Marine biotoxins and harmful algae : a national plan

Marine biotoxins and harmful algae represent a significant and expanding threat to human health and fisheries resources throughout the U.S. This problem takes many forms, ranging from massive "red tides" or blooms of cells that discolor the water to dilute, inconspicuous concentrations of cells noticed only because of the harm caused by the highly potent toxins those cells contain. Impacts include mass mortalities of wild and farmed fish, human intoxications and death from contaminated shellfish or fish, alterations of marine trophic structure, and death of marine mammals, seabirds, and other animals. The nature of the problem has changed considerably over the last two decades in the U.S. Where formerly a few regions were affected, now virtally every coastal state is threatened, in many cases over large geographic areas and by more than one harmful species. The U.S. research, monitoring, and regulatory infrastructure is not adequately prepared to meet this expanding threat. In an effort to surmount these problems, a workshop was convened to formulate a National Plan for the prediction, control, and mitigation of the effects of harmful algal blooms on the U.S. marine biota. This report summarizes the status of U.S. research knowledge and capabilties, and identifies areas where research funds should be directed for maximum benefit.Funding was provided by National Marine Fisheries Servce Saltonstall-Kennedy grant No. NA27FD0092-01, National Marine Fisheries Servce Charleston Laboratory and by the NOAA Coastal Oceans Program

Toward an effective protocol on land-based marine pollution in the wider Caribbean Region

This study was undertaken to advance the basis for discussions among Contracting Parties to the Cartagena Convention concerning a protocol on land-based marine pollution (LBMP) in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR). The study has four principal objectives: (1) a review and summary of LBMP problems to determine common problems and priority areas; (2) a survey of broadly defined environmental infrastructure to help identify national commitments and national capacities to prevent, reduce, or control LBMP; (3) a survey and analysis of subregional differences in commitment or interest in regional control of LBMP; and (4) a comparison of program approaches from other regions, providing lessons from which an effective program for the Caribbean might be designed. The study argues that the environmental, economic, and institutional diversity of the region as a whole suggests (1) an incremental approach to international resolution of LBMP problems, one that builds upon successful arangements among states that have appropriate incentives for solving real transboundary pollution problems; and (2) a subregional approach to the control of localized but widely occurring pollution problems, in which the "umbrella" function of a regional protocol would concentrate on the need to ensure uniform access to all clearinghouse products and on the internal allocation of financial and technical assistance to individual states and subregions.Funding provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of International Activities under Co-operative Agreement No. CX82IS40-01-0

