Range-wide Yangtze freshwater dolphin expedition: The last chance to see Baiji?

Background, Aim and Scope. There are two species of fresh water cetaceans surviving in the Yangtze River system in China: Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) and Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis). As a result of the expansion of human activities on the river, their distribution ranges appear to be decreasing and in the case of the Baiji, are even being restricted to several sections. The Baiji is the world's most critically endangered cetacean species with a population estimated at only a few tens of individuals. The Yangtze finless porpoise is the world's only freshwater-adapted population of the species, and it has been estimated that only around 1,000 individuals remain in the river system. In order to prevent the extinction of Baiji and a sharp decline in the abundance of the porpoise, in situ conservation (i.e. in the river) and two ex situ conservation (i.e. in semi-natural reserves and in captivity) strategies were proposed and have been implemented since the early 1990s. In view of both the severely endangered status of the animals and the severely degraded conditions of their habitats, the feasibility and actual status of these two strategies are raised for discussion. Main Features. The threats faced by the cetaceans are mainly from the unfettered exploitation of the river's resources. In the past 20 years, five nature reserves have been established along the river. Imposing maximum prohibition of harmful and illegal fishing methods in the reserves might prolong the process of extinction of these cetaceans in the wild, but so far, the administrative measures taken in the reserves have not yet kept the abundance from sharply declining. As human use of the river and its resources is expected to intensify for many decades into the future, the ability of the river to continue to support these species is certainly undecided. Therefore, rescuing animals from the river and establishing viable breeding populations in semi-natural reserves, in which the environment is similar to the main stream of the river, and in captivity, has to be considered urgently as the short-term goal of ex situ strategies. Since the abundance of porpoises is higher than that of the Baiji, we have first established breeding populations of them in the semi-natural reserves and in captivity. But, considering the extremely low density of Baiji in the river, an immediate range-wide Yangtze Baiji survey is an urgent need for locating and capturing sufficient Baiji for successfully establishing a breeding population of them in semi-natural reserves. Results. Two semi-natural reserves (in Shishou, Hubei Province, and Tongling, Anhui Province) have been set up along the river in order to establish breeding populations of the Baiji and the porpoises. So far, several small groups of porpoises that were caught in the main stream of the river have successively been introduced into the semi-natural reserves. Under careful management, these animals in both of the semi-natural reserves not only survive, but can also reproduce naturally and successfully. At least one or three calves were born in each reserve each year. Additionally, a breeding group of porpoises is being established at the Baiji Dolphinarium at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan. There are presently four adults and one calf living in the Dolphinarium. The calf, born in July, 2005, is the first captive bred Yangtze Finless Porpoise in the world. In preparation for the range-wide Yangtze cetacean survey, a 9-day pilot expedition on the river near Wuhan was conducted in March, 2006, in order to develop methods for locating the Baiji. No Baiji were expected to be seen in such a short period but about 40 porpoise sightings were observed. Results of the pilot survey indicated that traditional visual and acoustical survey methods for cetaceans should be adapted to find the elusive Baiji in the river. Currently, the range-wide Yangtze cetacean survey is in preparation. The survey will cover over 1,700 km of the Yangtze River from Yichang to Shanghai, and is expected to provide detailed information on Baiji and porpoise numbers and distribution patterns in the river. Discussion. Although the short-term goal of ex situ conservation is to rescue cetaceans from the river and to establish viable breeding populations in semi-natural reserves and in captivity, the long-term goal of releasing the animals back into the river when the threats have decreased and the natural environment has been improved, should not be neglected. Moreover, the in situ conservation efforts in the natural reserves, and even in the entire Yangtze River system, including the lakes, should not be ignored or abandoned at any time. The activities contributing to the conservation of the Baiji and the porpoise in the wild have the incidental effect of benefiting the entire Yangtze ecosystem and other rare threatened species. The dynamics of the groups of porpoises in semi-natural reserves should be monitored continually, in order to guide the establishment of breeding groups of Baiji in these semi-natural reserves in the near future. Conclusions. Under the existing severely degraded conditions of the Yangtze system, the sharply fall populations of Baiji and porpoises will not be suspended in the foreseeable future. Therefore, ex situ conservation should be emphasized, and the severely threatened Baiji in the river should be removed and translocated to semi-natural reserves for establishing viable breeding populations. The successful program of capturing, translocating and maintaining finless porpoises in the Shishou semi-natural reserve has demonstrated its adequacy as an ex situ environment for cetaceans. Following the successful pilot survey in the river, the immediate range-wide Yangtze cetacean survey is proposed and is in preparation. The range-wide survey is expected to ensure that any remaining Baiji can be found reliably and captured successfully after the survey. Recommendations and Perspectives. During the range-wide survey, not only the Baiji but also the porpoise as well as their habitats should be investigated based on visual and acoustical methods that adapted to the river and the animals. Meanwhile, the current risk levels to the Baiji and porpoises should be evaluated at each area where Baiji or porpoises can be reliably sighted. Any capture efforts should be targeted on the most threatened areas, or where there is maximum risk of injury or death. The immediate track of the Baiji should be carried out once a Baiji is sighted during the range-wide survey in order to obtain the movement route of the animals, which is crucial information for the successful capture operation. Additionally, the need to establish new semi-natural reserves for the porpoises should be placed on the agenda of local and central governments in the near future.

