Growth of Escherichia coli B/r/l in a semi-continuous system designed for the synchronization of cell division

Escherichia coli B/r/l was grown under conditions of periodic feeding. Glucose, the only carbon source, was supplied at intervals longer than the generation time of the organism. Thus, each period of glucose availability was followed by a period of depletion. This process gave rise to two synchronous populations, one dividing shortly after a new supply of fresh medium and the other dividing at a later stage within the feeding cycle. Thymine incorporation experiments suggested that the double population emerged as the result of a discriminatory blockage of DNA replication.     

Direction of Temperature Control in the Thermal Biofeedback Treatment of Vascular Headache

In order to test for the specific therapeutic effects of thermal biofeedback (TBF) for hand warming on vascular headache (HA), 70 patients with chronic vascular HA were randomly assigned to TBF for hand warming, TBF for hand cooling, TBF for stabilization of hand temperature, or biofeedback to suppress alpha in the EEG. Patients in each condition initially had high levels of expectation of therapeutic benefit and found the treatment rationales highly credible. Participants in each condition received 12 treatment sessions on a twice-per-week basis. Based on daily HA diary data gathered for 4 weeks prior to treatment and 4 weeks after treatment, HA Index was significantly (p=.003) reduced as was HA medication consumption. There were no differential reducations in HA Index or Medication Index among the four conditions. Global self-reports of improvement gathered at the end of the post-treatment monitoring period also did not differ among the four conditions. We were unable to demonstrate a specific effect of TBF for hand warming on vascular HA activity.     

ENVIRONMENTAL AND HORMONAL CONTROL OF TURION GERMINATION IN MYRIOPHYLLUM VERTICILLATUM

Germination, or outgrowth, of Myriophyllum verticillatum turions involves a series of visible changes starting with reflexing of leaves followed by extension and curving of the axis, and then by root formation. Before abscission, turions grow out in response to long days (16 hr) but not short days (8 hr). After abscission, turions show maximal dormancy which can be fully broken by a cold treatment (4 C). Turions are heterogeneous in degree of dormancy and ability to respond to less complete dormancy-breaking treatments, e.g., long days at 20 C. Cytokinins (10^-6 m) break dormancy of non-cold-treated turions, whereas gibberellic acid (GA₃) is ineffective except at high concentrations (10^-3 m). Continuous treatment with cytokinins causes abnormal development after germination. GA₃, on the other hand, induces apparently normal development even at high concentration. Indoleacetic acid (IAA) induces outgrowth only at high concentrations (10^-3 - 10^-4 m), but these concentrations also produce abnormal development. Abscisic acid (ABA, 10^-5 m) retards outgrowth of cold-treated turions and can completely suppress it in non-cold-treated turions. The activity of ABA-like substances in turions remains about the same before and during germination, whereas other (unidentified) acidic inhibitors decrease markedly. The cytokinin activity changes in a complex pattern.     

基于文化与政治生态学的社会生态系统演进机制研究 ——以杭州与西湖为例

科学认识社会生态系统演进机制是对其进行有效管理的重要基础。以文化与政治生态学为理论基础,提出适合杭州—西湖社会生态系统的综合研究框架,识别了杭州—西湖社会生态系统的5个演进阶段,并分析出系统演进中的3种潜在状态。自然、政治、经济以及社会驱动力是影响杭州—西湖社会生态系统的主导因素,人类行为影响整个生态系统中扰动的频率、大小和形式并改变西湖生态系统的结构与功能,进而影响西湖为城市提供生态系统服务的潜能。在不同历史时期,基于自然、社会、经济、文化等多层面的需求,西湖在不同系统状态下为城市供给不同类别和质量的生态系统服务,总体而言供给与调节服务比例逐渐下降,文化服务逐渐上升,并且后者逐步成为最主要的生态系统服务类别。杭州与西湖在长期的互馈共生中建立了社会生态系统的自适应性调节机制,其背后的生态智慧可为现代风景园林规划提供重要启示。     

AVPR1A variation is linked to gray matter covariation in the social brain network of chimpanzees

The vasopressin system has been implicated in the regulation of social behavior and cognition in humans, nonhuman primates and other social mammals. In chimpanzees, polymorphisms in the vasopressin V1a receptor gene (AVPR1A) have been associated with social dimensions of personality, as well as to responses to sociocommunicative cues and mirror self‐recognition. Despite evidence of this association with social cognition and behavior, there is little research on the neuroanatomical correlates of AVPR1A variation. In the current study, we tested the association between AVPR1A polymorphisms in the RS3 promotor region and gray matter covariation in chimpanzees using magnetic resonance imaging and source‐based morphometry. The analysis identified 13 independent brain components, three of which differed significantly in covariation between the two AVPR1A genotypes (DupB?/? and DupB+/?; P < .05). DupB+/? chimpanzees showed greater covariation in gray matter in the premotor and prefrontal cortex, basal forebrain, lunate and cingulate cortex, and lesser gray matter covariation in the superior temporal sulcus and postcentral sulcus. Some of these regions were previously found to differ in vasopressin and oxytocin neural fibers between nonhuman primates, and in AVPR1A gene expression in humans with different RS3 alleles. This is the first report of an association between AVPR1A and gray matter covariation in nonhuman primates, and specifically links an AVPR1A polymorphism to structural variation in the social brain network. These results further affirm the value of chimpanzees as a model species for investigating the relationship between genetic variation, brain structure and social cognition with relevance to psychiatric disorders, including autism.