海洋不但具運輸、觀光及休憩功能，亦提供漁產、礦脈等資源。不僅是生命的搖籃，資源的寶庫，更是國家發展的重要利基。為綜理海洋事務之橫向協調功能，加強海洋政策之規劃及落實推動，使中央與地方政府縱向齊一步伐，於民國107年設立海洋委員會，作為海洋政策的統合機關。

臺灣四面環海，海洋蘊藏豐富的生物及非生物資源，長遠而有智慧地善待海洋、守護海洋與利用海洋，是臺灣未來發展的重要契機。透過「海域水質」、「海洋廢棄物管理」、「海洋生物多樣性」、「垂釣活動」、「地理資訊圖台」五大主題一起來認識臺灣的海洋、守護海洋吧！

Harvey B Lillywhite, and Coleman M Sheehy, and Mark R Sandfoss, and Jenna Crowe-Riddell, and Alana Grech

Acquisition of fresh water (FW) is problematic for FW-dependent animals living in marine environments that are distant from sources of FW associated with land. Knowledge of how marine vertebrates respond to oceanic rainfall, and indeed the drinking responses of vertebrates generally following drought, is extremely scant. The Yellow-bellied Sea Snake (Hydrophis platurus) is the only pelagic species of squamate reptile and ranges across the Indo-Pacific oceans, having one of the largest geographic...

Guillaume Guénard, and Gabriel Lanthier, and Simonne Harvey‐Lavoie, and Camille J. Macnaughton, and Caroline Senay, and Michel Lapointe, and Pierre Legendre, and Daniel Boisclair

Abstract Ecological processes are structured in space and there are important benefits in incorporating spatial information for the analysis of data sets obtained from field studies. Assessing the effect of different flow management practices on river ecosystems is an example where such an exercise is highly relevant. Human activities such as hydroelectric power production are known to modify the temporal variability in river flow. Flow management strategies may have a direct influence on fishes...

Mebrahtu Ateweberhan, and Timothy R. McClanahan

Abstract Understanding how diversity is organized is essential for inference about appropriate scales for natural resource research and management. In this study, we investigated variation in scleractinian coral taxonomic richness and community diversity in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) at different spatial scales. We sampled corals in 331 sites across nine countries. Sites were pooled into 11 distinct subregions based on previous investigations on coral community structure and between closures...

Diego Serrano-Muñoz, and Juan Avendaño-Coy, and Cristina Simón-Martínez, and Julian Taylor, and Julio Gómez-Soriano

Abstract Background High-frequency alternating currents of greater than 1 kHz applied on peripheral nerves has been used in animal studies to produce a motor nerve block. It has been evidenced that frequencies higher than 5 kHz are necessary to produce a complete peripheral nerve block in primates, whose nerve thickness is more similar to humans. The aim of the study was to determine the effect on muscle strength after the application of a high-frequency stimulation at 5 and 10 kHz compared to s...

Karen A. Bjorndal, and Milani Chaloupka, and Vincent S. Saba, and Carlos E. Diez, and Robert P. van Dam, and Barry H. Krueger, and Julia A. Horrocks, and Armando J. B. Santos, and Cláudio Bellini, and Maria A. G. Marcovaldi, and Mabel Nava, and Sue Willis, and Brendan J. Godley, and Shannon Gore, and Lucy A. Hawkes, and Andrew McGowan, and Matthew J. Witt, and Thomas B. Stringell, and Amdeep Sanghera, and Peter B. Richardson, and Annette C. Broderick, and Quinton Phillips, and Marta C. Calosso, and John A. B. Claydon, and Janice Blumenthal, and Felix Moncada, and Gonzalo Nodarse, and Yosvani Medina, and Stephen G. Dunbar, and Lawrence D. Wood, and Cynthia J. Lagueux, and Cathi L. Campbell, and Anne B. Meylan, and Peter A. Meylan, and Virginia R. Burns Perez, and Robin A. Coleman, and Samantha Strindberg, and Vicente Guzmán‐H., and Kristen M. Hart, and Michael S. Cherkiss, and Zandy Hillis‐Starr, and Ian F. Lundgren, and Ralf H. Boulon Jr, and Stephen Connett, and Mark E. Outerbridge, and Alan B. Bolten

