Biochar for Improving Growth Performance of Shrimp and Environmental Quality in an Inland Saline Culture System.

The current study, which lasted 45 days, was designed to find a more effective way to use the vast resources of salt-affected land and ground saline water for aquaculture. Biochar made from agrowaste was used as a sediment amendment. The 100 g of biochar was applied to 25 kg of sediment (i.e., 9.0 ton ha-1) in 300L capacity fiber reinforced plastic, and Penaeus vannamei (P. vannamei) (2.74 ± 0.03 g) was stocked at 90 juveniles m-2 in inland ground saline water of salinity 10 ppt fortified with potassium levels that are 50% equivalent to those of seawater. Among different treatments, T1 indicates paddy straw biochar (PSB) application in sediment; T2 indicates sediment amended with KOH-activated PSB; T3 indicates sugar cane bagasse biochar (SBB) application in sediment; and T4 indicates sediment amended with KOH-activated SBB. Compared to the control the potassium (K+), alkalinity, total hardness, calcium/magnesium ratio, and pH of the water increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in treatments where biochar was used as an amendment in sediment. The T3 treatment had the best Ca/Mg ratio (1.00:3.12). In water, the magnitude of increase in K+ concentration from high to low followed the order: T2 > T4 > T1 > T3 > control. The concentration of NH4+-N in water was found to be increasing in control, whereas in the rest of the treatments, it decreased significantly from day 1, until the end of the experiment. Compared to control, the bulk density was decreased, and sediment cation exchange capacity and water holding capacity were increased significantly in treatments where biochar was used as an amendment. The soil microbial parameter measured in terms of soil enzyme dehydrogenase was significantly different among treatments at the end of the experiment. Weight gain (%), specific growth rate (SGR), survival (%), and feed conversion ratio of P. vannamei varied significantly in T1, T2, T3, and T4 compared to the control. The SGR (2.38b ± 0.05% day-1) and weight gain (%) in T2, and survival (96.1b ± 2.0%) in T3 treatment were found to be the highest at the end of the experiment. When biochar was mixed with sediment in the inland saline system, an improvement was seen in sediment quality, water quality, and growth characteristics of P. vannamei.

A clinical update and radiologic review of pediatric orbital and ocular tumors.

While pediatric orbital tumors are most often managed in tertiary care centers, clinicians should be aware of the signs of intraocular and orbital neoplasms. In the pediatric population, a delay in diagnosis of orbital and intraocular lesions, even if benign, can lead to vision loss and deformity. Intraocular lesions reviewed are retinoblastoma, medulloepithelioma, and retinal astrocytic hamartoma. Orbital neoplasms reviewed are rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma metastases, optic pathway glioma, plexiform neurofibroma, leukemia, lymphoprolipherative disease, orbital inflammatory syndrome, dermoid and epidermoid inclusion cysts, and Langerhans' cell histiocytosis. Vascular lesions reviewed are infantile hemangioma and venous lymphatic malformation. In conjunction with clinical examination, high-resolution ophthalmic imaging and radiologic imaging play an important role in making a diagnosis and differentiating between benign and likely malignant processes. The radiologic imaging characteristics of these lesions will be discussed to facilitate prompt diagnosis and treatment. The current treatment modalities and management of tumors will also be reviewed.

Functional connectivity of cortical networks involved in bimanual motor sequence learning.

Motor skill learning requires the involvement and integration of several cortical and subcortical regions. In this study, we focus on how the functional connectivity of cortical networks changes with the acquisition of a novel motor skill. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we measured the localized blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal in cortical regions while subjects performed a bimanual serial reaction time task under 2 conditions: 1) explicitly learning a novel sequence (NOVEL) and 2) playing a previously learned sequence (LEARNED). To investigate stages of learning, each condition was further divided into nonoverlapping early and late conditions. Functional connectivity was measured using a task-specific low-frequency coherence analysis of the data. We show that within the cortical motor network, the sensorimotor cortex, premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area have significantly greater inter- and intrahemispheric coupling during the early NOVEL condition compared with the late NOVEL condition. Additionally, we observed greater connectivity between frontal regions and cortical motor regions in the early versus late NOVEL contrast. No changes in functional connectivity were observed in the LEARNED condition. These results demonstrate that the functional connectivity of the cortical motor network is modulated with practice and suggest that early skill learning is mediated by enhanced interregional coupling.

Geometrical accuracy of the Novalis stereotactic radiosurgery system for trigeminal neuralgia.

OBJECT: Stringent geometrical accuracy and precision are required in the stereotactic radiosurgical treatment of patients. Accurate targeting is especially important when treating a patient in a single fraction of a very high radiation dose (90 Gy) to a small target such as that used in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (3 to 4-mm diameter). The purpose of this study was to determine the inaccuracies in each step of the procedure including imaging, fusion, treatment planning, and finally the treatment. The authors implemented a detailed quality-assurance program. METHODS: Overall geometrical accuracy of the Novalis stereotactic system was evaluated using a Radionics Geometric Phantom Chamber. The phantom has several magnetic resonance (MR) and computerized tomography (CT) imaging-friendly objects of various shapes and sizes. Axial 1-mm-thick MR and CT images of the phantom were acquired using a T1-weighted three-dimensional spoiled gradient recalled pulse sequence and the CT scanning protocols used clinically in patients. The absolute errors due to MR image distortion, CT scan resolution, and the image fusion inaccuracies were measured knowing the exact physical dimensions of the objects in the phantom. The isocentric accuracy of the Novalis gantry and the patient support system was measured using the Winston-Lutz test. Because inaccuracies are cumulative, to calculate the system's overall spatial accuracy, the root mean square (RMS) of all the errors was calculated. To validate the accuracy of the technique, a 1.5-mm-diameter spherical marker taped on top of a radiochromic film was fixed parallel to the x-z plane of the stereotactic coordinate system inside the phantom. The marker was defined as a target on the CT images, and seven noncoplanar circular arcs were used to treat the target on the film. The calculated system RMS value was then correlated with the position of the target and the highest density on the radiochromic film. The mean spatial errors due to image fusion and MR imaging were 0.41+/-0.3 and 0.22+/-0.1 mm, respectively. Gantry and couch isocentricities were 0.3+/-0.1 and 0.6+/-0.15 mm, respectively. The system overall RMS values were 0.9 and 0.6 mm with and without the couch errors included, respectively (isocenter variations due to couch rotation are microadjusted between couch positions). The positional verification of the marker was within 0.7+/-0.1 mm of the highest optical density on the radiochromic film, correlating well with the system's overall RMS value. The overall mean system deviation was 0.32+/-0.42 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The highest spatial errors were caused by image fusion and gantry rotation. A comprehensive quality-assurance program was developed for the authors' stereotactic radiosurgery program that includes medical imaging, linear accelerator mechanical isocentricity, and treatment delivery. For a successful treatment of trigeminal neuralgia with a 4-mm cone, the overall RMS value of equal to or less than 1 mm must be guaranteed.