Assessment of estrogenic activity of leachate from automobile tires with two in vitro bioassays

In this study, a combination of enzyme-linked receptor assay (ELRA) and yeast estrogen screen (YES) assay was firstly applied to determine whether automobile tires immersed in fresh water can leach chemicals, which display estrogenic activity. We optimized ELRA substituting the chromogene substrate by a luminescent one, and found that luminescent ELBA was more sensitive to 17 beta-estradiol (17 beta-E2) with a detection limit of 0.016 mu g/l, compared to 0.088 mu g/l in the chromogene version. In ELRA, all tire leachates obviously showed estrogenic activity, which was increased with duration of immersion. Moreover, the leachate from hackled tires showed more potent estrogenicity than that from the whole ones. In comparison to ELRA, no detectable estrogenic activity was found in all tire leachates with YES assay. The results from YES assay further evidenced that antiestrogenic compounds can be leached from tires. As tire leachates contain estrogenic compounds, they could be important pollution sources, potentially harmful to wildlife and human health. Thus, use of shredded tires as road fill or in landfill sites should arouse our attention.

Functional analysis of FP25K of Helicoverpa armigera single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus

The fp25k gene of Helicoverpa armigera single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) was studied. HearNPV fp25k gene transcription was found starting from about 18 h post-infection, and protein could be detected from the same time with antiserum against FP25K. To study the function of HearNPV fp25k, a recombinant HearNPV (HaBacWD11) with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene replacing the fp25k was constructed using HaBacHZ8, a bacmid of HearNPV that lacks the polyhedrin gene. Growth curve analysis showed that HaBacWD11 produced higher titres of budded viruses (BVs) than its wild-type counterpart HaBacHZ8-GFP. Electron microscopic analysis indicated that at the late stage of infection, the number of intranuclear enveloped nucleocapsids in HaBacWD11-infected cells was much less than that of HaBacHZ8-GFP. A rescue recombinant virus HaBacWD14 was constructed by reintroducing fp25k gene into HaBacWD11. The growth curve and electron microscopic analysis of the rescued recombinant confirmed that the increase of BV yield and the decrease of the virion production in infected cells were the result of fp25k deletion. The expression of membrane fusion protein (Ha133) and ODV-E66 were studied using the FP25K mutants HaBacWD11 and HaBacHZ8-GFP. Unlike FP25K mutants in Autographa californica multicapsid NPV (AcMNPV), which caused an increase in the expression of membrane fusion protein GP64 and a decrease of ODV-E66, no obvious changes at the expression level of Ha133 and ODV-E66 were observed in HearNPV FP25K mutant.

