Bimetallic CoCu nanocomposites were synthesized in polyol by using Ru as heterogeneous nucleation agent and stearic acid as surfactant, and their catalytic properties were investi- gated by hydrogenolysis of glycerol ...Bimetallic CoCu nanocomposites were synthesized in polyol by using Ru as heterogeneous nucleation agent and stearic acid as surfactant, and their catalytic properties were investi- gated by hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanediols. It was found that the surfactant could induce Co nanocrystals to form nanowires as structure-directing agent, while it＇s ineffective for Cu because only spherical Cu particles were produced under the same condition. When Co2＋ and Cu2＋ coexist in polyol, Cu2＋ is firstly reduced and forms the spherical particles, and then the Cu particles afford surface for the subsequential reduction of Co2＋ and growth of Co nanocrystals to form the nanorods, obtaining the urchin-like CoCu nanocomposites. The catalytic performance in selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanediols proposed that the CoCu urchin-like nanocomposites was superior to the Co nanowires possibly due to that the synergistic effect between Co and Cu component promoted conversion of glyc- erol and obtained the higher propanediol yields based on the specific surface areas of the catalysts.展开更多
The spines of pencil and lance urchins Heterocentrotus mammillatus and Phyllacanthus imperialis were studied as a model of light-weight material with high impact resistance.The complex and variable skeleton constructi...The spines of pencil and lance urchins Heterocentrotus mammillatus and Phyllacanthus imperialis were studied as a model of light-weight material with high impact resistance.The complex and variable skeleton construction ('stereom') of body and spines of sea urchins consists of highly porous Mg-bearing calcium carbonate.This basically brittle material with pronounced single-crystal cleavage does not fracture by spontaneous catastrophic device failure but by graceful failure over the range of tens of millimeter of bulk compression instead.This was observed in bulk compression tests and blunt indentation experiments on regular,infiltrated and latex coated sea urchin spine segments.Microstructural characterization was carried out using X-ray computer tomography,optical and scanning electron microscopy.The behavior is interpreted to result from the hierarchic structure of sea urchin spines from the rnacroscale down to the nanoscale.Guidelines derived from this study see ceramics with layered porosity as a possible biomimetic construction for appropriate applications.展开更多
The gonads of sea urchins(Strongylocentrotus intermedius) are characterized by high levels of arachidonic acid(ARA, 20:4 n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA, 20:5 n-3). However, to our knowledge, little information is ...The gonads of sea urchins(Strongylocentrotus intermedius) are characterized by high levels of arachidonic acid(ARA, 20:4 n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA, 20:5 n-3). However, to our knowledge, little information is available regarding the physiological response of adult sea urchins to dietary ARA. In the present study, four dietary feeds were formulated with graded ARA(0, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% dry diet). Each diet was randomly allocated to three cages during a 56-day feeding experiment. The results showed that the sea urchin weight gain rate(WGR) and the gonadosomatic index(GI) significantly increased as ARA was equal to or above 1.0% of dry diet(P < 0.05). The activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase(CAT), and total anti-oxidative capacity(T-AOC) were the highest in the coelomic fluid of sea urchins that were fed diets with 1% ARA. The total essential amino acid(TEAA) and its ratio to total non-essential amino acid(TNEAA) showed a similar tendency to WGR and GI as dietary ARA increased, and the highest TEAA and TEAA/TNEAA were observed in the gonads of sea urchins that were fed diets with 1% ARA. Levels of ARA and ARA/EPA of the gonads increased while n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA) decreased with the increase of dietary ARA(P < 0.05). EPA in the gonads of experimental animals fed with formulated feeds showed no significant differences(P> 0.05), but was significantly lower than those fed with kelp(P < 0.05). These results suggested that relatively higher levels of ARA(1% dry diet) significantly promoted growth, gonad development, activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as nutritional values(TEAA, TEAA/TNEAA, and PUFA) of adult S. intermedius.展开更多
Developing multifunctional electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity,longterm stability,and low cost is essential for electrocatalytic energy conversion.Herein,sea urchinlike NiMoO_(4) nanorod arrays grown on nick...Developing multifunctional electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity,longterm stability,and low cost is essential for electrocatalytic energy conversion.Herein,sea urchinlike NiMoO_(4) nanorod arrays grown on nickel foam has been developed as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for urea oxidation and hydrogen evolution.The NiMoO_(4)‐200/NF catalyst exhibits efficient activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction with a low overpotential of only 68 mV in 1.0 mol/L KOH to gain a current density of 10 mA cm^(–2).The NiMoO_(4)‐300/NF catalyst exhibits a prominent oxygen evolution reaction(OER)catalytic activity with an overpotential of 288 mV at 50 mA cm^(–2),as well as for urea oxidation reaction with an ultralow potential of 1.36 V at 10 mA cm^(–2).The observed difference in electrocatalytic activity and selectivity,derived by temperature variation,is ascribed to different lattice oxygen contents.The lattice oxygen of NiMoO_(4)‐300/NF is more than that of NiMoO_(4)‐200/NF,and the lattice oxygen is conducive to the progress of OER.A urea electrolyzer was assembled with Ni‐MoO_(4)‐200/NF and NiMoO_(4)‐300/NF as cathode and anode respectively,delivering a current density of 10 mA cm^(–2)at a cell voltage of merely 1.38 V.The NiMoO_(4)nanorod arrays has also been successfully applied for photovoltage‐driven urea electrolysis and hydrogen production,revealing its great potential for solar‐driven energy conversion.展开更多
