Contribution of Garcinia kola to the Productivity and Economic Profitability of the Community Agricultural Area of Kedougou: Financial and Comparative Analysis of Production Factors

Inland fishing predominates in the Kedougou region, which has no coastline. This type of fishing does not yet meet the local population’s demand for fish products. In response to this concern, a Community Agricultural Estate housing an integrated fish farm was set up in the commune of Bandafassi, in the village of Itato. Since its creation, this production unit has been faced with the problem of sourcing high-quality, low-cost, monosex male Oreochromis niloticus fry. In order to overcome this constraint, the present research focuses on the contribution of Garcinia kola to the productivity and economic profitability of the Itato farm. The aim of the research is to assess fish production in the experimental set-up and the production costs of tilapia in a controlled environment. The comparative study of the various production factors shows disparities only in the input factor, where scenarios 2 and 3 use additional products. These are 17-α-methytestosterone for scenario 2 and Garcinia kola for scenario 3. These products significantly interfere with fish production, with a fairly high mortality rate for scenario 2 (25% for two production cycles/ cohort2 (B5, B6, B7 and B8) treated with 17-α-methytestosterone). As for scenarios 1 and 3, mortalities are 5% with or without recourse to additional products (G. kola). In addition, average fish production for the three (03) scenarios is estimated at 28687.5 kg/2 cycles. It varies from one scenario to another, i.e. 30937.5 kg/2 cycles for scenarios 1 and 3 and 24187.5 kg/2 cycles for scenario 2. It is therefore higher in scenarios 1 and 3 than in scenario 2. This difference is due to the fairly large losses of individuals in scenario 2. Furthermore, the analysis of the profit and loss accounts for tilapia production varies from one scenario to another depending on the type of farm: 476 Franc CFA for scenario 1, 610 Franc CFA for scenario 2 and 472 Franc CFA for scenario 3 (F CFA = franc of the French Colonies of Africa). The Average operating income for all the fish farming units is 34,726,142 Franc CFA. The highest (41,638,075 Franc CFA) and lowest (29,281,075 Franc CFA) ERs were observed in scenarios 3 and 2 respectively. It was 33,259,275 Franc CFA for scenario 1. The difference between the NERs of the three scenarios is more or less significant in terms of results. The operating result (OR) is positive in all 3 scenarios in our study. However, the scenario 3 system generates a higher rate of return (the ratio between an income and the capital employed to obtain that income) (74%) than that generated by the scenario 1 system (69%). As for the scenario 2 system, it generates a lower financial return than the two previous systems (67%). Above all, this work made it possible to construct an approach that would make it possible to answer such a question by relying successively on various methods: a typology, according to the production factors involved in the operation of the Community Agricultural Estate fish farm.

New Record Ocean Temperatures and Related Climate Indicators in 2023

The global physical and biogeochemical environment has been substantially altered in response to increased atmospheric greenhouse gases from human activities.In 2023,the sea surface temperature(SST)and upper 2000 m ocean heat content(OHC)reached record highs.The 0–2000 m OHC in 2023 exceeded that of 2022 by 15±10 ZJ(1 Zetta Joules=1021 Joules)(updated IAP/CAS data);9±5 ZJ(NCEI/NOAA data).The Tropical Atlantic Ocean,the Mediterranean Sea,and southern oceans recorded their highest OHC observed since the 1950s.Associated with the onset of a strong El Niño,the global SST reached its record high in 2023 with an annual mean of~0.23℃ higher than 2022 and an astounding>0.3℃ above 2022 values for the second half of 2023.The density stratification and spatial temperature inhomogeneity indexes reached their highest values in 2023.

