Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris L.) of Bering Island, the Commander Islands: Age and Sex Composition of Dead Animals and Spatial Distribution

Animal censuses and assessment of mortality in the sea otter subpopulation of Bering Island (the Commander Islands) have shown that indices of seasonal mortality may be used as a criterion for estimating well-being of this animal group. In 1999, the subpopulation of Bering Island entered a phase of stabilization of its spatial, age, and sex structure, with the stabilization process proper taking approximately three years after a peak of mortality. Mortality in the course of this process proved to be relatively high in age groups older than eight years but insignificant among middle-aged reproductive animals. As the age and sex structure of the insular group varies during the year and in different coastal areas, the data obtained by collecting dead animals cannot be used for estimating the structure of the whole population.     

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.     

渤海中部营养盐季节变化及限制统计分析

根据2013年7月（夏季）,11月（秋季）和2014年5月（春季）渤海中部海域营养盐数据以及温盐等数据,以浮游植物对营养盐的吸收阈值和化学计量关系为判断标准,对研究海域营养盐分布、限制状况以及季节变化特征进行分析,结果表明：调查海域内各营养盐组分变化均呈现明显季节性特征,表现为夏季低秋季上升春季下降的趋势.夏季受冲淡水影响,海水存在层化现象,溶解无机氮（DIN）、PO₄^3--P和SiO₃^2--Si含量分别为（10.33±7.75）、（0.05±0.03）和（3.94±3.19）μmol/L,DIN/P较高,Si/DIN远低于1,其中表层和10m层存在P和Si限制站位分别达93%、93%和40%、20%,限制状况严重.秋季受底层沉积物扰动再悬浮及营养盐矿化释放等因素影响,各种营养盐含量迅速上升,DIN、PO₄^3--P和SiO₃^2--Si含量为（16.44±6.51）、（0.54±0.20）和（16.94±6.37）μmol/L,分别升高了1.6、10.8和4.3倍,垂向分布差异较小,且仅存在P潜在限制现象.春季由于陆源输入相对较少,同时受浮游植物吸收等因素影响,各营养盐含量急剧下降,DIN、PO₄^3--P和SiO₃^2--Si含量分别为（9.04±8.06）、（0.06±0.04）和（2.47±1.90）μmol/L,分别降低了45%、89%和85%,其中部分站位PO₄^3--P和SiO₃^2--Si含量低于阈值,在表层和10m层海水中存在P和Si限制站位分别达70%、65%和55%、50%,对海域内硅藻作为优势种的浮游植物生长和初级生产力产生影响.     

Attitudes towards sex selection in the Western world

It appears that in most Western countries, son preference is somewhat stronger than daughter preference. However, when one considers the preference of women it looks as though the opposite pattern is emerging. There is a considerable social acceptance of ‘light’ methods of sex selection (such as diets), even though these methods are not proven to be effective. The inclination to use sperm separation methods appears to be greater in the United States than in some European countries. There are indications that a preference for boys or for girls is associated with attitudes towards technology, child-rearing style and the stereotyping of boys or girls. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of fetal gender on second-trimester maternal serum inhibin-A concentration

Second-trimester serum inhibin-A is increasingly used as a fourth marker in addition to the triple test to screen for Down syndrome. We investigated whether fetal gender had an effect on serum inhibin-A concentration. A retrospective analysis was done on 316 normal pregnancies and 48 Down syndrome pregnancies in which maternal serum inhibin-A assays were performed between 15 and 20 weeks of gestation and in which the fetal sex was known. The median inhibin-A MoM (95% CI) for normal pregnancies in the presence of a male fetus was 0.93 (range 0.88–1.03). This was significantly lower than that in the presence of a female fetus (median MoM=1.04). The gender difference was not observed in the Down syndrome pregnancies. The increased inhibin-A concentration would lead to a 2.3-fold higher false-positive rate in the presence of a female fetus (10.6% vs 4.6%; p<0.05, Chi-square test). Because of the small number of cases studied, the results need to be substantiated by a larger series. If the gender effect is confirmed, adjustment for fetal sex may be necessary when inhibin-A is used as a screening marker. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prenatal diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidy: possible reasons for high rates of pregnancy termination

Sex chromosome aneuploidy (SCA), when detected in amniocentesis, is usually an unexpected result of a test carried out for another purpose. For most SCAs, the prognosis is milder and less predictable than trisomy 21, and therefore parents are faced with a difficult decision regarding the option of pregnancy termination. While studies from Europe and the USA report a declining trend in termination rates for SCA, our local experience is different. During the period 1989–1998, we diagnosed 60 SCA (including mosaics) in 20 106 amniocenteses (0.29%) and 48 (80%) of these pregnancies were terminated, a significantly higher proportion than has been reported in Europe and the USA. The present study shows that the difference between our experience and others' may be related to differences in cultural norms and values. Thirty women were interviewed, of whom 23 terminated and seven continued the pregnancy. Interview analyses showed that the main reason behind the decision to terminate the pregnancy was associated with the parents' fear of non-specific abnormality of the child, and concerns about abnormal sexual development. Although genetic counseling practised in our center aims to be non-directive, 56% of the women reported that the counseling was either directive towards termination, or that they at least felt that the counselor's attitude was pro-termination. Most women (93%) reported themselves as having come to terms with their decision. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.