The effects of whole-body vibration on EMG activity of the lower body muscles in supine static bridge position

Objectives:The purpose of the current study was to firstly examine the effects of different whole-body vibration (WBV) frequencies in the lower-body muscles when applied simultaneously during a bridge exercise. Secondly, determine if there were any sex differences in the lower-body muscles of WBV during the bridge.Methods:Seven females and 7 males completed 2 familiarization and 1 test sessions. In the test session participants were randomized to complete one 30 s bout of a bridge exercise for 3 separate condition s followed by 3-min of rest. The 3 conditions (a) No-WBV (without WBV); (b) WBV-30 (30 Hz, low amplitude); (c) WBV-50 (50 Hz, low amplitude) were performed on a WBV platform. Muscle activity of the biceps femoris (BF), semitendinosus (ST), gluteus maximus (Gmax), multifidus muscle (MF) muscles were measured.Results:Muscle activity was increased with WBV in the BF and ST muscles at WBV-30 and WBV-50 conditions (p<0.05) vs. no-WBV. During No-WBV and WBV-50 conditions, males had a higher biceps femoris activity compared to females for (p<0.05) 45 and 27 %, respectively; however, during all conditions females had a high level of Gmax activity (57%) than males (p<0.05).Conclusion:Additional vibration at 30 and 50 Hz during the bridge exercise could be a useful method to enhance hamstring muscle activity.     

Length-correlated changes in heterozygosity at an enzyme locus in the scallop (Pecten maximus L.)

Phosphoglucose isomerase was analysed by electrophoresis in approximately 280 Pecten maximus individuals from two populations. Observed heterozygosity decreased with increasing dorso-ventral valve length in both populations. The regression of heterozygosity on length in mm yielded the relationship H₀= 1.119–0.003 L. Observed heterozygosity was very high in samples of small individuals indicating that self fertilization cannot be a regular feature of reproduction in this functional hermaphroditic species. Some possible causes for the observed decline in heterozygosity among larger individuals are discussed.     

基于稳定同位素分析不同蛋白源对大菱鲆生长的影响

实验采用混合植物蛋白(玉米蛋白和大豆浓缩蛋白等氮1:1混合)替代鱼粉蛋白投喂大菱鲆, 通过测定不同饲料组和体组织中氮稳定同位素的值, 估算氮同位素的周转率及不同蛋白源对大菱鲆生长的贡献比例。实验设计了4种配合饲料, 在等氮等能的基础上, 以混合植物蛋白分别替代饲料中0、10%、30%和50%的鱼粉蛋白, 即CS0、CS10、CS30和CS50。将初始体重为(57.720.25) g的大菱鲆分成4组, 每组设3个平行,实验周期为56d。实验开始后的7d、14d、28d、42d和56d采集并测定大菱鲆肌肉和肝脏中氮稳定同位素值(15N)。研究结果表明, 当替代量达到50%时, 大菱鲆摄食率和特定生长率显著低于其他组(P0.05), 而饲料系数显著高于其他组(P0.05)。不同实验组间氮同位素的周转率均存在显著性差异(P0.05), 对照组的周转速度最快。各实验组肝脏的周转率均显著快于肌肉(P0.05)。大菱鲆肌肉中氮同位素的周转半衰期(23.9632.42d)显著高于肝脏的(12.3816.83d) (P0.05)。生长作用对大菱鲆肌肉氮同位素周转的贡献比例为57.33%73.33%,而对肝脏的贡献比例为29.17%36.10%。基于时间的周转模型估算氮同位素分馏系数()为1.832.83。采用Isosource软件计算显示, CS10、CS30和CS50组中鱼粉、玉米蛋白和SPC三种蛋白源对大菱鲆生长的贡献比例分别为80%、7%和13%, 62%、11%和27%, 46%、13%和41%。研究结果表明: 生长作用和代谢作用共同驱动了氮稳定同位素在大菱鲆体组织中的周转代谢; 氮稳定同位素在肝脏组织中的周转速度明显快于肌肉的, 相应的周转半衰期更短; 各实验组中SPC对大菱鲆生长的贡献均优于玉米蛋白。     

Mortality Patterns of Asian Elephants in a Region of Human–Elephant Conflict

Many wildlife species suffer from human–wildlife conflict, especially crop-raiding. Long-term analyses of mortality patterns are needed to assess the efficacy of management strategies that address this issue. We report mortality patterns from necropsies of 498 Asian elephants from 2009–2018 in an area of northwestern Sri Lanka. Deaths were lowest in July and highest in October, a period of peak crop availability. Most (about 70%) deaths were human-related, and males were killed in these incidents more frequently than females. As gunshot deaths decreased, other forms of human-related deaths increased. Additionally, causes of death differed between districts, with more intentional human-related mortality observed in the district with the highest percent of protected land. These results highlight the importance of understanding the long-term spatial and temporal variation in wildlife mortality to effectively address human–wildlife conflict. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

Ichthyophonus infections in cultured marine fish from Spain

Ichthyophonus sp. is reported for the first time in Mugil capito (thinlip grey mullet) and Li a saliens (leaping grey mullet). The fungus was also found in L. aurata (golden grey mullet), Dicentrarchus labrax (sea bass), Sparus aurata (gilthead sea bream) and Scophthalmus maximus (turbot), whereas Mugil cephalus (grey mullet) was not parasitized. In fish sampled periodically, the highest prevalences were observed in sea bass and the lowest in turbot. Among the fish sampled occasionally, the fungus was found associated to an epizootic in thinlip grey mullet. Ichthyophonus was never found in fish weighing <0·5 g. An increase in the prevalence of infection with the age of turbot and gilthead sea bream was observed. Gilthead sea bream and sea bass showed higher prevalences in a closed system than in open and semi-intensive systems. Multinucleate spherical spores, hyphae and endospores of Ichthyophonus sp. parasitized different organs of thinlip and leaping grey mullets, though infection intensity was maximal in the spleen. In the remaining fish, the fungus was found mainly in the trunk kidney, where it appeared frequently in a necrotic form. Ichthyophonus sp. can be considered a potential threat for marine fish aquaculture, especially in culture conditions which may favour the introduction and transmission of the fungus.