Current productivity of the scallop ( <i>Mizuhopecten yessoensis</i>) plantations in the bights of the Ussuri Bay (Japan Sea)

Dynamics of the scallop spat settling to collectors of marine farms in the Sukhodol Bay and Malye Kushi Bay (Ussuri Bay) in 2012-2014 is considered. In the Sukhodol Bay, the spat density was 225 ind./m2 in 2012 that is close to usual value, but only 31 ind./m2 in 2013. In the Malye Kushi Bay, both years of 2013 and 2014 were low-productive for the spat, with its density in 2.5 times lower than in the Sukhodol Bay. On the contrary, the number of starfish spat on collectors was extremely high in 2013 - up to 42 ± 3 ind./m2. Size and weight parameters of juvenile scallops and starfish on collectors had year-to-year changes, as well. The starfish grown in conditions of high density in the 2013 had relatively small diameter (45.9 mm on average) and weight (1.8 g on average) in the age 1 year (in 2014), whereas the starfish spat grown in the 2014 with the density lower in 5.5 times reached larger mean size (55.5 mm) and weight (3.3 g). The scallop spat harvest in the bights of the Ussuri Bay is assessed in 0.5-1.5 · 106 ind./hectare. In general, the spat settling in this area is less intensive than in the Posyet Bay, Vostok Bay, and Nakhodka Bay. Environmental conditions in the Ussuri Bay are not favorable for collection of juvenile scallops, so the technology of scallop cultivation should be adapted for this area

Efficiency of scallop <i>Mizuhopecten yessoensis</i> cultivation in the Ussuri Bay (Japan Sea)

Data on cultivation of scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis in the Ussuri Bay are generalized. The marine farms are located in the shallow waters at depths of 2-18 m, their plantations occupy different areas with different hydrodynamics. Complex structure of the plantations (collectors, cages and bottom facilities) is formed in the semi-closed Sukhodol Bay, but bottom plantations only for growing of scallop and sea cucumber are mounted in two other bays. The local broodstocks of scallop were formed by juveniles transported from the Posyet Bay, after that at least 20 million individuals of scallop spat were collected in three bays in 2000-2014, and their growing gave the total commercial output about 216 t (111 t in the Sukhodol Bay, 70 t in the Ilmovaya Bay, and 35 t in the Malye Kushi Bay). This is rather weak result that shows that the area has limited abilities for development of this type of aquaculture. The main reason was low density of spat on substrata: it never exceeded 200 ind./collector and did not increase during the farms development, so the farmers were forced to increase the number of collectors to obtain required number of spat; moreover, some years were unfavorable for collecting of juvenile scallops. There is concluded that environmental conditions in the eastern Ussuri Bay are not optimal for the scallop cultivation by extensive method

Matrix theory origins of non-geometric fluxes

We explore the origins of non-geometric fluxes within the context of M theory described as a matrix model. Building upon compactifications of Matrix theory on non-commutative tori and twisted tori, we formulate the conditions which describe compactifications with non-geometric fluxes. These turn out to be related to certain deformations of tori with non-commutative and non-associative structures on their phase space. Quantization of flux appears as a natural consequence of the framework and leads to the resolution of non-associativity at the level of the unitary operators. The quantum-mechanical nature of the model bestows an important role on the phase space. In particular, the geometric and non-geometric fluxes exchange their properties when going from position space to momentum space thus providing a duality among the two. Moreover, the operations which connect solutions with different fluxes are described and their relation to T-duality is discussed. Finally, we provide some insights on the effective gauge theories obtained from these matrix compactifications.Comment: 1+31 pages, reference list update

Primary hyperparathyroidism in combination with metabolic syndrome and sleep apnea

This paper presents a case of primary hyperparathyroidism with a broad spectrum of metabolic disturbances and concomitant sleep apnea syndrome. As shown a timely surgical treatment helps to improve the mineral parameters and alleviate the risk of possible cardiovascular complications in future. The article is the RePrint from the original publication in Obesity and Metabolism (2014) 11(3); pp. 51-55. doi: 10.14341/omet2014351-5

Future directions in international financial integration research. A crowdsourced perspective

This paper is the result of a crowdsourced effort to surface perspectives on the present and future direction of international finance. The authors are researchers in financial economics who attended the INFINITI 2017 conference in the University of Valencia in June 2017 and who participated in the crowdsourcing via the Overleaf platform. This paper highlights the actual state of scientific knowledge in a multitude of fields in finance and proposes different directions for future research

Global patterns of care in advanced stage mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome: a multicenter retrospective follow-up study from the Cutaneous Lymphoma International Consortium

