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Cultured Nibea albiflora rarely die from cryptocaryoniasis. To explore the resistance of N. albiflora against the invasion of Cryptocaryon irritans, in this study, 40 g N. albiflora was artificially infected with C. irritans at a median lethal concentration (2050 theronts/g fish). The food intake, survival, relative infection intensity, and immobilization titer variation of serum and mucus at different time points after the infection were compared. Results showed that the ingestion of N. albiflora could be resumed only 1 day after feed deprivation by the disease, which indicated the quick resilience of N. albiflora. N. albiflora did not die out even if it was cultured continually for up to 15 days at 27 °C in a culture tank with a large quantity of C. irritans tomonts. It was because that, without any exterior force, N. albiflora could block the C. irritans cell proliferation, and then the pathogens disappear gradually. In vitro immobilization titer test results confirmed that the serum and mucus could directly eradicate C. irritans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"How to select the best partners" is an important decision for oil importing countries to ensure their energy security. However, amid global changes of a magnitude not seen in a century, decision making is something involving high uncertainty and high complexity. In this paper, linking data with empirical logic and expert judgment, fundamentals such as China's import demand for crude oils of different quality, export capacity of resource countries, and trade price are reviewed; and non-fundamentals such as international sanctions, diplomatic relations, channel risk, and investment cooperation are modeled with crude oil trade in globalization and bloc confrontation scenarios. On this basis, a model system for the optimization of China's crude oil import portfolio based on data-driven scenario analysis is built, which can be served as an effective tool to support decision making. The study shows that China should focus on four regions: countries surrounding China, the Gulf States, the Amazon countries of South America, and central and western Africa. In particular, in order to realize China's oil supply security in the scenario of Bloc Confrontation, in addition to Russia, Iran and Venezuela, China should pay more attention to Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Angola, Guyana and Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese pomfret Pampus chinensis is one of the most economic and ecological important marine fish species in China. In the present study, the population genetic structure and genetic diversity of P. chinensis were evaluated from a total sample size of 180 individuals representing six populations from the East China Sea and the South China Sea using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. A total of 24 variable sites (including 3 singleton sites and 21 parsimony information sites) were observed, and 18 haplotypes were defined. The haplotype diversity (Hd) of the populations ranged from 0.559 to 0.775, and the nucleotide diversity (π) ranged from 0.330 to 1.090%. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) reveals that the main variation (66.02%) was among individuals within populations. The average pairwise differences and ϕST values indicated significant genetic differentiation between Dongxing population and the other populations. The results of the present study are helpful for the sustainable management and utilization of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common aquaculture practices subject fish to a variety of acute and chronic stressors. Such stressors are inherent in aquaculture production but can adversely affect survival, growth, immune response, reproductive capacity, and behavior. Understanding the biological mechanisms underlying stress responses helps with methods to alleviate the negative effects through better aquaculture practices, resulting in improved animal welfare and production efficiency. In the present study, transcriptome sequencing of liver and kidney was performed in silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) subjected to handling stress versus controls. A total of 162.19 million clean reads were assembled to 30 339 unigenes. The quality of the assembly was high, with an N50 length of 2 472 bases. For function classification and pathway assignment, the unigenes were categorized into three GO (gene ontology) categories, twenty-six clusters of eggNOG (evolutionary genealogy of genes: non-supervised orthologous groups) function categories, and thirty-eight KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways. Stress affected different functional groups of genes in the tissues studied. Differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in metabolic pathways (carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino-acid metabolism, uptake of cofactors and vitamins, and biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites), environmental information processing (signaling molecules and their interactions), organismal systems (endocrine system, digestive system), and disease (immune, neurodegenerative, endocrine and metabolic diseases). This is the first reported analysis of genome-wide transcriptome in P. argenteus, and the findings expand our understanding of the silver pomfret genome and gene expression in association with stress. The results will be useful to future analyses of functional genes and studies of healthy artificial breeding in P. argenteus and other related fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large water-pumping and particle-capturing gills of the filter-feeding blue mussel Mytilus edulis are oversized for respiratory purposes. Consequently, the oxygen uptake rate of the mussel has been suggested to be rather insensitive to decreasing oxygen concentrations in the ambient water, since the diffusion rate of oxygen from water flowing through the mussel determines oxygen uptake. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the oxygen uptake in mussels exposed to various oxygen concentrations. These concentrations were established via N2-bubbling of the water in a respiration chamber with mussels fed algal cells to stimulate fully opening of the valves. It was found that mussels exposed to oxygen concentrations decreasing from 9 to 2 mg O2/L resulted in a slow but significant reduction in the respiration rate, while the filtration rate remained high and constant. Thus, a decrease of oxygen concentration by 78% only resulted in a 25% decrease in respiration rate. However, at oxygen concentrations below 2 mg O2/L M. edulis responded by gradually closing its valves, resulting in a rapid decrease of filtration rate, concurrent with a rapid reduction of respiration rate. These observations indicated that M. edulis is no longer able to maintain its normal aerobic metabolism at oxygen concentration below 2 mg O2/L, and there seems to be an energy-saving mechanism in bivalve molluscs to strongly reduce their activity when exposed to low oxygen conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juvenile Hemifusus ternatanus were cultured in a double-layer culturing system for 186 weeks in order to assess growth performance. The growth rate of H. ternatanus under artificial culturing conditions was high during the first 137 week post-hatching, followed by a period of relatively slower growth. The shell of the cultured sub-adult whelks was shorter and thicker than that of the wild individuals with same weight. The proximate, amino acid and fatty acid compositions of H. ternatanus foot muscles were analyzed to compare the quality of cultured and wild whelks. Both the cultured and wild H. ternatanus contained high levels of flavor-enhancing amino acids. No significant difference was observed in protein content, moisture content or amino acid composition. The cultured whelks contained significantly higher levels of fat and ash ( P < 0.05). The total saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids were statistically similar between the cultured and wild groups; however, there were significant differences in the content of individual of fatty acids between the two groups, including 17:0, 16:1, 18:1n-9c, 18:2n-6t, 20:4n-6, 22:5n-3, 22:6n-3, and n-6 PUFAs ( P < 0.05). The fatty acids 21:0, 15:1, 22:1n-9, 18:2n-6c, and 18:3n-3 were detected in the cultured H. ternatanus only. On the contrary, 18:1n-9t was detected only in the wild H. ternatanus . This study provides novel information regarding the growth and composition of cultured H. ternatanus which will be helpful for the development of aquaculture practices for this species. Statement of Relevance This manuscript provides new findings which should be of interest to readers involved in the reproduction and aquaculture of gastropods. H. ternatanus is a marine whelk with agreeable taste and is a potential candidate species for aquaculture. Aquaculture production of H. ternatanus is increasing due to its high market price and the depletion of natural stocks. There is currently no information regarding the nutritional composition of cultured H. ternatanus compared to its wild counterpart. The results of this study will help consumers better understand the nutritional value of cultured whelks and provide aquaculturists with important information for the development of formulated feeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing active function groups and radicals of polymers (polycarbosilane) to react with a mixture of organics (urea) and inorganics(boric acid) during polymer to ceramic conversion process, a novel SiBCN(O) ceramic was successfully prepared via hot-pressing from 380 to 700 °C combined with following pyrolysis at 1400 °C for 2 h in nitrogen atmosphere. The prepared SiBCN(O) ceramic with a low open porosity of ~4%, which maintained amorphous structure still. Experimental results confirmed that the inorganic network of SiBCN(O) amorphous ceramic was constructed by Si–C, Si–N, Si–O, B–N, and B–O bonds. Pyrolysis product BN served as active filler in densification process of the SiBCN(O) ceramic. Additionally, the introduced oxygen from boric acid could be well controlled and thus effectively improved the densification process of the ceramic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) will increase exponentially in the coming decade with the retirement of electric vehicles (EVs). There is a knowledge gap in assessing the environmental impact of different terminal disposal paths for EV LIBs in China. Here, we take representative lithium iron phosphate (LFP) power batteries as example and carry out a bottom-up life cycle assessment (LCA). The life cycle stages of battery manufacturing, use, second life and battery recycling are considered to conduct a cradle-to-grave environmental impact analysis. To investigate the environmental benefits of end-of-life (EoL) stage for LFP batteries, two EoL management scenarios are considered in this study. The first one combines second life application with battery recycling, and the second recycles the retired batteries directly after EV use. The result shows that the secondary application of retired LFP batteries in energy storage systems (ESSs) can effectively reduce the net environmental impact of LIB life cycle, especially for fossil fuel depletion. When the service life of secondary use is increased from 1 year to 10 years, the environmental benefits of different impact categories will increase by 0.24–4.62 times. For direct recycle scenario, recycling retired LFP batteries can save more than 30% of metal resources. By comparison, we find that recycling lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NCM) batteries has greater environmental benefits than recycling LFP batteries for all impact categories. When considering the environmental benefits at the EoL stage, most life cycle environmental impact is likely to be offset or even show positive benefits if more than 50% of power batteries can be reused in ESSs after retirement. [Display omitted] • LCA under different EoL scenarios in China is conducted for EV LFP batteries. • The reuse of LFP batteries are more environmentally friendly for energy storage. • Environmental benefits of recycling LFP batteries are smaller than NCM batteries. • Recycling methods differ significantly in environmental benefits of LIBs recycling. • Some impact categories are likely to be offset if more LFP batteries are reused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a dense and seamless SiBCN(O) amorphous coating with a few ZrSiO 4 particles is prepared by low-cost slurry method and sintered at 1573 K, namely ZrSiO 4 –SiBCN(O) amorphous coating. During its preparation process, by employing the polyborosilazane (PBSZ)–ethanol solution as the precursor, the sintering temperature of the coating is significantly reduced and its densification is greatly improved as well. The coating was heat-treated in stagnant laboratory air at 1773 K from 5 min to 8 h. It shows high oxidation protecting performance during oxidation and the oxidation mechanism includes three stages, that are active oxidation, defection healing and oxygen diffusion at 1773 K. It was also found that, by introducing the ZrSiO 4 particles into the SiBCN(O) amorphous coating, the propagation of micro-cracks during its oxidation process is prominently inhibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High density of electron trapping in high- \kappa intergate