Sectioned pelvic fin ray ageing of muskellunge Esox masquinongy from a Virginia river: comparisons among readers, with cleithrum estimates, and with tag–recapture growth data

Abstract  The potential utility of pelvic fin rays as ageing structures was evaluated for southern US muskellunge Esox masquinongy Mitchill populations by comparing age estimates among three readers and against cleithrum estimates, and by comparing observed length changes of tagged fish with changes predicted from growth equations based on pelvic fin ray age estimates. Mean coefficient of variation in age estimates among all readers and between the two readers with prior ageing experience was 17.8% and 5.6%, respectively. Exact and within 1-year agreement rates between pelvic fin rays and cleithra were 76% and 100%, respectively. Mean (± 2 SE) estimated absolute error between observed and predicted length changes for 13 tagged muskellunge was 30 ± 14 mm. This evaluation indicated that pelvic fin rays may prove to be a useful, non-lethal method for ageing muskellunge in southern US waters. Validation studies are still needed to ensure that growth rings form consistently throughout fish's life span.     

Effect of Caudal Traction on Mechanical Nociceptive Thresholds of Epaxial and Pelvic Musculature on a Group of Horses With Signs of Back Pain

Direct muscular attachment from lumbar vertebrae to the caudal vertebrae of the tail suggests that caudal traction, also described as a tail pull, may affect lumbar vertebral segments and/or associated soft tissues in horses. Traction is a commonly used human manual therapy technique used for pain relief and anecdotally observed to relieve pain in horses. However, research is lacking validating the efficacy of manual caudal traction on the horse. The objective of this study was to determine if caudal traction has an effect on mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNTs) in a group of horses with clinical signs of back pain. Pressure algometry was used to measure MNTs of five bilateral anatomical sites in the epaxial and pelvic musculature of 11 horses referred to physiotherapy because of clinical signs of back pain. Measurements were recorded both before and immediately after traction. A significant difference (P ≤ .05) was identified between mean before and after caudal traction algometry measurements in all described sites. The percentage of MNT increase was highest in the thoracic region (83%) compared with the lumbar (50%) and the pelvic (52.4%) regions. These results support an effect of caudal traction in increasing MNTs in the thoracolumbar and pelvic regions in horses. Further research to determine the clinical effect of this technique is warranted.     

低雷诺数工况下锯齿型翅片性能的参数化研究

基于田口方法,结合均匀设计法对低雷诺数工况下错列锯齿型翅片进行三维参数化数值研究。以单层翅片组件为测试对象,对6种试件的试验表明,仿真结果与试验数据的趋势吻合良好,而存在差异的主要原因是试件加工工艺引起翅片表面存在毛刺。按照均匀设计法得到6因子5水平的11种仿真方案,引入田口方法的信噪比和贡献率,研究各几何参数对翅片性能的影响程度,依次为齿距、齿高、齿型角、错齿距、齿开窗宽度和齿厚。根据各水平下各可控因子的信噪比分布得到翅片的优化模型,并通过仿真验证了优化模型的有效性。     

Analysis of Heat Transfer and Optimal Parameters of Multi-louvered Fin Condenser

The authors conduct the experimental study and optimal computing for the condenser of automobile air conditioner. The especially the properties of heat transfer and flow at the side of air when using shutter fin. The authors the influence of several combinations of fin's geometry parameter to heat transfer and flow resistance. The maximal heat transfer is used as a criterion relation to select the fin's geometry parameters in the same facing air area of condenser. Furthermore, a program is designed to conduct optimal computing, and the computing results are basically consistent with experimental results. It shows that the optimal method is reasonable and the results can be applied to engineering practice.     

Bacteriophage OP1, lytic for Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, changes its host range by duplication and deletion of the small domain in the deduced tail fiber gene

The entire genome of bacteriophage OP₁, lytic for Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae causing bacterial leaf blight of rice, and the partial genomes of related phages were sequenced and analyzed. The OP₁ genome comprises double-stranded, 4785-bp long DNA with 51.1% G + C content. Fifty-nine open reading frames (ORFs) were detected. ORF25 had similarity with the tail fiber gene of phages, whose product is related to host specificity. The ORF25 regions were amplified from four host-range mutants (OP_1h, OP_1hC, OP_1h2, and OP_1h2C) by polymerase chain reaction, and their deduced amino acid sequences were compared. Three mutants (OP_1hC, OP_1h2, OP_1h2C) had duplications of a small domain in the N-terminal portion, although there were slight differences in the position of the duplicated sequences. One mutant OP_1h had substituted amino acids in the duplication region. New mutants isolated in the laboratory (OP_1hC and OP_1h2C from OP₁ and OP_1h2) acquired the ability to lyse strain N5874 belonging to phagovar (lysotype) C. However, they rapidly lost this lytic ability when incubated with other phagovars. This loss was always accompanied by a loss of the characteristic repeats, suggesting that the host range of OP₁-related phages changed mainly through duplication and deletion of a small domain in ORF25. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession numbers AP008979, AB214312 to AB214316     

