In presented paper, the existence of traveling wave front for a generalized reaction-convection-diffusion equation with different delay convolution kernels is investigated by using the geometric singular perturbation theory. Firstly, we shall show that such traveling wave front exists without delay by qualitative analysis. After that, for the generalized reaction-convection-diffusion equation with a special local strong delay convolution kernel, the desired heteroclinic orbit is obtained by constructing a locally invariant manifold. Finally, with a nonlocal weak generic delay, the existence of traveling wave front is proved by implicit function theorem and Fredholm theory.

Atrial fibrillation is associated with low-flow state and increased thrombogenicity in the left atrium (LA). Multiple echocardiographic presentations, including thrombosis, sludge, and smoke formation, have been demonstrated in just one biplane transesophageal echocardiographic view, along with normal structures, i.e., pectinate muscles and Coumadin ridge, which are highly educational for cardiologists.

Leaves maintain a pool of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) whose size can vary over hourly and longer timescales. We tested two long-standing hypotheses regarding potential physiological roles of changes in foliar NSC levels. The first is that soluble NSC play a critical role in osmotic adjustment, with their increase enabling stomatal opening despite daily and seasonal reductions in leaf water potential (Ψ leaf). The second is that increases in NSC is a sign of excess assimilation relative to sink demand and serves as a signal to downregulate gas exchange. To explore these questions, we monitored the diurnal and seasonal dynamics of gas exchange, Ψ leaf, osmotic potential, and NSC of irrigated and dehydrated grapevines ( Vitis vinifera) through two consecutive growing seasons. We found that the daily accumulation of soluble sugars constitutes approximately 50% of the daily osmotic adjustment (0.2 MPa), enabling the vines to maintain turgor under low Ψ leaf. At the same time, the importance of NSC as osmolytes decreased as the season progressed, and they did not contribute to osmotic adjustment when water was withheld. Additionally, there was no negative correlation between NSC and gas exchange, implying that NSC are not the signal for photosynthetic feedback inhibition.

Aim: We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis, evaluating the safety and efficacy of Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) among dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: Safety was evaluated with any adverse events (AEs), serious adverse events (SAEs), and twelve common events. Efficacy was mainly analyzed with hemoglobin (Hb) response. All reported results were summarized using mean difference (MD) and risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Publication bias was assessed through funnel plots. Results: Twenty trials with 14,947 participants were included, comparing six HIF-PHIs with Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). No significant differences were indicated in AEs and SAEs between each HIF-PHI and ESA. The occurrence of gastrointestinal disorder was higher in Enarodustat and Roxadustat than in ESAs (RR: 6.92, 95% CI: 1.52-31.40, p=0.01; RR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.04-1.61, P=0.02). The occurrence of hypertension was lower in Vadadustat than in ESAs (RR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.69-0.96, p=0.01). The occurrence of vascular-access complications was higher in Roxadustat (RR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04-1.27, p＜0.01) while lower in Daprodustat (RR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.66-0.92, p＜0.01) than in ESAs. In the risk of the other nine events, including cardiovascular events, no significant differences were observed between HIF-PHIs and ESAs. For efficacy, network meta-analysis showed that the overall performance was similar to ESAs. Conclusion: Although HIF-PHIs did not show significant differences from ESAs in terms of overall AEs and SAEs, statistical differences in gastrointestinal disorder, hypertension, and vascular-access complications were observed between HIF-PHIs, which deserved to be noted in clinical decision-making.

Streamflow depletion is occurring globally, due to land use change, climate change, and increasing human water demand. Ecological effects of low flows are particularly significant for diadromous fish, which require connected stream networks to migrate between fresh and marine waters. In coastal California, USA, drying streams are known to limit rearing habitat for juvenile salmon, but effects on their seaward migration remain poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated the outmigration of endangered, juvenile coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch) during the late spring flow recession in four streams over 10 years. We monitored the outmigration of fish tagged with passive integrated transponders via detections at stationary antennas, and we measured stream water depths when movement was detected. We assessed depths at multiple riffle crest thalwegs (RCTs), the shallowest geomorphic feature that fish must navigate. Finally, we calculated population-level outmigration depth preferences by evaluating depths during fish movement, relative to depths available during the potential outmigration window. Juvenile fish moved over a wide range of depths (interquartile range 6.1–18.0 cm), which varied by year and stream. Fish ceased to move at shallow water depths, which limited late-season outmigration as stream drying occurred. Our findings suggest that management actions to increase streamflow during the spring would benefit salmon outmigration and could contribute to population recovery. Streamflow-RCT depth relationships, used to assess coho depth preferences during movement, is a relatively simple and effective method for assessing environmental flow needs, a priority for aquatic conservation in California and globally.

