Flatfish stock enhancement: Examining conditioning strategies to promote success

Conditioning is the process of providing individuals reared for stock enhancement with some degree of wild experience prior to release. Flatfish trained for wild conditions may more easily and successfully transition to natural environments. This dissertation identifies strategies that optimize feeding-related performance of flatfish in the hatchery and subsequently post release in the wild. The influence of live feed conditioning on feeding performance of juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, was investigated. In the hatchery, fish reared on live feeds exhibited significantly higher survival (P \u3c 0.0001) and growth (P \u3c 0.01) than those reared on formulated feed. Once released into cages in the wild, amphipodreared fish had higher mean Stomach Contents Index and RNA/DNA of all feed types, including wild fish. Wild and worm-reared fish exhibited the most similar survival, baseline RNA/DNA values, overall stomach fullness, and diet composition profiles over time. Pre-release, experimental cage conditioning was conducted for stocking Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, in Wakasa Bay, Japan. Recaptured fish were acquired through a cooperative effort between researchers and local fishermen. More conditioned fish were recaptured than non-conditioned fish. Laboratory experiments revealed that conditioned fish had significantly better burying abilities (p \u3c 0.001) and enhanced feeding abilities compared to non-conditioned fish. Video trials were conducted with Japanese flounder to assess the behavior of reared fish directly from hatchery tanks, cage-conditioned, and released-and-recaptured, compared to wild fish. Wild fish buried and attacked most, followed by conditioned, reared-and-recaptured, and non-conditioned fish. Wild and conditioned fish revealed much lower variation in total movement duration, which corresponded with lower levels and variation in prey vertical movement. All fish exhibited a lower number of attacks and off-bottom swimming events, and a lower movement duration when exposed to a moving predator model. The present research provides information that may promote advances in feeding strategies for flatfish stock enhancement. This work is the first to examine flatfish conditioning strategies using market data and to evaluate the behavior of hatchery-reared flatfish that have been cage-conditioned or released-and-recaptured. In addition, evidence of enhanced performance by cage-conditioned flounder is provided

Harvest weed seed control: is there a role in northern region farming systems?

Harvest weed seed control (HWSC) is a new approach which targets weed seed removal and/or destruction during the crop harvest operation. The success of HWSC is dependant upon weed seed retention at harvest. To identify and define the potential value of HWSC in northern farming systems, we conducted a field survey. In total 1400 transects across 70 paddocks assessed weed distribution, density and seed production at harvest time in wheat, chickpea and sorghum crops. Seventy weed species were identified, of which many had large seed numbers retained at crop harvest. The most prevalent included common sowthistle, flaxleaf fleabane, awnless barnyard grass, wild oat, and African turnip weed. Our field survey has shown there is a role for HWSC in the northern farming system. Therefore the efficacy of specific HWSC systems on problematic weeds should be evaluated in the northern region

How do we teach clinicians where the resources for best evidence are?

The Sinai Health System (SHS) Library created an online tool kit that groups electronic resources into tiers based on the hierarchy of evidence, in a step-by-step approach. Mobile application options are available for most of the resources. The goal is to provide a simple, practical teaching tool to help clinicians easily find quality health information from the vast offerings of publishers. Since its publication in 2008, the original tool kit received positive feedback from medical students and in-house clinical staff. As well, the tool kit has been incorporated into the teachings of the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Ontario, Ministry of Public Health, and various hospital and patient libraries across the Greater Toronto Area. The SHS Library encourages other libraries and institutions to adapt the tool kit for their users. In the future, this tool kit will be revised to tailor to the research needs of nursing and allied health staff

