Merging effects of vitamin E and C on biological factors, blood characteristics and resistance against thermal stress in rainbow trout (Onchorhyncus mykiss)

This study was conducted to assay the effects of different levels of dietary vitamins C and E on growth indices and survival and resistance against thermal stress of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in pond culture of Marzan abad from December 2011 to February 2011. Seven diets were supplemented. 300 fish with the average weight of 17 g were introduced to ponds for 60 days. The results showed that the highest and the lowest weight gain were in fish fed with diet containing 50 mg/kg vitamin C and E and 0 mg/kg vitamin C and E(control) , respectively. The highest and the lowest Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) were measured in control and diet 50 mg/kg vitamin C and E. There is a significant difference in their treatments (P<0.05). Also, the lowest and highest amount of Weight Gain (WG) were observed in (E) treatment with 165.04% and 117.5% in control, the highest and lowest Specific Growth Rate (SGR), Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER), Condition Factor (CF) was found in control and treatment 50 mg/kg vitamin C and E, respectively(P<0.05). In conclusion vitamin C and E have an important role in enhancement of growth performance and feed efficiency of rainbow trout.The highest red blood cells were found in combined treatments and which the vitamin C was added.The highest RBC were found in E treatment(1.1×104 /mm3) and the lowest one in control (P˂0.05). Counting white blood cells also confirmed highest quantity in combined treatments with (69.83×104/mm3) and the lowest one (28.83×104 /mm3) in control. In conclusion these vitamins have a significant role in blood characteristics. Meantime, the resistance against termal stress was measured at the end of 60 days by facing fishes into 5 centigrade warmer water so consentration of Cortisol and Glucose measured for this reason.The lowest cortisol amount was measured in E treatment with 188.74 ng/ml and the highest was found in control(P<0.05). There was a significant difference in blood glucose consentration of fishes in F treatment with (78.66 mg/dl) and control with 136 mg/dl as a highest one(P<0.05).

Identification of a putative oocyte-specific small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide C in gibel carp

Previous studies have demonstrated that germinal vesicle of amphibian oocyte contains small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide C (SNRPC). In this study, a putative member of SNRPC was identified from Carassius auratus gibelio oocyte cDNA library. Its full-length cDNA has an open reading frame of 201 nt for encoding a peptide of 66 an, a short 5'-UTR of 19 nt and a long 3'-UTR of 347 nt including a polyadenylation signal and poly- (A) tail, and the deduced amino acid sequence has 47% identity with the C-terminal of the zebrafish small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide C. Western blot analysis revealed its oocyte-specific expression. Immunofluorescence localization indicated that its gene product localized to numerous nucleoli within the oocytes and showed dynamic changes with the nucleoli during oocyte maturation. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis further revealed its constant presence in the oocytes and in the embryos until hatching. The data suggested that the newly identified CagOSNRPC might be a nucleolar protein. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

