Early-life-history profiles, seasonal abundance, and distribution of four species of Clupeid larvae from the northern Gulf of Mexico, 1982 and 1983

We present data on ichthyoplankton distribution, abundance, and seasonality and supporting environmental information for four species of coastal pelagics from the family Clupeidae: round herring Etrumeus teres, scaled sardine Harengula jaguana, Atlantic thread herring Opisthonema oglinum, and Spanish sardine Sardinella aurita. Data are from 1982 and 1983 cruises across the northern Gulf of Mexico sponsored by the Southeastern Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP). This is the first such examination for these species on a multiyear and gulfwide scale. Bioproflles on reproductive biology, early life history, meristics, adult distribution, and fisheries characteristics are also presented for these species. During the summer, larval Atlantic thread herring and scaled and Spanish sardines were abundant on the inner shelf <40 m depth), but were rare or absent in deeper waters. Scaled sardine and thread herring were found virtually everywhere inner-shelf waters were sampled, but Spanish sardines were rare in the north-central Gulf. During 1982, larval Atlantic thread herring were the most abundant of the four target c1upeid species, whereas Spanish sardine were the most abundant during 1983. On the west Florida shelf, Spanish sardine dominated larval c1upeid populations both years. Scaled sardine larvae were the least abundant of the four species both years, but were still captured in 25% of inner-shelf bongo net collections. Round herring larvae, collected February-early June (primarily March-April), were abundant on the outer shelf (40-182 m depth) and especially off Louisiana. Over the 2-year period, outer-shelf mean abundance for round herring was 40.2 larvae/10 m2; inner-shelf mean abundances for scaled sardine, Atlantic thread herring, and Spanish sardine were 14.9, 39.2, and 41.9 larvae/l0 m2, respectively. (PDF file contains 66 pages.

Modelling a fluidized wet granulation process

Trabalho Final de Mestrado Integrado, Ciências Farmacêuticas, 2020, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia.Tradicionalmente, a produção de medicamentos pela indústria farmacêutica é realizada em modo descontínuo sendo o produto acabado libertado após a sua verificação, também designado por quality-by-testing. Este fato decorre em parte devido ao elevado nível de regulação, o que, no passado, juntamente com outros fatores, dificultou a transição para processos contínuos e novos paradigmas de avaliação da qualidade. Atualmente, a transição para processos de produção em contínuo começou a ser incentivada pelas autoridades reguladoras, sendo que estes processos serão vantajosos não só para a indústria, por aumentar a eficiência dos processos de produção, mas também para os consumidores, fornecendo uma maior consistência na qualidade dos produtos fabricados. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) e a European Medicines Agency (EMA), assim como as novas guidelines do Conselho Internacional para Harmonização de Requisitos Técnicos de Produtos Farmacêuticos para Uso Humano (ICH). incentivam agora o desenvolvimento de processos de produção de medicamentos baseados no conceito de Quality-By-Design (QbD). Permitindo implementar processos contínuos de produção baseando-se num conhecimento aprofundado das principais variáveis que influenciam o processo de fabrico, de forma a conceber um produto de qualidade e, tendo em conta que a qualidade não deve ser testada no produto final, mas sim desenvolvida desde a primeira etapa de produção. Com o conceito de QbD em mente, foi decidido, neste estudo, desenvolver um design space (DS) para um processo de granulação, uma vez que se trata de um processo importante na produção de várias formas farmacêuticas. Para isso, estudou-se uma combinação de variáveis e parâmetros do processo que demostram resultar num produto de qualidade, ou seja, dentro das especificações que foram estabelecidas. As variáveis escolhidas para este estudo incluíram a formulação e parâmetros identificados como críticos do processo. Para alcançar este objetivo, foi utilizado um método de delineamento experimental de forma a definir os ensaios a realizar. Os grânulos foram testados de acordo com vários parâmetros de qualidade de forma a estabelecer o DS. De modo a testar a influência do processo de granulação na forma farmacêutica final, foi decidido também proceder à produção de comprimidos, que foram também testados.Traditionally the production of medicines by the pharmaceutical industry is done in batches with the finished product released after verification, also known as quality-by-testing. This is due to the fact that it is an industry with tight regulations that, in the past, together with other factors, made the transition to continuous processes, as well as quality control methods difficult. Currently, the transition to continuous processes has been encouraged by regulatory authorities as these processes will be advantageous not only for the industry, as it increases the efficiency of the processes, but also for the consumers, providing higher quality to the manufactured product. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the new guidelines from the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceutical Products for Human Use (ICH) now encourage the development of drug manufacturing processes based on the concept of quality-bydesign(QbD), with the opportunity of implementing continuous production processes based on an in-depth knowledge of the main variables that influence the manufacturing process, in order to design a quality product, with the notion that quality cannot be tested on a product but developed from the ground up starting with the first step of production. With the concept of QbD in mind, it was decided, in this study, to develop a design space (DS) for a granulation process, an important process in the production of various pharmaceutical forms, studying a combination of variables and process parameters that guarantee to result in a product with quality, that is, within the specifications that were decided. The variables chosen for this process included the formulation and critical parameters of the process. To achieve this objective, experimental design was used in order to establish the most important tests. The granules were tested in various experiments suitable to our variables in order to establish the DS. In order to test the influence of the granulation process on the final pharmaceutical form, it was also decided to proceed with the production of tablets, which were also tested.Com o patrocínio da Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa

