A mathematical model for variations in the functional state of a living organism under external regular load

On the basis of the nonlinear model of the overdamped Duffing oscillator, the adaptation of the living organism to regular external loads (constant and periodical) was studied. It was shown that this model describes the stages of strain and resistance. In the resistance stage, a superadaptation phase may be observed, which exceeds by functional shift its asymptotic volume. This stage has a threshold character with respect to load. It was shown that the theoretical results coincide with the experimental data obtained under periodical loads. The conclusion about the existence of optimal load frequency, which leads to a maximum heating of the organism. The differences between the responses of organisms with strong and weak immunities to the harmonic actions were analyzed.     

应激状态下人群心脏储备的调研

目的:研究应激状态下人群心脏储备动用情况。方法:选择运动员81名进行心音图运动试验,分别记录其静息状态和运动后即刻的第1心音幅值与第2心音幅值之比(S1/S2)、舒张期与收缩期时限之比(D/S)和心率(HR);选择心血管病人以及对照组-健康人群各25名,健康孕妇320名(孕周≥28周)以及对照组-健康育龄妇女100名,记录静息状态下的S1/S2、D/S和HR。结果:运动员静息状态和运动后即刻S1/S2和HR升高,D/S降低,有显著性差异(P<0.01);心血管病人相对于健康人S1/S2和HR较高,D/S较低(P均<0.01)相对于健康育龄妇女,孕妇S1/S2和HR较高,D/S较低(P均<0.01)。应激状态下D/S比值会减低,S1/S2升高,HR越快。结论:应激导致心脏负担加重、会调用心力储备和心率储备,心脏功能上调。     

稻鸭共育稻田水体藻类动态变化

稻鸭共育技术作为稻田复合种养模式,是有效控制常规稻作生态污染的重要技术途径.通过对不同时期稻田藻类群落种类、密度、生物量及环境因子进行测定,研究稻鸭共育稻田水体藻类动态变化规律.结果表明,稻田藻类群落包括蓝藻门、绿藻门、硅藻门、裸藻门,隐藻门及甲藻门共6门、38属、108种.随着水稻发育进程,藻类优势种单位生物量增加,前期皆以银灰平裂藻、栅藻等为优势种,后期对照以方鼓藻,灿烂颤藻,短小舟形藻等为优势种,而放鸭区优势种皆是裸藻门,包括绿色裸藻,尖尾裸藻,梭形裸藻等.稻鸭共育稻田水体藻类初期有个适应期,在放鸭后15d左右藻类密度及生物量显著下降,之后开始上升.与常规对照相比,稻鸭共育藻类密度及生物量较低,放鸭对稻田水体生态系统的影响主要体现在放鸭45d以后,表现为水体全P增加,全N减少,藻类多样性下降,优势种发生变化.环境因子与藻类相关分析表明,全磷与裸藻生物及藻类总生物量存在显著正相关,相关系数分别为0.697、0.625,而全N与藻类相关性不显著.     

Tropical estuarine ecosystem change under the interacting influences of future climate and ecosystem restoration

One of the largest restoration programs in the world, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) aims to restore freshwater inputs to Everglades wetlands and the Florida Bay estuary. This study predicted how the Florida Bay ecosystem may respond to hydrological restoration from CERP within the context of contemporary projected impacts of sea-level rise (SLR) and increased future temperatures. A spatial–temporal dynamic model (Ecospace) was used to develop a spatiotemporal food web model incorporating environmental drivers of salinity, salinity variation, temperature, depth, distance to mangrove, and seagrass abundance and was used to predict responses of biomass, fisheries catch, and ecosystem resilience between current and future conditions. Changes in biomass between the current and future scenario suggest a suite of winners and losers, with many estuarine species increasing in both total biomass and spatial distribution. Notable biomass increases were predicted for important forage species, including bay anchovy (+32%), hardhead halfbeak (+19%), and pinfish (+31%), while decreases were predicted in mullet (−88%), clupeids (−55%), hardhead silverside (−15%), mojarras (−117%), and Portunid crabs (−16%). Increases in sportfish biomass included the angler-preferred spotted seatrout (+9%), red drum (+10%), and gray snapper (+8%), while decreases included sheepshead (−40%), Atlantic tarpon (−73%), and common snook (−507%). Ecosystem resilience and fisheries catch of angler-preferred species were predicted to improve in the future scenario in total, although a localized decline in resilience predicted for the Central Region may warrant further attention. Our results suggest the Florida Bay ecosystem is likely to achieve restoration benefits in spite of, and in some cases facilitated by, the projected future impacts from climate change due to the system's shallow depth and detrital dominance. The incorporation of climate impacts into long-term restoration planning using ecosystem modeling in similar systems facing unknown futures of SLR, warming seas, and shifting species distributions is recommended.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of liquid water under the influence of an external electric field

