Quantification of immunohistochemistry using an image analyser: correlation with hormone concentrations in pituitary adenomas

Summary The usefulness of immunohistochemistry is usually confined to qualitative analysis. Quantitative evaluation is not performed. At best, the number of immunopositive cells and the immunointensities are recorded as several grades, to which a strict categorization may be applied by individual examiners, but these categorizations are not standardized. We have attempted to quantify immunohistochemical observations using an image analyser. Sections from rat pituitary adenomas secreting prolactin and growth hormone were immunostained for these hormones with either immunogold silver or avidin-biotinylated peroxidase complex (ABC) methods. The number of immunopositive cells were counted by eye on specimens stained with the ABC method. In sections stained by an immunogold-silver technique, an immunopositive area was measured at several immunointensity ranges, to which certain points were allotted. Immunohistochemical values obtained by summing the products of the immunopositive area and intensity points at each range were correlated with concentrations of hormones in adenoma tissues measured by radioimmunoassay. A high correlation between the immunohistochemical values and hormone concentrations were shown for both prolactin and growth hormone, in contrast to a low correlation between the number of immunopositive cells counted by eye and the hormone concentrations. These findings indicate that the immunohistochemical observations can be quantified using the image analyser to the extent that they can be substituted, albeit roughly, for the hormone concentrations measured biochemically.     

Specificity of clinical examinations for testing glenohumeral ligament integrity: a computational study

An accurate diagnosis of glenohumeral joint (GHJ) instability is essential for an effective surgical intervention. There is presently no known comprehensive algorithm of clinical tests for the confirmation of the functional integrity of glenohumeral ligaments (GHLs). A validated computational GHL strain analyser was applied to a set of GHJ kinematics data from the literature to simulate 57 different physiological clinical examination manoeuvres. An algorithm that integrates the GHL pre-straining activities at the toe region of the stress–strain curve was developed for the quantification of ligament loading from prevailing strains. This was used to upgrade the strain analyser and applied to produce a matrix of the various GHL loadings and sensitivities during the manoeuvres. The investigation magnified the likely impact of anatomical variations of GHL attachments as possible causes of misdiagnoses during clinical examinations of GHJ dysfunction. This can serve as an assistive guide to ascertain the functional condition of a specific GHL during symptomatic clinical examinations.     

Data security in information systems by language analysis.

The paper describes how a language analyser (parser) is used as interface between a user and the functions of an information system. A specific user is at log-on forced into a sublanguage analyser, which only recognizes statements relevant to this specific user. Every attempt to use non-allowed functions is rejected, and the user is guided into his sublanguage. The language analyser is defined completely separately from the semantics of the information system, and it can be automatically generated outgoing from a definition of language functions.     

What is river health?

1. Traditionally the assessment of river water quality has been based solely on the measurement of physical, chemical and some biological characteristics. While these measurements may be efficient for regulating effluent discharges and protecting humans, they are not very useful for large-scale management of catchments or for assessing whether river ecosystems are being protected. 2. Measurements of aquatic biota, to identify structural or functional integrity of ecosystems, have recently gained acceptance for river assessment. Empirical evidence from studies of river ecosystems under stress suggests that a small group of biological ecosystem-level indicators can assess river condition. However, physical and chemical features of the environment affect these indicators, the structure and function of which may be changed by human activities. 3. The term ‘river health’, applied to the assessment of river condition, is often seen as being analogous with human health, giving many a sense of understanding. Unfortunately, the meaning of ‘river health’ remains obscure. It is not clear what aspects of river health sets of ecosystem-level indicators actually identify, nor how physical, chemical and biological characteristics may be integrated into measures rather than just observations of cause and effect. 4. Increased examination of relationships between environmental variables that affect aquatic biota, such as habitat structure, flow regime, energy sources, water quality and biotic interactions and biological condition, are required in the study of river health.     