Abstract Somatic growth dynamics are an integrated response to environmental conditions. Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are long‐lived, major consumers in coral reef habitats that move over broad geographic areas (hundreds to thousands of kilometers). We evaluated spatio‐temporal effects on hawksbill growth dynamics over a 33‐yr period and 24 study sites throughout the West Atlantic and explored relationships between growth dynamics and climate indices. We compiled the largest ev...

J. Lorda, and R. F. Hechinger, and S. D. Cooper, and A. M. Kuris, and K. D. Lafferty

Abstract The California horn snail, Cerithideopsis californica, and the shore crabs, Pachygrapsus crassipes and Hemigrapsus oregonensis, compete for epibenthic microalgae, but the crabs also eat snails. Such intraguild predation is common in nature, despite models predicting instability. Using a series of manipulations and field surveys, we examined intraguild predation from several angles, including the effects of stage‐dependent predation along with direct consumptive and nonconsumptive predat...

Sarah Piwetz

The Galveston Ship Channel (GSC) is a narrow, congested waterway that supports large-scale shipping, commercial fishing, dolphin tourism, and recreation. Human activity and common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) converge in the GSC with potentially negative consequences on the dolphins. Elevated land-based tracking and behavioral observation of dolphins and vessels were conducted along the GSC in June-August 2013 using a digital theodolite. Positional information was used to calculate d...

Chirag C. Sheth, and Rosa M. López-Pedrajas, and Maria del Mar Jovani-Sancho, and Raquel González-Martínez, and Veronica Veses

Abstract It has been shown that long-term stimulant consumption alters the biological and microbiological status of the oral cavity. We present a pilot study describing stimulant-specific oral immunomodulation in the oral cavity. Changes in salivary cytokine levels in response to long-term alcohol, tobacco and caffeine were identified. Volunteers were recruited from amongst the patients visiting University Dental Clinic of CEU Cardenal Herrera University (Alfara del Patriarca, Spain). Participan...

Marina Lévy, and Peter J. S. Franks, and K. Shafer Smith

Short-lived three-dimensional submesoscale currents, responsible for swirling ocean color chlorophyll filaments, have long been thought to affect productivity. Current research suggests they may not be effective in enhancing phytoplankton growth, but may have important contributions to biodiversity.

S. B. Armstrong, and E. D. Lazarus

<p>Despite interventions intended to reduce impacts of coastal hazards, the risk of damage along the US Atlantic coast continues to rise. This reflects a long-standing paradox in disaster science: even as physical and social insights into disaster events improve, the economic costs of disasters keep growing. Risk can be expressed as a function of three components: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Risk may be driven up by coastal hazards intensifying with climate change, or by increased expos...

Mathieu Raux, and Xavier Navarro-Sune, and Nicolas Wattiez, and Felix Kindler, and Marine Le Corre, and Maxens Decavele, and Suela Demiri, and Alexandre Demoule, and Mario Chavez, and Thomas Similowski

Abstract Dyspnoea is frequent and distressing in patients receiving mechanical ventilation, but it is often not properly evaluated by caregivers. Electroencephalographic signatures of dyspnoea have been identified experimentally in healthy subjects. We hypothesized that adjusting ventilator settings to relieve dyspnoea in MV patients would induce EEG changes. This was a first-of-its-kind observational study in a convenience population of 12 dyspnoeic, mechanically ventilated patients for whom a ...

Julie C. Reid, and Devin S. McCaskell, and Michelle E. Kho

Abstract Background Rehabilitation interventions, including novel technologies such as in-bed cycling, could reduce critical illness-associated morbidity. Frontline intensive care unit (ICU) therapists often implement these interventions; however, little is known about their perceptions of engaging in clinical research evaluating these technologies. Objective To understand frontline therapist perceptions of barriers and facilitators to implementing a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) of ea...

