A comparison of four different fine root production estimates with ecosystem carbon balance data in a Fagus–Quercus mixed forest

The controversy on how to measure fine root production of forests (P) most accurately continues. We applied four different approaches to determine annual rates of P in an old-growth temperate Fagus sylvatica–Quercus petraea stand: sequential soil coring with minimum–maximum calculation, sequential coring with compartmental flow calculation, the ingrowth core method, and a recently developed root chamber method for measuring the growth of individual fine roots in situ. The results of the four destructive approaches differed by an order of magnitude and, thus, are likely to introduce large errors in estimating P. The highest annual rates of P were obtained from the sequential coring approach with compartmental flow calculation, intermediate rates by sequential coring with minimum–maximum calculation, and low ones by both the root growth chamber and ingrowth core approaches. A carbon budget for the stand was set up based on a model of annual net carbon gain by the canopy and measurements on carbon sink strength (annual leaf, branch and stem growth). The budget implied that a maximum of 27% of the net carbon gain was available for allocation to fine root growth. When compared to the carbon budget data, the sequential coring/compartmental flow approach overestimated annual fine root production substantially; whereas the ingrowth core and root growth chamber approaches grossly underestimated P rates. With an overestimation of about 25% the sequential coring/minimum–maximum approach demonstrated the best agreement with the carbon budget data. It is concluded that the most reliable estimate of P in this temperate forest will be obtained by applying the sequential coring/minimum–maximum approach, conducted with a large number of replicate samples taken on a few dates per season, in conjunction with direct root growth observation by minirhizotrons.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology in the work-up of mammographic and ultrasonographic findings in breast cancer screening: an attempt at differentiating in situ and invasive carcinoma.

This study evaluated the results of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from the first four years of organized mammography screening for breast cancer in Oslo, particularly our policy in differentiating in situ and invasive carcinoma. Lesions were aspirated directly, ultrasound guided, by stereotaxic device or biopsy localization plate. All lesions were aspirated by cytopathologists working with the radiologists at the breast diagnostic centre. Smears were evaluated immediately for assessment of adequacy and a preliminary diagnosis was given to the surgeon. When FNAC revealed malignancy, diagnostic terms were as follows: (1) invasive carcinoma; (2) ductal carcinoma in situ of comedo type (high nuclear grade), cannot evaluate infiltration; (3) ductal carcinoma in situ of low nuclear grade and (4) papillary tumour, cannot evaluate infiltration. There were 953 cases, 70% of which were nonpalpable. Insufficient material was obtained in 5.8%. Absolute and complete sensitivity were 81% and 91%, respectively. Specificity was 85%. There were 448 histologically proven carcinomas. 383 of these were invasive. 362 carcinomas (in situ and invasive) (80.8%) were diagnosed directly on FNAC. Distinction between invasive and in situ carcinoma was possible in 294 of 320 directly diagnosed invasive carcinomas (91.8%). PPV of a diagnosis of invasive carcinoma was 97%. Our data showed that definitive cytological diagnosis of invasive carcinoma was possible in more than 90% of fully diagnostic smears and allowed definitive primary surgery in these women.     

Fine needle aspiration in nodular fasciitis of the face

Nodular fasciitis (NF) appears typically as a rapidly growing solitary mass which is most commonly located on the extremities, followed by the trunk and then the head and neck. NF is often suitable for fine needle aspiration (FNA), but few reports of NF diagnosed cytologically have been published. The purpose of this paper is to describe FNA cytology in three cases of nodular fasciitis. All three cases were located on the face.     

