Periodic electric field as a biopolymer conformation switch: a possible mechanism

A theoretical model is proposed to describe the influence of a periodic electric field (PEF) upon a biopolymer. The biopolymer is treated as a classical mechanical system consisting of subsystems (molecular groups) which interact with each other through potential forces. The PEF is treated as a periodic driving force applied to a molecular group. The energy dissipation is considered using the model of fluid (viscous) friction. Arguments for the non-linear character of the friction-velocity dependence caused by the non-Newtonian rheology of a viscous medium are formulated.A forced molecular-group motion is investigated for the situation of a small driving-force period, with oscillations overdamped and a driving force consisting of more than one harmonic. As a result, it is established that the motion always gets to a terminal stage when only a small-scale vibration about some point, X ^*, takes place. The terminal motion is preceded by a transient characterized by the presence of a directional velocity component and so by a drift along a potential profile. the drift goes on until a barrier is met which has a sufficiently large steepness (the barrier height is not important). As a result, the point X ^* may happen to be remote from the conformation potential local minimum (conformational state). The physical reasons for the drift are described.If we consider the small-scale vibration about X ^* in the framework of the hierarchy of scales for intramolecular mobility, it can be regarded as an equilibrium mobility, whereas the drift can be regarded as a functionally important motion, and X ^* as a new conformational state which is realizable only in the presence of the PEF. It may be concluded, as the result of a consistent treatment and neglecting the small-scale vibration, that the conformational potential is modified by adding a linear term (in the one-dimensional case). In this connection, the set of conformational states can both deform (deviation of the positions of minima and their relative depth) and rearrange qualitatively (some minima can vanish and/or new minima can appear). In particular, the transition from one conformation to another one may happen due to rearrangement.     

Actual vs perceived profitability: A study of floral choice of honey bees

The relationship between actual and perceived profitability was investigated by quantifying choice behavior of foraging honey bees (Apis mellifera).Rate of net energy gain was used as a measure of profitability. Individual bees repeatedly chose between a yellow and a blue tubular artificial flower which had different associated profitabilities. Handling costs were manipulated by using flowers of different depth;energy gains were manipulated by using different volumes of a 20% (w/w) sucrose solution. Bees' discrimination between the two flowers increased as the absolute difference in profitabilities increased and discrimination decreased as profitabilities of both flowers increased. Therefore, discrimination depended on the relative difference in profitability between flowers, and therefore, perception was a nonlinear function of actual rates of net energy gain. The results also suggested that motivation to choose between flowers depended on the level of profitability. We suggest that nonlinear perceptual scales and motivation should be incorporated into models of food choice as constraints and should be considered in the design of experiments used to test predictions of models and in the interpretation of experimental results.     

A theory of evaluation applied to human-environment systems

1. 1. The writers present the general theory of evaluation that is being developed by their group.

2. 2. The evaluation of a human environment is a complex mental process.

3. 3. In an effort to express numerically the quality of an environment, one tends to oversimplify the complex aspects of it and the entailing problems in relation to its inhabitants.

4. 4. In this paper, some examples are taken in the evaluation of thermal environments, wherein much has been said and done in setting up numerical scales to express human comfort, and yet neither clear-cut explanations nor convincing logic seem to exist to terminate the argument over the widely scattered and sometimes seemingly contradicting experimental data.

5. 5. The writers suggest that many of the reasons for this confusion may be traced back to the oversimplified notion of evaluation.

6. 6. It is shown that there are various possibilities when looking at the scales of evaluation.

7. 7.|The nominal scale, least studied of all the four traditional scales, may be given a prominent place in evaluating a thermal environment. The pseudo-interval order scale is another example.

