Construction and analysis of an experimental Streptococcus iniae DNA vaccine

Streptococcus iniae is a severe aquaculture pathogen that can also infect humans and animal. A putative secretory antigen, Slat 0, was identified from a pathogenic S. iniae strain by in vivo-induced antigen technology. Using turbot as an animal model, the immunoprotective effect of Sia10 was examined as a DNA vaccine in the form of plasmid pSia10, which expresses sia10 under the cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter. In fish vaccinated with pSia10, transcription of sia10 was detected in muscle, liver, spleen, and kidney at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49 days post-vaccination. In addition, production of Sia10 protein was also detected in the muscle tissues of pSia10-vaccinated fish. Fish vaccinated with pSia10 exhibited a relative percent survival (RPS) of 73.9% and 92.3%, respectively, when challenged with high and low doses (producing a cumulative mortality of 92% and 52%, respectively, in the control groups) of S. iniae. Immunological and transcriptional analyses showed that vaccination with pSia10(i) induced much stronger chemiluminescence response and significantly higher levels of nitric oxide production and acid phosphatase activity in head kidney macrophages; (ii) caused the production of specific serum antibodies, which afforded apparent immunoprotection when transferred passively into naive fish; and (iii) upregulated the expression of the genes encoding proteins that are possibly involved in both innate and adaptive immune responses. Taken together, these results indicated that pSia10 is an effective vaccine candidate and may be used in the control of S. iniae infection in aquaculture. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement of different source function expressions in SWAN model for the Bohai Sea

The simulating wave nearshore (SWAN) wave model has been widely used in coastal areas, lakes and estuaries. However, we found a poor agreement between modeling results and measurements in analyzing the chosen four typical cases when we used the default parameters of the source function formulas of the SWAN to make wave simulation for the Bohai Sea. Also, it was found that at the same wind process the simulated results of two wind generation expressions (Komen, Janssen) demonstrated a large difference. Further study showed that the proportionality coefficient alpha in linear growth term of wave growth source function plays an unperceived role in the process of wave development. Based on experiments and analysis, we thought that the coefficient alpha should change rather than be a constant. Therefore, the coefficient alpha changing with the variation of friction velocity U (*) was introduced into the linear growth term of wave growth source function. Four weather processes were adopted to validate the improvement in the linear growth term. The results from the improved coefficient alpha agree much better with the measurements than those from the default constant coefficient alpha. Furthermore, the large differences of results between Komen wind generation expression and Janssen wind generation expression were eliminated. We also experimented with the four weather processes to test the new white-capping mechanisms based on the cumulative steepness method. It was found that the parameters of the new white-capping mechanisms are not suitable for the Bohai Sea, but Alkyon's white-capping mechanisms can be applicable to the Bohai Sea after amendments, demonstrating that this improvement of parameter alpha can improve the simulated results of the Bohai Sea.

栉孔扇贝大规模死亡病原学研究

用平板画线法从患病栉孔扇贝（Chlamys farreri）体内分离到了一种原核生物（简称QDP）。QDP可以在改进的液体培养基MEM（含2.2%NaCl，5%小牛血清）和脑心浸液（含2.2% NaCl）中生长；菌落在显微镜下（150×）为无色、透明的小点状；革兰氏染色阴性；菌体为圆形或近似圆形。QDP在发育过程中有两种状态，一种为未成熟阶段，直径小于100nm；另一种为成熟阶段，直径变化很大，最小约60nm，最大可达4µm以上。较小的个体有拟核、核糖体和新月状的空泡，未见细胞壁；较大的个体有细胞壁，胞内大部分被空泡充满，未见拟核和核糖体。栉孔扇贝组织超簿切片电镜观查证实QDP的存在。QDP的密度随着生长发育时间的不同而有所变化，繁殖高峰期密度较大。 建立了密度梯度离心结合滤膜过滤分离技术，优化人工培养条件。最适生长温度为23℃，最适生长pH值为7.4，最适生长盐度相当于细胞培养液所需的盐浓度（0.85%NaCl）。 提取的QDP核酸能被RNase A 降解，且没有检测到DNA。以PCR、RT-PCR扩增其16SrRNA基因序列片段，PCR反应没有扩增出扩增子，而RT-PCR则扩增出了16S rRNA基因序列片段，经测定其序列全长度为1430bp，经与GENEBANK中的16S rRNA片段比较分析，与6种不同科的微生物的同源率最高的为95%-95.47%。 采用温度梯度和病原浓度梯度回归感染实验方法，较为系统地研究了QDP的致病性。研究结果表明：QDP对栉孔扇贝有强烈的致病作用，高温（23℃以上）是其致病的必要条件，证实DQP是栉孔扇贝大规模死亡的病原体之一。

