Hair Cells – Beyond the Transducer

Overview This review considers the “tween twixt and twain” of hair cell physiology, specifically the signaling elements and membrane conductances which underpin forward and reverse transduction at the input stage of hair cell function and neurotransmitter release at the output stage. Other sections of this review series outline the advances which have been made in understanding the molecular physiology of mechanoelectrical transduction and outer hair cell electromotility. Here we outline the contributions of a considerable array of ion channels and receptor signaling pathways that define the biophysical status of the sensory hair cells, contributing to hair cell development and subsequently defining the operational condition of the hair cells across the broad dynamic range of physiological function.     

政府投资审批制度下园林建设程序中的问题探讨

政府使用公共财政投资建设公益性的工程,需遵守一定的审批与管理流程。由于缺少园林工程投资估算指标体系,以及园林工程特有的艺术性,使审批流程与设计流程产生了一些矛盾。审批过程中,评审者关注投资的合理性,设计者关注园林美学观感,两者的不同立场导致对部分园林绿地建设内容必要性的分歧。为了在保证建设资金投入合理性前提下最大限度地实现园林绿地的完整功能与艺术水平,对有关的问题进行梳理,提出平衡设计与评审的原则,并强调在审批与建设过程中各方面调整思维方式,进行换位思考的必要性。     

哥本哈根屋顶绿化政策将推动城市向绿色城市转变

绿色屋顶项目通过释放屋顶空间的利用潜能,满足人们应对气候变化的挑战、在越加拥挤的城市中的公共场所进行休闲娱乐的需求,以及需要更加环保城市的同时,建造道路、停车场及其他类型建筑的需求。屋顶绿化是一种独特的解决途径,能够为人们带来众多益处,因此它也被认为是城市开发中最具有可持续发展、最能适应气候变化的手法之一。它是工业化城市向环保类型城市转变的关键。为推进这一进程,我们必须关注屋顶绿化的重要性,并将其纳入未来城市规划政策之中。     

纤维型植物南荻的生物学及其应用研究进展

南荻(Triarrhena lutarioriparia L.Liu)是我国特有高产纤维素型多年生草本植物,其独特的生态适应性、广泛的用途及其生产开发潜力已引起相关行业的高度关注。概述了南荻的资源分布、生物学特性、繁育栽培及应用的研究现状,并对其纤维素资源的应用进行了展望。     

植物基因打靶技术及其应用

本文对植物基因打靶技术的原理、操作程序、打靶效率的影响因素及其在植物中的应用现状进行了综述,并就如何有效的提高打靶效率提出了建议,同时对该技术在植物学研究领域中的应用前景进行了展望。     

蝴蝶兰属植物杂交育种研究进展

对蝴蝶兰属(Phalaenopsis)植物的种质资源, 杂交育种过程中亲本的选择和某些观赏性状的遗传规律、杂交组合登录情况等进行了综述,并且对我国杂交育种中存在的问题进行了探讨,最后结合蝴蝶兰属植物遗传育种现状,就如何加快我国蝴蝶兰属植物杂交育种和新品种培育的进程提出了建议。     

兰科菌根研究综述

兰科菌根是一种内生菌根,主要寄生于兰科（Orchidaceae）植物的种子及根系上。对兰科菌根真菌的分类及真菌资源多样性、兰科菌根的形态和菌根对兰科植物的效应等最新研究进展进行了综述。目前研究已知,感染兰科植物根部并能与之共生的真菌绝大多数属于担子菌门（Basidiomycota）和半知菌门（Deuteromycotha）,也有部分属于子囊菌门（Ascomycota）;兰科菌根的形成可分为两种情况：一是对兰科植物种子的侵染;二是对成长新根的侵染。菌根真菌对兰科植物的种子萌发及植株生长发育均有一定影响。     

Overview of Mathematical Approaches Used to Model Bacterial Chemotaxis II: Bacterial Populations

We review the application of mathematical modeling to understanding the behavior of populations of chemotactic bacteria. The application of continuum mathematical models, in particular generalized Keller–Segel models, is discussed along with attempts to incorporate the microscale (individual) behavior on the macroscale, modeling the interaction between different species of bacteria, the interaction of bacteria with their environment, and methods used to obtain experimentally verified parameter values. We allude briefly to the role of modeling pattern formation in understanding collective behavior within bacterial populations. Various aspects of each model are discussed and areas for possible future research are postulated.     

Overview of Mathematical Approaches Used to Model Bacterial Chemotaxis I: The Single Cell

Mathematical modeling of bacterial chemotaxis systems has been influential and insightful in helping to understand experimental observations. We provide here a comprehensive overview of the range of mathematical approaches used for modeling, within a single bacterium, chemotactic processes caused by changes to external gradients in its environment. Specific areas of the bacterial system which have been studied and modeled are discussed in detail, including the modeling of adaptation in response to attractant gradients, the intracellular phosphorylation cascade, membrane receptor clustering, and spatial modeling of intracellular protein signal transduction. The importance of producing robust models that address adaptation, gain, and sensitivity are also discussed. This review highlights that while mathematical modeling has aided in understanding bacterial chemotaxis on the individual cell scale and guiding experimental design, no single model succeeds in robustly describing all of the basic elements of the cell. We conclude by discussing the importance of this and the future of modeling in this area.     

A review of recent advances in the study of early angiosperms from northeastern China

The last 10 years (1998–2007) were very productive and important in the study of early angiosperms in northeastern China. The new discoveries of the earliest well-documented records of angiosperms such as Archaefructus, as well as Hyrcantha decussata (= Sinocarpus decussatus), provided fresh knowledge for better understanding the primitive characters of the ancient angiosperms and also their aquatic (or wet) habitat and their herbaceous nature. Some new approaches such as the combination of molecular and morphological characters joined together to place Archaefructus in the angiosperm phylogenetic framework. These fossils demonstrate that we should expect more ancient angiosperms to be found in the pre-Cretaceous which will continue to add important new understanding to the nature of the origin and evolution of the angiosperms.