Accessible and inexpensive tools for global HPAI surveillance: A mobile-phone based system

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) disproportionately impacts poor livestock keepers in southern countries. Although the estimated cost of the disease in the billions, response to the epidemic remains fragmented and information channels slow. Given the continuing threat of outbreaks, and what appears to be the politicisation of outbreak reporting, new tools are needed to enforce transparency in stakeholder communication. In response to this need, we created a mobile-phone based surveillance system to aid critical information transfer among policy makers, practitioners and the poor themselves. The tool operates at the local, national and global levels and further links decision-makers to international databases.     

Incidence of cryptorchidism in dogs and cats

Over a period of 54 months, 3518 dogs and 3806 cats were castrated; 240 of the dogs and 50 of the cats were cryptorchid. Pedigree dogs, in particular the German shepherd dog, boxer and chihuahua were over-represented. Among the dogs, right-sided inguinal cryptorchidism was the most common form, followed by right-sided abdominal cryptorchidism. The location of the affected testicle(s) was most variable in the boxer. Among the cats, left- or right-sided inguinal cryptorchidism were the most common forms of the condition.     

Incidence of lymphoma in a captive-bred colony of hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas)

Objective   To assess the incidence of lymphoma and wasting-related deaths in the National Baboon Colony of Australia and relate it to the presence of simian T-cell lymphotrophic virus 1 (STLV-1) infection.
Design and procedure   The records of all animals that had died since establishment of the National Baboon Colony in Australia were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical signs and histopathological findings were recorded and assessed to determine the involvement of lymphoma in the deaths. The presence of STLV-1 was recorded if known and correlated with the STLV-1 status of the colony.
Results   Of the deaths from disease or illness, 53% were diagnosed as or suspected to be lymphoma, occurring in mature animals with no sex predisposition. The most common presentation was rapidly occurring generalised lymphadenomegaly.
Conclusions   This study has described a relatively high prevalence of lymphoma in a colony of captive-bred baboons, and it is evident that STLV-1 may play a role in the disease. Management practices in baboon colonies need to take into account the possible presence of STLV-1 and aim to reduce the transmission of the virus by preventing sexual contact between positive and negative animals. Lymphoma needs to be considered as one of the more common causes of wasting and death.     

Intertidal Growth and Survival of Northern Quahogs Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus 1758) and Atlantic Surf Clams Spisula solidissima (Dillwyn 1817) in Georgia

This work reports on the effects of intertidal planting heights upon the growth and survival of the northern quahog, Mereenaria mercenaria (L.) and the Atlantic sod clam, Spisula solidissima (Dillwyn), in the castal waters of Georgia. Quahogs (N = 100 per cage) at 19.5 mm in shell length were planted in replicate cages (N = 3) placed at the spring (SLW), mean (MLW), one (+1), two (+2), and three (+3) hours above mean low water mark. Surf clams (N = 200 per cage) at 41.5 mm in shell length were placed in replicate cages (N = 3) deployed, as above, in all sites except +3. Quahogs grown at the SLW mark after 15 months were significantly larger than clams planted at other tidal heights. Quahogs planted at the MLW mark were significantly greater in shell length than those planted at the +3, +2, and +1 marks. Clams at the upper three sites were not significantly different in size. An inverse relationship between clam growth and intertidal planting height was evident among surf clams. Surf clams grown at the SLW mark for six months were signplificmtly larger than those at the MLW mark which were larger than those grown at the +1 above MLW mark. No significant differences in quahog survival were detected between intertidal planting sites. There was no significant difference in surf clam survival between SLW (77.5%) and MLW (61%) marks, but there was significantly lower survival at the +1 mark (15%) and no survival at the +2 mark.     

Global contested terrain: The case of the tuna-dolphin controversy

Employing the case of the global tuna-fish industry, it is argued that the process of globalization is contested terrain as it opens free spaces to some classes or groups and closes free spaces to others; that the nation-States' regulatory abilities are weakened; and finally, that while some social movements may gain, others are marginalized. Three basic conclusions are reached. (1) The industry's actions were successfully contested by environmental groups supported by the legislative and judicial branches of the US State. (2) Simultaneously, pro-environmental legislation is currently threatened, along with several national and international environmental accords. (3) Workers in the US and, particularly, in Latin America are paying the consequences of the introduction of pro-environmental legislation and the actions of transnational corporations (TNCs).Douglas H. Constance is Research Associate of Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research interests include the sociology of agriculture and environmental sociology. He is the author of several journal articles and is coauthor with Alessandro Bonanno of the forthcoming bookCaught in the Net: The Global Tuna Industry, Environmentalists, and the State.