Characterization of transgene integration pattern in F4 hGH-transgenic common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

The integration pattern and adjacent host sequences of the inserted pMThGH-transgene in the F4 hGH-transgenic common carp were extensively studied. Here we show that each F4 transgenic fish contained about 200 copies of the pMThGH-transgene and the transgenes were integrated into the host genome generally with concatemers in a head-to-tail arrangement at 4-5 insertion sites. By using a method of plasmid rescue, four hundred copies of transgenes from two individuals of F4 transgenic fish, A and B, were recovered and clarified into 6 classes. All classes of recovered transgenes contained either complete or partial pMThGH sequences. The class I, which comprised 83% and 84.5% respectively of the recovered transgene copies from fish A and B, had maintained the original configuration, indicating that most transgenes were faithfully inherited during the four generations of reproduction. The other five classes were different from the original configuration in both molecular weight and restriction map, indicating that a few transgenes had undergone mutation, rearrangement or deletion during integration and germline transmission. In the five types of aberrant transgenes, three flanking sequences of the host genome were analyzed. These sequences were common carp beta-actin gene, common carp DNA sequences homologous to mouse phosphoglycerate kinase-1 and human epidermal keratin 14, respectively.

Rapid bioassay as indicator of potentially harmful effects for dioxin-like compounds in sample of Ya-Er Lake, China: Requirements for clean-up and comparison to chemical analysis

A rapid bioassay was established measuring the extracts of wildlife samples which were taken from Ya-Er Lake area, China. In extracts of these samples containing PCDD/Fs and PCBs, bioassay and chemically derived TCDD-equivalents (TEQs) were nearly identical. Our results indicate this bioassay is an excellent complement to chemical residue analysis and a useful tool in understanding the complex interactions of halogenated hydrocarbons. However, it must be mentioned that the proper prior clean-up method is very important for using the bioassay.

俄罗斯沙棘优良品种引种试验研究

三北"地区和黄土高原是中国沙棘亚种的分布中心,现已有大面积人工沙棘林,但其果小、刺多,产果量低,采果难。为此,作者于1997~2006年承担水利部"948"沙棘引进项目,以解决该地区沙棘优良品种缺乏问题。通过8年试验研究,引进俄罗斯大果无刺沙棘优良品种、类型40余种,分别在"三北"和黄土高原地区的7个主要试验基地进行引种试验,从中初步筛选出效果较好的9个优良品种、类型。它们生长发育良好,抗性较强,具高产、优质特性,并已开始利用引进的俄罗斯沙棘与当地中国沙棘杂交,培育出第一代杂交种。在引种选育和对俄罗斯沙棘生物生态学特性进行试验研究的基础上,对其良种的集约栽培和繁育做了试验和示范推广工作,产生了良好的生态、经济效益。通过本项目实施,为做好沙棘引种选育工作提供了良种,这对大面积建造高产、优质人工沙棘林和沙棘果园,加速黄土高原和"三北"地区的环境治理、发展地方经济具重要意义。

Waterborne exposure to PFOS causes disruption of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis in zebrafish larvae

Thyroid hormones (THs) play an important role in the normal development and physiological functions in fish. Environmental chemicals may adversely affect thyroid function by disturbing gene transcription. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a persistent compound, is widely distributed in the aquatic environment and wildlife. In the present study, we investigated whether PFOS could disrupt the hypothalamic– pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to various concentrations of PFOS (0, 100, 200 and 400 lg L 1) and gene expression patterns were examined 15 d post-fertilization. The expression of several genes in the HPT system, i.e., corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), thyroglobulin (TG), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), transthyretin (TTR), iodothyronine deiodinases (Dio1 and Dio2) and thyroid receptor (TRa and TRb), was quantitatively measured using real-time PCR. The gene expression levels of CRF and TSH were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively, upon exposure to 200 and 400 lg L 1 PFOS. A significant increase in NIS and Dio1 gene expression was observed at 200 lg L 1 PFOS exposure, while TG gene expression was down-regulated at 200 and 400 lg L 1 PFOS exposure. TTR gene expression was down-regulated in a concentration-dependent manner. Up-regulation and down-regulation of TRa and TRb gene expression, respectively, was observed upon exposure to PFOS. The whole body thyroxine (T4) content remained unchanged, whereas triiodothyronine (T3) levels were significantly increased, which could directly reflect disrupted thyroid hormone status after PFOS exposure. The overall results indicated that PFOS exposure could alter gene expression in the HPT axis and that mechanisms of disruption of thyroid status by PFOS could occur at several steps in the synthesis, regulation, and action of thyroid hormones.

