Observations on the spawning behavior of artificially matured Japanese eels Anguilla japonica in captivity

Spawning behavior of artificially matured Japanese eels Anguillo japonica in captivity was investigated using a DVD Video image system. Following a routine hormone treatment technique for this fish, female eels were artificially matured by weekly intramuscular injections of salmon pituitary extracts (SPE) at a dosage of 40 mg kg(-1) BW for a total of 7-11 doses to induce ovarian maturation, while male eels received weekly intramuscular injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) at a dosage of 1000 IU kg(-1) BW for a total of 6-11 doses at 18 degrees C to induce testicular maturation in a separate aquarium. In this experiment, three pairs of such hormone-treated matured eels were acclimatized in seawater in 1.5 m(3) experimental aquaria with or without shelters at 20 degrees C for 24 h. Twenty four hours after the acclimatization terminated, the females received SPE injections to boost maturation and ovulation. Twenty four hours following these injections, the females received injections of HCG (1000 IU per fish, HCG injection) and 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (2 mg per fish) to induce ovulation, while males were given HCG injections (1000 IU per fish, HCG injection) to induce spermiation. Video taping started after the 24 h acclimatization terminated and last for a total of 96 h. Before the HCG injections, both sexes were inactive, staying on the bottom or in shelters if available. Following these HCG injections, they became active and frequently left the bottom swimming in the water column. During the 24 h following HCG injections, activity accounted for 67% and 45% of the total activity in no shelter treatment for females and males, respectively, in comparison with 77% and 78% in shelter treatment. Activity was significantly more pronounced during this phase than during other phases for each sex in either shelter treatment. Egg release and sperm ejection occurred in the water column around the time eels' activity reached peaks. Eels either returned into the shelters or stayed motionlessly on the bottom of the aquaria after egg release and sperm ejection. Eight out of nine (89%) females in no shelter treatment spontaneously released eggs with a total of 11 batches 14-18 h following HCG injections, in contrast with four out of nine (44%) females releasing eggs for 4 batches 16-20 h in shelter treatment. Males arrived at activity peaks 11-13 h following HCG injections in no shelter treatment, 2-4 h ahead of the females (14-16 h), in comparison with 8-11 h in shelter treatment with 5-6 h ahead of the females (14-17 h). Courtship behavior indicative of spawning such as pairing, chasing and touching bodies was not observed in the eels in this study. However, on many occasions, eels of both sexes (male-female or female-female) were found to "cruise together" in water column for a short time period or frequently come together prior to releasing eggs and ejecting sperm, suggesting the possibility of group mating in artificially matured Japanese eels. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

古潜山油藏非均质三维地质建模

The discovery of the highly productive Renqiu buried hill reservoir in Bohai Bay Basin in 1975 started the high tide of finding buried hill reservoirs in China and their research. As the advance of E&P technologies, the study of buried hill reservoir in China had a qualitative leap. The reservoir description and some other aspects of development have reached or approached to the international leading level. However, some core techniques for reservoir study such as structure & faulting system study, formation prediction and connection study and heterogeneous model's construction could not completely carry out the quantitative or accurate reservoir description, e. g. the areal distribution of porosity, permeability and oil saturation. Especially, the modeling for reservoir simulation is still wandering in the stage of simplicity. The inaccurate understanding of geology could not derive 3D heterogeneous geological model that can reveal the actual underground situation thus could not design practical and feasible oilfield development plan. Therefore, the problems of low oil recovery rate, low recovery factor and poor development effectiveness have not been solved. The poor connection of the reservoir determined that waterflooding could not get good development effect and the production had to depend on the reservoir elastic energy, and this will bring big difficulty for development modification and improvement of oil recovery. This study formed a series of techniques for heterogeneous model research that can be used to construct heterogeneous model consistent with the reservoir geology. Thus the development effectiveness, success ratio of drilling and percent of producing reserves can be enhanced. This study can make the development of buried hill reservoir be of high recovery rate and high effect. The achievements of this study are as follows: 1. Evaluated the resources, summarized the geological characteristics and carried out the reservoir classification of the buried hill reservoirs in Shengli petroliferous area; 2. Established the markers for stratigraphical correlation and formed the correlation method for complex buried hill reservoirs; 3. Analyzed the structural features of the buried hill reservoirs, finished the structure interpretation and study of faulting system using synthetic seismograms, horizontal slices and coherent analysis, and clarified structural development history of the buried hill reservoirs in Shengli petroliferous area; 4. Determined the 3 classes and 7 types of pore space and the main pore space type, the logging response characteristics and the FMI logging identified difference between artificial and natural fractures by the comprehensive usage of core analysis, other lab analyses, conventional logging, FMI logging and CMR logging; 5. Determined the factors controlled the growth of the fractures, vugs and cavities, proposed the main formation prediction method for buried hill reservoir and analyzed their technical principium and applicability, and formed the seismic method and process for buried hill reservoir description; 6. Established the reserve calculation method for buried hill reservoirs, i. e. the reserves of fractures and matrix are calculated separately; the recoverable reserves are calculated by decline method and are classified by the SPE criteria; 7. Studied restraining barriers and the sealing of the faults thus clarified the oil-bearing formations of the buried hill reservoirs, and verified the multiple reservoir forming theory; 8. Formed reasonable procedure of buried hill reservoir study; 9. Formed the 3 D modeling technology for buried hill reservoirs; 10. Studied a number of buried hill blocks on the aspects of reservoir description, reservoir engineering and development plan optimization based on the above research and the profit and social effect are remarkable.

Carbon nanotubes as adsorbent of solid-phase extraction and matrix for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

A method with carbon nanotubes functioning both as the adsorbent of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and the matrix for matrix assisted laser desorption/ ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) to analyze small molecules in solution has been developed. In this method, 10 muL suspensions of carbon nanotubes in 50% (vol/vol) methanol were added to the sample solution to extract analytes onto surface of carbon nanotubes because of their dramatic hydrophobicity. Carbon nanotubes in solution are deposited onto the bottom of tube with centrifugation. After removing the supernatant fluid, carbon nanotubes are suspended again with dispersant and pipetted directly onto the sample target of the MALDI-MS to perform a mass spectrometric analysis. It was demonstrated by analysis of a variety of small molecules that the resolution of peaks and the efficiency of desorption/ ionization on the carbon nanotubes are better than those on the activated carbon. It is found that with the addition of glycerol and sucrose to the dispersant, the intensity, the ratio of signal to noise (S/N), and the resolution of peaks for analytes by mass spectrometry increased greatly. Compared with the previously reported method by depositing sample solution onto thin layer of carbon nanotubes, it is observed that the detection limit for analytes can be enhanced about 10 to 100 times due to solid-phase extraction of analytes in solution by carbon nanotubes. An acceptable result of simultaneously quantitative analysis of three analytes in solution has been achieved. The application in determining drugs spiked into urine has also been realized. (C) 2004 American Society for Mass Spectrometry.