Macro- and microscopic morphology of the flank scales of families Lutjanidae and Serranidae from the Persian Gulf Coral Reefs (Teleosts: Perciformes)

Macro- and microscopic characteristics of flank scales for 12 species were investigated from the Persian Gulf Coral Reefs. In Lutjanus argentimaculatus and L. russellii (family Lutjanidae), the scales of different flank regions were not different, while four characters showed variation in the scale of L. lutjanus i.e., scale shape (pentagonal, hexagonal and square), anterior margin (waved, scalloped and smooth), focus shape (circular and oblong) and focus position (postero-central and central), displayed variation. Scale type (ctenoid) and posterior margin (transforming ctenii) did not show variation and could be considered to be specific in this family. In Epinephelus chlorostigma (family Serranidae), the scales of flank regions did not display variation, while in E. areolatus, E. diacanthus and E. radiates, the scales showed considerable variation. The most variable characters were scale shape, posterior margin and focus shape. Therefore, in fish systematics studies on the base of scale, it is particularly important to compare scales from the same flank regions. Also, some criteria such as size-dependent alternation, ontogenetic changes and variation between flank regions, should be considered. This study supports the potential of scale morphology to help for the understanding of fish diversity in the coral reef ecosystem.     

不同空间尺度的景观格局对流溪河水质的影响

为探究不同空间尺度的景观格局对流溪河水质的影响,于2020年6月和2021年1月在流溪河干流15个采样点进行了水样的采集,测定了水温、溶解氧、pH、氨氮、硝态氮、硫酸盐和氯化物等水质指标。结合遥感解译所得的土地利用数据,提取了不同空间尺度(子流域和河岸带缓冲区)的景观格局指数,采用Bioenv分析、Mantle检验、方差分解和层次分割理论等方法揭示了景观格局对水质变化的影响。研究结果表明：氨氮是流溪河的主要污染物。土地利用结构与空间格局特征对水质的影响存在空间尺度效应。在100 m河岸带缓冲区,水域是影响水质的主要贡献源;而在其他空间尺度建设用地是影响水质的主要贡献源。在子流域尺度,林地和建设用地的斑块密度(PD指数)是影响水质变化的核心特征;而在河岸带缓冲区尺度,水域和建设用地的连通性(CONTAG指数)和林地的多样性(SHDI指数)是影响水质变化的关键特征。在各个空间尺度,土地利用与空间格局的交互作用对驱动水质变化起主导作用,尤其在1000 m河岸带缓冲区对水质的贡献率最高。因此,加强1000 m缓冲区尺度土地利用的管理和减少建设用地成片建设规划等对保护流域水质具有重要意义。     

Local-regional relationships and the geographical distribution of species

Aim Local‐regional (LR) species diversity plots were conceived to assess the contribution of regional and local processes in shaping the patterns of biological diversity, but have been used also to explore the scaling of diversity in terms of its alpha, beta, and gamma components. Here we explore the idea that patterns in the geographical ranges of species over a continent can determine the shape of small region to large region (SRLR) plots, which are equivalent to LR plots when comparing the diversity of sites at two regional scales. Location To test that idea, we analysed the diversity patterns at two regional scales for the mammals of North America, defined as the mainland from Alaska and Canada to Panama. Method We developed a theoretical model relating average range size of species over a large‐scale region with its average regional point species diversity (RPD). Then, we generated a null model of expected SRLR plots based on theoretical predictions. Species diversities at two scales were modelled using linear and saturation functions for Type I and Type II SRLR relationships, respectively. We applied the models to the case of North American mammals by examining the regional diversity and the RPD for 21 large‐scale quadrats (with area equal to 160,000 km²), arranged along a latitudinal gradient. Results Our model showed that continental and large‐scale regional patterns of distribution of species can generate both types of SRLR relationship, and that these patterns can be reflected in LR plots without invoking any kind of local processes. We found that North American nonvolant mammals follow a Type I SRLR relationship, whereas bats follow a Type II pattern. This difference was linked to patterns in which species of the two mammalian groups distribute in geographical space. Conclusion Traditional LR plots and the new SRLR plots are useful tools in exploring the scaling of species diversity and in showing the relationship between distribution and diversity. Their usefulness in comparing the relative role of local and regional processes is, however, very limited.     

