略论棕榈科与新分出的省藤科的系统分类、演化、区系地理及主要的经济用途

棕榈科原省藤亚科因其子房壁及外果皮被倒生、螺旋状排列的鳞片所覆盖,而区别于其他亚科,因而独立分出成一新科--省藤科。作者讨论了棕榈科的祖先种可能在石炭纪时,自原始裸子植物开以顿目在分化、衍生出苏铁目祖先种的进化干上,于白垩纪时分化出的一个分支。在棕榈科的祖先种出现不久后,在其进化的分支上,于白垩纪后期又分化出一旁支,成为棕榈科的姊妹科--省藤科的祖先种。从两祖先种分别再分化、衍生出现今分布地球上该二科的属与种。两科、尤其前者是被子植物、尤其是单子叶植物中最原始的类群之一。作者还提出棕榈科象牙椰亚科与贝叶棕亚科是该科最原始或较原始的两类群;槟榔亚科和腊材榈亚科是较进化的两类群;而水椰亚科祖先种可能源于象牙椰亚科的祖先种,但又演化为该科最进化与特化的类群。省藤科省藤亚科略比鳞果榈亚科原始。作者讨论了两科为泛热带分布的科,指出两科的"现代分布区"在南北两半球热带地区,少数种还延伸分布到两半球暖亚热带、甚至达中亚热带地区,分布区边缘最北达日本中部、中国长江流域及黄河下游的南部,美国加利佛尼亚州与佛罗里达州和地中海北部;最南达智利中部和新西兰南部;而"现代分布中心"在热带与暖亚热带的亚洲,中、南美洲,大洋洲及非洲的东、南、西部;但分布区的"密集中心"则在热带亚洲、热带中及南美洲、南太平洋群岛及非洲东南部。作者还介绍了近50年我国南方引种驯化成功的两科植物近400种(见^*图谱),其中少数为耐寒的种类,有的种已引种到长江流域或更北的地区。引种的大部分种都有其重要的经济用途,包括:1. 食用,如淀粉和树液可制"西米"或制糖,酿酒、醋或作饮料;果或种子榨油,供食用或工业用;某些种的嫩芽作蔬菜,甚至种子代咖啡饮用;2. 药用,有消炎、止血、活血、驱虫、抗癌等用;3. 建筑、工艺与日用品,包括不少种的树干供建普通房子、桥梁、小船;少数种可提制工业用蜡;许多种的纤维制高级缆绳和编织品;还制工艺品与日用品等;4. 代表热带景观的园林工程、绿化及美化环境的观赏树和人行道树及建造园林景观生态类型的树种等。     

Sugars in crop plants

We review current knowledge of the most abundant sugars, sucrose, maltose, glucose and fructose, in the world's major crop plants. The sucrose‐accumulating crops, sugar beet and sugar cane, are included, but the main focus of the review is potato and the major cereal crops. The production of sucrose in photosynthesis and the inter‐relationships of sucrose, glucose, fructose and other metabolites in primary carbon metabolism are described, as well as the synthesis of starch, fructan and cell wall polysaccharides and the breakdown of starch to produce maltose. The importance of sugars as hormone‐like signalling molecules is discussed, including the role of another sugar, trehalose, and the trehalose biosynthetic pathway. The Maillard reaction, which occurs between reducing sugars and amino acids during thermal processing, is described because of its importance for colour and flavour in cooked foods. This reaction also leads to the formation of potentially harmful compounds, such as acrylamide, and is attracting increasing attention as food producers and regulators seek to reduce the levels of acrylamide in cooked food. Genetic and environmental factors affecting sugar concentrations are described.     

Physico-chemical environment in Tjeukemeer with special reference to speciation of algal nutrients

This paper attempts to generalize the major controlling factors and their impacts on the physico-chemical environment in Tjeukemeer in relation to the speciation of algal nutrients.Morphometry, man-made hydrology, climate, chemistry of drainage area and biology of the lake appear to control its physico-chemistry the most. Thus the shallow Tieukemeer is vulnerable to wind and therefore almost always completely mixed and often turbid owing to resuspended sediments. In normal summers the lake is oligohaline, hard, eutrophic and alkaline, and in winter it is hard, eutrophic, alkaline and humus-rich. The implications of these properties on the following physico-chemical components and their relevance for the speciation of algal nutrients are discussed: turbidity, colour, halinity, pH, alkalinity, salinity, conductivity, ionic composition, ionic balance and organic matter.Because of the relationships between the physico-chemical environment on the one hand and the speciation and bio-availability of nutrients on the other hand, special attention is given to the speciation of some major and minor elements as derived from ultra filtration experiments. In this context, the metal binding capacity of the organic matter (mainly fulvic acids) is also considered.     

