Whales

We previously reported a solid-phase extraction (SPE) method for determination of the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) in both seawater and phytoplankton by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with the purpose of sample desalting without DA pre-concentration. In the present study, we optimized the SPE procedure with seawater and phytoplankton samples directly acidified with aqueous formic acid without addition of organic solvents, which allowed sample desalting and also 20-fold pre-concentration of DA in seawater and phytoplankton samples. In order to reduce MS contamination, a diverter valve was installed between LC and MS to send the LC eluant to waste, except for the 6-min elution window bracketing the DA retention time, which was sent to the MS. Reduction of the MS turbo gas temperature also helped to maintain the long-term stability of MS signal. Recoveries exceeded 90% for the DA-negative seawater and the DA-positive cultured phytoplankton samples spiked with DA. The SPE method for DA extraction and sample clean-up in seawater was extended to mammalian fluids and tissues with modification in order to accommodate the fluid samples with limited available volumes and the tissue extracts in aqueous methanol. Recoveries of DA from DA-exposed laboratory mammalian samples (amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, placenta, and brain) were above 85%. Recoveries of DA from samples (urine, feces, intestinal contents, and gastric contents) collected from field stranded marine mammals showed large variations and were affected by the sample status. The optimized SPE-LC-MS method allows determination of DA at trace levels (low pg mL −1 ) in seawater with/without the presence of phytoplankton. The application of SPE clean-up to mammalian fluids and tissue extracts greatly reduced the LC column degradation and MS contamination, which allowed routine screening of marine mammalian samples for confirmation of DA exposure and determination of fluid and tissue DA concentrations in experimental laboratory animals.

A serologic survey of anti-Brucella spp. antibodies was undertaken on 2,470 samples of 14 North American marine mammal species collected between 1984-97. Serum or blood from eight species of cetaceans and six species of pinnipeds was sampled from Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans. Two competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (C-ELISA's), using specific monoclonal antibodies to Brucella abortus cell wall components, were used to detect anti-Brucella spp. antibodies in the samples. Sera from 33 cetaceans and 61 pinnipeds gave inhibition values, in one or both of the tests, which exceeded the threshold that indicates Brucella spp. exposure in cattle. Seropositive animals were identified from Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans. While Brucella spp. was not isolated, differences in the response of seropositive cetacean and pinniped sera in the two assays suggest that two antigenically distinct species or biovars of Brucella spp. are present. No pathology consistent with clinical brucellosis was noted in any of the animals tested although detailed examination was not conducted on all carcasses.

The trophic position and the predator–prey relationship between the sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus and the jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas were examined by measuring stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen. Skin samples of sperm whales and muscle samples of small and large jumbo squid were collected between 1996 and 1999 in the Gulf of California. Gender determination through molecular analysis and field identification of size were used to identify adult male, female and immature male sperm whales. The stable isotope ratios of C and N of females and immature males were significantly different from those of adult male sperm whales; however, between females and immature males they did not differ significantly. The δ13C and δ15N values of females and immature males were higher than large jumbo squid by 1.1‰ and 2.7‰ respectively, suggesting a predator–prey relationship between them. A low isotopic interannual variation among the years 1997 to 1999 was observed in the isotopic sign...

In either sperm whale or horse heart myoglobin, binding of NO and lowering of solution pH work together to weaken, and ultimately break, the bond between iron and the proximal histidine. This is reminiscent of the reaction observed at neutral pH in the case of guanylate cyclase, the heme enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of GTP to cGMP. Bond breaking is characterized by a spectral change from a nine-line to a three-line ESR signal and accompanied by a shift from 420 to 387 nm in the UVvis spectrum of the Soret band maximum. Analysis of the pH-dependent spectral changes shows that they are reversible, at least within a few hours, that the transition is cooperative, involving six protons during pH lowering but only two as it is raised, and that the pK is about 4.7. Different proteins exhibit different pK values, which are generally lower than that for "chelated" protoheme. The pK differences reflect the extra bond stability afforded by the protein structure. Investigations of thermal and photochemical NO displacement by CO suggest that the local pocket around the ligand, although significantly altered (according to circular dichroism investigations), nonetheless still imposes a barrier against the outward diffusion of ligand into the solvent. Nanosecond and picosecond flash photolysis shows that in proteins at low pH there is an extremely efficient geminate recombination of the ligand with the four-coordinated species through a single-exponential process. This occurs to a significantly larger extent than for the case of NO-"chelated" protoheme (where no distal barrier for ligand is present). At neutral pH, when the proximal histidine bond is intact, the geminate recombination for NO takes longer and displays multiexponential kinetics. Altogether, these results suggest that, even though distal effects probably also play a role, proximal effects make an important contribution in modulating ligand-iron bond formation.

