Littérature scientifique sur le sujet « Sarbach »

Sarbani Patranabis-Deb was an impressive multi-disciplinary earth scientist grounded on conventional scientific method of examining the rocks in the field. She was born in West Bengal, India on the 13th November, 1966 and passed away in Kolkata, India on the 31st October, 2022. Sarbani was an accomplished sedimentologist, stratigrapher, sandstone petrologist, volcanic geologist, geochronologist, tectonics specialist, basin analyst, and a global geologist. She had a remarkable career in academia by joining the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in 1997. I had the privilege of getting to know Sarbani both professionally and personally during the past 20 years since her obtaining Ph.D. in 2001. It was serendipity that the Directors of ISI requested my professional evaluation of her academic performance in 2008, 2013, and 2019 towards her career advancements at ISI. Although my research interest focuses primarily on deep-water processes (Shanmugam, 2021, 2022), Sarbani and I had many common interests of research domains, which included deltaic sedimentation, shelf sedimentation, tidal sedimentation, sequence stratigraphy, sediment deformation, tectonics, and diagenesis. We both published articles on fan deltas (McPherson et al., 1987; Patranabis-Deb and Chaudhuri, 2007).

Recruitment patterns of juvenile Rhabdosargus sarba (Sparidae) and Pelates sexlineatus (Terapontidae) were examined by frequent (1–4 weeks) beach seining of seagrass beds in Sydney, south-east Australia. Two sites within each of two estuaries (Botany Bay and Pitt Water) were sampled for one year. One site within Botany Bay was sampled for 3 years. A total of 12 824 juveniles of R. sarba and 7037 juveniles of P. sexlineatus were collected. R. sarba recruited in 4 pulses during winter/spring, while P. sexlineatus recruited in 6 pulses during summer/autumn, and the timing of recruitment events was consistent among locations and years. P. sexlineatus recruitment coincided with new moons, but R. sarba recruitment dates were less precisely determined. Predictable annual recruitment patterns result in temporal partitioning of seagrass habitat between these two abundant estuarine species. Spatial differences in magnitude of recruitment events among sites reflected patterns of estuarine circulation.

This article presents the results of surveying the land plots located in the construction and reconstruction zone of the P-254 “Irtysh” highway in Kochenevsky District of Novosibirsk Region, at Yurkovo railway station in Novokuznetsk District, and in the town of Kaltan in Kemerovo Region. Archaeological survey was a part of the state historical and cultural expertise of the land plots. In Novosibirsk Region, studies were carried out in the valley of the Chik River which is an important waterway in the Upper Ob region. The known archaeological sites point to a significant presence of the antiquities of the Irmen culture in the valley of the Chik River in the Late Bronze Age. In the course of research in 2021, it was possible to identify another site of the Irmen culture — Bunkovo 1 which is located on the right terrace above the floodplain of the Chik River near the village of Bunkovo. The boundaries of the site, its area, and stratigraphy were established, and a collection of artifacts sufficient for cultural attribution was obtained. The Bunkovo 1 site was dated to the 12th—9th centuries BC. In Kemerovo Region, the survey was conducted in the area of the known archaeological sites of Sarbala, Sarbala 3, Zelenyi Lug 3 in the valley of the Kaltanchik River on the right bank area of the Kondoma River. The Zelenyi Lug 2, Zelenyi Lug 3 and Sarbala 3 a sites were found on the bedrock terraces of the Kaltanchik River. Based on the stratigraphic position of the cultural layer and initial morphological assessment of the artifacts, the sites were dated to the Final Upper Palaeolithic.

The reproductive biology of the tarwhine Rhabdosargus sarba has been studied in three very different environments in Western Australia, namely the lower reaches of the Swan River Estuary and marine waters at the same latitude, i.e. ≈32°S, and a large subtropical marine embayment (Shark Bay) approximately 800 km further north. A macroscopic and histological examination of the gonads demonstrated that R. sarba is typically a rudimentary hermaphrodite in Western Australian waters, i.e. the juveniles develop into either a male or female in which the ovarian and testicular zones of the gonads, respectively, are macroscopically undetectable. This contrasts with the situation in the waters off Hong Kong and South Africa where R. sarba is reported to be a protandrous hermaphrodite. Although R. sarba spawns between mid-late winter and late spring in each water body, the onset of spawning in the estuary is delayed until salinities have risen well above their winter minima. Although males and females attain sexual maturity at very similar lengths in the Swan River Estuary and Shark Bay, i.e. each L50 for first maturity lies between 170 and 177 mm total length (TL), they typically reach maturity at an earlier age in the former environment, i.e. 2 vs 3 years old. During the spawning period, only 25 and 12% of the males and females, respectively, that were caught between 180 and 260 mm TL in nearshore marine waters were mature, whereas 94 and 92% of the males and females, respectively, that were collected in this length-range over reefs, were mature. This indicates that R. sarba tends to move offshore when it has become ‘physiologically’ ready to mature. The L50s at first maturity indicate that the minimum legal length in Western Australia (230 mm TL) is appropriate for managing this species.

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is having a tremendous impact on the global economy, health care systems and the lives of almost all people in the world. The Central European country of Slovakia reached one of the highest daily mortality rates per 100,000 inhabitants in the first 3 months of 2021, despite implementing strong prophylactic measures, lockdowns and repeated nationwide antigen testing. The present study reports a comparison of the performance of the Standard Q COVID-19 antigen test (SD Biosensor) with three commercial RT-qPCR kits (vDetect COVID-19-MultiplexDX, gb SARS-CoV-2 Multiplex-GENERI BIOTECH Ltd. and Genvinset COVID-19 [E]-BDR Diagnostics) in the detection of infected individuals among employees of the Martin University Hospital in Slovakia. Health care providers, such as doctors and nurses, are classified as “critical infrastructure”, and there is no doubt about the huge impact that incorrect results could have on patients. Out of 1231 samples, 14 were evaluated as positive for SARS-CoV-2 antigen presence, and all of them were confirmed by RT-qPCR kit 1 and kit 2. As another 26 samples had a signal in the E gene, these 40 samples were re-isolated and subsequently re-analysed using the three kits, which detected the virus in 22, 23 and 12 cases, respectively. The results point to a divergence not only between antigen and RT-qPCR tests, but also within the “gold standard” RT-qPCR testing. Performance analysis of the diagnostic antigen test showed the positive predictive value (PPV) to be 100% and negative predictive value (NPV) to be 98.10%, indicating that 1.90% of individuals with a negative result were, in fact, positive. If these data are extrapolated to the national level, where the mean daily number of antigen tests was 250,000 in April 2021, it points to over 4700 people per day being misinterpreted and posing a risk of virus shedding. While mean Ct values of the samples that were both antigen and RT-qPCR positive were about 20 (kit 1: 20.47 and 20.16 for Sarbeco E and RdRP, kit 2: 19.37 and 19.99 for Sarbeco E and RdRP and kit 3: 17.47 for ORF1b/RdRP), mean Ct values of the samples that were antigen-negative but RT-qPCR-positive were about 30 (kit 1: 30.67 and 30.00 for Sarbeco E and RdRP, kit 2: 29.86 and 31.01 for Sarbeco E and RdRP and kit 3: 27.47 for ORF1b/RdRP). It confirms the advantage of antigen test in detecting the most infectious individuals with a higher viral load. However, the reporting of Ct values is still a matter of ongoing debates and should not be conducted without normalisation to standardised controls of known concentration.

The Systematic study of African customary law and of the establishment of its role in the legal systems of African states was initiated, above all, by works of A. N. Allott. The scholar gives unflagging attention to the local legal schools which laid a serious basis for the present-day comparative study both of customary law and of national legal systems, for clarifying the possible ways of their development, and for a search for optimal legal forms which would take due account of the interests of small ethnic groups. The formation of national legal systems of African states has aroused a major interest in the customary law of ethnic groups. A. N. Allott correctly observed that it was necessary to pay heed, in particular, to the historical aspect of customary law.The most vivid example of the high level of development of autochthonous legal institutions and of their study by local legal scholars is furnished by the legal school of the ethnolinguistic group known as Akan (the Gold Coast, later Ghana).Present day Ghana in the pre-colonial period formed the states of the Akan peoples—Fanti and Ashanti—and of the inhabitants of the Birim-Volta river region—Akim and Akuapem. Screened by a tropical forest from the north and facing the Gulf of Guinea, the region remained isolated from external influences for many long epochs, creating specific systems of state law. The types and forms of their customary law mechanism characterize the level of development and specific features of appropriate societies.

