Improved performance of gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata, larvae after ozone disinfection of the eggs

Ozone (O₃) dissolved in seawater (ODS) was evaluated, as an egg disinfectant, on the spawn of captive gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata, brood stock. Four contact times (CT) were tested (0.6, 1.2, 2.4 and 4.8 mg min L⁻¹) where CT was calculated by multiplying the dissolved O₃ concentration (0.3 mg L⁻¹) by different exposure periods (2, 4, 8, 16 min). There was also a disinfected seawater treatment that contained no O₃ or derived compounds (CT 0) and an untreated seawater control. All ODS treatments reduced egg surface bacterial counts to zero, which was significantly (P<0.05) lower than the CT 0 and the control groups (194 and 1320 plate⁻¹ respectively). Nevertheless, the hatching rate was high in the control and the CT treatments 0, 0.6 and 1.2 (88.7%, 87.3%, 89.5% and 83.7% respectively) while eggs exposed to a CT 2.4 and 4.8 hatched poorly (36.5% and 20.4% respectively), which was likely due, at least in part, to larvae unable to break the egg chorion successfully. Swim‐bladder inflation was significantly higher in the ODS groups (>97%) compared with the control and CT 0 treatments (ca. 70%). The results suggest that a 2‐min exposure of eggs to 0.3 mg O₃ L⁻¹ of ODS (CT 0.6) would improve current protocols in marine larviculture.     

Successful treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome in 2 dogs

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was diagnosed in 2 dogs with acute dyspnea. Short-term positive pressure ventilation and intense critical and nursing care were provided. Both dogs improved and were discharged. Few reports describe successful recovery from ARDS. Due to advances in positive pressure ventilation and improvement in the supportive care of critically ill veterinary patients, the prognosis for ARDS may improve.     

Workweek Optimization of Experimental Designs: Exact Designs for Variable Sampling Costs

An optimal experimental design combines high-quality parameter estimation with efficient use of resources. This paper proposes a new method for heuristic optimization of experimental designs in the presence of variable sampling costs. The method finds the inexpensive designs with desirable statistical qualities and provides substantial insight regarding the relative importance (in monetary terms) of sampling at specific design points. The method is illustrated within the context of a start-stop exposure study in aquatic toxicology. Fast heuristics enable the analyses of a large range of sensitivity issues and examination of trade-offs between information and cost. The method is described for designs in which replicate sampling is prohibited; a generalization allowing for replicate sampling is provided as an appendix in the online supplemental materials.     

CDC25: a component of the RAS-adenylate cyclase pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains two functional homologues of the ras oncogene family, RAS1 and RAS2. These genes are required for growth, and all evidence indicates that this essential function is the activation of adenylate cyclase. In contrast, ras in mammalian cells does not appear to influence adenylate cyclase activity. To clarify the relation between ras function in yeast and in higher eukaryotes, and the role played by yeast RAS in growth control, it is necessary to identify functions acting upstream of RAS in the adenylate cyclase pathway. The evidence presented here indicates that CDC25, identified by conditional cell cycle arrest mutations, encodes such an upstream function.     

Effects of simulated acidic rain on one species each ofpseudoparmelia,usnea, andumbilicaria

The lichensPseudoparmelia caperata (L.) Hale,Usnea ofsubfusca Stirt., andUmbilicaria mammulata (Ach.) Tuck. were exposed to simulated acidic rain with pH levels of 2.3, 3.0, 3.3, 4.3, or 5.6 and other. ions in concentrations normally found in rain in the eastern United States. The pH levels of the most acidic treatments (3.3, 3.0, 2.3) were similar to those found in fog, cloud water, and occasional rainfall events. The pH 4.3 and 5.6 treatments compared to average ambient conditions in the eastern and western United States, respectively, and caused no significant effects on photosynthesis. However, after the first week of treatment, significant effects of rain pH at the most acidic treatments on gross photysnthesis were detected inP. caperata andU. mammulata, but not inU. cfsubfusca. Visible effects of injury were also observed and included bleaching, necrotic spots, and necrotic margins, which resembled damage seen in field populations ofU. mammulata, the most sensitive species.