dielectric (IGD) materials remains a major concern for planar memory cells with either poly-Si or hybrid floating gates (FGs). In this paper, for the first time, using the ultrafast I{-}V measurements, it is demonstrated that a significant portion of the P/E windows are actually contributed by electrons trapped initially in the high- \kappa$ IGD stacks during program/erase, and then discharged to FG or control gate during verification. More importantly, it is demonstrated, for the first time, that this fast charge transition can be suppressed using novel multilayer high- $\kappa$ IGD structures, and the fast window instability can be eliminated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Poly-Si (p-Si) channel used in 3-D Flash memory devices is the main source of degraded performance, such as the high interface state density. Charge pumping (CP) signals in the 3-D nanoscale vertical device with p-Si channel are analyzed in this paper using the variable amplitude CP technique. For the first time, it has been demonstrated experimentally that the broad CP edge is due to the threshold voltage variation in the p-Si channel caused by both the trapping in interface states and the source/drain p-n junction diffusion, and their impacts can be separately evaluated. Hot carrier stress in the tunneling FET operation modes and statistical analysis are used to provide supporting evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] We analyzed the charge pumping signals in ultra-scaled 3D vertical devices. [•] Statistical analysis has been used to characteristic the variability of poly-Si channel. [•] The quality of bottom and top junctions with different process has been presented. [•] Different poly-Si formations and hole sizes have been investigated. [•] Different annealing conditions have been carried out for optimization of the channel of 3D flash memory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High-\kappa stacks have been used in the 20-nm generation of floating gate (FG) flash memory cells as the interpoly dielectric (IPD). However, electron trapping in high-\kappa materials remains a major concern for the further development of FG technology. For conventional FG cells, read/pass disturbance in the erased states is a major issue. In this paper, for the first time, it is observed that electron trapping/detrapping in the high-\kappa IPD layers can cause severe abnormal read/pass disturbances in the programmed states. Extensive evidence shows that this instability in programmed states originates from several competing mechanisms, including the redistribution of electron trapping between the IPD and FG and the electron discharging from FG/IPD into the control gate. This issue should be addressed in the development of future generations of FG Flash technology with higher-\kappa IPD materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

\Al2\O3 high- \kappa stack is a strong candidate as the dielectric layer in Flash memory cells for technology generations beyond sub-20 nm. In this paper, the cause of abnormal VTH/VFB shift at low operating electric fields is investigated, i.e., VTH/VFB reduces at low positive gate biases and increases at low negative gate biases. It is found that this instability does not originate from the electrons trapping/detrapping from the gate nor from the dielectric relaxation. For the first time, extensive experimental evidences show that this shift is caused by as-grown mobile charges in \Al2\O3 layers generated by postdeposition annealing at 1000 ^\circ\C or above. Its impacts on program/erase windows and read/pass disturbance in Flash memory cells are also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The copulation, spawning and hatching of gastropod Hemifusus ternatanus under laboratory conditions were described. After copulation, the female whelks laid trapezoidal egg capsules on the hard surface of the aquarium at about 40min per capsule. The number of eggs (280–300μm in size) in the capsules ranged from 1500 to 3000, positively correlated with the size of capsule. The hatchlings crawled out of the capsules over a 58-day incubation period at 21–23°C. The hatchlings were 3.00–6.04mm in total shell length and 4.15–21.4mg in wet body weight, and could hang upside down the water by their feet. In an artificial culture, cutting the capsules as soon as cleft is found at the apical area may help prevent mortality. Six diets were provided over a ten-week period to compare their effects on post-hatching growth and survival. At the end of the experiment, the hatchlings fed with live clam Meretrix meretrix had the highest growth and survival rates, followed by those fed with frozen oyster Crassostrea rivularis, and was significantly higher than those fed with frozen mackerel Pneumatophorus japonicas, frozen shrimp Penaeus vannamei, eel feed, and microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidsa (P <0.01). Although mackerels have higher protein and amino acid content than clams and oysters, the growth and survival rates of mackerel-fed hatchlings were significantly lower (P <0.01), suggesting that other hatchling-preferred substances besides umami amino acids may be present in bivalves. In a subsequent 140-day rearing, clam-fed whelks showed a nearly linear growth (about 12mm per month), indicating the potential of H. ternatanus for aquaculture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As CMOS technology scales down, the design of ESD protection circuits becomes more challenging. There are some disadvantages for the actual power clamp circuit. In this paper, an optimization ESD power clamp circuit is proposed. The new clamp circuit adopts the edge triggering True Single Phase Clocked Logic (TSPCL) D flip-flop to turn on and time delay, it has the advantage of dynamic transmission structure. By adding a leakage transistor of small size, the clamp circuit can turn off effectively. By changing the W/L ratio, the clamp can safely protect the gate of ESD power clamp devices from thermoelectric breakdown. The results show that the circuit can reduce the false triggering and power supply noise more effectively, it can be widely used in high-speed integrated circuits. The proposed structure has the advantages of low power and low cost, and can be used to the system-level ESD protection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Zhikong Scallop, Chlamys farreri, is one of the most important bivalve mollusks cultured in northern China. However, mass mortality of the cultured C. farreri has posed a serious threat to the maricultural industry in recent years. Acute Viral Necrobiotic Virus (AVNV) is believed as an important etiological agent causing the scallop mass mortalities. To understand the mechanism behind the AVNV associated