Parasites have a major impact on global finfish and shellfish aquaculture, having significant effects on farm production, sustainability and economic viability. Parasite infections and impacts can, according to pathogen and context, be considered to be either unpredictable/sporadic or predictable/regular. Although both types of infection may result in the loss of stock and incur costs associated with the control and management of infection, predictable infections can also lead to costs associated with prophylaxis and related activities. The estimation of the economic cost of a parasite event is frequently complicated by the complex interplay of numerous factors associated with a specific incident, which may range from direct production losses to downstream socio-economic impacts on livelihoods and satellite industries associated with the primary producer. In this study, we examine the world's major marine and brackish water aquaculture production industries and provide estimates of the potential economic costs attributable to a range of key parasite pathogens using 498 specific events for the purposes of illustration and estimation of costs. This study provides a baseline resource for risk assessment and the development of more robust biosecurity practices, which can in turn help mitigate against and/or minimise the potential impacts of parasite-mediated disease in aquaculture.

The life cycle of the parasitic copepod Lernaeocera branchialis involves 2 hosts, typically a pleuronectiform host upon which development of larvae and mating of adults occurs and a subsequent gadoid host, upon which the adult female feeds and reproduces. Both the copepodid and adult female stages must therefore locate and identify a suitable host to continue the life cycle. Several mechanisms are potentially involved in locating a host and ensuring its suitability for infection. These may include mechano-reception to detect host movement and chemo-reception to recognize host-associated chemical cues, or kairomones. The aim of this study was to identify the role of kairomones in host location by adult L. branchialis, by analysing their behaviour in response to fish-derived chemicals. Experiments demonstrated that water conditioned by immersion of whiting, Merlangius merlangus, elicited host-seeking behaviour in L. branchialis, whereas cod- (Gadus morhua) conditioned water did not. Lernaeocera branchialis are considered a genetically homogeneous population infecting a range of gadoids. However, their differential response to whiting- and cod-derived chemicals in this study suggests that either there are genetically determined subspecies of L. branchialis or there is some form of environmental pre-conditioning that allows the parasite to preferentially recognize the host species from which it originated.

Infection by the ciliate protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis Fouquet, 1876 causes significant economic losses in freshwater aquaculture worldwide. Following the ban on the use of malachite green for treating food fish, there has been extensive research aimed at identifying suitable replacements. In this paper we critically assess drug and non-drug interventions, which have been tested for use or have been employed against this parasite and evaluate possibilities for their application in farm systems. Current treatments include the administration of formaldehyde, sodium chloride (salt), copper sulphate and potassium permanganate. However, purportedly more environmentally friendly drugs such as humic acid, potassium ferrate (VI), bronopol and the peracetic acid-based products have recently been tested and represent promising alternatives. Further investigation, is required to optimize the treatments and to establish precise protocols in order to minimize the quantity of drug employed whilst ensuring the most efficacious performance. At the same time, there needs to be a greater emphasis placed on the non-drug aspects of management strategies, including the use of non-chemical interventions focusing on the removal of free-swimming stages and tomocysts of I. multifiliis from farm culture systems. Use of such strategies provides the hope of more environmentally friendly alternatives for the control of I. multifiliis infections.

Gyrodactylus salaris is a serious pest of wild pre-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Norway. The closely related G. thymalli, originally described from grayling (Thymallus thymallus), is assumed harmless to both grayling and salmon. The 2 species are difficult to distinguish using traditional, morphometric methods or molecular approaches. The aim of this study was to explore whether there is a consistent pattern of morphometrical variation between G. salaris and G. thymalli and to analyse the morphometric variation in the context of ‘diagnostic realism’ (in natural populations). Specimens from the type-material for the 2 species are also included. In total, 27 point-to-point measurements from the opisthaptoral hard parts were used and analysed by digital image processing and uni- and multivariate morphometry. All populations most closely resembled its respective type material, as expected from host species, with the exception of G. thymalli from the Norwegian river Trysilelva. We, therefore, did not find clear support in the morphometrical variation among G. salaris and G. thymalli for an a priori species delineation based on host. The present study also indicates an urgent need for more detailed knowledge on the influence of environmental factors on the phenotype of gyrodactylid populations.

We describe a > 100 Watt broadband THz source that takes advantage of the relativistic enhancement of the radiation from accelerating electrons according to the formula assigned the name of Sir Joseph Larmor[1, 2]. This is in contrast to the typical 1 milliwatt sources available in a laboratory. Specifically, for relativistic electrons the emission is enhanced by the fourth power of the increase in mass. Thus for 100 MeV electrons, for which the mass increases by a factor of ∼ 200, the enhancement is > 109. The experiments use a new generation of light source called an energy recovery linac (ERL) [3], in which bunches of electrons circulate once, but in which their energy is recovered. In such a machine the electron bunches can be very much shorter than those, say, in storage rings or synchrotrons.

The Jefferson Lab facility operates in new limits of emission from relativistic particles involving both multiparticle coherence and near-field emission in which the velocity (Coulomb) term in the classical electrodynamical theory becomes as important as the acceleration term (synchrotron radiation).

The sub-picosecond pulses of light offer unique capabilities in 2 specific areas, namely time-resolved dynamics, and imaging. High resolution THz spectroscopy has recently revealed sharp vibrational modes for many materials including malignant tissue, proteins, DNA, pharmaceuticals and explosive materials. Energetically the THz range embraces superconducting bandgaps, and regions of intense interest in the understanding of systems in which correlated motions of electrons are important, such as colossal magneto-resistive and high-Tc materials. The very high power levels of the new source will allow non-linear effects to be observed as well as the creation of novel states of materials, including electric-field driven localization[4]. We will give examples of existing work in these areas and present opportunities afforded by the new source.

