Effects of group size on school structure and behaviour in yellow-eyed mullet Aldrichetta forsteri.

Schooling behaviour in yellow-eyed mullet Aldrichetta forsteri, a common fish species in New Zealand estuarine habitats, was investigated to identify interaction rules associated with group formation. Tank-based three-dimensional studies of three group sizes (15, 75 and 150 individuals) were carried out to measure the effects of these different group sizes on school structure during control, predation risk and foraging behavioural states. Increased group size positively correlated with nearest-neighbour distance in control and foraging states. Swimming speed was the lowest in all three behavioural states in groups of 15 fish compared with 75 or 150. Immediate behavioural response following visual exposure to a simulated avian predator differed between groups resulting in loss of structure in larger groups. School shape was an oblong-oblate spheroid with a length, breadth and height ratio of 5:2:1 and the area of free space surrounding individual fish was spherical in shape with a high degree of spatial isotropy present in all size groups. These findings challenge traditional theories based on either local or global properties as key drivers of group structure. Instead, our results suggest that a more collaborative approach involving both group size and rules pertaining to nearest-neighbour interactions affects collective behaviours in this species.

Fishes in a changing world: learning from the past to promote sustainability of fish populations.

Populations of fishes provide valuable services for billions of people, but face diverse and interacting threats that jeopardize their sustainability. Human population growth and intensifying resource use for food, water, energy and goods are compromising fish populations through a variety of mechanisms, including overfishing, habitat degradation and declines in water quality. The important challenges raised by these issues have been recognized and have led to considerable advances over past decades in managing and mitigating threats to fishes worldwide. In this review, we identify the major threats faced by fish populations alongside recent advances that are helping to address these issues. There are very significant efforts worldwide directed towards ensuring a sustainable future for the world's fishes and fisheries and those who rely on them. Although considerable challenges remain, by drawing attention to successful mitigation of threats to fish and fisheries we hope to provide the encouragement and direction that will allow these challenges to be overcome in the future.

Structure and function of the velar muscle in the New Zealand hagfish Eptatretus cirrhatus: response to temperature change and hypoxia.

The rate of velar movement in Eptatretus cirrhatus, as determined by electromyography, increased with Q(10) 3·2 during exposure to temperatures between 7 and 19° C and increased 3·9 fold during exposure to hypoxia (oxygen partial pressure = 6·67 kPa). This confirms the role of the velum in generating respiratory currents and modification of its activity in response to changes in metabolic demand or environmental oxygen availability. The maximum velar rate observed was 168 beats min(-1) , higher than that recorded in any hagfish species to date. Fibres of musculus craniovelaris were exclusively small, red (slow-twitch) fibres, consistent with a high aerobic capacity required by fibres involved in rhythmic, ongoing activity.

Visual acuity of snapper Pagrus auratus: effect of size and spectral composition.

Visual acuity of the commercially important sparid Pagrus auratus was tested using the optomotor response. Juvenile fish were categorized by size as group 1 (50 g), group 2 (100 g), group 3 (150 g), group 4 (300 g), group 5 (500 g) and group 6 (800 g). Group 3 fish demonstrated excellent visual acuity (minimum separable angle, M(SA), 1°), which was improved compared with the smaller fish groups (groups 1 and 2, M(SA), 2°). In the larger fish groups, however, a reduction in visual acuity was observed (groups 4, 5 and 6 M(SA), 4°). Group 2 (100 g) fish displayed positive optomotor responses in long wavelength light (red) but reduced responses in short wavelengths (blue). Red light sensitivity is beneficial for the estuarine lifestyle of these fish, where light is predominantly at long wavelengths. In contrast, group 6 (800 g) fish displayed improved acuity in blue and green light and reduced acuity in red light. Fish of this size move away from the estuary to open oceans, where light is predominantly in the shorter wavelengths (blue-green). These results support the sensitivity hypothesis for the relationship between fish visual systems and the light environment they inhabit.

