Systematics of economically important marine algae: a Canadian perspective

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Bird ◽  
J. P. van der Meer
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Marine Algae ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
Economic Importance ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Canadian Perspective ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Taxonomic Studies

Marine algae of economic importance encompass species of positive value, such as seaweeds harvested for food or hydrocolloid extractives, and species with negative effect, such as toxic phytoplankton or nuisance macrophytes. Only a small part of the global algal resource is obtained in Canada, and the overall benefit to the nation's economy is relatively minor, but there exists the potential for further development of useful species. On the other hand, the negative effects of toxic microalgae are increasing, in the form of losses to the shellfish fishery and aquaculture industry and the cost of providing toxicity-testing and phytoplankton-monitoring services. It is obvious that effective utilization of valuable algae, or defense against undesirable ones, must be attended by sound taxonomy to ensure that algae of interest are correctly identified and recognizable. However, the algae present particular problems to systematists, a major one being the variety of life histories, which may involve independent and conspicuous dissimilar phases. In addition, many algae are phenotypically highly variable in response to environment, which is often insufficiently appreciated. The converse situation also exists, in that morphologically similar species are sometimes regarded as a single entity. Algal taxonomists should strive to determine which variations are genetic and therefore taxonomically significant. To illustrate these points, we review recent taxonomic studies on some algal genera of present or potential economic importance in Canada. Key words: marine algae, systematics, economic potential, variability, genetics.

Erfolg der Jungwaldpflege im Schweizer Mittelland? Analyse und Folgerungen (Essay)

2013 ◽  
Vol 164 (9) ◽  
pp. 262-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Ammann
Keyword(s):  
Stand Development ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Tree Thinning ◽  
Swiss Plateau ◽  
Self Differentiation ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Young Growth

Is young growth tending successful in the Swiss Plateau region? Analysis and implications (essay) The effect of the cost-intensive young growth tending used up to the present in the region of the Swiss Plateau is analysed using different approaches. It is evident that young growth tending is not only ineffective with respect to diameter growth but even hinders stand development. Negative effects on quality from young growth tending are also recognised. This is often due to premature interventions in the natural processes of self-differentiation and subsequent systematic errors in the thinning. Furthermore, the effect of tending measures on the tree species composition is often overestimated because in the first 10 to 20 years of stand development, it is primarily the rejuvenation strategy and the site which are decisive. As an alternative course of action, tending concepts are proposed which rely on biological rationalisation and future tree thinning, to achieve future trees which are as vigorous as possible. These are not only more effective, but are also significantly less expensive.

scholarly journals Asthma patients experience increased symptoms of anxiety, depression and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 147997312110296
Author(s):  
Geertje M de Boer ◽  
Laura Houweling ◽  
Rudi W Hendriks ◽  
Jan H Vercoulen ◽  
Gerdien A Tramper-Stranders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Asthma Patients ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Patients Experience ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Population studies showed a decrease in psychological wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asthma is associated with a negative effect on anxiety and depression, which might worsen during the COVID-19 lockdown. The aim of the study was to compare fear, anxiety and depression between asthma patients and patients wit hout asthma pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 pandemic. This study compares fear, anxiety and depression in asthma patients and controls between pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 lockdown with a cross-sectional online survey. Participants were invited to fill out several questionnaires pertaining to fear, anxiety, depression, asthma control and quality of life. Asthma patients (N = 37) displayed, during the course of the pandemic, a clinically relevant increase in anxiety (3.32 ± 2.95 vs. 6.68 ± 3.78; p < 0.001) and depression (1.30 ± 1.15 vs. 3.65 ± 3.31; p < 0.001), according to the hospital anxiety and depression levels (HADS) compared to pre-COVID-19 assessment. This was not seen in controls. Also, asthma patients displayed more anxiety about acquiring COVID-19 disease compared to controls ((5.11 ± 1.99 vs. 3.50 ± 2.79), p = 0.006). Patients with asthma experienced an increase in anxiety and depression levels and were more afraid of acquiring COVID-19 disease compared to controls. Also, patients with asthma were more likely to avoid healthcare facilities due to fear of acquiring COVID-19 disease compared to controls. Therefore, we advise health care workers to address these possible negative effects on mental health by phone or e-consults.

