The Legal Regulation of Floats and Gliders—In Quest of a New Regime?

This article analyzes the legal status of unmanned instruments (particularly, floats and gliders) for observation purposes in the ocean environment. These new kinds of instruments are being deployed by the thousands into the oceans, not the least as part of the Argo Project of the International Oceanographic Commission. Their uncontrolled drifting has raised legal questions, especially when such instruments enter waters subject to the jurisdiction of foreign states. The authors argue that the current international legal framework is insufficient to address the pertinent issues, and that a new legal regime is needed.     

Effect of mixing on biogas production during mesophilic anaerobic digestion of screened dairy manure in a pilot plant

The effect of mixing on biogas production of a 1.5‐m³ pilot continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) processing screened dairy manure was evaluated. Mixing was carried out by recirculation of reactor content with a mono pump. The experiment was conducted at a controlled temperature of 37±1°C and hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 20 and 10 days. The effect of continuous and intermittent operation of the recirculation pump on biogas production was studied. At 10 days of HRT, the results showed a minimal influence of recirculation rate on biogas production and that continuous recirculation did not improve reactor performance. At 20 days of HRT, the recirculation rate did not affect reactor performance. Combination of low solid content in feed animal slurry and long HRTs results in minimal mixing requirements for anaerobic digestion.     

Is CD36 gene polymorphism in region encoding lipid-binding domain associated with early onset CAD?

CD36 is a fatty acid translocase in striated muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. Some study suggested that alterations in CD36 gene may be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The aim of the current study was to compare the frequency of CD36 variants in region encoding lipid-binding domain in Caucasian patients with early-onset CAD, no-CAD adult controls and neonates. The study group comprised 100 patients with early onset CAD. The genetic control groups were 306 infants and 40 no-CAD adults aged over 70 years. Exons 4, 5 and 6 including fragments of flanking introns were studied using the denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography technique and direct sequencing. Changes detected in analyzed fragment of CD36: IVS3-6 T/C (rs3173798), IVS4-10 G/A (rs3211892), C311T (Thr104Ile, not described so far) in exon 5, G550A (Asp184Asn, rs138897347), C572T (Pro191Leu, rs143150225), G573A (Pro191Pro, rs5956) and A591T (Thr197Thr, rs141680676) in exon 6. No significant differences in the CD36 genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies were found between the three groups. Only borderline differences (p = 0.066) were found between early onset CAD patients and newborns in the frequencies of 591T allele (2.00% vs 0.50%) and CGCGCGT haplotype (2.00% vs 0.50%) with both IVS3-6C and 591T variant alleles. In conclusion, CD36 variants: rs3173798, rs3211892, rs138897347, rs5956, rs143150225 rs141680676 and C311T do not seem to be involved in the risk of early-onset CAD in Caucasian population.     

A rating scale for wildness and ease of handling laboratory mice: results for 21 inbred strains tested in two laboratories

Rating scales for difficulty in capturing and holding mice were devised that proved to be easy to use and highly sensitive to differences among mouse strains on the A and B priority lists of the Mouse Phenome Project. The simplicity of the scales makes it feasible to rate wildness during behavioral test sessions without adding much to testing time or distracting the technician from the principal task at hand. Overall wildness and placidity ratings obtained by combining capture and hold ratings provide a good impression of the difficulties encountered while working with lab mice in the course of complex experiments. Ratings of 21 inbred strains during the course of 15 behavioral tests in two laboratories demonstrated that the SPRET/Ei, PERA/Ei, CAST/Ei and SWR/J strains were particularly difficult to handle. The NOD/LtJ strain posed no special challenge in the Edmonton laboratory but was very difficult to handle in the Portland lab. The rating scales should be useful for judging the difficulties in working with novel targeted or induced mutations in mice as well as effects of a variety of environmental treatments or drugs.     

Biology, fisheries, and conservation of sturgeons and paddlefish in China

This paper reviews five of the eight species of acipenseriforms that occur in China, chiefly those of the Amur and Yangtze rivers. Kaluga Huso dauricus and Amur sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii are endemic to the Amur River. Both species still support fisheries, but stocks are declining due to overfishing. Acipenseriformes of the Yangtze River are primarily threatened by hydroelectric dams that block free passage to spawning and feeding areas. The Chinese paddlefish Psephurus gladius now is rare in the Yangtze River system, and its spawning activities were severely limited by completion of the Gezhouba Dam in 1981. Since 1988, only 3–10 adult paddlefishes per year have been found below the dam. Limited spawning still exists above the dam, but when the new Three Gorges Dam is complete, it will further threaten the paddlefish. Artificial propagation appears to be the only hope for preventing extinction of P. gladius, but it has yet to be successfully bred in captivity. Dabry's sturgeon A. dabryanus is a small, exclusively freshwater sturgeon found only in the Yangtze River system. It is concentrated today in reaches of the main stream above Gezhouba Dam. The fishery has been closed since 1983, but populations continue to decline. Acipenser dabryanus has been cultured since the 1970s, and holds promise for commercial aquaculture; availability of aquacultural methods offers hope for enhancing natural populations. The Chinese sturgeon A. sinensis occurs in the Yangtze and Pearl rivers and seas of east Asia. There is still disagreement about the taxonomy of the Pearl and Yangtze River populations. The Yangtze River population is anadromous. Adults begin spawning at about age 14 years (males) and 21 years (females), and adults spend over 15 months in the river for reproduction. Spawning sites of A. sinensis were found every year since 1982 below the Gezhouba Dam, but it seems that insufficient suitable ground is available for spawning. Since 1983, commercial fishing has been prohibited but more measures need to be taken such as establishing protected areas and characterizing critical spawning, summering and wintering habitats.     

