Abundance and distribution of larval fishes and shrimps in the Laguna Madre, Texas : a hypersaline lagoon

To Texas Water Development BoardContract nos. IAC (88-89)1636 and (90-91)0751October 1990Tidal inlets connecting the Gulf of Mexico with estuarine waters are widely spaced and relatively narrow along the Texas coast. These inlets provide the sole route for ingress of larvae to the estuary for estuarine-dependent marine species and the egress of juveniles and sub-adults of these species back to the ocean. This study was an investigation of the abundance and distribution of ichthyoplankton of selected fishes and shrimps in an area where the opening and maintenance of a new tidal pass has been proposed in the Laguna Madre, a sub-tropical, hypersaline lagoon along the southern Texas coast. Surface and bottom ichthyoplankton samples were taken bimonthly in four zones in the Laguna Madre in areas which were directly influenced by tidal inlets from the Gulf of Mexico and areas isolated from such connections. Seasonal composition of the ichthyoplankton was similar to that reported from other Gulf of Mexico and southeastern United States estuaries with winter catches dominated by offshore spawners and summer catches dominated by inshore and estuarine spawners. The pelagic larvae of three species of estuarine spawners, bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), and black drum (Pogonias cromis), were common throughout the Laguna Madre at salinities up to 50°/00. Pelagic larvae of offshore spawners were abundant only in the area near the tidal inlet and only a few individuals were found dispersed throughout the lagoon. The majority of these species are distributed throughout the Laguna Madre as juveniles but the dispersion or advection of these species to areas not closely associated with tidal inlets occurs at development stages older than the pelagic larval stage. These data suggest that opening and maintaining a tidal inlet in the upper Laguna Madre would increase the opportunity for recruitment of larvae of offshore spawners into an area currently unoccupied by these life-history stages.Marine Scienc

Larval fish in the vicinity of aquaculture intakes

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recently proposed that all facilities pumping water from Texas estuaries be fitted with 0.5 mm screening to prevent larval fish mortality at these facilities. Data on larval fish distributions in Texas estuaries is quite limited (Holt et al. 1990). This report presents the results of a pilot study to examine the impact on larval fishes and shrimps of pumping water into mariculture facilities at three sites on the central and southern Texas Coast. The primary objective of this study was to determine the species composition, density and size structure of ichthyoplankton populations in the vicinity of the intake structures of the three mariculture facilities during their spring and fall pumping seasons. A secondary objective was to determine what organisms were actually being pumped through the system.Final report for contract IAC(90-91)111.5Prepared for Texas A&M Sea Grant, Texas General Land OfficeFebruary 1991Marine Scienc

Food Habits and Dietary Overlap of Newly Settled Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) from Texas Seagrass Meadows

Food habits and dietary overlap of newly settled larval and juvenile red drum and Atlantic croaker were examined during the period when the two species co-occur in seagrass nurseries. A total of 274 red drum (4.00 - 19.99 mm SL) and 205 Atlantic croaker (8.00 - 17.99 mm SL) were used for this analysis. Of the red drum stomachs examined, 8.4% were empty while 28.8% of Atlantic croaker stomachs contained no food. Major prey items identified for both species were calanoid copepods, harpacticoid copepods and mysid shrimp across all size classes. Ontogenetic trophic niche shifts were detected for red drum and Atlantic croaker. Type and quantity of food ingested by red drum were similar across all stations (Aransas Bay Station: 1H, 2T and 3H) examined. Atlantic croaker ingested the same types of prey at all stations, but contained varying quantities of food throughout the study area. In general, high dietary overlap was observed between red drum and Atlantic croaker with most overlap values (Schoener’s index) exceeding 70%

The icthyofaunal composition of the artificial Liberty Ship reef at Port Aransas, Texas

During the winter 1976, three Liberty Ships were sunk in 115 ft of water 18 miles offshore from Port Aransas by the Texas Coastal and Marine Council to produce an artificial reef. Although no research was initiated to follow the early development of the reef community on the ships a study was begun in June 1977 (Vetter and Roels, 1977) to assess the use of the ship reef for recreational fishing and subsequent studies (Vetter and Roels, 1978a, 1978b) examined the fish populations on the ship reef. This report details continued investigation into the population dynamics of recreationally important fish species on the Liberty Ship reef with special emphasis on red snapper.Final report submitted to the Texas Coastal and Marine Council in fulfillment of IAC (78-79)-2183 and IAC (80-81)-0044Marine Scienc

Is the Compact Source at the Center of Cas A Pulsed?

A 50 ksec observation of the Supernova Remnant Cas A was taken using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory High Resolution Camera (HRC) to search for periodic signals from the compact source located near the center. Using the HRC-S in imaging mode, problems with correctly assigning times to events were overcome, allowing the period search to be extended to higher frequencies than possible with previous observations. In an extensive analysis of the HRC data, several possible candidate signals are found using various algorithms, including advanced techniques developed by Ransom to search for low significance periodic signals. Of the candidate periods, none is at a high enough confidence level to be particularly favored over the rest. When combined with other information, however (e.g., spectra, total energetics, and the historical age of the remnant), a 12 ms candidate period seems to be more physically plausible than the others, and we use it for illustrative purposes in discussing the possible properties of a putative neutron star in the remnant. We emphasize that this is not necessarily the true period, and that a follow-up observation, scheduled for the fall of 2001, is required. A 50 ksec Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) observation was taken, and analysis of these data for the central object shows that the spectrum is consistent with several forms, and that the emitted X-ray luminosity in the 0.1 -10 keV band is 10^{33}-10^{35}erg cm^{-2}sec^{-1} depending on the spectral model and the interstellar absorption along the line of sight to the source.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures Submitted to ApJ 2001 June 2

