Using Echo Ultrasound from Schooling Fish to Detect and Classify Fish Types

Fish finders have already been widely available in the fishing market for a number of years.However,the sizes of these fishfinders are too big and their prices are expensive to suit for the research of robotic fish or mini-submarine.The goal of thisresearch is to propose a low-cost fish detector and classifier which suits for underwater robot or submarine as a proximity sensor.With some pre-condition in hardware and algorithms,the experimental results show that the proposed design has good per-formance,with a detection rate of 100 % and a classification rate of 94 %.Both the existing type of fish and the group behaviorcan be revealed by statistical interpretations such as hovering passion and sparse swimming mode.     

Rapid determination of substrate specificity of Clostridium histolyticum beta-collagenase using an immobilized peptide library.

The molecular basis of the substrate specificity of Clostridium histolyticum beta-collagenase was investigated using a combinatorial method. An immobilized positional peptide library, which contains 24,000 sequences, was constructed with a 7-hydroxycoumarin-4-propanoyl (Cop) fluorescent group attached at the N terminus of each sequence. This immobilized peptide library was incubated with C. histolyticum beta-collagenase, releasing fluorogenic fragments in the solution phase. The relative substrate specificity (k(cat)/K(m)) for each member of the library was determined by measuring fluorescence intensity in the solution phase. Edman sequencing was used to assign structure to subsites of active substrate mixtures. Collectively, the substrate preference for subsites (P(3)-P(4)') of C. histolyticum beta-collagenase was determined. The last position on the C-terminal side in which the identity of the amino acids affects the activity of the enzyme is P(4)', and an aromatic side chain is preferred in this position. The optimal P(1)'-P(3)' extended substrate sequence is P(1)'-Gly/Ala, P(2)'-Pro/Xaa, and P(3)'-Lys/Arg/Pro/Thr/Ser. The Cop group in either the P(2) or P(3) position is required for a high substrate activity with C. histolyticum beta-collagenase. S(2) and S(3) sites of the protease play a dominant role in fixing the substrate specificity. The immobilized peptide library proved to be a powerful approach for assessing the substrate specificity of C. histolyticum beta-collagenase, so it may be applied to the study of other proteases of interest.     

The 30-Base-Pair Deletion in Chinese Variants of the Epstein-Barr Virus LMP1 Gene Is Not the Major Effector of Functional Differences between Variant LMP1 Genes in Human Lymphocytes

One group of sequence variants of Epstein-Barr virus is characterized by a 10-amino-acid deletion within the CTAR-2 functional domain of the latent membrane protein, LMP1. A role for this deletion in enhancing the tumorigenicity of the viral oncogene in rodent fibroblasts was recently demonstrated. We examined the effect of this deletion upon LMP1 function in four human lymphoid cell lines by using three natural variants of LMP1: the prototype B95.8 gene and the CAO and AG876 genes, both of which have codons 343 to 352 of the B95.8-LMP1 deleted. These experiments revealed that LMP1-mediated upregulation of CD40 and CD54 was markedly impaired (by 60 to 90%) with CAO-LMP1 compared with B95.8-LMP1. In contrast, the function of AG876-LMP1 was indistinguishable from that of B95.8-LMP1 in two lines and was only slightly impaired in the other two lines. Activation of NF-κB by CAO-LMP1 was not impaired in any of the lines; rather, activation of an NF-κB reporter by CAO-LMP1 was consistently about twofold greater than the activation with B95.8- or AG876-LMP1. Therefore, while the CAO-LMP1 is functionally distinct from the prototype B95.8-LMP1 in human lymphocytes, the 10-amino-acid deletion appears not to be directly responsible. This conclusion was confirmed by using a B95.8-LMP1 mutant with codons 343 to 352 deleted and chimerae of CAO- and B95.8-LMP1 in which the CTAR-2 domains of these genes were exchanged. Sequences outside the CTAR-2 domain were implicated in the distinct functional characteristics of CAO-LMP1 in human lymphoid cells.     

Evidence for the signaling role of methyl jasmonate, methyl salicylate and benzothiazole between poplar (Populus simonii × P. pyramidalis ‘Opera 8277’) cuttings

Interplant communication has been widely demonstrated in plants, especially in herbaceous plants. In this study, mechanical damage was shown to affect the levels of pyrochatechol, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid and p-hydroxyl benzoic acid in poplar (Populus simonii × P. pyramidalis ‘Opera 8277’) cuttings, indicating the activation of defense response. In neighboring intact cuttings, the levels of those phenolics also varied when compared to the control, suggesting the interplant communication between poplar cuttings. Three volatiles, methyl jasmonate, methyl salicylate and benzothiazole, were detected in volatiles emitted from mechanically damaged poplar cuttings. All of them can induce changes in the levels of four phenolics. Therefore, they could act as airborne signals between P. simonii × P. pyramidalis ‘Opera 8277’ cuttings. The different change patterns of phenolic contents induced by different volatiles imply that the defense response activated in neighboring plants may be regulated by multiple signaling pathways. The results also suggest that the entire defense response of plants involves a variety of airborne signals in wound-induced volatiles.     