Although the songs of humpback whales have been extensively studied, other vocalizations and percussive sounds, referred to as "social sounds," have received little attention. This study presents the social vocalization repertoire of migrating east Australian humpback whales from a sample of 660 sounds recorded from 61 groups of varying composition, over three years. The social vocalization repertoire of humpback whales was much larger than previously described with a total of 34 separate call types classified aurally and by spectrographic analysis as well as statistically. Of these, 21 call types were the same as units of the song current at the time of recording but used individually instead of as part of the song sequence, while the other 13 calls were stable over the three years of the study and were not part of the song. This study provides a catalog of sounds that can be used as a basis for future studies. It is an essential first step in determining the function, contextual use and cultural transmission of humpback social vocalizations.

Components of the respiratory system from seven bowhead whales have been examined. The paired and laterally curved external nares are passively closed by a valve-like mass located in the rostral, lateral, and ventral walls of the nasal vestibules. Nasal septa1 cartilages are paired smooth plates rostrally changing to accordion-like folds caudally. The epiglottic and arytenoidal protuberances of the larynx are typically cetacean, but blunt. The cricoid cartilage is not a complete ring, but an elongated, inverted, troughshaped structure. The thyroid cartilage is trough-shaped with elongated cranial cornua curving dorsocaudally from each thyroid lamina. A conical mass of skeletal muscle serves as the floor of the short trachea and also surrounds the termination of the laryngeal sac. The trachea is dorsoventrally compressed, lacks a tracheal bronchus, and its width equals its length. The principal bronchi give rise to lobar bronchi a t obtuse angles. Large segmental bronchi branch extensively from lobar bronchi near the mediastinal lung surface. The lungs are rectangular and of nearly external or internal lobulation.

Entanglement records for seabirds and marine mammals were investigated for the period 2001-2005. The entanglement records were extracted from databases maintained by seven organizations operating along the west coast of the United States of America. Their programmes included beach monitoring surveys, rescue and rehabilitation and regional pinniped censuses. Records of 454 entanglements were documented in live animals and in carcasses for 31 bird species and nine marine mammal species. The most frequently entangled species were Common Murres, Western Gulls and California sea lions. The entanglement materials identified were primarily fishing related. Entanglements were recorded every year suggesting that although the incidence level differs annually, entanglement is a persistent problem. It is recommended that each programme records details in standardized categories to determine entanglement material sources. Numbers of entanglements observed during these surveys are likely to be a conservative view of the actual entanglement rate taking place at sea.

Al~raetml. The lipids of two Antarctic euphausiids were characterized. 2. In Euphausia superba complex lipids were the major lipid class followed by triglycerides. 3. In E. crystallorophias the complex lipids were also the major lipid class, but the second major constituent was waxes. 4. The complex llpids of both euphausiids consisted mostly of phosphatidylcholine with smaller mounts of phosphatidylethanolamine and lysophosphatidylcholine. The phespholipids of E. crystallorophias were less unsaturated than those of E. superba. 5. The waxes of E. crystallorophias were mostly esters of oleic (84 %) and palmitoleic (10~o) acids with n-tetradecanol (69 Yo) and n-hexadecanol (28 ~o).

The body load of tDDT (p,p'DDT + o,p'DDT + p,p'DDE + p,p'TDE) and polychlorinated biphenyls (sum of congeners) was estimated for 169 fin whales to study age and sex-related variation and to calculate the quantity of these compounds transferred to offspring through reproduction. Blubber was the body compartment containing the greatest quantities of organochlorines, but its relative contribution to total load was lower than in other cetaceans because in fin whales muscle and bone are also significant lipid reserve sites. In male fin whales, organochlorine body loads increased with age but tended to reach a plateau in fully grown individuals. In adult females, loads decreased with age because of transfer to offspring canceling the rise in loads associated with body growth; as a consequence, the amount of organochlorines transferred during a reproductive cycle also declined with age. This transfer is lower than that found for other cetaceans because fin whales have a shorter lactation period. According to the calculations, the first offspring of a female fin whale receives about 1 g of PCB and about 1.5 g of tDDT. These amounts will. progressively decrease in subsequent reproductive cycles to reach a minimum of 0.2 g PCB and 0.3 g tDDT in an old female. Therefore, the first calf delivered is the one most likely to be affected by pollutants.