Esmey B. Moema, and Pieter H. King, and Johnny N. Rakgole

The classification and description of digenean trematodes are commonly accomplished by using morphological features, especially in adult stages. The aim of this study was to provide an analysis of the genetic composition of larval digenean trematodes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from clinostomatid metacercaria, 27-spined echinostomatid redia, avian schistosome cercaria and strigeid metacercaria from various dams in the pro...

Yixin Wang, and Dionysios E. Raitsos, and George Krokos, and John A. Gittings, and Peng Zhan, and Ibrahim Hoteit

Abstract The southern Red Sea is genetically distinct from the rest of the basin; yet the reasons responsible for this genetic separation remain unclear. Connectivity is a vital process for the exchange of individuals and genes among geographically separated populations, and is necessary for maintaining biodiversity and resilience in coral reef ecosystems. Here, using long-term, high-resolution, 3-D backward particle tracking simulations, we investigate the physical connectivity of coral reefs i...

Javier Porobic, and Elizabeth A Fulton, and Carolina Parada, and Stewart Frusher, and Billy Ernst, and Pablo Manríquez

The Juan Fernández Ridge (JFRE) is a vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) located off the coast of central Chile formed by the Juan Fernández Archipelago and a group of seamounts. This ecosystem has unique biological and oceanographic features, characterized by: small geographical units, high degree of endemism with a high degree of connectivity within the system. Two fleets have historically operated in this system: a long term coastal artisanal fishery associated with the Islands, focused mainly ...

Łukasz Łangowski, and Oscar Goñi, and Patrick Quille, and Pauline Stephenson, and Nicholas Carmody, and Ewan Feeney, and David Barton, and Lars Østergaard, and Shane O’Connell

Abstract The yield of podded crops such as oilseed rape (OSR) is limited by evolutionary adaptations of the plants for more efficient and successful seed dispersal for survival. These plants have evolved dehiscent dry fruits that shatter along a specifically developed junction at carpel margins. A number of strategies such as pod sealants, GMOs and hybrids have been developed to mitigate the impact of pod shatter on crop yield with limited success. Plant biostimulants have been shown to influenc...

Humbulani V. Maselesele, and Zakithi N. Msimang, and Nkosi Maphumulo, and Debbie van der Merwe

Background: The National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), as an institute responsible for disseminating traceability, has embarked on establishing a national dosimetry audit programme with assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Dosimetry audits in South Africa are carried out through the IAEA using mailed thermoluminescents. Onsite dosimetry is not performed in South Africa but the IAEA has provided a dosimetry kit to NMISA to facilitate the audits. The kit co...

Tamis W. Pin, and Penelope B. Butler, and Hon-Ming Cheung, and Sandra Lai-Fong Shum

Abstract Background Trunk control is generally considered to be related to gross motor development. However, this assumption has not been validated with clinical data. This pilot study was the first of its kind to examine the longitudinal development of segmental trunk control and gross motor development from 4 to 12 months of age in typically developing full-term infants. Methods A convenience cohort of 20 healthy full-term infants (mean gestation = 39.0 weeks, SD 1.2; mean birthweight = 2975.0...

Viktoriia Koilo

The present study investigates the Norwegian maritime industry in terms of its economic activity during the period 2001–2018. The purpose of the study is to determine the financial state and to conduct the cluster analysis of the companies which belong to the Blue Maritime Cluster of Møre and Romsdal County.The paper presents a structural analysis of key financial indicators of the maritime industry within four major segments: shipping companies, shipyards, ship equipment manufactures, and marit...

Andreia F. Mesquita, and Sérgio M. Marques, and João C. Marques, and Fernando J. M. Gonçalves, and Ana M. M. Gonçalves

Abstract Anthropogenic activities, such as agriculture and industrial activities, are a main source of pollution contributing for the degradation of water quality and thus affecting the living organisms of aquatic systems. Copper is widely used at these practices being often released into the aquatic systems and may cause negative effects in its communities. This study proposes to determine the effects of copper in the antioxidant defence system of two size classes (big and small sizes) of Scrob...

