Photosynthetic efficiency and nitrogen distribution under different nitrogen management and relationship with physiological N-use efficiency in three rice genotypes

Nitrogen fertilization strategies were widely adopted to enhance grain production and improve nitrogen utilization in rice all over the world. For fertilization timing strategy, ear fertilization was usually employed in recent years. For fertilization amount strategy, nitrogen fertilization would continually increase to meet the demands of increasing people for food. However, under heavy ear fertilization as well as great nitrogen amount (NA), physiological N-use efficiency (PE, defined as grain production per unit nitrogen uptake by plants) decreased. Under three NA and two ratios of fertilization given during ear development period to total NA (ear fertilization distribution ratio, EFDR), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), Pn to nitrogen content per unit area (photosynthetic N-use efficiency, Pn/N), nitrogen accumulation in plant tissues and PE of three rice (Oryza sativaL.) genotypes, Jinyou 253, Liangyoupeijiu and Baguixiang were screened in the first and second seasons in 2002 so as to understand the fluctuation patterns of Pn/N and nitrogen distribution in leaf blades under great NA & EFDR and relationship with PE in rice. Results showed that under greater NA & EFDR, Pn in flag leaves at heading and plant nitrogen accumulation at maturity always increased and PE & Pn/N always decreased in spite of increased grain production. Rice distributed more nitrogen in leaf blade under greater NA and EFDR. PE indicated significantly (P<0.05) positive relationship with Pn/N and negative relationship with nitrogen distribution ratio in leaf blades at heading and maturity, and no association with Pn in two growing seasons. Results suggested that low PE in rice under great NA and heavy ear fertilization is associated to more nitrogen distribution in leaf blades and decreases in photosynthetic efficiency.     

F1代西藏小型猪早期生长发育特点

目的研究西藏小型猪早期生长发育的规律。方法对本基地F1代西藏小型猪的体重、体长、胸围、体高、体温、呼吸频率、心率及血液生理生化指标进行了测定。结果西藏小型猪体型小,生长性能稳定,生长速度与原产地西藏小型猪基本一致;西藏小型猪的体温、呼吸次数和心率与原产地西藏小型猪相近,且雌雄之间差异不显著(P>0.05);F1代雌雄间除嗜碱性粒细胞、单核细胞数和尿素氮外其他指标也基本一致,大部分指标与人接近。结论由于西藏小型猪体型小、生长性能稳定,血液生理生化值与人类相近,因而是理想的医学研究用实验动物。     

C57-ras致癌性转基因小鼠模型的脏器及血液学参数

目的测定自主建立的致癌性转基因动物模型C57-ras小鼠的血液生理生化值和主要脏器重量,计算脏器系数并作统计学分析。方法选取同窝C57-ras转基因阳性和阴性小鼠,雌雄各半,采血,测量血液生理指标和血清生化指标,并称主要脏器重量。结果 C57-ras转基因阳性雌鼠和阴性雌鼠间比较,NEUT、NEUT%存在显著性差异（P〈0.05）,PCT存在极显著性差异（P〈0.01）。C57-ras转基因阳性雄鼠和阴性雄鼠间比较,RBC、HCT、PLT、PCT存在显著性差异（P〈0.05）,MON%存在极显著性差异（P〈0.01）。血清生化指标中,ALT和TG存在显著性差异（P〈0.05）。主要脏器重量和脏器系数比较结果显示,除C57-ras转基因阳性雌鼠和阴性雌鼠在肺重量存在极显著性差异（P〈0.01）外,其余均无显著性差异（P〉0.05）。结论新建C57-ras致癌性转基因小鼠模型和正常C57BL/6小鼠的主要生物学特性基本一致,利于该模型在致癌性安全性评价等领域的实际应用。     

顺乌头酸酶基因在杀雄剂SQ-1诱导小麦雄性不育花药中的表达分析

采用RT-PCR技术,克隆了小麦胞质顺乌头酸酶基因(cACO)部分cDNA序列.该cDNA序列长1368bp,编码456个氨基酸,GenBank登录号为GU475062.半定量RT-PCR结果表明,在生理型不育和可育花药发育的单核早期至三核期,cACO基因的表达水平均表现为先升后降;在生理型不育花药发育的单核晚期cACO基因表达水平与同期可育花药相比显著升高,到二核期和三核期明显降低,ACO酶活性变化表现出相同趋势.这反映出在小麦生理型不育系中,cACO基因在花药败育关键期异常表达可能影响了花药发育过程中正常的能量供应和物质代谢,导致花粉发育能量不足和所需物质匮乏,从而导致了非遗传型花药败育现象.     

