title: Comparison of the efficiency of three methods of isolating fish DNA from environmental samples

authors: Banks, Jonathan C.

abstract: The Lake Ecosystem Restoration New Zealand (LERNZ) project was initiated to restore indigenous biodiversity in lakes in part by developing new pest fish management and control technologies. One objective of the management of pest fish was to develop genetic based assays to detect pest fish from environmental samples such as water, and to assess the feasibility of using these methods in the field.
This report compares three methods (the Piscitron II, Piscitron III and a pH adjusted method) of isolating DNA for two species of exotic fish from water samples. We compared DNA isolation efficiency using newly developed qPCR assays for koi carp, Cyprinus carpio and goldfish, Carassius auratus , and present the primer and hydrolysis probe sequences for the assays, and assay thermal conditions. Minimum levels of detectable fish biomass are reported for koi carp water collected from a 6800 L tank at ambient temperature containing a 1.6 kg koi carp. The koi carp and goldfish assays were also tested on Waikato River water collected next to Hammond Park, Hamilton, New Zealand, an area of river known to contain koi carp and goldfish.
We found that the Piscitron II and Piscitron III methods, which filtered water through glass fibre filters or glass wool aquarium filters, respectively, performed equally well in terms of DNA extraction but considerably better than the pH adjusted method. Minimum detectable amounts of koi carp DNA were calculated by producing serial dilutions of the tank water containing 2.35* 10⁻⁴ kg of koi carp/L. Because fish densities tend to be reported as kg/m² of lake surface, we converted our minimum detectable amount from a weight per volume to a weight per area by assuming an average lake depth of 1.5 m (a typical Waikato lake depth) which resulted in a minimum detectable amount of 0.35 kg carp/m² of water surface area. We also produced serial dilutions of DNA extracted from the koi carp tank and the minimum detectable amount of koi carp biomass was much lower at 0.0035 kg/m² which is less than the range of carp densities (0.005-0.0768 kg/m²) reported for Waikato lakes and rivers.

text: Comparison of the efficiency of three methods of isolating fish DNA from environmental samples The Lake Ecosystem Restoration New Zealand (LERNZ) project was initiated to restore indigenous biodiversity in lakes in part by developing new pest fish management and control technologies. One objective of the management of pest fish was to develop genetic based assays to detect pest fish from environmental samples such as water, and to assess the feasibility of using these methods in the field.
This report compares three methods (the Piscitron II, Piscitron III and a pH adjusted method) of isolating DNA for two species of exotic fish from water samples. We compared DNA isolation efficiency using newly developed qPCR assays for koi carp, Cyprinus carpio and goldfish, Carassius auratus , and present the primer and hydrolysis probe sequences for the assays, and assay thermal conditions. Minimum levels of detectable fish biomass are reported for koi carp water collected from a 6800 L tank at ambient temperature containing a 1.6 kg koi carp. The koi carp and goldfish assays were also tested on Waikato River water collected next to Hammond Park, Hamilton, New Zealand, an area of river known to contain koi carp and goldfish.
We found that the Piscitron II and Piscitron III methods, which filtered water through glass fibre filters or glass wool aquarium filters, respectively, performed equally well in terms of DNA extraction but considerably better than the pH adjusted method. Minimum detectable amounts of koi carp DNA were calculated by producing serial dilutions of the tank water containing 2.35* 10⁻⁴ kg of koi carp/L. Because fish densities tend to be reported as kg/m² of lake surface, we converted our minimum detectable amount from a weight per volume to a weight per area by assuming an average lake depth of 1.5 m (a typical Waikato lake depth) which resulted in a minimum detectable amount of 0.35 kg carp/m² of water surface area. We also produced serial dilutions of DNA extracted from the koi carp tank and the minimum detectable amount of koi carp biomass was much lower at 0.0035 kg/m² which is less than the range of carp densities (0.005-0.0768 kg/m²) reported for Waikato lakes and rivers.

year: 2014

title: Book review: The adventure of the real: Jean Rouch and the craft of ethnographic cinema

authors: Nannicelli, Theodore

abstract: This article reviews the book: “The adventure of the real: Jean Rouch and the craft of ethnographic cinema” by Paul Henley.

text: Book review: The adventure of the real: Jean Rouch and the craft of ethnographic cinema This article reviews the book: “The adventure of the real: Jean Rouch and the craft of ethnographic cinema” by Paul Henley.

year: 2012

title: Looking Past the Mess: Māori Homelessness and Mental Health Care

authors: Johnson, Diana

subjects: Homelessness

abstract: Homelessness is a pressing social and health concern that affects Māori disproportionately. This research explores the provision of mental health services to Māori who are homeless. The thesis has two primary aims. First, to document the experiences of Māori homeless people who live with mental health concerns and their relationships with mental health professionals. Second, to document the experiences of mental health professionals and how they interact with, provide care for, and build relationships with Māori Homeless. The skills of, and the difficulties faced by these professionals in provisions of quality of care are also considered. Three male and three female homeless participants were recruited from the Waikato and Auckland regions. All participants had received care from Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and/or District Health Board services (DHB). Participating mental health professionals included one female and five males. Mental health professionals included counsellors, therapists, psychologists, social workers, crisis team coordinator, and a cultural advisor. All participants took part in individual semi-structured interviews conducted in an open and conversational manner.  Key themes for homeless participants included their general life histories of mental illness, mental health service use, relationship with professionals, cultural issues, and concerns that Māori homeless wanted to discuss. Key themes for mental health professionals included their approaches when working with homeless people, relationship building, barriers to working with this group and possible solutions, linking with other professionals or organisations, and issues mental health professionals wanted to discuss. Findings highlight the importance of strong therapeutic relationships between homeless clients and mental health professionals, the need for more joined up (multi-level agency) approach to service delivery, and the importance of Māori ideology in restoring wellbeing and dignity. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of mental health service delivery relies in part on information provided by stakeholders. Information provided by homeless people and mental health professionals informs both service delivery and the ways in which practitioners can best support the needs of homeless people.

text: Looking Past the Mess: Māori Homelessness and Mental Health Care Homelessness is a pressing social and health concern that affects Māori disproportionately. This research explores the provision of mental health services to Māori who are homeless. The thesis has two primary aims. First, to document the experiences of Māori homeless people who live with mental health concerns and their relationships with mental health professionals. Second, to document the experiences of mental health professionals and how they interact with, provide care for, and build relationships with Māori Homeless. The skills of, and the difficulties faced by these professionals in provisions of quality of care are also considered. Three male and three female homeless participants were recruited from the Waikato and Auckland regions. All participants had received care from Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and/or District Health Board services (DHB). Participating mental health professionals included one female and five males. Mental health professionals included counsellors, therapists, psychologists, social workers, crisis team coordinator, and a cultural advisor. All participants took part in individual semi-structured interviews conducted in an open and conversational manner.  Key themes for homeless participants included their general life histories of mental illness, mental health service use, relationship with professionals, cultural issues, and concerns that Māori homeless wanted to discuss. Key themes for mental health professionals included their approaches when working with homeless people, relationship building, barriers to working with this group and possible solutions, linking with other professionals or organisations, and issues mental health professionals wanted to discuss. Findings highlight the importance of strong therapeutic relationships between homeless clients and mental health professionals, the need for more joined up (multi-level agency) approach to service delivery, and the importance of Māori ideology in restoring wellbeing and dignity. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of mental health service delivery relies in part on information provided by stakeholders. Information provided by homeless people and mental health professionals informs both service delivery and the ways in which practitioners can best support the needs of homeless people.

year: 2009