Takeoff temperatures in Melitaea cinxia butterflies from latitudinal and elevational range limits: a potential adaptation to solar irradiance

1. This study provides evidence that a heliophilic butterfly, the Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) has adapted differently to environmental variation across latitudes and elevations. 2. In cool air, basking M. cinxia orient themselves perpendicular to the sun's rays to gain heat and take off. During flight, solar heating is reduced because orientation perpendicular to the sun is no longer possible and convective cooling occurs. Consequently, M. cinxia have been shown to suffer net heat loss in flight, even in full sunshine. When flight duration is restricted in this way, the takeoff temperature becomes an important thermal adaptation. 3. Using a thermal imaging camera, takeoff temperatures were measured in experimental butterflies. Butterflies from the northern range limit in Finland took flight at slightly hotter temperatures than butterflies from the southern limit in Spain, and much hotter than butterflies from the elevational limit (1900–2300 m) in the French Alps. Butterflies from low‐elevation populations in southern France also took off much hotter than did the nearby Alpine population. 4. These results suggest that the influence of elevation is different from that of latitude in more respects than ambient temperature. Values of solar irradiance in the butterflies' flight season in each region show that insects from the coolest habitats, Finland and the Alps, experienced similar solar irradiance during basking, but that Finns experienced much lower irradiance in flight. This difference may have favored Finnish butterflies evolving higher takeoff temperatures than Alpine butterflies that also flew in cool air but benefited from more intense radiant energy after takeoff.     

Generalized Maximum Range Tests for Pairwise Comparisons of Several Populations

A multiple comparison procedure (MCP) is proposed for the comparison of all pairs of several independent samples. This MCP is essentially the closed procedure with union-intersection tests based on given single tests Q_ij for the minimal hypotheses H_ij. In such cases where the α-levels of the nominal tests associated with the MCP can be exhausted, this MCP has a uniformly higher all pair power than any refined Bonferroni test using the same Q_ij. Two different general algorithms are described in section 3. A probability inequality for ranges of i.i.d. random variables which is useful for some algorithms is proved in section 4. Section 5 contains the application to independent normally distributed estimates and section 6 the comparisons of polynomial distributions by multivariate ranges. Further applications are possible. Tables of the 0.05-bounds for the tests of section 5 and 6 are enclosed.     

实验兔三个封闭群微卫星DNA多态性遗传分析

目的 对日本大耳白兔、青紫蓝兔、新西兰兔三个封闭群体开展群体遗传学分析.方法 利用10个微卫星位点,进行Hardy-Weinberg平衡(HWE)检验,统计三个种群的基因频率、观测杂合度、期望杂合度、F值和遗传距离.结果 青紫蓝品种在12L1E11位点,新西兰品种在INRACCDDV0087位点与INRACCDDV0203位点,日本大耳白兔在Sat12位点与INRACCDDV0203,P＜0.05,显著偏离HWE,多数表现为杂合子缺陷;三个群体在Sat13、So144、6L1F10、7L1F1、12L4A1、INRACCDDV0016点上均符合HWE;各位点平均等位基因数5.9,种群整体基因频率差别较大,其范围为0 -0.9060;三个种群的平均观测杂合度为0.6204,平均期望杂合度为0.6178;群体间分化系数(Fst)平均为0.0750,日本大耳白兔和青紫蓝兔遗传距离最近为0.1223,青紫蓝兔与新西兰兔遗传距离最远为0.1934.结论 三个种群的遗传结构均表现出遗传稳定性和均一性,在10个微卫星位点上呈现高度多态性,种群间遗传分化明显.     

微生态制剂对刺参幼参在封闭式循环养殖系统中的应用研究

目的对循环水养殖系统水质指标和刺参幼参的生长代谢进行分析。方法在水温（16±1）℃的循环养殖系统中投喂不同的微生态制剂。结果30d实验结果表明：循环养殖系统具有一定自净能力,微生态制剂能够显著延长循环养殖系统的自净周期。其中“EM菌剂”在控制溶解氧含量等方面具有优势。结论复合微生态制剂“海微净水剂”和“hEM菌剂”在降解氨氮、亚硝酸盐、磷酸盐和化学耗氧量等方面效果较单一微生态制剂“EM菌剂”效果好,并且刺参的生理活动也较强。此外“NEM菌剂”能够显著提高刺参幼参的生长速度。     

Observation of a mixed-metal transition in a d-d heterobimetallic Pt-Ag cyanide system: Experimental and theoretical study

Photoluminescence spectra of synthesized crystals of the mixed-metal heterobimetallic Ba{[Ag(CN)₂]_2−2x[Pt(CN)₄]_x} (x = 0 → 1) were recorded at 300, 150 and 77 K. Emission of the mixed-metal system containing both [Pt(CN)₄]²⁻ and [Ag(CN)₂]⁻ ions shows an emission band due to Pt-Ag interaction. This new peak (424 nm) is not seen for pure Ba[Pt(CN)₄] or Ba[Ag(CN)₂]₂. Theoretical DFT and extended Hückel molecular orbital population calculations shows that in heterometallic dimers, the HOMO correspond to d_z² of the metals with a weakly antibonding interaction between the moieties while the LUMO π*(CN) orbital shows a stronger bonding character between monomers. This indicate that the 424 nm emission peak corresponds to a MLCT (d → π*) transition with some metal to metal charge transfer character (Pt to Ag).     

