Comparison of life history parameters for landed and discarded fish captured off the southeastern United States

Commercial fisheries that are managed with minimum size limits protect small fish of all ages and may affect size-selective mortality by the differential removal of fast growing fish. This differential removal may decrease the average size at age, maturation, or sexual transition of the exploited population. When fishery-independent data are not available, a comparison of life history parameters of landed with those of discarded fish (by regulation) will indicate if differential mortality is occurring with the capture of young but large fish (fast growing phenotypes). Indications of this differential size-selective mortality would include the following: the discarded portion of the target fish would have similar age ranges but smaller sizes at age, maturation, and sexual transition as that of landed fish. We examined three species with minimum size limits but different exploitation histories. The known heavily exploited species (Rhomboplites aurorubens [vermilion snapper] and Pagrus pagrus [red porgy]) show signs of this differential mortality. Their landed catch includes many young, large fish, whereas discarded fish had a similar age range and mean ages but smaller sizes at age than the landed fish. The unknown exploited species, Mycteroperca phenax (scamp), showed no signs of differential mortality due to size-selective fishing. Landed catch consisted of old, large fish and discarded scamp had little overlap in age ranges, had significantly different mean ages, and only small differences in size at age when compared to comparable data for landed fish

Antimicrobial Properties of Isomers of Benzofuranylethanol

A biotransformaDon reacDon is a chemical conversion of a substance into a desired product with the aid of whole, living cells containing the necessary enzymes. In addiDons to living cells, other substances, such as vegetable strips, will also catalyze biotransformaDon reacDons. Advantages of biotransformaDon reacDons include the following: the ability to recycle material, the use of less hazardous chemicals, the ability to compost vegetable strips, the use of inexpensive materials that are locally available, and the ability to produce a single isomer. The biotransformaDon reacDon for the conversion of benzofuranyl methyl ketone (BMK) to (-)-benzofuranylethanol (BMA) using carrot strips as the catalyst has been characterized. The reacDon is known to produce a single isomer of the BMA. Some isomers, called enanDomers, are molecules that are mirror images of each other. The two mirror image molecules of this type are known to react in biological systems in different ways. Carrots strips have been used to produce only one of the mirror image molecules, and this molecule of BMA has been shown to have anDmicrobial properDes. Currently, we are exploring the use of other vegetable strips to determine if the other mirror image molecule of BMA can be synthesized. The goal is to determine if the other isomer has similar or different anDmicrobial properDes than the isomer produced by carrots. The anDmicrobial properDes of the two mirror image molecules will be compare

The International Effects of China's Growth, Trade and Ecucation Booms

China’s international trade flows have increased by 500% since 1992, far outstripping GDP growth. Likewise tertiary education enrollments have increased by 300%. We simulate these changes using a multi-sector growth model of the Chinese and USA economies. A decade of trade biased growth in China is found to have a large effect on the USA economy – raising GDP approximately 3-4.5 percentage points. We also show that the trade bias in China’s growth accounts for more than half of the observed growth in tertiary enrolments in China. In contrast neutral growth has practically no effect on USA incomes or China’s stock of skilled labour. Finally the simulations reveal that China’s education boom per se has practically no long run impact on the USA economy. The results thus indicate that the pattern of productivity growth in exports sectors, as might be caused by falling trade costs, has been critical in transmitting benefits of Chinese growth to the world economy. They also point to an important link between falling trade costs and human capital formation.Economic Growth, China, Human Capital, Trade Costs

Motion Analysis Strategy Appropriate for 3D Kinematic Assessment of Children and Adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Human motion analysis provides a quantitative means of assessing whole body and segmental motion of subjects with musculoskeletal pathologies. This chapter describes a low cost motion analysis appropriate for complete three-dimensional (3D) assessment of upper and lower extremity kinematics. The system has been designed to support lower cost outreach efforts that require accuracy and resolution on the order of classical fixed lot systems such as Vicon. The focus of this work addresses the assessment needs typically seen in adults and children with osteogenesis imperfect (OI) experiencing ambulatory and upper extremity challenges

How weeding adds value to library collections: Weighing the cost of weeding and the cost of keeping books

Weeding in libraries is often like the gardening chore it is named for: sweaty hours spent among dirty tangles to clear out messy undergrowth and remove unwanted materials. But the analogy stops there - the intellectual pursuit of a well-managed collection includes much more than identifying and removing materials from the shelf. In fact, the daunting, many-faceted weeding process can keep librarians from tackling this very crucial task. A collection left unassessed, left to grow ungainly, is also a missed opportunity to add value, and real cost savings, to the collection through weeding. Santa Clara University Library undertook a reference weeding project in 2013/14; library staff reviewed and relocated over 7,800 titles. Goals were to make the reference collection more relevant to current research needs and to redesign the library\u27s first floor to create more high-demand user space. The project involved multiple library units with multiple workflows, with staff including librarians, paraprofessionals, and student workers. This poster presents detailed data on the cost of weeding a book in a mid-sized academic library, based on staff-time estimated during this project and national wage averages. These data, when compared to the “Cost of Keeping a Book” (by Courant and Nielsen, 2010), demonstrate the value associated with weeding and how, by acknowledging the cost associated with keeping a book, libraries can make evidenced-based decisions that may incentivize the weeding process and perhaps even lead to a more cost effective migration to building ebook collections

Recent Developments in Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an uncommon genetic bone disease associated with brittle bones and fractures in children and adults. Although OI is most commonly associated with mutations of the genes for type I collagen, many other genes (some associated with type I collagen processing) have now been identified. The genetics of OI and advances in our understanding of the biomechanical properties of OI bone are reviewed in this article. Treatment includes physiotherapy, fall prevention, and sometimes orthopedic procedures. In this brief review, we will also discuss current understanding of pharmacologic therapies for treatment of OI

Print Reference Collections Never Die, They Just Fade Away: Or Do They?

Find out how one University Library undertook a reference-weeding project to pare three reference collections down from 12,000 titles. The poster will discuss the motivations for reviewing the reference collection, the data gathered to support decision making, the challenges encountered in the project, and estimates for the costs associated with such a weeding project

Student-centred schools make the difference

The primary focus of this review is on how school leaders can develop and sustain a student-centred philosophy at all levels within their schools in order to increase the quality of education for all students. The authors draw on research literature from Australia and internationally to examine the impact that student-centred education can have on student outcomes, particularly for those students in disadvantaged contexts. The review initially explores the concept of student-centred schools and how this notion is nested within a range of theoretical and philosophical constructs. The authors draw from research into student-centred pedagogy, learner-centred education, student-centred teaching and learning, and student-centred/ learner-centred leadership to provide a description of a student-centred school. They then consider models of leading student-centred schools, drawing from AITSL’s Australian Professional Standard for Principals and looking at the large-scale student-centred reforms in Ontario, Canada. The authors use Viviane Robinson’s five dimensions of school leadership that impact on student outcomes: 1) Establishing goals and expectations, 2) Resourcing strategically, 3) Ensuring quality teaching, 4) Leading teacher learning and development, and 5) Ensuring a safe and orderly environment.  They then extend this framework to include three additional dimensions of student-centred schooling that emerged from the literature: a) Working with the wider community, b) Ethical Leadership, and c) Student voice. This report offers a critical review of literature to address the hypothesis that student-centred schools make the difference