Polyculture of Juvenile Dog Conch Laevistrombus canarium Reveals High Potentiality in Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA).

Laevistrombus canarium, also known as dog conch, is a marine gastropod mollusk widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region. It is an economically crucial species; however, its population has been declining due to overfishing and overexploitation. In this study, the suitable salinity for juvenile L. canarium was between 20 and 35‰. Diatoms and biological detritus by using flow-water from the fish pool were the most favorable diets for newly metamorphosed and 10 mm juveniles. In the polyculture experiment, L. canarium was cultured with whiteleg shrimp, tilapia, small abalone, purple sea urchin, and collector urchin. Better growth was found in all co-culture groups except with whiteleg shrimp. We also found that the polyculture system with or without substrates significantly affected the growth of juveniles. Additionally, we observed that water temperature was the most crucial factor for growth and survival; a water temperature of less than 10 °C might cause the death of L. canarium. We have proposed a novel polyculture and water-flow method for mass production of L. canarium and evaluated the feasibility and benefits of polyculture with other species. The findings from this work reveal the potentiality of L. canarium in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) and its implication for aquaculture and resource restoration.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Laevistrombus canarium (Gastropoda: Stromboidae).

Laevistrombus canarium is a marine gastropod species with high economical value. The complete mitochondrial genome of L. canarium has been characterized in this study. The circular mitogenome is 15626 bp in length and comprises 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The organization of these genes is consistent with that of other stromboidae species. The overall base composition of mitochondrial genome is 30.87% A, 38.99% T, 15.54% G, and 14.60% C, with 69.86% AT. Phylogenetic analysis further implies that L. canarium is placed within the Stromboidae.

Improving Survival of Juvenile Scalloped Spiny Lobster (Panulirus homarus) and Crucifix Crab (Charybdis feriatus) Using Shelter and Live Prey.

Cannibalism is a major problem in lobster and crab aquaculture. Reducing the aggressive characteristics of lobsters and crabs can improve survival during the culturing process. In this study, juvenile scalloped spiny lobsters (Panulirus homarus) and crucifix crabs (Charybdis feriatus) were both cultured under different shelter and live prey conditions. Groups with shelter (seaweed and cotton filter) showed a better survival rate than the control group (no shelter; p < 0.05) for both Pa. homarus and Char. feriatus. Co-culturing with live prey (Litopenaeus vannamei) significantly benefited the juveniles of Pa. homarus and visibly increased the survival of juvenile Char. feriatus. Although providing shelter is currently the main method for reducing agonistic behavior, it must be continually altered as the lobsters and crabs grow. Live prey can grow and attract lobsters and crabs to hunt them, and live prey can be supplemented at any time. They can also be used as an additional source of income during the harvest season.

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum OLP-01 Supplementation during Endurance Running Training Improves Exercise Performance in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners: A Double-Blind Controlled Trial.

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum Olympic No. 1 (OLP-01) has been shown in previous animal experiments to improve exercise endurance performance, but this effect has not been confirmed in humans, or more particularly, in athletes. Toward this end, the current study combined OLP-01 supplementation with regular exercise training in well-trained middle- and long-distance runners at the National Taiwan Sport University. The study was designed as a double-blind placebo-controlled experiment. Twenty-one subjects (14 males and seven females aged 20-30 years) were evenly distributed according to total distance (meters) traveled in 12 min to one of the following two groups: a placebo group (seven males and three females) and an OLP-01 (1.5 × 1010 colony forming units (CFU)/day) group (seven males and four females). All the participants received placebo or OLP-01 supplements for five consecutive weeks consisting of three weeks of regular training and two weeks of de-training. Before and after the experiment, the participants were tested for 12-min running/walking distance, and body composition, blood/serum, and fecal samples were analyzed. The results showed that OLP-01 significantly increased the change in the 12-min Cooper's test running distance and the abundance of gut microbiota. Although no significant change in body composition was found, OLP-01 caused no adverse reactions or harm to the participants' bodies. In summary, OLP-01 can be used as a sports nutrition supplement, especially for athletes, to improve exercise performance.

Whey Protein Improves Marathon-Induced Injury and Exercise Performance in Elite Track Runners.

Whey protein has been widely applied to athletes and the fitness field for muscle growth and performance improvement. Limited studies focused on the beneficial effects of whey on aerobic exercise according to biochemical assessments. In the current study, 12 elite male track runners were randomly assigned to whey and maltodextrin groups for 5 weeks' supplementation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of whey protein on physiological adaptions and exercise performance. During this period, three time points (pre-, post-, and end-test) were used to evaluate related biochemical parameters, body composition, and performance. The post-test was set 1 day after a marathon for injury status evaluation and the end-test was also assessed after 1-week recovery from endurance test. The results showed that the whey group exhibited significantly lower aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase indicators after the marathon (post-test), as well as at the end-test (p<0.016). The endurance performance in twelve-minute walk/run was also significantly elevated (p<0.012) possibly due to an increase in the muscle mass and amelioration of exercise injuries. In the current study, we demonstrated that whey protein can also be used for aerobic exercise for better physiological adaptation, in addition to resistance training. Whey protein could be also a potential nutrient supplement with a variety of benefits for amateur runners.

