Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Systems (IMTA)

The aquaculture production has grown steadily owing to the dramatic expansion in this sector worldwide. During the past three decades production increased from 6.2 million t in 1983 to 70.2 million t in 2013 (FAO, 2015). Aquaculture surpassed the supplies from the capture fisheries and contributed nearly 51% to the global fish production in 2013. This achievement was possible mainly because of the commercialisation of farmproduced aquatic groups such as the shrimps, salmon, bivalves, tilapia and catfish. This sector also benefitted from the significant production of certain low-value freshwater species through integrated farming, intended for domestic production. This growth in marine aquaculture industry, has introduced many apprehensions about the environmental impacts from aquaculture waste. Intensive finfish farming in cages can release significant quantities of nutrients to the farm site, from uneaten feed, faeces and excretory products. These metabolic wastes from farm effluents, mostly ammonia, may contribute to increased nutrients and localised eutrophication in the farm. One of the major challenges for the sustainable development of aquaculture industry is to minimise environmental degradation concurrently with its expansion. Though majority of aquaculture production originate from extensive and semi-intensive farming systems, the recent increase in intensive farming of marine carnivorous fed-species is associated with environmental concerns. Integrating waste generating (fed) and cleaning (extractive) organisms in mariculture is a practical technology for sustainable mariculture. In a balanced integrated system, aquaculture effluents can be converted into commercial crops while restoring water quality

Design of An Improved Miniature Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer for NASA Applications

The ion optics of NASA's Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) sensor was simulated with three dimensional models of the open source, the quadrupole deflector, the exit lens system and the quadrupole mass analyzer to design more compact models with lower weight. Comparison of calculated transmission with experimental results shows good agreement. Transmission analyses with varying geometrical parameters and voltages throw light on possible ways of reducing the size of the sensor. Trajectories of ions of mass 1-99 amu were simulated to analyze and optimize transmission. Analysis of open source transmission with varying angle of attack shows that the angular acceptance can be considerably increased by programming the voltages on the ion trap/ collimator. Analysis of transmission sensitivity to voltages and misalignments of the quadrupole deflector rods indicate that increased transmission is possible with a geometrically asymmetrical deflector and a deflector can be designed with much lower sensitivities of transmission. Bringing the disks closer together can decrease the size of the quadrupole deflector and also increase transmission. The exit lens system can be redesigned to be smaller by eliminating at least one electrode entirely without loss of transmission. Ceramic materials were investigated to find suitable candidates for use in the construction of lighter weight mass spectrometer. A high-sensitivity, high-resolution portable gas chromatograph mass spectrometer with a mass range of 2-700 amu has been built and will be commercialized in Phase 3

Composition, functional properties and antioxidative activity of hydrolysates prepared from the frame meat of Striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus)

The Striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus has increasing importance as a candidate for aquaculture in India. It is an abundant and underutilized resource that can be used as a unique protein source to make Fish Protein Hydrolysates. The objective of the present study was to prepare protein hydrolysates from its frame meat using the neutral proteases Papain and Bromelain at 0.5% (w/w) concentration to compare the composition, functional and antioxidative properties. The yield and degree of hydrolysis did not differ significantly between the two proteases. Hydrolysate prepared with papain had a higher crude protein and ash content. They differed significantly in foaming, emulsification and peptide solubility, with papain better in foaming capacity and peptide solubility, and bromelain better in emulsification capacity. Both exhibited almost 90% radical scavenging capacity, and differed significantly in reducing capacity. Thus hydrolysates produced with these proteases vary in their nutritional, functional and antioxidant characteristics.Keywords: degree of hydrolysis, DPPH radical-scavenging capacity, reducing capacity, metal-chelating capacity, foaming capacity, emulsifying capacity, oil-binding capacity

