An Atrial Fibrillation Classification Method Study Based on BP Neural Network and SVM / 中国医疗器械杂志

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia, and its diagnosis is interfered by many factors. In order to achieve applicability in diagnosis and improve the level of automatic analysis of atrial fibrillation to the level of experts, the automatic detection of atrial fibrillation is very important. This study proposes an automatic detection algorithm for atrial fibrillation based on BP neural network (back propagation network) and support vector machine (SVM). The electrocardiogram (ECG) segments in the MIT-BIH atrial fibrillation database are divided into 10, 32, 64, and 128 heartbeats, respectively, and the Lorentz value, Shannon entropy, K-S test value and exponential moving average value are calculated. These four characteristic parameters are used as the input of SVM and BP neural network for classification and testing, and the label given by experts in the MIT-BIH atrial fibrillation database is used as the reference output. Among them, the use of atrial fibrillation in the MIT-BIH database, the first 18 cases of data are used as the training set, and the last 7 cases of data are used as the test set. The results show that the accuracy rate of 92% is obtained in the classification of 10 heartbeats, and the accuracy rate of 98% is obtained in the latter three categories. The sensitivity and specificity are both above 97.7%, which has certain applicability. Further validation and improvement in clinical ECG data will be done in next study.

Diagnosis and treatment strategy of intestinal flora imbalance after liver transplantation / 器官移植

Multiple short-term and long-term complications might occur after liver transplantation. In the early stage after liver transplantation, the incidence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is likely to cause different types of infection, one of which is intestinal flora imbalance. In the recent decade, a series of studies have demonstrated that intestinal flora plays an important role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Intestinal flora may interact with other organs via multiple patterns. Among which, gut-liver axis is one of the most critical channels for regulating microenvironment of the host. Changes in the quantity and composition of intestinal flora could lead to intestinal flora imbalance. In both local and systemic systems, extensive interaction exists between intestinal flora and immune system. In this article, the risk factors of intestinal flora imbalance after liver transplantation, influence of intestinal flora imbalance on liver transplant recipients and relevant treatment strategies were reviewed.

Caracterización de la comunidad de malezas y su diversidad en una modelación estadística en un cultivo de duraznero (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.) / Characterization of the weed community and its diversity in a statistical modeling in peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.) orchard

RESUMEN En los frutales, incluido el duraznero, las malezas son uno de los principales problemas que afectan la productividad y la calidad y se considera necesario conocer aspectos de la biología y la ecología de estas especies, para realizar un correcto manejo integral. El objetivo de este estudio fue realizar la caracterización de las especies de malezas presentes en el cultivo de duraznero (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), determinando los índices de diversidad y el uso de un modelo geoespacial, para observar su distribución en campo. Se seleccionó un cultivo comercial de 4,5ha de duraznero variedad Robidoux, se muestrearon 15 puntos aleatoriamente, mediante un cuadro de 0,25m2; con las especies de malezas presentes en cada cuadro, se determinaron los índices de valor de importancia (IVI), de dominancia (1-D), Shannon-Wiener (H´) y Pielou (E). A estos índices, se les realizó modelación de la variabilidad espacial, mediante interpolación polinomial local. La representatividad relativa con los estimadores Chao 2 y Jacknife 1 confirmó que se documentó el 79 y 72% de las especies presentes, respectivamente. Se identificaron 12 especies, de las cuales, Oxalis corniculata, Modiola caroliniana, Lolium temulentum y Fuertesimalva limensis presentaron el mayor IVI y estas especies, se consideran como las de mayor interferencia en el cultivo. Se encontró que la diversidad fue baja, no es equitativa y presenta dominancia de O. corniculata y M. caroliniana. La modelación geoespacial de los índices de diversidad reportó una variación importante en todo el cultivo. Esta información, se convierte en una herramienta útil para el manejo integral de malezas en el cultivo de duraznero.

