A baseline method for benchmarking mortality losses in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) production

On-farm databases provide a large diversity of information regarding fish health and stock performance. Mortality records held in on-farm database are indicators of fish health status and of great interest for studying fish health, such as patterns of diseases. Mortality records from a Scottish Atlantic salmon production database of one company were used to develop a method of benchmarking production losses due to mortality. The records used concerned mortality loss numbers of Atlantic salmon in the seawater phase. The median, 10th and 90th percentiles of mortality were calculated for each week of production from 88 production recorded cycles. These values were used to delimit the range of a standard mortality curve through the production cycle. The effects of the different mortality losses from each cycle on production in terms of costs and time consumed were also described. Likewise, substantial interannual variation in mortality time series is described as well as the mortality variation associated with three diseases (Pancreas Disease, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis)

WASP-14b: 7.3 M-J transiting planet in an eccentric orbit

We report the discovery of a 7.3 M-J exoplanet WASP-14b, one of the most massive transiting exoplanets observed to date. The planet orbits the 10th-magnitude F5V star USNO-B1 11118-0262485 with a period of 2.243 752 d and orbital eccentricity e = 0.09. A simultaneous fit of the transit light curve and radial velocity measurements yields a planetary mass of 7.3 +/- 0.5 M-J and a radius of 1.28 +/- 0.08 R-J. This leads to a mean density of about 4.6 g cm(-3) making it the densest transiting exoplanets yet found at an orbital period less than 3 d. We estimate this system to be at a distance of 160 +/- 20 pc. Spectral analysis of the host star reveals a temperature of 6475 +/- 100 K, log g = 4.07 cm s(-2) and v sin i = 4.9 +/- 1.0 km s(-1), and also a high lithium abundance, log N(Li) = 2.84 +/- 0.05. The stellar density, effective temperature and rotation rate suggest an age for the system of about 0.5-1.0 Gyr

Moult cycle specific differential gene expression profiling of the crab Portunus pelagicus

Background: Crustacean moulting is a complex process involving many regulatory pathways. A holistic approach to examine differential gene expression profiles of transcripts relevant to the moulting process, across all moult cycle stages, was used in this study. Custom cDNA microarrays were constructed for Portunus pelagicus. The printed arrays contained 5000 transcripts derived from both the whole organism, and from individual organs such as the brain, eyestalk, mandibular organ and Y-organ from all moult cycle stages.Results: A total of 556 clones were sequenced from the cDNA libraries used to construct the arrays. These cDNAs represented 175 singletons and 62 contigs, resulting in 237 unique putative genes. The gene sequences were classified into the following biological functions: cuticular proteins associated with arthropod exoskeletons, farnesoic acid O-methyltransferase (FaMeT), proteins belonging to the hemocyanin gene family, lectins, proteins relevant to lipid metabolism, mitochondrial proteins, muscle related proteins, phenoloxidase activators and ribosomal proteins. Moult cycle-related differential expression patterns were observed for many transcripts. Of particular interest were those relating to the formation and hardening of the exoskeleton, and genes associated with cell respiration and energy metabolism.Conclusions: The expression data presented here provide a chronological depiction of the molecular events associated with the biological changes that occur during the crustacean moult cycle. Tracing the temporal expression patterns of a large variety of transcripts involved in the moult cycle of P. pelagicus can provide a greater understanding of gene function, interaction, and regulation of both known and new genes with respect to the moulting process

The Nelson touch at Trafalgar

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Physiological Characterization of the Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger (NCX) in Hepatopancreatic and Antennal Gland Basolateral Membrane Vesicles Isolated from the Freshwater Crayfish \u3cem\u3eProcambarus clarkii\u3c/em\u3e

