Evaluation of the obstetric significance of some pelvic characters in an 18th century British sample of known parity status.

The excavations at Christ Church, Spitalfields (1984-86) produced a sample of 968 human skeletons which were interred between 1729 and 1859. Of these, 387 were recovered in association with coffin plates stating name, age at death, and date of death. There are 138 adult females in the named sample and the obstetric histories of 94 have been reconstructed from historical documentation. Such variables as birth spacing, number of children, and age at first and last births are known for the majority of this sample. Any individual about whose history there is any doubt has been excluded from the analysis. A middle-class group, they were largely of high nutritional status and, by the standards of the day, lived in sanitary and comfortable conditions. Both males and females have a mean age at death of 56 years. The presence or absence, the typology, the severity, the width and the length of the preauricular sulcus, the presence or absence and the number of pits on the dorsal aspect of the pubic body, sulci along the anterior sacrum adjacent to the auricular facet, and the extension of the pubic tubercle were evaluated in relation to the obstetric histories of these females. Statistical analysis has demonstrated a relationship between the presence of pubic tubercle extension and parity status and between the degree of extension and the number of children borne (P < .02). Statistically there is no significant relationship (P > .05) between either the preauricular sulcus or pubic pitting and parity status. Sacral scarring is significantly associated (P < .05) with parity status, but as it was evident in only eight females it has little practical application. Sample sizes are small, and it must be considered that statistical evaluation of larger samples might detect associations between variables not demonstrated here. There is no significant relationship between any of the cortical variants under consideration and age at death.     

Analysis of dorsal pitting in the os publis in an extensive sample of modern American females

Pubic bones from 486 modern American females between the ages of 13 and 99 were studied in an attempt to explore the relationship between the degree of dorsal pitting and the following variables: (1) number of full term pregnancies, (2) inteval since last pregnancy, (3) age of decedent.A statistical association was found between the number of full term pregnancies and the degree of dorsal pitting. However, the correlation is not strong; 17 females reported as being nulliparous have "medium to large" dorsal changes whereas 22 females having from one to five full term pregnancies have an absence of dorsal changes. Females who had their last child 15 or more years prior to death are more apt to have "medium to large" dorsal changes than are females who have more recently given birth. This effect appears to be independent of the number of full term pregnancies, but is probably related to age. When the data are analyzed by multiple regression analaysis, it is found that age and number of pregnancies are most important in predicting the degree of pitting and the effect of the interval on pitting is not significant. Age is found to be an important variable independent of the number of full term pregnancies. In nulliparas, an absence of dorsal pitting is far more frequently found in females younger than 30 than in those over 30.     

无花果果皮中花青素的提取工艺的建立

本研究使用单因素方法考察了无花果(Ficus carica L.)果皮中花青素的最佳提取条件,并考察了7种参数对花青素提取率的影响。参数设置如下:溶剂性质(水,甲醇,乙醇和丙酮)、提取次数(1~3次)、固液比(1/50,1/100,1/150和1/200)、提取时间(60 min,120 min,180 min和240 min)、甲醇浓度(0,20%,40%,60%,80%和100%)、酸类型(盐酸,乙酸,柠檬酸和酒石酸)和酸浓度(0,1%,2%,5%和10%)。使用pH-示差法测量无花果果皮中单体花色素的含量。研究显示,无花果果皮中花青素的最佳提取条件为:溶剂为甲醇溶剂,提取次数为2次,固液比为1/100,提取时间为180 min,甲醇浓度为80%,酸类型为柠檬酸,柠檬酸浓度为5%。该最佳提取条件下的花青素的提取率达到最高(345.62 mg/100g DS)。     

高温胁迫对枇杷果皮热伤害的抗氧化特性影响

为探讨枇杷[Eriobotrya japonica(Thunb.)Lindl.]对高温胁迫的响应,对‘红种’枇杷果皮热伤害的抗氧化特性进行研究。结果表明,在自然光下,枇杷果皮热伤害的阈值为40℃(1.5 h),且果皮热伤害与温度和持续时间关系密切,光照可促进热伤害的发生。枇杷果皮受热伤害程度与果实本身的营养状态有关,果肉维生素C(Vc)、钙(Ca)含量越低,果皮热伤害级数越高。与25℃相比,40℃高温处理增加了果皮的超氧阴离子和丙二醛(MDA)含量,而超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)的活性呈下降趋势。这揭示了高温胁迫下枇杷果皮对热伤害的抗氧化响应机制。     

Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology of Citrus tristeza virus on Crete: Recent Introduction of a Severe Strain

Sporadic incidences of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in western Crete resulting from the introduction of a mild strain (Spanish isolate T385) have been reported previously. Further analysis within this region has identified an emerging second CTV strain with minimal genetic divergence, sharing 99% nucleotide identity with the severe stem‐pitting isolate Taiwan‐Pum/SP/T1. Other severe isolates from the Mediterranean region appear in the same phylogenetic cluster, indicating movement or new introductions and the need for targeted control actions and improved phytosanitary measures in this area.     