Fish Assemblage and Abundance Distribution in Nanji Islands Marine Nature Reserve in Relation to Season Change

The fishing survey station located in the warm waters of the East China Sea is one of the abundant fishery resources of waters;with a large number of economic fish breeding grounds and economic juvenile feeding grounds. Several fish species according to this bottom trawl survey results which appear in the annual survey from winter to autumn give us a total of 58 species, which have appeared throughout the year. But the vast majority of species appears only in certain seasons, according to the sea fish survey and based on seasonal migratory species or species mainly small endemic species. The survey of fish is tropical and subtropical warm water species and warm temperate species, and the history of the area has several types of 397 different species. There are many reasons, in addition to recent years, human disturbance and adverse consequences of environmental changes brought about, but also with the relevant sampling methods and sampler time, the survey sampled only trawl based, from Ping yang Ocean and Fisheries Bureau, the waters are still other jobs method net, gill nets, fishing industry, etc. Survey results show that the type of fish in the summer (58 species) > spring (55 species) > winter (51 species) > autumn (42 species). The type of season was among spring to summer rose, summer to autumn decline. The survey found that in the reef area of the Nanji Islands, no one species of fish is the dominant species throughout the year (according to the dominant species, each species is dominant only in one season). From the dominant species turnover accounting for the four seasons, in winter it has 53.72% of the total biomass or annual biomass, spring it has 41.53% of the overall biomass, summer it has 31.85% and autumn it has 38.56% of total biomass. Visible, seasonal succession of dominant species of fish phenomenon is very obvious, especially in the spring and winter, summer transfers dominate species at this stage show the greatest change, but winter, the transfer of this dominant species changes in minimal. Seasonal changes from biomass and the average annual marine fish survey biomass were 4832.25 g/h. From different seasons, the average biomass in winter (10779.88 g/h) > of the average biomass in spring (3624.1 g/hour) > of the mean biomass in autumn (3158 g/h) > the average Biomass in summer (1767 g/h). All of them show significant seasonal variation of the biomass, in winter and spring, the biomass is generally not high, but significantly higher than in the summer and autumn seasons. Each season, around the coast of southern Zhejiang, is less than the biomass and other catches off, which involves investigating sea location, size range, and the survey ship different network related tools. Another change from the area of biomass, some studies found that the survey of four-season fish of waters above the biological capacity of several kilograms only in some stations, namely stations and the highest biomass in summer appeared in stations 3, 7 and 11. In autumn the highest biomass appeared in stations 3, 6, 20 and 23.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Regulation Role of miR-144-5p in Intestinal Immunity of Japanese Flounder(Paralichthys olivaceus)

MicroRNAs(miRNAs),22-nucleotide-long micromanagers that guide the post-transcriptional regulation of a wide range of target genes,can theoretically be used as a diagnostic or therapeutic target for inflammatory reaction.In fish,miR-144-5p expression varies dramatically in response to the different bacterial infections and can regulate immunity-related genes to reduce the occurrence of inflammation.In this research,the regulation function of miR-144-5p to the intestinal innate immunity was udied in flounder Paralichthys olivaceus.The flounders were interfered by 2μg g^(-1) miR-144-5p antagomir and their tissues(intestine,liver and spleen)were harvested from the fish at 12 h post-injection.More than 60 million high-quality reads were collected.At 24 hours after miR-144-5p or miR-NC interference,a total of 2704 and 1823 different-expresion genes(DEGs)were identified in comparison with control group,respectively.The DEGs were enriched in a variety of immunity-related signaling pathways,including NOD-like receptor,Wnt and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways,according to GO and KEGG analyses.A total of 503 highly interacting DEGs engaged in 33 immunity-related signaling pathways were discovered using KEGG analyses.Additionally,5 hub genes were found by protein-protein interaction networks,which formed an intricate immune regulation network.Meanwhile,these hub genes were mostly involved in focal adhesion,Wnt signaling pathway,as well as the Intestinal Immune Network for IgT(IgA)Production Pathway.In conclusion,the loss of miR-144-5p can affect immunity-related genes and downstream signaling pathways.Our findings suggest that miR-144-5p is a modulator of gene networks and signaling pathways associated with intestinal innate immunity.