Molecular dynamics simulations of liquid water were performed at 258K and a density of 1.0?g/cm³ under various applied external electric field, ranging 0～10¹⁰?V/m. The influence of external field on structural and dynamical properties of water was investigated. The simple point charge (SPC) model is used for water molecules. An enhancement of the water hydrogen bond structure with increasing strength of the electric field has been deduced from the radial distribution functions and the analysis of hydrogen bonds structure. With increasing field strength, water system has a more perfect structure, which is similar to ice structure. However, the electrofreezing phenomenon of liquid water has not been detected since the self-diffusion coefficient was very large. The self-diffusion coefficient decreases remarkably with increasing strength of electric field and the self-diffusion coefficient is anisotropic.     

水胁迫下多角度幼龄檀香图像颜色变化分析及含水率反演

干旱与水淹胁迫是植物遭受的主要非生物胁迫,对植物的生理活动造成严重影响.本研究基于单反相机获取幼龄檀香的纵向和冠层叶片图像,使用分割算法提取叶片和颜色特征,然后讨论两种胁迫条件下多角度檀香叶片颜色变化及含水率反演.结果表明:干旱组在胁迫前期(前6d)叶片亮度降低,绿色分量增加,之后叶片亮度增加,绿色分量降低;水淹组叶片在整个胁迫周期亮度持续降低,黄色分量增加;对照组则与干旱组的变化趋势类似,但拐点出现的时间较晚.当叶片含水率在50%~70%时,随着含水率的增加,彩色图像的红(R)、绿(G)、蓝(B)通道值均会减小;但当叶片含水率小于40%时,会出现R通道值大于G通道值的现象.在使用极限学习机反演含水率时,校正后的颜色分量对拟合优度及预测精度均有所提高.纵向图像更适合用来反演叶片的含水量,决定系数和平均绝对百分比误差分别为0.8352和2.3%;而冠层图像对叶片等效水厚度的表达更准确,上述指标分别为0.7924和9.3%.     

Study of the chemical and physical influences upon in vitro peptide-mediated silica formation

Herein, we report on the ability to create complex 2-D and 3-D silica networks in vitro via polycationic peptide-mediated biosilicification under experimentally altered chemical and physical influences. These structures differ from the sphere-like silica network of particles obtained in vitro under static conditions. Under chemical influences, overall morphologies were observed to shift from a characteristic network of sphere-like silica particles to a sheetlike structure in the presence of -OH groups from additives and to sharp-edged, platelike structures in the presence of larger polycationic peptide matrixes. Under physical influences, using externally applied force fields, overall silica morphologies were observed to transition from sphere-like to fiberlike and dendrite-like structures. These findings could lead to the future development of bio-inspired complex 2-D and 3-D silica micro- and nano-devices.     

全球气候变化下植物水分利用效率研究进展

气候变化是20世纪80年代以来全球最为关注的环境问题之一,显著影响着植物的生产力以及水分运移和利用格局,改变植物个体、群落及生态系统的水分利用效率（WUE）,最终影响植被分布格局和群落结构.开展植物WUE的研究有助于理解和预测陆地植被对全球变化的响应和适应对策,从而为应对全球变化提供新的依据.本文从叶片、个体、群体或生态系统等不同尺度简要介绍了植物水分利用效率的概念及测定方法,着重综述了气候变暖、CO₂浓度升高、降水变化和氮沉降等重要气候因子及其复合作用对植物WUE的影响研究进展,以及不同立地条件下植物WUE变化特征及生存适应策略,指出当前研究中存在的问题,并对全球气候变化下植物WUE的研究进行展望.     

