Biofouling characteristics in Xinghua Bay of Fujian, China

Biofouling is one of the main factors affecting the efficiency and safety of cooling water systems in coastal nuclear power plants. Understanding the population dynamics, succession rules and cumulative effects of major fouling organisms is the basis for targeted prevention and control. A 1-year simulated concrete panel test was conducted from December 2020 to November 2021 in Xinghua Bay, China. A total of 78 species of fouling organisms were recorded by combining the monthly, seasonal, semiannual, annual and monthly cumulative panels, and the community composition was dominated by nearshore warm-water species, making for a typical subtropical inner bay-type community. The fouling organisms had a peak attachment period from June to October. Significantly more attachment was observed during summer (from June to August) than during the other three seasons. The attachment amount in the second half-year (from June to November) was much higher than that in the first half-year (from December to May). The attachment thickness, density, and biomass of the bottom summer panels reached 20 cm, 105,150 ind./m2, and 19,274.50 g/m2, respectively, while those of the bottom annual panels were 40 cm, 27,300 ind./m2, and 17,762.50 g/m2, respectively. The dominant fouling organisms with calcified shells mainly included Amphibalanus reticulatus and Pernaviridis. These species had high attachment amounts,could accumulate attachments for a long time, and even might cause secondary blockage, making them the most detrimental to the safety of a cooling system. Moreover,the seasonal upward growth of hydroids and bryozoans can also significantly reduce the efficiency of cooling water intake. We suggest that targeted prevention and control should be carried out according to the larval attachment period of different dominant groups of fouling organisms during June-October, which can greatly improve the prevention and control efficiency. Strengthening the research on the biological cycle phenomenon of the main species and their main environmental impact factors, and establishing a scientific and effective early-warning model are the governance direction of formulating and implementing scientific pollution prevention and control in the future

The Bantam microRNA Is Associated with Drosophila Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein and Regulates the Fate of Germline Stem Cells

Fragile X syndrome, a common form of inherited mental retardation, is caused by the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). We have previously demonstrated that dFmr1, the Drosophila ortholog of the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene, plays a role in the proper maintenance of germline stem cells in Drosophila ovary; however, the molecular mechanism behind this remains elusive. In this study, we used an immunoprecipitation assay to reveal that specific microRNAs (miRNAs), particularly the bantam miRNA (bantam), are physically associated with dFmrp in ovary. We show that, like dFmr1, bantam is not only required for repressing primordial germ cell differentiation, it also functions as an extrinsic factor for germline stem cell maintenance. Furthermore, we find that bantam genetically interacts with dFmr1 to regulate the fate of germline stem cells. Collectively, our results support the notion that the FMRP-mediated translation pathway functions through specific miRNAs to control stem cell regulation

Computational Experiments: Virtual Production and Governance Tool for Metaverse

The metaverse, as an extension of the physical world, can be described as a highly immersive digital realm constructed with technologies such as mixed reality and digital modeling. It is rooted in decentralized principles and features novel economic forms, individual identities, and institutional systems. In this architecture, the entire social landscape is redefined under the logic of service, gradually becoming a service ecosystem operated and cooperated by numerous intelligent entities. To achieve sustainable and healthy development of the metaverse ecology, this paper first analyzes the operating logic of the metaverse from the perspective of the fusion of the cyber-physical-social tripartite world and the three typical complexity characteristics faced by it: evolutionary complexity, cognitive complexity, and regulatory complexity. Next, the paper focuses on introducing the idea and technical system of computational experiments as an analysis and governance tool for the metaverse service ecosystem. Then, it explores the integration of computational experiments and metaverse technology, including how computational experiments can be applied to the metaverse and how the metaverse can support computational experiments. Finally, the paper introduces the metaverse applications of computational experiments, covering fields such as industrial design, health care, social governance, and military reform

<i>De Novo</i> Assembly and Characterization of the Fruit Transcriptome of Chinese Jujube (<i>Ziziphus jujuba</i> Mill.) Using 454 Pyrosequencing and the Development of Novel Tri-Nucleotide SSR Markers

