Trends in counts of manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris from 1987 to 2006 in waters of Sarasota County, Florida, USA

To demonstrate the utility of distributional surveys for assessing relative abundance and trends in counts for a discrete area of coastline, aerial survey data from Sarasota County, Florida, USA, were analyzed for the years 1987 to 2006. The study area was divided into 3 regions: the Sarasota Bay Region (SBR; N = 353 surveys), Lemon Bay (N = 368), and the Myakka River (N = 209). Manatee counts varied significantly across seasons (p < 0.0001) for all 3 regions. Manatees within Sarasota County utilized open bays primarily in the warmer months. Such usage may have been influenced by resource availability. Conversely, usage of the Myakka River peaked in winter months when manatees seek warm-water refugia such as Warm Mineral Spring. Marginal means for yearly counts within Lemon Bay and the SBR increased significantly, beginning midway through the survey period (1996) until the early 2000s. In contrast, mean yearly counts within the Myakka River decreased over this time period. After record lows in 2003 for Lemon Bay and the Myakka River, and a considerable decline in 2004 for the SBR, mean yearly counts for all 3 regions showed an increasing trend over the remaining 2 yr of the study. Greater protection of manatee habitat and availability of forage coincided with the increase in numbers of manatees using Sarasota County waters during the 1990s, and the subsequent decline in numbers may be indicative of the increase in mortality in recent years due to watercraft collisions and severe red tide events.

中国穿山甲有丝分裂染色体和减数分裂联会复合体(SC)的研究

中国穿山甲的细胞遗传学分析表明, 染色体数目2n=40。除着丝粒C带外 还 有染色体端部C带和插入性C带。 两对小的端着丝粒染色体的随体部位有银染核 仁组织者(Ag-NORs)。对穿山甲核型的多态性以及减数分裂联会复合体的结构, 性染色体(X、Y)在减数分 裂前期的行为也进行了分析和讨论。图版2图1表3参15

中国雉鸡减数分裂SC组型和有丝分裂染色体组型的比较研究

电镜定量SC组型分析表明: 中国雉鸡的SC组型和有丝分裂染色体组型有良好的一致性。并对个别SC与其相应的有丝分裂染色体在长度、形态上的差异以及SC组型分析在鸟类细胞遗传学研究中的可能意义进行了讨论。图版1图1表1参14

白腹锦鸡、红腹锦鸡、中国雉鸡SC组型的比较研究

用微铺展-硝酸银染色技术制备三种鸡的SC标本, 电镜观察表明: 三种鸡的SC 组型非常相似, 即2n=82, ZZ/ZW型性别决定, 雄性为ZZ。三者SC组型上的差异主 要表现在相应SC长度上的不同。并对其亲缘关系及在鸟类进化中的可能地位进 行了讨论。在微铺展法制备的锦鸡精母 细胞SC标本中还发现了巨大中心粒, 这 在高等动物尚属首次。图版2图1表1参21

Bird and mammal conservation in Gaoligongshan Region and Jingdong County, Yunnan, China: patterns of species richness and nature reserves

Elevational and latitudinal patterns of species richness for birds and mammals were compared with human population density in relation to nature reserve designation in two areas of Yunnan Province, China. Results suggest that species richness is not the same for the two areas. In Gaoligongshan Region, species richness is inversely correlated with elevation and altitude, while reserve designation is positively correlated with elevation and latitude. In Jingdong County, reserve designations are positively correlated with elevation, but species richness shows no clear trends. In general, the present situation is strongly influenced by human activities. It appears that reserve designation is mismatched with species richness in Gaoligongshan Region, while there is a better fit between the two in Jingdong County. In both areas, however, it appeared that reserves were located primarily in order to reduce conflict with humans rather than to maximize conservation of biodiversity, probably because humans were responsible for forest-especially primary forest-destruction and degradation in the low-lying areas.

Zebrafish peptidoglycan recognition protein SC (zfPGRP-SC) mediates multiple intracellular signaling pathways