J. A. Herrera, and R. Sánchez, and J. A. Bernal, and A. López, and J. G. Rivera, and A. Guzmán, and A. Ávalos

i nterest to reproduce Bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) in captivity has increased due to the international restrictions for its commercialization and the risks and logistical difficulties for transporting specimens. Therefore, it has become important to study its reproductive biology in captivity. The objective of the present study was to determine altrenogest ( r egumate ®) post-treatment indicators of vaginal cytology, estradiol levels and restarting of reproductive activity of ...

José Antonio Mateo Oviedo

El petróleo ha sido un tema de discusión política y económica que atravesó en todo el último siglo en la Argentina tanto a vertientes ideológicas como a intereses económicos. Como bandera, desde izquierda a derecha abundaron argumentos nacionalistas o antiimperialistas que se enfrentaron a otros aperturistas e internacionalistas. Como insumo, fue muchas veces el talón de Aquiles de los proyectos de desarrollo, donde los cárteles petroleros pendulaban entre abastecerlo o extraerlo con fuertes con...

Anoop D. Shah, and Emily Bailey, and Tim Williams, and Spiros Denaxas, and Richard Dobson, and Harry Hemingway

Abstract Background Free text in electronic health records (EHR) may contain additional phenotypic information beyond structured (coded) information. For major health events – heart attack and death – there is a lack of studies evaluating the extent to which free text in the primary care record might add information. Our objectives were to describe the contribution of free text in primary care to the recording of information about myocardial infarction (MI), including subtype, left ventricular f...

Sachiyuki Tsukada, and Hiroyuki Ogawa, and Masahiro Nishino, and Kenji Kurosaka, and Naoyuki Hirasawa

Abstract Background This pilot study was performed to examine the accuracy of the AR-KNEE system, an imageless navigation system using augmented reality (AR) technology for total knee arthroplasty. The AR-KNEE system enables the surgeon to view information from the navigation superimposed on the surgical field on a smartphone screen in real time. Methods Using the AR-KNEE system, one surgeon resected 10 tibial sawbones with viewing the tibial axis and aiming varus/valgus, posterior slope, intern...

Caroline T. Cheung, and Jérémy Pasquier, and Aurélien Bouleau, and Thaovi Nguyen, and Franck Chesnel, and Yann Guiguen, and Julien Bobe

Abstract Background Nucleoplasmin 2 (npm2) is an essential maternal-effect gene that mediates early embryonic events through its function as a histone chaperone that remodels chromatin. Recently, two npm2 (npm2a and npm2b) genes have been annotated in zebrafish. Thus, we examined the evolution of npm2a and npm2b in a variety of vertebrates, their potential phylogenetic relationships, and their biological functions using knockout models via the CRISPR/cas9 system. Results We demonstrated that the...

Patrick ten Brink, and Jean-Pierre Schweitzer, and Emma Watkins, and Charlotte Janssens, and Michiel De Smet, and Heather Leslie, and François Galgani

NIKOLOV N.

A fost realizat un studiu privind efectul aplicării de Sapropel din Marea Neagră asupra înrădăcinării şi creşterii medii a butaşilor de trandafir oleaginos “Kazanlika”. Experimentul de doi ani a fost efectuat în sere de plastic neîncălzite în perioada octombrie-aprilie, pe baza a două varietăţi de substraturi, care conţineau sapropel. Rezultatele obţinute au arătat că la adăugarea cantităţii de sapropel de 30,0 g/kg, creşte procentul de butaşi înrădăcinaţi în ambele substraturi de la 5,0% la 15,...

A. E. Boaden, and M. .J Kingsford

The importance of top‐down effects in structuring ecological communities has been widely debated by ecologists. One way in which to examine these processes is to study the secondary effects of predator removal on communities. This study examined the role of predatory fishes in structuring communities of coral reef fishes, by using a network of marine reserves (the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park) as a natural experiment. We hypothesized that reefs with high densities of piscivores (marine reserve...