Genetic Characterization of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Strains from Senegal for Sustainable Local Aquaculture Production

The optimization of aquaculture production requires the selection of efficient strains. Thus, genetic improvement has become one of the important levers to boost the development of aquaculture. The objective of this study was to carry out genetic characterization of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus, one of the most cultivated fish species in Senegal, in order to select an efficient strain to optimize local fish production. Thus, fish from five different populations (Richard-Toll, ANA, ITACA, Mbodiene and Sauvage) were analyzed, with 15 individuals per population. Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed using molecular genetic analyses by sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) and microsatellite (SSR) markers. The analyses of the SCARII marker were conducted on four populations (ANA, ITACA, Sauvage and Mbodiene) while microsatellite analyses were conducted on all five populations. The results show high levels of polymorphism of SSR markers, and a high level of observed heterozygosity (Ho), indicating a high within-population genetic variability. These results are in agreement with the AMOVA results, which indicated a high within-population genetic variability (94%). The genetic structure analysis by DAPC indicates that the five populations analyzed are structured into four groups, which are highly heterogeneous because they share common allele individuals. The analysis of the genetic structure by AMOVA showed a low degree of differentiation between the populations (6%), in agreement with the genetic differentiation index (Fst = 0.059). The heterogeneity of studied populations implies a genetic flow over time, which may have existed between the original populations. The overall negative Tajima D values and low genetic differentiation indicate an excess of rare mutations in the populations studied, resulting from a recent population expansion from a limited number of initial breeders isolated in locale hatcheries. Thus, further studies with a much larger panel of markers are required to better differentiate the strains and identify the most efficient ones for sustainable local aquaculture production.

Community Structure of Fish in Nanji Islands National Nature Reserve and Its Relationship with Environmental Variation

Community structure of fish in relation to environmental variation was investigated in Nanji Islands National Nature Reserve (NINNR). In order to test this relationship, we delineated 25 survey stations with bottom trawling and measured environmental variables. Samples were taken from November 2013 (autumn), February 2014 (winter), May 2014 (spring) and September 2014 (summer). We found a very strong correlation in space and time between temperature and salinity;abundance and biomass in winter;depth and DO in summer then a strong correlation was found respectively between temperature and biomass;salinity and biomass in winter too and finally a moderate correlation between depth and biomass in spring, (P-value < 0.01) with positive correlation (that the other variable or factor has a tendency to increase). We also found out a negative correlation (P-value < 0.05), respectively between salinity and DO;DO and chlorophyll in summer;temperature and salinity;salinity and DO in spring period (mean that the other variable or factor has a tendency to decrease). A negative correlation observed between temperature, salinity and chlorophyll in winter, spring and autumn period were due by a temperature and salinity window open for species blooms through the movement of the TWC and Jiangzhe coastal current close to shore. By comparing diversity of fish species with environmental factors, the community structure of fish varied significantly as physicochemical parameters changed between different stations for each season. As results and according to the species referencing of environmental factors;species diversity, abundance and evenness vary among different stations, corresponding to significant differences of environmental factors (e.g. physicochemical parameters and chlorophyll-a concentration in different sites). Species richness of microfauna was negatively correlated with salinity levels. Furthermore, they were related to the fish community according to the results. This may be due to the fish community’s adaptability in these different variations of environmental factors, but only tolerant members remaining.

Effects of Garcinia kola “Bitter Kola” Powder on Sex Reversal, Survival and Growth Performance of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.)