全球变化背景下科尔沁沙地生态系统C、N循环过程

工业革命以来，由于人口的快速增加和人类活动的强烈干扰（主要包括煤炭、石油等石化燃料的燃烧、化肥生产和使用）导致土地利用/覆被变化、大气CO2浓度升高、N沉降等一系列全球环境变化问题。有关陆地生态系统生物地球化学循环，尤其是陆地生态系统C、N循环及其耦合过程方面的研究成为全球变化科学研究领域的重要内容。 干旱/半干旱地区占地球陆地总面积的1/3。与湿润地区相比较，干旱/半干旱地区生态系统稳定性比较差，往往属于生态脆弱区。因此，全球变化对干旱/半干旱地区生态系统影响更加敏感。科尔沁沙地位于我国北方干旱/半干旱地区，是我国典型的农牧交错区和生态脆弱区。科尔沁沙地是世界上人口密度最高的干旱/半干旱地区之一，人类活动对其影响剧烈。然而，有关科尔沁沙地生态系统C、N元素生物地球化学循环过程对土地利用/覆被变化、N沉降等全球变化响应及其反馈机制的研究非常缺乏。因此，本文以科尔沁沙地退化沙质草地、农田、不同年龄樟子松和杨树人工林等生态系统为对象，开展了造林、模拟N沉降和凋落物管理对生态系统C、N元素循环过程影响的研究。 在科尔沁沙地东南缘，以退化沙质草地、樟子松（Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica）人工林（15、24和30年生）、杨树（Poplus xiaozhuanica）人工林（7、11和15年生）为对象，研究草地转变为林地对生态系统C、N储量影响；以退化草地、榆树疏林草地和32年生樟子松人工林为对象，比较草地造林对土壤C、N循环过程及其土壤微生物性状的影响；以农田和5、10、15年生杨树人工林为对象，研究退耕还林对生态系统C、N储量和循环过程影响；以35年生樟子松人工林为对象，模拟研究N沉降和凋落物管理对生态系统C、N循环过程影响。通过上述研究，得到以下主要结果： （1）草地生态系统总C储量为34.38 Mg ha-1，15、24和30年生樟子松人工林生态系统总C储量分别为43.56、60.45和66.59 Mg ha-1，7、11和15年生杨树人工林生态系统总C储量分别为34.54、48.26和78.77 Mg ha-1；与农田相比，退耕5年的杨树人工林生态系统总C库储量下降13%，而10年和15年杨树人工林分别增加了176%和5倍；随着人工林年龄的增加，地上植被生物量C库储量占生态系统总C库储量的比例逐渐增加，并主要分配在树干。草地生态系统总N库储量为2.54 Mg ha-1，15、24和30年生樟子松人工林生态系统总N库储量分别为1.96、2.10和2.19 Mg ha-1，7、11和15年生杨树人工林生态系统总N库储量分别为2.27、1.84和2.60 Mg ha-1；与农田相比，退耕5年的杨树人工林生态系统总N库储量下降32%，而10年和15年杨树人工林分别增加了47%和76%；农田和草地造林后生态系统N储量依然主要分配在土壤中。 （2）草地和农田造林后土壤C、N库储量的变化受多因子的影响，例如林龄、树种种类以及立地条件等。农田和草地造林初期，土壤C、N库储量表现出下降趋势，随着林龄的增加，土壤C、N储量逐渐恢复。草地营造樟子松人工林30年后，0–60 cm���度土壤C、N储量依然显著低于草地；与草地相比，15年生杨树人工林土壤C、N储量差异不显著。在立地条件较好的情况下，10年杨树人工林土壤C、N储量已显著高于农田；然而，在立地条件相对较差的情况下，15年杨树人工林土壤C、N储量仍然与农田相比差异不显著。 （3）土地利用变化能够强烈地改变土壤C、N循环过程。与草地或疏林草地相比，32年生樟子松人工林土壤C、N、P含量显著降低；土壤C、N矿化过程发生显著变化，并且受季节变化的影响；在不同季节，土壤微生物量碳含量、代谢熵（qCO2）、微生物熵（MBC/TOC）以及土壤酶活性等在不同土地利用条件下表现出规律不一致。同样，农田退耕杨树人工林能够显著影响土壤C、N矿化过程，土壤无机氮（铵态氮+硝态氮）含量，土壤微生物量碳含量以及土壤微生物活性。草地造林在一定程度上导致土壤质量下降。而农田造林有利于土壤质量改善，尤其在在立地条件较好情况下。 （4）N添加增加对沙地樟子松人工林地上和地下C、N元素含量影响不大；N添加1年后，仅林下植被C、N含量显著增加，高氮处理（N15）凋落物N含量显著增加。N添加抑制了沙地樟子松人工林凋落物的早期分解和N、P元素释放。5、6、8和9月份土壤无机N含量均随着N输入增加表现出一定程度的增加，然而，7月份N添加导致土壤无机N含量降低。N添加对土壤潜在N矿化速率影响不显著。7和8月份N添加影响土壤C矿化速率，而其它月份影响不显著。低氮处理（N5）有利于增加土壤微生物量碳含量，而高氮处理（N15）在一定程度上降低土壤微生物量碳含量。 （5）凋落物输入变化（凋落物添加和凋落物移出）在一定程度上改变了35年生沙地樟子松人工林生态系统C、N循环过程。凋落物移出（C0）增加了林下植被C含量，降低了树木叶片N含量。凋落物移出抑制了凋落物分解和P元素的释放，而增加了C元素的早期释放速率，对N元素释放过程影响不显著。凋落物输入变化对不同月份土壤无机N含量和土壤N矿化过程影响均不显著。仅在6月份凋落物移出显著抑制了土壤C矿化速率，其它月份差异均不显著。凋落物管理对土壤微生物量碳含量影响不显著。 以上研究结果表明，土地利用变化、N沉降和凋落物输入改变等能够影响半干旱地区沙地生态系统C、N储量和循环过程。尤其是土地利用变化强烈改变沙地生态系统C、N储量、分配格局和循环过程，并且受到多因子的影响。科尔沁沙地樟子松人工林生态系统C、N元素生物地球化学循环存在密切的耦合关系。今后有必要进一步结合3S技术、同位素技术、模型模拟以及分子生物学技术等，从微观-宏观不同尺度上，研究半干旱地区沙地生态系统C、N循环过程对全球变化的响应及其反馈机制。