Convergence of multilocus systems under weak epistasis or weak selection

 The convergence of multilocus systems under viability selection with constant fitnesses is investigated. Generations are discrete and nonoverlapping; the monoecious population mates at random. The number of multiallelic loci, the linkage map, dominance, and epistasis are arbitrary. It is proved that if epistasis or selection is sufficiently weak (and satisfies a certain nondegeneracy assumption whose genericity we establish), then there is always convergence to some equilibrium point. In particular, cycling cannot occur. The behavior of the mean fitness and some other aspects of the dynamics are also analyzed. Received: 15 November 1997 / Revised version: 25 May 1998     

Female reproductive state influences the auditory midbrain response

Female behavioral responses to sensory stimuli can be highly variable across the reproductive cycle. Female green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea) use the male vocal signal to locate and choose a mate. Gravid females approach a vocalizing male to mate but do not approach if they have recently mated. Such differences in behavioral response may be due in part to shifts in the neural representation of auditory information in the brain. In this study, we investigated the influence of female reproductive state on neural responses in the auditory midbrain to both communication signals (advertisement calls) and non-communication sounds (band limited noise bursts). Recently mated females exhibited significantly reduced response strengths compared to females not recently mated. Reduced response strengths in post-mated females were in response to both noise bursts and male advertisement calls but were limited to the lower frequency range corresponding to the amphibian papilla of the peripheral auditory system. Our results therefore show that the ability of social signals to stimulate the auditory system differs in females depending on their reproductive state, and that the differential effect on low versus high spectral sensitivities may influence the way the two spectral peaks of male advertisement calls are represented.     

Behavioural state influences the cardiovascular response to haemorrhage in lambs

We investigated the effect of behavioural state on the cardiovascular response to an acute venous haemorrhage in 7 lambs aged 13 to 19 days. Each lamb had previously been anaesthetized and instrumented for measurements of electrocorticogram, electro-oculogram, nuchal and diaphragm electromyograms, pulmonary blood flow (electromagnetic flow transducer), aortic and right atrial blood pressures. The lambs were allowed to recover from surgery at least three days before they were studied. Measurements were made during a 1-minute control period and during a 1-minute experimental period that followed a 10 ml/kg body weight haemorrhage during quiet wakefulness, quiet sleep and active sleep; the haemorrhage took approximately 30s. Haemorrhage produced similar decreases in right atrial pressure and pulmonary blood flow during the three behavioural states. However, mean aortic pressure decreased more following haemorrhage during active sleep than during quiet sleep or quiet wakefulness. These results provide evidence that reflex control of the peripheral circulation is altered during active sleep compared to quiet sleep and quiet wakefulness in lambs.     

Changes in the electrical polarity of tobacco cells following the application of weak external currents

Weak externally applied electric currents changed the natural electrical pattern surrounding cells from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) suspension cultures. The artificial currents were applied transversely to short filaments of cells placed between a microelectrode lose to the filament surface and a large platinum electrode some distance away. The natural current patterns before and after electrical treatment were measured with a vibrating probe. Significant effects were confined to the cell adjacent to the microelectrode. Currents with densities of 100 A · cm^–2 at the cell surface applied for 10 min or 3 A · cm^–2 for several hours caused a localized increase in the natural current entering the part of the cell which had been nearest the positive electrode. There was no corresponding local increase in current leaving from the opposite side of the cell. Instead, the extra current appeared to leave over a relatively large area. The overall effect was a tendency for the cell to repolarize transversely with a greater proportion of its transcellular currents flowing in the direction of the current applied. The effect was measurable for several hours after the external current was discontinued and may be evidence for a natural mechanism by which neighbouring cells entrain one another's polarities during differentiation. The effect of external currents on cells growing in a 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) medium (which suppresses differentiation) was qualitatively the same as on cells in an indole-3-acetic acid medium (which promotes differentiation). If anything, the response was greater in 2,4-D, implying that the disruptive effect of 2,4-D on cell and tissue polarization is not a consequence of it preventing cells sensing the transcellular currents of their neighbours.Abbreviation 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid The authors are indebted to the Agricultural and Food Research Council of the U.K. for financial support and to the Royal Society for the provision of the vibrating probe.     

