Reproduction in three species of rainbowfish (Melanotaeniidae) from rainforest streams in northern Queensland, Australia

Abstract – The reproductive biology of three species of rainbowfish (Melanotaeniidae) in northeastern Australian rainforest streams was investigated. Two species, Melanotaenia eachamensis and Cairnsichthys rhombosomoides are endemic to the area, whereas the third, M. splendida splendida, is more widespread. The species were all highly fecund, producing many hundreds of eggs between 1.10 and 1.24 mm in diameter. Melanotaenia eachamensis was the most fecund, produced the largest eggs of the three species, and consequently exhibited the greatest maternal investment (as measured by gonadosomatic index). The majority of reproductive effort occurred during the dry season, although reproductively active fish were present year-round for each of the species, but particularly so for M. s. splendida and C. rhombosomoides. No evidence for a role by temperature or photoperiod as environmental cues for reproduction was found, and it was suggested that gonad development was strongly tied to somatic growth. The concentration of reproduction to the dry season ensures that larvae are produced during a period of relatively stable and benign physical conditions. Comparison of temporal changes in gonadosomatic index values suggest that the spawning season of M. eachamensis , which occurs in high-elevation streams, is more restricted and commences about 1 month earlier than either other species. A similar phenology was observed for the M. s. splendida population found at high elevation and highlights the potential for spatial differences in stream productivity to influence life history. ^Note     

基于工作流的ERP系统重构的研究

分析了企业现有ERP系统运营存在的缺陷，提出了适合本企业的基于工作流的ERP系统重构的开发方案。     

兰州百合同源四倍体诱导及其基因组大小估算

兰州百合(2n=2x=24)是重要的“药食同源”植物,进行其种质创新和基因组大小分析对于丰富其种质资源和生物学信息具有重要意义。以兰州百合的种子和试管小鳞茎为试验材料,通过秋水仙素浸泡诱导染色体加倍,经流式细胞仪倍性检测获得的同源四倍体植株分别有10和4株,四倍体诱导率分别为21.11%和33.27%。为了估算兰州百合基因组大小,以小麦品种“中国春”为内标,通过流式细胞仪测算兰州百合二倍体和四倍体植株中的DNA含量,得出兰州百合基因组为64.9 Gbp,是“中国春”核基因组的4倍。     

巴图湾水库风沙入库量的估算

风沙入库给干旱、半干旱地区的水库带来了严重的填淤危害。本文通过对内蒙古乌审旗南部巴图湾水库岸边流动沙丘不同部位风速与风沙流的同步观测,计算出库岸流动沙丘表面的平均输沙率。利用巴图湾水库1986~2005年9月份的5期TM遥感影像统计出水库两岸受不同风向影响的流动沙丘断面的平均长度,结合巴图湾水库附近乌审旗河南乡气象站1985~2004年的气象资料,统计出不同风向大于起沙风的风速年均持续时间,初步计算出巴图湾水库的年均入库风沙量。结果表明:(1)巴图湾水库的年均入库风沙量为3.65万t,其中西岸风沙入库量为3.55万t,东岸为0.10万t。西岸风沙危害最为严重,是治沙工作的重点。(2)巴图湾水库的风沙入库具有明显的时间性和方向性。受季风气候的影响,风沙入库的方向会随着风向的变化而改变。东南风与西北风是造成东西两岸风沙入库的主要风向。西北风对风沙入库量的贡献最大。(3)在大于起沙风的风速中,5~12 m/s风速段是风沙入库的主要风速。当风速中7 m/s以上的风速持续时间有一个较小的增加时,入库风沙量将会有一个巨大的增加。(4)库岸半固定沙丘的风沙入库,降尘和风水复合侵蚀引起的库岸坍塌也是入库风沙量的重要组成部分。因此,巴图湾水库的实际年入库风沙量应该大于3.65万t。     

Cervical thymoma originating in ectopic thymic tissue in a cat

Abstract: An 11‐year‐old female spayed domestic shorthair cat was referred to The Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (OSU‐VTH) for evaluation of a 6 × 4 × 3.5 cm mass in the left midcervical region causing increased respiratory sounds and lateral deviation of the trachea. A fine needle aspirate of the mass was obtained before referral and the cytology results were compatible with a reactive lymph node. Immunocytochemistry showed increased numbers of CD3+ T lymphocytes and small numbers of CD20+ and CD79a+ medium to large lymphocytes. Differential diagnoses from the referral pathologist were T‐cell‐rich B‐cell lymphoma and feline Hodgkin's‐like lymphoma. A subsequent fine needle aspirate performed at the OSU‐VTH showed similar results. On flow cytometry the majority of cells were CD3+ T lymphocytes that were double positive for CD4 and CD8 (73%), compatible with either a double‐positive (CD4+CD8+) T‐cell lymphoma or lymphocytes from ectopic thymic tissue. The mass was surgically removed. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry of the mass revealed a predominant population of CD3+ small lymphocytes and small numbers of medium to large lymphocytes with moderate anisocytosis and anysokaryosis. A population of cytokeratin‐positive epithelial cells surrounded small microcystic structures filled with eosinophilic material and structures interpreted as Hassall's corpuscles. These findings were consistent with thymic tissue and a diagnosis of ectopic thymoma was made. PCR results for lymphocyte antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) were negative. The cat had no evidence of disease 16 months after removal of the mass. To our knowledge this is the first report of an ectopic cervical thymoma in a cat. The clinical and diagnostic features of this unusual case will be useful in helping veterinarians and pathologists obtain a presurgical diagnosis and establish a prognosis for similar lesions.     

