Diel variability of feeding activity in haddock (Melanogrammus aeglifinus) larvae in the East Shetland area, North Sea

Investigations of factors affecting feeding success in fish larvae require knowledge of the scales of variability of the feeding process itself and the indices used to assess this variability. In this study, we measured short-term (diel) variability in feeding rates of wild haddock (Melanogrammus aeglifinus) larvae four times per day during a 10-d cruise in the northern North Sea. Feeding activity was evaluated using indices of gut fullness, prey digestive state and biochemical measurements (tryptic enzyme activity). The gut fullness and the enzyme activity indices indicated moderate to high rates of food consumption throughout the cruise. Time series analysis of the three indices showed significant diel variability in all indices and enabled identification of significant lags between food uptake and peak digestive enzyme activity. The typical pattern of food consumption and digestion was characterized by maximal ingestion of prey early in the evening (19:00 hrs) and peak digestive enzyme activity at 01:00 hrs. The time scale over which enzyme activities reacted to prey ingestion was ca. 6 h, and is consistent with expectations from controlled laboratory experiments with other larval fish species. Significant diel variability in tryptic enzyme activity suggests that attempts to relate this measure of feeding success to other variables (e.g. food concentrations) should take care to accommodate natural cycles in feeding activity before making statistical comparisons

Performance analysis of single board computer clusters

The past few years have seen significant developments in Single Board Computer (SBC) hardware capabilities. These advances in SBCs translate directly into improvements in SBC clusters. In 2018 an individual SBC has more than four times the performance of a 64-node SBC cluster from 2013. This increase in performance has been accompanied by increases in energy efficiency (GFLOPS/W) and value for money (GFLOPS/$). We present systematic analysis of these metrics for three different SBC clusters composed of Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and Odroid C2 nodes respectively. A 16-node SBC cluster can achieve up to 60GFLOPS, running at 80W. We believe that these improvements open new computational opportunities, whether this derives from a decrease in the physical volume required to provide a fixed amount of computation power for a portable cluster; or the amount of compute power that can be installed given a fixed budget in expendable compute scenarios. We also present a new SBC cluster construction form factor named Pi Stack; this has been designed to support edge compute applications rather than the educational use-cases favoured by previous methods. The improvements in SBC cluster performance and construction techniques mean that these SBC clusters are realising their potential as valuable developmental edge compute devices rather than just educational curiosities

Diel variability of feeding activity in haddock larvae in the East Shetland area, North Sea

Investigations of factors affecting feeding success in fish larvae require knowledge of the scales of variability of the feeding process itself and the indices used to assess this variability. In this study, we measured short-term (diel) variability in feeding rates of wild haddock larvae 4 times per day during a 10-day cruise in the northern North Sea. Feeding activity was evaluated using indices of gut fullness, prey digestive state and biochemical measurements (tryptic enzyme activity). The gut fullness and the enzyme activity indices indicated moderate-high rates of food consumption throughout the cruise. Time series analysis of the three indices showed significant diel variability in all indices and enabled identification of significant lags between food uptake and peak digestive enzyme activity. The typical pattern of food consumption and digestion was characterized by maximal ingestion of prey early in the evening (7 pm) and peak digestive enzyme activity at 1 am. The timescale over which enzyme activities reacted to prey ingestion was ca. 6 hours and is consistent with expectations from controlled laboratory experiments with other larval fish species. Significant diel variability in tryptic enzyme activity suggests that attempts to relate this measure of feeding success to other variables (e. g., food concentrations) should take care to accommodate natural cycles in feeding activity before making statistical comparisons

Commodity single board computer clusters and their applications

© 2018 Current commodity Single Board Computers (SBCs) are sufficiently powerful to run mainstream operating systems and workloads. Many of these boards may be linked together, to create small, low-cost clusters that replicate some features of large data center clusters. The Raspberry Pi Foundation produces a series of SBCs with a price/performance ratio that makes SBC clusters viable, perhaps even expendable. These clusters are an enabler for Edge/Fog Compute, where processing is pushed out towards data sources, reducing bandwidth requirements and decentralizing the architecture. In this paper we investigate use cases driving the growth of SBC clusters, we examine the trends in future hardware developments, and discuss the potential of SBC clusters as a disruptive technology. Compared to traditional clusters, SBC clusters have a reduced footprint, are low-cost, and have low power requirements. This enables different models of deployment—particularly outside traditional data center environments. We discuss the applicability of existing software and management infrastructure to support exotic deployment scenarios and anticipate the next generation of SBC. We conclude that the SBC cluster is a new and distinct computational deployment paradigm, which is applicable to a wider range of scenarios than current clusters. It facilitates Internet of Things and Smart City systems and is potentially a game changer in pushing application logic out towards the network edge

Trends in biomass, density and diversity of North Sea macrofauna

Total biomass and biomass of large taxonomic groups (polychaetes, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms) and species diversity of the macrofauna were determined for almost 200 North Sea stations sampled synoptically by seven vessels during Spring 1986 and for 120 additional stations sampled in earlier years by the Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen. There exists a clear and significant decreasing trend in biomass with latitude, both in total biomass and for the different taxonomic groups. Apart from latitude, sediment composition and chlorophyll a content of the sediment also infuence total biomass and biomass of most groups significantly. Biomass increases consistently in finer sediments and sediments with a higher chlorophyll a content. The same trends are found for the results within laboratories. Some interaction exists, indicating weak laboratory and zonal effects. Diversity, as measured by Hill's diversity index N1 = (exp H′) shows a clear and significant trend with latitude. Towards the north of the North Sea diversity increases considerably. The trend is also found for laboratories separately and is everywhere equally strong. Also longitude and depth show an effect on diversity. Sediment variables have no clear influence on diversity. Other diversity measures show the same trend but are more variable than N1,. Total density tends to increase towards the north, but sediment related variables have a larger influence. Mean individual weight becomes considerably smaller towards the northern part of the North Sea

