Breeding biology and monosex male seed production of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) strain of Oreochromis niloticus L. in Bangladesh

A study on the breeding biology of the GIFT strain of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, was conducted for a period of five months. The sex ratio of the parent individuals was optimized for performance in spawn production, where the best results were obtained with a sex ratio of female to male of 4:1 compared to those of 3:1 and 2:1. The diameter of eggs obtained from the GIFT stock had major and minor axes of 2.19±0.09 and 1.72±0.07 mm, respectively, with no significant differences between the treatments. The average number of eggs produced was 392±22 per female, with fertilization and hatching rates ranging between 94-96% and 85-88%, respectively. No significant variation was observed between the treatments. Breeding frequencies per female in the three treatment groups ranged between 10-40 days and the highest value was obtained at a female to male sex ratio of 4: l. In an other experiment, l7 aMethyltestosterone (MT) was applied orally to the fry at their first feeding stage with treatments- 1, 2, 3 and 4 at the dosage of 100, 80, 60 and 40 mg/kg feed respectively, for the period of 28 days. The mean percentage of males obtained in treatments, 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 98, 97, 95 and 68, respectively. Treatments-1, 2 and 3 did not differ significantly (P>0.05) from each other but treatment 4 showed significant variation (P<0.05) from other treatments. The results showed that MT-100, 80 and 60 mg/kg feed administered for 28 days produced close to cent percent male population of the GIFT strains in aquaria.

Pulsed field magnetization of a high temperature superconducting motor

As we known, the high temperature (77 K) superconducting (HTS) motor is considered as a competitive electrical machine by more and more people. There have been various of designs for HTS motor in the world. However, most of them focus on HTS tapes rather than bulks. Therefore, in order to investigate possibility of HTS bulks on motor application, a HTS magnet synchronous motor which has 75 pieces of YBCO bulks surface mounted on the rotor has been designed and developed in Cambridge University. After pulsed field magnetization (PFM) process, the rotor can trap a 4 poles magnetic field of 375 mT. The magnetized rotor can provide a maximum torque of 49.5 Nm and a maximum power of 7.8 kW at 1500 rpm. © 2010 IEEE.

Phylogeny of the bears (Ursidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial genes

The taxomic classification and phylogenetic relationships within the bear family remain argumentative subjects in recent years. Prior investigation has been concentrated on the application of different mitochondrial (mt) sequence data, herein we employ tw

Phylogenetic studies of pantherine cats (Felidae) based on multiple genes, with novel application of nuclear beta-fibrinogen intron 7 to carnivores

The pantherine lineage of the cat family Felidae (order: Carnivora) includes five big cats of genus Panthera and a great many midsized cats known worldwide. Presumably because of their recent and rapid radiation, the evolutionary relationship among pantherines remains ambiguous. We provide an independent assessment of the evolutionary history of pantherine lineage using two complete mitochondrial (mt) genes (ND2 and ND4) and the nuclear beta-fibrmogen intron 7 gene, whose utility in carnivoran phylogeny was first explored. The available four mt (ND5, cytb, 12S, and 16SrRNA) and two nuclear (IRBP and TTR) sequence loci were also combined to reconstruct phylogeny of 14 closely related cat species. Our analyses of combined mt data (six genes; approximate to 3750 bp) and combined mt and nuclear data (nine genes; approximate to 6500 bp) obtained identical tree topologies, which were well-resolved and strongly supported for almost all nodes. Monophyly of Panthera genus in pantherine lineage was confirmed and interspecific affinities within this genus revealed a novel branching pattern, with P. tigris diverging first in Panthera genus, followed by P. onca, P. leo, and last two sister species P. pardus and P. uncia. In addition, close association of Neofelis nebulosa to Panthera, the phylogenetic redefinition of Otocolobus manil within the domestic cat group, and the relatedness of Acinonyx jubatus and Puma concolor were all important findings in the resulting phylogenies. The potential utilities of nine different genes for phylogenetic resolution of closely related pantherine species were also evaluated, with special interest in that of the novel nuclear beta-fibrinogen intron 7. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A mitogenomic perspective on the ancient, rapid radiation in the Galliformes with an emphasis on the Phasianidae

