Evaluation of body weight of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus by computer vision

Apostichopus japonicus(Holothuroidea,Echinodermata) is an ecological and economic species in East Asia.Conventional biometric monitoring method includes diving for samples and weighing above water,with highly variable in weight measurement due to variation in the quantity of water in the respiratory tree and intestinal content of this species.Recently,video survey method has been applied widely in biometric detection on underwater benthos.However,because of the high flexibility of A.japonicus body,video survey method of monitoring is less used in sea cucumber.In this study,we designed a model to evaluate the wet weight of A.japonicus,using machine vision technology combined with a support vector machine(SVM) that can be used infield surveys on the A.japonicus population.Continuous dorsal images of free-moving A.japonicus individuals in seawater were captured,which also allows for the development of images of the core body edge as well as thorn segmentation.Parameters that include body length,body breadth,perimeter and area,were extracted from the core body edge images and used in SVM regression,to predict the weight of A.japonicus and for comparison with a power model.Results indicate that the use of SVM for predicting the weight of 33 A.japonicus individuals is accurate(R~2=0.99) and compatible with the power model(R~2=0.96).The image-based analysis and size-weight regression models in this study may be useful in body weight evaluation of A.japonicus in lab and field study.     

不同光照周期对刺参摄食节律和消化生理的影响

在实验室条件下,研究了全光照(24L︰0D)、半光照半黑暗(12L︰12D)、全黑暗(0L︰24D)3种光照周期下刺参(Apostichopus japonicus)的摄食节律、摄食率以及3种消化酶(脂肪酶、淀粉酶、胰蛋白酶)活力的昼夜变化规律。结果显示:(1)在全光照条件下,刺参极少活动,24 h内的摄食比例较低(6%~10%);在半光照半黑暗条件下,刺参光照阶段运动不活跃,摄食比例较低(0~10%),黑暗阶段运动极其活跃,摄食比例较高;在全黑暗条件下,刺参一直处于较活跃状态,24 h内的摄食比例都较高。3种光照条件下,刺参的摄食高峰都出现在00:00~02:00,且刺参夜晚的摄食比例显著高于白天(P0.05);(2)刺参的日摄食率从全光照、半光照半黑暗到全黑暗依次增加,3种光照周期条件下刺参夜晚的摄食率极显著高于白天的摄食率(P0.01);(3)3种光照周期下,刺参3种消化酶活力的最大值都出现在22:00~02:00,消化酶活力的最大值比摄食高峰早0~4 h。研究结果表明,光照对刺参的摄食节律和消化酶活力昼夜变化都有显著影响,刺参具有提前分泌消化酶为即将到来的摄食做好准备的调节机制。     

Effects of an artificial oyster shell reef on macrobenthic communities in Rongcheng Bay,East China

An artificial oyster shell reef was deployed in Rongcheng Bay, East China. However, the effects of this reef on the surrounding macrobenthic communities were unknown. We compared sedimentary factors, macrobenthic biomass, abundance, and community composition and ecological indicators between the reef and non-reef areas over a one year period. The mean values for chlorophyll a （Chl a）, total organic matter （TOM）, total organic carbon （TOC）, and total nitrogen （TN） content in surface sediments in the reef area were slightly higher than those in the non-reef area. The Chl a levels differed significantly between the two areas, but the TOM, TOC, and TN were not significantly different. The abundance of crustaceans was significantly different between the two areas, but the abundance and biomass ofpolychaetes, echinoderms, mollusk did not differ significantly. The permutational multivariate analysis of variance （PERMANOVA） revealed that the macrobenthic community differed significantly through time and analysis of similarity multivariate analyses （ANOSIM） revealed that the macrobenthic community differed significantly in some months. The ecological indicators revealed that the environmental quality of the reef area was slightly better than that of the non-reef area. Overall, our results suggest that the artificial oyster shell reef may change the macrobenthic community and the quality of the environment. Despite the lack of an effect in the short term, long-term monitoring is still needed to evaluate the effects of artificial oyster shell reefs on macrobenthic communities.     

