Effects of shell morphological traits on the weight traits of Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum)

The shell length, height, and width, live body weight, and edible tissue weight of Manila clam of 1, 2, and 3 years of age were measured, and their correlation coefficients were calculated. The shell morphological traits were used as independent variables, and live body weight or edible tissue weigh used as a dependent variable for calculating the path coefficients, correlation index and determination coefficients. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between each shell morphological trait and the live body weight or edible tissue weight were all highly significant (P < 0. 01). The shell height at 1-year old clams was highly correlated with the live body weight and edible tissue weight. The shell width of 2- to 3-year-old clams was strongly associated with the live body weight, while the shell length was closely linked to the edible tissue weight. The results of coefficients of determination for the morphological traits against weight traits agreed well with the results of path analysis. The correlation indices for all morphological traits against weight traits were approximately the same as determination coefficients regardless of clam age. The correlation indices (R²) of morphological traits against the live body weight of clams of all ages and edible tissue weight of 1-year-old clams were larger than 0.85, but R² of morphological traits against the edible tissue weight of 2- and 3-year-old clams was smaller than 0.85, indicating that some other factors might be associated with the edible tissue weight of 2- and 3-year-old clams. Multiple regression equations were obtained to estimate shell length X₁ (cm), shell height X₂ (cm), shell width X₃ (cm) against live body weight Y (g), edible tissue weight Z (g): for 1-year-old clams: Y = ?4.317 + 0.18X₁ + 0.147X₂, (X₁ < 0.01, X₂ < 0.01), Z = ?1.011 + 0.095X₂, (X₂ < 0.01); for 2-year-old clams: Y = ?15.119 + 0.249X₁ + 0.176X₂ + 0.688X₃, (X₁ < 0.01, X₃ < 0.01), Z = ?4.248 + 0.198X₁, (X₁ < 0.05, X₃ < 0.01); and for 3-year-old clams: Y = ?25.013 + 0.415X₁ + 1.184X₃, (X₁ < 0.01, X₃ < 0.01), Z = ?7.082 + 0.119X₁ + 0.332X₃, (X₁ < 0.05, X₃ < 0.01).     

高州普通野生稻主要生殖性状的数理统计分析

高州野生稻各采样点的生殖特性表现出明显的多样性。对141份野生稻的花粉育性、裂药指数、胚囊育性和结实率进行通径分析。结果表明,花粉育性、裂药指数和胚囊育性决定了结实率变异的61．17％,其中裂药指数对结实率的直接作用最大,通径系数为0．6495;花粉育性和胚囊育性对结实率的直接作用较小,通径系数分别为0．2356和0．2137,花粉育性通过裂药指数还有较大的间接通径系数（0．2960）。通过系统聚类,将高州普通野生稻分为4群,并时各群进行方差分析和邓肯氏多重比较,可归纳为：Ⅰ群的花粉育性、胚囊育性和裂药指数对结实率影响小;Ⅱ群主要由胚囊育性影响结实率;Ⅲ群主要由裂药指数影响结实率;Ⅳ群主要由花粉育性和裂药指数共同影响结实率。     

甘蔗品质指标的通径分析和因子分析

应用通径分析和因子分析方法,对36个甘蔗品种（系）的11个品质指标数据进行分析。简单相关分析结果表明,甘蔗蔗糖分除了与蔗渣蒸煮液失水量没有显著相关外,与其他9个品质指标均有显著或极显著相关性。甘蔗纤维分与甘蔗出汁率、蔗汁折光锤度、蔗汁旋光读数、蔗汁直接转光度、蔗汁间接转光度和蔗渣含水量有极显著相关性,而与蔗渣蒸煮液失水量、蒸煮液的折光锤度和蒸煮液的旋光读数的相关性不显著。通径分析结果表明,甘蔗蔗糖分主要受甘蔗出汁率、蔗汁直接转光度、蔗汁间接转光度、蔗渣蒸煮液失水量和蒸煮液的旋光读数等5个指标影响较大,而甘蔗纤维分主要受甘蔗出汁率、蔗渣含水量、蔗渣蒸煮液失水量和蒸煮液的折光锤度等4个指标影响较大。因子分析结果表明,9个甘蔗品质指标可由4个主因子所代表。其特征值的累计贡献率迭94．30％。前3个主因子分别为蔗汁糖分指标因子、蔗渣糖分指标因子和蔗渣水分因子。其特征值的累计贡献率达83．06％,第4个主因子只有蔗渣蒸煮液失水量载荷值较大。     

Estradiol stimulates the biosynthetic pathways of breast cancer cells: detection by metabolic flux analysis

Selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulators are highly successful breast cancer therapies, but they are not effective in patients with ER negative and selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM)-resistant tumors. Understanding the mechanisms of estrogen-stimulated proliferation may provide a route to design estrogen-independent therapies that would be effective in these patients. In this study, metabolic flux analysis was used to determine the intracellular fluxes that are significantly affected by estradiol stimulation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Intracellular fluxes were calculated from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-generated isotope enrichment data and extracellular metabolite fluxes, using a specific flux analysis algorithm. The metabolic pathway model used by the algorithm includes glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle), the pentose phosphate pathway, glutamine catabolism, pyruvate carboxylase, and malic enzyme. The pathway model also incorporates mitochondrial compartmentalization and reversible trans-mitochondrial membrane reactions to more accurately describe the role of mitochondria in cancer cell proliferation. Flux results indicate that estradiol significantly increases carbon flow through the pentose phosphate pathway and increases glutamine consumption. In addition, intra-mitochondrial malic enzyme was found to be inactive and the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS) was only minimally active. The inactivity of these enzymes indicates that glutamine is not oxidized within mitochondria, but is consumed primarily to provide biosynthetic precursors. The excretion of glutamine carbons from the mitochondria has the secondary effect of limiting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) recycle, resulting in NADH buildup in the cytosol and the excretion of lactate. The observed dependence of breast cancer cells on pentose phosphate pathway activity and glutamine consumption for estradiol-stimulated biosynthesis suggests that these pathways may be targets for estrogen-independent breast cancer therapies.     

