Systems biology methods can provide novel insight into the responses of an organism to a suboptimal environment, an infection or exposure to a xenobiotic. In the interaction of salmon and salmon lice, there are several areas requiring further research. These include the impacts of lice infection on wild salmon, response mechanisms of different salmon species or life stages to lice infections, effects of environmental conditions on lice stress, and mechanisms underlying the emergence of resistance to important parasiticidal chemicals. Here, I combine global gene expression analyses with phenotypic and physiological responses of salmon or salmon lice to further our understanding of these topics. In the first chapter, I introduce the work by discussing relevant background material on the current knowledge of salmon and salmon lice interactions, salmon immunity, the state of salmon and louse genomics and the emerging field of ecological genomics. I also discuss how these approaches are applied to the study of non-model organisms and sustainable aquaculture development and fisheries conservation. In the second chapter, I present the first large-scale transcriptome profiling of a Pacific salmon to a salmon lice infection, identifying transcript signatures associated with an infection in a sensitive life stage of pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha. In the third chapter, I present the results of multiple co-habitation infections of three species of Pacific and Atlantic salmon to compare physiological and transcriptomic responses at the local (skin) and systemic levels (anterior kidney). In the fourth chapter, I explore louse transcriptome functioning during temperature and salinity perturbations to characterize the molecular stress response and coping strategies of lice, as well as provide stressor context to response genes. In the fifth chapter, I evaluate sensitive Pacific and resistant and sensitive Atlantic lice responses to emamectin benzoate, an important compound for louse control which has recently been evaded by the louse through resistance development in multiple regions worldwide. In the sixth and final chapter, I conclude with a synthesis of what was learned about knowledge gaps discussed above and how to best apply this information by providing some approaches for future research to address remaining challenges. / Graduate / 0369 / 0792 / 0718 / bensutherland7@gmail.com

The study investigated biological and ecological parameters controlling and influencing the production and distribution of the free-swimming larval stages of Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kroyer, 1838), and to a lesser extent Caligus elongatus Nordmann 1832, in the natural environment The reproductive output of L. salmonis was influenced by seasonal effects. The number of eggs produced per brood showed an inverse relationship with increasing temperature. The number of eggs per brood was also influenced by adult female body size (cephalothorax length), which in itself exhibited an inverse relationship with increasing temperature. Photoperiod had no significant effect upon the number of eggs produced or on adult female size. Mean egg size of L. salmonis varied significantly over the year; larger eggs were produced during the summer months and smaller eggs over the winter. However, factors controlling the size of the eggs were not elucidated. The proportion of viable eggs per L. salmonis ovisac remained constant throughout the year. Large variations in egg number per egg string were found in both L. salmonis and C elongatus populations sampled at one point in time. These were attributed in part to phenotypic variation in adult female size and also the number of broods individual females had produced. Egg viability was not correlated with brood size, but mean egg size was related to the number of eggs per brood. Experimental studies indicated that hatching and development of L. salmonis was highly variable. The percentage of eggs hatched and the time period over which hatching occurred varied markedly, even when held under constant and optimal environmental conditions. Temperature did not affect hatching success or viability of the nauplius I stage, although at higher temperatures the period over which hatching occurred was reduced. Low and medium salinities caused a significant decrease in both hatching success and nauplius viability. Photoperiod had no effect on initiation of hatching. Hatching occurred in a manner similar to that observed in free-living copepods. The nauplii were enclosed by two egg membranes, the outer one bursting within the ovisac, the inner