Background: The Galliformes is a well-known and widely distributed Order in Aves. The phylogenetic relationships of galliform birds, especially the turkeys, grouse, chickens, quails, and pheasants, have been studied intensively, likely because of their close association with humans. Despite extensive studies, convergent morphological evolution and rapid radiation have resulted in conflicting hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships. Many internal nodes have remained ambiguous. Results: We analyzed the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes from 34 galliform species, including 14 new mt genomes and 20 published mt genomes, and obtained a single, robust tree. Most of the internal branches were relatively short and the terminal branches long suggesting an ancient, rapid radiation. The Megapodiidae formed the sister group to all other galliforms, followed in sequence by the Cracidae, Odontophoridae and Numididae. The remaining clade included the Phasianidae, Tetraonidae and Meleagrididae. The genus Arborophila was the sister group of the remaining taxa followed by Polyplectron. This was followed by two major clades: ((((Gallus, Bambusicola) Francolinus) (Coturnix, Alectoris)) Pavo) and (((((((Chrysolophus, Phasianus) Lophura) Syrmaticus) Perdix) Pucrasia) (Meleagris, Bonasa)) ((Lophophorus, Tetraophasis) Tragopan))). Conclusions: The traditional hypothesis of monophyletic lineages of pheasants, partridges, peafowls and tragopans was not supported in this study. Mitogenomic analyses recovered robust phylogenetic relationships and suggested that the Galliformes formed a model group for the study of morphological and behavioral evolution.

Stepwise loss of motilin and its specific receptor genes in rodents

Specific interactions among biomolecules drive virtually all cellular functions and underlie phenotypic complexity and diversity. Biomolecules are not isolated particles, but are elements of integrated interaction networks, and play their roles through specific interactions. Simultaneous emergence or loss of multiple interacting partners is unlikely. If one of the interacting partners is lost, then what are the evolutionary consequences for the retained partner? Taking advantages of the availability of the large number of mammalian genome sequences and knowledge of phylogenetic relationships of the species, we examined the evolutionary fate of the motilin (MLN) hormone gene, after the pseudogenization of its specific receptor, MLN receptor (MLNR), on the rodent lineage. We speculate that the MLNR gene became a pseudogene before the divergence of the squirrel and other rodents about 75 mya. The evolutionary consequences for the MLN gene were diverse. While an intact open reading frame for the MLN gene, which appears functional, was preserved in the kangaroo rat, the MLN gene became inactivated independently on the lineages leading to the guinea pig and the common ancestor of the mouse and rat. Gain and loss of specific interactions among biomolecules through the birth and death of genes for biomolecules point to a general evolutionary dynamic: gene birth and death are widespread phenomena in genome evolution, at the genetic level; thus, once mutations arise, a stepwise process of elaboration and optimization ensues, which gradually integrates and orders mutations into a coherent pattern.

The Acquisition of an Inheritable 50-bp Deletion in the Human mtDNA Control Region Does Not Affect the mtDNA Copy Number in Peripheral Blood Cells

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region is believed to play an important biological role in mtDNA replication. Large deletions in this region are rarely found, but when they do occur they might be expected to interfere with the replication of the molecule, thus leading to a reduction of mtDNA copy number. During a survey for mtDNA sequence variations in 5,559 individuals from the general Chinese population and 2,538 individuals with medical disorders, we identified a 50-bp deletion (m.298_347del50) in the mtDNA control region in a member of a healthy Han Chinese family belonging to haplogroup B4c1b2, as suggested by complete mtDNA genome sequencing. This deletion removes the conserved sequence block II (CSBII; region 299-315) and the replication primer location (region 317-321). However, quantification of the mtDNA copy number in this subject showed a value within a range that was observed in 20 healthy subjects without the deletion. The deletion was detected in the hair samples of the maternal relatives of the subject and exhibited variable heteroplasmy. Our current observation, together with a recent report for a benign 154-bp deletion in the mtDNA control region, suggests that the control of mtDNA replication may be more complex than we had thought. Hum Mutat 31:538-543, 2010. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