The purpose of this study was to physiologically characterize the basolateral Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) in basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMVs) of hepatopancreas and antennal gland of intermolt crayfish. Conditions were optimized to measure Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake and retention in the BLMV including use of intravesicular (IV) oxalate and measuring initial uptake rates at 20 s. Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate into BLMV was temperature insensitive. Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate was dependent upon free Ca2+ with saturable Michaelis–Menten kinetics determined as follows: hepatopancreas, maximal uptake rate (Jmax)=2.45 nmol/mg per min, concentration at which carrier operates at half-maximal uptake rate (Km)=0.69 μM Ca2+; antennal gland, Jmax=13.2 nmol/mg per min, Km=0.59 μM Ca2+. The two vesicle populations exhibited different sensitivity to putative NCX inhibitors. Benzamil had no effect on Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate in hepatopancreas; in antennal gland it was inhibitory at concentrations up to 30 μM and was stimulatory at higher concentrations. Conversely the inhibitor quinacrine was inhibitory at 10 μM in hepatopancreas and was stimulatory at 1000 μM; meanwhile it was ineffective in antennal gland BLMV. Short circuiting the BLMV had no effect on Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate suggesting that the process may be electroneutral. Compared with another prominent basolateral transporter in hepatopancreas the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA), the NCX has 70-fold greater Jmax (at comparable temperature) and a lower affinity. In antennal gland the NCX has 40-fold greater Jmax and a lower affinity. In hepatopancreas and antennal gland BLMV NCX appears to determine the rate of basolateral Ca2+ efflux in intermolt

Physiological Characterization of the Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger (NCX) in Hepatopancreatic and Antennal Gland Basolateral Membrane Vesicles Isolated from the Freshwater Crayfish \u3cem\u3eProcambarus clarkii\u3c/em\u3e

The purpose of this study was to physiologically characterize the basolateral Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) in basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMVs) of hepatopancreas and antennal gland of intermolt crayfish. Conditions were optimized to measure Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake and retention in the BLMV including use of intravesicular (IV) oxalate and measuring initial uptake rates at 20 s. Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate into BLMV was temperature insensitive. Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate was dependent upon free Ca2+ with saturable Michaelis–Menten kinetics determined as follows: hepatopancreas, maximal uptake rate (Jmax)=2.45 nmol/mg per min, concentration at which carrier operates at half-maximal uptake rate (Km)=0.69 μM Ca2+; antennal gland, Jmax=13.2 nmol/mg per min, Km=0.59 μM Ca2+. The two vesicle populations exhibited different sensitivity to putative NCX inhibitors. Benzamil had no effect on Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate in hepatopancreas; in antennal gland it was inhibitory at concentrations up to 30 μM and was stimulatory at higher concentrations. Conversely the inhibitor quinacrine was inhibitory at 10 μM in hepatopancreas and was stimulatory at 1000 μM; meanwhile it was ineffective in antennal gland BLMV. Short circuiting the BLMV had no effect on Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake rate suggesting that the process may be electroneutral. Compared with another prominent basolateral transporter in hepatopancreas the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA), the NCX has 70-fold greater Jmax (at comparable temperature) and a lower affinity. In antennal gland the NCX has 40-fold greater Jmax and a lower affinity. In hepatopancreas and antennal gland BLMV NCX appears to determine the rate of basolateral Ca2+ efflux in intermolt

Delivering on the Promise of Plato\u27s Academy: Educational Accessibility for the 21st Century

Purpose: This special volume is dedicated to eight updated and expanded communications selected from 33 refereed papers presented at the inaugural international conference on Technology-based Learning with Disability (LWD-07) which took place on July 19-20, 2007 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.Methods: Approximately 140 researchers and practitioners attended LWD-07 representing a cross-section of K-12 and higher education, pure and applied research, disability-related industry and rehabilitation agencies with common interests in facilitating educational attainment for people with all types of disabilities through use of technology.Results: The communications selected for publication are representative of the breadth of interest at the nexus of disability, assistive technology, and the pedagogy of individualized learning.Conclusions: Access to education is a key component for quality of life and rehabilitation of any individual with a disability