A Bioeconomic Analysis of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Lobster Fishery

Several surplus production-based bioeconomic models are applied to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) commercial lobster fishery. The model which best explains the biological dynamics of the fishery is a modification of the Fox model developed by the authors. Economic costs are applied within a number of conceptual frameworks to develop the first integrated bioeconomic model of the fishery. In another development, the opportunity cost of labor based on crew share at the open access equilibrium level of fishing effort is used instead of proxy wage levels. Given the costs incurred, the fishery appears to be self-regulating in terms of long-term fishing effort for maximum sustainable yield.biological production models, fisheries economics, fisheries management, spiny lobster, slipper lobster, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Selenate-enriched urea granules are a highly effective fertilizer for selenium biofortification of paddy rice grain

Citation: Premarathna, Lakmalie, Mike J. McLaughlin, Jason K. Kirby, Ganga M. Hettiarachchi, Samuel Stacey, and David J. Chittleborough. “Selenate-Enriched Urea Granules Are a Highly Effective Fertilizer for Selenium Biofortification of Paddy Rice Grain.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 60, no. 23 (June 13, 2012): 6037–44. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf3005788.We examined the effects of applied selenium (Se) species, time of application, method of application and soil water management regime on accumulation of Se in rice plants. Plants were grown to maturity in a temperature- and humidity-controlled growth chamber using three water management methods: field capacity (FC), submerged until harvest, and submerged and drained two weeks before harvest; two Se species: selenate (SeO[subscript 4] ˉ²) and selenite (SeO[subscript 3]ˉ²) applied at a rate equivalent to 30 g haˉ¹; and four application methods: i) Se applied at soil preparation, ii) Se-enriched urea granules applied to floodwater at heading iii) foliar Se applied at heading and iv) fluid fertilizer Se applied to soil or floodwater at heading. Total Se concentrations in rice grains, husks, leaves, culms and roots were measured, as well as Se speciation in grains from the Se-enriched urea granule treatment. Highest Se concentrations in the grain occurred with SeO[subscript 4] ˉ² and with fertilizer applied at heading stage; SeO[subscript 4]ˉ²-enriched urea granules applied at heading increased grain Se concentrations 5 to 6 fold (by 450-600 μg kgˉ¹) compared to the control (no fertilizer Se applied) in all water treatments. Under paddy conditions other Se fertilization strategies were much less effective. Drainage before harvesting caused Se to accumulate in/on rice roots, possibly through adsorption onto iron plaque on roots. Rice grains contained Se mainly in the organic form as selenomethionine (SeM) which comprised over 90 % of the total grain Se in treatments fertilized with SeO[subscript 4]ˉ² -enriched urea granules. The results of this study clearly show of the fertilizer strategies tested that biofortification of Se in rice grains can best be achieved in lowland rice by broadcast application of SeO[subscript 4]ˉ² -enriched urea granules to floodwater at heading stage

Root uptake of lipophilic zinc-rhamnolipid complexes

This study investigated the formation and plant uptake of lipophilic metal-rhamnolipid complexes. Monorhamnosyl and dirhamnosyl rhamnolipids formed lipophilic complexes with copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn). Rhamnolipids significantly increased Zn absorption by Brassica napus var. Pinnacle roots in 65Zn-spiked ice-cold solutions, compared with ZnSO4 alone. Therefore, rhamnolipid appeared to facilitate Zn absorption via a nonmetabolically mediated pathway. Synchrotron XRF and XAS showed that Zn was present in roots as Zn-phytate-like compounds when roots were treated with Zn-free solutions, ZnSO4, or Zn-EDTA. With rhamnolipid application, Zn was predominantly found in roots as the Zn-rhamnolipid complex. When applied to a calcareous soil, rhamnolipids increased dry matter production and Zn concentrations in durum (Triticum durum L. cv. Balcali-2000) and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. BDME-10) shoots. Rhamnolipids either increased total plant uptake of Zn from the soil or increased Zn translocation by reducing the prevalence of insoluble Zn-phytate-like compounds in roots

Assessing Work-Related Burnout and Job Satisfaction among Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program Coordinators

Introduction. This study explored the prevalence of and the relationshipbetween job satisfaction and burnout among obstetrics andgynecology residency program coordinators.Methods.xThis cross-sectional study involved members of theAmerican Program Managers of Obstetrics and Gynecology. TheCopenhagen Burnout Inventory and Spector’s Job SatisfactionSurvey were used to measure the participants’ burnout and job satisfactionrates respectively. Data were collected between August 2017and December 2017. The authors used Fisher’s exact tests, Spearman’sr correlations, and multiple linear regression to analyze thedata.Results. There was an 83% (171/207) response rate. Thirteenpercent of the coordinators reported high, 70% moderate, and 17%low job satisfaction scores. Thirty-nine percent of the coordinatorsreported high, 25% moderate, and 36% slight work-related burnoutrates. Correlation coefficient showed a significantly negative relationshipbetween job satisfaction and work-rated burnout, (rs[169] =-0.402, p < 0.01). Regression analysis showed co-workers (β = -0.47)and supervision (β = -0.16) domains of the job satisfaction scale weresignificant predictors of work-related burnout (R = 0.55; F[5, 195] =11.05; p < .001).Conclusions. The findings highlight the importance of job satisfactionfactors, such as support from coworkers and supervisors, indealing with work-related burnout among residency coordinators.Kans J Med 2019;12(1):11-16