Chromosome inheritance in triploid Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas thunberg

Reproduction and chromosome inheritance in triploid Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas Thunberg) were studied in diploid female x triploid male (DT) and reciprocal (TD) crosses. Relative fecundity of triploid females was 13.4% of normal diploids. Cumulative survival from fertilized eggs to spat stage was 0.007% for DT crosses and 0.314% for TD crosses. Chromosome number analysis was conducted on surviving progeny from DT and TD crosses at 1 and 4 years of age. At Year 1, oysters from DT crosses consisted of 15% diploids (2n = 20) and 85% aneuploids. In contrast, oysters from TD crosses consisted of 57.2% diploids, 30.9% triploids (3n = 30) and only 11.9% aneuploids, suggesting that triploid females produced more euploid gametes and viable progeny than triploid males. Viable aneuploid chromosome numbers included 2n + 1, 2n + 2, 2n + 3, 3n - 2 and 3n - 1. There was little change over time in the overall frequency of diploids, triploids and aneuploids. Among aneuploids, oysters with 2n + 3 and 3n-2 chromosomes were observed at Year 1, but absent at Year 4. Triploid progeny were significantly larger than diploids by 79% in whole body weight and 98% in meat weight at 4 years of age. Aneuploids were significantly smaller than normal diploids. This study suggests that triploid Pacific oyster is not completely sterile and cannot offer complete containment of cultured populations.

Studies on mass summer mortality of cultured zhikong scallops (Chlamys farreri Jones et Preston) in China

Mass mortalities of cultured zhikong scallops (Chlamys farreri) have occurred each summer in most culture areas of northern China since 1996. Among the hypothesized causes are high culture density, infectious disease and genetic inbreeding. To investigate these potential agents, C. farreri were deployed at three densities (low, medium and high) at three sites (Jiaonan, Penglai and Yantai) in the summer of 2000. Scallops were sampled for survival, growth and histopathology before, during and after a mortality episode. Most of the mortality occurred in July and August, during and toward the later part of the spawning season, when water temperature reached 23-26 degrees C. Final cumulative mortalities reached 85% to 90% at all three sites. Scallops in the medium and high densities had higher initial death rates than did those at the low density. High densities also inhibited growth. Ciliates from the genus Trichodina, larvae of various organisms and anomalous secretions were observed in sections of the gill cavity, with highest prevalence during and at the end of the mortality period. Prokaryotic inclusion bodies were found in the soft tissues, but their prevalence was low and apparently without correlation with mortalities. Genetic analysis with random amplified polymorphic DNA markers showed slightly lower heterozygosity in the cultured stocks (0.301) than in the wild stocks (0.331). It is possible that the mortalities are caused by a combination of several factors such as stress associated with reproduction, high temperature, overcrowding and poor circulation in the growout cages, opportunistic invaders or pathogens, and possibly inbreeding. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Studies on nitric oxide synthase activity in haemocytes of shrimps Fenneropenaeus chinensis and Marsupenaeus japonicus after white spot syndrome virus infection

The nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in the haemocytes of shrimps Fenneropenaeus chinensis (Osbeck) and Marsupenaeus japonicus (Bate) was Studied after white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection to determine its characteristics in response to virus infection. First, the NOS activity in haemocytes of shrimps was determined by the means of NBT reduction and changes in cell conformation. And the variations of NOS activity in shrimps after challenge with WSSV intramuscularly were evaluated through the analysis Of L-citrulline and total nitrite/nitrate (both as NO derivates) concentrations. The result showed that NOS activity in the haemocytes of F chinensis increased slightly from 0 to 12 h postchallenge, indicated by the variations Of L-Citrulline (from 11.15 +/- 0.10 to 12.08 +/- 0.64 mu M) and total nitrite/nitrate concentrations (from 10.45 +/- 0.65 to 12.67 +/- 0.52 mu M). Then it decreased sharply till the end of the experiment (84 h postchallenge), the concentrations Of L-Citrulline and total nitrite/nitrate at 84 It were 1.58 +/- 0.24 and 2.69 +/- 0.70 mu M, respectively. The LPS-stimulated NOS activity kept constant during the experiment. However, in M. japonicus, the NOS activity kept increasing during the first 72 It postchallenge, the concentrations Of L-Citrulline and total nitrite/nitrate increased from 7.82 +/- 0.77 at 0 h to 10.79 +/- 0.50 mu M at 72 h, and from 8.98 +/- 0.43 at 0 h to 11.20 +/- 0.37 mu M at 72 h, respectively. Then it decreased till the end of the experiment (216 h postchallenge), and the concentrations of L-Citrulline and total nitrite/nitrate at 216 h were 5.66 +/- 0.27 and 4.68 +/- 0.16 mu M, respectively. More importantly, an apparent increase of I-PS-stimulated NOS activity was observed in M japonicus at 48 h postchallenge, which was about 4 times higher than that in the control group of health shrimps. In correspondence with the difference of NOS activity between the two species of shrimps, the Cumulative mortalities of the shrimps were also different. All shrimps of F. chinensis in the mortality experiment died in 66 h, much more quickly than M. japonicus, Whose accumulative mortality reached 100% after 240 h. Data here reported let us hypothesize that NOS activity in the haemocytes of shrimps F chinensis and M. japonicus responses to WSSV infection differently, and this might be one of the reasons for the different susceptibility of F chinensis and M. japonicus to WSSV infection. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sustained response to selection in an introduced population of the hermaphroditic bay scallop Argopecten irradians irradians Lamarck (1819)

Introduced species often start with limited genetic variability, which is problematic for selective breeding. The problem of inbreeding can be exasperated by hermaphroditism. The bay scallop Argopecten irradians irradians is a hermaphroditic species that has been introduced to and now supports a major aquaculture industry in China. Positive response to selection for fast growth was observed in one of the less inbred stocks in a previous study. In this study, we evaluated selection for the second generation to determine if response to selection can be sustained in this introduced population of a hermaphroditic species. Response to selection, realized heritability for the second generation, cumulative (over two generations), current (for the second generation) and residual (from the first generation) genetic gains were estimated by comparing three different types of lines: SS (selected for two generation), SC (selected for the first generation only) and CC (unselected for two generations). The SS line grew significantly faster (P < 0.05) than the other two lines, indicating that the second generation selection for faster growth is still effective. Response to selection and realized heritability for the second generation were 0.612 +/- 0.101 and 0.349 +/- 0.057, respectively, which are similar to those observed for the first generation. The cumulative, current, and residual gains were 17.56 +/- 5.30%, 10.63 +/- 2.46%, and 6.25 +/- 3.13%, respectively. The sustained response to selection for the second generation observed here suggests that considerable genetic variability exists in this population and that future efforts on selective breeding are likely to be fruitful. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial and temporal relationships between precipitation and ANPP of four types of grasslands in northern China

Precipitation is considered to be the primary resource limiting terrestrial biological activity in water-limited regions. Its overriding effect on the production of grassland is complex. In this paper, field data of 48 sites (including temperate meadow steppe,temperate steppe, temperate desert steppe and alpine meadow) were gathered from 31 published papers and monographs to analyze the relationship between above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and precipitation by the method of regression analysis. The results indicated that there was a great difference between spatial pattern and temporal pattern by which precipitation influenced grassland ANPP. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was the main factor determining spatial distribution of grassland ANPP (r~2 = 0.61,P ＜ 0.01); while temporally, no significant relationship was found between the variance of AN PP and inter-annual precipitation for the four types of grassland. However, after dividing annual precipitation into monthly value and taking time lag effect into account, the study found significant relationships between ANPP and precipitation. For the temperate meadow steppe, the key variable determining inter-annual change of ANPP was last August-May precipitation (r~2= 0.47, P = 0.01); for the temperate steppe, the key variable was July precipitation (r~2 = 0.36, P = 0.02); for the temperate desert steppe, the key variable was April-June precipitation (r~2 = 0.51, P ＜0.01); for the alpine meadow, the key variable was last September-May precipitation (r~2 = 0.29, P ＜ 0.05). In comparison with analogous research, the study demonstrated that the key factor determining inter-annual changes of grassland ANPP was the cumulative precipitation in certain periods of that year or the previous year.

