Caribbean corals in crisis: record thermal stress, bleaching, and mortality in 2005

Background: The rising temperature of the world’s oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. Methodology/Principal Findings: Satellite-based tools provided warnings for coral reef managers and scientists, guiding both the timing and location of researchers’ field observations as anomalously warm conditions developed and spread across the greater Caribbean region from June to October 2005. Field surveys of bleaching and mortality exceeded prior efforts in detail and extent, and provided a new standard for documenting the effects of bleaching and for testing nowcast and forecast products. Collaborators from 22 countries undertook the most comprehensive documentation of basin-scale bleaching to date and found that over 80% of corals bleached and over 40% died at many sites. The most severe bleaching coincided with waters nearest a western Atlantic warm pool that was centered off the northern end of the Lesser Antilles. Conclusions/Significance: Thermal stress during the 2005 event exceeded any observed from the Caribbean in the prior 20 years, and regionally-averaged temperatures were the warmest in over 150 years. Comparison of satellite data against field surveys demonstrated a significant predictive relationship between accumulated heat stress (measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch’s Degree Heating Weeks) and bleaching intensity. This severe, widespread bleaching and mortality will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for reef ecosystems and suggests a troubled future for tropical marine ecosystems under a warming climate

Analysis of multivariable Smith predictors using MATLAB Containers

Containers are structured m-files which allow `data' and `methods' to be stored persistently. Containers have a user-defined class structure, so that one can have several Containers of the same class, all structurally similar, and there is a mechanism for interaction with Containers in the style of database transactions. The use of MATLAB Containers to analyze multivariable Smith predictors is discussed.

Vespid chemotactic peptide precursor from the wasp, Vespa magnifica (Smith)

Despite the evolutional distance between wasp and amphibian, vespid chemotactic peptide (VCP), an important component of wasp venom, are found sharing remarkable similarities with the temporin antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from Ranid frog, Amolops loloens

A phospholipase A1 platelet activator from the wasp venom of Vespa magnifica (Smith)

Wasp is an impor tant venomous animal that can induce human fatalities. Aortic thrombosis and cerebral infarction are major clinical symptoms after massive wasp stings but the reason leading to the envenomation manifestation is still not known. In this paper, a toxin protein is purified and characterized by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration, CM-Sephadex C-25 cationic exchange and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) from the venom of the wasp, Vespa magnifica (Smith). This protein, named magnifin, contains phospholipase-like activity and induces platelet aggregation. The cDNA encoding magnifin is cloned from the venom sac cDNA library of the wasp. The predicted protein was deduced from the cDNA with a sequence composed of 337 amino acid residues. Magnifin is very similar to other phospholipase A(1) (PLA(1)), especially to other wasp allergen PLA(1). Magnifin can activate platelet aggregation and induce thrombosis in vivo. The current results proved that PLA(1) in wasp venom could be contributable to aortic thrombosis after massive wasp stings. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the little known species of threadfin breams Nemipterus mesoprion (Bleeker) and Nemipterus delagoae (Smith)

Among the fish species of the family Nemipteridae, the two little known species, namely, Nemipterus mesoprion (Bleeker) and Nemipterus delagoae (Smith) are recorded from the Cochin waters. Nemipterus mesoprion is a new distributional record from the west coast of India. N. delagoae is described with adequate numbers of specimen for the first time from Indian waters. Moreover, the results of the present study show that the colour of the viscera, the number of pyloric caeca and the gill rakers can also be used for the diagnosis of the species of the genus Nemipterus. The affinity of the above species with other related species of the genus Nemipterus and their geographical distribution are presented.

Two new species of the sisorid genus Oreoglanis Smith from Yunnan, China (Teleostei : Sisoridae)

Two new species of the genus Oreoglanis, O. jingdongensis and O. immaculatus are described from the Mekong and Salween River basins, respectively, of Yunnan Province, China. Oreoglanis jingdongensis can be distinguished from other Oreoglanis species by th

Smith预估器在纳米操作系统中的应用

针对纳米操作系统中存在的滞后性质,提出了带Smith预估器的PID控制方法。从理论上解决了纳米操作系统中由于纯滞后性质而引起的系统超调或振荡。从而保证了纳米操作中观测的精度和准确性。

Manejo da resistência de insetos-praga a inseticidas, com ênfase em Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith).

Detecção da resistência; Mecanismos da resistência de insetos a inseticidas; Base genética da resistência; Perspectiva genética no manejo da resistência; Aumento da dose do inseticida até que a resistência seja recessiva ou neutralizada; Uso de compostos que confiram menores níveis de resistência; Tratamento visando os estágios de vida do insetos mais vulneráveis; Uso de sinergismo para suprimir os mecanismos de resistência; Utilização de misturas de inseticidas; Decréscimo na dose de aplicação utilizando uma que mata a maioria dos insetos suscetíveis; Aplicação menos freqüente de inseticidas, de tal modo que os insetos suscetíveis tenham a oportunidade de reproduzir-se e, portanto, diluir a resistência pelo cruzamento com indivíduos resistentes; Uso de produtos químicos de curto período residual, evitando uso de formulações de liberações controladas dos ingredientes ativos, de modo que somente a população-alvo seja eliminada; ou seja, evitar que os colonizadores subseqüentes sejam afetados; Propiciar refúgios para o escape dos indivíduos suscetíveis; Fazer rotação dos pesticidas de modo que nem todas as gerações sejam expostas ao mesmo produto, evitando, porém, o tratamento espacial (em mosaico); Manejo da resistência de Spodoptera frugiperda a inseticidas; Táticas de manejo.