Physiological performance of three calcifying green macroalgae Halimeda species in response to altered seawater temperatures

The effects of seawater temperature on the physiological performance of three Halimeda species were studied for a period of 28 d.Five treatments were established for Halimeda cylindracea,Halimeda opuntia and Halimeda lacunalis,in triplicate aquaria representing a factorial temperature with 24°C,28°C,32°C,34°C and 36°C,respectively.The average Fv/Fm of these species ranged from 0.732 to 0.756 between 24°C and 32°C but declined sharply between 34°C(0.457±0.035)and 36°C(0.122±0.014).Calcification was highest at 28°C,with net calcification rates(Gnet)of(20.082±2.482)mg/(g·d),(12.825±1.623)mg/(g·d)and(6.411±1.029)mg/(g·d)for H.cylindracea,H.opuntia and H.lacunalis,respectively.Between 24°C and 32°C,the specific growth rate(SGR)of H.lacunalis(0.079%–0.110%d–1)was lower than that of H.cylindracea(0.652%–1.644%d–1)and H.opuntia(0.360%–1.527%d–1).Three Halimeda species gradually bleached at 36°C during the study period.Malondialdehyde(MDA)and proline levels in tissues of the three Halimeda were higher in 34–36°C than those in 24–32°C.The results indicate that seawater temperature with range of 24–32°C could benefit the growth and calcification of these Halimeda species,however,extreme temperatures above 34°C have negative impacts.The measured physiological parameters also revealed that H.cylindracea and H.opuntia displayed broader temperature tolerance than H.lacunalis.

Determination of Physiological Biochemical Parameters and Reproductive Performance in Transgenic sFat-1 Gene Pigs

[Objective] The aim was to evaluate the health of transgenic sFat-1 gene pigs in order to provide a reference for the breeding selection of pig excellent individuals. [Method] 15 physiological biochemical parameters and reproductive performances of 21 negative control pigs and 20 transgenic sFat-1 gene pigs were determined. [Result] The liver functions of some transgenic sFat-1 gene pigs were hurted lightly,and the reproductive performance also decreased lightly. [Conclusion] The determination of physiological biochemical parameters and reproductive performance in transgenic pigs could be taken as one of effective methods in environmental safety evaluation of transgenic pigs.

Stocking density effects on growth and stress response of juvenile turbot(Scophthalmus maximus) reared in land-based recirculating aquaculture system

Stocking density is widely recognized as a critical factor in aquaculture and a potential source of long-term stress.The influence of stocking density on growth and stress response of juvenile turbot（Scophthalmus maximus, ~3–75g, initial to final weight） was examined in fish held under low（LD, ~0.21–5.31 kg/m^2, initial to final density）,medium（MD, ~0.42–10.81 kg/m^2） and high stocking density（HD, ~0.63–14.27 kg/m^2） for 120 days in a recirculating aquaculture system（RAS）. In this trial, the growth curve for weight of juvenile turbot in RAS, all fitted by the Schnute model. No significant difference was found in growth performance among the three densities until at the final sampling（Day 120）. The final weight and body weight increase（BWI） in the HD group were significantly lower than in other groups（P〈0.05, weight：（75.83±2.49） g,（75.39±2.08） g,（65.72±2.86） g and BWI：（2 436.12±28.10）%,（2 421.29±4.64）%,（2 097.88±20.99）% in LD, MD and HD groups, respectively）. Similarly, the specific growth rate（SGR）, feed conversion ratio（FCR） and coefficient of variation for weight（CV_w） were adversely affected by high stocking density（P〈0.05）. However, there was no difference in survival and Fulton＇s condition factor（K） of turbot among the different groups. Physiological analyses demonstrated a clear increase in the plasma cortisol level and an obvious decrease in growth hormone（GH） concentration in the HD group on Day120（P〈0.05）. There was no significant effect of stocking density on plasma glucose, Cl– and protein levels. All these findings would provide a reference for selecting the optimal stocking density of juvenile turbot in RAS.

Bioinspired approaches for medical devices

Advances in medical devices have revolutionized the treatment of human diseases,such as stents in occluded coronary artery,left ventricular assist devices in heart failure,pacemakers in arrhythmias,etc.Despite their significance,the development of devices for reducing and avoiding the thrombosis formation,obtaining excellent mechanical performance,and achieving stable electronic physiology remains challenging and unresolved.Fortunately,nature serves as a good resource of inspirations,and brings us endless bioinspired physicochemical ideas to better the development of novel artificial materials and devices that enable us to potentially overcome the unresolved obstacles.Bioinspired approaches,in particularly,owe much of their current development in biology,chemistry,materials science,medicine and engineering to the design and fabrication of advanced devices.The application of bioinspired devices is a burgeoning area in these fields of research.In this perspective,we would take the cardiovascular device as one example to show how these bioinspired approaches could be used to build novel,advanced biomedical devices with precisely controlled functions.Here,bioinspired approaches are utilized to solve issues like thrombogenic,mechanical and electronic physiology problems in medical devices.Moreover,there is an outlook for future challenges in the development of bioinspired medical devices.