Direct electrochemistry behavior of Cytochrome c on silicon dioxide nanoparticles-modified electrode

A newfangled direct electrochemistry behavior of Cytochrome c (Cyt c) was found on glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with the silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles by physical adsorption. A pair of stable and well-defined redox peaks of Cyt c ' quasi-reversible electrochemical reaction were obtained with a heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant of 1.66 x 10(-3) cm/s and a formal potential of 0.069 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) (0.263 V versus NHE) in 0.1 mol/L pH 6.8 PBS. Both the size and the amount of SiO2 nanoparticles could influence the electron transfer between Cyt c and the electrode. Electrostatic interaction which is between the negative nanoparticle surface and positively charged amino acid residues on the Cyt c surface is of importance for the stability and reproducibility toward the direct electron transfer of Cyt c. It is suggested that the modification of SiO2 nanoparticles proposes a novel approach to realize the direct electrochemistry of proteins.

High-pressure sintering study of a novel hard material (W0.5Al0.5)C-0.5 without binder metal

A novel hard material of (W0.5Al0.5)C-0.5 has been successfully sintered under high-pressure (4.5 GPa). The influence of sintering time and temperature on the microstructure, Vickers microhardness and density of the as-prepared specimens are well described. Interestingly, sintering temperature has an amazing influence on the hardness, density and microstructure of the specimen while the sintering time does not. It is found that the most suitable sintering condition from our work is 1600 degrees C and 10 min under pressure of 4.5 GPa. The hardness and relative density of the as-prepared sample can reach 2340 kg mm(-2) and 98.62%, respectively. The cell parameters of the sintered specimen is found to be little smaller than that of the powder, which we propose is related to the high pressure.

Microstructure analysis of nylon 66 by WAXD and SAXS

The analysis of the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data was based upon particle characteristic function, one-dimensional electron-density correlation function and particle distribution function. The microstructure of nylon 66 with different degrees of crystallinity was studied by means of X-ray scattering method. The radius of gyration R-g, the Porod radius R-p, the thickness of crystalline region L-c the thickness of non-crystalline region L-n, the thickness of interphase region d(tr), the long period L, the semiaxises of particles (a, a, b), the distribution of the particle sizes and the scattering invariant were calculated. The results indicate that there was a significant interphase region between the crystalline region and the non-crystalline region. and its content (W-t,W-x) should not be neglected in comparison with that of crystalline region W-c,W-x. The morphology of nylon 66 prepared by isothermal crystallization at a high temperature was mainly a lamellar structure, while the spherical crystals dominated in the quenched sample. The size of the particles in the quenched sample was smaller than that of those in the isothermally crystallized sample. and the distribution of the particle sizes in the isothermally crystallized sample was wider.

