Shango businessplan: gecontroleerd schelpdierkweeksysteem, van zaad tot aan consumptiemossel; systeemontwerp, protocollen, technisch-economische haalbaarheid

Het natuurlijke aanbod van uitgangsmateriaal voor schelpdierteelt(zaad) vertoont jaarlijks sterke fluctuaties. Er is daarom behoefte aan nieuwe technieken ten behoeve van de zaadvoorziening. Een nieuwe techniek is productie van zaad op land in een hatchery/nursery Het project is gericht op de mossel (Mytilus Edulis) en het ontwikkelen en uittesten van een prototype hatchery/nursery met growout systemen. De technische beschrijving beperkt zich tot op systeemniveau, inclusief het programma van eisen voor de benodigde componenten. Tevens worden de operationele aspecten in protocollen weergegeven. Tenslotte wordt aan het eind een technisch-economische beschouwing gegeven. De kostprijs voor hatcheryzaad is nog vele malen te hoog t.o.v. bodemzaad en mosselzaadinvang

Fokkerij op ziekteresistentie van Japanse oesters

Het oesterherpesvirus OsHV-1 µvar veroorzaakt hoge sterfte onder Japanse oesters in de Nederlandse kweekgebieden. De oestersector ondervindt problemen van deze sterfte. In deze studie is geïnventariseerd of een fokprogramma waarbij oesters geselecteerd worden op resistentie tegen het oesterherpesvirus en vervolgens worden voortgeplant in een hatchery uitkomst kan geven voor deze problematiek. Ook is bekeken of een fokprogramma gebruikt kan worden ter verbetering van groei en conditie van oesters

Perspectives of Patients with Insulin-Treated Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes on Hypoglycemia: Results of the HAT Observational Study in Central and Eastern European Countries

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the level of awareness of hypoglycemia, the level of fear for hypoglycemia, and the response to hypoglycemic events among insulin-treated diabetes patients from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The impact of hypoglycemia on the use of healthcare resources and patient productivity was also assessed. METHODS: This was a multicenter, non-interventional, two-part, patient self-reported questionnaire study that comprised both a retrospective cross-sectional evaluation and a prospective observational evaluation. Study participants were insulin-treated adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from CEE. RESULTS: Most patients (85.4% T1DM and 83.6% T2DM) reported normal hypoglycemia awareness. The median hypoglycemia fear score was 5 out of 10 for T1DM and 4 out of 10 for T2DM patients. Patients increased glucose monitoring, consulted a doctor/nurse, and/or reduced the insulin dose in response to hypoglycemia. As a consequence of hypoglycemia, patients took leave from work/studies or arrived late and/or left early. Hospitalization was required for 31 (1.2%) patients with T1DM and 66 (2.1%) patients with T2DM. CONCLUSION: Hypoglycemia impacts patients' personal and social functioning, reduces productivity, and results in additional costs, both direct (related to increased use of healthcare resources) and indirect (related to absenteeism. FUNDING: Novo Nordisk

Effect of Carbonate Chemistry Alteration on the Early Embryonic Development of the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

Ocean acidification, due to anthropogenic CO2 absorption by the ocean, may have profound impacts on marine biota. Calcareous organisms are expected to be particularly sensitive due to the decreasing availability of carbonate ions driven by decreasing pH levels. Recently, some studies focused on the early life stages of mollusks that are supposedly more sensitive to environmental disturbances than adult stages. Although these studies have shown decreased growth rates and increased proportions of abnormal development under low pH conditions, they did not allow attribution to pH induced changes in physiology or changes due to a decrease in aragonite saturation state. This study aims to assess the impact of several carbonate-system perturbations on the growth of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae during the first 3 days of development (until shelled D-veliger larvae). Seawater with five different chemistries was obtained by separately manipulating pH, total alkalinity and aragonite saturation state (calcium addition). Results showed that the developmental success and growth rates were not directly affected by changes in pH or aragonite saturation state but were highly correlated with the availability of carbonate ions. In contrast to previous studies, both developmental success into viable D-shaped larvae and growth rates were not significantly altered as long as carbonate ion concentrations were above aragonite saturation levels, but they strongly decreased below saturation levels. These results suggest that the mechanisms used by these organisms to regulate calcification rates are not efficient enough to compensate for the low availability of carbonate ions under corrosive conditions

