不同训练方式对大鼠骨骼肌纤维类型转化和CaMK II/MEF2传导途径的影响*

目的: 探讨间歇速度训练和耐力训练对大鼠骨骼肌纤维类型转化及钙调蛋白激酶/肌细胞增强因子2(CaMK II/MEF2)信号传导通路的影响。方法: 成年雄性SD大鼠(8周龄)18只,随机分成间歇速度训练组(IST),耐力训练组(ET),设空白组(C),每组6只,IST组采用75 m/min×1 min、20 m/min×1 min的交替训练6次,跑台坡度15,持续时间12 min/d;ET组采用速度30 m/ min、跑台坡度7、持续时间90 min/d的耐力训练。干预8周后,分别取小鼠右侧胫骨前肌、比目鱼肌,酶联免疫吸附法检测骨骼肌琥珀酸脱氢酶(SDH)、乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)活性,ATP酶染色法观察I、Ⅱ型肌纤维面密度、数密度变化情况,SDS-PAGE凝胶电泳技术观察骨骼肌MHC亚型百分比含量、骨骼肌mRNA表达谱测序分析及qRT-PCR技术检测CaN、CaMKII、MEF2水平。结果: 相比C组,ET组SDH活性显著上升,LDH活性降低(P＜0.05);IST组胫骨前肌中LDH活性值升高(P＜0.01)。ET组胫骨前肌MHCIIa%升高,MHCIIb%降低(P＜0.05),比目鱼肌MHCI% 和MHCIIa%升高,MHCIIb%均降低(P＜0.05)。相比IST组,ET组胫骨前肌MHCIIx%升高(P＜0.05)。相比C组,ET组胫骨前肌 I、II 型纤维纤维密度上升,IST组II型纤维纤维密度提高,IST组、ET组比目鱼肌I型纤维纤维密度上升(P＜0.05)。相比C组,ET组骨骼肌CaN、CaMKII、MEF2 mRNA表达水平增高,IST组CaN、CaMKII、MEF2 mRNA表达水平下降(P＜0.01)。Illumina高通量测序筛选骨骼肌纤维转化相关因子及关联分析,运动干预促使骨骼肌纤维转化相关因子表达变化富集于TGF-β/Smad3、CaN/MEF2、AdipoQ等信号通路,而耐力训练显著提高骨骼肌纤维转化、干细胞功能相关信号通路的富集。结论: 耐力训练促进向氧化型肌纤维转化(慢肌),而间歇速度训练向酵解型肌纤维转化(快肌),并伴随着CaMK II/MEF2传导途径中CaN、CaMKII、MEF2基因的高表达。     

温室秸秆不同还田量条件下DSSAT-CROPGRO-Tomato模型的调参与验证

为了探讨番茄生长模拟模型DSSAT-CROPGRO-Tomato能否准确模拟秸秆还田条件下北方日光温室番茄的生长发育和产量形成过程,基于2016年和2018年温室番茄小区试验数据对模型进行验证。试验设置4个秸秆还田量处理,分别为0(S₀)、1.5×10⁴(S₁)、3×10⁴(S₂)和4.5×10⁴kg·hm^-2(S₃)。利用GLUE参数估计模块获得不同方案相应的作物遗传参数,通过分析和对比番茄物候期、鲜果产量、最大叶面积指数、土壤水分、土壤无机态氮和地上干物质量的实测值与模拟值,验证模型模拟精度并确定最优方案。结果表明,参数PODUR(最优条件下最终果实负载所需光热时长)和SLAVR(比叶面积)的变异系数较大,分别为28.53%和14.13%。模型在2016年所有处理为参数估计方案时模拟精度最高,其ARE和nRMSE分别为10.33%和7.12%。模型对温室土壤水分、番茄生长和产量的模拟精度较高。留一交叉验证法体现模型对温室番茄产量总体误差在18.68%~21.95%。说明CROPGRO-Tomato模型可以较准确模拟秸秆不同还田量条件下沈阳日光温室番茄生长和产量形成过程。     

火烧信号对种子萌发影响的研究进展

火作为一个基础的生态因子, 对森林、草地等陆地生态系统的结构和功能有着重要的影响。种子萌发是种子植物的重要生活史阶段, 也是火后植被更新和恢复的主要途径。植被燃烧产生了烟、热以及与烟相关的一系列火烧信号, 在打破种子休眠, 促进种子萌发方面发挥重要作用。该文将火烧信号分为物理信号和化学信号, 物理信号主要是伴随火烧产生的高温, 化学信号主要包括气态烟以及近年来从烟水中提取的影响种子萌发的关键化学物质karrikins和glyceronitrile。该文围绕火烧的基本信息, 火烧信号对种子萌发的影响, 火烧信号在实践中的应用3个方面进行系统综述, 重点探讨了不同类别的火烧信号及其交互作用对种子萌发的影响。在系统总结火烧信号对种子萌发影响的研究进展的基础上, 提出未来的研究应与烟信号作用机理的探究以及全球变化等方面相结合, 旨在充分发挥火的生态服务功能, 为火的科学管理应用和退化生态系统恢复提供理论支撑。     

Normative cervical spine kinematics of a circumduction task

Neck pain is a prevalent condition and clinical examination techniques are limited and unable to assess out-of-plane motion. Recent works investigating cervical kinematics during neck circumduction (NC), a dynamic 3D task, has shown the ability to discern those with and without neck pain. The purposes of this study were to establish 1) confidence and prediction intervals of head-to-torso kinematics during NC in a healthy cohort, 2) a baseline summative metric to quantify the duration and magnitude of deviations outside the prediction interval, and 3) the reliability of NC. Thirty-nine participants (25.6 ± 6.3 years, 19F/20M) without neck pain completed left and right NC. A two-way smoothing spline analysis of variance was utilized to determine the mean-fitted values and 90% confidence and prediction intervals for NC. A standardized effect size was calculated and aggregated across all axes (Delta RMSD aggregate), as a summative metric of motion quality. Confidence and prediction intervals were comparable for left and right NC and demonstrated excellent reliability. The average sum of the Delta RMSD aggregate was 2.76 ± 0.55 for left NC and 2.74 ± 0.63 for right NC. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing normative intervals of a NC task to assess head-to-torso kinematics.     