Development of a Cone Penetrometer for Measuring Spectral Characteristics of Soils in Situ

A patent was recently granted to the U.S. Army for an adaptation of a soil cone penetrometer that can be used to measure the spectral characteristics (fluorescence or reflectance) of soils adjacent to the penetrometer rod. The system can use a variety of light sources and spectral analytical equipment. A laser induced fluorescence measuring system has proven to be of immediate use in mapping the distribution of oil contaminated soil at waste disposal and oil storage areas. The fiber optic adaptation coupled with a cone penetrometer permits optical characteristics of the in-situ soil to be measured rapidly, safely, and inexpensively. The fiber optic cone penetrometer can be used to gather spectral data to a depth of approximately 25 to 30 m even in dense sands or stiff clays and can investigate 300 m of soil per day. Typical detection limits for oil contamination in sand is on the order of several hundred parts per million

Etude et optimisation des décharges partielles dans un modèle de condensateur à différentes températures

In this paper, the partial discharge on models of all-film capacitors impregnated with liquid impregnating undegased is measured and the effect of temperature was examined. The partial discharge evolution in mixed dielectric is multifactorial process. The initial potential as well as the temperature are known to influence the partial discharge  evolution. The present paper aims at demonstrating the interest of using the design ofexperiments methodology for the study of such processes, in view of their modeling and optimization. The obtained result is a mathematical model capable to identify the parameters and the interactions between factors.Keywords: partial discharge, insulation, polypropylene, capacitors, breakdown,  experimental desig

Physical Factors Influencing Survival to Emergence and Time of Emergence of Shoreslope-Spawned Kokanee Salmon in Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Utah-Wyoming

I used incubation baskets containing viable eggs and spawning substrate to estimate the survival to emergence and time of emergence of kokanee salmon Oncorhynchus nerka at depths to 20 m in Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Utah-Wyoming. Traps on the incubation baskets captured fry emerging from a known quantity of eggs. Water drawn into a syringe from an intragravel pipe buried near each incubation basket was used to determine intragravel dissolved oxygen concentrations throughout the intragravel period. Water from control baskets without eggs did not have significantly greater dissolved oxygen concentrations than adjacent water. A jar associated with each incubation basket collected sediment to determine absolute and organic sedimentation during the study. Temperatures at the substrate water interface were used to describe degree-days accumulated before emergence. Survival to emergence ranged from zero to 66% and was most significantly related to mean intragravel dissolved oxygen concentrations. Survival to emergence, mean intragravel dissolved oxygen concentrations , and organic sedimentation decreased with depth

Juvenile fish use of the shallow zone of beaches of the Cananéia-Iguape coastal system, southeastern Brazil