S-DABO 类衍生物及AZT-氟喹喏酮类偶联物体外抗HIV 活性及机制研究

本论文由2 个相对独立的部分组成: S-DABO 类衍生物体外抗HIV 活性及 其机制研究和AZT－氟喹喏酮类偶联物体外抗HIV-1 活性及其机制研究。 HIV 逆转录酶抑制剂一直是抗HIV 药物研发的热点。该类抑制剂靶定在病 毒复制周期早期，为HAART 疗法提供了很多新的药物组合。目前FDA 批准上 市的逆转录酶抑制剂虽然有很多，但由于较严重的毒副作用、HIV 病毒易变异、 耐药性的出现等问题还需要开发更多的新的逆转录酶抑制剂。本论文对23 个 S-DABO 类化合物和8 个AZT－氟喹喏酮类偶联物的体外抗HIV 活性进行检 测，并对其中活性较高的化合物进行靶点和机制研究。 23 个S-DABO 类化合物采用对C8166 细胞的毒性试验，对HIV-1ⅢB 诱导的 合胞体形成的抑制试验和对HIV-1ⅢB 急性感染的MT-4 细胞的保护试验进行抗 HIV-1 活性初步筛选。试验结果发现所有化合物均对多种HIV 宿主细胞毒性小， 其中22 个化合物具有抗HIV-1 活性，特别是化合物RZK-4 和RZK-5，其对 HIV-1ⅢB 诱导的合胞体形成的SI 值（Selective index）分别为>16666 和>38462； RZK-4 和RZK-5 对HIV-1ⅢB 急性感染的MT-4 细胞的保护的SI 值分别为2666.67 和2150.54，与相应的阳性对照药品NVP（Nevirapine）的SI 值相接近。以p24 抗原水平为指标，对其中20 个化合物的抗HIV-1 活性进行确证，发现这20 个 化合物均能抑制 HIV-1ⅢB p24 抗原的产生，其中RZK-4 和RZK-5 的EC50 值分 别为5.93 和5.74ng/ml，比相应的阳性对照药品NVP（Nevirapine）的EC50 值 要低（27.3ng/ml）。这些化合物对试验株HIV-1MN、临床分离株HIV-1KM018、非 核苷类抑制剂耐药株HIV-1ⅢB A17 也有较好的抑制效果。但这23 个S-DABO 类化合物对HIV-2 病毒株均无抑制作用。通过检测化合物对感染与未感染细胞的 融合的抑制、对HIV-1 逆转录酶和蛋白酶活性的抑制、对慢性感染H9 细胞 （H9/HIV-1ⅢB）中病毒复制的抑制等试验来探讨化合物的抗HIV-1 机制。结果 显示：有20 个化合物对HIV-1 蛋白酶（PR）有抑制作用，其中有17 个化合物 对HIV-1 逆转录酶（RT）有抑制作用；但所有化合物均不能抑制感染与未感染 细胞的融合，也不能抑制慢性感染H9 细胞中病毒的复制。试验结果表明，这 23 个S-DABO 类化合物主要通过抑制HIV-1 逆转录酶来发挥作用，它们是典型 的非核苷类RT 抑制剂。 8 个AZT－氟喹喏酮类偶联物采用对C8166 细胞的毒性试验，对HIV-1ⅢB 诱导的合胞体形成的抑制试验和对HIV-1ⅢB急性感染的MT-4 细胞的保护试验 进行抗HIV-1 活性初步筛选。试验结果发现其中2 个化合物SRLZ 和SROZ 有 较显著的抗HIV-1 活性，其对HIV-1ⅢB诱导的合胞体形成抑制的SI 值分别为 >41667 和>105263；对HIV-1ⅢB 急性感染的MT-4 细胞的保护的SI 值分别为 30162 和 6368，与AZT（Zidothymidine）的SI 值相近似。以p24 抗原水平为 指标，对其抗HIV-1活性进行确证，发现化合物SRLZ和SROZ均能抑制HIV-1ⅢB p24 抗原的产生，其EC50 值分别为 0.71 和2.1ng/ml,比相应的阳性对照药品AZT 的EC50 值要低（3.5ng/ml）。化合物SRLZ 和SROZ 对临床分离株HIV-1KM018 也有较好的抑制活性，其EC50 值分别为1.4 和22ng/ml。通过检测化合物对慢 性感染H9 细胞（H9/HIV-1ⅢB）中病毒复制的抑制试验来探讨化合物的抗HIV-1 机制，结果表明化合物SRLZ 和SROZ 均不能抑制慢性感染H9 细胞中病毒的 复制。通过检测化合物对金黄色葡萄球菌的抑制作用来检测其抗菌活性，化合 物SRLZ 和SROZ 对金黄色葡萄球菌有较好的抑制作用，其MIC（Minimum inhibitory concentration）值分别为14.65 和7.32μg/ml，与其相应的阳性对照药 物的MIC 值相类似。试验结果表明：药物—药物偶连这种化学修饰方法并没有 改变AZT－氟喹喏酮类偶联物的抗HIV 作用靶点，但也没有较大地影响到其体 外抗病毒活性和抗微生物活性。

