Statistical inference on patch-specific survival and movement rates from marked animals

Empirical estimates of patch-specific survival and movement rates are needed to parametrize spatially explicit population models, and for inference on the effects of habitat quality and fragmentation on populations. Data from radio-marked animals, in which both the fates and habitat locations of animals are known over time, can be used in conjunction with continuous-time proportional hazards models to obtain inferences on survival rates. Discrete-time conditional logistic models may provide inference on both survival and movement rates. We use Monte Carlo simulation to investigate accuracy of estimates of survival from both approaches, and movement rates from conditional logistic regression, for two habitats. Bias was low (relative bias < 0.04) and interval coverage accurate (close to the nominal 0.95) for estimates of habitat effect on survival based on proportional hazards. Bias was high ( relative bias 0.60) and interval coverage poor ( = 0.26 vs. nominal 0.95) for estimates of habitat effect based on conditional logistic regression; bias was especially influenced by heterogeneity in survival and the shape of the hazard function, whereas both bias and coverage were affected by ‘memory’ effects in movement patterns. Bias estimates of movement rate was low ( relative bias < 0.05), but interval coverage was poor ( = 0.48–0.80), possibly as a result of poor performance of a Taylor series estimate of variance. An example is provided from a radio-telemetry study of 47 wintering American woodcock (Scolopax minor), illustrating practical difficulties in field studies to parametrize these models. We also discuss extensions of continuous-time models to explicitly include a movement process, and further examine tradeoffs between continuous and discrete models.     

杨树排放碳氢化合物的相关因素

采用封闭式气袋采样和气相色谱法，对杨树排放碳氢化合物（ＨＣｓ）的情况进行了调查，结果发现，与油松排放情况不同，杨树主要排放异戊二烯，约占其ＨＣｓ排放总量的９５％以上，且与温度，光强正相关，排放的日变化表明，杨树在正午有一排放高峰，夜间基本不排放，在春季和夏季日均气温分别为１９．２℃和２８．８℃，杨树的异戊二烯平均总排放速率分别为４．４和３９．８μｇ／ｇ．ｈ。     

两性聚丙烯酰胺的制备研究

本文研究了丙烯酰胺（ＡＭ）－丙烯酸（ＡＡ）共聚物的水溶液，经Ｍａｎｎｉｃｈ反应制备两性聚丙烯酰胺的反应条件，讨论了影响胺化度的因素。实验结果表明：分子量为３００万、阴离子度为２０％、浓度为２．５％的共聚物，在原料配比为（ＡＭ－ＡＡ）：ＨＣＨＯ：ＮＨ（ＣＨ３）２＝１：１．１：１．５、反应温度为５０±１℃、反应２ｈ的条件下，制得的两性聚丙烯酰胺的胺化度为４２．５％，是最佳的合成条件。用氯化胺和盐酸季胺     

待产孕妇分娩方式的选择分析

了解医院剖宫产及其特征.方法:回顾性分析2000年1月至2005年12月衡阳市某医院1850例剖宫产产妇的临床资料.结果:6年间剖宫产率分别为:10.78%、12.53%、13.80%、17.38%、19.53%、20.32%,6年间剖宫产特征中,一直以难产为第一位,巨大儿、产妇要求有上升趋势.结论:应对孕妇加强健康教育,减少巨大儿的发生率,同时,应加强围生期保健宣传力度,使家属及产妇正确地认识剖宫产,降低剖宫产率.表3,参7.     

Fe3+对赤潮异弯藻生长和光合作用的影响

用人工海水APSW以f／2营养加富，在总铁浓度为0—1000nmol L^-1的范围内，考察了总铁浓度对赤潮异弯藻(Heterosigma akashiwo)生长和光合作用的影响．结果发现，当铁浓度小于10nmol L^-1时，最大藻细胞密度与比生长速率均受到明显限制．补铁后受铁限制的细胞得到缓解，表明铁是藻细胞生长的重要限制因子．当铁浓度大于100nmol L^-1时，最大细胞密度与比生长速率不再受铁限制，但其光合作用活性有所改变．在铁限制下细胞的光饱和光合作用速率Pm，暗呼吸速率Rd，表观光合作用效率a与铁丰富细胞相比都有所减小，而光补偿点Ic及饱和光强Ik增大．图5表1参11     

Insect cell-based impedance biosensors: a novel technique to monitor the toxicity of environmental pollutants

Cell biosensors are currently emerging as novel, sensitive techniques to monitor the toxicity of environmental pollutants. Here, we have developed electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) for on-line monitoring of the behavior of insect cells. Cells were cultured on a microarray of eight small gold electrodes, deposited on the bottom of tissue culture wells. Upon inoculation, cells showed a tendency to drift downward and attached to the gold surface precoated with the protein Concanavalin A to accelerate the cell attachment. The impedance increased because the cells acted as insulating particles to restrict the current flow. The resulting impedance, a coordination of many biological reactions within the cell, was continuously monitored in real-time to reveal information about cell spreading and micromotion. As the cell behavior was sensitive to external chemicals, the applicability of ECIS for inhibition assays was demonstrated with HgCl₂, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2-amino 4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT) and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB). Electronic Publication     

Courtship display by great frigatebirds, Fregata minor: an energetically costly handicap signal?

