Attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons: a review

Early non-invasive fetal sexing is widely available over the Internet, leading to concerns about its possible use for sex selection. The aim of this review is to summarise the results of surveys describing lay attitudes towards sex selection for non-medical reasons to help address or inform such concerns. A search of electronic databases and key journals was supplemented by an Internet search and citation-tracking. Twenty-one quantitative studies were identified. Most were conducted in the US, with five recent studies in the UK and Germany. Most studies found that, overall, people were not in favour of sex selection. However, this varied from 94 to 18%. People may hold more negative attitudes when the method of sex selection is specified, particularly if this involves termination of pregnancy (TOP). Attitudes towards the general availability of sex selection are less negative than those towards personal use. Attitudes were consistently negative in German surveys. Little is known of such attitudes outside the US, the UK and Germany, and how such attitudes may change as new sex selection technologies become available. Studies of use of early non-invasive fetal sexing for sex selection for non-medical reasons are needed to assess the extent to which concerns about usage are justified and to assist in debates on how these might be most appropriately addressed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南水北调中线不同调水方案下的汉江水华发生概率分析

为评估南水北调中线工程对汉江中下游水华的影响，从汉江水华的成因机理分析入手，提出了汉江水华发生概率的计算模型．该模型由河流一维水动力学模型、水体富营养化模型以及随机数生成模型组成，它不仅可以模拟汉江水华的发生机理，而且可以对诱发水华的各种因子进行随机抽样组合，从而求出中线调水不同方案实施后汉江水华的发生概率．计算结果表明，在现状情况下汉江水华的发生概率为9．2％，南水北调中线各调水方案（无引江济汉工程）实施后，汉江水华发生的概率将有一定程度的增加，而如果调水方案与引江济汉工程同时兴建将大大减少汉江水华发生的概率．最后提出建议，汉江自身的水污染治理是减少水华发生概率的最根本措施，而丹江口水库和引江济汉工程的联合调度将会减小汉江水华发生的概率．     

炼铁厂高炉原料仓料位计的选择与应用

高炉料仓环境条件恶劣，而高炉生产又要掌握料位情况。比较了2种料位计，最终选择了SA—2型料位计。     

基于Revit的医院火灾人员疏散路径优化及智能诱导

为了充分保障大规模人群疏散安全目标的实现,进行Revit二次开发,构建建筑物节点状态数据智能提取系统,自动生成建筑物节点初始状态数据库,利用自适应蚁群算法,以全体待疏散人群完成安全疏散时间最短为优化目标,开发人群应急疏散路径优化及智能诱导模型.通过对有无疏散诱导情况下某医院火灾中人员完成疏散所需时间及各出口人员滞留情况...     

Natterer’s bat (Myotis nattereri Kuhl, 1818) hawks for prey close to vegetation using echolocation signals of very broad bandwidth

We present a hitherto unknown prey perception strategy in bats: Myotis nattereri (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) is able to perceive prey by echolocation within a few centimeters of echo-cluttering vegetation, by using frequency-modulated search signals of very large bandwidth (up to 135 kHz). We describe the species’ search behavior and echolocation repertoire from the field and from experiments in a flight tent. In the field, bats varied signal parameters in relation to their distance from vegetation and usually flew close to vegetation. In the flight tent, M. nattereri detected and localized prey by echolocation alone as close as 5 cm from vegetation. Apparently, the bats were able to tolerate some overlap between prey and clutter echoes. Passive prey cues (vision, olfaction, prey-generated sounds) were not used in prey perception. The bats selected prey by size. The animals performed aerial catches and produced approach sequences typical for aerial hawking bats, but were able to do so within a few centimeters of the substrate. M. nattereri thus has access to silent, suspended prey very close to vegetation (e.g., spiders, and caterpillars on threads). Received: 29 September 1999 / Received in revised form: 12 February 2000 / Accepted: 12 February 2000     

Characteristics that influence male reproductive success on a lek of Lethrinops c.f. parvidens (Teleostei: Cichlidae)

