Fetal two-dimensional doppler echocardiography (colour flow mapping) and its place in prenatal diagnosis

One hundred and fifty fetuses between 16 and 38 weeks of gestation were studied by fetal echocardiography using colour-coded two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. Two-dimensional, M-mode, and Doppler spectral analyses were also performed. In 14 fetuses, structural and/or functional abnormalities were detected. Abnormalities were correctly ruled out in all the other fetuses. The advantages of two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography are (1) rapid screening for flow abnormalities in the fetal heart, and thus shortening of the Doppler examination time; (2) rapid diagnosis of valvular regurgitation, valvular stenosis, and abnormal shunting of blood across the interatrial and interventricular septa; and (3) facilitation of the diagnosis of complex congenital heart defects which in certain cases is possible only by using two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography.     

The origin of extensive colour polymorphism in Plateumaris sericea (Chrysomelidae,Coleoptera)

Evidence is presented to demonstrate that colour polymorphism in a beetle arises from structural colours produced by a five-layered reflector in the elytron. The colour of leaf beetles, Plateumaris sericea, ranges across the visible spectrum from blackish-blue to red. The elytra have two distinct layers: epicuticle and exocuticle. Morphological observations reveal that the multilayer structure within the exocuticle differs little among the different colour morphs but the layers within the epicuticle have characteristic thicknesses corresponding to the observed colour. The reflectors, consisting of five layers within the epicuticle, are responsible for all the different colours observed in P. sericea, as shown by theoretical analyses for a multilayer stack, and by showing that removal of the elytral surface, including epicuticle, results in the disappearance of the iridescent colour.     

BP：不仅贡献石油——2007年BP公司可持续发展概要(环境和社会发展部分)

关于BP BP(原英国石油公司)是世界上最大的能源公司之一,主要向顾客提供运输燃料、光热能源、油品零售服务以及与人们日常生活密切相关的各种石化产品.     

Integrated plumage colour variation in relation to body condition, reproductive investment and laying date in the collared flycatcher

The possible integration of different sexual ornaments into a composite system, and especially the information content of such ornament complexes, is poorly investigated. Many bird species display complex plumage coloration, but whether this represents one integrated or several independent sexual traits can be unclear. Collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) display melanised and depigmented plumage areas, and the spectral features (brightness and UV chroma) of these are correlated with each other across the plumage. In a 5-year dataset of male and female plumage reflectance, we examined some of the potential information content of integrated, plumage-level colour attributes by estimating their relationships to previous and current year body condition, laying date and clutch size. Females were in better condition the year before they became darker pigmented, and males in better current year condition were also darker pigmented. Female pigment-based brightness was positively, while male structurally based brightness was negatively related to current laying date. Finally, the overall UV chroma of white plumage areas in males was positively associated with current clutch size. Our results show that higher degree of pigmentation is related to better condition, while the structural colour component is associated with some aspects of reproductive investment. These results highlight the possibility that correlated aspects of a multiple plumage ornamentation system may reflect together some aspects of individual quality, thereby functioning as a composite signal.     

High individual variation in pheromone production by tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Aggregation via pheromone signalling is essential for tree-killing bark beetles to overcome tree defenses and reproduce within hosts. Pheromone production is a trait that is linked to fitness, so high individual variation is paradoxical. One explanation is that the technique of measuring static pheromone pools overestimates true variation among individuals. An alternative hypothesis is that aggregation behaviour dilutes the contribution of individuals to the trait under selection and reduces the efficacy of natural selection on pheromone production by individuals. We compared pheromone measurements from traditional hindgut extractions of female southern pine beetles with those obtained by aerating individuals till they died. Aerations showed greater total pheromone production than hindgut extractions, but coefficients of variation (CV) remained high (60-182%) regardless of collection technique. This leaves the puzzle of high variation unresolved. A novel but simple explanation emerges from considering bark beetle aggregation behaviour. The phenotype visible to natural selection is the collective pheromone plume from hundreds of colonisers. The influence of a single beetle on this plume is enhanced by high variation among individuals but constrained by large group sizes. We estimated the average contribution of an individual to the pheromone plume across a range of aggregation sizes and showed that large aggregation sizes typical in mass attacks limit the potential of natural selection because each individual has so little effect on the overall plume. Genetic variation in pheromone production could accumulate via mutation and recombination, despite strong effects of the pheromone plume on the fitness of individuals within the aggregation. Thus, aggregation behaviour, by limiting the efficacy of natural selection, can allow the persistence of extreme phenotypes in nature.     

