510 research outputs found
Marine finfish and suspended shellfish aquaculture : water quality interactions and the potential for integrated aquaculture
The objective of this study was to quantitatively document the culture performance and tissue quality of commercially important deepwater shellfish species (i. e., Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas; and Japanese scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis) cultured adjacent to marine finfish aquaculture operations, and to determine (from a production viability and seafood safety perspective) whether integrated finfish-shellfish Multi-
Trophic Aquaculture (MTA), or polyculture, is a viable option for the aquaculture
industry of temperate regions.
Two study sites were employed for this research, one comprising an Atlantic salmon
production facility and the other a Pacific salmonf arm. A 2-year assessment program
for these sites detailed: (i) oceanographic and physiographicc haracteristics;( ii) organic waste flux, composition and dispersion; (iii) shellfish uptake and contaminant persistence; and (iv) shellfish culture performance.
Organic waste flux ranged from 17.11 g/m2/day to 18.35 g/m2/day at the study sites.
Phosphorus, calcium, carbon, zinc, cadmium, and strontium were waste constituents that were found at elevated levels at the farm sites with significant declines in
concentrations with distance downstream (maximum effect to 100-115 meters).
A mass balancee stimation suggested that 85.1% of the organic material (feed) entering
the cage was used for fish growth/respiration, 6.8% was lost as settlable solids to the seafloor, and the remaining 8.1% was retained in the water column and a fraction that could affect non-target species (e. g., polyculture candidates) either directly or indirectly. A similar mass balance evaluation for trace metal and chernotherepeutic constituents indicated that 12.9% of the zinc, and an estimated 98.6% of the oxytetracycline contained in feed (during treatment), was released to the water column for potential uptake by co-cultured shellfish.
The shellfish monitoring component of this study revealed that trace metal constituents
of the feed did become available to the shellfish, although the quantifiable
accumulation of trace metals in these non-target species occurred only in close
proximity to the cage system and only for the tested scallops (Patinopectin yessoensis).
Uptake rates of OTC by shellfish ranged from 0.056 - 0.100 ug/g/day with an
associated clearance rate of 0.016 - 0.109 ug/g/day for the respective treatment periods.
The comparison of uptake-clearance dynamics suggested asignificant seasonal component to these processes. The physical and biological processes affecting contaminant uptake and clearance rates were identified as important considerations in the management of a proposed integrated-MTA system. A simple Probable Effects Duration (PED) model was developed on the basis of Uptake-Clearance-Persistence plots, illustrating the basis upon which temporal effects of water quality deterioration could be managed in such a system.
Shellfish growth was neither impeded nor enhanced as a result of being cultured
directly within the influences of a salmon aquaculture facility. An organoleptic test
demonstrated that shellfish palatability was not negatively impacted as a consequence
of culture proximity to a finfish aquaculture facility.
Results of this research suggested that two options are available for developing MTA in
coastal temperate waters, i. e., an integrated MTA system and/or an adjacent MTA
system. A wide range of MTA social, technical and economic benefits were identified and discussed as a result of this research.
It was concluded that the development of a balanced MTA could add measurable environmental benefits to existing aquaculture systemss, setting the stage for future production efficiencies and growth. Given a proper regulatory framework, including seafood (MTA products) and environmental quality surveillanc, the potential water quality impacts on the shellfish component of a finfish-shellfish MTA (identified in this research initiative), and the associated risks over seafood safety, could be effectively
managed to support this aquaculture evolution
EuroEco (European Health Economic Trial on Home Monitoring in ICD Patients): a provider perspective in five European countries on costs and net financial impact of follow-up with or without remote monitoring
Aim: Remote follow-up (FU) of implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) allows for fewer in-office visits in combination with earlier detection of relevant findings. Its implementation requires investment and reorganization of care. Providers (physicians or hospitals) are unsure about the financial impact. The primary end-point of this randomized prospective multicentre health economic trial was the total FU-related cost for providers, comparing Home Monitoring facilitated FU (HM ON) to regular in-office FU (HM OFF) during the first 2 years after ICD implantation. Also the net financial impact on providers (taking national reimbursement into account) and costs from a healthcare payer perspective were evaluated.