one after the ovisac membrane has split. Swelling of the egg and its subsequent hatching was attributed to osmotic effects, with water being taken up from the external environment. Development was also highly dependent upon both temperature and salinity. At 5'C, nauplius 11 stages failed to enter the moult to the copepodid stage. At 7.5'C, although moulting was initiated, in a large proportion of cases it was not successfully completed. At I O'C, development to the copepodid stage was successful. Nauplii only developed successfully to the copepodid stage at salinities of 25%o or greater. Copepodids raised under optimal conditions then exposed to a range of salinities had a greater salinity tolerance than nauplii. Biochemical analysis of the eggs of L. salmonis revealed that lipids constituted a large proportion of their dry weight. Naupliar stages contained a discrete area containing lipid which decreased in size over time, suggesting that the free-swimming larval stages utilised this as an energy reserve. Rate of depletion was faster in nauplii held at higher temperatures. Longevity, activity and infectivity of the infective stage decreased with age. However, both spontaneous and stimulus dependent activity ceased many hours before death and both activity and longevity were affected by temperature. Infectivity of I day old L. salmonis copepodids was higher than 7 day old larvae, and was considered to be related to the size of the energy reserves. The settlement and distribution pattern of copepodids did not change with age of copepodid, the majority being recorded from the fins. All three L. salmonis free-swimming larval stages demonstrated a "hop and sink" swimming pattern. The velocity and duration of both passive sinking and active swimming was recorded for both nauplii and copepodids. Although greater periods of time were spent passively sinking, the speeds obtained during both upward spontaneous and stimulated swimming meant that a net upward movement of larvae in the water column occurred. At higher temperatures spontaneous swimming activity increased, whilst low salinities caused a cessation of such ability. L. salmonis larvae were positively phototactic and negatively geotactic. As well as their positive responses to light intensity, the nauplius 11 and copepodid stages reacted positively to blue-green spectral wavelengths. Moulting times were relatively short, although the larvae were not able to swim during such periods. No relationship was found between the level of lipid reserves and the overall buoyancy of the larvae. Naupliar stages of both L. salmonis and C. elongalus were obtained from the water column as a result of a plankton sampling programme at a commercial Atlantic salmon farm. No copepodid stages of either species were found. There was no difference in the vertical distribution of the two L. salmonis naupliar stages. Live larvae tended to aggregate between 0 and 5m in depth, with no diurnal vertical migration. Dead nauplii, and those with low lipid reserves, were found deeper in the water column. Naupliar stages, and in particular the first larval stage, were concentrated in number within cages indicating that the cages have a retentive characteristic. A novel control method in the form of a commercially available light lure was tested. Though increasing the numbers of free-living copepods captured, it had no effect on the numbers of L. salmonis naupliar or copepodid stages obtained in plankton samples. The present study has therefore provided valuable data concerning the biology and ecology of the free-swimming larval stages of sea lice, in what was a comparatively poorly understood area.

Bibliography: leaves 120-145. / vii, 145, [43] leaves, [23] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Reports Bt crystal protein toxicity to a phthirapteran species. Although Bt strain WB3516 may produce other unidentified toxins effective against B. ovis, the results provide strong evidence that the [delta]-endotoxin crystal proteins of strain WB3516 significantly contribute to the lousicidal toxicity of this strain. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Crop Protection, 1998?