QT interval measurement using RMED curve; a novel approach based on wavelet techniques

Hypothesis/objective: Prolonged QT interval is an index of propensity for dangerous ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The aim of this article is to establish an automatic algorithm for QT interval measurement.

Method: The proposed method is based on the continuous wavelet transform. In this method, the concepts of the rescaled wavelet coefficients and dominant scales of the electrocardiogram (ECG) components are used to perform detection of ECG characteristic points. A new concept of rescaled maximum energy density is introduced so as to perform the estimation of the QT interval.

Results and conclusion: We have applied the algorithm to the PTB database of the Physiobank?Physionet in lead II. Then, the results were evaluated using pertinent reference QT. The criterion used for evaluation of the method's performance is the root mean square (RMS) error. The method approached the RMS error of 27.89 ms for 549 subjects. The proposed method is fast, simple and is applicable to a wide range of ECG cardio cycle morphologies.     

A time–frequency approach to estimate critical time intervals in postural control

The critical time interval (CTI) is a parameter that has been used to distinguish open-loop from closed-loop control during upright stance. The aim of this study was to develop a new method to determine CTIs. The new approach, termed the intermittent critical time interval (ICTI) method, was motivated from evidence that upright standing is an intermittent rather than an asymptotic stability control process. For this ICTI method, center-of-pressure time series are first transformed to the time–frequency domain with a wavelet method. Subsequently, the CTI is assumed equal to the time span between two local maxima in the time–frequency domain within a distinct frequency band (i.e., 0.5–1.1 Hz). This new method may help facilitate better estimates of the transition time interval between open and closed-loop control during upright stance and can also be applied in future work such as in simulating postural control. In addition, this method can be used in future work to assess temporal changes in CTIs.     

Selective burning of forest vegetation in Canton Ticino (southern Switzerland)

Abstract

Detailed knowledge of factors controlling fire regime is a prerequisite for efficient fire management. We analyzed the fire selectivity of given forest vegetation classes both in terms of fire frequency and fire size for the present fire regime (1982–2005) in Canton Ticino (southern Switzerland). To this end, we investigated the dataset in four categories (all fires, anthropogenic winter fires, anthropogenic summer fires, and natural summer fires) and performed 1000 random Monte Carlo simulations on frequency and size. Anthropogenic winter and summer fires have a similar selectivity, occurring mostly at low elevations in chestnut stands, broadleaved forests, and in the first 50 m from the forest edge. In winter half of the fires in chestnut stands are significantly larger than 1.0 ha and the average burnt area in some coniferous forests tends to be high. Lightning fires seem to occur more frequently in spruce stands and less often in the summer‐humid chestnut and beech stands and the 50–100 m buffer area. In beech forests, in mixed forests, and in the spruce stands affected by natural fire in summer, the fires tend to be small in size. The selectivity observed, especially the selectivity of anthropogenic fires in terms of fire frequency, seems to be also related to geographical parameters such as altitude and aspect, and to anthropogenic characteristics such as closeness to roads or buildings.     

Satellite microwave detection of boreal forest recovery from the extreme 2004 wildfires in Alaska and Canada

The rate of vegetation recovery from boreal wildfire influences terrestrial carbon cycle processes and climate feedbacks by affecting the surface energy budget and land‐atmosphere carbon exchange. Previous forest recovery assessments using satellite optical‐infrared normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and tower CO₂ eddy covariance techniques indicate rapid vegetation recovery within 5–10 years, but these techniques are not directly sensitive to changes in vegetation biomass. Alternatively, the vegetation optical depth (VOD) parameter from satellite passive microwave remote sensing can detect changes in canopy biomass structure and may provide a useful metric of post‐fire vegetation response to inform regional recovery assessments. We analyzed a multi‐year (2003–2010) satellite VOD record from the NASA AMSR‐E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS) sensor to estimate forest recovery trajectories for 14 large boreal fires from 2004 in Alaska and Canada. The VOD record indicated initial post‐fire canopy biomass recovery within 3–7 years, lagging NDVI recovery by 1–5 years. The VOD lag was attributed to slower non‐photosynthetic (woody) and photosynthetic (foliar) canopy biomass recovery, relative to the faster canopy greenness response indicated from the NDVI. The duration of VOD recovery to pre‐burn conditions was also directly proportional (P < 0.01) to satellite (moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer) estimated tree cover loss used as a metric of fire severity. Our results indicate that vegetation biomass recovery from boreal fire disturbance is generally slower than reported from previous assessments based solely on satellite optical‐infrared remote sensing, while the VOD parameter enables more comprehensive assessments of boreal forest recovery.     

Basic concepts of fluid responsiveness

Predicting fluid responsiveness, the response of stroke volume to fluid loading, is a relatively novel concept that aims to optimise circulation, and as such organ perfusion, while avoiding futile and potentially deleterious fluid administrations in critically ill patients. Dynamic parameters have shown to be superior in predicting the response to fluid loading compared with static cardiac filling pressures. However, in routine clinical practice the conditions necessary for dynamic parameters to predict fluid responsiveness are frequently not met. Passive leg raising as a means to alter biventricular preload in combination with subsequent measurement of the change in stroke volume can provide a fast and accurate way to guide fluid management in a broad population of critically ill patients.