ABSTRACT In fruit trees, including peach trees, weeds are one of the main problems that affect productivity and quality, and it is considered necessary to know aspects of the biology and ecology of these species to carry out a correct integral management. The objective of the study was to characterize the weed species present in the peach orchard (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), by determining the diversity indices and using a geospatial model of their distribution in the field. A commercial Robidoux variety of 4.5ha peach orchard was selected, where 15 randomly distributed points were sampled through a 0.25m2 square, with the weed species present in each square, the index of importance value (IVI), dominance index (1-D), Shannon-Wiener (H´) and Pielou (E) were determined. These indices were modeled for spatial variability through local polynomial interpolation. The relative representativeness with the Chao 2 and Jacknife 1 estimators confirmed that 79% and 72% of the weed species were documented, respectively. Twelve species were identified, of which Oxalis corniculata, Modiola caroliniana, Lolium temulentum, and Fuertesimalva limensis presented the highest IVI, and these species are considered as the ones with the greatest interference in crop. The diversity was found to be low, not equitable, and dominated by O. corniculata and M. caroliniana. The geospatial modeling of the diversity indices reported an important variation throughout the crop. This information becomes a useful tool for integral management of weeds in the peach orchards.

Diversity and potential distribution of culicids of medical importance of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico / Diversidad y distribución potencial de culícidos de importancia médica de la Península de Yucatán, México

Abstract: Objective: To determine the species distribution, abundance, and diversity of culicids in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP); their potential distribution, using ecological niche modeling (ENM), and the risk of contact with urban and rural populations. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out through the YP. The diversity of species was determined with the Shannon index. The potential distribution of the culicids was determined through the ENM, as well as the risk of urban and rural populations through contact with vectors. Results: A total of 10 699 specimens, 15 genera and 52 species were registered. Campeche and the Biosphere Reserve of Calakmul exhibited the highest diversity. Conclusions: The ENM predict a high suitability in all the YP of Ae. aegypti, An. albimanus, An. pseudopuntipennis, Cx. coronator, and Cx. quinquefasciatus. The vector species that exhibited the highest risk of contact in the YP were Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus.

Resumen: Objetivo: Determinar la distribución, abundancia y di versidad de los culícidos de la Península de Yucatán (PY), su distribución potencial utilizando modelos de nicho ecológico (MNE) y el riesgo de contacto con poblaciones urbanas y rurales. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal. La diversidad fue determinada por el índice de Shannon. La distribución potencial de los culícidos se deter minó a través de MNE, así como el riesgo de las poblaciones urbanas y rurales al contacto con los vectores. Resultados: En total, se registraron 10 699 especímenes, 15 géneros y 52 especies. Campeche y la Reserva de la Biosfera de Calakmul presentaron la mayor diversidad. Conclusiones: El MNE predice una alta idoneidad en toda la PY para Ae. aegypti, An. albimanus, An. pseudopuntipennis, Cx. coronador y Cx. quinque fasciatus. Las especies de vectores que presentaron el mayor riesgo de contacto en la PY fueron Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti y Ae. albopictus.

Análise fractal do padrão espacial de plantas em pastagem / Fractal analysis of plant spatial patterns in natural grasslands under different managements

Avaliou-se o uso da análise fractal como ferramenta na determinação de padrões na escala de pastejo em pastagens naturais submetidas a diferentes manejos. Os tratamentos testados em Santa Maria foram: pastejo com queima, pastejo sem queima, exclusão com queima, exclusão sem queima. Em Bagé, os tratamentos avaliados foram: pastagem natural e pastagem natural com introdução de azevém, trevo-branco e cornichão. A caracterização da composição florística da pastagem foi realizada pelo método Botanal. A diversidade da pastagem foi calculada pelos índices de Shannon (H') e equitabilidade. A informação da dimensão fractal foi calculada pela regressão entre H'(ε) e o logaritmo natural de ε, sendo a inclinação da linha a informação da dimensão fractal. Os índices de Shannon e equitabilidade demonstraram dependência em relação à área amostral, onde a maior diversidade florística e a homogeneidade da frequência de distribuição de plantas entre espécies foram observadas no intervalo amostral de 0,87 e 1,03m2. A dimensão fractal pode ser uma ferramenta na determinação de padrões na comunidade vegetal na escala reduzida de pastejo. A limitação do emprego dessa técnica para escalas reduzidas é a necessidade de um número maior de repetições.(AU)

