Glutathione S-transferase gene polymorphism,cigarette smoking and DNA damage

Several factors such as smoking habits, diet, occupational, and environmental exposure to chemical carcinogens influence the overall level of DNA damage. In 69 healthy adult volunteers’ polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase (GST), an enzyme which participates in the metabolism of a broad range of carcinogens and endogenous compounds were determined. The level of DNA damage was assessed by comet assay and classified according to GSTT1/M1 genotype and smoking habits. GSTM1 null genotype was recognized in 48% of studied subjects and GSTT1 null genotype in only two cases (3%). In subjects carrying GSTT1/M1 alleles a significantly lower degree of DNA damage, determined as % DNA in the comet's tail, than in null individuals was noted. However, the results obtained did not indicate that in studied subjects an elevated endogenous level of DNA damage may be significantly related to smoking habits.     

Large-scale effects of a small herbivore on salt-marsh vegetation succession—A comparative study on three Wadden Sea islands

Grazing by livestock is used as a management tool to prevent the dominance of a single tall-growing specises during succession on European salt marshes. The effects of natural small herbivores are often neglected by managers. Long-term exclosure experiments on the island of Schiermonnikoog show that hares retard vegetation succession at the early stages of salt-marsh development. In the present study we test whether we can scale-up these exclosure studies to a whole salt-marsh system. We compared 30 years of undisturbed vegetation succession at the Wadden Sea islands of Schiermonnikoog, Rottumerplaat (both The Netherlands) and Mellum (Germany). Salt-marsh development started at all sites in the early 1970s. Hares have been present only on Schiermonnikoog. At each site an area was selected covering a gradient from high to low salt marsh. Surface elevation and clay thickness were measured and a vegetation map was made on the three islands. The areas showed similar clay thickness at low surface elevation, indicating similar sedimentation ratesand hence nitrogen inputs. Rottumerplaat and Mellum showed a higher dominance of the late successional speciesAtriplex portulacoides in the low marsh andElymus athericus in the high marsh compared to Schiermonnikoog. Typical mid-successional, important food plant species for hares and geese had a higher abundance at Schiermonnikoog. Patterns of vegetation development in the absence of hares followed the observed patterns in the smallscale exclosure experiments at Schiermonnikoog. Without hare grazing, vegetation succession proceeds more rapidly and leads to the dominance of tall-growing species in earlier stages of succession. The present study shows that next to large herbivores, small herbivores potentially have largescale effects on salt-marsh vegetation succession during the early successional stages.     

不同类型竹种光合特性的比较研究

光合作用是植物生长和物质积累的基础,其光合特性是高光效竹种选育的重要生理指标。为了更好开发利用我国丰富的竹种资源,确定不同类型竹种的光合性能,掌握其合成有机同化物的能力是必须探索的一个重要问题。文章采用Li-6400光合测定仪,通过对不同地下茎类型的6个竹种光合参数和光响应的测定分析,进一步探讨不同类型竹种存在差异的生理基础,以期对不同类型竹种的选育和经营管理提供依据。试验结果表明:不同竹种净光合速率(Pn)差异显著,大木竹Bambusa wenchouensis(Wen)Q.H.Dai的净光合速率最高,Pn值平均达到8.379μmol·m-2·s-1,毛竹Phyllostachys heterocycla cv.pubescens和雷竹P.praecox cv.prevernalis次之,斑苦竹Arundinaria oleosa和苦竹Pleioblastus amarus最低,总体呈现丛生竹>散生竹>混生竹的趋势,1～2 a生竹净光合速率高于3～4 a生竹,但没有显著差异。气孔导度(Cond)、胞间C02浓度(Ci)、蒸腾速率(Tr)综合说明丛生竹的光合固碳能力最强,其中蒸腾速率与气孔导度与净光合速率关系最为紧密,是影响净光合速率的主导因子。光响应曲线表明当光强刚开始增强时,各竹种间差异较小,但随着光强的继续增加,不同竹种出现很大的差异,其中绿竹Dendrocalamus.oldhami(Munro)Keng的潜在光合能力最高,远高于其他竹种,同样表现为丛生竹>散生竹>混生竹,进一步说明丛生竹种较强的光合固碳能力,从而为今后不同类型竹种,尤其是优良丛生竹种的筛选和开发利用提供理论参考。     

