Lifetime reproductive success in reproductively suppressed female voles

A population of the grey red-backed vole, Clethrionomys rufocanus bedfordiae, was investigated on a 1 ha control grid and a 1 ha grid on which the voles were fed within a 2.1 ha outdoor enclosure in Hokkaido, Japan by live trapping from 1984 to 1986, for testing the Reproductive Suppression Model of Wasser and Barash (1983)-females can optimize their lifetime reproductive success by suppressing reproduction when future conditions for the survival of offspring are likely to be sufficiently better than present ones as to exceed the costs of the suppression itself. Age at the first pregnancy more varied in a higher density population on the experimental grid and females could be classified into the early and the late reproductive type in two generations (A: females born from February to June 1985; B: females born from September to November 1985). Lifetime reproductive success (the number of pregnancies, the number of successful litters, and the number of offspring) was not different between the early and the late reproducing females. The late reproducing females lived for longer periods than the early reproducing females, so that the loss by delayed start of reproduction was compensated for by a longer life span. Life span was not different between offspring of the early and the late reproducing females. These facts supported the Reproductive Suppression Model.     

The influence of basic plan parameters on calculated small field output factors – A multicenter study

PurposeThe influence of basic plan parameters such as slice thickness, grid resolution, algorithm type and field size on calculated small field output factors (OFs) was evaluated in a multicentric study.Methods and materialsThree computational homogeneous water phantoms with slice thicknesses (ST) 1, 2 and 3 mm were shared among twenty-one centers to calculate OFs for 1x1, 2x2 and 3x3 cm² field sizes (FSs) (normalized to 10x10 cm² FS), with their own treatment planning system (TPS) and the energy clinically used for stereotactic body radiation therapy delivery. OFs were calculated for each combination of grid resolution (GR) (1, 2 and 3 mm) and ST and finally compared with the OFs measured for the TPS commissioning. A multivariate analysis was performed to test the effect of basic plan parameters on calculated OFs.ResultsA total of 509 data points were collected. Calculated OFs are slightly higher than measured ones. The multivariate analysis showed that Center, GR, algorithm type, and FS are predictive variables of the difference between calculated and measured OFs (p < 0.001). As FS decreases, the spread in the difference between calculated and measured OFs became larger when increasing the GR. Monte Carlo and Analytical Anisotropic Algorithms, presented a dependence on GR (p < 0.01), while Collapsed Cone Convolution and Acuros did not. The effect of the ST was found to be negligible.ConclusionsModern TPSs slightly overestimate the calculated small field OFs compared with measured ones. Grid resolution, algorithm, center number and field size influence the calculation of small field OFs.     

中国干旱地区啮齿动物物种分布的区域分异

搜集整理我国干旱地区啮齿动物地理分布数据,通过生境分析,确定啮齿动物分布区。基于GIS技术,以面积约为6470km^2的766个栅格收集我国干旱地区啮齿动物的二元分布数据,采用多元分析的分层聚类方法,依据欧氏距离平方值,将地理分布单元划分为若干个组。结果表明,当欧氏距离平方值分别为11．379,17．068,22．758和28．447时,766个地理分布单元依次可分为30,9,5和3个组。分布单元组的物种组成比较和生态型分析表明;（1）在我国干旱地区的海拔较低地带,景观自东向西由草原,荒漠草原过渡到荒漠,地理分布单元组亦呈现相应的分布格局,喜湿的物种逐渐减少,耐旱的种类增加;（2) 藏高原,帕米尔高原寒漠与蒙新温性和暖温性荒漠啮齿动物物种数和组成相近,物种多样性近;（3）阿尔泰山地及南麓平原啮齿动物组成较为特殊,寒湿啮齿动物成份最高;（4）东祁连山地及其北麓以及分犁谷地,额敏谷地,伊犁天山,准噶尔界山及东麓山前平均的啮齿动物成份较为复杂,物种多样性较高。我国干旱地区东部啮齿动物的物种密度和多样性高于西部,但在东部草原和西部荒漠之间的过渡区物种密度较高,表现出的种生态地理分布的边缘效应,体现干旱区啮齿动物物种分布与生物群落地带性分布以及山地和高原等特殊环境非地带性分布的适应关系。蒙新温性荒漠区和青藏高原寒漠区的啮齿动物在区系组成上有一定的历史渊源。     

SwissPIT: An workflow‐based platform for analyzing tandem‐MS spectra using the Grid

The identification and characterization of peptides from MS/MS data represents a critical aspect of proteomics. It has been the subject of extensive research in bioinformatics resulting in the generation of a fair number of identification software tools. Most often, only one program with a specific and unvarying set of parameters is selected for identifying proteins. Hence, a significant proportion of the experimental spectra do not match the peptide sequences in the screened database due to inappropriate parameters or scoring schemes. The Swiss protein identification toolbox (swissPIT) project provides the scientific community with an expandable multitool platform for automated in‐depth analysis of MS data also able to handle data from high‐throughput experiments. With swissPIT many problems have been solved: The missing standards for input and output formats (A), creation of analysis workflows (B), unified result visualization (C), and simplicity of the user interface (D). Currently, swissPIT supports four different programs implementing two different search strategies to identify MS/MS spectra. Conceived to handle the calculation‐intensive needs of each of the programs, swissPIT uses the distributed resources of a Swiss‐wide computer Grid (http://www.swing‐grid.ch).     

