Biological samples taken from Native American Ancestors are human remains under NAGPRA

In the United States, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) provides a specific framework for the disposition of Native American Ancestral remains within its purview. However, samples such as a bone fragment, tooth, or other biological tissue taken from the remains of these Ancestors have been treated by institutions and researchers as independent of the individual from whom they were removed and used in destructive research such as paleogenomic and other archaeometric analyses without consultation, consent, and collaboration from Native American communities; are not cared for in keeping with the current best practices for Indigenous Ancestors; and are not likely to be repatriated to their communities. Here, we demonstrate that any biological samples removed from Ancestors who are covered under NAGPRA must also be handled according to the stipulations defined for “human remains” within the legislation. As such, we are not proposing a change to existing legislation, but rather best practices, specific to the context of the United States and NAGPRA, relating to the use of and care for biological samples taken from Native American Ancestors.     

一株C3形态多重耐药大肠杆菌噬菌体生物学特性和基因组分析

【目的】多重耐药菌的出现对公共卫生安全构成严重威胁,本研究分离多重耐药大肠杆菌噬菌体,研究其生物学特性和基因组特征,为耐药菌的噬菌体疗法提供理论依据。【方法】使用双层平板法从污水样本中分离纯化大肠杆菌噬菌体;磷钨酸染色后通过透射电镜观察形态;测定其宿主范围,测定温度和pH稳定性、一步生长曲线和体外抑菌效果等生物学特性;体内抑菌试验评估噬菌体对多重耐药大肠杆菌N1203-1Af感染的大蜡螟幼虫的保护作用;基于全基因组测序对其基因组特点进行分析。【结果】本研究分离共得到5株大肠杆菌噬菌体,分别命名为pEC-S163-2.1、pEC-S163-2.2、pEC-M1167-5Ar.1、pEC-m1291-2Dr.1和pEC-N1203-2Af.1;电镜结果显示噬菌体pEC-N1203-2Af.1属于短尾噬菌体中罕见的C3形态型,头部较长,长是宽的2–3倍;pEC-N1203-2Af.1可裂解受试15株大肠杆菌中的3株;感染10 min后进入指数增长期,–20-50℃、pH值为4.0–10.0的环境下均能够保持稳定活性;大蜡螟幼虫感染大肠杆菌N1203-2Af后噬菌体pEC-N1203-2Af....     

Life histories ofPsyllaephagus yaseeni (Hym., Encyrtidae) andTamarixia leucaenae (Hym., Eulophidae), parasitoids of the leucaena psyllidHeteropsylla cubana

Age specific fecundity of two parasitoids,P. yaseeni andT. leucaenae, of the leucaena psyllidH. cubana, were studied under laboratory conditions. At 25 °C,P. yaseeni had a greater fecundity (R₀=192.9)_thanT. leucaenae (R₀=71.2);T. leucaenae however had a lower sex ratio (about 99 % females) thanP. yaseeni (about 50 % females). Innate capacity for increase (r_m=0.236) ofT. leucaenae was higher thanP. yaseeni (r_m=0.188). Developmental rates of the parasitoids were examined at constant and fluctuating temperatures and equations of the rate of development against temperature were calculated. At 25 °C, mean generation times were 28.0 and 18.1 days forP. yaeseeni andT. leucaenae respectively. At temperatures of 21.5, 25, and 30 °C total development times (egg to adult) were 28.5, 21.9, and 14.7 days inP. yaseeni and 19.2, 12.6, and 9.5 days inT. leucaenae respectively. The level of parasitism was low and pupal mortality was high at the lower temperature of 21.5 °C for both parasitoids. Both parasitoids showed poor survivorship at 100 % RH,P. yaseeni survived particularly well (32 days) at a temperature of 21.5 °C and 44 or 76 % RH. P. yaseeni allocated about 58 % females to first instar psyllid nymphs but only 12 % females to second instars. About 99 % of allT. leucaenae births were females. Significantly largerT. leucaenae females emerged from fifth instar parasitized nymphs than third or fourth instars.     

Survey of the parasitoids of the tuliptree aphid,Illinoia liriodendri (Hom: Aphididae), in northern California

A survey of the parasitoids ofIllinoia liriodendri (Monell) in northern California conducted from 1988–1990 revealed the presence of 12 primary and 14 hyper-parasitoid species. The most common primary parasitoid wasAphidius polygonaphis (Fitch), which was imported from the eastern United States in the 1970's and is now established throughout the area. New host records were noted forA. ervi Haliday,A. avenaphis (Fitch), Praon occidentale Baker,P. unicum Smith,Diaeretiella rapae M'Intosh,Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson), andMonoctonus nervosus (Haliday) (all Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae), andAphelinus sp. nr.asychis Walker (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). The most common hyperparasitoid species werePachyneuron aphidis (Bouché) andAsaphes californicus Girault (both Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). New hyperparasitoid host records were noted forPachyneuron californicum Girault on Aphidiine and Aphelinidae spp. andCoruna clavata Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) onAphelinus sp.     