Questa tesi si occupa della questione della stabilità lineare di wormholes (tunnel spaziotemporali) statici e a simmetria sferica, supportati da campi scalari di tipo fantasma autointeragenti, nel contesto della Relatività Generale per spazitempi di dimensione arbitraria. In letteratura, attraverso un'analisi gauge-invariante delle configurazioni di tipo wormhole, spesso si riesce a disaccoppiare le equazioni di campo linearizzate, ottenendo un'equazione delle onde (master equation) che, tuttavia, tipicamente è singolare dove il coefficiente radiale della metrica ha un punto critico, cioè nella gola del tunnel. Per risolvere questo problema, nei lavori passati è stato proposto un metodo di regolarizzazione che trasforma l'equazione delle onde singolare in una regolare; questo metodo è solitamente denominato "S-deformazione" (e spesso richiede parzialmente un'implementazione numerica, specialmente nel caso di campi scalari con un'autointerazione non banale). Il primo risultato del mio lavoro è la riduzione delle equazioni di campo linearizzate ad un sistema delle onde vincolato e completamente regolare, per due funzioni gauge-invarianti delle perturbazioni dei coefficienti della metrica e del campo scalare, opportunamente definite; il secondo risultato è una strategia per disaccoppiare questo sistema, ottenendo una sola master equation delle onde per un'altra quantità gauge-invariante. Nessun passaggio di questa costruzione determina l'apparizione di singolarità nella gola del tunnel o in altri punti (sempre che il campo scalare imperturbato non abbia punti critici, cosa che accade in moti esempi); quindi non è necessario regolarizzare a posteriori la master equation utilizzando il metodo di S-deformazione. Questo formalismo gauge-invariante e libero da singolarità, che generalizza a dimensione arbitraria l'approccio del mio articolo [1], è applicato ad alcune soluzioni di tipo wormhole statiche note (la maggior parte, ma non tutte, considerate in [1]). La più importante applicazione è ad un wormhole Anti-de Sitter (AdS), la cui stabilità lineare non pare sia mai stata analizzata da altri autori finora; utilizzando il presente metodo è possibile derivare una master equation completamente regolare che descrive le perturbazioni del wormhole AdS e quindi dimostrare che quest'ultimo è linearmente instabile, dopo aver dettagliatamente analizzato le proprietà spettrali di un operatore di tipo Schrödinger che compare nella master equation. Sulla stessa linea, è ottenuto un risultato parziale per l'analogo wormhole di tipo de Sitter (dS), caso tecnicamente più sottile a causa della presenza di orizzonti. Come ulteriore applicazione, ho riottenuto in maniera libera da singolarità le master equations per le perturbazioni di dei wormholes di Ellis-Bronnikov e di Torii-Shinkai. Ad integrazione, l'instabilità lineare dei wormholes AdS e di Torii-Shinkai sono riottenute utilizzando un metodo alternativo, privo di singolarità ma gauge-dipendente: in questo caso, si ottiene una master equation per la perturbazione della coordinata radiale, e l'indipendenza dal gauge del risultato di instabilità è testata a posteriori. Questo approccio alternativo e gauge-dipendente generalizza quello introdotto in [2] per il wormhole di Ellis-Bronnikov a simmetria riflessiva. Vorrei citare infine [3], dal quale ho riportato alcuni fatti sui wormholes appena menzionati in assenza di perturbazione. BIBLIOGRAFIA: [1] F. Cremona, L. Pizzocchero, and O. Sarbach. Gauge-invariant spherical linear perturbations of wormholes in einstein gravity minimally coupled to a self-interacting phantom scalar field. Physical Review D, 101, 05 2020. [2] F. Cremona, F. Pirotta, and L. Pizzocchero. On the linear instability of the Ellis-Bronnikov-Morris-Thorne wormhole. Gen. Relativ. Gravitat., 51:19, 2019. [3] F. Cremona. Geodesic structure and linear instability of some wormholes. Proceeding for the conference: Domoschool 2019 (submitted).<br>In this thesis I deal with the linear stability analysis of static, spherically symmetric wormholes supported by phantom self-interacting scalar fields, in the framework of General Relativity with arbitrary spacetime dimension. In the previous literature, a gauge-invariant stability analysis of wormhole configurations often succeeds in decoupling the linearized field equations, yielding a wave-type master equation which, however, is typically singular where the radial coefficient of the metric has a critical point, that is, at the wormhole throat. In order to overcome this problem a regularization method has been proposed in previous works, which transforms the singular wave equation to a regular one; this method is usually referred to as “S-deformation” (and sometimes requires a partly numerical implementation, especially, in the case of scalar fields with nontrivial self-interaction). The first result of my work is the reduction of the linearized field equations to a completely regular, constrained wave system for two suitably defined gauge-invariant functions of the perturbations in the metric coefficients and in the scalar field; the second result is a strategy for decoupling this system, obtaining a single wave-type master equation for another gauge-invariant quantity. No step of this construction causes the appearing of singularities at the wormhole throat or elsewhere (provided that the unperturbed scalar field has no critical points, which occurs in many examples); therefore, it is not necessary to regularize a posteriori the master equation via the S-deformation method. This gauge-invariant and singularity-free formalism, which generalizes to arbitrary spacetime dimensions the approach of my paper [1], is then applied to some known static wormhole solutions (most, but not all of them considered in [1]). The most relevant application is a certain Anti-de Sitter (AdS) wormhole, whose linear stability analysis does not seem to have been performed previously by other authors; by using the present method, it is possible to derive a completely regular master equation describing the perturbations of the AdS wormhole and prove that the latter is actually linearly unstable, after providing a detailed analysis of the spectral properties of the Schrödinger type operator appearing in the master equation. A partial instability result is derived along the same lines for the analogous de Sitter (dS) wormhole, a technically more subtle case due to the presence of horizons. As a further application, I rederive in a singularity-free fashion the master equations for the perturbed Ellis-Bronnikov and Torii-Shinkai wormholes. As a supplement, the linear instability results for the AdS and for the Torii-Shinkai wormholes are also recovered using an alternative, singularity free but gauge-dependent method: in this case a regular master equation is derived for the perturbed radial coordinate, and the gauge-independence of the instability result is tested a posteriori. This alternative, gauge-dependent approach generalizes that introduced in my paper [2] for the reflection symmetric Ellis-Bronnikov wormhole. Let me also cite [3], from which I report some facts about the previously mentioned wormholes in absence of perturbations. BIBLIOGRAPHY: [1] F. Cremona, L. Pizzocchero, and O. Sarbach. Gauge-invariant spherical linear perturbations of wormholes in einstein gravity minimally coupled to a self-interacting phantom scalar field. Physical Review D, 101, 05 2020. [2] F. Cremona, F. Pirotta, and L. Pizzocchero. On the linear instability of the Ellis-Bronnikov-Morris-Thorne wormhole. Gen. Relativ. Gravitat., 51:19, 2019. [3] F. Cremona. Geodesic structure and linear instability of some wormholes. Proceeding for the conference: Domoschool 2019 (submitted).