Relating tradable credits for biodiversity to sustainability criteria in a dynamic landscape

Tradable biodiversity credit systems provide flexible means to resolve conflicts between development and conservation land-use options for habitats occupied by threatened or endangered species. We describe an approach to incorporate the influence of habitat fragmentation into the conservation value of tradable credits. Habitat fragmentation decreases gene flow, increases rates of genetic drift and inbreeding, and increases probabilities of patch extinction. Importantly, tradable credit systems will change the level of fragmentation over time for small and/or declining populations. We apply landscape equivalency analysis (LEA), a generalizable, landscape-scale accounting system that assigns conservation value to habitat patches based on patch contributions to abundance and genetic variance at landscape scales. By evaluating habitat trades using two models that vary the relationship between dispersal behaviors and landscape patterns, we show that LEA provides a novel method for limiting access to habitat at the landscape-scale, recognizing that the appropriate amount of migration needed to supplement patch recruitment and to offset drift and inbreeding will vary as landscape pattern changes over time. We also found that decisions based on probabilities of persistence alone would ignore changes in migration, genetic drift, and patch extinction that result from habitat trades. The general principle of LEA is that habitat patches traded should make at least equivalent contributions to rates of recruitment and migration estimated at a landscape scale. Traditional approaches for assessing the “take” and “jeopardy” standards under the Endangered Species Act based on changes in abundance and probability of persistence may be inadequate to prevent trades that increase fragmentation.     

Milking performance evaluation and factors affecting milking claw vacuum levels with flow simulator

Milking performance of milking machines that matches the production capability of dairy cows is important in reducing the risk of mastitis, particularly in high‐producing cows. This study used a simulated milking device to examine the milking performance of the milking system of 73 dairy farms and to analyze the factors affecting claw vacuum. Mean claw vacuum and range of fluctuation of claw vacuum (claw vacuum range) were measured at three different flow rates: 5.7, 7.6 and 8.7 kg/min. At the highest flow rate, only 16 farms (21.9%) met both standards of mean claw vacuum ≥35 kPa and claw vacuum range ≤ 7 kPa, showing that milking systems currently have poor milking performance. The factors affecting mean claw vacuum were claw type, milk‐meter and vacuum shut‐off device; the factor affecting claw vacuum range was claw type. Examination of the milking performance of the milking system using a simulated milking device allows an examination of the performance that can cope with high producing cows, indicating the possibility of reducing the risk of mastitis caused by inappropriate claw vacuum.     

Potential gene flow from transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) to different weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) accessions based on reproductive compatibility

BACKGROUND: The possibility of gene flow from transgenic crops to wild relatives may be affected by reproductive capacity between them. The potential gene flow from two transgenic rice lines containing the bar gene to five accessions of weedy rice (WR1–WR5) was determined through examination of reproductive compatibility under controlled pollination. RESULTS: The pollen grain germination of two transgenic rice lines on the stigma of all weedy rice, rice pollen tube growth down the style and entry into the weedy rice ovary were similar to self‐pollination in weedy rice. However, delayed double fertilisation and embryo abortion in crosses between WR2 and Y0003 were observed. Seed sets between transgenic rice lines and weedy rice varied from 8 to 76%. Although repeated pollination increased seed set significantly, the rank of the seed set between the weedy rice accessions and rice lines was not changed. The germination rates of F₁ hybrids were similar or greater compared with respective females. All F₁ plants expressed glufosinate resistance in the presence of glufosinate selection pressure. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of gene flow between different weedy rice accessions and transgenic herbicide‐resistant rice may differ owing to different reproductive compatibility. This result suggests that, when wild relatives are selected as experimental materials for assessing the gene flow of transgenic rice, it is necessary to address the compatibility between transgenic rice and wild relatives. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Prediction of irrigation return flows through a hierarchical modeling approach

The quantity of water available for irrigation is getting scarce in many countries and it assumes great importance for assured crop production, especially in view of the erratic behavior of the monsoon. Thus, there is a pressing need to improve the water efficiency of irrigation systems. One-way of improving the efficiency of the irrigation system is reusing the return flow from the irrigation system. This task requires quantification of return flow, which still remains as a grey area in irrigation water management. The estimation of return flow from the irrigation system is usually obtained using thumb rules depending upon the site-specific conditions like command area conditions and soil properties. In this paper, a hierarchical modeling technique, namely, regression tree is developed for return flow estimation. Regression tree is built through binary recursive partitioning. The effective rainfall, inflow, consumptive water demand, and percolation loss are taken as predictor variables and return flow is treated as the target variable. The applicability of the hierarchical model is demonstrated through a case study of Periyar-Vaigai Irrigation System in Tamil Nadu, India. The model performance shows a good match between the simulated and the field measured return flow values. Results of statistical analysis indicated that the correlation coefficients are high for both single as well as double crop seasons.