The streetlight effect in climate change research on Africa

The streetlight effect is the tendency for researchers to focus on particular questions, cases and variables for reasons of convenience or data availability rather than broader relevance, policy import, or construct validity. To what extent does the streetlight effect condition the state of knowledge about climate change in Africa? Analysis of Google Scholar search results, both general and within leading climate change-related journals, reveals that two proxies for objective need, population and land mass, are associated with a higher volume of scholarly attention. Countries with greater exposure to the negative effects of climate change and countries with less adaptive capacity do not receive more scholarly attention. Rather, I find evidence that factors like British colonial history, strong civil liberties, and to a lesser extent political stability − factors not directly related to risks from climate change − affect scholarly attention. The streetlight effect is evident in climate change research on Africa.     

Nucleotide sequence of β-tubulin gene from the soft coralscleronephthya gracillimum (kükenthal)

We cloned the complete cDNA of the β-tubulin from the soft coral,Scleronephthya gracillimum (Kükenthal) (Alcyonacea, Octocorallia, Anthozoa, Cnidaria), via the random sequencing of a cDNA library and the 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) technique. The full-length cDNA of theS. gracillimum β-tubulin comprised 1541 bp, not including the poly (A)⁺ stretch, also contained a complete open reading frame, which codes for a total of 445 amino acids. The amino acid residues 16-402 appeared to be in a state of conservation in a variety of animals. Northern blot analysis clearly demonstrated that the sequence we have obtained is, indeed, the full-length cDNA of the β-tubulin gene inS. gracillimum.     

三角褐指藻磷酸甘油酸变位酶基因可能侧翼序列的筛选、克隆以及序列测定

采用RT PCR的方法从酵母中成功地得到了磷酸甘油酸变位酶的cDNA基因 ,分别用32 P和地高辛 ddUTP标记以用作探针。以32 P标记的探针筛选三角褐指藻基因组文库 ,获得了 4kb的阳性DNA片段 ;进一步分析发现 ,该 4kb片段的真正阳性区域是位于片段端部的30 6bp的序列 ,因此认为该序列为三角褐指藻磷酸甘油酸变位酶基因的侧翼部分。克隆该30 6bp的DNA片段 ,并且测定其序列。结果表明 ,该 30 6bp的DNA片段包含两个同向重复序列 ,每个重复序列的大小为 1 1 6bp ,在每个重复序列中均含有GGTTCAATGT区域 ,这与一般常见的真核基因 5′端的CAATbox有相似之处。     

鳗弧菌(Vibrio anguillarum)侵染对青蛤(Cyclina sinensis)髓样分化因子88基因表达的影响

经转录组测序后筛选并克隆得到青蛤(Cyclina sinensis)髓样分化因子88(myeloid differenttiation factor 88,My D88)的c DNA序列。在鳗弧菌(Vibrio anguillarum)胁迫下,采用荧光定量PCR法分析了My D88基因在青蛤体内的表达过程。结果显示,青蛤My D88基因的开放阅读框为1521bp,编码506个氨基酸,分子量约为57.14k Da,氨基酸N段存在DEATH结构域,C段存在TIR结构域(Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor domain)。My D88基因在青蛤血淋巴、肝脏、外套膜、鳃和闭壳肌等组织中普遍表达,但在血淋巴中表达量最高,与其它组织出现显著性差异(P0.05)。通过检测鳗弧菌刺激下My D88基因在青蛤血淋巴中的表达值,发现My D88基因在24h开始升高,48h达到最大值,约为对照组的10倍,实验组与对照组及空白组均出现了极显著性差异(P0.01);研究结果表明,该基因在软体动物的免疫应答反应中对革兰氏阴性菌有识别作用。     

ROBUST: The ROle of BUffering capacities in STabilising coastal lagoon ecosystems

