Molecular taxonomy of vestimentiferans of the western Pacific and their phylogenetic relationship to species of the eastern Pacific

The nucleotide sequence of part (624 bp) of a mitochondrial gene for cytochrome oxidase I was determined for 46 escarpiid vestimentiferans collected from seven sites in the western Pacific and 49 individual specimens of Arcovestia ivanovi from two sites in the Manus Basin. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the newly obtained and previously reported sequences, indicated that escarpiids in the western Pacific can be divided into two tentative species, as we proposed in a previous report. While members of the first tentative species have been collected exclusively from a seep area at a depth of 300 m off the coast of central Japan, the members of the second species inhabit some sites at depths greater than 1,100 m, namely, seep areas in Japanese and Papua-New Guinean waters as well as hydrothermal vent fields in the Okinawa Trough and the Manus Basin. We detected no genetic structure among populations of the second tentative species. The first tentative species was more closely related to a species in the eastern Pacific, Escarpia spicata, and to a species in the Gulf of Mexico, Escarpia laminata, than to the second tentative species in the western Pacific. Sequences obtained from all arcovestiids were identical with the exception of those from three individuals, each of which included a single synonymous nucleotide substitution relative to the dominant haplotype, and no genetic differences were detected between specimens from the two sites in the Manus Basin.     

Prenatal diagnosis of a 45,X male with a SRY-bearing chromosome 21

Male phenotype associated with a 45,X karyotype is an infrequent finding. We present a case diagnosed prenatally on amniocentesis performed for maternal age. The male phenotype was associated with a translocation of a distal part of Yp including the pseudoautosomal SHOX gene and SRY gene on the short arm of a chromosome 21. By DNA analysis we could show that the X chromosome was of maternal origin and that the breakpoint was in interval 3 of the Y chromosome. Mechanisms and genetic counselling are discussed based on a review of published cases of 45,X and XX males. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金属加工过程中应力状态的分析方法

分析简单地拉伸、压缩和扭转的情况时,应力状态能容易地被确定.但是,实际上在金属加工过程中材料是承受复杂的应力状态,在模具——工件接触面上增加有摩擦力.而且,这些应力和摩擦力一般地沿着接触面变化.准确的计算或预测载荷、力、应力和温度,不但对设计适宜的设备是重要的,而且对研究工艺期间材料的变化过程也是重要的.本文将讨论材料变形过程中所运用的主要分析方法及其优缺点.     

Ammonia production and kinetic properties of glutamate dehydrogenase in the sipinculid Phascolosoma arcuatum exposed to anoxia

The amounts of total NH ₄ ⁺ detected in the external media in which Phascolosoma arcuatum had been exposed to various periods of anoxia were significantly greater than those in which the worms were exposed to normoxia for a similar period. The increased NH ₄ ⁺ production by P. arcuatum during anoxic exposure was unlikely to be due to an increased catabolism of adenine nucleotides or urea. In contrast, there were significant decreases in the concentrations of several free amino acids in the coelomic plasma and body tissues of individuals during the 48 h of anoxic exposure. The amount of NH ₄ ⁺ produced by the anoxic P. arcuatum could be accounted for by the decreases in the concentrations of aspartate or glycine. Increases in the catabolism of free amino acids (FAA), leading to the increased production of NH ₄ ⁺ , in P. arcuatum during anoxia were supported by the detection of significant changes in the kinetic properties of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), in the deaminating direction, from worms exposed to anoxia for 48 h. The apparent increase in the affinity of GDH from the anoxic worm to glutamate would bring about a greater deaminating activity at physiological concentrations of ths substrate. P. arcuatum used in these experiments were collected from the mangrove swamp at Mandai, Singapore between 1990 and 1993.     

Trophoblast-like cells sorted from peripheral maternal blood using flow cytometry: A multiparametric study involving transmission electron microscopy and fetal dna amplification

Three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against trophoblast (GB17, GB21, and GB25) and flow cytometry were used to sort trophoblast-like cells (TLCs) from peripheral blood of pregnant women. Sorted TLCs were processed for electron microscopy and fetal DNA amplification of the Y-specific sequences from mothers carrying male fetuses. At the ultra-structural level, most of the nucleated cells had the morphology of leucocytes, suggesting maternal contaminants, and we did not find the characteristic features of the free inter-villous trophoblast cells. Nevertheless, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis showed an amplification of Y-specific sequences in two out of three samples of sorted TLCs. These results suggest that besides the maternal leucocytes, sufficient trophoblast nucleated fetal cells can be obtained using cell enrichment by sorting. This sensitive method holds promise for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal sex and if sufficient Y(positive) nuclei are found, for the diagnosis of selected numerical chromosome abnormalities.     

项目决策阶段清洁生产分析方法的研究

企业在建设项目决策时就应该按照清洁生产的原则，从源头控制污染。提出了在项目决策中，应从产品选择、工艺路线选择、主要设备选型和节能降耗4个方面进行清洁生产的分析方法，通过此分析方法的应用，可以避免项目决策中的环境失误和降低企业的环境风险。