State-dependent modulation of neuronal circuits in C. elegans sleep

C. elegans is a compact system of 302 neurons with identifiable and mapped connections that makes it ideal for systems analysis. This work is a demonstration of what I have been able to learn about the nature of state-specific modulation and reversibility during a state called lethargus, a sleep-like state in the worm. I begin with description about the nervous system of the worm, the nature of sleep in the worm, the questions about behavior and its apparent circuit properties, the tools available and used to manipulate the nervous system, and what I have been able to learn from these studies. I end with clues that the physiology helps to teach us about the dynamics of state specific modulation, what makes sleep so different from other states, and how we can use these measurements to understand which modulators, neurotransmitters, and channels can be used to create different dynamics in a simple model system.

Ground-state energy shifts of H-like Ti under dense and hot plasma conditions

In this study, by adopting the ion sphere model, the self-consistent. field method is used with the Poisson-Boltzmann equation and the Dirac equation to calculate the ground-state energies of H-like Ti at a plasma electron density from 10(22) cm(-3) to 10(24) cm(-3) and the electron temperature from 100 eV to 3600 eV. The ground-state energy shifts of H-like Ti show different trends with the electron density and the electron temperature. It is shown that the energy shifts increase with the increase in the electron density and decrease with the increase in the electron temperature. The energy shifts are sensitive to the electron density, but only sensitive to the low electron temperature. In addition, an accurately fitting formula is obtained to fast estimate the ground-state energies of H-like Ti. Such fitted formula can also be used to estimate the critical electron density of pressure ionization for the ground state of H-like Ti.

Fish diversity of the wild and aquaculture water bodies in Singida Region

Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute being currently the only fisheries research institute in Tanzania has sole responsibility of marking the presence and distribution of fish species in the country. This work is expected to be completed by the year 2005. In order that this work can be accomplished, both published works and field observations (including geographical location using GPS) have to be compiled. Since the institute has centers in all the Great Lakes and one along the Indian Ocean coast, it is expected that field observations and identifications will be obtained and incorporated into the document to be produced by 2005. (PDF contains 15 pages)

The Equation of State and Petrogenesis of Komatiite

(1) Equation of State of Komatiite

The equation of state (EOS) of a molten komatiite (27 wt% MgO) was detennined in the 5 to 36 GPa pressure range via shock wave compression from 1550°C and 0 bar. Shock wave velocity, U_S, and particle velocity, U_P, in km/s follow the linear relationship U_S = 3.13(±0.03) + 1.47(±0.03) U_P. Based on a calculated density at 1550°C, 0 bar of 2.745±0.005 glee, this U_S-U_P relationship gives the isentropic bulk modulus K_S = 27.0 ± 0.6 GPa, and its first and second isentropic pressure derivatives, K'_S = 4.9 ± 0.1 and K"_S = -0.109 ± 0.003 GPa^-1.

The calculated liquidus compression curve agrees within error with the static compression results of Agee and Walker [1988a] to 6 GPa. We detennine that olivine (FO₉₄) will be neutrally buoyant in komatiitic melt of the composition we studied near 8.2 GPa. Clinopyroxene would also be neutrally buoyant near this pressure. Liquidus garnet-majorite may be less dense than this komatiitic liquid in the 20-24 GPa interval, however pyropic-garnet and perovskite phases are denser than this komatiitic liquid in their respective liquidus pressure intervals to 36 GPa. Liquidus perovskite may be neutrally buoyant near 70 GPa.

At 40 GPa, the density of shock-compressed molten komatiite would be approximately equal to the calculated density of an equivalent mixture of dense solid oxide components. This observation supports the model of Rigden et al. [1989] for compressibilities of liquid oxide components. Using their theoretical EOS for liquid forsterite and fayalite, we calculate the densities of a spectrum of melts from basaltic through peridotitic that are related to the experimentally studied komatiitic liquid by addition or subtraction of olivine. At low pressure, olivine fractionation lowers the density of basic magmas, but above 14 GPa this trend is reversed. All of these basic to ultrabasic liquids are predicted to have similar densities at 14 GPa, and this density is approximately equal to the bulk (PREM) mantle. This suggests that melts derived from a peridotitic mantle may be inhibited from ascending from depths greater than 400 km.

The EOS of ultrabasic magmas was used to model adiabatic melting in a peridotitic mantle. If komatiites are formed by >15% partial melting of a peridotitic mantle, then komatiites generated by adiabatic melting come from source regions in the lower transition zone (≈500-670 km) or the lower mantle (>670 km). The great depth of incipient melting implied by this model, and the melt density constraint mentioned above, suggest that komatiitic volcanism may be gravitationally hindered. Although komatiitic magmas are thought to separate from their coexisting crystals at a temperature =200°C greater than that for modern MORBs, their ultimate sources are predicted to be diapirs that, if adiabatically decompressed from initially solid mantle, were more than 700°C hotter than the sources of MORBs and derived from great depth.

