Upper thermal limits of cardiac function for Arctic cod Boreogadus saida,a key food web fish species in the Arctic Ocean

The objective of this study was to determine the upper thermal limits of Arctic cod Boreogadus saida by measuring the response of maximum heart rate (f_Hmax) to acute warming. One set of fish were tested in a field laboratory in Cambridge Bay (CB), Nunavut (north of the Arctic Circle), and a second set were tested after air transport to and 6 month temperature acclimation at the Vancouver Aquarium (VA) laboratory. In both sets of tests, with B. saida acclimated to 0° C, f_Hmax increased during acute warming up to temperatures considerably higher than the acclimation temperature and the near‐freezing Arctic temperatures in which they are routinely found. Indeed, f_Hmax increased steadily between 0·5 and 5·5° C, with no significant difference between the CB and VA tests (P > 0·05) and with an overall mean ± s.e. Q₁₀ of 2·4 ± 0·5. The first Arrhenius breakpoint temperature (T_AB) for f_Hmax was also statistically indistinguishable for the two sets of tests (mean ± s.e. 3·2 ± 0·3 and 3·6 ± 0·3° C), suggesting that the temperature optimum for B. saida could be reliably measured after live transport to a more southerly laboratory location. Continued warming above 5·5° C revealed a large variability among individuals in the upper thermal limits that triggered cardiac arrhythmia (T_arr), ranging from 10·2 to 15·2° C with mean ± s.e. 12·4 ± 0·4° C (n = 11) for the field study. A difference did exist between the CB and VA breakpoint temperatures when the Q₁₀ value decreased below 2 (the Q₁₀ breakpoint temperature; T_QB) at 8·0 and 5·5° C, respectively. These results suggest that factors, other than thermal tolerance and associated cardiac performance, may influence the realized distribution of B. saida within the Arctic Circle.     

Contribution to the study of periodic chronic myelogenous leukemia

The period (in the order of 40 to 80 days) in periodic chronic myelogenous leukemia (PCML) oscillations is quite long compared with the duration of the cell cycle of the hematopoietic stem cells from which the oscillations are presumed to originate (in the order of one or two days). Our objective is to understand the origin of these long-period oscillations using a G0 model for stem cell dynamics. We determine the local stability conditions and show under what conditions the Hopf bifurcation may occur. We interpret the role of each parameter in the loss of stability, and then examine a simpler model to try to deduce possible changes at the stem-cell level that might be responsible for the characteristics PCML.     

Observations on the Staining of Corynebacterium Diphtheriae

Albert's method, of staining diphtheria cultures consists of staining a fixed smear for one minute (some laboratories stain for five minutes) with a solution containing toluidine blue and malachite (or methyl) green, washing with water, and applying Albert's iodine for one minute. This procedure is discussed and criticized, and in addition the mechanism of the stain is elucidated. Also, the procedure which involves staining a fixed smear for one minute with Loeffler's alkaline methylene blue solution is discussed and criticized.

To overcome the objections to the above staining methods, a different method is proposed. This consists of staining a fixed smear with an acid solution of toluidine blue, washing with water, applying Albert's iodine for one minute, washing with water, and finally applying a safranin solution for 15-20 seconds. The theoretical basis for this method is presented.     

基于效益分摊的水电水足迹计算方法——以密云水库为例

随着中国经济的飞速发展,可再生能源的开发利用已经被提到重要的议事日程,其中水力发电是重中之重。但水力发电过程也消耗大量的水资源,使得水电水足迹的核算成为当前水足迹研究热点。多功能水库同时具有发电、供水、防洪、旅游、水产等多种生态系统服务功能。传统水足迹核算方法往往将水库的水足迹等同于水电水足迹,忽略了水库的多功能性,因而高估了水电的水足迹。对传统水电水足迹的核算方法进行了改进,考虑到水库不同的生态系统服务功能,加入了水电效益分摊系数这一指标,将水电水足迹从水库水足迹中分离出来。以华北最大水库北京密云水库为例,采用传统的方法和改进的方法计算了密云水库1988—2004年水电水足迹。研究结果显示:倘若不考虑效益分摊,按照传统的方法,密云水库1988—2004年平均水电水足迹为897 m3/GJ;按照效益分摊的方法计算得到的平均水电水足迹为127 m3/GJ,仅为不考虑效益分摊情况下计算的水电水足迹的14%。水力发电是密云水库初期建设的主要目的,但自1998年之后发电量逐年减少,近年来基本不发电。传统方法下的2004年单位水电水足迹为4529.5 m3/GJ,为单位水电水足迹最大的年份;但应用改进方法后该年的单位水电水足迹仅为67.3 m3/GJ,反而成为单位水电水足迹最大的年份。考虑效益分摊更能够体现水电水足迹的真实情况,为多功能水库水电水足迹核算提供了新的思路和方法。     

