The storage of red snapper (Lutjanus spp.) in ice, chilled sea water and chilled fresh water

The results are given of trials conducted to determine the effect on quality of holding fish (Lutjanus species) in chilled freshwater and also to compare the quality loss of fish stored in chilled seawater and chilled freshwater and in ice. No adverse effects were observed when storing in chilled freshwater apart from loss of external appearance after 6 days storage; taste panel tests showed acceptable conditions up to 15 days. Chilled seawater is unsuitable for storage as it spoils the intake of salt from the medium, making the flesh unpalatable.

Phylogenomic study of the subfamily Caprinae by cross-species chromosome painting with Chinese muntjac paints

Chromosomal homologies have been established between the Chinese muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi, MRE, 2n = 46) and five ovine species: wild goat (Capra aegagrus, CAE, 2n = 60), argall (Ovis ammon, OAM, 2n = 56), snow sheep (Ovis nivicola, ONI, 2n = 52), red goral (Naemorhedus cranbrooki, NCR, 2n = 56) and Sumatra serow (Capricornis sumatraensis, CSU, 2n = 48) by chromosome painting with a set of chromosome-specific probes of the Chinese muntjac. In total, twenty-two Chinese muntjac autosomal painting probes detected thirty-five homologous segments in the genome of each species. The chromosome X probe hybridized to the whole X chromosomes of all ovine species while the chromosome Y probe gave no signal. Our results demonstrate that almost all homologous segments defined by comparative painting show a high degree of conservation in G-banding patterns and that each speciation event is accompanied by specific chromosomal rearrangements. The combined analysis of our results and previous cytogenetic and molecular systematic results enables us to map the chromosomal rearrangements onto a phylogenetic tree, thus providing new insights into the karyotypic evolution of these species.

A single amino acid defines cross-species reactivity of tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) CD1d to human invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells

P>The non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule CD1d presents lipid antigens to invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, which are an important part of the innate immune system. CD1d/iNKT systems are highly conserved in evoluti

Expression pattern, cellular localization and promoter activity analysis of ovarian aromatase (Cyp19a1a) in protogynous hermaphrodite red-spotted grouper

Aromatase plays a key role in sex differentiation of gonads. In this study, we cloned the full-length cDNA of ovarian aromatase from protogynous hermaphrodite red-spotted grouper (Epinephelus akaara), and prepared the corresponding anti-EaCyp19a1a antiserum. Western blot and immunofluorescence studies revealed ovary-specific expression pattern of EaCyp19a1a in adults and its dynamic expression change during artificial sex reversal. EaCyp19a1a was expressed by follicular cells of follicular layer around oocytes because strong EaCyp19a1a immunofluorescence was observed in the cells of ovaries. During artificial sex reversal, EaCyp19a1a expression dropped significantly from female to male, and almost no any positive EaCyp19a1a signal was observed in testicular tissues. Then, we cloned and sequenced a total of 1967 bp T-flanking sequence of EaCyp19a1a promoter, and showed a number of potential binding sites for some transcriptional factors, such as SOX5, GATA gene family, CREB, AP1, FOXL1, C/EBP, ARE and SF-1. Moreover, we prepared a series of 5' deletion promoter constructs and performed in vitro luciferase assays of EaCyp19a1a promoter activities. The data indicated that the CREB regulation region from -1010 to -898 might be a major cis-acting element to EaCyp19a1a promoter, whereas the elements GATA and SOX5 in the region from -1216 to -1010 might be suppression elements. Significantly, we found a common conserved sequence region in the fish ovary-type aromatase promoters with identities from 93% to 34%. And, the motifs of TATA box, SF-1, SOX5, and CREB existed in the region and were conserved among the most of fish species. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of a novel gene K23 over-expressed in fish cross-subfamily cloned embryos

A novel gene-K23, differentially expressed in cross-subfamily cloned embryos, was isolated by RACE-PCR technique. It had 2580 base pairs (bp) in length, with a 1,425 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative protein of 474 amino acids (aa). Bioinformatic analysis indicated that K23 had 22 phosphorylation sites, but it had no signal peptides. Developmental expression analysis in zebrafish showed that K23 transcripts were maternally expressed in ovum and the amount of K23 transcripts increased gradually from zygote to pharyngula period. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that K23 protein was homogeneously distributed both in nuclei and cytoplasm. Taken together, our findings indicate that K23 gene is a novel gene differentially expressed in fish cross-subfamily cloned embryos.

Peridiniopsis niei sp nov (Dinophyceae), a new species of freshwater red tide dinoflagellates from China

A new freshwater phototrophic species of the dinoflagellate genus Peridiniopsis, P. niei sp. nov., is described based on morphology. The new species appeared during spring with densities up to 1.48 x 10(7) cells L-1 in some tributaries and gullies of Three Gorge Reservoir and Lake Donghu, China, forming red tides. Peridiniopsis niei is a cyst-producing freshwater dinoflagellate that belongs to the group Penardii. The plate tabulation is po+x+4 '+0a+6 ''+5c+5s+5 '''+2 '''' and the plate pattern is symmetric. The cells of P. niei are pentagonal in ventral view, the epitheca is larger than the hypotheca, making up about 2/3 the length of the cell. Plate 3 ' is hexangular. The closest species to P. niei is P. penardii (Lemmermann) Bourrelly, but cells of the former are pentagonal, very compressed dorsoventrally, and the hypotheca is truncated with one transparent, robust spine on each antapical plate.