scallop disease and mortality, we assessed the physiological and immune responses of C. farreri to the virus infection using oxygen consumption rate, ammonium-nitrogen excretion rate, hemocyte copper, zinc superoxide dismutase gene expression, and plasma superoxide dismutase activity and alkaline phosphatase activity as indicators. Scallops challenged by AVNV at 25 °C developed typical disease signs 2 days after virus injection. Before the disease manifested, scallop oxygen consumption and NH4 +–N excretion rates rose and then fell back. Real-time PCR revealed that the hemocyte cytosol Cu, Zn SOD gene expression was upregulated followed by recovery. The plasma SOD activity, however, augmented consistently following virus injection. Moreover, plasma AKP activity first lowered and then elevated gradually to the highest level at 24 h post virus injection. Scallops challenged by AVNV at 17 °C neither developed notable disease nor showed obvious responses that could be associated with the virus infection. While the results suggested a correlation between the elevated seawater temperature and the AVNV infection associated C. farreri mortalities, they also indicated that the viral infection provoked multiple physiological and immune responses in the host scallops. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Effects of food availability on larval growth and survival of Meretrix meretrix were studied in two experiments by feeding the larvae with different algae diets and by starving the larvae for different periods of time. Newly hatched larvae of M. meretrix were fed with five different marine microalgae species, singly and in various mixtures. Best growth was with Isochrysis galbana as a single species diet. Nutritional value of the other single species diets was in the order of Dunaliella sp.> Phaeodactylum tricornutum > Platymonas subcordiformis > Pavlova viridis. Of the mixtures tested, 50% I. galbana /50% Dunaliella sp., 50% I. galbana /50% P. tricornutum, and 50% I. galbana /50% P. subcordiformis, supported growth and metamorphosis equivalent to those of the I. galbana control. At 25 °C, larvae of M. meretrix were deprived of food for various days to study the growth compensation from the outset of development. The results showed that M. meretrix larvae could survive long feeding delays, and even reach metamorphosis without food added, although starvation had significant effects on growth. These results suggested that M. meretrix larvae had the capacity to survive ‘starvation’ using alternative sources of energy. It also showed that growth, survival and metamorphosis of M. meretrix were affected by many factors besides food quality and quantity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Currently, more than 70% of the heated floor area in northern China is heated by coal, which severely burdens energy consumption and the environment. Hence, heating in this area is in urgent need of a shift to cleaner approaches. However, current progress is mainly attributed to the generous and unsustainable subsidies of the government, which have become a considerable financial burden. This paper develops a linear recursive dynamic model to identify economical, clean heating pathways in northern China. Different heating demands and clean technology promoting advances are considered. The results show that rapid promotion of clean heating technologies would save 1161–3026 Mtce (million tons of standard coal equivalent) of energy and avoid 7692–8843 Mt CO 2 , 12–13 Mt CH 4 , 8–9 Mt SO 2 and 7–8 Mt BC emissions cumulatively from 2020 to 2050. For rural residential buildings, biomass pellet furnaces, air source heat pumps and air conditioning should each contribute to about 30% of the heating demands in 2050 to achieve clean heating. However, coal-fired cogeneration should be the major method of coal heating, and mainly serve urban residential buildings and commercial buildings. The consequent energy cost savings of a faster clean heating transition would exceed the increase in investment costs and operational costs. Therefore, promoting clean heating as early as possible is the economical and environmentally friendly choice for northern China in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's power sector consumes large amounts of water for its cooling every year, which has increased water stress in many regions and caused the vulnerability in electricity generation. Current plans for power sector mainly focus on the clean and low-carbon development, while it is unclear how to reconcile CO 2 -reduction target with water-saving target. In this paper, an optimization model named NET-Power (National Energy Technology-Power) is developed to simulate the deployment of power generation technologies, and to further answer whether there is a conflict or not between water-saving target and CO 2 -reduction target in the power sector. The result shows that peaking carbon emissions before 2030 in the power sector may increase the water consumption by 34.85Gt. In addition, to further meeting the water constraint on the basis of peaking carbon emissions would lead to a higher carbon intensity of thermal power. These findings indicate that low-carbon transition will cause significant water-carbon contradiction, which mainly lies in nuclear power technology and dry-cooling technology. Finally, the optimal technology layout path that can meet the dual constraints of water and carbon for the power sector in China is proposed. Unlabelled Image • The water-carbon nexus of China's power sector is analyzed. • Low-carbon development of power sector will consume more water. • Nuclear power and Dry-cooling system cause the main contradiction. • Optimal power technology layout under water-carbon dual constraints is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zea mays L.) grain moisture (GM) at harvest is an important trait that affects seed preservation during storage, grain quality and artificial drying costs. To date, most of the work on understanding GM dynamics in maize has focused on the grain filling period, while the period of postmaturity grain drying remains unexplored. The field grain drying rate (FDR) is one of the most important factors in determining GM at harvest. Therefore, understanding the genetic basis of FDR will be useful for obtaining low‐GM varieties. In this study, a single‐cross population (330 F2:3‐generation plants) derived from a cross of two divergent inbred lines was evaluated in two planting environments with a measurement method – Area under the Dry Down Curve (AUDDC). A high‐density genetic linkage map of 2491 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci covering 2415.56 cM was constructed. Using composite interval mapping, four quantitative trait loci (QTL), q45dGM1‐1, qHTGM2‐2, qAUDDC2‐1 and qAUDDC10‐1, which were detected on chromosomes 1, 2 and 10, were stable across environments and could explain more than 10% of phenotypic variance. These may be the major QTLs, with non‐significant environmental interactions for GM at 45 days, GM at harvest and FDR, respectively. Additionally, several predicted candidate genes for FDR were identified, including several transcription factors, hormone responsive genes, energy‐related and DNA replication‐related genes. These results will provide useful information for our understanding of the genetic basis of FDR, as well as providing tools for marker‐assisted selection in maize breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large yellow croaker, Larimichthys crocea , is an economically important maricultured species in southeast China. Owing to the importance of stocking densities in commercial fish production, it is crucial to establish the physiological responses and molecular mechanisms that govern adaptation to crowding in order to optimize welfare and health. In the present study, an extensive immunity-related analysis was performed at the transcriptome level in L. crocea in response to crowding stress. Over 145 million high-quality reads were generated and de novo assembled into a final set of 40,123 unigenes. Gene Ontology and genome analyses revealed that molecular function, biological process, intracellular, ion binding, and cell process were the most highly enriched pathways among genes that were differentially expressed under stress. Among all of the pathways involved, 16 pathways were related to the immune system, among which the complement and coagulation cascades pathway was the most enriched for differentially expressed immunity-related genes, followed by the chemokine signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and leukocyte transendothelial migration pathway. The consistently high expression of immune-related genes in the complement and coagulation cascades pathway (from 24 to 96 h after being subjected to stress) suggested its importance in both response to stress and resistance against bacterial invasion at an early stage. These results also demonstrated that crowding can significantly induce immunological responses in fish. However, long-term exposure to stress eventually impairs the defense capability in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to examine the impacts of ark shell Scapharca subcrenata enhancement and suspended oyster Crassostrea sikamea farming on sediment properties and fauna communities in the benthic zone of Xiangshan Bay, China. Ark shell enhancement took place over 319 days, after which sediment samples were collected from each of the three treatment sites: the enhancement area, an oyster farm, and a control area. Sediments from the oyster farming area had significantly higher moisture and acid volatile sulfide content, and the highest Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd concentrations in all three treatment areas. The ark shell enhancement area has the lowest total organic carbon. No significant difference was found between the mean grain size in each of the three areas. Benthic fauna communities in the ark shell enhancement area were similar to those in the control area. Among the 16 faunal taxa identified, Ruditapes philippinarum was the most abundant species, followed by Glycera onomichiensis and Musculus senhousia. Suspension feeders were not found in the sediment beneath the oyster rafts. Cluster analysis showed a distinct separation between the benthic fauna communities in the oyster farming area and the other two treatment areas. Ark shell enhancement was thus shown to have minimal impact on the benthic environment, while the raft-farmed oysters had significant effects on the sediment structure and the benthic fauna after more than ten years of farming. The differences between the impacts of ark shell enhancement and oyster farming could be attributed to the slowing of water flow caused by oyster rafts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosis, known as one of the most successful strategies for increasing grain yield and abiotic/biotic stress tolerance, has been widely exploited in maize breeding. However, the underlying molecular processes are still to be elucidated. The maize hybrid "Zhengdan538" shows high tolerance to drought stress. The transcriptomes of the seedling leaves of its parents, "ZhengA88" and "ZhengT22" and their reciprocal F1 hybrid under well‐watered and water deficit conditions, were analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq). Transcriptome profiling of the reciprocal hybrid revealed 2994–4692 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under well‐watered and water‐deficit conditions, which were identified by comparing with their parents. The reciprocal hybrid was more closely related to the parental line "ZhengT22" than to the parental line "ZhengA88" in terms of gene expression patterns under water‐deficit condition. Furthermore, genes showed expression level dominance (ELD), especially the high‐parental ELD (Class 3 and 5), accounted for the largest proportion of DEGs between the reciprocal F1 hybrid and their parental lines under water deficit. These ELD genes mainly participated in photosynthesis, energy biosynthesis, and metabolism processes. The results indicated that ELD genes played important roles in hybrid tolerance to water deficit. Moreover, a set of important drought‐responsive transcription factors were found to be encoded by the identified ELD genes and are thought to function in improving drought tolerance in maize hybrid plants. Our results provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of drought tolerance in hybrid maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large yellow croaker ( Larimichthys crocea ) is one of the most valuable marine fish in southern China. Given to the rapid development of aquaculture industry, the L . crocea was subjected to ciliate ectoparasite Cryptocaryon irritans . It therefore is indispensable and urgent to understand the mechanism of L . crocea host defense against C . irritans infection. In the present study, the extensively analysis at the transcriptome level for Cryptocaryoniasis in L . crocea was carried out. These results showed that 15,826,911, 16,462,921, and 15,625,433 paired-end clean reads were obtained from three cDNA libraries (A: 0 theronts/fish, B: 12,000 theronts/fish, and C: 24,000 theronts/fish) of the L . crocea immune-related tissues by Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. Totally, 30,509 unique transcript fragments (unigenes) were assembled, with an average length of 1715 bp. In B/A, C/A, and C/B pairwise comparison, 972, 900, and 1126 genes showed differential