Post-release survival of hatchery fishes is imperative to the success of any supplemental stocking program. The purpose of this research was to identify differences between hatchery and wild red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and determine if pre-release exposure techniques improve survival of hatchery individuals. Objectives were to contrast survival skills of hatchery and wild red drum from different locations, and examine if exposure to natural stimuli (e.g., habitat, predators, live prey) enhances survival skills in naïve hatchery red drum. Laboratory trials using high-speed videography (250 frames per second, fps) and field mesocosm experiments were used to investigate differences in prey-capture (e.g., attack distance, mean attack velocity, capture time, maximum gape, time to maximum gape, gape cycle duration, and foraging behaviors) and anti-predator performance (e.g., reaction distance, response distance, maximum velocity, time to maximum velocity, mean acceleration, and maximum acceleration) of hatchery and wild red drum. Results indicated that anti-predator performance measures differed significantly between hatchery and wild red drum. Variability in prey-capture and anti-predator performance for hatchery and wild red drum was high (CV range: 5.6 – 76.5%), and was greatest for hatchery fish for the majority of performance variables tested. Exposure to habitat (Spartina alterniflora marsh) did not appear to afford any obvious survival benefits to hatchery red drum, although survival skills did vary according to ontogenetic stage. Hatchery red drum exposed to natural predators (pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides) exhibited significantly greater attack distances during feeding events, and anti-predator performance variables were 20 – 300% in these individuals versus naïve red drum. In predation experiments with free-ranging pinfish predators, mortality rates (Z) ranged from 0.047 – 0.060 h-1 · predator-1; however no significant differences in mortality were found between fish reared with and without predators. Hatchery red drum reared on live prey (Artemia franciscana, mysid shrimp) demonstrated enhanced prey-capture and foraging behaviors as well as anti-predator performance relative to fish reared on artificial (pellet) diets. Findings of this research indicate that several behavioral patterns differed between hatchery and wild red drum; however, these differences can be mediated through the use of various pre-release exposure techniques.

High feed costs and increasing demand for fishmeal have intensified the search for alternative protein sources which are needed to allow world aquaculture to continue expanding. A severely underused marine resource is processing wastes of various types of seafood, which are often disposed of at great cost. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate three different types of seafood processing wastes as potential feed ingredients for the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). The three processing wastes evaluated were heads and shells from Penaeid shrimp, and viscera and skeletal remains from filleted black drum (Pogonias cromis) and channel catfish (Ictaluras punctatus). These wastes were blended with soybean meal in a 40:60 ratio, dry extruded and dried to produce stable ingredients. All three byproduct meals produced had crude protein levels ranging from 45 to 50 percent. Two feeding trials were conducted to evaluate the different processing waste byproduct meals in comparison to menhaden fishmeal. A digestibility trial was conducted with sub-adult red drum which led to the computation of apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) for organic matter, protein, lipid and energy for each of the byproduct meals. Each byproduct meal had relatively high ADC values that were generally similar to those of menhaden fishmeal. A comparative growth trial with red drum was then conducted in which experimental diets were formulated with the three byproduct meals replacing menhaden fishmeal on an equal-digestible-protein basis at levels of 65 percent, 80 percent, or 95 percent. Juvenile red drum were fed the various diets for 8 weeks in a brackish (6 plus/minus 1 ppt) water recirculating system after which weight gain, survival, feed efficiency, as well as whole-body proximate composition and condition indices were measured. All three of the byproduct meals could replace up to 65 percent of the protein provided by fishmeal without adversely affecting performance of red drum. However, the shrimp byproduct consistently provided the highest performance values at 80 percent replacement. The catfish byproduct yielded the lowest fish performance at all levels. This study indicates that dry extrusion of seafood processing wastes can be used to replace a considerable amount of fishmeal in feeds for red drum.