scholarly journals Impact of “non-lethal” tarsal clipping on bumble bees (Bombus vosnesenskii) may depend on queen stage and worker size

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Mola ◽  
Clara Stuligross ◽  
Maureen L. Page ◽  
Danielle Rutkowski ◽  
Neal M. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Material ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
First Year ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Worker Size ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
Individual Survival ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Worker Caste

Abstract Recent bumble bee declines have prompted the development of novel population monitoring tools, including the use of putatively non-lethal tarsal clipping to obtain genetic material. However, the potential side effects of tarsal clipping have only been tested in the worker caste of a single domesticated species, prompting the need to more broadly test whether tarsal clipping negatively affects sampled individuals. To determine if tarsal clipping reduces queen survivorship and colony establishment, we collected wild queens of Bombus vosnesenskii and clipped tarsi from a single leg of half the individuals. We reared captive queens and estimated survivorship and nest establishment success. We also clipped tarsi of workers from a subset of colonies across a range of body sizes. We found no consistent negative effect of clipping on queen survival. In the first year, clipped nest-searching queens suffered heavy mortality, but there was no effect on foraging queens. The following year, we found no effect of clipping on queen survival or establishment. Clipping did not reduce overall worker survival but reduced survivorship for those in the smallest size quartile. Implications for insect conservation Our findings suggest tarsal clipping does not have consistent negative effects on individual survival. However, our results varied with queen behavioral state, year, and worker size, suggesting differences within and among species and interactions with landscape stressors warrant further study. In the interim, we recommend researchers and conservationists minimize the use of tarsal clipping for sensitive species, populations, or small workers except in cases of exceptional scientific need.

scholarly journals Long-term subjective memory after electroconvulsive therapy

BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Sigström ◽  
Axel Nordenskjöld ◽  
Anders Juréus ◽  
Caitlin Clements ◽  
Erik Joas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Subjective Memory Impairment ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Negative Expectations

Background There have been reports of long-term subjective memory worsening after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Aims To study the prevalence and risk factors of long-term subjective memory worsening among patients receiving ECT in routine clinical practice. Method Patients (n = 535, of whom 277 were included in the final analysis) were recruited from eight Swedish hospitals. Participants' subjective memory impairment was assessed before ECT and a median of 73 days after ECT using the memory item from the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale. Participants also rated their pre-ECT expectations and post-ECT evaluations of the effect of ECT on memory on a 7-point scale. We used ordinal regression to identify variables associated with subjective memory worsening and negative evaluations of the effect of ECT on memory. Results Comparisons of pre- and post-ECT assessments showed that subjective memory worsened in 16.2% of participants, remained unchanged in 52.3% and improved in 31.4%. By contrast, when asked to evaluate the effect of ECT on memory after treatment 54.6% reported a negative effect. Subjective memory worsening was associated with negative expectations before ECT, younger age and shorter duration of follow-up. Conclusions Although subjective memory improved more often than it worsened when assessed before and after ECT, a majority of patients reported that ECT had negative effects on their memory when retrospectively asked how ECT had affected it. This might suggest that some patients attribute pre-existing subjective memory impairment to ECT. Clinicians should be aware that negative expectations are associated with subjective worsening of memory after ECT.

scholarly journals Dominant Negative Mutants Implicate STAT5 in Myeloid Cell Proliferation and Neutrophil Differentiation

Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 4154-4166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Ilaria ◽  
Robert G. Hawley ◽  
Richard A. Van Etten
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Dominant Negative Effect ◽  
Cytokine Signaling ◽  
Transactivation Domain ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Murine Bone Marrow ◽  
Negative Effect