A comparative seasonal study of two populations of Hypnea musciformis from the East and West Coasts of Florida,USA II. Photosynthetic and respiratory rates

Respiration rates of Hypnea musciformis (Wulfen) Lamouroux in Florida, USA, generally increased with increased temperature. Gulf coast H. musciformis respired at significantly higher rates than the Atlantic coast population, which exhibited a region of temperature independence between 24°–32°C. Respiration rates were highest in the fall and winter, during the periods of rapid growth. Respiration rates were lowest in the summer indicating a period of storage and low metabolism. Photosynthetic responses to various levels of light and temperature indicated that the Gulf coast population was more tolerant to high light intensities than the Atlantic coast population. Maximum photosynthetic responses for both populations occurred between 24° and 32°C which corresponds to the shallow slope region of the respiration-temperature curves. The results indicate that water temperature rather than light intensity is a significant factor in modifying seasonal photosynthetic capacities. The greatest seasonal variation in photosynthetic responses occurred at the light-temperature levels of highest responses while little seasonal variation was demonstrated at tolerance limits.     

A comparative study on intertidal faunal biodiversity of selected beaches of Mumbai coast

Comparative study has been done to examine the biodiversity and ecological status of the intertidal region of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bandstand and National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) rocky beaches in Mumbai, West coast of India. A total of 50 species of intertidal organisms were recorded from these shores. Shannon and Simpson's diversity index, Margalefs richness index and Pielou's evenness index indicated different level of ecological state of the shore in different months. Dendrograms and 2-D non metric MDS ordination from Bray-Curtis similarity matrix of occurrence of intertidal organisms from these sites showed highest similarity and combination pattern of occurrence between Nerita oryzarum and Planaxis sulcatus in TIFR and Bandstand shore. Nerita oryzarum and Tactarius malaccanus at NCPA shore. Abundance/biomass comparison (ABC) method of determining level of disturbance also pointed towards the polluted status of these shores. Study concludes that though these beaches are highly disturbed due to anthropogenic activities, they still support a rich intertidal biodiversity which need immediate attention for protection and conservation.     

Do male "long-distance calls" function in mate defense? A comparative study of long-distance calls in primates

Long-distance calls produced by males are common among vertebrate species. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain features of male long-distance calls and their phylogenetic distribution in primates, but the putative functions of male long-distance calls have yet to be tested comprehensively. We used phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate hypotheses for the function of male long-distance calls. We focused on the mate defense hypothesis, which states that male long-distance calls function in intra-sexual competition for mates, but we also examined factors involving resource defense, mate attraction, and habitat. Phylogenetic reconstruction of male long-distance calls in 158 primate species indicates that the presence of male long-distance calls is the ancestral state. The carrying distance of male long-distance calls is correlated with the size of the home range, which is consistent with the role of male long-distance calls in defending mates, attracting mates, and defending resources. However, measures of male intra-sexual competition were not associated with the evolution of male long-distance calls. Evolutionary transitions were only partly correlated with factors related to mate attraction. Instead, the strongest correlates of male long-distance calls were activity period, body mass, home range, habitat and some measures of resource defense. Our results are consistent with long-distance call production as a costly signal, but detailed study within species is required to assess these costs and the functions of long-distance calls in individual cases. Electronic Supplementary Material is available if you access this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/.     

A comparative study of the costs of alternative mayfly oviposition behaviors

Oviposition behavior of insects has associated fitness costs related to the probability that females survive to oviposit. During summer 2003, we observed the oviposition behavior and compared the mortality rates of females of 17 mayfly species in one western Colorado watershed. We dissected adult females collected on terrestrial sticky traps, in drift nets submerged in streams, and in stomachs of brook trout to determine whether the mayflies had oviposited before capture, drowning, or consumption. Females oviposited by either splashing on the water surface releasing all their eggs (splashers), dropping their eggs from the air (bombers), dipping their abdomens multiple times releasing a few eggs at a time (dippers), landing on rocks and ovipositing on the undersides (landers), or floating downstream while releasing their eggs (floaters). Almost 100% of lander and 50% of dipper females had not oviposited when captured on sticky traps, increasing their vulnerability to preoviposition mortality by aerial predators compared to mayflies with other behaviors. In contrast, most females had laid their eggs before drowning or being eaten by a fish (50–90%). However, groups with oviposition behaviors most exposed to the water surface (floaters, then splashers, dippers, and landers) were more vulnerable to drowning before completing oviposition. In addition, splashers and floaters were most vulnerable to predation by brook trout before ovipositing. These data suggest that fitness costs associated with preoviposition mortality may be considerable depending on mayfly oviposition behavior. Furthermore, previously demonstrated benefits of low predation rates on eggs of lander species may be offset in part by costs to female survival. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A comparative study on the toxic effects of textile dye wastewaters (untreated and treated) on mortality and RBC of a freshwater fish Gambusia affinis (Baird and Gerard)