Ozone depletion induced by anthropogenic gases has been increasing the transmission of solar ultraviolet-B radiation(UV-B, 280–315 nm) through the atmosphere, which may impact the fitness of marine invertebrates in i...Ozone depletion induced by anthropogenic gases has been increasing the transmission of solar ultraviolet-B radiation(UV-B, 280–315 nm) through the atmosphere, which may impact the fitness of marine invertebrates in intertidal and shallow waters. To our knowledge, however, the responses of fitness related behaviors to UV-B radiation at different intensities have been rarely studied in marine invertebrates. For the first time, the present study investigated the eff ects of exposure of one hour to UV-B radiation at different intensities on foraging behavior, Aristotle's lantern reflex and righting behavior of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Exposure of one hour to UV-B radiation at 10 μW/cm^2 significantly reduced foraging behavior. An intensity dependent eff ect of exposure to UV-B radiation was found in the duration of the Aristotle's lantern reflex. Exposure to UV-B radiation at 20 μW/cm^2 for one hour significantly reduced the duration of the Aristotle's lantern reflex, but 10 μW/cm^2 did not. There was no significant diff erence of righting response time among sea urchins exposed to 0, 10 and 20 μW/cm^2 for one hour. To test potential carryover ef fects, the behavioral traits were re-measured three days later. We found significant carryover eff ects of UV-B radiation on foraging time and righting response time, but not on the duration of the Aristotle's lantern reflex. The present study indicates that a brief exposure of one hour to UV-B radiation can significantly aff ect the duration of Aristotle's lantern reflex, righting response time and foraging behavior of a sea urchin, although the immediate impacts and carryover eff ects were highly trait dependent. This study provides new information into the behavioral responses of marine invertebrates to exposure to UV-B radiation. Future studies should be carried out to investigate long-term carryover eff ects of UV-B radiation on behavioral and physiological fitness related traits.展开更多
Exploring novel versatile electrode materials with outstanding electrochemical performance is the key to the development of advanced energy conversion and storage devices.In this work,we aim to construct new-fangled o...Exploring novel versatile electrode materials with outstanding electrochemical performance is the key to the development of advanced energy conversion and storage devices.In this work,we aim to construct new-fangled one-dimensional(1D)quasi-layered patronite vanadium tetrasulfide(VS_(4))nanostructures by using different sulfur sources,namely thiourea,thioacetamide,and L-cysteine through an ethyleneaminetetraacetic-acid(EDTA)-mediated solvothermal process.The as-prepared VS4exhibits several unique morphologies such as urchin,fluffy nanoflower,and polyhedron with appropriate surface areas.Among the prepared nanostructures,the VS_(4)-1@NF nanostructure exhibited excellent electrochemical properties in 6 M KOH solution,and we explored its redox electrochemistry in detail.The asprepared VS_(4)-1@NF electrode exhibited battery-type redox characteristics with the highest capacity of280 C g^(-1)in a three-electrode assembly.Moreover,it offered a capacity of 123 F g^(-1)in a hybrid twoelectrode set-up at 1 A g^(-1)with the highest specific energy and specific power of 38.5 W h kg^(-1)and750 W kg^(-1),respectively.Furthermore,to ensure the practical applicability and real-world performance of the prepared hybrid AC@NF//VS_(4)-1@NF cell,we performed a cycling stability test with more than 5,000galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles at 2 A g^(-1),and the cell retained around 84.7%of its capacitance even after 5,000 cycles with a CE of 96.1%.展开更多
Sea urchin spines were chosen as a model system for biomimetic ceramics obtained using starch-blended slip casting. Porous alumina ceramics with cap-shaped layers with different alternating porosities were found to ha...Sea urchin spines were chosen as a model system for biomimetic ceramics obtained using starch-blended slip casting. Porous alumina ceramics with cap-shaped layers with different alternating porosities were found to have superior fracture behavior under bulk compression compared to ceramics with uniform porosity.They fail in a cascading manner,absorbing high amounts of energy during extended compression paths.The porosity variation in an otherwise single phase material mimicks the architectural microstructure design of sea urchin spines of Heterocentrotus mammillatus,which are promising model materials for impact protection.展开更多
Sea urchin-like cuprous oxide with hollow glass microsphere as core was prepared using sodium sulfite as the reducing agent and sodium acetate-acetic acid as buffer solution in copper sulfate solution. Methyl orange w...Sea urchin-like cuprous oxide with hollow glass microsphere as core was prepared using sodium sulfite as the reducing agent and sodium acetate-acetic acid as buffer solution in copper sulfate solution. Methyl orange was selected as degradation target for photocatalytic experiments. The photocatalytic activities were investigated by visible spectro- photometer. Photocatalytic kinetics parameters were studied by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model and Arrhenius formula. It was observed that the sea urchin-like morphology dramatically improved the photocatalytic activity of cuprous oxide. The photo-degradation belongs to the first-order reaction and the maximum degradation rate could reach 94.37%. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor are 41.18 KJ·mol-1 and 1.07 × 106, respectively. After seven times recycling, the sample still showed high photo-catalytic efficiency and stability.展开更多
