ALBERT

Description:    This is a comment on Thatje (Naturwissenschaften 97:237–239, 2010 ) The multiple faces of journal peer review, Naturwissenschaften, 97:237–239. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-2 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0812-1 Authors Ivan Couée, UMR CNRS 6553 Ecosystems-Biodiversity-Evolution, University of Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, bâtiment 14A, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Most orb-web spiders face downwards in the web. A downward orientation has been proposed to be the optimal strategy because spiders run faster downwards and thus can catch prey quicker. Consequently, orb-web spiders also extend their web in the lower part, leading to top-down web asymmetry. Since the majority of orb-web spiders face downwards, it has been difficult to test the effect of orientation on prey capture and web asymmetry. In this study, we explored the influence of reverse orientation on foraging efficiency and web asymmetry in Verrucosa arenata , a neotropical orb-web spider that faces upwards in the web. We show that reverse orientation does not imply reverse web asymmetry in this species. V. arenata spiders captured more prey in the lower part of the web but more prey per area on the upper part. The average running speeds of spiders did not differ between upward and downward running, but heavier spiders took longer to capture prey while running upwards. We discuss these findings in the context of foraging efficiency and web asymmetry. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0811-2 Authors Dinesh Rao, INBIOTECA, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Culturas Veracruzanas No.101, Col. E. Zapata, CP 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico Oscar Ceballos Fernandez, INBIOTECA, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Culturas Veracruzanas No.101, Col. E. Zapata, CP 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico Ernesto Castañeda-Barbosa, INBIOTECA, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Culturas Veracruzanas No.101, Col. E. Zapata, CP 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico Francisco Díaz-Fleischer, INBIOTECA, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Culturas Veracruzanas No.101, Col. E. Zapata, CP 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Unpublished field observations in Leucauge argyra , a tropical orb weaver spider, suggest the occurrence of conspicuous mating plugs that could reduce or prevent remating attempts. Otherwise, the sexual behavior of this species remains unknown. The aims of this study were to describe the courtship behavior and copulation in L. argyra and investigate mating plug formation in this species. Fourteen virgin females and 12 plugged females were exposed to up to three males and checked for mating plug formation. Of the 12 virgins that copulated, nine produced plugs (five immediately after copulation), and the five plugged females that copulated produced another mating plug immediately after copulation. We did not detect the transfer of any male substance during copulation but observed a whitish liquid emerging from female genital ducts. Plug formation was positively associated with male twanging during courtship. One virgin and four plugged females cannibalized males. In seven trials with virgins and in three trials with plugged females, the male’s palp adhered to a substance that emerged from female genital ducts and spread on her genital plate. The male had to struggle energetically to free his glued palp; two of these males were cannibalized while trying to release their palps. Females seem to determine copulation duration by altering the timing of mating plug formation and through sexual cannibalism. This is the first case reported of a mating plug as a sticky trap for males. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0807-y Authors Anita Aisenberg, Laboratorio de Etología, Ecología y Evolución, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, CP 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay Gilbert Barrantes, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, San José, Costa Rica Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    In the blowfly Phormia regina , experience of simultaneous feeding with d -limonene exposure inhibits proboscis extension reflex (PER) due to decreased tyramine (TA) titer in the brain. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of TA signaling pathway related to the associated feeding behavior, we cloned cDNA encoding the octopamine/TA receptor (PregOAR/TAR). The deduced protein is composed of 607 amino acid residues and has 7 predicted transmembrane domains. Based on homology and phylogenetic analyses, this protein belongs to the OAR/TAR family. The PregOAR/TAR was mainly expressed in head, with low levels of expression in other tissues at adult stages. Gene expression profile is in agreement with a plethora of functions ascribed to TA in various insect tissues. The immunolabeled cell bodies and processes were localized in the medial protocerebrum, outer layer of lobula, antennal lobe, and subesophageal ganglion. These results suggest that decrease of TA level in the brain likely affects neurons expressing PregOAR/TAR , causing mediation of the sensitivity in the sensillum and/or output of motor neurons for PER. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0806-z Authors Yuko Ishida, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1–1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657–8501 Japan Mamiko Ozaki, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1–1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657–8501 Japan Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    In a predator–prey system where both intervenients come from the same taxon, one can expect a strong selection on behavioural and morphological traits involved in prey capture. For example, in specialised snake-eating snakes, the predator is unaffetced by the venom of the prey. We predicted that similar adaptations should have evolved in spider-eating (araneophagous) spiders. We investigated potential and actual prey of two Palpimanus spiders ( P. gibbulus , P. orientalis ) to support the prediction that these are araneophagous predators. Specific behavioural adaptations were investigated using a high-speed camera during staged encounters with prey, while morphological adaptations were investigated using electron microscopy. Both Palpimanus species captured a wide assortment of spider species from various guilds but also a few insect species. Analysis of the potential prey suggested that Palpimanus is a retreat-invading predator that actively searches for spiders that hide in a retreat. Behavioural capture adaptations include a slow, stealthy approach to the prey followed by a very fast attack. Morphological capture adaptations include scopulae on forelegs used in grabbing prey body parts, stout forelegs to hold the prey firmly, and an extremely thick cuticle all over the body preventing injury from a counter bite of the prey. Palpimanus overwhelmed prey that was more than 200% larger than itself. In trials with another araneophagous spider, Cyrba algerina (Salticidae), Palpimanus captured C. algerina in more than 90% of cases independent of the size ratio between the spiders. Evidence indicates that both Palpimanus species possesses remarkable adaptations that increase its efficiency in capturing spider prey. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0804-1 Authors Stano Pekár, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Jan Šobotník, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic Yael Lubin, Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University, 84990 Sede Boqer Campus, Beer-Sheva, Israel Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    The journey of the European eel to the spawning area in the Sargasso Sea is still a mystery. Several trials have been carried out to follow migrating eels with pop-up satellite tags (PSATs), without much success. As eels are very efficient swimmers, tags likely interfere with their high swimming efficiency. Here we report a more than twofold increase in swimming cost caused by a regular small satellite tag. The impact was determined at a range of swimming speeds with and without tag in a 2-m swimming tunnel. These results help to explain why the previous use of PSATs to identify spawning sites in the Sargasso Sea was thus far unsuccessful. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0805-0 Authors Erik Burgerhout, ZF-Screens BV, Niels Bohrweg 11, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands Ryotaro Manabe, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8546, Japan Sebastiaan A. Brittijn, ZF-Screens BV, Niels Bohrweg 11, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands Jun Aoyama, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8546, Japan Katsumi Tsukamoto, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8546, Japan Guido E. E. J. M. van den Thillart, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Gorlaeus Lab, POB 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Describing postures has always been a central concern when studying behaviour. However, attempts to compare postures objectively at phylogenetical, populational, inter- or intra-individual levels generally either rely upon a few key elements or remain highly subjective. Here, we propose a novel approach, based on well-established geometric morphometrics, to describe and to analyse postures globally (i.e. considering the animal’s body posture in its entirety rather than focusing only on a few salient elements, such as head or tail position). Geometric morphometrics is concerned with describing and comparing variation and changes in the form (size and shape) of organisms using the coordinates of a series of homologous landmarks (i.e. positioned in relation to skeletal or muscular cues that are the same for different species for every variety of form and function and that have derived from a common ancestor, i.e. they have a common evolutionary ancestry, e.g. neck, wings, flipper/hand). We applied this approach to horses, using global postures (1) to characterise behaviours that correspond to different arousal levels, (2) to test potential impact of environmental changes on postures. Our application of geometric morphometrics to horse postures showed that this method can be used to characterise behavioural categories, to evaluate the impact of environmental factors (here human actions) and to compare individuals and groups. Beyond its application to horses, this promising approach could be applied to all questions involving the analysis of postures (evolution of displays, expression of emotions, stress and welfare, behavioural repertoires…) and could lead to a whole new line of research. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0803-2 Authors Carole Fureix, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Martine Hausberger, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Emilie Seneque, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Stéphane Morisset, Hôpital E. Herriot, Unité de Recherche Clinique du Service d’Hématologie, 5 Place d’Arsonval, 69437 Lyon cedex 03, France Michel Baylac, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle CNRS-UMR 7205 and «plate-forme Morphométrie», UMS 2700, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France Raphaël Cornette, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle CNRS-UMR 7205 and «plate-forme Morphométrie», UMS 2700, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France Véronique Biquand, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Pierre Deleporte, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Efficient cooperation in eusocial insect colonies requires effective communication, and there is abundant evidence of non-volatile chemicals playing a role in regulating reproduction within colonies. In contrast, there have been fewer studies investigating the role of volatile chemicals. This study investigated the potential role of volatile chemicals in regulating queen reproduction either by directly inhibiting queen reproduction or by honestly signalling queen fecundity to workers. We tested this using multiple queen colonies of the ant ( Leptothorax acervorum ) from a functionally monogynous population where one queen monopolizes all reproduction. Nine colonies, each with an established laying queen, were split to produce two colony fragments—one containing the reproducing queen (group 1) and one containing only previously non-reproducing queens (group 2). Each group was separated by a fine wire mesh preventing physical contact, but allowing volatile chemical contact. In each group 2 fragment, we found that a single formerly non-reproductive queen commenced reproduction and that the rate of egg laying and maximum number of eggs recorded did not significantly differ between groups 1 and 2, results that do not support volatile chemicals as playing a role in regulating queen reproduction. Instead, our findings suggest that physical contact is necessary to maintain functional monogyny. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0801-4 Authors Duncan J. Coston, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX UK Richard J. Gill, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX UK Robert L. Hammond, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX UK Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Integral quantities, wind run, S , and recirculation factor, R , useful for describing air flow, are calculated and combined with CO 2 mixing ratios. Meteorological observations were obtained from a RASS sodar and CO 2 mixing ratios from a continuous analyzer installed at a rural site in the upper Spanish plateau. The measuring campaign spread over 3 years and two approaches were followed. The first approach considered integral quantities on a daily basis and two classifications of air flow, to date scarcely used. The first classification distinguished among stagnation, recirculation, and ventilation, the second considering synoptic, meso-, and local scales. Moreover, 52.94% of daily values handled in this paper corresponded to ventilation and 49.70% to synoptic scale. The main goal of this approach is the subsequent link between the two classifications: the synoptic scale was associated with ventilation, mesoscale with recirculation and local scale partially with recirculation. CO 2 observations were distributed in air flow groups following these classifications and mesoscale processes were satisfactorily described since noticeable evidence of transport from nearby cities was observed. In the second approach, S and R pairs were used and CO 2 mixing ratios were distributed following percent intervals of ventilation, calculated by binning these pairs. The main goal of the second approach is to consider only three groups of mixing ratios. In the first group, with high ventilation, mixing ratios were low. With intermediate ventilation, mixing ratios were medium, and with low ventilation mixing ratios were high. A contrast of 21 ppm between the third and first groups was obtained at the 95th percentile. Finally, the second group provided a contrast of 3 ppm between north and south directions and also between east and west attributed to transport from nearby cities. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0800-5 Authors Isidro A. Pérez, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain M. Luisa Sánchez, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain M. Ángeles García, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain Vanessa Paredes, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    The importance of olfaction in birds’ social behavior has long been denied. Avian chemical signaling has thus been relatively unexplored. The black-legged kittiwake provides a particularly appropriate model for investigating this topic. Kittiwakes preferentially mate with genetically dissimilar individuals, but the cues used to assess genetic characteristics remain unknown. As in other vertebrates, their body odors may carry individual and sexual signatures thus potentially reliably signaling individual genetic makeup. Here, we test whether body odors in preen gland secretion and preen down feathers in kittiwakes may provide a sex and an individual signature. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, we found that male and female odors differ quantitatively, suggesting that scent may be one of the multiple cues used by birds to discriminate between sexes. We further detected an individual signature in the volatile and nonvolatile fractions of preen secretion and preen down feathers. These results suggest that kittiwake body odor may function as a signal associated with mate recognition. It further suggests that preen odor might broadcast the genetic makeup of individuals, and could be used in mate choice to assess the genetic compatibility of potential mates. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0809-9 Authors Sarah Leclaire, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, ENFA; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique), 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France Thomas Merkling, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, ENFA; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique), 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France Christine Raynaud, INRA, LCA (Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-industrielle), F-31029 Toulouse, France Géraldine Giacinti, INRA, LCA (Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-industrielle), F-31029 Toulouse, France Jean-Marie Bessière, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier, 8 rue de l’Ecole Normale, 34296 Montpellier, France Scott A. Hatch, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA Étienne Danchin, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, ENFA; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique), 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Leg loss is a common phenomenon in spiders, and according to the species 5% to 40% of the adults can present at least one missing leg. There is no possibility of regeneration after adult moult and the animal must manage with its missing appendages until its death. With the loss of one or more legs, female orb-weaving spiders can be penalized twice: firstly, because the legs are necessary for web construction and secondly, the legs are essential for the control of the prey after its interception by the web. During development, spiders may be also penalized because regeneration has energetic costs that take away resources for survival, growth and reproduction. All these consequences should influence negatively the development of the spider and thus its fitness. We investigated the impact of leg loss in the orb-weaving spider, Zygiella x-notata by studying its frequency in a natural population and web building and prey capture behaviours in laboratory. In field populations, 9.5% to 13%, of the adult females presented the loss of one or more legs; the majority of individuals had lost only one leg (in 48% of cases, a first one). Leg loss seems to affect all the adult spiders, as there is no difference of mass between intact spiders and those with missing leg. Data obtained with laboratory-reared spiders, showed that the loss of legs due to the moult is rare (less than 1%). Considering changes in web design, spiders with missing legs decreased their silk investment, increased the distance between spiral turns but did not change the capture surface of the web. Under our laboratory experimental conditions, spiders with one or two lost legs did not present any difference in prey capture efficiency. In laboratory conditions, spiders with lost leg(s) did not show any difference in egg sac production or in longevity (adult lifespan) compared to intact spiders. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0799-7 Authors Alain Pasquet, Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, DEPE, CNRS UMR7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France Mylène Anotaux, Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, DEPE, CNRS UMR7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France Raymond Leborgne, Laboratoire: Expression and Evolution des Comportements, Université Henri Poincaré, Nancy-Université, B.P. 239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Small Auchenorrhyncha use substrate-borne vibrations to communicate. Although this behaviour is well known in adult leafhoppers, so far no studies have been published on nymphs. Here we checked the occurrence of vibrational communication in Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) nymphs as a possible explanation of their aggregative distributions on host plants. We studied possible vibratory emissions of isolated and grouped nymphs, as well as their behavioural responses to vibration stimuli that simulated presence of conspecifics, to disturbance noise, white noise and predator spiders. None of our synthetic stimuli or pre-recorded substrate vibrations from nymphs elicited specific vibration responses and only those due to grooming or mechanical contacts of the insect with the leaf were recorded. Thus, S. titanus nymphs showed to not use species-specific vibrations neither for intra- nor interspecific communication and also did not produce alarm vibrations when facing potential predators. We conclude that their aggregative behaviour is independent from a vibrational communication. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0808-x Authors Julien Chuche, UMR INRA 1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, INRA, BP 81, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, 33883 Villenave d’Ornon Cedex, France Denis Thiéry, UMR INRA 1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, INRA, BP 81, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, 33883 Villenave d’Ornon Cedex, France Valerio Mazzoni, IASMA Research and Innovative Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, I-38010 SanMichele a/A (TN), Italy Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Multiple mating by females with different males (polyandry) is difficult to explain in many taxa because it carries significant costs to females, yet benefits are often hard to identify. Polyandry is a derived trait in social insects, the evolutionary origins of which remain unclear. One of several leading hypotheses for its evolution is that it improves division of labour by increasing intra-colonial genetic diversity. Division of labour is a key player in the ecological success of social insects, and in many successful species of ants is based on morphologically distinct castes of workers, each with their own task specialisations. Atta leaf-cutting ants exhibit one of the most extreme and complicated forms of morphologically specialised worker castes and have been reported to be polyandrous but with relatively low mating frequencies (~2.5 on average). Here, we show for the first time that there is a significant genetic influence on worker size in Atta colombica leaf-cutting ants. We also provide the first estimate of the mating frequency of Atta cephalotes (four matings) and, by analysing much higher within-colony sample sizes, find that Atta are more polyandrous than previously thought (approximately six to seven matings). The results show that high polyandry and a genetic influence on worker caste are present in both genera of leaf-cutting ants and add weight to the hypothesis that division of labour is a potential driver of the evolution of polyandry in this clade of ants. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0810-3 Authors Sophie Elizabeth Frances Evison, Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, UK William O. H. Hughes, Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, UK Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    An important aspect of social insect biology lies in the expression of collective foraging strategies developed to exploit food. In ants, four main types of foraging strategies are typically recognized based on the intensity of recruitment and the importance of chemical communication. Here, we describe a new type of foraging strategy, “tandem carrying”, which is also one of the most simple recruitment strategies, observed in the Ponerinae species Pachycondyla chinensis . Within this strategy, workers are directly carried individually and then released on the food resource by a successful scout. We demonstrate that this recruitment is context dependent and based on the type of food discovered and can be quickly adjusted as food quality changes. We did not detect trail marking by tandem-carrying workers. We conclude by discussing the importance of tandem carrying in an evolutionary context relative to other modes of recruitment in foraging and nest emigration. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0814-z Authors Benoit Guénard, Department of Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA Jules Silverman, Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Pigeons were released at two sites of equal distance from the loft, one within a magnetic anomaly, the other in magnetically quiet terrain, and their tracks were recorded with the help of GPS receivers. A comparison of the beginning of the tracks revealed striking differences: within the anomaly, the initial phase lasted longer, and the distance flown was longer, with the pigeons' headings considerably farther from the home direction. During the following departure phase, the birds were well homeward oriented at the magnetically quiet site, whereas they continued to be disoriented within the anomaly. Comparing the tracks in the anomaly with the underlying magnetic contours shows considerable differences between individuals, without a common pattern emerging. The differences in magnetic intensity along the pigeons' path do not differ from a random distribution of intensity differences around the release site, indicating that the magnetic contours do not directly affect the pigeons' routes. Within the anomaly, pigeons take longer until their flights are oriented, but 5 km from the release point, the birds, still within the anomaly, are also significantly oriented in the home direction. These findings support the assumption that magnetically anomalous conditions initially interfere with the pigeons' navigational processes, with birds showing rather individual responses in their attempts to overcome these problems. Content Type Journal Article Pages 575-581 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0802-3 Authors Ingo Schiffner, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der J.W.Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Patrick Fuhrmann, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der J.W.Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Roswitha Wiltschko, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der J.W.Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042 Journal Volume Volume 98 Journal Issue Volume 98, Number 7

Description:    Unpublished field observations in Leucauge argyra , a tropical orb weaver spider, suggest the occurrence of conspicuous mating plugs that could reduce or prevent remating attempts. Otherwise, the sexual behavior of this species remains unknown. The aims of this study were to describe the courtship behavior and copulation in L. argyra and investigate mating plug formation in this species. Fourteen virgin females and 12 plugged females were exposed to up to three males and checked for mating plug formation. Of the 12 virgins that copulated, nine produced plugs (five immediately after copulation), and the five plugged females that copulated produced another mating plug immediately after copulation. We did not detect the transfer of any male substance during copulation but observed a whitish liquid emerging from female genital ducts. Plug formation was positively associated with male twanging during courtship. One virgin and four plugged females cannibalized males. In seven trials with virgins and in three trials with plugged females, the male’s palp adhered to a substance that emerged from female genital ducts and spread on her genital plate. The male had to struggle energetically to free his glued palp; two of these males were cannibalized while trying to release their palps. Females seem to determine copulation duration by altering the timing of mating plug formation and through sexual cannibalism. This is the first case reported of a mating plug as a sticky trap for males. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0807-y Authors Anita Aisenberg, Laboratorio de Etología, Ecología y Evolución, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, CP 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay Gilbert Barrantes, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, San José, Costa Rica Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description: Root canal preparation may damage NiTi instruments resulting in wear and deformation. The aim of this study was to make a comparative evaluation of the surface topography of the cervical third of four different rotary systems, before and after being used twelve times, in 1.440 resin blocks with simulated root canals with standardized 45° curvatures, and analyzed by atomic force microscopy – AFM. The blocks were divided into four groups and prepared according to the manufacturers recommendations: Group 1 - K3®; Group 2 - Protaper Universal®; Group 3 - Twisted Files® and Group 4 - Biorace®. After each preparation, the instruments were washed and autoclaved. A total of 240 instruments were selected, being 30 new instruments and 30 after having been used for the 12th time, from each group. These instruments were analyzed by AFM and for quantitative evaluation, the mean RMS (Root mean square) values of the cervical third of the specimens from the four groups were used. The result showed that all the rotary files used for the 12th time suffered wear with change in the topography of the cervical region of the active portion of the file (ANOVA p 〈 0.01). Classifying the specimens in increasing order, from the least to the greatest wear suffered, Group 3 (2.8993 nm) presented the least wear, followed by Group 4 (12.2520 nm), Group 1 (36.0043 nm) and lastly, Group 2 (59.8750 nm) with the largest amount of cervical surface wear. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: We report the use of superresolution fluorescence microscopy for studying the nanoscale distribution of protein colocalization in living mammalian cells. Nanoscale imaging is attained both by a targeted and a stochastic fluorescence on-off switching superresolution method, namely by stimulated emission depletion (STED) and ground state depletion microscopy followed by individual molecular return (GSDIM), respectively. Analysis of protein colocalization is performed by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). Specifically, a nonfluorescent fragment of the yellow fluorescent protein Citrine is fused to tubulin while a counterpart nonfluorescent fragment is fused to the microtubulin-associated protein MAP2 such that fluorescence is reconstituted on contact of the fragment-carrying proteins. Images with resolution down to 65 nm prove a powerful new way for studying protein colocalization in living cells at the nanoscale. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: Trk neurotrophin receptors are transmembrane tyrosine kinase proteins known as TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC. TrkA is the high affinity receptor for nerve growth factor, TrkB is the one for both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-4, and TrkC is the preferred receptor for neurotrophin-3. In the adult mammalian brain, neurotrophins are important regulators of neuronal function and plasticity. This study is based on Nothobranchius furzeri, a teleost fish that is becoming an ideal candidate as animal model for aging studies because its life expectancy in captivity is of just 3 months. In adult N. furzeri , all three investigated neurotrophin Trk receptors were immunohistochemically detected in each brain region. TrkA positive neuronal perikarya were localized in the dorsal and ventral areas of the telencephalon and in the cortical nucleus; TrkB immunoreactivity was observed in neuronal perikarya of the dorsal and ventral areas of the telencephalon, the diffuse inferior lobe of the hypothalamus, and Purkinje cells; TrkC positive neuronal perikarya were detected in the most aboral region of the telencephalon, in the magnocellular preoptic nucleus and in few neurons dispersed in the hypothalamus. Numerous positive fibers were widely distributed throughout the brain. Radial glial cells lining the mesencephalic and rhombencephalic ventricles showed immunoreactivity to all three Trks. These findings suggest an involvement of neurotrophins in many aspects of biology of adult N. furzeri . Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: TRPV4 is a nonselective cation channel that belongs to the vanilloid (V) subfamily of transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels. While TRP channels have been found to be involved in sensing temperature, light, pressure, and chemical stimuli, TPRV4 is believed to be primarily a mechanosensor although it can also respond to warm temperatures, acidic pH, and several chemical compounds. In zebrafish, the expression of trpv4 has been studied during embryonic development, whereas its pattern of TPRV4 expression during the adult life has not been thoroughly analyzed. In this study, the occurrence of TRPV4 was addressed in the zebrafish sensory organs at the mRNA (RT-PCR) and protein (Westernblot) levels. Once the occurrence of TRPV4 was demonstrated, the TRPV4 positive cells were identified by using immunohistochemistry. TPRV4 was detected in mantle and sensory cells of neuromasts, in a subpopulation of hair sensory cells in the macula and in the cristae ampullaris of the inner ear, in sensory cells in the taste buds, in crypt neurons and ciliated sensory neurons of the olfactory epithelium, and in cells of the retina. These results demonstrate the presence of TRPV4 in all sensory organs of adult zebrafish and are consistent with the multiple physiological functions suspected for TRPV4 in mammals (mechanosensation, hearing, and temperature sensing), but furthermore suggest potential roles in olfaction and vision in zebrafish. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: In recent years, bioinorganic nanohybrids composed of biological macromolecules and functional inorganic nanomaterials have revealed many unique properties that show promise for the future. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a popular and relatively simple tool that can offer a direct visualization of the nanomaterials with high resolutions. When TEM is applied to visualize bioinorganic nanohybrids, a treatment of negative staining is necessary due to the presence of biological molecules in the nanohybrids except for those with densely packed inorganic materials. However, the conventional negative-staining procedure for regular biological samples cannot be directly applied to such bioinorganic nanohybrids. To image a specific bioinorganic nanohybrid, negative-staining factors such as negative stain type, working pH, staining time, and drying method, should be identified. Currently, no detailed studies have been done to investigate how to adjust negative-staining factors based on specific bioinorganic nanohybrids. In this study, bacteriophage-gold nanoparticle hybrids were chosen as a model to systematically study the effects of each factor on the negative staining of the nanohybrids. The best staining conditions for gold nanoparticle-phage nanohybrids were obtained and the effects of each factor on the negative staining of general nanohybrids were discussed. This work indicates that with proper staining it is possible to use TEM to visualize directly both biological and inorganic components without introducing any artifact. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description:    In holometabolous insects, pupation site selection behaviour has large consequences for survival. Here, we investigated the combined effects of temperature and parasitism by the parasitoid Asobara tabida on larval pupation behaviour in two of its main Drosophila sp. hosts differing in their climate origin. We found that larvae of Drosophila melanogaster— a species with a (sub)tropical origin—placed at 25°C pupated higher in rearing jars than those placed at 15°C. The opposite pattern was observed for Drosophila subobscura larvae—a species from temperate regions—which pupated lower, i.e. on or near the substrate at 25°C, than those placed at 15°C. When placed at 25°C, parasitized larvae of both species pupated closer to the substrate than unparasitized ones. Moreover, the Drosophila larvae that had been exposed and probably stung by A. tabida , but were not parasitized, pupated lower than the control unparasitized larvae. These results provide new insights of host behaviour manipulation by A. tabida larvae. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0813-0 Authors Céline Josso, Université de Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Joffrey Moiroux, Université de Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Philippe Vernon, Université de Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Joan van Baaren, Université de Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Jacques J. M. van Alphen, Université de Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, CS 74205, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Mollusc communities of previously unexplored Bulgarian fens were studied in order to determine and generalise the patterns of species richness and composition along the mineral richness gradient. The aim was also to compare predictive values of the environment, vegetation and spatial structure. Altogether, 44 mollusc species were recorded at 40 treeless fen sites. Species richness varied from 0 to 18 species per site, and it was positively associated with the mineral gradient and negatively with altitude. However, the best predictor was obtained using plant species composition. All explanatory variables had higher effect on land snails than on the entire mollusc assemblage (including aquatic species). Species richness and abundance were significantly and positively correlated with the species composition turnover; the communities were highly nested, with poor sites having subsets of the fauna found in the richest. The main direction of mollusc species turnover was highly associated with that observed for vegetation, and the main gradient of plant species composition was able to explain nearly 20% of total variation in mollusc data. We found that spatial structure explained by far the highest proportion of independent variation, which reflected the high level of geographical isolation of Bulgarian fens and regional differences independent of any environmental variation. Our results demonstrate (1) the general role of mineral richness gradient for structuring mollusc communities in fens, (2) the pivotal indicator role of plant species composition in predicting species composition of mollusc communities, despite being trophically independent and (3) the effect of isolation and origins of the habitat on species composition: most species have wide geographical distributions within the habitat type, and geographical patterns within Bulgaria may have a stochastic element. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0816-x Authors Michal Horsák, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Michal Hájek, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Petra Hájková, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Robert Cameron, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 4TN UK Nicole Cernohorsky, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Iva Apostolova, Department of Phytocoenology and Ecology, Institute of Botany, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    A postanal tail is a major synapomorphy of the phylum Chordata, which is composed of three subphyla: Vertebrata, Cephalochordata, and Tunicata (Urochordata). Among tunicates, appendicularians are the only group that retains the tail in the adult, and the adult tail functions in locomotion and feeding in combination with a cellulose-based house structure. Given the phylogenetic position of tunicates, the appendicularian adult tail may possess ancestral features of the chordate tail. We assess the ultrastructural development of the tail epidermis of the appendicularian Oikopleura dioica . The epidermis of the larval tail is enclosed by the larval envelope, which is a thin sheet similar to the outer tunic layer of ascidian larvae. The epidermis of the adult tail seems to bear no tunic-like cellulosic integuments, and the tail fin is a simple folding of the epidermis. Every epidermal cell, except for the triangular cells at the edge of the tail fin, has a conspicuous matrix layer of fibrous content in the apical cytoplasm without enclosing membranes. The epidermis of the larval tail does not have a fibrous matrix layer, suggesting the production of the layer during larval development and metamorphosis. Zonulae adhaerentes firmly bind the epidermal cells of the adult tail to one another, and the dense microfilaments lining the cell borders constitute a mechanical support for the cell membranes. The intracellular matrix, cell junctions, and cytoskeletons probably make the tail epidermis a tough, flexible shell supporting the active beating of the oikopleuran adult tail. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0815-y Authors Keisuke Nakashima, Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Promotion Corporation, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Okinawa 904-0412, Japan Atsuo Nishino, Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan Euichi Hirose, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description: The morphological similarities among the species of Solanum are remarkable, and are often very difficult one clear distinction between them. This paper presents a comparative anatomical study of the leaf epidermis of five Brazilian species of Solanum sect. Polytrichum , carried out using light and scanning electron microscopy. The leaf epidermis surfaces were investigated to evaluate their taxonomic significance to be used for separation and delimitation of the species of the section. As results, some micro-morphological characters of the leaf epidermis, such as density, distribution and type of stellate trichomes, and the anticlinal walls of epidermal cells, and also the type and distribution of stomata proved to be the most useful and distinctive characters for the separation and delimitation of the species, and also may contribute as an additional support to the interspecific taxonomy and systematic of Solanum sect. Polytrichum . Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: 3D surface profiling and high resolution imaging were performed to refine the Florin rings and epicuticular wax crystals of Pinus koraiensis needles. Needles were collected from four-year-old seedlings and air-dried for surface observations. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that stomata were found on the abaxial (lower) surface of needles. Measured as ca. 40 μm long, they were largely elliptical or oval-shaped. Epicuticular wax crystals were present in the epistomatal chambers as well as on the surrounding epidermis. Rodlets were prevalently found on the stomatal bands and furrows as well as within the epistomatal chambers. The presence of wax tubules was ascertained by the distinct terminal openings at their ends. The occurrence of wax ridges was evident on the epidermis near the saw-tooth margins (nonstomatal areas). No distinct wax ridges were detected on the dewaxed needles. Raised Florin rings were distinct on the stomata. White light scanning interferometry showed that the diameter and width of stomata were ca. 44.02 ± 3.33 μm and 32.10 ± 3.30 μm, respectively. Measured from the neighboring epidermis to the stomatal aperture, the mean height of the stoma reached ca. 6.23 ± 1.28 μm. Focus variation metrology allowed measuring the mean elevation angle of the stoma, reaching ca. 41.41 ± 11.25°. This is the first report on a novel approach to the establishment of quantitative criteria of Florin ring classification by nontactile 3D surface profiling beyond the previous qualitative descriptions of Florin rings of coniferous species. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description:    Computed tomography (CT) methods were applied to a problematic fossil spider (Arachnida: Araneae) from the historical Berendt collection of Eocene (ca. 44–49 Ma) Baltic amber. The original specimens of Ocypete crassipes Koch and Berendt 1854 are in dark, oxidised amber and the published descriptions lack detail. Despite this, they were subsequently assigned to the living Pantropical genus Heteropoda Latreille, 1804 and are ostensibly the oldest records of huntsman spiders (Sparassidae) in general. Given their normally large size, and presumptive ability to free themselves more easily from resin, it would be surprising to find a sparassid in amber and traditional (optical) methods of study would likely have left O. crassipes as an equivocal record—probably a nomen dubium . However, phase contrast enhanced X-ray CT revealed exquisite morphological detail and thus ‘saved’ this historical name by revealing characters which confirm that it's a bona fide member both of Sparassidae and the subfamily Eusparassinae. We demonstrate here that CT studies facilitate taxonomic equivalence even between recent spiders and unpromising fossils described in older monographs. In our case, fine structural details such as eye arrangement, cheliceral dentition, and leg characters like a trilobate membrane, spination and claws, allow a precise referral of this fossil to an extant genus as Eusparassus crassipes (Koch and Berendt 1854 ) comb. nov. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0796-x Authors Jason A. Dunlop, Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany David Penney, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT UK Natalie Dalüge, Zoologisches Institut und Museum, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany Peter Jäger, Senckenberg Research Institute, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Andrew McNeil, Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7HS UK Robert S. Bradley, Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7HS UK Philip J. Withers, Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7HS UK Richard F. Preziosi, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT UK Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Leg loss is a common phenomenon in spiders, and according to the species 5% to 40% of the adults can present at least one missing leg. There is no possibility of regeneration after adult moult and the animal must manage with its missing appendages until its death. With the loss of one or more legs, female orb-weaving spiders can be penalized twice: firstly, because the legs are necessary for web construction and secondly, the legs are essential for the control of the prey after its interception by the web. During development, spiders may be also penalized because regeneration has energetic costs that take away resources for survival, growth and reproduction. All these consequences should influence negatively the development of the spider and thus its fitness. We investigated the impact of leg loss in the orb-weaving spider, Zygiella x-notata by studying its frequency in a natural population and web building and prey capture behaviours in laboratory. In field populations, 9.5% to 13%, of the adult females presented the loss of one or more legs; the majority of individuals had lost only one leg (in 48% of cases, a first one). Leg loss seems to affect all the adult spiders, as there is no difference of mass between intact spiders and those with missing leg. Data obtained with laboratory-reared spiders, showed that the loss of legs due to the moult is rare (less than 1%). Considering changes in web design, spiders with missing legs decreased their silk investment, increased the distance between spiral turns but did not change the capture surface of the web. Under our laboratory experimental conditions, spiders with one or two lost legs did not present any difference in prey capture efficiency. In laboratory conditions, spiders with lost leg(s) did not show any difference in egg sac production or in longevity (adult lifespan) compared to intact spiders. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0799-7 Authors Alain Pasquet, Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, DEPE, CNRS UMR7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France Mylène Anotaux, Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, DEPE, CNRS UMR7178, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France Raymond Leborgne, Laboratoire: Expression and Evolution des Comportements, Université Henri Poincaré, Nancy-Université, B.P. 239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Integral quantities, wind run, S , and recirculation factor, R , useful for describing air flow, are calculated and combined with CO 2 mixing ratios. Meteorological observations were obtained from a RASS sodar and CO 2 mixing ratios from a continuous analyzer installed at a rural site in the upper Spanish plateau. The measuring campaign spread over 3 years and two approaches were followed. The first approach considered integral quantities on a daily basis and two classifications of air flow, to date scarcely used. The first classification distinguished among stagnation, recirculation, and ventilation, the second considering synoptic, meso-, and local scales. Moreover, 52.94% of daily values handled in this paper corresponded to ventilation and 49.70% to synoptic scale. The main goal of this approach is the subsequent link between the two classifications: the synoptic scale was associated with ventilation, mesoscale with recirculation and local scale partially with recirculation. CO 2 observations were distributed in air flow groups following these classifications and mesoscale processes were satisfactorily described since noticeable evidence of transport from nearby cities was observed. In the second approach, S and R pairs were used and CO 2 mixing ratios were distributed following percent intervals of ventilation, calculated by binning these pairs. The main goal of the second approach is to consider only three groups of mixing ratios. In the first group, with high ventilation, mixing ratios were low. With intermediate ventilation, mixing ratios were medium, and with low ventilation mixing ratios were high. A contrast of 21 ppm between the third and first groups was obtained at the 95th percentile. Finally, the second group provided a contrast of 3 ppm between north and south directions and also between east and west attributed to transport from nearby cities. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0800-5 Authors Isidro A. Pérez, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain M. Luisa Sánchez, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain M. Ángeles García, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain Vanessa Paredes, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, c/ Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47071 Valladolid, Spain Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    For more than 30 million years, in early Mesozoic Pangea, “rauisuchian” archosaurs were the apex predators in most terrestrial ecosystems, but their biology and evolutionary history remain poorly understood. We describe a new “rauisuchian” based on ten individuals found in a single locality from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) Santa Maria Formation of southern Brazil. Nine articulated and associated skeletons were discovered, three of which have nearly complete skulls. Along with sedimentological and taphonomic data, this suggests that those highly successful predators exhibited some kind of intraspecific interaction. Other monotaxic assemblages of Triassic archosaurs are Late Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian) in age, approximately 10 million years younger than the material described here. Indeed, the studied assemblage may represent the earliest evidence of gregariousness among archosaurs, adding to our knowledge on the origin of a behavior pattern typical of extant taxa. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0782-3 Authors Marco Aurélio G. França, Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-901, Brazil Jorge Ferigolo, Museu de Ciências Naturais, Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Dr. Salvador França 1427, Porto Alegre, RS 90.690-000, Brazil Max C. Langer, Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14040-901, Brazil Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Describing postures has always been a central concern when studying behaviour. However, attempts to compare postures objectively at phylogenetical, populational, inter- or intra-individual levels generally either rely upon a few key elements or remain highly subjective. Here, we propose a novel approach, based on well-established geometric morphometrics, to describe and to analyse postures globally (i.e. considering the animal’s body posture in its entirety rather than focusing only on a few salient elements, such as head or tail position). Geometric morphometrics is concerned with describing and comparing variation and changes in the form (size and shape) of organisms using the coordinates of a series of homologous landmarks (i.e. positioned in relation to skeletal or muscular cues that are the same for different species for every variety of form and function and that have derived from a common ancestor, i.e. they have a common evolutionary ancestry, e.g. neck, wings, flipper/hand). We applied this approach to horses, using global postures (1) to characterise behaviours that correspond to different arousal levels, (2) to test potential impact of environmental changes on postures. Our application of geometric morphometrics to horse postures showed that this method can be used to characterise behavioural categories, to evaluate the impact of environmental factors (here human actions) and to compare individuals and groups. Beyond its application to horses, this promising approach could be applied to all questions involving the analysis of postures (evolution of displays, expression of emotions, stress and welfare, behavioural repertoires…) and could lead to a whole new line of research. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0803-2 Authors Carole Fureix, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Martine Hausberger, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Emilie Seneque, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Stéphane Morisset, Hôpital E. Herriot, Unité de Recherche Clinique du Service d’Hématologie, 5 Place d’Arsonval, 69437 Lyon cedex 03, France Michel Baylac, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle CNRS-UMR 7205 and «plate-forme Morphométrie», UMS 2700, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France Raphaël Cornette, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle CNRS-UMR 7205 and «plate-forme Morphométrie», UMS 2700, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France Véronique Biquand, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Pierre Deleporte, Université Rennes 1 UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Campus de Beaulieu bât. 25, 263 avenue Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    The journey of the European eel to the spawning area in the Sargasso Sea is still a mystery. Several trials have been carried out to follow migrating eels with pop-up satellite tags (PSATs), without much success. As eels are very efficient swimmers, tags likely interfere with their high swimming efficiency. Here we report a more than twofold increase in swimming cost caused by a regular small satellite tag. The impact was determined at a range of swimming speeds with and without tag in a 2-m swimming tunnel. These results help to explain why the previous use of PSATs to identify spawning sites in the Sargasso Sea was thus far unsuccessful. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0805-0 Authors Erik Burgerhout, ZF-Screens BV, Niels Bohrweg 11, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands Ryotaro Manabe, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8546, Japan Sebastiaan A. Brittijn, ZF-Screens BV, Niels Bohrweg 11, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands Jun Aoyama, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8546, Japan Katsumi Tsukamoto, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8546, Japan Guido E. E. J. M. van den Thillart, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Gorlaeus Lab, POB 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    In a predator–prey system where both intervenients come from the same taxon, one can expect a strong selection on behavioural and morphological traits involved in prey capture. For example, in specialised snake-eating snakes, the predator is unaffetced by the venom of the prey. We predicted that similar adaptations should have evolved in spider-eating (araneophagous) spiders. We investigated potential and actual prey of two Palpimanus spiders ( P. gibbulus , P. orientalis ) to support the prediction that these are araneophagous predators. Specific behavioural adaptations were investigated using a high-speed camera during staged encounters with prey, while morphological adaptations were investigated using electron microscopy. Both Palpimanus species captured a wide assortment of spider species from various guilds but also a few insect species. Analysis of the potential prey suggested that Palpimanus is a retreat-invading predator that actively searches for spiders that hide in a retreat. Behavioural capture adaptations include a slow, stealthy approach to the prey followed by a very fast attack. Morphological capture adaptations include scopulae on forelegs used in grabbing prey body parts, stout forelegs to hold the prey firmly, and an extremely thick cuticle all over the body preventing injury from a counter bite of the prey. Palpimanus overwhelmed prey that was more than 200% larger than itself. In trials with another araneophagous spider, Cyrba algerina (Salticidae), Palpimanus captured C. algerina in more than 90% of cases independent of the size ratio between the spiders. Evidence indicates that both Palpimanus species possesses remarkable adaptations that increase its efficiency in capturing spider prey. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0804-1 Authors Stano Pekár, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Jan Šobotník, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic Yael Lubin, Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University, 84990 Sede Boqer Campus, Beer-Sheva, Israel Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description: We present combined epi-coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and multiphoton imaging with both chemical discrimination and subcellular resolution on human skin invivo. The combination of both image modalities enables label-free imaging of the autofluorescence of endogenous fluorophores by two-photon excited fluorescence, as well as imaging of the distribution of intercellular lipids, topically applied substances and water by CARS. As an example for medical imaging, we investigated healthy and psoriasis-affected human skin with both image modalities in vivo and found indications for different lipid distributions on the cellular level. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: In this article, we propose a new shape from focus (SFF) method to estimate 3D shape of microscopic objects using surface orientation cue of each object patch. Most of the SFF algorithms compute the focus value of a pixel from the information of neighboring pixels lying on the same image frame based on an assumption that the small object patch corresponding to the small neighborhood of a pixel is a plane parallel to the focal plane. However, this assumption fails in the optics with limited depth of field where the neighboring pixels of an image have different degree of focus. To overcome this problem, we try to search the surface orientation of the small object patch corresponding to each pixel in the image sequence. Searching of the surface orientation is done indirectly by principal component analysis. Then, the focus value of each pixel is computed from the neighboring pixels lying on the surface perpendicular to the corresponding surface orientation. Experimental results on synthetic and real microscopic objects show that the proposed method produces more accurate 3D shape in comparison to the existing techniques. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description:    We describe the earliest fossils of the enigmatic avian taxon Opisthocomiformes (hoatzins) from the Oligo-Miocene (22–24 mya) of Brazil. The bones, a humerus, scapula and coracoid, closely resemble those of the extant hoatzin, Opisthocomus hoazin . The very similar osteology of the pectoral girdle in the new Brazilian fossil compared to the extant O. hoazin , in which it reflects peculiar feeding adaptations, may indicate that hoatzins had already evolved their highly specialized feeding behavior by the mid-Cenozoic. We further show that Namibiavis senutae from the early Miocene of Namibia is another, previously misclassified representative of Opisthocomiformes, which documents that the extant Neotropic distribution of hoatzins is relictual. Because of the weak flight capabilities of hoatzins, their occurrence on both sides of the South Atlantic is of particular biogeographic interest. We detail that this distribution pattern is best explained by dispersal from Africa to South America, and that Opisthocomiformes provide the first example of transatlantic rafting among birds. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0849-1 Authors Gerald Mayr, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Sektion Ornithologie, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Herculano Alvarenga, Museu de História Natural de Taubaté, Rua Juvenal Dias de Carvalho 111, CEP 12070-640 Taubaté, SP, Brazil Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5276, 2 rue Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    The transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic around 10000 a BP was a significant event in human history. We have analyzed the paleoenvironment in the Zhaitang area (Beijing) based on samples from an early Neolithic site at Donghulin. This site is considered to demonstrate the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition in this area. The site yielded burials with several human skeletons, known as “Donghulin man”. We conducted a geomorphological and quaternary geological investigation in the Donghulin area, and also analyzed sediments and pollen, enabling us to discuss the living environment of the local people. Donghulin man lived mainly from 11100–9600 cal a BP; a period of warming following the Younger Dryas. The climate was good, the land was covered by dry temperate grassland, and later, wet temperate meadow steppe. “Donghulin man” usually inhabited the floodplain; this was flat, warm, and wet, with abundant plants and animals for a favorable living environment. Our research helps to rebuild the living environment of humans in the Beijing area around 10000 a BP, and to understand more about the environmental setting in north China during the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4772-9 Authors ZhengKai Xia, School of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China JunNa Zhang, School of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China Jing Liu, School of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ChaoHong Zhao, School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China XiaoHong Wu, School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description: The aim of this study is to show histological and immunofluorescence analysis of renal parenchyma of agoutis affected by gentamicin-induced renal disease after the infusion of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) stained with Hoechst®. Nine agouti's males were divided into three groups: Test group (TG): renal disease by gentamicin induced ( n = 3), cell therapy group (CTG): renal disease by gentamicin induced and BMMC infusion ( n = 3), and control group (CG): nonrenal disease and BMMC infusion ( n = 3). TG and CTG were submitted to the protocol of renal disease induction using weekly application of gentamicin sulfate for 4 months. CG and CTG received a 1 × 108 BMMC stained with Hoechst and were euthanized for kidney examination 21 days after BMMC injection and samples were collected for histology and immunofluorescence analysis. Histological analysis demonstrated typical interstitial lesions in kidney similarly to human disease, as tubular necrosis, glomerular destruction, atrophy tubular, fibrotic areas, and collagen deposition. We conclude that histological analysis suggest a positive application of agouti's as a model for a gentamicin inducing of kidney disease, beyond the immunofluorescence analysis suggest a significant migration of BMMC to sites of renal injury in CTG. