Postmortem changes in hilsa fish. Pt. 2. Studies on physical and bacteriological changes in iced and frozen stored hilsa fish (Tenualosa ilisha Ham.)

Studies were conducted to evaluate the quality of hilsa fish during icing and freezing storage at -20°C by determining organoleptic and bacteriological aspects. The fishes stored in ice were organoleptically in acceptable condition 2 for 20 days. The bacterial load in muscles of 4 days ice stored fish was 2.5x10² CFU/g which gradually increased up to 1.8x10⁵ CFU/g after 20 days when the fishes were organoleptically in acceptable condition. The keeping qualities of different days of ice stored fishes were also evaluated during their subsequent frozen storage at -20°C. Both 4 and 7 days of ice stored fishes were organoleptically in acceptable condition up to 48 weeks but the highest degree of freshness was found for fish stored in ice for 4 days before freezing at -20°C. The result indicates that the longer is the duration of ice storage before freezing, the shorter is the shelf life of the fish. The initial bacterial load prior to freezing of the 4 and 7 days of ice stored samples were 2.5x10³ CFU/g and 3.8x10⁴ CFU/g, respectively which reduced to 2.21x10² CFU/g and 2.38x10² CFU/g, respectively at the end of the 24 weeks of frozen storage. However, after 40 weeks the bacterial load in the frozen stored sample fell below the detection level.

Experimental and theoretical comparison between static and dynamic torsional soil tests

The dynamic properties of dry Leighton Buzzard sand have been investigated using a resonant column test apparatus. These data are compared with very low frequency cyclic tests on identical specimens of sand. The comparison indicates that the properties of dry sand are independent of frequency. A simple one-dimensional model of kinematic hardening plasticity is used to predict the dynamic behaviour of the sand. The input parameters for this model are based on the results of static tests. These may be conducted on standard laboratory equipment with only minor modifications. The predictions are in good agreement with the measured data.

Physical and chemical characteristics of major aquatic ecosystems in the Victoria and Kyoga lake basins

The physical-chemical characteristics of any aquatic ecosystem include pH, conductivity, and temperature, water transparency, nutrient and the chlorophyll-a levels. Physical and chemical factors of any ecosystem determine the type and quality of flora present in it and these forms the basis on which the system operates. The elements required in largest amounts for plant productions are carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, and silicon, which is important for diatoms as a major component of the cell wall. Nutrients may limit algal productivity in the tropics despite the high temperature there allowing rapid nutrient recycling. Nutrients most likely to be limiting African lakes are nitrogen (Talling & Talling 1965; Moss 1969; Lehman & Branstrator 1993, 1994) and phosphorus (Melack.et al l982; Kalff 1983) while silicon may limit diatom growth (Hecky & Kilham 1988). The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of physical-chemical characteristics on the distribution and abundance of organisms in the major aquatic ecosystems.

Physical and numerical modeling of horizontal gas-hydrate wells

Methane hydrate, which is usually found under deep seabed or permafrost zones, is a potential energy resource for future years. Depressurization of horizontalwells bored in methane hydrate layer is considered as one possible method for hydrate dissociation and methane extraction from the hosting soil. Since hydrate is likely to behave as a bonding material to sandy soils, supported well construction is necessary to avoid wellcollapse due to the loss of the apparent cohesion during depressurization. This paper describes both physical and numerical modeling of such horizontal support wells. The experimental part involves depressurization of small well models in a large pressure cell, while the numerical part simulates the corresponding problem. While the experiment models simulate only gas saturated initial conditions, the numerical analysis simulates both gas-saturated and more realistic water-saturated conditions based on effective stress coupled flow-deformation formulation of these three phases. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, London.

Static and dynamic errors in particle tracking microrheology.

Particle tracking techniques are often used to assess the local mechanical properties of cells and biological fluids. The extracted trajectories are exploited to compute the mean-squared displacement that characterizes the dynamics of the probe particles. Limited spatial resolution and statistical uncertainty are the limiting factors that alter the accuracy of the mean-squared displacement estimation. We precisely quantified the effect of localization errors in the determination of the mean-squared displacement by separating the sources of these errors into two separate contributions. A "static error" arises in the position measurements of immobilized particles. A "dynamic error" comes from the particle motion during the finite exposure time that is required for visualization. We calculated the propagation of these errors on the mean-squared displacement. We examined the impact of our error analysis on theoretical model fluids used in biorheology. These theoretical predictions were verified for purely viscous fluids using simulations and a multiple-particle tracking technique performed with video microscopy. We showed that the static contribution can be confidently corrected in dynamics studies by using static experiments performed at a similar noise-to-signal ratio. This groundwork allowed us to achieve higher resolution in the mean-squared displacement, and thus to increase the accuracy of microrheology studies.