Self-monitoring of Blood Pressure in Patients With Hypertension-Related Multi-morbidity: Systematic Review and Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) is effective when combined with co-interventions, but its efficacy varies in the presence of some co-morbidities. This study examined whether self-monitoring can reduce clinic BP in patients with hypertension-related co-morbidity. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted of articles published in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to January 2018. Randomized controlled trials of self-monitoring of BP were selected and individual patient data (IPD) were requested. Contributing studies were prospectively categorized by whether they examined a low/high-intensity co-intervention. Change in BP and likelihood of uncontrolled BP at 12 months were examined according to number and type of hypertension-related co-morbidity in a one-stage IPD meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 22 trials were eligible, 16 of which were able to provide IPD for the primary outcome, including 6,522 (89%) participants with follow-up data. Self-monitoring was associated with reduced clinic systolic BP compared to usual care at 12-month follow-up, regardless of the number of hypertension-related co-morbidities (-3.12 mm Hg, [95% confidence intervals -4.78, -1.46 mm Hg]; P value for interaction with number of morbidities = 0.260). Intense interventions were more effective than low-intensity interventions in patients with obesity (P < 0.001 for all outcomes), and possibly stroke (P < 0.004 for BP control outcome only), but this effect was not observed in patients with coronary heart disease, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. CONCLUSIONS: Self-monitoring lowers BP regardless of the number of hypertension-related co-morbidities, but may only be effective in conditions such obesity or stroke when combined with high-intensity co-interventions.

Heart rate and ventilation in Antarctic fishes are largely determined by ecotype.

Extrinsic neural and humoral influences on heart rate (fH) and ventilation frequency (fV) were examined following varying periods of post-surgical recovery in eight related Antarctic fish species inhabiting an array of inshore niches. Resting fH after recovery from handling was lower than previous reports, and the novel measurement of routine fH in free-swimming Dissostichus mawsoni (6.14 beats min(-1), bpm) is the lowest recorded for any fish. The extent of cardio-depressive cholinergic (vagal) tonus explained the large range of fH among species and varied with behavioural repertoire, being lower in the more active species, apart from Notothenia coriiceps. Adrenergic tonus was low compared with cholinergic tonus, with the exception of Trematomus newnesi. Hence, high cardiac cholinergic tonus may be a genotypic trait of the notothenioids that diverged with ecotype. Power spectral analysis showed that the vagal influence produced comparable spectra among species of similar morphology and ecotype. Removal of autonomic tonus resulted in a remarkably similar intrinsic fH between species. Simultaneous measurements of cardio-respiratory variables and oxygen consumption (M(O(2))) were made in the benthic Trematomus bernacchii and cryopelagic Pagothenia borchgrevinki. The slopes of the relationship between fH and M(O(2)) were similar. Trematomus bernacchii, however, had a higher M(O(2)) for a given fH than P. borchgrevinki, and P. borchgrevinki required a two-fold larger range in fH to reach a similar maximum M(O(2)), suggesting that there is a difference in cardiovascular fitness between the two species. Overall, the data suggest that cardio-respiratory control in Antarctic nototheniids is largely determined by activity levels associated with a given ecotype.

Quantitative assessment of soil parameter (KD and TC) estimation using DGT measurements and the 2D DIFS model.

Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) is a dynamic, in situ measuring technique that can be used to supply diverse information on concentrations and behaviour of solutes. When deployed in soils and sediments, quantitative interpretation of DGT measurements requires the use of a numerical model. An improved version of the DGT induced fluxes in soils and sediments model (DIFS), working in two dimensions (2D DIFS), was used to investigate the accuracy with which DGT measurements can be used to estimate the distribution coefficient for labile metal (KD) and the response time of the soil to depletion (TC). The 2D DIFS model was used to obtain values of KD and TC for Cd, Zn and Ni in three different soils, which were compared to values determined previously using 1D DIFS for these cases. While the 1D model was shown to provide reasonable estimates of KD, the 2D model refined the estimates of the kinetic parameters. Desorption rate constants were shown to be similar for all three metals and lower than previously thought. Calculation of an error function as KD and TC are systematically varied showed the spread of KD and TC values that fit the experimental data equally well. These automatically generated error maps reflected the quality of the data and provided an appraisal of the accuracy of parameter estimation. They showed that in some cases parameter accuracy could be improved by fitting the model to a sub-set of data.

Exercise and postprandial lipaemia: effects on peripheral vascular function, oxidative stress and gastrointestinal transit.