This article presents the results of surveys with postsecondary students in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and St. Vincent in the Caribbean on the topics of whaling and consumption of associated food products. Results are analyzed to predict future trends in whaling activities in both locations. Whaling faces both cultural and environmental challenges to its continuance. Perceptions and opinions of today's educated youth are arguably the best indicator of future trends in whaling nationsat least those trends that are within the control of culture and society. The results of this survey support a challenge to the conventional theory that whaling is a dying form of artisanal food production by showing that the food products obtained through whaling remain popular with the participants in both locations. These students exhibit varying degrees of familiarity with, and willingness to participate in, whaling activities.

The early radiation of cetaceans coincides with the origin of their defining ecological and sensory differences . Toothed whales (Odontoceti) evolved echolocation for hunting 36-34 million years ago, whereas baleen whales (Mysticeti) evolved filter feeding and do not echolocate . Echolocation in toothed whales demands exceptional highfrequency hearing , and both echolocation and ultrasonic hearing have also evolved independently in bats . The motor protein Prestin that drives the electromotility of the outer hair cells (OHCs) is likely to be especially important in ultrasonic hearing, because it is the vibratory response of OHC to incoming sound waves that confers the enhanced sensitivity and selectivity of the mammalian auditory system . Prestin underwent adaptive change early in mammal evolution and also shows sequence convergence between bats and dolphins [9, 10], as well as within bats . Focusing on whales, we show for the first time that the extent of protein evolution in Prestin can be linked directly to the evolution of high-frequency hearing. Moreover, we find that independent cases of sequence convergence in mammals have involved numerous identical amino acid site replacements. Our findings shed new light on the importance of Prestin in the evolution of mammalian hearing.

To understand the cause of death of 405 marine mammals stranded on Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts between 2000 and 2006, a system for coding final diagnosis was developed and categorized as (1) disease, (2) human interaction, (3) mass-stranded with no significant findings, (4) single-stranded with no significant findings, (5) rock and/or sand ingestion, (6) predatory attack, (7) failure to thrive or dependent calf or pup, or (8) other. The cause of death for 91 animals could not be determined. For the 314 animals that could be assigned a cause of death, gross and histological pathology results and ancillary testing indicated that disease was the leading cause of mortality in the region, affecting 116/314 (37%) of cases. Human interaction, including harassment, entanglement, and vessel collision, fatally affected 31/314 (10%) of all animals. Human interaction accounted for 13/29 (45%) of all determined gray seal Halichoerus grypus mortalities. Mass strandings were most likely to occur in northeastern Cape Cod Bay; 97/106 (92%) of mass stranded animals necropsied presented with no significant pathological findings. Mass strandings were the leading cause of death in 3 of the 4 small cetacean species: 46/67 (69%) of Atlantic white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus, 15/21 (71%) of long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas, and 33/54 (61%) of short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis. These baseline data are critical for understanding marine mammal population health and mortality trends, which in turn have significant conservation and management implications. They not only afford a better retrospective analysis of strandings, but ultimately have application for improving current and future response to live animal stranding.

Ambergris, ambergrease, or grey amber, is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor. The odd, enduring appeal of this scarce commodity few people use and no one really needs. In a sparsely furnished office building in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa, the record-breaking skyscraper that towers over Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Farook Kassim reaches into a desk drawer, extracts a small plastic baggie, and offers up its contents for inspection. Inside is what looks like a stone the size of a thumb, white flecked with brown and gray. Its light color denotes high quality. The fragrance from the baggie is subtle and refined: musky with hints of tobacco and the ocean.