Evolutionary Conservation of Dazl Genomic Organization and its Continuous and Dynamic Distribution Throughout Germline Development in Gynogenetic Gibel Carp

To investigate germline development and germ cell specification, we identified a Dazl homolog (CagDazl) from gynogenetic gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). Its cDNA sequence and BAC clone sequence analyses revealed the genomic organization conservation and conserved synteny of the Dazl family members and their neighborhood genes among vertebrates, especially in fish. Moreover, a polyclonal antibody specific to CagDazl was produced and used to examine its expression and distribution throughout germline development at protein level. Firstly, ovary-specific expression pattern of CagDazl was confirmed in adult tissues by RT-PCR and Western blot. In addition, in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence localization demonstrated its specific expression in germ cells, and both its transcript and protein were localized to germ plasm. Then, co-localization of CagDazl and mitochondrial cloud was found, confirming that CagDazl transcript and its protein are germ plasm component and move via METRO pathway during oogenesis. Furthermore, the CagDazl is abundant and continuous throughout germline development and germ cell specification including primordial germ cell (PGC) formation, oogonium differentiation, oocyte development, and embryogenesis, and the dynamic distribution occurs at different development stages. The data suggest that maternal CagDazl might play an important role in gibel carp PGC formation. Therefore, CagDazl is a useful and specific marker for tracing germ plasm and germ cell development in the gynogenetic gibel carp. In addition, in comparison with previous studies in sexual reproduction species, the continuous and dynamic distribution of CagDazl protein in the germ plasm throughout the life cycle seems to have significant implication in sex evolution of vertebrates. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Deu. Euol.) 312B:855-871, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Differential expression and dynamic changes of SOX3 during gametogenesis and sex reversal in protogynous hermaphroditic fish

SOX3 has been suggested to play significant roles in gametogenesis and gonad differentiation of vertebrates, but the exact cellular localization evidence is insufficient and controversial. In this study, a protogynous hermaphrodite fish Epinephelus coioides is selected to analyze EcSox3 differential expression and the expression pattern in both processes of oogenesis and spermatogenesis by utilizing the advantages that gonad development undergoes transition from ovary to intersexual gonad and then to testis, and primordial germ cells and different stage cells during oogenesis and spermatogenesis are synchronously observed in the transitional gonads. The detailed and clear immunofluoresence localization indicates that significantly differential expression and dynamic changes of Sox3 occur in the progresses of gametogenesis and sex reversal, and EcSOX3 protein exists in the differentiating primordial germ cells, oogonia, and different stage oocytes of ovaries, and also in the differentiating primordial germ cells and the Sertoli cells of testis. One important finding is that the EcSox3 expression is a significant time point for enterable gametogenesis of primordial germ cells because EcSOX3 is obviously expressed and localized in primordial germ cells. As EcSox3 continues to express, the EcSOX3-positive primordial germ cells develop toward oogonia and then oocytes, whereas when EcSox3 expression is ceased, the EcSOX3-positive primordial germ cells develop toward spermatogonia. Therefore, the current finding of EcSOX3 in the differentiating primordial germ cells again confirms the potential regulatory role in oogenesis and germ cell differentiation. The data further suggest that SOX3, as a transcription factor, might have more important roles in oogenesis than in spermatogenesis.

Static and dynamic electric field domain formation in a doped GaAs/AlAs superlattice

We have observed the transition from static to dynamic electric field domain formation induced by a transverse magnetic field and the sample temperature in a doped GaAs/AlAs superlattice. The observations can be very well explained by a general analysis of instabilities and oscillations of the sequential tunnelling current in superlattices based solely on the magnitude of the negative differential resistance region in the tunnelling characteristic of a single barrier. Both increasing magnetic field and sample temperature change the negative differential resistance and cause the transition between static and dynamic electric field domain formation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Static and dynamic electric field domain formation in a doped GaAs/AlAs superlattice

We have observed the transition from static to dynamic electric field domain formation induced by a transverse magnetic field and the sample temperature in a doped GaAs/AlAs superlattice. The observations can be very well explained by a general analysis of instabilities and oscillations of the sequential tunnelling current in superlattices based solely on the magnitude of the negative differential resistance region in the tunnelling characteristic of a single barrier. Both increasing magnetic field and sample temperature change the negative differential resistance and cause the transition between static and dynamic electric field domain formation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.