Humic acids of different origin as modifiers of cadmium-ion chemistry: A spectroscopic approach to structural properties and reactivity

The physical-chemical properties of humic acid fractions (HA) derived from urban sludge (CUS) and cattle manure (CCM) composts, and agricultural soil (FS) fertilised with sludge for ten years, were initially explored by elemental analysis, UV-Vis, FTIR and fluorescence. These properties were then compared with reference HA of terrestrial (SO) and aquatic (SR). To correlate the chemical properties and the reactivity of these HA, the binding of Cd(II) was investigated by fluorescence quenching techniques (FQ). Indeed, fluorescence spectroscopy has been proven to be a powerful tool in discriminating the origin, chemical features and degree of humification of naturally occurring organic matter. The HA compost exhibited higher N content, smaller molecular size and lower aromaticity than the reference HA. In addition, the CUS sample showed clear evidence of impurities, most likely of microbial origin, which was not evident in the FS sample (i.e. during its further evolution/humification in soil). The quenching effect of Cd(II) is adequately described by a modified Stern-Volmer equation, which is based on two population fluorophores, one not being accessible. The resulting Cd-HA logK (conditional association constants) decreased in the order SO > CUS > FS > CCM > SR, thus reflecting the relative binding affinity. A similar order was found for the corresponding Cd(II) capacity, which is based on total Cd content in Cd-humate precipitates. Lastly, fluorescence analysis of the soluble and insoluble fractions clearly revealed the fluorophores most involved in the binding process. In conclusion, our work provides evidence that compost is a reservoir of “humic-like” material capable of compensating for any organic carbon deficit in soil and lessening the effect of inorganic pollutants.     

The Shrimp Caridina nilotica in Lake Victoria (East Africa), Before and After the Nile Perch Increase

The shrimp Caridina nilotica is a major prey of the introduced Nile perch in Lake Victoria. In spite of heavy predation, the density of shrimps increased after the Nile perch boom and the concomitant disappearance of the haplochromine cichlids. In the same period, the mean size of gravid shrimps and the size at first maturity declined. This seems to indicate an increased predation pressure on adult shrimps. Before the Nile perch upsurge, specialised shrimp eaters and piscivores, among the haplochromine cichlids, only took adult shrimps, whereas we assume that most haplochromines used to include juvenile shrimps into their diet. Another important predator on adult shrimps was Bagrus docmak. The combined density of predators on adult shrimps in the pre-Nile perch era was estimated at 10 kg ha⁻¹ and the potential predators on juveniles were estimated at 170 kg ha⁻¹. After the Nile perch upsurge, only Nile perch up to 10 cm TL and Rastrineobola argentea fed on juvenile shrimps (ca. 36 kg ha⁻¹) and Nile perch from 10 to 50 cm TL (ca. 13 kg ha⁻¹) fed on adults. These rough estimates of the biomass of predators on shrimps before and after the Nile perch upsurge indicate a reduced predation pressure on juvenile shrimps. The disappearance of the haplochromines may have released competition with small Nile perch for juvenile shrimps, thus enhancing the recruitment of Nile perch.     

用PFU原生动物群落进行生物监测的研究

应用PFU法收集微型生物群落,监测鸭儿湖的农药污染。原生动物对五个氧化塘内农药废水的毒性反应,可用群集过程来表示,无论室内或是野外试验,结果基本一致。其中微型生物群落的结构参数有原生动物种类组成和种数、叶绿素a含量、水细菌数量;功能参数有反映原生动物群集过程中的S_(eq)、G、t_(90％)和微型生物的呼吸速度。功能和结构的参数均能较准确地反映出氧化塘系统的净化过程。PFU法可应用于预报污染物的生物效应浓度,初认为是一种经济、快速、正确的生物学监测方法。     

甲氰菊酯和阿维菌素对柑橘全爪螨的亚致死效应

通过叶碟饲养的方法, 利用生命表技术,研究了甲氰菊酯和阿维菌素亚致死剂量LC₂₀处理柑橘全爪螨若螨后,对试验种群当代(F₀)和后代(F₁、F₂代)生长发育及繁殖的影响.结果表明: 甲氰菊酯LC₂₀处理若螨后,当代雌成螨产卵量显著增加;F₁、F₂代的产卵前期缩短,后代雌性比例增大,且均与对照差异显著;同时,F₁和F₂代种群内禀增长率(r_m)和周限增长率(λ)增大,世代历期(T)和种群加倍时间(Dt)缩短,且F₂代与对照相比差异显著.用阿维菌素LC₂₀处理若螨后,当代种群雌成螨产卵量显著下降; F₁和F₂代的产卵量也显著下降,但后代雌性比例增大,产卵前期显著缩短;F₁和F₂代的种群r_m和λ增大,T和Dt缩短,且F₂代比F₁代更为明显.总体来看,甲氰菊酯和阿维菌素亚致死浓度LC₂₀对柑橘全爪螨的影响并不完全相同,甲氰菊酯能够促进当代种群的发展,而阿维菌素对当代种群有一定的抑制作用;但两种杀螨剂亚致死浓度处理柑橘全爪螨对后代种群都有一定的促进作用.研究结果对柑橘全爪螨综合防治策略的制定有一定的指导意义.     