Ultrastructure of scales in a teleost (Carassius auratus L.) after use of rapid freeze-fixation and freeze-substitution

Summary New data on the ultrastructural features of the elasmoid scales ofCarassius auratus have been obtained by use of rapid freezing with subsequent freeze-substitution in anhydrous solvents. These are compared with the results obtained using conventional aqueous fixatives.The external layer of the scales is composed of randomly oriented collagen fibres. In the first stages of mineralization, mineral deposits are located in the interfibrillary substance where dense granules appear to be active sites of mineralization. Spheritic mineralization occurs in this layer.The fibrillary plate is composed of two kinds of collagen fibres. Most of them are organized in lamellae forming the plywood-like structure. They are thicker than the so-called TC fibres, which are oriented from the basal part towards the superficial layer. These TC fibres are involved in the first stages of mineral deposition in the fibrillary plate where inotropic mineralization occurs.The mineral phase is almost always located in the interfibrillary matrix in both layers of the elasmoid scale. In this respect, teleost scales differ from those described so far in other lower vertebrates.

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Resumé Des précisions concernant les aspects ultrastructuraux des dépôts minéraux dans les écailles deCarassius auratus ont été obtenues grâce à l'utilisation de la congélation ultra-rapide suivie d'une cryosubstitution en milieu anhydre. Ces données sont comparées à celles fournies par les méthodes usuelles utilisant des fixateurs aqueux.La couche externe des écailles comprend des fibres collagènes disposées sans ordre apparent. Les dépôts minéraux se produisent surtout dans la substance interfibrillaire où des granules denses semblent représenter des sites actifs au cours de la minéralisation apparentée au type sphéritique.La plaque basale comporte deux catégories de fibres collagènes. Les unes, les plus nombreuses, de plus fort diamètre, sont organisées en lamelles formant une structure en contre-plaqué; les autres appelées fibres TC, orientées de la base de l'écaille vers la zone superficielle, jouent un rôle important dans les premières phases de la minéralisation de type inotropique dans cette partie de l'écaille.Dans les deux couches de l'écaille, la phase minérale est surtout trouvée dans la substance interfibrillaire. De ce fait, les écailles élasmoides des Téleostéens peuvent être distinguées des autres écailles dermiques connues de Vertébrés inférieurs.

     

Forecasting intensifying disturbance effects on coral reefs

Anticipating future changes of an ecosystem's dynamics requires knowledge of how its key communities respond to current environmental regimes. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is under threat, with rapid changes of its reef‐building hard coral (HC) community structure already evident across broad spatial scales. While several underlying relationships between HC and multiple disturbances have been documented, responses of other benthic communities to disturbances are not well understood. Here we used statistical modelling to explore the effects of broad‐scale climate‐related disturbances on benthic communities to predict their structure under scenarios of increasing disturbance frequency. We parameterized a multivariate model using the composition of benthic communities estimated by 145,000 observations from the northern GBR between 2012 and 2017. During this time, surveyed reefs were variously impacted by two tropical cyclones and two heat stress events that resulted in extensive HC mortality. This unprecedented sequence of disturbances was used to estimate the effects of discrete versus interacting disturbances on the compositional structure of HC, soft corals (SC) and algae. Discrete disturbances increased the prevalence of algae relative to HC while the interaction between cyclones and heat stress was the main driver of the increase in SC relative to algae and HC. Predictions from disturbance scenarios included relative increases in algae versus SC that varied by the frequency and types of disturbance interactions. However, high uncertainty of compositional changes in the presence of several disturbances shows that responses of algae and SC to the decline in HC needs further research. Better understanding of the effects of multiple disturbances on benthic communities as a whole is essential for predicting the future status of coral reefs and managing them in the light of new environmental regimes. The approach we develop here opens new opportunities for reaching this goal.