국내 흰줄숲모기의 분포, 발생 및 흡혈행동 연구

학위논문 (박사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 농생명공학부, 2017. 2. 이시혁.Aedes albopictus is an invasive mosquito that can be found in all continents. This species, considered as a secondary vector of Dengue virus, has recently been suggested to play a role in the transmission of Zika virus in several countries bordering Brazil. This mosquito originated in the forests of Southeast Asia. However, this species has spread throughout the world by increased intercontinental trade during the 20th century. In this study, I surveyed the distribution, abundance and main micro habitats of Ae. albopictus in Korea. Ae. alobpictus accounted for 4% of a total of 99,625 mosquitoes examined. Ae. albopictus was first collected in May, its number increased slowly throughout August and reached the greatest number in September, then followed by rapid decrease in number during October. The larval habitats were found within 500 m distance from the bamboo forest. Most larvae were found mainly in tires (44.4% in Iksan-si, 63.6% in Damyang-gun) and artificial containers (55.6% in Iksan-si, 45.5% in Damyang-gun) including a plastic wash basin, bowl, can, styrofoam-box within the range of adult mosquito activity. Ae. albopictus activity began around sunrise with peaks in late morning (08:00–09:00) and early evening (16:00–19:00) and ended with sunset. Light intensity appears to be a major factor affecting mosquito activity: if light intensity is over some threshold, Ae. albopictus activity decreased. The main bloodmeal source of Ae. albopictus was mammals (71%) followed by birds (26%), amphibians (2%) and fish (1%). The main mammalian blood source was human (86%). This results showed that Ae. albopictus feed exclusively on human, representing the potential of this mosquito as a major vector of dengue virus, once this virus becomes domestic. In flavivirus detection, no virus was detected in the specimens of Ae. albopictus, but a total of six Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)-positive pools were detected from Culex orientalis and Cx. pipiens except Cx tritaeniorhynchus, the main vector mosquitos of JEV. All the detected JEVs were identified as genotype V by phylogenetic analysis of the envelope gene. Our findings confirmed that a new genotype of JEV was introduced into Korea and suggested that the two mosquito species may play a role in JEV transmission. To investigate the possibility of using Wolbachia, as one of biological control strategy, I investigated the distribution of Wolbachia infection in Ae. albopictus according to geographical distribution in Korea. Over 99% of the collected mosquitoes harbored Wolbachia, and the sequence homologies of the WSP gene showed more than 98% similarity within the mosquito species. Ae. albopictus was found to be infected with two Wolbachia strains, wAlbA and wAlbB. Regional distribution analysis indicated that the wAlbA strain of Wolbachia showed more than 98% sequence similarity among Ae. albopictus collected from different regions. This study would support further functional and biocontrol-related studies of Wolbachia. Additionally, I also investigated the mosquito species composition by employing the DNA barcoding method based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene sequence. To this end, mtCOI genes from individual mosquitoes of 25 species were sequenced, and their phylogenetic relationship was analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most mosquito species were clustered according to morphological characteristics, except for certain Anopheles species. DNA barcoding using mtCOI genes successfully identified mosquito species, and it can be used as an effective technique to complement morphological identification.Introduction 1 CHAPTER I. Abundance and distribution of Aedes albopictus 6 I-1. Distribution and Abundance of Aedes albopictus in Korea 7 Abstract 7 1. Introduction 9 2. Materials and method 11 2.1. Seasonal prevalence of Ae. albopictus 11 2.1.1. Mosquito collecting 11 2.1.2. ArcGIS geographical analysis 13 2.2. Survey of main breeding habitats of Ae. albopictus 13 2.2.1. Study sites 13 2.2.2. Mosquito collection 13 3. Results 25 3.1. Seasonal prevalence of Ae. albopictus 25 3.2. Survey of main breeding habitats of Ae. albopictus 36 4. Discussion 47 CHAPTER II. Blood-feeding behavior of Aedes albopictus: host searching activity, host preference, virus infection rate and Wolbachia infection rate 49 II-1. Daily activity of Aedes albopicus for searching hosts 50 Abstract 50 1. Introduction 51 2. Materials and Methods 53 2.1. General Description of Study Site 53 2.2. Mosquito collection 55 3. Results 56 3.1. Mosquito collecting 56 3.2. Activity of Ae. albopictus 56 3.3. The effect of light intensity on Ae. albopictus activity 59 3.4. The effect of temperature on Ae. albopictus activity 64 4. Discussion 66 II-2. Host feeding patterns of Aedes albopictus in an urban park 69 Abstract 69 1. Introduction 71 2. Materials and Methods 73 2.1. Study sites 73 2.2. Mosquito collection and identification 73 2.3. Blood meal analysis 74 2.4. Dengue virus detection 75 3. Results 76 3.1. Mosquito collection 76 3.2. Bloodmeal source identification 79 3.3. Dengue virus detection 82 4. Discussion 83 II-3 Detection of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Aedes albopictus collected from the high risk area 86 Abstract 86 1. Introduction 88 2. Materials and Methods 91 2.1. Mosquito collection 91 2.2. Virus detection 93 2.3. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis 94 3. Results 98 3.1. Mosquito collection 98 3.2. Virus detection and phylogenetic analysis 101 4. Discussion 110 II-4. Wolbachia infection rate in Aedes albopictus collected from different geographical locations in Korea 114 Abstract 114 1. Introduction 116 2. Materials and Methods 119 2.1. Mosquito collection 119 2.2. DNA extraction and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 122 2.3. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis 122 3. Results 125 3.1. Survey of Wolbachia in Ae. albopictus using the WSP gene 125 3.2. Classification of Wolbachia in Ae. albopictus according to geographical distribution 127 4. Discussion 131 Literatures Cited 133 Appendix 148 Abstract in Korean 157Docto