Marine mammals have long generation times and broad, difficult to sample distributions, which makes inferring evolutionary and demographic changes using field studies of extant populations challenging. However, molecular analyses from sub-fossil or historical materials of marine mammals such as bone, tooth, baleen, skin, fur, whiskers and scrimshaw using ancient DNA (aDNA) approaches provide an opportunity for investigating such changes over evolutionary and ecological timescales. Here, we review the application of aDNA techniques to the study of marine mammals. Most of the studies have focused on detecting changes in genetic diversity following periods of exploitation and environmental change. To date, these studies have shown that even small sample sizes can provide useful information on historical genetic diversity. Ancient DNA has also been used in investigations of changes in distribution and range of marine mammal species; we review these studies and discuss the limitations of such 'presence only' studies. Combining aDNA data with stable isotopes can provide further insights into changes in ecology and we review past studies and suggest future potential applications. We also discuss studies reconstructing inter-and intra-specific phylogenies from aDNA sequences and discuss how aDNA sequences could be used to estimate mutation rates. Finally, we highlight some of the problems of aDNA studies on marine mammals, such as obtaining sufficient sample sizes and calibrating for the marine reservoir effect when radiocarbon-dating such wide-ranging species.

The macroanatomy of renicules and surrounding tissues from the kidneys of five Eskimo-harvested bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, was examined. These renicules are similar in overall structure to those of other cetaceans and intermediate in size. There are several important differences including the presence of arcuate vessels within the sporta perimedullaris, the extension of connective tissue from the sporta deep into the peripheral cortex, and the presence of very large, thin-walled veins that occupy the interrenicular spaces. Arterial and venous plexuses outside the substance of the sporta reported in other cetaceans were not observed in the bowhead.

This paper is comprised of three movements namely: a discussion of Olivier Perriquet's video installation in the 'The Dreams of Forms' exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris held in 2017; Lori Beaman's 'sea turtle project' and the emerging more-than-human turn in sociology of religion; and my preliminary observations on human-whale interactions and scholarly discourses on interdependence.

Trujillo, F. & I.C. Avila. 2013. Uso no letal de cetáceos: el turismo de observación de delfines y ballenas como estrategia de conservación en Colombia. Págs: 232- 251. En: Trujillo, F., A. Gärtner, D. Caicedo y M. C. Diazgranados (Eds.). Diagnóstico del estado de conocimiento y conservación de los mamíferos acuáticos en Colombia. Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Fundación Omacha, Conservación Internacional y WWF. Bogotá, 282 p. ISBN: 978-958-8554-24-2.

Using non-lethal cetacean: the tourism of whale and dolphin watching as a conservation strategy in Colombia

Cover: Oral and topical applications of insecticides have revolutionized the control of cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) on cats and dogs, eliminating the need for environmental treatments and reducing the incidence and severity of flea allergic dermatitis (see pp. 232-236).

Various reviews, resolutions and guidance from international and regional fora have been produced in recent years that acknowledge the significance of marine noise and its potential impacts on cetaceans. Within Europe, ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS have shown increasing attention to the issue. The literature highlights concerns surrounding the negative impacts of active sonar on beaked whales in particular, where concerns primarily relate to the use of mid-frequency active sonar (1-10 kHz), as used particularly in military exercises. The authors review the efforts that European regional policies have undertaken to acknowledge and manage possible negative impacts of active sonar and how these might assist the transition from scientific research to policy implementation, including effective management and mitigation measures at a national level.

Why do some animal’s echolocate? Does it require enough energy for them to not use it all the time unless they really need to?  Moving around costs energy, so animals do not move around unless they need to, or if they are hungry. Does this hold true for echolocation? To preserve energy for their more urgent demands, many animals would choose not to use it if that holds to be true. How do animals resolve this issue? For example, a bat’s life relies entirely on echolocation. Animals that do fly have to use a lot of energy unlike ones that do not fly.  Bats have to use echolocation calls that are a lot higher in intensity than an animal that does not fly and always stays on land. At a landing site, bats are characterized by their switch from a single pulse of echolocation to multiple pulse groups. By hearing reflections of high-pitched vocal sounds discharged by bats, they can detect and avoid obstacles afterwards. So how does the beat cycle of a bat’s wings correlate with echolocation and help them be aware of something that is directly or indirectly in front of them? Also, do aquatic animals such as whales echolocate? If they do, what happens if they lose most of their ability to do so? Dolphins and toothed whales have gone through many adaptations to suit their needs in an aquatic environment, such as the development of high frequency hearing and use of echolocation. Echolocation systems, such as those of odontocetes and bats, involve both hearing and sound production.