Sexual selection has long been proposed as a mechanism leading to the diverse cichlid (Teleostei: Cichlidae) fauna of Lake Malawi, Africa. Many of the shallow-water, sand-dwelling, bower-building cichlid species are particularly well suited for studies of sexual selection because they participate in leks. Since females in lekking systems appear to acquire only genetic material from their mates, it has been suggested that leks are ideal systems to study female mate choice. The objectives of the investigation were to examine Lethrinops c.f. parvidens male bower characteristics (i.e., bower size and location) as well as other male characteristics (i.e., length, gular color, and duration on the lek) for their influence on male mating success as measured by the number of visits, circles, and eggs laid by females. These measures are nested in that a visit by a female may or may not lead to circling, and circling by a female may or may not lead to egg-laying. We found increased bower height and higher numbers of conspecific neighbors (analogous to shallow-water, near-shore bower positions) to be positively, significantly associated with the number of visits by females. The only significant correlate with the number of circles was visits, and similarly circles was the only significant correlate with the number of eggs laid. The R ² value for the egg-laying regression was quite low (19.8%) compared with visits (54.3%) and circling (78.9%), suggesting that females may be using additional cues, that we failed to measure, when in close proximity to males or simply that a small proportion of the females were ready to spawn. Both indirect selection and direct selection pressure due to egg predation may have influenced female choice on the lek. Received: 10 April 1999 / Received in revised form: 26 July 1999 / Accepted: 18 September 1999     

Experimental evidence of a testosterone-induced shift from paternal to mating behaviour in a facultatively polygynous songbird

Previous studies have suggested that testosterone (T) profiles of male birds reflect a trade-off between mate attraction behaviours (requiring high T levels) and parental care activities (requiring low T levels). In this study, we experimentally elevated T levels of monogamous males in the facultatively polygynous European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), and compared mate attraction and paternal behaviour of T-treated males with those of controls (C-males). T-males significantly reduced their participation in incubation and fed nestlings significantly less often than C-males. Females paired to T-treated males did not compensate for their mate’s lower paternal effort. The observed reduction in a male’s investment in incubating the eggs was accompanied by an increased investment in typical female-attracting behaviours: T-males spent a significantly higher proportion of their time singing to attract additional females. They also occupied more additional nestboxes than C-males, although the differences just failed to be significant, and carried significantly more green nesting materials into an additional nestbox (a behaviour previously shown to serve a courtship function). T-males also behaved significantly more aggressively than C-males. During the nestling period, the frequency of mate-attracting behaviours by T-treated and control males no longer differed significantly. Despite the reduced paternal effort by T-males and the lack of compensation behaviour by females, hatching and breeding success did not differ significantly between T- and C-pairs. Received: 7 February 2000 / Revised: 10 August 2000 / Accepted: 3 September 2000     

Ectoparasites of house sparrows (Passer domesticus): an experimental test of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis and a new model

Conspicuous secondary sexual traits may have evolved as handicap-revealing signals or as badges of status. We present results of an experiment using males of the sexually dimorphic house sparrow (Passer domesticus), that support the idea that the male-specific bib can be both a handicap-revealing signal and a reliable badge indicating the physical condition of the bird. In a test of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, wild-caught adult male house sparrows were studied in captivity. Birds implanted with elevated doses of testosterone were more dominant, had higher circulating levels of both testosterone and corticosterone and they also harboured relatively larger ectoparasite loads. Higher parasite loads were also associated with individuals showing lower immunocompetence and larger changes in bib size. A new model for immunocompetence effects in sexual selection is introduced, integrating actions that the hypothalamopituitary axis exerts on gonads, adrenals and the thyroid gland. The ”integrated immunocompetence model” synthesizes both the ”handicap” (i.e. survival-decreasing) and ”badge of status” (i.e. survival- enhancing) models for evolution of secondary sexual traits. Received: 15 May 1999 / Received in revised form: 2 November 1999 / Accepted: 6 November 1999     

利川市生活垃圾卫生填埋场场址的比选

选址是卫生填埋场建设和运行的关键。以利川市实际情况为前提和依据，筐选出7个预选场址，经实地踏勘和从填坦容量、运输距离、搬迁户数量等方面分析，遴选出其中3个；分别从工程学、环境学、经济学、社会与法律等方面中如交通状况、服务年限、占地面积、基岩类型、渗透系数、地下水位、覆盖土来源等13项具体条件上对3个备选场址进行了详细的分析比较，确定杨柳村大天井为最终选定场址。利川垃圾填埋场的选址工作也可以为同类型的城市或地区提供参考和借鉴。