Various aspects of the biology of the tarwhine Rhabdosargus sarba and western yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus latus were studied. The studies on R. sarba have focused on populations in temperate coastal marine waters at ca 32 degrees S and the lower reaches of an estuary (Swan River Estuary) located at the same latitude and in a subtropical embayment (Shark Bay) at ca 26 degrees S, while those on A. latus were conducted on the population in the latter embayment. A combination of a macroscopic and histological examination of the gonads demonstrated that R. sarba is typically a rudimentary hermaphrodite in Western Australian waters, i.e. the juveniles develop into either a male or female in which the ovarian and testicular zones of the gonads, respectively, are macroscopically undetectable. This contrasts with the situation in the waters off Hong Kong and South Africa, in which R. sarba is reported to be a protandrous hermaphrodite. However, it is possible that a few of the fish that are above the size at first maturity and possess, during the spawning period, ovotestes with relatively substantial amounts of both mature testicular and immature ovarian tissue, could function as males early in adult life and then change to females. Although R. sarba spawns at some time between late winter and late spring in Western Australia, spawning peaks later in the Swan River Estuary than in coastal, marine waters at the same latitude and Shark Bay, in which salinities are always close to or above that of full strength sea water, i.e. 35 0/00. While the males and females attain sexual maturity at very similar lengths in the Swan River Estuary and Shark Bay, i.e. L50s all between 170 and 177 mm, they typically reach maturity at an earlier age in the former environment, i.e. 2 vs 3 years old. Thus, length and consequently growth rate influence the timing of maturity rather than age. During the spawning period, only 9 % of the fish caught between 180 and 260 mm in nearshore, shallow marine waters had become mature, whereas 91 % of those in this length range over reefs were mature, indicating that R. sarba tends to move offshore only when it has become physiologically ready to mature. The L50s at first maturity indicate that the current minimum legal length in Western Australia (230 mm) is appropriate for managing this species. Oocyte diameter frequency distributions, stages in oocyte development, duration of oocyte hydration and time of formation of post-ovulatory follicles in mature ovaries of Rhabdosargus sarba in the lower Swan River Estuary (32 degrees 03'S, 115 degrees 44'E) were used, in conjunction with data on tidal cycles, to elucidate specific aspects of the reproductive biology of this sparid in an estuarine environment. The results demonstrated the following. (i) Rhabdosargus sarba has indeterminate fecundity sensu Hunter et al. (1985). (ii) Oocyte hydration commences at about dusk (18:30 h) and is completed by ca 01:30-04:30 h, at which time ovulation, as revealed by the presence of hydrated oocytes in the ovarian duct and appearance of newlyformed post-ovulatory follicles, commences. (iii) The prevalence of spawning was positively correlated with tidal strength and was greatest on days when the tide changed from flood to ebb at ca 06:00 h, i.e. approximately when spawning ceases. Spawning just prior to strong ebb tides would lead to the transport of eggs out of the estuary and thus into salinities that remain at ca 35 0/00. The likelihood of eggs being transported downstream is further enhanced by R. sarba spawning in deeper waters in the estuary, where the flow is greatest. (iv) Although mature ovaries were found in R. sarba in the estuary between early July and December, the prevalence of atretic oocytes was high until September, when salinities started rising markedly from their winter minima. Batch fecundities ranged from 2,416 for a 188 mm fish to 53,707 for a 266 mm fish. The average daily prevalence of spawning amongst mature females during the spawning period of R. sarba caught in the lower estuary, i.e. July to end of October, was 36.5 %. Thus, individual female R. sarba spawned, on average, at intervals of ca 2.7 days in each spawning season. Female R. sarba with total lengths of 200, 250 and 300 mm were estimated to have a batch fecundity of 7,400, 20,100 and 54,800 eggs, respectively and annual fecundities of 332,000, 903,000 and 2,461,000 eggs, respectively. Rhabdosargus sarba is shown to undergo size-related movements in each of the three very different environments in which it was studied. In temperate coastal waters, R. sarba settles in unvegetated nearshore areas and then moves progressively firstly to nearby seagrass beds and then to exposed unvegetated nearshore areas and finally to areas around reefs where spawning occurs. Although R. sarba spawns in the lower Swan River Estuary, relatively few of its early 0+ recruits remain in the estuary and substantial numbers of this species do not start reappearing in the estuary until they are ca 140 mm. In Shark Bay, R. sarba uses nearshore mangroves as a nursery area and later moves into areas around reefs. The maximum ages recorded for R. sarba in coastal marine waters (11 years) and Shark Bay (13 years) were far greater than in the lower Swan River Estuary (6 years). However, the maximum lengths recorded in these three environments were all ca 350 mm. Due to the production by size-related movements of differences amongst the lengths of R. sarba at given ages in different habitats in coastal marine waters, the composite suite of lengths at age was not fully representative of the population of this species as a whole in this environment. A von Bertalanffy growth curve, which was adjusted to take into account size related changes in habitat type, significantly improved the fit to the lengths at age of individuals in the composite samples for the population beyond that provided by the unadjusted von Bertalanffy growth curve. This resulted in the maximum difference between the estimates of length at age from the two growth curves, relative to the L derived from the unadjusted von Bertalanffy curve, reaching a value equivalent to 8 %. However, the maximum differences for the corresponding curves for populations in the lower Swan River Estuary and Shark Bay were far less, i.e. 1.7 and 3.2 %, respectively, and thus not considered biologically significant. Rhabdosargus sarba grew slightly faster in the lower Swan River Estuary than in either coastal marine waters or Shark Bay, possibly reflecting the greater productivity of estuarine environments. Acanthopagrus latus is a protandrous hermaphrodite. Detailed macroscopic and histological examination of the gonads of a wide size range of fish, together with a quantification of how the prevalences of the different categories of gonad change with size and age and during the year, were used to elucidate the sequence of changes that occur in the ovotestes of A. latus during life. The scheme proposed in the present study for the protandrous changes in A. latus differed from those proposed for this species elsewhere, but was similar to that of Pollock (1985) for the congeneric Acanthopagrus australis. The ovotestes of functional males develop from gonads which, as in older juveniles, contain substantial amounts of testicular and ovarian tissue. Such ovotestes, and particularly their testicular component, regress markedly after spawning and then, during the next spawning season, either again become ovotestes in which the testicular zone predominates and contains spermatids and spermatozoa (functional males), or become ovotestes in which the ovarian zone predominates and contains vitellogenic oocytes (functional females). Once a fish has become a functional female, it remains a female throughout the rest of its life. The trends exhibited during the year by reproductive variables demonstrate that A. latus in Shark Bay typically spawns on a very limited number of occasions during a short period in August and September and has determinate fecundity. The potential annual fecundities of 24 A. latus ranged from 764,000 in a 600 g fish to 7,910,000 in a 2,050 g fish and produced a mean [plus-minus]1SE of 1,935,000 [plus-minus] 281,000. The total length at which 50 % of A. latus become identifiable as males (245 mm) is very similar to the current minimum legal length (MLL) of 250 mm, which corresponds to an age of 2.5 years less than the age at which 50 % of males become females. Current spawning potential ratios calculated over a range of alternative values for natural mortality (M) for A. latus in Shark Bay suggests that the present fishing pressure is sustainable, but that the current MLL should be reviewed if recreational fishing pressure continues to increase. The age composition and von Bertalanffy growth parameters for Acanthopagrus latus have been determined. The relevant parameters were inserted into the empirical equations of Pauly (1980) and Ralston (1987) for estimating natural mortality (M). Total mortality (Z) was calculated using Hoenig's (1983) equations, relative abundance analysis and a simulation based on maximum age and sample size.The two point estimates for M for A. latus, which were both 0.70 year-1, greatly exceeded all estimates for Z (range 0.18 to 0.30 year-1), which is clearly an erroneous result. To resolve this problem of inconsistent estimates, a Bayesian approach was developed, which, through combining the likelihood distributions of the various mortality estimates, produced integrated estimates for M and Z that are more consistent and precise than those produced for these two variables using the above methods individually. This approach now yielded lower values for M than Z and a measure of fishing mortality that appears to be consistent with the current status of the fishery. This approach is equally applicable to other fish species.