The use of fractal analysis was evaluated as a tool in the determination of grazing patterns in natural grasslands submitted to different managements. The treatments tested in Santa Maria were grazing with burning, grazing without burning, exclusion with burning and exclusion without burning. In Bagé, the evaluated treatments were natural pasture and introduction of ryegrass, white clover and birdsfoot trefoil in a natural grassland. The characterization of the floristic composition of the pasture was performed by the BOTANAL method. The pasture diversity was calculated by Shannon (H') and Evenness (J) indexes. The fractal dimension information was calculated by regression between H'(ε) and ε natural algorithm, with the line's slope being the fractal dimension information. Shannon and Evenness indexes showed dependence on the sample area, where the highest floristic diversity and homogeneity of the distribution frequency of plants between species were observed in the sample range of 0.87 to 1.03m2. The fractal dimension can be a tool in determining patterns in the plant community on the reduced grazing scale. The limitation of the use of this technique for reduced scales is the need for a greater number of repetitions.(AU)

Quality control of serum antibodies through the combination of phage display and next generation sequencing / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective • To establish a quality control system for serum antibodies and provide a quantitative standard for the quality control of serum autoantibody-based biomarker study. Methods • Sera from 50 healthy people were taken to prepare the samples and aliquoted. The aliquoted sera were stored at-80 ℃, -20 ℃, 4 ℃, 37 ℃, and 95 ℃ for a period of time. Samples were collected at different time points. The samples were incubated with Ph.D.-12, a phage display random peptide library. The phage-IgG complex was enriched through immunoprecipitation with protein G-coated magnetic beads. By sequencing the coding sequences of the displayed peptides, the sequence and frequency of the serum antibody-enriched peptides were determined. Using the frequencies of each enriched peptide, Shannon entropies were calculated for each sample. Shannon entropy was applied as an indicator to evaluate the quality of the serum autoantibodies. Results • With the increase of the treating temperature, the Shannon entropies of the sera gradually decreased, while there was no significant difference between the Shannon entropies of-20 ℃ and-80 ℃. The Shannon entropy reached the lowest value after being treated at 95 ℃ for 10 min. At the same temperature, the Shannon entropies of the sera were inversely proportional to the length of the treating periods. Conclusion • It is practically applicable to decipher the profile of the serum antibody binding peptides, through the combination of a phage display random peptide library and next-generation sequencing. Shannon entropy can be calculated using the frequencies of each enriched peptide, and applied as an indicator to judge the overall quality of the serum antibodies.

Index-based and compliance assessment of water quality for a Brazilian subtropical reservoir / Avaliação da qualidade da água baseada em índices e da conformidade ao enquadramento de um reservatório subtropical brasileiro

ABSTRACT The Passaúna catchment is part of the Upper Iguaçu watershed and includes a water supply reservoir for over 500,000 inhabitants of Curitiba metropolitan region. The aim of this study was to establish the state of reservoir water quality, and whether it has undergone any recent medium- and long-term variations. A physical-chemical-biological assessment was undertaken using nine indicators and three indexes: Water Quality Index (WQI), Trophic State Index (TSI) and Shannon-Weaver Index (H') for macroinvertebrate diversity. Compliance with the prescribed quality standards for the water body was verified using frequency curves. Two WQI calculation approaches were contrasted to test for conditions of partial data unavailability. Temporal trends in key parameters were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. WQI results from 1991-2014 indicated that the water quality may be classified as good and improved in the final decade of such period, while most TSI results were in the oligotrophic/mesotrophic range, but with no significant temporal trend. The biodiversity result of H'=1.6 obtained with data acquired in 2014 indicated a moderately degraded ecosystem that is typically associated with flow regulation and a degree of water quality impairment. Such a multi-indicator integrated physical-chemical-biological monitoring approach comprised a robust framework for assessments of medium-long term aquatic health.

