Effects of base analogues 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine on development of zebrafish Danio Rerio

Zebrafish （Danio rerio） genetic screens allow isolation of a wide array of problems in vertebrate biology. The effects of base analogues 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine on the development of zebrafish embryos are reported for the first time in this study. The early development of the zebrafish embryos was little affected by 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine, while the late development （organogenesis） was significantly impaired. Embryos exposed to 5-bromouracil mainly showed curled tail, wavy body, golden pigmentation and the mouth with protruding lower jaw. 6-aminopurine-treated embryos had defective anterior structures, curled tails and wavy body. RAPD analysis showed that the majority of 5-bromouracil-and 6-aminopurine-treated larvae and fish shared banding patterns in common with the control, suggesting that most mutagenesis induced by these agents are point mutations. However, some fish derived from 5-bromouracil-treated embryos had golden（gol） pigmentation; and RAPD analysis revealed that their band patterns differed from those of the control.Possibly, 5-bromouracil can occasionally cause relatively extensive changes in the fish genome. The results of this study may provide valuable help for detailed studies of mutagenesis.     

Reforestation Programs in Southwest China： Reported Success, Observed Failure, and the Reasons Why

Ever since the disastrous floods of 1998, the Chinese government has used the Natural Forest Protection and Sloping Land Conversion Programs to promote afforestation and reforestation as means to reduce runoff, control erosion, and stabilize local livelihoods. These two ambitious programs have been reported as large-scale successes, contributing to an overall increase in China’s forest cover and to the stated goals of environmental stabilization. A small-scale field study at the project level of the implementation of these two programs in Baiwu Township, Yanyuan County, Sichuan, casts doubt upon the accuracy and reliability of these claims of success; ground observations revealed utter failure in some sites and only marginal success in others. Reasons for this discrepancy are posited as involving ecological, economic, and bureaucratic factors. Further research is suggested to determine whether these discrepancies are merely local aberrations or represent larger-scale failures in reforestation programs.     

美国艾奥瓦州文尼希克Lagerst(a)tte及其沉积环境

Lagerstatte是指保存丰富或精美化石、因而具有特殊研究价值的化石层.这类地层所含的化石常具有经矿化的生物软体甚至未变实体,从而为古生物的分类学、组织学、形态学、解剖学、生态学、埋藏学等研究提供了极其难得的材料.近年来发现于美国艾奥瓦州的文尼希克化石层,以其特异保存的多门类不常见化石分子为特征,成为目前仅知的中奥陶世Lagerstatte.这一生物群的发现不仅填补了化石记录中的一些空白,也为中奥陶世的生物辐射事件研究领域打开了一个在赤道附近非正常海洋环境中生存的生物群面貌窗口.而且,其中所含的不同类别矿化生物残留,在有机物的分解、置换以及生物成岩作用等研究中具有重要意义.初步研究表明,文尼希克生物群的生活环境与化石保存,可能与陨石撞击事件有关,从而为奥陶纪生物辐射事件的起因町能与太空星体爆裂有关的理论研究,提供了新的验证材料.     

Glacier reconstruction of La Covacha Massif in Sierra de Gredos(central Spain) during the Last Glacial Maximum

A paleoglacier reconstruction during the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) is presented for a high mountain area of La Covacha massif in Sierra de Gredos(Iberian Central System) in central Spain. The moraines that, according with the previous literature, had formed during the global LGM, were mapped through photo interpretation of digital aerial photographs and 3D images and detailed field surveys. The topography of the paleoglaciers was estimated using a simple steady-state model that assumed a perfectly plastic ice rheology, reconstructing the theoretical ice profiles and obtaining the ice thickness of the glaciers during the LGM. The reconstruction of the glaciers was carried out using automated and semi-automated physically-based models, obtaining more realistic results with semi-automated models. According to our study, the paleoglaciers in the study area covered an area of 34.79 km~2 during the global LGM, with a maximum ice thickness of 366 meters in La Vega gorge, a total volume of 34.25 × 108 m~3 and a mean paleoELA of 1932 meters. Most of the ice(～82%) was in paleoglaciers facing north, and the rest was in paleoglaciers with other orientations. This emphasizes the importance of orientation in relation to glacier dynamics and ice accumulation. The results obtained in the calculation of paleoELAs during the global LGM in Gredos are average compared to the Iberian mountains of the Northwest where the values were much lower, and with respect to those of the Southwest, much higher. This demonstrates the importance of the exposure of Mediterranean mountains to the humidity sources coming from the NW during the global LGM, as is the case at present.     

计算机随机样品模拟

本文介绍了利用计算机产生给定误差分布的模拟随机样品的一种方法。     

Logs and snags in a shola forest of Kerala, India

Introduction Dead wood is an important structural and functional component of a forest ecosystem(Fridman and Welheim 2000). Recent studies also indicate that dead wood is important for maintaining both plant and animal diversity in different forest ecosystems (Grove 2001) as it serve as an energy source (Bray and Gorham 1964) and habitat for an array of organisms. Dead wood can also help reduce erosion, increase soil organic matters (McFee and Stone 1966), and suitable conditions for seedli…     

Near-infrared spectroscopy of dark asteroids

Near-infrared (J, H and K bands) spectra of nine dark asteroids (chosen among a sample of supposed primitive objects between C and D classes) have been obtained at the Mauna Kea Observatory (Hawaii) with the 2.2-m telescope using KSPEC as spectrograph. The aim of this work was to search for evidence of the presence of organic materials in these objects as found in other planetary bodies as 5145 Pholus, and in some cometary nuclei. A careful analysis of the data has revealed flat or slightly redder spectra than the solar one for all observed asteroids. No evidence of distinct absorption features was found.     

Nitrogen sulfide in quiescent dark clouds

We report the first detection of interstellar nitrogen sulfide (NS) in cold dark clouds. Several components of the 2 pi 1/2, J = 3/2 --> 1/2 and J = 5/2 --> 3/2 transitions were observed in TMC-1 and L134N. The inferred column density for TMC-1 is NNS approximately 8 x 10(12)cm-2 toward the NH3 peak in that cloud, and in L134N is NNS approximately 3 x 10(12)cm-2 toward the position of peak NH3 emission. These values correspond to fractional abundances relative to molecular hydrogen of fNS approximately 8 x 10(-10) for TMC-1, and fNS approximately 6 x 10(-10) for L134N. The NS emission is extended along the TMC-1 ridge and is also extended in L134N. The measured abundances are significantly higher than those predicted by some recent gas phase ion-molecule models.     

Radio Emission from Three-dimensional Relativistic Hydrodynamic Jets: Observational Evidence of Jet Stratification

High-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio, blue-violet spectra of three red giant branch tip stars in M15 have been obtained with the Keck I High-Resolution Echelle Spectrograph. These spectra have been analyzed to determine the abundances of several neutron-capture elements, including the radioactive chronometer element thorium. There are two principal results of this study. First, the abundances of the heavier (Z>/=56) elements for each of the three stars is well matched by a scaled solar system r-process abundance distribution. Second, a weighted mean-observed Th/Eu ratio for the stars implies an age for the neutron-capture material in M15 stars of 14+/-3 Gyr, in reasonable agreement with other recent age estimates for Galactic globular clusters.     

A Measurement of Omega from the North American Test Flight of Boomerang

We use the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background, measured during the North American test flight of the Boomerang experiment, to constrain the geometry of the universe. Within the class of cold dark matter models, we find that the overall fractional energy density of the universe Omega is constrained to be 0.85相似文献