A simple,rapid, and highly informative PCR-based procedure for prenatal diagnosis and carrier screening of phenylketonuria

The polymorphic information content (PIC) and the degree of heterozygosity of several polymorphic systems within the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene were determined in 85 European Caucasian and 19 Chinese phenylketonuria (PKU) kindreds. The first system examined, a short tandem repeat (STR), had a PIC of 80 and 73 per cent in these Caucasian and Chinese samples, respectively. The degree of heterozygosity actually observed for this system was 81 and 64 per cent in the Caucasian and Chinese PKU families, respectively. Through the addition of a second polymorphism based on a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), the PIC was increased to 90 per cent in Caucasians, but only to 75 per cent in Chinese. The degree of heterozygosity observed for this combination was 94 per cent in European PKU families and 67 per cent in Chinese PKU families. The further addition of an Xmnl RFLP increased both the PIC and the level of heterozygosity in Caucasians to 95 per cent, but did not change either of these measures in Chinese. The combined use of these three polymorphisms significantly increases the informativity of prenatal diagnostic and carrier screening procedures in both Caucasian and Chinese PKU kindreds. Furthermore, since each of these polymorphisms can be studied by PCR-based methods, these new tests can be performed more quickly and easily than previous Southern-based procedures.     

高风速下沙粒跃移跃距的实验研究

跃距是颗粒运动的重要参数之一,沙粒跃距的实验研究对沙粒跃移理论研究有重要的参考意义.由于高风速下沙粒跃移轨迹平缓,飞行距离较长,因而,高风速下沙粒跃距的实验研究很少.通过对沙粒跃移特点进行分析,提出同时采用水平集沙仪和垂直集沙仪观测沙粒跃距的方法,并采用该方法对高风速下沙粒跃距进行野外观测研究.结果表明,沙粒跃距随粒径减小呈指数规律增大,沙粒粒径与运动方式转换趋势与前人研究结果基本一致,说明该方法测量沙粒跃距是可行的.     

Comparison of Numerical and Experimental Results for the Evaluation of the Depollution Effectiveness of Photocatalytic Coverings in Street Canyons

Towards the aim of improving the air quality in the urban environment via the application of innovative TiO₂ based photocatalytic coverings, a field campaign took place within the frame of the EU PICADA project () to asses the expected depollution efficiency of such materials under realistic conditions. Furthermore, extensive numerical modeling was performed via the application of the RANS CFD code for microscale applications MIMO, in an effort to asses the sensitivity of the developing flow field and the corresponding dispersion mechanism and hence of the depollution efficiency of the PICADA products on a wide range of factors, with most notably the length of the street canyon, the thermal exchange between the heated street canyon walls and the air and the approaching wind direction. For the needs of the PICADA project a new, simple module had to be implemented into MIMO to be able to model the removal of NO_x from a street canyon whose walls have been treated with a photocatalytic product. The model simulations results presented in this paper, show that MIMO is indeed capable of predicting the effectiveness of the photocatalytic products in question. At the same time, they reveal a strong dependence of the developing flow and concentration fields inside the field site street canyon configuration on most of the aforementioned factors with most notably the direction of the approaching wind.

节理化岩体结构面分布密度的确定方法及其应用

目前众多的科研与工程人员都采用岩体结构面统计分析和计算机随机模拟的手段来研究节理化岩体的工程性质,然而许多人忽略了岩体结构面密度具各向异性特征以及野外实际测量条件与理论情况还存在一定的差异,在计算中采用的结构面密度值不尽合理,常常导致分析结论有失偏颇。针对这一情况,充分考虑了结构面“方向校正”和“迹长截尾校正”,并根据野外测线长度进行加权平均,提出了一套较为系统合理的结构面分布密度计算方法,并将其应用于工程实际,取得了较好的结果。     

Hierarchy length in orphaned colonies of the ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Temnothorax nylanderi</Emphasis>

Workers of the ant Temnothorax nylanderi form dominance orders in orphaned colonies in which only one or a few top-ranking workers begin to produce males from unfertilized eggs. Between one and 11 individuals initiated 80% of all aggression in 14 queenless colonies. As predicted from inclusive fitness models (Molet M, van Baalen M, Monnin T, Insectes Soc 52:247–256, 2005), hierarchy length was found to first increase with colony size and then to level off at larger worker numbers. The frequency and skew of aggression decreased with increasing size, indicating that rank orders are less pronounced in larger colonies.     

Crown—rump length in aneuploid fetuses: Implications for first-trimester biochemical screening for aneuploidies

This study examined the effect of estimation of gestational age from the menstrual history compared with that from crown—rump length (CRL) measurement on the detection rate of screening for aneuploidies in the first trimester. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) was assayed in blood collected prior to chorionic villus sampling in 356 women with unaffected pregnancies and 28 women with an aneuploid pregnancy. There were 14 Down's syndrome (DS) pregnancies. All pregnancies were dated from menstrual history and CRL measurement. The average CRL gestation in the aneuploid population was 2.5 days less than that derived from the LMP (95 per cent confidence interval (CI) for LMP—CRL gestation: using the algorithm based on unaffected pregnancies 0–3.5 days; using the matched case—control approach 1–4.5 days). The average CRL gestation in the DS population was 2 days less but this did not reach statistical significance (95 per cent CI for LMP—CRL gestation: using the algorithm — 1 to 4.5 days; using the matched case—control approach 0 to 5.5 days). The detection rate of aneuploidies in the first trimester using maternal serum PAPP-A was reduced by 7 per cent (and by 3 per cent for DS) for a 5 per cent false-positive rate when using CRL rather than LMP to date the pregnancy. This phenomenon is a consequence of an apparent reduction of gestational age when estimated by CRL in the aneuploid population. Further studies are required to evaluate whether CRL is an unbiased estimate of gestation for Down's syndrome pregnancies.     