Crystallization and melting behavior of nylon 66 poly(ether imide) blends

Isothermal crystallization and melting behavior of nylon 66 and its blends with poly(ether imide) (PEI) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. Crystallization kinetics such as overall rate constant Z and index n were calculated according to Avrami approach. Crystallization in the blend was retarded with respect to that of pure nylon 66 by incorporation of PEI with high glass transition temperature (T-g). The lowest growth rate of the spherulites was observed in the blends containing 10 and 15 wt% fraction of PEI. A transition temperature where positively birefringent spherulites disappear and negative birefringent spherulites develop was measured by thermal analysis. The transition temperature increased with content of PEI in the blends. A suitable range of isothermally crystallization temperatures, 238.5-246 degrees C, is suggested For determining the equilibrium melting points by means of Hoffman-Weeks approach.

Tremolite-reinforced nylon 66 composites: Mechanical and rheological properties

The reinforcement effect of an acicular inorganic filler, tremolite, on nylon 66 was studied. The mechanical properties of tremolite-filled nylon 66 composites and the effect of the filler particle size on them were obtained. The dynamic mechanical properties and rheological properties of the composites were measured. Two treatments, silane and unsaturated polyester, were used to improve the interface between tremolite and the nylon matrix. The morphologies of the composites were investigated using SEM. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Cloning and characterization of a novel C-type lectin from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri

C-type lectin is a family of Ca2+ dependent carbohydrate-recognition proteins which play crucial roles in the innate immunity of invertebrates by mediating the recognition of host cells to pathogens and clearing microinvaders as a pattern recognition protein (PRP). The cDNA of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri C-type lectin (designated CFLec-1) was cloned by expressed sequence tag (EST) and RACE techniques. The full-length cDNA of CFLec-1 was 1785 bp, consisting of a 5'-terminal untranslated region (UTR) of 66 bp and an unusually long 3' UTR of 1040 bp with seven polyadenylation signal sequences AATAAA and a poly(A) tail. The CFLec-1 cDNA encoded a polypeptide of 221 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 15 amino acid residues and a mature protein of 206 amino acids. Analysis of the protein domain features indicated a typical long-form carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) of 130 residues in the CFLec-1 deduced amino acid sequence. The expression pattern of CFLec-1 transcripts in healthy and bacterial challenged scallops was studied by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. mRNA transcripts of CFLec-1 could be mainly detected in the tissues of haemocytes, gill, gonad and mantle of unchallenged scallops, whereas the expression of CFLec-1 transcripts was increased in all the tested tissues after heat-killed Vibrio anguillarum challenge. The temporal expression of CFLec-1 mRNA in haemolymph challenged by Micrococcus luteus and V anguillarum was both up-regulated and reached the maximum level at 8 and 16 It post stimulation, respectively, and then dropped back to the original level. In order to investigate its immune functions, CFLec- I was recombined and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)-pLysS as a fusion protein with thioredoxin. The recombinant CFLec-1 agglutinated bacteria E. coli JM109 in vitro, and the agglutination was Ca2+ dependent which could be inhibited by EDTA. But it did not agglutinate M. luteus, Candida lipolytica and animal erythrocytes including rabbit, rat, mouse, chicken, human group A, human group B, human group O. Meanwhile, the recombinant CFLec-1 could inhibit the growth of both E. coli JM 109 and M. luteus, but no inhibition activity against V anguillarum. These result indicated that CFLec-1 was a constitutive and inducible PRP which was involved in the reorganization and clearance of invaders in scallop. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Series-L/parallel-tuned comparison with shunt-C/series-tuned class-E power amplifier