森林管理对动物生境影响的模拟研究——以小兴安岭友好林业局为例

理解森林管理对野生动物生境的累积效应，需要对不同森林管理预案作出预测、分析和评价。本文，以小兴安岭友好林业局为研究区，利用空间直观景观模型LANDIS模拟其在6种森林管理预案—无采伐、皆伐、择伐I（禁伐区不采伐，限伐区和商品林区每10年采伐面积分别为5%和10%）、择伐II（限伐区和商品林区10%和15%）、造林I（采伐同择伐I，伐后人工更新）和造林II（采伐同择伐II，伐后人工更新）下200年内的森林景观变化。在查阅文献、野外考察和咨询相关专家的基础上，以GIS为平台，构建有着不同生境需求的3种动物：松鼠（Sciurus vulgaris）、马鹿（Cervus elaphus）和花尾榛鸡（Bonasa bonasia）在景观尺度上的生境适宜度指数（Habitat suitability index, HSI）模型，利用Arc的宏语言AML（Arc Macro Language）将LANDIS的输出结果与3种动物的HSI模型相结合，借助生境单元和类水平（Class level）上的景观指数（结合度指数等）评价动物生境，以反映不同森林管理预案对动物生境的影响。研究结果表明： 1）对于LANDIS的模拟结果而言，不同森林管理预案往往导致不同的森林演替动态：无采伐和2造林方案下，森林逐渐向成、过熟林演替，且造林方案显著增加了营林树种的分布面积；择伐I和择伐II下，由于成、过熟林被采伐，森林向后期演替的速度较为缓慢，而皆伐下，中、幼龄林的比重较大。定性而言，对于偏好早期演替的动物而言，皆伐下的生境适宜性较高；对于偏好中、后期演替森林的动物而言，2种择伐方案下生境适宜性较高；对于偏好后期演替的动物而言，无采伐和2造林方案下生境适宜性较高。 2）对于松鼠，无采伐和2造林预案下的生境单元和适宜生境（HSI≥0.5）结合度指数较高，适宜生境的平均斑块面积较大，表明这3种预案下的生境适宜性较高，而2择伐预案由于移去了大量成、过熟林，导致松鼠生境适宜性的下降，对于皆伐，尽管采伐量比2择伐预案的小，由于其不利于针叶林的天然更新，对松鼠的生境破坏更为严重。 3）对于马鹿，皆伐和2造林预案下的生境单元和结合度指数较高，而无采伐下的生境单元和结合度指数整体上又小于2择伐预案下的，这表明，适当的干扰反而利于提高马鹿的生境适宜性，因为，若没有这些采伐、造林等干扰活动，森林的郁闭度会随着树冠的封闭而逐渐加大，下层的许多不耐荫的树种就会消失或减少，降低马鹿的食物来源。 4）对于花尾榛鸡，若不考虑营林活动对其干扰，2造林预案下的生境单元和结合度指数较高，其次为无采伐预案，而皆伐和2择伐方案下较低，这表明，单纯的采伐的将减小花尾榛鸡的生境适宜性。 生态系统是一复杂的系统，因此，不可能存在适于所有动物的森林管理预案，对于管理预案的选择取决于管理者多方面（经济、生态和社会）的权衡。本文是将LANDIS与HSI相结合模拟评估森林管理预案对动物生境影响的一次尝试，研究结果表明了这一方法的实用性。尽管这一方法存在一定的局限性，但利用这一方法，能够可视化和量化结果，并比较不同森林管理预案，从生物多样性保护出发，为森林管理提供决策支持。最后，需要声明的是，本研究侧重方法的探讨，作为实际应用，还需要大量的野外工作来验证HSI模型。

