title: Agricultural intensification: Whither indigenous biodiversity?

authors: Lee, William G.

subjects: agricultural sustainability

abstract: A new wave of agricultural intensification in New Zealand is causing increasing pressure on natural resources. Moller et al. (2008) suggest that the agricultural intensification is inevitable, that negative environmental impacts have only been demonstrated for aquatic systems, and that a new paradigm based on integrating indigenous biodiversity and agriculture offers the best way forward. We question all these assertions. Recent agricultural intensification is increasingly driven by international economic opportunities for agricorporates to maximise returns. Intensification over the last two decades is causing loss of habitat for indigenous species and homogenisation of landscapes at scales unprecedented since deforestation by colonial farmers. Regional and district councils appear ill prepared for a formative role requiring sustainable land and resource use, while current patterns of local consumption and offshore resource subsidisation for agribusinesses are probably unsustainable. Irrespective of the drivers of agricultural intensification, residual indigenous biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in New Zealand is on an extinction pathway. The challenge for agro-industry is to demonstrate that it can, in the absence of regulation, use natural resources and at the same time facilitate persistence of indigenous biodiversity components at scales that contribute to national biodiversity goals.

text: Agricultural intensification: Whither indigenous biodiversity? A new wave of agricultural intensification in New Zealand is causing increasing pressure on natural resources. Moller et al. (2008) suggest that the agricultural intensification is inevitable, that negative environmental impacts have only been demonstrated for aquatic systems, and that a new paradigm based on integrating indigenous biodiversity and agriculture offers the best way forward. We question all these assertions. Recent agricultural intensification is increasingly driven by international economic opportunities for agricorporates to maximise returns. Intensification over the last two decades is causing loss of habitat for indigenous species and homogenisation of landscapes at scales unprecedented since deforestation by colonial farmers. Regional and district councils appear ill prepared for a formative role requiring sustainable land and resource use, while current patterns of local consumption and offshore resource subsidisation for agribusinesses are probably unsustainable. Irrespective of the drivers of agricultural intensification, residual indigenous biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in New Zealand is on an extinction pathway. The challenge for agro-industry is to demonstrate that it can, in the absence of regulation, use natural resources and at the same time facilitate persistence of indigenous biodiversity components at scales that contribute to national biodiversity goals.

year: 2008

title: Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with meat spoilage

authors: Broda, Dorota Maria

abstract: Twenty two isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with ‘blown pack’ spoilage of vacuum-packed meats were studied with respect to their identification, differentiation and taxonomy, as well as spoilage aetiology. The aetiological study was conducted to establish whether a causal relationship exists between psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia and the production of abundant gas in vacuum-packed chilled meats. The attempt was then made to identify these clostridia using conventional microbiological methods. Genotypic approaches to differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at inter- and intra-species level were evaluated and applied to tracing the ‘blown pack’ spoilage causing clostridia back to their contamination source in the abattoir. Where phenotypic and genotypic characteristics indicated that some isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia differed from those previously described, taxonomic studies were conducted to determine whether these isolates could be described as new clostridial species. Four clostridial isolates were found to cause premature vacuum pack distension during chilled storage. Conventional phenotype based methods were found to be ineffective for identification of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia. Although RFLP analysis of the amplified 16S rDNA gene allowed differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at the genotypic species level and below, comparison of PCR-RFLP patterns and 16S rDNA sequences of meat isolates with patterns and sequences of reference strains did not effect ready identification of some of these microorganisms. Consequently, the use of these methods for identification of unknown clostridial isolates needs to be approached carefully. Differentiation of some meat-derived isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at intra-species or inter-strain level was achieved with methods based on polymorphism of genomic DNAs and/or the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacers from these organisms. With the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer polymorphism analysis, inter-species differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia may be achieved in instances where little inter-strain variation is expected e.g. in typing of isolates from the same meat plant or spoilage incident. Hides and faeces of slaughter animals were identified as an abundant abattoir source of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia representing many species. Seven isolates of these microorganisms, representing four distinct taxonomic groups, were found to differ in their phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics from known clostridial species. With a polyphasic approach, three new clostridial species, C. frigidicarnis, C. gasigenes and C. algidixylanolyticum have been named and characterised. It is hoped that this study has added to our understanding of the aetiology and causative agents of ‘blown pack’ spoilage and, thus, has advanced the process of developing measures to control this type of spoilage of vacuum packed chilled meats.