Background: Autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs) are a group of rare blistering dermatoses of the mucous membrane and/or skin. The efficacy, safety, and treatment durability of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) as an alternative treatment should be explored. Objectives: To systematically review the available literature regarding treatment outcomes with IVIg in AIBD patients. Methods: The predefined search strategy was incorporated into the following database, MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science on 18th July 2022. Sixty studies were enrolled using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Results: The use of IVIg alone or combined with rituximab was reported in 500 patients with pemphigus, 82 patients with bullous pemphigoid, 146 patients with mucous membranes pemphigoid, and 19 patients with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. IVIg therapy induced disease remission of 82.8% in pemphigus, 88% in bullous pemphigoid, 91.3% in mucous membranes pemphigoid, and 78.6% in epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. The combination therapy of RTX+IVIg led to disease remission of 86.7% in pemphigus, 100% in bullous pemphigoid, and 75.0% in mucous membranes pemphigoid. Among all the included patients, 37.5% experienced at least one IVIg-related side effect; the most common ones were headaches, fever/chills, and nausea/vomiting. Conclusions: The use of IVIg with or without rituximab had a favorable clinical response in patients with AIBDs. IVIg has no major influence on the normal immune system, which makes its utilization for patients with AIBDs reasonable.

The Clarence River (New South Wales, Australia) was the main transport corridor for the sugar cane industry operating in the area from the 1860s to the 1970s. Using archaeological, documentary and oral historical resources we explore some of the anthropogenic impacts of this industry upon river channels and hydrology, in particular through the deliberate abandonment of obsolete vessels. These deliberately discarded former cane barges have been used as erosion control devices in several areas around the Harwood Island sugar mill, resulting in the accumulation of sediments and the establishment of mangrove environments in what were degraded areas.

Purpose: Opioids pose medication-related adverse effects, including falls. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in older adults. Though opioids are not generally recommended in older adults, they are still commonly prescribed. Limited research exists regarding the total daily dose of opioids and risk of falls in older adults. The objective of this analysis was to determine the association of the total daily dose of opioids and the occurrence of falls in older adults. Methods: This was a retrospective, multicenter, community-based cohort study in older adults receiving chronic opioids seen in any of ten outpatient clinics. Data from electronic health records was used to determine the association of daily morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) with falls in older adults. The summation of scheduled and breakthrough MMEs from prescription orders over a 1-year look-back period was used to calculate MMEs. The primary outcome was fall history in that same year based on patient self-report. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify a threshold of average daily MMEs to predict an increase in fall risk. Results: A total of 762 patients were included, with the majority being white females and approximately 75 years old. Based on ROC analyses, the threshold where fall risk increased was 37 MMEs (p=0.07). Conclusions: For older adults, being prescribed more than 37 MMEs per day may be the point at which risk of falls increases significantly.

Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) are employed for highly efficient motor drive. PMSM are efficient, brushless, fast, safe, and have high dynamic performance. Many researchers pursued their areas of interest in PMSM in order to improve their performance through speed control. However, the PMSM’s efficiency was not reduced, and speed control was not carried out in an efficient manner. This problem is addressed by the African Buffalo Optimized Generative Mamdani Fuzzy Controller-based Deep Belief Network (ABOGMFC-DBN) model. Specifically, the ABOGMFC-DBN mode l is to handle the PMSM speed in order to attain a higher current value. The ABOGMFC-DBN model performs two processes: the multivariate African Buffalo hidden neuron and its weight optimization process, and the generative Mamdani fuzzy controller-based deep belief network process. The first procedure optimises the amount of hidden neurons in the deep belief network and its weight parameters. The PMSM speed is handled by the Mamdani fuzzy controller in the second step, which uses four layers. The mean square error (MSE) is then calculated in order to get the minimal rated current value using a Gaussian activation function. Finally, the PMSM’s performance improves. Using the PMSM parameter, the performance of the ABOGMFC-DBN model is evaluated on the basis of rising time, settling time, peak value, peak time, and peak overshoot. With a higher output current value compared to traditional techniques, the simulation findings of the ABOGMFC-DBN model enhance the PMSM’s performance.

