The Population Structure of the Orange River mudfish (Labeo capensis) in Allemanskraal Dam and Its potential as a Fishery Species
The aim of this research was to investigate whether the ecology and biology of the Orange River mudfish Labeo capensis were suitable for the species to be used in fisheries. Three fleets of the gill nets were set, parallel to the shore. One fleet was lifted, and the fish were collected by hand. The two remaining fleets were lifted the next day. The seine net was pulled for 10 metres within the littoral zone. The net was then pulled towards the shore of the dam and the procedure was repeated four times. The four fyke nets were set parallel to the shore and were left for two nettings nights and then lifted. All fish caught were collected by hand and placed into buckets. The majority (82.93%) of the fish caught were within the 0-100 mm size class. The 101-200mm and 201-300mm size classes contain similar numbers of fish, while no fish were caught in the 301-400mm size class. The hypothesis was accepted. Allemanskraal Dam, as of the study period, has a very small juvenile fish population of L. capensis, as only 7 out of 41 fish individuals caught were within the 101- 300mm fork length size class. These results show that the population of L. capensis is not established as of yet, as the research did was right after their breeding season. Historical research has shown that sexually mature individuals of the L. capensis species tend to be a minimum of 300mm SL, 4-6 years after hatching. The population was largely young-of-the-year and may develop into an established population in 3-4 years (after sexual maturity). The L. capensis population in Allemanskraal Dam has the potential to be a fishery species if suitable conditions are maintained. Establishing this species’ potential will therefore allow economically viable fisheries to utilise them sustainably and to their full economic potential.
The Reproduction success of the Cyprinidae and a Claridae fish species and its impact on small- scale fisheries
To investigate the reproduction success and natural recruitment of several Cyprinidae fish and Claridae fish species in the Allemanskraal Dam. The purpose of the project included investigating whether each individual fish species studied has a successful 2020/2021 spawning season in comparison with each other. Sections of the seine net were measured along with a distance of 10 along the shoreline. The ends of the seine nets were attached to one foot and the top of the net was held by hand. Both volunteers moved in unison while covering the 10m. The volunteer in the “deep end” moved towards the shoreline creating a semi-circle while the other volunteer remained stationary. The two ends of the net were then pulled onto the shore and the fish were collected. The results found that the Labeo Umbratus and Cyprinus carpio had the most successful spawning seasons with the highest recorded numbers. These high numbers of the Labeo Umbratus can be due to the fact that the species lays a large number of eggs. The high numbers of the Cyprinus carpio is due to the lower numbers of the other fish species as previous studies have shown that the species negatively impacts the environment which could in turn negatively impact the other fish species. The Claridae gariepinus and Labeobarbus aeneusas were the lowest. The low numbers of the Labeobarbus aneusas may be due to their slow growth and late maturity rate. The Labeo capensis had an average number relative to the other species and this is due to the fact that during the sampling period the dam was at 100% capacity as this is essential for the survival of the juvenile fish. The hypothesis was accepted as the Labeo Umbratus, Cyprinus carpio and Labeo capensis all have a successful spawning season. However, due to the size of the Cyprinus carpio, they would be most suited for a small scale fishery.
The Population Structure of the Orange River mudfish (Labeo capensis) in Allemanskraal Dam and Its potential as a Fishery Species
The aim of this research was to investigate whether the ecology and biology of the Orange River mudfish Labeo capensis were suitable for the species to be used in fisheries. Three fleets of the gill nets were set, parallel to the shore. One fleet was lifted, and the fish were collected by hand. The two remaining fleets were lifted the next day. The seine net was pulled for 10 metres within the littoral zone. The net was then pulled towards the shore of the dam and the procedure was repeated four times. The four fyke nets were set parallel to the shore and were left for two nettings nights and then lifted. All fish caught were collected by hand and placed into buckets. The majority (82.93%) of the fish caught were within the 0-100 mm size class. The 101-200mm and 201-300mm size classes contain similar numbers of fish, while no fish were caught in the 301-400mm size class. The hypothesis was accepted. Allemanskraal Dam, as of the study period, has a very small juvenile fish population of L. capensis, as only 7 out of 41 fish individuals caught were within the 101- 300mm fork length size class. These results show that the population of L. capensis is not established as of yet, as the research did was right after their breeding season. Historical research has shown that sexually mature individuals of the L. capensis species tend to be a minimum of 300mm SL, 4-6 years after hatching. The population was largely young-of-the-year and may develop into an established population in 3-4 years (after sexual maturity). The L. capensis population in Allemanskraal Dam has the potential to be a fishery species if suitable conditions are maintained. Establishing this species’ potential will therefore allow economically viable fisheries to utilise them sustainably and to their full economic potential.
