Sarcocystosis among Wild Captive and Zoo Animals in Malaysia

Sarcocystis sp. infection was investigated in 20 necropsied captive wild mammals and 20 birds in 2 petting zoos in Malaysia. The gross post-mortem lesions in mammals showed marbling of the liver with uniform congestion of the intestine, and for birds, there was atrophy of the sternal muscles with hemorrhage and edema of the lungs in 2 birds. Naked eye examination was used for detection of macroscopic sarcocysts, and muscle squash for microscopic type. Only microscopically visible cysts were detected in 8 animals and species identification was not possible. Histological examination of the sections of infected skeletal muscles showed more than 5 sarcocysts in each specimen. No leukocytic infiltration was seen in affected organs. The shape of the cysts was elongated or circular, and the mean size reached 254 × 24.5 µm and the thickness of the wall up to 2.5 µm. Two stages were recognized in the cysts, the peripheral metrocytes and large numbers of crescent shaped merozoites. Out of 40 animals examined, 3 mammals and 5 birds were positive (20%). The infection rate was 15% and 25% in mammals and birds, respectively. Regarding the organs, the infection rate was 50% in the skeletal muscles followed by tongue and heart (37.5%), diaphragm (25%), and esophagus (12.5%). Further ultrastructural studies are required to identify the species of Sarcocystis that infect captive wild animals and their possible role in zoonosis.     

Hydration State of Goats Transported by Road for 12 Hours During the Hot-Dry Conditions and the Modulating Role of Ascorbic Acid

This study investigated the effects of 12 hr of road transportation during the hot-dry conditions and the modulating role of ascorbic acid (AA) on the hydration state of goats. Twenty goats who served as treatment goats received oral administration of 100 mg/kg body weight of AA, whereas another 20 control goats received sterile water; thereafter, the goats were loaded and transported. The study determined changes in skin thickness; albumin (Alb); total protein (TP); elimination of the gut content; fecal water; urine specific gravity (SG); and pH before, during, and after the transportation. The result obtained in the control goats showed significant (p < .05) increases in the values of TP, Alb, urine SG, and pH; elimination; and drinking behavior, whereas skin thickness decreased over transportation. In the treatment goats who were administered AA, the changes observed in the values were insignificant (p > .05). In conclusion, 12-hr road transportation of goats induced dehydration, which may affect the welfare and health status of the goats. The administration of AA ameliorated the risk of adverse effects of handling, loading, transportation, and hot-dry conditions on hydration state of goats.     

美国国家植物基因组计划资助情况分析

美国植物基因组计划（National Plant Genome Initiative,NPGI）于1998年正式启动,该计划在美国国家科学基金会（NSF）的支持下,成立了由美国农业部（USDA）、能源部（DOE）、国立卫生研究院（NIH）、国家科学基金会（NSF）、科学与技术政策办公室（OSTP）、管理与预算办公室（OMB）和美国国际开发署（USAID）等组成的植物基因组跨机构工作组（Interagency Working Group on Plant Genomes,IWG）,IWG每5年制定一项5年计划来指导协调基因组研究工作。对1998～2009年期间,美国国家科学基金会（NSF）资助国家植物基因组计划（NPGI）的目标、经费、项目变化情况进行了分析,以期得到某些启示和借鉴。     

The Position of the United States on the Northwest Passage: Is the Fear of Creating a Precedent Warranted?

For decades, Ottawa and Washington have been agreeing to disagree on the question of the legal status of the Northwest Passage. One argument which has been consistently raised on the U.S. side and which has precluded attempts to end the deadlock has been the fear of creating a negative precedent. This article assesses whether U.S. concerns are warranted: could coastal States elsewhere in the world rely on an eventual recognition of Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Passage to bolster their claims over a local strait?     

Cytopathology training in the United States – a personal view

In this review we present an outline of cytopathology training in the United States, for a non-US readership.     

US Fish and Wildlife Service 1979 wetland classification: A review

In 1979 the US Fish and Wildlife Service published and adopted a classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States. The system was designed for use in a national inventory of wetlands. It was intended to be ecologically based, to furnish the mapping units needed for the inventory, and to provide national consistency in terminology and definition. We review the performance of the classification after 13 years of use. The definition of wetland is based on national lists of hydric soils and plants that occur in wetlands. Our experience suggests that wetland classifications must facilitate mapping and inventory because these data gathering functions are essential to management and preservation of the wetland resource, but the definitions and taxa must have ecological basis. The most serious problem faced in construction of the classification was lack of data for many of the diverse wetland types. Review of the performance of the classification suggests that, for the most part, it was successful in accomplishing its objectives, but that problem areas should be corrected and modification could strengthen its utility. The classification, at least in concept, could be applied outside the United States. Experience gained in use of the classification can furnish guidance as to pitfalls to be avoided in the wetland classification process.The US Government's right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

‘The Mind of Christ’: Financial Success,Born-again Personhood,and the Anthropology of Christianity

In this article, I contribute to the emerging project of the anthropology of Christianity by exploring the subject of born-again personhood. As a nascent field of inquiry, the anthropology of Christianity must delimit what theoretical opportunities exist for comparative research. I argue that a focus on personhood offers a promising series of questions toward this end. To illustrate this claim, I use the case study of one Evangelical Sunday school teacher – Rick Betcher – and his life as a ‘Christian businessman.’ Anthropologists and other scholars have shown great interest in how matters of money figure in the culture of Protestantism. Using Rick's self-designed Sunday school class, The Mind of Christ, I argue that conceptions of personal financial success among born-again Christians are structured by the prevailing model of born-again personhood – the New Mind.     