A mechanistic model on the role of “radially-running” collagen fibers on dissection properties of human ascending thoracic aorta

Aortic dissection (AoD) is a common condition that often leads to life-threatening cardiovascular emergency. From a biomechanics viewpoint, AoD involves failure of load-bearing microstructural components of the aortic wall, mainly elastin and collagen fibers. Delamination strength of the aortic wall depends on the load-bearing capacity and local micro-architecture of these fibers, which may vary with age, disease and aortic location. Therefore, quantifying the role of fiber micro-architecture on the delamination strength of the aortic wall may lead to improved understanding of AoD. We present an experimentally-driven modeling paradigm towards this goal. Specifically, we utilize collagen fiber micro-architecture, obtained in a parallel study from multi-photon microscopy, in a predictive mechanistic framework to characterize the delamination strength. We then validate our model against peel test experiments on human aortic strips and utilize the model to predict the delamination strength of separate aortic strips and compare with experimental findings. We observe that the number density and failure energy of the radially-running collagen fibers control the peel strength. Furthermore, our model suggests that the lower delamination strength previously found for the circumferential direction in human aorta is related to a lower number density of radially-running collagen fibers in that direction. Our model sets the stage for an expanded future study that could predict AoD propagation in patient-specific aortic geometries and better understand factors that may influence propensity for occurrence.     

奉节脐橙果实苯丙氨酸解氨酶活性及其基因表达与果皮褐变的关系

柑橘果皮褐变严重影响果实的商品价值和耐贮性．以奉节脐橙（Citrus sinensis Osbcck）果实为材料,通过采后常温、涂蜡、低温、机械损伤等处理研究了果实果皮褐变率、苯丙氨酸解氨酶（PAL）活性及PAL上基因在果皮褐变过程中表达水平的变化。结果表明,涂蜡、损伤处理均极显著地提高果实的果皮褐变率,而低温贮藏可显著降低其发生率;贮藏期问各处理的PAL活性均呈上升趋势,损伤处理PAL活性显著高于对照。果实发生褐变或受到机械损伤后,PAL2、PAL6基因的表达均比对照明显增强。结果首次表明脐橙果实PAL活性变化以及PAL2基因的表达与果皮褐变具有非常密切的关系．     

Is metabolic activity by biofilms with sulfate-reducing bacterial consortia essential for long-term propagation of pitting corrosion of stainless steel?

Concentric electrodes have been fabricated from 304 stainless steel in which a small anode (0.031 cm²) and large cathode (4.87 cm²) are induced by the application of a current density of 11A cm^–2 at the anode. It has previously been shown that reproducible pitting and maintenance of a galvanic current occurs only in the presence of a consortium of bacteria containing sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Actively corroding systems that had maintained a galvanic current for at least 24 h after the applied current was removed were treated with inhibitors of the SRB. The only inhibitor tested which had any marked effect on the galvanic current was sodium molybdate which is a known inhibitor of corrosion as well as SRB.     

Application of white cellulose acetate sheets on fossil wood investigation

Generally, transparent cellulose acetate sheets as a peel technique material are used in the identification of fossils, whereas white cellulose acetate sheets as a biochemistry technique material are applied in serum protein electrophoresis (SPE). Here we report the application of white cellulose acetate sheets for identifying a polished fossil wood from the Upper Mesozoic of West Liaoning, China. Based on the characters of transverse, radial, and tangential sections, the fossil wood is ascribed to a taxon of Protoglyptostroboxylon sp. Compared with transparent cellulose acetate sheets, white cellulose acetate sheets not only provide the similar information as that of the former, but also are more easily acquired in the Chinese market than the former. Because peel technique supported by white cellulose acetate sheets has the advantages of simple, time-saving, safe, reliable, and practical operation with lower material loss, it is a very good choice for the polished fossil wood investigation in labs, museums, geological parks, and handicraft shops. It is also a convenient approach to training students to learn the anatomic structure of fossil wood.     

Detection of multiple sequence variants of Grapevine rupestris stem pitting‐associated virus using primers targeting the polymerase domain and partial genome sequencing of a novel variant

Grapevine rupestris stem pitting‐associated virus (GRSPaV) is a member of the genus Foveavirus within the new family Betaflexiviridae. GRSPaV is distributed among grapevines worldwide and is implicated in the disease rupestris stem pitting (RSP) of the rugose wood complex and two other disorders. GRSPaV is composed of a wide range of sequence variants, and so far, the complete genomes of five sequence variants have been sequenced. Quick and reliable detection of different GRSPaV variants is a critical step in the elimination and control of GRSPaV. Previously, primers designed from various genomic regions have been used in RT‐PCR for the detection of GRSPaV variants. The efficiency of RT‐PCR varied widely depending on the spectrum of the primers that were used. In this study, we designed a pair of degenerate primers based on the consensus sequence of the genomic region encoding the highly conserved RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase domain from five reference isolates of GRSPaV for which the genome sequence are available. We demonstrate that this set of primers is comparable, if not superior, to the broad‐spectrum primers RSP13&14 in detecting multiple GRSPaV variants. Using these degenerate primers, we identified two new and distinct sequence variants. The 3′ terminal genomic region of one of the new variants, GRSPaV‐ML, spanning the 3′ part of ORF1, through the entire open reading frames 2–4, and the 5′ region of ORF5 were sequenced. Sequence comparison demonstrates that GRSPaV‐ML is distinct from each of the five reference isolates.