Improved methods for the measurement of dissolved and particulate organic carbon in fresh water and their application to chalk streams

The development and use of an improved automatic system for the accurate measurement of dissolved organic carbon (D.O.C.) in fresh waters is described. The method, which covers the range 0-25 mgl^?1 D.O.C., is based on the oxidation of organic carbon to carbon dioxide by U.V. radiation. The carbon dioxide produced is measured by a non dispersive infra-red gas analyser (I.R.G.A.). The I.R.G.A. is also used in the semi-automatic measurement of particulate organic carbon (P.O.C.) by a combustion method which allows very low concentrations to be measured using samples of 200 ml or less. Results of surveys of two river systems indicate that D.O.C. concentrations of less than 2.0 mg l^?1 are typical in unpolluted chalk streams. D.O.C. concentrations of streams draining acid heathland were found to be significantly higher (3-5.5 mg l^?1). D.O.C. concentration was found to increase rapidly during a spate, in a river draining areas of mixed underlying geology. The throughput of D.O.C. during the twenty-five to fifty spates which occur annually in the river could amount to 20-30% of the annual flux of D.O.C. P.O.C. concentration in chalk spring waters (0.03–0.04 mg l^?1) were found to be higher than expected from preliminary estimates using membrane filtration techniques. The relevance of the measurement of D.O.C. and P.O.C. flux to estimates of the energy budgets of stream ecosystems is discussed and published methods for the automatic measurement of D.O.C. are reviewed.     

尿素氮-葡萄糖双功能分析仪的研究

由固定化脲酶、谷氨酸脱氢酶、谷氨酸氧化酶、葡萄糖氧化酶的复合酶膜组成的双电极系统,可以同时测定尿素氮和葡萄糖的含量,每次进样量为25μl,20s即可测定出尿素氮和葡萄糖的含量。在0～60mg/dl尿素氮、0～500mg/dl葡萄糖范围内具有良好的线性关系。连续测定20次的变异系数分别为1.02％和1.05％。酶膜使用寿命为两星期以上。此仪器可广泛应用于临床检验和体育训练中。     

Assessment of river health based on an improved entropy-based fuzzy matter-element model in the Taihu Plain,China

Rivers are valuable to human beings because of their various functions. Unfortunately, ecological integrity of rivers has been seriously threatened by human activities, resulting in poor river functions. It is thus necessary to evaluate and maintain river health. Meanwhile, it is challenging to comprehensively assess river health with a single method alone. It is therefore relevant to combine the advantages of multiple methods in river health assessment. By classifying and characterizing river functions, we first established an indicator system for river health assessment in plain river network regions. We then assessed the health status of the Taihu Plain in terms of an improved entropy-based fuzzy matter-element model. We found that the overall health status of the Taihu Plain is below “good”. In particular, the health status of Yang-Cheng-Dian-Mao and Hang-Jia-Hu Region is “moderate”; the Wu-Cheng-Xi-Yu Region displays the poorest natural and social river functions. We also found that flood control is the most important influential factor in river health. Our findings suggest that rivers in the Taihu Plain must be restored to maintain their health, with the Wu-Cheng-Xi-Yu Region that must be restored preferentially, and that the river function of flood control must be improved at the scale of whole watershed. Comparing with other four commonly used comprehensive assessment methods, our improved entropy-based fuzzy matter-element model outperforms in reflecting objective fact and can be applied to river health assessment. Our results are generally consistent with existing studies, confirming that the proposed method for river health assessment is effective and feasible. Therefore, it provides a useful reference for river health assessment in other plain river network regions.     

Evaluating the ecological status of rivers using an index of ecological distance: An application to diatom communities

Community structure changes with pollution or stress. In the Water Framework Directive, high ecological status through biological parameters is defined as a slight or minor deviation from the reference community, while the good status is defined as a small deviation.To assess the importance of this deviation, and then to measure the degradation of ecological status along a river, an index based on the concept of “ecological distance” between species was created and called ecological distance index (EDI). It was tested on diatom data from a pilot watershed (the Garonne river basin, South-West France).The results show a good correlation between the EDI and the IPS (Indice de Pollusensibilité Spécifique – specific pollusensitivity index – a diatom-based biotic index) ecological ratios, which means first that the EDI is a valuable indicator of ecological status, and that it can account for ecoregional specificities. This index can be applied to any communities (macro-invertebrates, fish, etc.), since: (i) typical reference communities are found for each river type; (ii) species are characterised then ranked by pollution sensitivity values.     

