Determining the effects of Asian pink and chum salmon on Western Alaska chum salmon growth

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2018Increased hatchery production and favorable ocean conditions have resulted in historically high abundances of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the North Pacific Ocean. Despite these conditions, chum salmon (O. keta) have experienced reductions in growth, body size, and increases in age at maturity throughout their range. In western Alaska, dramatic declines in the abundance of chum salmon between 1997-2001 resulted in numerous fishery and economic disasters among commercial and subsistence users. Chapter 1 reviews existing data on salmon diet and ocean distribution to address the potential for competition between western Alaska chum salmon and Asian pink (O. gorbuscha) and chum salmon in the Bering Sea. Western Alaska chum salmon reside in the Bering Sea during their summer foraging months where they overlap with abundant populations of Russian pink salmon (primarily wild origin) and Japanese chum salmon (primarily hatchery origin). Chum and pink salmon occupy a similar feeding niche, and during years of high pink salmon abundance chum salmon have been observed to alter their ocean distribution and rely more heavily on gelatinous zooplankton species as a primary food source. This spatial and diet overlap suggests that inter- and intra-specific competition might contribute to reduced growth and increased age at maturity of western Alaska chum salmon. Chapter 2 uses retrospective scale analysis coupled with linear mixed-effects modeling to investigate the potential for such competition between Asian pink and chum salmon abundance and the growth of chum salmon that rear in the Bering Sea. Chum salmon scale samples were collected through in-river fisheries on the Kuskokwim River during 1973-2014 and from incidental catches of chum salmon in the Bering Sea Aleutian Island walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery during 2001-2016. Linear mixed-effects models demonstrated a strong negative relationship between Bethel chum salmon growth and the abundance of Japanese hatchery chum salmon. Chum salmon intercepted in the Bering Sea did not exhibit increased growth during 2012-2014 despite reductions in Japanese hatchery releases of chum salmon in 2011 as a result of the Tōhoku Earthquake and tsunami. We did not observe a relationship between Bethel chum salmon growth and the abundance of wild Russian pink salmon. Understanding how salmon populations interact while at sea will assist fishery managers in conserving threatened salmon stocks, particularly as Pacific Rim nations consider increasing production of hatchery salmon.Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks Global Change Student Research Gran

Elkanah Billings: The Lawyer Who Revealed the Ancient Life of the Past

Elkanah Billings is an important, historical example of a 19th century Ontario lawyer who made a contribution to Canadian life by engaging in a pursuit outside the practice of law. An accomplished autodidact (i.e. a self-taught expert) and renowned as the father of Canadian paleontology, Billings has the distinction of being claimed by the global paleontological and geological professional communities, and by the Ontario legal profession. Although some researchers have alleged that Billings had abused alcohol during his life, he nonetheless managed to establish a remarkable career as a paleontologist. He applied the researching, analytical, and argumentative skills that he had acquired during his years of training and practice as a lawyer to the science of paleontology enabling him to peel back the layers of time to reveal the ancient life of the past. In view of his strengths, weaknesses, and professional accomplishments, the example of Billings’ history potentially becomes increasingly relevant in the effort to reinforce the importance of ethics and professional responsibility among earth science and evolutionary biology professionals and to promote a shared sense of professional community and heritage. The example of Billings’ history also presents a golden opportunity for the synthesist to nurture a closer connection between the law and science in the form of interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary dialogue and collaboration.RÉSUMÉElkanah Billings est un important exemple historique d’un avocat Ontarienne du XIXe siècle qui a apporté une contribution à la vie Canadienne en se livrant à une poursuite en dehors de la pratique du droit. Autodidacte accompli et reconnu comme le père de la paléontologie canadienne, Billings a la paricularité d’être  revendiqué par les communautés professionnelles paléontologiques et géologiques mondiales, et par la profession juridique de l’Ontario. Bien que certains chercheurs ont affirmé que Billings avait abusé de l’alcool au cours de sa vie, il a réussi néanmoins à établir une carrière remarquable en tant que paléontologue. Il a appliqué la recherche, d’analyse, et les compétences argumentatives qu’il avait acquises au cours de ses années de formation et de pratique comme avocat à la science de la paléontologie qui lui permet de décoller les couches de temps pour révéler l’ancienne vie du passé. Compte tenu de ses points forts, les faiblesses et les réalisations professionnelles, l’exemple de l’histoire Billings devient potentiellement plus pertinent dans les efforts visant à renforcer l’importance de l’éthique et de la responsabilité professionnelle des sciences de la terre et les professionnels de la biologie de l’évolution et de promouvoir un sens partagé de la communauté professionnelle et le patrimoine. L’exemple de l’histoire Billings présente également une occasion en or pour le synthésiste d’entretenir un lien plus étroit entre la loi et la science sous la forme de dialogue et de collaboration interdisciplinaire ou multidisciplinaire

Who Was the First Person Known to Have Discovered Fossils of the Precambrian (Ediacaran) Organism Aspidella terranovica?