Resumo O objetivo do presente estudo é descrever o uso por peixes juvenis da zona rasa de praias arenosas do sistema costeiro Cananéia-Iguape, São Paulo, Brasil, analisando o período de ocorrência e o padrão de utilização das espécies mais abundantes na área. Utilizando uma rede de arrasto de praia (picaré) mensalmente ao longo de um ano, foram amostrados 13861 indivíduos, pertencentes a 57 espécies e 24 famílias. As espécies analisadas utilizaram a área estudada com diferentes finalidades: Atherinella brasiliensis foi amostrada em todas as fases do desenvolvimento gonadal e, portanto, considerada como residente, juvenis de Trachinotus goodei utilizaram as praias para o crescimento, enquanto os juvenis de Mugil curema e Mugil liza como rota de migração do oceano para o estuário. Nossos resultados mostraram a importância das praias arenosas para peixes juvenis, principalmente na primavera e no verão, quando a maioria dos juvenis recruta na área, e coincide com o período de maior impacto pelos turistas. Como muitas espécies analisadas são comercialmente importantes, ressalta-se ainda a importância de preservação desses habitats costeiros para um melhor manejo pesqueiro.Abstract The purpose of the present study is to describe the juvenile fish use of the shallow zone of beaches of the Cananéia-Iguape coastal system, São Paulo, Brazil, analyzing its occurrence period and the patterns of utilization for the most abundant species. Using a beach seine monthly for one year, we sampled 13861 individuals, of 57 species and 24 families. The fish species used the study area for different proposes: Atherinella brasiliensis was sampled in all phases of gonadal development and considered as resident, juveniles of Trachinotus goodei used the beaches for growth and juveniles of Mugil curema and Mugil liza used the beaches as a route from the ocean to the estuary. Our results showed the importance of the sandy beaches for juvenile fish, especially in spring and summer when most juveniles occur and recruit. Unfortunately, this is the period of the most intense tourist activity. As many of the species studied are commercially important, this study highlighted the necessity of coastal habitat preservation for better fishery management

Formulation and pharmaceutical development of quetiapine fumarate sustained release matrix tablets using a QbD approach

The main objective of the present study was to apply QbD methodology in the development of once-a-day sustained release quetiapine tablets. The quality target product profile (QTPP) was defined after the pharmaceutical properties and kinetic release of the innovator product, Seroquel XR 200 mg. For the D-optimal experimental design, the level and ratio of matrix forming agents and the type of extragranular diluent were chosen as independent inputs, which represented critical formulation factors. The critical quality attributes (CQAs) studied were the cumulative percentages of quetiapine released after certain time intervals. After the analysis of the experimental design, optimal formulas and the design space were defined. Optimal formulas demonstrated zero-order release kinetics and a dissolution profile similar to the innovator product, with f2 values of 74.53 and 83.74. It was concluded that the QbD approach allowed fast development of sustained release tablets with similar dissolution behavior as the innovator product

Demographics and Seasonal Diet Composition of Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque) in Wabash River

Shovelnose sturgeon Schaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque, one of the only sturgeon species that support a sustainable commercial harvest, are fished in a substantial caviar fishery in the lower Wabash River. However, ecological information on the population is sparse. In this thesis, I present information on the status and seasonal diet characteristics of the population. A 14-year long shovelnose sturgeon monitoring survey conducted by Illinois Department of Natural Resources shows that the population is in relatively good condition, faces low mortality rates, and has a high potential for recruitment. Study of the seasonal composition of diet suggests that shovelnose sturgeon generally get enough food throughout the year, and are thus, in good condition. I found that shovelnose sturgeon are opportunistic benthic invertivores, with Hydropsychidae and Chironomidae as the staple prey taxa for the fish. However, the sex-ratio of the population is highly male-biased, and the proportion of memorable-size fish is decreasing, likely due to the ongoing commercial harvest of ripe-and-running females. This poses potential problems regarding the sustainability of this fishery, and thus, management policies should be conservative until more information on optimal harvest of this fish is available