嗜热毛壳菌纤维素酶对小尾寒羊瘤胃代谢的影响

本试验研究不同水平嗜热毛壳菌纤维素酶对小尾寒羊瘤胃代谢的影响。试验动物为4只安装有永久性瘤胃瘘管的成年小尾寒羊公羊(平均体重为45 kg),采用4×4拉丁方试验设计,在基础日粮中分别添加0％、0．3％、0．6％和0．9％4个水平酶制剂,采集瘤胃液测pH值、氨氮浓度和挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)浓度。试验结果表明:各组试羊瘤胃液平均氨氮浓度的变化范围为10．01-12．80 mg/dL,各组之间相同时间点差异不显著(P>0．05)。瘤胃液平均pH值在6．50-6．80范围内变动,试验组pH值低于对照组(P<0．05),以0．6％水平较好。各组试羊瘤胃乙酸、丙酸及总 VFA浓度的变化规律基本相同,即喂料后逐渐上升,其中乙酸和总VFA浓度在2 h后达到最高点,丙酸浓度在4 h 达到最高点,随后平稳下降于饲喂前降至最低点,再次采食后又重复出现此规律。试验组瘤胃乙酸和总VFA浓度显著或极显著高于对照组(P<0．05或P<0．01),以0．6％水平组最高。     

Predicting summer fin whale distribution in the Pelagos Sanctuary (north-western Mediterranean Sea) to identify dynamic whale–vessel collision risk areas

1. Mediterranean fin whales aggregating in the Pelagos Sanctuary in summer to feed are exposed to vessel collision risk, particularly from high-speed ferries.
2. This study developed models to predict summer fin whale distribution using a generalized additive model (GAM) and MaxEnt, with the aim of providing a tool to identify potential high whale–ferry collision risk areas along ferry routes within the Pelagos Sanctuary during summertime.
3. Models were trained using sightings data collected in the summer months of 2009–2018 on board ferries crossing the central area of the Pelagos Sanctuary. Environmental predictors were bathymetry and mean sea surface chlorophyll concentration of the annual spring bloom period.
4. The predictive ability of GAM and MaxEnt was assessed using existing knowledge of summer fin whale distribution in the region. GAM (deviance explained = 20.2%) predictions matched documented distributions more closely than that of MaxEnt, with highest predicted fin whale occurrence in deep offshore waters (>2000 m) encompassing the central north-western and western regions, and in the south-eastern region, consistent with known fin whale habitats within the Pelagos Sanctuary. Inter-annual variability was evident, influencing collision risk areas.
5. Collision risk was estimated as a function of the overlap between the predicted probability of fin whale occurrence and ferry density estimated from Automated Identification System data. Ferry routes that cross the northern and eastern regions of the Pelagos Sanctuary presented relatively higher collision risk.
6. Areas with changes in risk intensity between the years were temporally and spatially dynamic: some appeared intermittently throughout the study period while others persisted over consecutive years or recurred in different years.
7. Due to the vastness of the Pelagos Sanctuary, vessel speed reduction maybe a more practical measure to manage collision risk than re-routing shipping lanes. A combination of Seasonal Management Areas and Dynamic Management Areas approaches could be adopted for high-risk areas.

     

草鱼尾鳍组织二倍体细胞系GCCF-2的建立及其部分生物学特性分析

本文从草鱼尾鳍组织建立了一个二倍体细胞系GCCF-2。该细胞系用TC-199培养液加15％小牛血清培养。细胞生长旺盛,最高分裂指数达30.04‰。现已在体外培养近92个月。细胞在28℃生长良好。染色体检查表明,GCCF-2为二倍体细胞系。初步估计其细胞周期为21—33小时。GCCF-2对草鱼呼肠弧病毒(GCRV)敏感,并在细胞中发现病毒颗粒。     

我国小尾寒羊多胎性状基因的研究进展

综述了小尾寒羊的FecB基因、BMPR-IB基因、BMP15基因和ESR基因的突变及其对产羔数的影响,表明:与FecB基因紧密连锁的遗传标记都与小尾寒羊的多胎性能有关系;BMPR-IB基因是影响小尾寒羊高繁殖力的一个主效基因,可以用于对小尾寒羊产羔数的辅助选择;BMP15基因中的突变位点对小尾寒羊的高繁殖力没有显著影响;ESR基因可能是控制小尾寒羊多胎性能的一个主效基因或与之存在紧密的遗传连锁。旨在为小尾寒羊主效基因的研究提供有益的参考。     

Effects of thyroxine and thiourea on the metamorphosis of coral trout grouper Plectropomus leopardus

The contribution of the thyroid hormone to the metamorphosis of the coral trout Plectropomus leopardus was examined. Juveniles, aged 35 days, were exposed to thyroxine (T4, 0.1 p.p.m) and thiourea (TU; inhibitor of thyroid hormone synthesis, 30 p.p.m) for 13 days. All the fish in the T4-treated group had completed metamorphosis (second metamorphosis, pigmentation and resorption of fin spines) within three days after the beginning of the experiment (day 3), whereas it took 13 days for this to occur in the control fish. Moreover, the fish in the TU group had not completed metamorphosis even by day 13. Settling behavior was significantly stimulated by T4 treatment, as was the resorption of the dorsal and pelvic fin spines, the reduction of serration on the spines, and the transition of body color into an opaque reddish hue. Fish in the TU group had longer dorsal and pelvic spines, retarded pigmentation and an abnormal black coloration. These results suggest that thyroid hormone accelerates most changes during the second metamorphosis in the coral trout.