RESUMO A bacia do rio Passaúna situa-se na parte superior da Bacia do Rio Iguaçu e inclui um reservatório de águas de abastecimento público para mais de 500 mil habitantes da região metropolitana de Curitiba. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade das águas desse reservatório e identificar eventuais ocorrências de tendência temporal de variação. O estudo de características físicas, químicas e biológicas do corpo de água envolveu dados históricos e recém-adquiridos de nove indicadores e três índices: Índice de Qualidade das Águas (WQI), Índice de Estado Trófico (TSI) e Índice de Diversidade de Shannon-Weaver (H') para diversidade de macroinvertebrados. A conformidade aos padrões de qualidade prescritos foi analisada com base em curvas de permanência de qualidade de água. Duas formas de cálculo do WQI foram contrastadas para averiguar o efeito de disponibilidade incompleta de dados. Tendências temporais em parâmetros-chave foram buscadas com o teste de correlação de Spearman. Os resultados do WQI, entre 1991 e 2014, indicaram que a qualidade da água do reservatório pode ser classificada como "boa", apresentando tendência estatisticamente significativa de melhoria na última década de tal período. Os resultados obtidos para o TSI ficaram na faixa oligotrófico/mesotrófico e sem tendência significativa de variação temporal. O resultado de biodiversidade do H'=1,6, obtido com dados adquiridos em 2014, indicou um ecossistema aquático moderadamente degradado, tipicamente associado com o represamento de cursos de água e com um certo grau de comprometimento da qualidade da água. A abordagem integradora multi-indicadores de aspectos físicos, químicos e biológicos adotada neste estudo conferiu robustez à avaliação realizada da qualidade de água do corpo de água no médio-longo prazo.

HeteroMeth: A Database of Cell-to-cell Heterogeneity in DNA Methylation / 基因组蛋白质组与生物信息学报·英文版

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mark that plays a vital role in gene expression and cell differentiation. The average DNA methylation level among a group of cells has been extensively documented. However, the cell-to-cell heterogeneity in DNA methylation, which reflects the differentiation of epigenetic status among cells, remains less investigated. Here we established a gold standard of the cell-to-cell heterogeneity in DNA methylation based on single-cell bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq) data. With that, we optimized a computational pipeline for estimating the heterogeneity in DNA methylation from bulk BS-seq data. We further built HeteroMeth, a database for searching, browsing, visualizing, and downloading the data for heterogeneity in DNA methylation for a total of 141 samples in humans, mice, Arabidopsis, and rice. Three genes are used as examples to illustrate the power of HeteroMeth in the identification of unique features in DNA methylation. The optimization of the computational strategy and the construction of the database in this study complement the recent experimental attempts on single-cell DNA methylomes and will facilitate the understanding of epigenetic mechanisms underlying cell differentiation and embryonic development. HeteroMeth is publicly available at http://qianlab.genetics.ac.cn/HeteroMeth.

Estimation of genetic diversity and relationship in sugar beet pollinators based on SSR markers

Background: Genetic diversity studies are important for the selection of parents with a greater combination capacity that, when crossed, increase the chances of obtaining superior genotypes. Thus, 26 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers were used to assess the genetic diversity of 140 individual samples from 12 diploid sugar beet pollinators (pollen parents) and two cytoplasmic male sterile (cms) lines (seed parents). Eight pollinators originated from three research centers in the United States Department of Agriculture, while four pollinators and cms lines were from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia. Results: In total, 129 alleles were obtained, with a mean of 3.2 alleles per SSR marker. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.00 to 0.87 (mean = 0.30). Expected heterozygosity and Shannon's information index were the lowest for marker BQ590934 and the highest for markers SB15s and FDSB502s; the same markers were the most informative, with PIC values of 0.70 and 0.69, respectively. Three private alleles were found in pollinator EL0204; two in pollinator C51; and one in pollinators NS1, FC221, and C93035. Molecular variance showed that 77.34% of the total genetic variation was attributed to intrapopulation variability. Cluster and correspondence analysis grouped sugar beet pollinators according to the breeding centers, with few exceptions, which indicate that certain amount of germplasm was shared, although centers had their own breeding programs. Conclusions: The results indicate that this approach can improve the selection of pollinators as suitable parental components and could further be applied in sugar beet breeding programs.