Various aspects of the biology of the tarwhine Rhabdosargus sarba and western yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus latus were studied. The studies on R. sarba have focused on populations in temperate coastal marine waters at ca 32 degrees S and the lower reaches of an estuary (Swan River Estuary) located at the same latitude and in a subtropical embayment (Shark Bay) at ca 26 degrees S, while those on A. latus were conducted on the population in the latter embayment. A combination of a macroscopic and histological examination of the gonads demonstrated that R. sarba is typically a rudimentary hermaphrodite in Western Australian waters, i.e. the juveniles develop into either a male or female in which the ovarian and testicular zones of the gonads, respectively, are macroscopically undetectable. This contrasts with the situation in the waters off Hong Kong and South Africa, in which R. sarba is reported to be a protandrous hermaphrodite. However, it is possible that a few of the fish that are above the size at first maturity and possess, during the spawning period, ovotestes with relatively substantial amounts of both mature testicular and immature ovarian tissue, could function as males early in adult life and then change to females. Although R. sarba spawns at some time between late winter and late spring in Western Australia, spawning peaks later in the Swan River Estuary than in coastal, marine waters at the same latitude and Shark Bay, in which salinities are always close to or above that of full strength sea water, i.e. 35 0/00. While the males and females attain sexual maturity at very similar lengths in the Swan River Estuary and Shark Bay, i.e. L50s all between 170 and 177 mm, they typically reach maturity at an earlier age in the former environment, i.e. 2 vs 3 years old. Thus, length and consequently growth rate influence the timing of maturity rather than age. During the spawning period, only 9 % of the fish caught between 180 and 260 mm in nearshore, shallow marine waters had become mature, whereas 91 % of those in this length range over reefs were mature, indicating that R. sarba tends to move offshore only when it has become physiologically ready to mature. The L50s at first maturity indicate that the current minimum legal length in Western Australia (230 mm) is appropriate for managing this species. Oocyte diameter frequency distributions, stages in oocyte development, duration of oocyte hydration and time of formation of post-ovulatory follicles in mature ovaries of Rhabdosargus sarba in the lower Swan River Estuary (32 degrees 03'S, 115 degrees 44'E) were used, in conjunction with data on tidal cycles, to elucidate specific aspects of the reproductive biology of this sparid in an estuarine environment. The results demonstrated the following. (i) Rhabdosargus sarba has indeterminate fecundity sensu Hunter et al. (1985). (ii) Oocyte hydration commences at about dusk (18:30 h) and is completed by ca 01:30-04:30 h, at which time ovulation, as revealed by the presence of hydrated oocytes in the ovarian duct and appearance of newlyformed post-ovulatory follicles, commences. (iii) The prevalence of spawning was positively correlated with tidal strength and was greatest on days when the tide changed from flood to ebb at ca 06:00 h, i.e. approximately when spawning ceases. Spawning just prior to strong ebb tides would lead to the transport of eggs out of the estuary and thus into salinities that remain at ca 35 0/00. The likelihood of eggs being transported downstream is further enhanced by R. sarba spawning in deeper waters in the estuary, where the flow is greatest. (iv) Although mature ovaries were found in R. sarba in the estuary between early July and December, the prevalence of atretic oocytes was high until September, when salinities started rising markedly from their winter minima. Batch fecundities ranged from 2,416 for a 188 mm fish to 53,707 for a 266 mm fish. The average daily prevalence of spawning amongst mature females during the spawning period of R. sarba caught in the lower estuary, i.e. July to end of October, was 36.5 %. Thus, individual female R. sarba spawned, on average, at intervals of ca 2.7 days in each spawning season. Female R. sarba with total lengths of 200, 250 and 300 mm were estimated to have a batch fecundity of 7,400, 20,100 and 54,800 eggs, respectively and annual fecundities of 332,000, 903,000 and 2,461,000 eggs, respectively. Rhabdosargus sarba is shown to undergo size-related movements in each of the three very different environments in which it was studied. In temperate coastal waters, R. sarba settles in unvegetated nearshore areas and then moves progressively firstly to nearby seagrass beds and then to exposed unvegetated nearshore areas and finally to areas around reefs where spawning occurs. Although R. sarba spawns in the lower Swan River Estuary, relatively few of its early 0+ recruits remain in the estuary and substantial numbers of this species do not start reappearing in the estuary until they are ca 140 mm. In Shark Bay, R. sarba uses nearshore mangroves as a nursery area and later moves into areas around reefs. The maximum ages recorded for R. sarba in coastal marine waters (11 years) and Shark Bay (13 years) were far greater than in the lower Swan River Estuary (6 years). However, the maximum lengths recorded in these three environments were all ca 350 mm. Due to the production by size-related movements of differences amongst the lengths of R. sarba at given ages in different habitats in coastal marine waters, the composite suite of lengths at age was not fully representative of the population of this species as a whole in this environment. A von Bertalanffy growth curve, which was adjusted to take into account size related changes in habitat type, significantly improved the fit to the lengths at age of individuals in the composite samples for the population beyond that provided by the unadjusted von Bertalanffy growth curve. This resulted in the maximum difference between the estimates of length at age from the two growth curves, relative to the L derived from the unadjusted von Bertalanffy curve, reaching a value equivalent to 8 %. However, the maximum differences for the corresponding curves for populations in the lower Swan River Estuary and Shark Bay were far less, i.e. 1.7 and 3.2 %, respectively, and thus not considered biologically significant. Rhabdosargus sarba grew slightly faster in the lower Swan River Estuary than in either coastal marine waters or Shark Bay, possibly reflecting the greater productivity of estuarine environments. Acanthopagrus latus is a protandrous hermaphrodite. Detailed macroscopic and histological examination of the gonads of a wide size range of fish, together with a quantification of how the prevalences of the different categories of gonad change with size and age and during the year, were used to elucidate the sequence of changes that occur in the ovotestes of A. latus during life. The scheme proposed in the present study for the protandrous changes in A. latus differed from those proposed for this species elsewhere, but was similar to that of Pollock (1985) for the congeneric Acanthopagrus australis. The ovotestes of functional males develop from gonads which, as in older juveniles, contain substantial amounts of testicular and ovarian tissue. Such ovotestes, and particularly their testicular component, regress markedly after spawning and then, during the next spawning season, either again become ovotestes in which the testicular zone predominates and contains spermatids and spermatozoa (functional males), or become ovotestes in which the ovarian zone predominates and contains vitellogenic oocytes (functional females). Once a fish has become a functional female, it remains a female throughout the rest of its life. The trends exhibited during the year by reproductive variables demonstrate that A. latus in Shark Bay typically spawns on a very limited number of occasions during a short period in August and September and has determinate fecundity. The potential annual fecundities of 24 A. latus ranged from 764,000 in a 600 g fish to 7,910,000 in a 2,050 g fish and produced a mean [plus-minus]1SE of 1,935,000 [plus-minus] 281,000. The total length at which 50 % of A. latus become identifiable as males (245 mm) is very similar to the current minimum legal length (MLL) of 250 mm, which corresponds to an age of 2.5 years less than the age at which 50 % of males become females. Current spawning potential ratios calculated over a range of alternative values for natural mortality (M) for A. latus in Shark Bay suggests that the present fishing pressure is sustainable, but that the current MLL should be reviewed if recreational fishing pressure continues to increase. The age composition and von Bertalanffy growth parameters for Acanthopagrus latus have been determined. The relevant parameters were inserted into the empirical equations of Pauly (1980) and Ralston (1987) for estimating natural mortality (M). Total mortality (Z) was calculated using Hoenig's (1983) equations, relative abundance analysis and a simulation based on maximum age and sample size.The two point estimates for M for A. latus, which were both 0.70 year-1, greatly exceeded all estimates for Z (range 0.18 to 0.30 year-1), which is clearly an erroneous result. To resolve this problem of inconsistent estimates, a Bayesian approach was developed, which, through combining the likelihood distributions of the various mortality estimates, produced integrated estimates for M and Z that are more consistent and precise than those produced for these two variables using the above methods individually. This approach now yielded lower values for M than Z and a measure of fishing mortality that appears to be consistent with the current status of the fishery. This approach is equally applicable to other fish species.

