Cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wrens show no facultative manipulation of offspring sex ratio despite plausible benefits

We report a long-term study of offspring sex ratios in the cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus. Detailed study of this species had revealed a suite of potentially strong selection pressures on the sex ratio. First, females gain substantial fitness benefits from the presence of helpers; so females without male helpers would benefit from any strategy that increased the probability of recruiting help, such as overproduction of sons (local resource enhancement hypothesis), but large numbers of helper males compete among themselves, favouring the production of daughters (local resource competition). Second, daughters fledged early in the season have far greater chances of recruitment to the breeding population than late-fledged daughters, so mothers would benefit from production of daughters early in the breeding season (early bird hypothesis). Third, extra-group mate choice imposes strong sexual selection on males, suggesting that females mating with attractive sires could benefit from investing in sons (sexual selection hypothesis). However, the predictions from these and other sex ratio hypotheses were rejected. The only convincing evidence for manipulation of the sex ratio was a slight bias towards sons (11 sons to 10 daughters) that occurred regardless of context. This result does not support current theory.     

中国典型生态区生态破坏经济损失分析和分区

为了把当好经济发展过程中各种生态环境到的破坏,通过定量或半定量的折算,以经济损失形式表现出来,综合评价某一地区人类活动对生态环境的影响,对广东和海南等１１个省（区）的生态破坏经济损失进行了计算和估值,对分析结果进行综合评价,建立了各省经济损失的相关模式和诊断模式,经济开发与生态破坏的相关模式和各经济评价参数,可作为其它生态环境,经济开发类似地区的推算模式,用诊断模式可对某地区的生态破坏经济损失进行     

基于一维卷积神经网络的燃气管道泄漏声发射信号识别

为保障燃气管道系统安全运行,及时诊断管道故障,基于VGG-16模型提出基于一维卷积神经网络的燃气管道故障诊断模型,提取原始声发射信号特征参数,有效诊断燃气管道故障.结果表明:基于一维卷积神经网络的燃气管道故障诊断模型,能够有效解决燃气管道故障诊断过程中数据预处理复杂、特征提取困难以及识别准确率低等问题,可为燃气管道故障...     

基于LabVIEW的水质微型站实时故障诊断专家系统

设计一种基于微试剂原位水质检测仪的多参数水质微型站监控系统。通过对水质检测流程合理分析以及各监控点反馈信号诊断,结合LabVIEW可视化编程技术、信号分析技术和测控技术,分别从硬件和软件方面,设计了一种基于多传感器数据融合的水质微型站监控感知的检测流程测控模型。现场应用结果表明,采用诊断专家系统的水质微型站监控系统满足水质测控的需求,极大提升系统的稳定性、安全性。     

Normal and abnormal fetal cardiac anatomy

The heart is often perceived as a difficult organ to understand by ultrasound during fetal life. This is undoubtedly reflected in the low detection rate of cardiac abnormalities as compared to those of most other organ systems in the fetus. In this article we start by updating classical concepts of cardiac embryology, many of which were previously difficult to understand since they were overly simplistic or purely observational. We then lead on to the structure and growth of the fully formed fetal heart where we review the anatomy and ultrasound appearances in detail and provide comparisons with major abnormalities. We emphasise the fact that a solid understanding of cardiac anatomy can enable those involved in fetal medicine to make full use of the views of the heart that are obtained by ultrasound and which are often only transient. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Birth of healthy children after preimplantation diagnosis of β-thalassemia by whole-genome amplification

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) offers couples at risk for transmitting an inherited disorder the possibility to avoid the need to terminate affected pregnancies. PGD for monogenic diseases is most commonly accomplished by blastomere biopsy from cleavage-stage embryos, followed by PCR-based DNA analysis. However, the molecular heterogeneity of many monogenic diseases requires a diagnostic strategy capable of detecting a range of mutations and compound genotypes. With the above considerations, we developed an accurate and reliable strategy for analysis of β-globin gene mutations, applicable for PGD for the wide spectrum of β-thalassemia major mutations in the Chinese population. The strategy involves primer-extension preamplification (PEP), followed by nested PCR and reverse dot blot (RDB) for mutation detection since it facilitates simultaneous analysis of more than one mutation in a single cell. This report describes the application of the strategy in two clinical IVF/PGD cycles at risk for transmitting β-thalassemia major, which resulted in the first thalassemia-free children born after PGD in China. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Food acquisition during the African drought of 1983–1984: A study of Kenyan herders

In 1983 and 1984, drought spread across the northern rangelands of Kenya and herders in lowland Samburu lost substantial portions of their livestock. Food aid arrived when 50 to 75% of the cattle had already died, and after poorer pastoralists were hungry enough to sell their remaining productive animals. No pastoralists died of the immediate effects of the drought, but many were so impoverished that their longer-term prospects for remaining as herders look dim.
This essay discusses the timing and content of famine relief as it applies both to Samburu and other food-stressed areas. It focuses on the process of food acquisition during the northern Kenyan drought itself. The more "indigenous" food strategies of herding, hunting and gathering offered limited benefits. Equally, however, commercial channels for procuring food proved inadequate. Herders could not reliably sell animals to obtain cash for purchased food, nor were the grain and sugar staples always available even when cash was on hand. Lacking means to provide for themselves, Samburu came to depend on varied kinds of handouts.     

Sex chromosome mosaicism not detected at amniocentesis

Amniocentesis was performed because of a fetal abdominal wall defect, and a 45,X karyotype was obtained. A near-normal male infant with no features of Turner syndrome was delivered. The karyotype of the infant was 45,X/46,X, dic(Y)(q11), with each of the cell lines present in approximately 50 per cent of the lymphocytes and fibroblasts examined.