Adult coping with childhood sexual abuse: A theoretical and empirical review

Coping has been suggested as an important element in understanding the long-term functioning of individuals with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). The present review synthesizes the literature on coping with CSA, first by examining theories of coping with trauma, and, second by examining how these theories have been applied to studies of coping in samples of CSA victims. Thirty-nine studies were reviewed, including eleven descriptive studies of the coping strategies employed by individuals with a history of CSA, eighteen correlational studies of the relationship between coping strategies and long-term functioning of CSA victims, and ten investigations in which coping was examined as a mediational factor in relation to long-term outcomes. These studies provide initial information regarding early sexual abuse and subsequent coping processes. However, this literature is limited by several theoretical and methodological issues, including a failure to specify the process of coping as it occurs, a disparity between theory and research, and limited applicability to clinical practice. Future directions of research are discussed and include the need to understand coping as a process, identification of coping in relation to adaptive outcomes, and considerations of more complex mediational and moderational processes in the study of coping with CSA

Challenges faced by movement therapists in terms of recognition of their profession : a project based upon an independent investigation

This empirical qualitative study was conducted to determine what movement therapists do and how their services interact with traditional psychotherapy. The purpose of this project was to provide information about dance/movement therapy as a way to promote the practice and move towards bridging the gap between this alternative therapy and mainstream psychotherapies. This exploratory and descriptive study was carried out through semi-structured interviews. The sample (N=9) was made of up dance/movement therapists who were certified by the American Dance Therapy Association. Questions were designed to gather information about participant demographics, training and certification processes, methods and significance of dance/movement therapy, client characteristics and building clientele and report. A content analysis of the findings indicated that dance/movement therapists do experience difficulties in developing a rapport within the mental health field. It was also discovered that most people have a poor understanding of what dance/movement therapy is and how it works as psychotherapeutic treatment. Cultural and spiritual implications are examined as well, as they relate to the alternative practice of dance/movement therapy

Emotional capital and the benefits for personal well-being : how positive moments with you might help me too

Couples share many different types of experiences together, but recent research has begun to focus on their ordinary shared positive moments. The theory of emotional capital suggests that the accumulation of positive experiences shared between partners can buffer couples’ from the harmful impact relationship threats can have on their marital happiness. Though prior work has demonstrated the benefits of emotional capital for relationship well-being, less attention has been given to the potential benefits for individual well-being. Therefore, the first goal of the current project was to extend existing theories of emotional capital to identify whether every day shared positive moments with a partner may similarly buffer the individuals from their personal life challenges experienced outside their relationship. In two daily diary studies, I tested whether emotional capital is associated with reduced reactivity to both daily personal stress and chronic life stress over time. The second goal of the present work was to investigate an alternative way in which emotional capital may benefit personal wellbeing. Specifically, I tested whether emotional capital is associated with better mental health indirectly through increasing perceptions of partner support. Supporting my predictions, emotional capital moderated the association between spouses’ daily stress and daily mood (Study 1a). In other words, emotional capital was associated with reduced reactivity to personal daily stressors. Contrary to hypotheses, however, emotional capital did not buffer individuals from their chronic stressors (Study 1b) and did not predict better prospective mental health directly or indirectly through increased perceptions of support (Study 2). These findings suggest that emotional capital can have important benefits for personal well-being; however, those benefits may only extend to spouses’ immediate context and daily mental health.Human Development and Family Science

The role of emotional capital during the early years of marriage : it’s about the little things

In ongoing relationships, partners often accumulate a number of shared positive moments together, referred to as emotional capital. Although these moments may seem trivial on the surface, emotional capital has been shown to be an important resource when faced with relationship threats. The proposed study aimed to examine the longitudinal effects of emotional capital using daily diary assessments collected from 167 couples across the first 3 years of marriage. Conceptually replicating prior work, we found that individuals who accumulated more emotional capital on average maintained greater levels of satisfaction on days of greater relationship threat when compared to those individuals who accumulated less emotional capital. We also tested whether (1) the trajectories of emotional capital across time predicted later reactivity and (2) whether the buffering effect of emotional capital became stronger over time. We did not find support for either of these predictions. Lastly, the current study examined whether emotional capital not only reduced reactivity, but also reduced the likelihood that spouses detected threats in the first place. Results indicated that compared to husbands who accumulated less emotional capital, husbands who accumulated more emotional capital exhibited less vigilance for their wives’ daily negative behaviors within the relationship. Wives’ vigilance for their husbands’ negative behaviors was unaffected by their accumulations of emotional capital.Human Development and Family Science