着生藻类和浮游藻类在三峡库区河流健康评价中的适宜性比较研究

藻类对水体环境变化敏感,其种类和数量与环境因素有密切联系并因环境的变化而发生变化,因此藻类常作为河流健康评价的指示生物。水体中的藻类根据生活习性不同分为着生藻类和浮游藻类,在河流健康评价中,以往的工作中有的采用浮游藻类用于河流健康评价,有的采用着生藻类用于评价,但浮游藻类和着生藻类究竟何者用于河流健康评价更适宜,抑或是二者在用于评价的适宜性上没有明显差别,迄今为止未开展过深入研究。选择三峡库区内的两条河流嘉陵江和乌江作为研究对象,于2015年9月,在两条河流上共布设11个研究断面,对嘉陵江、乌江的水环境理化因子、着生藻类和浮游藻类群落进行调查研究,应用着生藻类生物完整性指数(Periphytic algal index of biological integrity,Pe-IBI)和浮游藻类生物完整性指数(Phytoplankton index of biological integrity,Ph-IBI),并结合水体综合污染指数(Comprehensive pollution index,CPI),对嘉陵江、乌江的健康状况进行评价。研究结果表明,采用着生藻类生物完整性评价(Pe-IBI)能筛选出7个核心生物参数(藻类总分类单元数、蓝藻总分类单元数、绿藻总分类单元数、菱形藻比例、优势分类单元比例、香农多样性指数、均匀度)用于河流健康评价,着生藻类生物完整性指数(Pe-IBI)与水体综合污染指数(CPI)具有极显著的负相关关系,并且与水体中总氮、铅含量也有极显著的负相关关系,表明水环境质量越低则着生藻类的生物完整性越差;当采用浮游藻类生物完整性(Ph-IBI)用于河流健康评价时却只能筛选出1个核心生物参数(藻类密度),而且浮游藻类生物完整性指数(Ph-IBI)与水体综合污染指数(CPI)及12个水体环境指标并无明显的相关性。本研究表明,在河流水体中,与浮游藻类相比,着生藻类更能反映水体环境的状况,对河流水体环境的反映更为准确。因此,在以流动水体为特征的河流的健康评价中,采用着生藻类比采用浮游藻类更为适宜。     

Diversity in riverine metacommunities: a network perspective

The influence of spatial processes on diversity and community dynamics is generally recognized in ecology and also applied to conservation projects involving forest and grassland ecosystems. Riverine ecosystems, however, have been for a long time viewed from a local or linear perspective, even though the treelike branching of river networks is universal. River networks (so-called dendritic networks) are not only structured in a hierarchic way, but the dendritic landscape structure and physical flows often dictate distance and directionality of dispersal. Theoretical models suggest that the specific riverine network structure directly affects diversity patterns. Recent experimental and comparative data are supporting this idea. Here, I provide an introduction on theoretical findings suggesting that genetic diversity, heterozygosity and species richness are higher in dendritic systems compared to linear or two-dimensional lattice landscapes. The characteristic diversity patterns can be explained in a network perspective, which also offers universal metrics to better understand and protect riverine diversity. I show how appropriate metrics describing network centrality and dispersal distances are superior to classic measures still applied in aquatic ecology, such as Strahler order or Euclidian distance. Finally, knowledge gaps and future directions of research are identified. The network perspective employed here may help to generalize findings on riverine biodiversity research and can be applied to conservation and river restoration projects.     

Application of clustering techniques for the characterization of macroinvertebrate communities to support river restoration management

The European Water Framework Directive prescribes that the development of a river assessment system should be based on an ecological typology taking the biological reference conditions of each river type as a starting point. Aside from this assessment, water managers responsible for river restoration actions also need to know the steering environmental factors to meet these reference conditions for biological communities in each ecological river type. As such, an ecological typology based on biological communities is a necessity for efficient river management. In this study, different clustering techniques including the Sørensen similarity ratio, ordination analysis and self-organizing maps were applied to come to an ecological classification of a river. For this purpose, a series of sites within the Zwalm river basin (Flanders, Belgium) were monitored. These river sites were then characterized in terms of biotic (macroinvertebrates), physical–chemical and habitat variables. The cluster analysis resulted in a series of characteristic biotic communities that are found under certain environmental conditions, natural as well as human-influenced. The use of multiple clustering techniques can be of advantage to draw more straightforward and robust conclusions with regard to the ecological classification of river sites. The application of the clustering techniques on the Zwalm river basin, allowed for distinguishing five mutually isolated clusters, characterized by their natural typology and their pollution status. On the basis of this study, one may conclude that river management could benefit from the use of clustering methods for the interpretation of large quantities of data. Furthermore, the clustering results might enable the development of a cenotypology useful for efficiently steering river restoration and enabling river managers to meet a good ecological status in most of the rivers as set by the European Water Framework Directive.     