The heart of the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is described from the dissection of seven specimens. As in most whales the heart is characterized by a transverse broadness and a flatness of the ventricles from one surface to the other and by an apex formed by both ventricles. Heart size parameters are used for comparison with parameters of other marine and land mammals. The heart width index (heart heightheart circumference) averages 31.3 in comparison to 28.7 for the Weddell seal and 39.0 for the felids. The right ventricle is relatively long and narrow with a mean length index (TS/ heart height) of 64.7 and a mean breadth index (TPheart height) of 38.7. These heart parameters are discussed in functional terms. Medial cusp Septal cusp Ventral cusp Anterior cusp Dorsal cusp Posterior cusp Anterior papillary m. Posterior papillary m.

Enerji arz ve talebinde her geçen gün artan dengesizlik bir yana dünyanın son yirmi yılda hem siyasal hem de ekonomik olarak geldiği nokta alternatif enerji kaynaklarına olan ihtiyacı zorunlu kılıyor. Yenilenebilir enerji kaynaklarından olan rüzgar enerjisi uzun süredir üzerinde kafa yorulan seçeneklerden olmasına rağmen istenilen patlamayı bir türlü

Animals are among the most sought after tourist attractions and the impact on them is a matter of concern to an increasing number of people. The first book of its kind, Tourism and Animal Welfare addresses the issue of animal welfare within the tourism experience. It explores important foundations such as the meaning of 'animal welfare' and its relation to ethics, animal rights and human obligations to animals. It also explores the nature and diversity of the position and role of animals within tourism.

‘Tales from the front line’ is the section of the book that provides the reader with the views and experiences of animal welfare organisations, individual leaders, tourism industry organisations and operators, and academic experts. These case studies and opinion pieces will encourage the reader to consider their own position regarding animals in tourism and their welfare.

L'epico libro di Melville, tra i più significativi della letteratura nordamericana.  Oggi considerato un classico fu al centro di varie vicissitudini editoriali.
Considerato un simbolo della lotta dell'uomo con la natura.
The epic book by Melville, one of the most significant in North American literature. Today considered a classic was at the center of various editorial vicissitudes.
Considered a symbol of man's struggle with nature.

As the first cultural history of the sea in medieval English literature, this book traces premodern myths of insularity from their Old English beginnings to Shakespeare's Tempest. Beginning with a discussion of biblical, classical and pre-Conquest treatments of the sea, it investigates how such works as the Anglo-Norman Voyage of St Brendan, the Tristan romances, the chronicles of Matthew Paris, King Horn, Patience, The Book of Margery Kempe and The Libelle of Englyshe Polycye shape insular ideologies of Englishness. Whether it is Britain's privileged place in the geography of salvation or the political fiction of the idyllic island fortress, medieval English writers' myths of the sea betray their anxieties about their own insular identity; their texts call on maritime motifs to define England geographically and culturally against the presence of the sea. New insights from a range of fields, including jurisprudence, theology, the history of cartography and anthropology, are used to provide fresh readings of a wide range of both insular and continental writings.

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Marine mammals include cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, sea otters and polar bears, many of which are charismatic and popular species commonly kept under human care in zoos and aquaria. However, in comparison with their fully terrestrial counterparts their welfare has been less intensively studied, and their partial or full reliance on the aquatic environment leads to unique welfare challenges. In this paper we attempt to collate and review the research undertaken thus far on marine mammal welfare, and identify the most important gaps in knowledge. We use ‘best practice case studies’ to highlight examples of research promoting optimal welfare, include suggestions for future directions of research efforts, and make recommendations to strive for optimal
welfare, where it is currently lacking, above and beyond minimum legislation and guidelines. Our review of the
current literature shows that recently there have been positive forward strides in marine mammal welfare assessment, but fundamental research is still required to validate positive and negative indicators of welfare in
marine mammals. Across all marine mammals, more research is required on the dimensions and complexity of pools and land areas necessary for optimal welfare, and the impact of staff absence for most of the 24-h day, as standard working hours are usually between 0900 and 1700.      Behavioural Processes, 156, 16-36. doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.09.011