儿童胸腔内巨大肿瘤12例分析

目的:总结儿童胸腔内巨大肿瘤的临床特点与外科治疗方式。方法:回顾性分析12例儿童胸腔内巨大肿瘤患儿的临床、病理学资料,外科处理过程,并对治疗效果进行随访。结果:4例前纵隔肿瘤中2例为梭形细胞瘤,另2例来源于胸腺,分别为良性畸胎瘤和恶性神经鞘瘤,肿瘤均被完整切除;5例后纵隔肿瘤均作肿块切除,最终病理结果4例为神经母细胞瘤,1例为神经节细胞瘤;2例术前诊断为肺肿瘤的患者中,1例作了右全肺切除,1例作右肺中下叶切除,病理报告均为胸膜肺母细胞瘤;1例术前诊断为胸腔内巨大肿块患儿行肿块切除后病理报告为间叶性软骨肉瘤。结论:手术指征、手术径路的把握及术后管理决定了胸腔内巨大肿瘤患儿的治疗效果。     

Actinomycosis in fine needle aspiration cytology

Four cases of actinomycosis were diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and eight more cases were detected during a review of FNA smears reported as inflammatory. the age of these 12 cases ranged from 20 to 61 years with a median of 35 years. the male to female ratio was 3:1. the common regions of involvement were cervicofacial in seven cases (58.3%), thoracic in three (25.0%) and abdominal in two (16.7%). Four of the seven cervicofacial cases presented with intra-oral masses; the thoracic lesions were pulmonary in location, and the abdominal lesions presented as bowel masses. the possibility of actinomycosis was not considered clinically in any case. the main reason for missed cytodiagnosis in two thirds of the cases appeared to be observer error. It is suggested that when the aspiration smear from a mass is found to be an inflammatory exudate rich in neutrophils, special efforts must be made to look for this microorganism.     

Analysis of the center of pressure displacement, ground reaction force and muscular activity during step exercises

Anterior Knee Pain (AKP) is considered as one of the most common, yet misunderstood, knee pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the displacement area of the center of pressure, Ground Reaction Force (GRF), and the electromyography activity of the hip and the quadriceps muscles in healthy and AKP individuals during the step-up and step-down exercises. Both groups (Control group and AKP group) were composed of 15 volunteers submitted to the exercises on a force plate. The AKP group presented greater displacement area of the center of pressure for all the situations evaluated than the Control group (p < 0.05), as well as a lesser magnitude of the GRF during the step-down exercise. The AKP group presented lower electromyography activity than the Control group in all situations evaluated. AKP individuals do not have muscle imbalances; they present a lower electromyography activity of the stabilizing muscles of the patella and hip and show greater instability in activities such as step up and down compared to normal subjects.     

Multi-list methods using incomplete lists in closed populations

Multi-list methods have become a common application of capture-recapture methodology to estimate the size of human populations, and have been successfully applied to estimating prevalence of diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and drug abuse. A key assumption in multi-list methods is that individuals have a unique "tag" that allows them to be matched across all lists. This article develops multi-list methodology that relaxes the assumption of a single tag common to all lists. Estimates are found using estimating functions. An example illustrates its application for estimating the prevalence of diabetes, and a simulation study investigates conditions under which the methodology is robust to different list and population sizes.     

Establishment and characterization of equine autonomic ganglion cell lines to enable direct testing of candidate toxins involved in equine dysautonomia (grass sickness)

To enable direct testing of a range of potential toxins or pathogens that might be involved in grass sickness, equine thoracic sympathetic chain ganglion cell lines were established from primary cell cultures by retroviral-mediated transduction of the temperature-sensitive mutant of the establishment oncogene encoding SV40 large T antigen. Morphological and behavioral features, temperature dependence, and immunocytochemical characteristics of the cell lines were investigated. The majority of cells were noradrenergic neurons in which dopamine-β-hydroxylase, the enzyme that catalyzes norepinephrine synthesis, and neuropeptide Y coexisted. Cells treated with plasma from grass sickness cases that had previously been shown to induce autonomic nervous system damage when injected into normal horses showed significantly decreased mitochondrial function after 1 day. After 3 days exposure most cells showed severe degeneration in contrast to those treated with normal plasma. Liver and lung cell lines were also susceptible to plasma, suggesting that the toxin is not specifically neurotoxic. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.