Decrease in required coefficient of friction due to smaller lean angle during turning in older adults

We investigated age-related differences in the required coefficient of friction (RCOF) during 90° turning, the difference of RCOF during step and spin turn, and how affects observed differences. Sixteen healthy young and healthy older adults (eight men and eight women in each group) participated. Participants performed 90° step and spin turns to the right at a self-selected normal speed. Older adults turned with lower RCOF than the young adults during both step and spin turns. This was associated with reduced mediolateral (ML) RCOF component (RCOF_ML) for the older adults. Reduced RCOF_ML in older adults was associated with reductions in the ML component of the lean angle of the body during turning. This age-related gait changes during turning can be compensatory mechanisms that allowed older adults to turn while reducing the risk of slipping. Spin turns exhibited lower RCOF, resulting from significantly lower RCOF_ML, than step turns in young and older adults; thus, spin turning is a safer turning strategy for preventing lateral slips. This may suggest that, in older adults, slip prevention may take precedence over balance recovery after slips sustained during turning. These results illustrate a turning gait mechanism that helps prevent slips and falls, and how age affects this mechanism.     

杜鹃花属植物种间杂交向性研究

为探讨杜鹃花属植物种间杂交的向性特征,依据该属5亚属、3组、12亚组、32种、33对正反交组合与自交性质清楚的186个杂交组合,对有关向性问题进行了初步研究。结果表明:(1)杜鹃花属植物种间杂交由双向可育→单向不育→双向不育的比率变化与其亲本的系统位置由原始→进化以及双亲间的亲缘关系由密切→疏远同向;原始的常绿杜鹃亚属(Subgen. Hymenanthes)内种间比较进化的杜鹃亚属(Subgen. Rhododendron)内易于杂交,而该两亚属之间却存在密切的亲缘关系,因此其亚属间杂交的可育比率也高于其他亚属间杂交。(2)在进化维度上,该属植物的种间杂交单向不育通常无固定的亲本搭配方向,但常绿杜鹃亚属内(Intra-Subgen. Hymenanthes,Intra-HY)、杜鹃亚属内(Intra-Subgen. Rhododendron,IntraRH)和映山红亚属×羊踯躅亚属(Subgen. Tsutsus×Subgen. Pentanthera)间的杂交搭配,有一定的倾向性。(3)种间杂交可育性与自交特性不同的亲本搭配方式相关,可育性大小的总倾向是SC×SCSI×SC≥SC×SISI×SI,其生殖进化方向是从自交亲和(SC)到自交不亲和(SI),并伴随异交生殖隔离的加强。(4)细胞不育和多倍体是引起单向不育的两个重要原因,SI亲本的介入会大幅度地增加种间杂交的不育比率。     

Nocturnal migratory songbirds adjust their travelling direction aloft: evidence from a radiotelemetry and radar study

In order to fully understand the orientation behaviour of migrating birds, it is important to understand when birds set their travel direction. Departure directions of migratory passerines leaving stopover sites are often assumed to reflect the birds'' intended travel directions, but this assumption has not been critically tested. We used data from an automated radiotelemetry system and a tracking radar at Falsterbo peninsula, Sweden, to compare the initial orientation of departing songbirds (recorded by radiotelemetry) with the orientation of songbird migrants in climbing and level flight (recorded by radar). We found that the track directions of birds at high altitudes and in level flight were more concentrated than the directions of departing birds and birds in climbing flight, which indicates that the birds adjust their travelling direction once aloft. This was further supported by a wide scatter of vanishing bearings in a subsample of radio-tracked birds that later passed an offshore radio receiver station 50 km southeast of Falsterbo. Track directions seemed to be more affected by winds in climbing compared with level flights, which may be explained by birds not starting to partially compensate for wind drift until they have reached cruising altitudes.     

