Paradigms for parasite conservation

Parasitic species, which depend directly on host species for their survival, represent a major regulatory force in ecosystems and a significant component of Earth's biodiversity. Yet the negative impacts of parasites observed at the host level have motivated a conservation paradigm of eradication, moving us farther from attainment of taxonomically unbiased conservation goals. Despite a growing body of literature highlighting the importance of parasite‐inclusive conservation, most parasite species remain understudied, underfunded, and underappreciated. We argue the protection of parasitic biodiversity requires a paradigm shift in the perception and valuation of their role as consumer species, similar to that of apex predators in the mid‐20th century. Beyond recognizing parasites as vital trophic regulators, existing tools available to conservation practitioners should explicitly account for the unique threats facing dependent species. We built upon concepts from epidemiology and economics (e.g., host‐density threshold and cost‐benefit analysis) to devise novel metrics of margin of error and minimum investment for parasite conservation. We define margin of error as the risk of accidental host extinction from misestimating equilibrium population sizes and predicted oscillations, while minimum investment represents the cost associated with conserving the additional hosts required to maintain viable parasite populations. This framework will aid in the identification of readily conserved parasites that present minimal health risks. To establish parasite conservation, we propose an extension of population viability analysis for host–parasite assemblages to assess extinction risk. In the direst cases, ex situ breeding programs for parasites should be evaluated to maximize success without undermining host protection. Though parasitic species pose a considerable conservation challenge, adaptations to conservation tools will help protect parasite biodiversity in the face of an uncertain environmental future.     

Chemical Changes in Sediment Pore-Waters of an Acidic Mining Lake After Addition of Organic Substrate and Lime for Stimulating Lake Remediation

In the past five years, enclosures have beeninstalled in an acidic mining lake in Lusatia to investigate insitu remediation processes. They were treated with straw, withstraw and Carbokalk, or with Carbokalk alone, where Carbokalkis a by-product of the sugar industry (solid precipitate ofnon-sugars after lime clarification of extracted sugar beetjuice). Sediment samples were taken as cores to get informationabout the behaviour of organic and inorganic components insediment pore-water with depth. Vertical distributions of pH,soluble reactive phosphate, nitrate, ammonium, silica,aluminium, iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium, sodium,potassium, sulphate, and DOC were measured. The resultingprofiles, each consisting of 15 data points at differentdepths, were compared by cluster analysis. The similarities ofsediment cores from different treated enclosures relating toprofiles of chemical components were discussed. Increasedconcentrations of potassium and sulphate were found in pore-water after substrate treatment. The data imply dissolution ofpotassium iron sulphate hydroxide minerals (jarosite) after anincrease of pH caused by dissolution of lime and by sulphatereducing processes which were stimulated by organic substrateaddition.     

Evaluation of Material Biodegradability in Real Conditions–Development of a Burial Test and an Analysis Methodology Based on Numerical Vision

This work validated a burial protocol for in situ testing and presents a robust, repeatable and time-saving technique to measure degraded areas in the sample, i.e. an image analysis method. 1440 specimens of degraded samples have been compiled in a data base. To this end, twenty samples presenting different levels of biodegradability (i.e. PHBV/HV, PLA, PCL, PCL-Starch, paper, PE, PE-Starch) were buried at 4 different locations and then disinterred at 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24-month intervals. The biodegradation levels of these samples were determined by computing weight and area loss. Weight loss was measured after careful cleaning, whereas area loss was quantified using image analysis. Image analysis gives reliable information on visual pollution while only requiring a rudimentary and thus quicker cleaning of the samples.     

由震洪相关回顾性预测1870年长江特大洪水

１８７０ 年长江特大洪水是多因叠加和强化的结果, 因之要预测它也要从各方面去研究。如特大洪水前的先行降雨和洪水所反映的大气环流状况及太阳活动情况等。本文把１９３１ 年、１９５４年、１９９１ 年长江大洪水前一年内缅甸北部有７ 级以上大震及１９９８ 年长江大洪前一年内缅北有６级左右震群集中活动的相关指标移用于１８７０ 年长江特大洪水前, 发现其前一年, 即１８６９ 年缅北亦有７ 级以上大震发生。震洪相关的物理机制是与地震活动有关的地下放气使孟加拉湾向长江流域输送的水气更多,如遇北方冷气团南下则降大雨致洪。另外,１８７０ 年长江洪水之所以比１９３１ 年、１９５４ 年、１９９１ 年和１９９８ 年长江洪水还大, 我们认为１８７０ 年４ 月１１ 日在长江上游山区有７ 级以上大震发生, 且震前有大雪发生, 是叠加在前述致洪因素上的另一因素。     

应用测雹板评估1998年涞源县防雹效果

应用测雹板布网,选用雹块大小,密度以及与其有关的冰雹动能,动能通量,冰雹质量,质量通量等物理量参数作为评估防雹效果的统计量,通过计算,对作业区与对比区分别进行统计分析,确定防雹作业效果。     

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis using FISH for carriers of Robertsonian translocations: the Portuguese experience

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an alternative to prenatal diagnosis for couples at risk of transmitting genetic disorders to their offspring. We present a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of embryos obtained after seven PGD cycles in six couples with Robertsonian translocations and male factor infertility: 4 der(13;14), 1 der(14;21) and 1 der(15;21). Of 74 metaphase II (MII) injected oocytes, 61 (82.4%) fertilized normally and cleaved. Of these, 37/61 (60.7%) embryos were of high morphological quality with ≥6 blastomeres. After biopsy of 44 embryos at day 3 of development, seven degenerated, seven arrested in development and 30/44 (68.2%) evolved, of which 25/30 (83.3%) reached the morula/blastocyst stage. Analysis of biopsied blastomeres showed 23/44 (52.3%) of normal/balanced embryos, of which 15 (11 at the morula/blastocyst stage) were transferred in six cycles. One term pregnancy was achieved, which ended by cesarean section at 37 weeks of gestation, giving birth to two healthy newborn. Analysis of 49 embryos (excluding 12 inconclusive cases) showed a predominance of alternate segregation (38/49, 77.6%) over adjacent segregation (7/49, 14.3%), with one (2%) being a polyploid mosaic and three (6.1%) chaotic. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

加速溶剂萃取-在线净化-液相色谱串联质谱法检测污泥堆肥样品中三氯生和三氯卡班

污泥堆肥样品基质复杂,其中三氯生（TCS）和三氯卡班（TCC）的提取和净化过程操作烦琐、回收率低。通过对净化条件进行优化,建立了加速溶剂萃取-在线净化-液相色谱串联质谱法检测污泥堆肥样品中TCS和TCC的分析方法,并对上海某污水厂实际污泥堆肥样品中的TCS和TCC进行定量分析。结果表明,TCS和TCC的检出限分别为0.003和0.0002μg/g,加标回收率为90.3%~99.8%,相对标准偏差（RSD）为1.2%~8.5%（n=6）。该方法样品前处理时间短、回收率高、试剂使用量少,能够满足实际污泥堆肥样品中TCS和TCC的检测要求。