Annual variation in maternal age and calving date generate cohort effects in moose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Alces alces</Emphasis>) body mass

A general feature of the demography of large ungulates is that many demographic traits are dependent on female body mass at early ages. Thus, identifying the factors affecting body mass variation can give important mechanistic understanding of demographic processes. Here we relate individual variation in autumn and winter body mass of moose calves living at low density on an island in northern Norway to characteristics of their mother, and examine how these relationships are affected by annual variation in population density and climate. Body mass increased with increasing age of their mother, was lower for calves born late in the spring, decreased with litter size and was larger for males than for female calves. No residual effects of variation in density and climate were present after controlling for annual variation in mother age and calving date. The annual variation in adult female age structure and calving date explained a large part (71–75%) of the temporal variation in calf body mass. These results support the hypotheses that (a) body mass of moose calves are affected by qualities associated with mother age (e.g. body condition, calving date); and (b) populations living at low densities are partly buffered against temporal fluctuations in the environment.     

Synthesis of daidzein 7-O-beta-D-glucuronide-4'-O-sulfate

The first synthesis of daidzein 7-O-beta-D-glucuronide-4'-O-sulfate, a mixed conjugate of an important dietary phytoestrogen is described.     

Ultrasound and matter--physical interactions

The basic physical characteristics of ultrasound waves are reviewed in terms of the typical displacements, velocities, accelerations and pressures generated in various fluid media as a function of frequency. The effects on wave propagation of interfaces are considered, and the way in which waves are reflected, transmitted and mode converted at interfaces introduced. Then the nonlinear propagation of high amplitude ultrasound is explained, and its consequences, including the generation of harmonic frequencies and enhanced attenuation, considered. The absorption of ultrasonic waves and the resulting heat deposition in absorbing media are described together with factors determining the resulting temperature rises obtained. In the case of tissue these include conduction and perfusion. The characteristics of cavitation in fluid media are also briefly covered. Finally, secondary nonlinear physical effects are described. These include radiation forces on interfaces and streaming in fluids.     

A prolegomenon to nonlinear empiricism in the human behavioral sciences

We propose a general framework for integrating theory and empiricism in human evolutionary ecology. We specifically emphasize the joint use of stochastic nonlinear dynamics and information theory. To illustrate critical ideas associated with historical contingency and complex dynamics, we review recent research on social preferences and social learning from behavioral economics. We additionally examine recent work on ecological approaches in history, the modeling of chaotic populations, and statistical application of information theory.     

Nonlinear time series analysis of food intake in the dab and the rainbow trout

Evidence suggests that dab and rainbow trout are able to quickly adjust their food intake to an appropriate level when offered novel diets. In addition day-to-day and meal-to-meal food intake varies greatly and meal timing is plastic. Why this is the case is not clear: Food intake in fish is influenced by many factors, however the hierarchy and mechanisms by which these interact is not yet fully understood. A model of food intake may be helpful to understand these phenomena; to determine model type it is necessary to understand the qualitative nature of food intake. Food intake can be regarded as an autoregressive (AR) time series, as the amount of food eaten at time t will be influenced by previous meals, and this allows food intake to be considered using time series analyses. Here, time series data were analysed using nonlinear techniques to obtain qualitative information from which evidence for the hierarchy of mechanisms controlling food intake may be drawn. Time series were obtained for a group of dab and individuals and a group of rainbow trout for analysis. Surrogate data sets were generated to test several null hypotheses describing linear processes and all proved significantly different to the real data, suggesting nonlinear dynamics. Examination of topography and recurrence diagrams suggested that all series were deterministic and non-stationary. The point correlation dimension (PD2i) suggested low-dimensional dynamics. Our findings suggest therefore that any model of appetite should create output that is deterministic, non-stationary, low-dimensional and having nonlinear dynamics.     

The use of solvent relaxation technique to investigate headgroup hydration and protein binding of simple and mixed phosphatidylcholine/surfactant bilayer membranes

The subject of this report was to investigate headgroup hydration and mobility of two types of mixed lipid vesicles, containing nonionic surfactants; straight chain Brij 98, and polysorbat Tween 80, with the same number of oxyethylene units as Brij, but attached via a sorbitan ring to oleic acid. We used the fluorescence solvent relaxation (SR) approach for the purpose and revealed differences between the two systems. Fluorescent solvent relaxation probes (Prodan, Laurdan, Patman) were found to be localized in mixed lipid vesicles similarly as in pure phospholipid bilayers. The SR parameters (i.e. dynamic Stokes shift, Δν, and the time course of the correlation function, C(t)) of such labels are in the same range in both kinds of systems. Each type of the tested surfactants has its own impact on water organization in the bilayer headgroup region probed by Patman. Brij 98 does not modify the solvation characteristics of the dye. In contrast, Tween 80 apparently dehydrates the headgroup and decreases its mobility. The SR data measured in lipid bilayers in presence of Interferon alfa-2b reveal that this protein, a candidate for non-invasive delivery, affects the bilayer in a different way than the peptide melittin. Interferon alfa-2b binds to mixed lipid bilayers peripherally, whereas melittin is deeply inserted into lipid membranes and affects their headgroup hydration and mobility measurably.     