Structural-functional state of thylakoid membranes of wheat genotypes under water stress

Plants were grown in field conditions in the wide area under normal water supply and severe water deficit. Two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes contrasting by architectonics and differing in drought-resistance were used: Giymatli-2/17, short stature, with broad and drooping leaves, drought-sensitive, and Azamatli-95, short stature, with vertically oriented small leaves, drought-tolerant). It was found out that Giymatli-2/17 was characterized by relatively low content of Chl a-protein of PS I (CP I) and β-subunit of ATP-synthase complex, the high content of proteins in the 33-30.5 kDa region and LHC polypeptides (28-24.5 kDa), the intensive fluorescence at 740 nm and more high photochemical activity of PS II under normal irrigation compared with Azamatli-95. However, the content of CP I (M_r 115 kDa) and apoprotein of P700 with M_r 63 kDa insignificantly increases in the drought-resistant genotype Azamatli-95 under extreme water supply condition while their content decreases in drought-sensitive cv Giymatli-2/17. Intensity of synthesis α- and β-subunits of CF₁ (55 and 53.5 kDa) also decreases in Giymatli-2/17. The levels of the core antenna polypeptides of FS II with M_r 46 and 44.5 kDa (CP47 and CP43) remains stable both in normal, and stressful conditions. At the same time the significant reduction is observed in the content of polypeptides in the 33-30.5 kDa region in the more sensitive genotype Giymatli-2/17. There is an increase in the LHC II polypeptides level in tolerant genotype Azamatli-95 in contrast to Giymatli-2/17 (where the content of these subunits is observed decreasing). The intensity of short wavelength peaks at 687 and 695 nm sharply increases in the fluorescence spectra (77 K) of chloroplasts from sensitive genotype Giymatli-2/17 under water deficiency and there is a stimulation of the ratio of fluorescence band intensity F687/F740. After exposure to drought, cv Giymatli-2/17 shows a larger reduction in the actual PS II photochemical efficiency of chloroplasts than cv Azamatli-95.     

Structural-functional state of thylakoid membranes of wheat genotypes under water stress

Plants were grown in field conditions in the wide area under normal water supply and severe water deficit. Two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes contrasting by architectonics and differing in drought-resistance were used: Giymatli-2/17, short stature, with broad and drooping leaves, drought-sensitive, and Azamatli-95, short stature, with vertically oriented small leaves, drought-tolerant). It was found out that Giymatli-2/17 was characterized by relatively low content of Chl a-protein of PS I (CP I) and beta-subunit of ATP-synthase complex, the high content of proteins in the 33-30.5 kDa region and LHC polypeptides (28-24.5 kDa), the intensive fluorescence at 740 nm and more high photochemical activity of PS II under normal irrigation compared with Azamatli-95. However, the content of CP I (M(r) 115 kDa) and apoprotein of P700 with M(r) 63 kDa insignificantly increases in the drought-resistant genotype Azamatli-95 under extreme water supply condition while their content decreases in drought-sensitive cv Giymatli-2/17. Intensity of synthesis alpha- and beta-subunits of CF(1) (55 and 53.5 kDa) also decreases in Giymatli-2/17. The levels of the core antenna polypeptides of FS II with M(r) 46 and 44.5 kDa (CP47 and CP43) remains stable both in normal, and stressful conditions. At the same time the significant reduction is observed in the content of polypeptides in the 33-30.5 kDa region in the more sensitive genotype Giymatli-2/17. There is an increase in the LHC II polypeptides level in tolerant genotype Azamatli-95 in contrast to Giymatli-2/17 (where the content of these subunits is observed decreasing). The intensity of short wavelength peaks at 687 and 695 nm sharply increases in the fluorescence spectra (77 K) of chloroplasts from sensitive genotype Giymatli-2/17 under water deficiency and there is a stimulation of the ratio of fluorescence band intensity F687/F740. After exposure to drought, cv Giymatli-2/17 shows a larger reduction in the actual PS II photochemical efficiency of chloroplasts than cv Azamatli-95.     

A neural circuit state change underlying skilled movements

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