Legally certified sturgeon fisheries require population protection and conservation methods, including DNA tests to identify the source of valuable sturgeon roe. However, the available genetic data are insufficient to distinguish between different sturgeon populations, and are even unable to distinguish between some species. We performed high-throughput single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-geno...

A new computational method for creating all-hex meshes of thin-walled solids is presented. The proposed method creates an all-hex mesh in a three-step process. First, a tet mesh of the target geometric domain is created, and a layer of prism elements is inserted on the boundary of the mesh. Second, a sequence of novel topological transformations and smoothing operations is applied to reduce the...

BACKGROUND Knowledge about Alburnoides remains lacking relative to many other species, resulting in a lack of a systematic position and taxonomic diagnosis. Basic biological information for Alburnoides has been constructed, and it is necessary to understand further and obtain more information about this species. Its phylogenetic relationships are still debated and no molecular data have been us...

The aim of this study was to determine the loading capacity of a trotting Taishuh pony by gait analysis using a motion analysis system. Seven Taishuh Ponies (5 mares and 2 geldings) and their rider were fitted with a marker (70 mm in diameter placed on their chest) and recorded by 2 high-resolution digital DVD cameras (at a sampling frequency of 60 Hz) as they were trotting along a straight cou...

Leptin, a protein hormone secreted by adipocytes, plays an important role in energy homeostasis and regulation of body composition. We previously observed that acute feed restriction resulted in a rapid decline in concentrations of leptin in obese pony mares. This acute response prompted us to characterize the temporal changes in concentrations of leptin, GH, and insulin in obese pony mares dur...

The spatial and temporal structure of spider communities was studied in the clay semi-desert of the north-western Caspian Lowland, western Kazakhstan (49°23' N, 46°47' E). The soils and vegetation are complex, being composed of a mosaic of desert and steppe plant communities. Besides the native associations, there are plantations of different tree species. The ground-dwelling spider assemblages...

This study evaluated the feasibility of a drowning intervention package in northern Islamic Republic of Iran. A quasi-experimental design used pre- and post-observations among residents and tourists in water-recreation beach areas of intervention and control regions by the Caspian Sea and in residents near the Caspian Sea coastline. The fatal drowning rate in the studied resident population in ...

The trends in the development of hydrocarbons Caspian shelf water area Russian Federation by domestic and foreign companies are analyzed. In accordance with these trends, national-political priorities for formation an oil gas chemical cluster national subjects zone Pre-Caspian substantiated.

Pony stallions were given sexual behavior trials in experimental "home" and "novel" environments, similar in all major features except location. In the novel environment, erection latency was increased and erection time decreased. Treatment with an anxiolytic benzodiazepine derivative (diazepam) appeared to block these effects.

The Ponto-Caspian amphipod Obesogammarus obesus (Sars, 1894) was first recorded in the Rhine River near Koblenz, Germany in October 2004. Additional records of small numbers of O. obesus from the same location in 2005 and 2006 indicate that this alien species may have become established in the central section of the Rhine River. Ship transport via the Main-Danube Canal, connecting the Danube ba...