Assessing appetite of the swimming fish based on spontaneous collective behaviors in a recirculating aquaculture system

In order to realize the real-time appetite-based feeding in aquaculture, a novel and practical method, based on the quantification of the spontaneous collective behaviors, was proposed in this study to assess the real-time appetite of the swimming fish in a recirculating aquaculture system. First, foreground feature points of fish school were extracted using an improved complex network. Then, covariance, a modified social force model and a kinetic energy model were used to analyze the collective behaviors of the school from perspectives of dispersion degree, interaction force and the changing magnitude of the water flow field, respectively. Finally, the quantified behavioral characteristics were integrated and used to assess the appetite of fish school. The presented method shows its good performance in the expression of the collective behaviors representing five typical appetites (0.01, 0.52, 1.28, 2.26 and 2.92), and the assessing accuracy of the appetite of the school is also maintained at a low non-match rate ((2.19 ± 0.81)% best) in the context of ten different sampling durations.     

泥炭块制作机应用前景展望

介绍了泥炭块育苗技术的优点，分析了泥炭块制作机制作泥炭块的工艺流程及其关键技术，展望了泥炭块制作机的应用前景。     

Land surface temperature retrieval for arid regions based on Landsat-8 TIRS data:a case study in Shihezi,Northwest China

Scientific interest in geophysical information about land surface temperature （LST） is ever increasing, as such information provides a base for a large number of applications, including environmental and agricultural monitoring. Therefore, the research of LST retrieval has become a hot topic. Recent availability of Landsat-8 satel- lite imagery provides a new data source for LST retrieval. Hence, exploring an adaptive method with reliable ac- curacy seems to be essential. In this study, basing on features of Landsat-8 TIRS thermal infrared channels, we re-calculated parameters in the atmospheric transmittance empirical models of the existing split-window algorithm, and estimated the ground emissivity with the help of the land cover classification map of the study area. Further- more, a split-window algorithm was rebuilt by virtual of the estimation model of the updated atmospheric transmit- tance and the ground emissivity, and then a remote sensing retrieval for the LST of Shihezi city in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region of Northwest China was conducted on the basis of this modified algorithm. Finally, precision validation of the new model was implemented by using the MODIS LST products. The results showed that the LST retrieval from Landsat-8 TIRS data based on our algorithm has a higher credibility, and the retrieved LST is more consistent with the MODIS LST products. This indicated that the modified algorithm is suitable for retrieving LST with competitive accuracy. With higher resolutions, Landsat-8 TIRS data may provide more accurate observation for LST retrieval.     

Variant surface glycoproteins from Venezuelan trypanosome isolates are recognized by sera from animals infected with either Trypanosoma evansi or Trypanosoma vivax

Salivarian trypanosomes sequentially express only one variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) on their cell surface from a large repertoire of VSG genes. Seven cryopreserved animal trypanosome isolates known as TeAp-ElFrio01, TEVA1 (or TeAp-N/D1), TeGu-N/D1, TeAp-Mantecal01, TeGu-TerecayTrino, TeGu-Terecay03 and TeGu-Terecay323, which had been isolated from different hosts identified in several geographical areas of Venezuela were expanded using adult albino rats. Soluble forms of predominant VSGs expressed during the early infection stages were purified and corresponded to concanavalin A-binding proteins with molecular masses of 48–67 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electropohoresis, and pI values between 6.1 and 7.5. The biochemical characterization of all purified soluble VSGs revealed that they were dimers in their native form and represented different gene products. Sequencing of some of these proteins yielded peptides homologous to VSGs from Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei and Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) evansi and established that they most likely are mosaics generated by homologous recombination. Western blot analysis showed that all purified VSGs were cross-reacting antigens that were recognized by sera from animals infected with either T. evansi or Trypanosoma (Dutonella) vivax. The VSG glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol cross-reacting determinant epitope was only partially responsible for the cross-reactivity of the purified proteins, and antibodies appeared to recognize cross-reacting conformational epitopes from the various soluble VSGs. ELISA experiments were performed using infected bovine sera collected from cattle in a Venezuelan trypanosome-endemic area. In particular, soluble VSGs from two trypanosome isolates, TeGu-N/D1 and TeGu-TeracayTrino, were recognized by 93.38% and 73.55% of naturally T. vivax-infected bovine sera, respectively. However, approximately 70% of the sera samples did not recognize all seven purified proteins. Hence, the use of a combination of various VSGs for the diagnosis of animal trypanosomosis is recommended.     

风沙流频繁吹袭对樟子松幼苗光合水分代谢的影响

为了解风沙流频繁吹袭对樟子松幼苗光合水分代谢的影响,2013年在内蒙古科尔沁沙地研究了0（对照）,6,9,12,15和18 m／s 等6个风速处理风沙流（风沙流强度相应为1．00,28．30,63．28,111．82和172．93 g／cm·min）4次吹袭下3龄樟子松幼苗光合速率、蒸腾速率、水分利用效率等指标的变化规律。结果表明,1）频繁的风沙流吹袭,可以改变樟子松幼苗蒸腾速率、气孔导度、胞间 CO2浓度和水分利用效率的日变化规律,但对光合速率日变化规律影响较小;2）随着风沙流强度的增加,其叶片相对含水量、叶面温度和日均光合速率、日均水分利用效率趋于下降,18 m／s 处理和对照相比分别下降4．6％,1．8％,52．6％和56．3％;日均蒸腾速率、日均气孔导度和胞间 CO2浓度趋于增加,18 m／s 处理和对照相比分别增加31．6％,75．0％和30．9％;3）随着风沙流强度的增加,其日最大光合速率和日最大水分利用效率趋于下降,日最大胞间 CO2浓度趋于增加,15 m／s 以下风沙流吹袭其日最大蒸腾速率降低,15 m／s 以上风沙流吹袭其日最大蒸腾速率显著增加;4）在风沙流吹袭下,樟子松光合能力的降低主要源于叶片含水量和叶片温度的下降以及叶片的机械损伤,而蒸腾速率的增加主要源于气孔导度的大幅度提升。