PEX11β induces peroxisomal gene expression and alters peroxisome number during early Xenopus laevis development

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Peroxisomes are organelles whose roles in fatty acid metabolism and reactive oxygen species elimination have contributed much attention in understanding their origin and biogenesis. Many studies have shown that <it>de novo </it>peroxisome biogenesis is an important regulatory process, while yeast studies suggest that total peroxisome numbers are in part regulated by proteins such as Pex11, which can facilitate the division of existing peroxisomes. Although <it>de novo </it>biogenesis and divisions are likely important mechanisms, the regulation of peroxisome numbers during embryonic development is poorly understood. Peroxisome number and function are particularly crucial in oviparous animals such as frogs where large embryonic yolk and fatty acid stores must be quickly metabolized, and resulting reactive oxygen species eliminated. Here we elucidate the role of Pex11β in regulating peroxisomal gene expression and number in <it>Xenopus laevis </it>embryogenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Microinjecting haemagglutinin (HA) tagged Pex11β in early embryos resulted in increased RNA levels for peroxisome related genes PMP70 and catalase at developmental stages 10 and 20, versus uninjected embryos. Catalase and PMP70 proteins were found in punctate structures at stage 20 in control embryos, whereas the injection of ectopic HA-Pex11β induced their earlier localization in punctate structures at stage 10. Furthermore, the peroxisomal marker GFP-SKL, which was found localized as peroxisome-like structures at stage 20, was similarly found at stage 10 when co-microinjected with HA-Pex11β.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overexpressed Pex11β altered peroxisomal gene levels and induced the early formation of peroxisomes-like structures during development, both of which demonstrate that Pex11β may be a key regulator of peroxisome number in early Xenopus embryos.</p

Factors Affecting Young Mothers’ Access to Child Healthcare Services: A Behavioural Analysis to Guide the Development of Interventions

Young mothers are more likely to access healthcare for their children in emergent care settings and less likely to use preventive care. This study examines the healthcare-seeking behaviours of young mothers to inform the design of tailored interventions. Semi-structured interviews with nine young mothers (aged ≤ 25 years) who were attending a supported playgroup in Brisbane, Australia were conducted and explored using the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Five behavioural themes were identified (navigating the system, complex referral pathways, delays and long wait times, understanding child development, and connecting to services) and the role of the supported playgroup in shaping young mothers’ understanding of child development and connecting them to services was highlighted. Recommended strategies to address these factors include opportunities for young mothers to learn about child developmental milestones, improving young mothers’ health literacy, increasing young mothers’ skills and/or the availability of support to help them navigate health services, and providing more accessible entry points for child assessments, referrals, or early intervention programs

Neural bases of semantic-memory deficits for events

This study investigated the neural bases of event-related semantic-memory deficits among people with aphasia due to left-hemisphere (LH) stroke. A novel task using naturalistic photographic stimuli and patient-friendly procedures was used to test event-related semantic knowledge. In the task, participants decided whether depicted events were normal (represented in semantic memory) or were abnormal (not represented in semantic memory). Performance on this Event task was correlated with deficits in action- and object-concept processing and on standardized language measures, especially action- and verb-processing deficits. Logistic regression analyses examined lesion correlates of patient performance on the Event task. Surprisingly, increasing LH lesion size in action ROIs was associated with improved performance on the event-knowledge task. These findings suggest that action processing may play a special role in event-related semantic memory representations. Furthermore, they are consistent with recent claims that the right hemisphere may be especially important for activation of event-related knowledge