Two reef margin species of tropical sea urchins,Echinometra sp.C(Ec) and Echinometra oblonga(Eo),occur sympatrically on Okinawa intertidal reefs in southern Japan.Hybridization between these species was examined throu...Two reef margin species of tropical sea urchins,Echinometra sp.C(Ec) and Echinometra oblonga(Eo),occur sympatrically on Okinawa intertidal reefs in southern Japan.Hybridization between these species was examined through a series of cross-fertilization experiments.At limited sperm concentrations,where conspecific crosses reached near 100% fertilization,both heterospecific crosses showed high fertilization rates(81%-85%).The compatibility of the gametes demonstrated that if gamete recognition molecules are involved in fertilization of these species,they are not strongly species-specific.We found that conspecific crosses reached peak fertilization levels much faster than did heterospecific crosses,indicating the presence of a prezygotic barrier to hybridization in the gametes.Larval survival,metamorphosis,and juvenile and adult survival of hybrid groups were nearly identical to those of their parent species.Hybrids from crosses in both directions developed normally through larval stages to sexually mature adults,indicating that neither gametic incompatibility nor hybrid inviability appeared to maintain reproductive isolation between these species.In adults,Ec×Ec crosses gave the highest live weight,followed by Eo(ova)×Ec(sperm),Ec(ova)×Eo(sperm),and Eo×Eo.Other growth performance measures(viz.,test size,Aristotle's lantern length,and gonad index) of hybrid groups and their parental siblings showed the same trends.The phenotypic color patterns of the hybrids were closer to the maternal coloration,whereas spine length,tube-foot and gonad spicule characteristics,pedicellaria valve length,and gamete sizes showed intermediate features.Adult F 1 hybrids were completely fertile and displayed high fertilization success in F 1 backcrosses,eliminating the likelihood that hybrid sterility is a postzygotic mechanism of reproductive isolation.Conversely,intensive surveys failed to find hybrid individuals in the field,suggesting the lack or rarity of natural hybridization.This strongly suggests that reproductive isolation is achieved by prezygotic isolating mechanism(s).Of these mechanisms,habitat segregation,gamete competition,differences in spawning times,gametic incompatibility or other genetic and non-genetic factors appear to be important in maintaining the integrity of these species.展开更多
A cost-effective method was designed to measure the behavioral response of negative phototaxis to high-intensity illumination in the sea urchin Glyptocidaris crenularis. Ninety sea urchins were randomly and equally di...A cost-effective method was designed to measure the behavioral response of negative phototaxis to high-intensity illumination in the sea urchin Glyptocidaris crenularis. Ninety sea urchins were randomly and equally divided into two aquaculture environment groups： a fasted group, which was starved during the experiment, and a fed group. After 10 months, the total mortality of each group was recorded. Then, 15 sea urchins were randomly selected from each group and behavioral responses to high-intensity illumination were investigated for each sea urchin. After the behavioral experiment, body measurements of the trial sea urchins were taken. The results reveal that food deprivation significantly affected test diameter （P〈0.01）, body weight （P〈0.01）, gonad weight （P〈0.0I）, and gut weight （P〈0.01）. Furthermore, food deprivation also affected negative phototaxis behaviors of time to rapid spine movement （P〈0.01）, time to the 1 cm position （P〈0.05）, and walking distance in 300 s （P〈0.01）, but not time to body reaction （P〉0.05）. The mortality rates of fasted and fed urchins were 6.7% and 0%, respectively. The present study provides evidence that food deprivation has a significant effect on phenotypic traits and behavioral responses to high-intensity illumination in the sea urchin G. crenularis. With this method, environmental stressors can be easily detected by measuring proper optional indicators. This study provides a new insight into measuring stress responses of sea urchins in aquaculture. However, further studies should be carried out to understand more environmental factors and to compare this potential behavioral method with immune, physiological, and epidemiological approaches.展开更多
The 185/333 gene family involved in the immune response of sea urchin.One 185/333 c DNA was isolated from Strongylocentrotus intermedius,and named as Si185/333-1.Its full-length c DNA was 1246 bp in length with a 906 ...The 185/333 gene family involved in the immune response of sea urchin.One 185/333 c DNA was isolated from Strongylocentrotus intermedius,and named as Si185/333-1.Its full-length c DNA was 1246 bp in length with a 906 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 301 aa.The molecular weight of the deduced protein was approximately 33.1 k D with an estimated PI of p H 6.26.Si185/333-1 had high identities(70%–86%) to most of Sp185/333.An extraordinary identity of 92% was found between Si185/333-1 and Sp185/333 C5 alpha(ABR22474).Moderate identities(63%–64%) were displayed between Si185/333-1 and He185/333.Si185/333-1 had similar structure to Sp185/333.A signal-peptide,a gly-rich region and a his-rich region were found in its secondary structure.RGD motif was found in gly-rich region at position 116–118aa.There was no transmembrane region in Si185/333-1.The element pattern of Si185/333-1 is different from any available pattern that identified in Sp185/333.Si185/333-1 clustered together with pattern C Sp185/333 in phylogenetic tree.The Si185/333-1 m RNA could be detected in tissues including peristomial membrane,coelomocytes,muscle of Aristotles lantern,gut and tube feet,with the highest expression level detected in peristomial membrane and a relatively low expression in ovary and testis.The temporal expression of Si185/333-1 in peristomial membrane and coelomocytes were up-regulated after bacterial,β-D-glucan and ds RNA challenges,reaching the maximum at 12 h post-stimulation.The up-regulation was more obvious in coelomocytes,and bacterial challenge triggered the highest response.These results proved that 185/333-1 gene was involved in the immune defense of S.intermedius,while more studies were necessary for its function in S.intermedius immunity.展开更多
Background and Aims: Mesocentrotus nudus is commercially harvested from shallow rocky bottoms in northern Japan. The gonads are targeted as an edible product. The objective of this study was to identify odor-active vo...Background and Aims: Mesocentrotus nudus is commercially harvested from shallow rocky bottoms in northern Japan. The gonads are targeted as an edible product. The objective of this study was to identify odor-active volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the gonads of adult M. nudus collected at a fishing ground in Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. Methods and Results: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and gas chromatography-sniffing techniques identified 42 compounds categorized as alcohols, aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, halomethanes, hydrocarbons, ketones, sulfur-containing compounds, and nitrogen-containing compounds. GC-sniffing analysis characterized four compounds with preferable odors of sea urchin gonads;limonene, propyl acetate, acetone, dibromochloromethane. On the other hand, the analysis characterized three compounds with unpreferable odors;methyl mercaptane, dimethyl sulfide, and s-methyl thioacetate. Several VOCs from the gonads were derived from seaweeds, terrestrial plants, and fish flesh as food because M. nudus is omnivorous. Conclusion: This is the first study to identify VOCs from edible sea urchin gonads in the wild in Japan. These VOC data comprise a typical standard in order to evaluate a higher quality of sea urchin gonads.展开更多