高寒湿地自然保护区多核心动态分区研究——以四川若尔盖湿地国家级自然保护区为例

中国拥有92466 Km2的各类高原湿地，具有湿地退化、过度放牧等相似特征，保护与利用矛盾突出。高寒湿地保护区尽管在制度上以核心区、缓冲区来约束当地的放牧等外来干扰行为，但在实际管理中却不能起到应有的作用。 本研究以四川若尔盖湿地国家级自然保护区为例，应用3S技术，建立保护区多功能动态分区工作流模型，通过不同植被类型的识别和空间特征分析、不同动物类群在上述植被生境中的时空分布特征分析、保护区主要干扰因素的时空分布特征分析，突出对保护区主要保护对象（湿地生态系统）的保护，对保护区进行管理分区，依据野生动物利用特征和植被生长特征对核心区进行年周期动态利用，缓解保护与发展的矛盾，促进保护区的优化管理。 应用归一化植被指数（NDVI）与植被盖度的相关性，将归一化植被指数（NDVI）转化为植被盖度指数（MDVI），结合保护区牧场划分和时空利用特征专家经验，结果表明，MDVI值在1-139之间主要代表着水体、裸地、沙地等；MDVI140-256为草地和高山灌丛；MDVI210是当地夏牧场和秋冬牧场的划分区间值。 合理的区划需要资金、技术和政策的支持，为保证保护区多核心动态分区的实施，本研究提出了生态工程、牧业发展方式转变、湿地特色产业发展、湿地政策、社区参与和科技支撑等六大保障措施。 In China, 92466 Km2 highland or frigid wetlands are (were) facing major management problems, such as wetland degradation and overgazing. Conflict between conservation and utilization on those wetlands can be found anywhere today. Although many nature reserves have been setup for protection of frigid wetland, and core and buffer zone has been declared to forbid any kinds of disturbance, local farmers still use these areas for grazing. As an example by Sichuan Roige Wetlands National Nature Reserve(SRWNRR), we set up a 3S flow model to analyze the character of year-round distribution patters of vegetation, wildlife, and grazing. Combined and overlapped these characters together, we select multi-core zone and buffer zone, then define a dynamic management period in different zone to optimize protection wetland in the reserve. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index（NDVI）is highly related with coverage of vegetation. When convert NDVI to MDVI (coverage index, 1-256), index 139 and 210 can be as inflexion to distinguish among water/sand/bared land, summer pasture, and autumn / winter pasture. We use these to select different layers and analyze grazing pattern. To be more realistic, we put forward some strategies to support our multi-core and dynamic management of wetland in Roige, including ecological restoration engineering, changing of stock raising industry, changing of wetland policy, community based management and technology renovation supports.

圈养大熊猫遗传结构研究

大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)是我国特有的濒危野生动物之一，迁地保护已经成为大熊猫物种保护的一个重要方面。当前大熊猫圈养种群数量增长很快，但是其“多雄配一雌”的交配（配种方式），以及生产过程中记录遗失等原因，造成圈养种群普遍存在亲子关系不清、谱系混乱等问题。为了加强遗传管理，有必要进行亲子关系鉴定、完善谱系；还需要检测种群的基因多样性水平，并在此基础上提出相应的遗传管理建议。 本研究应用9个具有高度多态性的大熊猫微卫星标记，对来自成都大熊猫繁育研究基地2006和2007年度出生的17只大熊猫幼崽及其全部候选父母共37个样品做了基因型分析；然后应用最大似然法，判断幼崽的父－子关系。同时，还对来自卧龙大熊猫保护研究中心的31只大熊猫个体也做了基因分型。将两个种群的数据进行比较：1）等位基因多样性和杂合度水平；2）通过F统计法，分析两个种群的遗传分化水平；3）通过遗传距离法，对所有个体进行聚类分析。 研究结果表明： 1）在母子关系不清的情况下，9个微卫星标记联合的父亲鉴定排除概率E为0.940090；而在母子关系确实的条件下，E= 0.993933。由于本研究中所有后代的母亲都是清楚的，因此这9个微卫星位点能够有效用于圈养大熊猫的亲子鉴定。似然法分析也表明，本研究所获得的亲子鉴定结果置信度在95％以上。 2）2005年种源交换后，成都大熊猫的等位基因多样性和杂合度水平都略高于卧龙种群（但没有达到显著水平），两个种群间的遗传分化水平也有所降低。但是，与卧龙相比，成都种群面临较大的近交压力。 基于以上研究结果，我们建议：进一步加强种源交换和基因交流，把两个种群当作一个遗传单元(MU)来进行管理。 Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is one of the endangerd wildlife endemic to China, and the ex-situ breeding become more and more important for the conservation of this speices. Although the captive population is expanding rapidly, the uncertainty occurs because the paternities of cubs are not clear due to the breeding pattern of “multiple male to single female,”as well as the records lost, resulting in errors in the studbook. For this reason, the paternity of the cubs and the genetic diversity of the captive giant pandas should be tested carefully to get information for the genetic management in the future. 9 polymorphism microsatellite markers were used to do paternity assignment for the 17 cubs born in 2006 and 2007 from Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding (CGB) based on the maximum-likelihood methods. A total of 37 individuals were sampled, including all the candidate dams and sires. These samples were also used for comparing with 31 individuals sampling from Wolong China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda (WCG). The comparing indexes were: 1) Allelic diversity and heterozygosity; 2) Genetic differentiation based on F-statistic; 3) Cluster analysis based on genetic distance. The results show that: 1) If the mother is unkown, the combined exclusion probability using these 9 loci is 0.940090. If the mother is known then the exclusion probability is 0.993933. Since the dam-offspring relationship is known in captive populations, the results could resolve unknown paternities in the study. And the confidence level of the results is 95% based on the likelihood methods. 2) The allelic diversity and the heterozygosity of CGB were higher than WCG (n ot significant), and the genetic differentiation was reduced a little since the genetic exchange between two populations in 2005. However, the population of CGB will be threatening by inbreeding seriously than that of WCG. From above, we suggest to reiforce the genetic exchange and geneflow between CGB and WCG, and these two populations should be regarded as one genetic management unit (MU).