Sulfur and Selenium Ylide Bond Enthalpies

The bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of sulfur and selenium ylides have been estimated by applying MP2/6-311++G(3df,2p)//MP2/6-31G(d,p), G3, and other computational methods. Computed sulfoxide bond enthalpies were compared to experimental results to ensure the reliability of the computational methods before extending to related compounds. The examined ylides include the following:  sulfoxides, sulfilimines, S,C-sulfonium ylides, and selenoxides. Selenoxides have BDEs about 10 kcal/mol smaller than the corresponding sulfoxides. N-H sulfilimines and CH2-S,C-sulfonium ylides have low BDEs, unless the sulfilimine or S,C-sulfonium ylide is stabilized by an electronegative substituent on N or C, respectively. Incorporation of the S or Se into a thiophene or selenophene-type ring lowers the BDE for the ylide

Thermoresponsive polymer micropatterns fabricated by dip-pen nanolithography for a highly controllable substrate with potential cellular applications

We report a novel approach for patterning thermoresponsive hydrogels based on N,N-diethylacrylamide (DEAAm) and bifunctional Jeffamine ED-600 by dip-pen nanolithography (DPN). The direct writing of micron-sized thermoresponsive polymer spots was achieved with efficient control over feature size. A Jeffamine-based ink prepared through the combination of organic polymers, such as DEAAm, in an inorganic silica network was used to print thermosensitive arrays on a thiol-silanised silicon oxide substrate. The use of a Jeffamine hydrogel, acting as a carrier matrix, allowed a reduction in the evaporation of ink molecules with high volatility, such as DEAAm, and facilitated the transfer of ink from tip to substrate. The thermoresponsive behaviour of polymer arrays which swell/de-swell in aqueous solution in response to a change in temperature was successfully characterised by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy: a thermally-induced change in height and hydration state was observed, respectively. Finally, we demonstrate that cells can adhere to and interact with these dynamic features and exhibit a change in behaviour when cultured on the substrates above and below the transition temperature of the Jeffamine/DEAAm thermoresponsive hydrogels. This demonstrates the potential of these micropatterned hydrogels to act as a controllable surface for cell growth

Observation-based modeling of ozone chemistry in the Seoul metropolitan area during the Korea-United States Air Quality Study (KORUS-AQ)

The Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) has a population of 24 million and frequently experiences unhealthy levels of ozone (O3). In this work, measurements taken during the Korea-United States Air Quality Study (KORUS-AQ, 2016) are used to explore regional gradients in O3 and its chemical precursors, and an observationally-constrained 0-D photochemical box model is used to quantify key aspects of O3 production including its sensitivity to precursor gases. Box model performance was evaluated by comparing modeled concentrations of select secondary species to airborne measurements. These comparisons indicate that the steady state assumption used in 0-D box models cannot describe select intermediate species, highlighting the importance of having a broad suite of trace gases as model constraints. When fully constrained, aggregated statistics of modeled O3 production rates agreed with observed changes in O3, indicating that the box model was able to represent the majority of O3 chemistry. Comparison of airborne observations between urban Seoul and a downwind receptor site reveal a positive gradient in O3 coinciding with a negative gradient in NOx, no gradient in CH2O, and a slight positive gradient in modeled rates of O3 production. Together, these observations indicate a radical-limited (VOC-limited) O3 production environment in the SMA. Zero-out simulations identified C7+ aromatics as the dominant VOC contributors to O3 production, with isoprene and anthropogenic alkenes making smaller but appreciable contributions. Simulations of model sensitivity to decreases in NOx produced results that were not spatially uniform, with large increases in O3 production predicted for urban Seoul and decreases in O3 production predicted for far-outlying areas. The policy implications of this work are clear: Effective O3 mitigation strategies in the SMA must focus on reducing local emissions of C7+ aromatics, while reductions in NOx emissions may increase O3 in some areas but generally decrease the regional extent of O3 exposure

Social consequences of planned relocation in response to sea level rise: impacts on anxiety, well-being, and perceived safety

Governments globally are adapting to sea level rise through a range of interventions to improve everyday lives of communities at risk. One prominent response is planned relocation, where people and communities are enabled to move from localities exposed to coastal erosion and inundation as a result of sea level rise. Managed retreat has significant social consequences including under-reported impacts on health, well-being and social identity. Here we adopt well-established measures of well-being and document the outcomes of planned relocation on well-being in the Volta Delta region of Ghana. Data from a bespoke survey for individuals (n = 505) in relocated and non-relocated communities demonstrate that planned relocation negatively impacts well-being and anxiety of those relocated when compared to a community that is equally exposed but has not moved. Individuals in the relocated community reported significantly lower levels of overall wellbeing, significantly higher levels of anxiety, and lower perceptions of safety, compared to non-relocated community members. These outcomes are explained as being related to the disruption of community connection, identities, and feelings of efficacy. Relocated community members reported significantly lower levels of attachment to the local area and home, significantly lower levels of community-based self-efficacy, and significantly lower levels of overall community-based identity. The results demonstrate that planned relocation to address sea level rise has multiple social consequences with outcomes for well-being that are not straightforwardly related to risk reduction

The Role of Patient Activation in Preferences for Shared Decision Making: Results From a National Survey of US Adults

Financial support for this study was provided by a contract with UnitedHealthcare, Optum Institute. The funding agreement ensured our independence in designing the study, interpreting the data, and writing and publishing the report. Samuel G. Smith is supported by a Cancer Research UK Postdoctoral Fellowship (C42785=A17965). Carol J. Simon and Steven R. Rush are employed by the sponsor