How desert ants cope with enforced detours on their way home

Summary We ask whether desert ants (Cataglyphis fortis) perform path integration on their homeward as well as on their outward journey. If path integration does occur on the return journey, then, after an enforced detour, the ant's trajectory should point directly at its nest. To test whether this is so, ants were trained to forage at a spot 25 m from their nest. As an ant began its return journey to the nest, it was caught and transported to a test area where it was released either 2 m or 12 m from a wide barrier which obstructed its homeward path. The direction of the ants' trajectory after detouring around the barrier corresponded closely to that predicted on the assumption that the home vector is accurately updated during the detour.     

Desert ant navigation: how miniature brains solve complex tasks

This essay presents and discusses the state of the art in studies of desert ant (Cataglyphis) navigation. In dealing with behavioural performances, neural mechanisms, and ecological functions these studies ultimately aim at an evolutionary understanding of the insect's navigational toolkit: its skylight (polarization) compass, its path integrator, its view-dependent ways of recognizing places and following landmark routes, and its strategies of flexibly interlinking these modes of navigation to generate amazingly rich behavioural outputs. The general message is that Cataglyphis uses path integration as an egocentric guideline to acquire continually updated spatial information about places and routes. Hence, it relies on procedural knowledge, and largely context-dependent retrieval of such knowledge, rather than on all-embracing geocentred representations of space.This revised version was published online in July 2003 with corrections to the text of the sections "Skylight compass" and "Path integration".     

Homing in fiddler crabs (Uca lactea annulipes and Uca vomeris : Ocypodidae)

Fiddler crabs emerge from burrows on intertidal sand- and mudflats to feed during low tide. In the species studied here (Uca lactea annulipes, Uca vomeris) a crab normally wanders no more than about 1 m away from its burrow and, when frightened, dashes back along a straight line to take cover. Feeding crabs tend to move sideways, without changing orientation, along paths radiating from the burrow. When they move along circumferential paths they adjust their orientation so that one side continues to point towards the burrow. The crabs do not need to see the burrow in order to stay aligned with the home vector, and they are not misled by a dummy hole close to their own burrow unless they have come to within about 10 cm of it. The home runs of crabs end within a few centimeters of a burrow that is covered with a sheet of sandpaper and then give way to search runs, centred upon a position slightly short of the burrow location. Feeding crabs can be displaced on sandpapers and their subsequent home runs end at a position where the burrow would be, had there been no displacement. Landmarks close to the burrow do not influence the home runs of displaced crabs. Crabs that are rotated on a sheet of sandpaper, counter-turn to keep their original orientation constant. Fiddler crabs thus employ path integration with external compass information and close range visual guidance for homing. Accepted: 11 May 1998     

甘蓝油菜雌蕊中花粉管生长途径的钙离子定位

用焦锑酸钾定位 Ca~(2 )的技术,证明了甘蓝油菜(Brassica napus)柱头乳突细胞的少量分泌物、柱头表皮下的引导组织细胞间隙、花柱引导组织细胞壁外表面和胞间隙的分泌物以及子房假隔膜分泌区的表皮细胞外和内部引导组织细胞壁外表面和胞间隙的分泌物中均有 Ca~(2 )沉淀存在,而花柱皮层薄壁细胞无此种现象。花粉管生长的整个途径中 Ca~(2 )的存在与花粉管在雌蕊中的定向生长有关。     

阻力赋值对景观连接模拟的影响

景观连接度是研究景观结构和生态过程互馈关系的重要内容。在最小成本路径模拟中整合图论理论可有效辨识、评价斑块之间的潜在连接,近些年逐步应用于景观连接模拟、生态网络构建等研究中。理论上,模型的重要参数之一,生物体通过不同景观单元的阻力系数应根据观测与实验等实证研究获取,但大多数情况下简化为土地适宜性评价结合专家经验为土地利用/覆盖类型打分,存在一定主观性与不确定性。因此,设计了1个三因素(阻力赋值方式、景观粒度和景观整体破碎度)的析因实验,以SIMMAP2.0景观中性模型产生的8个模拟景观为对象,研究不同的景观格局下,阻力赋值方式对连接模拟的影响;探讨、总结经验赋值带来的不确定性。结果表明,这3个因素均对景观连接模拟产生显著影响,并存在一定交互作用;阻力赋值绝对大小不会对模拟产生影响;而赋值倾向性能够显著改变最小成本路径的空间位置,并且这种影响程度依赖于景观粒度大小,而与景观整体破碎度交互关系不显著。针对阻力赋值方式与景观结构特征交互作用下连接模拟的规律性变化,提出一些建议,以提高连接模拟的准确性。