10 research outputs found

    Precision fish farming: a new framework to improve production in aquaculture

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    Aquaculture production of finfish has seen rapid growth in production volume and economic yield over the last decades, and is today a key provider of seafood. As the scale of production increases, so does the likelihood that the industry will face emerging biological, economic and social challenges that may influence the ability to maintain ethically sound, productive and environmentally friendly production of fish. It is therefore important that the industry aspires to monitor and control the effects of these challenges to avoid also upscaling potential problems when upscaling production. We introduce the Precision Fish Farming (PFF) concept whose aim is to apply control-engineering principles to fish production, thereby improving the farmer's ability to monitor, control and document biological processes in fish farms. By adapting several core principles from Precision Livestock Farming (PLF), and accounting for the boundary conditions and possibilities that are particular to farming operations in the aquatic environment, PFF will contribute to moving commercial aquaculture from the traditional experience-based to a knowledge-based production regime. This can only be achieved through increased use of emerging technologies and automated systems. We have also reviewed existing technological solutions that could represent important components in future PFF applications. To illustrate the potential of such applications, we have defined four case studies aimed at solving specific challenges related to biomass monitoring, control of feed delivery, parasite monitoring and management of crowding operations

    BioMAX the first macromolecular crystallography beamline at MAX IV Laboratory

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    BioMAX is the first macromolecular crystallography beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory 3 GeV storage ring, which is the first operational multi bend achromat storage ring. Due to the low emittance storage ring, BioMAX has a parallel, high intensity X ray beam, even when focused down to 20 mm 5 mm using the bendable focusing mirrors. The beam is tunable in the energy range 5 25 keV using the in vacuum undulator and the horizontally deflecting doublecrystal monochromator. BioMAX is equipped with an MD3 diffractometer, an ISARA high capacity sample changer and an EIGER 16M hybrid pixel detector. Data collection at BioMAX is controlled using the newly developed MXCuBE3 graphical user interface, and sample tracking is handled by ISPyB. The computing infrastructure includes data storage and processing both at MAX IV and the Lund University supercomputing center LUNARC. With state of the art instrumentation, a high degree of automation, a user friendly control system interface and remote operation, BioMAX provides an excellent facility for most macromolecular crystallography experiments. Serial crystallography using either a high viscosity extruder injector or the MD3 as a fixedtarget scanner is already implemented. The serial crystallography activities at MAX IV Laboratory will be further developed at the microfocus beamline MicroMAX, when it comes into operation in 2022. MicroMAX will have a 1 mm x 1 mm beam focus and a flux up to 10 15 photons s 1 with main applications in serial crystallography, room temperature structure determinations and time resolved experiment

    Contribution of proteomics techniques to understanding the interrelationship between food and health

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    6 pagesThis article introduces the application of proteomics to food and nutrition studies. It contains a brief description of what proteomics is and the main laboratory requirements to perform the analyses followed by a technical part that includes the main applications of proteomics (protein identification and characterization, differential proteomics, and functional proteomics), the proteomic workflow, and mass spectrometric analysis. Then, proteomic studies applied to food groups are illustrated using cereals and fruits, dairy products, eggs, meat, seafood, and bioactive compounds as examples. Finally, the concept of systems biology and its application to nutritional studies is introduced to the readerN

    The role of environmental biotechnology in exploring, exploiting, monitoring, preserving, protecting and decontaminating the marine environment

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    In light of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the EU Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, environmental biotechnology could make significant contributions in the exploitation of marine resources and addressing key marine environmental problems. In this paper 14 propositions are presented focusing on (i) the contamination of the marine environment, and more particularly how to optimize the use of biotechnology-related tools and strategies for predicting and monitoring contamination and developing mitigation measures; (ii) the exploitation of the marine biological and genetic resources to progress with the sustainable, eco-compatible use of the maritime space (issues are very diversified and include, for example, waste treatment and recycling, anti-biofouling agents; bio-plastics); (iii) environmental/marine biotechnology as a driver for a sustainable economic growth

    Status of the RAL Front End Test Stand

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    The Front End Test Stand (FETS) under construction at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is the UK's contribution to research into the next generation of High Power Proton Accelerators (HPPAs). HPPAs are an essential part of any future Spallation Neutron Source, Neutrino Factory, Muon Collider, Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System, Waste Transmuter etc. FETS will demonstrate a high quality, high intensity, chopped Hminus beam and is a collaboration between RAL, Imperial College and the Universtity of Warwick in the UK and the Universidad del Pais Vasco and ESS-Bilbao in Spain. This paper describes the current status and future plans of FETS
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