Comparative toxicological studies of textile dye wastewater (untreated and treated) on a freshwater fish, Gambusia affinis, revealed a marked reduction in mortality and cytotoxic effects on RBCs, measured as reduction in their counts and percent changes in their shape (poikilocytosis) and variation in their size (anisocytosis)}, after subjecting them to both physicochemical and biological treatments. On comparing the data of mortality and the cytotoxic effects on RBCs, we found poikilocytosis is a better indicator for toxicity measurement of both untreated as well as treated wastewater, especially at their lowest concentrations where percent mortality was found to be either nil or lowerer than the percentage of poikilocytic RBCs. Although percent reduction in RBC counts and changes in their size (anisocytosis) indicated toxic effects of wastewaters, but EC5o values for RBC counts were usually higher than those for poikilocytosis and mortality, and non-calculable for anisocytosis suggesting their lesser sensitivity to pollutants. In view of these findings, we recommend monitoring of toxic effects of wastewaters during fish bioassay on both mortality and variation in RBC shape.     

A comparative study of Cu (II) biosorption on Ca-alginate and immobilized live and inactivated Cladosporium sp

Spores of Cladosporium sp. were immobilized into Ca-alginate beads via entrapment. The alginate beads and both entrapped live and inactivated spores of Cladosporium sp. were used for comparison of biosorptive capacity from aqueous solutions. The factors affecting the adsorption ability on Cu (II), such as the contact time, initial pH, temperature were investigated. The results showed that the Ca-alginate beads containing live spores of Cladosporium sp. had the maximum biosorptive capacity. The biosorption equilibrium was established in about 3 h. The maximum biosorption of Cu (II) on Ca-alginate entrapping spores and no spores were obtained between pH 4.0 and 3.5. Temperature over the range of 15-45 degrees C had no significant effect on the biosorption capacity. The biosorptive capacity increased with initial concentrations in the concentration range of 30-800mg/l. The equilibrium was well described by Langmuir biosorption isotherms. The Ca-alginate beads could be regenerated using 0.1M HCl, The biosorbents were reused in three biosorption-desorption cycles with negligible decrease in biosorptive capacity.     

Variation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Ithomiinae: A comparative study between species feeding on Apocynaceae and Solanaceae

Summary The primitive, Apocynaceae-feeding Ithomiine,Tithorea harmonia, incorporates dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) from its larval foodplant (Prestonia acutifolia), rarely visiting PA sources pharmacophagously in the adult; females show higher concentrations of PAs than males, with similar variance. The close relativeAeria olena (feeding onP. coalita, without PAs) shows similar PA concentrations in both sexes and greater variation in males, like more advanced Solanaceae-feeding Ithomiine such asMechanitis polymnia, which likeA. olena obtain PAs by pharmacophagy in the adult (mainly males). This difference is due to the dynamics of PA incorporation in these species. Little variation in PA content was found among allopatric populations of the same species, but variation in available PA sources in different months was correlated with different average storage levels in the butterflies.     

Behavioral and histological characterization of the effects of cigarette smoke inhalation and withdrawal in rats

Abstract

The aims of the study are to assess some effects of smoking for 3?months and of withdrawal of male weaned rats on anxiety, locomotor activity, and depression using common behavioral tests such as the marble burying, open field, and forced swim tests. Somatic signs of abstinence and histological effects were also studied. The rats present changes of the aforementioned behaviors as well as histological alterations of the lungs.     