Multiomic Metabolic Enrichment Network Analysis Reveals Metabolite–Protein Physical Interaction Subnetworks Altered in Cancer

Metabolism is recognized as an important driver of cancer progression and other complex diseases, but global metabolite profiling remains a challenge. Protein expression profiling is often a poor proxy since existing pathway enrichment models provide an incomplete mapping between the proteome and metabolism. To overcome these gaps, we introduce multiomic metabolic enrichment network analysis (MOMENTA), an integrative multiomic data analysis framework for more accurately deducing metabolic pathway changes from proteomics data alone in a gene set analysis context by leveraging protein interaction networks to extend annotated metabolic models. We apply MOMENTA to proteomic data from diverse cancer cell lines and human tumors to demonstrate its utility at revealing variation in metabolic pathway activity across cancer types, which we verify using independent metabolomics measurements. The novel metabolic networks we uncover in breast cancer and other tumors are linked to clinical outcomes, underscoring the pathophysiological relevance of the findings.     

Volatiles from Merino fleece evoke antennal and behavioural responses in the Australian sheep blow fly Lucilia cuprina

To identify flystrike‐related volatile compounds in wool from Merino sheep, the attractiveness of wool to Lucilia cuprina Wiedmann (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was examined. First, a selection of wool samples guided by previous knowledge of sheep lines, predicted to be more susceptible or more resistant to flystrike, was tested. The attractiveness of the 10 samples selected was not associated with field susceptibility: two samples from the more resistant line were identified as most attractive and two samples from the more susceptible line were identified as least attractive, based on the behavioural assays with gravid flies. Comparison of the headspace volatiles of these samples, using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry‐electroantennographic detection, revealed octanal and nonanal to be present in the attractive wool samples that elicited responses from the fly antenna. Furthermore, the two compounds were not present in wool that was least attractive to L. cuprina. In laboratory bioassays, octanal and nonanal evoked antennal and behavioural responses in gravid L. cuprina, thus confirming their potential role as semiochemicals responsible for attracting L. cuprina to Merino sheep.     

Yaks and sheep trigger different changes in the grasshopper assemblages of the Qilian Mountains via differentially altering plant assemblages

1. The Qilian Mountains represent one of the key livestock‐raising grasslands in China. The two main herbivore species raised in this area – yaks and sheep – are of critical economical value. Grasshoppers compete with these animals for available nutrients, creating multifaceted relationships between livestock, grasshoppers and plants. A clear understanding of such relationships is lacking and is urgently needed to guide conservation efforts. 2. This study aims to document the effects of yak and sheep grazing on grasshopper assemblages and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of such effects. 3. It is shown here that yaks and sheep impact grasshopper assemblages differently. Grasshopper assemblages exhibited lower density, biodiversity, richness, and evenness of distribution in yak‐grazed pastures than in grazing‐free grasslands. Sheep‐grazed pastures exhibited a dramatically divergent picture, with elevated density, biodiversity and richness, and a slightly decreased evenness of distribution. Grasshoppers were generally larger in grazed pastures than in grazing‐free grasslands, especially in yak‐grazed plots. 4. The present study suggests that differences between yak and sheep pastures in plant assemblage structure and plant traits are probably the underlying forces driving the differences in grasshopper assemblage structure and grasshopper traits, respectively. 5. The study shows that the grasshopper habitat indicator species differ between yak and sheep pastures, raising the possibility that such indicators can be used to monitor grassland usage and degradation in the Qilian Mountains. 6. These results provide novel insights into the dynamic interactions of common domesticated herbivore species, grasshoppers and plants in Qilian Mountains, which augment current knowledge and may ultimately lead to better conservation practices.     

Ginseng stem‐leaf saponins in combination with selenium enhance immune responses to an attenuated pseudorabies virus vaccine

Pseudorabies, a herpesvirus infection, is mainly controlled by using attenuated live vaccines. In this study, the effect of ginseng stem and leaf saponins (GSLS) in combination with selenium (Se; in the form of sodium selenite) on vaccination against attenuated pseudorabies virus (aPrV) was evaluated. It was found that GSLS and Se have an adjuvant effect and that a combination of GSLS and Se stimulates significantly enhanced immune responses than does GSLS or Se alone. Following oral administration of GSLS, mice immunized with an attenuated PrV vaccine diluted in Se‐containing physiological saline solution (PSS) provoked a significantly stronger gB‐specific serum antibodies response (IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a), enhanced lymphocyte proliferation and cytolytic activity of NK cells, along with higher production of cytokines (IFN‐γ, IL‐12, IL‐5 and IL‐10) by splenocytes. Notably, the combination of GSLS and Se conferred a much higher resistance to fPrV challenge after immunization of the mice with aPrV vaccine. This study offers convincing experimental evidence that an injection of Se with oral GSLS is a promising adjuvant combination that improves the efficacy of vaccination against PrV and deserves further study regarding improvement of responses to other animal vaccines.     

Solution structure of the N‐terminal domain of DC‐UbP/UBTD2 and its interaction with ubiquitin

DC‐UbP/UBTD2 is a ubiquitin (Ub) domain‐containing protein first identified from dendritic cells, and is implicated in ubiquitination pathway. The solution structure and backbone dynamics of the C‐terminal Ub‐like (UbL) domain were elucidated in our previous work. To further understand the biological function of DC‐UbP, we then solved the solution structure of the N‐terminal domain of DC‐UbP (DC‐UbP_N) and studied its Ub binding properties by NMR techniques. The results show that DC‐UbP_N holds a novel structural fold and acts as a Ub‐binding domain (UBD) but with low affinity. This implies that the DC‐UbP protein, composing of a combination of both UbL and UBD domains, might play an important role in regulating protein ubiquitination and delivery of ubiquitinated substrates in eukaryotic cells.