expression respectively. Differently expressed immune-related genes (DEIGs) were scrutinized, in B/A pairwise comparison, 48 genes showed differential expression, including 26 up-regulated genes and 22 down-regulated genes in B; in C/A pairwise comparison, there were 39 DEIGs, including 7 up-regulated genes and 32 down-regulated genes in C; in C/B pairwise comparison, 40 genes showed differential expression, including 11 up-regulated genes and 29 down-regulated genes in C. There were 16 DEIGs enriched KEGG pathways, in which the complement and coagulation cascades pathway was the top most DEIGs enriched pathway (B:A = 42; C:A = 28; C:B = 42). The coagulation and fibrinolytic system was in a highly active state after infected by C . irritans with non-lethal concentration; the alternative complement pathway may play an important role in the early stages of C . irritans infection. These results demonstrated that low-concentration infection can significantly induce the immunological response in fishes, however, when fishes were in fatal conditions, the immunity was suppressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted aiming to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anti-parasitic efficacy of an isolated compound against the ciliate Cryptocaryon irritans. The compound was previously isolated from fermentation products of Streptomyces sp. CJK17 and designated as SFrD. Toxicity of the compound SFrD against the fish hosts ( Larimichthys crocea ) was also tested and its chemical structure was elucidated. The obtained results showed that the compound has potent anti-parasitic efficacy with the 10 min-, 1 h-, 2 h-, 3 h- and 4 h-LC 50 (95% Confidence Intervals) of 6.8 (6.5–7.1), 3.9 (2.8–5.0), 3.3 (2.6–4.0), 2.7 (2.3–3.1) and 2.5 (2.2–2.8) mg L −1 against theronts of C. irritans and the 6 h-LC 50 (95% CI) of 3.0 (2.8–3.2) mg L −1 against the tomonts, respectively. Exposure of the compound SFrD remarkably reduced the mortality of fish infected with C. Irritans , from 100% in the control group to 61.7% and 38.3% in groups of 3.1 mg L −1 and 6.3 mg L −1 , respectively. In the test of exposing fish to 40 mg L −1 compound SFrD for 24 h, no visible effects were observed affecting the normal behavior or any macroscopic changes. By spectrum analysis (EI-MS, 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR), the compound SFrD was identified as Leptomycin B. This study firstly demonstrated that Leptomycin B has potent anti-parasitic efficacy against ciliates in cultured marine fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the response of pompano fish ( Trachinotus ovatus ) to white spot disease, we used the protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans to infect live 450-g specimens at concentrations of 40,000 theronts/fish. We assessed the relative infection intensity (RII), serum immobilizing titer, and immunity-related enzyme activities (ACP, AKP, LZM), and assessed feeding, serum ion concentrations (Na + , Cl − , Ca 2+ and K + ) and blood biochemistry (ALT, AST, LDH) of pompano. The fish were then treated with a lethal dose of C. irritans (70,000 theronts/fish) and the number of deaths was recorded. We found that the relative infection intensities of the control group, group I, and group II were 0, 0.630 ± 0.179, and 0.014 ± 0.006. Poly-infection induced a significant increase in the serum immobilizing titer (853.33 ± 295.60) of group II. In terms of the biochemical assessment, group II had significantly higher alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase activities than the other groups, and the lowest lysozyme activity (P < 0.05), compared to higher activity in the control group and the highest level in group I. Only the fishes of group I had stopped feeding after treatment. The concentrations of Na + , Cl − , and Ca 2+ in blood serum did not differ significantly among the three groups, but K + concentration increased with the increasing infection frequency. Alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities in fish of group II were significantly higher than those of the other groups. Survival of the fish subjected to the lethal dose of C. irritans was 0, 0, and 100 in groups control, I, and II, respectively. In conclusions, based on the food intake of group II, along with the results of relative infection intensity, serum immobilizing titer, and survival, we speculate that the fish in that group acquired high protective immunity following poly-infection by C. irritans , experiencing limited harm for pompano. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the main abiotic stresses adversely affecting maize growth and grain yield. Identifying drought tolerance‐related genes and breeding varieties with enhanced tolerance are effective strategies for minimizing the effects of drought stress. In this study, the leaf relative water content (LRWC) was used for evaluating drought tolerance. QTL‐seq analysis of 419 F2 individuals from a cross between ZhengT22 (the drought‐tolerant line with high LRWC) and ZhengA88 (the drought‐sensitive line with low LRWC) revealed four LRWC‐related QTLs (qLRWC2, qLRWC10a, qLRWC10b, and qLRWC10c) in maize seedlings under water deficit. Of these QTLs, qLRWC2 was located in a 2.03‐Mb interval on chromosome 2, whereas qLRWC10a, qLRWC10b, and qLRWC10c were located in 2.85‐, 3.99‐, and 2.05‐Mb intervals, respectively, on chromosome 10, and the 93 genes contained the variation loci locating in the four QTLs regions. To identify the candidate genes within the QTLs, an RNA‐seq analysis was performed for the parents exposed to water deficit. Seven genes with effective variation loci showed significant difference in expression either in ZhengA88 or ZhengT22 in response to water deficit. Moreover, among the genes, ZmPrx64, ZmCIPK, HSP90, and ABCG34 have all been shown to be related to water stress in the previous studies. Thus, they are primary considered as the potential candidate genes controlling LRWC under water deficit at the seeding stage of maize in this study. These findings will help clarify the molecular basis of drought tolerance in maize seedlings and may be relevant for future functional analysis and for breeding drought‐tolerant maize varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Catecholamines regulate several physiological processes in mollusks. Many pharmacological experiments have been conducted to determine the effects of adrenergic agonist and antagonist of catecholamine receptors on Meretrix meretrix metamorphosis. Results showed that adrenaline (AD) and noradrenaline (NA) had substantial effects (p <0.05) on larval metamorphosis at concentrations ranging from 10 μM to 100 μM. 10 μM β-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist isoproterenol showed the same inducement