Changes in epidemiological patterns of sea lice infestation on farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in Scotland between 1996 and 2006

Analyses of a unique database containing sea lice records over an 11 year period provide evidence of changing infestation patterns in Scotland. The data, collected from more than 50 commercial Atlantic salmon farms, indicate that both species of sea lice commonly found in Scotland, Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus, have declined on farms over the past decade. Reductions for both species have been particularly marked since 2001 when more effective veterinary medicines became available. Treatment data were also available in the database and these show a growing trend towards the use of the in feed medication emamectin benzoate (Slice), particularly in the first year of the salmon production cycle. However, this trend to wards single product use has not been sustained in 2006, the latest year for which data are available. There is some evidence of region to region variation within Scotland with the Western Isles experiencing higher levels of infestation. However, compared to the levels observed between 1996 and 2000, all regions have benefited from reduced lice infestation, with the overall pattern showing a particular reduction in the second and third quarters of the second year of production

Impact of Salmonid alphavirus infection in diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) fry

With increasing interest in the use of triploid salmon in commercial aquaculture, gaining an understanding of how economically important pathogens affect triploid stocks is important. To compare the susceptibility of diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) to viral pathogens, fry were experimentally infected with Salmonid alphavirus sub-type 1 (SAV1), the aetiological agent of pancreas disease (PD) affecting Atlantic salmon aquaculture in Europe. Three groups of fry were exposed to the virus via different routes of infection: intraperitoneal injection (IP), bath immersion, or cohabitation (co-hab) and untreated fry were used as a control group. Mortalities commenced in the co-hab challenged diploid and triploid fish from 11 days post infection (dpi), and the experiment was terminated at 17 dpi. Both diploid and triploid IP challenged groups had similar levels of cumulative mortality at the end of the experimental period (41.1 % and 38.9 % respectively), and these were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than for the other challenge routes. A TaqMan-based quantitative PCR was used to assess SAV load in the heart, a main target organ of the virus, and also liver, which does not normally display any pathological changes during clinical infections, but exhibited severe degenerative lesions in the present study. The median viral RNA copy number was higher in diploid fish compared to triploid fish in both the heart and the liver of all three challenged groups. However, a significant statistical difference (p < 0.05) was only apparent in the liver of the co-hab groups. Diploid fry also displayed significantly higher levels of pancreatic and myocardial degeneration than triploids. This study showed that both diploid and triploid fry are susceptible to experimental SAV1 infection. The lower virus load seen in the triploids compared to the diploids may possibly be related to differences in cell metabolism between the two groups, however, further investigation is necessary to confirm this and also to assess the outcome of PD outbreaks in other developmental stages of the fish when maintained in commercial production systems

Lipid and fatty acid composition of parasitic caligid copepods belonging to the genus Lepeophtheirus

Sea lice are copepod ectoparasites that constitute a major barrier to the sustainability and economic viability of marine finfish aquaculture operations worldwide. In particular, the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, poses a considerable problem for salmoniculture in the northern hemisphere. The free-swimming nauplii and infective copepodids of L. salmonis are lecithotrophic, subsisting principally on maternally-derived lipid reserves. However, the lipids and fatty acids of sea lice have been sparsely studied and therefore the present project aimed to investigate the lipid and fatty acid composition of sea lice of the genus Lepeophtheirus obtained from a variety of fish hosts. Total lipid was extracted from eggs and adult female Lepeophtheirus salmonis obtained from both wild and farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) sampled at two time points, in the mid 1990’s and in 2009. In addition, L. salmonis from wild sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) and L. hippoglossi from wild Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.) were sampled and analyzed. The lipids of both females and egg strings of Lepeophtheirus were characterized by triacylglycerol (TAG) as the major neutral (storage) lipid with phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine as the major polar (membrane) lipids. The major fatty acids were 22:6n-3 (DHA), 18:1n-9 and 16:0, with lesser amounts of 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3 and 18:0. L. salmonis sourced from farmed salmon were characterized by higher levels of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 than lice from wild salmon. Egg strings had higher levels of TAG and lower DHA compared to females, whereas L. hippoglossi had lower levels of TAG and higher DHA than L. salmonis. The results demonstrate that the fatty acid compositions of lice obtained from wild and farmed salmon differ and that changes to the lipid and fatty acid composition of feeds for farmed salmon influence the louse compositions

