Search

The oxygen consumption rate (OCR) of juvenile Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis (Body weight, range 5 - 32 g) were determined under different environmental conditions, including water temperature, salinity, illumination intensity and metal ion concentration [Cu2+] by single factor experimental analysis. OCR and opercula frequency (OF) increased with rising of water temperature. The linear relationships between water temperature (WT) and OF with OCR can be described as OCR = 0.018 WT + 0.016 (R2 = 0.988, P < 0.01), OCR = 2.737 OF + 77.726 (R2 = 0.64, P < 0.01), respectively. The acute exposure experiments showed that the OCR also increased initially with an increase in salinity. The linear relationships between salinity (S) and OCR can be described as OCR = 8.1 x 10-5 S3 - 3.01 x 10-3 S2 + 0.0263 S + 0.2729 (R2 = 0.995, P < 0.01). Three days of acclimation to different salinities, the OCRs decreased sharply relative to the first day exposure values. The equation OCR = - 6.29 x 10-4 S2 + 0.0238 S + 0.2797 (R2 = 0.988, P < 0.01) illustrates the linear relationship between salinity and OCRs after 3-day exposure. After 3-day acclimation, the OCRs increased also with increasing light intensity, except for the ambient light group (i.e., 2000 lx) and the group exposed to direct sunlight (i.e., 20000 lx). After 1-day exposure to different Cu2+ concentrations (C), the OCRs decreased rapidly in all of the groups. But the OCR level being gradually different with the increasing of Cu2+ concentration, OCR = 0.237e - 0.09 C (R2 = 0.898, P < 0.01). The results provided us with some useful guide lines which may apply into protection and cultivation management of this endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was hypothesized that differences of body shape between pond-reared and tank-reared juvenile Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis may influence their swimming ability, and thus may play an important role in their stocking into the native population. In this study, morphological characters and critical swimming speed (Ucrit) of the pond-reared (body weight, BW = 1426.0 ± 53.8 g, n = 6) and tank-reared (BW = 1201.6 ± 91.4 g, n = 6) size-matched juvenile Chinese sturgeon were measured and compared. The Ucrit of pond-reared sturgeon was 81.3 ± 3.2 cm/s (relative critical swimming speed, Ucrit' = 1.32 ± 0.04 SL/s), which was not significantly higher (P > 0.05) than that of the tank-reared cohort (Ucrit = 76.2 ± 1.9 cm/s, Ucrit' = 1.40 ± 0.03 SL/s). Rearing condition had some significant effects on 12 of morphological characters of the Chinese sturgeon at their early life stage (P < 0.05), but there was only a tendency to be difference between the body shape variations as defined by PC1 (body and caudal length, body depth and caudal filament length) from the principal component analysis (PCA) with 12 size-adjusted morphological characters of the two different cohorts (P = 0.051). There was a significant negative relationship between Lg (Ucrit) (y) and PC1 (x), which could be described by the equation as follows: y = 1.897 - 0.002 x (r2 = 0.372, P = 0.035). These results indicated that rearing condition could not significantly influence the swimming ability associated with body shape of the juvenile Chinese sturgeon, but we should select streamline-bodied juveniles when releasing them into nature. Furthermore, the findings may be useful for a fish way and culvert design due to stringent regulatory requirement [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Ti40Zr40Ni20 quasicrystal (QCs) rod and ribbons were prepared by conventional casting and rapid solidification. The X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) techniques were used to investigate the microtissue, phase composition, and solidification features of the samples; the nano-indentation test was carried out at room temperature. The results show that a mixture of the α-Ti(Zr) phase and the icosahedral quasicrystal (I-phase) was formed in the Ti40Zr40Ni20 rod; the microstructure of Ti40Zr40Ni20 ribbons mainly consisted of the I-phase. The solidification mechanism of the I-phase was different in the two alloys. The I-phase in the quasicrystalline rod was formed by packet reaction while in the ribbons it was generated directly from the liquid. At room temperature, both samples had relatively high hardness and elastic modulus; the elastic modulus of the ribbons is 76 GPa, higher than the 45 GPa of the rod. The hardness of the ribbons was more than twice that of the rod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the outcomes after combined organ radical resection for the recurrent gastric cancer., Methods: Complete clinicopathological data of 48 recurrent gastric cancer patients who received radical resection before and underwent reoperation again in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2008 to December 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Of 48 patients, 32 received combined organ radical resection(radical group) and 16 received combined organ palliative gastric stump resection (palliative group)., Results: In the radical group, one case(3.1%,1/32) died 5 days after operation due to hepatorenal syndrome and 9 had postoperative complications (28.1%,9/32), including external intestinal fistula, pancreatic fistula, biliary fistula and anastomotic bleeding. In the palliative group, only one patient(6.2%, 1/16) had postoperative pneumonia and partial intestinal obstruction, with lower complication morbidity as compared to the radical group(P<0.05). The median survival time was significantly longer in the radical group(36.0 vs. 11.5 months, P<0.01). The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 93.1%, 72.4% in the radical group, and 31.3%, 18.8% in palliative group, whose differences were statistically significant. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that clinical stage (HR:3.106, 95% CI:1.357-6.321, P=0.008), peritoneal metastasis (HR:10.167, 95% CI:3.230-35.234, P=0.000) and radical cure situation(HR:3.256, 95% CI:1.267-9.389, P=0.009) were independent prognostic factors., Conclusion: The combined organ radical resection can provide better survival for recurrent gastric cancer patients, while the indications should be controlled strictly with preoperative multidisciplinary assessment and precise surgical judgment in order to decrease the complication.