“Buffer capacities” has been defined in ecology as a holistic concept (e.g., Integration of Ecosystem Theories: A Pattern, second ed. Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1997, 388pp), but we show that it can also be worked out in mechanistic studies. Our mechanistic approach highlights that “buffering capacities” can be depleted progressively, and, therefore, we make a distinction between current and potential “buffering capacities”. We have applied this concept to understand the limited “local stability” in seagrass ecosystems and their vulnerability towards structural changes into macro-algal dominated communities. We explored the following processes and studied how they confer buffering capacities to the seagrass ecosystem: (i) net autotrophy is persistent in Zostera noltii meadows where plant assimilation acts as a sink for nutrients, this contrasted with the Ulva system that shifted back and forth between net autotrophy and net heterotrophy; (ii) the Z. noltii ecosystem possesses a certain albeit rather limited capacity to modify the balance between nitrogen fixation and denitrification, i.e., it was found that in situ nitrogen fixation always exceeded denitrification; (iii) the nitrogen demand of organoheterotrophic bacteria in the sediment results in nitrogen retention of N in the sediment and hence a buffer against release of nitrogen compounds from sediments, (iv) habitat diversification in seagrass meadows provides shelter for meiofauna and hence buffering against adverse conditions, (v) sedimentary iron provides a buffer against noxious sulfide (note: bacterial sulfide production is enhanced in anoxic sediment niches by increased organic matter loading). On the other hand, in the coastal system we studied, sedimentary iron appears less important as a redox-coupled buffer system against phosphate loading. This is because most inorganic phosphate is bound to calcium rather than to iron. In addition, our studies have highlighted the importance of plant–microbe interactions in the seagrass meadows.     

激光SLAM精度测试场设计与实现

同时定位与地图构建（SLAM）系统在机器人、自动驾驶和移动测量等领域有广泛的应用，但目前系统精度的测试方法尚不完善。针对SLAM系统精度测试的实际需求，本文提出了一种SLAM高精度测试场的建立方法。首先建立三维控制网，然后利用三维激光扫描技术对环境信息进行采集，最终构建出用于测试SLAM系统精度的高精度三维点云特征库。试验结果表明，建立的三维点云特征库包含丰富的特征信息，具有真实地理坐标，精度达到毫米级，可以较好地满足SLAM精度测试的需求。     

基于GDI+的高精度地图符号库的设计与实现

通过对地图符号的数据结构进行分析，设计出满足地图需求的高精度地图符号，方便地图符号库的管理与维护。此外，考虑到线型符号绘制中的速度慢的特点，提出了高效率的绘制方法，设计并实现了一个较好的地图符号库系统。     

Molecular cloning and mRNA expression of cytochrome P4501A1 and 1A2 in the liver of common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

This study presents full-length cDNA sequences of CYP1A1 and 1A2, in common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from the North Pacific. Both CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 cDNAs had an open reading frame of 516 amino acid residues, and predicted molecular masses were 58.3 kDa and 58.1 kDa, respectively. The deduced full-length amino acid sequence of CYP1A1 revealed higher identities with those of sheep (86%) and pig (87%), and that of CYP1A2 was most closely related to human (82%) and monkey CYP1A2 (82%) among species from which CYP1A2 has been isolated so far. Differences in certain conserved and functional amino acid residues of CYP1A1 and 1A2 between common minke whale and other mammalian species indicate the possibility of their specific metabolic function. Concentrations of organochlorine compounds (OCs) including PCBs and DDTs analyzed in common minke whale liver showed no significant correlation with hepatic mRNA expression levels of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, indicating no induction of these enzymes by such OCs.     

Whither Critical Inquiry?*

In his article, “Whither Geography?,” Jay R. Harman raised a number of important issues regarding the nature and direction of geographic scholarship. In this response I critically address some of those issues and offer an alternative perspective. In doing so, I support Harman's desire for the discipline to “help answer deep human questions” but argue that rather than reinforce the vitality and legitimacy of the discipline, a market‐based approach of the sort he advocates could instead potentially undermine such objectives and compromise disciplinary integrity by discouraging critical inquiry. While acknowledging the influence of “the market,” I defend a place for critical inquiry within the discipline.