The forest resources input–output model: An application in China

Understanding the state of forest resource utilization in China and correctly evaluating the role and function of forest resources in national economic development are essential for realizing balanced development of forests, the environment, and the economy. This is especially true given the present situation of increasingly scarce forest resources. Using data from Chinese forest industry statistical yearbooks, forestry development reports, and other documents, this paper examines the current state of forest resource utilization in China from the angle of combining quantities and values based on input–output tables. We show that demand for and input use of forest resources varies greatly across industrial sectors; the paper products and furniture manufacturing industries have the greatest direct consumption coefficient for timber use. When considering direct and indirect demand, it is clear that forest resources restrict different industrial sectors in diverse ways. These results provide an important set of reference values regarding the utilization of forest resources and coordinated industrial development in China.     

Management of ecosystem services in mountain forests: Review of indicators and value functions for model based multi-criteria decision analysis

The main ecosystem services (ES) central European mountain forests provide are: protection against gravitational hazards, timber production, recreation, biodiversity conservation and carbon storage, which are all in high demand. These demands make managing mountain forests a challenging task, involving manifold synergies and conflicts between the different ES. There is therefore an urgent need for appropriate concepts and tools for support decisions in forest management and planning (FMP) to take into consideration all ES and to manage the wide variety of information types, parameters and uncertainties involved in assessing the sustainability of ES. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) provides a suitable set of methods for sustainability evaluations. In this study sustainability means the persistent fulfilment of the required ES. To address all the phases of the FMP process, MCDA and forest models should be applied together, with indicators providing the main interfaces to combine them. This paper aims to: i) review assessment approaches in order to select appropriate and widely accepted indicators for measuring and assessing the effects of different silvicultural management alternatives on forest ES, and ii) present additional standardisation approaches (value functions) for each indicator. Standardisations are necessary to make the different ES comparable and to study synergies and trade-offs between different management objectives in MCDA. The main ES in central European mountain regions are considered, with a clear focus on those indicators that are directly derivable from forest model outputs and that can refer to sustainable forest management practices. The scales considered are that of the single forest stand and of the larger forest management unit. A holistic indicator-based analysis framework for FMP in mountain forests can be built using the indicators and value functions described. The influence of different management alternatives on ES can then be evaluated, taking into consideration the instruments and information on forest management (forest models, inventory) available. All indicators are selected according to existing and approved approaches that only require data that is normally available in operational forest management. The framework can thus be an important element in developing a decision support system for FMP in mountain forests.     

A novel potent metal-binding NDM-1 inhibitor was identified by fragment virtual,SPR and NMR screening

NDM-1 can hydrolyze nearly all available β-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems. NDM-1 producing bacterial strains are worldwide threats. It is still very challenging to find a potent NDM-1 inhibitor for clinical use. In our study, we used a metal-binding pharmacophore (MBP) enriched virtual fragment library to screen NDM-1 hits. SPR screening helped to verify the MBP virtual hits and identified a new NDM-1 binder and weak inhibitor A1. A solution NMR study of ¹⁵N-labeled NDM-1 showed that A1 disturbed all three residues coordinating the second zinc ion (Zn2) in the active pocket of NDM-1. The perturbation only happened in the presence of zinc ion, indicating that A1 bound to Zn2. Based on the scaffold of A1, we designed and synthesized a series of NDM-1 inhibitors. Several compounds showed synergistic antibacterial activity with meropenem against NDM-1 producing K. pneumoniae.     

Reassessment of the vocal repertoire of a nest-building gladiator frog,Boana pardalis (Anura,Hylidae, Cophomantinae): implications for its diagnosis within the B. faber species group

In this study, we re-describe the advertisement and territorial calls of Boana pardalis, carry out an acoustic comparison between the studied species and the other congeners of the B. faber group, and report for the first time the tympanic amplexus for the studied species. The advertisement call of B. pardalis can be used to supplement its diagnosis in the B. faber group based on temporal call traits, e.g. emission rate and emission pattern, as well as the call envelope.     