10 Gbit/s all-optical non-return to zero-return-to-zero data format conversion based on a backward dark-optical-comb injected semiconductor optical amplifier.

By using a semiconductor optical amplifier backward injected by a dark-optical-comb pulse train at 10 GHz, we demonstrate a 10 Gbit/s all-optical nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) to return-to-zero (RZ) format conversion of an incoming optical pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) data stream. Both the polarity and the wavelength of data are conserved during format conversion. Without any pre-amplification, the extinction ratio of degraded optical NRZ PRBS data is greatly improved from 7.13 to 13.6 dB after NRZ-to-RZ conversion. An ultralow bit-error rate of 10(-12) at a data rate as high as 10 Gbits/s is obtained with a received optical power of -18.3 dBm. The converted RZ PRBS data exhibit a negative power penalty of >3.7 dB compared with the NRZ PRBS data at a bit-error rate of 10(-12).

Injection-locking laser-diode-based OC-192 optical non-return-to-zero-to-return-to-zero OR logic gate.

An OC-192 optical return-to-zero- (RZ-) formatted OR logic gate is experimentally demonstrated and theoretically interpreted for the first time to our knowledge. It is implemented by using a data format converter based on an optically injection-locked Fabry-Perot laser diode (FPLD) modulated in below-threshold condition. By injecting two non-return-to-zero data streams into the FPLD-based OR gate, a peak-power-equalized RZ-formatted OR logic data stream extinction ratio of >8 dB is obtained from the FPLD with optimized rf-modulating and optical injecting powers of 24.7 and >-4 dBm, respectively. The highest data rate of up to 12.5 Gbits/s with a bit error rate (BER) of 10(-13) at a received optical power of >-16 dBm can be achieved by increasing the dc bias current of the FPLD-based RZ-formatted OR logic gate to 8 mA. The OR-gated RZ data stream exhibits a duty cycle (pulse width) of approximately 27% (27 ps) and a 0.5 dB power penalty at a BER of 10(-9) at a data rate of 9.953 Gbits/s.

Suppression of phase and supermode noise in a harmonic mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser with a semiconductor-optical-amplifier-based high-pass filter.

By operating an intracavity semiconductor-optical-amplifier- (SOA-) based high-pass filter at the nearly transparent current condition, the supermode noise (SMN), the relaxation oscillation, and the single-sideband (SSB) phase noise can be simultaneously suppressed in an actively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL). The SOA at the nearly transparent condition enhances the SMN suppression ratio of the EDFL from 32 to 76 dB at the cost of the phase noise degrading from -114 to -104.2 dBc/Hz and broadening the pulse width from 36 to 61 ps. With an optical bandpass filter, the SSB phase noise and the SMN suppression ratio can be further improved to -110 dBc/Hz and 81 dB, respectively. The EDFL pulse can be further shortened to 3.1 ps with a time-bandwidth product of 0.63 after compression.

10 Gbit/s tunable dual-wavelength nonreturn-to-zero-to-return-to-zero data-format transformer based on a non-direct-current-biased fabry-perot laser diode.

We demonstrate the conversion of a nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ)-formatted electrical data stream into a wavelength-tunable return-to-zero (RZ)-formatted optical pulse code by externally seeding a synchronously sinusoidal-modulated Fabry-Perot laser diode (FPLD) with optical pseudorandom binary-sequence data at 10 Gbits/s (Gbps). The FPLD without a dc-biased current was modulated by use of a power-amplified sinusoidal wave signal (approximately 25.6 dBm) as an NRZ-to-RZ data-format transformer, which is regeneratively amplified by a closed-loop erbium-doped fiber amplifier. The gain switching and on-off keying operation of the FPLD is initiated under the seeding of self-feedback and external-injection signals. A maximum wavelength tuning range of 30 nm with a side-mode suppression ratio of greater than 36 dB is obtained. The power penalty of the NRZ-to-RZ data-format conversion at 10 Gbps is 1.5 dB.

Ultrahigh supermode noise suppressing ratio of a semiconductor optical amplifier filtered harmonically mode-locked Erbium-doped fiber laser.