INNODIA Master Protocol for the evaluation of investigational medicinal products in children, adolescents and adults with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes

Background The INNODIA consortium has established a pan-European infrastructure using validated centres to prospectively evaluate clinical data from individuals with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes combined with centralised collection of clinical samples to determine rates of decline in beta-cell function and identify novel biomarkers, which could be used for future stratification of phase 2 clinical trials. Methods In this context, we have developed a Master Protocol, based on the “backbone” of the INNODIA natural history study, which we believe could improve the delivery of phase 2 studies exploring the use of single or combinations of Investigational Medicinal Products (IMPs), designed to prevent or reverse declines in beta-cell function in individuals with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. Although many IMPs have demonstrated potential efficacy in phase 2 studies, few subsequent phase 3 studies have confirmed these benefits. Currently, phase 2 drug development for this indication is limited by poor evaluation of drug dosage and lack of mechanistic data to understand variable responses to the IMPs. Identification of biomarkers which might permit more robust stratification of participants at baseline has been slow. Discussion The Master Protocol provides (1) standardised assessment of efficacy and safety, (2) comparable collection of mechanistic data, (3) the opportunity to include adaptive designs and the use of shared control groups in the evaluation of combination therapies, and (4) benefits of greater understanding of endpoint variation to ensure more robust sample size calculations and future baseline stratification using existing and novel biomarkers

Regulation of annual variation in heterotrophic bacterial production in the Schelde estuary (SW Netherlands)

Heterotrophic bacterioplankton production (H-3-thymidine incorporation rate) and abundance in the surface water of the Schelde estuary (The Netherlands) were studied during an annual cycle in 1991 along the salinity gradient (0.8 to 33 psu). Bacterial production and numbers increased from the lower to the upper estuary. This spatial variability of bacterial production was positively correlated with concentrations of dissolved and particulate organic carbon and negatively correlated with the oxygen concentration. On an annual scale the ratio gross bacterial production:net primary production was larger than 1 in the whole estuary and increased from the lower to the upper estuary. This indicates that bacteria processed more carbon than was put into the system by phytoplankton primary production. A comparable situation is found in other estuaries and shows the high degree of heterotrophy of these systems. Despite the high degree of heterotrophy, temporal variation in bacterial production in the lower Schelde estuary was characterised by a spring and summer bloom and was correlated with phytoplankton primary production. This apparent contradiction is explained by rapid uptake of labile algal exudates by bacteria and a subsequent increase of bacterial production rate during and after the phytoplankton bloom. This idea is corroborated by the absence of an increase in dissolved organic carbon during phytoplankton blooms in the lower estuary. Due to an excess of allochthonous organic carbon and nutrients in the upper estuary, temperature was the most important factor in explaining the variability of bacterial production in this region. [KEYWORDS: heterotrophic bacterial production; organic carbon; primary production; estuary Phytoplankton primary production; ecosystem model moses; fresh-water bacteria; westerschelde estuary; growth-rate; bacterioplankton abundance; thymidine incorporation; organic-carbon; chesapeake bay; biomass]

Bacterial and phytoplankton production in the maximum turbidity zone of three European estuaries: the Elbe, Westerschelde and Gironde