手机室内定位的应用与服务

随着智能手机的普及,基于手机的室内定位应用越来越受到各界的关注,并在各个领域得到快速的应用。基于手机的室内定位技术在商业广场线上线下融合、安全监控、个人服务等方面都有着极为核心的作用。首先介绍了室内位置服务应用平台的架构体系,其次介绍了手机室内定位的常用技术及其基本原理,最后介绍了室内定位在商场、机场、个人服务等方面的典型应用,并进行了总结。     

棘皮动物神经肽结构与功能研究进展

神经肽作为一种古老的信号分子,在动物的行为和生理过程中发挥着重要作用。近年来,随着生物信息学和分子生物学技术的发展,大量神经肽得以发掘和揭示,其中海洋生物（棘皮动物）神经肽信号系统及其功能研究亦取得了一定进展。本文对棘皮动物神经肽相关研究进展成果进行了归纳与总结,综述了主要神经肽结构、信号系统、功能及进化地位,并对其今后研究发展趋势进行了展望。     

Survival, growth and immune activity of scallop Chlamys farreri cultured at different depths in Haizhou Bay(Yellow Sea,China)during hot season

Survival, growth and immune response of the scallop, Chlamys farreri, cultured in lantern nets at five different depths (2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 m below the sea surface) were studied in Haizhou Bay during the hot season (summer and autumn) of 2007. Survival and growth rates were quantified bimonthly. Immune activities in hemolymph (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acid phosphatase (ACP)) were measured to evaluate the health of scallops at the end of the study. Environmental parameters at the five depths were also monitored during the experiment. Mortalities mainly occurred during summer. Survival of scallops suspended at 15 m (78.0%) and 20 m (86.7%) was significantly higher than at 2 m (62.9%), 5 m (60.8%) or 10 m (66.8%) at the end of the study. Mean shell height grew significantly faster at 10 m (205.0 μm/d) and 20 m (236.9 μm/d) than at 2, 5 or 15 m in summer (July 9 to September 1); however, shell growth rate at 20 m was significantly lower than at the other four depths in autumn (September 2 to November 6). In contrast to summer, scallops at 5 m grew faster (262.9 μm/d) during autumn. The growth of soft tissue at different depths showed a similar trend to the shell. Growth rates of shell height and soft tissue were faster in autumn than in summer, with the exception of shell height at 20 m. SOD activity of scallops increased with depth, and ACP activity was significantly higher at 15 and 20 m than at other depths, which suggests that scallops were healthier near the bottom. Factors explaining the depth-related mortality and growth of scallops are also discussed. We conclude that the mass mortality of scallop, C. farreri, during summer can be prevented by moving the culture area to deeper water and yield can be maximized by suspending the scallops in deep water during summer and then transferring them to shallow water in autumn.     

强光照和黑暗条件下刺参体壁的基因表达差异

参对光照变化非常敏感,研究刺参对光照的分子响应非常重要。本研究应用RNA测序获取了刺参暴露于强光（“强光”）、正常光照（“对照”）和完全黑暗（“黑暗”）环境下体壁的基因表达谱情况,通过“对照”与“黑暗”,“对照”与“强光”和“黑暗”与“强光”的比较,在|log₂ ratio|≥1和FDR≤0.001的标准下分别发现了1161、113和1705个差异表达基因（DEGs）。基因本体分析表明,“cellular process”和“binding”在“生物过程”和“分子功能”类别中的DEGs富集最多,而“cell”和“cell part”在“细胞组分”类别中的DEGs富集最多。将DEGs与Kyoto Encyclopedia基因和基因组数据库上的于214、41和229条通路进行比对,发现了51、2和57条通路分别显著富集。本研究发现的光特异性DEGs可作为深入研究刺参对光照变化的生化适应机制的重要目标基因。     

