The Behavioural Response of Mayfly Nymphs (Stenonema sp.) to Chemical Cues from Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus)

Artificial reef systems play an important role in the increase of natural production of biological marine resources and they have been deployed worldwide. In Portugal, seven artificial systems have been deployed along the southern coast of the Algarve. Research to date has focussed mainly on fish populations, particularly those of economical importance. The present work aims to study the macrobenthic communities of the artificial reef structures, as these will enhance the food resources and shelter, making the reefs more attractive to fish. In particular, we experimentally analysed the sequence of colonisation of macrobenthic communities of the Ancão artificial reef system, which was deployed in the summer of 2002. The study of the colonisation of benthic communities was done using samples of concrete cubic units (15 × 15 cm) that were suspended at the reef modules at a depth of 20 m, at the time of the reef immersion. Four replicate samples were collected by SCUBA diving from two groups of the Ancão reef every three months from the starting date. Sampling was done using essentially non-destructive methods to assess the percentage cover of macrobenthic organisms in both vertical and horizontal surfaces. The percentage cover of the taxonomic groups was compared within the different surfaces of the samples and between the two reef groups. The bottom surface of cubic samples had a significantly higher colonisation related to the dominance of barnacle cover, probably due to lower sedimentation levels. Samples from both reef groups showed a similar pattern of colonisation. Barnacles, bryozoans and serpulids dominated the samples three months immediately after the beginning of the experiment. Other invertebrates groups, such as Porifera, Hydrozoa, Anthozoa, other sessile Polychaeta, Decapoda, Gastropoda and Bivalvia, were more abundant after six months of colonisation.     

Statistical convenience vs biological insight: consequences of data transformation for the analysis of fitness variation in heterogeneous environments

In plants, more favourable environmental conditions can lead to dramatic increases in both mean fitness and variance in fitness. This results in data that violate the equality-of-variance assumption of anova, a problem that most empiricists would address by log-transforming fitness values. Using heuristic data sets and simple simulations, we show that anova on log-transformed fitness consistently fails to match the outcome of selection in a heterogeneous environment or its sensitivity to environmental frequency. Only anova based on relative fitness within environments accurately predicts the sensitivity of genotype selection to the frequency of alternative environments. Parallel analyses of variance based on absolute fitness and relative fitness can bracket the expected success of alternative genotypes under hard and soft selection, respectively. For example, for Sinapis arvensis growing in full sun and partial shade treatments, families achieving high fitness in the best environment are favoured under hard selection, whereas soft selection favours different families that achieve consistently good performance across environments. Based on these findings, we recommend that log-transformation of fitness should no longer be standard practice in ecological genetics studies. Weighted anova is a preferable method for dealing with unequal variances, and investigators should also make greater use of techniques such as quantile regression or resampling to describe and evaluate fitness variation across heterogeneous environments.     

Preparation of capacitor’s electrode from sunflower seed shell

Series of nanoporous carbons are prepared from sunflower seed shell (SSS) by two different strategies and used as electrode material for electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC). The surface area and pore-structure of the nanoporous carbons are characterized intensively using N₂ adsorption technique. The results show that the pore-structure of the carbons is closely related to activation temperature and dosage of KOH. Electrochemical measurements show that the carbons made by impregnation-activation process have better capacitive behavior and higher capacitance retention ratio at high drain current than the carbons made by carbonization-activation process, which is due to that there are abundant macroscopic pores and less interior micropore surface in the texture of the former. More importantly, the capacitive performances of these carbons are much better than ordered mesoporous carbons and commercial wood-based active carbon, thus highlighting the success of preparing high performance electrode material for EDLC from SSS.     