abstract: This dissertation consists of three substantive chapters. The first substantive chapter investigates the premature harvesting problem in fisheries. Traditionally, yield-per-recruit analysis has been used to both assess and address the premature harvesting of fish stocks. However, the fact that fish size often affects the unit price suggests that this approach may be inadequate. In this chapter, I first synthesize the conventional yield-per-recruit analysis, and then extend this conventional approach by incorporating a size-price function for a revenue-per-recruit analysis. An optimal control approach is then used to derive a general bioeconomic solution for the optimal harvesting of a short-lived single cohort. This approach prevents economically premature harvesting and provides an "optimal economic yield". By comparing the yield- and revenue-per-recruit management strategies with the bioeconomic management strategy, I am able to test the economic efficiency of the conventional yield-per-recruit approach. This is illustrated with a numerical study. It shows that a bioeconomic strategy can significantly improve economic welfare compared with the yield-per-recruit strategy, particularly in the face of high natural mortality. Nevertheless, I find that harvesting on a revenue-per-recruit basis improves management policy and can generate a rent that is close to that from bioeconomic analysis, in particular when the natural mortality is relatively low. The second substantive chapter explores the conservation potential of a whale permit market under bounded economic uncertainty. Pro- and anti-whaling stakeholders are concerned about a recently proposed, "cap and trade" system for managing the global harvest of whales. Supporters argue that such an approach represents a novel solution to the current gridlock in international whale management. In addition to ethical objections, opponents worry that uncertainty about demand for whale-based products and the environmental benefits of conservation may make it difficult to predict the outcome of a whale share market. In this study, I use population and economic data for minke whales to examine the potential ecological consequences of the establishment of a whale permit market in Norway under bounded but significant economic uncertainty. A bioeconomic model is developed to evaluate the influence of economic uncertainties associated with pro- and anti- whaling demands on long-run steady state whale population size, harvest, and potential allocation. The results indicate that these economic uncertainties, in particular on the conservation demand side, play an important role in determining the steady state ecological outcome of a whale share market. A key finding is that while a whale share market has the potential to yield a wide range of allocations between conservation and whaling interests - outcomes in which conservationists effectively "buy out" the whaling industry seem most likely. The third substantive chapter examines the sea lice externality between farmed fisheries and wild fisheries. A central issue in the debate over the effect of fish farming on the wild fisheries is the nature of sea lice population dynamics and the wild juvenile mortality rate induced by sea lice infection. This study develops a bioeconomic model that integrates sea lice population dynamics, fish population dynamics, aquaculture and wild capture salmon fisheries in an optimal control framework. It provides a tool to investigate sea lice control policy from the standpoint both of private aquaculture producers and wild fishery managers by considering the sea lice infection externality between farmed and wild fisheries. Numerical results suggest that the state trajectory paths may be quite different under different management regimes, but approach the same steady state. Although the difference in economic benefits is not significant in the particular case considered due to the low value of the wild fishery, I investigate the possibility of levying a tax on aquaculture production for correcting the sea lice externality generated by fish farms. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2014

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T13:53:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RooseveltBSF.pdf: 738768 bytes, checksum: 1b44c9904337b95af5a512f4d87db232 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-24 / This work consists in a study of the Shrimp Industry in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, whose central issue relates to the understanding of how the Triple Helix (University, Government and the productive sector) interrelationship limits or expands the industry s innovation process. The study aims to understand how the Triple Helix relationship interferes in the innovation process of shrimp in Rio Grande do Norte. As the knowledge becomes the resource key for production methods, the generation of new technologies, new products and processes which demands joint and integrated action of the institutions comprising the Triple Helix: University, Government