Assessment of microbranding as an alternative marking technique for long-term identification of New Zealand lizards

‘Microbranding’, a system for individually identifying reptiles and amphibians based on a numbered code of spot brands applied to the body and limbs, was tested on New Zealand skinks and geckos. Common geckos (Woodworthia maculata) and copper skinks (Oligosoma aeneum) were used as test animals. Brands applied in autumn took 3 months or more to heal. There was no evidence of brand-related mortality or increased parasite loads in branded animals. However, after healing the brands faded very rapidly in the skinks to become totally unreadable in all surviving branded skinks after 2.5 years and not accurately readable in most geckos after 3 years. We therefore consider the technique unsuitable as a standard marking procedure for New Zealand lizards

Social comparison processes in organizations

We systematically analyze the role of social comparison processes in organizations. Specifically, we describe how social comparison processes have been used to explain six key areas of organizational inquiry: (1) organizational justice, (2) performance appraisal, (3) virtual work environments, (4) affective behavior in the workplace, (5) stress, and (6) leadership. Additionally, we describe how unique contextual factors in organizations offer new insight into two widely studied sub-processes of social comparison, acquiring social information and thinking about that information. Our analyses underscore the merit of integrating organizational phenomena and social comparison processes in future research and theory

The imperfection of healing : crafting lyric poetry from personal family challenge : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Creative Writing at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 6 May 2022

Embargoed until 1 May 2022How can lyric poetry be used to communicate a father's changing perceptions and emotional growth in caring for a child with autism? In writing about family health issues, we face many challenges as poets. Given the very particular nature of any given health situation, such as autism, we face the challenge of lifting the purely personal into one with broader significance. And given the entanglements of such experience with the trajectory of the circumstances, we face the challenge of engaging with that narrative without allowing it to subsume the impulses and pleasures of the lyric.--Excerp

Midazolam as an adjunctive therapy for capture myopathy in Bar-tailed Godwits (<i>Limosa lapponica baueri</i>) with prognostic indicators

Capture myopathy is a complication of capture and handling in many species of birds and mammals. Muscular necrosis leads to ataxia, paralysis, and pain, whereas metabolic disturbances can result in death. We conducted an opportunistic clinical trial on Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri) that developed capture myopathy after a cannon-net capture in New Zealand in October 2008. We assessed the beneficial effects of midazolam, a benzodiazepine with the effects of anxiolysis, muscle relaxation, and sedation, in the adjunctive treatment of capture myopathy. Physical and biochemical parameters were analyzed retrospectively for their potential as indicators for survival until release. Birds (n=16) were treated with subcutaneous fluid therapy, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (meloxicam), gavage feeding, and sling therapy twice daily. The treatment group (n=8) was treated twice daily with intramuscular midazolam injections, 1.5 mg/kg. Surviving godwits were released over 1–9 days, with 6 of 8 treated birds (75%) surviving to release, compared with 3 of 8 controls (38%). Inability to counteract weight loss in captivity was the most significant problem for both groups. Lack of waterproofing and predation were contributing causes of death for at least two godwits after release. Birds treated with midazolam showed subjective benefits including improved tolerance of handling and sling therapy. Clinical parameters (change in body mass, packed cell volume [PCV], plasma creatine kinase [CK], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], total protein, and uric acid [UA] over time) were not statistically different between groups, although peak average values for CK, AST, and UA were lower in the treatment group. Decline in body mass (%), PCV, final plasma UA, and peak plasma CK were the most useful prognostic indicators. Midazolam shows potential as an ancillary treatment for capture myopathy in birds and is worthy of continued study and use

Pathology and molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium pinnipedii tuberculosis in native New Zealand marine mammals.

Mycobacterium pinnipedii causes tuberculosis in a number of pinniped species, and transmission to cattle and humans has been reported. The aims of this study were to: characterize the pathology and prevalence of tuberculosis in New Zealand marine mammals; use molecular diagnostic methods to confirm and type the causal agent; and to explore relationships between type and host characteristics. Tuberculosis was diagnosed in 30 pinnipeds and one cetacean. Most affected pinnipeds had involvement of the pulmonary system, supporting inhalation as the most common route of infection, although ingestion was a possible route in the cetacean. PCR for the RD2 gene confirmed M. pinnipedii as the causal agent in 23/31 (74%) cases (22 using DNA from cultured organisms, and one using DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue), including the first published report in a cetacean. RD2 PCR results were compared for 22 cases where both cultured organisms and FFPE tissues were available, with successful identification of M. pinnipedii in 7/22 (31.8%). In cases with moderate to large numbers of acid-fast bacilli, RD2 PCR on FFPE tissue provided a rapid, inexpensive method for confirming M. pinnipedii infection without the need for culture. VNTR typing distinguished New Zealand M. pinnipedii isolates from M. pinnipedii isolated from Australian pinnipeds and from common types of M. bovis in New Zealand. Most (16/18) M. pinnipedii isolates from New Zealand sea lions were one of two common VNTR types whereas the cetacean isolate was a type detected previously in New Zealand cattle