Methods and results: Atotal of 312 patients with VVI-or DDD-ICD implants from 17 centres in six EU countries were randomised to HMON or OFF, of which 303 were eligible for data analysis. For all contacts (in-office, calendar-or alert-triggered web-based review, discussions, calls) time-expenditure was tracked. Country-specific cost parameters were used to convert resource use into monetary values. Remote FU equipment itself was not included in the cost calculations. Given only two patients from Finland (one in each group) a monetary valuation analysis was not performed for Finland. Average age was 62.4 +/- 13.1 years, 81% were male, 39% received a DDD system, and 51% had a prophylactic ICD. Resource use with HM ON was clearly different: less FU visits (3.79 +/- 1.67 vs. 5.53 +/- 2.32; P < 0.001) despite a small increase of unscheduled visits (0.95 +/- 1.50 vs. 0.62 +/- 1.25; P < 0.005), more non-office-based contacts (1.95+3.29 vs. 1.01 +/- 2.64; P < 0.001), more Internet sessions (11.02 +/- 15.28 vs. 0.06 +/- 0.31; P < 0.001) and more in-clinic discussions (1.84 +/- 4.20 vs. 1.28 +/- 2.92; P < 0.03), but with numerically fewer hospitalizations (0.67 +/- 1.18 vs. 0.85 +/- 1.43, P = 0.23) and shorter length-of-stay (6.31 +/- 15.5 vs. 8.26 +/- 18.6; P = 0.27), although not significant. For the whole study population, the total FU cost for providers was not different for HM ON vs. OFF [mean (95% CI): (sic)204 169-238) vs. (sic)213 (182-243); range for difference ((sic)-36 to 54), NS]. From a payer perspective, FU-related costs were similar while the total cost per patient (including other physician visits, examinations, and hospitalizations) was numerically (but not significantly) lower. There was no difference in the net financial impact on providers [profit of (sic)408 (327-489) vs. (sic)400 (345-455); range for difference ((sic)-104 to 88), NS], but there was heterogeneity among countries, with less profit for providers in the absence of specific remote FU reimbursement (Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands) and maintained or increased profit in cases where such reimbursement exists (Germany and UK). Quality of life (SF-36) was not different.
Conclusion: For all the patients as a whole, FU-related costs for providers are not different for remote FU vs. purely in-office FU, despite reorganized care. However, disparity in the impact on provider budget among different countries illustrates the need for proper reimbursement to ensure effective remote FU implementation
Convective Fingering of an Autocatalytic Reaction Front
We report experimental observations of the convection-driven fingering
instability of an iodate-arsenous acid chemical reaction front. The front
propagated upward in a vertical slab; the thickness of the slab was varied to
control the degree of instability. We observed the onset and subsequent
nonlinear evolution of the fingers, which were made visible by a {\it p}H
indicator. We measured the spacing of the fingers during their initial stages
and compared this to the wavelength of the fastest growing linear mode
predicted by the stability analysis of Huang {\it et. al.} [{\it Phys. Rev. E},
{\bf 48}, 4378 (1993), and unpublished]. We find agreement with the thickness
dependence predicted by the theory.Comment: 11 pages, RevTex with 3 eps figures. To be published in Phys Rev E,
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Interleukin-4 activated macrophages mediate immunity to filarial helminth infection by sustaining CCR3-dependent eosinophilia
Eosinophils are effectors in immunity to tissue helminths but also induce allergic immunopathology. Mechanisms of eosinophilia in non-mucosal tissues during infection remain unresolved. Here we identify a pivotal function of tissue macrophages (Mϕ) in eosinophil anti-helminth immunity using a BALB/c mouse intra-peritoneal Brugia malayi filarial infection model. Eosinophilia, via C-C motif chemokine receptor (CCR)3, was necessary for immunity as CCR3 and eosinophil impairments rendered mice susceptible to chronic filarial infection. Post-infection, peritoneal Mϕ populations proliferated and became alternatively-activated (AAMϕ). Filarial AAMϕ development required adaptive immunity and interleukin-4 receptor-alpha. Depletion of Mϕ prior to infection suppressed eosinophilia and facilitated worm survival. Add back of filarial AAMϕ in Mϕ-depleted mice recapitulated a vigorous eosinophilia. Transfer of filarial AAMϕ into Severe-Combined Immune Deficient mice mediated immunological resistance in an eosinophil-dependent manner. Exogenous IL-4 delivery recapitulated tissue AAMϕ expansions, sustained eosinophilia and mediated immunological resistance in Mϕ-intact SCID mice. Co-culturing Brugia with filarial AAMϕ and/or filarial-recruited eosinophils confirmed eosinophils as the larvicidal cell type. Our data demonstrates that IL-4/IL-4Rα activated AAMϕ orchestrate eosinophil immunity to filarial tissue helminth infection
Onset of Surface-Tension-Driven Benard Convection
Experiments with shadowgraph visualization reveal a subcritical transition to
a hexagonal convection pattern in thin liquid layers that have a free upper
surface and are heated from below. The measured critical Marangoni number (84)
and observation of hysteresis (3%) agree with theory. In some experiments,
imperfect bifurcation is observed and is attributed to deterministic forcing
caused in part by the lateral boundaries in the experiment.Comment: 4 pages. The RevTeX file has a macro allowing various styles. The
appropriate style is "mypprint" which is the defaul
Annular electroconvection with shear
We report experiments on convection driven by a radial electrical force in