ISSR analysis on genetic diversity of Ferula syreitschikowii in Xinjiang province / 中草药

Objective: To study the genetic relationship and genetic diversity of Ferula syreitschikowii germplasm resources in Xinjiang province. Methods: A total of 96 F. syreitschikowii germplasm resources of Xinjiang province were used as experimental materials. Fifteen primers selected from 33 ISSR primers could obtain high polymorphism and reproducibility bands for ISSR molecular marker analysis. Results: Total by 292 DNA bands were amplified including 289 polymarphic bands, counting for 99.01%. Genetic similarity analysis showed F. syreitschikowii germplasm resources of Xinjiang province with high genetic diversity. Through the statistical software analysis, the average number of effective alleles was 1.725 6, the average Nei's genetic diversity index was 0.4048, the average Shannon's information index was 0.587 9, and the genetic similarity coefficients among tested clones ranged from 0.500 0 to 0.828 7. These 96 germplasm resources were divided into two groups and 13 subgroups by UPGMA analysis, which could distinguish the germplasm resources from different sources. Conclusion: From the molecular level, it reveals the relationship between the geographical distribution of F. syreitschikowii and the germplasm resources and higher genetic diversity of germplasm resources, which provids basis for identification of F. syreitschikowii varieties.

Mosquito community composition in dynamic landscapes from the Atlantic Forest biome (Diptera, Culicidae)

Mosquito community composition in dynamic landscapes from the Atlantic Forest biome (Diptera, Culicidae). Considering that some species of Culicidae are vectors of pathogens, both the knowledge of the diversity of the mosquito fauna and how some environment factors influence in it, are important subjects. In order to address the composition of Culicidae species in a forest reserve in southern Atlantic Forest, we compared biotic and abiotic environmental determinants and how they were associated with the occurrence of species between sunset and sunrise. The level of conservation of the area was also considered. The investigation was carried out at Reserva Natural do Morro da Mina, in Antonina, state of Paraná, Brazil. We performed sixteen mosquito collections employing Shannon traps at three-hour intervals, from July 2008 to June 2009. The characterization of the area was determined using ecological indices of diversity, evenness, dominance and similarity. We compared the frequency of specimens with abiotic variables, i.e., temperature, relative humidity and pluviosity. Seven thousand four hundred ten mosquito females were captured. They belong to 48 species of 12 genera. The most abundant genera were Anopheles, Culex, Coquillettidia, Aedes and Runchomyia. Among the species, the most abundant was Anopheles cruzii, the primary vector of Plasmodium spp. in the Atlantic Forest. Results of the analyses showed that the abiotic variables we tested did not influence the occurrence of species, although certain values suggested that there was an optimum range for the occurrence of culicid species. It was possible to detect the presence of species of Culicidae with different epidemiologic profiles and habitat preference.

Genetic diversity and quality analysis of cultivated Pesudostellaria heterophylla / 中草药

