In order to further the present knowledge of the emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), 486 different specimens from 54 patients with a clinical diagnosis of SARS were investigated for the presence of viral RNA, and 314 plasma specimens of 73 patients were examined for IgM and IgG antibodies specific against SARS-CoV using an indirect ELISA. Viral RNA was detectable in 28 of the 54 patients tested. Cumulative data showed that 67 of the 73 SARS patients demonstrated seroconversion by week 5 of illness. In contrast, only 1 of 278 healthy subjects enrolled in the study was found to be positive for the IgG antibody. Coexistence of viral RNA in plasma and specific antibodies was simultaneously observed over three consecutive weeks in two critical cases. In three convalescent patients in particular, cultivable SARS-CoV was detected in stool or urine specimens for longer than 4 weeks (29-36 days). These findings suggest that SARS-CoV may remain viable in the excretions of convalescent patients.

A 100-day growth trial was executed to determine the dietary selenium (Se) requirement of juvenile gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). Selenomethionine was supplemented to casein-gelatin diets at 0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5 mg

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We report the crystal growth of a new compound, Yb 3 Os 4 Ge 13 , by using a Bi-flux method.X-ray diffraction measurement shows that it crystallizes in the quasi-skutterudite-type caged structure with a cubic space group of . Magnetic measurements reveal almost fully localized Yb f-moments above 120 K. The resistivity exhibits a crossover from metallic to insulating behavior with a logarithmic increase below ~ 40 K. The specific heat coefficient shows a rapid upturn below ~5 K and exceeds 2 J mol -1 K -2 at 2 K. Our experimental analysis and electronic band structure calculations demonstrate that Yb 3 Os 4 Ge 13 exhibits the Kondo effect due to strong hybridization of the localized Yb f-moments with the p-electrons of the surrounding Ge-cages.

SummaryFishery harvest of Coilia mystus in the Yangtze Estuary has declined dramatically since the late 1990s. A full understanding of the reproductive biology of this species is essential for effective management of the population. A total of 1072 females of C. mystus collected from the Yangtze Estuary area between May 2006 and September 2007 were analyzed to reveal the general reproductive biology of the population. Females with increased gonadosomatic index (GSI) and gonads developed to stages IV and V occurred mainly from March through August, indicating a major spawning season in this period; there were also a few females with increased GSI and developed gonads observed in November and January. Absolute fecundity (AF) ranged from 3093 to 36 786; and increased with both body weight (BW) and age. The relationship of AF to BW was fitted to a linear function AF = 924.72 · BW)414.17 (r 2 = 0.82, n = 134, P < 0.05). Relative fecundity was 871 eggs per gram. Oocyte diameter (OD) of mature females ranged from 0.55 to 0.90 mm with a mean (±SD) of 0.71 ± 0.05 mm (n = 3927), independent of BW. The frequency distribution of OD showed a single mode and histological examination demonstrated that the development of oocytes was synchronous within an ovary, suggesting that C. mystus is a single spawner. Compared to previous studies, females in this study tended to produce more but smaller eggs. This increased fecundity may represent biological compensation for the decline in abundance of the population due to overexploitation.

Gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) of mean initial weight 3.1 g were fed one of seven casein‐dextrin‐based diets containing graded levels of magnesium (Mg) (39, 120, 220, 380, 700, 1600 and 2900 mg kg−1) for 3 months with the waterborne Mg concentration of 10.6–12.7 mg L−1. Magnesium sulphate was used as the supplementation Mg source in the diets. The experiment was carried out in a flow‐through system. Growth, survival rate, Na+/K+‐ATPase, Mg2+‐ATPase and tissue mineral contents were measured to investigate the effect of dietary magnesium in gibel carp. At the end of the experiment, the hepatopancreas of fish were collected for enzyme determination. The hepatopancreas, vertebrae and whole body were collected for tissue magnesium content analysis. After 3 months, dietary magnesium supplementation did not improve the growth performance, including feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion efficiency of juvenile gibel carp. On the contrary, negative impacts on survival, reduced growth performance and dramatically decreased Na+/K+‐ATPase, Mg2+‐ATPase and superoxide dismutase activities were observed in gibel carp fed a high Mg diet of 2900 mg kg−1. Although serum and hepatopancreas Mg and Ca contents were not affected by dietary Mg supplementation, vertebrae and whole‐body Mg contents increased significantly with the increasing dietary Mg concentrations. Based on the relationship between whole‐body Mg retention and dietary Mg concentration, a suitable dietary Mg level of 745 mg kg−1 could be estimated for gibel carp. It could be concluded that dietary Mg supplementation did not improve the growth performance, but could increase vertebrae Mg contents of gibel carp. Considering the adverse effects, a dietary Mg concentration of above 2900 mg kg−1 is not recommended and it should be careful to supplement magnesium in practical diets for gibel carp as most feed ingredients contain high magnesium concentrations.

Target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase is a central cell growth controller that integrates a wide array of extracellular and intracellular signals to regulate cell growth. In this study, the TOR gene of Fenneropenaeus chinensis, an important aquatic species in China, was cloned and characterized. The cDNA of fch-TOR comprises 7638 bp and contains a 7389-bp open reading frame, which encodes a peptide of 2462 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of fch-TOR contains the characteristic rapamycin-binding domain and PI3Kc domain. The fch-TOR gene was mainly expressed in muscles. When leucine or arginine was supplied to hungry shrimps, the expression of fch-TOR was significantly enhanced and the phosphorylation of protein factors including fch-TOR and S6K1 in the TOR signalling pathway was significantly promoted. The results indicated that leucine and arginine could stimulate the expression of fch-TOR and activate the TOR signalling pathway and that the gene transcription response lagged behind protein phosphorylation.

Summary The study objective was to explore the effects of noise generated by a 2000 hp containership on the reaction of Chinese sucker Myxocyprinus asiaticus. The noise was played back for various durations (1, 2, 4, 8, 24 h) at 142.8 dB re 1 μPa. Immediately after the noise exposure, hearing abilities of the fish were tested using the auditory evoked potential (AEP) protocol and compared with the response to a control group with no noise exposure. After 1 h noise exposure no significant differences were found compared to control fish; however, significant auditory threshold shifts began to occur at 800 Hz after 2 h of noise exposure. After 24 h of noise exposure, significant auditory threshold shifts were found at all tested frequencies (100–3000 Hz) when compared to control fish. Recoveries were also measured until the auditory thresholds returned to the hearing levels of the control fish. Auditory thresholds of all Chinese suckers fully returned to control levels within 96 h of recovery time. The results indicate that ship noise exposure can lead to threshold shifts in Chinese sucker and that these threshold shifts are temporary, referred to as temporary threshold shift (TTS).