秤锤树属与长果安息香属植物的地理分布及其濒危现状

秤锤树属(SinojackiaHu)和长果安息香属(ChangiostyraxC.T.Chen)是安息香科的少种属,这两属在我国共记录有7个种。本文通过野外调查,分析了中国这两属植物的地理分布、濒危现状及其迁地保护状况。结果表明:秤锤树属植物地理分布较广,但是每个物种的居群数量和居群大小均很小。其中秤锤树(Sinojackiaxylocarpa)和狭果秤锤树(S.rehderiana)已经在其模式标本产地灭绝;棱果秤锤树(S.henryi)在过去的近70年内没有采到过标本,该物种可能存在同物异名现象或已经灭绝;细果秤锤树(S.microcarpa)由于人为破坏严重,居群大小急剧下降;肉果秤锤树(S.sarcocarpa)和怀化秤锤树(S.oblongicarpa)呈零星分布且个体数量很少,处于极濒危状态。另外本次调查发现秤锤树属的一个新的分类群(待鉴定种)。秤锤树属的大多数种和长果安息香属植物的居群更新能力差:虽然结果率较高,但是结籽率较低;坚硬的内果皮阻碍了种子的萌发,这是其居群更新的最大障碍;另外人为破坏对其居群更新的影响也较大。作者建议应该把秤锤树属的所有物种和长果安息香属植物都纳入保护的范围并讨论了这两属植物的保护策略。     

Whole mitochondrial genome capture from faecal samples and museum‐preserved specimens

Population‐scale molecular studies of endangered and cryptic species are often limited by access to high‐quality samples. The use of noninvasively collected samples or museum‐preserved specimens reduces the pressure on modern populations by removing the need to capture and handle live animals. However, endogenous DNA content in such samples is low, making shotgun sequencing a financially prohibitive approach. Here, we apply a target enrichment method to retrieve mitochondrial genomes from 65 museum specimens and 56 noninvasively collected faecal samples of two endangered great ape species, Grauer's gorilla and the eastern chimpanzee. We show that the applied method is suitable for a wide range of sample types that differ in endogenous DNA content, increasing the proportion of target reads to over 300‐fold. By systematically evaluating biases introduced during target enrichment of pooled museum samples, we show that capture is less efficient for fragments shorter or longer than the baits, that the proportion of human contaminating reads increases postcapture although capture efficiency is lower for human compared to gorilla fragments with a gorilla‐generated bait, and that the rate of jumping PCR is considerable, but can be controlled for with a double‐barcoding approach. We succeed in capturing complete mitochondrial genomes from faecal samples, but observe reduced capture efficiency as sequence divergence increases between the bait and target species. As previously shown for museum specimens, we demonstrate here that mitochondrial genome capture from field‐collected faecal samples is a robust and reliable approach for population‐wide studies of nonmodel organisms.     

中国高等植物数字化标本分析

传统上馆藏标本,主要用于植物分类学、植物资源学的研究。数字标本的出现将标本的使用拓展到从研究生物多样性时间空间分布到生态学和进化学理论、生物多样性保护、农业和人类健康等广泛领域。截至目前,从互联网上获取的采自中国的植物标本数量已有1 200多万份。该文通过整理和分析这些数据以了解中国植物标本的数字化精度、采集时间和采集地区规律以及采集空缺等状况。结果表明:中国标本采集形成了4个高峰,即20世纪30年代、60年代、80年代和21世纪初,中国植物标本采集和研究工作主要在20世纪50年代后由中国学者完成。标本采集地区覆盖度在省级较好,县级标本采集则很不平衡; 标本采集类群在科属层面覆盖率高,但近五分之一的物种采集不足; 标本的采集量既与植物分布幅度相关,也与采集地区的知名度、所获科研项目及采集者偏好有关。未来中国植物标本数字化方向应该在继续挖掘馆藏标本的同时,一方面开展对现有数字化标本信息再审核及补充,并加强与欧美大馆的信息共享以获取早期历史标本信息; 另一方面应用数字化标本信息分析结果,指导境内标本的精准采集,包括采集薄弱/空白地区、采集薄弱/空白属种的采集,以进一步增强实体标本馆能力,提高数字化标本质量,为进一步完善植物标本数字化和精准化采集提供依据,更好地服务科学和社会的发展。     