Postprandial lipaemia may lead to an increase in oxidative stress, inducing endothelial dysfunction. Exercise can slow gastric emptying rates, moderating postprandial lipaemia. The purpose of this study was to determine if moderate exercise, prior to fat ingestion, influences gastrointestinal transit, lipaemia, oxidative stress and arterial wall function. Eight apparently healthy males (age 23.6 +/- 2.8 yrs; height 181.4 +/- 8.1 cm; weight 83.4 +/- 16.2 kg; all data mean +/- SD) participated in the randomised, crossover design, where (i) subjects ingested a high-fat meal alone (control), and (ii) ingested a high-fat meal, preceded by 1 h of moderate exercise. Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) was examined at baseline, post-exercise, and in the postprandial period. Gastric emptying was measured using the 13C-octanoic acid breath test. Measures of venous blood were obtained prior to and following exercise and at 2, 4 and 6 hours post-ingestion. PWV increased (6.5 +/- 1.9 m/sec) at 2 (8.9 +/- 1.7 m/sec) and 4 hrs (9.0 +/- 1.6 m/sec) post-ingestion in the control group (time x group interaction, P < 0.05). PWV was increased at 2 hrs post-ingestion in the control compared to the exercise trial; 8.9 +/- 1.7 vs. 6.2 +/- 1.5 m/sec (time x group interaction, P < 0.05). Lipid hydroperoxides increased over time (pooled exercise and control data, P < 0.05). Serum triacylglycerols were elevated postprandially (pooled exercise and control data, P < 0.05). There were no changes in gastric emptying, cholesterol, or C-reactive protein levels. These data suggest that acute exercise prior to the consumption of a high-fat meal has the potential to reduce vascular impairments.

Potential kinetic availability of metals in sulphidic freshwater sediments.

The insolubility of metal sulphides is believed to limit the bioavailability of trace metals in sulphidic sediments. However, if non-equilibrium conditions are important, metals may be more available than simple thermodynamic calculations suggest. To investigate the possible dynamic supply of Cu, Ni and Zn in a sulphidic freshwater sediment, they were measured, along with iron, manganese and sulphide, by the technique of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT). DGT measures the supply of solute from sediment to solution in response to a local solute sink. Release of Mn, Cu, Zn and Ni was observed at the sediment surface and attributed to the supply from reductive dissolution of manganese oxides. The depth profile of simultaneously extractable metals (SEM) for Cu and Ni followed the shape of the Mn profile more closely than the profiles of either acid volatile sulphur (AVS) or Fe, again consistent with supply from Mn oxides. Solubility calculations for a mesocosm of homogenised sediment indicated supersaturation with respect to the sulphides of Fe, Cu, Ni and Zn, yet DGT measurements demonstrated a substantial supply of both trace metals and sulphide from the solid phase to the pore waters. Ratios of metals measured in pore waters by DGT were consistent with their release from iron and manganese oxides, indicating that supply, as much as removal processes, determines the pseudo-steady state concentrations in the pore waters. The observations suggest that trace metals are not immediately bound in an insoluble, inert form when they are in contact with sulphide. This has consequences for modelling metal processes in sediment, as well as for uptake by some biota.

Theoretical comparison of how soil processes affect uptake of metals by diffusive gradients in thinfilms and plants.

The theoretical basis for using measurements of metal uptake by the technique of diffusive gradients in thinfilms (DGT) to mimic processes in soils that affect uptake of metals by plants is examined. The uptake of metals by plants and DGT were compared conceptually and quantitatively by using the classic Barber model of plant uptake and the DIFS (DGT-induced fluxes in soils) model of uptake by DGT. For most metals and plants considered, uptake fluxes were similar to those induced by DGT using the most common gel layer thicknesses of 0.2 to 2 mm. Consequently DGT perturbs the chemical equilibrium of metals in the soil solution and between soil solution and solid phase, to a similar extent to plants, and therefore induces a similar balance in supply by diffusion and by release from the solid phase. DIFS was used to show that desorption kinetics, which are not considered by the plant uptake model, are likely important for uptake when the capacity of the soil solid phase is large. Model calculations showed that mass flow into a plant root would only contribute appreciably to the total flux of metal under circumstances when the solid phase reservoir of metal was very low. Generally, however, DGT is likely to emulate supply processes from the soil that govern uptake of metal by plants. Exceptions are likely to be found in poorly buffered soils (typically sandy and/or low pH), and at very high concentrations of metals in soil solution, such that the soil solution concentration at the plant root interface is higher than the Michaelis-Menten constant (Km).

