豹猫体细胞建系及其生物学特性分析

研究体外培养豹猫(Prionailurus bengalensis)细胞的形态、细胞贴壁率、冷冻存活率、生长曲线及细胞核型等生物学特性,为深入开展豹猫基因组学及濒危野生动物保护提供依据。本实验选择豹猫3种组织,即剑状软骨、心和肺,采用组织块贴壁培养法进行体细胞的原代培养;酶消化法完成细胞的传代培养;程序降温完成细胞的冷冻保存;通过细胞计数法计数细胞冷冻存活率;绘制细胞生长曲线;采用常规染色体标本制备技术,对豹猫的染色体核型及G带进行分析。细胞原代培养结果显示,剑状软骨组织在培养第3天出现纤维样细胞、培养6~7 d铺满培养瓶;心组织在培养第5天出现上皮样细胞、12 d铺满培养瓶;肺组织在培养4 d后出现成纤维细胞、8~9 d铺满培养瓶。3种来源体细胞均显示成纤维细胞特征,剑状软骨源细胞最易贴壁、肺源细胞次之、心源细胞最弱。对比3种不同来源体细胞从6代(P6)至12代(P12)冷冻存活率,剑状软骨源细胞冷冻存活率显著下降(冻存前91.0%~97.6%,冻存后76.8%~85.5%,P0.05),心源细胞冷冻存活率亦显著下降(冻存前82.7%~88.1%,冻存后43.7%~80.5%,P0.05),肺源细胞冷冻存活率有下降趋势,但无显著差异(冻存前83.4%~96.8%,冻存后73.9%~93.3%,P0.05)。生长曲线分析显示,3种体细胞均呈"S"型,其中剑状软骨源细胞增殖最快、肺源细胞次之、心源细胞最慢。核型分析结果显示,3种不同来源的成纤维体细胞染色体数目均为2n=38,18对为常染色体,形态类型为6m+10sm+2st,1对为性染色体,X染色体形态类型为m。本研究建立了3种组织来源的豹猫成纤维细胞建系技术及体细胞系,揭示了该物种成纤维细胞的基本生物学特性,为动物遗传信息研究及豹猫保护提供了重要的实验材料和基础信息。     

Field age determination of leopards by tooth wear

Age determination is an important tool in wildlife studies. Estimating the age of animals in the field using tooth wear criteria may be subject to error as a result of variations between individuals, habitats and populations. Data on age estimation of leopards and tooth wear characteristics are lacking. Nineteen leopards in Namibia were assessed for tooth eruption and wear. Between 1991 and 1995 leopards (including 13 individuals of known age) were monitored at one year intervals ('28 leopard years') to record age and tooth wear. At the age of two years leopards had fully developed dentition. Wear started with the incisors and canines, and spread to the premolars and molars. A chronology of tooth eruption and wear in relation to age is presented. Above the age of three years, male leopards showed higher frequencies of enamel flaking and canine fractures than females.     

Diet of the Leopard Seal <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hydrurga leptonyx</Emphasis> at the Danco Coast,Antarctic Peninsula

A total of 14 scats of the Leopard Seal were collected on ice floes close to Cierva Point, Danco Coast, Antarctic Peninsula, during February and March 2000. Krill was the most frequent and numerous prey and also constituted the bulk of the diet; penguins and fish followed in importance by mass. Among fish, Gobionotothen gibberifrons was the most frequent prey and also predominated by mass whereas the myctophid Gymnoscopelus nicholsi was the most numerous prey. The results are compared with previous studies and the differences in the composition of the diet observed among the Leopard Seal and other seals at the study area are discussed.     

Sound direction modifies the inhibitory as well as the excitatory frequency tuning characteristics of single neurons in the frog torus semicircularis (inferior colliculus)

Single-unit recordings were made from the frog inferior colliculus to determine whether or not the direction-dependent sharpening of a unit's free-field excitatory frequency-threshold curve (FTC_e) was accompanied by a broadening of its inhibitory frequency-threshold curve (FTC_i). To determine the FTC_i, a two-tone-suppression paradigm was employed. The unit's FTC_is and FTC_es were collected at three azimuths: contralateral to the recording site, ipsilateral to the recording site, and frontal midline. The result showed that: (1) most inferior colliculus neurons (95%) displayed two-tone suppression, (2) the majority (54%) of neurons displayed stronger two-tone-suppression leading to broader FTC_is when the sound was presented from the ipsilateral side than from the contralateral side, (3) for some neurons, the borders of the FTC_es and FTC_is were closely aligned, and this juxtaposition persisted at all sound azimuths (namely, when a change in sound direction produced a narrowing of a unit's FTC_e, its FTC_i was broadened concomitantly). For the remaining neurons, however, direction-dependent sharpening of the FTC_e was not accompanied by an increase in two-tone-suppression. The neural mechanisms that underlie the direction-dependent changes in the FTC_es and FTC_is are discussed. Accepted: 19 November 1997     

The Modulation and Control of the Gecko''''s Foot Movement

1IntroductionAttachment is still a difficult problem in wall-climbing robotics.There are two main types ofattachment mechanisms for wall climbing robots.One issuction,which has major drawbacks.The mechanismrequires the contacting surface being smooth,otherwise itwill be ineffective.This limits adhesion of the suctioncup to relatively smooth,non-porous,non-crackedsurfaces.Another issue associated with suction adhesionis that this method requires time to develop enoughvacuum to generate suffici…