Various aspects of the biology of the tarwhine Rhabdosargus sarba and western yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus latus were studied. The studies on R. sarba have focused on populations in temperate coastal marine waters at ca 32oS and the lower reaches of an estuary (Swan River Estuary) located at the same latitude and in a subtropical embayment (Shark Bay) at ca 26oS, while those on A. latus were conducted on the population in the latter embayment. A combination of a macroscopic and histological examination of the gonads demonstrated that R. sarba is typically a rudimentary hermaphrodite in Western Australian waters, i.e. the juveniles develop into either a male or female in which the ovarian and testicular zones of the gonads, respectively, are macroscopically undetectable. This contrasts with the situation in the waters off Hong Kong and South Africa, in which R. sarba is reported to be a protandrous hermaphrodite. However, it is possible that a few of the fish that are above the size at first maturity and possess, during the spawning period, ovotestes with relatively substantial amounts of both mature testicular and immature ovarian tissue, could function as males early in adult life and then change to females. Although R. sarba spawns at some time between late winter and late spring in Western Australia, spawning peaks later in the Swan River Estuary than in coastal, marine waters at the same latitude and Shark Bay, in which salinities are always close to or above that of full strength sea water, i.e. 35 ñ . While the males and females attain sexual maturity at very similar lengths in the Swan River Estuary and Shark Bay, i.e. L50s all between 170 and 177 mm, they typically reach maturity at an earlier age in the former environment, i.e. 2 vs 3 years old. Thus, length and consequently growth rate influence the timing of maturity rather than age. During the spawning period, only 9 % of the fish caught between 180 and 260 mm in nearshore, shallow marine waters had become mature, whereas 91 % of those in this length range over reefs were mature, indicating that R. sarba tends to move offshore only when it has become gphysiologically ready to mature. The L50s at first maturity indicate that the current minimum legal length in Western Australia (230 mm) is appropriate for managing this species. Oocyte diameter frequency distributions, stages in oocyte development, duration of oocyte hydration and time of formation of post-ovulatory follicles in mature ovaries of Rhabdosargus sarba in the lower Swan River Estuary (32o 03fS, 115o 44fE) were used, in conjunction with data on tidal cycles, to elucidate specific aspects of the reproductive biology of this sparid in an estuarine environment. The results demonstrated the following. (i) Rhabdosargus sarba has indeterminate fecundity sensu Hunter et al. (1985). (ii) Oocyte hydration commences at about dusk (18:30 h) and is completed by ca 01:30-04:30 h, at which time ovulation, as revealed by the presence of hydrated oocytes in the ovarian duct and appearance of newlyformed post-ovulatory follicles, commences. (iii) The prevalence of spawning was positively correlated with tidal strength and was greatest on days when the tide changed from flood to ebb at ca 06:00 h, i.e. approximately when spawning ceases. Spawning just prior to strong ebb tides would lead to the transport of eggs out of the estuary and thus into salinities that remain at ca 35 ñ . The likelihood of eggs being transported downstream is further enhanced by R. sarba spawning in deeper waters in the estuary, where the flow is greatest. (iv) Although mature ovaries were found in R. sarba in the estuary between early July and December, the prevalence of atretic oocytes was high until September, when salinities started rising markedly from their winter minima. Batch fecundities ranged from 2,416 for a 188 mm fish to 53,707 for a 266 mm fish. The average daily prevalence of spawning amongst mature females during the spawning period of R. sarba caught in the lower estuary, i.e. July to end of October, was 36.5 %. Thus, individual female R. sarba spawned, on average, at intervals of ca 2.7 days in each spawning season. Female R. sarba with total lengths of 200, 250 and 300 mm were estimated to have a batch fecundity of 7,400, 20,100 and 54,800 eggs, respectively and annual fecundities of 332,000, 903,000 and 2,461,000 eggs, respectively. Rhabdosargus sarba is shown to undergo size-related movements in each of the three very different environments in which it was studied. In temperate coastal waters, R. sarba settles in unvegetated nearshore areas and then moves progressively firstly to nearby seagrass beds and then to exposed unvegetated nearshore areas and finally to areas around reefs where spawning occurs. Although R. sarba spawns in the lower Swan River Estuary, relatively few of its early 0+ recruits remain in the estuary and substantial numbers of this species do not start reappearing in the estuary until they are ca 140 mm. In Shark Bay, R. sarba uses nearshore mangroves as a nursery area and later moves into areas around reefs. The maximum ages recorded for R. sarba in coastal marine waters (11 years) and Shark Bay (13 years) were far greater than in the lower Swan River Estuary (6 years). However, the maximum lengths recorded in these three environments were all ca 350 mm. Due to the production by size-related movements of differences amongst the lengths of R. sarba at given ages in different habitats in coastal marine waters, the composite suite of lengths at age was not fully representative of the population of this species as a whole in this environment. A von Bertalanffy growth curve, which was adjusted to take into account size related changes in habitat type, significantly improved the fit to the lengths at age of individuals in the composite samples for the population beyond that provided by the unadjusted von Bertalanffy growth curve. This resulted in the maximum difference between the estimates of length at age from the two growth curves, relative to the L‡ derived from the unadjusted von Bertalanffy curve, reaching a value equivalent to 8 %. However, the maximum differences for the corresponding curves for populations in the lower Swan River Estuary and Shark Bay were far less, i.e. 1.7 and 3.2 %, respectively, and thus not considered biologically significant. Rhabdosargus sarba grew slightly faster in the lower Swan River Estuary than in either coastal marine waters or Shark Bay, possibly reflecting the greater productivity of estuarine environments. Acanthopagrus latus is a protandrous hermaphrodite. Detailed macroscopic and histological examination of the gonads of a wide size range of fish, together with a quantification of how the prevalences of the different categories of gonad change with size and age and during the year, were used to elucidate the sequence of changes that occur in the ovotestes of A. latus during life. The scheme proposed in the present study for the protandrous changes in A. latus differed from those proposed for this species elsewhere, but was similar to that of Pollock (1985) for the congeneric Acanthopagrus australis. The ovotestes of functional males develop from gonads which, as in older juveniles, contain substantial amounts of testicular and ovarian tissue. Such ovotestes, and particularly their testicular component, regress markedly after spawning and then, during the next spawning season, either again become ovotestes in which the testicular zone predominates and contains spermatids and spermatozoa (functional males), or become ovotestes in which the ovarian zone predominates and contains vitellogenic oocytes (functional females). Once a fish has become a functional female, it remains a female throughout the rest of its life. The trends exhibited during the year by reproductive variables demonstrate that A. latus in Shark Bay typically spawns on a very limited number of occasions during a short period in August and September and has determinate fecundity. The potential annual fecundities of 24 A. latus ranged from 764,000 in a 600 g fish to 7,910,000 in a 2,050 g fish and produced a mean }1SE of 1,935,000 } 281,000. The total length at which 50 % of A. latus become identifiable as males (245 mm) is very similar to the current minimum legal length (MLL) of 250 mm, which corresponds to an age of 2.5 years less than the age at which 50 % of males become females. Current spawning potential ratios calculated over a range of alternative values for natural mortality (M) for A. latus in Shark Bay suggests that the present fishing pressure is sustainable, but that the current MLL should be reviewed if recreational fishing pressure continues to increase. The age composition and von Bertalanffy growth parameters for Acanthopagrus latus have been determined. The relevant parameters were inserted into the empirical equations of Pauly (1980) and Ralston (1987) for estimating natural mortality (M). Total mortality (Z) was calculated using Hoenigfs (1983) equations, relative abundance analysis and a simulation based on maximum age and sample size.The two point estimates for M for A. latus, which were both 0.70 year-1, greatly exceeded all estimates for Z (range 0.18 to 0.30 year-1), which is clearly an erroneous result. To resolve this problem of inconsistent estimates, a Bayesian approach was developed, which, through combining the likelihood distributions of the various mortality estimates, produced integrated estimates for M and Z that are more consistent and precise than those produced for these two variables using the above methods individually. This approach now yielded lower values for M than Z and a measure of fishing mortality that appears to be consistent with the current status of the fishery. This approach is equally applicable to other fish species.

碩士<br>國立臺北科技大學<br>土木與防災研究所<br>101<br>This study analyzed through numerical method to simulate materials in triaxial (including single pressure) mechanical behavior under test conditions, and for the microscopic parameters for changing the material circumstances, the corresponding macroscopic parameters as discussed 　　This study is based on the Distinct Element Method Numerical software PFC3D Simulation microscopic spherical particles between elements of the mechanical behavior of non-continuum, and to establish the elements of microscopic parameters and the overall macroscopic material parameter sensitivity analysis of interconnectedness. In triaxial tests, for example, elements through microscopic particles parameter settings for PFC3D the simulation results obtained under different microscopic parameters set corresponding overall macroscopic parameters, in respect material of micro and macro parameter checking investigate the association , That material macroscopic elastic modulus and uniaxial compressive strength, respectively, with the microscopic particle elements elastic modulus and bond strength between particles is proportional approximately,another material macroscopic parameters - Poisson&apos;&apos;s ratio is positively related to particles of the elements of positive / tangential stiffness ratio. Used statistical analysis software-SPSS as analysis using regression methods, represent between the micro, macro parameter relationships by regression equation, in future PFC3D simulated particles and bonding material parameters such as the alignment of various microscopic and macroscopic materials to meet the desired simulated parameters reference direction of research work.

Leung Ling Yan.<br>Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 218-259).<br>Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.<br>Abstract also in Chinese.