Vascular plant species richness along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients: a contribution from New Zealand temperate rainforests

Vascular plant species richness is known to often decrease with both increasing latitude and increasing altitude. However, a number of studies have shown the reverse trend and the primary cause of these gradients remains unknown. In the present work, generalized linear models were used to assess the relative importance of latitude and altitude as well as of a number of other factors (mean annual precipita-tion, slope, substrate and forest type) on species richness in temperate rainforests of New Zealand. The effect of Southern beech ( Nothofagus spp.) as dominant canopy species on total species richness was shown to be much smaller than postulated in most previous studies. Within the region studied, altitude had by far the strongest effect on species richness. This effect was independent of latitude and was significant for woody but not for herbaceous vegetation.     

The structure of 180° supernumerary limbs and a hypothesis of their formation

The results of a detailed analysis of 100 supernumerary limbs generated by 180° ipsilateral rotation (on the same limb stump) of regeneration blastemas is presented. The limbs were analyzed in terms of their position of origin, frequency, cartilage structure by Victoria blue staining, and muscle structure by serial sections. Single, double, or triple supernumeraries can be produced at no unique position of origin, although the posterodorsal quadrant was preferred. Four classes of supernumerary limbs were generated by such operations—normal; double dorsal or double ventral; part normal/part mirror imaged; part normal/part inverted in approximately equal frequencies. After amputation of these supernumeraries the same muscle patterns are faithfully regenerated. A hypothesis to explain the production of these abnormal limbs is proposed based on the observed phenomenon of fusion of supernumerary blastemata, but their regenerative behaviour presents problems for current models of pattern formation. Similar results have been obtained with developing limb buds and the relation between development and regeneration is discussed.     

Biosynthesis of bacterial glycogen: purification and characterization of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase with modified regulatory properties from Escherichia coli B mutant CL1136-504

The l-thyroxine binding site in human serum thyroxine-binding globulin was investigated by affinity labeling with N-bromoacetyl-l-thyroxine (BrAcT₄). Competitive binding studies showed that, in the presence of 100 molar excess of BrAcT₄, binding of thyroxine to thyroxine-binding globulin was nearly totally abolished. The reaction of BrAcT₄ to form covalent binding was inhibited in the presence of thyroxine and the affinity-labeled thyroxinebinding globulin lost its ability to bind thyroxine. These results indicate BrAcT₄ and thyroxine competed for the same binding site. Affinity labeling with 2 mol of BrAcT₄/mol of thyroxine-binding globulin resulted in the covalent attachment of 0.7 mol of ligand. By amino acid analysis and high voltage paper electrophoresis, methionine was identified as the major residue labeled (75%). Lysine, tyrosine, and histidine were also found to be labeled to the extent of 8, 8, and 5%, respectively.     

Harassment of Mature Female Chimpanzees by Young Males in the Mahale Mountains

Juvenile and adolescent male chimpanzees sometimes threaten older, apparently stronger individuals such as mature females. I label the behavior harassment. Harassment comprises 25 behaviors, 14 of which are accompanied by the use of objects such as branches: Clubbing, flailing and throwing are the most common. Females respond to harassment with 10 behaviors, including scream, avoid, ignore, and retaliate. Females tend to respond to harassment by juvenile males by ignoring them. However, they are more likely to retaliate, scream or avoid in response to harassment by adolescent males. I propose the rank improvement hypothesis that harassment initiates the process of male domination of females, and compare the predictions derived from it with those of the exploratory aggression hypothesis. Males stopped harassing females significantly earlier when females ignored them versus when they did not ignore them. This is not consistent with the exploratory aggression hypothesis. Males harassed adult females significantly longer when females retaliated than when they did not, which is consistent with the rank improvement hypothesis. Although the observations are congruent with my hypothesis, we need more data to test it.