Physical Processes in Star Formation

© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00693-8.Star formation is a complex multi-scale phenomenon that is of significant importance for astrophysics in general. Stars and star formation are key pillars in observational astronomy from local star forming regions in the Milky Way up to high-redshift galaxies. From a theoretical perspective, star formation and feedback processes (radiation, winds, and supernovae) play a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the physical processes at work, both individually and of their interactions. In this review we will give an overview of the main processes that are important for the understanding of star formation. We start with an observationally motivated view on star formation from a global perspective and outline the general paradigm of the life-cycle of molecular clouds, in which star formation is the key process to close the cycle. After that we focus on the thermal and chemical aspects in star forming regions, discuss turbulence and magnetic fields as well as gravitational forces. Finally, we review the most important stellar feedback mechanisms.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

A study of the biology and behaviour of the copepodid larva of the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kroeyer, 1837) (Copedoda; Caligidae)

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DX204762 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Visual Reinforcement of Illusory Rotations: Habituation to Motion Sickness during Centrifugation

Artificial gravity through centrifugation is currently seen as countermeasure with potential against negative effects of spaceflight. However, side effects like increased motion sickness need to be investigated. Habituation protocols abate conflicts by reducing response to rotation with prolonged exposure to mismatches. Visually reinforced habituation may induce less reduction of oculomotor response to rotation than classical habituation

Visual Reinforcement of Illusory Rotations during Centrifugation: A Novel Habituation Strategy to Motion Sickness

Background: Artificial gravity through centrifugation is currently the only countermeasure providing an “Earth-like” solution to weightless health hazards. Every head movement during centrifugation, however, may cause motion sickness due to conflicts between the perceived direction of gravity and the illusory rotations caused by the vestibular activation (Cross-coupling stimulus). Existing habituation protocols are based on repetition of cross-coupling stimuli. Although they successfully abate motion sickness, they also reduce overall responses to rotations. Our aim is to develop a novel habituation strategy to disentangle gravity and rotation perception, reducing motion sickness but retaining response to rotation. Methods: We tested 19 healthy subjects on the ESA Short Arm Human Centrifuge at DRL, Cologne. The control group (CG: 9 subjects, 3 f) performed a normal habituation protocol consisting of repetitive 30° clockwise head rolls during centrifugation at 100°/s (1 g at feet). The test group (TG: 10 subjects, 5 f) performed an identical protocol, with the addition of visual stimuli triggered by head movements providing an illusion of rotation (optokinetic stimuli provided through the Oculus Rift) reinforcing the vestibular activation. Motion sickness was measured using a 1-20 scale, while an eye tracker embedded in the Oculus Rift recorded the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Habituation measurements were obtained repeating the experiment after 24h. Results: Only 15 subjects (7 CG, 8 TG) were able to complete the experiment. No difference between groups was observed in the motion sickness score on day 1 or in the reduction of motion sickness from day 1 to day 2 (median [MAD] CG: -4 [2]; TG: -4 [1], p=0.78). The CG, however, had a significantly larger reduction of the VOR duration than the TG (CG: -4 [1] s; TG: -1 [2] s, p=0.05). Conclusions: Subjects habituate to the cross-coupling stimuli during centrifugation even if illusory self-rotation induced by head tilts is sustained by visually induced perception of self-rotation. Visually reinforced habituation may however induce less reduction of oculomotor response to rotation than classical habituation and may therefore better preserve vestibular reflexive responses