Man, Ka Yan.<br>Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-126).<br>Abstracts in English and Chinese.<br>Chapter I. --- Title page --- p.i<br>Chapter II. --- Thesis committee --- p.ii<br>Chapter III. --- Acknowledgements --- p.iii<br>Chapter IV. --- Abstract (English) --- p.iv<br>Chapter V. --- Abstract (Chinese) --- p.vi<br>Chapter VI. --- Table of contents --- p.vii<br>Chapter VII. --- List of abbreviations --- p.xiii<br>Chapter VIII. --- List of figures --- p.xv<br>General introduction --- p.1<br>Chapter Chapter 1: --- Literature review --- p.4<br>Chapter 1.1. --- Cadmium --- p.5<br>Chapter 1.1.1. --- Cadmium - Ways of uptake in human and aquatic life --- p.5<br>Chapter 1.1.2. --- Cadmium - Toxic effects in fish --- p.6<br>Chapter 1.2. --- Cortisol --- p.11<br>Chapter 1.2.1. --- Cortisol - General information and its regulations --- p.11<br>Chapter 1.2.2. --- Cortisol - Functions --- p.12<br>Chapter 1.3. --- Thyroid hormones --- p.14<br>Chapter 1.3.1. --- THs - General information and its regulations --- p.14<br>Chapter 1.3.2. --- THs - Functions --- p.15<br>Chapter 1.4. --- Growth hormone --- p.18<br>Chapter 1.4.1. --- GH - General information and its regulations --- p.18<br>Chapter 1.4.2. --- GH - Functions --- p.20<br>Chapter 1.5. --- Insulin-like growth factor --- p.22<br>Chapter 1.5.1. --- IGF-I - General information and its regulations --- p.22<br>Chapter 1.5.2. --- IGF-I - Functions --- p.24<br>Chapter 1.6 --- Metallothioneins --- p.26<br>Chapter 1.6.1. --- MTs - Definition and Classification --- p.26<br>Chapter 1.6.2. --- MTs - Functions --- p.27<br>Chapter 1.7. --- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase --- p.31<br>Chapter 1.7.1. --- G6PDH - General information and its regulations --- p.31<br>Chapter 1.7.2. --- G6PDH ´ؤ Functions --- p.32<br>Chapter Chapter 2: --- "Effects of cadmium exposure on the endocrine status of silver sea bream, Sparus sarba" --- p.34<br>Chapter 2.1. --- Introduction --- p.35<br>Chapter 2.2. --- Materials and methods --- p.37<br>Chapter 2.2.1. --- Overall experimental design --- p.37<br>Chapter 2.2.2. --- In vivo exposure to waterborne cadmium --- p.37<br>Chapter 2.2.2.1. --- Experimental animals --- p.37<br>Chapter 2.2.2.2. --- Adaptation --- p.37<br>Chapter 2.2.2.3. --- Tissue sampling --- p.38<br>Chapter 2.2.2.4. --- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) --- p.38<br>Chapter 2.2.2.4.1. --- Serum cortisol analysis --- p.39<br>Chapter 2.2.2.4.2. --- Serum triiodothyronine analysis --- p.39<br>Chapter 2.2.2.4.3. --- Serum thyroxine analysis --- p.39<br>Chapter 2.2.2.5. --- Protein extraction and Protein quantification --- p.40<br>Chapter 2.2.2.6. --- Protein gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting (Western blotting) --- p.40<br>Chapter 2.2.2.7. --- RNA extraction --- p.41<br>Chapter 2.2.2.8. --- Reverse transcription for first-strand cDNAs from total RNAs samples from liver --- p.42<br>Chapter 2.2.2.9. --- Real-time quantitative PCR assays of IGF-I mRNA expression --- p.43<br>Chapter 2.2.3. --- In vivo experiments involving cadmium injection --- p.44<br>Chapter 2.2.3.1. --- Experimental animals --- p.44<br>Chapter 2.2.3.2. --- Adaptation --- p.44<br>Chapter 2.2.3.3. --- Tissue sampling --- p.45<br>Chapter 2.2.3.4. --- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) --- p.45<br>Chapter 2.2.3.4.1. --- Serum cortisol analysis --- p.45<br>Chapter 2.2.3.4.2. --- Serum triiodothyronine analysis --- p.45<br>Chapter 2.2.3.4.3. --- Serum thyroxine analysis --- p.46<br>Chapter 2.2.3.5. --- Protein extraction and Protein quantification --- p.46<br>Chapter 2.2.3.6. --- Protein gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting (Western blotting) --- p.46<br>Chapter 2.2.3.7. --- RNA extraction --- p.46<br>Chapter 2.2.3.8. --- Reverse transcription for the first-strand cDNAs from total RNAs samples from liver --- p.46<br>Chapter 2.2.3.9. --- Real-time quantitative PCR of IGF-I mRNA expression --- p.46<br>Chapter 2.2.4. --- In vitro part of the project (Primary cell culture: hepatocytes exposed to cadmium medium) --- p.47<br>Chapter 2.2.4.1. --- Experimental animals --- p.47<br>Chapter 2.2.4.2. --- Primary hepatocytes culture preparation --- p.47<br>Chapter 2.2.4.3. --- Cadmium treatment and cell harvest --- p.48<br>Chapter 2.2.4.4. --- "RNA extraction, reverse transcription for the first-strand cDNAs from total RNAs samples from lysed cells and real-time quantitative PCR of IGF-I mRNA expression" --- p.48<br>Chapter 2.2.5. --- Statistical analysis --- p.48<br>Chapter 2.3. --- Results --- p.49<br>Chapter 2.3.1. --- Serum cortisol level --- p.49<br>Chapter 2.3.2. --- Serum triiodothyronine level --- p.49<br>Chapter 2.3.3. --- Serum thyroxine level --- p.49<br>Chapter 2.3.4. --- Pituitary growth hormone level --- p.50<br>Chapter 2.3.5. --- Hepatic insulin-like growth factor mRNA expression --- p.50<br>Chapter 2.4. --- Discussion --- p.58<br>Chapter 2.4.1. --- Serum cortisol level --- p.58<br>Chapter 2.4.2. --- Thyroid hormones --- p.61<br>Chapter 2.4.3. --- Growth hormone --- p.64<br>Chapter 2.4.4. --- Insulin-like growth factor-I --- p.67<br>Chapter 2.5. --- Conclusion --- p.70<br>Chapter Chapter 3: --- "Effects of cadmium exposure on MT and G6PDH mRNA expressions of silver sea bream, Sparus sarba" --- p.71<br>Chapter 3.1. --- Introduction --- p.72<br>Chapter 3.2. --- Materials and methods --- p.74<br>Chapter 3.2.1. --- Overall experimental design --- p.74<br>Chapter 3.2.2. --- In vivo experiments involving exposure to waterborne cadmium --- p.74<br>Chapter 3.2.2.1. --- Experimental animals --- p.74<br>Chapter 3.2.2.2. --- Adaptation --- p.74<br>Chapter 3.2.2.3. --- Tissue sampling --- p.74<br>Chapter 3.2.2.4. --- RNA extraction --- p.74<br>Chapter 3.2.2.5. --- Reverse transcription for first-strand cDNAs from total RNAs samples from gill and liver --- p.75<br>Chapter 3.2.2.6. --- Amplification of partial fragments of metallothionein (MT) --- p.75<br>Chapter 3.2.2.7. --- Rapid amplification of 5´ة and 3´ة cDNA ends of metallothionein (MT) --- p.76<br>Chapter 3.2.2.7.1. --- Amplification of 5´ة cDNA end --- p.76<br>Chapter 3.2.2.7.2. --- Amplification of 3´ة cDNA end --- p.78<br>Chapter 3.2.2.8. --- Real-time quantitative PCR of MT and G6PDH mRNA expressions --- p.79<br>Chapter 3.2.3. --- In vivo injection of cadmium --- p.80<br>Chapter 3.2.3.1. --- "Experimental animals, adaptation and tissue sampling" --- p.80<br>Chapter 3.2.3.2. --- RNA extraction --- p.80<br>Chapter 3.2.3.3. --- Reverse transcription for first-strand cDNAs from total RNAs samples from gill and liver --- p.81<br>Chapter 3.2.3.4. --- Real-time quantitative PCR of MT and G6PDH mRNA expression --- p.81<br>Chapter 3.2.4. --- In vitro exposure of primary hepatocyte culture to cadmium --- p.81<br>Chapter 3.2.4.1. --- Experimental animals --- p.81<br>Chapter 3.2.4.2. --- Preparation of the hepatocytes for cell culture --- p.81<br>Chapter 3.2.4.3. --- Cadmium treatment and cell harvest --- p.81<br>Chapter 3.2.4.4. --- "RNA extraction, reverse transcription for first-strand cDNAs from total RNAs samples from lysed cells and real-time quantitative PCR of MT and G6PDH mRNA expression" --- p.82<br>Chapter 3.2.5. --- Statistical analysis --- p.82<br>Chapter 3.3. --- Results --- p.83<br>Chapter 3.3.1. --- MT cloning and characterization --- p.83<br>Chapter 3.3.2. --- Metallothionein mRNA expression --- p.83<br>Chapter 3.3.3. --- Hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA expression --- p.84<br>Chapter 3.4. --- Discussion --- p.91<br>Chapter 3.4.1. --- MT cloning and characterization --- p.91<br>Chapter 3.4.2. --- Metallothioneins mRNA expression --- p.92<br>Chapter 3.4.3. --- Hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA expression --- p.95<br>Chapter 3.5. --- Conclusion --- p.98<br>General conclusion --- p.99<br>References --- p.101