Abstract STAT5 is a member of the signal transducers and activation of transcription (STAT) family of latent transcription factors activated in a variety of cytokine signaling pathways. We introduced alanine substitution mutations in highly conserved regions of murine STAT5A and studied the mutants for dimerization, DNA binding, transactivation, and dominant negative effects on erythropoietin-induced STAT5-dependent transcriptional activation. The mutations included two near the amino-terminus (W255KR→AAA and R290QQ→AAA), two in the DNA-binding domain (E437E→AA and V466VV→AAA), and a carboxy-terminal truncation of STAT5A (STAT5A/▵53C) analogous to a naturally occurring isoform of rat STAT5B. All of the STAT mutant proteins were tyrosine phosphorylated by JAK2 and heterodimerized with STAT5B except for the WKR mutant, suggesting an important role for this region in STAT5 for stabilizing dimerization. The WKR, EE, and VVV mutants had no detectable DNA-binding activity, and the WKR and VVV mutants, but not EE, were defective in transcriptional induction. The VVV mutant had a moderate dominant negative effect on erythropoietin-induced STAT5 transcriptional activation, which was likely due to the formation of heterodimers that are defective in DNA binding. Interestingly, the WKR mutant had a potent dominant negative effect, comparable to the transactivation domain deletion mutant, ▵53C. Stable expression of either the WKR or ▵53C STAT5 mutants in the murine myeloid cytokine-dependent cell line 32D inhibited both interleukin-3–dependent proliferation and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)–dependent differentiation, without induction of apoptosis. Expression of these mutants in primary murine bone marrow inhibited G-CSF–dependent granulocyte colony formation in vitro. These results demonstrate that mutations in distinct regions of STAT5 exert dominant negative effects on cytokine signaling, likely through different mechanisms, and suggest a role for STAT5 in proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells.

scholarly journals The Psychology of Sharing: Multigroup Analysis among Users and Non-Users of Carsharing

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6842
Author(s):  
Érika Martins Silva Ramos ◽  
Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad
Keyword(s):  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Subjective Norms ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis

The present study investigates the determinants of intention to use carsharing services by an integrated model of psychological predictors of travel behavior. The model proposed is tested by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) in structural equation modeling (SEM) with further discussion about analysis of invariance and its relevance for comparisons between groups. The sample was classified into four groups: Italian users, Italian non-users, Swedish users, and Swedish non-users of carsharing. The users were respondents who have used or are currently using carsharing, while non-users reported never using the carsharing services. The analysis of data from 6072 respondents revealed that control was the main predictor of intention to use carsharing; driving habits had stronger negative effects for users of carsharing than for non-users; subjective norms positively predicted the intention to use carsharing among all groups; trust was a predictor of intention only for the Italian groups; and climate morality had a small negative effect on the Swedish groups only. The outcomes of this investigation will increase the knowledge about the use of carsharing and help to identify the behavioral and psychological factors that primarily influence people’s intention to use it.

scholarly journals Who Becomes Unhappy when Income Inequality Increases?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjorn Lous ◽  
Johan Graafland
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Harmful Effect ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Average Life ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
The World ◽  
Negative Effect

AbstractLiterature has established that, on a macroeconomic level, income inequality has a negative effect on average life satisfaction. An unresolved question is, however, which income groups are harmed by income inequality. In this paper we investigate this relationship at the microeconomic level combining national indicators of income inequality with individual data of life satisfaction from the World Values Survey for 39 countries over a period of 25 years. Tests on moderation by income category show that the Gini coefficient is most negatively related to life satisfaction of the lowest income groups, but the negative effects also extends to other income groups. For the income share of the top 1% we find a similar result. These findings show that income inequality is especially a concern for the lower income groups, but that the harmful effect of income inequality also spillovers to the life satisfaction of other income groups.