刺参对人工礁体设计关键指标的选择性

采用平均聚集率(Mean Attractive Rate,MAR)作为统计分析指标,研究了仿刺参(Apostichopusjaponicas Selenka)对人工礁体结构设计关键指标(孔径、间隙、颜色、夹角)的选择性及其行为特性。结果表明:(1)随着实验时间延长,仿刺参在礁体模型上的聚集数量呈上升趋势;(2)礁体模型在自然光照条件下的聚参效果优于黑暗条件下的聚参效果(P<0.05);(3)孔径组各水平间聚参效果比较:2 cm>4 cm、16 cm>8 cm(P<0.05),4 cm与16 cm间差异不显著;间隙组各水平间聚参效果比较:2 cm>4 cm>6 cm>8 cm(P<0.05);颜色组各水平间聚参效果比较:黑色、蓝色、红色>绿色>白色>透明(P<0.05),黑色、蓝色、红色间差异不显著;夹角组各水平间聚参效果比较:15°>30°>45°、60°>90°、120°(P<0.05),45°与60°差异不显著,90°与120°差异不显著。说明仿刺参适应礁体模型需要一定时间,呈负趋光性。10 g至30 g的仿刺参,对设计指标为2 cm孔径、2 cm间距、深色、15°夹角的人工礁体,具有较好地选择性。     

中国沉积学发展战略:沉积学相关实验室及设备现状与展望

通过国内外资料调研和1950年以来我国相关实验室的考证,研究我国沉积学相关实验室及其仪器设备的历史和现状,揭示存在问题,提出相关建议。数据主要源于三方面,包括国内外数据库6个,国内外沉积学相关实验室官方网站102个以及国内外搜索引擎5个。对访问和调研结果进行统计分析,研究我国沉积学相关实验室及仪器设备的种类、数量及其地区和年代分布,并与国外相关实验室进行对比分析,探索我国沉积学的发展历程、现状和存在问题,并据此展望我国沉积学的未来发展趋势。结果显示,我国沉积学发展经历了1950—1980年的起步阶段,1980—2010年的快速发展阶段,以及2010年以来的稳步提升阶段。作为研究陆表岩石—水—大气—生物相互作用的过程、结果和机制的专门学科,沉积学与资源、环境、全球变化等人类面临的重大挑战都密切相关。我国的沉积学研究长期以来,一直是化石能源与沉积矿产、海洋过程与资源、区域环境和可持续发展等,事关国计民生的相关基础科学研究的重要组成部分。然而,从分析结果看,作为一个重要的地学基础学科,我国沉积学目前面临着以下问题:1）迄今全国还没有一个专门化的沉积学实验室;2）专门用于沉积学研究的实验仪器和设备很少;3）目前与沉积学相关的实验室分布过于集中,实验室与所研究的对象（自然界典型的沉积过程）相互脱离的现象日趋明显且不断加剧。由此可见,一方面我国的沉积学在国民经济和社会发展中发挥着重要的基础研究作用,另一方面相关支撑条件又相对薄弱且存在理论与实际相脱离的趋势。这些问题无疑将会阻碍我国沉积学未来的健康发展。通过此次“中国沉积学发展战略”调研,进一步摸清了家底、理清了问题、看到了不足,希望在此与同行分享我们的调研成果,同时更希望引起相关专家和管理部门的注意,在条件允许时能够不失时机地解决影响我国沉积学发展的上述瓶颈问题。     

栖息地分布与种内竞争对刺参集群特征的影响

为探究刺参(Apostichopusjaponicus)种内竞争与栖息地对其群体分布的影响,作者通过缩时摄像机拍摄及视频分析,研究了刺参集群分布特征,结果发现:刺参在礁石栖息地的栖息时间显著高于在缸壁处的栖息时间(P 0.05),刺参对栖息地有明显偏好性;刺参在运动时并未聚集在同一栖息地,而离散分布在多处栖息地中(P 0.05);当密度增大到15头/缸(11.31头/m~2, d=1.3 m)时,刺参在栖息地内的平均聚集率和平均聚集时间比例会显著下降(P 0.05),种内竞争加剧,刺参多呈斑块状分布,在密度过高时种内竞争压力上升,刺参个体间选择分散以减少竞争。本研究查明了实验室条件下栖息地分布和种内竞争对刺参集群特征的影响,可为野外刺参增养殖与资源持续利用提供理论参考。