Anomalous conditions in the south-eastern Bering Sea, 1997: nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton

Anomalies in the regional weather over the south-eastern Bering Sea during spring and summer of 1997 resulted in significant differences in nutrient availability, phytoplankton species composition, and zooplankton abundance over the continental shelf as compared with measurements in the 1980s. Calm winds and the reduction of cloud cover in spring and summer produced a very shallow mixed layer in which nitrate and silicate were depleted after an April diatom bloom. High submarine light levels allowed subsequent phytoplankton growth below the pycnocline and eventual depletion of nitrate from the water column to depths of 70 m or more. Thus, total new production during 1997 may have exceeded that of previous years when nitrate was not depleted below the pycnocline. A bloom of the coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi , was observed in early July in the warm, nutrient-depleted waters over the middle and inner shelf. Emiliania huxleyi concentrations reached 4.5 × 10⁶ cells L^–1 by September, and the bloom persisted through the autumn. There was evidence for increased abundance of some species of copepods in 1997 as compared with data from the middle domain in June 1981. The abundance of adult and juvenile euphausiids in 1997 was statistically similar to values measured in 1980 and 1981. However, near-surface swarms were rarely observed on the inner shelf in August–September 1997. Lack of euphausiid availability in the upper water column may partially explain the August–September mass mortality of planktivorous short-tailed shearwaters ( Puffinus tenuirostris ) observed on the inner shelf.     

池塘河蟹养殖精准投饵系统设计与试验

传统池塘河蟹养殖主要依靠渔民根据经验来估算投饵量,通过人工撑船投喂饵料,饵料利用率低且劳动强度大。由于河蟹具有领地意识且移动范围较小,池塘各处河蟹分布不均匀,因此河蟹养殖需要科学精准投饵。现有河蟹养殖投饵作业方式粗放,无法满足河蟹高效生态养殖需求。为了掌握河蟹生长规律,更加科学高效地投饵喂料,本文设计基于河蟹生长模型的精准投饵系统。利用灰色关联度分析法确定对河蟹生长发育影响最大的环境因子。在传统水产生物生长模型基础上,加入环境因子进行改进,从线性和指数两个角度对河蟹生长模型进行优化拟合。利用遗传算法（GA）-反向反馈神经网络（BP神经网络）(GA-BP神经网络)对精准投饵预测模型进行训练,通过输入水温、溶解氧含量、pH值等环境参数,推算出最佳环境影响因子数值。根据河蟹生长模型、养殖密度、养殖面积得出河蟹总质量,结合河蟹生长期存活率与投喂率便可得出总投饵量。根据池塘河蟹实际分布密度和水质参数,确定池塘各区域的饵料分配系数,将总投饵量科学地分配到池塘各个区域。通过仿真得出预测投饵量决定系数R²为0.990,预测模型具有较好的拟合效果。池塘投饵试验结果表明,基于河蟹生长...     

Cylindrical press-fit osteochondral allografts for resurfacing the equine metatarsophalangeal joint

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of resurfacing the equine fetlock joint using cylindrical, orthotopic, press-fit, osteochondral allografts. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. ANIMALS: Ten mature, mixed-breed horses. METHODS: Cylindrical, osteochondral grafts (6.5-mm diameter) were harvested aseptically from cadaveric equine metatarsophalangeal joints. Allografts were transplanted into 6 horses; 4 horses were sham operated. The surgical approach involved creation of a bone block at the origin of the medial collateral ligament and luxation of the metatarsophalangeal joint. Grafts were placed into the medial and lateral metatarsal condyles. Radiographs were taken at 8 and 25 weeks, and lameness was evaluated at 25 weeks. Horses were killed at 25 weeks. Analyses included gross evaluation, microradiography, paravital staining, light microscopy, and cartilage biochemistry. RESULTS: No complications occurred that could be attributed to the surgical procedure. Graft congruency with the surrounding articular cartilage was fair to excellent. Two horses were sound at 25 weeks. Most grafts had more than 90% articular cartilage coverage, and histologic and microradiographic analysis revealed good graft incorporation and articular cartilage survival. Sulphated glycosaminoglycan concentration was decreased in grafted tissue. CONCLUSIONS: We attribute the viability of osteochondral allografts in the equine fetlock to adequate congruency, stable graft fixation, and the use of orthotopic tissue. Host response to the allograft bone tissue did not affect cartilage viability. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Before clinical use, improvements to instrumentation are required that would decrease damage to grafts and minimize technique-associated incongruencies of the articular surface at the time of grafting. Larger grafts would also likely be required to resurface a greater surface area.     