effect as that of NA and AD on metamorphosis, whereas the α-AR agonist phenylephrine had no significant effect at concentrations between 0.1 μM and 100 μM concentrations (p >0.05). Furthermore, 1 μM β-AR antagonist propanolol, but not α-AR antagonist prazosin, depressed the larval metamorphosis induced by NA or AD. By immunocytochemistry, two cell bodies of β-adrenergic-like receptor, C/A1, C/A2, were observed in the cerebral/apical ganglion of competent larvae. In addition, there were other immunoreactive dots near C/A1 and C/A2. The results of pharmacology and immunocytochemistry suggests that β-adrenergic-like receptor located in the larval CNS, might play a considerable role in the larval metamorphosis of M. meretrix by AD or NA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To determine the optimal larval density for hatchery culture of the clam Meretrix meretrix, experiments with stocking densities of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 larvae ml−1 were designed, which included the developmental stages from D-veliger to 8 days post-settlement. Shell length, settlement time and survival rate of the larvae were recorded. Results showed that, at each sampling time, larvae reared at the highest density had the smallest mean size, whereas larvae reared at the lowest density had the largest mean size. Statistical differences in mean shell length at different stocking densities appeared from day 2, and greater differences occurred with increased culture time. Specific growth rate (SGR) in the rapid growing stage (day 0–3) was negatively correlated with density; however, no correlation was found between SGR and density in the slow growing stage (days 3–7). Settlement time was prolonged and shell length of settled larvae decreased as density increased. However, larval survival rate (74.8–79.1%) was independent of stocking density. Results showed that a high stocking density, in the designated range, is feasible for larval culture of the clam M. meretrix. However, for large-scale culture, in the interest of costs and safety, a stocking density of 10–20 larvae ml−1 is recommended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is an allotetraploid with two subgenomes descended from a common ancestor. Accordingly, its genome contains syntenic regions with many duplicate genes, some of which may have retained their original functions, whereas others may have diverged. Here, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTL) for stem rot resistance (SRR), a disease caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and flowering time (FT) in a recombinant inbred line population. The population was genotyped using B. napus 60K single nucleotide polymorphism arrays and phenotyped in six (FT) and nine (SSR) experimental conditions or environments. In total, we detected 30 SRR QTL and 22 FT QTL and show that some of the major QTL associated with these two traits were co‐localized, suggesting a genetic linkage between them. Two SRR QTL on chromosome A2 and two on chromosome C2 were shown to be syntenic, suggesting the functional conservation of these regions. We used the syntenic properties of the genomic regions to exclude genes for selection candidates responsible for QTL‐associated traits. For example, 152 of the 185 genes could be excluded from a syntenic A2–C2 region. These findings will help to elucidate polyploid genomics in future studies, in addition to providing useful information for B. napus breeding programs. Major QTL of stem rot resistance (SRR) and flowering time in Brassica napus were co‐localized, suggesting a genetic linkage between them. Two SRR QTL on A2 and two on C2 were found to be syntenic, implying the functional conservation of these regions, and we used the syntenic properties of the genomic regions to exclude genes for selection candidates responsible for QTL‐associated traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract How to evaluate the effect of tobacco industry's technical measures for energy conservation and emissions reduction is important to promote the application of advanced technology. Motived by this purpose, this study applies the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to construct a comprehensive index and use the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Delphi expert consultation method to determine weights of indicators. Furthermore, the comprehensive evaluation of nine core energy-saving technical measures of tobacco industry is made. The results show that, the comprehensive performance of refrigeration system's optimized technique energy efficiency index is the best, which is 0.73, followed by air conditioning system and lighting system, which are 0.62 and 0.60, respectively. These results may provide insightful support for decision makers to promote the energy conservation and emissions reduction of tobacco industry. Highlights • This paper evaluate the effect of tobacco industry's technical measures for energy conservation and emissions reduction. • A comprehensive index combining the quantitative and qualitative indicators is constructed, meanwhile, the AHP and Delphi expert consultation method are applied. • The selection of advanced and applicable energy saving and emission reduction technologies by enterprises provides the basis for scientific decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban transportation in China is undergoing a revolution due to ride-sourcing. The strong growth in ride-sourcing travel requires the government and the industry to adopt strategies for reducing environmental impact. Here, we address a key gap in knowledge on the emerging ride-sourcing travel model by designing a roadmap for realizing low-emission ride-sourcing drawing from an analysis of raw big trip data for Beijing. We found that adopting the most effective low-emission strategies requires joint efforts involving governance and management, enterprise operations, and consumer behavior change. With respect to issues of feasibility and effectiveness, the enterprise operation strategy, involving polices that shorten the pick-up time and increase the vehicle occupancy, is the best option, offering approximately 44% CO2 and NOx emission reductions compared with the current situation. Promoting ride-sourcing usage among car users or potential car users could help reduce emissions attributing to less cars being manufactured (26% CO2 and 24% NOx) but with uncertainty. To achieve low-emission ride-sourcing travel, governments, enterprises, and consumers must collaborate closely and define clear roles, responsibilities, and relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging ridesharing travel could be an effective way in China to reduce travel demand by cars, which can further seek to shift