Scotch Pine Pollen under Conditions of Environmental Stress

Environmental conditions causing stress have a significant effect on the generative organs of Scotch pine. The parameters characterizing pine pollen are subject to significant interannual variations and are closely connected with weather and climatic conditions in the period of pollen formation. Airborne pollutants affect the quality of pine pollen, which is especially apparent in the years favorable for the formation of microspores. The ability of Scotch pine pollen to germinate and form pollen tubes in the regions with different technogenic loads proved to be significantly lower than in tree stands of the background areas.     

The idea of sustainable development

In this lecture, I demonstrate how very different macroeconomic history begins to look if Nature is included as a capital asset in production activities. The tentative conclusions I draw from the evidence are: (1) high population growth in the world’s poorest regions (South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa) has been an obstacle to the achievement of sustainable economic development there; relatedly, (2) when population growth is taken into account, the accumulation of manufactured capital, knowledge, and human capital (health and education) has not compensated for the degradation of natural capital in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and, in all probability, even in the UK and the US; (3) China is possibly an exception to (1) and (2). This article is based on the Keynote Lecture delivered at the international symposium on “Sustainability in an Unequal World”, held in Tokyo on November 24, 2006. The exposition relies on my book, Economics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007. The author is the Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge.     

Influence of China''s Population Mobility on the Change of Regional Disparity since 1978

In this study, an econometric model about population mobility and economic growth is used to show the unbalanced distribution of population mobility in different region was remarkably related to that of regional economic growth and the large number of movers had a significant influence on regional economic growth and developing disparity. On the basis of this study, we conclude that China's population mobility also had a significant influence on the structure and tendency of regional disparity, and the population mobility enlarged the regional disparity of the whole nation, the East, and the West since the reform, besides the Midst during 1978 to 1987. Furthermore, the population mobility accelerated the increase of regional disparity in the whole nation, the Midst, and the West, but at the same time, retarded that in the East in the period of 1996–2003.     

Energy metabolism and growth of Monoporeia affinis Lindstr. in the Northern Lake Krivoe (Karelia)

The physiological method for estimating production based on the relationship between growth and energy metabolism has been used for calculating model growth curves for the amphipod Monoporeia affinis and comparing them with the results of field studies. Calculations demonstrated that the physiological growth curves fit the results of field observations best under certain conditions which have zoological sense: the growth curve should reflect the actual maximum body size of an animal in the given population, the duration of the life cycle, and the time required for reaching the reproductive size.     

MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ON LONG TERM RUNOFF1

Increasing concern about the problems caused by urban sprawl has encouraged development and implementation of smart growth approaches to land use management. One of the goals of smart growth is water resources protection, in particular minimizing the runoff impact of urbanization. To investigate the magnitude of the potential benefits of land use planning for water resources protection, possible runoff impacts of historical and projected urbanization were estimated for two watersheds in Indiana and Michigan using a long term hydrological impact analysis model. An optimization component allowed selection of land use change placements that minimize runoff increase. Optimizing land use change placement would have reduced runoff increase by as much as 4.9 percent from 1973 to 1997 in the Indiana study watershed. For nonsprawl and sprawl scenarios in the Michigan watershed for 1978 to 2040, optimizing land use change placement would have reduced runoff increase by 12.3 percent and 20.5 percent, respectively. The work presented here illustrates both an approach to assessing the magnitude of the impact of smart growth and the significant potential scale of smart growth in moderating runoff changes that result from urbanization. The results of this study have significant implications for urban planning.     

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome in association with a balanced reciprocal translocation involving chromosomes 3 and 5

We present a case report on a fetus with multiple malformations, diagnosed by ultrasound at 20 weeks' gestation. From the combination of intrauterine growth retardation and limb abnormalities that were observed, the most likely diagnosis was considered to be Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). Following counselling, the mother opted to terminate the pregnancy. Chromosome analysis of cultured amniotic fluid cells showed a karyotype of 46,XX,t(3;5)(q21;p13). Postmortem examination of the baby confirmed the presence of features consistent with a diagnosis of CdLS. This case provides a report of a definitive diagnosis of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, suspected on the basis of ultrasound imaging and confirmed by amniocentesis findings. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染对竺麻生长及吸收富集特征的影响

通过盆栽试验,分析了不同浓度Cd/Sb/Pb复合作用下苎麻的生长响应及重金属吸收、富集和迁移特征变化。结果表明,低浓度Cd/Sb/Pb复合处理对苎麻生长及生物量没有产生明显影响,而高浓度条件下则产生明显抑制效应,株高变矮,茎粗变细及生物量明显减少。苎麻体内Cd、Pb和Sb吸收量与污染土壤具有直接相关性,随复合处理浓度增加明显增大。至最高污染浓度处理时,苎麻体内重金属吸收量以Cd>Sb>Pb,地上部含量分别达335.74 mg/kg、157.55 mg/kg和92.31 mg/kg。复合处理下苎麻地上部对Cd、Sb和Pb的富集系数分别在0.67~0.88、0.13~0.17和0.05~0.06之间,均表现为随复合处理浓度增加而减少变化。苎麻Cd、Sb和Pb的转运系数分别为0.81~0.92、0.38~0.46和0.53~0.73,其中Cd、Sb的转运系数随复合处理浓度增加而增大,Pb则随复合处理浓度增加而减少。苎麻对重金属Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染具有较好吸收累积及转运能力,相比生物量小的植物而言,是目前修复重金属Cd/Sb/Pb复合污染的理想植物。     

CO2倍增和施氮对水稻不同生长期土壤反硝化细菌丰度的影响

随着全球气候变化的不断加剧,大气CO₂浓度呈明显增加趋势,这将间接影响土壤-植物-微生物系统的氮循环过程.为研究典型水稻土壤反硝化细菌对CO₂浓度升高的响应规律和机制,借助水稻密闭培养箱,运用实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应（Real-Time qPCR）分子技术,设置不施氮（0 mg/kg）和常规施氮（100 mg/kg）2个处理,研究CO₂倍增对水稻不同生长期土壤关键反硝化功能细菌（narG、nirK和nirS型）丰度的影响.结果表明:①在2种施氮水平,CO₂倍增显著促进了水稻分蘖期、孕穗期、扬花期和成熟期水稻根系生长（增幅为2.96%~28.4%）、地上部生物量增加（增幅为7.1%~107.3%）以及成熟期籽粒干质量的增加（增幅为19.5%和38.0%）,具有显著的增产效应.②反硝化细菌丰度对CO₂倍增的响应与生育期及施氮水平有关,CO₂倍增在2个施氮水平均抑制分蘖期反硝化细菌的繁殖,显著增加孕穗期反硝化细菌数量;在水稻扬花期,CO₂倍增促进了施氮处理narG和nirS型反硝化细菌数量的增加,在成熟期抑制未施氮处理下narG、nirK和nirS型反硝化细菌的生长.另外,narG、nirK、nirS型反硝化细菌丰度整体表现为narG > nirS > nirK,且随水稻的生长,其在成熟期的丰度均呈降低趋势.nirK和nirS基因同属亚硝酸还原酶,但nirS基因丰度高于nirK,且对CO₂倍增和施氮的响应有所差异.研究显示,CO₂倍增可显著增加水稻生长和产量,不同施氮水平对稻田土壤反硝化细菌丰度的影响存在差异.