Ethical Considerations at the Various Stages in the Development, Production, and Consumption of GM Crops

The aim of this paper is to clarify the ethical issuessurrounding GM crops by examining the various stages or levels intheir development, production, and consumption. Previous workabout the acceptability or non-acceptability of GM crops hastended to conflate these various levels, partly as a result ofwhich GM crops are all-too-often simply said to be ``good' or``bad.' There are, though, various problems with such a binarycategorization. I look in particular at the duties of scientists,companies, regulatory systems, farmers, retailers, and consumers.     

Increased nuchal translucency in euploid fetuses—what should we be telling the parents?

Nuchal translucency (NT) measurement between 11 and 14 weeks' gestation is an undisputed marker for aneuploidies. When conventional karyotyping is normal, enlarged NT is a strong marker for adverse pregnancy outcome, associated with miscarriage, intrauterine death, congenital heart defects, and numerous other structural defects and genetic syndromes. The risk of adverse outcome is proportional to the degree of NT enlargement. Although the majority of structural anomalies are amenable to ultrasound detection, unspecified genetic syndromes involving developmental delay may only emerge after birth. Concern over these prenatally undetectable conditions is a heavy burden for parents. However, following detection of enlarged NT the majority of babies with normal detailed ultrasound examination and echocardiography will have an uneventful outcome with no increased risk for developmental delay when compared to the general population. Counseling should emphasize this to help parents restore hope in normal pregnancy outcome and infant development. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patterns of Genetic Diversity and Its Loss in Mammalian Populations

Abstract:  Policy aimed at conserving biodiversity has focused on species diversity. Loss of genetic diversity, however, can affect population persistence, evolutionary potential, and individual fitness. Although mammals are a well-studied taxonomic group, a comprehensive assessment of mammalian genetic diversity based on modern molecular markers is lacking. We examined published microsatellite data from populations of 108 mammalian species to evaluate background patterns of genetic variability across taxa and body masses. We tested for loss of genetic diversity at the population level by asking whether populations that experienced demographic threats exhibited lower levels of genetic diversity. We also evaluated the effect of ascertainment bias (a reduction in variability when microsatellite primers are transferred across species) on our assessment of genetic diversity. Heterozygosity did not vary with body mass across species ranging in size from shrews to whales. Differences across taxonomic groupings were noted at the highest level, between populations of marsupial and placental mammals. We documented consistently lower heterozygosity, however, in populations that had experienced demographic threats across a wide range of mammalian species. We also documented a significant ( p = 0.01) reduction in heterozygosity as a result of ascertainment bias. Our results suggest that populations of both rare and common mammals are currently losing genetic diversity and that conservation efforts focused above the population level may fail to protect the breadth of persisting genetic diversity. Conservation policy makers may need to focus their efforts below the species level to stem further losses of genetic resources.     

山西高原天然油松群体过氧化物酶和多酚氧化酶分析

利用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳技术,对山西高原5个油松(Pinus tabulaeformis)天然种群的过氧化物酶和多酚氧化酶进行了分析。从140份供试材料的带型计算出油松种群多态位点百分数为95%,等位基因平均数为1.95,期望杂合度为0.357,遗传分化系数为0.036。表明山西高原天然油松种群间产生一定程度的分化,在同工酶水平上呈现出遗传多态性,且大部分遗传变异存在于种群内。     

三叶鬼针草对蚕豆根尖遗传毒性的研究

化感作用是外来植物成功入侵和快速扩散的机制之一,为了探讨入侵植物三叶鬼针草(Bidens pilosa L.)的化感作用机制,运用蚕豆根尖微核技术和植物切片技术,研究了不同质量浓度的三叶鬼针草水浸提液对蚕豆(Vicia faba L.)根尖细胞的遗传损伤和对根生长的影响。结果表明,三叶鬼针草水浸提液对蚕豆根尖细胞有丝分裂及生长产生不同程度的抑制和损伤,具有明显的遗传毒性。水浸提液对蚕豆根尖的影响存在显著的时间效应和质量浓度效应。经切片测量统计,水浸提液促进了成熟区细胞平周分裂,使根尖细胞层数增加;同时显著地抑制了细胞伸长,使根尖缩短,整体表现为使根尖加粗变短。三叶鬼针草水浸提液抑制了细胞有丝分裂的正常进行,并随着水浸提液质量分数的升高,分裂期细胞数目下降,微核率逐渐升高。本研究结果表明三叶鬼针草水溶性化感物质对植物的遗传稳定性及细胞形态结构具有一定的影响,三叶鬼针草的化感作用可能是其成功入侵的机制之一。     

Utilizing vortex behaviour to minimize drift

Abstract

The ULV spray emitted from a TBM flying in a cross wind was mapped by a scanning lidar system. The fate of the spray cloud for 2 min after release from the aircraft was followed as the material was transported downwind of the flight line. Vertical scans at 6 s intervals with 1 m^‐3 resolution provided detailed insight into the entrainment of the spray into the wing‐tip vortices and ultimate release to drift or deposit. Relative concentration, dosage and deposit profiles are presented for this cross‐wind case. Vortex lifetimes were found to be significantly different for the up‐wind and downwind vortices. The majority of the near field deposit was associated with the up‐wind vortex while the drift was linked to the down‐wind vortex.     

Polymer and invert emulsifying oil effects upon droplet size spectra of sprays

Abstract

A series of wind tunnel atomization studies were carried out to investigate the effects of polymer and invert suspension oil “drift control adjuvants” upon the droplet size distribution spectra produced by nozzles typically used in aerial and ground based spraying of pesticides. A D8–46 disc and core was used as a typical aerial application nozzle, and an 8003 fan nozzle was used for the ground based sprayers simulation. The droplet size spectra were evaluated in a wind tunnel using a Malvern 2600 laser particle size analyzer immediately upon mixing and at 15 minutes after re‐circulation through a pumping system. The addition of the polymer‐based adjuvants significantly increased the droplet size spectra parameters of the spray cloud, but all the polymer products showed signs of breakdown of their molecular arrangements in the liquid medium, as a result of agitation. The invert suspension oil adjuvant did not change the droplet size spectra markedly, nor did it show signs of breakdown of the internal liquid structure after re‐circulation.     

Determination of pendimethalin (PROWL®480 EC) spray drift from ground applications

Abstract

Pendimethalin herbicide (PROWL^®480 EC) spray drift was determined from ground applications representing the highest rate applied to corn in eastern Canada. A novel drift collector pattern was laid out on the ground immediately before herbicide application. Most of the drift collectors were located downwind of the application target area. The maximum labelled rate of 1.68 kg ai/Ha was applied on 2 occasions on separate sites. In both applications, drift collector cards indicated that concentrations of pendimethalin were not detectable outside the target zone (<0.01 μg/cm²) at or beyond the 10 metre drift collector stations. Risk assessment calculations indicated that non‐target organisms would not be at significant risk from off‐site movement of pendimethalin.     

应急供水规划调控方案优化模型的研究

目前应急供水方案通常是根据经验进行确定,缺乏对于各种方案及其成本的比较。本文以水源突发性事件造成的供水短缺为前提,将应急供水系统的方案分成备用水源供水、污染水的应急处理、水量的压缩3个方面,建立了符合实际的应急供水系统方案优化模型。运用遗传算法,得到新建应急供水系统的成本并求得其最优值。将该模型用于东莞市应急供水规划调控方案,可以为实际应急供水方案提供依据和指导。