Development of microsatellite markers for Aquilegia buergeriana var. oxysepala (Ranunculaceae), a vulnerable Japanese herb

Aquilegia buergeriana var. oxysepala is a vulnerable herb, for which 20 microsatellite markers were developed. The applicability of these markers was confirmed by genotyping of 66 individuals collected from four natural populations in Japan. Of the 20 loci, 15 showed polymorphism. For the 15 polymorphic markers, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 12, and the expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.13 to 0.77 and 0.02 to 0.65, respectively. The markers described here are sufficiently polymorphic and informative to investigate the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of A. buergeriana var. oxysepala.     

Circadian Rhythms of Serum Concentrations of 12 Enzymes of Clinical Interest

A total of 25 apparently healthy adults (13 men and 12 women), 29.5 years (SD = 3.6 years) of age, served as subjects in a 24-h study conducted in Barcelona, Spain, in the spring of 1990. The group had a homogeneous pattern of meals, activity, and behavior. Six blood samples were collected at 4-h intervals over a single 24-h period beginning at 10:00 h. The oral temperature was measured at 2-h intervals to facilitate an independent biological time reference for the local population being studied. The serum concentration of 12 enzymes of clinical interest were measured in each sample: creatine kinase, creatine kinase 2, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, cholinesterase, lactate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase 1, 5′-nucleotidase, pancreatic α-amylase, and triacylglycerol lipase. We supposed that all experimental data obtained for a quantity came from a single “hypothetical subject” that represented the central tendency of the population and then these data were analyzed for circadian rhythm by single cosinor. A statistically significant circadian rhythm was detected in all quantities studied (p ≤ 0.05) except for serum concentrations of pancreatic α-amylase and triacylglycerol lipase. The maximum daily rhythmic variation was ～ 10% (interval, 6–14%) for all quantities studied except pancreatic α-amylase (2.6%). This rhythmic variation is greater than the analytical variation except for 5′-nucleotidase and pancreatic α-amylase. The acrophases for the quantities studied (except that of triacylglycerol lipase) coincide with times near those of the oral temperature acrophase (18:01 local time). The results of this study will doubtless contribute to further documentation of the structure of the human circadian timing system and to establishment of time-qualified reference intervals for a defined group of subjects.     

Hand‐raising a spectral tarsier (Tarsius tarsier) at the Ueno Zoological Gardens

On February 10, 2008, a newborn male spectral tarsier (Tarsius tarsier) was found on the floor of the indoor exhibit room in the Small Mammal House of the Ueno Zoological Gardens. The dam showed no signs of providing maternal care and therefore we decided to hand‐raise the infant. Its birth weight was 18.7 g. We placed the dam and infant in an incubator and gave 12.5–25% formula (for kittens), until the 145th day after birth. We limited the volume of formula intake to avoid excessive intake and to prevent diarrhea. For nutrition enrichment, we added a chicken liver homogenate to the formula 1–3 times per day. The infant was given a sunbath for 10 min on the 28th day. He showed no serious decline in health, except for diarrhea that occurred during the first few days after birth. He ate a small cricket for the first time on the 50th day and easily caught mealworms on his own on the 105th day. Gradual changes in feeding times, formula concentration, and the nutritionally enriched formula were essential for successfully hand‐raising the tarsier. Zoo Biol 30:218–224, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

倒卵叶青冈——广西壳斗科一新记录种

报道了广西壳斗科植物一新记录种——倒卵叶青冈,并对倒卵叶青冈的形态进行了补充描述,同时对该种的生存现状进行评价,为这一物种的保护提供基础资料。     

Trends in health research ethics in the Philippines during the American Colonial Period (1898‐1946)

Research involving human participants has been conducted in the Philippines since the beginning of the Spanish colonial period. Such studies are expected to adhere to internationally accepted ethical guidelines. This paper discusses trends in clinical research ethics in the Philippines during the American colonial period (1898‐1946). Specifically, studies were assessed on: 1) their observance of ethical protocols, including review; 2) identification of inclusion and exclusion criteria in the selection of participants; 3) use of vulnerable subjects; and 4) practice of the informed consent process. Only the informed consent process had a significant logistic correlation with progression of years. Recruitment of vulnerable groups was common during this period; children and prisoners were the most common participants. Trends in medical ethics in the Philippines reflected those in the United States prior to the publication of the Nuremberg Code, which served as a milestone in the protection of human welfare in clinical research.     

论医院药学服务的有效开展

目的：探讨对药学服务的性质,明确药学服务的涵义,促进我国医院药学服务工作的有效开展.方法：对与药学服务密切相关的各学科分别加以分析.结果：在我国目前特定的条件下,医院药学服务工作能否有效开展并不单单取决于临床药师,而是更多地取决于医院管理层对医院药学服务的认识程度和重视程度,取决于医院开展药学服务的管理体制和管理机制.结论：多学科支撑性是医院药学服务的基本特性,这一性质决定了医院药学服务的有效开展需要多种技术人才的通力协作.     

