Density dependence in total egg production per spawner for marine fish

A paradigm of fisheries science holds that spawning stock biomass (SSB) is directly proportional to total egg production (TEP) of fish stocks. This “SSB–TEP proportionality” paradigm has been a basic premise underlying the spawner–recruitment models for fisheries management and numerous studies on recruitment mechanisms of fish. Studies on maternal effects on reproductive potential of a stock have progressed during the last few decades, leading to doubt concerning the paradigm. Nonetheless, a direct test of the paradigm at multidecadal scales has been difficult because of data limitations in the stock assessment systems worldwide. Here, we tested the paradigm for marine fish based on a novel combination of two independent 38‐year time series: fishery‐dependent stock assessment data and fishery‐independent egg survey data. Through this approach, we show that the SSB–TEP proportionality is distorted by density dependence in total egg production per spawner individual (TEPPS) or spawner unit weight (TEPPSW) at a multidecadal scale. The TEPPS/TEPPSW exponentially declined with biomass and thus was density‐dependent for Japanese sardine, a small pelagic species exhibiting a high level of population fluctuation, in the western North Pacific. By contrast, the TEPPS/TEPPSW was sardine‐density‐dependent for Japanese anchovy, another small pelagic species exhibiting a moderate level of population fluctuation well‐known for being out of phase with sardine. Our analysis revealed intraspecific (sardine) and interspecific (anchovy) density dependence in TEPPS/TEPPSW, which was previously unaccounted for in spawner–recruitment relationships. Such density‐dependent effects at the time of spawning should be considered in fisheries management and studies on recruitment mechanisms.     

Complete sequencing of Tunisian redspotted grouper nervous necrosis virus betanodavirus capsid gene and RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase gene

Finfish nodaviruses (betanodaviruses) can cause highly destructive infections in numerous species of farmed marine fish larvae and juveniles worldwide. The betanodavirus genome consists of two single‐stranded positive‐sense RNA molecules (RNA1 and RNA2). The virus can be classified into four genotypes based on the partial sequences of the coat protein (CP) gene (T2 and T4 regions). Currently, genomic sequence information for RNA1 regions of RNA2 outside of T2 and T4 is less well documented. This study reports on the characterization of the full RNA2 sequence of a Tunisian betanodavirus with a length of 1433 nt, containing a 339 amino acid open‐reading frame encoding the CP, and typing to the redspotted grouper nervous necrosis virus Ia genotype following phylogenetic analysis. The homology of the capsid protein to other betanodaviruses or alphanodaviruses was compared. In addition, a full length RNA1 sequence of 3104 nt encoding a 982 amino acid RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase was obtained.     

Density‐independent and density‐dependent factors affecting temporal changes in spatial distributions of eastern Bering Sea flatfish

The general warming of the eastern Bering Sea (EBS) and the wide range of abundance exhibited by several eastern Bering Sea flatfish motivated an examination of how density‐dependent and density‐independent factors may influence the spatial distributions of EBS flatfish. In this study, EBS trawl survey data from 1982 to 2006 were used to examine how temporal changes in the distributions of six flatfish species groups [yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera), rock sole (Lepidopsetta sp.), flathead sole (Hippoglossoides sp.), Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus), arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes sp.), and Greenland turbot (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)] are related to temporal changes in the location of the ‘cold pool’ (bottom water < 2°C), and how the area occupied by flatfish are related to the cold pool and population abundance. Rock sole and flathead sole distributions have generally moved northwest since 1982 and are significantly correlated with the movement of the cold pool, whereas arrowtooth flounder avoid the cold pool and their area occupied is inversely related to the size of the cold pool. The area occupied by arrowtooth flounder and rock sole are also significantly related to stock abundance. Multivariate statistical models indicate that the location of rock sole is more strongly related to stock abundance than to the cold pool, whereas the area occupied by arrowtooth flounder is more strongly related to the area of the cold pool rather than abundance. The temperatures occupied by several flatfish stocks indicate a substantial variability in suitable temperatures. These results suggest that a complex suite of density‐dependent and density‐independent factors may determine the response of EBS flatfish spatial distributions to increasing temperatures.     

