A strategy for high cell density culture of heterotrophic microalgae with inhibitory substrates

Substrate inhibition is one of the major problems preventing high cell densities of microalgae in heterotrophic culture, so the possibility of overcoming the problem by various culture techniques was examined. It was found that perfusion culture may be the most appropriate technique for high cell densities in heterotrophic culture using inhibitory substrates. An experimental example in which a hollow fibre cell recycle system (HFCRS) was employed to achieve high cell densities of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii on acetate under heterotrophic conditions of growth was demonstrated. The cell density in the HFCRS was much higher than that reported in the literature for this species.     

Genome‐wide detection of CNVs associated with beak deformity in chickens using high‐density 600K SNP arrays

Beak deformity (crossed beaks) is found in several indigenous chicken breeds including Beijing‐You studied here. Birds with deformed beaks have reduced feed intake and poor production performance. Recently, copy number variation (CNV) has been examined in many species and is recognized as a source of genetic variation, especially for disease phenotypes. In this study, to unravel the genetic mechanisms underlying beak deformity, we performed genome‐wide CNV detection using Affymetrix chicken high‐density 600K data on 48 deformed‐beak and 48 normal birds using penncnv . As a result, two and eight CNV regions (CNVRs) covering 0.32 and 2.45 Mb respectively on autosomes were identified in deformed‐beak and normal birds respectively. Further RT‐qPCR studies validated nine of the 10 CNVRs. The ratios of six CNVRs were significantly different between deformed‐beak and normal birds (P < 0.01). Within these six regions, three and 21 known genes were identified in deformed‐beak and normal birds respectively. Bioinformatics analysis showed that these genes were enriched in six GO terms and one KEGG pathway. Five candidate genes in the CNVRs were further validated using RT‐qPCR. The expression of LRIG2 (leucine rich repeats and immunoglobulin like domains 2) was lower in birds with deformed beaks (P < 0.01). Therefore, the LRIG2 gene could be considered a key factor in view of its known functions and its potential roles in beak deformity. Overall, our results will be helpful for future investigations of the genomic structural variations underlying beak deformity in chickens.     

The Neural Basis of Responsibility Attribution in Decision-Making

Social responsibility links personal behavior with societal expectations and plays a key role in affecting an agent’s emotional state following a decision. However, the neural basis of responsibility attribution remains unclear. In two previous event-related brain potential (ERP) studies we found that personal responsibility modulated outcome evaluation in gambling tasks. Here we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to identify particular brain regions that mediate responsibility attribution. In a context involving team cooperation, participants completed a task with their teammates and on each trial received feedback about team success and individual success sequentially. We found that brain activity differed between conditions involving team success vs. team failure. Further, different brain regions were associated with reinforcement of behavior by social praise vs. monetary reward. Specifically, right temporoparietal junction (RTPJ) was associated with social pride whereas dorsal striatum and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were related to reinforcement of behaviors leading to personal gain. The present study provides evidence that the RTPJ is an important region for determining whether self-generated behaviors are deserving of praise in a social context.     

用薄层色谱分离提纯单半乳糖和双半乳糖双甘油酯

本文选择两种溶剂体系,用两次单向薄层层析,从小麦抗寒与不抗寒品系天然橡胶胶乳分离提纯出6种单半乳糖和双半乳糖双甘油酯。并比较了它们的疏水侧链的脂肪酸组成。小麦糖脂疏水侧链脂肪酸的不饱和指数远大于天然胶乳糖脂。抗寒品系胶乳糖脂疏水侧链脂肪酸不饱和指数大于不抗寒品系。双半乳糖双甘油酯疏水侧链脂肪酸不饱和指数均大于其单半乳糖糖脂。     

Velocity distribution on the membrane of a tank-treading red blood cell

The kinematics of an area-conserving tank-treading disk-shaped red blood cell membrane is studied using the stream function method suggested by Secomb and Skalak (Q. Jl Mech. appl. Math. 35, Pt 2, 233–247, 1982). Two simple area-conserving velocity fields are superimposed to satisfy the continuity condition at the curved edges of the disk. A differential equation for the trajectory of any material point of the membrane is derived. The requirement of synchrony of the cycle for all membrane points leads to an integral equation which determines a magnitude function. An approximate solution is made possible by assuming small trajectory deflections.