A new statistic for detecting genetic differentiation

A new statistic for detecting genetic differentiation of subpopulations is described. The statistic can be calculated when genetic data are collected on individuals sampled from two or more localities. It is assumed that haplotypic data are obtained, either in the form of DNA sequences or data on many tightly linked markers. Using a symmetric island model, and assuming an infinite-sites model of mutation, it is found that the new statistic is as powerful or more powerful than previously proposed statistics for a wide range of parameter values.     

Patterns of plant diversity at high altitudes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Aims To describe the biodiversity patterns of plants along an altitudinal gradient on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and to clarify the bias in plant specimen records at high altitude.Methods We conducted a large-scale investigation of vegetation at a wide range of altitudes, focusing on a high-altitudinal range (3?200–5?200 m) at different locations on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We then compared the altitudinal distribution of plant species obtained from our field investigation with that in plant specimen records from published sources and an online database.Important findings Our data provide evidence that altitude plays a large role in regulating species composition on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We could not, however, detect a clear relationship between altitude and species richness, although a weak monotonically increasing trend of richness was detected with increasing altitude. According to specimen records, most species have been sampled at a wide range of altitudes, and the average range of 145 species is>2?000 m. Despite this wide range, more than half of the species we observed were at higher altitudes than the specimen records indicate. High-altitude areas have probably been so poorly sampled that only a small fraction of the resident species has been recorded. This study clearly shows the regional bias of specimen records in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.     

The Sampled Red List Index for Plants,phase II: ground-truthing specimen-based conservation assessments

The IUCN Sampled Red List Index (SRLI) is a policy response by biodiversity scientists to the need to estimate trends in extinction risk of the world''s diminishing biological diversity. Assessments of plant species for the SRLI project rely predominantly on herbarium specimen data from natural history collections, in the overwhelming absence of accurate population data or detailed distribution maps for the vast majority of plant species. This creates difficulties in re-assessing these species so as to measure genuine changes in conservation status, which must be observed under the same Red List criteria in order to be distinguished from an increase in the knowledge available for that species, and thus re-calculate the SRLI. However, the same specimen data identify precise localities where threatened species have previously been collected and can be used to model species ranges and to target fieldwork in order to test specimen-based range estimates and collect population data for SRLI plant species. Here, we outline a strategy for prioritizing fieldwork efforts in order to apply a wider range of IUCN Red List criteria to assessments of plant species, or any taxa with detailed locality or natural history specimen data, to produce a more robust estimation of the SRLI.     

Single-copy nuclear DNA sequences obtained from noninvasively collected primate feces

Noninvasively collected primate feces have been shown to provide a useful source of mitochondrial DNA for sequencing and nuclear microsatellite DNA for size analysis. In this study, single-copy nuclear DNA sequences were obtained from noninvasively collected fecal samples of two species of wild tamarins, Saguinus fuscicollis and S. mystax, in the context of a project on the functional utility of color vision. Noninvasive genotyping of the X-linked opsin gene is important for future studies of selection and adaptation at this locus in a number of primate species. The wide range of techniques that can now be applied successfully to DNA extracted from feces introduces a broad spectrum of potential genetic studies that can be undertaken on primates, without the need for intrusive or invasive methods.     