and productive sector, which possess the essential resources to innovate the process and can be maximized from cooperative relationships between the referred Institutions. Thus, in this work, it was sharply used the pioneering studies of Sabato and Botana (1968) regarding the cooperation relationship between the scientific-technological sphere, the governmental and the productive base, and studies on the Triple Helix approach, proposed by Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff (2000), in which the university has a key role in the process of technological and innovative development of countries and regions, and under which it is assigned to the very University - the character of the entrepreneurial institution, through the concept of entrepreneurial University. Aiming to overcome the criticism of Cooke (2005), regarding the limitations of the Triple Helix approach, in this study it was used - as analytical perspectives - the perspective of social immersion (Granovetter, 1985, 2005) and the theory of resources dependence (PFEFFER; SALANCIK, 1978). The analytical perspectives presented in here, despite of the different assumptions, are essential to eliminate the bias that one only approach can lead (ASTLEY; VAN DE VEM; 2007). The authors arguments focus on the fact that the integration is possible if the researcher acknowledged that different perspectives may have different descriptions of the same phenomenon. As a research strategy, this study is characterized as a study case, along with the proposed objectives - the qualitative method was used as an approach and, depending on the gathering of the sector s historical, a sectional longitudinal view approach was applied (VIEIRA, 2004). The primary and secondary data were used in order to understand the sector s evolutionary process and its inter-institutional relations - regarding the shrimp culture in Rio Grande do Norte - to promote the development, as the content was used for the technical analysis (BARDIN, 1977). The approach of social immersion and resources addiction dependence made it possible to understand that relationships are established within and between each sphere (university, government and productive sector) characterizing a network of low density relationships and strongly internal and external dependence. Based on the speech of Etzkowitz and Mello (2006), a successful Triple Helix strategy of innovation requires not only the involvement and commitment of the parts, within the institutional sphere and among them, but also the development of mechanisms to coordinate the multiple and complex interactions and interfaces, focusing on promoting both environment and context for innovation and learning; it can be acknowledge from study results that the shrimp in the State of the RN, although there are several institutional mechanisms to promote greater integration and technological development, has been presented disjointed - both internally and between the spheres - and under no legitimate practice when facing the innovational promotion and integration institutions. Due to those factors, the central institutions of the network are crucial to the promotion of innovations, spreading through their direct contacts the importance factor of the sustainable competitive activity in the world market and on the national level. However, it may be concluded, from the data, that the Triple Helix relations are interfering in a negative way on what concerns the promotion of innovations in the shrimp industry in RN / Este trabalho consiste em um estudo no setor carcinicultor do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, cuja quest?o central est? na compreens?o de como as rela??es inter-atores da Tr?plice H?lice (universidade, governo e setor produtivo) limitam ou ampliam o processo de inova??o no setor. O estudo tem como objetivo central compreender como as rela??es da Tr?plice H?lice interferem no processo de inova??o da carcinicultura norteriograndense. Na medida em que o conhecimento passa a ser o recurso essencial para os m?todos de produ??o, a gera??o de novas tecnologias, de novos produtos e novos processos demanda a a??o integrada e conjunta de atores que comp?em as esferas institucionais da Tr?plice H?lice: universidade, governo e setor produtivo; sob os quais residem os recursos essenciais para o processo de inova??o e podem ser maximizados a partir de rela??es cooperativas entre os atores. Para tanto, utilizou-se os estudos pioneiros de S?bato e Botana (1968) quanto a rela??o de coopera??o entre a esfera cient?fico-tecnol?gica, o governo e a base produtiva, e os estudos acerca da abordagem