This study was carried out in 2022 at the Itato agriculture community estate of fish hatchery in eastern Senegal with the aim of finding an alternative method to 17-α-methyl testosterone (MT) by using Garcinia kola “Bitter kola” powder to obtain Oreochromis niloticus male sex populations. 1800 fry of average size between 0.01 and 0.02 g were distributed in 12 aboveground tanks of 1 m3 each at a rate of 150 individuals/tank, following 6 duplicate treatments. The negative (B1 and B2) and positive (B3 and B4) control diets, to which between 0 and 60 mg/kg of 17alpha-methyl testosterone had been added respectively, were mixed with industrial feed containing 40% protein;the tank diets (B5 and B6), (B7 and B8), (B9 and B10) and (B11 and B12) contained 10 g, 20 g, 30 g and 40 g of Garcinia kola powder respectively for 1 kg of industrial feed con-taining 40% protein. These different treatments resulted in high proportions of males in the order of 97.03%;98.09% for the hormone and proportions of 94.03%;93.26% for 20 g of Garcinia kola extracts. In terms of weight growth, the best average weights for the hormone and Garcinia kola were 0.896 g and 0.980 g respectively. With regard to fish survival, the following results were recorded: 95.53% and 94.56% respectively for additions of 20 g and 30 g of Garcinia kola extracts to the feed supplied to the fish. On the other hand, a significant difference in the mortality rate of 35% and 5% respectively for the conventional hormone and 20 g of Garcinia kola extracts was observed. To conclude the study, it is recommended that further studies be carried out to determine the quality of the flesh, their life stages and the profile of the amino acids present in their proteins.

ENSO事件对云南及临近地区春末初夏降水的影响

本文采用合成及相关分析的方法,应用55年中国降水资料、美国NOAA海表温度资料以及NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,研究了ENSO事件对我国云南及其邻近地区春末初夏降水的影响及物理机理。研究结果表明:(1)在ElNin～o(LaNin～a)年,云南大部分地区4～5月降水偏少(多),东部地区相关信号尤其明显;(2)大气环流分析显示在ElNin～o(LaNi～na)年,对流层低层阿拉伯海及孟加拉湾为东(西)风异常,孟加拉湾出现明显的反气旋(气旋)式环流异常,同时西北太平洋副热带高压增强(减弱);(3)水汽输送分析表明,ElNin～o(LaNin～a)年,孟加拉湾对云南水汽输送减弱(增强)且该地区有显著的水汽辐散(辐合);(4)200hPa高度场与云南降水指数相关分析说明云南春末初夏降水异常与印度洋—亚洲(IA)型遥相关的冬、春转变有关,ElNi～no(LaNin～a)年春末初夏大气环流不(有)利降水生成。以上事实表明,ENSO事件对云南春末初夏降水异常的影响与其对华南和江淮流域降水影响有明显的不同,其中孟加拉湾气旋环流异常增强所导致的向云南地区的水汽输送的显著增加,起着决定性的作用。

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of Quaternary volcanism from the islets in the eastern Beibu Gulf: evidence for Hainan plume

Some of the islets in the eastern Beibu Gulf are covered by Quaternary volcano strata. The rock samples from these islets mainly consist of quartz tholeiites （at Shenjiandao）, olivine tholeiites （at Linshidao and Xieyang- dao） and alkali basalts （at Yangpubi and Jianshidao）, and basically represent four periods of the Quaternary volcanism of Hainan Island and its adjacent regions. Except for the samples from Shenjiandao, most of the Quaternary volcanics of these islets belong to alkali magma series. The trace element characteristics of all of these samples show they are OIB （oceanic island basalt） -like, which implies that their deep geodynamic setting may be related to a mantle plume. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions show that the mantle source beneath the Quaternary strata can be regarded as a result of binary mixing between a depleted, DMM （de- pleted MORB mantle）-like source and an enriched mantle type 2 （EM2）. The EM2 may be originated from the Hainan mantle plume, and has been metasomatized by carbonaceous fluids released from ancient re- cycled oceanic crust at an asthenospheric mantle level. These features, together with typical trace element ratios, reflect that the parent magma was not subjected to crustal contamination during its ascent to the surface. This study provides further petrological and geochemical evidence for the existence of the Hainan mantle plume.

