Genetic variation and population evolutionary history of the giant mottled eel （Anguilla marmorata） based on the mito- chondrial D-loop gene

通过测定花鳗鲡∞nguilliamarmorata）海南群体（HN）和菲律宾群体（PH）共19尾个体的线粒体D．100p基因的核苷酸序列（约1017bp）,分析了花鳗鲡的种群遗传结构。结果表明：A、T、G、C4种核苷酸的平均含量分别为39．8％、28_3％、12．4％、19．4％,A＋T含量（68．1％）明显高于G＋C含量（31．8％）。所测序列中存在73个变异位点,共有18个单倍型。其中海南群体的单倍型多样度（删）、核苷酸多态性（Pi）、平均核苷酸差异数（纠分别为0．982、0．21577和219．655,而菲律宾群体的单倍型多样度、核苷酸多态性、平均核苷酸差异数分别为1．000、0．26728和271．821,两个群体之间平均遗传距离（P）为0．3203。结果表明2个群体遗传变异较大,菲律宾群体的遗传多样性较海南群体更加丰富。通过构建NJ分子系统树表明2个群体的亲缘关系较近。利用中性检验Tajima’s D（海南群体D=I．35345,P〉0．01;菲律宾群体D=0．79220,P〉0．01）和Fs（海南群体Fs=3．759;菲律宾群体Fs=2．231）探讨其种群历史,表明花鳗鲡群体进化过程种群数量较为稳定。     

Life Recovery of 1995 Kobe Earthquake Survivors in Nishinomiya City: A Total-Quality-Management-Based Assessment of Disadvantaged Populations

The main objectives of this study were (1) to examine what has beenrecovered and what has not yet been recovered in Nishinomiya City five years after the GreatHanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and (2) to find current service needs for the earthquake survivors,especially for the disadvantaged populations. Disadvantaged populations are minorities in society, andtheir needs and opinions are often ignored and not reflected in the services or mitigation policy,despite the fact that they are the ones who are affected most by various hazards. At the same time, becauseof their unique characteristics and positions in society, their needs differ from the majorityof the society. Six hundred eighty-six opinion cards were collected in nine grassroots workshopsessions with various disadvantaged groups in Nishinomiya City, such as the physically challenged,the visually impaired, the elderly living in public housing, junior and senior high school students,mothers with small children, and those who lost their own homes because of the earthquake. Theseopinion cards were sorted out and analyzed by using a TQM(Total Quality Management)-basedassessment method. Since the TQM-based assessment method allows bottom-up integration ofopinions from each individual, it helps us identify unique needs of the disadvantaged groupsand reflect their opinions in mitigation plan and policies. The main findings of this study include (1)the city redevelopment cannot be achieved without integrating the viewpoints of thedisadvantaged; (2) the social support was a key resource for both mental health and community development;and (3) disaster experiences and adaptation produced civic mindedness among people in a community.     

磁县南城墓地先商文化时期人群来源多元化的锶同位素证据

目前,"殷人屡迁"已是史学界的基本共识。然而,先商族群在空间上的分布和迁移范围仍缺乏相应的研究。近年来的考古研究显示,先商文化（约2000~1600 BC）主要分布在太行山东麓豫北冀南地区,相关人群的频繁迁移也似在此范围内。结合文献学和考古学的研究,本研究基于磁县南城墓地人和猪的牙本质、牙釉质的Sr同位素研究,为先商文化人群的迁移行为及与之相关的社会文化现象提供了直接证据。具体说来,5例家猪牙釉质的Sr同位素均值表明,当地⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr基准值的范围为0.711614~0.712046。19个先民中有15例个体牙釉质的Sr同位素比值在当地的⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr基准值范围之外,这说明大量个体幼年时可能不在本地生活,即南城墓地先商居民中可能存在着较大比例的迁移个体。当然,也不排除家猪的样品量有限,导致当地⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr基准值范围过窄的可能性,进而使得南城墓地先商居民出现较大比例迁移个体的假象,因此期待开展更多后续工作。结合先商文化墓地的考古学研究,有理由认为南城墓地部分人群可能来自北方地区、胶东半岛和山西等。南城墓地人群所代表的先商文化人群来源的多元化现象,对先商文化的发展和壮大起到了重要作用。

