Environmental heterogeneity patterns and predictive models of chlorophyll a in a Brazilian coastal lagoon

The spatial and temporal patterns of environmental heterogeneity in a Brazilian coastal lagoon were described by means of principal component analysis. Carapebus Lagoon has been subject to eutrophication, due to increased nutrient loading from domestic and industrial sewage. Spatial variations in the trophic state and temporal variations in the degree of marine influence are the major sources of environmental heterogeneity in this lagoon. The close and significant relation between total phosphorus and chlorophyll a (r² = 60, p <0.05), and the high TN:TP ratios (up to 50:1) suggest that phosphorus might be the major nutrient controlling phytoplankton biomass in this lagoon. However, nitrogen might be more important as a growth-limiting nutrient in the eutrophic site of the lagoon, where high total phosphorus concentration (up to 338 μg l-1) and low TN:TP mass ratios (<10:1) were found. In a multiple regression model, total phosphorus and electric conductivity explained together a high and significant (R²=0.86, p < 0.001) amount of variance in chlorophyll yields. This predictive model of chlorophyll a is important as a tool for Carapebus lagoon management because it allows one to predict the algal biomass development of the lagoon in response to nutrients and marine water inputs resulting from man's activities. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A statistical evaluation of the basis for predicting stature from lengths of long bones in European populations

The differences between the variance structures of the bivariate pairs (height, length of the femur) and (height, length of the tibia) are insignificant when estimated from male and female samples of European derived populations, thus the regression lines for the predictions of height are parallel. The variance of height in samples of predicted heights is discussed and the consequences for the statistical analysis of average heights are indicated.     

Geographical variation in photoperiodic induction of larval diapause in the bruchid beetle, Bruchidius dorsalis: polymorphism in overwintering stages

The bruchid beetle, Bruchidius dorsalis Fahraeus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), has a multivoltine life cycle and shows geographical variation of overwintering stages in Japan. Our previous study found that B. dorsalis enters larval diapause in the final instar under short photoperiods. In cooler areas, we observed that most individuals overwinter in the final larval stage in diapause, whereas beetles at different developmental stages (non‐diapausing young instars, diapausing instars, and adults) were overwintering in warmer areas. In this study, we investigated geographical variation in the photoperiodic response for induction of larval diapause at 20 °C (three populations) and 24 °C (two populations) to clarify the overwintering strategy of B. dorsalis. We observed that (1) diapause incidence at 20 °C changed sharply from ca. 100% to 0% with a change in photoperiod in all the populations, (2) critical photoperiod was longer at 20 °C in populations from cooler areas, and (3) critical photoperiod at 24 °C was shorter than at 20 °C and a fraction of the larvae did not enter diapause, even under short photoperiods. Overwintering stages estimated from these results were consistent with those actually observed in the field. This study indicates that the geographical variation of overwintering stages is likely to reflect adaptive diapause induction in each local environment.     

Conspecific thistle plant selection by a herbivorous ladybird beetle, Epilachna pustulosa

Host selection by Epilachna pustulosa Kôno (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was surveyed in an area of about 130 ares, focusing on the role of the spatial distribution pattern of the host plant, thistle Cirsium kamtschaticum Ledeb. (Asteraceae) and the environmental conditions of habitats where thistle plants were growing. A total of 198 thistle clones were found in the area studied, and approximately 40% showed some degree of E. pustulosa infestation by July. Eggs were only oviposited on thistle clones that were fed on by adults. Adult beetles and egg masses of E. pustulosa showed an aggregated distribution in the earlier season (June) among thistle clones. The distribution of adults became more random (but still aggregated) by the later season (July), along with an increase in the number of infested clones. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that clone size and soil moisture were consistently important for the beetle's choice of clones to feed on. The other logistic regression analyses indicated that thistle‐clone size and sunlight condition influenced egg distribution. Thistle clone selection by E. pustulosa changed with season from a rather strict selection in June to a more obscure one in July, expanding the range of thistle clones used as feeding and oviposition substrate.     

Confidence Interval for Rate Ratio in a 2 × 2 Table with Structural Zero: An Application in Assessing False-Negative Rate Ratio When Combining Two Diagnostic Tests

Summary . In this article, we consider problems with correlated data that can be summarized in a 2 × 2 table with structural zero in one of the off‐diagonal cells. Data of this kind sometimes appear in infectious disease studies and two‐step procedure studies. Lui (1998, Biometrics 54, 706–711) considered confidence interval estimation of rate ratio based on Fieller‐type, Wald‐type, and logarithmic transformation statistics. We reexamine the same problem under the context of confidence interval construction on false‐negative rate ratio in diagnostic performance when combining two diagnostic tests. We propose a score statistic for testing the null hypothesis of nonunity false‐negative rate ratio. Score test–based confidence interval construction for false‐negative rate ratio will also be discussed. Simulation studies are conducted to compare the performance of the new derived score test statistic and existing statistics for small to moderate sample sizes. In terms of confidence interval construction, our asymptotic score test–based confidence interval estimator possesses significantly shorter expected width with coverage probability being close to the anticipated confidence level. In terms of hypothesis testing, our asymptotic score test procedure has actual type I error rate close to the pre‐assigned nominal level. We illustrate our methodologies with real examples from a clinical laboratory study and a cancer study.     