<div><p>Chinese jujube (<i>Ziziphus jujuba</i> Mill.) is an economically important deciduous tree that has high therapeutic value and health benefits. However, a lack of sequence data and molecular markers have constrained genetic and breeding studies for better fruit quality and other traits in Chinese jujube. In this study, two combined cDNA libraries of ‘Dongzao’ fruit representing the early and late stages of fruit development were constructed and sequenced on the 454 GS FLX Titanium platform. In total, 1,124,197 reads were generated and then <i>de novo</i> assembled into 97,479 unigenes. A total of 52,938 unigenes were homologous to genes in the NCBI non-redundant sequence database. A total of 33,123 unigenes were assigned to one or more Gene Ontology terms, and 16,693 unigenes were classified into 319 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. The results showed that the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway was the main pathway for the biosynthesis of ascorbic acid in Chinese jujube. The number of differentially expressed genes between the two stages of fruit development was 1,764, among which 974 and 790 genes were up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. Furthermore, 9,893 sequences were identified containing SSRs. 93 primer pairs designed from the sequences with a tri-nucleotide repeat showed successful PCR amplification and could be validated in Chinese jujube accessions and <i>Z. mauritiana Lam</i> and <i>Z. acidojujuba</i> as well, of which 71 primer pairs were polymorphic. The obtained transcriptome provides a most comprehensive resource currently available for gene discovery and the development of functional markers in <i>Z. jujuba</i>. The newly developed microsatellite markers could be used in applications such as genetic linkage analysis and association studies, diversity analysis, and marker-assisted selection in Chinese jujube and related species.</p></div

The Influence of Ecological Engineering on Waterbird Diversity in Different Habitats within the Xianghai Nature Reserve

The Xianghai National Nature Reserve of Jilin is located on the East Asian-Australian migration route of birds and plays an important role for migratory waterbirds. To explore the influence of restoration measures on migratory waterbird communities in Xianghai Reserve, we conducted a waterbird survey in the spring and autumn during waterbird migration from 2010 to 2020. The composition and spatial and temporal changes in waterbird communities were identified in the reserve and the diversity changes in waterbird communities were analyzed. The results showed that (1) the number of waterbirds increased significantly since restoration measures in 2012. Restoration measures has clearly promoted an improvement in the species and number of waterbirds. The number of waterbirds was approximately seven-times higher than that before restoration measures. (2) The number of rare waterbirds increased in the reserve, and the number of Anseriform waterbirds on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species rapidly increased. (3) The diversity of the waterbird community has shown some recovery in the reserve, but the variation in water level during some periods led to a regular fluctuation in waterbird diversity. Restoration measures directly changed the water surface area and the water depth in the reserve, which are important variables that influence waterbird selection of wetlands as habitats. To effectively protect and manage important stopover sites on the migratory routes of waterbirds, we suggest to rationally regulate the supplementary water level of wetlands, optimize the hydrological pattern of wetlands, and strengthen the regulation of wetland water levels

The Influence of Ecological Engineering on Waterbird Diversity in Different Habitats within the Xianghai Nature Reserve

The Xianghai National Nature Reserve of Jilin is located on the East Asian-Australian migration route of birds and plays an important role for migratory waterbirds. To explore the influence of restoration measures on migratory waterbird communities in Xianghai Reserve, we conducted a waterbird survey in the spring and autumn during waterbird migration from 2010 to 2020. The composition and spatial and temporal changes in waterbird communities were identified in the reserve and the diversity changes in waterbird communities were analyzed. The results showed that (1) the number of waterbirds increased significantly since restoration measures in 2012. Restoration measures has clearly promoted an improvement in the species and number of waterbirds. The number of waterbirds was approximately seven-times higher than that before restoration measures. (2) The number of rare waterbirds increased in the reserve, and the number of Anseriform waterbirds on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species rapidly increased. (3) The diversity of the waterbird community has shown some recovery in the reserve, but the variation in water level during some periods led to a regular fluctuation in waterbird diversity. Restoration measures directly changed the water surface area and the water depth in the reserve, which are important variables that influence waterbird selection of wetlands as habitats. To effectively protect and manage important stopover sites on the migratory routes of waterbirds, we suggest to rationally regulate the supplementary water level of wetlands, optimize the hydrological pattern of wetlands, and strengthen the regulation of wetland water levels

Summary of transcriptome sequencing of Chinese jujube fruit using 454 GS FLX Titanium.

<p>Summary of transcriptome sequencing of Chinese jujube fruit using 454 GS FLX Titanium.</p

Silver stained polyacrylamide gels of four example SSR loci showed microsatellite polymorphisms in Chinese jujube and related species.

<p>The SSR loci BFU2038, BFU2113, BFU2134 and BFU2143 are corresponding to A, B, C and D, respectively. Lane1, ‘Hupingzao’; Lane2, ‘Yuanling’; Lane3, ‘Dongzao’; Lane4, ‘Junzao’; Lane5, ‘Jidanzao’; Lane6, ‘Mayizao’; Lane7, ‘Jinsixiaozao’; Lane8, ‘Huizao’; Lane9, ‘Anonymous’; Lane10, ‘Wanglang’.</p

Histogram of GO classifications of assembled Chinese jujube (<i>Ziziphus jujuba M.</i>) unigenes.

<p>Results are summarized for three main GO categories: biological process, cellular component and molecular function.</p