Spermatophore characteristics in bushcrickets vary with parasitism and remating interval

Male bushcrickets provide females with a nuptial gift, a spermatophore, which is transferred to females at mating. The spermatophore consists of a gelatinous mass, the spermatophylax, and the sperm-containing ampulla. Male spermatophore size is positively correlated with insemination rate and female refractory period and therefore with male reproductive success. In this study, we examined spermatophylax weight, ampulla weight and sperm number in males of Poecilimon mariannae parasitized by the acoustically orienting fly Therobia leonidei. We show that in parasitized males, spermatophylax weight decreases with the level of parasitism. In line with the hypothesis that parasitism is a cost to reproduction, we found that spermatophylax weight was reduced at remating. In contrast, the replenishment of the spermatophylax in unparasitized males was complete after 2 days and was increased no further after 3 days. Both sperm number and ampulla weight showed an increase over time since last mating and sperm production was estimated at a constant rate of 500,000 per day in all individuals, regardless of parasitism. The allocation of investment in components of the spermatophore varies greatly with parasitism and remating. Both factors had rather independent effects on spermatophore constitution, revealing functional constraints acting on spermatophore characteristics in bushcrickets, which are important for understanding the selection pressures working on its components. Received: 13 September 1999 / Received in revised form: 4 February 2000 / Accepted: 13 March 2000     

Rapid determination of phenolic compounds in water samples by alternating-current oscillopolarographic titration

A rapid, simple and sensitive method was demonstrated for the determination of phenolic compounds in water samples by alternating-current oscillopolarographic titration. With the presence of sulfuric acid, phenol could be transferred into a nitroso-compound by reacting with NaNO2. The titration end-point was obtained by the formation of a sharp cut in the oscillopolarographic with infinitesimal NaNO2 on double platinum electrodes. The results showed that phenol concentration had an excellent linear relationship over the range of 4.82×10-6-9.65×10-3 mol/L, the RSD of the proposed method was lower than 1.5%, and the spiked recoveries of three real water samples were in the range of 95.6%-106.9%.     

The dualistic approach of FCA: a further insight into Ontario Lake sediments

The investigation of object-by-attribute matrices is very common in statistics and data analysis with the aim of uncovering every possible relationship among objects and/or attributes. Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is a method, which stems directly from partial order and lattice theory, which provides an efficient tool to symmetrically uncover linkages among objects and attributes whenever a relation stands among the two sets. It provides efficacious graphical representation and computes association rules between attributes, thus helping in the detection of possible synergism or antagonism of attributes. In this paper, FCA potentialities are discussed and described by means of a case study already investigated by other partial order techniques: the case of Lake Ontario sediment samples. Data derive from a ‘test battery’ for a simultaneous analysis of degradation of Lake Ontario samples, which are basically of two typologies: hygienic and toxicity tests. A multi-valued approach is adopted to cope with the ordinal feature of data. Results highlight interesting interaction among hygienic compounds and a synergism between the two toxicity tests.     

Diversity–stability relationships revisited: scaling rules for biological communities near equilibrium

The debate on diversity–stability relationships has a long history of theoretical interest and plays a central role in development of modern ecology. But such debate has recently re-opened under critical scrutiny both in theoretical and empirical studies. In this paper we use allometric (or energetic) scaling and statistical physics approaches to this problem. On the basis of local Damuth symmetry, a Markov model of transfer of energy between different species, and the fluctuation–dissipation theorem, scaling rules of species number and population variability of biological communities near equilibrium are derived. These scaling rules indicate that the diversity–stability relationship may be an energetic and thermodynamic consequence of ecological systems near equilibrium, not a simple statistical consequence as derived by other recent theoretical work.     

应用ICE和PCA方法评价硝基芳烃的综合毒性

应用种间相关估算(ICE)方法预测50种硝基芳烃缺失的生物毒性数据,对通过ICE计算获得的各种生物毒性数据进行主成分分析(PCA),计算综合毒性因子(ITI),进行综合毒性评价.结果表明,除了黄瓜种子发芽抑制毒性以外,其他各种生物毒性都在1%的显著水平上呈显著的线性正相关.硝基芳烃的这些生物毒性机制基本相似,因此应用ICE方法预测其毒性数据是可行的.QSAR分析表明,ITI与分子最低未占轨道能E_lumo有显著的相关性,r=0.869,表明亲电反应性是硝基芳烃的各种生物毒性所综合反映的主要致毒机理.基于ICE和PCA方法计算得到的ITI与基于QSAR和PCA方法计算得到的ITI的大小趋势具有一致性,ICE与PCA方法的联合应用可以成功地评价和预测硝基芳烃的综合毒性.     

The Importance of Contexts in Strategies of Environmental Organizations with Regard to Climate Change

2 problem, which brought the issue into the energy debate, as well as the more general definition of the problem in the late 1980s as a greenhouse problem, were very important for determining the strategies of the organizations. It can be concluded that strategies of Dutch environmental organizations with regard to climate change were strongly dependent on the context.     

呼吸性煤尘与尘肺的剂量-反应关系分析

分析6个煤矿3082名煤尘接尘工人,其中包括51名尘肺患者接尘资料,首先通过比例换算法,按总煤尘EIC/TWA为1.5、总煤尘TWA/呼吸性煤尘TWA为3.82,将总煤尘EIC转换为呼吸性煤尘TWA;再用寿命表法分析累计接尘量与尘肺发病的剂量-反应关系,得到回归方程logit=5.714lgd-18.902(r=0.939),采用区间估计法,得接尘30年尘肺累计发病率为1%时,呼吸性煤尘TWA为6.52mg/m3,对估算结果取1.2的安全系数,呼吸性煤尘接触浓度管理限值为5mg/m3。     

Variation in Sensitivity of Aquatic Species to Toxicants: Practical Consequences for Effect Assessment of Chemical Substances

5 –10⁶ times higher compared with less sensitive species. The use of assessment factors in effect assessment procedures may lead to an underestimation of effects on the more sensitive species. For many priority pollutants there is little information on their ecotoxicity. Predictive techniques are needed to compensate for this lack of data. Knowledge of the relation between modes of action of compounds and interspecies variation in sensitivity should be integrated in risk assessment procedures in order to make more efficient use of the limited financial resources available.     

公路交通事故危险性与事故原因的灰色关联分析

交通安全既可以采用交通事故次数来评价，也可以根据交通事故的严重度进行衡量。不同的交通事故诱因，其事故后果的危险程度也不一致。运用灰色系统理论，以某段道路上交通事故多发点的“地点危险指数”为参考数列，以这些地点的不同事故诱因为比较数列，对“事故危险指数”和引发交通事故的各类事故原因之间作灰色关联分析，可以找出该路段上危害性最大的一些交通事故成因，在交通管理和交通安全宣传教育中有针对性地进行防治。本文以107国道1716—1883公里的交通事故数据为例给出了算例。     

有机食品发展与生态保护政策相关性分析

通过对有机食品发展与“三农“问题、生物多样性保护、生态省建设、清洁生产、食品安全等国家生态保护政策之间的相关性进行了分析.在我国积极发展有机食品,是在农业领域内贯彻国家生态保护政策的具体体现.