Yuen, Wing Sum.<br>Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-155).<br>Abstract also in Chinese.<br>Chapter I --- Title page --- p.i<br>Chapter II --- Acknowledgements --- p.ii<br>Chapter III --- Abstract --- p.iii<br>Chapter IV --- Abstract (Chinese version) --- p.vi<br>Chapter V --- Table of contents --- p.viii<br>Chapter VI --- List of abbreviations --- p.xv<br>Chapter VII --- List of figures --- p.xvi<br>Chapter Chapter 1 --- General introduction --- p.1<br>Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature review --- p.5<br>Chapter 2.1 --- Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in human --- p.5<br>Chapter 2.1.1. --- Pathology of cystic fibrosis --- p.5<br>Chapter 2.1.2. --- CFTR gene and the encoded protein --- p.6<br>Chapter 2.1.3. --- Hypothetical model for CFTR function --- p.7<br>Chapter 2.1.4. --- Functions of CFTR --- p.7<br>Chapter 2.1.5. --- Regulation of CFTR gene expression --- p.8<br>Chapter 2.1.6 --- Regulation of CFTR protein --- p.9<br>Chapter 2.1.7. --- Discovery of CFTR homologues in other vertebrates --- p.10<br>Chapter 2.2 --- Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in teleosts --- p.10<br>Chapter 2.2.1. --- Evidence for the presence of CFTR homologue in teleosts --- p.10<br>Chapter 2.2.2. --- Molecular cloning of teleost CFTR genes --- p.11<br>Chapter 2.2.3. --- Role of teleost CFTR in osmoregulation --- p.13<br>Chapter 2.2.3.1. --- Tissue distribution of CFTR --- p.13<br>Chapter 2.2.3.2. --- Changes in CFTR expression in response to ambient salinities --- p.14<br>Chapter 2.2.3.3. --- Immunocytochemical studies of CFTR --- p.15<br>Chapter 2.2.3.4. --- Regulation of CFTR --- p.17<br>Chapter 2.3 --- Osmoregulation in teleosts --- p.19<br>Chapter 2.3.1. --- Importance of osmoregulation --- p.19<br>Chapter 2.3.2. --- Major components of chloride cells in marine teleosts --- p.20<br>Chapter 2.3.2.1. --- Overview --- p.20<br>Chapter 2.3.2.2. --- Sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+，K+-ATPase) --- p.21<br>Chapter 2.3.2.3. --- Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) --- p.22<br>Chapter 2.3.2.4. --- Na+/K+/2Cr cotransporter (NKCC) --- p.23<br>Chapter 2.3.2.5. --- Potassium (K+) channel --- p.25<br>Chapter 2.4 --- Endocrine control of osmoregulation --- p.26<br>Chapter 2.4.1. --- Overview --- p.26<br>Chapter 2.4.2. --- Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) --- p.27<br>Chapter 2.4.2.1. --- Role of GH in osmoregulation --- p.27<br>Chapter 2.4.2.2. --- Mediation through IGF-I --- p.29<br>Chapter 2.4.2.3. --- Synergic effect with cortisol --- p.30<br>Chapter 2.4.3. --- Prolactin (PRL) --- p.30<br>Chapter 2.4.3.1. --- Role of PRL in osmoregulation --- p.30<br>Chapter 2.4.3.2. --- Synergic effect with cortisol --- p.33<br>Chapter 2.4.4. --- Cortisol --- p.33<br>Chapter 2.4.4.1. --- Role of cortisol in osmoregulation --- p.33<br>Chapter 2.4.4.2. --- Dual functions of cortisol --- p.34<br>Chapter Chapter 3 --- Cloning and tissue distribution of silver sea bream CFTR gene --- p.36<br>Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.36<br>Chapter 3.2 --- Materials and methods --- p.38<br>Chapter 3.2.1. --- Part A: Cloning of silver sea bream CFTR gene --- p.38<br>Chapter 3.2.1.1. --- Fish and culture conditions --- p.38<br>Chapter 3.2.1.2. --- Sampling of fish --- p.38<br>Chapter 3.2.1.3. --- Preparation of first strand cDNA --- p.38<br>Chapter 3.2.1.4. --- Design of primers --- p.39<br>Chapter 3.2.1.5. --- Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR --- p.40<br>Chapter 3.2.1.6 --- Cloning --- p.41<br>Chapter 3.2.2. --- Part B: Tissue distribution of CFTR in silver sea bream --- p.41<br>Chapter 3.2.2.1. --- Fish and culture conditions --- p.41<br>Chapter 3.2.2.2. --- Tissue sampling --- p.42<br>Chapter 3.2.2.3. --- Preparation of first strand cDNA --- p.42<br>Chapter 3.2.2.4 --- Design of primers --- p.42<br>Chapter 3.2.2.5. --- Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR --- p.43<br>Chapter 3.3 --- Results --- p.44<br>Chapter 3.3.1. --- Part A: Cloning of silver sea bream CFTR gene --- p.44<br>Chapter 3.3.2. --- Part B: Tissue distribution of CFTR in silver sea bream --- p.60<br>Chapter 3.4 --- Discussion --- p.62<br>Chapter 3.4.1. --- Part A: Cloning of silver sea bream CFTR --- p.62<br>Chapter 3.4.2. --- Part B: Tissue distribution of CFTR in silver sea bream --- p.64<br>Chapter Chapter 4 --- Effect of salinity on CFTR mRNA expression in gill and posterior intestine of silver sea bream --- p.68<br>Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.68<br>Chapter 4.2 --- Materials and methods --- p.70<br>Chapter 4.2.1. --- Part A: Effect of long-term exposure to different salinities on CFTR expression --- p.70<br>Chapter 4.2.1.1. --- Experimental fish and salinity adaptation --- p.70<br>Chapter 4.2.1.2. --- Tissue sampling --- p.70<br>Chapter 4.2.1.3. --- Serum ion levels --- p.71<br>Chapter 4.2.1.4. --- Preparation of first strand cDNA --- p.71<br>Chapter 4.2.1.5. --- Design of primers --- p.71<br>Chapter 4.2.1.6. --- Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR --- p.71<br>Chapter 4.2.1.7. --- Statistical analysis --- p.72<br>Chapter 4.2.2. --- Part B: Effect of abrupt transfer on CFTR expression --- p.73<br>Chapter 4.2.2.1. --- Experimental fish --- p.73<br>Chapter 4.2.2.2. --- Experimental design --- p.73<br>Chapter 4.2.2.2.1 --- Experiment 1: Abrupt transfer from seawater (SW) to 6 ppt --- p.73<br>Chapter 4.2.2.2.2. --- Experiment 2: Abrupt transfer from 6 ppt to SW --- p.73<br>Chapter 4.2.2.3. --- Tissue sampling --- p.74<br>Chapter 4.2.2.4. --- Serum ion levels --- p.74<br>Chapter 4.2.2.5. --- Preparation of first strand cDNA --- p.74<br>Chapter 4.2.2.6. --- Design of primers --- p.75<br>Chapter 4.2.2.7. --- Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR --- p.75<br>Chapter 4.2.2.8. --- Statistical analysis --- p.75<br>Chapter 4.3 --- Results --- p.76<br>Chapter 4.3.1. --- Part A: Effect of long-term exposure to different salinities on CFTR expression --- p.76<br>Chapter 4.3.1.1. --- Serum ion levels --- p.76<br>Chapter 4.3.1.2. --- CFTR expression in gill --- p.76<br>Chapter 4.3.1.3. --- CFTR expression in posterior intestine --- p.76<br>Chapter 4.3.2. --- Part B: Effect of abrupt salinity transfer on CFTR expression --- p.83<br>Chapter 4.3.2.1. --- Experiment 1: Abrupt transfer from SW to 6 ppt --- p.83<br>Chapter 4.3.2.1.1. --- Serum ion levels --- p.83<br>Chapter 4.3.2.1.2. --- CFTR in gill --- p.83<br>Chapter 4.3.2.1.3. --- CFTR in posterior intestine --- p.83<br>Chapter 4.3.2.2. --- Experiment 2: Abrupt transfer from 6 ppt to SW --- p.89<br>Chapter 4.3.2.2.1. --- Serum ion levels --- p.89<br>Chapter 4.3.2.2.2. --- CFTR in gill --- p.89<br>Chapter 4.3.2.2.3. --- CFTR in posterior intestine --- p.89<br>Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.95<br>Chapter 4.4.1. --- Long-term exposure to various salinities --- p.95<br>Chapter 4.4.2. --- Abrupt salinity transfer --- p.98<br>Chapter 4.4.2.1. --- Abrupt hypo-osmotic transfer (33 ppt to 6 ppt) --- p.98<br>Chapter 4.4.2.2. --- Abrupt seawater transfer (6 ppt to 33 ppt) --- p.99<br>Chapter 4.4.3. --- CFTR mRNA expression in posterior intestine --- p.101<br>Chapter 4.4.4. --- Conclusion --- p.101<br>Chapter Chapter 5 --- Effect of hormones on CFTR expression in gill and posterior intestine of silver sea bream --- p.102<br>Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.102<br>Chapter 5.2 --- Materials and methods --- p.104<br>Chapter 5.2.1. --- Part A: In vivo effect of hormones on CFTR expression --- p.104<br>Chapter 5.2.1.1. --- Experimental fish and salinity adaptation --- p.104<br>Chapter 5.2.1.2. --- Hormone treatment --- p.104<br>Chapter 5.2.1.3. --- Tissue sampling --- p.105<br>Chapter 5.2.1.4. --- "Serum ion levels, preparation of first strand cDNA, design of primers and semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR" --- p.105<br>Chapter 5.2.1.5. --- Statistical analysis --- p.105<br>Chapter 5.2.2. --- Part B: In vitro effect of hormones on CFTR expression --- p.106<br>Chapter 5.2.2.1. --- Fish and culture conditions --- p.106<br>Chapter 5.2.2.2. --- Gill and posterior intestine preparations --- p.106<br>Chapter 5.2.2.3. --- Hormone treatment --- p.106<br>Chapter 5.2.2.4. --- "Preparation of first strand cDNA, design of primers and semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR" --- p.107<br>Chapter 5.2.2.5. --- Statistical analysis --- p.107<br>Chapter 5.3 --- Results --- p.108<br>Chapter 5.3.1. --- Part A: In vivo effect of hormones on CFTR expression --- p.108<br>Chapter 5.3.1.1. --- Serum ion levels --- p.108<br>Chapter 5.3.1.1.1. --- Serum [Na+] level --- p.108<br>Chapter 5.3.1.1.2. --- Serum [K+] level --- p.108<br>Chapter 5.3.1.1.3. --- Serum [Cl' ] level --- p.108<br>Chapter 5.3.1.2. --- CFTR expression in gill --- p.109<br>Chapter 5.3.1.3. --- CFTR expression in posterior intestine --- p.109<br>Chapter 5.3.2. --- Part B: In vitro effect of hormones on CFTR expression --- p.115<br>Chapter 5.3.2.1. --- CFTR expression in gill --- p.115<br>Chapter 5.3.2.2. --- CFTR expression in posterior intestine --- p.115<br>Chapter 5.4 --- Discussion --- p.122<br>Chapter 5.4.1. --- Effects of cortisol on CFTR expression --- p.122<br>Chapter 5.4.2. --- Effects of growth hormone on CFTR expression --- p.124<br>Chapter 5.4.3. --- Effects of prolactin on CFTR expression --- p.127<br>Chapter 5.4.4. --- "Overall effect of cortisol, growth hormone and prolactin on CFTR expression" --- p.128<br>Chapter 5.4.5 --- Conclusion --- p.130<br>Chapter Chapter 6 --- General discussion and conclusion --- p.132<br>References --- p.136