Background. Because of altered airway microbiome in asthma, we analysed the bacterial species in sputum of patients with severe asthma. Methods. Whole genome sequencing was performed on induced sputum from non-smoking (SAn) and current or ex-smoker (SAs/ex) severe asthma patients, mild/moderate asthma (MMA) and healthy controls (HC). Data was analysed by asthma severity, inflammatory status and transcriptome-associated clusters (TACs). Results. α-diversity at the species level was lower in SAn and SAs/ex, with an increase in Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, and Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma whipplei, respectively, compared to HC. In neutrophilic asthma, there was greater abundance of Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis and in eosinophilic asthma, Tropheryma whipplei was increased. There was a reduction in α-diversity in TAC1 and TAC2 that expressed high levels of Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma whipplei, and Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, respectively, compared to HC. Sputum neutrophils correlated positively with Moraxella catarrhalis and negatively with Prevotella, Neisseria and Veillonella species and Haemophilus parainfluenzae. Sputum eosinophils correlated positively with Tropheryma whipplei which correlated with pack-years of smoking. α- and β-diversities were stable at one year. Conclusions. Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis were more abundant in severe neutrophilic asthma and TAC2 linked to inflammasome and neutrophil activation, while Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma whipplei were highest in SAs/ex and in TAC1 associated with highest expression of IL-13 Type 2 and ILC2 signatures with the abundance of Tropheryma whipplei correlating positively with sputum eosinophils. Whether these bacterial species drive the inflammatory response in asthma needs evaluation.

Skin cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases in the world. As per the American Cancer Society, about 99,780 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States and about 7,650 people are expected to die of melanoma. Correctly classifying skin lesions at an early stage could aid clinical decision-making by providing an accurate disease diagnosis, potentially increasing the chances of cure before cancer spreads. Artificial intelligence (AI) has wide applications in healthcare, including dermatology. Machine learning (ML) is a subfield of AI involving statistical models and algorithms that can progressively learn from data to predict the characteristics of new samples and perform a desired task. AI can be of use for the early detection of skin cancer. For example, the use of deep convolutional neural networks can help to develop a system to evaluate images of the skin to diagnose skin cancer. However, there is likelihood of errors and it depends on a lot of factors, including the amount and quality of the data used to train the algorithms, the environment in which machine learning operates may itself evolve or differ from what the algorithms were developed to face, the complexity of the overall systems it's embedded in. While, in the deep learning approach the knowledge is developed based on sample picture, there are rule based traditional approach which has a business logic built in the application. Business logics could be based on teat results, skin colors, etc. This paper presents a comprehensive hybrid approach combining the AI methodology along with the color pigment analysis to reduce the errors and improve the accuracy and a discussion on how it can be implemented in the field of diagnosing skin cancer. We reviewed the latest research and key discoveries in ML encompassing various subfields of dermatology related cancers. Literature review was performed to screen the articles published in "Skincancer.org, mdpi.com, iopscience.iop.org, hbr.org, medium.com, PubMed and Google Scholar" through August 2022. The search words included "Artificial intelligence AND skin cancer" "Machine learning AND skin cancer" and "Deep learning AND skin cancer". Relevant references of the screened articles were also included for qualitative analysis. Important websites related to skin cancer and related AI resources were also browsed to gather information on the topic. Types of skin cancer: Skin cancer is the out-of-control growth of abnormal cells in the epidermis, the outermost skin layer, caused by unrepaired DNA damage that triggers mutations. These mutations lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. The main types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). The two main causes of skin cancer are the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and the use of UV tanning beds.

Traditional recommender systems that are based on CF (Collaborative Filtering) usually suffer from the user-item interaction data sparsity problem. With the development of end-to-end models founded on GNNs, the sparsity issue can be addressed by introducing additional sources of information such as knowledge information. However, these models are insufficient to fuse multi-source information. To fill this gap, in this paper, we propose an end-to-end GNN based model called KCIRec, which fuses both K _ nowledge graph C _ ollaborative information and user-item I _ nteraction information for Rec _ ommender system.Technically, a type of two-channels’ information propagation and aggregation mechanism are conceived to generate the representation of user-item interactions graph and collaborative knowledge graph respectively.In addition, we design an attention mechanism to adaptively fuse the collaborative information and knowledge graph information extracted from the above two graph. Extensive experiments on three real-world datasets show improvements of our proposed KCIRec model over thestate-of-the-art methods such as KGNN-LS, KGAT, and CKE. The promising results show that the proposed KCIRec is able to effectively fuse knowledge graph information and improve recommender systems’ accuracy.

