Growth of the extreme thermophile Sulfolobus acidocaldarius in a hyperbaric helium bioreactor

The relationship between pressure and temperature as it affects microbial growth and metabolism has been examined only for a limited number of bacterial species. Because many newly-discovered, extremely thermophilic bacteria have been isolated from pressurized environments, this relationship merits closer scrutiny. In this study, the extremely thermophilic bacterium, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, was cultured successfully in a hyperbaric chamber containing helium and air enriched with 5% carbon dioxide. Over a pressure range of approximately 1-120 bar and a temperature range of 67-80 degrees C, growth was achieved in a heterotrophic medium with the air mixture at partial pressures up to 3.5 bar. Helium was used to obtain the final, desired incubation pressure. No significant growth was noted above 80 degrees C over the same range of hyperbaric pressures, or at 70 degrees C when pressure was applied hydrostatically. Growth experiments conducted under hyperbaric conditions may provide a means to study these bacteria under simulated in situ conditions and simultaneously avoid the complications associated with hydrostatic experiments. Results indicate that hyperbaric helium bioreactors will be important in the study of extremely thermophilic bacteria that are isolated from pressurized environments.     

Observations of Barophilic Microbial Activity in Samples of Sediment and Intercepted Particulates from the Demerara Abyssal Plain

To better understand the ecological significance of pressure effects on bacteria in the abyssobenthic boundary layer, experimental suspensions of sediments and sinking particulates were prepared from samples collected in boxcore and bottom-moored sediment traps at two stations (depth, 4,470 and 4,850m) in the Demerara abyssal plain off the coast of Brazil. Replicate samples were incubated shipboard at 3°C and at both atmospheric and deep-sea pressures (440 or 480 atm [4.46 × 10⁴ or 4.86 × 10⁴ kPa]) following the addition of [¹⁴C]glutamic acid (<10 μg liter⁻¹) or yeast extract (0.025%) and the antibiotic nalidixic acid (0.002%). In seven of the eight samples supplemented with isotope, a barophilic microbial response was detected, i.e., substrate incorporation and respiration were greater under in situ pressure than at 1 atm (101.3 kPa). In the remaining sample, prepared from a sediment trap warmed to 24°C before recovery, pressure was observed to inhibit substrate utilization. Total bacterial counts by epifluorescence microscopy decreased with depth in each sediment core, as did utilization of glutamic acid. Significant percentages of the total bacterial populations in cold sediment trap samples (but not the prewarmed one or any boxcore sample) were abnormally enlarged and orange fluorescing after incubation with yeast extract and nalidixic acid under deep-sea conditions. Results indicated that in the deep sea, barophilic bacteria play a predominant role in the turnover of naturally low levels of glutamic acid, and the potential for intense microbial activity upon nutrient enrichment is more likely to occur in association with recently settled particulates, especially fecal pellets, than in buried sediments.     

红旗泡水生植物群落结构与功能的研究

红旗泡是松嫩平原上的水草型湖泊,１９７２年由引嫩干渠补入嫩江水,使其成为大庆市主要水源地和渔业基地。该湖水生植被分布面积大,覆盖近１／２的水面。本文分析了芦苇,狭叶香蒲和稗等单优群落的结构与分布,并统计了混合群落的数量特征。随着油田开发,大庆地区的水体均受到不同程度的污染;因红旗泡水生植物资源丰富且其具清除油污、吸附重金属和沉降悬浮物等净化功能,故使其成为大庆地区水质最好和鱼产量最高的湖泊。     

mtDNA diversity in rhesus monkeys reveals overestimates of divergence time and paraphyly with neighboring species

Reconstructions of the human-African great ape phylogeny by using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been subject to considerable debate. One confounding factor may be the lack of data on intraspecific variation. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of intraspecific mtDNA diversity on the phylogenetic reconstruction of another Plio- Pleistocene radiation of higher primates, the fascicularis group of macaque (Macaca) monkey species. Fifteen endonucleases were used to identify 10 haplotypes of 40-47 restriction sites in M. mulatta, which were compared with similar data for the other members of this species group. Interpopulational, intraspecific mtDNA diversity was large (0.5%- 4.5%), and estimates of divergence time and branching order incorporating this variation were substantially different from those based on single representatives of each species. We conclude that intraspecific mtDNA diversity is substantial in at least some primate species. Consequently, without prior information on the extent of genetic diversity within a particular species, intraspecific variation must be assessed and accounted for when reconstructing primate phylogenies. Further, we question the reliability of hominoid mtDNA phylogenies, based as they are on one or a few representatives of each species, in an already depauperate superfamily of primates.      

