Apoptosis: Identification of dying cells

Cell death is usually classified into two broad categories: apoptosis and necrosis. Necrosis is a passive, catabolic process, always pathological, that represents a cell's response to extreme accidental or toxic insults. Apoptosis, in contrast, occurs under normal physiological conditions and is an active process requiring energy. However, apoptosis can also be elicited in a pathological way by toxic injury or during disease processes. In these nonphysiological conditions, both types of cell death can be encountered following the same initial insult and the balance between death by apoptosis and by necrosis appears to depend upon the intensity of the injury and the level of available intracellular ATP. It is important, however, to discriminate between apoptosis and necrosis in pathological conditions, as therapeutic intervention could be considered in apoptotic cell death with putative new pharmacological agents aimed at interfering with the key molecular events involved. In most cases, none of the current laboratory techniques used alone allows for unambiguous identification of apoptotic cells. Some of the most common methods based on morphology, biochemistry, and plasma membrane changes are discussed in terms of specificity and possible sources of error in data interpretation. As a rule, classification of cell death in a given model should always include morphological examination coupled with at least one of the other assays.     

红三叶人工草地营养元素的生物循环

 本文研究了我国北亚热带高海拔地区红三叶人工草地11种营养元素的生物循环特征。结果表明:1.营养元素的存留量、归还量和吸收量均可分为5个水平;(1)高量级：氮、钾、钙;(2)中量级：磷、镁;(3)低量级：铁;(4)少量级：锰、锌、铜、硼;(5)微量级：钼。2．红三叶群落地上部的净生产量、自然归还量和元素的存留量均显著高于地下部。3．红三叶人工草地的元素输出量以氮、钾、钙较大。此外,对草用和种用红三叶群落营养元素生物循环特征的差异进行了比较。为维持本区红三叶人工草地营养元素的平衡,目前必须施用磷肥,施用量不能小于250kg·hm-2过磷酸钙。     

灌水量和滴灌施肥方式对温室黄瓜产量和品质的影响

以黄瓜为试验材料,研究灌水量和滴灌施肥方式对日光温室黄瓜生长、产量和品质的影响.设两个水分水平(100％ET0,W1;75％ET0,W2)和4种滴灌施肥方式处理,不同滴灌施肥方式处理按推荐施肥量(N∶P2 O5∶K2 O分别为360∶180∶540 kg·hm-2)的100％、66.6％、33.3％、0％(Z100、Z66、Z33、Z0)分8次滴灌施肥,剩余肥料一次性基施;另设不施肥处理为对照(CK).结果表明:滴灌施肥比例和水分与黄瓜的株高、叶面积、干物质量、产量和品质均呈正相关关系.W1 Z100处理的产量最高(67760 kg·hm-2);W2处理的平均水分利用效率比W1处理高9.4％,其中W2Z100处理的水分利用效率最高(47.71 kg·m-3),其产量比最高产量低3.4％却节水25％.与Z0相比,Z100的黄瓜产量和干物质量分别增加15.3％和16.8％;同时,黄瓜果实中维生素C、可溶性蛋白和可溶性糖含量增加;水分利用效率增加19.1％.W2Z100处理为温室黄瓜高产、优质、节水的最佳处理.     

Sperm ultrastructure, morphometry, and abnormal morphology in American black bears (Ursus americanus)

The objective of this study was to describe sperm ultrastructure, morphometry, and abnormal morphology in American black bears. Electroejaculation was successful in 53.8% (7/13) of the attempts, but urine contamination was common. Epididymal sperm samples were also obtained from five bears. Sperm had a paddle-like head shape and the ultrastructure was similar to that of most other mammals. The most striking particularity of black bear sperm ultrastructure was a tightening of the nucleus in the equatorial region. Although the differences were not significant in all bears, the overall decrease in sperm nucleus dimensions during transport from the caput epididymis to the cauda suggested increasing compaction of the nucleus during maturation. For ejaculated sperm, nucleus length, width, and base width were 4.9, 3.7, and 1.8 μm, respectively, whereas sperm head length, width, and base width were 6.6, 4.8, and 2.3 μm, and midpiece, tail (including midpiece), and total sperm lengths were 9.8, 68.8, and 75.3 μm. Evaluation of sperm cytoplasmic droplets in the epididymis revealed that proximal droplets start migrating toward a distal position in the caput epididymis and that the process was mostly completed by the time sperm reached the cauda epididymis. The proportion of morphologically normal sperm in the ejaculate was 35.6%; the most prevalent sperm defects were distal cytoplasmic droplets and bent/coiled tails. The morphology of abnormal sperm and the underlying ultrastructural defects were similar to that in other large domestic animals thus suggesting similar underlying pathogenesis of specific sperm defects and similar effects on fertility.     