personal transportation choices from an owned asset to a service used on demand and lessen the traffic jam and emissions. Drawing on the raw observed ridesharing trip data provided by DiDi Chuxing company, this study evaluated the direct environmental benefits of ridesharing resulted from the travel mode shift and the indirect environmental benefits resulted from the attitude change towards car purchase behavior. The megacity Beijing is taken as the empirical context given its more serious situation of traffic congestion and difficulties for car purchase. Estimation results show that direct annual energy savings made by ridesharing are approximately 26.6 thousand tce, and annual emission reductions of CO 2 and NOx are approximately 46.2 thousand tons and 253.7 tons, respectively. Besides, using ridesharing service will lead to substantial energy savings and emission reductions from the long-term perspective attributing to the weakening willingness on purchasing new cars. Promoting EVs among ridesharing vehicles and switching to clean electricity generation as well as improving vehicle efficiency can further enhance the environmental benefits of ridesharing, with maximum effects amounting to 67% of energy savings and 57% of CO 2 emission reductions compared to 2016 level of the fuel-related energy consumption and emissions made by ridesharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to measure the oxygen consumption, ammonia excretion, stress resistance, energy utilization, and osmoregulatory ability of cuttlefish Sepiella maindroni, an important cultured species of China, at different temperatures. Juvenile cuttlefish were exposed to temperatures of 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32°C for 10days, respectively. Oxygen consumption (R) rates increased significantly from 16 to 28°C and then, slightly decreased at 32°C (P <0.05). Ammonia excretion (U) rates increased with increasing temperature. The highest R Q 10 and U Q 10 values occurred within 16 and 20°C, and the intermediate R Q 10 and U Q 10 values were found within 24 and 28°C. The calculated R Q 10 dropped to minimum values within 28 and 32°C which suggested that treated groups with temperature of 32°C were under a stressful situation. The suffocation point (SP) and SP/SD (suffocation duration) increased significantly with increasing temperature, and peaked at 28°C, then dropped to the minimum level at 32°C. The SD decreased significantly with increasing temperature. The hemolymph total protein concentration decreased significantly from 16 to 24°C and then increased significantly, reaching a maximum at 32°C. Hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly low at 32°C than that of at other temperatures. The lowest and highest branchial Na+, K+-ATPase activity, and Na+ and Cl− contents occurred at 24 and 28°C, respectively. The present results indicate that temperature can modify certain physiological parameters and by enhancing oxygen utilization, optimal temperatures significantly contribute to higher growth rates. It is suggested that the protein increase in the hemoglobin below and above 24°C, will lead to an increase of energy expenditure from protein as an adjustment to temperature changes. Moreover, extremely high temperatures may result in adverse effects on juvenile S. maindroni that are related to ammonia-N and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present study, a 71.43kDa heat shock protein cDNA was cloned from Asiatic hard clam Meretrix meretrix. The cDNA was 2292bp, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 1959bp, which encodes a protein of 652 amino acids with a theoretical molecular weight of 71.43kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.32. Based on the amino acid sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis, this hsp70 cDNA is a member of cytoplasmic hsc70 (constitutive genes) subfamily in the hsp70 family, and is designated as MmeHsc71. Quantitative RT-PCR was carried out to compare the spatial and temporal expression patterns of MmeHsc71 in the mRNA level between control clams and Vibrio parahaemolyticus-infected clams. Spatially, MmeHsc71 mRNA was found in all tested tissues, including foot, hepatopancreas, mantle and gill. MmeHsc71 mRNA expression level in hepatopancreas and gill displayed a significant increase in vibrio-challenged clams at 24h post-infection compared to control clams (P <0.05). Temporally, there was a significant increase of MmeHsc71 mRNA level in hepathopancreas of vibrio-challenged clams compared to control clams at 6, 12, and 24h post-challenge, respectively. The result of quantitative immunofluorescence also indicated that there was obvious increase of MmeHsc71 in hepatopancreas of vibrio-challenged clams compared to control clams in protein level at 24h post-infection. The results suggested that MmeHsc71 may play an important role in mediating the immune responses of M. meretrix to bacterial challenge. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Seed rearing is an important part in large scale clam culture industry. Since the nutritional history affects early development in bivalve, the condition of larval nutrition plays a key role in successful seed rearing. So far, the molecular mechanism of nutrient uptake in bivalve larvae is unclear. As one of the important proteolytic enzymes, cathepsin B of several organisms has been reported to be involved in digestion. We intended to analyze whether cathepsin B is involved in larval nutrient metabolism in the economic bivalve, clam Meretrix meretrix. The full length of M. meretrix cathepsin B (MmeCB) cDNA was cloned, which is 1647 bp with an open reading frame of 1014 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence encoded a preproenzyme of 337 residues with Cys-114, His-282 and Asn-302 composing cathepsin B activity center. The temporal and spatial expressions of MmeCB mRNA were examined from trochophore to post larva stages by whole mount in situ hybridization. In trochophore stage, no detectable signal was found. In the later three stages, MmeCB mRNA was detected in the digestive gland, suggesting a possible role of MmeCB in digestion. Moreover, MmeCB mRNA was also observed in the epidermal cells in D-veligers. Cathepsin B specific inhibitor (CA074 methyl ester) was applied to block the activity of cathepsin B in unfed larvae. The average shell lengths of treated larvae were smaller than that in control groups. The results of mRNA epidermal distribution and inhibitor treatment in D-veligers indicated that MmeCB may be also associated with other pathway of nutrient metabolism in larval epidermis. The overall results in this paper revealed that MmeCB might play a role in larval nutrient metabolism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]