THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA

INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE APPLICATION FORM

Federal Regulations (Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, and the United States
Department of Agriculture) and policies of several other granting agencies require review and
approval of research, instruction, and testing proposals that involve the use of vertebrate animals.
The information provided on this form will be reviewed by the TU Institutional Animal Care and
Use Committee (IACUC). If approved by the IACUC, the protocol will be assigned a number.
Please use the number when addressing correspondence regarding the protocol. Be advised that
approval provides official permission to conduct only those procedures descried on the protocol.
Any changes or revisions to this protocol must be approved by the IACUC.

PLEASE TYPE and complete all of the applicable sections. Furnish information for each animal
species to be utilized. Submit the original and six copies of this form to the Chair of the IACUC.
You may also submit one copy of the grant or experimental proposal.
Following are points of information to assist you.
I.

LD50 STUDIES: If LD50 studies are performed, please provide justification when more
than five male and five female animals per substance per dose will be used.

II.

PAIN & DISTRESS CATEGORY:

The primary concern of the IACUC is the degree of pain and/or distress imposed on the
animals, and the methods the investigators will use to prevent, relieve, or minimize any
suffering.
a. General Definitions
The American Physiological Society has defined stimuli as painful to animals if those
stimuli:
1. are detected as pain in humans
2. approach or exceed tissue damaging proportions
3. produce escape behavior in animals

("Animal Pain: Perception and Alleviation." Kitchell, R.L., Erickson, H.H., Carstens, E. and
Davis, L.E., editors. Am. Physiol. Soc. 1983, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore).

The following is a partial list of procedures known to involve significant pain and/or distress:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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surgery, including biopsy and gonadectomy

burning, freezing, branding
fracturing bones
intracardiac or periorbital blood collection

b. There are three categories to choose from. The following describe each category.
A. NONE OR MINOR
Procedures which are considered to produce minimal, transient, or no pain or distress
when performed by competent individuals. These include chronic studies that DO
NOT involve survival surgery, induction of painful or stressful disease conditions, or
pain or distress in excess of that associated with routine injections or blood collection.
Included are induction or transplantation of tumors in animals (so long as the tumors
do not cause pain and the animals are terminated prior to becoming serious ill),
administration of mildly toxic substances or drugs that cause no significant disease or
distress, and antibody production (antigen inoculations and blood collection) as long
as significant disease does not result.
B. EXPERIMENTS INVOLVING PAIN AND/OR DISTRESS WITH
ANESTHESIA/ANALGESIA
If you plan to conduct studies which involves any of the procedures defined in (a)
above or any other procedure which in your estimation involves significant pain
and/or distress, the animal must be given appropriate anesthetics or analgesics to
prevent or alleviate pain (tranquilizers for distress).
C. PAIN WITHOUT ANESTHESIA/ANALGESIA
If the nature of the study prohibits the use of pain and/or stress relieving drugs, or if unavoidable
and unalleviable pain or distress will be produced, you must provide a written justification.
These include: direct stimulation of CS pain tracts, nociceptor stimulation by physical or
chemical means that cause severe pain (e.g., corneal abrasions), or any category (see above)
procedure if performed without chemical relief of pain.
III.

FOOTPAD INJECTIONS: Injection of materials into footpads of rabbits and rodents is

often very painful and results in moderate to severe lameness. When complete Freund's
Adjuvant is used, the local lesions and lameness are usually severe because the animal
becomes sensitized to myocobacterial proteins and subsequent injections exacerbate the
foot lesions. The chronic discomfort and local infection often cause clinical illness which
is slow to respond to treatment. When animals are immunized, consideration should be
given to injecting material in sites other than the food pads.

IV.

ANESTHETICS/ANALGESIA: If you will be administering anesthetics or analgesic

agents to animals, please explain the specific details in the procedures section (#6). State
the specific agent or agents, route of administration, dosage, procedures to monitor the
depth of anesthesia and any pre-anesthetic procedures (e.g., fasting, pre-anesthetic drugs,
etc.). State whether or not you will use a paralytic agent. Be advised that paralytic agents
are not anesthetics and paralytic agents can only be used to anesthetized animals.