Short-term effects of sheep excrement on carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane fluxes in typical grassland of Inner Mongolia

Excrement patches of grazing animals play an important role in greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes due to the high nitrogen (N) and available carbon (C) deposited in small areas, but little information is available for the effect of excrement in the Inner Mongolian grassland (43 26 degrees N, 116 degrees 40'E). To elucidate the effect of grazing sheep urine, fresh dung and compost on fluxes of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O), a short-term field study (65 days) was carried out in the typical grassland of Inner Mongolia with the optimised closed chamber/GC technique. Compared with the control, cumulative net CH4 consumption decreased 36, 31, and 18% from urine, fresh dung, and compost plots, respectively; net CO2-C output increased by 6.5, 1.5, and 1.2% from urine, fresh dung, and compost treated soil, respectively; about three times as much N2O-N was emitted from urine and the fresh dung treatments during 65 days. Nitrous oxide emission was positively correlated with CO, emission (R = 0.691, P < 0.01) and water-filled pore space (R = 0.698, P < 0.01). The percentages of N2O-N loss of applied-N were 0.44 and 1.05% for urine and fresh dung, respectively. Our results suggest that in autumn in the degraded grassland of Inner Mongolia, the effect of sheep excrement may be ignored when evaluating the total GHG emissions.

辽河坳陷东部凹陷火山岩构造裂缝形成机理研究及预测

In recent years, with the discovery oil and gas reservoirs in volcanic rocks, the exploration and development of these reservoirs have attracted widespread attention because of the urgent need for increasing oil and gas production in the world and volcanic rocks has currently become an important exploration target in Liaohe depression. The study area of this dissertation is in the middle section of the easternern sag of Liaohe depression that have been confirmed by studying structural fractures, which constitute a key factor impacting volcanic rocks reservoirs. Substantial reserves and large production capacity in the areas with widely distributed volcanic rocks are important reasons for examining volcanic rocks in the study area. The study began with classification and experimental data analysis of volcanic rocks fractural formation, then focused on the mechanism of fracturing and the development of volcanic rocks structural fracture prediction methodology.and Lastly, predicted volcanic rocks structural fracture before drilling involved a comprehensive study of the petroleum geology of this area, which identified favorable traps thereby reducing exploration risks and promoting the exploration and development of volcanic rocks reservoirs. 3Dstress and 3Dmove software were applied to predict structural fracture by combining the core data, well-logging data and seismic data together and making the visualization of a fracture possible. Base on the detailed fracture prediction results, well OuO48 and well Ou52 were drilled and successfully provided a basis for high efficiency exploration and development of fractured reservoir in the middle section of the eastern sag. As a result of what have been done, a new round of exploration of volcanic rocks was developed. Well OU48 and well OU52 successfully drilled in this area resulted in the in-depth study of the mechanism of structural fracture formation, technological innovation of structural fracture prediction of volcanic rocks , which guided to oil and gas exploration effectively and made it possible for high production of volcanic rocks. By the end of August 2005, the cumulative oil and gas production of Ou48 block were 5.1606 × 104 t and 1271.3× 104 m3 respectively, which made outstanding contributions to the oilfield development. Above all this work not only promoted exploration and structural fracture prediction in volcanic rocks in Liaohe depression, but also applied to in the low-permeability and fractured sandstone reservoir.