Taxonomy of the Genus Oreocharis (Gesneriaceae)

The genus Oreocharis as circumscribed here consists of 27 species including 5 varieties, of which 5 species and 4 varieties are described as new in the present paper. In the work analysed were the external morphology and geographic distribution and examined under SEM were pollen exine of 22 species and seed coat of 16 species. As a result, three types of the corolla, two types of the anther, three types of the pollen exine and three types of the seed coat are distinguished here in the paper. It is discovered that the corolla in the genus is relatively stable, though diverse, and highly correlated with the characters of pollen grains and seeds. The corolla clearly bilabiate but constricted at the throat, occurring in O. auricula, O. cordatula, O. aurantiaca, etc., for an example, is correlated with smooth, reticulate pollen exine and partial tectum and the reticulate and smooth seed coat. For this reason the subdivision of the genus in the paper is mainly based on the characters of the corolla, but combined with those of the anther, pollen and seed coat. The genus is divided into four sections in the present classification. Dasydesmus Craib, based on a single species. O. bodinieri, is reduced here, and the reasons are given. The genus is distributed mainly in the subtropics, and less frequently in the tropics, of China south of 32.5°N and east of 98.5°E, with only two species beyond the border, O. hirsuta in Thailand (only a single locality in Chiengmai) and O. aurea also found in north Vietnam (see Fig. 1, Table 3). Sect. 1. Stomactin (Clarke) Fritsch. Corolla urceolate-tubular, constricted at the throat, with limb distinctly bilabiate; anthers broad-oblong; seed coat reticulate, smooth, rarely minutely tuberculate; pollen exine fine-reticulate, tectum partial and smooth, luminae slightly unequal in size. Sect. 2. Orthanthera K. Y. Pan Corolla campanulate or campanulate-tubular; anthers broad-oblong; seed coat reticulate, muri smooth, rarely spiny-processed; pollen exine fine-reticulate, with partial and smooth tectum and luminae slightly unequal in size, rarely exine insular and fine-tuberculate, tectum perforate. Setc. 3. Oreocharis Corolla thin-tubular; anthers broad-oblong; seed coat densely spinyprocessed, rarely fine-tuberculate; pollen exine insular, densely spiny-processed, rarely finereticulate and smooth, luminae unequal in size. Sect. 4. Platyanthera K. Y. Pan Corolla campanulate; anthers hippocrepiform; seed coat densely spiny-processed; pollen exine fine-reticulate, tectum perforate, luminae small, nearly equal in size. In the section Stomactin, although the constriction of corolla at its throat is a specialized character, the characters of seed coat, pollen grains and anthers are apparently primitive. Therefore it may be said at least that more primitive characters are preserved in the section. In the section Oreocharis, on the contrary, the characters of corolla, seed coat and pollen exine are all advanced. And in the section Platyanthera, the seed coat, pollen (with perforate tectum) and anthers have developed rather specialized characters.     

The role of the microbiome in the neurobiology of social behaviour

Microbes colonise all multicellular life, and the gut microbiome has been shown to influence a range of host physiological and behavioural phenotypes. One of the most intriguing and least understood of these influences lies in the domain of the microbiome's interactions with host social behaviour, with new evidence revealing that the gut microbiome makes important contributions to animal sociality. However, little is known about the biological processes through which the microbiome might influence host social behaviour. Here, we synthesise evidence of the gut microbiome's interactions with various aspects of host sociality, including sociability, social cognition, social stress, and autism. We discuss evidence of microbial associations with the most likely physiological mediators of animal social interaction. These include the structure and function of regions of the ‘social' brain (the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the hippocampus) and the regulation of ‘social’ signalling molecules (glucocorticoids including corticosterone and cortisol, sex hormones including testosterone, oestrogens, and progestogens, neuropeptide hormones such as oxytocin and arginine vasopressin, and monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine). We also discuss microbiome‐associated host genetic and epigenetic processes relevant to social behaviour. We then review research on microbial interactions with olfaction in insects and mammals, which contribute to social signalling and communication. Following these discussions, we examine evidence of microbial associations with emotion and social behaviour in humans, focussing on psychobiotic studies, microbe–depression correlations, early human development, autism, and issues of statistical power, replication, and causality. We analyse how the putative physiological mediators of the microbiome–sociality connection may be investigated, and discuss issues relating to the interpretation of results. We also suggest that other candidate molecules should be studied, insofar as they exert effects on social behaviour and are known to interact with the microbiome. Finally, we consider different models of the sequence of microbial effects on host physiological development, and how these may contribute to host social behaviour.     