Identification of cholesteryl esters in human carotid atherosclerosis by ex vivo image-guided proton MRS

Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques may be identified by their large lipid component, particularly liquid cholesteryl ester (CE), covered by a fibrous cap. We hypothesized that image-guided 1H proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) would identify mobile CE in discrete, preselected regions of atherosclerotic plaque. Human carotid endarterectomy specimens (n = 10) were imaged ex vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at high field (11.7 T) utilizing standard T1- and T2-weighted spin echo protocols. MRS spectra were acquired from 1 mm3 voxels, localized to plaque regions that we judged by MRI to be lipid rich or lipid poor. The spectra revealed methyl and methylene resonances of fatty acyl chains with relative intensities and linewidths characteristic of pure CE, by comparison with lipid standards. Regions judged to be lipid rich by MRI showed much more intense CE resonances than did lipid-poor regions. The integrated intensities of lipid peaks were 5.5 +/- 2.0% (lipid-rich regions) versus 0.9 +/- 0.6% (lipid-poor regions) of the unsuppressed water peak (P < 0.0001). Lipid distribution by histology, MRS, and MRI showed strong correlation. Image-guided proton MRS accurately identified CE in selected regions of atherosclerotic plaque as small as 1 mm3 in an ex vivo setting. This procedure may permit the noninvasive detection and quantification of CE in atherosclerotic plaque in vivo.     

中国生态环境脆弱区范围界定

中国生态环境脆弱区既是生态退化区域, 也是贫困人口集中分布区, 但其空间分布范围至今仍然不明确。本研究针对土地沙化、水土流失和石漠化等典型生态问题, 采用遥感和GIS技术, 建立评价指标体系及评价模型, 综合评价了全国生态环境敏感性, 定量揭示敏感性空间分布特征。在此基础上, 结合政府文件和已有的研究成果, 识别出全国生态脆弱区分布范围。结果显示, 生态极敏感区主要分布在我国西北干旱/半干旱地区、西南湿润地区、东南湿润地区以及黄土高原丘陵沟壑区; 高度敏感区主要分布在阿尔泰山、天山、阴山南麓、科尔沁沙地、呼伦贝尔沙地、羌塘高原西部、横断山和东南丘陵山地等区域。在全国划定了18个重点生态脆弱区, 总面积240.1万km², 并明确了每个脆弱区的名称、类型、面积、分布范围以及面临的主要生态问题。完成的中国生态脆弱区分布图为全国生态保护红线划定提供了参考底图。     

Population change and immature mortality process of Luehdorfia japonica (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) feeding on an unusual host plant, Asarum caulescens Maxim. (Aristolochiaceae)

A population of the butterfly Luehdorfia japonica dependent on a small stand of an unusual host plant, Asarum caulescens, was found and observed for 5 years. The plant was growing in patchy clumps in a forest and in an adjoining clearing, but the number of leaves in the clearing decreased during the 5 year study period. Butterflies laid eggs mostly in or near the clearing, and the number of eggs steadily decreased year by year, along with the decrease in the number of leaves. The survival rate of the larvae was similar to that of the same species feeding on the usual host plant, Asarum takaoi, in an adjacent habitat. It is considered that A. caulescens is rarely a host of L. japonica because the plant grows in shady conditions and the butterfly prefers a host plant growing in a sunny locations for oviposition.     

国家公园生态系统文化服务多元利益主体认知比较——基于实证调查分析

探明不同利益主体对生态系统文化服务(CES)的价值认知,对于实现国家公园生态系统的科学管理具有重要理论价值与现实意义。以钱江源国家公园体制试点区为例,基于建立的CES评价指标体系,通过1073份有效调查问卷分析,探明居民、管理人员、游客等多元核心利益主体对CES的认知,并在此基础上,利用熵值法与综合模糊评价法对国家公园CES重要性与水平进行综合评价。结果表明:(1)居民和管理人员都对生态改善服务的价值认知最高,具有一定趋同性;而游客则对保健服务认知程度最高(2.44),这与其旅行目的相关。居民、管理人员与游客认知程度最低的CES分别是系统治理(1.89)、民俗文化普及(2.12)、精神崇拜(1.86)服务。(2)在重要性方面,3类主体均认为人文关怀服务 > 自然体验服务 > 社会服务,在具体指标层面,居民最看重民俗文化普及服务(0.1355)、管理人员和游客最看重精神崇拜服务。(3)3类主体对CES认知评价排序为管理人员(4.24) > 游客(4.11) > 居民(3.99),管理人员与居民分别作为重要的政策制定执行者与利益获得者,体现了不同政策参与主体利益需求对CES认知评价的驱动作用。(4)CES认知的权衡关系主要体现在管理人员,居民与游客的CES认知为协同关系。协同性最强的CES是管理人员对于生态改善和艺术灵感服务的认知、权衡性最强的是荒野保护与科普教育服务之间的认知。CES认知与不同主体的内在利益需求和自身认知难易程度有关,研究结果将为国家公园政策制定提供参考。