Japan is often imagined as a nation with a long history of whaling. This study argues, however, that many coastal communities in Northeast Japan did not engage in active whale hunting until the end of the Meiji period (1868–1912) as the local fishermen believed that whales were the incarnation of the gods of the seas, who would bring fish towards the shore. These communities profited from the presence of whales and feared the environmental pollution whaling caused to the coast. They fought against Western Japanese whalers who tried to introduce whaling in their region.
The concept of the “cetosphere” is used as a theoretical framework to argue that in many coastal ecosystems before 1900, whales rather than humans were the primary keystone species.
Chapter 1 introduces early modern maritime Japan through the eyes of whalers from Kii Domain in Western Japan. The chapter reconstructs how traveling Kii fishermen left their communities in the seventeenth century and disseminated techniques for proto-industrial fish fertilizer production and whaling across the Japanese archipelago. Chapter 2 shows how the whaling activities of the Kii fishermen were challenged in Northeast Japan, where the locals wrote a petition in 1677 to stop all whaling operations. By analyzing the content of this petition, how the locals perceived the ecological and socio-economic role of whales in the local ecosystem can be reconstructed. Chapter 3 expands on this discussion by focusing on the cultural aspects of whale strandings in Northeast Japan and argues that whales behaved differently across regions during their migration along the Japanese Coast, contributing to a whaling culture in Western Japan and a non-whaling culture in Northeast Japan.
Chapter 4 shows how whaling knowledge was distributed among coastal communities after the end of the Kii Expansion. Climatic and socio-economic changes played a pivotal role in the attempts to introduce proto-industrial whaling in Northeast Japan in the early nineteenth century. The same changes were also responsible for its failure, however. Chapter 5 then discusses the rise of Ayukawa as the first “whaling town” in Northeast Japan. It is argued that the migration of workers and the focus on whale fertilizer were the primary reasons for the eventual success of industrial whaling.
Finally, Chapter 6 analyses the Hachinohe uprising of 1911, when over 1,000 fishermen destroyed the local whaling station operated by whalers from Western Japan. This chapter shows how the different vernacular perspectives on whales and whaling were negotiated and deconstructed in the months leading up to the raid.

Situated 150 km North of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, the Kalpitiya Peninsular is one of the most beautiful coastal areas located in the West coast of Sri Lanka. Kalpitiya peninsular separates the Puttalam lagoon from the Indian Ocean and is a marine sanctuary with a diversity of habitats ranging from bar reefs, flat coastal plains, salt-pans, mangroves swamps, salt marshes and vast sand dune beaches. Given the investment opportunities available, Sri Lanka Tourism launched the Kalpitiya Dutch Bay Tourism Development Zone Project.

You can experience the thrill of sea safaris to the nearby Bar Reef for the best Sri Lanka has to offer in snorkeling and be entertained by the dolphins and whales on your way.

Although the unicorn is a mythological animal, it has prototypes in the world of real animals. These prototypes, which have historically varied from region to region, have also affected the names used for the unicorn in different cultural spheres. The present study examines, in particular, the mythological and etymological background of the Chinese unicorn in relation to several other extant or extinct animals in North and East Asia. Though their connection with the unicorn has previously been neglected, the two most important animals taken up in this context are the mammoth and the whale.

e whale in the Old Javanese kakawin literature: timiṅgila, 'elephant sh' and lĕmbwara revisited1 J J , University of Queensland SUMMARY: Five words, presumably designating the whale in the Old Javanese kakawin poetry, are analysed. It is argued that Sanskrit loanwords timi and timiṅgila designate in the Old Javanese the whale monster inhabiting the depths of the ocean, rather than any biological species of cetacean. As for the gajamīna and its Old Javanese calque iwak liman, it is suggested that both terms may have indeed designated 'whale' or other large cetacean in pre-Islamic Java. However, both words were commonly used for the mythological sea monster identi ed with the forces of adharma, Finally, the Old Javanese word lĕmbwara, lost in standard Modern Javanese, demonstrably designates the whale as a biological species rather than imaginary whale monster as is the case of other words.

La constellation de la Baleine n’est pas très connue mais il s’agit pourtant de la quatrième plus grande constellation du ciel. Bien que désignant aujourd’hui un cétacé clairement identifié, ce regroupement d’étoiles n’a jamais figuré une baleine et, de la Haute Antiquité à nos jours, elle a pris un nombre infini d’apparences, plus monstrueuses les unes que les autres.

Abstract : The name of the constellation Cetus (Latin) may be translated as 'Whale', 'Dolphin', 'Shark', or, more generally, as 'Sea Monster.' Although the fourth largest constellation in the night sky, this star group remains unfamiliar to many observers. In fact, the association with a whale is erroneous, and, as suggested by the number of alternative translations, the original interpretation of the Greek 'Ketos', was of a marine monster, which provided the basis for numerous fantasies in the works of poets and artists.