NOTE: Submit forms A and/or B only if needed.

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The University of Tulsa

Institutional Animal Care and Use Application Form
Date of Submission: 9-11-2014 Protocol Number (assigned by IACUC): ____________
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
Principal Investigator: LUKE LAU
Protocol Title: SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR MANAGING ENERGY-RICH NUTRIENTS
Time period of project: Begin_____________
OCTOBER 1, 2014 End_____________
MAY 1, 2015
University Title: STUDENT

E-Mail Address: luke-lau@utulsa.edu

Department: PETROLEUM ENGINEERING

Phone: (909) 868-8205

Address: (if not at TU)___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
Other personnel involved: co-Investigator, Lab technicians, etc.:
AIKEN SUJANA, RAJ PATEL, KENNARD ISAAC

General Purpose of Project (check all that apply) Basic Procedure (check all that apply)
X
___
___
___
___

Research Project
Pilot Project
Teaching Project
Student Special Project

___
___
___
___

Blood/Tissue Collection
Surgical Lesion
Pharmacological
Behavioral

Special Considerations: (check all that apply and describe in #6)

___

Survival Surgery (If yes, complete Form A)

___

Hazardous Agents or Radioisotopes. If yes, identify agent_________, complete Form B)

___

Anesthetics

___

Restraint Devices

___

Complete Freund's Adjuvant

___

Breeding Colony (If yes, include Breeding Colony Application [see Research Office])

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2. FUNDING (Current and Pending)
A. Extramural Funding
When more than one funding source is solicited, a single application may be submitted
for approval provided species, number, and procedures are compatible.
N/A
Agency: ______________________________________________________________

Grant Title (if different from above):________________________________________

N/A
N/A
N/A
PI of Grant:_____________________________Begin/End
dates:__________________

B. Intramural Funding
N/A
N/A
Funding Source: ________________________Begin/End
dates:___________________

3. SCIENTIFIC MERIT (Briefly explain the scientific merit of your proposal to justify the use
of animals to any reasonable and well-informed lay person. This should include your project's
relevance to human or animal health and/or the advancement of knowledge. Include the rationale
for the choice of species and number of animals used. Limit your response to the space below)
THIS PROJECT WILL BE DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR NEEDY
AND EMERGING AREAS (SENEA) GROUP IN THE UNIVERSITY. THIS AQUAPONICS PROJECT IS
AIMED TOWARDS CREATING A SYSTEM THAT CAN EASILY BE DELIVERED TO DEVELOPING AREAS
AND ALSO ONE THAT IS LOW COST TO BUILD AND TO MAINTAIN. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN
RESEARCH DONE ANALYZING THE TILAPIA'S USE IN AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM, THERE HASN'T
BEEN ONE DEVELOPED FOR EMERGING AREAS YET AND WE PLAN ON DOING THAT. SUCCESSFULLY
CREATING THIS SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR AREAS TO HAVE A SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM THAT WOULD
PRODUCE BOTH FISH AND VEGETABLES IN PLACES WHERE THERE MIGHT NOT BE A LOT OF LAND
OR UNFAVORABLE WEATHER AND CLIMATE TO GROW FOOD. IN ORDER TO PACKAGE THE SYSTEM
EASILY FOR DELIVERY, WE DECIDED TO USE 3 55-GALLON DRUM TANKS AND IN ORDER TO
MAXIMIZE THEIR POTENTIAL, WE FOLLOWED THE RULE OF 40 FISH PER 140 GALLONS TO
JUSTIFY THE USE OF 50 TILAPIA. NILE TILAPIA SPECIFICALLY IS THE SPECIES THAT WE
PLAN ON USING AND IS GOOD FOR EMERGING AREAS FOR ITS QUICK MATURITY TO BE USED
AS FOOD AND ALSO ITS HARDINESS IN ALL ENVIRONMENTS AND ITS DIET OF PLANT MATTER
THAT COULD BE PROVIDED BY ANYONE NO MATTER WHERE THE SYSTEM IS IN THE WORLD.
ATTACHED TO THIS IS ALSO OUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL WHICH OUTLINES OUR OBJECTIVES,
PROCEDURES AND

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4.