Biomass and production of phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria in spring are presented for three turbid European estuaries, the Elbe (Germany), the Westerschelde (The Netherlands) and the Gironde (France), with emphasis on the effect of turbidity on microbial community densities and activities. Total suspended matter (TSM) concentrations were highest in the Gironde estuary and lowest in the Elbe estuary. Maximum concentrations were found in the maximum turbidity zone (MTZ). Both primary production (PP) and bacterial production (BP) showed a longitudinal gradient with lowest PP and highest BP in the MTZ. Production rates of both phytoplankton and bacterioplankton were lowest in the Gironde and highest in the Westerschelde. PP was positively correlated with the depth of the euphotic zone while BP was positively correlated with TSM and particulate organic carbon. The POC/TSM-ratio, which is related to the degradability of organic carbon, was differed between the three estuaries and was highest in the Westerschelde. The ratio BP:PP was generally very high (> 1), and maximal in the MTZ (> 4), illustrating the heterotrophic nature of the estuarine ecosystems. Due to the extremely high turbidity in the Gironde, the contribution of bacterial carbon to total microbial biomass (bacteria + algae) was > 50%. We conclude that the MTZ has a pronounced impact on the structure and functioning of the microbial community leading to an increased importance of heterotrophic processes and increased degradation of organic material. [KEYWORDS: bacteria; bacterial production; estuaries; maximum turbidity zone; phytoplankton; primary production Fresh-water bacteria; suspended-solids; sw netherlands; thymidine incorporation; continuous culture; organic-matter; light; growth; algal; bacterioplankton]

Bacterioplankton abundance and production and nanozooplankton abundance in Kenyan coastal waters (Western Indian Ocean)

Bacterial abundance, [H-3]thymidine incorporation rate and heterotrophic nanoflagellate abundance were measured in the water column along transects perpendicular to the Kenyan coast (western Indian Ocean) during June-July (SE monsoon) and November-December (intermonsoon) 1992. Bacterial abundance was low (less than 6 x 10(5) cells ml(-1)). Bacterial production estimated from thymidine incorporation rate at near-coastal stations was higher during the intermonsoon period. Production estimates decreased with depth and distance from the coast. Growth rates of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellate abundance were higher during the intermonsoon, indicating a higher turnover than during the SE monsoon. Grazing rates by nanoflagellates, based on their abundance, were estimated to be 100% or more of bacterial production. Bacteria probably supply only part of the nanoflagellate carbon demand. Bacterial production (BP) was high compared with primary production (PP), with average BPnet/PPnet ratios of much greater than 100% and 34% during the SE monsoon and intermonsoon, respectively. Compared with open oceanic regions, both BP and PP in Kenyan coastal waters are low. We conclude that BP is not directly coupled to PP and that recycled carbon, e.g. via grazing, is an important source for bacterial growth. [KEYWORDS: Heterotrophic bacterioplankton; thymidine incorporation bacterial production; surface waters; microbial loop; food web; dynamics; biomass; growth; sea]

Nutrients, Light and Primary Production by Phytoplankton and Microphytobenthos in the Eutrophic, Turbid Westerschelde Estuary (the Netherlands)

Abiotic factors and primary production by phytoplankton and microphytobenthos was studied in the turbid estuary. Because of the high turbidity and high nutrient concentrations primary production by phytoplankton is light-limited. In the inner and central parts of the estuary maximum rates of primary production were therefore measured during the summer, whereas in the more marine part spring and autumn bloom were observed. Organic loading is high, causing near anaerobic conditions upstream in the river Schelde. Because of this there were no important phytoplankton grazers in this part of the estuary and hence the grazing pressure on phytoplankton was minimal. As this reduced losses, biomass is maximal in the river Schelde, despite the very low growth rates. On a number of occasions, primary production by benthic micro-algae on intertidal flats was studied. Comparison of their rates of primary production to phytoplankton production in the same period led to the conclusion that the contribution to total primary production by benthic algae was small. The main reason for this is that the photosynthetic activity declines rapidly after the flats emerged from the water. It is argued that CO2-limitation could only be partially responsible for the noticed decrease in activity. [KEYWORDS: Westerschelde estuary; phytoplankton; primary production; turbidity; microphytobenthos Model; photosynthesis; biomass; lake]