Effects of emergence phenology, taxa tolerances and taxonomic resolution on the use of the Chironomid Pupal Exuvial Technique in river biomonitoring

1. We studied chironomid communities of four rivers in south‐eastern Finland, differing in their water quality, during summer 2004 using the Chironomid Pupal Exuvial Technique, CPET. The aims of the study were to (i) test the adequacy of the generic‐level identification in the CPET method, (ii) define the emergence patterns of chironomid taxa classified as intolerant to organic pollution, (iii) assess the tolerance levels of intolerant chironomids and (iv) identify taxa most indicative of good water quality. 2. Procrustean rotation analysis indicated very strong concordance between the ordinations using either species or genus‐level data, suggesting that generic‐level identification of chironomids is adequate for biomonitoring based on CPET. However, when only a few taxa occur in great numbers, it may be advisable to identify these to the species level, especially if these taxa are important indicators of the impact in question. 3. The detection of a particular species may require accurate timing of sampling, whereas a species‐rich genus might be detected throughout a season. Given that the emergence of chironomid species may vary from year‐to‐year and between sampling sites, community differences detected at the species level may be related to between‐site variation in species’ emergence patterns rather than true differences in species composition. 4. Indicator species analysis (IndVal) showed that the distribution and abundance of intolerant chironomid taxa differed strongly among the studied rivers. Some of the intolerant taxa were restricted to unimpacted conditions, whereas others occurred mainly in impacted rivers. Thus, the indicator status of some genera (e.g. Eukiefferiella, Parametriocnemus, Stempellinella and Tvetenia) needs reassessment.     

营养膜无土栽培技术

前言营养膜技术(Nutrient Film Technique简称NFT)是国外广泛采用的一种特殊的无土栽培方法。它是将植物栽植在一个狭长的不透水的营养槽中,槽中有缓慢流动的营养液。植物根系的一部分浸没在营养液中,一部分露在空气中,植物从这种小环境中吸收水、营养物和氧气。由于这种方法采用很薄一层营养液在根际周围流动,裸露的根     

底物膜技术检测精子顶体酶活性的研究

应用底物膜技术检测１３０例正常精液,精子顶体酶活性百分率的正常值下限为５７％。４５９例不孕症病人精液分析,无精症２５例,其余４３４例中７５％精子顶体酶活性正常。实验表明精子密度对数值与顶体酶活性百分率之间有正相关,ｒ＝０．８４（Ｐ＜０．０１）,回归方程为顶体酶活性百分率ｙ＝４８．４３％＋（８．９％）（ｌｏｇ精子计数）。活动精子百分率与顶体酶活性之间有密切正相关,ｒ＝０．９６７,（Ｐ＜０．０１）,顶体酶活性ｙ＝３８．６％＋０、３６ｘ％。前向活跃直线运动精子百分率与顶体酶活性之间也有密切相关．ｒ＝０．９６,（Ｐ＜０．０１）,顶体酶活性ｙ＝３４．２１％＋０．６１ｘ％。     

The relative importance of prenatal and postnatal maternal influences on growth in mice

Summary The cross-nursing technique was used to assess the relative importance of prenatal and postnatal maternal influences on growth in mice from an unselected population originated from a cross of four highly inbred strains. Body weights were studied at birth, 7-, 14-, 21- and 42-days, in addition to the weight gains between these ages and tail length at 21 and 42 days of age. At littering, each dam in each nursing set retained two of her own offspring and two were transfereed to each of the other dams in the set, so that each nursed litter contained six young representing three mothers. Prenatal influences accounted for 37, 15, 10, 11 and 13 % of the total variation in the respective body weights, while postnatal influences accounted for 0, 64, 65, 49 and 14% at the respective ages. In the case of weight gains, prenatal influences were responsible for 16, 4, 6 and 30%, while postnatal influences were responsible for 66, 66, 31 and 7% of the total variation in gain during the respective four periods examined. Apparently the individual weight gain from 7 to 14 days was a better measure of the lactational performance of the dam than individual 14-day weight. For tail length, prenatal influences accounted for 6 % and 4 % of the total variation in tail length at 21 and 42 days, respectively, while postnatal influences accounted for 60 % and 24 % at the respective ages. Generally, there was no indication of an important interaction between the nurse and the nursed young at any stage studied.     

Impact of Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser Irradiation on the Growth and Mortality of the Biofilm Forming Marine Bacterium Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora

The impact of pulsed laser irradiation on the marine biofilm forming bacterium Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora was investigated in the laboratory by monitoring mortality and the post-irradiation growth pattern. The impact of laser irradiation on bacterial mortality increased with the duration of irradiation. Laser irradiation at 532 nm (0.1 J cm m 2 ) for 15 min resulted in a 53% cell mortality immediately after irradiation. However, the impact after a period of 5 h (delayed impact) was more severe. The growth pattern of irradiated samples showed a prolonged lag phase compared to the reference, due to a reduction in total viable counts (TVC) in the irradiated samples. Nucleic acid staining is suggested to be a promising technique for monitoring laser inflicted bacterial mortality. Thus, the results suggest that laser irradiation could be considered as an alternative technique to reduce the number of biofilm forming bacteria and thereby biofilm formation on hard surfaces.     