Water flow influences oxygen transport and photosynthetic efficiency in corals

Recent studies indicate that the incidence and persistence of damage from coral reef bleaching are often highest in areas of restricted water motion, and that resistance to and recovery from bleaching is increased by enhanced water motion. We examined the hypothesis that water motion increases the efflux of oxygen from coral tissue thereby reducing oxidative stress on the photosynthetic apparatus of endosymbiotic zooxanthellae. We experimentally exposed colonies of Montastrea annularis and Agaricia agaricites to manipulations of water flow, light intensity, and oxygen concentration in the field using a novel mini-flume. We measured photosynthetic efficiency using a pulse amplitude modulated fluorometer to test the short-term response of corals to our manipulations. Under normal oxygen concentrations, A. agaricites showed a significant 8% increase in photosynthetic efficiency from 0.238 (± 0.032) in still water to 0.256 (± 0.037) in 15 cm s⁻¹ flow, while M. annularis exhibited no detectable change. Under high-ambient oxygen concentrations, the observed effect of flow on A. agaricites was reversed: photosynthetic efficiencies showed a significant 11% decrease from 0.236 (± 0.056) in still water to 0.211 (± 0.048) in 15 cm s⁻¹ flow. These results support the hypothesis that water motion helps to remove oxygen from coral tissues during periods of maximal photosynthesis. Flow mitigation of oxidative stress may at least partially explain the increased incidence and severity of coral bleaching in low flow areas and observations of enhanced recovery in high-flow areas.     

Effect of pedal rate on diurnal variations in cardiorespiratory variables

Recently, it was observed that the freely chosen pedal rate of elite cyclists was significantly lower at 06:00 than at 18:00 h, and that ankle kinematics during cycling exhibits diurnal variation. The modification of the pedaling technique and pedal rate observed throughout the day could be brought about to limit the effect of diurnal variation on physiological variables. Imposing a pedal rate should limit the subject's possibility of adaptation and clarify the influence of time of day on physiological variables. The purpose of this study was to determine whether diurnal variation in cardiorespiratory variables depends on pedal rate. Ten male cyclists performed a submaximal 15 min exercise on a cycle ergometer (50% W_max). Five test sessions were performed at 06:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, and 22:00 h. The exercise bout was divided into three equivalent 5 min periods during which different pedal rates were imposed (70 rev · min^-1, 90 rev · min^-1 and 120 rev · min^-1). No significant diurnal variation was observed in heart rate and oxygen consumption, whatever the pedal rate. A significant diurnal variation was observed in minute ventilation (p=0.01). In addition, the amplitude of the diurnal variation in minute ventilation depended on pedal rate: the higher the pedal rate, the greater the amplitude of its diurnal variation (p=0.03). The increase of minute ventilation throughout the day is mainly due to variation in breath frequency (p=0.01)—the diurnal variation of tidal volume (all pedal rate conditions taken together) being non-significant—but the effect of pedal rate×time of day interaction on minute ventilation specific to the higher pedal rate conditions (p=0.03) can only be explained by the increase of tidal volume throughout the day. Even though an influence of pedal rate on diurnal rhythms in overall physiological variables was not also evidenced, high pedal rate should have been imposed when diurnal variations of physiological variables in cycling were studied.     

The ‘requirement of total evidence’ and its role in phylogenetic systematics

The question of whether or not to partition data for the purposes of inferring phylogenetic hypotheses remains controversial. Opinions have been especially divided since Kluge's (1989, Systematic Zoology 38, 7–25) claim that data partitioning violates the requirement of total evidence (RTE). Unfortunately, advocacy for or against the RTE has not been based on accurate portrayals of the requirement. The RTE is a basic maxim for non-deductive inference, stipulating that evidence must be considered if it has relevance to an inference. Evidence is relevant if it has a positive or negative effect on a given conclusion. In the case of ℈partitioned’ phylogenetic inferences, the RTE is violated, and the basis for rational belief in any conclusion is compromised, unless it is shown that the partitions are evidentially irrelevant to one another. The goal of phylogenetic systematics is to hypothesize past causal conditions to account for observed shared similarities among two or more species. Such inferences are non-deductive, necessitating consideration of the RTE. Some phylogeneticists claim the parsimony criterion as justification for the RTE. There is no relation between the two – parsimony is a relation between a hypothesis and causal question(s). Parsimony does not dictate the content of premises prior to an inference. ℈Taxonomic congruence,’ ℈supertrees,’ and ℈conditional combination’ methods violate the RTE. Taxonomic congruence and supertree methods also fail to achieve the intended goal of phylogenetic inference, such that ℈consensus trees’ and ℈supertrees’ lack an empirical basis. ℈Conditional combination’ is problematic because hypotheses derived from partitioned data cannot be compared – a causal hypothesis inferred to account for a set of effects only has relevance to those effects, not any comparative relevance to other causal hypotheses. A similar problem arises in the comparisons of hypotheses derived from different causal theories.     

Cd对桑叶品质,生理生化特性的影响及其机理研究

土壤中不同浓度的Ｃｄ对桑叶产量、品质、生理生化特性的影响以及Ｃｄ在桑叶亚细胞各组分中分布量的研究表明,当土壤Ｃｄ浓度小于２２．３ｍｇ·ｋｇ－１时,桑叶产量、可溶性糖和含氯化合物含量高于或接近对照;桑叶叶绿素含量、细胞膜透性和超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化物酶及蛋白酶的活性无明显影响或有促进．当土壤Ｃｄ浓度大于２２．３ｍｇ·ｋｇ－１时,Ｃｄ对桑叶产量、营养物质含量、生理生化作用的影响随之明显,并表现其毒害作用．根据Ｃｄ在桑叶亚细胞组分中的分布规律．对其影响机理进行了探讨,说明桑树是一种具有一定耐Ｃｄ性的经济作物．因此,可利用其耐Ｃｄ性,在被Ｃｄ污染土地上种植桑树．