The effect of sulfur on the response of cotton to urea under alkali soil conditions in pot experiments

Summary The effect of sulfur (S) placement and S rate on the efficiency of urea (U) relative to ammonium sulfate (AS) and ammonium nitrate (AN) for cotton were examined in a pot experiment using sandy clay loam soil (pH 7.9). The results showed that AS and AN application in the absence of S increased the yield than U partly because U-induced damage to plants. The combined application of the N sources with S increased the yields and that, the placement of S in the seed horizon in contact with N was more effective than mixing throughout the soil especially with U. These effects were observed with three cotton cultivars. The addition of S to a maximum of 1.5 g/pot gave further increases in yields or the N content of leaves for U, AS or AN. Using the least squares method, it was found that the presence of S significantly increased the efficiency of U than AS or AN. Incubation of S and the N sources with S in the soil was carried out to understand the growth conditions of cotton fertilized by U in alkalin soil. In the case of U-soil system, the pH increased. NO₂−N accumulated and considerable loss of N took place. The pH, NO₂−N accumulation and the loss of N decreased with S increments.     

The statistical analysis of truncated data: application to the Sverdlovsk anthrax outbreak

An outbreak of anthrax occurred in the city of Sverdlovsk in Russia in the spring of 1979. The outbreak was due to the inhalation of spores that were accidentally released from a military microbiology facility. In response to the outbreak a public health intervention was mounted that included distribution of antibiotics and vaccine. The objective of this paper is to develop and apply statistical methodology to analyse the Sverdlovsk outbreak, and in particular to estimate the incubation period of inhalational anthrax and the number of deaths that may have been prevented by the public health intervention. The data available for analysis from this common source epidemic are the incubation periods of reported deaths. The statistical problem is that incubation periods are truncated because some individuals may have had their deaths prevented by the public health interventions and thus are not included in the data. However, it is not known how many persons received the intervention or how efficacious was the intervention. A likelihood function is formulated that accounts for the effects of truncation. The likelihood is decomposed into a binomial likelihood with unknown sample size and a conditional likelihood for the incubation periods. The methods are extended to allow for a phase-in of the intervention over time. Assuming a lognormal model for the incubation period distribution, the median and mean incubation periods were estimated to be 11.0 and 14.2 days respectively. These estimates are longer than have been previously reported in the literature. The death toll from the Sverdlovsk anthrax outbreak could have been about 14% larger had there not been a public health intervention; however, the confidence intervals are wide (95% CI 0-61%). The sensitivity of the results to model assumptions and the parametric model for the incubation period distribution are investigated. The results are useful for determining how long antibiotic therapy should be continued in suspected anthrax cases and also for estimating the ultimate number of deaths in a new outbreak in the absence of any public health interventions.     

Microclimate of American crocodile nests in Banco Chinchorro biosphere reserve, Mexico: Effect on incubation length, embryos survival and hatchlings sex

Crocodilians have temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in which incubation temperature determines sex of embryo. Global warming is expected to alter hatchling sex ratio, leading to the extinction of small populations. Regional climate influence on crocodile nest microclimate and hatchlings' characteristics is poorly known. Here, microclimate in natural nests of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and its relation with incubation length, hatchling sex and nesting success was studied in Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve (Mexico) from 2007 to 2010. Temperature and relative humidity in different locations within and outside the nests were registered by data loggers. Incident solar radiation above nest was calculated from hemispheric photographs. Incubation length, proportion of hatchling reaching complete development and hatchling sex were determined at hatching. Nest temperatures exhibited a cyclic daily fluctuation due to solar radiation, which is the major heat source for nests. Clutch temperature was relatively stable and its daily amplitude was negatively correlated with clutch depth and size. Rainfall was the major source of clutch temperature decrease. Clutch and metabolic temperatures increased significantly during incubation. A small sample size failed to demonstrate a statistical relationship between length of incubation and mean clutch temperature. Proportion of embryos reaching complete development depended on maximum and minimum clutch temperature, maximum daily amplitude of clutch temperature and maximum decrease in clutch temperature on a period ≤4 day. Results confirmed a Female-Male-Female TSD pattern for C. acutus, with 31 and 32.5 °C as possible pivotal temperatures. Population and hatchling sex ratios were male-biased and fate of crocodiles of Banco Chinchorro could depend on the magnitude of temperature increase in the future.     

罗哌卡因复合舒芬太尼在潜伏期分娩镇痛中的应用效果

目的:探讨罗哌卡因复合舒芬太尼在潜伏期分娩镇痛中的应用效果。方法:择取2015年1月~2016年1月我院收治的产妇102例,随机分为A、B、C组,各组34例,A组产妇宫口开至1 cm时采取罗哌卡因复合舒芬太尼硬膜外自控分娩镇痛,B组产妇宫口开至3 cm时采取罗哌卡因复合舒芬太尼硬膜外自控分娩镇痛,C组产妇未采取分娩镇痛,比较两组第一产程潜伏期、活跃期及第二产程持续时间及宫缩时视觉模拟评分(VAS)评分,比较各组产妇出血量、新生儿体质量及胎儿娩出后1 min、5 min Apgar评分,记录各组治疗30 d后不良反应。结果:A组、B组第一产程潜伏期持续时间明显较C组延长,活跃期持续时间较C组明显缩短,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);A组产妇宫颈口开至2 cm和cm时VAS评分低于B组和C组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);A组、B组产妇在活跃期、第二产程时VAS评分低于C组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);各组产妇出血量、新生儿体质量、Apgar评分比较均无统计学意义(P0.05);C组抑郁症发生率均高于较A组和B组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:从产妇潜伏期开始应用罗哌卡因复合舒芬太尼进行分娩镇痛的效果较好,具有良好的应用价值。     