Regulation of autoinducer 2 production and luxS expression in a pathogenic Edwardsiella tarda strain

Edwardsiella tarda is a bacterial pathogen that can infect both humans and animals. TX1, an Ed. tarda strain isolated from diseased fish, was found to produce autoinducer 2 (Al-2)-like activity that was growth phase dependent and modulated by growth conditions. The gene coding for the Al-2 synthase was cloned from TX1 and designated luxS(Et). LuxS(Et) was able to complement the Al-2 mutant phenotype of Escherichia coli strain DH5 alpha. Expression Of luxS(Et) correlated with Al-2 activity and was increased by glucose and decreased by elevated temperature. The effect of glucose was shown to be mediated through the cAMP-CRP complex, which repressed luxS(Et) expression. Overexpression of luxS(Et) enhanced Al-2 activity in TX1, whereas disruption of luxS(Et) expression by antisense RNA interference (i) reduced the level of Al-2 activity, (ii) impaired bacterial growth under various conditions, (iii) weakened the expression of genes associated with the type III secretion system and biofilm formation, and (iv) attenuated bacterial virulence. Addition of exogenous Al-2 was able to complement the deficiencies in the expression of TTSS genes and biofilm production but failed to rescue the growth defects. Our results (i) demonstrated that the Al-2 activity in TX1 is controlled at least in part at the level of luxS(Et) expression, which in turn is regulated by growth conditions, and that the temporal expression of luxS(Et) is essential for optimal bacterial infection and survival; and (ii) suggested the existence in Ed. tarda of a LuxS/Al-2-mediated signal transduction pathway that regulates the production of virulence-associated elements.

Regulation of autoinducer 2 production and luxS expression in a pathogenic Edwardsiella tarda strain

Edwardsiella tarda is a bacterial pathogen that can infect both humans and animals. TX1, an Ed. tarda strain isolated from diseased fish, was found to produce autoinducer 2 (Al-2)-like activity that was growth phase dependent and modulated by growth conditions. The gene coding for the Al-2 synthase was cloned from TX1 and designated luxS(Et). LuxS(Et) was able to complement the Al-2 mutant phenotype of Escherichia coli strain DH5 alpha. Expression Of luxS(Et) correlated with Al-2 activity and was increased by glucose and decreased by elevated temperature. The effect of glucose was shown to be mediated through the cAMP-CRP complex, which repressed luxS(Et) expression. Overexpression of luxS(Et) enhanced Al-2 activity in TX1, whereas disruption of luxS(Et) expression by antisense RNA interference (i) reduced the level of Al-2 activity, (ii) impaired bacterial growth under various conditions, (iii) weakened the expression of genes associated with the type III secretion system and biofilm formation, and (iv) attenuated bacterial virulence. Addition of exogenous Al-2 was able to complement the deficiencies in the expression of TTSS genes and biofilm production but failed to rescue the growth defects. Our results (i) demonstrated that the Al-2 activity in TX1 is controlled at least in part at the level of luxS(Et) expression, which in turn is regulated by growth conditions, and that the temporal expression of luxS(Et) is essential for optimal bacterial infection and survival; and (ii) suggested the existence in Ed. tarda of a LuxS/Al-2-mediated signal transduction pathway that regulates the production of virulence-associated elements.