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: An experimental approach was performed on 20 giant rabbits to establish the possibilities and limitations of μ-CT for routine processing of nondemineralized bone tissue. Hydroxyapatite (HA) or β-tricalciumphosphate (β-TCP) bead implants or a melange of both, microchambered and solid, were implanted into a standardized and precise defect in the patellar groove. The bone-healing phase was chosen for the histology considering 1 or 2 days, and 2, 3, and 6 weeks. Normal X-ray and μ-CT were applied on all specimens; five specimens in the 6-week stage were additionally processed according to the full range of conventional nondemineralized bone processing methods. μ-CT increased the possibilities of nondemineralized histology with respect to bone morphometry and a complete sequence of sections, thus providing a complete analysis of the bone response. μ-CT was limited in differentiating bone quality, cell analyses, and mineralization stages. The investigation based on normal X-rays is limited to defining integration and excluding the fibrous and bony encapsulation of loose implants. μ-CT allows a 3D evaluation of newly formed bone which is clearly marked against the ceramic implant. It does not allow, however, for the differentiation between woven and lamellar bone, the presentation of the canalicular lacunar system, or on the cell level, revealing canaliculi or details of the mineralization process which can be documented by high-resolution microradiography. Titer dynamics of bone formation remains the domain of polychromatic sequential labeling. The complete sequence of μ-CT slices enhances the possibilities for routine histology, tremendously allowing to the focus on detail histology to topographically well-defined cuts, thus providing more precise conclusions which take into consideration the whole implant. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description:    Differences in the number of sexual partners (i.e., mating system) have the potential to exert a strong influence on the bacterial communities present in reproductive structures like the vagina. Because this structure serves as a conduit for gametes, bacteria present there may have a pronounced, direct effect on host reproductive success. As a first step towards the identification of the relationship between sexual behavior and potentially pathogenic bacterial communities inhabiting vital reproductive structures, as well as their potential effects on fitness, I sought to quantify differences in bacterial diversity in a promiscuous and monogamous mammal species. To accomplish this, I used two sympatric species of Peromyscus rodents— Peromyscus californicus and Peromyscus maniculatus that differ with regard to the number of sexual partners per individual to test the hypothesis that bacterial diversity should be greater in the promiscuous P. maniculatus relative to the monogamous P. californicus . As predicted, phylogenetically controlled and operational taxonomic unit-based indices of bacterial diversity indicated that diversity is greater in the promiscuous species. These results provide important new insights into the effects of mating system on bacterial diversity in free-living vertebrates, and may suggest a potential cost of promiscuity. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0848-2 Authors Matthew David MacManes, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description: This article presents a new approach for extracting high level semantic concepts from digital histopathological images. This strategy provides not only annotation of several biological concepts, but also a coarse location of these concepts. The proposed approach is composed of five main steps: (1) a stain decomposition stage, which separates the contribution of hematoxylin and eosin dyes, (2) a color standardization that corrects color image differences, (3) a part-based representation, which describes the image in terms of the conditional probability of relevant local patches, selected by their stain contributions, (4) a discriminative classification model, which bridges out the found patterns and the biological concepts, (5) a block-based annotation strategy that identifies the multiple biological concepts within an image. A set of 655 skin images, containing 10 biological concepts of skin tissues were used for assessing the proposed approach, obtaining a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 67% when annotating images with multiple concepts. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: The main purpose of this article was to describe the morphology of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiated in vitro towards osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages and to focus on the ultrastructural features associated with these processes. Human mononuclear cells (hMNC) were isolated, expanded, and analyzed for the expression of specific cell surface markers to demonstrate their stem cell characteristics. Human mononuclear cells were differentiated in vitro in an osteogenic and in a chondrogenic sense for 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. Subsequently, they were processed using electron microscopic analysis (FEISEM). Alizarin red and alcian blue staining were carried out to demonstrate the deposition of mineral salts and proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix. Undifferentiated MSCs showed a cell surface covered by filopodia and ondulopodia. During differentiation, the MSCs changed their shape from a round to a fibroblastic-like shape. At the end of the differentiation, several filaments with a parallel orientation in the osteogenic samples as well as a network organization in the chondrogenic samples were detected in the extracellular spaces. This study demonstrated that there are morphological features associated with the undifferentiated and differentiated states of the MSCs, which could be utilized as new parameters for identifying and classifying these cells. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: Starch is the most important carbohydrate in the human diet and contained in many staple foods such as rice, wheat, corn, potatoes and cassava, etc. Currently, microscopic imaging technology is one of the most effective ways to investigate and analyze the structure of starches. Segmentation of starch granules is a necessary step for starch granule structure analysis such as starch granules detection, shape recognition, and size computation. This article investigates a new method based on GVF (gradient vector flow) snake deformable model for starch granules segmentation. The proposed method focuses on full automatic segmentation on granules, especially on separation of adjacent and contacted starch granules, which occur widely in microscopic images. A novel energy function based on position and intensity is introduced into the directional gradient computation, thus the directional gradient is used to obtain the directional GVF snake, which drives the deforming contours to the real contours of multiple granules. To demonstrate the good ability of the proposed method, we segment 30 starch granule images and compare it with the level set method, experimental results show that the new method can separate multiple starch granules successfully; especially it works much better on overlapping objects segmentation than the level set method. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description: Functional restoration for orthopedic, systemic, or dental purposes uses a diverse range of biomaterials. Monitoring for any subsequent failures associated with pathology is vital. To this end, an alternative methodology beyond that of cutting sections by conventional microtome knife-based histomethodologies was pioneered. The method was to saw a block of tissue followed by grinding the unsupported slice to the required thickness. The sawing and grinding of unsupported bones or teeth exposed not only the specimen fragility, but also the delicacy of the associated soft tissues. Although incomplete, the significance of the technique was recognized and improvements were incorporated which persist to the present day addressing the histopathology of challenging specimens. One major improvement for preserving cellular structure as well as reducing fracture incidence was achieved by impregnating tissue samples with cross-linked resins prior to the cutting and grinding processes. Methyl and glycol methacrylate resins superseded all other choices because of the advantages of photo-initiated curing. Further pioneering work led to the formulation of increasingly appropriate resin systems and the subsequent processing protocols evolved, as clinical needs for histology-specific techniques became apparent. Over the decades, several key pioneers entered this scientific arena to develop the now established resin formulation, processing protocols, and allied applications. This has led to the commercialization of the various resin systems. The aim here is to discuss the commercially available glycol and methyl methacrylate resin systems and their practical application to a variety of important techniques used in the histological assessment of complex pathology specimens. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Description:    Based on the infrared radiation transfer model, the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and Channel 5 radiance of Fengyun-3B (FY-3B) satellite visible infrared radiometer (VIRR) were simulated for 3812 global soundings. Using regression analysis of the simulations, an inverse model, which connected the flux equivalent brightness temperature with the channel brightness temperature, was derived. By applying the model to the FY-3B VIRR L1 data, the global OLR data at the time of the passing of the FY-3B were processed. The quality of the data was validated by comparing it with that of the NOAA-18 satellite’s advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR). The validation results show root mean square errors in the range 10–13 W/M 2 when comparing the daily average OLR of the VIRR with that of the NOAA-18 AVHRR, and the correlation coefficients were in the range 0.97–0.98. The larger RMSE is mainly due to the different passing times of the two satellites for the specific locations on the Earth. An example of the OLR data and its preliminary applications are given. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4686-6 Authors Xiao Wu, Key Laboratory of Radiometric Calibration and Validation for Environmental Satellites, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081 China JunJie Yan, Key Laboratory of Radiometric Calibration and Validation for Environmental Satellites, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Reef and oolitic gas reservoirs in the Permian Changxing and Triassic Feixianguan formations have been discovered in both the Luojiazhai-Puguang and Longgang areas of the Sichuan Basin, but the accumulation scale, abundance and distribution patterns differ greatly. In fact, the two areas have more differences than they have similarities. Similarities include: (1) the lithology, properties and types of porosity of the reef and oolitic reservoirs are primarily consistent in the two areas; (2) well-developed regional caprocks that seal the fluid system; and (3) accumulation process histories, with liquid hydrocarbon charging at an early stage, cracking into gas at a high to over-mature stage, adjustment of gas reservoirs at an uplifting stage, and final reservoir generation at a late stage. Differences include: (1) gas accumulations in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area that are dominated by oil-type cracked gas, with multiple and sufficient gas sources, contrasting with gas accumulations in the Longgang area that are dominated by coal-sourced gas with insufficient gas sources; (2) heterogeneity and horizontal diversity of reservoirs in the Longgang area that are stronger than in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area; and (3) the development of deep and large faults in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area that link source, reservoir and migration pathways, contrasting with poorly developed faults in Longgang area, where laterally variable fractures are the major migration pathway. Because of these differences, abundant large-scale structurally-controlled gas accumulations are developed in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area, whereas lithology plays a more important role in gas accumulation in the Longgang area where accumulations are smaller-scale and have lower gas-bearing abundance. We suggest that future exploration for reef and oolitic gas accumulations should be strengthened in NE Sichuan and NW Sichuan Jiulongshan. In particular, the transitional zone between Longgang and Kaijiang-Liangping Bay has the best potential for new discoveries. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4668-8 Authors WenZhi Zhao, PetroChina Exploration & Production Company, Beijing, 100007 China ChunChun Xu, PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gas Field Company, Chengdu, 610051 China TongShan Wang, PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, 100083 China HongJun Wang, PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, 100083 China ZeCheng Wang, PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, 100083 China CongSheng Bian, PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, 100083 China Xia Li, PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, 100083 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Spaceborne measurements by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS/Aqua satellite provide a global view of methane (CH 4 ) distribution in the mid-upper troposphere (MUT-CH 4 ). The focus of this study is to analyze the spatiotemporal variations in MUT-CH 4 over China from 2003 to 2008. Validation of AIRS CH 4 products versus Fourier transform infrared profiles demonstrates that its RMS error is mostly less than 1.5%. A typical atmospheric methane profile is found that shows how concentrations decrease as height increases because of surface emissions. We found that an important feature in the seasonal variation in CH 4 is the two peaks that exist in summer and winter in most parts of China, which is also observed in in-situ measurements at Mt. Waliguan, Qinghai Province, China (36.2879°N 100.8964°E, 3810 m). Also, in the summer, only one peak existed in western and southern China since there are no more significant anthropogenic sources in winter than at any other time of the year. Further analysis of the deseasonalized time-series of AIRS CH4 in three fixed pressure layers of AIRS from 2003 to 2008 indicates that CH4 in the Northern Hemisphere has increased abruptly since 2007, with no significant increase occurring before 2007. The increase in China is generally more significant than in other areas around the world, which again correlates with in-situ measurements at Mt. Waliguan. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4666-x Authors XingYing Zhang, Key Laboratory of Radiometric Calibration and Validation for Environmental Satellites, National Satellite Meteorological Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081 China WenGuang Bai, State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Peng Zhang, Key Laboratory of Radiometric Calibration and Validation for Environmental Satellites, National Satellite Meteorological Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081 China WeiHe Wang, Key Laboratory of Radiometric Calibration and Validation for Environmental Satellites, National Satellite Meteorological Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Phytoliths are noncrystalline minerals that form inside cells and cell walls of different parts of plants. Organic carbon in living cells can be occluded in phytoliths during plant growth. It has been documented that the occluded carbon within phytoliths is an important long-term terrestrial carbon reservoir that has a major role in the global carbon cycle. Common millet and foxtail millet have become typical dry-farming crops in China since the Neolithic Age. The study of carbon conservation within phytoliths in these crops could provide insights into anthropogenic influences on the carbon cycle. In this study, we analyzed the carbon content in phytoliths of common millet and foxtail millet. The results indicated that (1) common millet and foxtail millet contained 0.136% ± 0.070% and 0.129% ± 0.085% phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) on a dry mass basis, respectively; (2) based on the mean annual production of common millet and foxtail millet in the last 10 years, the phytolith occluded carbon accumulation rate of common millet and foxtail millet was approximately 0.023 ± 0.015 and 0.020 ± 0.010 t CO 2 ha −1 a −1 , respectively; (3) assuming a similar phytolith occluded carbon accumulation rate as for common millet (the highest accumulation rate was 0.038 t CO 2 ha −1 a −1 ), this could result in the sequestration of 2.37 × 10 6 t CO 2 per year for the 62.4 × 10 6 ha dry-farming crops in China. Although there was a decline in the annual production rate and planting area of foxtail millet during 1949 to 2008, the total phytolith carbon sequestration rate was 7×10 6 t CO 2 within the 60-year period. However, phytolith occluded carbon has not yet been fully considered as a global carbon sink. Also, this carbon fraction is probably one of the best candidates for the missing carbon sink. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4674-x Authors XinXin Zuo, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China HouYuan Lü, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    A comprehensive database of paleoenvironmental settings for paleoanthropological sites provides a useful tool to explore the link between human evolution and paleoenvironmental changes. A preliminary GIS-based environmental database for paleoanthropological sites in China (EDPC) was constructed based on data collected from published literature. The database currently contains 1114 paleoanthropological sites. It will be available for online access following the establishment of relevant rules, and after improvement and further development through regular and sustained updates by internal and external users. Preliminary analyses using the GIS system yielded new evidence regarding human-environmental relationships. Content Type Journal Article Category Letter Pages 1-3 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4669-7 Authors ChunLin Wu, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Yan Zhang, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Qin Li, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China ZhengTang Guo, Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Xing Gao, Laboratory of Human Evolution, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Intra-site spatial analysis provides an alternative perspective for understanding the functions of a site, and the occupational organization of early human living and activities associated with it. We examined features and cultural remains recovered from Locality 2 at Shuidonggou, a Late Paleolithic site, focusing on early occupant’s survival behaviors and settlement patterns, as indicated by evidence regarding the functional organization of the site. Three-dimensional data from unearthed remains (including lithic assemblages, faunal remains, ornaments, etc) were used to reconstruct intra-site use patterns of Cultural Layer 2, which yielded seven earth-pit hearths and tens of thousands of artifacts and bones. We discuss the population size and group composition, as well as the functions of the living spaces, based on the analysis of the hearth patterns and the ostrich eggshell ornaments surround the hearths. In conclusion, Cultural Layer 2 of SDG Locality 2 appears to have functioned as a base camp for ancient foragers, where occupants produced tools, as well as preparing and consuming food. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4682-x Authors Ying Guan, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China Xing Gao, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China HuiMin Wang, Institute of Archaeology of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan, 750001 China FuYou Chen, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China ShuWen Pei, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China XiaoLing Zhang, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China ZhenYu Zhou, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Climate prediction using a coupled model with a one-tier scheme is an important research direction. In this study, based on 1974–2001 hindcasts obtained from the “Development of a European Multimodel Ensemble system for seasonal to inTERannual prediction” (DEMETER) project, the capability of coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) to predict six climatic factors that have a close relationship with the western North Pacific typhoon activity is investigated over summer (June–October). Results indicate that all six DEMETER CGCMs well predict the six factors. Using the statistical relationship between these six factors and the typhoon frequency, the ability of the CGCMs to predict typhoon frequency is further explored. It is found that the six CGCMs also well predict the variability in typhoon frequency. Comparison analysis shows that the prediction skill of the statistical downscaling method is much better than that of the raw CGCMs. In addition, the six-model ensemble has the best prediction performance. This study suggests that combining a multi-model ensemble and statistical downscaling greatly improves the CGCM prediction skill, and will be an important research direction for typhoon prediction. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4640-7 Authors JianQi Sun, Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre (NZC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China HuoPo Chen, Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre (NZC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Trace metals of Mg, Sr and Ba in a stalagmite (SZ2) collected from Suozi Cave in NE Sichuan, Central China, were analyzed with ICP-AES. The stalagmite was dated to have developed between 120 and 103 ka BP. Results indicate that the Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of SZ2 varied between (9500-14700)×10 −6 , (54–123)×10 −6 and (31–82)×10 −6 , respectively. The three records displayed significant millennial scale variations, which correlate with changes in past climate and environment. Lower values of Mg/Ca ratios and higher values of Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of SZ2 occurred during relatively cold-dry marine isotope stage (MIS) 5d, while the opposite trend was observed during relatively warm-humid MIS 5c. Trace metals in speleothems can be affected by distribution coefficients or trace metal concentrations in solutions from which speleothems precipitate. Temperature is suggested to be the dominant controller of Mg/Ca ratios in SZ2, whereas the Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios may have been influenced by surface soil and atmospheric dust activities and prior calcite precipitation in Suozi Cave. Further investigations are warranted as to whether Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios were affected by temperature and growth rate of the speleothem. The shifts of Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca records in SZ2 during the transition from MIS 5d to 5c apparently were earlier than the oxygen isotope record ( δ 18 O) of the same stalagmite. This possibly indicates (1) that atmospheric dust activity (the mechanism affecting SZ2 Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios) is closely related to temperature, and (2) that temperature changes (dominated by solar insolation) precedes change in speleothem δ 18 O records which are controlled by both summer monsoons and winter temperatures. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4681-y Authors HouYun Zhou, School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631 China Yue Wang, School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631 China LiuYuan Huang, School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631 China ShangQuan Mai, School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Soil carbon stocks and sequestration have been given a lot of attention recently in the study of terrestrial ecosystems and global climate change. This review focuses on the progress made on the estimation of the soil carbon stocks of China, and the characterization of carbon dynamics of croplands with regard to climate change, and addresses issues on the mineralization of soil organic carbon in relation to greenhouse gas emissions. By integrating existing research data, China’s total soil organic carbon (SOC) stock is estimated to be 90 Pg and its inorganic carbon (SIC) stock as 60 Pg, with SOC sequestration rates in the range of 20–25 Tg/a for the last two decades. An estimation of the biophysical potential of SOC sequestration has been generally agreed as being 2 Pg over the long term, of which only 1/3 could be attainable using contemporary agricultural technologies in all of China’s croplands. Thus, it is critical to enhance SOC sequestration and mitigate climate change to improve agricultural and land use management in China. There have been many instances where SOC accumulation may not induce an increased amount of decomposition under a warming scenario but instead favor improved cropland productivity and ecosystem functioning. Furthermore, unchanged or even decreased net global warming potential (GWP) from croplands with enhanced SOC has been reported by a number of case studies using life cycle analysis. Future studies on soil carbon stocks and the sequestration potential of China are expected to focus on: (1) Carbon stocks and the sequestration capacity of the earths’ surface systems at scales ranging from the plot to the watershed and (2) multiple interface processes and the synergies between carbon sequestration and ecosystem productivity and ecosystem functioning at scales from the molecular level to agro-ecosystems. Soil carbon science in China faces new challenges and opportunities to undertake integrated research applicable to many areas. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4693-7 Authors JuFeng Zheng, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China Kun Cheng, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China GenXing Pan, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China Pete Smith, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, 23 St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU UK LianQing Li, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China XuHui Zhang, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China JinWei Zheng, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China XiaoJun Han, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China YanLing Du, Institute for Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, and Research Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    This research aimed to identify and characterize individual spherical fly ash particles extracted from surface snow at Urumqi Glacier No.1 (UG1), Eastern Tien Shan, central Asia. Characterization of the spherical particles (i.e. morphology, chemical composition and genesis) was obtained by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX). This method enabled the characterization of submicroscopic spherical particles, which were present in very small quantities. Spherical particles and agglomerates were identified according to their morphology in five snow samples. Prevalent particle types in all samples were granular spherical particles, hollow spherical particles, irregularly shaped carbonaceous particles and agglomerates. The vast majority of spherical particles in our samples had mostly smooth and glossy surfaces, although these particles varied in diameter and elemental composition. The diameter of fly ash particles ranged from 0.76 to 16.7 μm, with an average of 3.79 μm (median: 3.21 μm). Individual particle analyses of elemental composition showed that particles formed in combustion were mainly composed of carbon, silicon, aluminum and trace elements (e.g. Na, K, Ca, Fe). Some spherical fly ash particles contained toxic heavy metals (e.g. Pb, Cr, As, Zn), and indicated that fly ash particles acted as the main possible carriers of toxic heavy metals deposited in snow and ice of glaciers in high altitudes of central Asia. On the basis of chemical information obtained from EDX, the fly ash particles deposited in the snow could be classified into four types. Namely, Si-dominant particles, with average diameters of 3.24 μm were formed by industrial coal combustion via high temperature processes in typical coal-fired heating stations and thermal power plants. Moreover, Fe-dominant particles, with average diameters of 3.82 μm, and Ti-dominant spherical particles formed by lower temperature processes in foundry and iron or steel plants. In addition, C-dominant particles, with average diameters of 8.43 μm, formed from unburned coal. Fe-dominant particles had larger average diameters than Si- dominant particles, indicating that the former were easier to form and developed earlier in the furnace because of their differential melting points of compositional oxide. Backward air mass trajectory analysis suggests that the developed urban regions of central Asia contributed the primary fly ash particles from industrial combustion to the study site through the high-level westerlies jet steam. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4684-8 Authors XueLei Zhang, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China GuangJian Wu, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China TanDong Yao, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China ChengLong Zhang, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China YaHui Yue, Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    High-resolution grain size and major element geochemical measurements were performed on the marine sediments of Core MD05-2895 to help understand the formation of turbidite sequences. Grain-size results show that these turbidite sediments contain more coarse sediment grains than normal marls. The coarse sediment grains are mostly derived from relict sediments on the Sunda Shelf. Relict sediments are composed mainly of quartz, feldspar, tephra and a few titaniferous or ferruginous heavy minerals. Corresponding to the concentration of these minerals, increases in Si/Al, K/Al, Ti/Al and Fe/Al ratios are observed in the turbidite layers. As all the observed turbidite sequences were deposited during the last glacial, the occurrence of these turbidity events is implied to be closely related to instabilities in sea-level-induced sediment supply. We suggest that deposition of sediment particles from a single turbidity current is usually controlled by a counterbalance between gravity and buoyancy, with the interaction of individual grains being of minor importance. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4685-7 Authors YuLong Zhao, State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092 China ZhiFei Liu, State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092 China Christophe Colin, Laboratoire des Interactions et Dynamique des Environnements de Surface (IDES), UMR 8148 CNRS-Université Paris-Sud 11, Orsay, 91405 France Xin Xie, State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092 China Qiong Wu, State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    By analyzing surface latent heat flux (SLHF) data from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Project for the period three months before and after the Sept. 3, 2010 M S 7.1 New Zealand earthquake, an isolated SLHF positive anomaly on Aug. 1, 2010 was found with a high value of about 160 W/m 2 to the northeast of the epicenter. Historical data, background pixels, and wavelet transforms of time series were comprehensively analyzed to study the spatiotemporal features of the SLHF anomaly. After removing the influences of wind speed and cloud cover, the key factor leading to local SLHF anomalies is the surface temperature increment. Combined with GPS displacement observations and tectonic settings, we determined that the physical mechanism of the SLHF anomaly could possibly be attributed to hot underground materials related to high-temperature and high-pressure upwelling from the deep crust and mantle along the nearby subduction zone, thereby explaining the local temperature increment to the northeast of the epicenter, as well as in the center of the North Island and the southwest of the South Island. Furthermore, it changed the specific humidity between the ground and surface air, causing the local SLHF increment. Content Type Journal Article Category Letter Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4680-z Authors Kai Qin, College of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083 China LiXin Wu, Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Natural Disaster (Ministry of Education), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China Angelo De Santis, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, 00143 Italy He Wang, College of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    The role of microbes in the karstification process was determined based on the karst dynamics, CO 2 capture, and carbonate deposition. A close relationship was found among microbial activity, karst dynamics and stability, and the carbon cycle in a karst ecosystem. More in-depth studies were needed to investigate the impact of microbes on karst dynamics within different eco-environments under natural conditions to determine the response of biological organisms to a changing environment, as well as the relationship between microbial organisms and the karstification process. Content Type Journal Article Category Progress Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4648-z Authors Bin Lian, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002 China DaoXian Yuan, Institute of Karst Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Karst Dynamic Laboratory, Ministry of Land and Resources, Guilin, 541004 China ZaiHua Liu, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Climate extremes, such as extreme hot temperatures and heat waves, can have dramatic societal, economic, and ecological consequences. China has experienced remarkable interannual and decadal changes in hot extremes during the last several decades. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for changes in the hot extremes over China have not been clearly identified. In this study, we investigate the role of land-atmosphere coupling for hot days and heat waves during summer over China using two long-term Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations with and without interactive soil moisture. Results indicate that land-atmosphere coupling mainly amplifies hot extremes over China. In particular, significant amplifying effects appear over most of eastern and southwestern China. Over these areas, land-atmosphere coupling generally accounts for 30%–70% of the numbers of hot days and heat waves. This study highlights the critical importance of land-atmosphere interactions for the occurrence of hot extremes over China. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4628-3 Authors JingYong Zhang, Center for Monsoon System Research, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China LingYun Wu, Center for Monsoon System Research, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Incorporating controlled elitism and dynamic distance crowding strategies, a modified NSGA-II algorithm based on a fast and genetic non-dominated sorting algorithm is developed with the aim of obtaining a novel multi-objective optimization design algorithm for wind turbine blades. As an example, a high-performance 1.5 MW wind turbine blade, taking maximum annual energy production and minimum blade mass as the optimization objectives, was designed. A 1/16-scale model of this blade was tested in a 12 m × 16 m wind tunnel and the experimental results validated the high performance. Moreover, both the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and a free-vortex method (FVM) were applied to calculating the aerodynamic performance, which was consistent with the experimental data. For completeness, the CFD and FVM were used to analyze the wake structure, and good and consistent results were obtained between them. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4856-6 Authors TongGuang Wang, College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016 China Long Wang, College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016 China Wei Zhong, College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016 China BoFeng Xu, College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016 China Li Chen, China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, Mianyang, 621000 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    A new method based on the phenomenon of synchronization and the properties of chaos is proposed to reduce interference in the transferred chaotic signals of synchronized systems. The interference is considered as a series of small deviations from the original clean trajectory in the phase space. By means of our special design, these small deviations can be estimated using positive Lyapunov exponents, and removed from interfered chaotic signals. Application is illustrated for the Lorenz attractor, and numerical computing demonstrates that the method is effective in removing typical external interference. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4857-5 Authors Nan Yang, College of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China ZhangCai Long, College of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China XiangHui Zhao, College of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Organic aerosol (OA) is a crucial component of atmospheric fine particles. To achieve a better understanding of the chemical characteristics and sources of OA in Beijing, the size-resolved chemical composition of submicron aerosols were measured in-situ using a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer in the winter of 2010, with a high time resolution of 5 min. During this study, the mean OA mass concentration was 20.9±25.3 μg/m 3 , varying between 1.9 and 284.6 μg/m 3 . Elemental analysis showed that the average H/C, O/C and N/C (molar ratio) were 1.70, 0.17, and 0.005, respectively, corresponding to an OM/OC ratio (mass ratio of organic matter to organic carbon) of 1.37. The average mass-based size distributions of OA present a prominent accumulation mode peaking at approximately 450 nm. The prominent presence of ultrafine particles ( D va 〈 100 nm) was mainly from the fresh emissions of combustion sources. A Positive Matrix Factorisation (PMF) analysis of the organic mass spectral dataset differentiated the OA into three components, including hydrocarbon-like (HOA), cooking-related (COA), and oxygenated (OOA) organic aerosols, which, on average, accounted for 26.9%, 49.7% and 23.4%, respectively, of the total organic mass. The HOA and COA likely corresponded to primary organic aerosol (POA) associated with combustion-related and cooking emissions, respectively, and the OOA components corresponded to aged secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4886-0 Authors Quan Liu, State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Yang Sun, State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Bo Hu, State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China ZiRui Liu, State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Shimono Akio, Shoreline Science Research, Inc., Tokyo, 192-0045 Japan YueSi Wang, State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    In soil, CaCO 3 can reduce the availability of phosphorus in arid and semi-arid regions, thereby influencing plant growth. However, the effects of soil stoichiometry of the CaCO 3 /available phosphorus ratio (CaCO 3 /AP ratio) on plant density are unknown. In this study, we examined 4 Artemisia ordosica communities located in arid and semi-arid regions, and performed a pot experiment with an orthogonal design to examine the relationships between the soil CaCO 3 /AP ratio and plant density. The results showed that the soil stoichiometry of the CaCO 3 /AP ratio had a greater effect on growth of A. ordosica than either CaCO 3 or AP as single factor. The influence of the soil CaCO 3 /AP ratio on density of A. ordosica was related to the climatic zone and the types and/or amplitudes of increases in the soil CaCO 3 /AP ratio. When the soil CaCO 3 /AP ratio was within the same amplitude and was less than 2.5, the A. ordosica density increased in the semi-arid region, whereas the density decreased with increasing soil CaCO 3 /AP ratios in the arid region. In the semi-arid region, when the soil CaCO 3 /AP ratio was within the same amplitude and the increase in the soil CaCO 3 content was greater than the increase in soil AP, the A. ordosica density increased with increasing soil CaCO 3 /AP ratios. This means that the relationship between the soil CaCO 3 /AP ratio and the A. ordosica density remained the same. In the arid region, an increase in the soil CaCO 3 /AP ratio as a result of increased soil CaCO 3 content and decreased soil AP resulted in increased density of A. ordosica . Therefore, the relationship between soil CaCO 3 /AP ratios and density of A. ordosica was altered by these changes in soil chemistry. Thus, the soil stoichiometry of the CaCO 3 /AP ratio is an important factor affecting the density of A. ordosica in arid and semi-arid regions. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4866-4 Authors XueLai Zhao, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China XingDong He, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China PingPing Xue, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China Ning Zhang, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China Wei Wu, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China Rong Li, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China HuaCong Ci, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China JingJing Xu, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China YuBao Gao, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071 China HaLin Zhao, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 73000 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Decreases in snow cover due to climate change could alter the energetics and physiology of ectothermic animals that overwinter beneath snow, yet how snow cover interacts with physiological thresholds is unknown. We applied numerical simulation of overwintering metabolic rates coupled with field validation to determine the importance of snow cover and freezing to the overwintering lipid consumption of the freeze-tolerant Arctiid caterpillar Pyrrharctia isabella . Caterpillars that overwintered above the snow experienced mean temperatures 1.3°C lower than those below snow and consumed 18.36 mg less lipid of a total 68.97-mg reserve. Simulations showed that linear temperature effects on metabolic rate accounted for only 30% of the difference in lipid consumption. When metabolic suppression by freezing was included, 93% of the difference between animals that overwintered above and below snow was explained. Our results were robust to differences in temperature sensitivity of metabolic rate, changes in freezing point, and the magnitude of metabolic suppression by freezing. The majority of the energy savings was caused by the non-continuous reduction in metabolic rate due to freezing, the first example of the importance of temperature thresholds in the lipid use of overwintering insects. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0866-0 Authors Katie E. Marshall, Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada N6G 1L3 Brent J. Sinclair, Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada N6G 1L3 Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description: Nanofillers are added to dental adhesives to improve mechanical properties of the hybrid layer. Ethanol or water added to the demineralized dentin to improve adhesive infiltration may produce filler aggregation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of 5 vol% water or ethanol addition on nanoparticles distribution in dental adhesives. METHODS: Six available commercial adhesives systems were selected: Clearfil SE Bond (CSE), Clearfil Protect Bond (CPB), FL-Bond (FLB), Clearfil S3 (CS3), Bond Force (BF), One Up Bond F plus (OUB), and an experimental adhesive system without filler (EXP). Polymer films were obtained by adding 0 (control) or 5 vol% water or ethanol into the bonding resins. Preparations were light-cured (40 s). Three specimens were analyzed for each mixture. Three phases and 3D images were taken from each specimen by means of an atomic force microscope in taping mode (TM/AFM). Cluster sizes and surface nanoroughness were assessed. RESULTS: Control specimens from CSE, FLB, OUB, and BF presented clusters. The addition of solvents lead to particles aggregation in tested bonding resins. Ethanol addition produced more aggregates, particularly in adhesives containing fluoraluminosilicate as fillers. CONCLUSIONS: Nanofillers aggregation occurred in all adhesive systems in presence of additional solvents. In general, aggregate sizes were higher after the addition of ethanol. Formed clusters size values are always above the dimensions of the spaces existing between the demineralized collagen fibers. Microsc. Res. Tech. , 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: This study aimed to evaluate, ex vivo , the nanoleakage in dentinal tubules, the linear infiltration of silver nitrate in the dentin wall/root-end filling material interface, and the presence of gaps in this interface in root-end cavities filled with 4 filling materials. Forty-eight disto-buccal root canals of maxillary molars were instrumented and filled. Retrograde cavities were prepared with ultrasonic points (apical 2 mm). The samples were divided into 2 control groups ( n = 4) and 4 experimental groups ( n = 10): Group I – white mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA); Group II – Super EBA; Group III – Portland cement; and Group IV – Sealer 26. After 1 week, the specimens were subjected to silver nitrate and prepared for SEM (backscattered electrons). In the apical-apical segment, an area with significantly higher leakage was observed for Super EBA, followed by Portland cement, MTA, and Sealer 26 ( P = 0.0054). In the medium and cervical segments, all materials showed the same leakage behavior ( P = 0.1815 and P = 0.1723, respectively). The linear infiltration at the dentin wall/root-end filling material interface was higher with Super EBA than the other groups. No differences in the percentage of gaps along the 3 mm of dentin wall/root-end filling material interface between the 4 materials were evident ( P 〉 0.05). Nanoleakage occurred mainly in the apical segment of the samples, and Super EBA showed the highest values. The area and linear leakage were lower in the middle and coronal segments, regardless of the root-end filling material. No material perfectly sealed the root-end cavities, which allowed for the leakage occurrence. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: This article explores the achievable transmission electron microscopy specimen thickness and quality by using three different preparation methods in the case of a high-strength nanocrystalline Cu–Nb powder alloy. Low specimen thickness is essential for spatially resolved analyses of the grains in nanocrystalline materials. We have found that single-sided as well as double-sided low-angle Ar ion milling of the Cu–Nb powders embedded into epoxy resin produced wedge-shaped particles of very low thickness (〈10 nm) near the edge. By means of a modified focused ion beam lift-out technique generating holes in the lamella interior large micrometer-sized electron-transparent regions were obtained. However, this lamella displayed a higher thickness at the rim of ≥30 nm. Limiting factors for the observed thicknesses are discussed including ion damage depths, backscattering, and surface roughness, which depend on ion type, energy, current density, and specimen motion. Finally, sections cut by ultramicrotomy at low stroke rate and low set thickness offered vast, several tens of square micrometers uniformly thin regions of ∼10-nm minimum thickness. As major drawbacks, we have detected a thin coating on the sections consisting of epoxy deployed as the embedding material and considerable nanoscale thickness variations. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: Purpose: This work aims to study the erosion on restorative materials and on surrounding dentin. Fifty root dentin samples were obtained from bovine incisors. Methods: Twenty samples were not restored and thirty received cavity preparations. Samples were assigned to five groups: G1, G2: sound dentin (D); G3: composite resin (CR); G4: resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (RMGIC); G5: glass-ionomer cement (GIC). The samples of groups 2–5 were submitted to six cycles (demineralization–remineralization). Samples were analyzed by micro energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μ-EDXRF) and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: Mineral loss was greater in G2 samples than in RMGI 〉 CR 〉 GIC 〉 D (control). SEM images showed pronounced dentin demineralization in groups 2 and 4. The acid erosion has a significant effect on mineral loss (Ca and P) of root dentin without restoration. Conclusions: Composite resin had the best chemical resistance to erosion among all the materials. Fluoride contained in GIC seemed to cause some protection, however, with material degradation. Chemical interaction of tooth-colored dental materials with root dentin could be assessed by μ-EDXRF. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description:    Periodicity of Retzius lines is a key factor in dental development. In this study, we examined the periodicity of Retzius lines in fossil Pongo from South China using polarized light microscope observation of dental ground sections. The periodicities all of the 15 teeth were 9 d. Comparisons of periodicity were made with extant primates, fossil apes and hominins. Periodicity of fossil Pongo from South China was relatively long but fell within the variation of extant Pongo, Gorilla and modern human, and longer than periodicity of Pan and other extant primates. Fossil Pongo from South China was similar to Lufengpithecus and Sivapithecus , shorter than Gigantopithecus and longer than European and African fossil apes and most early hominins in periodicity. Generally, the periodicities of Asian large-body fossil apes were longer than the periodicities of European and African large-body fossil apes in Miocene. Difference among species and trend of evolution in periodicity were analyzed and discussed. We found that periodicity might gradually increase from Proconsul in early Miocene to several fossil apes in Miocene and then Gigantopithecus in Pleistocene. In addition, this study made correlate analysis between periodicity and body mass respectively in males and females of six extant apes and five fossil apes, and found that periodicity positively correlated with body mass. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4883-3 Authors Rong Hu, Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China LingXia Zhao, Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China XinZhi Wu, Laboratory of Human Evolution, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Chemotherapy remains the standard treatment for acute myeloid leukemia; however, the emergence of drug resistance is a major hurdle in the successful treatment of leukemia. The expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4) induces resistance in the adriamycin-resistant acute myeloid leukemia cell line, K562/ADR. The aim of this study was to investigate whether knockdown of MRP4 by lentivirus-mediated siRNA could improve the sensitivity of K562/ADR cells to adriamycin. Five lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNAs (lv-shRNAs-MRP4) were designed to trigger the gene silencing RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. The efficiency of lentivirus-mediated siRNA infection into K562/ADR cells was determined using fluorescence microscopy to observe lentivirus-mediated GFP expression. MRP4 expression in infected K562/ADR cells was evaluated by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. The MTS assay was used to measure cell viability and flow cytometry was used to measure apoptosis. The transfection efficiency of K562/ADR cells was over 80 percent. The gene silencing efficacy of lv-shRNA1-MRP4 was superior to the other constructs. Infection of K562/ADR cells with lv-shRNA1-MRP4 led to strong inhibition of MRP4 mRNA and protein expression. Combined treatment with lv-shRNA1-MRP4 and adriamycin decreased cell growth and increased apoptosis compared to treatment with lv-shRNA1-MRP4 or adriamycin alone. These data indicate that in K562/ADR cells MRP4 is involved in drug resistance mechanisms and that lentivirus-mediated knockdown of MRP4 may enhance sensitivity to adriamycin. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4840-1 Authors Bei Liu, Institute of Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Li Zhao, Central Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China HaiZhen Ma, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Wei Zhang, Central Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Yu Jin, Institute of Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Lianas are a principal physiognomic component of tropical and subtropical forests and are typically considered to be parasites of trees. In contrast, the substantial contribution of lianas to rainforest leaf litter production (up to 40%) suggests that they play important roles in nutrient cycles and may benefit their host trees. Lianas contribute disproportionately to total forest litter production at least partially because lianas invest relatively little in support structures and proportionately much more to leaf production when compared with trees. In contrast to tree leaves, liana leaves are higher in nutrient concentrations, relatively short-lived, and decompose more rapidly. In addition, the special life form of lianas allows them to grow vertically and horizontally in the forest and relocate nutrients, mainly towards their host trees, through the production of leaf litter. Consequently, lianas may contribute substantially to the high rainforest productivity, and the roles they play in liana/tree associations and rainforest dynamics needs to be re-evaluated. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4690-x Authors Yong Tang, Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303 China Roger L. Kitching, Griffith School of the Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia Min Cao, Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Lepturichthys fimbriata (Günther) is one of the benthic and rock-attached fish species that is typically found in torrential flows of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Several dams in the Yangtze River (the Ertan Dam, the Three Gorges Dam, the Gezhouba Dam, the Xiluodu Dam and the Xiangjiaba Dam (the latter two dams are under construction)) may have significant effects on the habitat and spawning behaviors of L. fimbriata , and could ultimately threaten the survival of this fish. We studied the population genetic diversity of L. fimbriata samples collected at three sites within the Yangtze River and one of its tributaries, the Yalong River. Genetic diversity patterns were determined by analyzing genetic data from 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci isolated in Jinshaia sinensis (Sauvage et Dabry). A high genetic diversity among these L. fimbriata local populations was indicated by the number of microsatellite alleles ( A ) and the expected heterozygosity. No reductions of genetic diversity in any L. fimbriata population were observed. However, significant population differentiations were observed among three local populations by pairwise comparisons ( P 〈0.001). We deduced that L. fimbriata local populations were not small ones. In addition, the habitat behaviors of rock-attachment and possible residence of L. fimbriata could account for the genetic differences found in local populations. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4704-8 Authors FuTie Zhang, Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072 China YouJian Duan, Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072 China ShanMao Cao, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023 China JianWei Wang, Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072 China DeQing Tan, Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    As a type of thin film, two dimensional (2D) reticulate architectures built of freestanding single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) bundles are suitable for scalable integration into devices and nanocomposites for many applications. The superior properties of these films, such as optical transparency, unique electrical properties and mechanical flexibility, result not only from the outstanding properties of individual SWCNTs but also from the collective behavior of the individual tubes, with additional properties arising from the tube-tube interactions. In this review, the synthesis, structure and fundamental properties, such as conductivity, transparency, optical nonlinearity and mechanical performance, of “freestanding SWCNT bundle network” thin films and nanocomposites, as well as their application as supercapacitors are highlighted. Some long-standing problems and topics warranting further investigation in the near future are addressed. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Pages 1-20 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4878-0 Authors WeiYa Zhou, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China WenJun Ma, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China ZhiQiang Niu, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China Li Song, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China SiShen Xie, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    One of the most unique structural characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) differentiating from other carbon materials is their hollow nanochannles, which can be utilized for encapsulating and loading foreign matters. The anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template technique enables the diameter, length, and cap structure control of the replicated CNTs, and thus shows advantages in pore structure control over the traditional CNT growth approaches. This review details the synthesis of CNTs with tunable diameter, length, wall thickness, and crystalline by using the AAO template method. The doping of heteroatoms and filling of foreign matters into AAO-CNTs are also addressed. Moreover, the main challenges and developing trends of the AAO template method are discussed. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Pages 1-18 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4892-2 Authors PengXiang Hou, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016 China Chang Liu, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016 China Chao Shi, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016 China HuiMing Cheng, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    The spatiotemporal evolution of the M 9.0 Tohoku earthquake sequence off the East Coast of Honshu in Japan on March 11, 2011 and precursive seismic activity near the Japan Trench show that the earthquake sequence has foreshock-main shock-aftershock characteristics. Its foreshock sequence is characterized by a concentrated spatial distribution, low b value and the same focal mechanisms. Half an hour after the main shock, the two greatest aftershocks, with magnitudes of M 7.9 and M 7.7, occurred, followed by a rapid reduction in the strength of events. The aftershock activity was enhanced roughly two weeks and one month after the main event. This great earthquake ruptured bilaterally. Five hours after the main shock, the aftershock zone extended over a range that was 500 km in length and 300 km in width. A day later, the long axis of the aftershock area had expanded to about 600 km. Nine years prior to the 2011 earthquake, the seismicity in the location of the seismic source for this event enhanced significantly, with the extent of this area of enhanced seismicity being roughly equivalent to the aftershock zone. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4885-1 Authors Yan Xue, Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, 100081 China Jie Liu, China Earthquake Networks Center, Beijing, 100045 China HuaiZhong Yu, China Earthquake Networks Center, Beijing, 100045 China ShuangQing Liu, Earthquake Administration of Tianjin Municipality, Tianjin, 300201 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    High-pressure polymorphs of olivine (wadsleyite and ringwoodite) are major minerals in the mantle transition zone (MTZ). Phase transformations in olivine are important for a series of geodynamic problems such as the mineralogical and evolutionary history of the mantle, mantle convection patterns, and deep focus earthquakes in subduction zones. In this study, we examine phase transformations in olivine with two compositions, namely Mg 2 SiO 4 (Fo 100 ) and (Mg 0.9 Fe 0.1 ) 2 SiO 4 (Fo 90 ), at pressures between 14.1 and 20 GPa and a constant temperature of 1400°C, using the newly installed multi-anvil system at the Laboratory for Studies of the Earth’s Deep Interior (SEDI), China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). At 14.1 GPa, Fo 90 transformed completely into the wadsleyite structure (β), while Fo 100 remained as olivine (α). Between 14.8 and 15.6 GPa, both Fo 100 and Fo 90 transformed into the wadsleyite structure. Wadsleyite crystals were identified by two characteristic Raman peaks between 722 and 723 and 917 and 919 cm −1 . They exhibit a bimodal grain size distribution: large-crystals with average grain sizes greater than 100 μm and microcrystals less than 10 μm. The population of microcrystals increased with pressure, apparently due to the increase in over-pressure (the difference between the experimental pressure condition and the equilibrium transformation pressure at 1400°C), which promotes nucleation and retards grain growth. All run charges contained large numbers of wadsleyite microcrystals, because of the low activation energy of the nucleation process. The experimentally observed microstructure may shed light on the morphology of wadsleyite observed in shocked meteorites. At 19.5 GPa, wadsleyite coexisted with ringwoodite (Γ) in Fo 100 , but was absent in Fo 90 . At 20 GPa, both samples transformed completely into ringwoodite, which was characterized by the 798 and 840 cm −1 Raman lines. Ringwoodite crystals are euhedral grains (average grain size 10–20 μm), with well-developed triple junctions. The complex upper mantle structure in eastern China determined from seismological studies cannot be explained by the simple transformation sequence of the olivine system alone. Phase transformations in other pyroxene-normative components (including pyroxenes and garnets) and the interaction of these components with olivine may be responsible for the complex structure. High-pressure and high-temperature experimental studies on complex systems (e.g. olivine-pyroxene), combined with data from geophysical exploration, may help in establishing a more realistic geological-petrological model for eastern China and further our understanding of the possible physical mechanisms that are responsible for the complex structure. Such studies will have profound implications for understanding the dynamic processes in the deep Earth interior. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4884-2 Authors Yao Wu, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China YanBin Wang, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China YanFei Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China ZhenMin Jin, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China Chao Wang, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China ChunYin Zhou, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    The last glacial period was vital for the distribution and evolution of early modern humans in Asia. The Shuidonggou Late Paleolithic site, dated at 30–20 ka BP, accumulated cultural remains during the important late stage of MIS 3 period in the last glacial. These remains represent characteristics of typical Late Paleolithic conditions in North China: high degree of standardization and morphological variability of tool types, exploitation of bone materials, systematic use of body decorations, extensive use of earth-pit hearths, distinct functional spatial organization within habitations, and conversion of subsistence patterns. These characteristics illustrate early modern human behaviors during the late MIS3 period, and provide clues and perspectives for the analysis of early modern human origins in China. At the same time, the conversion of subsistence patterns is considered to be a combination of multiple early modern human behaviors, as well as the result of the Broad Spectrum Revolution . In this paper, we argue for the dynamic mechanism of Broad Spectrum Revolution from a human behavioral and ecological perspective. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4828-x Authors Ying Guan, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China Xing Gao, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China Feng Li, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China ShuWen Pei, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China FuYou Chen, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China ZhenYu Zhou, Laboratory of Human Evolution, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    The standard flare model, which was proposed based on observations and magnetohydrodynamic theory, can successfully explain many observational features of solar flares. However, this model is just a framework, with many details awaiting to be filled in, including how reconnection is triggered. In this paper, we address an unanswered question: where do flare ribbons stop? With the data analysis of the 2003 May 29 flare event, we tentatively confirmed our conjecture that flare ribbons finally stop at the intersection of separatrices (or quasi-separatrix layer in a general case) with the solar surface. Once verified, such a conjecture can be used to predict the final size and even the lifetime of solar flares. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4829-9 Authors PengFei Chen, Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 China JiangTao Su, Key Laboratory of Solar Physics, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100012 China Yang Guo, Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 China YuanYong Deng, Key Laboratory of Solar Physics, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100012 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Rapid development in the field of nanomedicine is bringing novel opportunities for improved disease diagnosis and drug delivery. Among various nanomaterials involved in nanomedicine, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possessing a unique one-dimensional structure with interesting intrinsic mechanical, physical, and chemical properties have been extensively explored for a wide range of applications in biology and medicine. This review article provides an overview of how CNTs are used in different aspects of biomedicine including drug delivery and cancer treatment, bio-sensing, biomedical imaging, as well as tissue engineering. The recent developments, future perspective, and major challenges in this field are discussed. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4845-9 Authors XiaoJing Wang, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123 China Zhuang Liu, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description: This article reports a novel color tuning method by local sputtering nanolayers on microstructured porous alumina (PA) templates with different pore depths. With the aid of scanning electron microscopy observation, physical models of the original and sputtered PA templates are set up, and the details of the color tuning method are further proposed. Two series of colors covering the whole visible range are first obtained by respectively sputtering Cr and Ag nanolayers on two groups of PA templates with pore-depths ranging from 230 to 490 nm. A vivid colorful pattern of “Butterfly wings” is then prepared by local sputtering such Cr and Ag nanolayers on the surface of a PA with 310 nm pore-depth. The scanning electron microscopy images of Cr and Ag sputtered PA surfaces show different microstructures, which is in agreement with different color exhibiting. This method is expected to have a potential of being widely applied in the fields of micro-optics, microstructures, advanced materials, and micro/nanotechnology. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: Using live-cell confocal microscopy and particle tracking technology, the simultaneous transport of intracellular vesicles of the endo-lysosomal pathway and nonviral polyethylenimine (PEI)/DNA nanocomplexes was investigated. Due to potential problems associated with the use of acid-sensitive probes in combination with a gene vector that is hypothesized to buffer the pH of intracellular vesicles, the biological location of PEI/DNA gene vectors was revealed by probing their trafficking in cells expressing fluorescent versions of either early endosome antigen 1, a protein that localizes to early endosomes, or Niemann Pick C1, a protein that localizes to late endosomes and lysosomes. Studies directly show that PEI/DNA nanoparticles are actively transported within both early and late endosomes, and display similar overall transport rates in each. Additionally, gene vector transfer between endosomes is observed. Over time post-transfection, gene vectors accumulate in late endosomes/lysosomes; however, real-time escape of vectors from membrane-bound vesicles is not observed. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: The highly complex techniques of electron microscopy made it bound to the sensitive and critical micrograph analysis. The accurately interpreted micrographs are of paramount values in basic investigations. Interpretation skills and quality of the micrographs are the two fundamental keys in accomplishment of these goals but there are many mistakes and errors that can happen during the sample preparation, sectioning, EM operation, and photo publishing. The mentioned mistakes and errors effect directly in the final result which is a micrograph and can lead the analyzer who can be a pathologist to an interpretation followed by serious danger for patient. Artifacts caused by any given stimuli expected to be bothersome for investigators. Even best qualified equipments can be regarded as source of artifact generation. In this article, seven serious errors in electron micrographs which usually occur in transmission electron microscopy are addressed. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description:    To determine whether the appearance of a reproductively parasitic tactic varies, and how this variation affects territorial males of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish Telmatochromis vittatus , we examined the reproductive ecology of territorial males in Mtondwe and compared it with that of a neighboring Wonzye population, where nest density differs from that at Mtondwe. In Wonzye, with high nest density, male tactics change with their body size from a territorial to a non-territorial parasitic tactic called piracy in which they conquer several nests defended by territorial males and take over the nests while females are spawning. These “pirate” males could decrease the costs incurred by travelling among nests by exclusively targeting aggregations of nests in close proximity while avoiding separate nests. Territorial males in Wonzye sacrifice the potential higher attractiveness offered by large nests and instead compete for nests farther from neighbors on which pirates less frequently intrude. In contrast, the Mtondwe population had lower nest density and piracy was absent. Given that the success of piracy depends on the close proximity of nests, nest density is likely responsible for the observed variation in the occurrence of piracy between the two populations. Furthermore, in Mtondwe, territorial males competed for larger nests and were smaller than the territorial males in Wonzye. Thus, this lower nest density may free territorial males from the selection pressures for increased size caused by both defense against nest piracy and the need to develop into pirates as they grow. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0864-2 Authors Kazutaka Ota, Department of Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Kyoto University, Kita-Shirakawa-Oiwake, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan Michio Hori, Department of Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Kyoto University, Kita-Shirakawa-Oiwake, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan Masanori Kohda, Department of Biology and Geosciences, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi, Osaka, 558-8585 Japan Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    Long-term effects of unfavourable conditions during development can be expected to depend on the quality of the environment experienced by the same individuals during adulthood. Yet, in the majority of studies, long-term effects of early developmental conditions have been assessed under favourable adult conditions only. The immune system might be particularly vulnerable to early environmental conditions as its development, maintenance and use are thought to be energetically costly. Here, we studied the interactive effects of favourable and unfavourable conditions during nestling and adult stages on innate immunity (lysis and agglutination scores) of captive male and female zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ). Nestling environmental conditions were manipulated by a brood size experiment, while a foraging cost treatment was imposed on the same individuals during adulthood. This combined treatment showed that innate immunity of adult zebra finches is affected by their early developmental conditions and varies between both sexes. Lysis scores, but not agglutination scores, were higher in individuals raised in small broods and in males. However, these effects were only present in birds that experienced low foraging costs. This study shows that the quality of the adult environment may shape the long-term consequences of early developmental conditions on innate immunity, as long-term effects of nestling environment were only evident under favourable adult conditions. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0863-3 Authors Greet De Coster, Department of Biology, Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Simon Verhulst, Behavioural Biology, Centre for Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands Egbert Koetsier, Behavioural Biology, Centre for Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands Liesbeth De Neve, Department of Biology, Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Michael Briga, Behavioural Biology, Centre for Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands Luc Lens, Department of Biology, Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    In the blowfly Phormia regina , exposure to d-limonene for 5 days during feeding inhibits proboscis extension reflex behavior due to decreasing tyramine (TA) titer in the brain. TA is synthesized by tyrosine decarboxylase (Tdc) and catalyzed into octopamine (OA) by TA ß-hydroxylase (Tbh). To address the mechanisms of TA titer regulation in the blowfly, we cloned Tdc and Tbh cDNAs from P. regina (PregTdc and PregTbh). The deduced amino acid sequences of both proteins showed high identity to those of the corresponding proteins from Drosophila melanogaster at the amino acid level. PregTdc was expressed in the antenna, labellum, and tarsus whereas PregTbh was expressed in the head, indicating that TA is mainly synthesized in the sensory organs whereas OA is primarily synthesized in the brain. d-Limonene exposure significantly decreased PregTdc expression in the antenna but not in the labellum and the tarsus, indicating that PregTdc expressed in the antenna is responsible for decreasing TA titer. PregTdc-like immunoreactive material was localized in the thin-walled sensillum. In contrast, the OA/TA receptor (PregOAR/TAR) was localized to the thick-walled sensillum. The results indicated that d-limonene inhibits PregTdc expression in the olfactory receptor neurons in the thin-walled sensilla, likely resulting in reduced TA levels in the receptor neurons in the antenna. TA may be transferred from the receptor neuron to the specific synaptic junction in the antennal lobe of the brain through the projection neurons and play a role in conveying the aversive odorant information to the projection and local neurons. Content Type Journal Article Category Short Communication Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0865-1 Authors Yuko Ishida, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan Mamiko Ozaki, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042

Description:    The effect of extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CAex) on stable carbon isotope fractionation in algae is still unclear. The stable carbon isotope composition and algal growth in the presence and absence of the membrane-impermeable CA inhibitor acetazolamide were compared in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella vulgaris . The CAex of both algal species contributed about 9‰ of the stable carbon isotope fractionation and exhibited a dosage effect. Therefore, evidence in vivo that CAex leads to a larger carbon isotope fractionation of algae is presented. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4861-9 Authors YanYou Wu, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002 China Ying Xu, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002 China HaiTao Li, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002 China DeKe Xing, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description: The umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an important source of hematopoietic stem cells with great deal of interest in regenerative medicine. The UCB cells have been extensively studied as an alternative to the bone marrow transplants. The challenge is to define specific methods to purify and characterize these cells in different animal species. This study is aimed at morphological characterization of progenitor cells derived from UCB highlighting relevant differences with peripheral blood of adult in dog and cats. Therefore, blood was collected from 18 dogs and 5 cats' umbilical cords from fetus in various developmental stages. The mononuclear cells were separated using the gradient of density Histopaque-1077. Characterization of CD34+ cells was performed by flow cytometric analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Granulocytes (ancestry of the basophiles, eosinophiles, and neutrophiles) and agranulocytes (represented by immature lymphocytes) were identified. We showed for the first time the ultrastructural features of cat UCB cells. Microsc. Res. Tech. , 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description:    Pollen assemblages of 53 surface pollen samples from farmlands and wastelands in Northeast China were analyzed. Tree pollen percentages were usually higher than 30%, with Pinus (26.9%), Quercus (0.9%), Betula (0.9%) and Populus (0.7%) as the major types, and herb pollen percentages were usually higher than 50%, with weedy Poaceae (8.7%), Chenopodiaceae (7.1%), Artemisia (1.9%) and Compositae (3.5%) as the major taxa. Thus, the pollen assemblages were consistent with the regional vegetation compositions. However, there were differences in pollen assemblages among regions, especially among different geomorphological units. For example, in the mountains, there were more types of tree pollen and higher total percentages (average 42%) than in other areas, while cereal pollen percentages were lowest (11.2%). In the hills and high plains, herbs made up more than 60% of the pollens, with cereals (average 53.6%) the dominant type. In the low plains, pollen types were similar to those in the hills and high plains, but total pollen concentrations and the proportion of Concentricystes were much higher, while cereal pollen percentages were slightly lower (average 41.6%). Pollen assemblages in different land use types also differed. For example, in farmland, cereal pollen percentages were more than 40% and Chenopodiaceae was usually less than 2.5%, while in wasteland, weedy Poaceae was usually less than 10% and Chenopodiaceae was usually higher than 25%. Total pollen concentrations in farmland (average 3909 grains/g) were much lower than in wasteland (average 15074 grains/g). Redundancy analysis revealed that pollen assemblages were significantly negatively correlated with mean annual temperature (−0.73) and July mean temperature (−0.81) and significantly positively correlated with mean annual precipitation (0.48), indicating that pollen assemblages in the artificial or human-disturbed vegetation reflect regional climate well. Comparison of pollen assemblages in different areas of northern China showed that pollen concentrations reflect the intensities of human impact to some degree. For example, pollen concentrations decrease as human impacts increase in intensity. The cereal pollen proportions in farmland differed by area. In Northeast China, cereal pollen proportions were distinctly higher than in most other areas of northern China, suggesting differences in planting habits and climate. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4853-9 Authors ManYue Li, College of Resources and Environment and Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China YueCong Li, College of Resources and Environment and Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China QingHai Xu, College of Resources and Environment and Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China RuiMing Pang, College of Resources and Environment and Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China Wei Ding, College of Resources and Environment and Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China ShengRui Zhang, College of Resources and Environment and Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China ZhiGuo He, College of Resources and Environment and Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    This research quantifies lake level variations in the Siling Co, Co’e and Bangor Co salt lakes in Central Tibet from 1976 to 2010, and most notably for the 2000–2010 periods. In particular, the effects of different water replenishment modes on the lakes have been analyzed. Here we have provided new evidences for climate warming and accelerated glacial ablation on the Central Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2010. Based on fieldwork involving Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) surveying and Remote Sensing (RS) interpretations of the lake area, we have drawn the following conclusions. (1) From 1976 to 2010, the process of lake level variation in Siling Co can be divided into two stages. From 1976 to 2000, the lake level rose 4.3 m in a steady fashion (from 4530 to 4534.3 m); the rise rate was 0.18 m/a. From 2000 to 2010, the lake level rapidly rose 8.2 m (from 4534.3 to 4542.5 m), with a dramatically higher rise rate of 0.82 m/a. Compared with the rapidly increasing lake level of Siling Co from 2000 to 2010, the fluctuations observed at Co’e and Bangor Co were smooth and inconspicuous. (2) From 1976 to 2009, the lake area of Siling Co experienced a steady-rapid-steady expansion pattern. The lake area of Siling Co increased 656.64 km 2 in the 34 years to 2010, a proportional growth of 39.4%. This was particularly significant in the 2000–2010 period, when the lake area of Siling Co increased by 549.77 km 2 , a proportional growth of 30.6%. (3) According to correlation analysis, the rise in regional temperatures, which has led to the ablation of glaciers, is the main reason for the rapid rise in Siling Co lake levels in the 10 years to 2010. During this period, Siling Co rose approximately 8 m as the direct result of glacial melting. An increase in precipitation in the Siling Co catchment area is the secondary factor. This contrasts with Bangor Co, where the dominant factor in lake level change is the long-term increase in precipitation; here, the increasing temperature is the secondary factor. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4849-5 Authors Kai Meng, State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China XuHua Shi, Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, PA 16802, USA Erchie Wang, State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Feng Liu, State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    The trend in the atmospheric heat source over the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau (CE-TP) is quantitatively estimated using historical observations at 71 meteorological stations, three reanalysis datasets from 1980–2008, and two satellite radiation datasets from 1984–2007. Results show that a weakening of sensible heat (SH) flux over the CE-TP continues. The most significant trend occurs in spring, induced mainly by decelerated surface wind speeds. The ground-air temperature difference shows a notable increasing trend over the last 5 years. Trends in net radiation flux of the atmospheric column over the CE-TP, evaluated by two satellite radiation datasets, are clearly different. Trends in the atmospheric heat source calculated by the three reanalysis datasets are not completely consistent, and even show opposite signals. Results from the two datasets both show a weakening of the heat source but the magnitude of one is significantly stronger, whereas an increase is indicated by the other data. Therefore, it is challenging to accurately calculate the trend in the atmospheric heat source over the CE-TP, particularly from the estimates of the reanalysis datasets. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4838-8 Authors MeiRong Wang, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044 China ShunWu Zhou, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044 China AnMin Duan, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    The genus Sciadopitys , containing a single species ( S. verticillata ), is the only extant representative of the Family Sciadopityaceae (Coniferales), and is a remarkable living fossil. Although some leafy fossils have been ascribed to Sciadopityaceae, fossil xylem material with a close affinity to this family is very rare, and there have been no fossils found showing both pith and primary xylem structures, which are of great importance for wood identification. Thus, it has been difficult to use fossils for the understanding of wood anatomy evolution in the sciadopityaceous plants over geological time. In this note we briefly report on Sciadopitys -like fossil wood found in the Middle Jurassic of western Liaoning, which bears well-preserved Protosciadopityoxylon -type secondary xylem, endarch primary xylem and heterogeneous pith. This is the first report of fossil specimens of the Sciadopityaceae with such detailed preservation of wood structures. The discovery provides precise anatomical evidence for reconstructing the evolutionary history and geographical distribution of Sciadopityaceae, as well as contributing to understanding of the fossil diversity of the Jurassic Yanliao Flora in northern China. Content Type Journal Article Category Letter Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4850-z Authors ZiKun Jiang, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008 China YongDong Wang, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008 China ShaoLin Zheng, Shenyang Center of China Geological Survey, Shenyang Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Shenyang, 110034 China Wu Zhang, Shenyang Center of China Geological Survey, Shenyang Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Shenyang, 110034 China Ning Tian, Institute of Palaeontology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, 110034 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Located at the collision boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Continental Plate, the island of Taiwan is generally recognized as an important example in the MARGINS Program Science Plan and “source-to-sink” research because of its high tectonic activity, heavy rainfall and unique geography. Large suspended sediment loads are transported to the adjacent ocean by Taiwanese rivers every year, making Taiwan an important source of sediments into the adjacent seas and a natural laboratory for studying the systemic movement of fluvial sediments from source to sink. A detailed study on the clay mineral composition of surface sediments collected from the drainage basins of 12 Taiwanese rivers using X-ray diffraction methods was conducted. Our results indicated that the clay mineral assemblages consisted dominantly of illite (approximately 73%) and chlorite (approximately 24%), with lesser abundances of kaolinite (approximately 3%) and even lower levels of smectite from the Danshuei River sediments in northwestern Taiwan. The Jhuoshuei River sediments from western Taiwan contained clay mineral assemblages that consisted of illite (approximately 75%) and chlorite (approximately 25%), but they lacked kaolinite and smectite. In southwestern Taiwan, the clay mineral assemblages were dominated by illite (approximately 75%) and chlorite (approximately 23%), but had a low abundance of kaolinite (generally 〈 2%) and no smectite. The clay mineral assemblages in eastern Taiwan are obviously different from those in western parts of the island. The most noticeable difference is that the average abundance of chlorite in the Hualien River from eastern Taiwan was the highest (approximately 48%) of all the Taiwanese rivers. We concluded that, in general, the clay mineral assemblages in Taiwanese rivers were mainly composed of illite and chlorite with kaolinite and smectite being scarce, and these trends are different from those in China’s mainland rivers. The clay mineral composition shown in this study was primarily determined by the properties of the bedrock, and the differential weathering intensities of the drainage area. The surface sediments in Taiwan’s rivers showed a greater abundance of illite and chlorite because the outcropped rocks were mainly composed of Tertiary sedimentary rocks, especially sandstone, shale and slate, and show strong physical weathering. The relatively high relief and more abundant rainfall also caused the clay minerals in the fluvial sediments to be transported to the estuaries down rivers from the mountains and then delivered to the adjacent seas by currents and waves over a shorter time scale. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4824-1 Authors ChuanShun Li, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China XueFa Shi, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China ShuhJi Kao, Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529 China MinTe Chen, Institute of Applied Geosciences, Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224 China YanGuang Liu, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China XiSheng Fang, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China HuaHua Lü, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China JianJun Zou, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China ShengFa Liu, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China ShuQing Qiao, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Leucogranites play a significant role in understanding crustal thickening, melting within continental collisional belts, and plateau uplift. Field investigations show that Miocene igneous rocks from the Hoh Xil Lake area mainly consist of two-mica leucogranites and rhyolites. We studied the Bukadaban two-mica leucogranites and the Kekao Lake, Malanshan and Hudongliang rhyolites by zircon U-Pb, muscovite and sanidine 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology, and whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic analysis. Results yielded crystallization and cooling ages for the Bukadaban leucogranites of 9.7±0.2 and 6.88±0.19 Ma, respectively. Extrusive ages of the Kekao Lake and Malanshan rhyolites are 14.5±0.8 and 9.37±0.30 Ma, respectively. All rocks are enriched in SiO 2 (70.99%–73.59%), Al 2 O 3 (14.39%–15.25%) and K 2 O (3.78%–5.50%) but depleted in Fe 2 O 3 (0.58%–1.56%), MgO (0.11%–0.44%) and CaO (0.59%–1.19%). The rocks are strongly peraluminous (A/CNK=1.11−1.21) S-type granites characterized by negative Eu anomalies ( δ Eu=0.18−0.39). In also considering their Sr-Nd isotopic compositions ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr i =0.7124 to 0.7143; ɛ Nd (9 Ma)=−5.5 to −7.1), we propose that these igneous rocks were generated through dehydration melting of muscovite in the thickened middle or lower crust of northern Tibet. Melting was probably triggered by localized E-W stretching decompression in the horse tails of Kunlun sinistral strike-slip faults. Reactivation of the Kunlun strike-slip faults, accompanied by emplacement of leucogranite and eruption of rhyolite in the Hoh Xil Lake area, indicates that large-scale crustal shortening and thickening in northern Tibet mainly occurred before 15 Ma. In addition, these findings suggest that the northern Tibetan Plateau attained its present elevation (∼5000 m) at least 15 Ma ago. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4813-4 Authors LiYun Zhang, Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China Lin Ding, Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China Di Yang, Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China Qiang Xu, Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China FuLong Cai, Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China DeLiang Liu, Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) from above and below 7.31 m in a core from the southern Ulleung Basin shows clear differences on an equal area projection of the lower hemisphere. Rather concentrated steep inclination of K 3 and horizontal inclination of K 1 and K 2 ( K 1 ≥ K 2 ≥ K 3 ) are located within the upper part, and the latter two axes lie perpendicular to each other near the bedding plane. In contrast, random distribution of the three axes and extremely high value of shape parameters ( Q =( K 1 − K 2 )/[( K 1 + K 2 )/2− K 3 ]) are evident in the lower part, indicating complete destruction of the original sedimentary structure. This result is consistent with data from X-radiographs, which show numerous conglomerates, distortions and cleavages in the lower part. According to age models by Liu et al. (2010) and Zou et al. (2010), the bottom age at 7.31 m is 48 cal ka BP, and the time domain is discussed below. The degree of AMS ( P ) is low, 1–1.08, and linearly related to the foliation ( F ) ( R 2 =0.95, N =176). The relationship between F and linearity ( L ) implies oblate aligning patterns that are typically sedimentary in origin. At least five redox couplets were found with the aid of S ratios and other rock magnetic parameters, and in most cases, the original signals of climate survived early diagenesis. The paleomagnetically reoriented AMS show corresponding changes with millennial events in the last 48 cal ka. Clearly tilted K 3 directions and reduction of P and F occurred within DO1-BA warm events, when melt water pulse 1A nd the YD cold event took place. The turbulent conditions therein, synchronous with coarsening of sediments, provide evidence of strong bottom currents and possible directional changes, as evidenced by different K 3 tilting directions. A NE current direction in the last 4.5 cal ka is consistent with in situ measurements of bottom currents. Responses of AMS, mainly to climatic modulation, show on the one hand, the limited influence of diagenesis on rock magnetic signals and, on the other hand, the dramatic change of hydrodynamic conditions and terrigenous inputs during rapid sea level rise during the last deglaciation. Content Type Journal Article Category Article Pages 1-13 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4812-5 Authors ShuLan Ge, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China XueFa Shi, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China YanGuang Liu, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China KunShan Wang, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China JianJun Zou, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China JingYu Diao, Affiliated Middle School of China Ocean University, Qingdao, 266003 China ZhiWei Zhu, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China ChunJuan Wang, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description:    Semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess outstanding electrical and optical properties because of their special one-dimensional (1D) structure. CNTs are direct bandgap materials, which makes them ideal for use in optoelectronic devices, e.g. light emitters and light detectors. Excitons determine their light absorption and light emission processes due to the strong Coulomb interactions between electrons and holes in CNTs. In this paper, we review recent progress in CNT photodetectors, photovoltaic devices and light emitters. In particular, we focus on the doping-free CNT optoelectronic devices developed by our group in recent years. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11434-011-4806-3 Authors Sheng Wang, Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China ZhiYong Zhang, Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China LianMao Peng, Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China Journal Chinese Science Bulletin Online ISSN 1861-9541 Print ISSN 1001-6538

Description: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can be used to analyze the presence of debris and smear layer on the internal walls of root canal. This study evaluated the debris and smear removal in flattened root canals using SEM after use of different irrigant agitation protocols. Fifty mandibular incisors were distributed into five groups ( n = 10) according to the irrigant agitation protocol used during chemomechanical preparation: conventional syringe irrigation with NaviTip needle (no activation), active scrubbing of irrigant with brush-covered NaviTip FX needle, manual dynamic irrigation, continuous passive ultrasonic irrigation, and apical negative pressure irrigation (EndoVac system). Canals were irrigated with 5 mL of 2.5% NaOCl at each change of instrument and received a final flush with 17% EDTA for 1 min. After instrumentation, the roots were split longitudinally and SEM micrographs at ×100 and ×1,000 were taken to evaluate the amount of debris and smear layer, respectively, in each third. Data were analyzed by Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn's post-hoc tests (α = 5%). Manual dynamic activation left significantly ( p 〈 0.05) more debris inside the canals than the other protocols, while ultrasonic irrigation and EndoVac were the most effective ( p 〈 0.05) for debris removal. Regarding the removal of smear layer, there was no statistically significant difference ( p 〉 0.05) either among the irrigant agitation protocols or between the protocol–canal third interactions. Although none of the irrigant agitation protocols completely removed debris and smear layer from flattened root canals, the machine-assisted agitation systems (ultrasound and EndoVac) removed more debris than the manual techniques. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: In this article, the reproductive system's morphology of three young animals of the species Saguinus midas , from the bauxite mine in Paragominas, is described. The specimens were fixed and preserved in a solution of 10% aqueous formaldehyde, followed by dissection, measurement of the genital organs (uterus, vagina, ovaries, and uterine tubes), and histological processing. The vulva is delimited by the labia, with a clitoris. It is lined by keratinized stratified squamous epithelium with sebaceous glands of holocrine secretion. The vagina is an elongated tube with an average length of 26 mm and diameter of 1 mm, presenting a non-keratinized squamous epithelium, disposed between the vestibule of the vagina and cervix, the latter being relatively short. The uterus is simple, has globular shape and is located in the caudal portion of the abdominal cavity, with an average length of 14 mm and average width of 7 mm. It is formed by vascular and serous layers of muscles, and undergoes a bifurcation to form two structures on the bottom of blind sac. The uterine tubes are long and convoluted with an average length of 35 mm (right) and 36 mm (left), consisting of loose connective tissue and muscle layer lined by simple ciliated columnar epithelium. The ovaries are large and ellipsoid with smooth surface. Histologically, one animal showed ovulation fosse. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description: Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a widely distributed tick species that has adapted to the urban environment, and the dog is its main host. This species is also known as a vector and reservoir of diseases caused by bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Currently, acaricides of synthetic chemical origin have been widely and indiscriminately used, leading to the development of resistance to these products by ticks and causing damage to the environment. Thus, these issues have made it necessary to seek other forms of controlling these ectoparasites. R. sanguineus was artificially infested in host New Zealand White rabbits, which were divided into four treatment groups: control (CG1 and CG2) and treatment (TG1 and TG2) groups. TG1 and TG2 hosts were provided with feed supplemented with esters of ricinoleic acid from castor oil at a concentration of 5 g/kg of feed for 7 and 15 days. Afterward, the ovaries of the female ticks were removed for analysis by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed ultrastructural changes in the somatic and germ cells of ovaries from TG1 and TG2 females, particularly with respect to chorion deposition, a protective membrane of the oocyte, as well as in the transport process of vitellogenic materials via the hemolymph and pedicel cells. Moreover, the mitochondria were less electron-dense and had cristae that were more disorganized than the mitochondria from CG1 and CG2 individuals. Thus, this study demonstrated the action of esters on the ovaries of R. sanguineus , signaling the prospect of a way to control this ectoparasite without affecting nontarget organisms or the environment. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Description:    The neural mechanisms underlying cricket singing behavior have been the focus of several studies, but the central pattern generator (CPG) for singing has not been localized conclusively. To test if the abdominal ganglia contribute to the singing motor pattern and to analyze if parts of the singing CPG are located in these ganglia, we systematically truncated the abdominal nerve cord of fictively singing crickets while recording the singing motor pattern from a front-wing nerve. Severing the connectives anywhere between terminal ganglion and abdominal ganglion A3 did not preclude singing, although the motor pattern became more variable and failure-prone as more ganglia were disconnected. Singing terminated immediately and permanently after transecting the connectives between the metathoracic ganglion complex and the first unfused abdominal ganglion A3. The contribution of abdominal ganglia for singing pattern generation was confirmed by intracellular interneuron recordings and current injections. During fictive singing, an ascending interneuron with its soma and dendrite in A3 depolarized rhythmically. It spiked 10 ms before the wing-opener activity and hyperpolarized in phase with the wing-closer activity. Depolarizing current injection elicited rhythmic membrane potential oscillations and spike bursts that elicited additional syllables and reliably reset the ongoing chirp rhythm. Our results disclose that the abdominal ganglion A3 is directly involved in generating the singing motor pattern, whereas the more posterior ganglia seem to provide only stabilizing feedback to the CPG circuit. Localizing the singing CPG in the anterior abdominal neuromeres now allows analyzing its circuitry at the level of identified interneurons in subsequent studies. Content Type Journal Article Category Short Communication Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00114-011-0857-1 Authors Stefan Schöneich, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK Berthold Hedwig, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK Journal Naturwissenschaften Online ISSN 1432-1904 Print ISSN 0028-1042