Mitochondrial Genome Architecture and Evolutionary Origin of the Yao Silkworm,a Living Fossil of the Domestic Silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

The Yao silkworm is a unique silkworm resource producing yellow flat plate silk that has only been reared by the Baiku Yao ethnic group in Nandan County, Guangxi Province, China for a thousand years. Here, we report the mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of five Yao silkworm strains and 10 local Guangxi strains of the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori) L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), and use the resulting mitogenomes and the available Bombyx mitogenomes to characterize their genome architecture and trace the evolutionary origin of the Yao silkworm. The five Yao silkworm mitogenomes exhibited genome architectures identical to typical set of 37 mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, and two ribosomal RNAs) and a high level of genome sequence similarity with the domestic silkworm. Mitogenome-based phylogenetic reconstruction provided solid evidence that the Yao silkworm shares a common ancestor with the domestic silkworm. Sliding window analysis uncovered a distinct variation pattern in the mitogenome between the Yao silkworm and the other domestic silkworm strains. The phylogenetic analyses revealed a basal placement of the Yao silkworm among all available domestic silkworm strains, indicating that the Yao silkworm is an ancient population of the domestic silkworm. Our data indicated that the Yao silkworm (B. mori) is a lineage of the domestic silkworm, which for the first time provides insights into the origin of the Yao silkworm.     

宝龙店水曲柳无性系生长早期评价

以28个水曲柳无性系为材料,测定其树高、胸径生长性状,进行变异分析,筛选出优良无性系.结果表明:各无性系的树高、胸径极显著相关(P<0.01),无性系间树高、胸径差异均达极显著差异水(P<0.01).以20％的入选率,初选出无性系1333、1311、1322、1312、1321和1323为优良无性系,6个无性系平均树高...     

塔里木河流域水量变化对生态环境影响分析

本文以塔里木河流域的10个水文站1961~2000年观测资料为基础,对塔里木河流域的径流变化及其对下游生态环境影响进行了分析。分析得出:(1)20世纪60年代以来,塔里木河各源流的出山口径流量增加23.82×108m3,增幅达14.97%,但是,能汇入塔里木河干流的水量并没有增加,而且比60年代减少了8.8×108m3,减幅达17.41%。(2)近40年以来,由于塔里木河干流上中游地区的耕地面积急剧扩大,用水量剧增,使下游的来水量比60年代减少7.72×108m3,减幅达76.13%。(3)由于塔里木河上中游耗水量的增加,塔里木河下游来水量逐年减少以至断流,由此造成下游生态环境出现较大的变化,主要表现有:河水盐化严重,灾害性天气出现的次数大幅增加,河道断流,地下水位下降,天然植被严重衰败,沙漠化过程加重。(4)实施塔里木河流域水资源的统一管理,统筹分配上、中、下游水量,调整大农业生产方向,完善流域节水改造配套工程,发展节水型农业,是塔里木河下游受损生态环境恢复与重建的关键。     

甘肃红豆草品种特征特性分化变异及提纯研究

通过测定当年播种的甘肃红豆草Onobrychis viciaefolia Scop.cv.Gansu苗期真叶叶型、叶序叶数模式、生育期、株型、根颈分枝色泽、种子刺型的差别,结果表明,甘肃红豆草种群存在分化变异,已严重退化.建议:采取真叶选育和片选法结合,通过单株选育,培育红豆草早、中、晚熟品系.     

寄生虫的抗原变异

文章对寄生虫的抗原变异情况和消除抗原变异对免疫预防影响的主要方面进行了评述，许多种类寄生虫绝大部分表面怕变异频繁，从而逃避了宿主动物的免疫作用，变异最频繁的是各种寄生于人和哺乳动物的锥虫，其次是寄生于人和灵长类动物的几种疟原虫，再其次是寄生于哺乳动物和人的巴贝斯虫，还有几种属鞭毛虫纲、孢子虫纲和蠕虫的寄生虫，一般认为导致抗原变异的作用机制是表达抗原的基因发生了改变，正在表达的基因停止表达，而同时另一个基因却活化了，对于某些寄生虫抗原变异的规律虽已有揭示，但尚未揭示清全部主要规律，另一些种类寄生虫的抗原变异规律尚不清楚，基因活化的调控亦不甚清楚。抗原变异逃避了宿主动物的免疫，人们已提出了多种克服了的方法与设想，有些已在实验试验中出现端倪，但尚未形成临床上实用的技术，文章对它们也进行了讨论。     

