Chloroplast DNA variation and phylogeny of theRanunculaceae

Restriction site mapping of chloroplast DNA from 31 species representing 26 genera of theRanunculaceae was performed using eleven restriction endonucleases. The chloroplast genome varies in length from approximately 152 to 160 kb. Length variants are frequent in theRanunculaceae and range from usually less than 300 bp to rarely 1.5 kb. The inverted repeat is extended into the large single copy (LSC) region by 4–4.5 kb inAnemone, Clematis, Clematopsis, Hepatica, Knowltonia, andPulsatilla. Several inversions are present in the LSC-region of the cpDNA in all these genera and inAdonis. The frequency of restriction site mutations varies within the chloroplast genome in theRanunculaceae between 4 and 32 mutations per kilobase, and is lowest in the inverted repeat and the regions containing the ATPase-genes and the genespsaA, psaB, psbA, rpoB, andrbcL. A total of 547 phylogenetically informative restriction sites was utilized in cladistic analyses of the family using Wagner, Dollo, and weighted parsimony. These three parsimony analyses result in different tree topologies. Four, six, and one equally most parsimonious trees were obtained with Wagner, Dollo, and weighted parsimony, respectively. The amount of support for the monophyletic groups was evaluated using bootstrapping and decay analysis. All three parsimony methods suggest thatHydrastis is the sister group to the remainder of theRanunculaceae, and that theAnemone-Clematis group, which shares several derived cpDNA rearrangements, is monophyletic. Only a few of the traditional groups in theRanunculaceae are supported by cpDNA restriction side data. Only Dollo parsimony provides support for the hypothesis thatThalictroideae andRanunculoideae are monophyletic.     

Determination of safety distance limits for a human near a cellular base station antenna,adopting the IEEE standard or ICNIRP guidelines

This paper investigates the minimum distance for a human body in the near field of a cellular telephone base station antenna for which there is compliance with the IEEE or ICNIRP threshold values for radio frequency electromagnetic energy absorption in the human body. First, local maximum specific absorption rates (SARs), measured and averaged over volumes equivalent to 1 and to 10 g tissue within the trunk region of a physical, liquid filled shell phantom facing and irradiated by a typical GSM 900 base station antenna, were compared to corresponding calculated SAR values. The calculation used a homogeneous Visible Human body model in front of a simulated base station antenna of the same type. Both real and simulated base station antennas operated at 935 MHz. Antenna-body distances were between 1 and 65 cm. The agreement between measurements and calculations was excellent. This gave confidence in the subsequent calculated SAR values for the heterogeneous Visible Human model, for which each tissue was assigned the currently accepted values for permittivity and conductivity at 935 MHz. Calculated SAR values within the trunk of the body were found to be about double those for the homogeneous case. When the IEEE standard and the ICNIRP guidelines are both to be complied with, the local SAR averaged over 1 g tissue was found to be the determining parameter. Emitted power values from the antenna that produced the maximum SAR value over 1 g specified in the IEEE standard at the base station are less than those needed to reach the ICNIRP threshold specified for the local SAR averaged over 10 g. For the GSM base station antenna investigated here operating at 935 MHz with 40 W emitted power, the model indicates that the human body should not be closer to the antenna than 18 cm for controlled environment exposure, or about 95 cm for uncontrolled environment exposure. These safe distance limits are for SARs averaged over 1 g tissue. The corresponding safety distance limits under the ICNIRP guidelines for SAR taken over 10 g tissue are 5 cm for occupational exposure and about 75 cm for general-public exposure.     

Upper bound estimators of the population size based on ordinal models for capture‐recapture experiments

Capture‐recapture studies have attracted a lot of attention over the past few decades, especially in applied disciplines where a direct estimate for the size of a population of interest is not available. Epidemiology, ecology, public health, and biodiversity are just a few examples. The estimation of the number of unseen units has been a challenge for theoretical statisticians, and considerable progress has been made in providing lower bound estimators for the population size. In fact, it is well known that consistent estimators for this cannot be provided in the very general case. Considering a case where capture‐recapture studies are summarized by a frequency of frequencies distribution, we derive a simple upper bound of the population size based on the cumulative distribution function. We introduce two estimators of this bound, without any specific parametric assumption on the distribution of the observed frequency counts. The behavior of the proposed estimators is investigated using several benchmark datasets and a large‐scale simulation experiment based on the scheme discussed by Pledger.     

Weak field influence on biomolecular changes

Model equations for the kinetics of the synthesis and decay of molecular aggregates are used to show the high sensitivity of equilibrium concentrations of high-molecular aggregates to external radiation. This phenomenon is used to explain the effects of low-intensity microwave fields on the functioning of biological systems. The experimental results on the influence of SHF-radiation on ferricyanide reduction by erythrocytes are interpreted in detail.     