da Tr?plice H?lice, proposta por Etzkowitz e Leydesdorff (2000), na qual a universidade passa a ter um papel fundamental no processo do desenvolvimento tecnol?gico e inovativo de pa?ses e regi?es, e sob a qual lhe ? atribu?da o car?ter de institui??o empreendedora, atrav?s do conceito da universidade empreendedora. Como forma de superar as cr?ticas de Cooke (2005), quanto as limita??es da abordagem da Tr?plice H?lice, utilizou-se como perspectivas anal?ticas neste estudo a perspectiva da imers?o social (GRANOVETTER, 1985; 2005) e a teoria da depend?ncia de recursos (PFEFFER; SALANCIK, 1978). As perspectivas anal?ticas apresentadas neste estudo apesar de terem pressupostos diferentes s?o essenciais para que se possa eliminar os vieses que uma abordagem s? pode conduzir (ASTLEY; VAN DE VEM (2007). O argumento dos autores ? que a integra??o ? poss?vel se o pesquisador reconhecer que as diferentes perspectivas podem apresentar descri??es diferentes sobre um mesmo fen?meno. Como estrat?gia de pesquisa, este estudo se caracteriza como um estudo de caso, em conson?ncia com os objetivos propostos, utilizou-se como abordagem o m?todo qualitativo, e em fun??o do resgate dos marcos hist?rico do setor, utilizou-se uma abordagem seccional com perspectiva longitudinal (VIEIRA, 2004). Os dados prim?rios e secund?rios foram utilizados de forma a compreender o processo evolutivo do setor, bem como as rela??es inter-atores na carcinicultura do Rio Grande do Norte para a promo??o do desenvolvimento. Como t?cnica de an?lise, utilizou-se a de conte?do (BARDIN, 1977). A abordagem da Imers?o social e da Depend?ncia de Recursos permitiu compreender que as rela??es que se estabelecem dentro e entre cada esfera (universidade, governo e setor produtivo) caracterizam a rede com relacionamentos de baixa densidade e com uma forte rela??o de depend?ncia tanto internamente como externamente. Tomando por base o argumento de Mello e Etzkowitz (2006) de que o sucesso de uma estrat?gia de Tr?plice H?lice de inova??o necessita de envolvimento e compromisso dos atores dentro de cada esfera institucional e entre elas, como tamb?m do desenvolvimento de mecanismos para a coordena??o das m?ltiplas e complexas intera??es e interfaces para a promo??o de um ambiente e um contexto para a inova??o e aprendizagem, conclui-se a partir dos resultados apresentados que a carcinicultura do Estado do RN, apesar de possuir v?rios mecanismos institucionais para promover maior integra??o e o desenvolvimento tecnol?gico, tem se apresentado desarticulado tanto internamente quanto entre as esferas, e com pr?ticas nem sempre legitimadas perante atores por parte das institui??es de promo??o de inova??es e de integra??o. Dessa forma, os atores centrais da rede s?o cruciais para que a promo??o de inova??es, difundindo atrav?s dos contatos diretos a import?ncia do fator para a sustentabilidade competitiva da atividade no mercado mundial e nacional. Contudo, pode-se concluir a partir dos dados que as rela??es da Tr?plice H?lice vem interferindo de maneira negativa na promo??o de inova??es na carcinicultura do RN

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:33:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HonaraMS_DISSERT.pdf: 1764050 bytes, checksum: 8846e2477a7b0e0f242d2ada60121e07 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-26 / This study to aimed investigate the community of ectoparasites associated with birds in the Mata do Olho D ?gua, in the municipality of Maca?ba, Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil, its structure and the ambiental and hosts influential variables on it, and to verify microhabitats preferences by species of chewing lice and feather mites. We examined 172 individuals belonging to 38 species of Passeriformes and non-Passeriformes. 12 new geographic records are reported and 11 host-parasite associations not yet known for chewing lice and feather mites species. Significant relationship was found between the abundance of chewing lice and the variables total length (r = 0.29, p <0.05) and exposed culmen (r = 0.38, p <0.05) of the hosts. A principal component (PC1) accounted for 90.1% of the hosts morphological variation was significantly influential on the abundance of chewing lice (p <0.05), indicating that the morphological characteristics of the hosts may be positively influencing the abundance of these ectoparasites. Significantly higher frequency of individuals with high loads of chewing lice was detected during the dry period (x ? = 8.5, p <0.05), corroborating studies that propose that birds of arid environments suffer as much pressure as those of parasitic humid