Zinc triflate-benzoyl bromide: a versatile reagent for the conversion of ether into benzoate protecting groups and ether glycosides into glycosyl bromides

A simple and efficient method is developed for the chemoselective one-pot conversion of ethers (benzyl, TBDMS and acetal) to the corresponding benzoates by zinc triflate-catalyzed deprotection and benzoylation by benzoyl bromide. In the same reaction, methyl or p-methoxyphenyl glycosides are converted into glycosyl bromides that are useful in glycosylation reactions.     

长白山地区产18种根类药材对四氯化碳肝损伤的影响

目的 研究18种药材水提物对小鼠SGPT和SGOT的影响。方法 在四氯化碳所致小鼠急性肝损伤的血清中检测SGTP和SGOT值。结果 东当归、党参、莪术、北龙胆、茜草、黄芪、川芎和北柴胡水提物显著抑制四氯化碳所致小鼠SGTP和SGOT值升高。结论 东当归等8药材水提取对四氯化碳损伤具有保护作用。     

Genetic relatedness in wintering groups of house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Social behaviour of group-living animals is often influenced by the relatedness of individuals, thus understanding the genetic structure of groups is important for the interpretation of costs and benefits of social interactions. In this study, we investigated genetic relatedness in feeding aggregations of free-living house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) during the nonbreeding season. This species is a frequent model system for studies of social behaviour (e.g. aggression, social foraging), but we lack adequate information on the kin structure of sparrow flocks. During two winters, we ringed and observed sparrows at feeding stations, and used resightings to identify stable flock-members and to calculate association indices between birds. We genotyped the birds using seven highly polymorphic microsatellite loci, and estimated pairwise relatedness coefficients and relatedness categories (close kin vs. unrelated) by maximum likelihood method. We found that most birds were unrelated to each other in the flocks (mean ± SE relatedness coefficient: 0.06 ± 0.002), although most individuals had at least a few close relatives in their home flock (14.3 ± 0.6% of flock-mates). Pairwise association between individuals was not significantly related to their genetic relatedness. Furthermore, there was no difference between within-flock vs. between-flock relatedness, and birds had similar proportions of close kin within and outside their home flock. Finally, relatedness among members of different flocks was unrelated to the distance between their flocks. Thus, sparrow flocks were not characterized by association of relatives, nevertheless the presence of some close kin may provide opportunity for kin-biased behaviours to evolve.     

Separation and quantification of the cellular thiol pool of pea plants treated with heat, salt and atrazine

A novel procedure for the separation of the cellular thiol pool according to the molecular weight and localization of compounds with sulphydryl groups is presented. This simple and rapid method allows the differentiation of thiols into three major fractions-low molecular weight (LMT, primarily glutathione and free cysteine), protein-bound (TPT) and pellet-bound (PBT, associated with cell walls and broken organelles). Moreover, determination of the ratio between surface (readily reactive) thiols (ATG) and those that are more or less buried in the protein structure (BTG) can be achieved. In intact pea leaves, the amounts of the total thiols (LMT+PBT+TPT) varies from 2.5 to 4.8 micromol/g of fresh material. The data for LMT, PBT and TPT were related to each other in the approximate ratio 1:2:7. Treatments of pea plants with high temperature, salinity and low amounts of atrazine affect these sulphydryl types differently. For a greater understanding of the applicability of this method to physiological research, the main mechanisms leading to alterations in the cellular thiol pool are discussed. Furthermore, it is suggested that the proportion of available to buried thiols (ATG/BTG) in proteins could be used as a convenient marker for stress impacts.     

MICA基因微卫星多态在中国13个群体中的分布

通过对中国13个群体（云南汉族、广东汉族、山东汉族、白族、傣族、拉祜族、黎族、纳西族、撒拉族、畲族、土族、佤族和云南藏族）共577例无亲缘关系的研究对象的DNA样本进行MICA基因微卫星扫描分型,获得了该微卫星的不同等位基因在各群体中的遗传数据。结果表明,该微卫星在不同群体中的分布存在差异,并有较高的多态信息含量（PIC）,是一个有用的遗传标记,在人类进化研究、个体识别、亲子鉴定、基因作图与定位以及疾病诊断方面可能有较大的潜在应用价值。     