孤岛油田曲流河微相单砂体储层建筑结构及挖潜方向研究

In the intermediary and later stage of oil field development, remaining oil disperses fiercely, the contradiction in the layer has become the main problem and the distribution of remaining oil is transforming to the difference of single sand-body. So, the fine description research of reservoir is becoming a tendency and the methods of remaining oil research need new developments. In the research of “The Single-sand-body Architectural Element and Potentiality Analysis Research of Meandering River, GuDao Oil Field”, the research principle is analytical hierarchy process and schema prescription what are reservoir fine description methods under the condition of dense well pattern. The knowledge of regional sedimentary system and sedimentary facies is the foundation of this research. According to the 3D distribution model of the microfacies sand-body of fluvial facies, stratigraphic unit classification & coenocorrelation of 154 wells are completed in the research of meandering river sand-body in Ng3-4. In this research, the 3D distribution of microfacies sand-body in the main layers are settled. The architectural element model of Ng4 point bar is analysed using the drill core and FMI data. According to the overgrow model of point bar, the surfaces of lateral accretion is traced and the architectural element model of point bar is settled. In the research, the control of micro-facies sand-body of meandering river to the distribution of remaining oil is analysed and the potential area is proposed. All these will play an important role in the development of GuDao oil field. In this research, abundant of logging data, drill core data and production performance data are used to analyse the contributing factor of single sand-body in the Ng3-4 meandering river. Using the technology of geological modeling, all that are researched including the 3D distribution scales of meandering river point bar, the control affection of inner lateral accretion layer to the distribution of oil & gas and remaining. Then, the way of remaining oil development in the sand-body of meandering river is improved. The innovation of the research technology includes (1) the presentation of the conception and research methods of micro-facies sand-body (2) enriching the content of reservoir architectural element research and (3) to renew the research method of remaining oil analysis. The research has practiced with obvious effect.(1)It is deepened into understand the river facies reservoir construction of Gudao oil field, By Building the reservoir construction and studying the effect of diffent deposit or geological interface to fluid partition and to the distribution of the remaining oil, we improved the understanding to the distribution of the remaining oil；(2)By building the distribution mod of the remaining oil in the reservoir construction and making the remaining oil description detailed,the development direction of old oil field is more clear；(3)Expanded the application scales of the horizontal well and enhanced the application effects of the horizontal well technique , we designed and drilled 23 ports horizontal wells in all , the cumulative hydrocarbon production is 10.6*104 t；(4) According to the findings of the internal building structure in reservoir of the fluvial facies in the region of interest, and uniting the injection/production corresponding states、the producing history and the dynamic monitoring documents of the oil/water wells in the flooding units , we researched the residual oil distribution in the point bar , and found the distribution regular patterns of the remaining oil, and comprehended the distribution of the remaining oil . In base of that , we proceeded the optimizing designs of the oil well potentialities , and advanced the effect of the treatment potentials . It is proved that , it was very important that internal building structure research of the single sand body of reservoir for guiding the high efficiency potentialities of the remaining oil in the high water cut stage .

低感应数条件下大地电导率测量方法研究

A frequency domain electromagnetic (conductivity) method for near surface soundings at low frequencies is discussed in this thesis. Its elementary principle is to detect the conductivity of the earth by the secondary magnetic fields induced by a current dipole on the earth. According to the EM induction theory, a coil with alternating current on the earth will generate a magnetic field in whole space which is referred to as the primary field Hp. The primary field would induce secondary currents in the earth which go down to depth like a batch of smoking rings. These currents further produce secondary magnetic field Hs .The primary and secondary magnetic fields are collected together by a receiver coil. Generally speaking，the secondary magnetic field is a complicated function of coil spacing, transmitting frequency and earth conductivity. But at low induction numbers, the secondary field is deduced to as a simple function of frequency, spacing and conductivity. Especially the ratio of secondary to primary field shares a linear proportion to the apparent conductivity. The earth conductivity can be interpreted by proper inversions with the apparent conductivity. The method is discussed at three steps: (1)Derivation of primary and secondary magnetic fields arising from vertical and horizontal magnetic dipoles on the earth based on the basic EM induction theory. (2)Field techniques and equipment developed for the method. (3)An interpretation technique was introduced using a cumulative and relative response function. Finally a test example is presented for examining the effectiveness of the method.