ANIMALS TO BE USED
WHITE BROOK WHITE NILE TILAPIA
Species O. NILOTICUS
Strain______________
Vendor WHITE BROOK TILAPIA FARM
~11.5g
# per year 50
Weight_________
Age ~30 days

Species
Vendor
# per year

Strain______________
Weight_________

Age

Species______________
Strain______________
Vendor__________________________________
# per year______
Weight_________
Age________
Species______________
Strain______________
Vendor__________________________________
# per year______
Weight_________
Age________
Species______________
Strain______________
Vendor__________________________________
# per year______
Weight_________
Age________
Species______________
Strain______________
Vendor__________________________________
# per year______
Weight_________
Age________
Describe any special housing needs: (light cycles, temperature, isolation, cage & bedding, etc)
WE PLAN ON USING PLASTIC DRUMS TO HOUSE THE FISH. NECESSARY ITEMS SUCH
AS AIR STONES AND AIR PUMPS TO KEEP THE WATER AERATED, FILTERS INITIALLY
FOR RAISING THE TILAPIA FINGERLINGS TO PUMPS TO PUMP THE WASTE INTO
THE AQUAPONICS SYSTEM LATER, AND TEMPERATURE TUBES TO KEEP THE SYSTEM CONSTANT.

Will off-campus facilities be used?

NO.

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If yes, provide address and assurance that the facility is

routinely inspected by appropriate personnel

5.

PAIN/DISTRESS CATEGORY
(Give number of animals in each category - A, B, or C. See cover page. Please make sure it matches
the number of animals stated in #4 above.) If any animals are placed under category C, attach a
written justification to the protocol.
50 WHITE NILE TILAPIA WILL BE USED AND THEY WILL ALL BE CATEGORY A. NO
HARM WILL COME TO THEM AND THEY WOULD ONLY BE USED TO COLLECT THEIR
WASTE TO BE REINTRODUCED INTO THE AQUAPONICS CYCLE.

6.

DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED USE OF ANIMALS (Describe all experimental procedures to be

used involving animals. Attach a separate sheet if necessary. Please be specific.)
ATTACHED IS OUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON AQUAPONICS. WE DECIDED TO USE TILAPIA
BECAUSE OF THEIR FAST GROWTH AND THEIR REPUTATION AS A GOOD FISH FOR
SUCH A PROJECT IN THE AQUAPONICS COMMUNITY. THERE WILL BE NO EXPERIMENTAL
PROCEDURES OPERATED ON THE ANIMALS, THEY WOULD ONLY BE USED FOR THE WASTE
THAT THEY PRODUCE.

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7.

QUALIFICATIONS (The Animal Welfare Act requires that all personnel involved in the care,
treatment and use of animals be quailified to perform their duties. Please provide information
which indicates that you and others involved on this project are qualified to perform the
procedures described in #6 above.)

I HAVE PERSONALLY RAISED FISH AND OTHER ANIMALS SINCE I WAS A KID
INCLUDING HOLLAND LOPS, STICK INSECTS AND KOI. I ASSISTED MY DAD WHEN
BUILDING OUR KOI POND AND FILTER SYSTEM AND AM IN CHARGE OF REGULARLY
MAINTAING THE POND'S CLEANLINESS AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON THE FILTERS.

8.

VETERINARY CARE INVOLVED

9.

PROCEDURES WHICH MAY INVOLVE UNAVOIDABLE STRESS

COMMON FISH INFECTIONS SUCH AS DROPSY, ICK AND FIN ROT CAN BE TREATED
WITH PET-STORE-BOUGHT MEDICINES, BUT I AM CONFIDENT THAT PROPER PH,
AMMONIA LEVELS, TEMPERATURE AND MAINTENANCE WILL PREVENT ANYTHING FROM
HAPPENING TO THE FISH.