A comparative study of feeding and growth in two coexisting species of carnivorous gastropods

The effects of variable food supply on growth rate and feeding behaviour in two coexisting intertidal gastropods were examined through field and laboratory experiments involving mark and recapture procedures, growth experiments under controlled food supply and video observations of feeding. All cohorts of both Japeuthria species grew most in summer, with the highest growth rate being achieved by the youngest cohort of both sexes. In contrast, almost all cohorts (except the youngest one) showed zero to negative growth in winter. The growth rates of Japeuthria species clearly varied depending on feeding frequencies and the initial size of individuals. Females of both species had a significantly higher growth rate than males, though the difference became less marked with decreasing food supply. The total time spent on feeding and the length of the first feeding bout generally increased as the duration of the interval between meals was increased across treatments. From both the field growth experiment and the observations of feeding behaviour it is clear that J. ferrea had a higher frequency of feeding than J. cingulata in the field; 1- to 3-d intervals of feeding frequency in the former and 3- to 6-d intervals in the latter. Most notably, the two species showed a reversal in growth rates with changing conditions of food supply. When food was relatively abundant J. ferrea achieved better growth than J. cingulata, but J. cingulata grew better than J. ferrea under low food supply. In view of the fact that J. ferrea seems to be competitively superior to J. cingulata under normal levels, the present observation that J. cingulata can perform better than J. ferrea when food availability is low gives an important advantage to the latter in terms of its coexistence with the former. Received: 9 March 1999 / Accepted: 8 October 1999     

A comparative study of particle size distribution from two oxygenated fuels and diesel fuel

Oxygenated fuels are known to reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions from diesel engines. In this study, 100% soy methyl ester (SME) biodiesel fuel (B100) and a blend of 10% acetal denoted by A-diesel with diesel fuel were tested as oxygenated fuels. Particle size and number distributions from a diesel engine fueled with oxygenated fuels and base diesel fuel were measured using an Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI). Measurements were made at ten steady-state operational modes of various loads at two engine speeds. It was found that the geometric mean diameters of particles from SME and Adiesel were lower than that from base diesel fuel. Compared to diesel fuel, SME emitted more ultra-fine particles at rated speed while emitting less ultra-fine particles at maximum speed. Ultra-fine particle number concentrations of A-diesel were much higher than those of base diesel fuel at most test modes.     

Radiation hazard assessment in Egyptian painting oxides. A comparative study

Building materials are potential sources of radiation, which represents a risk factor for human disease including cancer. In this work, the natural radioactivity due to the presence of ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in different painting oxides has been measured using gamma spectrometry with a Hyper Pure germanium detector. The concentrations of the heavy metals (Cd, Co, Mn, Pb, Ni, Sr, Rb, Cr, Cu and Zn) were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry in order to investigate their possible correlation with radioactive elements. The activity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K ranged from 15 ± 0.75 to 126 ± 14, 2.35 ± 0.09 to 72.96 ± 1.96, 1.76 ± 0.31 to 12.88 ± 0.7 and 2.26 ± 0.09 to 200 ± 3.34 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. The calculated radium-equivalents were lower than values recommended for construction materials (370 Bq kg⁻¹). The absorbed dose rates due to the natural radioactivity of the investigated samples ranged from 8.11 ± 0.24 to 68.46 ± 4.20 nGy/h. Also, the results revealed that some heavy metals (Cd, Co, Mn and Rb) were correlated with ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th or ⁴⁰K.     

Lung function decrement with arsenic exposure to drinking groundwater along River Indus: a comparative cross-sectional study

This study was designed to determine the association between chronic arsenic exposure through drinking groundwater and decrement in lung function, particularly among individuals who do not have signs of arsenic lesions, among an adult population. This was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted during the months of January to March 2009. One hundred participants ≥15 years of age in each group, i.e. exposed (≥100 μg/l) and unexposed (≤10 μg/l) to arsenic, determined by testing drinking water samples (using portable kits), were compared for effects on lung function using spirometry. A structured and validated questionnaire was administered. Examination for arsenic skin lesions was also done. There was a decline in the mean adjusted FEV1 of 154.3 ml (95% CI: −324.7, 16.0; p = 0.076), in mean adjusted FVC of 221.9 ml (95% CI: −419.5, −24.3; p = 0.028), and in FEV1/FVC ratio of 2.0 (95% CI: −25.3, 29.4; p = 0.884) among participants who were exposed to arsenic compared to those unexposed. A separate model comprising a total of 160 participants, 60 exposed to arsenic concentrations ≥250 μg/l and 100 unexposed at arsenic concentrations of ≤10 μg/l, showed a decrement in mean adjusted FEV1 of 226.4 ml (95% CI: −430.4, −22.4; p = 0.030), in mean adjusted FVC of 354.8 ml (95% CI: −583.6, −126.0; p = 0.003), and in FEV1/FVC ratio of 9.9 (95% CI: −21.8, 41.6; p = 0.539) among participants who were exposed to arsenic in drinking groundwater. This study demonstrated that decrement in lung function is associated with chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking groundwater, occurring independently, and even before any manifestation, of arsenic skin lesions or respiratory symptoms. The study also demonstrated a dose-response effect of arsenic exposure and lung function decrement.     