A document by Ranjit Sah. Click on the document to view its contents.

Many quantitative funds rely on data collection from buying user trades from brokerages while other funds attempt to make money off of small differences in price over minuscule amounts of time. This paper attempts to architect a python[1] system by which we analyze signals from Markov Chains[2], Polynomial Regression, and Sentiment Analysis latter passed into Decision Trees[3] for a holistic evaluation based solely on publicly available information.

The complexities of contemporary professional and business environments mandate us to discuss and then take a stance towards various issues arising in transactions between the providers of service or products and the recipients (customers, shareholders, stakeholders). Relationships include the interactions of a business with natural and man-made environments (natural resources and competition, respectively). While traditionally businesses were driven more by shareholders than stakeholders, current situation with climate change, pollution, social unrests, inequity, and globalization requires bigger stakeholders’ consideration. This trend led to creation of PBC-corporations, or Public Benefit Corporations pledging for bigger environmental and societal awareness. One of the public benefit corporations that are operating within New York State and locally on Long Island is the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). During this research, the PSEG-LIPA representatives were contacted to get some insight information about their operations and what is the role of stakeholder considerations in their planning.

Accurately constructing membranes based on two-dimensional (2D) materials on commercial porous substrates remains a significant challenge for H2 purification. In this work, a series of tubular 2D MXene membranes are prepared on commercial porous stainless steel substrates via fast electrophoretic deposition. Compared with other methods, such as filtration or drop coating, etc. such preparation route shows the advantages of simple operation, high efficiency for membrane assembly (within 5 min) with attractive reproducibility, and ease for scale-up. The tubular MXene membranes present excellent gas separation performance with hydrogen permeance of 1290 GPU and H2/CO2 selectivity of 55. Furthermore, the membrane displays extremely stable performance during the long-term test for more than 1250 h, and about 93% of the membranes from one batch have exceeded the DOE target for CO2 capture. Most importantly, this work provides a valuable referential significance for other types of 2D materials-based membranes for future application development.

A document by Mohammad Haghani Dogahe. Click on the document to view its contents.

Background and Purpose Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) is an important apical brush border enzyme that dephosphorylates lipopolysaccharide released from bacteria. Considering its protective effect, we determined the effect of intragastric administration of IAP on the course of experimental colitis in mice exercising on a forced treadmill with diet-induced obesity. Experimental approach C57BL/6 mice with TNBS colitis fed a high-fat diet (HFD) were subjected to forced treadmill exercise with or without intragastric treatment with IAP. Grip muscle strength and disease activity index (DAI) were monitored, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and markers of oxidative stress were measured by Luminex and ELISA, respectively. The mRNA expression of the barrier proteins ZO-1, MUC2 and claudins was assessed by RT-PCR, and the fecal composition of the intestinal microbiota was assessed by the NGS. Key results Significant increases in DAI, MDA+4-HNE in the colonic mucosa, and plasma leptin, MCP, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-17a were observed in obese mice with colitis on a treadmill, and these effects have been significantly reduced by IAP treatment. IAP increased ZO-1, claudins and Muc2 mRNAs expression in the colonic mucosa. NGS revealed the relative proportion of Firmicutes in favor of higher Verrucomicbiota content and reducing the incidence of pathogenic Clostridia and Odoribacter. Conclusions and Implications IAP treatment ameliorates the worsening effect of forced exercise on murine colitis due to attenuation of oxidative stress, downregulation of pro-inflammatory biomarkers in the colonic mucosa, and beneficial changes in the gut microbiota. IAP deserves attention as promising candidate in future clinical trials of ulcerative colitis.