Objective: To study the genetic diversity and medicinal quality of Pesudostellaria heterophylla and to provide a reference for rational utilization on germplasm resources and fine variety breeding of P. heterophylla. Methods: The genetic diversity of the 12 cultivated provenances of P. heterophylla were analyzed by ISSR molecular markers, and Heterophyllin B (HB) in the root of P. heterophylla was analyzed by HPLC. Results: A total of 82 bands were produced by 10 primers, among which 73 bands were polymorphic bands, and the percentage of polymorphic bands (PPL) was 89.02%. The average value of Nei's genetic diversity index (H) was 0.2579, Shannon's information index (I) was 0.3884, genetic differentiation coefficient (Gst) was 0.2741, and the gene flow (Nm) among provenances was 1.3238. Cluster analysis based on genetic identity indicated that 12 provenances could be divided into three groups. There were great differences of HB content among and within provenances. Heterophyllin B content (0.0494%) in provenance 4 was significantly higher than those in the others, and their coefficient of variation (9.51%) was less in this provenance. Conclusion: The high genetic diversity could be attributed to the provenances exchange in different production areas of P. heterophylla and its biological characteristics. Comprehensive consideration of genetic diversity and HB are made, and the provenances 3 and 4 of P. heterophylla have better quality, which are suitable for germplasm conservation and variety breeding.

Sand Fly Fauna (Diptera, Pcychodidae, Phlebotominae) in DifferentLeishmaniasis- Endemic Areas of Ecuador, Surveyed by Using a Newly Named Mini-Shannon Trap

To study the sand fly fauna, surveys were performed atfour different leishmaniasis-endemic areas of Ecuador, during February 2013 andApril 2014. The conventional Shannon trap was modified and simplified to anewly named mini-Shannon trap for its multiple uses at different study sites,such as limited, forested and narrow spaces. The mini-Shannon, CDC light trapsand the protected human landing method were employed for sand fly collection.The species identification of sand flies was performed mainly based on themorphology of spermathecae and cibarium, after dissection of freshsamples.  In this study, therefore, onlyfemale samples were used for analysis. A total of1,480 female sand flies belonging to 25<i> Lutzomyia</i> species were collected. Numbers of the female sand fliescollected by each trap were 417 (28.2%) by the mini-Shannon trap, 259 (17.5%)by CDC light trap and 804 (54.3%) by human landing. The total number of sand flies per trap collected bydifferent methods was markedly affected by study sites, probably because ofdifferent species compositions at each locality. Further, as an additionalstudy, the attractiveness of sand flies against the mini-Shannon traps poweredwith LED White-light and LED Black-light, waspreliminary tested, together with CDC light trap and human landing. In the test,a total of 426 sand flies of nine <i>Lutzomyia</i> species, seven man-biting and two non-man-biting species, were collected by threecapture trials during May and June 2014 in an area endemic for leishmaniasis(La Ventura). The Black-light equipped trap was relatively superior in capturenumbers to the White-light equipped one, but no significant difference wasobserved statistically between the two traps.

Sand Fly Fauna (Diptera, Pcychodidae, Phlebotominae) in Different Leishmaniasis-Endemic Areas of Ecuador, Surveyed Using a Newly Named Mini-Shannon Trap

To study the sand fly fauna, surveys were performed at four different leishmaniasis-endemic sites in Ecuador from February 2013 to April 2014. A modified and simplified version of the conventional Shannon trap was named “mini-Shannon trap” and put to multiple uses at the different study sites in limited, forested and narrow spaces. The mini-Shannon, CDC light trap and protected human landing method were employed for sand fly collection. The species identification of sand flies was performed mainly based on the morphology of spermathecae and cibarium, after dissection of fresh samples. In this study, therefore, only female samples were used for analysis. A total of 1,480 female sand flies belonging to 25 <i>Lutzomyia</i> species were collected. The number of female sand flies collected was 417 (28.2%) using the mini-Shannon trap, 259 (17.5%) using the CDC light trap and 804 (54.3%) by human landing. The total number of sand flies per trap collected by the different methods was markedly affected by the study site, probably because of the various composition of species at each locality. Furthermore, as an additional study, the attraction of sand flies to mini-Shannon traps powered with LED white-light and LED black-light was investigated preliminarily, together with the CDC light trap and human landing. As a result, a total of 426 sand flies of nine <i>Lutzomyia</i> species, including seven man-biting and two non-biting species, were collected during three capture trials in May and June 2014 in an area endemic for leishmaniasis (La Ventura). The black-light proved relatively superior to the white-light with regard to capture numbers, but no significant statistical difference was observed between the two traps.