Overview and quantification of the factors affecting the upstream and downstream movements of Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda)

Human activities have severely deteriorated the Flemish river systems, and many functions such as drinking water supply, fishing, ... are threatened. Because their restoration entails drastic social (e.g. change in habits with regard to water use and discharge, urban planning) and economical (e.g. investment in nature restoration, wastewater treatment system installation) consequences, the decisions should be taken with enough forethought. Ecosystem models can act as interesting tools to support decision-making in river restoration management. In particular models that can predict the habitat requirements of organisms are of considerable importance to ensure that the planned actions have the desired effects on the aquatic ecosystems. In preliminary studies, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were tested and optimized to obtain the best model configuration for the prediction of the habitat suitability for Gammarus pulex based on the abiotic characteristics of their aquatic environment in the Zwalm river basin (Flanders, Belgium). Although, these ANN models are in general quite robust with a rather high predictive reliability, the model performance has to be increased with regard to simulations for river restoration management. In particular, spatial-temporal expert-rules have to be included. Migration kinetics (downstream drift and upstream migration) of the organism and migration barriers along the river (weirs, impounded river sections, ...) can deliver important additional information on the effectiveness of the restoration plans, and also on the timing of the expected effects. This paper presents an overview and quantification of the factors affecting the upstream and downstream movements of Gammarus pulex. During further research, ANN models will be used to predict the habitat suitability for Gammarus pulex after several restoration options. The migration models, implemented in a Geographical Information System (GIS), are applied to calculate the migration time to the restored parts of the river. In this way, decision makers have an idea whether and when a selected restoration option has the desired effect.     

Calorimetric method for the monitoring and control of biocatalysed reactions

A method for determining the reactant concentration and biocatalyst activity during a biocatalysed reaction is described. The analyser functions by monitoring the temperature change of a sample of reaction mixture which is held under adiabatic conditions. Details are given of the successful application of the analyser to the monitoring and control of a fed-batch bioconversion by Rhodococcus ruber NCIMB 40757 of acrylonitrile to 42% (w/w) (4.37 M) ammonium acrylate and the wider application of the analyser to other bioconversions is considered.     

河流生境的评估方法及应用的研究进展

河流生境是水生生物赖以生存的物理、化学和生物环境的综合体, 是河流生态系统的重要组成部分。河流生境评价有助于掌握河流的生态健康状况, 识别河流退化的原因, 为河流的生态修复提供依据。文章梳理总结了20世纪80年代至2018年文献中报道的全球范围内河流生境评估的方法, 然后根据每种方法的侧重点和目标, 将它们分为预测模型法和多指标综合评估法两种类型, 并比较了它们各自的优势和不足。预测模型法适于长期的生境动态监测, 但该方法需要以自然无干扰的河流为参照, 并且需要大量历史数据, 统一评估不易实现; 多指标综合评估法评估相对快速方便, 但评估过程复杂, 且评价标准不一, 结果有一定的局限性。这些方法的适用范围从中小型的可涉水河流到较大的不可涉水河流, 但适用于大型不可涉水河流的生境评估方法和案例非常有限。通过分类整理, 发现我国河流生境评估方法多是参考国外几种常用的河流评估方法, 种类单一, 而且多是针对个别河流, 并且未对这些河流所在的流域的生境状况进行深入研究, 广适性较差。因此, 文章从以下几个方面对我国河流生境评估体系的发展提出几点建议: (1)确定科学和标准化的评分指标, 因地制宜, 以满足不同河流特征; (2)扩大评估范围, 从流域和景观尺度开展生境监测, 关注全流域的健康状况; (3)扩大时间尺度, 建立模型, 进行长期的动态评估; (4)鼓励政府宏观规划, 促进不同管理部门间的合作, 整合不同地区的河流生境数据并建立国家尺度的河流生境大数据库, 以实现我国河流生态健康的维护和流域的可持续发展。     

Simulating the recovery of suspended sediment transport and river-bed stability in response to dam removal on the Elwha River,Washington