The supermode noise suppressing ratio (SMSR) and the phase noise of a harmonically mode-locked Erbium-doped fiber laser (HML-EDFL) with an intra-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and an optical band-pass filter (OBPF) are improved and compared with a state-of-the-art Fabry-Perot laser diode (FPLD) injection-mode-locked EDFL. By driving the intra-cavity SOA based high-pass filter at unitary gain condition, the SMSR of the HML-EDFL is enhanced to 82 dB at the cost of degrading phase noise, increasing jitter, and broadened pulse width. The adding of OBPF further improves the SMSR, pulse width, phase noise, and jitter of the SOA-filtered HML-EDFL to 90 dB, 42 ps, -112 dBc/Hz, and 0.7 ps, respectively. The ultrahigh SMSR of the SOA-filtered HML-EDFL can compete with that of the FPLD injection-mode-locked EDFL without sacrificing its pulse width and jitter performances.

Wireless audio and burst communication link with directly modulated THz photoconductive antenna.

We demonstrate transmission of audio and burst signals through a prototype THz analog communication link employing laser-gated low-temperature-grown GaAs dipole antenna as THz emitter and receiver. The transmission distance is about 100 cm. By using a direct voltage modulation format, we successfully demodulated a burst signal with a rising time of 41 micros. The corresponding modulating bandwidth achieved was 23 kHz in this first experiment. Noise analysis reveals a 10% power fluctuation in the received signal with on-off extinction ratio of greater than 1000. The transmission of a six-channel analog and burst audio signal with least distortion is also demonstrated. We further demonstrate the fidelity of the transmission of a melody through the THz link with and without any amplification.

Photonic millimeter-wave generation from frequency-multiplied Erbium-doped fiber laser pulse-train using purely sinusoidal-wave modulated laser diode.

Photonic millimeter-wave generation from high-order frequencymultiplied optical pulse-train of Erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) harmonic mode-locked at repetition frequency of 1 GHz is demonstrated. A Fabry-Perot laser diode (FPLD) operated at below threshold condition is employed as an intra-cavity optical mode-locker, which is purely sinusoidal-wavemodulated at 1 GHz without any DC biased current in this experiment. The threshold modulating power of 18 dBm for the FPLD is observed for harmonic mode-locking the EDFL. The frequency-multiplication of EDFL pulse-train is implemented by detuning the modulating frequency of the FPLD. At highest repetition rate of 42 GHz, the peak power and pulseswidth of frequency-multiplied EDFL pulse-train are 140 mW and 2.7 ps, respectively.

All-optical NRZ-to-PRZ format transformer with an injection-locked Fabry-Perot laser diode at unlasing condition.

By using an optical nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) format data-stream to injection-lock an synchronously modulated Fabry-Perot laser diode at below threshold condition (without DC driving current), an output data-stream with pseudo-return-to-zero (PRZ) format can be generated at bit rate of up to 2.488 Gbit/s. Such an NRZ-to-PRZ format transformation is due to the injectionlocking induced gain-switching of the FPLD with the incoming NRZ data. The PRZ data-stream with a maximum on/off extinction ratio of 12.2 dB is obtained under the optical injecting power of -2 dBm and the RF driving power of 24.4 dBm. The best side-mode suppression ratio of 40 dB and the lowest timing jitter of 0.4 ps for the PRZ data-stream are observed. A power penalty of 1.2 dB is measured at a bit-error rate of 10-9 after NRZ-to-PRZ transformation. In application, the demonstration of an all-optical OR logic gate using the FPLD-based NRZ-to-PRZ transformer is also reported.

Piezoelectric-transducer-based optoelectronic frequency synchronizer for control of pulse delay in a femtosecond passively mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser.

We propose a piezoelectric transducer-(PZT-) based optoelectronic frequency synchronizer to control simultaneously change in the repetition rate, the relative pulse delay, and the phase noise of a passively mode-locked femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser with an intracavity saturable Bragg reflector absorber with respect to an electronic frequency reference. An optoelectronic phase-locked-loop-based PZT feedback controller with a proportional, integral, and differential (PID) circuit and a tunable voltage regulator is designed to achieve frequency synchronization, phase-noise suppression, and delay-time tuning. When the controlling voltage is tuned from -2.6 to 2.6 V, the maximum pulse-delay range, tuning slope, and tuning resolution of the laser pulse-train are 11.3 ns, 2.3 ps/mV, and 1.2 ps, respectively. Setting the gain constant of the PID circuit at 10 or larger causes the delay-time tuning function to be linearly proportional to the controlling voltage. In the delay-time tuning mode the uncorrelated single-side-band phase-noise density of the frequency-synchronized laser is approximately -120 dBc/Hz at an offset frequency of 5 kHz, which is only 7 dBc/Hz higher than that of the electrical frequency reference. The proposed system also supports linear,continuous switching,and programmable control of the delay time of Ti:sapphire laser pulses when they are frequency synchronized to external reference clocks.