植物生态化学计量特征及其主要假说

植物生态化学计量学是生态化学计量学的重要分支, 主要研究植物器官元素含量的计量特征, 以及它们与环境因子、生态系统功能之间的关系。19世纪, 化学家们通过室内实验, 分析了植物器官的元素含量, 开始了对植物化学元素之间关系的探索。如今, 生态学家通过野外采样和控制实验, 探索植物化学元素计量特征的变化规律、对全球变化的响应以及与植物功能属性之间的关系, 促进了植物生态化学计量学的快速发展。该文在概述植物生态化学计量学发展简史的基础上, 综述了19世纪以来该领域的研究进展。首先, 该文将植物生态化学计量学的发展历程概括为思想萌芽期、假说奠基期和理论构建期3个时期, 对各个时期的主要研究进行了简要回顾和梳理。第二, 概述了植物主要器官的化学计量特征, 尤其是陆生植物叶片氮(N)和磷(P)的计量特征。总体上, 全球陆生植物叶片N、P含量和N:P (质量比)的几何平均值分别为18.74 mg∙g^-1、1.21 mg∙g^-1和15.55 (与16:1的Redfield比一致); 在物种或群落水平上, 叶片N和P含量一般呈现随温度升高、降水增加而降低的趋势。不同生活型植物叶片N和P计量特征差异明显, 尤其是草本植物叶片N和P含量高于木本植物, 落叶阔叶木本植物叶片N和P含量高于常绿木本植物。与叶片相比, 细根和其他器官化学计量特征研究较少。第三, 总结了养分添加实验对植物化学元素计量特征的影响。总体上, N添加一般会提高土壤N的可利用性, 使植物器官中N含量和N:P升高, 在一定程度上提高植物生产力; P添加可能会缓解过量N输入导致的N-P失衡问题, 提高植物器官P含量。但是, 长期过量施肥会打破植物器官原有的元素间计量关系, 导致元素计量关系失衡和生产力下降。第四, 梳理总结了植物生态化学计量学的重要理论、观点和假说, 主要包括刻画化学计量特征与植物生长功能关系的功能关联假说、刻画化学计量特征与环境因子关系的环境关联假说或理论以及刻画化学计量特征与植物进化历史关系的进化关联假说。最后, 指出了植物生态化学计量学研究中存在的问题, 展望了10个未来需要重点关注的研究方向。     

Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry to Determine As,Cd, Cr,Cu, Hg,and Pb in Soils and Sediments: A Review and Perspectives

Environmental pollution from trace elements has been increasing in recent decades and has become an important concern for environmental agencies. The trace elements arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, and lead are among the elements that cause the greatest environmental impact and carry the highest risk to human health. Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) has long been employed in trace element determination. In the last few years the main constraints of spectroscopy absorption methods have been overcome. These advances have increased the possibilities and the utility of ETAAS for trace element determination at μg L^?1 levels in difficult matrices such as soils and sediments, giving greater accuracy and precision, lower economic cost, and easier sample pretreatment than other methods. The main advances come from sample manipulation for matrix destruction and preconcentration, the use of new lab-on-valve FIA systems, the solid sampling, the use of new, more efficient modifiers and in situ trapping methods for analyte stabilization and pre-concentration, and the progress in the capacity to control the atomization temperature and to correct background spectral interferences. All of them have permitted an improvement in the sensitivity, decreasing the detection limits and manipulation process, and increasing the accuracy and precision of the analyses.