Role of the furrow of the proximal colon in the production of soft and hard feces in nutrias, Myocastor coypus

The bacterial level of soft feces is higher than that of hard feces in nutrias. This suggests the heterogeneity of bacterial density in the large intestine. To show the heterogeneity of bacteria in the contents of the large intestine in nutrias, we divided the contents of the large intestine into 12 regions, then measured the nitrogen (N), total amino acids (TAA) and diaminopimelic acid (DAP), a bacterial marker, of these regions. Levels of N, TAA and DAP varied along the cross section of the proximal colon. The greater curvature of the main lumen and furrow had higher N, TAA and DAP concentrations than the lesser curvature. We also examined the involvement of the furrow in producing two types of feces differing in bacterial nitrogen content by surgically preventing the flow of the furrow contents. We compared the concentrations of N, TAA and DAP between soft and hard feces among operated, sham-operated and intact animals. Surgical closure of the furrow abolished the difference in levels of N, TAA and DAP between soft and hard feces, suggesting that the furrow of the proximal colon is responsible for making the bacterial density higher in soft feces than in hard feces. Accepted: 13 July 2000     

苦马豆和披针叶黄华种子硬实特性与活力关系

将苦马豆和披针叶黄华种子在恒温25℃下吸胀,每24 h取出吸胀种子,16 d后未吸胀的种子为硬实种子（H）,硬实种子用硫酸处理后恒温吸胀24 h,与非硬实种子进行发芽试验和各项活力指标测定。结果显示每日内吸胀的种子数量随时间推移以一定比列下降,苦马豆非硬实种子第3天后吸胀率下降到1%,第13～16天突然上升后又下降到1%,披针叶黄华非硬实种子第3天后下降到1%,第9、10天突然上升后又下降到1%。两种豆类都显示出硬实种子发芽率、发芽指数、活力指数、脱氢酶活性、呼吸速率和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性均高于非硬实种子,而电导率、浸出液可溶性糖和丙二醛（MDA）含量低于非硬实种子,缓慢吸胀的硬实种子活力指标高于快速吸胀的硬实种子,这表明硬实种子活力高于非硬实种子,硬实种子吸胀过程中存在吸胀损伤。而在非硬实种子中,根据以上活力指标判断,晚吸胀的种子比早吸胀的种子活力高。     

Evolution of dispersal in spatially and temporally variable environments: The importance of life cycles

Spatiotemporal variability of the environment is bound to affect the evolution of dispersal, and yet model predictions strongly differ on this particular effect. Recent studies on the evolution of local adaptation have shown that the life cycle chosen to model the selective effects of spatiotemporal variability of the environment is a critical factor determining evolutionary outcomes. Here, we investigate the effect of the order of events in the life cycle on the evolution of unconditional dispersal in a spatially heterogeneous, temporally varying landscape. Our results show that the occurrence of intermediate singular strategies and disruptive selection are conditioned by the temporal autocorrelation of the environment and by the life cycle. Life cycles with dispersal of adults versus dispersal of juveniles, local versus global density regulation, give radically different evolutionary outcomes that include selection for total philopatry, evolutionary bistability, selection for intermediate stable states, and evolutionary branching points. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for life‐cycle specifics when predicting the effects of the environment on evolutionarily selected trait values, such as dispersal, as well as the need to check the robustness of model conclusions against modifications of the life cycle.     

Asymmetric Allylation of α‐Ketoester‐Derived N‐Benzoylhydrazones Promoted by Chiral Sulfoxides/N‐Oxides Lewis Bases: Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of Quaternary α‐Substituted α‐Allyl‐α‐Amino Acids

Chiral sulfoxides/N‐oxides (R)‐ 1 and (R,R)‐ 2 are effective chiral promoters in the enantioselective allylation of α‐keto ester N‐benzoylhydrazone derivatives 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d , 3e , 3f , 3g to generate the corresponding N‐benzoylhydrazine derivatives 4a , 4b , 4c , 4d , 4e , 4f , 4g , with enantiomeric excesses as high as 98%. Representative hydrazine derivatives 4a , 4b were subsequently treated with SmI₂, and the resulting amino esters 5a , 5b with LiOH to obtain quaternary α‐substituted α‐allyl α‐amino acids 6a , 6b , whose absolute configuration was assigned as (S), with fundament on chemical correlation and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data. Chirality 25:529–540, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