Although the fracture behavior of sea urchin spines has been extensively investigated,there is as yet a lack of quantitative estimation on the effect of growth rings on the fracture properties of sea urchin spines.In ...Although the fracture behavior of sea urchin spines has been extensively investigated,there is as yet a lack of quantitative estimation on the effect of growth rings on the fracture properties of sea urchin spines.In sea urchin spines,much denser pores present in growth rings rather than porous layers.The tensile strength and fracture toughness of sea urchin spine samples with different numbers of growth rings are measured by the Boundary Effect Model(BEM).The experimental results of single-edge notched three-point bending tests indicate that the BEM is an appropriate method to estimate the fracture toughness of the present porous sea urchin spines,and the number of growth rings plays an important role in the fracture properties of spines.Specifically,the tensile strength and fracture toughness of sea urchin spines can be significantly improved with the increase in the number of growth rings,and their fracture toughness can even reach a relatively high value compared with some other porous materials with an identical porosity.The present research findings are expected to provide a fundamental insight into the design of high-performance bionic materials with a highly porous structure.展开更多
Novel hollow Au Ag alloy nano urchins were synthesized via Ag seeds growth method,and self-assembly coated on the wall and end-tip of silica fiber for fiber probe fabrication.The nano urchins homogeneously distributed...Novel hollow Au Ag alloy nano urchins were synthesized via Ag seeds growth method,and self-assembly coated on the wall and end-tip of silica fiber for fiber probe fabrication.The nano urchins homogeneously distributed on fiber surface because of fiber silanization.The sizes and tip sharpness of the nano-urchins could be controlled by Ag seeds.The elements distribution analysis indicated there was high Ag content in tip-top for better surface enhance Raman scattering performance.The detectable concentration could be as low as 10-8 M using crystal violet molecules as analyte.Moreover,the fiber probes were stable in air,due to Au in the alloy.This fiber probe could be used for low content single molecular analysis.展开更多
Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or bleach, found in effluent from wastewater treatment plants, can act as an environmental toxin. The sea urchin Arbacia punctulata is a common subject of embryological toxicity tests due t...Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or bleach, found in effluent from wastewater treatment plants, can act as an environmental toxin. The sea urchin Arbacia punctulata is a common subject of embryological toxicity tests due to its sensitivity to environmental pollutants. Using concentrations of NaOCl that mimic those found in treated wastewater (0.11 ppm, 0.06 ppm, and 0.03 ppm) we observed minimal affects on early larval development, though most larvae took longer to develop at higher NaOCl concentration. There was a significant difference in the percentage of non-normal plutei based on concentration (P = 0.038) and significant interaction between the percent of each morphology and NaOCl concentration (P = 0.0027). The most significant change in non-normal plutei was in the retarded (shortened skeletal rods) malformation which increased in frequency with NaOCl concentration (P = 0.001). There was a significant reduction in skeletal length in both normal and retarded plutei (P < 0.05) as NaOCl increased.展开更多
Complex marine benthic environments shape a number of ecologically important behaviors in sea urchins, including covering and righting behaviors. The present study correlated covering and righting behaviors to a serie...Complex marine benthic environments shape a number of ecologically important behaviors in sea urchins, including covering and righting behaviors. The present study correlated covering and righting behaviors to a series of fi tness-related traits in sea urchins. Righting response time of Glyptocidaris crenularis was signifi cantly positively correlated with body size, but signifi cantly negatively correlated with food consumption. Covering behavior was not signifi cantly correlated with test diameter, test height or body weight, but covering response time was negatively correlated with body weight. A signifi cantly negative correlation was found between righting response time and covering response time. Glyptocidaris crenularis showed a signifi cantly positive correlation in covering response time with and without exposure to poured sand, but no signifi cance in covering ability(number of shells used to cover). The present study provides new insight into internal mechanisms and evolutionary drives of covering and righting behaviors of sea urchins.展开更多
Injury from sea urchin spines is not rare, especially during summer holidays in the sea side. Failure to remove these spines or inability to remove them completely can lead to long-term squeal of pain and impaired fun...Injury from sea urchin spines is not rare, especially during summer holidays in the sea side. Failure to remove these spines or inability to remove them completely can lead to long-term squeal of pain and impaired function. Treatment methods include alternative medicine, LASER and surgery. We describe the surgical removal of 102 sea urchin spines from the foot of a 36-year-old man. The wounds healed completely. Although, he initially complained of a mild discomfort on weight bearing, the symptoms disappeared 2 weeks later.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the National Ba- sic Research Program of China （No.2012CB215304）, tile Science Foundation of Guangdong Province （No.$2012040006992）, and the International Co- operation Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China （No.2012DFA61080）.