U.S. Department of the Interior is planning to remove two high dams (30 and 60 m) from the Elwha River, which will allow the river to erode sediment deposits in the reservoirs, and ultimately restore the river ecosystem. Fluvial sediment transport and deposition paradoxically represent ecological disturbance and restoration. A one-dimensional, movable boundary sediment-transport model was applied at a daily time step to simulate changes in river-bed elevations and particle-size distributions and concentrations of suspended sediment. The simulations included a three-year dam removal period and a four-year recovery period. Simulated concentrations of suspended sediment recover rapidly during the recovery period. Simulated bed elevation and particle-size distributions are stable for much of the river during the recovery period, but high flows periodically disturb the river bed, causing changes in river-bed elevation and particle-size distribution, especially during autumn, when summer/autumn chinook salmon are incubating in redds. Although the river bed will become increasingly stable after dam removal, episodic high flows will interrupt recovery trends. Productivity and diversity of the ecosystem may be lower because of excess sediment immediately after dam removal but should increase during recovery above current levels as the river. Monitoring of the recovery of the Elwha River ecosystem can target ecologically significant physical parameters indicating the transition from a sediment transport-limited state to a supply-limited state.     

The automation of a manual amino acid analyser

The automation of a manual amino acid analyser is described. The modified analyser is fully automatic and will perform up to 19 analyses consecutively with a cycle time of 190 min. The modifications are simple and relatively inexpensive. The performance and reliability of the analyser are excellent.     

A comprehensive examination of the network position hypothesis across multiple river metacommunities

The hierarchical branching nature of river networks can have a strong influence on the assembly of freshwater communities. This unique structure has spurred the development of the network position hypothesis (NPH), which states that the strength of different assembly processes depends on the community position in the river network. Specifically, it predicts that 1) headwater communities should be exclusively controlled by the local environment given that they are more isolated and environmentally heterogeneous relative to downstream reaches. In contrast, 2) downstream communities should be regulated by both environmental and dispersal processes due to increased connectivity given their central position in the riverscape. Although intuitive, the NPH has only been evaluated on a few catchments and it is not yet clear whether its predictions are generalizable. To fill this gap, we tested the NPH on river dwelling fishes using an extensive dataset from 28 French catchments. Stream and climatic variables were assembled to characterize environmental conditions and graph theory was applied on river networks to create spatial variables. We tested both predictions using variation partitioning analyses separately for headwater and downstream sites in each catchment. Only 10 catchments supported both predictions, 11 failed to support at least one of them, while in 7 the NPH was partially supported given that spatial variables were also significant for headwater communities. We then assembled a dataset at the catchment scale (e.g. topography, environmental heterogeneity, network connectivity) and applied a classification tree analysis (CTA) to determine which regional property could explain these results. The CTA showed that the NPH was not supported in catchments with high heterogeneity in connectivity among sites. In more homogeneously connected catchments, the NPH was only supported when headwaters were more environmentally heterogeneous than downstream sites. We conclude that the NPH is context dependent even for taxa dispersing exclusively within streams.     

Predicting the spatial distribution of the invasive piscivorous chub (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Opsariichthys uncirostris uncirostris</Emphasis>) in the irrigation ditches of Kyushu,Japan: a tool for the risk management of biological invasions

The piscivorous chub (Opsariichthys uncirostris uncirostris) has widely invaded Kyushu Island in Japan, and its presence in irrigation ditches known as creeks around Ariake Bay has caused particular concern because various native freshwater fishes are also known to exist in the region. In order to examine the habitat characteristics that are related to its occurrence, we developed a species distribution model for piscivorous chub that inhabits creeks in the Kase river catchment by using geographic and habitat variables that were both biotic and abiotic. We then evaluated the model by using a different data set from the adjacent Chikugo river catchment. The resulting multiple logistic regression model, whose performance was supported by a high value of 0.881 for the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), indicated that the occurrence of piscivorous chub was strongly affected by the watercourse distance from the source populations in the Kase river. The model’s performance was still high (AUC = 0.792) when tested with the data set from the Chikugo river catchment. We also produced a GIS map that projects the predicted distribution of piscivorous chub across all creeks within the Kase river catchment. The result is likely to reflect the connectivity between static and lentic habitat and is not merely a question of the simple distance from the source populations. We also discuss how the potential distribution map can be applied to the management of piscivorous chub.