Moreover, the new technology in the optic and detector systems have given rise to high-resolution continuum source ETAAS (HR-CS ETAAS) spectrometers that solve most of the constraints presented by the more conventional line source ETAAS (LS ETAAS) spectrometers. HR-CS ETAAS enables a rapid detection of several elements at once, facilitates direct determination from solid sampling, and reduces the matrix interferences and background noise. Here we give an overview of the recent advances and the different possibilities of using ETAAS, drawing on studies from the last decade on methods to analyze As, Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb in soils and sediments.     

IPBES工作效率和科学职能的有效性分析

IPBES第一轮工作方案受到国际社会的广泛关注,奠定了其作为第一个生物多样性领域政府间机制的重要地位.IPBES自成立以来相继发布了系列评估报告和决策者摘要,引起了国际社会广泛关注,因此,其公平性、公正性、科学性和透明性始终为各界关注的焦点,直接决定着IPBES评估报告的可信度和未来的发展.为有效提升工作效率,提高其成...     

Structural activity relationship between Salmonella-mutagenicity and nitro-orientation of nitroazaphenanthrenes

Nitroazaphenanthrenes (NAphs) and their N-oxides (NAphOs) were synthesized as derivatives with nitrogen atoms in the 1, 4, and 9 positions of phenanthrene rings, and as nitrated derivatives substituted at the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 positions of phenanthrene rings. To determine the structure activity relationship of these derivatives, all 19 isomers were bioassayed with Salmonella tester strains. NAphs substituted at the 4, 6, 7 and 8 positions were mutagenic for TA98, and 1-, 2-, and 3-N-9-AphOs, 6-N-1-AphO and 6-N-4-AphO were mutagenic for TA98 and TA100 without the S9 mix, while 5-N-1-AphO and 5-N-9-AphO were non- or weakly mutagenic. Nitrated derivatives, 6-N-4-Aph, 6-N-9-Aph, 6-N-1-AphO, and 6-N-4-AphO, were powerful mutagens for TA98 and TA100. Mutagenicity was enhanced by mutant strains producing nitroreductase, such as YG1021 and 1026, and by those producing O-acetyltransferase, such as YG1024 and 1029. Nitro derivatives substituted at positions 4 and 5 in the phenanthrene rings were perpendicular, while those at positions 2, 3, 6 and 7 were coplanar to the phenanthrene rings. NAphs substituted at the 1 and 8 positions were noncoplanar due to steric hindrance of the aromatic proton at the peri position. On the other hand, 1,5- and 1,8-dinitro-4-azaphenanthrenes showed high mutagenicity for strains TA98 and TA100 in the absence of the S9 mix, and were strongly enhanced by nitroreductase and O-acetyltransferase, over-producing mutants. Therefore, it was found that the mutagenic potency of NAphs and NAphOs was closely associated with the chemical properties and orientation of nitro substitution of aromatic rings.     

中国昆虫染色体研究现状与展望

简要叙述了中国昆虫染色体研究的现状,包括研究涉及的昆虫类群、核型分析结果、研究方法和手段、染色体有丝分裂、减数分裂、染色体形态变异、结构变异和数量变异等。我国学者对昆虫染色体研究从20世纪30年代开始,迄今已对蜉蝣目、蜚蠊目、直翅目、半翅目、同翅目、鞘翅目、鳞翅目、双翅目、蚤目和膜翅目等10目481种昆虫的核型进行了研究,主要集中在蝗虫、蝽类、蚜虫、蚕类、果蝇、摇蚊及实蝇等。在染色体行为方面的研究主要有：蚕类和果蝇等有丝分裂;蜚蠊类、蝗类、蝽类和蚕类的减数分裂及性别决定机制;部分昆虫的联会复合体分析。染色体结构变异的研究主要集中在果蝇和蚊类昆虫的唾腺染色体;果蝇的B染色体;蚕类和蚊类昆虫染色体的缺失、易位和倒位等变异;蚕蛾类的数量变异。研究结果多应用于昆虫系统分类和进化的探讨,揭示昆虫遗传与变异规律。通过与国外研究成果对比,提出昆虫染色体研究的必要性,并对我国未来昆虫染色体研究进行了展望。     

The morphology and relationships of the Carboniferous amphibian Eoherpeton watsoni Panchen

