Channel Islands marine protected areas first 5 years of monitoring: 2003-2008 [Report produced by the California Department of Fish and Game in collaboration with the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and Channel Islands National Park]

The Channel Islands—sometimes called the Galapagos of North America—are known for their great beauty, rich biodiversity, cultural heritage, and recreational opportunities. In 1980, in recognition of the islands’ importance, the United States Congress established a national park encompassing 5 of California’s Channel Islands (Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel Islands) and waters within 1 nautical mile of the islands. In the same year, Congress declared a national marine sanctuary around each of these islands, including waters up to 6 nautical miles offshore. Approximately 60,000 people visit the Channel Islands each year for aquatic recreation such as fishing, sailing, kayaking, wildlife watching, surfing, and diving. Another 30,000 people visit the islands for hiking, camping, and sightseeing. Dozens of commercial fishing boats based in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, and other ports go to the Channel Islands to catch squid, spiny lobster, sea urchin, rockfish, crab, sheephead, flatfish, and sea cucumber, among other species. In the past few decades, advances in fishing technology and the rising number of fishermen, in conjunction with changing ocean conditions and diseases, have contributed to declines in some marine fishes and invertebrates at the Channel Islands. In 1998, citizens from Santa Barbara and Ventura proposed establishment of no-take marine reserves at the Channel Islands, beginning a 4-year process of public meetings, discussions, and scientific analyses. In 2003, the California Fish and Game Commission designated a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in state waters around the northern Channel Islands. In 2006 and 2007, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) extended the MPAs into the national marine sanctuary’s deeper, federal waters. To determine if the MPAs are protecting marine species and habitats, scientists are monitoring ecological changes. They are studying changes in habitats; abundance and size of species of interest; the ocean food web and ecosystem; and movement of fish and invertebrates from MPAs to surrounding waters. Additionally, scientists are monitoring human activities such as commercial and recreational fisheries, and compliance with MPA regulations. This booklet describes some results from the first 5 years of monitoring the Channel Islands MPAs. Although 5 years is not long enough to determine if the MPAs will accomplish all of their goals, this booklet offers a glimpse of the changes that are beginning to take place and illustrates the types of information that will eventually be used to assess the MPAs’ effectiveness. (PDF contains 24 pages.)

Kv7 Channels Can Function without Constitutive Calmodulin Tethering

9 p.

Assessment of bursting detection methods with LES database of turbulent channel flows

Validated by comparison with DNS, numerical database of turbulent channel flows is yielded by Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Three conventional techniques: uv quadrant 2, VITA and mu-level techniques for detecting turbulent bursts are applied to the identification of turbulent bursts. With a grouping parameter introduced by Bogard & Tiedemann (1986) or Luchik & Tiederman (1987), multiple ejections detected by these techniques which originate from a single burst can be grouped into a single-burst event. The results are compared with experimental results, showing that all techniques yield reasonable average burst period. However, uv quadrant 2 and mu-level are found to be superior to VITA in having large threshold-independent range.

ROV-based Deep Water Monitoring of the Northern Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas Annual Report - 2007

Research cruises were conducted in August-October 2007 to complete the third annual remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-based assessments of nearshore rocky bottom finfish at ten sites in the northern Channel Islands. Annual surveys at the Channel Islands have been conducted since 2004 at four sites and were expanded to ten sites in 2005 to monitor potential marine protected area (MPA)effects on baseline fish density. Six of the ten sites are in MPAs and four in nearby fished reference areas. In 2007 the amount of soft-only substrate on the 141 track lines surveyed was again estimated in real-time in order to target rocky bottom habitat. These real-time estimates of hard and mixed substrate for all ten sites averaged 57%, 1% more than the post-processed average of 56%. Surveys generated 69.9 km of usable video for use in finfish density calculations, with target rocky bottom habitat accounting for 56% (39.1 km) for all sites combined. The amount of rocky habitat sampled by site averaged 3.8 km and ranged from 3.3 km sampled at South Point, a State Marine Reserve (SMR) off Santa Rosa Island, to 4.7 km at Anacapa Island SMR. A sampling goal of 75 transects at all 10 sites was met using real-time habitat estimates combined with precautionary over-sampling by 10%. A total of seventy kilometers of sampling is projected to produce at least seventy-five 100 m2 transects per site. Thirteen of 26 finfish taxa observed were selected for quantitative evaluation over the time series based on a minimum criterion of abundance (0.05/100 m2). Ten of these 13 finfish appear to be more abundant at the state marine reserves relative to fished areas when densities were averaged across the 2005 to 2007 period. One of the species that appears to be more abundant in fished areas was señorita, a relatively small prey species that is not a commercial or recreational target. (PDF contains 83 pages.)

Diffusive waves in a channel with concentrated lateral inflow

In the current paper an analytical solution for diffusive wave equation with the concentrate-distributed lateral inflow is yielded. Finite-difference numerical method is also employed to validate this model. The backwater effects drawn from lateral inflow on the mainstream are examined finally.

