Spatial–temporal evolution of the port–hinterland relationship: A case study of the Midstream Yangtze River,China

Most scientific attention on port studies centers on deep sea ports, especially container ports. In this paper, in contrast, attention is focused on the spatial–temporal development of inland waterway ports on the Midstream Yangtze River from 2001 to 2013. The aim of this study is to assess two relevant and complementary questions of the hinterland evolution: its geographical extent and the coordination relationship with the inland port. To conduct the study, it was necessary to first identify the boundaries of the ports' hinterlands within the given timeframe. Then, the coupling coordination degree model was introduced to explore the underlying relationship between the port service and hinterland economy. Furthermore, to better depict the intricate economic characteristics of the hinterland, the development stage theory was applied in the models. The results highlight the emergence of a discontinuous hinterland at Wuhan Port and its reinforcement of primacy with respect to fierce hinterland rivalry. It also demonstrates that an interplay between major ports and their corresponding hinterlands evolves from the transitional stage, characterized by lagging port service, to the multi‐stage, wherein the supply of ports partly outstrips hinterland demand.     

Physiological effects of arginine vasotocin and mesotocin in cockerels

1. The effects of continuous infusion of 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 mU/min/kg body weight of arginine vasotocin (AVT) or mesotocin (MT) on cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses, on plasma osmolality and ionic composition and on plasma concentrations of AVT, MT, prolactin and aldosterone, were investigated in conscious White Leghorn cockerels.

2. Neither of the peptides, at any dose, affected cardiovascular functions, plasma ions and osmolality. Infusion of MT at the rate of 10 mU/min/kg body weight increased respiratory rate. Both peptides at doses of 1 and 10 mU/min/kg reduced the temperatures of the comb and shank but had no effect on the skin and cloaca.

3. Doses of 0.1 and 1.0 mU MT/mu/kg reduced plasma aldosterone and at 10 mU/min/kg increased plasma AVT. At any given dose MT had no effect on plasma prolactin. AVT at 0.1 and 1.0 mU/min/kg of AVT reduced plasma MT. AVT at 1.0 mU/min/kg increased plasma prolactin and at 10 mU/min/kg reduced plasma aldosterone.

4. During saline infusion, plasma MT was positively correlated with plasma AVT and negatively correlated with respiratory rate and cloacal temperature. Plasma AVT showed a positive correlation with plasma MT and aldosterone and a negative correlation with respiratory rate and skin temperature.

5. During saline infusion, there was no significant correlation between cardiovascular functions, or plasma osmolality and ionic composition and plasma MT or AVT.

6. The present study suggests that interrelationships between circulating concentrations of AVT and MT do exist and that AVT affects     

Phage sensitivity in relation to pathogenicity and virulence of the cotton bacterial blight pathogen of Sudan

At least two pathotypes of Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum are now known to exist in Sudan. The pre-Barakat (race 1) and post-Barakat (race 2) pathogens have been shown to exhibit different host specificity. The former is pathogenic and highly aggressive on only cultivars with no resistance genes or with the B₂ and/or B₃ resistance factors, while the latter can infect the B₆ cultivars also. Race 2 in Sudan, which was previously reported to infect all the standard differentials, produced milder angular leaf spot symptoms and occasionally restricted vein infection. Moreover, it exhibited reduced growth in planta compared with race 1.
Bacteriophage studies revealed that the two races are quite distinct in their phage sensitivity. Race 1 can be lysed by only three, or rarely four, of the six phages used for typing, while race 2 is sensitive to all of them. The present study suggests that phage 7 may be the type-determining phage for race 2. Race 2 strain mutants resistant to phage 3 or 4 were found to be sensitive to phage 7 and pathogenic to both Acala and Barakat, although showing marked attenuation of virulence. However, mutants resistant to phage 2 or 7 were insensitive to all the phages and although they retained their pathogenicity to Acala, they either lost the ability to infect Barakat or produced a hypersensitive reaction. The resistance of all mutants was found to be due to failure to adsorb the homologous phage, indicating a change in the cell wall. The association of this with the attenuation of virulence suggests that bacterial wall components may function as virulence determinants in Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum.     

Large granular lymphocytic leukemia in a mixed breed dog

A mixed breed dog was diagnosed with large granular lymphocytic leukemia. Immunophenotypic analysis indicated the lymphocytes were CD3+, CD8+ T cells expressing the alpha beta T cell receptor and a leukointegrin, alpha d. Chemotherapy and splenectomy resulted in an initial reduction in the lymphocyte count.     

Bending strength adjustments for moisture content for structural lumber

Summary Effects of moisture content on bending strength and section capacity have been studied assuming that strength properties are linearly related to moisture content below the fiber saturation point. The models developed using the linear strength vs. moisture content relationships are compared with quadratic models developed earlier. The linear representation of strength variation with moisture content leads to predicted member bending capacity relationships which show that increases in member bending strength with moisture content will compensate for section property decreases at all bending strength property levels. Comparisons of bending strength and bending capacity models show that the two modelling approaches lead to similar predicted member performance. Simplified procedures are provided for adjusting member bending strength for moisture content which are suitable for materials properties codes or standards.     

Effect of a single injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on testicular blood flow measured by color doppler ultrasonography in male Shiba goats

Although color Doppler ultrasonography has been used to evaluate testicular blood flow in many species, very little has been done in goat. Eight male Shiba goats were exposed to a single intramuscular injection of either gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH group; 1 µg/kg BW) or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG group; 25 IU/kg BW). Plasma testosterone (T), estradiol (E2) and inhibin (INH) were measured just before (0 hr) and at different intervals post injection by radioimmunoassay. Testis volume (TV) and Doppler indices, such as resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) of the supratesticular artery, were measured by B-mode and color Doppler ultrasonography, respectively. The results indicated an increase in testicular blood flow in both groups, as RI and PI decreased significantly (P<0.05), but this increase was significant higher and earlier in hCG group (1 hr) than in the GnRH group (2 hr). A high correlation was found for RI and PI with both T (RI, r= −0.862; PI, r= −0.707) and INH in the GnRH group (RI, r=0.661; PI, r=0.701). However, a significant (P<0.05) correlation was found between E2 and both RI (r= −0.610) and PI (r= −0.763) in hCG group. In addition, TV significantly increased and was highly correlated with RI in both groups (GnRH, r= −0.718; hCG, r= −0.779). In conclusion, hCG and GnRH may improve testicular blood flow and TV in Shiba goats.