Synthesis,characterization and thermoluminescence studies of Mn‐doped ZnS nanoparticles

ZnS:Mn nanoparticles were prepared by a chemical precipitation method and characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEGSEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Capping agent (mercaptoethanol) concentrations used were 0 M, 0.005 M, 0.01 M, 0.015 M, 0.025 M, 0.040 M, and 0.060 M, and resulted in nanoparticles sizes of 2.98 nm, 2.9 nm, 2.8 nm, 2.7 nm, 2.61 nm, 2.2 nm and 2.1 nm, respectively. The thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve was recorded by heating the sample exposed to UV‐radiation, at a fixed heating rate 1°C sec^–1. The TL intensity initially increased with temperature, attained a peak value I_m for a particular temperature, and then decreased with further increase in temperature. The peak TL intensity increased with decreasing nanoparticle size, whereas the temperature corresponding to the peak TL intensity decreased slightly with reducing nanocrystal size. As a consequence of increase in surface‐to‐volume ratio and increased carrier recombination rates, the TL intensity increased with decreasing nanoparticle size. It was found that, whereas activation energy slightly decreased with decreasing nanoparticle size, the frequency factor decreased significantly with reduction in nanoparticle size. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotopic tracking of foraging and long-distance migration in northeastern Pacific pinnipeds

We investigated the impact of foraging location (nearshore vs offshore) and foraging latitude (high vs middle) on the carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope compositions of bone collagen of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). Nearshore-foraging harbor seals from California had δ¹³C values 2.0‰ higher than female northern elephant seals foraging offshore at similar latitudes. Likewise, nearshore-foraging harbor seals from Alaska had values 1.7‰ higher than male northern fur seals, which forage offshore at high latitudes. Middle-latitude pinnipeds foraging in either the nearshore or offshore were ¹³C enriched by ∼1.0‰ over similar populations from high latitudes. Male northern elephant seals migrate between middle and high latitudes, but they had δ¹³C values similar to high-latitude, nearshore foragers. Female northern fur seal δ¹³C values were intermediate between those of high- and middle-latitude offshore foragers, reflecting their migration between high- and middle-latitude waters. The δ¹³C values of California sea lions were intermediate between nearshore- and offshore-foraging pinnipeds at middle latitudes, yet there was no observational support for the suggestion that they use offshore food webs. We suggest that their “intermediate” values reflect migration between highly productive and less-productive, nearshore ecosystems on the Pacific coasts of California and Mexico. The relative uniformity among all of these pinnipeds in δ¹⁵N values, which are strongly sensitive to trophic level, reveals that the carbon isotope patterns result from differences in the δ¹³C of organic carbon at the base of the food web, rather than differences in trophic structure, among these regions. Finally, the magnitude and direction of the observed nearshore-offshore and high-to middle-latitude differences in δ¹³C values suggest that these gradients may chiefly reflect differences in rates and magnitudes of phytoplankton production as well as the δ¹³C value of inorganic carbon available for photosynthesis, rather than the input of ¹³C-enriched macroalgal carbon to nearshore food webs. Received: 8 September 1998 / Accepted: 24 February 1999     

The impact of social context on male mate preference in a unisexual--bisexual mating complex

Male sailfin mollies Poecilia latipinna were tested in five different treatments that varied in the relative frequency of heterospecific gynogens (Amazon molly Poecilia formosa) to conspecific females to determine whether social interactions among males within a population causes some males to mate with heterospecific females. Male P. latipinna inseminated a significantly higher proportion of conspecific females and fertilized a significantly higher number of conspecific eggs regardless of the treatment. Nonetheless, preference for conspecific females was not exclusive as a range of 20 to 50% of heterospecific females were fertilized. Social interactions among males may best explain the results and may therefore play an important role in the maintenance of unisexual--bisexual mating complexes.     

小麦×玉米单倍体植株再生体系的建立

为获得一定规模的小麦单倍体植株以构建小麦DH(Double Haploid)群体,采用小麦(Triticum aestivum,2n=42)与玉米(Zeamays,2n=20)远缘杂交诱导小麦单倍体胚,经胚拯救产生单倍体植株,研究了1/2MS培养基中幼胚取材时期、幼胚大小、4℃处理时间、暗处理时间对单倍体胚培养再生成苗的影响,结果表明:授粉后12天~16天取材的幼胚经胚拯救后成苗率无明显差异;0.5mm~1.0mm大小的幼胚成苗率显著高于0mm~0.5mm和1.0mm~1.5mm大小的幼胚成苗率;1天~3天短期4℃处理对胚萌发具有一定促进作用,但处理3天后,出愈率和成苗率降低;胚培养过程中12天左右的24h暗处理能有效提高成苗率。     

贵州南部6个民族5对遗传性状的基因频率

对贵州南部地区布依族、苗族、水族、侗族、毛南族和汉族5对遗传性状的基因频率进行了研究,并对民族间基因频率差异进行显著性检验。结果显示：（1）发型和鼻梁侧面观的显性基因频率均明显低于隐性基因频率,而鼻孔形状则相反。（2）内眦褶、鼻梁侧面观、发型和上眼睑皱褶的基因频率在民族间差异较大,而鼻孔形状则较小。