Healthy Food Accessibility in Grocery Stores in Central Massachusetts

BACKGROUND. Accessibility to healthy food is one of the most influential community-level factors affecting obesity and chronic disease. The Community Nutrition Environment Evaluation Data System (C-NEEDS) is a set of instruments for objectively assessing availability and quality of 61 major healthy and unhealthy food items in foods stores in the Northeast region. METHODS. The C-NEEDS was developed considering seasonal variations, cultural relevance and utility to cardiovascular health research. Both inter- and intra-rater reliability tests showed a high degree of agreement. Using the instruments, we conducted four rounds of longitudinal surveys of 107 grocery stores in Worcester County, Massachusetts between 2007 and 2010. A healthy food availability index (HFAI, 0-37 points) was calculated for each store, a higher score indicating a greater availability and better quality of healthy foods. Using linear regression models, we examined variations in HFAI in relation to community household income and housing density. RESULTS. Store-level HFAI did not vary significantly by tertile of community median income, but did vary by housing density. High-density communities (upper tertile) had the greatest percentage of stores in the top HFAI tertile (34-37 points). Middle-density communities had the greatest percentage of stores in the low HFAI tertile (0-17 points). A majority of the stores located in low-density communities had middle range of HFAI (18-33 points). The mean HFAI increased with each successive round of grocery store surveys (β=2.02/round [95% confidence interval 0.74-3.31]). CONCLUSION. Access to healthy foods improved slightly over time, however, notable disparities still existed in Central Massachusetts during the study period. Better access was associated with community housing density but not median household income. Further studies on the causes of the disparities may inform public health organizations about necessary community actions to reduce these disparities

Assessing Availability of Healthy Options in Food Stores to Guide Community Transformation Grant Activities in Massachusetts

INTRODUCTION. Availability of healthy options in food stores is important to preventing obesity. The Mass in Motion Initiative and two Community Transformation Grant (CTG) projects are conducting statewide longitudinal surveys on availability of major healthy and unhealthy food items in foods stores in Massachusetts (MA). METHODS. The Community Nutrition Environment Evaluation Data System (C-NEEDS) was developed for food environment surveillance. C-NEEDS takes into account seasonal and geographic variations in food supplies, cultural relevance, and USDA dietary recommendations. Between summer 2012 and winter 2013, 567 food stores in 34 municipalities were surveyed and analyzed. Healthy food availability index (HFAI) was calculated for each store. HFAI has a possible range of 0 to 56, with a higher score indicating a greater availability of healthy food items. Community-level variations in HFAI were analyzed in relation to median household income and housing density. RESULTS. The HFAI scores had good to excellent inter- and intra-rater reliabilities. Store-level HFAI scores had a bimodal distribution, with over 70% of the stores having a score DISCUSSION. The majority of the surveyed stores were low in healthy food availability, indicating the need of community interventions. Analysis of store- and community-level variations in availability is useful for CTG programs to formulate and prioritize interventions. Future longitudinal surveys of food stores in the intervention and control communities will help evaluate the effectiveness of CTG intervention

Oysters improve growth of fish in an integrated aquaculture system in a tropical estuary

Present study has shown that oyster culture has a significant impact in connecting water column processes where nutrients are central to the production of single cell plankton upon which oysters feed. The filter-feeding oysters process the DIN and DIP pool, to help attain water quality improvements and thereby improve the growth of fish

Can oysters control eutrophication in an integrated fish-oyster aquaculture system?

Eutrophication is a serious problem occurring in ponds or estuaries where fish culture is practised. A possible solution to this problem is to raise oysters in an integrated culture with fish to improve water clarity and to help remove excess nutrients. In order to determine the effects that cultured oysters have on the environment, an experimental study was performed in the Moothakunnam region of the Vembanad lake in the Ernakulam District during February-November, 2012. The study was performed in four cages (1× 1× 1 m) referred to as treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4. The four treatments used fish ( Etroplus suratensis ) and oysters ( Crassostrea madrasensis ) in the ratio of 1:0.3, 1:0.5, 1:0.7 and 1:0 respectively. Several parameters were measured and compared between the four treatments, and these included temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and orthophosphate. Results showed that the parameters, DO, BOD, COD, TSS, ammonia and orthophosphate varied with different treatments and months. However, the contents of nitrite and nitrate showed variation only with respect to months. The eutrophication index (E) values calculated for the four treatments were 9.45 ± 4.41, 5.25 ± 3.23, 11.32 ± 6.17 and 11.52 ± 5.45 respectively. The lower E value obtained was for T2 which supports the conclusion that oysters can control eutrophication in an integrated aquaculture system. The optimal co-cultivation proportion of fish to oysters obtained from the present study was 1:0.5