The reaction between hydrogen peroxide and myoglobin (or haemoglobin) ferric haem is a two-electron redox process, yet the stable product is ferryl haem, retaining only one oxidizing equivalent. We have used SVD (singular value decomposition) and global spectroscopic analysis to examine the transient primary spectral intermediates in this reaction, which have been reported as either "compound 0" (ferric peroxide) or "compound I" (ferryl and porphyrin cation radical) types and which may precede the formation of ferrylmyoglobin. To test the hypothesis that the distal histidine facilitates ferryl formation we studied the myoglobin-like haemoglobin from the gastropod mollusc Aplysia fasciata, where this histidine is replaced by valine and its hydrogen bonding role is taken up by a non-homologous arginine. In this protein, consistent with the distal histidine hypothesis, a compound 0 intermediate is formed identified by an EPR spectrum typical of low spin ferric haem complexes. It is significantly more stable than any species seen with mammalian myoglobin. Thirdly, as ferryl haems and associated free radicals may play a role in disease, we have studied the action of myoglobin-peroxide mixtures towards external reductants. Even at a low pH, where ferrylmyoglobin is protonated and in its most reactive state, pre-incubation with reducing donors, including one-electron donors such as ferrocyanide, prior to peroxide addition renders both oxidizing equivalents available. The physiological antioxidant vitamin, ascorbate, is also able to trap both reactive species. Myoglobin can therefore act as a true ascorbate peroxidase. Ascorbate in vivo may be critical in controlling and preventing toxic side reactions of this and related haem proteins. † Based on the presentation given at Dalton Discussion No. 8, 7-9th September 2005, University of Nottingham, UK.

Sustainable energy generation through renewable sources is a rapidly expanding industry within the energy sector and as part of that industry tidal power creates the potential to tap into a previously untapped resource. Existing tidal barrage schemes are leading the way in exploiting tidal energy resources but are only producing a very small percentage of the world's generated electricity. Further development and expansion of this technology has been somewhat hindered by opposition from green political parties whom believe that the environmental impact of such a scheme is too great.
Tidal stream devices have therefore been developed as an alternative method of extracting the energy from the tides. This form of tidal power technology poses less threat to the environment and does not face the same limiting factors associated with tidal barrage schemes, therefore making it a more feasible method of electricity generation.
This paper describes work involved with modelling, using the CFD package SolidWorks Flow Simulation, a contra-rotating double row bladed tidal turbines. The first rotor has three blades rotating in a anti-clockwise direction while the second rotor, located directly behind the first, has four blades rotating in an clockwise direction. A contra-rotating marine current turbine has a number of attractive features: near zero reactive torque on the support structure, near-zero swirl in the wake, and high relative inter-rotor rotational speeds. The design of these turbines is to assess the potential increase in the power, torque and axial thrust generated over a conventional single row propeller.
The results from the CFD models show that there is a negligible increase in the power generated but an increase in the axial load on the turbine. The nett torque acting on the device is, however, considerably reduced, and potentially negated, so potentially helping the turbine to align to the tidal flow. Flow visualization of the wake verified the lack of swirl behind the turbine.

En analysant le tout dernier tome des Histoires naturelles (1804) de Lacépède, nous tenterons dans la présente étude de comprendre comment il est possible pour un naturaliste – aussi renommé soit-il – d’écrire une œuvre majeure de cétologie sans n’avoir jamais vu de baleine de son existence. Ce travail est motivé par une hypothèse initiale: les naturalistes de cabinet voulant s’intéresser aux mammifères marins depuis leur “capitale savante” n’ont d’autre choix que de mobiliser le savoir vernaculaire marin pour enrichir leurs recherches. Par le biais de méthodes diverses, nous tenterons de faire émerger les voix de ces hommes de mer à première vue très peu présentes dans les lignes de l’ouvrage. Partant du constat que Lacépède ne put déduire les informations contenues dans son œuvre par ses propres observations, il convient d’enquêter sur les circonstances de rédaction de l’ouvrage, sur les méthodes employées par le naturaliste ainsi que sur les différents individus ayant participé à sa rédaction, tout en ne perdant pas de vue l’institution à laquelle le naturaliste appartient alors: le Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Paris. Dès lors nous interrogeons les mécanismes complexes de la circulation du savoir naturel, mobilisant une bibliographie issue des recherches sur le monde Atlantique, ô combien pointue sur ce thème. Nous n’oublierons pas de situer ces questions dans le contexte politique, scientifique et culturel de la France à l’aube du dix-neuvième siècle.