processes which are continuous with past colonial and postcolonial urban rationalisation projects. Drawing on testimonies of women evictees in Jakarta, as well as interviews with public housing managers, this article details the gendered nature of the rationalisation of urban life in the context of a contemporary evictions regime. We argue that the rationalisation of urban space serves to sharpen the gender order by placing material constraints on women's roles, limiting their economic activities and defining them as hygiene‐responsible housewives. Further, and in turn, the limited provision of ‘rusunawa’ public housing, which we show to be a gendered spatial and social transition informed by state doctrine on the family, provides the state with justification for dispossession itself. Finally, women's everyday acts of refusal and resistance show not only that kampung forms of social life continue to be preserved in Jakarta, but also that rationalisation itself is a negotiated and contingent process.