Similitude assessment method for comparing PMHS response data from impact loading across multiple test devices

Biological tissue testing is inherently susceptible to the wide range of variability specimen to specimen. A primary resource for encapsulating this range of variability is the biofidelity response corridor or BRC. In the field of injury biomechanics, BRCs are often used for development and validation of both physical, such as anthropomorphic test devices, and computational models. For the purpose of generating corridors, post-mortem human surrogates were tested across a range of loading conditions relevant to under-body blast events. To sufficiently cover the wide range of input conditions, a relatively small number of tests were performed across a large spread of conditions. The high volume of required testing called for leveraging the capabilities of multiple impact test facilities, all with slight variations in test devices. A method for assessing similitude of responses between test devices was created as a metric for inclusion of a response in the resulting BRC. The goal of this method was to supply a statistically sound, objective method to assess the similitude of an individual response against a set of responses to ensure that the BRC created from the set was affected primarily by biological variability, not anomalies or differences stemming from test devices.     

In vitro electrical impedance spectroscopy of human dentine: the effect of restorative materials

The influence of different restorative materials on in vitro dielectric properties of sound dentine was investigated. The studied samples were three-layer materials consisting of successive disks of dentine and silver amalgam or nanohybrid composite resin. Before being tested, the samples were maintained in physiological solution never more than 48 h from the extraction. Also, sections of intact dentine were similarly prepared for electrical measurements. Complex dielectric permittivity of these specimens was determined in a wide frequency range using the parallel-plate capacitor technique. Very similar dielectric responses of intact dentine and amalgam-dentine material were observed. This is explained on the basis of high dc conductivity exhibited by both samples. In contrast, resin-dentine specimen revealed a much more insulating behavior. A simple theoretical model for heterogeneous systems could be applied to these dental three-layer materials. The dielectric properties of restored dentine are strongly dependent on the kind of restorative material employed in each case. This suggests that electrical data should be used carefully in caries diagnosis on restored teeth.     

中国角叉菜属(Chondrus)的分类研究：形态观察和rbcL序列分析

采用rbcL序列分析结合传统形态观察的方法 ,对我国福建省平潭县和漳浦县、山东省青岛市及辽宁省大连市采集的角叉菜属样品进行了研究。新鲜或硅胶干燥样品被用于总DNA提取并用于PCR反应 ,PCR扩增产物回收后直接用于测序反应 ,序列数据经ClustalX1 .8软件排序后 ,采用MEGA2 .1软件根据Kimura’s双因子法计算遗传距离 ,并应用邻接法 (neighbor - joint ing)和最大简约法 (MaximumParsimony)构建系统树 ,Bootstrap法 (5 0 0次重复 )评估分支可信度。研究表明 :确认中国存在Chondrusocellatus、Chondrusnipponicus和Chondrusarmatus三种角叉菜 ;原报道产于我国东南沿海的角叉菜Chondrusocellatus应为Grateloupiaimbricata ;原报道产于大连小平岛的角叉菜Chondrusyendoi应为Mazzaellajaponica。     

The role of electron microscopy in the rapid diagnosis of viral infections — <Emphasis Type="Italic">review</Emphasis>

Electron microscopy (EM) allows fast visualization of viruses in a wide range of clinical specimens. Viruses are grouped into families based on their morphology. Viruses from various families look distinctly and these morphological variances are the basis for identification of viruses by EM. The identification to the family level is often sufficient for the clinician or recognition of an unknown infectious agent. Diagnostic EM has two advantages over enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and nucleic acid amplification tests. After a simple and fast negative staining, EM allows fast morphological identification and differential diagnosis of infectious agents contained in the specimen without the need for special considerations and/or reagents. Nevertheless, EM has the disadvantage of being unsuitable as a screening method.     