text: Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with meat spoilage Twenty two isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic Clostridium spp. associated with ‘blown pack’ spoilage of vacuum-packed meats were studied with respect to their identification, differentiation and taxonomy, as well as spoilage aetiology. The aetiological study was conducted to establish whether a causal relationship exists between psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia and the production of abundant gas in vacuum-packed chilled meats. The attempt was then made to identify these clostridia using conventional microbiological methods. Genotypic approaches to differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at inter- and intra-species level were evaluated and applied to tracing the ‘blown pack’ spoilage causing clostridia back to their contamination source in the abattoir. Where phenotypic and genotypic characteristics indicated that some isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia differed from those previously described, taxonomic studies were conducted to determine whether these isolates could be described as new clostridial species. Four clostridial isolates were found to cause premature vacuum pack distension during chilled storage. Conventional phenotype based methods were found to be ineffective for identification of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia. Although RFLP analysis of the amplified 16S rDNA gene allowed differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at the genotypic species level and below, comparison of PCR-RFLP patterns and 16S rDNA sequences of meat isolates with patterns and sequences of reference strains did not effect ready identification of some of these microorganisms. Consequently, the use of these methods for identification of unknown clostridial isolates needs to be approached carefully. Differentiation of some meat-derived isolates of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia at intra-species or inter-strain level was achieved with methods based on polymorphism of genomic DNAs and/or the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacers from these organisms. With the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer polymorphism analysis, inter-species differentiation of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia may be achieved in instances where little inter-strain variation is expected e.g. in typing of isolates from the same meat plant or spoilage incident. Hides and faeces of slaughter animals were identified as an abundant abattoir source of psychrophilic and psychrotrophic clostridia representing many species. Seven isolates of these microorganisms, representing four distinct taxonomic groups, were found to differ in their phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics from known clostridial species. With a polyphasic approach, three new clostridial species, C. frigidicarnis, C. gasigenes and C. algidixylanolyticum have been named and characterised. It is hoped that this study has added to our understanding of the aetiology and causative agents of ‘blown pack’ spoilage and, thus, has advanced the process of developing measures to control this type of spoilage of vacuum packed chilled meats.

year: 1999

title: Outcomes in different ethnic groups of New Zealand patients with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer.

authors: Lawrenson, Ross

subjects: Breast screening

abstract: OBJECTIVE: To compare characteristics and survival of New Zealand European, Māori, and Pacific women with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer. 
METHODS: Women aged 45-69 diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 2005 and May 2013 were identified from the Waikato and Auckland Breast Cancer Registries. Patient demographics and tumour characteristics were described by detection mode and ethnicity. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the five-year breast cancer-specific survival of women with stage I-III breast cancer by ethnicity and detection mode. 
RESULTS: Women with screen-detected cancers were older, had smaller tumours, fewer stage IV (0.8% vs. 7.6%), fewer high grade (16.8% vs. 39.0%), and fewer lymph node positive diseases (26.3% vs. 51.5%) than women with non-screen-detected cancers. There were more Luminal A (70.0% vs. 54.0%), fewer human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive non-Luminal (4.4% vs. 8.8%), and fewer triple negative cases (7.0% vs. 13.8%) in screen-detected than non-screen-detected cancers. If not screen detected, 22.7% of breast cancers in Pacific women were stage IV compared with 2.4% if screen detected. If not screen detected, the five-year breast cancer-specific survival was 91.1% for New Zealand European women, 84.2% for Māori women, and 80.2% for Pacific women (p-value <0.001). For screen-detected breast cancer, survival between different ethnic groups was similar.
CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancers detected through screening are diagnosed at an earlier stage and have a greater proportion of subtypes, with better outcome. Variations in survival for Māori and Pacific women are only found in women with non-screen-detected breast cancer.

text: Outcomes in different ethnic groups of New Zealand patients with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer. OBJECTIVE: To compare characteristics and survival of New Zealand European, Māori, and Pacific women with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer. 
METHODS: Women aged 45-69 diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 2005 and May 2013 were identified from the Waikato and Auckland Breast Cancer Registries. Patient demographics and tumour characteristics were described by detection mode and ethnicity. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the five-year breast cancer-specific survival of women with stage I-III breast cancer by ethnicity and detection mode. 
RESULTS: Women with screen-detected cancers were older, had smaller tumours, fewer stage IV (0.8% vs. 7.6%), fewer high grade (16.8% vs. 39.0%), and fewer lymph node positive diseases (26.3% vs. 51.5%) than women with non-screen-detected cancers. There were more Luminal A (70.0% vs. 54.0%), fewer human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive non-Luminal (4.4% vs. 8.8%), and fewer triple negative cases (7.0% vs. 13.8%) in screen-detected than non-screen-detected cancers. If not screen detected, 22.7% of breast cancers in Pacific women were stage IV compared with 2.4% if screen detected. If not screen detected, the five-year breast cancer-specific survival was 91.1% for New Zealand European women, 84.2% for Māori women, and 80.2% for Pacific women (p-value <0.001). For screen-detected breast cancer, survival between different ethnic groups was similar.
CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancers detected through screening are diagnosed at an earlier stage and have a greater proportion of subtypes, with better outcome. Variations in survival for Māori and Pacific women are only found in women with non-screen-detected breast cancer.

year: 2019