The oldest recorded anthracosaur amphibian Eoherpeton watsoni Panchen, from localities in the Visean and Namurian of the Scottish Carboniferous, is described. It lacks a distinct otic notch, and reconstruction of the position of cranial ligaments and muscles suggest that a tympanum was never developed. On the basis of these observations it is concluded that arguments used to refute a relationship between anthracosaurs and amniotes, based on apparent differences in the morphology of their otic regions, are invalid. The order Anthracosauria is considered to be a monophyletic group characterized by the development of a sutural connection between the tabular and parietal bones on a skull table which includes both the intertemporal and supratemporal as well as the tabular. It is divided into two suborders: Seymouriamorpha characterized by a sutural connection between the squamosal and intertemporal and the presence of a lateral otic tube, and Anthracosauroideae characterized by the absence of post-temporal fossae. The Discosauriscidae, Kotlassiidae and Seymouriidae are included in the Seymouriamorpha, and the Eoherpetontidae, Gephyrostegidae and Embolomeri comprise the Anthracosauroideae. The Proterogyrinidae are considered the most primitive family of embolomeres. A new phylogeny of Amphibia is presented. The old groupings of Labyrinthodontia, Lepospondyli and Lissamphibia are rejected and Amphibia is divided, on the basis of differences in morphology of the neurocranium and its relationship with the surrounding bones of the skull, into two major groups, the first including the Ichthyostcgalia, Temnospondyli, Microsauria and the extant Anura, Apoda and Urodela, while the Aistopoda, Nectridea, Palaeostegalia, Loxommatoidea, Anthracosauria and Diadectomorpha, together with the Amniota, form the second. Similarities in the dentition of the palaeostegalian Crassigyrinus and loxommatoids suggest the two taxa are sister-groups, but the immediate relationships of anthracosaurs remain indeterminate and they here form an unresolved trichotomy with diadectomorphs and amniotes.     

土地退化过程、机制与影响——以土地退化与恢复专题评估报告为基础

土地退化已成为威胁32亿人口福祉的全球性重大环境问题之一,近年来受到UN、IPBES、IPCC等组织的广泛关注。然而,当前的土地退化研究中,还存在概念不清、过程和机理不明、影响认识不彻底等问题,因此,厘清土地退化的概念、过程和机制是防止土地退化和恢复退化土地的关键。以生物多样性和生态系统服务政府间科学-政策平台（IPBES）土地退化与恢复专题评估报告为基础,剖析了土地退化的概念、过程、机制及影响：土地退化过程受自然环境和人类活动两大因素驱动,退化过程包括疑似退化、历史退化、敏感退化、弹性退化、持续退化和永久退化6种状态;土地退化类型可根据土地利用类型分为城市土地退化、农田退化、森林与草地退化、湿地退化等;土地退化具有多重影响,包括威胁食物和水安全,影响生物多样性及生态系统服务,引发地区冲突、大规模人口迁徙和疾病传播,加剧贫困及全球气候变化。土地退化过程、机制及影响的审视将为我国沙漠化、石漠化等土地退化的进一步研究提供理论指导,并为我国"山水林田湖草"土地系统的统筹治理和"美丽中国"、"生态文明"建设提供决策支持。     

Breeding for resistance to diseases in greengram and blackgram

Summary This review is given on the origin and interrelationship of blackgram and greengram: the symptoms, mode of transmission, and host range of important diseases, namely: mungbean yellow mosaic virus, leaf crinkle virus, leaf curl virus, mosaic mottle virus, Cercospora leaf spot, powdery mildew, root and stem rots, bacterial leaf spot and halo blight. The screening for resistance, sources of resistance, including interspecific hybridization, and induced mutations, as well as the genetics of resistance are treated along with suggestions for future breeding strategies of these crops.Greengram is relatively drought tolerant. It is cultivated in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam, eastern Malaysia, Southern China and in the relatively dry eastern parts of Java, (Jain and Mehra 1978). In the recent past it has been introduced into the eastern and central parts of Africa, the West Indies and the U.S.A. It is also grown in the Philippines, Nepal, Taiwan and Indonesia. Blackgram has greater water requirements than greengram. It is grown in India, Pakistan, Srilanka and Burma (Jain and Mehra 1978).     

