Using visual reinforcement to establish stimulus control of responding of Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens).

Stimulus control of ring swimming was studied with male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) using 2-component multiple schedules in which the components were correlated with the presence or absence of air bubbles in the water. In Experiment 1, either response-independent mirror presentations or extinction was juxtaposed with immediate response-dependent mirror presentations. Rates of ring swimming generally were higher with immediate reinforcement than with either response-independent mirror presentations or extinction. In Experiment 2, different durations of response-dependent mirror presentations were juxtaposed. Generally, higher rates of ring swimming occurred with 15-s than with 0-, 1-, or 3-s durations. Results demonstrate that stimulus control of responding can be established with these fish under several conditions of differential reinforcement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alaska Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) Mince and Surimi as Partial Meat Substitutes in Frankfurters: N-Nitrosodimethylamine Formation

Studies were conducted to determine the feasibility of using 3 forms of Alaska pollock (AP) as a partial substitute for meat in a nitrite-cured product. The effect of several pre- and post-processing storage conditions on N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) were studied in frankfurters substituted with 15 and 50% unwashed and washed mince and surimi. In franks made with unwashed mince, frozen stored prior to processing, NDMA increased during frozen storage; little change was observed in franks containing washed mince and surimi. Refrigerated storage of franks generally showed a decrease in NDMA with all 3 forms of fish. Overall, the use of washed mince and surimi at the 15% substitution level gave mean values less than 2 ppb NDMA, even after boiling. The results indicate that 50% unwashed AP mince should not be used as a partial substitute for meat in frankfurters.     

Wastewater reuse and exposure to Legionella organisms

Eight hundred and fifty-two (852) blood sera were drawn in 1980 and 1981 from populations residing in 30 agricultural settlements (having a total population of 16,240). These sera were tested for the presence of antibodies against 15 different antigens of Legionella species (L. pneumophila serogroups 1–8 and seven other Legionella, i.e. bozemanii, gormanii, micdadei, jordanis, dumoffii, longbeacheae and oakridgensis). The results indicate a significant (P < 0.02) excess in the percentage of sera positive for L. pneumophila (serogroups 1–8) among sewage and non-sewage irrigation and fish pond workers as compared to the control group (4.5% vs 1.5%). For the other Legionella species, there was no difference among the above groups. The isolation of L. pneumophila serogroup 4 and five organisms resembling Legionella spp from one oxidation pond used for irrigation strengthens the seroepidemiological findings.     

阿姆河流域耕地变化及水土匹配特征分析

基于中亚阿姆河流域4个分区1990—2015年间土地利用变化和水资源等数据,运用耕地变化速率、洛伦兹曲线和基尼系数法以及水土资源匹配系数对阿姆河流域耕地变化和水土匹配状况进行了综合分析。结果表明:1990—2015年阿姆河流域耕地以146.74 km²/a的速度在扩张,且各时期、各分区扩张的速度不同;在不考虑咸海来水不断减少、生态持续恶化的前提下,绿洲区匹配状况属比较公平和相对合理状况;阿姆河流域水土资源空间分布存在明显的错位现象;全流域生态用水被农业用水严重挤占,阿姆河流域灌溉面积、灌溉用水量成为影响咸海水量及面积变化的重要因素,是一种不可持续的用水方式。     

Sex pheromones of male yellowfin Baikal sculpin (Cottocomephorus grewingki): Isolation and chemical studies

Three components of the male yellowfin Baikal sculpin pheromonal signal have been isolated from urine by diethyl ether extraction, thinayer chromatography (TLC), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using mass spectrometry, we have identified two of them as testosterone (T) and 11-hydroxytestosterone (11HT). These steroids are synthesized in testes during full spermatogenesis, and they are excreted in male urine with milt. The third component is not a steroid. It is more likely to be a polyene alcohol (farnesol). 2Z,6E-Farnesol possesses behavioral activity.     