International Law and Politics in U.S. Policymaking: The United States and the Svalbard Dispute

This article explains the position(s) of the United States in the maritime dispute adjacent to Svalbard. While the United States has regarded Norway's exclusive claim to the natural resources outside Svalbard as everything from “wishful thinking” to legally plausible, Washington maintains that it may have rights under the 1920 Svalbard Treaty to exploit the maritime zones adjacent to the archipelago. The U.S. reservation is the result of assessments and reassessments of legal considerations as well as national interests.     

Pond Use by Captive African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) in an Immersive Exhibit Adjacent to Human Bathers

Nonhuman animals in zoos are exposed to a continuous human presence, which affects their behaviors and welfare. However, little is known about what role the “visitor effect” has on penguins in captivity. The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is an endangered species commonly housed in zoos worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the abundance of human bathers could reduce the average time spent in the water of a colony of African penguins housed in an exhibit where their pond habitat was adjacent to a swimming pool. Observations were carried out on 7 penguins in the summer of 2009. Data were collected during 3 time periods (Time 1 [T1] = opening of the swimming season, Time 2 [T2] = core of the season, Time 3 [T3] = late season) of 14 days each. The human disturbance caused by bathers strongly reduced the pond use by penguins at T1 and T2, especially when there were large numbers of visitors. However, at T3, we observed that the overall use of the pond by penguins increased, and the average duration of their diving was no longer dependent on the number of visitors.     

Whither the diversity bargain?

In Natasha Warikoo’s account, the “diversity bargain” is widespread among white elite American college students. This bargain is tentative support for preferences for underrepresented minorities in college admissions, conditioned on the admitted minority students providing white students with multicultural experiences that signal elite cosmopolitanism. This essay reviews three possible explanations for the pervasiveness of the diversity bargain: campus experiences with the benefits of diversity; socialization into expectations that elites give lip service to the benefits of diversity; and Warikoo’s methodological and analytical choices.     

美国先进生物燃料技术政策与态势分析

美国是生物燃料大国,更是先进生物燃料研发强国。美国制定了宏大的生物燃料发展目标,采取了有力的政策支持措施,组织实施了生物质计划,将纤维素乙醇作为目前先进生物燃料研究、开发和示范的焦点,并已着手第三代生物燃料的研发。美国政府十分重视生物燃料的规划分析和部际协调工作,在立足于基础研究和应用研究前沿的基础上,大力推进技术示范与商业化,正努力加速向先进生物燃料转变。     

美国电子健康档案发展策略及启示

美国是电子健康档案建设的先行者,经过40余年的发展,取得了显著进展,并在电子健康档案的组织建设、标准制定、资金筹集、隐私与安全保护、利益相关者协调方面积累了丰富的经验。主要论述了美国电子健康档案的发展历程及具体策略,以期为我国电子健康档案建设提供借鉴。     

美国农业生态学发展综述

农业生态学是生态学的一个分支学科,是生态学原理在农业上的具体应用。美国是世界上最大的农业强国。美国农业的发展,得益于农业生态学的理论指导和农业生态学原理的实践运用。在实地调查与研读有关文献资料的基础上,对美国农业生态学的发展进行了考察与分析,认为:(1)美国农业生态学产生于1928年,至今已有85年的发展历史。美国农业生态学可划分为4个发展阶段,即:起始阶段(1928-1961年)、扩展阶段(1962-1979年)、巩固阶段(1980-1999年)和新发展阶段(2000年-)。(2)美国农业生态学的内涵由起初的一门\"学科(科学)\",逐步向着包括有\"过程\"、\"理念\"、\"方法\"、\"行动\"、\"体系\"、\"运动\"、\"实践活动\"、\"强有力的工具\"等多重涵义的方向发展,农业生态学内涵的深度和广度均得到不断丰富和完善。(3)美国农业生态学的基本内容包括背景(农业生态学国际背景)、理论(农业生态学理论基础)、设计(农业生态系统的优化设计)和管理(农业生态学理论的实践应用)等4部分,美国农业生态学具有4个明显特征——视野的全球性、内容的多样性、体系的灵活性和技术的实用性。(4)未来美国农业生态学将朝着\"高\"(高起点、高标准、高效率、高水平)、\"新\"(新手段、新方法、新技术,新成果、新成效、新进展)、\"长\"(长期观察分析、长期资料积累、长期定位试验)、\"多\"(农业生态学研究与分析采用多点、多地、多样本、多模式、多途径、多指标、多方法)、\"实\"(联系实际、注重实践、讲求实效、展现实绩)的方向发展。