Dispersal Behavior and the Connectivity Between Wolf Populations in Northern Europe

ABSTRACT The isolated gray wolf (Canis lupus) population of the Scandinavian Peninsular is suffering from inbreeding depression. We studied dispersal of 35 wolves fitted with very high frequency (20) or Global Positioning System—global system for mobile (15) radiocollars in the neighboring Finnish wolf population. The growing wolf population in Finland has high numbers of dispersing individuals that could potentially disperse into the Scandinavian population. About half (53%) of the dispersing wolves moved total distances that could have reached the Scandinavian population if they had been straight-line moves, but because of the irregular pattern of movements, we detected no wolves successfully dispersing to the Scandinavian population. Dispersal to the Scandinavian population was also limited by high mortality of wolves in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) management areas and by dispersal to Bothnian Bay at times of the year when ice was not present. We suggest that when a small wolf population is separated from source populations by distance, barriers, and human exploitation, wildlife managers could promote the population's viability by limiting harvest in the peripheral areas or by introducing wolves from the source population.     

龙角山林区维管植物物种多样性

以龙角山地区216个样方的调查资料为基础,用Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Sφrensen相似性指数,研究了龙角山林区野生维管植物物种多样性的空间分异规律及其原因。结果表明,乔木层物种多样性比较低,而灌木层和草本层的物种多样性则比较高;野生维管植物物种多样性随海拔高度的升高而降低;不同坡向的野生维管植物物种多样性存在着差异,北坡>东坡和西坡>南坡;坡向和海拔是影响该地区野生维管植物物种多样性空间分布的主要因子。坡向对当地的野生维管植物物种组成成分也有明显影响,其中北坡与南坡之间的野生维管植物物种组成差异最大,东坡与西坡之间的野生维管植物组成差异最小;海拔高程的变化对野生维管植物物种组成也有影响,但影响不明显。     

小蜂螨研究综述

小蜂螨Tropilaelaps spp.是亚洲地区重要的蜜蜂害螨,是一类比大蜂螨Varroa destructor危害性更大的寄生虫,近几年关于小蜂螨的研究越来越多。本文就小蜂螨的分类与分布、生物学特性、流行特点与传播、诊断与防治等领域的最新研究作一综述,并对小蜂螨的研究趋势进行了讨论。     

The association between meteorological variables and the abundance of Aedes taeniorhynchus in the Florida Keys

The black salt marsh mosquito, Aedes taeniorhynchus, is a serious nuisance pest and a potential vector of a number of arboviruses. This study examined the effect of wind direction, wind speed, temperature, and time of year on the abundance of Ae. taeniorhynchus collected in CO₂‐baited light traps at 12 sites in the Florida Keys during 2004. The dependent variable analyzed was the natural log of weekly mosquito abundance. The previous week's wind speed and wind direction, and the current week's temperature were used as independent variables. Simple and multiple linear regression models were used to assess the significance and nature of association between the meteorological variables and the natural log of mosquito abundance, and to determine whether the meteorological variables had significant associations with mosquito abundance after also controlling for time of year. Week of year was treated as a circular independent variable in the regression models, using the sine and cosine of week in radians to model the periodic seasonal fluctuation in mosquito abundance. Mosquito abundance was significantly associated with all meteorological variables and with week of year. Individually, previous week's wind speed and wind direction, and current week's temperature were able to explain respectively 24.5%, 24.5%, and 52.1% of the variation in mosquito abundance observed over the year. Week of year had the strongest individual association with mosquito abundance, explaining 65.7% of the variation in mosquito abundance. The meteorological variables were still significantly associated with mosquito abundance, after controlling for week of year. Week and the meteorological variables together explained 79.2% of the variation in mosquito abundance. The regression models fit to the data from this study suggest a strong periodic seasonal variation in mosquito abundance, with meteorological conditions explaining a significant portion of the variation beyond the seasonal trend.     

趋磁细菌W M-1 的培养条件优化研究

采用正交设计实验法研究了趋磁细菌WM-1产磁性细胞的培养条件。并利用L16(44)方案,用16个实验完成了4种培养条件、4个水平的优化工作。研究结果表明,培养基的pH值是影响趋磁细菌WM-1产磁性细胞的重要因素,正交实验结果在90％的置信区间可信。在最优的培养条件下,即pH为7．0,氧气的浓度为4％,m酒石酸:m琥珀酸为1:1,NaNO3 100 mg l-1条件下,磁性细胞的浓度提高到6．5×107 cells ml-1,比优化前提高了约8．3％．趋磁细菌WM-1磁滞回线的测量表明,Hc=230 Oe,Ms=0．9 emu／g dry wt．Cells,及Mr／Ms=0．50。