MdGSTF6,activated by MdMYB1,plays an essential role in anthocyanin accumulation in apple

Anthocyanins are biosynthesized on the cytosolic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum and then transported into the vacuole for storage.Glutathione S-transferases(GSTs)are considered to be responsible for the transport of anthocyanins into the vacuole.However,the regulatory mechanisms of GSTs in plants are still unclear.Here,we performed a genome-wide analysis and identified 69 GST genes in apple.The expression of MdGSTF6 was positively correlated with the anthocyanin content(r=0.949)during‘Yanfu 8’fruit development.The overexpression of MdGSTF6 in the Arabidopsis thaliana tt19 mutant resulted in seedlings of 35S::MdGSTF6-GFP/tt19 that could accumulate anthocyanin and rescue its phenotype,suggesting that MdGSTF6 was an anthocyanin transporter.The silencing of MdGSTF6 affected anthocyanin accumulation in apple fruit.Moreover,the knockdown of MdGSTF6 by RNA interference in cultured‘Gala’seedlings inhibited anthocyanin accumulation.The interaction experiments showed that MdMYB1 could bind directly to the MdGSTF6 promoter to transcriptionally activate its expression.Collectively,our results demonstrate that MdGSTF6 encodes an important GST transporter of anthocyanins in apple fruit and provide evidence for the associated regulatory mechanisms.Therefore,MdMYB1 can not only regulate anthocyanin synthesis,but also control the transport of anthocyanin in apples.This information may be useful for further clarifying the regulation of anthocyanin transport in apple.

Distribution and pollution assessment of trace metals in seawater and sediment in Laizhou Bay

Selected trace metals （Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg） and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments of Laizhou Bay were determined, to evaluate their spatial distribution, pollution risk and potential ecological risk. Concentrations of the elements were 0.56-2.07, 0.14-0.38, 12.70-18.40, 0.014-0.094, and 1.13- 2.37 μg/L in the seawater and 8.94-32.2, 0.18-0.67, 4.51-30.5, 0.006-0.058, and 5.75-15.3 mg/kg in sediments for Pb, Cd, Cu, Hg and As, respectively. High concentrations of the trace metals and arsenic in seawater and surface sediments were generally observed near the fiver estuary. The pollution risk result of the elements showed that Cu was the prominent trace metal pollutant in seawater, followed by Hg, Pb, Cd and As. The metal complex pollution index in seawater was at a medium level. The most important trace metal pollutant in sediments was Cd, followed by As, Cu, Pb, and Hg. Our pollution assessment suggests that trace metal pollution in Laizhou Bay sediments was at a low level. The potential ecological risk was also low in surface sediment.

The occurrence of gold in hydrothermal sulfide at Southwest Indian Ridge 49.6°E

Massive sulfide precipitates found in the Southwest Indian Ridge （SWIR） 49.6°E hydrothermal field are enriched in gold. Here, the mineralogy and mineral chemistry of these massive sulfides to constrain the process of gold precipitation were studied. Sulfide samples in this field include lower- temperature Zn-rich sulfides and relative higher-temperature Fe-rich sulfides. Zn-rich sulfides are dominated by sphalerite-pyrite-chalcopyrite assemblages, with concentrations of gold ranging from 9.08 to 17.0 μg/g. Fe-rich sulfides consist mainly of pyrite-marcasite-isocubanite assemblages, with gold concentrations from 2.17 to 3.79 μg/g. The significant enrichment in gold within the lower- temperature Zn-rich sulfides and the effective separation of Zn and Fe in hydrothermal precipitates at the surface of this field are here interpreted to reflect the strong temperature dependence of gold transportation and deposition within the sulfides. In Zn-rich samples, large amounts of isolated native gold grains were identified. They were found mainly as inclusions up to 8 μm in diameter, occupying porous cavities in sphalerite or in the elevated iron content rim of sphalerite. The fineness of the gold ranged from 810 to 830. Unlike previously published results on other hydrothermal fields, these data show a low gold fineness values in SWIR 49.6°E. The FeS content of sphalerite associated with gold grains ranged from 3.2 mole % to 18.9 mole %. This was higher than in other fields, indicating that the sulfur activity is relatively low during the gold precipitation process and that sulfur activity may be one of the main factors affecting gold fineness in the SWIR 49.6°E hydrothermal field. Evidence regarding gold fineness and sulfur activity suggests that gold was quite likely transported as AuHS° rather than as a Au（HS）2- complex.