Insect PGRPs can function as bacterial recognition molecules triggering proteolytic and/or signal transduction pathways, with the resultant production of antimicrobial peptides. To explore if zebrafish peptidoglycan recognition protein SC (zfPGRP-SC) has such effects, RNA interference (siRNA) and high-density oligonucleotide microarray analysis were used to identify differentially expressed genes regulated by zfPGRP-SC. The mRNA levels for a set of genes involved in Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, such as TLRs, SARM, MyD88, TRAF6 and nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B2 (p100/p52), were examined by quantitative RT-PCR (QT-PCR). The results from the arrays and QT-PCR showed that the expression of 133 genes was involved in signal transduction pathways, which included Toll-like receptor signaling, Wnt signaling, BMP signaling, insulin receptor signaling, TGF-beta signaling, GPCR signaling, small GTPase signaling, second-messenger-mediated signaling, MAPK signaling, JAK/STAT signaling, apoptosis and anti-apoptosis signaling and other signaling cascades. These signaling pathways may connect with each other to form a complex network to regulate not just immune responses but also other processes such as development and apoptosis. When transiently over-expressed in HEK293T cells, zfPGRP-SC inhibited NF-kappa B activity with and without lipopolysacharide (LPS) stimulation. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First-principles study of p-type transparent conductive oxides CuXO2 (X=Y, Sc, and Al)

Using first-principles methods we have calculated electronic structures, optical properties, and hole conductivities of CuXO2 (X=Y, Sc, and Al). We show that the direct optical band gaps of CuYO2 and CuScO2 are approximately equal to their fundamental band gaps and the conduction bands of them are localized. The direct optical band gaps of CuXO2 (X=Y, Sc, and Al) are 3.3, 3.6, and 3.2 eV, respectively, which are consistent with experimental values of 3.5, 3.7, and 3.5 eV. We find that the hole mobility along long lattice c is higher than that along other directions through calculating effective masses of the three oxides. By analyzing band offset we find that CuScO2 has the highest valence band maximum (VBM) among CuXO2 (X=Y, Sc, and Al). In addition, the approximate transitivity of band offset suggests that CuScO2 has a higher VBM than CuGaO2 and CuInO2 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 066405 (2002)]. We conclude that CuScO2 has a higher p-type doping ability in terms of the doping limit rule. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2991157]

H[DEHP]从不同介质中萃取稀土（III）(Sc、Y、Ho、Er、Yb、Lu)及Fe(III)、Zn(II)的机理

本文分另研究了H[DEHP]从不同酸性介质中萃取稀土（III）(Sc、Y、Ho、Er、yb、Lu)及Fe(III)、Zn(II)的机理及性能。一、H[DEHP]从 H_2SO_4介质中萃取Sc(III)的机理 1. H[DEHP]萃取H_2SO_4及其机理 2. H[DEHP]萃取Sc(III)的机理，用斜率法和饱和法确定了H[DEHP]的正庚烷溶液从H_2SO_4溶液中萃取Sc_2(SO_4)_3的机理及萃合物组成。研究表明，H[DEHP]萃取Sc(III)在高、低两种酸度范围内存在着两种不同的萃取机理。二、H[DEHP]从HCl介质中萃取Ln(III)和Fe(III)的性能及H[DEHP]萃取Ln(III)的机理研究了H[DEHP]的正庚烷溶液从HCl介质中萃取稀土（III）(Sc、Y、Ho、Er、Yb、Lu)和Fe(III)的性能，得出H[DEHP]在相同条件下萃取以上各金属离子的顺序是：Sc(III)>Fe(III)>Lu(III)>Yb(III)>Er(III)>Y(III)>Ho(III), 并计算了各金属离子之间的分离因素（β）。文中还讨论了Sc(III)、Fe(III)、Lu(III)之间的分离以及重稀土离子间的萃取分离，同时与相同实验条件下HEH[EHP]的萃取性能进行了比较，为新的萃取体系提供了一些参数。三、H[DEHP]从不同介质中萃取Fe(III)的机理，研究了H[DEHP]的正率烷溶液从Hcl介质中和H[DEHP]的正庚烷溶液从H_2SO_4介质中萃取Fe(III)的平衡规律；用斜率法、饱和法以及IR和NMR谱等讨论了低酸度下的萃取机理。四、H[DEHP]萃取Zn(II)的机理，研究了H[DEHP]的正率烷溶液从Hcl介中萃取Zn(II)的平衡，利用斜率法、饱和法及SR、NMR谱等讨论了低Hcl浓度下的萃取机理。

用1-苯基-3-甲基-4-苯甲酰基-5-吡唑啉酮萃取~(46)Sc的研究

用1-苯基-3-甲基-4-苯甲酰基-5-吡唑啉酮(PMBP)做萃取剂,氯仿和环己烷为稀释剂,观察了在HCl溶液46Sc的溶剂萃取行为。实验结果表明,从10-3~10-2mol/L的HCl溶液中用PMBP-氯仿(或环己烷)能有效地萃取46Sc,萃取率可达95%以上。另外,对PMBP从HCl溶液中萃取46Sc和234Th的结果也做了比较,结果表明,通过控制水溶液中HCl的浓度,能实现234Th与46Sc的分离。