Comparison of walking parameters obtained from the young,elderly and adults with support

Data mining techniques are highly useful in the study of various medical signals and images in order to obtain useful information to better predict the diagnosis or prognosis or treatment options for the patient. Study of the human walking pattern helps us understand the variability of motion during activities such as high performance walking and normal walking. A comparison of the parameters quantifying this variability in motion in normal young and elderly subjects and the subjects who need support will aid in better understanding of the relationship among walking patterns, age and disabilities. In this study, we measured the tri-axial acceleration along three directions: anteroposterior, lateral and vertical. We also measured gyrational pitch, roll and yaw. These parameters were obtained using sensors attached to the back, left thigh and right thigh of the three classes of subjects (normal, elderly and adults with support) during the three types of exercises: 10-m normal walk, 10-m high performance walk and stepping. These recorded signals were then subjected to wavelet packet decomposition, and three entropies, namely approximate entropy and two bispectral entropies, were obtained from the resultant wavelet coefficients. On analysing these entropies, we could observe the following: (1) the entropy steadily decreases with the increase in age and with the presence of impairments, and (2) the entropy decreases among all the three types of exercises, namely normal walking and high performance walking. We feel that the results of this work can help in the design of supporting devices for elderly subjects.     

不同等级石漠化生境下石生苔藓叶绿素含量和叶绿素荧光参数研究

叶绿素含量和叶绿素荧光参数可以反映叶绿体状态及光合作用效率,可用于探讨植物对环境的适应能力和响应机制。选择贵州省毕节市撒拉溪石漠化治理示范区,研究了区内28个不同等级石漠化(无、潜在、轻度、中度、重度石漠化)样地中所采集的168份石生苔藓植物标本,探讨了其相对叶绿素含量(SPAD值)和叶绿素荧光参数对不同喀斯特石漠化生境的响应。结果表明：(1)石生苔藓SPAD值、叶绿素荧光参数受多种环境因子的综合影响,其中石漠化等级、大气温度、郁闭度、坡向的影响较为显著。(2)相较于低等级石漠化和阴坡生境,中高等级石漠化和阳坡的石生苔藓SPAD值和除非光化学淬灭系数(NPQ)和非调节性能量耗散(Ф_NO)之外的叶绿素荧光参数均降低,可能由于在石漠化生态系统逆向演替后期,石生苔藓植物的叶绿素含量降低,PSⅡ反应中心活性受到影响,PSⅡ电子传递受阻,植物体通过增加热耗散和启动非调节性机制进行自我保护。(3)3种优势石生苔藓植物中,穗枝赤齿藓(Erythrodontium julaceum)的SPAD值显著低于圆枝粗枝藓(Gollania tereticaulis)和密毛细羽藓(Cyrt...     

Estimating a predator-prey dynamical model with the parameter cascades method

Summary .   Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are widely used in ecology to describe the dynamical behavior of systems of interacting populations. However, systems of ODEs rarely provide quantitative solutions that are close to real field observations or experimental data because natural systems are subject to environmental and demographic noise and ecologists are often uncertain about the correct parameterization. In this article we introduce "parameter cascades" as an improved method to estimate ODE parameters such that the corresponding ODE solutions fit the real data well. This method is based on the modified penalized smoothing with the penalty defined by ODEs and a generalization of profiled estimation, which leads to fast estimation and good precision for ODE parameters from noisy data. This method is applied to a set of ODEs originally developed to describe an experimental predator–prey system that undergoes oscillatory dynamics. The new parameterization considerably improves the fit of the ODE model to the experimental data sets. At the same time, our method reveals that important structural assumptions that underlie the original ODE model are essentially correct. The mathematical formulations of the two nonlinear interaction terms (functional responses) that link the ODEs in the predator–prey model are validated by estimating the functional responses nonparametrically from the real data. We suggest two major applications of "parameter cascades" to ecological modeling: It can be used to estimate parameters when original data are noisy, missing, or when no reliable priori estimates are available; it can help to validate the structural soundness of the mathematical modeling approach.     