In riparian forests, clear-cutting causes long-lasting changes in both riparian and aquatic biota. In this work, we examined if past clear-cutting events occurred at different times have imprints on riparian forests in a Mediterranean river in central Italy. We carried out a randomized, plot-based vegetation survey of riparian forests in systematically sampled 500 m-long sectors along the whole river, dividing the riparian zone into two internal and two external strips. From historical aerial photos, past clear-cutting events within plots were detected and classified in age classes: i) cut in the past 8 years (recent); ii) cut between 8 and 19 years ago (intermediate); iii) no signs of clear-cutting in the last 19 years (distant). We analyzed the responses of vegetation to clear-cutting and strip position. Alien species richness increased and woody species richness decreased in recently clear-cut areas compared to those with a distant clear-cutting event. Moreover, recently cut woods showed an increase in alien and synanthropic species. Intermediate clear-cut areas had higher levels of invasion by alien species compared to areas with distant cut. Riparian forests of internal strips are impacted by clear-cutting, but seem to recover in 8-19 years thanks to their natural resilience. Conversely, recent or intermediate clear-cutting events did not affect any of the investigated vegetation attributes in the external strips since such forests were already invaded by Robinia pseudoacacia after human disturbance. Our results confirm that clear-cutting events can have long-lasting effects on Mediterranean riparian forests, confirming the vulnerability of river ecosystems to clear-cutting and suggesting the need for more caution in management practices to improve the conservation status of riparian forests.

Objectives: Data on intraoperative three-dimensional derived right ventricular free-wall strain (3D-RV FWS) is sparse. We sought to evaluate the normal range of intraoperative 3D-RV FWS in patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and compare to conventional echocardiographic parameters. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Single university hospital. Participants: 150 patients with preserved left and right ventricular function and sinus rhythm, without significant heart valve disease or pulmonary hypertension undergoing isolated onpump CABG surgery, with an uneventful, complication-free intraoperative course. Interventions: 3D-RV FWS analysis and conventional echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular function were performed intraoperatively in anesthetized and ventilated patients using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). All echocardiographic measurements were performed under stable hemodynamic conditions and predefined fluid management without any vasoactive support or pacing. Measurements and Main Results: We used TomTec 4D RV-Function 2.0 software for assessment of 3D-RV FWS and three-dimensional right ventricular ejection fraction (3D-RV EF). Philips QLAB 10.8 was used to evaluate tissue velocity of the tricuspid annulus (RV S´), tricuspid annular systolic excursion (TAPSE), and RV fractional area change (FAC). Assessment of 3D-RV FWS was feasible in 95% of patients. No included patient experienced a serious perioperative complication. In our group of patients, median values with interquartile range (IQR) for 3D-RV FWS and 3D-RV EF were - 25.2 (IQR -29.9 - -21.8) and 46.3% (IQR 41.0 - 50.1%), respectively. RV FAC, RV S´ and TAPSE accounted for 39.7% (IQR 34.5 - 44.4%), 14.8cm/s (IQR 11.8 - 19.0cm/s) and 22 mm (IQR 20-25mm). Normal range (2.5% to 97.5% percentile) for 3D-RV FWS was -37.1 to -12.8. There was no relevant correlation of 3D-RV FWS to postoperative outcome in this group of CABG patients. Conclusion: We present distribution values for intraoperative 3D-RV FWS and conventional parameters of RV function assessment in a healthy on-pump CABG patient population without serious perioperative complications. We observed no correlations of these parameters with any of the outcome parameters considered. Therefore, we consider these values to be intraoperative TEE-assessed normal values that can be expected in onpump CABG patients.

Animal gut microbiome is often a key requirement for host nutrition, digestion, and immunity. Gut microbiomes can shift in relation to host geography and environmental factors. However, ecological drivers of microbiome community assembly across large geographic ranges have rarely been examined in invertebrates. Oreohelix strigosa (Rocky Mountainsnail) is a widespread land snail ranging across the mountainous western United States. O. strigosa is found in a variety of environments, including dry Southwestern habitats and the near-alpine of the Rocky Mountains. It is ideally suited for biogeography studies due to its broad distribution, low migration, and low likelihood of passive transport via other animals. This study aims to uncover large-scale geographic shifts in the composition of O. strigosa gut microbiomes by utilizing samples from across its native range. Additionally, we elucidate smaller-scale microbiome variation using samples collected only across the Colorado Front Range. Our results show that O. strigosa gut microbiome is variable across the broad geographic range. Within Coloradan samples, we investigated several possible ecological drivers of the geographic variation, including soil and vegetation composition, habitat complexity, habitat type, and human impact. We conclude that several small-scale environmental factors may be driving the changes in O. strigosa gut microbiome composition seen across large-scale geography. Uncovering large-scale shifts in the gut microbiome compositions will help form fundamental questions about the functional aspect of these qualitative changes. This knowledge will also help us better understand how microbial associations influence species survival in diverse environments and aid wildlife conservation efforts.