Tribal relationships of Beesia, Eranthis and seven other genera of Ranunculaceae: evidence from cytological characters

The karyotypes of 16 species and one variety representing nine genera in the Ranunculaceae were analysed in order to obtain information on the placement of the genera Beesia and Eranthis at tribal rank in the family. Those of Beesia , Anemonopsis , Souliea , Cimicifuga , Actaea and Eranthis were found to be very similar to each other, but remarkably different from those of Caltha , Calathodes , Megaleranthis and Trollius with respect to chromosome size and morphology. From cytological data it is clearly evident that Beesia and Eranthis have a much closer affinity to Anemonopsis , Souliea , Cimicifuga and Actaea in the tribe Cimicifugeae than to Caltha , Calathodes , Megaleranthis and Trollius , which generally have been placed together in a single tribe, albeit with different tribal names such as Caltheae, Trollieae and Helleboreae. Therefore, Beesia and Eranthis may find better placement in the tribe Cimicifugeae. The long-presumed, mainly morphology-based close affinity between Eranthis and Helleborus is not supported by both cytological and palynological data. Cytologically, both Actaea and Eranthis appear to be the specialized genera in the Cimicifugeae, through having the most asymmetrical karyotypes in this tribe. Our results strongly support the recent re-definition of the tribe Actaeeae (as Cimicifugeae) to include Beesia and Eranthis , based on maximum parsimony analysis performed separately on molecular data.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 150 , 267–289.     

菱属野生植物形态学性状的可塑性变异及其分类学价值

长江中下游平原和东北三江平原是我国最大的两个冲积平原,其内河流、浅水湖泊和沼泽众多,菱属植物种类丰富。本研究基于对这两个区域中菱属野生植物的广泛调查,采集其居群42个,分属于9种(细果野菱、四角刻叶菱、四角菱、菱、丘角菱、东北菱、四角大柄菱、八瘤菱、四瘤菱),3变种(四角矮菱、南昌格菱、短四角菱)。进一步对采集的菱属野生植物16个分类性状进行测量和统计,并对其形态学性状的可塑性变异及分类学价值进行分析和评价。结果显示:依据菱角的果体大小、果喙性状可以将采集的菱属野生植物划分成两个类群,其中A类群仅包括细果野菱和四角刻叶菱,而其余的菱属植物7种3变种组成B类群;对有腰角组(5种2变种)的腰角性状进行聚类分析,也可将细果野菱和四角刻叶菱与其他菱属植物区分开来;而瘤突、叶和气囊性状的分类价值有限。说明果体大小、果喙和腰角性状的形态学特征是菱属植物分类和鉴定的主要依据。     

Distribution and phenology of large branchiopods in Austria

In Austria, the distribution of Anostraca, Notostraca, and Conchostraca is mainly confined to the floodplains of the rivers Morava and Danube, and the shallow alkaline pans of the Seewinkel region in Burgenland province. Occasionally, large branchiopods can also be found in rain pools of the eastern and central Austrian lowlands, where topography and climate favour the existence of astatic water bodies. Differences in hydrology, temperature and water chemistry requirements may be reflected in local species compositions and species seasonal appearance. A survey conducted from 1994 through 1996 found that Chirocephalus shadini, Eubranchipusgrubii, and Lepidurus apus occurred in late winter and spring, while Branchinecta ferox, Branchinecta orientalis, Cyzicus tetracerus and Chirocephalus carnuntanus were found exclusively in spring. Streptocephalus torvicornis, Tanymastixstagnalis, and Eoleptestheria ticinensis were present in spring and summer. Branchipus schaefferi was found in summer and fall, whereas Imnadia yeyetta, Leptestheria dahalacensis, Limnadialenticularis, and Triops cancriformis occurred throughout spring, summer and fall. Streptocephalus torvicornis was documented for Austria for the first time since 1965. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Epididymal compounds and their influence on the metabolism and survival of spermatozoa