金属叶绿素a配位结构的研究

在丙酮溶液中合成得到镧-叶绿素a、钐-叶绿素a和铜-叶绿素a复合物,并研究了它们的紫外可见光谱（UV-Vis）、Fourier红外光谱（FT-IR）和EXAFS结构.镧-叶绿素a、钐-叶绿素a和铜-叶绿素a的UV-Vis谱、FT-IR谱与叶绿素a（含镁）的光谱性质相似,但与脱镁叶绿素a的光谱性质差异很大.证明了La³⁺、Sm³⁺、Cu²⁺已配位到脱镁叶绿素的卟啉环上,形成了镧-叶绿素a、钐-叶绿素a和铜-叶绿素a复合物.通过扩展X射线吸收精细结构谱(EXAFS)研究表明：合成镧-叶绿素a、钐-叶绿素a具有双层夹心结构.La(Ⅲ)、Sm(Ⅲ)夹于两个卟啉环之间, 与上下卟啉环上共八个N原子配位, La-N平均键长0.261 nm,Sm-N平均键长0.243 nm, 而铜-叶绿素a的EXAFS表明为一单层结构,Cu(Ⅱ)与卟啉环中的四个N原子配位,Cu-N平均键长0.197 nm.元素分析也证明镧-叶绿素a、钐-叶绿素a为双层结构,铜-叶绿素a为单层结构.     

Heteropolarity in unicellular cyanobacteria: structure and development ofCyanocystis violacea

Cyanocystis violacea isolated from a marine rock sample conforms with the diagnosis ofDermocarpa violacea Crouan in all significant characteristics. The distinct heteropolarity of the cells and simultaneous cell divisions, are stable characters in culture. Development and growth of cells, simultaneous cell division and nanocyte formation have been documented by single-cell slide cultures and fine structural studies. The reddish violet color of the cytoplasm is due to the abundance of phycoerythrin.This paper is dedicated to Prof. DrLothar Geitler, whose monumental contribution to the knowledge of blue-green algae will remain the basis for future studies on these organisms for many years to come. One of us (EIF) was fortunate enough to have had Prof.Geitler as his major professor. All of us consider Prof.Geitler our teacher.     

Developing an improved biomonitoring tool for fine sediment: Combining expert knowledge and empirical data

The Proportion of Sediment-sensitive Invertebrates (PSI) index is a biomonitoring tool that is designed to identify the degree of sedimentation in rivers and streams. Despite having a sound biological basis, the tool has been shown to have only a moderate correlation with fine sediment, which although comparable to other pressure specific indices, limits confidence in its application. The aim of this study was to investigate if the performance of the PSI index could be enhanced through the use of empirical data to supplement the expert knowledge and literature which were used to determine the original four fine sediment sensitivity ratings. The empirical data used, comprised observations of invertebrate abundance and percentage fine sediment, collected across a wide range of reference condition temperate stream and river ecosystems (model training dataset n = 2252). Species were assigned sensitivity weights within a range based on their previously determined sensitivity rating. Using a range of weights acknowledges the breadth of ecological niches that invertebrates occupy and also their differing potential as indicators. The optimum species-specific sensitivity weights were identified using non-linear optimisation, as those that resulted in the highest Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between the Empirically-weighted PSI (E-PSI) scores and deposited fine sediment in the model training dataset. The correlation between percentage fine sediment and E-PSI scores in the test dataset (n = 252) was eight percentage points higher than the correlation between percentage fine sediment and the original PSI scores (E-PSI r_s = −0.74, p < 0.01 compared to PSI r_s = −0.66, p < 0.01). This study demonstrates the value of combining a sound biological basis with evidence from large empirical datasets, to test and enhance the performance of biomonitoring tools to increase confidence in their application.     

Heat shock protein (HSP)27: a further refinement in the diagnosis of suspicious fine needle aspirates of breast

The technique of fine needle aspiration (FNA) is increasingly used in the investigation of breast abnormalities both palpable and impalpable. However, up to 20% of aspirates fall into two categories which require further investigation, because they either show cytological atypia or exhibit features which are suspicious of malignancy (reporting categories C3 and C4). The usefulness of the 27-kD heat shock protein (HSP27) expression in refining these categories of suspicion, and possibly in predicting malignancy, was investigated using an established immunocytochemical staining procedure. Positive HSP27 staining was shown by 73.1% of C4 and 33.3% of C3 FNAs. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the results obtained for the C3 and C4 FNAs.