Adsorption Mechanism of Cr(VI) onto Coir Pith

Reductive adsorption of Cr(VI) on coir pith (hereafter CP) was examined as a function of pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The CP contains 1.33 meq g^{? 1} phenolic, 0.43 meq g^{? 1} of lactonic, and 0.35 meq g^{? 1} carboxylic sites. Thus the CP surface is enriched with electron-donating oxygen functionalities. As evidenced by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, the Cr(VI) → Cr(III) conversion is facilitated by CP sites that are enriched with O─ O functional groups. The adsorption of reduced Cr(VI) was found to occur via C─ O─ functional groups first forming innersphere complexes with the CP surface, yielding keto (> C═ O) groups on the CP surface. The reductive adsorption of Cr(VI) was almost completed within 3 to 4 h, and it was dependent on pH and background ionic strength, yielding the highest monolayer coverage (9.56E-7 mol m^{? 2}) at pH 3.7 in 0.1 M NaNO₃. The Γ_Cr(III) followed the order with respect to the ionic strength: Γ_{0.1 M} > Γ_{0.01 M} > Γ_{0.001 M}. The initial rate constant, k _i , increased with temperature as k _i ^{313 K} > k _i ^{303 K} > k _i ^{293 K} > k _i ^{283 K}.     

Characterization of an acetylated heteroxylan from Eucalyptus globulus Labill

A heteroxylan was isolated from Eucalyptus globulus wood by extraction of peracetic acid delignified holocellulose with dimethyl sulfoxide. Besides (1-->4)-linked beta-D-xylopyranosyl units of the backbone and short side chains of terminal (1-->2)-linked 4-O-methyl-alpha-D-glucuronosyl residues (MeGlcA) in a 1:10 molar ratio, this hemicellulose contained galactosyl and glucosyl units attached at O-2 of MeGlcA originating from rhamnoarabinogalactan and glucan backbones, respectively. About 30% of MeGlcA units were branched at O-2. The O-acetyl-(4-O-methylglucurono)xylan showed an acetylation degree of 0.61, as determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy, and a weight-average molecular weight (M(w)) of about 36 kDa (P=1.05) as revealed from size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) analysis. About half of the beta-D-xylopyranosyl units of the backbone were found as acetylated moieties at O-3 (34 mol%), O-2 (15 mol%) or O-2,3 (6 mol%). Practically, all beta-D-xylopyranosyl units linked at O-2 with MeGlcA residues were 3-O-acetylated (10 mol%).     

Grassland plant species occurring in extensively managed road verges are filtered by urban environments

Background: Urbanisation filters species in communities depending on their adaptability to conditions in built-up areas, especially in semi-natural habitats. Roadside vegetation is widespread along urban-rural gradients and is therefore a good place to study landscape-scale factors influencing plant community composition.

Aim: Our study aimed to assess how plant species distributions vary between urban and rural landscape contexts and to identify biological traits favoured in urban areas.

Methods: Presence/absence data for 63 indigenous common species were collected in 296 road verge patches distributed along the urban–rural gradient in three French cities. We investigated the effects of landscape composition on species assemblages and related individual species responses to urbanisation to functional traits associated with dispersal and persistence capacity.

Results: Many grassland species were negatively affected by increasing proportion of built-up areas in the landscape. Insect-pollination and high seed production appeared to be key traits favoured in grassland communities in urban areas, whereas dispersal modes were less related to plant distribution.

Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that urban filters affect common species of widespread, managed road verges. Better knowledge of the flora of these herbaceous roadsides may contribute to the conservation of common biodiversity within other grassland habitats found in urban areas.     

安徽省宁国县畲族红细胞血型分布

调查１６０名安徽省宁国县畲族村民的ＡＢＯ、Ｒｈ、Ｐ、ＭＮ系统红细胞血型,结果显示ＡＢＯ血型表型频率分布为Ｏ（０．４６８７）〉Ｂ（０．２３７５）〉Ａ（０．２２５０）〉ＡＢ（０．０６８８）,基因频率ｐ＝０．１５００,ｑ＝０．１５７５,ｒ＝０．６９２５;Ｒｈ血型表型频率分布为ＣＣｄｅｅ（０．５３８５）〉ＣＣＤＥ（０．１６６７）〉ＣｃＤＥ（０．１４７４）〉ＣｃＤｅｅ（０．０９６１）〉ｃｃＤＥ（０．０３２１