Numerical Study of Heat Transfer Mechanism in Turbulent Supercritical CO2 Channel Flow

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of supercritical CO2 turbulent channel flow has been performed to investigate the heat transfer mechanism of supercritical fluid. In the present DNS, full compressible Navier-Stokes equations and Peng-Robison state equation are solved. Due to effects of the mean density variation in the wall normal direction, mean velocity in the cooling region becomes high compared with that in the heating region. The mean width between high-and low-speed streaks near the wall decreases in the cooling region, which means that turbulence in the cooling region is enhanced and lots of fine scale eddies are created due to the local high Reynolds number effects. From the turbulent kinetic energy budget, it is found that compressibility effects related with pressure fluctuation and dilatation of velocity fluctuation can be ignored even for supercritical condition. However, the effect of density fluctuation on turbulent kinetic energy cannot be ignored. In the cooling region, low kinematic viscosity and high thermal conductivity in the low speed streaks modify fine scale structure and turbulent transport of temperature, which results in high Nusselt number in the cooling condition of the supercritical CO2.

DNS and LES of turbulent channel flow with hydrophobic surface

Hydrophobic surface benefits for drag reduction. Min and Kim[1] do the first Direct Numerical Simulation on drag reduction in turbulent channel flow. And Fukagata and Kasagi[2] make some theoretical analysis based on Dean[3]'s formula and some observations in the DNS results. Using their theory, they conclude that drag reduction is possible in large Reynolds number. Both Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) are performed in our research. How the LES behaving in the turbulent channel flow with hydrophobic surface is examined. Original Smagorinsky model and its Dynamical model are used in LES. The slip velocities predicted by LES using Dynamical model are in good agreement with DNS as shown in the Figure. Although the percentage of drag reduction predicted by LES shows some discrepancies, it is in the error limit for industrial flow. First order and second order moments of LES are also examined and compared with DNS's results. The first-order moments is calculated well by LES. But there are some discrepancies of second-order moments between LES and DNS. [GRAPHICS]

Channel Islands Deep Water Monitoring Plan Development Workshop Report April 26-27, 2005 University of California, Santa Barbara

In 2003, twelve marine protected areas were established in state waters (0-3 nmi) surrounding the Channel Islands. NOAA is considering extending this network (3-6 nmi) into deeper waters of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS). In order for effective long-term management of the deep water reserves to occur, a well-structured monitoring program is required to assess effectiveness. The CINMS and the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) hosted a 2-day workshop in April 2005 to develop a monitoring plan for the proposed federal marine reserves in that sanctuary. Conducted at the University of California at Santa Barbara, participants included scientists from academic, state, federal, and private research institutions. Workshop participants developed project ideas that could answer priority questions posed by the NMSP. This workshop report will be used to develop a monitoring plan for the reserves. (PDF contains 47 pages.)

The Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Na(v)1.8 Is Expressed in Human Sperm

The role of Na+ fluxes through voltage-gated sodium channels in the regulation of sperm cell function remains poorly understood. Previously, we reported that several genes encoding voltage-gated Na+ channels were expressed in human testis and mature spermatozoa. In this study, we analyzed the presence and function of the TTX-resistant VGSC a subunit Na(v)1.8 in human capacitated sperm cells. Using an RT-PCR assay, we found that the mRNA of the gene SCN10A, that encode Na-v1.8, was abundantly and specifically expressed in human testis and ejaculated spermatozoa. The Na-v1.8 protein was detected in capacitated sperm cells using three different specific antibodies against this channel. Positive immunoreactivity was mainly located in the neck and the principal piece of the flagellum. The presence of Na-v1.8 in sperm cells was confirmed by Western blot. Functional studies demonstrated that the increases in progressive motility produced by veratridine, a voltage-gated sodium channel activator, were reduced in sperm cells preincubated with TTX (10 mu M), the Na-v1.8 antagonist A-803467, or a specific Na-v1.8 antibody. Veratridine elicited similar percentage increases in progressive motility in sperm cells maintained in Ca2+-containing or Ca2+-free solution and did not induce hyperactivation or the acrosome reaction. Veratridine caused a rise in sperm intracellular Na+, [Na+](i), and the sustained phase of the response was inhibited in the presence of A-803467. These results verify that the Na+ channel Na-v1.8 is present in human sperm cells and demonstrate that this channel participates in the regulation of sperm function.

Mechanisms Responsible for the Trophic Effect of Beta-Adrenoceptors on the I-to Current Density in Type 1 Diabetic Rat Cardiomyocytes

Background/Aims: In diabetic ventricular myocytes, transient outward potassium current (I-to) amplitude is severely reduced because of the impaired catecholamine release that characterizes diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Sympathetic nervous system exhibits a trophic effect on I-to since incubation of myocytes with noradrenaline restores current amplitude via beta-adrenoceptor (beta AR) stimulation. Here, we investigate the intracellular signalling pathway though which incubation of diabetic cardiomyocytes with the beta AR agonist isoproterenol recovers I-to amplitude to normal values. Methods: Experiments were performed in ventricular myocytes isolated from streptozotocin-diabetic rats. I-to current was recorded by using the patch-clamp technique. Kv4 channel expression was determined by immunofluorescence. Protein-protein interaction was determined by coimmunoprecipitation. Results: Stimulation of beta AR activates first a G alpha s protein, adenylyl cyclase and Protein Kinase A. PKA-phosphorylated receptor then switches to the G alpha i protein. This leads to the activation of the beta AR-Kinase-1 and further receptor phosphorylation and arrestin dependent internalization. The internalized receptor-arrestin complex recruits and activates cSrc and the MAPK cascade, where Ras, c-Raf1 and finally ERK1/2 mediate the increase in Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 protein abundance in the plasma membrane. Conclusion: beta(2)AR stimulation activates a G alpha s and G alpha i protein dependent pathway where the ERK1/2 modulates the Ito current amplitude and the density of the Kv4.2 and Kv4.2 channels in the plasma membrane upon sympathetic stimulation in diabetic heart.