Zebrafish cardiovascular cDNA microarrays : expression profiling and gene discovery in embryos exposed to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-ρ-dioxin

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 20032,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-ρ-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent teratogen that impacts the developing cardiovascular system. Hallmarks of embryonic exposure include cardiac malformation, impaired circulation, loss of erythrocytes, pericardial and yolk sac edema, and early life stage mortality. However, the mechanism of TCDD cardiovascular embryotoxicity is poorly understood. The primary goal of this thesis was to identify TCDD-responsive genes likely to be involved in processes of toxicity. We constructed microarrays using cDNA libraries derived from zebrafish embryonic and adult heart tissue. Embryonic heart arrays were used for protocol development. The resulting workflow was employed in the production of adult heart microarrays containing ~2800 unique cardiovascular genes. These arrays were used to establish gene expression profiles of zebrafish embryos exposed to 1.84±0.42 or 10.74±0.38 ng TCDD/g embryo. Alterations in cardiovascular gene expression were limited; 44 genes or ESTs were significantly differentially expressed ≥1.8-fold (p-values ≤5x10-4), and only CYP1A and CYP1B1 were induced >4- fold. Transcriptional responses to TCDD were highly dose-dependent, and adaptive responses were a prevalent feature of TCDD-modulated gene expression. Microarray analyses indicated induction of genes in three major functional classes - xenobiotic detoxification, sarcomere structure, and energy transfer. TCDD-modulation of selected genes was verified by RT-PCR. Induction of mitochondrial electron transfer genes was variable and modest; such induction provides a possible pathway to reactive oxygen generation and cardiac pathology. Sarcomere genes were generally robustly induced, but RT-PCR indicated suppression of cardiac troponin T2. The current data suggest that TCDD causes cardiomyopathy in zebrafish embryos. Investigation of a TCDD-induced EST cluster led to the discovery of a novel retroelement, EZR1. EZR1 elements lack genes necessary for autonomous retrotransposition, but are highly expressed in normal and TCDD-exposed cardiac tissue. Putative regulatory elements in LTR sequences may account for observed expression patterns. The function, if any, of EZR1 remains open to speculation.This research was supported in part by the WHOI Academic Programs Office, an NSF Coastal Research Traineeship, NIH Superfund Basic Research Program grant 5-P42-ES07381, EPA grant R827102-01-0, and WHOI Ocean Life Institute and Coastal Ocean Institute grant 39591300

Texas Parks & Wildlife

Magazine discussing natural resources, parks, hunting and fishing, and other information related to the outdoors in Texas