Susanito, autonomous robot body temperature meter: support to reduce infections in rows
A variant of the coronavirus (2019-nCoV or COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019, spreading rapidly around the world. Owing to a plan to reactivate the economy, the Mexican government, requested to implement protective measures to enter establishments with confined spaces: wear a mask, provide alcohol-based hand rub and the measurement of body temperature, allowing problem when not have a fever; however, these measures cause long waiting lines, causing contagion risk. To support this problem, applied and experimental research was used, generating as a result, the creation of a robot that moves autonomously thanks to a line follower sensor. Dispenses alcohol-based hand rub and determines the temperature by means of an infrared sensor, checking that the distance is adequate, with an ultrasonic sensor, using a buzzer that emits a sound of half a second when it performs a normal detection, but, if it is equal to or greater os 38 ° C, emits a sound for 10 seconds asking the person to leave the line and go to a medical service, helping to reduce problems infections in lines
In Silico Modeling of Lovastatin Analogues as Inhibitors of HIV-1 Nef Protein
Currently, no method can completely eliminate the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in an infected person. HIV employs an accessory protein called Nef that forms a complex with cellular AP-1, preventing detection of HIV-infected cells. Lovastatin has been recently identified to inhibit the formation of said Nef-AP-1 complex, but its effective concentration is remarked to be far higher than other Nef inhibitors. This study aims to develop a modified lovastatin molecule exhibiting higher binding affinity to the HIV-1 Nef protein than lovastatin in silico. Modified lovastatin molecules based on the interaction map of lovastatin with Nef were modeled, and flexible ligand-flexible receptor docking to the Nef binding site was performed using AutoDock Vina. Residues within the Nef binding site identified by Liu et al. (2019) to be crucial (Glu-63, Val-66, Phe-68, Asp-108, Leu-112, Tyr-115) were set as flexible. Fragment-based drug design was utilized to append molecular fragments to lovastatin in order to maximize its interactions with said crucial residues. From the fragment-based approach, molecule F4 ((1S,3S)‐8‐{2‐[(2R,4R)‐4‐chloro‐6‐oxooxan‐2‐yl]ethyl}‐3‐(hydroxymethyl)‐7‐methyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronaphthalen‐1‐yl 4‐aminobenzoate) exhibited a binding affinity of -9.0 kcal/mole, and its estimated IC50 ranges between 0.25-0.51 μM which is at least 7.5 times lower than the reported IC50 of lovastatin from literature. This study presents insights on the key modifications to improve lovastatin as an HIV-1 Nef inhibitor and pertinent information about the Nef binding site for future drug development studies.
The Reproduction success of the Cyprinidae and a Claridae fish species and its impact on small- scale fisheries
To investigate the reproduction success and natural recruitment of several Cyprinidae fish and Claridae fish species in the Allemanskraal Dam. The purpose of the project included investigating whether each individual fish species studied has a successful 2020/2021 spawning season in comparison with each other. Sections of the seine net were measured along with a distance of 10 along the shoreline. The ends of the seine nets were attached to one foot and the top of the net was held by hand. Both volunteers moved in unison while covering the 10m. The volunteer in the “deep end” moved towards the shoreline creating a semi-circle while the other volunteer remained stationary. The two ends of the net were then pulled onto the shore and the fish were collected. The results found that the Labeo Umbratus and Cyprinus carpio had the most successful spawning seasons with the highest recorded numbers. These high numbers of the Labeo Umbratus can be due to the fact that the species lays a large number of eggs. The high numbers of the Cyprinus carpio is due to the lower numbers of the other fish species as previous studies have shown that the species negatively impacts the environment which could in turn negatively impact the other fish species. The Claridae gariepinus and Labeobarbus aeneusas were the lowest. The low numbers of the Labeobarbus aneusas may be due to their slow growth and late maturity rate. The Labeo capensis had an average number relative to the other species and this is due to the fact that during the sampling period the dam was at 100% capacity as this is essential for the survival of the juvenile fish. The hypothesis was accepted as the Labeo Umbratus, Cyprinus carpio and Labeo capensis all have a successful spawning season. However, due to the size of the Cyprinus carpio, they would be most suited for a small scale fishery.