Mussel Habitat Mapping in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (BISO)

A new method to map freshwater mussel habitats was developed and tested in theBigSouthForkNationalRiverand Recreation Area (BISO). The procedure involved using an Underwater Video Mapping System (UVMS) to record river substrate information in conjunction with Global Positioning System (GPS) to create geo-referenced video footage. Simultaneously, the river surface features were video-recorded using a similar geo-referenced video mapping system. Images from both videos were evaluated and used to produce habitat classifications in a Geographic Information System (GIS) format. The focus of the project was on mapping attributes in the river that are significant to freshwater mussel habitats. These attributes characterize river sections as either favorable or unfavorable to freshwater mussel populations. The attributes specifically selected were based on the habitat suitability needs of five federally endangered species of mussels that exist in BISO. By developing a GIS map of the habitat attributes, biologists knowledgeable in the needs of both adult and juvenile mussels of various species can identify locations suitable for augmenting mussel populations and habitat health. This project was conducted in 2004 and involved mapping river habitat in over 27.8 km (17.3 mi) of river in BISO. There are 182.2 km (113.2 mi) of river within BISO, so this assessment encompasses 15 % of the river mileage within the park. Most previous mussel studies have not evaluated long segments of river habitat. This work provides continuous mapping of several contiguous kilometers of river. The findings were stored in a GIS format and used to identify locations for possible re-introduction and management of mussels. Three sections of river in BISO were evaluated. The river segments were chosen to represent river conditions found in different parts of the park. The three sections studied were the Clear Fork Section in the southwest corner of BISO (in TN), Alum Ford Section at the northern park border (in KY), and the Leatherwood Ford Section in the middle of the park (in TN). In-stream physical habitat characteristics were captured by video cameras at the water surface and underwater. The images were then classified into habitat categories that are either favorable or unfavorable to the mussel populations. Applying UVMS technology was a unique way to gather habitat attributes and create maps. Five primary habitat attributes were evaluated. These attributes were: flow characteristics of the river (pool, run, and riffle), river depth, substrate classification, embeddedness of the substrate, and the presence of coal contamination. The UVMS above-water camera system was very successful in evaluating the flow characteristics of the river (distinguishing between pool, run, and riffle) in the three study sections in BISO. The UVMS underwater video footage was used to classify substrate characteristics. The evaluation for the presence of coal deposits indicated the Clear Fork Section did not have coal deposits in the video footage, whereas the Leatherwood Ford and Alum Ford sections had a significant amount of coal in the river. The UVMS was successful at locating areas of possible habitat for the five mussel species of interest. These areas are mostly in clusters along the river. There is significant overlap in the suitable habitat areas identified among the five species, largely because several of the species prefer similar habitat attributes. Four of the species require riffles for optimal habitat, and the flow characteristics in the Clear Fork and Leatherwood Ford sections provided this type of habitat. The other species was a pool-loving species, which had more optimal habitat in the pool segments in the Leatherwood Ford Section. The Alum Ford Section did not have any suitable mussel habitat because the impounded river forms a reservoir. The intermittent substrate classification points on the lake bottom showed continuous silt, which does not provide suitable habitat for any of the five species of endangered mussels. Out of the total 1,207 sites evaluated for habitat suitability, the majority were unsuitable as mussel habitat. The total number of suitable habitat sites identified per species ranged from 109 to 548 (this is the combined total for optimum, suboptimum and marginally suitable habitat). Mussels are very specific in terms of the habitat they thrive in, so a method to systematically identify these locations is a valuable tool. Overall very few areas of optimal habitat were identified. For the four species that thrive in riffle habitats, two (or less) optimal habitat sites were identified per species. The fifth species, the Cumberland Elktoe, thrives in pools. Over the length of the mapped rivers there was considerably more length of pool than riffle, so there were more opportunities for desirable habitat for this pool-loving species; 19 optimal habitat sites were identified. When the habitat criteria were expanded to encompass suboptimal and marginal criteria, the number of suitable habitat sites increased dramatically for all of the species. For each of the four riffle-loving species the expanded criteria identified suitable habitat in approximately 10% of the classified points. For the pool-loving Cumberland Elktoe, the expanded criteria identified suitable habitat in almost 50% of the classified points

Adverse Effects of a Clinically Relevant Dose of Hydroxyurea Used for the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease on Male Fertility Endpoints

