Marine Ornamental Trade in Brazil

Brazil is one of the five leading exporting countries of tropical aquarium fishes in the world, and the interest in marine ornamental organisms has increased substantially there from the mid to the late 1990s. About 120 reef fish species are currently harvested in Brazil's ornamental trade. Among the 75 most harvested species, 26 (34.7%) are endemic, eight (10.7%) are rare, and six (8.2%) are estuarine-dependent species. Fifty-five species (75.3%) have complex reproductive strategies and/or parental care. In quantitative terms, the top 10 species comprises 62% of the species exported from Brazil to the USA and the European Community. The most harvested reef invertebrates include about 65 species. The most representative groups are crustaceans with 15 species (23%), and molluscs and stony corals with 10 species (15.4%) each. Among these, 15 (23%) are endemics, nine (13.8%) are rare species, and seven (10.8%) are important reef builders. A case of local extinction of the giant anemone Condylactis gigantea is reported. To alleviate ecological impacts a series of urgent measures is suggested, including the creation of specific laws for marine ornamental harvesting and improving law enforcement to prevent illegal trade in Brazil.     

Size Matters: Use of YACs,BACs and PACs in Transgenic Animals

In 1993, several groups, working independently, reported the successful generation of transgenic mice with yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) using standard techniques. The transfer of these large fragments of cloned genomic DNA correlated with optimal expression levels of the transgenes, irrespective of their location in the host genome. Thereafter, other groups confirmed the advantages of YAC transgenesis and position-independent and copy number-dependent transgene expression were demonstrated in most cases. The transfer of YACs to the germ line of mice has become popular in many transgenic facilities to guarantee faithful expression of transgenes. This technique was rapidly exported to livestock and soon transgenic rabbits, pigs and other mammals were produced with YACs. Transgenic animals were also produced with bacterial or P1-derived artificial chromosomes (BACs/PACs) with similar success. The use of YACs, BACs and PACs in transgenesis has allowed the discovery of new genes by complementation of mutations, the identification of key regulatory sequences within genomic loci that are crucial for the proper expression of genes and the design of improved animal models of human genetic diseases. Transgenesis with artificial chromosomes has proven useful in a variety of biological, medical and biotechnological applications and is considered a major breakthrough in the generation of transgenic animals. In this report, we will review the recent history of YAC/BAC/PAC-transgenic animals indicating their benefits and the potential problems associated with them. In this new era of genomics, the generation and analysis of transgenic animals carrying artificial chromosome-type transgenes will be fundamental to functionally identify and understand the role of new genes, included within large pieces of genomes, by direct complementation of mutations or by observation of their phenotypic consequences.     

Commercialization and Use of Snakes in North and Northeastern Brazil: Implications for Conservation and Management

Snakes are sold in many markets and religious article stores in Brazil. Besides their use as food, snakes are exploited in a variety of ways, such as pets, or for use in traditional medicine and magic/religious rituals (especially in Afro-Brazilian religions). Despite widespread commercialization, there is a general lack of information about this snake trade, which makes it difficult to evaluate its magnitude and its impact on reptile populations. This work documents the commercialization and use of snakes in five cities in Northeastern (São Luís, Teresina, João Pessoa and Campina Grande) and Northern (Belém) Brazil, through interviews with 119 merchants of biological products in outdoor markets and religious articles stores. The data was gathered through the use of semi-structured questionnaires, complemented by semi-directed interviews. The products derived from 11 snake species were being commercialized for medicinal or magical/religious purposes. Boa constrictor, Crotalus durissus and Eunectes murinus were the species most commonly sold. The economic importance of snakes as sources of medicines and religious products demonstrates the need for the development of sustainable use programs for these species.     

Acknowledging Animals: A Memorial Service for Teaching and Research Animals

Abstract

A campus-wide memorial service was held to acknowledge the contribution of animals to excellence in research and teaching at the University of Guelph. The conception, rationale behind, and execution of this project are described, including the actual text of the service, as a model for other animal-using institutions. Such rituals can play an important role in reflecting and encouraging an attitude of respect for the animals. There is a tendency for employees of animal-using facilities to develop mechanical or compartmentalized attitudes toward their work. Rituals of acknowledgment, such as the one described here, promote active awareness as well as discussion of the issues and emotions raised by animal use. We believe this can only result in improved animal care.     