This article briefly examines the possible confusion pertaining to the discoveries of Precambrian (Ediacaran) fossils made in the self-governing British colony of Newfoundland in 1868 by the amateur naturalist, the Reverend Moses Harvey, and the subsequent description and naming of the fossil organism Aspidella terranovica in 1872 by Elkanah Billings, the father of Canadian paleontology. Both events could be misinterpreted as one transaction that began with the former event and ended with the latter event. Accounts published by Alexander Murray, the director of the Geological Survey of Newfoundland at the time, arguably may have inadvertently exacerbated the possibility for confusion. The determination of who first discovered fossils of A. terranovica and whose fossil material Billings primarily relied upon when he first described and named the taxon could be placed into doubt as a consequence. Although the confusion does not affect the undisputed priority that Billings holds in having described and named A. terranovica, the opportunity to remedy the confusion serves to benefit the historical record. The incomplete or ambiguous ascertaining and documenting of contextual information whenever an historically significant fossil discovery is made arguably may precipitate subsequent misinterpretations, distortions or omissions in the resulting historical narrative as it develops and becomes entrenched or mythologized in its retelling.RÉSUMÉCet article examine brièvement la confusion possible concernant les découvertes de fossiles Précambriens (Ediacaran) fabriqués dans la colonie Britannique autonome de Terre-Neuve en 1868 par le naturaliste amateur, le Révérend Moses Harvey, et la description et l'appellation suivantes de l'organisme fossile Aspidella terranovica en 1872 par Elkanah Billings, le père de la paléontologie Canadienne. Les deux événements pourraient être mal interprétés comme une transaction qui a commencé avec l'événement précédent et s'est terminée avec le dernier événement. Les comptes publiés par Alexander Murray, le directeur de la Commission Géologique de Terre-Neuve à l'époque, ont sans doute peut-être exacerbé par mégarde la possibilité de confusion. La détermination de qui a découvert les fossiles d'abord de A. terranovica et dont Billings s'appuyait principalement sur le matériel fossile dont il a d'abord décrit et nommé le taxon pourrait être mis en doute en conséquence. Bien que la confusion ne porte pas atteinte à la priorité incontestée que Billings détient en ayant décrit et nommé A. terranovica, la possibilité de remédier à la confusion sert à bénéficier du dossier historique. La constatation et la documentation incomplètes ou ambiguës de l'information contextuelle chaque fois qu'une découverte fossilifère historiquement significative peut être faite peut précipiter des interprétations, des distorsions ou des omissions subséquentes dans le récit historique résultant au fur et à mesure qu'il se développe et devient ancré ou mythologisé dans son récit

Cystic Fibrosis and Fertility

In the last 20 years, the prognosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) has slightly increased and nowadays more than 50% of CF patients are adults. An obvious consequence of this deep change is the increasing question about fertility in both males and females

Il dolo nella bancarotta

This volume covers the role and policy efficacy of fraud within the system of bankruptcy crimes, focusing on the factual circumstances of the several indictments relating to it according to their their historical evolution; the traditional attention given to the declaratory judgement is replaced by the conceptual division between 'bankruptcy', 'insolvency' and 'financial difficulties', thus also enhancing the impact of the other insolvency procedures. The critical review of the individual criminal figures is oriented towards finding the minimum amount of fraud of each individual type of fraudulent bankruptcy, as a subjective typicality correction for the deficiencies of the offence. The investigation, which has turned into a broader reflection on the psychological aspect, aims at setting the coordinates for a possible reform of the volume’s subject

Trattamento delle neoplasie del colon destro.Tecniche a confronto:chirurgia robotica versus laparoscopica. Nostra esperienza

CONFRONTO TRA TECNICA ROBOTICA E LAPAROSCOPICA NELL'EMICOLECTOMIA DX PER CANCRO SU 74 PAZIENTI TRATTATI DAL LUGLIO DEL 2009 ALL'AGOSTO DEL 2013, VALUTAZIONE DI TEMPI OPERATORI, DEGENZA MEDIA, RIPRESA DELLE FUNZIONI FISIOLOGICHE, ESAME ISTOLOGIC

The supplementation of L-carnitine in septic shock patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Sepsis and septic shock are severe and difficult-to-treat conditions with high lethality. There is interest in identifying new adjunct therapies that are effective in reducing mortality. In this context, L-carnitine has been investigated in trials as a potentially beneficial drug. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the clinical evidence to support the use of L-carnitine in septic shock patients to reduce the risk of mortality. The objective of this review was to evaluate the effect of L-carnitine compared to placebo or Usual Care (UC) on the mortality rate in hospitalized adult septic shock patients. Methods: The authors exclusively included randomized clinical trials that compared the use of L-carnitine versus placebo in adult (> 18 years old) septic shock patients. The outcome was a mortality rate of 28 days. This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed following the PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO with the ID CRD42020180499. Results: Following the initial search, 4007 citations were identified, with 2701 remaining after duplicate removal. Eight citations were selected for body text reading, and two were selected for inclusion. The studies enrolled 275 patients, with 186 in the carnitine arm and 89 in the placebo arm. The effect of L-carnitine uses in septic shock patients showed a difference risk of -0.03 (95% Confidence Interval: -0.15–0.10, I2 = 77%, p = 0.69) compared to placebo/in mortality rate with low quality of evidence. Conclusions: There is low-quality evidence that the use of L-carnitine has no significant effect on reducing 28-day mortality in septic shock patients

Maccaroni stare decisis? Il ruolo del fallimento tra elemento essenziale, evento e condizione obiettiva

SOMMARIO 1. Cenni introduttivi. - 2. La tesi tradizionale e i dubbi di costituzionalità. - 3. La rivalutazione dell’offesa: l’idoneità lesiva e la bancarotta “riparata”. - 4. In memoriam della sentenza Corvetta. - 5. La “restaurazione” della sentenza Parmalat e le incrinature dell’orientamento tradizionale. - 6. L’utopia della sistematica e della nomofilachia