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Sciaenidae is the family of marine fish that has the highest aquaculture growth and production in the world. In this study, the global production, historical characteristics, biological aspects, and aquaculture technologies used for the Sciaenid species with the highest aquaculture production were compiled and analyzed to determine the success factors and bottlenecks that favored these species aquaculture development. This study also presents the state of technological aquaculture development in Sciaenid species in Latin America. The principal Sciaenid aquaculture species are large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and meagre (Argyrosomus regius), which together contribute 99.9% of the global aquaculture production of Sciaenid species. The aquaculture success of these three species is attributed to their suitable biology for aquaculture, high consumer demand, good market prices, government support, and prior empirical and/or scientific knowledge with other species that was transferrable to Sciaenidae, however, the aquaculture development of these species has not been free of errors. Principal bottlenecks in development include poorly planned marine spatial planning, the introduction of exotic species, the excessive use of fresh seafood-based feeds (especially in China), and inadequate genetic selection programs. In Latin America, eleven Sciaenidae species with biological attributes similar to the three established aquaculture species are being investigated. The technologies for the totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) and the Chilean croaker (Cilus giberti) are the most advanced. The technology developed and the positive and negative experiences of the Sciaenid aquaculture industry identified in this review should be considered to assist government decision-making for research and development of aquaculture in the family Sciaenidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental archeology of the Amazon has conventionally focused on terrestrial spaces, investigating crop domestication and production, agroforestry and anthropogenic soils. Aquatic environments, however, have been given less attention by archeologists and paleoenvironmental scientists alike. The Llanos de Mojos, a 135,000 km2 basin of the Amazon and mosaic landscape of savannas, wetlands and forests, has long been recognized for its archeological record. A variety of anthropogenic earthworks across the region show significant landscape modifications from Pre-Columbian times used for transportation, resource production and control of floodwaters. Here, we investigate the use and management of wetlands, and their interaction in the wider Mojos mosaic landscape, by integrating extensive archeological, paleoenvironmental and GIS datasets. We demonstrate that past human modifications of the landscape enabled the creation of complex wetland-terrestrial system of resource production, in which wetlands were managed, complementary to terrestrial crop production and agroforestry. Across short distances (40 km), land use strategies were heterogeneous despite being connected in time and space. Additionally, mixed wetland-terrestrial resource production was relatively stable during periods of lower rainfall from 1200-1500 CE, implying that this strategy provided flexibility under conditions of variable climate. The wetlands of the Llanos de Mojos are the result of millennia of human intervention and recognition of this deep heritage is required to make informed management and conservation decisions to ensure the future of this culturally and biologically diverse region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is accompanied by structural changes in the intervertebral discs (IVD). Extra‐cellular matrix degradation of the annulus fibrosus (AF) has been linked with degeneration of the IVD. Collagen is a vital component of the IVD. Collagen hybridizing peptide (CHP) is an engineered protein that binds to degraded collagen, which we used to quantify collagen damage in AF. This method was used to compare AF samples obtained from donors with no DDD to AF samples from patients undergoing surgery for symptomatic DDD. Methods: Fresh AF tissue was embedded in an optimal cutting temperature compound and cryosectioned at a thickness of 8 μm. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining was performed on sections for general histomorphological assessment. Serial sections were stained with Cy3‐conjugated CHP and the mean fluorescence intensity and areal fraction of Cy3‐positive staining were averaged for three regions of interest (ROI) on each CHP‐stained section. Results: Increases in mean fluorescence intensity (p = 0.0004) and percentage of positively stained area (p = 0.00008) with CHP were detected in DDD samples compared to the non‐DDD samples. Significant correlations were observed between mean fluorescence intensity and percentage of positively stained area for both non‐DDD (R = 0.98, p = 5E‐8) and DDD (R = 0.79, p = 0.0012) samples. No significant differences were detected between sex and the lumbar disc level subgroups of the non‐DDD and DDD groups. Only tissue pathology (non‐DDD versus DDD) influenced the measured parameters. No three‐way interactions between tissue pathology, sex, and lumbar disc level were observed. Discussion and Conclusions: These findings suggest that AF collagen degradation is greater in DDD samples compared to non‐DDD samples, as evidenced by the increased CHP staining. Strong positive correlations between the two measured parameters suggest that when collagen degradation occurs, it is detected by this technique and is widespread throughout the tissue. This study provides new insights into the structural alterations associated with collagen degradation in the AF that occur during DDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on the findings of an externally funded, mixed-methods research project conducted at one English university. This small-scale project aimed to examine leadership, barriers to becoming a leader and the support needed to overcome them, from the perspectives of disabled staff. An online questionnaire was sent to all 66 members of staff who had disclosed their disabled status to the university and 22 responses were received. Twelve participants were then interviewed as two focus groups to discuss their views on leadership and its relation to their role. Six more respondents opted for individual face-to-face/telephone interviews. The findings indicated that over half of the respondents were already engaged in 'formal' leadership and even more exercised 'informal' leadership. This key finding seems to contradict the under-representation of disabled academics in leadership reported in the literature. Despite their engagement in leadership, disabled staff faced several institutional and personal barriers. The findings suggest that having an impairment per se might not necessarily deter disabled staff from exercising leadership. A number of support strategies are recommended to facilitate their participation in (formal) leadership.

We present macrobotanical, starch, and phytolith data from artifacts and sediments from Middle Formative La Blanca (1000–600 cal BC) and Late Formative El Ujuxte (600 cal BC–cal AD 115) in the Soconusco region in Guatemala. Potential economic plants identified included palm (cf. Arecaceae), two varieties of maize (Zea mays), guava (Psidium guajava), bean (Phaseolus), chili peppers (Capsicum), squash (Cucurbitaceae), custard apple (Annonaceae), coco plum (Chrysobalanaceae), lerén (Calathea), arrowroot (Maranta), and bird-of-paradise (Heliconia). The results suggest that control of food production and consumption was critical for the transition from complex chiefdoms during the Middle Formative to the archaic state in the Late Formative. The arrival of a more productive South American variety of maize at El Ujuxte (about 2549 BP) allowed elites to exploit an already existing broad-based economic system and to use the maize-based religious system to increase control over maize agricultural practices and maintain power through ideology and disciplinary power. These data suggest that the arrival of fully domesticated South American maize likely influenced the overall development of Mesoamerican state-level societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]