Minute chromatin structures in cells of amniotic fluid—an interpretative dilemma

Single copies of tiny chromosome fragments, appearing either as single or as double minutes, were observed in a high frequency in amniotic fluid cultures of five mothers who underwent prenatal testing because of advanced age. In four cases, the minutes had arisen de novo. The minutes were later confirmed in fetal skin following termination of pregnancy in one case; in another, in cord blood following the birth of a normal boy; and in the third, in peripheral blood of a normal 3-year-old girl. In the fourth case, the minutes were not confirmed in cord blood following the birth of a normal boy. A follow-up chromosome study of the baby boy in the fifth case was not possible but the minutes were maternally transmitted.     

Testosterone,dominance signalling and immunosuppression in the house sparrow,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Passer domesticus</Emphasis>

The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) suggests that dominance signals are costly because their development is controlled by testosterone, which is immunosuppressive. Signal control therefore links an increased disease risk with a high quality signal. The chest bib of the house sparrow, Passer domesticus, is a signal known to be related to dominance and under control of testosterone levels. We experimentally manipulated testosterone in male sparrows during the breeding season and again independently during the post-breeding period to test whether variation in levels of testosterone could cause variation in levels of immunocompetence. There was no effect of testosterone manipulation on the cell-mediated response of birds to phytohaemagglutinin injection, nor did testosterone levels appear to affect either white blood cell ratios or red blood cell counts. In contrast, both breeding season and post-breeding season testosterone levels had significant effects upon the humoral response of the birds to sheep red blood cell injections. However, whilst testosterone during the breeding season appeared to act immunosuppressively, the role of post-breeding levels is less clear. In concordance with a previous study, there was an indication that corticosterone is involved in mediating the immunosuppressive effects of testosterone. The strength of the secondary humoral response and the cell-mediated response were negatively related suggesting the possibility of a trade-off between the different arms of the immune system. These results provide some support for the ICHH as a mechanism promoting the evolution of costly badges of status, although the results question whether the immunosuppressive cost can be mediated by testosterone at the time of badge development.Communicated by W.A.Searcy     

三亚城区PM2.5中水溶性离子特征与来源分析

基于2019年三亚城区站点PM_2.5中水溶性离子在线观测数据,分析了水溶性离子的质量浓度水平、不同时间尺度和不同PM_2.5浓度下的特征,探讨了气象因子对离子组分的影响,通过主成分分析（PCA）解析来源.结果表明：2019年三亚城区总水溶性离子（TWSI）质量浓度为8.173 μg·m^-3,占ρ（PM_2.5）的58.4%,各离子质量浓度大小依次为：ρ（SO₄^2-） > ρ（NO₃^-） > ρ（K⁺） > ρ（NH₄⁺） > ρ（Na⁺） > ρ（Cl^-） > ρ（Ca²⁺） > ρ（F^-） > ρ（Mg²⁺） > ρ（NO₂^-）,其中二次离子SO₄^2-、NO₃^-、NH₄⁺（SNA）和K⁺为主要离子组分,占总水溶性离子的80.0%,海盐粒子Na⁺及Cl^-之和占比为14.7%,且与风速呈显著正相关;TWSI季节浓度变化特征明显,秋季最高,春冬季次之,夏季最低,主要与秋冬季风速较大、主导风向转为东北风,易受外来传输有关;SO₄^2-在各个季节均是浓度及占比最高的离子,硫氧化率（SOR）的日均值均大于0.1,存在显著的SO₂向SO₄^2-转化的过程;PCA分析结果表明三亚城区水溶性离子主要受海洋源、二次源及生物质燃烧源的影响.     

三亚市臭氧污染特征、输送路径及潜在源区分析

基于2015-2019年三亚市空气质量自动监测数据和气象观测资料,结合后向轨迹聚类与潜在源区分析等方法,分析了三亚市O₃污染特征。结果表明:2015-2019年三亚市O₃浓度总体优良,优良天数比例为97.9%(标准状态),超标天均为轻度污染,多发生在秋冬季。O₃浓度与平均相对湿度、气温和降水量呈负相关关系,与平均风速呈正相关关系,同时与风向密切相关。6-8月气温较高,主导风向为偏南风,O₃及其前体物以本地排放为主,O₃浓度较低;秋冬季盛行东北风,易受到来自内陆的污染传输影响,O₃浓度相对较高。当日最高气温为20~30℃、日均相对湿度为65%~85%、日均风速为3~8 m/s、主导风向为东北风时,三亚市发生O₃超标的概率较高。台风外围和冷高压南下是导致三亚市O₃超标的2种典型天气形势。经聚类分析得到,2019年2个污染过程气团输送路径均来自东北方向,潜在源区分析WPSCF与WCWT的高值区一致性较好,均表明珠三角地区是三亚市重要的O₃污染潜在源区,需要加强与珠三角地区O₃污染的联防联控。