光动力疗法抑制人免疫缺陷病毒复制的实验研究

通过对人免疫缺陷病毒复制过程的抑制作用研究，探索光动力疗法(PDT)在艾滋病防治中的潜在价值。使 用不同稀释浓度的光敏剂血卟啉单甲醚(HMME)和亚甲蓝(MB)分别与人免疫缺陷病毒HIV一1Ⅲs或宿主细胞 MT4，C8166或H9／HIV-IⅢB孵育2 h。以波长630 nm能量密度0．3 J／cm2的半导体激光进行照射。继续孵育若干 小时后，用噻唑蓝(MTT)比色法检测细胞存活率或合胞体计数，同时收集培养上清液用ELISA法检测HIV-I p24 抗原。结果表明，光动力疗法能显著抑制人免疫缺陷病毒诱导的细胞一细胞融合(HMME-PDT抑制率64．68％， MB-PDT抑制率61．56％)和病毒一细胞融合(HMME—PDT抑制率85％，Mt}PDT抑制率73．64％)，并对游离病毒 有很强的杀伤作用，最高可达到100％。光动力疗法不能抑制慢性感染期和急性感染2 h后病毒的复制过程。可 见光动力疗法对游离病毒和病毒感染诱导的膜融合有显著抑制作用，有可能为艾滋病的防治提供一种新的方法。

Trophic State Index, morphoedaphic index and fish yield prediction in a sub-tropical lake, Manchar (Sindh), Pakistan

Limnological factors of a sub-tropical lake Manchar were studied on seasonal basis. The mean values of various parameters were: transparency, (secchi disc reading): 90.5 cm, Orthophosphate: 0.257 mg/l, TDS: 3310,5 mg/l, Conductivity: 5232 µs/l, Total Chlorophyll (Planktonic): 31.3 µg/l Planktonic biomass: 5466 µg/l. Trophic state index (TSI) was calculated by using Carlson's (1977) equations. Mean TSI for transparency was 61, while for orthophosphate and chlorophyll, it was 82 and 64 respectively. TSI values indicate advanced eutrophic state of Manchar Lake. Morphoedaphic index (MEI) was also calculated on seasonal basis. The mean values were, TDS: 1103, conductivity: 1744, alkalinity: 60, transparency: 29 and biomass (plankton dry weight): 1746. Fish yield prediction for Manchar Lake (Z =3m, mean area=100 km²) was calculated by using MEI values. The results were quite different among various parameters. Conductivity (89.1mt/y), biomass (67.6 mt/y) and TDS (44.6 mt/y) were found to be good predictors of fish yield. Chlorophyll, transparency and alkalinity values gave very low estimate.

Anti-HIV-1 Activity of Lignans from the Fruits of Schisandra rubriflora

This study investigated the 70% aqueous acetone extract of the fruits of Schisandra rubriflora which led to the isolation of eight lignans, including a new isolate, rubrisandrin C (1), and seven known lignans (2-8). The structure of 1 was established by extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and its absolute stereochemistry was determined by CD spectrum. Compounds 1-5 and 7-8 were evaluated for their anti-HIV-1 activity that showed inhibitory activity on HIV-1(IIIB) induced syncytium formation with EC50 values in the range of 2.26 similar to 20.4 mu g/mL. Compounds 1 and 7 exerted their obvious protection of HIV-1(IIIB) inducted MT-4 host cells lytic effects with a selectivity index of 15.4 and 24.6, respectively.

Effects of fish and prawn culture on physico-chemical parameters of water and rice yield in rice fields

An experiment was conducted with five treatments i.e. rice combined with fish having regular urea fertilization (T1), rice combined with prawn having regular urea fertilization (T2), rice combined with fish with supplementary feeding (T3), rice combined with prawn with supplementary feeding (T4) and without fish and prawn (T5) was kept as control. The dissolved oxygen values obtained in treatments with fish both in morning and afternoon were lower than the values of prawn containing treatments and control. The values of nitrate-N, ammonia-N, phosphate-P and chlorophyll-a were higher in fish containing treatments than the prawn containing treatments and control. Between the two fish containing treatments the higher gross (539.44 kg/ha) and net (440.14 kg/ha) yield were obtained in T3 with supplementary feeding and the lower gross (424.88 kg/ha) and net (314.32 kg/ha) yield were recorded in T1 without supplementary feeding. Again, between two prawn containing treatments the higher gross (108.69 kg/ha) and net (81.92 kg/ha) yield were obtained in T4 with supplementary feeding and lower gross (64.32 kg/ha) and net (30.98 kg/ha) yield were recorded in T2 without supplementary feeding. The highest yield of rice grain (3.45 mt/ha) and straw (6.37 mt/ha) were obtained in T1 with fish having urea fertilization without feeding.

