Study on the species-specificity of Isospora michaelbakeri by experimental infection

Isospora michaelbakeri is one of the Isospora species most commonly found in the wild field, which can cause severe infection and mortality in young sparrows. In this study, we selected I. michaelbakeri (Chung Hsing strain) as a pathogen to orally inoculate russet sparrows (Passer rutilans), spotted munia (Lonchura punctulata), canary (Serinus canaria), Java sparrows (Padda oryzivora), chicken (Gallus domesticus), ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and BALB/c mice. The results indicated that I. michaelbakeri infected only russet sparrows. Infected sparrows displayed lethargy, muscular weakness and fluffy feathers, followed by rapid death. Liver and spleen enlargement was seen in the infected birds. Schizonts were identified in thin smears from the venous blood, enlarged livers and spleens. Histopathological examination revealed schizonts and merozoites from the liver and spleen of infected russet sparrows, but not from other species experimentally inoculated with I. michaelbakeri in the present study.     

山东省临沂地区杨树人工林地位指数表的编制

山东省临沂地区杨树人工林地位指数表是于1986年冬至1987年春,收集了25株69杨、72杨和健杨优势木树干解析和104块临时标地材料编制而成。选用lgH=a+b(1/A)公式为导向曲线数学模型;标准年龄定为8a;指数级距2m;级数8个(12—26m)。采用树高相对值法导出各指数级各年龄树高值,经检验此法精度较高,符合生长快、伐期短的杨树生长规律,可供该地区林业部门试用。     

Interval number fuzzy linear programming for climate change impact assessments of reservoir active storage

The major uncertainty in the climate change impact study inherits from applying the predictions of General Circulation Models (GCMs). Different results might be obtained by using various GCMs’ predictions, which causes difficulties on the decision making of water resources management. This study proposed an integrated hydrological simulations and optimization framework, consisting of a fuzzy linear programming model with interval numbers, a streamflow simulation model, and agricultural water demand projections, to evaluate the impacts of climate change on reservoir active storage. The reservoir inflows are simulated by the WatBal model, while agricultural water demands are predicted based on the projected change of potential evapotranspiration. Inflows and water demands are used to formulate an interval number fuzzy linear programming model. Fuzzy relationships are used to describe tolerable deficits of water resources, and the interval number is employed to indicate ranges of possible inflows and water demands. This systematic framework is applied to study the Tsengwen reservoir watershed to provide an optimal interval of active storage. The results further indicate the higher tolerable deficit, the smaller difference between superior and inferior active storage.     

Rearing the spotted seahorse Hippocampus kuda by feeding live and frozen copepods collected from shrimp ponds

This study evaluated the use of live and frozen copepods collected from shrimp ponds for rearing juveniles of the spotted seahorse Hippocampus kuda. Protein and HUFA contents in frozen copepods were all higher than in Artemia nauplii, the conventional live food for seahorse juveniles. The results of this study showed that copepods can be used as feed for rearing seahorse fry and juvenile. The spotted seahorse showed obvious preference for live copepods and rarely fed on dead copepods on the tank bottom. Furthermore, the combination of frozen copepods and live Artemia nauplii resulted in highest growth and highest survival of the experimental seahorses. Further research on possible effects of DHA:EPA ratio on survival and growth of young H. kuda is recommended.     

Permeation of oxygen, water vapor, and limonene through printed and unprinted biaxially oriented polypropylene films.

Oriented polypropylene (OPP) and coated OPP (acrylic/OPP/PVDC) films were printed with two commercially available inks to investigate the influence of inks on water vapor and oxygen transmission rates. The permeation of an aroma compound (d-limonene) through coated OPP film printed with these inks was also evaluated at 35 degrees C and 100% relative humidity. The water vapor transmission rate increased significantly through OPP film printed with nitrocellulose-based ink. The oxygen transmission rate was significantly lower through both OPP and coated OPP films printed with the nitrocellulose ink. The effect of inks on limonene permeation was minor compared to the marked increase in permeation measured when the PVDC side of the coated film was exposed to the aroma, compared to the acrylic side. Scanning electron micrographs of coated film cross sections revealed changes in film structure upon exposure to limonene vapors, which were most pronounced when the PVDC side was exposed to limonene.     

Spawning behaviour of Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) merguiensis de Man and the effect of light intensity on spawning

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of light intensity just prior to and during spawning of Penaeus (Fenneropenaeus) merguiensis de Man in the laboratory. Neither the presence of light nor light intensity (0, 10 and 1100 lux) had a significant effect on the spawning process or hatching rate in P. merguiensis. Difference in the percentage of spawners, percentage of incomplete spawning, fecundity and hatching rate were all insignificant (P > 0.05) among the three light treatments. However, spawning was delayed (up to 21 min on average) under 1100 lux with a high percentage of incomplete spawning, compared with the Control (0 lux). For the first time, spawning behaviour of P. merguiensis was observed and fully described. The spawning process can be divided into four phases: dormant, pre‐spawning, spawning and post‐spawning by distinct behaviour of prawn broodstock. The dormant phase was characterized by a quiescent and non‐feeding period, whereas movement of prawn broodstock was active during the pre‐spawning and post‐spawning phases. Depending on the individual, spawning was completed within 3–5 min. Prawns often stayed still on the water surface during spawning with occasional manoeuvres to change the position. After a short rest at the termination of the spawning phase, prawn broodstock re‐exhibited active movement as in the pre‐spawning phase, but showing conspicuous care to the deposited eggs. The role of light in controlling ovarian development and spawning, and the behaviour of prawn broodstock in relation to maximizing fertilization rate are discussed.     

Reconfiguring the online tool of SkinSensPred for predicting skin sensitization of pesticides

Adverse outcome pathway (AOP)-based computational models provide state-of-the-art prediction for human skin sensitizers and are promising alternatives to animal testing. However, little is known about their applicability to pesticides due to scarce pesticide data for evaluation. Moreover, pesticides traditionally have been tested on animals without human data, making validation difficult. Direct application of AOP-based models to pesticides may be inappropriate since their original applicability domains were designed to maximize reliability for human response prediction on diverse chemicals but not pesticides. This study proposed to identify a consensus chemical space with concordant human responses predicted by the SkinSensPred online tool and animal testing data to reduce animal testing. The identified consensus chemical space for non-sensitizers achieved high concordance of 85% and 100% for the cross-validation and independent test, respectively. The reconfigured SkinSensPred can be applied as the first-tier tool for identifying non-sensitizers to reduce. animal testing for pesticides by 19.6%.     

Antihypertensive effects of Lactobacillus-fermented milk orally administered to spontaneously hypertensive rats

Products fermented with lactic acid bacteria may show antihypertensive effects via substances such as angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It was previously found that milk fermented with Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 (101FM) or Lactobacillus plantarum NTU 102 (102FM) has ACEI and GABA activities. This study aimed to investigate the antihypertensive effects of 101FM and 102FM orally administered to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Eight hours after a single oral administration or after 8 weeks of weekly (chronic) administration, 101FM and 102FM significantly decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the SHRs. Microscopic examination of aortic tissue demonstrated that 101FM and 102FM reduced the disorganization of the media layer. These findings suggest that orally administered 101FM and 102FM have antihypertensive effects, possibly via ACEI and GABA activity, in SHRs. Therefore, 101FM and 102FM may be useful ingredients in physiologically functional foods to prevent hypertension.