柴达木盆地北缘地区油气成藏过程模拟与含油气系统评价

As an important part of petroleum exploration areas in the west of China, the north part of Qaidam basin is very promising in making great progress for petroleum discovery. But there are still many obstacles to overcome in understanding the process of petroleum formation and evaluation of oil & gas potential because of the complexity of geological evolution in the study area. Based upon the petroleum system theory, the process of petroleum formation is analyzed and the potential of oil & gas is evaluated in different petroleum systems by means of the modeling approach. The geological background for the formation of petroleum systems and the consisting elements of petroleum systems are described in detail. The thickness of strata eroded is estimated by means of vitrinite reflectance modeling, compaction parameter calculating and thickness extrapolating. The buried histories are reconstructed using the transient compaction model, which combines of forward and reverse modeling. The geo-history evolution consists of four stages - sedimentation in different rates with different areas and slow subsidence during Jurassic, uplifting and erosion during Cretaceous, fast subsidence during the early and middle periods of Tertiary, subsidence and uplifting in alternation during the late period of Tertiary and Quaternary. The thermal gradients in the study area are from 2.0 ℃/100m to 2.6 ℃/100m, and the average of heat flow is 50.6 mW/m~2. From the vitrinite reflectance and apatite fission track data, a new approach based up Adaptive Genetic Algorithms for thermal history reconstruction is presented and used to estimate the plaeo-heat flow. The results of modeling show that the heat flow decreased and the basin got cooler from Jurassic to now. Oil generation from kerogens, gas generation from kerogens and gas cracked from oil are modeled by kinetic models. The kinetic parameters are calculated from the data obtained from laboratory experiments. The evolution of source rock maturation is modeled by means of Easy %Ro method. With the reconstruction of geo-histories and thermal histories and hydrocarbon generation, the oil and gas generation intensities for lower and middle Jurassic source rocks in different time are calculated. The results suggest that the source rocks got into maturation during the time of Xiaganchaigou sedimentation. The oil & gas generation centers for lower Jurassic source rocks locate in Yikeyawuru sag, Kunteyi sag and Eboliang area. The centers of generation for middle Jurassic source rocks locate in Saishenteng faulted sag and Yuka faulted sag. With the evidence of bio-markers and isotopes of carbonates, the oil or gas in Lenghusihao, Lenghuwuhao, Nanbaxian and Mahai oilfields is from lower Jurassic source rocks, and the oil or gas in Yuka is from middle Jurassic source rocks. Based up the results of the modeling, the distribution of source rocks and occurrence of oil and gas, there should be two petroleum systems in the study area. The key moments for these two petroleum, J_1-R(!) and J_2-J_3, are at the stages of Xiaganchaigou-Shangyoushashan sedimentation and Xiayoushashan-Shizigou sedimentation. With the kinetic midels for oil generated from kerogen, gas generated from kerogen and oil cracked to gas, the amount of oil and gas generated at different time in the two petroleum systems is calculated. The cumulative amount of oil generated from kerogen, gas generated from kerogen and gas cracked from oil is 409.78 * 10~8t, 360518.40 * 10~8m~3, and 186.50 * 10~8t in J_1-R(!). The amount of oil and gas generated for accumulation is 223.28 * 10~8t and 606692.99 * 10~8m~3 in J_1-R(!). The cumulative amount of oil generated from kerogen, gas generated from kerogen and gas cracked from oil is 29.05 * 10~8t, 23025.29 * 10~8m~3 and 14.42 * 10~8t in J_2-J_3 (!). The amount of oil and gas generated for accumulation is 14.63 * 10~8t and 42055.44 * 10~8m~3 in J_2-J_3 (!). The total oil and gas potential is 9.52 * 10~8t and 1946.25 * 10~8m~3.

Representing and Reasoning About Change in Geologic Interpretation

Geologic interpretation is the task of inferring a sequence of events to explain how a given geologic region could have been formed. This report describes the design and implementation of one part of a geologic interpretation problem solver -- a system which uses a simulation technique called imagining to check the validity of a candidate sequence of events. Imagining uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative simulations to reason about the changes which occured to the geologic region. The spatial changes which occur are simulated by constructing a sequence of diagrams. The quantitative simulation needs numeric parameters which are determined by using the qualitative simulation to establish the cumulative changes to an object and by using a description of the current geologic region to make quantitative measurements. The diversity of reasoning skills used in imagining has necessitated the development of multiple representations, each specialized for a different task. Representations to facilitate doing temporal, spatial and numeric reasoning are described in detail. We have also found it useful to explicitly represent processes. Both the qualitative and quantitative simulations use a discrete 'layer cake' model of geologic processes, but each uses a separate representation, specialized to support the type of simulation. These multiple representations have enabled us to develop a powerful, yet modular, system for reasoning about change.

Analysis of the estrogenic components in kudzu root by bioassay and high performance liquid chromatography

The estrogenic activity of the Chinese herb kudzu root was investigated by a recombinant yeast screening assay (YES). Isoflavones are the main components in the plant, of which puerarin is the most abundant one. The kudzu root extract was separated into four fractions according to the polarity. The crude extract and its sub-fractions, except the water fraction, showed clear estrogenic activity and the potencies were in the range of 10(-3) to 10(-1) g/l. The ligand potency was used to compare the estrogenic activity of these fractions. The crude extract and its sub-fractions were further analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to correlate the activity and the active components. Bioassay and chemical analysis showed that theoretical estrogenic activity expressed as equivalent 17 beta-estradiol concentration or the cumulative effects are comparable to that experimentally determined by YES. The results showed that the high content of isoflavones as well as the high estrogenic activity could make kudzu root extract an interesting candidate for hormone replacement therapy. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.