environments. Analyses of null models of co-occurrence and niche overlap showed a high degree of structure in the feather mites and chewing lice assemblies, when compared with other groups, and preferences in the use of microhabitats by taxa identified. These results corroborate ecological theories in host-parasite systems, contribute to the knowledge of ectoparasites associated with neotropical birds, and the need for experimental studies, as well as further deepening the biology of these arthropods / O presente estudo teve como objetivos investigar a comunidade de ectoparasitos associada a aves Mata do Olho D ?gua, localizada no munic?pio de Maca?ba, Rio Grande do Norte, BR, sua estrutura e a influ?ncia de vari?veis ambientais e morfol?gicas dos hospedeiros, al?m de averiguar prefer?ncias de microh?bitat pelas esp?cies de ?caros de pena e mal?fagos em associadas ?s aves em estudo. Foram examinados 172 indiv?duos pertencentes a 38 esp?cies de aves Passeriformes e n?o-Passeriformes. S?o reportados 12 novos registros geogr?ficos para o Brasil e 11 associa??es ainda n?o conhecidas com hospedeiros de ?caros de pena e mal?fagos. Foi detectada rela??o significativa entre abund?ncia de mal?fagos e as vari?veis comprimento total (r= 0,29; p<0,05) e c?lmen exposto (r= 0,38; p<0,05) dos hospedeiros. Uma componente principal (CP1) respons?vel por 90,1% da varia??o morfol?gica dos hospedeiros foi significativamente influente sobre a abund?ncia de mal?fagos (p<0,05), indicando que caracter?sticas morfol?gicas dos hospedeiros podem estar influenciando positivamente a abund?ncia desses ectoparasitos. Frequ?ncia significativamente maior de indiv?duos com altas cargas de mal?fagos foi dectada durante o per?odo de seca (x?= 8,5; p<0,05), corroborando estudos que prop?em que aves de ambientes ?ridos sofrem tanta press?o parasit?ria quanto aquelas de ambientes ?midos. An?lises de modelos nulos de coocorr?ncia e sobreposi??o de nicho apontaram alto grau de estrutura nas assembleias de ?caros e mal?fagos, quando comparadas com outros grupos, e prefer?ncias no uso de microh?bitats pelos t?xons identificados. Estes resultados corroboram teorias ecol?gicas nos sistemas parasito-hospedeiro, contribuem para o conhecimento dos ectoparasitos associados ?s aves neotropicais e apontam a necessidade de estudos experimentais, assim como maior aprofundamento na biologia desses artr?podos

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:53:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VaniaSCC_DISSERT.pdf: 1266430 bytes, checksum: bb0efc87ad098a7372a42a87a2cdce0a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11-20 / Funda??o de Apoio ? Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte / Knowledge and innovation were seen as major forces, both for survival, as the acquisition of competitive advantages in the Brazilian economy, as well as adding value to the product as a market differentiator. The Triple Helix model is directed toward the knowledge-based economy. Over the past six years, the Federal Government through the Financier of Studies and Projects ( FINEP ) invested in technological innovation projects, economic subsidies, about U.S. $ 1 billion supporting more than 800 projects with these resources. According to the MCTI , the Northeast, over the years 2000 to 2010 increased spending on Science and Technology (considering the activities of research and development more scientific and related activities) of the State Government in relation to its total revenue In 2000, 0.51% of total revenues were invested in Science & Technology, while in 2010 this figure increased to 1.31%. Among the nine Northeast states, Para?ba is highlighted. In 2000, 0.33% of its total revenues were directed to innovation, reaching 2.04% in 2010, the largest increase in the region while the RN invested 0.24% in 2000 and in 2010 reached the level of 1.42 %. According to IBGE, in the period 2000-2011, the micro and small enterprises surpassed the barrier of 6 million establishments. In 2000, there were 4.2 million establishments while in 2011 were 6.3 million active establishments. Therefore, throughout the period, there was a creation of approximately 2.1 million new establishments. Between 2000 and 2011, micro and small businesses have created 7.0 million formal jobs, 8.6 million jobs in 2000 to 15.6 million in 2011. This scenario shows the importance of this study in relation to the investment of governments in RD & I in micro and small enterprises. This study aims to analyze the interaction Universities - Business - Government in the development of innovation in micro and small companies in Rio Grande do