     

Parentage determination of black sea bream(Acanthopagrus schlegelii) for stock enhancement:effectiveness and loss of genetic variation

The stock enhancement programs for black sea bream Acanthopagrus schlegelii have been conducted in China for a fewyears.However,little information has been reported concerning the effectiveness and genetic effect of black sea bream stock enhancement.In order to detect the contribution of released individuals in Zhujiang River Estuary(ZRE) and Daya Bay(DB),six microsatellite markers were used to identify the hatchery-released individuals.In addition,this pedigree of hatchery populations(broodfish and hatchery-released offspring) was traced to detect the number of effective parents(N_e),the inbreeding coefficient and the decrease of genetic variability in the reproduction.The pedigree reconstruction showed that at least 69(out of 93) broodfish had offspring.The estimated N_e was 54.8,consequently the inbreeding coefficient was 0.91%.The genetic diversity of hatchery-released offspring was lower than that in that of broodfish(heterozygosity alleles,0.727-0.774),some alleles(number of alleles,61-69) and genetic variance were lost during reproduction.It was observed that wild samples had higher levels of genetic diversity compared with hatchery populations as well as recaptured samples in releasing area.A total of 128 hatchery-released black sea bream were identified among 487 recaptured samples in ZRE,while a total of 15 samples were identified among 96 samples in DB.In summary,there was a high survival of released fish.Nevertheless,the results provided evidence to consider a loss of genetic variation in hatcheryreleased stock and a negative genetic effect of the stock enhancement.     

Æolian dust deposition rates, particle-sizes and contributions to soils along a transect in semi-arid New South Wales, Australia

The entrainment, transport and deposition of æolian dust are important processes affecting soil development at the margins of deserts. To assess accurately the impact of deposited æolian dust on soil development, it is important not only to measure total dust deposition rates, but to distinguish additions of remotely and regionally sourced dust from locally derived material as well (which should not be viewed as new soil material as it is derived from æolian re‐mobilization of an existing soil). Because of the well‐established relationship between dust particle‐size and distance travelled from source, the particle‐size distribution of deposited dusts can be used to identify the distance to probable source regions, in addition to identifying matching topsoil particle populations. Three dust traps were located along a transect of semi‐arid south‐eastern Australia, to measure æolian dust deposition rates between late 2000 and late 2001. The particle‐size distributions of selected dust deposits were measured and, with the aid of meteorological data, probable dust source regions determined. Particle‐size distributions of the topsoils at each dust trap location were also measured to determine if any dust and soil particle populations matched. Although the sampling period was relatively short, and there was relatively little dust storm activity in this part of Australia during this time, a clear pattern of diminishing total dust deposition was measured downwind along the south‐east dust path. Dust deposition rates were also moderate to low by global standards. Source regions of deposited dust were interpreted as being: (i) a combination of south‐western and local sources; (ii) a combination of north‐western and local sources; and (iii) a mixed source where dust was rained‐out. The relative importance of these sources was correlated strongly with seasonal weather conditions, although the proportion of local dust in each deposit was greater at the arid (western) end of the transect. The effects of deposited dust on soil profile development are greatest at the western and central transect locations. At the western location, a fine‐grained particle population distinctive of the south‐western and north‐western regional dusts and a coarse silt‐sized particle population characteristic of local dusts, are also present in the topsoil, altering the texture of this Arenosol derived from dune sand. At the central location, where a Calcisol has formed in lacustrine lunette sediment, local dust of the same size as the dominant silt population of the topsoil continues to be deposited, while minor topsoil populations of very fine‐grained silt match regional and long‐distance dusts deposited at the site. Deposited dust appears to have been a less important soil development factor at the more humid eastern site because of the much smaller rates of dust deposition there. Nevertheless, a minor population of very fine silt particles in the Vertisol topsoil matches long‐distance dusts deposited at the site, suggesting a small input of dust to this alluvial soil. The particle‐size methodology used here has applications in other studies of dust contributions to peri‐desert soils. In particular, particle‐size distribution ‘smoothness’ may provide an indication of whether soils have simple or complex origins.     

