Selection of Scales for Growth Analysis of Largemouth Bass

Scales from four regions of the body of largemouth bass were compared for efficacy in estimating fish length at the time of scale formation and at capture. The scales from above and below the lateral line in the pectoral and caudal peduncle regions yielded intercepts of 64.73, 52.36, 19.77 and 25.81 respectively for the total length-scale radius relationship. These intercept values represent the fish length at the time of scale formation. By the regression of estimated lengths at capture on empirical lengths it was found that the caudal peduncle scales were better suited in predicting fish length

An Integrated Tourism Development Project: The Central Region of Ghana

The Republic of Ghana is located in West Africa approximately 750 kilometers north of the equator. As a country it has gone through a series of economic cycles but due to numerous coups, misguided economic policies, and the vagaries of international markets for export goods most growth has been short lived. Since 1990 economic growth has accelerated and the country is currently governed by an elected President and Parliament. One of the main economic development strategies in the last five years has been tourism

Tissue Glycogen and Extracellular Buffering Limit the Survival of Red-Eared Slider Turtles during Anoxic Submergence at 3°C

The goal of this study was to identify the factors that limit the survival of the red-eared slider turtle Trachemys scripta during long-term anoxic submergence at 3°C. We measured blood acid-base status and tissue lactate and glycogen contents after 13, 29, and 44 d of submergence from ventricle, liver, carapace (lactate only), and four skeletal muscles. We also measured plasma Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, inorganic phosphate (Pi), lactate, and glucose. After 44 d, one of the six remaining turtles died, while the other turtles were in poor condition and suffered from a severe acidemia (blood pH = 7.09 from 7.77) caused by lactic acidosis (plasma lactate 91.5 mmol L-1). An initial respiratory acidosis attenuated after 28 d. Lactate rose to similar concentrations in ventricle and skeletal muscle (39.3–46.1 μmol g-1). Liver accumulated the least lactate (21.8 μmol g-1), and carapace accumulated the most lactate (68.9 μmol g-1). Plasma Ca2+ and Mg2+ increased significantly throughout submergence to levels comparable to painted turtles at a similar estimated lactate load. Glycogen depletion was extensive in all tissues tested: by 83% in liver, by 90% in ventricle, and by 62%–88% in muscle. We estimate that the shell buffered 69.1% of the total lactate load, which is comparable to painted turtles. Compared with painted turtles, predive tissue glycogen contents and plasma HCO3- concentrations were low.We believe these differences contribute to the poorer tolerance to long-term anoxic submergence in red-eared slider turtles compared with painted turtles

In Memoriam: Daniel J. Meltzer

Sedan år 2006 har den syntetiskt framställda drogen spice existerat i Sverige, men först år 2008 blev drogen populär och tidningar började rikta uppmärksamhet mot den. Genom att drogen kan byta skepnad i uppbyggnaden kan den förbli laglig, därför kan egentligen namnet “spice” inte betraktas som ett enhetligt begrepp. Vårt syfte med denna studie blev att granska hur drogen spice beskrivs i tidningar och forskning. Även hur drogen betraktas gällande psykosociala och medicinska avseenden. Detta i förhållande till socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv. Den metod som vi valde att använda oss av i studien var kvantitativ innehållsanalys. Genom analys av 80 stycken svenska tidningsartiklar hämtade ur databasen mediearkivet, samt vetenskapliga artiklar och litteratur har vi besvarat våra frågeställningar. De resultat vi fick från analyser visade på att tidningar kan vara av betydande roll för ungdomars attityder. Tidningar kan utföra bland annat skrämselpropaganda för att upplysa och förhindra brukandet av spice, dessvärre visar resultatet en motsatt effekt. Forskning visar att bruk av spice kan påverka relationer och arbete negativt. Dessutom är några bieffekter av spice bröstsmärtor, vanföreställningar, självmordstankar och hjärtstopp

A large-scale validation study of aircraft noise modeling for airport arrivals

In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration's Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) is approved to predict the impacts of aircraft noise and emissions. AEDT's critical role in regulatory compliance and evaluating the environmental impacts of aviation requires asking how accurate are its noise predictions. Previous studies suggest that AEDT's predictions lack desired accuracy. This paper reports on a large-scale study, using 200 000 flight trajectories paired with measured sound levels for arrivals to Runways 28L/28R at San Francisco International Airport, over 12 months. For each flight, two AEDT studies were run, one using the approved mode for regulatory filing and the other using an advanced non-regulatory mode with exact aircraft trajectories. AEDT's per aircraft noise predictions were compared with curated measured sound levels at two locations. On average, AEDT underestimated LAmax by -3.09 dB and SEL by -2.04 dB, combining the results from both AEDT noise-modeling modes. Discrepancies appear to result from limitations in the physical modeling of flight trajectories and noise generation, combined with input data uncertainties (aircraft weight, airspeed, thrust, and lift configuration) and atmospheric conditions

Brief of Corporate Law Professors as Amici Curie in Support of Respondents

The Supreme Court has looked to the rights of corporate shareholders in determining the rights of union members and non-members to control political spending, and vice versa. The Court sometimes assumes that if shareholders disapprove of corporate political expression, they can easily sell their shares or exercise control over corporate spending. This assumption is mistaken. Because of how capital is saved and invested, most individual shareholders cannot obtain full information about corporate political activities, even after the fact, nor can they prevent their savings from being used to speak in ways with which they disagree. Individual shareholders have no “opt out” rights or practical ability to avoid subsidizing corporate political expression with which they disagree. Nor do individuals have the practical option to refrain from putting their savings into equity investments, as doing so would impose damaging economic penalties and ignore conventional financial guidance for individual investors

The physiology of hibernation among painted turtles: the midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata

Abstract Midland painted turtles from Michigan were submerged at 3°C in normoxic and anoxic water. In predive, and in turtles submerged for up to 150 days, plasma PO 2 , PCO 2 , pH, [ , total Mg, total Ca, lactate, glucose, and osmolality were measured; hematocrit and mass were determined, and plasma [HCO 3 − ] was calculated. Anoxic turtles developed a severe metabolic acidosis, accumulating lactate from a predive value of 4.4 mmol/L to a 150-day value of 185 mmol/L, associated with a fall in pH from 7.983 to 7.189. To buffer lactate increase, total calcium and magnesium rose from 3.7 and 2.6 to 58.9 and 11.8 mmol/L, respectively. Plasma [HCO 3 − ] was titrated from 39.2 to 4.8 mmol/L in anoxic turtles. Turtles in normoxic water had only minor disturbances of their acid -base and ionic statuses, associated with a much smaller increase of lactate to 23 mmol/L; there was a marked increase in hematocrit from 29.1% to 42.1%. We suggest that it is ecologic, rather than phylogenetic, relationships that determine the responses of painted turtles to prolonged submergence associated with hibernation