EPA Method 1615. Measurement of Enterovirus and Norovirus Occurrence in Water by Culture and RT-qPCR. I. Collection of Virus Samples

EPA Method 1615 was developed with a goal of providing a standard method for measuring enteroviruses and noroviruses in environmental and drinking waters. The standardized sampling component of the method concentrates viruses that may be present in water by passage of a minimum specified volume of water through an electropositive cartridge filter. The minimum specified volumes for surface and finished/ground water are 300 L and 1,500 L, respectively. A major method limitation is the tendency for the filters to clog before meeting the sample volume requirement. Studies using two different, but equivalent, cartridge filter options showed that filter clogging was a problem with 10% of the samples with one of the filter types compared to 6% with the other filter type. Clogging tends to increase with turbidity, but cannot be predicted based on turbidity measurements only. From a cost standpoint one of the filter options is preferable over the other, but the water quality and experience with the water system to be sampled should be taken into consideration in making filter selections.     

中国绿豆应用型核心样本农艺性状的分析

为提高种质资源在育种中的利用效率,建立了我国绿豆(Vigna radiata)应用型核心样本。该样本既包括了资源库中具特异性状的种质和曾经在生产上大面积种植的品种,也包括了在育种中使用频繁的亲本及苗头品系等。农艺性状变异分析表明,该核心样本具有丰富的表型变异,是绿豆种质资源的代表性样本。聚类分析可将核心样本分为4大类,但类别内种质与其地理来源相关不明显。不同来源表型数据的分析发现,不同性状间的一致性存在差异。但产量相关性状的表现均与当前育种目标相接近,说明该核心样本具有较高的实用性。     

Distribution,occurrence and natural invertebrate hosts of indigenous entomopathogenic fungi of Central India

We report here that, during periodical surveys of insects inhabiting diverse habitats for the collection of entomopathogenic fungi; a large number of isolates were recovered belonging to seven species, from various regions of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh forest areas and agricultural fields. The most common entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana, Nomuraea rileyi, Paecilomyces farinosus and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus were found to infect various insect hosts species naturally viz. Hyblaea puera, Eutectona machaeralis, Diachrysia orichalcea, Spodoptera litura, and few new insect hosts of these fungal pathogens among Indian insect population were collected for the first time from Central India, such as beetles of Agrilus species, hairy caterpillars of Lymantria species. The isolation, identification, maintenance and pathogenicity assay of these isolates was performed prior to deposition in culture collection center.     

举证责任倒置对医生影响的调查分析

目的:了解举证责任倒置实施以来,该政策对医生的影响及实施中存在的问题。方法:应用自制问卷,对青岛、西安两地9家三甲综合性医院共256名医生进行问卷调查,运用spss16.0进行统计分析。结果:举证责任倒置一方面给医生的医疗行为带来了积极影响,另一方面也给医生带来了较大的心理压力,尤其是发生过纠纷、被起诉的医生,对其以后的行为产生了消极影响。结论:医院除应加强对医生医疗技术、法律知识培训外,还应成立专门的机构来缓解医生的心理压力,解除其心理问题。     

Influence of different substrates on the evolution of morphology and life‐history traits of azooxanthellate solitary corals (Scleractinia: Flabellidae)

Sessile organisms are influenced considerably by their substrate conditions, and their adaptive strategies are key to understanding their morphologic evolution and traits of life history. The family Flabellidae (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) is composed of the representative azooxanthellate solitary corals that live on both soft and hard substrates using various adaptive strategies. We reconstructed the phylogenetic tree and ancestral character states of this family from the mitochondrial 16S and nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA sequences of ten flabellids aiming to infer the evolution of their adaptive strategies. The Javania lineage branched off first and adapted to hard substrates by using a tectura‐reinforced base. The extant free‐living flabellids, including Flabellum and Truncatoflabellum, invaded soft substrates and acquired the flabellate corallum morphology of their common ancestor, followed by a remarkable radiation with the exploitation of adaptive strategies, such as external soft tissue [e.g. Flabellum (Ulocyathus)], thecal edge spine, and transverse division (e.g. Placotrochus and Truncatoflabellum). Subsequently, the free‐living ancestors of two genera (Rhizotrochus and Monomyces) invaded hard substrates independently by exploiting distinct attachment apparatuses such as tube‐like and massive rootlets, respectively. In conclusion, flabellids developed various morphology and life‐history traits according to the differences in substrate conditions during the course of their evolution. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 101 , 184–192.     