We considered the evolution of an initially molten mantle, i.e., a magma ocean. Our model considers the thermal structure of the magma ocean, density constraints on crystal segregation, and approximate phase relationships for a nominally chondritic mantle. Crystallization will begin at the core-mantle boundary. Perovskite buoyancy at > 70 GPa may lead to a compositionally stratified lower mantle with iron-enriched mangesiowiistite content increasing with depth. The upper mantle may be depleted in perovskite components. Olivine neutral buoyancy may lead to the formation of a dunite septum in the upper mantle, partitioning the ocean into upper and lower reservoirs, but this septum must be permeable.

(2) Viscosity Measurement with Shock Waves

We have examined in detail the analytical method for measuring shear viscosity from the decay of perturbations on a corrugated shock front The relevance of initial conditions, finite shock amplitude, bulk viscosity, and the sensitivity of the measurements to the shock boundary conditions are discussed. The validity of the viscous perturbation approach is examined by numerically solving the second-order Navier-Stokes equations. These numerical experiments indicate that shock instabilities may occur even when the Kontorovich-D'yakov stability criteria are satisfied. The experimental results for water at 15 GPa are discussed, and it is suggested that the large effective viscosity determined by this method may reflect the existence of ice VII on the Rayleigh path of the Hugoniot This interpretation reconciles the experimental results with estimates and measurements obtained by other means, and is consistent with the relationship of the Hugoniot with the phase diagram for water. Sound waves are generated at 4.8 MHz at in the water experiments at 15 GPa. The existence of anelastic absorption modes near this frequency would also lead to large effective viscosity estimates.

(3) Equation of State of Molybdenum at 1400°C

Shock compression data to 96 GPa for pure molybdenum, initially heated to 1400°C, are presented. Finite strain analysis of the data gives a bulk modulus at 1400°C, K'_S. of 244±2 GPa and its pressure derivative, K'_OS of 4. A fit of shock velocity to particle velocity gives the coefficients of U_S = C_O+S U_P to be C_O = 4.77±0.06 km/s and S = 1.43±0.05. From the zero pressure sound speed, C_O, a bulk modulus of 232±6 GPa is calculated that is consistent with extrapolation of ultrasonic elasticity measurements. The temperature derivative of the bulk modulus at zero pressure, θK_OSθT|_P, is approximately -0.012 GPa/K. A thermodynamic model is used to show that the thermodynamic Grüneisen parameter is proportional to the density and independent of temperature. The Mie-Grüneisen equation of state adequately describes the high temperature behavior of molybdenum under the present range of shock loading conditions.

On the methods of determining size/weight characteristics of food organisms of fish. (Determination of the length of Copepoda in larval stages by egg-laying females of the free living freshwater Copepoda). [Translation from: Voprosy Ikhtiologii 14, 182-194, 1960. ]

As is known, copepods play an important role in the nutrition of fish. Therefore with a view to facilitating research on the study of the quantitative side of feeding, there have recently appeared a considerable number of papers devoted to the development of methods for determining the wet. weight of these crustaceans. For the further facilitating of research in the nutrition of fish it would be of great interest to clarify the problem, is there not some kind of rule in the growth of the crustaceans during metamorphosis, and if there is such a rule is it not possible, to determine the length of the larvae at each stage, not by measuring them, but by using the formulae derived on the basis of these rules. This article examines the growth curves of different species of freshwater Copepoda, obtained on the basis of experimental observations in cultures or by way of measurement of mass material at all stages of development in samples from water-bodies. The authors study in particular the ratio of the mean diameter of the eggs to the mean length of the egg-bearing females.

Fish zoning of some watercourses in Normandy [Translation from: Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung fuer Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie 18, 1135-1146, 1972]

The identification of fish zones in western and central Europe has been the objective some major studies. This paper concerns a stream in Normandy specially studied by the author in 1969 and 1970 in the framework of a study on the role of the mean temperature in fish zoning. The paper propounds the comparative study of the morphodynamic and occasionally physico-chemical characteristics, as well as the results of previous sampling by electric fishing of the fish populations of two other streams of the higher Cretaceous layer and supplied by ”chalky” water in Normandy and Picardy.

Current status of the fish stocks of Lake Victoria (Uganda)

A total of 457 hauls were taken during experimental bottom trawl surveys in the Uganda sector of Lake Victoria between November 1997 and June 1999 to estimate composition, distribution and abundance of the major fish species in waters 4-60 m deep. Fifteen fish groups were caught with Nile perch, Lates niloticus (L.), constituting 94% by weight. Haplochromines and L. niloticus occurred in all areas sampled, while Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) and other tilapiines were restricted to waters 30 m deep or less. The mean trawl catch rate in the zone where artisanal fishermen operate (i.e. in waters less deep than 30 m was 165 kg hr, of which 93.6% comprised L. niloticus. Species diversity and relative abundance decreased with increasing water depth.