A new THz/IR/UV photon source at Jefferson Lab is the first of a new generation of light sources based on a Energy-Recovered, (superconducting) Linac (ERL). The machine has a 160 MeV electron beam and an average current of 10 mA in 75 MHz repetition rate hundred femtosecond bunches.

These electron bunches pass through a magnetic chicane and therefore emit synchrotron radiation. For wavelengths longer than the electron bunch the electrons radiate coherently a broadband THz ∼ half cycle pulse whose average brightness is > 5 orders of magnitude higher than synchrotron IR sources. Previous measurements showed 20 W of average power extracted[1]. The new facility offers simultaneous synchrotron light from the visible through the FIR along with broadband THz production of 100 fs pulses with >200 W of average power (see G. P. Williams, this conference).

The FELs also provide record-breaking laser power [2]: up to 10 kW of average power in the IR from 1 to 14 microns in 400 fs pulses at up to 74.85 MHz repetition rates and soon will produce similar pulses of 300–1000 nm light at up to 3 kW of average power from the UV FEL. These ultrashort pulses are ideal for maximizing the interaction with material surfaces. The optical beams are Gaussian with nearly perfect beam quality. See www.jlab.org/FEL for details of the operating characteristics; a wide variety of pulse train configurations are feasible from 10 microseconds long at high repetition rates to continuous operation.

The THz and IR system has been commissioned. The UV system is to follow in 2005. The light is transported to user laboratories for basic and applied research. Additional lasers synchronized to the FEL are also available. Past activities have included production of carbon nanotubes, studies of vibrational relaxation of interstitial hydrogen in silicon, pulsed laser vapor deposition, nitriding of metals, and energy flow in proteins. This paper will present the status of the system and discuss some of the opportunities provided by this unique light source for modifying and studying materials.

The identification and discrimination of 2 closely related and morphologically similar species of Gyrodactylus, G. salaris and G. thymalli, were assessed using the statistical classification methodologies Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and k-Nearest Neighbours (KNN). These statistical methods were applied to morphometric measurements made on the gyrodactylid attachment hooks. The mean estimated classification percentages of correctly identifying each species were 98·1% (LDA) and 97·9% (KNN) for G. salaris and 99·9% (LDA) and 73·2% (KNN) for G. thymalli. The analysis was expanded to include another 2 closely related species and the new classification efficiencies were 94·6% (LDA) and 98·0% (KNN) for G. salaris; 98·2% (LDA) and 72·6% (KNN) for G. thymalli; 86·7% (LDA) and 91·8% (KNN) for G. derjavini; and 76·5% (LDA) and 77·7% (KNN) for G. truttae. The higher correct classification scores of G. salaris and G. thymalli by the LDA classifier in the 2-species analysis over the 4-species analysis suggested the development of a 2-stage classifier. The mean estimated correct classification scores were 99·97% (LDA) and 99·99% (KNN) for the G. salaris–G. thymalli pairing and 99·4% (LDA) and 99·92% (KNN) for the G. derjavini–G. truttae pairing. Assessment of the 2-stage classifier using only marginal hook data was very good with classification efficiencies of 100% (LDA) and 99·6% (KNN) for the G. salaris–G. thymalli pairing and 97·2% (LDA) and 99·2% (KNN) for the G. derjavini–G. truttae pairing. Paired species were then discriminated individually in the second stage of the classifier using data from the full set of hooks. These analyses demonstrate that using the methods of LDA and KNN statistical classification, the discrimination of closely related and pathogenic species of Gyrodactylus may be achieved using data derived from light microscope studies.

This study applies flexible statistical methods to morphometric measurements obtained via light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to discriminate closely related species of Gyrodactylus parasitic on salmonids. For the first analysis, morphometric measurements taken from the opisthaptoral hooks and bars of 5 species of gyrodactylid were derived from images obtained by SEM and used to assess the prediction performance of 4 statistical methods (nearest neighbours; feed-forward neural network; projection pursuit regression and linear discriminant analysis). The performance of 2 methods, nearest neighbours and a feed-forward neural network provided perfect discrimination of G. salaris from 4 other species of Gyrodactylus when using measurements taken from only a single structure, the marginal hook. Data derived from images using light microscopy taken from the full complement of opisthaptoral hooks and bars were also tested and nearest neighbours and linear discriminant analysis gave perfect discrimination of G. salaris from G. derjavini Mikailov, 1975 and G. truttae Gläser, 1974. The nearest neighbours method had the least misclassifications and was therefore assessed further for the analysis of individual hooks. Five morphometric parameters from the marginal hook subset (total length, shaft length, sickle length, sickle proximal width and sickle distal width) gave near perfect discrimination of G. salaris. For perfect discrimination therefore, larger numbers of parameters are required at the light level than at the SEM level.

Hydroxylated alumina films have been synthesized by water oxidation of single crystal Al(110) surfaces. Thermal dehydroxylation results in anion vacancies which produce an Al(3s) defect state 3.5 eV below the conduction band edge. The defect-DOS exhibits a maximum for oxides heated to 648±25 K, which is just where the materials exhibit maximum Lewis acidity with respect to C2H4 Adsorbed C2H4 produces thermally reactive C2 species which interact covalently with the defect-DOS and nonbonding O(2p) states from the top of the valence band. C(1s) binding energies suggest significant charge transfer which is consistent with a carbenium ion. Ni deposits behave similarly but transfer charge directly to Al species and do not interact with O atoms at the defect site. The defect-DOS is regenerated when the C2 species decomposes or when Ni migrates thermally through the oxide layer.