重力坝弹性参数反演的灵敏度分析及一种新的反演算法

依据结构灵敏度分析理论,采用基于有限单元法的解析灵敏度分析方法,对影响重力坝材料参数反演质量的位移观测点位置进行了研究,得到了坝顶位移最适合于反演大坝弹性模量的结论。同时引入一种新的群集智能优化方法—人工鱼群算法（AFSA）,根据大坝坝顶的增量位移进行混凝土大坝和坝基岩石材料参数的反演。算例分析表明：AFSA能够稳定快速地收敛到所求参数的全局最优值;同时加入不同水平的噪音对该算法的数值稳定性进行了研究,结果表明算法稳定性良好。     

变流场情景下基于鱼类游泳特性的上溯通道分析

水电开发对洄游性鱼类的生境造成了影响,预测目标鱼类洄游期的上溯通道可为修建过鱼设施提供依据,从而减缓其负面效应。本文选取虎渡溪航电工程的下游河段作为研究区域,将长薄鳅、白甲鱼、异鳔鳅鮀作为目标鱼类,针对几种目标鱼类的游泳能力对不同流速进行分区后,得出了适用于多种过鱼目标的流速适宜度曲线,然后对研究区域过鱼期的典型流量进行了数值模拟。根据流速适宜度曲线对研究区域的多种过鱼目标进行了流速适宜度评价,并由评价结果预测了满足多目标过鱼要求的上溯通道。结果表明：流速适宜度评价最优区域出现的位置随流量变化而有所不同,低流量运行条件下出现在主流区域,而高流量运行条件下出现在主流区域两侧;上溯的通道面积占总面积的比例也随流量变化而有所不同,低流量运行条件下的占比约为高流量运行条件下的3 ~ 4倍。根据预测通道特征,对鱼道的进口布置及电站运行调度提供了建议。该结果可为相关鱼类的保护工作提供依据。     

Structural Studies of the Lipopolysaccharide of Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria Strain K133 Which Represents New Provisional Serogroup PGO1 Prevailing among Mesophilic Aeromonads on Polish Fish Farms

In the present work, we performed immunochemical studies of LPS, especially the O-specific polysaccharide (O-PS) of Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria strain K133, which was isolated from the kidney of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) during an outbreak of motile aeromonad infection/motile aeromonad septicemia (MAI/MAS) on a Polish fish farm. The structural characterization of the O-PS, which was obtained by mild acid degradation of the LPS, was performed with chemical methods, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. It was revealed that the O-PS has a unique composition of a linear tetrasaccharide repeating unit and contains a rarely occurring sugar 2,4-diamino-2,4,6-trideoxy-D-glucose (bacillosamine), which may determine the specificity of the serogroup. Western blotting and ELISA confirmed that A. veronii bv. sobria strain K133 belongs to the new serogroup PGO1, which is one of the most commonly represented immunotypes among carp and trout isolates of Aeromonas sp. in Polish aquacultures. Considering the increase in the MAI/MAS incidences and their impact on freshwater species, also with economic importance, and in the absence of an effective immunoprophylaxis, studies of the Aeromonas O-antigens are relevant in the light of epidemiological data and monitoring emergent pathogens representing unknown antigenic variants and serotypes.     

Genome-Wide Analysis Identified a Set of Conserved lncRNAs Associated with Domestication-Related Traits in Rice

Crop domestication, which gives rise to a number of desirable agronomic traits, represents a typical model system of plant evolution. Numerous genomic evidence has proven that noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs and phasiRNAs, as well as protein-coding genes, are selected during crop domestication. However, limited data shows plant long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are also involved in this biological process. In this study, we performed strand-specific RNA sequencing of cultivated rice Oryza sativa ssp. japonica and O. sativa ssp. indica, and their wild progenitor O. rufipogon. We identified a total of 8528 lncRNAs, including 4072 lncRNAs in O. rufipogon, 2091 lncRNAs in japonica rice, and 2365 lncRNAs in indica rice. The lncRNAs expressed in wild rice were revealed to be shorter in length and had fewer exon numbers when compared with lncRNAs from cultivated rice. We also identified a number of conserved lncRNAs in the wild and cultivated rice. The functional study demonstrated that several of these conserved lncRNAs are associated with domestication-related traits in rice. Our findings revealed the feature and conservation of lncRNAs during rice domestication and will further promote functional studies of lncRNAs in rice.