全球气候变化背景下吉林省生长季水热变化及其种植策略研究

论文旨在揭示全球气候变化背景下,吉林省平原地区和林区的低、 中、 高海拔地区生长季水热变化规律,并据此提出各地区作物种植调整途径。研究结果表明:平原地区生长季积温增加和生长季长度延长及初日提前、 终日延后的变化最大,种植策略的调整空间最大;林区中、 高海拔地区的生长季长度和积温变化大于低海拔地区,三个海拔地区生长季长度的变化主要是生长季终日延后贡献的。以玉米种植为例,平原地区可提前播种时间,延后收获时间,改种晚熟品种代替中晚熟品种;为躲避严重的春旱,其西部地区可延后播种时间,仍然种植中晚熟品种。林区低海拔地区玉米种植以中晚熟品种代替中熟品种,林区中海拔地区用中早熟、 中熟品种代替早熟、 中早熟品种,林区高海拔地区可用中早熟品种代替极早、 早熟品种,三个地区主要通过延后收获时间,达到作物成熟所需热量。     

Bacterial community succession during the enrichment of chemolithoautotrophic arsenite oxidizing bacteria at high arsenic concentrations

To generate cost-effective technologies for the removal of arsenic from water, we developed an enrichment culture of chemolithoautotrophic arsenite oxidizing bacteria (CAOs) that could effectively oxidize widely ranging concentrations of As(III) to As(V). In addition, we attempted to elucidate the enrichment process and characterize the microbial composition of the enrichment culture. A CAOs enrichment culture capable of stably oxidizing As(III) to As(V) was successfully constructed through repeated batch cultivation for more than 700 days, during which time the initial As(III) concentrations were increased in a stepwise manner from 1 to 10-12 mmol/L. As(III) oxidation activity of the enrichment culture gradually improved, and 10-12 mmol/L As(III) was almost completely oxidized within four days. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed that the dominant bacteria in the enrichment culture varied drastically during the enrichment process depending on the As(III) concentration. Isolation and characterization of bacteria in the enrichment culture revealed that the presence of multiple CAOs with various As(III) oxidation abilities enabled the culture to adapt to a wide range of As(III) concentrations. The CAOs enrichment culture constructed here may be useful for pretreatment of water from which arsenic is being removed.     

黄土高原六道沟流域8种植物根际细菌与AMF群落多样性研究

采用末端限制性片段长度多态性(terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism,T-RFLP)方法,研究了神木县六道沟流域8种植物根际细菌与丛枝菌根真菌(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,AMF)群落多样性及其相互关系.目的是获得有关植物根际细菌和AMF群落的多样性指数,为生态环境修复提供科学依据.结果表明,8种植物根际细菌和AMF的种类和数量有较大差异,其中刺槐根际细菌的Shannon指数最高(4.01),垂柳最低(2.18),根际AMF的Shannon指数最高为小叶杨(2.07),最低为沙棘(1.21);聚类分析(cluster analysis)和冗余分析(redundancy analysis)结果表明,不同植物根际细菌和AMF的群落结构有较大差异,但同时部分植物间也存在相似性;8种植物根际细菌和AMF的多样性指数总体呈极显著的正相关(P<0.01);冗余分析结果表明在根际土壤环境因子中,对根际微生物群落多样性影响最大的环境因子为有机质含量.植物种类和根际环境对根际微生物群落结构有较大影响,同时,刺槐的根际细菌和AMF群落多样性指数均较高,故可作为六道沟流域植被恢复的先锋树种.     

淹水时长对3种丛枝菌根(AM)真菌侵染2种湿地植物的影响

以不同淹水时长为唯一影响因子,以香蒲(Typha orientalis)和水稻(Oryza sativa L.)为宿主植物,选用Glomus属的3种AM真菌(F1菌:Glomus intraradices;F2菌:Glomus versiforme;F3菌:Glomus etunicatum),研究淹水时长对3种AM真菌侵染2种湿地植物的影响,以期为阐明淹水对湿地植物AM结构与功能的影响提供参考.结果表明,淹水时间越长,3种AM真菌对2种植物的侵染率越低;相同淹水时间下,F3菌对香蒲、F1菌和F2菌对水稻的侵染率高于其他菌.3种AM真菌的侵染结构分析表明,菌丝侵染是2种湿地植物形成AM的主要途径,而丛枝和泡囊贡献较小;淹水时间越长,香蒲的菌丝侵染比例越高,但水稻的菌丝侵染比例没明显变化规律;淹水时间越长,2种植物的丛枝侵染比例越低,不淹水时最高.AM真菌产孢数分析表明,淹水时间越长,AM真菌的产孢数越多;相同淹水时长下,F3菌产孢数最多.2种植物的湿重变化表明,3种AM真菌在长时间淹水条件下仍能明显促进香蒲地上和地下部分的生长,但对水稻的生长影响不明显.本研究表明,淹水时长影响AM真菌对湿地植物的侵染水平和侵染结构,淹水条件下AM真菌对湿地植物生长仍有促进作用,但这受宿主植物对AM真菌的菌根依赖性影响.所以,在湿地植物上应用AM真菌时,应考虑植物的菌根依赖性和淹水时长对接种效果的影响.