Modeling the acquisition of counting with an associative network

In the acquision of counting by children, there are three interesting phenomena (Fuson et al. 1982): (1) the number word sequence produced by children can be divided into three distinct portions, called the conventional, stable nonconventional, and unstable portions; (2) irregular number words such as fifteen are omitted more often than regular ones such as fourteen, sixteen, and seventeen; and (3) initially the number word sequence is in a recitation form, rather than in the form of an associative chain of separable serial elements. Our paper at first analyzes these phenomena from the viewpoint of associative memory by assuming the number word sequences are made up of many associative relationships between the number words. This assumption is not contradictory to the third phenomenon described above, because the associative relationships are not confined only to those between the serial number words. On the basis of these anaylses, an associative network model, HAPS proposed by one of the authors (Hirai 1983), is extended so that it can mimic some aspects of the learning of sequence which involves the above three phenomena. The learning and production of sequence by the network are simulated on a digital computer, and the results show that the three phenomena can be observed in the performance of the network.     

Circulating immunologic complexes in blood sera of bronchial asthma patients treated with attenuated vaccine

The study included 20 patients (8 males and 12 females) with non-atopic bronchial asthma treated with attenuated vaccines. Circulating immune complexes were assayed with two methods prior to and after the treatment of each patient. No increase in serum circulating immune complexes was produced after the treatment. Clinical improvement was noted in 75% of treated patients. Circulating immune complexes were detected in the blood serum of three patients treated without an effect.     

Common denominators in the etiology and pathology of visceral lesions of cystic fibrosis and Keshan disease

The common denominator of a unique disseminated multi-focal milliary myocardial hyaline necrosis and fibrosis in Keshan disease (KSD) and cystic fibrosis (CF) and a commonality of the affected age groups of fetuses and preschool children led to the review of existing KSD autopsy material to search for pancreatic and hepatic lesions considered pathognomonic for CF. Pancreatic lesions considered pathognomonic for CF were found in 595, or 35% of 1700 documented cases of KSD. The pancreatic lesions were limited to tissues of fetuses and preschool children. Adults dying of KSD had diagnostic lesions limited to the cardiovascular system, liver, and skeletal muscle. Varying degrees of focal biliary cirrhosis were identified in 850, or 50% of the KSD autopsies, and 85, or 5% developed severe lobular cirrhosis. The common denominator in CF and KSD appears to be a primary or induced secondary selenium deficiency in age-susceptable humans, prenatally at or around 22 wk of fetal life, during early postnatal life, or during the rapid-growth preschool years. The basic difference between the natural history of CF and KSD is that the selenium deficiency is totally environmental in KSD and appears to be the result of a maternal malabsorptive syndrome or an abnormality of selenium transfer in CF.     

Effect of interferon on the course of experimental E coli-induced pyelonephritis

The effect of the type I interferon on the development and process of experimental pyelonephritis caused by E. coli was studied on mice weighing 12 to 14 g. Interferon was administered intraperitoneally in a dose of 1000 units on days 3 and 7 of the disease. It was shown that the administration of the type I interferon to the mice with experimental pyelonephritis promoted rapid elimination of bacteria from the kidneys, prevented their penetration to the contralateral (intact) kidney, prevented marked macro- and microscopic damages in the kidneys, lowered the intensity of the inflammatory reaction, and increased the phagocytic activity of neutrophils and the number of the E-rosette-forming lymphocytes in the thymus. The data provided experimental grounding for clinical trials of interferon preparations in treatment of bacterial pyelonephritis.     

L7811鼠腹水肿瘤细胞^31P核磁共振的研究

用~(31)P核磁共振技术(~(31)P-NMR)研究了L_(7811)鼠腹水肿瘤细胞和615系鼠胸腺细胞(正常对照细胞)。结果发现在肿瘤晚期阶段,L_(7811)腹水肿瘤细胞的含磷化合物未进入完全不活跃状态。此外,腹水肿瘤细胞的磷脂组成与含量亦有明显改变。因此,~(31)P-NMR谱可做为观察肿瘤细胞内能量生成和某些磷脂合成宏观动态过程的一项参考指标。     

家兔脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射乙酰胆碱对血压和心率的影响

将乙酰胆碱(ACh)注入麻醉家兔脊髓蛛网膜下腔,观察其对心血管活动的影响。结果表明:(1)脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射50～100μg ACh可使血压下降,心率减慢;(2)预先由脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射阿托品,可阻断ACh引起的降压和降心率作用;(3)脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射六甲双铵、酚妥拉明或心得安均不能阻断上述ACh的心血管反应;(4)切断两侧颈部迷走神经,ACh不再使心率减慢,但其降低血压的作用不受到任何影响。 脊髓中ACh水平升高可通过激活胆碱能M-受体引起血压下降和心率减慢。ACh的这种降压作用既没有中枢肾上腺素能受体活动参与,也不是通过迷走神经实现的,可能是由于脊髓交感血管中枢紧张性降低所造成的。     

大田玉米、高粱、芝麻、豇豆叶片水势、蒸腾速率、气孔阻力对环境因素的反应

本文研究了田间生长的玉米、高梁、芝麻、豇豆在不同土壤供水条件下,叶水势、气孔阻力、蒸腾速率日变化及其与环境因素的关系。结果表明,四种作物气孔开闭与光强密切相关:夜间气孔关闭,rs高;白天气孔开放,rs低。ψ_(WL)、TR与环境因素(气温、RH、ψ_(WV)、光强等)密切相关,它们之间的相关系数(在0.05和0.01水平)显著。四种作物ψ_(WL)日节奏为“正弦曲线”状,13:00—15:00小时ψ_(WL)最低,黎明前最高。中午ψ_(WV)和土壤含水量愈低。ψ_(ML)愈低。四种作物TR在早晨逐斩增高,13:00—15:00小时最强;傍晚前又降低;夜间TR最低。干旱植株ψ_(WL)、TR低于灌水植株,而rs高于灌水植株。