Hooking Mortality of Smallmouth Bass Caught on Live Minnows and Artificial Spinners

The success of no‐kill regulations for salmonid fisheries has led to increased interest in applying them to warmwater fisheries. Hooking mortality often makes gear restrictions critical to the success of these regulations. The objective of this study was to determine the probability of death (hooking mortality) for smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui caught on live minnows and artificial spinners. We collected 55 wild smallmouth bass from 6.3 to 12.6 in long and tagged them for individual recognition. We divided them into approximately equal groups and released them into artificial stream channels. During four 2‐week test periods, we hooked and released fish in one channel using live minnows on a single hook and in the other channel using a spinner with a treble hook. Some fish in each channel were not hooked during the study. Mortality was 11% for smallmouth bass hooked on minnows, 0% for those hooked on spinners, and 4% for those not hooked. Mortality of fish hooked with minnows was significantly greater than mortality of either spinner‐hooked or unhooked fish (P < 0.05); the latter two mortalities did not differ significantly. Some fish were caught numerous times, and others were never caught. If other types of natural baits and artificial lures also give similar results, it may be necessary to restrict fishing gear to artificial lures to ensure success of no‐kill fishing regulations for smallmouth bass.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141867/1/nafm0081.pd

Juvenile/Mature Wood Transition in Loblolly Pine as Defined by Annual Ring Specific Gravity, Proportion of Latewood, and Microfibril Angle

The length of juvenility or number of years a tree produces juvenile wood at a fixed height can be defined by the age of the wood at which properties change from juvenile to mature wood. This paper estimates the age of transition from juvenile to mature wood based on ring specific gravity (SG), proportion of annual ring in latewood, and ring average microfibril angle (MFA). The threshold method and the segmented modeling approach were used to estimate the age of transition. Twenty loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations, 20-27 years old, were sampled across five physiographic regions in the southern United States. Increment cores were collected at 1.3 meters from 15 trees in each stand to determine ring specific gravity and proportion of latewood by X-ray densitometry and annual ring MFA by X-ray diffraction. Precisely determining the transition age between juvenile and mature wood was difficult because transition is gradual, not abrupt. The age of transition was found to differ by wood property because these properties mature at different rates due to genetic and environmental factors. Both the threshold and the segmented model approach showed that transition age varied among regions. Both approaches showed that length of juvenility based on ring SG was shorter in the South Atlantic and North Atlantic Coastal Plains (ranging from 5.5 to 7.9 years) compared to that in the Hilly Coastal Plain that ranged from 10.4 to 13.6 years. Using MFA to estimate the age of demarcation, both approaches showed the South Atlantic, Gulf Coastal, and Hilly Coastal Plains had shorter lengths of juvenility (ranging from 8.4 to 10.4 years) than the Piedmont and North Atlantic Coastal Plain (ranging from 10.5 to over 20 years)

Variation in Loblolly Pine Cross-Sectional Microfibril Angle With Tree Height and Physiographic Region

The effect of height and physiographic region on whole disk cross-sectional microfibril angle (CSMFA) in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in the southern United States was evaluated. Whole disk CSMFA was determined at 1.4, 4.6, 7.6, 10.7, and 13.7 m up the stem of 59 trees, representing five physiographic regions. A mixed-effects analysis of variance was performed to test the significance of height, region, and the height by region interaction on CSMFA. Height, region, and the height by region interaction terms were all found to be significant at the 0.10 level. Significant differences were found in CSMFA between 1.4 m and all other height levels in all regions. However, there was no difference between CSMFA at 1.4 m and 13.7 m in the Gulf Coastal Plain. No significant difference was found in CSMFA between 4.5, 7.6, and 10.7 meter-height levels in all regions. CSMFA was found to be significantly larger in the north Atlantic and Piedmont regions compared to the south Atlantic, Gulf, and Hilly regions at all heights. The analysis of variance also indicated that significant variation exists among trees within stands and across stands within regions. This is an indicator that aside from the distinct patterns of CSMFA within trees, other factors including site quality, length of growing season, rainfall, and genetics could possibly play a key role in CSMFA development

Inter-Annual Variability in Pasture Herbage Accumulation in Temperate Dairy Regions: Causes, Consequences, and Management Tools