ABSTRACT Background Advanced-stage mycosis fungoides (MF)/Sezary syndrome (SS) patients are weighted by an unfavorable prognosis and share an unmet clinical need of effective treatments. International guidelines are available detailing treatment options for the different stages but without recommending treatments in any particular order due to lack of comparative trials. The aims of this second CLIC study were to retrospectively analyze the pattern of care worldwide for advanced-stage MF/SS patients, the distribution of treatments according to geographical areas (USA versus non-USA), and whether the heterogeneity of approaches has potential impact on survival. Patients and methods This study included 853 patients from 21 specialist centers (14 European, 4 USA, 1 each Australian, Brazilian, and Japanese). Results Heterogeneity of treatment approaches was found, with up to 24 different modalities or combinations used as first-line and 36% of patients receiving four or more treatments. Stage IIB disease was most frequently treated by total-skin-electron-beam radiotherapy, bexarotene and gemcitabine; erythrodermic and SS patients by extracorporeal photochemotherapy, and stage IVA2 by polychemotherapy. Significant differences were found between USA and non-USA centers, with bexarotene, photopheresis and histone deacetylase inhibitors most frequently prescribed for first-line treatment in USA while phototherapy, interferon, chlorambucil and gemcitabine in non-USA centers. These differences did not significantly impact on survival. However, when considering death and therapy change as competing risk events and the impact of first treatment line on both events, both monochemotherapy (SHR = 2.07) and polychemotherapy (SHR = 1.69) showed elevated relative risks. Conclusion This large multicenter retrospective study shows that there exist a large treatment heterogeneity in advanced MF/SS and differences between USA and non-USA centers but these were not related to survival, while our data reveal that chemotherapy as first treatment is associated with a higher risk of death and/or change of therapy and thus other therapeutic options should be preferable as first treatment approach

Improvements and Limitations of Humanized Mouse Models for HIV Research: NIH/NIAID “Meet the Experts” 2015 Workshop Summary

The number of humanized mouse models for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other infectious diseases has expanded rapidly over the past 8 years. Highly immunodeficient mouse strains, such as NOD/SCID/gamma chainnull (NSG, NOG), support better human hematopoietic cell engraftment. Another improvement is the derivation of highly immunodeficient mice, transgenic with human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and cytokines that supported development of HLA-restricted human T cells and heightened human myeloid cell engraftment. Humanized mice are also used to study the HIV reservoir using new imaging techniques. Despite these advances, there are still limitations in HIV immune responses and deficits in lymphoid structures in these models in addition to xenogeneic graft-versus-host responses. To understand and disseminate the improvements and limitations of humanized mouse models to the scientific community, the NIH sponsored and convened a meeting on April 15, 2015 to discuss the state of knowledge concerning these questions and best practices for selecting a humanized mouse model for a particular scientific investigation. This report summarizes the findings of the NIH meeting

An Antiretroviral/Zinc Combination Gel Provides 24 Hours of Complete Protection against Vaginal SHIV Infection in Macaques

Repeated use, coitus-independent microbicide gels that do not contain antiretroviral agents also used as first line HIV therapy are urgently needed to curb HIV spread. Current formulations require high doses (millimolar range) of antiretroviral drugs and typically only provide short-term protection in macaques. We used the macaque model to test the efficacy of a novel combination microbicide gel containing zinc acetate and micromolar doses of the novel non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor MIV-150 for up to 24 h after repeated gel application.Rhesus macaques were vaginally challenged with SHIV-RT up to 24 h after repeated administration of microbicide versus placebo gels. Infection status was determined by measuring virologic and immunologic parameters. Combination microbicide gels containing 14 mM zinc acetate dihydrate and 50 µM MIV-150 afforded full protection (21 of 21 animals) for up to 24 h after 2 weeks of daily application. Partial protection was achieved with the MIV-150 gel (56% of control at 8 h after last application, 11% at 24 h), while the zinc acetate gel afforded more pronounced protection (67% at 8-24 h). Marked protection persisted when the zinc acetate or MIV-150/zinc acetate gels were applied every other day for 4 weeks prior to challenge 24 h after the last gel was administered (11 of 14 protected). More MIV-150 was associated with cervical tissue 8 h after daily dosing of MIV-150/zinc acetate versus MIV-150, while comparable MIV-150 levels were associated with vaginal tissues and at 24 h.A combination MIV-150/zinc acetate gel and a zinc acetate gel provide significant protection against SHIV-RT infection for up to 24 h. This represents a novel advancement, identifying microbicides that do not contain anti-viral agents used to treat HIV infection and which can be used repeatedly and independently of coitus, and underscores the need for future clinical testing of their safety and ability to prevent HIV transmission in humans

Dopamine Transporter and Reward Anticipation in a Dimensional Perspective : A Multimodal Brain Imaging Study

We would like to thank Christine Baron, Vincent Brulon, Stéphane LeHelleix, Stéphane Demphel, Claude Comtat, Frédéric Dollé, Philippe Gervais, and Renaud Maroy from the Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot for their efficient technical support and 11C radioligand preparation. They thank Marie Prat, Audrey Pepin, and Audrey Mabondo for their help in PET processing and Pr. Maria-Joao Santiago-Ribeiro and Dr Renaud de Beaurepaire for their involvement in the recruitment of participants.Peer reviewedPostprin