Gene Expression in Black Tiger Prawns Following Intramuscular Injection of β-gal Plasmid

Gene expression in black tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon) was studied following intra-muscular injection of CMVGal plasmid into the second abdominal segment. We used an in situ staining technique to detect -gal expression in one- and three-month-old injected prawns. We found that only one of the three-month-old prawns expressed the marker gene (2 days after injection), and the site of expression was confined to the sixth abdominal segment away from the injection site. We repeated the experiment on a new batch of three-month-old prawns, but using fluorometric determination technique. This time we found that -gal expression was detected (6/42) at the site of injection after 2, 7, and 14 days. In two other test samples, transgene expression was detected in the sixth abdominal segment only, further confirming the possibility of injected DNA dispersal. The results of the study also suggest that direct gene transfer is a feasible technique in black tiger prawns.     

Habitat utilization and vertical movements of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) released from commercial and recreational fishing gears in the western North Atlantic Ocean: inferences from short duration pop-up archival satellite tags

Researchers have applied numerous techniques to improve billfish stock assessments, including habitat‐based models that incorporate behavioral and oceanographic parameters to standardize historical catch‐per‐unit‐effort time‐series data. These methods have allowed researchers to account for significant changes in the depths of pelagic longline (PLL) gear deployments over time. This study presents habitat‐use data recovered from high‐resolution 5‐ and 10‐day pop‐up satellite archival tags (PSATs) attached to 47 surviving white marlin released from commercial and recreational fishing gears offshore of the U.S. East Coast, the northern Caribbean, and Venezuela between 2002 and 2004. Data recovered from transmitting tags indicated that white marlin spent nearly half of their time associated with warm, near‐surface waters (<10 m). All fish displayed frequent short duration (mean: 39.8 min) vertical excursions from surface waters to depths averaging 51 m. Qualitative and multivariate classifications of data from completely transmitted movements of surviving white marlin revealed two major types of descents: one pattern was characterized by deep ‘V’‐shaped excursions of relatively short duration (mean: 23.4 min) while the other featured descents that were more broadly ‘U’‐shaped and confined to a specific depth range for an extended period of time (mean: 75.8 min). Based on the frequency, persistence, and patterns of these vertical movements, white marlin appear to direct a considerable proportion of foraging effort well below surface waters, a behavior that may account for relatively high catch rates of white marlin on some deep‐set PLL deployments.     

Identification of B-cell epitopes on the betanodavirus capsid protein

The pepscan procedure was used to identify betanodavirus B-cell epitopes recognized by neutralizing mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and serum samples obtained from sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, naturally infected with betanodavirus. Pepscan was performed with a panel of thirty-four 12-mer synthetic peptides that mimicked the entire betanodavirus capsid protein. Sea bass serum samples reacted strongly with three regions of the capsid protein comprising amino acid residues 1-32, 91-162 and 181-212. The latter region was also recognized by neutralizing MAbs and coincided with a region of high antigenic propensity identified by an antigen prediction algorithm. These data suggest that a region of the betanodavirus capsid protein spanning amino acid residues 181-212 may represent a neutralization domain that could potentially be used to inform the development of nodavirus vaccines and immunodiagnostic reagents.     

Tritium Distribution in Soil in the Area of “Atomic” Lake near the Semipalatinsk Test Site

Eurasian Soil Science - Data on concentrations and distribution of tritium in soils of the “Atomic” Lake excavation explosion area of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (Kazakhstan, East...     

Evaluation of Assouline–Or Adjusted Model to Express Soil Drainage Curve

Eurasian Soil Science - The objectives of this research are prediction of soil drainage curve using Assouline and Or (2014) adjusted soil drainage model and comparison of the predicted results with...     

分段螺旋式甘草茎秆揉切装置设计与试验

针对全混合日粮饲草料揉切需求,该研究设计了一种分段螺旋式甘草茎秆揉切装置,对分段螺旋叶片的主体结构和搅龙结构参数进行设计,建立了刃口曲线方程,分析了装置揉切机理,并试制了分段螺旋式甘草茎秆揉切装置试验台。以搅龙转速、加工时间、填充系数、刀片与底壳间隙为因素,以粒度、破节率、单位质量能耗为指标,开展四因素三水平Box-Behnken试验,对试验结果进行方差分析和二次回归拟合,得出各因素对粒度影响显著性由大到小为加工时间、搅龙转速、填充系数、刀片与底壳间隙;对破节率的影响显著性由大到小为加工时间、填充系数、搅龙转速、刀片与底壳间隙;对单位质量能耗的影响显著性由大到小为填充系数、加工时间、搅龙转速、刀片与底壳间隙。对交互影响因素进行响应曲面分析并进行参数优化验证试验,结果表明：当搅龙转速为25 r/min、加工时间为12 min、填充系数为0.46、刀片与底壳间隙为15 mm时,甘草茎秆的揉切粉碎粒度为11.76 mm,破节率为83.27%,此时单位质量能耗为9 959.82 J/kg,试验值与模型理论值误差不超过7%,参数优化模型合理,满足作业要求。研究结果可为全混合日粮搅拌机的研发提供理论依据。     

Zur pedochemie des berylliums — untersuchungen einer bodengesellschaft im gebiet des bärhaldegranits (südschwarzwald)

The profile distribution of Be is given for a toposequence of podzols, brown earths, stagnogley, forest bog and “Ockererde” (slope gley with infiltrated Al, Mn and Fe). Analysed were the parent rock, fine earth, four fractions of mineral soil (fine skeleton, sand, silt, clay) and the needles of spruce trees.Beryllium is involved in selective weathering processes of elements. Accordingly, the Be-content increases from the fine skeleton to sand, rock, silt and clay, progressively. Through pedogenetic enrichment, Be accumulates in the mica-rich silt fraction.Uptake of Be by spruce is very low even from these acid soils. The accumulation in the needles becomes greater with increasing age.The pedochemical behaviour of Be is very similar to that of Al.Be is incorporated very little in the organic matter cycle, and is therefore not enriched in the soil humus.The brown earth has lost Be, especially in the A_h-horizon.In the A_e-horizon of the podzol, loss of Be is even greater; the loss is partly offset by Be-enrichment in the B-horizon.In the profiles of depressions, the Be-content is high and is ascribed to lateral flow from the slopes. Be-enrichment is especially high in horizons with a pH of about 5.The Be-balance of the watershed indicates an export of about 10% of the original amount.