Effects of trophic status and wetland morphology, hydroperiod, and water chemistry on mercury concentrations in fish

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel W Snodgrass ◽  
Charles H Jagoe ◽  
A Lawrence Bryan, Jr. ◽  
Heather A Brant ◽  
J Burger
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Maximum Depth ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Depression Wetlands ◽  
Negative Effect

We sampled fish and selected water chemistry variables (dissolved organic carbon, sulfate, and pH) in nine southeastern depression wetlands to determine relationships among wetland morphology (surface area and maximum depth), hydrology, water chemistry, and bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg) in fishes. We concentrated on three fish species representing the range of trophic levels occupied by fish in southeastern depression wetlands. Whole-body Hg concentrations were lowest in lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta), a benthic detritivore, and highest in redfin pickerel (Esox americanus americanus), a top carnivore. However, variation in Hg concentrations among wetlands was greater than variation among species. Regression analyses indicated that maximum depth and hydroperiod accounted for significant portions of variation among wetlands in standardized lake chubsucker and redfin pickerel Hg concentrations. Maximum depth and dissolved organic carbon had a negative effect on standardized Hg concentrations in mud sunfish (Acantharchus pomotis). Path analysis confirmed the results of regression analyses, with maximum depth and hydroperiod having relatively large direct negative effects on Hg concentrations. Our results suggest that leaching of Hg from sediments during the drying and reflooding cycle and binding of Hg species by dissolved organic carbon in the water column are primary factors controlling the bioavailability of Hg in southeastern depression wetlands.

EVALUATION OF TOXIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF MONTHMORRILLONITE CLAY FOR THE PURPOSE OF USING THEM AS ALUMOSILICATE SOBENT AGAINST THE NEGATIVE EFFECT OF MYCOTOXINS ON THE BODY OF ANIMALS AND BIRDS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-78
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Montmorillonite Clay ◽  
Test Substance ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Experimental Animals ◽  
Eyelid Edema ◽  
White Rats ◽  
Mucous Membranes ◽  
Negative Effect

The article presents the results of laboratory studies to assess the toxicological parameters of montmorillonite clay from the Pogadaevskoye deposit in the West Kazakhstan region in order to use them as an aluminosilicate sorbent in the composition of feeds that reduce the negative effects of mycotoxins on the body of animals and birds. The relevance of research is associated with the cultivation of healthy and highly productive animals and poultry in order to ensure the food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan.The studies carried out to assess the toxicological parameters of montmorillonite clay in order to use them as an aluminosilicate sorbent in experimental animals (rabbits and white rats) allowed the following results to be obtained: Visual study of the intensity of erythema when exposed to the test substance on the skin of rabbits showed their absence (0 points). The study of the intensity of edema (an increase in the thickness of the skin clutch of rabbits) when exposed to the test substance on the skin of rabbits showed no reaction (0 points). Studies evaluating the irritating effect of the test substances on the mucous membranes of the eyes of rabbits by symptoms of damage showed the absence of hyperemia (0 points). Weak eyelid edema (1 point), the minimum amount of discharge in the corner of the eye (1 point). The results of studies on the classification assessment of the test substance for the severity of the irritant effect on the eyes of rabbits showed that the average total score of the severity of the irritative effect corresponds to 1 point. A comprehensive analysis of the results obtained on the basis of scientific and experimental studies to assess the toxicological indicators of montmorillonite clay from the Pogadaevskoye deposit in relation to irritating effects on the skin and mucous membranes of experimental animals (rabbits) showed their harmlessness.

Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on IT Sector. The Case of Greece

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Keyword(s):  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Innovation Development ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Greek Economy ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
The Impact

The impact of the Information and Technology (IT) sector on the countries’ innovation development has been recognized as crucial in prior and recent research studies. Moreover, firms’ innovativeness affects positively countries’ economies. Nevertheless, the global economic crisis of the last decade constituted a significant barrier to the development of country economies and had a negative effect on firms’ performance. Specifically, the negative consequences of the global crisis became harder for Southern Europe Countries. More specifically the Greek economy was suffered by an extended period of crisis with harder consequences than those of other European countries. The main purpose of this study was to examine the financial performance of Greek IT firms in the early years of crisis. Our findings have been relevant to those of previous studies which observed negative effects of the financial recession on firms profitability.

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