褐煤中天然产甲烷菌富集培养与生物气产出模拟

采用厌氧培养方法,在云南省昭通褐煤样品中成功地培养富集了活性厌氧细菌,并进一步开展了为期60天的生物气生成模拟实验,分析了生物气的生成规律、物质组成和成因机制。结果揭示：3件褐煤样品中均有活性厌氧细菌存在,以纤维素分解菌为主,活性硫酸盐还原菌极其微少,说明昭通盆地褐煤层具有较强还原性的生化环境,有利于产甲烷菌的繁盛;生物气的生成经历了生气量缓慢增长、显著增高、趋于减缓三个阶段,表明产甲烷菌在经历了第一阶段缓慢繁殖后,其数量和活性在第二阶段达到较高水平;3件煤样生气量和生气历程存在一定差别的原因,可能在于原煤中活性产甲烷菌数量以及显微组分组成方面存在差异,褐煤生物气生成过程至少存在两个以上的生气高峰阶段。模拟实验中产生的生物气几乎全部由CH4和CO2组成,且CH4占主要部分,几乎没有检测到重烃气。甲烷气体δ13C1和δD的平均值均处于生物甲烷碳、氢同位素组成的正常分布范围。     

Star Formation in the Outskirts of Disk Galaxies

The far outer regions of galactic disks allow an important probe of both star formation and galaxy formation. I discuss how observations of HII regions in these low gas density, low metallicity environments can shed light on the physical processes which drive galactic star formation. The history of past star formation at large radii, as traced by observations of old and intermediate-age stars, constrains the epoch at which the highest angular momentum regions of disks were in place; first results for the M31 disk suggest this occured a significant (≳ 8 Gyr) time ago. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The resolved red giant branches of E/S0 galaxies

Formation paradigms for massive galaxies have long centered around two antipodal hypotheses – the monolithic-collapse and the accretion/merger scenarios. Empirical data on the stellar contents of galaxy halos is crucial in order to develop galaxy formation and assembly scenarios which have their root in observations, rather than in numerical simulations. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has enabled us to study directly individual stars in the nearby E/S0 galaxies Cen A, NGC 3115, NGC 5102, and NGC 404. We here present and discuss HST single-star photometry in V and I bands. Using color-magnitude diagrams and stellar luminosity functions, we gauge the galaxies' stellar contents. This can be done at more than one position in the halo, but data with deeper limiting magnitudes are desired to quantify the variation of metallicity with galactocentric radius. We here compare the color distributions of red giant stars with stellar isochrones, and we intercompare the galaxies' halo populations, noting that their total absolute V magnitudes cover the range from about –21.5 to –17.5. In the future, we plan to model the stellar metallicity distributions with the aim to constrain chemical enrichment scenarios, a step towards unravelling the evolutionary history of elliptical and lenticular galaxies. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Population statistics study of radio and gamma-ray pulsars in the Galactic plane

We present results of our pulsar population synthesis of normal and millisecond pulsars in the Galactic plane. Over the past several years, a program has been developed to simulate pulsar birth, evolution and emission using Monte Carlo techniques. We have added to the program the capability to simulate millisecond pulsars, which are old, recycled pulsars with extremely short periods. We model the spatial distribution of the simulated pulsars by assuming that they start with a random kick velocity and then evolve through the Galactic potential. We use a polar cap/slot gap model for γ-ray emission from both millisecond and normal pulsars. From our studies of radio pulsars that have clearly identifiable core and cone components, in which we fit the polarization sweep as well as the pulse profiles in order to constrain the viewing geometry, we develop a model describing the ratio of radio core-to-cone peak fluxes. In this model, short period pulsars are more cone-dominated than in our previous studies. We present the preliminary results of our recent study and the implications for observing these pulsars with GLAST and AGILE.