中国退耕还林还草对生态系统服务权衡与协同的影响

基于生态系统服务之间相关关系的时空动态变化,实现区域可持续发展与生态系统利益最大化,是兼顾生态保护、粮食安全、改善民生等多目标的重要途径。通过分析退耕还林还草工程县域粮食供给与地块水源涵养、土壤保持、防风固沙功能变化,评估退耕还林还草工程对生态系统关键服务之间权衡与协同关系的影响。结果表明：（1）2000-2015年,约76%工程县域的粮食供给增加,约46%和49%工程县域退耕还林还草地块的土壤保持与水源涵养功能呈提升态势,而风蚀区仅约2%工程县域的地块防风固沙功能明显提升。（2）1897个工程县域中,约24%县域粮食供给与地块水源涵养、约18%县域粮食供给与地块土壤保持之间呈显著地空间协同关系,风蚀区约38%县域粮食供给与地块防风固沙之间呈显著地空间权衡关系。（3）31%工程县域表现为多重生态系统服务供给区,其中双重服务供给县域占43%,三重服务供给县域占53%,四重服务供给县域占4%。（4）近16年,不同区域退耕还林还草工程导致粮食供给与调节服务之间呈现权衡与协同相互转换、权衡或协同程度变化等差异的空间相关关系,反映了多重生态系统服务联合权衡与协同在未来工程生态效应评估中的重要性。     

微生物技术“学习情境”项目教学改革探索与实践

针对卫生行业对高职医学生物技术专业人才需求,对接企业就业岗位群,设置微生物技术"学习领域"课程,开发设计来源于企业生产或服务实践的以工作过程为导向的"学习情境"教学单元。强化职业导向,开展理论实践一体化项目教学及云班课互动教学改革。采取多元化考核形式,以产品或项目成果为指引,给学生提供感知和体验工作过程的机会。经过多个学习情境项目教学的长期强化训练,学生积累了适应未来岗位的综合技能和素质。     

南方红壤区生态系统服务权衡与协同关系演变对退耕还林的响应

我国南方红壤区具有丰富的水热资源和优越的社会区位条件,是重要的农业生产基地。由于长期高强度的农业开发,同时山地丘陵的坡度较大,降水集中且强度大,导致该区生态功能退化、环境问题突出,威胁粮食安全和生态安全。以南方红壤区为研究对象,利用估算区域植被净生产力（Carnegie Ames-Stanford Approach,CASA）模型、InVEST模型及修正通用土壤流失方程（RUSLE）定量评估了该区退耕还林前后植被净初级生产力（Net Primary Production,NPP）、农作物生产（Crop Production,CP）、土壤保持（Soil Conservation,SC）和产水（Water Yield,WY）四种生态系统服务;采用偏相关分析和空间自相关分析探讨了各项生态系统服务间权衡与协同关系的时空变化特征和集聚特征,揭示了退耕还林对南方红壤区的多种生态系统服务间相互关系的影响。结果表明：（1）退耕还林后,南方红壤区的NPP、CP、SC和WY总体增强,但部分区域呈现减弱趋势。其中,NPP在南部呈现减弱趋势,SC在东北部减弱,CP与WY均在东南沿海减弱;（2）退耕还林后,NPP与WY间由极显著协同关系（r=0.315,P=0.025）转变为显著权衡关系（r=-0.279,P=0.059）：而SC与WY间由无显著相关转变为极显著权衡关系（r=-0.427,P=0.024）;（3）退耕还林前后,南方红壤区的NPP、CP和SC的空间分布格局均未发生显著变化,而WY的空间分布发生较大变化;（4）四种生态系统服务间的权衡与协同关系空间异质性显著,CP-SC关系的Moran''s I指数最小（0.012）,NPP-SC和NPP-WY关系的Moran''s I指数均大于0.7。研究结果有利于深入理解退耕还林对南方红壤区生态系统服务时空变化的影响,并为确定生态脆弱区的生态农林牧业的发展方向与面向可持续发展目标的生态系统服务优化调控提供科学依据。     

神经信息学的原理与展望

神经信息学是研究神经系统信息的载体形式,神经信息的产生、传输、加工、编码、存储与提取机理,以及建立神经数据库系统的科学。它是脑科学,信息科学和计算机科学相互交叉的边缘学科。神经信息学可分为分子神经信息学和系统神经信息学两个层次。神经信息编码可分为神经元脉冲序列的数字编码和突触联结权重编码两种编码方式。对21世纪神经信息学可能取得的新进展进行分析和预测,并论证开展人类神经组计划（HuNP）和建立神经数据库系统的必要性与可行性。对人类神经计划与人类脑计划的异同步,进行比较和讨论。     

Undergraduate Music Program Alumni's Career Path,Retrospective Institutional Satisfaction,and Financial Status

The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate music education and performance alumni's career path, retrospective institutional satisfaction, and financial status. Data for this study were drawn from respondents from the 2010 administration of the nationwide, multi-institutional survey conducted by the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP). Regarding career path, nearly half of the music performance degree graduates reported performing as their current job, and slightly more than half of the music education degree graduates reported working in K–12 schools. Participants were generally satisfied with their institutional experiences, although relatively low levels of satisfaction were reported for networking and career advising services. The respondents reported being most satisfied with aspects of their current jobs that reflected the intrinsic benefits of contributing to a greater good, satisfying personal interests and values, and opportunities to be creative. The majority of the sample reported accruing student loan debt ranging between $10,000 and $30,000; however, no significant differences were found between groups, and 40 percent of the participants reported having accrued no debt at all. The reported annual income of the participants varied significantly, with music educators reporting higher earnings than performers.