文摘Bimetallic CoCu nanocomposites were synthesized in polyol by using Ru as heterogeneous nucleation agent and stearic acid as surfactant, and their catalytic properties were investi- gated by hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanediols. It was found that the surfactant could induce Co nanocrystals to form nanowires as structure-directing agent, while it＇s ineffective for Cu because only spherical Cu particles were produced under the same condition. When Co2＋ and Cu2＋ coexist in polyol, Cu2＋ is firstly reduced and forms the spherical particles, and then the Cu particles afford surface for the subsequential reduction of Co2＋ and growth of Co nanocrystals to form the nanorods, obtaining the urchin-like CoCu nanocomposites. The catalytic performance in selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanediols proposed that the CoCu urchin-like nanocomposites was superior to the Co nanowires possibly due to that the synergistic effect between Co and Cu component promoted conversion of glyc- erol and obtained the higher propanediol yields based on the specific surface areas of the catalysts.
文摘The spines of pencil and lance urchins Heterocentrotus mammillatus and Phyllacanthus imperialis were studied as a model of light-weight material with high impact resistance.The complex and variable skeleton construction ('stereom') of body and spines of sea urchins consists of highly porous Mg-bearing calcium carbonate.This basically brittle material with pronounced single-crystal cleavage does not fracture by spontaneous catastrophic device failure but by graceful failure over the range of tens of millimeter of bulk compression instead.This was observed in bulk compression tests and blunt indentation experiments on regular,infiltrated and latex coated sea urchin spine segments.Microstructural characterization was carried out using X-ray computer tomography,optical and scanning electron microscopy.The behavior is interpreted to result from the hierarchic structure of sea urchin spines from the rnacroscale down to the nanoscale.Guidelines derived from this study see ceramics with layered porosity as a possible biomimetic construction for appropriate applications.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41606180)Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship (No. YESS20150157)
文摘The gonads of sea urchins(Strongylocentrotus intermedius) are characterized by high levels of arachidonic acid(ARA, 20:4 n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA, 20:5 n-3). However, to our knowledge, little information is available regarding the physiological response of adult sea urchins to dietary ARA. In the present study, four dietary feeds were formulated with graded ARA(0, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% dry diet). Each diet was randomly allocated to three cages during a 56-day feeding experiment. The results showed that the sea urchin weight gain rate(WGR) and the gonadosomatic index(GI) significantly increased as ARA was equal to or above 1.0% of dry diet(P < 0.05). The activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase(CAT), and total anti-oxidative capacity(T-AOC) were the highest in the coelomic fluid of sea urchins that were fed diets with 1% ARA. The total essential amino acid(TEAA) and its ratio to total non-essential amino acid(TNEAA) showed a similar tendency to WGR and GI as dietary ARA increased, and the highest TEAA and TEAA/TNEAA were observed in the gonads of sea urchins that were fed diets with 1% ARA. Levels of ARA and ARA/EPA of the gonads increased while n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA) decreased with the increase of dietary ARA(P < 0.05). EPA in the gonads of experimental animals fed with formulated feeds showed no significant differences(P> 0.05), but was significantly lower than those fed with kelp(P < 0.05). These results suggested that relatively higher levels of ARA(1% dry diet) significantly promoted growth, gonad development, activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as nutritional values(TEAA, TEAA/TNEAA, and PUFA) of adult S. intermedius.