Codoping of magnesium with oxygen in gallium nitride nanowires

Codoping of p-type GaN nanowires with Mg and oxygen was investigated using first-principles calculations. The Mg becomes a deep acceptor in GaN nanowires with high ionization energy due to the quantum confinement. The ionization energy of Mg doped GaN nanowires containing passivated Mg-O complex decreases with increasing the diameter, and reduces to 300 meV as the diameter of the GaN nanowire is larger than 2.01 nm, which indicates that Mg-O codoping is suitable for achieving p-type GaN nanowires with larger diameters. The codoping method to reduce the ionization energy can be effectively used in other semiconductor nanostructures. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Analysis of lateral current spreading in solar cell devices by spatially-resolved electroluminescence

Spatially-resolved electroluminescence (EL) images from solar cells contain information of local current distribution. By theoretical analysis of the EL intensity distribution, the current density distribution under a certain current bias and the sheet resistance can be obtained quantitatively. Two-dimensional numerical simulation of the current density distribution is employed to a GaInP cell, which agrees very well with the experimental results. A reciprocity theorem for current spreading is found and used to interpret the EL images from the viewpoint of current extraction. The optimization of front electrodes is discussed based on the results. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3431390]

Room-temperature, ground-state lasing for red-emitting vertically aligned InAlAs/AlGaAs quantum dots grown on a GaAs(100) substrate

The effect of the growth temperature on the properties of InAlAs/AlGaAs quantum dots grown on GaAs(100) substrates is investigated. The optical efficiency and structural uniformity are improved by increasing the growth temperature from 530 to 560 degreesC. The improvements of InAlAs/AlGaAs quantum-dot characteristics could be explained by suppressing the incorporation of oxygen and the formation of group-III vacancies. Furthermore, edge-emitting laser diodes with six quantum-dot layers grown at 560 degreesC have been fabricated. Lasing occurs via the ground state at 725 nm, with a room-temperature threshold current density of 3.9 kA/cm(2), significantly better than previously reported values for this quantum-dot systems. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Dispersion characteristics of nanometer-scaled silicon rib waveguides

We investigate the dispersion properties of nanometer-scaled silicon waveguides with channel and rib cross section around the optical fiber communication wavelength and systematically study their relationship with the key structural parameters of the waveguide. The simulation results show that the introduction of an extra degree of freedom in the rib depth enables the rib waveguide more flexible in engineering the group velocity dispersion (GVD) compared with the channel waveguide. Besides, we get the structural parameters of the waveguides that can realize zero-GVD at 1550 nm.

Effect of cryoprotectants on hatching rate of red seabream (Pagrus major) embryos

The objectives were to investigate the effect of cryoprotectants on the hatching rate of red seabream embryos. Heart-beat embryos were immersed in: five permeable cryoprotectants, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), glycerol (Gly), methanol (MeOH), 1,2-propylene glycol (PG), and ethylene glycol (EG). in concentrations of 5-30% for 10, 30, or 60 min; and two non-permeable cryoprotectants: polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and sucrose (in concentrations of 5-20% for 10 or 30 min). The embryos were then washed and incubated in filtered seawater until hatching occurred. The hatching rate of the embryos treated with permeable cryoprotectants decreased (P < 0.05) with increased concentration and duration of exposure. In addition, PG was the least toxic permeable cryoprotectant, followed by DMSO and EG, whereas Gly and MeOH were the most toxic. At a concentration of 15% and 30 min exposure, the hatching rate of the embryos immersed in PG was 93.3 +/- 7.0% (mean +/- S.D.), however. in DMSO. EG, Gly. and MeOH, it was 82.7 +/- 10.4, 22.0 +/- 5.7, 0.0 +/- 0.0, and 0.0 +/- 0.0%, respectively. Hatching rate of embryos treated with PVP decreased (P < 0.05) with the increase of concentration and exposure time, whereas for embryos treated with sucrose, there was no significant decrease in comparison with the control at the concentrations used. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High power red-light GaInP/AlGaInP laser diodes with nonabsorbing windows based on Zn diffusion-induced quantum well intermixing

The layer structure of GaInP/AlGaInP quantum well laser diodes (LDs) was grown on GaAs substrate using low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) technique. In order to improve the catastrophic optical damage (COD) level of devices, a nonabsorbing window (NAW), which was based on Zn diffusion-induced quantum well intermixing, was fabricated near the both ends of the cavities. Zn diffusions were respectively carried out at 480, 500, 520, 540, and 580 Celsius degree for 20 minutes. The largest energy blue shift of 189.1 meV was observed in the window regions at 580 Celsius degree. When the blue shift was 24.7 meV at 480 Celsius degree, the COD power for the window LD was 86.7% higher than the conventional LD.

The two- to three-dimensional growth transition of InAs/GaAs epitaxy layer studied by reflectance difference spectroscopy

In this work, we have adopted reflectance difference spectroscopy to study the evolution of InAs layer grown at different temperatures in GaAs matrix. Associated with the two- to three-dimensional growth transition of InAs layer, the transition energies and the in-plane optical anisotropy of InAs wetting layer exhibit abrupt changes. This provides a new way to decide the critical thickness h(c) for the growth transition. The obtained h(c)s are compared with those determined by atomic force microscope measurement, and discrepancy is found at high temperatures. The origin of the difference is clarified and the variations in hc with temperature are further discussed. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3494043]

Structure and properties of InAs/AlAs quantum dots for broadband emission

The InAs quantum dots (QDs) on an AlAs layer are grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy technique. The properties of materials and optics of such QD structures have been investigated by cross sectional transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. It is discovered that the inhomogeneous strain filed mainly exists below InAs QDs layers in the case of no wetting layer. The full width at half maximums (FWHMs) and intensities of PL emission peaks of InAs QDs are found to be closely related to the thickness of the thin AlAs layers. The InAs QDs on an eight monolayer AlAs layer, with wide FWHMs and large integral intensity of PL emission peaks, are favorable for producing broadband QD superluminescent diodes, external-cavity QD laser with large tuning range.