超声引导下经皮穿刺聚桂醇注射液与无水乙醇硬化治疗单纯性肝囊肿的疗效对比研究

目的:探讨并对比超声引导下经皮穿刺聚桂醇注射液与无水乙醇硬化治疗单纯性肝囊肿的疗效。方法:选择2014年5月至2016年9月我院收治的60例单纯性肝囊肿患者为研究对象,按随机数字表法分为两组。实验组30例在超声引导下给予聚桂醇注射液进行硬化治疗,对照组30例在超声引导下给予无水乙醇进行硬化治疗。比较两组患者临床有效率、不良反应发生率;于术前及术后24 h检测并对比两组患者血常规指标水平;于术前、术后1周及术后1月检测并对比两组患者总胆红素(TBIL)、谷丙转氨酶(ALT)、谷草转氨酶(AST)、碱性磷酸酶(ALP)、胆碱酯酶(CHE)及白蛋白(ALB)。结果:实验组总有效率为93.33%,对照组总有效率为90.00%,两组总有效率比较,差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。术前、术后24 h两组各项血常规指标对比,差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。与术前相比,术后1周实验组患者血清TBIL、ALT、AST、ALP、CHE及ALB均无明显变化(P0.05),对照组患者血清ALT和AST升高(P0.05)。与术后1周相比,术后1个月实验组患者血清ALT、ALP降低,CHE升高(P0.05),对照组ALT、AST及ALP降低,CHE升高(P0.05)。术后1周实验组患者血清ALT和AST水平明显低于对照组(P0.05),TBIL、ALP、CHE及ALB均无明显差异(P0.05);术后1月实验组患者血清ALT水平明显低于对照组,ALB水平明显高于对照组(P0.05),TBIL、AST、ALP及CHE均无明显差异(P0.05)。实验组不良反应发生率为16.67%,低于对照组的30.00%,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:超声引导下经皮穿刺聚桂醇注射液与无水乙醇治疗单纯性肝囊肿均具有较好的疗效,但聚桂醇注射液作为硬化剂的不良反应率明显低于无水乙醇,对肝功能的损伤也较无水乙醇小。因此对于单纯性肝囊肿的硬化治疗,聚桂醇注射液是一种安全有效的硬化剂,值得在临床上推广。     

Modification of theophylline release with alginate gel formed in hard capsules

The aim of this work was to establish whether alginate gel formed spontaneously in hard gelatin capsules which modifies release of a model drug, theophylline. The effects of the alginate composition, the calcium addition, and the dissolution medium on drug release were also investigated. After the capsule shell dissolved in water, at neutral pH the gel layer of sodium alginate was formed immediately as the sodium alginate hydrated and swelled on contact with the aqueous medium. In acidic pH, the contents remained intact and the matrix shape was the same. Theophylline release from capsules containing different grades of alginate demonstrated different release patterns, depending on alginate composition and the pH of the medium. The capsules containing sodium/calcium salts of alginate showed the slowest drug release at neutral pH but the fastest in acidic medium. The presence of calcium acetate in the formulations influenced the drug release kinetics. The drug release in acidic medium showed a non-Fickian diffusion-controlled release, while those in water at neutral pH exhibited a Super Case II transport mechanism. The study also provides evidence that the behavior of alginate in forming the hydrated gel layer may explain the drug release behavior at different pHs. Published: July 6, 2007     

系列硬质胆囊镜的研发

中国医生提出的硬镜微创保胆取石（息肉）新概念,对于治疗胆囊结石和胆囊息肉取得较好的临床效果。目前国内外没有专门针对胆囊病手术所设计的内镜设备。专门为胆囊病手术的发展而研发的系列硬质胆囊镜及其配套附件,已经获得多项国家专利授权,并成功在国家认定的药物临床试验机构中应用手术120多例。