Study morphologic, phylogenic relationships DNA barcoding of of identified decapod group (Crustacean) of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.

Phylogenetic relationships among all described species (total of 12 taxa) of the decapoda, were examined with nucleotide sequence data from portions of mitochondrial gene and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). The previous works on phylogeny proved that the mitochondrial COI gene in crustacean is a good discriminative marker at both inter- and intra-specific levels. We provide COI barcode sequences of commertial decapoda of Oman Sea, Persian Gulf, Iran. Industrial activities, ecologic considerations, and goals of the decapoda Barcode of Life campaign make it crucial that species of the south costal be identified. The reconstruction of evolut phylogeny of these species are crucial for revealing stock identity that can be used for the management of fisheries industries in Iran. Mitochondrial DNA sequences were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of the Penaeus species of marine shrimp. For this purpose, DNA was extracted using phenol- chloroform well as CTAB method. The evolutionary relationships among 12 species of the decapoda were examined using 610 bp of mitochondrial (mt) DNA from the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Finally the cladograms were compared and the resulted phylogenetic trees confirmed that the Iran's species origin is Indo-west pacific species. Iran's species, which were not grouped with the other decapoda taxa seem to always form a sister clade with Indo-west pacific species with strong bootstrap support 100%. The result completely agrees with the previously defined species using morphological characters.However, we still lack any comprehensive and clear understanding of phylogenetic relationships in this group.

A survey on relation of morphological, molecular and phylogenetic structure of zoanthids of the islands located in the Hormoz Strait (Hormoz, Qeshm, Larak, Hengam)

The order Zoantharia (Zoanthids) is one of the most neglected orders of cnidarians in the Persian Gulf. The present study aims to investigate the biodiversity of this order with morphological and molecular examination in the Persian Gulf. For this purpose, 123 colonies of zoanthids with variety of shape and colors have been collected from intertidal and shallow water zone of four islands, i. e. Hengam, Qeshm, Larak and Hormoz. After sampling, morphological characteristics of each specimen were recorded based on in situ photographs. Then DNA was extracted using the cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) method. Both mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA (mt 16S rDNA) and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene fragments were amplified and sequenced. The results of preliminary morphological identification integrated with two mitochondrial markers sequencing demonstrated the presence of five different species in this region; Zoanthus sansibaricus, Palythoa mutuki, Palythoa cf. mutuki, Palythoa tuberculosa and Neozoanthus persicus?. Although at first sight, morphological properties were not successful to delineate zoanthid species, they become reliable criteria to identify and delineate species in field studies after molecular identification.

Status of the biodiversity of St. Martin's Island, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

A total of 234 species of fish have been recorded from the St Martin Island. Of which, 98 species are coral associated. The total number of recorded mollusc and crab species stands at 187 and 7 species respectively. A total of 66 coral species were recorded, of which 19 are fossil corals, 36 living corals and the rest are under 6 families of subclass Octocorallia (soft corals). A total of 14 species of algae have been recorded from the St. Martin's Island. There is an estimated amount of 1500 MT red sea weed biomass available around the St. Martin's Island. The island contains some of the most unique, benthic community associations in Bangladesh, not found anywhere else in the South Asian region. The unique marine communities have very high scientific value for research and monitoring and there are only a few examples worldwide, where coral-algal communities dominate rocky reefs. The economy of the island is based on fishing. It is estimated that, about 1650 MT of fish are caught annually. Over-exploitation of renewable marine and coastal resources (e.g., rocky reef fisheries, coral and shell extraction; removal of coastal vegetation from inter-tidal and sub-tidal habitats) is a major threat to this ecosystem. Destructive fishing practices, mainly the use of rock-weighted gill nets over the inshore boulder reefs is of prime aggravates. Proper implementation of the rules and regulation for Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA's), alternative livelihood for the local people and further research should be immediately taken for sustainable utilization and to save the rich biodiversity of the only coral island in Bangladesh.