Jing Zhang, and Ningping Tao, and Yueliang Zhao, and Xichang Wang, and Mingfu Wang

Big eye tuna (<i>Thunnus obesus</i>), Atlantic salmon (<i>Salmo salar</i>) and bighead carp (<i>Aristichthys nobilis</i>) are three representative marine and fresh water fishes. In this study, the content of total lipids (TL), triglyceride (TG) fraction, and the fatty acid profiles in the corresponding fish heads were analyzed. Meanwhile, their complicated TG molecular species were further characterized. The results showed that TG was the major lipid in these three fish heads (60.58&#8722;86.69%...

Mehdi Khoobdel, and Davoud Keshavarzi, and Seyed Hassan Mossa-Kazemi, and Hossein Sobati

<em>Background</em>: Lack of information about the dispersal of vector species barricade surveillance and control. <em>Aims:</em> Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the species diversity of <em>Culex</em> mosquito's larvae in the coastal areas of the Persian Gulf. <em>Methods</em>: Mosquito larvae were collected from six places in three main environmental categories: urban (UA), rural (RA) and uninhabited areas (UNA), using dipping technique. Four dips were taken from each ...

Oriol Cano-Rocabayera, and Adolfo de Sostoa, and Francesc Padrós, and Lorena Cárdenas, and Alberto Maceda-Veiga

Agricultural intensification and shifts in precipitation regimes due to global climate change are expected to increase nutrient concentrations in aquatic ecosystems. However, the direct effects of nutrients widely present in wastewaters, such as nitrate, are poorly studied. Here, we use multiple indicators of fish health to experimentally test the effects of three ecologically relevant nitrate concentrations (<10, 50 and 250 mg NO3-/l) on wild-collected mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), a speci...

Scott F. Collins, and Colden V. Baxter, and Amy M. Marcarelli, and Mark S. Wipfli

Abstract Artificial additions of nutrients of differing forms such as salmon carcasses and analog pellets (i.e. pasteurized fishmeal) have been proposed as a means of stimulating aquatic productivity and enhancing populations of anadromous and resident fishes. Nutrient mitigation to enhance fish production in stream ecosystems assumes that the central pathway by which effects occur is bottom‐up, through aquatic primary and secondary production, with little consideration of reciprocal aquatic‐ter...

Werner Armonies

Abstract Most of our planet’s biodiversity is still unknown, particularly in the sea. Although around the island of Sylt in the North Sea, the small zoobenthos (meiofauna) has been studied intensively since the 1950s, repeating previous surveys revealed an unexpected wealth of new species in addition to the 330 species of free-living microturbellarians (non-parasitic Platyhelminthes) already known from this area. Extrapolation from well-known to less-known habitat types suggests that a total of ...

Venera Weinhardt, and Roman Shkarin, and Tobias Wernet, and Joachim Wittbrodt, and Tilo Baumbach, and Felix Loosli

Abstract Vertebrate models provide indispensable paradigms to study development and disease. Their analysis requires a quantitative morphometric study of the body, organs and tissues. This is often impeded by pigmentation and sample size. X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) allows high-resolution volumetric tissue analysis, largely independent of sample size and transparency to visual light. Importantly, micro-CT data are inherently quantitative. We report a complete pipeline of high-thro...

Frederieke J. Kroon, and Cherie E. Motti, and Lene H. Jensen, and Kathryn L. E. Berry

Abstract Marine debris, and in particular plastic pollution, is ubiquitous throughout global marine environments. Here, we present a classification of marine microdebris (i.e. debris between 0.1 μm and <5 mm) tailored to represent synthetic, semi-synthetic and naturally-derived items. The specific aim of this classification is to introduce a level of consistency in the higher-level characterisation of marine microdebris, thereby improving the overall reporting on marine microdebris contamination...