浙江省城市环境质量状况(2002-2011)变化分析

环境保护与生态建设是一个城市经济社会可持续发展的重要保证,运用环境科学的基本理论,根据200-2011年浙江省反映城市环境质量状况的酸雨、城市空气环境,城市声环境以及城市环境基础设施水平的数据变化分析,得出了全省城市环境总体趋好,但也有部分地区环境状况不容乐观,提出了相应的对策举措.     

A new type of infrared organ in the Australian "fire-beetle" Merimna atrata (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

 The Australian buprestid beetle Merimna atrata (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) approaches forest fires because its larvae develop in freshly burnt wood. So far nothing is known about possible sensory systems enabling the beetles to detect fires and to cope with the thermal environment close to the flames. We found that M. atrata has two pairs of infrared (IR) organs on the ventrolateral sides of the abdomen. Each IR organ consists of a specialized IR-absorbing area which is innervated by one thermosensitive multipolar neuron. The primary dendritic branches ramify into more than 800 closely packed terminal endings which contain a large number of mitochondria. We called the special morphology of the dendritic region a terminal dendritic mass. The type of IR receptor found in M. atrata is unique in insects and can best be compared with the IR organs of boid snakes. Received: 14 August 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 18 October 2000     

Intercontinental chemical variation in the invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger) (Hymenoptera Formicidae): a key to the invasive success of a tramp species

Unicoloniality emerges as a feature that characterizes successful invasive species. Its underlying mechanism is reduced intraspecific aggression while keeping interspecific competitiveness. To that effect, we present here a comparative behavioural and chemical study of the invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata in parts of its native and introduced ranges. We tested the hypothesis that introduced populations (New Caledonia archipelago) have reduced intraspecific aggression relative to native populations (e.g., Ilhéus area, Brazil) and that this correlates with reduced variability in cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). As predicted, there was high intraspecific aggression in the Brazilian populations, but no intraspecific aggression among the New Caledonian populations. However, New Caledonian worker W. auropunctata remained highly aggressive towards ants of other invasive species. The chemical data corresponded with the behaviour. While CHCs of ants from the regions of Brazil diverged, the profiles of ants from various localities in New Caledonia showed high uniformity. We suggest that in New Caledonia W. auropunctata appears to behave as a single supercolony, whereas in its native range it acts as a multicolonial species. The uniformity of recognition cues in the New Caledonia ants may reflect a process whereby recognition alleles became fixed in the population, but may also be the consequence of a single introduction event and subsequent aggressive invasion of the ecosystem. Chemical uniformity coupled with low intraspecific but high interspecific aggression, lend credence to the latter hypothesis.     

渤海中部海域颗粒有机碳季节性变化及碳库估算

依据不同季节的调查,对渤海水体中颗粒有机碳（POC）的时空变化特征、碳库及影响因素进行对比研究.结果表明：春、夏、秋和冬季渤海调查海域颗粒有机碳的平均浓度分别为（338±146）μg/L、（491±136）μg/L、（358±228）μg/L和（2534±2601）μg/L,其中冬季渤海水体中POC浓度最高约是春季的7倍.不同季节渤海调查海域POC分布具有相似的规律,即由近岸浅水区向远岸逐渐降低,高值区多集中在调查海域北侧近岸、黄河入海口以及渤海湾等处.不同季节影响POC分布的因素不同,春、夏和秋季影响渤海调查海域POC分布的因素主要是陆源输入和浮游植物的生长繁殖,沉积物再悬浮是影响冬季渤海调查海域POC分布的主要因素.通过C/N比值探究不同季节渤海水体中POC来源发现,春季有45.3%、52.8%样品的C/N比值分别介于2.6~4.3和4~10之间,夏季有38.7%、32.3%样品的C/N比值分别介于2.6~4.3和4~10之间;秋季有84.4%样品的C/N比值介于4~10;而冬季有72.2%样品的C/N比值大于12,可见渤海水体中POC来源具有季节性差异,春季和夏季渤海调查海域POC主要来源于海洋生物的代谢活动,秋季渤海水体中POC的主要来源是浮游植物,冬季渤海POC的主要来源是再悬浮物作用下沉积物中保留下来的有机物.渤海POC碳库呈季节性变化,春、夏和秋季渤海调查海域POC碳库在6×10⁵~7×10⁵t范围内,冬季碳库最高,为2.5×10⁶t.     