Avoiding biohazards in medical,veterinary and research laboratories

Personnel in medical, veterinary or research laboratories may be exposed to a wide variety of pathogens that range from deadly to debilitating. For some of these pathogens, no treatment is available, and in other cases the treatment does not fully control the disease. It is important that personnel in laboratories that process human or microbiological specimens follow universal precautions when handling tissues, cells, or microbiological specimens owing to the increasing numbers of individuals infected with hepatitis C and HIV in the US and the possibility that an individual may be asymptomatic when a specimen is obtained. Similar precautions must be followed in laboratories that use animal tissues owing to the possibility of exposure to agents that are pathogenic in humans. Personnel with conditions associated with immunosuppression should evaluate carefully whether or not specific laboratory environments put them at increased risk of disease. We offer here some general approaches to identifying biohazards and to minimizing the potential risk of exposure. The issues discussed can be used to develop a general safety program as required by regulatory or accrediting agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.     

植物模式标本数据整合新的机遇与挑战

命名模式是分类群名称永久依附的成分,在分类学研究中有不可替代的价值。中国复杂的植物采集历史以及对中国植物标本开展研究的单位各异,导致我国植物模式标本零散分布于全球各大标本馆,给分类工作的开展带来了极大的困难。标本数字化的开展为模式标本数据整合提供了新的机遇,同时也给我们带来了人名和地名标准化以及模式类型确认等方面的挑战。我国于2006年开始对模式标本数据进行收集和整理,迄今已完成国内外20余家标本馆9万余条标本数据的收集。模式考证和模式类型清理是我们下一步亟须开展的工作,同时我们应将地名变更资料、人名考证资料进行整合并建立相应的数据库以推动模式标本数据的标准化。这将在很大程度上有助于我们摸清中国模式标本的家底。     

Avoiding biohazards in medical, veterinary and research laboratories

Personnel in medical, veterinary or research laboratories may be exposed to a wide variety of pathogens that range from deadly to debilitating. For some of these pathogens, no treatment is available, and in other cases the treatment does not fully control the disease. It is important that personnel in laboratories that process human or microbiological specimens follow universal precautions when handling tissues, cells, or microbiological specimens owing to the increasing numbers of individuals infected with hepatitis C and HIV in the US and the possibility that an individual may be asymptomatic when a specimen is obtained. Similar precautions must be followed in laboratories that use animal tissues owing to the possibility of exposure to agents that are pathogenic in humans. Personnel with conditions associated with immunosuppression should evaluate carefully whether or not specific laboratory environments put them at increased risk of disease. We offer here some general approaches to identifying biohazards and to minimizing the potential risk of exposure. The issues discussed can be used to develop a general safety program as required by regulatory or accrediting agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.     

贵州省蛇类新记录——赵氏后棱蛇

2010年8月和2018年5月于贵州省雷山县(雷公山国家级自然保护区,1号标本)、贵州省黄平县(朱家山县级自然保护区,3号标本)和麻江县(1号标本)共采集到5号游蛇科Colubridae后棱蛇属Opisthotropis标本,经形态学和分子系统学分析鉴定为赵氏后棱蛇Opisthotropis zhaoermii,这是该种在模式产地湖南省古丈县外的首次发现。线粒体cyt b序列构建的系统发育树显示,5号赵氏后棱蛇(武陵山系以西)和模式产地(武陵山系以东)的聚为一支;遗传距离计算结果显示,5号赵氏后棱蛇与模式产地的为0.08%;分子遗传学结果表明,赵氏后棱蛇分布于武陵山系东、西两侧。武陵山系的余脉(如佛顶山)对赵氏后棱蛇不同地理种群的遗传分化可能起着重要影响。     

Inertia effects on characterization of dynamic response of brain tissue

Modeling and simulation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulted from collision or blast loading requires characterization of mechanical response over a wide range of loading rates under valid testing conditions. In this study, mechanical response of fresh bovine brain tissue was studied using the two modified Kolsky bar techniques. Radial deformation behavior of annular specimens, which are typically used to characterize the dynamic uniaxial compressive response of biological tissues, was examined using a modified Kolsky bar and a high speed camera to collect images while the specimen deforms at an axial strain rate of 2000s(-1). The high-speed images revealed inhomogeneous specimen deformation possibly brought about by radial inertia and causing a multi-axial stress state. To acquire valid stress-strain results that can be used to produce constitutive behavior of the soft materials, a novel torsion technique was developed to obtain pure shear response at dynamic loading rates. Experimental results show clear differences in the material response using the two methods. These results indicate that the previously demonstrated annular specimen geometry aimed at reducing inertia induced stress components for high rate soft materials uniaxial-compressive testing may still possess a significant component of radial inertia induced radial stress which consequently caused the observed inhomogeneous deformation in brain tissue test samples.     

