Integrating physiological data with the conservation and management of fishes: A meta-analytical review using the threatened green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris)

Reversing global declines in the abundance and diversity of fishes is dependent on science-based conservation solutions. A wealth of data exist on the ecophysiological constraints of many fishes, but much of this information is underutilized in recovery plans due to a lack of synthesis. Here, we used the imperiled green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) as an example of how a quantitative synthesis of physiological data can inform conservation plans, identify knowledge gaps and direct future research actions. We reviewed and extracted metadata from peer-reviewed papers on green sturgeon. A total of 105 publications were identified, spanning multiple disciplines, with the primary focus being conservation physiology (23.8%). A meta-analytical approach was chosen to summarize the mean effects of prominent stressors (elevated temperatures, salinity, low food availability and contaminants) on several physiological traits (growth, thermal tolerance, swimming performance and heat shock protein expression). All examined stressors significantly impaired green sturgeon growth, and additional stressor-specific costs were documented. These findings were then used to suggest several management actions, such as mitigating salt intrusion in nursery habitats and maintaining water temperatures within optimal ranges during peak spawning periods. Key data gaps were also identified; research efforts have been biased towards juvenile (38.1%) and adult (35.2%) life-history stages, and less data are available for early life-history stages (embryonic, 11.4%; yolk-sac larvae, 12.4%; and post yolk-sac larvae, 16.2%). Similarly, most data were collected from single-stressor studies (91.4%) and there is an urgent need to understand interactions among stressors as anthropogenic change is multi-variate and dynamic. Collectively, these findings provide an example of how meta-analytic reviews are a powerful tool to inform management actions, with the end goal of maximizing conservation gains from research efforts

Comparison of continuous air monitor utilization: A case study

The Chemical Metallurgy Research (CMR) building has been upgrading to different continuous air monitors (CAMs) over the past several years. During the transition, both the newer and older CAMs were positioned in the rooms for field testing and comparison. On December 19, 1996, an accidental release of plutonium aerosol occurred into a laboratory in the CMR building. The event occurred while the room was unoccupied, and no personnel were exposed from this incident. There were two fixed air samplers (FASs) and three CAMs operating in the room at the time the release occurred, including two of the recently installed Canberra Alpha Sentry CAMs and one older Eberline CAM. The apparent cause of the release was a procedure carried out in the basement involving the replacement of the HEPA filter in the ventilation exhaust of a slot-box in the laboratory. For a short period, the ventilation was disconnected from the slot-box in this room, but not from the chemical hood exhaust on the opposite side of the laboratory. Therefore, a condition was created where backflow could occur out of the slot-box and into the room. Eventually all three CAMs in the room alarmed, and the situation was successfully monitored and brought under control by health physics personnel. Data on CAM performance were logged, and Pu activity collected on CAM and FAS filters were measured. A comparison of the new and old continuous air monitoring programs was performed and many interesting lessons on CAM performance and CAM utilization were learned. Overall, this comparison showed the advantages of remote monitoring, timely spectral information, and concentration measurements resolved in time and space

Determining Phosphorus and Sediment Release Rates from Five Irish Tillage Soils

The aim of this study was to compare the nutrient and sediment releases from five Irish tillage soils, inclined at 10- and 15-degree slopes, under a simulated rainfall intensity of 30 mm h–1 in a controlled laboratory study. Using the relationship between soil test phosphorus (STP) in the five soils and the dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) released in surface runoff, a runoff dissolved phosphorus risk indicator (RDPRI) was developed to identify the STP level for Irish tillage soils above which there may be a potential threat to surface water quality. The results of this study indicated that tillage soils may produce surface runoff P concentrations in excess of 30 μg L–1 (the value above which eutrophication of rivers is likely to occur and the maximum allowable concentration of DRP in rivers under the EU Water Framework Directive, WFD) if their Morgan’s phosphorus (Pm), Mehlich 3 phosphorus (M3-P), and water extractable phosphorus (WEP) concentrations exceed 9.5 mg L–1, 67.2 mg kg–1, and 4.4 mg kg–1, respectively. This work reinforces the statutory agronomic based requirements of the European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2009 (S.I. no. 101 of 2009). A statistical analysis showed that WEP gave the best prediction for runoff DRP

Manutenção in vitro de células IDE8 em dois tipos de soro bovino In vitro maintenance of IDE8 cells using two types of bovine serum

<abstract language="eng">The present study had the objective of defining the culture conditions, optimizing the maintenance and expansion of an IDE-8 cell line in Brazil, with the aim to propose its use as a model for in vitro infection and multiplication of Brazilian strains of rickettsia and other hemoparasites. The supplementation of IDE-8 cells with two distinct fetal bovine sera (a Brazilian and an imported) was evaluated. Culture media were changed weekly and subcultures were carried out every 15 days. The development of cultures and subcultures was evaluated by the percentage of viability and cellular morphology. The results indicate that the imported SFB can be replaced by the Brazilian SFB one, as no significant differences (P<0.05) were seen among culture viabilities