文摘Developing multifunctional electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity,longterm stability,and low cost is essential for electrocatalytic energy conversion.Herein,sea urchinlike NiMoO_(4) nanorod arrays grown on nickel foam has been developed as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for urea oxidation and hydrogen evolution.The NiMoO_(4)‐200/NF catalyst exhibits efficient activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction with a low overpotential of only 68 mV in 1.0 mol/L KOH to gain a current density of 10 mA cm^(–2).The NiMoO_(4)‐300/NF catalyst exhibits a prominent oxygen evolution reaction(OER)catalytic activity with an overpotential of 288 mV at 50 mA cm^(–2),as well as for urea oxidation reaction with an ultralow potential of 1.36 V at 10 mA cm^(–2).The observed difference in electrocatalytic activity and selectivity,derived by temperature variation,is ascribed to different lattice oxygen contents.The lattice oxygen of NiMoO_(4)‐300/NF is more than that of NiMoO_(4)‐200/NF,and the lattice oxygen is conducive to the progress of OER.A urea electrolyzer was assembled with Ni‐MoO_(4)‐200/NF and NiMoO_(4)‐300/NF as cathode and anode respectively,delivering a current density of 10 mA cm^(–2)at a cell voltage of merely 1.38 V.The NiMoO_(4)nanorod arrays has also been successfully applied for photovoltage‐driven urea electrolysis and hydrogen production,revealing its great potential for solar‐driven energy conversion.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41506177)the Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes,Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology,China(No.2017-1B05)+2 种基金the Chinese Outstanding Talents in Agricultural Scientific Research(for Chang Y)the Liaoning Department of Science and Technology(No.2015203003)the Cultivation Plan for Youth Agricultural Science and Technology Innovative Talents of Liaoning Province(No.2015006)
文摘Ozone depletion induced by anthropogenic gases has been increasing the transmission of solar ultraviolet-B radiation(UV-B, 280–315 nm) through the atmosphere, which may impact the fitness of marine invertebrates in intertidal and shallow waters. To our knowledge, however, the responses of fitness related behaviors to UV-B radiation at different intensities have been rarely studied in marine invertebrates. For the first time, the present study investigated the eff ects of exposure of one hour to UV-B radiation at different intensities on foraging behavior, Aristotle's lantern reflex and righting behavior of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Exposure of one hour to UV-B radiation at 10 μW/cm^2 significantly reduced foraging behavior. An intensity dependent eff ect of exposure to UV-B radiation was found in the duration of the Aristotle's lantern reflex. Exposure to UV-B radiation at 20 μW/cm^2 for one hour significantly reduced the duration of the Aristotle's lantern reflex, but 10 μW/cm^2 did not. There was no significant diff erence of righting response time among sea urchins exposed to 0, 10 and 20 μW/cm^2 for one hour. To test potential carryover ef fects, the behavioral traits were re-measured three days later. We found significant carryover eff ects of UV-B radiation on foraging time and righting response time, but not on the duration of the Aristotle's lantern reflex. The present study indicates that a brief exposure of one hour to UV-B radiation can significantly aff ect the duration of Aristotle's lantern reflex, righting response time and foraging behavior of a sea urchin, although the immediate impacts and carryover eff ects were highly trait dependent. This study provides new information into the behavioral responses of marine invertebrates to exposure to UV-B radiation. Future studies should be carried out to investigate long-term carryover eff ects of UV-B radiation on behavioral and physiological fitness related traits.
基金supported by the Research Program of Dongguk University in 2022(No.S-2022-G0001-00016)。
文摘Exploring novel versatile electrode materials with outstanding electrochemical performance is the key to the development of advanced energy conversion and storage devices.In this work,we aim to construct new-fangled one-dimensional(1D)quasi-layered patronite vanadium tetrasulfide(VS_(4))nanostructures by using different sulfur sources,namely thiourea,thioacetamide,and L-cysteine through an ethyleneaminetetraacetic-acid(EDTA)-mediated solvothermal process.The as-prepared VS4exhibits several unique morphologies such as urchin,fluffy nanoflower,and polyhedron with appropriate surface areas.Among the prepared nanostructures,the VS_(4)-1@NF nanostructure exhibited excellent electrochemical properties in 6 M KOH solution,and we explored its redox electrochemistry in detail.The asprepared VS_(4)-1@NF electrode exhibited battery-type redox characteristics with the highest capacity of280 C g^(-1)in a three-electrode assembly.Moreover,it offered a capacity of 123 F g^(-1)in a hybrid twoelectrode set-up at 1 A g^(-1)with the highest specific energy and specific power of 38.5 W h kg^(-1)and750 W kg^(-1),respectively.Furthermore,to ensure the practical applicability and real-world performance of the prepared hybrid AC@NF//VS_(4)-1@NF cell,we performed a cycling stability test with more than 5,000galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles at 2 A g^(-1),and the cell retained around 84.7%of its capacitance even after 5,000 cycles with a CE of 96.1%.
基金funded by European sources within the ERASMUS-SOCRATES program
文摘Sea urchin spines were chosen as a model system for biomimetic ceramics obtained using starch-blended slip casting. Porous alumina ceramics with cap-shaped layers with different alternating porosities were found to have superior fracture behavior under bulk compression compared to ceramics with uniform porosity.They fail in a cascading manner,absorbing high amounts of energy during extended compression paths.The porosity variation in an otherwise single phase material mimicks the architectural microstructure design of sea urchin spines of Heterocentrotus mammillatus,which are promising model materials for impact protection.
文摘Sea urchin-like cuprous oxide with hollow glass microsphere as core was prepared using sodium sulfite as the reducing agent and sodium acetate-acetic acid as buffer solution in copper sulfate solution. Methyl orange was selected as degradation target for photocatalytic experiments. The photocatalytic activities were investigated by visible spectro- photometer. Photocatalytic kinetics parameters were studied by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model and Arrhenius formula. It was observed that the sea urchin-like morphology dramatically improved the photocatalytic activity of cuprous oxide. The photo-degradation belongs to the first-order reaction and the maximum degradation rate could reach 94.37%. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor are 41.18 KJ·mol-1 and 1.07 × 106, respectively. After seven times recycling, the sample still showed high photo-catalytic efficiency and stability.