Norte participants of the edicts of Inova FAPERN. We chose to adopt as a research method case study concerning the procedure of the research, exploratory, descriptive, and on documents with engineers and researchers of innovation projects approved by PAPPE Subsidy (Inova -RN I, II and III). Data collection was done through the report made by FAPERN entitled: " Evaluation of companies financed and supported by the Grant Program for Technological Innovation for Micro and Small Enterprises RN - INOVA -RN " (2010) and a questionnaire with 40 closed questions and 1 opened to 30 affirmative composed based on a 5-point Likert scale. The analysis of data was qualitative and quantitative. The study provided to identify the importance and barriers arising from the relation between Government Enterprise (micro and small) and University as essential to the economic development of the region. It was also identified that, in the innovation projects, 70% of the goods or services originating from research were to market these, 50% resulted in a patent for the company and 80% publications of scientific articles / O conhecimento e a inova??o passaram a ser vistos como importantes for?as, tanto de sobreviv?ncia, quanto de aquisi??o de vantagens competitivas na economia brasileira, al?m de agregar valor ao produto como diferencial de mercado. O modelo da Tr?plice H?lice ? direcionado para a economia baseada no conhecimento. Nos ?ltimos seis anos o Governo Federal, atrav?s da Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP), investiu em projetos de inova??o tecnol?gica, subven??o econ?mica, cerca de R$ 1 bilh?o, apoiando mais de 800 projetos com estes recursos. Segundo dados do MCTI, a regi?o Nordeste, ao longo dos anos 2000 a 2010, aumentou os disp?ndios em Ci?ncia e Tecnologia (considerando as atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento mais atividades cient?ficas e correlatas) dos Governos estaduais em rela??o ?s suas receitas totais. Em 2000, 0,51% das receitas totais eram investidos em C&T, enquanto em 2010 este valor passou a ser de 1,31%. Entre os nove Estados, a Para?ba tem destaque. Em 2000, 0,33% de suas receitas totais foram direcionadas para inova??o, alcan?ando 2,04% em 2010, o maior aumento da regi?o. Enquanto o RN investiu 0,24% em 2000 e em 2010, alcan?ou a marca de 1,42%. Segundo o IBGE, no per?odo 2000-2011, as micro e pequenas empresas suplantaram a barreira dos 6 milh?es de estabelecimentos. Em 2000, havia 4,2 milh?es de estabelecimentos, enquanto em 2011 eram 6,3 milh?es de estabelecimentos em atividade. Portanto, em todo o per?odo, houve uma cria??o de aproximadamente 2,1 milh?es de novos estabelecimentos. Entre 2000 e 2011, as micro e pequenas empresas criaram 7,0 milh?es de empregos com carteira assinada, 8,6 milh?es de postos de trabalho em 2000, para 15,6 milh?es em 2011. Diante deste cen?rio, mostra-se a import?ncia deste estudo no que se refere ao investimento dos Governos em PD&I em micro e pequenas empresas. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a intera??o Universidades Empresas - Governo no desenvolvimento da inova??o em micro e pequenas empresas do Rio Grande do Norte participantes dos editais do Inova da FAPERN. Optou-se por adotar como m?todo de pesquisa o estudo de caso, quanto ao procedimento da pesquisa, explorat?ria-descritiva, sobre documentos e com coordenadores e pesquisadores dos projetos de inova??o aprovados pelo PAPPE Subven??o (Inova-RN I, II e III). A coleta de dados foi feita atrav?s do relat?rio confeccionado pela FAPERN intitulado: Avalia??o das empresas financiadas e apoiadas pelo Programa Subven??o ? Inova??o Tecnol?gica para Micro e Pequenas Empresas do RN - INOVA-RN (2010) e aplica??o de question?rio com 40 perguntas fechadas e 1 aberta, para 30 afirmativas compostas com base na escala Likert de 5 pontos. Quanto ? an?lise dos dados foi qualitativa e quantitativa. O estudo proporcionou identificar a import?ncia e os entraves oriundos da rela??o Governo, Empresa (micro e pequena) e Universidade como essencial para o desenvolvimento econ?mico da regi?o. Foi identificado tamb?m que dos projetos de inova??o, 70% dos produtos ou servi?os originados das pesquisas foram para o mercado, destes, 50% geraram patente para a empresa e 80% publica??es de artigos cient?ficos

The study analyzes genealogy and coevolutionary relationships between the bloodsucking louse Polyplax serrata (Anoplura) and its host of the genus Apodemus (Rodentia). It uses the tools of molecular biology and phylogenetics for interpretation of the parasite distribution in respect to the georaphy and host specificity

No description available.