Accuracy of computerized tomographic evaluation of canine radio-ulnar incongruence in vitro

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of linear measurements obtained from computer tomography (CT) images of staged radio-ulnar incongruence in a canine cadaver forelimb model. STUDY DESIGN: CT evaluation of induced progressive radio-ulnar incongruence in canine cadaveric forelimbs. SAMPLE POPULATION: Eight cadaveric canine left forelimbs. PROCEDURE: A type 2 external skeletal fixator (ESF) with linear motors was attached to the radius in 8 cadaveric left canine forelimbs. Contiguous incremental and helical CT images of the proximal radio-ulnar articulation were acquired in the transverse, sagittal and dorsal planes. The radius was shortened by 1, 2, and 4 mm increments and scanning protocols were repeated at each increment. Digital caliper and CT image analysis measured the progressive change in distance between 2 marking spheres and the epiphyseal bone surfaces of the radio-ulnar articulation. Statistical analysis of measurements from incremental and helical CT acquisitions, and direct and reformatted images were compared with inter-sphere distance using Pearson product moment correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The reformatted incremental acquisition series at the mid-coronoid in the oblique plane had the highest correlation coefficient (r-value) at 0.908. The mid-coronoid in the dorsal plane had the second highest r-value (0.856). The coronoid incisure in the sagittal plane had an r-value of 0.826. The reformatted incremental acquisition series at the coronoid incisure in the oblique plane had the lowest r-value, 0.592. CONCLUSION: Measurement of radioulnar incongruence may be best performed using reformatted incremental acquisition CT in the mid-coronoid region in an oblique plane. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Use of the technique reported in this study may enable determination of the association, if any, between radioulnar incongruence and developmental diseases of the canine elbow.     

Variation in ptaquiloside content in bracken (Pteridium esculentum (Forst. f) Cockayne) in New Zealand

AIM: To examine stands of bracken fern (Pteridium esculentum) from throughout New Zealand for the presence and concentration of ptaquiloside (Pta), and to compare the presence and/or concentrations of Pta in areas where bovine enzootic haematuria (BEH) and/or acute haemorrhagic syndrome (AHS) has been known to occur with those where BEH/AHS has not been recorded.

METHODS: Stands of bracken fern were sampled from 275 sites throughout New Zealand. Sixty-two stands were from a regional survey predominantly from the Waikato and Coromandel regions, 27 were from a farm in the King Country where BEH/AHS had been investigated previously, and 186 were from a national survey of the North and South Islands. Sampling sites were from a mixture of grazed paddocks, roadsides, and forest and bush areas. Samples comprised whole young fronds, the tops of unfurling young fronds, or, for the Regional Survey, mature green fronds from the previous season. Pta was extracted from the samples, and measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. Information on the occurrence of BEH/AHS at specific locations was obtained from published information and records from animal health laboratories in New Zealand.

RESULTS: The 275 samples contained widely varying concentrations of Pta. In the Farm Survey, concentrations ranged from 280–13,300 (mean 3,800) µg/g (on a dry-weight basis) in the 63% of samples that contained Pta. A high proportion of samples from the Regional and National Surveys covering large areas of the country contained no detectable levels of Pta. The majority (61%) of samples from these two surveys which contained Pta were from areas where BEH/AHS was reported to occur. Combining data from all surveys, in areas with reported BEH/AHS, 42% of samples collected contained Pta, compared with 6% where BEH/AHS was not known to occur.

CONCLUSIONS: Concentrations of Pta in bracken in New Zealand vary greatly, and in a high proportion of stands Pta is not found. A higher incidence of Pta, and some very high concentrations, are found in areas where BEH/AHS was known to occur.     

基于LEACH协议的水产养殖参数智能监控系统

提出了基于LEACH(Low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy)协议的水产养殖溶解氧参数低功耗无线测量网络和溶解氧浓度的智能变频控制技术。无线传感网络中簇首对测量节点的数据先进行融合,然后发送到基站。针对水体溶解氧参数变化缓慢的特点,规定在每一帧内变化小于0.1 mg/L时,不再向簇首发送数据。簇首调整各节点在该帧内数据发送时隙,延长簇首和节点的休眠时间,降低了功耗。PLC根据溶解氧参数的变化一方面通过变频器控制叶轮增氧机,在白天水体溶解氧质量浓度大于5.0 mg/L时,叶轮增氧机低速耕水,充分利用自然界的风能、光能和藻类的光合作用改善水质;另一方面当溶解氧质量浓度低于5.0 mg/L下限时,采用模糊变频控制迅速缩小误差,在接近控制目标后,变频器输出稳定。通过试验验证,相对于人工粗略控制,节约电能42.3%以上,产量提高11.8%,综合经济收益提高41.3%。     