VARIATION IN NUMBER OF APICAL RAMIFICATIONS AND VEGETATIVE CELL LENGTH IN FRESHWATER POPULATIONS OF CLADOPHORA (ULVOPHYCEAE,CHLOROPHYTA)1

Populations of Cladophora with two different levels of ploidy, n = 18/2n = 36 (18/36) and n = 24/2n = 48 (24/48), are present in creeks in the southern part of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The goals of our study were to 1) relate the number of apical branches · mm^?2 in 18/36 and 24/48 populations with the water velocity at the collection site; 2) correlate the number of apical ramifications · mm^?2 in plants of the same population (24/48) growing in sectors with distinct water velocities; 3) compare cell length among populations with different ploidy levels, analyzing the sources of variation in different sectors of the same creek and in different plants of the same sector; and 4) analyze the sources of variation in cell length in 24/48 populations, including variations among different creeks. Our results suggest that 1) the number of branches · mm^?2 tends to increase with higher water velocity; 2) the 24/48 populations have more ramifications · mm^?2 than the 18/36 ones; 3) the length of vegetative cells is not an adequate criterion for differentiating between 18/36 and 24/48 populations; and 4) variations in vegetative cell length in 24/48 populations are highly significant among plants from different sectors of the same creek.     

Combining the enantioselectivity of a cyclodextrin and a diamide selector in a mixed binary gas‐chromatographic chiral stationary phase

The present work reports on the investigation of a mixed binary chiral stationary phase (CSP) prepared by simultaneous attachment of permethylated‐β‐cyclodextrin ( D selector) and resorcinarene with pendant l ‐ or d ‐valine diamide groups ( L′ and D′ selectors, respectively) to a polysiloxane matrix via platinum‐catalyzed hydrosilylation. The gas‐chromatographic investigation of a number of racemates on the four different CSPs ( D, D′, DD′, and DL′ ) showed that the enantioselectivity of the individual chiral selectors was retained in the mixed binary CSPs. As a consequence, hydrocarbons, underivatized alcohols, ketones, and almost all proteinogenic amino acid derivatives could be separated simultaneously on each of the mixed CSPs. Matched and mismatched cases of enantioseparation on the mixed binary CSPs were observed but turned out to be of minor importance for enantiomeric separation. In general, more racemates were separated with α ≥ 1.02 on the mixed phases as compared to the single phases. In order to analyze the influence of the presence of the diamide selector on the enantioselectivity of the cyclodextrin selector, a mixed ternary CSP containing the selector D and a racemic mixture of the selectors D′ and L′ [ D ( D′L′ )] was prepared and investigated. Merits and limitations of the approach of mixed binary CSPs are discussed. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Chirality     

pBIN20: An Improved Binary Vector for shape Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation

We report the construction of a binary vector for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation, pBIN20, which contains a superlinker region located between the left and right Ti border sequences. This vector, derived from pBI121, simplifies the cloning of plant expression cassettes and has been used in our laboratory to create lines of transgenic BY-2 tobacco cells. This new vector contains more than 20 unique restriction sites as well as the nptII selectable marker gene within the Ti-DNA borders.     

Prediction of nitrogen availability and rice yield in lowland soils: Nitrogen mineralization parameters

Field experiments were conducted under flooded soil conditions using Maahas clay amended with urea and rice straw-sesbania mixtures during the wet and dry seasons. Parallel laboratory incubation tests were done. The objectives were 1) to determine N mineralization patterns and establish the relationship between mineralization parameters and either N availability or grain yield, and 2) to correlate the results of organic N mineralization studies in the laboratory with data from field experiments. The N mineralization patterns of flooded soils in the laboratory followed a logistic function. In laboratory studies, mineralization potential was positively correlated with extractable soil NH₄ ⁺-N at the end of the incubation period (cumulative available N). Likewise, mineralization potential calculated from laboratory studies was positively correlated with N uptake and grain yield from field studies. Extractable (NH₄ ⁺+NO₃ ^–)-N in the field correlated positively with extractable NH₄ ⁺-N in the laboratory. The extractable NH₄ ⁺-N from laboratory incubations at 14 days after transplanting, panicle initiation, and maturity was also highly and positively correlated with grain yield from field experiments.