An analysis of the operation of a series-L/parallel-tuned class-E amplifier and its equivalence to the classic shunt-C/series-tuned class-E amplifier are presented. The first reported closed form design equations for the series-L/parallel-tuned topology operating under ideal switching conditions are given. Furthermore, a design procedure is introduced that allows the effect that nonzero switch resistance has on amplifier performance efficiency to be accounted for. The technique developed allows optimal circuit components to be found for a given device series resistance. For a relatively high value of switching device ON series resistance of 4O, drain efficiency of around 66% for the series-L/parallel-tuned topology, and 73% for the shunt-C/series-tuned topology appear to be the theoretical limits. At lower switching device series resistance levels, the efficiency performance of each type are similar, but the series-L/parallel-tuned topology offers some advantages in terms of its potential for MMIC realisation. Theoretical analysis is confirmed by numerical simulation for a 500mW (27dBm), 10% bandwidth, 5 V series-L/parallel-tuned, then, shunt-C/series-tuned class E power amplifier, operating at 2.5 GHz, and excellent agreement between theory and simulation results is achieved. The theoretical work presented in the paper should facilitate the design of high-efficiency switched amplifiers at frequencies commensurate with the needs of modern mobile wireless applications in the microwave frequency range, where intrinsically low-output-capacitance MMIC switching devices such as pHEMTs are to be used.

Ultra-deep sequencing provides insights into the virology of hepatitis C super-infections in a case of three sequential infections with different genotypes

The current epidemic of Hepatitis C infection in HIV-positive men who have sex with men is associated with increasing use of recreational drugs. Multiple HCV infections have been reported in haemophiliacs and intravenous drug users. Using ultra-deep sequencing analysis, we present the case of an HIV-positive MSM with evidence of three sequential HCV infections, each occurring during the acute phase of the preceding infection, following risk exposures. We observed rapid replacement of the original strain by the incoming genotype at subsequent time points. The impact of HCV super-infection remains unclear and UDS may provide new insights.

IFN stimulated gene expression in the liver is a better predictor of treatment response in chronic hepatitis c than the IL28b (IFN lambda 3) genotype

Background: Therapy of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with pegIFNa/ribavirin achieves sustained virologic response (SVR) in ~55%. Pre-activation of the endogenous interferon system in the liver is associated non-response (NR). Recently, genome-wide association studies described associations of allelic variants near the IL28B (IFNλ3) gene with treatment response and with spontaneous clearance of the virus. We investigated if the IL28B genotype determines the constitutive expression of IFN stimulated genes (ISGs) in the liver of patients with CHC. Methods: We genotyped 93 patients with CHC for 3 IL28B single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, rs12979860, rs8099917, rs12980275), extracted RNA from their liver biopsies and quantified the expression of IL28B and of 8 previously identified classifier genes which discriminate between SVR and NR (IFI44L, RSAD2, ISG15, IFI22, LAMP3, OAS3, LGALS3BP and HTATIP2). Decision tree ensembles in the form of a random forest classifier were used to calculate the relative predictive power of these different variables in a multivariate analysis. Results: The minor IL28B allele (bad risk for treatment response) was significantly associated with increased expression of ISGs, and, unexpectedly, with decreased expression of IL28B. Stratification of the patients into SVR and NR revealed that ISG expression was conditionally independent from the IL28B genotype, i.e. there was an increased expression of ISGs in NR compared to SVR irrespective of the IL28B genotype. The random forest feature score (RFFS) identified IFI27 (RFFS = 2.93), RSAD2 (1.88) and HTATIP2 (1.50) expression and the HCV genotype (1.62) as the strongest predictors of treatment response. ROC curves of the IL28B SNPs showed an AUC of 0.66 with an error rate (ERR) of 0.38. A classifier with the 3 best classifying genes showed an excellent test performance with an AUC of 0.94 and ERR of 0.15. The addition of IL28B genotype information did not improve the predictive power of the 3-gene classifier. Conclusions: IL28B genotype and hepatic ISG expression are conditionally independent predictors of treatment response in CHC. There is no direct link between altered IFNλ3 expression and pre-activation of the endogenous system in the liver. Hepatic ISG expression is by far the better predictor for treatment response than IL28B genotype.