First-trimester biochemical and molecular diagnoses using chorionic villi: High accuracy in the U.S. collaborative study

The accuracy of biochemical and molecular prenatal diagnoses using chorionic villi as the fetal source was assessed by seven centres participating in the NICHD collaborative study on the safety and accuracy of chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis. Of 601 pregnancies studied, biochemical methods were used to determine the diagnosis in 283 fetuses at risk for 35 different metabolic disorders. Fifteen different lysosomal storage diseases accounted for 81 per cent of the biochemical prenatal diagnoses performed, with 57 per cent of these pregnancies at risk for Tay-Sachs disease. No errors were made in the biochemical diagnoses that predicted affected or unaffected fetuses. However, the diagnoses of certain disorders (e.g., mucopolysacchariodosis type IH, metachromatic leukodystrophy, and Krabbe disease) occasionally required confirmatory studies in cultured amniocytes because the enzyme results were inconclusive in direct and/or cultured villi or due to the presence of a pseudodeficiency allele. Of these, only the diagnosis of a fetus at risk for Krabbe disease remained inconclusive after special studies to discriminate between mutant and pseudodeficiency alleles. Recombinant DNA techniques were used to predict the diagnosis of 318 fetuses at risk for 16 different disorders in which the defective disease gene could be detected either directly or by linkage analysis to a nearby polymorphic marker. Of these, 32 per cent were for haemoglobinopathies, 25 per cent for cystic fibrosis, 24 per cent for Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy, and 7 per cent for haemophilias. Pregnancies at risk for known disorders with specific molecular lesions (e.g., sickle cell disease) were accurately diagnosed in direct and/or cultured villi. Diagnoses requiring analyses with closely linked polymorphic markers were occasionally uninformative or inconclusive. Maternal contamination was not reported in any biochemical or molecular-based diagnosis. These studies document the high accuracy and rapidity of both biochemical and mutation-specific prenatal diagnoses with direct and cultured chorionic villi.     

Responses to conspecific scent marks and the ontogeny of territorial marking in immature terrestrial salamanders

We investigated the ontogeny of responses to scent marks in immature terrestrial salamanders (Salamandra lanzai) that inhabit the southwest Alps. In this species, sexual maturity is usually reached at about 8 years, and adults exhibit territoriality. One should expect territoriality to take place largely before the acquisition of sexual maturity if sexual competition is not the main force driving territoriality. However, both the difficulties for inexperienced animals to find a suitable territory and size-related competition may delay the acquisition of territoriality in juveniles. We performed choice tests with juveniles belonging to two age groups (1±1 years old versus 4±1 years old). Each focal animal was offered, in random order, the choice between two shelters, one without scent and the other containing one of the following scents: own, same-aged animal, a juvenile belonging to the other age group, or adult female. We also performed choice tests with adult females for which the scents of two juveniles belonging to a different age group were successively offered in a random order. Older juveniles were strongly attracted toward their own shelter and mostly avoided the shelters that contained the scent of juveniles of about the same age and of adult females. Adult females avoided the scents of older juveniles but not younger juveniles. These results therefore suggest that older juveniles use territorial marking. Conversely, young juveniles behaved randomly with respect to their own scents and to those of a same-aged juvenile, and they were significantly attracted towards the odor of an older animal, especially adult females. Both older juveniles and adult females displayed a random behavior toward the scents of young juveniles. Our results suggest that young juveniles do not defend territories but use spaces occupied by older individuals.Communicated by A. Mathis     

甲胺磷农药的微生物降解

综述了甲胺磷降解菌的分布、类型及其实际应用，并介绍了微生物代谢甲胺磷的可能机制。     

Sexual selection in darkness? Female mating preferences in surface- and cave-dwelling Atlantic mollies,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Poecilia mexicana</Emphasis> (Poeciliidae,Teleostei)

In many species, females prefer large males as mating partners. Male size can easily be determined visually. We examined how such mate choice evolves when individuals are deprived of sensory information previously used to determine male quality. Using a cave-dwelling population of Atlantic mollies, Poecilia mexicana, as a model, we asked whether the female mating preference for large male body size still occurs in this cave fish, or whether it is lacking due to the absence of visual communication in the cave environment. In simultaneous choice tests we compared the time females spent with a large or a small male. In the river-dwelling and cave-dwelling fish, as well as the population originating from the cave entrance, we found a significant preference for large males in light. Hence, the ancestral mating preference of surface-dwelling mollies has been maintained during the evolution of the cave form. However, only the cave population exhibited a mating preference in darkness. Determination of male body size appears to have been taken over by a non-visual sensory system, probably the lateral line.Communicated by K. Lindström     

Complex dynamics in the uptake of new farming practices: a case study for organic waste application

Adverse environmental effects of intensive agriculture, together with scarcity in phosphates and water, urge farmers to find more sustainable practices. An example of such a sustainable practice is on-farm processing of organic waste. This paper explores three mechanisms that can lead to a widespread uptake of this technique: (1) economies of scale, (2) information sharing, and (3) adjustment of social norms. Although each of these mechanisms has been studied before, this paper provides new insights by considering the interactions that might exist between the different mechanisms when they are applied to real-life situations. Based on a pilot study, we developed a multi-criteria mathematical programming model at individual farm level. We used this model to simulate the uptake of on-farm processing of organic waste, as a result of the three mechanisms and their interactions. Our results show that each mechanism results in an increased uptake, but is not likely to cause a widespread uptake. Interaction between the mechanisms, will lead to a much higher uptake. This result suggests that simultaneous consideration of multiple mechanisms is essential to understand the behaviour of social–ecological systems.     