Spermatogenesis and distinctive mature sperm in the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)

The structures of differentiating male germ cells in the testis of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, were studied by light and electron microscopy. Based on ultrastructural characteristics, the developing male germ cells are classified into 12 stages, including spermatogonia, six phases of primary spermatocytes (leptotene, zygotene, pachytene, diplotene, diakinesis and metaphase), secondary spermatocyte, three stages of spermatids and mature sperm. During spermatogenesis, the differentiating germ cells have characteristics similar to those of other invertebrates, but they exhibit some unique characteristics during spermiogenesis. In particular, an early spermatid has a round nucleus with highly condensed heterochromatin, appearing as thick interconnecting cords throughout the nucleus. In contrast to most invertebrates and vertebrates, the chromatin begins to decondense in one-half of the nucleus at the mid spermatid stage. In the late spermatid, the chromatin becomes almost entirely decondensed with only a small crescent-shaped heterochromatin patch remaining at the anterior pole of the nucleus. Mature sperm possess an everted umbrella-shaped plate with a spike covering the anterior pole of the nucleus, whose chromatin is totally decondensed as only small traces of histones H3 and H2B remain. The acrosome appears at the ruffled border of the spike plate as small sac-like structures. Few mitochondria remain in the cytoplasm at the posterior pole.     

Question 3: The Problem of Macromolecular Sequences: The Forgotten Stumbling Block

The Author agrees in principle with the question/statement, but states also that an important qualification is needed within this question. In fact, it is not possible by the bottom up approach to find the conditions for the synthesis of our actual proteins—lysozyme, chymotrypsin or the like—however it is possible to show experimentally that co-oligopeptides chains of that length can be produced by prebiotic reactions. Considering such a synthesis, it is important to recall that proteins—and nucleic acids—are not simply polymers, but are co-polymers, and the kinetics and thermodynamics attending the synthesis of copolymers poses stringent constraints for the biogenesis and growth of specific sequences. Such constraints are examined and discussed. Presented at: International School of Complexity–4th Course: Basic Questions on the Origins of Life; “Ettore Majorana” Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture, Erice, Italy, 1–6 October 2006.     

施钾对强筋小麦生理特性及产量的效应

以强筋面包小麦临优145为试验材料,于大田生产条件下研究了施用钾肥对强筋小麦叶片光合、膜脂氧化及产量特性的影响.结果显示,适量施钾能显著降低开花14d以后旗叶中超氧阴离子的产生强度和MDA含量,并显著提高旗叶的叶绿素含量、光合速率和籽粒灌浆速率,显著增加千粒重;在施钾(K2O)37.5~150.0kg/hm2范围内,随施钾量增加,各处理产量呈先上升后下降趋势且均比对照极显著增产14.5%~30.7%,各处理间产量差异显著,以施钾(K2O)112.5kg/hm2时籽粒产量最高.结果表明,中产条件下施用钾肥可显著提高强筋小麦籽粒产量,且以施钾(K2O)103.0~112.5kg/hm2为宜.     

模拟降雨变化对古尔班通古特沙漠土壤养分及酶活性的影响

土壤酶参与土壤系统的养分循环过程,是联系植物和土壤养分的关键纽带。土壤酶活性对降水格局变化响应敏感,这种响应对于缺水且养分贫瘠的荒漠生态系统显得尤为重要。然而,早春积雪完全融化后首次降雨时间及降雨量如何影响土壤养分及土壤酶活性还鲜见相关报道。以新疆古尔班通古特沙漠为研究区,在早春积雪完全融化后,设置3个首次降雨时间(积雪完全融化后第10天、20天和30天)和3个降雨梯度(5 mm、10 mm和15 mm),于植物生长旺季采集土壤样品,研究土壤养分含量和土壤酶活性的响应特征。结果表明：积雪完全融化后不同首次降雨时间下5mm降雨处理以及积雪完全融化后第30天下各降雨量处理对土壤养分和酶活性影响不显著。积雪完全融化后第10天,随降雨量增加,土壤全碳呈显著先下降后增加趋势,全钾呈显著增加趋势,而土壤微生物量碳呈显著降低趋势;积雪完全融化后第20天,随降雨量增加,速效氮、土壤蔗糖酶活性、土壤微生物量碳氮呈先下降后增加趋势,土壤全碳和多酚氧化酶活性显著下降,土壤全钾和碱性磷酸酶活性显著增加。模拟10 mm降雨,随首次降雨时间推迟,土壤全氮、速效氮、速效磷、土壤蔗糖酶活性和土壤微生物量碳呈增加趋势;...