A comparative study of the blood of four Tilapia species (Pisces)

The blood of 4 species of Tilapia has been examined. Mean erythrocyte count and size, hemoglobin content, and hematocrit value varied markedly among the species examined. A tendency towards a reciprocal relationship between the number of erythrocytes and their size was observed. In general, their is a correlation between the erythrocyte counts, hemoglobin content, and hematocrit value among the species examined.     

福建赤红壤旱地与红壤旱地水分特性的比较

释放80%的有效水时赤红壤旱地的t值（当释放的土壤有效水占有效水库容的比率为80%时的土壤水吸力值）较小,表明赤红壤旱地持水性较红壤旱地更差,植物更容易受到干旱的协迫。赤红壤旱地贮水库容比红壤旱地小,赤红壤旱地的比水容量达到10-2数量级（难效水）在-10kPa~-30kPa就开始出现,而红壤旱地出现在-30kPa以下,表明赤红壤旱地的失水速度快,保水供水性能弱于红壤旱地。最后,讨论了影响旱地土壤水分性质的因素。     

Urban ecosystem health assessment based on emergy and set pair analysis—A comparative study of typical Chinese cities

Regarding various energy and materials flowing in the urban ecosystem and the merit of emergy as an embodied energetic equivalent for integrated ecological economic evaluation, an evaluation framework of emergy-based urban ecosystem health indicators (UEHI_em) was established in view of five aspects including vigor, structure, resilience, ecosystem service function maintenance and environmental impact to depict the urban ecosystem health states. Further, set pair analysis (SPA) was employed to assess the urban ecosystem health level based on the UEHI_em, by which the approximate degree of real index set to the optimal one was defined and evaluated to describe the relative health state of the concerned urban ecosystems. Choosing twenty typical Chinese cities in 2005 as cases, we evaluated and compared their urban ecosystem health levels based on UEHI_em and SPA. The results showed that health levels of Xiamen, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Shanghai are pretty well, while those of Wuhan, Harbin, Yinchuan, Beijing and Urumchi are relatively weak. Moreover, the relative health levels were analyzed by SPA to discern the influences of the mentioned five aspects on the UEHI_em. It is concluded that emergy synthesis combined with SPA can serve as an effective relative-measure to compare different ecosystem health levels of urban ecosystems.     

不同桉树人工林Fe元素积累和循环的比较

为了桉树(Eucalyptus)的可持续经营,采用野外设置样地和室内分析方法相结合,对刚果12桉(Eucalyptus.ABL12)、尾叶桉(E.urophylla)、窿缘桉(E.exserta)3种桉树Fe元素的积累、循环进行比较研究.研究结果表明:刚果12桉、尾叶桉、窿缘桉3种桉树Fe元素质量分数平均值为:2 438.935 4、4618.853 5、3 858.128 8 mg·kg-1;林分Fe元素积累量为:16 787.430 7、73 163.470 1、16 421.537 kg·hm-2.年存留量为尾叶桉＞刚果12桉＞窿缘桉;年归还量为尾叶桉＞窿缘桉＞刚果12桉;刚果12桉、尾叶桉、窿缘桉循环系数分别为0.56、0.49、0.78.尾叶桉林下有植被的林分和林下无植被的林分Fe元素的质量分数分别为5 999.592 9、3 438.114 mg·kg-1;林分Fe元素积累量为:157.005 2、90.926 1 kg·hm-2;Fe元素年存留量分别为31.401 1、18.185 3 kg·hm-2·a-1;年归还量分别为33.418 3、13.947 kg·hm-2·a-1;年吸收量分别为64.819 4、32.132 3 kg·hm-2·a-1;循环系数分别为0.51、0.43.研究结果表明桉树凋落物的回归,促进林下植被的生长发育,对桉树人工林Fe元素的动态平衡起着重要的作用.