Corrosion of metal fasteners embedded in acetylated and untreated wood at different moisture contents

ABSTRACT

Acetylated wood is now commercially available and designed to be used in certain outdoor applications as an alternative to preservative-treated wood. Fastener corrosion can be a concern in preservative treated wood when the wood remains wet for long periods. However, little data on the corrosiveness of acetylated wood exists beyond the product literature. Here we examine the corrosiveness of commercially obtained acetylated wood and compare it against unmodified (untreated) southern pine (Pinus spp.). Corrosion rates of plain carbon steel, hot dip galvanized steel, and stainless steel were calculated gravimetrically after a one year exposed in the wood. Four different moisture conditions were examined: 90% relative humidity (RH), 95% RH, 100% RH, and a fully water saturated condition. When compared to literature data on the corrosion of fasteners in preservative treated wood at 100% RH, the acetylated wood had much lower steel corrosion rates than all preservatives examined; the measured corrosion rates for galvanized steel were lower than all preservatives except chromated copper arsenate. These measured corrosion rates across a range of moisture conditions can be used to inform the selection of appropriate corrosion resistant fasteners when building with acetylated wood.     

Glyoxalase 1 expression is downregulated in preimplantation blastocysts of diabetic rabbits

In a diabetic pregnancy, an altered maternal metabolism led to increased formation of reactive α‐dicarbonyls such as glyoxal (GO) and methylglyoxal (MGO) in the reproductive organs and embryos. The enzyme glyoxalase (GLO) 1 detoxifies reactive α‐dicarbonyls thus protecting cells against malfunction or modifications of proteins by advanced glycated end products (AGEs). The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of a maternal insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (IDD) on GLO1 expression and activity in preimplantation embryos in vivo and human trophoblast cells (Ac‐1M88) in vitro. Maternal diabetes was induced in female rabbits by alloxan before conception and maintained during the preimplantation period. GLO1 expression and activity were investigated in 6‐day‐old blastocysts from healthy and diabetic rabbits. Furthermore, blastocysts and human trophoblast cells were exposed in vitro to hyperglycaemia, GO and MGO and analysed for GLO1 expression and activity. During gastrulation, GLO1 was expressed in all compartments of the rabbit blastocyst. Maternal diabetes decreased embryonic GLO1 protein amount by approx. 30 per cent whereas the enzymatic activity remained unchanged, indicating that the specific GLO1 activity increases along with metabolic changes. In in vitro cultured embryos, neither hyperglycaemia nor MGO and GO had an effect on GLO1 protein amount. In human trophoblast cells, a stimulating effect on the GLO1 expression was shown in the highest GO concentration, only. Our data show that maternal diabetes mellitus affects the specific activity of GLO1, indicating that GLO1 was post‐translationally modified due to changes in metabolic processes in the preimplantation embryos.     

Optimizing thinning and rotation in a stand of Pinus sylvestris on a drained peatland site

A non‐linear programming algorithm was combined with a stand simulator consisting of individual‐tree, distance‐dependent diameter growth, mortality and thinning models, and a distance‐independent height growth model. The Hooke and Jeeves’ direct search method was used for determining the optimum thinning schedule and rotation length. The optimum solutions for both deterministic and stochastic optimization, with stochastic growth predictions, were calculated. In the optimization, stand density was regarded as a function of the distance to ditch. On the rather infertile site, it was most profitable to keep the stand about twice as dense near ditches and the extraction road, which was placed midway between two adjacent ditches. Stochasticity did not affect the optimum regimes markedly nor did it increase the expected returns of the optimum regimes.     

金属阳离子夹心三核金咪唑基化合物的电子结构和光物理性质

采用混合密度泛函方法,对一系列包含金属离子(Cr2+、W2+、Fe2+、Ru2+、Cd2+、Cu+、Ag+、Au+、In+、Tl+、Li+、Na+)的咪唑基三核金夹心化合物基态分子结构进行了优化;并采用含时密度泛函方法对这些夹心化合物的垂直激发态进行研究,描述了与发光过程相关的前线分子轨道特征.计算结果表明:夹心金属离...