基金Project supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)the Research University Grant Scheme (RUGS) of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Vide Project (No. 05-03-10-1034RU)
文摘Two reef margin species of tropical sea urchins,Echinometra sp.C(Ec) and Echinometra oblonga(Eo),occur sympatrically on Okinawa intertidal reefs in southern Japan.Hybridization between these species was examined through a series of cross-fertilization experiments.At limited sperm concentrations,where conspecific crosses reached near 100% fertilization,both heterospecific crosses showed high fertilization rates(81%-85%).The compatibility of the gametes demonstrated that if gamete recognition molecules are involved in fertilization of these species,they are not strongly species-specific.We found that conspecific crosses reached peak fertilization levels much faster than did heterospecific crosses,indicating the presence of a prezygotic barrier to hybridization in the gametes.Larval survival,metamorphosis,and juvenile and adult survival of hybrid groups were nearly identical to those of their parent species.Hybrids from crosses in both directions developed normally through larval stages to sexually mature adults,indicating that neither gametic incompatibility nor hybrid inviability appeared to maintain reproductive isolation between these species.In adults,Ec×Ec crosses gave the highest live weight,followed by Eo(ova)×Ec(sperm),Ec(ova)×Eo(sperm),and Eo×Eo.Other growth performance measures(viz.,test size,Aristotle's lantern length,and gonad index) of hybrid groups and their parental siblings showed the same trends.The phenotypic color patterns of the hybrids were closer to the maternal coloration,whereas spine length,tube-foot and gonad spicule characteristics,pedicellaria valve length,and gamete sizes showed intermediate features.Adult F 1 hybrids were completely fertile and displayed high fertilization success in F 1 backcrosses,eliminating the likelihood that hybrid sterility is a postzygotic mechanism of reproductive isolation.Conversely,intensive surveys failed to find hybrid individuals in the field,suggesting the lack or rarity of natural hybridization.This strongly suggests that reproductive isolation is achieved by prezygotic isolating mechanism(s).Of these mechanisms,habitat segregation,gamete competition,differences in spawning times,gametic incompatibility or other genetic and non-genetic factors appear to be important in maintaining the integrity of these species.
基金Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(863 Program)(No.2012AA10A412)
文摘A cost-effective method was designed to measure the behavioral response of negative phototaxis to high-intensity illumination in the sea urchin Glyptocidaris crenularis. Ninety sea urchins were randomly and equally divided into two aquaculture environment groups： a fasted group, which was starved during the experiment, and a fed group. After 10 months, the total mortality of each group was recorded. Then, 15 sea urchins were randomly selected from each group and behavioral responses to high-intensity illumination were investigated for each sea urchin. After the behavioral experiment, body measurements of the trial sea urchins were taken. The results reveal that food deprivation significantly affected test diameter （P〈0.01）, body weight （P〈0.01）, gonad weight （P〈0.0I）, and gut weight （P〈0.01）. Furthermore, food deprivation also affected negative phototaxis behaviors of time to rapid spine movement （P〈0.01）, time to the 1 cm position （P〈0.05）, and walking distance in 300 s （P〈0.01）, but not time to body reaction （P〉0.05）. The mortality rates of fasted and fed urchins were 6.7% and 0%, respectively. The present study provides evidence that food deprivation has a significant effect on phenotypic traits and behavioral responses to high-intensity illumination in the sea urchin G. crenularis. With this method, environmental stressors can be easily detected by measuring proper optional indicators. This study provides a new insight into measuring stress responses of sea urchins in aquaculture. However, further studies should be carried out to understand more environmental factors and to compare this potential behavioral method with immune, physiological, and epidemiological approaches.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31402275)National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (2012AA100812)+1 种基金Marine Public Welfare Projects of China (201405003)Supported by Program for Liaoning Excellent Young Scholar in University (LJQ2015016)
文摘The 185/333 gene family involved in the immune response of sea urchin.One 185/333 c DNA was isolated from Strongylocentrotus intermedius,and named as Si185/333-1.Its full-length c DNA was 1246 bp in length with a 906 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 301 aa.The molecular weight of the deduced protein was approximately 33.1 k D with an estimated PI of p H 6.26.Si185/333-1 had high identities(70%–86%) to most of Sp185/333.An extraordinary identity of 92% was found between Si185/333-1 and Sp185/333 C5 alpha(ABR22474).Moderate identities(63%–64%) were displayed between Si185/333-1 and He185/333.Si185/333-1 had similar structure to Sp185/333.A signal-peptide,a gly-rich region and a his-rich region were found in its secondary structure.RGD motif was found in gly-rich region at position 116–118aa.There was no transmembrane region in Si185/333-1.The element pattern of Si185/333-1 is different from any available pattern that identified in Sp185/333.Si185/333-1 clustered together with pattern C Sp185/333 in phylogenetic tree.The Si185/333-1 m RNA could be detected in tissues including peristomial membrane,coelomocytes,muscle of Aristotles lantern,gut and tube feet,with the highest expression level detected in peristomial membrane and a relatively low expression in ovary and testis.The temporal expression of Si185/333-1 in peristomial membrane and coelomocytes were up-regulated after bacterial,β-D-glucan and ds RNA challenges,reaching the maximum at 12 h post-stimulation.The up-regulation was more obvious in coelomocytes,and bacterial challenge triggered the highest response.These results proved that 185/333-1 gene was involved in the immune defense of S.intermedius,while more studies were necessary for its function in S.intermedius immunity.