自拟益气通阳活血方治疗阿尔茨海默病的临床研究

摘要 目的：分析自拟益气通阳活血方治疗阿尔茨海默病的临床效果。方法：选取2020年10月~2022年4月于中国人民解放军空军军医大学第一附属医院接受治疗的阿尔茨海默病患者104例，依据入院先后顺序编号，按单双号分为对照组（n=52）和研究组（n=52）。对照组进行常规西药治疗，研究组在此基础上进行自拟益气通阳活血方治疗。比较两组临床疗效、治疗前后中医证候积分、日常生活活动能力、认知功能、血清去甲肾上腺素（NE）、多巴胺（DA）、乙酰胆碱转移酶（ChAT）水平、β淀粉样蛋白前体（APP）、β淀粉样蛋白1-42（Aβ1-42）、丙二醛（MDA)、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）水平，并比较两组安全性。结果：治疗后，两组中医证候积分均降低，且研究组显著低于对照组（P<0.05）；研究组总有效率为94.23%，明显高于对照组的78.85%（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组简易智能精神状态检查量表（MMSE）评分与蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）评分研究组均高于对照组（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组barthel指数评分及日常生活能力量表（ADL）评分研究组均显著高于对照组（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组DA、NE、ChAT水平均升高，且研究组明显高于对照组（P<0.05）；治疗后，两组SOD水平升高，APP、Aβ1-42、MDA水平均降低（P<0.05），且与对照组相比研究组各指标变化更显著（P<0.05）；两组治疗期间的不良反应均较轻微，经对症处理后均缓解，不良反应发生率比较无明显差异（P>0.05）。结论：自拟益气通阳活血方治疗阿尔茨海默病疗效显著，可降低中医证候积分，提高认知功能，调节NE、DA、ChAT水平，抑制APP、Aβ1-42水平，提高其日常生活活动能力，且安全性高。     

Intraspecific variation in group size in the blackbuck antelope: the roles of habitat structure and forage at different spatial scales

The main ecological factors that are hypothesized to explain the striking variation in the size of social groups among large herbivores are habitat structure, predation, and forage abundance and distribution; however, their relative roles in wild populations are not well understood. I combined analyses of ecological correlates of spatial variation in group size with analyses of individual behaviour in groups of different sizes to investigate factors maintaining variation in group size in an Indian antelope, the blackbuck Antilope cervicapra. I measured group size, habitat structure, forage, and the occurrence of predators in ten blackbuck populations, and, at a smaller spatial scale, within an intensively studied population. To examine the processes by which these ecological factors influence group size, I used behavioural observations and an experiment to estimate the shape of the relationship between group size and potential costs and benefits to individuals. Group size varied extensively both among and within populations. Analyses of spatial variation in group size suggested that both forage and habitat structure influence group size: large-scale, among-population variation in group size was primarily related to habitat structure, while small-scale, within-population variation was most closely related to forage abundance. Analyses of individual behaviour suggested that larger groups incur greater travel costs while foraging. However, individuals in larger groups appeared to experience greater benefits, namely the earlier detection of a “predator”, a reduction in vigilance, and an increase in the time spent feeding. Overall, these findings suggest that individuals in groups experience a trade-off between predation-related benefits and costs arising from feeding competition. Habitat structure and forage likely influence the nature of this trade-off; thus, variation in these ecological factors may maintain variation in group size. The role of predation pressure and other factors in explaining the remaining variation needs further exploration. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Are clownfish groups composed of close relatives? An analysis of microsatellite DNA variation in Amphiprion percula

A central question of evolutionary ecology is: why do animals live in groups? Answering this question requires that the costs and benefits of group living are measured from the perspective of each individual in the group. This, in turn, requires that the group's genetic structure is elucidated, because genetic relatedness can modulate the individuals’ costs and benefits. The clown anemonefish, Amphiprion percula, lives in groups composed of a breeding pair and zero to four nonbreeders. Both breeders and nonbreeders stand to gain by associating with relatives: breeders might prefer to tolerate nonbreeders that are relatives because there is little chance that relatives will survive to breed elsewhere; nonbreeders might prefer to associate with breeders that are relatives because of the potential to accrue indirect genetic benefits by enhancing anemone and, consequently, breeder fitness. Given the potential benefits of associating with relatives, we use microsatellite loci to investigate whether or not individuals within groups of A. percula are related. We develop seven polymorphic microsatellite loci, with a number of alleles (range 2–24) and an observed level of heterozygosity (mean = 0.5936) sufficient to assess fine‐scale genetic structure. The mean coefficient of relatedness among group members is 0.00 ± 0.10 (n = 9 groups), and there are no surprising patterns in the distribution of pairwise relatedness. We conclude that A. percula live in groups of unrelated individuals. This study lays the foundation for further investigations of behavioural, population and community ecology of anemonefishes which are emerging as model systems for evolutionary ecology in the marine environment.