The fish populations of the River Avon, Hampshire, downstream of Salisbury, in 1987

The objective of this study is to describe the present statu s of the coarse fish populations of the River Avon, Hampshire. The study arose from a widespread concern among anglers and riparian owners that fish numbers had decreased since the early 1970's, and from a scarcity of accurate information on population densities on which to assess this complaint. It was realised at the outset that, without such information from earlier years, the survey would not reveal the extent of any decline in the fisheries. The result s of the survey are compared with available data from other rivers , chiefly the nearby R. Frome and R. Stour. They may be used to assess any futur e changes in population densities and growth rates, and to indicate promising areas for future research. The data were collected from a quantitative survey of twelve river sections along the fifty kilometres of river between Salisbury and Sopley, and a qualitative survey of three weir pools within the same area from 14 September to 9 October, 1987.

Solid-state NMR study of bioactive binary borosilicate glasses

A series of binary borosilicate glasses prepared by the sol-gel method are shown to be bioactive. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and trimethylborate (TMB) in acidic medium are used to prepare xB(2)O(3)center dot(1-x)SiO2 glass systems for x = 0.045-0.167. The formation of a layer of apatite-like mineral on the glass surface becomes apparent after soaking in simulated body fluid for 48 h. We have measured the B-11-B-11 homonuclear second moments of the borosilicate glasses and inferred that no macroscopic phase separation occurred in our glasses. The B-11 chemical shift data also show that the formation of clustered boroxol rings is negligible in our glass system. Although the bioactivity of our borosilicate glasses is less than that of CaO-SiO2 sol-gel glasses, these simple binary systems could be taken as reference glass systems for the search of new bioactive borosilicate glasses. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison between warm-water fish assemblages of Narragansett Bay and those of Long Island Sound waters

Fish species of warmwater origin appear in northeastern U.S. coastal waters in the late summer and remain until late fall when the temperate waters cool. The annual abundance and species composition of warm-water species is highly variable from year to year, and these variables may have effects on the trophic dynamics of this region. To understand this variability, records of warm-water fish occurrence were examined in two neighboring temperate areas, Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound. The most abundant fish species were the same in both areas, and regional abundances peaked in both areas in the middle of September, four weeks after the maximum temperature in the middle of August. On average, abundance of warm-water species increased throughout the years sampled, although this increase can not be said to be exclusively related to temperature. Weekly mean temperatures between the two locations were highly correlated (r= 0.99; P<0.001). The warm-water fish faunas were distinctly different in annual abundances in the two areas for each species by year (1987–2000), and these differences ref lect the variability in the transport processes to temperate estuaries. The results reveal information on the abundance of warm-water fish in relation to trends toward warmer waters in these region

Length-weight relationship of small pelagic fish species of the southeast and South Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone

The length-weight relationship (LWR) parameters of 23 small pelagic fish species (belonging to 13 families) from the south-southeast Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone in 1996 and 1997 are presented. The b values varied between 2.72 and 3.53. The samples for this study were collected during hydroacoustic surveys covering an area of 700 000 square km.

Food consumption/biomass ratios of the pelagic fish community of Lake Malawi/Niassa

An empirical model relating food requirements to morphometric indices of metabolic rate was used to calculate consumption/biomass ratios (Q/B) for 16 species of fish that make the pelagic fish community in Lake Malawi/Niassa. The Q/B/year varied from 3.31 to 9.82, with the large catfish (Dinotopterus nyasensis) having the lowest and a small cyprinid (Engraulicypris sardella) having the highest Q/B ratio. Direct estimates of Q/B for four of the most abundant species, based on analysis of diel feeding patterns, ranged from 4.20 to 24.70; the extreme values in this range representing replicate studies on the same species, the predatory cichlid Rhamphochromis longiceps. Previous studies that indicated exceptionally low Q/B ratios (1.0) in pelagic cichlids from Lake Malawi are not supported by this more recent work.

A comparative survey of the fish populations of 10 West-Midlands meres of SSSI status

This is a comparative survey of the Fish Populations of 10 West-Midlands Mere of Site of Special Scientific Interest Status. The meres of the Shropshire-Cheshire plain (West Midlands) comprise over 60 water bodies. Water quality in the meres ranges from naturally eutrophic to nutrient limited and some of them have received Site of Special Scientific Interest status (SSSIs). This survey was commissioned in order to obtain quantitative information on the fish fauna of selected SSSIs and evaluate the likely impact of fish on other species within the community. The current survey was concerned with 10 of the West Midlands’ meres, a cross section of sites was selected. Sites were widely distributed from Marton Pool in the south-western part of Shropshire to Tabley moat in Chesire. Meres varied in size, depth and nutrient status. All were to be sampled using the methods outlined. The report is divided into different sections for clarity and ease of reference. The materials and methods section provides an outline of the location and status of each mere and information on known fish species present. The results were considered individually and comparatively, relative abundance of fish, species present, their diet, sex, age, parasite burdens and growth. Inter-site comparisons were made using information derived from echo-soundings, growth rate, diet, and species abundance for each site. The final section will be in the form of a general discussion, comparative information from longer term studies, conclusions and recommendations.