Burrowing rodents as ecosystem engineers: the ecology and management of plateau zokors Myospalax fontanierii in alpine meadow ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau

1. Plateau zokors, Myospalax fontanierii, are the only subterranean herbivores on the Tibetan plateau of China. Although the population biology of plateau zokors has been studied for many years, the interactions between zokors and plants, especially for the maintenance and structure of ecological communities, have been poorly recognized. In the past, plateau zokors have been traditionally viewed as pests, competitors with cattle, and agents of soil erosion, thus eradication programmes have been carried out by local governments and farmers. Zokors are also widely and heavily exploited for their use in traditional Chinese medicine.2. Like other fossorial animals, such as pocket gophers Geomys spp. and prairie dogs Cynomys spp. in similar ecosystems, zokors may act to increase local environmental heterogeneity at the landscape level, aid in the formation, aeration and mixing of soil, and enhance infiltration of water into the soil thus curtailing erosion. The changes that zokors cause in the physical environment, vegetation and soil clearly affect the herbivore food web. Equally, plateau zokors also provide a significant food source for many avian and mammalian predators on the plateau. Zokor control leading to depletion of prey and secondary poisoning may therefore present problems for populations of numerous other animals.3. We highlight the important role plateau zokors play in the Tibetan plateau ecosystem. Plateau zokors should be managed in concert with other comprehensive rangeland treatments to ensure the ecological equilibrium and preservation of native biodiversity, as well as the long-term sustainable use of pastureland by domestic livestock.

井下救援机器人控制系统的仿真与实现

本论文以新松公司和山东省科学院的《井下探测救援机器人的研究》项目为依托，展开井下探测救援机器人控制系统的研究。 我国的煤炭资源十分丰富，是世界上最大的煤炭生产国和消费国。我国煤矿大多数为矿工开采，不安全因素很多，矿井自然条件差，加上技术和管理等诸多方面不到位，使得我国煤矿矿井灾害事故频繁发生，人员伤亡十分惨重，煤矿安全形势已经十分严峻。 传统的救援方法只能通过提升绞车、移动式风车等设备清除垃圾，向井下通风，然后再搜救遇险矿工。这种方式危险性大，伤亡人数多，救援周期长，效率低。因此，迫切需要研发替代或部分替代救险队员进入矿井灾害现场进行环境探测和完成搜救任务的煤矿救援机器人，这对煤矿安全生产，建立特种危险环境下的工业救援体系具有十分重要的意义。 本文以沈阳新松公司的井下救援机器人为研究对象，对移动机器人控制体系结构进行了研究。主要工作如下： 从分析当前的体系结构入手，针对井下救援机器人的具体特点和设计要求，设计了一种以混合式体系结构为基础的移动机器人分布式体控制器。这种结构使用一种基于服务的概念，各个服务提供相当的功能，任意组合服务可以获得相应功能的机器人控制器。服务内部基于纵向的层次划分和横向的功能划分，并融合了特定的反应式行为。 本系统的特点是：自主与监控相结合，动作与感知相结合的行为，采用分布式程序的开发方法并且具有相当程度的开放性。在微软的机器人开发仿真平台上对该体系进行了实验仿真，并在新松公司井下救援机器人开发中实现了该系统。

基于OMAP的废墟搜救机器人监控终端

针对废墟搜救机器人的实际需要和当前监控终端的不足,设计开发了一种新的监控终端。这种监控终端基于OMAP架构,包含了人机界面、遥控、无线通讯、数据处理等功能,实现了对机器人本体的无线操控,并实现了与指挥中心的远程无线连接。由于在功耗与性能之间取得了平衡,这种监控终端减小了体积,提高了便携性。