We used detailed time-budget observations, mark-resight data, and doubly labeled water estimates of energy expenditure to test whether energy spent on courtship display by male frigatebirds functions as a sexually selected handicap signal. During a 2-day period of time budget observations, males displayed on average 29.5% of the time (range 0–100% for 15 different males), and this value was correlated with an index of season-long display effort. Season-long display effort was strongly predictive of pairing success. Average field metabolic rate (FMR) during the 2-day time budget period was 676.5 kJ/day (range 464.8–1035.0), substantially lower than the mass-specific FMR predicted from studies of other seabirds during incubation or chick-rearing. Despite a low overall FMR, display effort could function as an energetic handicap, either if FMR correlates positively with the amount of courtship performed or if high-quality males display at a high rate because they pay a lower energy cost per unit of display than do low-quality males. We found no relationship between FMR and display rate, despite good power for doing so. We also did not find a significant difference in energy spent divided by courtship time for males that were or were not chosen by females (inferred to be high- and low-quality males, respectively), though the medians differed in the predicted direction (preferred males having lower relative costs than non-preferred males) and the confidence interval on the difference between groups was very wide. Thus, we found evidence that male courtship effort is predictive of pairing success, we rejected one mechanism by which energetic cost of display could function as a handicap, and our test of the alternate energetic handicap mechanism was equivocal.     

空气CO2体积分数升高对稻麦根系活力及其VA菌根侵染率的影响

利用无锡市安镇的FACE研究平台，在施常规氮量和低氮量的条件下，研究CO2体积分数升高对稻麦轮作系统水稻和小麦根系活力及其VA菌根侵染率的影响。结果表明，在常氮和低氮条件下，FACE处理对小麦和水稻根系活力都有促进作用，并使小麦VA菌根侵染率在拔节期和孕穗期有增加趋势，小麦根系活力和VA菌根侵染率有正相关关系。施N量不足对作物根系生长和活力有一定影响，可以被CO2体积分数升高的影响所补偿。     

Extinction Rate Estimates for Plant Populations in Revisitation Studies: Importance of Detectability

Abstract:  Many researchers have obtained extinction-rate estimates for plant populations by comparing historical and current records of occurrence. A population that is no longer found is assumed to have gone extinct. Extinction can then be related to characteristics of these populations, such as habitat type, size, or species, to test ideas about what factors may affect extinction. Such studies neglect the fact that a population may be overlooked, however, which may bias estimates of extinction rates upward. In addition, if populations are unequally detectable across groups to be compared, such as habitat type or population size, comparisons become distorted to an unknown degree. To illustrate the problem, I simulated two data sets, assuming a constant extinction rate, in which populations occurred in different habitats or habitats of different size and these factors affected their detectability. The conventional analysis implicitly assumed that detectability equalled 1 and used logistic regression to estimate extinction rates. It wrongly identified habitat and population size as factors affecting extinction risk. In contrast, with capture-recapture methods, unbiased estimates of extinction rates were recovered. I argue that capture-recapture methods should be considered more often in estimations of demographic parameters in plant populations and communities.     

Lifting technique and abdominal belt usage: a biomechanical, physiological and subjective investigation

Some 10 male subjects carried out a repetitive lifting task for 15 min under four conditions on separate days. Subjects used either a squat lifting or a stoop lifting technique with or without an abdominal belt on each day. Measurements of spinal shrinkage, heart rate, perceived exertion and regional body pain were made under each condition. Although there was a significant difference in spinal shrinkage under all lifting conditions compared with shrinkage during 15 min of quiet standing (4.36 ± 2.24 vs. 1.13 ± 1.18 mm), there were no significant differences in shrinkage between the conditions. The subjects' heart rates were higher during the squat lift than the stoop lift (123 vs. 97 beats/min; p < 0.001). While the squat lift was perceived to be the safest lift by 90% of the subjects, 60% regarded this lift as the least preferred method (with or without the belt). Although all 10 subjects perceived the safest lifting method to involve the use of the belt, 50% rated the belt as their least preferred lifting condition. The findings cast doubt on the efficacy and acceptability of both abdominal belts and the practice of training workers in ‘safe’ lifting techniques and indicate that individual characteristics and preferences need to be considered when attempting to improve the safety of manual handling operations in industry.