A Study of Agrobiodiversity and the Impacts of Biophysical and Ecogeographical Factors on it in Ghalaje Protected Area / West of Iran.

It is considered that agrobiodiversity as a vital component for human food security is increasingly eroding and so making more attention to this section of biodiversity is necessary. This study was conducted in a protected area located in Kermanshah, Iran, in order to infer biodiversity characteristics and the effect of biophysical and ecological factors on it. Ten villages were selected randomly and the information was gathered through interviewing 25 to 30 percent of the household heads and visiting the area too. The mean Species richness for agricultural species of the villages was 2.31. Shannon-Weiner Index was in the range of 1.06 to 2.56 and it was associated with other biodiversity indices, calculated in this study. Comparing the biodiversity indices indicated that generally being in a protected area can be useful to protect agricultural biodiversity. Cultivated land area, annual precipitation and altitude were some factors having significant effects on Species richness of agricultural plants in this study.

Comparison of diversity indices applied to macrophyte incidence-based data

In this work, a recently proposed diversity index based on Patil and Taillie parametric diversity measure (or Tsallis entropy), Sq*, was applied to samples (presence-absence data) of macrophytes from the Itaipu Reservoir, Brazil. This new index was the value of the family of indices Sq for a specific evenness of a sample. Results demonstrated that the Shannon index and species richness showed expressively high correlation with the Sq*; however, the evenness had low correlation coefficients with the index Sq*, indicating that Sq* was particularly sensitive to rarity and species richness. On the other hand, the weak correlations of this index with evenness demonstrated that it was less sensitive to species relative abundances.

Comparison of capture methods for the diagnosis of adult anopheline populations from State of Mato Grosso, Brazil / Comparação de métodos de captura para o diagnóstico da população de anofelinos adultos do Estado de Mato Grosso

INTRODUCTION: The present study compares human landing catches of primary malaria vectors with two alternative methods of capture: the Shannon trap and the Mosquito magnet. METHODS: This study used regression models to adjust capture data to a negative binominal distribution. RESULTS: Capture numbers and relative percentages obtained from the three methods vary strongly between species. The highest overall captures were obtained for Anopheles triannulatus with captures for the Shannon trap and the Mosquito magnet measuring more than 330 percent higher than captures obtained by human landings. For Anopheles darlingi, captures by the Shannon trap and the Mosquito magnet were about 14 percent and 26 percent of human landing catches, respectively. Another species with malaria transmission potential that was not sampled by human landing captures weascaptured by the Shannon trap and the Mosquito magnet (Anopheles oswaldoi). Both alternative sampling techniques can predict the human landing of Anopheles triannulatus, but without proportionality. Models for Anopheles darlingi counts, after totaling daily captures, are significant and proportional, but prediction models are more reliable when using the Shannon trap compared with the Mosquito magnet captures. CONCLUSIONS: These alternative capture methods can be partially recommended for the substitution of human landing captures or, at least, as complementary forms of monitoring for malarial mosquitoes.

INTRODUÇÃO: O presente estudo compara a captura através da isca humana dos principais vetores da malária, com dois métodos alternativos de captura, a armadilha luminosa de Shannon e a armadilha Mosquito magnet. MÉTODOS: O presente estudo utiliza modelos de regressão para ajustar os dados obtidos para uma distribuição binomial negativa. RESULTADOS: Os números e as proporções relativas obtidas nos três métodos variaram fortemente entre as espécies. A maior densidade capturada foi de Anopheles triannulatus, através das armadilhas de Shannon e do Mosquito magnet sendo mais de 330 por cento superior que a obtida pela captura por isca humana. Para Anopheles darlingi, capturas com a armadilha de Shannon e com o Mosquito magnet representaram cerca de 14 por cento e 26 por cento, respectivamente, em comparação com a captura através da isca humana. Outras espécies com potencial de transmissão da malária não foram capturadas com a utilização da isca humana, mas foram coletadas na armadilha de Shannon e no Mosquito magnet (Anopheles oswaldoi). Ambas as técnicas alternativas de captura, podem predizer significativamente a captura através da isca humana de Anopheles triannulatus, porém sem proporcionalidade. Os números previstos para o Anopheles darlingi, após a contagem total da captura diária, são significativos e proporcionais, mas a previsão é mais confiável para a armadilha de Shannon que para o Mosquito magnet. CONCLUSÕES: A comparação de métodos alternativos de captura pode ser parcialmente recomendada para a substituição da captura através da isca humana ou, pelo menos, como uma forma complementar de coleta de mosquitos.