几种植物生长调节物质对大花蕙兰组培原球茎增殖的影响

采用KC 培养基, 分别添加不同浓度的BA、KT、NAA 及KT+NAA 组合, 对大花蕙兰初代培养已分化出的原球茎进行了继代培养。结果发现:①BA 可加快原球茎的增殖速度, 但浓度超过0.5 mg/L 后增殖速度有所下降, 且原球茎变小呈暗绿色。②KT 的促进增殖效果好于BA, 但浓度超过1.0 mg/L 时, 增殖速度也有所下降, 原球茎变小。③NAA 促进原球茎增殖的效果明显好于BA、和KT, 但浓度大于1.0 mg/L 后增殖不再加快, 而且部分原球茎有变褐现象。④在KT 0.5~0.7 mg+NAA 0.7~1.0 mg/L 范围组合的KC 培养基上, 大花蕙兰原球茎增殖的速度和质量是比较理想的。考虑到较低的细胞分裂素和植物生长素有利于植物增殖过程中遗传性的稳定, 选择KT0.5 mg+NAA 0.7 mg/L 的KC 培养基作为大花蕙兰原球茎增殖培养基。     

黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错区三种植被蒸散特征

利用称重式蒸渗仪结合Penman-Monteith公式研究了黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错区苜蓿、柠条和茵陈蒿3种植被不同时间尺度的蒸散特征,分析了植被株高、盖度和降水等因子对蒸散的影响并确定了作物系数(KC).结果表明:Logistic三参数模型可以较好拟合3种植被株高、盖度随时间的变化情况并确定了模型的参数.3种植被逐日蒸散变化受降水量的影响波动明显,反映了土壤水分状况控制条件下的蒸散过程.其月蒸散量的季节性差异均不明显,研究时段内总耗水量分别为苜蓿316 8mm、柠条317.7mm、茵陈蒿361.9mm,均高于同期降水量.苜蓿和茵陈蒿初期、中期和后期的KC分别为0.48、0.54、0.42和0.58、0.67、0.62,柠条初期和中期的KC为0 45、0.57,均高于当地典型农作物谷子的KC.     

A comparative evaluation of oxygen mass transfer and broth viscosity using Cephalosporin-C production as a case strategy

The production of Cephalosporin-C (CPC) a secondary metabolite, using a mold Acremonium chrysogenum was studied in a lab scale Internal loop air lift reactor. Cephalosporin-C production process is a highly aerobic fermentation process. Volumetric gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient (k_La) and viscosity (η) were evaluated, during the growth and production phases of the microbial physiology. An attempt has been made to correlate the broth viscosity, η and volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, k_La during the Cephalosporin-C production in an air lift reactor. The impact of biomass concentration and mycelial morphology on broth viscosity has been also evaluated. The broth exhibits a typical non-Newtonian fermentation broth. Rheology parameters like consistency index and fluidity index are also studied.     

The interaction of sodium alginate with univalent cations

The M/G ratio, dyad and triad frequencies in the sodium alginate chain, were determined from ¹³C-nmr spectra. The interactions of sodium alginate in solution with the univalent cations K⁺ ion and Na⁺ ion have been investigated by viscometry and membrane osmometry. The dependencies of intrinsic viscosity, Huggins constant, and second virial coefficient on ionic strength were observed, and the maximums in reduced viscosity were obtained in low KCl and NaCl concentrations, respectively. These show that the electroviscous effects play an important role in polyelectrolyte solution, and the effect of the Na⁺ ion on aqueous solution of sodium alginate is greater than the K⁺ ion. The experimental observations are interpreted in terms of ion-pair formation with carboxyl groups of mannuronate and isolated guluronate residues and cooperation “egg-box” binding between polyguluronate chain sequence. The difference of interaction between univalent cations and alginate chains in solution is attributed to the ability of their binding with the polyion, which depends on the properties of ions itself. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 46: 395–402, 1998     

Relation between macronuclear DNA and total protein content and generation time in thechilodonella steini (Ciliata) sister cells

Summary Using the monotone dependence function (mdf) together with correlation coefficient it was found that the Ma-DNA content as well as total protein content are regularly, linearly, positively and strongly dependent in sister cells (proter-opisthe) ofChilodonella steini. Additionally it was shown that proter-opisthe ordering is irrelevant to Ma-DNA and protein contents.Analysis of sister cell generation times (TG) confirmed the existence of regular, linear, positive and strong codependence.The relations between Ma-DNA and total protein contents, between protein content and TG, and between Ma-DNA content and TG were also described. There is a weak, linear dependence between Ma-DNA and total protein contents. Relations of TG and Ma-DNA content or TG and total protein content are non-linear and not even monotone. Low and high levels of DNA or proteins are connected with long generation times.     

Estimation of anisotropy coefficient of swine pancreas,liver and muscle at 1064 nm based on goniometric technique

Optical properties of tissues are required for theoretical modeling of Laser Ablation in tumor therapy. The light scattering characteristic of tissues is described by the anisotropy coefficient, g. The relationship between the angular distribution of scattered light and g is given by the Henyey‐Greenstein (HG) phase function. This work describes the estimation of anisotropy coefficients of ex vivo swine pancreas, liver and muscle at 1064 nm. The intensities of scattered light at fixed angles were measured under repeatability conditions. Experimental data were fitted with a two‐term HG, estimating the anisotropy coefficients for the forward (e.g., 0.956 for pancreas, 0.964 for liver and 0.968 for muscle) and the backward (e.g., –0.481 for pancreas, –0.414 for liver and –0.372 for muscle) scattering.

Experimental set up employed to estimate the anisotropy coefficient of biological tissues. The image on the left depicts the holder used to house tissue, laser fiber and photodetector; on the left an example of scattered light beam is shown, as well as the effect due to Snell's law.