Histocompatibility (HL-A) factors in familial multiple sclerosis. Is multiple sclerosis susceptibility inherited via the HL-A chromosome?

In order to study a possible hereditary factor leading to multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility, histocompatibility (HL-A) types were studied in families where two or more first-degree relatives had MS. Neither the inheritance of a particular parental HL-A chromosome, nor the occurrence of any specific HL-A antigens, could be shown to be necessary or sufficient for the development of MS in family members. The distribution of HL-A chromosomes was essentially the same for affected and unaffected family members. An excess of 3,7 haplotype and W21 antigen was demonstrated, both in affected patients and in unaffected family members, in equal proportions. We conclude that the HL-A chromosome has no direct causal relationship to MS susceptibility, although it may be indirectly associated by population stratification, maternal factors, or some other mechanism.

Evidence for a dose-dependent inflammatory response to quartz in the rat lung and its significance in early changes in collagen metabolism.

The response of the rat lung to a range of doses of quartz at 50 and 100 days after its administration by intratracheal instillation has been assessed by bronchopulmonary lavage. The effects on the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), lymphocytes and macrophages are described. In addition the concentrations of soluble protein and hydroxyproline and the activities of lactate dehydrogenase, PZ peptidase and collagenase in lavage fluid supernatants were measured and an assessment of the hydroxyproline content of recovered cells was made. Finally PZ peptidase and collagenase were assayed in PMN-enriched cell fractions and in samples obtained from short-term culture of recovered macrophages. There was a dose-dependent increase in the recovery of all three cell types, and in the amounts of lactate dehydrogenase, protein and hydroxyproline in lavage fluids, which showed no signs of resolution over the 100-day period studied. Measurements of PZ peptidase and collagenase suggested that the PMN, not the macrophages, are the major source of these degradative enzymes. The relevance of these findings with regard to the importance of PMN in quartz-induced fibrosis is discussed.

The advantages and limitations of an in vivo test system for investigating the cytotoxicity and fibrogenicity of fibrous dusts.

The acute response of the rat lung to a range of fibrous materials has been investigated by bronchopulmonary lavage, at dose levels of 0.5 and 1.0 mg, 1 and 7 days after their administration by intratracheal instillation. The materials chosen for study included UICC chrysotile A, amosite, crocidolite and anthophyllite, and samples of S. African "long" amosite and glass fiber. In addition, the subacute response to 1, 2 and 3 mg of chrysotile and amosite has been studied at 50 and 100 days after instillation. In the acute phase at 1 day after instillation, the response to chrysotile was greater than that to any of the other materials, but by 7 days there was no gradation in the response to different dusts. In the subacute phase, cell recoveries were low, and it was not possible to assess the long-term cytotoxic or fibrogenic effects of amosite and chrysotile by analyses of lung washes, even though biochemical and histological methods indicated gross changes in lung pathology.

Cardiovascular responses to adenosine in the antarctic fish pagothenia borchgrevinki

We have investigated the effects of adenosine on the cardiovascular system of the Antarctic fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki. Continuous measurements of ventral and dorsal aortic blood pressures, heart rate (fh) and ventral aortic blood flow (cardiac output, q_dot ) were made using standard cannulation techniques and a single-crystal Doppler flowmeter. On line measurements of arterial P(O2) were made using an oxygen electrode connected to an extracorporeal loop. Adenosine (10 nmol kg(-)(1)) and the specific A(1)-receptor agonist N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) elicited biphasic changes in the branchial and systemic resistances. While there was an initial decrease in the branchial resistance followed by an increase, the opposite was true for the systemic response. The resistance changes were significantly attenuated by aminophylline (a P(1)-receptor antagonist) and 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT; an A(1)-receptor antagonist). In addition, adenosine induced an aminophylline-sensitive decrease in the arterial P(O2). The reduction was attenuated when pre-injection arterial P(O2) was low. Adenosine and CPA also caused a marked reduction in fh, with CPA being more potent. The bradycardia was blocked by aminophylline and CPT, demonstrating an involvement of A(1) receptors in this response.

