Tenure and taboos: origins and implications for fisheries in the Pacific

We present demographic, social, historical and ecological data to challenge the generalization that traditional tenure and fishing taboos constitute cultural adaptations that evolved to prevent over‐harvesting of subsistence fisheries in the Pacific. In particular, we re‐examine the seminal and widely cited arguments of Johannes (Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 1978; 9 , 349–364), which constructed tenure and taboos primarily as traditional fishery management tools for the entire Pacific region. While it is difficult to disprove Johannes’ logic for some sites, particularly in formerly densely populated parts of Polynesia and Micronesia, our review of data and literature for Melanesia indicate very different origins and functions for these institutions. Our study shows that human population densities in most of the Western Pacific prior to European colonial intrusions were too low to have generated sufficient fishing pressure to drive the evolution of a conservation ethic. Our review for Melanesia shows that customary marine tenure and fishing taboos are primarily designed to manage relationships between social groups, rather than to sustain food security from fisheries. We argue that proper recognition of the cultural role of tenure and taboos is critical to progressing marine resource management in Melanesia.     

In vitro absorption of dietary trans-resveratrol from boiled and roasted peanuts in Caco-2 cells

Previous studies on the transport and absorption of resveratrol (3,5,4-O-trihydroxystilbene) were done using the pure compound. In this study, the absorption of resveratrol in digested peanut micellar from boiled and roasted peanuts was investigated using a human intestinal Caco-2 cell monolayer. The amount transported and rate of transport of both resveratrol glycosides and its hydrolytic product were quantified by a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method with mass spectrometric detection. Four peaks were identified in the digested peanut micellar of both boiled and roasted peanuts: two resveratrol glycosides, one resveratrol diglycoside, and possibly an acylated resveratrol glycoside. Resveratrol from roasted peanut micellar had a higher transport rate than those from the boiled peanut. This implies that resveratrol from roasted peanut is better absorbed than from boiled peanut. Also, the rate of transport and amount of resveratrol transported were higher for the hydrolytic product than the nonhydrolyzed glycosides. This has strong implications for in vivo absorption as the enzymatic activity of gut microflora could enhance the bioavailability of β-glycosides of dietary polyphenols.     

Response of North American ecosystem models to multi-annual periodicities in temperature and precipitation

Ecosystem models typically use input temperature and precipitation data generated stochastically from weather station means and variances. Although the weather station data are based on measurements taken over a few decades, model simulations are usually on the order of centuries. Consequently, observed periodicities in temperature and precipitation at the continental scale that have been correlated with largscale forcings, such as ocean-atmosphere dynamics and lunar and sunspot cycles, are ignored. We investigated how these natural climatic fluctuations affect aboveground biomass in ecosystem models by incorporating some of the more pronounced continental-scale cycles in temperature (4, 11, 80, 180 year periods) and precipitation (11 and 19 year periods) into models of three North American forests (using LINKAGES) and one North American grassland (using STEPPE). Even without inclusion of periodicities in climate, long-term dynamics of these models were characterized by internal frequencies resulting from vegetation birth, growth and death processes. Our results indicate that long-term temperature cycles result in significantly lower predictions of forest biomass than observed in the control case for a forest on a biome transition (northern hardwoods/boreal forest). Lower-frequency, higher-amplitude temperature oscillation caused amplification of forest biomass response in forests containing hardwood species. Shortgrass prairie and boreal ecosystems, dominated by species with broad stress tolerance ranges, were relatively insensitive to climatic oscillations. Our results suggest periodicities in climate should be incorporated within long-term simulations of ecosystems with strong internal frequencies, particularly for systems on biome transitions.     

Endoscopic Diagnosis of Chronic Hypertrophic Pyloric Gastropathy in Dogs

The endoscopic appearance of chronic hypertrophic pyloric gastropathy (CHPG) in five dogs is described. Several patterns of enlarged mucosal folds that surrounded and obstructed the pyloric canal were observed. Initially, endoscopically obtained biopsy samples of mucosa were judged to be histologi-cally normal. Diagnosis of CHPG was confirmed and relief of pyloric obstruction accomplished at exploratory laparotomy (in four dogs). Retrospective evaluation of pyloric tissue samples, obtained during endoscopy, identified subtle histological characteristics of CHPG. Gastric and duodenal neopla-sia or antral polyps can mimic the endoscopic appearance of CHPG but can be differentiated based on their endoscopic and histological appearance. These cases show that endoscopic examination is a valuable procedure for the diagnosis of CHPG in dogs that chronically vomit. (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1993; 7:335–341. Copyright © 1993 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)     

Effect of Satiate or Restricted Feeding on Golden Shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas Production in Earthen Ponds

Abstract.— This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of satiate or restricted feeding on the growth and production of golden shiners Notemigonus crysoleucas . Golden shiners (1.2 g) stocked at 560 kg/ha in 12,0.04-ha earthen ponds for 79 d grew to average weights of 5.6, 4.6 and 3.8 g for fish fed to satiation, or 75% or 50% of that amount, respectively. Gross yield ranged from 811 to 1,277 kg/ha; net yield did not differ significantly among treatments.     