Inter-annual variation in pasture herbage accumulation rate (HAR) is common in temperate dairy regions, posing challenges for farmers in the management of dairy cow feeding and of pasture state. This paper reviews the biophysical factors that cause inter-annual variation, considers some of its consequences for the efficient harvest of pasture, and discusses the basis for decision rules and support tools that are available to assist New Zealand and Australian farmers to help manage the consequences of an imbalance between feed supply and demand. These tools are well-grounded in scientific research and farmer experience, but are not widely used in the Australasian dairy industries. Some of the reasons for this are discussed. Inter-annual variability in HAR cannot be removed, even with inputs such as irrigation, but reliable forecasts of pasture HAR for a month or more could greatly improve the effectiveness of operational and tactical decision-making. Various approaches to pasture forecasting, based on pasture growth simulation models, are presented and discussed. Some of these appear to have reasonable predictive ability. However, considerably more development work is needed to: (1) prove their effectiveness; and (2) build the systems required to capture real-time, on farm data for critical systems variables such as pasture herbage mass and soil water content to combine with daily weather data. This technology presents an opportunity for farmers to gain greater control over variability in pasture-based dairy systems and improve the efficiency of resource use for profit and environmental outcomes

Comparison of Three Aspirin Formulations in Human Volunteers

<p>Introduction: The treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) includes the administration of aspirin. Current guidelines recommend chewing aspirin tablets to increase absorption. While this is intuitive, there are scant data supporting this recommendation. The purpose of this study is to assess which of 3 different aspirin formulations is most rapidly absorbed after ingestion.</p> <p>Methods: A prospective, open-label, 3-way crossover volunteer study at a tertiary university medical center with human subjects 18 years or older. Fasted subjects were randomly assigned to receive aspirin 1,950 mg as (1) solid aspirin tablets swallowed whole, (2) solid aspirin tablet chewed then swallowed, or (3) a chewable aspirin formulation chewed and swallowed. Serum salicylate measurements were obtained over a period of 180 minutes. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined.</p> <p>Results: Thirteen males and 1 female completed all 3 arms of study. Peak serum salicylate concentrations were seen at 180 minutes in all groups. Mean peaks were 10.4, 11.3, and 12.2 mg/dL in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Mean area under the time concentration was 1,153, 1,401, and 1,743 mg-min/dL in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. No measurable salicylate concentrations were seen in 6 subjects in group 1 at 60 minutes as compared to 1 subject in group 2. All subjects in group 3 had measurable levels at 45 minutes. There were no adverse effects in any of the subjects during the study period.</p> <p>Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that the chewable aspirin formulation achieved the most rapid rate of absorption. In addition, the chewable formulation absorption was more complete than the other formulations at 180 minutes. These data suggest that in the treatment of ACS, a chewable aspirin formulation may be preferable to solid tablet aspirin, either chewed or swallowed. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(4):381–385.]</p

Thin-film transducers for the detection and imaging of Brillouin oscillations in transmission on cultured cells

Mechanical imaging and characterisation of biological cells has been a subject of interest for the last twenty years. Ultrasonic imaging based on the scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) and mechanical probing have been extensively reported. Large acoustic attenuation at high frequencies and the use of conventional piezo-electric transducers limit the operational frequency of a SAM. This limitation results in lower resolution compared to an optical microscope. Direct mechanical probing in the form of applied stress by contacting probes causes stress to cells and exhibits poor depth resolution. More recently, laser ultrasound has been reported to detect ultrasound in the GHz range via Brillouin oscillations on biological cells. This technique offers a promising new high resolution acoustic cell imaging technique. In this work, we propose, design and apply a thin-film based opto-acoustic transducer for the detection in transmission of Brillouin oscillations on cells. The transducer is used to generate acoustic waves, protect the cells from laser radiation and enhance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Experimental traces are presented in water films as well as images of the Brillouin frequency of phantom and fixed 3T3 fibroblast cells

Variation in Loblolly Pine Ring Microfibril Angle in the Southeastern United States

The effect of physiographic region on microfibril angle (MFA) in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in the southern United States was evaluated. MFA was determined at 1.4, 4.6, 7.6, 10.7, and 13.7 m up the stem of 59 trees, representing five physiographic regions. A nonlinear mixed-effects model was developed to test for regional differences in the initial value of MFA, the rate at which MFA changes with ring number from pith, and the lower bound of MFA achieved. Our results suggest that the parameters of interest differ significantly by region. It was found that MFA differs significantly between the South Atlantic, Gulf, and Hilly regions, compared to the North Atlantic and Piedmont regions. The initial value of MFA was found to be smaller in the Piedmont compared to all other regions. Similarly, the rate at which MFA changes with ring number was found to be significantly smaller in the North Atlantic and Piedmont regions. A test of the lower bound of MFA indicates that the Piedmont region has a significantly larger lower asymptote. These results combined indicate that overall, MFA values are larger in the North Atlantic and Piedmont regions