Experimental Investigation of Disturbing the Flow Field on the Vortex-Induced Vibration of Deepwater Riser Fitted with Gas Jetting Active Vibration Suppression Device

An experimental investigation on the disturbance effect of jet-type active vibration suppression device on vortexinduced vibration of deep-sea riser was carried out in the wave-flow combined flume.The vibration suppression device was designed in which the jet pipe was horizontally fixed to the front end of the riser.By varying three different excitation spacings and multi-stage outflow velocities,the influence law of the dominant frequency,dimensionless displacement and other dynamic response parameters was studied under different excitation spacings,and the mechanism and sensitive characteristics of the disturbance suppression were explored.The results indicate that the variation of excitation spacing makes gas curtain enter the strong disturbed flow region at different velocities and angles,and the coupling relationship between excitation spacing and reduced velocity is the key factor to enter the strong disturbed flow region to achieve the optimal disturbance suppression.In the strong disturbed flow region,the influence of gas curtain on the dominant frequency is obviously affected by the flow velocity,while the vibration displacement is stable at the same amplitude and is weakly affected by the flow velocity.Gas curtain can effectively disturb the formation of vortex shedding,destroy the strong nonlinear coupled vibration of the riser,and achieve better vibration suppression effect.In the weak disturbed flow region,the vortex length of the riser tail is prolonged,the strong nonlinear coupled vibration of the riser is gradually restored,and the vibration suppression effect of the device gradually decreases.

Investigation of a New Vortex-Induced Vibration Suppression Device in Laboratory Experiments

In order to mitigate vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of marine risers, especially to eliminate the phenomenon of frequency 'lock-in', a new suppression device of crescent-shaped flow spoiler was designed with seven different layout schemes. VIV model tests with six flow levels were conducted in a large wind-wave-current flume. In all cases, vibration responses in both in-line and cross-flow cases were measured. With the installation of suppression devices vibration frequency evolution of a riser was analyzed by Morlet wavelet transform. The principle of VIV suppression was interpreted through vibration characteristics. Fatigue life of the riser was calculated by the Palmgren-Miner rule. Compared with a bare riser, vibration of an outfitted riser with suppression devices disturbed the steady flow, the vibration amplitudes in the two flow directions were reduced, and the riser fatigue life was improved.

LMP2-DC Vaccine Elicits Specific EBV-LMP2 Response to Effectively Improve Immunotherapy in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Objective To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine based on latent membrane protein 2(LMP2)modified dendritic cells(DCs)that boosts specific responses of cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs)to LMP2 before and after intradermal injection in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC).Methods DCs were derived from peripheral blood monocytes of patients with NPC.We prepared LMP2-DCs infected by recombinant adenovirus vector expressing LMP2(rAd-LMP2).NPC patients were immunized with 2×105 LMP2-DCs by intradermal injection at week 0 and after the second and fourth weeks.Specific responses to LMP2 were detected by enzyme-linked immunospot(ELISPOT)assay at week 0 and at the fifth and eighth weeks.Local clinicians performed the follow-up and tracking of patients.Results We demonstrated that DCs derived from monocytes displayed typical DC morphologies;the expression of LMP2 in the LMP2-DCs vaccine was confirmed by immunocytochemical assay.Twenty-nine patients with NPC were enrolled in this clinical trial.The LMP2-DCs vaccine was well tolerated in all of the patients.Boosted responses to LMP2 peptide sub-pools were observed in 18 of the 29 patients with NPC.The follow-up data of 29 immunized patients from April,2010 to April 2015 indicated a five-year survival rate of 94.4%in responders and 45.5%in non-responders.Conclusion In this pilot study,we demonstrated that the LMP2-DCs vaccine is safe and effective in patients with NPC.Specific CTLs responses to LMP2 play a certain role in controlling and preventing the recurrence and metastasis of NPC,which warrants further clinical testing.