EVIDENCE OF REGULATORY MECHANISMS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF BLOOD BETWEEN THE ARTERIAL AND THE VENOUS COMPARTMENTS IN THE HAGFISH GILL POUCH

Of the extant vertebrate animals, the hagfishes are generally considered to be the group which diverged first from the ancestral vertebrate lineage, although molecular sequence analysis has recently suggested that they form a monophyletic group with lampreys (Stock and Whitt, 1992). The circulatory system of hagfishes has features that have been described as 'primitive' (Burggren et al. 1985), but their gills are effective gas exchangers. The gills are contained within discrete muscular pouches, and the anatomy of the blood system and ventilatory ducts has an ideal countercurrent arrangement (Mallatt and Paulsen, 1986; Elger, 1987). Reite (1969) first reported effects of catecholamines and other drugs on the branchial vasculature of hagfish. Recent studies of both perfused gills in situ and of blood flow in vivo have suggested that blood flow through the gills of hagfish is under tonic control by catecholamines (Axelsson et al. 1990; Forster et al. 1992). In teleosts, several studies have shown that adrenergic control mechanisms are involved in the distribution of blood between the arterio-arterial and the arterio-venous pathways of the gill vasculature (see Nilsson, 1983). Anatomical and ultrastructural studies have demonstrated the existence of similar pathways in hagfish (Cole, 1925; Mallatt and Paulsen, 1986; Elger, 1987). The experiments reported here demonstrate that, in the hagfish gill pouch, both adrenaline and isoprenaline can increase the proportion of fluid leaving via the efferent arterial route, at the expense of the venous outflow. Hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus Forster) were collected off Motunau, North Canterbury, New Zealand, and held in seawater aquaria until used. The masses of the 11 animals used in these experiments ranged from 680 to 1720 g with a mean of 1140±110 g (s.e.m.). Animals were anaesthetized in a 0.4 % solution of benzocaine in sea water. The hagfish were opened ventrally to expose the gills and their blood supply. Individual gill pouches were prepared for perfusion studies.

Effects of preload and afterload on the performance of the in situ perfused portal heart of the New Zealand hagfish Eptatretus cirrhatus

The portal heart of the New Zealand hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus) was perfused in situ. Stroke volume, cardiac output and power output increased in response to increased preload, in accordance with Starling's law of the heart. A positive chronotropic effect was found when the input pressure increased from 0.05 to 0.1 kPa. Increased afterload decreased stroke volume and cardiac output. Power output peaked at an output pressure of 0.22 kPa, after which it decreased. There was no change in heart rate in response to increased afterload. In unanaesthetized resting animals, the pressure in the supraintestinal vein, which supplies the portal heart, ranged from 0.025 to 0.07 kPa (mean 0.040±0.005 kPa). The beta-adrenoceptor antagonist sotalol did not affect the response to different input and output pressures. Sotalol produced a significant decrease in heart rate and abolished the pressure-sensitive increase in heart rate. Bolus injections of adrenaline produced a transient increase in portal heart rate. The negative chronotropic response to sotalol and the response to adrenaline indicate the presence of an endogenous beta-adrenergic tonus on the portal heart.

Energy equivalents of oxygen consumption in animal energetics.

The energy equivalents given in the literature are reviewed and criticised. New equivalents are calculated for protein respiration.The energy equivalent for converting rate of oxygen consumption into rate of heat production (Q ox cal mg-1 oxygen consumed) is 3.53 cal mg-1 for carbohydrate oxidation, 3.28 cal mg-1 (range 3.22-3.32) for fat oxidation. Q ox values for the respiration of standard protein are the same at 3.25 cal mg-1 for ureotelic and uricotelic animals, and about 2% less at 3.20 cal mg-1 for ammoniotelic animals. The energy equivalent for converting rate of oxygen consumption into rate of energy loss in excreta (Q ex cal mg-1) varies considerably with different excretory products. Values for standard protein are 0.62 cal mg-1 for ammonioteles, 0.58 cal mg-1 for ureoteles, and 0.94 cal mg-1 for uricoteles.The various factors affecting both Q ox and Q ex are discussed, and examples of the estimation of general energy equivalents are given.

