Telomere length in workers was effected by omethoate exposure and interaction between smoking and p21 polymorphisms

Abstract

Omethoate is an organophosphorus pesticide that poses a major health hazard, especially DNA damage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting telomere length in workers exposed to omethoate by analyzing the interaction between cell cycle gene polymorphism and environmental factors. The exposure group consisted of 118 workers exposed to omethoate for 8–10?years, the control group comprised 115 healthy people without occupational toxicant exposure history. The telomere length of genomic DNA from peripheral blood leucocyte was determined with real-time PCR. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to detect the polymorphisms in p53, p21 and MDM2 gene. The telomere length in the (CA?+?AA) genotypes for p21 rs1801270 polymorphism was longer than that in the CC genotype in control group (P?=?0.015). The generalized linear model analysis indicated the interaction of the p21 rs1801270 polymorphic (CA?+?AA) genotypes and smoking has a significant effect on telomere length (β = ?0.258, P?=?0.085). The prolongation of telomere length in omethoate-exposed workers was associated with genotypes (CA?+?AA) of p21 rs1801270, and interactions of (CA?+?AA) genotypes and smoking factor.     

Assessing Spatial, Temporal, and Analytical Variation of Groundwater Chemistry in a Large Nuclear Complex, USA

Statistical analyses were applied at the Hanford Site, USA, to assess groundwater contamination problems that included (1) determining local backgrounds to ascertain whether a facility is affecting the groundwater quality and (2) determining a ‘pre-Hanford' groundwater background to allow formulation of background-based cleanup standards. The primary purpose of this paper is to extend the random effects models for (1) assessing the spatial, temporal, and analytical variability of groundwater background measurements; (2) demonstrating that the usual variance estimate s ², which ignores the variance components, is a biased estimator; (3) providing formulas for calculating the amount of bias; and (4) recommending monitoring strategies to reduce the uncertainty in estimating the average background concentrations. A case study is provided. Results indicate that (1) without considering spatial and temporal variability, there is a high probability of false positives, resulting in unnecessary remediation and/or monitoring expenses; (2) the most effective way to reduce the uncertainty in estimating the average background, and enhance the power of the statistical tests in general, is to increase the number of background wells; and (3) background for a specific constituent should be considered as a statistical distribution, not as a single value or threshold. The methods and the related analysis of variance tables discussed in this paper can be used as diagnostic tools in documenting the extent of inherent spatial and/or temporal variation and to help select an appropriate statistical method for testing purposes.     

天然针阔混交林优势种群间联结关系

运用２ ×２ 联列表,通过方差分析、χ２ 检验、联结系数Ｃ、Ｏｃｈｉａｉ 系数、Ｃｚｅｋａｎｏｗｓｋｉ 系数和Ｊａｃｃａｒｄ 系数等系列方法,测定了天然针阔混交林１５ 个优势种群间的总体联结关系,各种对间联结显著性和关联系数．研究表明：中亚热带针阔混交林的种间联结测定使用上述系列技术效果很佳．运用方差分析揭示出多物种整体间的联结关系;χ２ 检验揭示出成对物种间联结的性质和程度;Ｏｃｈｉａｉ、Ｃｚｅｋａｎｏｗｓｋｉ 和Ｊａｃｃａｒｄ 系数可表明种对的联结程度和相伴随出现的机率．结果表明：多物种间的整体联结关系为显著的正联结;χ２ 统计量检验了１０５ 个种对,其中９ 个种对呈现极显著的正联结;２ 个种对为显著的正联结;４ 个种对呈现显著的负联结．马尾松（ Ｐｉｎｕｓ ｍａｓｓｏｎｉａｎａ）与常绿阔叶林优势树种间的联结关系很弱,反映出天然针阔混交林的成熟性     

Testes mass in megachiropteran bats varies in accordance with sperm competition theory

Sperm competition is a widespread phenomenon influencing a range of characters, including investment in gonadal tissue. Conspecific proximity is one factor which can influence the risk of sperm competition and hence testicular investment, and decreased confidence of paternity may be one cost of group living. Aspects of female biology may also influence spermatogenic investment and sperm morphology. This study examines the associations between relative testes mass and roost-group size across 17 species of Megachiroptera. Associations between breeding season duration and investment in spermatogenesis are also examined, as are associations between female reproductive tract dimensions and testes mass and dimensions of spermatozoa across all bats. Relative testes mass was significantly positively associated with roost-group size at a species level and after appropriate phylogenetic control (pairwise comparisons and comparison of independent contrasts). There were no significant relationships between breeding season duration and relative testes mass. Across all bats, neither testes mass nor sperm length were significantly related to dimensions of the female tract. The results are discussed in the context of sperm competition. Received: 7 January 1998 / Accepted after revision: 8 August 1998     

