The morphology and evolution of the female postabdomen of Holometabola (Insecta)

In the present article homology issues, character evolution and phylogenetic implications related to the female postabdomen of the holometabolan insects are discussed, based on an earlier analysis of a comprehensive morphological data set. Hymenoptera, the sistergroup of the remaining Holometabola, are the only group where the females have retained a fully developed primary ovipositor of the lepismatid type. There are no characters of the female abdomen supporting a clade Coleopterida + Neuropterida. The invagination of the terminal segments is an autapomorphy of Coleoptera. The ovipositor is substantially modified in Raphidioptera and distinctly reduced in Megaloptera and Neuroptera. The entire female abdomen is extremely simplified in Strepsiptera. The postabdomen is tapering posteriorly in Mecopterida and retractile in a telescopic manner (oviscapt). The paired ventral sclerites of segments VIII and IX are preserved, but valvifers and valvulae are not distinguishable. In Amphiesmenoptera sclerotizations derived from the ventral appendages VIII are fused ventromedially, forming a solid plate, and the appendages IX are reduced. The terminal segments are fused and form a terminal unit which bears the genital opening subapically. The presence of two pairs of apophyses and the related protraction of the terminal unit by muscle force are additional autapomorphies, as is the fusion of the rectum with the posterior part of the genital chamber (cloaca). Antliophora are supported by the presence of a transverse muscle between the ventral sclerites of segment VIII. Secondary egg laying tubes have evolved independently within Boreidae (absent in Caurinus) and in Tipulomorpha. The loss of two muscle associated with the genital chamber are likely autapomorphies of Diptera. The secondary loss of the telescopic retractability of the postabdomen is one of many autapomorphies of Siphonaptera.     

两种治疗方案对脑出血病人康复的影响

脑卒中是急性的脑部血液循环障碍造成的局部脑损害,又叫中风或脑血管意外,是现代中老年人健康的重要威胁,脑出血是其中的一种情况。采用由引导放松干预治疗的方法对脑出血患者进行护理干预,通过监测患者的血压、呼吸以及心率变化来判定干预效果,同时通过CT扫描来判定康复效果。干预结果表明：引导放松这种护理干预能够通过有效的稳定患者的收缩压和舒张压促进患者的康复。研究表明引导放松干预治疗对脑卒中病人的治疗具有一定的推广应用价值。     

Bicyclic α,ω-dicarboxylic acid derivatives from a colonial tunicate of the family Polyclinidae

In the course of our search for bioactive metabolites from a colonial tunicate of the family Polyclinidae, six new (1–6) cyclic fatty acid derivatives were isolated. Their planar structures were established on the basis of NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses. The relative configuration was determined by NOESY experiment. Compounds 1–6 represent a fused bicyclic skeleton possibly derived from α,ω-dicarboxylic acids such as eicosanedioic acid or docosanedioic acid via a Diels–Alder type of cyclization. Compounds 1–4 and 6 showed mild cytotoxicity against a panel of five human solid tumor cell lines.     

Mre11 and Ku regulation of double-strand break repair by gene conversion and break-induced replication

The yeast Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2 (MRX) and Ku complexes regulate single-strand resection at DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), a key early step in homologous recombination (HR). A prior plasmid gap repair study showed that mre11 mutations, which slow single-strand resection, reduce gene conversion tract lengths and the frequency of associated crossovers. Here we tested whether mre11Delta or nuclease-defective mre11 mutations reduced gene conversion tract lengths during HR between homologous chromosomes in diploid yeast. We found that mre11 mutations reduced the efficiency of HR but did not reduce tract lengths or crossovers, despite substantially reduced end-resection at the test (ura3) locus. End-resection is increased in yku70Delta, but this change also had no effect on tract lengths. Thus, heteroduplex formation and tract lengths are not regulated by the extent of end-resection during DSB repair in a chromosomal context. In a plasmid-chromosome DSB repair assay, tract lengths were again similar in wild-type and mre11Delta, but they were reduced in mre11Delta in a gap repair assay. These results indicate that tract lengths are not affected by the extent of end processing when broken ends can invade nearby sites, perhaps because MRX coordination of the two broken ends is dispensable when ends invade nearby sites. Although HR outcome was largely unaffected in mre11 mutants, break-induced replication (BIR) and chromosome loss increased, suggesting that Mre11 function in mitotic HR is limited to early HR stages. Interestingly, yku70Delta suppressed BIR in mre11 mutants. BIR is also elevated in rad51 mutants, but yku70Delta did not suppress BIR in a rad51 background. These results indicate that Mre11 functions in Rad51-independent BIR, and that Ku functions in Rad51-dependent BIR.     

Synaptic connections of cone bipolar cells that express the neurokinin 1 receptor in the rabbit retina

We have investigated and further characterized, in the rabbit retina, the synaptic connectivity of the ON-type cone bipolar cells that are immunoreactive for an antibody against the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R). NK1R-immunoreactive bipolar cell axons terminate in stratum 4 of the inner plexiform layer. The axons of NK1R-positive bipolar cells receive synaptic inputs from amacrine cells through conventional synapses and from putative AII amacrine cells via gap junctions. The major outputs from NK1R-positive bipolar cells make contacts with amacrine cell processes. The most frequent postsynaptic dyads comprise two amacrine cell processes. Double-labeling experiments with antibodies against NK1R and either calretinin or glycine have demonstrated that NK1R-immunoreactive bipolar cells form gap junctions with AII amacrine cells. Thus, NK1R-positive cone bipolar cells, together with calbindin-positive cone bipolar cells, may play an important role in transferring rod signals to the ON-type ganglion cells of the cone pathway in the rabbit retina.I.-B. Kim and M.R. Park contributed equally to this work.This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Korea (grant no. M1-0108-00-0059; Neurobiology Support Grant).     