长江口及邻近海域营养盐的季节变化特征

2014年2月和7月,采集了长江口及其邻近东海陆架海域106和104个站点的样品,测定了其中的营养盐（NO₃-N、SiO₃-Si、PO₄-P、NH₄-N、NO₂-N）浓度,发现长江口海域营养盐的时空分布具有明显的季节变化特征。在夏季,长江径流量加大,海水层化,含有高NO₃-N、SiO₃-Si、PO₄-P浓度海水的扩散范围明显大于冬季;而在外海,夏季上述营养盐的表层浓度却低于冬季。由于在长江淡水端元NH₄-N和NO₂-N浓度的季节变化较大,这两种营养盐与盐度在长江口的相关关系呈现出"季节性反转",在夏季其浓度与盐度呈现出正相关关系,而冬季则相反,呈现出负相关关系。长江冲淡水是以"斑块化"的形式向外海传递的,通过在不同斑块中采集样品并比较其中营养盐的浓度,验证了夏季长江口海域对大部分营养盐是一个显著的"汇"。此外,营养盐的不保守行为既发生在盐淡水混合海域,也发生在长江口门以内的淡水端元海域。     

序批式颗粒污泥系统中磷的变化和去向分析

在实验室序批式活性污泥法(SBR)处理系统中以普通活性污泥为接种污泥,采用厌氧-好氧的运行方式提高系统的除磷效果.同时培养颗粒污泥,并对系统中磷的变化和去向进行分析.结果表明,整个试验共运行146 d,成熟颗粒污泥平均粒径为603μm,污泥体积指数(SVI)约为30 mL.g-1,COD去除率可达90%,磷的去除率可达95%左右.颗粒污泥系统除厌氧放磷和好氧聚磷以外,还存在明显的污泥颗粒积磷现象.磷的去除途径主要为:系统排泥(出水悬浮物和专门排泥)和污泥积磷.由厌氧末期颗粒污泥的X射线衍射(XRD)分析结果可知,化学沉淀是污泥积磷的一种重要方式,大量的金属离子会与磷形成无机盐沉积在污泥颗粒上.     

The earliest occurrence of the steppe pika (Ochotona pusilla) in Europe near the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary

The steppe pika (Ochotona pusilla), a representative of the lagomorph family Ochotonidae, is restricted today to Kazakhstan and Russia. This subspecies-rich form belongs to a morphologically distinct, monospecific group of relatively small pikas, inhabiting steppe-like habitat. In the fossil record, it serves as a bioindicator of dry, grassland environment. The steppe pika was abundant and widespread in Europe during the Last Glaciation, and its unquestionable presence has been reported there since the middle Pleistocene. A new discovery of O. pusilla, from the Kielniki 3B locality (Poland), dated to the latest Pliocene, moves back the species appearance in Europe about one million years, almost coeval with its first record from the late Pliocene of Kazakhstan. Presence of such a typical steppe inhabitant as O. pusilla indicates significant climate change towards more arid, continental conditions, which started influencing Europe at 2.6 Ma. We present the first reliable record of the earliest O. pusilla entry deep into Europe in the latest Pliocene.     