M. Klabunde, and H. Juszczak, and T. Jordan, and J. M. Baker, and J. Bruno, and V. Carrion, and A. L. Reiss

Abstract In adults, interoception – the sense of the physiological condition of the body - appears to influence emotion processing, cognition, behavior and various somatic and mental health disorders. Adults demonstrate frontal-insula-parietal-anterior cingulate cortex activation during the heartbeat detection task, a common interoceptive measure. Little, however, is known about the functional neuroanatomy underlying interoception in children. The current pilot study examined interoceptive proce...

Courtney Devane, and Regina M. Renner, and Sarah Munro, and Édith Guilbert, and Sheila Dunn, and Marie-Soleil Wagner, and Wendy V. Norman

Abstract Background Direct primary care provision of first-trimester medical abortion could potentially address inequitable abortion access in Canada. However, when Health Canada approved the combination medication Mifegymiso® (mifepristone 200 mg/misoprostol 800 mcg) for medical abortion in July 2015, we hypothesized that the restrictions to distribution, prescribing, and dispensing would impede the uptake of this evidence-based innovation in primary care. We developed and pilot-tested a survey...

Jiali Chen, and Peng Liang, and Zhenbang Xiao, and Mei-Fang Chen, and Fang Gong, and Chengyong Li, and Chunxia Zhou, and Pengzhi Hong, and Won-Kyo Jung, and Zhong-Ji Qian

Introduction: A previous study has shown that Ala–Thr–Pro–Gly–Asp–Glu–Gly (ATPGDEG) peptide identified from boiled abalone by-products has high antioxidant activities and antihypertensive effect. Objective: In this study, we further investigated its antiphotoaging activities by ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced HaCaT cells. Result: UVB irradiation significantly increased the content of intercellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in HaCaT cells and...

Bill Vicenzino, and Peter Lawrenson, and Asaduzzaman Khan, and Aiofe Stephenson, and Luke Heales, and Heather A E Benson, and Anthony Wright

OBJECTIVE:This pilot study assessed the efficacy of a knee guard device, which used magnetophoresis to transdermally deliver Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Hyaluronic Acid in a cohort of individuals with prior knee injury. The aim was to determine if the change in physical function and pain with the knee guard device was equivalent to the change produced by an established topical NSAID formulation containing diclofenac sodium 1%. METHODS:A randomized, controlled, equivalence trial evaluated outcom...

Liliana Solé, and Eduard Ariza

Through complex interactions and feedback processes between coastal ecological and social components at different temporal and spatial scales, coastal environments coproduce a range of ecosystem services (ES) and benefit different social groups. In these highly populated areas, multiple actors, interests, and activities coexist, leading to intensified conflicts between stakeholders. The research presented here aims to understand how coastal social-ecological complexity is studied within coastal ...

Rachael B Leek, and Jeong M Park, and Claire Koerschner, and Jennifer Mawby, and Christopher J Sonnenday, and Julie A Wright Nunes, and Pratima Sharma

INTRODUCTION:Liver transplant (LT) recipients have limited understanding of post-transplant chronic kidney disease (CKD) despite an excellent pre-existing framework of transplant care. This pilot study examined the efficacy and feasibility of a tailored educational and goal-setting tool in improving CKD knowledge among LT recipients with early-stage CKD. METHODS:In this prospective cohort study, we administered the CKD educational and goal-setting tool to 81 LT recipients between 7/1/2016 and 12...

C. Horvat, and L. A. Roach, and L. A. Roach, and R. Tilling, and R. Tilling, and C. M. Bitz, and B. Fox-Kemper, and C. Guider, and K. Hill, and A. Ridout, and A. Shepherd

<p>In sea-ice-covered areas, the sea ice floe size distribution (FSD) plays an important role in many processes affecting the coupled sea–ice–ocean–atmosphere system. Observations of the FSD are sparse – traditionally taken via a painstaking analysis of ice surface photography – and the seasonal and inter-annual evolution of floe size regionally and globally is largely unknown. Frequently, measured FSDs are assessed using a single number, the scaling exponent of the closest power-law fit to the ...