Vacuolation, proliferation and neoplasia in the liver of Boston Harbor winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution July 1991Neoplasia has been found in the livers of bottom-feeding fish taken from heavily contaminated freshwater and marine habitats. This study examined the progressive development and ultimate diversity of liver neoplasia in winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) from Deer Island Flats, Boston Harbor, MA., U.S.A., and encompassed histopathology, ultrastructural pathology, immunohistochemistry and experimental toxicology. It was found that liver neoplasia was most prevalent adjacent to a major sewage outfall, and that the predominant neoplastic cell type was cholangiocellular. Cholangiocellular neoplasms ranged from non-invasive tubular cholangiomas to invasive anaplastic cholangiocellular carcinomas. The latter were solid, tubular, cystic and scirrhous in form. Hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas were also present, but only infrequently. Abnormally vacuolated hepatic epithelia were intimately associated with neoplastic lesions of all types. These vacuolated cells were first seen in the center of the hepatic tubule, as vacuolated preductular biliary epithelial cells. Later, cells of the entire hepatic tubule were vacuolated. Foci of vacuolated cells were visible grossly, and often contained or were adjacent to neoplastic lesions. Vacuolation, biliary hyperplasia, aggregation of macrophages and necrosis were first seen in two year old fish. These lesions then appeared to progress, becoming more severe and prevalent as the fish grew. Of the fish for which age data were available, the youngest fish to contain a liver neoplasm was 5 years old. Prevalence of neoplasia did not differ between gender of fish. Liver neoplasia and vacuolation persisted in fish that were maintained in clean water on clean food for five months. However, the prevalence of vacuolation decreased with increasing distance from urban contamination, being absent in fish from Georges Bank. Ultrastructural examination of winter flounder liver from clean and contaminated sites revealed a loss of hepatic glycogen and lipid stores with increasing environmental contamination, with a concomitant increase of abnormal proliferated endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Fluid accumulation in the cisternal space of the ER, and the perinuclear space and mitochondra led to vesicle formation. These vesicles coalesced, to form large cellular vacuoles that compressed the nucleus and residual cytoplasm to the margins of the cell. Vacuolation appeared to be a process that affected preductular cells, hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, neoplastic cells, and exocrine pancreatic cells. To assess the role of vacuolated cells in the progression to neoplasia, evidence for replicative nuclear DNA synthesis was sought by assaying for the nuclear incorporation of a nucleotide analog, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). Tissue sections from fish labeled with BrdU were stained imunohistochemically using an anti-BrdU monoclonal antibody. Constitutive DNA synthesis was observed in basal gill and intestinal epithelia, and renal hemopoietic cells. Increased levels of DNA synthesis were observed in vacuolated cells, hyperplastic biliary epithelia, and most particularly in neoplastic cells, some of which were vacuolated. These observations were taken to suggest that vacuolated cells were capable of DNA synthesis, and that this, along with their intimate spatial relationship with neoplastic cells implied that they may be involved in the progression to neoplasia. To further investigate these observations, attempts were made to recreate the feral disease in the laboratory. Methods were developed for atraumatic capture, transport and year round maintenance of winter flounder. Long term colonies were established and experiments designed to reproduce the situation in wild-caught fish. The long latency between first exposure of larvae to genotoxic carcinogens in the native fish from Boston, and the actual appearance of neoplasia many years later, leads to the assumption that chronic exposure to epigenetic carcinogens was the rate limiting step in this neoplastic progression. Technical grade chlordane was chosen as representative of the hepatotoxic epigenetic carcinogens present in Boston Harbor sediments. Acute and subacute exposures were conducted, to establish the toxicity of the fish to chlordane, and to examine the resultant histopathology. A chronic feeding study was then conducted for one year, using chlordane and benzo(a)pyrene. Histological alterations induced in treated fish included elevated levels of macrophage aggregations, perisinusoidal edema, necrosis, and a proliferative reaction that involved the formation of structures that were apparently primitive biliary tubules. These studies have shown that winter flounder exposed to chemical contaminants appear to undergo a set of histopathological changes that precede neoplastic change. Cellular vacuolation is a significant change that may be directly involved in the progression to neoplasia. It is a relatively common lesion and is an excellent marker in winter flounder for the detection of the chronic biological effects of the particular chemical contaminants in the Boston Harbor environment, at a stage long before overt neoplasia is evident.This research was funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, U.S.P.H.S. grant CA/ES44306, the WHOI Ocean Ventures Fund, a Sea Grant New Initiative grant, The Donaldson Chartable Trust, and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Extracting transcriptional regulatory information from DNA microarray expression data