文摘Background and Aims: Mesocentrotus nudus is commercially harvested from shallow rocky bottoms in northern Japan. The gonads are targeted as an edible product. The objective of this study was to identify odor-active volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the gonads of adult M. nudus collected at a fishing ground in Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. Methods and Results: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and gas chromatography-sniffing techniques identified 42 compounds categorized as alcohols, aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, halomethanes, hydrocarbons, ketones, sulfur-containing compounds, and nitrogen-containing compounds. GC-sniffing analysis characterized four compounds with preferable odors of sea urchin gonads;limonene, propyl acetate, acetone, dibromochloromethane. On the other hand, the analysis characterized three compounds with unpreferable odors;methyl mercaptane, dimethyl sulfide, and s-methyl thioacetate. Several VOCs from the gonads were derived from seaweeds, terrestrial plants, and fish flesh as food because M. nudus is omnivorous. Conclusion: This is the first study to identify VOCs from edible sea urchin gonads in the wild in Japan. These VOC data comprise a typical standard in order to evaluate a higher quality of sea urchin gonads.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[Grant No.51902043]the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities[Grant No.N2102007,and N2102002]。
文摘Although the fracture behavior of sea urchin spines has been extensively investigated,there is as yet a lack of quantitative estimation on the effect of growth rings on the fracture properties of sea urchin spines.In sea urchin spines,much denser pores present in growth rings rather than porous layers.The tensile strength and fracture toughness of sea urchin spine samples with different numbers of growth rings are measured by the Boundary Effect Model(BEM).The experimental results of single-edge notched three-point bending tests indicate that the BEM is an appropriate method to estimate the fracture toughness of the present porous sea urchin spines,and the number of growth rings plays an important role in the fracture properties of spines.Specifically,the tensile strength and fracture toughness of sea urchin spines can be significantly improved with the increase in the number of growth rings,and their fracture toughness can even reach a relatively high value compared with some other porous materials with an identical porosity.The present research findings are expected to provide a fundamental insight into the design of high-performance bionic materials with a highly porous structure.
基金Funded by the Project of Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City (No.SCKJ-JYRC-2022-44)the Opening Funding of the State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architecture (SySJJ2018-06)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WUT:2016VA096),Chinathe Research Program (No.S2634339)through a Grant Provided by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups。
文摘Novel hollow Au Ag alloy nano urchins were synthesized via Ag seeds growth method,and self-assembly coated on the wall and end-tip of silica fiber for fiber probe fabrication.The nano urchins homogeneously distributed on fiber surface because of fiber silanization.The sizes and tip sharpness of the nano-urchins could be controlled by Ag seeds.The elements distribution analysis indicated there was high Ag content in tip-top for better surface enhance Raman scattering performance.The detectable concentration could be as low as 10-8 M using crystal violet molecules as analyte.Moreover,the fiber probes were stable in air,due to Au in the alloy.This fiber probe could be used for low content single molecular analysis.
文摘Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) or bleach, found in effluent from wastewater treatment plants, can act as an environmental toxin. The sea urchin Arbacia punctulata is a common subject of embryological toxicity tests due to its sensitivity to environmental pollutants. Using concentrations of NaOCl that mimic those found in treated wastewater (0.11 ppm, 0.06 ppm, and 0.03 ppm) we observed minimal affects on early larval development, though most larvae took longer to develop at higher NaOCl concentration. There was a significant difference in the percentage of non-normal plutei based on concentration (P = 0.038) and significant interaction between the percent of each morphology and NaOCl concentration (P = 0.0027). The most significant change in non-normal plutei was in the retarded (shortened skeletal rods) malformation which increased in frequency with NaOCl concentration (P = 0.001). There was a significant reduction in skeletal length in both normal and retarded plutei (P < 0.05) as NaOCl increased.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41506177)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(863 Program)(No.2012AA10A412)the research project granted by Dalian Ocean University(No.110914001001)
文摘Complex marine benthic environments shape a number of ecologically important behaviors in sea urchins, including covering and righting behaviors. The present study correlated covering and righting behaviors to a series of fi tness-related traits in sea urchins. Righting response time of Glyptocidaris crenularis was signifi cantly positively correlated with body size, but signifi cantly negatively correlated with food consumption. Covering behavior was not signifi cantly correlated with test diameter, test height or body weight, but covering response time was negatively correlated with body weight. A signifi cantly negative correlation was found between righting response time and covering response time. Glyptocidaris crenularis showed a signifi cantly positive correlation in covering response time with and without exposure to poured sand, but no signifi cance in covering ability(number of shells used to cover). The present study provides new insight into internal mechanisms and evolutionary drives of covering and righting behaviors of sea urchins.
文摘Injury from sea urchin spines is not rare, especially during summer holidays in the sea side. Failure to remove these spines or inability to remove them completely can lead to long-term squeal of pain and impaired function. Treatment methods include alternative medicine, LASER and surgery. We describe the surgical removal of 102 sea urchin spines from the foot of a 36-year-old man. The wounds healed completely. Although, he initially complained of a mild discomfort on weight bearing, the symptoms disappeared 2 weeks later.