Retigeric Acid B Exhibits Antitumor Activity through Suppression of Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling in Prostate Cancer Cells in Vitro and in Vivo

Previously, we reported that retigeric acid B (RB), a natural pentacyclic triterpenic acid isolated from lichen, inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in androgen-independent prostate cancer (PCa) cells. However, the mechanism of action of RB remains unclear. In this study, we found that using PC3 and DU145 cells as models, RB inhibited phosphorylation levels of IκBα and p65 subunit of NF-κB in a time- and dosage-dependent manner. Detailed study revealed that RB blocked the nuclear translocation of p65 and its DNA binding activity, which correlated with suppression of NF-κB-regulated proteins including Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, cyclin D1 and survivin. NF-κB reporter assay suggested that RB was able to inhibit both constitutive activated-NF-κB and LPS (lipopolysaccharide)-induced activation of NF-κB. Overexpression of RelA/p65 rescued RB-induced cell death, while knockdown of RelA/p65 significantly promoted RB-mediated inhibitory effect on cell proliferation, suggesting the crucial involvement of NF-κB pathway in this event. We further analyzed antitumor activity of RB in in vivo study. In C57BL/6 mice carrying RM-1 homografts, RB inhibited tumor growth and triggered apoptosis mainly through suppressing NF-κB activity in tumor tissues. Additionally, DNA microarray data revealed global changes in the gene expression associated with cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis in response to RB treatment. Therefore, our findings suggested that RB exerted its anti-tumor effect by targeting the NF-κB pathway in PCa cells, and this could be a general mechanism for the anti-tumor effect of RB in other types of cancers as well

Roles for the Conserved Spc105p/Kre28p Complex in Kinetochore-Microtubule Binding and the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint

Kinetochores attach sister chromatids to microtubules of the mitotic spindle and orchestrate chromosome disjunction at anaphase. Although S. cerevisiae has the simplest known kinetochores, they nonetheless contain approximately 70 subunits that assemble on centromeric DNA in a hierarchical manner. Developing an accurate picture of the DNA-binding, linker and microtubule-binding layers of kinetochores, including the functions of individual proteins in these layers, is a key challenge in the field of yeast chromosome segregation. Moreover, comparison of orthologous proteins in yeast and humans promises to extend insight obtained from the study of simple fungal kinetochores to complex animal cell kinetochores.We show that S. cerevisiae Spc105p forms a heterotrimeric complex with Kre28p, the likely orthologue of the metazoan kinetochore protein Zwint-1. Through systematic analysis of interdependencies among kinetochore complexes, focused on Spc105p/Kre28p, we develop a comprehensive picture of the assembly hierarchy of budding yeast kinetochores. We find Spc105p/Kre28p to comprise the third linker complex that, along with the Ndc80 and MIND linker complexes, is responsible for bridging between centromeric heterochromatin and kinetochore MAPs and motors. Like the Ndc80 complex, Spc105p/Kre28p is also essential for kinetochore binding by components of the spindle assembly checkpoint. Moreover, these functions are conserved in human cells.Spc105p/Kre28p is the last of the core linker complexes to be analyzed in yeast and we show it to be required for kinetochore binding by a discrete subset of kMAPs (Bim1p, Bik1p, Slk19p) and motors (Cin8p, Kar3p), all of which are nonessential. Strikingly, dissociation of these proteins from kinetochores prevents bipolar attachment, even though the Ndc80 and DASH complexes, the two best-studied kMAPs, are still present. The failure of Spc105 deficient kinetochores to bind correctly to spindle microtubules and to recruit checkpoint proteins in yeast and human cells explains the observed severity of missegregation phenotypes