New photoluminescence coordination polymers constructed from different ligands, which are generated from maleic acid at hydrothermal conditions

A new coordination polymer, [Zn₂(mal)(1,10-phen)Cl]_n (1), (mal = malate, 1,10-phenanthroline), has been synthesized with malic acid and fumaric acid which are generated from maleic acid under hydrothermal reactions. At about the same condition, we get [Cd(fma)(2,2′-bpy)(H₂O)]_n (2) (fma = fumarate, 2,2′-bpy=2, 2′-bipyridine). The diverse products illustrate that the carbon-carbon doublebond of the maleic acid has two kinds of reaction trends under different conditions. Complex 1, which displays a two-dimensional (4, 8) lattice-type network, is formed from Zn and maleic through the addition reaction with water molecule. If the Zn is changed by Cd, at the same reaction condition with 1, a two-dimensional supramolecular network complex 2 is formed through the conformation transform reaction. To our knowledge, a lot of coordination polymers have been constructed from malic acid and fumaric acid directly; however, these kinds of complexes have seldom been synthesized from maleic acid under hydrothermal reaction. As is known, the rigid carbon-carbon double bond makes maleic acid lead to some unique structural features which the saturated aliphatic acid does not possess. To illustrate this clearly, a simple one dimensional complex 3, [Cd(glut)(1,10-phen)(H₂O)]_n (glut = glutarate), is synthesized. Furthermore, complex 1 and complex 3 exhibit intense photoluminescent property at room temperature.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of neutral “3 + 2” oxorhenium and oxotechnetium complexes of the 2-mercaptoethyl-N-glycine (SNO)/2,2′-bipyridine (NN) mixed ligand system

Neutral, hexacoordinated “3 + 2” mixed ligand oxorhenium (1) and oxotechnetium (2) complexes of the general formula MO[SNO][NN], where M = Re or ⁹⁹Tc, SNO is 2-mercaptoethyl-N-glycine and NN is 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy), were synthesized by simultaneous action of the tridentate SNO and the bidentate NN ligand on ReOCl₃(PPh₃)₂ or ⁹⁹TcO-gluconate precursors in a 1:1:1 molar ratio. Both complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy. X-ray structure determination of rhenium complex 1 revealed a distorted octahedral coordination geometry where the SNO donor atoms of the tridentate ligand and one bpy nitrogen atom occupy the equatorial positions of the octahedron, whereas the second bpy nitrogen atom and the oxo-group fill the apical positions.     

Synthesis, spectral and crystallographic characterization of manganese(II) coordination polymers based on aliphatic dicarboxylate and flexible bis(imidazolyl) derivatives

Two structurally related flexible imidazolyl ligands, bis(N-imidazolyl)methane (L₁) and 1,4-bis(N-imidazolyl)butane (L₂) reacted with Mn(II) salts of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids resulted in the formation of a number of novel metal-organic coordination architectures. All complexes have been structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. The different coordination modes of dicarboxylate anions due to their chain length, rigidity and diimidazolyl functionality lead to a range of different coordination structures. The coordination polymers exhibit 1D single chain, 2D sheet and 3D network structures. The aliphatic dicarboxylates can adopt chelating μ₂, bridging μ₂, and chelating-bridging μ₃ coordination modes, or act as uncoordinated counter anions. The central metal ions are coordinated in N₂O₄ and N₄O₂ fashions depending on the ancillary ligands. The topology of [Mn(male)(L₁)(H₂O)₂] (1, male = maleate) gives rise to singly bridged 1D chains, whereas compound [Mn(mal)(L₁)(H₂O)] · H₂O (2, mal = malonate) exhibits 2D sheets in which the metal centers are bridged by both imidazolyl ligands and dicarboxylates. Compounds [Mn(L₁)₂(H₂O)₂](suc) · 6H₂O (3, suc = succinate) and [Mn(L₁)₂(H₂O)₂](fum) · 6H₂O (4, fum = fumarate) show doubly bridged 1D chains, and the dicarboxylate groups are not coordinated but form 2D corrugated sheets with water molecules intercalated between the cationic layers. Compound [Mn(suc)(L₂)(H₂O)₂] (5, suc = succinate) was built from very flexible succinate and 1,4-bis(N-imidazolyl)butane which yielded three-dimensional interpenetrate networks, both succinate anion and the imidazolyl ligand act as bidentate bridging.     

非线性种群反应扩散系统奇摄动ROBIN问题

研究了一类具有非线性种群反应扩散系统奇摄动Robin初始边值问题.在适当的条件下,利用微分不等式理论,讨论了问题解的存在性和渐近性态.