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 2003.Includes bibliographical references.(cont.) As a model system, we have chosen the unicellular, photoautotrophic cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 for study, as it is 1) fully sequenced, 2) has an easily manipulated input signal (light for photosynthesis), and 3) fixes carbon dioxide into the commercially interesting, biodegradable polymer polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). We have created DNA microarrays with [approximately]97% of the Synechocystis genome represented in duplicate to monitor the cellular transcriptional profile. These arrays are used in time-series experiments of differing light levels to measure dynamic transcriptional response to changing environmental conditions. We have developed networks of potential genetic regulatory interactions through time-series analysis based on the data from our studies. An algorithm for combining gene position information, clustering, and time-lagged correlations has been created to generate networks of hypothetical biological links. Analysis of these networks indicates that good correlation exists between the input signal and certain groups of photosynthesis- and metabolism-related genes. Furthermore, this analysis technique placed these in a temporal context, showing the sequence of potential effects from changes in the experimental conditions. This data and hypothetical interaction networks have been used to construct AutoRegressive with eXogenous input (ARX) models. These provide dynamic, state-space models for prediction of transcriptional profiles given a dynamically changing set of environmental perturbations...Recent technological developments allow all the genes of a species to be monitored simultaneously at the transcriptional level. This necessitates a more global approach to biology that includes consideration of complex interactions between many genes and other intracellular species. The metaphor of a cell as a miniature chemical plant with inputs, outputs, and controls gives chemical engineers a foothold in this type of analysis. Networks of interacting genes are fertile ground for the application of the methods developed by engineers for the analysis and monitoring of industrial chemical processes. The DNA microarray has been established as a tool for efficient collection of mRNA expression data for a large number of genes simultaneously. Although great strides have been made in the methodology and instrumentation of this technique, the development of computational tools needed to interpret the results have received relatively inadequate attention. Existing analyses, such a clustering techniques applied to static data from cells at many different states, provide insight into co-expression of genes and are an important basis for exploration of the cell's genetic programming. We propose that an even greater level of regulatory detail may be gained by dynamically changing experimental conditions (the input signal) and measuring the time-delayed response of the genes (the output signal). The addition of temporal information to DNA microarray experiments should suggest potential cause/effect relationships among genes with significant regulatory responses to the conditions of interest. This thesis aims to develop computational techniques to maximize the information gained from such dynamic experiments.by William A. Schmitt, Jr.Ph.D

Testing a public health orientation to climate adaptation planning

Thesis: Ph. D. in Environmental Planning and Public Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Current urban climate adaptation planning efforts tend to focus on protecting a city's physical assets from potential climate-related disasters, with an increasing emphasis on enhancing resilience, or building places that can absorb and withstand climatic shocks. Scholars and practitioners have critiqued climate adaptation planning's current focus on protecting physical assets, pointing out that adaptation plans rarely incorporate equity or social vulnerability. Consequently, calls have emerged for climate adaptation planning to focus on human vulnerabilities instead. To that end, my dissertation probes why and how the health impacts of climate change should be given a more prominent role in climate adaptation planning efforts. In reality, to structure the conversation around climate change to be about public health, cities will need new approaches to enhance public awareness of and facilitate engagement with climate risk management choices. Responding to calls for research on ways for cities to operationalize a focus on the health impacts of climate change, my dissertation project tested three methods of engaging citizens in public health-oriented climate adaptation planning. I find that cities have much to gain from framing climate change as a public health issue, as it boosts public concern about the severity of the problem and builds public support for policy action. I also find that serious games enhance awareness of local climate-related health risks and collective decision-making capacities, and argue that cities should utilize face-to-face and digital game-based engagement in climate adaptation planning efforts. My dissertation concludes with recommendations for cities on how to use a variety of public engagement methods to create pathways for envisioning local preferences in climate adaptation planning. This dissertation engages with and contributes to three areas of theory and practice. First, the dissertation examines the proposed normative and pragmatic benefits of cities adopting a public health orientation to climate adaptation planning. Second, the dissertation presents new tools for cities to enhance public awareness of and facilitate engagement with climate risk management choices. Finally, the dissertation project considers planners' roles in science-intensive planning and policymaking processes, in particular, through addressing the unique challenges to enhancing public engagement around climate change. Furthermore, it examines how planners can foster collective decision-making capacities among different publics, and ultimately, enable technically sound and politically feasible responses by individuals and communities to adapt to climate change.by Ella Jisun Kim.Ph. D. in Environmental Planning and Public Polic