REMOVAL FROM THE TANK DURING WATER CHANGES WILL CAUSE STRESS TO THE FISH.

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10 EUTHANASIA (Check that which applies.)
____

A.

Inhalant agents (Please provide specific agent and route of administration.)

____

B.

Injectable Agents (Please provide specific drug, dosage, and route of administration.)

X
____

C.
Physical Methods
____ Cervical dislocation (animals <200 grams)
____
X Decapitation with guillotine

Will animals be sedated/anesthetized during cervical and/or decapitation?

Yes____ No____
X

If no, provide scientific justification for performing this procedure without sedation/anesthesia (e.g.
interference with specific experimental parameters).

WHILE DOING THIS EXPERIMENT, WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT AS REALISTIC AS

POSSIBLE. WE WOULD LIKE TO PREVENT THE USE OF CHEMICALS IN THIS PROJECT
TO ALLOW US TO SEE THE QUALITY OF THE FISH AFTER LIVING IN WATER FILTERED
BY DIFFERENT MEDIAS, PLANT ROOTS AND CHEMICALS MIGHT POSSIBLY STRAY THE
RESULTS. WITH FISH TAKING A LONG TIME TO MATURE, WE DO NOT PLAN ON EUTHANIZING
THEM AT THE END OF THE RESEARCH BUT INSTEAD USING THEIR MATURE AGE WASTE
PRODUCTION TO CONTINUE STUDYING AQUAPONICS.

____

D.

Exsanguinations (Method to be used only in anesthetized animals.)

____

E.

Other Method (Describe)

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11.

ASSURANCES
a. Alternatives: The Animal Welfare Act requires that the principal investigator has
considered alternatives to the use of animals. Provide a description of the methods
and sources (e.g. Biological Abstracts, Index Medicus, Current Research Information
Service, or the National Agricultural Library) used to determine that alternatives
were not available. Please provide two sources if possible.
WE RESEARCHED THE FISH THAT COULD BE USED TO STUDY AQUAPONICS
AND WE DECIDED TO USE SPECIFICALLY TILAPIA COMPARED TO OTHERS
INCLUDING KOI AND GOLDFISH BECAUSE TILAPIA IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE
IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD AND EVEN INVASIVE IN AUSTRALIA. ALSO,
THE DIET OF THE TILAPIA DOES NOT REQUIRE SPECIFIC FEED AND CAN
BE FED ALMOST ANY PLANT MATTER. (Barlow, G. W. (2000). The Cichlid
Fishes. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing. ISBN 0-7382-0376-9.)
ITS QUICK MATURITY RATE ALSO ALLOWS FOR IT TO BE USED AS A FOOD
SOURCE IF THIS SYSTEM IS IMPLEMENTED IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY OR
COMMUNITY GARDEN. (http://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/documents/
Oreochromis_niloticus.pdf)

b. Duplication: The Animal Welfare Act requires that the principal investigator has
provided assurance that the research activities do not unnecessarily duplicate
previous experiments. Provide a description of the methods and sources used to
determine the proposed research does not unnecessarily duplicate previous
experiments.

PREVIOUS RESARCH HAVE BEEN FOR DETERMINING THE CHEMICALS TO TREAT

THE FISH WASTE TO OPTIMIZE ITS USE AS FERTILIZER(http://
www.aquaponicsjournal.com/docs/articles/Aquaponics-Research-atRMIT.pdf) BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO RESEARCH TOWARDS ITS USE IN A
DIFFERENT TYPE OF STRUCTURE OR FOR THE SYSTEM TO BE BUILT IN A
DEVELOPING COUNTRY. WE PLAN ON CREATING A DIFFERENT SYSTEM OTHER
THAN THE TROUGH AND PIPE SYSTEM COMMONLY USED IN THE AQUAPONICS
COMMUNITY.

c. Number of animals: All appropriate regulations stipulate that the number of animals
to be used in a procedure should be the minimum number required to obtain valid
results. Please justify the number of animals you listed for this study. If possible,
justify statistically.

