Predicting the factors influencing the inter- and intraspecific survival rates of riverine fishes implanted with acoustic transmitters

Biotelemetry is a central tool for fisheries management, with the implantation of transmitters into animals requiring refined surgical techniques that maximize retention rates and fish welfare. Even following successful surgery, long-term post-release survival rates can vary considerably, although knowledge is limited for many species. The aim here was to investigate the post-tagging survival rates in the wild of two lowland river fish species, common bream Abramis brama and northern pike Esox lucius, following their intra-peritoneal double-tagging with acoustic transmitters and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Survival over a 2-year period was assessed using acoustic transmitter data in Cox proportional hazards models. Post-tagging survival rates were lowest in the reproductive periods of both species, but in bream, fish tagged just prior to spawning actually had the highest subsequent survival rates. Pike survival was influenced by sex, with males generally surviving longer than females. PIT tag detections at fixed stations identified bream that remained active, despite loss of an acoustic transmitter signal. In these instances, loss of the acoustic signal occurred up to 215 days post-tagging and only during late spring or summer, indicating a role of elevated temperature, while PIT detections occurred between 18 and 359 days after the final acoustic detections. Biotelemetry studies must thus always consider the date of tagging as a fundamental component of study designs to avoid tagged fish having premature end points within telemetry studies.     

子宫脱垂患者阴道前壁Fibulin-3的表达及意义

目的探讨子宫脱垂（uterine prolapse,UP）患者阴道前壁中Fibulin-3 mRNA和蛋白的表达及其与子宫脱垂临床因素的关系。方法应用免疫组织化学S-P法及RT-PCR法对50例子宫脱垂患者的阴道前壁组织中Fibulin-3蛋白及mRNA水平表达进行测定,并与对照组20例（宫颈上皮内瘤变或妇科良性肿瘤行经阴道子宫全切术的非脱垂患者）组织对比,结合子宫脱垂的临床参数进行分析。结果免疫组化结果显示子宫脱垂组织中Fibulin-3蛋白表达的阳性率为52.0%（26/50）,明显低于对照组85.0%（17/20）,III＋Ⅳ度子宫脱垂患者阴道前壁Fibulin-3蛋白阳性表达率明显低于I＋II度子宫脱垂组（P=0.009）,伴有压力性尿失禁（SUI）的子宫脱垂患者Fibulin-3蛋白表达较无SUI患者明显下降（P=0.004）。RT-PCR结果显示子宫脱垂患者阴道前壁组织中Fibulin-3 mRNA的相对表达量较对照组明显降低,且其含量与子宫脱垂的严重程度及是否伴有SUI相关,差异具有统计学意义。Fibulin-3蛋白和mRNA表达与患者阴道分娩次数无关（P值均〉0.05）。结论Fibulin-3蛋白和mRNA在子宫脱垂患者阴道前壁组织中存在低表达,并与子宫脱垂的严重程度以及是否伴有SUI密切相关,Fibulin-3可能在子宫脱垂的发生发展中起重要的作用。     

The pattern of major urinary proteins (MUPS) expression during postnatal ontogenesis of the laboratory mouse depends on genotype and sex

We investigated the specific pattern of major urinary proteins (MUPs) expression in 3-, 4-, and 12-week old mice of CBA/LacY and C57BL/6JY inbred strains using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Quantitative evaluation of 8 protein fractions A-H with regard to sex, age, and genotype of the animals is presented for the first time. Actual problems of genetic control and neuroendocrine regulation of MUPs expression during ontogenesis are discussed. In the light of current views on MUPs as a key component in intrapopulation information exchange via pheromones, we put forward the idea that the genetically determined structure of the olfactory code of the definitive type is formed at an early ontogenetic stage on the basis of the MUPs combinatorial pattern.     

More efficient mastication allows increasing intake without compromising digestibility or necessitating a larger gut: Comparative feeding trials in banteng (Bos javanicus) and pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis)

The digestion of plant material in mammalian herbivores basically depends on the chemical and structural composition of the diet, the mean particle size to which the forage is processed, and the ingesta retention time. These different factors can be influenced by the animal, and they can presumably compensate for each other. The pygmy hippopotamus, a non-ruminating foregut fermenter, has longer mean retention times than ruminants; however hippos do not achieve higher (fibre) digestibilities on comparable diets, which could be due to ineffective mastication. We performed feeding trials with six pygmy hippos (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) and six banteng cattle (Bos javanicus) on a grass diet. As predicted, both species achieved similar dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and gross energy digestibilities. However, neutral and acid detergent fibre digestibility was lower in pygmy hippos. Apparently, in these species, fibre digestibility was more influenced by particle size, which was larger in pygmy hippos compared to banteng, than by retention time. In spite of their higher relative food intake, the banteng in this study did not have greater relative gut fills than the hippos. Ruminants traditionally appear intake-limited when compared to equids, because feed particles above a certain size cannot leave the rumen. But when compared to nonruminating foregut fermenters, rumination seems to free foregut fermenters from an intrinsic food intake limitation. The higher energy intakes and metabolic rates in wild cattle compared to hippos could have life-history consequences, such as a higher relative reproductive rate.     