Human kinesiology

This paper discusses kinesiological aspects of human locomotion in terms of the incomplete morphological adaptation of the body to current lifestyles. Modern instrumentation used for biomechanical analyses is outlined for the most part in the context of human running. Investigations of spatiotemporal and segmental measures by electronic walkways, photography, optoelectronics and angle-angle diagrams are referred to, as is electromyography and direct force measurement. Three commonly identifiable areas of applied kinesiological research, namely sport, industry and medicine, are considered with reference to the prevention, treatment and after-care of injuries whether received on the sporting field, in the work place, or in an automobile accident.     

Antibody Staining in C. Elegans Using "Freeze-Cracking"

To stain C. elegans with antibodies, the relatively impermeable cuticle must be bypassed by chemical or mechanical methods. "Freeze-cracking" is one method used to physically pull the cuticle from nematodes by compressing nematodes between two adherent slides, freezing them, and pulling the slides apart. Freeze-cracking provides a simple and rapid way to gain access to the tissues without chemical treatment and can be used with a variety of fixatives. However, it leads to the loss of many of the specimens and the required compression mechanically distorts the sample. Practice is required to maximize recovery of samples with good morphology. Freeze-cracking can be optimized for specific fixation conditions, recovery of samples, or low non-specific staining, but not for all parameters at once. For antibodies that require very hard fixation conditions and tolerate the chemical treatments needed to chemically permeabilize the cuticle, treatment of intact nematodes in solution may be preferred. If the antibody requires a lighter fix or if the optimum fixation conditions are unknown, freeze-cracking provides a very useful way to rapidly assay the antibody and can yield specific subcellular and cellular localization information for the antigen of interest.     

Enhancing the stability and ecological safety of mass‐reared transgenic strains for field release by redundant conditional lethality systems

The genetic manipulation of agriculturally important insects now allows the development of genetic sexing and male sterility systems for more highly efficient biologically‐based population control programs, most notably the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), for both plant and animal insect pests. Tetracycline‐suppressible (Tet‐off) conditional lethal systems may function together so that transgenic strains will be viable and fertile on a tetracycline‐containing diet, but female‐lethal and male sterile in tetracycline‐free conditions. This would allow their most efficacious use in a unified system for sterile male‐only production for SIT. A critical consideration for the field release of such transgenic insect strains, however, is a determination of the frequency and genetic basis of lethality revertant survival. This will provide knowledge essential to evaluating the genetic stability of the lethality system, its environmental safety, and provide the basis for modifications ensuring optimal efficacy. For Tet‐off lethal survival determinations, development of large‐scale screening protocols should also allow the testing of these modifications, and test the ability of other conditional lethal systems to fully suppress propagation of rare Tet‐off survivors. If a dominant temperature sensitive (DTS) pupal lethality system proves efficient for secondary lethality in Drosophila, it may provide the safeguard needed to support the release of sexing/sterility strains, and potentially, the release of unisex lethality strains as a form of genetic male sterility. Should the DTS Prosβ2¹ mutation prove effective for redundant lethality, its high level of structural and functional conservation should allow host‐specific cognates to be created for a wide range of insect species.     

Orthotopic Hind Limb Transplantation in the Mouse

In vivo animal model systems, and in particular mouse models, have evolved into powerful and versatile scientific tools indispensable to basic and translational research in the field of transplantation medicine. A vast array of reagents is available exclusively in this setting, including mono- and polyclonal antibodies for both diagnostic and interventional applications. In addition, a vast number of genotyped, inbred, transgenic, and knock out strains allow detailed investigation of the individual contributions of humoral and cellular components to the complex interplay of an immune response and make the mouse the gold standard for immunological research. Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) delineates a novel field of transplantation using allografts to replace "like with like" in patients suffering traumatic or congenital tissue loss. This surgical methodological protocol shows the use of a non-suture cuff technique for super-microvascular anastomosis in an orthotopic mouse hind limb transplantation model. The model specifically allows for comparison between established paradigms in solid organ transplantation with a novel form of transplants consisting of various different tissue components. Uniquely, this model allows for the transplantation of a viable vascularized bone marrow compartment and niche that have the potential to exert a beneficial effect on the balance of immune acceptance and rejection. This technique provides a tool to investigate alloantigen recognition and allograft rejection and acceptance, as well as enables the pursuit of functional nerve regeneration studies to further advance this novel field of transplantation.     

内含肽介导的蛋白连接技术及其应用

内含肽介导的蛋白质剪接是一种自发的翻译后事件,内含肽可介导其自身从前体蛋白上切除,同时将其两侧的外显肽连接起来.在过去10多年中,基于蛋白质剪接原理发展出的蛋白连接技术被广泛的用于蛋白质工程的研究中.这些技术打破了化学合成方法中对目标物大小的限制,有助于化学和生物学的研究.针对近年由蛋白质连接演化出来的新技术及其应用做简要的阐述.