东江水源林不同混交组合林地枯落物和土壤持水能力研究

东江是广东省重要的河流,东江水源林的质量直接关系到流域内的社会和经济的发展,关系到深圳和香港的生活用水。作者针对现有水源林生态功能较差的情况,在广东省东源县设计和营造了8种不同混交类型的水源林,并对其林地枯落物和土壤持水能力进行了调查研究。结果表明,与对照的马尾松纯林相比,红锥×枫香混交组合、楠木×锥栗混交组合以及格木×海南红豆混交组合林地枯落物持水能力有较大提高;枫香×樟树混交组合、楠木×锥栗混交组合、红苞木×枫香混交组合以及红锥×枫香混交组合土壤持水能力明显提高。综合枯落物和土壤持水特性对各混交类型进行聚类分析,将8个混交组合进行分类,其中椆木×红锥混交组合、马尾松纯林、火力楠×红锥混交组合以及木荷×椆木混交组合林地持水能力较差；格木×海南红豆混交组合和红锥×枫香混交组合林地持水能力一般;红苞木×枫香混交组合和枫香×樟树混交组合林地持水能力较好;楠木×锥栗混交组合林地持水能力最好。总体上,造林初期,水源涵养试验林在提高原有林地持水能力方面已取得了一定的效果。     

直线、圆曲线上斜交涵洞长度精确计算通用程序设计

将直线上斜交涵长计算归化为圆曲线上斜交涵长计算的一种特例,本文对其作了理论上的推导证明.并编写了计算程序.通过算例验证:计算程序的可靠有效的.     

Structure of pathways in ecological networks: relationships between length and number

In ecosystems network, structure determines adjacent (direct) and non-adjacent (indirect) pathways over which energy, matter, and information can flow. The more pathways, the more possible ways the conservative substance can move in zero-sum transactions between network nodes that the pathways interconnect, and the more possible non-conservative, nonzero-sum relations can be secondarily derived from these. Structural analysis is a tool we employ, from a family of input–output methods for exploring zero- and nonzero-sum attributes of environmental networks, to count pathways of varying length between network nodes. In this paper, we examine the relationship between pathway length (k) and number (P_k) as determined by system size (n, number of nodes) and extent and pattern of connectance (C). We develop a measure (m_a) of pathway growth in numbers with increasing length, and then normalize this to the maximum rate possible (m_a/m_c) for a given system size. These measures apply to two pathway types—paths, m_a(0) and m_a(0)/m_c(0), which forbid adjacent node repetitions, and walks, m_a(1) and m_a(1)/m_c(1), which allow them. We find that network size has a curvilinear effect on the pathway number versus length relationship, and extent and pattern of connectance are convolved. Values computed for the paths and walks of three ecosystem models (oyster reef, freshwater marsh, and reservoir cove) are used to compare their pathway structure.     

Does song reflect age and viability? A comparison between two populations of the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Song complexity is often regarded as a sexually selected trait that reflects the overall quality of a male. In many passerine species, old males possess larger song repertoires than younger males. This may be either because individual males improve their performance as they get older (longitudinal increase) or because poor singers have reduced viability and, hence, are underrepresented in old age classes (cross-sectional increase). We studied the age dependence of repertoire size and other song traits in a German and a Swedish great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) population. We found marked differences between longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches, as well as between the two study populations. In the German population, we found that syllable switching, a measure of immediate versatility and strophe length, increased with age in a cross-sectional analysis. This was not because birds improved with age (longitudinally) but because syllable switching was positively correlated with male longevity. However, in Sweden, syllable switching seemed to be unrelated to age and longevity. In the Swedish population, individual males increased their repertoire size as they got older (longitudinal increase), but this did not happen in the German population. Hence, two populations, even when belonging to the same subspecies, may differ in whether or not they show delayed song maturation.     

Among- and within-population variation in sperm quality in the simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail Arianta arbustorum

Sperm competition models on the evolution of sperm size assume associations with another sperm quality trait, sperm longevity. Sperm length can also provide an indication of possible mechanisms affecting motility and thus fertilization success. Despite their importance, however, detailed mechanisms of sperm competition at the gamete level are poorly understood. In simultaneously hermaphroditic land snails, sperm traits and cryptic female choice are assumed to be crucial in determining fertilization success. We examined the variation in sperm length and number among individuals from four natural populations of the land snail Arianta arbustorum, a species with multiple mating and long-term sperm storage. We also assessed variation in velocity, motility and longevity of sperm in snails from two of the four populations. Independent of shell size, sperm length differed among populations and, to a minor extent, even among individuals within populations. Mean sperm length of a snail was not correlated with the number of sperm delivered in a spermatophore. The mean sperm velocity (=VCL) did not differ between snails from two populations. However, VCL varied among snails. Percentage motility and longevity of sperm differed between snails from the two populations. No correlations were found between length, velocity, percentage motility and longevity of sperm. To conclude, individual snails differed in sperm quality, and this variation may partly explain the differential fertilization success between A. arbustorum snails. Moreover, our findings did not support the positive association between sperm length and longevity assumed by sperm competition models for internally fertilizing species.