Epizoochorous seed dispersal in relation to seed availability – an experiment with a red fox dummy

Questions: Is the red fox a potential vector for epizoochorous seed dispersal? Can seed attachment and retention be predicted from plant and seed traits? Location: Grasslands in southern Norway. Methods: Epizoochorous seed attachment on the red fox was studied by walking a dummy fox through the vegetation and comparing seeds found on the dummy with the estimated seed availability in the vegetation. Seed retention, i.e. the ability of different seeds to stay on the fox, was estimated in a separate experiment. Seed attachment and retention were related to plant and seed traits using statistical models that account for heteroscedasticity and zero‐inflated data. Results: The majority of seeds attached to the fox originated from a few species, but also species without specific seed traits that are supposed to enhance epizoochory attached at least some seeds to the fox. The probability of seed attachment was positively related to plant height, bristle and hooked seed appendages, and negatively related to winged appendages, seed mass, and seed sphericity. Seed retention was positively related to the seed traits bristles, hooks and pappus. For several species, the results indicate a high potential for dispersal over long distances. Conclusions: In modern agricultural landscapes, large herbivores are often restricted in their mobility or are found at low densities, and other animal vectors may therefore be important for seed dispersal. In our study, a range of plant species were able to disperse by attaching seeds to, and having their seeds retained in, the fox fur some distance. We suggest that the red fox may be an important vector for epizoochorous seed dispersal in the agricultural landscape.     

输尿管软镜结合输尿管硬镜治疗复杂上尿路结石的效果评价及对预后的影响

目的探讨输尿管软镜协同输尿管硬镜治疗复杂上尿路结石的临床效果。方法选择我院收治的复杂上尿路结石患者96例,按入院顺序分为对照组和观察组,每组48例。对照组采取输尿管硬镜钬激光碎石术治疗,观察组采取输尿管软镜协同输尿管硬镜钬激光碎石术治疗。比较两组患者1次性碎石成功率、结石彻底清除率、炎症反应情况以及生活质量、住院时间、术后并发症发生率、疾病复发率。结果观察组患者的1次性碎石成功率、结石彻底清除率均高于对照组,两组比较差异有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。术后3 d,观察组的肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、白介素-6(IL-6)、C-反应蛋白(CRP)水平均较对照组降低,差异有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。术后1周,两组患者的生活质量比较,观察组的生活质量量表(SF-36)评分明显高于对照组,住院时间短于对照组,两组比较差异有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。两组患者的并发症发生率、疾病复发率比较,观察组均明显低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。结论输尿管软镜联合输尿管硬镜治疗复杂上尿路结石的效果满意,且创伤小,结石清除率高,不良反应低,具有一定临床应用价值。     

醴陵市绿色屋顶生态系统服务潜力评估及规划

近年来, 生态系统服务评估逐渐地被运用到城市绿色基础设施的规划建设当中, 发掘能提供高生态效益的绿色屋顶潜力区域是增加城市生态空间有效途径。以提供城市空气净化、雨水截留、生物栖息地、热环境调节四个方面的生态服务为目标, 借助GIS平台确定醴陵市绿色屋顶生态空间潜力区域并提出规划策略, 为醴陵市以绿色屋顶形式完善城市生态空间结构提供参考。研究表明: (1)醴陵市潜在绿色屋顶生态系统服务评估中, 有20.3 km2的区域被划分为高效益服务区域, 约占研究区域面积的63.8%。(2)建筑年龄、结构和资金是小城市建设绿色屋顶的主要限制因素, 现状建筑中, 不适宜改建的建筑约占总建筑面积46.25%, 低限制改建的建筑占15.86%。 (3)通过叠加分析, 提取了高效益区域内的低限制改建建筑, 作为醴陵市绿色屋顶生态空间潜力区域, 面积为0.53 km2。 (4) 结合醴陵市绿地系统规划, 以“生态源地-廊道-节点”为结构, 以“分期规划, 重点建设”、“空间互补, 全域网络”两大原则, 形成“五重要节点、四优先区域、五主要廊道、全域网络”的醴陵市绿色屋顶生态空间格局。所提出的潜力评估和规划策略, 不仅可以为醴陵市建设绿色屋顶、优化城市空间构架提供依据, 还可为其他小城市以绿色屋顶形式增加生态空间的规划建设提供参考。