Community structure of earthworms under rubber plantations and mixed forests in Tripura, India.

Studies on community structures of earthworms of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations and their adjacent mixed forests in West Tripura (India) revealed that both the studied sites harvoured 10 earthworm species. Nine species (Pontoscolex corethrurus, Kanchuria sp 1, Metaphire houlleti, Drawida papillifer papillifer, Drawida assamensis, Gordiodrilus elegans, Eutyphoeus assamensis, Eutyphoeus comillahnus and Eutyphoeus gigas) were common to both. While Octochaetona beatrix was found only in the rubber plantations, Dichogaster affinis was restricted to the mixed forest only. Earthworms were found mostly within 15 cm depth of soils having mean temperature of 27ºC, moisture of 23%, pH of 4.57, organic matter of 1.34% and water holding capacity of 36%. Mean earthworm density in rubber plantations (115 ind. m-2) was significantly higher (p = 0.003, t = 3.83) than that in the mixed forests (69 ind. m-2) due to dominance of Pontoscolex corethrurus, an exotic species. Numbers of dominant species were two (P. corethrurus and D. assamensis) in the rubber plantations and five (P. corethrurus D. assamensis, D. papillifer papillifer, M. houlleti and Kanchuria sp 1) in the mixed forests. Compared to the mixed forests, significantly low (p<0.05) Shannon diversity index (H) and species evenness and high index of dominance in the rubber plantation were evaluated.

Genetic diversity of Liriope muscari using SRAP markers / 中草药

Objective: To study the genetic diversity of Liriope muscari. Methods: The genetic diversity of 47 populations was analyzed by SRAP marker technique. Results: Fifteen primers amplified 323 polymorphic bands, and the average percentage of polymorphic bands reached to 88.47%. The average of polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.90. Nei's gene diversity index (H) was 0.197 7 and Shannon's information index (I) was 0.319 0. Gene differentiation index (Gst) was 0.252 8. Cluster analysis using UPGMA method showed that genetic similarity coefficient ranged in 0.59-0.99. Conclusion: L. muscari shows higher genetic diversity and the majority of genetic variation occurs in populations.

Genetic diversity of Artemisia annua in natural populations of China revealed by SRAP marker / 中草药

Objective: The genetic diversity of Artemisia annua germplasmic resources in natural populations of China was analyzed by SRAP marker. Methods: Taking 60 germplasm of A. annua version in main distribution areas of natural population in China as testing materials, the relative parameters were calculated by Popgene version 1.31 and Treeconw software. The systematic diagram of genetic relationship was made up by Treeconw software and clustered by UPGMA method. Results: The 232 DNA bands were amplified with 24 pairs of SRAP primer combinations, and the percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) was 81.47%. At species level: Nei's gene diversity (H) was 0.190 5 using SRAP marker. Shannon's information index (I) was 0.300 0 by SRAPs; Among the four areas with higher level of artemisinin: PPB were 50.00%-61.21%, the average was 55.82%. He were 0.155 7-0.179 3 by SRAP marker. I were 0.237 9-0.276 6 by SRAP maker; Genetic distance were 0.643 2-0.872 7, the average was 0.754 7. Conclusion: SRAP marker is an efficient method in revealing the abundant genetic diversity of wild A. annua in China, which provides the material basis for promising germplasm of further breeding.