含人口迁移的性传染病模型

本文研究一类含人口迁移的性传染病模型,应用摄动方法和定性方法研究平衡点的稳定性和迁移率的影响。普举例说明。     

南亚热带森林几种乔木种子萌发和幼苗生长观察

本文对香椿（Ｔｏｏｎａｓｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ（Ａ．Ｊｕｓｓ．）Ｒｏｅｍ．）、木蝴蝶（Ｏｒｏｘｙｌｕｍｉｎｄｉｃｕｍ（Ｌ．）Ｖｅｎｔ．）、扁斗青冈（ＱｕｅｒｃｕｓｈｕｉＣｈｕｎ）、泡桐（Ｐａｕｌｏｗｎｉａｆｏｒｔｕｎｅｉ（Ｓｅｅｍ．）Ｈｅｍｓｌ）罗浮柿（ＤｉｏｓｐｙｒｏｓｍｏｒｒｉｓｉａｎａＨａｎｃｅ）、枳（ＢｅｒｃｈｅｍｉａｄｕｌｃｉｓＴｈｕｎｂ．）等南亚热带森林乔木种子萌发和幼苗生长进行观察．香椿、扁斗青冈、罗浮柿种子在轻阴（５５％光）条件下萌发率最高,分别为７０％、９０％、３０％,木蝴蝶种子在重阴（３８％光）条件下萌发率最高,为８０％,枳种子在光照条件下萌发率最高,为１５％．阳性树种香椿、木蝴蝶、泡桐、枳幼苗生长速度较快,属速生型树种,其幼苗在光照条件下生长速度最快,森林中树种扁斗青冈、罗浮柿幼苗生长速度较慢,属慢生型树种,其幼苗在轻阴条件下生长较好．随着施肥量的增加,幼苗生长速度明显提高．     

河南新乡地区儿童头面部测量

本文对河南省新乡地区汉族儿童（４－１３岁）头面部进行了测量,比较和分析了儿童体质发育与年龄增长的关系,据儿童头面部各指数数值大小分型,确定该地区汉族儿童面部的形态为：圆头型、高头型、狭头型、狭面型、狭鼻型。     

Effects of Hydrostatic Pressure on Growth of Hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria from the Juan de Fuca Ridge

Two new strains (AL1 and AL2) of hyperthermophilic, sulfur-reducing, heterotrophic archaebacteria from high-temperature (350°C) vents on the Juan de Fuca Ridge were highly barotolerant at their optimal growth temperatures (90 and 100°C, respectively). A trend towards barophily at pressures greater than those encountered in situ at the sea floor was demonstrated for the more extremely thermophilic strain (AL2), implying an ability to thrive in (unexplored) habitats well below accessible vent formations.     

An inter-order horizontal gene transfer event enables the catabolism of compatible solutes by Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H

Colwellia is a genus of mostly psychrophilic halophilic Gammaproteobacteria frequently isolated from polar marine sediments and sea ice. In exploring the capacity of Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H to survive and grow in the liquid brines of sea ice, we detected a duplicated 37 kbp genomic island in its genome based on the abnormally high G + C content. This island contains an operon encoding for heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase and is located adjacent to several genes used in the serial demethylation of glycine betaine, a compatible solute commonly used for osmoregulation, to dimethylglycine, sarcosine, and glycine. Molecular clock inferences of important events in the adaptation of C. psychrerythraea 34H to compatible solute utilization reflect the geological evolution of the polar regions. Validating genomic predictions, C. psychrerythraea 34H was shown to grow on defined media containing either choline or glycine betaine, and on a medium with sarcosine as the sole organic source of carbon and nitrogen. Growth by 8 of 9 tested Colwellia species on a newly developed sarcosine-based defined medium suggested that the ability to catabolize glycine betaine (the catabolic precursor of sarcosine) is likely widespread in the genus Colwellia. This capacity likely provides a selective advantage to Colwellia species in cold, salty environments like sea ice, and may have contributed to the ability of Colwellia to invade these extreme niches.     

A Genome-Wide Scan for Breast Cancer Risk Haplotypes among African American Women

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) simultaneously investigating hundreds of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) have become a powerful tool in the investigation of new disease susceptibility loci. Haplotypes are sometimes thought to be superior to SNPs and are promising in genetic association analyses. The application of genome-wide haplotype analysis, however, is hindered by the complexity of haplotypes themselves and sophistication in computation. We systematically analyzed the haplotype effects for breast cancer risk among 5,761 African American women (3,016 cases and 2,745 controls) using a sliding window approach on the genome-wide scale. Three regions on chromosomes 1, 4 and 18 exhibited moderate haplotype effects. Furthermore, among 21 breast cancer susceptibility loci previously established in European populations, 10p15 and 14q24 are likely to harbor novel haplotype effects. We also proposed a heuristic of determining the significance level and the effective number of independent tests by the permutation analysis on chromosome 22 data. It suggests that the effective number was approximately half of the total (7,794 out of 15,645), thus the half number could serve as a quick reference to evaluating genome-wide significance if a similar sliding window approach of haplotype analysis is adopted in similar populations using similar genotype density.