Caligid copepods, also called sea lice, are ectoparasites of marine fish, with Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) emerging as a problem for mariculture of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758) in the northern hemisphere. Annual costs of sea lice to global salmon farming was estimated to be in excess of €300 million in 2006, with the majority of this accounted for through expenses accrued from chemical treatments. Only a limited range of anti-sea louse drugs are available and licensed for the treatment of fish, and the continued use of only a few compounds creates a situation potentially favouring the development of drug resistance. Emamectin benzoate (EMB) is currently used as a salmon delousing agent, being employed as a 0.2 % in-feed pre-mix (SLICE®). Atlantic salmon farmers have reported increased incidence of reduced L. salmonis sensitivity to SLICE®, which has highlighted the requirement for further research into the molecular mechanisms controlling salmon louse resistance to EMB. Genomic and transcriptomic research concerning L. salmonis drug resistance mechanisms has not often been reported, with previous transcriptomic studies using candidate gene approaches and genetic studies focussing on population genetics. Drug resistance in ecdysozoan invertebrates is associated with a variety of molecular mechanisms including target site mutations and changes in the expression of components in drug detoxification pathways. The research reported in this thesis was aimed at the exploration of mechanisms employed by L. salmonis to reduce the toxicity of EMB exposure, following a transcriptomic approach that utilised custom oligonucleotide (oligo) microarrays and a genetic approach that utilised Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers. An EMB-resistant (PT) and drug-susceptible (S) L. salmonis laboratory-maintained strain were to be used as a model for this research, as these two strains differ in EMB susceptibility (~ 7-fold) and show stable susceptibility profiles through multiple generations, suggesting that this drug resistance phenotype may be a heritable trait. Sequence resources available for salmon lice are limited as an annotated L. salmonis genome is currently under construction. Therefore, a significant amount of this study involved creating new resources to facilitate the analysis of EMB susceptibility. Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to enrich for transcripts that were differentially expressed between strains PT and S, which provided sufficient target sequence for the development of 15K oligo microarrays when combined with sequences assembled from existing L. salmonis ESTs. Additionally, transcripts were generated through sequencing a pooled sample representing key developmental stages of the L. salmonis life cycle, which were later used in the construction of a 44K oligo microarray. The toxicity of EMB and other avermectins (AVMs) against ecdysozoan invertebrates is reported to be based mainly on their interaction with ligand-gated ion channels (LGIC), specifically glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCl). However, -aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channels (GABA-Cls) are also believed to be targeted by AVMs and neuronal acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) can be allosterically modulated by the AVM compound ivermectin. Transcriptional responses in PT and S salmon lice were investigated using custom 15K L. salmonis oligo microarrays. In the absence of EMB exposure, 359 targets differed in transcript abundance between the two strains. GABA-Cl and nAChR subunits showed significantly lower transcript levels in PT compared to S lice, which was estimated at ~1.4-fold for GABA-Cl and ~2.8-fold for nAChR using RT-qPCR, suggesting their involvement in AVM toxicity in caligids. Although, salmon lice from the PT strain showed few transcriptional responses following acute exposure (1 or 3 h) to 200 µg L-1 of EMB, a drug concentration tolerated by PT lice, but toxic for S lice. RAD-seq analysis of both genders from L. salmonis strains S and PT identified 15 RAD-markers that show complete association with salmon louse strain, although these preliminary results will need further analysis to confirm marker association with reduced EMB susceptibility. Additionally, RAD marker Lsa101901 showed complete association with sex for all individuals analysed, being heterozygous in females and homozygous in males. Using an allele-specific PCR assay, this SNP association pattern was further confirmed for three unrelated salmon louse strains. Marker Lsa101901 was located in the coding region of the prohibitin-2 gene, which showed a sex-dependent differential expression, with mRNA levels determined by RT-qPCR about 1.8-fold higher in adult female than adult male salmon lice. In conclusion, the identification of decreased transcript abundances for LGIC subunits in EMB-resistant salmon lice, and polymorphic SNP markers showing complete association with L. salmonis strains S or PT, provides suitable candidates for further investigation into their association with reduced EMB susceptibility. Further analysis will also be required to confirm whether EMB-induced mechanisms are not associated with reduced EMB susceptibility in L. salmonis. Additionally, the identification of sex-linked SNP Lsa101901 suggests that sex determination in the salmon louse is genetic and follows a female heterozygous system, with marker Lsa101901 providing a tool to determine the genetic sex of salmon lice. Improved knowledge of L. salmonis biology and the mechanisms potentially involved in EMB resistance, obtained during this study, may provide molecular markers that contribute to successful monitoring and management of this commercially important parasite of Atlantic salmon.