Giardia intestinalis and other zoonotic parasites: prevalence in adult dogs from the southern part of Mexico City

The protozoan Giardia intestinalis is a mammalian-infecting parasite. It produces diarrhoea and malabsorption in its hosts. There is growing evidence that dogs could be reservoirs and play an important role in transmission. In Mexico, there are few data on the frequency of G. intestinalis. Therefore, we studied the small intestine of stray dogs, euthanazed at the "Culhuacan" Control Canine Centre, towards the end of 1997 and during the summer of 1998. We microscopically analysed intestinal contents and mucus samples taken every 3cm. During the cold season (winter), parasites were not found in 38/100 dogs, in contrast to 8/100 through the warm season. We found that 42/100 in winter and 51/100 in summer harboured G. intestinalis. To our knowledge, these G. intestinalis frequencies are the highest found in adult dogs worldwide. The results showed a rise in Ancylostoma spp. from 23/100 to 67/100 during the cold and warm seasons. Toxocara canis frequencies varied between 12/100 and 18/100, respectively. The data suggest that the probability of infection is higher during the hottest months compared to the coldest months of the year. Both puppies and adult dogs are highly infected. Dogs are reservoirs for zoonotic parasites; for this reason, it is imperative for humans to avoid fecal contamination in streets, public gardens and parks.     

Management of a gunshot wound in a mare

A 5-year-old, Quarter horse mare was treated for severe cellulitis secondary to a gunshot wound near the right humerus. The bullet was not retrieved due to the risk of damaging the radial nerve or elbow joint. Despite the presence of the bullet, the mare resumed athletic soundness once the infection had resolved.     

Polyneuropathy of Finnish horses characterised by inflammatory demyelination and intracisternal Schwann cell inclusions

REASON FOR PERFORMING STUDY: A neurological disorder characterised by pelvic limb metatarsophalangeal joint extensor paresis has been observed in numerous horses in Scandinavia for the last decade. Very little has been formally reported and there have been no detailed assessments of the neurological signs or neuropathological lesions. OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiological and pathological features of an outbreak of 'Scandinavian knuckling syndrome' in a riding stable in southern Finland. METHODS: Clinical neurological examination of 4 cases and neuropathological assessment of tissues of one case were performed. RESULTS: Eleven out of 17 horses fed on ryegrass from a common source showed progressive clinical signs of metatarsophalangeal extensor paresis necessitating euthanasia of 7 horses. Nervous system lesions in one horse consisted of a novel demyelinating, mildly inflammatory peripheral neuropathy, with BiP/GRP positive rough endoplasmatic reticulum Schwann cell inclusions. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical signs and lesions documented differ from any previously described equine polyneuropathy and suggest a primary Schwann cell lesion. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The classification of this disease as a novel demyelinating polyneuropathy may assist focused epidemiological investigations.     

Differences in susceptibility to Haemophilus parasuis infection in pigs

In animal breeding programs, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) markers can be used to identify sires that are less susceptible to disease. These DNA markers are typically discovered in populations that display differences in susceptibility. To find those differences, it was hypothesized that sires influence their offspring responses to infection with H. parasuis. To identify differences in susceptibility, colostrum-deprived pigs derived from 6 sires were inoculated with a virulent strain of H. parasuis serovar 5. Pigs were infected at 21-d of age and euthanized 1, 2, or 3 days post-infection. Rectal temperatures, bacterial detection, clinical signs, and lesions were measured by comparing disease susceptibility in the offspring from each sire. The effect of the sire on the severity of disease in the offspring was statistically analyzed using to a 2-way ANOVA with sire and test day as fixed effects. Significant differences among sires were found for lesions, rectal temperatures from days 0-1 and 0-2 (P < 0.05) and marginal effects for clinical signs (P = 0.08). On average, the offspring of sire H94 was the most susceptible to challenge. Responses to infection were categorized to determine the clinical responses and analyzed by Chi square. Overall, 10% of all pigs infected were fully resistant to H. parasuis infection. Boar H94 didn't produce any fully resistant offspring. Differences in susceptibility to H. parasuis were observed, and the results support the hypothesis that sires influence their offspring's response to infection. Tissues from this population could be used to identify DNA markers for genetic selection of sires that produce offspring more resistant to H. parasuis infection.