河蟹养殖船载自动均匀投饵系统设计及效果试验

针对目前河蟹养殖投饵喂料劳动强度大、自动化程度低、投饲饵料分布不均匀等问题,该文提出了一种空气螺旋桨风力驱动船载自动投饵系统及均匀投饵方法。该系统由空气螺旋桨风力驱动船、自动投饵装置、ARM(advanced RISC machine)主控制器、GPRS(general packet radio service)通信模块和GPS(global positioning system)导航装置等组成。采用空气螺旋桨风力驱动,可解决常规作业船水下螺旋桨吸卷缠绕水草影响行驶问题;利用喂料器落料流速可控、抛料器抛幅可调、料仓内剩余饵料量可测的自动投饵装置,可解决投饵喂料分布不均匀问题。该系统以S3C2440为主控制器,通过GPRS通信模块M590接收作业指令。该文对投饵装置抛料器、饲料颗粒斜抛运动、饵料在水面上的累积密度分布进行建模,建立投饵均匀度目标函数,采用遗传算法GA进行最优运行参数求解,确定船载自动投饵系统最优运行参数:当饵料分布密度期望值为9 g/m2时,2个相邻投饵行程宽度的最优值为8.21 m,自动投饵装置投饵扇角的最优值为80°,喂料器单位时间内落料量的最优值为32.01 g/s,下方投饵行程船速的最优值为0.43 m/s,上方投饵行程船速的最优值为0.43 m/s,抛盘转速的最优值为1 480 r/min;并通过GPS导航装置BD982实现路径跟踪,完成自动均匀投饵作业。对饲料颗粒斜抛运动、饵料平均累积密度和分布密度均方差等进行仿真,在水平地面上与人工抛洒饵料进行对比试验,并在池塘内进行投饵试验,结果表明,该系统可使投饲饵料分布均匀度较人工投饵提高3倍以上,投饲饵料分布密度均值与设定值的相对误差为5.11%,为适应河蟹昼伏夜出的生活习性,可在夜晚进行投饲,使用1套该船载自动投饵系统能够精细管理6.67 hm2左右河蟹养殖池塘,相当于5个农村劳动力投饵喂料,节省人力提高效率,提高饲料的利用率15%以上,能使饲料节约15%以上,产量提高20%以上;同时,该船载自动投饵系统可以定时定量均匀投饲,保证养殖的河蟹个头大小均等,提高产值,大幅提高养殖面积增加效益。该文可为河蟹养殖全池自动均匀投饵喂料和其他水产养殖中需要沿池或全池自动均匀投饲研究提供重要参考。     

beta-Adrenergic receptor agonists increase apoptosis of adipose tissue in mice

beta-Adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) agonists increase muscle mass and decrease body fat in rodents and livestock. With oral administration, however, the effects of beta1-AR and beta2-AR can be different, depending on the species tested. We tested the effects of clenbuterol, a beta2-AR agonist, and ractopamine, a beta1/beta2-AR agonist, on growth, adiposity and adipose tissue apoptosis in male and female mice by feeding diets containing control, 200 ppm clenbuterol, or 200 or 800 ppm ractopamine. Food intake (FI) was measured daily; body weight (BW) and temperatures (BT) were measured on days 0, 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 20. On day 21 mice were sacrificed, body composition was determined using PIXImus densitometry, and muscle and adipose tissues were collected. There were no treatment effects on BT, FI, BW, feed efficiency or body composition. Retroperitoneal (Rp) and epididymal/parametrial (Epi/Par) fat pad masses were reduced in both 800 ppm ractopamine (40+/-3mg and 207+/-20mg, respectively) and clenbuterol (35+/-7 mg and 211+/-22 mg) treated mice compared to control (66+/-8 mg and 319+/-30 mg, P<0.05). Brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass was greater (P<0.05) in clenbuterol treated mice compared to other treatments. Adipose tissue apoptosis (% DNA fragmentation) was increased in Epi/Par fat pads in clenbuterol (5.2+/-1.1%) and 800 ppm ractopamine (4.1+/-0.8%) treated mice compared to control (1.7+/-0.4%, P<0.05). These findings show that WAT apoptosis can be induced by activation of beta-AR in mice, although the mechanism is unknown.     

Kale carotenoids are unaffected by, whereas biomass production, elemental concentrations, and selenium accumulation respond to, changes in selenium fertility

Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient in mammalian nutrition and is accumulated in kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala), which has high levels of lutein and beta-carotene. Selenium, lutein, and beta-carotene have important human health benefits and possess strong antioxidant properties. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of different Se [as sodium selenate (Na(2)SeO(4)) and sodium selenite (Na(2)SeO(3))] fertility levels on (1) biomass accumulation, (2) the accumulation patterns of carotenoid pigments, and (3) elemental accumulation in the leaves of kale. Winterbor kale was greenhouse-grown using nutrient solution culture with Se treatment concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 mg Se/L as Na(2)SeO(4) and 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mg Se/L as Na(2)SeO(3). Increases in either selenate (SeO(4)(-)(2)) or selenite (SeO(3)(-)(2)) resulted in decreases in kale leaf tissue biomass. Neither of the Se treatments had an effect on the accumulation of lutein or beta-carotene in leaf tissues. Increasing SeO(4)(-)(2) significantly increased the accumulation of kale leaf Se; however, leaf tissue Se did not significantly change over the SeO(3)(-)(2) treatments. Increases in SeO(4)(-)(2) affected the leaf tissue concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Mn, and Mo, whereas SeO(3)(-)(2) only affected B and S. Growing kale in the presence of SeO(4)(-)(2) would result in the accumulation of high levels of tissue Se without affecting carotenoid concentrations.