A comparison of plasma vitamin C and E levels in two Antarctic and two temperate water fish species.

Antarctic fish have a high polyunsaturated lipid content and their muscle cells have a high mitochondria density suggesting that Antarctic fish are under greater oxidative stress than temperate water fish. To test this hypothesis, the plasma concentrations of the antioxidant vitamins E and C were measured in two Antarctic fish species, Pagothenia borchgrevinki and Trematomus bernacchii, and compared with the plasma concentrations of these vitamins in two New Zealand temperate water fish species, blue cod (Parapercis colias) and banded wrasse (Notolabrus fucicola). Neither vitamin is known to be synthesised in fish and so must be obtained from the diet. The plasma from both Antarctic fish species had vitamin E concentrations five to six times higher than those found in the two temperate water fish species. However, significantly higher levels of vitamin C were only found in the plasma of T. bernacchii, a benthic Antarctic fish. The average level of vitamin C in the plasma of the cryopelagic P. borchgrevinki was approximately one-third that of T. bernacchii. The T. bernacchii plasma yielded a high range of vitamin C values, possibly reflecting differences in nutritional status among the animals captured. No beta-carotene was found in any of the fish plasma samples studied. The data suggest that even though Antarctic fish live at -1.5 degrees C they may be exposed to greater metabolic stress from free radical mediated oxidation than temperate water species.

Methods for preparing synthetic freshwaters.

Synthetic solutions that emulate the major ion compositions of natural waters are useful in experiments aimed at understanding biogeochemical processes. Standard recipes exist for preparing synthetic analogues of seawater, with its relatively constant composition, but, due to the diversity of freshwaters, a range of compositions and recipes is required. Generic protocols are developed for preparing synthetic freshwaters of any desired composition. The major problems encountered in preparing hard and soft waters include dissolving sparingly soluble calcium carbonate, ensuring that the ionic components of each concentrated stock solution cannot form an insoluble salt and dealing with the supersaturation of calcium carbonate in many hard waters. For acidic waters the poor solubility of aluminium salts requires attention. These problems are overcome by preparing concentrated stock solutions according to carefully designed reaction paths that were tested using a combination of experiment and equilibrium modeling. These stock solutions must then be added in a prescribed order to prepare a final solution that is brought into equilibrium with the atmosphere. The example calculations for preparing hard, soft and acidic freshwater surrogates with major ion compositions the same as published analyses, are presented in a generalized fashion that should allow preparation of any synthetic freshwater according to its known analysis.

The effect of sequential extractions of suspended particulate matter on trace metal sorption and microbial cell stability.

Sequential extractions, according to a modified scheme proposed by Tessier et al. (Tessier A, Campbell PGC, Bisson M. Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of trace metals. Anal Chem 1979;51:844-851), were performed on suspended particulate material (SPM) from the River Mersey, North-West England. The resulting solid-phase fractions were spiked with trace levels of Cd and Cu and their metal-binding properties were investigated as a function of pH. The results indicated that metal binding decreased as the material was successively extracted, i.e. the unextracted fraction bound the most metal, while the particles which had undergone all of the extractions bound the least metal. This effect was attributed to the loss of particle mass during the extractions and to the relative metal affinities of the newly exposed surfaces. The exposure of new potential binding sites was not an overriding influence on metal binding. The strongest binding of Cd appears to be to the nominal manganese oxyhydroxide phase, with no measurable binding of Cd by the residual mineral fraction. By contrast, the nominal iron and manganese oxyhydroxides, organic material and the residual mineral fraction all appear to affect Cu binding significantly. The effect of the extractions on the particles was also investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Micrographs indicated that the biological material in the sample had undergone significant alteration after treatment with the first and second extractants (acetate and hydroxylamine, respectively), i.e. before removal of the nominal organic fraction. These changes in biological material may affect metal binding, complicating the interpretation in terms of simple mineral and organic phases.