Coral Assemblages in the Southeastern Arabian Gulf (Qatar and Abu Dhabi, UAE): Various Stages of <i>Acropora</i>Recovery a Decade after Recurrent Elevated Temperature Anomalies

This study describes the coral communities near Qatarand Abu Dhabi (UAE) ten years after the recurrent elevated temperature anomalies of 1996, 1998 and 2002 which resulted in the mass mortality of Acropora spp. Data derived from photo transects taken over a four-year period were analyzed to characterize the existing coral communities, to compare these to the pre- and post-disturbance communities in the adjacent waters near Dubai, and to project the time-frames required for the communities to return to pre-disturbance levels. The massive corals, dominated by Porites spp. and faviids, showed no long-terms affects associated with exposures to the three thermal anomalies;whereas acroporids, comprising 0% - 8% of the live coral cover, were in various stages of recovery. Projections indicated that acroporid regeneration will require 15 - 32 years to achieve the ≥40% pre-disturbance area cover. The existing communities are too small in size and number to be self-seeding;thus, they are dependent upon the recruitment of larvae from remote refuges of colonies that survived the thermal anomalies. Efforts to identify these refuges and to establish appropriate multi-national conservation programs shall become critical to the future survival of acroporids throughout the southeasternArabian Gulfas the projected regeneration times exceed the periods between disturbances, which are expected to occur more frequently as a result of global climate change.

Characterization and diversity of magnetotactic bacteria from sediments of Caroline Seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean

Magnetotactic bacteria(MTB)are a group of microorganisms capable of orientating and swimming along magnetic fields because they contain intracellular biomineralized magnetosomes composed of magnetite(Fe 3 O 4)or/and greigite(Fe_(3)S_(4)).They are ubiquitous in freshwater,brackish,and marine habitats,and are cosmopolitan in distribution.However,knowledge of their occurrence and distribution in seamount ecosystems is limited.We investigated the diversity and distribution of MTB in the Caroline Seamount(CM4).The abundance of living MTB in 12 stations in depth varying from 90 to 1545 m was 1.1×10^(3)-43.7×10^(3) inds./dm 3.Despite diverse shapes of MTB observed,magnetotactic cocci were the dominant morphotype and could be categorized into two types:1)typical cocci that appeared to have peritrichous fl agella;and 2)those characterized by having a drop-shaped form and one bundle of fl agella located at the thin/narrow end of the cell.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)analysis revealed that the magnetosomes formed by those magnetotactic cocci are magnetite(Fe 3 O 4)with octahedral crystal habit.A total of 41 operational taxonomic units(OTUs)of putative MTB(2702 reads)were acquired from nine stations,based on high-throughput sequencing.Of these,40 OTUs belonged to the Proteobacteria phylum and one belonged to the Nitrospirae phylum.We found apparent connectivity between the MTB populations on the Caroline and Kexue(Science in Chinese)seamounts,although the diversity of MTB on Caroline was much richer than on the Kexue Seamount.Our results imply that the unique topography of seamounts and other as-yet unclear environmental factors could lead to evolution of different fl agella arrangements in magnetotactic cocci,and the occurrence of octahedral magnetite magnetosomes.