Thyrotropin (TSH) is a glycoprotein hormone released from the pituitary gland to promote the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormone. The existence of well-established peripheral mechanisms for regulation of thyroid hormone delivery to targets has called into question the significance of TSH as a primary regulator of circulating thyroid hormone concentrations in fish. However, relatively little is known about the regulation or action of endogenously secreted teleost TSH, largely due to lack of purified TSH suitable for biological testing and immunoassay development. I developed a red drum in vivo bioassay to aid in the production and purification of recombinant TSH from the red drum, a perciform fish demonstrating dynamic daily thyroxine (T4) cycles hypothesized to be driven by TSH. Exogenous bovine TSH injection resulted in a time and dose-dependent increase in circulating TSH and T4 in red drum. However, the sensitivity of the red drum thyroid gland to stimulation by bovine TSH was lost during growth under controlled laboratory conditions, even when circulating levels of exogenously-administered mammalian TSH remained elevated. The insensitivity of the thyroid was not due to prior TSH injection or feed source. Because insensitivity of the Thyrotropin (TSH) is a glycoprotein hormone released from the pituitary gland to promote the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormone. The existence of well-established peripheral mechanisms for regulation of thyroid hormone delivery to targets has called into question the significance of TSH as a primary regulator of circulating thyroid hormone concentrations in fish. However, relatively little is known about the regulation or action of endogenously secreted teleost TSH, largely due to lack of purified TSH suitable for biological testing and immunoassay development. I developed a red drum in vivo bioassay to aid in the production and purification of recombinant TSH from the red drum, a perciform fish demonstrating dynamic daily thyroxine (T4) cycles hypothesized to be driven by TSH. Exogenous bovine TSH injection resulted in a time and dose-dependent increase in circulating TSH and T4 in red drum. However, the sensitivity of the red drum thyroid gland to stimulation by bovine TSH was lost during growth under controlled laboratory conditions, even when circulating levels of exogenously-administered mammalian TSH remained elevated. The insensitivity of the thyroid was not due to prior TSH injection or feed source. Because insensitivity of the red drum thyroid precluded their use as a bioassay species, the plasma TSH and T4 response to exogenous TSH was next characterized in goldfish. The T4 response in goldfish was stable and repeatable, with T4 levels peaking at 5 hours and remaining elevated for more than 11 hours after bovine TSH injection. Plasma TSH peaked from 2-5 hours following TSH injection with more than 90 percent cleared by 11 hours. The goldfish bioassay was further utilized to evaluate the effects of structural modifications on TSH biological activity. Substitution of four positively charged amino acids at the n-recombinant human TSH, had the same effect in goldfish. The heterothyrotropic potency of mammalian follicle stimulating hormone in goldfish was also enhanced by the same amino acid substitutions. Finally, the importance of oligosaccharides to TSH bioactivity was also examined in goldfish. Deglycosylation abolished TSH bioactivity, even when immunoreactivity persisted in circulation. Furthermore, recombinant canine TSH was less potent when produced in cell lines generating insect-type glycosylation than when produced in a cell line capable of mammalian-type glycosylation. These studies utilizing recombinant mammalian demonstrated conservation of mammalian TSH hormone-receptor interactions in goldfish, suggesting TSH function might likewise be conserved. Thus, I have established goldfish as a sensitive and stable bioassay which can now be utilized to monitor the biological activity of teleost TSH expressed in vitro as well as to evaluate how structural modifications of the TSH molecule influence its vivo biological activity.