Next generation single board clusters

Until recently, cluster computing was too expensive and too complex for commodity users. However the phenomenal popularity of single board computers like the Raspberry Pi has caused the emergence of the single board computer cluster. This demonstration will present a cheap, practical and portable Raspberry Pi cluster called Pi Stack. We will show pragmatic custom solutions to hardware issues, such as power distribution, and software issues, such as remote updating. We also sketch potential use cases for Pi Stack and other commodity single board computer cluster architectures

Recommendations for a core outcome set for measuring standing balance in adult populations: a consensus-based approach

Standing balance is imperative for mobility and avoiding falls. Use of an excessive number of standing balance measures has limited the synthesis of balance intervention data and hampered consistent clinical practice.To develop recommendations for a core outcome set (COS) of standing balance measures for research and practice among adults.A combination of scoping reviews, literature appraisal, anonymous voting and face-to-face meetings with fourteen invited experts from a range of disciplines with international recognition in balance measurement and falls prevention. Consensus was sought over three rounds using pre-established criteria.The scoping review identified 56 existing standing balance measures validated in adult populations with evidence of use in the past five years, and these were considered for inclusion in the COS.Fifteen measures were excluded after the first round of scoring and a further 36 after round two. Five measures were considered in round three. Two measures reached consensus for recommendation, and the expert panel recommended that at a minimum, either the Berg Balance Scale or Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test be used when measuring standing balance in adult populations.Inclusion of two measures in the COS may increase the feasibility of potential uptake, but poses challenges for data synthesis. Adoption of the standing balance COS does not constitute a comprehensive balance assessment for any population, and users should include additional validated measures as appropriate.The absence of a gold standard for measuring standing balance has contributed to the proliferation of outcome measures. These recommendations represent an important first step towards greater standardization in the assessment and measurement of this critical skill and will inform clinical research and practice internationally

Superpulsed low-level laser therapy protects skeletal muscle of mdx mice against damage, inflammation and morphological changes delaying dystrophy progression.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of preventive treatment with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on progression of dystrophy in mdx mice. Methods: Ten animals were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups treated with superpulsed LLLT (904 nm, 15 mW, 700 Hz, 1 J) or placebo-LLLT at one point overlying the tibialis anterior muscle (bilaterally) 5 times per week for 14 weeks (from 6th to 20th week of age). Morphological changes, creatine kinase (CK) activity and mRNA gene expression were assessed in animals at 20th week of age. Results: Animals treated with LLLT showed very few morphological changes in skeletal muscle, with less atrophy and fibrosis than animals treated with placebo-LLLT. CK was significantly lower (p = 0.0203) in animals treated with LLLT (864.70 U.l−1, SEM 226.10) than placebo (1708.00 U.l−1, SEM 184.60). mRNA gene expression of inflammatory markers was significantly decreased by treatment with LLLT (p<0.05): TNF-α (placebo-control = 0.51 µg/µl [SEM 0.12], - LLLT = 0.048 µg/µl [SEM 0.01]), IL-1β (placebo-control = 2.292 µg/µl [SEM 0.74], - LLLT = 0.12 µg/µl [SEM 0.03]), IL-6 (placebo-control = 3.946 µg/µl [SEM 0.98], - LLLT = 0.854 µg/µl [SEM 0.33]), IL-10 (placebo-control = 1.116 µg/µl [SEM 0.22], - LLLT = 0.352 µg/µl [SEM 0.15]), and COX-2 (placebo-control = 4.984 µg/µl [SEM 1.18], LLLT = 1.470 µg/µl [SEM 0.73]). Conclusion: Irradiation of superpulsed LLLT on successive days five times per week for 14 weeks decreased morphological changes, skeletal muscle damage and inflammation in mdx mice. This indicates that LLLT has potential to decrease progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Promoting Alcohol Abstinence among Pregnant Women: Potential Social Change Strategies

Sherpa Romeo green journal. Permission to archive accepted author manuscriptFetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) is one of the most preventable sources of developmental abnormalities, and has a singular cause-alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Estimates for the costs of treatment of a single case of FASD range often above one million dollars. The primary strategy for prevention currently centers on no alcohol consumption during pregnancy. However, a sizeable number of North American women currently drink during pregnancy. A literature review examined the behavior of maternal alcohol consumption in order to understand the rationale associated with drinking. Generally, it appears that pregnant women differ by their alcohol consumption habits and their reasons to drink. In an attempt to eliminate FASD, we review a number of educational, legal, and community-based programs that have been used to promote abstinence and examine where they have been successful. Unfortunately, social marketing strategies have received less attention. Several potential applications of social marketing directed to drinkingduringpregnancy campaigns are suggested, and possible contributions to the overall effort are explained.The authors would like to thank the Alberta Centre for Children, Family and Community Research for their financial support to carry out the state of evidence review of FASD prevention.Ye