曝气生物滤池中碳和氮代谢特性

用充填陶瓷滤料的曝气生物滤池研究碳和氮代谢特性。曝气生物滤池进水氨氮为52mg／L左右、COD为100mg／L左右和回流比为200％时,经过20多d的运行,出水氨氮小于0．05mg／L、COD小于25mg／L、亚硝态氮为4．7mg／L和硝态氮为7．1mg／L,COD去除率达75％,氨氮去除率达99．9％,总氮去除率达78％;过大和过小的回流比对曝气生物滤池的运行性能都是不利的。研究成果可以应用于一般城市污水以及含低COD、高氨氮工业废水的处理。     

高温户外环境电网作业人员热应激预测评价*

为了预测分析户外高温环境下电网作业人员热安全风险,采用预测热应激（Predicted Heat Strain,PHS）模型,考虑人体基础代谢率个体差异性和人体移动与风速对服装热阻和湿阻的影响,应用改进后的预测热应激模型对多种户外高温作业环境工况和不同劳动强度下电网作业人员的核心体温、出汗量等生理参数和最大允许暴露时长进行计算分析。结果表明:在户外高温环境中,随着环境温度、相对湿度和新陈代谢率的升高,电网作业人员的核心体温也随之升高,湿热环境中风速的增加会加剧电网作业人员的热应激;当电网作业人员从事代谢率为240 W/m2高劳动强度工作时,可接受的最大工作时长相比代谢率为190 W/m2中度劳动强度工作时长减小50%以上。研究结果可为电网公司夏季户外工作组织策略制定和作业人员热安全防护提供参考支持。     

湖泊沉积物中微生物群落对天然有机质输入的响应

全球气候变化和蓝藻水华暴发造成湖泊生源、陆源天然有机质（NOM）输入显著增加,以太湖藻型湖湾为例,考察沉积物中微生物群落的活性、组成及功能对不同浓度藻源有机质（POM）和陆源腐殖酸（HA）的响应特征.三维荧光分析显示POM化学多样性较高,包含易降解的类蛋白（50%）和难降解的类腐殖质组分（50%）,而类腐殖质占HA荧光组分的97%.两个月的微宇宙实验表明,对于同种NOM,沉积物中微生物矿化作用随NOM浓度升高而增强;但POM组中有机碳去除量显著高于同等浓度的HA组.胞外聚合物分析显示NOM输入有利于微生物分泌蛋白质和多糖,提高了微生物群落的聚集度和稳定性;酶活分析表明POM对脲酶、脱氢酶等有机物代谢酶的激发效应强于HA,形成了代谢更活跃的微生物群落.同时,NOM输入（尤其是POM）提高了微生物群落的物种多样性,增加了Proteobacteria和Bacteroidetes等参与有机物分解的菌群丰度,上调了与代谢相关的KEGG功能基因丰度.以上结果表明湖泊沉积物中微生物群落的活性和功能与NOM的来源和浓度有关.     

Nutrient depletion is the main limiting factor in the crude oil bioaugmentation process

The biodegradation was considered as the prime mechanism of crude oil degradation. To validate the efficacy and survival of the crude oil-degrading strain in a bioremediation process, the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene (egfp) was introduced into Acinetobacter sp. HC8–3S. In this study, an oil-contaminated sediment microcosm was conducted to investigate the temporal dynamics of the physicochemical characterization and microbial community in response to bacterium amendment. The introduced strains were able to survive, flourish and degrade crude oil quickly in the early stage of the bioremediation. However, the high abundance cannot be maintained due to the ammonium (NH₄⁺-N) and phosphorus (PO₄^3?-P) contents decreased rapidly after 15 days of remediation. The sediment microbial community changed considerably and reached relatively stable after nutrient depletion. Therefore, the addition of crude oil and degrading cells did not show a long-time impact on the original microbial communities, and sufficient nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients ensures the survive and activity of degrader. Our studies expand the understanding of the crude oil degradative processes, which will help to develop more rational bioremediation strategies.     

Patchiness and bistability in the comprehensive cyanobacterial model (CCM)

We analyzed spatiotemporal dynamics of cyanobacteria using a four-component mathematical model with nutrients, unicellular algae, colonial algae and herbivorous zooplankton. One of the astonishing abilities of cyanobacteria is the morphological change from the unicellular type to the colonial or filamentous type in response to grazing activities of zooplankton, the phenomenon known as phenotypic plasticity. Our model, referred to as comprehensive cyanobacterial model (CCM), includes the effects of phenotypic plasticity. Depending on parameter values, CCM exhibits not only bistability but also limit cycle oscillations without showing the paradox of enrichment, which has been a controversy among mathematical ecologists. Further, CCM is modified to reaction–advection–diffusion equations, the simulation results of which indicate that the ratio of the lateral diffusivity to the turbulent velocity significantly affects the appearance of patchiness patterns.