CHIRBASE,a graphical molecular database on the separation of enantiomers by liquid-, supercritical fluid-, and gas chromatography

In order to cope with the increasing number of publications on the separation of enantiomers by chromatography on a chiral stationary phase, the graphical molecular database CHIRBASE was created. In the present state, the database package covers information (structural, bibiographic, and chromatographic data) on liquid-, supercritical fluid-, and gas chromatography; other methods will follow. CHIRBASE, running on the MDL software Chembase®, meets the requirements of contemporary information management in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. (Detailed information including a demo-version of each part of CHIRBASE can be obtained from the authors on request.) © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

RECURRENT FORMATION AND POLYPHYLY OF NORDIC POLYPLOIDS IN DRABA (BRASSICACEAE)

Draba (Brassicaceae) is well known for its taxonomic complexity in arctic and alpine floras, and the polyploids in particular present vexing taxonomic problems. It has been suggested that polyploids in Draba may have formed recurrently from different populations of the parental species (polytopy), and it is also possible that a given taxonomic species may actually comprise several polyploid races, each originating from different progenitor species (polyphyly). To unravel the taxonomic complexity of polyploid Draba in the Nordic area, we investigated three of the most morphologically variable species and their possible progenitors using enzyme electrophoresis and restriction site analysis of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA): D. norvegica (6x), D. lactea (6x), and D. corymbosa (16x). Electrophoretic analyses of progeny showed high levels of fixed heterozygosity in all three polyploids, demonstrating that all are genetic alloploids. Electrophoretic and rDNA data indicate that polytopic and/or polyphyletic origins have contributed to the complexity of these polyploids. However, a lack of cpDNA variation among the species limited the usefulness of this molecule for analysis of polyploid origins. The considerable electrophoretic variation observed in D. norvegica necessitates a minimum of three and probably 13 independent origins. Electrophoretic and rDNA data suggest that D. lactea and D. corymbosa are polyphyletic polyploids. Crossing data also support that D. corymbosa is polyphyletic. Given the widespread geographic distributions of these species and their possible progenitors, and that the populations analyzed represent only a small fraction of their geographic distributions, it is likely that these species have formed numerous times in different areas. As more molecular analyses of polyploids are completed, the data continue to suggest that multiple origins of polyploids are the rule rather than the exception.     

Inference from plant competition experiments: the effect of spatial covariance

Two-species plant competition experiments are often drawn on in an attempt to understand and possibly to predict the formation of plant community structures. Frequently, such competition experiments use a non-random spatial design but is analysed in models where a random spatial design is implicitly assumed. Here, the effect of spatial covariance in plant competition experiments on the inferred ecological conclusions is demonstrated. It is shown that spatial covariance, which is dependent on the competition kernel and the experimental design, may affect the estimation of parameters of interest. Based on the same set of experimental data, the predicted outcome of competition between two Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes can vary between (almost certain) coexistence and (almost certain) exclusion of one genotype, depending on the assumptions made about the spatial scale of competition between the plants . The predicted outcome of competition depended strongly on the mean interaction distance of the competition kernel, whereas the functional shape of the competition kernel was less important. It is suggested that plants in manipulated competition experiments should be placed randomly, such that the design of the competition experiment is in agreement with the model used in the analysis.     

Energy cost of walking and gait instability in healthy 65- and 80-yr-olds.

This study tested whether the lower economy of walking in healthy elderly subjects is due to greater gait instability. We compared the energy cost of walking and gait instability (assessed by stride to stride changes in the stride time) in octogenarians (G80, n = 10), 65-yr-olds (G65, n = 10), and young controls (G25, n = 10) walking on a treadmill at six different speeds. The energy cost of walking was higher for G80 than for G25 across the different walking speeds (P < 0.05). Stride time variability at preferred walking speed was significantly greater in G80 (2.31 +/- 0.68%) and G65 (1.93 +/- 0.39%) compared with G25 (1.40 +/- 0.30%; P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between gait instability and energy cost of walking at preferred walking speed. These findings demonstrated greater energy expenditure in healthy elderly subjects while walking and increased gait instability. However, no relationship was noted between these two variables. The increase in energy cost is probably multifactorial, and our results suggest that gait instability is probably not the main contributing factor in this population. We thus concluded that other mechanisms, such as the energy expenditure associated with walking movements and related to mechanical work, or neuromuscular factors, are more likely involved in the higher cost of walking in elderly people.     

Independent cerebral vasoconstrictive effects of hyperoxia and accompanying arterial hypocapnia at 1 ATA.

Breathing 100% O2 at 1 atmosphere absolute (ATA) is known to be associated with a decrease in cerebral blood flow (CBF). It is also accompanied by a fall in arterial Pco2 leading to uncertainty as to whether the cerebral vasoconstriction is totally or only in part caused by arterial hypocapnia. We tested the hypothesis that the increase in arterial Po2 while O2 was breathed at 1.0 ATA decreases CBF independently of a concurrent fall in arterial Pco2. CBF was measured in seven healthy men aged 21-62 yr by using noninvasive continuous arterial spin-labeled-perfusion MRI. The tracer in this technique, magnetically labeled protons in blood, has a half-life of seconds, allowing repetitive measurements over short time frames without contamination. CBF and arterial blood gases were measured while breathing air, 100% O2, and 4 and 6% CO2 in air and O2 backgrounds. Arterial Po2 increased from 91.7 +/- 6.8 Torr in air to 576.7 +/- 18.9 Torr in O2. Arterial Pco2 fell from 43.3 +/- 1.8 Torr in air to 40.2 +/- 3.3 Torr in O2. CBF-arterial Pco2 response curves for the air and hyperoxic runs were nearly parallel and separated by a distance representing a 28.7-32.6% decrement in CBF. Regression analysis confirmed the independent cerebral vasoconstrictive effect of increased arterial Po2. The present results also demonstrate that the magnitude of this effect at 1.0 ATA is greater than previously measured.     

Assessing the impact of ozone on photosynthesis of European beech (Fergus sylvatica L.) in environmental chambers

An exposure — response study with proportionalto-ambient ozone levels was conducted in closed chambers on 3-year-old European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) of montane origin. The fumigation started in April 1990 and lasted for a single growing season. Climate data and ozone concentrations monitored at an experimental station of the Institute for Applied Plant Biology, Schönenbuch, Switzerland were simulated in the exposure chambers 12 days later (1*O₃). To test exposure-response relations three additional treatments were applied, subambient (0.2*O₃) and two proportionally increased ozone treatments (1.5*O₃ and 2*O₃). The photosynthetic behaviour of the trees in August revealed the light reactions to be less affected than parameters which are related to the dark reactions of photosynthesis. Assimilation (A₃₅₀), apparent carboxylation efficiency (CE), and maximum photosynthetic capacity (A₂₅₀₀) were reduced with increasing ozone concentration. For the ozone response of CE and A₂₅₀₀ Critical Levels were calculated.     

A simple model of human foveal ganglion cell responses to hyperacuity stimuli

We developed a physiologically plausible model of the first steps of spatial visual information processing in the fovea of the human retina. With the predictions of this model we could support the hypothesis that, for moderate contrasts ( 40%), hyperacuity is mediated by the magnocellular (MC-) pathway. Despite the lower sampling density in the MC pathway, as compared to the parvocellular (PC-) pathway, the information that is transferred by the MC ganglion cells is sufficient to achieve thresholds comparable to those of human subjects in psychophysical tasks. This is a result of the much higher signal-to-noise ratio of the MC pathway cell signals. The PC pathway cells do not transfer enough information for hyperacuity thresholds.