Some experience in an area health authority child health clinic.

Three years'' experience as a doctor taking two clinics a week in an area health authority child health clinic was reviewed. A wide range of clinical conditions was seen, including: problems associated with feeding in breast- and bottle-fed infants; minor developmental abnormalities (mental, behavioural, and physical); surgical and orthopaedic conditions requiring treatment; medical conditions, mainly respiratory and alimentary infections, skin conditions, and problems of over-treatment for minor ailments; and minor genetic abnormalities. Mothers asked for advice on a wide range of topics, risks and benefits of immunisation being the most common. The clinic doctor needs a wide experience in paediatrics to deal with such problems. It is suggested that all lecturers in child health and paediatric and senior registrars should take one clinic a week for six months, and all medical students should attend some clinics as part of their paediatric training. Health visitors have an important role in helping the clinic doctor, but their training should be more realistic and appropriate facilities should be provided to keep them up to date in their work.     

中国澜沧江(鱼芒)科鱼类种群现状及洄游原因分析

我国曾经记录有(鱼芒)科鱼类4种。国际上近年来对(鱼芒)科鱼类的分类进行了许多重要的修订,物种数量已达3属22种。我国的(鱼芒)科鱼类也因长时间没有进行及时的分类修订而存在许多疑问。基于国内自1960年以来所收集的珍贵标本和记录,确认我国记录有(鱼芒)科鱼类1属3种。它们是:长丝(鱼芒)(Pangasius sanitwongseiSmith)、贾巴(鱼芒)(Pangasius djambalBleeker)、短须(鱼芒)(Pangasius micronemusBleeker)。在此基础上,根据掌握的资料对我国(鱼芒)科鱼类的种群现状和濒危原因、洄游的性质及洄游群体数量下降原因以及水电站建设对大型洄游鱼类的影响进行了分析。以往记录显示,捕获时间都集中于4—5月份,无冬季捕获记录。捕获季节与(鱼芒)科鱼类产卵繁殖季节高度吻合,提示其上溯到我国澜沧江下游应属生殖洄游,而不是索饵洄游。被捕获记录主要出现于20世纪60—70年代,之后则数量锐减。导致这种情况发生的主要原因可能有三方面:1)下游湄公河对(鱼芒)科鱼类的捕捞压力过大;2)湄公河—澜沧江航运船只对(鱼芒)科鱼类有损害作用;3)由于西南季风变化的影响,澜沧江径流量发生变化,可能间接导致(鱼芒)科鱼类洄游行为发生改变。分析显示,(鱼芒)科鱼类的洄游与3—4月份澜沧江流量呈密切相关规律,提示适合鱼类产卵的雨季及西南夏季风比往年较早到达该地区,从而激发它们较往年提前启动生殖洄游,并且溯河的高度较高。以往的捕获记录还表明,(鱼芒)科鱼类主要洄游至景洪下方的澜沧江河段及支流补远江,上述水域是其喜好的产卵场之一。景洪大桥以下的干支流不适合建设水电站,因为电站大坝必然会阻断(鱼芒)科鱼类的繁殖洄游,影响其繁殖活动。而景洪大桥上方的干流电站不在(鱼芒)科鱼类正常繁殖洄游通道中,大坝阻隔作用对(鱼芒)科鱼类的影响相对较小。建议把补远江建设成为鱼类和水生生物保护区。