suspended annular smectic A liquid crystal films. In the absence of an
externally imposed azimuthal shear, a stationary one-dimensional (1D) pattern
consisting of symmetric vortex pairs is formed via a supercritical transition
at the onset of convection. Shearing reduces the symmetries of the base state
and produces a traveling 1D pattern whose basic periodic unit is a pair of
asymmetric vortices. For a sufficiently large shear, the primary bifurcation
changes from supercritical to subcritical. We describe measurements of the
resulting hysteresis as a function of the shear at radius ratio . This simple pattern forming system has an unusual combination of
symmetries and control parameters and should be amenable to quantitative
theoretical analysis.Comment: 12 preprint pages, 3 figures in 2 parts each. For more info, see
http://mobydick.physics.utoronto.c
Assessing movement of the California sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus in response to organically enriched areas typical of aquaculture sites
Funding was provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program, Viking Bay Ventures and the Klahoose Shellfish Limited Partnership.An increasing global demand for sea cucumbers has led to interest in benthic ranching of the California sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus beneath existing aquaculture sites in British Columbia, Canada, where high levels of total organic matter (TOM) are typical. The objective of the present study was to investigate movement of P. californicus in relation to areas of increased organic content to assess the feasibility of sea cucumber ranching beneath existing aquaculture sites. A laboratory experiment using adult sea cucumbers showed that P. californicus changed their foraging behaviour based on available amounts of TOM, moving more randomly in high-TOM (~8.0%) areas and more directly in low-TOM (~1.4%) ones. They also moved more rapidly in areas with high TOM than in those with low TOM. As long as animals were exposed to high TOM, they did not abandon random movement. Because of this behaviour, aquaculture tenures may retain a population of cultured individuals, but could also attract wild individuals from the surrounding area.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Bifurcations in annular electroconvection with an imposed shear
We report an experimental study of the primary bifurcation in
electrically-driven convection in a freely suspended film. A weakly conducting,
submicron thick smectic liquid crystal film was supported by concentric
circular electrodes. It electroconvected when a sufficiently large voltage
was applied between its inner and outer edges. The film could sustain rapid
flows and yet remain strictly two-dimensional. By rotation of the inner
electrode, a circular Couette shear could be independently imposed. The control
parameters were a dimensionless number , analogous to the Rayleigh
number, which is and the Reynolds number of the
azimuthal shear flow. The geometrical and material properties of the film were
characterized by the radius ratio , and a Prandtl-like number . Using measurements of current-voltage characteristics of a large number of
films, we examined the onset of electroconvection over a broad range of
, and . We compared this data quantitatively to
the results of linear stability theory. This could be done with essentially no
adjustable parameters. The current-voltage data above onset were then used to
infer the amplitude of electroconvection in the weakly nonlinear regime by
fitting them to a steady-state amplitude equation of the Landau form. We show
how the primary bifurcation can be tuned between supercritical and subcritical
by changing and .Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. E. Minor changes after
refereeing. See also http://mobydick.physics.utoronto.c
Effects of air pollution and the introduction of the London Low Emission Zone on the prevalence of respiratory and allergic symptoms in schoolchildren in East London: a sequential cross-sectional study
The adverse effects of traffic-related air pollution on children’s respiratory health have been widely reported, but few studies have evaluated the impact of traffic-control policies designed to reduce urban air pollution. We assessed associations between traffic-related air pollutants and respiratory/allergic symptoms amongst 8–9 year-old schoolchildren living within the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ). Information on respiratory/allergic symptoms was obtained using a parent-completed questionnaire and linked to modelled annual air pollutant concentrations based on the residential address of each child, using a multivariable mixed effects logistic regression analysis. Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants was associated with current rhinitis: NOx (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.02), NO2 (1.03, 1.00–1.06), PM10 (1.16, 1.04–1.28) and PM2.5 (1.38, 1.08–1.78), all per μg/m3 of pollutant, but not with other respiratory/allergic symptoms. The LEZ did not reduce ambient air pollution levels, or affect the prevalence of respiratory/allergic symptoms over the period studied. These data confirm the previous association between traffic-related air pollutant exposures and symptoms of current rhinitis. Importantly, the London LEZ has not significantly improved air quality within the city, or the respiratory health of the resident population in its first three years of operation. This highlights the need for more robust measures to reduce traffic emissions
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