The role of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in the regulation of peripheral thyroid function in non-mammalian species is still poorly understood. Thyroxine (T₄), the principal hormone released from the thyroid gland in response to TSH stimulation, circulates with a robust daily rhythm in the sciaenid fish, red drum. Previous research has suggested that the red drum T₄ cycle is circadian in nature, driven by TSH secretion in the early photophase and inhibited by T₄ feedback in the early scotophase. To determine whether TSH is produced in a pattern consistent with driving this T₄ cycle, I developed quantitative real time RT-PCR (qPCR) techniques to quantify the daily cycle of expression of the pituitary TSH subunits GSU[alpha], and TSH[beta]. I found that pituitary TSH expression cycled inversely to, and 6-12 hours out of phase with, the T₄ cycle, consistent with the hypothesis that TSH secretion drives the T₄ cycle. To examine the potential role of deiodinases in negative feedback regulation of this TSH cycle, I also utilized qPCR to assess the pituitary expression patterns of the TH activating enzyme outer-ring deiodinase (Dio2) and the TH deactivating enzyme inner ring deiodinase (Dio3). Whereas Dio2 was not expressed with an obvious daily cycle, Dio3 was expressed in the pituitary mirroring the TSH cycle. These results are consistent with T₄ negative feedback on TSH and suggest that TH inactivation by pituitary cells is an important component of the negative feedback system. To further examine the TH regulation of this Dio3 cycle, I developed an immersion technique to administer physiological doses of T₃ and T₄ in vivo. Both hormones persist in static tank water for at least 40 hours. Immersion in 200ng/ml T₄ significantly increased both plasma T₄ and T₃ within physiological ranges above control at 4.5 hours. Immersion in 100ng/ml T₃ increased plasma T₃ within physiological ranges over control by 22 hours while significantly decreasing plasma T₄ below control, presumably through inhibition of TSH secretion. T₄ also significantly inhibited the expression of the TSH [alpha] and [beta] subunits at 4.5 and 22 hours of immersion whereas T₃ immersion significantly inhibited the expression of the [alpha] and [beta] subunits of TSH by 22 hours. Both Dio2 and Dio3 expression were significantly diminished by T3 and T₄ at 22 hours. Inhibition of circulating THs with the goitrogen methimazole significantly increased the expression of TSH. These results indicate that both T₄ and T₃ are capable of negative feedback regulation of TSH expression in red drum on a time scale consistent with the T₄ daily cycle, and further support Dio3 destruction of THs in the pituitary, potentially regulated by circulating T₄, as a critical component of negative feedback on TSH. This study supports the importance of central mechanisms acting through pituitary TSH secretion in regulating thyroid function in red drum.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). "August 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 257-266). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-174)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar, sob o enfoque da modelagem matemática, a operação de escrubagem da bauxita proveniente da jazida Miltônia 3, da Mina de Bauxita de Paragominas-PA, com vistas a fornecer parâmetros para previsão de seu desempenho e otimização. Para isso, foi realizada uma campanha de experimentos de escrubagem, em um tambor desagregador de laboratório, baseada em planejamento fatorial. Os parâmetros operacionais avaliados foram os seguintes: grau de enchimento, tempo de residência da polpa e velocidade de rotação. A variável de resposta selecionada foi a quantidade de finos (partículas menores que 0,037 mm) no produto desagregado. O programa de experimentos permitiu a análise da influência de cada variável operacional selecionada na desagregação da bauxita. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, o parâmetro operacional que produziu o efeito mais significativo na variável de resposta foi o grau de enchimento. O modelo desenvolvido foi validado através da comparação entre os valores obtidos em ensaios de escrubagem em uma unidade piloto e aqueles previstos pelo modelo. Os valores da quantidade de finos, no produto desagregado, previstos pelo modelo apresentaram uma excelente aproximação com os dados experimentais da operação em escala piloto. / The aim of this study was to investigate and model the bauxite scrubbing of bauxite samples from Miltonia 3, a Vale operation at Pará state, Brazil. The experimental program included the design of a standard laboratory test, from which parameters were derived for predicting the operation of a scrubber in steady state conditions. Three main variables were selected for the laboratory experimental program using the factorial design technique. These were load fraction, residence time and rotation speed. The amount of fines was determined through screening both feed and product of the scrubbing test. The former was considered as a material characteristic while the second was the dependent variable, i.e. the result of the scrubbing process. An empirical model was developed according to which the load fraction was found the most important variable to the scrubbing process. Residence time was also included in the model due to its importance in designing scrubbers for industrial plants. To validate the model a comprehensive pilot plant program was carried out with the same bauxite sample from Miltonia 3 deposit used in the laboratory investigations. The comparison between experimental data and model calculated values indicated a good agreement, as most values were within ±10% deviation range.

This thesis examines performance practice with the Augmented Drum-Kit, a personal evolution of the acoustic drum-kit with the use of digital technology. The practice is investigated from three perspectives: First, through possible spatial and contextual definitions of the instrument under development, taking into consideration the inherently open-ended nature of its building blocks: percussion and the computer. Second, by exploring the composer/performer/builder’s practice paradigm in terms of musical and performative goals with such an emerging performance environment. Finally, as a diachronic practice between performer and all constituent technological parts of the composite instrument, towards the practice’s ongoing development and evolution. Using these discussions as starting points, this practice-led research proposes three intertwined novel frameworks for diachronic live electronic performance practice and bespoke instrument design. Additionally, the developed instrument itself is detailed in the form of the devised design methods, schematics, diagrams and software, addressing questions such as intuitive control, gestural uniformity, consistent electro-acoustic vocabulary, distinct instrumental character, mobility, sound diffusion and transferability. Finally, music portfolio consisting of five solo and group album recordings with the Augmented Drum-Kit is presented, while audiovisual examples from various scenarios and development stages are used to further illustrate the discussion.

The majority of the Middle Cambrian Wheeler Formation in the Drum Mountains was deposited during a single 3rd order sequence. Superimposed onto this sequence are three indistinct 4th order cycles and twenty distinct 5th order cycles. These higher other cycles were likely deposited within short intervals of geologic time (204 to 405 ky). The lower sequence boundary zone occurs within the Swasey Formation. The Transgressive Surface is the contact between the Swaset and Wheeler Formations. The Maximum Flooding Surface is located near the top of the lower Wheeler Formation, which also approximates the base of the Ptychagnostus atavus range zone. The upper sequence boundary is marked by stromatolites, which occur near the top of the upper member of the Wheeler Formation in the Drum Mountains. Deposition of the Wheeler Formation in the Drum Mountains was controlled by eustacy and tectonics. Local normal faulting associated with Middle Cambrian postrifting thermal subsidence may have caused some of the 5th order cycles. The cycles and surfaces defined in this stratigraphic analysis, and the base of the Ptychagnostus atavus and P. gibbus range-zones, can be used to correlate strata occurring in other localities in the eastern Great Basin. In addition, this study enables the evaluation of the effect of tectonics (faulting) versus global eustacy on the sedimentary regime occurring within the Middle Cambrian House Range Embayment. (95 pages)