Implications of polyploidy in the host plant of a dipteran seed parasite

Although polyploidy can alter host plants in important ways (e.g., size, phenology, resource use, and ecological range), little is known about the effects of polyploidy-associated changes on plant-insect interactions. The presence of Campiglossa footeorum Novak (Diptera: Tephritidae) and its effect on its host plant Arnica cordifolia Hook. (Asteraceae) were monitored throughout Colorado, where triploids and tetraploids of the host plant occur. Campiglossa footeorum is more abundant in sites with more tetraploids and attacks tetraploids more than triploids. Polyploidy could be an important force shaping the current evolutionary trajectory of the plants and insects in this system. Campiglossa footeorum is intimately linked to A. cordifolia , and polyploidy should be included in any assessment of the insect’s population dynamics.     

Clay mineral composition and their sources for the fluvial sediments of Taiwanese rivers

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.     

Evidence for reopening of the cranial neural tube in mouse embryos treated with cadmium chloride

Summary Use of the whole-embryo culture technique resulted in experiemtal evidence that the pathogenesis of exencephaly in mouse embryos after cadmium chloride treatment results from reopening of the cranial neural tube.     

聚乙烯树枝化的新模型

作者考虑到聚合物的形态结构和能带特点,应用近似的平板能带理论,说明了电子和空穴注入的不同方式和途径。同极性空间电荷的形成过程中存在着两种相互矛盾的作用,一方面它降低针尖附近介质中的电场强度,有提高树枝起始电压的趋势;另一方面注入过程中正负载流子的复合或热电子的作用,有降低树枝起始电压的倾向。模型中首次提出了在聚合物的树枝潜伏期内存在着一个低密度区的过渡阶段,并用条纹图象法证明了这个区域的存在。其他一些特殊试验支持了新模型的构思。     

飞机生存力评估方法

建立了飞机生存概率的计算方法。其中包括发现概率、击中概率和击毁概率的计算。在缺少敌方某些雷达参数时,所提出的发现概率的计算方法仍然适用。在计算击中概率时,考虑了飞机的雷达散射截面（ＲＣＳ）对脱靶距离的影响。     

An integration model for manpower forecasting

Manpower forecasting has made significant contributions to human resource management. Due to difficulties in collecting the required data for making appropriate analysis, most studies in the literature concentrate on forecasts of individual firms. This paper presents a regression model which utilizes the data of large firms to draw inferences to the demands of other firms. More specifically, a regression model showing the negative relationship between the rank of a firm and its associated demand is fitted to the data of a number of large manufacturing firms. The area under the regression line delineated by the y-axis is then an estimate of the total demand of the whole industry. Confidence intervals for the estimate can also be constructed. As an illustration, the demand for the industrial management manpower in Taiwan is forecasted by applying the proposed model.