WE PLANNED ON MAKING AN AQUAPONICS SYSTEM THAT COULD BE DELIVERED

EASILY. THEREFORE, WE DECIDED ON USING 3 55-GALLON DRUM TANKS TO
MAXIMIZE BOTH THE AMOUNT OF FISH THAT COULD BE HELD AND TO HAVE
ENOUGH SPACE TO PUT THE PARTS OF THE STRUCTURE INTO THE TANKS.
(http://aquaponicsusa.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/aquaponics-101part-five-fish-to-water-ratios/) AQUAPONICS USA RECOMMENDS 40 FISH
TO 120 GALLONS WHICH IS HOW WE CAME TO THE NUMBER OF 50 TILAPIA
PER 155 GALLONS. IN ORDER TO FULLY OPTIMIZE OUR SYSTEM, 50 IS
THE MINIMUM NEEDED TO CALCULATE THE YIELD AND POTENTIAL OF OUR
SYSTEM.

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12.

COMPLIANCE STATEMENTS

I agree to abide by the TU policies for the care and use of animals as outlined in the provisions of the NIH
Guide to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and all federal, state, and local laws and regulations
governing the use of animals in research, teaching, and testing.
I understand that emergency care and treatment will be administered to animals if needed, in addition to
routine veterinary care.
I declare that all experiments performed on live animals will be performed under my supervision or that
of another qualified biomedical scientist listed in this proposal.
I assure that personnel with animal or animal tissue contact have been informed of safety and risk
hazards.
I further declare that the information given in this protocol is accurate to the best of my knowledge. Any
proposed revisions to this protocol should be forwarded to the IACUC for approval including changes in
personnel and location.

I have read and understand the above statements.

P.I. Signature:___________________________

Date:______________
9-12-2014

Typed Name:

APPROVAL:

______________________________________

____________________
9-12-2014

IACUC Chair

Date:

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P.I. Name:

Protocol Number (assigned by IACUC):

FORM A
SUPPLEMENTAL SHEET FOR ALL ANIMAL USE APPLICATIONS
INVOLVING SURVIAL SURGICAL PROCEDURES
PROTOCOL #:

SPECIES:

Enter all names as applicable:

Surgeons:

Anesthesiologists:

Assisting Surgeons:

Technicians:

For Survival Surgical Studies

Describe any potential or expected post-operative complications (e.g. sepsis, acute
failure) and procedures to identify, asses and manage these problems.

Describe long-term care of any chronically instrumented animals:

Person responsible for post-operative care:

At this point, be sure that all items (#6, 7, 8, &9) relating to pre- and post-operative care
under Surgical Procedures have been addressed.

The University of Tulsa Veterinarian or Animal Care Technician should be consulted to

assist with any post-operative complications.

Any procedural changes must be submitted as an amendment to the protocol for review
and approval prior to initiating these changes. All personnel working in direct contact
with animals on this project must be listed on the protocol and must complete a personal
statement.

________________________________
Principle Investigator Signature
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__________________________________
Typewritten Name

P.I. Name:

Protocol Number (assigned by IACUC):

FORM B
ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION INVOLVING HAZARDOUS AGENTS
Complete only if applicable to your project. If not, please remove from packet.
For applications using hazardous agents or radioisotopes, the research project must be registered
with The University of Tulsa HAAZCOM Office prior to submission of this application.
Approved Authorization Number:
1.

Study involves:

__Radioactive Materials
__Chemical Carcinogens
__Acute Toxins

__Human, Plant, Animal Pathogens

__Recombinant DNA/RNA
__Others

2.
Identify Hazardous Agent(s) and animals or tissues used:
Animal/Tissue
Agent
Dosage or Amount Used
Route

Frequency

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3.
Risks to:
___Animals ___Humans
If yes, describe the potential health risks to humans or animals:

4. Describe experimental procedures:

5. What is the duration of the study?

6. Describe special animal care required relating to the use of Harrods materials:

7. Describe special containment facility requirements:

8. Describe special precautions for animal handlers:

9. Describe waster and animal disposal requirements:

______________________________
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_______________________________

Principle Investigator Signature

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Typewritten Name