Ecotoxicity of soils contaminated with industrial and domestic wastewater in western shenyang,China

Soil samples were collected from 7 sites in the up-, mid-and down-reach along and nearby the wastewater irrigation channel, western Shenyang of China. The concentrations of selected pollutants (mineral oil, PAHs - polycycle aromatic hydrocarbons and Cd) were determined by UV spectrometer, HPLC and AAS (atomic adsorption spectrometer) spectrometer, respectively. Toxicity effects of soils were evaluated by seedling emergence test with root length of wheat as the end-point and by earthworms test with the mortality rate and inhibition rates of body weight as endpoints. Results showed accumulation of pollutants for most soils with concentration of 200.2 mg.kg⁻¹∼1600 mg.kg⁻¹ for mineral oil, 0.33 mg.kg⁻¹∼1.81 mg.kg⁻¹ for Cd and 900.16 mg.kg⁻¹ ∼ 2737.91 mg.kg⁻¹ for PAHs. The inhibition rates of root elongation were from −20% up to 40 %, and mortality rates of earthworms ranged from 0%∼40% from the exposure period of two weeks to eight weeks by sampling interval of two weeks, the inhibition rates of earthworm growth were from −19.36% to 34.53%, showing effects of stimulation at 2 weeks to an increasing effects of inhibition at 4, 6 and 8 weeks, respectively. Mortality rates correlated with the loss of body weight of earthworms.

This study indicated the potential risk of pollutants of environmental low content in soil by the determination of selected chemicals combined with toxicity indexes.

     

武汉东湖浮游病毒的丰度及多样性

运用透射电镜及荧光显微技术 ,对富营养化的武汉东湖中浮游病毒丰度及多样性进行了研究。电镜观察和计数结果显示 ,东湖中浮游病毒的丰度达到 10 8个 /mL。荧光显微镜计数结果约是电镜计数结果的 2 72倍 ,差异极显著 (P <0 0 1)。在东湖超富营养区的水样中观察到了多种与各种病毒形态类似的颗粒 ,其中大部分与噬菌体和噬藻体类似 ,具多种形态的尾部和六边形头部。还有一些线状、杆状、子弹形等形态的病毒粒子。研究结果显示东湖水环境中的浮游病毒不仅丰度极高 ,而且种类丰富。提示浮游病毒在东湖水环境和水生态系统中可能扮演重要角色。     

马占相思树干液流特征及其与环境因子的关系

运用Granier热消散式探针法对华南丘陵退化荒坡植被恢复先锋树种马占相思(Acaciamangium)树干液流密度进行长期连续观测,并对其周围环境因子如空气温度、空气相对湿度、土壤相对湿度、光合有效辐射和总辐射进行同步观测。通过分析发现马占相思边材厚度与胸径存在显著线性相关关系;马占相思树干液流密度最大值与边材面积具显著相关关系;马占相思树干东、南、西、北4个方位测得的液流密度具显著差异,且各方位相互之间均有显著相关关系;马占相思树干液流每天到达峰值与光合有效辐射和水蒸气压亏缺到达峰值存在一定的时滞,这两个时滞与树高无关,个体间时滞差异在湿季较小,干季较大;干湿季液流平均值和最大值具显著差异,湿季蒸腾水量大于相同时间内干季蒸腾水量;液流的变化与空气温度、空气相对湿度、光合有效辐射、总辐射、水蒸气压亏缺等环境因子的变化具显著相关关系,按相关程度排序为:光合有效辐射>总辐射>水蒸气压亏缺>空气相对湿度>空气温度。     

Control of Listeria spp. by Competitive-Exclusion Bacteria in Floor Drains of a Poultry Processing Plant

In previous studies workers determined that two lactic acid bacterium isolates, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis C-1-92 and Enterococcus durans 152 (competitive-exclusion bacteria [CE]), which were originally obtained from biofilms in floor drains, are bactericidal to Listeria monocytogenes or inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes both in vitro and in biofilms at 4 to 37°C. We evaluated the efficacy of these isolates for reducing Listeria spp. contamination of floor drains of a plant in which fresh poultry is processed. Baseline assays revealed that the mean numbers of Listeria sp. cells in floor drains sampled on six different dates (at approximately biweekly intervals) were 7.5 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 8, 4.9 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 3, 4.4 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 2, 4.1 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 4, 3.7 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 1, and 3.6 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 6. The drains were then treated with 10⁷ CE/ml in an enzyme-foam-based cleaning agent four times in 1 week and twice a week for the following 3 weeks. In samples collected 1 week after CE treatments were applied Listeria sp. cells were not detectable (samples were negative as determined by selective enrichment culture) for drains 4 and 6 (reductions of 4.1 and 3.6 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm², respectively), and the mean numbers of Listeria sp. cells were 3.7 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 8 (a reduction of 3.8 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm²), <1.7 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 1 (detectable only by selective enrichment culture; a reduction of 3.3 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm²), and 2.6 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm² for drain 3 (a reduction of 2.3 log₁₀ CFU/100 cm²). However, the aerobic plate counts for samples collected from floor drains before, during, and after CE treatment remained approximately the same. The results indicate that application of the two CE can greatly reduce the number of Listeria sp. cells in floor drains at 3 to 26°C in a facility in which fresh poultry is processed.