A study of intermediates involved in the folding pathway for recombinant human macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF): evidence for two distinct folding pathways.

The folding pathway for a 150-amino acid recombinant form of the dimeric cytokine human macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) has been studied. All 14 cysteine residues in the biologically active homodimer are involved in disulfide linkages. The structural characteristics of folding intermediates blocked with iodoacetamide reveal a rapid formation of a small amount of a non-native dimeric intermediate species followed by a slow progression via both monomeric and dimeric intermediates to the native dimer. The transition from monomer to fully folded dimer is complete within 25 h at room temperature at pH 9.0. The blocked intermediates are stable under conditions of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and thus represent various dimeric and folded monomeric species of the protein with different numbers of disulfide bridges. Peptide mapping and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed that a folded monomeric species of M-CSF contained three of the four native disulfide bridges, and this folded monomer also showed some biological activity in a cell-based assay. The results presented here strongly suggest that M-CSF can fold via two different pathways, one involving monomeric intermediates and another involving only dimeric intermediates.     

环境DNA在两栖动物监测中的应用研究进展

两栖动物是我国受威胁程度最高的动物类群,加强两栖动物资源调查和多样性监测,是开展两栖动物保护和濒危物种拯救行动的关键性基础工作。传统的两栖动物监测主要以形态学和声学为基础,耗时费力,且难以发现一些隐蔽性较强的稀有物种。基于环境DNA(environmental DNA, eDNA)的调查方法以其快速、灵敏、高效、无创等独特优势,为两栖动物多样性监测及保护提供了新的工具。综述了eDNA在两栖动物多样性监测、外来入侵和珍稀濒危物种调查、物种丰度或生物量估测等研究领域的应用进展,分析了两栖动物eDNA产生、扩散、迁移和降解的动态变化特征及其关键影响因子,探讨了eDNA应用于两栖动物监测研究的局限性并提出了优化建议,同时对未来的研究方向进行了展望,以充分挖掘eDNA在两栖动物监测中的应用潜力,为两栖动物多样性保护和管理提供新的思路。     

The rhabditid nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita as a potential biological control agent for slugs

A nematode, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, known to be associated with slugs but not previously thought to be parasitic, was shown to be a parasite capable of killing the pest slug Deroceras reticulatum. The parasite infects slugs in the area beneath the mantle surrounding the shell, causing a disease with characteristic symptoms, particularly swelling of the mantle. Infection leads to death of the slug, usually between seven and 21 days afterwards. The nematode then spreads and multiplies in the cadaver. In an experiment where individual D. reticulatum were exposed to different numbers of P. hermaphrodita, a significant positive relationship was found between nematode dose and slug mortality. In two experiments on host range, the nematode was found to infect and kill all pest slug species tested: Deroceras caruanae, Arion distinctus, Arion silvaticus, Arion intermedius, Arion ater, Tandonia sowerbyi and T. budapestensis, in addition to D. reticulatum.     

荒漠藓类植物齿肋赤藓对4年积雪深度变化的生理生化响应

冬季降雪作为古尔班通古特沙漠最主要的降水形式,在荒漠生物土壤结皮的稳定和发育发挥重要作用。全球的持续变暖和极端气候事件的频繁发生导致荒漠冬季的积雪格局发生重大变化。荒漠藓类植物作为荒漠重要地被类型生物土壤结皮的重要组成成分,在生理生化层面将如何响应长期的积雪深度变化还不清楚。因此,通过野外设置去除积雪(-S)、自然积雪(S)、2倍积雪(2S)和3倍积雪(3S) 4个积雪梯度,探讨经历4年积雪深度变化下齿肋赤藓(Syntrichia caninervis)的生理生化特征。结果表明,积雪深度变化显著影响了齿肋赤藓的植株含水量、最大光化学量子产量(F_v/F_m)、实际光化学效率(Y(II))、渗透调节物质含量和抗氧化酶活性。与去除积雪处理相比,随着积雪深度的增加,齿肋赤藓的植株含水量、F_v/F_m和Y(II)呈现增加趋势,而植株内的游离脯氨酸、可溶性蛋白、可溶性糖、丙二醛(MDA)含量和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)及过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性呈现降低趋势。相关性分析显示,齿肋赤藓的F_...