Accumulation of trace metals in eggs and hatchlings of Chelonia mydas

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to verify the accumulation of trace metals in eggs and hatchlings of Chelonia mydas, evaluating if metal accumulation is originated from maternal transfer and/or from the incubation environment. Other assessments were also performed, as metal distribution in different tissues (blood, kidney, liver, muscle, and turtle shells) of newly hatched turtles, and genotoxic analysis, to verify possible damages caused by the presence of metals.MethodsThe assessments were carried out by quantifying Cd, Ni, Pb, Mn and Fe in egg sample collected during laying time (eggshells (ELT) and egg content (EC)), eggshells from newly hatched turtles (ENH), hatchlings tissues (H - blood, kidney, liver, muscle, and shell)) (n = 18 for each biological sample - 3 of each nest) and nest sediments (n = 6, one of each nest). Comparative analysis were made between ELT and ENH, as well as between egg content (EC) and the sum of tissue samples from hatchlings, using Mann-Whitney hypothesis test (p < 0,05). The amount of metals in different hatchling was quantified and followed by the Dunn post-test. A principal component analysis (PCA) was also employed.ResultsMetals studied were found in all investigated samples. The concentration of a great amount of investigated metals was significantly higher (P=<0.001) in eggshells from ENH than in ELT. An increase in Cd (2.16-fold), Pb (3.47-fold), Fe (6.83-fold) and Mn (195.57-fold) concentration was noticed in ENH. We also observed an increase in Fe (1.59-fold), Mn (1.74-fold) and Ni (1.59-fold) concentration in hatchling, when compared with EC, due to transfer from nest sediments. In relation to the hatchling’s tissues, blood was shown to accumulate higher concentrations of Ni and Pb, while shells accumulated more Cd and Fe, and Mn is more associated with liver and kidney. Fe was the highest accumulated metal in both tissues, and muscles presented discrete concentrations of Ni, Mn, and Pb. A mean concentration of 1.25‰ MN was obtained in C. mydas hatchlings, indicating that the accumulation of metals in hatchlings didn’t cause toxicology effects.ConclusionHatchlings accumulate metals through the maternal and sediment transfer, although the levels of metal accumulation were not enough to cause genotoxic damage.     

斑背大尾莺sinensis亚种的繁殖生物学

斑背大尾莺（Megalurus pryeri）为东亚特有鸟类,数量稀少（常家传,1995;马敬能等,2000）,2003年IUCN世界濒危物种红皮书将斑背大尾莺列为易危物种（汪松、解焱,2004）。斑背大尾莺有2个亚种,指名亚种（M．P．pryeri）仅在日本本州岛北部的Kanto平原北部繁殖,越冬区在本州岛中部的太平洋沿岸（Fujitaand Nagata,1997）;sinensis亚种在我国仅见于湖北汉口（冬候鸟）、河北秦皇岛（旅鸟）和辽宁朝阳地区（繁殖鸟？）（郑作新,1987）。     

Relatively low upper threshold temperature in lizards from cool habitats

We used the slender forest skink (Scincella modesta) as a model animal to test for the hypothesis that the upper threshold of incubation temperature is relatively low in lizards using shaded (and thus, cool) habitats. Eight gravid females were collected in early May 2005 from a population in Hangzhou, Zhejiang (eastern China). All females laid a single clutch of 7–13 eggs between mid-May and early June. Eggs were incubated at 24, 28 and 30 (±0.2) °C. None of eggs incubated at 30 °C hatched. Eggs incubated at 24 and 28 °C differed in incubation length but not in hatching success. The incubation length at 24 and 28 °C averaged 22.3 and 20.3 days, respectively. Hatchlings from eggs incubated at 24 and 28 °C did not differ in all examined morphological traits, but hatchlings from eggs incubated at 28 °C performed apparently worse in the racetrack than did their counterparts from eggs incubated at 24 °C. The temperature of 28 °C is close to the upper thermal threshold for successful embryonic development in S. modesta. Compared to other oviparous lizards using open (and thus, warm) habitats, the upper thermal threshold and the range of optimal temperatures for embryonic development are both lower in S. modesta. Our study supports the previous conclusion that species living in thermally different habitats may differ in the upper thermal threshold and the range of optimal temperatures for embryonic development.     

温度和盐度对青蛤孵化及幼虫、稚贝存活与生长变态的影响

在9个温度梯度(10-34℃)和10个盐度梯度(盐度3‰-50‰)条件下,研究了温度和盐度对青蛤孵化及幼 虫、稚贝生存与生长变态的影响。结果表明,青蛤孵化和浮游幼虫生长的适温范围为24-32℃,最适温度均为26- 30℃,稚贝生长的适温范围为22-32℃,最适温度为24-30℃。在最适温度下,D形幼虫变态率达80．7％-88．2％, 浮游幼虫和稚贝的存活率分别为86．2％-88．7％和81．5％-84．0％;孵化及浮游幼虫的生长适宜盐度为15‰- 30‰,稚贝为10‰-35‰,最适盐度均为20‰-25‰。在最适盐度下,D形幼虫的成活率、变态率、生长速度皆最高, 分别达到86．9％、77．5％和9．38×11．0μm/d,匍匐幼虫经14-14．5d发育至双管期稚贝,至双管期稚贝的成活率 82．5％-85．0％,日平均生长达13．1μm以上。与大多数滩涂贝类一样,青蛤属于广温广盐性贝类,且稚贝对低盐的 适应能力强于对高盐的适应能力。     

植物内生真菌分离培养的研究方法

从研究对象、抽样方针、样品收集和贮存、表面消毒、培养基和选择性分离试剂、培养条件及内生真菌的鉴定等方面对植物内生真菌分离和纯化的研究方法进行了综述。