不同化疗方案对非小细胞肺癌患者凝血纤溶功能及血小板参数的影响及其临床意义

目的:探讨不同化疗方案对非小细胞肺癌患者凝血纤溶功能及血小板参数的影响及临床意义。方法:回顾性分析2013年2月至2016年2月于我院进行治疗的96非小细胞肺癌患者的临床资料,按照化疗方案的不同分为TP组(50例)及GP组(46例),TP组患者给予多西他赛联合卡铂方案(TP方案)进行化疗,GP组患者给予吉西他滨联合卡铂方案(GP方案)进行化疗,另选择45例健康体检者作为对照组。比较三组治疗前者血浆凝血酶原时间(PT)、活化部分凝血活酶时间(APTT)、血浆凝血酶时间(TT)、血浆纤维蛋白原含量(FIB)以及D-二聚体(D-dimer)、血小板数(PLT)、血小板比积(PCT)、血小板平均体积(MPV)、血小板体积分布宽度(PDW)以及大体积血小板比率(P-LCR)及TP组和GP组治疗后以上指标的差异。结果:TP组和GP组患者化疗前PT、APTT、TT、FIB、D-dimer、PLT、PCT、MPV、PDW以及P-LCR水平均明显高于对照组(P0.05),而TP组与GP组以上指标比较无显著差异(P0.05)。治疗后,TP组和GP组患者PT、APTT、TT、FIB、D-dimer、PLT、PCT、MPV、PDW以及P-LCR水平均较治疗前有所下降,且GP组TT明显长于TP组(P0.05),PLT、PCT明显低于TP组(P0.05)。结论:凝血纤溶功能及血小板参数对于评价不同化疗方案治疗非小细胞肺癌患者预后具有积极的临床价值,不同化疗方案选择对于患者凝血系统均具有一定的影响。     

Longitudinal analysis of residual feed intake and BW in mink using random regression with heterogeneous residual variance

The aim of this study was to determine the genetic background of longitudinal residual feed intake (RFI) and BW gain in farmed mink using random regression methods considering heterogeneous residual variances. The individual BW was measured every 3 weeks from 63 to 210 days of age for 2139 male+female pairs of juvenile mink during the growing-furring period. Cumulative feed intake was calculated six times with 3-week intervals based on daily feed consumption between weighing’s from 105 to 210 days of age. Genetic parameters for RFI and BW gain in males and females were obtained using univariate random regression with Legendre polynomials containing an animal genetic effect and permanent environmental effect of litter along with heterogeneous residual variances. Heritability estimates for RFI increased with age from 0.18 (0.03, posterior standard deviation (PSD)) at 105 days of age to 0.49 (0.03, PSD) and 0.46 (0.03, PSD) at 210 days of age in male and female mink, respectively. The heritability estimates for BW gain increased with age and had moderate to high range for males (0.33 (0.02, PSD) to 0.84 (0.02, PSD)) and females (0.35 (0.03, PSD) to 0.85 (0.02, PSD)). RFI estimates during the growing period (105 to 126 days of age) showed high positive genetic correlations with the pelting RFI (210 days of age) in male (0.86 to 0.97) and female (0.92 to 0.98). However, phenotypic correlations were lower from 0.47 to 0.76 in males and 0.61 to 0.75 in females. Furthermore, BW records in the growing period (63 to 126 days of age) had moderate (male: 0.39, female: 0.53) to high (male: 0.87, female: 0.94) genetic correlations with pelting BW (210 days of age). The result of current study showed that RFI and BW in mink are highly heritable, especially at the late furring period, suggesting potential for large genetic gains for these traits. The genetic correlations suggested that substantial genetic gain can be obtained by only considering the RFI estimate and BW at pelting, however, lower genetic correlations than unity indicate that extra genetic gain can be obtained by including estimates of these traits during the growing period. This study suggests random regression methods are suitable for analysing feed efficiency and BW gain; and genetic selection for RFI in mink is promising.     

Protein Structure Prediction with a Combined Solvation Free Energy-Molecular Mechanics Force Field

Abstract

Models of protein structure are frequently used to determine the physical characteristics of a protein when the crystal structure is not available. We developed a procedure to optimize such models, by use of a combined solvation free energy and molecular mechanics force field. Appropriately chosen atomic solvation parameters were defined using the criterion that the resulting protein model should deviate least from the crystal structure upon a forty picosecond molecular dynamics simulation carried out using the combined force field. Several tests were performed to refine the set of atomic solvation parameters which best complement the molecular mechanics forces. Four sets of parameters from the literature were tested and an empirically optimized set is proposed. The parameters are defined on a well characterized small molecule (alanyl dipeptide) and on the highly refined crystal structure of rat trypsin, and then tested on a second highly refined crystal structure of α-lytic protease. The new set of atomic solvation parameters provides a significant improvement over molecular mechanics alone in energy minimization of protein structures. This combined force field also has advantages over the use of explicit solvent as it is possible to take solvent effects into account during energetic conformational searching when modeling a homologous protein structure from a known crystal structure.