基于信息熵的天山山区降水时空变化特征

降水是山区气候中最重要的气象要素之一,其大小及变化直接关系到干旱山区中、下游的生态环境与经济社会的发展,但是,由于技术和地理条件的限制,是难以精确观测的气象要素。本研究采用天山山区31个台站和1960-2008年间的实测降水资料,应用信息熵方法对天山山区年、季和月的降水变化特征进行分析。结果表明,天山山区降水在时间和空间上均存在变异性,时间变异性表现为信息熵的无序指数(DI)年际变化小于季节变化,季节变化小于月变化。DI多年变化特征呈现下降趋势;冬季DI变化最为显著,夏季最小;冬季北坡降水随高程的增加DI变化呈显著增加趋势(P0.05),春、夏和秋季南坡降水随高程的增加DI变化呈显著减少趋势(P0.05)。山区月降水4-9月逐渐增加,10月至次年3月降水逐渐减少,月降水DI的变化与降水变化呈反相特征。在空间上DI变化与降水的分布相反,表现为南强北弱,东强西弱,伊犁河谷降水DI变化最小。结果证明,DI方法能够有效地分析山区降水的时空变化特征,为合理开发山区的水资源提供科学依据。     

Physiological Predictors in Calves of Dairy Breeds: Part 1. Genetic Parameters of Basal and Induced Growth Hormone Secretion

Abstract

Genetic variation in plasma growth hormone (GH) concentration before and after GRF (growth hormone releasing factor) stimulation was studied in young bulls (N=284) and heifers (N=212), the progeny of 53 sires of four dairy and dual-purpose breeds (Danish Jersey, Red Dane, Danish Friesian and Danish Red and White). Male and female calves were reared, fed and tested on separate experimental stations; thus sex, station and feeding were completely confounded effects. The animals were tested at about 9 months of age, after a 24 h fast. GH concentration was measured in serial plasma samples collected for 1 h before and 1 h following intravenous administration of 2.0 ug synthetic GRF(1–29)NH₂/kg live weight^>0.75. Prior to statistical analysis, concentrations were log_e-transformed. Response variables were BASELINE (mean GH in -15, -5 and 0 min samples) and PEAK (mean GH in 10, 15 and 20 min samples). A statistical model taking at least three generations of ancestral relationships into account was used to estimate variance and covariance components for traits in male and female calves by use of restricted maximum likelihood methods.

Heritability of BASELINE was low (0.04 ± 0.12) in males but high in females (0.60 ± 0.16). The heritability of PEAK was high in both sexes (males, 0.42 ± 0.16; females, 0.60 ± 0.16). Genetic correlations between the same trait measured in males and females were low for BASELINE (r _g = 0.32±0.55) but high for PEAK (r _g = 0.82±0.15). Within sex, BASELINE and PEAK were both highly genetically correlated (males, r _g=0.62 ± 0.40; females, r _g= 1.00 ± 0.07).

We conclude that growth hormone concentration is a highly heritable trait in juvenile cattle of both sexes, and that GRF stimulation is benificial to the uncovering of genetic differences among animals.     

玉龙喀什河平原区地下水矿化度的时空变异研究

对玉龙喀什河平原区面积约942km^2的地下水进行两期取样检测矿化度,各取得了202个地下水矿化度样本,应用地质统计学方法（对取得数据进行了半方差函数分析）计算了均值、方差、标准差、变异系数等统计特征值。在此基础上,将分形理论与地质统计学原理相结合,计算了玉龙喀什河平原区在1999年和2003年的地下水矿化度,分形维数分别为1．67,1．43,变异系数分别为0．46,0．51,可见,2003年地下水矿化度的均匀性要比1999年差。初步研究表明,干旱区表层地下水的矿化度并非属理想分形的介质,它仅在一定的尺度内才具有分形特征。通过对1999年及2003年水样的分析,得出该地区地下水矿化度在空间与时间上皆存在明显的变异性。在空间尺度上,研究区地下水矿化度中部大于东西部;东北部大于西北部。在时间尺度上,随着时间的推移（1999-2003年）研究区中部的地下水矿化度有逐渐升高的趋势。     

Genetic variation in the 5′UTR of the KRT2.13 gene of sheep

KRT2.13 is a type II keratin wool intermediate filament (IF) protein. Extensive variation was revealed in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of the ovine KRT2.13 gene (KRT2.13) using polymerase chain reaction – single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR‐SSCP) analysis. Nine unique PCR‐SSCP patterns were obtained with individual sheep having either one (homozygous), or a combination of two (heterozygous) of these patterns. Seven of the amplicons that produced the apparently homozygous patterns were successfully sequenced (GenBank FJ217670 – FJ217676), revealing eight single nucleotide insertions, 10 single nucleotide substitutions, a nucleotide deletion and a 16 nucleotide insertion that occurred in only one of the sequences. The seven sequences showed between 85% and 95% homology to the previously identified KRT2.13 sequence (GenBank X72379). This study emphasizes the power of PCR‐SSCP analysis in genotyping, as this extensive variation was found in only 100 sheep, of a variety of breeds. Since variation in the 5′UTR of genes may affect their expression, this genetic variation needs to be further studied to establish its role if any, in influencing gene expression and consequently wool traits.