Epididymal fluid, which is derived from testicular fluid, contains several unusual compounds. Little information is available on the composition of the testicular fluid of primates, but the fluid of the ram, bull, boar, and rat contains high concentrations of inositol and certain amino acids. Analyses have been made of epididymal fluid collected from the cauda epididymis of the Rhesus monkey and several nonprimate species (e.g., ram, bull, dog, stallion, rabbit, guinea pig, rat, and hamster), but similar information on the human is lacking. Cauda epididymal fluid appears to be similar in composition from one mammalian species to another. However, the epididymal plasma differs considerably from blood, lymph, and other extracellular fluids. The environment of spermatozoa in the epididymis is, therefore, highly specialized, and presumably in some way contributes to the prolonged survival of spermatozoa in this organ, and provides substrates for the metabolism of the spermatozoa. The chief characteristics of the cauda epididymal plasma are the low concentration of inorganic ions and the high levels of several unusual organic constituents namely, glycerylphosphorylcholine, carnitine, sialic acid, amino acids, glycosidases, and phosphatases. At least one antifertility compound, namely, orally administered α-chlorohydrin, appears to be concentrated in the epididymis. Studies on laboratory animals, domestic species, and man, suggest that it inhibits enzymes of the glycyolytic pathway in spermatozoa, and this may be the basis for its antifertility activity.     

Extracellular Adenosine, Inosine, Hypoxanthine, and Xanthine in Relation to Tissue Nucleotides and Purines in Rat Striatum During Transient Ischemia

Extracellular (EC) adenosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and inosine concentrations were monitored in vivo in the striatum during steady state, 15 min of complete brain ischemia, and 4 h of reflow and compared with purine and nucleotide levels in the tissue. Ischemia was induced by three-vessel occlusion combined with hypotension (50 mm Hg) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. EC purines were sampled by microdialysis, and tissue adenine nucleotides and purine catabolites were extracted from the in situ frozen brain at the end of the experiment. ATP, ADP, and AMP were analyzed with enzymatic fluorometric techniques, and adenosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and inosine with a modified HPLC system. Ischemia depleted tissue ATP, whereas AMP, adenosine, hypoxanthine, and inosine accumulated. In parallel, adenosine, hypoxanthine, and inosine levels increased in the EC compartment. Adenosine reached an EC concentration of 40 microM after 15 min of ischemia. Levels of tissue nucleotides and purines normalized on reflow. However, xanthine levels increased transiently (sevenfold). In the EC compartment, adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine contents normalized slowly on reflow, whereas the xanthine content increased. The high EC levels of adenosine during ischemia may turn off spontaneous neuronal firing, counteract excitotoxicity, and inhibit ischemic calcium uptake, thereby exerting neuroprotective effects.     

The effect of aging on the mineral status of female mice

To clarify the effect of aging on the mineral status of female mice, mineral concentrations in their tissues were determined. Five 2-mo-old, five 6-mo-old, and five 10-mo-old female B10BR mice were fed a commercial diet. Iron, zinc, copper, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium concentrations in the blood, liver, kidney, heart, brain, lung, and spleen of the mice were determined using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Iron concentrations in the liver, kidney, heart, brain, and spleen increased with age. Significant differences were detected between mice 2 and 6 mo of age and between mice 2 and 10 mo of age. Zinc concentrations in the heart and lung decreased significantly with age. Zinc concentrations in the heart and lung of 10-mo-old mice were significantly lower than those of 2-mo-old mice. It is noteworthy that the copper concentration in the brain of 10-mo-old mice was markedly higher compared with that of younger mice. Calcium accumulation was apparent in the kidney of mice at 10 mo.     

Serology and systematics of the Ebenales and the Theales

The systematic position ofthe Ebenaceae, Sapotaceae, Styracaceae, Ochnaceae, Stachyuraceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Clusiaceae and Hypericaceae has been investigated using serological comparisons of sets of antigenic determinants. The results show that the Sytracaceae and Sapotaceae are undoubtedly more closely associated with the Actinidiaeceae and Theaceae, respectively, than with each other. We found no corresponding determinants betnween antigen systems from the Ebenaceae and systems from any other family whose relations to this family have been proposed. As discovered previously, investigations of antigen systems from the Ochnaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Stachyuraceae, Clusiaceae and Hypericaceae are against the idea of a natural order “Theales” in which these families, or at least some of them, are combined with the Theaceae and Actinidiaceae. This paper completes our previous investigations which largely support a superorder Ericanae sensu Ehrendorfer and Takhtajan. We propose to include the Actinidiaceae and Theaceae in this superorder, assigning them a central position laong with the Sapotaceae and Sytracaeae on one side and the Primulales and Ericales on the other. Another most interesting finding is that there are corresponding determinants between antigen systems from the members of the Ericanae and representatives of the Polemoniaceae and Loasaceae.