The paper presents some new etymological notes on the Khakas names of the squirrel and the sable. Because of a taboo character, Khakas has four different designations for ‘squirrel’. One of them tīn has a stable Turkic etymology, while the other three forms are of unknown origin. The second Khakas word, saxïl ‘squirrel’ is probably a metathetical form of Turkic salïq ‘tax’. The third form tabïrġan ‘flying squirrel’ was possibly borrowed from Mongolic tarbaγan ‘marmot’. The last word sarbax may be connected with the Mongolic verb sirba- ‘to wag the tail’. There is only one form, albïġa, with the meaning ‘sable’ in Khakas, which is also possibly borrowed from the Mongolic alban ‘tax, impost, tribute’. The etymological analysis confirms the peculiarity and diversity of the Khakas language.

Research over the past few decades has identified that organizations have been faced with social/ economic pressure to utilize information technology and to facilitate communication via technological modes. These technology drive communications, under media richness theory, have been found to impact group cohesion and performance. The communications that are dependent on media richness are affected by individual user characteristics. Further group impacted by technology driven communication often experience varying levels of individual member agreeability, which further affect cohesion and performance. The individual users who participate in group projects must communicate, and ultimately can have different performance and cohesion outcomes based on the mode of communication used. This study identifies significant differences between groups, using specific media to communicate cohesion, the change in cohesion, agreeability and performance. Over the past few decades, organizations have faced increased pressure to utilize information technology (IT) to expand markets, to support increased communication between constituents, to streamline organizational decision making, and to improve employee productivity. Unfortunately, the results are contradictory as to the success IT has had in helping organizations achieve these goals. On one hand, several studies have reported beneficial returns on investment with the aforementioned implementation of information technology (Bourquard, 2004; Chienting, Jen-Hwa Hu, &amp; Hsinchun, 2004; Dehning &amp; Richardson, 2002; Hinton &amp; Kaye, 1996; McGrath &amp; Schneider, 2000; Violino, 1998; Willcocks &amp; Lester, 1991). On the other hand, research also seems to suggest that technology can sink an organization when IT is not in alignment with the strategic goals of the organization (Arlotto &amp; Oakes, 2003; Hinton &amp; Kaye, 1996; PITAC, 1999; Violino, 1998; Willcocks &amp; Lester, 1991). Adding to this dilemma, the marketplace has been turning to global expansion, becoming more demographically diverse, and relying more on the use of workgroups and teams (Stough, Eom, &amp; Buckenmyer, 2000). These work teams historically have performed in homogenous settings and have met primarily face-to-face (FTF). These teams typically used little technology to interact. Lawler, Mohrman, &amp; Ledford (1992) found that organizations that use teams more often have a positive outcome in decision making, employee trust and employee tenure. Considering the advances in communication media over the past twenty years, information technology has become a part of the everyday operations of most businesses. The requirement of the employee to use this technology has become essential to organizational success. With the organizational dependence on the employee to use information technology, plus the increased use of teams in the workplace, organizations may fail to provide workers with the support and training needed to develop cohesive groups resulting in improved performance and member satisfaction (Sarbaugh-Thompson &amp; Feldman, 1998; Yoo, 2001). Several studies have concluded that teams that communicate successfully have had positive team performance (Rice, 1979; Tuckman, 1997; Zaccaro &amp; Lowe, 1988). However, the independent variables considered in the aforementioned research vary greatly and seem to show inconsistency in identifying indicators that could be used to help with the implementation of technology that supports team performance. This study looks at face to face (FTF) and virtual teams, the personality trait of agreeability and the impact of specific communication technology on cohesion and performance. We use the media richness theory to facilitate our literature review and to guide the development of our hypotheses.

Research over the past few decades has identified that organizations have been faced with social/ economic pressure to utilize information technology and to facilitate communication via technological modes. These technology drive communications, under media richness theory, have been found to impact group cohesion and performance. The communications that are dependent on media richness are affected by individual user characteristics. Further group impacted by technology driven communication often experience varying levels of individual member agreeability, which further affect cohesion and performance. The individual users who participate in group projects must communicate, and ultimately can have different performance and cohesion outcomes based on the mode of communication used. This study identifies significant differences between groups, using specific media to communicate cohesion, the change in cohesion, agreeability and performance. Over the past few decades, organizations have faced increased pressure to utilize information technology (IT) to expand markets, to support increased communication between constituents, to streamline organizational decision making, and to improve employee productivity. Unfortunately, the results are contradictory as to the success IT has had in helping organizations achieve these goals. On one hand, several studies have reported beneficial returns on investment with the aforementioned implementation of information technology (Bourquard, 2004; Chienting, Jen-Hwa Hu, &amp; Hsinchun, 2004; Dehning &amp; Richardson, 2002; Hinton &amp; Kaye, 1996; McGrath &amp; Schneider, 2000; Violino, 1998; Willcocks &amp; Lester, 1991). On the other hand, research also seems to suggest that technology can sink an organization when IT is not in alignment with the strategic goals of the organization (Arlotto &amp; Oakes, 2003; Hinton &amp; Kaye, 1996; PITAC, 1999; Violino, 1998; Willcocks &amp; Lester, 1991). Adding to this dilemma, the marketplace has been turning to global expansion, becoming more demographically diverse, and relying more on the use of workgroups and teams (Stough, Eom, &amp; Buckenmyer, 2000). These work teams historically have performed in homogenous settings and have met primarily face-to-face (FTF). These teams typically used little technology to interact. Lawler, Mohrman, &amp; Ledford (1992) found that organizations that use teams more often have a positive outcome in decision making, employee trust and employee tenure. Considering the advances in communication media over the past twenty years, information technology has become a part of the everyday operations of most businesses. The requirement of the employee to use this technology has become essential to organizational success. With the organizational dependence on the employee to use information technology, plus the increased use of teams in the workplace, organizations may fail to provide workers with the support and training needed to develop cohesive groups resulting in improved performance and member satisfaction (Sarbaugh-Thompson &amp; Feldman, 1998; Yoo, 2001). Several studies have concluded that teams that communicate successfully have had positive team performance (Rice, 1979; Tuckman, 1997; Zaccaro &amp; Lowe, 1988). However, the independent variables considered in the aforementioned research vary greatly and seem to show inconsistency in identifying indicators that could be used to help with the implementation of technology that supports team performance. This study looks at face to face (FTF) and virtual teams, the personality trait of agreeability and the impact of specific communication technology on cohesion and performance. We use the media richness theory to facilitate our literature review and to guide the development of our hypotheses.