The role of competitive learning in the generation of DG fields from EC inputs

We follow up on a suggestion by Rolls and co-workers, that the effects of competitive learning should be assessed on the shape and number of spatial fields that dentate gyrus (DG) granule cells may form when receiving input from medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) grid units. We consider a simple non-dynamical model where DG units are described by a threshold-linear transfer function, and receive feedforward inputs from 1,000 mEC model grid units of various spacing, orientation and spatial phase. Feedforward weights are updated according to a Hebbian rule as the virtual rodent follows a long simulated trajectory through a single environment. Dentate activity is constrained to be very sparse. We find that indeed competitive Hebbian learning tends to result in a few active DG units with a single place field each, rounded in shape and made larger by iterative weight changes. These effects are more pronounced when produced with thousands of DG units and inputs per DG unit, which the realistic system has available, than with fewer units and inputs, in which case several DG units persists with multiple fields. The emergence of single-field units with learning is in contrast, however, to recent data indicating that most active DG units do have multiple fields. We show how multiple irregularly arranged fields can be produced by the addition of non-space selective lateral entorhinal cortex (lEC) units, which are modelled as simply providing an additional effective input specific to each DG unit. The mean number of such multiple DG fields is enhanced, in particular, when lEC and mEC inputs have overall similar variance across DG units. Finally, we show that in a restricted environment the mean size of the fields is unaltered, while their mean number is scaled down with the area of the environment.

基于GIS的基因表达图谱模型的建立与应用

本文在合理假设的基础上,根据2010年全国研究生数学建模竞赛A题提供的数据及相关信息,在GIS的支持下构建了基因表达图谱模型(简称GEPM),并对其进行空间分析,从而达到对肿瘤识别信息基因提取的目的。结果表明,在参与分析的1 991个基因中,有7个基因可以作为肿瘤识别的信息基因;通过GIS技术构建GEPM对于肿瘤的识别与诊断是可行的。因此,通过本文的研究为基因的识别和研究提供了新的方法。     

BDCGrid:基于Globus的生物信息高性能计算网格系统

随着分子生物信息数据量高速增长,生物信息学面临着大规模、高通量、密集型计算的巨大挑战。为有效利用计算机资源,缩短高通量生物信息计算程序执行时间,我们基于Globus Toolkit网格中间件,实现了一个支持高通量生物数据计算的网格系统(Biological Data Computing Grid,简称BDCGrid)。BDCGrid计算网格系统模型可以有效整合中小型生物信息学实验室计算机资源,大大缩短高通量生物信息计算程序执行时间,为相关研究人员利用现有计算机资源处理大规模、高通量生物信息计算任务提供一种新的途径。     

栅板源源棒间散射和吸收对辐射场分布的影响

栅板源源棒间对＾６０Ｃｏ－γ射线的散射和吸收,是影响辐射场分布的重要因素,本工作在栅板辐射分布规律研究的基础上,对散射和吸收的影响进行理论描述,利用自行设计的计算机件,给出考虑源棒间散射和吸收后的等照射量率曲线,研究表明：理论描述与Ｆｒｉｃｋｅ剂量计的测点数据相吻合,在靠近Ｙ轴的场空间散射和吸收影响尤为明显,Ｙ轴上的遮挡效率可达３０－５０％,且随着距源架中心距离的增加,这一影响表现的愈加显著,。     

Vegetation change in semiarid communities

In arid regions, the effects of grazing or sparing management on natural communities of long-lived plants generally take decades to become evident. Event-driven dynamic behavior, unpredictable and low rainfall and complicated interactions between species make it difficult to assess probabilities and time scales of vegetation change.To gain a better understanding of the main processes and mechanisms involved in vegetation change, we have developed a spatially explicit individual based model that simulates changes in plant communities over long time spans. The model, based on life-history attributes of the five dominant component plant species of a typical Karoo shrub community, follows the fate of each individual plant within the community, the sum of which is community dynamics. The model explores the differential effects of a realistic range of rainfall pattern on the abilities of these species to compete, survive, grow and reproduce.The specific aim of the model is to identify key processes of vegetation change and to calculate probabilities and timespans for transitions between different vegetation states. Such knowledge is needed for species conservation and sustained animal production.We show that the time-scale for changes of the dynamic state of the system are long compared with human lifespans. Employing the full range of possible rainfall scenarios showed that short-term community dynamics (years to decades) and species composition depend strongly on the short-term (years) sequence of rainfall events. In all simulation experiments the final vegetation state varied by more than 37% after a 60 year simulation period. Simulating resting of an overgrazed part of the shrub community indicated that little improvement in rangland condition was likely during a period of 60 years. Even such active management, as (simulated) clearing of unpalatable shrubs, resulted in only a 66% probability that degraded shrubland would be in good condition after 60 years resting. Simulated overgrazing of a rangeland in good initial condition only became obvious 40 or 50 years after the initiation of heavy grazing, and after 70 years the mean vegetation state eventually reached that of an overgrazed rangeland.     

A self-managing wide-area data streaming service

Efficient and robust data streaming services are a critical requirement of emerging Grid applications, which are based on seamless interactions and coupling between geographically distributed application components. Furthermore the dynamism of Grid environments and applications requires that these services be able to continually manage and optimize their operation based on system state and application requirements. This paper presents a design and implementation of such a self-managing data-streaming service based on online control strategies. A Grid-based fusion workflow scenario is used to evaluate the service and demonstrate its feasibility and performance.