西安城区大气中多环芳烃的季节变化特征及健康风险评价

利用大流量主动采样器于2008年8月至2009年7月采集了西安城区大气样品,研究了大气中多环芳烃(PAHs)的季节变化特征.结果表明,西安大气中16种美国EPA优控的PAHs(∑PAHs)气固两相总浓度为37～620ng·m-3(年平均为195ng·m-3),具有明显的季节差异,依次为夏季(74ng·m-3)<春季(106ng·m-3)<秋季(213ng·m-3)<冬季(360ng·m-3).气态PAHs以3～4环为主,颗粒态PAHs以5～6环为主.分子组成表明西安大气PAHs主要来自于燃煤和机动车尾气及生物质燃烧的复合源.应用BaP毒性当量因子及健康风险评价模型对西安城区成人和儿童进行PAHs健康风险评价,结果显示成人和儿童的日均暴露剂量分别为24.3×10-6mg·kg-·1d-1和5.6×10-6mg·kg-·1d-1,终身致癌超额危险度分别为7.5×10-5和1.7×10-5,可能造成成人和儿童的预期寿命损失分别约为467.6min和107.5min.     

Phase transformation of Cr(VI)-adsorbed ferrihydrite in the presence of Mn(II): Fate of Mn(II) and Cr(VI)

Ferrihydrite is an important sink for the toxic heavy metal ions, such as Cr(VI). As ferrihydrite is thermodynamically unstable and gradually transforms into hematite and goethite, the stability of Cr(VI)-adsorbed ferrihydrite is environmentally significant. This study investigated the phase transformation of Cr(VI)-adsorbed ferrihydrite at different pH in the presence of aqueous Mn(II), as well as the fate of Mn(II) and Cr(VI) in the transformation process of ferrihydrite. Among the ferrihydrite transformation products, hematite was dominant, and goethite was minor. The pre-adsorbed Cr(VI) inhibited the conversion of ferrihydrite to goethite at initial pH 3.0, whereas little amount of adsorbed Mn(II) favored the formation of goethite at initial pH 7.0. After the aging process, Cr species in solid phase existed primarily as Cr(III) in the presence of Mn(II) at initial pH 7.0 and 11.0. The aqueous Mn concentration was predominantly unchanged at initial pH 3.0, whereas the aqueous Mn(II) was adsorbed onto ferrihydrite or form Mn(OH)₂ precipitates at initial pH 7.0 and 11.0, promoting the immobilization of Cr(VI). Moreover, the oxidation of Mn(II) occurred at initial pH 7.0 and 11.0, forming Mn(III/IV) (hydr)oxides.     

Inter and intra-population variation in shoaling and boldness in the zebrafish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Danio rerio</Emphasis>)

Population differences in anti-predator behaviour have been demonstrated in several species, although less is known about the genetic basis of these traits. To determine the extent of genetic differences in boldness (defined as exploration of a novel object) and shoaling within and between zebrafish (Danio rerio) populations, and to examine the genetic basis of shoaling behaviour in general, we carried out a study that involved laboratory-raised fish derived from four wild-caught populations. Controlling for differences in rearing environment, significant inter-population differences were found in boldness but not shoaling. A larger shoaling experiment was also performed using one of the populations as the basis of a North Carolina type II breeding design (174 fish in total) to estimate heritability of shoaling tendency. A narrow-sense heritability estimate of 0.40 was obtained, with no apparent dominance effects.     

Beyond the black box: Forest sector vulnerability assessments and adaptation to climate change in North America

In the wake of the failures to date of well-publicized multilateral and multi-sectoral mitigation efforts to control greenhouse gases, attention is now increasingly focused on the effectiveness and capacity of national and sub-national level sectoral plans, including forestry, to usher in a new era of adaptation efforts. In Canada, the government of British Columbia spent several years developing its Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative as part of a larger climate change response strategy in the forest sector. Similarly, in the United States, wildfire related events have led to climate change inspired efforts by individual states (e.g., Alaska, California) and the US Forest Service has recently undertaken plans to incorporate climate change considerations in national forest planning beginning with the National Road Map for Responding to Climate Change. This paper highlights a number of shortcomings with both these national and sub-national strategies with respect to the relationships existing between governance, forestry and climate change. It proposes incorporating considerations of governance mechanisms directly into forest sector planning and the need to assess not only natural system level changes but also the extent to which new problems can be dealt with by ‘old’ or ‘new’ governance arrangements.