Two experiments were conducted to determine: 1) whether the adult male transgenic sickle cell mouse (Tg58 × Tg98; TSCM), exhibits the patterns of reproductive endpoints (hypogonadism) characteristic of men with sickle cell disease (SCD) and 2) whether hydroxyurea (HU) exacerbates this condition. In Experiment 1, blood samples were collected from adult age-matched TSCM and ICR mice (ICRM) (N = 10/group) for plasma testosterone measurements. Subsequently, mice were sacrificed, testes excised and weighed and stored spermatozoa recovered for the determination of sperm density, progressive motility and percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology. In experiment 2, adult male TSCM were orally treated with 25 mg HU/kg body weight/day for 28 or 56 days. Control mice received the vehicle for HU (saline) as described above. At the end of the treatment periods, blood samples were collected for quantification of circulating testosterone. Subsequently, mice were sacrificed, testes and epididymides were recovered and weighed and one testis per mouse was subjected to histopathology. Stored spermatozoa were recovered for the determination of indices of sperm quality mentioned in Experiment 1. Testis weight, stored sperm density, progressive motility, percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology and plasma testosterone concentrations of TSCM were significantly lower by 40, 65, 40, 69 and 66%, respectively than those of ICRM. These data indicate that adult TSCM used in this study suffered from hypogonadism, characteristically observed among adult male SCD patients. In Experiment 2, HU treatment significantly decreased testis weight on day 28, (0.09 ± 0.004g) that was further decreased on day 56 (0.06 ± 0.003g; treatment x time interaction) compared with controls (day 28, 0.15 ± 0.01g; day 56, 2, 0.16 ± 0.01g). Concomitant with a 52% shrinkage (P<0.001) in area of testes in 56 days of HU treatment, testes from HU-treated TSCM exhibited significant atrophic degeneration in the seminiferous tubules compared with controls. Furthermore, treated TSCM had only Sertoli cells and cell debris remaining in most of the seminiferous tubules in comparison with controls. Leydig cell prominence and hyperplasia were more evident (P<0.05) in the steroidogenic compartments of testes of HU-treated TSCM compared with controls. However, plasma testosterone concentrations were reduced by HU treatment (P<0.05; treatment x time interaction) compared with controls on the two time periods studied. Epididymides from HU-treated TSCM sustained a 25% shrinkage (P<0.05), along with 69 (P<0.005) and 95% reduction (P<0.005), in stored sperm density and sperm progressive motility (treatment x time interaction P<0.05), respectively on day 56 of treatment compared with controls. These data demonstrate that TSCM used in this study exhibited SCD-induced hypogonadism, thus authenticating their use for studying the effect of HU on male reproductive endpoints observed in SCD patients. Secondarily, our data show that HU treatment exacerbated the already SCD-induced hypogonadism to gonadal failure

Season 4, Episode 4: Orsolya Fiscor

https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/stvcpc/1027/thumbnail.jp

Technological Innovation in the Maritime Industry: The Case of Remote Pilotage and Enhanced Navigational Assistance

Advances in technological innovation have been deployed to support autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles in many industries. A question that remains unanswered is why very little progress has been made in remote pilotage over the past 15 years. This paper draws together theories from innovation management and the high reliability organisation literatures to shed light on this question. Using a case study of two Australian ports, we examine a business case for remote pilotage demonstrating that despite positive cost benefit models, ambiguities in benefits exist throughout the ecosystem. The discussion sheds light on unique challenges that port executives face where it is necessary to simultaneously develop a strategy to: (1) manage the internal innovation process, and (2) manage the external consequences of the innovation by mobilising allies, managing opponents, and converting those who are indifferent to the innovation. The main contribution of this paper is to show that any assessment of the innovation challenge facing remote pilotage and enhanced navigational assistance requires the maritime industry to ask new questions not previously considered

Energy-efficient loading and hauling operations

Approximately, 40% of the total energy used in surface mines is related to diesel consumption. Truck haulage is responsible for a majority of this. This chapter introduces the principal equipment used to load and haul materials in mines, namely trucks, electric rope shovels, hydraulic excavators and crushing and conveying systems. The chapter discusses factors that contribute to the energy-efficient operation of such equipment. Based on gross weight hauled per unit weight of payload, belt conveyors appear to be the most energy-efficient means of transporting material in surface mines. However, a number of factors, including large upfront capital expenditure and limited ability to relocate and scale up belt capacities, currently restrict their widespread applicability