Carbon absorption capability and morphological traits are crucial for plant leaf function performance. Here, we investigated the five bamboos at different elevations to clarify how the leaf trait responds to the elevational gradient, and drive the photosynthetic capacity variations. We selected five bamboo species located along different elevations in Wuyi Mountain, southeastern China. The Standardized Major Axis Regression (SMA) analyses and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) are applied to identify how the bamboo leaf trait, including the ratio of leaf length to width (W/L), leaf mass per area (LMA), photosynthesis rates (Pn), leaf nitrogen, and phosphorus concentration (Nmass and Pmass) response to elevation environment, and the driving mechanism of Pn changes. Across the five bamboo species, our results revealed the Pmass of Phyllostachys edulis and Oligostachyum oedogonatum decreased with increasing elevation, but the Nmass, and LMA of Indocalamus tessellatus increased. Besides, the Pmass scaled isometrically with respect to W/L, the Nmass scaled allometrically as the 0.80-power of Pmass, and Nmass and Pmass scaled allometrically to Pn, with the exponents of 0.58 and 0.73, respectively. The SEM result showed altitude, morphological trait (W/L and LMA), and physiological trait (Nmass and Pmass) could together explain the 44% variations of Pn, with a standard total effect value of 70.0%, 38.5%, 23.6% to Pmass, Nmass, and W/L, respectively. The five bamboo species along the different elevational share an isometric scaling relationship between their Pmass and W/L, providing partial support for the general rule and operating between morphological and physiological traits. The scaling relationship between Pmass and W/L is insensitive to elevation and species. Further, the leaf W/L and Pmass as the main trait that affects leaf area and P utilization in growth and thus drives bamboo leaf photosynthetic capacity variations in different elevations.

Feeding habit determines the digestive tract structure and intestinal microflora. However, the relationship among feeding habit, digestive physiology intestinal, and microbial diversity of omnivorous, herbivorous, filter-feeder and carnivorous fish reared in the same pond has not been compared. This study compared the digestive enzyme activities, intestinal morphology and intestinal microflora of omnivorous (Carassius auratus), herbivorous (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), carnivorous (Siniperca chuatsi) and filter-feeder (Shizothorax grahami) and predicted the potential functions of specific microflora on different nutrients. Twelve intestine samples were collected from each of the four fishes from Dianchi Lake. The composition and diversity of microbial communities were determined by using high throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA. The results showed that the filter-feeder fish had significantly higher protease but lower amylase activities in the intestine than herbivorous. The carnivorous fish intestine had more microvilli branches and complex structures than other fish species in the order carnivorous > herbivorous > filter-feeder > omnivorous. The diversity of intestinal microflora was higher in omnivorous and followed the order omnivorous > herbivorous > filter-feeder > carnivorous. Acinetobacter species and Bacteroides species were the most dominant flora in carnivorous and herbivorous fish, respectively. Acinetobacter johnsonii, Acinetobacter lwoffii and Pseudomonas stutzeri might help the host to digest protein, while Bacteroidetes species may help the host to digest cellulose. Taken together, feeding habit determines the digestive enzyme activities, intestinal tissue morphology and differential colonization of fish intestinal flora. The knowledge obtained is useful in designing appropriate approaches for feed formulation and feeding practices in for fish.

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) population of Southeast Alaska has been growing at a higher rate than other regions along the Pacific coast. While good for the recovery of this endangered species, rapid population growth of this apex predator can create a human-wildlife conflict, negatively impacting commercial and subsistence fishing. Previous foraging studies throughout the sea otter range have shown they will reduce invertebrate prey biomass when recolonizing an area. The goal of this study was to examine and quantify the energetic content of sea otter diets through direct foraging observations and prey collection. Our study area, Prince of Wales Island in southern Southeast Alaska, exhibits a gradient of sea otter recolonization, thus providing a natural experiment to test diet change in regions with different recolonization histories. Sea otter prey items were collected in three seasons (spring, summer, winter) to measure caloric value and lipid and protein content. We observed 3,523 sea otter dives during the spring and summer. A majority of the sea otter diet consisted of clams. Sea otters in newly recolonized areas had lower diet diversity, higher kcal/gram intake rates, and higher energetic intake rates. Females with pups had the highest diet diversity and the lowest energetic intake rates (calories per gram consumed). Sea otter energetic intake rates were higher in the fall and winter vs. spring and summer. Sea cucumber energy and lipid content appeared to correspond with times when sea otters consumed the highest proportion of sea cucumbers. These caloric variations are an important component of understanding ecosystem level effects sea otters have in the nearshore environment.