The indications for equine laparotomy--an analysis of 140 cases.

The indications for laparotomy in 140 horses are analysed, with particular emphasis on the operative or autopsy findings in 82 cases of colic. In cases of exploratory laparotomy, the overall recovery rate was only 28 per cent but 48 of the 82 animals were considered to have inoperable lesions. The recovery rate and causes of death for each indication are briefly reviewed.     

Locomotion: the cost of gastropod crawling

The power of locomotion of a terrestrial slug rises linearly with crawling speed. The metabolic cost of movement is 904 joules per kilogram per meter, considerably more than that reported for other forms of locomotion. This high cost is primarily attributable to the production of the pedal mucus by which the slug adheres to the substratum.     

SWAMP: A knowledge-based system for the dissemination of sustainable development expertise to the developing world

• 1 Population and economic pressures necessitate the development of productive yet fragile wetland areas in some tropical developing countries. Owing largely to these same social and economic pressures, expertise for the design and implementation of sustainable development strategies is often limited in developing countries.
• 2 Considerable relevant knowledge and experience exist in Europe and North America. Resource constraints limit the availability of this expertise in areas of need in the developing world, despite various international commitments to such cooperation.
• 3 Knowledge-based systems technology is well suited for the transfer of expertise from specialists to non-specialist users. It may therefore represent a cost-effective solution for developed nations to honour their commitments to assist developing nations.
• 4 SWAMP (Sustainable Wetland Areas Management Project) has been developed to support the National Wetlands Conservation and Management Programme in Uganda. Its purpose is to select appropriate combinations of sustainable uses for wetlands which may be under pressure for development to supply food, tradeable products, or other resources.
• 5 SWAMP has the capability to be extended to tropical wetlands in general. In principle, SWAMP's architecture is equally applicable for supporting similar sustainable development initiatives in other types of ecosystem.

     

Hydrology and the functioning of seasonal wetland aquaculture–agriculture systems (Fingerponds) at the shores of Lake Victoria, Kenya

Experimental seasonal wetland-based integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems called ‘Fingerponds’ were established at two sites (Nyangera and Kusa villages) at the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya to enhance the wetland fishery potential. This paper examines the hydrological characteristics of Fingerponds. In Fingerponds’ design, the water supply is un-regulated and the water balance is maintained by natural losses and gains. At the beginning of the season, flood events are critically important for the initial water supply to the ponds. During their functional period (which lasted for about 6 months into the dry season after flood recession), precipitation accounted for nearly 90% of the total water gains while seepage and evaporation contributed an average of 30–70% of the losses, respectively. Seasonal pond water budgets indicated that the losses outweighed the gains leading to a progressive decline of water depth during the dry season. A prediction of the effect of pond volume and weather conditions on the functional period for fish production was carried out using a dynamic simulation model. The results indicated that the culture period can be extended by 2.5 months by deepening the ponds to an average depth of 1.5 m: this would increase the overall fish harvest. Drier weather accelerated losses and shortened the culture period by 1–2 months.     

Histology of salivary gland infarction in the dog.

Salivary gland infarction was found in two adult dogs. The main changes were ischaemic necrosis, capsular fibrosis and regenerative hyperplasia of surviving ductal epithelium. Necrosis of arterial tunica media and thrombosis were found only in the infarcted parts of the salivary glands. The lesions appeared to be confined to the salivary glands; no cause of the infarction was found.