Life Cycle Assessment of Different Sea Cucumber(Apostichopus japonicus Selenka) Farming Systems

The life cycle assessment was employed to evaluate the environmental impacts of three farming systems(indoor intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems) of sea cucumber living near Qingdao, China, which can effectively overcome the interference of inaccurate background parameters caused by the diversity of economic level and environment in different regions. Six indicators entailing global warming potential(1.86 E + 04, 3.45 E + 03, 2.36 E + 02), eutrophication potential(6.65 E + 01,-1.24 E + 02,-1.65 E + 02), acidification potential(1.93 E + 02, 4.33 E + 01, 1.30 E + 00), photochemical oxidant formation potential(2.35E-01, 5.46E-02, 2.53E-03), human toxicity potential(2.47 E + 00, 6.08E-01, 4.91 E + 00) and energy use(3.36 E + 05, 1.27 E + 04, 1.48 E + 03) were introduced in the current study. It was found that all environmental indicators in the indoor intensive farming system were much higher than those in semi-intensive and extensive farming systems because of the dominant role of energy input, while energy input also contributed as the leading cause factor for most of the indicators in the semi-intensive farming system. Yet in the extensive farming system, infrastructure materials played a major role. Through a comprehensive comparison of the three farming systems, it was concluded that income per unit area of indoor intensive farming system was much higher than those of semi-intensive and extensive farming systems. However, the extensive farming system was the most sustainable one. Moreover, adequate measures were proposed, respectively, to improve the environmental sustainability of each farming system in the present study.

Changes in Plasma Osmolality, Cortisol and Amino Acid Levels of Tongue Sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis) at Different Salinities

A serial of salinity transferring treatments were performed to investigate the osmoregulation of tongue sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis). Juvenile tongue sole were directly transferred from a salinity of 30 to 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50. Blood sampling was performed for each treatment after 0, 1, 6 and 12 h, as well as after 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 d. The plasma osmolality, cortisol and free amino acids were assessed. Under the experimental conditions, no fish died after acute salinity transfer. The plasma cortisol level increased 1 h after the abrupt transfer from a salinity of 30 to that of 0, 40 and 50, and decreased from 6 h to 8 d after transfer. Similar trends were observed in the changes of plasma osmolality. The plasma free amino acids concentration showed a ‘U-shaped' relationship with salinity after being transferred to different salinities for 4 days. More obvious changes of plasma free amino acid concentration occurred under hyper-osmotic conditions than under hypo-osmotic conditions. The concentrations of valine, isoleucine, lysine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline and taurine increased with rising salinity. The plasma levels of threonine, leucine, arginine, serine, and alanine showed a ‘U-shaped' relationship with salinity. The results of this study suggested that free amino acids might have important effects on osmotic acclimation in tongue sole.

Molecular mechanism of inbreeding effects based on RNA-Seq analysis of the adductor muscle of bay scallop(Argopecten irradians)

Understanding the effects of inbreeding is critical for the long-term viability of shellfish breeding and for understanding inbreeding depression(ID) of the offspring of selfed individuals and full-sib crosses. The bay scallop(Argopecten irradians) is a simultaneous hermaphroditic marine bivalve with distinct male and female gonads and is a species with external fertilization. It is a canonical model invertebrate for analysis of the genetics of ID and evolution of outcrossing mating system. ID in bivalves is well documented with regard to the phenotype and molecular markers aspects, but little is known on how inbreeding affects genome-wide gene expression.Here, we compare the gene expression profiles of adductor muscle of A. irradians lines inbred to F=0.5 with those of its counterpart outbred lines which are originated from the same paternal individual. Inbred and outbred individuals have some differences in growth traits. The shell length and the total weight of inbred scallops are lower than the counterpart of outbred lines. We found that 1 175 genes were up-regulated while 1 390 were downregulated in inbred lines. Regarding components, differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were concentrated on sarcomeres, contractile filaments, and cell membranes. Among others, whereas regarding their function, the Gene Ontology(GO) was concentrated on transferase, phosphotransferase, peptidase, and others. The DEGsenriched metabolic pathways mainly belonged to the oxidative phosphorylation pathway and apoptosis pathway.We used another two families to verify our bioinformatic results. The selfed and the outbred family originated from different ancestors, but the selfed family showed obvious ID. By using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR), we verified that DEGs with inbreeding are involved in the oxidative phosphorylation and cell apoptosis pathways, suggesting that inbreeding may affect energy metabolism and homeostasis.