Teaching Therapeutic Yoga to Medical Outpatients: Practice Descriptions, Process Reflections, and Preliminary Outcomes

This article describes therapeutic Yoga practices designed for a medical population with mixed diagnoses and a wide range of health challenges. We present preliminary data from 54 adults who participated in Yoga classes at a community medical center serving seventeen counties in Northeast Georgia. Findings suggest that attending therapeutic group Yoga classes can improve health perceptions and mindfulness. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for clinical practice and future research. The Yoga practices are described in detail, for the benefit of teachers and researchers who wish to replicate the practices

First results on ongrowing of hatchery reared Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, kept in sea cages

Bluefin tuna (ABFT) fingerlings born in captivity were raised during 15 months in sea cages. ABFT were fed with raw fish, and they grew during this period from 4 gr to 8 kg. Mortality rate was great, mainly during the first three months. This is the first experience of ongrowing ABFT born in captivity.EU (SELFDOTT), Caladeros del Mediterráneo, S.A. Instituto Español de Oceanografí

Cultivo larvario de atún rojo (Thunnus thynnus) en el Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia (IEO)

In the frame of the SELFDOTT project (From capture based to SELF-sustained aquaculture and Domestication Of bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus) captive-reared Atlantic bluefin tuna housed in captivity for 4 years in El Gorguel (Cartagena, Spain) have produced massive spawning, during the natural spawning period for this species in the Mediterranean Sea (June-July) since 2009. Egg collection was accomplished by placing a special curtain around the perimeter of the cage and with collection taking place at night and at sunrise using nets from the surface of the water. Larval rearings were done using pseudogreenwater technique. The survival was of 73 days in 2009 and 110 days in 2010. In 2011 several thousand one month old fingerlings have been produced being transported to floating cages.Este trabajo ha sido llevado a cabo con el soporte financiero de la UE, Proyecto SELFDOTT. El Dr. Seoka participa en virtud de un Convenio firmado por la Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia, la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena y las entidades financieras Caja Mar, Caja Murcia, Caja Mediterráneo y la Caixa

Vertebrate Vitellogenin Gene Duplication in Relation to the “3R Hypothesis”: Correlation to the Pelagic Egg and the Oceanic Radiation of Teleosts

The spiny ray-finned teleost fishes (Acanthomorpha) are the most successful group of vertebrates in terms of species diversity. Their meteoric radiation and speciation in the oceans during the late Cretaceous and Eocene epoch is unprecedented in vertebrate history, occurring in one third of the time for similar diversity to appear in the birds and mammals. The success of marine teleosts is even more remarkable considering their long freshwater ancestry, since it implies solving major physiological challenges when freely broadcasting their eggs in the hyper-osmotic conditions of seawater. Most extant marine teleosts spawn highly hydrated pelagic eggs, due to differential proteolysis of vitellogenin (Vtg)-derived yolk proteins. The maturational degradation of Vtg involves depolymerization of mainly the lipovitellin heavy chain (LvH) of one form of Vtg to generate a large pool of free amino acids (FAA 150–200 mM). This organic osmolyte pool drives hydration of the ooctye while still protected within the maternal ovary. In the present contribution, we have used Bayesian analysis to examine the evolution of vertebrate Vtg genes in relation to the “3R hypothesis” of whole genome duplication (WGD) and the functional end points of LvH degradation during oocyte maturation. We find that teleost Vtgs have experienced a post-R3 lineage-specific gene duplication to form paralogous clusters that correlate to the pelagic and benthic character of the eggs. Neo-functionalization allowed one paralogue to be proteolyzed to FAA driving hydration of the maturing oocytes, which pre-adapts them to the marine environment and causes them to float. The timing of these events matches the appearance of the Acanthomorpha in the fossil record. We discuss the significance of these adaptations in relation to ancestral physiological features, and propose that the neo-functionalization of duplicated Vtg genes was a key event in the evolution and success of the teleosts in the oceanic environment

Tuna Farming in Japan and Mexico

Presently there are 23 identified tuna stocks in the world: 14 fully exploited, 8 overexploited or depleted, and only a single skipjack stock deemed to be under exploited. Wild juveniles of ABFT (. Thunnus thynnus), PBFT (. Thunnus orientalis), SBFT (. Thunnus maccoyii), and YFT (. Thunnus albacares) are used to stock tuna ranches for "fattening" (grow-out, from advanced juvenile to slaughter size). Ranched tunas are taken from diverse stocks managed under various legal regimes and monitoring agencies, but all serve the fresh and frozen sushi/sashimi-grade tuna market. Because Japan commands the largest part of this market, it sets fishing and ranching trends throughout the world. In any country, as the level of affluence rises, food preferences tend to shift from those centered on starches to ones centered on protein, and Asian countries have a strong predilection for this protein to be provided by seafood products. The rise of China as an economic power already has shifted its status from being a net exporter to that of net importer of seafood products, and this change is becoming evident in global tuna markets. Consequently, all available information points to a significant and growing impact of human consumption, especially in Asia, on global tuna resources. Catch restrictions and the banning of international tuna trade clearly have failed to achieve management of tuna stocks for sustainability; so, it is now incumbent to offer proactive strategies rather than reactive approaches. Such strategies need to be ones that academic institutions, international tuna markets, fishing fleets, and tuna farmers as well as regulatory agencies and environmentalists can endorse. Such is the justification for this chapter, which offers content relevant to both ecological and economic perspectives of tuna aquaculture. The solutions presented are straightforward and the science we now have in hand is strong enough to pursue them. As Roger Payne put it: "Act - that's what's so important."

Prey selectivity in piscivorous bluefin tuna larvae reared in the laboratory

Prey size selectivity in piscivorous fish larvae is important to both aquaculture and fisheries science, but laboratory experiments are few. We analyzed selective foraging in Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae (Thunnus thynnus) using two larval fish prey species. The experiments revealed that selective foraging of prey sizes differed among bluefin tuna predator sizes (15–25 mm SL) and prey species, bonito (Sarda sarda) and seabream (Sparus aurata). The observed pattern suggest a general preference for small bonito prey larvae but large seabream prey. Thus, prey size alone is not the only trait responsible for size selectivity in piscivorous fish larvae.Postprint1,749