Distribution, growth, and mortality of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) larvae in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in shelf and slope waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico during the months of May–September in 2005 and 2006 to investigate the potential role of this region as spawning and nursery habitat of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). During the two-year study, 2426 sailfish larvae were collected, ranging in size from 2.0 to 24.3 mm standard length. Mean density for all neuston net collections (n=288) combined was 1.5 sailfish per 1000 m2, and maximum density was observed within frontal features created by hydrodynamic convergence (2.3 sailfish per 1000 m2). Sagittal otoliths were extracted from 1330 larvae, and otolith microstructure analysis indicated that the sailfish ranged in age from 4 to 24 days after hatching (mean=10.5 d, standard deviation [SD]=3.2 d). Instantaneous growth coefficients (g) among survey periods (n=5) ranged from 0.113 to 0.127, and growth peaked during July 2005 collections when density within frontal features was highest. Daily instantaneous mortality rates (Z) ranged from 0.228 to 0.381, and Z was indexed to instantaneous weight-specific growth (G) to assess stage-specific production potential of larval cohorts. Ratios of G to Z were greater than 1.0 for all but one cohort examined, indicating that cohorts were gaining biomass during the majority of months investigated. Stage-specific production potential, in combination with catch rates and densities of larvae, indicates that the Gulf of Mexico likely represents important spawning and nursery habitat for sailfish

Activation of an Endogenous Retrovirus-Associated Long Non-Coding RNA in Human Adenocarcinoma

Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as molecules that significantly impact many cellular processes and have been associated with almost every human cancer. Compared to protein-coding genes, lncRNA genes are often associated with transposable elements, particularly with endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs). ERVs can have potentially deleterious effects on genome structure and function, so these elements are typically silenced in normal somatic tissues, albeit with varying efficiency. The aberrant regulation of ERVs associated with lncRNAs (ERV-lncRNAs), coupled with the diverse range of lncRNA functions, creates significant potential for ERV-lncRNAs to impact cancer biology. Methods We used RNA-seq analysis to identify and profile the expression of a novel lncRNA in six large cohorts, including over 7,500 samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Results We identified the tumor-specific expression of a novel lncRNA that we have named Endogenous retroViral-associated ADenocarcinoma RNA or ‘EVADR’, by analyzing RNA-seq data derived from colorectal tumors and matched normal control tissues. Subsequent analysis of TCGA RNA-seq data revealed the striking association of EVADR with adenocarcinomas, which are tumors of glandular origin. Moderate to high levels of EVADR were detected in 25 to 53% of colon, rectal, lung, pancreas and stomach adenocarcinomas (mean = 30 to 144 FPKM), and EVADR expression correlated with decreased patient survival (Cox regression; hazard ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval = 1.06 to 2.04, P = 0.02). In tumor sites of non-glandular origin, EVADR expression was detectable at only very low levels and in less than 10% of patients. For EVADR, a MER48 ERV element provides an active promoter to drive its transcription. Genome-wide, MER48 insertions are associated with nine lncRNAs, but none of the MER48-associated lncRNAs other than EVADR were consistently expressed in adenocarcinomas, demonstrating the specific activation of EVADR. The sequence and structure of the EVADR locus is highly conserved among Old World monkeys and apes but not New World monkeys or prosimians, where the MER48 insertion is absent. Conservation of the EVADR locus suggests a functional role for this novel lncRNA in humans and our closest primate relatives. Conclusions Our results describe the specific activation of a highly conserved ERV-lncRNA in numerous cancers of glandular origin, a finding with diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic implications

Outcomes of aortic aneurysm surgery in England : a nationwide cohort study using hospital admissions data from 2002 to 2015

Background The United Kingdom aortic aneurysms (AA) services have undergone reconfiguration to improve outcomes. The National Health Service collects data on all hospital admissions in England. The complex administrative datasets generated have the potential to be used to monitor activity and outcomes, however, there are challenges in using these data as they are primarily collected for administrative purposes. The aim of this study was to develop standardised algorithms with the support of a clinical consensus group to identify all AA activity, classify the AA management into clinically meaningful case mix groups and define outcome measures that could be used to compare outcomes among AA service providers. \ud Methods In-patient data about aortic aneurysm (AA) admissions from the 2002/03 to 2014/15 were acquired. A stepwise approach, with input from a clinical consensus group, was used to identify relevant cases. The data is primarily coded into episodes, these were amalgamated to identify admissions; admissions were linked to understand patient pathways and index admissions. Cases were then divided into case-mix groups based upon examination of individually sampled and aggregate data. Consistent measures of outcome were developed, including length of stay, complications within the index admission, post-operative mortality and re-admission. Results Several issues were identified in the dataset including potential conflict in identifying emergency and elective cases and potential confusion if an inappropriate admission definition is used. Ninety six thousand seven hundred thirty-five patients were identified using the algorithms developed in this study to extract AA cases from Hospital episode statistics. From 2002 to 2015, 83,968 patients (87% of all cases identified) underwent repair for AA and 12,767 patients (13% of all cases identified) died in hospital without any AA repair. Six thousand three hundred twenty-nine patients (7.5%) had repair for complex AA and 77,639 (92.5%) had repair for infra-renal AA. Conclusion The proposed methods define homogeneous clinical groups and outcomes by combining administrative codes in the data. These methodologically robust methods can help examine outcomes associated with previous and current service provisions and aid future reconfiguration of aortic aneurysm surgery services