Espanto: A dialogue with the Gods

Espanto or susto has been analysed from various points of view in the last fifteen years. From a survey covering 109 case analyses collected in Nicolas Ruiz (Chiapas, Mexico), we reached the conclusion that this folk illness cannot be conceived of as a syndrome in the medical sense. A semiological analysis showed that espanto can be better described as an indigenous theory whose function is to relate illness events to other levels of reality.According to indigenous belief, the Holy Earth and the chtonian spirits of the underworld play an important role in the origin of the illness. This origin is associated with an opening of the earth as is illustrated in the earthquakes or the volcanic eruptions forming the prototype of a fright experience leading to espanto; or, it is attributed to agents who inhabit locations where the earth presents a fissure (river, ravine, cave). It is through these holes that the Holy Earth exerts her power. Concomitantly, the body of the victim is believed to open itself to the influences of the bad winds of espanto. Trembling is another aspect of the phenomenon which is observed at numerous levels: first, during the fright experience; second, when the victim falls ill (chills jumping in bed); and third, when the curandera takes the pulse of the patient to see if the blood is afraid. These multiple analogies lead to the assumption that there is a meaning shared by these separate manifestations.     

Use of ITS2 Region as the Universal DNA Barcode for Plants and Animals

Background

The internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA is regarded as one of the candidate DNA barcodes because it possesses a number of valuable characteristics, such as the availability of conserved regions for designing universal primers, the ease of its amplification, and sufficient variability to distinguish even closely related species. However, a general analysis of its ability to discriminate species in a comprehensive sample set is lacking.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In the current study, 50,790 plant and 12,221 animal ITS2 sequences downloaded from GenBank were evaluated according to sequence length, GC content, intra- and inter-specific divergence, and efficiency of identification. The results show that the inter-specific divergence of congeneric species in plants and animals was greater than its corresponding intra-specific variations. The success rates for using the ITS2 region to identify dicotyledons, monocotyledons, gymnosperms, ferns, mosses, and animals were 76.1%, 74.2%, 67.1%, 88.1%, 77.4%, and 91.7% at the species level, respectively. The ITS2 region unveiled a different ability to identify closely related species within different families and genera. The secondary structure of the ITS2 region could provide useful information for species identification and could be considered as a molecular morphological characteristic.

Conclusions/Significance

As one of the most popular phylogenetic markers for eukaryota, we propose that the ITS2 locus should be used as a universal DNA barcode for identifying plant species and as a complementary locus for CO1 to identify animal species. We have also developed a web application to facilitate ITS2-based cross-kingdom species identification (http://its2-plantidit.dnsalias.org).     

A One-Step Gene Amplification System for Use in Cultured Mammalian Cells and Transgenic Animals

Gene amplification is widely used for the production of pharmaceuticals and therapeutics in situations where a mammalian system is essential to synthesise a fully active product. Current gene amplification systems require multiple rounds of selection, often with high concentrations of toxic chemicals, to achieve the highest levels of gene amplification. The use of these systems has not been demonstrated in specialised mammalian cells, such as embryonic-stem cells, which can be used to generate transgenic animals. Thus, it has not yet proved possible to produce transgenic animals containing amplified copies of a gene of interest, with the potential to synthesise large amounts of a valuable gene product. We have developed a new amplification system, based around vectors encoding a partially disabled hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) minigene, which can achieve greater than 1000-fold amplification of HPRT and the human growth hormone gene in a single step in Chinese hamster-lung cells. The amplification system also works in mouse embryonic-stem cells and we have used it to produce mice which express 30-fold higher levels of human protein C in milk than obtained with conventional transgenesis using the same protein C construct. This system should also be applicable to large animal transgenics produced by nuclear transfer from cultured cell lines.     

Traversing the Center: The Politics of Language Use in a Catholic Religious Education Program for Immigrant Mexican Children

This article examines the implementation of educational policy in a religious education program at a Los Angeles Catholic parish. It charts the elimination of Spanish-based classes (doctrina) for Mexican immigrant children in favor of "English-only" instruction. The article offers insights into the politics of language use in everyday practice and examines the resulting educational policy decisions.     

Made in China: The Gods Go East

ABSTRACT

Jamie Uys's The Gods Must be Crazy and its sequel films are icons of South African entertainment, perceived both as hilarious comedy and blatant apartheid propaganda. Three further sequels, made from Hong Kong by Chinese directors, are hardly known in South Africa. These films are particularly interesting from a cultural point of view, as they portray Orientals (and white South Africans) from an Oriental perspective and San Bushmen from a position that is neither Western nor set in an apartheid/post-apartheid South African context. The current context of globalization in which cultures are expressed and negotiated creates an interesting space for the analysis of these “multicultural” films. This article examines these films especially, Crazy Safari, and discusses them in terms of responses from focus groups, one of Taiwanese viewers in Durban, and another of Kenyans in Kenya.